INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT – JULY 2008

     The activities involving the Urantia Book revelation around the world are exciting, uplifting, and truly awe inspiring.  From an isolated refugee camp in Africa, to the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires in South America, to near the southern tip of India, the nature of God, the makeup of the cosmos, and the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus so fervently taught is slowly but surely permeating the consciousness of humankind.  Ascending and descending beings from Uversa to Salvington, to the celestial overseers of our planet, down to us lowly humans all play a part and have a stake in nudging our beleaguered Urantia toward light and life.

     The members of the International Fellowship Committee often get physically sick, experience personal hardships, and sometimes use our own funds to further the cause to which we are committed:  using the Urantia Book as a tool for the worldwide recognition of the Brotherhood of Kingdom believers.  The below information is only a peek into this growing reality.

Latin America:    

     Our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters continue to lead the way in the globalization of the Revelation.  The Buenos Aires Book Fair was held from April 21 to May 12 and the El Libro de Urantia booth was co-sponsored by the Urantia Foundation (Tamara Wood), the Urantia Association International (Marian Hughes), and the Urantia Book Fellowship (Agustin Arellano of Mexico and Nelida Oliver from Ecuador).  Carolos Rubinsky, a resident of Buenos was the primary organizer.  And though there were some ruff edges to be worked out, the Book Fair was a huge success; especially with Tamara securing a contract with an Argentine book distributor.  For the Fellowship, over 6,000 brochures, 400 spiritual vitamins, and numerous CDs and DVDs were handed out.  Agustin taught study group members from the cities of Bahia Blanca and Mendoza to roll spiritual vitamins, and is working with Nicolas Gelman in Mendoza to develop a free Argentine website.  Along with the local readers, other helpers came from Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and Uruguay.  Our hope is that this collaborative project of our three organizations will develop into a working model for future international projects.

     In Colombia, Gerald Pando and his wife Bibi (a native of Colombia) have made their presence felt, and are using it to unite many of the groups there.  To do this, he bought a house in Bogotá, renovated it (at considerable personal expense), called it the Teusaquillo House, and opened it to all the readers to be used as a place where meetings and classes are to be held.  He also took out a six month add in the “El Tiempo” newspaper for public awareness of meeting times, and had 5,000 business cards printed for the leaders.

     As the Fellowship’s Spanish Readers Services consultant, Agustin flew to Costa Rica in late May to meet with Dr. Rafael Arias and other local readers for study and to discuss the 2009 Bilingual Conference in Costa Rica.  They meet with the Minister of Tourism and determined that, tentatively, the best time for the conference will be in the third week of June, 2009 and the most economic place would be the Double Tree Hotel near Puntarenas on the Pacific Ocean side.  (So start saving your pennies.) 

     Agustin continued his journey north, spending two fruitful days in Guatemala where he, along with Gonzalo Caceros, discussed El Libro de Urantia on two TV shows and one radio program.  He left posters, coupons, and other secondary materials for Gonzalo and his study group. 

     In Mexico, the 8^th annual national gathering at the monastery in Ahuatepec, Morelos was held.  Dr. Elyr Silva from Brazil attended, and they agreed to work toward a translation of The Urantia Book Basics (Lo Básico de El Libro de Urantia) by Mary Ebben Livingston into the Portuguese language; as well as spiritual vitamins. 

India – Pakistan:

     In India, the follow-up to the Fellowship-sponsored booth at the New Delhi World Book Fair in February has been hefty and rewarding; over 160 contacts.  Letters to those receiving the Urantia Book, letters to interested persons, email correspondence, 10 copies of “Jesus A New Revelation”, 8 copies of the “Urdu Sampler”, 12 CD copies of the “Hindi Paraphrases from the Urantia Book” (1 each in Hindi and English) have been sent, with more to follow.  (Please view the IFC Report – May 2008 for a full review.)  Dr. Swami Garfield Jansen, who participated in the Book Fair with us, is emerging as a leader.  He is from Coimbatore, in southern India, and has started a study group with 11 other truth seekers.  Additionally, he has family in Mumbai (Bombay), and has started another study group there with 8 hungry souls attending.  We have begun preliminary discussion on a translation of the “UBasics” into the Tamil language broadly spoken by 77 million people in southern India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore; as well as minorities in Malaysia, Mauritius, and Réunion.  Dr. Swami Jansen continues to request a steady stream of JANR books.  A discussion has begun with Dr. Chauhan in Jabalpur of central India for a possible translation of the first 5 Papers of the UB into the Hindi language, but correspondence with him continues to be sporadic.  He does state their study group is active.  Although we have been in contact with many readers and seekers from New Delhi in northern India, none have shown willingness for leadership.

     In Pakistan, the courageous and ever-persistent Nadia Gill leads regular study group meetings with the Urdu Sampler, mostly in secret and mostly with women.  The hope for a more favorable climate of freedom in Pakistan – religious, political, or otherwise – remains on hold.  She continues to receive various types of support from the Rocky Mountain Urantia Society and Ken Raveill.

Africa:

     J. Wilfred Zeon at the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Accra, Ghana is an example of true inspiration.  In addition to Books from the Pipeline of Light, he has received copies of many secondary works (There is Life After Death, What is the Urantia Book, Who Wrote It?, A Description, A Glossary and Pronunciation Guide, Table of Contents, Selected Excerpts, and complimentary Coupons for more UB’s).  With our assistance, he had chairs and benches made and a large sign to hang under the tree where their study group meets and prays.  And, as stated in a previous report, their slogan continues to uplift:  “EACH ONE REACH ONE”.

     The activities of the Revelation in South Africa continues to expand and will likely fulfill its role as the foundation upon which the Revelation will be built in Africa.  To quote the report written by Simone Cox:  “Our Urantia community is still embryonic (we now have almost 80 readers on record) but is growing at the rate of four to six new (recorded) readers every month…As local readers’ groups are forming organically, we continue to distribute every copy as it reaches our shores, as the demand for the Urantia Book has exploded in recent months, and we have a backlog of orders for every media – hardcovers, softcovers, old editions, secondhand copies, audio sets, study aid, posters, etc.”  She also advocates future printings of the Book, and other materials, without the use of “…images, pictures and illustrations on the covers…”.  Her report is attached.

     What of Chita and Namukali you ask?   We have had very little correspondence with them recently, but feel certain they are about the Father’s business.

     It is very difficult to write a conclusion about the Urantia Book revelation on the world stage and the role the IFC plays in it.  Suffice it to say, that even as these words are being written and read, someone somewhere in the world is opening a postal package with enlarged eyes, a Book is being given to person with outstretched hands, a leader is standing upright in a group presenting these new truths and saying “Let us come together to love God and serve all humanity.” 

     Finally, it is our hope that all Urantia Book organizations come together and present the Revelation to the world with an unbreachable unity patterned after our celestial parents of Nebadon.

     We thank the Executive Committee and the General Council with gratitude for their support and suggestions.

The International Fellowship Committee

Buck Weimer, Chairman