Community Evolution Plan

How We're Growing to Serve SRF Devotees
~ Released December 12, 2025 ~

Welcome & Vision

Warmest Greetings from Golden Lotus Community in Elfrida, AZ!

We are grateful for your time and attention in reviewing plans to develop our 40-acre rural spiritual oasis from a small private community into a thriving hive of our Guru's deeply-God-seeking souls, and how your meaningful support and encouragement will enable us to be successful — benefiting all who are drawn here to visit, go on retreat, or to make this their home.

Our community came together informally in Elfrida, AZ in 2009, and is rooted in the teachings of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) — a Church of all Religions — founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1925. Led by Kriyaban lay disciples who share a common goal of seeking God together, we've grown into a supportive family over the years.

Our inspiration is Paramahansaji's vision of spiritually based "World Brotherhood Colonies", intentional communities established throughout the world with people living in peace and harmony and practicing the principles of "plain living and high thinking", seeking God together, and the precepts encompassed in his Aims and Ideals.

Cochise County GIS Parcel Map depicting parcel boundaries

Until 2024, we existed as an informal community, with homes situated on privately owned parcels. This model is transitioning to a nonprofit-owned community property model since forming a 501(c)(3) religious and charitable organization to improve our ability to grow the community, expand its spiritual focus, and enable the community to continue into the future.

Our resilience as an intentional community of over 15 years and the steps we've taken to formalize and plan to grow into the future has led to us being referred to by some as tirthankaras (ford-makers) — a term that is both humbling and inspiring. For us, it's all about bringing Guruji's vision of World Brotherhood Colonies to life in attunement with Divine Will.

Based on our unique experience, devotees who are involved in community development have asked us to mentor them on steps they can follow, and what to avoid, to start communities in their own locales.

Growing Interest

We have been actively participating in Yogananda Seva's LDIC Forum for several years and spoken with devotees at recent SRF World Convocations in Los Angeles about our community, which has led to inquiries about our community's availability for others to join.

Our capacity to receive most visiting devotees for more than a couple of days is constrained by the lack of spare rooms in privately owned homes that are not always available. Hosting devotees with an RV or tent camping are options we support for those who are so inclined and well-prepared, but the weather is not always compatible for tent camping.

Devotees have come at different times for short and extended stays, joining in meditation services and helping with some of the more mundane tasks of construction work and landscape maintenance. One devotee came from Europe and stayed with us for over a month, serving with great devotion and enthusiasm before returning home — now an honorary lifelong member of the community. What a joy!

These circumstances are driving the need to move our community evolution plans forward now as interest continues to build. We want to ensure we always have available accommodations for everyone who wants to come. Your help will make all the difference!

Phase 1 - 2026
Immediate Accommodations

Our plan is to begin with 3 tiny houses and 4 RV spaces with hookups, and to power them off-grid via solar power arrays. Water will be supplied from the community's shared well. Additional tiny houses and RV spaces may be added as the demand increases.

Note: All costs are estimated based on quotes subject to change with the market and the impact of purchase delays.

Phase 1 Estimated Total (rounded up): $482,000

CAVCO Durango tiny house AU-14401A

Example: Victron solar system components, and storage batteries

Example: Ground-mount PV array

Example: RV Hookups

Example: Off-Grid RV Pad

Golden Lotus Living, Inc-owned 5-acre undeveloped parcel

Phase 1 will be carried out on our nonprofit-owned 5-acre parcel of land within the boundaries of our 40-acre informal community.

Phase 2 - 2027+
Further Expanding Accommodations by Acquiring Adjoining Properties

Our long-term goal is to someday incorporate all of the privately owned parcels into our nonprofit's sphere of community-owned property and develop them with sustainability as a foremost consideration, preserving and enhancing the sense of serenity — initially starting with the following two properties:

Cochise County GIS Parcel Map depicting parcel boundaries

Note: Prices are based on realty website estimates that are subject to change with CMA*/appraisal, market swings, and the impact of purchase delays.

J Curry Property:
3-bedroom, 2 bath, 1,980 sq. ft. double-wide manufactured home with 3-car garage on 4.38 acres:

$190,000 - $211,000 (we're requesting a CMA*/appraisal)

Benefits to acquiring: Can immediately accommodate devotee visitors/residents. However, the property isn't currently available for this purpose (under a prior use commitment we would honor) but will be relatively soon.

S&R Stradling Property:
A "work in progress" over the years, it's partially built (exterior and interior), with incomplete plumbing and electrical, without a kitchen, and not fully weatherproof. It's a 1,980 sq. ft. Strata**-construction house which employs thick expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam core walls/roof/floor components with glass fiber-reinforced concrete cladding, and includes several out-buildings, on 5.6 acres:

The building has been under construction by the owner and friends, much of it using Strata International-sourced materials but without the assistance of Strata International professionals. Once completed with professional guidance, it could fully realize its true potential in serving the community's needs.

Realtor website pricing estimates are uninformed/unrealistic — we're requesting a CMA as a starting point.

Benefits to acquiring: Possible uses are as a fellowship hall, chapel, accommodations for visiting devotees, administrative office space, or combinations of these or other valuable purposes.

Obstructions & clutter digitally removed

Phase 2 Estimated Total to Acquire***: $200,000 - $300,000

* Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)

** Strata International Group, Inc (see StrataUS.com). The technology is proven and impressive.

*** Completing repairs and buildout of the Strata house would require additional fundraising.

Phases 3 & 4 - 2028+
Long-Term Plans

We are joyfully anticipating the planning process for a Retreat Center with a dozen devotee accomodations and Chapel, and Senior Devotees Assisted Living accommodations for a dozen SRF devotees. These would be built on the 5-acre community parcel, or possibly on either of the acquired properties if determined to be a better location at that time.

There is much more planning to do for these phases — they will be included in a subsequent fundraising campaign that we will share at a later date.

We anticipate these phases to be in the multi-million dollar range.

Ways to Give

Your Support Means So Much

Our ability to operate and to grow, carrying our community forward for the benefit of SRF devotees seeking to live and meditate year-round in a Kriyaban community, depends 100% on the generosity of those like you who understand Guruji's vision of World Brotherhood Colonies spreading across the globe.

Golden Lotus Community in Elfrida, Arizona is one of those divine seeds that has taken root with aspirations of fulfilling our role in manifesting that vision, growing into a divine tree blossoming with the radiance of God-seeking souls.

We welcome and deeply appreciate your generosity. There are several options for us to receive your gift.

You might choose to send a check to P.O. Box 252, Elfrida, AZ 85610. For wire transfers, send an email to Giving@GoldenLotusLiving.org to request routing numbers. And, of course, one-time and recurring donations can be made on our Give Today webpage.

Additional Information

You can discover more about the history and possibilities for the future of our Community by watching the video presentation below:

To watch the video fullscreen, click or tap the "<" icon in the lower right of the video player. Then click the expanding arrows icon at the right — otherwise, it will play in the small player window.

A view into our Sulphur Springs Valley.