Urantia Foundation Annual Report 2014

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Dear Friends of the Urantia Revelation,

Thanks to your volunteerism and generous donations in 2014, Urantia Foundation’s trustees, staff, and volunteers continued the joyful work of disseminating The Urantia Book and its teachings into the world. Important advances were made in global distribution, outreach, education, and translations and revisions. Even better, the dream of a cooperative global community of Urantia Book readers feels closer than ever. Brick by brick, shoulder to shoulder, we are building a solid foundation for the Urantia Revelation. We count on your continuing partnership in this effort.

As you know, we are temporary players on the stage of a world destined for transformation by this revelation. Only revelation can move humanity from our current state of materialism into an era of higher spiritual values and intelligent love for one another. The time will come when happiness replaces much of today’s sorrow because we will have learned that we are all children of the same heavenly Father. But first, we must succeed in passing this wonderful book on to future generations.

The teachings of The Urantia Book are the revelatory fulcrum that will uplift civilization.

Thank you for helping to spiritually transform the world by making The Urantia Book readily available. You are an important part of the living bridge that spans from this generation of readers to subsequent generations. We need and deeply appreciate your support. These are times to treasure.

In gratitude,
Mo Siegel, President
Urantia Foundation

Click here to read the Annual Report as a PDF

Your Support Funds Global Book Seeding

Thank you for partnering with Urantia Foundation and for helping more hands hold The Urantia Book around the world.

Your support is transforming lives as more individuals grasp these supernal teachings.

Highlights from 2014

  • Urantia Book distribution was up 9%.
  • Downloads of the book from urantia.org in all seventeen languages were up 22%.
  • EBook sales were up 31%.
  • Almost 200 books were gifted to individuals in need.
  • 450 books were placed in the Philippines and Africa in partnership with Urantia Association International.
  • Spanish Book sales were up 18%.
  • Portuguese Book sales were up 47%.
  • Sales of all other translations combined were up 18%.
  • Sixteen translations are now available.
  • Translations in Chinese, Czech, Farsi, Hebrew, Indonesian, and Japanese are works in progress..
  • Revisions of the Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish translations continue.

The Revelation Bridge

In 2014, the Urantia Papers celebrated their eightieth birthday. This revelation was first sponsored and indited in 1934, given to human management in 1955, shepherded by the Greatest Generation into the 1980s, and then passed to the Silent Generation and subsequently to the Baby Boomers. Across generations, much has been done to seed the teachings of The Urantia Book worldwide. But now an important step must be taken to secure the future.

A Critical Point in Our History and How You Can Help

The human management of The Urantia Book might be facing its most significant challenge to date. Globally, younger people are leaving institutional religion at historically unprecedented rates.

They want more meaningful experiences, but they are not sure where to look. The way they think, speak, learn, and live is unique to their generation. In North America and Europe, few young people attend Urantia Book study groups or socialize with other readers. Yet our challenge is to safely pass the Urantia Revelation into their hands. This will require resources, ingenuity, and hard work.

Outside of Latin America, most readers of The Urantia Book are older than sixty. Almost all the donations that fund translations, book distribution, and education come from older North Americans. Like our founders and predecessors who provided for us, the current readership must build a financial bridge that spans the next thirty years until future generations can afford to carry the load.

Included with this annual report is a planned giving brochure. In it, we invite you to be part of what we call the Revelation Bridge. This is our way of joining together all those who leave a planned gift to Urantia Foundation. If you are like most readers, the fifth epochal revelation has been instrumental in transforming your life. Now you are privileged to leave a legacy to what is arguably the most important spiritual cause since Jesus.

In addition to your financial support, we welcome your input as to how to bring the incomparable teachings of The Urantia Book to the next generation. Would you agree that the book’s timeless truths feel more relevant, alive, and insightful than ever? We must be skillful in sharing them with young people! We do this work with faith that the long-term revelatory mission of sorting, adjusting, and uplifting our thinking will happen as certainly as morning follows night. So please help pass The Urantia Book and its ennobling teachings to our children and grandchildren.

Education and Outreach 2014

Urantia Book Internet School - ubis.urantia.org

  • 26 classes offered
  • 16 in English
  • 6 in Spanish
  • 4 in French
  • Over 540 students from 27 countries
  • New website offers multi-language capacity

Retreats, Workshops, and Co-sponsored Events

  • Daughters of God Women’s Retreat
  • A Workshop on the Soul
  • Collaborative Education Seminar with the Urantia Book Fellowship and Urantia Association International
  • Urantia Association Study Group Symposium Sponsorship
  • The Urantia Book Fellowship IC ’14 Sponsorship

Urantia.org website

  • Unique visits - 701,405
  • Sessions - 1,184,746
  • Percentage of new users - 58.4%
  • Countries - 177
  • Languages - 17
  • Fresh new design!

Urantia Foundation Statement of Activities Audited For the year ending December 2014

Public Support and Revenues

Book Revenue
Sales of The Urantia Book
$172,477
Cost of Goods Sold
$(170,696)
 
Gross Profit
$1,781
 
Non-Book Revenue and Support
Restricted Contributions
$92,488
Unrestricted Contributions
$741,971
Other Income
$95,752
 
$930,210
 
Functional Expenses
Program
$(544,803)
G&A
$(235,603)
Fundraising
$(55,026)
Subtotal
$(835,432)
2014 Revenue and Support
2014 Functional Expenses
2014 Income vs Expenses

The Hales Family, the Forum, and the Urantia Papers

Will and Carrie Hales
Will and Carrie Hales
Why was I introduced to the Urantia teachings and my contemporaries were not? Because my parents and grandparents were involved in one of the most amazing events in the history of Urantia!

My grandparents, Willard and Carrie Hales, lived in Oak Park, Illinois, with their three children. Will founded a grain trading company and was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade. In the early 1920s, Carrie suffered from depression and was referred to Dr. William Sadler. When the Sadlers began holding Sunday afternoon meetings, my grandparents were invited.

My father, Bill, and his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou Cortis, joined my grandparents at the Forum in 1930. They married and had my sister, Lynne, and me. Sunday afternoon Forum meetings were a routine that we never questioned.

My high school interest in science fiction and life on other worlds led my parents to introduce me to the Urantia Papers. As was customary, I met Dr. Sadler, he explained the Forum, and I began attending the meetings. Since there was no published book, you had to visit 533, check out one paper, and read it there. I began with Part III.

I reasoned that my parents and grandparents spent serious time with Urantia, so maybe I had better pay attention!

The book was published in 1955, and the Forum became First Urantia Society. In 1950 my father became the first president of Urantia Foundation and served for twenty-three years. Both of my parents were founding members of the Urantia Brotherhood.

In the mid-1960s, while working as a social worker in New York City, my Brotherhood service began as a field representative, corresponding with readers and attending new study groups. In 1974 I became resident director, moved back to Chicago, and continued this exhilarating work until retiring in 2006.

I was blessed with parents and grandparents who were involved in the Urantia Papers project. Without fanfare or zealous appeal from these caring forebearers, I grew into my deep belief in a heavenly Father who infinitely loves each of us and have come to view every person I meet as a spiritual brother or sister.

With love, John Hales

Trustees:
Gard Jameson
Richard Keeler
Marilynn Kulieke
Georges Michelson-Dupont
Henk Mylanus
Mo Siegel
Judy Van Cleave

Associate Trustees:
Share Beasley
Sandra Burga-Cisneros Pizarro 
Marta Elders
Víctor García-Bory
Richard Jernigan 
Line St-Pierre
Angie Thurston
Ralph Zehr

Staff:
Connie Gutierrez
Joanne Strobel
Tamara Strumfeld

Foundation Info

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Urantia Foundation, 533 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
Tel: +1-773-525-3319; Fax: +1-773-525-7739
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