© 2000 Carolyn Kendall, Neal Waldrop, Andrés Rodriguez, Jeffrey Wattles, Bhagavan S. Buritz, Dorothy Elder, Cathy Jones, Peep Söber
© 2000 Urantia Association International (IUA)
¶ In This Issue
- What Do I Think Today About Tomorrow? — Carolyn Kendall
- Millenium — Neal Waldrop
- Internet Site and Internet School in Spanish — Andrés Rodriguez
- Disseminating the Teachings — Ralph D. Zehr
- General Assembly of the Urantia Association of Colombia — Andrés Rodriguez
- The Urantia Book and Human Sources — Jeffrey Wattles
- The World Book Fair at New Delhi — Bhagavan S. Buritz
- UBIS: A Call For Teacher/Facilitators — Dorothy Elder
- What Is Loyalty? — Cathy Jones
- News from Estonia: First conference for children about The Urantia Book — Estonia’s Largest Ever Conference — Peep Söber
¶ Urantia 2000 IUA Conference
LIVING THE WILL OF OUR FATHER
New York, USA
August 4-7, 2000
The United States Urantia Association is hosting the International Conference at Wagner College on Staten Island in New York August 3-7. The United States Urantia Association cordially invites the entire Urantia Book readership to celebrate, worship and commune with our Paradise Father as we join in sharing our spiritual lives and personal experiences with the Spirit Fragment of our Father that indwells us all. For three and one-half days this conference will be devoted and dedicated wholly to Our Universal Father and Living His Will. Here, participants will explore and discover many ways, means and methods that may be employed for personally seeking, finding, and actually doing the Father’s will in our daily lives. The Adjuster will be the focus of this conference, just as it was with Jesus as he demonstrated his wonderful life in the flesh and as he lived the will of our Father.
With the insight gained from the revelators of The Urantia Book, the conference participants may explore the many manners used by the Master, suggested by the Divine Counselor and related by the Solitary Messenger to know God’s will, choose it, and actually do it as a conscious part of living. The conference program is designed to provide the participant with the exciting Spiritual Experience of Living the Will of Our Father, a step toward Light and Life and eventual fusion. Again, the emphasis here is on the word LIVING the Father’s will. Speakers and workshop leaders hail from all over the world. A special children’s program is planned.
CONFERENCE FEES: The cost of the conference including housing, a variety of delicious meals, and conference materials is 375.00$. Children will enjoy a reduced price. If you wish to extend your stay, you will pay an additional fee. Registration materials are now available. You may find out more information and register by contacting: Urantia 2000 IUA Conference, 67-86 Groton Street, Forest Hills, NY 11375-4160 USA. Phone: 718-793-2338 Email: Urantia2knyconf@aol.com or Urantia2k@aol.com
¶ Estonian Conference
Estonian IUA Conference will be held August 18-20, 2000, at a children’s camp 110 km from Tallinn. The theme will focus on The Urantia Book as a source for spiritual growth. The conference will be held in both Estonian and English. After the conference a sightseeing tour can be organized. If you are interested in taking part or in presenting a discourse, please contact Peep Sõber, phone: +3722516 067, fax: +3726302 257 or email: psober@hot.ee
¶ Finnish Conference
The Finnish Urantia Association is planning its yearly Summer Days at Kellokoski (near Helsinki) June 9-11, 2000 .
¶ Anzura Conference
The Australian and New Zealand Urantia Association will be hosting their Conference 2000, at Canberra, October 6-9, 2000.
¶ What Do I Think Today About Tomorrow?
Presented at the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Urantia Foundation
Chicago, USA, March 18, 2000
Carolyn Kendall, USA
Someday on a bright tomorrow we, or our descendants, will awaken to the startling news that somewhere on our planet a majestic Paradise personality has arrived. He will be accompanied by twelve stately personalities visible to every citizen of our material existence. And if this were not sufficient cause for joy and thanksgiving, an even more astounding event will be transpiring — unseen by human eyes — but described in luminous detail by our new friends. Thus will occur the dispensational adjudication and resurrection of the sleeping souls of the Bestowal Son age. It will be conducted by the heralds of resurrection who have long been resident on our world. As the new dispensation is proclaimed, another group of Paradise beings will take up residence and begin planning the age to follow the new age: the stage of light and life. On that wondrous tomorrow, yet another being, familiar and fatherly, will grace our presence for an all too brief time among his mortal brothers and sisters. As that long day comes to an end, he will make ready to leave, but not before we savor one last moment in his gracious presence. We will hear again his inspiring admonition to proclaim the Fatherhood of God and the son- and daughtership of the Father’s worldwide family.
A fantasy? Yes. But only in the sense of timing. These visitations will indeed occur, but we do not know when. How we envy our descendants who will surely be alive to see and hear such things!
¶ Millenium
Presented at the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Urantia Foundation Chicago, USA, March 19, 2000
Neal Waldrop, Switzerland
Once upon a time, on a Sunday afternoon in a city of the past not so far away, a family of four was strolling in spring sunlight shortly before dinner. They passed through a park and came to a quiet square with broad sidewalks and tables in the shade of maples and elms. Just as they were sitting down, a tall man clad entirely in black strode up to them and extended his right arm toward a nearby doorway. “You must go in,” he intoned solemnly. John looked at him warily and answered, “We’re just going to rest here for a few minutes.” “You must go in,” the man repeated firmly, this time pumping his extended arm three times toward the door.
Mary saw John’s face redden and noticed a prominent vein starting to throb on his forehead. “It’s almost supper time,” she said, “so we might as well go in and see what they have.” John smiled and asked the tall man clad entirely in black: “Can’t we just sit out here in the shade?” The man folded his arms and repeated with a dry and clipped voice, “You must go in.” John shrugged and glanced over to a nearby tree, where the children had crouched down to examine pebbles and wildflowers. “Jenny, let’s go,” he said. “Come on, Mike.”
¶ Internet Site and Internet School in Spanish
Andrés Rodriguez, Colombia
Recently the Foro-Escuela, the Spanish version of the UBIS, was opened. It is to be found on the recently established Urantia Book website in Spanish. Foro-Escuela is authorized and supported by Urantia Foundation and is available for all those who want to study The Urantia Book in Spanish. The address is www.urantia-latina.org. This website is administered from Chile by Mario Casassus, using the latest techniques and facilities available on the Internet.
This project appears in response to an expressed need for different people and different manners to facilitate the study and deepening understanding of our book, solving the problems of distance, time, and the lack of resources. This project of Urantia Foundation grows from the new experience of the website of urantia-latina and the absence of space for work and study of these characteristics on the worldwide web in Spanish.
¶ Disseminating the Teachings
Presented at the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Urantia Foundation
Chicago, USA, March 19, 2000
Ralph D. Zehr, USA
Imagine for a moment that you are now standing on the Isle of Paradise. You recently experienced your last transition sleep of time. As on all previous occasions you thanked your transport supernaphim for her most pleasant, comfortable, and timely service. While on Havona on each of your forward trips into “unachieved” space she had transported you (UB 14:5.5) She had quickly perfected the technique of awakening you from deep transport slumber with Havona symphonic melodies. Although each circuit of Havona worlds utilized unique celestial musical techniques, the results were perfect every time. This trip represented the end of an era. No longer would there be the exhilaration of viewing for the first time, new, completely perfect, unique, and original surroundings (UB 14:5.6).
Afterward you had gathered with your fellow ascendant mortals hailing from the universes of time and space representing all seven superuniverses. As you stood together for the first time on the shores of Paradise you were overwhelmed with praise and thanksgiving for the Universal Father of all. Your spontaneous supreme adoration and spiritual praise of the Creator, Controller, and Infinite Upholder of the Universe of Universes welled up in your hearts commingling with that of your fellow ascenders until your combined worship reached to such heights that the divine beart of the gods was fully and completely satisfied. For the first time you observed the threefold fluctuation of the ligbt of the Deity abode . . . What a triumph of technique! What a fruition of the eternal plan and purpose of the Gods that the intelligent love of the creature child should give full satisfaction to the infinite love of the Creator Father! [UB 27:7.7-8]
¶ General Assembly of the Urantia Association of Colombia (UAC)
Andrés Rodriguez, Colombia
On April 15, 2000, the General Assembly of the members of the Urantia Association of Colombia met, as they do each year according to their charter. Present were 30 of the 56 registered members, who met in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and spirituality to elect a president and secretary.
Elected as president was Patricia Ramirez, a bacteriologist and microbiologist who has studied The Urantia Book for many years and who spoke of her program of work for disseminating the fifth epochal revelation in Colombia with enthusiasm and energy. The vote for secretary fell to Max Carrizo, artist and craftsman, who in spite of his having studied The Urantia Book only for a while, has nonetheless achieved a high level of understanding due to his biblical and philosophical knowledge. Moreover, some of the chairmen of committees were changed in order to refresh the association with new ideas: Irma Ortiz on the membership committee, Wilfredo Ortiz on the education committee, and Aurora Ruiz on the conference committee. Continuing for one more year are Joaquin Sandoval as vice president and Ricardo Ortiz as treasurer.
We use this opportunity to congratulate and thank Carlos Zapata and Maria Consuelo Garavito for their dauntless service of working with the association for the last two years as president and secretary, respectively. They had to work very hard and dedicate quite a lot of time to fulfill the mission, many times at the cost of neglecting their familial and professional duties. Carlos Zapata will continue to guide us, serving as the new chairman of the publications committee. Good luck to the new leaders, and may the Celestial Supervisors help them and their Thought Adjusters guide them!
¶ The Urantia Book and Human Sources
Jeffrey Wattles, USA
Toward the end of the Foreword and also at the beginning of Part IV, authors of The Urantia Book acknowledge their debt to human sources. They used more than one thousand human concepts representing the bighest and most advanced planetary knowledge of spiritual values and universe meanings UB 0:12.12. In their efforts to reveal truth and co-ordinate essential knowledge, whenever they judged that a human expression was “adequate,” their mandate required them to use it (UB 0:12.10-13). The principal author of Part IV acknowledges indebtedness to over two thousand human beings. As far as possible I have derived my information from purely human sources UB 121:8.12. When teachings have been acceptably expressed, the author has favored the apparently human thought patterns UB 121:8.12. [T]he majority of the ideas and even some of the effective expressions which I have thus utilized had their origin in the minds of the men of many races . . . . In many ways I have served more as a collector and editor than as an original narrator UB 121:8.14. Human thought patterns include sequences of ideas in an exposition and the structure of books.
In the past, students could read these acknowledgements and then practically forget them as they read on. Now, however, as some of the sources are coming to light, readers who follow this emerging research have new uncertainties and a new potential for adventure in study.
¶ The World Book Fair at New Delhi
Bhagavan S. Buritz, USA
Urantia Foundation sponsored a booth at the World Book Fair, which was held between 5-13 February 2000. The location was Pragati Maidan, the same as the Delhi Book Fair that Urantia Foundation attended in August 1999. The smaller, yearly Delhi Book Fair filled two halls. We were one of three foreign participants out of 200 book trade participants. The World Book Fair is every other year and is the largest book event in Asia and Africa. There were over 1200 book trade participants, occupying nine halls. One hall was dedicated to Hindi and other Indian languages. Seven halls were for English books. One hall, the Agricultural Pavilion, was for the 38 foreign participants. Our hall was on the edge of the other halls and our traffic was about equal to the smaller Delhi Book Fair.
English is the lingua franca of India and the language of the educated upper and emerging middle class who make up about 10 percent of the populationone hundred million people. The cost of supporting a middle class family in India is about 15,000 rupees (375 dollars) per month. A middle class person would have to work three days—and a worker more than a month—to pay the 980 rupees cost of the new hard cover Urantia Book. Most books sell in the 100—300-rupee range. Some coffee table books are more, while some books sell for as little as 20 rupees.
¶ Urantia Book Internet School — A Call For Teacher/Facilitators
The Urantia Book Internet School will complete its first year on June 11. Twelve courses were presented, and English readers from many countries participated in these studies. The course topics were selected by the Teacher/Facilitators, and the course format was eightweeks, divided into four periods of questions, study, responses and discussion. Worthy of mention is the high number of new readers and youthful readers that enrolled in the courses. One of the most enjoyable and satisfying outcomes of each course was the connection and interaction of these groups of students from near and far, and the enthusiasm of new and long-time readers alike.
Plans for next year are now being made, and this is a call for readers to offer their service as Teacher/ Facilitators. The UBIS needs your help. We need experienced readers who have available time (and internet skills) to come forward and join us in this project. You will receive lots of support, example course formats, technical assistance from web master Jay Peregrine, and any help you may wish along the way to prepare your course. We would like to have the Fall Semester organized by July 1 .
If you are interested in serving as a Teacher/ Facilitator for the Fall Semester, which will begin on September 11, please contact Dorothy Elder at delder03@sprynet.com We look forward to hearing from you.
In friendship, Dorothy Elder
¶ What Is Loyalty?
Thoughts on the 50th Anniversary of Urantia Foundation, March 17, 2000
Cathy Jones
Loving the Father with all your heart, soul and mind.
Obeying the voice within.
Yielding not to impatience,
while remaining true to principle.
Always asking for strength of character.
Leading others by example.
Team work! Respecting the rights and ideas of others.
Yes! To the call to service to your fellow man.
¶ News from Estonia: First conference for children about The Urantia Book
Peep Sõber, Estonia
From 4th to 5 th of December in Tallinn we had a conference for children introducing The Urantia Book and its teachings. A seminar named “Secrets of Universe” was prepared by our youth organization-Successful Children Organization (SCO) in co-operation with our readers.
Producer of SCO, Veikko Raagmets, was a leader of a youth organization during the time of Soviet occupation in Estonia. The Communists from Moscow strongly controlled all youth organizations, but Veikko was the first in former Soviet Union to declare this kind of youth organization as independent from ideological pressure of Moscow. When Estonia re-established our independence he worked out a new basis and structure for a youth organization, somehow similar to scouts in Western countries. A few years before Veikko had discovered The Urantia Book and, being inspired by that, he reorganized the SCO closer to these teachings. For that reason he hired our young reader Helen Anvelt as a consultant to the SCO.
SCO deals with after-school activities, mostly educational camps for children 12-18 years old from all over Estonia. Their main task is to successfully master the challenges of living. According to SCO the signs of successful living include, in addition to economic independence, many important factors such as peace of mind, good health, appreciation of the natural environment, harmonious relations with the people around us, the existence of goals and ideals, intellectually honest self-awareness, self-respect, self acceptance and Higher Consciousness. In addition to many courses there is some activity with entertainment, sports, fine arts, and the natural environment.
¶ International Urantia Association Journal
The International Urantia Association JOURNAL is a quarterly news journal for readers of The Urantia Book, produced by International Urantia Association, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA.
Board of Editors
Carolyn Prentice, chief editor. Pascal Coulombe, France; Catherine Jones, USA; Kari Kuosmanen, Finland; Janet Nilsen, USA; Maggie Pyle, USA; Andrés Rodriguez, Colombia; Trevor Swadling, Australia.
Foreign Language Editions Staff
Seppo Kanerva, Foreign Language Supervising Editor
Seppo Kanerva, Finnish Traslator
Chris Ragetly, Nicole Ragetly and Jean Royer, French Translators
David Carrera, Elías García, William Lloyd and Gustavo Proaño, Spanish Translators
Technical Assistants: Marie Vasile and Shirley Pelland.
Quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Urantia Book © 1955 Urantia Foundation. The method of identifying quotations is the method used in The Urantia Book Concordance © 1993 Urantia Foundation.
© 2000 International Urantia Association
Urantia Foundation has Respresentatives in Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Estonia, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Peru, and Venezuela. If you require information on study groups, where you can obtain The Urantia Book or a Representative’s telephone number, please contact the office nearest you or the head office in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
MAIN OFFICE-UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Urantia Foundation 533 Diversey Parkway
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Website: http://urantia.org.au
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00260 Helsinki, FINLAND
Tel: +358-9-496 561
Fax: +358-9-496225
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Website: http//www.urantia.org
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Website: www.urantia-latina.org
GREAT BRITAIN-IRELAND
Urantia Foundation
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Tel/Fax: +44 1491 641-922
Email: chris_moseley@mon.bbc.co.uk
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St. Petersburg 193312 RUSSIA
Tel. +7 812-580-3018
¶ SUBSCRIPTIONS
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To Subscribe: Mail check or money order according to subscription rate, payable to International Urantia Assocation to: IUA Journal, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, IL 60614 USA
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¶ SUBMISSION POLICY
JOURNALaccepts all article submissions for consideration for current or future issues. All submissions become the property of JOURNAL, and none are returned. Any not used in the current issue are kept on file for potential future use. JOURNAL does not compensate any author through payment or in any other manner for such voluntary submissions. While JOURNAL makes efforts to attempt to contact authors during the editing process, JOURNAL reserves the right to edit materials, as it deems necessary, for publication. While JOURNAL is grateful for and relies upon author submissions, it is unable to personally acknowledge each submission made; however, authors may contact JOURNAL to ensure their submission was received for consideration for inclusion in the JOURNAL.
Send correspondence or article submissions for the International Urantia Association JOURNAL in care of any Foundation Office. For earliest consideration, directed your correspondence to the Main Office for Urantia Foundaion, or send email messages to: p. carrie@eudoramail.com. International Urantia Association, and the International Urantia Association JOURNAL are affiliated with Urantia Foundation, original publisher of The Urantia Book. For further information about International Urantia Association, the IUA JOURNAL, or Urantia Foundation, please contact any Urantia Foundation office.
Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of International Urantia Association, the national or local Urantia Associations, the Trustees of Urantia Foundation, or the Board of editors of the International Urantia Association JOURNAL.
© 2000 International Urantia Association