Revelation Outreach in Uganda

By Owen Atwebembire, Bwizibwera, Uganda

Editor’s Note: Paul and Monica Kemp of Canada were awarded a Mustard Seed Grant in 2023 to fund the Africa Urantia Revelation Zoom Conference project. Owen served as one of the local representatives and Zoom organizers. On behalf of Urantia Foundation, we thank them for their creative outreach efforts to spread the teachings of The Urantia Book in Uganda.

As we venture into the new year, it is an honor to share a glimpse into the recent online conference: “What The Urantia Book Inspires Me to Be and Do,” held on December 17, 2023.

Before getting into the details, I’d like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Foundation’s Mustard Seed Grant Program for their pivotal role in making this event possible. The goal of the project was to provide opportunities for students of The Urantia Book in Africa, and in particular Uganda, to attend Zoom conferences, and to practice what they are learning by doing presentations. The generous grant enabled many to participate, thus enriching our collective experience of spiritual brotherhood and sisterhood.

The conference showcased a kaleidoscope of thought-provoking presentations from a variety of speakers, all prerecorded by Paul Kemp in order to circumvent the technical difficulties which often plague overseas connections. In this way we were able to successfully include each one in the program.

We began with Pato Banton's Urantia Book testimony, which set the stage for welcoming newer readers into the online fellowship as he touched on some faith conflicts that individuals may encounter in their experience of organized religion and their personal search for truth.

We were pleased to feature six Ugandan presenters:

1. Derrick Asiimwe spoke on “Bringing the Little Children to God the Father of Love [2].”

2. Julius Gumisiriza presented “The Fifth Epochal Revelation Inspires Leadership [3].”

3. Alan Bahati talked about “Spiritual Determination Towards God's Will [4].”

4. Andrew Cohen Gumpi gave an impassioned talk about teaching the revelation in his school and orphanage [5].

5. Simon Tumwijukye presented “Revelation Poetry in Motion [6],” a reading of poems written by Chicago Urantia Book reader and poet Paul D. Anderson.

6. My topic was “Ethical Transformation—Insights from the Fifth Epochal Revelation [7].”

An insightful presentation on “Duty in the Revelation” was given by Barry Culligan of Ireland. Monica Kemp gave a fascinating recap of “The History of the Five Epochal Revelations. [8]” Her husband Paul spoke about “The Instructions of God in the Papers—Promises of God in the Papers. [9]”

Clint Stucky hosted a helpful tutorial on how to use the Urantia Book search engines.

Looking back on this event, we celebrate the diverse perspectives that helped enrich our community, and we thank everyone who contributed to the success of the conference. To the organizers, I extend my heartfelt appreciation for your tireless efforts in making the conference a resounding success. Your dedication and hard work have truly made a positive impact, bringing together people from around the world in a meaningful exchange. The enthusiasm and dedication are a testament to the strength of our collective spirit. May the knowledge shared during the conference inspire positive change!