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TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF Urantia BROTHERHOOD

cc: Members of the International Fellowship Committee
Re: Proposed IFC Policy for Gift Books to Individuals

November 16, 1981

This memorandum is in response to the request of at least several members of the Executive Committee who asked for a more detailed written report of the above matter following my oral report at our last Executive Meeting.

After considerable discussion, the following motion was placed before the IFC at its last meeting during the week-end of October 10 and 11, 1981, and was passed unanimously.

"Moved that the International Fellowship Committee be funded to send gift copies of The Urantia Book, at its discretion, to selected individuals outside the U.S. The International Fellowship Committee encourages leaders of study groups in countries outside the U.S. to make their need for Urantia Books known to the committee."

The thinking of the committee can perhaps best be summarized as follows:

Often international study group activity is generated by individuals who need books but cannot afford them. (A good example is the situation-in India.) There should be some mechanism whereby books could be donated to individuals for their personal use but in furtherance of a group's study activity. This method of dissemination is thought to be in addition and complementary to, and entirely consistent with, the Brotherhood's library book placement program.

The IFC felt that the program should be limited to the above and care should be taken that the proposed fund was not to be used just to give books to isolated individuals or other interested readers but only to those who had a well developed and stable involvement with the book and a commitment to the development of study groups.

The IFC further proposed that the decision for the selection of the individual recipients be left to the IFC and that consideration of the donation of such gift gooks be a standing IFC agenda item. Under special circumstances, where a quick response to a request for a gift copy was desirable, the IFC Chairman could obtain a consensus from Committee Members before the next scheduled IFC meeting by telephone or mail.

Of course, reports of the actions of the IFC would be made to the Executive Committee when and as action had been taken, and to the General Council as part of the Committee's Annual Report.

The IFC feels that the foregoing proposal if adopted and funded by the Executive Committee would be an effective way for further internationalizing the spread of the teachings of The Urantia Book with concomitant development of study groups.

If you have questions or comments before our next Executive Committee meeting, please feel free to call me.

Cordially,

Martin W. Myers Chairman
International Fellowship Committee