By Judy Van Cleave, secretary, Urantia Foundation, Idaho, United States
Operations Overview
Books
• Urantia Book sales for Q1 are down 2%. Sales, including The Parables of Jesus and The Untold Story of Jesus, are up 1%.
• Downloads were 18,015 for Q1, down 26% from the high volume experienced during COVID-19.
• Books that were out of stock due to supply-chain issues finally arrived in the warehouse and are selling again.
• The new free Android app containing The Urantia Book in 20 languages launches soon.
• The Audio Enablement Project has begun. We anticipate launching audiobooks in 20 languages in early 2023.
Moving forward in Q2, the focus will be:
• Resolving the remaining issues on the Android app and promoting its launch in the Google Play Store.
• Streamlining our internet ad campaigns.
• Working to establish more distribution in Latin America—specifically Argentina and Ecuador. In addition, looking for possibilities in Africa and Asia.
Education
• Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS)—Georges Michelson-Dupont and Joanne Strobel explained some organizational changes at UBIS. The new trimester is beginning with increased enrollment and well-nigh full classes. German, Hungarian, and Polish courses will be offered in September 2022.
• Study Group Directory—the directory now contains over five hundred study groups. The directory gets updated annually, so you can expect that listings are accurate.
• Science Symposium III—Urantia Foundation’s Education Committee sponsored another science symposium. Over 250 people attended via Zoom Events. Click here to view the recorded sessions [2].
Fundraising and Finances
• Donations—Q1 unrestricted donations were $140,944, 164% above the budget of $53,325, and up 190% from the same period in 2021. (2021 Q1 unrestricted was $48,518.92.)
Q1 restricted donations were $4,049, 35% below the budget of $6,253, and down 16% from the same period in 2021. (2021 Q1 restricted was $4,795.)
Q1 estate donations were $26,122.
• Expenses—The big picture is that expenses were up 3% from 2021 but 15% below budget.
• Mustard Seed Grants Program—The request template for Mustard Seed Grants is almost complete. We expect the program to be operational in Q3 or Q4 2022. The Outreach Committee members will be reviewing grant applications according to the guidelines developed and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
Translations and Revisions
• Continued progress was reported on the following translations and revisions: Chinese, Farsi, Greek, and Portuguese.
• The Arabic translation was published online at urantia.org/ar [3].
Standard Reference Text
The board passed a resolution accepting the four corrections recommended by the Standard Reference Text (SRT) Committee. To learn more about the SRT and its purpose, click here [4].
Cultural Advisory Council
Marcos Dalmolin gave a well-prepared and informative PowerPoint presentation on the history and culture of Brazil. He also detailed the many activities of the readership there.
Invited Guest—Sue Seccombe
Sue, president of the Urantia Book Fellowship, shared some of her personal history, her dreams for the Urantia community, and some of the activities currently taking place in the Fellowship organization.