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June 28, 1986

During the initial 30 years of its existence, the dedicated mortal workers who comprise Urantia Brotherhood quietly and progressively built a solid organizational framework to help facilitate human participation in the outworking of the fifth epochal revelation on our planet. Organizational membership now numbers over 1,000; there are 15 active societies which serve as a local focus of service activities across the United States; more than 140,000 Urantia Books have been distributed mostly in English, with almost 5,000 in French; several groupings of readers studying in other countries have indicated an interest in society formation to help with organizational work; 20 of 36 General Council members and 8 of 14 Executive Committee members live outside the Chicago area; and so on.

It is on this secure footing that we undertook many new projects and accomplished much during this thirty-first year of our existence.

The office staff was re-organized to better serve and support the increasing needs of our standing committees and readership community.

Members of the International Fellowship Committee aided Urantia Foundation in bringing to closure the negotiations for the translation of The Urantia Book into Spanish. The contracts were signed in early April and work is now underway.

A library placement program under the management of two committees, Domestic Extension and International Fellowship, begun in 1985, has now placed over 1,500 books in libraries internationally.

Our first non-contiguous-48-States society was chartered this past September in Alaska--welcome Northern Light Urantia Society of Alaska.

In response to a Brotherhood request for financial help in funding gift books for library placement, Urantia Foundation exceeded our request and gifted 1,200 books for this project.

Our French brothers and sisters are convening the first International Meeting of Readers of The Urantia Book to be held in Europe August 3-11, 1986. This meeting is to be organized by C.E.H.D.H., a non-profit society of readers of The Urantia BOOK in France.

In response to the General Council members' 1985 requirement for better communication throughout our community, we have (a) begun to publish "The Bulletin" on a more regular quarterly basis, and (b) have begun to distribute the Executive Committee Letter to all members of Urantia Brotherhood.

Work on the 1987 General Conference to be held at Bowdon College in August, 1987, has begun under chairperson Marilynn Kulieke.

President's Report page two

International Fellowship chairperson, Berkeley Elliott, has had a busy year extending her and her committee's personal hand of friendship to readers everywhere. Importantly, Berkeley visited our French friends, the Duponts, over Christmas and will have traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti this month with John Hales before our meeting..

The willing participation of virtually every Council member in a November retreat program and an April Design Shop program has resulted, in my judgment, in the development of the essentials of a plan of action which can and will guide our efforts in the coming year.

It is my belief that we have completed the initial phase of building a solid organizational foundation on which the balanced, wise, thoughtful, and progressive expansion of personal and cooperative outreach activities may be built. In addition to this sturdy organizational scaffolding there is much good will, a high degree of commitment to cooperation and mutual respect, dedication to the profound need for and values of personal one to one ministry, and the obvious presence in our community of skills, energy, resources, and, creativity. We are poised on the brink of what may be a tremendous growth in the number of those of our planetary fellows who want to learn more about The Urantia Book. As this takes place, we cannot ever forget that personality relationships are ends in themselves, not means, and that this is our Father's revelation to all mankind and that we have the good fortune to be able to serve as human workers in league with a vast number of celestial personalities in whom the primary responsibility for this revelation is vested.

Thanks so much for-this opportunity to be of service to you and to the work we have been given to do together.

In fellowship and with the deepest respect,

David Elders President