“The longer a person spends on the ocean, the greater the spiritual aspect of his life will become. The ocean, however, can be calm one minute but then quickly change its face and send us strong waves. Waves several times the height of a person will rise up above the boat, as if to devour it. Even when the waves have risen and a fearful wind is blowing, the fish in the water have no trouble sleeping. They give themselves over to the waves and don’t resist them. This is what I learned from the fish. I decided not to be afraid, no matter how strong the waves were. I let the waves carry me. I made myself one with the boat, and we rose with the waves. Once I started doing that, my heart was never shaken, no matter what kind of waves I came up against. The ocean has been such a wonderful teacher for me in my life that I created the Ocean Challenge program to give young people the leadership training the ocean provides.”
Fishing Fosters Faith
The core of the Unification faith teaches that God gave each of us Three Great Blessings (Genesis 1:28); to be fruitful, to multiply, and to have dominion. The Divine Principle teaches that these three blessings are cultivated through education, spiritual training, and profoundly personal experiences with God.
Ocean Challenge (originally known as Ocean Church) is the main ministry through which Rev. and Mrs. Moon put this core tenet of faith into practice. They utilized the vast ocean and fishing as a spiritual training ground to cultivate these three blessings.
Be fruitful - Time on the ocean challenges you to overcome yourself, to take dominion over your own mind and body. The ocean cultivates character - persistence, determination, patience, and strength of spirit. The purity of the ocean cultivates a heightened sense of awareness of self and God and His love for us.
Multiply - To be successful on a boat you must relate well with others. Time on the ocean teaches the value of developing relationships, which is the foundation of a successful marriage and family. You must relate well with the captain and the crew, following instructions and getting along with people in various positions above you, side by side, and below you. Rev. Moon often taught, “No unity, no fish!”
Dominion - People who love the ocean are the people who take care of the ocean. We were put on earth to be stewards of and take care of the natural world God created for us. This heart to care for the world comes from learning to love the ocean and from having deep spiritual experiences with God on the ocean.
A Fisher of Men
Jesus was a fisherman, and through fishing he taught faith to his disciples. He gathered disciples from fishermen and taught them to be fishers of men. Rev. Moon also taught that fishing is like witnessing. Your catch sometimes takes patience, persistence, and mastery of yourself. The victory of the catch is but an image of the joy of bringing someone to God. This is why we fish.
“When I go out to fish in the ocean, I am actually fishing the world. It is for this purpose that I fish; it is a condition of devotion. You too have to learn to love the ocean. The fastest way to focus your mind is by fishing. I can say this from my own experience. After I cast my fishing line, I gaze at the summit of a mountain and think, “How long did that mountaintop wait for the day when it could align with a person who offers devotion in the presence of heaven? Now is that time. I am focusing my spirit while moving this fishing rod in order to open a clear path for the salvation of all people. By aligning with me, you too can be liberated.” I think about this while relating to all of creation.”
History of Ocean Challenge
The first Ocean Challenge program was initiated by Rev. Sun Myung Moon on July 1, 1981 in Gloucester, MA. The program was designed to cultivate faith and leadership by challenging church members and leaders to spend a summers fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Rev. Moon designed the Good-Go boats, still used today.
Ocean Challenge had at its core a strong spiritual focus, encouraging participants to challenge their limitations and concepts of themselves, others, and God. There was also a strong emphasis on self-discipline, self-motivation, leadership, and meeting God on the swells of the ocean. Participants often went out at 5am and didn’t return until midnight. The Ocean Challenge spirit motto was, “If God calls, I will go, no matter the circumstances.”
When Rev. Moon started “Ocean Challenge Alaska” in 1986 in Kodiak, Alaska, he expressed that the Alaskan Spirit was as same as Ocean Challenge Spirit.
“I like to use the phrase “Alaska Spirit.” By this I mean the habit of getting up at five o’clock in the morning, going out to sea, and not returning until well after midnight, when in the summer it is still light. The person with “Alaska Spirit” stays out on the ocean until he catches the daily allowance. One cannot become a true fisherman unless he learns how to endure this way. Catching fish is not a pleasure cruise. No matter how many fish may be in the ocean, they are not going to just jump into the boat. It takes specialized knowledge and much experience. Once a person receives intense training to become a fisherman, he can go anywhere in the world and become a leader of people. Learning to be a fisherman is good leadership training.”
Rev. and Mrs. Moon came to Kodiak every summer from 1980 - 2011. They brought thousands of church leaders, members, elders and guests from all over the world to experience this training and living out of faith. North Garden, built in 1987, was the site of numerous seminars and education retreats all centered around the spiritual training offered by the ocean. For Rev. and Mrs. Moon, their visits each summer were an act of spiritual devotion and foundations for their international ministerial work. It is also the site where Rev. Moon established one of the 8 major holy days of the Unification Church, Jeong Pal Shik. From 1984 to 1990 seminary graduates from the Unification Theological Seminary would conclude their studies with a 70 day Ocean Challenge Program in Kodiak, an experiential practice of their faith and training.
Ocean Challenge Today!
Ocean Challenge was a key spiritual training experience for most of the 1st generation members of the Unification Church. To continue this legacy and pass on this tradition to the 2nd and 3rd generations, three veterans of Ocean Challenge, Chris Fiala, Frank Button, and Minoru Kageyama, began a 3-week summer program for youth ages 16-35 and a 40-day captains in training program. The National Ocean Challenge Program (NOCP), held in Kodiak, AK at the historic North Garden, continues this spiritual legacy and offers a training ground to cultivate the Three Great Blessings in future generations.
The program is led by veteran captains who fished and worked with Rev. and Mrs. Moon. The program uses the historical Good-Go boats, designed, built, and used by Rev. Moon. In line with the vision of Rev. Moon it’s objectives are to provide a spiritual training experience for Unificationist 2nd and 3rd generation and to:
Develop character and confidence through seamanship
Experience the heart of stewardship
Cultivate faith through experiencing God’s love through nature
In 2019, elder and younger Unificationists came together to create a vision for Ocean Church in the modern age. The name “Ocean Tribe” stuck. Several Family Federation churches around the nation have similar ministries centered on Good-Go boats taken care of and operated by Ocean Church veterans. Each local ministry approaches spiritual training on the ocean and rivers in a way that best serves their local community.
In Kodiak, AK, Ocean Tribe is a ministry of Kodiak Family Church (a local branch of Family Federation USA). It hosts the annual National Ocean Challenge Program as well as a Family Ocean Camp and programs for the Kodiak Family Church’s youth group and church community.
The Ocean Challenge experience and training has also expanded to include passing on the tradition as a family. The Kodiak Family Church hosts pilgrimages for Unificationist families to come and experience the tradition and legacy of Rev. and Mrs. Moon in Kodiak. Pilgrims stay in the historic North Garden, learn about the spiritual legacy of Rev. and Mrs. Moon, and put into practice the spiritual aspects of training and fishing on the ocean.
