SpiritualFamily.Net

“Surge in Interest Among 

Truth Seekers in Nigeria”

A Urantia Book conference in Nigeria heard a school teacher’s interesting ideas about reaching young Christians.

As ten study group leaders in Lagos took turns to speak during a meeting on September 6, 2024, to review their progress for the year, one story stood out.

Tosin Oyewol, a school teacher (pictured above), started reading The Urantia Book in 2010 because it was about Jesus, and she was a Christian. While she soon realized that it conflicted with her Bible based understanding, she found it curiously reassuring to her spirit, writes Emeka Anazodo, coordinator of the Urantia Peace Initiative (UPI) that organized the Lagos Urantia Conference where the leaders’ meeting took place.

Although the book was a lot to take in for a hardcore Christian such as Tosin, she persisted with an open mind. In his report on the conference, Emeka says Tosin got so inspired by the book that she decided to share her newfound truth with her church companions. “But, being a Christian, she knew firsthand how hard it would be for them to accept the new perspectives presented by the book.”

So she decided to devise a way to share the teachings of the book without making it confrontational in areas of apparent contradiction with Bible teachings. “Being a school teacher, she decided to form a club for her students where she would emphasize one philosophy based on the teachings of The Urantia Book,” Emeka writes. 

“She was still thinking of a name for her club when the screening of Pato Banton’s documentary, 'The  Spirit of Ubuntu,' was announced for April 7, 2024. She named her club Ubuntu, and used beautiful quotes from the book to back this African philosophy.”  

Tosin Oywol and her Ubuntu Club

Tosin now uses her Sunday school class to skillfully raise the curiosity of her students on questions created by gaps in some Bible teachings, and then she  provides satisfying bridges for those gaps by suggesting research into The Urantia Book. Some of her students’ parents have become comfortable with reading the book through her creative approach. And so, her Ubuntu club—a Urantia Book study group—is thriving, reports Emeka.

Tosin’s testimony was an inspiration to all the leaders present, he adds. “It was also an assurance that the decision of the Urantia Peace Initiative to try to spread The Urantia Book without pressing anyone’s religious buttons was a sound one.”

The other leaders at the meeting were Emeka Anazodo (pictured below), Charity Charles, Shola Agagu, Michael Anazodo, Chike Martins, Emmanuel Ajewole, Blessing Odeyemi, Maya Anazodo, and Clement Odum.  A high point was a musical presentation by Chike Martins, a saxophonist who uses his music—a beautiful blend of African and Western jazz—to spread the teachings of The Urantia Book. 

The theme of the two-day conference, held on September 6 and 7, 2024, was “Ubuntu,” the African philosophy that emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of community, compassion, and mutual respect. 

Emeka reports that awareness of The Urantia Book is growing gradually in Nigeria. In 2022 the UPI hosted its first Urantia conference in Lagos on the theme “Religion of the Spirit” during which 60 copies of the book were handed out. The UPI Urantia Conference in 2023, on the theme “Contagious Love,” brought Urantia Book leaders together from across Nigeria. Meanwhile, a documentary called “The Spirit of Ubuntu,” by Pato Banton and Antionette Rootsdawtah, was screened in Lagos in April 2024.

“These events have contributed immensely to a remarkable surge in the awareness and interest surrounding The Urantia Book among truth seekers in Nigeria,” writes Emeka.

“Nigeria's unique cultural and spiritual landscape is at present further catalyzing the book’s growth in popularity within the region, as some religious organizations are already secretly or openly incorporating its teachings in their doctrines. A typical example is the Positive Way Mission Church in Lagos. 

“This year’s conference theme, presentation topics, and organization were carefully chosen with Nigeria’s rich tapestry of religions and philosophies in mind. The conference therefore provided a fertile ground for many spiritually inclined and curious individuals to rub minds and relish the unique perspectives presented by The Urantia Book.”  

The objectives of this year’s conference were to further the aims of last year’s event and to consolidate its gains—and to these extents the program was very successful, reports Emeka.

Attendance and enthusiasm were higher than last year, with attendance reaching 82 persons despite the fact that Nigeria was at the peak of a transportation crisis caused by an all-time hike in the pump price of petrol. More group leaders emerged, while a study group created last year, as an offshoot of the conference, attended as a group and made some presentations. Furthermore, vibrant new Urantia-based WhatsApp groups have been created.

“Urantia Peace Initiative is particularly grateful for the financial support it received from the Mustard Seed Grants Fund of Urantia Foundation and to the International Fellowship Committee of The Urantia Book Fellowship for providing part of the matching funds that made this event possible,” says Emeka. 

“And last, but certainly not least, the UPI wishes to thank wholeheartedly all contributors  and participants of this event for making it informative as well as enjoyable!

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