Site Index

Those who have been involved with the Fellowship over the last few years have seen it undergo extensive changes. These are characterized, in part, by a spirit of increased openness and trust, by a greater tolerance for diverse viewpoints, by more inclusive participation of both members and non-member friends, and by the increased delegation of functions which were formerly retained by the central office. These trends are likely to undergo continued development. 

Admittedly, hard necessity provided some of the motivation for these developments. The separation left the Fellowship with difficult material problems to resolve. New office facilities were required, and financial constraints forced a sharp and difficult reduction in full time staff. The ability to continue existing programs and services required new levels of delegation and dependence upon volunteers. 

Material considerations helped to encourage change, but they are not its secret. The more fundamental motivations stem from a hunger for organizational attitudes and procedures inspired by the study of The Urantia Book. These include greater reliance on trust, cooperation, diversity, and faith. The separation provided immediate opportunities for the unhindered expression of these long frustrated sentiments. 

Specific examples of.-these changes can be seen in a number of areas. General Council meetings, formerly held entirely in closed session, are now open to observers. Minutes of council meetings, once confidential, are now distributed upon request. The last meeting of the General Council, generally regarded as a successful experiment, was held in Los Angeles to facilitate interaction with local members and friends. That model is likely to be repeated at some future council meetings. 

The 1993 International Conference, scheduled for August 1993 near Montreal, Canada, will be the first held outside the United States. More significantly, the planning team includes many non-member readers from Canada. The Fellowship is attempting facilitate rather than control the conference planning process. We are primarily interested in designing a successful international conference; the technique involves a cooperative effort based upon mutual respect and a common goal. 

The recently adopted FLOWERS program encourages local initiatives by providing advice and seed money to groups with specific project suggestions, such as arranging a regional meeting. The Wrightwood Series has brought together small groups of geographically separated and well prepared readers to engage in intensive study of selected topics from The Urantia Book. Additional examples can be found in the reports of the other officers and committee chairpersons. 

A number of local societies were negatively affected by the turmoil of the separation, however recent developments suggest renewed enthusiasm and activity. There is increased interest in society membership. Some of this probably results from the less restrictive membership conditions which have been adopted by several societies. For example, some societies have decided to drop the requirement that a member must have completed a cover-to-cover reading of The Urantia Book.

The Fellowship is in reasonably good condition at the moment. We ought to recognize that many individuals made outstanding contributions of both time and resources to help the Fellowship through this difficult period. It has been a remarkable demonstration of cooperative teamwork. Most of the immediate organizational problems caused by the separation are under control. The Fellowship is financially stable and much of the confusion in the reader community has subsided. Attention has largely returned to matters more directly related to the study and dissemination of The Urantia Book.

Currently, there are a number of matters which are often discussed in the reader community. The opinions expressed on these matters show considerable diversity. In addition, each topic is not necessarily of interest to all; different groups of readers concentrate on different areas of activity. Among these concerns are the following: 

Availability of The Urantia Book: The Foundation's restrictive sales policies has generated widespread concern throughout the international reader community. A variety of local initiatives have resulted, as well as the Fellowship's Adopt-a-Bookstore program. 

Dissemination of The Urantia Book: Local initiatives have produced a variety of dissemination experiments. These include telephone programs, newspaper advertising, book fairs,, movie theater advertising, bumper stickers, flyers, truck signs, and more. The results are being evaluated in a generally intelligent manner. Outreach styles have always been hotly debated in the reader community, and have occasionally led to organizational policies of a creedal character. The time honored debate between personal and mass dissemination still continues, but there seems to be a greater tolerance among the membership for a variety of approaches based upon local resources and dispositions. 

Economics of participation: This is a matter of increasing concern. Economic considerations have always presented barriers, but conditions seem more difficult lately. We have developed increased opportunities for organizational participation. These include service on the General Council, Executive Committee, standing committees, area coordinators, conclaves, study seminars, and international conferences. Most of these involve some degree of travel one or more times each year, as well as numerous other expenses. A variety of suggestions have been made about this issue. Some involve various schemes to underwrite expenses for participants who require it; others envision structural or technical modifications which will reduce the expense of participation. 

Kristen Maaherra copyright lawsuit: This is a matter of great interest to some, of little interest to others. Some feel the Fellowship should express moral and financial support for Kristen; others believe the Fellowship should work to maintain the copyright. The Fellowship may have legal obligations which survive the separation from the Foundation. 

Lingering disappointment over the separation from URANTIA Foundation: While much of this has dissipated, there are still many in the reader community who are calling for healing and reconciliation between the Fellowship and the Foundation. These individuals feel that the quality of interaction existing between these two groups is inimical to the progress of the revelation, and inconsistent with its teachings. 

Organizational restructuring: - A number of members maintain a serious interest in organizational restructuring. A significant amount of structural simplification has been taking place on the society level. The object of much of this modification has been to encourage increased organizational membership and participation. The goal seems to be the development of a structure which provides enough organization to facilitate the collective work, but not so much structure that the work becomes the service of the organization. 

Other issues involve fostering study groups, production of study aids, controversial subject matter in The Urantia Book, translations, gender groups, interfaith activities, international considerations and more. In addition, there is significant potential for sudden developments which could open new possibilities for action. In the interest of brevity, no detail will be provided here about these, but they can be expanded upon if desired. 

The Fellowship is now relatively free from those external restraints under which is has always operated. This situation presents greater challenges than those we have faced in the past. We must now apply our own restraints; no one will do it for us. We are obliged to make the distinction between liberty and license on our own initiative. We all know that a failure effectively to make that distinction will have inevitable and unpleasant consequences. 

We are free from arbitrary and autocratic interference, but not from the responsibility to recognize and accept cosmically appropriate levels of individual self control and group discipline. We are free to study and disseminate the Fifth Epochal Revelation, and free to attempt the experiential actualization of its teachings in both our individual and collective lives. That is the circumstance we have persistently petitioned for over many years. It should be an exciting and cosmically instructive adventure. 

Respectfully submitted,

Steve Dreier, president