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Urantia Foundation at New York Conference

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Urantia Foundation at New York Conference

Three hundred and fifteen people from 23 countries attended the International Urantia Association's biennial conference held August 4 through 7 at Wagner College on Staten Island, across from Manhattan. This included 41 young people, age 7 to 18, who came to share in the experience. The Urantia Association of Greater New York (UAGNY) and the Urantia Association of New England (UANE) co-sponsored the conference. Urantia Foundation provided support in the areas of logistics and finance. The conference afforded an excellent opportunity to conduct face-to-face business with readers from many lands. It also provided Foundation staff members a chance to personally interact with the many readers they communicate with by phone and email throughout the year. Prior to the conference, meetings were held for Urantia Foundation Representatives, the Trustees, the IUA Council of National Presidents, and the United States Urantia Association (USUA).

The following countries were represented at the conference: Lithuania, Estonia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Greece, France, The United Kingdom, Holland, Finland, Mexico, Senegal, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Indonesia, The United States, and Ecuador.

The Foundation Bookstore was a very active place between scheduled presentations. Several new merchandise items were successfully debuted and a limited edition cap (only 72 made) nearly sold out. All profits from the sale of the cap were donated to the youth scholarship fund. Sales of The Urantia Book in all languages and editions tallied well above expectations.

The conference was attended by all five Foundation Trustees and its Executive Director, Tonia Baney. They arrived several days in advance of the conference to engage in meetings which addressed the on-going legal matter with Harry McMullan, new foreign distribution negotiations, translation efforts, business decisions regarding Foundation Representatives, and proposals for new printings.

On the last day of the conference it was announced that the 2002 IUA international conference will be hosted by France. The Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre D'Urantia is eager to offer its hospitality to the worldwide readership. The conference will be held in Paris in August 2002.

It was also announced that next year's USUA national conference will be hosted by the Zebedee Guild of Missouri and will be located at St. Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas, just north of Kansas City and just west of the Missouri River which separates Missouri and Kansas at this location. The conference will be held from July 20 through July 23, 2001.