Bogotá Urantia Association at FILBO 2024
Bogotá Urantia Association at FILBO 2024
By Andrés Ramírez, Bogota, Colombia
The Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBO 2024) had its 36th meeting from April 17 to May 2. This is one of the principal book fairs in Latin America, with an attendance of nearly 600,000 visitors. The Bogotá Urantia Association (AUB) was present for the tenth time with a booth in pavilion number 3.
This is the main dissemination activity which AUB carries out each year. It is a big financial commitment, for which we have the support of the Urantia Association International and Urantia Foundation, who provide the necessary books and support every year. This continuous effort over time has been possible thanks to the fact that AUB is a legally constituted group, and book fairs are one of our most valuable strategies.
With the help of 20 volunteers, we handed out 3,500 foldables and 30,000 smaller flyers, we sold 74 books, and we had conversations with nearly 700 people. These conversations demonstrated that interest in the book is increasing and that many people already have a copy and are reading it, facilitating the person-to-person approach. With each passing year we have noticed that the word Urantia and the book are becoming more widely known. We have also seen that handing out flyers is an effective method of dissemination, as several people came directly to the booth to buy the book, to subscribe to the database, or to get in touch with a study group.
As FILBO participants, we had access to the auditoriums to present talks to the public. These are listed on the FILBO website as part of the fair's cultural agenda. We gave three presentations: “Your Divine Essence,” “Human Government,” and “The Urantia Book vs. Science.”
Participation in book fairs strengthens Associations, as it is an opportunity to get involved in service and dissemination tasks. The volunteer experience of speaking with so many people is the most effective training to learn how to talk about the book with others while providing service. We have learned a lot about the public's attitude towards the themes of the book and their interests, and we have also learned about the best communication strategies. Many other associations have followed Bogotá's example in Colombia and Latin America, verifying these benefits for themselves.
Once again, we appreciate the support of Urantia Association International and Urantia Foundation, which allows us to carry out the work of disseminating the teachings of The Urantia Book. We also thank all the volunteers who served at the booth in so many capacities during the 16 days of FILBO, and trust that they derived as much benefit from their ministry as did the seekers who visited the booth. As the Chief of the Urantia Midwayers tells us:
Jesus often took his apostles away by themselves for short periods to engage in meditation and prayer, but for the most part he kept them in service-contact with the multitudes. The soul of man requires spiritual exercise as well as spiritual nourishment. 91:7.2 (1000.3)
