Chapel of Awareness pastor's letter

"Your current Board members are all free thinkers and none were held hostage or coerced into making decisions they didn't agree with."

Reverend Don Miller, Chapel of Awareness pastor

In such a fractious time in the world, in an era where unity is needed most in the name of "loving kindness" (as the Friends of Chapel have put it) Chapel of Awareness Pastor Don Miller takes an uncalled-for slap to the faces of a good amount of the Chapel of Awareness membership who supported the previous Board prior to (and during) the Friends' lawsuit.

Reverend Miller has opted to turn what was once a positive, inspirational, and unifying annual letter to the congregation by previous pastors into a negative political play designed to ostracize those he and the Friends of Chapel do not agree with. Coercion and "hostage holding" are serious accusations. He has thrown them at current members without qualification or example. This is inappropriate and unbecoming of a pastor -- especially one who admits in his own letter that he has been gone from Chapel for about a third of a year.

Reverend Miller states in the letter that Reverend Nell Rose Smith took over as Pastor in his absence, yet the present church bylaws do not state a procedure for such a handover (the closest that can be found is the calling of a special meeting of the congregation); even if such a handover was done properly by board action, no notice was ever sent out to the congregation.

Before he takes this slap at members and the previous board (representative of the chapel membership as elected), Reverend Miller refers to church founder Reverend Eugene C. Larr's "mundane practices" of teaching. Does he really mean to call the founder's teachings "mundane"? As to say, by definition, "common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative"? From Chapel Guardians' observations, this approach falls in line with the very publishing of the book In the Beginning, material that (by the book's own admission) founder Larr did not want published (a position he was consistent on for years).


Reverend Miller's letter is ironic in that he literally sat on both sides of the fence during the church conflict, serving and voting with some of the very board members he accuses of "hostage holding" while supporting the Friends' lawsuit. This calls his loyalties into question when it comes to a whole congregation, which Chapel of Awareness members assumed would be made whole by the Friends' stated goals upon taking over the church. This letter does not make the congregation whole; it only keeps the wound open. Many argue that it is the Friends of Chapel who fractured the congregation to begin with, and based on the actions (recall: right thought, right action) of the sitting leadership, Chapel Guardian must now agree.


Reverend Miller says the current Friends leadership is working to make sure there are no hostile takeovers of Chapel of Awareness. But there has been one. Theirs ..... From the filing of a lawsuit to the banning of ministers, corporate members and leadership against mediation, to the publishing of a book the founder didn't want to a new leadership that has been consolidated into Friends of Chapel backers.


From the letter, Reverend Miller would have the membership believe that Chapel of Awareness was saved from some underground force bent on taking it over (odd, given that the alleged ringleader was pastor for about two decades). That was not the case, no matter what Friends of Chapel propaganda would have you believe.


Reverend Miller's tone -- his statements in this letter -- is a new unfortunate chapter in Chapel of Awareness history. Is this what Chapel of Awareness has come to? Is this what Reverends Eugene C. Larr and Donald Schwartz would advocate? Is this what you want out of what has often recently been termed "Your Chapel"?

You don’t have to go to Chapel of Awareness anymore …

… because all the basics to Chapel of Awareness philosophy are apparently now contained in a single book called “In the Beginning: A Spiritualist’s Bible”, a book claiming to be the ultimate compilation of work by the late Rev. Eugene C. Larr, the Chapel’s founder.

Did it not occur to author Donald Schwartz and those he thanked in the book’s acknowledgments that by publishing the entire lecture series, among other materials, they have effectively ended the purpose of Chapel itself?

Why attend live presentations of the Beginning Lecture Series or Sunday Services when you can buy the book and read at your leisure, anywhere, anytime?

In Chapel Guardian point of view, the publishing of this book puts Chapel’s purpose in jeopardy. There’s no point in “answering your spiritual knock” when you don’t even need to approach the door anymore.

The book outright acknowledges that “for more than 30 years, Rev. Larr refused to have his classes, lectures, and lessons published in print. He remained concerned that misinterpretation and misrepresentation would ensue” (page 11).

Rev. Larr is absolutely right.

All one need do is look at the “interpretations” and claims of channeling found in the “The Season”, an occasional publication of the “new” Chapel of Awareness. An example:

Rev. Nell Rose Smith is stated to have channeled the Chapel’s founder (as published in the Winter 2010/11 “Season”). The “channel” seems to reveal Rev. Larr to be morose on spirit-side: “When I focused only on money, then I saw only the poverty of my life” … “When I focused only on my goals and achievement, I saw only my failures,” the publication quotes “Rev. Larr” as saying. Who among Chapel members would honestly think that Rev. Larr only focused on money in life when church donations – on principle – were practically discouraged, and membership was free to 5 dollars for three decades? Who among Chapel members honestly believe that Rev. Larr only saw failures when he built an organization that only the rarest of individuals can? These words warrant critical analysis. As Rev. Larr himself insisted, as a scientist.

Instead of following Rev. Larr’s wisdom, the “Bible” authors (and we use plural because it is clear that this material was put together not by Donald Schwartz alone) claim that “Gene was finally convinced” to publish. That very well might be true, given the heavy handed tactics we have seen from the Friends of Chapel group which alienated many of the congregation.

In fact, the Friends of Chapel who paved the way for this book are mostly the ones who sued Rev. Larr’s own creation. By name in the book (page vii), they are acknowledged: Rev. Eric Berg, Rev. Sherry DeLoach, Rev. Don Miller, Rev. Bob Sisler, Rev. Nell Rose Smith, Debra Bernath, Marie Dardarian, Helene Dorian, Monica Hagen, Melissa Hall, Ernie Linkous, Wanda Olson, Dietmar Rothe, Suzanne Sisler, Drucilla (Kubicka) Thiercof, and Sheri Wachstetter.

Also distressing is that the copyright of the book (2011) is listed solely as that of the late Donald R. Schwartz. Chapel Guardian must assume that any royalties from the book are going to his estate and those who run it. The new Chapel of Awareness leadership (mostly those acknowledged in the book) have yet to provide any explanation as to how Chapel of Awareness benefits from the publication of this material. Donations? Royalties? How will Rev. Larr’s organization survive?

The Beginning Lecture Series and other materials were also part of Chapel’s legacy. Any claim by Rev. Larr’s organization appears to have been wiped out by the publication, based on Chapel Guardian reading of the book’s copyright notice. The book even goes so far as to publish the church’s precepts (page 1). Does that now make Chapel of Awareness itself beholden to Schwartz’s estate?

In the end, the struggle around the publishing of the “Bible” isn’t so much about Rev. Larr’s philosophy itself. It’s about how it’s being treated, and the very fear Rev. Larr had most – that people would misinterpret and misuse this information.

Perhaps the best example of this can be found in Rev. Bob Sisler’s forward (page 9), in which Sisler concludes: “One last thing to remember, the book isn’t about Rev. Larr, it’s about you! (sic)”

No. It’s not all about “you”. It’s about all of us. In this case, it’s also about Rev. Larr’s legacy.

Rev. Larr taught the virtues of looking inward and developing the self, and building awareness. Sisler’s own words, in Chapel Guardian opinion, are an example of the misinterpretation Rev. Larr most feared.

There is a difference between focusing on the self and being self-centered.