2020 Annual Report

I Found The Urantia Book While in Prison

And that was when everything changed, EVERYTHING!! All I can really say is that for the past three and a half years I have found my purpose in life and that purpose is to show love to all of God’s children. I learned very early in my studies with the book that the only way most Christians would accept the teachings, was first to apply the principals in my daily life and conduct. I feel that The Urantia Book has given me freedom from conventional Christian traditionalism to teach and lead the fellowship to a more dynamic insight as to who God is and our place in this universe. I went from a convict junkie to an aggressive leader of peace and encouragement to my fellow inmates. I owe my new life and freedom to the revelations in The Urantia Book. And all this transpired without even the slightest idea that there were so many others out there that believe as I do. My desire is to get into a study group and get to know others like me who trust what The Urantia Book says. I have so many questions; there are still things that I’ve read that I still can’t connect in my mind.

My Experience During the Pandemic

Irma Aguilar Meana, Cancun, Mexico

While serving on the Education Committee of Urantia Association International, 2020 has been, for me, one of the most rewarding experiences. Humanity was attacked by a deadly and invisible enemy that caused some of our dear siblings or relatives to be affected by this unexpected virus, some of whom passed away to continue their eternal journey.

But it hasn’t been a year of total ills. It was undoubtedly, and I speak for many readers, a peculiar and strange year, as we had to stay home—something we hadn’t thought or planned—and take care to keep our distance from each other. Face-to-face studies were suspended! This left a bad taste in the mouth. I do not exaggerate because many of us looked forward to meeting with our newly discovered siblings, or with those we have known for years, to talk and analyze the documents of the fifth revelation, or to get to know each other a little more. At the drop of a hat, everything stopped, and the Urantia Association International conference was suspended.

Well, from then on, activities began at breakneck speed. The brothers and sisters who are “experts” in communications technology did not stand by, and virtual study groups sprang up everywhere; every day of the week featured meetings on the various platforms on which we can meet and communicate and spend a good time studying. Readers promoted this movement in social networks and well-known chats; the networks were filled with invitations, and many new readers began attending the virtual study groups.

It has been a year of intense activity, with many new study groups and readers attending. We spend most of our time in these meetings talking about what we love the most, the divine teachings.

Some study groups came together to form larger groups, while other small groups redistributed their attendees. I am honored to serve my siblings by disseminating the teachings in the study groups and webinars on various digital media and social media sites, so thanks, 2020! I learned to do many things that I’ve never done in my sixty years of life, nor I thought I could do, and I love this.

Thank you to all the brethren who have not allowed me to be still, for there is always something to spread, to read and analyze; all of that has taught me many things. I have also participated in the Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS). Right now, we are about to finish our course.

Thanks to our Heavenly Father, who guides us through his Spirit. Because I have met him, I am not a passive grandmother; I am a forerunner of the revelation.

I send hugs to all, with thanks to the Urantia International Association for being the head of this Father’s organization for the mortals of Urantia.

Focus on the Father

James Woodward has written a collection of inspirational musings that he has been sharing with us from his moments when he “focuses on the Father.” Here is a sample:

Going to God’s Place

When we sit quietly and go within, our friendly travel guide welcomes us and opens the boarding gate to the friendly universe. We don’t know how this works because it’s like spiritual magic; the unparalleled experience of personal communion with God does not depend on knowing the mystery of how it works. This is a very good thing for us tadpoles! We are indwelt with a fragment of God—like a divine fractal—so when we peer deeply into that unified particle of Fatherly LOVE we discover God’s infinite cosmic realities and his personal presence is revealed to us according to our capacity, intimately known by our inner soul-mate. When you exercise the spiritual courage to pray for even a tiny sliver of divine bandwidth, to enter the holy temple of true worship, be prepared to be revelated!

Make Daily Deposits and Withdrawals from the Bank of God’s Infinite Love

The more truth, beauty, and goodness I realize, the more my soul grows in appreciation and capacity for the lovely personality of God. This currency of love is the heavenly medium of exchange in divine relationships; friendship and service are the earthly fruits of God’s cosmic cultivating, and all relationships are divine in potential. “Love is the desire to do good to others.”

Spiritual progress then, is our response to the invitation: To be found with fully outstretched arms to receive the love freely given. Soon, if we pursue these riches, our spiritual vault—managed and guarded by our indwelling spirit of God—becomes filled. This happy status encourages sharing the wealth!

Feedback from First 24-hour Urantiathon

Within days of the world going into shutdown after it was announced that the Coronavirus was a serious pandemic, Chris Wood, President of Urantia Association International, challenged his team to organize (within two weeks) a 24-hour virtual Urantia conference event. The motivation was to provide isolated Urantia Book readers all over the world comfort, social contact, and stimulating discussions. It was held in March of 2020 and, because it was such a success, was followed by others in May, August, and January (2021). Many hundreds of students of the book from all regions of the globe came together at various times either via Zoom or to watch the live stream on Facebook. At times it felt like a great big study group. Following are some excerpts from comments made by attendees, presenters and volunteer staff who were involved in the pilot event in March 2020:

From Luis Garcia-Bory
What a great example of what spirit-led leadership and teamwork can achieve! I join all of you in thanking and congratulating everyone in our team that made our first Urantiathon possible. And I would also like to express thanks to the amazing team of caring people who spread the word of this event to so many others at extraordinary speed—as well as to those who have attended in good numbers. I love you all and pray for you and for our planet that we together, in unselfish loving service, can teamwork with our Thought Adjusters (the quintessential team!) and with our sisters and brothers to vanquish this pandemic in the best and fastest ways possible. And that along the way, each one of us finds ways to be compassionate, loving, and caring of the physical and mental wellbeing of those around them. 

From Greg Adams
I saw a few hours of the Urantia hook up—it was really good. Just what people need to communicate and share important spiritual and practical information. You must all be pleased with the result given your involvement in the organizational side of things. Well done!

From Ralph & Betty Zehr
Thank you for an outstanding achievement. Bringing together and harmonizing all the moving parts essential to the 24-hour Uraniathon on such short notice was a truly remarkable achievement. It demonstrated what wise, coordinated leadership under spiritual direction can accomplish. You have tapped into a major potential. During this superuniverse age, the Supreme is growing as a result of potentials undergoing transformation to actuals. This has been an impressive step forward.

From Julian McGarry
It’s amazing how often hardship and necessity bring out the best in us. Of course, the Creators know this; that is why they allow it! Well done and thank you to Chris, Jeannie, Kathleen and anyone else who made all this possible. And finally, I would like to express gratitude to our loving Father and our Sovereign Brother for the blessings we experienced over the past 24 hours.

From Chris Wood to Presenters and Organizers
Presenters, hosts, and organizers—thank you all so much! In less than nine days, we went from concept to execution of this 24-hour Urantiathon. Thank you for stepping up on such short notice. And a special thanks to Jeannie, Kathleen, and Antonio for working so hard in the last week and giving so many hours during the event. We don’t know what the next few weeks will be like, but I hope we can continue to serve the Global Urantia Community with events like these. I wish you all good health and good cheer! 

From Kathleen Swadling to Presenters and Organizers
It was a pleasure to be involved in helping this event go from a somewhat “hairbrained” idea to an actual and incredible reality. It exceeded all my expectations. And I have you tell you folks—Chris Wood is one amazing character. He insisted that it could be done in the short time frame he set even though we thought we’d need at least a month. His positivity and drive, coupled with his ability to chase many of you all down to present, was lightning-fast and truly remarkable. Also, the talents, dedication, and time commitments of Jeannie and Antonio were more than impressive. They made the technical aspects and live streaming to Facebook go so smoothly. They’ll work on getting the recording segmented into your presentations so we can have a series of YouTube videos available soon. Thank you all for responding so readily to the call and stepping up at such short notice. And how amazing you all were… 24-hours of non-stop, thought provoking, deep and meaningful, and spiritually uplifting material. You’re true teachers of the revelation and I feel privileged to be associated with you all. Thank you again and blessings… Stay well!

A 3-Minute Taste of the Event: