Last June the committee held the second of its annual meetings with members of the clergy who are also students of The Urantia Book. There were eight ministers who joined our group at that time, and most of them actively participated during the 1989 Summer Seminars. At the Seminars the committee sponsored a worship service, fashioned on a traditional Protestant model but using text from The Urantia Book. There was also a panel presentation and discussion which brought together members of the clergy and the other participants. Enthusiasm for the process by the clergy attending the Seminars led them to request another joint meeting to be held during the 1990 International Conference. There appears to be considerable comfort and mutual support arising from the gathering of clergy who are attempting to use The Urantia Book in some fashion in their ministry.

We were also privileged to have a professor of sociology from Lake Forest College, an Iranian Muslim, speak to the attendees at the Summer Seminars. He participated in a number of workshops during the week and spent much time in discussion with members of the Fraternal Relations Committee and other readers. We left him with a gift copy of the book.

One final presentation by the committee at Lake Forest involved a series of simulated talks about the book by volunteer presenters, including a panel who were interviewed as if they were appearing on a talk show. Much was learned about the hazards of dealing with unsympathetic audiences and interviewers, and the participants did a terrific job of being unsympathetic.

Later in the year, the committee carried out the responsibility for conducting the first roundtable discussion between the General Council and representatives of organizations whose activities focus, in some way, on The Urantia Book. It was felt by many that this gathering produced a significantly greater sense of unity of purpose and understanding among the people involved.

The committee was also responsible for facilitating the meeting of General Councilors with Area Coordinators and Society representatives in Phoenix last January. This was just a beginning step in the process of involving a broader scope of the readership in focusing our efforts and planning for the future.

our series of articles on world religions has continued to appear In The Bulletin, and a program has been planned for the 1990 International Conference to present a panel discussion on the conference theme with representatives of two of those world religions. In this time of institutional transition, the (work of relating to religious groups and activities outside of the "movement" may seem an unnecessary distraction from the urgent matters at hand, but it may well provide a helpful antidote to the dangers of excessive internal focus for our organization. To the extent that we remain, or increasingly become, a closed system, we run the risk of cutting ourselves off from the very rich religious environment that surrounds us, and with which we must inevitably interact. The work of the Fraternal Relations Committee is critical in maintaining that openness.

THE COMMITTEE

Dick Bain
Scott Forsythe
Steve Law
Michael Painter

Peter Laurence, Chair

ADJUNCTS

Marvin Gawryn
Gard Jameson
David Robertson
Wesley Smith