meets at the home of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E., 215 - 67th Street, Virginia Beach, Virginia; or, if space is not available, at the Fellowship of Inner Light, 620 - 14th Street, Virginia Beach. Meetings are scheduled from 10:00 am to twelve noon; $5.00 donation is asked at the door to help defray costs (no one is turned away who cannot make a donation). In the afternoon, many of their speakers offer a workshop or extended program.
Organized and originally funded by Cheryl Birch, the group currently operates through a Board consisting of six members, including its President, Richard Dinges. They recognize and explore the transformational knowledge that can be gained from near-death and near-death-like experiences, past life and between-life experiences, and spiritual breakthroughs. Besides monthly speakers, they offer videos of presentations (at a reasonable fee), sponsor a monthly discussion group, have a library of books and tapes, plus maintain an Internet presence.
Richard Dinges was originally an ordained minister when he became aware in the early 1980s of near-death experiences. He picked up a copy of Moody's book, LIFE AFTER LIFE, in a thrift shop and that started much study. He discovered that reports of NDEs were supportive of the major themes in the Bible and began to incorporate what he was learning into his sermons. All the major truths were there, as well as in the readings of Edgar Cayce, books like CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD and A COURSE IN MIRACLES, and from the works of Robert Monroe, Abraham-Hicks, Kim Michaels, and Dr. Michael Newton. He resigned from his church because of internal conflicts, some caused by his expanding beliefs. He is now a hospice chaplain, and volunteer minister at the Fellowship of Inner Light.