The Family (Christian political organization)

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"The Fellowship" redirects here. For the fictional organization see The Fellowship (Ultima).

The Family (also known as The Fellowship, The Fellowship Foundation, and The International Foundation) is the name of a U.S. Christian organization based in Arlington, Virginia. The group, which has a membership that includes several prominent members of the United States Congress, is best known for its organization of the annual National Prayer Breakfast, at which the President of the United States always makes an address.

1 History
2 Current operations
3 National Prayer Breakfast
4 External links

[edit] History

The Family was founded in Seattle in 1935 by Abraham Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant and traveling preacher who feared Socialist politicians were about to take over Seattle's municipal government. It organized breakfast prayers among politicians and businessmen, where the political agenda was anti-Communism and anti-union. By 1941, the organization had relocated to Washington, DC. In 1944 the name International Christian Leadership was adopted. In 1972, the decision was made to change the organization's name from International Christian Leadership to The Fellowship Foundation. It was at this time that the group's leaders decided to lower the Fellowship's public profile by decentralizing its leadership.

The organization has been active in anti-Communist activities globally, and has had ties to Brazilian dictator Marshal Artur da Costa e Silva, General Suharto of Indonesia, Salvadoran general Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova, as well as Honduran general Gustavo Alvarez Martinez. They have been very active in reconciliation efforts between the warring leaders of The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

[edit] Current operations

The Family is currently incorporated in the United States as a tax-free 501(c)3 organization operating under the name The Fellowship Foundation. While they conduct no fundraising operations, they reported revenues of over twelve million dollars in 2003. The Fellowship Foundation's mission statement reads as follows:

"To develop and maintain an informal association of people banded together, to go out as "ambassadors of reconciliation", modeling the principles of Jesus, based on loving God and loving others. To work with the leaders of other nations, and as their hearts are touched, the poor, the oppressed, the widows and the youth of their country will be impacted in a positive manner. Youth groups will be developed under the thoughts of Jesus, including loving others as you want to be loved."

The Fellowship, which strives to be "invisible", has been the subject of recent media attention for allegedly having secretive, behind-the-scenes influences over political leaders. The organization operates a group residence near the United States Capitol, where at least six Congressional representatives are living. These congressmen pay below market rent and the residence is registered as a church. Prayer groups have met in the Pentagon and at the Department of Defense. Connections to the CIA have also been alleged. The headquarters is a building called Cedars, donated in 1978 by, among others, Tom Phillips, CEO of arms manufacturer Raytheon, and Ken Olsen of Digital Equipment Corporation.

Current Congressional membership of the group is overwhelmingly from the Republican Party. Senators who have been cited as members of the organization include Sam Brownback of Kansas, Don Nickles and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Charles Grassley of Iowa, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, John Ensign of Nevada, Bill Nelson of Florida, Conrad Burns of Montana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina. A recent article in the Atlantic Monthly noted the bi-partisan membership, including Hillary Clinton of New York. Congressmen who have been cited as members include Frank Wolf of Virginia, Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania, Zach Wamp of Tennessee, and Bart Stupak of Michigan.

[edit] National Prayer Breakfast

The group sponsors the National Prayer Breakfast every February in Washington, D.C.. First held in 1953, the event is now attended by 3,000 dignitaries from many nations. The President of the United States typically makes an address at the breakfast.

In February 2006, the event was co-chaired by Senators Norm Coleman and Mark Pryor. Speakers included King Abdullah II of Jordan, musician Bono [1], and President George W. Bush.