Tidings - September 2026

This month, several events reminded me how intimately connected unity, dissemination, and collective commitment are in the life of our movement. In July, I attended the IC26 Conference of the Fellowship, where an historic announcement was made jointly by Mo Siegel, President of Urantia Foundation, and Sue Seccombe, President of the Fellowship.

Going forward, Urantia Foundation will be responsible for printing the Fellowship’s edition of The Urantia Book, published by Uversa Press, without the Fellowship index. The index will be included in the electronic version and will also be available on the Fellowship website. The books will be labeled “Printed by Urantia Foundation” and “Published by Uversa Press.” Both organizations have long adhered to the Standard Reference Text (SRT). Their joint announcement can be read here.

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In the last issue of Tidings we published a presentation by Jeannie Vázquez, Chair of the Social Media Committee. In this issue we have five articles from members of Urantia Association’s Facebook Study Group. We begin with Tracey Kramm, Administrator of the Facebook Study Group Urantia.

Having moved around quite a bit as an adult, finding a local Urantia study group was never easy after I discovered The Urantia Book. Online groups became an absolute Godsend, especially during those early days when I was still wrestling with my first read-through. The lively dialogues, friendly debates, and occasional spirited arguments sharpened my thinking and gave my understanding of the revelation room to grow. At first, reading the book on my own felt exciting.

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There are an estimated one million Urantia Book readers globally, people who engage with the book in some form. One important form of engagement today is social media, and in this case, Facebook.

In my experience, Facebook is the best platform for Urantia Book readers. It is where many readers go to engage with the book. Multiple groups receive daily posts from all sorts of readers from all over the world. These groups can range from a few thousand members to tens of thousands. They offer a strong space for engagement, where creators and individuals alike can comment, like, and share insights about The Urantia Book with others around the world.

One reason I personally like Facebook is that its blue and white color scheme happens to match the blue and white symbol associated with The Urantia Book, though that is just my opinion.

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The platform “Deciphering Urantia” was conceived and designed with the general aim of serving as a bridge between different spiritual traditions, science, and The Urantia Book.

In order to preserve a diversity of viewpoints in its publications, several administrators and an equal number of contributors were appointed, enabling a broader, more open perspective and allowing for heterogeneous content. As a result, a wide variety of topics are addressed, including spirituality, religion, philosophy, culture, cosmology, history, and technology, as well as spaces devoted to humor and entertainment. This breadth of outlook—free from stereotypes or concepts filtered through individual beliefs—is essential to avoiding ideological and religious bias.

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My early relationship with The Urantia Book is not particularly original.

Over time, I began to realize that many of us similarly experience our beginnings: with a feeling akin to loneliness.

And that feeling was overwhelming—beyond progress, beyond growth.

That changed when I first discovered the talks, lectures, and conferences, and then, around 2020, the virtual groups.

Suddenly, the horizon of possibilities shifted and expanded. The screen itself broke through physical boundaries, inviting minds and hearts to meet.

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When I first began reading The Urantia Book, I noticed how difficult it was for me to read fluently and without interruption. Understanding completely new concepts and words was very challenging, so at times I would set the book aside. However, that was never a reason for me to give up on reading it, because I had come to it searching for answers, and what I had read and understood up to that point showed me that, after such a long search, I had reached the right place. That is why I wanted to continue understanding it. I committed myself to studying and analyzing it, but I was aware that I would not be able to do it alone. I needed support. I needed people who thought as I did—readers like me, from whom I could learn and to whom I could ask questions.

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The following is a transcript of the opening presentation:

Hello, my name is Wilson León Naranjo, Director of the Study Groups Committee of Urantia Association International.

It is a great pleasure and a source of real happiness for me to participate in the leadership of this wonderful committee. Its work is especially important because study groups play a significant role in the dissemination and understanding of the teachings of The Urantia Book.

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The conference with the Urantia group leaders in western Uganda was very successful. Our leaders fraternized and shared a lot during the conference. We discussed our experiences of sharing The Urantia Book and its teachings in our groups and how we manage the groups during and after our meetings. During the mentoring session, the leaders shared their group management and Urantia Book sharing strategies. It is during this time that the Study Group Guide was introduced and studied among the leaders.

Using the Study Group Guide, The Urantia Book and other associated material, the leaders were facilitated in how to study and disseminate The Urantia Book among the peoples of western Uganda. This was mostly guided with the UBIS non-interpretive pedagogy regarding Urantia Book meaning, fact, and value when facilitating and disseminating its teachings.

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Dissemination project at the Salon de l’Éveil – August, 2026

Dear friends who, no doubt, enjoy discussing the revelations contained in The Urantia Book whenever the opportunity arises, here is an account of the experience of our group of seven volunteers who represented the Urantia Association of Quebec at the annual Salon de l’Éveil (The Awakening Fair) held at a hotel in Laval, just outside of Montreal.

As part of our Local Association’s outreach project, titled “Sowers of Seeds of Truth,” we had reserved a table on which our presentation materials were arranged in a simple yet effective way: spiritual books specifically designed to convey the values found in The Urantia Book, as well as brochures, bookmarks, cards, and copies of The Urantia Book.

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This year, we celebrated Jesus birthday on Saturday, August 22nd. We gathered at the Harju-Risti church and parish house, celebrating the occasion with a festive feast. We tested our knowledge …

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The small Belgian Lecteurs Belges du Livre d’URANTIA (LBLU) team gathered on Sunday, August 23, to celebrate the birth and life of our beloved Master, Father, brother, and friend, Michael/Jesus.

We were blessed with beautiful weather and an equally joyful spirit. We shared refreshments and a meal together in the awareness of Jesus’ presence, remembering his remarkable bestowal as Michael, the divine Son who incarnated in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth to reveal the Father and to complete his sovereignty over Nebadon. We felt deep gratitude for his coming, for his message, and for the Spirit of Truth that lives within each of us.

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It was hot outside during this San Antonio, Texas weekend, but inside the conference center it was cool, inspirational and joyous.  “A Day With The Angels” was a full-day conference with pre and post activities.  Highlights included renown speakers, seraphic topics, organizational updates and personal sharing of angelic and spiritual experiences. 

The weekend started on Friday, August 21, with a Jesus’ birthday celebration.  We had Urantia Book readings, singing and of course, cake!  Then in celebration we had organizational updates from Chris Wood on Urantia Foundation, Sue Seccombe on Urantia Book Fellowship and Alice Wood on both Urantia Association International and Urantia Association of the United States.  One attendee said, “[Alice’s presentation] was a highlight for me.” Another said, “I learned a lot about our organizations.”

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Debra Guevara began reading The Urantia Book in 1997. Since 2002 she has been an active leader in both Urantia Association and the Fellowship in her home state of Texas. Currently …

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From Nashville to Brazil: A Journey Through the International Meetings of Urantia Book Readers

And, after so many places, the question that remained in the air is simple: when will it be our turn?

There are stories that begin long before they are told

There are stories that can be told by dates. Others need to be told by faces. The trajectory of Urantia Association’s international conferences belongs to the second category. It is made up of people who have traveled thousands of miles to sit in the same room, listen to each other, study, sing, laugh, ask questions, and, above all, meet friends again.

Everything began to take on an international shape in Nashville. In 1993, the then International Urantia Association was inaugurated, bringing together readers from different places and representatives of the Urantia Foundation. The first meetings came in 1994 and 1995, and in 1996, Nashville again received readers for what is now presented by Urantia Association International as the first conference of the international sequence.

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Hi Charles, thanks for joining us today. Please tell us your full name, where are you from, and how did you find the book?

I’m Charles Lehner from New York. I came in contact with the revelation through multiple methods including via family, religion, and the internet. Ultimately, I was introduced to the book by an environmentalist couple on public transportation.

Do you attend or host a study group?  

I attend Northern Westchester Study Group. I have also attended virtual study groups, and I participate in the UReadThru project. I would like to host a traditional study group eventually.

What service are you involved in?  

I am a co-organizer of UReadThru, and I do booth work – tabling at fairs. I also host and maintain some website servers.

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Urantia Association International sponsored a special Zoom meeting on August 8, 2026 outlining the printing and distribution guidelines of The Urantia Book as agreed upon by the Urantia Foundation and The Fellowship: Agreement. Following a presentation from leaders of both organizations regarding the details of the agreement, the International Representatives Committee (IRC) met in regular session to discuss the future possibilities for the Association in adapting to the guidelines.

The new agreement for printing The Urantia Book according to the combined interests of the Fellowship and the Urantia Foundation, has removed a stumbling block from our work to reveal the supernal truths of the fifth epochal revelation to our planet. I applaud the sincere efforts of all those involved in getting this important printing piece in place.

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I began the journey from a more fortunate part of the world, dominated by a privileged people. It’s a rite of passage around here. The beginning, I’m told, is in some ways the easiest part and in other ways the hardest. It’s the easiest because it begins on friendly terrain to which I’ve grown accustomed. It’s the hardest for the same reason; a life of ease is all too distracting and difficult to abandon.

I’m told that the most successful travelers are those who develop trust in their inner Spiritual Guide, the eternal partner who knows not only the way to Paradise but how to meet the many challenges along the way. This journey demands new spiritual muscles to strengthen me in preparation for the attainment of my destiny. And a journey without challenges is too easy; they are life’s very purpose. 

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The Tidings newsletter is a quarterly on-line publication that serves as Urantia Association International’s primary communication tool for reaching out to the Association’s membership, supporters, donors, volunteers, and general readership friends. It provides news and information on the many activities and events of the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations around the globe as well as information and announcements from Central Office, the International Service Board (ISB), and the International Representative Council (IRC). It serves to keep members in touch with one another and gives readers a sense of belonging—of being an integral part of a truly international movement that is designed to promote the Urantia revelation to all corners of the world.

Note: Please note that any interpretations, opinions, conclusions, or artistic representations, whether stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Urantia Association International, the National or Affiliate Urantia Associations, or the editorial team of the Association’s Tidings.

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