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Fifth Epochal Fellowship Corporation dba The Urantia Book Fellowship

Expanding Spiritual Awareness

aka The Urantia Book Fellowship   |   Reno, NV   |  www.urantiabook.org

Mission

Our primary focus has been the dissemination of The Urantia Book and its teachings worldwide with the cultivation of a diverse and spiritually fragrant community of believers. For over 60 years we have consistently created opportunities for reader/believers to connect around service, study and socialization. We foster the scholarly study of the book as well as encourage the artistic expression of its sublime inspiration. By bringing readers together we supply the social fulcrum of our faith movement, leveraging the talents and resources of many scattered reader/believers around the world.

Ruling year info

1959

Principal Officer

Sue Seccombe

Main address

1580 Grand Point Way #34743

Reno, NV 89533 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

The Urantia Brotherhood

EIN

36-6065800

NTEE code info

Religion Related, Spiritual Development N.E.C. (X99)

Religious Printing, Publishing (X83)

Interfaith Issues (X90)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

During thees psychologically unsettled times , amid the economic upheavals, the moral crosscurrents, and the sociologic rip tides of the cyclonic transitions of a scientific era, thousands upon thousands of men and women have become humanly dislocated; they are anxious, restless, fearful, uncertain, and unsettled; as never before in the world's history they need the consolation and stabilization of sound religion. In the face of unprecedented scientific achievement and mechanical development there is spiritual stagnation and philosophic chaos. Religion does need new leaders, spiritual men and women who will dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings. If Christianity persists in neglecting its spiritual mission while it continues to busy itself with social and material problems, the spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new teachers of Jesus' religion who will be exclusively devoted to the spiritual regeneration of mankind.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Service to the Brotherhood of Believers

Our Accomplishments Include:

We published the first Urantia Book that includes; a comprehensive indexed listing of names and topics, a two column print styling for easier reading, a universally accepted referencing system of: paper, section and paragraph numbers, an Appendix listing the accepted word and punctuation modifications from the initial 1950 edition.

Through our new exclusive publishing service, Uversa Press, we also offer study aids such as The Paramony and The Wrightwood Series.

Continuing in our 65 year tradition, we freely provide the Urantia community with outstanding printed publications such as The Mighty Messenger and The Herald that showcase the best thoughts and insights of individuals who have experienced a revelation that is epochally significant.

Beginning in 1967, The Fellowship has been host to a Triennial International Conference for readers of The Urantia Book. Since 1980 these conferences have averaged 1,000 participants. When a need is recognized, local and international scholarships for conference attendance are generously granted to Urantia students who have demonstrated leadership and/or scholarly abilities.

Fellowship Members, through a variety of sources, provide thousands of dollars annually in the US and abroad for grassroots outreach and dissemination efforts. All of these projects are initiated by inspired and dedicated Urantia Book students.

The Fellowship Interfaith Program has committed readers that have presented the book to countless people of faith, placed it in hundreds of religious libraries worldwide, and most notably presented it at each of the last six Parliaments of the World's Religions;1993 in Chicago Illinois , 1999 in South Africa, 2004 in Spain, 2009 in Australia, 2015 in Salt Lake City Utah, and 2018 in Canada.

The Fellowship Outreach Program has placed thousands of books domestically and enthusiastically presented the book in numerous public lectures and hundreds of public expositions since 1989.

The Fellowship's International Committee nurtures and sponsors emerging Urantia students and communities all around the world. It does this by connecting readers with leaders, fostering study and socialization, and by donating desperately needed books.

Our website, www.Urantiabook.org, is a virtual resource library inspired by The Urantia Book. This powerful cyber tool has quickly become the primary source for outreach ministry, in-depth study, and Urantia movement history from over 65 years of scholarship.

The Urantia Book Fellowship continues to cultivate an open culture that is inclusive of all readers and believers worldwide. It is a culture that values group wisdom and is willing to self-evaluate and evolve. A fellowship of believers dedicated to expanding spiritual awareness by disseminating The Urantia Book.

Population(s) Served
Age groups
Religious groups
Incarcerated people
Parents
Families

Places books with students around the world in instances where it would be unaffordable.

Population(s) Served

Dissemination of The Urantia Book around the world and bringing students of the book together for fellowship.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Web based scholarship and all manner of dissemination on the World Wide Web.

Population(s) Served

Domestic outreach and dissemination via public expositions, tours, lectures, and the development of media materials.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Make an awareness of The Urantia Book such that it easily recognizable as the astonishing source of cosmic truth that it is!

The Primary focus of The Urantia Book Fellowship is the dissemination of The Urantia Book, but we also strive to bring together people who read and believe in the book. Through service, study and socialization, we have dedicated our efforts to serving the revelation and all who serve it. We affirm our sincere conviction that The Urantia Book is a genuine revelation of truth to humankind. We serve God and humanity primarily through the dissemination of its teachings but we also serve those who already read and believe in the book by fostering study and socialization. Fellowship members seek understanding among all students of The Urantia Book and among the peoples of the world. We are committed to the ideal of spiritual unity, which embraces individual religious freedom and diversity, as embodied in the teachings of The Urantia Book.

We have an indelible will and desire to reach our goals and hundreds of volunteers willing to help. We've been doing this work since 1955 and we've only just begun. It's not easy, but we will make this book available to every human being who craves its life giving and liberating truth.

We've seen 6 decades of steady growth. The book gone from being obscure to being a spiritual best seller.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    The goals of The Urantia Book are to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception. Given the organization's purpose of evolving a spiritual community of truth seekers who learn, share, and live the truths contained in The Urantia Book, a relationship with and feedback from the people we serve as an essential part of our mission. We actively encourage sharing of opinions through our printed and electronic publications, discussion of perceptions, ideas, and concerns in our community forums and community surveys.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    In 2020 we completed an extensive series of focus groups and interviews accompanied by an electronic survey. The results suggested that there was strong support for developing the organization to becoming more international. Since then we have significantly developed a Spanish speaking business unit, implemented live, simultaneous translation of meetings, and increased investment into Spanish community services.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    The most essential outcome of engaging in feedback, especially the form of interview and town hall style feedback, is the grow of relationships in our community. The Urantia Book teaches that relationships have eternal value and fostering relationships through these feedback mechanisms has an immense and intangible value.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,

Financials

Fifth Epochal Fellowship Corporation dba The Urantia Book Fellowship
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Fifth Epochal Fellowship Corporation dba The Urantia Book Fellowship

Board of directors
as of 01/18/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Sue Seccombe


Board co-chair

Dr. David Schlundt

No Affiliation

Term: 2022 - 2025

Lila Dogim

No Affiliation

Lara Amyx

Brent StDenis

Jena Lassiter

Jill Strunk

Trudi Cooper

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 9/28/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/28/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.