By Antonio Schefer, International Conference Chair, Urantia Association International, the Netherlands
Urantia Association International (UAI) held its first international conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1997. Since then, there have been nine more. We have traveled to North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America to learn more about The Urantia Book and to fraternize with friends and fellow students around the globe.
From April 12 to 15, 2018, the Dutch Urantia Association (UAISUN) of UAI hosted the 2018 International Conference with the theme: “Jesus as a Teacher.” It was held at the NH- Leeuwenhorst Conference Centre in Noordwijkerhout, a small city not far from Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.
When we asked Jaap Terra (the president of UAISUN) and his team in 2015 to take on the huge responsibility of organizing the 2018 event, it did not take long before they had a formal proposal to organize the conference. Organizing big events like these can be quite challenging for an association, but Jaap and his team did not hesitate for one moment.
On Thursday evening, Jaap officially opened the conference following the meet and greet, dinner, and some words and music from our Masters of Ceremonies Pato Banton and Antoinette Rootsdawtah. After that, Chris Wood, president of UAI, gave a short introductory speech, followed by remarks from Mo Siegel, president of Urantia Foundation. Karen Huigsloot, the program chair, added a few words of instruction for conference-goers. We ended with music performed by Cristina Seaborn and Bob Solone.
During the following days, there was an interesting mix of plenaries, breakout sessions, workshops, meditation sessions, excellent music performances, and many opportunities to foster friendships with fellow Urantia Book students. This all took place in a very beautiful setting next to the amazing flower fields for which this region is world famous.
Most plenaries were fifteen minutes and served as a natural introduction to the small breakout sessions that consisted of the same group of people for the duration of the conference. The sessions were well received, and many commented on the benefits of repeated meetings with the same intimate group. This will be worth repeating in future conferences. The program committee worked hard to create these small groups and to get the best mix of students together. It was not easy; there were many criteria they used to make up the ideally balanced groups.
The Friday evening concert was unique. Iris Kroes gave a performance on her harp, accompanied by a friend on the piano. We loved it! Hearing the music of the Master’s instrument gives us a better understanding of why he played it while here on Urantia.
The emcees did an amazing job, sharing some original music during their concert on Saturday evening, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves dancing during this event. Throughout the entire conference, James Woodward, our DJ, provided beautiful background music, mostly sourced from Urantia artists (some of them famous).
There were 177 people from twenty three different countries in attendance, and when it ended on Sunday afternoon, it was hard to say goodbye. Thankfully, there was a pre-post-conference activity as well: a city tour, which included a boat tour through the Amsterdam canals to see and learn about the history of the capital of the Netherlands, organized by the Urantia Young Adults International (UYAI).
The next day, Monday, was when the official three-day post-conference began, featuring a bus tour of various historical towns, including Volendam, Enkhuizen, Edam, and the Island of Texel. The additional socializing and sightseeing was enjoyed by all.
Looking back, I think it was a hopeful and successful event overall. We have not seen such high attendance here in Europe since the 2002 International Conference in Dourdan, France. This gives me hope for the future of the reader community in Europe.
The same hope goes for our next International Conference, which will take place in Urubamba, near Cusco, Peru, in the year 2021. This will be the second time we have gone to Latin America. To have another successful conference, we need your financial support. Latin America is booming, and you can give the revelation a boost by supporting our next conference there. We want participation from all six continents, and especially from Latin America. And for that we need your financial support. We also need sponsors to help with conference costs, such as translation, transportation, and the paying of the venue itself. Please consider a contribution. For information email the central office administrator, Margaret Slater Thomas, at [email protected] [2].
I want to thank the sponsors who made the 2018 International Conference happen. Our special thanks go to Urantia Foundation and Truthbook. I also want to thank all who helped the Dutch Urantia Association with donations. Your support was needed and appreciated! Finally, I thank everyone who came to the Netherlands. We truly enjoyed having you here and hope to see you again in 2021 in Peru!
Jaap Terra
Pato Banton, Antoinette Rootsdawtah
Karen Huigsloot
Cristina Seaborn, Bob Solone
Iris Kroes
James Woodward