The Adventure Continues: Honoring the Third TEP Cohort

The third cohort of the Teacher Education Program (TEP) completed its year-long journey with a graduation ceremony that was both deeply personal and spiritually uplifting. More than a conclusion, the ceremony felt like a stepping stone. It was a moment of celebration before the next chapter of service, teaching, and continued collaboration begins.

At the heart of the ceremony was the recognition that each person carries a unique genius. Each graduate was honored not only for completing the program, but also for the particular gifts, personality, insight, and spirit they brought to the group. Woven throughout the ceremony was the message that “everything grows better with love,” and that each graduate is called to “dare to be all you can be by allowing the spirit to lead you along your original path.”

Elisabeth Callahan, Executive Director of Urantia University Institute, spoke of the deep value of the relationships formed through TEP, describing one of the great gifts of the program as “the deep, trusting, and loving relationships that develop among the members of the cohort and the faculty.”

Joy Brandt, chosen by the students as their speaker, offered inspiring remarks that captured both the accomplishments of the cohort and the larger purpose of their work. Her reflections emphasized that spiritual education is not only about knowledge, but about love, service, and relationships. She imagined the graduates meeting again on the mansion worlds, continuing the work of love and teaching in new forms. The idea captured the spirit of the day: graduation was not an ending, but “to be continued.”

The ceremony concluded with worship and expressions of gratitude, love, and continued partnership among graduates, instructors, and the Urantia community. After a period of rest, the graduates will be invited to consider new pathways of service with UUI, including curriculum development, teaching, serving as UUI Café moderators, becoming teaching assistants, and helping expand TEP into additional languages.

The third TEP cohort leaves the program with more than a certificate. They leave with relationships and a clearer understanding of how their own unique genius can serve the revelation. Their journey together reflected one of the ceremony’s most enduring reminders: “love is the greatest reality.” For this cohort, the adventure continues.