Every three years, The Urantia Book Fellowship hosts an international conference where Urantia Book readers from around the world gather to study and socialize through daily plenaries, workshops, musical performances, and evening events. This year’s conference, named IC23, was held in Chicago in July 2023. It was the first international conference since 2017; the 2020 conference had been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 250 people attended–about half the size of the 2017 conference.
Eight current members of the Grand Canyon Society (GCS) attended. We collected some of our thoughts regarding memorable aspects of IC23, as well some thoughts about the future.
A religious and worshipful tone
Several of us were impressed by the musical offerings at IC23. Beth Wenger and her daughter Ruthie Wilde Wenger were particularly moved by the experience of singing in the choir, with the a cappella performance of “Lord Let My Heart Be Quiet” being a standout musical moment for Ruthie. Ruthie says, “I appreciated performing religious music with religious people.” As a classically trained and professional cellist, she has had plenty of experience performing overtly religious works such as Handel’s Dixit Dominus, but not always with true religious intent or spiritual energy behind the performances.
Several of us remembered the “worship spaces” that were held prior to each plenary talk, during which attendees were quietly led through 10 minutes of spoken thoughts, presumably aimed to quiet and center the hearts, minds, and souls. Some found these to be highly effective worship spaces, while others longed for less of a guided meditation experience and more explicit attention on God and silence in order to listen to the voice within. However such “spaces” may evolve in the future, it seems there is widespread acknowledgement of their value and necessity. We consider this a historical step in the right direction to outwardly embrace the value of group worship as we gather with other Urantia Book readers.
Workshops that stood out
There were 64 workshops offered at IC23, and at any given time 10 or 11 were offered simultaneously! So, although we can’t say we attended every possible workshop, several of us found some workshops especially lingering in our memories:
1. Living the Teachings: Principles and Practices—Beth appreciated Chuck Thurston’s workshop and its stimulating small group discussions of various principles and practices for spiritual growth and soul development that were later shared with the larger group. She hopes this workshop could be brought to Arizona someday.
2. Marriage and Parenting with Heart, Mind, and Soul, as Inspired by The Urantia Book—Brad and Ruthie found Tom Vasile’s candid and open reflections on his experience as a parent very helpful in their own consideration of family matters.
3. Passing the Torch of Religious Culture from Parent to Child—Beth appreciated Brad and Ruthie’s workshop. She said, “In it, I found myself looking in the rearview mirror of parenting and how I might have provided even more of a religious foundation for our children by including more family traditions and religious training in the form of stories, both old and new.”
4. Physiology of the Brain that May Facilitate Thought Adjuster Communication—Bruce Wenger was impressed by Geoff Taylor and Susan Meyers scientific detail, so much so that he was inspired to buy a biofeedback brainwave monitor. (handouts) 🧠
5. Planting Seeds of Meanings and Values in Young Children via the Best of Children’s Literature—As a prospective parent, Ruthie enjoyed Ted Blaney’s presentation on children’s literature and the importance of vetting titles based on what they do for the mind and cultivation of values, rather than strictly for reading comprehension purposes.
6. The Prevalence of Nonsense: A Perspective on Race—Eve McMahon appreciated this workshop led by Gard Jameson. Several of us observed how popular it was; as we walked by the room it was filled to overflowing.
Interpersonal interaction
We each remarked on the meaningfulness of interpersonal interactions at IC23. Eve “had a great time” with Carol Shaw (King), a former GCS member, and JJ Johnson enjoyed “hooking up with longtime friends and kindred spirits.” Several long-time GCS members among us reconnected with Urantia Book readers who formerly resided in Arizona, including Jeannie Scott, Karen Allen (Johnson), and Cheryl Zents. Some relationships were rekindled between people who hadn’t seen each other in over 30 years; Larry Bowman even got to become acquainted with the granddaughter of a couple he knew from the original Forum in Chicago! Brad and Ruthie appreciated the opportunity to meet people face-to-face who they previously only had known from message forums and Zoom meetings. The Urantia Family Life social was also a hit; some members got their exercise during a multi-generational circle game, and others got some good laughs later in the night from the skit “Jubilee of Jubilees,” which starred Brad as our local Creator Son and Ruthie as our local universe Mother Spirit.
What’s on our minds now
This was a smaller conference. Some of us missed the energy that larger conferences offer, while others reflected that this smaller group might have self-selected for people who are most ready to “get right to work.” Regardless, the resort setting’s relatively high price tag likely excluded some who otherwise might have liked to have attended. Regarding the conference schedule, some of us wondered if factoring more free time into the conference schedule could help set a more relaxed tone and allow for more personal connections to be made. To be certain, conferences of Urantia Book readers will continue to evolve and adapt to people’s needs and desires.
Brad was left wondering about sharing testimony at conferences. “My plenary talk was a testimony, which I feel I have an increased responsibility to share,” he said. “You never know whose life you could impact, and you can only find out by talking about it. Should future plenary talks focus on testimony?”
Tim Hobbs presented a workshop where he learned about so many extraordinary activities and endeavors that are underway. He wonders, “Once we find people dedicated to a project, how do we foster and support them? How can we create a space for Urantia Book readers to stay informed about what each other are doing?”
Several of us now wonder: might there be an opportunity for GCS to play a role in the evolutionary process of discovering how best to assemble as Urantia Book readers, not only to better understand its teachings, but also to engage in intimate and quality interpersonal interactions?
Photo caption: Grand Canyon Society members, past and present, at the evening Costume Contest of Urantia Book Fellowship’s International Conference, 2023, Chicago, Illinois. From left to right, BACK: Brad Garner, Ruthie Wilde Wenger, Tim Hobbs, Bruce Wenger. MIDDLE: Cheryl Zents, Larry Bowman, Carol Shaw (King), Beth Wenger, JJ Johnson. FRONT: Karen Allen (Johnson), Mo Marlin, Eve McMahon
