2017 Southeast Urantia Gathering
Trust: Enduring In Faith
Trust: Enduring In Faith
Program
"The Urantia Book and I" by Gaétan Charland
"How The Revelation Transformed Me" by Line St. Pierre
Video, Michelle Klimesh; "What The World Needs Now"
Presentation on Trust by Mark Kurtz
"How The Blind Study The Urantia Book", by Chuck Smith
Raptor bird showing with a screech owl, Mississippi kite, barred owl, and Harris's hawk
Music by Scott Brooks as the Trio of One including love songs adapted for Thought Adjusters
Worship, sharing, and Communion Supper by Oscar and Mary Stephenson
CosmicCreations UB related sales items by Rick and Susan Lyon
Afternoon surprise by Rick and Susan Lyon, a Jeopardy-like game with Urantia Book selections
"The Urantia Book and I" by Gaétan Charland
"How The Revelation Transformed Me" by Line St. Pierre
Video, Michelle Klimesh; "What The World Needs Now"
Presentation on Trust by Mark Kurtz
"How The Blind Study The Urantia Book", by Chuck Smith
Raptor bird showing with a screech owl, Mississippi kite, barred owl, and Harris's hawk
Music by Scott Brooks as the Trio of One including love songs adapted for Thought Adjusters
Worship, sharing, and Communion Supper by Oscar and Mary Stephenson
CosmicCreations UB related sales items by Rick and Susan Lyon
Afternoon surprise by Rick and Susan Lyon, a Jeopardy-like game with Urantia Book selections
2017 Southeast Urantia Gathering Final Report
Nestled against the woodland tranquility of the 4-H Youth Development Center in Columbiana, Alabama, 20 Urantia readers met around the theme “Trust: Enduring in Faith” on May 6 and 7, 2017. About 100 people scattered across Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida received invitations for this regional gathering. For many of them, it was their very first Urantia event. Some attended the meet-and-greet at Hoover, Alabama in April 2015; others participate regularly in a Sunday night Zoom online study group facilitated by Mark Kurtz.
Oscar Stephenson opened the weekend with a reflective prayer that sought guidance and offered praise to our Spiritual Parents. Mark Kurtz gave a Power Point presentation about trusting our Universe Parents amid the swirling worldwide difficulties we continually experience on Urantia. A video, which Michelle Klimesh prepared for a Los Angeles Reader Group previously, encouraged us along the trust continuum.
Two speakers flew down from Quebec, Canada. Gaétan Charland and Line St. Pierre, his wife, shared how The Urantia Book transformed their lives. They also discussed the Publication Mandate and empowered Urantia women.
Chuck Smith presented “How the Blind Read The Urantia Book.” Chuck, who was born blind, very easily demonstrated Victor Reader Stream, a hand-held audio device with computer human voice replication. This portable device contains the entire book. At home he uses Job Access With Speech (JAWS), a screen reading audio speech software for text only. He downloaded Urantia Foundation's audio text and HTML versions. He originally found The Urantia Book by researching Melchizedek online.
Scott Brooks from Ohio provided music on Saturday night. Everyone beamed at popular love songs that Scott adapted with words written expressly for our Thought Adjusters. A highlight was the old jazz standard, “When Stars Fell on Alabama.”
On Sunday morning, three 4-H staffers exhibited raptor birds from the 4-H Center’s rescue-rehabilitation program. An eight-inch screech owl named Aldo; Delta, a Mississippi kite; the barred owl Echo; and Phoenix, a Harris’s hawk, riveted us with winks, blinks, and trust. Scraps of food carelessly discarded as litter along our roadways attract rodents. When hunting down a fast rodent meal, moving vehicles often injure or kill these magnificent birds of prey. The staff urges people to not throw food from vehicles!
Our discussion in response to the question “What has the Revelation done for you?” generated a lot of conversation. Bob Oliver was afraid of God when he was younger, he said, but after reading about a kind Father in The Urantia Book, the word ‘Urantia’ vibrated throughout his body.
Others linked their thoughts back to trust. Steve Law said “happiness is indescribably linked with spiritual progress,” and Bud Reneau chimed in with “We are empowered to live in the world. We need The Urantia Book to learn how to deal with the world.”
“I had a different life before reading The Urantia Book, now I have a new life,” Susan Lyon from Indiana said. “Now I am fully alive and enjoy a bounty of love for everyone. I am proud and excited to explore. The Urantia Book defined what I didn’t even know I needed.”
Gaétan Charland said the book saved him. “It showed me the way. It removed my ignorance about our origins as human beings. . . and renewed my faith at the lowest point.”
“Before The Urantia Book,” said Line St. Pierre, “I felt responsibility was a burden. The book showed me how caring I could be and how deeply purposeful life should be.”
Then our discussion slowed and Chuck wondered aloud, “Do you feel something moving? I have goose bumps on my arms.”
We all said we felt the Spirit moving in our midst, and shared more about how we experience God’s clarity of purpose in our lives.
Then Oscar and Mary Stephenson led us in the Last Supper communion. Mary read selections from the New Testament and Urantia Book. Oscar inspired us with comments about God’s character.
We gathered as association-neutral readers on Friday night, but left as new glad-hearted friends, affirming our joy. The weekend proved memorable and spiritually uplifting.
What will the future bring for USA Southeast? Brainstorming advanced some ideas and volunteers are needed to plan the next event. To volunteer, contact Mark Kurtz at mark@southeasturantia.org.
Nestled against the woodland tranquility of the 4-H Youth Development Center in Columbiana, Alabama, 20 Urantia readers met around the theme “Trust: Enduring in Faith” on May 6 and 7, 2017. About 100 people scattered across Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida received invitations for this regional gathering. For many of them, it was their very first Urantia event. Some attended the meet-and-greet at Hoover, Alabama in April 2015; others participate regularly in a Sunday night Zoom online study group facilitated by Mark Kurtz.
Oscar Stephenson opened the weekend with a reflective prayer that sought guidance and offered praise to our Spiritual Parents. Mark Kurtz gave a Power Point presentation about trusting our Universe Parents amid the swirling worldwide difficulties we continually experience on Urantia. A video, which Michelle Klimesh prepared for a Los Angeles Reader Group previously, encouraged us along the trust continuum.
Two speakers flew down from Quebec, Canada. Gaétan Charland and Line St. Pierre, his wife, shared how The Urantia Book transformed their lives. They also discussed the Publication Mandate and empowered Urantia women.
Chuck Smith presented “How the Blind Read The Urantia Book.” Chuck, who was born blind, very easily demonstrated Victor Reader Stream, a hand-held audio device with computer human voice replication. This portable device contains the entire book. At home he uses Job Access With Speech (JAWS), a screen reading audio speech software for text only. He downloaded Urantia Foundation's audio text and HTML versions. He originally found The Urantia Book by researching Melchizedek online.
Scott Brooks from Ohio provided music on Saturday night. Everyone beamed at popular love songs that Scott adapted with words written expressly for our Thought Adjusters. A highlight was the old jazz standard, “When Stars Fell on Alabama.”
On Sunday morning, three 4-H staffers exhibited raptor birds from the 4-H Center’s rescue-rehabilitation program. An eight-inch screech owl named Aldo; Delta, a Mississippi kite; the barred owl Echo; and Phoenix, a Harris’s hawk, riveted us with winks, blinks, and trust. Scraps of food carelessly discarded as litter along our roadways attract rodents. When hunting down a fast rodent meal, moving vehicles often injure or kill these magnificent birds of prey. The staff urges people to not throw food from vehicles!
Our discussion in response to the question “What has the Revelation done for you?” generated a lot of conversation. Bob Oliver was afraid of God when he was younger, he said, but after reading about a kind Father in The Urantia Book, the word ‘Urantia’ vibrated throughout his body.
Others linked their thoughts back to trust. Steve Law said “happiness is indescribably linked with spiritual progress,” and Bud Reneau chimed in with “We are empowered to live in the world. We need The Urantia Book to learn how to deal with the world.”
“I had a different life before reading The Urantia Book, now I have a new life,” Susan Lyon from Indiana said. “Now I am fully alive and enjoy a bounty of love for everyone. I am proud and excited to explore. The Urantia Book defined what I didn’t even know I needed.”
Gaétan Charland said the book saved him. “It showed me the way. It removed my ignorance about our origins as human beings. . . and renewed my faith at the lowest point.”
“Before The Urantia Book,” said Line St. Pierre, “I felt responsibility was a burden. The book showed me how caring I could be and how deeply purposeful life should be.”
Then our discussion slowed and Chuck wondered aloud, “Do you feel something moving? I have goose bumps on my arms.”
We all said we felt the Spirit moving in our midst, and shared more about how we experience God’s clarity of purpose in our lives.
Then Oscar and Mary Stephenson led us in the Last Supper communion. Mary read selections from the New Testament and Urantia Book. Oscar inspired us with comments about God’s character.
We gathered as association-neutral readers on Friday night, but left as new glad-hearted friends, affirming our joy. The weekend proved memorable and spiritually uplifting.
What will the future bring for USA Southeast? Brainstorming advanced some ideas and volunteers are needed to plan the next event. To volunteer, contact Mark Kurtz at mark@southeasturantia.org.