Religion Is Not a Technique for Attaining a Static and Blissful Peace of Mind; It Is An

A.L.L.

Newsletter from the Association for Light and Life August 2009 ************************************************************************ In this issue: Editor Gerdean O'Dell Conducts Religion is not a technique for An ALL Interview attaining a static and blissful peace of F e a t u r i n g mind; it is an impulse for organizing the soul for dynamic service. MEREDITH TENNEY The Urantia Book, Pg. 1096, §6) August issue of the Association for Light and Life newsletter.

Meredith: My pleasure!

ALL: Your name is one that comes to mind when I think of people who have "organized their soul for dynamic service." I have probably seen your name around more projects than anybody I can think of. But before we get philosophic, or down to specifics, let's find out a few basics about you and This likeness of Meredith (or "Mer" as your life. I understood you to say you she likes to be called) was lifted from come from Michigan. FaceBook. It reproduces poorly, is too granular, but it captures the spirit of this Mer: Yes, I come from Michigan. I incredibly upbeat woman. I was glad to lived there until I was a young adult. I have a chance to spend some time with came to New England in 1972. Mer to find out more about her, but alas, the more I learned, the more I wanted to ALL: That's where you live now? know. She is a deep well of information, Mer: Yes, in the Monadnock Region. experience, insight and divine affection. ALL: Where is that? I caught her as she was coming home Mer: That's in the Southwestern part of from picking red raspberries. the State. I live in a little town of 800. ALL: Wow. That is small. I can see ALL: Hi Meredith. Thanks for how you are able to find red raspberries! agreeing to be interviewed for the

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004 Tell me about your family of origin. Are Mer: Between us, we have seven they still in Michigan? children. Four of mine, two of his and we had one together, Alanna, who is 12. Mer: No. My mother lives in Mexico in a little mountain town; she is a very ALL: That's a remarkable story. adventurous woman. She married a Mexican attorney after my father died. I Mer: God calls people into relationship have a sister in Colorado; she is married and He calls you out of relationships. to a Hindu from Bombay. I come from an adventurous family. ALL: Let me ask about your education. Are you educated? ALL: You live where? Mer: New Hampshire. Mer: (Laughing) Yes, I am college ALL: With your husband Dave? educated. I have a Bachelor's degree from Cornell and a Master's degree from Mer: Yes, with my husband, Dave. I Columbia University and a Doctorate met Dave in Vermont in 1971. from Boston University, a dual doctorate actually, a law degree and a Master's in ALL: Was it love at first sight? Public Health.

Mer: Well, yes and no. I had gotten a ALL: That is impressive. Urantia Book from Dave in 1972 and I could feel the spiritual energy emanating Mer: I have a long list of initials that I from him and I thought "This is someone could tag onto my name, but I have just I could love. "But he was not the person been an inveterate student! I felt guided I was dating at the time. I concluded that to do so. Father was saying, "Prepare he was a spiritual mentor and friend, so I for the spiritual work in front of you." In loved him as a brother for 20 years. law school, they teach you writing and public speaking and creating persuasive After 20 years, I was chopping carrots in argument. Master's in Public Health my kitchen and had this vision that Dave teaches program development. And I was my spiritual partner. (Laughing) So never know what lies ahead, but in law I called him up and told him, "I think school, I studied Constitutional Law and you are my spiritual partner!" And Reproductive Rights. I wrote a paper on Dave, being a very deliberate, cautious, Population Policy and Poverty in thinker, thought about it - for a year - America. It's an interesting thread that and after a year came to visit and said, "I weaves in and out of the work with the think you're right." Garden, because genetics and the role of population policy is much discussed in ALL: Had you both been married to the Urantia Book. other partners during that time? ALL: What does that mean? Mer: Yes, we had both been married to others in the interim. Mer: Well, the Urantia Book speaks in ALL: Do you have any children? depth that genetics and reproductive choices play in a world towards light and

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004 life. One would presume the Garden Mer: I started the first East Coast was a place where this was occurring. Women's Corps as a result of having a vision. ALL: Did you have a career? In October of 2001, a large group of Mer: Oh, I wanted it all! I consider UBers had come to the house and within myself to be a professional woman with a couple of weeks the vision transpired. a professional career, yes. My primary I didn’t know what to make of it. I told spiritual task in the last decade has been Dave, "They want there to be a woman's working with Mother to develop an corps and they want me to be a adolescent preventative services spokeswoman for it." Two weeks later, program. This means encouraging girls Elianna Obadiah visited, and we prayed not to get pregnant and to provide a level together about the Holy Spirit and she of community support to disadvantaged said, "Mer, I think we need a women's youth). It's a federally funded program. corps. I thought I was supposed to do it but I think it is you." I always have worked for a living -- until this past year. After working five years Rob Cricket was there at the time and he with the APSP, which is currently being rolled his eyes in his head, like he will evaluated by New Hampshire, I felt do, and he confirmed it, saying, "It will strongly nudged to work full time for the need a board!" And he proceeded to Spirit on Spirit tasks for them. I couldn't draw the names of the Women's Corps quit, but I came to the conclusion that Board. I wrote to them and asked and God wanted me full time. I said as much they all said yes. to Dave and he concurred. Two days later I was let go. They called me in and ALL: Who are they? were very apologetic, but I went out of there thrilled to be done with clinical Mer: Stephanie Murray, Judy Langston, midwifery. Because of that I was able Cathy Harrell, Shirley Williams, Helen to (1) collect unemployment, and (2) Luke and Linda Mac. I put my heart and access retirement funds and get it out of soul into that Corps. I hoped it would the stock market before last year's crash continue forever, but at the time I had so I would have funds to live on while I the vision, I knew I would pass it on to a was working on this spiritual task. younger woman. It was a surprise after the SM project when a young woman ALL: Have you always been this contacted me with a message from the service-minded, or is this since the UB? Council of 24: "I am here to replace Is there a lot of drive in your family, in you." The board didn’t know what to your genes? think, but within six months it was passed on to Annie Bowman. Mer: Grandfather died young and that impacts on family dynamics. Women ALL: Is it a national organization? have to be strong and make things work. Mer: It's International. ALL: I want to ask you about the ALL: What about the West Coast? Women's Corps. Did you start it?

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004 Mer: The West Coast Women's Corps eradicated by the fact that the Tribal is under Dolores Nice and Donna Chieftain eventually took the sewing D'Ingillo. They had a retreat this spring machines away from the women because but without national coordination, it is he thought they were becoming too stalemated. powerful. We were successful!

I am going to a Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia, in December, where I hope to further develop the Woman's Spirit Council, which is a collaborative of many women's groups. I hope the Women's Corps will be part of them.

ALL: Speaking of a Parliament on World Religions, you went to one in Barcelona, a few years back, didn't you?

Mer: Yes. A lot of Urantia Book But I am still in contact with my Kenyan readers went. Many of us had spiritual friends. Their pastoral minister is on his dreams or visions to be there. We have way to the West Coast to get a graduate the Pope, the Dali Lama, Desmond Tutu, degree in Berkeley; he thinks it will many male leaders who speak spiritual open his perspective. truths from a male perspective, but not many female spiritual leaders who are ALL: Berkeley? I should think it will! doing that and its that absence of a voice that represents the divine feminine that is Mer: The foundation has been laid. needed to reestablish gender balance in a The project was licensed by the Kenyan world that can move towards L&L. national government, and a feeling of outreach, of relationship, was built ALL: What about Mind Body Spirit? between women in the West and Abossi Mer: I am no longer on that Board. women.

ALL: The Abossi Women. The Sewing ALL: What about the Garden Project? Machine Project. I understand it went so Was that your idea? far and then ran aground in local politics. Mer: And 100 other people as well. The Mer: I have great regret that people do Spirit is moving. Ever since the initial not really know what happened with the vision about the Women's Corps, there Sewing Machine Project. Personally, has been a vision of spiritual community the experience of being there at the and women as leaders. And helping that graduation ceremony for the graduates to happen has put me on the track to the of the Sewing Machine school was such garden. There is a garden Headquarters, a morontia memory that in my own mind which is a network, and there are over the blessings of the Sewing Machine 100 satellite centers around the globe. project and its successes can never be

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004 ALL: "Build it and they will come." It better than what we could have thought is my life long vision, too, that people of with our own mind. will get together and create community. This, in fact, is the theme of The Zooid ALL: All the groups you belong to and Mission, that we can do more together all the conferences you go to -- like the than we can alone. But people seem to Parliament of Worlds Religions in Bar- be afraid of the community idea, as if it celona, Spain -- how do you hear about meant we would all be sleeping under them? Do you travel by yourself? Are the same roof and paying each other's you independently wealthy? bills or something deleterious. Mer: I hear of them and answer the Mer: Another great fear that gets in the call; I am never alone; I am truly rich. way of building spiritual community is ALL: Let me ask you a couple of the fear that power will be abused by generic, philosophical questions. some individual who takes on a guru- What are your biggest frustrations? like role and proceeds to tell people what the divine will is. Ergo, the formation of Mer: I suspect that everything is just as spiritual community, such as the SIRIUS it should be. I started out wanting to do community, (www.siriuscommunity.org) a garden project in Nova Scotia, then in which is a model of government and Florida, and had to move from myself administration. They have a council that playing a role in making it happen to operates by meditational consensus. No ultimately deciding it wasn’t sufficient one is at the head. They hold a meeting to wait for somebody else to do it. God and everyone can offer their perspective, has empowered me to Just Do It. I feel then the council goes into meditation and graced by heaven at being given an individually share their understanding opportunity, as though they were saying and try to evolve a direction or decision to women, "Now's your chance. Show from what comes through the members. what you can do." And when they can't decide, they don’t go forward. ALL: And what motivates you?

ALL: "When in doubt, don't." Mer: I have a burning desire to please my Thought Adjuster, and to find some Mer: People aren't deep thinkers. They way to glorify the Father in my life. want other people to make decisions for them. But to make decisions based on ALL: That's beautiful, Mer. This has "faith," it becomes a scarier proposition, been an invigorating discussion today even more risky. and I appreciate your candor and your generosity of spirit. But I am sure I have ALL: But isn't that the adventure? not asked everything I could have asked if I had known to ask it. So I will ask Mer: Eternally! And the liberation is in you now to add anything you would like discovering, when you are courageous to add that I have neglected to ask about. enough, it will come out okay. Father will make sure. What evolves will be Mer: If I could add one thing it would be to share my excitement over

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004 unfolding plans to have Ambassadors of opportunities to do volunteer work are the Garden do a tour in New England there. And lastly, Phil Taylor Forum in this Fall, one of many where young Brattleboro, Vermont is organizing an people can do spiritual outreach and gain Interfaith Forum which will be a key experience in service. And thereby organizer of these Ambassador tours. going from community to community of www.InterlifeInternational.org Urantia Book readers, to help build that sense of Urantia community that I feel is ALL: Does the Garden Project have a so essential for the years ahead. location?

The Boulder Conference was exciting to Mer: It has a website! The website is recognize with clarity that we can pass www.webuildthegarden.com. But as for the baton onto this younger generation a physical site, the Council has to decide without fear. They are dynamic and about that. They are considering a dedicated and well organized. I went variety of locations. We will be meeting there to train spiritual leaders. We in Chicago on July 25, before the UB started out with a meeting, which fell Fellowship's summer study session. The flat, but next day the "Ambassador Tour Council is a widely diverse body. IUA, of New England" fell into place as a FER, TeaM -- It is purposely diverse. venue for training young people, and sponsored by existing Urantia Book ALL: Which reminds me. How do you readers providing a place to put up a traverse this diversity so seamlessly? crew, food and lodging for a few days or a week, while the youth are on tour. Mer: I don't look at them as political entities. I see the spirit in my colleagues. ALL: What are you talking about here, I see them at the soul level. Mer? A Rainbow Coalition gathering? ALL: Well, you have certainly touched Mer: (Laughing) I'm suggesting a crew my soul level, Mer. Thank you so much of four or five young people. I hope to for the time you gave today to talk about do this this Fall. Volunteers Phil Taylor your life in terms of service efforts. All in Vermont, me and Dave in New the best in all your endeavors Hampshire, Paul and Jorgey Krupa are also willing to lodge them at Angel Cove Mer: Thank you! Spiritual Retreat. [Editor's Note: Read more about Mer ALL: Are they with the Retreat and her service projects in the Summer Network? 2005 edition of the ALL Newsletter.]

Mer: They are near Fall River, Special Conference Edition Coming Massachusetts. John Zoba, a Urantia Soon! ALL's 2009 Unity of Goals and Book reader, has an organic garden in Ideals gathering is September 18-20, Massachusetts where he hopes the kids at the San Geronimo Lodge, in Taos, will volunteer for awhile to give food to NM. www.SanGeronimoLodge.com the Food Shelf, where another brother It's only seven weeks away!!! Get your has a soup kitchen, so wonderful registration in to Rick Giles NOW!!!

August 2009 Association for Light and Life online is at www.lightandlife.us Founded in 2004