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| No. 437 | BAHA’I YEAR 124 | AUGUST 1967 |
Bahá’í Archives Building on Mount Carmel[edit]
‘Akká and the Mediterranean are shown in the distance.
Universal House of Justice Calls for Befitting Celebration of 150th Anniversary of Birth of Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
To: All National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
November 12, 1967, will mark the 150th anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth. We call the entire Bahá’í world to joyful celebration, befitting an event so momentous to the fortunes of humanity.
The Universal House of Justice feels that the coincidence of this great occasion with the opening of the proclamation period provides a splendid opportunity for bringing to public attention both the spiritual and social import of the Cause. Not only its message, but the historical fact of a new Revelation, with all its implications of a new and worldwide civilization, should be made clear.
Let the friends not hesitate to welcome to their observances, even to those of a devotional character, the non-Bahá’í public, many of whom may well be attracted by the prayers and expressions of gratitude of the believers, no less than by the exalted tone of passages from Bahá’í writings.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
— THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTER
HAIFA, ISRAEL
JUNE 25, 1967
An interview with Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, center) on May 27, 1967. Rúḥíyyih Khánum, at left, who attended the convention of India and visited the various centers, conducted the interview, accompanied by Mrs. V. Nakhjavani, right.
Only a year ago members of the Bahá’í community of Sanghar, India (right), largely of Hindu background, learned of the Bahá’í Faith. A Local Spiritual Assembly has now been elected and the community is building a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds by their own efforts.
Plan for Large Attendance—Frankfurt Centenary Conference[edit]
| The German national convention, shown above, attended by over 200 Bahá’ís, gave considerable attention to the Centenary Conference to be held in Frankfurt/Main October 6-10. An attendance of 2,500 from European and other countries is expected. One of the largest conference halls in Frankfurt, the Jarhundert halle in Hoechst, has been reserved for this commemoration of Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets to the kings. Second Seminar held in Langenheiner, Germany (below) was reported in July BAHÁ’Í NEWS. |
KNOW YOUR BAHA’I LITERATURE
CITADEL OF FAITH[edit]
Shoghi Effendi
BOOK REVIEW BY EUNICE BRAUN
HISTORIANS OF A FUTURE AGE, experiencing the first fruits of world citizenry, will look back with careful scrutiny upon the messages sent to Bahá’ís from Shoghi Effendi, world leader of the Bahá’í Faith from 1921 until his passing in 1957. These messages are milestones that record the development and progress or a world religion already beginning to take its place with the historic, revealed religions of past dispensations, but yet to be identified as the consummation of their millennial hopes and promises.
Standing out amidst the accumulated knowledge of that day will be the overwhelming realization that in the early part of the twentieth century the American nation received a divine mandate to establish, through its moral leadership, universal peace upheld by a world government. This theme is apparent throughout the letters addressed specifically to the American Bahá’í community during the decade of 1947-1957, entitled Citadel of Faith. It is implicit in the warnings, exhortations and encouragement given to the Bahá’ís during that period to sharpen their awareness of the prolonged and increasingly difficult crisis through which their country is passing, and to deepen their sense of responsibility to that divine mandate.
Personal Commitment of Bahá’ís[edit]
For any people in a time of crisis to have an understanding of the exigencies of the time in which they live, to catch a broad vision of and faith in the future toward which they struggle, is to add enormously to the dimension of power and energy with which to carry out their purpose. This is what Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith for thirty-six years, gave to the American Bahá’ís. From him they received a sense of urgent, personal commitment in relation to their country and the world. Already engraved within their consciousness was the summons of Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, to “be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age” in which they live, to center their “deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” Its need, clearly defined in Bahá’u’lláh’s writings from 1852 to 1892 is world unity. The principal requirement to fulfill that need is a regenerated mankind.
America’s Responsibilities[edit]
“Citadel of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh” is a term which Shoghi Effendi first applied to the American Bahá’í community in 1948, then engaged in enlarging the scope of its activities in Latin America and Europe, as well as strengthening its base within its homeland. This designation was reaffirmed in 1956 in his last, but one, major message to that community “now deservedly recognized as the citadel of the Faith of God and the cradle of the rising institutions of its World Order.” This was a decade that also witnessed the first half of a prodigious, global teaching crusade, a ten-year plan which again gave the American Bahá’ís the “lion’s share” of responsibility in planting the banners of their Faith in all continents and island groups of the world.
Twin Processes Transforming the Planet[edit]
Significant to an understanding of the execution of the various stages of what is known to Bahá’ís as the Divine Plan for world order, is an awareness of the dual nature of events shaping the lives of humanity at large, as delineated by Shoghi Effendi in numerous other works. In The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, which projects the early, struggling efforts of Bahá’ís against the landscape of a future, golden age of a planetary society, he speaks at length and in detail of the twin processes transforming the planet, reaching into all areas of human life. The first is essentially synergistic, unfolding a system which “may well serve as a pattern for that world polity toward which a . . . disordered world is continually advancing.” The opposite, parallel process is “fundamentally disruptive,” tearing down with increasing violence all barriers that block humanity’s progress toward unity.
The sense of imperativeness, of urgent haste, apparent in all of these letters, is better understood when it is realized that the forces of integration and regeneration are, in essence, racing with time against those disruptive forces that are swiftly placing the nation and the world in peril.
Rapid Deterioration of Society[edit]
In a message written in 1954 contained in Citadel of Faith, Shoghi Effendi analyzes the roots of the spiritual, moral, social and political crisis: “The steady and alarming deterioration in the standard of morality,” he states, is “exemplified by the appalling increase in crime, by political corruption in ever widening and ever higher circles, by the loosening of the sacred ties of marriage, by the inordinate craving for pleasure and diversion, and by the marked and progressive slackening of parental control . . . ” Basic to this decline is “crass materialism, which lays excessive and ever-increasing emphasis on material well-being, forgetful of those things of the spirit on which alone a sure and stable foundation can be laid for human society.”
Nor is America alone involved in this “cancerous materialism, born originally in Europe, carried to excess in the North American continent, contaminating the Asiatic peoples and nations, spreading . . . its tentacles to . . . Africa.” In a further indictment he warns that America must remedy “while there is yet time, through a revolutionary change in the concept and attitude of the average white American toward his Negro fellow citizen, a situation which, if allowed to drift will . . cause the streets of American cities to run with blood. . .”
Could America assert her inherent spiritual capability in time to avert the trials and disasters into which she appears to be heading? That America’s role of moral leadership would be fulfilled only through tribulation was, at this juncture, Shoghi Effendi wrote, “mostly inevitable and God-sent, though partly avoidable.” Its purpose, stated in earlier messages, was to “purge its institutions, purify the hearts of its people, . . . fuse its constituent elements, and . . . weld it into one entity with its sister nations in both hemispheres.”
Visible and Invisible March of History[edit]
Although the road will be long and reverses are in store, it leads to a glorious future. Shoghi Effendi frequently reminds his readers of the prophetic statements made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh and the appointed interpreter of the Bahá’í Revelation, from 1892 to 1921. America had “developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told American audiences during his public lecture tour in 1912, and was “equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history,” a nation inherently worthy “to proclaim the unity of mankind, and to unfurl the standard of . . . peace).”
In one of the most powerful messages contained in this work, written shortly after the conclusion of World War II, Shoghi Effendi draws a clear picture of the parallel forces molding the character of the American nation and its people. The outer, more visible force came sharply into focus when the nation became involved in the first World War, where she “redressed the balance” and saved mankind the horrors of further devastation of prolonged conflict. Her involvement in the world was extended in World War II when her powers were used to “overthrow the exponents of ideologies fundamentally at variance with the universal tenets of [the Bahá’í] Faith,” principles of unity and justice for all mankind.
Other stages along this road were the principles enunciated by Woodrow Wilson who “voiced sentiments [more] akin to the principles animating the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh . . . than any other world leader”; the creation of the League of Nations, from which America unfortunately disassociated itself; and eventually the birth of the United Nations in San Francisco with its headquarters established in New York City.
Simultaneous with this visible march of history, has been the rise and development of the Bahá’í Faith in America, a “divine embryonic order” within, as both forces propel the nation toward the same glorious destiny. Whatever the setbacks that this “idealistic, this spiritually blessed and enviable nation” would experience, “however severe the storms which may buffet it in the days to come in either hemisphere,” . . . that great republic will,” Shoghi Effendi declares, “continue to evolve, undivided and undefeatable, until the sum total of its contributions to the birth, the rise and the fruition of that world civilization, . . . will have been made, and its last task discharged.”
Members of the new National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Luxembourg with Auxiliary Board member Mrs. Dorothy Ferraby. Standing, left to right: Leslie Marcus (treasurer), Bob Bontemps, Nouroullah M. Djasbi, Claude Levy (chairman), David Blackmer (secretary), Pierre Bram, Neal Brady. Seated: Suzette Hipp, Mrs. Ferraby, Anni Blackmer (recording secretary). This photo has also appeared in the May 13 issue of the Luxembourg Revue. (See Bahá’í in the News.)
Leadership of Shoghi Effendi[edit]
In addition to the major messages contained in Citadel of Faith, many deal with lesser domestic or international issues: construction activities at the World Center in the Holy Land and the national center in Wilmette, Illinois; curtailment of certain budgetary items in favor of more urgent ones; joyous announcements of stages of progress in teaching plans; a brief cable to rejoice at the “departure of the first pioneer to Africa,” or to remind the community that “time is running short” on a vital project. With the exception of some cables expressing personal grief at the passing of many dedicated, distinguished pioneers and promoters of the Bahá’í Faith, all of the messages are arranged chronologically. They reveal the mind of a man at work whose viewpoint was at one and the same time organismic and molecular. Like a brilliant but beneficent general of an army, he sees the full scope of the battle but is quick to commend the smallest victory, rejoice over each advance, or to lament the loss of a single, stalwart soldier.
His final message addressed to the American Bahá’ís shortly before his passing, commends them for their perseverance, loyalty and dedication to their multitudinous responsibilities in the Ten Year Plan, then at the halfway mark. He recounts their victories in the development of various institutions both in their homeland, at the World Center, and in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres where they have founded assemblies, as well as administrative centers and other endowments for these newly emergent groups. He issues a final warning to combat the “relentless, all-pervasive materialism, the growth of militant racialism, political corruption, widespread lawlessness and gross immorality” being unleashed within their society.
To the Bahá’ís individually, Shoghi Effendi was, as he signed his letters, their “true brother.” Collectively he was the unerring leader of a cause in which they had placed their highest aspirations. To those most discerning observers of a world moving on to its appointed destiny, he exhibited a spiritual statesmanship based upon a new Revelation from God, universal and world-unifying in scope.
“Blessed is the man that hath turned his face towards God, and walked steadfastly in His love, until his soul hath winged its flight unto God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.”—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
At left, in the picturesque mountains of central Venezuela, delegates and guests assemble for seventh annual convention, held in Los Teques. Thirty-one local assemblies were elected during the past year, nineteen of which are in the Guajiro region. Two believers from the Guajiro Indian tribe have been elected to the National Assembly, shown in photo at right with Auxiliary Board member Donald Witzel. Seated, left to right: Rogelio Hernandez, Mickey de Posner (corresponding secretary), Yolanda de Stronach (treasurer), Addie Teske, Ana Josefa Pirela. Standing: Mr. Witzel, Peter McLaren (chairman), Yolanda Rodriquez, Rafael Gonzalez (recording secretary) and Eloy Carrascal (vice-chairman).
LEFT: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Cuba, elected April 21, 1967. From left to right, seated: Marta Pimentel, Gudelia Moreno, Clemencia Pimentel. Standing: Santos Pimentel, Miguel Hinojosa, Alberto Diez, Pablo Perez, Carmello Perez. Absent: Migdalia Diez. The National Spiritual Assembly of Cuba sends, via BAHÁ’Í NEWS, a caluroso salud (warm greeting) to all the Bahá’í friends.
BELOW: Delegates and members of the communities of Cienfuegos, Marianao and La Habana, in earnest consultation at the 1967 Cuban convention.
Bolivia Effects Progress in Official Recognition of the Faith[edit]
Although the national government of Bolivia recognizes the legality of the Faith, at times some of the lesser officials in small places have either ignored it or permitted abuses against the believers. During May, there was a united campaign of prayer by the Local Assemblies of Bolivia while Sr. Athos Costas, Auxiliary Board member and Dr. Ouladi, National Spiritual Assembly representative, went on a trip in the Bahá’í-owned jeep for the protection of the Faith and believers in troubled zones in several Departments. The results of these many interviews were promises to cooperate with the Bahá’ís and traveling teachers so they could teach the Faith freely, and to investigate cases of injustice against the Indian campesino believers. The new officials showed themselves both friendly and understanding of the high purposes of the Faith in their interviews with the two Bahá’í representatives.
In several places, where the World Jubilee slides were shown in schools, teachers, students and others showed much interest. Several enrollments resulted including a teacher and an eighteen-year old youth. His school companions, under declaration age, promised to study the Teachings.
A surprising result of this wave of prayers was the unexpected publication of an article and photo of recognition of the Bahá’í Faith in Bolivia in the May issue of the Bulletin of the Information Service of the Presidency of the Republic. This bulletin goes to all national and local authorities and is widely distributed throughout the country.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Dominican Republic, with Auxiliary Board member Ellsworth Blackwell. Standing, left to right: Rafael Felipe Pena (corresponding sec’y), Reginio Pepin {recording secretary), Sheila Rice-Wray (treasurer), Juan Reyes, Feliz Gomez (vice-chairman), Rafael Benzan (chairman). Seated: Benito A. Perez, Mr. Blackwell, Daisy de Vargas and Wilfred Rowland.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican Republic national convention.
Dr. Giachery, on occasion of a public conference in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Photo appeared in a leading daily paper, El Dia, with a two-column, half-page explanation of the picture on the wall behind him — the Shrine of the Báb and the Archives Building on Mt. Carmel, Israel.
The Honduras 1967 convention, with Edith McLaren, Auxiliary Board member, was held on the beautiful beach of the Caribbean at La Ceiba. The new National Spiritual Assembly is as follows: Standing, left to right: Maizie de Argueta, Ruth Perdomo (secretary), Carlos Vásquez (treasurer), Mrs. McLaren, Thomas Brent (vice-chairman), Jose Lobo, Wanita George (corresponding sec’y.) Seated: Rene Sanchez, Dale Sinclair (chairman). Absent: Olinda Sierra Andrade.
Honduras
Clementina Sandoval, first believer of the Paya tribe in Honduras, at her first Bahá’í convention. She speaks Spanish and Miskito and is at present translating a small prayer book into Miskito.
The Virgin Islands
Local Spiritual Assembly of Fredericksted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, one of the local assemblies under the new National Spiritual Assembly of Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands, elected April, 1967. Seated, left to right: Charlotte Milden (corresponding sec’y.), Alison Miller (recording sec’y.), Ellen Knox, Ethel Harris. Standing: Isadore Knox (vice-chairman), Dan Milden, Knud Jensen (treasurer), Jerry Day, Douglas Covey (chairman).
Hold Spanish School at Annual Convention Near Barcelona[edit]
Above, newly-elected members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Spain, whose annual convention was held in Tarrasa. Seated, left to right: Antonio Jimenez, Jose L. Monge, Isidro Torrella and Carlos Chias. Standing: Fernando Sanz, Ramon Escartin, Agustin Garcia, Emilio Egea and Ruhollah Mehrabkhani. In photo at left, some of the delegates attending the convention.
At left, a national summer school held in Tarrasa March 23-27, 1967. In photo above, a group of youth at the Tarrasa school.
Hawaii
First Local Spiritual Assembly of Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, 1967. Front row, left to right: Marie Brewster, Serrita C., Herbert, Jean Randall, Anita Karroll, Potenciano Ganob. Second row: Odell Lloyd, Leonard Herbert, Andre Ajimine, James Brewster.
LEFT: New National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand, with Hand of the Cause, Collis Featherstone. Seated, left to right: Freda Butler (secretary), Alexe Cookson, Jean Simmons (vice-chairman), Marge Edwards (recording secretary). Standing: Bruce Weeks, Doug Wall, Mr. Featherstone, John Milne, John Carr (treasurer) and Doug Weeks (chairman).
BELOW: The eleventh annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand, held May 20-21, was an occasion for rejoicing. A few months previously there was only one local assembly in New Zealand. The Universal House of Justice accordingly assigned the task of creating four additional assemblies by convention. Assisted by overseas teachers and a small number of determined pioneers, the goals were achieved.
NEW ZEALAND
Local spiritual Assembly of Port Sudan, Sudan. Seated, left to right: Ferial Hassan, Hassan El Saeed (chairman), Nour El Dayem (secretary), Nafisa Hassan El Saeed, Standing: Mr. Abbasher (vice-chairman), Ahmed Gasim, Abdullahi Gasim, Aboul Gasim and Abdel Moneim (treasurer).
Newly-elected National Spiritual
Central Africa, which now com
Botswana, Malawi and Rhodesia
Willard Mahlunge, Florence
Moncho, Esther Glauder and
Enayat Sohaili (treasurer), L
man), Helen .A. Hope (secretary
Sr. (vice-chairman). Ten delegates
visitors and two board members
fourth annual convention, held
April 29,19
“Let the Friends Immerse Themselves in This Oc[edit]
In its 1967 Riḍván Message the Universal House of Justice points out to the Bahá’ís of the world the “imperative need to deepen in the Cause,” and quotes the words of the beloved Guardian that the first obligation and the object of the constant endeavor of the loyal adherents of the Cause is “to strive to obtain a more adequate understanding of the significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s stupendous Revelation.”
The Bahá’í institutions — the Hands of the Cause and their Auxiliary Board members, the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, the Bahá’í Publishing Trusts, the National Teaching Committees can do no more than provide the opportunities and the material to aid the believers in their pursuit of a clear “apprehension of the purpose of God for man . . . as revealed and directed by Bahá’u’lláh. It is the Individual himself who must avail himself of all possible assistance in pursuing this objective. But first and foremost he must “remember conscientiously the requirement of daily prayer and reading of the Word of God enjoined upon all Bahá’ís by Bahá’u’lláh.” This requirement must be impressed upon all newly declared and enrolled Bahá’ís.
Declaration and enrollment brings one only to the shores of the ocean of divine Revelation. The “pearls of great price” are to be found only when one becomes immersed in its depths. In this connection let us meditate on these excerpts from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet to the People:
“O My servants! My holy, My divinely ordained
Revelation may be likened u
depths are concealed innume
price, of surpassing luster. I
seeker to bestir himself an
shores of this ocean, so that
tion to the eagerness of his
he hath exerted, partake of
been pre-ordained in God’s
den Tablets. If no one be
steps towards it shores, if ev
arise and find Him, can suc
have robbed this ocean of
lessened, to any degree, its
“. . . The one true God is M
great, this fathomless and
astonishingly near, unto yo
to you than your life-vein! S
of an eye ye can, if ye but w
take of this imperishable f
grace, this incorruptible gift,
unspeakably glorious bounty
“O My servants! Through
His power, and out of t
edge and wisdom, I have
vealed unto you the pearls
the depths of His everlasting
World Faith, pages 66-67)
—UNITED STATES NATIONAL
...DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR[edit]
of the necessity for reconciliation
underlined by the many Bahá’í
Day throughout the country.
participation of city officials and
tests in well-planned and publi-
sany informal picnics and cov-
vided an opportunity for the
unity and fellowship between
nal and ethnic backgrounds —
Negro, Mexicans, Malaysians,
lic Meetings[edit]
da, Mrs. Clarke, friend of the
the facilities of her Everee
making it possible for the Ba-
eeting. Speakers for the occa-
s. Hoeppner, who recently re-
rimage to the Holy Land.
in, Jr., vice chairman of the
Human Rights, speaking to
the rights of individuals and
to the present — stated that
vive if all men, regardless of
hey are, understand the laws of
ministration of those laws are
scene of much prejudice, the
Race Unity Day was held at
erce building. The observance
me, “God Created One Man
excellent. Credit for this fine
Phillips who recently moved to
such thing as race. Mankind is
llock, an 85 year old retired
parents were slaves. He urged
sponsored by the Bahá’ís of
the “thread of gold which runs
nded the first Race Unity Day
Gulfport, Mississippi.
Race Unity Day proclamation for Laramie, Wyoming is signed by Mayor Russell C. Keek. Shown with the Mayor are, left to right: Delores Lee, Charlotte Orlick and Reginald Newkirk.
through all religions,” as a “prescription for daily living.” Speaking at this celebration also was Paul S. Schantz, Jr., Chairman of the Philadelphia Assembly, who said. “Race Unity Day was organized to point out that all races basically stem from one human family. . .”
The Bahá’ís of Racine, Wisconsin, held their observance in the Badger Room of the Racine Center at the University of Wisconsin. Speakers for this occasion were Mr. Merrit Hill and Mrs. Joy Earl. Mr, Hill, Chairman of the Board of J.I. Case Company of Racine and prominent non-Bahá’í, was presented an award by Racine Bahá’ís for his outstanding contributions toward racial unity in Racine.
Scene of a fireside was the Kimmerling’s home in Ada County, Idaho. Mrs. Klara Tyler, of the Lapwai Indian Reservation and a recent pilgrim to the Holy Land, was speaker.
Proclamations
Honorary Mayor Dell L. Falls, of Antelope Valley Judicial District in California, in making his Proclamation, stated that “the most challenging issue that faces America today is still the racial issue — it is a corrosion that has eaten into our society for centuries.” The Race Unity Day observance featured a fireside with the theme, “Oneness of Mankind,” on Saturday and a
Mayor A. Frederic Leopold of Beverly Hills, California signs Race Unity Day proclamation, as Mrs. Eulalia Bobo, Rob Sennett, Victoria Chao and Mrs. Jowett Chao watch.
Governor Rampton of Utah signs Race Unity Day proclamation in Salt Lake City.
Mayor Minnie Cole (center, right) of Monterey, California, signs Race Unity Day proclamation. With her are (left to right): Don Boykin, Lee Aliqanqa, Alex Aliqanqa, and Marvin Newport.
picnic on Sunday. Volleyball was the sport for the afternoon on Sunday, and Mayor Falls led his team, “The Angels,” to three successive victories over the “Little Devils.”
Monterey, California’s Mayor Minnie Coyle in her excitement about the Proclamation, stated she could think of nothing more worthwhile for a Proclamation. The Race Unity Day program consisted of a panel discussion by interracial speakers, musical acts, and a buffet.
At the proclamation ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska, Mayor A. V. Sorensen urged all the residents of the community to make Race Unity Day “a day of resolve in promoting, both in their individual lives and in the community, those attributes which will unite us all closer in true friendship and brotherhood, develop a real understanding of each other, promote harmony, and advance the cause of justice for all peoples.”
In Laramie, Wyoming, Mayor Russell C. Keck willingly signed the Race Unity Day proclamation. He expressed his gratitude for receiving such a fine statement and talked with the Bahá’ís for some time about the occasion and the membership of the Laramie Community. Speaking about the occasion, a Bahá’í said, “This Race Unity Day proclamation signing is significant because the town of Laramie, Wyoming has a Ku Klux (Klan) history — rare in the north — and there is still much prejudice to be overcome here.”
Other proclamations were obtained in San Luis Obispo, California; Waterloo, Iowa; Muskegon, Michigan; and Racine, Wisconsin. Columbus, Ohio was able to obtain a renewal of their previous proclamation.
Picnics
An open letter to Santa Monica, California residents invited them to the Picnic-in-the-Park sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Santa Monica. The Bahá’ís of Scottsdale, Arizona hosted a picnic held in Scottsdale city park, where several recently declared believers gave brief talks followed by a song and dance skit presented by Mrs. Elliot Sater. A joyous and well-attended outdoor picnic-breakfast was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of North Dade Community, in Greynold Park in Miami, Florida. Of the thirty-nine children present, thirty-six were from the Bahá’í school classes. Fifty Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í
adults were present. Highlight of the celebration was a program given by the children entitled, “A Choral Responsive Reading for Race Unity,” with special parts for the adult audience.
Urbana and Champaign, Illinois, with friends from Rantoul and Tuscola, held a picnic in Crystal Lake Park. Thirty-six Bahá’ís entertained sixty guests, including friends from Mexico and Malaysia, adding a note of international unity to the occasion.
Nearly 1,000 attended a now annual Bahá’í International Picnic jointly hosted by the Bahá’ís of Niagara Falls, New York and Ontario, Canada. For the third consecutive year, a local Negro church has joined the friends of Lane County, Springfield, and Eugene, Oregon in their observance of Race Unity Day. The fellowship was such that a tentative date in October has been set for a cooperative potluck dinner with the church.
Summary
Thirty-nine other communities reported Race Unity Day observances similar to those mentioned above. Nationally, according to reports received, almost 1,000 column inches of free newspaper publicity was received on the observances; about two hours of radio time, and about one-half hour of television time were obtained free of charge, approximately 170 posters were placed in stores and libraries, and almost 1,000 letters were mailed to churches asking them to read a prayer for Race Unity. Paid advertising, in contrast, was only about 200 column inches. Additionally, many communities developed and printed mimeographed invitations which were widely distributed, and which showed many interesting and creative innovations in design. A few exhibits were placed, but reports show that this was undertaken only in a few communities.
Each year, reports of the Race Unity Day observances indicate a strengthening of the ties between the Bahá’ís and the communities in which they reside, thereby fostering changes in attitudes of the civic officials and local citizens regarding racial matters, and awakening the desire to live in unity and promote the ideals of “an ever-advancing civilization.”
News Briefs[edit]
The teen-age study group of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Killeen, Texas, invited the Bahá’í's of Fort Hood to give them a presentation on the Bahá’í Faith as part of their series on comparative religions.
Two young believers stationed at Fort Hood — Pic. Ronnie Streed of Cedar Falls, Iowa and Pfc. Don Youngquist of Kodiak, Alaska — went in response to this invitation and gave a very interesting and comprehensive program on May 14 and again on May 21, answering questions and directing discussion. Several people requested literature and some are now attending the regular fireside at the home of M/Sgt. James and Velma Rogers in Pershing Park, Fort Hood.
As a follow up the book Bahá’í World Faith was presented to the Killeen Public Library. Thus the Faith has been brought to a new area of Texas.
Service in a Bahá’í project was specifically noted and commended when the Dilworth Junior High School Parent Teachers Association presented the honor of life membership to a Bahá’í, Edward Simolke of Sparks, Nevada for his community service to young people. He was director of the Bahá’í summer school in the RenoSparks Indian Colony. A local spiritual assembly was formed there last Riḍván, the first all Indian assembly to be formed in Nevada. (see BAHÁ’Í NEWS June, 1967 p. 18)
An African Bahá’í Pioneers in the Southern States[edit]
Before I became a Bahá’í I belonged to different denominations. First I was a member of the Seventh Day Adventists just because my parents were members of that church. I therefore had to attend a Seventh Day Adventist school. After finishing grade four I had to go to another school and was accepted by one belonging to the African Inland Mission. But before I was allowed to attend classes I had to be a member of the church. I belonged to this church for four years and finished the eighth grade. One of the best high schools at that time was under the Anglican church, so I joined the Church Missionary Society for four years in order to be accepted in its high school.
It is interesting to note that I was only a member of the last two churches during school time. In other words during the school vacations I was a member of the Seventh Day Adventists. Owing to this I escaped many things I was expected to do in these churches. For example, I was supposed to study Catechism for two years so as to be a full member of the church. But since I had to go home during the holidays, I could not do this.
I had heard of the Bahá’í Faith as far back as 1954 through my cousin who had been a Bahá’í since 1952. However I had no single chance of knowing more about the Faith, for if I did so then that could have been the end of my education. At any rate, after finishing my high school education in 1963 I was given a job in Nairobi and stayed with my cousin. He began to teach me the Faith as soon as I got there. I can still remember one day, the first of January, 1964, when we had a long discussion about religion in general. I started attending firesides and meetings at the Bahá’í center in Nairobi. During these times I met very distinguishd Bahá’ís in Kenya — Hands of the Cause, Auxiliary Board members, and pioneers en route to their posts.
Accepts Bahá’u’lláh
Throughout 1964 and part of 1965 I had been attending meetings, but I had never been told that I had to sign a card to be a Bahá’í. Personally I assumed that after I had accepted Bahá’u’lláh I was a Bahá’í. So it was in April 1965, when my cousin asked me to sign a card if I wanted to be a Bahá’í, that I was not happy at that
question, for I thought I was already a Bahá’í. I asked him very furiously why the friends did not tell me this earlier. He explained to me why it was necessary and I signed a card for administrative purposes.
A Scholarship to the U.S.
Before long I received a letter from the Education Department telling me that I had been awarded a scholarship for further studies in the United States. The National Assembly of Kenya gave me a letter stating that I was a Bahá’í and told me to send this letter to the National Assembly of the United States. When I left Kenya in September 1965 I forgot to get the address of the National Assembly in the U.S. and wondered how I would get in touch with its Secretary.
Even when I arrived at the College I did not bother to ask whether someone there knew Bahá’ís in other states. But I never knew that Bahá’u’lláh would not let me stay in that condition long. On the following day when we registered for courses I had to fill out a certain form stating my religion. While I was standing in line a lady behind me looked at my card and said, “Oh, you are a Bahá’í. I know some Bahá’ís in Jackson, Mississippi and I have been attending meetings there”. I almost jumped and I asked her how I could get in touch with them. She gave me a telephone number of a Bahá’í whom I called on Sunday and was told that someone was coming to pick me up in a few minutes’ time.
Meeting Bahá’ís in Jackson
While waiting for the friend to come for me I wondered how we would recognize each other and decided to stand by the main road to the Campus. In a few minutes a car stopped beside me, the owner smiled at me with a radiant face, I answered with a smile, we embraced and then introduced ourselves. There I met the first Bahá’í friend in the United States, Mel Campbell who was a former Baptist minister and had been a Bahá’í just a couple of weeks. We drove to the center and met the other Bahá’ís. I was amazed to see those radiant faces and the way they welcomed me impressed me very much. As there was a Feast that evening I returned again to enjoy the company of those beloved friends.
It was a rather surprising experience to me, for I Came with the idea that there were no Bahá’ís in Mississippi and that it would be some time before I would meet Bahá’ís in America. Yet within three days of my arrival I was among Bahá’ís. I also thought that if by chance there were Bahá’ís in Mississippi they would be either all whites or all Negroes. But when I entered the center in Jackson I found a fully integrated group.
Travels in the U.S.
It was not long before we went to the State Convention in Gulfport, Mississippi and in the same month there was a Bahá’í Deep South Institute at Waveland, Mississippi. At the Institute I met beloved Hand of the Cause Mr. Khádem, Auxiliary Board members Dr. William Tucker, Curtis Kelsey and Jack McCants as well as Bahá’ís from sixteen states and three other countries. It was a great bounty to be among Bahá’ís for four days.
In December that year I went to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit non-Bahá’ís, but I had a wonderful time with Bahá’ís there. They came to see me many times and I visited them in their homes. Thus the family I stayed with heard about the Faith, attended a meeting in Rockford, Illinois and accepted Bahá’í books which they put in the public library in Minneapolis.
During 1966 I attended many meetings and visited in a number of communities. In April Frank and Virginia Johnson of Jackson took me to the Leroy Ioas Teaching Institute in Fort Worth, Texas. During the summer I traveled in the northern states and visited in St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Rockford, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin. Most inspiring was a four day visit at the Mother Temple of the West where I attended for the first time a Bahá’í wedding ceremony. Another inspiring visit was to the conference of the Auxiliary Board members at Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Board surprised me with a prize, the book, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf.
In December during a vacation visit to Louisiana I spoke at firesides and at a Baptist church. I attended the Southeastern Bahá’í Winter School at Covington, Georgia where there were over two hundred Bahá’ís from all parts of the U.S. and Canada as well as from foreign countries.
Chose to Teach in the South
I expected to meet many problems in Mississippi, and felt that if things were bad I would go elsewhere. But I enjoy staying in Mississippi because the friends there are now playing an important role in my life.
On my visits to other parts of America people ask why I chose to come to the south. To the non-Bahá’ís I say that I came to see what is going on in the south. To the Bahá’ís I say that it was the wish of Bahá’u’lláh that I come there, for I am convinced that He had a plan for me. And events have revealed that this was true. Sometimes I wonder why Bahá’ís should ask me that question, for I know Bahá’ís should not have any kind of prejudice, because Bahá’u’lláh has said that we should get rid of prejudice. When I tell people that I go to school in the south they shrug their shoulders and ask me why I chose to go there. They give me the impression that they have some preconceived ideas about Mississippi.
An Appeal for Pioneers in the South
I do think that it is the duty of every Bahá’í in the whole world to proclaim the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to areas where there are few Bahá’ís. So far as I can see the Bahá’ís in Mississippi are doing a very fine job of proclaiming the Faith to the people there. Very successful firesides are held with good attendance of non-Bahá’ís. Eight have been enrolled in the last two years.
I wish to tell the American Bahá’ís that the south is the best place for those who wish to pioneer within the United States and I wish to appeal to those who can pioneer there to do so. If you can get a job there, do not worry about the rest, Bahá’u’lláh will take care of you if you have faith in Him. If a foreigner like myself can live in the south, why not you Americans who are familiar with all these things said about it? We need your help. Students can seek admission to universities and colleges here so that the Faith can be opened on these campuses. Let not what people say scare you.
—HENRY LUKE OUMA OF NAIROBI, KENYA
New Policy Effected in Canadian Indian Teaching[edit]
The weekend of May 20th to 22nd saw what may well prove to have been a major turning point in Indian teaching work in Canada, and perhaps on the continent. The National Spiritual Assembly of Canada called together, at the National Teaching Institute in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, a policy conference of experienced Indian teachers and administrative representatives from across the country. The newly appointed “National Advisory Committee on Indigenous Teaching” had been assigned the executive function of planning and carrying out the conference, and the Institute Committee assumed the responsibility for the physical arrangements.
Attending the conference were Hand of the Cause, John Robarts, the entire Canadian National Spiritual Assembly, Auxiliary Board members Peggy Ross and Ted Anderson, two representatives appointed by the National Assembly of the United States, Mrs. Audrey Reynolds and Mr. Lawrence Standing Crow, and members of the various branches of the National Teaching Committee operating in Canada’s western provinces and territories. For the first time, too, a large number of members of Indian reserve assemblies in the prairie provinces took a major role in the planning.
The total attendance at the major social event of the weekend was over eighty, including youth and children.
Workshop Method Used
The conference, chaired by Ethel Martens, used the workshop method, by which the focus for discussion comes from those attending. The discussion, both in the small groups and the plenary sessions centered around ways of making teaching of Indian people more effective. Attention also was devoted to the development of the role of the Qu’Appelle Institute. Guided by suggestions coming from the conference, the Advisory Committee made recommendations to the National Assembly which was meeting in Fort Qu’Appelle throughout the weekend. One of the most interesting of the recommendations, unanimously proposed by the conference, was that the Saskatchewan branch of the National Teaching Committee should be composed entirely of Indian believers. After consultation with the committee, the National Assembly accepted this recommendation and others which proposed the inclusion of strong Indian representation in the National Teaching Committee branches of Alberta and Manitoba. A new Teaching Committee branch has been created to develop Indian teaching work in British Columbia. On Sunday morning, the members of the National Spiritual Assembly joined the conference and took an active part in the discussion. The session was opened with a showing of the film “Because They Are Different,” a National Film Board production on the Indian situation in Canada today.
Hand of Cause Speaks
The Hand of the Cause spoke at the informal gathering of members of the conference at the Bahá’í Institute on Saturday evening. After the discussion closed on Sunday evening, Indian dancing delighted many of the conference participants.
The essence of the conference was perhaps best summed up in the words of one of the Indian friends who spoke to the group at the Saturday evening meeting: “We are making history here this weekend. For the first time, the representatives of a World Order have come here, to the Indian people, to seek their advice. And they have taken the advice.”
Teacher Training Institute Held in Los Angeles[edit]
As a pilot project to help clarify thinking on the education of Bahá’í children the Advisory Committee on Education held a Teacher Training Institute in Los Angeles, California June 4. About fifty people attended the gathering which was from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Institute was opened by a taped address by Dr. Dwight Allen, providing a general introduction. The philosophy and purposes of Bahá’í education were then discussed by Dr. John Strossler and Mrs. Betsy Haynes in a dialogue using the Committee’s paper on “Systematic Education of Bahá’í children” as a basis.
The afternoon session was started by a presentation of a model lesson, using slides and a taped recording of the lesson, accompanied by a commentary by David Lepard. Discussion followed. The use of simple musical instruments and demonstration of teaching a song using pre-recorded material was then given by Mr. Lepard, followed by an exercise in the use of games in classes by Mrs. Molly King. A large part of the audience was directly involved in this session.
Craft materials were prepared by Mrs. Barbara Cook and a demonstration given of the use of plaster forms, with the members of the group participating.
The meeting was closed with a discussion of the organization of children’s classes, led by Mrs. Joan Beck.
Glimpses of the sessions are shown in the accompanying pictures.
“Pioneer Service in These Epoch-Making Days”[edit]
The Riḍván 1967 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’í World, “World Wide Proclamation—A New Dimension”, contains the following statement:
“The constant need for pioneers no less than the approaching world-wide proclamation render it imperative to pay special attention, in every continent, to the homefronts, for they are the sources of manpower and of administrative experience, the solid bases from which all expansion begins, both at home and abroad.”
This puts a strong spotlight on the homefronts.
It is easy sometimes for a Bahá’í to feel he is not doing his part for the great Plans of the Faith unless he can go somewhere far away, anywhere that is not here, right here where he is. Pioneering, it seems, can take on the connotation of “leaving home”. If the way seems blocked for whatever reason, this can lead to feelings of inadequacy and discouragement, which then dim our power to attract. Longing to pioneer elsewhere, a state of suspension can develop in which the Bahá’í is neither here nor there, perhaps unhappy because he cannot leave, losing satisfaction and interest in local undertakings.
Of utmost importance is the outlook that each of us, by the very fact of being an active Bahá’í, is a pioneer. Only Bahá’ís are doing Bahá’í work or contributing funds for Bahá’í work. We must keep clearly in mind that wherever a Bahá’í finds himself, there must he concentrate his efforts joyously in whatever avenues are open to him. No other Bahá’í has the exact same opportunity you have, to spread the Word of this Day. Are you the only Bahá’í at your place of business? in your club? in your professional circle? at the hospital where you work? the school where you teach or attend?
Then you are the only Bahá’í with the ideal entree to that particular group. No amount of radio, newspaper, or poster advertising could reach these people as your own personal daily association can, whether by word or by example. You are a pioneer.
Only by taking advantage of given opportunities as they appear where the Bahá’í is, can progress take place, either in his own personal deepening or in his efforts to make known the purpose and broad objectives of the Faith.
The importance of this approach to pioneering was made very clear to a young couple in a letter to them from the Guardian, written through his secretary, dated July 8, 1942:
“Pioneer service in these epoch-making days need not be confined to going out in foreign fields. The friends can pioneer on their assemblies in helping to bring about a keener vision of what their duties are; they can pioneer in developing new local teaching methods, new contacts with new classes of people; indeed they can even be said to pioneer inwardly in finding new depths in their own souls and new Ways in which their own God-given capacities can be put to use in serving the Faith.”
The Universal House of Justice has said it is “imperative” to “pay special attention” . . . “to the homefronts”. If we couple that statement with the Guardian’s definition of pioneering, which “need not be confined to going out in foreign fields”, we can find a strong motivation for the tasks in our immediate area; we can help strengthen our homefront goals; “the solid bases from which all expansion begins”; and we shall surely be better prepared for action in foreign fields in the future, if such doors should open to us.
In the United States there is one Bahá’í to every several thousand non-Bahá’ís. We each have a vast field of cultivation on the homefront!
— MRS. ESTELLE B. ROUSE
First Institute sponsored by New Jersey State Goals Committee held in rustic setting of a YMCA camp in the Lake region of the state on the weekend of June 2 featured classes and talks by: Hand of the Cause Zikru’lláh Khádem and Auxiliary Board members Mrs. Javidukht Khádem and Curtis Kelsey. There was a musical evening with the Metropolitan Bahá’í Choral Group. The joyous and inspirational gathering brought favorable comments from the camp director on the splendid conduct of the young people and the loving spirit which prevailed.
Youth Conference Generates Enthusiasm[edit]
The fourth annual Bahá’í youth conference (shown at right) held near Wichita, Kansas attracted over forty believers and friends from four states who gathered on the weekend of May 5-7 to consider tasks in the coming months and years and to prepare for meeting new challenges.
Lynn King, from Moore, Oklahoma opened the session with an intense and searching look at youth responsibilities. His topic was “This Era of Transition,” and afterwards one youth said “and he wasn’t kidding.” The subjects of prayer and deepening were handled by Mrs. Margaret Jensen, Winnetka, Illinois, in a manner which moved all, even those not yet declared Bahá’ís.
Two classes led by Nancy Dobbins of Fort Worth, Texas on the teaching responsibilities of youth and on the application of Bahá’í social laws were given in a straightforward manner which captivated attention and cheered the hearts. There was forceful emphasis given to the truth that Bahá’í youth alone have the key to the problems of all youth, that the youth of the world “are crying for the answer” and deserve the opportunity to learn of Bahá’u’lláh’s solution to their problems.
Preparation for their future role in Bahá’í administration is of concern to the young people, and this was taken up in an enlightening discussion led by Bransford Watson from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was suggested that developing the art of consultation while young would prove a great asset in later years.
The adventures and joys of a pilgrimage came alive for the group in the first hand account by Allene Squires of Dallas, Texas. There was an evening of fun and sociability with an impromptu drama demonstrating that Bahá’ís laugh and, as stated by Hand of the Cause William Sears “God loves laughter.”
At the close of the conference a spontaneous session for hearing a report of youth meetings during the recent convention at Wilmette showed how serious and mature these young people are, and how eager they are to do their part in active promotion of the Faith of God.
Youth Rally Has Impact in Louisiana[edit]
The youth of Louisiana held a Bahá’í Youth rally in Gretna, near New Orleans, on June 3 and 4. Some of the sixty Bahá’ís and friends who came are shown in the picture at the right. They came from Gulfport, Mississippi and Houston, Texas, as well as from other parts of Louisiana.
The rally was a good example of cooperation: the Louisiana State Goals Committee initiated and helped plan the event; the New Orleans Bahá’ís helped supply the food; Bahá’ís of Gretna offered hospitality; and Jackson, Mississippi supplied the main speaker, Michael Reimer.
The non-Bahá’í friends must have felt the spirit at the rally, for there were three declarations. Furthermore, the interracial character of this gathering had a positive impact on the local community of Gretna, which is a small community, typical of the rural south. It is hoped that this demonstration of racial unity will bear fruit in the future.
THIRD ANNUAL BAHA'I UNITED NATIONS SEMINAR HELD IN NEW YORK[edit]
Dedicated to developing a greater economic and social world consciousness, the third annual United Nations seminar sponsored by the Bahá’í Committee for the United Nations in New York City, May 26-28, provided a stimulating study of various aspects of the United Nations. The seminar focused interest on those activities of the United Nations which relate to improving conditions of the world’s population and to promoting cooperation between nations.
Representatives of over 40 Bahá’í communities participated in the seminar. All of the sessions except one were held in conference rooms in the U.N. Secretariat Building. Four prominent United Nations speakers highlighted the program with lively and Challenging talks.
Mrs. Dorothy Collings of the U.N. Office of Public Information was the first speaker Friday afternoon, with a comprehensive and stimulating presentation of many of the problems, activities and accomplishments of the U.N. She was followed by Edward H. Lawson, deputy director of the Division of Human Rights. Mr. Lawson sparked interest in the vital subject of human rights when he defined the development of the U.N.’s human rights programs and outlined the challenges which still confront the world.
Irwin M. Isenberg, special services officer with the United Nations Development Program, brought the seminar participants’ attention on Saturday morning to the subject of economic justice. He demonstrated how the Development Program operates in assisting the world’s developing countries to raise their economic and social standards. Saturday afternoon, Dr. James Avery Joyce, an eminent U.N. writer and author of numerous books, stressed the development of world law and world consciousness. He related the development of world law to the thoughts in Bahá’u’lláh and The New Era, which had recently been presented to him. Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh, the Bahá’í International Observer to the United Nations, rounded out the afternoon session with a thought-provoking talk on the moral responsibilities of Bahá’ís in developing a world government.
During the Saturday afternoon session the Bahá’í U.N. Committee chairman, Mrs. Juliette Soderberg, explained various ways Bahá’í communities can effectively celebrate U.N. Day, and she showed how observance of the day provides an excellent prestige opportunity for publicity. Mr. Lionel Gonzales of the Committee showed how slides can be well used at fireside meetings. The full Bahá’í U.N. Committee presented an interesting panel discussion, Sunday morning, on the U.N.’s Human Rights Conventions and Covenants, with questions and answers in audience participation.
One of the highlights of the seminar was a tour of the General Assembly building. Throughout the seminar program the audience was shown timely United Nations films. A dinner at a local restaurant Saturday evening was enlivened by a musical presentation, the performers being two New York Bahá’ís, Joy and Howard Hunter.
The Bahá’í Committee for the U.N. felt the seminar this year was particularly successful in that a great amount of enthusiasm was stimulated about the role of the United Nations in developing a one world of mankind.
—U.S. BAHÁ’Í COMMITTEE
FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
Some of the participants at the United Nations Seminar shown in the garden outside the General Assembly Building.
News Brief:
The Berlin, Germany Bahá’í Community has rented a bookshop with an additional apartment for a Center and living quarters. The bookshop has a reading room and attractive displays are arranged in the windows
Boston Arts Festival Judged a Success[edit]
A Bahá’í Arts Festival in Boston, Massachusetts from May 20 through 28 held for the purpose of demonstrating the artistic expression of Bahá’ís of the U.S. and Canada was sponsored by the Bahá’í communities of Boston and Cambridge and featured drawings, paintings and photographs by Bahá’í artists as well as slides of Bahá’í architecture around the world.
Specially featured during the exhibit were: a program of folk songs for children, a showing of the CBS Television film “Lamp Unto My Feet”, a concert of Bahá’í music and performers, poetry reading and a showing of experimental movies.
The festival was judged a success for a number of reasons. It gave the sponsoring Bahá’í communities opportunity to work cooperatively and to Bahá’í artists to share their work with each other and with the public. The widespread publicity brought the Faith to the attention of many, whether or not they attended. The site of the Festival introduced the Faith to a new neighborhood and formed a new link between the Faith and the social service programs in the city. And finally whereas the exhibit was primarily an indirect way of proclaiming the Faith much direct teaching was done in chats with the many visitors and in the distribution of hundreds of Bahá’í pamphlets.
Bahá’í Art Exhibit in Michigan[edit]
The Bahá’í group of Clinton Township, Michigan, with cooperation of believers in nearby areas sponsored an art show in Mt. Clemens, Michigan on June 17 and 18 in one of the hotels. Exhibited were examples of work created by Bahá’í artists, authors and musicians, there being seventy—eight individual exhibits in over twenty fields of art in addition to paintings and drawings. About 150 visitors attended, there were many expressions of praise for the beauty of the works and the evidence of integrity as well as creative ability of the artists.
There was excellent publicity, including announcements in twelve newspapers, the notices giving prominence to the fact that the Bahá’í Faith, like other religions, has inspired its followers to use their creative skills to illustrate the perfections and beauties of their Faith. Bahá’í literature Was available at the exhibit and a real interest in the Faith was evidenced by many people.
A happy result of the event was that it led to a request for a talk about the Faith to a class of students of nearby Oakland University.
Bahá’í in the News[edit]
The Layman, in the Open Church of Christ, published in Hereford, England, carries in its April 1967 issue a fine lead article by Dr. Stanwood Cobb, titled “Is There an Inherent Progress in Human Affairs?” It presents the view that in critical periods of decadence in human society a new religion appears upon the horizon for the specific purpose of regenerating humanity and that the Bahá’í Faith is that source of regeneration today. The editor notes that “this is our first article that I promised on the lesser-known religions.”
A photo of the newly elected National Spiritual Assembly of Luxemburg has appeared in the May 13 issue of Revue, a magazine published in Luxembourg and carrying some international news. Included in the accompanying legend was a reference to the October inter-continental Conference being held to observe the Centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s messages to the rulers of the world. The European Conference in Frankfurt/Main, Germany was cited.
TV Guide for June 3, 1967 carries a three page feature story about Vic Damone, Bahá’í and well known singer. Included are several paragraphs about the Bahá’í Faith in an account quoting Vic as he tells the reporter what the Faith is and how it has profoundly changed the pattern of his life.
Duncan McAlear Expelled from Faith[edit]
The Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land cabled June 30 that Duncan McAlear of New York had been expelled from the Faith as a Covenant-breaker. The Universal House of Justice approved this action.
Before this decision was reached all effort was made by the Hands of the Cause to explain to Mr. McAlear what his actions would mean but he refused to heed the warnings.
All Bahá’ís are forbidden to have any association
with Mr. McAlear and all other Covenant-breakers.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
CORRECTION
Bahá’í News for June, 1967 page 18 carries a picture of the first all Indian assembly to be formed in Nevada, that of Reno-Sparks. The name of the lady at the extreme right of the front row was omitted. She is: Mrs. Pearl Astor, treasurer of the assembly.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mrs. Sylvia Parmelee, Managing Editor; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International Editor; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative.
Material must be received by the twenty-fifth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A. 60091.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette. Illinois, U.S.A. 60091.
