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| Black Rose Spiritual Center, Inc : |
| Continuation |
| PART II –Activities and Operational Information 1. Provide a detailed narrative description of all the activities of the organization – past, present, and planned. Do not merely refer to or repeat the language in the organizational document. List each activity in the order of importance based on the relative time and other resources devoted to the activity. Indicate the percentage of time for each activity. Each description should include, as a minimum, the following: (a) a detailed description of the activity including its purpose and how each activity furthers your exempt purpose; (b) when the activity was or will be initiated; and (c) where and by whom the activity will be conducted. Black Rose Spiritual Center, as a faith-based organization, has the primary focus of the spiritual health and well-being of its members and the community at large. A main tenant of our faith is to serve mankind. Black Rose Spiritual Center is operated in a four-prong approach in its efforts to accomplish its stated mission of: to provide a place of worship, a community, and a connecting point for like minded individuals who identify themselves as being on a spiritual path or journey. We shall provide for all manner of pastoral services through trained members of Clergy. We shall endeavor to facilitate communication between members of all esoteric religions and those of the more common religions of the present day, and also seek to educate both the general pubic and members of the Church about various belief systems and practices as a whole. Black Rose Spiritual Center’s staff currently consists of the volunteer staff of Reverend Nikki J. Delaney and Reverend James R. Delaney. Reverend James Delaney is a medically retired veteran of the United States Army who is one-hundred percent disabled. Revered James Delaney devotes as much time to Black Rose Spiritual Center activities as his infirmities allow, normally between 5 and 15 hours per week. Reverend James was ordained in December of 2001 as an Interfaith Minister by the Metaphysical Interfaith Church and is of the Christian Faith. Reverend James Delaney’s primary activities with the church are expected to increase when more non-physical requirements (such as pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and readings) are required. Reverend Nikki Delaney was ordained by the Metaphysical Interfaith Church as an Interfaith Minister. After over twenty-five years of study she achieved her Doctorate of Divinity and Doctorate of Theology degrees after attending Seminary at the University of Esoterica in Frederick, Maryland. Further, Reverend Nikki Delaney holds certified ordinations as a Psychic Minister, a High Priestess, a Spiritual Minister and a Metaphysical Minister. Dr. Delaney has over thirty years experience as a professional reader and spiritual advisor and is fully trained in pastoral counseling, ceremonies, readings, blessings, and many other spiritual activities of various belief systems. Dr. Delaney is a veteran of the United States Army, having served over six years of active military service. To date the operations of Black Rose Spiritual Center have been primarily administrative in nature. We have written and submitted our Articles of Incorporation with the State of Montana and they were approved on the 7th of January 2002. Since that time we have split out time in two efforts. The first continuing with the required paperwork to become an appropriate legal entity such as completion of Request for EIN, research on tax code, Montana and federal law, filing the appropriate forms and matters of that type, including completion of this form. This administrative work has been conducted primarily at 420 Mill Creek Road, Hamilton, Montana by Dr. Delaney and Reverend James Delaney. First and foremost we are a faith-based organization. We have been conducting regular worship services every third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at 420 Mill Creek Road, Hamilton, Montana. Our services last approximately one to one and a half hours. A sample service schedule is outlined in our Response to Question 5. Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of by reference. Our lead clergy, Dr. Nikki Judge Delaney has conducted the services. Currently our congregation is very small, normally less than ten in attendance, but we hope to see the numbers grow soon. Preliminary research during the development stage of the center showed that of the approximately 38,000 residents of Ravalli County, less than fifteen percent considered themselves a member of a church or religious organization; however, more than eighty percent consider themselves either spiritual or believing in a supreme being. (Source: State of Montana, County of Ravalli web site, Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce.) The Council of Black Rose Spiritual Center has designated that candles shall be our secondary form of fundraising. The reason for the choice of candles as a fundraising avenue is that candles are used in the ceremonies of nearly all religions of the world, with very few exceptions. Hence, the candle is a representation of the continuity of religious belief in all its various forms. Further, candles represent the flame of light within each spiritual being. Therefore the candle is a representation of our message and an appropriate venue for our fundraising efforts. The candles are made by volunteers with materials either purchased by Black Rose Spiritual Center or donated and sold at our booth. So far Black Rose Spiritual Center has participated in three small local craft shows in Hamilton, Montana each lasting approximately six hours. The first (late January), at the Grantsdale Clubhouse; the second (early February) at the Veteran of Foreign Wars; and the third (mid February) at the Hamilton Senior Center. We were well received by the general public and these test runs have shown us that the venues will be good for the Center as it: a} targets our intended audience, the residents of the local community; b) affords an opportunity for us to meet the public and tell them about who we are and what we do; c) gives us a venue to display our promotional and informational literature; d) allows us to raise funds while reaching out the community with our message of tolerance, fellowship, and service to mankind. Operating the booth also allows members of the clergy to be open and accessible to members of the community who may be in spiritual or secular need. It should be noted that the clergy for Black Rose Spiritual Center are not allowed to personally charge for any services directly related to the Center. All donations received for services provided by the Center are the property of the Center and not as income of the clergy who performed it. For example, a member of the clergy is requested to perform a wedding ceremony. The donation received for the performance of the ceremony is income to the Black Rose Spiritual Center and not the individual clergy as our clergy are either compensated by the Center for their time and efforts or are Center volunteers. Employees or volunteers of Black Rose Spiritual Center are not authorized to receive funds from parishioners or clients individually or personally for services rendered in conjunction with Black Rose Spiritual Center except as in a receivership for the Center (i.e. accepting payment to be turned into the Center.). Following is Black Rose Spiritual Center’s intended activities in the future: I. Black Rose Spiritual Center’s primary function is as a true Interfaith Church as indicated in our statement of identification, to wit: “The Black Rose Spiritual Center is a non-denominational, multi- devotional Church, devoted to sustaining the community through worship, education, and charitable acts.” Under this paragraph we will discuss those services we feel most important to our mission, clergy or pastoral services. (1) Worship Services 1.a. – detailed narrative Black Rose Spiritual Center, due to its focus of serving those on a solo spiritual path, is primarily a one-on- one ministry. However, members and the public are encouraged to join us for our worship services every third Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at 420 Mill Creek Road, Hamilton, Montana. Black Rose Spiritual Center’s worship services consist of members joining together in prayer, song and spiritual fellowship. Members are encouraged to share their recent spiritual experiences. The clergy conducting the services rather than preaching to the congregation will encourage members to participate in a discussion on a topic of spiritual nature. A sample service would be: 7:30 – Services begin with a welcoming and request for the presence of the Divine 7:33 – Congregation is asked to observe two minutes of silent prayer and devotion 7:35 – Clergy will open discussion with an overview of the topic for the day. Sample topics include things like how to incorporate your spirituality more deeply into your everyday life; living with nature; how to tune in to your spirituality; nurturing your own spirit along with that of the Divine, we are all star stuff, and other topics of a spiritual nature. 7:45 – 8:30 – Open forum discussion of the topic and how it may be applied to our lives with the clergy and the congregation. 8:30 – Clergy leads congregation in closing observances 8:35 – Clergy leads congregation in final prayer and group thanks to the Divine 8:45 – Services conclude 8:45 - ??? - Clergy available for one-on-one discussion with individual or small group members of the congregation during which time refreshments are shared. It is our hope that as the congregation grows we will be able to start having our worship services on a weekly basis. 1.b. Our first services were observed on the second Tuesday in March, 2002 1.c. Please see 1.a. above. (2) Life Event Ceremonies: 1.a. As a Church, it is incumbent upon Black Rose Spiritual Center to help members of its congregation mark life events and perform sacramental ceremonies such as baptism, marriage, naming, blessing, and departure or funeral ceremonies. These ceremonies are essential to the spiritual health and well being of our congregation and the community. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these ceremonies. We expect to begin performing these types of ceremonies within ninety days. 1.c. Life Event Ceremonies will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participant’s choice. Life event ceremonies will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. (3) Cleansings and Blessings 1.a. Many individuals receive comfort from having their residence, car, pet, or other animate or inanimate objects cleansed and/or blessed. In an effort to afford this comfort to our parishioners Black Rose Spiritual Center will offer Cleansings and Blessings among its clergical services. Blessings can consist of either very long or detailed ceremony to a simple sprinkling of water, salt, or oils. Various religious belief systems have different requirements for blessings. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these ceremonies. We expect to begin performing these types of ceremonies within ninety days. 1.c. Cleansings and Blessings will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participant’s choice. Cleansings and Blessings will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. (4) Spiritual Path Guidance and/or Counseling 1.a. The individual on the solo-spiritual path is the primary audience Black Rose Spiritual Center is here to serve. Many are not comfortable with organized worship services others require assistance in how to find more information about their personal belief system. Black Rose Spiritual Center’s mission is to help these individuals along their path. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of this type of spiritual counseling. We expect to begin performing this type of spiritual counseling within ninety days. 1.c. Spiritual Path Guidance and/or Counseling will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform Spiritual Path Guidance and/or counseling at the location of the participants choice. Spiritual Path Guidance and/or counseling will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. (5) Community Involvement a. Community involvement is an integral part of Black Rose Spiritual Center’s activities and operations. As a faith-based organization with the desire to serve man we would be turning away from those who need us the most if we were not to become involved with the community. Hence, Clergy and lay members of Black Rose Spiritual Center are encouraged to take an active involvement in other non-profit organizations predicated to assisting mankind. Volunteer activities could include but are not limited to: clergy listing with the American Red Cross, the Police Station, and Sheriff’s Office, Trooper Station, local hospitals and clinics, Haven House – the local homeless shelter and food bank, and other community improvement based activities. b. This is an on-going activity within the organization and all members of the Church are encouraged to volunteer within the local community frequently. c. Volunteer activities are conducted by all members of the church at various locations in the Ravalli County, Montana area. II. Black Rose Spiritual Center reaches out to the community with a wide range of services including: 1. Spiritual/Pastoral Counseling 1. A. Spiritual/Pastoral counseling is counseling individuals (or groups) on matters of the spirit. 1. B. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these services. We expect to begin performing these types of services within ninety days. 1. C. These services will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participant’s choice. These services will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. 2. Spiritual Readings (tarot, rune, etc.) 1.a. Many of the pagan and Wicca belief systems rely heavily on self-actualization devices such as tarot cards, rune stones, crystal reading, etc. These readings are conducted by interpreting the meaning of the individual item (card, rune, crystal) in relation to where it falls in the lay-out or spread. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these services. We expect to begin performing these types of services within ninety days. 1.c. These services will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participant’s choice. These services will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy or lay members fully trained on the appropriate self-actualization device. 3. Dream Interpretation 1.a. Many of the pagan and wicca belief systems rely on dream interpretation to help adherence learn and progress spiritually. Dream interpretation consists of interpreting the actions of a dream and how they relate to what is happening spiritually, emotionally and physically to the individual in the real world. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these services. We expect to begin performing these types of services within ninety days. 1.c. These services will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participants’ choice. These services will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. III. 1.a. Black Rose Spiritual Center, in realization of the need for funds and to get the word out to the community that we are here and what we are about, conducts an outreach ministry through our fund raising booth where we sell candles made by member of the church, hand out informational literature (a copy of our flyer is attached), and talk with the local populace while participating in group garage sales at the Senior Citizens Center and local Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. We are also planning on having our booth at various local community events such as Chief Victor Days, Creamery Picnic Days, Florence Renaissance Fair, The Farmer’s Market, Ravalli County Fair, and various other appropriate venues here within Ravalli County. The booth is normally staffed by volunteers of Black Rose Spiritual Center. 1.b. As yet Black Rose Spiritual Center has not had any requests for performance of these services. We expect to begin performing these types of services within the next ninety days. 1.c. These services will normally take place at Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Serenity Garden. However, should the participants choose Black Rose Spiritual Center’s Clergy will perform ceremonies at the location of the participant’s choice. These services will be performed only by ordained members of the clergy. IV. As our ministry is primarily geared to the solo-spiritualist, and our desire to spread the word of tolerance, Black Rose Spiritual Center will maintain a virtual presence on the World Wide Web. It is planned that the Black Rose Spiritual Center web site will include a wide range of information on various religions. The focus of the web site will be to promote tolerance and understanding between various religious beliefs. Additionally, the internet technology will allow us to reach a wider congregation by holding virtual worship services over the web. Further, the web site will be used as an additional source of income through advertising the services offered by Black Rose Spiritual Center. The web site will come under the purview and control of the Lead Clergy and Council. As a substantial discount is being offered by the Internet Service Provider we plan on using we are waiting until after approval of this submission. In order to appropriately track and administer all the above activities, Black Rose Spiritual Center will be relying on “Church Administration and Finance Manual, Resources for Leading the Local Church” by Otto F. Crumroy, Jr., Stan Kukawaka, and Frank M. Witman. This tome of over 500 pages is an excellent guide for establishing appropriate administrative operations within the Church environment. |
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