Updates from the October 2023 Trustee Meeting

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

Operations Overview

Books

Sales this quarter were the strongest this year—up 7%. Numbers are still down YTD, but this coincides with the trend of the book business worldwide. Such is expected as we move past the banner years of 2020–2022.

We anticipate an upward trend in sales through the remainder of the year, and hope for a strong finish through the holidays.

So far this year, Urantia Foundation has distributed 18,371 Urantia Books worldwide, and the team will continue its work to accomplish the goal of 7% growth over 2022.

Education

• Registration for the current trimester of Urantia Book International School (UBIS) opened on September 11. Registrars enrolled a total of 207 individuals in 22 courses, which were led by 25 volunteer teacher-facilitators. Courses are offered in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, and Polish. The monthly Spotlight Series enjoyed a summer hiatus and resumed in October.

Bill and Share Beasley

• “The Marriage and Family Adventure! An Online Symposium” is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 14–15, 2024. The goal of this event is to offer inspiration and guidance for individuals and families who seek to navigate the complexities of human relationships. So far there are 11 confirmed speakers, with more hoped for. Bill and Share Beasley will serve as emcees. For information, contact [email protected].

• The Urantia Study Group Directory team reported that account cleanup has been going smoothly. Taiwan was added to the list of countries with registered study groups. The countries with the most study groups are United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Australia, France, the Philippines, South Korea, and Venezuela. There are now registered study groups in 19 languages, with the addition of Turkish and Chinese. The top 5 languages are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Korean.

Fundraising and Finances

• Donations—YTD unrestricted donations were 44% below 2022 and 10% below budget.

• Restricted donations were 23% below 2022 but significantly above budget thanks to a generous donation to the Mustard Seed Fund.

• Estate gifts totaled $391,612.

• Total income increased by 56% compared to 2022 and was 48% above the projected budget.

• Administrative expenses declined by 1% and are 7% below budget.

• Total expenses increased by 6% and are 21% under budget.

Outreach—Mustard Seed Grants Program (MSGP)

The MSGP completed its second round of funding, and six award recipients were notified on October 25. Once again, the MSGP Committee members worked tirelessly, analyzing and fairly assessing each application. Much gratitude goes to Sherry Cathcart Chavis, Minoo Claire, Gary Deinstadt, Geri Johnson, Mo Siegel, Tamara Strumfeld, and Chris Wood.

Congratulations to the Round 2 Mustard Seed Grant recipients!

1. Hawaii and Chile Book Placement

• Applicant: Marian Hughes

• Country: United States

• Focus Area: Library Placement

2. Africa Urantia Revelation Zoom Conference

• Applicant: Paul and Monica Kemp

• Country: Uganda

• Focus Area: Education

3. Urantia Book Video Channel

• Applicant: Nugroho Widi

• Country: Indonesia

• Focus Area: Digital Outreach

4. The Parables, Jesus’ Teachings

• Applicant: Eugenia Gutierrez-Gomes

• Country: Mexico

• Focus Area: Digital Outreach

5. Urantia Book Science and History Videos

• Applicant: Josh Abernathy

• Country: United States

• Focus Area: Digital Outreach

6. Healing the Pain of Grief in Internally Displaced Persons: Study Groups

• Applicant: Lilian Muthui

• Country: Kenya

• Focus Area: Education

Translations

The board received report No. 100 (!) from Manager of Translations Georges Michelson-Dupont. This report was a regular accounting of the progress, devotion, and challenges encountered by the translators, revisers, and their teams. It included updates on the Chinese, Esperanto, Farsi, and Filipino translations, and the Portuguese revision.

Spanish Revision Update

The Spanish Revision Strategic Planning Team met with a company of professional evaluators to begin the process of forming reader focus groups. Beginning soon the company will conduct a two-hour session with up to six focus groups. The information gathered will form the basis for a survey to be sent to the readership at large. All Spanish-speaking readers of El libro de Urantia are welcome to register for participation in a focus group by clicking on this link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7568967/prod-1. We would like to have representatives from the entire Spanish-speaking world.