© 2014 Angie Thurston, Liz Craig, Scott Brooks
© 2014 The Urantia Book Fellowship
¶ Summer Study Session 2015
Now that the International Conference of 2014 is past, the Education Committee of The Urantia Book Fellowship has begun planning for the 2015 Summer Study Sessions, the meetings planned as intensive study of The Urantia Book during the two years between the general conferences. SSS15 again will meet at Techny Towers in Northbrook, Illinois.
SSS15 will study “Our Relationship with God the Father,” beginning an investigation of the first part of the book with a focus on the first five papers as well as related material. SSS15 begins Thursday, July 9, and concludes on Sunday, July 12. Wednesday and Thursday will also include the Triennial Delegate Assembly, the meeting of Fellowship Society representatives for the purpose of electing general councilors and passing resolutions. Other special events will also occur just before the Summer Study Sessions. The General Council will meet just after the conclusion of SSS15.
In addition to worship, plenary presentations, and several workshop choices of intensive study that have been the feature of these Sessions, there will be a track for newer readers that will introduce them to The Urantia Book and papers one through five. For the first time, there will also be an in-depth study track for which participants will prepare with assigned readings and tasks. The in-depth study track will be organized by the Education Committee’s In Depth Study Sub-committee.
Registration information will appear in these pages as well as other Fellowship locations in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, if there are questions or if readers would like to propose a workshop for the main track of SSS15, they should contact: David Kulieke:david.kulieke@gmail.com.
¶ Memories of IC ‘14
By Angie Thurston
One of the most important lessons to be learned during your mortal career is teamwork. The spheres of perfection are manned by those who have mastered this art of working with other beings. [UB 28:5.14]
Over seventy people volunteered their time and unique abilities to bring July’s International Conference to life. And that’s before you take into account the presenters of nearly fifty workshops, the live performances every day and night, and the imaginative contributions from societies. Then there were all the little and big ways people took care of each other, and the acts of generosity that allowed any of us to be there in the first place. All told, you’d be hard pressed to find one of the 350 attendees at IC ’14 who wasn’t actively giving and receiving loving service that week.
Getting to work with others on this scale, and throughout a multi-year planning process, was the most spiritually educational and rewarding experience I have ever had. For those who weren’t able to join us, I hope these words from Liz Craig will give you a taste for the spirit of service that infected our gathering.
By Liz Craig
IC’14 was a whirlwind for me. I wore many different hats, from being in Angie’s wonderful musical, The Story of Ruth, to playing some tunes on Saturday’s Dance Party, to hanging out with the YaYA’s (Youth and Young Adult Committee) and the Truthseekers for Urantia Book Youth Group. Everything I experienced at the conference, from workshops to chilling in the Jerusalem Market Place in the evenings, was amazing. The highlight that I will remember for years to come from this conference will be The Urantia Book Youth Group.
I wanted to lead a Youth Group for teems at IC ’14 so that just maybe this revelation could help someone as it did me. I enlisted another committee member, Mae Thompson, to help me, and by May of 2014 we had a great “wish list” of presenters. We hoped for the best in planning, and agreed that as long as even one teen showed up and wanted to read The Urantia Book with us, worship together, and just hang out, then we did okay. More than one teen came the first night, and even more the second.
The first night we worshiped together and three lovely people gave presentations on the values of service, peace, and love. On the second night the theme was focused on courage, sincerity, and cheerfulness. Mae led a little game between presentations, and I ended up singing a solo worship song for the group.
But it wasn’t until the last night of the conference with someone from Truthseekers who came to the youth group that I truly realized maybe this whole thing did help lead someone to want to foster their relationship with God through reading The Urantia Book. After all, this was what Mae and I had hoped would happen. The conversation was pretty simple. This girl said that she had wanted to start reading the book for a while now, but for one reason or another, it just never happened, and maybe now was the time. She didn’t make some huge commitment or say she was going to finish it in a year, but what she did do is have the desire to grow Godward. In the long run, that’s where it all begins. Right?
¶ Outreach Team
Check out this cool map of the places we want to go to spread the good news in The Urantia Book!
(To see the big interactive map go to: www.urantiabook.org/outreach/map)
How thrilled are you to have The Urantia Book? We need your help to continue this work and spread this revelation to the world! We have such a great team this year with the Outreach Committee. There are 7 volunteers that are in the midst of spreading the great truths found in The Urantia Book to people across the country!
The map becomes interactive when you click on it. You can donate to help with any event in any city you like by clicking on that city or simply go to www.urantiabook.org and click DONATE on the top menu bar.
Another of our Outreach goals is to find lone or unconnected readers. At every expo we meet people who come to the booth and say “I have this book” or “I read this book in the 80’s!”. We let them know about our tremendous online resources, study groups, conferences, and help them connect with community if that’s what they desire.
Every donation is vital to us and your support is deeply appreciated! Just type this URL into your browser: www.urantiabook.org/outreach/map to access the big map and please GIVE. If your favorite city is fully funded or, for one reason or another we end up not being able to attend that particular event, your donation will be allocated to another city.
Thanks for your support,
Most Sincerely, Andrea Barnes, Outreach Committee, Chair
¶ Thank You!
Our Portland, Oregon study group and others from Oregon who helped out at the Body Mind Spirit Expo wish to thank The Urantia Book Fellowship for sponsoring a booth at this event. We also wish to thank Thomas Orjala for all his work. It was a privilege to work with him as volunteers. A lot of books were sold and we already have another person who joined our study group and is reading The Urantia Book with us, thanks to his finding The Urantia Book at the Expo. A couple of other people in our study group also found the book through this Expo of previous years.
Also, thank you to those who donate to the Fellowship and thus help sponsor these events. Slowly but surely we are helping to spread the Urantia teachings to those who are looking for truth.
With love from,
Some Oregon Urantia Book readers
¶ Happy Birthday Jesus!
¶ The Urantia Book Study Group Directory
By Scott Brooks, Columbus, Ohio, United States
A project that began in 2009 to build a website where readers could find study groups has matured into an independent institution with broad sponsorship and a wide reach. Over 350 study groups representing 34 countries have chosen to list their study groups with the online search engine called The Urantia Book Study Group Directory (UBSGD). Each month a growing number of people, approximately 700 at the present time, visit the site. The site serves pages in four languages and there are plans to add more languages in the coming months.
A reader who visits urantiastudygroup.org can specify a country, city, or postal code and will be presented with a list of study groups that meet his search criteria. It sounds simple enough, but the road to this simple interface was far from easy. Issues such as what constitutes a study group, how to fairly administer the directory, how to deal with inactive or errant study groups, and dozens of other thorny issues have been the challenge of the eight-person management team who has worked through these concerns.
The directory is managed by a team whose members come from the three sponsoring organizations: Urantia Foundation, The Urantia Book Fellowship, and Urantia Association International. The presidents of each sponsoring organization are ex-officio members of the governing board, while the other five members function as a team to manage day-to-day issues. Under the leadership of Barry Clark of New Jersey, USA, the team began the development of a governance model that would provide a fair and robust set of principles and operating guidelines to satisfy the interests of the sponsoring organizations, without favoritism, and to serve the interests of Urantia Book readers around the world.
The directory team meets frequently via teleconference to manage and work on the directory. Today, the UBSGD is an independent directory managed by this volunteer team with ongoing programming funds donated by the three sponsoring organizations.
The team responds to the many questions sent in by users. There is a procedure to deal with reports of listed study groups that may not be aligned with the requirements of the directory (i.e., a study group must be focused exclusively on the study of The Urantia Book). When such a report is submitted, the team follows this approved process to investigate the complaint and delist the study group if necessary.
The team continues to plan new features and make necessary tweaks to the interface. While the site will remain simple, straight-forward, and focused on the primary task of helping readers find study groups, there are always new challenges.
A most daunting challenge is that of keeping the database up-to-date and ensuring that only active study groups are listed in the directory. To that end, a campaign began this spring to contact all study groups hosts and request that they validate their study group information.
SPECIAL NOTE: Unresponsive study groups may face removal from the directory! Surprisingly, getting all listed study groups to periodically verify their current information has proven to be one of the biggest, among the many big challenges, to have faced the UBSGD team in these early years.
Another interesting and important development in recent years has been the growth of virtual study groups via the use of Skype, FaceTime, and other communication tools that allow local study groups to include virtual guests. The UBSGD is working to incorporate virtual study groups into the search routines.
In addition, a UBSGD function will be added to assist readers who want to start a study group.
Please visit the site and register your study group. If your study group is already listed, and you have not validated your information, please be sure to do so. You may also send any questions, concerns, or suggestions to team@urantiabookstudygroup.org.
Please help us evolve this valuable resource and keep its content both relevant and accurate.
Current UBSGD team members are: Bill Beasley, Scott Brooks, Barry Clark, Jacquelyn Koury, and Tamara Strumfeld
¶ Joshua ben Joseph Project Update
Progress continues! The film on Vimeo is averaging 1,000 views per month. (www.vimeo.com/urantia/re-imagining-jesus). This is in addition to views on YouTube and the project website (re-imagining-jesus.org). Flor Robles has translated the script into Spanish. Spanish versions of all the graphics and maps currently are being created. Professional narrators from Denver Spanish media outlets have been hired to record the script. Recording of the Spanish will begin by the end of November. A Portuguese translation is also in process.
An English DVD should be available shortly after the first of the year. It is hoped that Spanish and Portuguese DVDs will be available by Jesus’ birthday, 2015.
The project needs volunteers for several specific tasks.
- Research, vet, and manage entries in Christian or progressive religious film festivals.
- Create a guidelines document telling readers how to utilize free cable television opportunities in their local communities.
- Research and identify high potential multi-lingual DVD distributors. If you’re interested in committing to one of these tasks please contact David Kantor, sysop@UrantiaBook.org.
¶ The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions
October 15 - 19, 2015
The Parliament is the oldest, the largest, and the most inclusive gathering of people of all faith and traditions.
The first Parliament took place in 1893. Since, this historic event has taken place in Chicago, USA • Cape Town, South Africa • Barcelona, Spain • Melbourne, Australia - and now in Salt Lake City, Utah!
The Urantia Book Fellowship has participated actively in every one of these important events which the exception of the one in 1893!
If you care for religions and nations working together in harmony with each other for the good of humanity, you should attend.
You should attend…
- …if you are concerned about wars, terrorism, and hate,
- …if you care for creation or are worried about climate change,
- …if you are troubled by the widening wealth gap and wasteful consumption
- …Because there will be Nobel Laureates, experts, religious leaders, master trainers and activists at the Parliament who will share their opinions with you in panels, workshops, and plenaries on these issues.
Please let us know if you would like to volunteer for a few hours at the joint Urantia Book Fellowship / Foundation / UAI / Truthbook booth! by sending an email to Cristina Seaborn, The Urantia Book Fellowship’s Interfaith Chair.
¶ Upcoming Events…
- Fellowship Summer Study Session 2015 – July 9–12, 2015, Chicago, IL, Will include Triennial Delegate Assembly and other special events. For information, david.kulieke@gmail.com.
- Parliament of World Religions 2015 – Salt Lake City, UT, Oct. 15–19, 2015
- Want to surf a great website? Why not the Fellowship website? Updates on important happenings in the Urantia community, great ideas for intensive study, archival treasures to enjoy, shopping and gift suggestions year round, and many other adventures available at www.urantiabook.org.
- Don’t forget the Cosmic Citizen blog radio broadcast every Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, Mountain Daylight Time. You can listen live and join in the chat at: www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmiccitizen, or call 646-716-8158 to join the conversation.
¶ 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, Sage Waitts
877.288.3772
fellowship@urantiabook.org
www.urantiabook.org