Tidings – September 2022
 | | Marco Federmann |
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In This Issue
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Enrique Traver, Brazil 
Dear Friends,
I am impressed to know that so many of us are present and active in study groups. And many who believe the truth of this revelation have formed true family associations that are actively engaged in various projects of learning and disseminating the teachings. It's just wonderful to see all this happening.
Many of us embrace the challenge of serving our Father and others by becoming workers for the kingdom of God. Those who love The Urantia Book revelation approach this purpose with great enthusiasm and true devotion.
When we act enthusiastically to attract more souls to the kingdom of God, there are many different approaches. But no matter which approach we use, we certainly want everyone to feel the same attraction to the revelation as we do.
However, I have observed that some of us are convinced that “converting” our fellows in favor of this revelation is a great grace and a precious service to others and to the Father. We often deliver impassioned speeches or go out of our way to build up arguments to demonstrate why others must change and how, upon discovering The Urantia Book, each of us must behave in the future. At times, some of us are astonished when faced with confronting situations caused by students of The Urantia Book that, according to our understanding, should not have occurred or are not acceptable. In some situations, our over-zealousness towards non-students of the teachings may cause the encounter to become argumentative when trying to convince that person to change.
My messengers must not strive with men, but be gentle toward all. [Paper 140:6:9, page 1577.3]
Always respect the personality of man. Never should a righteous cause be promoted by force; spiritual victories can be won only by spiritual power. ... Overpowering arguments and mental superiority are not to be employed to coerce men and women into the kingdom. [Paper 159:3.2, page 1765.4]
Of course, in this approach, we always have the best of intentions. In fact, we dedicate great effort and have an unprecedented enthusiasm and desire for the grace of revelation to transform everyone around us. We hope that those who seek God, especially those who know the revelation, will wholeheartedly dedicate their lives to our Father. Of course, such a transformation would be very good if it didn't imply abandoning our experiences of growth and improvement.
When our approach is over-demanding, self-righteous, or judgmental, we interrupt our loving service by showing a lack of compassion, empathy, and mercy, not only with our brothers and sisters but also with ourselves. It undermines the potential of others as well as their capacity for spiritual growth and success. As a consequence, others may struggle to understand our purpose and to question not only our “support” and “friendship,” but also the teachings of the book. Rather than attracting others to the revelation, we push them away.
We can always serve God and our fellows with enthusiasm and dedication. But our chances of success are greatly improved whenever our approach is one of love, friendship, and tolerance. As Jesus said:
In my Father’s kingdom there shall be neither Jew nor gentile, only those who seek perfection through service, for I declare that he who would be great in my Father’s kingdom must first become server of all. If you are willing to serve your fellows, you shall sit down with me in my kingdom, even as, by serving in the similitude of the creature, I shall presently sit down with my Father in his kingdom. [Paper 137:8.11, page 1536.8]
Let’s keep working with devotion and enthusiasm. Let’s be patient, tolerant and affectionate.
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Gines Aviles Martinez, Spain
20 to 23 October 2022
Overcoming Materialism, Enlightening Europe
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This year we have prepared a dynamic and unique European Conference intended to be a light for our siblings from the continent. It will be held 20 to 23 October at Torremolinos, Málaga, Spain.
Data shows that secularism triumphs in Europe and that biblical ideas are not well received.* However, there is a very important nuance: the majority still believe in God. Therefore, is there any opportunity for the teachings of The Urantia Book? Whatever: Let's take it!
In this new venture we have a plan. We will dive into the waters of self-mastery to gain a clearer idea of how to become better versions of ourselves. And we will do this through practice in a series of workshops.
If experience is a lifetime master, then we will make an effort to move from theory to practice using experiential sessions designed to understand ourselves and to acquire self-control. Our goal is to become better examples for our brothers and sisters and, thereby, hopefully attract them to the spiritual teachings of the revelation. Do you dare to take the first step?
Another goal is to take the opportunity to share personal experiences. The COVID pandemic has deprived us of sharing with one another face to face, and this lack of personal contact is what we hope to redeem.
Then, as a part of this meeting, we will visit one of the oldest centers of worship, the Neolithic site of Antequera’s Dolmens, in southern Spain, where our ancestors began to move humanity towards spirituality.
In addition, we will engage with the local culture by taking a trip to the vibrant city of Malaga to enjoy its cuisine and sense the beauty of a live guitar performance together: to feel close to each other again!
This is our opportunity; this is our time. Register now for this next European Encounter and welcome aboard!
To register and for more information click here: 3rd European Urantia Conference 2022
Gines Aviles Martinez
President, Urantia Association of Spain
* 10 key findings about religion in Western Europe Pew Research center, 2018.
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Myra Hight, PIRT Chair
PIRT’s mission is to enlighten the spirits and minds of incarcerated men and women by disseminating The Urantia Book to inmates and providing subsequent correspondence to support the inmate’s efforts to study the teachings.
 | | Drawn by a Texas inmate and printed with permission. |
PIRT is a sub-committee functioning under the Association’s Dissemination Committee; 2022 marks this committee’s 17th year of service. Since the inception of PIRT, approximately 6,000 inmate letters have been processed, 2,800 Urantia books have been donated directly, and 400 books have been seeded into prison libraries.
This year, PIRT experienced the loss of its dear Chairperson, David Linthicum, who was Chair for 13 of its 17 years, with the exception being his term as Dissemination Chair. David left his mortal body for mansonia on June 1st, 2022. He is missed by all who served with him in their collective effort to “assist the Father in finding his lost sheep.” David was a tireless servant involved in many activities besides PIRT and his love touched countless souls.
I stepped in during David’s term as Dissemination Chair and was recently approved by the Urantia Association’s Board to serve again as PIRT’s Chair through March 2027. It is an honor to assist our dedicated team in the continuation of PIRT’s mission. David cared deeply about PIRT and his vision was for the committee to continue its service for many decades to come. I vow to do my best to carry on this vision in hopes that PIRT thrives long into the future.
In this spirit, the Team was uplifted by welcoming our newest member, Judy Cosky, who knew David and, when she read of his graduation, raised her hand. Judy is a long-time Urantia Book student and her past service with the Urantia Book International School will bring extra value to our efforts of providing study materials to inmates. As awareness of PIRT spreads, we are encouraged by our brothers and sisters who also wish to serve the Father in this capacity. On behalf of the PIRTeam and every incarcerated soul who now knows the revelation¸ we are thankful to Urantia Association International, the Urantia Foundation, and the readers at large who have made the growth of our service possible. We volunteer our time, but without those who support us with their time, love and financial support, our success as the longest running dissemination program would not be possible.
Thank you and blessings,
Myra Hight, PIRT Chair
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Calling for Presentation Curators
What a transcendent service if, through this revelation, the Son of Man should be recovered from the tomb of traditional theology and be presented as the living Jesus to the church that bears his name, and to all other religions! [Paper 196:1.2, page 2090.3]
About the Jesus Metaverse and the Center for Unity
 | | Gabriel Rymberg |
The Center for Unity is currently developing a Jesus Metaverse app that is a strategic, technologically savvy and innovative way to share Jesus with young adults focused on the untold story of Jesus. Our core focus is “to transform the world by sharing a new revelation of Jesus' life, creating experiences that produce spiritual transformations.”
The user experience in the Jesus Metaverse is based on carefully curated content, presented in a visually engaging and easy to use manner. The media presentations are the basic “building blocks” of the experience. The quality of the experience, the service we provide to our users, therefore relies on two main factors: 1) The quantity and quality of the content and, 2) the quality of the design and implementation of the software.
For a deeper view into the Jesus Metaverse, take a look at this presentation and the jesusmetaverse.org website.
We are currently looking for Presentation Curators who will be tasked with finding specific pieces of content for Metaverse “nodes.”
What is Presentation Curation?
The Jesus Metaverse app is based on a computer model of the entire life and teachings of Jesus. We are curating this model from biblical (the four Gospels) and non-biblical sources (e.g., Part IV of The Urantia Book).
To learn more of the process of building this model, and what are “nodes” and “connections,” please view this presentation.
Each Metaverse “node” consists of curated content of various types and categories.
The process of curating presentations, or content pieces, consists of searching the expanses of the Internet to find specific items we could display in the pages of the Jesus Metaverse app.
Job Description
As a Presentation Curator, you will be tasked with finding specific pieces of content for Metaverse “nodes.” You will be provided with a list of Urantia Book related and other suitable websites in which to search and specific criteria for the types of content we are looking for. Finally, we will provide a computer tool where you can document the curated content.
Required Skills
Training and Tools
The Center for Unity team will provide one-on-one training (presentations and videos) and ongoing support. You will be working directly with Lisa Tao (the Content Production Lead) and Gabriel Rymberg (the Data Curation Lead and Jesus Metaverse project manager).
Commitment Level
We will curate presentations for the foreseeable future, simply because content about Jesus is constantly produced.
**We ask that you be prepared to devote at least one hour a day to this task, for at least one month.**
How to Apply
If you feel the call to serve with us, please fill in this volunteer skill survey.
If you are not sure if this is for you, and would simply like to talk to us to find out, please contact Gabriel at gabriel.rymberg@thecenterforunity.org and let us know what your feelings are.
If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master’s program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. [Paper 195:10.10, page 2085.2]
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Line St-Pierre, Canada 
How many of us are saddened to see the world today in such decay? I realize that we all have this need to feel comforted and at peace about what will happen after our time on earth. What will we leave as a spiritual legacy to our grandchildren and their children's children? It may seem far-fetched to think like this, but it is so little when we know that life is eternal and that this earthly adventure must one day reach the era of light and life.
My greatest wish is that The Urantia Book will find its way into the hands of many souls thirsting for truth and that it will transform the person who studies it.
But how could this happen without a personal commitment from those who have found this treasure? As a fervent student of The Urantia Book and its teachings, I feel that these truths are a gift from heaven, an answer to my questions, the object that has given meaning to my life and answers to my many reflections. It has helped me feel better within myself, improving my health and general well-being; it has helped me to strive to be a better person and to be better at living my life and putting my beliefs into action. This book and its teachings cannot remain stagnant—they need to be shared. So, how to share it?
Enthusiasm sometimes has its limits and sharing this treasure with those I love, or with someone I thought was ready to receive a greater truth soon resulted in the opposite, where I felt resistance, then a closure to what I presented. My inability, clumsiness and lack of experience meant that I had not said the right thing, that I had said too much, or that I had gone too far without trying to find out the basis of the need and interest of the person I was talking to. Seeking to give when the person is not ready to receive is like presenting a dish with exquisite flavor to someone who is not hungry.
While seeking to improve my approach to the ministry I am engaged in, and after experiencing the courses of various schools of the Urantia movement, I discovered the key that opened a new horizon for me to share my understanding of the teachings of The Urantia Book more tactfully and smoothly. There is no magic formula, it is practice and experience that makes us better ambassadors of the revelation.
In February 2020, I completed The Master's Ministry course at The School of Ambassadors, which is a ministry training school. A school that helps one become a doer; a doer of the second mile and someone who can use the fifth epochal revelation to help set up the necessary environment that can bring about a spiritual rebirth. As of March 2022, the French Ambassador School is located at https://fr-school.thechristexperiment.org.
I learned to bridge the gap between what the person already believes and what The Urantia Book teaches by building on what already exists and embellishing it with greater depths from the revelation. I have also learned to uplift conversations with people who are not spiritually knowledgeable. Jesus never took anything away from what his listener said, he always added to what was true.
This school is dedicated exclusively to the development of leaders and teachers of the Gospel of Jesus who use The Urantia Book as a reference guide and who do so in a wonderful way.
The privilege of having found The Urantia Book makes us eternally indebted to our Thought Adjusters and the Spirit of Truth so we must also work to prepare others to carry on the work of Jesus beyond our generation to bring more light to this planet.
I am confident that the Thought Adjuster that lives in every human being will guide the individual in search of greater truth.
In winning souls for the Master, it is not the first mile of compulsion, duty, or convention that will transform man and his world, but rather the second mile of free service and liberty-loving devotion that betokens the Jesusonian reaching forth to grasp his brother in love and sweep him on under spiritual guidance toward the higher and divine goal of mortal existence. Christianity even now willingly goes the first mile, but mankind languishes and stumbles along in moral darkness because there are so few genuine second-milers — so few professed followers of Jesus who really live and love as he taught his disciples to live and love and serve. [Paper 195:10.5, page 2084.5]
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Karmo Kalda, Estonia 
Estonian readers will start to celebrate “Brotherhood Day” every year, and we begin this year by holding the event on 2 October 2022.
Our purpose is to highlight the importance and significance of the concept of brotherhood—to encourage living in brotherhood with every person in our lives.
The two most important teachings of Jesus were the revelation of God's fatherhood and the brotherhood of man. We constantly pray and worship God, but there is a brotherhood here on earth that has gone rather unnoticed and overlooked. This shortcoming could be somewhat alleviated by celebrating “Brotherhood Day,” wherein the importance of brotherhood is highlighted, presentations are made, races and nations around the world are thought of as brothers, the meaning of brotherhood is deepened and, and most importantly, a pleasant time is spent with our closest brothers and sisters.
In truth, beauty, and goodness,
Karmo Kalda
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Khatukhira Bernard, Uganda
THE BIRTH OF THE URANTIA BOOK TEACHINGS IN UGANDA
The Urantia Uganda Conference 2022 was the first ever in Uganda. The conference was to have been held in August 2020 but, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, limited funds, and leadership challenges, it was not possible until this August.
The Urantia Book and its teachings have finally arrived in Uganda, the pearl of Africa. It is with great hope and faith that the truth seekers here will greatly enjoy the teachings of the book as they enrich their ever-growing spirituality, guided by love and the will to service. This is but a start to a long journey of spiritual adventure towards Paradise but most of all for all Ugandans, it brings spiritual enlightenment that shall create unity and harmony (brotherhood of man) among Ugandans in their affirmation of God as the Father (Fatherhood of God) within them. We thank God it has come to pass that The Urantia Book and its teachings have been initiated publicly in Uganda.
Under the sponsorship of Urantia Association, five of us were funded to attend this conference and I do thank God we did because our attendance shaped the program and designed the conference to meet a Urantia Book conference standard. We were asked by the secretary Matte to help develop a program on the day we arrived. We designed the program and the next day we presented an introduction to The Urantia Book, its history, the Publication Mandate, and leadership structure worldwide.
During this presentation, the pace and focus on the book and its teachings were set, and every presenter followed accordingly. It should be noted that the presenters, being Pentecostals, had designed the conference such that sermons/preaching could be given by the bishops, pastors and other members within the congregation. But after our recommendations, those were all dropped.
Most of the presenters sought advice from us about how their presentations could meet conference standards. This call helped us guide them, and indeed we had good presentations from them; the entire conference successfully achieved its purpose of uniting—encouraging social cohesion among Urantia Book readers in Uganda.
 | | The five participants sponsored by Urantia Association |
During this conference, the participants learned how to form and manage study groups in their different regions and districts across the country, how to read and reflect on the book’s teachings (through our morning meditation sessions), and how to pray and worship. Participants got to understand concepts of The Urantia Book such as promoting and fostering the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God among all Urantians. Participants learned that they were all students and have a duty to practice/live a loving service to their fellows, which in turn promotes their spiritual growth. Some misconceptions about the book’s teachings were clarified, for example, whether The Urantia Book is a new religion, and if The Urantia Book is a religious book, or not. Group discussions were centered on how best to promote The Urantia Book and its teachings in Uganda and the focus was on fostering study groups. Among suggestions were: visiting institutions/organizations to share the book’s teachings through seminars and workshops, visiting families and communities to share the book’s teachings, and our personal experiences.
Generally, the conference was a success, and being the first, we learned a lot about conference organization and management. This experience will make the next conference better. Successfully we managed to:
The following were observed during the conference:
With the above observations, one can appreciate that being the first conference of its kind, most things were done haphazardly. This means that next time with good mentorship and guidance we shall have better organization, and a clear objective and purpose. We hope that by that time many will have read the entire book at least once and various groups will have been formed.
During the meeting with conference organizers and group leaders we discussed and agreed on the following:
Truly, there is thirst and hunger for truth and God among Ugandans. This is fertile soil to nurture and grow the seeds of truth, spiritual growth, God consciousness, and to promote the concept of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. With this, we hope and are assured of Ugandan brothers and sisters to be able to share the love of God and be of loving service to their fellows.
Khatukhira Bernard
Cosmic Citizens in Uganda
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Faith & Interfaith Understanding
14 to 18 August 2023
In August 2023, the Parliament of the World’s Religions returns to Chicago, the birthplace of the modern interfaith movement, to celebrate 130 years of achievements. Parliament conventions attract participants from more than 80 nations reflecting over 200 diverse religious, indigenous, and secular beliefs.
It’s Mission: “The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
Attendees of the Parliament conventions bring unique wisdom and world views from their religious traditions and lives, their scholarship, artistic talents, and activism. At the 2023 Parliament of the World's Religions, attendees from around the world are answering a call to conscience.
Once again Urantia Association International, the Urantia Book Fellowship, and Urantia Foundation will collaborate to ensure The Urantia Book is displayed at this event. Let's make sure the teachings of The Urantia Book are well represented and presented at this event. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Association’s representatives on the planning committee at: nathenjansen@urantia-association.org.
For more information on the 2023 Parliament of World Religions and to book your tickets, visit: https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/2023-chicago/
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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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