© 2015 Maurice Migneault, Alain Cyr, Guy Le Blanc, Guy Laurin, Yvon Belle-Isle
© 2015 Urantia Association from Quebec
¶ Word from the President
Maurice Migneault
AUQ President
urantiamaurice@gmail.com
What a wonderful adventure we had as hosts of this ninth triennial congress of Urantia Association International. More than two hundred participants gathered for this fraternal celebration.
The impact of such an event is difficult to quantify, but it is palpable. How many new bonds were formed during this meeting, how many friendships were born or strengthened during the many exchanges, how many prayers were shared, how much self-esteem was strengthened… All this new energy, this spiritual fragrance will now spread to bring a wind of creativity into our relationships.
If we had to do the experience again, surely there are things we would do differently, because many of us are climbers on the mountain of perfection. However, we should not judge ourselves too harshly and see our first scales as mistakes, but as indispensable experiences in our endless learning.
If the arrow deviates slightly from its direction, whose fault is it? Is it its point that cuts through the air, its body that provides synergy, its fletching that gives stability, its notch that ensures a good start, the arm that stretches the string to provide energy, the branches of the bow that hold it, the string that transmits it efficiently, the eye that aims to give direction, the brain that coordinates everything to achieve the final gesture of the release.
Through all these parameters, this TEAMWORK, how many are the possibilities of errors or conflicts? But it is through them that we will reach the goal. It is our small errors and frictions that turn into experiences and make us grow.
¶ Editor’s note
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¶ Urantia International Congress 2015
Alain Cyr
City of Lemoyne
Dear family,
If you were at this event, I suspect you enjoyed it greatly. I had the opportunity to be there and saw a lot of light shining from the participants. For all of you who were unable to attend, I offer you this short summary.
The plenary sessions resonated with the conference theme of Progressing from the Human to the Divine, with each speaker demonstrating how they let God enter their daily lives. The choice of workshops, conducted in English or French, was plentiful. For early risers who showed up at the amphitheater in the wee hours of the daily programming, the atmosphere was stoked with the inspiring music of Rebecca Oswald while the evening shows provided us with several singers such as Marc Belleau and his quartet, Bob Solone and his piano melodies as well as a wonderful group of singers from various backgrounds whose names escape me; not to mention a few improvised music sessions in one of the rooms at our disposal. Evening dancing and socializing were at our convenience at the campus bistro. And an opportunity to observe the stars was made possible on a warm evening with a light wind which revealed a clear sky where circumstances offered us the spectacle of a blue moon.
We were also privileged to share with several trustees of the Urantia Foundation and Mo Siegle gave us a positive and encouraging update on the status of the dissemination of The Urantia Book. And in the meantime, a silent auction was open to all and it seems that over $3000.\ was raised for this good cause… Thank you Marian for your initiative in this project.
Above all, and in my opinion, the value of the outcome of this experience is revealed in the way in which all were united in their willingness to act and move forward; to swim with the current instead of watching it pass by. And while it has been announced that the next UAI international conference will take place in three years in Holland, unified projects under the banners of UAI and the Fellowship are in gestation.
Here is some data regarding participation in our congress in Quebec:
We welcomed 225 people in total.
152 men (67.5%), 73 women (32.4%) (including 15 women from Quebec).
In addition, there were 9 children (2 to 12 years old). A daycare service was available for the youngsters.
People from 19 countries came to the conference: United States: 106 (47%), Canada: 82 (36%) (including 11 from English Canada), Holland: 7, France: 6, England: 4, Belgium: 3, Colombia: 2, Mexico: 2, Switzerland: 2, Ukraine: 2, Germany: 1, Congo: 1, Estonia: 1, Finland: 1, Greece: 1, Haiti: 1, Peru: 1, Senegal: 1, Sweden: 1.
On the subjective side, I can only say that this event for me was a bath in an immense study group which allowed me to reconnect with old friends, to fraternize with people with whom I corresponded, but never saw in person, to meet people from all over Urantia who came to share our common ideal and especially, to learn a little more to love on the path of light and life.
Brotherly affection.
¶ My testimony on the 2015 international congress
Guy Le Blanc
Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly
Hello everyone,
The 2015 International Congress in Sherbrooke was exceptional. It was a fraternal meeting and sharing in a wonderful place. I would have liked to attend all the workshops and forget about time. The sharing that I experienced with my brothers and sisters awakens us and makes me realize that this is how we should live in everyday life. I noticed that we all have our little life story that revolves around spirituality and that is what really makes us grow. As Baudelaire said, “Apart from spirituality there is nothing interesting.”
Listening was the main attraction, and the workshops open us up to a sharing of work and invite us to serve in all moments of our lives. The meetings, discussions and fraternity in moments of relaxation, whether outside or in the cafeteria, are unforgettable, and this gives us the taste to travel and meet people from everywhere and exchange discussions in all areas.
A big thank you to all the organizers of this brilliant international meeting, especially Gaétan, Line, Maurice, and all the others.
WELL DONE, it’s a great success.
“In the absence of wrong teaching, the mind of the normal child moves positively, in the emergence of religious consciousness, toward moral righteousness and social ministry, rather than negatively, away from sin and guilt.” (UB 103:2.6)
¶ Michael’s Party at Beaver Lake in Montreal on August 23, 2015
Maurice Migneault
AUQ President
urantiamaurice@gmail.com
On August 23rd, the annual picnic in honor of Michael’s Day was held in Montreal. Thirty-seven people attended. The weather was beautiful and the location was perfect on Mount Royal near Beaver Lake. What a wonderful time of rejoicing it was, but not only for us…
Yes, we are a human family, and we need these precious moments of fellowship to remain united. But we are also a spiritual family, and the celestial beings who accompany us also need, like us, opportunities to meet, and this is what we offer them through these kinds of meetings.
So, a big thank you to Bertin Perron and Julien Audet for once again taking on the organization of this event. Thanks also to the musicians, singers and composers for their enthusiasm and creativity. And also, a very special thank you to Françoise Cadieux and her friend Diane who baked us a delicious birthday cake. It was the bread of our communion.
See you next summer, and I hope there will be even more of us there.
¶ My impressions of the Urantia conference
Guy Laurin
St-Roch-de-L’Achigan
First of all, I would like to thank Line and Gaëtan and all those who participated in the organization and realization of the Urantia International Congress as well as all the participants who attended it, on the theme of Progressing from the Human to the Divine, which was held at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville.
Of course, to progress from the human to the divine, we must start from childhood, and it is not always easy these days to raise children and for young parents there is no manual, it is by experimenting, the important thing for parents who have acquired a little wisdom and understanding is to love them, give them good value, respect, sharing, discipline, be present as best we can, encourage them, give them confidence in who they are. They will be better prepared to face life when they grow up.
I really enjoyed and appreciated the sharing of the participants who spoke about their life journey, how they came to know God and the Urantia Book through their lives, and how no matter the situations in our lives, the adjuster tries to guide us towards better things, towards the essence of our life and our being, to bring us to know his love, his goodness.
By discovering God we remain the same people we were before, but with a better understanding of who we are and of the future, this is what makes us want to transmit to our fellow men what we have discovered, and bring the fruits of the spirit into our lives, peace, love, patience, tolerance, understanding, kindness, he who has found God has found everything.
I was able to see a common goal at this congress, the search and revelation of the Universal Father in a diversity of personality expressed differently, and also a friendly brotherhood.
I attended some workshops, on worship, spiritual life and daily reality, service as a tool for growth, the soul our future identity.
For worship we have come to see that it is a way of giving thanks to God for all that he has given us, for what he is and establishing a restful contact with him, it is a way of recognizing his love, his goodness in a spontaneous gesture, which differs from prayer which is a request for us or for others.
As for the workshop on daily reality and spirituality, we looked at how we can better solve the problems of daily human or divine life and we came to see that the best way is to connect with God and spiritualize our thinking, ask Him to give us the strength, wisdom and understanding to solve the problems that arise in our life, and also by spiritualizing our thinking the material things or the problems that we had before will have less importance, we will de-dramatize the things that before appeared to us as a mountain… we must not forget, it is often our problems that led us to God, everything good or bad is there to make us progress.
For the workshop, the growth tool service, we shared on the different services, such as volunteering, helping others in difficulty, and also giving according to the need and the ability to understand individuals, Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, Jesus did good in passing, but to serve our fellow men it must be a selfless service, otherwise, if we expect something in return that can be praiseworthy we can be disappointed, but if we expect nothing and we do it without expectation, well our reward is there to do good without expectation… because we do it for God.
For the soul, our future identity, we looked at how we can create it, it is the connection of our material thought that seeks God and the inner adjuster that reveals God, the material thought is the mother and the inner adjuster is the father of this new reality which is the soul, the soul to grow needs truth, beauty and goodness, just as the body needs material food and the intellect feeds on meanings, the relationship of the three brings us to the whole of reality and a balance.
It is certain that the scientific mind seeks a way to prove the existence of the soul or of God and it is quite normal that science seeks facts.
But for those who have experienced the reality of God in their soul, it is a certainty, for others it is an exercise of faith, because God and the soul cannot be proven scientifically, but that does not prevent us from finding Him in our soul. We can see His physical face throughout the universe.
It was a pleasure to attend this congress and I wish you all to take care of your three bodies…
In all friendship
“Until you attain Paradise levels, goodness will always be more of a quest than a possession, more of a goal than an experience of attainment.” (UB 132:2.8)
¶ My impressions of the 2015 UAI Congress
Yvon Belle-Isle
Hawkesbury, ON
Hello to all of you, readers of Réflectivité.
First of all, I would like to congratulate and thank Gaétan Charland and Line St Pierre for their great dedication to the organization, the good execution and especially for the excellent success of this international congress. Congratulations also to all the members of the organizing committee, who also worked very hard to ensure that their area of responsibility was a success. It was a colossal team effort to put this entire event together and to ensure that everything went well, so that the congress participants could have an enriching experience. May God bless your souls!
What I remember from the congress is an experience of sharing, friendship and solidarity of a large family, walking in an experience of fraternal life.
I was able to experience a universal brotherhood, and see that we are all children of God, each having a unique relationship with his or her inner God.
Brotherly love has no boundaries or limits. I realized that there is a great diversity of personalities, character, languages and nationalities, but it is the same God who operates in each one. What a beautiful unity of spirit and love of God that was present in all the congress participants.
As a volunteer at the reception and registration desk, I was able to meet and chat with many visitors. Irene (my wife), myself, and several other volunteers had the privilege of being at their service and ensuring that their stay was as enriching and enjoyable as possible, following their varied needs and requests.
The closer I come to my Adjuster God, the more I recognize His greatness, His international, even cosmic scope, and the more I can appreciate His Person as service, the expression of love. God gives Himself entirely to us, and He wants us to imitate Him. He was the first to serve us, so let us serve as He does.
Love is not love until it is given!
To love is to serve… with pleasure… (It’s always more fun!).
¶ STUDY GROUPS
THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWS MULTIPLE READERS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING to share and study together the teachings of The Urantia Book. It promotes spiritual progress by allowing its participants to find practical applications to the teachings of The Urantia Book in their daily lives. This important practice helps to maintain a broad perspective on 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.
Outaouais Group
Gatineau Region
Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maurice Migneault:
(613) 789-6833
Group : “Sans Frontière”
Hawkesbury Region
Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Yvon and Irene Belle-Isle: (613) 632-5706
Group : “Laurantia”
Petite Nation region in Outaouais
Sundays from 9:00 a.m.
Denise Charron & Jean-Claude Lafrenière Tel: (819) 983-2113
Group: “Découverte”
Laurentides Region
Mondays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: (450) 565-3323
Group : “Étoile du Soir”
Laurentides Region
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Carmen Charland: (450) 553-3601
Group : “Vers les Sommets”
Ormstown & Valleyfield Regions
Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Louise Sauvé: (450) 829-3631
Group: “Fraternité-Urantia”
Lanaudière region
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Richard Landry & Gisèle Boisjoly Tel: (450) 589-6922
Group: “The United Family of Urantia”
Montreal Region
Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Ms. Diane Labrecque: (514) 277-2308
Group : “Le Pont”
Montreal South Shore Region
Thursdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Guy Vachon: (450) 465-7049
Group: “At Maisonia”
Quebec Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud:
(418) 871-4564
Group: “The Ascendants”
Quebec South Shore Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Guy Le Blanc: (418) 886-2366
Sherbrooke Group
Sherbrooke Region
Every 2 weeks: Tuesdays or Wednesdays (to be confirmed) from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Hélène Boisvenue and Denis Gravelle Tel.: (819) 569-6416
Group: “Readers of Mauricie”
Trois-Rivières Region
Mondays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Madeleine Boisvert: (819) 376-8850
Roger Périgny: (819) 379-5768
Group : “Les Débonnaires”
Terrebonne Region
Every 2 weeks: Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Julien Audet: (514) 315-9871
Group: “The Agondontarians”
Quebec Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 13 h 00 to 4:00 p.m.
Guy & Rolande L. Martin: (418) 651-3851
¶ Réflectivité
Responsible: Normand Laperle (418) 835-1809
Assisted by: Gilles Bertrand. (418) 871-4564
Publication (monthly)
In the first week of the month.
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reflectivite.auq@gmail.com
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