© 1999 Dorothy Elder
© 1999 Urantia Foundation
A monthly News Bulletin from Urantia Foundation to IUA Officers, Foundation Office Managers, Coordinating Committee members, Foundation Representatives, Translators, and other readers for the purpose of disseminating this information to readers in local areas.
¶ Readers Study Unity
The following announcement was received from an independent committee of readers, who have come together to study the issues of unity and cooperation between the IUA and Fellowship. The Trustees and Staff support this initiative and believe that the Foundation should not be involved, and that these issues should be resolved by the reader-groups themselves.
The Trustees pray for the members of this committee and hope that their efforts may contribute to the peace, hope, and unity of our young movement, whose greatest challenges are yet to come.
The Millennium Initiative for Unity in the Twenty-First Century
The goals of the members of the Urantia Book Fellowship and the International Urantia Association are strikingly similar, and yet relations between these two reader groups have been strained. Substantial amounts of time and energy have been diverted from the true objectives and purposes of our organizations.
The Urantia Book is a thousand-year revelation. Those of us who love the revelation must find a way to work together toward our common goals. The Millennium Initiative is a unification initiative, independentfrom the Urantia Book Fellowship, the International Urantia Association, and from the Urantia Foundation. The primary goal of the Millennium Initiative is to explore the possibility of reunification of these two reader groups. If the primary objective cannot be obtained at this time, the secondary objective will be to explore ways in which these reader organizations can work harmoniously toward common goals. If we cannot find a way to work together, then at the very least we need to insure that our differences do not hinder or impede the dissemination of the fifth epochal revelation. We cannot effectively take the message of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man to the world unless and until we can manifest unity within our own community of reader-believers.
The Millennium Initiative Committee is composed of a group of volunteers who are now or have been active in either the Urantia Book Fellowship or the International Urantia Association.
The Committee will begin meeting in March. The Committee members recognize this process is likely to be difficult and extremely challenging. Each member of the committee is personally committed to the integrity of this process. Serious efforts toward reunification cannot be biased for or against either organization and succeed. At the same time, the committee recognizes that both organizations have important issues which must be addressed during this process.
We believe that open communication will be essential to the success of the Millennium Initiative. We will keep both organizations informed of our progress. We look forward to working with you. We ask for your prayers and your support.
The Millennium Initiative Committee
Please direct inquiries to: Nancy Shaffer email: nshaffer@ix.netcom.com or David Elders, email: delders@msn.com
¶ Estonian Conference, August 19-24, 1999
The following is a message from Peep Sober announcing a national conference in Estonia.
Dear Friends,
Estonian readers are organizing a conference for next year on paper 100 — Religion in Human Experience.
As a tradition already, we have a lot of non-Estonian speaking guests at our conferences, so we have to translate all discourses and discussions from Estonian to English and vice-versa. Our experience has shown us how to manage with language problems — we have had to translate our discourses previously; for discussions we used sequential translation, and study groups worked by native languages. We plan to continue in the same way. We have decided to spend more time on discussions and study groups as it is a good way to activate more participation.
We aill have our conference again in the children summer camp in Karepa. This is a small village 110 km from Tallinn with a beautiful beach and 20 local people. We have small bungalows for 2-4 people. The course fee will be low and there will be no need to pay in avance. Please contact with us if you wish to present a discourse (20-30 minutes.) For participant registration please send an e-mail message to: peep@mail.stv.ee
Last time we all enjoyed a wonderful unity of international brotherhood, lots of personal contacta been established, and many new friends have promised to come again next time. Spirits were high, as some readers commented. Love and good insights can arise in these relationships. As a fruit of our previous conference, a new kind of co-operation was initiated by Ralph and Betty Zehr. As a President and Secretary of the New York / Pennsylvania IUA, they offered to become our sister-organization. We are really thankful for their offer and we are sure that good fruits will be the result of that co-operation.
We hope to see a lot of our Finnish brothers and sisters at our conference who have so faithfully supported our translation efforts for more than three years. With your and many other guests’ assistance, our conference could become one of the biggest gatherings for readers in Europe next year.
Our time schedule will be the following:
| 19 Augwt | Arriving Tallinn |
| 20 August | Sightseeing totv in our old town and arriving to Karepa |
| 21 August | Inauguration, lectures and celebration of Jesus’ birthday |
| 22 August | Lectures, study groups, and worship |
| 23 August | Lectures, study groups, and worship |
| 24 August | Closing the conference, arriving back to Tallinn |
More information Will be sent later accordingly to your interests.
Have a good holiday nice meetings in the New Year!
Cordially yours,
Peep Sõber
Urantia Foundation Representative in Estonia
¶ Christmas Open House at 533
On December 12, 1998, Urantia Foundation, hosted an open house Christmas celebration at 533. Approximately 60 people attended.
Members of the Fellowship’s First Society of Chicago and the Greater Lake Michigan Urantia Association co-hosted a program and a remembrance supper. The focus of the program was “Great Truth Teachers of Urantia” and was directed by Barbara Newsom. Mike Ferree and Mike Mason began with a series of readings from The Urantia Book about the great teachers of truth our planet has been blessed with since early humanity.
After a brief remembrance supper, the social part of the party began and continued into the evening. Several First Society members reminisced about studying in the Forum Room and expressed feelings of warmth, welcome, and pleasure to be at 533 at such an occasion.
¶ Urantia Book Internet School
The following is an announcement from Dorothy Elder, Chair of the Internet University Committee:
The Coordinating Committee is pleased to announce and introduce the URANTIA BOOK INTERNET SCHOOL (UBIS), a project designed to enhance the reader’s comprehension of _The Urantia Boo_k through study in an electronic setting. The.
UBIS will open in early Summer, 1999. The school will add another dimension to the established ways of study - individual, study groups, seminars, lectures, and conferences.
The UBIS is a new and truly exciting endeavor, and we want to tell you about it and askfor your help. The philosophy of the School will remain true to the purposes of the Declaration of Trust creating Urantia Foundation which is to help readers expand their comprehension and understanding of The Urantia Book concepts through a noninterpretive, non-invasive pedagogy.
The format for classes will be the “question and answer” Socratic method. An eight week “Test Class” has been held to experience and evaluate “distance learning, ”the results of which will ably assist the “teacher/facilitators” in preparing their classes.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A CALL TO SERVICE FOR TEACHER/FACILITATORS.
The School needs long time readers of The Urantia Book with teaching capabilities and time available to apply to the School at this time. If this is a way you can be of service to the readership, ifyou have special areas of interest in the book that you have studied, and if you would like to join us in this new project, please fill out the application form attached and send it to Dorothy Elder - delder03@sprynet.com - before February 20,1999.
We are preparing for a group of fifteen to twenty teachers/facilitators to present the first semester of courses. Once your application has been accepted the School will send you ample material and guidelines to assist you in preparing your class - (the technical aspects of internet study.)
Teachers also must have proficiency in using Internet e-mail skills.
The School’s overall strategy and development of curriculum is in development at this time. Therefore, for the first year of study, the classes will be of general interest, specific in nature, and the topics will be selected by the teachers, and approved by the Committee.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR APPLICATIONS NOW
¶ New Association in Puerto Rico
The following is a message from Cathy Jones regarding the new local association of USUA in Puerto Rico.
Dear Friends,
On Sunday, January 24, 1999 thirty five enthusiastic Puerto Rico readers joined the IUA family. Trustee President, Richard Keeler, Rosendo de Aguilera and Hilvania Adams of the Urantia Association of Greater New York, and I made the trip down to Puerto Rico. Hilvania contributed greatly to the organizing success, having worked the bookfair in San Juan in November. Rosendo can always be counted on to bring sincerity and warmth.
I am so grateful the Charter was changed last year to include the “Friend of IUA” membership category for those who haven’t completed reading the entire Book With this change we are able to capture the glow and excitement of the new reader to work along side the experienced reader. Every member fully understood the mission, task oriented fundamentals of IUA, the importance of supporting the Declaration of Trust, and accepting our responsibility to be interdependent with the Trustees in the dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
Richard delivered his very informative and inspirational message in Spanish, the national language for Puerto Rico. The meeting was conducted in both English and Spanish. But the true language of the day was the language of the heart. As the Charter was signed, each new member was given an opportunity to speak briefly, expressing his and her gratitude to the Father and Thought Adjuster for leading them to the mental and spiritually expanding experience of receiving The Urantia Book. I was struck with the realization that we are merely the material partners with the Thought Adjusters who lead those ready for revealed truth.
Artillio and Sophia Zaupa opened their beautiful hillside home for the meeting. We all enjoyed the breath-taking view of the city of San Juan. They are natives of Italy and fluent in Italian, Spanish and English. Artillio is a 28-year reader who was thrilled to be meeting a Trustee.
We have twelve voting members with twenty three non-voting Friends of IUA! I hope you will make our new brothers andsisters welcome.
The officers are:
President:
Serge Bisson
San Juan Marina
P.O.Box 009020485
San Juan, PR 00902
Ph: (787) 647-1036
e-mail: cynte@yunque.net
Vice-President:
Attilio Zaupa
P.O.Box 389
Guaynabo, PR 00970
Ph: (809) 789-61 15
Secretary:
Cynthia Mantel, wife of President, Serge Bisson
Treasurer:
Rual Pujol
P.O. Box 363042
San Juan, PR 00936-3042
Ph: (787) 760-2843
e-mail: pujolm@tldnet
In loving service,
Cathy Jones
¶ November Workshops Report
As promised, you will find enclosed a summary report of the November workshops (unless you are among those who have already received one). The leaders of the workshops will choose several projects to begin with and will be contacting people who volunteered to help with some of this work. They will also announce the projects and call for more volunteers.