Bahá’í World/Volume 15/Eight Oceanic and Continental Conferences

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EIGHT OCEANIC AND CONTINENTAL CONFERENCES

1. UNITY IN DIVERSITY—A PICTORIAL REPORT'

The people whose pictures you are about to see come from all over the world, from diverse backgrounds.

e

'_ ?r' * " The colour of their skins variesfrom the pale, almost white, of the

Nordic countries . . .

. . . to the rich browns and blocks of the A frican continent.

The manner of dress also diflers, from the casual colourful loose-fitting clothing of the Pacific Islanders . . .

1 Adapted from a programme for slides and filmstripdesigned by the Audio-Visual Department of the Bahá’í World Centre, released through the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre and distributed by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois.

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. . . to the heavy, but no less colourful garments of the Indians living in the cold climate of the Bolivian Andes.

The racial and ethnic backgrounds are many—afull—blooded Australian A boriginal with his bride,

Latin Americans from the Caribbean area,

Meo tribesmen from Laos and T hailand,

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Ainu of Japan, and many, many others.

But all have things in common. Most important, they are all followers of the Most Great Name—Bahá’ís committed to the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, which emphasize the oneness of mankind. Bahd’z's think of themselves as leaves of one tree andflowers of one garden.

These friends have another important common denominator. They were participants in one or more of the eight Oceanic and Continental Conferences called by the Universal House of Justice ——in Japan, Iceland, Jamaica, Bolivia, Fiji, Singapore, Mauritius and Liberia.

They came to renew bonds of friendship, to meet new friends, to teach the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh . . .

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They came by ship, and they came by plane, happy and joyful at the prospect of being with their Bahá’í brothers and

sisters from diflerent lands.

The Hand of the Cause William Sears represented the Universal House of Justice. Reading its message, he noted that Mauritius is “an island whose name was enshrined in Bahá’í history during the Heroic Age of our Faith as the source, two years before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s

arrival in America, of a contribution towards the purchase of the site of the M other T emple Of the West.

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. . . to sing H is praise, and to discuss ways and means of winning the goals of the Nine Year Plan.

It was in August, 1970, that the vanguard of the hosts attending these eight Conferences landed in Mauritius to participate in four wonderful days Ofconsultation and inspiration.

Three Hands of the Cause attendedJala'l flazeh, William Sears and Rahmatu’lla’h M uhaf/ir.

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“ . . . the spirit Ofthe New Day,”

he continued, “brilliant even at this early dawn with the light ofBalzd’u’lláh’s gifts to man, is apparent in the diversity of the attendants, in the brotherhood oferstwhile strangers . . . and above all in the noble purposes for which (you have) gathered.” Over 1,000 Bahá’ís from the

Indian Ocean, Africa, Asia and other lands attended the sessions

One session was addressed by the Minister ofEducation of Mauritius, who expressed his own ideal of education through the words of the beloved Master, ‘Abdu’l—Bahd.

Mr. Sears signed the official visitors book of the Prime M inister, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam,

who headed the list of notables attending the public reception.

T here was excellent press coverage for the Conference and four television interviews —three in English and one in Hindi.

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Meanwhile, 8,000 miles to the west,

high in the Andes at La Paz, Bolivia,

the companion Continental Conference had been under way.

The Hand of the Cause Amatu’l—Bahti Rflht’yyih K_hdnum was the oficial representative of the Universal House of Justice . . . she read its message reminding the friends that their “. . . aim is the redemption of mankind from its godlessness, its ignorance, its confusion and conflict.”

Six hundred and forty-one believers representing nineteen countries had journeyed to this mountain capital.

T heir number included six members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, twelve Auxiliary Board members, and thirty-one members of National Spiritual Assemblies. Here was a living example of the truth of Bahá’u’lláh’s statement, The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.

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On the final day the friends visited the Temple site, which nestles beneath the island’s beautiful mountains on a sixteenacre plateau overlooking the vast emerald Indian Ocean and the city of Port Louis. On Sunday, Mr. Sears closed the session, addressing an audience ablaze with the fire of love; eyes were glittering with tears of joy and sadness. The Conference had reached its apex, yielded its fruit, and now the harvest was to be gathered.

That same message referred to the Master’s prediction in the Tablets of the Divine Plan that . . . should these Indians be educated and properly guided, there can be no doubt

that through the divine teachings they will become so enlightened that the whole earth will be illumined.

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The Conference was a great factor for proclamation of the Faith throughout Bolivia. T he friends made effective use of radio, the press and television.

Four months later, in Singapore, the South China Seas Conference was convened. The Hands of the Cause Collis Featherstone (left) and Enoch Olinga (right) were present. Mr. Olinga,

who represented the Universal

House of Justice, announced that in recognition of current achievements, Singapore would have its own National Spiritual Assembly at Riḍván, 1972.

THE Bahá’í WORLD

Amatu’l—Baha’ Rdhz’yyih Lha’num said, “ When people see a great gathering like this, it is news all over the world. T 0 have people of diflerent backgrounds come together in real unity and love—this is unknown to the world outside.”

At the Presidential palace, on the

day after the Conference, a

reception was held for the friends. About 350 Bahá’í's were present

as Rúḥíyyih Khánum presented

General Ovando Candid, the

President of the Republic, with the book The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh.

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OCEANIC AND CONTINENTAL CONFERENCES

Bahá’í’s from twenty—five countries were present at the Conference, including Joseph Domingo and Augustine Elizan, tribal believers from the north and south of the Philippines.

Ten countries are represented by the Bahd’z's in this photograph. Arabia sent two delegates to the Conference.

Workshops on special interests were

held throughout the Conference

between sessions. Subjects included

child education, teaching among the Chinese, and youth and student activities.

One of the outstanding attractions was a unique and colourful exhibit, designed by Dr. Chellie Sundram,

a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in South-east Asia.

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The entire body afbelievers in Singapore shared in the excitement as the Hand of the Cause

Enoch Olinga . . .

The Hand of the Cause Rahmatu’lla’h Muha’jir (left), shown here with Rahiyyih Lha'num, was the oficial representative of the Universal House of Justice and read its message to the assembledfriends summonng the “ . . . African believers, s0 beloved by the Guardian,” to “rise to the challengefacing them” and to “earn the gratitude and goodwill of all mankind by their deeds of dedication and self-sacrifice.”T he Conference responded by discussing their goals, their achievements, their plans, and their needs.

THE Bahá’í WORLD

An intercontinental telephone hookup was established

with the companion Conference in Monrovia, Liberia.

. . . spoke to Amatu’l—Bahd

Rdhz'yyih K_ha'num at the Monrovia Conference where 500 delegates from thirty-seven countries, some as far away as Hawaii and Persia, had assembled.

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Amatu’l—Baha’ spoke to the friends about the beloved Guardian and the Central Figures of the Faith. Following her talk the Honourable William T olbert—then Vice-President of Liberia—made a special visit to the Conference, appearing on behalf of President T ubman who was ill. Mr. T olbert later became President of Liberia on the death of Mr. Tubman.

After the Conference, Rahz’yyih Lha'num and her travelling companion,

Mrs. Violette Nathjavdnz', resumed their teaching tour of A frica.

In May, 1971, the Caribbean Conference was convened in Kingston, Jamaica. The friends are seen waiting for . . .

. . . the arrival of the New Bahama Star, bearing 550 believers from the United States who had been holding an institute on board during the cruise from M iami.

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T hey had also been teaching.

Many members of the crew of the New Bahama Star, called by

the friends, “The New Bahá’í Star”, became Bahá’í's.

From the Mayor of Miami the friends brought greetings . . .

. . . to the Mayor of Kingston. This

was the largest of the eight Conferences. More than 1,200 believers from twenty-nine countries attended and more than 500 new believers embraced the Faith during the three days.

Two Hands of the Cause, D_hikru’llah K_ha'dem, representing the Universal House of Justice, and John Robarts,

plus six members of Continental Boards of Counsellors in North, Central and South America, were present.

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A Bahd’z' concert was the main event at the public meeting and featured such well-known artistes as Linda Marshall . . .

. . . Geraldine Jones. . .

. . . John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie . . .

. . . and Seals and Crafts. Over 3,000 people attended.

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Telephone contact was made with the South Pacific Oceanic Conference being held simultaneously in Suva, Fiji. The Hands of the Cause D_hikru’lláh Lha’dem (extreme left) and John Robarts (extreme right) exchanged greetings . . .

The message of the Universal House

of Justice, read by the Hand of the Cause F . Collis Featherstone, reminded the friends of the promise of Bahá’u’lláh about the future of His Revelation: Should they attempt to conceal its light on the continent, it will assuredly rear its head in the midmost heart of the ocean, and, raising its voice, proclaim: ‘I am the life-giver of the world !’

THE Bahá’í WORLD

There were inspirational and informative sessions as well.

. . . with their fellow Hands,

F. Collis Featherstone (shown here) and Rahmatu’lláh M uha'jir on

the other side of the globe where more than 400 believers, mostly from the islands of the Pacific, were assembled.

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Representatives of every island group —men and women, youth and adultsspoke on a wide variety of subjects. They related their teaching experiences,

some with tears, some with laughter,

but throughout the Conference the keynote was victory. There was complete confidence that the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh would sweep the islands and discussion centered on how to keep pace with

this widespread growth of the Cause.

From tropical Fiji, to Reykjavik, Iceland, on the fringes of the Arctic, is a long plane ride. But the joyful smiles of the friends in

the North Atlantic are just as warm as those of the believers in the South Pacific. On September I, 1971, the last two Conferences of the Nine Y ear Plan were convened—one in Sapporo and one in Reykjavik, the latter attended by more than 750 believers from thirty-five countries.

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The Hand of the Cause Rahmatu’lláh M uhdjir recalled that there were only seventeen people present at the first Convention

in the South Pacific. “Now look

at the number present,” he said.

It was a happy Conference. There was music and singing and traditional dances of the islands were performed. T he friends from New Caledonia composed a song about pioneering. When the Conference ended and

the friends were sayingfarewell,

one Fijian believer commented,

“T his Conference has been the greatest proclamation in Fiji. My country will never be the same again.”

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Moved by the Master’s mention of Greenland in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, a delegation which included three

believers from Canada—Florence Springgay, an Eskimo; Hugette James, a French Canadian; Mary Ann Crow, a Blackfoot Indian flew to Greenland during the Conference to proclaim

the Cause, and returned to report the results of their efforts.

There were many participants in the Conference sessions: the Hands of the Cause Paul Haney (seen here) and John Robarts, the oficial representative of the Universal House of Justice . . .

THE Bahá’í WORLD

The backdrop on the platform at the Reykjavik Conferencefeatured

this huge map of Iceland showing the location of Bahd’z' centres.

One hundred new believers accepted the Cause during the Conference.

Professor Bernhard Notz, an

aged and blind German composer who happened to be in Iceland, and Mrs. Notz, were so touched by the spirit of the Conference that they declared their faith. At one of the sessions a prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s which Professor Notz had set to music was sung and enthusiastically applauded.

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. . . members of Continental Boards of Counsellors, including M iss Edna True . . .

. . . Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, including Eskil Ljungberg, who opened the Faroe Islands to the Faith in 1953 . . .

. . . young new believers . . .

. . . and seasoned international teachers such as Mrs. Lea N ys.

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Across the polar ice cap on the opposite side of the earth, 625 Bahá’í brothers and sisters representing thirty-one countries were meeting in Sapporo, 0n the island of Hokkaido, in Japan.

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Another early Ainu Baha z is Mr. Kazutomo Umagae, now a member of the Auxiliary Board.

THE Bahá’í WORLD

At the close of the Conference the Hand of the Cause John Robarts presented the Conference guest book to Jo'na Bjdrg Saetran for the Bahá’í Archives oflceland.

Hokkaido is the home of the Ainuaboriginalpeople of Japan.

Mr. Takeichi Moritake, Ainu Chief and one of the first Ainu believers, addressed the Conference.

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At the registration desk there were still more beautiful flowers in Bahá’u’lláh’s garden ofhumanity. Though we may never have met them, tears ofjoy come to our eyes as we feel the bonds of unity and friendship binding our hearts together in a common Cause.

T hree Hands of the Cause were present—(left to right) Rahmatu’lláh Muha'jir,

H. Collis Featherstone

and ‘Ali-Akbar Furdtan.

M r. Furman represented the Universal House afJustice.

He reminded the friends that the “sweet perfume of victory is in the air, and we must hasten to achieve it . . .”

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In addition to the Hands of the Cause, six members of Continental Boards

of Counsellors were present; they came from North America, Western Asia, Australasia, South-east A sia and North-east Asia. Many Auxiliary Board members and National Spiritual A ssembly members also participated.

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The lighter side of the programme included Japanese and Ainu dances.

There was excellent publicity. Two thousandposters announcing the public meeting were put up; fifty thousandpamphlets with reply cards were distributed.

There were two television appearances and three radio programmes, as

well as numerous articles in both English and Japanese language newspapers. Approximately 600 attended the

public meeting, including 150

enquirers, twenty-three of whom

became Bahá’ísfollowing the meeting.

A11 eight Conferences are now concluded. Nearly 6,000 Bahá’ís of all ages and backgrounds were brought together

in unity and concord.

Never have there been so many diflerent races and ethnic backgrounds represented —coming from the Far North . . .

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. . . and the islands of the South Pacific . . .

.. .from Africa . . .

. . . and the Andes.

All ages were represented ——old believers from the time of the Master . . .

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THE Bahá’í WORLD

. . . and young new friends to sing the praise of Bahá’u’lláh.

Never has there been such emphasis on taking the Faith to the masses and never have there been so many enrolled in the Faith as a result of

a series of C onferences.

The Faith has been widely proclaimed and many public officials have been contacted. Surely the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh is moving rapidly out of obscurity in almost every land.

The redeemers of mankind have raised high the banner of Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause.

The victorious conclusion of the Nine Year Plan is now in sight.

(Song: Alláh-u-Abhá)

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2. MESSAGES OF THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE TO THE EIGHT OCEANIC AND CONTINENTAL CONFERENCES

A. TO THE CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE IN LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, AND THE OCEANIC CONFERENCE IN ROSE HILL, MAURITIUS

August, 1970

OUR hearts turn with eager expectancy to the twin Conferences now in session in the southern hemisphere. Their convocation so shortly after the world-wide commemoration of the Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Purest Branch, calls to mind that the promotion and establishment of the Faith of God have always been through sacrifice and dedicated service. Indeed, these very Conferences testify to the creative power, the fruitfulness, the invocation of Divine confirmations which result from sacrificial service to the Cause of God. Although both Bolivia and Mauritius are mentioned specifically in the Tablets Of the Divine Plan, the Cause, even thirty-five years ago, was virtually unknown in those areas; today we witness the holding of these historic Conferences.

Little wonder that South America, whose rulers and presidents were addressed by Baha’u’llah in His Kitáb—i-Aqdas, of whose indigenous believers the Master, in those Tablets already referred to, wrote . . . Should these Indians be educated and properly guided, there can be no doubt that through the divine teachings they will become so enlightened that the whole earth will be illumined, should have exerted a magnetic attraction upon a number of ardent souls in the northern continent, eager to serve in so promising a field. A band of heroic pioneers, bearing the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, gradually penetrated its wide territories, its jungles and mountains. They were followed by others under systematic crusades of two SevenYear Plans and the beloved Guardian’s TenYear Plan and together they became the spiritual conquerors of that continent. The Latin American communities which arose as a result of their pioneer efforts were described by the beloved Guardian as “associates in the execution” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan.

May Maxwell, one of the great heroines of the Faith, attained her longed-for crown of martyrdom in Buenos Aires; Panama became the site of the sixth Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Bahá’í’ world, and La Paz, Bolivia, is now the scene of this Continental Conference.

The Indian Ocean, whose furthermost waves lap the shores of the Cradle of our Faith, upon whose waters the Divine Bab travelled in the course of His pilgrimage to Mecca, the heart of Islam, where He openly announced His Mission; whose mighty sub-continent from which it derives its name was the home and assigned province of the ninth Letter of the Living; whose major islands were severally mentioned by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the second of His Tablets of the Divine Plan, lay, for most ofa century, fallow to the Word of God, a challenge to the promotion of His Faith. This challenge was answered by half a hundred Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, who, in response to the beloved Guardian’s call left their homes and wholeheartedly gave themselves to the establishment of the Cause in those parts. They implanted the banner of Baha’u’llah upon its atolls, its great islands and bordering territories. Now, in the midmost heart of that huge expanse of sea, Mauritius, an island whose name was enshrined in Bahá’í’ history during the Heroic Age of our Faith as the source, two years before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival in America, of a contribution to the purchase of the site of the Mother Temple of the West, has been chosen as the venue of this Oceanic Conference.

Not only have the institutions of the Faith been established in this ocean and this continent, but the spirit of the New Day, brilliant even at this early dawn with the light of Baha’u’llah’s gifts to man, is apparent in the diversity of the attendants, in the brotherhood

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of erstwhile strangers—even enemies—and above all in the noble purposes for which you have gathered.

Your aim is the redemption of mankind from its godlessness, its ignorance, its confusion and conflict. You will succeed, as those before you succeeded, by sacrifice to the Cause of God. The deeds and services required of you now, will shine in the future, even as those of your spiritual predecessors shine today and will shine for ever in the annals of the Cause.

We share with you the spiritual delight of these occasions and assure you of our constant

THE Bahá’í WORLD

and ardent prayers that your deliberations upon the objectives of the Cause in your areas and the spiritual fellowship which you will enjoy will result in immediate and determined plans to complete the tasks assigned to you ere the rapidly approaching end of the Nine Year Plan. This Plan is the current stage of the Master’s Divine Plan and its success must precede those greater triumphs when, as the result of your labours, the divine outpourings will raise up a vast concourse of radiant and devoted servants of Baha’u’llah who will establish His Kingdom in this world.

B. TO THE CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE, MONROVIA, LIBERIA

January, 1971

The emergence on the African continent of a widely spread, numerous, diversified and united Bahá’í community, so swiftly after the initiation of organized teaching plans there, is of the utmost significance and a signal evidence of the bounties which God has destined for its peoples in this day.

The great victories in Africa, which brought such joy to the Guardian’s heart in the last years of his life, resulted from the self-sacrificing devotion of a handful of pioneers, gradually assisted by the first few native believers, all labouring under the loving shadow of the Hand of the Cause Musé Banéni. From their efforts there has been raised up an increasing army of African teachers, administrators, pioneers and valiant promoters of the Divine Cause, whose main task is to bring to all Africa the bounties conferred by the Word of God, bounties of enlightenment, zeal, devotion and eventually the true civilization of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order.

Many of the gravest ills now afflicting the human race appear in acute form on the African continent. Racial, tribal and religious prejudice, disunity of nations, the scourge of political factionalism, poverty and lack of education are obvious examples. Bahá’ís have a great part to play—greater than they may realizein the healing of these sicknesses and the abatement of their worst effects. By their radiant unity, by their “bright and shining" faces, their self—discipline in zealously following all the requirements of Bahá’í law, their absten tion from politics, their constant study and proclamation of the Great Message, they will hasten the advent of that glorious day when all mankind will know its true brotherhood and will bask in the sunshine of God’s love and blessing.

That the African believers are fully capable of taking their full share in building the Kingdom of God on earth, their natural abilities and present deeds have fully demonstrated. An African Hand of the Cause of God,1 even now in the course of a brilliant, triumphal teaching tour of the planet, African Counsellors, Board members, national and local administrators and an ever-increasing army of believers testify to the vigour and immense capacity of this highly—blessed continent to serve its Lord in the great day of His appearance. That the African believers, so beloved by the Guardian of the Faith, will rise to the challenge facing them and earn the gratitude and goodwill of all mankind by their deeds of dedication and self—sacrifice is the longing of our hearts.

May this Conference become a sun from which will stream forth to all parts of the vast continent rays of spiritual energy and inspiration, galvanizing the friends to action in the fields of teaching and pioneering in such manner that they will rapidly achieve all the tasks assigned to them under the Nine Year Plan.

1 The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga.

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C. TO THE OCEANIC CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS, SINGAPORE

January, 1971

The wonderful progress made by the Bahá’í communities of South-east Asia towards achievement of the tasks assigned to them under the Nine Year Plan, fills our hearts with thankfulness to God and arouses our keenest admiration for the capacities and dedicated services of the friends in all those vast and varied territories. Indeed, so bountiful have been the divine confirmations rewarding their efi‘orts that we are confident of their ability to far exceed the stated objectives and to initiate the opening phase of the next stage of their development, a massive increase in the establishment of the Cause of God among the teeming millions of the islands and oceanbordering countries of so huge an area of the earth.

South—east Asia, whose gifted and industrious peoples have embraced four of the world’s major religions, have produced in all ages civilizations and cultures representative of the highest accomplishments of the human race, now experiencing with the rest of the world the disruptive, revolutionizing, vibrating influence of this Most Great, this New World Order, the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed, lies open and receptive to the Word of God, ready once more to nourish in its fertile soil that potent seed and to bring forth, in its own characteristic manner and as an integral part of the world civilization, the institutions, the fabric, the brilliant edifice of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order.

We now summon the believers of this highly promising area, flushed with the tide of approaching victory, to launch a three-pronged campaign, the main feature of which is to achieve an immediate expansion of the Faith, exceeding the aims of the Nine Year Plan. In addition you are called upon to raise a corps of travelling teachers, whose main objective will be to visit all the communities and groups in the area for the purpose of deepening and consolidating their Bahá’í life, thus preserving the victories won and reinforcing the base for future development. Simultaneously, a number of Chinese-speaking believers must arise who, as pioneers and travelling teachers in all the countries of South-east Asia, will attract large numbers of the talented Chinese race to embrace and serve the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

Recognizing your current achievements and fully confident in your determination and ability to continue to attract the divine confirmations of Baha’u’llah, we are happy to announce as a supplementary goal of the Nine Year Plan, the establishment, at Riḍván, 1972, of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Singapore, an additional supporting pillar of the Universal House of Justice and a new bastion of the Faith in so vital a crossroads of human activity.

We pray that your deliberations will engender a new wave of enthusiasm, cement ever more firmly the bonds of love between the many and various national communities of your area and result in practical plans for the implementation of the above tasks.

D. TO THE CARIBBEAN CONFERENCE, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

May, 1971

How propitious that on its mountaintop between the two greatest oceans and the two American continents the Mother Temple of Latin America is rising now in Panama, a land blessed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prophecy that in the future it will gain great importance. How splendid that the vision projected in the Divine

Plan for the Americas has sprung into such vibrant life in this Caribbean basin, in country after country upon its verdant shores, in island after island across its expanse, all named by the Master in His Tablets. What shall we not witness ere long in these places so charged with destiny through the Master’s utterances!

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The Nine Year Plan, the current stage in the unfoldment Of the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is approaching its triumphant end. This Conference is an occasion to sum up what has been won, to determine to achieve the remaining goals for expansion in these blessed lands, and to consolidate the old and new communities of the Most Great Name. Indeed, the winning of our grand Bahá’í objectives began just yesterday when, in the early years of the Formative Age, a few travellers crossed the Caribbean. Yet it was not until the successive Plans of the beloved Guardian, culminating in the Ten Year Crusade, when twenty-seven Knights of Baha’u’llah settled throughout this vast area, that the Cause took firm root. By 1963 the countries and islands of the Caribbean claimed less than 400 localities and only 147 Local Spiritual Assemblies. Now Bahá’ís are to be found in over 2,50010calities, more than 500 Local Assemblies and sixteen National Spiritual Assemblies have been formed, and there have been hundreds of concrete achievements which have brought about our recognition as an independent Faith.

The Americas have been a melting pot and a meeting place for the races of men, and the need is acute for the fulfilment of God’s pro THE BAHA’iWORLD

mises of the realization of the oneness of mankind. Particularly do the Master and the Guardian point to the Afro-Americans and the Amerindians, two great ethnic groups whose spiritual powers will be released through their response to the Creative Word. But our Teachings must touch all, must include all peoples. And, in this hour of your tireless activity, what special rewards shall come to those who will arise, summoned by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Words: Now is the time to divest yourselves Of the garment of attachment to this phenomena] realm, be wholly severed fiom the physical world, become angels of heaven, and travel and reach through all these regions.

The time is short, the needs many. No effort can be foregone, no opportunity wasted. Praised be God that you have gathered in this Conference to consult upon the vital requirements of this highly significant moment. Our prayers ascend at the Holy Threshold that every session of this historic meeting will attract Divine Blessings, and that each soul, armed with the love of God and imbued with His purpose for a struggling mankind, will arise to activate, beyond all present hopes, the vast spiritual potentialities of the Americas.

E. TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEANIC CONFERENCE, SUVA, FIJI

May, 1971

We send our warmest greetings and deepest love on the occasion of the first Conference in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Praise be to God that you have gathered to consult on the vital needs of the hour!

Recalling the promise of Bahá’u’lláh Should they attempt to conceal His light on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost heart of the ocean and, raising His voice, proclaim: ‘1 am the life-giver Of the world!’ we now witness its fulfilment in the vast area of the Pacific Ocean, in island after island mentioned by the Master in the Tablets of'the Divine Plan. How great is the potential for the Faith in localities blessed by these references!

At the inception of the Formative Age, the Cause was little known here. Agnes Alexander had brought the Teachings to the Hawaiian Islands. Father and Mother Dunn had only

recently arrived in Australia. Later the name of Martha Root was to be emblazoned across the Pacific. Still later, at the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, a vanguard of twenty-one Knights of Bahá’u’lláh raised His call as they settled in the islands of this great Ocean. The names of these valiant souls, together with the names of the army of pioneers and teachers who followed, will be forever enshrined in the annals of the Faith.

Their mighty endeavours brought about the enrolment of thousands of the peoples of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia under the banner of the Most Great Name, the opening in Australasia of more than 800 centres and the establishment of ten pillars of the Universal House of Justice. We can but marvel at such triumphs attained despite great difficulties imposed by the vast expanses of ocean

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separating the island communities, especially when it is recalled that in many of these islands even the Christian Gospel was unknown as late as the 18305.

How great is the responsibility to continue spreading the Word of God throughout the Pacific. It was in the Tablets of the Divine Plan that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called for teachers speaking the languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love of God, to turn their faces to and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean—Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia . . . with hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God to deliver the Glad Tidings Of the manifestation of theLord of H osts to all the people.

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The Nine Year Plan, the current phase of the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, is now approaching its final stages It is incumbent on the friends to assess what has been accomplished and to anticipate and plan for such rapid acceleration of the teaching and consolidation work as is necessary to win all goals by 1973. Time is short; the needs critical. No effort must be spared; no opportunity overlooked.

Our prayers ascend at the Holy Threshold that every session of this historic meeting will attract Divine blessings, and that the friends will go forth, armed with the love of God and enthusiasm born of the Spirit, fully prepared to scale the heights of victory!

F. TO THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEANIC CONFERENCE, SAPPORO, JAPAN

September, 1971

On the eve of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the opening of the Formative Age of our Faith we call to mind the high hopes often expressed by the beloved Master for the spread of the Cause in this region, His mention in the Tablets of the Divine Plan of many of the territories represented in this Conference, and the faithful and devoted services of that maid-servant of Baha’u’llah, the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander, who brought the Teachings to these shores in the early years of this century.

In these days we are witnessing an unprecedented acceleration of the teaching work in almost every part of the globe. In the North Pacific Ocean area great strides have been made in the advancement of the Cause since that historic Asia Regional Teaching Conference in Nikkojust sixteen years ago. The next two years witnessed the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska and of the Regional National Spiritual Assembly of North-east Asia. To the Convention in Tokyo at Riḍván, 1957, the Guardian addressed these prophetic words:

“This auspicious event, which posterity will regard as the culmination of a process initiated half a century ago, in the capital city of Japan . . . marks the opening of the second chapter in the history of the evolution

of His Faith in the North Pacific area. Such a consummation cannot fail to lend a tremendous impetus to its onward march in the entire Pacific Ocean. . .”

Since that time National Spiritual Assemblies have also been firmly established in Korea and Taiwan.

Hokkaido, the site of this Conference, first heard of the Teachings less than fifteen years ago, and the first aboriginal peoples of this land accepted Baha’u’llah just over a decade ago. Now you are the witnesses to the beginnings of a rapid increase in the number of believers. Peoples in other islands and lands of the North Pacific, including the Ryukyus, Guam, the Trust Territories, the western shores of Canada and Alaska and the Aleutians are also enrolling under the banner of the Most Great Name, and next Riḍván yet another pillar of the Universal House of Justice is to be raised in Micronesia. We are heartened at the prospect that from the indigenous peoples of this vast oceanic area, the Ainu, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Koreans, the Okinawans, the Micronesians, the American Indians, the Eskimos, and the Aleuts vast numbers will soon enter the Faith.

The final hours of the Nine Year Plan are fast fleeting. Praise be to God that you have

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gathered to consult on ways and means of assuring complete victory so that from these outposts the Teachings may spread to those nearby lands where teeming millions have not as yet heard of the advent of this Most Great Dispensation.

The sweet perfume of victory is in the air, and we must hasten to achieve it while there is yet time. Vital goals, particularly on the homefronts of Taiwan and Japan, remain to be won, and everywhere the roots of the faith of the believers must sink deeper and deeper into the firm earth of the Teachings lest tempests

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and trials as yet unforeseen shake or uproot the tender plants so lovingly raised in the islands of this great ocean and the lands surrounding it.

As you and the friends in the sister Conference in Reykjavik bring this series of eight Oceanic and Continental Conferences to a triumphant close, our prayers for the success; of your deliberations ascend at the Holy Threshold. May God grant you the resources, the strength, and the determination to attain your highest hopes, and enable you to open a new and glorious chapter in the evolution of His Faith in the North Pacific area.

G. TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEANIC CONFERENCE, REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

September, 1971

To each and every one of you in this historic Conference we send our most cordial and loving greetings. The famous island in which you are now gathered, so strategically placed between the two great continents flanking the vast oceanic area which surrounds it, to which the Teachings of Christ were brought a mi]lennium ago, and which, in this Dispensation, was mentioned by the Centre of the Covenant in His Tablets Of the Divine Plan, first heard the Name of Bahá’u’lláh in 1924 when the Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins stopped briefly in Reykjavik and made the acquaintance of Holmfridur Arnadottir who subsequently became the first Bahá’í of Iceland. Eleven years later the beloved Martha Root spent a month in this land which she loved so well. On that occasion, with the help of Hélmfridur, the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh was widely proclaimed in the press, on the radio and from the lecture platform.

The great Ocean extending from the equator to the Pole and from Europe to North America, which has been both the barrier and the link between the Old and the New Worlds, has played a highly significant part in the later history of mankind. Long before Columbus arrived in the West Indies the Vikings, forebears of Icelanders of today, were plying its northern waters. In later centuries wave upon wave of Europeans sailed from east to west, engaging in one of the most significant migrations in human history. In the twentieth cen tury ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself sailed across it and back, a voyage unique in the religious history of mankind and creating a remarkable parallel with the Light of the Cause itself, beaming from the East, across the great Ocean to the heart of the North American Continent, being; reflected back again, firing new beacon lights in Europe and in later years diffusing its radiance throughout the world. The great Re»public whose eastern shore forms part of the boundary of this Ocean has become the Cradle of the Administrative Order and at this present time the banner of the Most Great Name is; being raised in island after island of this; Ocean, two of which—Iceland and Irelandwill raise, next Riḍván, new pillars of the Universal House of J ustice.

The Faith of God is flourishing in the land:; around the North Atlantic; 3. new wind is blowing, promoting an upsurge of proclamation and teaching. In Europe the youth are afire with enthusiasm and vigour. In Canada and the United States a ground swell of unknown proportions is carrying Bahá’í communities to heights of unprecedented achievement.

You are gathered in this Conference to con.sult on ways and means of winning, in the few fleeting months ahead, the remaining goals 01'" the Nine Year Plan. In Europe particularly there is much to be done, but we have full faith that the friends, galvanized by their love for Bahá’u’lláh and fortified by His promises of

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Divine assistance, will, with the enthusiasm which they already display, commit their resources to the tasks ahead and will surely attain the victory.

The beloved Master prayed that holy souls would arise from the Northern Territories of the West and become signs of God’s guidance and standards of the Supreme Concourse. In one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan He refers to an inhospitable island of that area saying: Should the fire of the love of God be kindled in Greenland all the ice of that country will be melted, and its cold weather become temperatethat is, if the hearts be touched with the heat of the love of God, that territory will become a

‘ . fli’tfl', ._ ”3 , The Hands of the Cause (left ofcentre) and some of the friends who attended the North Atlantic

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divine rose garden and a heavenly paradise, and the souls, even as fruitful trees, will acquire the utmost freshness and beauty. Eflbrt, the utmost effort is required.

As the friends gathered in Reykjavik and Sapporo bring this world-wide series of Oceanic and Continental Conferences to a triumphant close our thoughts are with you and our prayers on your behalf rise from the Sacred Threshold. May untold blessings and confirmations be showered upon you as you go forth to labour for the advancement of the Cause of God and may your brows be crowned with victory.

,l‘iv

Oceanic Conference, Reykjavik; September, 1971.