Tenrikyo Mission New York Center in Flushing, New York, held the monthly service in commemoration of the completion of its new sanctuary and the installation of the fifth minister, Rev. Toshihiko Okui, on December 7, 2008. Special guests present at the service included Rev. Yoichiro Miyamori, head of the Overseas Department; Rev. Takaharu Ichise, chief of the North America and Oceania Section of the aforementioned department; and Bishop Toyoo Tsuji of Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters in America. New York Center was established in 1977 to cater to the needs of followers living in the eastern United States.<\/p>\n
There was a light snowfall on the day of the service as 250 worshipers including those from Canada attended. Scott Marble and Karen Fairbanks, the husband and wife team from Marble Fairbanks Architects who designed the new sanctuary, were also in attendance.<\/p>\n
Rev. Okui read the service prayer in English and Japanese, which was followed by Rev. Miyamori’s reading of a message from the Shinbashira.<\/p>\n
Following the performance of the service, Rev. Miyamori gave the sermon. He told the congregation, “I very much hope that those of you who live in the eastern United States will regard New York Center as a facility you can turn to and depend on.”<\/p>\n
After the completion of the service, various groups gave performances of bugaku (traditional Japanese court dance), fife and drum music, and wadaiko (Japanese drumming), among others.<\/p>\n
The groundbreaking of the construction of the new sanctuary took place in October 2006. Following the completion of the construction, the enshrinement ceremony took place on September 30, 2008.<\/p>\n
The new sanctuary is built of reinforced concrete and covers an area of 696.8 square meters (7,500 ft2<\/sup>). The ground floor includes the worship hall, a room to prepare offerings, office space, and a dual-purpose room set aside for the minister and meetings. The lower basement level includes a dining hall, a kitchen, and changing rooms for followers. The sanctuary is wheelchair-accessible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tenrikyo Mission New York Center in Flushing, New York, held the monthly service in commemoration of the completion of its new sanctuary and the installation of the fifth minister, Rev. Toshihiko Okui, on December 7, 2008. Special guests present at the service included Rev. Yoichiro Miyamori, head of the Overseas\u2026<\/p>\n