© 2022 Khatukhira Bernard
© 2022 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
| Relationships Between Material, Mental and Spirit | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 100 — December 2022 | General Assembly Report |
THE BIRTH OF URANTIA BOOK TEACHING IN UGANDA
Urantia Conference Uganda 2022 was the first ever in Uganda. The conference was supposed to be held in August 2020 but due to the Covid 19 pandemic, limited funds and leadership issues, it could only take place last August.
The Urantia Book and its teachings have finally arrived in Uganda, the pearl of Africa. It is with great hope and faith that truth seekers here will greatly appreciate the teachings of the book which will enrich their ever-growing spirituality, guided by love and the will to serve.
This is only the beginning of a long journey of spiritual adventure to Paradise, but most importantly for all Ugandans, it brings spiritual enlightenment that will create unity and harmony (brotherhood of man) among Ugandans in their affirmation of God as Father (fatherhood of God) within them. We thank God that it has come to pass that The Urantia Book and its teachings have been publicly initiated in Uganda.
Under the sponsorship of the Urantia Association, five of us were funded to attend this conference and I thank God that we did because our presence shaped the program and designed the conference to meet a standard of a Urantia Book conference. Secretary Matte asked us to help develop a program the day we arrived. We designed the program and the next day presented an introduction to The Urantia Book, its history, the publishing mandate and the world leadership structure.
During this presentation, the pace and emphasis on the book and its teachings were set, and each presenter followed accordingly. It should be noted that the presenters, being Pentecostals, had designed the conference in such a way that sermons/preaching could be given by bishops, pastors and other members of the congregation. But after our recommendations, all this was abandoned.
Most of the presenters asked us for advice on how their presentations could meet the conference standards. This call allowed us to guide them, and indeed we had some good presentations from them; the entire conference successfully achieved its unifying goal—to encourage social cohesion among Urantia Book readers in Uganda.
During this conference, participants learned how to form and manage study groups in their different regions and districts across the country, how to read and reflect on the teachings of the book (through our morning meditation sessions), and how to pray and worship.
Participants learned to understand the concepts of The Urantia Book such as promoting and encouraging the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God among all Urantians. Participants learned that they are all students and have a duty to practice/live loving service to their fellow students, which in turn fosters their spiritual growth. Some misconceptions regarding the teachings of the book were clarified, for example, whether The Urantia Book is a new religion, and whether The Urantia Book is a religious book, or not. Group discussions focused on how best to promote The Urantia Book and its teachings in Uganda and emphasis was placed on promoting study groups. Suggestions included: visiting institutions/organizations to share the teachings of the book through seminars and workshops, visiting families and communities to share the teachings of the book, and our personal experiences.
Overall, the conference was a success, and as it was the first one, we learned a lot about organizing and managing conferences. This experience will help improve the next conference. We managed to:
- Identify potential group leaders
- Identify the different study groups
- Design a national structure for Urantia Book readers in Uganda.
- Embrace various denominations: Christians, Muslims, bishops, pastors, etc.
- Identify new readers and people who need lives
- Learn how to better organize and manage the next conference
The following observations were made during the conference:
- Most readers, including leaders, were new to the revelation and needed guidance and more time to synthesize the concepts from the live.
- The conference seemed to have been organized in a hurry and so there was no clear program until we designed one.
- The schedule was so busy that there was no time for relaxation and personal reflection.
- The conference room was crowded, not suitable for our number.
- There were so many participants that some of them may not have enjoyed it much.
- There were no criteria for who and how to participate in the conference.
- The participants thought that they were going to be lectured, as is the case with the Bible or the Koran.
- Most participants were not informed of the purpose and objectives of the conference.
With the above observations, it can be realized that being the first conference of this kind, most of the things were done haphazardly. This means that next time, with good coaching and guidance, we will have a better organization, as well as a clear objective and goal. We hope that by then, many will have read the entire book at least once and various groups will have been formed.
During the meeting with the conference organizers and group leaders, we discussed and agreed on the following:
To have a core group that would act as an umbrella group for all study groups in Uganda. The core group will be registered in Uganda as a non-profit organization with the sole purpose of promoting The Urantia Book and its teachings.
Ask experienced readers to help you coach and guide study groups, especially group leaders.
Every leader should have read the entire book at least once.
The Urantia Book should not be preached to avoid personal interpretation of its teachings to individuals.
Design a clear leadership structure within the study groups and at the central level (national level).
Most participants wanted simplified reading materials. These can be obtained from organizations such as Urantia Association, Urantia Foundation, Urantia Book International School, etc.
Truly, Ugandans are thirsty and hungry for truth and God. This is a fertile soil to nourish and grow the seeds of truth, spiritual growth, God consciousness, and to promote the concept of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. With this, we hope and are assured that Ugandan brothers and sisters will be able to share the love of God and serve their fellow men with love.
Khatukhira Bernard
Cosmic Citizens in Uganda
| Relationships Between Material, Mental and Spirit | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 100 — December 2022 | General Assembly Report |