The weekend of November 5-7 was a very special one in Oklahoma. The weather was unusually mild, as if summer refused to relinquish its warm sunshine and clear days. For twenty Urantians an additional blessing was about to unfold this group of twenty souls had gathered to embark on a brave new service adventure. They came from coast to coast and neighboring Canada for the sole purpose of forming a network to foster and support spiritual retreats.
How did this unique gathering of Urantians come about you ask? Well, it had its genesis at IC’99 in Vancouver, BC this past August. It grew out of a shared sentiment that the time had come for an expansion of the retreat experience of contemplatively seeking the inner voice. This feeling was expressed and then passed on. And soon it was evident that there truly was a kindred spirit, a zeitgeist of interest, in this important facet of our spiritual lives. Someone suggested that it would be a good idea to organize a meeting to explore the idea of forming a “network” of those interested in retreat work. Well, someone took the bull by the horns and started making calls. Eventually, a time and place was selected and interested parties gathered to commune with the Spirit and foster the birth of an idea for many a dream.
The result of this remarkable weekend beyond the forging of lasting friendships was the creation of The Urantia Retreat Network (TURN). This network was established as a means to connect individuals and groups that are planning spiritual retreats, and to gather and disseminate useful information on retreats. It is not intended to be another social organization, but rather a true networking of individuals and groups committed to fostering the growth of the inner spiritual life.
One of the important outcomes of the weekend was the drafting of a mission statement. It reads: “To support one another in facilitating and enhancing the individual’s relationship with the indwelling spirit through the retreat experience, that all may be better equipped to serve the family of human kind.” This statement provides a centering framework wherein all involved may pursue their own unique retreat projects. It was clear that unity of spiritual purpose, not uniformity of retreat structure, was of primary importance.
The planning group agreed on three other key projects: a newsletter, a web site, and the continuation of the retreat network internet bulletin board. The newsletter will be published either annually or biannually, and will include articles on retreat topics as well as a calendar with the time and location of retreats around the country. The web site will include the newsletter, but will also be a resource for retreat organizers. Those who have been active in retreat work have developed and compiled excellent information and material that will be of great value to others in their work. It will be posted on the web site and made available for download. The retreat network list will continue to serve as an immediate means of connection, and as an avenue for disseminating relevant information. Several people volunteered to work on these projects. We hope to have both a newsletter published and the web site up within the next three months.
There were many dreams, visions and ideas shared during this memorable weekend in Oklahoma City. The spiritual juices were flowing ideas were being tossed back and forth. We found that there is already a lot going on in this area. We discussed what is in place now, who is doing it , how they are doing it, what works and what doesn’t. People shared openly and freely. It was a treat to observe Urantians from all quarters working together toward a common goal.
The weekend cumulated with a worship service on Sunday morning. The depth of spiritual unity and worship experienced by all present made the importance of the work we had undertaken self-evident. If only more souls on our planet could experience such supernal spiritual joy their appetite for spiritual food would surely be reawakened. In our Urantia community we have made great strides in the arena of mind. Now the time is ripe for our community of believers to more fully discover the what Jesus called the first phase of the kingdom, “The personal and inward experience of the spiritual life of the fellowship of the individual believer with God the Father.” (P.1862)