© 2010 Avi Dogim, Meredith J. Sprunger, Peter Laurence
© 2010 The Urantia Book Fellowship
¶ The Revelation in Action: Act Globally, Grow Cosmically
Nestled in the beauty of the mountains and nurtured by music, inspiration and education, IC 11 is being carefully and lovingly designed by a team of dedicated Urantians to immerse you in an energy that will recharge your spiritual batteries and make you float. Did you attend the last IC in Los Angles? Enough said!
Tom and Fred will be taking the Truthseekers on a Quest and they’ll return to us on Sunday morning to present an all-youth plenary. We’ll enjoy young musicians, speakers, and hope in our growing youth.
This centrally located chapel is where all meditation and healing practices will occur. To offer your services of yoga, massage, Reiki and other healing practices, please contact Susan Cook at solonia@juno.com.
We’ve created all-inclusive packages for everyone’s budget, from $440 per person for a shared dorm room w/shared bath to $850 for a totally private hotel room. Packages include all registration fees, rooms, meals, the banquet, and even parking.
Hotel space is incredibly limited and is based on a first come, first served basis. When the hotel is sold out, there are plenty of dorm rooms. You must register to book a hotel room. Registration will begin the end of September and is available via the IC11.org website which will have all information regarding the conference and on our Fellowship website.
¶ IC11 Conference
Guidance for Workshop Facilitators, Presenters and Forum Moderators
Every workshop, presentation and forum is unique and reflective of the techniques and methods of the facilitator. The programming committee encourages all to creatively structure their workshop, presentation or forums as they are spiritually led to do so.
- Workshops: We do wish to express some of the ideals we find in the conduct of workshops. We ask facilitators to creatively develop workshops that strive to embody some of these ideals. Here are some suggestions we find to be true of service workshops:
- Workshops should minister to the needs of people attending. Facilitators are encouraged to use techniques and devices that allow the attendees to express what they desire to know about service and serving others and then help find some of the answers to these needs.
- Workshops should explore the teachings of The Urantia Book as it relates to Action and/or Cosmic Growth.
- Workshops should include the spiritual aspect of growth and action–can you explore the ways we serve in partnership with God, Michael and our Mother?
- Workshops should teach! Help your brothers and sisters find ways in which they are already acting and growing–make it about them.
- Ideal workshops are participatory–they encourage attendees to participate in the study of the subject.
- The purpose of workshops is to take advantage of group wisdom. Attendees offer a great resource– collective insight.
- Workshops should draw on the lessons of growth and action as found in The Urantia Book.
- Workshops should be exploratory–they should be devoted to a study of some aspect of service.
- The workshop facilitator is the conductor of the group’s exploration of the topic.
- Workshop facilitators should encourage the learning process of the group by asking stimulating questions.
- Workshops benefit greatly from the use of personal experience to illuminate the depth and meaning of growth and action.
- Workshops should have clear objectives and goals.
- Workshops can be broken down into smaller break out groups depending on the size of the workshop
- All types of audio visual aids are available to enhance the presentation however you MUST have your own laptop.
- We encourage workshop facilitators to develop mechanisms to capture the momentum and enthusiasm– find ways of transforming the experiences of the workshops into practical service opportunities.
- Presentations Presentations differ from workshops because they are not participatory. They involve spoken dialogue that should last not much longer than 45-50 minutes. Here are a few recommendations for presentations:
- Presentations should rely on personal experience to illuminate the topic being discussed.
- Presentations should have clear objectives and purposes.
- Presentations should cover the spiritual aspects of growth and action by sharing with your brothers and sisters an understanding of how action and growth are done in partnership with God.
- Presentation will be helpful to attendees by illuminating how others can become involved in service activities.
- Presenters should help attendees discover the “Revelation in Action.”
- Presentations ideally function better when they are spoken extemporaneously rather than being a reading of a written speech.
- Because the timeslots are approximately 75 minutes we would encourage presenters to allow for a period of question and answers. Encourage participation after the presentation has been made.
- Forums Forums involve an open, public discussion on a particular topic. They are intended to explore a subject through honest discussion and friendly debate through the guidance of a forum moderator.
- Choose a topic, or several topics that have depth and potential for exploration.
- Moderators should try to discern the needs and questions of the group and find ways to answer those needs and questions.
- The moderator should have a good understanding of the subject matter and have the ability to examine all sides of the issue.
- Moderators should have the ability to coordinate and bring together the discussion so that the discussion stays focused and responds to the various sides of the issue.
- Some examples of Forum discussion are:
- What does it mean for the Fellowship to be an action-oriented organization?
- What more can we do?
- How is the Revelation in Action defined or recognized?
- How does growth occur in the cosmos?
¶ Calling All Artists!
IC ’11 Art Gallery and Urantia Artists Celebration
The IC ’11 Art Gallery Committee is preparing a special celebration of Urantia Artists. The Urantia Artists’ Gallery will feature fine artists of all mediums including: jewelry, painting, sculpture, photography, collage, fabric arts, installations, and more!
IC11 will feature a Gala Gallery Opening, a Salon Night. We will be featuring the spiritual fine arts of drama, music, comedy, dance, poetry reading and performance art. During the conference many workshops and seminars will be given by artists who want to teach the spiritual and soul arts.
Worship Thru the Arts classes may be: mandalas, chanting, Sufi dancing, guided meditation, soul art, and poetry & lyrics.
¶ Holy Smoke! Impromptu Pajama Party at Techny Towers
By Daniel Love Glazer
Have Urantia Book readers become complacent about the Fifth Epochal Revelation? Do we need a wake-up call to stimulate us to spread the Good News? The 120 readers attending The Urantia Book Fellowship’s Summer Study Session at the Techny Towers Conference Center in Northbrook, Illinois, got an emphatic wake-up call at 3:00 AM on Sunday, July 25, the last day of the conference. That’s when the fire alarm at Techny Towers went off with a shriek that could raise the dead, though not loudly enough to rouse Lila Dogim or Julie O’Connor, who communed sleepfully with their Thought Adjusters throughout the episode.
The other attendees went outside in their night clothes, where they proceeded to go door-to-door, spreading the Good News about God and giving away Urantia Books—just kidding! (Although Urantia Books were later given to two of the firemen who expressed interest in them.) The major activity of these sleeping survivors was playing frisbee, though a few proselytized the firefighters who came to the scene, where they concluded that there was no fire.
The Summer Study Session, which took place from July 22-25, had the theme, “God Consciousness and Cosmic Morality: Living the Teachings.” Some attended a pre-conference spiritual retreat led by Gard Jameson and Bobbie Dreier, that focused on the four faith attitudes: being poor in spirit, hungering after righteousness, enduring meekness, and being pure in heart. The conference itself (See http://www.urantia-education.org/2010-Conference.php) featured daily plenary sessions and numerous workshops related to the conference theme, along with a number of worship opportunities and evening socializing and music-making. The superb plenary presentations were made by Andre Radatus, Seth Wood, and Fellowship President Michelle Klimesh. Following are the workshop titles and presenters:
Cosmic Citizenship: The Role of Education in the Development of God-Consciousness and Cosmic Morality (Urantia University)- Steve Dreier; Fostering the Progressive Growth of Human Society & Civilization: The Unceasing Campaign of the Master Seraphim - Neal Waldrop; Leaving a Spiritual Footprint - Bill and Share Beasley; Soul: The Birth Place of Morality and Where the Gospel Grows - Tony Finstad; Achieving Supernal Goals - Angela Thurston; The Ascender’s Emulation of Divine Goodness - David Glass; First Among Equals: Challenges and Responsibilities Confronting U. S. Readers of The Urantia Book - Neal Waldrop; How the Law of Attraction Can Contribute to the Evolution of the Supreme - John Lambo; Guardian Angels - Katharina Becker & Charles Olivea; Cosmic Morality and Cosmic Mind; Barbara Newsom; Self-mastery: Jesus’ Unconventional Approach; Vicki Arkens; An Inquiry into True Worship: Bridging God Consiousness to Cosmic Morality; Bob Debold; Cosmic Morality – Why Bother? - Avi Dogim; Cosmic Morality & Business - Dan Amyx
A highlight of the closing day was the presentation of the David Zebedee Award to Norman Ingram. Norman participated by Skype from California, and was later given the actual framed award by Robert Burns at a Jesus birthday celebration. (See below)
Worship had a prominent place in the conference, with meditations twice a day in Techny Towers beautiful Africa Chapel and a gathering for spiritual communion before each plenary address. The meditations typically used the process of Divine Listening, modeled on the medieval monastic practice Lectio Divina. The high value of spiritual communion was emphasized by not allowing latecomers to enter the room.
Another conference feature was the feedback sessions. Here a representative from each workshop gave a threeto-five minute report on the workshop to the entire group. At the end of the Summer Study Session, a meeting of the Fellowship General Council was held.
The setting for the Summer Study Session was Techny Towers, built in the early twentieth century as a seminary for the (Catholic) Society of the Divine Word. It is now an ecumenical conference center. The site won general approval from the conference attendees. It offered the advantage of housing all conference activities—plenary sessions, workshops, sleeping quarters, cafeteria, chapels, social rooms, under one roof. The cafeteria food won praise, and the site was judged so satisfactory that reservations have already been made at Techny Towers for Summer Study Session 2012.
¶ An Award For Service
Norman Ingram is the first recipient of the David Zebedee Award ever given by The Urantia Book Fellowship, in recognition of his devoted service in disseminating the revelation. Norman has spent many years traveling the globe, placing Urantia Books wherever he could find willing recipients, and he did this as his own personal contribution to the spread of the teachings.
The David Zebedee Award was first conceived during the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne in December 2009. A gathering of Urantia Book readers were asked the question “Who is your favorite apostle?” Steve Rohrbach said that his wasn’t an apostle, but David Zebedee, because he did support work behind the scenes without the accolade of being one of the apostles.
That seemed an appropriate title for this service award, especially considering what David Zebedee said to Jesus:
Go forth to your work, Master. Don’t let the bigots catch you, and never doubt that the messengers will follow after you. My men will never lose contact with you, and through them you shall know of the kingdom in other parts, and by them we will all know about you. Nothing that might happen to me will interfere with this service, for I have appointed first and second leaders, even a third. I am neither a teacher nor a preacher, but it is in my heart to do this, and none can stop me. [UB 154:5.3]
¶ Happy Birthday, Jesus
First Society, Chicago
Pueblo, Colorado Study Group
Golden Gate Circle
Grand Canyon Society
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Rocky Mountain Spiritual Fellowship
Los Angeles Society
North Texas Urantia Society
Heart of America, Kansas City
Heart of the Mountains
Lovely young Agondonters from the San Francisco Penisula Study Group
Oklahoma Society
¶ Truthseekers IC11
Once again it is time for the Truthseekers community, both new and old to venture out into a new experience amongst the wild Rocky Mountains of Utah. We have a PERFECT outing that has been years in the making. Fred and I have been researching and exploring the Rockies in Utah to find that special place where we can grow in character as individuals and bond more closely as a community. At the same time our objective was to rock and roll with challenging and exhilarating experiences sure to charge the present, change the future, and memorialize the past.
IC 11 will take place from July 26th, Tuesday until July 31st, Sunday. Tuesday will consist of arriving and checking in for the conference. We will have some hospitality projects that the Truthseekers can help with that day, but other than that you will be on your own.
Wednesday, the first day of the conference, is dedicated to youth and young adult presentations. Now is your chance to let the older community know what you think, how you feel, what your needs are, what you find important, how they can better serve you, the list goes on, but I’m sure you get the general idea. Let me know if you would like to help with this. I would love to help any of you communicate to the adult community your vision of this world and what it needs.
Wednesday late afternoon we leave the campus and travel to a place where we will defy physics. This is one of two places in the world where you can literally float in the water while sitting up. It’s the next best thing to walking on water. After a quick shower we get back on the bus and head into the Rocky Mountains and Snowbird Ski Resort.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we play in the mountains. I’m talking high ropes courses, zip lining, bungee jumping, rock climbing, tram riding, sledding, mountain exploring and many more deep and mysterious activities. And it goes without saying; “the” JUDY will be supplying us with all the delicious food we can eat.
Most importantly we will be working on the heart of what Truthseekers is all about: creating a living bond within our community, discovering our values, new and old, and encouraging one another to grow in loyalty to their own values. We will learn to grow in discovery together towards the lifelong influences of love, peacemaking, and serving one another. We will recommit individually to a personal transformation of ourselves as individuals and to the growth of our larger community. From these humble beginnings we embark on a path to help uplift humanity on this very planet we live upon! How cool is that? You must come and play with us to discover more. Saturday night we head back to the University of Utah to rehearse for our participation in the closing ceremonies Sunday morning. We have lots to share with you, and look forward to welcoming new friends, and growing closer to old ones.
The cost for the Truthseekers program, Tuesday afternoon through Sunday afternoon is $495.00. The price includes board, room, transportation, and all activities. Our age group is from 15 to 19 years old with some exceptions made. As with all of our programs, past Truthseekers are always welcome to participate regardless of age. Please register online on the Fellowship web site. If you have any questions do not hesitate to call either myself, Tom Choquette @ 425-218-2216, or Fred Harris @ 850-528-3393. We have never turned away an interested person due to lack of funds. Scholarships and partial scholarships are available. Take care. Be safe. See you soon. Love, Tom
“In my universe and in my Father’s universe of universes…in all group relationships we unfailing provide for definite leadership.” [UB 181:2.16]
¶ Alaska Society Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The Northern Light Society of Alaska celebrated its 25th anniversary on August 29, 2010, in Anchorage. It was officially chartered on November 1, 1985 and was registered as the l7th society of The Urantia Brotherhood.
Our group began meeting in the beautiful log home of Patsy Hayes back in 1972, and we gathered there again this August after 38 years of weekly study group meetings here in Anchorage. Almost every week we number about twelve readers. We are seeking to engage in new expressions of creative dissemination in this new decade, a period of time that we anticipate will bring a changing awareness of The Urantia Book and its teachings.
Please feel free to come on up and visit us. We have guest rooms available and would delight in your company. We’re so blessed to be a part of this awesome community of readers…world-wide brotherhood and beyond.
¶ Waldine Stump Remembered
Long-time reader and beloved figure in the Urantia community, Waldine Stump, left for the mansion worlds on July 9, 2010. Her profound desire to know God and seek to do his will led to her life-long study of The Urantia Book. Her love for people, especially the company of fellow readers, encouraged her to travel, and to participate in conferences, such as the Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona, Spain, and group trips to the Holy Land along with other readers. She was very active in the Oklahoma Urantia Society, and will be especially remembered for her love of singing and entertaining, which brought joy to others.
¶ Foxhall Fund Donated To Fellowship
Exciting news! The Urantia Book Fellowship has its own Endowment Fund, named the Foxhall Endowment Fund, that exclusively supports the long term efforts and grass roots projects of The Urantia Book Fellowship. Our Foxhall Endowment fund is managed by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and is overseen by the Executive committee.
Through the tireless efforts of Ken Raveill, this endowment program is a reality for The Urantia Book Fellowship. The Foxhall Fund was created about 5 years ago with Ken as the founder The Urantia community needs endowments to sustain our growth in the future.
The principal of your donation stays in the fund and only the annual appreciation is used for the Fellowship’s annual purposes or the specific grassroots projects you choose. As the donor, you can specify many other variables to your Living Legacy donation and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation staff will help you determine the best approach for your donation.
Someday there will be many millions of dollars invested of which the annual proceeds will allow many important projects to be funded. Imagine where we could be today if an endowment had been established 50 years ago. Donations to the Foxhall fund can be established in your will for a Living Legacy. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation can accept almost any type of asset for the Foxhall Endowment Fund, stocks, jewelry, real estate and even collectibles.
If you have an interest in making a Living Legacy to support the long term efforts of The Urantia Book Fellowship, go to the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation website at www.gkccf.org/ or call their office at 816-842-0944 and let them know you are interested in the Foxhall Endowment Fund.
¶ YaYA – A New Committee
We would like to announce the formation of a new committee of the Fellowship. We call ourselves the Youth and Young Adult Committee or YaYA for short. It is currently an adjunct-committee of the Fellowship’s Outreach Committee. I’m the ‘seasoned reader’ who is trying to keep up with this talented core of workers who are all second-generation readers and currently range in age from 12 to 28.
Here is our Vision Statement: The Youth and Young Adult (YaYA) Committee strives to engage youth and young adult Urantians through study, socialization, support, service, and outreach on the local, national, and international levels. It’s our goal to increase the realization and manifestation of The Urantia Book’s teachings through each successive generation.
We are already getting started on several fronts. Here are some preliminary ideas.
- Study: We are focused on helping to create new Urantia study groups for youth, and on engaging youth in existing study groups. Currently, there are only a few study groups that are designed for youth and young adults, but we feel this can change. We are a support team for any new group that would like to get started. We will help families and build communities of younger readers.
- Socialization: We are planning a youth and young adult gathering in Boulder, CO, this winter to give our young leaders a chance to get together and strategize our next steps while also getting to know each other in a fun and beautiful setting. If you know anyone who might wish to participate, please let us know!
- Support: We are grateful for all the devoted parents and teachers who have come before us. It’s our desire to gather up as much experience and history as possible. What has worked for you as parents? What can our committee do to assist in your efforts to share this revelation with your children? Send us your stories; we want to communicate and work together. E-mail us at urantia@gci.net or call (907) 830-8816.
- Service: We would love to hear your thoughts on service projects that would be particularly important and compelling for our youth and young adults.
- Outreach: Who better to promote The Urantia Book teachings to the truth-seeking young adults than our very own? Ideas include a website, using social media networking, creating book booths, campus programs, and hand-outs that are attractive to the younger generation, and even putting on Cosmic Road Shows that are geared for the young adults. We have readers in our Fellowship who want to do this type of ministry. Just a little guidance, encouragement, and some funding can go a long way.
We have a huge population under the age of forty who are ready for this revelation now! How do we reach them and invite them to be a part of The Urantia Book community? Also, how do we reach out to all the ‘secondgeneration’ children who now have children of their own to re-invite them back into our Fellowship?
The International Conference of 2011 is coming next summer. The theme is “The Revelation in Action: Act Globally, Grow Cosmically.” This is an engaging topic for our youth and young adults, and they’re ready to act. The YaYA Commmittee is involved in planning a significant portion of the programming for IC11 to ensure it is family-friendly and includes opportunities for study, socialization, and service for all ages.
We have an amazing core group of younger readers who are preparing themselves to become the next generation of teachers and leaders. Please pass this along to your study groups and send us your thoughts of how best to serve this exciting new movement within The Urantia Book Fellowship.
¶ GC Welcomes New Member
At the time The Urantia Book was published in October, 1955, Larry Bowman was the youngest member of the Forum, having been interviewed by Dr. William S. Sadler the year before. In 1961 Larry was a founding member of the Orvonton Society. During a 34-year career as a librarian, he lived in upstate New York, Ohio, and finally moved to Arizona in 1973. He helped found the Grand Canyon Society in 1990 and has served as its secretary many times since. He has traveled extensively to visit archaeological sites around the world, and now shares his Scottsdale townhouse with two felines.
¶ What Does It Mean To Be a Youth?
Does it mean being the next generation to try to fix the world? Or does it mean we know how to use Facebook and Twitter? No matter what it means, we are the next generation of this world and together we will be creating our own problems and our own solutions. As older people graduate to the next world, newer generations slowly start to grow up and take over. We youth are important, not only for the world, but also each other.
Recently I had the opportunity to join the Fellowship’s new YaYA ( Youth and Young Adults) Committee. This committee is dedicated to getting young people involved with the Urantia Community through study groups, socialization, service, and outreach. To me this is very important. I am currently in one of the few, or perhaps the only, kid’s study group in the United States. Every Tuesday night I go to a friend’s home and study The Urantia Book. It is important to realize that there are some missing generations in the Urantia community. One of the main goals of YaYA is to reach out to younger generations and to educate them. Having a larger group of my generation as Urantia Book readers will help keep Urantia projects and conferences continuing.
So what are the next steps we have to take as a community to involve young readers? I know this has been the question that has been around a while. In What Does It Mean To Be a Youth? my opinion to involve youth we need to start it in the home. This could mean incorporating The Urantia Book teaching in everyday life. For example when we watch the news and we see a tragic thing happen involving someone’s death my mom will explain to me there is life after death. Or at study group we once did an Easter skit from The Urantia Book. Now it didn’t go to Broadway but as a group we understood Jesus’ resurrection more. By involving us kids in simple activities or adventures and incorporating The Urantia Book I think we can grow another generation of active readers. It’s not about cramming the book down kids’ throats, but giving them the knowledge. It is very important to share the book with the youth, it isn’t just for adults. Our first step as a community needs to be as one group, no matter where you live or organization.
Next summer at IC’11, the YaYA Committee and the Truthseekers will have an entire day of youth on the program. We invite families to come and have fun, to learn together. In this day, people who are young will be the ones presenting. We will not just be talking about our youthfulness but also our ideas, ideals, thoughts, and visions for the Urantia Community and the future. If you have any questions about YaYA or Truthseekers you can call Tom Choquette at 425-218-2216 or Tony Finstad at 970-830-8816. We hope to see you there.
¶ Book Fair In Ecuador
Thanks to the Fellowship’s support, we had the opportunity to participate in the annual 10-day Book Fair in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Besides a booth dedicated to The Urantia Book and related works, we also gave a presentation which was attended by over 100 persons. The talk was followed by a question and answer period and a raffle of a Urantia Book.
We were especially happy to give a copy of The Urantia Book to Mr. Jaime Nebot, mayor of the city of Guayaquil. We were most fortunate to have the assistance of fellow readers from Costa Rica, Nidia Guzman, Guillermo and Lady Saenz. Local readers that participated were Jaime Rodriguez, Sandra Naranjo, Fernando Delgado, Sara Heireria, Telmo Lopez, Gabriel Pino, Martha Balseca, Karla Lentino and Christian Franco.
These book fairs are an excellent way to expose new readers to the Revelation and to bring established readers together in service.
Nelida Oliver - Translated by Dolores Nice
¶ General Council To Meet In Dallas/ft. Worth
The General Council of The Urantia Book Fellowship will hold its annual mid-year meeting at the DFW Airport Marriott South, 4151 Centreport Boulevard, Ft. Worth, TX, from February 11 - 13, 2011.
The Council will meet on Friday, Feb. 11 from 7:00 - 11:00 P.M., Saturday Feb. 12, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and Sunday, Feb. 13 from 9:00 A.M. till noon. This meeting is open to all readers, and will be of special interest to anyone who might be thinking about running for a position on the Council at some time in the future. The Fellowship has a number of upcoming plans and events which are of special interest.
On Saturday night there will be a social with the local Dallas/Ft. Worth community at the hotel. Please come and meet your councilors, who would like input into the various programs planned for the coming year
¶ The Book Fair In Brasilia, Brazil
By Buck Weimer
The Brazilian ExpoBrasilia Book Fair was held October 8-17, 2010, sponsored by the Brasilia Chamber of Commerce of Books with 157 exhibitors and over 150,000 people in attendance.
Charlene Morrow and I arrived on October 7, and were greeted by a smiling Nemias Mol with a bright Urantia Book circles sign. Nemias is the young, energetic, and bright leader of Urantia Association of Brazil, which began in 2003. It lists 42 study groups, and claims a total of 1,300 readers throughout Brazil. He told us that all the readers in Brazil are ecstatic about having the book translated into Portuguese, and he was especially happy about having the O Livro de URANTIA for the book fair in his home town.
We carried to Brasilia 27 books, 1,000 Spiritual Vitamins (in Portuguese and English), 10 CDs of the automated Ascent of Paradise downloaded from Square Circles (ironically translated into Portuguese by Nemias) and many three concentric circles pins.
Readers Roberto Vieira de Paula and Lucia Borelli came to lend their help at the booth. We sold 13 books (7 soft covers, 6 hard covers,) gifted all of the spiritual vitamins, and handed out hundreds of brochures and pamphlets.
In the end, we forged new relationships, developed a book fair model, and demonstrated our commitment to working together with the UAI, Foundation, and our brothers and sisters with a language and culture unlike our own.
¶ Pipeline Of Light Report
Dear Friends,
Since my last report, Pipeline of Light volunteers have placed 166 copies of The Urantia Book into 10 countries. Your donations to the Pipeline helped us deliver books to readers and study groups in Chile, Germany, El Salvador. South Africa, the United States, Brazil, China, Ecuador, India, and the Dominican Republic.
The major Pipeline project this quarter was the shipment of 120 freshly-printed copies of El Libro de Urantia to Chile for UNO’s library placement efforts. These efforts bring our Pipeline all-time totals to 2,814 books placed into 67 countries around the world.
We deeply appreciate your continuing financial help. If you would like to contribute to this work, donations can be made online at: http://urantiabook.org/support.htm or by mail to:
The Urantia Book Fellowship
P.O. Box 6631
Broomfield, CO 80021
Thank you so much for your support! Michelle Klimesh, Pipeline Coordinator
¶ Radio Free Urantia — Cosmic Citizen Brings Urantia Book-Related Broadcasts to the Internet
The Urantia Book tells us that our planet, isolated following a long-ago rebellion, is cut off from the universe broadcasts serving normal worlds. But some readers are compensating in their own way with a weekly radio broadcast on the Internet. which presents Urantia Book-related topics and guests and provides an occasion for readers to interact and discuss the book’s teachings with each other as well as curious newcomers.
Cosmic Citizen, which first aired in July of 2008, was started by Andre Traversa of Park Ridge, IL, and co-hosted by Paula Thompson of Westminster, CO. Andre stepped down as host early in 2010 and is no longer involved with the program. Paula is now the regular host and Christilyn Biek Larson (Boulder, CO) the regular co-host, with Diane Labrecque of Montreal and Dave Tucker of Southern California filling in as needed.
Broadcast from the BlogTalkRadio web site, the audio program can be heard live for two hours every Saturday. It can also be replayed on-demand or downloaded as a podcast.
Cosmic Citizen serves as a weekly virtual meeting point for the reader community. Originally intended as outreach for The Urantia Book, it also brings readers together with one another and with other truth-seekers who may find the topics of interest and become curious to know more. Guests for the program are chosen and invited by the hosts and include Urantia Book readers and non-Urantia Book readers, selected for their knowledge on topics of interest or experiences they want to share with the reader community. The show often features authors or others who may want to promote an event, book, or something else of interest.
Recent guests who are Urantia Book readers have included James Woodward, Sue Tennant, Malcolm Locke, Preston Thomas, Pato Banton, Chris Halvorson, Charles Olivea. David Kulieke, and Diane Labrecque.
Non-readers have included such guests as Phyllis Tickle and Doug Pagitt on the Emergent Christian movement; Quaker pastor Philip Gulley; Bishop Carlton Pearson, author of The Gospel of Inclusion; the humorist Steve Bhaerman, aka Swami Beyondananda; and comedian Susan Isaacs, author of Angry Conversations with God. Even those thought of as non-readers may in fact be aware of The Urantia Book—most are friendly to it, some are familiar with it, and some have begun to read it as a result of the show.
Asked to name some favorite guests, Paula replied, “I loved Carlton Pearson, because he is so courageous to risk everything for the truth. Also, I’ve long been a fan of Swami Beyondananda, so it was really fun to interview him, but all of our guests have been fantastic and I’ve enjoyed every interview.”
A few programs in the past have touched off controversy. Paula now aims to steer the show in a more positive direction. “I’ve learned how easily things can devolve if you’re not careful. I’ve learned that I don’t particularly care for controversy. I prefer to do interviews that create a lot of light and not so much heat.”
In the year following the initial launch of Cosmic Citizen on Saturdays, a Wednesday chat session at an earlier hour was added to accommodate a reader located in Tokyo who wanted to participate. This evolved into a study session, and eventually to a second weekly audio broadcast hosted by Ann Garner of Arlington, TX. It was recently spun off as a separate program under the name Symmetry of Soul, also on BlogTalkRadio.
The Saturday program continues to run live from 10 am Eastern (11 central, noon mountain, 1pm Pacific) to noon Eastern (1pm Central, 2pm Mountain, 3pm Pacific)
Listeners may also participate in a moderated on-screen chat room concurrent with the live audio program. Chat participants often supplement the audio discussion by raising questions for the program host, looking up and sharing relevant quotes from The Urantia Book, and answering questions from newcomers not familiar with the book. Says Paula, “It’s extremely gratifying to watch visitors interact with other Urantia Book readers in the chat room. I’m always proud of the patient and careful way we offer information and truths from the book. Most who come are sincerely seeking and they often comment on how much they appreciate our efforts. They mark the show as a favorite and very often, come back and listen again.”
To listen to the program live on a computer, one simply goes to: www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmiccitizen and hits the play button. Those interested in additional features, including the chat room, may register for a free account, which also allows the user to follow favorite shows and network with friends. Once registered, a user may sign in at the designated show time, and the chat room will launch automatically and display in a separate window.
Alternatively, people not near a computer may listen live over the phone by dialing in to (646) 716-8158. Typically, listener call-in questions for the guest are invited at the same number during the second hour of the program.
All past programs are archived for playback at any time, and may be downloaded as podcasts at no charge. The list of recent programs is at the left side of the screen, with the most recent at the top. Previous programs dating back to July 2008 are available, grouped by month, in the on-demand area. A list of guest bios along with the archive of past shows can be found on the Fellowship web site at urantiabook.org/blogs/CosmicCitizen/GuestBios.htm
Paula reports that the average audience for the audio program (including later playback) is now approximately 400 listeners, and active participation in the chat room is about 5% of those listening.
Though most listeners are US-based, Cosmic Citizen is having a global influence in its way. Says Paula, “Because the program is broadcast from the Internet, it provides community to Urantia Book readers abroad who don’t have other readers to interact with. When readers are in remote places in the world, it can really help them to know that they are not alone. I recently got a message from a United States reader who has been living in Seoul. He said he loves tuning in because it brings home a little closer.”
Weekly Internet radio programs hosted by Urantia Book readers:
Cosmic Citizen: Hosted by Paula Thompson and Christilyn Biek-Larson
Broadcast live Saturdays for two hours; playback on-demand
www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmiccitizen
10am -noon Eastern
11am -1 pm Central
noon-2 pm Mountain
1-3 Pacific
Call-in number (646) 716-8158
Moderated chat room available to registered users
Symmetry of Soul
Hosted by Ann Garner, Dr. Chris Halvorson and James Woodward
Broadcast live Wednesdays for two hours; playback on-demand
10am -noon Eastern
11am -1 pm Central
noon-2 pm Mountain
1-3 Pacific
www.blogtalkradio.com/symmetryofsoul
Call-in number (424) 258-9249
Moderated chat room available to registered users
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” [UB 131:2.8]
¶ Upcoming Events…
- February 11-13, 2011, Fellowship General Council Mid-year Meeting, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX. For further information call Fellowship office at 877-288-3772
- July 27-31, 2011, Fellowship International Conference 2011, Salt Lake University, Salt Lake, UT. For more information go to www.IC11.org.
¶ This ‘n That…
Don’t forget to notify us of your postal address and e-mail address changes. We will be as prompt as possible in making the changes so that you can continue to receive our publications.
Please send us news of your study group and/or society activities. We also would like to receive articles you may have written or have in mind that we could consider for the Mighty Messenger or the Fellowship Herald. It’s your contributions as readers of The Urantia Book that fill the pages of our newsletters and magazines. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact Publications Committee Chair Linda Buselli at: LJBuselli@sbcglobal.net.