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Noteworthy Decisions from the April 2013 Board of Trustees Meeting

Date
Author
Marilynn Kulieke
Marilynn Kulieke
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Noteworthy Decisions from the April 2013 Board of Trustees Meeting

Bradley Tharp
Bradley Tharp
Georges Michelson-Dupont
Georges Michelson-Dupont

By Marilynn Kulieke, vice president, Urantia Foundation, Lincolnshire, Illinois, United States

Urantia Books

The board reviewed the recently printed dust covers for the Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese hardcover translations of The Urantia Book. The English paperbacks with new covers arrived a few days after the meeting. This production run of 16,000 books came just in time for an unveiling at the annual Book Expo America. New covers bring renewed interest and opportunities for The Urantia Book. Without an occasional new cover the book industry would view The Urantia Book as an old and tired book. New covers keep the book relevant in the book industry and desirable to bookstore shoppers.

Book sales in the United States were up four percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the first quarter in 2012.

The historical index to The Urantia Book is almost complete. Publication plans are underway. 

The Russian translation of The Urantia Book has just been reprinted, and Urantia Foundation now begins the process of reintroducing the book into Russia. Even though 17,000 books have been distributed there since 1997, distribution remains a daunting task. Despite our best efforts, the Foundation has never collected a penny for any of these books. We hope this will improve with this new print run.

Donations Made Easier

Urantia Foundation recently launched a new page at www.urantia.org that answers many of your questions about making wills, passing on property, and donating to your favorite Urantia Book projects. Please visit urantia.plannedgiving.org to find creative ways to support Urantia Foundation while benefiting you and your loved ones at the same time. (See page 1 for highlights.)

Editorial Policy

The board passed an editorial policy for Urantia Foundation publications, a policy that helps insure quality in all of the Foundation’s publications.

Standard Reference Text Committee

With the copyright of The Urantia Book no longer valid, protecting the original text has become problematic. To solve the problem Urantia Foundation and the Urantia Book Fellowship established a Standard Reference Text Committee to look at all the changes to The Urantia Book since its first 1955 publication. After years of work, the committee recommended the “definitive text,” free of typographical errors. This text has been subsequently referred to as the “Standard Reference Text.” When you see the words “Standard Reference Text” on a Urantia Book, you can trust that the text inside is the bonafide and unadulterated Urantia Book.

With an ongoing need for studying the text, for formatting it, and for implementing the referencing system now used in digital books, we are asking that the joint Foundation and Fellowship sponsored committee be reconstituted under the leadership of Marilynn Kulieke.

Translations and Revisions

The manager of translations, Trustee Georges Michelson-Dupont, presented reports on the Hebrew, Chinese, Indonesian, Farsi, Czech, and Japanese translations, which are currently works-in-progress. A report was also given on the revisions-in-progress: the Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, French, Russian, Romanian, and Polish translations. Urantia Foundation continues, with a steadfast determination, to produce and distribute quality translations that stay true to the original English text. The current translations that need donor support are the Chinese, Indonesian, and Hebrew translations.

The number of Urantia Foundation’s translations is increasing, and there is need for professional procedures to produce, revise, manage, and safeguard them. In 2013-2014 the Foundation will be establishing such procedures.

The Third Floor, the Attic, and the Carriage House Renovation Project at 533 W. Diversey Parkway

The historic 105-year-old Chicago home of the Urantia Revelation has undergone extensive renovations on the first and second floors. This year the third floor, the attic, and possibly the carriage house will be renovated. The old water pipes and antiquated electrical wiring could cause significant damage to the newly restored first and second floors. $125,000 has already been raised for the renovation, and another $50,000 is needed for the third floor and $125,000 for the carriage house, which today we would call a garage with an apartment over it. The carriage house, due to sinking, now leans about eight to ten inches back to front. The board requested a future use and financial recommendation for the third floor and the carriage house.

Education

2013 Seminars at Urantia Foundation:

  • The Cosmic Power of Spiritual Truth, Jeff Wattles, May 2013. (See page 4 for highlights.)
  • Scientific Facts That Point to God, Ralph Zehr, November 2013.

If you are interested in participating in the November seminar, please write to [email protected] for more information.

By the end of 2013, the Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS) will move to a new educational software platform that will make conducting and taking classes more intuitive and easier to use. This will be a significant upgrade to the UBIS educational experience. (See page 10 for highlights.)

Elections of Officers, Associate Trustees, and Committee Members

The following trustees were elected as officers for a three-year term:

  • President - Mo Siegel.
  • Vice President - Marilynn Kulieke.
  • Secretary - Judy Van Cleave.
  • Treasurer - Gard Jameson.

Víctor García-Bory was elected for a fourth term as associate trustee, and Share Beasley and Line St-Pierre were elected for a second term. All associate trustees are elected on an annual basis.

Share Beasley was elected to the Book Committee, Bradley Tharp to the Fund-raising Committee, Line St-Pierre and Sandra Burga-Cisneros Pizarro to the Education Committee, and Sandra to the Public Relations Committee.

Renovated forum Room
Renovated Forum room
Renovated second-floor bedroom
Renovated second-floor bedroom
Renovated second-floor bedroom
Renovated second-floor bedroom
Unrenovated third-floor kitchen
Unrenovated third-floor kitchen
Renovated second-floor breakfast room
Renovated second-floor breakfast room
Renovated second-floor kitchen
Renovated second-floor kitchen
Unrenovated third-floor living room
Unrenovated third-floor living room