INDIA — In August 2000, URANTIA Foundation once again attended the annual Delhi Book Fair. Valuable contacts made in the book trade last February were strengthened, and The URANTIA Book now has reliable distribution outlets in India. Several new contacts were made that may prove beneficial to the future dissemination of the revelation in India.
Three study groups were held throughout the fair, and readers started to get to know one another and exchange contact details. We took the opportunity to encourage the readers and to foster their study groups.
Contact was again made with the Christian group who has been sending The URANTIA Book to theological colleges throughout India. So far, response from the colleges has been positive. Many Christians in India work in the midst of human suffering and are acutely aware of the danger to their families with the recent persecutions of Christians in India. Moreover, they do not seem to be concerned with differences over dogma and theology. There seems to be an instinctive acknowledgement of the truth and beauty contained in The URANTIA Book. Many seeds have been sown, and in time we may see how fertile is the soil.
VANCOUVER, CANADA — URANTIA Foundation office in Vancouver, British Columbia, exhibited The URANTIA Book at the Canadian Booksellers Association's (CBA) annual Convention and Tradeshow in Toronto, Ontario, in June 2000. This is Canada's largest and most definitive book industry event at which the Foundation established a first time presence.
The booth at the CBA tradeshow was constructed and staffed by readers from Ontario and British Columbia. The volunteers met with booksellers, chain store buyers, distributors, authors, and librarians. The personal contacts established during the tradeshow are helping to create a higher profile for The URANTIA Book in Canada.
QUEBEC, CANADA — For the first time, URANTIA Foundation attended the book fair in Quebec, Canada. Managers from the Foundation office in Quebec and other volunteers manned the booth during the 5-day event in April of this year. The book fair drew an estimated 40,000 visitors. Over 100 persons signed up to be on the Foundation's mailing list to receive more information about the book.
The booth included a variety of informative posters and brochures. All current translations of The URANTIA Book were on display, including the CD-ROM version of The URANTIA Book. A computer was set up where people could try out the many features of the CD-ROM.
looks on as Trustee Kwan Choi talks with a new reader.
SOUTH KOREA — In June 2000, the Foundation attended the Seoul 2000 International Book Fair to debut the Korean translation of The URANTIA Book. This newest translation is especially noteworthy as it is the first non-European language to carry the message of the fifth epochal revelation. South Korea is one of the pivotal countries of the Pacific Rim. Modern and industrialized, it has seen an unprecedented embrace of Christianity and has been very hospitable to western religions.
Korea is a very literate nation, and book fairs draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. Seoul 2000 was not restricted to book trade professionals, and the fair was well attended by the general public. We handed out over a thousand brochures and sold more books than we expected. Copies of the book were also donated to libraries, professors, teachers, and clergy.
Several local readers assisted. They were enthusiastic and helpful in explaining the contents and philosophy of the book to hundreds of interested people. Our representative in South
Korea publishes a magazine and has been instrumental in establishing distribution of the book in Korea.
Many of the same volunteers also assisted at the Seoul International Christ 2000 book fair in Seoul, Korea, September 1 through 5. This was the first time URANTIA Foundation participated in a Christian book fair. It too was very successful.
The future appears bright for the success of The URANTIA Book and its teachings in Korea. We are encouraged by the early progress of this new translation and have faith that modest gains will blossom into more reader groups and increased participation with other readers worldwide.