Tidings – March 2021
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In This Issue
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Chris Wood, United States 
It has been a true honor to serve Urantia Association for the last eight years. I have been blessed to help guide this group of global, loving, God-seeking people as they have come together for the common purpose of sharing an epochal revelation.
Right now, I am reminded of a Raymond Carver poem about a spring of water that gradually grows into a river and eventually merges into the ocean. Cathy Jones, one of the key pioneers in the formation of Urantia Association worked tirelessly to unite a scattered group of springs into a stream. Gaetan Charland, our first President, dedicated his efforts into guiding this stream as it grew, and with a leap of faith, he handed that work over and allowed me the joy of shaping this growing global movement. And now I see us racing toward the river ahead and it is with supreme confidence in the future that I am handing the office of President over to Enrique Traver from Brazil.
In The Urantia Book we are told how Christianity became an Occidental religion, and the leaders of the Association have taken note of that and worked hard to ensure that the book and its teachings are not wedded to just one nation, one language, or one culture. The single initiative that I am most proud of over the last eight years has been the rise of the continental coordination program. This has allowed for regional leadership training, a dramatic increase in continental conferences and service projects, and has elevated Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America as equal and balancing centers of education and influence for our global Urantia community.
The International Service Board is filled with dedicated men and women who volunteer extraordinary energy and time to the revelation we all love. Our continental and national leaders are the captains of this ship who make the ultimate decisions on which programs we will use to share these teachings with the world. And the Local Association and study group leaders are the beating heart of the Urantia community. I am deeply grateful to each and every person who has stepped forward to help us “lift together.”
A wise Urantia Book student once told me that throughout our ascension careers we will be working together in teams, and so an important lesson in life is to find the people who we work best with and to form a team and accomplish something. As I visited Urantia Associations throughout the world, I witnessed these pockets of diverse personalities who have come together in teams. As long as these morontia lessons continue to be taught in the material world, the Urantia community will succeed in preparing the world for the day when men and women will be willing to seek truth and righteousness.
The future is bright! Urantia Foundation continues to prepare new and exciting translations of The Urantia Book and revise the translations already in print. The internet has torn down barriers to book distribution. And as these new communities find the teachings, they will inevitably want to band together with their neighbors and join the dynamic teams that make up Urantia Association in our service to the world. “The act is ours; the consequences God’s.” (Paper 48: 7, page 556)
It’s been an honor to serve and build on the work of Cathy Jones and Gaetan Charland; a joy to spend these short, short years in service to a revelation. I am forever indebted to Urantia Association International.
Thank you,
Chris Wood
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Conference Committee 
Towards Cosmic Citizenship… Your Time Has Come!
Due to the pandemic, unfortunately you won’t be able to come to Cusco, Peru but Cusco can come to you in your homes via a virtual unforgettable experience. Don’t miss this upcoming 11th Urantia Association International Conference on 24 – 25 April 2021.
Uniting continents, we will have speakers and workshop ifacilitators of various ages from all over the world with presentations translated into four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese) as well as workshops being provided in those four languages.
Program
Day 1: Sonship with God, Cosmic Citizenship, and Planetary Evolution
Conference Opening
Words from Urantia Association International President – Enrique Traver (Brazil)
Welcoming to Peru & Introduction
How Do Ancient Cultures Provide Opportunities to Inspire Cosmic Citizenship?
by Lourdes Burga-Cisneros – Urantia Peru Association President (Cusco, Peru).
Cusco, Peru, is a site with traces of the blood of Adam and Eve who hoped to spread a spiritual message; whose footsteps we could wisely follow with the help of the Spirit of Truth.
1.1. What is the Core Spiritual Message of The Urantia Book?
by Angie Thurston (Washington D.C, U.S.A)
What does it mean to you to be a son or daughter of God? The Urantia Book’s teachings are very diverse, but the number one spiritual message is that God is a loving and merciful father and that we are all family, no matter what we believe or don’t believe. This core message is the trunk of a tree with many flowering branches. This talk will introduce the listener to how, in these difficult times, we can experience the supreme joy of spiritual truth and its power to transform.
1.2. What is Cosmic Citizenship and How Can We Apply it Practically?
by Jeffrey Wattles (Ohio, USA)
God is spirit, but the Creator works on material and intellectual levels, too. Cosmic citizens establish spiritual goals as their top priority, and The Urantia Book teaches many ways to coordinate, integrate, and unify these levels. This talk will touch on the concepts of cosmic mind (16:6), cosmic truth (2:7), using an example that will help listeners understand how to apply and work effectively as a cosmic citizen with the down-to-earth facts of daily life.
1.3. How Does Humankind Evolve from Primitive Origins to a Glorious Planetary Destiny?
by Elisabeth Callahan (California, USA)
We are on the way to the age of light and life; in that age, we integrate in our lives the positive achievements of all previous ages. A review of these ages helps us understand what happened in the distant past that helps explain the turmoil in our world today.
Workshops
See at the end of the Program information on how to view the workshop descriptions and how to make your choices as part of the registration process.
Day 2: Cosmic Citizenship, Holistic Personal Growth, and Our Planetary Contributions
The New Urantia Book High-Quality Spanish Revision – Unity, Teamwork, and Advanced Methodological Processes in the Creation of a Referential System for Quality Work.
by Panelists: Anibal Pacheco (Chile), Olga Lopez (Spain), Raul Pujol (Cuba), and Víctor García-Bory (Mexico)
An interactive panel will discuss a 10-year long journey of challenges, service, teamwork, and friendship, as well as the results achieved.
2.1. What Are Some Principles of Holistic Personal Growth for Cosmic Citizenship?
by Alejandro Ampudia (Lima, Perú)
Personal growth should be understood as the way to awaken cosmic consciousness and elevate spiritual perception in order to become cosmically mature and balanced beings. There is a set of values that we must acquire faithfully and consistently because they constitute the steps of holistic growth. As we seek for perfection in the love of God, prayer and worship are indispensable tools to move forward on this path.
2.2. How Shall We Design Projects to Promote Planetary Progress as True Cosmic Citizens?
by Olga López (Barcelona, Spain) & Sebastián Nozzi (Argentinian in Heidelberg, Germany)
How can we help during this difficult and dangerous transition in our planetary history? What great projects for planetary progress are highlighted in The Urantia Book? We may design a contribution to one of these. We may modify a project that we are already working on or join an existing project (teamwork multiplies results).
2.3. What Sources of Spiritual Power Enable Us to Go Forward With Our Goals?
by Emeka Anazodo (Lagos, Nigeria)
The very power or energy that flows from the Deities into all universes, creating and sustaining all things and beings, is the ultimate source of spiritual power. All spiritual power emanates from God, the Universal Father, as he is the First Source and Center of all things and beings. The spiritual power is the quickening effect of all spiritual influences which indwell, surround, and impinge upon us and we need it in order to break through our own resistance and outer obstacles to living spiritual values (166:3.8).
Conference Closing
Passing of the torch to the President of the National Association that will be hosting the next international conference in 2024.
Workshops
During the registration process you will find the list of workshops and you will be guided how to choose your workshop for each day.
Note that the last 2 hours of each day will be devoted to Workshops. Throughout the conference there will also be some breaks, cultural activities, ways to get to know Cusco, Peru (a virtual tour), and the possibility to interact with others.
Click here to view PDF of Workshops
Registration
Registration is now open! Although this is a virtual conference via Zoom, for security reasons you will still need to register in advance.
Register Now
Times:
The conference will be held on Saturday & Sunday 24th & 25th April. On both days it will start at Lima/Peru time: 8:30am and end at 4:00pm (16:00). Click UTC for time conversion. Also this table may be useful to help with time comparisons:
Promo Video
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Conference Committee  | | Image de Gerd Altmann |
As the Coronavirus lingers—keeping many of us locked down in isolation—we felt it was time to bring our Urantia Book reader community together again to nourish our souls and discuss our favorite book. Another incredible 24-hour virtual event was held over the weekend of 24 – 25 January where we enjoyed presentations from around the world and engaged in stimulating discussions. With Faith, Joy, and Peace being our topics of focus, this experience was spiritually uplifting and soul nourishing. We were even treated to a preview of the program for the virtual International Conference in Peru this April with the theme Towards Cosmic Citizenship—Your Time Has Come.
One of the exciting additions recently added to our Zoom meetings is the ability to provide simultaneous translations—most particularly for English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It’s a very easy feature to use; participants simply need to select the language channel from the task bar and choose the language they wish to hear. We are truly grateful to those amazing translators who served tirelessly for hours at a time to make it possible for more people to experience the diversity of presenters and their presentations given in different languages.
If you were unable to attend, missed anything, or simply wish to revisit a presentation, you can view the recordings in the video section of our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/urantia.association/videos/
Also, the presentations are gradually being uploaded to our YouTube channel. (If they are not all there yet please be patient as it takes a lot of editing work by a volunteer to break them up into the 1-hour segments.) Go to: https://www.youtube.com/c/UrantiaAssociationInternational/playlists and click on the Playlist with the title “24-Hour Urantiathon—Faith, Joy, & Peace.”
Thank you again to all of those loyal and industrious volunteers who worked in front of, and behind, the scenes to make this event happen.
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Jeannie Vasquez, Uruguay 
Along the same lines as the previous 24-hour Urantiathons, Urantia Association International hosted Iberoamerican Urantiathon on 28 – 29 November, 2020. This time the webinars were presented in Spanish and Portuguese with simultaneous translations into English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
The program featured 19 hour-long presentations offered by students from Brazil, Spain, Venezuela, Ecuador, USA, Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Guatemala.
The Latin-American community gathered together to listen to presentations from members of the new Iberoamerican generation of Urantia Book students as well as experienced students who offered valuable lessons about themes so diverse as "Kingdom of Heaven," "From Tribe to Cosmic Citizenship," "The Spheres of Light and Life," "Beauty, Art, and Spirituality," and "The Goodness and Beauty of Truth." We also listened to motivating experiences about the path of spiritual growth.
One of these presentations was a global membership update from Urantia Association. The outgoing International President, Chris Wood, led a discussion with the two nominees standing for election to his position: Merindi Swadling (Australia) and Enrique Traver (Brasil). They discussed the accomplishments of the Association in 2020 and what to expect in 2021 and beyond.
Hundreds of readers around the world enjoyed the presentations thanks to the service of simultaneous translations offered. There was also time to ask questions and offer comments and personal visions about the teachings shared.
The event's closing had a jam session with the Mexican musician Ramiro Jarkyn, a long-term student of The Urantia Book, who played guitar and sang Latin-American songs. It was an amusing and fraternal occasion!
The event took place via Zoom and was live-streamed to Facebook. You can see the video recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYsuKvvHWuuYVTw5GbKvP4sS_bbyIrCBn
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Wilson Leon, Colombia
Interview with Isabel Reinoso Manrique, President of Urantia Association Colombia
Isabel, what new project are you considering for this time of "pandemic?"
Because of the obligatory lock-down, we set out to organize virtual study groups. I learned a lot of new technology with great results. Originally, I had a single study group and now I have seven virtual study groups during the week, and every Friday at 7:00pm I give an introductory talk on The Urantia Book for new readers interested in the book.
Now, considering that our reality has changed forever, several Urantia Book reader friends feel we need to develop "transition communities" and correct the mistakes we made when we first created the ecovillages.*
These “transition communities" that we are creating represent a middle ground that allows us, on the one hand, to take advantage of all that Mother Nature can offer, such as healthy eating and an outdoor life, yet on the other hand offers all the advantages of technology and progress, as long as it does not adversely affect the well-being of the planet, its peoples, and societies.
We see these "transition communities" as independent nuclei offering self-sufficiency with food and energy (alternative sources for electricity generation) as well as spiritual growth for all who are interested in adopting healthier habits, offering an attainable model for those who are yearning for a good life. It's not intended to lock us up in the countryside, isolated from society but instead to allow us to live the teachings of The Urantia Book in our daily lives and to influence others.
Isabel, since you mention it, what does this “transition communities’ project have to do with the teachings of The Urantia Book?
Perhaps we are trying to adopt the model of life based on Dalamatia and Eden, and the great gift that The Urantia Book gives us through its account of life on a culturally, nationally, and spiritually developed neighboring planet. This narrative shows us what the future might be like on our planet if anyone comes up with a way of making it a reality.
What we are doing as this "group of dreamers"–because that is what we are–is to first try to change ourselves internally, because if we do not live the teachings of The Urantia Book, if the fruits of the spirit are not expressed in us, and if we do not manage to abandon our tendency towards procrastinating ways and vices, then we will not build anything—we will just keep on living the same way we always have.
What we are all focused on is the internalization of the teachings of The Urantia Book, looking inside ourselves and studying and correcting our behavior in our daily routine. What does this mean? That you must, in your daily life, in every detail of your life, seek perfection. I think that is what the Father told us, "Be you perfect, even as I am perfect” [1:0.3].
By giving us so many opportunities, so many stages of life, from this perspective of spiritualization of everyday life, we will, step by step, achieve circles of perfection. But it's no use reading and rereading the book for years, if you don't transform, if you don't change. If you do not take the sincere and real decision to be a righteous person who seeks perfection in all your deeds, including thought, word, feelings, emotions, and actions, then nothing will ever happen.
That's why all the affairs of the household should be dealt with intelligently. We must always seek to do our best—seek perfection in every detail. We should not repeat the same habit every day in the same way, with the same mistakes, perhaps copying the ways of our parents or those of the people we live with. We must strive for excellence in everything.
Isabel, where do you feel this kind of experiential model will take us?
Undoubtedly, these communities and “transition populations” will form the nuclei from which will spring forth, when the time is right, a brand new culture on Urantia.
We must begin with ourselves in order to set an example and to influence those who live in our immediate surrounds so that they may emulate this model for living and, in that way, establish for all involved a new culture. What are we going to call this new culture? I have no idea. It will be up to my children's children to name it!
What is needed is that we try, at least, to contribute to the establishment of a new, more humane, healthier, and more equitable model for all. Every one of us must be free to choose how we wish to live.
*Ecovillage definition: Ecovillages are a manifestation of conscious human innovation and creativity: groups of people living out their principles, regenerating their environment, and increasing their sense of belonging and purpose as a community. [Gen Europe Ecovillage Network]
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Line St Pierre, Quebec, Canada 
After more than 15 months without being able to meet, we wondered if it would be possible to create the proper atmosphere in an online retreat.
The four of us, the Daughters of God, had to do the experiment first, and assess the possible discomfort or technical difficulties before gathering a small group in “the cloud!” With a touch of this new retreat experience on Zoom, and more preparation on our part, our plan was put into action!
We invited women who had already participated in one of our retreats in order to get a better sense of how the interaction could happen when we're on Zoom and when we look at the screen and don't really know who is really being addressed. Since these attendees already knew how the in-person retreats worked, they should be able to adjust their participation to the small screen.
The day before the retreat, just as we do in our retreats at Urantia Foundation in Chicago, we scheduled a two-hour get-together as an icebreaker. We enjoyed an aperitif in our own homes and interacted with the group online. It was wonderful to see each other again, even through this small screen, and catch up with news and updates.
The next day, Sunday, December 13, from noon to 4:30 pm, after being informed of the protocol of this platform, we spent some time in prayer and meditation before regrouping in the first of the three circles of trust that we facilitated.
The eleven participants had settled into a quiet place in the comfort of their homes, without any disturbance of electronic devices. The intimacy of this ensemble was experienced as standing in a sacred bubble, thus promoting the authenticity of each one in our sharing in this union of souls. We introduced and considered the question: The Universe is meant to be a dance of cooperation and love, so how can we find the courage to progress and dance through these difficult times?
This is how hearts opened and other hearts received and were filled with love, with this love of our Heavenly Father and his spiritual helpers.
One of the participants read what the Catholic priest, author and theologian Henri Nouwen wrote:
Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.
All of us appreciated the level of trust, respect and vulnerability in our sharing. Our individual contributions came from the Spirit, which does not differentiate whether we are in person or virtually. The Spirit recognizes the state of soul. At the end of the afternoon, we all felt uplifted and supported in this sacred circle.
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James Woodward, United States
The Teaching
The secret of his unparalleled life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent prayer and sincere worship—unbroken communion with God—and not by leadings, voices, visions, or extraordinary religious practices. [Paper 196.0, page 2089.0]
The Takeaway
The consciousness of the presence of God is the secret of the most unparalleled religious life that was ever lived by a human in this universe. And this holy attainment was attained by intelligent prayer and sincere worship—unbroken communion with God.
The Personal Plan
Think about God all the time, as often as you can remember. Don’t be anxious as to the exact contents of those thoughts—have faith that your onboard divine interpreter will adjust them. The heavenly marching orders are: “Be you perfect” and we have all been taught that practice makes perfect.
Our practice techniques are intelligent prayer and sincere worship. There is absolutely no mystery in those instructions though all too often we rationalize our resistance to the perfection plan. We excel at finding ways to avoid God. That’s why we have a Thought Adjuster to help us in “ceasing to resist.”
All these movements of personality growth become powerful influences aiding in your advancement because they help you to co-operate with the Adjuster; they assist you in ceasing to resist. [Paper 110.3, page 1205.5]
Again, our friendly indwelling spirit—our moral co-pilot—will assist us in ceasing to resist and making wise decisions so we can advance. We must learn to trust all spiritual matters to our pre-personal spiritual training coach. One of the ways we break our resistance is to make merciful allowances for our broken communion, loving-kindness for our human inconstancy. This is not, however, to avoid perfecting by laying lazy claim to our imperfection. Get a little communion, get some communion, or get a lot of communion.
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Publications Committee 
The Urantia Book encourages us to be creative in the way we share our understanding of truth. And the number of study aids and derivative works produced by creative and imaginative students of the book is staggering.
Rick (or Richard) Warren, long time student and scholar of The Urantia Book and loyal supporter of Urantia Association International, is a prolific writer of novels that classify as “derivative works” of the Urantia revelation. Rick served on the Association’s ISB as Dissemination Chair and was later a member of the Communications Committee until a few years ago when he resigned and told us he needed to focus his time and energy on writing a book. That book turned out to be Resurrection Hall—A Mansion World Odyssey, the first in a series of novels he has been producing ever since.
Following are brief descriptions of each of his novels:
Resurrection Hall – A Mansion World Odyssey
What will it be like when you awaken after life on Earth?
Resurrection Hall attempts to explore that question in light of new revelations found in The Urantia Book. Published in 1955, it reveals a great deal about our future life, from our first breath on Mansion World One to our arrival on Paradise as perfected beings. Resurrection Hall is a spiritual odyssey based on these revelations, about the Maylon Family, who resurrect on the first mansion world to begin the long, long journey to God's abode at the center of all things and beings.
Battlefield Guardians – Angels in Vietnam
In 1968 Ernie Baker was a nurse, a draftee, a conscientious objector, and a medic assigned to a combat unit. His tour of duty in the army is similar to many young men who were drafted, trained, and sent to Vietnam—with one extraordinary exception: Ernie is visited by his Guardian Angels. In vivid and unprecedented detail, the angels describe an array of heavenly worlds, the "many mansions." They even grant him a view of the next life while they enlighten him on the deepest meanings and highest values of this life. And Ernie’s angels recruit him for a unique spiritual mission: To record, and someday publish, their revelations to him. He wrote it all down—the war, the angelic visits, everything that happened during one terrible and wondrous year.
The Gardens of Eden – Life and Times of Adam and Eve
Stories of the original humans are universal. Ancient myths were widely believed to hold profound lessons, if not actual truth. But what if Adam and Eve really lived? What if the Biblical tale of the parents of humanity is based in fact? What if they were assigned to this world by the Most High rulers of our universe, and did indeed establish a garden of unsurpassed earthly beauty? And what if our traditional accounts are missing even greater revelatory details that shed light on all human history, and offer valuable insights about guiding modern civilization? “The Gardens of Eden” reveals a new record of Adam and Eve that offers startling and unexpected information on the myth about the Fall of Man. Their lives, their love story, and what unfolded almost 40,000 years ago, profoundly affected the evolution of mankind. But these heavenly beings did make one disastrous error. And that is why there were two Gardens of Eden.
The Melchizedek Mission – Salvaging Truth
Who is Melchizedek? In this revealing new book, the fourth in a unique spiritual genre by author Richard E. Warren, the layers of an intriguing religious mystery are pulled back. Melchizedek, the priest who “brought wine and bread” to Abraham has been the subject of speculation by Biblical scholars for centuries; some even say he didn’t exist. What was his real mission—and did he succeed? Now we know the full story of he who “had no mother and no father.” Could Melchizedek have been both human and divine, a wisdom teacher sent to prepare the way for Jesus? Discover the answers to these questions and much more. Reviews of Warren's four previous novels: "...I lent your first book to friends of mine, and they are mesmerized." "...Congratulations! It is wonderful. Thank you for another beauty!" "A beautiful read!! Highly recommend!!" "...I've read it three times so far and am planning to read it to two others who were fascinated with my passionate reaction." "...It was hard for me to put down... It is a gift." "...I loved it. A sequel would be wonderful."
The First Humans – Andon and Fonta (available as an e-book)
What if you could know who the first two humans were? Would you be interested? Imagine this, about a million years ago an adorable set of twins were born, they grew up, ran away from their animal ancestors, then parented the human family. Now, imagine what they were like, where and how they lived. How many were their offspring? How many words were in their vocabulary? Who or what did they worship?
So little is known about Andon and Fonta, but they could have been real people who appeared on Earth and went on to found the human race. Somebody did, why not them?
The details presented in this short story are plausible and fascinating. And they have the ring of truth. If indeed the story is true, a new version of history will have to be written. Take a trip back, far back in time, and get a sense of who we might have as our primordial parents. Discover how their family grew to half a billion, who and where their modern descendants are. It's a remarkable story, and it will make you wonder where such a story came from.
Novels in Progress:
The Planetary Prince – Revelation and Rebellion. Should be out by May or June.
You can view and purchase all books, versions, and translations on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Richard-E-Warren/e/B07SF8DC3C?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000
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Admin 
In December, members of the International Representative Council (IRC) met to conduct elections for several International Service Board (ISB) positions that are currently held by members whose terms are due to expire 1 April 2021 (Officer terms on the ISB are for four years and members may serve for a maximum of two terms).
The two positions of President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) held by Chris Wood and Bradley Tharpe respectively need new officers as Chris and Brad have served their two terms and need to step down. The other positions are held by officers whose first terms have expired; all agreed to run for a second terms. We are pleased to announce the results of these elections as follows:
President: Enrique Traver (Brazil)
CFO: Jay Peregrine (USA)
Conference Chair: Antonio Schafer (Netherlands)
Membership Chair: Fernando Maldonado (Mexico)
Education Chair: Jeannie Vazquez (Uruguay)
Translations Chair: Gabriel Rymberg (Israel)
We welcome Enrique as the Association’s President Elect and Jay as our CFO Elect. Enrique has previously served two terms as President of Urantia Association of Brazil and was the Chair of the Latin American Continental Conference in Sao Paulo in 2018. In addition, he helped found the Urantia School in Brazil. He is also a multi-linguist and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, and has a reasonable understanding of French. Jay is well known throughout the readership community and served as Urantia Foundation’s IT man for several years before serving many more years as the Executive Director. He brings decades of leadership and wisdom to our International Service Board.
And thank you to Antonio, Fernando, Jeannie, and Gabriel for your willingness to serve a second term.
Another development that recently occurred is that our Secretary John Nugent sadly had to step down after receiving a shocking diagnosis of advanced Multiple Myeloma. Our thoughts and prayers are with John and we will miss him very much. On a happier note, Joanne Strobel from the United States volunteered to take John’s place as Secretary and has now received the official approval of the IRC. Joanne serves as Secretary of the Urantia Association of the United States (UAUS) and is also a part time staffer with Urantia Foundation, so she also brings to the board valuable experience in serving Urantia organizations.
So, from 1 April 2021 the ISB will look like this:
President: Enrique Traver (Brazil)
Vice President: Andres Rodriguez (Colombia)
Secretary: Joanne Strobel (USA)
CFO: Jay Peregrine (USA)
Conference Chair: Antonio Schafer (Netherlands)
Membership Chair: Fernando Maldonado (Mexico)
Education Chair: Jeannie Vazquez (Uruguay)
Translations Chair: Gabriel Rymberg (Israel)
Communications Chair: Kathleen Swadling (Australia)
Dissemination Chair: Willem Jeths (Brazil)
Study Group Chair: Andres Ramirez (Colombia)
Latin American Continental Coordinator: Wilson Leon (Colombia)
European Continental Coordinator: Sebastian Nozzi (Germany)
African Continental Coordinator: Collins Lomo (Ghana)
Urantia Young Adults International: Samantha Noir (France)
Executive Administrator: Margaret Slater-Thompson (USA)
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The Tidings newsletter is a quarterly on-line publication that serves as Urantia Association International’s primary communication tool for reaching out to the Association’s membership, supporters, donors, volunteers, and general readership friends. It provides news and information on the many activities and events of the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations around the globe as well as information and announcements from Central Office, the International Service Board (ISB), and the Representative Council (RC). It serves to keep members in touch with one another and gives readers a sense of belonging—of being an integral part of a truly international movement that is designed to promote the Urantia revelation to all corners of the world.
Note: Tidings also occasionally provides news of other Urantia-related activities and events that may be of interest to our supporters and friends. Please note that any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Urantia Association International, the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations, or the editorial team of the Association’s Tidings.
Grass Roots Level
The number of National or Affiliate Urantia Associations scattered throughout the world is steadily growing and collectively they undertake service activities that have the ability to inspire and motivate others; activities such as study conferences, regional gatherings, study groups, dissemination programs, educational programs, outreach projects, and the development of study aids and newsletters. These Associations are the lifeblood of Urantia Association International—they function at the grass roots level where effective service and dissemination of the revelation takes place.
Share Your Stories
There are thousands of readers with unique personal stories about how they found The Urantia Book and how it has changed their lives. There are hundreds of study groups all over the world that can share stories and encourage readers to either create a study group of their own or participate in one. These stories need to be told and Tidings provides an effective platform for the sharing of such activities.
If you would like to share your stories please submit your material to the Chief Editor. Topics may include:
- How you found The Urantia Book
- Special projects such as Book Fairs, Library Placement, Outreach
- New or established study groups—how you got started—what keeps you going?
- Your annual meetings, picnics, or other social gatherings
- Send pictures
Tidings Team
- Chief Editor: Myra Hight
- Co-editors: Mark Blackham, James Woodward, Richard Jernigan
- Online and hard-copy English newsletters: Mark Blackham
- Spanish translator an online Spanish newsletter: Olga Lopez
- French translator: Alain Cyr and collaborators
- French online newsletter: Alain Cyr
Submissions:
Submit articles to the Chief Editor and please understand that they may be subject to revision. Please limit them to approximately 1 to 1½ pages (700 to 1400 words) plus one or two photos.
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The world is changing fast and Urantia Association International is in a unique position to foster the Urantia revelation in so many ways. With localized teams in the form of associations springing up across the globe, we are ready to help anyone, anywhere, to study and spread the teachings that we all hold so dear.
The Association has only one paid staff member to manage and coordinate our worldwide activities. All other services are rendered by devoted students who donate their time (and often their treasure) to the projects that help bring us closer to our heavenly Father. Thank you to our faithful volunteers and donors!
Here is a selection of ways to donate to Urantia Association:
Online by Credit Card
Visit our website to access our secure online donation form at: https://urantia-association.org/donate
Unrestricted Giving: Choose General Fund on the online donation form for unrestricted donations that can be used for any purpose, including all administrative costs.
Restricted Giving: Choose one of the Program Funds on the online donation form for restricted donations. Your contribution will be used only for the purpose of that fund. (More details on the Program funds can be found at: https://urantia-association.org/program-funds.)
Check or Money Order
Send your contribution through the mail service to:
Urantia Association International
4000 W. Montrose Ave. #606
Chicago, IL 60641 USA
By Telephone or Email:
Phone: +1-773-572-1180
Email: centraloffice@urantia-association.org
Planned Giving
Many different forms of donations and gifts are possible. Urantia Association’s IRS 501(c) (3) tax exempt status allows us to accept gifts that can also serve the financial interests of generous supporters. All direct contributions in all forms may be claimed as tax-deductible charitable contributions on United States Tax Returns. Certain gift forms, such as highly appreciated properties, stocks, or taxable IRAs can also help the donor reduce tax liability while also providing an income tax deduction.
Click here to read more about Planned Giving and to view our Gift Maker’s Guide. The gift forms and strategies described in this guide are well documented and have been used for many years by millions of donors to support thousands of charities, institutions, and non-profit organizations.
In November of 2019 Bradly Tharp, Urantia Association’s Chief Financial Officer (who is also a Certified Financial Planning Practitioner and Chartered Financial Accountant) presented an online seminar on Planned Giving Strategies. Click this link to view the seminar: Planned Giving Strategies Seminar
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