But are we Feeding their Souls?

by Liz Cratty
OUA President

Yesterday was a 2-meeting day. The Oregon Urantia Association takes a Urantia Book study group into Santiam Correctional Institution, a minimum security prison, from 1:30–3:45PM on the second and fourth Sundays of every month. On those same days, we also take a study group down the street to Oregon State Penitentiary, a maximum security prison, from 5:30–8PM.

As always, it is a small cadre of volunteers who are involved in this ministry. Jeanette Schafer and I were at SCI; Joy Brandt joined us for the OSP meeting. All of us are women. All the inmates are men.

The meeting at Santiam is new. Yesterday was only our second. We had five spiritually starving, articulate, well-read, passionate men who came to study about the Father. Prisoners from OSP cycle through Santiam on their way out the door, so we’ll have them in a study group for only six months. Every twelve meetings, we’ll have an entirely fresh group of faces. This group we met with yesterday had two people in it who had attended UB study groups at OSP, a meeting that has been going on twice a month for just about a year. Because these men are headed for society at large, we’re presenting topical studies. We’re starting with a good overview of the first couple of papers about the Father. Then we’ll move on to topics like Sincerity, Truth, Service, Integrity... things they will find of value in their new surroundings.

Jeanette and I had dinner together between the two groups; a nice fellowship bonus. As we were eating, she mentioned that attendance at OSP was dwindling. She said that at one time there were as many as 27 attending, but the last two meetings, only one man showed up. “Are we feeding their souls?” she asked me. “Or are we just feeding them information?”

Excellent question. We talked about what we could do to make the meetings a priority to the men. When we got to the second group, we asked Joy her thoughts. Suggestions ranged from taking a half hour to ask: “What has God done in your life this week?” to changing the topic (we’re reading consecutively in that group).

Well, little did we know that the Father was listening in on this conversation, and when the nine men arrived, we started with a prayer, all holding hands, and asked for guidance on nourishing the souls of those in attendance. Immediately, one of the men began with a question about Thought Adjusters. We opened the book to paper 110 and started to read. There followed one of the most spirited, spiritually-led, dynamic and delightful study groups I’ve ever attended. When we left, all our faces were shining with the light of the spirit. I was sorry it would be two weeks before I could get back again to share with these wonderful readers/believers/brothers.

Outreach is my passion. I’m not one to attend conferences, conventions and retreats, because my time and resources are limited. Carrying the message of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is more of a priority to me at this time than communing with those who have already found their answers. But it’s all too easy to teach doctrine and ignore the spirit.

Today I’m praying for that same spirit to touch other Oregon readers, so we can expand this ministry next door to the woman’s prison. Anyone who is so interested, please contact Pat Murnin at (503) 777-3236 or email patmurn@spiritone.com.

ORIENTATION TRAINING Eventually, you will want to go through the prison volunteer orientation held usually in Salem and Portland by Dr. Rev. Les Sinclair. This 3-hour orientation will answer all your questions about dress, behavior, prison procedures, etc., and will put your mind at ease about being in the prison environment. In order to volunteer at SCI, you’ll need to take Dr. Sinclair’s orientation and then follow it up with orientation and a tour of the facility at SCI. Believe me, this is worth the bother. –Liz Cratty

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Prison Study Groups Want You!

by Pat Murnin

As most of you know, we have been facilitating a Urantia Book study group at the Oregon State Penitentiary for about a year now. We have recently started a new group at the Santiam Correctional Institution. Both are in Salem and meet on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month. Start times: SCI at 1:30pm and OSP at 5:30pm.

These study meetings have been a source of spiritual fruit for both the inmates and facilitators. It is wonderful to meet inmates who are becoming acquainted with God and are trying to apply their new insights to their life to become better adjusted members of society and the family of God. It has been very rewarding to be part of their quest to find God and how they fit in His universal plan.

There are 13 state institutions in Oregon. So far we have only been asked to facilitate study groups in two of them. Through the early work of Liz Cratty, the Prison Project has placed at least one Urantia Book in every prison in the United States. We have no way of knowing how many readers there are in the prisons, but when we first started the group at OSP we thought only a few inmates would show up. Twenty-six inmates came to the first meeting! There have been three more cases of books circulated since then.

As to how many Urantia Book readers there are in the prison systems, I have no idea—although I have a feeling we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. It is hard to tell what the future will bring about this project, but I think it would be wise for us to prepare and be ready to meet requests for more facilitators. The inmates are not allowed to get together in groups for any reason without an outside facilitator, and that makes our participation essential. Many of you have shown interest in this project and frankly we do need the help so that the same few don’t get overworked.

The prison system has some requirements for volunteers. The most important is an orientation class for volunteers to help them understand prison procedures and rules. Before I took this class I had been going into the prison for several months and I thought there wasn’t going to be much more to learn. I was wrong and learned a great deal. The main thing I walked away with from the orientation was what a great service the volunteer program is providing to those incarcerated, to help them turn their lives around, and the part I play in that plan. I felt like a part of their team. It is a class worth taking.

These classes are held periodically in different locations around the State. If you are interested in working on this project the best thing to do is to take the class first. Contact Rev. Dr. Les Sinclair (State wide Volunteer Program Manager), and he will send you an application and let you know where the next classes will be held. They will run a standard background check and sign you up for a class. Do not let all the red tape scare you. It is worth it.

Rev. Dr. Les Sinclair
2575 Center St. N.E.
Salem, Or. 97301
(503) 378-6482 or (503) 945-2848
Fax (503) 378-5815

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Letter from Prison

To begin with, I would like to say hello to the people who have found and share the wonderful teachings of The Urantia Book.
A close and dear friend, who has studied and known of the book for many years, introduced me to The Urantia Book.

Konrad and I are incarcerated souls living in the Oregon State Penitentiary. We have known one another for many years, then only in the last three years have we found the opportunity to become closer, sharing thoughts and ideals, beliefs and understandings. The true fabric which touches the core of our being. Konrad and I also work together building and fabricating stainless steel furnishings for other prisons and repair work for these prisons’ automotive, culinary, and laundry facilities. It is at our place of work where Konrad shared the teachings of Urantia and other worlds of creation.

Konrad shared that The Urantia Book comes to those who are prepared for the truths of creation and our Father Creator.
These wondrous studies have strengthened my beliefs and offered answers and true understandings to many questions, which cause mystery in all our lives. I am thankful for my life and the opportunity to better myself as a caring, loving and spiritual human being.

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Mind Maintenance

by Liz Cratty

 

I have maintenance on the mind today. I went away on a 2-week business trip and when I got home, waiting was a stack of mail three feet deep. It takes me an hour a day just to process the mail and the email. That means I was fourteen hours behind when I got home. A vacation is no vacation when I think about what will be waiting for me upon my return.

But life is maintenance, isn’t it? As another Oregon winter wears on, more things around this aging house need to be replaced. This will be the summer for two exterior sets of stairs, finally reaching the point of unsafe. The car needs its oil changed and the tires rotated. The refrigerator needs a good scrubbing. My aging body needs exercise every single day. And my husband and I need a weekend away together.

Speaking of that: What of the maintenance of our relationships? I have high maintenance friends and low maintenance friends, but with all of them and my ever-widening circle of acquaintances, I find that maintenance is of enormous importance.

My mother is elderly. She needs maintenance attention from me. So do my kids, my grandsons. That’s easy. But then there is also the personal equivalent of breaking down by the side of the road due to lack of proper maintenance. I am forever putting my foot in my mouth by acting in haste, and having to go back to apologize or clarify or reword or recant. A few years ago there was a paper towel commercial that said, “Life’s messy. Clean it up.” Too true. And email makes it worse, because we can dash off a message to someone who reads it in a completely different frame of mind than we were in when we sent it.

In a health-related endeavor to reduce stress, I have realized that it isn’t the amount of stuff that I do; it’s the way I feel about it that stresses me out. My schedule can be packed to the brim—I like it that way—or wide open enough to allow me to knit or nap in the afternoon, but I am still stressed out by being afraid of missing a detail that will cause a chain reaction of apologies. Add to that a cyclical level of self-esteem, and I’m always cleaning up some slight (real or imagined) with someone, somewhere.

Two things I keep in my mind as I go through my day. The first is: “Life is but a day’s work. Do it well.” (p. 556) Bit by bit, my life adds up. My friendships add up. My marriage adds up. The proper maintenance on the house adds up. The other thing that sustains me is knowing that if I goof it up, I’m already forgiven. There isn’t anything that I’m likely to do that will hurt me in the long run. Not any more. I have a life in eternal service to figure out how to get it all right. I don’t have to do that now. I just have to do the best I can today with what I have and what I know. And that’s sufficient. As long as I do a reasonable amount of daily maintenance.

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The Book Sings

By Bill Whitehead

When I first started to read The Urantia Book - I won't mention how long ago for fear of giving away my age - it was very important for me to believe that the book was not written by a person. I had to be absolutely convinced that not one passage, sentence or word be placed into that book by person or persons unknown. It was really important that I believed it was written by the beings it says it is written by.

And so I believed for many years. But the day came when I wasn't convinced. I started to think that maybe someone on our planet did write it. And so I put it down for six months and fretted over whether I should try reading it again.

When I picked it up again I came upon one of those passages that sing like a choir. Do you know what I mean when I say that? There are times when I am reading the book, and I can be plowing through some mundane subject that's putting me to sleep, and all of a sudden the book starts to sing to me. The writer starts to talk about something like the wonderful future awaiting us - the universe adventure. And it seems like a choir of angels has appeared in my room singing of heavenly things. This happens a lot. And the only way I can think of to describe it is to say it sings.

And so I never put the book down again. And I stopped thinking about whether it was written by people or not. And instead of worrying about such things, I listen to the song.

You see, what matter's to me is the book sings. It sings to me of truth and of light and of life. It sings to me of God. And it sings to me of me. And that is what counts. Now many people are raising questions about the book, same as I had. And many people are criticizing it and many people are casting doubts about it. So what. It doesn't matter to me what anyone says. What matters to me is the book sings. And it keeps on singing, even when I have read it over and over again. And the song I hear is more important than anything else.

 

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When the Reins are Seized

by Jeff Wattles

 

Dear friends, I offer a solemn thought and a soft chaser. First the thought.

It is a matter for speculation whether the following paragraph indicates anything pertinent to the present hour.

“A Most High observer is empowered, at his discretion, to seize the planetary government in times of grave planetary crises, and it is of record that this has happened thirty-three times in the history of Urantia. At such times the Most High observer functions as the Most High regent, exercising unquestioned authority over all ministers and administrators resident on the planet excepting only the divisional organization of the archangels.” (1253.7)

Despite our uncertainty over our present, sobering situation, it seems to me that responsible readers, during this time of low-grade war and impending flagrant war, may do well to give added reflection to the importance of conducting our affairs in a manner that coordinates well with a vision of the integration of the diverse ministries and projects of our superiors. What can such a proposal possibly imply?

Here is a brief attempt to make a vague and idealistic idea one step more concrete. May we have a heightened faith in the rule of the Most Highs in the kingdoms of men, a readiness to go through whatever may lie ahead in cooperation with the evolutionary outworking of progress on our troubled sphere, a renewed confidence in the promise that Jesus’ gospel will one day rule this world, an indomitable affirmation of the brotherhood of man, a wise and realistic appraisal of day to day events, a careful attention to the principles of leadership, and an appreciation that this marvelous book put into our hands is not a toy but a treasure, intended to give major light to generations for at least the next thousand years. May we each learn the lessons from the experiences that may lie ahead, and may we serve, if need be, as beacons of truth and wisdom to those who hunger for such.

If war comes, let us be soldiers of the circles.

Next the chaser. After composing my list of additional people to send this to, bringing to mind the marvelous people with whom it is my privilege to be in touch, it strikes me how superfluous (or nearly superfluous? I did send it . . .) it is to take the role of pronouncing such a message. I am very happy to trust the Father’s perfect support of each of you all and his guidance along our paths.

You are the light of the world.

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Treasurer's Report

by Jeanette Schafer

As of March 2003

The calendar year (2002) ended with a total of $243.43 in our association account. We are currently in the process of collecting 2003 dues which will provide the monies necessary to continue funding our projects. A total of $557.97 was disbursed for the year 2002. $197.03 was required for the publication of our newsletter and web server fee. $60.94 went toward an outreach project to bring together all readers from around the state for our annual summer picnic. The remaining $300.00 went toward the purchase of Urantia Books for the prison project and toward the Chinese translation fund which our association has elected to contribute.

 There will be an ongoing need for Urantia Books within the Oregon prisons as the word is being spread of its incredible teachings. There was discussion at our last association meeting on ways we can raise money to fund this very deserving project. We did not come to a conclusion on a fundraiser that would generate the funds necessary to maintain a supply for distribution and will again bring this topic up for discussion.

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What is an Agondonter?

by Maurine Silva

 

This newsletter is named ‘Oregondonter,’ a play on the word ‘Agondonter’ in The Urantia Book. An agondonter is an “evolutionary will creature [of which we humans are] who can believe without seeing, persevere when isolated, and triumph over insuperable difficulties even when alone.” P. 579

We certainly are aware that we believe “in faith” in a God or Creator, as we cannot see Him nor have broadcast transmissions coming to lonely Earth.

“On first thought it might appear that Urantia… is most unfortunate in being deprived of the beneficent presence and influence of such superhuman personalities as a Planetary Prince and a Material Son and Daughter. But isolation of these spheres affords their races a unique opportunity for the exercise of faith and for the development of a peculiar quality of confidence in cosmic reliability which is not dependent on sight or any other material consideration.” P. 578

We on isolated Earth can and do develop a high standard of faith and determination that worlds that have not had rebellion could not attain. They do not need such strong faith. But even though we are in this isolated condition, it may turn out to be “a good thing” and that we “are extremely fortunate.”

“We have discovered that such ascenders are very early intrusted with numerous special assignments to cosmic undertakings where unquestioned faith and sublime confidence are essential to achievement.” P.578

So be proud, yet humble, you are an Agondonter.

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Purpose And Policies

International Urantia Association is not to be confused with the spiritual fellowship of the kingdom of heaven. Yet IUA is intended to foster that fellowship, especially, but not exclusively, among readers of The Urantia Book, by means of a minimal, flexible service organization. IUA is not a religious organization, is not associated with any religion, and is not a competitor of any religion. We welcome people of all faiths, races, and nationalities.

IUA is not designed to carry the teachings of The Urantia Book to planetary culture in its own name. IUA is not to be a direct agent of change in religious, political, social, or economic institutions. However, individuals who are engaged in all sorts of creative enterprises may be nourished by the interaction provided by IUA. Where individuals are always free to express their own views as their own views, IUA as a group has no opinions to express on religious, political, economic, or social issues. Its focus is to remain on The Urantia Book and its teachings.