Our June 16 meeting was extremely lengthy due to the number of items on the agenda in need of formal action in preparation for the August 9 meeting of the General Council.

There are several proposed amendments to the Brotherhood Constitution. The following is an abbreviated summary of the committee's recommendations to the Council. Councilors will receive more detailed reports in preparation for final acceptance or rejection.

1. The Executive Committee had been asked to study the constitutional changes required concerning the seating of old and new Councilors at the Triennial meeting of the Council. A number of methods were developed and reviewed. The conclusion was that all of these models created as many new problems as they solved. The recommendation is that no changes be made.

2. It is the recommendation of the Executive Commiteee that Section 10.5. concerning meetings be amended so that the Executive Committee has the option of scheduling their regular meetings no less than quarterly. This will allow for greater flexibility. If adopted, there are three other sections or paragraphs that would have to be amended to conform with the proposed amendment.

3. In order to facilitate the Standing Committees' ability to have a quorum at their meetings when members live at great distance from Chicago, Section 11.5. concerning a quorum would be amended to allow committees to meet and conduct certain business without a quorum being physically present. To allow flexibility, the Executive Committee would define a "meeting."

4. The Committee was asked to study an amendment which would restrict any person from serving on two departmental committees simultaneously. It is felt that such an amendment is not necessary, since by common consent, the General Council can follow such practice. Also, at times it might be desirable for someone to serve on two committees for a period of time due to death, incapacity, or resignation of some committee member.

5. It is recommended that Paragraph 3.1. of the By-laws concerning charter fees be amended to allow the application fee be determined by the Charter Committee with the approval and consent of the Executive Committee.

6. It is recommended that Section 8.7. concerning regular meetings of the General Council be held once each calendar year in which there is no regular Triennial meeting of the General Council. This will bring the constitution in line with our actual past practice.

7. It is recommended that Section 8.3. concerning qualifications of a Councilor be amended so loss of membership for any reason shall ipso facto terminate such person's tenure and status as a Councilor. During the time allowed for appeals, such person may not sit, speak, or vote as a member of the General Council.

Between the May and June meetings, there were regional meetings of Urantia Book students in Berkeley, CA; Palm Beach FL; Kansas City, MO; Grants Pass, OR; Cape Cod, MA; Lake Forest, IL; Jerome, ID; and Washington, DC. There may have been others we are unaware of. Attendance at these gatherings varied from 50 to 170. For me, it is interesting to note that many of the themes of these meetings concerned the topic of how to integrate the Urantia teachings into daily living -- a stress on action rather than only study. Future meetings that we know of are scheduled for Geneva Park, Ont., Canada; the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver, Co July 11-13; Lake Eufaula, OK September 12-14, sponsored by Texas study groups; Northeast Regional in October, and on the big-island of Hawaii at the end of December.

At this summer's workshops there will be French and Spanish speaking participants, arrangements are being made to provide simultaneous translation of material being presented. This is quite a challenge, but we feel a worthwhile endeavor in keeping with the internationalization of the Urantia movement. The material problem is that a professional translator must be hired and they are not inexpensive. I know we will benefit from this experience.

Frank Sgaraglino reported that the follow-up solicitation letter was mailed by his committee the end of May and he plans to report the results at the July meeting.

Applications for membership-at-large were presented and accepted from Thomas J. Norton, W. Palm Beach F]; Mike Lee Reynolds, Beale AFB, CA; and Mrs. Dorothy Donovan, La Minerve, P.Q., Canada.

I wish to thank those who have sent in their suggestions for committee members as well as candidates for the General Council vacancies.

You might wish to check your local Waldenbooks store since many are selling The Urantia Book at $26.00. Waldenbooks claims to be the largest chain in the U.S., some 600 stores.

Summer is here with the opportunity for greater enjoyment of natural outdoor surroundings (especially true for those of us in the "North"). I hope each of you find refreshing uplift in your summer pursuits.

Warm regards,

John W. Halds, President

JWH/sk