Your Voice | A message from Lovin' Life Ministries

I am Crescentia DeGoede, the new co-pastor of Lovin’ Life Ministries, a contemporary ministry of the Unification Church on 123 S. 41st St. My co-pastor is my husband, Leighton. We are the youngest pastors of Lovin’ Life in America and we love what we do.

We would like to thank the editors of the Daily Pennsylvanian for retracting an article which contained some false and out-of-date information about our church. We are very grateful they took the time to have several conversations with us and understand more about our contemporary ministry and history. We hope others will do the same.

Please take a moment to consider what’s most important to you in life. If your answer contains family, friends, relatives or a significant other within it, then it may be worth asking: What are you doing to invest into your relationships with these people? Could you use some support? Lovin’ Life offers resources for you to strengthen these relationships. As students, Leighton and I know that students have a lot on their plate and can use a helping hand. Through Lovin’ Life, we aim to provide that helping hand through our 10 a.m. Sunday services, weekly small group meetings and periodic retreats.

Both our national pastor and Leighton and I are second-generation Unificationists, and the new style of church we are creating together is called Lovin’ Life. Lovin’ Life is about celebrating our lives and discovering what we have to give this world. It’s the place where we can experience what it means to be one family under God. We believe that God created us to experience the joy of loving relationships, beginning with you and God. Our purpose as a church is the same — to bring people into a real relationship with God and others.

Our national pastor, Rev. In Jin Moon, is the daughter of the founder of the Unification Church, Father Sun Myung Moon, an incredible man of God who has relentlessly dedicated himself to building a world of peace. At the time of my parents’ wedding in 1982, Rev. In Jin Moon was just a high-school girl with an ear for music. Rock, jazz and contemporary music are big parts of our Lovin’ Life services today, and we are quite dance-friendly. Music is our prayer before the sermon. Our senior pastor puts a lot of thought into the songs performed prior to the sermon. Through the music she wants the congregation to move from the secular to the spiritual.

At Lovin’ Life we study the Divine Principle and related texts. It offers new insights into some age-old questions like: What’s the purpose of my life? Is there a God? What is God like? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we solve the world’s problems? The answers may not be for everyone, but for many they have been life transforming. We would love for you to be a part of the conversation. Questions and debates are always welcome.

Andrew Carnegie said, “I would rather have one percent of 100 people’s efforts than 100 percent of my own.” This is how the leadership of Lovin’ Life feels. We believe in teamwork. We believe that each person has something great to contribute and that’s why we give everyone that walks in our doors the opportunity to contribute in some way. At Lovin’ Life, your ideas, your skills and your passions are valued. We want to incorporate them into our ministry. We are striving to be a great ministry, but we can’t do it without you.

Our ministry is proud to have been serving the people of Philadelphia for over 30 years. Our congregation includes Penn students and alumni, as well as, students from other universities. We are a diverse community with several different nationalities, races and faith backgrounds represented. This creates an opportunity for wonderful learning and fellowship to take place. Please feel free to discover our church and the growing community here. It’s just a short walk from campus and we would love to meet you.

We at Lovin’ Life wish the entire Penn community well and especially want to convey our very best wishes to those who are graduating. May your lives, your families, and your careers be truly blessed!

Crescentia DeGoede is a pastor for Lovin’ Life Ministries. Her email address is crescentia.carp@gmail.com.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.