Bahá’í News/Issue 331/Text
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| No. 331 | BAHA’I YEAR 115 | SEPTEMBER, 1958 |
Message From the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land to the Fourth Intercontinental Conference in Frankfurt
More than nine months have passed since that heartbreaking day when, according to the inscrutable decrees of God, our most beloved and precious Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed to the realms on high. Though our sorrow is still fresh in our hearts we cannot but marvel, as we witness the vast number of friends gathered at the opening of this fourth great Intercontinental Conference being held in the very heart of the European continent, at the protection vouchsafed this holy Faith by the Almighty; at the tender wisdom which inspired our Guardian to provide us, during this first year of cruel and bitter separation, with these five great rallying points; at his forethought when he urged the believers to make every effort to attend them; and at the vigilance which moved him, so shortly before his passing and in his last great message to the Bahá’í world, to reinforce the institution of the Hands of the Faith through the appointment of eight more of these “Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth.” This designation, never before applied to them by him, appears to have been calculated to enable them, with the loving support of the national assemblies and the believers, to carry the Cause of God forward through this exceedingly difficult and stormy strait in the history of mankind to the calmer waters which lie ahead as the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh begins to take shape and the administrative bodies of the Faith multiply and gain in stature and experience.
We, in spite of the load of grief we still bear in our hearts, a grief which has bowed our heads and humbled our spirits, can nevertheless lift up our voices in thanksgiving to Bahá’u’lláh. We thank Him now not only, as was the Guardians expressed wish, for the bounties bestowed during the first five years of this World Crusade, but for the measure of sure protection, of merciful grace, poured upon us since the beloved Guardian’s passing. The Bahá’ís have everywhere stood firm in the Covenant of God; tested, tried, bereft, and filled with longing for their so-deeply loved guide and leader, they have demonstrated how great has been the effect of his life and its works by their steadfastness, by the renewed dedication they have shown to the plans he laid down for them, by an unprecedented degree of unity amongst themselves, by a deeper determination to gladden Shoghi Effendi’s heart than when he was with them physically in this world. They have arisen, East and West, to go forth and pioneer on both the Homefronts and in the newly opened territories; they have supported the Bahá’í Funds from hearts that were loyal and overflowed with tenderness for their religion in its hour of need; they have rallied round the Hands of the Faith, the Custodians at the World Center, and the national and regional spiritual assemblies; they have gathered in large numbers at these great intercontinental conferences; they have comforted each other in their loneliness; and they have arisen to spread the Word of God abroad with new zeal and dedication. Can there be any doubt that all this is the result of Shoghi Effendi’s sacrifice, the over a-third-of-a-century-long sacrifice of his life, the sudden end, when his spirit in one breath freed itself from his tired and overladen heart? You all are gathered here today because of Shoghi Effendi, according to Shoghi Effendi’s wish, Shoghi Effendi’s Plan, Shoghi Effendi’s hope!
Before turning our thoughts to what he desired
should be considered at these great conferences, let
us recall the purpose of this vast globe-encircling Crusade. It is a step in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan laid down for us by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and whose execution
He entrusted primarily to the people of the “Great
Republic of the West,” the most promising child of
European civilization. It has already, in five short
years, carried us well on the way towards the accomplishment of our primary objective, which the
Guardian said is no less than the spiritual conquest of
the entire planet. Led by our beloved Commander-in[Page 2]
Chief, we have opened nearly all the independent
sovereign states, the chief dependencies, the most important islands and territories of the world to our
glorious Faith; even the wintry island of Spitzbergen
has been settled, leaving only a few states inside the
Soviet Union or within its orbit, still unopened. Of the
forty-nine National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds to be purchased
as part of the Ten-Year Plan, forty-eight have been
acquired; of the fifty-one National Endowments, all
have been acquired; of the eleven Temple sites specifically mentioned by our beloved Guardian, all eleven
have been acquired; the mighty task of translating
and publishing the literature of the Faith, as called for
in the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan, is now nearing
completion; the Bahá’í Publishing Trusts, except for
those in Islamic countries where the believers are still
oppressed, ignored, and proscribed, have all been
founded; and the task of incorporating national and
local spiritual assemblies is well on its way to fulfillment. Even the Homefronts—the most challenging perhaps of all the tasks allotted to us by the beloved
Guardian under the terms of this World Crusade—are,
in many countries, meeting, nay surpassing, his expectations. Two of the three mighty Mother Temples
are already being constructed: namely, those of Africa
and the Antipodes. It was this overall pattern of marked
success, of surging spiritual vitality, which characterizes the activities of the World Bahá’í Community, that undoubtedly caused our Guardian to unite us in these
five intercontinental Conferences, not only to humbly
thank Bahá’u’lláh for mercies received, not only to
deliberate on ways and means of accomplishing the
next five years’ work, but as a reward for having
served faithfully, with enthusiasm and consecration.
this blessed Cause of God, and, as we now see, as a
mercy in the hour of separation, a tender enfolding
of us, his “dearly beloved co-workers” in the arms of
that one who, in his modesty and purity of heart,
called himself only “your true brother.”
The work of Bahá’u’lláh lies before us to be completed. No one generation will do this; a thousand years at least are required to carry out and mature the specific provisions of His Dispensation. But to each man his opportunity, to each generation its tasks. Shoghi Effendi has laid down for us in clear and unmistakable terms our next five years’ work. To the degree to which we scrupulously adhere to his plan, obey his words, comprehend the implications of his perfect design, to that degree only will our affairs prosper, our work attract the blessings from On High, and the foundation of the World Crusade be solidly and lastingly laid.
The beloved Guardian, in his last message to us all, made clear that the fourth phase of our Ten-Year Plan which we have, with the holding of these great conferences all over the world, now embarked upon, “must be immortalized, on the one hand, by an unprecedented increase in the number of avowed supporters of the Faith, in all the continents of the globe, of every race, clime, creed, and color, and from every stratum of present—day society, coupled with a corresponding increase in the number of Bahá’í centers, and, on the other, by a swift progress in the erection of the Mother Temples of Africa and Australia. as well as by the initiation of the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Europe.”
The commencement of work on the Temple to be erected in Germany is long overdue. We know from the Words of the Master that these Houses of Worship are the greatest silent teachers of the Faith. How infinitely precious is any building erected in the love of God and for the mention of His Name! How much more so these first continental “Mother Temples,” being raised to the glory of Bahá’u’lláh! How infinitely so the Temples for whose construction the Guardian himself is responsible, whose location he has specified, whose design he himself has approved. It was one of his most Cherished desires to have these Temples built. He himself pledged he would supply one-third of their estimated cost. We must now carry on his work, see that the budget, now being expended monthly for the construction of the Sydney Temple, is met, and that at least the major part of the sum required for the European Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is raised, in anticipation of the early commencement of actual building operations. Time is flying. We do not know what the future world situation will be. What we do know is our immediate duty to the work specified for us by our Guardian.
The other half of the main task confronting us is the “unprecedented increase” in the number of believers throughout the world. Pioneers are needed everywhere, in all continents, in all the islands opened to the Faith, on the Homefronts, and in the goal territories. Two things are required to get a pioneer to his post, an enkindled, consecrated soul, willing and ready to go out in the teaching field and, if he cannot supply them himself, the material means necessary to get him to his post and often to enable him to remain at it. This type of service to the Faith offers a wonderful opportunity for partnership between those who have some worldly means at their disposal, but feel for some reason unable to go forth themselves, and those who yearn to respond to the call for pioneering, but are prevented from fulfilling their heart’s desire because of lack of material resources.
Let us recall our Guardian’s words, at the opening of the World Crusade, to the entire body of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh:
“ . . . I direct my appeal to arise and, in the course of these fast fleeting years, in every phase of the campaigns that are to be fought in all the continents of the globe, prove their worth as gallant warriors battling for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Indeed, from this very hour until the eve of the Most Great Jubilee, each and every one of those enrolled in the Army of Light must seek no rest, must take no thought of self, must sacrifice to the uttermost, must allow nothing whatsoever to deflect him or her from meeting the pressing, the manifold, the paramount needs of this preeminent Crusade.
“ ‘Light as the spirit,’ ‘pure as air,’ ‘blazing as fire,’ ‘unrestrained as the wind’—for such is Bahá’u’lláh’s own admonition to His loved ones in His Tablets, and directed not to a select few but to the entire congregation of the faithful—let them scatter far and wide, proclaim the glory of God’s Revelation in this Day, quicken the souls of men and ignite in their hearts the love of the One Who alone is their omnipotent and divinely appointed Redeemer.”
At this time surely nothing is impossible to us. We
have passed through nine months of fire since our[Page 3]
beloved Guardian left us, but we have burned together.
We have seen, and felt deeply in our hearts, our unity
as a world community, as followers of the Most Great
Name. We have neither been separated nor paralyzed
through this great shock and grief. The World Center
of the Faith which he so assiduously built up and consolidated, the heart of the Bahá’í World Community.
has not ceased to heat. The communion between the
hearts of the friends and the great heart enshrining
the Qiblih of the Bahá’í world, continues to gather
strength. This has been a shining evidence to us all
that Bahá’u’lláh’s mercies have not ceased to be showered upon us; that what the Guardian built endures
and will endure, a living organism, throughout the
stages in the evolution of our Faith which lie ahead.
After this ordeal by fire which we have passed through, can we doubt that, with this fresh sense of oneness, with our purified hearts, we will not receive, if we arise now to serve as we should, an extraordinary measure of the bounty of almighty God? Great moments in history require great deeds; great men are not necessarily those best qualified to be great, but rather those who see their chance and seize it, with love and courage, when it offers itself. The records of our Faith show that its heroes and heroines, its saints and martyrs, sprang mostly from the rank and file, but what they possessed, which raised them to the summits of fame and glory, were vision and faith, Let the friends now follow the path of Shoghi Effendi, let them arise to complete his work as set forth in the Ten-Year Plan, let them labour as he did, steadily, patiently, consecratedly, day after day, week after week, year after year, until his tasks are completed. The world now marvels at what this one man did in thirty-six years. Let his lovers arise and put their shoulder to the wheel and move this blessed Faith forward on the path of its destiny until, God willing, their hearts stop as did his, from the excess of their labours in the path of God.
Signed:
RUHÍYYIH
AMELIA COLLINS
A. FURUTAN
WILLIAM SEARS
A. Q. FAIZI
JALAL KHÁZEH
Steel shaftS for the reinforced concrete pillars that will rise to dome
height for the Mother Temple of
construction near
Kampala, Uganda.
Construction of Africa Temple Proceeds With Erection of Supporting Pillars[edit]
THE second contract for the construction of the Mother Temple of Africa at Kampala, Uganda, was signed in June 1958, providing for the erection of reinforced concrete pillars up to dome height.
This follows the completion of the first contract, the foundation and the steps up to floor level. In addition, a well and pump have been installed, insuring an adequate supply of water, and a landscape architect has drawn up plans for tree plantings.
In January, during the Kampala Intercontinental Conference, the Guardian's revered representatives, ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Hand of the Cause Musa Banání, placed a silver casket containing sacred earth from the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and a wooden box holding a piece of plaster from the Prison of Mah-kú, where the Báb had been incarcerated, beneath the foundation stone.
When the present work of constructing the pillars is completed, a third contract will be executed for the erection of the walls, roof, and dome.
Construction of the dome will present numerous problems. A dome of the shape and proportions called for by the designs has never been built anywhere in the world before; equipment and engineers for the prestressed concrete work required do not exist in that part of the world. The hill on which the Temple is being erected is high above the surrounding land. and encounters strong winds. This will present difficulties for the builders when planning their scaffolding at such an unusual height. In addition, the extreme changes of temperature, from hot afternoons to cool nights, create great problems of expansion and contraction.
Despite all these difficulties, the National Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa reports that the problems are slowly being surmounted.
The final work on the finish, acoustics, doors, windows, and electrical fittings should be started by the
end of 1958, and it is expected that the building will[Page 4]
be completed by the middle of 1959.
Close-up view showing details of the construction of
the reinforced concrete pillars of the Bahá’í Temple at
Kampala, Uganda.
When completed, the Temple will tower one hundred
feet above ground level and cover an area of 8500
square feet. It will be the tallest and most imposing
building in Uganda.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS for March 1958 includes a picture of the Temple design. A strong vertical and horizontal line motif is followed throughout, while the three square openings in the upper part of the drum of the rotunda on each of the nine sides will carry round windows made of glass in the bright colors of golden yellow, deep marine blue, and vermillion red.
The Temple will have no gallery; its accomodations for worshippers will be on one floor. It is being executed entirely in reinforced concrete, the floor being built with tiles set in concrete, raising it six inches above the base level of the verandah.
Bahá’í Intercontinental Community Represented at UN “East-West Symposium” in Brussels[edit]
The Belgian National Commission of UNESCO, desirous of actively participating in the promotion of the important project Known as “Mutual Appreciation of the Cultural Values of the East and West” approved by the Ninth General Conference of UNESCO at New Delhi in November 1956, organized an “EastWest Symposium” in Brussels, Belgium. from June 26 to July 3, 1958, within the framework of the Brussels 1958 International Exhibition.
Through the initiative of the Benelux National Spiritual Assembly and the wholehearted support of the International Bahá’í Community, it was made possible for two Bahá’í delegates, Mrs. Lea Nys and Amin’o’lláh Samii, to represent the Bahá’í Faith at this symposium.
There was a total of thirty official participants, consisting mostly of professors of leading universities of Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, Russia, United States, France, India, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, Belgium, and other countries throughout the world. Very few observers were granted admittance, and it was there fore a privilege for the Bahá’ís to be represented.
As a prelude to the symposium, a day was consecrated to the commemoration of the signing of the Charter of Human Rights.
The discussions of the symposium manifested the desire among the diverse personalities to cooperate by all modem means of popular education to facilitate the exchange of spiritual concepts and mutual tolerance between the peoples of the Orient and Occident.
Nevertheless, it was evident, from the Bahá’í viewpoint, that there was a lack of cohesion, proving the need of a superior force capable of cementing hearts together.
They came to the conclusion that religion was the greatest factor in the formation of civilizations in the past, and that if humanity would establish a more humane world it must have new standards of morality and a reconsideration of religious values.
During the intervals between the sessions, personal contacts were made by the Bahá’í delegates, and Bahá’í literature was discreetly distributed. The delegates felt that the week of fruitful consultation developed an eager desire to investigate the religious problems of our time, and that the presence of Bahá’í might prove in the future that the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh was working among those leading personalities of the world.
—LEA NYS
Australian NSA Asks Continued Contributions For Construction of Temple in Sydney[edit]
A letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia expresses the hope that the Bahá’ís will continue their contributions for the construction of the Sydney Temple, so that there will be no interruption or delay in its early completion. It says: “The project is creating a lot of public interest; over 1,000 cars pass the site each hour on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Thirty New Local Assemblies Established In Area of Southeast Asia Regional Assembly[edit]
The formation of thirty new local spiritual assemblies in the area under the jurisdiction of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Southeast Asia was accomplished on April 21, 1958.
Eight of these assemblies are located in Vietnam, where the number of believers now number about 200.
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era has recently been translated into Vietnamese, and 3,000 copies have been published to assist in attaining the goal of 500 Bahá’ís in Vietnam by the time of the Djakarta Conference in September.
Six Newly-Formed Local Spiritual Assemblies of Central Vietnam[edit]
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Hoa Thai, Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Quang Ngai, Quang Ngai Province, Central Vietnam.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Phu Tho, Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Son Thang, Quang Nam Province, Central, Vietnam.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Ky Ngoc, Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of teh Bahá’ís of Tourane, Central Vietnam.
First Philippine Bahá’í Summer School Conducted at Solano in Two Languages[edit]
The first Bahá’í Summer School and Conference in the Philippines was held at Solano, in the province of Nueva Vizcaya on Luzon Island, where more than twenty years ago The Greatest Name was first made known on these islands.
This conference was held in the humble, windowless Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, erected by the loving sacrifices of the Solano friends. Bahá’í children opened the first session with a beautifully composed choral greeting that added the element of youthful gladness and meekness to the spiritual atmosphere.
All prayers and talks were spoken in either English or the Ilocano languages and then translated into the other, so that all present might understand the proceedings.
Orlando D. Maddela, the convenor of the school, is the son of the first Bahá’í believer of the Philippines. He not only conducted the school program, but spoke at a public meeting at the Plaza of Solano, held on the evening of May 31. Other speakers at this meeting were Mariano Tagubat of Solano, and William Allison, a recently-arrived pioneer from the United States.
Sixty-two persons attended the first day’s sessions of the summer school. Mr. Tagubat, Theodore Beehnert, and Mr. Allison spoke on subjects that included the history, the principles, and the administration of the Faith.
On the second day, speakers discussed the laws and ordinances of Bahá’u’lláh, the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and prospects for the future. Forty-two persons attended these meetings.
The closing session was devoted to the study of the Regional Spiritual Assembly’s Six-Year Teaching Plan and the part of the Philippine Islands in this plan. Subjects included: multiplication of centers. pioneering, increase in the number of believers, consolidation of existing centers, summer schools, translations and publications, incorporation of local spiritual assemblies, obtaining Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, the Bahá’í Fund, and teaching conferences.
This first summer school was an inspiring demonstration to the Philippine believers of the Bahá’í spirit of love and unity, and their steadfastness in their beloved Cause.
Chicago Tribune Publishes Proclamation of Faith by Well-Known Author[edit]
Some years ago the Book of the Month Club announced as one of its monthly selections a book entitled Song of the Sky by Guy Murchie. The name of Bahá’u’lláh appeared in this volume and the announcement of the book stated that Guy Murchie was a Bahá’í.
Now this well-known Bahá’í author has written an article entitled “I Am A Bahá’í,” which is featured in the magazine section of the Chicago Sunday Tribune of July 13, 1958.
The Sunday Tribune has a very large circulation throughout the middle west and even in distant cities. For example, Mr. Murchie’s article was noted and put to good use with contacts by a believer in Portland, Ore. Many inquiries for Bahá’í literature have come to the National Bahá’í headquarters from Sunday Tribune readers, and the number of visitors to the Temple has noticeably increased.
“I Am A Bahá’í. This means that I believe in the new world Faith that began in Persia a hundred years ago and has just now come into general attention in the West,” Guy Murchie’s article begins. He explains his interest in the Bahá’í Faith by stating that as a writer for the Chicago Tribune he had been asked by Col. Robert R. McCormick, seventeen years ago, to find out what the Bahá’í Temple, then under construction, “was all about.”
First Philippine Bahá’í Summer School, held May
31-June 1, 1958, at Soluna, Luzon.
“The spiritual creed behind this extraordinary creation struck me as so reasonable and beautiful that[Page 7]
after a few months of studying its history and principles and finding it stood for world unity and love
and progress, and that it did not conflict with Christianity (but rather fulfilled it), nor modern science, nor anything else I believed in, I embraced it in its entirety.”
Eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá’ís of the Greater Antilles for 1958-1959.
The article as a whole presents an interesting and
sound exposition of the history and teachings of our
revelation. The Shrine of the Báb and the Bahá’í
House of Worship are illustrated. American believers
can be grateful not only to Mr. Murchie, but also
to the late Col, McCormick and the Chicago Tribune
for many instances of publicity favorable to the Faith
of Bahá’u’lláh.
The editor of the Chicago Sunday Tribune has given permission to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust to reprint Guy Murchie’s article as a pamphlet. Mr. Murchie has also consented to this arrangement. The Publishing Trust will announce the pamphlet when ready.
Second annual convention of the
Bahá’í's of the Greater Antilles,
held at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in
April 1958.
Indians of Five Southwestern Tribes Weekend Guests at Gimlin Ranch[edit]
Fifty-five persons gathered at the Gimlin ranch near Camp Verde, Ariz., on the weekend of July 26-27, for two “Indian Days.”
Some came hundreds of miles, as did two Navajo families. Fifteen of the twenty-eight Indian friends came from the nearby Camp Verde Apache Reservation. other tribes represented were Yavapai, Mohave, Walpi, and Otomi. Ceremonial dances held concurrently in Hopiland prevented several Hopi friends from coming. One guest was a visitor to Arizona from Helsinki, Finland.
Nine Bahá’í communities in Arizona, California, and Nevada were represented. Meals were pot-luck, and many brought overnight camping equipment.
Plans for this weekend began early last spring, when Mr. and Mrs. Begay Tsosie, who live near the Monument Valley country in Arizona, visited their first white home, a Bahá’í residence in Sparks, Nev.
No program was arranged, but Indian arts and crafts were displayed, including Papago and Apache basketry, water color paintings, and an unusual exhibit of natural dye pigments used in Navajo weaving.
The warmth and love felt by everyone who came was reflected in the spontaneous participation of the Indian guests. Prayers were given in Apache, Yavapai, and Navajo, The Bahá’í prayers were translated into Navajo.
Through an interpreter, as spokesman for the Navajo who speak no English, Mr. Tsosie expressed the
appreciation and thanks of all, and said that he felt
this meeting was a beginning, a promise of things
to come. He spoke of the need for more meetings[Page 8]
such as this one, so that peoples who have been
apart can come together in the spirit of oneness and
brotherhood.
Highlighting the weekend, for all those who knew of it, was a touching demonstration of this fine man’: acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh, through His son. Mr. Tsosie, who had heard the wonderful message of Bahá’u’lláh in Navajo last spring, asked through his interpreter if a certain white figurine in the ranchhouse were of Bahá’u’lláh.
He was told it was not, then shown a picture of the son of Bahá’u’lláh. He stood looking at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s picture silently for a long moment, then touched his heart and his head, and knelt in reverence. He then spoke in Navajo to his eleven-year-old boy, who repeated the same act of devotion.
When the hour came for starting the long drives home, everyone gathered for prayer and heard the words of Bahá’u’lláh in supplication for protection, again spoken in Navajo. The bounty shared in this weekend of fellowship was an uplifting and inspiring experience for all.
—CHARLOTTE NELSON NORMAN GIMLIN
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís Fresno Judicial District, Calif., formed April 21, 1958.
Greensboro Baha’is Present Faith On Six Television Programs[edit]
The Greensboro, N. Car., Bahá’í community has recently taken advantage of a most unusual opportunity to present the Faith to the general public in three states: Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
It all started several months ago, when the community was asked to join the Greensboro Ministerial Fellowship, with the local spiritual assembly chairman as representative. This gave the chairman the opportunity to attend luncheons and meetings, and will eventually give him an opportunity to tell Greensboro’s leading Protestant clergy about the Faith.
Being a member entitles one to the privilege of having the Faith and its representative listed in the Church Directory, and presenting six fifteen-minute programs of a devotional nature on television station WFMY-TV. No sooner had the Faith become a member of this fellowship than the chairman was told he would be responsible for the programs from June 9 to June 15.
Much planning and a great deal of preparation went into the making-up of these programs. It was decided by the Teaching Committee that each morning “Words for the World” would be played, with slides of the Gardens on Mount Carmel as the video picture.
Subsequently the chairman selected a special devotional theme tor each day, using Paris Talks, Divine Art of Living, and Life Eternal as source books.
The beauty, the dignity, and the power of the Creative Word: the impression of the program created somewhat of a sensation at WFMY-TV. Everyone was asking about the Faith and the Gardens. One of the Greensboro Bahá’ís is a continuity writer at the station, and he was plied with questions.
Bahá’í Summer School in Kuching, Sarawak, May 10, 1958.
Several pieces of mail soon arrived from outlying
areas in North Carolina, the only correspondence ever
received pertaining to the “Devotions” program. One[Page 9]
letter urgently appealed for information on life after
death.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Forest, Ont., Canada, formed on April 21, 1958.
Since WFMY-TV has been telecasting since 1949, and instigated the program at that time, the fact that the Bahá’í Faith attracted the only correspondence in nine years is of some significance.
On Sunday, June 15, the program was conducted by the Greensboro Local Assembly chairman, Jack Davis, who had as his guest Mrs. Irma Hayden, chairman of the Nashville, Tenn., Local Spiritual Assembly. Having two races on the program was a very important teaching factor in the South, and is bound to have a far-reaching effect.
To have had such a privilege as these six programs, telecast over one of the largest and most powerful stations in the nation, is assuredly one that could not be devised; the opportunity was created for us, and is just another step forward to recognition and the ultimate emancipation of the Faith in this section of the country.
—F. KIMBALL KINNEY
Bahá’í Group of Manila, Philippine Islands, on April 20, 1958.
Los Angeles’ Youth Panel Discussions Attract Youth and Adults to Faith[edit]
The Youth and Young Adult Committee of Los Angeles, Calif., in an effort to expand its services in attracting more young people to the Faith, has developed an excellent plan which has been used successfully for more than two years.
Working closely with the Local Spiritual Assembly, it has not only presented youth panels for firesides and for a public meeting each month but also, under the Area Teaching Committee of the Southwestern States. has sent “travelling panels” to several other communities in Southern California and Nevada. Each panel is comprised of three or four youth, or young adult speakers, and an adult moderator, The moderator gives a brief introduction to the Faith to introduce the subject, the questions, and the speakers. The speakers each have five minutes to answer two questions, after which the moderator sums up and opens the meeting for general discussion, assisting the panel members to answer questions when necessary.
Very careful preparation has gone into this program. A two-hour study class, for all those interested in this method of teaching, provided for one hour of deepening in the Faith with the help of Mrs. Jesma Herbert and Miss Serrita Camargo, experienced teachers. This was followed by a one-hour workshop in which five minute talks, assigned in advance, were given. These talks were recorded on tape and played back for evaluation and constructive criticism.
The next phase was a two-hour class of straight study and discussion, with the aid of various study outlines. This was followed by a teaching institute using, besides many quotes on teaching, the study of the brochure Success in Teaching by Rúḥíyyih Khánum.
The fourth phase was a one-hour study period on
“The Covenant and Administration” followed by practical workshops and discussion on such subjects as:
opening a new city to the Faith, functioning as an[Page 10]
isolated Bahá’í or as a group, forming an assembly,
knowing and using the Bahá’í institutions, living the
Bahá’í life, the Ten-Year Crusade, pioneering, and
work on the homefront. Charts, maps, and all available visual aids were used extensively, and throughout
the emphasis was on the orientation and services of
Bahá’í youth and young adults in the Bahá’í community and the World Crusade. Finally there was
systematic study of Some Answered Questions.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Phuoc
Long, Giadinh Province, South Vietnam.
Much prayer and consultation goes into the selection of panel topics as well as the speakers for each.
Alternates are chosen at the same time, and a moderator who will work well with the particular panel
and speakers. A rehearsal is always held by the panel
members before the public meeting. The secretary and
chairman of the committee attend all rehearsals and
careful records are kept on possible speakers and
moderators as well as those that have participated,
including the dates and places. Letters of invitation
to participate in this program are sent to all young
people and moderators recommended by the assembly
and by the area teaching committee.
The panels presented thus far include such a wide range of subjects as: The History of the Faith, The Central Figures of the Faith, The Administrative Order; Human Life and its Purpose, What is Religion?., and Foundations of Human Progress.
The enthusiasm and capacity of the young people has been an inspiration to the community, and the impact upon the audiences to which they have spoken has been most effective in attracting both youth and adults to the Faith. This, or a similar plan for using the talents and energy of young people, could well be adopted in every Bahá’í community where there is even a small number of youth and young adults.
Faith Publicized in Saigon Magazine[edit]
One of the prominent Saigon, Vietnam, magazines, Bong Lua, has published an article on the Bahá’í Faith, together with photographs of the Holy Shrines and the International Archives Building in Haifa, the House of Worship in Wilmette, and several Bahá’í gatherings.
Chicago Assembly’s Weekly Meetings at YMCA Praised by Religious Work Committee[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, Ill., has sponsored a program of weekly meetings at the Washington Park YMCA since July 1957. Most of these meetings have featured Bahá’í speakers on various aspects of the Faith, followed by a question and answer period.
One speaker was Mrs. Vivian Wesson, Bahá’í pioneer on leave from Liberia, with students from Liberia participating in the discussion of that country. Another was a young Chicago Bahá’í who had spent the summer in Mexico in volunteer work among underprivileged children. There were also several sessions devoted to reading and discussion of such Bahá’í books as The Reality of Man and Foundations of World Unity.
As a result of this weekly activity at the Washington Park YMCA, the Bahá’ís were invited to participate in their Annual Springtime Tea, sponsored by the Religious Work Committee of this branch of the “Y” as a friendly gesture to the religious workers of many denominations during the year. This year the occasion had further significance because it marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the YMCA in Chicago.
At this gathering the general chairman of the activity introduced the Bahá’ís, praised their religious activity during the year, and expressed the hope that it would continue.
Second Cherokee Woman Embraces Faith[edit]
Mrs. Nellie Jumper, a Cherokee residing on the Indian reservation at Cherokee, N. Car., has enrolled in the Bahá’í Faith, the American Indian Service Committee has revealed.
With Mrs. Jumper and Mrs. Minnie Feather, also Cherokee, and Mrs. Ethel Murray, the Bahá’í pioneer, there are now three Bahá’ís on the reservation, which is small in area.
Baha’i literature Published in Indonesian[edit]
The translation of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era in the Indonesian language has been approved, and is now in the process of being printed. The booklet Bahá’í Community has also been translated into Indonesian, and will soon be published.
Summer School Held at Santiago, Rep. Dom.[edit]
The first National Summer School of the Dominican Republic for 1958-1959 was held the first weekend of June at Santiago. Bahá’ís and students from Cuidad Trujillo, Moca, and Santiago took part.
Deprived of Bahá’í Membership[edit]
The Regional Spiritual Assembly of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay has been obliged to remove the Bahá’í voting rights of Mrs. Frances Benedict Stewart, an American who has been pioneering in Latin American. She can no longer be recognized as a Bahá’í in the United States or elsewhere.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
The Art of Teaching[edit]
Teaching the Cause is the foremost duty and greatest delight of every Bahá’í. It devolves upon us, therefore, to consider how we can improve our teaching activities.
Knowledge[edit]
The main requisites of teaching are knowledge, faith, and love. The Founder of our Faith has emphasized that the person who would teach others must first teach himself. Systematic, regular study of the tenets and history of our Faith is a must for all, young and old. Summer schools, conferences, classes, and informal get-togethers are means for supplementing, but not supplanting. private study.
Teaching also is a learning process. If you want to master a subject, try giving a course on it! We dare not wait for our knowledge to become perfect before rushing into the arena of teaching. We shall never know everything about our all-embracing Faith but each one of us, no matter how ignorant or lacking in capacity, has something to impart to inquirers. We must never be overwhelmed by our inadequate knowledge or inability because it is not our puny efforts but solely God’s confirming grace that makes Bahá’í.
Our value as teachers sinks to zero if we feel that we have the power to confirm souls. We must avoid the extremes of underestimating and of overrating our abilities. The secret of success in teaching is God-consciousness. According the Faith first place in our lives and realizing that bestowing the Glad-Tidings of Bahá’u’lláh on others is our supreme task and the source of our lasting happiness, will lead us to acquire the knowledge that is needful.
Faith[edit]
Faith is contagious. Our devotion to the Cause is bound to influence inquirers. Faith will move mountains of doubt, fear, unbelief, ignorance, and sin. We of the West must take heed not to let the world be too much with us or to permit material pursuits to dwarf our spiritual aspirations.
It has often happened that when the teaching outlook in a locality appeared very dark the doors of progress suddenly opened in response to prayer. Self-discipline is required if prayer is to play a larger part in our scheme of daily living. What we occidentals most urgently require is what the Persians call tavajjuh, which means turning our faces toward God. It is faith that gives us the motivation to teach. Once the desire to teach is powerful enough, abundant means and opportunities will be found, particularly in countries like Britain and America where freedom abides.
Love[edit]
The requisite of love must be demonstrated both toward God and toward His creatures. When the strong emotion of love is focussed on both God and man, the result can only be unlimited triumph in teaching the Faith of God. Too often we think of subject matter by itself instead of related to the experience and background of the learner. In teaching, the learner must be uppermost in our minds and the effect of what we say will be tremendously enhanced if it is suffused with the spirit of love.
According to traditions accepted as authentic by al-Bukhárí, the Prophet Muḥammad imparted to His companions valuable hints on teaching. “Announce agreeable things; do not startle your auditor.” This could mean that we eschew the evangelist’s approach of threatening the listener with the tortures of Hell and instead picture to him the happy Bahá’í world commonwealth of the future in which the Wealth of mankind will not be squandered on instruments of human destruction but will be consecrated to such constructive ends as the sharpening and refinement of the human mind and the prolongation of life.
What we teach must be built on the thought patterns and experience of the inquirer and not be repugnant to him. Of course we cannot alter the teachings to make them more palatable, but the order of our teaching should be such that the negative commands come later, after the inquirer understands the stations of the Central Figures of the Faith.
Our aim is to attract, not to repel. “Make the way easy and not difficult.” counseled Muhammad. When we carry out this instruction, we shall succeed in guiding the “waiting servants” to the “chosen highway” which leads to personal and social salvation. Faith, knowledge, and love constitute the armour of God with which we can capture the “cities of men’s hearts.”
—Dn. ROBERT GULICK, JR.
BAHA’I IN THE NEWS[edit]
A new monthly magazine, The Mediterranean and Eurafrica, has published in its first issue (June 1958) an article entitled “Bahá’ísm—Another View of the Middle East” by Delia Mary Seton.
The purpose of this article was apparently to establish a new conception of Islam in the western world by pointing out that the Bahá’í Faith was “kindled within the bosom of Islám, and now it extends as far afield as Africa and—perhaps most significantly of all—it has its headquarters in Haifa, Israel.”
The author has made a careful study of Bahá’í sources and her article is a very creditable exposition of the Faith.
A reference to Bahá’u’lláh appears on page 68 of “The Story of Orchestral Music and its Times” by Paul Grabbe.
Mirror for Youth, published quarterly by Youth of All Nations, Inc., New York, reprints a letter written by an American student to her “pen pal” in Germany. This letter describes a irisit she made to a Bahá’í fireside meeting. “It was really wonderful. It made me feel as if, in spite of superficial differences, there is really a chance that the world can be ruled through peace and understanding, instead of the childish quarrels that have always plagued men’s relations with their neighbors.”
The Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany) Sunday, May 3, 1958, published a long and detailed article about the Faith. illustrated by two large photographs of the Wilmette Bahá’í House of Worship, an exterior and an interior view, and also by a picture of the dome of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, Ṭihrán, showing the military leaders who were beginning the destruction of the dome there, May 1955.
National Baha’i Addresses[edit]
Please Address Mail Correctly!
National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters:[edit]
536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Ill.
National Treasurer:[edit]
ll2 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Make Checks Payable to: National Bahá’í Fund
Bahá’í Publishing Trust:[edit]
ll0 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Bahá’í News:[edit]
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Subscription and change of address: 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
In the light of the Intercontinental Conference scheduled for Germany, this article was most opportune.
An Israeli publication dealing with freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want, carries an illustration of the Shrine of the Báb.
The June 1958 issue of Harper’s Magazine contains an unusual reference to the Faith. In an article by Dan Wakefield about a group of teen-age New Yorkers who have abandoned the ways of violence and seek to imbue other youths with their new outlook, he says “As a young man in his early twenties, Ramon (Diaz) came from Puerto Rico on a pilgrimage to the Bahá’í Temple in Chicago and stopped off in New York on the way.”
Three references to the Faith appear in Wilmette Life for July 31, 1958. One is a progress report on the construction of the Bahá’í Home, with a photograph of the building. Another reports the publication of Great Themes of Life by Eric Bowes and the presentation of a copy to Wilmette Public Library by the local Bahá’ís. The third states that the Bahá’í House of Worship is one of more than 100 Houses of Worship discussed in Historic Churches of the United States by Robert C. Broderick, published by Wilfred Funk.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
September 8—‘Izzat (Might) September 27—Mashiyyat (Will)
INTERCONTINENTAL CONFERENCE[edit]
September 22-27—Djakarta, Indonesia
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
October 10-12
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours[edit]
Weekdays
10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Entire building)
7:00 pm to 9:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 am. to 5:00 pm. (Entire building)
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 pm. (Auditorium only)
Service of Worship[edit]
Sundays
3:30 p.m., lasting until 4:15.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
Reports, plans, news items, and photographs of general interest are requested from national committees and local assemblies of the United States as well as from national assemblies or other lands. Material is due in Wilmette on the first day of the month preceding the date of issue for which it is intended.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1958-59: Mrs. Eunice Braun, Miss Charlotte Linfoot, Richard C. Thomas.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
