© 2023 Enrique Traver, Antonio Schefer, Michael Zehr, Phillip Marriott, James Woodward, Mark Blackham
© 2023 International Urantia Association (IUA)
¶ In This Issue
- President’s Message – September 2023– Enrique Traver, Brazil
- Latin American Continental Conference — Mexico – Antonio Schefer, Netherlands
- 2024 Urantia Association International Conference – Michael Zehr, USA
- Global Study Group Survey – Phillip Marriott, AUS
- Urantia Book Study Group at Oregon State Penitentiary – PIRT Volunteer, USA
- Focus on the Mother – James Woodward, USA
- Reflections on the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 2023 – Mark Blackham et al, Canada
- Service – Communications Team
- Ways to Donate to Urantia Association International
- About Tidings Newsletter
¶ President’s Message – September 2023
Enrique Traver, Brazil
The First Source and Center. First Person of Deity and primal nondeity pattern, God, the Universal Father, creator, controller, and upholder; universal love, eternal spirit, and infinite energy; potential of all potentials and source of all actuals; stability of all statics and dynamism of all change; source of pattern and Father of persons. UB 105:3.2
When we delve into The Urantia Book, it is not difficult to perceive the colossal and magnificent creation of our Heavenly Father. The numbers are impressive, from the countless quantity of planets, galaxies, and inhabited worlds to the vastness of descendant children created. The most impactful aspect is realizing that all of this was created for us, with the purpose of elevating our cosmic consciousness and spiritual progression, an evolutionary career from imperfection to perfection. Everything and everyone is at our service, including our celestial Father, the creator, controller, and sustainer of all things and beings. He serves us in countless ways, some by sharing in all of our experiences, such as with the Thought Adjusters, always seeking to guide us towards perfection. At other times, for example, he simply provides all forms of energy that sustain the Universe of Universes, endlessly and inexhaustibly. Sometimes, we fail to realize simple things like seeing and having the sun, rain, air, and all the natural resources that serve us. Everything comes from the same source.
¶ Latin American Continental Conference — Mexico
Antonio Schefer, Netherlands
¶ The Fifth Revelation in the 21st Century
October 26—29, 2023
Come on and join us in Mexico!
Register now for the next Latin American Urantia Continental Conference! This will be the 3rd Latin American Conference and it is being organized by Asociación Urantia de Mexico (AUM).
We are inviting Urantia Book students from all over Latin America. The program will focus on the major themes of revelation, to inspire us to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the teachings. More information on the program of activities and presentations on the overall theme “The Fifth Revelation in the 21st Century” will be available soon.
¶ 2024 Urantia Association International Conference
Michael Zehr, USA
¶ The Nature and Nurture of the Soul
28 to 31 March 2024
Maritime Conference Center, Baltimore, Maryland USA
Faith is to religion what sails are to a ship; it is an addition of power, not an added burden of life. (UB 159:3.8)
The Urantia Association of the United States would like to invite you to attend the 12th Urantia Association International 2024 Conference, to be held from the afternoon of March 28th, until noon on March 31 in Baltimore, MD, USA. Full details can be found at: 2024 International Conference. Don’t delay - early discount ends soon!
The program includes eight topics—four related to the nature of the soul and four related to nurturing our soul. Topics will be introduced by plenary speakers; group discussion and study will be facilitated by breakout leaders. In addition, there will be evening music, entertainment, and worship.
Attendees can stay afterwards at the conference center to enjoy the culture and attractions of Baltimore or visit nearby Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom festival.
Come set sail with us on March 28, 2024!
¶ Global Study Group Survey
Phillip Marriott, AUS
Dear Urantia Book Students,
To better serve study groups all over the world we are launching the latest global study group survey. It will enable us to feel the pulse of students’ needs and expectations. The results will also help us gauge the current status of study groups.
Another benefit is that your responses can help us to find you a study group that suits your needs or help you in starting your own. We will share our report with you in the next issue of Tidings.
If you have not already done so, please use this link to access and fill out the survey:
Once we finish our survey, we will publish the results in Tidings.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance!
Urantia Association International
Study Group Committee
¶ Urantia Book Study Group at Oregon State Penitentiary
PIRT Volunteer, USA
In 2002, the Urantia Foundation received a letter from Konrad G., an Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) inmate requesting assistance from a Urantia Book reader to facilitate a study group within the prison. Oregon Department of Corrections requires that a volunteer come in from outside the prison to facilitate classes such as a religious study group. The Foundation passed the request on to the Oregon Urantia Association president, Pat Murnin. He and Joy Brandt, the initial volunteers, underwent accreditation, including security clearance and training, to serve as religious volunteers at OSP, and thus the Urantia Book Study Group was born in the Oregon State Penitentiary.
The OSP Urantia Book study group has run for 18 years, excluding a three-year pause during COVID. Over the years, a dozen Urantia Book enthusiasts have served as religious volunteers from the Oregon Urantia reader community. Those who served the longest are Joy Brandt, Pat Murnin, Andrew Rux, Roger Newton, Liz Engstrom-Cratty, Doug Parker, Nancy Votrain, and Dennis Sword.
The meetings eventually increased from monthly to weekly, but since COVID they are now twice a month. Numerous inmates have passed through the group, some for only a short season due to being transferred to other facilities, released from prison, or for personal reasons. However there have been longstanding students as well, including Mike S. who has been with us since the group’s inception, and others who studied with us for many years until finally being released. Currently two others have been studying with us for almost a decade.
¶ Focus on the Mother
James Woodward, USA
Two thousand years ago on a mountain in the Middle East an event happened that never occurred before and will never again happen in this universe. It was a momentous occasion known to us as the Mount of Transfiguration, but this term is only semi-accurate. The activities did take place on Mount Hermon, and three humans witnessed their Master, Jesus of Nazareth, in a form never seen; they awoke to see their human friend “transfigured” into a shining being of heavenly light. But Jesus did not really transfigure. In the cosmic sense he allowed his Apostles to see him in superhuman form—though not in his full glory as a Creator Son, as that divine energy would likely consume his friends and probably the rocks of the mountain as well. “No man can see God and live.”
The most unique aspect of the gathering, one that cannot be repeated, was the participation of three humans, along with one divine human, one divine Creative Daughter, and two of their highest-ranking spiritual children. The conference was necessary for several reasons: for Jesus / Michael to receive a briefing on universe affairs from Gabriel and Father Melchizedek, including his bestowal success, and to plan the final human chapter of Jesus’ mission; to dramatically reveal his divinity (via the physical controllers at “Jesus’ request”) to his closest human associates; and also to allow Michael and his mate to exchange words of love and support (not revealed but that’s what I’m saying).
¶ Reflections on the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 2023
Mark Blackham et al, Canada
The Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) convened in Chicago (August 14-18, 2023) at McCormick Place, a massive conference center situated on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. The general theme for this gathering was, “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.” Over 7,000 people from 95 countries attended this event.
The first Parliament was held in Chicago on September 11th 1893, in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition, which introduced the first Ferris Wheel as America’s answer to the Eiffel Tower. The next PoWR did not occur until 100 years later, in 1993, but since then, it has been a triennial event held in different cities around the globe.
The Parliament is an interfaith movement that seeks to unite over 200 diverse traditions and beliefs by highlighting the common ground between them. And indeed, whether religious or secular, we were delighted to see how many enlightened beliefs and lofty goals we all mutually share.
¶ Service
Communications Team
Jesus lived a religion of service. (UB 5:4.7)
We searched The Urantia Book for the word ‘service’. As we know, The Urantia Book consists of 2097 pages, and in these pages the word service appears 644 times, an average of once every 3.25 pages. And in almost every context, it is a loving service.
Teamwork, the joy of working with our God-conscious friends, in tandem with our spirit friends, is the reason we serve. The motive for serving is uniform but calls us in diverse ways and to different tasks.
Does your soul crave service? Opportunities to serve the revelation are abundant. They are all around us; in that chance encounter, by being bold in individualistic social settings (like posting up a table at the farmers market), by signing up on the Study Group search site to make yourself available to host a study group, by volunteering to help the hosts of a conference or special event, by committing your talents or position to a local, regional or international association, by participating in online discussions like the Forum or Facebook, and by offering insights on how to connect with young readers.
The Association benefits from active participation by “older” and “younger" readers. Our web presences are intended to connect students from across the Urantia movement. And while many of us are getting older, those who currently serve in leadership roles are very interested in mentoring those who are being nudged by their angels, called to share the most inspiring Good News ever shared: “God is our loving Father, we are all one family.” We have faith that this mission, serving a unique epochal revelation to a unique world, will always attract true religionists, young and old. We have made much progress in expanding our Association worldwide; as a global team of leaders, we are laying the foundation to continue spreading the Good News to future generations. Don’t bury your talents!
What we’ve learned about service is that we are led by the spirit, but it is up to us to act, and in this act we experience love, truth, beauty and goodness, as well as a better understanding of the teachings of Jesus. We experience that divine privilege, the gift of serving God.
In what ways are you led to serve? Please, reach out, act, and receive abundant blessings.
¶ Ways to Donate to Urantia Association International
The world is changing fast and Urantia Association International is in a unique position to foster the Urantia revelation in so many ways. With localized teams in the form of associations springing up across the globe, we are ready to help anyone, anywhere, to study and spread the teachings that we all hold so dear.
The Association has only one paid staff member to manage and coordinate our worldwide activities. All other services are rendered by devoted students who donate their time (and often their treasure) to the projects that help bring us closer to our heavenly Father. Thank you to our faithful volunteers and donors!
Here is a selection of ways to donate to Urantia Association:
¶ About Tidings Newsletter
The Tidings newsletter is a quarterly on-line publication that serves as Urantia Association International’s primary communication tool for reaching out to the Association’s membership, supporters, donors, volunteers, and general readership friends. It provides news and information on the many activities and events of the National and Local Associations around the globe as well as information and announcements from Central Office, the International Service Board (ISB), and the Representative Council (RC). It serves to keep members in touch with one another and gives readers a sense of belonging—of being an integral part of a truly international movement that is designed to promote the Urantia revelation to all corners of the world.
Note: Tidings also occasionally provides news of other Urantia-related activities and events that may be of interest to our supporters and friends. Please note that 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 Urantia Association International, the National or Local Urantia Associations, or the editorial team of the Association’s Tidings.