Every little bit helps.
Sometimes, a modest donation (ranging from $1,000 to $3,000) from The Urantia Book Fellowship’s Second Miler Grant Program is enough to fund the applicant’s project in its entirety.
At other times, this kind of sum can only finance a relatively small portion of the overall cost of a project. But even that can make a difference.
Back in 2021, Gabriel Rymberg applied for a grant to help pay for what he described as the first baby steps of the Jesus Metaverse project, run by the Center for Unity. The center is a collective of Urantia Book students who are working on a number of ambitious projects aimed at fostering personal relationships with God through the teachings of Jesus in Part IV of the book.
One of those projects was the Jesus Metaverse (since renamed Discover Jesus). The grant was needed to develop the software for a demonstrator prototype of the online portal that would allow visitors to immerse themselves in Jesus’ life.
In November 2023, the desktop version of Discover Jesus was released to the public followed by the mobile and tablet version in January 2024.
An Option to Connect to God
Discover Jesus takes the visitor on a journey of discovery through the Master’s earthly existence, his relationships and his spiritual messages to the world, and it does so in a way that is highly accessible and interactive. The web app is described as a Jesus-focused Wikipedia with hundreds of original essays that simplify his teachings and make them relevant to people’s lives. It also offers a private, ad-free social network connecting visitors to other truth seekers and mentors.
“The project is focused on bringing the life and teachings of Jesus to young people and so far it is working,” says Rick Lyon, one of the project managers at the Center for Unity.
By January 2024, the website had already had over 4,000 visitors. According to Google, 53% of those visiting AskJesus and Discover Jesus are between the ages of 18 and 24, and 93% are under the age of 45.
In an interview on the Spirit of Truth podcast in 2023, Gabriel explained his philosophy for the app. Young people, he said, are trying to unbundle from established religions and spiritual paths. They’re building a customized experience from going to church, doing yoga or meditation, going on retreats, and so on.
“We hope the app will be part of their smorgasbord of options of how to connect to God. This is what the planet needs. It needs more people who have decided to put God first. And they have to find their own path.”
The face of Jesus from the Discover Jesus website.
AI Answers from Jesus
The Discover Jesus website was in January 2024 due to feature another of the innovative projects undertaken by the Center for Unity: its AskJesus chatbot, an AI-powered experiment that gives answers exclusively based on the content of The Urantia Book, targeting a young audience of 25-40 year-olds.
Meanwhile, the content continues to grow as more volunteers, such as creative writers, are taken on board, and, of course, more funds are painstakingly raised.
“The young people are out there and when we use modern tools and methods to reach them, they are starving for what we have to offer,” says Rick.
“So do not underestimate the influence Second Miler grants can have.”
The Urantia Book Fellowship would like to thank supporters of the Second Miler Grant Program for helping make possible the Discover Jesus project and all the other projects the program has funded since 2020.
