The Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs, N.C. was, once again, a joyful interaction with hungry truth seekers. Our larger booth provided space for spontaneous groups to gather with us sharing the new wine of revelation.

Assistants at the booth were Thomas Orjala, Lynn Goodwin, locals Isadora Galjour and Rabia Harris, Gard Jameson, and Pamela Chaddock.

(Missing this year were our YaYAs.  Last year Angie Thurston and Darren Atherton added fresh flavor to the mix, Angie presenting and both serving in the booth and sallying about 2×2. This educational and interactive venue serves as optimal training ground for our effervescent YaYAs.)

Isadora’s reflections:  I see The Wild Goose as a growing Spiritual Family holding space for all who choose to participate.  I would like to see more of our Urantian brothers and sisters giving talks at The Wild Goose as it is clear to me that it is fertile ground for the revelation to take root.  Thomas Orjala did a remarkable presentation on Jesus that was full of heart and very well received. Unfortunately, I did not get to hear Gard Jameson speak.

The finest moments of attending the Festival occur when the young seminarians stop by to ask questions about The Urantia Book. I was impressed by young Episcopalians who were intelligent and sincerely seeking, which made sharing TUB so easy and natural. One-on-one interaction, asking sincere questions regarding their personal journey is part of the joy of this celebration of Spirit.  Seeing how our paths meet is where the real connecting happens and this is in part what The Wild Goose is all about.  We share, we inspire, we connect and hearts and minds meet.” Toward the end of the event, Thomas supplied various seminary booths with Urantia Books.

Pamela’s reflections:  This year was stellar as we are now accepted as speakers–the door is open!  Heartfelt thanks to Thomas and Gard.  Trust Circles was Gard’s topic with modest links to the Urantia Book, and a captivated attendee walked away with a copy.  My several Emergent leader-friends were impressed with the Foundation’s beautiful Jesus Parables books I shared with them. These handsome secondary works may prove to be an effective inducement.

Gard’s presence was a welcomed blessing as it was the first time both Foundation and Fellowship were represented at the Goose.  Special moments arose with introducing Gard to some of the luminaries like Brian McLaren and Doug King (http://www.presence.tv/spirit-and-transformation/). (I always encourage our people to attend Emergent talks to get acquainted with their salient messages.) One result of our continuing presence is the subtle networking taking place; each year we gain more ground and respect. An annual thrill for me is experiencing the miraculous timing of the angelic/Holy Spirit connections, & they led me to my lost wallet! I am so grateful to the Fellowship and Outreach committee for their ongoing support and encouragement in furthering our efforts at this exceptional venue…

Lynn reflects:  My first Emergent conference and it was uplifting to be in the company of God seeking, Jesus loving, Faith Sons and daughters.  It’s a most fertile ground for the reception of The Urantia Book as they are shying away from restrictive doctrines and crystallized religion desiring instead the actual experience of the Living Master.

It seemed to me that the Spirit of Truth was alive and well; this crowd was open-minded and heart centered and curious about this new book. It was a treat to be able to openly and enthusiastically talk about God and Jesus. In other outreach venues one kind of tiptoes around the religious and “Christian” aspects of the Urantia Book.

Seed sowing opportunities were everywhere. I spoke with two newly graduated ministers-to-be and could see the lights go on as I explained the gift of the Revelation. Of course, they got books!

We received contact information from 50 people who have been sent a follow-up “Greeting” letter with links to Fellowship and Foundation resources. Next year, we can nurture the connection, send out emails with an invitation to come say Hi.

I want to express my appreciation to the Fellowship for believing in outreach, for funding it faithfully for years. We are planting a garden for the future, helping to carve the path towards Light and Life!

Thomas’ Comments:  At my previous Wild Goose participation, I felt like we were not quite accepted as part of the fold. This year we seemed to be one of the regulars there as part of the emergent conversation. I was impressed by how receptive the people were. We were able to have deep and meaningful conversations with them in almost every instance.

When we arrived, the trees around our designated booth area had signs posted on them. We were surprised that many sounded like they were directly from Urantia Book.

The signs were put up by the North Carolina Council of Churches camping alongside us. Their leader, Suzanne, is a minister who got a book last year from her friend and ours, Isadora, and now Suzanne is an enthusiastic reader evident in the signs. And, who says the churches are not ready for the UB?

Another gal came up saying she got a book last year and has been reading it with her friend, that her son is reading it and that her church has a group studying The Urantia Book. She said they had to buy more books.

The experience that stood out the most was a lady named Mary. Lynn and I quickly realized she was very hungry for truth and wanted to hear everything about this new revelation of truth. We had extended conversations with Mary, her sincerity and hunger was so deep. I get emotional when I recall this encounter.

Toward the end of the Festival I stood on the main road to distribute the remaining books. A gal appeared next to me.  She recalled it was me who last year gave her a free book card which she sent in. She had seen how touched I was sharing my experience about finding the UB.  She and her husband and business partner have become quite engaged in reading it. Turns out she has a very successful blog talk show with over a thousand live listeners each broadcast. She invited me to do a program with her in the fall on the UB.

While it is a huge effort to attend Wild Goose, we are so well received and can see the difference it is making in this dynamic, evolving community. It requires support from multiple sources and is most appreciated by those of us that travel each year to be with this fine community of God seeking believers. We were happy to place 68 Urantia books and 20 Parables over the four days of the Festival.