The Rev. Sun Myung Moon—the leader of the Unification Church, which has a local branch in San Diego County—died Sunday in South Korea.
Moon was 92 and reportedly died from complications related to pneumonia, according to the church.
Moon founded the religious movement—which claims to have about five to seven million members worldwide—in 1954. The Unification Church of San Diego, located at 9754 Grosalia Avenue in Mount Helix, reportedly has about 100 members and is led by Pastor Walter Frank.
Although the local members are mourning, Frank told Patch that they will remember Moon for his accomplishments and that the church will continue to serve the local communities.
"He did so many things for us, our churches, our lives and our families. He filled our lives with so much hope," Frank said. "We will absolutely miss him. I doubt we'll ever meet somebody like him again on this earth but we had that opportunity and we're grateful for it."
Frank said it's believed that Moon's lungs were damaged when he lived in a North Korea Communist camp as a young man.
Members of the Unification Church believe Moon, at the age of 16, was selected by Jesus Christ to finish his work. The church grew rapidly after being formed in 1954 and later turned into a multibillion-dollar business empire—owning various companies including the The Washington Times.
“Words cannot convey my heart at this time. Rev. Sun Myung Moon has long loved America, and he believed in the need for a powerful free press to convey accurate information and moral values to people in a free world. The Washington Times stands as a tangible expression of those two loves,” stated president of the newspaper Thomas P. McDevitt in an article on the Times' website.
Moon is also known for his relationships with various leaders including former North Korea leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
Moon is survived by his wife Hakja Han Moon and 10 children.
For more on Rev. Sun Myung Moon, read HuffingtonPost.com's coverage.
