Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Fraternal Spiritualist

Denomination: Fraternal Spiritualist

Address: 4720 Kensington Drive, Kensington; 619-281-4557

Year founded locally: 1932

Senior pastors: Millie Landis, Chris Christensen

Congregation size: 83 members

Sponsored
Sponsored

Staff: all volunteer

Church school enrollment: no Sunday School

Annual budget: $99,000

Weekly giving: $1900

Singles program: no

Diversity: predominately white, some African-American

Dress: casual to dressy

Services: Sunday worship, 10:30 a.m. Classes throughout the week; call for details

On a bright Sunday morning in the 21st Century, you still get a sense of Fraternal Spiritualist Church’s 19th-century roots. Because our national memory is so short we tend to think the American interest in Eastern religion and the occult began in the 1960s. We forget that by 1850 Americans were contemplating reincarnation and were speaking with the dead. This was a sober, low-key mysticism as much influenced by Calvin as Krishna.

Fraternal Spiritualist meets in a huge, refurbished Kensington home built at the turn of the century. The sanctuary — soft pastels, cushy seating, knickknacks — feels like a Victorian parlor. Off to one side, an older woman plays the piano. People drift in and without much chatter take seats. When they rise to sing, they sing old-fashioned hymns like “Sweet Sweet Spirit” and “Fill My Cup, Lord.” They sing very well, breaking into three- and four-part harmony.

As with other 19th-century denominations — Mormonism, Christian Science — the Spiritualist liturgy is spare. Greeting. Pastoral Prayer. Singing of the Lord’s Prayer. The content is often so generically upbeat that if you weren’t paying attention, you might think you were in a Congregationalist, Unitarian, or New Thought church. Only when you listen closely do you notice something unusual. You hear a lot about “they,” as in, “When they speak to us, we should listen.” You hear a lot about angels, as in, “When you come to Wednesday’s evening service, be sure to bring your angels with you.” You hear a lot about “messages,” as in, “In a message I received last week, I was told to tell you that you should learn to love yourself.”

The odd language, the obscure references, become clear during “Greetings from Spirit” at the very end of the service. The blue- and white-robed men and women sitting behind the podium are not, as you first thought, choir members. They are mediums-in-training. People mastering the art of communication with the Other World. One by one they take the podium, call out to individuals around the sanctuary, and deliver messages from the dead.

“Yes. The woman in the third row. In the white blouse. Yes, you. Would you like to receive a message? They’re telling me something... Did you know someone, a woman, a woman who liked to bake bread? This is someone from your past, perhaps of Slavic origin, I can’t tell. She’s telling me... Well, for people who don’t bake, this might be hard to understand. But when you make bread, it’s not a gentle process. You really have to knead the dough, really work with it. You have to punch it down. And after this very rough and strenuous process, you put it in the oven and bake it, and you have something wonderful and nourishing. And this woman from your past, this woman who loved to bake, wants me to tell you that all the great difficulties in your life, all the hardships, were like the hard process of making bread. They made you into the person you are today. Someone who nourishes and has nourished so many people, so many young people. She wants you to know she’s very proud of you. Does she sound familiar? This woman who liked to bake bread?”

The woman in the white blouse, smiling but stricken, says, “Yes. Yes. That was my mother.”

These messages aren’t delivered in a showy, polished, self-important fashion. And, for whatever reason, they seem to be accurate. After the service, I spoke with Reverend Millie Landis who copastors the church with Reverend Chris Christensen. While she spoke, Reverend Landis, a sweet, grandmotherly woman, took my hand and held it gently in hers. She explained that there were certain rules for “Greetings from Spirit.”

“They will never say anything that you don’t want known. They will never say anything that harms or embarrasses you. We never deliver anything negative. If they wanted you to know about an upcoming negative event, they’d come to you on their own, without anyone’s help. We deliver only positive messages. We deal only with positive messages, with positive energy. You can’t get a plum from an orange tree. You can’t get a negative message from us.”

Reverend Landis fell silent and held my hand a little longer. Suddenly, with no prompting on my part, she told me the name of a friend of mine who died 14 years ago. She told me that this friend still watches over me. Reverend Landis went on to give a great many accurate details — names, dates, specific sorrows — from my personal life. I asked Reverend Landis how she knew these things.

“The dead aren’t truly dead, my dear. They’re more alive than we are. They’re just free from their bodies. We don’t talk with people who are dead. We talk with people who are free.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?
Next Article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest

Denomination: Fraternal Spiritualist

Address: 4720 Kensington Drive, Kensington; 619-281-4557

Year founded locally: 1932

Senior pastors: Millie Landis, Chris Christensen

Congregation size: 83 members

Sponsored
Sponsored

Staff: all volunteer

Church school enrollment: no Sunday School

Annual budget: $99,000

Weekly giving: $1900

Singles program: no

Diversity: predominately white, some African-American

Dress: casual to dressy

Services: Sunday worship, 10:30 a.m. Classes throughout the week; call for details

On a bright Sunday morning in the 21st Century, you still get a sense of Fraternal Spiritualist Church’s 19th-century roots. Because our national memory is so short we tend to think the American interest in Eastern religion and the occult began in the 1960s. We forget that by 1850 Americans were contemplating reincarnation and were speaking with the dead. This was a sober, low-key mysticism as much influenced by Calvin as Krishna.

Fraternal Spiritualist meets in a huge, refurbished Kensington home built at the turn of the century. The sanctuary — soft pastels, cushy seating, knickknacks — feels like a Victorian parlor. Off to one side, an older woman plays the piano. People drift in and without much chatter take seats. When they rise to sing, they sing old-fashioned hymns like “Sweet Sweet Spirit” and “Fill My Cup, Lord.” They sing very well, breaking into three- and four-part harmony.

As with other 19th-century denominations — Mormonism, Christian Science — the Spiritualist liturgy is spare. Greeting. Pastoral Prayer. Singing of the Lord’s Prayer. The content is often so generically upbeat that if you weren’t paying attention, you might think you were in a Congregationalist, Unitarian, or New Thought church. Only when you listen closely do you notice something unusual. You hear a lot about “they,” as in, “When they speak to us, we should listen.” You hear a lot about angels, as in, “When you come to Wednesday’s evening service, be sure to bring your angels with you.” You hear a lot about “messages,” as in, “In a message I received last week, I was told to tell you that you should learn to love yourself.”

The odd language, the obscure references, become clear during “Greetings from Spirit” at the very end of the service. The blue- and white-robed men and women sitting behind the podium are not, as you first thought, choir members. They are mediums-in-training. People mastering the art of communication with the Other World. One by one they take the podium, call out to individuals around the sanctuary, and deliver messages from the dead.

“Yes. The woman in the third row. In the white blouse. Yes, you. Would you like to receive a message? They’re telling me something... Did you know someone, a woman, a woman who liked to bake bread? This is someone from your past, perhaps of Slavic origin, I can’t tell. She’s telling me... Well, for people who don’t bake, this might be hard to understand. But when you make bread, it’s not a gentle process. You really have to knead the dough, really work with it. You have to punch it down. And after this very rough and strenuous process, you put it in the oven and bake it, and you have something wonderful and nourishing. And this woman from your past, this woman who loved to bake, wants me to tell you that all the great difficulties in your life, all the hardships, were like the hard process of making bread. They made you into the person you are today. Someone who nourishes and has nourished so many people, so many young people. She wants you to know she’s very proud of you. Does she sound familiar? This woman who liked to bake bread?”

The woman in the white blouse, smiling but stricken, says, “Yes. Yes. That was my mother.”

These messages aren’t delivered in a showy, polished, self-important fashion. And, for whatever reason, they seem to be accurate. After the service, I spoke with Reverend Millie Landis who copastors the church with Reverend Chris Christensen. While she spoke, Reverend Landis, a sweet, grandmotherly woman, took my hand and held it gently in hers. She explained that there were certain rules for “Greetings from Spirit.”

“They will never say anything that you don’t want known. They will never say anything that harms or embarrasses you. We never deliver anything negative. If they wanted you to know about an upcoming negative event, they’d come to you on their own, without anyone’s help. We deliver only positive messages. We deal only with positive messages, with positive energy. You can’t get a plum from an orange tree. You can’t get a negative message from us.”

Reverend Landis fell silent and held my hand a little longer. Suddenly, with no prompting on my part, she told me the name of a friend of mine who died 14 years ago. She told me that this friend still watches over me. Reverend Landis went on to give a great many accurate details — names, dates, specific sorrows — from my personal life. I asked Reverend Landis how she knew these things.

“The dead aren’t truly dead, my dear. They’re more alive than we are. They’re just free from their bodies. We don’t talk with people who are dead. We talk with people who are free.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Next Article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.