Our first statewide conference was held in November, 1975 at the Unity Church in Tampa. This one-day event was the beginning of our statewide conferences. Thomas Kendall, John Hales, Vern Grimsley and other long-time readers spoke and enthralled the attendees who had been reading the Urantia Book alone or in small groups around the state and had no idea of the size or organization of the Urantia movement! 

In these early days, Steve Law and Joycee Patterson, together with David Glass (who roamed the state gathering the names of Urantia Book readers wherever he could find them) created the first Florida-wide community of Urantia Book readers. Each year the conference was moved to a different part of the state, and the community grew. In 1989 we formed a Urantia community independent of the national organizations.

Our Mission Statement was:

We are an independent association of men and women who join together to share in the teachings of The Urantia Book. We hold no opinions on outside issues; neither do we endorse or oppose any causes, political or social. We encourage our members to unite their diverse points of view to foster the dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book and to share in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. Our mission is to bring unity of purpose to the Urantia Book readers of Florida and to become better individuals, parents, and teachers.

Our group became a model for other study groups in North and South America that wanted a community of readers but did not want to align with any particular organization. As the national organizations matured, and they became more unified in purpose, a small group of readers decided it was time to create the Agondonter Boot Camp Society and offer our support and affiliation to the Urantia Fellowship. In April 2015, this small community of readers and students became an official society of the Urantia Fellowship. We remain focused on our original mission:  studying the book and unifying the members of the Urantia community through the diversity of their unique contributions.

If our community resonates with you, we invite you to join us, whether as a member or as a study group/conference attendee.