© 2001 Meredith Sprunger
© 2001 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
This is the tenth year of the publication of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal. After thirty-five years of interfacing with mainline Christian ministers, we started the Journal in the hope that we could get Christian leaders dialoguing about The Urantia Book. Although we had some Christian clergy using the Urantia Papers in their preaching and teaching, it became apparent that they had too much at stake to become openly involved with the Fifth Epochal Revelation. So in 1998, we shifted the mission of the Journal to laying foundations for the advent of new religious organizations to carry the Fifth Epochal Revelation throughout the world. The new mission of the Journal was to: Promote Theological, Philosophical, and Polity Discussions Germane to an Appropriate Symbolism and Socioreligious Expression of the Fifth Epochal Revelation.
At this time the Christ Michael Corps for Publishing and Outreach in Boulder, Colorado joined us in promoting discussions in the Journal with new Editorial and Resource Consultants. In my mid octogenarian years, I have increasing had the conviction that I should relinquish my position as editor of the Journal and devote my remaining time on planet earth to other writing and developing the infrastructure of a new religious organization. This Spring, 2001 issue of the Journal will be the last issue of the Journal in which I will serve as editor. Our Associate Editor, Merlyn Cox, and the Editorial Committee, Bud Bromley, Judy Smith, Irene Sprunger, and Jack Williams have done an excellent job in maintaining the high quality of the Journal. I am deeply grateful for their invaluable help and inspiration.
The Journal, in my judgment, does have potentials to make significant contributions to the Urantia movement. I am happy to report that Larry Mullins has agreed to take over the editorship of the Journal and it will be published by Penumbra Press, which publishes materials for the Christ Michael Corps for Outreach in Boulder, Colorado. Larry is an accomplished speaker and writer, and a long time student of the Urantia Papers. He is author of: Jesus: God & Man, Immature People with Power: How to Handle Them, Get Real, and A History of the Urantia Papers. Larry is CEO of UltraSales, Inc., a nationally syndicated advertising and marketing business. The Spiritual Fellowship Journal, in my judgment, will be in excellent hands. Larry has asked me to write a column in the Journal under his editorship.
In addition to working on A Discussion Manual for the Urantia Papers and rewriting the Psalms, Sherilyn Henry and I are organizing a Research Board composed of subgroups to research and create resources that will be used in initiating the infrastructure for a new religious organization, The Spiritual Fellowship, based on the Fifth Epochal Revelation that will provide spiritual nourishment from birth to death. This will be in process for a number of years. We believe the time is right for this endeavor. The heart and underlying dynamic of The Spiritual Fellowship is the faith that all people of the world are beloved by God, and that each is a member of the loving family of God.