The Fellowship of Friends , also known as Living Presence and the Fourth Way School , is a new religious organization which is non-denominational that has been labelled as a cult by critics, ex-members and some academics.
17-520: As of 2022, the organization had over 1,500 members, over 600 of whom live in or near the organization's 1200-acre (48 ha) compound named "Apollo" in Oregon House , California , United States. Members also reside in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Members are generally expected to tithe 10% of their income to the organization. In 1994, the organization's chief financial officer stated that
34-417: A cult that entraps its mostly well-educated members with a false promise of spiritual evolution." In 2006, an attendee at a Fellowship of Friends prospective student meeting wrote a report of his experience and posted it on a WordPress site. This became a focus for many former members to air their views, and led to a lively discussion of the practices of the organization and its founder. It has passed through
51-549: A number of moderators and platforms, and continues to exist as of 2022. In 2021, Jennings Brown, an independent reporter, created a series of Podcasts on the Revelations site hosted by Spotify that are the result of an extensive investigation into the Fellowship of Friends. In 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Google and its staffing firm Advanced Systems Group (ASG) which alleged that Fellowship of Friends members used
68-466: A state of "waking sleep," and that the way to a higher consciousness is through self-awareness, a positive attitude, and engagement in the fine arts. Burton considers one of his roles as a conduit for teaching ideas communicated to him by 44 beings he calls angels, who are the immortal spirits of men who have achieved awakening, including Abraham Lincoln , Johann Sebastian Bach , Jesus Christ, Leonardo da Vinci , Plato , and Walt Whitman . This mission
85-527: A travelers' rest stop built in 1852. A post office was established at Oregon House in 1854, closed in 1902, and reopened in 1903. New Bullards Bar Dam , one of the tallest dams in the United States , is about 6 miles away. This Yuba County, California -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kelly Services Kelly Services, Inc. (formerly Russell Kelly Office Service and Kelly Girl Service, Inc. )
102-580: Is a member of the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC). The organization was founded in 1970 by Robert Earl Burton as a Fourth Way group based on the teachings of early 20th century Russian philosophers George Gurdjieff (d. 1949) and his disciple Peter Ouspensky , but presently incorporates additional esoteric beliefs not directly connected with the Fourth Way system. Members believe that most people normally exist in
119-424: Is an American office staffing company that operates globally. The company places employees at all levels in various sectors including financial services , information technology , and law. Also, its professional services include human resource and management consulting , outsourcing , recruitment , career transition, and vendor management. Kelly Services was founded by William Russell Kelly in 1946 and
136-562: Is headquartered in Troy, Michigan . Founded in 1946 by William Russell Kelly , the company was originally named Russell Kelly Office Service. Services were provided in-house at the Kelly office. However, as customer offices grew and needed more resources, they began to ask for the Kelly employees to perform the work at their own offices. Temporary workers from Russell Kelly Office Service soon became known as ‘ Kelly Girls ’. Adelaide Hess Moran,
153-555: Is run by Peter Lubbers, a Fellowship of Friends member who used his position to hire many members of the group and their relatives, and to feed some of Google's spending on video production to the group. In a similar lawsuit from 2008, Lynn Noyes was awarded $ 6.5 million in damages from Kelly Services for failing to promote her because she was not part of the Fellowship. Lloyd settled his lawsuit against ASG in December 2022, with terms undisclosed; Google confirmed at that time that Lubbers
170-550: Is twofold: to create the seed of a new civilization after the catastrophic doom that Burton has predicted since the early days of the organization, though the dates have been changed as each prediction has not been fulfilled, and to create consciousness in the members of the organization. It is unrelated to the "Society of Friends" (aka Quakers) , a religious group founded in the 1600s in the English Midlands and any similarities are purely coincidental. From 1982 to 2015
187-461: The contracting agency as an easier way to hire others from the same group without the normal scrutiny applied to full-time Google hires. In the suit, Kevin Lloyd, a former Google video producer, alleges he was fired because he complained about the influence of the religious group in his business unit. The suit alleges that Google Developer Studio (GDS), which makes videos promoting the company's products,
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#1732779817304204-467: The first Kelly temporary employee to work at a customer’s office, was promptly dubbed the first ‘Kelly Girl’. The temporary workers, usually female, became known as "Kelly girls", and the company name was changed to Kelly Girl Service, Inc. in 1957. Eventually "Kelly girl" became a widely used term for a temporary worker, regardless of company affiliation or gender. By 1966, the company had expanded to include industrial and technical services divisions and
221-480: The group after each of these allegations. Numerous other members have shared similar stories of Burton's activities. Burton has also been criticized for having a lavish lifestyle and for false prophecies. "Burton also has predicted that Apollo will be the lone surviving outpost after a global nuclear holocaust in 2006. Disillusioned former members say the fellowship is more than just another California curiosity. A growing number of them--as well as some academics--call it
238-493: The organization had a yearly income of greater than $ 5 million. Their total assets were estimated at around $ 26 million in 1996. In 1996, the organization auctioned its collection of over 100 pieces of antique Chinese furniture, held under the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture , at Christie's , and received $ 11.2 million for it. The Fellowship of Friends is registered as a 501(c)(3) California non-profit church organization and
255-665: The organization operated Renaissance Vineyard and Winery at the Apollo settlement. The vineyard was planted with advice from viticultural consultant Karl Werner, who married a Fellowship of Friends member and became a member himself. The Fellowship obtained designation of the North Yuba American Viticultural Area in 1985. In lawsuits that were settled out of court, two former members sued Burton, in 1984 and 1996 alleging that Burton used his position to sexually prey upon young men. About 100 members left
272-502: Was no longer employed at the company, without explaining his departure. Oregon House, California 39°21′23″N 121°16′45″W / 39.35639°N 121.27917°W / 39.35639; -121.27917 Oregon House is an unincorporated community in Yuba County , California . It is located 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Marysville , at an elevation of 1526 feet (465 m). The settlement grew up around
289-481: Was renamed Kelly Services, Inc. In 2008, Lynn Noyes was awarded $ 6.5 million in damages from Kelly Services for failing to promote her because she was not part of the Fellowship of Friends cult. In 2015, the company reported 8,100 employees, $ 5.5 billion in revenue, making it one of the world's largest staffing firms. In 2018, the company reported $ 5.5 billion in revenue. As of 2019 ,
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