The majority of my work over the past year has been with the FLOWERS Program. This program Is meant to support local area Urantia Book activities that further the goals of the Fellowship. We have received requests to the FLOWERS program for a variety of projects over the past year and have funded several, including a spring fair In Santa Cruz and portions of a mailing for the Urantia Literacy project. We have loaned money for a Spanish translation of "Reaching High" and a loan to help in the printing of a children's summary of The Urantia Book. We continue to receive requests for FLOWERS support and hope that other societies and local area groups will take on projects that will further the Fellowship's goals throughout the world. Since each of the projects which has been approved is being matched by monetary and resources from the sponsoring group, it is hoped that this program will encourage readers to become more active in their own local areas. 

This year I have also spent some time on working with the 529 headquarters staff in various ways. I have helped with monitoring the expenditures in the office. I also helped organize volunteers and logistics for two of the large scale events that the Fellowship and Chicago area Urantia Book readers participated in this year, The Parliament of World Religions which occurred in Chicago August/September, 1993 and the Whole Life Expo which occurred during May, 1994. Being involved in this type of outreach activity was a highlight for me of the past year. 

As I complete my term, I would like to say how much I have enjoyed serving as chair of the Special Projects committee, chair of the 1987 general conference in Maine and vice president of the Fellowship over these past nine years. Working on the Executive Committee has been a very special experience for me. Having participated in efforts to work more productively with Urantia Foundation, dealing with the schism between the Foundation and Brotherhood, and finally helping to build a renewed organization in the Fellowship, has been an experience that I'll never forget. Whether in the long run the decisions that were made were the right ones or not, the sincerity and desire to do what's best for the revelation created a unity that is unforgettable. 

As the Fellowship continues to meet the challenges foisted upon us as willed creatures on our planet, my hope for the Fellowship is that we can meet these challenges in an open and deliberate way. The era of "command and control" decisions is coming to an end. This means that for each person who has the opportunity to serve in the Fellowship, only the highest quality thinking and passion for the Urantia revelation will help us move to a higher plateau--both organizationally and personally.