Steamboat Hot Springs was featured as a romantic couples destination in a five-minute spot on CBS Channel 2 in Reno. TV-host Jenifer Rose interviewed Sean Savoy, president of the Healing Center & Spa, for the Valentine’s Day episode of “The Plush Life.” Watch the video here as posted on the healing center’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=105173906188285&ref=mf
In early November, members of the Sona Working Group — The Reverend Gary Buchanan, together with Sonatherapy researchers Erik Larson, Adam Reed, Steven Satra, and Richard Skalsky — met to discuss formation of a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) to oversee their research and development projects. The group formed the corporation in Nevada to undertake further research and to develop new equipment. The corporation, named Holosona Group, was incorporated on November 25, 2009. The new LLC discussed final preparations for the new Sonatherapy unit and applicators being developed for Steamboat Hot Springs. A DVD for the company is also in the works.
The Twelve Days of Christmas are observed by tradition in the Second Advent Church.
A commemorative Christmas Service of Candle-Lighting and Communion was held on the morning of traditional Christmas Day, December 25, 2009, in the Chapel of the Holy Child. Each member of the congregation was asked to bring a bouquet of flowers to place beneath the communion table and a loaf of bread to be placed on the table for blessing, as well as a loved one, friend, or companion with them to the service. 
To open the service, and the holiday season, the Jamilian Handbell Choir sang “So is My Joy the Lord,” accompanied by handbells, Marie Walters on cello, the Reverends Gary Buchanan on organ, Elizabeth Reece on harp, and Bruce Kanzelmeyer on french horn. The antiphon was composed in 1983 and has been performed annually during the Christmas-Epiphany season since that time.
Divine Service was held for Consociates at sunrise in consecrated Sanctuary at the Church of New Epiphany each morning, beginning Friday, December 25, and continuing through the morning of Epiphany, January 6, the thirteenth day.
Pannuches Meal Rite
The 52nd Pannuches Meal Rite was held Saturday December 5, 2009. Jubilee Sunrise Service was held the following morning in sanctuary.
On Saturday, January 9, 2010, Bishop Gene Savoy Jr. closed the Communion of Fellowship Service with a homily to announce the first collaborative activity of the International Community of Christ with the Satya-chetana Movement and to discuss the significance of the event. (See the article Satya-chetana Intervention Service in SPECTRUM.) A summary transcript of Bishop Savoy’s message follows:
“Tonight, as part of our collaboration with our Brahman/Hindu brothers and sisters, we are conducting a special prayer for peace ceremony. Now, the members of Satya-chetana call it an intervention – we could call it an intercession. I also use the word ceremony because it is not a service, per se. But I would like to discuss a little bit about what the purpose of our coming together this evening is for, although more will be explained later tonight.
“Many of you are familiar [with] and knowledgeable in the importance and significance of cycles and signs. And to introduce this concept more clearly, I would like to read a few passages from the First Prophecy to the Americas [Chapter 2, “The First Prophecy Proclaimed,” pages 54-60 is read]. You may read further on your own.
“Now, it has been observed that on New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2009 – a lunar eclipse occurred in the Eastern Hemisphere. This lunar eclipse is to be followed by a solar eclipse on January 15. Vedic scripture states that if a lunar eclipse occurs and is followed by a solar eclipse within two weeks, it is a sign of coming devastation, destruction, and hardship, as our Second Advent scriptures states. The last time this phenomenon took place was three thousand years ago. Again, more will be explained tonight. I might also mention as a side note that our calendar has the sunrise reflections beginning on January 15 – nine days after Epiphany.
“But basically what we are participating in this evening is that we intercede on behalf of the world and Mankind, not that we can stop many of these events from transpiring but that we can minimize them, especially as they affect and relate to areas of the Earth that we seek to be protected, as well as individuals that we pray will not be harmed by the coming tumult of these times.
“As we know, there is a cosmic battle being waged in spiritual realms , and we seek to counter the psychic darkness that is being projected into the world. We can do this by not only employing our techniques of Cosolargy but also using other techniques and ceremonies from ancient cultures – sacred imagery and the like — and appealing to the Angels of Light – called siddhas in Sanskrit – to transmit their positive energy and power to us. Of course, we know that the best time to do this is in the predawn hours when their divine energies are at their zenith. This time of day is called Brahma-murta, the definition literally meaning ‘sun of the resurrection.’
“Many of you may remember [that] many years ago, we participated in a similar intercession or ‘intervention’ at the Rectory when my father feared that the world was on the brink of a major war, and that we used the power of ritual, crystals, and fellowship to counteract a devastating event. Rice and water also have these ‘communicating powers,’ if I may use that term.
“We are going to be instructed tonight to send our healing energies to those whom we know and to those who are close to us. This coincides with various techniques in our System by which we inflect and reflect divine love, allowing Christ Consciousness to fill us and permeate the Universe. We also are familiar with our Technique of KU.
“So we are participating with our brothers and sisters of Divine Mission and Satya-chetana because not only must we extend a hand of collaboration, friendship, and fellowship, but we have been specifically asked to participate with them. It is also good reminder for us to keep in mind the deeper insights of our Prophecies and Revelations.
“So I ask those of you who can participate to do so. It certainly is not a requirement, but our goal is to gather fifty-two individuals collectively this evening. Please keep an open mind. The Chapel will be arranged somewhat differently tonight. There is no obligation to wear canonicals unless you wish to. Also, due to the nature of the ceremony, it is requested that you arrive at 6:15. The Chapel doors will be closed at 6:30. Also, it is requested that you not eat one hour before and 30 minutes after. The service should last about half an hour. I thank you for your indulgence and look forward to this evening as we enter these interesting times.”
On Friday December 25, 2009, Bishop Gene Savoy Jr. delivered a Christmas message during the traditional holiday Communion of Fellowship Service at the Chapel of the Holy Child. A slightly edited version of the message is provided here:
Good morning and Merry Christmas!
Those of us gathered together in this Chapel dedicated to the service of God are drawn together from many faiths, but we are all one in the family of God.
We celebrate today as the birthday of the man Jesus. For twelve days, we of the Second Advent Church celebrate the Christmas Season, which culminates on the thirteenth day—January 6—the Day of Epiphany.
Epiphany comes from the Greek, meaning “manifestation” or “appearance,” and in the early Church, January 6 was the day that commemorated Jesus’s baptism at the Jordan by Saint John. The day celebrates the “shining forth” [another meaning of epiphany] or revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ, his manifestation as the Son of God to the world—the Word of God incarnate. The date of Epiphany on January 6 was very early fixed, and ancient liturgies speak of Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio: Illumination, Manifestation, and Declaration. The Gospel of Matthew [3:13-17] says:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
And the Gospel of Luke [3:21-22] says,
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.’
But a very important line has been deleted from both Matthew and Luke—one which is substantiated by other ancient scriptures more authoritative than Matthew and Luke. The line reads:
Today [or This day], I have begotten you.
So, let us read this again:
You are my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. This day I have begotten you. [Emphasis added]
In the ancient Christian Church, just as in Buddhism, this divine event—this “appearance” or “epiphany”—was a manifestation of Jesus’s immortal nature. The day commemorated the incarnation of Jesus as Christ, the moment when God appeared in Divine Light and ordained Jesus His son in Spirit. Thus, Jesus was given a new birth by God the Father. So we know that Jesus was not “born” the Son of God, but became the Son of God when the Word, the Divine Logos, incarnated within him, giving him new life of spirit. This was a fundamental concept in the Messianic or First Advent Church: that Jesus became Christ. And this is why Epiphany and the Christmas-Epiphany Season is so important to us, because it represents and symbolizes the birth of spirit—the epiphany of the Conscious Soul.
I made the reference to Buddhism because while Buddhists celebrate the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama on April 8, the day of his “enlightenment”—the day when he became the Awakened One, Bodhi Day—is honored on December 8 at sunrise. And, of course, we do this in the Second Advent Church. We honor the birth of the man Jesus on December 25, the old Roman festival of the Unconquered Sun, but more importantly, we celebrate Jesus’s spiritual birth—the day when the Word of God entered into him and he assumed the Holy Office of Christ. This we do on January 6 as a promise of the spiritual rebirth we are all heir to in the Second Advent of God’s Appearance.
Now, this morning, we learned of the passing of one of our Sisters in Light, Theresa Andronis. I was thinking of her first thing this morning, at about 6 a.m., and we learned that she passed shortly thereafter. This morning, we saw various forms and figures in the sun, and I felt her presence very strongly. So, while we may miss the human being Theresa, we know that she has ascended into the Light, and how fitting that she should transfigure as we begin our Epiphany Vigil, when we celebrate the birth of the Conscious Soul. We are also reminded that her pain and suffering has been conquered and that she is one with the Holy Beings of Light.
In hellenistic times, an epiphany of the divine in a person was a common theological concept. The celebration of Epiphany originated in the ancient Church, where it later included a commemoration of Christ’s physical birth in the Eastern Church. In Rome, however, by the middle of the fourth century, Christ’s physical birth was being celebrated on December 25, according to the Philocalian calendar.
A winter festival was the most popular festival of the year in many cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done, as well as the expectation of better weather as spring approached.
The twenty-fifth of December was the Roman festival marking the “birth of the Unconquered Sun,” the natalis solis invicti, which celebrated the winter solstice and the lengthening of days. This celebration allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including the Syrian sun-god Elah-Gabal. It was also observed as the birth date of the god Mithras, the “sun of righteousness” and patron god of the emperors, who, five hundred years before the birth of Christ, was born of a virgin in a cave. We know that it was also connected in the Roman world to the saturnalia, a time of merrymaking and the exchanging of gifts. Charity was also emphasized as part of the Roman New Year.
The festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was the day that the sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be “unconquered.” Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. John Chrysostom wrote, “They call it the ‘Birthday of the Unconquered.’ Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord?”
Northern Europe celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in late December and early January, and its traditions had a major influence on Christemasse or Christ’s Mass.
In the old Christian calendar, November 28 through January 6 was observed as the Festival of Lights, a vigil for the birth of the Cosmic Christ. Japanese Shintos honor the sun goddess Amaterasu on December 22. In ancient Egypt, December 21 to December 25 was the festival commemorating the birth of the god Horus by the goddess Isis; and in the Hopi nation, December is celebrated as a time of purification and renewal. So we can see that this time of year is universally recognized as a time when we come out of the darkness into light.
The contradiction between the Greek and Roman Churches led to a great debate in the fourth and fifth centuries, which culminated in the Eastern Church accepting the twenty-fifth of December as Christ’s birth and the Western Church celebrating Epiphany as the day the Magi visited the infant Jesus.
In the Second Advent Church, we honor both days and celebrate the Christmas-Epiphany Season from December twenty-fifth through January sixth. We commemorate Christ’s birth in physical form, but, as we have said, more importantly, we solemnize his spiritual rebirth.
Therefore, the message of the season is life of spirit. That was the essence of Christ’s teaching. And this is what the Christmas Season represents: Life, Birth and Rebirth – the cycle of renewal.
The lights and trees we display this time of year have always been symbols of everlasting life. In ancient Egypt, China, Israel, and the Celtic lands, evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands were symbolic of eternal life. To us in the Second Advent Church, they also represent the True Light of God and the Tree of Life.
In the Middle Ages, Christmastide, or the period from the night of December 25 through the morning of January 6, was a period of continuous feasting and merrymaking. Twelfth night, or Epiphany Eve, as we call it, was forever solidified in popular culture when William Shakespeare used it as a setting for one of his most famous stage plays. In those times, Christmas was overshadowed by Epiphany.
American colonists brought their version of the Twelve Days over from England and adapted them to their new country, adding their own variations over the years. The modern-day Christmas wreath, for example, originated with these colonials. A homemade wreath would be fashioned from local greenery, and if fruits were available, they would be added. Making the wreaths was one of the traditions of Christmas Eve; then they would be hung on each home’s front door on Christmas Day, the First Day of Christmas, through the morning of Epiphany, when a special Epiphany cake was baked and all the remainder of the edibles from the previous twelve days consumed.
As said, this was a time of feasting, merrymaking, and otherwise celebrating the season. Sometimes gifts were exchanged each of the twelve nights and a candle lit each morning of the Twelve Days. And the evening before Epiphany was celebrated as the biggest night for dancing and gift-giving.
However, after the Revolution, Christmas and the Twelve Days fell out of favor in America because it was considered an English custom. It was not until the 1820s, when anti-British sentiments were fading, that people began to worry that Christmas was dying out. Writers, including Washington Irving and Harriet Beecher Stowe, imagined Christmas in Tudor days as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday. Charles Dickens’s book A Christmas Carol played a major role in reinventing Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion, as opposed to communal celebration.
Latin nations also have various forms of celebrations for the Twelve Days of Christmas, the most popular being the cooking of traditional foods to celebrate Epiphany. In Hispanic America, a rosca de los reyes – a king cake – is baked. In France, a galette des rois is baked with a small china figure of the Christ-child inside. In some countries, children polish and leave their shoes by the doorstep, bed, or tree, ready for presents, before going to sleep on the eve of January 6. And in Italy, the tradition of La Befana, whose name is taken from the word Epiphany, is the bringer of gifts who arrives on the eve of Epiphany.
With the onset of more Americanized and secular traditions throughout the past two centuries, the traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas have been largely forgotten. Indeed, contemporary marketing and media tend to espouse the erroneous belief that the Twelve Days end on Christmas, rather than begin on it. However, we of the Second Advent Community have held to our own favorite ways to celebrate the Christmas-Epiphany Season.
This year, let us concentrate not on gifts and splurging but on what is important : family and friends. These are hard times, and it’s not bad for children to understand the concept of hard times. With respect for what people are going through, we have forgone the traditional Christmas Eve dinner and New Year’s festivities that we have commonly celebrated. We will, of course, have the children’s tea and our Epiphany Eve banquet, but this year is a year to be frugal. I encourage you all to bear that in mind. Be sparing with your spending and hold to the family—the family of the community—that is truly important. That is the biggest gift we have been given, along with the gift of the Sun of Righteousness.
We are all both mortal and immortal beings. And as we feed our physical bodies we must also feed our spiritual bodies. Listen to the message conveyed by these words from the Odes of Solomon [Ode 38] that we recite at Christmastime.
I rested in the spirit of the Lord: and the spirit raised me on high. And made me stand on my feet in the height of the Lord, before His perfection and His glory, while I was praising Him by the composition of His songs.
The spirit brought me forth before the face of the Lord: and although I was a son of man, I was named the illuminate, a son of God. For according to the greatness of the Most High, so He made me: and like His own newness He renewed me, and He anointed me from His own perfection.
And I became one of His neighbors; and my mouth was opened, like a cloud of dew. And my heart poured out as it were a gushing stream of righteousness.
And my access to Him was in peace; and I was established by the spirit of His kingdom. And I went up to the light of truth which preserved me. And it became to me a haven of salvation and set me on the arms of immortal life.
Love begins in our family life, reaches out to our friends, and embraces our neighbors. Like a seed it must be planted before it can grow. Also, like a seed, it must be watered if it is to grow. A seed unwatered for many years will still grow many years later if it is given that precious and vital resource. If we can express love as we do at Christmastime throughout the whole year, we will begin to live the life exemplified by Jesus.
So let us each examine our hearts. The world and our flawed mortal natures take away our ability to love one another at times. This inability harms the spirit. Each one of us should strive to rise above the limitations of the physical world and embrace the spirit, which is expressed by love. By so doing, God comes to each of us, adopting us as His son or daughter; for we are all Children of God.
That is the message this Christmas Season. Let us make a commitment to each other today to love one another however unable we may have been able to previously express that love. We need to too. Let us make a commitment to forgive the transgressions of those we love and to apologize to those whom we may have transgressed upon. I certainly apologize to any of you I may have hurt this year and ask for your forgiveness.
In lighting the candles today in remembrance of those who have gone on to another life, let us place our trust in God who is the author of our spirit and soul. When death claims our physical bodies, it is the spirit and soul that endure and go on to a higher world if we can but experience the rebirth of spirit the we celebrate on January 6 . But if we not love – even if that love is not accepted – our spirits fade like a flame, ultimately going out. Love kindles and brightens the spirit and the soul. By loving we are made eternal, for God is Love. Love binds us to those departed, to those about us while we live, and it binds us to God. For if we do not have love, compassion, and kindness in our hearts, how can we ever hope to know God? There is no enmity so hard that goodness cannot melt.
Therefore, on this day commemorating the birth of Jesus, let us make a renewal to exemplify what he taught. This, I believe is the message of the Christmas Season: to open our hearts, forgive the transgressions of our loved ones/brothers and sisters, and love one another. To quote a line from one of the late Bishop’s previous Christmas sermons: “All men and women everywhere may shine forth as the Sun of Righteousness if they but live and exemplify the love of God in their daily lives.”
We should be proud of our accomplishments in this Community. Christmas is a time for celebration. So let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate our Teaching; let’s celebrate our fellowship; and let’s celebrate our love for one another. The world is a crazy place. It is hard to find the friendship and the fellowship and the love that we experience in this Community, in spite of our familial difficulties sometimes.
This Community is moving forward, and we are growing. We are no longer concerned with merely surviving—those days are over. Not to say that we won’t have our ups and downs from time to time. But let’s celebrate the fact that we are here, that we are established in this world, and that we are a beacon of light to those who seek the Light.
Allow me to close this Christmas message with these words from the Gospel of John:
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. [John 15:9-15]
I wish you all a very merry Christmas, a happy Epiphany, and a joyous New Year, filled with God’s many bountiful and beautiful blessings. Let us go forth from this place with renewed resolve to take the message of the Second Advent to all the world in greater power and glory, each of us shining like the Sun of Righteousness and striving to exemplify Christ in our daily lives.
In a special two-hour class held at Truckee Meadows Community College, the Reverend Gary Robert Buchanan of the International Community of Christ represented Christianity in a many-sided discussion of the topic “Religion and the Paranormal.” Other religions represented were Hinduism, Judaism, and Spiritualism. Before a general panel discussion, each representative was given ten minutes to speak on the topic from his or her perspective. Much of the discussion centered around reincarnation, daemons, channeling, and spiritual healing.
A meeting of Northern Nevada faith leaders was held August 28, 2009, at Joe Crowley Student Union on the University of Nevada-Reno campus, hosted by U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV). The purpose of this roundtable discussion among Northern Nevada interfaith leaders was to discuss the importance of faith in Nevada, as well as the role of clergy and religious organizations in working to address issues of mutual concern. The meeting was a prelude to a larger faith summit that the senator hopes to hold in November. Rt. Rev. Gene Savoy assisted Reid’s staff in organizing the meeting, through the budding Nevada Clergy Association, and at the meeting served to introduce Reid to the assembly of religious leaders, almost seventy in all, and to moderate and close the meeting. In the future, Savoy will be working with Reid’s staff to put together the larger and more comprehensive faith summit in November.
The breakfast meeting on October 19, 2009, sponsored by Food Bank of Northern Nevada in conjunction with Feeding America brought together local faith leaders to commemorate International World Food Day. Representing the International Community of Christ was the Reverend Canon Robert Petrovich. Local Food Bank officials spoke at the meeting and introduced speakers from the local community to discuss their experiences in this area. Among these were Lori Anderson, an elementary school principal from Sun Valley, who gave examples of how the Food Bank program works at her school, where 94-99{1fa2ef75e2e78439128d99df03acfe1d8ee3047374abe3d4676fe3470ff8b909} of the students are enrolled in both the Food Bank program and a federal program to provide them with all their primary meals. Local elected officials described the situation of need throughout Washoe County, where about 100,000 people per year now receive assistance from Food Bank. Food Bank officials noted that about 60{1fa2ef75e2e78439128d99df03acfe1d8ee3047374abe3d4676fe3470ff8b909} of the aid provided by Food Bank is provided by faith-based groups.
The 6th Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner, held at the downtown Reno Ballroom, was attended by the Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr. Hosted by the Sierra Foundation, founded in 2004 by the Turkish-American Community of Northern Nevada, the annual dinner reinforces friendship and dialogue between diverse communities and emphasizes the values of mutual respect, understanding, love, and peace. The Sierra Foundation promotes harmony within diversity among he world’s cultures. Bishop Savoy was invited to speak at the 2007 dinner and visited Turkey in 2006 at the invitation of the Sierra Foundation.
Resident members of the International Community of Christ gathered at the open-air Cathedral Church of the Americas to celebrate the anniversary of God’s Confirmation of the Active Principles of Divine Law with Communion and Divine Service on August 1, 2009.
The event is recorded in Second Advent scripture in The Book of God’s Revelation. This same book records the Revelation received by The Church on April 18, Second Advent Easter, and fifty days later on June 6, Second Advent Pentecost. Among the revelations received on June 6, The Church received instruction on the New Act of God; that is, God’s conception of the Newly Created Light, a New Light that renovates the whole of creation. On this same date, The Church received instruction on the Four Newly Created Intermediary Lights that manifest through this conception.
Second Advent scripture tells us that God’s manifestation of these Four Intermediary Lights fixes the Four Newly Created tables of the Law to be taught to the Ordained in holy institutions of learning. So that the unwritten code of the Law may be codified on earth for the emancipation of the human race, God has decreed Twelve Newly Created Active Principles of Divine Law of His New Covenant, which are subordinate to the Lights of God and subordinate to the Tables of the Law, yet are instruments of the Divine Plan for human redemption.
With the Revelation given on Pentecost, June 6, 1982, God decreed these twelve Active Principles to be in force upon Confirmation. The event of Confirmation occurred on August 1, 1982, when the “New Light of God appeared over the face of the sun, confirming the Active Principles of Divine Law.”
Pannuches Meal Rite Observed
The 50th Pannuches Meal Rite was observed on Saturday August 29 and the 51st Pannuches Meal Rite was observed on the evening of Saturday October 17, 2009; the Reverend Mother Ileana Isfan and Reverend Father Reano Castell officiated in the absence of the Right Reverends Gene and Sean Savoy, who were both away on a mission to Japan.