The American Bahá’í/Volume 13/Issue 8/Text
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Glenford Mitchell new member of Universal House of Justice[edit]
- TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE WORLD
- WARMLY WELCOME NEWLY-ELECTED MEMBER HOUSE JUSTICE GLENFORD MITCHELL.
JULY 15, 1982
- TO GLENFORD E. MITCHELL
- EXTEND LOVING WELCOME MEMBERSHIP HOUSE JUSTICE. ASSURE PRAYERS.
JULY 15, 1982
- ASSURE YOU ARDENT PRAYERS DIVINE ASSISTANCE CONFIRMATIONS NEW FIELD SERVICE. LOVING BEST WISHES.
JULY 15, 1982
The Universal House of Justice announced July 15 that Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly for the last 14 years, has been elected to membership on the Supreme Body.
Mr. Mitchell replaces Amoz Gibson, a member of the House of Justice for 19 years until his death on May 14.
THE UNIVERSAL House of Justice, the crowning point of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh, was brought into being in 1963.
The members of the Supreme Body are elected at five-year intervals by members of the various National Spiritual Assemblies. The next election will be held in April 1983 at the World Centre in Haifa.
At its meeting on July 16-18, the National Spiritual Assembly set in motion the machinery for an immediate by-election to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Mitchell’s election to the House of Justice.
In addition to his position as secretary of the National Assembly, Mr. Mitchell also was managing editor of World Order magazine, secretary of the Trustees of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and secretary of the board of directors of the Bahá’í Home in Wilmette.
Prior to his election to the National Assembly in 1967, he served as chairman of the National Teaching Committee, director of the National Department of Youth and Student Activities, and chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Washington, D.C.
A journalist by profession, Mr. Mitchell has authored numerous articles and pamphlets and co-edited the book, The Angry Black South, published in 1962 by Corinth Books, New York.
| What’s inside
TWENTY-THREE Cambodians in Des Moines, Iowa, embrace the Faith. Page 3 A BAHÁ’Í Women’s Conference in Evanston, Illinois, draws 333 people from 38 states and four foreign countries. Page 4 THE FUND faces a contributions shortfall of more than $300,000. Page 5 BAHÁ’Í YOUTH again record a 22 per cent increase in their numbers. Page 7 THE LOUHELEN Council establishes the ‘Friends of Louhelen’ endowment association. Page 9 |
From 1962-63 he was assistant editorial director of Maryknoll Publications and executive secretary of the Maryknoll Book Club, New York.
He later served as assistant editor of Africa Report magazine in Washington, D.C., and as an English instructor in the Upward Bound program at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.
BORN in 1935 in Jamaica, West Indies, Mr. Mitchell attended private preparatory and secondary schools in his homeland.
He received a B.A. degree in business education in 1960 from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City.
In 1980 Mr. Mitchell received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the National College of Education in Wilmette.
He and his wife, Bahia, have a 5-year-old daughter, Tarissa.
GLENFORD E. MITCHELL
Four more stalwart Bahá’ís are martyred in Iran[edit]
WITH GREAT SORROW INDIGNATION ANNOUNCE FURTHER MARTYRDOMS FOUR MORE VALIANT DEVOTED SERVANTS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, ALL PROMINENT BAHÁ’ÍS IN QAZVÍN AND SURROUNDING AREAS: MUHAMMAD MANSÚRÍ, JADÍDU’LLÁH ASHRAF, MUHAMMAD ‘ABBÁSÍ, MANÚCHIHR FARZÁNIH-MU’AYYAD. PRESSURES AGAINST BAHÁ’ÍS IRAN MOUNTING, THEIR SCOPE WIDENING, ENGULFING BAHÁ’ÍS ALL WALKS OF LIFE.
JULY 12, 1982
Historic resolution in Senate condemns Iran persecutions[edit]
The U.S. Senate approved by voice vote and without dissent June 30 an historic resolution condemning the government of Iran for its persecution and “brutal executions” of Bahá’ís in that country.
The concurrent resolution, introduced in mid-March by Sen. John Heinz (R-Pennsylvania) and unanimously approved in May by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had more than 20 cosponsors.
ITS PASSAGE came nearly five weeks after the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations heard testimony by Bahá’ís about the steadily worsening situation faced by the hard-pressed believers in the Cradle of the Faith.
Included in that testimony were moving statements by Mrs. Ramna Nourani whose mother, Mrs. Ginous Mahmoudi, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, was secretly executed last December with seven other members of that body, and whose father, Houshang Mahmoudi, a member of the previous National Assembly of Iran, disappeared in August 1980 with the rest of its members and is presumed dead.
The passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 73 was fully reported in the Congressional Record on June 30.
Also inserted into the Record was the complete testimony before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly.
“The reported 113 executions of Bahá’í citizens during the past year,” Sen. Heinz said while speaking in support of the resolution, “only too vividly illustrates the extent to which the Khomeini government is attempting to exterminate the Bahá’í religion.
“As a nation committed to the human rights of all,” he added, “we cannot understand how a nation can inflict such torture and execution on members of their own community.”
Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, said, “The Senate resolution strengthens the efforts of the American Bahá’ís to call urgent public attention to the genocidal acts being perpetrated against the Bahá’ís in Iran.”
District Conventions: bedrock of electoral system[edit]
The election of delegates to the 1983 Bahá’í National Convention and discussion of local plans and progress toward fulfilling the goals of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan are the paramount purposes of the annual District Conventions to be held throughout the U.S. on October 3.
The District Conventions provide each Bahá’í with an opportunity to become better acquainted with other Bahá’ís in his district, to offer recommendations for achieving the goals of the current Plan, and to vote, if he is 21 or older, for those whom he considers best qualified to be delegates to the National Convention and electors of the National Spiritual Assembly.
The 74th annual Bahá’í Convention will be held May 26-29, 1983, at the McCormick Inn in Chicago.
It should be kept in mind by every Bahá’í that the District Convention is a Bahá’í institution of fundamental importance to every believer.
Not only is it an electoral body called upon to elect a determined number of delegates to the National Convention, it is also a consultative body that deals with important considerations such as teaching and other matters of interest to the friends.
With the District Conventions fast approaching, it would be well for every Bahá’í to review the following information about them extracted from letters from the beloved Guardian:
What is the purpose of the District Convention?
“It is expressly recorded in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings that these National Assemblies must be indirectly elected by the friends: that is, the friends in every country must elect a certain number of delegates, who in turn will elect from among all of the friends in that country the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.”
What is the responsibility of the believers toward the District Convention?
“He ... wishes to stress the importance of reminding the believers that they should make every possible effort to attend the meeting for its election of the State or Provincial delegates in order to stimulate a larger group consciousness which will greatly facilitate the process of the believers
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Comment
Living, teaching Faith also requires courage[edit]
| This month’s article, “The Source of Courage,” was written by John Fanning of Kermit, West Virginia. |
Throughout the Writings it is clearly stated that one soul, even if he were the only believer left on earth, would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to deliver the glad tidings of the Bahá’í Revelation to the rest of mankind—and yet, how often do we find ourselves shrinking from the greatest spiritual battle in history, unable to deliver the call of unity to our brothers and sisters in other religions because of personal failings and weaknesses.
WHERE does one go to find the courage needed to help the Cause?
In the Words of Wisdom, Bahá’u’lláh states that the “source of courage and power” is “the promotion of the Word of God, and steadfastness in His love.”
Despite Bahá’u’lláh’s assurances, however, many of us still shrink away, and since I am one of those timid, “gun-shy” believers who on more than one occasion has not spoken up for the Faith, I want to relate a recent experience in which I felt compelled to promote the Cause to a large group of people, all but a few of whom had never heard the name “Bahá’í” before.
I do so in the hope that others may be encouraged to take unexpected chances to proclaim the Faith, relying solely on that source of courage that is there for every sincere believer to tap into.
In April I was invited to a “People’s Conference” in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, sponsored by a group of Catholic nuns who have been involved in various social issues.
The gathering was attended by a cross-section of America: migrant farm workers from Florida, Indians from North and South Carolina, blacks from Tennessee, victims of urban blight from Maryland, Appalachian mountain people—all of whom came together to discuss their various economic and social problems.
I WAS invited with several others from my area, a rural mountain community in West Virginia, but to my knowledge I was the only Bahá’í there.
As a way of telling people I was a Bahá’í, I had thought of wearing my Bahá’í button, but once there I was too timid to do even that!
After all, I reasoned, the conference was on Catholic property, and who was I to advertise my beliefs, and perhaps risk getting into a discussion with someone who might be antagonistic?
So, encountering that most deadly of syndromes, the “what’s-the-use” syndrome, I left my Bahá’í button in my room. But then something happened.
As the conference was about to begin, I was seated next to a Catholic sister whom I have known for some time, and the first thing she said to me was, “John, I’ve been reading a lot about the Bahá’ís in Iran ...”
She seemed deeply affected by the persecutions in Iran, and showed a keen interest in knowing more about the Faith.
Somehow, her interest awakened me as though from a sleep to one key thought: On the other side of the world fellow believers were being driven from their homes, deprived of their livelihoods, and even killed, and here I was finding it hard even to wear my Bahá’í button!
I FELT ashamed of myself. My thoughts continually returned to the martyrs, to the courage of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who said, “Follow Me, be as I am.”
Can you imagine ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not coming to America because He was afraid of what people might say or think? I pictured in my mind His fearless devotion, His sacrifice.
As I was doing this, something else happened. A Sunday service was being organized, and any input by those attending the conference was welcomed. Bahá’u’lláh was opening the door for me to proclaim the Faith!
The next day I chose a Bahá’í prayer for mankind, but suddenly felt inhibited again, and the fact that I didn’t know anyone who was involved in organizing the service seemed a convenient excuse to back away.
Still, I wondered: Would ‘Abdu’l-Bahá back away? Were the believers in Iran backing away?
I prayed, and felt that source of courage and power that comes only from God. Then, at dinner, I sat next to one of the people who was organizing the Sunday service.
WHEN I found out who he was, I asked him what the service would consist of, and if anyone had offered suggestions.
To my surprise, he replied that hardly any suggestions had been made, and little was planned. He was greatly pleased when I offered to read a prayer.
Sunday morning I arose early to pray that I would have enough courage, not only to read the prayer effectively, but that I might also have a chance to say something about the Iranian situation in a way that would tie it in with some of the things that had already been mentioned at the conference concerning oppression, both social and economic, in other parts of the world.
My comments, I felt, would have to be unobtrusive, yet if I only mentioned the word Bahá’í once, the message, the prayer and the name would be connected.
With certain words carefully chosen in my mind, I gave a brief talk on the need for world unity and peace, by way of introducing the prayer and mentioning the critical situation for Bahá’ís in Iran.
The response, in terms of how it fit in with the rest of the service, was overwhelming.
MANY people approached me afterward, saying how much they appreciated the talk and how wonderful they thought the prayer was, asking whether I was a Bahá’í, and if they could read the prayer from my prayer book.
I hadn’t expected such a strong and warm reaction. All I could say in the privacy of my room was,
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh (center), vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Glenford E. Mitchell (left), secretary of the National Assembly, chat with Sen. John Heinz (R-Pennsylvania) who introduced the concurrent resolution condemning the government of Iran for the persecution and ‘brutal executions’ of Bahá’ís in that country. On June 30, the resolution was approved by the Senate and referred to the House of Representatives for its consideration. (Story on Page 1)
Letters
War can offer no solution to human problems[edit]
| The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of general interest. Letters should be as brief as possible, and are subject to editing for length and style. Please address letters to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. |
To the Editor:
As I sit in front of my television listening to the recent news on the war between Great Britain and Argentina, several images come to mind.
Images of napalmed Vietnamese women and children; of American servicemen without arms or legs; of the recent Chicago Tribune article about the 34-year-old American vet who sustained 14 years of excruciating headaches caused by a neck wound while serving in Vietnam.
IN MY 30-plus years of life, I’ve been privileged not to have experienced, first-hand, the horrors of war. But I, like so many others, am becoming increasingly disturbed over war as the supposed “solution” to a country’s problems or disagreements.
As a Bahá’í, it is unfathomable to me that a piece of land could hold more importance than a human life, for example. Or that “national pride” is worth dying for.
I cannot help but wonder when the world will come to its senses and we will all begin to see men and women from all countries as our true brothers and sisters.
Perhaps then, and only then, will war cease to be a “viable” alternative.
I propose that as Bahá’ís who see peace and brotherly love as worthwhile goals, we do the following things immediately:
1. Pray frequently and earnestly for an end to the fighting in the South Atlantic, the Middle East, Ireland, and any other place on the globe where there is bloodshed.
2. Inform people when the occasion arises that Bahá’ís are peace-loving people who are opposed to war. We should also add that we support our governments, but ask that we serve in non-combatant roles during military service or war.
3. Increase our efforts to teach the Faith by holding firesides, proclamations, etc. By increasing the number of Bahá’ís around the world, we also increase the number of peace-loving people who see war for what it really is—a physical and psychological destroyer of men, women and children.
Chicago, Illinois
To the Editor:
I would like to comment on the editorial (May 1982) concerning an appropriate response to the present suffering in Iran.
[Page 3]
TEACHING
The homefront pioneer[edit]
How do homefront pioneers teach? The question is of major importance to pioneers, whether their purpose in pioneering was to help raise an Assembly or maintain one.
There are as many styles of teaching as there are believers, and this month we’ll look at how some homefront pioneers in Texas serve the Cause.
GABRIELLE and Michael Sours, pioneers to McKinney, teach the Faith through Michael’s art. Gabrielle writes:
“My husband and I have recently moved to a pioneering post in McKinney, Texas. Our primary goal is to help maintain the first strong Local Spiritual Assembly in this town, but since Michael is such a talented artist, he has been receiving a great deal of publicity as well.”
An example of the publicity Michael has received and an indication of the information about the Faith it has imparted is seen in the following article from the McKinney Courier-Gazette:
“Presently, alongside his normal commissions, Sours is working on an exhibit depicting the historic 130-year persecution of the Bahá’ís. This project, which began two years ago as a non-commercial, humanitarian work, was in response to an intensified wave of oppression in Iran directed against these defenseless, non-violent, non-political and fervently religious people.
“Recognizing art as a powerful medium of expression, Sours decided to use his talents to call people’s attention to this crisis in human rights.”
Don Greer, who is pioneering in Maverick County, Texas, has been pretty busy too.
DON WAS sidetracked on his way out of the country, and ended up helping to save the Spiritual Assembly of Maverick County. He recently took time out to let the Teaching Office know how he’s doing out there:
“ ...there have been bright spots. It all began last Feast, held in Eagle Pass where Bahá’ís from Maverick County (me), Uvalde and San Antonio joined together praising God.
“The next morning I was on my way to Monclova, Mexico, with
23 Cambodians enter Faith in Des Moines[edit]
Twenty-three Cambodians now living in Des Moines, Iowa, have recently become Bahá’ís, and several other Cambodian families there are studying the Faith.
It began last fall when the Bahá’í community of Des Moines agreed to sponsor a Cambodian refugee family as its “Operation Befriend” project.
NATH Khvien, his wife, Saran Kong, and their two daughters, ages 6 years and 3 weeks, arrived in Des Moines last September.
After Mr. Khvien repeatedly told a local believer he wished to study the Faith, firesides were organized.
After attending about six firesides, Mr. and Mrs. Khvien both signed declaration cards and were enrolled by the Spiritual Assembly of Des Moines.
Taking quite seriously Bahá’u’lláh’s injunction to teach the Faith, the new believers immediately told all of their Cambodian friends about it.
Mr. Khvien translated the introductory teaching booklet into Cambodian so that he could use it to teach other Cambodians at a fireside that was attended by more than 20 Cambodian adults and as many children, along with some of the local believers.
Interest was high at that meeting, so the Des Moines Assembly rented a park shelter house once a month where meetings were held in April, May and June.
SINCE most of the Cambodians in the area had no transportation, Bahá’ís from nearby suburbs joined with the friends in Des Moines to provide transportation to and from the meetings.
By June, the Des Moines Assembly had appointed an intercommunity Asian Teaching Committee to plan the meetings that now included music, games, refreshments and a brief bilingual presentation of the Teachings.
At the request of the Cambodians, the meetings were increased to two each month.
Literature in Cambodian was requested from the Universal House of Justice, and four pamphlets in that language that later arrived were distributed at a fireside held on July 2.
After the Cambodians who were present at that meeting read authentic translations of Bahá’í prayers in their own language, many were heard to say, “Now I understand.”
Before the evening was over, 12 Cambodian adults and two youth had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
On July 14, the Des Moines community reported that seven more adult Cambodians had embraced the Faith.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Des Moines is now meeting frequently to work out details of , plan children’s classes for a group that has suddenly more than doubled in size, and look for a larger meeting place.
Meanwhile, the teaching work among the Cambodians in Des Moines goes on. Six other families who have attended firesides are interested in continuing to learn about the Faith.
Several hundred more Cambodian refugees are scheduled to arrive in Des Moines in the near future, and Mr. Khvien plans to contact each of them personally with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Two Cambodians discuss the Faith with a believer in Des Moines, Iowa, during a fireside there July 2 at which 53 Cambodian adults and two youth declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Since that meeting, it has been reported that seven other Cambodian families in the Des Moines area are studying the Faith.
‘Trail of Light Friendship Team’ teaching in Central, S. America[edit]
Nine Native American Bahá’ís representing Alaska, Canada and the U.S. who comprise the “Trail of Light Friendship Team” for a teaching tour to Mexico, Central and South America took part in a special training session the week of June 14 at the Southwest Bahá’í Institute property in Arizona.
Team members from Alaska are Walter Austin (Tlingit/Eskimo), Rita Blumenstein (Eskimo) and Rebecca McKinnet (Tlingit).
CANADIANS are Rick Belcourt (Cree), Louise Profeit (Athabascan) and Pat Twigge (Blood).
U.S. team members are Chester Kahn (Navajo), Rita Markishtum (Makah) and Audrey McCarty (Makah).
The training session, sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, took the form of a deepening institute to develop a strong sense of unity and cooperation among team members.
The institute emphasized prayer, humility and obedience as key elements for achieving their objectives.
Special representatives present included Counsellors Lauretta King and Raúl Pavón; Rose Lopez, secretary of the U.S. National Teaching Committee; Cathy Cook, secretary of the American Indian Teaching Committee; and Carol Curtis of the Navajo-Hopi District Teaching Committee, which hosted the event.
Evening sessions, open to visitors, were devoted to sharing stories, ceremonies, Native prophecies, singing and dancing.
TEAM members were divided into two groups with one to travel and teach in Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala and Panama, and the other to go to Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.
The team was to be reunited at the International Conference in Quito, Ecuador, August 6-8.
From there, members were to travel to the Native Council sponsored by the Continental Indigenous Council on the Blood Reserve in Alberta, Canada, August 12-15 before returning to their homes.
The project has served to strengthen administrative collaboration within the Faith, with the Continental Board of Counsellors serving as the coordinating body and with some 11 National Spiritual Assemblies involved in providing team members or receiving the teaching team during its six-week itinerary.
It should be noted that this project is the first such undertaking involving Native American Bahá’ís and may be the first in a series of international exchanges of traveling teachers of Native heritage.
This is yet another step in the fulfillment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s promise in The Tablets of the Divine Plan that the indigenous peoples would “shed light to all regions.”
‘Trail of Light Friendship Team’ members Pat Twigge of Canada (left) and Chester Kahn of the U.S. take a short break during the briefing session for team members held the week of June 14 at the Southwest Bahá’í Institute property in Arizona.
Members of the National Teaching Committee are (clockwise from left front) Diane Smith; Robert Wilson, assistant secretary; Juana Conrad, chairman; Dr. Keyvan Nazerian, vice-chairman; William Davis; and Rose Lopez, secretary.
NTC secretary to serve at World Centre[edit]
Rose Lopez, who has served for the past two years as secretary of the National Teaching Committee, is leaving that position at the end of August to serve at the World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
The National Spiritual Assembly recently decided that two
‘Women Achieving Balance’ is focus of large Evanston Bahá’í Conference[edit]
HOPE BAHÁ’Í WOMEN WILL RISE NEW HEIGHTS TEACHING PIONEERING FIELDS SERVICE SHINE WITH EXEMPLARY MORAL BEHAVIOR AS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH DESIRED FOR HIS MAIDSERVANTS EXERT EVERY EFFORT IMPRESS BOTH BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY IN GENERAL STRONG DISAPPROVAL DIVORCE IN OUR TEACHINGS AND REPEATED EMPHASIS MOTHER’S ROLE SPIRITUAL TRAINING CHILDREN AND CREATION PROPER ATMOSPHERE HARMONY LOVE IN HOME LIFE. PERSONALLY BELIEVE ALL TOO OFTEN MILITANT EQUALITY OVER-EMPHASIZED WOMEN’S PERSONAL RIGHTS CONFRONTATION SEXES FOSTERS INHARMONY WHICH IMPAIRS BOTH HEALTH AND SERVICES FAITH THOSE CONCERNED. PRAYING UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS BELOVED BAHÁ’Í SISTERS.
Three hundred thirty-three people from 38 states and four foreign countries attended a Bahá’í Women’s Conference held July 2-5 in Evanston, Illinois.
The conference, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, had as its theme “Women Achieving the Balance the Bahá’í Way.”
IT WAS planned as a response to a feeling of need expressed by many women who are striving to identify their needs and to deepen their understanding of their potential as Bahá’í women, says Jane Howard, chairman of the conference planning committee.
“We hope that the conference not only provided encouragement to women in their search for a greater sense of spiritual identity,” she says, “but also gave them practical ideas for making their lives more harmonious.”
Speakers included Auxiliary Board member Javídukht Khadem whose keynote address focused on the effect of religion on women’s development, with emphasis on the Bahá’í Faith.
One of the more popular workshops among the 59 that were offered examined the challenges of interracial/intercultural relationships.
Other workshops gave participants an opportunity to discuss topics such as the problems of being a single parent, love and marriage, effective time management, the spiritual education of children, and handling personal and family finances.
Guest speakers presented a wide range of topics including “Women as World Citizens and Peacemakers,” “Women Strengthening Their Communities,” “Networking,” and “Exploring Women’s Roles as Educators and Peacemakers.”
THE conference was opened with prayers and a special dedication of the four-day event to Ṭáhirih whose poetry was read in Farsi, Arabic and English by Parvaneh Pour-Rahimi of Chicago, Dr. Bahia Mitchell of Wilmette, and Dr. May Czerniejewski of Park Ridge, Illinois.
At a public meeting Saturday evening, a message of welcome from the mayor of Evanston was read along with a proclamation by Mayor Jane Byrne of Chicago designating July 2-5 “Women Achieving the Balance Days” in Chicago.
Entertainment at the meeting was provided by talented conference participants.
Children’s activities also were a part of the conference, and several men including spouses of some attendees, helped with that program and with other aspects of the conference.
“Networking,” the concept of mutual self-help through support groups on a variety of issues from child-rearing to employment, was the subject of a major address by Bonnie Barnes of Alexandria, Virginia, and also was a topic for discussion throughout the conference.
A sign-up sheet was circulated, says Mrs. Howard, to establish a network of Bahá’í women across the U.S. who are interested in sharing information.
“The women present began to see how large their potential is,” she says, “and what tremendous resources they have.”
A number of those at the conference expressed a desire to organize similar gatherings of Bahá’í women in their own areas to explore the potential for further development of Bahá’í women by combining their resources.
Above: A member of the audience makes a point during a presentation by Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem at the Bahá’í Women’s Conference in Evanston, Illinois. Below: Pianist Roland Ashby and his group entertain during a conference banquet.
“The Bahá’í Faith: A Universal Religion for Today’s World” is a new 10-week Chinese-language television series about the Bahá’í Faith produced by Light Years International of San Fernando, California. Dr. Chou Peilu is hostess for the series which discusses the relationships between Chinese culture and the Faith. The professionally done series is excellent for cable TV or home use. For more information please contact Light Years International, ________ San Fernando, CA 91304.
St. Paul conference focuses on Hands, ‘Learned’[edit]
More than 175 Bahá’ís from six states attended a conference May 15 at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul campus entitled “The Hands of the Cause and the Institutions of the Learned” at which the featured speaker was the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem.
Also speaking at the conference, which was sponsored by the Bahá’í Metropolitan Women’s Committee, a committee of the Spiritual Assembly of St. Paul, was Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland.
MR. Khadem’s addresses focused on the history and development of the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God and that singular period in Bahá’í history between the passing of the Guardian in 1957 and the establishment of the Universal House of Justice in 1963 when the Hands of the Cause served as the chief administrators of the affairs of the Faith.
He reaffirmed the unique station of the Guardian and emphasized how important it is for the friends to understand this as the Faith unfolds.
Mr. Birkland presented detailed background information and outlined the history and responsibilities of the institutions of the rulers and the learned.
In a more informal evening session, Mr. Birkland addressed questions to Mr. Khadem that had been submitted by conference participants.
In his responses, Mr. Khadem related humorous and touching accounts of some of his experiences with the Guardian and others of the Hands of the Cause.
In regard to the present situation in Iran, Mr. Khadem reiterated that one of the best ways to help our beleaguered brethren in the Cradle of the Faith is to teach with a vigorous and renewed commitment.
An interesting conference highlight was a multimedia presentation by Anne Atkinson of New Hampshire and Terry Reimer of Maine that utilized music, poetry, dance and the Holy Writings in conjunction with a slide program that culminated with slides of many of the Hands of the Cause.
Coinciding with the conference were children’s classes and a nursery program attended by 50 youngsters.
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem (standing) addresses a conference on ‘The Hands of the Cause and the Institutions of the Learned’ that was held May 15 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
Fund lags $300,000 behind minimum needs[edit]
With the close of the fourth month of the fiscal year the National Bahá’í Fund is facing a contributions shortfall of more than $300,000. Although total contributions have shown fairly steady growth each month, the minimum needs goal has not yet been met.
The goal of $341,000 per Bahá’í month ($6.48 million annually) was established by the National Spiritual Assembly to reflect the minimum needs of the community in support of this year’s austerity budget.
THE BUDGET represents restraint and even some cuts in the operations of the National Assembly in an effort to repay outstanding bank loans.
When the current budget was presented to the delegates at the National Convention, they expressed concern about the cutback in funds allocated for the affairs of the Cause at this critical period of general receptivity to the Faith.
The delegates recommended that the National Spiritual Assembly consider increasing the contributions goal to a level that more accurately reflects the amount needed to take advantage of the present opportunities for teaching.
The National Assembly responded with the “challenge for growth” goal of $421,000 per Bahá’í month, or an annual total of $8 million.
However, as can be seen from the Fund chart, not only are we not reaching this challenge for growth level, even the minimum needs of the Fund are not being met.
If the pattern of giving continues to fall short of the minimum needs level a crisis in the Fund could soon develop. A growing shortfall would hinder the ability of the National Assembly to make loan repayments.
THERE would also be the need for a further reduction in operations and a postponement of the monthly collective contribution from the American Bahá’í community to the World Centre.
The key to heading off such problems lies in the capacity of our community for greater participation.
The present average of about 4,500 individuals giving each month during the first four months of the year represents a significant drop from the average of about 5,800 achieved during the closing months of the last fiscal year.
The National Assembly’s call for 20,000 individuals to contribute directly to the National Fund each Bahá’í month remains its over-all goal when considering participation.
So far this effort has led to a doubling of monthly participation from about 2,250 a month last year to the present 4,500.
However, to reach 20,000 a long-term effort will be required that will continue throughout the remainder of the Seven Year Plan.
THE PROGRESS of the community toward the goal of 20,000 is shown in the Treasurer’s letter. The Fund chart reports the total number of individuals participating in giving to the Fund each Bahá’í month.
Therefore, those individuals who feel that they are not able to contribute to the National Fund each month still help the community to reach the over-all goal, since each time they do contribute they are counted.
Our participation goal of 20,000 each month will be reached, and our contributions goal easily surpassed, when each believer arises to play his part by contributing “as much and as regularly as he or she can.” (The Universal House of Justice, in Wellspring of Guidance, p. 19)
Because the need for more widespread participation is so vital to the strength of the National Fund, the National Spiritual Assembly has decided to include one Fund contribution envelope in each issue of The American Bahá’í this month.
This envelope will enable those who wish to support the Fund to make a beginning, while subsequent envelopes are provided with the receipt form.
The envelope is for the convenience of all those who need a pre-addressed envelope, whether or not they are able to contribute each Bahá’í month.
In its Naw-Rúz 1981 message, the Universal House of Justice said that “the now observable emergence from obscurity of our beloved Faith will impose the necessity of new undertakings involving large calls on the Fund.”
Through steadily increasing participation, and through the sacrificial efforts of those who have already demonstrated their desire to offer their regular support, the National Fund will be able to meet every responsibility thrust upon it in this most critical period.
Martyr’s legacy to Cause of God is felt in U.S. even after his death[edit]
(Editor’s note: For the benefit of those who may have missed it, this article was adapted from the Treasurer’s letter for the Feast of Jalál.)
•
Several years ago a successful Persian Bahá’í businessman and his wife came to the U.S. to visit their daughter. Because of the Islamic revolution, they decided eventually to stay.
Needing to return to Iran to conclude his affairs, the businessman telephoned the Islamic committee reviewing his situation and was told that if he had done nothing wrong he had nothing to fear.
NEVERTHELESS, almost as soon as he set foot again in Iran, he was arrested and thrown into Tehran’s notorious Evin prison where so many believers have languished in torturous conditions.
Helpless, the man’s family tried every means they could think of to win his release, but to no avail.
Eleven anguishing months passed. He was frequently visited in prison by his former business associates who tried to convince him to recant his faith.
All that he need do, they said, was to state that he was not a Bahá’í. They would go with him to the mosque, there would be rejoicing and a festival of lights, and all would be well.
The man only smiled and refused. One day a call came from a relative urging the family to pray because the believer had been summoned before the Islamic tribunal. Not long afterward this steadfast Bahá’í earned the crown of martyrdom.
The story is one that is all too common now—a dedicated believer laying down his life for the Cause. But the story does not end there.
139 B.E.
National Bahá’í
Fund
Individual Participation
4656
CONTRIBUTIONS
$272,000
YEAR·TO·DATE TOTALS
challenge
for growth
$8,000,000
minimum needs
$6,480,000
received shortfall
$1,039,306 $324,694
[Page 6]
YOUTH NEWS
LAURA LAYLI DUMBLETON
Bahá’í youth wins laurels in English in U.S. ‘decathlon’[edit]
Laura Layli Dumbleton, a 17-year-old Bahá’í youth from Jacksonville, Florida, placed first in the nation this year in the English category at the National Academic Decathlon in California.
In addition to her gold medal in English, Miss Dumbleton also won a silver medal (second place) in the humanities, and a bronze medal (third place) in over-all competition.
The honors are the latest of many won by Miss Dumbleton including the National Merit Scholarship, National Honor Society, National Achievement Scholarship for Black Americans, and national essay finalist in competition sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English.
For the past two years, Miss Dumbleton has served as secretary of the District Youth Committee for Northern Florida and on several local Bahá’í committees.
She has accepted a four-year scholarship to Spelman College in Atlanta, and looks forward to teaching the Faith at that predominantly black school.
Oregon youth set pre-Montreal teaching project[edit]
The District Youth Committee of Oregon, in conjunction with the Oregon District Teaching Committee, is holding a traveling teaching project on the Pacific coast of Oregon from August 28-September 4.
Any interested teachers are encouraged to contact the District Youth Committee for more details. Contact Eric Zahl, ________ Tigard, OR 97223, or phone 503-639-2040.
Projecteers will incur some expenses for gas and food; hospitality is being arranged in Bahá’í homes.
This is a perfect project for youth who are on their way to the International Conference in Montreal!
Bahá’í Club formed at Santa Rosa Jr. College[edit]
The formation early this year of the Bahá’í Student Association of Santa Rosa (California) Junior College fulfilled a goal of the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Rosa. With only two members, the new association began holding regular meetings in February.
As a service project, the club sponsored a “New Games event” at the college’s annual arts and crafts fair May 16 that provided continuous entertainment for about 200-300 game participants, most of whom were children.
Parents attending the fair appreciated the Bahá’í-sponsored games that provided a place for their children to play. Some said the games were the only fair activity in which children could participate.
Many visitors asked about the Faith during the day-long fair. The Bahá’í Association was one of only three organizations to receive a certificate of appreciation from college officials.
The Bahá’í Club now has five members including one seeker and is planning to co-sponsor a reception and tea for the college’s graduating class, an annual event that has been carried out for more than 10 years by the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Rosa.
Youth conference is held in Kansas[edit]
The first Kansas “Youth for One World” conference was held June 26 in Emporia.
Thirty young people from Overland Park, Kansas City, Lawrence, Silver Lake, Manhattan and Emporia attended the event at which the Youth for One World program was reviewed and means for starting local clubs were discussed.
Gail Etzenhouser of Silver Lake was named editor of a district YOW bulletin. It was decided to change the name of the Kansas Bahá’í Kids’ Newspaper (published by the Topeka children’s class) to the “Kansas Bahá’í Kids Youth for One World Bulletin.”
Following prayers, discussions and swimming in the afternoon, a second conference was set for July 31.
The June gathering was a result of concern on the part of newly trained Local Education Advisers about the children and youth in Kansas.
Several advisers became excited about the YOW program and decided to hold a conference to explain the program to the young people.
Duane Herrmann of Richland Corners presented the YOW program and will act as district coordinator until the local clubs are on their feet and functioning.
Travis Williams, a 14-year-old member of the Bahá’í community of La Selva Beach, California, has become the youngest student ever accepted at the California Academy of the Arts (Cal Arts) in Valencia where the average age of enrolling students is 22. Travis, who plans to study music composition, is quite active in the Faith, and last year served as chairman of the Cabrillo College Bahá’í Youth Club.
Shown are youth who attended a Bahá’í Youth Conference in Los Angeles, California, over the Memorial Day weekend. The conference was sponsored by the District Youth Committee for Southern California District No. 1 and the local Youth Committee of Los Angeles.
Regional Youth Conference slated at Green Acre[edit]
A capacity crowd is expected to attend the Regional Youth Conference at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, from September 17-19.
The National Youth Committee looks forward to welcoming youth from the Northeastern states to this important youth activity. Here are some details that should help you plan your trip to the conference:
SCHEDULE: The conference will open Friday evening, September 17. Registration begins at 3 p.m., followed by dinner and the evening program. The conference will end after lunch (about 1:30 p.m.) Sunday.
FEES: A special conference rate of $35 per person has been established to cover food, housing and registration. Youth who require financial assistance should contact their Local Spiritual Assembly for scholarship funds.
WHAT TO BRING: Youth are asked to bring a friend who would like to learn more about the Faith! Attendees also are asked to bring a prayer book, and linens or a sleeping bag. (Linens may be rented from the school for $2 per person.)
WHO IS INVITED: Everyone is welcome to attend the conference, including “junior youth” under age 15. Junior youth should have an adult (over 21) sponsor and must bring a sponsorship agreement with them. Medical release forms are also required for youth under age 18. No children’s program is planned at this conference.
REGISTRATION: To register, please fill out the form and mail it as soon as possible to the Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903. Space is limited, so you are urged to register early. A deposit of $15 per person is requested with the registration form.
As soon as your registration form is received, you will be sent a confirmation note and a conference fact sheet, as well as any sponsorship or medical release forms that are required.
More than 200 attend Missouri Bahá’í picnic[edit]
More than 200 Bahá’ís from Missouri attended a statewide Bahá’í picnic June 20 in Fulton that was co-hosted by the Bahá’í Groups of Fulton and Callaway County and sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Columbia.
The pot luck picnic included entertainment by a number of Bahá’í musicians, a tour of the Winston Churchill Memorial, and a performance by an all-black 20-member drill team.
A comprehensive article with three photos later appeared in the Kingdom Daily Sun-Gazette in Fulton.
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
Bahá’í youth score another 22 per cent gain[edit]
The Bahá’í youth have done it again ... a 22 per cent increase in youth enrollments in each of the past two years! Congratulations for a job well done!
The next step for youth is to meet the goal announced at the Kansas City Youth Conference in July 1981.
THE NATIONAL Youth Plan was “kicked off” at that conference with the objective of doubling the U.S. youth population by Riḍván 1984. Bahá’í youth have done great teaching, but even more needs to be done to increase youth enrollments by 50 per cent at the midpoint of the Plan (October 1982).
Bahá’í youth are matchless in their insight and motivation (after all, they’ve recognized the Truth of Bahá’u’lláh near the beginning of their lives). They also have the honor and the moral responsibility to announce this Truth.
Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds.”
All Bahá’í youth really need is a little motivation, and as always, the National Youth Committee is ready to provide it.
The committee has asked all Bahá’í District Youth Committees and Youth Clubs to offer weekly youth firesides in their areas throughout the summer. The focus of these gatherings is clearly to increase youth teaching and enrollments.
Where did the specification for teaching and firesides originate? In the Writings, of course (amazing, isn’t it, how those Writings cover all our needs)!
THE Guardian wrote: “ ...the most powerful and effective teaching medium that has been found so far is the fireside meeting, because in the fireside meeting, intimate personal questions can be answered and the student find the spirit of the Faith more abundant there.” (From “The Individual and Teaching: Raising the Divine Call”)
In other statements in that same compilation, he has said: “The believers are entirely free to hold as many little teaching groups or firesides as they please in their own homes,” and, “The most effective method of teaching is the fireside group, where new people can be shown Bahá’í hospitality, and ask all questions which bother them. They can feel there the true Bahá’í spirit—and it is the spirit that quickeneth.”
The mandate of the National Youth Plan not only reminds us of our obligation to share our joy by teaching the Faith, but also to increase youth enrollments.
Sometimes an individual may feel comfortable in sharing the principles and Writings but hesitate to invite the seeker to make a commitment to the new World Order. The Writings again give us clarification and guidance.
In The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi says of a Bahá’í teacher: “Let him not be content until he has infused into his spiritual child so deep a longing as to impel him to arise independently, in his turn, and devote his energies to the quickening of other souls, and the upholding of the laws and principles laid down by his newly-adopted Faith.” This is enrollment!
Our years as a Bahá’í youth are a time of preparation and of action. We prepare ourselves to earn a livelihood and to nurture a family. We train ourselves in spiritual habits that will see us through a lifetime.
IN SHORT, we are schooled in the skills that will aid in our discovery and application of who we are as human beings.
Teaching the Faith of our hearts is an integral part of this development. Disciplining our busy schedules, educating our minds, awakening our spirits through prayer and service to others, and overcoming, by turning to God, the inertia created by a lack of confidence ... all of these qualities are exercised by hosting weekly firesides.
Shoghi Effendi dictated the following admonishment: “It is on young and active Bahá’ís, like you, that the Guardian centers all his hopes for the future progress and expansion of the Cause, and it is on their shoulders that he lays the responsibility for the upkeep of the spirit of selfless service among their fellow-believers.
“Without that spirit no work can be successfully achieved. With it triumph, though hardly won, is but inevitable. You should therefore, try all your best to carry aflame within you the torch of faith, for through it you will surely find guidance, strength and eventual success... every one of them is able, in his own measure, to deliver the Message ...”
With support like that, how can we miss? So light those weekly firesides, Bahá’í youth, and set the world ablaze!
Pioneer[edit]
Continued From Page 3
Henry Cantú from Uvalde and family. We joined other Bahá’ís from Uvalde in Monclova to celebrate the first birthday of the grandson of the Mexican Bahá’ís from Uvalde. It was a grande fiesta, and over 100 in attendance had fun.
“During my two-day stay in Monclova we enrolled the parents of the child and the great-grandmother—thus making an instant four-generation Bahá’í family!”
Don went on to mention other activities during his trip: visiting inactive believers, holding firesides, passing out literature about the Faith, visiting a new Bahá’í and presenting a slide program that he received when he attended a Pioneer Training Institute for international pioneers.
Two quite different methods of teaching, both successful. What do they have in common?
Both the Sours and Don Greer are serving the Cause in their own way, using those talents and resources that each one feels are the most effective in the area in which he is serving.
Lopez[edit]
Continued From Page 3
members of the National Teaching Committee, its secretary and assistant secretary, should serve full-time at the National Center and work directly with the members of the committee’s staff.
Robert Wilson of Edmonds, Washington, who was recently named assistant secretary of the Teaching Committee, began his new responsibilities at the National Center at the beginning of August.
The committee must now elect a new secretary to replace Mrs. Lopez.
350 youth emphasize, study ‘Bahá’í difference’ at Southern California Regional Conference[edit]
Approximately 350 Bahá’ís from several Western states attended a Regional Youth Conference held July 2-4 in Southern California.
The focus of the conference, which was sponsored by the National Youth Committee, was “Be a Bahá’í: It Makes a Difference.”
MUCH of the program focused on the special role of Bahá’í youth, the differences that set Bahá’ís apart from society, and how we can capitalize on these differences in our efforts to teach the Cause.
Among the special guests were two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. Dwight W. Allen and Judge James F. Nelson.
Judge Nelson introduced a video tape of the recent Congressional hearings on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, while Dr. Allen spoke about the various tools available to youth—tools that can assist us in teaching and deepening.
Other speakers included Joy Cross of Troutdale, Oregon, who spoke on the importance of teaching our peers, and Chogollah Maroufikhah of Los Angeles, whose comments were addressed to the theme of the conference.
Mrs. Marion Yazdi, author of the soon-to-be-released book, Youth in the Vanguard, attended the conference and discussed her service to the Faith at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley during the early days of the Faith on the West Coast.
Other conference highlights were a sports competition, a late-night dance with live music by Michael Kelly and the Paradise Express, and a talent show.
The National Youth Committee is planning four more Regional Youth Conferences this fall, details of which will appear in future issues of The American Bahá’í, or you may contact the committee for registration information.
Shown are some of the 350 Bahá’ís who attended the Regional Youth Conference held July 2-4 in Southern California.
Joy Cross of Troutdale, Oregon, addresses youth at the Bahá’í Regional Conference held July 2-4 in Southern California about their responsibility to teach their peers.
Four more Regional Conferences slated[edit]
What do the Green Acre Bahá’í School, Louhelen Bahá’í School, Hickory Knob State Park, and Disney World have in common?
They are all sites for the upcoming Regional Youth Conferences scheduled to be held this fall by the National Youth Committee, and YOUth are invited to attend all of them!
THE FIRST of these conferences will be held September 17-19 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine. Complete details on costs and registration appear in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
The Louhelen conference, scheduled for October 8-10, will be the first major youth activity to be held there after the opening of the new school. More details will be published in the September issue of The American Bahá’í.
From November 26-28, youth in the Southern states will be attending a regional conference at Hickory Knob State Park near McCormick, South Carolina.
And in December, youth from all over the country will be at Disney World near Orlando, Florida, for the third annual Youth Conference there. The dates are December 26-29.
Attendance at Regional Youth Conferences is a goal of the National Youth Plan.
These conferences are being held at the request of the Universal House of Justice, which in its message of January 1981 called for at least five such events to be held annually in the U.S.
As a result, five Regional Youth Conferences were held during the first year of the three-year second phase of the Seven Year Plan, and nine will be held under the sponsorship of the National Youth Committee during the second year of this phase of the Plan.
[Page 8]
IGC: PIONEERING
More funds are needed to deputize pioneers[edit]
“Center your energies,” Bahá’u’lláh says, “in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation, whose power hath caused the foundations of the mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be dumbfounded.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 56)
•
Contributions totaling almost $15,000 have been earmarked for the deputization of pioneers since the International Goals Committee made known its needs to the American Bahá’í community.
Because of these gifts, two pioneers have been enabled to reach their posts and two more are preparing to travel.
The committee also has been able to respond to an urgent request from a pioneer already in the field who is searching for a job and needs help from the Fund while doing so.
Many contributors have expressed their appreciation to the committee for giving them this opportunity to facilitate the deputization of pioneers. They also write of relief and gratitude that it is not necessary to be able to afford the total amount needed by a particular pioneer before deputization can be offered.
For those who may have missed seeing previous articles in The American Bahá’í, the committee is again providing a coupon for the convenience of the friends.
In Zaire, courageous pioneers teach despite hardships, illness[edit]
Letters from all over the world pour into the International Goals Committee office each day. Some of them tell of difficulties, but most of them recount the victories that are being won with the help of our valiant pioneers.
One letter that tells of both was received recently from the Pioneer Committee in Zaire about pioneers Jill and Gary Spence.
“Dear Bahá’í friends:
“We wanted to take this opportunity to write to you to express our profound gratitude for your efforts in sending such wonderful and effective pioneers to Zaire. We wanted to point out to you the example of one couple so that you can appreciate your own contribution to the victories won in this country.
“Jill and Gary Spence arrived in Zaire at Riḍván 1981. Without knowing any French, they courageously set out for a virgin area of the country where the Bahá’í
Alaska is excellent territory for pioneers[edit]
Are you a teacher, secretary, plumber or electrician? A person with managerial or engineering or medical skills? Have you thought of pioneering?
Alaska is an expanding community that is reaching out to the technical world, and all of these skills and professions are more and more in demand to fill Alaska’s needs. One oil company, for example, has an immediate need for an electrical engineer. Are you interested? If so, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039. We Bahá’ís can help Alaska grow toward the new World Order.
The 57 Bahá’ís attending the Pioneer Training Institute held June 24-27 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, were making plans to pioneer to Bophuthatswana, St. Vincent, French Guiana, Southern Africa, the Turks and Caicos Islands, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, the Windward Islands, Zaire, Brazil, Bolivia, Australasia, Saipan, Paraguay, Gambia, Taiwan, Kenya, Lesotho and the Caribbean. Speakers at the Institute included the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem; Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly; Auxiliary Board member D. Thelma Jackson, and Edna True. Participants included representatives of the Spiritual Assemblies of Birmingham, Alabama, and Dayton, Ohio, and the District Teaching Committee of Eastern Colorado.
House of Justice encourages Goals Committee to maintain steady flow of pioneers to goal areas[edit]
The International Goals Committee has been encouraged to continue to send pioneers to the goal areas assigned in November 1981 to the U.S. and other countries.
The Universal House of Justice has pointed out that the numbers assigned at that time were minimal, and it is the expressed hope of the Supreme Institution that “ ...the beloved American Bahá’í community, ever in the vanguard in providing pioneers throughout the world, will by its response to this fresh appeal maintain its primacy.”
The goals list has been revised to show all of the countries that need pioneers. Although the friends should place emphasis on the ones assigned to the U.S. (those with asterisks), all of the countries shown are in urgent need of pioneers.
The International Goals Committee is eager to help the friends in their efforts to settle in any of these important countries and territories.
PIONEER GOALS
Riḍván 1982—Riḍván 1983
| AFRICA | Arrived at Post | |
| (P) | Angola | |
| (F) | Burundi | |
| (F) | Chad | |
| (F) | Congo | |
| *(E) | Gambia | |
| (P) | Guinea Bissau | |
| *(E) | Liberia | |
| (F) | Madagascar | |
| (F) | Mali | |
| *(F) | Mauritania | |
| *(A,F,S) | Morocco | |
| (P) | Mozambique | |
| (F) | Réunion | |
| (F) | Rwanda | |
| (E) | Sierra Leone | |
| (A,E) | Somalia | |
| (E) | Tanzania | 2 |
| (F) | Tunisia | |
| (F) | Zaire | ___ |
| 2 | ||
| EUROPE | ||
| (F) | Belgium | |
| (Gr,E) | Cyprus | |
| *(D) | Denmark | |
| (F) | France | 2 |
| (E) | Malta | |
| (P) | Portugal | |
| Azores | ||
| Madeira | ___ | |
| 2 | ||
| ASIA | ||
| *(J) | Japan | |
| *(P,E,C) | Macau | |
| *(E) | Nepal | |
| (E) | Sikkim | |
| (E) | Sri Lanka | |
| *(E,T) | Thailand | 2 |
| 2 | ||
| AMERICAS | ||
| *(E) | Bahamas | |
| (S) | Colombia | 2 |
| *(F) | French Guiana | |
| (F) | Guadeloupe | |
| (F) | Haiti | |
| *(E) | Leeward Islands | |
| *(F) | Martinique | |
| (E) | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| (E) | Windward Islands | |
| *Dominica | ||
| Grenada | ||
| St. Vincent | 3 | |
| 5 | ||
| AUSTRALASIA (Pacific Islands) | ||
| (E) | Caroline Islands | |
| Belau | 1 | |
| *Kosrae | ||
| Ponape | ||
| Yap | ||
| (E) | Chatham Island | |
| (E) | Cook Island | |
| *(E) | Fiji | |
| (E) | Kiribati | |
| (F) | Loyalty Islands | |
| (E) | Marianas | |
| *Guam | 6 | |
| *Rota | ||
| *Saipan | ||
| (F) | Marquesas | |
| *(E) | Marshall Islands | 1 |
| *(F) | New Caledonia | |
| (E) | Niue | |
| (E) | Papua New Guinea | |
| (F) | Society Islands | |
| (F) | Tuamoto Archipelago | |
| (E) | Tuvalu | |
| (F,E) | Vanuatu | ___ |
| 8 | ||
| GOALS FILLED BY U.S. | ||
| Goals assigned to other countries | 10 | |
| Non-goals and reffils | 30 | |
| 51 | ||
RE-OPENED GOALS
- Austria 2
- Bahamas 1
- Botswana 1
- Denmark 2
- Fr. Antilles 1
- Kosrae 1
- Malawi
LANGUAGE KEY
- A—Arabic
- C—Chinese
- D—Danish
- E—English
- F—French
- Gr—Greek
- J—Japanese
- P—Portuguese
- S—Spanish
- T—Thai
*GOALS ASSIGNED TO U.S.
GOALS NOT COMPLETED (1981-82)
*Denmark—3
[Page 9]
EDUCATION
‘Friends of Louhelen’ Association established[edit]
| Louhelen School |
The Louhelen Council has announced the establishment of the “Friends of Louhelen” Association, according to Dr. Geoffry Marks, Louhelen’s director of academic affairs.
The Association, he said, will be dedicated to supporting the new Louhelen School, which is scheduled to open in October.
“THE Friends of Louhelen will support the school in a number of ways,” Dr. Marks commented. “Members will publicize the school’s programs at the local level and encourage people to attend, volunteer their services, contribute books, periodicals and instructional materials to the library, donate equipment and supplies, and support the scholarship fund.
“It will be a kind of booster club for the school,” he added.
One becomes a member of the Friends of Louhelen through an annual membership fee. That fee and additional funds contributed by the Friends of Louhelen will be used to help support the academic programs of the school and to help keep the rates for room and board as moderate as possible.
The Association members will be kept up to date on the school’s activities through a newsletter and will be invited to attend the school’s annual meeting, at which the Louhelen Council will present its annual report, introduce plans for the coming year, and solicit views and suggestions.
Members also will be able to acquire tapes and transcripts of talks given by the faculty.
“The Friends of Louhelen will give us a group of loyal supporters who have an active interest in the school’s welfare, who can offer feedback and advice on important issues, give us new ideas, tell us about new talent in the community, and help recruit students—particularly youth—for our special programs,” said Dr. Marks.
“ANOTHER important function of the Friends of Louhelen,” he added, “will be to help the school become self-sufficient and independent of the National Fund.
“The membership dues and additional monies raised by the Friends of Louhelen will help the Council meet this important objective.”
The idea for the Friends of Louhelen was born out of a desire to create a means by which individuals who have a special interest and attachment to the school could become involved in supporting the school’s activities.
“There are many Bahá’ís who have a real love for Louhelen and who regard it as their ‘spiritual home,’ ” said Dr. Marks. “And there are many Bahá’ís who have come into the Faith since the school was closed who have become captivated by the promise it holds for the future.
“We wanted to create some kind of instrument through which the friends could become involved with the school and express their feelings in a constructive and supportive way. The Friends of Louhelen was the natural answer.” Membership fees for the Friends of Louhelen are $20 a year for adults, $30 for families, and $15 for students. A lifetime membership may be acquired for $500.
Those who are interested in joining the Friends of Louhelen may write to “Friends of Louhelen” c/o Mrs. Paula Drewek, ________ Warren, MI 48093, or phone 313-574-0054.
Checks should be made payable to “The Friends of Louhelen.”
Inquiries may also be made to the National Education Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.
Fifteen members of the Bahá’í community of Piscataway Township, New Jersey, completed the National Education Committee’s Personal Transformation Program March 21 under the guidance of facilitators Dr. Jon Anastasio and Mrs. Connie Anastasio. Standing (left to right) are Dorothy Weiss, Curtis Bell, Alisa Coffin, Layli Foroughi, Habib Hosseiny, Manya Hosseiny, Connie Anastasio, Amanda Jones, Eileen Tyson, John Hrehocsik. Seated on couch (left to right) are Ernie Bataglio, Mark Gearhart, Jon Anastasio, Albert Weiss. In front (left to right) are Ron Cooley, Sam Barnes, Henry Ouma.
Zaire[edit]
Continued From Page 8
Faith had not previously been introduced and where no Bahá’ís lived.
“Armed only with their reliance on divine assistance and their pure-hearted intentions, they have been able to establish themselves in Kindu and after only nine months of living there have established two Local Spiritual Assemblies and have 70 Bahá’ís in their community.
“In these nine months they have learned French and Swahili, have made friends for the Faith among many officials in the area, and have established the Faith in an area previously deprived of the knowledge of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
“Gary has been teaching English on a local contract with a salary equal to $50 a month, and for this sum he has been teaching 500 high school students.
“THREE months ago Gary fell ill with a severe case of hepatitis from which, after two months, he had not recovered. He came to Kinshasa to seek additional treatment. When he arrived he was very thin, weak, and his skin and eyes were a deep, deep yellow. He had not been able to sleep in more than a month because of severe itching.
“Yet even in this condition, all he could talk about was the bounties of Bahá’u’lláh, the progress of the Faith in Kindu, and how fortunate they were.
“Jill, though deeply concerned about Gary’s condition, did not accompany him to Kinshasa because she wanted to stay in Kindu until after Riḍván to assist with the elections.
“Indeed Bahá’u’lláh is merciful, for after three weeks in Kinshasa under proper treatment, Gary recovered from his illness, gained 13 pounds and regained his strength and color. They are now in the U.S. for a six-week vacation and will then return to Kindu, via Haifa, to resume their heroic endeavors.
“We felt moved to share with you the experience of this couple so that you can share our appreciation of their devoted services.”
(During a phone conversation with the Spences while they were visiting in the States, Jill said, with wonder in her voice, “If only you could tell the friends that if they can bring themselves to leave, Bahá’u’lláh will take care of their needs. Get up and leave, and then everything else comes!”)
This recent photo shows some of the dormitory buildings that are under construction at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan. The school’s formal dedication is scheduled for October 29-31.
Louhelen School dedication set October 29-31[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has announced that the formal inauguration of the new Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan will be held the weekend of October 29-31.
The National Assembly and its major committees will meet at the school that weekend and will take part in the program, as will other specially invited guests.
“ALTHOUGH plans for the inauguration are still being formulated,” says David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, “we will have a banquet Saturday evening in Flint. The formal dedication of the school will take place on the grounds Sunday afternoon.
“We’re expecting a rather large turnout,” Mr. Smith adds. “We’ll be able to accommodate 450 at the banquet, and there may well be 600 to 800 in attendance. It’ll be a real celebration.”
Those who wish to make reservations for the banquet may write to Mrs. Paula Drewek, secretary of the Louhelen Council, at ________ Warren, MI 48093, or phone her at 313-574-0054.
The Louhelen School was first begun in 1931 on the farm of Lou and Helen Eggleston in Davison, Michigan, about 10 miles east of Flint.
The school quickly became a regional center for deepening and teaching activities and continued to hold summer and winter sessions until 1974, when it was closed because the buildings had fallen into disrepair.
Plans were later formulated to reconstruct the school, and, after the successful completion of a campaign to raise $1.8 million required to finance the building project, work was begun in September 1981 and is now nearing completion.
PROGRAMS planned for the fall include a series of weekend conferences on such subjects as race unity, child education for parents, and teaching training.
There will also be conferences for single Bahá’ís and youth, a Regional Youth Conference sponsored by the National Youth Committee, a marriage enrichment institute for married couples, a conference sponsored by the Association for Bahá’í Studies, a media conference sponsored by the Office of Public Affairs, and a pioneer training institute sponsored by the International Goals Committee.
Further information may be obtained from the Louhelen Council at the address listed above.
[Page 10]
CLASSIFIEDS
Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.
•
THE BAHÁ’Í National Center is seeking qualified applicants for a number of positions that are presently open at the Center. Secretary: Drafts and types correspondence to administrative institutions and individual believers. Must type above 55 wpm and have ability to work with confidential information. Telephone experience and word processing skills are desirable. Mail Services Supervisor (trainee): Responsible for processing incoming and outgoing mail. Requires shipping/receiving experience, ability to drive a manual transmission vehicle, and lift up to 70 pounds. Public Affairs Secretary: Types press releases and correspondence, prepares and ships public information packets, helps with general office duties. Requires office experience and good stenographic skills. Bahá’í Publishing Trust—Marketing Assistant: Writes ad copy, jacket copy, newsletters and articles. Corresponds with Bahá’í institutions and local community librarians. Maintains marketing files. Requires proven experience writing accurate, effective and persuasive prose and working under deadlines. Subscriber Service Coordinator: Coordinates subscription services for Bahá’í News, World Order, Child’s Way and The American Bahá’í. Requires solid experience in office procedure and typing skills above 50 wpm. Applicants must possess strong organizational and promotional writing skills and have the ability to consult effectively with a variety of individuals and agencies. Should be familiar with use of data processing services. If you are interested in applying for any of these positions, please send a résumé to the Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
JEOPARDIZED Assembly in Boca Raton, Florida, needs active, enthusiastic adult Bahá’ís to maintain the Assembly and incorporated status. Boca Raton, on Florida’s sunny southeastern coast, offers abundant teaching opportunities with peoples of many different interests and backgrounds. In addition to retaining its Assembly, the Bahá’í community needs help with its extension goal: consolidating a nearby mass-taught community and helping its Assembly to develop. The area has good employment opportunities in light industry and research, banking, finance, real estate, insurance, medicine, education, and resort hotel/restaurants. Boca Raton also has a branch of the state university and two junior colleges. So don’t spend another winter up north—come to Boca Raton where you’ll be warmly welcomed by a small but loving and unified Bahá’í community. Please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Boca Raton, P.O. Box 999, Boca Raton, FL 33432.
GLORY, a deepening magazine for Bahá’í youth that is produced in India, welcomes the submission of articles, stories, poetry, quizzes—in fact, anything that is of interest to Bahá’í youth. The 10-year-old magazine is being upgraded and expanded with the recent changeover to a phototypesetting process for printing. If you wish to submit articles or other materials for consideration, please address them to The Editor, GLORY, P.O. Box 19, Panchgani 412 805, District Satara, Maharashtra, India.
THE AUTHOR of a proposed biography of Amoz Gibson would greatly appreciate receiving transcriptions or cassettes of oral reminiscences, copies of correspondence received from him, accounts of his travels and other Bahá’í activities, vignettes and recollections, slides and photographs. Please send any materials you wish to share to R. Jackson Smith, P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 001, Israel. If you wish to have any slides or photos returned, please indicate this, and they will be duplicated and returned to the donor.
WANT to buy or trade for pre-1935 issues of Bahá’í News. Please contact Christopher Polzer, ________ Charlotte, NC 28212, or telephone 704-563-0268.
CIVIL ENGINEER for La Serena, Chile, a priority homefront goal for the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile. A position is open at an observatory in La Serena for a civil engineer to work on the development of astronomical instrumentation. Applicants should have a civil engineering degree and excellent references. Experience with low noise electronic systems, hybrid electronics, electronic fabrication and packaging, television systems and/or visual wavelengths and infrared detectors is highly desirable. Familiarity with one or more of the following is helpful: optics, cryogenics, vacuum technology, electro-mechanical control systems, computer programming. Requires fluent English. If you are interested in seeking this position, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.
HELP our children! The Greater Metro Oklahoma City Bahá’í School Committee desperately needs reference materials for a new Bahá’í children’s class curriculum that is being developed. We are especially interested in copies of Persian Bahá’í school books for all grade levels ... we have plenty of people who can translate to English from Farsi if necessary. Lessons from other countries also would be appreciated. We don’t want to keep your original book unless you want to let us have it (that would be wonderful)! If you prefer, we will copy and return your materials. Please send with proper return address to the Spiritual Assembly of Bethany, P.O. Box 1060, Bethany, OK 73008.
COMPUTER needed. Directors of the Louhelen Bahá’í School are seeking a good price (or donation) on Apple II +, CBM 8042/8050, TRS-80 II, IBM Personal, or comparable computer with at least 48K memory with expansion capabilities to be used for accounting, recordkeeping, word processing, mailings, instruction, etc., at the school. Need at least one disk-drive. Also seeking peripherals, especially printer (preferably letter-quality). Please contact William Diehl, c/o National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
TEACHERS are needed in Africa and Latin America. The following schools require certified teachers in the specified subjects: Colegio Americano de Durango, Mexico, has openings for a physical education instructor and elementary school teachers for grades 2-4. The International School in Lusaka, Zambia, seeks a married couple to fill openings for a full time secondary physics teacher and a secondary French, secondary art, or elementary school teacher. The American International School in Guatemala has openings for a guidance counselor, grades 1-12, a PE/sports coordinator, grades 1-12, a science/math teacher, grades 7-12, a secondary social studies teacher, and elementary teachers for grades 1, 2 and 4. The American School of Lima, Peru, requires a math teacher for grade 10 and an English instructor for grade 7 and high school. The Uruguayan American School in Montevideo, Uruguay, needs two lower elementary school teachers. The American School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, has elementary and secondary vacancies in English/history, physical education, chemistry and music. A librarian also is sought. For more information please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Baltimore, Maryland, welcomes applications from qualified individuals or married couples who would be interested in serving as resident manager or caretaker of the Baltimore Bahá’í Center. Applications will be accepted, reviewed and placed on file to fill the position as quickly as possible when a vacancy occurs. The applicant or applicants should be self-supporting. There is no payment for the position, but there is a private apartment on the second floor of the Center with five rooms and two baths, at a reduced monthly rent. There is also a usable attic and two-car garage, with one garage for the use of the manager if needed. It is preferable that the person or couple have some experience or background in property management, including care of buildings and grounds. Correspondence or questions should be directed to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Baltimore, Inc., c/o Mrs. Mabel Byrd, secretary, ________ Baltimore, MD 21207; telephone 301-542-7566.
AVAILABLE: 34 slightly used copies of the paperback 1971 edition of The Hidden Words. Available in multiple groups, especially to institutions that would use the books for deepening. Any bona fide need will be considered. Contact Dan McLachlan, _______ Uniontown, OH 44685.
CHORAL MUSIC on texts of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is urgently needed by the Bahá’í House of Worship’s choir. Scores must be written for unaccompanied SATB (or SAB) voices. The 24-voice choir sings each Sunday afternoon for public devotions and for many Holy Day observances. Your submissions will be gratefully acknowledged. Please send scores to Richard Hill, assistant choir director, Bahá’í House of Worship, Wilmette, IL 60091.
ATTENTION Bahá’ís who plan or desire to attend CHICON IV, the 40th world Science Fiction convention September 2-6 in Chicago: We want you to know that you won’t be alone. Chicago Bahá’ís who are CHICON members plan to provide you with inexpensive no-drink/no-drug crash space at the Hyatt, an in-the-hotel fireside, a possible tour of the House of Worship, and a Bahá’í-moderated panel program on the development of a universal auxiliary language. The two Bahá’í sleeping rooms will be registered in the names of Fred Bixby and Lucki Wilder. For more information or to reserve crash space, phone the Wilders at 312-465-8834 or the Bixbys at 312-267-7655.
THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly of Haiti must sell a house in an excellent residential neighborhood. Haiti is a splendid country for people with an outside income, such as retired persons who do not have any serious health problems and who like a colorful and interesting place to live. Labor is extremely inexpensive (household help is about $30 a month). The house was designed for use as a Bahá’í Center on the ground floor with living quarters on the upper floor (three bedrooms). Priced at around $40,000, but needs some finishing. Please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
FAMILY practitioner needed to join female M.D. in large office next to 352-bed hospital with 50 M.D.’s on staff. Tri-racial county, population 100,000, town of 18,000 in mass-taught goal area that needs homefront pioneers. Please send resumé to Carolyn B. McCormick, M.D., ________ Lumberton, NC 28358.
NUTRITIONIST seeking to collaborate with individual physician or clinic as nutritional consultant. I am a Registered Nurse with M.S. in nutrition, willing to become a homefront pioneer and would consider pioneering overseas. For more information please contact Ann Heist, P.O. Box 308, Wilder, VT 05088, or telephone 802-295-2382.
DUMONT, New Jersey, which has had an Assembly for 40 years and has been incorporated for 20, needs to strengthen its Assembly, which may soon be in jeopardy. Dumont, a city of about 17,000, has good schools and homes, is close to New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania and only four miles from the Wilhelm property in Teaneck where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited in 1912. For information please contact Mrs. Blanche Kaufman, ________ Dumont, NJ 07628, or phone 201-304-6799.
CARTOONIST needed to create characters for Bahá’í cartoon strips. Prepared scripts await creative interpretation. Ready acceptance by print media is assured. Please write (including samples of your work) to Dave Notley, ________ Spokane, WA 99206. Or you may phone 509-928-0277 before 6 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
AN EXCELLENT position is presently open for a lecturer in architecture at a technical university in Papua New Guinea. Applicants should have college teaching experience and/or practical experience, and a graduate degree in architecture. Courses to be taught include Properties of Materials, Building Science, Physical Planning, the History of Architecture, Design Studio, Building Construction and Services. The pay and benefits are excellent, and include transportation and relocation costs. If you are interested in seeking this position to serve as a pioneer to this goal country, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
SEVERAL Bahá’í communities in Alaska need homefront pioneers. Unalaska, which has the potential for offshore oil exploration in the near future, needs an electrical engineer. Other areas that need pioneers include Kodiak, Kalifonsky, Skagway, Nome, Tanana and Fort Yukon
[Page 11]
Some of the more than 2,300 residents of Evanston, Illinois, who attended an ‘Evanston Day’ program June 13 at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette relax on the lawn while enjoying the beauty of the Temple.
2,300-plus attend ‘Evanston Day’ program at House of Worship[edit]
More than 2,300 residents of nearby Evanston, Illinois, came to the House of Worship in Wilmette on Sunday, June 13, to participate in an “Evanston Day” program sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Evanston.
The Race Unity Day observance, which was expected to draw from 700 to 1,000 people, was later described as one of the most successful local proclamation events ever held at the House of Worship.
THE THEME of the day was “Citizens of One World.”
A delightful blend of activities was held including several devotional programs, audio-visual presentations, speakers, musicians, a literature sale, and a special hospitality area with refreshments and a guest book.
Greeters were stationed at the outside entrances to the House of Worship, and other Bahá’ís spoke with visitors in the gardens and the visitors’ center.
Two elements infused a special energy into the teaching work: the continuous devotions in the Auditorium, and the racial and cultural diversity in the program.
More than 200 Chinese people came to that part of the program that featured a Chinese Bahá’í as speaker and performances by Chinese musicians.
Other speakers were of Hispanic, black and Caucasian background. In addition to the Chinese musicians, there were gospel, folk and classical performers.
Planning for the event began last fall. In May, posters were placed on local trains and buses.
PRESS releases and paid ads were placed in area newspapers including minority papers in Evanston.
Public service spots were broadcast on local radio stations including one Spanish-speaking station.
Some 800 letters were sent to city dignitaries and clergy, and to state and city government officials. Also, 5,000 flyers were distributed door-to-door in Evanston.
The community’s phone number appeared on every publicity item, and responses were received from every kind of publicity tested.
Among those who responded were a state Senator, several clergymen, educational institutions, city officials, and the editor of a major metropolitan newspaper who wanted information for a news item.
“We are amazed by the response,” said Mary Hansen, secretary of the “Evanston Day” task force. “People actually came clutching their invitations, saying, ‘This was left at my door.’ To our knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened before in this area.”
Follow-up teaching is under way and a detailed report is being compiled by the task force for study and analysis.
Alabama Bahá’í wins news writing honors[edit]
Tim Tyson, a Bahá’í who lives in Huntsville, Alabama, has been recognized by two Alabama news organizations for excellence in news writing in competition among newspapers in that state.
Mr. Tyson, who was then a government writer with The Huntsville Times, shared the Alabama Associated Press news writing award for 1981 with two other staff writers for coverage of a train-tanker truck collision that claimed seven lives.
Mr. Tyson also was honored, along with the two other writers, by the Alabama Press Association which judges the best writers from all of the state’s newspapers.
Mr. Tyson is now a public information specialist with NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
Districts[edit]
Continued From Page 1
becoming acquainted with each other, and provide an intermediary state—which will become increasingly valuable and necessary—between the local organization, represented by the group or assembly, and national collective action, represented by the activities of the Convention and the institution of the National Assembly.” (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian)
In the following statement concerning the election of the Local Spiritual Assembly, Shoghi Effendi enunciates a principle that applies to all Bahá’í elections:
“ ...every declared believer of 21 years and above, far from standing aloof and assuming an indifferent or independent attitude, should regard it his sacred duty to take part conscientiously and diligently, in the election ...”
What should be the character of the District Conventions?
“On the election day, the friends must wholeheartedly participate in the elections, in unity and amity, turning their hearts to God, detached from all things but Him, seeking His guidance and supplicating His aid and bounty.”
“Let them exercise the utmost vigilance so that the elections are carried out freely, universally and by secret ballot. Any form of intrigue, deception, collusion and compulsion must be stopped and is forbidden.”
“One’s vote should be kept confidential. It is not permissible to make any reference whatsoever to individual means. The friends must avoid the evil methods and detestable practices of the politicians. They must turn completely to God, and with a purity of motive, a freedom of spirit and sanctity of heart, participate in the elections: otherwise the outcome will be chaos and confusion, serious difficulties will ensue, mischief will abound and the confirmations of God will be cut off.”
What are the qualifications of a delegate?
“ ...it is incumbent upon the chosen delegates to consider without the least trace of passion and prejudice, and irrespective of any material consideration, the names of only those who can best combine the necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.”
“In regard to your question about qualifications of delegates and Assembly members, the qualifications which he outlined are really applicable to anyone we elect to a Bahá’í office, whatever its nature. But those are only an indication, they do not mean people who don’t fulfil them cannot be elected to office. We must aim as high as we can. He does not feel that the friends should attach so much importance to limitations—such as people perhaps not being able to attend Assembly or Convention meetings, because if they do, then the fundamental concept of everyone being willing to do Bahá’í service on administrative bodies will be weakened, and the friends may be tempted to vote for those who, because of independent means or circumstances in their lives are freer to come and go but less qualified to serve.” (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian)
It should be remembered that Bahá’í elections are approached in a spirit of prayer without preliminary electioneering or nomination of candidates. Through unhurried reflection and prayer, each elector should make his selection as a result of the guidance and inspiration he receives at the District Convention.
Any adult who is resident in your electoral district is eligible to serve as a delegate to the National Convention.
Auxiliary Board members are eligible for election, but if elected they must choose between serving as a delegate or continuing to serve on the Auxiliary Board, since members of the Board cannot serve in administrative capacities.
As far as Bahá’í youth are concerned, those between the ages of 15 and 21 have all the rights and privileges of community membership except voting and being voted for in Bahá’í elections and serving as members of Assemblies or as Convention delegates.
Bahá’í youth may take part in all consultation at District Conventions; they may also serve as registrars and as readers, and may be given a variety of other tasks that do not require that they function as officers of the Convention.
Their participation in the Convention in these ways will not only contribute to the success of the event, but will also aid in preparing the youth for future service as administrators of the Faith.
Houston presents Race Unity awards[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Houston, Texas, observed the 25th annual Race Unity Day with a public meeting June 13 at Texas Southern University.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Cynthia S. Perry, a longtime Bahá’í who is a professor of higher education at Texas Southern.
Awards were presented to five citizens of Houston for their work in helping to improve race relations.
Among the honorees was Mayor Kathy Whitmire who during the week before the gathering signed a Race Unity Day proclamation.
Dr. Lee Brown, chief of the Houston Police Department, accepted an award for himself and another on behalf of the mayor.
Other awards were given to Dr. Wayne Carle, vice-president for development at Texas Southern; Dr. Edith Jones, a physician; and the Rev. William Lawson, pastor of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.
Parts of the meeting were filmed and shown on local television during the evening news.
“Crece Con Nosotros” (Grow With Us), a new 12-week Spanish-language television series about the Bahá’í Faith, is now available from Light Years International in San Fernando, California. Bahá’ís from 11 Spanish-speaking countries join host Tom Kavelin in this provocative series of half-hour programs. The series is professionally done, and programs are excellent for cable TV or for home use. For more information please contact Light Years International, ________ San Fernando, CA 91304.
the Champion builders[edit]
ALLEN B. McDANIEL
It was shortly after the death of his wife that Allen B. McDaniel, a civil and architectural engineer at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, came into contact with Urbana’s growing Bahá’í community. In 1915 he embraced the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
Born September 5, 1879, in Exeter, New Hampshire, Mr. McDaniel had been reared in an atmosphere of liberal religious thought. His father was a well-known Unitarian minister.
IN 1901, at the age of 22, he earned a degree in architectural engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It was about 1920 when the trustees of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette invited Mr. McDaniel to act as adviser for the elevation of the main floor of the Temple structure.
Thus began a period of more than 30 years during which he became increasingly absorbed in the task of translating the dream of Louis Bourgeois, the Temple’s architect, into a permanent and beautiful building.
In 1930, the Trustees asked Mr. McDaniel and his firm to supervise the erection of the Temple’s superstructure that was begun in the fall of that year.
Mr. McDaniel devoted a major part of his professional activities to the various stages of completing the Mother Temple of the West. He combined his dedication and enthusiasm as a believer with his technical knowledge and experience.
In 1925 he was elected to membership on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, and continued to serve on the Assembly until 1946. He was chairman of the Assembly from 1926-34.
AT THE same time, he continued his unique contribution to the technical aspects of completing the superstructure and exterior
‘Spiritual Revolution’ a coast-to-coast success[edit]
The new Bahá’í television program “The Spiritual Revolution” is becoming the first nationwide series on the Faith.
Already the series is on television stations in Los Angeles and San Jose, California, and on cable outlets in New York, Atlanta, suburban Detroit, southern California, Seattle and southwestern Washington state.
THE LATEST “Revolution” news is that 13 weeks of the series will be on the air starting in September on the NBC affiliate in Helena, Montana, at 5:30 Sunday evenings.
The Bahá’í media committee in Puerto Rico approached the cable TV company that serves San Juan and was rewarded with a half-hour a day Monday through Friday to put “The Spiritual Revolution” on the air.
Also, the statewide educational television network in Mississippi has requested information on “The Spiritual Revolution” for possible use on its stations.
The potential audience for the series already is in the tens of millions and growing as new inquiries come in each day.
“The greatest opportunity for these programs is on local access cable television,” according to Parks Scott of the Office of Public Affairs. “Most of the local cable outlets have access channels that provide free or inexpensive television time to the community.
“Much of this time,” he says, “goes unfilled because there are few programs to fill the many hours of available time.
“BECAUSE of the expense of sponsoring programs on commercial television stations, cable access is an affordable way for Bahá’ís to get ‘The Spiritual Revolution’ into people’s homes.
“Then it’s important to develop a fireside teaching program along with ads and news releases to bring the best results from the programs.”
“The Spiritual Revolution” is one of several new programs now available through the Office of Public Affairs.
A new series of Jeff Reynolds tapes is available. The 13-week series combines Bahá’í views on a variety of subjects with soft rock music.
Also available for radio stations is the “Fireside Playhouse” series. For many months this half-hour drama series has been aired on stations around the country as part of a national distribution campaign. Now it can be purchased by local communities to place on their area radio stations.
There are three tapes now in stock of commercials and public service announcements covering a variety of topics including a 60-second spot in which Dizzy Gillespie discusses why he became a Bahá’í.
A 16mm film entitled “Nine Bahá’ís Talk About Their Faith” is also being used for proclamation activities. The film is similar to the slide presentation of the same name used at the House of Worship.
Video tapes are popular item[edit]
The response of the friends to the offer to sell copies of the 53-minute video tape made at the Congressional hearing May 25 has been overwhelming.
The first batch of 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch tapes sold out almost immediately. The demand was strong enough that tapes had to be produced for Beta-Max format machines.
A number of communities have been able to place the tape on their local television and cable stations.
In Helena, Montana, the tape was shown at noon on Sunday with the news director of the local NBC station interviewing local Bahá’ís about the persecutions in Iran.
The 1/2-inch VHS and Beta-Max tapes for home video recorders cost $30; 3/4-inch tapes (those used by cable and TV stations) can be purchased for $45.
The 3/4-inch tapes can also be rented for $5 to communities that believe they can use the tape on television or cable stations but cannot afford to buy it.
For information contact the Office of Public Affairs, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone 312-869-9039.
Comment[edit]
Continued From Page 2
“Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!”
This unexpected chance to proclaim the Faith proved to me once and for all how we can transform ourselves from our own sense of limitation in order to rise up and serve Bahá’u’lláh.
Later, a newsletter was issued to all participants in the People’s Conference in which the Faith was mentioned in the following reflections:
“We listened to Gospel songs and Scripture; freedom for those in chains, light to the blind. We sang in Spanish: we are people walking together toward a new city, without sadness or pain. We heard one sing of a dream: I saw God crying ... because of all the destroyed cities, atrocious poverty, abandoned children ... why don’t we stop making God cry? We prayed in the words of Bahá’í: We see people from various races and religions coming together, and it’s a symbol of what the world could be.” (“Reflections from Maggie Valley,” by Sisters Diane Reese and Sharon Joyer)
Bahá’í artist wins 1982 Chicago Emmy award[edit]
Louise Taylor, a Bahá’í who lives in Palatine, Illinois, has won a 1982 Emmy award for her animation art that has appeared on WLS-TV, the ABC network affiliate in Chicago.
She is the first person in that station’s art department ever to win an Emmy. The awards are presented by the Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Her work was selected by broadcasters in Chicago and other cities from among a number of entries in the individual achievement category.
Mrs. Taylor, 27, created the animation for the film “The Rhythm of Growth” that was produced last year by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
In the 1970s she provided the illustrations for the “Each One Teach One” slide program.
After studying animation and fine arts at Columbia College in Chicago, Mrs. Taylor attended Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, where she continued her studies in fine arts including Thai painting.
She is a former staff member at the Bahá’í National Center and presently is recording secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Palatine.
No longer a member of the WLS-TV art department, Mrs. Taylor is doing free-lance animation and illustration work for television production companies.
LOUISE TAYLOR
Here is a sample of some of the art work that won a Chicago Emmy award for Louise Taylor, a Bahá’í from Palatine, Illinois.
‘Homecoming Conference’ to mark Gregory Institute’s 10th anniversary[edit]
A homecoming conference will be held October 22-24 to observe the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute near Hemingway, South Carolina.
The conference will be held at the National Guard Armory in Florence with the anniversary observance scheduled for 2 p.m. October 24 at the Institute.
The conference theme is “South Carolina—Challenges of Growth.”
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Bahá’í National Center Office Hours 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone 312-869-9039 |
A banquet, reception and special guest speakers are to be among the highlights of the conference, which is being arranged by an ad hoc committee working under the direction of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee.
Make plans now to attend this joyous and special occasion. Further details will be given in the September issue of The American Bahá’í.
[Page 13]
PUBLICATIONS
New edition of Bahá’í Prayers set to be unveiled at Montreal[edit]
A new edition of Bahá’í Prayers will be the major new book released by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust this fall, according to Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor of the Publishing Trust.
The book will make its first appearance at the Montreal Conference in September and will be available at the Green Lake Conference in Wisconsin and at the District Conventions in October.
The new Bahá’í Prayers will be available in three formats. The paper edition will be bound in an exceptionally sturdy, flexible blue cover and will be stamped in silver. The cloth edition will be bound in a rich tan and stamped in gold. A limited deluxe edition will be bound in maroon leather and will have elegant gray end-sheets, a ribbon, and gilded edges.
The paper and deluxe editions will have flexible covers; the cover of the cloth edition will be more flexible than that of the current edition.
Only the paper and deluxe editions will be available at the Montreal Conference. All three editions will be available at Green Lake and at the District Conventions.
When the limited deluxe edition is depleted, it will not be reprinted. Proceeds from sales of the deluxe edition will be used to finance new children’s books.
The new prayer book will contain 176 prayers, 56 more than appear in the current prayer book. Most of the additions are prayers by the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In addition, the new book will contain a number of new features.
The new edition of Bahá’í Prayers is divided into three sections. The first section contains the three obligatory prayers.
THE THIRD section includes prayers that are truly occasional: The Tablet of Aḥmad, the Fire Tablet, the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, the Tablets of Visitation, and the prayers for Intercalary Days, the Fast, and Naw-Rúz.
The second and largest section of the book contains prayers for general usage. But you will find some helpful changes.
The prayers for Marriage and for Firmness in the Covenant appear in this section. The prayers for teaching from the Tablets of the Divine Plan (clearly labeled as to region) appear with the other teaching prayers in the general section.
New sections of general prayers include ones for Families, the Fund, and the Triumph of the Cause.
Welcome additions to the general prayers are the long Healing Prayer, the prayer to be read at Bahá’í funerals, and a third prayer for Local Spiritual Assemblies.
A few sections of prayers have been renamed or reorganized. Prayers for Severance are now called Prayers for Detachment, a more easily understood word.
THE SECTION of prayers for Children has been expanded and retitled Prayers for Children and Youth.
The section of prayers for Tests and Difficulties has been split into two sections—one asking for Assistance with Tests and the other asking for Tests and Difficulties.
Finally, a few prayers have been moved to other sections. The prayer entitled “Day of God” has been moved to the Teaching section. The Steadfastness prayers, Nos. 75 and 77, have been moved to the Firmness in the Covenant section. The Dawn Prayer now appears with the prayers for Morning.
Ordering information for the cloth, paper and deluxe editions of the new edition of Bahá’í Prayers will be published in the next issue of The American Bahá’í and in forthcoming issues of the Publishing Trust “Update.”
Trust places $10 minimum on credit card purchases[edit]
Due to the expense of handling small MasterCard and Visa charges for Bahá’í books and other materials, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust has had to impose a $10 minimum for such purchases, according to Greg Weiler, marketing manager of the Publishing Trust.
The $10 minimum applies to orders placed over the telephone or by mail and to purchases at Bahá’í conferences and at the bookstore at the House of Worship in Wilmette.
Montreal to feature large Bahá’í bookstore[edit]
Don’t miss the Bahá’í International Bookstore at the Montreal Conference in September.
The bookstore, which will stock some 1,200 items in 26 languages, will have generous hours from Wednesday, September 1 through Sunday, September 5.
Payment will be accepted in cash, traveler’s checks, and money orders in Canadian or U.S. currency only, and by Visa card. Personal checks on U.S. banks, accompanied by Bahá’í identification, also will be accepted.
Highlights of the bookstore will include the release of the new edition of Bahá’í Prayers and of a new children’s book, Zahra’s Search (see articles in this issue of The American Bahá’í) and autograph parties for Marion Yazdi, author of Youth in the Vanguard (see article), and Gayle Morrison, author of To Move the World, the biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory.
The charming and delightful story of a Bahá’í student whose energy and devotion contributed to the growth of the Bahá’í Faith in Berkeley and at Stanford University
YOUTH IN THE VANGUARD
by
Marion Carpenter Yazdi
Youth in the Vanguard tells the fascinating story of the first Bahá’í student at the University of California at Berkeley and at Stanford University. In the familiar chores of finding meeting places, placing speakers, sending out invitations, putting up posters, and writing notes for newspapers, you will find a kinship with a predecessor that transcends time and place.
A special treat also awaits you in the story of one who set her course so deliberately in the footsteps of the Master, who grew up with the loving guidance and encouragement of such stalwart pioneer workers as Helen Goodall, Ella Cooper, Kathryn Frankland, and Ella Bailey, and who had her academic career shaped by letters from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.
Youth in the Vanguard tells the story of two loves—Marion Carpenter Yazdi’s love for a dashing young Persian graduate student whom she met at Berkeley when a quota system foiled her dreams of entering Stanford University as a freshman, and her love for the Bahá’í Faith.
- Marion Carpenter Yazdi first heard about the Bahá’í Faith in 1912 when her mother read aloud a newspaper article about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Los Angeles Times. In 1914 she learned more about the Faith from a Bahá’í salesman and became a Bahá’í. From that time to this the Bahá’í Faith has provided the ballast and direction for her life. Except for two short periods she has spent most of her life in Berkeley, serving the community at large as a teacher and businesswoman, and the Bahá’í Faith in a number of capacities.
Cloth edition only. 211 pages, Forewords by Ali M. Yazdi and publisher, preface by author, notes, index, many photographs.
Catalog No. 332-089 $14.00*
*Valid only in the United States. All others write for prices and ordering and shipping instructions.
S. California youth are given Vanguard preview[edit]
Youth in the Vanguard, memoirs and letters collected by Marion Carpenter Yazdi, the first Bahá’í student at Berkeley and at Stanford University, and now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, made its pre-publication debut at the July Youth Conference in Goleta, California.
To an audience of some 300 youth, Mrs. Yazdi, using slides of photographs in the book, talked about the early days of the Faith in California and about her experiences as the first Bahá’í student at the University of California at Berkeley and at Stanford, which was visited by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912.
BECAUSE Bahá’í youth are responding so favorably to a book written about one of their “own,” Bahá’í communities should take every opportunity to make the book known to their own youth.
Communities might consider presenting copies to youth for special attainments or asking an older youth to present a review of the book at Feast.
Youth in the Vanguard is a book of many highlights. The high hopes and expectancy among the Bahá’ís before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival in California comes vividly alive as Mrs. Yazdi recounts the background of her becoming the first Bahá’í student at Berkeley.
The rousing ovation given ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by students in a football mood and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s amusement at the pep rally cheer will give you a glimpse of the Master that is not often seen.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit comes alive a second time in a reprise when the tenacious Marion, some 12 years later, interviews Dr. David Starr Jordan, the president of Stanford University when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited, and several professors who met the Master.
Their vivid recollections of the extraordinary Man they could not forget, One whose humor and liveliness still lived in their memories, is a treasure added to the growing number of historical accounts now available.
Youth in the Vanguard is sure to appeal to a wide variety of readers. All will be drawn to the stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s days in California.
History buffs will delight in the first-hand accounts of the stalwart early believers who established the Faith in California.
Youth—and anyone who has been the first Bahá’í anyplace
[Page 14]
PUBLICATIONS
World Order, ‘white paper’ fine publicity items[edit]
Two new publications, due to be released in September, will help Bahá’ís throughout the U.S. in capitalizing on the unprecedented publicity that has come to the Faith as a result of the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
The Spring 1982 issue of World Order, the first of the two publications, contains all the written testimony presented by the National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S. before the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Bahá’ís in Iran: A Report on the Persecution of a Religious Minority is a revised and updated version of the white paper prepared by the Bahá’í International Community.
In July a letter about the two publications was mailed to all Local Spiritual Assemblies, which were urged to order copies immediately and to make plans to bring them to the attention of interested persons, organizations and libraries in their areas.
The Assemblies were asked to consider making personal presentations to mayors, local government officials, educators, newspaper editors, organization presidents, and religious leaders.
An editorial on the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran sets the theme and tone of the Spring 1982 issue of World Order. Then follows the opening statement made at the Human Rights hearings by the Hon. Don Bonker of Washington state and statements made on behalf of the Bahá’ís by Reps. Edward J. Derwinski of Illinois and Fortney (Pete) Stark Jr. of California.
The testimony by Judge James F. Nelson is an overview of the discrimination against the Bahá’ís in Iran. Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh’s testimony is a succinct explanation of the historical roots of the hatred for the Bahá’ís of the fundamentalists among Iran’s Shi‘ite clergy.
Mrs. Ramin Nourani’s testimony, one of the highlights of the hearings, is a moving account of the executions of both of her parents, who were members of the first and second National Spiritual Assemblies in Iran to be executed, and of other friends and relatives.
GLENFORD E. Mitchell testified about the steps the National Spiritual Assembly has taken over the past three years to protest the persecutions of the Bahá’ís in Iran. He also proposed steps to be taken in the future.
Finally, the National Spiritual Assembly itself presented an overview of the persecution of Iranian Bahá’ís.
A review by Dr. Kazemzadeh of William Sears’ book, A Cry from the Heart, concludes the issue.
The Bahá’ís in Iran uses many photographs, text, and copies of newspaper accounts and public documents to bring alive the background of the persecutions and their systematic nature, the false charges leveled against the Bahá’ís, and the international reaction to and media coverage of the persecutions.
The handsome volume is ideal for presentations. As a coffee table piece it is certain to spark questions from friends and acquaintances.
Both the Spring issue of World Order and The Bahá’ís in Iran will aid individual Bahá’ís and Bahá’í communities in reaching friends, leaders of thought, and the general public with information about the violation of the human rights of the Bahá’ís in Iran. Both publications also set out quite clearly the human rights issues involved in the persecutions.
The Spring issue of World Order (Catalog No. 555-163, $3) and The Bahá’ís in Iran (Catalog No. 555-100, $3) can be ordered separately, or they can be ordered as a set at a $1 saving (Catalog No. 555-200, $5).
To order either or both of these publications, use the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í or contact your local Bahá’í librarian.
Trust cannot honor trade order form for To Move the World[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust regrets that it cannot honor orders from individual Bahá’ís or Bahá’í communities on the trade order form for To Move the World.
The trade form was sent to Local Spiritual Assemblies and media committees and representatives, together with a variety of materials and suggestions for promoting the book to the non-Bahá’í community and to the trade.
“Trade” in publishing terms means commercial bookstores. The trade order forms were supplied to local communities to enable them to offer To Move the World to their favorite bookstore at a standard trade discount in order to proclaim the Faith.
Hence, the forms can only be used by commercial bookstores. We apologize for any confusion the trade order forms may have caused.
Trust secures trade rights for Cry from the Heart[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust has negotiated with George Ronald, Publisher, for the trade rights for A Cry from the Heart.
This means that Bahá’ís will now be able to approach local bookstores about stocking the book when planning events that are likely to create a demand for the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears’ moving account of the religious persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Any community or media committee approaching a bookstore should go armed with the following information:
1. The title of the book (A Cry from the Heart: The Bahá’ís in Iran); 2. the name of the author (William Sears); 3. the price ($2.50 paper edition); 4. the ISBN number (0-85398-134-5); 5. the name of the publisher (George Ronald, Oxford); 6. the name of the distributor (Bahá’í Publishing Trust); 7. the distributor’s address (415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091) and phone number (800-323-1880).
The bookstore will then be in a position to telephone the Publishing Trust for trade terms and to place an order for the book.
The Publishing Trust already has arranged with B. Dalton to have A Cry from the Heart carried in a number of B. Dalton bookstores throughout the U.S.
Local Spiritual Assemblies in localities selected by B. Dalton are being informed so that Bahá’ís in their area can direct those interested in the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran to the nearest B. Dalton bookstore for copies of A Cry from the Heart.
Dana Point Bahá’ís probe ‘opposition’ at mini-institute[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Dana Point, California, held a “mini-institute” the weekend of March 12-14 at a rented cabin near Big Bear.
Bahá’ís from Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and San Clemente participated in this learning experience, whose theme was “The Bahá’í Attitude Toward Opposition.”
The deepening was coordinated by Edward D. Thornton, an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi.
Discussion centered around ideas that needed to be brought up in order to re-evaluate attitudes toward and to prepare for opposition to the Faith.
Throughout the deepening, personal experiences and case studies served to further enlighten and stimulate the participants into constructive conversation and action.
Bahá’í named top U.S. Volvo mechanic[edit]
Carl W. Thompson, a member of the Bahá’í community of Portland, Oregon, has won an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden in competition with Volvo auto mechanics throughout the U.S.
Mr. Thompson recorded the highest score among the 42 contestants in North America and was one of 14 award winners.
Mr. Thompson has been a member of Spiritual Assemblies in Portland, Hillsboro, and Washington County, Oregon.
He also is active as a Boy Scout leader, and is a former treasurer of the Volvo Service and Parts Managers Association.
Zahra’s Search, an exciting adventure story for children, soon to be released[edit]
Zahra’s Search, the captivating story of a young gazelle facing adventure, is nearing publication at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Zahra, the youngest gazelle in the herd, finds that her brother, Amir, is missing. Day after day she waits for his return. Finally, following the promptings of her heart, she begins a journey into the unknown, hoping to discover the fate of her beloved brother.
Zahra’s discoveries will surprise you as you reach the satisfying conclusion of this desert tale of adventure and daring written for 5- to 11-year-olds.
Written by Gail Radley and illustrated by Winifred Barnum Newman, Zahra’s Search is another excellent resource for bedtime stories, Bahá’í children’s classes and gifts for family or friends.
Ordering information for Zahra’s Search will be published in the near future in The American Bahá’í and the Publishing Trust’s “Update.”
Mrs. Marion Yazdi, author of the new book, Youth in the Vanguard, gives a preview of the book to Bahá’í youth attending a regional conference in Goleta, California. The book is a delightful chronicle of the early years of the Faith in California as seen through the eyes of the first Bahá’í student at Berkeley and Stanford.
Youth[edit]
Continued From Page 13
—will see themselves in Mrs. Yazdi’s attempts to hold firesides and deepenings and to secure publicity for the Faith.
Youth will also appreciate the letters of advice sent to Mrs. Yazdi by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.
Those who like happy endings will be charmed by Marion Yazdi’s intense love for the Faith which led her by a Layla-and-Majnun twist to meet a dashing young Persian graduate student who became her husband and the loving companion of her life.
Youth in the Vanguard (Catalog No. 332-089, $14) can be ordered on the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í or by contacting your local Bahá’í librarian.
[Page 15]
PUBLICATIONS
Complete Light of Bahá’u’lláh deepening program available from Bahá’í Publishing Trust[edit]
The Light of Bahá’u’lláh deepening program, utilizing two audio tapes, video tapes, and a book is the most complete deepening program now available.
The audio tapes and book (see large ad on this page) are available through the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
THE VIDEO tapes, in 1/2-inch VHS or BETA format, can be purchased through the National Education Committee for home or community use.
The video and audio tapes both contain 81 lessons presented in 14-minute sessions on a wide variety of Bahá’í topics.
The lessons can be studied in any order; hence, 81 firesides or study classes for seekers or new Bahá’ís are available when you need them.
If a seeker wishes to discuss some aspect of the spiritual teachings, such as life after death, or one of the Bahá’í laws, such as burial and wills, the teacher has only to select the proper tape to begin the study session.
The extraordinary talents of more than 280 Bahá’ís from many races, cultures and nations were used in preparing the Light of Bahá’u’lláh deepening programs. When seen in color on the video tapes, the diversity of the participants demonstrates convincingly the power of the oneness of mankind.
And it becomes obvious that every Bahá’í—young and old alike—has insights to offer. As many as a dozen different Bahá’ís are featured on each of the 14-minute sessions.
THE VIDEO and audio tapes can be used in a number of ways, and they make it possible for everyone to gain confidence in teaching. In teaching projects they can provide a video or audio center staffed by those who don’t feel comfortable with direct teaching.
The tapes can also be used for individual or community deepenings. Bahá’ís can gather for group study sessions using the video tapes and then listen to the audio tapes at home, supplementing both video and audio tapes with portions of the book, The Light of Bahá’u’lláh.
The National Education Committee looks forward to receiving reports of creative ways in which the Light of Bahá’u’lláh deepening program is being used.
The book for the study program was prepared by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. The audio and video tapes were the result of a joint project by the National Spiritual Assemblies of the U.S. and Alaska, and represent many hours of work by Connections Ltd., Rainbow Productions, and Nine Star Productions, and by many individuals in the U.S.
The video tapes are available from the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. The complete price, including postage, is $250, payable either in advance or with a $50 deposit plus four monthly payments of $50 each. The video tapes will be shipped in late October.
The National Education Committee also has made available a VHS Quasar 1/2-inch video recorder, Model 5021, for $560 (no sales tax) plus shipping.
Purchased for use with the Light of Bahá’u’lláh deepening program, this home video recorder is tax deductible for individual Bahá’ís.
For details on ordering The Light of Bahá’u’lláh book and audio cassettes, see the large ad in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
The book may be ordered separately on the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í. You may also order the book and audio cassettes from your local Bahá’í librarian. The video tapes are available only through the National Education Committee.
‘Old’ price list okay[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust’s current price list, dated January 15-August 15, 1982, will continue to be honored until a new price list is issued in the next month or two. Please keep those orders coming in on the “old” forms until you receive new ones. Thank you!
First 3 deepening sessions in Light program are mailed[edit]
For those of you who ordered your Light of Bahá’u’lláh audio tapes before July 15, there is good news, according to Greg Weiler, marketing manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The first three sessions (“Bahá’u’lláh,” “Bahá’í History” and “Progressive Revelation”), recorded on six cassettes and housed in a handsome cassette binder featuring the Light of Bahá’u’lláh logo and velcro fastener, have been mailed from the Publishing Trust.
The remaining sessions, recorded on 12 tapes, should be ready for mailing by October 1.
For those who have not yet ordered the audio tapes and the book The Light of Bahá’u’lláh, see the large ad on this page. The book (Catalog No. 332-074, $3.50) is also available separately and may be ordered on the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
Special Prepublication Offer until October 1, 1982
The Light of Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
A Basic Program for the Study of the Bahá’í Faith
Integrating book and cassette presentations
What the Program Contains
At the core of the study program is The Light of Bahá’u’lláh, a paperback book in large easy-to-read type containing nine simple lessons on nine major facets of the Bahá’í Faith. The lessons, which can be studied in any order, cover the following subjects:
- Bahá’u’lláh
- Bahá’í History
- Progressive Revelation
- Bahá’í Laws
- Spiritual Teachings
- Social Teachings
- Bahá’í Administration
- The Local Spiritual Assembly
- Bahá’í Community Life
Each of the nine lessons is divided into nine subtopics. For each subtopic, the study program contains a 14-minute cassette presentation—81 in all, recorded on 18 cassettes and packaged in two vinyl binders.
The audio presentations feature more than 200 Bahá’ís of many backgrounds, ages, races, and regions. No scripts were used. The comments came from the hearts of the speakers, and amplify the written text in imaginative ways.
How to Use the Program
Let your creativity tailor the Light of Bahá’u’lláh study program to your needs.
- Use the book
- or the book and the cassettes
- or the cassettes alone
- or the book and cassettes and other supplementary materials.
Use the program
- for personal deepenings at home or while commuting
- at firesides to stimulate a seeker’s interest or to tailor an evening to the seeker’s questions
- for study classes for your family, community, youth and college clubs, or children’s classes
- to enrich consultation at the Nineteen Day Feast
Before October 1, 1982
The entire study program, including the book, The Light of Bahá’u’lláh and the eighty-one 14-minute audio presentations recorded on 18 cassettes packaged in two vinyl cases (the entire program will be mailed in October), is priced at:
■ $55.00 plus $4.50 postage (no discounts apply)
■ or $10.00 initial payment plus five monthly payments of $10.00 each*
After October 1, 1982
■ $70.00 plus $4.50 postage*
*Valid only in the United States. All others write for prices and ordering and shipping instructions.
The book The Light of Bahá’u’lláh is published by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois. The audio study program is a cooperative program between the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Alaska. It is produced by Connections, Ltd., Anchorage, Alaska.
Compilation commemorates anniversary of passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf[edit]
Bahíyyih Khánum: The Greatest Holy Leaf, a compilation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, is now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
This volume completes a goal of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan announced by the Universal House of Justice at Naw-Rúz 1981.
Beginning with an introduction by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the book contains letters to the Greatest Holy Leaf and statements about her by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, 92 of her own letters, and various photographs.
The letters and Tablets in the compilation give the reader a glimpse both of the warmth and love reflected in her daily life and of the grandeur of her station, “a station,” Bahá’u’lláh writes, “such as none other woman hath surpassed.”
Available in cloth (Catalog No. 315-074, $10) and paper (Catalog No. 315-075, $5), this new compilation can be ordered by filling in the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í or by contacting your local Bahá’í librarian.
THE GREATEST HOLY LEAF
[Page 16]
PUBLICATIONS
Master’s U.S. visit splendid topic for deepening[edit]
The long-awaited publication of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Promulgation of Universal Peace, released at the National Bahá’í Convention in May, provides an excellent opportunity for planning one’s personal summer and fall deepening around the Master’s historic visit to North America.
With The Promulgation of Universal Peace (Catalog No. 106-039, $16) you can follow in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s footsteps with daily readings of the talks He delivered from the moment He embarked in New York City on April 12, 1912, until His departure on December 5 of that year.
Since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated when He arrived that His purpose was to “set forth in America the fundamental principles of the revelation and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh,” you will find yourself taking a refresher course in the basics of the Bahá’í Faith and at the same time being prepared to teach anew.
To help you understand the scope of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trip, you could supplement your daily readings in Promulgation with relevant sections from Allan L. Ward’s book, 239 Days: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America (Catalog No. 332-005, $12).
239 Days follows the Master’s trip day by day, city by city, filling in the background with historical details and voluminous newspaper accounts of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stops.
For a look at the galvanizing effect of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trip on West Coast Bahá’ís, Ramona Allen Brown’s Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will challenge you to follow in the footsteps of the Master as did those early believers when they arose in response to His Tablets of the Divine Plan.
The cased edition (Catalog No. 332-010), normally $12, is available at the special price of $10 until September 15 when ordered on the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í. The paper edition (Catalog No. 332-011) is $6.
Marion Carpenter Yazdi’s Youth in the Vanguard, to be published later this summer, will provide yet another glimpse of how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trip inspired a Bahá’í youth to plant the Faith at two West Coast universities.
As a special memento of the Master, the Publishing Trust will include with any order for The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 239 Days or Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a 2x2 inch photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when ordered on the special coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í before September 15.
To order The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 239 Days, or Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, see your local Bahá’í librarian; phone the Bahá’í Publishing Trust at 800-323-1880; or send a check or money order for the total amount (including 10 per cent for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Trust has four reprints of pamphlets for sale[edit]
Four pamphlets, recently reprinted by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, are available for purchase.
If your personal stock of teaching materials has been depleted, replenish your supply with “Basic Facts” (Catalog No. 340-014, 50/$3.50), “One Universal Faith” (Catalog No. 340-037, 50/$3.50), “The Bahá’í Faith: A Summary Reprinted from the Encyclopædia Britannica” (Catalog No. 340-080, 10/$3.50), and “Bahá’í Teachings for a World Faith” (Catalog No. 340-007, 10/$3.50).
To order, simply use the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í or contact your local Bahá’í librarian.
James R. Sheffield, president of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, presents a special certificate of honorary citation to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly for ‘distinguished conduct and fidelity in the performance of outstanding service to the world’s children.’ Mrs. Nancy Mondschein, the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative to the United Nations, accepted the award at the UNICEF committee’s annual meeting May 5. Mr. Sheffield commended the American Bahá’í community for its work in sponsoring Universal Children’s Day observances, and noted the work of Bahá’í families in presenting the UNICEF calendar and educational materials in the classrooms of their children.
UNICEF kits are mailed to all Local Assemblies[edit]
UNICEF kits for Universal Children’s Day, October 4, are being mailed to all Local Spiritual Assemblies by the Bahá’í office at the United Nations.
The U.S. Committee for UNICEF, at its headquarters in New York City, contributes its materials and bulk mailing service to the effort.
This year’s special theme for Children’s Day is “Cities and Children.” The kits include specific information on this theme, as well as suggestions for children and youth activities such as songs and children’s games from around the world.
The American Bahá’í community has pioneered the celebration of Universal Children’s Day in the U.S.
The annual event provides us with a wonderful opportunity to focus attention on the needs of children in our schools, our towns, and our world.
Your community can begin now to look toward this occasion by setting aside the first week in October as a part of its advance planning for Universal Children’s Day.
Biography of Curtis Kelsey once again available from Bahá’í Publishing Trust[edit]
He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey, a new book from George Ronald by Nathan Rutstein, is once again available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
A successful autographing session by the author at the National Convention in May had depleted the initial order of the book.
He Loved and Served (Catalog No. 332-085, $6.50, paper edition only) tells the story of a simple man who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to install the first electric lighting for the Shrine of the Báb.
For two months Curtis Kelsey lived and worked as a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s household. The experience turned the restless man from Utah into a lifelong true servant of the Master and of the Bahá’í Faith.
He Loved and Served brings you into close contact with an ordinary man who opened himself to something quite extraordinary. He experienced the “bounties of God, something everyone could experience.” Older youth and adults alike should find the text engaging.
The author, Nathan Rutstein, has been a news editor for NBC and ABC and communications consultant to the White House Conference on Children.
Mr. Rutstein is married to Mr. Kelsey’s youngest daughter and presently serves as an Auxiliary Board member for the protection of the Faith.
To order He Loved and Served, use the coupon in this issue of The American Bahá’í or contact your local Bahá’í librarian.
FORTHCOMING RELEASES
- Bahá’í Prayers, new edition
- (See article in this issue of The American Bahá’í)
- 1983 Wall Calendar
- Features the House of Worship in Wilmette
- 1983 Date Book
- Commemorating the occupation by the Universal House of Justice of its Seat on Mount Carmel
- 1983 Pocket Calendar
- Wallet-size calendar printed in dark blue ink
- Zahra’s Search
- New book for 5- to 11-year-olds (see article in this issue of The American Bahá’í)
- The Bahá’í World, Volume XVII (1976-1979)
- Most current of the volumes of The Bahá’í World
Watch for details in the Bahá’í Publishing Trust “Update” and in The American Bahá’í.
Gayle Morrison’s honest, loving, and provocative biography of Louis G. Gregory, holds the answer—and much more!
Available only in cloth. $16.00* Catalog No. 332-072
Order through your local librarian, or send $16.00 (plus 10% for postage and handling) to Bahá’í Publishing Trust
[Page 17]
PUBLICATIONS
Bahá’í Publishing Trust ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
If you are ordering as an individual:
There are three ways to order.
- Through your local librarian.
- Cash order by mail.
- Mastercard or VISA charge by phone or by mail.
Ordering Through Your Local Librarian
- If your community has a librarian, he or she can place the order for you. Just cut out the coupon below and hand it to the librarian at Feast, and he or she will combine your order with all of the other orders in the community and place one large order with the Trust.
- Ordering through your local librarian contributes to the growth of your local community and to the efficiency of the Publishing Trust.
Ordering by Cash Through the Mail
- Use the coupons provided in The American Bahá’í or the price list/order form provided by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. This price list/order form was printed in the January 1982 issue of The American Bahá’í. If you need a copy, just call the Trust at 800-323-1880, and we will send you one.
- Fill out the order form completely. Add 10% for shipping and handling, and include a check made payable to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. Mail the order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Ordering by Mastercard and VISA
- The Bahá’í Publishing Trust now accepts Mastercard and VISA for personal orders over $10.00, whether telephoned in or sent in by mail.
- To call in your order phone 800-323-1880. Be sure to have your Mastercard or VISA charge card handy.
If you are a librarian ordering for your community:
You Must Have a Current Authorization Form on File.
- All Bahá’í communities registered with the Bahá’í National Center (including organized Groups) are eligible to open a charge account for their community librarian.
- The account must be authorized by your Local Spiritual Assembly or Group.
- Authorization forms are available from the Publishing Trust.
- THE AUTHORIZATION MUST BE RENEWED EACH YEAR AT RIḌVÁN. If you have not renewed this year, contact the Publishing Trust immediately.
- Please notify us of address changes.
Discount Policy Remains Unchanged
- Librarians who have an account with the Publishing Trust will receive a 10% discount on all items except the “Rhythm of Growth” packages and Bahá’í World sets.
- You must order over $25.00 to receive the 10% discount.
- The short, unmarked line that is just above the box in the lower right-hand corner of the order form is for subtracting your discount.
Postage and Handling Charges
- You will be billed for the exact amount of the postage or United Parcel Service charges.
- There are two methods of shipment available to you.
- Fourth Class. This is by far the cheapest way (7¢ per pound), but it is also the slowest because it is a low priority in the postal system. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
- United Parcel Service (U.P.S.) will deliver almost anywhere in the country in 1 week. If you add to this the few days it takes us to process the order, you should have your order in about 2 weeks. This method is more costly, but it is worth the extra expense if you are planning an event and want to be sure you have the order.
Returning Unsold Items for Credit
- Unsold items may be returned for credit of 90% of the purchase price, provided the following conditions are met:
- Notification of intent to return is mailed to: Customer Service Department, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091, within 6 months of the date of invoice for the items being returned.
- The items are returned, postpaid, to: Bahá’í Distribution Center, 523 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, IL 60091, in salable condition.
- A copy of the invoice or a list of the items showing the stock numbers, quantities, titles, librarian’s account number, and original invoice numbers is included with the shipment.
- Upon fulfillment of the above conditions, the library account will be credited for 90% of the amount originally charged for the books.
Returning Damaged Items and Items Shipped in Error
- These items are not subject to postage or handling charges.
- You will be refunded or credited for 100% of the amount, plus any shipping charges.
- Send the items to: Bahá’í Distribution Center, 523 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, IL 60091.
- Enclose a note explaining the error or damage, along with your account number and the number of the invoice on which these items appeared.
- Try to return merchandise within 30 days.
- Please do not ignore mistakes. We cannot make you happy if you do not make us aware of the problem.
Mastercard and VISA
- If a librarian calls the Trust with an order, we will charge the Librarian’s account and give the librarian’s discount.
- If the same librarian calls and insists that we put the order (minimum $10) on Mastercard or VISA, it will be handled as a personal order, and no discount will be given.
[Page 18]
PERSIAN PAGE
World NEWS[edit]
One hundred non-Bahá’í guests were among those who attended the dedication January 30 of a new Bahá’í Center in Nakety, New Caledonia, that was built by Bahá’ís from Île Maré in the Loyalty Islands group ...
Fifty Bahá’í youth from a dozen localities in Pakistan attended a National Youth Conference held April 2-3 in Hyderabad. Speakers included members of the National Spiritual Assembly and the Auxiliary Board ...
In March, Gerald Knight, the alternate representative to the United Nations for the Bahá’í International Community, and Giovanni Ballerio, the Bahá’í International Community’s representative to the UN at Geneva, Switzerland, visited Denmark where they were interviewed on nationwide radio and television news programs ...
The Faith was proclaimed on radio and television, in newspapers and at public meetings last June 5-July 2 in the capital cities of nine of Nigeria’s 19 states by Ransu Casu, a traveling teacher from Ivory Coast.
Mrs. Casu’s itinerary included a visit to the minister of social welfare, a number of media interviews including Nigerian national radio, and a performance of songs about the Faith for an audience of faculty and students at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka ...
Two hundred twenty-five people from Botswana, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe attended a recent International Bahá’í Summer School near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
The mayor of Bulawayo was present at a reception honoring the 13 members of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa who attended the final day of the school ...
Approximately 80 people from several European countries attended an international Bahá’í youth conference April 3-4 in Eupen, Belgium. The conference was sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Belgium with the help of the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Trooz, Seraing, Liège and Aachen.
The speakers included Counsellor Louis Hénuzet and Daniel Schaubacher, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Belgium ...
Twenty-seven Auxiliary Board members from five countries surrounding India came together January 14-23 at Panchgani for the fifth annual Conference of Board members from the Indian subcontinent ...
Teaching effort swells ranks in Santa Ana[edit]
An ongoing teaching effort among the Asian community in Santa Ana, California, has led to a 50 per cent increase in the number of Bahá’ís in that city and to the establishment of regular firesides conducted by a newly enrolled Bahá’í from Cambodia.
The program was launched in August 1981 with a teaching drive by the Southern California Youth Committee, which is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Newport Beach.
A PERSONAL approach was made in which residents of the Asian area in Santa Ana were invited to a free musical program at the city’s Civic Center.
Many friendships were begun at that time and are still continuing.
After the musical program, the youth returned to the Asian section to follow up on their initial contacts and extend their acquaintanceships.
Several adult members of the Santa Ana Bahá’í community also visited, developing more friendships.
The Bahá’ís helped with learning English, played with the children, and learned to appreciate the manners and customs of Laotians, Cambodians, Hmong and other Southeast Asians.
The youth made no direct effort to enroll any of their new friends, but explained the teachings and answered questions about the Faith.
THEY also loaned books and gave whatever pamphlets and other literature was available in Asian languages.
The program was combined with the Santa Ana community’s Naw-Rúz observance that included a potluck dinner and dance in the new cafeteria at Santa Ana College.
More than 400 people attended that event, and during the evening nine Southeast Asian guests declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
By that time the Bahá’ís had been accepted by the residents of South Minnie Street, where many of the Laotians and Cambodians live.
Mrs. Nary Leoung began holding regular firesides that were well attended, with seekers outnumbering Bahá’ís at many of them.
Since literature was scarce, these meetings were informal, with many devoted to detailed study of the prayers that opened them.
This is a continuing program in which many permanent friendships are being made as new Bahá’ís become integrated within the community.
Its influence is spreading in Santa Ana as enthusiastic Asian believers bring in their fellow countrymen from other parts of the city and county.
Some of these new Bahá’ís have moved to other parts of the county, and even to other areas of the country, bringing their new Faith with them.
From the start, the Youth Committee has had the full support of the Santa Ana community, which provided potluck suppers for the teachers during the first week of the campaign and sponsored picnics in a park near Minnie Street during which several declarations have been made.
Jay LaRue (left), a member of the Southern California Bahá’í Youth Committee, chats with new declarants Hoang Chi (center) and Nga Tran Bich during the Naw-Rúz celebration in Santa Ana, California.
Dumont Bahá’ís enter Memorial Day float[edit]
A large multi-colored rainbow dominated a Bahá’í float that was entered by the Bahá’ís of Dumont, New Jersey, in that city’s annual Memorial Day parade.
The rainbow symbolized the parade’s theme of “Freedom” and was meant to represent universal freedom for all peoples.
Large hand-painted quotations surrounding the float related its rainbow and garden to the peaceful significance of the theme.
Among the quotations were “Ye are the leaves of one tree, flowers of one garden” and “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.”
The float was used again the same day by the Bahá’ís of nearby Bergenfield in that city’s Memorial Day parade.
National Bahá’í Archivist Roger Dahl (left), who also is secretary of the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, explains his work to participants in the seventh annual Archives Institute held June 23-27 at the Bahá’í National Center. Institute participants are (clockwise from left) Carolyn Henderer of Peoria, Illinois; Susan Lepold of Erie, Pennsylvania; Lori Ubben of Bartonville, Illinois; Miriam Wiener of Alexandria, Virginia; Beth Elbe of Evanston, Illinois; Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, a member of the National Archives staff; and Sandra Ennis of Salisbury, Maryland.
Bahá’ís in Beaumont, Texas, lend help to ‘displaced persons’[edit]
Historically, many of the Manifestations of God, their families, and other early believers have experienced forced migration from their homelands and would today be described in secular terms as “displaced persons.”
Probably for this reason, Bahá’u’lláh’s painful and arduous journey from Tehran to Baghdád remains a powerful reminder to Bahá’ís of the suffering of displaced persons and the importance of friends in the relocation process.
RECENTLY, Bahá’ís in the U.S. have been able to make contact with minority peoples by helping refugees through the auspices of various national agencies.
In many instances, this contact has been consummated by Bahá’ís themselves becoming sponsors, thus facilitating the relocations of families from refugee camps to U.S. homes.
The need for a resettlement service has become apparent to many Bahá’ís. Experience has shown that helping displaced families or individuals to resettle offers access to minority populations and helps to achieve teaching goals.
As important as resettlement programs may be, however, they remain only a means to an end and as such are not primarily the responsibility of Local Spiritual Assemblies or of the National Spiritual Assembly.
The need for a resettlement service led in March 1981 to the formation in Beaumont, Texas, of the “National Institute for Migration and Population Services.”
The institute, an independent non-profit corporation, helps displaced persons and other special population groups in all aspects of resettlement.
IT STRIVES to bring these people to the U.S. and resettle them successfully, and will research, establish and implement comprehensive and/or continuing social, educational and charitable adjustment programs designed to aid special populations in all aspects of resettlement in this country.
The institute also will help improve the living conditions of special needs populations.
All of these purposes are to be pursued and accomplished within the context of the social, educational and charitable norms of American society.
The National Institute for Migration and Population Services is not an agency or an arm of the National Spiritual Assembly. It will not become involved with the resettlement or visa problems of Iranian Bahá’ís who wish to enter the U.S.
The institute will endeavor to offer two of the most valuable entities to displaced persons: the friendship and guidance that are needed in the early phase of their resettlement in the U.S.
If you would like more information about the institute, or would like to offer your services, please contact the National Institute for Migration and Population Services, P.O. Box 3462, Beaumont, TX 77704.
[Page 20]
PAGINA HISPANA
CON NOSOTROS
GROW WITH US
- If you are interested in teaching.
- If you are interested in deepening,
- sharing information about proclamation,
- including radio, television and the printed media.
- sharing information about proclamation,
- If you are interested in deepening,
- If you want to participate in a conference
- that you will remember as one that was very informative,
- educational, entertaining, and spiritually uplifting.
- that you will remember as one that was very informative,
- Then this conference has been especially tailored for you!
- The conference will be held in English and Spanish so that we
- can reach as many people as possible. Our intent is to offer
- the Spanish-speaking friends the opportunity to deepen and
- share a wonderful experience and to give the English-speaking
- community valuable information in reaching the Hispanic peoples.
- share a wonderful experience and to give the English-speaking
- the Spanish-speaking friends the opportunity to deepen and
- can reach as many people as possible. Our intent is to offer
- The conference will be held in English and Spanish so that we
This is the first REGIONAL SPANISH TEACHING CONFERENCE and shall prove to be a valuable contribution to the teaching work.
Officially this conference will begin Friday, August 20, 1982, at 6 p.m. with a social reunion for everyone arriving on that day and will conclude August 22, 1982.
The conference will take place in San Fernando, California, within walking distance of the Bahá’í Center at
San Fernando, CA 91340.
For more information phone 213-322-6934, or write to the Regional Spanish Teaching Committee, P. O. Box 6127, Alhambra, CA 91802.
Curso de estudio no. 7: abolición de prejuicios[edit]
Por cuanto todos han sido creados en la imagen de Dios, debemos llegar a comprender que todos encarnan posibilidades divinas. —‘Abdu’l-Bahá
•
Algo que es esencial para el establecimiento del nuevo Orden Mundial anunciado por Bahá’u’lláh es la eliminación de todos los prejuicios.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, el hijo mayor e Intérprete Autorizado de las enseñanzas de Bahá’u’lláh explica este principio de la siguiente manera:
“Se debe renunciar a todos los prejuicios, así sean religiosos, raciales, políticos, sociales o de nacionalidad, por cuanto ellos han sido causa de los males del mundo, y si no se superan, pueden ser la causa de la destrucción de toda la raza humana.
“Todas las guerras han sido provocadas por uno y otro de estos prejuicios. Mientras no sean eliminadas las barreras que han creado, no será posible que la humanidad alcance la paz.
“Consideremos en primer término, el prejuicio religioso: una de las causas de conflictos entre los pueblos ha sido la forma en que los dirigentes religiosos han presentado sus doctrinas.
“Han enseñado a sus fieles que la religión que ellos practican es la única verdadera y que los adeptos de otras religiones están condenados por Dios.
“Por esta razón surgen censuras, desprecio, odio y disputas entre los pueblos. Si se pudiera eliminar completamente estos prejuicios religiosos, las naciones pronto disfrutarían de paz y concordia.
“Como uno de los medios para promover la unidad religiosa Bahá’u’lláh aconseja la mayor tolerancia y amor para con la gente de todas las religiones. Él dice: ¡Oh vosotros, pueblos del mundo! la religión de Dios es para el amor y la unión, no lo hagáis causa de enemistad y conflicto.”
Todas las religiones enseñan que debemos amarnos los unos a los otros, que debemos ver nuestros propios defectos antes de tener la pretensión de querer condenar las faltas de los otros y que nunca debemos considerarnos superiores a nuestros vecinos.
La Fe Bahá’í lucha contra otra de las causas de las guerras: el prejuicio racial. Ciertas razas presumen ser superiores a otras y se han apropiado del principio de la “supervivencia del más fuerte,” considerando que esta superioridad les da el derecho a explotar y aun a exterminar las razas más débiles.
Gran parte de las páginas más negras de la historia son un ejemplo de la cruel aplicación de este principio. Según el punto de vista Bahá’í, las gentes de todas las razas son iguales ante Dios.
Todas tienen maravillosas cualidades innatas que sólo requieren una buena educación para su desarrollo y cada uno puede desempeñar un papel, lo que en lugar de empobrecer, enriquecería y completaría la vida de los demás miembros del cuerpo de la humanidad. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dice:
“El color de la piel de los hombres no es importante: lo importante es el corazón. El color no es esencial si el corazón es puro y enteramente limpio. Dios no contempla las diferencias de tono y de tez; El sólo mira los corazones. Aquellos cuya moral y virtudes son dignas de encomio son preferidos en la presencia de Dios.
“El mundo de la humanidad es como un jardín, y las variadas razas son las flores que constituyen su adorno y decoración.
“En el reino animal también hay variedad de colores. Las palomas son de diferentes colores: sin embargo, viven juntas en perfecta paz y unidad, por el amor. No hacen de las diferencias de color la causa de discordia y lucha. Si no existen prejuicios de color dentro de las distintas especies del reino animal ¿cómo puede justificarse esto entre humanos, cuando todos vienen de la misma fuente espiritual y pertenecen al mismo hogar, que es la tierra?
“Por lo tanto, debemos luchar y poner en juego toda nuestra voluntad para lograr el desarrollo del compañerismo y el establecimiento de lazos de hermandad entre todos los habitantes de la tierra, no importa cual sea su color.
“Los prejuicios políticos y patrióticos también son perniciosos por cuanto son grandes causas de amargas luchas entre los hombres. Son muchas las guerras que se han librado por motivo de pedazos de
Un grupo de Bahá’ís visitó el area del Lago Okeechobee en Florida para enseñar la Fe a los latinos[edit]
Organizados por el Comité Regional de Enseñanza Hispana del Sur de los Estados Unidos, un grupo de Bahá’ís visitó el Área del Lago Okeechobee en Florida.
El objetivo: enseñar la Fe a los Latinos residentes en el lugar.
Este evento tuvo lugar en el mes de mayo días 22 y 23 en honor a la conmemoración de la Declaración del Báb. La noche del 22 se realizó una reunión hogareña en la casa de la Sra. Ann Haskell.
No hubieron declaraciones espontáneas, pero si se logró establecer contactos con los vecinos hispanos, quienes recibieron a los Bahá’ís con mucha cortesía y amabilidad típicamente latina.
El domingo 23 el grupo participó en un picnic organizado por el Comité del Distrito de Enseñanza del Sur de Florida, festejando la declaración del Báb con los demás Bahá’ís y simpatizantes que asistieron al evento.
¡Excelente manera de mezclar trabajo (enseñanza) con placer (picnic)!
Grupo de Bahá’ís que visitó el área del Lago Okeechobee en Florida.
Unity feast-barbecue[edit]
The second annual Bahá’í unity feast-salmon barbecue dinner was held August 1 at Hillcrest Park in Mount Vernon, Washington.
The event is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Mount Vernon.
Nepalese Bahá’í blown by winds of change[edit]
By GAIL MEYER SELCUK
“At five o’clock every morning my father washes himself in the river before visiting the temples and stupas; then he returns home to meditate for several hours. He repeats the ritual in the evening, as he has done all his life, and as each of my forefathers has done for almost 400 years.”
Nem Bajracharya leans back in his chair and reflects on how best to describe his father, living some 12,000 miles away in Kathmandu, the capital city of the mountain kingdom of Nepal.
FOR 15 generations, the tradition of his family has dictated that the eldest male child should follow his father into the Buddhist priesthood.
“My father,” he says, “gave me a mantra when I was a boy, and he wanted me to keep our traditions.
“Although he is now retired from many activities, he still serves as priest to several communities of believers. He is called ‘Guruju,’ which means teacher, and even our family name, Bajracharya, translates as ‘Buddhist priest’ in the Sanskrit language.
“My mother’s father was chief librarian of the National Archives in Kathmandu, but he also was trained as a priest. We are known in Nepal as a family of priests.”
But in 1975 Nem met David and Penny Walker, a meeting that redirected his life and changed the course of a centuries-old family tradition. The Walkers came as Bahá’í teachers and pioneers to Nepal.
“Foreigners living in Nepal always complain about our poor conditions,” Nem explains. “Even many Nepalese themselves complain and want no responsibility for their difficulties.”
THE WALKERS, he says, were different.
“David and Penny not only took an interest in our troubles, but they also looked on conditions in Nepal as their own and talked about our problems as their problems. This impressed me very much.”
Even before he met the Walkers, Nem’s life showed signs of following a different direction.
After graduating early from high school, he won a government scholarship to study in Japan and left home at 17. After five years of study in another language, he was graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Kyoto University, one of the most prestigious schools in Japan.
While there, he met and married Yoshiko, a union that was initially opposed by both their families on the grounds of cultural differences.
Nem returned to Nepal in 1973 with his Japanese wife, who decided she wanted to study English. That’s when the Bahá’í pioneers came into their lives.
SAYS Nem: “Both Penny and David taught English to my family. We were attracted to them because they lived simply, yet seemed to have everything. They told us it’s not just the material things in life that make one happy. When we were in their home, we felt we all belonged to the same family, and it’s not often we get that feeling in Nepal!”
Now working in California, where he recently earned a master of science degree in yet another language, Nem and his wife declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh early this year.
“I was attracted to the idea that mankind is one,” says Nem, “not just by what I read in books, but because when I was with the Bahá’ís I could see that they actually think that way!”
Comparing the Buddhist and Bahá’í faiths, he says, “In spiritual matters they’re the same. The idea of ceremony is different, but the reason behind the ceremony is the same.
“The difference is that I could not relate Nepalese Buddhism to my everyday life, but in the Bahá’í Faith what we do and what we believe are closely related.”
The Walkers are still living in Nepal, while the Bajracharyas, with their children, Rika and Emina, are enjoying California.
Nem’s father still washes daily in the river. It’s the same river, but slowly, imperceptibly to most, its course is changing.
Nem Bajracharya, his wife Yoshiko, and their children Rika (front) and Emina are shown at a Naw-Rúz picnic in Torrance, California, at which they declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. The Bajracharyas learned of the Faith in Nepal from U.S. pioneers David and Penny Walker.
Montana to host media conference[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Lewis & Clark County, Montana, is sponsoring a “Northern Rocky Mountain Media Conference” September 25-26.
The conference will be patterned after the Bahá’í Northwest Media Conference last May at which the structure and functions of media committees was outlined and clarified and “nuts and bolts” information and advice was offered on the utilization of print and electronic media.
Parks Scott, the national Public Affairs Officer, and Burl Barer, the voice of the Jeff Reynolds radio shows, both of whom participated in the Northwest conference, have made arrangements to speak at the Rocky Mountain gathering.
Pre-registration for the conference is required. For more information, please write to the Bahá’í Northern Rocky Mountain Media Conference, c/o Diana Virostko, P.O. Box 4754, Helena, MT 59604.
‘Child’s Way’ slates exciting changes[edit]
Exciting things are happening to Child’s Way! Though the biggest, most exciting changes don’t show yet, they will explode onto the scene with the first issue of the new Bahá’í year—March/April 1983.
Would you like to help this periodical grow and develop and change? Begin by subscribing now. Send $9 for a one-year subscription, $17 for two years, to Bahá’í Subscriber Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Michigan ‘amateurs’ produce TV series on Faith[edit]
A group of 13 Bahá’ís from Roseville, St. Clair Shores and Clinton Township, Michigan, who had no previous television production experience has produced a series of 13 half-hour TV programs about the Faith.
The videotaped series, entitled “The Bahá’í Faith, Something to Believe In,” has been telecast over cable systems in 13 cities with the possibility that it will be made available in other markets.
It was during an intercommunity Feast in August 1981 that members of the three communities decided to attend television production classes.
“We had no idea whatsoever about how to do what we did,” one of them said later. “It was just free and available.”
The friends decided on “the most uncomplicated format” for their production, which turned out to be a guest speaker who answers questions from a series host.
The series was produced under the guidance of the Spiritual Assembly of St. Clair Shores.
The Bahá’ís learned to operate the studio cameras, audio and lighting equipment, as well as all of the technical equipment in the control room.
They assigned themselves all of the usual TV production responsibilities including director, technical director, script writer, floor manager and producer.
“There was satisfaction in pouring all our efforts into one common goal,” said one of them. “We mastered the use of complex technical equipment, and we learned that unity is a bond that is forged only by encountering and dealing with difficulties.”
Bahá’ís Wally Hobbs (left) and Leland Cuellar prepare a television camera in the studio of a Roseville, Michigan, cable TV company for the taping of a program about the Faith. They are part of a group of 13 Bahá’ís from that area who produced a series of 13 half-hour TV programs about the Faith in spite of their lack of previous television production experience.
Sacrifice[edit]
Continued From Page 5
BEFORE his death the man conveyed to his wife the desire that his wealth be used to serve Bahá’u’lláh.
His wish resulted in a $100,000 contribution to the National Fund, enabling the American community to surpass its contributions goal for the month of ‘Alá’ (March 2-20).
In a very direct way, a believer’s year-long ordeal on Persian soil, climaxed by the shattering impact of an executioner’s bullets, caused the life-blood of the Faith in the U.S. to be infused with his strength, and brought us closer to achieving our annual goal.
Unlike an earthly achievement that must one day pass away, this man’s example of detachment and sacrifice will remain with us, adding its portion of spiritual power to the accomplishment of our tasks, and standing as a model of service toward which we can and must strive.
The coming year presents us with a fresh opportunity to strive, to whatever degree possible, to assist the Faith through financial as well as other means in the same spirit exemplified by this noble martyr and his family.
[Page 22]
RACE UNITY
‘When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine ...’ (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 54)
Wisconsin Bahá’ís discuss race unity at ‘Most Challenging Issue’ meeting[edit]
Approximately 100 Bahá’ís from more than 20 communities in Southern Wisconsin along with believers from Minnesota and Northern Illinois discussed racial unity during a “Most Challenging Issue” conference June 27 at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
The purpose of the gathering, said keynote speaker Sue Khavari of Bayside, Wisconsin, was to examine the issue of race relations in a frank and loving manner.
“WE didn’t want to mince words or talk around the issue,” she said. “We wanted to confront it.”
The conference, said Mrs. Khavari, was marked by laughter, a good spirit and the feeling of relief that comes from having an opportunity to consult lovingly on the subject of race relations in an interracial gathering of believers.
Auxiliary Board member Dr. Khalil Khavari offered inspirational thoughts on the conference theme.
Other speakers were Dr. Juliette Martin of Milwaukee; James Beasley of Menomonee Falls; Diana Cheeks of Glendale; Charles Glover of Milwaukee; and Joan Rivers of Lyndon Township, near Wisconsin.
Each of them addressed a different aspect arising from the Guardian’s words on “The Most Challenging Issue” in The Advent of Divine Justice. That section of the book was reprinted in the conference program for easy reference.
Five afternoon workshops gave participants an opportunity to discuss the nature of racial prejudice, ways of eliminating it, and the consequences for mankind if it is not eliminated.
The conference was planned and organized by a 20-member task force that grew out of a spontaneous request at the Southern Wisconsin District Convention.
One of the recommendations made at the conference was that the friends in every area conduct similar conferences using the Guardian’s words about “The Most Challenging Issue” as a basis for consultation.
Speakers at the ‘Most Challenging Issue’ conference June 27 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, included (left to right) James Beasley of Menomonee Falls, Dr. Juliette Martin of Milwaukee, Joan Rivers (partially hidden) of Lyndon Township, Charles Glover (at the podium) of Milwaukee, and Diane Cheeks of Glendale.
Bahá’ís in the Monterey, California, Peninsula area observed Race Unity Day this year with a poster contest sponsored by the area’s Intercommunity committee whose theme was ‘Racial Unity.’ Art teachers in public and private schools were asked to encourage their students to participate. The contest was judged by three local art critics. First prize was $100, second prize $75, and third prize $50. Entries were displayed at the local library prior to the Race Unity Day meeting at which the prizes were awarded. Shown (left to right) are winners Terrence Ise (third prize), Salinas; Pam Teeters (first prize), Pacific Grove; and Michelle O’Conner (second prize), Pacific Grove. Planning for the event took a year; among the results was approximately 54 column inches of newspaper publicity.
Bahá’ís and their friends from eight communities observed Race Unity Day with a picnic on Sunday, June 13, at a city park in Farmington, New Mexico. Besides the host community, participants came from Navajo Dam, Aztec, Bloomfield, San Juan County and Shiprock, New Mexico; Alamosa, Colorado; and Aneth, Utah. Since the picnic was held, one of the seekers has become a Bahá’í.
All correspondence pertaining to the Race Unity Committee should be sent to the committee secretary, Dr. Carole Allen, 4449 Woodbury Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23508.
Homefront pioneer to Arkansas finds that true love is ‘color blind’[edit]
|
Your Turn |
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Two years ago I went bind—breakdown of the retina—old age. Let’s face it, I’m 72.
I’m a volunteer teacher of Esperanto at two of our local schools, four days a week. Lacking transportation, I ride the school bus to and fro.
TODAY, while waiting for our shuttle bus, a 9-year-old girl asked me, “How do you say, I love you?”
“Mi amas vin,” I replied.
Then she asked, “How do you say, do you love me?”
I told her, and she said, “Mi amas vin. Cu vi amas min?”
I answered “Jes,” which means “yes.”
She said, “Prove it,” and held out her arms to me. I opened my arms and kissed her in return.
She is black and nine years old. I am white and 72.
From an adjoining line a 6-year-old leaned over and gently stroked my face. “You’re awfully old, aren’t you?” she said.
“YES,” I answered, and she laid her head against me. She is white but her best friend is black.
The black child said, “She’s my grandma,” so perforce, I had to claim both of them as my granddaughters.
I am from the Pacific Northwest, from California and Washington states. There were almost no blacks where I was.
Now I’m a homefront pioneer in Arkansas. To us Bahá’ís, color, race and creed are of no account. In God’s garden there are flowers of all colors, and He loves them all.
In the grammar schools the unity is only skin deep. Little things can upset the balance so easily.
After a year of teaching here I am very conscious of this. People who are so friendly with people of the opposite color, quite often would be shocked at the very idea of meeting socially as equals.
Yet they are close business friends and associates. They might eat together at a restaurant, but seldom in each other’s homes.
... it is very obvious that here, in the schools, they are trying hard to cross the color in peace. My classes are usually equally, blacks and whites.
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
The Bahá’í community of Portland, Oregon, observed Race Unity Day in June with a picnic in Laurelhurst Park. People from all over the Portland area and from communities as far away as Tillamook attended. A large banner that read ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ was used to help advertise the event.
The National Race Amity Conference will be held Friday, June 10, to Sunday, June 12, 1983, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Resource Materials
HUMAN RELATIONS MATERIALS FOR THE SCHOOL, CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
- Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith
- 823 United Nations Plaza
- New York, N.Y. 10017
- (Has publications and audio-visual titles and audio-visual directory)
ROOTS OF AMERICA
- A multi-ethnic curriculum resource guide for 7th, 8th and 9th grade Social Studies teachers
- A National Education Association publication
Ten years ago ...[edit]
in The American Bahá’í
Bahá’ís attending a Unity Conference in Ganado, Arizona, receive a message of loving greetings from the Universal House of Justice.
Many talks are given at the conference both in English and the Navajo language, and participants enjoy Navajo stew and tacos ...
Charles Wolcott, a member of the Universal House of Justice, addresses nearly 300 of the friends in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship. Later, the believers enjoy a reception with Mr. Wolcott and his wife, Harriett, as their special guests ...
Many communities hold special activities to observe Race Unity Day, which was inaugurated in 1957 by the National Spiritual Assembly. This year’s theme is “Oneness—Pathway to Peace.”
The Continental Board of Counsellors for North America announces a special deepening conference to be held October 21-22 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. On the following day, the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute near Hemingway is to be dedicated ...
More than 80 youth train at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Maine for participation in summer projects in eight European and 10 Latin American countries. More than 70 other youth receive their summer project training in Mexico ...
The first Arkansas Bahá’í Youth Conference is held at the Bahá’í Center in Little Rock, and the first Bahá’í wedding to be legally recognized in West Virginia takes place ...
Members of the six Regional Teaching Committees meet together in Wilmette, Illinois, the first such joint meeting since their formation the year before. Discussions center around how the committees can help both established and developing Local Spiritual Assemblies ...
The National Teaching Committee, in cooperation with 21 Local Spiritual Assemblies across the country, completes briefings for 91 District Teaching Committees on their purpose, duties and responsibilities.
The briefings are held in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas ...
Durham, N.C., Assembly marks 20th anniversary of formation[edit]
About 85 Bahá’ís and their guests from 14 cities and towns in North Carolina were present April 25 at Durham’s Edison Johnson Recreation Center to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of Durham.
Dr. Dwight Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and professor of arts and letters at Old Dominion University in Virginia, spoke on the role of the Local Spiritual Assembly in Bahá’í community life.
Dr. Jean Scales, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Durham for all of its 20 years, spoke about the history of the Faith in that city, citing the residence there of Miss Lydia Martin in 1931-34, the first public presentation of the Faith in Durham by Mrs. Terah Cowart-Smith in 1938, and the various speakers and residents in the area who advanced the proclamation and teaching work until the establishment of the first Spiritual Assembly in 1962.
The commemorative program also included piano selections by Allen Rosman, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Orange County, North Carolina; and music by NAVA, an international singing group from Mount Airy.
A photographer and reporter from The Carolina Times, a local weekly newspaper, covered the event. An interview with two members of the Bahá’í community led to a 34-column-inch article and photo in the May 1 issue of the paper.
On April 20, the Bahá’ís of Durham elected their 21st Assembly. Its members are Marian Dessent, Paul Dunn, Simona Dunn, Luther Edwards, Suzan Huffer, Jay Scales, Jean Scales, Sarah Spann, and Lawrence Spann.
Members of the first Spiritual Assembly of Durham, North Carolina, are shown with a new member of the Durham community, Ethlynne Thomas (back row right), at the formation of the Assembly on April 20, 1962. Assembly members are (front row left to right) Earl Smith, Thelma Stevens, Jean Norris (Scales), Pari Rowshan, Joe Sawyer, and (back row left to right) Norma Sarji, Carlotta Holmes, Ludmila Van Sombeek, Kathryn Potter (Dailey).
McDaniel[edit]
Continued From Page 12
ornamentation of the Mother Temple of the West.
During the final stages of completing the Temple’s exterior ornamentation, in the years 1947-52, Mr. McDaniel served as a member of the Technical Advisory Board that was appointed by the Temple’s Trustees.
His other significant services to the Faith include his contacts with U.S. government officials and representatives of other governments regarding matters affecting the Cause.
Mr. McDaniel’s careful study of the Writings gave him a unique vision of the Temple’s true significance and purpose. This is evident in his book, The Spell of the Temple, in which he reflects on the future development of the House of Worship:
“In the years to come, around this Universal House of Worship will cluster institutions of social service and public welfare ... for under the new World Order, the salvation of a world in travail can come only from spiritual communion with God and the intelligent application of His laws to the daily life of humanity.”
Upon Mr. McDaniel’s passing in 1965, the Universal House of Justice sent the following cable: “Grieved learn passing devoted greatly loved servant Faith Allen McDaniel. Tireless activities associated most difficult period construction Mother Temple West manifold services member National Assembly spanning nearly quarter century unforgettable. Praying Shrines progress soul abundant blessings Abhá Kingdom.”
‘Naming party’ held[edit]
A number of non-Bahá’ís were present May 2 at a welcoming-naming party for Lee Benjamin Muench, the son of Barbara and Gary Muench of Morton Grove, Illinois.
Much interest in the Faith was kindled by the program which included selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concerning children and the nature and purpose of creation.
The guest of honor, Lee Benjamin Muench, was born April 8.
Spanish[edit]
Continued From Page 20
tierra deseados por dos o más naciones rivales.
“Si se requiere más territorio para mejorar la condición de los hombres y para desarrollar la civilización, de seguro que sería posible obtener todo el terreno que fuese necesario usando medios pacíficos. Para conseguir beneficios para unos cuantos se trae miseria y sufrimiento a incontables hogares, hiriendo el corazón de centenares de hombres y mujeres.”
Finalmente, tampoco se justifica mantener prejuicios por diferencias de nivel social. Como este tema requiere atención especial, lo considerarémos más adelante, junto con los otros puntos relacionados con problemas de orden social.
“En la antigüedad se ha dicho: ‘El amor a la patria es un elemento de la Fe de Dios.’ La lengua de Grandeza ha proclamado en el día de Su manifestación: ‘Gloria no es de aquel que ama su patria, sino de aquel quien ama al mundo entero.’ Por el poder liberado mediante estas palabras, El ha dado un nuevo impulso y ha fijado una nueva dirección al pájaro del corazón humano, y ha borrado toda huella de restricción y limitación del Libro Sagrado de Dios.”—Bahá’u’lláh
Wilmette ‘sister city’ site of House of Worship[edit]
The village of Wilmette, Illinois, a north shore suburb of Chicago and site of the Mother Temple of the West, has adopted a “sister city” in Australia.
That city is Mona Vale, a north shore suburb of Sydney and site of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Australia.
The adoption, which was suggested by the Spiritual Assembly of Wilmette, comes as a part of the U.S. Sister Cities program, established in 1956.
The program encourages cultural, professional and educational exchanges.
In Memoriam[edit]
- Harold Barnes
- Blue Island, IL
- February 1982
- Oliver Campbell
- Milpitas, CA
- April 25, 1982
- Richard L. Christian
- Bellaire, TX
- May 12, 1982
- Eugene Cornell
- Conyers, GA
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Effie Dixon
- Cayce, SC
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Hazel M. Dyer
- Columbus, OH
- June 13, 1982
- John Flood
- Geneva, NY
- September 1981
- Mrs. Lillian Goodman
- San Francisco, CA
- May 1982
- Joseph Guilbault
- Sierra Vista, AZ
- July 18, 1981
- Miss Eva G. Hauser
- Mays Landing, NJ
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Jessie Halberstadt
- Kenosha, WI
- June 4, 1982
- Virginia Harrell
- St. Petersburg, FL
- 1981
- Mrs. Leona Henning
- Rosemead, CA
- December 1979
- Samuel E. Heyward
- New York, NY
- June 15, 1982
- Mrs. Anna Jones
- Cayce, SC
- Date Unknown
- Pearle Kent
- Greensboro, NC
- May 1982
- Charles Kidd
- Blue Island, IL
- Fall 1981
- Florence V. Kohn
- Kirkwood, MO
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Ann Ledlow
- Leighton, AL
- May 4, 1982
- James McCray
- Georgetown, SC
- October 1980
- Mrs. Carrie Merriweather
- Montgomery, AL
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Georgia Miller
- Nashville, TN
- June 10, 1982
- Mrs. Lois Newman
- Portsmouth, NH
- June 2, 1982
- Stepenson Owens
- Marion, SC
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Eunice Page
- Vista, CA
- Date Unknown
- Miss Pearl L. Pohl
- Milwaukee, WI
- June 7, 1982
- Mrs. Bernice Reed
- Bremerton, WA
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Fran Scharli
- Mesa, AZ
- June 11, 1982
- Mrs. Anna Schroepfer
- Milwaukee, WI
- June 28, 1982
- Henry Schultz
- Dongola, IL
- Date Unknown
- Alfred Sholes
- New York, NY
- February 1982
- Mrs. Eva Smith
- Lansing, MI
- May 21, 1982
- James Stevens
- Coolidge, AZ
- June 6, 1982
- George Thompson
- Kirkwood, MO
- Date Unknown
- Viliami Tu’akihekolo
- Salt Lake City, UT
- September 14, 1981
- Sam Votaw
- DeKalb, IL
- January 12, 1980
Ads[edit]
Continued From Page 10
(interior Alaska). The skills and professions that are easiest to apply for in the “bush” areas of Alaska are teachers, secretarial/clerical, medical (for hospitals or clinics), plumbers, electricians, and managerial positions for city and native corporations. If interested, please write to the National Teaching Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, ________ Anchorage, Alaska 99507, or phone 907-345-3740.
BAHÁ’Í musicians are being sought to form a mainstream rock band influenced by: Journey, Toto, Styx, Asia and others. Needed are guitar, bass and keyboard players. The group, to be based in Southern California, will use its talents to teach the Faith, and for professional recording and tours. Please send a summary of your experience with an audition tape and photograph to Stan Ritchie, ________ Oak View, CA 93022.
HOMEFRONT pioneer to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, a picturesque residential suburb of Philadelphia. Swarthmore’s numerically jeopardized Assembly would welcome support for its regular teaching activities including support for the Bahá’í Club at Swarthmore College. The city is easily accessible to Philadelphia by public transportation. Housing is limited but available. Interested? We need you! Please contact Joyce Perry, ________ Swarthmore, PA 19081. Phone 215-543-5921.
BEAUMONT, Texas, a city of about 150,000 in the eastern part of the state with 15 active Bahá’ís and a recently incorporated Assembly, urgently needs homefront pioneers to help with multi-racial child and adult teaching. There is a special need for young adults and Vietnamese-speaking persons, but any dedicated Bahá’ís are welcome. Beaumont has an excellent university and good employment opportunities for blue and white collar workers. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Beaumont, ________ Beaumont, TX 77705, or phone 713-842-1760 or 713-833-4646.
WANTED: Personal recollections of Bahá’ís, either taped or written. The National Bahá’í Archives Committee has begun an oral history project to collect personal reminiscences of Bahá’ís. Anyone who has copies of personal recollections or who can interview Bahá’ís is asked to write to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Pueblo, Colorado, needs a self-supporting single Bahá’í or couple to serve as host(s) and maintain the Bahá’í Center and a small yard with contributions of $120 a month for utilities. Please write to ________ Pueblo, CO 81004, or phone 303-564-8036.
Volunteers needed[edit]
The success of a number of operations at the Bahá’í International Conference September 2-5 in Montreal, Canada, depends upon the use of volunteer help.
A generous supply of volunteers also will make it possible to shorten the working hours of many Bahá’ís who are providing valuable services at the conference.
Please write now and volunteer a few hours a day, the whole weekend—whatever you have to offer.
Please indicate if you have any particular experience or training, or would like to serve in a particular area of activity: book sales, children’s programs, information booths, medical services, nursery, registration, ushering, etc.
Write to Volunteer Programme, International Conference Committee, Jim Heidema, executive secretary, ________ Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 2A1.
Joy Munson is alive, well and pioneering in India[edit]
Continued From Page 2
Although the main theme of the article is appropriate, there is an implication that a Bahá’í cannot truly honor the martyrs unless he or she gets someone else to join the Faith.
THE PROBLEM with this kind of statement is that it often creates a rather unhealthy sort of pressure that results either in some negative guilt feelings or in compromising the standard we have been given for proper enrollment in an effort to get people to join the Faith quickly.
It seems to me that if we were to focus more on increasing our sensitivity and compassion for others and on developing our skills in healthy communication, the Faith would grow naturally.
I have seen many teaching situations in which the main concern of certain individuals seemed to revolve around how many enrollments were achieved. Not only is this not a true measure of success, but I feel that this constant preoccupation with external events and numbers has created many violations of the Bahá’í teaching for proper enrollment and for respecting the rights of others to make up their own minds.
I feel that this has taken us away from our true purpose, which is the love of God.
When we teach for the sake of God, the act of sharing becomes an act of love and is its own reward, regardless of how people respond.
All love brings forth fruit, and God will reap His harvest in His own time. Our true response should be to examine our own selves and discover in what ways we can become a purer channel for the love of God.
Greenwood, South Carolina
JOY MUNSON
To the Editor:
Concerning that dear lady Joy Munson, I want to remind her friends and acquaintances around the country that the reason most of you haven’t seen her in such a long time—more than six years now—is that she is still at her pioneering post in India.
My mother will be 80 years old on October 28, and would love to receive a birthday card with all your news, personal and community.
I know such cards and messages of encouragement will lend her strength for the next six years of loving service.
Her address is: Joy Munson, Bahá’í Centre, Vishrambag, Sangli, Maharashtra, India 416 415. Thank you all so very much.
Escondido, California
To the Editor:
Reading the latest Fund news, I thought how fortunate we are that God is patient with His community ... about how much His Messengers have sacrificed for us: possessions, imprisonment, torture, their very lives, and we cannot even meet our budget goal ... about 20,000 lives given freely, and 20,000 of us cannot sacrifice even one dollar every 19 days.
And I thought that God’s patience must be sorely tried by us.
Friends, remember that when material possessions mean nothing, we will wish we had given a greater share of them to God.
Clarkston, Georgia
To the Editor:
In Jim Walker’s letter (June), he stated that he sometimes hears someone say something like, “Of course I believe in Bahá’u’lláh, but this or that Bahá’í law is ridiculous, or wrong, and I certainly have no intention of obeying that dumb thing!”
How can anyone claim that he believes in Bahá’u’lláh—that His Word is God’s Word—and at the same time disagree with or refer disparagingly to His Laws?
In His Most Holy Book, Bahá’u’lláh states:
“The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation ...It behooveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station ... to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other.” (Synopsis and Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 11)
Those few who make statements like the one Mr. Walker refers to may admire Bahá’u’lláh, they may respect His wisdom and purity, but to say that they recognize or believe in Him is certainly a misuse of those words.
Creswell, Oregon
To the Editor:
The world peace movement presents an unprecedented opportunity for the Bahá’ís.
Suddenly, throughout the world, millions of people are talking about peace. All at once, what we thought was an issue raised only by the Bahá’ís is a world issue.
We Bahá’ís know that we cannot engage in undignified acts or illegal confrontations that infringe on the rights of others and may result in physical violence. But that doesn’t mean we can’t act.
We should hold study sessions on the grassroots peace movement, study the Bahá’í peace program, and engage in discussions with people at every opportunity.
A Peace Museum has been established in Chicago. Its address is Peace Museum, ________ Chicago, IL 60610. Telephone 312-440-1860.
In the June issue of New Age magazine, I read the following:
“ ...the Peace Museum is dedicated to exploring the issues of war and peace through the visual, literary, and performing arts; it is also developing a Peace Resource Center and education outreach program.”
Santa Rosa, California