During the month of September, the Belvedere Family Council took some time outside of our normal Business Meetings to simply be together. For this year’s council retreat, we were blessed to be able to stay at the historic Tudor House on East Garden Estate for a long weekend. We bonded over activities and games, and connected to our local history by touring the Museum at East Garden, and connected to the vision of our pastor, Rev. Kone, for our community in the coming year.

2018-19 BFC Council
BFC Council for 2018-2019:
Djamel Bouachri, Matthew Leary, Akitoshi Takanashi, Dr. Kone, Jennifer Perkins, Don Cupp, Kimiyo Matthews, Francisco Rondon

During the retreat we took time to learn about the history and motivation of each one of us as individuals. We answered questions such as, “Why did you feel called to serve on this council?” and “What are some of your core beliefs?” By understanding where each person is coming from, we can better work together as a team to serve the best interest of you, the Belvedere Family Community, while also staying connected to our larger UC family.

Council at EG Council at EG
The council was grateful for the reverent atmosphere and hospitality of East Garden during our retreat.

When we came together for our September Business Meeting, major topics of discussion were the budget for the new fiscal year (which will be made public when complete) and the launch of our second round of the Marriage Course hosted in the sanctuary at Belvedere. We are so proud to support this wonderful opportunity for our couples to continue to grow in their relationships and to keep making steps toward providing a model of healthy families for the world. A huge thank you to the wonderful people who have volunteered to help cook and look after the little ones! Stay tuned for your chance to participate in the next round as a couple or as a volunteer!

In the month of October, our meeting mostly revolved around our finances. Details of our budget and spending will soon be posted on our website as well for transparency. At this time, we would also like to shed some light on an emergency decision which was made regarding the November Rally. Every community received an urgent request from the Headquarters of our Sub-Region to help fund this massive providential effort of the coming weeks. Because of the size of our community, and the efforts we have made to create a savings account, we were fortunate enough to be able to safely contribute $30,000 to this larger cause. The decision to make this contribution was deeply discussed and unanimously agreed upon by each of your 8 elected officials. Our discussion acknowledged that although we need to care for our local family, we also share responsibility for the larger Unification Movement. And, while we do not intend to use our savings for such a purpose again, we were honored to make this investment into a healthy spiritual future for the United States of America. We, as representatives of the Belvedere Family, felt we had chosen to be a part of this movement on a larger scale and this donation of our hard earned money has been offered with reverence and sincerity. We pray that you will all join us in our heart of offering this contribution to the goals we have chosen to stand for. Peace Starts With [Us]!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us individually or through our council email address at council@belvederefamily.com.