© 1977 Urantia Foundation
¶ Dr. Meredith J. Sprunger
The challenges of this past year have given many opportunities for progress in helping to prepare the ground for the eventual dawning of a new age of religion on Urantia. While the world at large is not necessarily ready for the reception of “The URANTIA Book” itself, significant strides have been made in preparing the soil for a satisfying and larger expression of the love of mankind, as is so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Master Son, Jesus of Nazareth, and for the strengthening of the bonds of brotherhood among all peoples of all nations.
While this larger effort of world spiritualization must await the developments of time and the concomitant evolution of religion, the more immediate task of achieving unity of purpose in the face of a rich diversity of viewpoint is meeting with outstanding success.
As the different but complimentary purposes of URANTIA Foundation and URANTIA Brotherhood become more and more known and better understood, individual cooperation and support in our immediate tasks become more effective.
In this regard, we would like to make special note of the selfless and untiring efforts of Dr. Meredith J. Sprunger, President of URANTIA Brotherhood, toward helping the URANTIA Movement affirmatively actualize its powerful potential as the socializing agency for ever-augmenting personal spiritual growth of all who would enjoy sonship with our Paradise Father. Meredith is ably assisted in his quiet but effective work through the staunch support and love of his wife Irene. Irene, despite a bout with serious illness, travels with Meredith on a number of occasions and renders valuable assistance here at headquarters when she accompanies him. These are two outstanding workers in the Father’s vineyard and from the results in the field one can see that they are joined by many others who—also unsung—labor for the same unity and understanding.
¶ Registered marks and copyright
This progress towards unity is accomplished through interchange of ideas, and certainly education concerning the purposes and functions of the various organizations plays no small part. This is also true in the important area of the registered marks, namely, “URANTIA” and the Concentric-Circles Symbol, where a growing and full appreciation of their function has helped forestall the misuse of the marks in at least three commercial ventures recently brought to the Trustees’ attention by readers in the field. We thank all who continue to help us in this regard and are especially appreciative of the initiative taken by a small group in the Chicago area that have formed themselves into a loose organization to help in the safeguarding of the proper use of the insignias of the “URANTIA” Movement.
The unique identifying quality of the registered marks and their association with this latest epochal revelation of truth are preserved only by constant maintenance and watchcare.
As a part of its program of protection, URANTIA Foundation recently became a regular member of the United States Trademark Association. This association provides a variety of services which includes the dissemination of general legal information concerning the registered mark status of a word and its proper form for dictionary and press usage.
Significant progress has also been made in protecting and understanding the purposes of the copyright as well as the rudiments for its protection. As additional education and help in this regard, the Trustees, in co-operation with counsel, are in the process of preparing a more formal statement of policy as to the mechanics of use of material from “The URANTIA Book” which we hope will greatly lessen any confusion on what is proper use.
¶ Concordex
Of special interest, Mr. Clyde Bedell is working on the third edition of his Concordex and is soliciting ideas from readers as to how he can make his Concordex even better. There has been some concern expressed as to the dust—jacket and some of the introductory material to the Concordex. Clyde wou1d very much like to receive your suggesttons on he can proceed to improve his already valuable work. If you have comments you can address them to Clyde at 2390 via Mariposa W. , 3E, Laguna Hills, California 92653.
¶ Licensing Agreement revision
The Trustees have recently completed a revision of the Licensing Agreement in conjunction with their legal counsel. This is the agreement which officially licenses URANTIA Societies to use the Foundation’s registered marks. This agreement has been modified to incorporate, where possible, the suggestions of a number of members of URANTIA Brotherhood. We are pleased to have had the positive interchange and discussion leading to a better agreement, and preliminary reactions indicate that it will prove satisfactory to all. The agreement has been submitted to the Executive Committee of URANTIA Brotherhood for its comment and appropriate action with each URANTIA Society.
¶ The lack of a suitable French edition
In late November and early this month, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Begemann of the Netherlands visited URANTIA Foundation to discuss both Foundation and Brotherhood matters in Europe. (Henry is a URANTIA Brotherhood Field Representative.) Ways and means of continuing the development of study groups and the dissemination of the URANTIA teachings, now that the first French translation of “The URANTIA Book” is no longer in print, were considered.
Henry noted that the lack of books does not necessarily preclude the qualitative development of the URANTIA Movement among our French friends, nor does it preclude attracting new readers, as many French copies are being loaned out by their owners. While progress is slower in this fashion, it is by no means halted.
The Trustees are nevertheless concerned over the lack of a suitable French edition of “The URANTIA Book.” Presently Mr. Begemann is working with an experimental translation team in Paris to prepare a new French translation under the Foundation’s direction.
¶ A visit by French-speaking Canadians
In August a group of French-speaking Canadians visited headquarters for the purpose of discussing ways to continue the development of study groups and the dissemination of the URANTIA teachings in Quebec in spite of the lack of books. Not long after this visit, the first regional conference for French-speaking readers was held in the Montreal area. Tom Kendall, representing URANTIA Foundation, and John Hales, representing URANTIA Brotherhood, attended this gathering and reported that it was a very happy and satisfying experience and offered promise for the future.
¶ A beautiful painting given to URANTIA Foundation
In July a beautiful painting was given to URANTIA Foundation. This painting, entitled “Ascent to the Threefold Mansion of Light,” was donated by the artist Vincent Ventola of Arcata, California. It is now on display in the front room of the Foundation-Brotherhood office and is enjoyed by all of the staff as well as the many visitors to headquarters.
¶ A new printing of “The URANTIA Book”
A new printing of “The URANTIA Book” (English edition) is scheduled for production this coming summer and will be completed by late summer or early fall. Preliminary preparations for this sixth printing are now under way in earnest. Current plans call for printing 25,000 copies. It is anticipated that the stock of the fifth printing will be exhausted in the fall of 1978, with the total number of English edition copies printed and distributed by that time standing at 85,000.
We are pleased that this large number of books has found its way into the evolutionary matrix of human society, and that this has been accomplished in a quiet, unostentatious manner, largely through person-to-person contact. There is no better evidence than the progress made in the last twenty odd years of the effectiveness of this quiet person-to-person spread of the teachings, especially during these early years of its presentation to our planet.
1977 has been a year of signal successes. 1978 promises even more.
Thank you all for your suggestions, contributions and continued support.