The New Year\u2019s meeting of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was held in the Assembly Hall following the evening service on January 4. The meeting was attended by 698 participants, including resident staff members of Church Headquarters, head ministers of directly supervised churches, superintendents of dioceses, members of the Assembly, committee members of Tenrikyo associations, and heads of Tenrikyo facilities. At the meeting, the Shinbashira delivered the New Year\u2019s address.<\/p>\n
[New Year\u2019s Address by the Shinbashira (full text)<\/strong>]<\/p>\n Happy New Year to you all. We are now in the year of Oyasama\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n I am delighted to note that in the past year, when we worked to give finishing touches to our \u201cthree years, one thousand days\u201d pre-anniversary activities, we saw a number of significant activities that distinguish the current pre-anniversary season from the previous one\u2014such as group pilgrimages for the Besseki lectures.<\/p>\n I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all of you for the effort you made to provide care and guidance for others. Thank you very much indeed.<\/p>\n Some of you may well have a sense of fulfillment about the pre-anniversary activities you carried out while some others may not. Nevertheless, I believe that all the seeds of sincerity you have sown will eventually sprout when the time comes.<\/p>\n It goes without saying that Oyasama\u2019s anniversaries are important junctures where we make special efforts to grow spiritually so that we may come closer to our goal, the Joyous Life. In this sense, an anniversary of Oyasama is one of many milestones on our long journey. Whether we call it an important juncture or a milestone, it is an intermediate point on our journey and not our final destination.<\/p>\n Our pre-anniversary activities over the past three years, therefore, should not be cut off from the activities we will be carrying out from this point onward. We must draw on the effort we made in preparation for Oyasama\u2019s anniversary in order to continue moving forward.<\/p>\n Whether or not the results we have been blessed with through our pre-anniversary work will prove to be genuinely substantial depends on how we will be serving from now on as well as what frame of mind we will be in. I hope that you will strive to carry out your activities while following the path in the manner that allows you to receive substantial blessings.<\/p>\n Please continue to carry out the work this year with your minds in unison.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The New Year\u2019s meeting of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was held in the Assembly Hall following the evening service on January 4. The meeting was attended by 698 participants, including resident staff members of Church Headquarters, head ministers of directly supervised churches, superintendents of dioceses, members of the Assembly, committee members\u2026<\/p>\n