By David Kulieke, Illinois, United States
The latest educational initiative of Urantia Foundation was a joint seminar with the Education Committee of the Urantia Book Fellowship on the topic of “Giving of the Truth of Heaven: Using Our Talents.” The seminar focused on exploring different ways that students of The Urantia Book could share the book's teachings without necessarily referencing the book itself.
Over the four-day weekend of March 23 through 26, twelve individuals representing a cross-range of responsibilities within Urantia organizations gathered at Urantia Foundation in Chicago. Each person wrote a paper and gave a presentation on ideas and experiences each had encountered while sharing the teachings. The group included Gard Jameson, chair of Urantia Foundation’s Education Committee, and David Kulieke, chair of the Fellowship’s Education Committee. Both were co-organizers of the event. Other presenters included Chris Wood, Elisabeth Callahan, Guy Perron, Marilynn Kulieke, David Elders, Barbara Newsom, Daniel Glazer, Andre Radatus, Bruce Johnson, and James Perry. Several observers attended in person, and many more watched and contributed questions and comments via the Zoom Room.
The presenters constituted a lively forum for discussing a multitude of topics, including the nature of our audience, our philosophy of education, the possibility of developing a more intentional teacher program, and the benefits of institutionalizing our educational efforts. Practical experiences in the classroom, giving guest sermons, consideration of the use of words, and even whiteboard animation were included as ways to share The Urantia Book.
The gathering closed late Sunday morning with a discussion of essential principles and concepts derived from the seminar. For example, the kinds of settings where one might share the Urantia Revelation include both formal situations, such as a classroom or a church class, or giving service to a patient, as well as spontaneous moments “as we pass by.” Among themes that emerged, some focused on the individuals with whom one is interacting, such as “Listen empathetically: be interested in the person you are talking to.” Other observations reflected the message that an individual can share including: “Be prepared with a response” and “Use your talents and expertise; teach what you do.” People also emphasized the importance of taking action. A full report of the conclusions will be shared along with the individual papers at urantia.org.
This seminar was one of many collaborative educational efforts during the past few years comprising different combinations of committees from the Fellowship, the Foundation, and Urantia Association International. Another is planned for this summer in Denver at the Fellowship's International Conference (IC’17). There will be a forum of a number of educational organizations for the study of The Urantia Book, including a report from this seminar.
The weekend included lovely hosting by Joanne Strobel and delicious meals by Ashley Hayes.
Back row: Chris Wood, Andre Radatus, Daniel Glazer, James Perry (on Zoom), Bruce Johnson, Guy Perron, Paul Anderson
Middle row: David Kulieke, David Elders, Gard Jameson, Ken Keyser
Front row: Elisabeth Callahan, Marilynn Kulieke, Barbara Newsom