© 1999 Meredith Van Woert
© 1999 Urantia Association International (IUA)
| A Report on _The Urantia Book_ Internet School | Journal — December 1999 — Index | A Report on Young Readers |
Meredith Van Woert
California, United States
In the cover of each new Urantia Book there is a fact sheet that can be sent to Urantia Foundation, by post or email, for further information. An individual may request to be placed on our mailing list to receive news about the Foundation or its related companies. This person can also use the “permission box” to indicate that they would like to connect with other readers who live nearby.
As membership president of SURF (Southwest Urantia Book Readers’ Family) I receive copies of these information sheets from people who live in California. I am only sent the files of those who have given permission to contact them.
Cathy Jones, UAI Administrator, coordinates the outreach activity which involves all UAI groups around the world. California is just a small piece of the pie. The following summarizes my experience with propagation.
I received the first lists of records in November 1998. At that time, I was interested in telephone numbers and I began the propagation with cold calls. I had a few people on the line, I left a few messages, I got “not available” and no response. I took a few notes for each person showing the date the call was made, highlights of the conversation, or the date of the subsequent call if I got a busy signal the first time.
After several months Cathy sent me another list of readers, and I determined a better method of contacting people. I decided to send each person a handwritten note on a pretty card, followed by a phone call. My handwriting isn’t so great, but it’s readable, and more importantly, it adds a personal touch.
In the card I introduce myself and say that Urantia Foundation forwarded the information card to me because the permission box was checked. I say that the purpose of the note is to welcome the person into the growing family of Urantia Book readers. I then tell a few things about the study group I attend: that we get together once a week to read, that we read sequentially, that we notice it takes us about four and a half years to read the book through once, that we’re reading it for the third time, that this time we are reading very carefully in order to better comprehend the material. Finally I say at the end of the note that I will phone in a few days to say hello.
A week or so after mailing the cards I make phone calls. Most of the calls go through to the individual. Some lines are busy and I call again. Others have answering machines; if so, I leave a message and my phone number in case the person wishes to call me. Several people did not include a phone number, or I was unable to complete a call because the phone had been disconnected. Several were prisoners. I take a few notes regarding the conversation and note the date the call was made.
Over the months I have received several other lists of readers from Cathy, as well as the form “IUA Activities Quarterly Report,” which must be returned to her in a timely manner. To date I have sent her three reports for California covering November 1998 to August 1999. A total of 54 contacts were made during that time.
The results of the outreach are as follows:
I have received seven letters from individuals. There is a personal story contained in each one. And every conversation reveals the light and shade of a shared landscape we call The Urantia Book. IUA outreach is moving forward.
| A Report on _The Urantia Book_ Internet School | Journal — December 1999 — Index | A Report on Young Readers |