We are presently in the process of formulating the final version of the Program and we will keep updating it with new details throughout the year, so please be sure to check back regularly. The current outline of the schedule can be found at the bottom of this page.
To whet your appetite, we can tell you that each day a list will be created of all the festival participants, divided into 'family groups' of about 7 people. These groups will be enjoying every experience and family activity together throughout the day. At breakfast time, when people go to the cafeteria, they will locate their name on the list to see which family group they will be spending the day with in order to become better acquainted with their Urantia brothers and sisters from different countries, different cultures and different age groups.
After breakfast, every morning will start with a period of prayer and worship conducted at Camp Wawona's brand new outdoor amphitheater. This will be followed by various presentations of importance from different presenters to inform all The United Urantia Family Festival participants of the latest and greatest achievements related to The Urantia Book. At this time, speakers include: Gard Jameson representing The Foundation; Paula Thompson, Charles Olivea & Cristina Seaborn representing The Fellowship; Buck Weimer who promotes the UB internationally, Christilyn Biek Larson representing Cosmic Citizen; Teuvo Orjala and Angie Thurston representing Urantia Now and Urantia Family Ties, & Tony Finstad with Liz Craig representing YaYA group (Youth and Young Adults); MaryJo Garascia representing Truthbook.com; Jon DeToy representing South American outreach; and Jeffrey Wattles who will offer a presentation about John Muir, the co-founder of The Sierra Club, which has been integral in preserving the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park.
Then after lunch, afternoons will be devoted to family activities to help develop a family bond between all the readers present who have come from different parts of the world. There will be a list of activities to do on-site, which promises to be a lot of fun for everyone. There will be more than 12 free activities including: a swimming pool, archery, swinging bridge, volley ball, soccer, visiting the falls, and rope activities such as the Zipline, Swing by Choice, the Pamper Pole, the Giant Swing, and the Giant’s Ladder with cargo net. Please note that all rope activities will be done with trained staff facilitators who are all professionally inspected annually. Everyone is “roped and belayed”. There will also be swimming in the river, hiking trails, and horseback riding if we have enough demand. Horseback riding would be a paid activity though.
We will then reconvene at supper time for a loving family gathering at the covered outdoor picnic tables, where we will listen to the representatives from each family group. They will inform us of the ideas and suggestions their group came up with in response to the theme of the day question that was announced in the morning.
We will end the day with a different type of entertainment every night. There will also be places to make campfires for those who might want to gather around a fire to chat or sing along under the stars within the exceptional surroundings of Yosemite Park. On Friday night we're planning a special "Urantia's Got Talent" show, where all those who are interested will have a chance to show off their talent for the entertainment of all the Family members present. For more detailed information about the talent show, please click here.
This is a brief preview of what you can expect this summer when you join us for our second gathering of The United Urantia Family Festival while Celebrating Jesus' Family, in the Presence of Angels!
General Program Outline for The United Urantia Family Festival 2013
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Breakfast at the Cafeteria - discover your family for the day |
| 9:00 – 9:45 ~ | Morning Prayer & Worship |
| 10:00 – 11:30 ~ | ‘Family Reunion Time’ with updates at the main amphitheater |
| 12:00 – 1:00 ~ | Lunch |
| 1:30 – 4:30 ~ | ‘Family Recreation Time’ with various activities to choose from |
| 4:30 – 6:00 ~ | Free time |
| 6:00 – 7:00 ~ | Outdoor Dinner |
| 7:30 – 10:00 ~ | ‘Family Celebration Time’ with sharing our experiences of the day |
Tuesday – August 20, 2013
| 2:00 – 6:00 ~ | Check in |
| 6:00 – 7:00 ~ | Outdoor Dinner |
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Welcome Announcement |
| 8:30 - 10:00 ~ | Meet and Greet |
Wednesday – August 21, 2013
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Breakfast at the Cafeteria - discover your family for the day |
| 9:00 – 9:30 ~ | Morning Prayer & Worship at the main amphitheater |
| 9:30 – 9:45 ~ | Announcements about upcoming venture to the Grizzly Giant |
| 9:45 – 11:00 ~ | Travel to the Grizzly Giant in Mariposa Grove to celebrate Jesus' birth at noon |
| 11:45 – 12:30 ~ | Gather around the Grizzly Giant Tree for noon worship Worship Theme - Celebrating Jesus’ time of birth |
| 12:30 – 1:00 ~ | Lunch at the Grizzly Giant Tree (box lunches will be provided) |
| 1:00 - 1:30 ~ | Worship Theme - Celebrating the Presence of the Angels |
| 1:30 – 3:30 ~ | Free time to visit the Mariposa Grove |
| 3:30 – 4:00 ~ | Return to Camp Wawona |
| 4:30 - 6:00 ~ | Free time – Arts: creative time to express your experience at the Grizzly Giant Tree |
| 6:00 - 7:30 ~ | Celebratory Birthday / Remembrance Supper for Jesus’ birthday |
| 8:00 - 10:00 ~ | 'Family Celebration Time' with sharing our experiences of the day Recognitions of Service and Jesus' birthday celebration dance, hosted by the YaYA group |
Thursday – August 22, 2013
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Breakfast at the Cafeteria - discover your family for the day |
| 9:00 – 9:45 ~ | Morning Prayer & Worship Worship Theme - The Spirit of Truth and Universe Mother Spirit, including Native American contributions |
| 10:00 – 11:30 ~ | ‘Family Reunion Time’ with updates at the main amphitheater |
| 12:00 – 1:00 ~ | Lunch |
| 1:30 – 4:30 ~ | ‘Family Recreation Time’ with various activities to choose from |
| 4:30 – 6:00 ~ | Free time – Arts: creative time to express your personal experience |
| 6:00 – 7:00 ~ | Outdoor Dinner |
| 7:30 – 10:00 ~ | ‘Family Celebration Time’ with sharing our experiences of the day Music Jam: country, pop, folk, jazz/blues, classical. Lineup of artists include Cristina Seaborn, Barbara Newsom, Mary Anne Brundage, Barbara Hester, Robert Aponte, and James Woodward. |
Friday – August 23, 2013
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Breakfast at the Cafeteria - discover your family for the day |
| 9:00 – 9:45 ~ | Morning Prayer & Worship Worship Theme - The Universal Father |
| 10:00 – 11:30 ~ | ‘Family Reunion Time’ with updates at the main amphitheater |
| 12:00 – 1:00 ~ | Lunch |
| 1:30 – 4:30 ~ | ‘Family Recreation Time’ with various activities to choose from |
| 4:30 – 6:00 ~ | Free time – Arts: creative time to express your personal experience |
| 6:00 – 7:00 ~ | Outdoor Dinner |
| 7:30 – 10:00 ~ | ‘Family Celebration Time’ with sharing our experiences of the day ‘Urantia's Got Talent!’ show at the main outdoor amphitheater |
Saturday – August 24, 2013
| 7:00 – 8:30 ~ | Breakfast at the Cafeteria |
| 9:00 – 9:45 ~ | Morning Prayer & Worship Worship Theme – Interfaith ~ Worship the One for Service to the Many |
| 10:00 – 11:00 ~ | Closing remarks at the main amphitheater |
| 11:00 – 12:00 ~ | Group Sharing before parting and Special Announcement |
| 12:00 – 1:00 ~ | Lunch (choice of either on-site meal or boxed lunch to go) |