The Boys and Girls Association Headquarters held a pep rally on May 26 for the 50th Children's Pilgrimage to Jiba, which is scheduled to begin on July 26 and last 10 days. The rally, held at the Home of the Parent, drew 1,400 association leaders from dioceses and directly supervised churches. With just two months to go before the start of the pilgrimage, the participants renewed their commitment to invite as many children as possible to join the pilgrimage.

The rally began with the opening remarks by Association Chairman Harunobu Nakayama, who first reminded the listeners of this year's association activity guideline: "Let us convey the mind of single-hearted salvation from parent to child--promoting activities leading up to the 120th Anniversary of Oyasama." Regarding how to nurture children in spiritual growth, he said that parents' joyous spiritedness is crucial in helping their children grow spiritually. "Faith can only be transmitted to children when they are enveloped by their parents' joyousness," he said. After mentioning how Instruction Two stresses "cultivating the mind of saving others and . . . implementing salvation work," he said that inviting children to Jiba was an important way of sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings and could become the first step in salvation work. He added that it was vital for those involved in nurturing children to take initiative in implementing the message of Instruction Two, thereby setting an example for children.

The participants then watched a video illustrating the history of the Children's Pilgrimage to Jiba. This was followed by an address by Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs Masahiko Iburi, who spoke about the significance of the Children's Pilgrimage for Tenrikyo's mission.