The best conference ever! Why am I so fully satisfied? I believe it’s because of the high proportion of people who exhausted the human capacity for human adjustment in preparing for the conference, and lived those blessed days in genuine openness to everyone—all of which enables our unseen friends to bless us more abundantly. Hosted by the Estonian Urantia Association, July 11-14 in Tallinn, Estonia, the conference was titled “Sowing seeds—qualitative inner growth and quantitative outer growth.”
Karmo Kalda practically organized the entire conference himself. It was a stunning achievement, demanding a heroic expenditure of energy. His wife Margit showed herself a gracious, mature, and superb partner in the work. Peep Sober, the first leader of students of The Urantia Book in Tallinn, showed himself a trustworthy spiritual teacher simply by his quiet and brief remarks introducing the morning meditations. The organization of the conference wisely built upon the success of the Dutch leaders in the previous year’s conference in Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands.
Several presenters expressed convictions in harmony with the perspective on introducing the Urantia Book in accord with its teachings—and with the Publication Mandate—whose rationale is presented in the guidance set forth here: https://urantiabookprojects.org/the-urantia-book-movement/
There was much to celebrate and many persons who contributed; but I will highlight only a little and a few. The opening presentation by Sabastian Nozzi (Argentinean IT specialist now residing in Germany) was edifying and inspiring, marked by creativity, intellectual clarity, and resolute personal commitment. He urged us to regard Christianity not as a failed experiment, nor as an obstacle, but as an opportunity. It has given us “the concepts of a universal, personal, individually approachable and loving Father.” “People today are looking for answers in meditation, mindfulness, spirituality, psychology, and so on. . . . At some point honest truth-seekers will have to return to God, to real religion, for answers. . . . ‘Nothing can take the place of God in human society.’” One of the laws of progress is that we can take only one step at a time. We fail if we attempt too much. The Publication Mandate is a trustworthy guide. It is unwise to try to take Christianity into the Urantia Book without intermediate steps.
In many ways, artist and spiritual teacher Patrick Yesh—who has leaflets especially for young people—was at his all-time personal best with a presentation on the Thought Adjusters, drawing our attention to this passage: 112:5.4 (1232.5) “Mortal personality, through its own choosing, possesses the power of transferring its seat of identity from the passing material-intellect system to the higher morontia-soul system which, in association with the Thought Adjuster, is created as a new vehicle for personality manifestation.” To support that transfer of identity, Patrick led us in an exercise of creating affirmations out of each phrase in the following list. An Adjuster’s plea to his subject included these phrases: that he “more faithfully give me his sincere co-operation, more cheerfully endure the tasks of my emplacement, more faithfully carry out the program of my arrangement, more patiently go through the trials of my selection, more persistently and cheerfully tread the path of my choosing, more humbly receive credit that may accrue as a result of my ceaseless endeavors. The suggested affirmations are on the following model: “I more faithfully give you my sincere cooperation” (each participant is encouraged to modify the expression using his or her own words). After presenting a diagram of the soul from the Blackfoot medicine tradition, Patrick has us each create our own diagrams of the soul.
Professor of several languages, Chris Moseley was one of many who reported on the progress of the Urantia Book movement in their countries. After presenting an overview of the history of The Urantia Book movement in Britain, listed the following points, which strike me as helpful for other groups.
- Communication with readers, including on-line and social media users; learning from European brethren; restoring faith in what an organization can do; active contribution to the newsletter, The Ascender.
- Making sure that the Urantia Book in its print edition is consistently available in bookshop.
- Informing new readers about the nature, origin, and purpose of the book, and its Publication Mandate.
- Distributing study aids provided in print by Hara Davis (who during the conference graciously led participants in sacred dance).
- Encouraging our members to take part in international Urantia gatherings.
- Providing a structure for regular study group meetings.
- And ultimately—forming more study groups and the number of readers multiplies.
He also noted that, of course, some of us often wonder whether the book and our association should be advertised in some way. Generally, we feel that this should be discouraged, and prefer to spread the revelation by word of mouth only, being sensitive to opportunities to speak to receptive minds and souls that are ready for it.
Certified Public Accountant, minister, author, religious studies scholar, and professor of Chinese and Indian philosophy, and Urantia Foundation trustee Gard Jameson was also manifesting at his personal best in a presentation highlighting social and spiritual service. This conference saw what is, in my experience, Gard’s most effective presentation of social, educational, and spiritual service. We were introduced to a few of the many organizations that he has done so much to create and lead: involvement with the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada, the Nevada Institute for Spirituality in Healthcare, Volunteers in Medicine in Southern Nevada). Gard also helped found the Nevada Community Foundation, the Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development, and the Alf Museum of Life in Clarement, California; and is a minister at the Grace Community Church in Boulder City, Nevada.
My own presentation text is here: https://urantiabookprojects.org/a-path-to-the-beautiful-wholeness-of-righteousness/
And there was a pre-conference retreat for younger readers led by veteran youth leader and educator Mike MacIsaac, with some added structure provided by the team of Gard Jameson, Guy Perron, and Agnes Lazar. We heard moving reports from three of the younger readers: Rachel Stack, Lizz Jones, and Eric Lindstrom—a new reader who during that retreat had just broken through to the radiant, powerful, and whole-souled discovery of God, and who inspired us all with his testimony of the realization that God is way more important than the book.
Upcoming conferences? Mentioned were three more this year: the Dutch conference, August 21; September 6-8, in the UK; Nigeria later this year; Vancouver next July 15-19; Peru, April 22-25, 2021; Malaga, Spain September 2022, Mexico 2023.
The Urantia Book calls for service in many directions. On the whole, we spend too much time talking to ourselves in connection with social media, publications, and conferences. But conferences are essential. To get the most and give the most in a conference takes preparation, openness, engagement, and follow-up.
Here’s the five-minute video intro and the audio file.
