Study Group with the Aloha Spirit
Being a study group host is an honor but also an important responsibility. The Urantia Foundation was instructed that thousands of study groups needed to be established. After discovering the Urantia Book in 1968, I attended Norman Ingraham’s study group on Oahu. After moving to the Big Island in 1973, I did not know anyone reading the revelation in the Hilo area. So I put up a notice on the local health food store bulletin board stating, “Want to learn more about the universe that you live in? Join me in studying an amazing text titled The Urantia Book.” I gave my phone number and address with the date and time of the first meeting. Remarkably, a few nights later more than a dozen people showed up at my home; only one gentleman was already a reader. Many attending went on to be faithful Urantia Book readers. That was 53 years ago and I am still playing the “hostess with the mostess.”
In 1975 I moved to Kamuela on the northern part of the Big Island, so my kids could attend a better school. One reader surprisingly found me by a bumper sticker I had made and placed on my car. The sticker stated, “I am a proud reader of The Urantia Book.” She contacted the Foundation and asked who in Kamuela was reading the book. She joined our study group and is still reading with us. As time went by, and people were able to find study groups on the internet, other readers were able to contact me. We had enjoyed lovely in person meetings with good food and good vibes until the pandemic, when we shifted to Zoom. We have become Zoomers ever since, but now without having to clean the house and make a big feast for the meeting.
My husband, Matt, who embraced the book when we got married 44 years ago, divides each paper into sections depending on who plans to attend our 2 hour Sunday scheduled meeting. He emails the reading assignment on Thursday prior to Sunday’s meeting which also includes the Zoom link. We are 13 readers which includes: Grevet Moyo (who seeded the book in his home country in Malawi) and is now waiting to get his PhD at Maynooth University in Ireland. As a service project some members of our study group help with Grevet’s financial support, until he is able to work in Ireland. If you are moved to also help this family, please feel free to contact us.
After Matt divides the paper up into sections depending on who will be attending the study group, I then fill in the names. See the illustration below. If the paper is not too long, after each section we can take a moment to raise our hands for questions, answers or comments. We are fortunate that we have some very long time readers to help with any needed understanding or answers. After we finish reading the paper, we are free to have a lively discussion about current events on 606. We are a very likeminded group in many ways besides our love of the fifth epochal revelation. At this stage we feel like one big happy family that looks forward to seeing and sharing with each other once a week. We say we have to go to church at 10 am HST. We are on our second complete study/reading of the most important book on this planet. We take our job seriously knowing that we are helping to fulfill the command from the Revelator Directors.
Here is a sample of our weekly reading list:
And here are comments from some of our study group readers:
“Besides the enjoyable social benefit of being a member of such a diverse and supportive group I learn much from the detailed analysis of the portion of the Urantia Book we cover in each session and in how it dovetails with the current events we all are living through. After Marian had introduced me to the book many years ago I had studied the book alone for many years and really appreciate being a member of her group again.” Rick Bates
“I appreciate our weekly zoom study group and I’m grateful to Marion for inviting me. I consider members of our group part of my Urantia family. Though I’ve been a reader of the book for over 50 years, I continue to learn from my fellow study group members.” Sheryl Bellman
“We always have at least 10 readers attending our online study group, large enough to require some order. Marian and Matt superbly manage our meetings by pre-assigning readings. In two hours we read a full paper with lively discussion at the end of each section. We have some chitchat at first, open with prayer, maybe have a short reading or a poem, and then delve into the reading. The group discussion and individual input is the best part, and it’s informal and driven by questions and comments we may have about the section just read. We use the Zoom “hand raise” function to make sure questions and comments go in order, avoiding cross talk and anyone dominating the discussion. We always come away with a deeper understanding of the text and a little more understanding of each other.” Richard Jernigan
“I enjoy the bright intellects who are part of this group and the lively camaraderie that everyone is encouraged to be part of. I learn many things each session from being part of the group that I would never have discovered by studying alone.” Don Hess
“I’m very honored to participate in our Sunday study group because of the high mindedness of these well-educated and spiritual people and our zoom hosts as well as leaders Marian and Matt. Marian goes way back with the foundation as well as one of the few who actually knew some of the original forum members.” Darla Clay
“The book found me in 2003, and in 2007, I served as the emcee at the UAUS conference in Seattle, which unexpectedly became an international event. It was there that I met Marian “Ellanora” Hughes, and I’ve been drawn into her orbit ever since. Her extensive knowledge of Urantia Foundation history proved invaluable during my time as president of UAUS. I truly enjoy her HULA study group; it’s completely open, honest and refreshing, much like the Hawaiian ocean breeze, as we explore the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus. Aloha and Mahalo!” Pio Park
“I found Marian in the mid 90s and was thrilled to know that there were other readers nearby at a time whom I could actually study the Urantia Book with. I very much enjoy our study group despite not having anywhere near the knowledge of the other members of the group; so I don’t speak up very often but, instead, absorb learning from them as well as gaining knowledge from our weekly reading of the papers. I appreciate all the members of the group and feel like we’re a family given the tools to not only live our lives, but also enrich the lives of those others who become interested in The Urantia Book through us.” Gale Scudder.