Operations Overview
Highlights of first-quarter operations include: 1) finalizing and publishing the Enhanced English E-book; 2) working on the Spanish revision plan that launches electronically this summer; 3) expanding the Foundation’s presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; 4) coordinating the finalization of the Russian and Spanish revision texts for publication; 5) coding and testing the Android App with the new developer; 6) preparing the 2020 Annual Report [2].
Books
Q1 Urantia Book sales were robust in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Combining physical, electronic, and downloadable books, 29,966 Urantia Books were disseminated. Presently, we are planning subsequent printings of English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Russian books.
Here's how the executive director described her job of disseminating the revelation: "The mission of seeding The Urantia Book and its teachings keeps us focused on maximizing book distribution. With wise, sustainable distribution, the book will become available to all who are seeking it. As part of my daily meditation, I picture all the people who found the book this quarter, and I pray that the teachings have the same effect on them as they did on me.”
Planned Giving
Planned Giving, specifically putting Urantia Foundation in your will, provides future generations with some financial stability. This quarter, a generous reader passed on and remembered Urantia Foundation in his will. His gift went into Revelation Bridge, a fund specifically designed for the future. Please remember Urantia Foundation in your will.
Your tax-free gifts put a safety net under the work of Urantia Foundation. To learn more, visit urantia.plannedgiving.org [3]. When you get to the next world, you'll smile knowing you helped secure the most important religious project since the life of Jesus.
Urantia.org
The website had a sizable increase in usage in Q1. Here are some statistics for January-March 2021 vs. 2020: Users up 83%, new users up 81%, sessions up 51%, page views up 26%. New visitor traffic was 80% of total traffic, mobile usage was up 181% and was 72% of all traffic, and female users were 53% of all traffic.
The top five countries by sessions were: United States, India, Brazil, the Philippines, and Mexico. The most read languages were English, Spanish, and Portuguese. This quarter saw a significant shift in where people are visiting the site: India up 597%, Brazil up 85%, the Philippines up 2,453%, Nigeria up 1,569%, and Nepal up 33,320%.
For the remainder of the year, we will continue adding new content, making additive improvements, and publishing new translations and revisions. But our main focus will be on the website redesign project.
The Cultural Advisory Council
Urantia Foundation is preparing for the establishment of a Cultural Advisory Council to: 1) facilitate the mission of seeding The Urantia Book and its teachings globally; 2) enhance the cultural awareness, compassion, and wisdom of the Foundation's dissemination efforts; 3) provide for council members to acquaint themselves with the Foundation—its mission, vision, and values; 4) foster partnerships between council members and the Foundation for support of readers within their cultures; and 5) facilitate relationships and mutual understanding among members of the council. Toward that end the board reviewed and discussed documents prepared for the council which define its purpose, membership, roles, responsibilities, and procedures. There will be more to come on the Cultural Advisory Council in the next few president's letters.
Education
Urantia Book Internet School continued growth with new facilitators and additional classes in the Spanish and Portuguese branches. Training and mentoring programs have been enhanced, and plans are underway for potential expansion into three additional languages.
The board is starting a study group to gain an in-depth understanding of the evolutionary-revelatory interface of new genetic science and the plan of progressive attainment as revealed in The Urantia Book.
Translations and the Spanish Revision
Translations continued at their normal pace, as reported in previous president's letters, and are on course for completion as expected. Most importantly, the final timeline, formatting, and production dates for the new Spanish revision was presented. The electronic text is scheduled for publication late this summer, and the physical book will be printed this fall.
Invited Guest—Luis García-Bory
Continuing with our commitment to expand our cultural awareness, we enjoyed a Zoom conversation with Luis García-Bory who is from Mexico but now lives in Switzerland. Luis gave his opinion on how he thinks the new Spanish revision will be accepted in Europe and Latin America. He also shared his experience of joining the Foundation’s Spanish revision launch team.
The revision team participated in an interactive panel during Urantia Association’s International Conference on April 24–25. There was good attendance, and it appears that anticipation for the new revision is high.
Outreach
Our new Wikipedia monitor reported to the committee on his review and work on the pages of The Urantia Book in English, French, and German. In addition, Urantia Foundation continues to sponsor individuals and organizational activities that directly support its mission. In the first quarter we sponsored the translation efforts of the Urantia Association’s international conference broadcast from Peru.