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President
Treasurer
Secretary
General
Judicial Chair
Membership
Chair
Interfaith
Chair
Outreach Chair
Finance Chair
Special
Projects
Lara Amyx
Larry
Bowman
Robert
Bruyn
Robert
Burns
Gary
Deinstadt
Avi
Dogim
Stephen
Dreier
Janet
Falbo
Tony
Finstad
Cece
Forrester
Marvin
Gawryn
Janet
Graham
Merritt
Horn
Jack
Kane
Al
Lockett
Charlene
Morrow
Dolores
Nice
Charles
Olivea
Thomas
Orjala
Phillip
Taylor
Jo Ann
Wiedman
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Upcoming General
Council and Executive
Meetings
Executive
Committee
General
Council
February 10-13, 2011 in Dallas-Fort Worth
area
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Dear
Ignacio,
Happy
Thanksgiving to all as we look forward to the
holidays and share special time with family and
friends.
This
was going to be a "short" Community
Newsletter. Well it is not short! So
much is happening within our movement and
there is so much to share. Projects
abound from individuals, small group efforts and
larger organizational efforts. And they
all need support.
The
efforts, by so many dedicated readers, who are
dedicated to the revelation, need our time,
input, advocacy and financial
considerations. I am putting in a plug
here for the Urantia Book Fellowship, one
such organization deserving your
consideration.
Please
consider making a donation by clicking on this
DONATE
NOW link. You can make a one-time
donation or a monthly auto-debit. Your
support is greatly appreciated. And please
remember the other organizations that do such
wonderful good works in expanding this epochal
revelation.
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Meeting Holds Promise
of a United Urantia
Movement
UAI
ISB and the Urantia Book Fellowship
Meeting
October
23, 2010
Chicago,
Illinois USA at Urantia Foundation
Report
The International
Service Board (ISB) of Urantia Association
International (UAI) met with the Executive
Committee (EC) of The Urantia Book Fellowship
(UBF) at the Urantia Foundation in Chicago,
Illinois USA on October 23, 2010 beginning at
9:00 am CDT US with UAI President Gaétan
Charland and UBF President Michelle Klimesh as
joint Chairs. Other ISB members present were:
Merindi Belarski, Mark Kurtz, Susan Owen, Vern
Verass, Phil Taylor, James Woodward and Travis
Binion. Benet Rutenberg was present
as UAI Judicial Council member. UAI
Executive Administrator Rick Lyon was also in
attendance. Other UBF EC
members present were: John Hales, Michael
Challis, Cristina Seaborn, Lila Dogim, Buck
Weimer, Tim Hobs, Tom Choquette, Linda Buselli,
Marvin Gawryn, Paula Thompson, and Lenny
Cowles.
Gaétan
Charland brought the meeting to order and made
an opening statement. Gaétan reminded us
we hold the future of this revelation in front
of us. It is not about the organizations,
but about preparing the readers who will follow
us. Gaétan spoke on the importance of
focusing on our respective organizational
missions, and getting to know one another and
building the personal relationships that will
lead to understanding, appreciation and
love.
Michelle
Klimesh made an opening statement focused on
being forward looking in our time
together. Michelle asked us to consider
that we can only grow our relationships forward
from where we find ourselves today. She pledged
that the Executive Committee will encourage the
UAI in its work and pray for the success of
their projects to further the
revelation.
We
then read Paper 140 Section 4, pg. 1572
together. Gaétan asked: "If we are not the
light and the salt, then who?"
Each
attendee introduced themselves and their
respective organizational position along with
personal information they wished to share.
Many told the story of how they found the book
and how they are serving the revelation.
Rick
Lyon narrated a PowerPoint presentation on the
mission, structure and activities of UAI.
Rick and Gaétan then fielded questions about
UAI. John Hales,Vice President of UBF, and
Michael Challis, Judicial Chair, presented a
short history of their organization. The
structure of UBF was explained and their purpose
statement was read. There was a short
question and answer session and we recessed for
lunch prepared by Jennifer Siegel in the newly
renovated second floor kitchen at Urantia
Foundation.
A
PowerPoint slide was presented showing the
purpose statements of both organizations side by
side. The similarity of purpose was noted
and discussed by all attendees.
UAI
Statement of Purpose
Mission:
To foster study of The Urantia Book and
to disseminate its teachings.
1.1
The Urantia Association International (UAI) is a
nonprofit, service organization formed to
disseminate the teachings of The Urantia Book in
order to promote, improve, and expand
comprehension and appreciation among the peoples
of the world of cosmology, of the relationship
of the planet on which we live to the universe,
of the genesis and destiny of man and his
relation to God, and of the true teachings of
Jesus. In so doing, UAI shall endeavor to
increase and enhance the comfort, happiness, and
well-being of man, as an individual and as a
member of society, through the fostering of a
personal religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology
commensurate with man's intellectual and
cultural development.
The
Urantia Book Fellowship Statement of
Purpose
The purposes of The Fellowship are the study and
dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia
Book; the promotion, improvement, and expansion
among the peoples of the world of the
comprehension and understanding of Cosmology and
the relation of the planet on which we live to
the Universe, of the genesis and destiny of Man
and his relation to God, of the life and
teachings of Jesus, and the inculcation and
encouragement of the realization and
appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and the
Brotherhood of Man -- in order to increase and
enhance the comfort, happiness, and well-being
of Man, as an individual and as a member of
society, by fostering a religion, a philosophy,
and a cosmology which are commensurate with
Man's intellectual and cultural development,
through the medium of fraternal association,
ever obedient and subservient to the laws of
this country and of all countries wherein The
Fellowship may extend.
We
read Paper 144 Section 6, pg. 1625:7-8 and Paper
100 section 4, pg. 1098:3.
James
Woodward and Vern Verass presented the prototype
of the Study Group
Portal. The idea for this
independent web portal as a central location for
self-registering all study groups worldwide
arose from IT and Study Groups Appreciative
Inquiry meetings hosted by Urantia
Foundation. James Woodward as UAI Study
Group Chair and UAI IT volunteers, including
Scott Brooks, will continue to develop the
prototype and when it's complete, the Study
Group Portal will be presented to all three
organizations for review, input and
approval. Questions were answered by James
and Vern.
The
UBF presented their new Dissemination Initiative
- Grassroots Urantia Outreach,
"Fellowship in the Field" and the
corresponding website: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mjk8e5cab&et=1103953895976&s=1755&e=0011Q9ppq8h9BWIhxjtBMnBUYY08qKg1ZkqA5sRhQI1NkzIFps552YfwxMVxIq7IzPphj4U0xnLuTXKL0ktFKTqExRdwo9Peu_qJYjuikP2zycdNbX5H0-7K97YvxwoVXkS.
This initiative was the result of several
visioning sessions over the past 2 ½
years. The Letter of Introduction on the
website was read and states in part:
"The
Urantia Book Fellowship has a vision for
dissemination -- to become the organization that
will serve these mighty servants who will uplift
the children of God and this planet by sharing
the fact, truth, and teachings of this great
revelation. The first step of our vision
for dissemination is requesting proposals from
all Urantia Book readers for a dissemination
project that we can support as an
organization."
Initial
project proposals are due by December
1st with final proposals due by
January 16, 2011.
James
Woodward presented another independent project
called The Urantia Book Study Group
Development Project. It is a
five-year strategic plan to foster, develop,
expand, and nurture study groups through the
collaborative efforts of individuals within
Urantia Foundation, UAI and UBF. A project
charter and purpose statement has been
completed. This project will be presented
to all three organizations for consideration in
the near future.
The
UBF presented their Pipeline of
Light project which was started in
2002. Pipeline volunteers respond to reader
needs for The Urantia Book and its
available translations throughout the world,
especially in countries where the book is
unavailable or the cost is prohibitive. To date,
Pipeline volunteers have secured donors for more
than 2800 books in sixty-seven countries.
Approximately 88% of all books placed are the
Urantia Foundation Spanish translation, El
Libro de Urantia.
Phil
Taylor introduced the UAI Leadership
2011 symposium which will be held July
14-17, 2011 at Techny Towers in Chicago,
Illinois USA. The purpose of this
symposium is to bring together leaders from
around the world so we can come to a common
understanding of the origin, history and destiny
of the revelation, a shared vision of what is
possible, an understanding of what makes an
effective leader, and how leaders can work
effectively within an organization.
The symposium program will be structured around
group dynamics in order to foster personal
relationships, sharing of knowledge and
experience, and collaborative problem
solving. The leaders of UBF were invited
to the symposium. More information is on
the leadership website at: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mjk8e5cab&et=1103953895976&s=1755&e=0011Q9ppq8h9BX7wh1bDUfp_WXR_oqG4WTJP98bu7IC5PYIpEpv4l_JznZYkKlEAQTesJOYQbFQTx4eBJ5ApxwB3fHCStv1HpY-RBysCQ3nJNs0WAfelV6zhg==.
Tom
Choquette spoke about his independent
Truth Seekers Initiative
started in 2002 for young readers of the book
aged 14-19. This is an event oriented
initiative centered on healthy and adventurous
outdoor activities during the days, sharing and
preparing meals together, and bonding and
learning the art of social discourse in the
evenings. The goal is to facilitate close,
lifelong friendships in an extended network of
like minded young people dedicated to living
lives of honesty and integrity. More
information can be found at: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mjk8e5cab&et=1103953895976&s=1755&e=0011Q9ppq8h9BXrWlsvfygiZe7VVfj3UYJckuR5l3AjdgdJcuD6sZF2xQXxbmtV0WVkmnHaxH7nMiwAOcJMW8IQRnNnaC2z_z3TFzPHcVQV9EhFOYEnP5IUwkmI_FIv5-l8.
All
agreed we should meet again in the future, but
no date was set.
The
meeting adjourned at 4:30 PM CDT USA.
From
5:30 PM to after 10:00 PM, the members of the
ISB and the UBF EC enjoyed social fellowship
with local readers and a sumptuous dinner
prepared by Jennifer Siegel.
Respectfully
Presented by:
Gaétan
Charland
President
Urantia
Association International
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mjk8e5cab&et=1103953895976&s=1755&e=0011Q9ppq8h9BU_wE37wYQkuQwcTUqntk2i_QK2-45EOQobQUFTIyPE7N7qKuDfp9fsDCddWtvGdCxDsnjmqw_IyACy_e0EALSjTQUSHy4RfK-tNg6elFCSng==
Michelle
Klimesh
President
Urantia
Book Fellowship
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Endowment
Program for The Urantia Book Fellowship!
Exciting
news! The Urantia Book Fellowship
finally has it's own Endowment Fund, named
the Foxhall Endowment Fund,
that exclusively supports the long term
efforts 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 for close to
two decades, this endowment program has
finally happened for the Urantia Book
Fellowship. Ken has been pushing
the Urantia organizations to create and support
endowments for Urantia related purposes.
The Foxhall Fund was created about 5
years ago with Ken as the founder and
recently with a board that consisted of Susan
Cook, Larry Geis, Michelle Klimesh and Robert
Burns. At our last
Foxhall Board meeting, it was
unanimously decided to turn the
entire fund over to the Fellowship, with
$17,000 in the fund. The Executive
committee accepted the Foxhall Endowment Fund
in their October meeting.
The
Urantia community needs endowments to sustain
our growth in the future. Your donations
continue to give, as generally the principle of
your donation stays in the fund
and only the annual appreciation
is used for the Fellowship's annual purposes or
the specific purpose you designate. As the
donor, you can specify many other variables
to you Living Legacy donation and the
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation staff
will help you determine the best approach for
your donation.
Some
day, in the relatively near future, there will
be many millions of dollars invested of which
the annual proceeds will allow many important
projects to be funded.
Donations to
the Foxhall fund can be established in your
will for a Living Legacy. The Greater
Kansas City Community Foundation can accept most
any type of asset for the Foxhall
Endowment Fund, like stocks,
jewelry, real estate and even
collectibles.
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The Station is
an illusion--It constantly outdistances
us
by Robert J.
Hastings
![Train Station]()
TUCKED AWAY in our subconscious minds
is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves
From
that day on we will all live happily ever
after.
Sooner
or later, however, we must realize there is no
station in this life, no one earthly
place
to arrive at once and for all. The journey is
the joy. The station is an illusion--it
constantly
outdistances us.
Yesterday's
a memory, tomorrow's a dream. Yesterday belongs
to a history,
tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday's a fading
sunset, tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only
today
is there light enough to love and
live.
So,
gently close the door on yesterday and throw the
key away. It isn't the burdens of today
that
drive men mad, but rather regret over yesterday
and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and
fear
are twin thieves who would rob us of
today.
"Relish
the moment" is a good motto, especially when
coupled with Psalm 118:24, "This is the
day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice
and be glad in it."
So stop pacing the
aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim
more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more
babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry
less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride
more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life
must be lived as we go along. The station
will come soon enough. on
a long journey that spans an entire continent.
We're traveling by train and, from the
windows,
we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby
highways, of children waving at crossings,
of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke
pouring from power plants, of row upon
row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of
flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and
village
halls.But
uppermost in our conscious minds is our final
destination--for at a certain hour and on a
given
day, our train will finally pull into the
station with bells ringing, flags waving, and
bands playing.
And once that day comes, so many wonderful
dreams will come true. So restlessly, we
pace
the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead,
waiting, waiting, waiting for the
station.
"Yes, when we reach the station, that will be
it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're
eighteen.
. . win that promotion. . . put the last kid
through college. . . buy that 450SL
Mercedes-Benz.
. . have a nest egg for
retirement!" |
The Fellowship Helps With
Brazilian Book Fair
The
Brasilia, Brazil Book Fair 2010
![Charlene and Buck]() |
| Charlene and Buck Weimer at the
Brazil Book
Fair |
"The
progress angels. These seraphim are
entrusted with the task of initiating the
evolutionary progress of the successive social
ages. They foster the development of the
inherent progressive trend of evolutionary
creatures; they labor incessantly to make things
what they ought to be." P. 1255,
114,6,6
The
Brazilian ExpoBrasilia Book Fair was held on
October 8 through October 17, 2010 sponsored by
the Brasilia Chamber of Books with 157
exhibitors and over 150,000 people in
attendance.
Charlene
Morrow and I flew from Denver to Washington,
D.C. on October 6th, and then flew the overnight
flight to Sao Paulo before finally arriving in
Brasilia at 2:30 PM on October 7th. There
to greet us as we cleared immigrations and
customs was a smiling Nemias Mol with a
bright Urantia Book circles sign. (Words cannot
adequately express the feelings experienced when
a local person is there to greet you upon
arriving in a distant country for the first
time.) Within an hour we were checked into
our hotel and ready to explore.
Nemias
is the young, energetic, and bright leader of
Urantia Association of Brazil, which began in
2003, and an integral part of the UAI (Urantia
Association International). Visit the
website he maintains at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mjk8e5cab&et=1103953895976&s=1755&e=0011Q9ppq8h9BXz7KlwfIByHsEcqRm80Zbh4v8CURkZ3NOWKt-GNnytMT0BrqidRa4bZucjNmN9apQV-AM5Q4catgxti9lL5EhwCpRQLKm3gkoYZOEr9V5NLQ== .
It lists 42 study groups; and claims a total of
1,300 readers throughout Brazil. He expressed
that all the readers in Brazil are completely
ecstatic about having the Urantia Book
translated in Portuguese - first printing in
2007 - and he was especially happy about having
the O Livro de URÂNTIA for
the book fair in his hometown of
Brasilia.
We
carried to Brasilia 27 books, 1,000 Spiritual
Vitamins (in Portuguese and English), 10 CD's of
the automated Ascent of Paradise
downloaded from Square Circles (ironically,
translated into Portuguese by Nemias), and many
3 concentric circle pins. In anticipation
of the book fair Nemias had printed several
thousand flyers and an equal amount of
brochures, as well as 2 large posters extolling
the benefits of the Revelation. A most
interesting reader, Frederico Galváo, took us to
dinner the first night and talk about his
involvement in the Urantia Book movement over
the past 7 years. He had a career in the
Brazilian Foreign Service and spoke many
languages, including Spanish, English, French,
and some Romanian; and is also a member of Mensa
International.
As
the book fair started, we were sharing
a booth with the printer and distributor of
a very large Portuguese Thesaurus book.
Their booth also contained a multitude of other
books with interesting titles and well-known
Brazilian and international authors. The
printer and distributor of this Thesaurus was a
father-son team (Victor Tagore Sr. and Victor
Tagore Jr.) - both supported the Urantia Book.
The confusion between customers and worker of
the Thesaurus booth and our group soon became
apparent. The elder Tagore soon took
charge and allotted us our own booth (free of
charge) across the isle from our original booth;
and progress began to happen with a greater
frequency.
For
the majority of the time we had this wonderful
system going: I would offer people passing
by a spiritual vitamin (Vitaminas
Espirituais); usually they opened and read
it in our presence. Charlene would offer
them a brochure and a flyer, and Nemias would
respond to their questions and offer insights
into the Urantia Book. In a way, it was
offering them a look at the Kingdom, Charlene
was showing them the door, and Nemias invited
them inside (or at least, that was our joyful
fantasy). For the most part, the
individuals we encountered were bright,
educated, truth-seeking and open-minded.
Brazil has a literacy rate of 90%. We
received no negative feedback; despite the fact
that Brazil is 74% Catholic and 15.5%
Protestant.
Roberto
Vieira de Paula and Lucia Borelli came to lend
their help at the booth. Lucia has done
some fantastic secondary works (we viewed one of
them, in hardback copy, but, of course, could
not discern the writing) but the drawings of the
various parts of the cosmos were great.
Lucia also had her own booth to display her
private writings.
An
interesting point of discussion with Nemias was
with the pricing of the UB for sale at the
fair. He set the price at 60
Brazilian Real ($35.00) for the hardback and
50
Real ($30.00) for the soft back. The per
capita income in Brazil (2008-2009 figures) is
approximately 17,000 Real - about 10,000
USD. He thought these prices very
competitive with other books of comparable size
at the fair. Charlene & I often used
the model - based on experience at other book
fairs - of asking the potential buyer:
"How much are you willing to pay for this
book?" And if the offered price was
reasonable and realistic, we gave them the book
at that price; and, if necessary, we were
willing to subsidize the difference between the
actual cost and the sale price. Our motive
is to get the book out and in the hands of
potential believers; while the profit motive is
for an era of greater demand. Since its
inception, neither organization has made a
profit from the printing and sales of the
Urantia Book; perhaps a single book, but not for
the whole printing.
We
sold 13 books, (7 soft covers, 6 hard covers),
gifted all of the spiritual vitamins, and handed
out hundred of brochures and pamphlets.
One
day we had lunch with Frederico and Roberto, and
they wanted to discuss: "Why Harry McMullen
published Part IV of the Urantia Book and caused
the Foundation to loose the copyright?
(Our opinion: because the UB Foundation
began to withhold access to the book from
individuals and groups unwilling to follow their
policies; and the copyright was lost because the
U.S. Supreme opinion: "...only an author or an
author's heirs can renew the copyright in a
literary work at the expiration of the initial
term..."). Nemias also wanted to know what
we thought about the Foundation's copyright of
the Portuguese translation.
On
the last day of our time at the book fair, we
had an intense conversation with Victor Tagore
Jr. about his desire to distribute the Urantia
Book throughout Brazil. Victor is a
graduate from the University of Arizona, and
obviously communicated very well in
English. Although a dedicated
Spiritist (the belief in communications
with unseen spirit beings), he was a reader and
fully supported the Urantia Book. He
renewed his commitment to travel to Chicago to
consummate a deal to do this distribution, and
asked us to communicate some of his desires to
the Foundation.
The
day before our departure Nemias took us on a
sightseeing tour of Brasilia, a city created
ex nihilo (Latin for "out of nothing") in
1956. Its broad boulevards, modernistic
structures, and groomed parks portend of things
to come. Of special interest was the
Cathedral de Brasilia; a spectacular Roman
Catholic Church designed by Oscar
Niemeyer. Going inside from the
underground tunnel, visitors are surrounded by
mostly blue and white stained glass, hanging
angels, and marble sculptures. On the
outside you can stand next to 4 bronze statues
nearly 10 feet tall; representing the 4
Evangelistic Apostles. Everything is BIG,
BEAUTIFUL, and INSPIRING.
On
the day of our departure, we were invited to
Nemias's home for lunch. His wife Luci
prepared everything while Nemias held their
newborn son (born August 21st).
Frederico and Roberto were also there, and
Fernando, another reader, came later.
After a most delicious lunch, we celebrated with
a reading and remembrance supper - leaving all
of us with a sense of fulfillment and unity with
each other and our Creator Son.
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.
The
International Fellowship Committee wishes to
thank the Executive Committee, the General
Council, and the general readership for their
undying support for our many projects and the
freedom to pursue them.
Buck
Weimer, Chair
Charlene
Morrow
Dolores
Nice
Cristina
Seaborn
Unsung
Adjuncts |
By the PRESIDENT of the
United States Of America,
A
PROCLAMATION:
On October 3,
1789, during his first year as President, George
Washington issued a proclamation that set aside
Thursday, November 26 (1789) as "A Day of Public
Thanksgiving and Prayer."
Entitled "General
Thanksgiving," the decree appointed the day "to
be observed by acknowledging with grateful
hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty
God."
WHEREAS
it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to
be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to
implore His protection and favor; and Whereas
both Houses of Congress have, by their joint
committee, requested me "to recommend to the
people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC
THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by
acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and
signal favors of Almighty God, especially by
affording them an opportunity peaceably to
establish a form of government for their safety
and happiness:"
NOW
THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY,
the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be
devoted by the people of these States to the
Service of that great and glorious Being who is
the beneficent author of all the good that was,
that is, or that will be; that we may then all
unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and
humble thanks for His kind care and protection
of the people of this country previous to their
becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold
mercies and the favorable interpositions of His
providence in the course and conclusion of the
late war; for the great degree of tranquility,
union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;
for the peaceable and rational manner in which
we have been enabled to establish Constitutions
of government for our safety and happiness, and
particularly the national one now lately
instituted;-- for the civil and religious
liberty with which we are blessed, and the means
we have of acquiring and diffusing useful
knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great
and various favors which He has been pleased to
confer upon us.
And
also, that we may then unite in most humbly
offering our prayers and supplications to the
great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him
to pardon our national and other
transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in
public or private stations, to perform our
several and relative duties
proper | | |
