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Volume 12, Issue 4. December 2018

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Volume 12, Issue 4. December 2018 Volume 12, Issue 4. December 2018 U RANTIA F OUNDATION’ S N EWS ONLINE IT’S THE SEASON OF IVING G INSIDE THIS ISSUE: By the Trustees of Urantia potent than these teachings Foundation to open the eyes of the It’s the Season of Giving 1 spiritually blind while helping Noteworthy Decisions from 2 Urantia Foundation needs the world’s people transition your help today! from our current secular age the October 2018 Board of into a more cooperative era Trustees Meeting Several generous donors will of spirituality. We are told UBIS Gets a Makeover 4 contribute $220,000 if we that, “In this gigantic struggle can raise the same amount between the secular and the Our Experiences at the 6 by December 31. Your spiritual, the religion of Jesus 2018 Parliament of the matching gift will make it will eventually triumph.” World’s Religions possible to cover the 195:4.5 (2075.3) Until then, remaining 2018 operating however, there remains Dancing with God: The 7 expenses and to continue in much work to be done. Fifth Annual Women’s 2019 the work of seeding Retreat The Urantia Book and its Putting the gospel of love Seeding The Urantia Book 9 teachings globally. into action means serving in Romania one another. “With God the When you see the suffering Father, sonship is the great What The Urantia Book 10 in the world, the more you relationship. With God the Means to Me understand how vital it is to Supreme, achievement is the share The Urantia Book’s prerequisite to status—one Urantia Foundation’s New 11 message that we are all must do something as well outreach endeavors, manage Instagram Account children of the same loving as be something.” 115:0.1 urantia.org, operate the Urantia Heavenly Father. We each (1260.1) Because we are Book Internet School, maintain Farsi Now Available 12 experience God’s love as we partners in this grand the historic headquarters in Online! love our fellows. Jesus made endeavor, our acts of selfless Chicago, and conduct it clear that we are to love service for the Urantia educational seminars. one another as he loves us, Revelation are one way of no matter a person’s race, making our love for God and Friends, now is the time to act religion, gender, economic our commitment to his and help shine the beautiful light status, or nationality. Imagine universe plan a reality in the of these teachings to all the how much joy people would world today. world! Please join with us in this feel if they only followed endeavor and make your Jesus’ instruction. Having experienced the matching gift today. benefit of these teachings, We are so grateful for your will you please consider Click here to donate. friendship and generosity in working with us to provide helping to further the peoples of the world with this With you in service, dissemination of The Urantia same truth? If so, your Book. Your support enables donations to Urantia The Trustees: Gard Jameson, the spiritually searching to Foundation make it possible Marilynn Kulieke, Georges discover and experience the to translate The Urantia Book Michelson-Dupont, Mo Siegel, profound light of the living into many languages, print Judy Van Cleave truth that we have all come and globally distribute them, to embrace. Nothing is more promote study groups, foster URANTIA FOUNDATION’S NEWS ONLINE NOTEWORTHY DECISIONS FROM THE OCTOBER 2018 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING about 13% and downloads Trustees approved setting budget of $750,000 except from urantia.org were also the price of all e-books at for a onetime write-off of down about 13%. The most $4.99. This decision means $21,000 for old Hungarian significant reason for the a major price reduction in books due to slow sales and decline was the the price of e-books for each aging inventory. These books exceptionally high sales of translation. are still in storage and are German books in 2017 that sellable, but good accounting did not reoccur in 2018. The 2018 Budget practices require we write off good news is that English slow-selling inventory based sales are up slightly and Our objective in 2018 is to on an agreed-to formula. It Spanish sales are up 19%. raise $700,000 in will make no difference to unrestricted donations, our cash flow. One thing is for certain— $25,000 in restricted selling books in 2018 is donations, and $250,000 in The great unknown for 2018 difficult! Barnes & Noble is restricted donations was an unexpected property in serious financial trouble, earmarked for future tax increase from the city of and most other major brick- generations in the Chicago for Urantia and-mortar bookstore chains Revelation Bridge Fund. Foundation Headquarters at are already out of business Assuming we have a 533 W. Diversey Parkway. in the United States. successful year-end The increase they levied this By Judy Van Cleave, trustee, matching fundraising past year was abnormally Urantia Foundation, Idaho, campaign, we feel positive high. We are currently in the The board reviewed the United States about reaching the process of appealing it and pricing of the Foundation’s $725,000 target for have reason to believe that e-books. The current price of Book Sales and Distribution unrestricted and restricted there will be a successful the English e-book is $4.99, donations. At this moment outcome, bringing the taxes but all other translations Tamara Strumfeld and Henk we have $440,000 to raise back in line with past years. were priced at $8.99. Mylanus, our European sales between now and December Amazon indicates that the manager, reported on year-to- 31. A special thanks go to Sherry best price range for an e- date book sales. At the end of Cathcart Chavis, Guy Perron, book is between $2.00 and Q3, book sales were down We expect to be at or below and Minoo for their $4.99, therefore, the the 2018 operating expense outstanding work in Relevant Book Industry Information to Our Mission How many new books are published in the United States every year? There are somewhere between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the United States alone. Many of those—perhaps as many as half or even more—are self-published. The relevancy of these statistics is the sheer number of new books each year competing for the shrinking brick-and- mortar shelf space. With Amazon and other online booksellers increasing their dominance in the world book market, we are learning how to help spiritual book shoppers find The Urantia Book in the vast and growing sea of published books. The average book sells 3,000 copies in its lifetime. What a remarkable testament to the strength of the Urantia Revelation that a book published in 1955, which begins with a difficult-to-read Foreword, continues to sell so well. There are over 800,000 physical Urantia Books in circulation, and hundreds of thousands more have been downloaded. The Urantia Book is spreading and the text inviolate is protected. URANTIA FOUNDATION’S NEWS ONLINE developing a fundraising presented the investment are dedicating many years of campaign this past fall that results year to date. As their lives to creating a higher- Urantia Foundation is one of provided the funds necessary always, we continue to invest quality Spanish translation of four organizations that to enable the Foundation to the Foundation’s funds in The Urantia Book. provided funding and staffing send 600 Spanish books to moderate-risk stocks, bonds, for a booth at the Parliament many areas in Latin America and money market funds. Education of World’s Religions from where there is no established November 1 to 7. Joanne book distribution. Translations In September, Urantia Book Strobel, Cristina Seaborn, Internet School (UBIS) Minoo, Gary Tonge, Alain Cyr, 2019 Budget The board received the unveiled a newly upgraded and the Parliament Organizing Translation Committee Moodle platform for students Committee did an amazing job October’s board meeting was Report from Georges to register and take their preparing for the event. Over important because it was the Michelson-Dupont and online courses. During this fall 70 Urantia Book readers annual budget meeting. The Marilynn Kulieke. The trimester, thirteen courses attended the Parliament, trustees reviewed the 2019 progress of the current were offered—seven in many of whom worked at the budget and adopted a simplified Chinese English, three in French, and Urantia Book booth. resolution to approve a break- translation was discussed. three in Spanish. even budget annually. The The importance of securing a During Q3, 600 Urantia Books effect is that Urantia copy editor for this It was also announced that were sent to Latin America as Foundation will create a translation, along with the the new executive director of a part of an Outreach balanced budget each year. long-term need for a UBIS will be Joanne Strobel. Committee project. These Expenditures must equal traditional Chinese Congratulations Joanne! If you books are being used for annual income, and no deficit translation, was presented. want an excellent educational various book fairs and other spending is allowed except There will be a special Urantia Book experience, UBIS outreach efforts in Colombia, under dire circumstances. This fundraiser in 2019 to secure might be perfect for you. Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and policy protects the Revelation funds for this very important Please visit us at Peru. Many thanks to Bridge Fund and the Perpetual translation. ubis.urantia.org. everyone who generously Printing Fund from being used donated to make this happen! to pay annual expenses.
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