© 2017 International Urantia Association (IUA)
| Financial Aid – 2018 International Conference | Tidings — December 2017 — Index | Gothenburg Book Fair – Sweden |
Since September 16th, 2017, the Urantia Association International Education Committee has been organizing a weekly online Zoom Worksop series about “Leadership and Teaching According to The Urantia Book,” with the purpose of studying the guiding principles that allow us to fulfill Jesus’ and the revelator’s instructions to serve the revelation. We are told in The Urantia Book that
Religion does need new leaders, spiritual men and women who will dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings.
and that …
…these new teachers of Jesus’ religion … will be exclusively devoted to the spiritual regeneration of men. [UB 195:9.4]
The sessions have been instructive and thought-provoking, with the active participation of Urantia Book students from different countries like Canada, USA, France, Switzerland, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, Germany, Peru, and Belgium.
Here we share with you some of the themes and teachings presented by long-term students and experienced leaders of the Urantia Community:
¶ Gaetan Charland, Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada
Gatean is the Urantia Association’s Study Group Chair, and during over three sessions presented the theme: “We Teach Who and What We Are.” In his first session, Gaetan taught:
“To become effective spiritual truth teachers we must first embody the teachings we intend to teach. By our loyalty to those teachings will we certainly become better teachers and leaders and become, day by day the living examples of Jesus’ teachings.”
In his second session, he spoke about:
“…the qualities and lessons that are given by Jesus to become effective teachers. We will share with each other how and why these qualities and lessons inspire us.”
In the third session, Gaetan invited the participants to explore the questions:
“How do we discern what is coming from the leading of the indwelling spirit and our own mind?” and “What kinds of services can we engage ourselves in to gain valuable experiences in becoming teachers like Jesus?”
He asked us to enumerate different kinds of services in which we could acquire valuable experiences in becoming a teacher or improve our skills as teachers of the Urantia teachings. There was an interesting exchange of viewpoints and experiences by the participants.
¶ Guy Perron, Montreal, Canada
Guy is a Teacher/Facilitator and board member of the Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS). Guy presented a session on the theme “The Inner Life—Going Inward, Upward, Onward, Outward.” He told us:
“It could be quite challenging for us human beings, humble ascending mortals, to grasp and truly understand what the purpose of an inner life is. Much of our life has to do with what is happening on the outside.”
And in his session the participants answered the questions:
“So what is an inner life? Do I really need an inner life? Why should I spend precious time developing my inner life? When are we able to stop the outer activities and progressively cultivate silence and stillness where we can connect with other types of activities, those inner ones which allow us to enter within and find that inner space where our Divine Presence abides?”
During this session, the participants introduced themselves and shared their experiences and views about spirituality.
¶ Rick Lyon Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA
Rick serves as the UAUS Vice President and Education Committee Chair. Rick presented a session about “Social Organization,” during which we learned some valuable concepts, like:
“…an organization of people working together at the same time in the same direction for the same purpose is much more effective than that same number of people working for the same purpose individually and separately. There is a different form of math that applies to groups and social organizations such as: one plus one equals three, two plus two equals eight etc.
“We all know this but we often try to go it alone because it is easier to do something ourselves than to try to get others to help us. Some people don’t want to help. Some say they will but don’t. Some think your idea is good but that their idea is better. So leading is often frustrating but from what The Urantia Book says I suspect we need the practice.
“Until people learn to teach and lead themselves through self-mastery, they need teachers and leaders to help guide them along through life. Children need parents. Students need teachers. Employees need managers. Citizens need political leaders and civil authority. This Urantia revelation needs social organizations to train teachers and leaders.
“Everything from Paradise on down to your child’s birthday party is organized. The potential of such organization is the multiplication of power whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual power.”
¶ Jeffrey W, Ohio, USA
Jeff presented two workshop sessions. On November 11th he led a session about “Leadership and Teamwork,” and on November 18th another one on “Teaching.” One of his most inspirational remarks was:
“Whether our gift for leadership is large or small, developing that gift is a part of becoming like God. God-knowing creatures have only one supreme ambition, just one consuming desire, and that is to become, as they are in their spheres, like him as he is in his Paradise perfection of personality and in his universal sphere of righteous supremacy. [UB 1:0.3] To become like God in our sphere, means (in addition to acquiring self-mastery and the beautiful wholeness of righteousness) becoming a good leader, even in such a temporary, mundane activity such as showing another person how to do something simple, or organizing a few people to prepare a meal. We all have opportunities for leadership, whether we think of it in that way or not; and we do well to study the ways of divine leadership, and its profound connections with service and teamwork.”
If you want to read more about this beautiful lesson, please go to: https://sites.google.com/site/ubquestionsandstudies/training-leaders/principles-of-leadership-and-teamwork
Future Workshop sessions will be presented throughout the rest of November and December by Chris Wood, on the theme “A Life of Service,” (November 25th, 2017) and Guy Perron who will continue presenting his course on “The Inner Life” (December 2nd and 9th 2017.)
If you would like to view the Workshop videos, please visit the Urantia Association International’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_a2gwYGKpctnii4_nx8_vA
¶ References
| Financial Aid – 2018 International Conference | Tidings — December 2017 — Index | Gothenburg Book Fair – Sweden |