About

Meet Our Team

A small, dedicated group united by a common calling.

The work behind this website is carried by a small, dedicated group of people who share a deep love for Holy Mother Han and a sincere desire to serve her providence. Each member brings their own gifts, experiences, and heart to this mission — united by a common calling to make her words, her story, and her identity more accessible to members around the world. While there are others who contribute quietly behind the scenes — some of whom are unable to show their faces publicly — the core members who make this work possible are introduced here. We are grateful for every person, seen and unseen, who has poured themselves into this effort.

Jeff Scharfen

Jeff Scharfen

Team Member

Jeff was born into a Marine Corps family in 1952, during the Korean War at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. Native to the Catholic faith, he was educated by nuns and Jesuits. From 1972-1973, he lived for a year in a Cistercian Trappist monastery in the Blue Ridge Mountains, before taking a few months to serve the poor with the Catholic Worker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to reflect on whether he had a vocation as a monk. While on a trip to visit his family in Washington, DC, he met his spiritual mother, Felice Hart (nee Walton) and joined the Unification Church during a weekend workshop taught by Michael Beard, November 10-11, 1973. A graduate of UC Berkeley (Phi Beta Kappa), and the UC Hastings College of the Law, Jeff practiced corporate and commercial litigation, ran a Catholic charitable foundation, taught English literature and coached swimming in a Catholic high school before retiring. He currently serves on the school's Board of Trustees. While teaching, Jeff initiated service projects for his students in Vietnam and Zimbabwe, and with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Since retiring, he has been raising Guide Dogs, writing, swimming, hiking, backpacking, and organizing service projects in Vietnam with the Daughters of Charity. When not in Vietnam, he teaches English to the Vietnamese Catholic sisters online. Married in 1988, Jeff and his wife Cindy, a radiation oncologist, have two grown children and two grandchildren. Jeff has practiced Zen meditation since 1972. In a personal statement, Jeff noted: "My prayer has led me to a deeper understanding of Dr. Hak Ja Han's providential role and heart, and eventually to Yeunhee Chang's work restoring Holy Mother Han's voice. I am grateful for this opportunity to meaningfully contribute to this project and hope that we can faithfully bring Holy Mother Han's words to the world, preserving them for our descendents, and ensuring a clear path of grace and love for all of humanity in the future."