Noteworthy Decisions from the April 2017 Board of Trustees Meeting

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Judy Van Cleave

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

1. Work at 533

Work at Urantia Foundation went along smoothly in Q1 2017. Lots of normal and needed day-to-day work was accomplished. In cooperation with volunteers, a part-time contract work team, the board, board committees, translators, revisers, teachers, and the book dissemination team, our lean and caring staff moved a number of important projects forward. To mention a few: Urantia Foundation’s new index is nearly finished; the annual report was published; seminars were hosted at the building; extensive background and trademark research was compiled for the board; 2000 Portuguese books were printed; the Russian revision was evaluated, and so much more. Special thanks go to Tamara and Joanne for all their hard work.

2. Q1 2017 financial and book sales highlights

Q1 2017 was a steady state quarter. Donations were $216,777 compared to $32,159 in 2016 because of a large one-time estate gift. Book sales were slightly above 2016 while downloads were 21,000, up 18%. Overall expenses were $168,410 in 2017 compared with $168,925 in 2016. Expenses are 15% below budget YTD.

The board reviewed our investment account results and discussed whether we would serve the revelation more effectively by moving from active financial management to passive index fund management.

3. Updated trademark policy approved

In light of the changing environment with social media and the increasing usage of the Internet, the board reviewed its Safe Harbor and Fair Use trademark policies and made some updates. The updates provide believers with more tools to share their faith while simultaneously providing Urantia Foundation with the power to protect the inviolate text and the trademarks. The new policy will be posted in the near future at www.urantia.org.

4. A Tagalog (Filipino) translation approved

Thanks to a dedicated group of Filipino readers, the board approved creating a Tagalog translation of The Urantia Book. A translation of this complexity will likely take at least ten years to complete before publication. With a population of over 100 million people and 92% being Christian, few places in the world have such rich spiritual soil as the Philippines. While the number of Christians in a country isn’t a guarantee the book will be accepted by early adapters, an active and seeking Christian population has been a key determiner of Urantia Book acceptance so far.

5. Publishing a commemorative replica of the first printing of The Urantia Book

For historical purposes, the board voted to publish an exact replica of the 1955 first printing of The Urantia Book. The publication date has not been finalized, but the wheels are in motion.

6. Standard Reference Text (SRT) review

The SRT Committee presented a review of the methodology used in determining which typographical errors needed correcting since the first printing of the 1955 text. A small number of errors were made in the first edition, which have been subsequently discovered and corrected. Urantia Foundation and Uversa Press now print the SRT to assure readers that the most error free text of The Urantia Book is preserved inviolate, widely distributed, and faithfully protected. To see which mistakes were corrected and why they were corrected, click on this link: https://bit.ly/2qTs2zL.

7. Chinese crowd sourcing fundraiser approved

Plans are being developed for the launch of a restricted fundraiser for the sole purpose of financing the final phases of the Chinese translation. We estimate needing at least another $135,000 to finish a world-class Chinese translation during the next five years. This translation has been extremely difficult because of the language differences between English and Mandarin Chinese. That said, we are about 50% finished. With over 1.3 billion people living in China and the rapid rise of Christianity there, this is a vital translation for the spiritual transformation of Asia. When this crowd sourcing fundraiser is launched, please generously invest in the spiritual welfare of the Chinese people.

8. The 2016 audit approved

Urantia Foundation’s independent auditors submitted their 2016 audit results to the Finance Committee and the board. The board approved the audit. To read Urantia Foundation’s 990, please click on this link: https://www.urantia.org/urantia-foundation/form-990.

Line St-Pierre
Line St-Pierre

9. Line St-Pierre elected as associate trustee emeriti

With Line St-Pierre’s associate trustee term expiring now, the board of trustees appointed her an associate trustee emeritus and invited her to continue conducting seminars for women at Urantia Foundation. Thank you, Line, for your five years of service on the Foundation’s board.

Foundation Info

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