News from NSAC is published on or about the middle of each month and distributed to 660 individual subscribers in North America and overseas. The Newsletter and Special News Bulletins are also printed and forwarded to NSAC auxiliaries. The Newsletter can also be found at our national website http://www.nsac.org, and is published in Britain’s “Psychic World” newspaper. If you ever need to unsubscribe, simply send an e-mail to Newsletter@NSAC.Org with the word “Unsubscribe” in the Subject line. Your comments, brochures and news items are also appreciated.
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IN THIS EDITION >>>>>
BARBARA THURMAN RESIGNS AS NSAC PRESIDENT
NSAC DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED
ELECTRONIC PHENOMENA ASSOCIATION NOW "NONPROFIT"
PASTORAL SKILLS: MINISTERIAL TRAINING 2003
MEDIUMSHIP SPOTLIGHTED ON DANISH TV
GOVERNMENT ADVISORS PUBLISH "DEBUNKING" BOOK
HELEN DUNCAN ATTRACTS 13 MILLION SUPPORTERS
FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PSYCHIC EXPLORERS CLUB
AWAKEN, MY SOUL! A NEW BOOK BY JUDY MERRILL
"MIRACLES" NEW TV SERIES GETS RAVE REVIEW
ROSWELL ATTRACTS RECORD VIEWERS
TAILPIECE: CHANGE IN EDITORSHIP
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BARBARA THURMAN RESIGNS AS NSAC PRESIDENT -- The Reverend Barbara Thurman has resigned as President of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches effective December 1st. The NSAC Board in a short statement December 2nd said this was "due to unforeseen health conditions and resulting therapies." The Board accepted the resignation with regret and, in a statement issued to all members, asked for "continued prayers for the Rev. Barbara Thurman."
The statement continued: "In accordance with the NSAC Bylaws, the Rev. Pamla Ashlay, Vice President, has accepted the office as Interim President. An appointment will be made at a later date to fill the interim office of Vice President from among Trustees of the NSAC Board. An Interim Trustee appointment will then follow. Your prayers and support for the NSAC Board are greatly appreciated as together we work for the benefits of this organization."
Mrs. Thurman who is Pastor of the San Francisco Spiritualist Society, which she founded in 1996, says she intends to continue her work with the church there. She joined NSAC in California in 1965 and became an ardent and dedicated worker within Modern Spiritualism. At the National Convention held in Chicago in 1993, she was elected Trustee on the National Board. In 1997 at the Springfield, Massachusetts Convention she was elected President and was re-elected at the Vernon, Connecticut Convention in 2000.
In late news (December 10th) the Rev. Cosie Allen has been appointed interim Vice President, and Rev. John E. Rothamel Jr., has been appointed to fill the vacated trustee position.
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NSAC DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED -- Following the National Convention at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the NSAC Board announced the appointment of Directors for the different Departments for the next year. John Rothamel has been re-appointed as Director of Publications; Mary Montgomery Clifford is re-appointed to the Department of Public Relations; Marrice Coverson as Director of the Department of Endowments; E. Anne Otzelberger is re-appointed to the Department of Missionaries. In other appointments, John Rothamel is re-appointed as webmaster of the NSAC website; Carol Brown is appointed as chair of the Outreach Committee; and Cosie Allen remains as Chair of the Fox Cottage Development Project. Following the National Convention, Pamla Ashlay was appointed as Chair of the Bylaw Committee, but in light of recent developments, reported above, has stepped aside, and this responsibility is being given to Sylvia Kincaid.
A number of separate committee projects were designated as reporting directly to the NSAC Board. These are the revision of the NSAC Lyceum Manual; the revision of the NSAC Spiritualist Hymnal Committee chaired by Lelia Cutler; the revision of the NSAC Spiritualist Manual Committee, co-chairs Lelia Cutler and Cosie Allen.
The NSAC Board also approved that News from NSAC be placed under the direction of the Department of Public Relations, and the subscriber list be forwarded to the Department as well as the NSAC Office and updated as necessary.
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ELECTRONIC PHENOMENA ASSOCIATION NOW "NONPROFIT" --The American Association for Electronic Voice Phenomena is now recognized as a nonprofit organization which means that all donations made to the Association, directed by NSAC's Revs. Tom and Lisa Butler, are now tax deductible. The Association says the Internal Revenue Service and the state of Nevada have recognized the AA-EVP as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational corporation.
One project that the directors Tom and Lisa Butler, would like to fund next year is to place the 75 newsletters, containing approximately 300 pages of information, published by pioneer Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) researcher Sarah Estep on the AA-EVP website, www. aaevp.com in a searchable format. A person would be able to type in a word or a name and get a list of all pages in which that item is referred to.
This project will establish an archive and it is hoped that other historical documents and research on EVP can be added to it in the future. For a list of other projects or to make a donation, write to Tom and Lisa Butler, AA-EVP, 3415 Socrates Dr., Reno, NV 89512. Tom and Lisa are also the Directors of the Dept. of Phenomenal Evidence with the NSAC.
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PASTORAL SKILLS: MINISTERIAL TRAINING 2003 -- The Morris Pratt Institute has announced dates and locations for its 2003 Pastoral Skills intensive training course. The two week course opens in Norfolk, Virginia May 31 with an orientation, then going through June 1st to 13th. Instructor is Rev. Ann Otzelberger, NST. The next location is Lily Dale, New York with orientation June 14, and the course June 15th to June 27th. The instructor is Rev. Sharon Snowman, NST. The third location is Milwaukee, Wisconsin where, traditionally, the course is split over two years. Week One is October 25th to October 31st 2003, and Week Two is April 17th to April 23rd 2004. The instructor is Rev. Pamla Ashlay, NST. The Institute says the 96-hours of class work includes lectures, guest speakers, hands-on pastoral experiences through role playing of life-like situations. There's instruction for funerals, special services and study into pre-marital, marriage, suicide, family dynamics, violence, chemical dependency, death, dying and grief counseling. The class is open to any dedicated student and at this time is a required course for the NSAC Licentiate Minister certification. For more information call 414-774-2994 or email: mpratt@execpc.com.
Meanwhile, the Morris Pratt Institute has updated and revised its Book Store Catalogue which contains over 550 books and reports of interest to readers in Modern Spiritualism. You can get a copy by writing to the Morris Pratt Institute Association at 11811 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226-3342 or calling: 414-774-2994.
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MEDIUMSHIP SPOTLIGHTED ON DANISH TV -- Spirit communication is gaining ground in a number of countries. In Denmark you'll find Marion Dampier-Jeans on Danish TV2 Zulu in addition to giving public demonstrations in Copenhagen. She is also very well known in Britain too. So who is she? Marion was born in Slagelse, Denmark in 1950. Her mother was a Norwegian, her father a Dane. Marion discovered her special gift for spirit communication when she was a small child. At age 19 she moved to England and joined the Spiritualist Church movement.Today Marion lives in Central London together with her English husband. She has three children of whom one is still living at home and attending school.
In collaboration with the author and journalist Charlotte Kehler she has written the book "Mit liv med ånderne" ("My Life With the Spirits") published at Borgens Forlag, Denmark. It tells the story of her life and about her experiences as a medium. She hopes it will be translated into English soon.
So far, Marion has taken part in three episodes of the popular documentary-series, "Åndernes Magt" ("Power of the Spirits") on Danish TV2 Zulu. She visits Denmark and Norway frequently, giving private sittings and public demonstrations. Always promoting and spreading the word of Modern Spiritualism. Her website is www.mariondampier-jeans.com. It's in Danish, naturally.
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GOVERNMENT ADVISORS PUBLISH "DEBUNKING" BOOK -- Every now and again a book surfaces that ridicules parapsychology, out-of-body experiences, ghosts, near-death experiences, UFOs, creationism, and astrology. One such book is "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction." It's written by Charles M. Wynn and Arthur W. Wiggins, with cartoons by Sidney Harris. George Hansen, author of "The Trickster and the Paranormal" reviews "Quantum Leaps" by writing: The tone is deprecatory throughout, and 30 cartoons, many of which are full page, reinforce ridicule and derision. The "Additional Reading" section (6 pages) of the book lists no scientific journal articles but includes debunking books by Houdini, Henry Gordon, James Randi, Martin Gardner, Joe Nickell, and Michael Shermer. The chapter on astrology begins with the bold heading, "Reading the Entrails of a Newly Slaughtered Chicken."
You may well ask why any reviewer would bother to consider this book. Hansen' s review reveals an interesting connection: Quantum Leaps is published by Joseph Henry Press, an imprint of the National Academy Press, the publishing arm of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS is chartered by the U.S. federal government and provides advisory services to government agencies. It is one of the most elite scientific bodies in the world; only the very top scientists are elected to membership. The NAS imprimatur carries enormous clout. Adding to the book's apparent credibility is a blurb on the back cover from Nobel laureate Leon Lederman and a glowing review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Normally, one would expect such a volume to be written by well-qualified authors....They apparently have no credentials or specialized expertise that would qualify them to write the book.
Hansen comments: "The publication of Quantum Leaps, however unwelcome, should provoke the field to examine its position in relation to larger social and historical forces, and to grasp the implications." You can read the full review at http://www.tricksterbook.com/ArticlesOnline/QuantumLeapsReview.htm. Incidentally, George P. Hansen was professionally employed in parapsychology laboratories for eight years - three at the famous Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, and five at Psychophysical Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. He lives in Cranbury, New Jersey.
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HELEN DUNCAN ATTRACTS 13 MILLION SUPPORTERS -- November 25th marked the birthday of Spiritualism's own martyr and heroine. On that date she would have been 105 years old. A number of churches and Spiritualist groups marked the day, but the website named after her, had its own story. On Helen's birthday at 37 minutes after midnight, the website logged visitor number 13,000,000! On what would have been her 105th birthday she has reached more than 13 million people since 1997. Interestingly, the special web visitor was using the ISP that was listed by the website counter as "telepath.com", which is owned by Earthlink. The British Society of Paranormal Studies, owners of the website asked: "Is that some sort of a hidden message as well?" Global support for a Helen Duncan pardon has come from Malaysia, Canada, Sweden, the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Helen's supporters are now striving to secure legal advisers for the next phase in the campaign. A special appeal has been sent to every lawyer in the UK. The Helen Duncan website and the petition can be found at http://www.helenduncan.org.uk/
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FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PSYCHIC EXPLORERS CLUB -- The Parapsychology Foundation which was founded by author, business executive and medium, Eileen J. Garrett, has announced the formation of the PF Psychic Explorers Club complete with its own website at http://www.psychicexplorers.org
The Club will be devoted to helping members achieve a greater understanding of psychic phenomena, providing resources as they pursue their own studies. The Psychic Explorers Club is designed for the thinking layperson and the amateur parapsychologist as well as for academicians and researchers. It is part of the Foundation's mission to provide objective information to help educate those who wish to delve deeper into these subjects. The only criteria for membership is an innate curiosity, an open mind and a sense of adventure.
The website http://www.psychicexplorers.org will provide members with a community as well as access to current information from the world's premier researchers in parapsychology. The website features a "Psychic Explorers Forum" message board where members can post topics for discussion as well as "Links" and "News" sections and an "Insightful Journey's" page of highlighted excerpts from well-known psychic explorers, which will be regularly updated.
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AWAKEN, MY SOUL! A NEW BOOK BY JUDY MERRILL -- The Rev. Judy Merrill, a frequent contributor to the National Spiritualist Summit magazine, has written a book. Entitled "Awaken, My Soul" it enables the reader to watch the sign posts on a spiritual journey that can aid the process of growth and progress. This book provides the tools of empowerment, strength and self-awareness to use on the journey. The tools of our consciousness for spiritual awakening include: visualization, meditation and affirmation and living and loving within. These tools empower spiritual growth and progress. Price is US$12.00 or Canadian $15.00. Judy Merrill is with the Church of Spiritual Wisdom in Scarsborough, Ontario, Canada. If you would like to know more, write 674 Kennedy Rd. Scarborough, Ontario M1K 2B5 or e-mail: jmmevolve@yahoo.com One of her recent articles on development of mediumistic abilities appeared in the September 2002 edition of the Summit magazine.
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"MIRACLES" NEW TV SERIES GETS RAVE REVIEW -- Remember the strange and fascinating movie, "The Mothman Prophecies"? Richard Hatem who did the screen play and also co-produced the movie is now writing and producing a new one-hour drama series for ABC which debuts on January 27th, 2003. It's called "Miracles" and Richard says "It's a sort of cross between X-Files and Touched By An Angel. It's about a young man who investigates miracles, usually disproving them, until something very strange, frightening and miraculous happens to him. He ends up joining a group outside the church that also investigates paranormal phenomenon." There are innumerable things that happen in Miracles that those interested in the paranormal should enjoy. Richard Hatem is a member of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena. People who watched the pilot program were enthusiastic: "If this TV series does not make it it is only because it is too good!"
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ROSWELL ATTRACTS RECORD VIEWERS -- Belief that life (and the Truth) lies "out there," drew an average of 2.4 million viewers on November 22nd when the SCI FI Channel presented "The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence," hosted by Bryant Gumbel. SCI FI drew a 1.7 rating and viewership of about 1.34 million households.
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TAILPIECE: Robert Egby, the writer and veteran journalist who founded "News from NSAC" 39 months ago, has informed the National Association of Spiritualist Churches that he is resigning from the editorship. As reported above, the Board has handed this responsibility over to the Department of Public Relations. Robert plans to publish an independent email newsletter covering the many varied aspects of spirit and metaphysics in North America and around the World. He writes: "I would like to thank the many people who have supported the publication and myself over the past three and a half years. Spirit Consciousness combined with afterlife awareness is growing rapidly in the world, and I look forward to reporting these profound and far-reaching events. Love and blessings to everyone."
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Keep News from NSAC posted and we will share that information for the benefit of others. If you would like back issues, all editions are displayed on the world-wide web at http://www.nsac.org and the current edition is also displayed on our satellite https://www.angelfire.com/nj2/nsacnews/. It can be copied and printed. Also, if you know of anyone -- members or non-members -- who would enjoy receiving our "News from NSAC" please have them contact us with a "Subscribe" request. Our news service is free. Incidentally, some websites mentioned in this Newsletter are not necessarily endorsed by NSAC, but are included for general information.
We also welcome comments, suggestions and any news that you would like to share with others. Next regular edition of "News from NSAC" is scheduled for January 2003. Special Bulletins issued as news breaks.
Written and produced for
the National Spiritualist Association of Churches
Editor: Robert Egby
Email: robert-egby@worldnet.att.net Yahoo Messenger: robert_egby
Telephone: 856-456-7229 Fax: 856-456-6208
Mailing address: PO Box 339, Westville, NJ 08093
NSAC NSAC Home Page - http://www.nsac.org
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Question: How is it that American Indians should sometimes act as controls of our mediums?
"..because in earth life they were spiritualists and were in constant touch with departed spirits. They had learned on earth the laws governing communication between the two worlds, and when they themselves passed into the world of spirit it came more easily to them than to others to get into touch with earth again."
-- "Greentree" quoted in "On the Edge of the Etheric" by Arthur Findlay.
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