What is The Upadarian Society?

The Upadarian Society, pronounced YOU-PAH-DARE-EE-AN, will be a Christian Fraternal Society that has elements of a church entity (spiritual services), a 527 organization (political action), a Christian chamber of commerce (economic), a Christian assurance/Insurance program (social welfare- education, health care, help in time of need), and a Christian club (sports, arts, music, and other cultural activities).

The basic concept or theme of the Upadarian Society is to build “Spiritual City-States” Ecklesias) in regions of around 150,000 people that are made up of small groups called “Household” and groups of Households called “Estates”.

The goals for each Household include:

1. For all members to know basic Biblical Doctrines and to achieve Biblical Literacy whereby they know how to use Bible Study tools effectively

2. For all members to be effective personal witnesses for Jesus Christ

3. To see members of the fellowship or good Christians who are for more freedom and less government gain ascendancy in local government including majorities on local legislative bodies, the police chiefs or the sheriff, and the judges

4. For all members to be able to earn a living and meet all their needs on the work of one person per family working no more than 30-40 hours per week

5. For all members to be debt free and not need more than 70% of the cash they earn each month to meet their needs and obligations

6. To be able to effectively reach at least 30% of all local households with the Gospel and with our message of more freedom and less government at least 7 times every 90 days

7. For all members to have affordable, accessible, convenient, quality, and easy to use education and health care services as well as help in time of need without in any way needing any help, grant, or program from any government or corporation

8. For all members to be secure in their persons, rights, and property through the legal and security services of their Fellowship and the Society overall against all threats from any source

9. For all members to enjoy the power of Christian Community without losing their privacy, without being judged by anyone, and without in any wise surrendering their individual dreams, personality, or will to some communal collective

In general the goals for Estates and Ecklesias are the same, but their purpose is to pool the resources of a group of Households for the common good as Estates receive 10% of all revenue brought in by Households and Ecklesias receive 10% of all revenue received by Estates and all shared facilities are paid for proportionally by their users.

The overall Goal for the Society is to establish 10,000 Ecklesias (“Spiritual City-States”) with at least 10 Households of 50 families each organized into at least 4 Estates per Ecklesia within 5 years of the launching of the first Spiritual City-State.

The facilities for the Upadarian Society will be legally classified as lodges, which means they are sort of like private clubs and communities but they will not be called lodges, or even clubs. In the beginning when a new Society Household is beginning people will probably meet in their homes or in rented rooms or halls, or even in restaurants. In some cases where members of one Household live in the same facility they may create a “Common House.”

A basic Common House may be an actual house shared by a few members with space for small group meetings and possibly an office. A more extensive Common House would ultimately have the following facilities on site or under its control in the same region:

1. A meeting hall for members only and a public meeting space for public meetings

2. A shared office facility with 3-5 work stations with the latest hardware and software, a digital duplicator for personal use and to print a local version of The American Communicator, and -3 meeting rooms members can use to meet with clients, and internet access

3. A small library

4. A fitness center

5. 1-20 “apartments” for members and/or for leaders, including a Steward who oversees the facility

6. A common kitchen for weekly Fellowship Meetings where there is Communion, a short exhortation, “The Four Questions of Fellowship”, and a shared meal

7. A store front for a “consignment” shop which offers goods and services from members to the public and which houses the buying club which offers subscriptions to the general public as a fundraiser for the Fellowship

8. Victory Gardens which can include greenhouses, food plots at member homes or on land owned or rented by the group, and greenhouses on site

9. Solar and/or wind power on site which generates enough power for the whole facility plus 100 homes and sells the power to the electric company, proceeds being used to offset member’s utility bills

10. Other facilities as needed by members

Beyond the Common House other larger facilities with education centers, satellite campuses for our own colleges, more extensive recreation facilities, and larger cohousing units or intentional communities will be created including small 20-50 home “Fellowship Villas”, 100 home “Household Villas”, 100-200 home Grand Villa, 200-500 home “Congregational Towns”, and perhaps even larger intentional communities.

These facilities will both offer common facilities for the use of all members, resident and non-resident, and housing opportunities for members who wish to live in a Christian community that is privately owned and operated by and for Christian families.

What does the word “Upadarian” mean and why do we use it?

The word means, “the application of America’s Spiritual Constitution, as discerned in the Word of God, to every area of human action and interaction for the glory of God and the benefit of all participants according to their wishes, by their consent.” America’s Spiritual Constitution is “The Four Core Ideals” of Unity in diversity, Popular sovereignty, Democratic equality, and the Rule of law. The first letters of each Ideal form the initials UPDR, hence the word “UPaDaRian”.

America’s Founders were, ideologically and philosophically, “Upadarians”, men who were for these four core ideals, which at their root mean a limited government where individuals and communities have the most sovereignty within a Christian moral and spiritual worldview.

What will a Household do initially?

The most important activity will be the Common Meal, which is a weekly time of fellowship that will revolve around a communion service, a short exhortation, “The Four Questions of Fellowship”, and a shared meal. These meetings can be held initially in homes, at local restaurants, or if possible in a Fellowship House.

Members can choose the day of week for this meeting and should block our a few hours for fellowship. This time is meant to be a time of relaxation and getting to know one another.

The initial focus of the Household will be as follows:

1. Spiritually, the focus will be on basic doctrine, Biblical literacy, and “friendship evangelism” (led by a Regent)

2. Politically, the focus will be on strengthening conservative causes and groups as much as possible and deciding, as a group, which candidates to support (led by a Chancellor)

3. Economically, the focus will be on group activities that help members make money such as the flea market program (led by a Chairman)

4. An Information Service will focus on a web-based or a small printed publication as a precursor to creating a full fledged, locally owned Free Press (led by an Information Officer)

5. Culturally, the group will seek ways to have fun together, perhaps playing a game of baseball of laser tag or even having a Poetry Reading (led by an Ombudsman)

6. Socially, in terms of social welfare, the group will initially focus on members helping members as much as possible based on the credo- the success and welfare of the members of my group is as important to me as my own success and welfare (led by a President)

7. If your Fellowship has or wants to create a Fellowship House you will need to decide what kind of facility you can afford and how to raise money, which could simply be having a few members pay “rent” to live there (led by a Steward)

Each of these areas, especially the top four, should have a key person or leader who is in charge of that area and individuals may form “working groups” to assist those leaders but everyone should be willing to help everyone else in these functions.

The “head” of the group is the spiritual leader, what we call a “Regent”. The concept of the Regent is that they represent the authority of the King but that they are in no wise the King. A Regent is a representative of the spiritual authority of what many refer to as “the church”, but as with all of our leaders, they are accountable to God through the People.

What are the qualifications for being a member?

Individuals have to be Born Again believers who agree with our Community Building Pledge.

The Four Questions

No matter how mature a Fellowship Group each meeting should allow for a time of sharing that centers around asking four questions. As the moderator asks these questions, participants can answer them with brevity as the goal.

Here then are the four questions:

1. Does anyone here have a lesson they have learned by personally observing an individual who either succeeded by following right principles or who failed by failing to follow right principles?

For this question allow the first 2-3 examples and if there are more ask the people who want to give them to wait until the next meeting.

2. Does anyone here have a word of wisdom, lesson, or something they feel led by the Spirit to share or just something you think would edify us?

As with the first question, limit this to 2-3 and ask anyone else to save it until the next meeting.

3. Does anyone here have any problems or issues for which we may offer help, advise, or assistance?

Everyone who wants to speak here should be allowed to speak. If someone needs a job or has a business and needs customers they can and should talk about this but they should be brief.

4. Does anyone here think they can help, advise, or assist anyone here who has voiced a need?

Accept all answers here, but they should be simply, “I can help with that” or “I have an idea about how to deal with that”. When you have a problem matched with help the helpers and the one who needs help will be instructed to meet privately to discuss the issue.

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COMMUNITY BUILDER’S PLEDGE

I Pledge to abide by the following ideals, vision, and ethic in order to promote Christian Community in my life and my neighborhood:

The Four Core Ideals

The spiritual constitution of our community is the four core ideals. As these ideals have worked well for those nations which have used them so too can they work for the success of any person, community, or nation that adheres to them.

Unity in diversity- we are united in our One true Christian faith and diverse in all other ways. We tolerate and love all, regardless of their faith or any other condition even as we assert our own right to live as individuals and as a community according to our convictions.

Popular sovereignty- our full individual sovereignty comes from full community sovereignty which expresses the sense of our values and way of life and to achieve this we seek practical ways to exercise our self reliance.

Democratic equality- we expect to be judged solely on the merit of our work and our character without hindrance, prejudice, or favoritism and in order to do this we demand only that we receive our rewards based on our level of participation.

Rule of law- we will make the law and benefit from the law in accordance with the dictates of our faith and our community values and in order to achieve this we will protect our interests and guard our rights and privileges and help one another to do the same.

By adhering to each of these ideals in a balanced manner, with scripture as our guide, we can create a sense of Christian community that enables every participant to find and achieve God’s will for their lives.

The Community Vision

The Community Builder always seeks the best and most effective ways to fulfill the following vision for our community:

Cooperation- wherever possible, we will seek cooperation rather than raw competition and we will both share in the work and the rewards of our community building effort.

Sustainability- wherever possible we will seek self sustaining relationships and activities and we will rely as much as possible on naturally renewable resources which we seek to have direct or collective ownership over.

Consensus- wherever possible we will seek to make decisions in accordance with our faith via a consensual decision making process that allows for unanimously agreed to decisions as much as we can.

The Social Ethic

As Christians and community builders we agree to abide by the following social ethic:

Welfare- the welfare of each member will be respected and no harm will knowingly be done or be permitted to be done to any member of our community

Justice- to each according to their due, honor to whom honor is due, discipline to whom discipline is due, according to God’s law and the laws of this community

Autonomy- each person is a free and sovereign agent joining themselves by free association to our community and each person is free to join if they agree to our way of life or is free to leave if they desire to do so

The Four Conditions of Freedom

In our economic lives we pledge to respect an economic model based on the four conditions of freedom:

Investment- within our community every member who participates has equal and fair access to investment capital based on their ability to pay and the merit of their ideas

Land- within our community, all land purchased in common for the benefit of all will be equally accessible and any private user will compensate the community for that use

Participation- ownership in terms of risk, authority, and profit sharing is based on level of participation which includes time, money, resources, expertise, and any other factors that contribute to an economic enterprise

Protection- every member of our community will have access to knowledge, resources, and tools by which they can protect their rights, persons, and wealth

I pledge to abide by the principles and concepts contained here to the best of my ability.

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DESCRIPTION OF POSITIONS IN A HOUSEHOLD

Role of the Fellowship Regent

The Fellowship Regent is the titular head of the Fellowship as the spiritual leader and should, ideally, be a Pastor or other clergy member for affiliated Fellowships which are based in a local church or assembly.

The Regent must cooperate and work with all leaders and is in overall charge of the Fellowship and will seek to provide spiritual guidance for the Fellowship and for the efforts of its leaders. The Regent officiates over Communion, offers spiritual counseling, prays for the sick, and does other spiritual duties for the Fellowship.

Additionally the Regent trains and ordains leaders and must approve of them. The Regent is appointed by a Bishop (Household) or an Apostle (Spiritual City-State) or may be a Bishop or an Apostle acting as the Regent until a local person can be recruited and trained.

The Regent may veto any action by any leaders and may be vetoed by any combination of 3 other leaders, however such a Veto may be over-ruled by an Apostle.

The Regent will oversee Common Meals however they may assign others to share the exhortation and to do other functions.

If a Fellowship is not affiliated and wants to have a “church service” a Regent may perform such a service for the Fellowship. In an affiliated Fellowship the Regent is already doing this for their church or assembly.

Regents will also be concerned with providing discipleship for new converts, conducting evangelism in cooperation with other Regents if possible, ensuring that the basic doctrines of the Bible are maintained, guarding against “sin in the camp”, helping members become Biblically Literate and ensuring that they have Bible Study tools, answering questions about the Bible, and providing spiritual counseling to members who request it.

A Regent should, eventually, be able to be supported fully by the business activities of the Fellowship and should devote themselves to reading the Word, prayer, and being available to members while working closely with other leaders.

While the Regent is in overall charge of the Fellowship, they must foster a cooperative leadership approach in which the group is led by all Leaders as a Team.

A Regent has no authority in themselves; the word Regent means “one who rules in the King’s absence.” In our case the King is not absent spiritually, just physically, and the King is Jesus Christ who expresses His authority not through the “divine authority” of one person, but through the consensus of People of God who prayerfully seek to make decision as a group which glorifies God and benefits all group members.

Another key activity of the Regent is to recruit new members and to assist new members by assigning them a Sponsor, a member who will teach them ropes and answer their questions, and following through to make sure the Sponsor has taken care of the new member.

The Regent is the official FACE of the Fellowship, however the Chancellor or IO may also be asked to handle any public statements for the group once it has been decided to start advertising the group locally.

The Regent is the mediator at the Fellowship level and may assign others with this task on a case by case basis to resolve any internal disputes.

Ideally, a Regent should have a good working knowledge of political, spiritual, social, cultural, and news reporting issues however we will develop a training program to help all Regents become fairly well versed in all these areas.

Regents serve on a Council of Regents at the City-State level and seek to develop a region-wide approach to evangelism, discipleship, and recruiting new members.

Role of the Fellowship President

The key concept for social welfare for a community of people is preparedness through the pooling of resources in a cooperative manner for the benefit of all members during times of lack or emergency which may be suffered by an individual or the whole group.

The mandate for the President of a Fellowship is to work towards overall preparedness for the group: to advise individuals and provide information and resources, to develop techniques, methods, activities, and programs which assist members, and to address social needs in a cooperative way including health care, education, and insurance if possible as well as emergency supplies and developing a means for helping members in need including help for the unemployed, shelter for those who become homeless, or assistance for major emergencies such as, for example, a broken down car or a leaky roof that the individual cannot afford to fix.

There is a need for Social Assurance and this is a vital function for Fellowships and for the Society overall, but when Civil Governments assume this role through confiscatory taxation or regulations they tend to do more harm than good. The People, at the local level, can manage their own affairs and we hope, through our own practices of social assurance and preparedness, to demonstrate the falsity of claims to the contrary.

As we grow Fellowships, Households and Spiritual City-States around the nation and successfully demonstrate our ability to meet our need for social assurance without any help from governments we will be able to make a much stronger case for eliminating these functions altogether from the government.

The initial first task of the President will be assess the needs of the community and to develop, with the input of members, a plan for basic preparedness for disasters and emergencies, initially perhaps even just a 1-2 week plan that enables us to survive a major disaster, power outage, or lack of access to food supplies.

We must begin simple, basically, and grow forward from there.

The President will need to cooperate with the Chairman on economic matters as the Chairman’s mandate is to work towards an economic development plan that enables all members to become economically self reliant as quickly as possible.

Ideally, the President should be an insurance agent or be familiar with insurance as well as be familiar with assurance concepts and preparedness in general. If a President is not an insurance agent the Fellowship should assist them in obtaining an insurance license and an appointment with insurance carriers and all members should seek to obtain insurance from this individual if possible.

The Presidents of Fellowships should seek to create a member-owned “Agency” in cooperation with Household Presidents and the President of the Spiritual City-State, and this agency should have access to property and casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and all other types of insurance.

Eventually, our Society will seek to develop its very own Assurance Program as a Domestic Fraternal Benefit Society which will work in harmony with the local “agencies” at the Fellowship Level.

An example of health assurance would be for a local Fellowship or Household to contract with or hire local doctors, nurses, and etc. to provide a basic level of healthcare, to purchase a group health plan for major medical with high deductibles, and to create an assurance fund which covers all or most of that deductible for members.

While politicians promise to “solve” our health care issues we can unilaterally solve them on our own!

As a member of the leadership team, the President plays a vital role, providing for the social assurance of the Fellowship through preparedness, cooperation, and developing our own assurance and insurance programs.

Role of the Fellowship Chairman

The brief for the Chairman is big and broad: it is to develop techniques, activities, and programs which will enable members to become economically self reliant through the creation of money saving programs, activities which reduce the need for cash through self reliance (such as the Victory Garden), and entrepreneurial programs that will help members who own businesses and that will enable members to start new businesses individually or based on the participatory ownership model.

The Chairman will develop a local team to go to flea markets to raise money for themselves and the group, they will assist members who own businesses with promotion, they will create a buying club to help members save money, and they will develop a “shop” which will offer goods and services by members to the public as well as house the buying club.

The Chairman is the economic leader and will develop an economic development program for the Fellowship which will result in “full employment” for all members so that each family’s needs can be met with one person working 30-40 hours per week and so that each family can meet its needs using only 70% of its take-home income after taxes.

The Chairman will recruit an assistant to oversee the entrepreneur’s program, an assistant to oversee the consumer’s savings program, and an assistant to oversee the cash-less self reliance programs which will include things like Victory Gardens and Labor Exchanges.

The Chairman will develop a local “Christian Chamber of Commerce” in cooperation with the Household and Spiritual City State Chairmen in the region which will promote members businesses and the local region.

The Chairman is also in charge of infrastructure and will work closely with the President and the Steward to ensure that all facilities/resources that are needed are ultimately obtained.

The Chairman will seek to recruit and or work with professional financial services providers to provide debt reduction programs to members, create investment clubs, and develop a Credit Union for the Spiritual City State with a “branch” owned by the local Fellowship.

Initially, the Chairman will focus on the flea market program and other ways to employ members and raise money for the group and then they will develop the buying club and the labor exchange. As the group grows, members will be recruited into the Chairman’s Working Group to assist them in their duties.

The Chairman will serve on the Chamber of Commerce for the whole Spiritual City-State and help make decisions regarding an economic development plan for the whole region.

Ideally, the Chairman will be someone who has a background in business or economics who has a working knowledge of economic theories based on participatory ownership and free enterprise.

The Chairman will gather economic data from members and seek to provide a quarterly report on the Fellowships’ economic standing as well as use this data to set new goals and to develop specific plans and activities for achieving those goals. The ultimate goals include: individual home ownership, being debt free, living on 70% of less of take-home pay, having a cash reserve for 90 day’s worth of living, and being fully employed doing what one loves and being able to meet one’s family’s needs working 30-40 hours per week.

It is expected that this will be a long term plan, however by helping one another at the Fellowship and higher levels and pooling resources it is possible that together we can achieve things more quickly than may be individually possible.

Role of the Fellowship Ombudsman

The Fellowship Ombudsman is the cultural leader of the Fellowship who is in charge of promoting ethical behavior through mutual accountability that is redemptive in nature, for promoting artistic and creative expression that glorifies God and allows the individual to enjoy full self-expression, for promoting literacy and scientific enquiry, for promoting logic and reason, for promoting fitness and wellness, and for promoting mental and emotional health.

The Ombudsman is in charge of the athletics program and developing interesting, fun activities for the group including poetry readings, museum visits, baseball games, movies, music concerts, and the like.

A most serious function is the development of Mutual Accountability groups of two to three people of the same general age and of the same sex who agree to be transparently honest with each other and to advise one another on the basis of Scriptures. This is a voluntary program that is designed to help individuals develop a support network of a few trusted people they can be transparent with who will not judge them but who will be honest with them and support them as much as possible.

Initially, the Ombudsman will plan fun activities, such as going to a sports game or even playing in an intramural or community league, creating a fitness center hosted at someone home or at the Fellowship House, creating a lending library in which members share books with each other, and other such activities as are desired by the group.

When the Fellowship decides to make itself public, the Ombudsman will be in charge of things like a having a float in a parade or a booth at a fair to represent the Fellowship.

Ombudsmen will also deal with any complaints about the leaders from group members seeking to mediate between them and resolve such issues as well as any complaints from the public about the Fellowship in order to identify problems and resolve them quickly.

The Ombudsman will serve on the Morale and Recreation Committee at the Spiritual City-State level and help develop recreation facilities, a library, a theatre, and other arts, culture, sports, athletics, and fitness facilities for the region.

Role of the Fellowship Chancellor (Political)

The mission of the Chancellor is, briefly, to protect the rights, persons, and property of the Fellowship and its members through political activism and to promote an agenda of more freedom and less government based on a conservative agenda (e.g. “The Reagan Revolution”). The Chancellor is, more than anyone, the gatekeeper of the Fellowship and will also be the one who will be running for office: the higher up they go, the better for the Fellowship and the Society.

The Chancellor will set the political agenda for the Fellowship and serve at the Spiritual City-State level on the Senate which will determine political policy for the Spiritual City-State as well as external affairs with other groups within the area covered by the City-State.

The Chancellor will seek to analyze political data to ascertain intentions by political groups and politicians, to recruit and develop good candidates for local office, and to develop political organizations or be active within them for the purpose of promoting our conservative/pro freedom agenda.

When the Fellowship holds a Political Caucus to develop a policy, endorse a candidate, or decide on a political issue that is up for vote the Chancellor will moderate these meetings.

The Household Chancellor will work with Fellowship Chancellors to coordinate regional activities and the Chancellor for the Spiritual City State will oversee the overall program.

Members of the Fellowship will hold Political Caucuses to determine and decide issues and will decide if or when they wish to ask all members to vote the same way (this requires a super majority of 75% or more) but no member will publicly and actively endorse candidates which have not been endorsed by their Fellowship UNLESS the Fellowship votes to allow an endorsement to be “non-binding”.

It is through working together that we gain strength, and this means we must be willing to settle on a shared position as much as possible. Within our Political Caucus we will all be free to speak freely and advocate for our positions, but it must be understand that sometimes what we think best may not be what is best for the whole group and we must respect that.

The initial work of the Chancellor will be to make sure everyone is registered to vote, to stay breast of all candidates and issues up for vote, and to be active within a local political party in cooperation with their Household and Spiritual City-State Chancellors.

Once a month, or as needed, the Fellowship will hold a Political Caucus where the Chancellor will give a report and bring up any issues for a vote or discussion. Members who wish to have an item on the agenda must provide a written request at least 7 days before the meeting.

During normal operations, unless a group decision is made, every member will seek to cooperate as much as possible with the requests of the Chancellor regarding political issues.

As the Fellowship grows, the Chancellor will begin developing, in cooperation with the Regent and the President, a security and safety franchise of what will eventually be a Society-owned security company as well as a legal defense fund or service, such as using prepaid legal or developing our own program, for legal services. The Regent, Chancellor, and President will work together closely on this area and eventually recruit a “Security Officer” and a “Legal Officer” to manage this program.

The purpose of the security program will be to provide no cost and low cost security and safety products and services to members, to raise money for the group by selling such services, and to provide jobs to members as employees of this service.

Role of the Fellowship Information Officer

The mission of the Information Officer is twofold- to keep members of the Fellowship informed so that they can be conscientious citizens and to propagate the views of the Fellowship in the general community directly or indirectly through a media resource owned by the Fellowship. In a sense, the Information Officer is our “chief muckraker”, but in a positive sense, not for sensationalism but to keep the People well informed, especially the members of their Fellowship.

The initial goal of the Information Officer is to create a local Intelligence Network which will actively seek to uncover all cases of fraud, waste and abuse, which will stay abreast of community activities, political events, and all police or military activity. Members of this network will be “Correspondents” but they will, more or less, be “agents”.

Your goal is to develop a network of these agents, to have “inside” people in political parties, government, local companies, and etc. who funnel raw information. This information will be shared with other Fellowships and with your own Fellowship for analysis.

As the IO you will analyze this information and produce a weekly “Situation Report” for member’s only and you may have a few other members who aid you in this effort.

In addition to gathering information for your Fellowship, and sharing it with other Fellowships, you will be responsible for a local web and/or print version of The American Communicator, our national weekly news journal. This local edition can either be a piggy back version of The AC or it can have its own name and identity, it can be a print or web publication, but it should at least be advertised in some way through either flyers or a “menu program” in which you sell ads in local menus and the restaurants receive free menus.

If your coverage area includes, say, 3,000 homes then you want a publication that is read by at least 30% or more of them, which in this case is 900 people per week, in order to be effective.

Through this publication you provide a basic watchdog, resources, and advocacy service as a local free press and you will share our views, advertise member-owned businesses, and advertise the Fellowship itself for potential new members.

A regional Publisher, at the Spiritual City-State level, will manage Editors from Households and IO’s for Fellowships for a region-wide program akin to a newspaper franchise with local IO’s being the basic unit. Each “level” will be within the lower level and the outer pages or first pages for a website will be the local version with its own unique name and identity, supported by local advertisers and readers.

Other people will come in on a participatory ownership basis to do typesetting, sell advertising, manage circulation and distribution, and manage the websites for all affiliated “publications.”

The IO’s will form an Editorial Board and help to determine the editorial policies and priorities of the publications after consulting with their own Fellowship to get their input and concerns.

Ideally, IO’s will already be newspaper, radio, or TV reporters of some kind, however if they are not we will develop a “Muckraker’s School” which will offer online or on site programs to help them become effective Information Officers.

In the future, we will develop a “Reporting System” based on a system used in military intelligence which has codes for specific types of activities and reliability codes that enable users to see very quickly how reliable or accurate this information is. For instance, a “Flash” report on a police raid in a neighborhood may have a reliability code of 4 (the highest) for the actual event but a 1 for the cause or purpose of the event.

As we build a Citizen’s Intelligence Network in a given area nothing will occur politically, economically, or even in terms of police or military activities without the Network knowing about it, this allowing for an accurate and timely reporting of the news which will be without parallel.

The IO is a critical member of the Fellowship’s Leadership team, they are the “eyes and ears” that will enable individuals and the whole group to make wise decisions and navigate their daily lives in an ever changing world. The IO will need to work closely with the Chancellor of the Fellowship on political issues to ensure that there is comity between what we print and the political agenda being pursued by the Chancellor.

Secondary Fellowship Leaders

While the Fellowship is led by a few Key Leaders, there are other secondary leadership roles which will be important for growing Fellowships.

Role of the Fellowship Steward

The Fellowship Steward is in charge of the actual Fellowship House, making sure utility bills are paid, dealing with lease or mortgage issues, making sure it is maintained and cleaned, and making sure it is used properly and responsibly by all members.

The Steward must live very close to or within the Fellowship House.

The Steward will establish a work schedule and also oversee the logistics for the Common Meal, including a schedule for individuals who cook, serve, and clean.

At each meeting the Steward will give an account for the Fellowship House’s Finances.

The Steward will work directly with the Chairman.

Role of the Fellowship Treasurer

The Fellowship Treasurer oversees the group’s finances, manages them, writes checks, and does the accounting or pays to have it done if possible and issues the Monthly Treasurer’s Report to members and to the Household, the Spiritual City-State and the National Office. The Treasurer also reads the quarterly (simplified) Treasurer’s Reports for the Household, Spiritual City-State and etc. The Treasurer will work directly with the Regent.

Role of the Fellowship Master At Arms

The Master At Arms keeps order at meetings and is in charge of ushering for larger public events as well as coordinating security at public events. The Master At Arms will work directly with the Regent.

Role of the Fellowship Business Manager

The Business Manager will handle business functions for the Fellowship including filing taxes, official papers, and managing the budget of the Fellowship’s business activities to ensure that proper business principles and practices are adhered to. The Business Manager will work directly with the Chairman to assist them.

Role of the Fellowship Registrar

The Registrar will become an official registrar with the County Clerk’s office to register voters and will ensure that all Fellowship Members are registered to vote, will remind all members of upcoming elections, will assist any members who need transportation to the polls, and will conduct registration drives in the local area encouraging citizens to vote and be active. The Registrar will work directly with the Chancellor.

Role of the Fellowship Secretary

The Secretary will record all meetings, make notes, write minutes from meetings, and write up agendas before meetings ensuring that all participants have a copy. The Secretary will work directly with the Information Officer.

 

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