Special Friends of CFU–Fraser Gorrie
By Susan Lyon
From time to time, we like to feature someone who has contributed their time or resources to our projects, and who have other interests our readers might enjoy learning about... this month we bring attention to a valuable member of our team, and great contributor to our completed and ongoing projects–Fraser Gorrie.
When asked about his involvement, Fraser shared:
Bio and Testimonial
"In the fall of 2022, I received a charming email from someone named Gabriel. He introduced himself, The Center For Unity, and asked whether I might be able to help with something called the "Jesus Metaverse App." That phrase alone was enough to catch my attention. But more importantly, I was meeting someone interesting, capable, and kind: the minimum requirements for sparking my interest in any collaboration.
Since that first exchange, I have had the pleasure of working continuously with CFU on several projects and the privilege of meeting many other members of the team in addition to Gabriel, such as Mike, Lisa, Gary, and several others. They are, quite simply, a kind and caring group of people doing thoughtful and meaningful work.
My Background
I live in Ontario, Canada, and I am a programmer, though I did not start out that way. I studied Marine Biology and eventually earned an MSc in Zoology from the University of Toronto in 1984. Life, however, has a way of redirecting us. After getting married and finding myself 1,000 miles from the sea, I turned more fully toward my second love: writing software, analyzing data, and modeling complex systems.
Over time, my professional focus shifted from biology and environmental applications into business-centered systems. I have now been writing software for clients for 45 years, helping translate ideas into working, reliable tools.
My Contributions to CFU
I have served as the primary developer behind the implementation of DiscoverJesus.com, and more recently, DiscovertheUB.com. These projects represent monumental collaborative efforts, with extensive content creation, editorial direction, and project coordination provided by the broader CFU team (who also deserve full credit for keeping me on schedule).
In addition, I have contributed smaller enhancements and technical improvements to other initiatives as needed.
Currently, I am involved in designing a repeatable translation pipeline for secondary works related to The Urantia Book — an interesting technical challenge that blends structure, language, and workflow design in ways I find especially engaging.
My son, Colin, has also contributed to several CFU projects, and we have had the opportunity to work together on aspects of this work, which has been particularly meaningful for me.
It was a wonderful day when I opened that first email from Gabriel. The work has been challenging, thoughtful, and deeply satisfying. The people are every bit as engaging as the projects themselves. I am grateful to be part of it."
A Revelation Designed To Intrigue A Marine Biologist?
When I asked if Fraser had the opportunity to read any of the engaging history and evolutionary tale, as presented in The Urantia Book, he said: "I dropped into most of the stories in Part 4 (while doing, testing Discover Jesus). With Discover The UB, I only read maybe 30 all told so far. Not for not wanting too. Some were especially heavy to apprehend and needed several re-readings to even start to understand the scope. But, I did see the parts you are referring to but didn't do a deep dive. At the time, I couldn't afford to be drawn into that world too deeply while coding. lol. Now I do have a little time. I should read those sections. That's a great reminder, Susan!"
I told Fraser I would be interested to hear his expert opinion about the evolution concept provided in The Urantia Book, when he has time to read it. It’s 100 years old and yet I think it’s still relevant and beyond what most people in science have imagined. There are all kinds of sea creatures described and evolutionary surprises that I think will interest Fraser, even though he is 1,000 miles from the sea. I hope he enjoys it!