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(Editor’s Note: The purpose of this edition of the Stelle Letter is to better acquaint our readers with the purpose, organization, and programs of The Stelle Group.)

 

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The Stelle Group is an organization of men and women who have gathered together for a very specific purpose. That purpose is to facilitate the establishment of the Nation of God by:

 

·    Developing the technology necessary for surviving the events at the turn of this century.

·    Creating an environment conducive to Egoic growth.

 

Developing a sophisticated technology and building a balanced, economically self-sufficient city is a highly complex task. However, a pro­ject of this magnitude can be accomplished by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. They can then be accomplished with greater ease, and it doesn’t take long before these smaller accomplishments add up to the success of a larger project. There’s an expression which is apropos here: “Life by the yard is hard; by the inch, it’s a cinch.”

 

A planning group has been formed to help accelerate The Stelle Group’s progress toward its ultimate goal. The planning process is aimed at identifying what needs to be accom­plished in each key area. Once these areas of accomplishment are defined, the next step is to develop practical, action-oriented programs which will take us closer toward our intended goal. Out of this planning process, The Stelle Group’s 1979 program was developed.

 

 

A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE

 

Before we present The Stelle Group’s program for 1979, we would like to give you a brief picture of where we’ve been.

 

The Stelle Group was established in Chicago, Illinois on March 5, 1963 as a result of the ideas presented in The Ultimate Frontier. As more people read the book, this group gradually grew in size. In September, 1968 The Stelle School was founded in the basement of the Kieninger home which then sewed as The Stelle Group’s headquarters. In the spring of 1970, 240 acres of land were purchased in the north­ern portion of Ford County. Ground was broken in 1971 for the first building in Stelle—a factory. Then on April 1, 1973, The Stelle Group’s corporate offices moved from Chicago to their present location in Stelle. This marked the founding of the community of Stelle.

 

Five years later, Stelle—once called a “City for Tomorrow”—has now become a reality. There are 33 housing units, two school buildings, water- and sewage-treatment plants, a factory, and an administrative building. Stelle has become a “total environment.” Members live, learn, work, socialize, and shop here. There is even a credit union where members may take care of some of their financial needs.

 

While we have come a long way, most of our task still stretches before us. But we have taken those first important steps. Our task now is to hasten the tempo and increase the ground covered by each future step.

 

 

1979 — AN OVERVIEW

 

This new year, 1979, will be another step for The Stelle Group in the fulfillment of its role in the Great Plan of the Brotherhoods. In 1979 Stelle’s focus is on increasing its degree of self-sufficiency in finance, agriculture, and energy. Of these three, financial self-sufficiency will receive the emphasis.

 

I. Financial Self-Sufficiency — Defined as having sufficient funds for all necessary pro­jects. There are several aspects of financial self-sufficiency. The initial stage is having adequate funds to operate our regular year-to-­year programs, such as the school and the newsletter. To cushion The Stelle Group from any economic contingencies, a reserve fund shall be established from savings to be invested in gold or silver so that it does not lose its purchasing value. Then, as additional funds become available they can be directed into new or additional projects.

 

The Stelle Group derives most of its income from the following sources:

·   Tithes and donations from members and friends.

·   Income from the sale of Stelle Publi­cations.

·   Non-interest loans.

 

Money also comes into the community from the profits of the various Stelle businesses such as the Stellwood Company and the Stelle Plastics Company. Financial self-sufficiency is the key to Stelle’s success in the areas of agriculture and energy. Energy in particular requires a great deal of capital expenditure for technical research and development.

 

II. Agricultural Self-Sufficiency — Defined as the ability to produce the food and food pro­ducts needed by the community. This also entails having the capacity to process foods so they can be stored (is, canning or dehydration). Since the regional economy around Stelle is primarily based on agriculture, a food-process­ing business would tie Stelle into the local economy.

 

III. Energy Self-Sufficiency — The ability to provide for our own power needs, whether it be through electric generation, the manufacture of fuels, or application of solar energy. The long-range goal here is to eliminate dependence on outside energy sources.

 

 

SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN GENERAL

 

The Brotherhoods have repeatedly pointed out that each person is responsible for his~ own thoughts and actions. In short, we are respon­sible for and are in control of our lives. We may elect to exercise this control and enjoy freedom, or we may fail to take the responsibil­ity and thus become subject to those who will.

 

In many respects the life of an organization closely parallels the life of an individual. When we are born we are totally dependent upon others for the fulfillment of our physical and psychological needs. As we grow older we become self-reliant, we gain confidence in our God-given abilities, and we become secure in our identity.

 

The members of The Stelle Group seek to grow in knowledge and in mature self-reliance. It seems fitting then that The Stelle Group as a body of people seeks to become more self-reliant. While we may not be able to achieve total self sufficiency in one or even two years, we can and are developing programs which will provide a firm foundation for the future.

 

Your city must always be totally self-sufficient and industrially strong because when the continent rises, most of the world will be destroyed …

Dr. White, p. 103, The Ultimate Frontier.

 

 

 

 

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

 

In the Ancient Lemurian Empire, the govern­ment was run through twelve departments: Ad­ministration, Agriculture, Building, Commerce and Industry, Civil Service, Communication, Culture, Education, Exchange, Natural Resour­ces, Public Engineering, and Religion.

 

At present there are four departments in The Stelle Group: Administration, Building, Ed­ucation, and Exchange. Conceptually, the function of a fifth department, Commerce and Industry, is provided by Stelle Industries. Each of the departments has an overall objective for which it is responsible, and within each depart­ment there are sections or offices which have very specific duties. The directors of the four departments are appointed by the Board of Trustees of The Stelle Group (the latter being elected to two-year terms by the general membership). The trustees are also responsible for appointing the president, vice president, treasurer and corporate secretary.

 

 

PROGRAMS BY DEPARTMENT

FOR 1979

 

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION —Coordinates all the activities of The Stelle Group, and provides the organizational frame­work for activities and functions which are not large enough to operate as departments. Within the Department of Administration we have the following offices and programs:

 

Office of Publications — Responsible for disseminating the philosophy of the Brotherhoods by:

 

·   Publishing the Stelle Letter.

·   Distributing The Ultimate Frontier.

·   Distributing other Stelle publications such as the Observations, books.

·   Distributing the taped discussions en­titled, On Becoming An Initiate.

·   Providing additional reading material supplemental to the Brotherhoods’ philosophy through the Select Publications Program.

 

     Office of Technology — Responsible for developing the technology needed by The Stelle Group in the fulfillment of its purpose. The focus for 1979 is on research and development of alternative energy sources.

 

     Office of Culture — Responsible for coordi­nating the artistic and creative talent of Stelle’s members to provide a culturally stimulating environment.

 

Some of the other offices within the Department of Administration are: Rentals Management, Communications, Public Relations, and Planning Assistance. The corporate offices, which pro­vide administrative support services to the other departments, are a part of the Department of Administration.

 

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING — Responsible for facilitating the construction and physical development of the community of Stelle, as well as providing public services. Within this department we have the following offices and programs:

 

     Utilities Section — Operates and maintains the water- and sewage-treatment plants.

 

     Public Services Section — Maintains all public grounds, streets, community furnishings and equipment owned by The Stelle Group.

 

     Office of Agriculture — Responsible for maintaining a food program involving the stock­piling of reserves, food propagation and pro­cessing.

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION — Seeks to provide each member of The Stelle Group with the highest level of education. Within the community of Stelle learning is a lifetime activity which starts at birth and continues until transition. Education is the cornerstone of a democracy; if you remove it, the entire structure collapses. Within this department there are several major programs:

 

     Early Learning Program — Assists the parents in providing their young children with an optimum education. Through this program, children accomplish work at least at the third-grade level by age six. More importantly, this program seeks to develop a love of learning within the child as well as encouraging the child to develop a high sense of self-esteem. Within this program there are a number of sections:

 

     Early Learning Council — Coordinates the Early Learning Program and consists of parents, teachers, administrators, and in­terested members.

 

     Birth Program —A resource for prospective parents to assist them in having a com­fortable, family-oriented, uplifting birth experience.

 

     Reading Program — Provides assistance to parents as they teach their child to read. The Brotherhoods have advised that the optimum time for children to be reading is by age three and writing by age four. Our experience verifies this.

 

     Modified Montessori Classroom — An en­vironment where young children between the ages of three and six can develop their motor skills (in preparation for reading and writing) and social skills, as the children interact with one another. In the classroom the child is allowed to choose his activities, fostering self-direction.

 

     Primary Program — Provides an opportunity for mother and child to work together in a classroom environment. This allows for a one-to-one learning relationship, which seems to be optimum. There is a professional teacher avail­able with whom the mother may consult to increase her effectiveness in teaching her child.

 

     Mothers’ Study Group — Provides a sympo­sium where mothers can share with each other their practical experiences in rearing children.

 

     Elementary Program — Assists the student in learning how to learn on his own. In this program, children aged six to ten years work to improve their level of understanding in reading, writing, and arithmetic—the basic tools of learn­ing. The child’s time in the classroom is spent on independent study as well as group work. The teacher acts as a facilitator in helping each student proceed at his optimum rate- During the four years of a child’s participation in the Elementary Program, he will usually learn the equivalent of five years of material in a regular school.

 

     Secondary Program — Provides students with a balanced education beginning at age eleven. In order to enhance the child’s development of intelligence and creativity, emphasis is placed on experiential learning; that is, learning by doing. The program is tailored to meet the individual needs of each student so that he may progress at the fastest possible rate. Subjects are taught in relationship to each other so that the student has a greater sense of the inter-relatedness of the various fields of knowledge. In addition, members of the community con­tribute to the program by sharing with the children their individual areas of expertise.

 

     Secondary Program — Assists new students in making an adjustment to life in Stelle by familiarizing them with the educational approach evolving here, as well as with the philosophy by which Stelle lives.

 

     Learning Center Council — Consists of teach­ers, parents, administrators, and other interested community members who coordinate the activ­ities of the elementary and secondary programs.

 

     Adult Education Program —Provides facilities and assistance to adults who wish to continue their education. There are several existing and projected areas of this program: orientation seminars, college-level courses, and continuing-education courses. Greater emphasis is now going to be placed on adult education, whose classes are organized as needed. There is also a library and resource center available to all members.

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF EXCHANGE — Responsible for maintaining correspondence with people who are interested in Stelle. It is also respon­sible for accounting for all property and funds contributed to The Stelle Group. The Depart­ment of Exchange also plans to facilitate the implementation of the Stelle Credit System. The offices within this department are:

 

     Office of Membership — Provides administra­tive support to the Membership Committee and answers correspondence from potential members and interested persons. This office helps to acclimate new members as they arrive in the Stelle area.

 

     Office of the Treasurer — Maintains financial records on all business transacted by The Stelle Group.

 

     Office of Development — Responsible for raising money to meet the normal expenses of The Stelle Group’s program. There are several ways in which interested people can put their surplus funds to work in The Stelle Group: tithing, non-interest loans, and special trusts.

 

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The Stelle Group’s program for 1979 was initially drafted by the staff. This proposed program was then presented to the Board of Trustees. After making several revisions, the program was then presented to the membership at the regular community meeting held on December 8, 1978. (In Stelle, the trustees and staff comprise the executive branch of the government, and the membership makes up the legislative branch.) At that meeting, attending members offered their suggestions and ideas. Support for the 1979 program has been given by the membership of The Stelle Group.

 

 

 

     

 

 

What you have read are the highlights of our 1979 program. While, for the sake of brevity, we did not include all the details of our pro­gram, we do hope that this newsletter has given you an idea of our goals and our organizational structure. If there are areas of our program which interest you, we invite you to write us for additional information or to offer your suggestions or comments.

 

 

 

RAISING FUNDS

 

In the coming weeks, the Office of Development will be sending a letter to each reader of the Stelle Letter. The purpose of this contact will be to encourage each reader of our newsletter to assist The Stelle Group financially. We have always been appreciative for the help we’ve received, for it has enabled us to develop Stelle to its present point in a few short years. We anticipate that this support will continue as The Stelle Group fulfills its role in Christ’s and the Brotherhoods’ Great Plan. ∆

 

 

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