Dr. William S. Sadler
1875 - 1969
Physician, Psychiatrist, Leader of the Contact Commission
William Samuel Sadler was a prominent physician, psychiatrist, and author of over 42 books on psychology, health, and religion. A former Seventh-day Adventist minister turned medical doctor, Sadler led the Contact Commission that received The Urantia Papers. He hosted the Forum at 533 W. Diversey Parkway in Chicago and dedicated decades of his life to the careful stewardship of the revelation. He served as a key figure bridging the superhuman contact process and the eventual publication of The Urantia Book in 1955.
Dr. Lena Kellogg Sadler
1875 - 1939
Physician, Surgeon, Co-founder of AMWA
Lena Celestia Kellogg Sadler was a pioneering physician, surgeon, and co-founder of the American Medical Women's Association. She married William Sadler in 1897 and together they became the central human custodians of the Urantia revelation. Lena is credited with calling the first Forum gathering in 1923, the group whose questions helped shape the content of The Urantia Papers. She passed away in 1939, sixteen years before the book was published.
Emma "Christy" Christensen
1890 - 1982
Contact Commissioner, Typed the Entire Manuscript
Emma Louise Christensen, known as Christy, was a member of the Contact Commission and the person who physically typed the entire Urantia manuscript. She served as the last surviving Contact Commissioner, carrying the direct link to the original contact process until her death in 1982 at the age of 92. Christy was instrumental in the administrative work of both Urantia Foundation and the Urantia Brotherhood, serving as president of Urantia Foundation.
William S. Sadler Jr.
1907 - 1963
Founded the Brotherhood, Author of "A Study of the Master Universe"
William Samuel Sadler Jr., known as Bill, was the son of William and Lena Sadler. He played a central role in founding the Urantia Brotherhood in 1955 and served as its first president. An exceptionally deep student of The Urantia Book, he authored "A Study of the Master Universe" and its companion "Appendices to a Study of the Master Universe," works that systematically analyze the cosmological structure presented in the papers. He died in 1963 at the age of 56.
Mo Siegel
1949 - Present
President of Urantia Foundation (2008 - Present)
Mo Siegel is the founder of Celestial Seasonings tea company and has served as President of Urantia Foundation since 2008, leading what many consider a reform era for the organization. Under his leadership, the Foundation has expanded its translation program to over 25 languages, modernized its outreach, and pursued cooperative relationships with other Urantia organizations. He has emphasized transparency, digital accessibility, and global dissemination.
Gard Jameson
Foundation Trustee/Treasurer, PhD in Comparative Religion
Dr. Gard Jameson holds a PhD in comparative religion and has served as a Trustee and Treasurer of Urantia Foundation. A long-time student and advocate of The Urantia Book, Jameson has been active in interfaith dialogue and academic engagement, helping to bridge the Urantia community with broader religious and philosophical traditions. He has played a significant role in the Foundation's educational and outreach initiatives.
Wilfred C. Kellogg
? - ?
Contact Commissioner, First Treasurer of Urantia Foundation
Wilfred Kellogg served as office manager for Dr. Sadler and was one of the five members of the Contact Commission that managed the reception of the Urantia Papers. He handled publishing matters and secured the copyright for the book. He served as the first Treasurer of Urantia Foundation and did early index work on the text. Skeptic Martin Gardner theorized Wilfred was the "sleeping subject," but people who actually knew him rejected this claim outright.
Anna Kellogg
? - ?
Contact Commissioner, Registered Nurse
Anna Kellogg was Wilfred's wife and Lena Sadler's sister. She worked as a registered nurse in Sadler's practice and was one of the five Contact Commissioners. Described as a "spunky, decisive, determined individual," she devoted the last 15 years of her life to working on the index of The Urantia Book.
William & Mary Lou Hales
1907 - 1995 / 1914 - 2007
First President of Urantia Foundation & Dedicated Movement Builders
William M. Hales was one of the five original Trustees who incorporated Urantia Foundation on January 11, 1950, and served as its first President. He oversaw the Foundation through the publication of The Urantia Book in 1955 and the early decades of its dissemination. His wife Mary Lou Hales was equally devoted to the movement, participating in study groups, community building, and organizational activities throughout her life. Together the Hales family became one of the pillars of the early Urantia community in Chicago. Their son John would go on to serve as President of the Urantia Brotherhood and Resident Director of the Fellowship, making the Hales family one of the most consequential dynasties in Urantia movement history.
John Hales
Active 1970s - present
Former President of Urantia Brotherhood, Resident Director of the Fellowship
John Hales is the son of William M. Hales, the Foundation's first President. John served as Secretary of Urantia Brotherhood and later as its President. He was a member of the General Council during the critical 1989 split and continued to serve as Resident Director of the Fellowship. He is a member of the First Society for Readers of The Urantia Book in Chicago. His family's connection to the movement spans from the Foundation's inception through the present day.
Paula Thompson
Active 1990s - present
Former Executive Director of the Urantia Book Fellowship
Paula Thompson served as Executive Director of the Urantia Book Fellowship from 2006 to 2022. Prior to the Fellowship, she spent 13 years as Executive Director of the Jesusonian Foundation. She was a founding member of TruthBook.com, where she created much of the content including the Quotes of the Day and topical studies. During her tenure at the Fellowship she oversaw business and social operations, coordinated committees and volunteers, and helped manage programs including the Pipeline of Light.
The Kulieke Family
Three generations of readers
Educators, Historians, Foundation Trustees
The Kulieke family represents three generations of involvement in the Urantia movement. Alvin Kulieke served as Dean of the Brotherhood School until his death in 1973. His son David Kulieke was a career English teacher who became chair of the Fellowship Education Committee, and with his wife Marilynn co-created the Teacher Education Program. Marilynn Kulieke serves as Vice President of Urantia Foundation. Mark Kulieke, author of "Birth of a Revelation" (1991), served as Assistant Secretary of the Foundation and provided one of the few firsthand accounts of the book's origins through his parents' involvement.
John Hay
Active 1970s - present
Co-founder of Celestial Seasonings, Founder of Uversa Press & The Boulder School
John Hay co-founded Celestial Seasonings alongside Mo Siegel, his brother Wyck Hay, Peggy Clute, and Lucinda Ziesing in the early 1970s in Boulder, Colorado. John brought business experience and capital that helped transform the operation from a small barn outside Boulder into what became one of the most recognized tea brands in America. Both John Hay and Mo Siegel were readers of The Urantia Book, and the company name "Celestial Seasonings" reflects their shared interest in the revelation. Beyond Celestial Seasonings, John Hay founded Uversa Press, a publishing venture dedicated to Urantia Book-related materials, and founded The Boulder School, an educational initiative rooted in the teachings of the fifth epochal revelation. The teachings influenced every venture, with UB wisdom appearing on tea box quotations and guiding his educational and publishing work. John Hay's entrepreneurial vision demonstrated how Urantia Book values could be lived out through business, education, and service.
Chuck Thurston
Active 1975 - present
Artist, Philosopher, Co-host of UBN Study Group and The Cosmic Citizen
Chuck Thurston is an artist, photographer, and philosopher based in Boulder, Colorado, who discovered the Urantia Book in the mid-1970s from a hitchhiker sharing the book. He taught photography at San Francisco Community College and Academy of Art University. Chuck co-founded Urantia Book Films with David Kantor, co-hosts The Cosmic Citizen podcast (14+ years running), and produced nearly 50 study podcasts with Derek Samaras for the UBN YouTube channel. His key philosophical contribution is extensive work on the Motherhood of God and "complemental synergy" between Father and Mother deity. Chuck suffered a stroke on November 14, 2025; UBN is preserving and continuing his content and shared work.
David Kantor
Reader since 1966, active since 1972
Filmmaker, Webmaster, Historian, Fellowship General Councilor
David Kantor built the first Urantia website in 1995 (urantiabook.org), created the Urantia Book Topical Index, and compiled the comprehensive historical timeline at archive.urantiabook.org. He served 15 years on the Fellowship General Council and 11 on the Executive Committee, chaired the International Fellowship Committee (2001-2007), and traveled to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Lithuania, and Russia for outreach. Through Urantia Book Films, he produced "Re-Imagining Jesus" (2014, shot in Jordan and Israel, IMDB 8.3/10) and "When Stories Die: Christianity's Crisis and the Urantia Revelation" (2025). He has published four books (2024-2025) including "A Personalist Cosmology" and "Navigating the Interregnum." In 1995 he began collecting original movement documents, later donating them to UC Santa Barbara Special Collections. Honored with the Fellowship's "Second Miler" award for outstanding long-term service.
Berkeley Elliott
Active 1950s - 1990s
Field Representative, Chair of Foreign Extension Committee, Oklahoma Pioneer
Berkeley Elliott was an administrative assistant from Oklahoma City who became one of the most consequential grassroots organizers in Urantia movement history. She was among the 26 founding charter members of the First Urantia Society of Oklahoma (1957), the fourth chartered society and notably the first to grow spontaneously rather than inheriting readers from a pre-existing group. Bill Sadler Jr. made regular trips to her home to lead study groups, and it was in her home on February 18, 1962, that the historic tape recording was made where Bill Sadler spoke about how The Urantia Book came into existence. Approximately 60 recorded conversations from these Oklahoma City sessions survive as the "Bill Sadler Tapes." As Chair of the Foreign Extension Committee, she conducted outreach to 6,000 international libraries and traveled to Finland to support the first Society chartered outside the United States. She was the visionary behind "Jesus: God and Man," the first derivative work ever permitted by Urantia Foundation.
Meredith Sprunger
1915 - 2012
Pastor, Theologian, Founder of The Spiritual Fellowship
Dr. Meredith Justin Sprunger was a United Church of Christ pastor, college president, and clinical psychologist who became one of the most significant theological voices in the Urantia movement. After discovering The Urantia Book in the 1950s through his friend Dr. Sadler, Sprunger spent decades attempting to bridge the revelation with mainstream Christianity. He founded The Spiritual Fellowship in 1998 as a religious organization based on the teachings of The Urantia Book. He authored numerous essays and books including "The Abridged Urantia Papers" and served as editor of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal. Sprunger believed the Urantia Papers represented the most important religious resource since the life of Jesus and worked tirelessly to bring academic and theological credibility to the study of the revelation.
Gary Tonge
Active 1990s - present
Digital Artist, Cosmic Visionary
Gary Tonge is a British digital artist whose cosmic and astronomical paintings have become some of the most recognized visual interpretations of the Urantia Book's universe concepts. His sweeping renderings of Paradise, Havona, and the superuniverses bring the book's cosmology to visual life in a way no text description alone can achieve. His work has circulated widely throughout the Urantia community and beyond, giving readers an imaginative anchor for concepts that otherwise strain human visualization.
Stephen Sawyer
Active 1980s - present
Artist, Creator of the "Amen" Series
Stephen Sawyer is an American artist best known for his "Amen" series of contemporary Jesus portraits, which reimagine the Teacher in everyday human situations with warmth, humor, and dignity. His paintings -- Jesus surfing, shooting hoops, walking modern streets -- have reached millions who might never encounter a traditional religious image. A reader of The Urantia Book, Sawyer's vision of Jesus as a living, dynamic, fully human personality reflects the revelation's portrait of the Teacher better than centuries of somber iconography.
Robert Sarmast
Active 1990s - present
Author, Eden-Cyprus Researcher
Robert Sarmast is the author of "Discovery of Atlantis: The Startling Case for the Island of Cyprus" (2003), in which he proposes that the first Garden of Eden described in The Urantia Book corresponds to a now-submerged landmass in the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus. He conducted sonar expeditions in 2004 that revealed underwater structures consistent with his theory. His research sparked significant discussion about correlating the UB's geographic claims with physical and archaeological evidence, and introduced many seekers to the fifth epochal revelation through the angle of ancient history.
Pato Banton
1960s - present
Reggae Musician, Spiritual Artist
Pato Banton is a British reggae and dancehall musician from Birmingham, England, best known internationally for the 1994 UK number one hit "Baby Come Back" recorded with UB40. A longtime reader of The Urantia Book, his music carries persistent themes of spiritual upliftment, divine love, and the brotherhood of humanity. He represents the Spirit of Truth in action -- an artist whose life and work bear fruit rooted in the revelation rather than in doctrine or organization.
Dr. Chris Halvorson
Active 1980s - present
Physicist, UB Cosmology Scholar
Dr. Chris Halvorson is a physicist who has spent decades studying the cosmological framework of The Urantia Book in dialogue with modern physics. His work explores the coherence between UB descriptions of space, time, force, and energy and the findings of quantum mechanics and relativity. He has taught widely in the Urantia community and is known for bringing rigorous intellectual discipline to questions that many readers approach only devotionally. One of the movement's most credentialed scientific minds.
Marvin Gawryn
Active 1970s - present
Minister, Teacher, Author
Marvin Gawryn is an ordained minister and longtime Urantia Book teacher known especially for his extensive work on the spiritual practices of Jesus. His audio and written teaching materials have helped thousands of readers move from intellectual study into personal spiritual practice. He has served the Urantia community for decades through retreats, study groups, and published teachings, emphasizing the living relationship with the indwelling Thought Adjuster as the center of the spiritual life.
Angie Thurston
Active 2000s - present
Educator, Spiritual Community Researcher
Angie Thurston is the oldest daughter of Chuck Thurston and a respected researcher and educator in the field of young adult spirituality. She co-authored "How We Gather" (2015) with Casper ter Kuile while at Harvard Divinity School, a widely-cited study documenting how millennials create meaning, community, and belonging outside traditional religious structures. Her work bridges the living spiritual impulses documented in The Urantia Book with the real social and institutional questions facing the next generation of seekers.
Sanskrita DellErba
? - 2020s
Survivor, Spiritual Witness
Sanskrita DellErba was the daughter of the leader of a Urantia-influenced communal group in Sedona, Arizona. She escaped the group and spoke openly about spiritual manipulation, control, and the path to recovery -- a courageous act of witness that few who have experienced such environments are willing to make publicly. Her Spirit of Truth interview stands as a testament to the resilience of genuine spiritual seeking in the face of distortion. She has since passed away.
Byron Belitsos
Active 1980s - present
Author, Publisher, Spiritual Writer
Byron Belitsos is co-founder of Origin Press and the author of "Your Evolving Soul: The Cosmic Spirituality of the Urantia Book" (2017), one of the most accessible full-length introductions to the fifth epochal revelation written for a general audience. A longtime student of The Urantia Book and the broader progressive spirituality movement, Belitsos has worked to build bridges between the UB community and wider audiences interested in consciousness, evolution, and the nature of the soul.
JJ Johnson
50-year student of the revelation
Author, Foreign Service Diplomat, Global Study Group Builder
JJ Johnson is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Specialist whose diplomatic career spanned five continents -- and who used every posting as an opportunity to establish Urantia Book study groups. A 50-year student of the revelation, he calls himself an "ambassador for cosmic citizenship." His 2025 book "Exploring the Urantia Revelation: Bridging Science and Spirit with the Truth of Reality" (Skyhorse Publishing, 408 pages) documents how The Urantia Book anticipated major scientific discoveries decades before they occurred -- covering continental geology, genetic timelines, cosmic structure, Gobekli Tepe, and the complete life of Jesus including the missing years. One of the most systematically researched pro-UB books written for a general audience.
Buck Weimer
Active 1980s - present
Urantia Book Fellowship Leader, International Outreach Pioneer
Buck Weimer is a dedicated Urantia Book reader and longtime leader in the Urantia Book Fellowship, known especially for his tireless international outreach work. Based in Colorado, Buck has been instrumental in spreading the Urantia revelation to readers in Latin America and other international communities. He has served in various Fellowship roles and is recognized for his grassroots approach to building Urantia Book study groups and reader communities across borders. His decades of service represent the spirit of personal ministry and hands-on community building that characterizes the best of the Urantia movement.
Halbert Katzen
Active 2000s - present
Creator of UBannotated.com, UB-Science Correlation Researcher
Halbert Katzen is the creator of UBannotated.com, a reference website that catalogs "UBtheNEWS" reports -- documented cases where scientific, historical, and archaeological discoveries have corroborated specific claims made in The Urantia Book. Each report pairs a UB passage with subsequent mainstream research that supports or aligns with it, covering topics from genetics and geology to ancient history and cosmology. UBannotated.com has become one of the primary resources for readers and researchers interested in the relationship between the revelation and mainstream science.
Lowel Pierce
Active 2000s - present
Author, Christian Reform Advocate
Lowel Pierce is the author of "Rocking the Boat: Is It Time to Update Christianity?" (2023), which uses both the Bible and The Urantia Book as primary sources to examine core Christian theological assumptions -- the atonement doctrine, the authorship of the Gospels, the empty tomb, and what Jesus actually taught about the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Written accessibly for general readers, the book represents the kind of bridge-building between the fifth epochal revelation and mainstream Christian culture that the UB itself calls for.
Elisabeth Callahan
Active - present
Longtime Urantia Book Reader
Elisabeth Callahan is a longtime reader of The Urantia Book whose Spirit of Truth interview -- one of the longest in the series at nearly two hours -- reflects the depth of personal spiritual journey that characterizes devoted students of the fifth epochal revelation.
Merritt Horn
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Merritt Horn is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview explores the living impact of the fifth epochal revelation on personal faith, relationships, and daily life.
Michael Hill
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Michael Hill is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview reflects on the personal transformation and expanded spiritual understanding that the revelation brings to those who study it deeply.
Brother Joshua Wilson
Active - present
Minister, Urantia Book Reader
Brother Joshua Wilson is a minister and Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview bridges the living teachings of Jesus as presented in the revelation with active faith community and personal ministry.
Karo Kanye Akamune
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Karo Kanye Akamune is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview offers a perspective on the fifth epochal revelation and its power to transform individual lives and expand the understanding of God, identity, and cosmic citizenship.
Gabriel Rymberg
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Gabriel Rymberg is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview explores the personal discovery of the revelation and the spiritual growth it catalyzes in the life of a sincere seeker.
Tom Allen
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Tom Allen is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview reflects the quiet but consequential impact that the fifth epochal revelation has on those who encounter it -- reshaping their understanding of God, Jesus, and the cosmos.
Zshonette Reed
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Zshonette Reed is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview explores her encounter with the fifth epochal revelation and the transformation of spiritual understanding that followed.
Kwadjo Spiri
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Kwadjo Spiri is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview reflects on the revelation's teachings and their meaning for personal spiritual growth, identity, and purpose.
Errol Strider
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spiritual Artist
Errol Strider is a Urantia Book reader and performer whose Spirit of Truth interview explores the integration of spiritual truth with creative expression and the living presence of the Spirit of Truth in daily life.
Diane Labrecque
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Diane Labrecque is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview -- one of the longest in the series -- delves into the personal journey of faith, the experience of divine guidance, and what it means to live in alignment with the teachings of the fifth epochal revelation.
Andre Radatus
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Andre Radatus is a Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview reflects on the revelation's impact on spiritual understanding, personal faith, and the ongoing journey toward God.
Larry Geis
Active - present
Urantia Book Reader, Spirit of Truth Interviewee
Larry Geis is a longtime Urantia Book reader whose Spirit of Truth interview reflects on the personal and spiritual significance of the fifth epochal revelation and its teachings on God, Jesus, and the purpose of human life.
Brigitte Mars
Active - present
Herbalist, Author, Urantia Book Reader
Brigitte Mars is a Boulder-based herbalist, author, and longtime Urantia Book reader who has written extensively on natural health and holistic living. Her two Spirit of Truth interviews reflect the organic connection between her reverence for natural creation and the revelation's teachings on the living universe, the presence of God in nature, and the spiritual dimensions of health and wholeness.
