Updates from the July 2022 Trustee Meeting

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

Operations Overview

Books

• Urantia Book sales for Q2 and year-to-date (YTD) are down 2%. Total sales, including The Parables of Jesus and The Untold Story of Jesus, were down 5% in Q2, and down 2% for the year.

• Downloads were down 24% in Q2, and down 25% for the year.

• The Audio Enablement Project is advancing. We anticipate launching audiobooks in 20 languages in mid-2023.

Moving forward in Q3, the focus will be on:

• Resolving the remaining issues on the Android app and promoting its launch in the Google Play Store.

• Completing the printing project of 10,000 Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Urantia Books.

• Streamlining our internet ad campaigns.

Education

• Urantia Book International School (UBIS)—A significant reorganization occurred in Q2. Joanne Strobel continues as executive director, Tim Duffy as the newly appointed academic director, and Georges Michelson-Dupont as trustee liaison and chair of the UBIS Advisory Council. Trial study groups have continued, and collaborative work with other educational centers is being encouraged and planned. UBIS is launching courses in Hungarian, German, and Polish for the September 2022 trimester.

• Study Group Directory—There have been 14 new groups registered, 11 of them outside the United States.

• Science Symposium III—Urantia Foundation’s Education Committee sponsored its third science symposium in June. Over 250 people attended via Zoom Events. The sessions are posted on the Foundation’s YouTube channel, and the research papers can be found here: https://www.urantia.org/study/seminar-presentations.

Fundraising and Finances

• Donations—YTD unrestricted donations were $251,233, above budget, and above 2021. Restricted donations were $235,164, also above budget and 2021. A $200,000 restricted gift was given exclusively to support new initiatives for UBIS. Restricted donations to Urantia Foundation can be specified for projects such as translations, education, website, social media, and outreach.

• Estate gifts—Q2 estate gifts were $600,172 compared to $813,213 in 2021. We are so grateful for the estate gifts. Almost all these gifts are transferred into the Revelation Bridge, a fund that was designed to secure our trust, The Urantia Book and its translations, well into the future. Please consider an estate gift to Urantia Foundation. It is a bridge to the next generations.

• Expenses—2022 program expenses are up 11% from 2021 but remain 18% below budget. Total expenses are up 10% from last year but are 11% below budget.

• Mustard Seed Grants Program—The application form for grant requests is almost complete, and a process for reviewing proposals and recommending grant funding has been developed. We expect this program to be operational in the first quarter of 2023.

Translations and Revisions

• Translations manager Georges Michelson-Dupont and executive director Tamara Strumfeld gave a summary of the process the translators are following in preparing and refining the Chinese translation in both simplified and traditional characters.

• Updates were provided on the Esperanto, Farsi, and Filipino translations, and the Portuguese revision.

Cultural Advisory Council

Jaime Rey Albornoz provided a PowerPoint presentation on the history, culture, and religions of Colombia, and their impressive presence in Latin America. During the Q&A, he stated that for those who are helping to disseminate the teachings in Colombia, the emphasis is on the inner life constituting true religion. He believes that this approach will help readers of The Urantia Book achieve spiritual transformation.

Paul and Gosia Jaworski

Invited guests—Paul and Gosia Jaworski

Paul and Gosia Jaworski gave an update on their work with the Polish translation and the current revision they have almost completed. This will be their third revision! The Jaworskis narrated their life story, including their discovery of The Urantia Book. Since 2009, 7,000 copies of the Polish translation have been sold. In terms of sales, for several years now the Polish book has been the most popular translation in all of Europe!