Altruistic World Online Library

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:38 am

An Evening with Gabriel of Sedona
Part 2: Still Naked
by Anthony Finstad

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

On the day of the visit to Seattle by Gabriel of Sedona, (Nov. 20th, 1993), Keith had called me about going to hear him. We had both received the invitation in the mail just a couple days previously. As it turned out, our schedules wouldn't permit us to car pool together, so we agreed to meet each other at the church. I mention this as an attempt to dispel any notion that this was a prearranged attack by a couple of headstrong, closed-minded, UB fundamentalists who were on a mission from Chicago to infiltrate, interrupt and harass.

Actually, it was all rather spontaneous. We were invited, we attended, we listened. Mark calmly suggested that he shared no new revelatory information that wasn't already available within The Urantia Book. Paladin once again became angry and defensive. During the next five minutes he berated Mark, telling him that he was helplessly stuck in his fourth psychic circle, that Mark thought he was God's gift to women, that he should stop smoking marijuana (Mark has been a non-smoker for decades), that he would die in the big earthquake unless his cancer got him first. Imagine all this coming from a personality that has successfully traversed time and space, all billion spheres of Havona, reached Paradise and been embraced by the Heavenly Father. I think not. If this is the great reward I'm not interested in the journey.

Then it was my turn. To spare you all the details, "Pal" and I had several minutes of interaction before it came down to this question and response. I asked, "It's my understanding that a finaliter is a unique personality expression of the Father's love and yet all I hear from you is human anger. Where's the love?" Paladin's response came visually packaged with a lot of body language. As he shook his head from side to side he said, "Love, love, love ... what is love? Bullshit!" At this moment the woman who operates the church (Alice) stood up and asked them to leave. She said, "This is a church of love and I cannot have you continue with this." Gabriel got up from his seat, turned to his stage groupies and told them to stay behind to "take care of things.” He then walked off. Alice made yet another request for the others to leave. The show was over.

I quickly invited those remaining to attend one of our study groups. We handed out several Urantia cards and had the opportunity to talk and answer questions. We also met with Alice and talked about giving an introduction to The Urantia Book (from the human perspective) at one of these Saturday evening gatherings. I'm sure the believers in the teaching mission and the continuing papers of the fifth epochal revelation would never agree with this public pronouncement of negative love. Who would? In fact, I've read much of the so-called transmitted material that has been circulated and it consistently suggests quite the opposite. The writings are all about love, adjuster communion and everything beautiful ... including the material from Gabriel of Sedona! Something changed between those clean writings of wisdom and when he theatrically got up there on the stage (where I think most of these teachers would like to be.)

Then to be rudely confronted, challenged and questioned by disbelieving readers who are not a part of the inner circle of ego-feeding followers. How embarrassing. Was it just a bad night in front of a tough audience? Did we mean little humans expose a personality weakness in the Finaliter Paladin and during this confusing episode we scared away the shy and timid Bright and Morning Star of Nebadon? Perhaps it's nothing more than bad reception here in Seattle with all the rain clouds hovering overhead.

After we finally closed out the church that evening, there were five of us who walked outside and suddenly formed a prayer circle. It was an uplifting spiritual experience. It came complete with the personal presence of our collective group teacher. There was no need to channel it or put a new age name to it. He was there. Not just for the chosen few but for everyone, even us. No, God has not stopped talking. Revelation happens every day. The planet is filled with spiritual energy and great mystery. Let's rejoice and praise God! We all want to serve and there seems to be a perceived void in how to "channel" that burning desire to evangelize.

Yet with all the kingdom-building opportunities that are available to the inspired and courageous readers, why would a balanced person choose to conveniently alter an epochal revelation, add some new papers and then plagiarize other sections? Are we to believe God is speaking through our new age friend and we should just take a leap of faith into the desert? I'm not saying I know how to deal with these kind of situations. I've been quietly ignoring them until now. This one was hitting too close to home.

A Service of The Urantia Book Fellowship

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:46 am

Gabriel of Tumacacori?
by Nate Hansen and Christopher Fox Graham
Sedona Red Rock News
April 6, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

The Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, recently changed its name, bought a ranch near the Arizona-Mexico border and put much of its most valuable Sedona area real estate up for sale.

According to the Arizona Corporation Commission, Aquarian Concepts Community legally changed its name to the Global Community Communications Alliance on Dec. 18, 2006.

In January, the alternative living and church community, based off Upper Red Rock Loop Road southwest of Sedona, listed its Cathedral Rock Lodge, Avalon Gardens and Master's House, real property valued at more than $13 million, for sale, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

The alliance appears ready to move or to expand its operations.

GCCA leader Tony Delevin, known locally as "Gabriel of Sedona" or "Gabriel of Urantia," declined to comment.

POTREROS RANCH is the name of the 165-acre ranch Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, recently purchased near Tubac. Six acres are zoned "multi-family" while 159 acres are zoned "general rural," according to the Santa Cruz County Assessor’s Office.
Nate Hansen/Larson Newspapers

An aerial view of Potreros Ranch
Aerial courtesy of Santa Cruz County Community Development Office

GABRIEL: Alternative living community packs its bags for trip to Tumacacori
(from Page 1A)

Friday, Jan. 26, the Nogales International reported five members of GCCA met with neighbors of Potreros Ranch, in Tumacacori, Santa Cruz County -- a property the community asked about buying.

Santa Cruz County Community Development Director Mary Dahl said she also met with GCCA representatives who expressed interest in three parcels of ranch land totaling 165 acres.

Potreros Ranch lies between Pendleton Road and Tumacacori National Historical Park with the main entrance located on Santa Gertrudis Lane.

Two of the parcels, one 36 acres and another 123 acres, are zoned "general rural."

A third parcel, totaling about 6 acres, is zoned for "multi-family dwellings," Dahl said.

Though Dahl wasn't sure how far January's meeting went beyond negotiations, two GCCA members working at the property in Tumacacori on Monday, April 2, verified the purchase.

A man who identified himself as "Arlin," whose legal name is Steve Monroe, an ACC/GCCA member for 12 years, told reporters that he and other GCCA "farmers" arrived in Tumacacori a short while ago.

"We just bought the place," Monroe said.

According to Headquarters West Realtor Sam Hubbel, Potreros Ranch was purchased March 23.

According to a former co-owner of the ranch, Louisa Fuggiti, however, GCCA bought the property March 15.

The RE/MAX agent representing Fuggiti said GCCA paid $580,000 for the land.

In addition to the ranch, GCCA purchased three business lots and on-site living quarters in a neighboring shopping district, Tubac Plaza, county records state.

Though Director of Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce Olivia Ainza-Kramer couldn't be reached for comment on what the GCCA businesses would entail, GCCA board member Catherine Lilly reportedly told Santa Cruz County officials and neighbors the ranch community will focus on "organic gardening" and "sustainable methods."

The move was prompted due to Sedona's growth and a number of real estate developments underway on land near the community, Lilly told county officials.

In the meantime, GCCA appears ready to move some or all of its operations south.

"We're here [in Tumacacori] ... right now we're just getting things set up and ready to go," Monroe said.

*****

Tony Delevin
by Tyler Midkiff
(For related stories, please see Pages 1A and 8A)

On the sixth anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Tony Delevin, aka "Gabriel of Sedona," stood at a lectern backed by members of the Aquarian Concepts Community -- now called the Global Community Communication Alliance -- and spoke to a room of his followers. With a sort of subdued vitriol, he told them that America has lost its way.

"Our country has lost it," he said. "Lost it to greed, corporations and materialism."

It's a message many can identify with. Delevin also claims that he commands a fleet of spaceships that will swoop down to save his followers when much of the human race is destroyed.

Delevin claims his teachings are based on elements of The Urantia Book.

The Urantia Book, Delevin said, describes the effects of the Lucifer Rebellion on Earth, aka "Urantia."

Delevin's book and its sequels describe the effects the rebellion had on planets in other universes -- effects he said were communicated to him through celestial beings.

Delevin tells his followers at the GCCA that they are "starseed," or old souls, sent to Earth from faraway planets. Earth he tells them, is ruled mainly by "new souls" who are spiritually immature. Starseed find it difficult to live and work on Earth because they are unable to adapt to the fraudulence of life here.

When new members join the community, they are given new names and new histories which illustrate the many past lives they've led in this universe and in others, according to former member Mark Sprague.

Delevin claims he has led many past lives, he said. In interviews and in his autobiography, The Divine New Order, he claims he was once the Apostle Peter, St. Francis of Assisi, King Arthur, Martin Luther, Alexander the Great, George Washington and others.

But "the issue is who I am now," Delevin explained, "because I am greater today than who I was in any past life."

He states his current life's role on his Web site http://gabrielofsedona.info. He is an "Audio Fusion Material Complement," he writes, meaning that celestial beings use his voice to communicate spiritual truths to the people of Earth.

"Nebadon," the "head administrator of the local universe," first "fused" with Delevin in 1989 and since then, "Skyhawk," or "the Finaliter Paladin," has also established communication with him and regularly reveals universal truths to him from "Celestial Overcontrol," he said.

With the help of these "celestial beings," Delevin has made numerous predictions about his life, the life of others and the life of this planet.

He once predicted that much of the human race would be wiped out near the start of the 21st century. It didn't happen, but he admitted that he held the same belief during his life at the end of the first century.

“I went to my death thinking it,” he said.

At the end of each century since, he has continued to believe that Christ would return, he said. But he does not live his lives depending on it, he explained. He instead focuses on changing the world through the spirit of truth Christ has given him, he said.

The devil, whom he calls “Caligastia,” is alive and well on this planet, in the fifth dimension, he said.

Through his band, Gabriel & the Bright and Morning Star Band, Delevin claims to teach messages of higher consciousness.

He also promotes other bands with similar messages through the “Musicians-That-Need-To-Be-Heard-Network.”

He and his “spiritual complement” Nancy Chase call themselves “the most significant spiritual leaders of our time.”

Through them, the GCCA has founded dozens of companies, organizations, publications and teaching outlets, including Spirit Steps Tours, Global Change Multimedia, Future Studios, Global Family Legal Services, The Alternative Voice, Cathedral Rock Lodge & Retreat Center, the Starseed and Urantian Schools of Melchizedek and others.

During a speech titled “I Have a Vision,” Delevin predicted that his company, Global Change Multimedia, will one day become “the parent planetary leading consolidate group for all media endeavors, including motion pictures, television, radio, Internet and music recordings.”

To assist in his goal, he asks for money, support and representation on the Internet because there are forces at work to prevent “change agents,” or people striving toward global change and spiritual unity, from being heard by the public, he said.

“As for me,” he said, “I will serve the Lord, Christ Michael, and I will bring interuniversal truth to the planet.”

To reach Tyler Midkiff call 282-7795, ext. 122, or email to tmidkiff@larsonnewspapers.com

*****

A reporter's trip to community's new world
by Nate Hansen

After nearly five hours of driving south and connecting 1-17 to 1-10 to 1-19, I arrived in Nogales facing a cold and uninviting steel wall topped with concertina wire.

It was the end of the road, the United States-Mexico border.

Twenty-five minutes north of Nogales was a small town and tourist shopping district called Tubac.

In between was a rural community of ranches surrounding the historic site of a Franciscan mission built in 1795 called Tumacacori [Too-mah-KAHcore-ee], the likely future home of Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community.

The GCCA is an alternative living and church community located off Upper Red Rock Loop Road, southwest of Sedona, led by Tony Delevin, aka "Gabriel of Sedona."

In late January, GCCA representatives traveled to Tumacacori to visit with Santa Cruz County officials and area residents.

According to fellow reporters for the Nogales International, GCCA was inquiring about nearly 200 acres of land east of the Tumacacori National Historical Park.

Three months later, in March, former owners and real estate agents say three parcels of land making up Potreros Ranch, in addition to three business lots in Tubac were purchased.

Some Tumacacori residents expressed concerns.

Sarah Bailey, a neighboring rancher, says there are several reasons she doesn't want GCCA moving onto the Potreros Ranch.

Bailey, a former attorney for the Arizona Attorney General's Office, says she believes GCCA will be detrimental to the quiet community near Tubac.

GEORGE HEMMINGER, retired pilot and rancher, looks beyond his property and over Santa Gertrudis Lane which separates him from the 165 acres Global Community Communications Alliance recently purchased. The Sedona organization, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, isn't welcome in his Tumacacori ranch community, Hemminger says.
Nate Hansen/Larson Newspapers

In Bailey's opinion, the arrival of a community estimated at 80 adults and 20 children is going to cause unnecessary stress and traffic to the private Santa Gertrudis Lane the ranch's main entrance is on.

Additionally, six of the 165 acres of land GCCA purchased is designated for multi-family housing.

Although the acreage is currently covered in mesquite trees and on a "flood way," Bailey worries they'll build hastily and end up diverting future flood waters onto her property.

"If 200 people live out there, just the septic situation is going to be horrendous," she says.

George Hemminger, owner of the neighboring Rancho San Cayetano, is concerned about residents in the area who struggle financially.

Hemminger, a retired pilot, says he pays approximately $7,000 in taxes on his 150 acres of land. He's upset GCCA's tax exempt status as a church frees them from paying their dues.

The burden is going to fall on everyone else, he says.

Bailey admits she hasn't seen any of the GCCA members on the property yet, but from what she and other residents of Tumacacori ranches read on the Internet, she is fearful.

"This community is going to turn Tubac into what Sedona's become, the land of the Waco whackos," she adds.

Roy Simpson, Tumacacori National Historical Park ranger, says he's met with GCCA members.

He says he's heard the controversy behind the former ACC and the recent move of GCCA. He was curious about its intention of moving next to the park's newly acquired 300 acres of historic land.

Simpson says he was pleased when he discovered they were "devoted to organic farming" and "conscious building."

''They are conservation-minded," he says. "I just hope they remain good stewards to the land."

Steven Monroe, a 12-year resident of ACC/GCCA who goes by the name "Arlin," says he's fed up with bad press.

He says people who don't understand their lifestyle would rather criticize.

"We're a community of people trying to live in a better way. There's a lot of tough things going on in the world," Monroe says.

Monroe says allegations that GCCA is a cult are untrue.

"We invite people in to see what that is, see what's going on," he said.

*****

Spiritual Path Took a Sedona Man to ACC
by Nate Hansen

At age 26, Trevor Roberson described himself as a “charismatic Christian.” More than anything, he wanted to know God.

Today, over a decade since entering a faith-based fundamentalist organization, Roberson would rather know more about himself. In addition, he wants people to be aware of the truth behind such organizations.

While growing up in Daytona, Fla., during both work and play, Roberson wore a wooden cross necklace symbolizing Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to mankind. He carried God’s word in the Holy Bible.

Trevor Roberson

Because he felt a profound draw to serve God, Roberson eventually found himself working alongside someone he now merely deems “a really good salesman."

Roberson was in his mid-20s, athletic and ambitious about preaching Christianity when a man, whose name Roberson requests be kept in confidence, approached and challenged him.

"He was a 'in-your-face' kind of guy," Roberson recalls. "He asked me, 'Are you man enough for God'?'''

The man claimed to know God, which played on Roberson's curiosity. He remembers wanting to step up to the man's challenge.

It wasn't long before he joined a group called "Wholeness in Christ."

Roberson justifies his actions at the time.

''Those who truly want to know God don't want to know the system, they want to know God," he stresses.

Eventually, after prompting by the group's leader, Roberson quit his job as an illustrator for the U.S. Department of Defense. He dedicated his life to the group.

The next four years took Roberson from Florida to Arizona, where he resided for a period of time in Flagstaff.

According to Roberson, the group's missions appeared "fairly legitimate" early on.

One mission Roberson describes hoped to reveal certain televangelists as frauds, such as the popular Pentecostal preacher Tofik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn.

Roberson's group conducted protests based on ethical questions surrounding Hinn's income and healing abilities. Roberson's group described the tactic as "the emperor has no clothes" and "lie of the tithe."

Although Roberson feels the Flagstaff branch of Wholeness in Christ was "conservative," he recalls a definite turning point.

Purpose fell more toward power, he admits.

"He [the leader] didn't want anything, but God did," Roberson says.

Roberson and a friend discussed leaving the group and moving out on their own. The thought manifested into action when the group's leader subsequently called them from Florida in an effort to change their minds.

"He left a message on the answering machine. He said, 'Hold the fort. God's got us set up here,'" Roberson recalls.

Roberson spoke to the group's leader and told him of his intention to leave.

"I want to know I can find God for myself if I leave," Roberson says, recounting the meeting.

As quickly as he picked up to follow the group, he turned and left.

Even though he has absolutely no regrets, Roberson can pinpoint "tiny details" which show a progression from purpose to power.

He has answers for those who question how somebody could be "tricked" into following any charismatic, faith-based organization.

Leadership will accentuate an individual's frailties to break them down, then build them back up under the guise of being a "member," Roberson says.

"Over the years, he established Pavlovian effects. First year, things won't make sense, not even the second, but as time goes by," he says.

"Protestants use hell after death to scare one other. Charismatics use hell too, but also the abandonment of knowing God," he adds. "It would take six months in my scenario, then again, I'm not a salesman."

When Roberson belonged to Wholeness in Christ, he didn't work for anyone other than the group. He lived on a minimal diet, eating cereal morning, noon and night.

When it came to disagreements, he remembers arguing against what the leader called "the authority of God."

Roberson denies his organization was a "cult," but he feels he's been close enough to identify one.

"I think what defines a cult is when free will is taken, stolen or not knowingly given up," Roberson says. I don't care if it's a biker bar in Daytona, if there's a sole intent on extracting one's will, it's a cult."

When Roberson first arrived in Sedona, he attended Easter services at Aquarian Concepts Community. He was in search of a suitable church, he recalls.

As to not raise suspicion, he says he asked ACC members about their ideology and belief system.

It didn't take long until Roberson was convinced he was entering something much more dangerous than what he left.

A definite chain of command existed. Members were not permitted to leave a certain mile radius, or perimeter, without permission, which kept the group's members close by, Roberson remembers ACC members telling him.

In Roberson's opinion, purpose was gone. There was only power, he says. It all led to Tony Delevin, otherwise known as "Gabriel."

"Cult. It's a cult, I'm telling you. It's a cult," he says, emphatically.

Ask Roberson what his views are of religion these days and he just smiles.

“I feel better that I don't know the answers. I'm waiting," Roberson says. "In the meantime, I'm going mountain biking."

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 5:12 am

Former 'Gabriel' groupies open up
by Nate Hansen
Sedona Red Rock News
April 11, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

For a number of years, a group of people who experienced the ideology of Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, kept silent in fear of being persecuted by present GCCA members.

Their silence is broken.

This article leads a series of firsthand accounts from former members and families who struggled with the alleged mistreatment of their sons, daughters and grandchildren inside the community.

The following are questions asked to two former ACC members, John Thurstin and Laura Medina.

Medina was drawn to the alternative community and stayed for four years.

Thurstin, an instructor of The Urantia Book for nearly 50 years, was asked to come to the community in 1991 by Tony Delevin, who refers to himself as "Gabriel of Sedona" or "Gabriel of Urantia."

Thurstin stayed for over 13 years until leaving two years ago out of moral and ethical frustrations.

Delevin, Candace Ruth and Catherine Lolly, GCCA spokespersons, were not available for comment by press time.

• Does/did Gabriel influence the decision for separation or divorce?

Thurstin: "Yes. It is a common practice for couples and families to be separated by Gabriel. He makes it clear that, in his opinion, their relationship is inappropriate, although they may have been together for years and have one or more offspring."

Medina: "If Gabriel declares a couple, even married, in an inappropriate union, pressure would be brought for them to separate."

Thurstin: "They are sometimes re-matched to someone else which usually doesn't work very well, with one or both leaving the community.

"Sometimes the child leaves with a parent, or they stay in the community with a parent, which may result in bitter relationships and legal intervention that may drag on for years."

• Does/did Gabriel remove children from families to be raised by others within the community?

Thurstin: "Yes. If he feels that a child should be removed from their parents and placed elsewhere in the community, the parents are expected to cooperate with his wishes, otherwise they should expect to be asked to leave.

“There have been ongoing legal battles involving parents and grandparents over concern for a child, to either get their children out of the community or prevent them from returning.

"In one case, a child remains in the community although the single mother has left."

Medina: "Gabriel will remove children from families to other places where community members would be given discretion, declaring it is best that they are raised by others for the child's spiritual education and advancement."

• Does/did Gabriel have multiple partners and use sex as power?

Thurstin: "Yes. He believes in polygamy because of genetics, but only on the condition that he personally approves the relationships, although he has made it clear to his followers that so far none of them are qualified for this arrangement.

"He also believes that he should be able to have a sexual relationship with someone if he thinks it is appropriate, but if they don't agree, they are out of God's will."

Medina: "Gabriel declares whom and if your present relationship will be granted as appropriate if you wanted to stay in it or not. It all depends on your ability to conform to the community or party line, It's called [being] 'aligned.'"

• Does/did he force people to contribute by pooling their resources?

Thurstin: '''Force' may not be an accurate word, but 'required' or 'coercion' would be appropriate.

"For example, when anyone becomes a member, they are required to give everything they own to the community and Gabriel, and he controls it all.

"This would include all of their money, bank and savings accounts, credit cards, vehicles, businesses, land and property of any kind."

Medina: "I saw the idea formulating to give up everything of value to the community prior to leaving it.

"If a prospective new member has money, he will only be shown the good side of the community. If after being disillusioned with the community, he will leave with none of his money.'"

Thurstin: "You are also required to change your will, or make out a new one via the ACC attorney, so that the beneficiaries are Tony Delevin [Gabriel] and Nancy Chase [Niann].

"In 1997, a document called The Freedom Form was distributed to all community members demanding that they give everything they owned to the Aquarian Concepts Community.

"Each existing member had to sign this or get out. In other words, you would be free from everything you own, including your own personal freedom, which does not exist."

• Did/does anyone at the community receive compensation for their work?

Thurstin: "After having already given Gabriel everything they own, any compensation for the enormous number of hours of service they are required to continually give as community members is basically a place to sleep and food.

"If anyone needs money, no matter how small the amount, there is the usual form which you have to fill it out, including all the details of how much, why you need it.

"You may or may not be granted your request. And don't forget the receipt, or you will somehow be punished."

To reach Nate Hansen call 282-7795, Ext. 132, or e-mail to nhansen@larsonnewspapers.com

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 5:35 am

'Gabriel' separates families and friends
by Nate Hansen
Sedona Red Rock News
April 13, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

The following are the remaining seven questions, of 12, asked to two former Aquarian Concepts Community members, John Thurstin and Laura Medina.

Medina was drawn to the alternative community and stayed for two years.

Thurstin, an instructor of The Urantia Book for nearly 50 years, was asked to come to the community in 1991 by Tony Delevin, who refers to himself as "Gabriel of Sedona."

Thurstin stayed for over 13 years until leaving two years ago out of moral and ethical frustrations.

Delevin, Candace Ruth and Catherine Lilly, GCCA spokespersons, were not available for comment by press time.

• When people leave, are their belongings returned to them?

Thurstin: "If anyone decides to leave the community, for whatever reasons, they are considered a traitor, a Judas, in default, and regardless of what they may have given, including such valuable items as [money, property], they get nothing back."

"One can expect to leave without a car, money, food, no income, no place to stay and some have left friends and family behind as well.

"It has taken some people years to get over it, and some of them never will because they are so damaged by the experience."

• Do community members have privacy?

Thurstin: "Although they still have to account for everything, the few who are the closest to Gabriel and do his bidding without question have easier access to cars, money and so on. They live in better conditions than the rest of the community.

"Those of lesser class are often jammed into unlikely and often uncomfortable situations such as tents, yurts, shacks or garages. Privacy for most community members is non-existent.

''Furthermore, members are not allowed to have any friends outside of the ACC, including Sedona, and they are, not allowed to ride in any cars other than those belonging to ACC in the company of another ACC member.

"So one can tattle on the other if they don't agree with what they do or say. 'Chips' are often given. Not surprisingly, this 'game' often functions on a very petty level."

• What is the "chip game"?

Thurstin: "While the rules of the 'chip 'game' are far too numerous and complicated, I can tell you that it is basically a method of encouraging members to watch each other and report any deviance from Tony Delevin's teachings, especially what he teaches about himself.

"Children watch their parents, spouses watch each other and they rat on each other via this procedure. Reports of infractions or deviations often result in a chip submitted to denote the problem, which may lead to counseling or humiliation before the entire community.

"This is a game where everyone is encouraged to spy and tattle on one another; including family members ... to emphasize obedience members are literally told if they do not obey Gabriel they will die."

Medina: "I found the counselor more interested in my personal financial standing than my attitude. To make matters worse, the 'service ' was not free. I had to pay for it. One pays for everything."

• If you came as a certain professional, does the community utilize those skills or refrain from having a person use their trade?

Thurstin: "As usual, it depends on Gabriel. Some have arrived with a profession who were allowed to continue in their practice because he needed it. Others trained in a highly specialized field were told they should drop it and do something else.

"A nurse who had specialized emergency room training, for example, decided to leave rather than throw her profession away. Fortunately, she didn't leave before she had the opportunity to save the life of someone who had left the community and attempted to commit suicide.”

Medina: "Much to my astonishment, I witnessed the denial of persons with highly developed skills fall by the wayside only to be put to work in [illegible] service."

• Does ACC go to the local food bank for food?

Thurstin: “Yes. They have gone to two food banks in Phoenix that I am aware of for around 15 years and brought back vans full of food.

"They also obtain it from local places, such as Bashas' and the Sedona food bank, in spite of their apparent wealth."

• If The Urantia Book is a fellowship without a hierarchy of leaders, priests and so forth, why does Gabriel insist on calling himself, Gabriel of Urantia?

Thurstin: "Urantia is the cosmic name of this planet, according to The Urantia Book. When 'Christ Michael' came to this planet and incarnated as Jesus Christ a 'Son of Man,' he took the title of 'Planetary Prince' from the apostate 'Caligastia,' the cosmic name of the one known as the devil.

"Gabriel is now assuming this title as the ruler of this world, with plans that his son will inherit this title, and planet, when he leaves ... as ruler of the world he claims that no other human being has any authority over him, or should anyone question anything he does and/or orders others to do. And he will not tolerate criticism of any kind.

'''Prince Malfax' is another name that symbolizes his supposed future destiny to be the ruler of Earth and to repopulate it mostly with his children/genetic seed. 'Everything I do is justified ... I am the mandated ruler of the world,' Gabriel has said."

• Describe any issues you feel need investigated further.

Thurstin: "Of all the things over the years I observed taking place with community members, and particularly what I experienced personally, the so-called medical care and related activities called 'Tron Therapy' affected and disturbed me the most.”

Medina: "Some people leave secretly in the middle of the night, with only what they can carry. Why is that, could it be fear?

"Many are afraid to talk about their experience in the community. Why is that, could it be fear?"

To reach Nate Hansen call 282-7795, Ext. 132, or e-mail to nhansen@larsonnewspapers.com

*****

Woman Fears Gabriel’s Control
by Nate Hansen
Sedona Red Rock News
April 13, 2007

In 1995, Shiloh Helminiak was born to Darrell and Jessica Helminiak. As a new grandmother, Janet Helminiak was never happier.

Happiness turned to sadness a year later when the couple, and baby Shiloh, joined Aquarian Concepts Community, now called the Global Community Communications Alliance, an alternative living and church group that operates off Lower Red Rock Loop Road outside Sedona city limits.

According to Janet Helminiak, of California, she never worried about GCCA’s alternative lifestyle or “religious beliefs.” People have the right to practice what they want, she says.

Nor did she show opposition when her son became “Anyan,” her daughter-in-law became "VesBein,” and Shiloh became “Ascendia” -– all “cosmic names” provided by GCCA.

She did show concern when Darrell, now 36, and Jessica separated at the alleged discretion of Tony Delevin, the leader of GCCA otherwise known as “Gabriel of Urantia.”

According to the disheartened grandmother, Jessica Helminiak became a partner, or “complement,” to a member by the name of “Tereon” before settling down with “Keea,” [with] whom she has since had a second child.

As far as her son, Darrell Helminiak, he was paired with and married a woman named Justine -– cosmic name, “Aspinglae.” The couple stayed married a short while before divorcing, bearing no children.

Helminiak’s second ex-wife, who arrived at the community as a single mother and has since left alone, declined to comment about her experiences at GCCA.

Janet Helminiak says, other than constant secrecy, she never saw anything wrong with GCCA conditions until January 1999.

During one of her bi-annual visits to GCCA that month, she says a red flag surrounding her granddaughter’s health and welfare went up.

A short time later, according to Helminiak, her concerns spawned community member Steven Munro, otherwise known as “Arlin,” to escort her and another parent and grandparent of GCCA members off the GCCA property.

Munro, who currently resides at GCCA’s Tumacacori ranch near Nogales, denied any separation of families.

Jacqueline Munro, a former member and Steven Munro’s ex-wife, declined to comment because records of her divorce and other court proceedings are sealed and she is barred from discussing the case.

Helminiak says she had no choice but to legally petition Yavapai County Superior Court for visitation rights in order to see her granddaughter.

“I want my granddaughter healthy,” she says. “I don’t know, I have my worries. I want her to have a change at life.”

In 2001, following what she says had potential of being a "precedent-setting lawsuit," Helminiak admits she wasted her time.

Due to sealed court documents and a gag order, Helminiak says she can’t discuss specific issues.

She can say the tedious court battle and unresolved mediation ended in 2001 and cost her a $70,000 legal bill. Furthermore and more distressing, she says she is further distanced from her granddaughter.

She blames herself, she says.

Helminiak says though legally she should be able to see her granddaughter, she says she doesn’t feel she’ll be able to visit.

By this time, Shiloh, who will be 12 years old in October, is afraid of her grandmother, she says. Besides that, she says she doesn’t believe Delevin will allow visitation.

On Feb. 28, 2005, Darrell Helminiak wrote a letter to his parents.

"The two of you are both accountable for what you have done to assist in disintegrating our nuclear family," he wrote.

"The first step in re-establishing a relationship with us would be for you to repay the nearly 30,000 dollars [sic] ACC put forth to defend your so called 'heroic cause.' If you wish, I could put together a summary of documented expenses we spent on the case. Secondly, you would need to write a letter of apology to the eldership of ACC, in particular Gabriel."

The letter was signed, “Your son, Anyan.”

Celinas Ruth, GCCA’s attorney, said she declines to comment on personal letters written by community members.

“That’s not him. That’s not my son. This is all orchestrated by Gabriel and Niann [another GCCA leader],” Helminiak says. “My son is a wonderful man, wonderful man.

"He wants me to say I was wrong. I wasn't."

Helminiak breaks down in tears. She pleads she has no hidden agendas, no ulterior motives other than to see her granddaughter.

"I'm trying to find out as much as I can about the community because I'm concerned about my granddaughter," she cries. "People think it can't happen to them, their children arc protected. They're not."

"This is not a typical, church-driven organization. Where's the benevolence?" Helminiak says, frustrated. "This is a well-oiled machine of deception. It's convoluted -- not on the up and up."

To reach Nate Hansen call 282-7795, Ext. 132, or e-mail to nhansen@larsonnewspapers.com

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:05 am

Memo Re Procedures for Sending Written Drafts to MHQ
by Gabriel & Niann
December 8, 2009

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

MEMO

TO: all "writers"
FROM: Gabriel & Niann via LaTaYea.
DATE: 12/8/09
RE: procedures for sending written DRAFTS to MHQ

Here are the procedures for sending a written/typed draft to MHQ to get approval. This includes letters, profiles, articles, brochures, etc.

• send your first draft to Gabriel & Niann marked “DRAFT #1" at the top, in larger letters.
• G/N will read and make any comments/changes, then return to you with their initials in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
• you should then make the chances and send them a second draft, labeled "DRAFT #2" with all the changes highlighted in whatever color highlighter you have. Be sure to return Draft #1 paper-clipped underneath of Draft #2, so that G/N can reference it if they need to.
• again G/N will read and make any comments/changes, then return to you with their initials in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
• this process of exchange should continue (with ALL old drafts paper-clipped underneath the most current one) until you finally receive an APPROVED draft, indicated by G/N initials in the upper right-hand corner of your draft.
• at that point, you can then take whatever next steps are necessary to publish the article, mail the letter, send your profile to Lah-May, etc.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

[While "Gabriel of Sedona” vehemently denies his attempt to control every one in his community (or what is left of it), this “MEMO” is a good example that speaks for itself. As stated, it is 'required' that everything you write must be sent to him to be scrutinized and censured. Not only does this include 'documents ' -- can you imagine writing a letter to your Mother and or Father and having to give it to “Gabriel” for editing to suit himself?]

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:40 am

Order in Tubac prepares for apocalypse: Critics draw parallels to other cultlike groups, say community's leader demands obedience
by Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
December 17, 2009

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

TUBAC - The Divine Administration sprawls over 165 acres along the banks of the Santa Cruz River on a historic ranch next to the old Tumacacori Mission.

Here, a man known as Gabriel of Urantia oversees a religious order of about 100 men, women and children who believe that the apocalypse is imminent and that their leader is a prophet ordained to save them from doom and then rule the world.

Members of the Global Community Communications Alliance practice a unique blend of New Age theology, old-style Christianity, Buddhism, American Indian religion, environmentalism and business.

Their community, which they describe as the Divine Administration, includes an organic farm, legal services, a hospice program, a school, psychological counseling, a film studio, a magazine, an art studio, eco-construction and a "soulistic" medical institute.

Global Community Communications Alliance, a religious community that also operates an organic farm and other enterprises, is situated along the Santa Cruz River in Tubac.
Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic

To join, members must renounce their given names and many of their possessions, steps they say are worth the serenity and security they find with the insular group.

But critics say the alliance is hardly serene. They describe a controlling, narcissistic leader who requires obedience and runs a cultlike community, and they draw parallels between the group and others that have garnered headlines following ritual-related deaths and mass suicides.

The GCCA is led by Gabriel, or Anthony Joseph Delevin, 62, the son of a Pittsburgh steelworker.

He and his female "complement," Niann Emerson Chase, have attracted followers from four continents, including a lawyer, a doctor, a psychologist and schoolteachers.

They founded a religious order and sanctuary, originally known as Aquarian Concepts Community, in 1989 along Oak Creek in Yavapai County. The organization, which functions as a church, adopted its current name several years ago before moving to southern Arizona. Churches are exempt from paying property taxes under state law, and the Internal Revenue Service does not mandate the filing of public financial disclosures that are required of other non-profits.

One of [the] group's rites, Native American purification, has come under public scrutiny in the aftermath of a fatal sweat-lodge ceremony involving a different group in Sedona two months ago. In that incident, three people died and 18 others were hospitalized while taking part in a Spiritual Warrior event led by self-improvement guru James Arthur Ray. A criminal investigation is pending.

The GCCA conducts similar cleansing ceremonies; although, unlike Ray’s group, it does not charge participants huge fees (donations, however, are suggested).

There are other parallels: Ray and Gabriel both have written autobiographies describing years of spiritual searching. Both claim to have been influenced by Hopi elders. And both are criticized by former members and clients for their inflated egos and aggressive leadership styles.

Although Gabriel’s group regularly invites the paying public to visit and operates a number of non-profit services, spokeswoman Centria Lilly declined all interview requests for this story, saying she was concerned that any article would not fairly portray Gabriel’s 40 years of good works.

“Our only consolation, if this attempt of yellow journalism continues, is that we definitely will … put you high on the list along with others of those who misrepresent Divine Administration and Gabriel of Urantia when Jesus Christ returns to set up His planetary government,” she wrote. “That’s a promise.”

Group’s beliefs

Members of the GCCA believe that emissaries from outer space gave mankind a revelation known as the Urantia Book, which explains the nature of God, the history of creation and man’s purpose.

The scripture dates to the 1930s, when a Chicago psychiatrist purportedly transcribed 2,097 pages of celestial messages. According to the teachings, Earth (known in other universes as “Urantia”) is one of 10 million inhabited planets; Jesus Christ has appeared as a savior in 611,121 universes.

The Arizona group goes beyond those teachings to say that Gabriel of Urantia is a channeler who has resumed contact with supernatural space beings. Gabriel refers to himself as the “planetary prince” who will reign after an onslaught of war and catastrophe.

Real-estate records show GCCA owns at least 20 parcels in Yavapai and Santa Cruz counties with a combined 2009 value over $10 million. That includes shops and a ranch with five houses in Tubac, about 50 miles south of Tucson.

According to Gabriel’s autobiography, “The Divine New Order,” Delevin attended Duquesne University in the 1960s and joined the Roman Catholic charismatic movement before becoming a street minister in Tucson.

In 1987, while camping in the Superstition Mountains, Gabriel says he had his first close encounter of a third kind: a celestial being, Paladin the Finaliter, who claimed to be in charge of 3,000 spaceships waiting to rescue truth believers from the Earth.

“You are needed to help us prepare for the evacuation,” Paladin announced, according to the autobiography. “It will not be an easy task … You will be called a fraud and a deceiver.”

In writings and online interviews, Gabriel claims to have been Peter the Apostle, an Apache chief, Alexander the Great, an African warrior-slave, Martin Luther and George Washington in past lives.

When “planetary headquarters” was in Sedona, Gabriel wrote, it was common “to see smaller spacecraft land, bringing representatives of Chris Michael (Jesus) in human form who walked about the land with me.”

Media attention

In 1997, media attention turned to the Arizona sect when Marshall Applewhite and 38 members of his Heaven's Gate cult in San Diego swallowed poison in an attempt to board a spacecraft supposedly hidden behind a comet.

A year later, "Dateline NBC" infiltrated the Arizona group for an hour-long expose.

On tape, Gabriel declared that anyone who does not heed his word is susceptible to disease and death. "I don't like the word 'cult.' I'm the leader of a divine administration," he told an interviewer.

Arizona court records do not reflect any criminal cases involving Gabriel or GCCA. Years ago, a California couple sued the group for custody of a grandchild who lived at the commune with her mother, but the case was dismissed.

Jay Peregrine, executive director of the unrelated non-profit Urantia Foundation, for adherents to the book, said most followers of the scriptures participate in reading groups and do not recognize a church or minister.

He rejected the idea of Gabriel as a contemporary prophet.

"We have absolutely no connection with him at all," Peregrine said. "From my point of view, that's a cult setup in sort of a classic sense."

Rick Ross, who operates a religious-watchdog institute in New Jersey, said of GCCA: "It's a personality-driven group. This (Gabriel) is a guy who has a lot of money, and it's been accumulated through the surrender of assets."

Ross and former group members say those who join must take on a new name and distance themselves from family and friends.

Justine Helminiak, 37, said in an e-mail to The Arizona Republic that she spent seven years with the community before leaving her daughter, stepdaughter, husband and cousin behind in 2005.

Helminiak said she initially was drawn by bonds of family and friendship. Her daughter, the subject of the lawsuit by her grandparents, has since left the community.

Helminiak said that while in the group, she worked as a legal assistant, maid and medical-office manager.

She said money, travel, work schedules and speech are strictly monitored. "Everyone is watched and controlled," Helminiak said. "I eventually felt I had no control over my life."

After leaving, Helminiak said she was banned from the group's property, shunned by members as a "default" and told that she would no longer be protected from Satan.

Dr. Byron Weeks, a retired physician now living in Idaho, said he became one of Gabriel's followers at a time when his life was torn by personal crises.

"He told me I was the reincarnation of St. Luke," Weeks recalled. "I found out it was a pretty evil organization.”

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:51 am

What 'Gabriel' pours out hard to swallow
by Nate Hansen
Sedona Red Rock News
April 18, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

Had it not been for John Thurstin, ex-member of Global Community Communications Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, Sedona would be in complete bliss.

You see, "ignorance" is bliss.

When Thurstin approached me over a year ago with concerns about GCCA, I admired his courage.

I'd always wondered about the people by the creek with honey-glazed eyes and costumes straight from the streets of Haight-Ashbury.

At first, when he spoke openly to me I wondered about the validity of his stories. There was nobody to verify his so-called "truths."

I needed more in order to write the "C-word" -- "cult."

Finally, after endless months of waiting, people began to line up to tell similar stories. Some go on the record, while others are afraid of the repercussions or retaliation.

Some are unable to speak because of "gag orders" and "sealed court cases."

All the while, Thurstin, 79, stands strong.

He came to GCCA after being invited by Tony Delevin, aka "Gabriel," to instruct the group from The Urantia Book.

Though Thurstin stayed for over a dozen years, his reasons for remaining weren't out of loyalty to a man ... instead, to a faith.

He left when a man's power took over principle and purpose.

Thurstin spent nearly 50 years working with a book of faith that deserves as much respect as the Holy Bible, the Talmud, the Quran and the Book of Mormon.

Even though it’s unfamiliar to people, it needs to be understood that a text does not manipulate, people do.

Readers get what they want out of books, and if a reader wants multiple partners, money, property and power … well, they’ll get it if people let him.

They’ll get it if people hand it over.

Ernesto “Che” Guevarra once said, “Amongst the personal shortcomings in every man, my own are so obvious and expressed in the form of violent contradictions.”

The man who became known as a revolutionary understood, despite his structured belief system and personal ideologies, that he would err. It was inevitable.

What makes a great leader, I suppose, is admitting mistakes and not having a “God complex.” Unfortunately, ego and arrogance can get in the way of vision, during which time trouble ensues.

Perhaps pretending one is omnipotent becomes easier than taking responsibility for their actions.

The irony is, God is responsible -– crazed loons aren’t.

I know as well as anyone mistakes are natural. It’s one reason I plan on adding each annual tax return to the “Nate Hansen Defense Fund,” as long as I’m still writing.

“To err is to be human, to forgive, divine.”

If I err, I beg forgiveness. Then again, I believe I'm human.

In all fairness to accusations, alleged and justified, GCCA deserves their say -- their "day in court," so to speak.

On Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., Tony Delevin and Nancy Chase will speak on behalf of GCCA.

On April 19, live via a worldwide Web cast online at http://www.globalchangetelevision.org they will address "media misrepresentation, locally and nationally."

On April 19, Delevin will share how past and recent stories have affected immediate family, children and the community members of GCCA.

April 19, at Future Studios, 30 Hozoni Drive, if you haven't any plans.

April 19.

April 19. Hmmm.

On April 19, who will beg forgiveness?

I'll be the guy by the door who isn't accepting donations.

Read past "Just a Second" columns at http://www.redrocknews.com. E-mail your comments about all "Just a Second" columns to Nate Hansen at nhansell@larsonnewspapers.com.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:11 am

Former ACC Resident was Told Who to “Partner” With
by Nate Hansen and Christopher Fox Graham
Sedona Red Rock News
April 20, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

Avalon Gardens For Sale

AVALON GARDENS, currently for sale by Global Communications Community Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, is one of the properties owned by the local alternative living group. The organic garden and acreage is one of the various meeting places GCCA members congregate to listen to direction and instructions from leader Tony Delevin, according to former member Beth Sundberg-Leoni.
Mal Cooper/Larson Newspapers

After a divorce in 1993, Beth Sundberg-Leoni looked up an old friend in Sedona, Kathleen Connors.

Connors, otherwise known as "Blue Evening Star,” convinced Sundberg-Leoni to "start over" and come to Sedona. In Sedona, as Sundberg-Leoni remembers Connors saying, there's a community of like-minded people -- the Aquarian Concepts Community, which recently renamed itself the Global Community Communications Alliance.

In 1995, after seeing a change within the community, Sundberg-Leoni left.

"It really morphed into something ... I don't know where it's going. I just know I wasn't going with it," she says.

Sundberg-Leoni 's breaking point from ACC came after being asked to sacrifice too many things. She adds that it wasn't because she was denied use of her professional skills so much as it was an invasion into her private life.

Being asked to part with her material possessions, her career and a relationship to someone with whom she cared for intimately bothered her, she says.

But being asked to connect with someone sexually and giving up her own free will was out of the question, she insists.

Sundberg-Leoni, 50, currently works in various hospitals in and around Las Vegas. She says she lives alone -- she likes it that way.

In 1979, she began practicing "bedside care." At University of Nevada, Las Vegas she earned a bachelor's degree in nursing.

She attained certification in critical care and emergency room nursing.

When she arrived at ACC, she says she worked parttime in area hospitals, hoping she could contribute her skills to the new alternative community.

Unfortunately, regardless of any qualifications she had, she wasn't used.

When Sundberg-Leoni advised ACC school teachers to maintain the children's immunizations, she says she was told to stay away. She was instructed to keep a distance, she recalls.

When her intention was to recommend a decongestant to a resident, she was told "back off," she adds.

'''Gabriel' discerns health needs," she says.

"Gabriel," whose legal name is Tony Delevin, is the founder and leader of the Aquarian Concepts Community.

Despite having a medical doctor -- Patrick Lawrence, M.D., otherwise known as "Landau" -- and a nurse on staff, Sundberg-Leoni says it was Delevin who claimed to heal people, from congestion to heart conditions and cancer.

If people remained ill, there was always a reason excusing Delevin from his failure to heal, she says.

'''Gabriel' is supposed to be 'Mr. Healer,' so if when he didn't heal anyone when he laid his hands on them, it was their fault. He said they weren't spiritually centered," she says.

As a consequence of Sundberg-Leoni's concern, she said she was asked to quit her profession.

She did not.

It was one of many straws to break.

Personal separation

One evening, according to Sundberg-Leoni, the community gathered to hear Delevin address what he called "Trinity Associations and Complementary Associations."

Each member was given pages listing members and their "complements." The names of over 50 people instructed them who each community member should consider as a "partner" and "Morontian companion."

Sundberg-Leoni was given the "cosmic name" of "Talomar" and matched to four men: "Sharu," "Miesen," "Driten" and "A'Journe."

At the time, "A'Journe" was legally married to ACC member "Clistine," she says.

The list is the equivalent to the child's game spin-the-bottle, Sundberg-Leoni explains.

"It was an immature, 'OK, we're going to be naughty' feeling," she adds.

Sundberg-Leoni denies consummating these assigned relationships, though she admits it felt as if they were arranged marriages.

There was pressure to maintain the partnerships, she says, adding she believed it was meant to take away people's identities.

She states mandatory "counseling sessions" were appointed with community psychologist Linda Cunningham, aka "Marayeh," when anyone appeared to deviate from partner designations.

She says she believes those sessions were intended to gather "dirty secrets" and share them with ACC leaders Delevin and Nancy Chase, aka Niann.

When Sundberg-Leoni refused to follow complement orders, she says she was confronted by Cunningham and ACC attorney Celinas Ruth.

Sundberg-Leoni admits her "fall from grace" came after she told both Ruth and Cunningham she would not be controlled.

"Nobody tells me who I can and cannot share a bed with," she says.

Another straw, broken.

Shunned and shamed

Less than a decade ago, Sundberg-Leoni left Sedona.

Though she departed what she deems the "chains and prison bars" of ACC in 1995, she says she remained in Sedona to be close to friends, some of whom also left ACC.

She also had a job working per diem at both the Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood.

Life was good, aside from the harassment, she says.

"They [ACC members] were very confrontational when I first got out of the community," she says.

Though there were never threats of physical violence, she says verbal attacks were regular.

Because she left ACC, she was told she would "burn in hell," she adds.

When Sundberg-Leoni arrived at ACC, she says she felt comfortable among the "laissez-faire" attitude of fellow members.

She remembers having regular dinners with Delevin and Chase and pleasant study groups on The Urantia Book.

"I don't regret being in the community, but I came to a point when I realized that there is no one person standing between you and the greater spirit you believe," she says. "Nobody can dictate a person's faith."

She says she often thinks of The Urantia Book and how one man's belief tried to mislead her faith and others.

''I'm really sorry 'Gabriel' used that book as a springboard,” she says. "More so, I never had a chance to say my peace with Kathleen [Conners] -- she's still there."

"There is so much untruth in your story it is impossible to comment at this time," GCCA attorney Celinas Ruth said.

To reach Nate Hansen call 282-7795, Ext. 132, or e-mail to nhansen@larsonnewspapers.com

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:22 am

The Urantia Book & ACC are not the same
by Dale Young
Sedona Red Rock News
April 25, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

Upon reading the recent Sedona Red Rock News articles about the Aquarian Concepts Community, I feel compelled to assist in making a distinction between The Urantia Book, which is mentioned in one of the articles ["Tony Delevin, aka 'Gabriel,' speaks," April 6, et. al.], and ACC with Gabriel.

The Urantia Book stands alone. In the 1950s, it was published by a foundation in Chicago that was established to be the custodian of The Urantia Book text and protect its copyright. The foundation's comments regarding the "channeled" material from Delevin are as follows:

"While Urantia Foundation neither endorses, promotes, nor denies any individual's personal experiences, we must assure readers that the foundation has no connection with any of this so-called 'channeled' material about which each individual will have to make up his or her own mind.

"Even so, the trustees want to make the foundation's position very clear: Urantia Foundation disavows such material as having anything to do with The Urantia Book or Urantia Foundation."

I have been reading The Urantia Book over the past 30 years and all of my family and close friends are clear that it plays an important role in my life.

Members of ACC would refer me to as a "Urantia fundamentalist," and there are many others like me, who live locally, read The Urantia Book regularly and have no association with ACC.

All ACC members read The Urantia Book but most readers of The Urantia Book do not accept that Delevin's channeling is any kind of further revelation of The Urantia Book.

All too often associations result in the dismissal of opportunity and, in this case, I wish to encourage readers to investigate the Urantia Book text and not dismiss it because of its association with ACC.

The Urantia Book was published as an epochal revelation. It is not an easy book to read and its text presents ideas about God, Jesus, the universe and our adventure in it, that seriously deviate from traditional biblical and Christian concepts, although in many details they are similar.

It was not a big step for myself and other sincere Christians to embrace concepts presented in The Urantia Book having established previous relation with the Bible. If readers tend to read the Bible as a way to help discern moral guidance and yet do not embrace the Bible as "the word of God," complete and true, as if God wrote it, then you may find a lifetime of adventure within The Urantia Book.

Nearly 1,000 pages are devoted to an account of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which is the easiest to read. The Urantia Book is on the shelf at Sedona Public Library and in most public libraries in the country. Additionally, the entire book can be accessed online at http://www.urantia.org.

Let me conclude by sharing from the book, "God is the first truth and the last fact."

Dale Young
Sedona

by **admin** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:35 am

'Gabriel' group decries media bias in webcast
by Tyler Midkiff
Sedona Red Rock News
April 25, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

Global Communications Community Alliance leader Tony Delevin and his supporters told an Internet audience Thursday, April 19, that local and national media are unfairly attacking his church and alternative living group, formerly known as the Aquarian Concepts Community.

The three-hour-long Internet broadcast, titled “Media Misrepresentation: Locally and nationally,” was held at the group’s Future Studios in Sedona.

Backed by images of Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, “Rocky Balboa” and “Yoda” of “Star Wars” fame, Delevin, aka “Gabriel of Urantia” and “Gabriel of Sedona,” argued that local and national media target him and his group because their way of life threatens the corporate and political interests of those who control the media.

The GCCA is a “religious order," GCCA member Nancy Chase, aka Niann Emerson Chase, told the Internet audience.

The term "cult" has often been used when referring to the GCCA, Chase acknowledged.

She considers the classification offensive, she said.

GCCA fits the definition of cult no more than Jesus Christ and his followers, Chase said.

"Just giving facts does not necessarily present the actual truth of a situation," she said, "thus leading people to draw wrong conclusions."

Delevin also cited his support for responsible consumerism and universal health care as reasons for the media targeting him.

During the Internet broadcast, Delevin discussed his 1998 appearance on "Dateline NBC," a popular television news program.

"They [Dateline NBC] lied over and over and over again, but they gained our trust," Delevin told his Internet audience.

He accused the news program of cutting and pasting questions and answers to make him appear to be "a crazed cult leader."

He also expressed sadness that VH1, a cable music channel, chose to use his music during a broadcast of "Rock Candy," which highlighted some of the country's worst music groups.

"I feel that this was done to try to destroy any opportunity for me as an up-and-coming musician," Delevin said.

"Because my work just happened to be the truth. They don't want the truth. The times of Bob Dylan have long passed. They do not let artists like that out anymore," he said.

Delevin said he believes VH1 sabotaged a recording contract he was preparing to sign with a major record label.

Prior to the April 19 Internet broadcast, GCCA mailed letters to hundreds of Sedona businesses and community members urging recipients to give GCCA money and join in a boycott of the Sedona Red Rock News.

In the letter, Delevin asked for donations and argued that the News singled his group out because of its stance against overdevelopment, specifically GCCA's opposition to the Bella Terra subdivision under construction off Upper Red Rock Loop Road.

"Could this be one or the reasons for the current series of inflammatory local newspaper articles demonizing me and the rest of the community members?" he asked his Internet audience.

According to Bella Terra project developer Mike Zito, GCCA asked Zito to go public in support of the News boycott, but he refused.

In the letter, GCCA apparently switched tactics, instead claiming the News and Zito colluded to place the group in a bad light.

"The press is supposed to tap competing sources to get both sides of an issue," GCCA lawyer and member Celinas Ruth told the audience.

"Where is your sensitivity?"she asked. "Pretend you're writing about your family and your loved ones. The outcome would be more carefully thought through. The chance of creating danger or harm would be lessened. The story you tell will be more honest."

News Managing Editor Greg Ruland said GCCA was given multiple opportunities to comment on every story and refused in almost every case.

When GCCA members commented, their comments were printed in full, Ruland said.

"The group told us they would not answer any questions or comment on any story in an e-mail sent to us several weeks before we started our coverage," Ruland said.

News Publisher Robert B. Larson stated the News began its coverage with a story about a major land sale by GCCA.

"In doing so, Delevin chose not to speak to the News. After the initial story, the News received many other details about GCCA," Larson said.

"In this way, a simple story about a land transaction ended up as a series of stories based on information received from many other sources," he said.

The News editorial staff only verified and then wrote what they were told about the group, Larson said.

"In no way did the News or its editorial staff try to influence the outcome of any of the stories," he said.

In several telephone messages left for News editorial staff, Ruth said she tried but failed to obtain an order from the Coconino County Superior Court barring News reporter Nate Hansen from attending the April 19 Internet broadcast at Future Studios.

Ruth said a judge declined to sign the order.

News editorial staff did not attend the Future Studios Internet broadcast at Ruth's request.

Sedona resident Peter Zimmerman said he attended the GCCA event.

Zimmerman said he was allowed to enter Future Studios only after satisfying GCCA members that he was not a member of the media.

Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Arthur Schopenhauer and others were projected on a screen above the stage before the event began, Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said he found common ground with some of the group's views but was disappointed that many of his questions went unanswered.

"What are the GCCA's actual beliefs?" Zimmerman asked.

When GCCA members referred to "half truths" in media coverage, Zimmerman said they never established which halves were true and which were not.

Zimmerman's question, "Does Delevin consider himself a prophet along the lines of Jesus Christ and Mohammed?" went unanswered, he said.

Sedona Public Library Director David Keeber offered to host a forum at the library for the group to answer questions, but GCCA does not appear willing to participate, he said.

Keeber said he has had positive interactions with the group in the past.

To reach Tyler Midkiff, call 282-7795, Ext. 122, or email to tmidkiff@larsonnewspapers.com

Altruistic World Online Library

Expose of Tony Delevin, aka “Gabriel of Sedona”

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Re: Expose of Tony Delevin – AKA “Gabriel of Sedona” And his

Who is online