39 Ways to Help Disseminate The Urantia Book

Richard — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:11:51 GMT

What can you do in your local community? Are you truly interested in dissemination of The Urantia Book -- in active participation in this effort?

There are many things you can do which require only your committed time. Here is a partial list:

1. Start a Study Group.

2. Submit comments to blogs.

3. Write a review for Amazon.com or another online bookseller.

4. Write reviews for other web bookstores.

5. Create pages at social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace -- list The Urantia Book as your favorite book; search these sites on the word "Urantia" and make contact with other people who list the book as their favorite.

6. Create a MeetUp group and contact other readers in the system.

7. Create a simple website focused on a single topic -- create backlinks to Fellowship and other Urantian websites; learn how to optimize it for top search engine responses.

8. Join and participate in religious discussion boards such as BeliefNet.

9. Monitor and participate in Urantian discussion forums such as those at TruthBook and UBRON.

10. Join YouTube; search on the term, "Urantia" and respond to comments made by online viewers of Urantian videos. Check in on a regular basis. Post positive, upbeat comments, avoiding contentious arguments.

11. Submit articles to online magazines about your belief in God or your own personal religious experience.

12. Stop arguing with other readers online and start talking to the world!

13. Write for the world, not just for online reader forums. Use reader forums to try and stimulate dissemination efforts and projects. 14. Submit articles to local newspapers; send letters to the editor when appropriate.

15. Write book reviews or essays and submit them for publication in appropriate local newspapers and magazines. Freebee publications such as the local events newspapers distributed at supermarkets, health food stores, car washes, and other local venues often are very happy to receive contributions of well-written articles.

16. Submit an article on a Urantian topic to the Religions section of your local newspaper.

17. Participate in local fairs and expos.

18. Check your local bookstores frequently for The Urantia Book. If it is in the "Occult" section, talk with the manager and point out that it is classified as a religious book and should be in the "Religion" or "New Age" sections. If it is not in the bookstore, ask why, pointing out that it is a spiritual bestseller with more than 800,000 copies in print in multiple languages. Offer to provide them with a free copy to prime the pump. If they accept, contact Paula Thompson at Fellowship@UrantiaBook.org or 303-467-7858 and a book will be sent -- Paula will need the name of the buyer as well as the address of the bookstore. For more information on this approach, contact Andrea Barnes, andbarnes@gmail.com

19. Write commentaries, create flash programs, powerpoint studies, etc., and submit them to the Fellowship, Truthbook, or other Urantian websites for publication.

20. Keep a case of books in the trunk of your car and pray about their placement. (Thanks to Don Ware in Florida who distributes a case every three months with this approach.)

21. Submit Urantian videos to YouTube.

22. Be creative -- several groups have volunteered to keep sections of local highways clear of litter resulting in a free roadside sign containing the name of their group which includes the word, "Urantia."

23. Create e-cards with Urantian sentiments for readers to use as greeting cards. 24. Volunteer to help with projects at the Fellowship; we need volunteers willing to commit to specific projects extending over a period of time.

25. Get involved in a local community of people who are interested in spirituality or religion -- churches, synagogues, reading groups -- to share ideas in a positive, non-aggressive manner.

26. Do presentations in bookstores, local coffe shops, cafes, or any other available venue.

27. Set up a book club at a local university or college--contact Don Green, dsgreen1@comcast.net for more information.

28. Place low-cost ads in local papers -- get the word "Urantia" included in anything you publish.

29. Place books in nursing home libraries, metaphysical libraries, Starbucks stores, cruise ship libraries, hotel libraries, military base libraries, retreat center libraries, book racks in beauty shops, dentist or doctor offices (just leave a book behind when you visit these places), hospital libraries, church libraries -- anyplace where there is a captive audience. If you don't have a book and find a place willing to accept one, send the contact information to Paula Thompson at the Fellowship and a complimentary book will be sent.

30. Share your ideas, successes, and failures on internal readership forums.

31. Make a commitment to provide long-term financial support for your favorite Urantian undertaking -- a small monthly contribution sustained over a period of time--such as a Fellowship autodebit--can make a big difference.

32. Provide financial support for organizations engaged in book publication, marketing, and distribution.

33. Provide financial support for the Pipeline of Light which distributes books worldwide.

34. Establish a program of ongoing personal education; the more familiar you are with the context in which you are attempting to work, the greater your chance of success.

35. Post notes on public bulletin boards in post offices, laundromats, coffee shops, book stores, supermarkets, etc. A simple note -- "Interested in The Urantia Book? Call nnn-nnn-nnnn" -- gets exposure for the word "Urantia" and creates a point of potential contact. Concerned about strangers in your home? Meet at a local coffee shop, library, or other public place.

36. Download, print, and distribute materials formatted and available for such purposes on the Fellowship website.

37. Participate in the work of the Urantia Book Fellowship by volunteering or making a donation.

38. Become active with local or regional group of Urantia Book readers; use this to mobilize local and regional dissemination projects.

39. Pray for opportunities. Pray for wisdom. Use your imagination!

Outreach - Salt Lake City Street Fair

Richard — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:59:29 GMT

A grateful mother and son get the Urantia Book to share at the street fair.

Hello Agondonters!

I am super excited to report about the street fair that happened in Salt Lake City yesterday. It was a beautiful day and there were SO many people that turned out! I’m guessing there were about 10-15 people per minute past our booth. We had the beautiful new covers on our books, a great banner done by Thomas Orjala, and lots of outreach material available for people to peruse and take with them.

Three of the members of the SLC study group were there to assist with the introductions. I have to say I have become fluent in introducing the book in less than 20 seconds. If you can get their interest in that time they may ask a question or two. Many people politely declined being engaged in conversation. We sat there and wondered what they thought. On the other hand many made eye contact and looked interested and so we asked the question “Have you ever heard about The Urantia Book?”

During the 8 hours of being there we had a dozen or so that were genuinely thrilled to hear about it. There was a mother/son duo that bought a book to share. They had heard about it from someone else and couldn’t believe their good fortune in running into a booth at their local street fair.

This was not a new age fair, just a local fair with local businesses and vendors. Many of the people that passed by were families, many of them very large since we are in the middle of LDS country.

We had a special 3-fold flyer that we made up that asked the question “Could The Urantia Book be the ‘Greater Revelation to Come’” as prophesied in The Book of Mormon. It meets all the qualifications to be just that and we delineated that in the flyer and told many, many Mormons about it as they passed by. They all knew about that prophesy and many were very curious about it. One group of young women were impressed by the fact that I was baptized in the Mormon church after finding The Urantia Book. We made it clear that you can be a Urantia Book student and comfortably be a part of any church that supports the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God.

Tomorrow I will go down to the local bookstore here in Park City that now has The Urantia Book prominently displayed in their window on Main Street and see if I can speak there about the book in the upcoming weeks. I, along with a few from the SLC study group, will give an intro to the book in SLC this Tuesday night at the local metaphysical bookstore. We must have told 60 people to come out for the intro and 15 people have signed up from the meetup.com advertisement!

I write this not to toot my horn but to inspire others to consider this type of outreach. It’s so rewarding to tell people about this incredible book. The SLC group wants to buy an awning and invest in a nice banner that can be used for these types of events in the future. It’s just so easy and fun.

We all agree that we have the most amazing book on the planet. I believe our unseen friends are thrilled when we make it available so that they can lead people to it. They need our help!

I’ll include some pictures. Contact me if you’d like any help getting these sorts of events going.

Most sincerely,
Andrea Barnes
Outreach Committee, Chair

The Urantia Book Fellowship Dynamic Outreach

39 Ways to Help Disseminate The Urantia Book

Outreach - Salt Lake City Street Fair