Bahá’í News/Inserts/Issue 321/Heights Never Before Attained/Text

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A Message from the Guardian

to the American Baha’is

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’fS OF THE UNITED STATES WILMETTE, ILLINOIS

[Page 1]HEIGHTS NEVER BEFORE ATTAINED

A Message from the Guardian

to the American Baha’is

Dear and valued co-workers:

The American Baha’i Community, has, ever since the launching of the global Spiritual Crusade, in which it has been assigned the lion’s share in view of the primacy conferred upon it by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, exerted itself, in numerous and widely-scattered areas of the globe, with commendable perseverance, a high sense of undeviating loyalty and exemplary consecration. The inexorable march of events, hastening its members along the path of their destiny, is steadily carrying them to the stage at which the momentous Plan, to which they have dedicated their resources, will have reached its midway point.

Enduring Achievements

A prodigious“expenditure of effort, a stupendous flow of material resources, an unprecedented dispersal of pioneers, embracing so vast a section of the globe, and bringing in their wake the rise, the multiplication and consolidation of so many institutions, so divers in character, so potent and full of promise, already stand to their credit, and augur well for a befitting consummation of a decade-long task in the years immediately ahead.

The opening of a large percentage of the virgin territories, scattered over the face of the planet, and assigned, under the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan, to this community and its sister and daughter communities in all continents of the globe; the allocation of vast sums, for the Founding of National Haziratu’lQuds, for the establishment of national Baha’i endowments; and for the purchase of the sites of future Baha’i Temples; the financial aid extended, and the moral support accorded, to a still persecuted sister community, struggling heroically for its emancipation, in the Cradle of the Faith; the steady progress in the vital process of incorporating firmly-grounded local spiritual assemblies in various States of the Union; the translation of Baha’i literature into the languages listed in the Ten-Year Plan, as well as into a number of supplementary languages, spontaneously undertaken by American Baha’i pioneers in territories far beyond the confines of their homeland; the completion of the landscaping of the area immediately surrounding the Mother Temple of the West, in conformity with the expressed, often repeated wishes of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, contributing so greatly to the beauty of an Edifice, the spiritual influence of which He, repeatedly and unequivocally, emphasized; the acquisition of the site of the first Dependency of that same Edifice, designed to pave the way for the early establishment of the first of several institutions, which, as conceived by Him, will be grouped around every Baha’i House of Worship, complementing, through their association with direct service to mankind, in the educational, the humanitarian and social fields, its spiritual function as the ordained place of communion with the Creator and the

Spirit of His appointed Messenger in this day; the establishment of the Baha’i Publishing Trust; the generous financial assistance extended, the administrative guidance vouchsafed and the unfalling encouragement given, by the elected representatives of this same community to the newly-fledged assemblies, emerging into independent existence in both the eastern and western Hemispheres; the substantial share which one of its members has had in the acquisition of one of the holy sites in the capital city of Baha’u’llah’s native land; the preponderating role played by the various agencies, acting under the direction of its national elected representatives, in giving publicity to the Faith, through the proclamation of the fundamental verities underlying the Baha’i Revelation, the airing of the manifold grievances weighing so heavily on the overwhelming majority of their coreligionists, and the appeals directed, on their behalf, to men of eminence in various walks of life, as well as to different departments of the United Nations, both in New York and Geneva; and, finally, ranking as equally meritorious to anything hitherto achieved by the members of this privileged community, the magnificent and imperishable, contribution made by them, singly and collectively, to the rise and establishment of the institutions of their beloved Faith at its World Center; through the assistance given by their distinguished representatives serving in the Holy Land, in hastening the erection of the Baha’i International Archives, through the purchase of the site of the Mother Temple of the Holy Land, the enlargement of the scope of Baha’i international endowments on the slopes of Mt. Carmel and in the Plain of ‘Akké, the embellishment of the sacred precincts of the two holiest Shrines of the Baha’i World; the formation of the Israel Branches of four National Spiritual Assemblies, the preparation and completion of the designs of the first Mashriqu’lAdhkars to be erected in the Asiatic, the African and Australian continents, and the setting in motion, through the instrumentality of various Departments of the Israeli government, of a long-drawn-out process, culminating in the expropriation, by the State of the entire property, owned and controlled by the remnants of the breakers of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, immediately surrounding His resting-place and the Mansion of Bahji, the evacuation of this property by this ignoble band, and the final and definite purification, after the lapse of no less than six decades, of the Outer Sanctuary of the Most Holy Shrine of the Baha’i World, of the defilement, which had caused so much sorrow and anxiety to the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Baha — these are among the enduring achievements which four brief years of unremitting devotion to the interests of the Ten-Year Plan have brought about, and which will eternally redound to the glory of the champion-builders of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Order, holding aloft so valiantly the banner of His Faith in the Great Republic of the West. [Page 2]The Homefront — Base for the Steady —=—~Fxpansion of Future Operations

in Every Continent

Though much has been achieved in the space of less than five years, through the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan, in most of its essential aspects, may be said to have been triumphantly attained long before the time appointed for its termination, through a striking display, and a remarkable combination, of American Baha’i initiative, resourcefulness, generosity, fidelity and perseverance, the Plan, prosecuted hitherto so vigorously by the rank and file of this community, may be said to be still suffering in some of its vital aspects, from certain deficiencies, which, if not speedly and fundamentally remedied, will not only mutilate the Plan itself, but jeopardize the prizes won so laboriously since its inauguration.

As I have already fore-warned the energetic prosecutors of the global Crusade in the North American continent, the Homefront, from which have sprung, since the inception of the Formative Age of the Faith, the dynamic forces which have set in motion, and directed the operation, of so many processes, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i activity, and which must continue to act as a base for the steady expansion of future operations in every continent of the globe, and the extension of their ramifications to the uttermost corners of the earth, and which must be increasingly regarded, as the forces of internal disruption and the stress and danger of aggressiveness from without gather momentum, as the sole stronghold of a Faith, which cannot hope to escape unscathed from the turmoil gathering around it + such a Homefront must, at all costs, and in the shortest possible time, be spiritually reinvigorated, administratively expanded, and materially replenished. The flame of devotion ignited and the enthusiasm generated, during the celebrations which commemorated the centenary of the birth of the Mission of the Divine Author of our Faith, and which, in the course of the years immediately following it have carried the members of the American Baha’i Community, so far and so high, along the road leading to their ultimate Destiny, must, in whatever way possible, be fanned and continually fed throughout the entire area of the Union, in every State from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboards, in every locality where Baha’is reside, in every heart throbbing with the love of Baha’u’llah. The spirit that sent forth, not so long ago, in such rapid succession, so many pioneers to such remote areas of the globe, | must at all costs and above everything else, be recaptured,\for the two-fold purpose of swelling the number, and of ensuring the continual flow, of pioneers,| so essential for the safeguarding of the prizes won in the course of the several campaigns of a world-girdling Crusade,} and of combatting the evil forces which a relentless and all-pervasive materialism, the cancerous growth of militant racialism, political corruption, unbridled capitalism, wide-spread lawlessness and gross immorality, are, alas, unleashing, with ominous swiftness, amongst various classes of the so¢iety to which the members of this community belong.

The administrative strongholds of a Faith, bound to be subjected on the one hand, to a severe spiritual challenge from within, through the inevitable impact

of these devastating influences on its infant strength, and, on the other, to the onslaught of ecclesiastical leaders, the traditional defenders of religious orthodoxy from without, must be multiplied and reinforced for the purpose of warding off the inevitable attacks of the assailants, of vindicating the ideals and principles which animate their defenders, and of ensuring the ultimate victory and ascendency of the Faith itself over the nefariousYelements seeking to undermine it from within, and its powerful detractors aiming at its extinction from without.

Nor must the material resources, so vitally required to meet the challenge of a continually expanding Faith, be, for a moment, either ignored, neglected, or underestimated — resources which a Homefront, materially and adequately replenished by a steady and marked influx of active and whole-hearted supporters from all ranks of society, can, in the long run, provide. As the imperative needs of a Faith, now irresistibly advancing in every direction, multiply, a corresponding increase in the financial means at the disposal of its national administrators directing and controlling its operations, within and beyond the confines of their homeland, to meet these essential and urgent requirements, must be ensured, if its onward march is not to be either halted or slowed down.

Mighty and Historic Enterprises

It is upon the individual believer, constituting the fundamental unit in the structure of the Homefront, that the revitalization, the expansion, and the enrichment of the Homefront must ultimately depend. The more strenuous the effort exerted, daily and methodically, by the individual laboring on the Homefront to rise to loftier heights of consecration, of self-abnegation, to contribute, through pioneering at home, to the multiplication of Baha’i isolated centers, groups and assemblies, and to raise, through diligent, painstaking and continual endeavor to convert receptive souis to the Faith he has espoused, the number of its active and wholehearted supporters, the sooner will the vast and multiple enterprises, launched beyond the confines of the homeland, and now so desperately calling for a greater supply of men and means, be provided with the necessary support that will ensure their uninterrupted development and hasten their ultimate fruition, and the lighter will be the burden of the impending contest that must be waged, sooner or later, within the borders of the Union itself, between the rising institutions of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic divinely-appointed Order, and the exponents of obsolescent™doctrines and the defenders, both secular and religious, of a corrupt and fast-declining society.

The fourth phase of the Ten-Year Plan, which the prosecutors of a world-encompassing Crusade are about to enter, must witness on the one hand, on every homefront, and particularly within the confines of the American homeland, this same spiritual reinvigoration, administrative expansion, and material replenishment, constituting the triple facets of a task which can brook no further delay, and, on the other, an acceleration, particularly in connection with the construction of the Mother Temples of Australia and Germany (the needs of the Mother Temple of Africa having, to all intents and purposes, been met) in the contributions to be made, by individual believers as well as national Spirit “a [Page 3]-~

ual Assemblies to ensure the uninterrupted progress and the early completion, of these mighty and historic enterprises.

As the members of the valiant American Baha’i Community have, in the space of more than four years, blazed the trail, and vindicated their primacy, through the share they have had in opening the chief remaining virgin territories of the globe, in contributing to the furtherance of the interests of the institutions of the Faith at its World Center, and in hastening the acquisition of national Haziratu’l-Quds, the establishment of Baha’i national endowments, and the purchase of sites for future Baha’i Temples, so must they, if they be intent on safeguarding that primacy, and on preserving, intact and untarnished, the noble example they have already set the Baha’i world, maintain their enviable position, as the vanguard of the army of Baha’u’llah’s Crusaders, in rescuing, while there is yet time, their Homefront from the precarious position in which it now finds itself, and in displaying for the purpose of ensuring the erection of the Mother Temple of three continents — tasks which tower far above any of the national enterprises hitherto undertaken — be they Haziratu’l-Quds, endowments or Temple sites — that selfsame generosity and self-abnegation which have distinguished their stewardship to the Cause of Baha’u’llah in the past.

The year, the opening of which will mark the midway point of this world Spiritual Crusade, must be distinguished from all previous years, by the special allotment of a substantial sum from the National Budget that will adequately meet the urgent needs of these ‘Houses of Worship, and particularly those that are to be erected in the European and Australian continents.

A Golden Opportunity, a Glorious Challenge

The forthcoming convocation“ of no less than five intercontinental conferences, marking the passing of

half of the time allotted for the prosecution of a World

Crusade, and to be held, in five continents of the globe, for the purpose of paying homage to the Author of the Baha’i “Revélation~ tor ae protection, guidance and blessings, of focusing attention on the achievements of the immediate past and the pressing requirements of the immediate future, will, it is my ardent hope and prayer, provide a fresh stimulus for the adequate discharge of these two afore-mentioned responsibilities, which constitute the distinguishing features of the fourth phase of a rapidly unfolding Plan.

At four of these five conferences, in the proceedings of which four, the members of the American Baha’i Community—the principal executors of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Divine Plan and the keepers and defenders of the stronghold of the Baha’i Administrative Order—will participate, through their official representatives, the voice of the champion builders of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Order, who can well claim to have had a decisive share in the great strides made by this Crusade, should be raised in a spirit and manner that will galvanize these conferences into action, and pro «™ duce such results as will reverberate round the world.

A golden opportunity, a glorious challenge, an inescapable duty, a staggering responsibility, confront them, at this fresh turning point in the fortunes of a

Crusade, for which they have so unremittingly labored, whose Cause they have so notably advanced, in the further unfoldment which they must continue to play a leading part, and in whose closing stages, they will, I feel confident, rise to heights never before attained in the course of six decades of American Baha’i history.

Once again—and this time more fervently than ever before—I direct my plea to every single member of this strenuously laboring, clear-visioned, stout-hearted, spiritually endowed community, every man and woman, on whose individual efforts, resolution, self-sacrifice and perseverance the immediate destinies of the Faith of God, now traversing so crucial a stage in its rise and establishment, primarily depends, not to allow, through apathy, timidity or complacency, this one remaining opportunity to be irretrievably lost. I would rather entreat each and every one them to immortalize this approaching, fateful hour in the evolution of a world Spiritual Crusade, by a fresh consecration to their God-given Mission, coupled with an instantaneous plan of action, at once so dynamic and decisive, as to wipe out, on the one hand, with one stroke, the deficiencies which have, to no small extent, bogged down the operations of the Crusade on the Homefront, and tremendously accelerate, on the other, the progress of the triple task, launched, in three continents, and constituting one of its preeminent objectives.

His Watchful Power and Unfailing Grace

May He, Who through the irresistible operation of the Will of His almighty Father, called this community into being, nursed it, in its infancy through the inestimable benefits conferred by a divinely-appointed Covenant, infused through His personal contact with its members, and the proclamation of His Own Station, a new spirit into their souls; conferred, subsequently, through the revelation of His Tablets, the spiritual primacy designed to enable them to assume a preponderating role in the propagation of His Father’s Faith; graciously aided them, following His ascension, to inaugurate their God-given Mission by fixing the pattern, creating the institutions, and vindicating the

purpose, of a divinely-appointed Administrative Order

and by launching subsequently the preliminary undertakings in their homeland, as well as in all the Republics of Latin America, in anticipation of the formal inauguration of a systematic world Crusade for the furtherance of His Father’s Cause; and more recently assisted them to embark, in concert with their brethern in other continents of the globe, upon the first stage of their world encompassing Mission, and to win a series of victories unprecedented in the annals of the Faith in their homeland—may He, through His watchful care and unfailing grace, continue to sustain them, individually and collectively, in the course of the remaining stages of the Plan, and enable them to bring to a triumphant termination the initial epoch in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan which He has primarily entrusted to them and on the successful prosecution of which their entire spiritual destiny must depend.

—SHOGHI September 21, 1957 [Page 4]Beloved Friends:

The Guardian’s momentous announcement of the convocation of five Intercontinental Conferences and the appointment of another contingent of Hands of the Cause was directed to the Baha’i world—a message for all Hands of the Cause and for all National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies.

Shoghi Effendi’s message dated September 21 is a communication addressed to the Baha’i Community of the United States, summoning us to achieve our divine destiny throughout the remaining years of the World Crusade. This is the community to which the ‘‘lion’s share’’ of the Crusade tasks were assigned because of the ‘‘Primacy conferred upon it by ‘Abdu’l-Baha’’ in the Tablets of the Divine Plan.

We approach this message with reverence and humility, grateful for the beloved Guardian’s tributes to our “preponderating role’? and ‘‘enduring achievements,”’ but thoroughly conscious that his clarion™call is a summons to rise to ‘‘heights never before attained.”’

The half-way point in the operation of any great plan marks its most decisive stage. It is at this point that “we must overcome the illusion of full success and the folly of premature fatigue. What is required is a new and larger access of determination, a clearer vision and a conscious reliance upon the inspiration of a higher Power.

To measure the remaining task is not discouragement but the sign of renewed resolve. The Guardian’s assertion, ‘‘I feel confident,’’ provides us with assurance far beyond the limits of our personal will.

Indeed, what else but the Voice of Destiny is speaking to us through these successive messages which emanate from the Guardian of the Faith of Baha’u’llah? He alone of all the world’s multitudes is fully conscious of the Almighty Power of the Manifestation—he alone perceives the definite stages which mark the collapse of an old order and the establishment of the Kingdom on earth—he alone knows what the Baha’i community can achieve when a crucial turning point in human fortunes must be traversed.

Therefore this message does not merely define the immediate goals but also transmits to us the capacity to fulfil them. Our part is to ponder Shoghi Effendi’s communication with reverent devotion and open our hearts to the ‘‘irresistible operation of His almighty Father’’ which sustains not only the Guardian himself but also the unfoldment of the Divine Plan which He (i.e., ‘Abdu’l-Baha) has primarily entrusted ‘‘to the American Baha’i Community.”’

What are the essential Baha’i services we are called upon to render?

1. Spiritual regeneration, administrative expansion and financial replenishment of the Homefront.

2. To fan and maintain the flame of devotion throughout the entire American Baha’i Community; to recapture the spirit of pioneering.

3. To multiply the number of local Assemblies and strengthen them to be able to ward off attacks.

4. The National Fund to receive increased donations to meet the increasing needs of the Faith.

5. Revitalization depends upon the individual believer.

6. The fourth phase of the Ten-Year Plan will require, particularly in America, spiritual reinvigoration, administrative expansion and increased financial support, and an acceleration in the construction of the Temples in Australia and Germany.

7. To preserve their primacy the American Baha’is must rescue their Homefront from its precarious position and assure completion of the Temples.

8. The holding of the five Intercontinental Conferences in 1958 must provide a fresh stimulus for the discharge of the two responsibilities (as stated in No. 7).

9. The Guardian again directs his plea to every individual American believer not to lose their final opportunity.

The National Spiritual Assembly places this message in the hands of every local Assembly, committee and individual Baha’i for personal study and collective consultation. Our beloved Guardian illumines the path along which we are to march from darkness into light.

—NatTIonaL SpiriruaL ASSEMBLY

Insert in BaHA’i News November, 1957 eee [Page 5]THE GUARDIAN’S DIRECTIONS TO AMERICAN BAHA’IS

Excerpts from letter dated September 21, 1957

The following excerpts, of particular relevance to all American Bahd’is, have been taken from a letter written on behalf of the Guardian by his Secretary — the postscript to which, in the Guardian’s own hand, is published on the preceding pages of

this BAHA’i NEWS insert.

“At this time, when the elected representatives of the American Baha’i Community have returned from launching so many new National and Regional Bodies upon an independent existence, he wishes to express his gratification at this great historic achievement. Not only has Latin America. now reached the stage of having four Regional Bodies to direct the affairs of the believers there, but Alaska has her own National Body. This is an achievement which is truly remarkable, and would have been considered, ten years ago, as something that might be accomplished in the distant future. It shows par excellence what the American Baha’is are capable of when they arise in the proper spirit, leave their homes and settle permanently in a new land. Not only are they happy in their service, but they attract the divine blessings, and see the fruits of their labors mature rapidly before their very eyes.”

“A ‘best teacher’ and an ‘exemplary believer’ is ultimately neither more nor less than an ordinary

Baha’i who has co ated hi the work of _the Faith, deepened his knowledge and understanding _

of ‘its Teachings, placed his confidence in Baha wiah, “and arisen fo serve Him to the best of his ability. This door is one which we are assured will open before the face of every follower of the Faith who knocks hard enough, so to speak. When the will and the desire are strong enough, the means will be found and the way opened either to do more work locally, to go to a new goal town within the United States, or to enter the foreign pioneer field.”’

“Not only must your Body provide the encouragement and leadership required, and stimulate the friends to arise and play their part, but the Local Assemblies must likewise do everything in their power to help the friends to go forth and attain their objectives. Each individual Baha’i must . . . feel that it is his personal duty to the Cause at this time and his greatest privilege, and must ask himself what he can do during the coming six years, beginning now, to hasten the attainment of the goals of the World Crusade. The

a_

Baha’is are the leaven of God, which must leaven the lump of their nation. In direct ratio to their success will be the protection vouchsafed, not only to them but to their country. These are the immutable laws of God, from which there is no escape: [*For unto whomsoever. much is given, of him shall be much required.’ ”’ /

“They cannot be the chosen people of God—the ones who have received the bounty of accepting Him in His Day, the recipients of the Master’s Divine Plan—and do nothing about it. The obligation to teach is the obligation of every Baha’i, and particularly, the obligations of the American Baha’is towards humanity are great and inescapable. |To the degree to which they discharge them will they be blessed and protected, happy and satisfied.””)

V

“Fortunately a great many of the most difficult objectives of the Ten-Year Plan have been attained, such as the purchase of practically all the National Headquarters, all the National Endowments, most of the Temple lands specified in the Plan, and the translation and publication of a large proportion of the languages allotted to the American community, as part of its specific task. In fact, as the friends survey what has been done in four years, far from feeling discouraged at what remains to be done, they should gather courage, and feel that with such confirmations poured on them from on high, nothing is impossible to them, if they arise with the proper spirit of faith and seek with grateful hearts to accomplish their great destiny.”’

“As regards the teaching work on the Home Front, aside from the establishment of new assemblies, he considers that special attention should be devoted to [Page 6]two phases of the work; 1, to increase the number of places in the United States where the Baha’is reside, as he noticed there has been a loss of about twenty centers this year. He realizes that part of this is due to the friends moving about, but considers that, with the number of Baha’is in America, and the fact that the Faith has been established there for over half a century, even taking into consideration the normal change of residence of some members in a large community, there should nevertheless be a steady annual increase of places where Baha’is reside.”

“He also feels that particular attention should be devoted to the teaching work in the South, and to attracting the colored people. The years of careful attention, which have been devoted to the white element in the South, in the hope of placating”’them, enrolling them in the Faith, and also enrolling the colored Baha’is at the same time, have not shown satisfactory results. In view of this, he urges the friends to concentrate on teaching the Negroes. They should be courageous in their racial stand, particularly as so many non-Baha’is and non-Baha’i organizations are showing marked courage at this time, when the decisions of the Supreme Court are being so hotly Veontested in the South. The friends must remember that the cardinal “principle of their Faith is the Qneness of Mankind. This places’ an obligation on them far surpassing the obligation which Christian charity and brotherly love places upon the Christians. They should demonstrate this spirit of oneness constantly and courageously in the South.”

Beloved Friends:

In this first excerpt, quoted above, the beloved Guardian expresses gratification at what the American Baha’is have accomplished and points out to us that when we serve in the right spirit we attract the divine blessings.

If any of us are inclined to find excuse in the fact

that we are not accomplished, like the pioneers and teachers whose exploits we admire, the second para graph removes our illusion. Spiritual attainment is ours when we turn to Baha’u’llah in true sincerity and pray for the blessing of service to His Kingdom.

That the local Assemblies, and not the National

Spiritual Assembly alone, are called upon to encourage and stimulate the friends to pioneer is clearly pointed out in the next two paragraphs. Besides administrative leadership, the consecration of the individual Baha’i is imperative. The hastening of the goals of the World Crusade is our solemn obligation, and as we respond sO we assure protection not only for ourselves but for our country.

Since the revered Master directed the Tablets of the Divine Plan to America, we are the instruments of destiny and no mere congregation of idle worshippers of an unknown God.

Again, in the fifth paragraph, the clear note of encouragement is sounded. ‘‘Nothing is impossible’’ “‘if they arise.’”’ We approach the midpoint of the TenYear Plan with many of its most difficult tasks already performed.

The last two paragraphs need particular attention. Indeed, all the excerpts should be brought up for consultation both local and regional, and at the State Conventions.

Let us etch upon our minds the two objectives upheld at this time: to increase the number of Baha’i centers in the United States, and to attract the colored people in the South.

A Baha’i center for statistical purposes can be a

community, a group or an isolated believer. Therefore —™

service here means bringing a group to Assembly status or taking up residence in a town where there are no believers. It is the total number of Baha’i centers, and not of Assemblies alone, which are reckoned in our annual reports to the Guardian.

The demonstration of ‘‘this spirit of oneness”’ is to be made by integrity of character, knowledge of the basic teachings, and love for mankind without the taint of prejudice. Whoever responds, studies and enrolls is thenceforth a Baha’i — a spiritual being — and not someone born into this or that class, creed or race. Our community must prove its divine origin by its capacity to reconcile hereditary diversities, and transmute fears, resentments and false pride into true fellowship.

The world draws swiftly to its destined agony. While there is yet time let us strengthen the foundation of the new order of Baha’u’llah!

—NATIONAL SprriruaL ASSEMBLY �