© 2011 Gaétan G. Charland, Normand Laperle, Guy Laporte, Diane Labrecque, Maurice Migneault, Johanne Séguin, Guy Le Blanc, Line St-Pierre, Jean-Claude Lafrenière
© 2011 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Hello dear readers
IT WILL BE MORE THAN A MONTH since the UAI Leadership Symposium was held in Chicago. It took more than two years of preparation by a group of readers from many parts of the world to organize this historic event. According to those who attended, it was a great success and most of the goals set by the organizing group were achieved.
For those who came from over 25 countries and had never visited Urantia Foundation, it was an unforgettable moment. Everything had been done to make them feel welcome at 533. All of the Foundation’s trustees were present during these two organized visits and were able to talk with many of the visitors. A multitude of souvenir photos were taken and will surely be shared with readers who could not attend this event.
As for the Symposium itself, it was a very full program that guided the participants for more than three days to attend numerous plenary sessions and participate in several workshops. A new formula to promote group dynamics was used throughout the duration of the Symposium, which meant that each participant being part of a specific group allowed several to develop new friendships and to delve much deeper into the questions chosen during the workshops. Another goal of this way of doing things was to promote the emergence of leadership qualities.
The main purpose of the Symposium was to provide an overview of the history, origin and destiny of The Urantia Book, its mission and the movement that supports it. Throughout the Symposium, a more specific emphasis was placed on certain essential elements of the mission, such as study groups, in addition to giving more concrete direction to the spiritual aspect of our personal journey, in order to become better ambassadors of the revelation.
No event of this kind would be complete without the dimension of relaxation and contemplation. The participants were treated to a piano, violin and voice recital of impressive and spiritually inspiring quality. The morning of the fourth and final day was devoted to spiritual contemplation and the closing speech as well as to expressions of gratitude to the many people who had worked to organize the event.
This was a new experience for UAI and a clear departure from the old way of organizing international conferences. In the future, the members of the International Service Board hope to give a new approach to the organization of conferences and we hope that they will be much more oriented towards the spiritual nature of our mission in promoting study groups while fostering the emergence of leaders and teachers.
Happy reading!
Gaetan G. Charland
President of AUQ
¶ The Human Experience
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE AN AMAZING activity, invite amazing people, no matter what the activity.
In Chicago, it wasn’t the speeches that made the event, it was the people who made the speeches, the people you met on a morning walk, the people you met at a dinner table, the people you met in a church pew waiting for the Saturday night show. People you meet are what nourish the soul. Those you call extraordinary are, in the end, ordinary people, but their potential shines through.
It is impossible to tell everything here, being limited by the space of the text. I had the impression of finding myself with the apostles of Jesus’ time. All we heard was: "This is what we do at home to promote this revelation. The art of being, becoming and doing.
I still think of the young Chinese woman (the only one from her country) with whom I spoke in a corner of the corridor during a break and who was recounting her experiences in China. I think of this Brazilian who tried to explain, by all possible means to make himself understood in broken English, the experiences they live there with their study groups. I also think of these young people of barely 20 years old, with whom I spoke, and who asked in their own way how to do to achieve more. I also think of the musicians who managed to “touch our souls” during their presentation on Saturday evening. Music is a language…
Contact with others challenges us at the same time as it allows us to fulfill ourselves. Oriented in the direction of this new revelation, it can only give good results. Thank you to the organizers for having been able to create enriching circumstances at all levels, while setting the tone for the future commitments of the Urantia Association.
Normand Laperle
Levis, Quebec
¶ I was at the Symposium in Chicago
FROM JULY 13 TO 17, 2011, a Leadership Symposium was held in Chicago, organized by the UAI.
It was a major training event for the leaders of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. Nearly 160 guests from 25 countries around the world were present. That is to say how important the event was. I was curious and very happy to have the privilege of attending this historic event for the future of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. I was not going to be disappointed.
I made the Montreal/Chicago trip in good company with two other loyal UB readers, namely Maurice Migneault, secretary of the AUQ, and Robert Ezri from the same reading group as me. The spirit of fraternity was thus part of the trip from the start. The Quebec participation amounted to a total of 9 representatives. The Techny Towers Conference & Retreat Center located in the northern suburbs of Chicago was the chosen venue to host this event.
What was I going to do at this UAI Symposium? The program concocted by the leaders promised to answer my question. Indeed, the program touched on three important aspects to know in order to be synchronous with the UB’s dissemination mission. Namely, firstly - The Origin, History and Destiny of the Revelation -, secondly - True Leadership, the Art of Self-Mastery -, and finally - Leadership Models, Groups and Organizations -.
The questions that led me to discover the UB more than forty years ago were very simple, yet fundamental. Who am I? Where do I come from? And where am I going? It is with a similar perspective that the Symposium was organized.
The first day allowed us to better understand the context surrounding the origin of this wonderful Urantia book. Its long gestation (from 1912 to 1942) demonstrates the infinite precaution that the revelators took to choose the recipients of the truths contained in this Fifth Epochal Revelation. In the evening, a guided tour of the Urantia Foundation located in Dr. Sadler’s own home was of a nature to better understand the context in which the origin of the revelation was bathed. During this visit, the key figures involved in the foundation were introduced to us. Transparency was what struck me the most during this visit.
The 196 papers of this revelation require that its integrity be protected for future generations. Then, such a treasure of truth requires to be known. Protection and dissemination are the responsibilities attached to this precious document that is THE URANTIA BOOK. These responsibilities are the major items of what is called the mandate accompanying this precious document given by the revelators. To live up to the responsibilities defined by protection and especially dissemination, the revelators invite us to promote the emergence of teachers and leaders through the proliferation of UB study groups, all over the world. The life of Jesus related in the fourth part of the UB, must remain our main source of inspiration. Also, the program of the second day was dedicated to the attributes leading to self-mastery. This is ultimately the main weapon required by dissemination. Being contagious by example is the secret of the true leader.
To complete the exercise, the organizers of the symposium had a very important objective to achieve which consisted of mobilizing all the energies dedicated to the dissemination to work in the same direction. Well, this communion of souls, despite the obstacle of different languages and cultures, was achieved. The call for the unity of efforts was heard, understood and accepted. The alignment of forces, a primordial step in the progress of the enterprise of disseminating the fifth revelation, is a great success. Mission accomplished. Don’t they say that you judge a tree by its fruits? Well, a glance at the NET shows that the numerous exchanges between the participants in the symposium are guarantees of a promising future.
I remain grateful to the organizers of this historic event that required more than two years of constant effort. Finally, thank you to the initiator of this event, Gaétan Charland, President of the UAI, and his spouse Line St-Pierre. This is a great example of leadership.
Guy Laporte
Vice President AUQ
¶ Family Spirit Leadership Symposium
INDEED! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED in Chicago from July 13-17, 2011 with Urantia Association International (UIA) whose mission is to uphold and implement the mandate of the revelators of The Urantia Book and, therefore, focuses its efforts on establishing and developing study groups throughout the world as well as training teachers of the 5th Epochal Revelation to Humanity.
It was in this academic framework that the 1st Leadership Symposium took place, attracting, among others, the participation of readers of the Urantia Book coming from the Foundation, the Association, the Fellowship and the United Urantia Family.
I was happily surprised to hear on several occasions people exclaim with joy that they felt a great Family Spirit among the group, and I must confirm with great joy that this was the case throughout the Symposium. All those present could feel a spirit of harmony among the participants and consequently, it was a total success both at the level of the international representatives from more than 24 countries who attended as well as at the level of the program which took place in a most professional setting.
There were 9 representatives from Quebec, namely Line St-Pierre and Gaétan Charland, the person in charge of the event, in addition to Maurice Migneault, Robert Ezri, Johanne Séguin, Guy Laporte, Normand Laperle, Guy Leblanc and myself Diane Labrecque. Whether it is our immediate family (husband, wife and children), our biological family (parents, brothers and sisters) or our spiritual family (readers of the Urantia Book gathered and the great human fraternity), we are all part of the Family of God and just as the Father, the Son and the Spirit are united to work together in the Spirit of Divine Harmony, we must also accept, respect and work each in our fields in a united way for the greater good of all and for the Glory of God.
Well done to all the organizers!
Mission accomplished.
Diane Labrecque
Responsible for The
Urantia United Family
¶ Impressions from the AUla Chicago Leadership Symposium July 13-17, 2011
“The human personality is not merely a concomitant of time-and-space events; the human personality can also act as the cosmic cause of such events.” (UB 12:5.11)
THERE WERE, IN MY OPINION, FOUR IMPORTANT POINTS OF INTEREST AT THIS MEETING:
- As in any trip, the experience of a change of scenery and novelty.
- Meeting new readers, and those we already know. This is what makes these meetings more and more interesting from one time to the next.
- A visit to the historic Urantia Foundation Headquarters at 533 W. Diversey Parkway in Chicago. While not a place of veneration, it is still impressive to be in the place where The Urantia Book was born.
- The reunion in love and cooperation of the three pillar organizations: The Fellowship, UAI, and Urantia Foundation.
But a communion of personalities of this kind only makes sense through the fruits it generates. To do this, we must ensure a follow-up to these human contacts; as the fox said to Saint Exupéry’s Little Prince: “You become forever responsible for what you have tamed”, this is what makes us grow. Whether it is a simple picnic, a thematic meeting or an international conference, this principle remains, so that the sharing of our ideas and our cultures generates lasting relationships.
Maurice Migneault
Consistency in commitment
¶ Symposium in Chicago
A VERY PLEASANT TRIP, especially since I hadn’t flown for thirty years, I was as excited as a child!
Five intense days of conferences, teamwork workshops in a sea of people from all over the world. It is difficult to realize at the time, the impact that this can have. I disappointed more than one by answering their spontaneous question; and do you like it?? I was unable to say. In fact, I realized the impact especially when I saw the photos on the International Association website and I received a hundred emails from participants who wrote to form a group on Google.
You have to go to Chicago at least once to sit in the room that served as the Forum for the revelation. Nothing magical happens there, but it is a brief moment where one can more easily imagine what these people experienced. Dr. Sadler’s house is magnificent and still serves his cause well; the Urantia Foundation.
Surprisingly, but rightly so, that week allowed me to bond more closely with my French-speaking brothers who had made the trip and I was able to know them better and love them even more. I also got to know other French-speaking people who came from France, Belgium and Senegal.
It is still great to hear people from all over the world tell of their efforts to make the revelation known. It stimulates our own desire to do more and the desire to serve more. The Urantia Book is very clear on this; it is not in your living room listening to the goose that lays the golden eggs that you will want to serve, but in the company of your fellow men who will inspire you through edification and spiritual emulation.
Many thanks to my friend Gaétan Charland who allowed me to experience this pivotal stage in my spiritual development.
In contact with brotherhood, we want to be great and good… in the spiritual sense!!
Johanne Seguin
St-Adolphe d’Howard
¶ What a trip!
WHAT A TRIP, WHERE I met many brothers and sisters from all over the planet!
I had a wonderful time of sharing. The speakers shared with me and others a balm of spirituality that makes me think again. The round tables were most enriching for me. The depth of the contacts between us had no boundaries. It passed quickly, too quickly, but what a spiritual SHARING.
Thank you so much,
I love you all.
Guy Le Blanc
St. Anthony of Tilly
¶ A party in the rain
A MEETING UNDER A MAKESHUTTLE took place on Sunday, August 21 at Angrignon Park in Ville La Salle in honor of the 2017th birthday of Michael, our Creator son.
Very early in the morning, Alain, Pierre and Maurice built a shelter in the trees and held it up with paint handles. By 10am, the participants had arrived and we met about thirty good people happy to see each other and socialise. Three new faces not known to readers showed up on this occasion.
Everyone’s meal was shared with all. A large buffet washed down with juice, wine and lots of rainwater! Together we made a toast to Michael and at the end of the meal a magnificent and delicious cake decorated with concentric circles was tasted.
Gilles Lapierre led the choir to sing the tune “Gens du pays” with the words:
Dear Michael, it’s your turn to let yourself talk about love.
It goes without saying that Quebec readers do not fail to celebrate on this occasion, regardless of the temperature.
See you next year!
Line St-Pierre
Communications Committee
¶ Study and Reading Groups
IT WAS AFTER TWO complete READINGS of The Urantia Book that I had the opportunity to visit a group.
I admit that I didn’t find anything very exciting about it then, because this reading of any booklet didn’t necessarily appeal to me. And I said to myself, I am capable of reading this by myself; I don’t have to attend this group, I am disciplined enough to do it alone. And so, after a third reading alone, I had the opportunity to have in my hands a sheet explaining the purpose of studying the book in a group. There, I understood that exchanging points of view with others is essential to broaden one’s own interpretation and understanding of the content of the text and also to avoid the fanaticism of a reading that is too narrow to ourselves.
Shortly after, I was led to create a group. Obviously, the problem experienced previously worried me greatly with regard to those who would eventually join us. So we decided to give a very flexible orientation and very open to their needs. For example, if they prefer to read at their own pace at home, OK and we then comment on it each according to our ability. If they ask us to help them advance each session by a few pages, together, OK and we try to answer their questions, etc.
In fact, the first two people to join us, my co-founder and I, were the leaders of a group that had recently moved and had no readers in their new area.
What a blessing! Their highly specialized encyclopedic knowledge of the book is a great help to us. I stick to my founding formula; about twenty minutes allocated to each participant which takes us where they want to go. So the meeting is a success, because everyone is responsible for making it interesting.
P.S. Something extraordinary is happening to us, a group from a remote region is planning to visit us shortly during one of our Sunday morning sessions. We are excited to see this approach spread across the province. In this way, we would break a certain isolation, each in our own corner, supporting and encouraging each other, to fraternize. Isn’t that great!
For our part, we are already planning a visit to a group on the occasion of a trip to their region. Do the same!
Jean-Claude Lafrenière
St-André Avellin
¶ Activities 2011
Thematic
“The social heritage carried by women”
Sunday October 16
Comfort Inn Hotel, St-Jérôme
We will welcome you from 9:30 a.m. and start the day at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
There will be round table discussions in the afternoon.
Cost of 10$
Welcome to all
Holiday Brunch
Sunday December 4th
The place to come
¶ STUDY GROUPS
THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWS MULTIPLE READERS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING TO SHARE AND STUDY THE TEACHINGS OF THE URANTIA BOOK TOGETHER. IT PROMOTES SPIRITUAL PROGRESS BY ENABLING PARTICIPANTS TO FIND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE TEACHINGS OF THE URANTIA BOOK IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. THIS IMPORTANT PRACTICE MAINTAINS A BROADER VIEW OF CONCEPTS OF TRUTH.
You wish to participate or form a study group; we will be happy to assist you. If you wish to have your study group appear in this list, contact the person in charge, via email association.urantia.quebec@gmail.com or at 450-565-3323.
Group: Découverte
Every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Laurentians Region Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: 450-565-3323
Group: Étoile du Soir
Every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Laurentides region
Carmen Charland
Tel.: 450-553-3601
Group: Le Pont
Every Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
South Shore of Montreal
Guy Vachon
Tel.: 450-465-7049
Group: Mauricie Readers
Every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Three Rivers Region
Madeleine Boisvert and
Tel: 819-376-8850
Roger Perigny
819-379-5768
Group: Veritas
Every Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Montreal area, near the Church metro station
Lise and Pierre Routhier
Tel.: 514-761-2378
Sherbrooke Group
Every two weeks, Tuesday or Wednesday (to be confirmed)
From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Helene Boisvenue or Denis Gravelle
Tel.: 819 569-6416
Group: The Ascendants
Every two weeks on Sunday from 13 h 00 to 3:30 p.m.
South Shore of Quebec
Guy LeBlanc
Tel: 418-835-1809
Group: The Agondontarians
Every two weeks on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. North Shore of Quebec
Guy & Rolande L. Martin
Tel: 418-651-3851
Group: Les Débonnaires
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Julien Audet
Tel: 514-315-9871
Group: Urantia Fraternity
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Lanaudière region
Richard Landry & Gisèle Boisjoly
Tel: 450-589-6922
Group: Vers les Sommets
Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Regions Ormstown & Valleyfield
Louise Sauve
Tel: 450-829-3631
Group: The United Urantia Family
Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Mrs. Diane Labrecque
Tel: 514-277-2308
The Partners of the Supreme
Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Richard Lachance
Tel: (418) 614-2520 or (418) 933-0244 (cell)
At Maisonia
Every two weeks on Monday from 7:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud
Tel: 418-871-4564
Group: Uni-Terre
Every Sunday from 9:00 a.m.
Lanaudière region
Eric Martel
Tel: 450-756-9387
Group: Laurantia
Every Sunday from 9:00 a.m.
Petite Nation region in Outaouais
Denise Charron & Jean-Claude Lafreniere
Tel: 819-983-2113
Disclaimer: Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions or artistic representations, stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Urantia Association International or local and national level associations.