Updates from the April 2023 Trustee Meeting

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By Judy Van Cleave, secretary, Urantia Foundation, Idaho, United States

Operations Overview

Books

• Total sales for Q1—including Urantia Press titles—were down 25%.

• Q1 sales of Urantia Press books were down 47%.

• Q1 downloads were up 2%.

• Q1 e-books were also up 2%.

• Total dissemination was down 30% in Q1. This includes everything but downloads.

• During Q1 the Foundation donated 120 outreach books. In partnership with Urantia Association International, a total of 60 books were sent to Ghana and Uganda. We also sent, in cooperation with the Urantia Book Fellowship, 50 Spanish paperbacks to Colombia and 10 to a reader in Canada who travelled to Chile and hand delivered the books.

• A reprint order was placed for 3,000 English hardcovers and 2,000 English paperbacks.

Education

• The January trimester of Urantia Book International School (UBIS) ended on March 19. A total of 17 online classes (and a virtual study group conducted in Spanish) were offered to 242 enrolled students. Courses in seven languages were facilitated by 26 volunteer teacher-facilitators.

• In addition to the regular courses, UBIS launched the new Spotlight Series. This innovative program features 90-minute live topical presentations and is being offered monthly by the English, French, and Spanish branches.

• The Education Committee discussed plans to proceed with a Marriage and Family Symposium. The event will be held online, similar to the 2022 Science Symposium. Presentations will be developed by a planning team. Additional details will be available in July.

• Dr. Jameson and Dr. Kulieke are pleased to report that “A Narrative History of The Urantia Book” has entered the final editing and production stage. They look forward to sharing this labor of love with us soon.

• The Study Group Directory committee members are all pleased with the enhancements made to the site in 2022. The process to ensure all groups are up to date has been successfully automated. In addition, a text messaging process has been implemented so that any host who does not respond to the emails will receive one final request to update their information. This eliminates the need for committee members to make phone calls. How to implement this internationally will be considered in 2023. As always, the team—Bill Beasley, Scott Brooks, Jackie Koury, Rick Lyon, and Tamara Strumfeld—enjoys working together and is grateful for the support of the three sponsoring organizations. It is an excellent example of cooperation!

Fundraising and Finances

• Donations—Q1 unrestricted donations were 13% below budget, and 77% below Q1 of 2022.

• Restricted donations were 50% below budget, and 7% below Q1 of 2022.

• Estate gifts— Q1 estate gifts totaled $421,691.

• Total income was up 168% from last Q1 of 2022, but 19% below budget.

• Total expenses were up 77% from Q1 of last year, but 15% below budget.

Outreach—Mustard Seed Grants Program (MSGP)

The Mustard Seed Grants Program completed its first round of funding, and the MSGP team has done an excellent job. Despite the inevitable learning curve during the first six months, each committee member worked tirelessly, analyzing and fairly assessing each application. Much gratitude goes to Sherry Cathcart Chavis, Minoo Claire, Gary Deinstadt, Geri Johnson, Tamara Strumfeld, and Chris Wood.

Seven grant awards were announced on March 15. Congratulations to the Round 1 Mustard Seed Grant recipients!

1. The Urantia Book Teacher Training Program

A six-month project to develop a teacher training program to prepare motivated students to effectively present the ideas and ideals of the Urantia Revelation to people of all cultures.

• Applicant: Elisabeth Callahan for Urantia University.

• Country: United States

• Focus Area: Educational Program, Centers, Schools

2. School of Divine and Progressive Wisdom

A one-year project to provide technical assistance for teachers/facilitators to continue to promote a pedagogical teaching method, allowing for an enhanced understanding and wide dissemination of the truths of The Urantia Book.

• Applicant: Moustapha Ndiaye

• Country: Senegal

• Focus Area: Interfaith/Educational

3. Urantia Conferences in Nigeria

A six-month project to host three consecutive annual conferences in Lagos, Nigeria, with the goals of consolidating the reader base in Nigeria and fostering truth seekers meeting Urantia Book readers.

• Applicant: Emeka Anazodo

• Country: Nigeria

• Focus Area: Educational Programs, Centers, Schools

4. Living Bridge Productions

A one-year project to produce two high-quality videos to spread The Urantia Book and its teachings.

• Applicant: Gary Tonge

• Country: Canada

• Focus Area: Audiovisual/Digital Outreach

5. Spreading the Good News

A one-month project to proclaim, promote, and disseminate the revelation through a musically based ministry tour (11 concerts) throughout California in areas close to existing study groups.

• Applicant: Pato Banton

• Country: United States

• Focus Area: Music, Art, and Film

6. Urantiapedia

A two-year project to develop an open-source online encyclopedia that helps in the dissemination and understanding of the revelation. It will include a wide range of content in a single website, in multiple languages, which includes illustrations, audio, links to the Bible, and other resources.

• Applicant: José Antonio Hernández

• Country: Spain

• Focus Area: Secondary Works

7. FER UB

A one-year project to fund stronger internet connections for Urantia Book study group members and to make and post four short videos for outreach.

• Applicant: Maricor Doctor

• Country: The Philippines

• Focus Area: Educational Program, Centers, Schools

Translations and Revisions

• Work has resumed on the Esperanto translation with some proofreading upgrades. It is complete through Paper 60.

• The Greek revision is complete through Paper 186.

• The Farsi translation is 93% complete, with 17 papers remaining before their target completion date in 2024.

• The Filipino translation team completed Paper 41 in March and has been working on the 18-page Paper 42. The team continues to hold working meetings three days per week, and also helps with the Urantia Book study group.

• The chief revisor of the Portuguese translation is recovering from surgery. The copy editors continue to submit updates. They estimate a July 2024 completion.

• The first draft of the Chinese translation is complete. It is being edited and will likely need an additional review. The Traditional style translation is complete though Paper 40. It will need rounds of editing as well. The translation has gained momentum thanks to Vicki Yang and Gard Jameson teaching Taiwanese and Chinese students about the concepts and ideas found in The Urantia Book.

• To ensure the quality and accuracy of the 2021 Spanish revision, we have conducted professional evaluations of Urantia Foundation’s Spanish 1993 translation and the 2021 revision. We are encouraging Spanish-speaking readers to review the revision and provide specific feedback and suggestions. Please click here to submit your findings. Focus groups will be formed, with participants from both sides of the Atlantic—each representing various demographics, including men and women of different generations.