At a rousing service Wednesday night at a South Side church, a group of African-American ministers proclaimed their support for a "family values" movement launched recently by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

The ministers dismissed the controversy that has surrounded Moon and his Unification Church, saying what was more important was that clergy members form alliances to address the crisis in the nation's families.

"The reason I like Rev. Moon is that he brings black, white, yellow and brown together," said Rev. A.I. Dunlap, pastor of Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church on Chicago's South Side.

Added Rev. George Augustus Stallings, archbishop of Imani Temple African-American Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., "We have come together not because of one man. We're not focusing on a person, we're focusing on a mission."

The comments preceded a service that attracted more than 3,000 people to Life Center Church of God in Christ, 5500 S. Indiana Ave., for some foot-stomping gospel music, fiery sermons and an address by Moon, 81. Moon echoed the statements of the other ministers, talking about the need to strengthen families. "I have been making my utmost effort to revive America by educating the youth in a country that is faced with a moral crisis and declining Christianity," he said to the crowd.

The church visit was the fourth stop of a 50-state tour aimed at finding common ground among racial, ethnic and religious groups.

The "We Will Stand Tour" was developed by Moon and other clergy members who wanted to "tear down the walls of racial and denominational divides," a spokesman for Moon said.

After October's Million Family March, sponsored by Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, the interfaith group formed the American Clergy Leadership Conference and planned national tour, which started Sunday in New York City.

The Unification Church has been controversial for its recruitment practices, religious teachings, and financial dealings. In 1984, Moon was imprisoned for tax evasion.

The church also has been criticized for a 1997 mass wedding in Washington involving 28,000 couples who paid $70 each.

Moon said he started his church in 1954 in Korea after receiving a revelation. The church, which in 1997 he renamed the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, claims 50,000 members in the U.S. and 3 million in 190 countries.