© 1997 The Fellowship for readers of The Urantia Book
Over 1,000 people came from the far corners of the globe for IC 96. The campus at Northern Arizona University was aglow for one week in August with creative expression, stimulating thought, wholesome worship and explorations in harmony. And, yes, there was great music and plenty of singing. In this issue of the Herald, we are publishing three of the four plenary presentations along with a presentation by a reader of The Urantia Book who lives in Vilnius, Lithuania. Throughout this magazine, you’ll see beautiful mandalas that were created for the Pattern series of workshops presented at IC 96. We have such limited space to share all that happened at IC 96. The best we can do is provide a glimpse of this rich experience.
¶ Opening Benediction
O Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me!
I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty,
Make my eyes
Ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
And my ears sharp to hear Your voice.
Make me wise
So that I may understand the things
You have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons
You have hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength,
Not to be greater than my brother,
But to fight my greatest enemy
— my selfishness.
Make me always ready to come to You
With clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
My spirit may come to You without shame.
Bless the wisdom of the Holy One above us;
Bless the truth of the Holy One beneath us:
Bless the love of the Holy One within us.