© 2011 Jean Annet
© 2011 Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre d'Urantia
Last July, Isabelle and I went to the Leadership Symposium in Chicago. In addition to the Symposium itself, there was a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ that I would not like to pass over in silence, as they were so rich and fruitful.
We arrived 2 days early where we were hosted at the Foundation itself, in Chicago. There were several benefits to this. First, it allowed us to land smoothly and recover from jet lag, then we were able to strengthen our friendships with our French counterparts who had left with us (or we with them, depending on your point of view), and finally soak up the atmosphere of the mother house from which The Urantia Book came. I admit that I went to the Symposium with a peripheral question which was to finally know the answer on the origin of The Urantia Book. This question remained present before, during and after the Symposium. I asked many questions, I met the highest officials, discussed with the closest or oldest people still alive at the Forum. In fact, the more I informed myself, the more I realized that I would never have satisfactory answers to my questions. In summary, the answer to all my questions was found in the response of Carolyn Kendall, the last lady of the Forum to still be alive: “I don’t know”. Of course, I knew a little more, but fundamentally, I was not much further ahead. The origin of the Urantia book will remain a mystery (desired by the Revelators) so that we are only interested in the content of the book.
I would also like to talk to you about the aftermath of the Symposium. Although this is in the private sphere, it was for us a concrete application of the Urantia Book. Isabelle, my wife, had told me: “If we go to Chicago, I hope that we will be invited by participants. I can’t imagine going to talk about brotherhood for 3 days and not experiencing this brotherhood afterwards.” The answer had come to us several months before: Gaëtan and Line, the president of the UAI and his wife, invited us to spend ten days in Quebec. As I said, this is in the private sphere and these ten days allowed us to strengthen a friendship that had already begun a few years before with their visit to Belgium. In addition to the ‘Guest Stars’ visit to part of Quebec, and without wanting to detract from their humility, I would simply like to say that I really met people who live the teachings of the Urantia Book. If the Symposium was the theory, these ten days with them were really the practice. Jesus said: “you will be recognized as my disciples by the way you live”. We were able to see the fruits of the Spirit. The warmth, the love, the joy, the deep discussions for several hours (in the sun without protection, which earned me a nice sunburn 
, the availability, the service, the fortuitous and warm encounters, the serenity, the power of persuasion, a strong and gentle character, an inner peace. This stay was much more than a vacation, it was a practical internship. They know it, we will not forget it anytime soon!
Let’s get back to the Symposium. Or rather to my perception of the Symposium. I would not like to give a report of the Symposium here, day by day, but rather give my impression, my experience. I might as well say it right away, I left with some apprehensions. First, I do not speak English and I understand it poorly, especially when it is Americans who speak it. Then, and this is in my nature, I am rather a loner. Living for 3 days with a hundred unknown people generated a certain amount of stress in me.
Of course, I knew several people, my wife was with me and all the participants were brothers and sisters, there was absolutely nothing to fear, but even if you want to be a leader, you have to face your inner demons. And it went very well. I must say that I was very favorably impressed by the warmth and the typically North American welcome. It was simple, without fuss, adequate. I felt at ease right away and it allowed me to live the whole Symposium very relaxed. Thank you to Rick, Suzanne, Line, and the others (…) for your kindness, your smile, your welcome. These first moments were decisive for the whole three days. And what 3 days! Dense, rich, moving, challenging too. In the morning, the presentations were very rich, sometimes too dense even for the translators who did not always know how to follow. It went from gentle to strong, once even very strong, American televangelist style, but generally fair, personal, each with their own particular note. I will remember those of Carolyn Kendall, on the history of the Urantia Book, of Line St-Pierre on her encounter with God, through Moussa N’Daye, of Sheila Keene-Lund, whose book in French I am impatiently awaiting, of Betty Lou Wallace for her dynamism in creating study groups in Florida. The other highlights of these plenary meetings were for me, the conclusion by Gaëtan Charland, the president of the UAI, with the meeting with the vice-president of the Fellowship and the president of the Urantia Foundation, Mo Siegel.
Finally, the other highlight was the thanksgiving ceremony and the memorial supper. If I had been left hungry by the morning meditations, which I found too passive, I was very impressed by Sunday morning. It was also a moment that I was expecting from the Symposium: how to celebrate thanksgiving together, how to pray, how to connect to the spiritual world, how to remember Jesus’ last supper as he had asked us to? How also not to fall into a religiosity that we no longer want, into a meaningless symbolism, into an obsolete ritual? In general, I am a ‘good audience’, I let myself be carried away by the show (a concert, a film, a ceremony, …), but I also have a good instinct that makes me react immediately when it is not right. There, I let myself be carried away, and I went very high, in connection with the spiritual world, the mediums, the angels and even Jesus in this memory of the last meal. It was real food for the soul. In my study group, before the Symposium, I tried to introduce moments of prayer so as not to remain only in the mind and the study of the Book, thanks to this ceremony, I feel strengthened to also develop spirituality, prayer and worship.
What else can I say? That these three days were a fabulous place for exchanges. Not only in the afternoon during group meetings, but also during meals, break times and evenings. If the language barrier did not allow me to meet everyone, I met a lot of new people, at least at my level, and I came away greatly enriched.
I believe that this first Symposium will be a milestone in the history of the IUA. It will lead to others, based on the experiences of this first one. In any case, personally, it made me want to participate in the following ones.
Jean Annet