Chapel of Awareness and Landmark Education Forum

Introduction

It has been known for some time that some of the most vocal and virulent of the Friends of Chapel group are practicing disciples of Landmark Education Forum, formerly known as Est.

An article at The Huffington Post (Inside the Landmark Forum) provides an accounting of the Landmark experience, and it offers insight into the behavior of the Friends of Chapel.

While links to the Chapel takeover after Reverend Dr. Gene Larr's death to Chapel's Landmark practitioners were often hard to pin down, the new Chapel of Awareness web site and publicly available online information show a concrete indication of these links.

Consider:
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Board member Francisco Fan lists that he is a graduate of Landmark Education and served as an Introduction Leader (LinkedIn screen capture above)
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Web committee leader Terry Hall is also a graduate of Landmark Forum; screen capture above from one of Terry Hall's blogs indicates his expertise
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Friends of Chapel member (as named on the friendsofchapel blog site) Brigette Callahan is also a graduate of Landmark Education Forum and was in its Leadership Program from 2002-08; she is also listed on Terry Hall's new Chapel of Awareness web site as a developer alongside Suzy Sisler
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Reverend Nell Rose Smith is also a Landmark graduate according to Chapel members, although  online confirmation can't be located as of now
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It has been known for some time that members of the new Chapel leadership are also active in an organization called BNI (Business Network International), which Internet searches show has an international following among Landmark followers.

Some examples of the Landmark-BNI connection:
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Happiness After Midlife
Dr. Fred Horowitz writes that he went through Landmark. Among what he notes:

"I had the opportunity of working for 3 years for Werner Erhard and Associates, the predecessor of Landmark Education. It was a terrific experience. Much of my approach to life and midlife coaching comes from the model that Landmark Education uses."

"One of my coaches who I was working with at the start of my coaching career challenged me to start a BNI (Business Network International) chapter in Montreal. There were none. This seemed like a good way to develop business, so I took on the challenge and started one." 
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BNI and Landmark Education
Dr. Fauziah Mohamed Yunus also writes about how he went through Landmark and became a part of BNI. Among what he writes:

"I started my journey in Landmark Education in 2003. Doing the Landmark Forum was yet another turning point for me."

"The two largest influences of how I lead my Life has been Landmark Education and Business Network International."
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Shortly after Terry Hall launched the new Chapel of Awareness web site with Brigette Callahan and Suzy Sisler, Francisco Fan (a Chapel Board member under Friends of Chapel leadership) further indicated his and Terry Hall's links to BNI in the post above, captured from the Chapel web site
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Terry and Amy Hall are listed as active in the BNI Carlsbad membership circle
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Friends of Chapel member Ernie Linkous, now on the Chapel of Awareness Board of Directors under board Chairman Nell Rose Smith, lists BNI in his activities on his LinkdIn page; screen capture above

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Why this information matters for Chapel of Awareness

One of the concerns expressed among Chapel membership in 2009 and early 2010 was a takeover mounted by a business-oriented "personal coaching" (a.k.a. "life coaching") faction of the church that holds views not in line with Chapel of Awareness founder Reverend Dr. Eugene C. Larr, but more in line with philosophies of Landmark and self-styled lifestyle gurus such as James Arthur Ray (Internet searches reveal that Amy Hall, Terry Hall's wife and Friends of Chapel member, was employed by the Ray organization).

Several of those leading or involved with the Friends of Chapel interest group -- which sued the Chapel of Awareness to regain membership reinstatement after being removed off the member rolls because of years of non-participation -- are followers of Landmark Education Forum or related or similar organizations. Nell Rose Smith, Terry Hall, Brigette Callahan, Francisco Fan, and Ernie Linkous are part of that group. Four of them (Smith, Hall, Fam, and Linkous) now make up half of the Chapel of Awareness board of directors.

The behavior of Nell Rose Smith, Terry Hall and Francisco Fan, and the group Friends of Chapel as a whole, is representative of Landmark philosophy by the following:

1) During the process of the Friends' legal action, in Winter 2009/Spring 2010, spearheaded by Nell Rose Smith (as named in the lawsuit), Friends of Chapel members engaged in intimidation tactics including drive-bys of the building during Chapel functions (as witnessed by several people on-site). Intimidation tactics through December 2009, leading up to and during the Annual Meeting that year, required the Board of Directors to call in armed private security to keep the peace.

2) In late 2009, the Friends of Chapel interest group used their blog (friendsofchapel.blogspot.com) to engage in a smear campaign against the sitting board and ministers. The tactics on the blog included unsubstantiated allegations of physical assault and financial trickery, none of which was ever supported by evidence. The intimidation tactics also included the planting of unsupported rumors among the congregation.

3) Nell Rose Smith lead the effort to sue the Chapel nonprofit corporation to gain control, which was successful only through settlement in mediation. Upon following the mediation settlement, Smith and the new board majority forced their remaining -- duly elected -- opposition off the board, against the spirit of the mediation settlement. They then expelled opposition corporate members and ministers, one of whom was among founder Gene Larr's first ministers, the other who served as pastor for two decades.

This behavior mirrors tactics taught and practiced in Landmark Education Forum. As current board member Terry Hall writes on his blog:

"I know that Landmark Education is committed to transforming the planet at any cost. And it shows."

"At any cost" ... That is exactly the attitude witnessed from the Landmark-trained leadership of the Friends of Chapel, exhibited in its behavior, lawsuit, blog, and subsequent takeover of the church. Note what's lacking in Terry Hall's "transforming the planet" statement: The words of founder Reverend Gene Larr, who always taught to behave for what's "highest and best" for humanity. (Landmark is known for pushing change for personal self-interest.)

A further look at Hall's blog lays out the philosophy of the new Chapel leadership ... to run it as a business and not a spiritual organization or house of worship. Hall's blog describes the usefulness of a "referral culture" in an organization, as exemplified in the philosophy of Landmark and BNI.

Since the Friends of Chapel takeover this year, the following has happened:

1) "Referral culture" in action: As the Friends leadership emerged on the Chapel board of directors, Francisco Fan reportedly began recruiting Chapel congregation members for BNI. This information was given to this blog by Chapel members who wish to remain anonymous out of concern over retaliation.

2) Using the Chapel as private business: After the Friends takeover was complete, Sherry DeLoach began offering what is in effect private-practice ministerial healing "clinics" (as advertised) using Chapel of Awareness resources.

3) Promoting the Chapel as a business, not a religious organization: Since the Friends of Chapel-controlled board created its Web Committee, Internet searches of Chapel of Awareness show a proliferation of listings of Chapel under business-promotional web sites, including merchantcircle.com and ebusiness.com. Oddly, the Web Committee listed Chapel of Awareness as a "pastoral counseling" program based in Aliso Viejo, not just Encinitas, on majoreducation.com.

4) Message control: The Friends of Chapel leadership was openly developing and circulating Chapel of Awareness publications when they were not seated on the church board. These include 2009's "The Season" and proofs of something called "The Spiritualist's Bible". A proof of the "Bible" was witnessed being quietly shown during the 2010 special election, before the election took place. Prior to and during their litigation, Friends of Chapel leadership emphasized gaining the copyright to Reverend Larr's work, inside and outside of Chapel. This reflects a Landmark tactic -- copyright control of some kind -- as detailed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation in an accounting of Landmark's emphasis on copyright litigation for message control.

In Chapel Guardian opinion, these correlations show that the Friends of Chapel sought control of Chapel of Awareness out of the desire to build a hub for their own business, networking, and guru-style "life coaching" ventures, not the spiritual development of the people who hunger for it and walk through Chapel's doors seeking it.

Chapel Guardian is not interested in debating the substance of Landmark teachings. That is not the point.

The potential dangers for Chapel of Awareness, in Chapel Guardian opinion, lie not in Landmark Education Forum itself or its teachings, but in the actions of the new Chapel leadership in forcing "the program" over Chapel founding philosophy, especially through groupthink. This is an attitude counter to Chapel founder Reverend Dr. Eugene C. Larr's philosophy.