About the Family Life Committee of
The Urantia Book Fellowship

History
Mission Statement
Goals
Accomplishments
Future Activities
Toward an Inter-Organizational Network on Family

History

The seeds for the development of the Family Life Committee (FLC) were sowed during the preparation for the first Wrightwood Series titled Building the Living Temple of Spiritual Fellowship in April, 1992. As Janet Farrington formulated the parameters for this forum, she asked the questions: Who do we say we are? Is it possible to adopt a national and international policy of community? Can we shift our attitudes from being just readers to being a global community of readers who work towards a comprehensive integration of family values with spiritual development? In addition to thousands of study groups can we support the needs of thousands of families wherein the eternal realities of the Father's kingdom are manifest? How do we contribute to the building of the "living temple of spiritual fellowship"? At the General Council meeting August, 1993 the Family Life ad hoc committee, was established to explore how family and family spiritual culture could be reinforced and materials developed which would enliven the truths of The Urantia Book for children.

Mission Statement

Jesus said, "The people of another age will better understand the gospel of the kingdom when it is presented in terms expressive of the family relationship - when man understands religion as the teaching of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, sonship with God." (UB 1603) As "people of another age", we accept the challenge of Jesus to present the gospel "in terms expressive of the family relationship", and in order to do this will commit to strengthening the ideal of "family", promoting family spiritual culture and empowering parents to reveal the love of God to their children, through compiling resources, offering family focused programs and services to FAMILY at all levels.

Goals of the Family Life Commitee

• 1. To strengthen the ideal of family at all levels - Inner Family, Home Family, Fellowship Family, Interfaith Family, and Global Family.
• 2. To promote family spiritual culture in the home.
• 3. To educate and train existing and future families.
• 4. To help families network.
• 5. To provide arenas for socialization and activities for children and youth of readers of The Urantia Book.
• 6. To interface with families and youth from other spiritual paths.
• 7. To promote secondary works for children and youth based on The Urantia Book.

Accomplishments

• Completion of a brochure on family
• Participation in the International Conference on Family in Toronto, 1994
• A survey to the readership on the needs of family
• Participation in workshops on family at IC 93
• Participation in the youth program at IC 96
• Participation in workshops on family at IC 96
• Development of a data base of families/kids
• Development of a Family Life web page with links to educational/philosophical materials
• Offering of grants for secondary works
• Development and presentation of Parenting Workshops
• Offering of a collection of costumes and props for the times of Jesus which can be rented for dramatic presentations
• An activity manual for use by families and study groups for activities for children - FUEL THEIR FIRE! Activities for Youth Which Kindle the Power of the Spirt. (Soon to be completed).

Possible Future Activities

• Set up a kid's chat room on the Internet.
• Develop seminars and workshops for pre-marital training.
• Find ways of interfacing with other spiritual paths - i.e offering scholarships for youth to attend conferences of world religions.
• Develop workshops which would interface with the best of the culture, presenting the principles of Urantia book family ideals outside of the readership.
• Develop ways to support the dying and grieving process in families.
• Explore feasibility of Urantia Book inspired Family Camps.
• Address inter-generational issues such as elder care and teen rites of passage.
• Study what other religious paths provide for their children.
• Offer "working scholarships" to help parents/children attend conferences who cannot do so without financial help.

Toward an Inter-Organizational Network on Family

• To create an inter-organizational network: If it is agreed that we are all pursuing the same ideal of family and strengthening family spiritual culture, then interested persons from each group who are committed to family can begin to dialogue and to explore agreement on goals and how to proceed to accomplish them.
• Coordination of financial and human resources: The above goals and many, many other realms of family could rapidly benefit from the increased support of both financial and people resources dedicated to family spiritual culture. One place to begin might be to participate cooperatively in one of the upcoming conferences in the Family Life Arenas.
• Effect on unity of all readers: Of all the areas, family seems to be one that could be most damaged by NOT working together; it would be so sad to have lack of unity occurring within and between families as the generations go on because our generation could not find ways of working together. If 1000's of readers would see both/other organizations able to espouse the realm of family, it would increase the "family" feeling between all of us who are dedicated to making the truths of our revelation real.

Submitted with hope and enthusiasm for the possibilities,
Sara Blackstock, Chair
Family Life Committee
May 1, 1998
E-mail slb@linkzone.com