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This past year's activity has involved Urantia Brotherhood in many new experiences as an organization and, of course, the individuals that make up the organization. As indicated by the reports sent to you earlier, committee work has progressed as we enter our twenty-sixth year of existence. You can also observe that various committees are in the process of growth and change, partly due to new committee members, but also as a result of striving to more closely define the work to be done in keeping with the aims and purposes of each committee. I expect this growth process to continue, as it must, if we wish to continue to keep our organizations vital in carrying on its work. Increasingly there are differing points of view expressed as how best to solve problems facing the Brotherhood. This is of benefit since it provides a diversity of thinking from which solutions can be reached. This will continue to require cooperation and compromise. It also requires all of us to appreciate time as the sure tool of evolution.

Summary Of Brotherhood Activity

As indicated by the word "summary," what follows is my selective judgment as to the topics to be included. I apologize for any omissions of contributions by individuals or groups that I have failed to acknowledge. It is not done with any intent to diminish their importance. I have tried to select those events or subjects that seem to have had or continue to have the greatest impact upon Brotherhood activities. Some of the subjects I mention are more fully covered in the committee reports.

In December 1980, the Judicial Committee, at the request of the Executive Committee, held a hearing in Houston, Texas, to determine once and for all who the Brotherhood considers to be the true First Urantia Society of Houston. This was the first time such a ruling was needed by the "supreme arbitrating body of Urantia Brotherhood." I am optimistic that the fair procedures followed, as set down by our constitution, will materially aid in a favorable outcome to the Foundation's pending case involving First Urantia Society of Houston, Incorporated. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from this experience which I am sure the Houston society officers would be happy to share.

The Internal Revenue Service denied a request by Urantia Foundation seeking exemption from the support fraction ruling, e.g. bookstore chains are treated as one contributor rather than each individual store that receives The Urantia Book. This potentially can greatly complicate our maintaining a non-profit tax exempt status if sales to a particular chain exceed a certain dollar amount in relation to the overall number of contributors to the Brotherhood and Foundation.

For the first time the Brotherhood mounted a full-scale effort through the Finance Committee to conduct a phone-a-thon fund drive to establish a perpetual printing fund for Urantia Foundation. It has had several benefits in addition to raising money. It has given experience to many volunteers on how to conduct such an effort. It has begun the process of educating our supporters of meaningful projects that need funding. As expected, it has cut into contributions to the general fund. While it is obvious that the Brotherhood must live within its budget, I believe we will have to begin thinking of creative ways of raising funds to support the projects being developed by committee activity. Neither contributions nor income from book sales at their current level will support such programs. Maybe it is time to consider a dues structure for Brotherhood members? I cannot think of any voluntary association that does not charge dues.

Another first, as concerns Brotherhood activity, was a conclave of society representatives convened and hosted by First Urantia Society as part of their 25th anniversary celebration. This was a meeting at which societies discussed both common and unique problems, a sharing of ideas and experiences. While I have not yet received a written report of the meeting, I do know there is a positive response to the idea of having more such meetings. Two items to come out of this gathering were the realization that a requirement to have completed a reading of The Urantia Book to become a member is not universal. Members could be elected to this General Council without having read The Urantia Book. The other was a request for an orientation meeting for society delegates prior to the Triennial Delegate Assembly to more effectively review the purposes of the proceedings.

I believe a most important project, the Domestic Extension Committee's Study Group Survey, is in its first stage of completion. We finally have some raw data on which to base meaningful activity -- helping those students of the Urantia teachings who desire to find, join, or start study groups. A great amount of work has been done towards completion, but in reality it will never be "complete" since change is constant in the existence of groups as well as individuals to contact. It will be a challenge to keep up-dating information. A similar survey is being conducted on the international level by the International Fellowship Committee.

I think you will be interested to know that the Helsinki study groups have responded enthusiastically to the program of placing books in libraries. They contacted fifty-one librarians who agreed to receive the book. In addition, they sent a generous contribution to the Gift Book Fund. This is a country with a population about the size of Chicago.

On the international level, we continue to face the problems created by the lack of the French translation. The topic of translations is on the agenda for discussion. While the responsibility for translations rests with Urantia Foundation, it does create problems for Brotherhood activities involving French speaking readers. Since frustration seemed to be at a rather high level, at the invitation of the Paris study group, Duane Faw and I visited them this past Spring. Our primary objective was to listen to their complaints. It is the first visit of a Urantia Brotherhood president to Europe. And I believe it had a positive effect in showing our willingness to be there without being able to promise anything involving the translation itself. French readers are interested in having suitable articles from the Journal and Bulletin translated into French. They are seriously thinking of having a small conference or workshop. There is an expressed desire by some to be more closely identified with the Brotherhood through membership of some sort.

While the above deals with French readers, there are a growing number of Spanish students whose desire for a translation is also growing. This situation is different since there is no published translation. I welcome the opportunity during this meeting for discussion of these different and perplexing circumstances.

Another topic on today's agenda concerns the sale and distribution of The Urantia Book. It is a fact that sales of the Book are down. Depending on what figures you use different percentages can be determined. Over the year many have stepped forward to offer their advice and solutions. A pilot project is being developed in connection with a test market area to see what this effect of local volunteers placing books In bookstores will have on sales in that given locale. In addition, other marketing avenues are being assessed.

There continues to be debate near and far over the Issue of "fair use" of copyright material. Everyone seems to have an opinion, some claim to be experts. I am not one of the latter. I do know that if there was a simple answer, we would already have it and there would be no need for further discussion. Since this is not the case, we will have further discussion when we get to this subject on the agenda.

So that we do not forget the more positive side of our work, we recently completed the 1981 General Conference at Snowmass, Colorado, attended by some 900 faith sons and daughters of our Universal Father coming from many states and countries. One participant made the following comment "We recently attended the conference in Snowmass. Our expectations were exceeded and our lives are greatly improved for having attended."

This report only attempts to highlight some of our activities of the past year. Committee chairmen reports go into greater detail and I hope you will have questions for them. This meeting of the General Council provides an important opportunity for us to discuss the problems facing our movement. If the problems were of easy solution, there would be no need for us to gather together other than social exchange and fellowship. But, we have grown to the point where some issues do not find easy solutions. I borrow a thought from a talk given by Jim Mills at the last Triennial Delegate Assembly. The council is composed of thirty-six sincere, dedicated, motivated individuals. Each one of us has an answer -- some with greater certainty than others -- as how to resolve or solve the various issues to be discussed. By having been elected to participate as a member of this body, we are each a part of a process which involves both compromise and cooperation. We come to appreciate and recognize each other's special talents, sincerity and desire for achieving good ends -- all this, in spite of not necessarily agreeing with a particular point of view. For me, the thought to keep in mind for today is the work is important, self is not. Let us be of good cheer for I am sure there are many unseen friends that are present to champion our efforts, not to mention the encouragement of our elder brother.

Respectfully submitted, John W. Hales, President 7/31/81