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This has been a year of positive accomplishment. Building on the growing openness, better communication, and co-operative efforts of many people, we have, in principle, largely resolved the Licensing Agreement issue. I should like to thank the trustees of the Foundation for their help and co-operation in actualizing the Licensing Agreement. The patience and restraint of members of the Executive Committee has been commendable. But I wish to express special gratitude and deep appreciation to key people throughout the Brotherhood who nobly transcended past intellectual disagreement and emotional wounds to selflessly work for wisdom and unity in Urantia Brotherhood. To the members of all of the societies who have signed the Licensing Agreement, we thank you for your substantial contributing support, your patience and understanding, and your dedicated loyalty.

We have now largely passed through the most critical period the Brotherhood has experienced in its short history. Not only have we learned from this period of testing but we have grown in perceptive insight, integrity, and strength. We now have the experience and solidarity to make wiser and more rigorous decisions. It is, therefore, with confidence and joy that we now turn our major attention to the future.

As we strive to concentrate on the spiritual ministry of disseminating the good news, teaching, and fellowship, there are a number of priorities which call for attention. First, we need to find ways to de-emphasize official and organic membership in Urantia Brotherhood. We should strive for oneness of fellowship among members and non members. Many people are better suited for unofficial relationships. Study groups should not be primarily motivated to become societies for status or political reasons. They should become societies when they have grown to the place where they are already functioning and serving as a society but feel the need for the additional responsibilities of official and formal relationships with the Brotherhood. Such a policy will provide the maximum freedom for individuals and groups and lessen the danger of institutional evils, while at the same time provide the continuity, organized planning, and control necessary for cultural assimilation and survival.

The second priority which I would call to your attention is the importance of the proper selection and utilization of leadership in Urantia Brotherhood. I believe it is time to select the most qualified leaders in the Brotherhood as free as possible from the limiting constraint of geography.

At present the General Council and Executive Committee are rather heavily weighted by Chicago area people such as myself. There are many very able people in the Brotherhood who should be serving on both of these committees. I would make two recommendations to facilitate getting the most qualified people in leadership positions. First, I should like to see the General Council instruct the Judicial Committee to bring a proposed change in the Brotherhood Constitution to the General Council next year which would allow the election of 42 councilors. I would further suggest that the General Council hold a meeting preceding the Triennial Delegate Assembly to take action on this change.

The second recommendation is that the General Council instruct the Judicial Committee to formulate a proposed change in the Brotherhood Constitution which would allow the Executive Committee to have the option of meeting quarterly or monthly. If such instruction is given and this proposal is adopted next year, I would recommend that the General Council at next year's meeting instruct the Executive Committee to experiment with quarterly meetings for a year and then evaluate the viability of this procedure on a permanent basis.

This change, in my judgment, would lay the foundations for the election of the highest quality of leadership to the Executive Committee as it would largely eliminate a geographic limitation on selection. This practice is followed by most national and international organizations.

It would further, in my judgment, improve the efficiency and quality of Executive Committee meetings. A great deal of the time at our monthly meetings reports are not prepared for consideration because of the time factor and there is much unnecessary "spinning of wheels." Quarterly meetings would make for better preparation and since it would require longer continuous sessions, it would tend to be more efficient and effective. Occasionally more frequent meetings may need to be called, but generally in my experience and judgment, the effect of quarterly meetings would bring a significant improvement in the practical functioning of Urantia Brotherhood.

Along with these recommended changes in the General Council and Executive Committee, I would like to see the opportunity for more qualified people on departmental committees. With the use of correspondence and telephone conferences, people from all over the country could serve on departmental committees. This methodology would make it possible for most committees to operate effectively with one or two "face to face" meetings a year. The wealth of leadership now available in the Brotherhood certainly makes it unnecessary to elect any person to two or three departmental committees!

The third priority which I suggest that we consider is that we initiate practices which would change operational procedures of Urantia Brotherhood from that of a modified oligarchy to that of a participatory democracy. In addition to the suggestion that we make constitutional changes which would make it reasonably practical as well as possible to elect a broader base of leadership predicated primarily on ability rather than geography, I would like to see all nominating committees present a minimum of two names for every position to be filled. I would further hope that we might establish a tradition of making some nominations from the floor.

Beyond these election changes, it is my intent to promote very open meetings to encourage the expression of minority views. A word of caution here is probably in order. When you have expressed your opinion and defended it with reasonable vigor, please do not attempt to monopolize the discussion. Should this happen, the chairman will simply have to exercise a firm hand. We should all strive to be cheerful losers when our fellows do not agree with us.

I recognize this report does not advocate maintaining the status quo! It is likely to disturb some of the faithful. Nevertheless, I believe it is time to openly discuss these issues. It is also a truism that incumbents seldom adopt policies which threaten their power base. But I like to think (idealist!) that power orientation is not typical of leaders of Urantia Brotherhood.

If I am expressing a minority concern, as I well may be, our discussion hopefully will at least have some educational value and I shall love you all the same! You have given us wise advice and heart warming support during the past year for which I am most grateful. Most of all I am enriched by the experience of fellowship - a sense of brotherhood - where we are bound together as persons working for common, yet far-reaching and inspiring purposes. And the best is yet to come!