© 2012 Avi Dogim, Meredith J. Sprunger, Peter Laurence
© 2012 The Urantia Book Fellowship
¶ Our Gift to God the Father: Service to the Supreme
Service in and to the Supreme will highlight the Summer Study Seminar 2013, to be held at Techny Towers Retreat Center in Northbrook, Illinois, July 10 - 13, 2013. A pre-conference retreat will be held on Wednesday, July 10, and the regular conference program will begin on Thursday evening, July 11.
The Education Committee has formulated a commitment to an in-depth study of The Urantia Book; and this priority will be addressed in part with a plenary on Thursday night, before the usual opening social, as well as by adding time to workshops. While this comprehensive approach will be a hallmark of the committee’s commitment to education, there will still be an emphasis on worship, and opportunities for non-reading family members of readers and other new readers to get an introduction to the book.
Program chairman Nick Stefero is looking for volunteers who would like to submit plans for possible workshops. God the Supreme is a complex subject, but as the focus of the Summer Study Seminar, the Supreme offers many possibilities for in-depth examination. If you have an idea for a workshop you would like Nick to consider for inclusion in the program, contact him at nstefero@cox.net.
Further information on Summer Study Seminar 2013 will be posted at intervals on the Education Committee website www.urantiaeducation.org.
The Education Committee has tentatively decided on a study of the entirety of The Urantia Book beginning with the first portion of Part I in 2015 and continuing for several years. There is also the possibility of collaboration between the Interfaith Committee and the Education Committee on a conference or study session. Members of the committee are David Kulieke, Chair; Daniel Glazer, Charles Olivea, Katharina Becker, and Bobbie Dreier, as well as adjuncts Barbara Newsom, Ken Keyser, and Marilynn Kulieke.
¶ Summer Study Session SSS 12 Explored “Progressive Planetary Evolution”
By Bobbie Dreier
The Fellowship Education Committee again sponsored the Summer Study Session this past August at Techny Towers Retreat Center near Chicago. Techny continues to provide an ideal background for study, worship and fellowship. This year’s theme was “Progressive Planetary Evolution.” The program reflected the Education Committee’s constitutional charge “to foster in-depth study of The Urantia Book.” Steve McIntosh and Daniel Glazer delivered insightful plenary talks which were followed by high quality presentations and workshops illuminating the theme.
This year’s program featured several young adult presenters, a workshop requiring pre-registration and preparation, an “Exploring the Big Questions” workshop, and an ”Introduction to The Urantia Book for Friends and Family.” Recap and feedback sessions provided an opportunity for attendees to experience public speaking, while the plenary sessions and selected workshops were webcast for those who could not attend. The program closed with a “World Café” round table sharing session which provided all attendees time to reflect on and respond to their conference experiences.
Many prayer and worship experiences were available. A pre-conference retreat focused on forgiveness in the contemplative experience. Inspiring classical music characterized the morning plenary worship sessions and there were pre-breakfast and pre-dinner “divine meditations” held in the Africa Chapel. Some musically talented readers offered spontaneous prayerful concerts in the magnificent Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
In addition to high quality study and inspiring worship sessions, there was time to renew old relationships and make new friends. Mealtimes were extended to allow plenty of social time. There was an opening social and a “Meet and Greet” for young adults and young families. Summer Study Session attendance continues to grow, and this year it was at an all-time high. Many thanks go to Lara Amyx (Conference Coordinator), Peter Laurence (Program Chair), and the entire conference team for a wonderful conference.
¶ Pipeline of Light Report
by Michelle Klimesh, Pipeline Coordinator
In the six months since my last report, Pipeline of Light volunteers have placed one hundred and ninety-seven copies of The Urantia Book into eighteen countries. Your donations to the Pipeline helped us deliver books to readers and study groups in Belize, Colombia, Ghana, the United States, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Argentina, Kenya, Peru, England, the Philippines, Mexico, Venezuela, Canada, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. We also placed books into two new locations: the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico.
A special thank you goes out to the Grand Canyon Society members, who have donated and placed one hundred copies of El Libro de Urantia into libraries in Mexico.
Current efforts bring our Pipeline all-time totals to 3,544 books placed into 75 countries around the world. We deeply appreciate the contributions of our volunteers and our donors. If you would like to contribute to this work, donations can be made online at: www.urantiabook.org/support.htm or by mail to The Urantia Book Fellowship, PO Box 6631, Broomfield, CO 80021
Thank you so much for your support!
¶ Meet Our New Fellowship President
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Lila Dogim (pronounced Leela, just to confuse you). I was born in Russia. When I was 14 my family moved to Poland and at the age of 19 we moved to Brooklyn, USA. Yay Brooklyn!
In 1974, my husband Avi, and I were introduced to The Urantia Book by my cousin Mark, and we started a study group. Since that time I have been a member of several study groups, a member of the Connecticut Urantia Society, a founding member of the Urantia Society of Greater New York, a General Councilor of The Urantia Book Fellowship, Chair of the Urantia Fellowship’s Education Committee for 3 years, and now, President of the Fellowship.
My wish is that our work will fit with the plans of the Seraphic Planetary Government. They have a plan for the evolution of the planet. They have plans for the outworking of this revelation. We do not have written mandates or a script to work from, but the more we try to get insight into the plans of our unseen friends, the closer we will come to executing them.
All of us in this Local Universe of Nebadon, high and low, work for our Creator Son Michael of Nebadon. Let us take an example from Van and Amadon who exhibited supreme faith and patience. After all, we are agondonters.
¶ Meeting of The Urantia Book Fellowship and Urantia Foundation
On Monday, October 22, 2012, representatives of The Urantia Book Fellowship and Urantia Foundation held a joint meeting designed to foster mutual appreciation and understanding, and to explore possibilities for increased inter-organizational cooperative activities. The gathering of fourteen individuals included the Presidents, VicePresidents, and Executive Directors of both organizations.
An atmosphere of good will pervaded the six-hour meeting during which the participants shared viewpoints and concerns on various matters connected with advancing the study and dissemination of The Urantia Book in the world.
Urantia Foundation and The Urantia Book Fellowship currently engage in a number of cooperative activities, including sponsoring the development of the Standard Reference Text and distributing translations of The Urantia Book through the Pipeline of Light program. As a result of this meeting, both organizations are actively exploring additional opportunities for joint service.
Dr. Lila Dogim, President The Urantia Book Fellowship
Mo Siegel, President Urantia Foundation
¶ The 3rd Urantia Book IT Roundtable
On the weekend of October 20 - 21, a group of twenty-eight highly tech-savvy Urantia Book readers, along with the presidents of the Fellowship, UAI, and Urantia Foundation, met for the purpose of exploring technological cooperation across a wide variety of existing and potential services.
Broadly speaking, the discussions focused on technology-based dissemination and reader service opportunities in the social media realm (e.g. Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube), videography, eText publication, and other technologybased reader services—all of which were considered within the global context of a highly diverse and multi-lingual readership.
The camaraderie, the mutual respect, and the loving friendship among all of the group members cannot go unmentioned. It was palpable, directly experiencible, and was expressed at every turn in honest communication, a spirit of cooperation, and with a sincere interest in collaboration towards the goals we share.
And it is in this spirit of coming together that The Urantia Book IT Roundtable will continue to pursue its simple mission—“to ever continue to exploit every useful aspect of technology to further the dissemination of the Revelation and continually improve reader services.”
Mo Siegel and Barry Clark, IT Roundtable Chairs
¶ Meet Your New General Councilors
Angela Thurston is a playwright and arts administrator living in Brooklyn, New York. A founding member of the Fellowship’s Youth and Young Adult Committee, she was raised on the teachings of The Urantia Book and is actively involved with fostering community among the next generation of readers. She is chairing the Fellowship’s International Conference in 2014 and has enjoyed planning a series of regional conferences for young readers as the YaYA Committee’s Events Chair.
Dana Bredemeyer discovered the book in 1972 in the San Francisco Bay area. He hosted a study group there and joined the local Urantia Society. Since then he has served as a delegate in two Triennial Delegate Assemblies. Currently he is a co-leader of his study group in Bloomington, Indiana, and Vice President of the Orvonton Urantia Society. He has his own software consulting business with his wife Ruth, and he is thrilled to be able to serve the revelation on the General Council.
Cayce Snider is the president of the Urantia Society in Glenvew, Illinois. She hopes to help the Fellowship to become fertile, central, and relevant in a world dominated by technology. Cayce says “For this to happen, the Fellowship must be agile, connected, and innovative. There is a great deal of will and inspiration to achieve these goals, and I believe my skills and experience can help facilitate this next phase of our organization’s development.”
Agustin Arellano has been reading The Urantia Book since 1985. He has started three study groups—in Mazatlan, Mexico City, and Monterey. He has done extensive work in Latin America in terms of personal outreach, and he hopes to bring that personal experience into new projects.
Canadian Paul Klaver discovered The Urantia Book at the age of 21, and established the Kitchener-Waterloo study group in 2002. He is currently the president of “The Urantia Book Outreach Organization” which he hopes will introduce the book to ten million people in ten years. He is producing and advertising animated and advertising shorts of Jesus’ life and teachings. He also matches timeless Urantia Book quotes with intriguing images, all of which are posted on TUBOO’s Facebook page and getting considerable attention. Paul has read the book at least twenty times and looks forward to learning from and helping the Fellowship reach its goals during his 9-year term on the council.
David Kulieke joined the First Urantia Society in 1973 and served as President for 14 years over three tenures. He also served on the Domestic Extension Committee (now the Outreach Committee) from 1976 to 1988. David created the first study group databank, which was the foundation for the study group directory. He has been instrumental in creating numerous study groups, publications, and conferences for readers of The Urantia Book. His aspirations while serving on the Council are to help facilitate continuity and institutional memory, and to strengthen and grow study groups.
Arlene Weimer was born in Brooklyn, NY, to Jewish parents who emmigrated from Poland. She studied science and philosophy at Brooklyn College before discovering The Urantia Book forty years ago. She is a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Urantia Society of Denver (currently the Rocky Mountain Spiritual Fellowship) and has hosted a Urantia study group in Pueblo, CO, since 1975. Arlene would like to help all Urantia Book readers to find mutual respect and also to spread the teaching of The Urantia Book. She has enthusiastically accompanied her husband Buck on many international trips to places like India and Africa to share the revelation
Teuvo Orjala first picked up the book at the age of 19. He says, “I feel the need to give my life over to God. That path is intertwined with The Urantia Book Fellowship. I desire to fully serve in all ways possible, which leads me to participate at the General Council level. Teuvo hopes to “bring a new level of vigor and motivation to the Fellowship as a whole.” He is currently lends his creative and management abilities to URANTIA NOW, the YaYA website.
¶ Celebrating Bestowal Day!
¶ Seoul Growth 2012
“Fostering the Faith Experience”
By Buck Weimer
Our persistent presence at the Seoul International Book Fair in South Korea for the last four years is slowly producing signs of a growing Urantia Book community there.
This year’s fair was held June 20 - June 24 at the COEX convention center. Again, Sy Chang was the point-person coordinating the event; and representing the Fellowship was Tim Hobbs, Arlene Weimer, and myself. A month before the fair we sent Sy a case (18) of Jesus, A New Revelation in English because most Koreans want to learn English. He had all three Korean translation copies clearly displayed and plenty of Urantia Book Basics by Mary Ebben on hand. Our fingers quickly adapted to rolling Spiritual Vitamins.
On the second day, Ji Soo Han arrived, and said in perfect English “There are not quotes from The Urantia Book on display.” After brain-storming we came up with two great ideas: “Of all human knowledge that which is of greatest value…” and the morontia mota “The greatest affliction of the cosmos…” Ji Soo promptly ran out and returned in an hour with two beautifully printed (black on white) posters in Korean and English containing the two quotes. And people walking past began to take notice of the quotes; many stopped to talk about them.
Because of logistical and financial concerns we decided to have a one-day conference on Saturday, June 23—one day before the close of the fair. Sy arranged for several people to work at the booth in our absence. The conference was held at the Christian Center—the oldest center for Christian learning in South Korea.
During the morning hours we Americans gave a power point presentation on various subjects suggested by Sy. During the afternoon all presenters were Korean, including Sy, Byung Seo, Lee Whang, and a young minister named C.S. Shin. After the presentation there was an extended period of questions and answers; many were directed toward us—the Americans—about the origins of the book and why it started in America, but nothing about the atonement doctrine. There were about twenty-five persons attending; some attended the morning only, and some all day. Sy was expecting more but all agreed it was a great first. We wish to thank the entire Fellowship organization for this wonderful opportunity of spreading the Revelation, cementing friendships, and building community in the part of the world where it is so very much needed.
¶ Skokie, IL, Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo
by Thomas Orjala
Last weekend I attended the Skokie Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo. The Chicago area residents who volunteered to help had met several days prior to practice working effectively at a booth. They did a great job of inviting passersby to check out our book. This led to many great interactions with the Expo’s attendees.
On Sunday David Kulieke and I gave the talk which was well-received and was attended by about fifteen people. It seemed that pretty much everyone there came by our booth later and purchased a book. One lady jumped up in the middle of the talk and went to the booth to buy a book.
One young man I recognized came by the table; he had bought a book from me last year. He was beaming and excitedly shared with us that he had read the book three times. His girlfriend grinned approvingly and said she had started reading because her boyfriend had gotten so much out of it. Sure feels good when we get to see the results of our efforts!
We also heard from people who had found the book and stopped reading as it was too difficult for them. This reinforced our training to tell folks that the book is difficult at the beginning and we regularly suggested they read some in the last two sections before reading the first part.
I hope I can put to rest the un-generous notion that it is wrong to reach out to people and invite them to take a look at the revelation. The master reached out to his fellows so he could share the good news with them, and this is simply one of many ways that we can reach out and share the good news in/of The Urantia Book. It is a rare day when someone is offended by being invited to take a look at a book, especially at an event where everyone is marketing their products. On Sunday afternoon the volunteers were pretty relaxed as the Expo wound down, when a young man walked hurriedly by. I called out to him to get his attention and he turned around and came up to the table. In less than a minute he took money out of his pocket and bought a book. He was more than delighted to hear there was a book on the planet with such information as I was telling him about. He thanked me several times as he was leaving.
I sense our job is not to judge, second-guess, assume, be overly polite, patient, or correct, but to just be of service to our fellows.
We sold and/or gifted 39 books and handed out 62 Free Book cards plus various literature.
Thank you to the wonderful Chicago area readers, too many to name, who made possible the gift of revelation to so many people this weekend.
¶ Nigerian Book Fair
“Fostering the Faith Experience”
By Buck Weimer
When we decided to schedule a booth at the Nigerian International Book Fair, May 7 - 12, 2012, our friends and relatives were concerned because of much civil unrest and some violence occurring in Nigeria. But perhaps these were exactly the reasons we were directed to go to Nigeria and share the good news of the Gospel and this Revelation.
Our great friend, Emeka Anazodo, who worked with us so diligently in Ghana, was at the airport to greet us, along with his family. Our team grew with the arrival of Ed Harrigan, Barbara Maier, and Marilyn Conner, all from Alaska. Arriving with us was Charlene Morrow of Oklahoma, and my wife, Arlene. We were joined later by Emmanuel Agbeko and Aikins Oswaldo from Ghana and Julius Taiwo, (a Foundation/UAI reader from Nigeria). We now had our full team of 11, plus Jesus made it 12.
We thought we had carried enough books with us—180 JANR’s (Jesus, A New Revelation, Part IV) and 24 hard backed Urantia Books. We also carried 20 sets of CDs on Part IV, 1200 Spiritual Vitamins, One God, One People buttons, and sundry posters and banners. But Nigerians, unlike the folks from Ghana, seemed more interested in the whole Urantia Book and less so in the JANRs. This required Emeka to return to his village and get the l7 Urantia Books (the big brown-covered ones printed by the Foundation in India) given to him at the end of the Ghana mission. We eventually sold out all the full Urantia Books, and began e-mailing names and addresses to Michelle Klimesh and the Pipeline of Light to send books to those seeking them.
The interaction with the Nigerians was intense, stimulating, and memorable. Rarely has there been a time when so many believers were talking to so many inquiring souls about the Revelation and the Gospel of Jesus. Ed, Marilyn, and Barbara were especially effective. The Nigerians wanted to know about authorship, the atonement doctrine, and their eternal careers. But many just wanted to meet us and talk or have their picture taken with us. But it was our faith experience that bound us together.
While in Nigeria, we also attended a wedding, and held a brief leadership conference. The one idea we agreed to bring to reality is that of wanting to have others gain this same valuable level of outreach experience internationally. Barbara and Marilyn created a YouTube video of our experiences in Nigeria. Here is the address to put into your browser’s URL: http://youtu.be/XQa4SLYCwM.
¶ We Need You…
This is the time, as the old year ends and the new one begins, that we at The Urantia Book Fellowship consider ever more effective ways to bring the Urantia revelation to the world. And we need the help of our present readers to continue to do this. Our primary focus is the dissemination of the teachings worldwide and the cultivation of a diverse and spiritually fragrant community of believers.
The pace of our activities has increased as follows:
- The Outreach Committee has greatly expanded its activities to include participation of its members with local community readers in Book Fairs, presentations, and social events at which an introduction to The Urantia Book and its teachings can be presented. Expenses include grants for grassroots efforts at outreach and dissemination.
- We have added a standing committee to the Executive Committee, Youth and Young Adults, (YaYA), and we are actively looking for and encouraging young readers to take part in the committee’s numerous scheduled activities.
- Members of the International Fellowship Committee continue to extend communication with readers abroad by facilitating the shipment of books, attending conferences and book fairs in other countries, and maintaining contact with foreign leaders in Urantia activities.
- We continue to improve our website, www.urantiabook.org , which will soon have a new appearance and many updated features. It receives millions of unique visitors each year. You can download the book in several different languages from this site; and you can download and listen to any paper or the entire book in audio from the website.
- We have a dedicated Interfaith Committee which has presented the book to ministers, placed it in hundreds of religious libraries worldwide. and presented it at each of the last four Parliaments of the World’s Religions.
- Our Publications Committee regularly provides the Mighty Messenger newsletter, and our magazine, The Fellowship Herald, to readers domestically and to 89 countries as a means of staying in touch with Urantia Book readers worldwide.
- We continue to hold a triennial International Conference of readers, which has been occurring regularly since 1967 and has hosted hundreds of readers on each occasion. Preparations for IC14 are underway.
- Our edition of the book has a beautiful new cover, and continues to provide a DVD enabling readers to listen to the audio reading of the book
The list goes on. Most importantly, these services to our planet are made available through your support. There are billions of people on this planet and only thousands of dedicated readers. The Urantia Book Fellowship will use your donation wisely and for the purpose of spreading this epochal revelation to the world.
To make a donation online, go to the Fellowship website, www.urantiabook.org, and click the link, Contribution. You may select an amount to be auto-debited each month, or a one-time donation to the Fellowship. If you prefer to donate by mail, please send your contribution to : The Urantia Book Fellowship, P.O. Box 6631, Broomfield, CO. 80021 USA. And thank you for your support.
¶ Upcoming Events…
- February 6 - 10, 2013, General Council mid-year meeting in Los Angeles at Gateway Sheraton, LAX. Local readers invited to observe meeting.
- July 10 - 13, 2013, Fellowship Summer Study Seminar 2013, “Our Gift to God the Father: Service to the Supreme” Techny Towers, Northbrook IL. For further information go to: www.urantiaeducation.org.
- August 20 - 24, 2013, United Urantia Family Festival, Yosemite Park, CA. For further information contact: dianelabreque@sympatico.ca.
¶ This ‘n That…
Volunteers Needed
We have several positions available for volunteers. Depending which you choose, 1 - 4 hours per month is required. For more information contact our Volunteer Coordinator, at andbarnes@gmail.com.
GC to Fill Vacancy
A vacant seat has become available on the Fellowship General Council. Applicants must have read the entire Urantia Book to qualify. If you are interested in filing an application for consideration for this position, please contact the Fellowship Office at fellowship@urantia.org or call 877-288-3772.
¶ The Mighty Messenger Staff
Published by Uversa Press for the Publications Committee of The Urantia Book Fellowship.
Members: Linda Buselli, Chair Cece Forrester, David Glass, Nancy Johnson, Merritt Horn, Sage Waitts
877.288.3772
fellowship@urantiabook.org
www.urantiabook.org