Actual Churches?

Alethea, this is interesting information. Maybe there should be a place on this site listing jedi temples and places where people are trying to start them? I think this would be very useful!

Alethea Thompson wrote: There is one in Kentucky, one in Chicago, one is looking to set up in Tacoma, and I learned of one in Europe recently (not sure exactly where they are, but the site is primarily German). There is also one in Russia somewhere. Michigan, Texas and Ohio are looking for committed members in their areas.

I'm constantly on the look out for people in similar areas sothey can connect.

Are these 'churches' churches or are they just groups of people that meet up together and have dedicated speakers etc...

I'm purely curious about the legality and I am not criticising their teachings. I encourage Jedi groups to come together but calling yourself a church does not make you a church

Alethea Thompson wrote: Jax is the one looking to head it up, and she's in Houston.

I know Jax from the Jedi Resource Center site. I've posted in her group page there and think I even sent a message, but so far no word back (this was back in the beginning of April). Work keeps me busy and I son't have a steady schedule, but i'm more than interested in helping her. I think i'll send her one more PM just in case I didn't the first time.

Xon-Tay Lor wrote: Alethea, this is interesting information. Maybe there should be a place on this site listing jedi temples and places where people are trying to start them? I think this would be very useful!

As we know nothing about them, TOTJO cannot endorse them...

The may very well be wonderful groups, but, to compile a list of them may see like we condone their actions and philosophies....

I know Jax, kinda, and have nothing against her.... We as an organization cannot recommend, nor discourage....

We just don't know....

I hope this makes sense...

None of us are "churches". Chicago, so far, is the only one that is looking into getting their religious non-profit status. Heartland (in Kentucky) will look into it in the future, but we need a few things concrete before I feel comfortable moving forward to state recognition.

What I'm getting at, is that it may be counter productive in some of these areas to establish a church when there aren't a whole lot of people in the first place (that said, I recall a larger number of Jedi in Austin, TX circa 2007). If your area doesn't have one established, then a minister of ToTJO located in the area can seek to form a Jedi Chapter of their own.

Of course, in the event that your area has a large population of Jedi in one chapter, you may consider breaking off to create a church which is endorsed by ToTJO. The UK would have a leg up on that, as far as I know, they do not have any physical meet-ups with the CoJ....yet. So I'm letting you know where the rest of us are, this way, if anyone is in the area, they can link up with their local chapters. And who knows, if the leadership doesn't have a strong direction to take their group, they may defer to someone who is a licensed minister of ToTJO to run the group.

i have not seen one actual church in our area although that would be a great way to actually widen our prospect and be able to be able to relate to each other personally with all the other members and be able to establish a stronger foundation for our church as i believe that establishing a real; connection with each other will build a bigger and better church. this would be something that i really look forward too and hopefully soon i will be able to attend to a real church as i believe that this Church deserves to have a real place where we can gather.

I will use this thread to keep you updated on the journey to establish a Jedi group in Arizona. Hopefully, this will inspire others to create an actual group that can "morf" into an actual church. What type of experience do I have starting a Jedi Church? I helped start two Christian churches from the ground up, literally. I bring the gifts of facilitating small groups that encourage others to become leaders. I embark on this endeavor while I am still an apprentice. Since it will take tim to builde, I start now (not getting younger LOL). I need all the help I can get. Once I become a Knight and Clergy I will have worked through the major kinks.

My first task is to invite people to join TOTJO. Let the Temple speak for itself. There are great Jedi on this site, I am honored to send them to you.

The second task is to dream with a vision of making this church an actual place. Dream as though you have unlimited monetary resources. I recently got back from Sedona, Az. Sedona is a spiritual epicenter for the world and offers so many spiritual paths/ churches. It was inspiring to know that folks who began with a vision have created a spiritual presence that is open to all.

The group I am starting resides in a large population demographics, the challenge is the physical distance in the Phoenix metro area. My challenge is that the Phoenix metro area covers about 100 miles (160 kilometers) so travel is a barrier. Not many people want to drive a long distance.So multiple groups in Az might be warranted.

In the Arizona case, distance is a barrier. Another barrier is not communicating the purpose of the group. I have chose to call the Jedi group, "Arizona Jedi Temple". www.azjeditemple.org I parked this web site for now. This separates it from role playing groups like Cosplay. It also gives me a way to speak of Jediism and steer away from a role playing topic.

I set up a "Meetup" group in the Phoenix area and have invited local folks to join. It cost me a small fee to create the group but it is worth the price. In a matter of days, I had ten people join, two being current TOTJO Jedi. My intentions is to meet with the members and steer them to TOTJO website while forging relationships. Building relationships will be the key.

The important message to covey is communicating that the Jedi way of life is real and a viable path. I want to encourage people and get them excited about life as a Jedi.

(More to come)

Plokoon...

We are in the midst of working out how to encorporate the physical chapters, with the site....

When you would like, please begin a thread with the Chapters name, as right now, in the Master's forum, we have one for the Roseville chapter....

We, at the moment, looking for, hoping and expecting timely check-ins and updates...

Although the definition of timely is not yet defined...

Roseville is our test run... They began a few years ago, and are now coming back with a knighthood....

As always, nothing is set in stone, but we are trying to work together so that all parties requests are considered....

Any questions, let me know....

good plan plo, but shouldn't you dream of the churches or temples to arise everywhere? we should be amoungst the world religions, not looked down at like we are liers or frauds... we should make this a religion that the world knows of before getting building built, or else we could as a community suffer from a lot of damage, such as people attacking us, calling us names, and being outcasted from our homes. im not saying that everywhere is like this, but no one believes me, so imagine what it would be like for people in countrys that are very strong believers of other faiths.

shadowmere wrote: good plan plo, but shouldn't you dream of the churches or temples to arise everywhere? we should be amoungst the world religions, not looked down at like we are liers or frauds... we should make this a religion that the world knows of before getting building built, or else we could as a community suffer from a lot of damage, such as people attacking us, calling us names, and being outcasted from our homes. im not saying that everywhere is like this, but no one believes me, so imagine what it would be like for people in countrys that are very strong believers of other faiths.

Churches and temples everywhere? That is a wonderful idea and hopefully we will see that one day.

Getting buildings built? Don't confuse raising a Jedi church with an actual physical building. Meeting places are abundant. Buildings do not come till the membership is well established.


Since the Jedi faith is "new" to a lot of folks, there will be the lack of understanding, the lack of knowing. We as Jedi are destined to tell others our story. Ridicle could be in the cards but that should not discourage you from letting people know how much the Jedi faith has meant to you, when they ask.

No one believes you?... the important thing is that YOU believe.