Bahá’í News/Issue 709/Text
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| Bahá’í News | May 1990 | Bahá’í Year 147 |
International Chinese Symposium
at San Francisco Bahá’í Center
Bahá’í News[edit]
Riḍván message to Bahá’í world from the Universal House of Justice | 1 |
San Francisco plays host to first International Chinese Symposium | 4 |
Guyana’s Muhájir Project records spectacular successes in teaching | 8 |
IBAVC sponsors third Bahá’í Radio Seminar in Cumbaya, Ecuador | 9 |
Hawaii Bahá’ís present Agnes Alexander Award to wife of governor | 10 |
Ecuador’s Bahá’ís intensify teaching efforts in Dr. Muhájir’s name | 12 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 14 |
Bahá’í News is published monthly 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. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double-spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Management Information Systems, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates within the U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside the U.S.: one year, $14; two years, 24$. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment in U.S. dollars must accompany the order. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1990, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
Riḍván message to Bahá’ís of the world[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the world
Dearly loved Friends,
Having ended a year of momentous achievements, we stand at the threshold of the last decade of this radiant twentieth century facing an immediate future of immense challenges and dazzling prospects. The swiftness of events during the past year is indicative of the acceleration, as the hundredth anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ascension approaches, of the spiritual forces released with the advent of His revolutionizing mission. It is an acceleration which, in its suddenness and wide transformational impact on social thought and on political entities, has aroused feelings of delight as to its immediate effects and of bewilderment as to its real meaning and destined outcome, prompting the astonished editors of an outstanding newspaper, finding themselves bereft of explanations, to attribute it to the workings of an “Invisible Hand.”
For the followers of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the world there can be no doubt as to the Divine Source and clear intention of these extraordinary happenings. Let us rejoice, therefore, in the wondrous signs of the beneficence of God’s abounding grace. The high level of teaching and enrollments reported last Riḍván has been sustained, and new fields of teaching have been opened from Eastern Europe to the China Sea. With the settlement in recent weeks of two Knights of Bahá’u’lláh in Sakhalin Island, the last remaining territory named by Shoghi Effendi in his Ten Year Global Plan entered the Bahá’í fold. The re-creation last Riḍván of the local Spiritual Assembly of Ishqábád, the recent election of that of Cluj in Romania, the first new Assembly in the “East Bloc,” the re-establishment and formation this Riḍván of local Spiritual Assemblies in other parts of the Soviet Union and in other countries of Eastern Europe—all these achievements and immediate prospects affirm our arrival at a significant milestone in the fourth epoch of the Formative Age. The Administrative Order now embraces a community of wider diversity than ever before. It is such prodigious developments that prompted our recent announcement of a subsidiary Two Year Teaching Plan, now formally launched, to which we commend your urgent and active attention.
How staggering, how far-reaching have been the activities which propelled the community in one short year toward this stage in its evolution! As we reflect on the wonders of Bahá’u’lláh’s confirmations, our hearts turn with love and appreciation to the Hands of the Cause of God everywhere, who, as the standard-bearers of that community, have ever upheld its bright emblems against the darkness of the times. With an indomitable spirit they persevere in fulfilling, under all circumstances and wherever they may be, their God-given tasks to stimulate, edify and advise its widely scattered, rapidly multiplying members. In the face of the new situation in the Bahá’í world, we take joy in mentioning some instances in the past year of association of Hands of the Cause with the developments in Europe and Asia. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, in an extended journey to the Far East, represented the Universal House of Justice at the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Macau; spent time with the Knight of Bahá’u’lláh in Mongolia where subsequently the first native declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh; and devoted much attention to the friends in different parts of the People’s Republic of China, where her film “The Green Light Expedition” has been shown on television. Mr. Collis Featherstone focused much energy on reinvigorating the long-suffering friends in war-ravaged Vietnam. At this very moment, Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan is visiting the USSR, which he was forced to leave during the persecution of the Faith there; now he has returned in triumphant fulfillment of a wish expressed to him by our beloved Guardian some 60 years ago.
Nor have the Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre been slow in responding to opportunities to foster the climate of progress now evident in all quarters of the globe. Through the unified vision of growth to which they have called the Continental Boards of Counsellors and their able, hard-working and self-sacrificing auxiliaries, a new vitality can be felt in the expansion and consolidation of the Faith throughout the world. The Continental Counsellors deserve the deep gratitude of the entire Bahá’í community as they approach the close of their current five-year term, distinguished for their outstanding services.
Just as the community has extended its ramifications internally, it has also expanded its relations, influence and appeal externally in a variety of ways, some astonishing in their breadth and potential. A few examples will suffice: Through the newly established Office of the Environment, the Bahá’í International Community, on its own initiative and in collaboration with other environmental organizations, re-instituted the annual World Forestry Charter Gathering founded in 1945 by the renowned Richard St. Barbe Baker; since then the Office of the Environment has been invited to participate in important events sponsored by international organizations concerned with environmental questions. The Bahá’í International Community has been involved in the work of the Task Force for Literacy under the aegis of UNESCO and was invited to participate in the World Conference on Education for All held in Thailand, where its representative was asked to assume a variety of
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highly visible and important tasks which gave prominence
to the Bahá’í community. Steps were taken, with the encouragement of a Fijian senior government official, to open in Suva a branch of the Bahá’í International Community’s
United Nations office for the Pacific region. The University
of Maryland in the United States announced its decision to
establish “The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace” in its Center
for International Development and Conflict Management,
which will give rise to a great increase in academic efforts to
examine the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. At almost the same time
the National Spiritual Assembly of India announced that an
agreement had been reached to establish a Chair for Bahá’í
Studies at the University of Indore.
The continuing efforts to secure the emancipation of the Bahá’ís of Iran evolved to a new stage. For the first time, a United Nations representative was able officially to meet on Iranian soil with a representative of the proscribed Bahá’í community. The result was recorded in a report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, at whose recent session in Geneva a resolution on Iran mentioning the Bahá’ís was again adopted. In a corollary action of far-reaching importance, the United States House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the emancipation of the Iranian Bahá’í community and outlining steps to be taken by the United States government toward this end; a similar resolution is before the Senate.
In the Holy Land, preparations for the execution of the building projects on Mount Carmel received a definite boost. It is a cause of deep satisfaction that, on the eve of Naw-Rúz, the District Town Planning Commission, after delicate and complex negotiations, decided to approve the plan submitted by the Bahá’í World Centre. This paves the way for the ultimate issuance of building permits.
Beloved friends: Merely two years separate us from the conclusion of the Six Year Plan and the beginning at Riḍván 1992 of the Holy Year, that special time when we shall pause to appreciate the tumultuous record of events which will have brought us to the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and to reflect with due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet.
In anticipation of this high watermark in Bahá’í history, plans have been set in motion for two major world events: one, the gathering in the Holy Land of a wide representation of believers from around the globe to participate in a befitting commemoration of that poignant consummation in the vicinity of the Most Holy Shrine. A component of this commemoration, symbolic of the transcendent and victorious influence of Bahá’u’lláh’s liberated Spirit, will be the depositing beneath the floor at the entrance door of His Shrine of a receptacle containing the illuminated Roll of Honor of the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, a listing initiated by Shoghi Effendi during his Ten Year Plan of those intrepid souls who arose to conquer in the Name of their Lord virgin territories mentioned in that Plan. This will have brought to a fitting conclusion, after nearly four decades, an intention expressed by the beloved Guardian himself. The living Knights of Bahá’u’lláh will be invited to witness this occurrence.
The other event will be the Bahá’í World Congress to celebrate the centennial of the inauguration of the Covenant bequeathed to posterity by Bahá’u’lláh as the sure means of safeguarding the unity and integrity of His world-embracing Order. It is to be convened in November 1992 in New York, the place designated as the City of the Covenant by Him Who is its appointed Center and Who anticipated that “New York will become a blessed spot from which the call to steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part of the world.”
Related events at the local and national levels will combine with these two primary occasions to give vent to the innermost sentiments of the Bahá’ís and to impress on the public the profound fact of the appearance in the world of the Lord of the Covenant and the aims and achievements of His sublime mission. Indeed, plans are in progress to mount an intensive campaign to emblazon His Name across the globe.
The friends everywhere must now orient themselves to the significance of these twin anniversaries. They must be spiritually prepared through prayer and study of the Teachings to obtain a deeper appreciation of the station and purpose of Bahá’u’lláh and of the basic meaning of His mighty Covenant. Such preparation is at the very core of their striving to effect a transformation in their individual and collective lives. Let all the friends—every man, woman and youth—demonstrate through the high quality of their inner life and private character, the unified spirit of their association one with another, the rectitude of their conduct in relation to all, and the excellence of their achievements, that they belong to a truly enlightened and exemplary community; that their Best Beloved, whose Ascension they will commemorate, had not suffered His life on earth in vain. Let these requisites be the standard of their efforts to teach His Cause, the hallmark of their homage to the King of Kings.
Our dear and valued co-workers: It is at such a time of profound anticipation for us that world society finds itself in a critical phase of its transition to the character envisioned for it by the Lord of the Age. The winds of God rage on, upsetting old systems, adding impetus to the deep yearning for a new order in human affairs, and opening the way for the hoisting of the banner of Bahá’u’lláh in lands from which it has hitherto been barred. The rapidity of the changes being wrought stirs up the expectations which inspire our dreams in the closing decade of the twentieth century. The situation is equally a bright portent and a weighty challenge.
It is portentous of the profound change in the structure of present-day society which attainment to the Lesser Peace implies. Hopeful as are the signs, we cannot forget that the dark passage of the Age of Transition has not been fully traversed; it is as yet long, slippery and tortuous. For godlessness is rife, materialism rampant. Nationalism and racism still work their treachery in men’s hearts, and: humanity remains blind to the spiritual foundations of the solutions to its economic woes. For the Bahá’í community the situation is a particular challenge, because time is running out and we have serious commitments to keep. The most immediate of these are: one, to teach the Cause of God and build its divinely ordained institutions throughout the world with wisdom, courage and urgency; and two, to complete on
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Mount Carmel the construction of the Terraces of the
Shrine of the Báb and the remaining buildings on the Arc of
the World Administrative Center of the Faith. The one calls
for resolute, sustained and confident action on the part of
the individual believer. The other requires a liberal outpouring of funds. Both are intimately related.
Over the last two years, almost one million souls entered the Cause. The increasing instances of entry by troops in different places contributed to that growth, drawing attention to Shoghi Effendi’s vision which shapes our perception of glorious future possibilities in the teaching field. For he has asserted that the process of “entry by troops of divers nations and races into the Bahá’í world ... will be the prelude to that long-awaited hour when a mass conversion on the part of these same nations and races, and as a direct result of a chain of events, momentous and possibly catastrophic in nature, and which cannot as yet be even dimly visualized, will suddenly revolutionize the fortunes of the Faith, derange the equilibrium of the world, and reinforce a thousandfold the numerical strength as well as the material power and the spiritual authority of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.” We have every encouragement to believe that large-scale enrollments will expand, involving village after village, town after town, from one country to another. However, it is not for us to wait passively for the ultimate fulfillment of Shoghi Effendi’s vision. We few, placing our whole trust in the providence of God and regarding as a divine privilege the challenges which face us, must proceed to victory with the plans in hand.
An expansion of thought and action in certain aspects of our work would enhance our possibilities for success in meeting our aforementioned commitments. Since change, ever more rapid change, is a constant characteristic of life at this time, and since our growth, size and external relations demand much of us, our community must be ready to adapt. In a sense this means that the community must become more adept at accommodating a wide range of actions without losing concentration on the primary objectives of teaching, namely, expansion and consolidation. A unity in diversity of actions is called for, a condition in which different individuals will concentrate on different activities, appreciating the salutary effect of the aggregate on the growth and development of the Faith, because each person cannot do everything and all persons cannot do the same thing. This understanding is important to the maturity which, by the many demands being made upon it, the community is being forced to attain.
The Order brought by Bahá’u’lláh is intended to guide the progress and resolve the problems of society. Our numbers are as yet too small to effect an adequate demonstration of the potentialities inherent in the administrative system we are building, and the efficacy of this system will not be fully appreciated without a vast expansion of our membership. With the prevailing situation in the world the necessity to effect such a demonstration becomes more compelling. It is all too obvious that even those who rail against the defects of the old order, and would even tear it down, are themselves bereft of any viable alternative to put in its place. Since the Administrative Order is designed to be a pattern for future society, the visibility of such a pattern will be a signal of hope to those who despair.
Thus far, we have achieved a marvelous diversity in the large numbers of ethnic groups represented in the Faith, and everything should be done to fortify it through larger enrollments from among groups already represented and the attraction of members from groups not yet reached. However, there is another category of diversity which must be built up and without which the Cause will not be able adequately to meet the challenges being thrust upon it. Its membership, regardless of ethnic variety, needs now to embrace increasing numbers of people of capacity, including persons of accomplishment and prominence in the various fields of human endeavor. Enrolling significant numbers of such persons is an indispensable aspect of teaching the masses, an aspect which cannot any longer be neglected and which must be consciously and deliberately incorporated into our teaching work, so as to broaden its base and accelerate the process of entry by troops. So important and timely is the need for action on this matter that we are impelled to call upon Continental Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies to devote serious attention to it in their consultations and plans.
The affairs of mankind have reached a stage at which increasing calls will be made upon our community to assist, through advice and practical measures, in solving critical social problems. It is a service that we will gladly render, but this means that our local and National Spiritual Assemblies must adhere more scrupulously to principle. With increasing public attention being focused on the Cause of God, it becomes imperative for Bahá’í institutions to improve their performance, through a closer identification with the fundamental verities of the Faith, through greater conformity to the spirit and form of Bahá’í administration, and through a keener reliance on the beneficial effects of proper consultation, so that the communities they guide will reflect a pattern of life that will offer hope to the disillusioned members of society.
That there are indications that the Lesser Peace cannot be too far distant, that the local and national institutions of the Administrative Order are growing steadily in experience and influence, that the plans for the construction of the remaining administrative edifices on the Arc are in an advanced stage—that these hopeful conditions make more discernible the shaping of the dynamic synchronization envisaged by Shoghi Effendi, no honest observer can deny.
As a community clearly in the vanguard of the constructive forces at work on the planet, and as one which has access to proven knowledge, let us be about our Father’s business. He will, from His glorious retreats on high, release liberal effusions of His grace upon our humble efforts, astonishing us with the incalculable victories of His conquering power. It is for the unceasing blessings of such a Father that we shall continue to supplicate on behalf of each and every one of you at the Sacred Threshold.
Riḍván 1990
United States[edit]
San Francisco hosts Chinese Symposium[edit]
“Reaching the Chinese: The Time Is Now” was the topic of spirited consultation March 29-April 1 during the Bahá’í International Chinese Symposium at the Bahá’í Center in San Francisco, California.
Nearly 400 people including some 50 of Chinese heritage representing nine countries and 24 states gathered in the spacious auditorium at the Center to take a close look at the Chinese and their culture, discuss teaching Chinese both inside and outside of mainland China, and inspire a sense of urgency among one another to act now, while the doors are open.
In a message to the Symposium, the Universal House of Justice wrote:
“These are momentous times in the fortunes of mankind ... times of rapid and far-reaching global change which gives rise to fundamental questions of concern about the social order in which we all live.
“All over the world, but particularly in China, our contemporaries are searching for answers to these questions. This searching appears to have generated a new kind of receptivity which recognizes in the Teachings the basic principles which are at once timely, relevant and compelling.
“The conjunction of this receptivity with the presence of thousands of Chinese in your midst presents an opportunity for teaching that may never recur in your lifetime.
“The time is now.”
Among the special guests at the Symposium was a retired member of the House of Justice, David Hofman, who shared stories of his recent travels through Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Mr. Hofman pointed out that the Chinese people have a rich and varied history and culture and share a philosophy that is remarkably similar in many respects to the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the International Chinese Symposium in San Francisco is Rosalie Tran, director of the Bahá’í International Community Office of Public Information in Hong Kong.
Teaching successes from around the world were shared by Bahá’í pioneers where efforts to reach Chinese outside the People’s Republic of China are having a noteworthy effect.
Those addressing the topic included Sabrina Townsend, who recently came to the U.S. from Hong Kong; Donald Tennant from Macau; Charles Pau, a member of the International Chinese Teaching Committee who has been teaching in Singapore and Australia; Kit Yin Kiang from Taiwan; and representatives of the National Chinese Teaching Committee of Canada who reported about recent activities in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In a moving session on Friday morning, 11 Chinese Bahá’ís spoke about how they had become Bahá’ís and what had attracted them to the Faith.
They were drawn to the Cause, most said, because of the unity of the Bahá’ís as well as by the social principles and the teachings on world peace.
Their stories reinforced the sentiments expressed in a letter to the Symposium from the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum in which she urged the friends to remember that “this great race (the Chinese) comes from an entirely different historic background outside the Judeo-Christian-Muslim line of world religions, and the appeal to their very logical minds and different historic and cultural background should be from their point of view and not the one we are used to in the Western Hemisphere and Europe.”
Speakers, panelists and workshop facilitators at the Symposium represented the Boards of Counsellors and Auxiliary Boards of Asia and the Americas; the U.S. National Spiritual
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David Hofman (left photo), retired member of the Universal House of Justice, addresses the Chinese Symposium. Among the performers were singer/dancer Zhu Ming Ying (center) and the Pacific Zheng Ensemble.
Assembly; the Bahá’í Committee for China appointed by the Universal House of Justice; the International Chinese Teaching Committee; the Bahá’í International Community; the National Teaching Committees of Canada and the U.S.; and many present and former pioneers and traveling teachers who lived in or traveled through China or other countries with large Chinese populations.
Also attending were members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Ecuador, Macau, Singapore, Suriname and Thailand.
Plenary sessions included talks on the development of the Cause in China and offered a wealth of ideas about how to reach the Chinese outside of mainland China.
“Understanding the Chinese People and Culture” was the topic of a talk by Charles Pau of Singapore who also spoke on “The Vision of Chinese Teaching Outside Mainland China.”
Mr. Pau referred to a letter from the Universal House of Justice to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, read to the Symposium by Judge James Nelson, vice-chairman of the National Assembly, which suggested that one of the best opportunities to contact Chinese in America is in the universities where one can reach those who will return to China to become that country’s most influential citizens.
Lori McLaughlin, a former student in mainland China now at Cornell University, reiterated that point in a talk entitled “The Role of Youth in Reaching the Chinese.”
Taking a break between sessions, some of the participants in the Chinese Symposium share their thoughts on teaching and other important matters.
She noted from experience that young people in China are struggling to find answers to their country’s problems, but that many who look to the U.S. to find those solutions are disappointed.
“Bahá’í youth,” she said, “can offer the greatest gift (to the Chinese), the solutions they are seeking.
“One way to reach the Chinese youth is to study the Chinese language in school and go to China to continue your education. Any field can be researched or studied in China.”
Farzam Kamalabadi, a member of the Bahá’í Committee for China, spoke on “The Bahá’í Faith and China,” and later outlined some of the many ways in which Bahá’ís can use the mass media, especially the many
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Holding an impromptu strategy session
before presenting their cogent and
well-received insights at the International Chinese Symposium are Counsellors (left to right) Fred Schechter,
Bijan Fareed and William Roberts.
Chinese-language newspapers around the world, to reach the Chinese population.
Andy Sham of the U.S. National Teaching Committee spoke on “Teaching Chinese People in the United States” and introduced the recently approved Chinese teaching and declaration card.
Sandra Hutchinson of Canada, who has traveled extensively in China, spoke on “Establishing Chinese Teaching Networks,” pointing out that one of the best ways to form a network of Chinese friends is “to begin with the Chinese person most available to you. In becoming close to that one person, you will have many Chinese friends before you know it.”
A slide program by Roland Yazhari depicted some of his many trips to mainland China.
Panel discussions included those on “Differences and Similarities Between Chinese Inside and Outside of Mainland China” and “Teaching Chinese in Universities.”
Panelists for the first of these were Rosalie Tran, Kit Yin Kiang, former residents in China John Skeaff and Deborah Todd, and Victor Greenspoon, a pioneer to Thailand.
Taking part in the second panel were Jene Brusen-Bellows, who has traveled in China and taught in several Asian countries as well as in colleges in the U.S.; Barry Shapiro, a former pioneer to Africa who is active in Chinese teaching at Purdue University; and Lori McLaughlin.
Both panels were followed by an open mike dialogue between panelists and the audience.
Workshop sessions presented opportunities for consultation on a variety of topics. One of them, on the first Sino-American Conference on Women’s Issues, to be held next June in Beijing, was conducted by Juana Conrad, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly who is on the conference steering committee and will be taking part in the event itself.
Meanwhile, Barbara Sellars, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Training Committee in Fresno and secretary of the board of directors of Fresno Refugee Services, conducted a workshop on Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees.
Other sessions addressed such topics as reaching Chinese on college campuses and teaching experiences of Bahá’ís in China and Macau.
On Saturday evening, about 300 Chinese from the San Francisco area were guests at a gala “Tribute to Chinese Culture” at the Bahá’í Center.
Following the program, many of these guests attended a reception at
Among those performing during the ‘Tribute to Chinese Culture’ was the Chinese Folk Dance Association of San Francisco.
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which 11 people including nine Chinese
embraced the Cause.
The program itself included performances by Zhu Ming Ying, a singer-dancer from mainland China now living in Boston who in 1989 won China’s first-ever Gold Record Award; the Pacific Zheng Ensemble from San Francisco; a Bahá’í children’s choir from the Bay area led by Ron and Carol Lyles of San Mateo; Elaine Wu, former soloist with the Central Philharmonic Society in Beijing; Lilian Wu, a Bahá’í from San Francisco who is a well-known pianist and former recitalist with the BBC; and the Chinese Folk Dance Association of San Francisco which performed a traditional dance from Mongolia and a fan dance in the Anhui, Shantang and Yunnan styles.
The Chinese Symposium was well-covered by the media with articles in four Chinese-language newspapers and programs on two television stations whose audience is predominantly Chinese.
A video tape of the Chinese cultural evening was requested by a local Chinese-language TV station, to be aired as a one-hour special dubbed in Chinese.
On the day the Symposium opened, a press conference and luncheon was held in Chinatown at which Mr. Hofman, Rosalie Tran of the Hong Kong Office of Public Information, Mr. Kamalabadi and Mr. Kiang explained that the Symposium was being held to promote an understanding of the Chinese culture and to establish friendships among Chinese and Americans.
The Chinese Symposium ended at noon on Sunday, after which about 270 Bahá’ís and Southeast Asian guests from the Bay area were brought by bus to the Center for a Southeast Asian Bahá’í Conference.
It was reported that nine of the Southeast Asians accepted the Faith while en route to the conference, which was a reunion for many of them as well as an opportunity to greet and to hear from Mr. Hofman who gave an especially warm welcome to the many children seated on the floor at the front of the room.
At the close of the conference, which was conducted in English, Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese, several of those who had taken part in the weekend’s events remained in San Francisco to continue teaching efforts that had begun several weeks before the Symposium under the guidance of the Metro 1000 Project Committee.
As of the opening of the Symposium the teachers had reported 31 declarations, a number that has since risen to at least 54 including 13 Chinese and 17 Southeast Asians.
Drums and cymbals, very much a part of the Chinese musical heritage, enliven the Saturday evening ‘Tribute to Chinese Culture.’
Above: A member of the Pacific Zheng Ensemble performs. Below: A colorful and popular ‘lion’ tosses an orange to the audience.
Guyana[edit]
On cutting edge of ‘entry by troops’[edit]
Ellen Widmer, a U.S. pioneer to Guyana who serves as an Auxiliary Board member in that country, spoke recently to staff at the U.S. Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, about teaching victories in Guyana’s Muhájir Project.
“When I arrived in Guyana, in 1969,” she said, “there were 110 Bahá’ís in the entire country. At the end of 1989, there were 22,000. And as a result of the Muhájir Project, 11,000 new believers have been enrolled in the past three months.”
This means that, with a total population of 750,000, more than four percent of Guyana’s citizens are now Bahá’ís.
About a year and a half ago, said Mrs. Widmer, the Universal House of Justice asked the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas to suggest a country that was ready for a campaign to initiate entry by troops.
Specifically, it was looking for a country whose government had a good relationship with the Bahá’í community and whose people would benefit greatly from the increased participation of the Bahá’ís in the affairs of the community at large.
Guyana was chosen, and the Muhájir Project came into being, coordinated by the Counsellors.
Following a week of orientation, Counsellors Eloy Anello and Peter McLaren chose 26 full-time teachers to serve on the project, looking specifically for those to whom unity and obedience were paramount. They also concentrated on creating a balance among projecteers as to sex, age and cultural background, as well as balancing the number of native and non-native teachers.
“One of the most important factors in our success, I believe,” said Mrs. Widmer, “was that we took the time to clarify our vision of ‘entry by troops.’
We talked about our fears and perceived obstacles and what steps we could take to overcome them.”
An initial goal, she said, was “to identify receptive villages, but we soon found that every village was receptive.
“The people were so ready to hear the Message that they were offended if teachers did not stop at their house. Some even said they had dreamt of the visit, and said they had been waiting eagerly for the friends to arrive.”
The next step in the campaign was to revisit the homes of those who had accepted the Cause and teach their families.
Next, the groups approached leaders and people of influence in each village to enlist their support and help in reaching the people. As a result, the leader of one Buddhist temple became a Bahá’í.
Within four weeks, Mrs. Widmer said, 26 Guyanese had arisen to join the project while all over the country, new Bahá’ís were arising to serve.
The Bahá’í community, which was growing so rapidly that in one locality the only place large enough to hold the Feast was a local ballpark, soon found itself looked to by the community at large for help with many of the social problems it was facing.
“The people are quite concerned about the moral decline of the youth,” said Mrs. Widmer. “So the Bahá’ís have begun teaching classes in morals for children. The classes are so large, numbering about 200 each, that we are restricted in the activities we can offer. But the children learn songs and prayers and The Hidden Words.”
Classes also were started for mothers, but before long the men in the villages wanted to learn about health care and educating children, so now the classes are called couples’ classes.
As a result of these and other activities, the Bahá’ís in Guyana have been catapulted from obscurity and are having a nationwide impact. In fact, the president of Guyana has asked for a meeting with the National Spiritual Assembly to consult on the future of Guyana.
Already, the government has decided to introduce a new curriculum in public schools to teach moral values, and is considering using the Mother’s Books published by the National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya as a guide in developing that curriculum.
Other nationwide projects receiving help from the Bahá’í community, said Mrs. Widmer, include a medical project, a literacy program, and the prime minister’s anti-drug campaign.
Last year the prime minister addressed a Bahá’í youth conference in Guyana, saying that the most effective thing the young Bahá’ís could do to help other youth would be to teach the Faith as much as possible.
The Bahá’í community in Guyana is achieving its great success despite a lack of material advantages that many countries might take for granted. The greatest need, said Mrs. Widmer, is for written materials (in English), especially children’s books and the Bahá’í Writings.
“The House of Justice,” she said, “designed this project as a pilot to be replicated around the world.
“It has been successful,” she concluded, “because of the power of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Ecuador[edit]
Radio professionals at IBAVC Seminar[edit]
The third Bahá’í Radio Seminar sponsored by the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre (IBAVC) was held last November 25-December 5 in Cumbaya, Ecuador.
The Radio Seminar has become an important yearly event for IBAVC, an agency brought into being by the Universal House of Justice and responsible to it. IBAVC oversees all Bahá’í media work around the world. There are presently Bahá’í radio stations in seven countries: Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Liberia, Panama, Peru and the United States. Each of these countries was represented at the conference as were four countries who do not as yet have Bahá’í radio stations: Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
The seminar, whose purpose was to encourage the radio stations to establish strong bonds of fellowship and to stimulate an exchange of ideas among them, was held in a charming old Spanish-style building used as a school and retreat by Catholic nuns. The conference theme was teaching, and the focus for participants was on how to increase the use of radio to support the teaching work, especially the plans of the various National Spiritual Assemblies.
For the first time, African believers took part in a Radio Seminar—two members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Liberia represented Radio Bahá’í in that country. It marked the first time that every country with a Bahá’í radio station was represented by at least one indigenous Bahá’í.
Another significant aspect was the number of women participating. Two station coordinators are women, and more women than ever before are serving as announcers, programmers and producers. Also, this was the first time that the recently appointed Latin American Radio Advisory Committee was introduced to radio station personnel. The committee is to provide tech-
... this was the first time that the recently appointed Latin American Radio Advisory Committee was introduced to radio station personnel. The committee is to provide technical assistance to the five Latin American radio stations.
nical assistance to the five Latin American radio stations. During the conference, its members met with the coordinators of each station to encourage collaboration with its National Spiritual Assembly and to galvanize the teaching work.
Among the 60 people attending the seminar were three members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas: Eloy Anello, Isabel de Calderón and Ruth Pringle; five Auxiliary Board members; and three members of the IBAVC: Kurt Hein, Dean Stephens and Donald Witzel who served as coordinators of the seminar.
Among the highlights was a visit to the grave of the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir. There were presentations during the seminar on the vision of teaching and radio from the perspective of the Hands of the Cause Dr. Muhájir and Enoch Olinga, and Counsellor Raúl Pavón.
The last evening of the seminar was a festival of cultural presentations of dance, song and other expressions of cultural identity—it was a joyful event and a fitting climax to this enlightening conference.
The IBAVC, which convened the seminar, has members in various parts of the world. It has no office but has a secretariat, presently situated in Toronto, Canada, which oversees communication between the World Centre and the committee and its divisions, and with other agencies, Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í. In addition to the secretariat, the IBAVC has four divisions:
- The Media Materials Division, which keeps track of the production of video talks, cassette tapes, films and slide programs produced around the world, and gathers, markets and distributes media materials to all countries, arranges for translations, etc. The division’s Video Service Office is presently in Toronto, with one staff member, while the distribution office for scripts and audio tapes is supervised by Susan McLaren in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
- The Media Promotion and Training Division, which guides and assists National Spiritual Assemblies and is considered by the committee to be the heart and soul of the work mandated by the Universal House of Justice. The division is directed by Randie Gottlieb in Puerto Rico.
- The Program Production and Assistance Division, which was created recently to help countries that need such technical advice. In places where opportunities exist but expertise is lacking, skilled people are sent to help with program production.
- The Radio Bahá’í Division, which oversees the seven Bahá’í radio stations. The committee points out that it has no authority over any of the stations—they are under the supervision of their National Spiritual Assembly. The Radio Division’s function is to advise, assist and review; in other words, it is a servant of the radio stations on behalf of the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assemblies.—Helen Hornby
Hawaii[edit]
‘First Lady’ receives Alexander Award[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands has presented the 1990 Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for Service to Humanity to Lynne K. Waihee for her efforts in promoting literacy as honorary chairman of the Governor’s Council on Literacy.
The award was presented March 21 at a banquet in Honolulu commemorating Naw-Rúz and United Nations International Literacy Year and sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Hawaii.
Mrs. Waihee is the wife of Gov. John Waihee, the first Hawaiian ever elected to that position. The governor and five other members of the Waihee family were among the more than 180 people attending the banquet.
The featured speaker was David Hofman, a retired member of the Universal House of Justice. Addressing the topic “Literacy and World Peace,” Mr. Hofman said the ability to read “is a fundamental right and privilege of every human being,” and a necessary building block for world peace.
While serving on the House of Justice, Mr. Hofman was one of the authors of “The Promise of World Peace,” a document addressed to the peoples of the world and released in 1985.
Lynne K. Waihee (second from left), recipient of the 1990 Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for Service to Humanity presented by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands, is pictured with (left to right) her husband, Gov. John Waihee of Hawaii; Dr. Gary L. Morrison, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly; and Gladys Ainoa Brandt, a former recipient of the Alexander Award and retired president of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii. Mrs. Waihee serves as honorary chairman of the Governor’s Council on Literacy.
Gladys Ainoa Brandt, a former recipient of the Alexander Award and retired president of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, read the citation accompanying the presentation, noting that Mrs. Waihee has been a leader in developing the vision and strategies to achieve the goal of a literate Hawaii.
The award was presented by the Bahá’í community “as a token of (its) inexpressible appreciation for her leadership, work and commitment to the field of literacy and education, her deep concern for the family, and for being an example to us all in her community service.”
Mrs. Brandt was one of three former recipients of the award at the banquet.
Also in the audience were representatives of all the major literacy programs in Hawaii, members of the University of Hawaii Institute for Peace and the East-West Center, Earl Arruda of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, state Sen. Andrew Levin and Rep. Samuel Lee, and two members of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from Molokai.
The UN has declared 1990 to be International Literacy Year so as to mobilize an ongoing effort to eradicate illiteracy around the world. The International Literacy Year banquet, the first event of its kind in Hawaii this year, gave the Bahá’ís an opportunity to share news of their “Project Read and Write,” which has been undertaken by the 27 local Bahá’í communities throughout the islands.
In accepting the Alexander Award, Mrs. Waihee acknowledged the work of the Bahá’ís through Project Read and Write, and accepted the honor on behalf of the many workers in the field who, she said, are sacrificing their time and resources to help eradicate illiteracy. She applauded the work of Ba-
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há’ís Sue Berg and Lynn Fallon on the
Governor’s Council on Literacy, and
closed by expressing appreciation to
the governor for his commitment to the
literacy movement.
After completing her remarks, Mrs. Waihee was given a standing ovation.
The Agnes Alexander Award was established in 1975, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Hand of the Cause of God Agnes Baldwin Alexander, a descendant of two of the earliest missionary families in Hawaii and the first person in the islands to become a Bahá’í. It is presented periodically to those individuals who exemplify a high standard of self-sacrifice and the spirit of service to others.
Previous recipients include Judge Betty Vitousek (1975), Clara Haili “Hilo Hattie” Nelson (1977), Gladys Ainoa Brandt (1979), Albert K. Sing (1980), Juliette May Fraser (1981), Dr. Kenneth P. Emory (1982), Mary Kawena Pukui and Dr. Samuel Albert (1984), Betty Muther Jacob during the International Year of Peace (1986), and Donald R. Hanson during the Year of the Homeless (1987).
Lynne K. Waihee, recipient of the 1990 Agnes Alexander Award for Service to Humanity presented March 21 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í of the Hawaiian Islands, shares a moment of quiet conversation with the featured speaker at the award banquet, David Hofman, a retired member of the Universal House of Justice.
India[edit]
In January, the Bahá’ís of the South Arcot District of Tamil Nadu State, India, inaugurated a new phase of the Dr. Muhájir Memorial Teaching Project, and by the end of the first week had enrolled 2,500 new Bahá’ís. As of February 12, the total number of new enrollees stood at 14,050 including members of two new tribes.
The newest phase of the project resulted from the visit last December of David Hofman, retired member of the Universal House of Justice, after which 600 people were enrolled.
An integral part of the effort is a consolidation plan that follows the enrollment of new Bahá’ís. A week after their enrollment, they are invited to a one-day study class and then invited to become a part of the teaching effort. After three weeks, those who volunteer attend an in-depth 10-day study session where they learn the rudiments of teaching and deepening.
In February, Counsellor S. Nagaratnam, three Auxiliary Board members and about 35 of the teachers gathered for a victory conference to initiate the final phases of the campaign, which are to include continuing contact with the new believers through visits and correspondence.
Teaching committees will be formed in every village to help organize the Nineteen Day Feasts, children’s classes, youth activities, literacy classes and deepenings, and to communicate with the State Bahá’í Council. The committees will also be responsible for encouraging the friends to take part in the election of their local Spiritual Assemblies.
The third phase of the project is to create strong local Assemblies as quickly as possible. Assistants to the Auxiliary Board have been appointed in all areas to facilitate the process.
Eight Bahá’í teachers were invited to Madras, India, for a recent five-day seminar conducted by Counsellor S. Nagaratnam. Inspired, they set out to teach in Tamilnadu State, and by the end their project reported that 1,024 new Bahá’ís had been enrolled.
The Spiritual Assemblies of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India, have presented copies of the peace statement to the Cabinet ministers of the state government of Andhra Pradesh. Representatives of the Assemblies met with 15 Cabinet ministers and five vice-chancellors of the state universities.
All of these dignitaries expressed their wish to know more about the Faith. Many had already visited the House of Worship near New Delhi, and several expressed their desire to become Bahá’ís.
The Olinga Teaching Campaign, which began in Gumla, India, last July, has so far enrolled about 7,000 new believers and formed 24 local Spiritual Assemblies.
The people in the villages scattered among the hills and valleys in thick forests around Gumla follow ancient tradition, never before having embraced an established religion. About 400 of these villages have now heard about the Faith.
The Olinga campaign has a goal of 25,000 new believers and 40 new local Assemblies.
Ecuador[edit]
Campaign a memorial to Dr. Muhájir[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir passed away in Quito, Ecuador, on December 29, 1979. As a befitting memorial to one who had dedicated himself so completely to helping that country attain to its high aspiration for mass conversion, the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador inaugurated a year-long teaching campaign in his name. Its primary goal was to carry the Faith to and enroll Ecuadorians from the various strata of society: the working and middle classes, professionals, members of unions and cooperatives, and ethnic groups such as the Chinese, the indigenous, and those of African descent. The campaign was to end, on the 10th anniversary of Dr. Muhájir’s death, with an international teaching conference so that his friends could recount their achievements in his name and be stimulated to strive even harder for “entry by troops.”
As December 1989 came to a close, anxiety and tension mounted as the devoted workers pored over details to make certain everything was in order for this long-awaited occasion. Among the first visitors to arrive were Dr. Muhájir’s widow and their daughter, Gisu, who were received at the airport by a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly and a number of the friends who had been awaiting their arrival. The Bahá’í community of Ecuador was pleased to welcome other members of Dr. Muhájir’s family including his sister, Mrs. Lamieh Nazirpur, and her husband, Parvíz Nazirpur, from Canada, and a nephew, Bijan Adlparvar, who is pioneering in Venezuela and is chairman of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly.
The grave of the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir in Quito, Ecuador, is decorated with a heart-shaped garland of flowers on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his passing.
On December 28, in the comfortable headquarters of the Colegio de Arquitectos del Ecuador (the Professional Architects’ Association) in Quito, the conference began. More than 300 Bahá’ís came from all parts of Ecuador including the Galapagos Islands, and there were representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao (Dutch West Indies), Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, the United States and Venezuela. Among the many visitors were eight members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas: Eloy Anello, who represented the International Teaching Centre; Isabel de Calderón, who represented the Board of Counsellors; Rolf von Czekus, Gustavo Correa, Shapoor Monadjem, Ruth Pringle, Arturo Serrano and Rodrigo Tómas. The Counsellors held their regular meeting during the week of the conference and met with the National Assembly to help with an extended teaching plan that was presented on the final day of the conference.
The Counsellors also took an active part in the conference itself, giving a number of enjoyable, thought-provoking presentations. The tone of the conference was set the first day as Mr. Anello’s reminiscences of Dr. Muhájir were followed by a loving tribute by Mrs. Muhájir to his life of service to the Cause. Not only did she come to the conference cloaked with the spirit of her dear husband, as expressed by
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some of the believers, she also came
bringing the vision and hopes of the
World Centre that the teaching campaign would be extended for another
year and amplified. The message to the
conference from the Universal House
of Justice read as follows:
“Dearly loved Friends,
“As our hearts turn to your assemblage, we are moved to recall the remarkable spirit of Dr. Muhájir, whose presence is surely felt by all of you gathered on this occasion.
“Dr. Muhájir was a man of vision, who had an extraordinary ability to recognize the practical needs of the community, but he was also a man of action and his greatest dream was that the masses of humanity would soon awaken to the call of Bahá’u’lláh. He well understood that the greatest gift that Bahá’u’lláh has given us is the privilege to become instruments through which other souls are touched by His healing message. If we offer ourselves in the right manner, if we make selfless efforts, if we arise with love and with courage, then our services and sacrifices will be confirmed and many seeking souls will find eternal life. Thus the Cause of God will blossom before our eyes.
“Dr. Muhájir has left a great legacy, and by the grace of God his earthly remains repose in Latin America, in a land and amongst a people that he loved so much. We earnestly pray that the memory of his indomitable spirit will inspire all of those present at this International Conference to arise and follow his noble example by offering enthusiastic and humble service during the year-long teaching plan that has been dedicated to his memory.
“With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Friday morning, December 29, began the official commemoration of the
10th anniversary of Dr. Muhájir’s
passing. In spite of the sadness of the
hearts of his loved ones, there prevailed a beautiful and serene spirit at
his gravesite as prayers were read and
chanted in various languages. Then, as
the anniversary of the hour of his death
approached, nearly everyone present
placed a lovely flower on his grave as a
symbol of love and reverence, after
which the friends returned to the conference with a renewed spirit of dedication to the Cause.
Pictured are many of the friends who took part last December in a teaching conference in Quito, Ecuador, dedicated to the memory of the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir.
The letter from the House of Justice was the first inkling that the enthusiasm of the participants and the decision of the National Assembly would lead to a second year of the Dr. Muhájir Project, this time concentrating on entry by troops among the indigenous peoples and the receptive coastal people of African and Afro-Indian descent. The response to the presentation of this plan on the final day of the conference was overwhelming, and 81 people immediately volunteered to serve as teachers in the campaign. Some who planned to leave Ecuador for other countries canceled their plans on the spot to offer their services. Three young Bahá’ís, who were about to complete their year of volunteer service and return to school, after hearing the National Assembly’s plan bearing Dr. Muhájir’s name and securing the blessings of their parents who were present, decided instead to remain in Ecuador for another year to help in the campaign.
A number of visitors said they would return during the year to help with the teaching so that Ecuador could attain its goal, and the Counsellors from Latin America promised also to return periodically to help with “entry by troops.” A special contribution was made to allow for 63 scholarships to be given on a national level, and there were to be 10 full scholarships for Bahá’ís with limited resources such as those in indigenous areas of the country including the Galapagos Islands.
Thanks to an extremely efficient organization and proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and other items, the net cost of the conference was only $31.42 (U.S.). As for contributions, the National Fund received $1,397.70 in cash and $42,310 in pledges. It was proposed during the conference, and later approved by the National Assembly, that $25,000 of the funds pledged should be donated to the Universal House of Justice toward the cost of constructing the Arc on Mount Carmel.
The conference received extensive coverage in newspapers and on television and radio including Radio Bahá’í in Otavalo. On the last day of the event, Counsellor Correa took part in a three-member panel with the director of Channel 5 TV and the manager of a major newspaper in Quito. The theme of the hour-long discussion was world peace. Sr. Correa made at least three other television appearances to speak about the conference. At the end of the conference, Channel 13 TV conducted a five-minute interview with Counsellors von Czekus, Monadjem, Serrano and Tómas.—Helen Hornby
The world[edit]
Hand of the Cause visits Argentina[edit]
As a prelude to her participation in the conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of her mother, May Bolles Maxwell, the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum visited the Toba communities in Chaco, Argentina, from February 17-20.
On her arrival in Camp Medina, a wave of Toba Indian Bahá’ís engulfed her, singing, dancing and embracing her. They had come from many distant communities on the third day of a special campaign to welcome the Hand of the Cause, whom they named Chi-I-Shi (Morning Star).
During her stay with the Toba friends, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum spent the mornings under the shade of trees to study prayers from a newly published translation into the Toba language of “The Words of God,” which they learned by heart. At these meetings with Bahá’ís and their guests, eight people embraced the Faith.
During the evenings there were meetings of between 150-200 to discuss many topics, among which were the role of the Toba people in the Faith and in future civilization, the roles of women, children and youth, and social and economic development. The meetings lasted well beyond midnight each night.
Chile[edit]
Shown are members of a week-long summer teaching project in Huilío, in the Mapuche indigenous area of Chile. They are gathered in front of the Huilío rural community public school where they slept each night during the project. Thirty youth from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and the U.S. volunteered to serve on the project following a successful National Teaching Conference held January 20-21 at the Bahá’í National Center in Santiago. Activities included children’s classes, deepenings, and a public meeting attended by 120 people. One hundred-five people from five Mapuche communities were enrolled in the Faith. After the project, the Spiritual Assembly of Temuco, a city of 240,000 in the center of the Mapuche area, hosted a Unity Tea for the projecteers to thank them for their services.
Italy[edit]
The Portici Teaching Campaign, which has reported 88 enrollments in southern Italy, is spreading throughout the country and may soon cross the border, thus becoming a European teaching project.
One of its main features is the progressive involvement of the newly enrolled friends in the consultative process and in taking care of specific activities at the Bahá’í Center.
In addition, teaching groups consisting of new and more experienced Bahá’ís are spreading the Message in Portici. The newer Bahá’ís are also taking part in teaching campaigns in other parts of Italy.
A major contributing factor to the success of the campaign is the unity and consultation among the Counsellors, members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Auxiliary Board members and their assistants, and the Portici Teaching Committee.
Teaching efforts are bearing fruit in other areas of the country as well. At a recent meeting in Gela, Sicily, six young people embraced the Faith, and new believers are also reported in Cosenza, Calabria, and northern Italy.
Inspired by these successes, the Sardinia Teaching Committee has launched its own intensive campaign.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
An average of 25 people per day attended a nine-day institute last December 23-31 at the Bahá’í Center in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Delegates from Popendetta, Kieta, Kavieng, Wonga Wonga, Kimbe and Kerevat came to the institute, whose focus was on teaching and the Administrative Order.
Cuba[edit]
The largest gathering of Bahá’ís ever assembled in Cuba filled the National Bahá’í Center in Havana last December 2 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Faith in that country. A sumptuous luncheon and commemorative cake was followed by singing and dancing.
Perfecto Pérez Toledo, the first Cuban to embrace the Faith, spoke about the early days in Cuba, paying tribute to those who helped build the Cuban Bahá’í community including Philip and Laily Marangella, Josephine Kruka, Jean Silver, William de Forge, Emogene Hoagg, Gayle Woolson and Ruth Moffett with the help of the Hands of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker and Zikrullah Khadem and the late member of the Universal House of Justice, Charles Wolcott.
Tonga[edit]
Madge Featherstone (seated at right in background), wife of the Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone, addresses Bahá’ís in Tonga during the Featherstones’ recent visit to New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.
India[edit]
In February, a new local Spiritual Assembly was established in Bolangir, Orissa State, India, as a result of efforts in the Varqa Teaching Project.
Members of the Varqa Project held a four-day book exposition in Bolangir, during which time they visited local schools, conducting classes on morals and presenting copies of the peace statement to teachers and headmasters.
As a result, several teachers and about 60 students were enrolled in the Faith, and 41 of the more than 500 people visiting the book exhibit also declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
As soon as the exhibit had ended, the Spiritual Assembly of Bolangir was elected in the presence of Auxiliary Board member N.C. Sahoo.
Adam Lopatka, first President of the Supreme Court of the Polish People’s Republic, accompanied by two judges of the Polish Supreme Court, visited the Bahá’í House of Worship in Bahapur, India, on January 19. They were escorted by two representatives of the Indian Judiciary and an interpreter from the Polish Embassy in Delhi.
Mr. Lopatka mentioned that a representative of the Bahá’í International Community had visited Poland and presented a copy of the peace statement to the Head of State.
India[edit]
In January, the Bahá’í House of Worship near New Delhi, India, welcomed 316,110 visitors including more than 74,000 who were in the city on January 26 for the Republic Day parade.
Also touring the Temple on that day were busloads of youth, representing nearly all the States of India, who came to attend a national conference of the Youth Hostels Association.
As usual, professionals from the various States who were in Delhi for training, seminars or conferences did not miss the chance to visit the Temple. Among the many groups were two from Mizoram, one composed of school teachers and the other of students at a polytechnic institute. Members of both groups were thrilled to receive Bahá’í literature in the Mizo language.
A group of 22 engineers, representing the National Council for Cement and Building Materials, visited the House of Worship to ask for information on the building’s architectural and engineering features, but on their arrival showed a keen interest in learning more about the Faith.
A regular daily feature is the arrival of mini-bus loads of Bengalis who come for the morning prayer service. Besides the regular bus service groups that come every day, busloads of tourists from nearly all States visited the Temple during the month.
Winter in Delhi invites the hill people, and this year a large number of Nepalis from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and some from Nepal made it a point to visit the Temple. This year, with seven Bahá’í volunteers at a time from Darjeeling and Sikkim, no Nepali-speaking visitor was left unattended.
Overseas groups visiting the House of Worship in January included a large number from France; others from Germany, Hong Kong, Great Britain and Israel, and smaller groups from Japan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy and Thailand.
A large number of school children continue to come to the Temple on Saturdays, with 15,119 visiting in January.
On several occasions special prayer services for the children were organized, and they sat reverently in pin-drop silence.
David Hofman, retired member of the Universal House of Justice, is pictured with students at one of the schools at which he spoke during his visit last November to Lucknow, India.
Among dignitaries, diplomats from many embassies in Delhi visited the House of Worship, often with their families and guests. A group of 15 diplomats and their wives from the German Democratic Republic were happy to receive pamphlets in German and to see a picture of the House of Worship near Frankfurt, saying it would now be possible for them to go there since the Berlin Wall does not divide the two Germanies anymore.
Other countries whose dignitaries paid visits to the Temple in January included Colombia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Poland, North Yemen, Cambodia, Sikkim, Chile and Malaysia.
Also, Russians continue to visit in large numbers. With the publication of The Hidden Words and Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era in Russian, these visitors are delighted to receive copies in their own language and carry them back to the Soviet Union.
Groups from Byelorussia, Armenia, Moscow, Leningrad, the Ukraine and other Republics in the Soviet Union enjoyed every moment of their visits to the House of Worship in January.
Four Latvians, all engineers, were delighted to learn that there are Bahá’ís in their Republic.
Another group of four Russians was overwhelmed by the Teachings of the Faith, and one said before leaving the Temple, “I fully agree with all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Six Russian professionals from Moscow and Leningrad were thrilled to learn about the Faith in fluent Russian from a Bahá’í, Mrs. Lily Ayman of Switzerland, who was in India for a few days.
A busload of 33 Russians, all from the Soviet Encyclopedia Publishing House, spent an hour investigating the Faith and collecting information which they said would be included in the Russian Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Religion.
Families from the Soviet Embassy, the TASS news agency office, USSR Information Office and Cultural Centre came to the Temple mainly on Saturdays and Sundays. Many had visited the Temple earlier, but were returning with their families. It is evident from their questions that the Faith and House of Worship are topics of discussion among the Russians before their visits.
One couple, who have recently come to the Soviet Embassy in Delhi, spent at least two hours in the Temple, reading the entire Russian edition of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era while seated in the prayer hall and library.
Nigeria[edit]
The Kay Wilson Teaching Campaign, held last November 22-December 6 in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria, surpassed its goals by enrolling 759 new believers and forming 24 new local Spiritual Assemblies.
Meanwhile, the Elizabeth Gibson Campaign, in Kwara State, resulted in the enrollment of 711 new believers and the formation of 25 new local Assemblies.
Counsellor Peter Vuyiya of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa was an active participant in the Wilson Campaign, and served as a source of inspiration for the 20-30 members of the teaching teams, most of whom were youth.
The Gibson Campaign was held in a previously untaught area that includes the town of Omu-Aran. An isolated believer in that town, who had agreed to arrange for food and housing for the team, was amazed when 18 team members arrived. By the end of their visit there were 70 new Bahá’ís in Omu-Aran.
Their host bid team members a tearful goodbye, saying that now all the people will know he is part of a large family, and not a religion of his very own.
Cameroon[edit]
More than 40 young people, 15 of whom were not Bahá’ís, attended a recent program hosted by the local Spiritual Assembly of Bamenda, Cameroon, to present the Bahá’í Volleyball Club. They kicked off the event with a volleyball game on a court built three years ago at the Regional Bahá’í Center, using a net recently donated by a family in the community and a ball purchased by the local Assembly. After the game there was an introduction to the Faith, the presentation of the Bahá’í Volleyball Club, and lunch.
Puerto Rico[edit]
The Bahá’ís in the Arecibo area of Puerto Rico have established such a good relationship with local news media that they now face difficulty in keeping up with the opportunities presented for publicity.
The newspapers regularly carry articles, photographs and publicity for the twice-weekly Bahá’í television programs. The local TV station often broadcasts the Bahá’í public service announcements on peace that were developed by Bahá’ís in Alaska. One of the local radio stations invited the Bahá’ís to take part in a two-hour interview about the Faith. The program was aired “live” and also taped for future use.
Last December the Bahá’ís were asked to produce a 90-minute “holiday special” featuring guests from various religious backgrounds speaking about peace. The station offered to pay for the production crew and donate studio and air time if the Bahá’ís would build the set, obtain the host and guests, and write the script. The program was transmitted on various cable services, reaching 14 communities. It was shown six times on consecutive days at various times of the day.
Sweden[edit]
Shown are many of the 53 people who took part in the Bahá’í Winter School ’89/90 in Sundsvall, Sweden. Children’s classes were focused on ‘Unity in Diversity’ while youth classes were based on ‘The Promise of World Peace.’ The school planned various activities including a unity Feast, dramatic and musical entertainment, and an exhibit of children’s crafts. Local newspapers printed articles about the school’s activities.
Cape Verde Islands[edit]
As of the end of February, 29 new believers had been enrolled in the Cape Verde Islands as a result of the ongoing Duarte Vieira Teaching Campaign.
The Sanctity and Nature of Bahá’í Elections addresses the spirit of unity during elections, the respect and honor due minorities, and the nonpolitical character of elections. It will help the friends deepen on a topic that is vital to the health of the community. |
of the Spirit This compilation challenges us to attain a deeper understanding of the institution that “brings joy,” fosters “agreement and unity,” and is the key to “affection and fellowship.” |
of the Earth’s Resources These extracts from the Bahá’í Writings on the relationship between humankind and the environment give us fresh perspective for “humanizing and spiritualizing the environment problem.” |
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