COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:

Special thanks go to the individuals who have given their time and energy during the '91-192 year for the projects being worked on. Their efforts are greatly appreciated! 

Members

Bob Bruyn

Tony Finstad

Cece Forrester

Barbara Kulieke

Lee Smith

Larry Watkins

Adjunct Members

Ticky Harries Larry Mullins Ken Raveill Bill Rocap

MEETINGS:

SPC held a planning meeting on June 26, 1991, during the 1991 Summer Seminars, though a quorum was not achieved. SPC also had a meeting on February 1, 1992, during the General Council's visit to L.A., with a quorum in attendance. 

RESOURCE GUIDE:

SPC is now working on a complete revision of the Resource Guide for Secondary Works of The Urantia Book. Due to the many changes in current listings and the many new works that have become available, a second edition of the Guide is being developed instead of a supplement to the original. 

ELECTRONIC RESOURCE PROJECT: Please note the new name given to the Record of Decisions project. This name better reflects the enlarging scope of the project. Electronic access to all past General Council and Executive Committee minutes is now seen as just the first phase of making information more accessible to the organization. With the development of Archival and Resource Libraries, we hope to make some of these materials available by computer. The equipment now being purchased and the additional equipment needed to complete the recommended configuration reflects this expanded purpose. 

Jim Jarnigan is now purchasing an optical scanner (Hewlett-Packard) and OCR software (OmniPage Professional) at his wholesale cost. He has also volunteered to install the equipment at headquarters. He has recommended the purchase of a LARGE hard drive to store the scanned information which could include organizational, archival library, and resource library sources. A generous donation of $3000 has been made for this project. However, from $1600 to $2000 is still needed to complete the configuration as recommended. We may pursue soliciting specific donations for this project or request the additional expenditure from Fellowship funds. Mid-summer is the target for complete installation. 

ARCHIVAL AND RESOURCE LIBRARIES: An exciting development since last year's annual report is the decision to establish an archival library and a resource library at headquarters. An archival library would include not only organizational records, but also 1) the records/files of individuals who have had historical involvement with the Revelation, 2) periodicals and publications related to the Urantia Movement, 3) secondary works related to The Urantia Book, etc. The purpose is to collect information that would provide an historical record of the activities of the past and present. 

A resource library would include 1) reference works of the world's major religions, 2) sources that portray human knowledge at the time that the Urantia Papers were indited (early '30s), 3) a copy of the dictionary used during the transmission of the Papers, 4) relevant materials identified during the Wrightwood Series of topical seminars, 5) materials that may have been used for the concepts presented in the Papers, etc. The purpose of having these materials is to assist current and future students of the Revelation in their religious study. 

A list of major religious works and other works that may be referenced in The Urantia Book has been compiled and the readership community will be asked to help locate and obtain these works for the Library. (A complete 1929 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica has already been donated.) All Urantia Movement publications are being solicited to contribute copies of current and back issues. All authors or distributors of secondary works are being asked to make a copy of their work(s) available to the library. An article in the next BULLETIN will announce the project and ask for assistance. 

We will need volunteer assistance, especially from individuals with library science background and experience, to help with the organization and preservation of these materials. 

ORAL HISTORY PROJECT:

Background -- A resolution passed by the 1988 TDA and accepted by the General Council for implementation, called for the "compilation of an oral history from-early readers, to the end that a sense of the problems and excitement of those days can be preserved." 

Initial Plan -- SPC developed materials and procedures for conducting personal interviews of the living members of the Forum and Seventy. It was thought that videotaped interviews would be of value for our historical archives -- having both human interest and potential research interest for future historians. However, the project was stalled because of logistical problems in finding, training, and sending interviewers throughout the country. 

Current Plan -- The Executive Committee recently endorsed continuation of this project because it is so sensitive to the passage of time. Each year some of the former Forumites make the passage to the Mansion Worlds, making personal interviews quite difficult! Future generations would likely cherish viewing these individuals as they share their personal experiences of the early days. 

Thanks to Marilynn Kulieke who has volunteered to organize an effort to interview Marian Rowley and to John Lange who has agreed to take do the same with Bill and Mary Lou Hales. Marilynn and John have been furnished with copies of the materials initially developed by SPC. We hope they are of help. 

HISTORY TASK GROUP:

Last year saw the establishment of a History Task Group composed of Carolyn Kendall and Scott Forsythe, with editorial assistance provided by Mark Kulieke. Based on a growing awareness of the need for an accurate historical record of the early days of the Urantia Movement, the task group was asked to undertake the gathering of necessary information, writing the manuscript, and publishing the work. The Special Projects and Publications Committees act in an advisory/assistance capacity. 

Due to personal and family obligations (job search, weddings, surgery, etc.), Carolyn and Scott have been unable to proceed on the writing of the history narrative. However, an example of what could be produced through the history project is the article which Carolyn and Scott wrote for the last issue of the BULLETIN. 

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE: Last year Charles Lilly of Carbondale, Colorado, reported to SPC that The Pronunciation Guide published by URANTIA Foundation, contains discrepancies in the phonetic spellings. He suggested that a new guide be written using dictionary pronunciation keys. Following endorsement by SPC and approval by the Executive Committee, Charles developed a first draft of words and terms that could be incorporated into a pronunciation guide. Then Dave Elders "took the bull by the horns" and produced an excellent draft of a pronunciation guide. SPC members (especially Larry Watkins) served in a resource capacity by reviewing the material and providing feedback. The finished product could be available around the time of the General Council meeting. 

cc Special Projects Committee