© 2018 Chris Wood, Alexandre Nakai, Cintia Angeles, Sebstian Nozzi, Esperanza Tovar, Norma Caicedo, Karmo Kalda, Sandra Naranjo Cabezas, Gaétan Charland
© 2018 International Urantia Association (IUA)
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¶ In This Issue
- President’s Message – December 2018 – Chris Wood, USA
- Latin American Youth Meeting – Brazil 2018 – Alexandre Nakai, Cintia Angeles and Latin Youth Group Support
- Italian-French Urantia Conference – Garda Lake, 2018 – Sebstian Nozzi, Germany
- Testimonials of Truth-Search, Growth and Service – Education Committee of Urantia Association International
- Pereira Book Fair 2018 – Esperanza Tovar, Colombia
- Cali International Book Fair 2018 – Norma Caicedo, Colombia
- 2nd European Urantia Conference – Tallinn, Estonia 2019 – Karmo Kalda, Estonia
- Conference & Chartering – Ecuador 2018 – Sandra Naranjo Cabezas, Ecuador
- Advocacy for Study Groups – Gaétan Charland, Quebec
- Upcoming Events
¶ President’s Message – December 2018
Chris Wood, USA
Brotherhood is impossible on a world whose inhabitants are so primitive that they fail to recognize the folly of unmitigated selfishness. There must occur an exchange of national and racial literature. Each race must become familiar with the thought of all races; each nation must know the feelings of all nations. Ignorance breeds suspicion, and suspicion is incompatible with the essential attitude of sympathy and love. [UB 52:6.4] emphasis added
This year I have had the honor of travelling to The Netherlands, Ghana, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico for Urantia activities, in addition to events across my home country of the United States. Of course, there are many things that are universal across all cultures, but one thing has struck me about our expanding Urantia community: those of us who love The Urantia Book also love books in general. We are, by and large, a group with a passion for reading.
In preparation for my travels, I set a goal of reading at least one novel by a native author set in each country I was to visit. I wanted to become better familiar with the thoughts, feelings and arts of the nations I was hoping would welcome me. In Paper 52 (Planetary Mortal Epochs) section 6 (Urantia’s Post-Bestowal Age) we are given a list of five tasks we can dedicate ourselves to in this day and generation. The one most easily accomplished, I believe, is the exchange of literature.
¶ Latin American Youth Meeting – Brazil 2018
Alexandre Nakai, Cintia Angeles and Latin Youth Group Support
At the Latin American Conference in Brazil recently held in Guarulhos, Brazil, young readers from all across Latin America met to exchange experiences, get involved, have fun, and make decisions for the future. We see plenty of potential in these young people who express good ideals, genuine experiences, great talents, and a great deal of faith in the Heavenly Father. The entire event exceeded our expectations.
Youth coordinator Fernando Maldonado started a discussion at the top of Mount Pico Olho D’água, in the neighboring town of Mairiporã. The breathtaking landscape and feelings of a spiritual presence brought about an inspiring moment. Here, we began to tell each other a little bit about ourselves and our experiences, which proved to be an enlivening and moving encounter.
We feel that being a reader of The Urantia Book makes us different and, at times, we feel displaced as faith children of God who do not fit into any religious institution. Some of us have left our churches and often carry a tremendous emotional weight because of it. We were able to share our sorrows and experiences, but it was not a painful process, it was a relief. There were some who felt guided by the Spirit of God to reach that moment on the hill. We heard many similar stories of struggles in the arena of mind, difficult decisions through faith, passing through different religions, and various intellectual and spiritual pursuits, all of which have led us to the same common gift–The Urantia Book.
¶ Italian-French Urantia Conference – Garda Lake, 2018
Sebastian Nozzi, Germany
A Urantia Book readers’ conference took place in Italy, near the beautiful location of the Garda Lake from 5 to 7 October. It lasted from Friday evening (dinner and get-together) to Sunday in the afternoon.
The main goal of this conference was to bring Italian and French readers together. A minority of Spanish and Portuguese speaking attendees was also present, adding to the colorful mix of languages.
The main organizer of this event, Danielle La Scala, has ties with both the French and Italian Urantia Book reader communities. Although the Italian community is very enthusiastic and growing, it is still relatively new. The Urantia movement in France is older and more established, with more experienced longtime members. These conferences in northern-Italy (this was not the first one) have the goal of bringing these two groups together to foster learning, cooperation, planning and growing.
¶ Testimonials of Truth-Search, Growth and Service
Education Committee of Urantia Association International
Dear Siblings and Friends,
We on the Education Committee are getting in touch with you again through this article to bring you some inspiring testimonials about personal truth-seeking and growth, with thanks to the Urantia Association of Mexico for their service of disseminating the teachings of our wonderful Urantia Book.
The truth-seekers and students of The Urantia Book in Mexico find an open and free space to meet each other in the conferences and workshops offered by the Urantia Association. Here, they listen to good lessons, learn, discern, and cultivate friendships and spiritual brotherhood.
Here are some of the stories told by those who lived them (namely Norma Angelica Perez Arteaga, Hector Landin Vazquez, and Martin Guzman.) They speak for themselves.
¶ Pereira Book Fair 2018
Esperanza Tovar, Colombia
During the six days of the Feria del Libro de Pereira 2018 (Pereira Book Fair), from October 2 to 7, 2018, about 20,000 people entered the Convention Center of Pereira, also known as Expofuturo, to enjoy the event. We found that a surprising number of people throughout this coffee growing region know about The Urantia Book or are reading it independently.
Volunteers gathered in the midst of a beautiful landscape, with a slight aroma of coffee in the air and a cozy family atmosphere. They were led by Elaine Restrepo, with the help of the Urantia Association of Bogota. In all, there were fourteen volunteers from Cali, Santa Rosa de Cabal, Bogota and, of course, Pereira.
Of all visitors, over 5,000 were students from different municipalities of Risaralda and the neighboring municipality of Cartago. These young people showed a great interest in knowing The Urantia Book, both for the many topics it contains and for the message it conveys.
¶ Cali International Book Fair 2018
Norma Caicedo, Colombia
The Urantia Book_ was presented at the Cali International Book Fair in Colombia, which took place in October 2018. Our mission was “… Revealing God to Men…” following in the footsteps of the Master, Jesus.
The book fair brought together 776 publishers, 93 exhibitors, 48,000 publications and 231,234 visitors. For the first time in Cali, the Urantia Association of Cali (Uracali) and the Urantia Association of Colombia, along with 13 volunteers, distributed 10,000 small illustrations of The Urantia Book and 2,000 pamphlets containing book quotes as a way to disseminate its content and to provide a means of future contact for those interested in fraternizing.
¶ 2nd European Urantia Conference – Tallinn, Estonia 2019
Karmo Kalda, Estonia
We are pleased to announce the 2nd European Urantia Conference that’s being held in Tallinn, Estonia, 11 – 14 July 2019.
The theme of the conference is: “Sowing S****eeds– Qualitative Internal and Quantitative External Growth” and we will be focused on how we can grow internally in spirit and externally in numbers. We welcome readers from all over the world.
On the Friday and Sunday, the program will concentrate on spiritual growth potentials; on Saturday the focus will be on growing the numbers of readers. We will present experiences from different countries in Europe and other continents, examining what they have done to find new readers and to form new study groups. Following these presentations, our workshops will focus on developing new plans to attract readers. Workshops will be organized into smaller language groups.
¶ Conference & Chartering – Ecuador 2018
Sandra Naranjo Cabezas, Ecuador
In the house of spiritual retreat “San Fernando” located in Ballenita, Santa Elena, Ecuador, the second National Urantia Conference in Ecuador 2018 was held from October 6 to 8 with the theme: “A Spiritual Experience in Urantia.”
The event was led by Sandra Naranjo Cabezas, President of the Urantia Association of Ecuador (Asociación Urantia Ecuador or AUEC) with the collaboration of the conference coordinator, Jaime Chiriboga, Vice President, Efraín Vivanco, and members of the board and other students of The Urantia Book.
Forty-one readers arrived from different cities of Ecuador and from abroad. It was good to observe middle-aged and young people in attendance.
The objectives of the conference were:
- To meet other readers of The Urantia Book
- Exchange experiences
- Get answers to our questions about life
- Practice living in the “here and now”
In addition, a chartering ceremony was held for the inauguration of the Urantia Association of Ecuador.
¶ Advocacy for Study Groups
Gaétan Charland, Quebec
Having been involved for many years in the development of study groups both internationally and in my sphere of local activities within the Urantia Association of Quebec, I realize that despite all the efforts of many committed readers, growth of study groups is proceeding very slowly.
I believe there are several causes for this slow growth, some necessary and others not so necessary—even harmful in some cases. For the mission of the revelation to flourish on our planet, we must put into place all the strategies and advice that the revelators offered us, and we must be wise and discerning in the application of these strategies. Successful study groups are an essential part of these strategies to integrate the teachings of The Urantia Book successfully throughout the world.
¶ Upcoming Events
Check out Urantia Association International’s Events Calendar at http://urantia-association.org/events-list. Upcoming events can be viewed in a List or Calendar view.
Urantia Book reader events provide opportunities for students to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas and concepts presented in The Urantia Book and help to facilitate a personal commitment to the ideals of spiritual living. We hope you can make it to some of these events and experience the joys of meeting and studying with fellow readers.
If you’re planning a Urantia Book reader event in your region and would like help in promoting it, please send us your information and we’ll consider it for our Events Calendar.