TORRANCE, January 7, 2024 – With wholehearted devotion, the Church prepared a cultural event to welcome friends, family, and neighbors. It was an excellent opportunity for guests and members to understand different cultures and form a bond of unity.
This event showed members’ efforts in welcoming with various colors, prints, and textures decorating the walls and ceilings. Beautiful fashions from around the globe, from Korean hanboks to African Dashikis, detailed Mexican embroidery, and hand-painted Samoan jewelry adorned the members. Delicious spices and scents filled the air. Finally, “A Night of Cultural Experiences” had come, which the Torrance Church of God had prepared wholeheartedly for weeks.
Twelve booths were set up, representing different parts of Asia, North, South, and Central Americas, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. Each was filled with native items and mostly home-cooked foods. The hosts explained the facts about each nation. Also, how the Church of God worships and serves their community in those countries. Children were
treated to miniature versions of each cultural experience and games and prizes.
Unity Displayed in Cultural Performance
As guests settled to enjoy their generous plates, the Church members shared a piece of their respective cultures through traditional performances. The first demonstration was “buchaechum,” a traditional Korean fan dance performed by young adult female group members. This was special because the Church of God was established in Korea in 1964. A Mexican Baile followed this, and the female adults and student groups performed Folklorico.
A pair of sisters from the mommies group shared a Caribbean dance to Day-O, also known as the Banana Boat Song. Later, evangelists from the adult and youth groups performed a German Schuhplattler and Chicken Dance, and the male young adults conducted Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines. The children’s group assembled to perform a song and dance to the Children’s New Song, titled “Let’s Go, All the Nations.”
Finally, the performances culminated with a lovely piece by the Torrance choir as they sang “Heaven’s Mother Sits Enthroned in Zion.” Afterward, host Emmanuel Luppi shared the lyrics, “With the bright rainbow colors, Mount Zion, so beautiful / On the Mount grows all kinds of trees of life, in good harmony.”
He expounded to the guests, “In the Bible, the different types of trees represent different types of people. So, the lyrics of the New Song explain that the diversity of the different kinds of members is what makes Zion, which is the Church of God, so beautiful in God’s eyes.”
The True Church Must Exhibit Diversity
As the scripture says in Micah 4:1, it is natural for the true church to have diversity. These types of events are essential to help understand one another and form a bond of unity. A number of other churches of the World Mission Society Church of Good Southwest region have carried out such an event; for example, The Church of God in Garden Grove held the same event in August of 2023. The Church of God in Temecula also held an International event with different types of dishes. Through these events, members can feel the love of Mother, who taught us, “As God always gives love, giving love is more blessed than receiving love.”
Although the members come from various cultural backgrounds, they all unite and become one body through the truth of the New Covenant Passover. Inviting all guests to God’s feast of eternal life, the Passover, and reminding them of the beautiful diversity.
