Another light was lit for the Revelation in São Paulo, Brazil on June 1, 2003. Associação Urântia de Brasil is now a Local Association of the International Urantia Association. The formation of this new association came just weeks before the completed Portuguese translation, O Livro de Urântia, was delivered in CD format to the translation team and presented to Brazilian readers at their celebration of Jesus’ birthday on August 21.
Urantia Foundation President Richard Keeler, IUA President Gaétan Charland, and IUA Administrator Cathy Jones were warmly received by Urantia Book readers from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro for the inauguration ceremony. Cathy commented, “On the highest mountain overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, visible to all, there stands a huge figure which has been viewed by thousands of people. This is a statue of Jesus, with outstretched arms. This welcoming, symbolic replica of Jesus and his all-encompassing love seemed to be saying, ‘Thank you for bringing the fullness of my message to the truth-seeking children of the world’.”
The largest communities of Chinese and Japanese people living outside of their countries live in São Paulo. Brazil is famous for its multi-cultural population. So it will be fertile soil for many of the upcoming Urantia Book translations.
“To become acquainted with one's brothers and sisters, to know their problems and to learn to love them, is the supreme experience of living.” (1431:1)
After many years of slow and steady growth, Urantia Book readers in Great Britain, the second largest English speaking nation, have decided to join the ever-growing family of IUA. In July, at their annual Summer Meeting on the Isle of Wight, the attendees discussed the pros and cons of formally organizing themselves. They agreed that the revelation would benefit in their country if they formed an association and joined the global community of readers dedicated to the study of The Urantia Book and the dissemination of its teachings. We are pleased to announce that an inauguration ceremony for the Urantia Association of the British Isles was held on October 12, 2003. We welcome our brothers and sisters from the British Isles into IUA service.
Ecuadorian Readers are forming an Association of IUA. Thanks to Rodrigo Miño Colina, the Foundation’s Representative in Ecuador, the new association will be a not-for-profit organization established in full compliance with Ecuadorian law. Cathy Jones has been in close contact with Rodrigo, and they are making plans for an inauguration gathering.
The revised IUA Charter provides that a reader may become an IUA Member-at-Large if he or she lives in a country where there are not yet enough people to form an association. This allows isolated Urantia Book readers to join in the growing global family of IUA and to actively participate in its service programs.