The Urantia Book Fellowship
Annual Report of the President
July 2003


The year, as we reckon it in The Fellowship, began with an International Conference at Estes Park in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We were blessed with the presence of some 725 Urantia Book readers, and 150 of their sons and daughters, from a dozen different countries who assembled together for the purpose of fellowship, worship and study. As has become the norm at these large gatherings, many of those attending were Fellowship members and many were not; some were IUA members; some were members of both the IUA and The Fellowship; some were not affiliated with any organization; two were Urantia Foundation Trustees. It can be said that there was something at this gathering for everyone. It can, perhaps, also be said that everyone there could find something objectionable. It can certainly be said that hardly anyone there would have rather missed it.

A signal event at the beginning of the conference was the launching of the Uversa Press edition of The Urantia Book. This launching coincided with an Executive Committee decision to sign an exclusive agreement with IPG, a major book distributor. Book sales over the year have been disappointing and the Executive Committee decided in its April meeting to terminate its relationship with IPG. Once the current contract with IPG lapses in the end of 2003, The Fellowship will be free to use alternate distribution methods, including direct sales to retailers, the method used in 1996 to distribute the first Uversa Press edition, which had proven to be quite successful.

Prior to the General Council’s January 31st meeting, the Executive Committee held a special, retreat-like, session to discuss fundamental questions it normally has no time to consider during its regular business meetings. A fairly detailed report on the substance of this special meeting was given to the General Council and a summary appeared in the February 2003 issue of the Mighty Messenger. Some of the highlights of that meeting were as follows:

1.      What should be the “official” Fellowship position regarding The Urantia Book? This question provoked a great deal of discussion, much of it philosophical and often highly personal.  There was no clear consensus about what the “official” position should be. But, although everyone present appeared to consider the book to either be a revelation or to contain a revelation or to cause individuals to experience revelation, a number of the participants felt that it may not be appropriate for The Fellowship to adopt an organizational position declaring The Urantia Book to be a “revelation”.  Further discussion of this question is likely take place in the coming months.

2.      What should be The Fellowship’s “face to the world”? Are we projecting what we think we need to project through our use of print publications and the website? It was generally felt that we are doing a fine job in both media, but a question was raised as to whether “political” material on the website is too easily accessible. Subsequent investigation revealed that one needs to dig deliberately for that type of material; it is not readily available to a casual visitor.

3.      Is publishing The Urantia Book an integral part of The Fellowship’s mission or is it a time limited effort? A brief discussion of this question ended with a reaffirmation that publishing the book is essential to our mission at this time. It was felt that there was no value in speculating now about whether this will remain so in the distant future.

4.      Should The Fellowship become involved in translations of The Urantia Book? The group reviewed current translation efforts and concluded that, for now, there is no need for The Fellowship to sponsor translations.

5.      International outreach – Our major area of concentration has been in Mexico and in Central and South America. We need to find the resources for reaching out to Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, and Asia. During a discussion of this item at the General Council, there were suggestions that we need to challenge the younger readers in our movement with a meaningful international outreach and/or service project.

6.      Organizational structure – There was a consensus on the Executive Committee that we need to review our constitution with an eye toward determining whether it serves our organizational needs in its current form. Should we determine that changes are needed, we would then have to decide whether to proceed with an incremental series of amendments or with a radical overhaul. This topic will require a great deal of attention in the coming year. 

A number of General Councilors expressed interest in having a General Council retreat so that the entire Council will have an opportunity to discuss the philosophical basis for our organizational work. The Council will have an opportunity to pre-plan this retreat at its July 2003 meeting.

 The office reorganization and virtualization work has continued throughout the year. The Wrightwood building has been on the market since early spring; The Fellowship’s computerized database has been converted and is currently being updated, de-bugged, and made accessible (while secure) through the web. This work is highly detailed and time consuming. Once the entire system is fully operational, it will greatly increase our efficiency and our operational effectiveness and flexibility.

A great deal has been said this year about “unity”. Many have been calling for unity between the Foundation and the Fellowship; some have condemned the actions of individuals on either or both sides that caused the “split” in 1989.  To be sure, unity is a desirable outcome. Harmony among all organizations and individuals who are identified with the mission of spreading the fifth epochal revelation is something we would all want to experience.  Indeed, as each of us seeks to do the will of The Father and as we recognize our brotherhood and our responsibility toward one another, we are already united in spirit. As we, regardless of our organizational affiliation, continue to focus on our spirit-driven work, while relying less and less on the institutions that are “Caesar’s”, the social unity for which so many of us yearn will begin to emerge.

In friendship,

Avi Dogim