The American Bahá’í/Volume 10/Issue 10/Text
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House of Báb in Iran Attacked, Demolition Begun[edit]
On September 9, the National Spiritual Assembly received a message from the Universal House of Justice concerning further developments in the most recent wave of persecutions suffered by the Bahá’í community in Iran.
The message from the Supreme Body said in part:
“Persecution of the Bahá’ís, the largest religious minority in Iran, has taken a new turn. Early yesterday morning a crowd of over 100 people, including the head of the government Department for Religious Endowments in Shíráz, and accompanied by 25 revolutionary guardsmen and 10 other armed men, attacked the most holy House of the Báb which was ordained by Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, to be a place of pilgrimage for His followers throughout the world and is regarded by them as the most hallowed spot in Iran.
“THIS CROWD, which had the key to the house, smashed and dismantled doors and windows, destroyed ornamental plasterwork, breached the walls and hacked to pieces a tree in the courtyard.
“This morning the work of demolition is being continued by a group of workmen and it is clear that the purpose is to raze to the ground the House of the Báb and two adjacent houses which also belong to the Bahá’í community.
“A wave of anguished indignation is sweeping the Bahá’í community throughout the world. When all Bahá’í Holy Places in Iran were seized by the authorities in recent months, the protestations of the Bahá’ís were met with bland assurances, confirmed in writing, that the take-over was for the protection of these sacred properties.
“Bahá’ís in East and West are registering vehement protests with the Iranian authorities.”
AFTER receiving the distressing news, the National Spiritual Assembly began taking a number of actions under the direction of the Universal House of Justice.
Cablegrams were dispatched immediately to Iranian Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan; to the Iranian Embassy in Washington; and to all Iranian consular offices in the U.S.
The following news release was sent to leading newspapers and wire services in this country:
“WILMETTE, Illinois, September 9—Representatives of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States today expressed ‘anguished indignation’ to Iranian officials in reaction to the news that the religion’s most Holy Shrine in Iran was being demolished.
“REPORTS received at the Faith’s U.S. headquarters in Wilmette said yesterday a crowd attacked the Holy Shrine in Shíráz known as the House of the Báb. Among the assailants was the head of the government Department of Religious Endowments in Shíráz, accompanied by 25 revolutionary guardsmen and 10 other armed men.
“It was reported that doors and windows were smashed and dismantled, ornamental plasterwork destroyed, walls breached and a tree in the courtyard of the building hacked to pieces. A group of
A view of the courtyard leading to the House of the Báb in Shíráz, Iran. The Universal House of Justice reported in September that the government of Iran had begun to demolish this Most Holy Place.
Dr. Robert Henderson, chairman of the National Teaching Committee (standing at left), addresses participants at the Spanish-Speaking Teaching Conference held August 26 in Skokie, Illinois.
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Inside ... BUSINESS and economics in the new World Order. Page 2 NATIONAL Treasurer’s Representatives can help local Bahá’í communities. Page 3 SOUTHERN UTE Assembly spearheads teaching drive in Southwestern states. Page 4 THE BAHÁ’Í Home sets high standard of care for the elderly. Page 6 MEMORIAL program for six distinguished believers held at the Bahá’í House of Worship. Page 8 YOUTH Workshop’s nationwide tour is a smashing success. Page 9 SELECTED Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is released in new cloth-bound edition. Page 12 JOHN FORD Coley says he and England Dan combine fun with teaching during post-concert firesides while touring the U.S. and other countries. Page 16. |
Indian Assemblies Equal Plan’s Goal
DEEPLY GRATIFIED FORMATION THIRTY-FIFTH INDIAN RESERVATION ASSEMBLY THEREBY ACHIEVING SEVEN YEAR PLAN GOAL. KINDLY REMIND FRIENDS IN THESE NEWLY ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES ESSENTIAL THEY DEEPEN THEMSELVES AND STRIVE TO MAINTAIN UNINTERRUPTED ASSEMBLY STATUS. FERVENTLY PRAYING BEHALF NEW ASSEMBLY.
August 6, 1979
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The National Teaching Committee received news in late July of the formation of a Spiritual Assembly at the Crow Agency in south-central Montana, near Billings, bringing to 35 the number of Assemblies on Indian Reservations in the U.S.
The message from the Universal House of Justice outlining the goals for the first two years of the Seven Year
Spanish Teaching Plans Are Aired at Conference[edit]
The National Teaching Committee hosted a Spanish-Speaking Teaching Conference Saturday, August 25, at the Howard Johnson’s motel in Skokie, Illinois.
Participants, who came from as far away as California, Florida, Arizona and Texas, were invited by the National Teaching Committee because of their efforts in teaching the Faith to Spanish-speaking peoples.
AMONG THOSE attending were Dr. Antonio Cubero, a former member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Cuba, and John Cook, chairman of the American Indian Teaching Committee.
The conference, chaired by Robert Henderson, chairman of the National Teaching Committee, was held to discuss some of the vital issues connected with teaching Spanish-speaking peoples, ascertain appropriate deepening and teaching methods, review Bahá’í literature in Spanish and make suggestions for new or expanded materials, and explore the attitudes and conditions that must be fostered to bring us closer to the goal of “entry by troops” into the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
Following spirited and enthusiastic consultation, the participants made several recommendations to the National Teaching Committee.
AMONG THESE were suggestions to focus Spanish-language teaching in the goal states of the Seven Year Plan and along the Mexican-American border, and to have Spanish-language literature available in key areas such as the Northeast, Southwest, Texas and California.
Other recommendations were for correspondence courses in Spanish, conferences and Summer Schools in Spanish, and correspondence in Spanish from the Bahá’í National Center to Spanish-speaking communities.
The National Teaching Committee plans soon to appoint a Spanish Teaching Committee to implement plans for teaching Spanish-speaking peoples in the U.S. during the Seven Year Plan.
Sites Announced For Conventions In 1980, 1981[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has decided the locations for the National Conventions in 1980 and 1981.
The 1980 Convention will be held at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette from April 24-27. This means that there will be limited seating for non-delegates. Watch for announcements in The American Bahá’í that will include instructions for making seating reservations.
The 1981 National Convention will be held at the McCormick Inn in Chicago from April 30-May 3.
This Convention will be open to a large gathering of the friends and will celebrate the completion of the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan; at that time, the directives from the Universal House of Justice for the remainder of the Plan will be announced.
The friends are encouraged to start making plans now to attend the Convention in 1981. Reservations for this Convention will be accepted a few months before Convention time. Watch The American Bahá’í for further announcements.
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Editorial A man dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident. At the funeral, his sister, a Bahá’í, is impressed by the compassion and sympathy extended by her family’s many Christian friends. In contrast, members of her Bahá’í community are strangely silent. Few offer their condolences or help. ANOTHER believer, hospitalized following a near-fatal auto accident, counts the number of Bahá’í visitors on the fingers of one hand—but two non-Bahá’í friends are among the first at his bedside. A Bahá’í couple has a baby. Non-Bahá’ís provide emotional support, bringing them food and other supplies, while their Bahá’í friends do little or nothing. In another instance, an adult Bahá’í promises several times that he will take the child of a fellow believer to a ball game, but never makes good on the promise. For every instance of insensitivity, forgetfulness and unreliability, another case of selfless and loving service to others can be cited. The point is, however, that the Bahá’í community has yet to become distinguished, as it must, for showing compassion, consideration, courtesy and service to its members. BOTH THE Five Year Plan and the Seven Year Plan have emphasized the urgent need for acquiring the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life. “Unity of mankind is the pivotal principle of His Revelation,” the Universal House of Justice explained in its Five Year Plan message. “Bahá’í communities must therefore become renowned for their demonstration of this unity.” In its message launching the Seven Year Plan, the Supreme Institution wrote, “At the heart of all activities, the spiritual, intellectual and community life of the believers must be developed and fostered...” The Bahá’ís of the United States are called upon to “follow ever more faithfully the Bahá’í way of life...” What makes a distinctive community? Among other things, showing people you really care in time of need. Doing good deeds that lighten and cheer the heart. Visiting the sick, befriending the lonely, comforting the bereaved. Extending encouragement to friends struggling with problems, recognizing outstanding work or service, offering congratulations for distinctive achievements. WE MUST also acknowledge the rites of passage: birth, maturity, marriage, death. Every society has elaborate ceremonies that commemorate these events, uniting the community in a spiritual and emotional experience that impresses upon the participants the significance of the event. For Bahá’ís, too, these events are fraught with meaning. Because we are in the earliest stages of building a new society, we do not have Bahá’í traditions that dictate how to observe life’s milestones. But although we lack long-established forms through which love, joy, compassion and grief are expressed collectively, we must nevertheless explore actively new and appropriate ways of commemorating life’s main events and of showing love and compassion for each other. The extent to which we are able to make strides in this direction will largely determine our success in meeting those goals that have to do with developing our spiritual, intellectual and community life. |
The Bahá’í community of Jefferson County, Kentucky, recently held a children’s art exhibit at a large shopping center as a part of its activities commemorating the International Year of the Child. Attendance over the three-day weekend was estimated at 2,500. Given away were 1,500 ‘Love That Child’ balloons and 400 Bahá’í pamphlets. Advance publicity included the appearance of three Bahá’í children with their drawings on a television talk show. The project was coordinated by the Jefferson County Bahá’í Youth Committee.
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S. Carolina Pleads for Help Dearly Loved Friends: The incredible successes in South Carolina at the close of the Five Year Plan brought nearly 200 Local Spiritual Assemblies and many new believers. Yet the progress of the Seven Year Plan goals for expansion and consolidation are being seriously hindered by the lack of personal assistance from the American Bahá’í community. Friends, it’s not over here, it’s only beginning. We need your help! Please come and help us with this great undertaking. The needs, the sacrifices, and the rewards are equally great. The progress of the Cause has always depended upon patience, perseverance, and sacrifice, as our beloved Master taught us so well. It would be a tragedy if the Bahá’í spirit here were to fade again as it did after mass teaching some eight years ago. Alláh’u’Abhá! Your devoted brothers and sisters in Bahá’u’lláh’s service, The Consolidators
at Louis Gregory Institute |
COMMENT
Business and the New World Order[edit]
By LAWRENCE M. MILLER
One of the favorite pastimes of Bahá’ís is to speculate about how the new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh will emerge and develop.
While the Writings tell us a good deal about what the new Order will look like when we get there, and the difficult terrain that we must traverse, much is left to our imagination with respect to how this new civilization will unfold.
ONE OF THE questions not clearly addressed in the Writings, and about which we may speculate, is, “How will the Bahá’í principles of consultation, justice and economics begin to be employed for the benefit of mankind?”
Thinking about such questions is more than idle fancy. It is out of such speculation that Bahá’ís can fashion courses of action in their lives that can help to promote the Faith while initiating the very process that will result in the creation of the new World Order.
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Is there something you’d like to say? We would welcome your opinion on any subject of your choosing, and would be happy to consider it for inclusion in this space in a future issue. Simply address your typewritten double-spaced manuscript (no longer than four pages) to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Articles are subject to editing, and none can be returned. |
Each of us brings a set of views to the Faith based on his own experience. One of the great bounties and strengths of the Faith lies in the opportunity to consider the meaning of one’s work or study in light of Bahá’í teachings.
As we merge our understanding of Bahá’í principles with our increasing competence in the professions, we will inevitably enrich both the functioning of the Bahá’í community and the professions that we serve.
AS A MANAGEMENT consultant I have thought about how the principles of Bahá’í Administration will begin to be employed in the institutions that govern the affairs of men. I would like to share some of my conclusions.
I am convinced that Bahá’í principles of administration will first be adopted by the institutions of private enterprise, especially the business community in the U.S.
After having been in academia and worked for state government, and now having worked with numerous major U.S. corporations, I firmly believe that the receptivity to innovation is far greater within the business community than elsewhere.
It is well understood by successful business managers that the key to their success is to be found in the search for new ideas.
BUSINESS IS built on innovation and the ready acceptance of new modes of operation. Innovation and change are rewarded.
I have found that the businesses that are most successful, thriving companies such as the 3M Corporation, Pan Am and others, have developed a corporate structure that stimulates and rewards the consideration and acceptance of new ideas.
In addition to this general receptivity, there are two forces that combine to push private enterprise toward finding better ways to manage people and organizations. These forces are, first, the need for greater productivity, and, second, the need to improve job satisfaction.
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This month’s article, “Business and the New World Order,” was written by Lawrence M. Miller of Roswell, Georgia, who is a member of the National Teaching Committee and executive vice president of Behavioral Systems Inc. in Atlanta, where he practices regularly the Bahá’í administrative principles presented in the article. |
Productivity is the amount of output produced by a unit of capital or labor. The greater the output or productivity, the lower the cost of the product or service produced, and the greater the profit to the organization.
PRODUCTIVITY is determined largely by the individual’s desire to be productive. Management is constantly looking for ways to increase the motivation or desire of the individual employee to contribute to the productivity of the organization.
Improved productivity of the organization leads to the increased productivity of the society.
The elimination of extremes of poverty, one of Bahá’u’lláh’s great Teachings, cannot be accomplished simply by suppressing the extremes of wealth. This approach has been tried in several countries, and the results have included a reduction in over-all productivity and a general stagnation in the standard of living.
In the Bahá’í Order, we can be sure that people and organizations will be highly productive, resulting in ample supplies of goods and services. This high productivity, in addition to equitable distribution, must be a key to the elimination of poverty.
SIMILARLY, private business has recognized the need to increase job satisfaction among employees. The need has been created by the competitive labor market and the mobile nature of the work force.
An organization cannot realize its potential if individuals do not desire to remain as participants in that organization. Low job satisfaction inevitably results in absenteeism and high turnover, both major concerns of managers and corporations.
There are two Bahá’í principles that I feel are especially relevant to the management of organizations wishing
NTRs Can Help Bolster Fund’s Support[edit]
With the crisis in the International Fund, many Bahá’í communities are seeking ways to increase their ability to contribute.
The Office of the Treasurer is making special announcements to the American Bahá’í community regarding the availability of National Treasurer’s Representatives to help local communities increase their support of the Fund.
NATIONAL Treasurer’s Representatives (NTRs) were first appointed three years ago by the National Spiritual Assembly for the express purpose of strengthening the Fund in local communities.
Most NTRs have attended three training institutes at Wilmette. All have been receiving regular communications from the Office of the Treasurer.
In addition, the Office of the Treasurer has been providing new deepening materials and programs to NTRs on a regular basis.
Programs and materials available to local communities from National Treasurer’s Representatives include the following:
1. Filmstrips. Every NTR has four filmstrip programs that can be shown in a community.
These include “The Greatest Undertaking,” documenting the step by step construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice; “A Call to Remembrance,” an inspirational glimpse at the life and sufferings of Bahá’u’lláh; “Rich Ones on Earth,” a moving account of the lives and services of the Hands of the Cause of God Martha Root and Amelia Collins; and “A Testimony of Love,” an historical program tracing the growth of the Fund through the building of the House of Worship.
The newest filmstrip, “Material Man,” is an inspirational and uplifting presentation on the spiritual and material natures of man as described in the Bahá’í Writings.
2. Deepening programs. Two major deepening courses have recently been developed by the Office of the Treasurer and distributed to every NTR.
“The Secret of Wealth” is a practical course on personal resource management—how to set up a personal budget, make financial goals, and gain control of one’s material resources. In addition, it discusses guidance from the Bahá’í Writings on such issues as moderation, detachment, generosity, and thrift.
The second deepening program, “The Surest Way,” is described elsewhere in this issue.
3. Treasurer’s workshops. While intended to assist local Treasurers in the management of a local Fund, these workshops are offered to the entire Bahá’í community.
Part of the program deals with bookkeeping procedures, but much of it discusses the principles of the Bahá’í Funds, the role of the Spiritual Assembly, and the importance of the individual.
4. Additional materials. Most NTRs have a deepening program entitled “The Generating Impulse” that promotes community discussion on the role of the Fund in Bahá’í community life and the life of Bahá’u’lláh as the source of our inspiration in contributing to the Faith.
“Stories and Talks on the Spirit of Sacrifice” is an inspirational cassette with talks by the Hand of the Cause William Sears, Continental Counsellor Peter Khan, and former Auxiliary Board member Jack McCants. Each of them relates a moving story about the devotion and spirit demonstrated by individuals who have sacrificed for the Faith.
“Bahá’í Funds and Contributions” provides quotations from the Guardian on the Fund and the role of the community and individual believer in supporting the Fund.
“Questions and Answers for Bahá’í Treasurers,” compiled by the Office of the Treasurer, provides guidance to Bahá’ís on various questions about the administration, the principles, and the purposes of the various Funds.
The National Spiritual Assembly is encouraging local Bahá’í communities to call upon the National Treasurer’s Representative in their District.
It is hoped that the services the NTRs offer will provide an impetus to each community to arise during this most critical time of financial need.
Newly-appointed National Treasurer’s Representatives (left to right) Brian Burroughs, Denver, Colorado; Wanda Warren, Hutchinson, Kansas; Sarah Conkling, Pocatello, Idaho; and Jan Grinder, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, were among more than 100 NTRs attending a training session in Wilmette over the Labor Day weekend.
‘Surest Way’ Takes Aim To Combat Materialism[edit]
Bahá’í communities throughout the U.S. are being encouraged to hold deepenings offered by the Office of the Treasurer.
“The Surest Way” is the second deepening program to be offered to local Bahá’í communities through their National Treasurer’s Representatives.
THE OTHER program, “The Secret of Wealth,” a course about personal resource management, was described in last month’s issue of The American Bahá’í.
“The Surest Way” was developed in response to the Guardian’s guidance (as found in The Advent of Divine Justice and Citadel of Faith) that the American believers work to combat the excessive and destructive forces of materialism in America.
“The Surest Way” begins by discussing America’s role in the unfoldment of the new World Order.
Writings from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi are cited, providing a framework for the course. Materialism is defined, and its influences are discussed in terms of the way in which it affects people living in this society.
THE COURSE then examines the Bahá’í Writings to determine what actions Bahá’ís can take to combat materialism.
The Covenant is examined, as is the role of money in the new World Order. The Bahá’í Fund is presented as a part of the Covenant: support of the Fund is discussed in terms of how it relates to helping us overcome materialism in our individual lives.
A highlight of “The Surest Way” is a game based on the format of “Hollywood Squares.” Rather than offering a dry and boring recounting of principles, the Fund is presented in the course in a lively, game-like atmosphere—encouraging participation by all segments of the community.
Included in the full-length course (it is designed for five sessions, but can be broken into smaller segments) is the filmstrip, “A Testimony of Love.”
THE FILMSTRIP follows the growth of the Bahá’í community in America, particularly in relation to the building of the Bahá’í House of Worship and the establishment of the National Bahá’í Fund.
The final session of the course deals with “where the money goes”—the various programs and committees of the Bahá’í National Center that use the Fund to carry out the work of the Faith in the U.S.
Any part of “The Surest Way,” or the entire course, can be requested by a local community by contacting the nearest National Treasurer’s Representative, or the Office of the Treasurer, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Bahá’í Commitment Asks Great Personal Sacrifice[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Nobody ever said that being a Bahá’í would be easy. It is a commitment that requires great personal sacrifices—both of self and of resources.
Only an intense love for Bahá’u’lláh can sustain a believer through the rigors of Bahá’í life. It brings to mind a story about Dr. Ali-Kuli Khan, who was serving as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s secretary in the Holy Land. This involved accompanying the Master everywhere, which was difficult because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rarely rested; He worked and served every moment. Dr. Khan wrote:
“Often, as He was on His way to Mt. Carmel He would stop and dictate, and I had to be ready. I learned to write with the paper on my lap or the palm of my hand.
“Once when I dropped from weariness, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred me to the story of the cruel blacksmith and his apprentice. It was the child’s task to blow the bellows, hour after hour. The exhausted boy would cry out, ‘I die! I die!’ and the blacksmith would answer, ‘Die and blow! Die and blow!’” (Marzieh Gail, “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Portrayals From East and West,” in World Order magazine, Fall 1971, p. 34)
Now the Universal House of Justice has called us to greater heights of service than we ever dreamed possible. Even though we may feel inadequate, we can be certain that because the call has been raised, it is within our capacity for action.
Following the example of the Master, rarely resting, we must sacrifice for the Cause, thereby heaping fuel upon the fire that will enable our beloved House of Justice to forge the iron foundation of the new World Order.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES
Dorothy W. Nelson, Treasurer
S.Ute Assembly Sparks Colorado Drive[edit]
As reported last month in The American Bahá’í, the Spiritual Assembly of the Southern Ute Reservation in Colorado sponsored a highly successful teaching effort this summer in the “Four Corners” area that forms the border between Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Among the results of the campaign were the enrollment of people from many ethnic and racial backgrounds, and the formation of several Local Spiritual Assemblies.
IT IS ESTIMATED that teaching teams involved in the effort traveled between 50,000 and 80,000 miles by car this summer, taught more than 1,000 people, enrolled more than 200 of them, taught among five or six Indian tribes, and devoted countless hours to teaching Spanish-speaking people in many areas.
Consolidation has played an integral part in the teaching campaign. Follow-up visits have been made, filmstrips and firesides have been held, children’s classes have begun in some areas—and one of the most rewarding results has been the help offered by several new enrollees who have arisen to teach and assist with consolidation.
One new believer in New Mexico sent in two enrollment cards she had secured while teaching the Faith to her friends.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Southern Ute Reservation, which has benefited by the enrollment of seven new believers in its own community, plans to continue teaching and consolidation in two or three areas as extension goals.
The Assembly has turned over the bulk of the work to the various District Teaching Committees in the Four Corners area to assure the continued success of the campaign.
Bahá’ís (left to right) Mae McMahon and son Jesse, Ben Hendricks, and Elvis Billsie relax after a long day of teaching and consolidation near Blanding, Utah, in August.
Juan Romero (left) and Amani’lláh Cholas pay a visit to Don Juan Peña, a medicine man in his 90s who recently became a Bahá’í, near his home in the mountains of Pagosa Junction, Colorado.
National Center Seeks Skilled Workers[edit]
A number of positions at the Bahá’í National Center need to be filled without delay. We ask that you discuss these job descriptions with Bahá’ís whom you feel would be qualified to fill these positions and encourage them to send résumés at once.
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE
EVAC Plumber: Maintains, installs and repairs all facility pipeline systems as needed. Requires 5 years plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems repair experience.
Security Guards: Three are urgently needed to patrol the House of Worship area and other National Center properties. Requires security training or aptitude, driver’s license, excellent health and a willingness to work evening or night shifts. Retired persons are welcome to apply.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Purchasing Agent: Purchases office supplies, equipment and furniture as needed, maintains inventory, reviews rental and maintenance contracts. Must have experience with inventory control, office supplies and purchasing.
PERSONNEL
Personnel Manager: Coordinates all aspects of personnel program for the National Spiritual Assembly including staff relations, employee counseling, wages and benefits, recruitment and training.
Recruiter: Recruits and selects the best qualified applicants for employment; conducts reference checks, screening interviews, orientations, assists in other personnel procedures; must excel in communications skills.
Benefits Clerk: Administers health, life insurance and pension programs, counsels employees, investigates employee benefit options. Maintains contact with companies involved and pertinent government agencies, prepares summaries and reports as required.
BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING TRUST
General Manager: Coordinates and develops all aspects of publishing, including acquisition, editorial, audiovisual materials, production, marketing, ordering/billing, and warehouse. Requires 8-10 years high level experience, plus Bahá’í administrative experience.
Warehouse Manager: Organizes and manages all warehouse functions from receipt of invoice through stocking, packaging and shipping. Must have warehouse experience including space utilization, ordering/billing, knowledge of postal and shipping regulations.
ARCHIVES
Assistant Archivist: Accesses and processes archival material, supervises researchers, answers reference questions, assists with exhibits. Requires a master’s degree in history or library science; archival training desired.
NATIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Program Administrator—Assembly Development: Manages this special project throughout the American Bahá’í community. Requires Bahá’í administrative experience, ability to inspire and motivate volunteers, mature judgment, background in business administration or human services.
George Hill (center), religion writer for the Carson (California) Courier and producer/host of “Ecumenical Insights” on KSUL Radio, was a guest speaker recently at the first Black Religion Writers’ Workshop at Howard University in Washington, D.C. More than 15 black editors of magazines and newspapers addressed the group including editors of Christianity Today, Sojourners and Bilalian News. With Mr. Hill, who also is communications/media coordinator for the Bahá’í Media Council of Los Angeles County, are Howard University professor Dr. James Tinney (right), who was the workshop coordinator, and William Reed Jr., past president of the Religion Writers News Association and religion editor of the Nashville Tennessean.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Warren County, Iowa, was formed last March and held its Recognition Ceremony on July 14. Thirty-seven people attended the ceremony including representatives of the sponsoring Assembly of Chicago Heights, Illinois, some 365 miles away. Warren County is one of the first rural Assemblies formed in Iowa. Assembly members are (front row left to right) Catrina Rawlins, Dane Shaffer, Thomas Stober, Pamela Stober, and (back row left to right) Roxanne Cheney, Roger Cheney, Archie Rawlins, Charles Schiefelbein, Margery Smith.
Assemblies[edit]
Continued From Page 1
Plan calls for a minimum of 35 Local Spiritual Assemblies on Indian Reservations in this country by Riḍván 1981.
The Crow Agency Assembly was formed July 26. Two weeks earlier, an Assembly was formed at White Mesa, Utah. These formations were the third and fourth on Indian Reservations since last Riḍván.
As of the end of August, 31 of the Indian Assemblies had been officially recognized by the National Spiritual Assembly.
The American Indian Teaching Committee is continuing its widespread and intensive teaching among Native Americans, assisted by individuals and some Assemblies, most notably the Spiritual Assembly of the Southern Ute Reservation in Ignacio, Colorado, which has spearheaded teaching in the “four corners” area of Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.
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VANGUARD Youth News |
Summer Sessions Deepen, Inspire Youth[edit]
Local Bahá’í communities are responding to the Universal House of Justice’s directive to “inspire and deepen the friends through such activities as institutes, weekend conferences, seminars and locally-sponsored classes.”
Nowhere has this directive been so clearly followed as in area youth conferences. From Oregon to Florida, communities have planned and executed successful and inspiring youth conferences this past summer.
Here are reports from three different types of conferences:
FLORIDA[edit]
“The first Florida Regional Bahá’í Youth Conference to be held in Central Florida took place the weekend of July 20–22, and we all feel that it was a great success.
“Fifty-four youth from all over Florida attended, more than half of them traveling long distances—seven from Jacksonville, 11 from South Florida, and seven from the east coast of the state. The age range was from 9th grade through the fourth year of college. Fourteen adults helped in various ways, as chauffeurs, chaperones, teachers and staff.
“WE OFFERED courses on the inner and outer self, and on prayer and teaching, to help in forming a Bahá’í lifestyle.
“We kept the group together for classes, and they became well-acquainted with one another. The swimming, volleyball and disco dancing also helped encourage friendships.
“The youth were encouraged to initiate youth activities on their own with the help of their Local Spiritual Assemblies, and to exchange addresses with youth who live nearby so that they could get together for Bahá’í youth activities between planned conferences.
“We have made a mailing list of those who attended, and we hope to involve them in promoting and planning the next gathering, especially those who showed leadership during the session.
“WE HAD A baby! How many youth conferences can say that they were instrumental in the delivery of a Bahá’í child?
“Ruth Wing entered the hospital the day before the conference started and was still in labor when we arrived Friday afternoon.
“Jennifer and John Wing attended the conference, and asked for prayers for Ruth and the baby, as things were not going well.
“Soon after convening Saturday, we had a long and intensive round of prayers that created such an atmosphere in the room!
“Ruth later told us that this was the very moment when everything began to go well—after 18 hours of unproductive labor. She became exhilarated and refreshed, and the baby was born at 11:30 that evening.
“NEEDLESS to say, this experience was very moving for all of us, and the youth felt very much a part of that drama.
“The youth sent $82.50 to the Bahá’í International Fund in response to Mr. (Borrah) Kavelin’s appeal. A gift of an envelope for the National Fund was given to each person; the emphasis was on a regular commitment rather than a one-time-only donation.
“One young man, who had not yet declared, asked if he could give money to his father, who is a Bahá’í, to send for him. We replied that it would be his father’s contribution, not his.
“Since he is 17 and almost certain to declare soon, he decided to save his money and send it as soon as he becomes a Bahá’í.”
NEBRASKA[edit]
“With a unified effort, it’s amazing what can be accomplished! In early June, the Spiritual Assembly of Hastings decided to host a Youth Conference.
“We didn’t have any youth, but a youth conference sounded like a lot of fun! We had seven weeks between the time we decided to have the conference, which would be co-sponsored by the National Youth Committee, and the dates of the conference—July 20–22.
“WE HAD LITTLE more than a week to put together the necessary information so the flyers could go out, as most of our community was planning to attend the Great Plains Bahá’í School. So we had to get a location, a rough format, and speakers lined up in that first week and a half.
“After summer school we concentrated on the media, since the conference would be open to non-Bahá’ís. When our public information representative contacted the television station, the man she needed to talk to was on his way out the door—so he came to her house rather than asking her to come back some other time.
“The TV interview with Art and Betty Conow, two of the scheduled speakers, was aired on a noon show just before the conference—excellent air time for the Faith.
“We also used posters, 30-second radio spots, and numerous public service announcements.
“ALTHOUGH only three people had pre-registered, we were delighted to find people waiting outside the door of the Clarke Hotel ballroom (the conference site) when the registrar arrived Saturday morning.
“People of all ages attended, from Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri—even Colorado! The nursery and the room for nursing mothers had closed-circuit TV on which to view the daily activities.
“Mark Brush, representing the National Spiritual Assembly and National Youth Committee, gave the opening address. It was followed by the filmstrip, ‘The School of Bahá’í,’ and by Auxiliary Board member Darrell Borland who addressed the youth regarding their exalted station in this Day and the responsibility they have to help in raising up the ‘new race of men’—beginning with themselves by developing the distinctive characteristics of a true Bahá’í.
“After lunch, participants had a choice of attending any three of the following workshops: ‘Prayer’ by Betty Conow; ‘Communicating Concepts’ by Art Conow, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board; ‘Our Bahá’í Roots’ by Charlotte Babcock, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board; ‘Peer Pressure’ by Mark Brush; ‘International Pioneering and Travel Teaching’ by Carolyn Cheeks; and ‘Dating: The Bahá’í Standard’ by Brad Schmicker.
“SATURDAY evening, the New World Construction Company, from the Milwaukee area, performed to a full house of about 80 Bahá’ís and 30 or more non-Bahá’ís. Their show ended with the song, ‘One Planet, One People...Please,’ during which the audience rose, formed a circle holding hands, and sang along.
“After a break for socializing, the floor was cleared and Brad Schmicker, a dance teacher and Bahá’í from Wisconsin, taught some basic disco steps to those who wished to learn. People of all ages enjoyed the dancing. One man even observed, to his amazement, that ‘the Bahá’ís can transform something as decadent as disco dancing into an enjoyable and unifying activity for all ages’—and so it was!
“On Sunday morning, several members of the New World Construction Company conducted a brief workshop on teaching. It was followed that afternoon by actual teaching in the area. A public meeting held that evening was attended by about a dozen non-Bahá’ís.
“A postscript: The Hastings community presently includes 13 adults, three pre-youth, one younger child and two infants; and not everyone was able to help—or even attend—the youth conference.
“But where there is unity, large numbers aren’t necessary to accomplish seemingly staggering tasks.”
THE CAROLINAS[edit]
“On the weekend of August 10–12, the Bahá’í youth in North and South Carolina held a weekend teaching conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, to which 18 youth ages 14–21 came.
“The conference was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Charlotte, and was held at the Charlotte Bahá’í Center. Following supper Friday evening, a dance was held at a nearby apartment clubhouse.
“CLASSES WERE held Saturday morning, with direct teaching that afternoon. In the evening there was a fireside, after which all of the youth and some of the adults went to a movie.
“Sunday included a discussion on strengthening youth groups, and a planning session between North Carolina and South Carolina youth. The conference ended that afternoon with a picnic lunch inside the Bahá’í Center (due to bad weather).”
In addition to these conferences, the National Youth Committee has received word of youth conferences or “Touchstone Weekends” in Arizona, California, Illinois and Minnesota.
It doesn’t take a lot of money or manpower to host a conference or a Touchstone Weekend, and the benefits to youth and adults are tremendous.
Any community can investigate the possibility of hosting a large event for youth in its state or region, thereby helping to create a “critical mass” that stimulates action. Try it!
A part of the attentive audience at a class on ‘prayer’ during the Florida Regional Bahá’í Youth Conference held July 20–22 at Lakeland. The conference was sponsored by the District Teaching Committee of Central Florida.
Some of the participants in the Bahá’í youth conference July 20–22 at Hastings, Nebraska, are shown during a class session. The conference drew participants from Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.
Beacon Bahá’ís Give $178 to UNICEF[edit]
As a part of its observance of the International Year of the Child, the Bahá’í community of Beacon, New York, donated $178—the proceeds from two recent fund-raising events—to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund).
The first of these events was a pancake breakfast that netted $135. The other money was raised through the sale of sandwiches at a waterfront “Strawberry Festival” sponsored by the Clearwater Group and featuring folk singer Pete Seeger.
THE BAHA’I HOME[edit]
“But however inspiring the conception of Bahá’í worship, as witnessed in the central Edifice of this exalted Temple, it cannot be regarded as the sole, nor even the essential, factor in the part which the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, as designed by Bahá’u’lláh, is destined to play in the organic life of the Bahá’í community.
“Divorced from the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific pursuits centering around the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Bahá’í worship, however exalted in its conception, however passionate in fervor, can never hope to achieve beyond the meagre and often transitory results produced by the contemplations of the ascetic or the communion of the passive worshiper.
“It cannot afford lasting satisfaction and benefit to the worshiper himself, much less to humanity in general, unless and until translated and transfused into that dynamic and disinterested service to the cause of humanity which it is the supreme privilege of the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to facilitate and promote.” (Shoghi Effendi,Bahá’í Administration, pp. 185–186)
•
As soon as the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette was completed, the beloved Guardian called for its first channel of service to humanity.
In a letter of April 29, 1953, he specified “the erection of the first Dependency of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Western World” as one of the objectives of the Ten-Year Crusade for the U.S. Bahá’í community.
CONSTRUCTION of that first Dependency, the Bahá’í Home for the Aged, was begun in December 1957, one month after the Guardian’s passing.
Its cornerstone was laid on April 5, 1958, in the presence of the president of the Wilmette Village Board and about 40 Bahá’ís and their guests.
The Hand of the Cause of God Horace Holley, who at that time was secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, alluded to the significance of the Bahá’í Home and its relationship to the House of Worship in these words:
“The Bahá’í Home fulfils the meaning and power of divine worship in service to our fellowmen. For this institution is not restricted to members of the Bahá’í Faith, but opens its doors to all persons, without any religious discrimination.” (The Bahá’í World, Vol. XIII, pp. 746–747)
THE HOME, nestled on 3/4 of an acre of land in Wilmette, four blocks west of the House of Worship, began actual operations on February 1, 1959. Despite a heavy snowstorm, about 200 guests came that day to an “open house” celebration.
In a statement issued by the National Spiritual Assembly at the time of its dedication, the Bahá’í Home was described as “... contemporary in design, primarily of brick, with stone and wood trim, costing approximately $160,000.
“It is designed to provide living quarters for 20 residents and an administrative staff of three persons. It is essentially U-shaped, surrounding a garden area open to the south, which contains a number of large oak trees in addition to space for formal landscaping and flower or vegetable gardening.
“The building is set back from surrounding lot lines, and the adjoining areas have many trees and more gardening space.”
ENTRANCE TO and exit from the building have been simplified by widely separated doors at street level.
Ample off-street parking, easily accessible from Fourth Street, is provided for visitors. There is a three-car garage for use of the staff.
All guest rooms are on one floor, slightly above street level. There are no stairs in the building for residents to climb.
Sleeping rooms are arranged to accommodate 16 individuals and two couples. Each pair of rooms shares a connecting toilet; rooms for couples include a half-bath with toilet and lavatory.
Showers and tubs for men and women are provided in separate bathrooms off the main corridor.
A LARGE living-dining room, or “common room,” has large windows that face south toward the gardens. The room has a high-beamed ceiling and large fireplace, and is cheerfully and attractively furnished.
Off the common room is a parlor that serves both as a library and a room for private meetings between residents and their guests.
An adequate and well-equipped kitchen contains an ample food storage area. The kitchen adjoins the administrative offices, which also face the entrance foyer.
The Home’s administrator has a suite of two offices as well as a two-room living suite with private bath. Also provided are two rooms with connecting bath to house a cook and one resident maid.
IN THIS SAME general area is a small infirmary that provides space for not more than two people for short periods of care; hospital care is not provided at the Home itself.
Other features at the Home are a large “hobby” room and an open porch off the residents’ private corridor.
The building was designed by William C. Wright, a member of the American Institute of Architects. The interior decoration was planned and executed by Mrs. Ida F. Wright of Winnetka, Illinois, assisted by a committee of Bahá’ís whose members were Miss Edna M. True, Mrs. Dorothy Redson, and Dr. Katherine K. True.
Landscaping was done by Hilbert F. Dahl and L. Wyatt Cooper, who already had won a reputation for the beauty of the gardens surrounding the Bahá’í House of Worship.
THE HOME’S present manager is George Walker. Beverly Walker, his wife, is director of programs.
The Bahá’í Home, Mrs. Walker points out, is not a “nursing home”; it is licensed by the state of Illinois as a Shelter Care facility.
“We give no skilled nursing care here,” she says. “What we do provide is personal care. We’re like a family, and we care deeply about each of its members.”
The general requirements for admission to the Bahá’í Home are that the applicant be over 65 years old, in reasonably good health and able to attend to his or her own personal needs. Applicants must be of good character and able to integrate happily into the group that is living at the Home.
RESIDENTS are able to participate in a number of planned activities including exercise sessions, films, lectures, special classes, and field trips. None of these are mandatory, of course, and residents are encouraged to continue their social life with friends and family outside the Home.
The Home’s current residents, most of whom are women, are long-time members of the Wilmette community or nearby areas.
Most of them are college-educated, which is unusual for women who were born in the decade around the turn of the century.
In most other ways, too, the Bahá’í Home belies the stereotypical image of “nursing homes” as dingy, overcrowded warehouses for the elderly and feeble.
The Bahá’í Home is a place of dignity where older people can associate with their peers in an atmosphere of beauty and serenity while taking advantage of well-planned programs designed to keep them active and stimulated.
Next month: Inside the Bahá’í Home—A Personal View.
Above: Residents Pauline O’Donnell, Cornelia Bussey and Catherine Meisner enjoy an afternoon card game in the small parlor just off the main living room at the Bahá’í Home in Wilmette. Below: Lillie Mae Byers, a cook at the Home for the past two years, gives the kitchen a cleaning following lunch.
Residents at the Bahá’í Home can enjoy fresh air and sunlight on a porch near the hallway to their private rooms. Shown here (left to right) are William Scott, Sophie Loeding and Catherine Meisner.
‘Daily Lessons’ Recalls Early Pilgrimage[edit]
Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká: January 1908, by Helen S. Goodall and Ella Goodall Cooper, was published in September by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust (73 pp., appendices, notes; paperback, $4.85 NET, catalog No. 7-32-41).
Daily Lessons is one of the earliest published accounts of life in the prison household of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It includes descriptions of the pilgrimage, narratives of interesting incidents, and questions answered by the Master.
Also featured are several talks by Ḥájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí—a well-known Persian teacher of the Faith—and Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the book’s authors.
Originally published in 1908 by the Bahá’í Publishing Society, the book has been revised for this new edition.
Earlier this year, the Publishing Trust reprinted another personal account of an early pilgrimage—Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká, by Julia M. Grundy (paperback, $4.85 NET, catalog No. 7-32-40).
THE AUTHORS of Daily Lessons, Helen S. Goodall and Ella Goodall Cooper, were among the earliest Bahá’ís in the San Francisco Bay area.
Ella went on pilgrimage three times—once at the invitation of Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, in 1898; once with her mother, Helen Goodall, in 1908; and again in 1920.
The book takes its title not just from the direct oral instruction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but also from the lessons He taught by His deeds.
On each day of the authors’ two-week pilgrimage in 1908, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá invited His visitors to luncheon, where He greeted them with a few words in English and spoke on various matters. However, the authors observed, “If He never spoke one word to the pilgrims, the only lesson necessary would be His daily life.”
Some of the subjects ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke about to the pilgrims were sacrifice, accidental happenings, evil thoughts, automatic writing, miracles, and the journey of the Israelites.
THE BOOK’S four appendices consist of Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the authors. These Tablets cover a number of interesting subjects including tests, the human spirit, the falsity of most Western histories of Muhammad, and a prediction of the “tests” in store for San Francisco.
In the foreword, Howard Garey quotes Shoghi Effendi to remind the reader that statements attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Daily Lessons cannot be regarded as authentic Bahá’í scripture.
“Only those things that have been revealed in the form of Tablets have a binding power over the friends,” the Guardian stated in a letter written on his behalf. “Hearsays may be matters of interest but can in no way claim authority.” (Bahá’í News, No. 125, May 1939, p. 6)
Although pilgrims’ notes can be regarded as hearsay and are not binding on the believers, Dr. Garey writes, “what can be more thrilling, short of the immediate experience, than hearing or reading an account in a pilgrim’s own words of his reception in the loving arms of the Master?”
To order Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká or Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká, contact your local Bahá’í librarian.
Isolated Bahá’ís and Bahá’ís in communities with no librarian may order by sending check or money order for $4.85 NET per copy, plus 75 cents for postage and handling on orders under $5, to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Comment[edit]
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to improve productivity and job satisfaction, and that I believe will increasingly be applied to the business setting.
The principles are those of consultation and justice. There are undoubtedly many other principles that can be applied, but these two seem to me to be particularly applicable.
THE PRINCIPLE of Bahá’í consultation holds that major decisions are made by a group of individuals, all of whom have an equal voice and vote; that the group considers a variety of opinions in a free and open forum; that consultation among the members is confidential; and that the members will treat each decision as a unanimous expression of the group, regardless of their personal opinions.
Group decision-making in one form or another is not new or unfamiliar to business. Today, the manager who fails to recognize the value of group decision-making is unlikely to rise in the corporate environment.
Effective group decision-making not only produces higher quality decisions than individual decision-making, it also gains a greater commitment to action from group members.
The quality and spirit of group decision-making in many cases leaves much to be desired, and it is here that Bahá’ís can make a substantial contribution.
Organizations that administer rewards effectively (this includes Bahá’í organizations) will succeed most effectively in achieving their objectives because of the collective productivity of their members.
Organizations have many rewards at their disposal, most more important than money, and businesses are constantly experimenting to find more effective ways to administer these rewards.
Satisfaction on the job also is largely a function of justice. When the individual feels that he is the object of the misapplication of rewards or punishment, he feels he has been treated unjustly. When, however, the individual feels appropriately rewarded, or even appropriately punished, job satisfaction is improved.
BECAUSE of the natural forces operating in a free economy, the ability to demand competitive wages, seek alternative employment, etc., it is in the best interest of the manager and organization to strive toward the just application of reward and punishment. This process will lead inevitably to a process of increasingly more effective forms of administration and justice.
The principles that Bahá’u’lláh brought to the world will become the accepted standards of the future civilization, not only through the work and example of the Bahá’ís, but through the processes of trial and error, experimentation, and the clear demonstration of the bankruptcy of alternative courses of action.
The principles of the equality of men and women, elimination of racial and other prejudices, and the development of a world economy are all in the process of adoption throughout the world.
Similarly, the acceptance of Bahá’í administrative and business principles has already begun. The question now is to what degree the Bahá’ís themselves will provide leadership and direction to this great process that will inevitably lead to the creation of Bahá’u’lláh’s new World Order.
THE MANAGEMENT consulting firm with which I am associated has trained thousands of managers in group decision-making along with what our trainers refer to as “the Bahá’í model.” The adoption of this consultative decision-making process has regularly resulted in improvements in both productivity and job satisfaction.
In the coming years, consultative decision-making is destined to become the norm in business at all levels. This has important implications for the consideration of the diverse interests that managers must recognize and for the creation of unity among these diverse interests and groups.
This inclusion of diverse interests in consultative decision-making will parallel a reduction in the arbitrary use of individual and selfish power. In Europe, the governments of several countries have mandated the inclusion of labor representatives and outside directors on the boards that govern the functioning of major corporations.
American and European management practices are among the most imitated in the world. Traditionally, management practices are pioneered by business and adopted by government and service organizations.
I AM CONFIDENT that someday soon, the Bahá’í community will awaken to find that its principles of consultation have been adopted by private enterprise and are being emulated by governments and other entities.
Bahá’u’lláh tells us that justice is “the best beloved of all things in My sight.” Surely, this principle must have great importance.
In several passages, Bahá’u’lláh has written that justice rests upon “the twin pillars of reward and punishment.” We know that the administrative institutions of our Faith will one day be known as Houses of Justice. Justice clearly is a function of administrative institutions.
The successful application of reward and punishment, upon which justice is built, forms the other key to improving productivity and job satisfaction; it is therefore a critical concern of business organizations.
INDIVIDUALS will desire to be maximally productive when they believe they will be well rewarded for their efforts.
About 300 Bahá’ís and guests from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area celebrated the first day of Riḍván with a picnic at Fort Hunt State Park on the George Washington Parkway near Mount Vernon, home of our first President and one of the most frequently visited national landmarks. The picnic was organized by the Bahá’ís of Fairfax County (Virginia) South. Thousands of tourists and passersby saw the attractive Bahá’í signs posted along the parkway; some of them asked for information about the Faith.
New ‘Greatest Name’ Plaques Available From Publishing Trust[edit]
Three new Greatest Name plaques are available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. Two of them are priced at $2.50 each, and the third sells for 40 cents.
Two of the new plaques are packaged in printed presentation folders and make excellent gifts for either new or veteran believers.
The gold foil imprinted Greatest Name is on tan parchment stock (catalog No. 6-64-10), while the silver foil imprinted Greatest Name is on natural parchment stock (catalog No. 6-64-09). Both have embossed borders and both are 8x10 inches, suitable for framing. Prices are $2.50 each.
The accompanying presentation folders are printed with the words “The symbol of the Greatest Name, in Arabic script, means ‘Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá’ or ‘O Glory of the All Glorious.’ ”
A THIRD new symbol of the Greatest Name is blind embossed—stamped without colored foil—on 3½ x 5-inch textured stock (40 cents; catalog No. 6-64-08).
The meaning of the symbol of the Greatest Name is explained by the Hand of the Cause of God A. Q. Faizí in Explanation of the Emblem of the Greatest Name (7-65-14; paper, 65 cents).
Mr. Faizí’s article shows how the Greatest Name was anticipated in past religions, acclaimed by poets, and, with the inauguration of the New Age, fully manifested in the name “Bahá.” It also includes a detailed explanation of the many meanings of the Emblem of the Greatest Name.
To order any of the new plaques or the article by Mr. Faizí, see your local Bahá’í librarian.
Bahá’ís who do not have easy access to a librarian may order by using the coupon order form on Page 15 in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
Six Believers Honored At Memorial Gathering[edit]
On Saturday evening, August 25, a special memorial program was held at the Bahá’í House of Worship for six believers who had achieved prominence in the American Bahá’í community during their lives. Those being remembered were:
Ellsworth Blackwell who served as a member of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly for 13 years and the National Spiritual Assembly of Haiti for 10 years.
Mr. Blackwell was appointed to the Auxiliary Board and served in later years as a pioneer to Africa. He is lovingly remembered for his administrative and pioneering endeavors that mirrored his steadfastness and dedication to the Cause.
Paul Brown who furthered the Cause through his teaching and administrative efforts. In addition, he offered his extensive labor, skills, and talents to the construction and renovation of Bahá’í properties at the National Bahá’í Center as well as at Bahá’í schools.
Helen Eggleston who pioneered in the development of Bahá’í education.
Mrs. Eggleston, along with her husband, greatly promoted the Cause in America through the founding and donation of the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan. She is affectionately remembered for her persistent efforts in behalf of Bahá’í education.
Ruth Moffett who devoted 67 years of her life to proclaiming the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Energetic, tireless and courageous, she helped spread the Faith across North America and on four other continents. She was known to many as a shining example of devotion and dedication.
Rafi Mottahedeh who gave generously of his material resources to promote the consolidation of the Bahá’í community.
Mr. Mottahedeh was a long-time champion of the Cause in New York City. This great benefactor is best remembered for his generous assistance to Bahá’í communities all over the world. He helped establish the New Era Bahá’í School in Panchgani, India.
Marian Steffes who was the first Native American to accept the Bahá’í Faith.
Mrs. Steffes, a member of the Oneida tribe of the Iroquois Nation, devoted more than 40 years to spreading the Cause among Indian peoples nationwide.
Known not only as a kind, warmhearted and gentle person, she also was known in the Navajo tradition as a woman “who walks in Beauty.”
Prayers for the spiritual progress of these believers were read in English and chanted in Persian. Readings were from the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Anyone who would like a copy of the memorial program may request one from the Bahá’í House of Worship’s Activities Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Personnel Sought to Aid Move[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly is interested in obtaining the names of individuals who are experienced in office planning, space allocation, or telephone systems.
Bahá’ís with such experience are being sought to help in planning the relocation of the National Center staff to the new Administrative Building (pictured above).
The office planning consultant should be experienced in planning for telephone systems in excess of 20 trunks and 100 stations, and also should be familiar with the private interconnect industry.
If you are qualified and interested, please send a résumé to National Center Administrator, c/o Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
Parent Training Toledo Meeting Topic[edit]
A Parent Education Conference, sponsored by the National Education Committee and hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Toledo, Ohio, was held August 26-29 at the main campus of the University of Ohio in Toledo.
The primary purpose of the conference was to give parents personal insights into becoming more effective Bahá’í parents, and to help them learn to share these insights with other parents.
QUESTIONS and concerns voiced by the more than 30 Bahá’í parents attending the conference were answered by Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and National Education Committee staff members who facilitated the conference lectures, discussions and workshops.
Common questions that arose included, “How can I use the Writings to become a better parent?” “How can Bahá’í communities support their families?” “How can Bahá’í children be integrated into the mainstream of community life?” and “How can Bahá’í parents protect their children from the influences of the old world order?”
Conference highlights included “Focus on Teenagers” and “Family Activities,” panel discussions led by Dr. Jordan and National Education Committee staff; and “The Role of the Bahá’í Community in Assisting Bahá’í Families,” a talk by Barbara Marino, a member of the National Education Committee and the Board of Education of Los Angeles, California.
There was also a series of workshops entitled “Focus on Fathers,” “Focus on Single-Parent Families,” and “Focus on the Non-Bahá’í Parent.”
During a Tuesday morning session entitled “Teaching and Deepening Together,” participants attempted to define the meaning of spiritual development.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Toledo did an excellent job of publicizing the conference. One television station gave the event two minutes on a news program, while another station plans to air a half-hour program including Dr. Jordan’s talk, “Keys to Harmony,” and other conference highlights at a later date.
About 90 people were present Tuesday evening at a public meeting at which Dr. Jordan spoke on “The Crisis in the American Family.”
All Local Spiritual Assemblies in Ohio and southeastern Michigan were invited to send representatives to the conference. The National Education Committee taped each of the sessions, and will use the tapes in some way to disseminate information on effective parenting to local Bahá’í communities.
This large display booth honoring the International Year of the Child was presented July 25-29 by the Bahá’í community of Hawthorne, California, at the annual Hawthorne Fair.
Hawthorne Bahá’ís’ Fair Booth Commemorates Year of Child[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Hawthorne, California, commemorated the International Year of the Child from July 25-29 with a large and attractive display booth at the annual Hawthorne Fair.
Thousands of Southern Californians viewed the display at the spacious Hawthorne Memorial Center.
IT FEATURED colorful filmstrips about children around the world as well as Bahá’í Holy Days and holidays. Decorations included live ferns and Persian tapestries.
The IYC theme was conveyed through helium-filled balloons, hundreds of which were given to children, along with assorted pamphlets, filmstrips and posters.
The posters provided information on the rights of children and the problems involved in obtaining adequate drinking water in various parts of the world.
Twenty-three Bahá’ís helped man the display booth during the five-day period. Twenty-seven people signed interest cards indicating their desire to obtain further information about the Faith.
A drawing was held and the book, Tokens From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, was given to the winner.
Large N.Y.C. Gathering Lauds Gregory, Wragg[edit]
On Race Unity Day, June 10, the Bahá’í community of New York City presented a special memorial tribute to two distinguished believers, Charles Wragg and Louis G. Gregory.
Among those who recounted memories of their association with Mr. Gregory and Mr. Wragg were Charles Goldberg who read a message from the Universal House of Justice and a letter from Mr. Wragg’s brother, a Bahá’í in Australia; Mrs. Viola Wood, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of New York City; Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of North Hempstead, Long Island; and Prof. Ben Kauffman, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.
Mrs. Wood introduced Mr. Gregory’s niece, Mrs. Lauretta Turney-Moore, who read a letter from the beloved Guardian to Mr. Wragg, dated January 28, 1933, praising his teaching efforts in the South with Mr. Gregory.
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More than 100 persons attended the event. Devotional music was provided by Mrs. Jacquie Goldberg and Miguel Corales.
Mr. Wragg, a distinguished Bahá’í of long standing who served on the Spiritual Assembly of New York City and the United Nations Committee, was a scientist and inventor who was credited with engineering advances in aerodynamics. He died last April 23 at the age of 89.
The memorial service was planned in part to honor Mr. Wragg’s outstanding contribution to “the most challenging issue” when he and Mr. Gregory formed an interracial teaching team and toured the college lecture circuit in the South during the 1920’s.
Youth Workshop: A Mind-Bending Trip[edit]
It could be a toss-up whether the Bahá’í Youth Workshop’s recently completed cross-country tour had a greater impact on those who saw the performances in 14 states, or on the troupe members themselves.
“The trip was simply tremendous,” says Oscar DeGruy of Redding, California, the workshop’s founder-director and manager of the tour.
“WE WERE ALL surprised by the kind of response we received. In many communities, people literally came out of the woodwork to see us. Many of them left in tears, and were genuinely moved by what they saw.”
For workshop member Albert Huerta of Los Angeles, the trip had a deep personal meaning.
“It got me closer to my fellow Bahá’ís,” he says. “When you’re in unison, you can’t go wrong. And if you’re doing the work for Bahá’u’lláh, you can’t go wrong.”
Twenty-four workshop members, youth and young adults from many racial and ethnic backgrounds, took part in the 34-day-long cross-country tour this summer, performing their road show, “Dream of a One Mankind,” in 15 cities.
THE SHOW blends teaching and theatre into a musical morality play that features dance, music, humor and free verse.
“Dream” is about a black girl, Chrissy, and her personal struggles with black-white relations, peer pressure, and drugs before she finally begins a journey to self-discovery.
The play’s nationwide tour was arranged and sponsored by the National Youth Committee.
After weeks of intense rehearsal in Redding and Los Angeles, members of the troupe hit the road June 15, heading for Phoenix, Arizona.
That first stop included an unexpected bonus. The workshop was invited to appear on a popular local television show, “Get It On.”
FROM PHOENIX, the troupe went to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago (with a stop at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette); Donora, Pennsylvania; Baltimore; Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Montgomery, Alabama; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston and Dallas, Texas, and then back to Albuquerque, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
Troupe members stayed in the homes of Bahá’ís in the cities where they performed. A typical day on the road began with a meeting for prayers after breakfast.
Then, under Mr. DeGruy’s direction, they would consult on plans for the day and head for a local park or shopping mall to stage excerpts from the show and build up public interest while inviting people to that evening’s performance.
Those excerpts, called “demos,” enabled the workshop to conduct direct teaching and proclamation and to promote the show at the same time.
THE EVENING performances, held usually at schools or local auditoriums, drew crowds of up to several hundred, and often resulted in several declarations on the spot with more being reported later.
“Dream of a One Mankind” generated newspaper articles, TV appearances and even letters to the National Center in Wilmette from non-Bahá’ís who saw the show and wrote to express their gratitude and appreciation.
Ironically, it was sometimes the local Bahá’ís who first had to be won over about the benefits of the show.
“Some were expecting a performance that was less than professional,” says Mr. DeGruy. “What they got was a show that was not only superbly done in every respect, but stood up quite well to everyone’s criticism and in fact got rave reviews.
“Proclamation events are often unsatisfying,” he added. “They simply don’t work. But this show worked. The effect on Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís was tremendous.”
WORKSHOP members were careful not to give the impression that they were in a town to take over local teaching activities.
“We just supported local efforts,” says Mr. DeGruy, “rather than telling them what to do.”
The idea for the play first occurred to Mr. DeGruy and his wife, Freddie, about four years ago while they were working with the Bahá’í Youth Workshop in Los Angeles.
That workshop, created as a forum for Bahá’í youth, gradually evolved into a series of talent shows, and later into the full road show production.
Along the way, the DeGruys and other Bahá’í families from the Los Angeles area moved to Redding, in Northern California, as homefront pioneers.
THE RELOCATION of five families led to the formation of Spiritual Assemblies in South Redding and the Central Valley Judicial District.
It also gave the youth workshop a new home and a place to “fine tune” the last details of its show.
“Dream of a One Mankind” opens with five fast-paced disco dance numbers—all of which are carefully choreographed for maximum visual and audience appeal.
“We’ve tried to depict the society we live in,” says Mr. DeGruy. “The disco dancing, the whole street scene—people are really into that.
“WE DON’T necessarily put it down, but we do say there is an alternative to doing the crazy things with dancing, drugs, sex, and so on—and that you don’t have to go that route.”
From there, the show goes into a series of sketches, musical and dance numbers, gradually becoming more serious and dramatic in tone.
Presenting the show has led to some problems. Even before it left on tour, a performance in Redding was marred when anti-Bahá’í circulars were passed out to the audience.
“There was a deliberate, organized plan to attack the Faith,” says Mr. DeGruy. “The ‘Cult of the Month Club,’ they called us, and they had things published and printed.
“SO AS PEOPLE were leaving the auditorium after our show, they were handed circulars. We had to go immediately and let the people know that this was not us, that these were people who were attacking us.”
On the road, more problems arose. The show deals directly with racism and race relations—themes that weren’t always welcomed by audiences.
“The racial issue is always a test,” says Mr. DeGruy. “Everywhere in the country, it has been a test. We have to be wary of people who are upset by the idea of the races coming together.
“In the South, there was tension all the time. We had to be aware that we could overdo or flaunt this idea of racial unity.”
AUDIENCE turnout in the southern states was smaller than in the north. “We didn’t have the numbers we hoped we’d have gotten,” says the director, adding:
“Mostly, it was blacks who came. White America doesn’t seem to be ready for this kind of thing in the South. Southerners don’t necessarily want to see it as much.”
A turning point for the troupe came on July 9, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Báb. Responding to the request from the National Spiritual Assembly, four troupe members began around-the-clock prayers for the Bahá’ís in Iran.
A gradual change came over the members of the troupe, says Mrs. DeGruy.
“The kids realized that if they didn’t pray for their show, it wouldn’t have the effect it should,” she says.
Some events on the road provided confirmations all their own. The Assembly in Kansas City, for example, gave the troupe $3,000 to continue its work.
THE BUS TOUR itself also paid at least one unexpected dividend. “Somewhere around Baltimore,” says Mr. DeGruy, smiling, “the bus driver declared.”
Every city provided new experiences, and every performance confirmed to tour members that there are Bahá’ís living everywhere. The confirmation helped weld the troupe into an even closer unit.
“The unity, love and harmony among these young people can’t be measured by any of our standards,” says Mr. DeGruy. “It goes far beyond that.”
The director feels the same about the show itself. When asked to describe what “Dream of a One Mankind” is, Mr. DeGruy replied:
“To me, it’s what a Nineteen Day Feast should be. It should be all of us, one family, sharing our creativity and our spiritual feelings as well as our discussion of problems and business.”
Members of the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop in scenes from ‘Dream of a One Mankind,’ the highly successful show that toured 14 U.S. cities this summer.
[Page 10]
Letters to the Editor
Consultation Key to Discipline Problems[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your editorial (July 1979) discusses the problem of unruly children at Feast. This has been a concern in nearly every Bahá’í community of my experience.
The tool needed to solve this problem is available to the Bahá’ís, and that tool is consultation. We are a family, with a family problem, and we need to talk about it.
THOSE ADULTS who “stoically endure the distraction” of children at Feast have an opportunity during the consultative portion to discuss their feelings and thoughts on the matter.
Opening the subject to consultation can clear the air and relieve tensions in the community. Often the parents at Feast feel awkward and uncomfortable because they aren’t sure if their children’s behavior is disturbing others, or what conduct they should expect from their children.
More importantly, when true consultation is practiced a spiritual process is set in motion that can help unify a community. (The recent compilation on consultation sent to Local Spiritual Assemblies would be an excellent guide to help them consult on this or any other problem.)
I don’t believe there is a single solution to this problem, but I do believe that every Bahá’í community is capable of developing its own unique way of harmoniously including its children in the Nineteen Day Feast.
AND AS I AM advocating open and frank consultation, I should like to share some of my thoughts on this matter.
I believe children should be included in the Feast, especially at this stage in the development of Bahá’í community life when Feast is often one of their few Bahá’í activities.
We should also be sensitive to the needs and aware of the differing characteristics and temperaments of our children.
There are several ways in which a community can include children in Feast. They could begin the spiritual portion with songs and prayers. Often, giving the children a special part in Feast will serve to increase their interest and participation.
Children could be given a choice of being excused or participating in the business portion of Feast. They might also be encouraged to participate in consultation on how the community would like to arrange Feast.
Of course, any decision regarding arrangements for Feasts rests ultimately with the Spiritual Assembly, but all community members, including children, can express their views to the Assembly.
McMinnville, Oregon
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
When I read the letter from Dr. Andrea Adams (The American Bahá’í, July 1979), I felt a strong urge to respond. Then I noticed that you had included a very appropriate reply.
Nevertheless, I hope you won’t mind my adding a few of my own ideas and opinions.
CONCERNING the last two paragraphs of the letter in which Dr. Adams refers to “religious adults” and “spiritual adults,” I would suggest that there is roughly one person in a million who might fall into that category.
Thinking back to Moses, the law-giver: His people were spiritual children and needed many, many rules and laws. Jesus spoke to a slightly more mature people, and was able to explain some things that were beyond the grasp of most people in Moses’ time.
But the pendulum swings, and today we are in need of another law-giver.
Dr. Adams wrote of a “future” outpouring of individual teaching, but I would venture to say that this is already going on—and at the level that the Divine Messenger knew would be appropriate to this age.
I THINK the relative openness of the Bahá’í Faith is reflected in the publication of Dr. Adams’ letter.
From my own experience with various religions and philosophies, I’ve learned that ideas that are too deep usually cannot be grasped or appreciated by the average person, and may even be used against those who propose them.
I’ve also concluded that I am not qualified to evaluate or criticize any religion or way of life until I have lived it, practiced it, and experienced its innermost essence.
Southlake, Texas
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
As loving Bahá’ís concerned with the development, welfare and education of children, and also with helping non-Bahá’ís understand why Bahá’u’lláh prohibited the use of alcohol and condemned smoking, we should like to share some facts that have appeared recently in various publications:
1. The “fetal alcohol syndrome”—caused by the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy—is the third leading cause of mental retardation in infants. One recent study indicated that the syndrome might affect one in every 500 babies born in this country.
THERE IS another grave problem of which Bahá’ís should be aware. As an article in the Minneapolis Tribune (January 17, 1979) put it, “Smoking during pregnancy increases the danger that the fetus will die, according to a study which found evidence that past smoking can cause bad effects even if a mother stopped before becoming pregnant...
“... smoking during pregnancy increases many adverse effects. Among them are spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, more frequent premature births, and increased chance of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also called ‘crib death.’
“Three other disorders that kill unborn and new-born infants—premature separation from the womb of the placenta (the sac in which the fetus grows); Rh disease, a blood disorder; and major congenital malformations of the heart and other organs—also occurred more frequently when the mother smoked, according to the survey.”
Says Dr. J.R. Halberstam, senior medical editor of Modern Medicine:
“THE EFFECTS of maternal smoking on the child’s weight still are apparent at age 4, and small head size and reduced height continue for at least seven years.”
Another recent article stated that the number of girls between 12 and 14 years of age who smoke increased 800 per cent from 1968–1974. What this means is that today, each week, more than 10,000 females between 12 and 17 begin smoking!
But smoking’s harmful effects aren’t confined solely to women:
“Even if just the father smokes, a German study of 14,744 pregnancies showed that the baby is more likely to be born dead or afflicted with a birth defect, perhaps because nicotine damages sperm ...
“Studies in Britain and Israel showed that the infants of smoking parents have nearly twice the risk of being hospitalized with pneumonia or bronchitis ... Tobacco smoke can also trigger asthma attacks in susceptible children.” (Jane Brody, “Smoking’s Passive Victims,” in the Cedar Falls, Iowa, Record, December 14, 1978)
This year, 1979, has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the Child, and there is also a “mother’s march” to fight birth defects.
Unless, however, women can be made to realize their importance in relation to their children’s health, these and other programs will only touch the surface of the problem.
It is a problem that needs to be resolved, not only for our children’s sake, but for the sake of humanity as a whole.
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
After reading Sidney E. Morrison’s review of the book, 239 Days: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America (August 1979), I feel impelled to write and say that I, for one, genuinely appreciated Dr. Allan Ward’s fine work.
I found the book to be far too short too—but only because I enjoyed it so much.
WHILE I DO agree that there is some basis for Mr. Morrison’s criticisms, I felt they were far outweighed by the book’s merits.
The episodes related here, and the descriptions of the reactions of the non-Bahá’í press and public to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are precious, and nowhere else in Bahá’í literature can one find much of the sort of material presented by Dr. Ward.
I certainly would not want to have missed this book. To Dr. Ward go my heartiest thanks and praise.
Downers Grove, Illinois
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
The article entitled “Writings Are Great for Problem-Solving” (July 1979) presented some excellent aids for our daily lives as Bahá’ís in a materialistic world.
Bahá’ís have abundant energy, but we sometimes dissipate it, much as a river dissipates its force when it flows over a wide, flat area.
EACH DAY we hear or read about proposed solutions to the world’s energy problems. Our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, has given us, in four brief sentences, a spiritual energy program—a way to solve our spiritual energy problems, both from the point of view of efficient and unified use of our spiritual energy, and from that of insuring its supply.
Shoghi Effendi wrote in a letter to an individual believer:
“... You should turn your thoughts away from the things which upset you and constantly pray to Bahá’u’lláh to help you. Then you will find how that pure love, enkindled by God, which burns in the soul when we read and study the Teachings, will warm and heal, more than anything else.
“Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our own. Each of us is immeasurably far from being ‘perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect’ and the task of perfecting our own life and character is one that requires all our attention, our will-power and energy ...’”
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your August 1979 issue includes a review of Dr. Allan Ward’s book, 239 Days.
The reviewer, obviously disappointed by the book, feels that important information was scanned over too quickly, and that because of this, “239 Days becomes very difficult to read.”
HE ADMITS, however, that “there are points of interest” in the book, but says these high points or “jewels” are “in a rather drab setting.”
Pointing out the superiority of the final two chapters, the reviewer concludes that “by then, pleasure has been tempered by frustration.”
In conclusion, he warns that “beyond the good intentions of Dr. Ward, the simple but arresting cover, the easy to read print, the exquisite photographs, and a superb preface is a book that does not fulfill its purpose.”
In reading the review, I was disturbed by the critical journalistic style of the writer, and I question its appropriateness in a Bahá’í publication.
WHILE I understand the need for professionalism in Bahá’í journals, old world professionalism and journalistic styles, so critical in nature, and of questionable value, may not be in line with Bahá’í ideals of expression.
I feel that new modes of expression must be found that do not oppose the Bahá’í principle of spiritual interaction.
For instance, would the reviewer have expressed his opinions about the book in personal interaction with Dr. Ward in the same critical tone (I refer specifically to the final paragraph) used in his review?
If not, is it proper to put the opinions in print simply because that is more impersonal and supposedly more objective?
The statement that “potential buyers should be warned” implies that perhaps someone should not buy the book unless he is willing to accept and overlook those errors that, in the reviewer’s opinion, are present.
BUT HOW can an individual investigate the matter without reading the book? The alternative is to rely on the review, and thus on another person’s opinion.
The statement that 239 Days is “a book that does not fulfill its purpose” is one that no individual is qualified to make.
The book was not intended as a “Nabil’s narrative” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s journey in the West; most certainly, it will enlighten and inspire many readers.
Rockingham County, Virginia
On April 28, the Town of Herndon, Virginia, celebrated its 100th anniversary with a parade, and the Bahá’ís of Herndon were represented with a float whose theme was the International Year of the Child. The friends gave away hundreds of balloons that read, ‘One Planet, One People ... Please,’ and many people on other floats could be seen carrying the balloons.
Book Meets Challenge of ‘Growing Up’[edit]
When We Grow Up, a new book by Bahíyyih Nakhjavání on the Bahá’í education of children, was published recently by George Ronald Publishers, Oxford, England. The book is available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust (102 pp., cloth, $5.95 NET, 7-32-38; paper, $1.95 NET, 7-32-39).
When We Grow Up was written to help Bahá’í parents, future parents, and those interested in education meet the challenge of bringing up children in a non-Bahá’í society.
Although the book does not deal with specific do’s and don’ts, it does guide the reader to broader and deeper understandings of Bahá’í education.
The author deals imaginatively with such subjects as human nature and the potential of man; the spiritual laws of the universe and the danger of raising children in ignorance of them; the Covenant between God and man; the parental role of the Spiritual Assembly; and the use of Bahá’í Writings in the rearing of children.
When We Grow Up includes quotations from the source that inspired the author to write it—the Bahá’í Writings.
The book can help win the Seven Year Plan goals concerning “the nurturing of a deeper understanding of Bahá’í family life,” “the Bahá’í education of children,” and “the encouragement of Bahá’í youth in study and service.”
The author, Bahíyyih Nakhjavání, comes from a distinguished Bahá’í family. A parent herself, she has a young daughter and is presently living in Cyprus.
When We Grow Up is available from Bahá’í librarians. Isolated Bahá’ís and Bahá’ís in communities with no librarian may order by sending a check or money order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. On orders under $5, add 75 cents for postage and handling.
The Bahá’í community of San Luis Obispo (California) J.D. No. 4 sponsored an intercommunity proclamation event for Race Unity Day, June 10, at the 9 Oaks Ranch near Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County. The musical event, featuring artists from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, was supported wholeheartedly by the Bahá’í Intercommunity Association (BICA) of San Luis Obispo County and drew an audience of 86 including 31 non-Bahá’í adults. At left above, Kirsten Zemke accompanies her family, one of the participating musical groups, on the piano. At right, Bob Montano, Alyce Sherman and Ruth Montano, an interracial non-Bahá’í group, entertains the guests outside.
In June 1979, the first Bahá’í Club was organized at the American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona. The world-renowned school, established in 1946, is popularly known as ‘Thunderbird’ for the Indian symbol of peace, prosperity and brotherhood. This summer, the school had an enrollment of 769 students including 226 from 50 foreign countries. The Bahá’í Club includes members from Canada, Finland, Iran, The Netherlands, and the U.S. Shown here are members of the Bahá’í Club whose faculty adviser is Dr. Robert L. Gulick Jr., dean of admissions and foreign student adviser at the school. Ruja Modabber, secretary of the Bahá’í Club, has been elected vice-president of the Associated Students Legislative Council at the school for the 1979 fall semester.
Counsellor Sabri, Husband Pay U.S. Return Visit[edit]
Isobel Sabri, a Continental Counsellor in Central and East Africa, and her husband, Hassan, secretary of the Continental Pioneering Committee of Africa, visited the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, from August 12–14.
Returning to the U.S. for the first time in 25 years, Mrs. Sabri explained that, “We came, really, because there are many young American and Canadian pioneers and traveling teachers arriving in Africa, and I felt somehow out of touch with their point of view, their background—generally speaking, with their world, because I have been away from the States for so long.”
THE SABRIS plan to visit, selectively, urban and rural communities, talk to people of all ages and backgrounds and lifestyles, and visit old friends who may be willing to help them understand more clearly the concerns of young North American pioneers to Africa.
“I think that, in the same way parents have to be in close touch with the world of youth, so it is also necessary for the Bahá’ís of the world to be in close touch with each other’s way of life if they expect to help each other,” said Mrs. Sabri.
At a public meeting August 12 at the Bahá’í House of Worship, Mrs. Sabri spoke of the compassion and concern of the American people.
The Sabris also were pleasantly surprised by the closer unity among the races in America.
MRS. SABRI pointed out that the presence of blacks in the media, such as television, was almost unheard of the last time she was in this country.
Mr. Sabri, who also is in charge of the technical curriculum at the Kenya Institute of Education, spoke confidently of the unfoldment of Bahá’u’lláh’s new World Order.
He too noted the considerable change in America’s racial attitudes, and recalled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s praise of America, its spirit and resources.
As he spoke of the necessity for a new World Order, Mr. Sabri reminded the friends of America’s destiny in leading the world in the building of that Order.
“Those nations not conquered militarily by the United States,” he said, “will be conquered spiritually by the Builders of the new World Order.”
THE SABRIS, who met and married while both were pioneering in England, pioneered to Africa at the outset of the Two Year Plan, given to the British Bahá’ís by the Guardian as a reward for successfully completing their Six Year Plan. The British Two Year Plan lasted from mid-1951 to Riḍván 1953 and coordinated the efforts of the Bahá’í communities of Great Britain, the U.S., Iran, Egypt, Iraq and India.
During their quarter-century in Africa, the Sabris have lived in Tanganyika, Uganda and Kenya.
When their visit to the U.S. is over, the Sabris will return to their home in Nairobi, Kenya, where they have helped champion the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh since 1973.
Participants in the Special Visit Program at the Bahá’í House of Worship from August 2–5 included children (left to right) Faraz Rameshni, Neda Ramirez, Arman Javid, Angela McGhee, Jennifer Ebert and Maryam Ebert. Adult participants were (front row left to right) Cyrus Rameshni (kneeling), Izzat Rameshni, Rouhangiz Jamshedi, Ghoodsieh Haidarian, Steven Ramirez, Valerie Ramirez, Cynthia Chessick, Azar Javid, Judith McKee, Carol Tunkin, Jacqueline Osborne, Mehran Lotfi, Sharon Osborne, Mehregan Lotfi, Khodamorad Lotfi, Jolene Fontenot; (middle row left to right) Mehraban Jamshedi, Margaret Cline, Glenda McGhee, Jamshid Sabouri, Roohieh Vahdat, Mina Haidarian, Beth James, Claudia Gold, Monica Grismer, Kurtis Lee Kehl, Lucille Sibole, Julie Carver, Jill Treffry, and (back row left to right) Steven Lothe, Kambiz Sabouri, Craig Engles, Phyllis Van Keuren, Sterling Rogers, Sallie Ebert, Allen Ebert, Gwynn Carver, Paul Jacobi, Ellie Jacobi, Robert Sibole, Bruce Whitmore (manager of the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office), and Michael Carr (House of Worship activities coordinator). Not shown are Humayoon and Esmat Hessami. The visitors came from Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Washington State.
Ithaca, N.Y., Bahá’ís Sponsor Heart to Heart Teaching Forum[edit]
“Heart to Heart Teaching” was the theme of an institute August 17–19 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of the Town of Ithaca, New York.
Participants came from Wolcott, Hogansburg, Endicott, Rochester, Greece and Ithaca, New York, and from Piscataway, New Jersey.
Following a social gathering Friday evening, study began Saturday morning, led by Robert Rosenfelt, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.
After studying the Tablets of the Divine Plan and viewing a slide presentation, “The Ideal Bahá’í,” prepared by the National Teaching Committee, teaching teams were sent to various parts of the Ithaca area. The day ended with a picnic and fireside.
Teaching Native Americans, especially in New York State, was the focal point of Sunday’s session that featured a tape recorded on the occasion of the declaration of Donald Perrote Jr., a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who clearly revealed the vital contributions that these spiritually sensitive souls have to offer the Bahá’í world community.
‘Selected Writings’ Released in New Cloth Edition[edit]
A new cloth edition of the popular book Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is being published this month by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The new edition, which contains 91 brief selections on spiritual teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, is priced at $4.50 (125 pp., references, cat. No. 7-03-24).
THE NEW edition’s design is entirely different from the paperback. Each selection begins on a new page. With its large type and large pages, the cloth version is inviting and easy to read.
Another feature of the new edition is a six-page foreword that introduces the reader to the history and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is suited for both personal deepening and teaching. It can be given as a gift to seekers, new Bahá’ís, friends of the Faith, and local dignitaries.
Selections in the book touch on six main topics including the fulfillment of past religions, God and His Manifestations, the paths to God, and spiritual aspects of the coming World Order.
Also covered are the soul and life after death, and the renewal of God’s Covenant with man.
FIRST PRINTED in 1942, this compilation of Bahá’í Writings has enjoyed continued popularity through the years.
In 1975, it was printed in a revised paperback edition. Now, to make the book useful and attractive to as wide an audience as possible, it is being made available in this cloth edition.
Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is still available as a pocket-sized paperback (37 pp., paper, catalog No. 7-03-23). The price of the paperback is $1.10 each for single copies or 85 cents each for 10 or more copies.
To order either edition, see your Bahá’í librarian. Isolated Bahá’ís and Bahá’ís in communities with no librarian may order directly by sending full payment via check or money order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please add 75 cents for postage and handling on orders under $5.
Judge James F. Nelson (seated) and his assistants, bailiff Dick Tinsley and clerk Juana Conrad, who together form the only all-Bahá’í court in the U.S., District 56 of the Los Angeles County Municipal Court.
Judge Nelson’s Court All-Bahá’í[edit]
Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, presides over the only all-Bahá’í court in the U.S.
Judge Nelson’s two assistants in Division 56 of the Los Angeles County Municipal Court are court clerk Juana Conrad, who is chairman of the Southern California No. 1 District Teaching Committee, and bailiff Dick Tinsley, who also is a Bahá’í.
THE THREE have worked together on the court for more than four years.
As a part of their commitment toward winning the goals of the Five Year Plan, they began last October to hold weekly firesides and deepenings between sessions at the court.
Within a few months, these gatherings had led to five declarations. Intercalary Day and Holy Day parties and observances in chambers helped to create a warm Bahá’í atmosphere and attracted many seekers.
Firesides and deepenings continue to be held on a weekly basis, with an average attendance of four seekers.
The Bahá’ís of Orange County, Virginia, who recently formed a Spiritual Assembly, won first place for ‘Best Decorated Car’ with this float in the Orange County Firemen’s Parade on June 8. The float, created by Frank Brady of Falls Church, Virginia, was also a prize winner in that community. The same car was used later when the Bahá’ís of Orange County picked up litter from a two-mile section of road as a neighborhood beautification project and a way of ‘teaching by example.’ An article and photo about the event appeared in the local paper.
Faith Gains Membership In Chicago Tour Bureau[edit]
Among the eight million visitors to Chicago each year are several hundred thousand who participate in conventions or trade shows.
To further encourage these groups and individuals to visit the Bahá’í House of Worship, the Activities Committee recently secured membership in the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.
THE BUREAU provides many services that keep its members informed of activities in the Chicago area.
It also publishes Contour Magazine, a guide for convention decision-makers that lists the House of Worship under its own category, separate from any other tourist attraction in the area.
Among the many promotional items produced by the Bureau is a new poster that shows the most famous sites in Chicago and that includes a picture of the House of Worship.
In a description of new members in the July/August issue of its magazine, the Bureau describes the House of Worship as “one of the most famous architectural structures in Illinois.”
THE ARTICLE also notes that “the House of Worship was constructed to symbolize the basic principles of the Bahá’í Faith: there is only one God; all religions share a common foundation; people of all races, nations, economic groups and religious backgrounds are equal in the sight of God.”
Describing further the structure, the article states that “the auditorium rises 135 feet above the main floor, one of the tallest unobstructed interior cavities of any building in the world. Sunlight filters through lace-like ornamentation to create one of the most beautiful scenes anywhere.”
The January/February issue of Contour featured a cover photo of the House of Worship at night in recognition of its entry last year in the National Register of Historic Places.
Another publication of the Bureau is the Chicago Convention and Tourism Guide that is used to promote worldwide Chicago’s convention facilities.
The magazine is also sold to Chicago’s visitors and is frequently provided to them free by hotels and other tourist agencies.
When one of the publication’s major advertisers decided not to renew its contract for 1980, its prestigious position in the guide was offered to the Activities Committee. The opportunity was seized, and a full-page color ad for the House of Worship will appear next year.
Even though the proclamation potential of membership in the Bureau is being effectively exploited, it is the teaching prospects that are the most exciting.
Since the beginning of the summer, more than 1,300 conventioneers have toured the House of Worship, most of them learning about the Faith for the first time.
This program is being expanded to reach many more conventions and is expected to become a major source of visitors to the House of Worship in the near future.
Conferences Set[edit]
The Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith (CASBF) will hold its annual Regional Conferences from December 28–30 in Halifax, Toronto, Saskatoon, and Vancouver, Canada.
The Association, which moved its headquarters to Ottawa in mid-June, recently published the sixth volume in its Bahá’í Studies series—The Violence-Free Society: A Gift for Our Children, by Hossain B. Danesh.
At its June 14 meeting, the CASBF’s Executive Committee, in keeping with its Seven Year Plan goal to “... further develop the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith ...,” decided to lower membership fees to encourage a wider membership.
An individual membership is now $15; married couples, $25; students or senior citizens over 70, $10; pioneers, $10.
For further information about the Association or its Regional Conferences, write to the CASBF Secretariat, 224 Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2L8 Canada.
Persecutions[edit]
Continued From Page 1
workmen continued the demolition today.
“An ordained place of pilgrimage for Bahá’ís throughout the world, the House of the Báb has similar importance for Bahá’ís as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem for Jews, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for Christians, and the Kaaba in Mecca for Muslims. The Bahá’í Faith had its beginnings in the House of the Báb in 1844.
“In a cablegram to Iranian Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, the Bahá’í National Assembly, the governing body of the religion in the United States, said: ‘The perpetrators of these dastardly acts made obvious their intention utterly to destroy this sacred building along with two adjacent houses also belonging to the Bahá’í community ... Occurring in spite of the assurances given by your diplomatic representatives in Washington, D.C., that there were no plans to damage or destroy Bahá’í Shrines, this senseless vandalism and desecration of a prominent Bahá’í Holy Place simply arouse feelings of distress and indignation among the Bahá’ís residing in more than 7,000 localities in the United States.’
“WHEN ALL Bahá’í Holy Places were seized by authorities in recent months, the protestations of the Bahá’ís were met with bland assurances, confirmed in writing, that the take-over was for the protection of these sacred places.
“The U.S. Bahá’í Assembly received a letter dated April 4, 1979, from the Iranian Embassy in Washington which said that ‘there have been no attempts against these shrines, nor are there any plans extant to do them damage or destroy them. News stories and other reports that indicate an intention of destruction are purely and simply propaganda intended to inflame feelings, and should be disregarded.’
“The Assembly also expressed to Prime Minister Bazargan the apprehension of U.S. Bahá’ís that ‘these barbarous acts will lead to yet more destruction of other Bahá’í Holy Places and even to brutal attacks upon the persons of their fellow Bahá’ís in Iran.’
“The demolition of the House of the Báb represents to the Bahá’ís the most shocking in a series of attacks upon their properties in Iran.
“ACCORDING to reports, 49 Bahá’í properties have been confiscated and 29 have been demolished, including holy and historical places, hospitals, cemeteries, meeting places and administrative buildings.
“Reuters News Service reported recently that the Bahá’í national headquarters in Iran had been confiscated and converted into a center for Islamic studies.
“During its 135 years, the Bahá’í Faith has spread to 343 countries and territories comprising more than 103,000 localities where Bahá’ís reside worldwide.”
The National Spiritual Assembly stressed that Bahá’í administrative bodies and individuals in the U.S. should take no direct action with respect to these latest developments in Iran unless specifically requested to do so by the National Assembly.
The believers should continue to pray for the security of Bahá’ís and Bahá’í properties in Iran, and above all, should intensify the teaching work to swell the ranks of the believers in America.
[Page 13]
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Mentor, Ohio, was formed December 31, 1978, and held its Recognition Ceremony last April 1 with Auxiliary Board member Donald Barrett as guest speaker. Members of the Assembly are (starting third from left in the back row) Julie Knaus, Stephanie Dornbrook, Everett Hall, Dustin Dornbrook, Cynthia Hall, Kent Hatfield, Janet McGrath, Katharina Hatfield, Raymond Knaus. Others in the photo are children of the Mentor community (from left) Jeffrey Knaus, Kendra Hatfield, Nathan Dornbrook, Karen Knaus, Mara Dornbrook, Jason Knaus, Kevin Hatfield.
Singer Carla Baker of Oak Park, Illinois, entertains during the IYC festival July 29 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Edward Schliesmann, who heard of the Bahá’í Faith for the first time at the Rhinelander, Wisconsin, IYC festival in July and declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh before the day was over, blows up some of the ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ balloons that were given away by the Bahá’ís.
Wisconsin Bahá’ís Shine at IYC Fest[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, were very much in evidence July 29 as the community staged an all-day festival at a local park to commemorate the International Year of the Child.
The Bahá’ís erected “Love That Child” billboards, gave out brochures and balloons, and provided entertainment by Carla Baker, a singer from Oak Park, Illinois, who came to Rhinelander especially for the event.
MRS. BAKER thrilled the large crowds with her stirring rendition of the song, “Love That Child.”
The festival also featured bands, Indian and square dancing, a water ski show, sing-along, clowns, races, a kung fu demonstration, and the crowning of Mr. and Ms. Rhinelander.
The local newspaper gave the event front-page coverage, and the mayor proclaimed it “International Year of the Child Day” in Rhinelander.
The day ended gloriously for the Bahá’ís when one of the performers in the show declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh. He had heard of the Faith for the first time that day.
Classified Ads[edit]
CLASSIFIED ADS in The American Bahá’í are intended as a service to the U.S. Bahá’í community and are printed free of charge.
•
THE BEST of both worlds. About 65 miles west of Chicago and the Bahá’í House of Worship lies DeKalb, Illinois, home of Northern Illinois University and international headquarters for DeKalb AgResearch and the Wurlitzer Company. This small but growing Midwestern city, surrounded by rolling farmlands, has a variety of educational and career opportunities. There are openings for university faculty in marketing, management, finance, accounting, education, library science, journalism and other fields. Opportunities also exist in nursing, industry and business. DeKalb’s small-town atmosphere and big-city cultural advantages make it a comfortable place to live, work and raise a family. If you’d like to help lend stability to a determined Spiritual Assembly, please contact Sharon and Dennis Bakula, 415 Pine St., DeKalb, IL 60115, or phone 815-758-1428.
DOUGLAS, ARIZONA, needs homefront pioneers to help re-establish its Local Spiritual Assembly. This Southern Arizona desert area is similar in climate and appearance to Iran. A Persian family would be especially welcome in Douglas, especially one whose members include school teachers, a college professor, a physician (badly needed in Douglas), and/or someone who would like to establish a business. For information please write to the Douglas Bahá’í Group, P.O. Box 641, Douglas, AZ 85607, or phone Joan Lozier, 602-364-8207.
HELP WANTED? Too many bills and not enough cash? Unable to contribute regularly to the Fund? Your Assembly doesn’t know how much money it has in the bank? For help with these and other problems, contact your nearest National Treasurer’s Representative. Your NTR is trained to offer: deepening courses on the Fund; help with financial planning; help with bookkeeping, budgeting and auditing; Feast reports; inspirational filmstrips; and training for local treasurers. All of this and more—free of charge! So call your nearest NTR today or contact the Office of the Treasurer, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 for the NTR nearest you. Help wanted? Help gladly given!
MEDIA-KNOWLEDGEABLE person needed in Kentucky to help state media committee. One-year-old committee has abundant enthusiasm but little experience or knowhow. An excellent opportunity to homefront pioneer in a state that has only seven Assemblies and many unopened localities. Please contact the Kentucky State Media Committee, c/o Nancy Harris, 15004 Brush Run Road, Louisville, KY 40299, or phone 502-267-0148.
THE BAHÁ’ÍS of Samoa will hold their Summer School at the National Bahá’í Center in Lelata, Apia, Western Samoa, from December 26-31. Registration fee is $5 (15 years or older) or $2 (under 15 years). A valid passport and onward ticket are required to enter Western Samoa as a tourist for up to 30 days, and you must show that you are financially able to sustain yourself for the period of time you plan to stay. Those planning to attend should submit information on planned arrival and departure dates, along with passport information, so that immigration authorities can be informed. To pre-register, write to P.O. Box 1117, Apia, Western Samoa (Attention: Summer School Registrar).
GATEWAY TO VICTORY: A Celebration of the Seven Year Plan is the theme of a conference to be held October 20-21 at Bosque Farms, New Mexico. All Bahá’ís in New Mexico and surrounding states are invited to share in the celebration and to help launch regional, state and local teaching efforts. Classes on the Seven Year Plan and the Covenant are only a part of the program that will include as special guests Auxiliary Board members Nancy Phillips and Ernest Bruss. Children’s classes will be provided, and limited hospitality is available. For details, write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bosque Farms, P.O. Box 593, Peralta, NM 87042, or phone 505-869-3668 or 505-869-6854.
SINCE QUALITY printing is available in Taiwan at costs often considerably lower than in other countries, and since high prices have sometimes prevented national Bahá’í communities from producing as many publications as they might wish, the Publishing Trust of the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan is actively soliciting manuscripts from Bahá’í authors anywhere in the world as a part of its plan to raise funds for the teaching work in Taiwan while offering the worldwide Bahá’í community literature that otherwise might not be printed. Manuscripts should be submitted in English or Chinese, typewritten or clearly handwritten and double-spaced. All materials will be acknowledged upon receipt, but cannot be returned; therefore, copies of manuscripts, artwork and photos should be kept by the authors. Although all types of Bahá’í manuscripts are welcome, from pamphlets to large volumes, the Publishing Trust is most particularly interested in children’s literature that is either directly Bahá’í or of an obvious Bahá’í theme or principle. If a work is chosen for publication, proceeds from its sale will be donated in lieu of royalties to the National Bahá’í Fund of Taiwan in the name of the author or in the name(s) of the Bahá’í(s) of the author’s choosing, along with a letter of appreciation from the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan. Please pack all materials sturdily to assure safe transit and clean delivery. Materials should be sent by registered airmail to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust (MSS), c/o the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taiwan, 149-13, Hsin Sheng Nan Lu, sec. 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan, R.O.C.
MEDICAL PRACTICE for sale. A Bahá’í physician and his wife are leaving soon for an overseas pioneering post and wish to sell a medical clinic and home in Wisconsin. The practice has been established for 24 years; good income. If interested, phone 414-388-2121, or 414-388-4022.
PSYCHIATRIST: position now open at California clinic with Bahá’ís on staff. Can homefront pioneer to Vista, in northern San Diego County, and still be close to the clinic. Must be licensed to practice in California. Send resumé to Dr. Arnold P. Nerenberg, director, Child and Family Guidance Center, 348 Rancheros, Suite 201, Box 460, San Marcos, CA 92069.
FOR RENT: a three-bedroom home on the Southern Ute Reservation in Colorado. The only Bahá’í home on the Reservation. Rent is $160 a month. Write to Linda and Chris Cholas, P.O. Box 205, Ignacio, CO 81137, or phone 303-563-4692. Available immediately.
GRADUATE STUDENTS who are presently enrolled in a university in the U.S., and are pursuing studies that are directly related to some aspect of the Bahá’í Faith, are urged to participate in the compilation of a Directory of Bahá’í Studies. Please send a letter or postcard to Anthony Lee, c/o Kalimat Press, 10889 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 270, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
PARTICIPATE in direct teaching while preparing for a great pioneering job. The University of South Florida, Tampa, has an excellent graduate program in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Bahá’ís graduating from the program have had their choice of well-paying jobs in the U.S. and abroad. For a brochure, simply write to the University of South Florida, Department of Linguistics, Fowler Drive, Tampa, FL 33620. For other information, write to Mrs. Roberta Law, 1202 Geraci Road, Lutz, FL 33549, or phone 813-949-1020.
ATTENTION Bahá’í music lovers in New England and the Northeastern states: Bahá’í operatic and concert soprano (classical singer) with piano accompanist will perform solo recitals for Bahá’í proclamation/teaching functions and other special community events and occasions. Previous appearances include soloist at Foundation Hall during the 1969 Bahá’í National Convention (accompanied by Dr. Daniel C. Jordan); mini-recital at the Hotel Orrington, Evanston, Illinois, in 1973 following a banquet that closed the Nine Year Plan; soloist at the Bahá’í Youth Conference in Oklahoma City, June 1973; soloist at the first National Bahá’í Conference of the Five Year Plan at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1974; plus numerous summer solo vocal recitals at Green Acre Bahá’í School, Eliot, Maine. Contact Mary Louise Creekmore, 163 Colonial Village, Amherst, MA 01002, or phone 413-253-7352 to make the necessary arrangements.
[Page 14]
Thirty-two Bahá’ís attended the Pioneer Training Institute held August 12-15 at the National Center in Wilmette. The prospective pioneers were on their way to the Caroline Islands, Nigeria, American Samoa, and several countries in South America.
Some of the 50 West Virginia believers who attended a consultation program on the Seven Year Plan held August 4 in Charleston.
Singer Van Gilmer entertains the friends during a consultation program on the Seven Year Plan sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Charleston and the West Virginia District Teaching Committee and held August 4 in Charleston.
W. Virginia Holds Consultation Program[edit]
On August 4, the Spiritual Assembly of Charleston and the District Teaching Committee of West Virginia sponsored a consultation program entitled “A Message for West Virginians.”
The afternoon of songs, prayers, and planning was attended by about 50 believers who came to hear reports from District Teaching Committee representatives and to discuss ambitious new goals for the growth of the Faith in that state.
AMONG THE speakers was Fred Myers Jr. of Columbia, Maryland, who spoke about the Seven Year Plan, discussed messages from the Universal House of Justice to the U.S. and the world, emphasized the great challenge of teaching the Faith, and pointed out the need to contribute regularly and sacrificially to the Bahá’í Fund.
Music for the program was provided by singer/guitarist Van Gilmer from Maryland.
Reports of media successes included the acceptance of the Jeff Reynolds show by WKEE, the top radio station in the Huntington area, for one year at no cost to the friends.
Believers from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio formed a tri-state media committee that succeeded in having space donated by an advertising agency to display a “Love That Child” billboard in Huntington.
In Charleston, the friends obtained advertising space from the Kanawha Valley Transit Authority and have placed ads on every bus operating in the metropolitan Charleston area.
The friends at the conference resolved to continue exploring ways in which to use the media to proclaim the Faith while intensifying teaching efforts throughout the state.
Bahá’ís Join Forces to Serve Others at Annual Iowa Fair[edit]
Bahá’ís from Pierson, Kingsley, Sioux City, and Anthon, Iowa, joined together August 1-4 to offer visitors to the annual Woodbury County Fair free iced tea, lemonade, doughnuts, and a comfortable place to rest.
The “Bahá’í Hospitality Bus,” which proved especially popular with the younger set, was a converted school bus that was air-conditioned, carpeted, and comfortably furnished.
The bus offered a welcome respite for fairgoers in the 90-degree August heat. It was decorated with Bahá’í posters, and free literature was available for those who were interested.
About 50 children visited the bus, and many of them returned frequently.
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Arise! |
Among the adults who stopped at the bus was a young man who has begun reading Thief in the Night.
‘Oraciones Bahá’ís’ Now Available at U.S. Trust[edit]
Oraciones Bahá’ís (Bahá’í Prayers, Spanish) has just been published in the U.S. by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The book, available only in paperback, is a photographic reproduction of a book of the same name published in Argentina. The price is $2 NET (catalog No. 7-93-13).
Until now, Oraciones Bahá’ís had to be imported. As a result, the price was high and the supply was uncertain.
Now that the book is being printed in this country, the Publishing Trust is in a better position to stock a good supply and sell it at a relatively low price.
Oraciones Bahá’ís was reprinted with the permission of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Argentina.
•
Prayers and Meditations, a selection of nearly 200 prayers and devotional passages revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, is once again available. The price is $7 (339 pp.; index; cloth, catalog No. 7-03-10).
The Open Door, the booklet containing selections from the Bahá’í Writings on life after death, is now available in a revised edition.
The booklet, which presents the subject of death and the life hereafter in a positive, uplifting, and dignified manner, can be used as a “sympathy card” for the recently bereaved.
The pamphlet’s text is unchanged, but it has been redesigned and its size has been altered to meet new Postal Service requirements.
The price, with envelopes, is 75 cents each (catalog No. 7-40-58); without envelopes, 65 cents each (catalog No. 7-40-59). Quantity prices are available.
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Another Song Another Season: Poems and Portrayals is the title of a new book by Roger White expected this month from George Ronald, Publisher, Oxford, England.
The book features vivid, sympathetic portraits—in poetry and prose—of martyrs, pioneers, and others (144 pp., cloth, $7.50, catalog No. 7-32-36; paper, $3.50, catalog No. 7-32-37).
The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears wrote of the author, “I have always found pure delight in the writing of Roger White.”
Another Bahá’í author, Marzieh Gail, observed that Another Song Another Season “will tell you more about this Faith in an hour than will many an hour of study.”
Among the figures portrayed in the book are ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (in ‘Akká, France, New York City); Fred Mortensen; Louis Gregory; and many Persian Bahá’í heroes and heroines.
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1980 Calendars are nearing completion at the Publishing Trust. New this year is a Bahá’í Memo Calendar, an inexpensive calendar pad with one Gregorian month per 8½ x 11-inch tear-off sheet.
The new memo calendar, which indicates all Bahá’í Feasts and Holy Days, can be used on either desk or wall. It will be three-hole punched for storage in a three-ring binder.
The 1980 Bahá’í Wall Calendar will feature a night view in color of the Shrine of the Báb. The new 1980 Bahá’í Date Book will be slightly smaller than previous editions and will fit more easily into one’s pocket.
Except for the 1980 Bahá’í Wall Calendar, all the 1980 calendars will extend from January 1980 through March 1981. Beginning in March 1981, all of the calendars will be geared to the Bahá’í year, which begins at Naw-Rúz, March 21.
A Reminder: To order materials from the Publishing Trust, see your Bahá’í librarian or send a check or money order directly to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. On orders under $5, please add 75 cents to cover postage and handling.
Bosch Announces Upcoming Sessions[edit]
The fall and early winter schedule at the Bosch Bahá’í School near Santa Cruz, California, includes the following:
October 19-21—“The Bearers of the Word of God in This Day.” Teachers: Jim and Ren Turpin. Adults 15 and over only. In addition to the regular program, there will be sessions especially for seekers and new believers.
November 22-25—“ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” Teacher: Saeid Khadivian. Adults 15 and over only.
December 22-26—“The Joys of Being a Bahá’í.” General session: classes for all ages.
December 28-January 1—“Building and Maintaining a Bahá’í World: The Urgency of Teaching.” Adults 15 and over only.
All sessions begin the evening of the first date. Space may be reserved by sending a $10 deposit for each person to:
The Registrar, Bosch Bahá’í School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
[Page 15]
Prudence Runyan, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Frankfort, Kentucky, mans the ‘Love That Child’ booth sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Frankfort at the Franklin County Fair during the week of June 16. Hundreds of fairgoers saw the booth; many stopped to accept Bahá’í literature and balloons with the ‘Love That Child’ theme.
In Memoriam[edit]
- Ben Anderson
- Conway, South Carolina
- 1975
- Mrs. Bernice D. Anderson
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- August 1, 1979
- Mrs. Ethel L. Arnold
- Buckley, Washington
- November 12, 1978
- Edwin L. Barham
- Columbia, Maryland
- July 30, 1979
- Mrs. Christina Bell
- Kershaw, South Carolina
- July 31, 1979
- Mrs. Edith J. Berndt
- Chelmsford, Massachusetts
- July 19, 1979
- Mrs. May Blander
- Elloree, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Lawrence Bookman
- Huntsville, Texas
- May 1977
- Grady Byrd
- Lexington, South Carolina
- February 18, 1977
- Sanders Carter
- Columbia, South Carolina
- May 1979
- Paul Nathaniel Davis
- Olympia, Washington
- May 19, 1979
- Mrs. Dora Drew
- Washington, D.C.
- June 8, 1979
- Christian H. Evensen
- Ignacio, Colorado
- July 14, 1979
- Frank Gadson
- Cayce, South Carolina
- 1976
- Mrs. Jesse Gary
- Leesville, South Carolina
- 1977
- Mrs. Mary Glover
- Elloree, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Magdalene Grant
- Alcolu, South Carolina
- April 1979
- David Goodwin Jr.
- Elloree, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Robert Hartley
- Batesburg, South Carolina
- June 1979
- William Hightower
- Bamberg, South Carolina
- April 1979
- Miss Della Howard
- Washington, D.C.
- May 31, 1979
- Mrs. Georgiana Kearson
- Hemingway, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Gregory F. King
- Bend, Oregon
- 1977
- Mrs. Lulla Lindsey
- Leesville, South Carolina
- 1976
- Walter Lucas
- Columbia, South Carolina
- August 11, 1979
- Miss Marian Manchester
- Brattleboro, Vermont
- July 19, 1979
- Freeman Mays
- Ruffin, South Carolina
- July 8, 1979
- Miss Louise McCall
- Clio, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Frank Nix
- Burton, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Naomi Nolan
- Sarasota, Florida
- July 24, 1979
- Dr. Elizabeth K. Ober
- Guadalajara, Mexico
- June 1, 1979
- Chester Other Medicine
- Crow Agency, Montana
- 1979
- Jack F. Parr
- Loveland, Colorado
- July 11, 1979
- Mrs. Hager Person
- Aynor, South Carolina
- July 18, 1979
- Mrs. Elizabeth Peterson
- Conway, Arkansas
- February 7, 1978
- Mrs. Ella Pressley
- Elloree, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mannie Rader
- Hallandale, Florida
- April 24, 1979
- Miss Edna Rankin
- Boston, Massachusetts
- May 26, 1979
- Mrs. Bertell Riley
- Cayce, South Carolina
- 1978
- Willie L. Robertson
- Phoenix, Arizona
- July 8, 1979
- Lester Saxon
- Blackville, South Carolina
- 1978
- Mrs. Rita Shadoan
- Billings, Montana
- July 28, 1979
- Mrs. Louise Stephney
- Columbia, South Carolina
- 1977
- Miss Kathy Sumter
- Columbia, South Carolina
- 1978
- Gilbert Williams
- Hemingway, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Ernest Youngblood Sr.
- Adams Run, South Carolina
- March 1, 1979
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“The Greatest Name is the name of Bahá’u’lláh.... (from a letter dated 26 December 1941 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi and printed in Bahá’í News Bulletin (Australia and New Zealand) April 1949) New Greatest Name Plaques The symbol of The Greatest Name, in Arabic script, means “Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá” or “O Glory of the All Glorious.”
A new Greatest Name plaque imprinted with gold foil on tan parchment stock. The plaque, packaged in a printed brown presentation folder (see photo above), makes a meaningful and attractive gift for both veteran and new Bahá’ís. Embossed borders. Suitable for framing. (Clear plastic frames such as the one shown are available in stationery and other stores.) 8x10 inches. 6-64-10 gold foil imprinting $2.50 Greatest Name/Silver Foil Imprinted A new plaque similar to the above except that it is imprinted with silver foil on natural parchment stock, and the presentation folder is grey. 6-64-09 silver foil imprinting $2.50 Greatest Name/Blind Embossed This unique new Greatest Name plaque is blind embossed—stamped without ink or colored foil. Suitable for framing. 3½ x 5-inch white textured stock. 6-64-08 blind embossed $0.40 Explanation of the Emblem of the Greatest Name by A. Q. Faizí. This fascinating article by the Hand of the Cause of God A. Q. Faizí explains how the Greatest Name was anticipated in past religions, acclaimed by poets, and fully revealed in the name “Bahá.” Includes a detailed explanation of the many meanings of the Emblem of the Greatest Name. 8½ x 11 in. 5 pp. 7-65-14 paper $0.65 How to order: Order through your local Bahá’í librarian if possible. Bahá’ís who do not have easy access to Bahá’í librarians may use the coupon order form below. Bahá’í librarians: If you use this form, please write library account number at top. |
England Dan, John Coley: ‘Have Fun, Will Teach’[edit]
Brightly colored lights flash on. A hush falls over the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the master of ceremonies says in a booming voice, “England Dan and John Ford Coley!”
The band tenses. John, who is at the piano, reaches forward to retrieve some music. His arm strikes the keyboard, and the first note of the concert is a loud and unexpected discord. Dan starts to laugh.
“OKAY, okay,” says John, glancing at the band members as if to say, I’m only human, “let’s try that one again.”
When they play before live audiences, England Dan and John Ford Coley believe in having fun. They laugh, exchange quips, jump around and generally try to get the audience involved in what they are doing.
“Half the time,” says John, “the people sit there wondering what’s going on, but we’re having a ball and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.”
What John and Dan really live for, though, is what happens after most of their concerts.
WHILE OTHER musicians may head for the nearest restaurant for dinner and drinks, or seek out companions of the opposite sex, England Dan and John Ford Coley usually invite members of the audience to listen to the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Last year, Dan and John took the Faith on tour with them to Hong Kong and Japan. This summer, people in the Yukon, Regina, Saskatoon, Kamloops and assorted other Alaskan and Canadian cities and towns were asked to join the duo at post-concert firesides.
During each concert, they introduce the Faith with a song entitled, “Children of the Half-light.”
“We tell them the song was inspired by the writings of the Bahá’í Faith,” John explains. “It says that many people are trying to grow spiritually in a dark and difficult place we call ‘the world.’ ”
In “Children of the Half-light,” they sing about the world moving toward a point of unity, and how people must learn to tear down those man-made barriers that keep them apart.
EXCEPT FOR the invitation to a fireside that follows the performance, that is the only mention of the Faith at an England Dan and John Ford Coley concert.
“We feel the people come to our concerts to hear the music,” says John. “Afterward, if someone comes to a fireside, that’s his choice. He can leave if he wants to; but he shouldn’t have to listen to a religious message if he doesn’t want to.”
During a fireside, Dan and John try to stress the unifying principles of the Faith, and to make everyone there feel comfortable and happy.
“People may remember only about 10 per cent of what you say,” John points out, “but if they remember that they had a good time, they’ll probably come back.
“TO ME,” he confesses, “nearly everything is funny. No matter how sick, sad or miserable, somewhere it’s funny.”
As he often says at firesides, God must have a wonderful sense of humor. After all, He created us.
“Once people know you’re there (at a fireside) to have a good time, and that nothing will be shoved down their throats, they generally relax and enjoy themselves,” says John.
Dan and John also make sure the people know that the Bahá’ís aren’t there to take their money either. After that, they tell stories, perhaps relate how they found the Faith, and answer any questions.
BEING ON THE road so often isn’t all fun and games, says John. The constant public exposure means that one’s faith is always on the line, and a performer must “live the life” at all times.
“We meet many people every day,” says John, “and are involved in situations most people don’t even know exist.”
Sometimes, the performers are caught off guard by an unexpected question. When that happens, they find the answer quickly so it doesn’t happen again.
Dan and John say they have learned a lot about conducting firesides from Seals and Crofts (Dan is Jim Seals’ brother).
One thing they’ve learned is to avoid controversy. Another is not to compare religions—it’s not really possible to do so, and someone is certain to be offended when comparisons are attempted.
THEY HAVE also learned that when someone asks a question such as “What about the soul after death?” the best response is, “That’s a good question. There’s an excellent book that covers that very subject. It’s called Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh ...”
Their firesides have produced declarations. Once, when a young woman declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh following a concert, John thought, “Oh, no. Wait a minute. She can’t really know what she’s doing.”
He was concerned that the woman might have declared her faith on the spur of the moment, in the excitement of the concert. “And that,” says John, “is something I don’t want to happen.”
But after talking with her, John found to his relief that the woman had known about the Faith for more than a year.
If they could ask anything of the Bahá’ís of the world, say Dan and John, it would be that once it becomes known that they are coming to a particular city or town, the believers go out and teach, and bring every seeker they can to the performance.
In return, they say, they’ll do everything they can to make sure everyone has a good time. They want the people to remember that there was fun and laughter.
As John says, “That way, we know they’ll want to come back.” That’s the power of attraction.
Entertainer John Ford Coley pauses on the steps of the Bahá’í House of Worship after a recent visit to the Bahá’í bookstore there.
Participants in the Special Visit Program at the Bahá’í House of Worship from August 23-26 included (front row left to right) Mary Moseley, Marilyn Reneau, Deborah Wyrick Haskins, Ruth Martin, Donna Warren, Marjorie Preuss, Lexi Moore; (second row left to right) Florence Wright, Allison Vaccaro, Harry Reneau, Payendeh Khorsandian, Beverly (Mickey) Rusick, Patricia Miller, Beth Rhodes; (third row left to right) Mark Vaccaro, Farzad Khorsandian, Lori Hernandez, Serena Mills, Dennis Hernandez, Georgia Rhodes, Barbara Edison; (fourth row left to right) Ronald Preuss, Douglas Hartman, Beverly Nemitz, Robin Ragus, Farid Khorsandian, Jet Andrews, Susan Richardson; (fifth row left to right) Michael Carr, Bahá’í House of Worship activities coordinator; Emma Jackson. The visitors came from Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
