Updates from the July 2023 Trustee Meeting

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

Operations Overview

Books

Sales of The Urantia Book this year have experienced a slowdown. While there was a surge in sales during the COVID period, they have since dropped to the pre-COVID level. We are hopeful that this six-month decrease does not indicate a long-term trend. For the first two quarters of 2023, we have distributed 11,717 Urantia Books. This includes physical books, digital books, and outreach books. Despite the challenges mentioned above, our team remains committed to enhancing distribution efforts.

Audio Book Enablement Project

Under the guidance of associate trustee Marcel Peereboom, whose hands-on management was instrumental, we've made significant strides in the Audio Enablement Project.

In Q2, Marcel gathered feedback from over a dozen volunteers who listened to synthesized voices in six languages. The objective was to identify accent-neutral and enjoyable voices for the audiobooks. Furthermore, the quality of our English audiobook was enhanced. This involved remastering human-spoken audio to improve its fidelity and ensure it plays at the correct speed.

In January 2024, new and updated audiobooks in English, French, Portuguese, Estonian, Hungarian, Spanish, Polish, German, and Dutch will be available. These audio recordings will be free downloads at Urantia.org.

Thanks to everyone involved for their dedication and hard work.

Book Printings

In Q2, 3,000 English hardcovers and 2,000 English paperbacks were printed. In the coming quarter we will be printing more English, French, Polish, and Spanish books.

Education

• The April trimester of Urantia Book International School (UBIS) ended on July 2. A total of 17 online classes were offered to 215 enrolled students. Courses in seven languages were facilitated by 20 volunteer teacher-facilitators. In addition to the regular online courses, UBIS continued the new Spotlight Series. A total of 18 sessions (6 each) have been offered by the English, French, and Spanish branches. They will resume in October.

• The Education Committee announced plans for a Marriage and Family Symposium on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, 2024. The event will be held live on Zoom Events, and presentations will be developed by a planning team. Bill and Share Beasley will serve as emcees. For information, contact [email protected].

• Members of the Urantia Study Group Directory committee excitedly entered its new era of database cleanup! The process has been automated, relieving the team of time-consuming manual labor. As always, the team expressed appreciation of its three sponsoring organizations: The Urantia Book Fellowship, represented by Jackie Koury and Urantia Association International, represented by Rick Lyon; and Urantia Foundation, represented by Tamara Strumfeld. Bill Beasley serves as committee chair, and Scott Brooks manages the website.

Fundraising and Finances

• Donations—Q2 unrestricted donations were 47% below Q2 of 2022 and were 48% below budget.

• Restricted donations were 55% below Q2 of 2022 but significantly above budget.

• Estate gifts—Q2 estate gifts totaled $176,000.

• Total income decreased by 50% compared to Q2 of 2022, but came in 9% above the projected budget.

• Administrative expenses declined by 3% compared to Q2 of last year and were 2% below budget.

• Total expenses decreased by 2% from Q2 of last year and were 8% under budget.

Mustard Seed Grants Program (MSGP)

The second and final round of the 2023 Mustard Seed Grants Program (MSGP) was initiated on Monday, July 10. MSGP plans to fund projects totaling $44,000 for this round, bringing the combined total for rounds 1 and 2 to $100,000. Individual applicants are eligible to request up to $7,500. The application window closed on August 21, with award announcements scheduled for October 24, 2023. For more information, visit https://www.urantia.org/urantia-foundation/mustard-seed-grants-program

The board extends its heartfelt gratitude:

• To the Jameson Foundation for their generous funding of the MSGP.

• To Sherry Cathcart Chavis for her outstanding leadership.

• To Geri Johnson, Share Beasley, and Minoo Claire for their administrative support during our monthly meetings. A special nod to Minoo for the logo design.

• To Marie White and Tamara Strumfeld for overseeing the Round 2 online processes and financial aspects.

• And to our project officers who provide unwavering support to awardees as their projects take shape.

Translations

Georges Michelson-Dupont submitted his 99th translation report in July! It included reports by the Chinese, Esperanto, Farsi, and Filipino translations and teams, as well as the Portuguese revision team.

Marilynn Kulieke added that she is truly impressed by the spirit of cooperation shown by the many translators and revisors who share our mission to bring The Urantia Book to all peoples of the world.

New! A Library of Translations and Revisions of The Urantia Book

The Board of Trustees is excited to announce the establishment of a digital Library of Translations and Revisions of The Urantia Book. This decision followed months of thoughtful deliberation.

The new library will be a one-stop hub featuring prior Urantia Foundation translations and revisions and non–Urantia Foundation translations provided by the copyright holders. We firmly believe it’s in our trust to consolidate and digitally present these translations in a single, accessible location. We anticipate the library being constructed and operational by later next year.