1999 Domestic Extension Committee Report
Paula Thompson

1999 was a great year for DEC.  With the work of our dedicated committee and hundreds of volunteers we introduced the Urantia teachings to thousands of individuals, helped distribute hundreds of gift books, produced the Study Group Directory, and initiated a new project to bring Urantia Book readers together and create study groups.

Booth Outreach

In 1999 we did 12 shows in 12 cities, including:  San Francisco, Baltimore, Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, Spokane, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Phoenix, Austin, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta. 

There is a considerable amount of work that goes into creating these events. Before the show, there is a need to coordinate with show producers (booking booth space, securing electricity, shipping materials, and applying for speaking opportunities), make travel arrangements for the facilitator, and coordinate with a local UB community liaison who lines up volunteers for the booth and arranges accommodations and transportation for the facilitator.  During the show the facilitator, always a trained DEC member, arrives one day early for booth set up and training, and is there to provide expertise and continuity for the entire event (about 30 hours in a three day weekend).  After the show there is an accounting to be made of literature distributed as well as mailing list updates.  DEC members agree that this work is of vital importance for UB promotion as well as training teachers and leaders.  It should be obvious that these efforts involve a great deal of participation and support by local reader communities, without which, this outreach would be impossible. 

Heartfelt thanks goes to the tireless efforts of committee members LuAnn Harney, Robin Jorgensen, and Mary Ebben for giving up one or more weekends to facilitate expos in 1999, and special thanks to ad hoc member Maria Downing who learned the ropes.  May our Heavenly Father richly bless each and every one of you!

The following literature was distributed at these shows:

Soft Back UB:  224

Hard Back UB: 13

Spanish UB: 18                                             

UB Excerpt Brochures: 4,378

Life After Death Magazine:  167

M. Sprunger Brochures: 900

Concordex: 10

Fellowship Brochures: 600

Study Group Directories: 600

In addition, we made personal contact with hundreds of people who signed our mailing list, provided over 120 Urantians with the opportunity to serve as outreach volunteers (many paid travel and accommodation expenses to do so) and exposed the book to well over 100,000 potential seekers. 

Sadly, because of budget cuts we had to limit the amount of shows we did in 1999 and will do even less in 2000.  This is a shame because these Expos are the only project our Fellowship sponsors on a regular basis that provides hands on local community participation.  If these were not popular or deemed of value by local Urantia communities, we would not have people asking us to come back and be willing to volunteer for them year after year. 

Uversa Book Distribution

With the help of Jesusonian Foundation, Domestic Extension shipped 158 Uversa Press books to numerous individuals, represented by the following breakdown:

Youth Book Program: 38

International Gifts: 18

FlOWERS:  25

Societies:  65

Prisoners:  10

Website:  1

Library/Institution: 1                     

Work With Other Fellowship Committees

Domestic Extension helped IFC distribute the following gift foreign language Urantia Books internationally:

Spanish:  36

Russian:  4

French:   6

Finnish:  1

Domestic Extension helped Fraternal Relations at the Parliament of The Worlds Religions in December by providing the booth, a facilitator, and all the literature that was distributed there, including securing the 70 Uversa Press books (previously sent for Norman Ingram’s outreach) that were placed in religious libraries all over the world from there.

The 1999 – 2000 Study Group Directory

The directory was completed in time for distribution at IC99, as well as being mailed to every study group that listed in the directory including international groups.  As always, each group listed receives several copies for their own use.  The directory is a huge DEC project every year, which includes at least three mailings to study groups to get their input.  Study group input is essential to the accuracy of the directory.  Committee member LuAnn Harney deserves our deep appreciation for providing this loving service and hard work for the past four years.

Public Introductions & Workshops

Members of Domestic Extension Committee did several public introductions to the Urantia Book in 1999.  Notably, two were given at Whole Life Expos and one to the UFO conference in Mesquite Nevada.  All in all, over 200 people we introduced to the remarkable teachings of The Urantia Book in this way.

Creating New Study Groups

Over the years in has become apparent to us that certain areas have a good number of readers yet do not have a study group.  We concluded that it could be because they don’t know about each other.  In addition we have met many individuals who would like to host a study group in their area.  They often call us for names of readers, and although we can’t give them the names of individuals, we can and do send out a letter on their behalf to every name we have in that area.  In one case we had a gentleman in Oklahoma who wanted to start a group.  He composed a letter of introduction, which we sent out to about six UB readers who live nearby him.  He now hosts a wonderful study group of 12.

The Study Group Directory includes a category called “Will Host.”  This category represents individuals in a given area who have no study group but would be willing to host one.  In every area where we have a “Will Host” listing, we are sending out letters to other readers in that area to let them know that a study group opportunity exists.  DEC members Doreen Heyne and LuAnn Harney are working together on this effort.  We’ll let you know how it goes.

It is our hope that in the very near future (perhaps even with the 2000 – 2001 directory) we will be able to send one copy to every person on the mailing list.  This seems to be the best way to let people know of study groups in their area, increasing participation in existing groups while creating new ones.

Annual Meeting

The members of DEC met during IC99.  We discussed current projects and new possibilities. We discussed the possibility of the Fellowship sending the best of our conference speakers and presenters to local communities.  In other words, a sort of “Fellowship Speaker’s Bureau” that sends individual presenters to local communities to present topics of interest to Urantia Book students.  DEC member Brian Smith graciously offered to promote and host the first one in Southern California.  It was later determined that this type of project falls more into the realm and function of Education Committee.  Ed Com agreed to work with DEC on this project and funds were allocated for it.  The Executive Committee felt it was important to give cities with Fellowship Societies the first opportunity to host such events.  Nothing has happened with this project yet, but we hope it will soon.

We have also discussed creative ways to advertise the UB.  One idea is to run a simple and compelling quote from the book that has universal appeal to most people.  This could be done with a cost effective display ad that includes our web address and toll free number at the bottom. Fred Harris’ study group recently ran similar ads in a Florida newspaper, but the ads included only the quote and its source (The UB) not a phone number. Apparently, enough people called the newspaper to find out about the book that the newspaper called the Study Group to ask permission to give out their phone number. Doreen Heyne has researched the cost of such ads in various publications and we hope to try this out before the end of the year.  More about that in future reports.

As always, it is a pleasure to be able to do this work on behalf of The Urantia Book Fellowship.  We look forward to increased opportunities to serve.  I extend warm praise and deep appreciation to the unselfish service of the following members of Domestic Extension Committee:

LuAnn Harney
Robin Jorgensen
Doreen Heyne
Mary Ebben
Brian Smith
Maria Downing (ad hoc)
In faith and friendship,
Paula Thompson, Chair
Domestic Extension Committee