Editing Church Universal and Triumphant (section)

===Mark Prophet===
Mark Prophet, the founder of the organization that became the CUT, had been involved in one of the factions that splintered from I AM in the 1950s.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=8}} This was [[Francis Ekey]]'s Lighthouse of Freedom, which had established formal classes in 1954.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=27}} In its newsletter, ''I AM the Lighthouse of Freedom'', the group anonymously published messengers allegedly channeled from the Ascended Masters; Prophet was the one responsible for providing these messages.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=27}} Raised into a working-class [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] family, Prophet was an Army Air Corps veteran from [[Chippewa Falls]], [[Wisconsin]].{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=27}} He alleged that the Ascended Master El Morya had first appeared before him when he was driving spikes on the railway line near Chippewa Falls, asking him to serve their cause.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=28}}  Whitsel described Prophet as one of "the most prominent competing Messengers" from the Ascended Masters amid the vacuum caused by Ballard's death.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=28}}

Prophet severed his links with the Lighthouse of Freedom in 1958. From Washington DC, where he had lived with his wife and children since the mid-1950s, he then established his own group, the Summit Lighthouse.{{sfnm|1a1=Melton|1y=1994|1p=14|2a1=Whitsel|2y=2003|2p=28}} For several years there was friction between the Summit Lighthouse and the Lighthouse of Freedom.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=28}} Prophet printed the messages he claimed to have received from the Ascended Masters in a publication, ''Ashram Notes'', that was then mailed to members, who at that time largely resided in suburban parts of Washington DC.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|pp=28-29}}

====Meeting Elizabeth Prophet====

Prophet embarked on a speaking tour of colleges in the north-eastern states. In April 1961 he spoke at [[Boston University]], where he met a 21-year old undergraduate student of [[political science]], Elizabeth Clare Ytreberg (nee Wulf). Born to a German father and Swiss mother, the latter of whom was a [[Christian Science|Christian Scientist]], Elizabeth had an interest in esotericism.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=29-30}} Like Prophet, Elizabeth was married, but they swiftly established a relationship, annulled their existing marriages, and married each other.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=29}} Between 1961 and 1966, Prophet trained his new wife to become a co-Messenger of the Ascended Masters, claiming that he was going so with the assistance of two Ascended Masters in particular, Morya and Saint Germain.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=31}}

[[File:Lanello, Guru Ma e Tatiana.JPG|thumb|left|Mark and Elizabeth Prophet]]

In 1962 the Prophets moved the Summit Lighthouse headquarters to Fairfax, Virginia, establishing a teaching center in their home.{{sfnm|1a1=Melton|1y=1994|1p=14|2a1=Whitsel|2y=2003|2p=30}} They then established an inner circle of dedicated members within the Lighthouse, known as the Keepers of the Flame Fraternity.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=30}} There, they purchased a mechanised printing press, allowing them to greatly expand the production of ''Ashram Notes''.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=30}} Mark Prophet's 1965 book ''The Soulless Ones'' reflected his growing concerns about extraterrestrials whom he thought were combating the Ascended Masters' efforts to perfect human society.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|pp=32-33}}

The Prophets briefly relocated to Vienna, Virginia and then in 1965 to Colorado Springs.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=32}} There they bought a 19th-century mansion in the centre of the city, which became their home and the Summit Lighthouse's headquarters; they named it La Tourelle.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=32}} The group's most committed members moved into this property with the Prophets and their children.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=33}} Whitsel believed that the relocation to Colorado and away from the vicinity of Washington DC reflected the group's growing suspicion of the federal government;{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=32}} by this point, the group was espousing a belief in a conspiracy of the government, mainstream religion, and extraterrestrials to combat its attempts to build earthly perfection.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=12}}

In Colorado Springs, they replaced ''Ashram Notes'' with ''Pearls of Wisdom'', a weekly newspaper distributed for free to anyone interested, allowing them to attract a larger pool of people around their work.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=32}} In Colorado, the Summit Lighthouse launched its nationwide conferences, called Ascended Master Conclaves, initially held on a 200-acre ranch outside the city which they leased.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=32}}

In 1969 they established a regional teaching center in Santa Barbara, calling it "the Motherhouse".{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=39}} By 1971 this was being used as the site for the administration of a two-week training course, called the Ascended Master University.{{sfnm|1a1=Melton|1y=1994|1p=15|2a1=Whitsel|2y=2003|2p=39}} In 1970 they also launched the Montessori International School for the children of their followers, which was based on the educational theories of [[Maria Montessori]].{{sfnm|1a1=Melton|1y=1994|1p=15|2a1=Whitsel|2y=2003|2p=36}} Between 1969 and 1972, the Prophets began traveling abroad – to Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and India – to promote their teachings.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=36}} Over the course of the 1970s, the group would see a substantial growth in its membership.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=33}} In 1972, the Prophets issued ''Climb the Highest Mountain'', a book explaining their teachings.{{sfn|Whitsel|2003|p=36}}