© 2024 Daniel Swadling
© 2024 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ ANZURA (Australia and New Zealand) Annual Conference 2023 Report Talking about an eye-opener
Daniel Swadling
Sydney, Australia
(Editor’s note: in order to open our thoughts to the opinions of our brothers and sisters from other countries, we will offer you, on occasion, texts or conferences previously published in another language, but translated into French. Happy reading!)
It was an honour and a privilege to be involved in organising this conference for Urantia Book readers from Australia and New Zealand. It was well attended with people coming from Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Western Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Thank you all for coming! We had a great time catching up with old friends and making new ones, engaging with each other and delving deeper into our favourite topics!
The problem we wanted to try to address at this conference was the way we, as readers, talk about the revelation of The Urantia Book with people less familiar with it. And despite being strong believers in its teachings, we seem to lack some of the basic principles and adequate tools or experience to convey its concepts in an engaging way to new readers. We hope that the conversations started at this conference have been helpful and that the topic will continue to be addressed.
We attended the following presentations:
- Introduction and Keynote: Discussing a Revelation — Daniel Swadling.
- Has your time come? — Rex Merrett & Christine Bannigan.
- Discover before announcing the Gospel — Julian Martin.
- The Ministry of Mind — Trevor Swadling.
- Evolution and Revelation: A Method of Seeding and Expansion — Rita Schaad.
- Spiritual meditation and remembrance — Robert Coenraads.
- The tone of the Apocalypse — Chris Wood, USA
- Understanding People — Andrew Swadling.
- Finding and Attracting New Readers — Phillip Marriott.
- How can we adorn our message with truth, beauty, and goodness? — Julian McGarry.
- A guided musical piano meditation — Gordon Tayler, Western Australia.
Chris Wood from the USA and Gordon Tayler from Western Australia were kind enough to present via Zoom. Gabriel Rymberg from Israel had intended to present an update on the Centre for Unity project but unfortunately had to cancel due to travel issues.
Although one weekend was never enough to cover all aspects of the problem of how we talk about revelation, some of the main conclusions we can draw from the presentations and discussions are:
- First, be attractive. We who have embraced the teachings are ambassadors of The Urantia Book. We must first get it right in ourselves before we try to teach others, embody what we have learned, demonstrate what the “good news” looks like in practice. Probably the best way to teach the values we have learned from the book is to live our own lives, that is, to be attractive in the way we act, think, and behave in the world. Truth is a lived, authentic spiritual experience.
- We have all been deeply touched and our lives have been greatly improved by what we have learned in The Urantia Book, and we naturally want to share it with others whenever we can. But we would be wise to avoid approaches that are likely to turn people off, such as overzealousness, forcefulness, preaching or proselytizing, or using Urantia Book jargon and unfamiliar terms. Even simply handing someone the book is not necessarily very effective. The approach Jesus demonstrated in his life, such as connecting and teaching, is a better approach to emulate.
- The people we meet of course have very different personalities, as well as individual, religious and cultural backgrounds. Often, it is when people are in crisis or have lost self-respect that they search for deeper meanings and answers to fundamental questions about their lives.
- If we see someone who appears to be in need, or if someone asks us about the “big questions” or even directly about the book, then have a strategy in mind that you can use to determine what their needs are and their receptiveness to any answers that The Urantia Book can provide. For example:
- Before trying to offer him answers and truths from the book, first try to know a little more about him. Show real curiosity about the person and ask open-ended questions to discover his background and personality. Find out what he thinks, what his problems are, his questions, what he is looking for, what he is missing in his life, his needs and his demands.
- Build rapport by showing empathy, respect and understanding. Show them they are valued and create an environment of trust, establishing a genuine and caring connection with them.
- Have a broad understanding of the book and present the features and benefits of the book’s teachings in a way that fits their needs and shows them their value.
- Tailor our approach and the type of solutions we offer to the person’s needs. Not everyone will be ready to accept the entirety of The Urantia Book or even the gospel of Jesus. However, we can also refer to earlier revelations that may still provide the help they need to meet their challenges.
- Be careful with the language you use, try to express concepts and truths in everyday language, easy to understand and not off-putting. Stick to simple points and don’t get lost in long tangents that risk overwhelming the audience.
- Build on the truths they already hold. Add what’s positive, rather than dwelling on the negative.
- Ask questions to confirm that you have understood them correctly and that what you have presented provides the solutions and answers they are looking for. If there is a misunderstanding or objection, ask more open-ended questions to find out what you may have missed.
- Adopt a relaxed and gently confident tone, but do not impose your point of view. Let them make their own decisions about what you have presented. Remember that we may be just one step in a person’s spiritual journey, and the degree of spiritual need that person has will determine their level of receptivity.
- Keeping abreast of new developments and discoveries in history, archaeology, cosmology, science, health, religion, etc., can provide opportunities to discuss and share the knowledge we have gained from The Urantia Book.
Moreover, we were reminded that our personal study of the book can take various forms, such as creating artistic and musical works, writing books, essays, lectures, and podcasts—enterprises that can reveal to us ideas that can be shared with others. And the examination of these works by others can greatly enhance our own understanding of the book.
Thank you to all who presented and helped make this excellent conference happen. Special thanks must go to Julian Martin for organizing the Urantia Trivia Night under difficult circumstances and still making it fun! And to Robert Coenraads for his sublime meditative interlude that helped us focus on the higher mind and allow the spiritual elements to dominate. And of course, to Nigel Nunn for his generosity and knowledge during the evening question and answer session — it is always satisfying to hear his clear and entertaining insights on astrophysics, Urantia Book cosmology, and the worlds to come! We also thank Kathleen Swadling and Rita Schaad for their tireless efforts. We know how hard you work and we are so grateful to you for keeping all the essential things running in the office.
We look forward to seeing you again and joining the Melbourne crowd at the next convention next year! I leave you with these comforting words that encourage us all to maintain this living spiritual connection with Jesus, our friend, our brother and our master:
Then Jesus stood up again and continued teaching his apostles: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. I am the vine, and you are the branches. And the Father requires of me only that you shall bear much fruit. The vine is pruned only to increase the fruitfulness of its branches. Every branch coming out of me which bears no fruit, the Father will take away. Every branch which bears fruit, the Father will cleanse that it may bear more fruit. Already are you clean through the word I have spoken, but you must continue to be clean. You must abide in me, and I in you; the branch will die if it is separated from the vine. As the branch cannot bear fruit except it abides in the vine, so neither can you yield the fruits of loving service except you abide in me. Remember: I am the real vine, and you are the living branches. He who lives in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit of the spirit and experience the supreme joy of yielding this spiritual harvest. If you will maintain this living spiritual connection with me, you will bear abundant fruit. If you abide in me and my words live in you, you will be able to commune freely with me, and then can my living spirit so infuse you that you may ask whatsoever my spirit wills and do all this with the assurance that the Father will grant us our petition. Herein is the Father glorified: that the vine has many living branches, and that every branch bears much fruit. And when the world sees these fruit-bearing branches—my friends who love one another, even as I have loved them—all men will know that you are truly my disciples. (UB 180:2.1)
