The American Bahá’í/Volume 11/Issue 3/Text
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New Race Unity Committee Is Named[edit]
A six-member Race Unity Committee has been appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly “to identify the trends in race relations, within and without the Bahá’í community, and to recommend to the National Spiritual Assembly the actions to be taken and programs to be adopted by the Bahá’í community to meet the insistent challenge of racial prejudice.”
Members of the new advisory committee are Dr. William Smith of Sudbury, Massachusetts (convenor); Dr. Carole Allen of Norfolk, Virginia; Mrs. Ann Marie Carpenter of Teaneck, New Jersey; Behruz Hedayaty of Burbank, California; Mrs. Annamarie Honnold of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and Ernest Lopez of Winnetka, Illinois.
NOTING THAT more than four decades have elapsed since the beloved Guardian underscored the great importance of dealing with the persistent problem of racial prejudice, the National Spiritual Assembly added:
“We must make another effort, this time one more consistent with the reality that ‘a long and thorny road, beset with pitfalls, still remains untraveled.’ ”
The Guardian’s words regarding racial prejudice in America clearly define the challenge that remains to be met:
“Freedom from racial prejudice, in any of its forms, should, at such a time as this when an increasingly large section of the human race is falling a victim to its devastating ferocity, be adopted as the watchword of the entire body of the American believers, in whichever state they reside, in whatever circles they move, whatever their age, traditions, tastes, and habits.
“It should be consistently demonstrated in every phase of their activity and life, whether in the Bahá’í community or outside it, in public or in private, formally as well as informally, individually as well as in their official capacity as organized groups, committees, and Assemblies.
“IT SHOULD BE deliberately cultivated through the various and everyday opportunities, no matter how insignificant, that present themselves, whether in their homes, their business offices, their schools and colleges, their social parties and recreation grounds, their Bahá’í meetings, conferences, conventions, summer schools, and Assemblies.
“It should above all else, become the keynote of the policy of that august body which, in its capacity as the national representative, and the director and coordinator of the affairs of the community, must set the example, and facilitate the application of such a vital principle to the lives and activities of those whose interests it safeguards and represents.” (Guidance for Today and Tomorrow, pp. 211–212)
Members of the West Texas and Southern New Mexico teaching teams gather at the home of Martin Miller near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mr. Miller’s home served as a base of operations during the 11-day campaign that started last December 26. David (Bear) Howard of Las Cruces (far left), a new believer, joined the teaching effort as soon as he was enrolled.
76 Are Enrolled in Faith In Texas-N. Mexico Drive[edit]
An 11-day team teaching effort in Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas that began last December 26 resulted in the enrollment of 76 new believers.
This was the second year in which the District Teaching Committee of Southern New Mexico and West Texas conducted a team teaching campaign in that area.
USING THE HOME of Martin Miller, near Las Cruces, New Mexico, as a base of operations, the most recent teaching project began with a consolidation institute conducted by Trudy White, secretary of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee, and Joan Lozier of Douglas, Arizona.
The institute was followed by a two-day deepening program to prepare for the team teaching campaign.
Most of the eight two-member teaching teams included a Spanish-speaking Bahá’í. The teams went door-to-door in small Mexican-American communities including Deming, Anthony and Anapra, New Mexico, and Canutillo and Borderlands, Texas.
The District Teaching Committee’s first team teaching project, in 1978, had helped raise an Assembly in Deming. This second campaign increased the number of believers there from 14 to 42.
The effort also increased the number of believers in Canutillo, Texas, and Anthony, New Mexico, and plans are being made for the early formation of Assemblies in both towns.
BY FOLLOWING UP on the Teaching Committee’s first project and not overlooking the teaching of families, the teams this time witnessed the enrollment of four members of one family in Borderlands, Texas.
Two other members of the family were enrolled during the first project in 1978.
Consolidation work has been going well, according to Chris Cholas, chairman of the District Teaching Committee.
Although Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico, weren’t directly involved in the most recent teaching effort, fireside attendance in both communities reportedly has increased since the project was held.
BULLETIN![edit]
Dr. Dwight W. Allen has been elected to the National Spiritual Assembly, replacing Richard D. Betts, who resigned from the Assembly last December to pioneer to Portugal.
Dr. Allen, who is university professor of urban education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, previously served for nine years on the National Spiritual Assembly before resigning in 1974 to pioneer to Lesotho (formerly Basutoland), an enclave lying within the Republic of South Africa.
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Inside ... IN MID-FEBRUARY, the Office of the Treasurer reports, the U.S. Bahá’í community was $400,000 short of its contributions goal to the National Bahá’í Fund. Page 3 A NEW PERSONNEL Affairs Officer arrives at the Bahá’í National Center. Page 4 A NEW NATIONAL Youth Committee, working under the aegis of the National Teaching Committee, maps ambitious plans for U.S. Bahá’í youth. Page 5 A U.S. PIONEER to Liberia is decorated by Liberian President William R. Tolbert for his civil engineering work. Page 6 |
A model of the Bahá’í House of Worship was included among displays by five religious organizations that appeared last December 11–January 3 in the front window at WABC-TV in New York City. The Bahá’í display, assembled by the Bahá’í Office at the United Nations, was flanked on the left by the display of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and on the right by the display of the Protestant Council of Churches. Other displays in the window were sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Church and the American Jewish Congress.
House of Worship Centerpiece In New York Interfaith Display[edit]
When the Community Affairs Department at WABC-TV in New York City decided to sponsor an interfaith display during the holiday season last December, the Bahá’í office at the United Nations was asked to participate in planning and setting up the display.
The Bahá’í display assembled for this purpose appeared from December 11 to January 3 in the front window of the TV station at Columbus Avenue and 67th Street, directly across from the Lincoln Center.
INCLUDED IN the Bahá’í display was a model of the House of Worship in Wilmette surrounded by a bed of flowers and backed by a clear plastic frame on which was engraved the quotation, “Ye are all flowers of one garden.”
The front of the display contained the following message:
“The Bahá’í House of Worship welcomes all religions, all races, all nationalities as God’s love embraces all mankind. The Bahá’ís of the world extend their love and greetings to all during the holiday season. Courtesy of the American Bahá’í community and the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.”
Other religious organizations invited
Register Now For Convention[edit]
The 1980 Bahá’í National Convention will be held April 24–27 in Foundation Hall at the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
After the seating of the delegates, only 214 seats will remain for the use of observers. Therefore, anyone other than a delegate who wishes to attend the Convention must apply to the National Spiritual Assembly by letter no later than April 1. Seats will be assigned on that date, and all applicants will be advised of the results.
All 171 delegates are expected to be present at the Convention. Spouses of delegates who wish to attend will be assigned seats provided they make a request in writing by April 1.
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Editorials Marriage, a Divine Institution The deterioration of the institution of marriage is one of the more notable and alarming developments of our times. Shoghi Effendi saw it as one of the signs of the moral downfall of society and felt marriages were dissolved “on the flimsiest and most unwarrantable and shabby pretexts.” The Bahá’í community, as we all know, cannot escape the influence of society, especially in such a vital area of life as marriage, where the way people behave toward it is determined by deeply embedded attitudes unconsciously absorbed from their earliest years. BAHÁ’ÍS, HOWEVER, are called to a different standard. The Bahá’í Faith exalts the station of marriage. Marriage is seen as a sacred responsibility and a basic means of establishing unity in the world. Divorce is censured and condemned, and is permitted only under the most extreme circumstances, when a condition of irreconcilable antipathy exists. As members of American society, our challenge is to take a stand against popular conceptions of marriage that are contrary to the divine Teachings and to live differently. Our objective is to be a living example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s exhortation: “In a true Bahá’í marriage the two parties must become fully united both spiritually and physically, so that they may attain eternal union throughout all the worlds of God, and improve the spiritual life of each other. This is Bahá’í matrimony.” We can equip ourselves to meet this objective by learning to view marriage as a divine institution. The Bahá’í Faith teaches that institutions established in accordance with the Teachings of God’s latest Manifestation are the channel through which the Will of God and His grace flow to individuals. THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL to these institutions derive spiritual strength as a result of their fidelity. Those who are at odds with them are cut off from the flow of grace that emanates from the Manifestation Himself. God’s Will, by which we vow to abide when we enter into marriage, is that a marriage contracted in accordance with His Teachings be maintained. When the going gets rough, the Bahá’í response should be to show proper respect for the holy institution of marriage and, placing the marriage above personal concerns, make every effort to resolve those difficulties that impede harmony so that the institution can be preserved. “The souls who sacrifice self, become detached from the imperfections of the realm of man and free from the shackles of this ephemeral world,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, “assuredly the splendors of the rays of divine union shall shine in their hearts and in the eternal paradise they shall find ideal relationship, union and happiness.” Exploring New Ways to Celebrate As Bahá’ís living in the age of transition, ours is the challenge of taking the first step toward establishing the pattern of community life out of which the future Bahá’í World Commonwealth will evolve. A culture’s pattern of life centers to a large degree around its calendar. The Bahá’í calendar is especially rich. Every month begins with a Feast, and the year sparkles with nine Anniversaries. THE INTERCALARY Days provide us with a special period of gift giving and fellowship, while the Fast brings us closer to God. We have a New Year that coincides with the first day of spring, and the majestic Riḍván Festival in which we celebrate Bahá’u’lláh’s Great Announcement. One imagines that future generations will observe these occasions with great fanfare and pageantry, and that around them family life and commerce will revolve. While such thoughts can serve to fire the imagination, we need not content ourselves with daydreams. The Feasts, Holy Days, and Festivals are here for us to take advantage of now. Might we not explore exciting new ways in which to celebrate them? With Naw-Rúz and Riḍván just around the corner, we could draw upon our powers of imagination and devise creative ways to observe these special days, ways that impart a sense of joy and happiness and leave us the more appreciative of the beauty of Bahá’u’lláh’s Message and Teachings. |
The Bahá’í community of Escondido, California, proclaimed the Faith in late December with a ‘unity party’ in the recreation hall of an apartment complex. Bahá’ís from surrounding communities brought potluck dishes, there was a piñata, a magic show by the youth, poetry, and a brief introduction to the Faith for the 12 non-Bahá’í adults and 11 children who attended. The unity was apparent with people of Mexican, Persian, Native American and German background at the party.
Four members of the National Teaching Committee of Canada are greeted by Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, during their visit to the Bahá’í National Center on January 12-13. Shown here (left to right) are John Conkling, secretary of the U.S. National Teaching Committee; Gerald Filson, assistant secretary of the Canadian committee; Meim Smith of North York, Ontario; Kay Muttart, secretary of the Canadian committee; Dr. Carney; and Alex Frame of Scarborough, Ontario. The friends from Canada met with Mr. Conkling and with Mary Louise Suhm, secretary of the International Goals Committee, to discuss border teaching between the two countries.
COMMENT
2 Simple Facts Add Up To New Insight on Life[edit]
By DR. ALLAN L. WARD
There are times when one fact added to another fact not only adds up to two facts, but to a new insight into life.
Such is the case with two sets of numbers. They represent the numbers of days it took for two sequences of events to take place in the history of the Bahá’í Faith.
FOR THOSE who attended the Palermo Conference in 1968, one of the well-remembered items is a large map of the exiles of Bahá’u’lláh showing the path that He followed from Ṭihrán to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally to ‘Akká.
The whole period of His exile and imprisonment lasted for four decades. At the top of the map is a number, 235, indicating the number of days that Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family actually used in traveling from one place of banishment to another.
This long and arduous journey, interspersed with the years of confinement and deprivation, was intended to take the Manifestation of God and His Faith into degradation and extinction. The Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, shared that entire journey with His Father.
Bahá’u’lláh notes in the Seven Valleys (pages 12, 15) that as we develop we can come to see the end in the beginning of a venture, so that we can perceive “peace in war,” “friendliness in anger,” “justice in injustice,” “the end in the beginning.” Eventually, He says, we see “the end and the beginning as one.”
Shoghi Effendi has indicated in various places that the Faith grows through a sequence of difficulties followed by greater victories and expansion.
JUST AS “periodic crises” have been instrumental in “releasing a further measure of (the Faith’s) latent powers” (God Passes By, page 252), perhaps that journey of suffering would lead in its turn to a journey of triumph.
With these thoughts in mind, and considering the 235-day journey into exile, we might wonder if it would later be balanced by a journey of comparable length that would demonstrate the victorious power and recognition of the Faith.
What immediately attracts our attention is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic journey in America, that incredible trek through the U.S. and Canada in 1912 that brought such widespread acclaim from pulpits and podiums, from newspapers and magazines, and the thousands who thronged to meet Him.
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This month’s article, “Two Journeys,” was written by Dr. Allan L. Ward of Little Rock, Arkansas, a professor of speech communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and author of the book, 239 Days: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. |
The Master's journey across America lasted for 239 days. It matched almost day for day the earlier journey into exile.
So He Who began His banishment as a child climaxed His life’s work with a tour of such triumph that Shoghi Effendi was moved to write that “in particular His...tour of the United States of America, may be said to have marked the culmination of His ministry.” (God Passes By, page 295)
TWO NUMBERS, insignificant in themselves, when placed side by side offer yet another evidence of the power and wonders associated with the Faith of God.
As we personally experience moments of difficulty, challenges, and bewilderment in our own lives, as we have our “journeys” that seem to “exile” us from the circumstances we are used to and the conditions we have known, we can take heart in knowing that the balance will come, and that the way is being prepared for still another journey, this time involving great victories for the Cause and our participation in them.
As we enter into yet another Plan in the marvelous unfoldment of God’s Divine Plan, even when surrounded by chaos and confusion, we can move ever forward in our journey with confidence, assurance and wonderful expectation.
50 Bahá’ís Attend Rhode Island Feast[edit]
The Unity Feast last December 30 in Smithfield, Rhode Island, turned into a statewide event with more than 50 Bahá’ís from 13 localities in Rhode Island attending.
Also present were believers from Boston, Massachusetts; Georgia; Paris, France, and Nigeria.
Contributions Are $400,000 Short of Goal[edit]
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Honor—Sharaf
136 B.E. National Bahá’í Individual Participation
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As of mid-February, the American Bahá’í community was $400,000 short of its contributions goal to the National Fund.
This means that more than $1 million is needed between now and Riḍván if we are to reach the annual contributions goal of $3,960,000.
Contributions are up nearly 25 per cent above last year. The primary reason for the increase is the rise in contributions from individual believers.
TO ERASE the deficit, however, a larger number of individuals, Assemblies and Bahá’í Groups must arise to contribute directly to the National Fund.
The Guardian made it clear that direct contributions to the National Fund from both individuals and Assemblies are necessary to support the work of the Faith:
“...the institution of the National Fund is of paramount importance. I would unceasingly urge the individual believers as well as the Local Assemblies...to arise with heart and soul and generously and regularly contribute toward the upkeep and the extension of a fund upon which will greatly depend the success of their endeavors.” (Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, March 25, 1925)
It is important to recall why the National Spiritual Assembly set the contributions goal at $3,960,000.
The Bahá’ís of the world have suffered grievous losses during the past year. Our holiest Shrine in Iran, the House of the Báb, was desecrated and destroyed; hundreds of our fellow believers suffered persecution and great personal loss—some even lost their lives; the financial assets of the Iranian Bahá’í community, the major source of support for the International Fund, were virtually wiped out.
MESSAGES from the Universal House of Justice during this period of turmoil and strife have made it clear that these losses are certain to have a spiritual impact on the world. We have been directed to arise and do our utmost to redeem the losses suffered by our Faith.
As a part of its response to the needs of the Universal House of Justice, our National Spiritual Assembly decided to increase its commitment to the Bahá’í International Fund from $430,000 to $1 million this year.
When the National Spiritual Assembly made this pledge, it called upon the American Bahá’í community to rise to new levels of service to the Faith—in teaching, in living the life, and in giving to the Fund.
The rest of the Bahá’í world needs to be assured that the American Bahá’í community is strong. If we are not financially secure, the effect is felt around the globe. Clearly, the time for service is now.
Fast Start for ‘Planned Giving’[edit]
When the National Spiritual Assembly announced its new Planned Giving Program last fall, it didn’t anticipate the kind of response it has received.
“We were told that such programs usually start slowly, perhaps with 100 responses initially,” says Stephen Jackson, assistant to the National Treasurer. “We were surprised to receive more than 250 requests for our first booklet, Do You Need Financial Planning?”
THE PLANNED Giving Program is designed to help individuals who wish to make gifts such as stocks, real estate, appreciated property, life insurance, etc., to the National Bahá’í Fund.
The National Spiritual Assembly is inviting interested individuals to write to the Office of the Treasurer to be placed on a mailing list so that they can begin to receive information about the program.
“Every three months we send out a newsletter, Guidelines to Planned Giving, that outlines one or two aspects of the program,” says Mr. Jackson.
“In this newsletter, the friends are invited to send for a particular brochure covering the topic being outlined. Topics to be covered in future issues will include the importance of a thoughtful will in estate planning; trusts and tax planning; the need for estate planning for women; giving appreciated property, and the impact of tax laws on gifts made during one’s life or at death.
“Congress has established laws that encourage charitable giving,” he adds, “and individuals who want to make special gifts to the Faith can benefit by knowing about them.”
The Planned Giving Program, Mr. Jackson explains, is designed to help individuals at various stages in their lives:
“SOME PEOPLE are just starting out—raising a family, buying a house, and so forth. For them, information about wills and financial planning is most helpful.
“People who are at the mid-point of their careers, with growing children and greater income, are interested in making plans for retirement, for helping their children through school, or in making good investments. There are aspects of the program that are specifically addressed to them,” notes Mr. Jackson.
“People facing retirement, the loss of a spouse, or similar major life changes will have special needs regarding protection of their assets, establishing trusts, etc. Such concerns are also addressed in the Planned Giving Program.”
The program was established by the National Spiritual Assembly, says Mr. Jackson, with the help of a professional firm. The firm’s legal, financial and technical staff provide the Office of the Treasurer with much of the material and guidance that form the basis of the new program.
“By combining the expertise of this firm with our own knowledge, we are able to provide individual Bahá’ís with a ‘double’ service,” he says. “Not only are we able to help them make special gifts to the Fund, but we also are able to help them organize their personal financial affairs.”
MR. JACKSON emphasizes that every individual is in a unique position, requiring individual attention:
“The National Spiritual Assembly has made it possible for us to help the friends directly. We work with them on a one-to-one basis. Frequently, this means working with the individual, his or her lawyer, and members of our staff.”
The reaction to the program has been positive. One believer wrote: “I cannot tell you how excited and happy I was to receive your bulletin. I am single and on my own and have felt very lost in trying to figure out the best ways of arranging my financial affairs. Your bulletin is a great help.”
Another person wrote: “What a wonderful program! Such useful information for those of us who have made or hope to be able to make significant financial contributions to our beloved Cause. Thank you for providing us with the practical knowledge to help fulfill this goal. We look forward to receiving each of your publications and plan to keep them for a permanent reference.”
Those who wish to learn more about the Planned Giving Program are encouraged to write to the Office of the Treasurer, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, and ask to be placed on the mailing list.
Warm Response Noted For ‘Secret of Wealth’[edit]
Bahá’í communities around the country are responding enthusiastically to the Office of the Treasurer’s new deepening program, “The Secret of Wealth,” according to Dan Ware, a member of the staff at the Office of the Treasurer.
“Individuals, small Groups, and larger communities are telling us how grateful they are for this course,” he says. “ ‘The Secret of Wealth’ was designed to help people gain better control of their material resources so that they can fulfill their purpose in life. Judging from the response we’ve been getting, it works!”
FOR EXAMPLE, a couple in North Dakota wrote:
“We have been married for more than five years, but it wasn’t until this month that we learned where our money goes and how to make financial decisions.
“We have always consulted well together, but the tools you have given us have enabled us to make better plans. We have actually had fun working out a budget!
“I think it is a valuable tool in developing discipline and combating the materialistic pull of our society. It is an excellent course for couples who are considering marriage.”
“This is a rather typical response from married couples,” Mr. Ware notes, “and we’ve had nice comments from other adults, students and retired people as well.”
Other letters have come from Bahá’í communities. The Bahá’ís of Pendleton, Oregon, wrote:
“THE PRESENTATION was deeply appreciated by those present. Many questions regarding personal financial management were answered.”
ADDRESSES OF FUNDS
- National Bahá’í Fund
- 112 Linden Avenue
- Wilmette, IL 60091
- Continental Bahá’í Fund
- 418 Forest Avenue
- Wilmette, IL 60091
- Bahá’í International Fund
- P.O. Box 155
- Haifa, Israel 31-000
(Note to Persian believers: The obligation to contribute to these Funds is separate from the Law of Huqúqu’lláh. For information on Huqúqu’lláh, write to K. Kazemzadeh, 15276 De Pauw St., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.)
The Spiritual Assembly of Decatur, Alabama, found “The Secret of Wealth” “helpful and delightfully presented. This will be an important aid to us in setting our finances in order in these difficult times.”
The course is divided into four sections. Topics include the nature of man and his purpose in life; establishing a budget; the issue of lifestyle, and the meaning of work in the Bahá’í Faith.
Last fall, “The Secret of Wealth” was distributed to the 108 National Treasurer’s Representatives throughout the country. Since then, the course has been presented in nearly every state.
Communities that would like to have “The Secret of Wealth” presented in their area should contact their nearest National Treasurer’s Representative or write to the Office of the Treasurer, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
New Children’s Album Available From Trust[edit]
A new album of children’s songs with the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears is now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Called Happy Ayyám-i-Há!, this delightful recording portrays Mr. Sears as a loving grandfather surrounded by children of all ages who ask him questions and sing him songs during an Ayyám-i-Há party.
The “grandfather,” in his turn, tells stories and explains various teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. ($10, Catalog No. 6-35-19)
THE INSPIRATION for the album came during an Ayyám-i-Há party last year in San Fernando, California. Just as the gifts were to be opened, there was a power failure in the city and all the lights went out.
The adults hurriedly lit candles and began a round of songs to keep the children’s spirits up and calm their fears. Many of the songs were original pieces written especially for the children by members of the community and other local Bahá’ís.
Marcia Day, president of Day 5 Productions and manager of Seals and Crofts, was at the party and commissioned Danny and Joyce Deardorff to produce an album with the songs so that this experience could be shared with children everywhere.
Mr. Sears, who was in town shortly afterward, was invited to participate in the recording. He graciously accepted and, with his contribution, the production developed into an album that is thoroughly enjoyable and great fun, as well as an educational and inspirational experience.
Danny and Joyce Deardorff, the album’s producers, are the parents of two young daughters and have written many songs for children, some of which are included in this album.
Happy Ayyám-i-Há! opens with Mr. Sears greeting the children. The first song is the prayer by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “O God! Educate these children,” set to music.
AFTER SOME joking between the children and their “grandfather,” they sing the “Ayyám-i-Há” song. Tommy Kavelin sings “Here Am I” in English and Spanish and, after a story by Mr. Sears, the first side of the record ends with a song about the Báb.
The second side begins with a joyous rendition of “God Loves the Best of Us,” and includes a tribute to the heroines of the Faith, entitled “Khánum”; a lovely song about life after death, “The Abhá Kingdom”; "Oh ‘Abdu’l-Bahá," and the prayer, “Blessed Is the Spot.” The last two are sung in English and Swahili.
Happy Ayyám-i-Há! will be enjoyed by Bahá’í children and their friends for years to come. Needless to say, it makes a perfect gift for children.
To order, see your Bahá’í librarian or send check or money order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
The Hand of the Cause William Sears (left) with Joyce and Danny Deardorff, producers of the new album of children’s songs, Happy Ayyám-i-Há!
National Personnel Officer Named[edit]
DR. FLOYD TUCKER
New Personnel Affairs Officer
Dr. Floyd Tucker, recently appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly as its Personnel Affairs Officer, took up his new duties at the Bahá’í National Center on January 2.
Dr. Tucker comes to the National Center from a position as manager of staff development at the University of Rochester (New York).
HE EARNED his Ph.D. in school administration with a major in personnel administration at Syracuse University. His master’s degree, also from Syracuse, is in special education.
Dr. Tucker has served as a panelist of the American Arbitration Association since 1973, and has been adjunct professor of personnel at the Rochester Institute of Technology during that same period.
The new Personnel Affairs Officer speaks frankly of the arrival of a “new era” in personnel policy and recruitment at the National Center.
“Personnel is now in a position of advising in regards to policy-making,” says Dr. Tucker, referring to the National Spiritual Assembly’s decision to make his position that of an assistant to the Secretary.
Calling on Assemblies and Groups to become “active” rather than “reactive,” he asks that Bahá’í communities supply him with information on “anyone, Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í, who can provide a service for us.”
ONE OF HIS PLANS is to develop a “skills bank” of individuals throughout the country that will help him to define job qualifications and assist in the location of qualified people in a particular area of need.
“We must begin,” he says, “to look at different ways to get jobs done.” For example, he sees retired persons working on a volunteer basis and the employment of short-term consultants as useful approaches to certain jobs, rather than simply hiring someone to work full-time at the National Center.
“I am excited about my job,” says Dr. Tucker, “but I can’t do it alone. I’m going to need help.” For that help, the new Personnel Affairs Officer is looking toward the local Bahá’í communities.
Dr. Tucker’s wife, Marsha, who has a master’s degree in special education, and their children, Seth (age 11), Carmen (10), and Aaron (7) will be arriving in Wilmette this summer.
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Bring your Family to Conifer Hill
• Adult and children classes • Evening campfires Conifer Hill is 8,000' high In the Colorado Rockies. June 27-July 2 July 3-9 Aug 1-3
Watch for more details in April |
The Spanish Teaching Committee, recently appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly, met January 4-6 in Wilmette, Illinois. Members of the committee are (back row left to right) Dr. Antonio Cubero (Largo, Florida); Ms. Marilyn Sanchez (Phoenix, Arizona); Lionel Gonzalez (Bergenfield, New Jersey); Ms. Regina Anchando (Balcones Heights, Texas), and (front row left to right) Mrs. Maud Grasselly (Zion, Illinois); Ms. Angelica Arhontogiorgis (Los Angeles, California).
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VANGUARD Youth News |
Youth Committee Maps Ambitious Plans[edit]
A national youth conference in 1981, regional conferences this June, and the formation of new District Youth Committees are among plans being made by the National Youth Committee, recently appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly.
Another project now in the planning stages is the publication of a four-page newsletter to be mailed to all Bahá’í youth in the U.S. following each monthly meeting of the seven-member committee.
MEMBERS OF the National Youth Committee are Edward White of Newton, Massachusetts (chairman); Walter Heinecke of Berkeley, California (vice-chairman); Sharon Allen of Decatur, Georgia (secretary pro tem); Regina Steffes of Fontana, California; Farsheed Ferdowsi of Brentwood, Tennessee; and Karin Ryan of San Diego, California.
The seventh member, who has not yet been named, will serve as office manager of the National Youth Committee at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois.
The committee held its first two meetings in Wilmette in January and February. Some future meetings will be scheduled in other areas of the country so that committee members can meet with youth between business sessions.
Committee members also are making an effort to speak with youth around the country on weekends and during school breaks.
A particular goal of the committee, according to its chairman, is to double the number of Bahá’í youth in the U.S. within the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Plans also include ongoing youth activities such as Bahá’í college clubs and youth clubs, work-study projects, World Citizen magazine, and “Touchstone Weekends”—regional or state-sponsored social, recreational, teaching and deepening programs for Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í youth.
Green Acre School Slates Special Program for Youth[edit]
Attention all youth ages 12-15: The Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, will be open just for you from June 28-July 2.
A unique program, “Bahá’í Identity: A Do-It-Yourself Tool Kit for Personal Awareness,” will challenge you to:
- experience functioning in a Bahá’í environment;
- increase your awareness of yourself and others;
- increase your ability to find assistance in the Bahá’í Faith.
If you are faced with the difficult task of establishing your Bahá’í identity in a world that doesn’t seem to understand, you are not alone! Join your Bahá’í brothers and sisters in identifying problems we all share and learning ways to solve them.
This program is only for youth ages 12-15. You must apply in advance for admission; registration will be limited to 36 youth. Those who are selected will be notified later in the spring.
For an application, please write to the Green Acre Bahá’í School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
Members of the new National Youth Committee pause between working sessions during their first meeting January 4-6. Shown (left to right) are Farsheed Ferdowsi, Walter Heinecke, Sharon Allen, Edward White, Regina Steffes, Karin Ryan.
Bahá’í Women Discuss Marriage[edit]
“Marriage: A Discussion for Women” was the theme of a program last December 8 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Inspired by many discussions with Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í friends concerning the special challenges facing women today, the event was planned as an opportunity for women to explore their own thoughts and feelings, to hear those of others, and to share Bahá’í perspectives.
Each woman who attended raised questions, expressed her feelings, and received support from the group that included non-Bahá’ís. Child care was provided by two male members of the Williamsport Bahá’í community.
AS A BAHA'I YOUTH, DO YOU
- want to know more about what other Bahá’í youth around the country are doing?
- want to learn more about the Faith and yourself?
- want a place where you can contribute your stories, experiences as a Bahá’í, poetry and artwork?
IN SHORT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A BAHÁ’Í YOUTH MAGAZINE? Well, World Citizen is it!
Subscriptions are $8.00 per year for six issues. Please send form below along with a check or money order payable to World Citizen to: Shervin Hawley, 10110 Margate Dr., Houston, Texas 77099.
Norwich Baha’i's Host Second Prayer Breakfast[edit]
More than 50 people including Catholics, Protestants and Buddhists attended the second annual prayer breakfast hosted by the Bahá’ís of Norwich, Connecticut, on World Religion Day, January 20.
The event was held at the Norwich YMCA. Readings, which were chosen and read by Bahá’ís and ministers from a Spiritualist Church and a Congregational Church, reflected the theme of religion as a source of unity rather than discord.
The Children of Bahá, formed in the summer of 1976, includes children 4 to 14 years of age from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Under the direction of Mrs. Mary Zemke, the children’s chorus has become one of the most popular Bahá’í proclamation groups in the Los Angeles area.
‘Children of Baha’ on Key In Singing Praises of Faith[edit]
“I don’t know much about the Bahá’í Faith, but there must be something to it—look at how happy those children are!”
The comment, overheard at a United Nations Association program in Los Angeles, was about the Children of Baha, a Bahá’í chorus that was singing at that time.
THE REMARK serves to underscore the increasing popularity of the Children of Baha as one of the most successful proclamation groups in the Los Angeles area.
The Children of Bahá, formed in 1976, includes children from 4 to 14 years of age from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Under the direction of Mrs. Mary Zemke, they have sung at fairs and parades, at convalescent homes and parties, at Holy Day observances and proclamations, at UN Association and Interreligious Council events, and on many other special programs.
Among the highlights of their live performances have been programs at the Los Angeles County Fair for the past three years, and the UN Human Rights Day celebrations in 1978 and 1979.
The Children of Baha sang at the 50th anniversary program of the International Conference of Christians and Jews, which was taped by ABC-TV. In November 1978, they made a videotape for a TV program in honor of the International Year of the Child that was aired last year in Hawaii.
They have also made a tape entitled “Sing a New Song,” a collection of songs for children that is available from the U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and an album featuring a new collection of their songs is in the planning stages.
U.S. Publishing Trust Is One of Many[edit]
Although the U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust is the world’s largest, many other Publishing Trusts and Distribution Services serve Bahá’ís in other parts of the world. They publish Bahá’í literature and other materials in many languages.
The U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust carries a selection of Bahá’í literature in 17 languages—from Basque to Swedish. The Trust’s non-English Price List Order Form lists books and pamphlets in 15 of those languages.
MATERIALS in two other languages, Spanish and Persian, are listed in the main Price List because of the large numbers of Spanish- and Persian-speaking believers in this country.
Since the U.S. Publishing Trust is unable to stock everything produced by Bahá’í publishers in other countries, the friends may wish to write those publishers directly to request catalogs and order materials.
Information on materials not available through the U.S. Publishing Trust and produced by other Bahá’í Publishing Trusts and Distribution Services can be obtained from the following:
Alaska: Bahá’í Sales Committee, SRA Box 226, Anchorage, AK 99507.
Argentina: E.B.I.L.A., Manuel Ugarte 3188, 1428 Buenos Aires C.F., Argentina.
Australia: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, P.O. Box 285, Mona Vale, N.S.W. 2103, Australia.
Belgium: Maison d’Editions Bahá’íes, 26 rue Saint-Quentin, 1040 Brussels, Belgium.
Brazil: Editora Bahá’í-Brasil, Rua Engenheiro Gama Lobo, 267, Vila Isabel, 20.000 Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil.
Canada: Bahá’í Distribution Service, 7200 Leslie St., Thornhill, Ontario L3T 2A1, Canada.
Fiji Islands: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, P.O. Box 2007, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji Islands.
Germany: Bahá’í Verlag GMBH, Eppsteiner Strasse 89, D-6238 Hofheim-Langenhain, Germany.
Hawaii: National Library Service of Hawaii, 3264 Allan Place, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817.
India: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 6 Canning Road, Post Box 19, New Delhi 110001, India.
Italy: Casa Editrice Bahá’í, Circon-callazione Nomentana 484-A/1, 00162 Rome, Italy.
Japan: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, P.O. Box 878, Osaka, Japan 530-91.
Netherlands: Stichting Bahá’í Literature, Riouwstraat 27, The Hague, Holland.
Norway: Bahá’í Forlag, Box 127, 1430 As, Norway.
Pakistan: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, P.O. Box 7420, Karachi 3, Pakistan.
Spain: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Luis Cabrera 56, Madrid 2, Spain.
Sweden: Bahá’í-Forlaget, Matilda Ljungstedts vag 27, 122 35 Enskede, Sweden.
Taiwan: Ta Tung Chiao Publishing Trust, 26 Lane 18, Ta Hsueh Lu, Tainan, Taiwan.
United Kingdom: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2 South St., Oakham, Rutland LE15 6HY, England.
Elizabeth Anderson (right) of Hinsdale, Illinois, a pioneer to the Marshall Islands, shares pioneering experiences with Karen Wood, a member of the International Goals Committee staff, during a recent visit to the U.S. Ms. Anderson teaches high school English on Majuro Atoll in the Marshalls. She is the only Bahá’í pioneer on the tiny (30 miles long by 100 yards wide) atoll.
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TRAVEL TEACHING WORLD-WIDE GOALS
FOR THE SEVEN YEAR PLAN (First Two-Year Phase)
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Jay Tyson, a pioneer to Liberia for the past three years, stands beside a certificate of commendation presented to him by William R. Tolbert, the president of Liberia, for his design and construction of the country’s first highway overpass and interchange.
U.S. Pioneer To Liberia Is Decorated[edit]
Jay Tyson, a 25-year-old civil engineer who with his wife, Eileen, has been a pioneer to Monrovia, Liberia, for three years, has been decorated by President William R. Tolbert of Liberia for his design and construction of the country’s first highway overpass and interchange.
Besides decorating Mr. Tyson, the Liberian president admitted him to the Order of the Star of Africa, an honorary society, with the rank of commander. The awards were presented at the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
THE CONSTRUCTION project supervised by Mr. Tyson was a part of Liberia’s preparations for hosting the 1979 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Conference held in Monrovia last July.
In a letter of commendation to Mr. Tyson, Minister of Public Works Gabriel Tucker wrote:
“One of the most gratifying experiences was listening to the BBC commentary on Saturday, July 21, 1979. It was remarked that throughout the period of preparation there were grave doubts from all quarters (nationally and internationally) of Liberia’s being ready to receive and capable of hosting OAU 79.
“The commentary concluded that Liberia did not realize its ambition thanks to the disposition of the Liberian people. When I think that it was to a large extent through your mind and will that our country’s ambition was translated into physical reality, I have much to be thankful for.”
As a result of his successful completion of the much-needed highway construction project, the Liberian Ministry of Public Works has asked Mr. Tyson to design and construct a new road in Maryland County, in the southeastern part of the country.
THE NEW ROAD will replace one that becomes impassable each year due to flooding that cuts off all land transportation during parts of the rainy season.
The new project being directed by Mr. Tyson is being funded by the European Economic Community.
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The Fund is the Life-Blood of the Faith 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 |
Mr. Tyson, a graduate of Princeton University, began making plans to pioneer shortly after becoming a Bahá’í during his sophomore year in high school.
He then planned his educational and professional goals with service to the Faith as the primary objective.
Planning, Brainstorming Take Teamwork[edit]
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third of five articles on improving the efficiency of the Local Spiritual Assembly written for the National Education Committee by Ronald S. Gilpatrick of San José, California.
•
Timekeepers, Red Herrings, Brainstorming and Other Tricks to Keep Things Moving
Now that we’ve got a workable agenda, it’s time to look at the actual operating procedures of Spiritual Assemblies.
An agenda, like a budget, is after all only a plan on paper. The best agenda in the world can be shredded if Assembly members insist on becoming distracted, misdirected, or bogged down in lengthy consultation.
ONE CARDINAL rule to remember about agenda construction is that an Assembly should never put an item on the agenda that it really doesn’t want to discuss.
It’s axiomatic that whatever is put on the agenda will be discussed by someone, regardless of whether the Assembly wants to. In fact, it’s not unusual for Assembly members to become involved in discussing how not to discuss an issue!
A problem common to many Assemblies is that consultation often takes longer than anyone planned for. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has given us considerable guidance as to the principles of good Assembly consultation, saying:
“The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them.” (Bahá’í Administration, p. 21)
AN ASSEMBLY is an organic body, always working toward and growing into these spiritual virtues. A wise Assembly will occasionally evaluate and monitor its consultative behavior.
There are several ways for an Assembly to control and sharpens its consultative skills. Prior to beginning the agenda, the chairman might consider asking persons responsible for agenda items to estimate the approximate time needed for consultation.
A timekeeper can be appointed whose job it is to warn the Assembly when the estimated time for consultation is about to expire. The Assembly may, of course, extend the time as it chooses, but by monitoring itself, the Assembly is always in control of its time.
The chairman is a key individual in keeping the Assembly on target. However, as an additional aid to the chairman, a “drift monitor” can be appointed.
The drift monitor’s task is to warn the Assembly whenever it appears that consultation is drifting from the issue at hand. Again, the Assembly may choose to “drift,” but always with full knowledge that it is doing so.
ASSEMBLIES MUST avoid “red herrings” in the consultative process. A “red herring” is an issue that creeps in to consultation and appears to have something to do with the subject, but upon reflection is found to be unrelated.
Suppose, for example, your Assembly is discussing final plans for a proclamation to be held at the public library, and one member says, “You know, I feel public proclamations like this are a waste of time in this city. We ought to do more fireside teaching instead.”
The comment could, if allowed, lead to an evening’s discussion of the merits of proclamations vs. fireside teaching.
But if the Assembly has already decided to have the proclamation, and the purpose of the consultation is simply to discuss final plans, the Assembly member’s comments are a “red herring,” and actually irrelevant. Perhaps it is necessary to discuss the merits of various teaching strategies—but that is not the time for it!
Other kinds of “red herrings” occur when an item under discussion reminds an Assembly member of some other unrelated item about which he or she feels the need to say something.
THESE ARE usually easy to spot. Watch out for introductory remarks like: “Oh, that reminds me ...” or “While we’re on the subject ...” or “By the way—did someone take care of ...” or “Say, while I think of it ...,” etc.
The best way for an Assembly to deal with irrelevant consultation is to first recognize when it is taking place and determine whether the unrelated issue can be placed on a subsequent agenda—but at all costs, get back on target.
With practice, every Assembly can learn to spot “red herrings” and avoid them.
Brainstorming is often a problem for Assemblies. Probably no form of consultation takes more of an Assembly’s time and energy, yet this process is vital if the community’s creative powers are to be released.
Spiritual Assemblies often agonize over how routine weekly matters can be adequately addressed and yet leave time for creative thinking. Brainstorming at an Assembly meeting is often the culprit that prevents the Assembly from completing its agenda.
Frankly, many Assemblies do not always realize when they are brainstorming—and that can be a fatal error.
AN ASSEMBLY must learn to recognize the difference between “planning” and “brainstorming.”
Planning is taking a number of factors and recommendations into consideration and determining a procedure for accomplishing a task; brainstorming is the process of allowing a free-flowing discussion to ensue and compiling many ideas from which choices will be made leading to eventual strategies and programs.
Setting up the library proclamation is “planning.” Determining what teaching strategies the community should use is “brainstorming.”
Brainstorming is necessary—but an Assembly should always know when it is involved in the process, and in fact should plan ahead for its brainstorming sessions.
Occasionally, spontaneous brainstorming leads to positive action, but more often, unplanned brainstorming leads to frustratingly confusing and lengthy meetings that produce questionable results.
ONE EFFECTIVE WAY to allow for brainstorming is for the Assembly to have occasional workshop sessions at times that are different from the regular Assembly meeting night.
Workshop topics might include establishing community goals for the year, determining teaching strategies, establishing guidelines and mandates for committees and task forces, preparing for a media campaign, developing plans for community deepenings or firesides, discussing child education, or planning how the Assembly can help the community to improve the quality of Bahá’í life.
These workshops might take place once every three or four months, or more often depending on the needs of the community. They needn’t be highly structured, nor is an elaborate agenda needed.
Next month we’ll discuss the role of committees and task forces as a part of the Assembly process.
Few things are more aggravating to members of a Spiritual Assembly than poorly-functioning committees. There are reasons why committees falter, and there are ways to overcome this problem.
We’ll talk about that when next we meet.
Canadian Conference Slated[edit]
The Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith will hold its fifth annual Conference May 30-June 1 at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada.
The conference theme is the History of the Bahá’í Faith; attendance is open to all (there is a $5 registration for nonmembers of the Association).
In addition, an International Conference on Health and Healing, sponsored by the CASBF, will be held June 2-4, also at the University of Ottawa.
Its theme is the Spiritual Dimensions of Health and Healing. Attendance is open to all interested Bahá’ís. There is a $5 registration for members, $10 for non-members.
For further information, please contact the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith, 224 Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2L8, Canada.
Saginaw Valley Bahá’í Youth Conference Scheduled in May[edit]
The Saginaw Valley Bahá’í Youth Conference will be held April 4-6 at Saginaw Valley State College, Saginaw, Michigan.
The conference will begin with registration at 7 p.m. Friday evening and end after lunch on Sunday.
Speakers and workshops will deal with these topics: How to organize a Bahá’í conference; how to overcome shyness in teaching; how to develop good spiritual habits; pioneering; traveling teaching; the Covenant and Administration; and pilgrimage.
Housing will be provided with local Bahá’í families for all youth ages 15-21 and all college students with current student I.D. Please bring a bedroll.
Adults will be responsible for their own housing.
To reach the conference, take I-75 to the Saginaw Road exit. Turn south on M-84, and follow it to Saginaw Valley State College.
The conference registrar is Sandra L. Bebertz, 111 West Oak, Vassar, MI 48768. For more information, phone 517-823-3810.
Some of the 38 believers from three states who participated last December 23-25 in a facilitator training session in Portland, Oregon, for the National Education Committee’s Personal Transformation Program.
Education Committee Program Adds 38 Trained Facilitators[edit]
Thirty-eight Bahá’ís from Idaho, Oregon and Washington State participated last December 23-25 in a facilitator training session in Portland, Oregon, for the National Education Committee’s Personal Transformation Program.
The Personal Transformation Program is designed to help the friends review the Comprehensive Deepening materials over a 10-week period under the guidance of trained facilitators.
ITS PURPOSE is three-fold: (1) to deepen each participant’s knowledge of God’s purpose in creating him; (2) to arouse his will to fulfill that Divine purpose; and (3) to inspire him to self-disciplined action so that he can achieve his goal of spiritual transformation.
The National Education Committee is working hard to see that this program is made available to all the friends across the country as quickly as possible.
To that end, training sessions have been scheduled in many areas this year. In February, for example, a session was held in Dallas, Texas, and others are planned in Florida, Virginia, New York and Colorado in the next several months.
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KINDLE
THE FIRE OF FAITH IN MEN’S HEARTS TEACH WITH BOOKS.
For advice on books suitable for your needs, ask your local Bahá’í librarian, or write Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Illinois 60091. |
There are plans to make the Personal Transformation Program available in every state by Riḍván 1981.
The friends are urged to Barticipate in the Personal Transformation Program as it becomes available in their area.
The committee feels that involvement in the plan will aid in the fulfillment of our Seven Year Plan instructions to “engage in a nationwide program of spiritual enrichment designed to inspire and deepen the friends ...”
[Page 8]
Letters to the Editor
World Bank Helps Developing Nations[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
In December you published a letter from Carol Colman, commenting on an earlier editorial in The American Bahá’í, in which she disparages the aim of a young Bahá’í to become president of the World Bank.
Ms. Colman cites the need to strive for spiritual, rather than material, objectives, and identifies the “world banking community” with “the enslavement of man’s nature by greed and envy.”
PERHAPS SHE IS not aware that the World Bank and its twin institution, the International Monetary Fund, were established by the world community of nations following the Second World War as a part of the effort to prevent wars from recurring in the future.
By channeling large sums of money from the financial markets of the rich to development projects in poorer nations, and by policing an agreed standard of good financial behavior among nations, these institutions make a major contribution to the stability, peace and prosperity of mankind.
Although they have obvious deficiencies from a Bahá’í point of view, they are nevertheless the most effective of the many UN-affiliated organizations, all of which Bahá’ís have supported enthusiastically since their inception.
I believe that Bahá’ís should feel honored to be associated with any of these institutions, since they are the precursors of the world-embracing institutions Bahá’u’lláh has come to establish.
MORE GENERALLY, it is important to realize that Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings cover a wide range of issues of social justice and equity that cannot be separated in this Dispensation from the “spiritual” side of life.
As Bahá’ís, we should strive to understand these social principles, then implement them as best we can in an imperfect world.
Supporting institutions that advocate Bahá’í ideals and helping to make them more effective is one of the ways in which we can work to achieve our aims in concrete terms.
Vienna, Virginia
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Since the appearance of the review of Dr. Allan Ward’s book, 239 Days, in The American Bahá’í, every subsequent issue has included letters from believers who apparently are horrified by the discovery that, in the opinion of at least one reader, there is a book written about the Bahá’í Faith that is less than overwhelming.
These believers have spared no energy in expressing their indignation that such a review was published in a Bahá’í journal. I hope that the editors of The American Bahá’í will consent to publish another point of view.
UNLIKE A NUMBER of the critics of the review, I have read 239 Days, and I found it unsatisfactory in most respects.
When I read the review by Sidney Morrison I found it to be polite, and even understated. It pointed out simple and obvious facts, and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the book under consideration.
Mr. Morrison’s critics certainly have a right to disagree with his assessments, but they have gone beyond that to maintain that his opinions should never have been published simply because they are “critical.”
However, the harshness of their own criticisms belie their argument. (One critic even went so far as to question whether Mr. Morrison is a Bahá’í!)
Their actions speak louder than their words and make it clear that they believe that at least certain criticisms (that is, their own) should have a place in print.
SO THE REAL question, after all, is not one of criticism, but of conformity.
Clearly, there are some believers who believe that The American Bahá’í should reflect only one point of view, and suppress all others. This is directly contrary to the spirit of the Cause.
I am deeply disturbed that these well-meaning believers would wish to force the Bahá’í community into a mindless and sanitized uniformity that is so antithetical to the diversity of temperaments, cultures, and ideas that it is the primary purpose of the Faith to protect.
Los Angeles, California
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
I read with great interest Linda Brown’s commentary, “Crisis in Iran Puts Our Character to Test” (September 1979).
I found the article most inspirational and comprehensive; however, due to the Iranian crisis and the subsequent critical needs of the Universal House of Justice toward completion of the Seat, we need to do more than budget our money and increase our contributions—we must actively teach and find new Bahá’ís.
Since the $1 million annual contribution by the National Spiritual Assembly to the Universal House of Justice will only provide a down payment on the Seat in two years, we will have to find alternative approaches to increasing contributions, and I feel that this is certainly a strong way of doing it.
Let’s face it, the Universal House of Justice needs $20 million, and we have to pull through for our Supreme and infallible Institution.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
A couple of years ago I happened upon The New Games Book, and in my initial enthusiasm felt that “the whole world should know about it,” especially our Bahá’í world.
So you can imagine my pleasure when the topic of “New Games” occupied half a page in the January issue of The American Bahá’í.
A few thoughts come to mind about how we can help support noncompetitive games in our home town.
THE BOOK ITSELF could be a family or community gift to a physical education teacher that our child happens to have, or to the whole department.
I hope all our Bahá’í schools have a copy, and that it is brought to the attention of the recreation director each year.
If we know someone who is involved with a camp, they would probably be interested in the book, and the public library needn’t be left out either.
Even in conversation the idea can be supported. At our YMCA, I was glad to learn that they knew of the book and are implementing some of the ideas.
Parents rarely get a chance to speak with the kids’ gym teacher, but if it happened, it wouldn’t hurt to mention the idea of non-competitive games, even though some teachers are locked into a competitive curriculum.
The more we become dedicated to the fundamental idea that souls grow through cooperation, not competition, the more of an effort we will make to learn about “cooperative games” and use the idea in our conversations and activities.
Foxboro, Massachusetts
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Regarding your editorial “Are Fifteen Enough?” (January 1980), I feel compelled to congratulate you for broaching in print a question long discussed within our national Bahá’í community.
While it is clear that there can be no limit on the size of Bahá’í communities (it being a matter of personal conscience where one chooses to reside), I fear that the balancing spiritual obligation to disperse may have been understated in your essay, further reinforcing another prevalent and equally one-sided impression, that now is the time to congregate in large, “visible” communities.
ON HIS BEHALF, the Guardian’s secretary wrote to the Bahá’ís of Surat, India, in February 1957:
“The principle he has laid down has invariably been that the friends must establish a Spiritual Assembly on a firm and enduring basis with a nucleus of about 15 Bahá’ís in the community, so that the Assembly would be maintained, and then the other believers are free above the number 15 to disperse and teach elsewhere: in fact they should consider it their duty to do so. This instruction of our beloved Guardian applies to Surat as well as to other Centres.” (In Dawn of a New Day, pp. 191–192)
Although from the context of this statement it is clear that the tendency in Surat at that time was to disperse too early (see p. 191), it is also clear that there is a balance between the duties to secure those Assemblies already won and to disperse from established centers (that is, with 15 or more adults).
Perhaps the best approach is that dispersal is not merely an either/or issue, but rather part of what the Guardian referred to as the “fourfold purpose,” “the most strenuous, the least spectacular, and the most challenging of the tasks now confronting the American Bahá’í community,” namely that of “...winning over an infinitely greater number of recruits to the army of Bahá’u’lláh fighting on the home front, of swelling to an unprecedented degree the isolated centers now scattered within its confines, of converting an increasing number of them into firmly founded groups, and of accelerating the formation of local assemblies, while safeguarding those already in existence.” (Citadel of Faith, p. 148)
HE FURTHER states:
“It is primarily a task that concerns the individual believer, wherever he may be, and whatever his calling, his resources, his race, or his age. Neither the local nor national representatives of the community, no matter how elaborate their plans, or persistent their appeals, or sagacious their counsels, nor even the Guardian himself, however much he may yearn for this consummation, can decide where the duty of the individual lies, or supplant him in the discharge of that task.” (Citadel of Faith, p. 148).
“Each one must evaluate what his own response can be and should be; nobody can do this for him. There is no other pressure than the pressure of historical circumstances.” (Letter on behalf of the Guardian, in A Manual for Pioneers, p. 226)
Among the “historical circumstances” facing us is that since the beginning of the Seven Year Plan we have suffered a net loss of 100 localities (down from 7,040 to 6,940 as of the Feast of Sultan), yet we are faced with a goal of 7,200 by Riḍván 1981.
The Universal House of Justice stunned us in its Naw-Rúz 1979 message, stating: “The decline of religious and moral restraints has unleashed a fury of chaos and confusion that already bears the signs of universal anarchy,” and adding that “we, in all those parts of the world where we are still free to promote the Cause of God, have the responsibility to make good (the Persian friends’) temporary inability to serve.”
Under this “pressure of historical circumstances,” surely the “veritable exodus from the large cities” called for by our beloved Guardian in the Ten Year Crusade is long overdue, and the parallels between the second year of the Crusade and this first year of the Seven Year Plan are more urgent than interesting.
One prays that your editorial will not cool the resolve of those members of large Bahá’í communities in the U.S. who decide to resist their natural inertia and arise to homefront pioneer, nor that it will lend justification and comfort to any who are contemplating a move to a large Bahá’í community for less than sacrificial reasons.
Winfield, Kansas
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News Sought The National Bahá’í Archives Committee is seeking copies of newspaper articles on the Bahá’í Faith published during the years 1893–1963. The committee is not interested in paid advertisements or Bahá’í announcements of local meetings. The Archives Committee also would like to hear from Bahá’ís who are researching early newspaper articles. Please send newspaper articles to Mrs. Jane Shum, P.O. Box 132, Monroe, WI 53566. |
The Bahá’ís of Arlington County, Virginia participated with a booth at the annual County Fair last August 24–26, distributing 200 ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ balloons and more than 300 Bahá’í pamphlets in five languages (English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese). Shown here at the booth are (left to right) Mrs. Dallas Motlagh, Khai Dolinh and Bijan Samali.
Skokie IYC Week Sees ‘Better World’[edit]
Mayor Al Smith of Skokie, Illinois, proclaimed December 3-8 “International Year of the Child Week” in Skokie.
To commemorate this important event, the Bahá’ís of Skokie, in cooperation with the Village of Skokie and the principals of four area junior high schools, asked students to submit drawings depicting their impressions of “a better world to grow up to.”
THE RESULT was 50 colorful drawings illustrating the need to bring nations and races together in harmony. The drawings were displayed in the Skokie Library throughout IYC Week.
On Saturday, December 8, the final day of the week-long proclamation, the Bahá’í community of Skokie sponsored a special program that included a panel discussion on children and the future and the presentation of merit certificates to the young artists.
More than 150 non-Bahá’ís, mostly young people and their proud parents, attended the program.
Bob Bellows, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Skokie, served as master of ceremonies. Dr. Marge Nier, assistant principal for instruction at Evanston Township High School and a member of the Skokie Bahá’í community, moderated the panel discussion whose theme was “A Better World to Grow Up To.”
Panelists included Dr. Rick Czerniejewski, a pediatrician who is a Bahá’í; Mrs. Ann Nick, a non-Bahá’í parent and educator; and four junior high school students.
AT THE END of the program, Al Bernstein, public relations officer for the Village of Skokie, presented the young artists and panelists with Certificates of Merit for their participation in Skokie’s commemoration of the International Year of the Child.
The Spiritual Assembly reports that the purpose of the week-long proclamation—to provide an arena in which the Bahá’í community could interrelate with other Skokie residents and open doors to possible new friendships—was accomplished.
A better understanding of the nature of the Faith and its concern for the community and the spiritual development and education of all children was achieved.
The possibility of a future cooperative event between the Spiritual Assembly and the Village of Skokie already is in the talking stage.
Dr. Marge Nier (standing above) presides at a panel discussion during ‘IYC Week’ last December in Skokie, Illinois. Fifty school children contributed drawings (below) on the theme ‘A Better World to Grow Up To.’ Each child was given a Certificate of Merit for participating in the Bahá’í-sponsored event.
‘Six Lessons’: Excellent Basic Summary of Islám[edit]
The nation’s attention is focused on Iran, and now more than ever Americans are talking about Islám. Bahá’ís can take advantage of the increased interest in Islám to deepen their own knowledge of the Muslim faith and answer questions put to them by puzzled friends and acquaintances.
There are many books on Islám, but where to begin? Six Lessons on Islám, by Marzieh Gail, presents a brief but fascinating summary of the subject. Each of the six lessons is approximately six pages long—short enough to read in one sitting.
Six Lessons on Islám is available from Bahá’í librarians or the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Send $1.85 per copy plus 75 cents for postage and handling on orders under $5. (Catalog No. 7-65-09)
Two books on Islám from other publishers are:
Islám, by John A. Williams. Braziller Press, 1961, hard cover, $8.95. This book is part of the series, “Great Religions of Modern Man.”
Mohammedanism, by Hamilton Gibb. Oxford University Press, 1953, paperback, $2.95.
These books may be available at your local public library. They can also be ordered from bookstores or directly from the publishers. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Health Highlighted In ‘World Order’[edit]
The Spring 1979 issue of World Order magazine, which is now available, contains timely and interesting articles on a Bahá’í approach to health and healing by Hossain B. Danesh, and on international health work by Alfred K. Neumann and Irvin M. Lourie.
Also included in that issue are “Looking at Children’s Literature,” a bibliographic essay by Dorothy Garey on books dealing with the history of childhood; and “Problems of Chronology in Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet of Wisdom” by Juan Ricardo Cole.
To order individual copies of World Order, or to subscribe, see your Bahá’í community librarian or write to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Subscription prices (U.S.) are $6 for one year, $11 for two years; for those in other countries, the subscription price is $7 for one year, $13 for two years.
[edit]
Who was Ramona Allen Brown? This is a question many Bahá’ís might be asking now that her book, Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, has been published. (Bahá’í Publishing Trust, cloth, Catalog No. 7-32-10, $9.95)
One fact about Ramona Brown stands out above all others: She was one of the early American Bahá’ís who had the unique privilege of welcoming ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when he visited the U.S.
THE MEMORY of her first meeting with 'Abdu’l-Bahá remained fresh in Ramona Brown’s mind throughout her life. She writes of her first visit with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“As we entered the presence of the Master, He appeared to be enveloped in a beautiful, ethereal, luminous light. The room seemed flooded with sunshine. ...My heart felt as though it would burst with joy and happiness to be at last in the presence of the beloved Master, to see Him with my own eyes and hear His beautiful voice as He spoke to my precious family.”
Born in 1889 in Boulder Creek, California, Ramona Brown was the only daughter of Dr. Woodson and Frances Orr Allen. In 1904, she and her mother attended a tea at the Oakland, California, home of Helen S. Goodall. It was there that she heard the Message of Bahá’u’lláh for the first time. She accepted the Faith that same afternoon.
Ramona Brown counted among her friends and acquaintances Bahá’ís whose names are now a part of history. Many of those early Bahá’ís came to her parents’ home—Lua Getsinger, Thornton Chase, Martha Root, and Clara and Hyde Dunn, to name a few.
AMONG RAMONA’S contemporaries and friends were Phoebe Hearst, Kanichi Yamamoto, Emogene Hoagg, Ella Bailey, John and Louise Bosch, and many others.
For many years Ramona lived in California, where she married Joseph Bray in 1916 and raised two children. Later, she married Arthur Merrill Brown, a prominent San Francisco businessman, who died in 1950.
In 1954, at the age of 65, Mrs. Brown made a pilgrimage to the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa and to ‘Akká, Israel.
Her life of service took a new course after pilgrimage when, at the Guardian’s suggestion, she visited Bahá’ís in the Mediterranean. She pioneered, first to Majorca and later to Salzburg, Austria, where she lived for seven years and served on that city’s first Local Spiritual Assembly.
Late in 1963 Mrs. Brown returned to California in poor health to spend a few months away from the severe Austrian winter. Although she planned to return to her post in the spring, it was not to be.
INSTEAD, at the request of Dr. Ugo Giachery, she stayed in San Diego with his ailing wife while he was in Central America. Mrs. Brown remained in La Jolla, California, until her death in 1975.
Throughout her life, Ramona Brown shared her accounts of visits with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá while He was in the San Francisco area. As the foreword to Memories records:
“During the last few years of her life, even though suffering from poor health, Mrs. Brown never taught more actively; the youth would bring lunch to her hotel and stay all day, listening to her speak about Bahá’í administration, the Covenant, and the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
Ramona Brown’s generous spirit and her eagerness to share her experiences for the benefit of the friends is evident in this letter she wrote while completing her book:
“ ...it has been a source of great joy and bounty to have been able to share my memories and experiences in the Faith with the Bahá’ís around the world over a period of years. Now it is my hope that many others will find it possible to read about them in my book and gain both pleasure and insight from what I have been able to write down about those wonderful and historic times.”
Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá can be ordered from your local Bahá’í librarian or directly from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Send $9.95 per copy (postpaid) in check or money order, made payable to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
RAMONA ALLEN BROWN
She Followed Master’s Example
[Page 10]
More than 150 people including 30 non-Bahá’ís gathered last November 30 in Newport Beach, California, to hear Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, speak on ‘Developing the Potential of the Child.’ The meeting was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Newport Beach as a follow-up to the International Year of the Child ‘Love That Child’ bus poster proclamation in Orange County. Many of the non-Bahá’ís who were present asked for more information about the Faith, while some expressed a desire to attend firesides.
The Spiritual Assembly of Bristol, New Hampshire, sponsored this display that was shown last year in several cities in that state. The display, based on United Nations information regarding the status of children in the U.S. and other countries, was designed by Elaine M. Keniston of the Bristol Bahá’í community. It encourages a spiritual solution to such problems as violence, materialism, prejudice, etc., and emphasizes problem solving aimed at the causes of these problems rather than treatment of their symptoms. Besides Bristol, the display was seen in Peterborough and Conway, New Hampshire.
Pioneers Focus at Green Acre[edit]
The Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, will offer a four-part program this summer designed to give foreign and homefront pioneers and traveling teachers help in language skills and cultural understanding.
The courses are:
July 12-13—Cultural Awareness and Adjustment.
July 14-18—Teaching English as a Second Language.
July 19-20—Workshop in Preparation for Learning Any Foreign Language.
July 21-25—Intensive Language Study: French, Spanish.
Teachers will be announced later.
Weekend programs begin with lunch on Saturday and end with lunch on Sunday. The French, Spanish and ESL programs are intensive, 30-hour courses.
Anyone may attend any or all of the courses, but will be expected to attend all class sessions of whatever course he/she chooses.
These courses will be held apart from the regular Green Acre Summer School. All applicants must preregister.
In announcing the program, the planning committee gave special emphasis to the course on teaching English as a second language, which is sometimes the only job open to pioneers, and which requires more skills and knowledge than simply speaking English.
There also are many jobs in this country teaching English to people whose first language is not English.
The Green Acre Language Program was begun in 1978 by Tom and Helen Sousa as a seven-day program, and was repeated last summer. Last fall, a planning committee was established to expand the program.
Special weekend programs for French-, Spanish- and Persian-speaking Bahá’ís are in the planning stages. These programs will offer courses on Bahá’í subjects, conducted totally in the specified language.
With such programs, Green Acre hopes to increase its service to Bahá’ís with special language needs.
Anyone who has ideas about offering language programs of any kind is invited to contact Dick Grover at the Green Acre Bahá’í School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
BAHA’I NATIVE COUNCIL
July 11-12-13,1980 BAHA’I HOUSE OF WORSHIP Wilmette, Illinois
Native believers, Bahá’í pioneers on Indian Reservations and special guests are warmly invited to attend the Second Native Council sponsored by the Continental Indigenous Council for North America.
In addition to being an exciting learning and sharing experience, this Council will launch the “Trail of Light” teaching team that will take the Message of the Bahá’í Faith to numerous Reservations in the U.S., Canada and Alaska. We urge you to attend and send your reservations as soon as possible.
Limited dormitory housing will be available at the conference site: $10 per night per person, double room; $15 per night for a single room. Cafeteria meals available at $12.50 per day for three meals. Advance reservations are due April 1, 1980. For further information or confirming reservations, please write to Cathy Cook, P.O. Box 399, St. David, AZ 85630.
A close-up view of the Bahá’í display that appeared last December and January in the front window of WABC-TV in New York City.
Display
Continued From Page 1
to participate in the window display were the Greek Orthodox Church, the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the American Jewish Congress, and the Protestant Council of Churches.
The significance of the invitation for Bahá’í participation, according to Mrs. Nancy Mondschein, the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative to the United Nations, “is that we were seen as one of the active religions in New York City. We took our place beside Christianity and Judaism.”
A rabbi from Chicago, representing the American Jewish Congress, had suggested during a planning meeting at WABC-TV that the Bahá’í display include a model of the House of Worship because, as he said, “It is the most exquisite religious building in America.”
List of Spelling Errors Found in Original Text: - Iasi -> (likely OCR error for "on" or context-specific, kept as "Iasi" but likely intended as "on") - meetina -> meeting - Baha Vs -> Bahá’ís - Baha 'is -> Bahá’ís - Baha 7 -> Bahá’í - solution Jo -> solution to - ■Peterborough -> Peterborough - Bahei’i -> Bahá’í - Baha 7 -> Bahá’í - Bah&'l -> Bahá’í - Bah&'f -> Bahá’í
The American,
More than 150 people including 30 nonBaha'is gathered last November 30 in Newport Beach, California, to hear Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, speak on ‘Developing the Potential of the Child.’ The meetina was sponsored by the
Baha'is of Newport Beach as a follow-up to the International Year of the Child ‘Love That Child’ bus poster proclamation in Orange County. Many of the non-Baha’is who were present asked for more information about the Faith, while some expressed a desire to attend firesides.
The Spiritual Assembly of Bristol, New Hampshire, sponsored this display that was shown last year in several cities in that state. The display, based on United Nations information regarding the status of children in the U.S. and other countries, was designed by Elaine M. Keniston of the Bristol Baha'i community. It encourages a
Spiritual solution. to such problems as violence, materialism, prejudice, etc., and emphasizes problem-solving aimed at the causes of these problems rather than treatment of their symptoms. Besides Bristol, the display was seen in -Peterborough and Conway, New Hampshire.
Pioneers Focus at Green Acre
The Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, Maine, will offer a four-part program this summer designed to give foreign and homefront pioneers and traveling teachers help in language skills and cultural understanding.
The courses are:
July 12-13—Cultural Awareness and Adjustment.
July 14-18—Teaching English as a Second Language.
July 19-20—Workshop in Preparation for Learning Any Foreign Language.
July 21-25—Intensive Language Study: French, Spanish.
Teachers will be announced later.
Weekend programs begin with lunch on Saturday and end with lunch on Sunday. The French, Spanish and ESL programs are intensive, 30-hour courses.
Anyone may attend any or all of the courses, but will be expected to attend all class sessions of whatever course he/she chooses.
These courses will be held apart from the regular Green Acre Summer School. All applicants must preregister.
In announcing the program, the plan ning committee gave special emphasis to the course on teaching English as a second language, which is sometimes the only job open to pioneers, and which requires more skills and knowledge than simply speaking English.
There also are many jobs in this country teaching English to people whose first language is not English.
The Green Acre Language Program was begun in 1978 by Tom and Helen Sousa as a seven-day program, and was repeated last summer. Last fall, a planning committee was established to expand the program.
Special weekend programs for French-, Spanish- and Persianspeaking Baha’is are in the planning stages. These programs will offer courses on Baha'i subjects, conducted totally in the specified language.
With such programs, Green Acre hopes to increase its service to Baha'is with special language needs.
Anyone who has ideas about offering language programs of any kind is invited to contact Dick Grover at the Green Acre Baha'i School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
ble.
Councie
BAHA’i NATIVE COUNCIL
July 11-12-13, 1980 BAHA’i HOUSE OF WORSHIP Wilmette, Illinois
Native believers, Baha'i pioneers on Indian Reservations and special guests are warmly invited to attend the Second Native Council sponsored by the Continental Indigenous Council for North America.
In addition to being an exciting learning and sharing experience, this Council will launch the “Trail of Light” teaching team that will take the Message of the Baha’i Faith to numerous Reservations in the U.S., Canada and Alaska. We urge you to attend and send your reservations as soon as possi Limited dormitory housing will be available at the conference site: $10 per night per person, double room; $15 per night for a single room. Cafeteria meals available at $12.50 per day for three meals. Advance reservations are due April 1, 1980. For further information or confirming reservations, please write to Cathy Cook, P.O. Box 399, St. David, AZ 85630.
Baha’i
The Baha'i House of Worship welcomes all religions | all races and nationalities as God's love ; all mankind.
embraces |
The Baha'is of the world extend their love and Sreetings to all during the holiday season
| Facsimile of the American Baha'i House | in Willmette, Illinois,
| Courtesy of the American Baha'i House
of Worship
of Worship
‘Courtesy. of the American Baha’i Community
A close-up view of the Baha'i display that appeared last December and January in
Display Continued From Page 1
to participate in the window display were the Greek Orthodox Church, the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the American Jewish Congress, and the Protestant Council of Churches.
The significance of the invitation for Baha’ participation, according to Mrs.
the front window of WABC-TV in New York City. i"
Nancy Mondschein, the National Spiritual Assembly's representative to the United Nations, “is that we were seen as one of the active religions in New York City. We took our place beside Christianity and Judaism.”
A rabbi from Chicago, representing the American Jewish Congress, had suggested during a planning meeting at WABC-TV that the Baha’! display include a model of the House of Worship because, as he said, “It is the most exquisite religious building in America.”
March 1980 Page 11
Classified Ads
CLASSIFIED ADS in The American Baha’i are intended as a service to the U.S. Baha'i community and are printed free of charge.
ont
JOB OPENING ina prime goal area in The Cameroons for an air conditioninglrefrigeration specialist. Standard expatriate contract. Applicants must be certified in either air conditioning or refrigeration and have documented experience. Needed is someone who can design, plan and install central and window air conditioning units, and repair and service air conditioning and refrigeration units. Single male preferred, or married man with no children. Must speak English, with high priority given to those who also speak French or Arabic. For more details, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS in Castle Rock, Colorado, a town of about 5,000 midway between Denver and Colorado Springs, must leave their post and would like to sell their home to other homefront pioneers. The Castle Rock Baha'i community includes two adults and three youth. The house has three bedrooms, dining room, living room, kitchen and bath, and is on a halfacre of land in town. It includes a cottage that could be rented. It is 1/2-block from an elementary school, within walking distance of stores and shops, and commands a lovely view of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. For more information, please write to Joan Hoover, P.O. Box 783, Castle Rock, CO 80104, or phone 303-688-4653.
GREEN ACRE Baha'i School has summer jobs. Needed are an innkeeper to supervise the entire registration, food service, and housekeeping functions; program directors for adult, youth, and children’s programs; arts/crafts; cooks; kitchen help; housekeepers; librarian; night watchman, and others. Must be available from June 20 to Labor Day. Apply to the Green Acre Baha'i School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
BAHA’l MIDWIFE needed. Small mountain community in Southern Colorado with a Group of six energetic and active adults needs three more adults to form an Assembly. Anyone with midwifery skills would be in great demand due to a growing home birth movement. Please contact Dave and Helene Van Manen, P.O. Box 43, Beulah, CO 81023.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Forest Grove, Oregon (near Portland) needs deepened Baha'is to help maintain its Assembly status. Good job market with convenient bus service to Portland. Also needed is a Baha'i student on campus at Pacific University, an excellent privately endowed university with nationally renowned Schools of Optometry and Music. The university, founded in 1848, is in Forest Grove: Please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Forest Grove, P.O. Box 332, Forest Grove, OR 97116.
CALLING ALL ARTISTS! A giant Art Festival traveling to teach the Faith starts in Sacramento, California, in the spring of 1980. Fine arts, crafts, p ig, sculpture, performing arts to be included. For information and entry blanks, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Sacramento, Box No. 161252, Sacramento, CA 95816.
WANTED: Volumes 1, 2, 5,6 and 10 of The Baha'i World. Please contact Barbara Hochwalt, 51 Talawanda Terrace, Dayton, OH 45429.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed in King
City, in the beautiful Salinas Valley on the
central California coast. A paradise for
retired couples. Delightful climate, wonderful recreation areas. Isolated from other
Baha'is (the nearest Spiritual Assembly is
in Salinas, a 100-mile round trip), and three
hours away from the Bosch Baha'i School.
There are some limited employment opportunities (motels and restaurants,
agriculture), and many more for those who
are bi-lingual (English and Spanish).
Remember, if you are retired or selfemployed, you do not have to speak
Spanish. A Persian family would be joyously welcomed. Please write for more information and let me know how | can help: Ms.
Alice V. Lovejoy, 226 Vivian St., King City,
CA 93930, or phone (mornings or evenings)
408-385-4932.
NEEDED IN THE CAMEROONS: Manager for a biscuit and cookie factory. Age and marital status are of no consequence. Qualifications: A record of demonstrated
honesty; a Baha'i in good standing; documented experience in baking and management; able to manage every aspect of production; able to run factory equi ment if necessary; able to effectively control 60 employees; able to handle a minimum production of 1,000 packages of 200 gm each per hour; fluent in English, preferably in French and Arabic as well; willing to receive a normal expatriate salary plus a bonus based on production. Candidates must be able to give a firm commitment, sign a two-year contract, and be prepared to arrive in The Cameroons by April 1, 1980. For further information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
BAHA'| UNIVERSITY STUDENT from Ecuador desires home-stay with a Baha’i family in the U.S. during March and April to improve her English. Will pay her own expenses. For information, please phone Delane or Kurt Hein, 312-864-3466.
GREEN ACRE Baha'i School needs teachers for children’s and youth classes for any week from July 4 to September 1. Age groups available are 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-18. Patient, enthusiastic, loving people needed. Please send a resumé of experience with children/youth to Sally Eiler, Green Acre Baha'i School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
PICTURESQUE rural community, 65 miles north of San Francisco and minutes from the ocean amid redwoods and apple blossoms, needs three adults to assure the continuation of its Spiritual Assembly. A junior college and state university are nearby, and there are employment opportunities locally and 10 miles away in a city of 80,000. Possible employment fields include agriculture, lumber, education, electronics, sales, insurance and medical. The area has many Baha'is with whom to. share fellowship and activities. There are teaching opportunities among the Spanishspeaking, Indian and Japanese populations. Present community members will help in finding employment and housing. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Sebastopol, P.O. Box 226, Sebastopol, CA 95472, or phone the secretary, Suzy Gilbert‘son, 707-832-4229.
THE SAGINAW VALLEY Baha'i Youth Conference 1980 will be held April 4-6 at Saginaw Valley State College, Saginaw, Michigan. Come and meet youth from the U.S. and Canada. Seekers are welcome! The program begins at 7 p.m. Friday and ends after lunch on Sunday. Housing will be provided with local Baha’i families for all youth ages 15-21 and all college students with current student I.D. Please bring a bedroll. Adults will be responsible for their own housing. For more information, contact Sandra L. Bebertz, registrar, 111 West Oak, Vassar, MI 48768, or phone 517-823-3810.
ATTENTION TEACHERS: High school in the Marshall Islands has openings for teachers in industrial arts, business education, and English. Another high school needs an English teacher and school principal. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
HELP SAVE a very good Assembly and pay low property taxes at the same time. Homewood, Alabama, an attractive suburb of Birmingham, needs homefront pioneers to assure the continuation of its six-year
Proclamation, child education and administration, but appears to need more
diversity of talent and just plain new blood
to be more effective in teaching. We cannot
offer you the glamor of a material hardship
post: Homewood has high quality schools,
excellent housing at probably less than
you're now paying, and a location that
makes it close to most jobs. The Birmingham area has a growing economy with
jobs in engineering, metallurgy, and all
medical fields, plus regional offices of
many companies. We need you by Ridvan
for sure, but if you are interested, please
don't wait—time grows short. Wi to
Kevin Smith, 2044-K Lancaster Rd.,
Homewood, AL 35209, or phone Jane
Russell, 205-933-2837.
LIBRARIAN NEEDED at the National Baha'i Library in Hawaii. The present librarian anticipates leaving Hawaii early this spring. There are no hard and fast requirements for the position, but applicants
See CLASSIFIEDS, Page 12
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Bahai
Information Center Aids Portsmouth Media Push
In May 1975, early in the Five Year Plan, a proposal was made by the Spiritual Assembly of Eliot, Maine, for a collaborative venture by the Committee of the Seacoast Area of New Hampshire and southwestern Maine.
The purpose was to put into action a goal of the Plan, as stated by the Universal House of Justice: “The proclamation of the Faith, following established plans and aiming to use on an increasing scale the facilities of mass communication, must be pursued.”
THE PROPOSAL was discussed and adopted by the Assemblies of Eliot and Kittery, Maine, and York and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Baha'i Groups, then in Dover, Kennebunk, South Berwick, Exeter and Hampton, expressed their support for the plan. A committee was formed with representatives of the various communities under the sponsorship and guidance of the Spiritual Assembly of Portsmouth.
A store with two display windows was rented in an advantageous location, at 65 Market St. in Portsmouth. Through volunteer help it was refurbished and furnishings were contributed or loaned.
The Baha'i Information Center of Portsmouth was opened in July 1975 and dedicated to the proclamation of the Faith. Ali Nakhjavani, a member of the Universal House of Justice, was present at the opening.
On that occasion, he spoke of the importance of continuity and steadfastness in proclaiming the Faith. Important as single bursts of effort may be, he said, the greatest results come from steady, continuous efforts that, although less spectacular, are most effective in producing results.
THE CENTER was later blessed by visits from the Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and Ali-Akbar Furdtan, each of whom expressed his happiness at the existence of the Center and offered prayers for its future success.
A visitor browses through the Baha’i books and other literature displayed in the Baha'i Faith Information Center in Ports mouth, New Hampshire. The Center,
While the establishment and operation of a physical Center was at the heart of the project, the program adopted in 1975 included public meetings, newspaper advertising, and radio and television publicity.
Since then, weekly newspaper ads have appeared in the Portsmouth Herald and the Dover Democrat; other wider campaigns have been carried out in connection with special events.
Projects have been brought to the Center Committee by individual communities for support, while other communities have lent their support to centrally conceived endeavors.
The committee’s original budget was $200 a month, of which about half was for rent and the other half for Center maintenance, advertising and special projects. The budget is now about $250 a month.
SEVERAL THOUSAND people have come into the Center to browse since its opening. It is not known how many tens of thousands have passed by it and been made aware of the Baha'i Faith.
Each day, a number of people pause to look at the exhibits and read the Writings in the windows. These displays are designed and executed by individuals and communities, and are changed frequently.
A library was established through loans of Baha’i books to be used at the Center. Hundreds of Baha'i books have been sold in a project that is selfsupporting.
In addition, a wide range of pamphlets is available free to inquirers. For the past several years UNICEF cards have been sold at cost, an undertaking that helps to express the Baha’i support for this UN agency and brings many people to the Center.
The possibilities presented by sound tapes and films have barely been explored.
The Center is staffed by devoted volunteers from the nearby Baha'i communities. It is young, vibrant and growing, and its future looks great.
opened in 1975, is supported and manned by the friends in nearby Baha'i communities.
Md. Churches Hear Baha’i Message
The Baha'i Faith was proclaimed in Greenbelt, Maryland, January 8 in a class entitled “What Different Churches Believe ... Let’s Listen,” organized by the Catholic Church in Greenbelt and participated in by all Greenbelt churches, the local synagogue and the Baha’i community.
Nineteen students, most of them Catholics, listened intently to a presentation that covered the history, institu tions and principles of the Faith.
Many took notes, and afterward numerous questions were asked. Issues of great interest to Catholics, such as divorce and the role of women, were covered.
The opportunity to teach the Faith in this manner came about through the Greenbelt community's long participation in monthly meetings of the Greenbelt clergy.
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Simpson’: MENS WEAR
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The Baha'i Faith Information Center at 65
Market St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Archives Institute Scheduled in August
The National Baha’! Archives Committee is planning to hold its 1980 Archives Training Institute August 13-17 at the Baha'i National Center in Wilmette, Illinois.
Those interested in attending the program should submit to the Archives Committee by May 31 a brief statement of their background and why they would like to attend the institute.
The institute is designed to introduce believers interested in the archival field to the nature and functions of a Baha'i archives. Attendance will be limited to eight persons, and each participant will be responsible for his or her own expenses.
Please address requests to the National Baha'i Archives Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Classifieds
Continued From Page 11
should have a love for and knowledge of the Baha'i books, plus a minimal amount of bookkeeping ability. Please send applications to 3264 Allan Place, Honolulu, HA 96817.
NORTHERN MINNESOTA, land of 10,000 lakes, majestic woods, and wonderful people is an excellent location for homefront pioneers. Jeopardized Assemblies, unopened Indian Reservations, and other unopened localities provide a marvelous opportunity for Baha'i service. For more information, please contact the District Teaching Committee of Northern Minnesota, P.O. Box 217, St. Joseph, MN 56374, or phone 612-363-4573.
WANTED: PIONEERS to State College, Pennsylvania. Permanent residents desired, family preferred. Reward: The best of two worlds—lovely mountain wilderness surrounding the home of a major university (Penn State). Mainly professional jobs available; small hospital nearby, also a ‘small airport. The city is midway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and two hours by car from Harrisburg, the state capital. Please write to the Spiritual Assembly of State College, P.O. Box 253, State College, PA 16801, or phone 814-234-0601.
PERSIAN BELIEVERS! Come to Indiana and help add diversity to our Baha'i community. Indiana, the “crossroads of America,” has some of the country’s finest universities, good schools, a Baha'i children’s education program, an active District Teaching Committee and Youth Committee. All we need is more balance for our predominantly white community. Anyone who is interested in moving to Indiana can contact Walt Palmer, 504 S. Indiana St., Greencastle, IN 46135.
GREEN ACRE Baha'i Schoo! summer work/study program offers two-week sessions: one week work, one week study. Total cost is the $10 registration fee. There are work openings in kitchen, housekeeping, and children's school. Applicants must be 15 or older, and must apply and be accepted. Write for application to Sally Eiler,
Green Acre Baha'i School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
THINK ABOUT SARASOTA! Ideal retirement living. Beautiful climate all year. Gorgeous sandy beaches that tourists from around the world spend millions to bask on. Abundant culture—music, art, theater, sports. New College for the young and very bright; a nearby junior college for youth and adults. Luxury living, and luxury leisure amply fulfilled. Sarasota offers a great deal, with never a wasted moment because Sarasota needs Baha'i service. The stalwart Baha’is of Sarasota, carrying the workload of a tottering incorporated Assembly, need YOU. If you can settle in Sarasota—for retirement, for a superb education, for sheer enjoyment, and for the rewarding experience of Baha'i service in the midst of all your heart could possibly desire—please write to Mary Voelz, secretary, 3906 Bayshore Road, Sarasota, FL 33580. We can send you pages of employment ads from the newspaper.
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA, needs two homefront pioneers to help restore its Spiritual Assembly. Boone is a university town in the Blue Ridge Mountains with skiing in the winter and a cool summer climate. For details, please contact Sigurd Schmidt, 511 W. Queen St., Boone, NC 28607, or phone 704-262-1949.
THE BAHA'l COMMUNITY of Tallahassee, Florida, would like to urge Baha'is to move to this community. We are seeking individuals who will devote much of their time to activating the Baha'i community in addition to other teaching activities. This may, for instance, be a challenging opportunity in terms of personal goals for a retired couple. Tallahassee also has ample employment opportunities for those in education, government or business. Please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Tallahassee, 1920 Hideaway Court, Tallahassee, FL 32303.
ENGINEERS please note: Immediate openings for sanitary-civil engineers in a lovely town of 35,000 set in the hills of Pennsylvania. A warm welcome and help in relocating await you from an enthusiastic Group of four adults and three children that is growing toward Assembly status. Please write and send resumé to the Baha'is of Williamsport, P.O. Box 1801, Williamsport, PA 17701, or phone 717-323-7860.
March 1980 Page 13
Gladys Weeden: Her Life Was a Sacrifice
DEEPLY MOVED PASSING ONE MY OLDEST FRIENDS DEVOTED STEADFAST BELIEVER FAITHFUL SERVANT DIFFICULT DANGEROUS TIMES BELOVED GUARDIAN AT WORLD CENTRE. SURELY RELEASE SUCH ILLUMINED SOULS WINGING WAY REALMS ON HIGH SOURCE REJOICING. JOIN BAHA’IS PRAYERS FUNERAL MEMORIAL SERVICES. LOVING GREETINGS
RUHIYYIH
SADDENED LEARN PASSING KNIGHT OF BAHA’U’LLAH GLADYS ANDERSON WEEDEN. HER SERVICES HAIFA DAYS BELOVED GUARDIAN, TEACHING ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND AT PIONEER POST ANTIGUA WELL REMEMBERED. KINDLY CONVEY SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY CONCORD NEW HAMPSHIRE OUR GRATEFUL APPRECIATION CABLE AND ASSURANCE PRAYERS HOLY THRESHOLD PROGRESS HER SOUL KINGDOMS GOD.
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
°
These cables were only a part of the tribute paid to one of the staunchest soldiers fighting for the Cause of Baha'u'llah. Gladys Anderson Weeden made her entire life a sacrifice for the Baha’i Faith, and enkindled numerous souls through her teaching activities.
Gladys Weeden was born April 22, 1906, in Newport, New Hampshire. She was raised in Haverhill, Massachusetts; declared her belief in Baha'u'llah in 1933, and passed on to the Abha Kingdom on September 14, 1979.
HER JOURNEY in service to Baha'u'llah began in 1932 when she met Mary Sutherland Maxwell, later to become known as Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyin Khanum, the devoted wife of the beloved Guardian, while touring in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
She readily grasped the significance of the new World Order, and after her declaration in 1933 was elected to the Spiritual Assembly of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Soon Gladys was asked to serve on the six-state New England Regional Teaching Committee. From this committee she volunteered to become a homefront pioneer to Brattleboro, Vermont.
On February 18, 1942, accompanied by Hattie Chamberlin and Florence Morton, Gladys traveled to Brattleboro and took up residence at the Hotel Brooks on Main Street.
From this hotel she gave firesides regularly over the next few months, hosting such visiting lecturers as Dorothy Baker, Dr. Glenn Shook, Ruth Moffett and others.
WHEN GLADYS eventually acquired her own home in Brattleboro, she continued the active fireside program. Its
fruits became apparent in December 1942 when Frederick Hoffman became the first native Vermonter to declare his belief in Baha'u'llah.
During this period other pioneers moved to Brattleboro, thus helping to establish Vermont's first Spiritual Assembly. In September 1943, Ben Weeden, then a banker in Brattleboro and a respected community leader, became the second Vermont believer.
In March 1947, Gladys was asked to serve the Guardian at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel. She was the first American Baha'i to be called to Haifa after World War Il.
Early in 1948 she left for Haifa, followed by her then fiancé, Ben Weeden, whose services also had been requested to assist Sutherland Maxwell with research materials for the construction of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab.
On March 20, 1948, Ben and Gladys were married in Jerusalem, with the ceremony witnessed by the TransJordanian National Assembly.
THOSE WERE dangerous and difficult times. The marriage of Gladys Anderson and Ben Weeden was the first Baha'i marriage performed in the newly-born nation, of Israel.
Gladys possessed a priceless sense of humor and delighted in telling the story of how their wedding day was interrupted by a hail of bullets!
After the ceremony, before refreshments could be served, terrorists attacked the area. The TransJordanian National Assembly was spirited away to Jordan, while Gladys and Ben began wending their way back to their quarters.
Their journey was cut short by gunfire, causing them to seek refuge in a nearby alley behind some garbage cans. It was at that point that Ben remembered the ring!
This first visit to Haifa culminated in Gladys’ appointment to the first International Baha'i Council, and her charm, wit and forbearance became steadfast allies in the ensuing years.
THE PUBLIC pronouncement of the formation of the Council came on July 9, 1951, and the body was recognized as the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice.
Ben had returned to the U.S. earlier that year to recuperate from an illness, and Gladys followed in January 1952.
That same year, at the request of the Guardian, the Weedens toured the U.S. on an itinerary that covered 75 major Baha'i communities. The purpose of the trip was to tell of their experiences in the Holy Land—experiences that could literally fill a book.
In keeping with their dynamic nature, the Weedens pioneered to Antigua, British West Indies, in 1953. Asa result of their being the first to settle there, they were honored with the title Knights of Baha'u'llah.
The Weedens remained in Antigua
Robert Rosenkranz (right), vice-chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Forest Grove, Oregon, presents a copy of the book, Call to the Nations, to Mayor James Hills of Forest Grove. The presentation was made
in keeping with the Forest Grove Baha'i community's theme for 1979, ‘The Light of Learning Is Love of God.’ An article about the event was published in the local newspaper.
until Ben’s declining health forced their return to the States, where they again devoted their time and energies to serving Baha’u’llah in New Hampshire until Ben’s passing in 1970.
GLADYS CONTINUED to work tirelessly for the Cause. Again she was called to Haifa. In 1973 and 1974, she helped her dear friend and spiritual teacher, Ruhiyyih Khanum, in renovating the home of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
After a brief period back at her home in Henniker, New Hampshire, she returned to the Holy Land for the last time in April 1977, delivering the manuscript of a book she had written entitled With Shoghi Effendi in Haifa, 1947 Through 1951—A Personal Account. It seems those experiences did fill a book!
Returning again to the U.S., Gladys stopped in Henniker long enough to pack for Wilmette, where she worked at the Baha’ National Center during 1978.
Her last teaching effort came only a few days before her passing when she responded to a call from the National Spiritual Assembly to travel to New Mexico to speak about the beloved Guardian.
Gladys Weeden was constantly on the move: traveling, giving firesides, helping friends, conducting classes.
She loved gardening, and would often trade or give away plants, many of which still bloom in faraway places. But the real flower that was Gladys left an enduring legacy of love that warms the hearts of all who knew her.
The Baha'i community of Alton, Illinois, hosted a festive party last September 21 to celebrate the incorporation of its Spiritual Assembly. Also present to enjoy the food, music, dancing and fellowship were friends from St. Louis, Missouri, and Belleville, Illinois. Members of the Assembly in Alton include (seated left to
right) John Travis, Willie Golley Sr., Michael R. McLaughlin, and (standing left to right) Mary Lou McLaughlin, . Cassie Golley, Joan Travis, Willie Lee Golley. Assembly members Margaret Stevens and Gladys Steward were unable to attend the event.
S. Carolina Believer Dies at Age 101
Camilla Benjamin of Rimini, South Carolina, a Baha'i for many years, died last December 30 at the age of 101.
Mrs. Benjamin's daughter, Mable James; a granddaughter, Marie McNeil; and a great-granddaughter,
Thomasina Robinson, all of Rimini, are Baha'is.
Mrs. Benjamin had offered her home for Baha’i meetings in spite of her failing health. She will be greatly missed by the Baha’is of Rimini and Sumter.
( In Memoriam }
Winfield H. Alexander Worcester, Mass. November 26, 1979 1978 Mrs. Jenett Ashar Greenville, Texas 1978
Mrs. Roxie Brigham Greenville, Texas February 1978
James Earl Hilton Wilson, N. Carolina
Mrs. Carol Leavell Lancaster, Kentucky January 2, 1980
Mrs. Nelle E. Lynn Mancos, Colorado
Berry Pickens Prattville, Alabama Date Unknown
Mrs. Mary Podos Utica, New York December 18, 1979
Mrs. Madelyn M. Simons Waukesha, Wisconsin
January 4, 1980 December 31, 197: Mrs. Margaret Brooks zt re St ere Dayton, Ohio
December 25, 1979 Alfred Marten Arthur Trauffer
Columbia, S. Carolina October 1979
Mrs. Lucille Creager Madison, Wisconsin May 24, 1979
Mrs. LaVersa Forshay Paterson, New Jersey October 29, 1979
Mrs. Lillie W. Hawkins Buffalo, Minnesota November 20, 1979
Mrs. Eller V. High Greenville, Texas November 1978
Albert K. McClendon Santa Cruz, Calif. September 17, 1979
Mrs. Ethel Lela Nay Klamath Falls, Oregon Date Unknown
Mrs, Viasta Peter Chicago, Illinois December 24, 1979
Council Bluffs, lowa December 8, 1979
Miss Myra Tyson Wadesboro, N. Carolina June 6, 1977
Carter Webster Chicago, Illinois January 5, 1980
Mrs. Ruby Neal Winston Monona, Wisconsin December 26, 1979
The American 70
Bahai
Group workshops were the format of an Institute on Baha'i Community Life and the Covenant last November 4 sponsored
by the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the Monterey-Carmel (California) Judicial District.
Institute Explores Baha’i Family Life, Covenant
About 50 adult Baha'is and 16 children and youth gathered last November 4 in Carmel, California, for an Institute on Baha’i Family Life and the Covenant sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Monterey-Carmel Judicial District.
The participants came from the communities of Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Marina and Salinas.
The Institute explored ways of “Establishing the Covenant in the Monterey Peninsula Area Establishing a Baha’i Community.”
THE MORNING session was devoted to sharing an understanding of the Baha'i Covenant, and to sharing perceptions of what it would be like if the Covenant were to be truly established in the community.
In the afternoon, ideas were taken from the morning session and participants were asked to develop plans of action to change the ideal into a reality.
Prior to the Institute, participants were mailed a workbook containing assignments to be completed before attending. The workbook focused on the relationship of (1) the Local Spiritual Assembly toward its community; (2) the Baha'i community toward the Local Assembly; (3) the friends toward one another; and (4) the Assemblies, Groups and isolated believers toward one another.
Consultation at the Institute was enhanced by the use of an “interaction” method of problem-solving directed by Dr. Dan Popov, a clinical psychologist who specializes in organizational development.
Five facilitators were trained by Dr. Popov to assist discussion and record group conclusions. Each group focused on one of the areas under consideration.
The conclusions of each group were compiled and sent to each participating Assembly for its information and consideration.
Guidelines Offered for Photos Submitted to American Baha’i
With The American Baha’i receiving an ever larger number of photos from the friends in many communities, we felt it would be timely to reprint the following list of guidelines for the submission of photographs that last appeared in December 1977:
°
1. Photos for The American Baha’i should be sharp, clear, in focus and printed on glossy paper if possible. The desired size is either 8x10 or 5x7, but smaller photos of good quality are acceptable. While color photos can be used, black and white is preferable.
2. Photos of Baha’i schools or conferences should show groups, classes or seminars in action, instead of merely looking at the camera. Undignified and overly casual poses should be avoided, such as individuals with their arms around each other, or stretched out on the floor or the ground.
3. Clothing worn in photos should be dignified—no beach wear or shorts. The friends should consider how they would like to appear to the Baha’i world, or to dignitaries and others to whom the photos may be shown.
4. In photos taken of a National or Local Spiritual Assembly, it is preferable that all nine members be present.
5. Try to arrange an interesting pose for Assembly photos, rather than members standing or seated in rows. They could be grouped at a table, sign ing documents, or examining a book or other materials. Appropriate clothing should be worn for the official Assembly photo, as it will be preserved in the National Archives.
6. If the Greatest Name is used in a photo, it must be done with great dignity. If held, it should be approximately chest high and very straight. A better way is to stand it upright on a table. If framed, the glass should be removed; otherwise, the reflection caused by the glass makes it appear as a white blur.
7. Since photos are accepted for publication only when they are from recognized Baha'i sources, it is not a requirement, for purposes of identification, to hold the Greatest Name in group photos.
8. Complete descriptive information must accompany each photo, including date, names of individuals in small groups or Assemblies (even though these aren’t always published), address or location of meetings, displays, events, etc.
9. Of course, photos should be sent to The American Baha’i as soon after an event as possible. Even good quality photos must sometimes be rejected because they have arrived too late to be of any use.
Please send photos and other materials for publication to The American Baha’i, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Page 14
Idea Exchange Women Host ‘Firesides’; Love Buoys Assembly
The women of the Greenburgh, New York, Baha’i community will be hosting a series of “fireside luncheons” for their non-Baha’i friends.
The Greenburgh Assembly is. sure this will prove to be a most successful means whereby the women in its community can further their goal of teaching other women.
.
The Spiritual Assembly of Grand Junction, Colorado, had been jeopardized for three years, and achieving a quorum for meetings was always a struggle.
In the spring of 1979, Assembly members realized that what was missing was a true spirit of love and unity, and resolved to come together in true Baha'i fellowship.
“At first,” writes Mrs. Diane Carson, secretary of the Assembly, “it was an evening of cards—when a quorum couldn't be reached. That’s all, playing cards and enjoying one another's company, setting aside our disappointments, expectations and frustrations, and just being happy together.
“Slowly we began to get a quorum more often. Someone moved in from a nearby community. Teaching activities began to attract seekers. The Assembly started to support the initiative of individual believers instead of pushing unwanted projects on a disinterested community.
“We have watched with gratitude and some wonder as the community has grown in five months from a struggling eight adults to a hearty 18 souls, most of whom participate in activities such as deepenings on parenting, door-to-door teaching in nearby communities, evening firesides, Feasts, and bi-weekly Assembly meetings.
“How many of our fellow communities,” she asks, ‘might benefit from a deep and sincere consultation about just how real our love for one another is—a reflection of the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Baha Who said: ‘The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the assembly. My deepest prayer is that God may ever sustain our hearts to fulfill this first condition and protect us from overlooking the imperative necessity of absolute love and harmony.’””
- .
Taking advantage of the recent visit of an enthusiastic traveling teacher from Tonga, Latu Tu’Akihekolo, the Spiritual Assembly of Salt Lake City, Utah, has endeavored to work with him and with a resident Baha’i family from Tonga to find a way to reach the 300 Tongans in the Salt Lake City area.
An institute was held recently to acquaint the Baha'is with the customs of these gentle people. Mr. Tu’Akihekolo came to the U.S. well prepared with 20 pounds of Kawa root powder used by Tongans for a non-alcoholic drink at social occasions. He has held special gatherings in his home that have made the Tongans feel comfortable and given the Baha'is a chance to make new friends.
The Tongans in the area seem to be either Methodists or Mormons. Recently, a large celebration was held at the Methodist Church honoring the king who brought Christianity to the island. Some of the Baha'is attended the ceremony, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
It is hoped that before Mr. Tu’Akihekolo leaves, firm bonds of friendship can be built between the Baha’is and the Tongans in and around Salt Lake City.
.
The Spiritual Assembly of Green Bay, Wisconsin, arranged an all-day institute on marriage that was held on January 9.
The Assembly invited three members of the staff of the Office of the Secretary at the Baha’i National Center to conduct the institute, which was divided into four sections: The Purpose of Marriage, Great Expectations, The After Shock, and The Long Haul.
The format consisted of a brief keynote talk on each topic, followed by the reading of pertinent selections from the Writings, discussion, and group activities including a quiz on the Baha’i teachings on marriage, group discussions, examining sample cases, and role playing.
About 30 people attended the institute, 20 of whom were married. The evening before the institute, the Green Bay Assembly met with members of the Secretariat staff and had a chance to ask a number of questions about personal status cases it was handling and about the Assembly's role in dealing with marital problems. si
The institute seems to have made a positive impact on several couples, and the Assembly did a fine job of getting people to attend.
°
Does your community have any good ideas it would like to share with other Baha'i communities? Remember to send them to the Idea Exchange,c/o the Office of Community Administration, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Aid Sought for Asian Baha’i Refugees
The National Spiritual Assembly has received a plea from the friends in Southeast Asia for assistance in resettling Vietnamese Baha'i refugees in the U.S. who are currently in refugee camps throughout Southeast Asia.
In response to these requests, the National Spiritual Assembly has appointed a committee to organize a sponsorship and resettlement program.
If you are sincerely interested in sponsoring a refugee or providing a refugee with a job, or would like to aid in the resettlement of a refugee, please complete the coupon below and mail to:
Baha'i Refugee Committee
Baha'i National Center
112 Linden Avenue
Wilmette, IL 60091
Materials will be sent to you.
NAME: Street Address: Apt. # City & State: Zip Code:.
f am interested in: © Sponsoring a refugee © Providing work for a refugee
© Work on committee to resettle refugees
©) Check here if inquiring is by a L.S.A.
March 1980 Page 15
Baha’r calendars can help you
( Get organized (] Remember Feasts,
Holy Days ( Plan ahead
____ Baha’ Calendars
1980/137 B.E. Baha’r-Memo Calendar
New this year! A convenient multi-purpose 8% x L1-inch calendar you can post in your kitchen, lay on your desk, or carry in your briefcase or three-ring binder. It covers now through March 1981.
There’s ample space for writing in dates of your meetings, firesides, and get-togethers. Naturally, it indicates Baha’i Holy Days, Feast Days, major national holidays, and other special days. Printed in green and black on durable white stock.
6-69-90 $2.00; 10/19.00
__New Children’s Books
The Proud Helper: A Story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha in the Holy Land
New for children! A colorfully illustrated story about a young American pilgrim to ‘Akká and her effort to help ‘Abdu’l-Baha serve the poor. The story can help children learn about the Baha’i standards of love and service. Adapted by Anthony A. Lee from Howard Colby Ives’ Portals to Freedom. 24 pp.
7-52-72 $2.50 NET
paper
The Unfriendly Governor:
A Story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha in the Holy Land This new book for children relates the dramatic story of a plot against the Baha'is by an unfriendly governor of ‘Akkaé and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s surprising response. It helps illustrate the Baha’i virtues of courage, assurance, forgiveness, integrity, and obedience. Adapted by Anthony A. Lee from Lady Blomfield’s The Chosen Highway. 24 pp.
7-52-73 $2.50 NET
paper
x
m1 Wecdeet Jeon
137 B.E. Baha’r Planning Calendar
Busy schedule? Get on top of it with the poster-size calendar that shows you the whole year at a glance—the Bahd’i Planning Calendar. \t covers thirteen months beginning March 1, 1980 and ending March 31, 1981.
How to use: Individuals, families, and busine. people can post the calendar on a wall, making it an “‘information center’’ for coming events, meetings, outings, and deadlines. Local Spiritual Assemblies and committees can use it to chart the year’s activities.
Printed in green and black on white stock. 25 x 38 inches. Shipped in mailing tube.
6-69-10 $2.50; 5/12.00
Happy Naw-Ruz!
Unity Dav" “'Septe! 1 Rac Peace Dey" 2 pay Octobe
More Children’s Books
The Black Rose:
A Story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha in America
The story of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s encounter with a group of boys, including a bI boy, in New York City in 1912. Helpful for teaching young children about the Bahd’i Teaching on “‘unity in diversity.’” 24 pp.
7-52-70 $2.50 NET
paper
The Cornerstone:
A Story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha in America
A children’s story that describes, in simple terms, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s laying of the cornerstone of the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. Use it to introduce your child to the Baha'i House of Worship and its significance. 24 pp.
7-52-71 paper $2.50 NET
The above four books are adapted for children by Anthony A. Lee, illustrated by Rex John Irvine, and published by Kalimat Press.
New Recording
Happy Ayyam-i-Ha! stereo LP
Available at last! The delightful new album of children’s songs featuring the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, Baha’i children of all ages, and professional musicians. Mr. Sears plays the part‘of a loving grandfather surrounded by children who ask him questions and sing him songs during an Ayyam-i-Ha party. The ‘grandfather,’’ in his turn, tells stories and explains various teachings of the Baha’i Faith.
Children and adults will enjoy Happy Ayydm-i-Hé! year ‘round. The nine songs, all on Baha'i themes, include ‘‘God Loves the Best of Us,” “The Ayyam- Song,’? ‘*Oh ‘Abdu’ lBaha,”’ ‘‘The Abha Kingdom,”’ ‘Oh God! Educate These Children,’’ and four more. With printed lyrics included, the songs are easy to sing along with and learn.
Lift your spirits! Deepen your children! Help them teach their friends! Order Happy Ayydm-i-Hd! today! Produced by Danny and Joyce Deardorff for Prism Productions. Arranged and conducted by Russ Garcia.
6-35-19
stereo LP $10.00
To order: If it isn’t convenient for you to order from a Baha’s librarian, please use the coupon order form below. Bahd’ i librarians: Please write your account number at top
Mail to Baha’r Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091
peewee Clip and mail today = mm
TAB 0380. 1 1 Yes! I like the new calendars and
children’s materials! Enclosed is my check or money order for $— made payable to the Baha’ Publishing Trust
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Price Amount $10.00 mes 2.50 2.00 2.50 2.50 2.50 NET 2.50 Subtotal Postage and Handling orders under $5, add Total
“atalog no.
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The American NF
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March 1980
Page 16
Iran Crisis Reaps L.A. Media Harvest
From adversity comes opportunity. Because of the tragic events in Iran, the media in Los Angeles has been exceptionally open to the Faith during the last several months.
Television
After receiving press releases from Baha'is about the persecution of the Faith in Iran and the destruction of the House of the Bab, KNXT in Los Angeles (a CBS affiliate) called the Baha’{ Center to find out if there were any upcoming events the station could cover on its local news programs.
The call was received on Monday, September 17—the same day the news was received of the tragic death of the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga and his family in Uganda.
ALTHOUGH THE Baha'is were in a state of shock and mourning, it was agreed that KNXT could cover the memorial service for Mr. Olinga on September 24.
After the service, a KNXT news reporter interviewed James and Dorothy Nelson and spoke generally about the Faith. The segment was beautifully done, and perhaps helped to ease the sorrow local Baha'is were feeling at the time.
KABC-TV covered the Baha’i Human Rights Award program on its local news show last December 9, and KTTV asked Baha'is to tape two “morning devotionals,” which the station airs each morning at 5:55 a.m. and then airs as fill-ins at all hours “for years to come.”
Judge James Nelson also taped a program entitled “Today's Religion” that was broadcast on KNXT on February 10, while Lisa Janti appeared
Dorothy Nelson (second from left), dean of the University of Southern California Law School, and her husband, Judge James Nelson, both of whom are
on the program, “Psychic Phenomena: The World Beyond,” which was aired on KBSC that same day.
In addition to this coverage, TV stations KABC, KNXT and KTLA all ran the Baha'i “Love That Child” public service announcements intermittently over a two-month period.
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members of the National Spiritual Assembly, are interviewed by Ruth Ashton-Taylor of CBS affiliate KTTV last
Radio
Besides mentioning the Faith frequently during their coverage of events in Iran, radio stations in the Los Angeles area have asked Baha'is to speak about many aspects of the Faith.
On November 19, Lisa Janti was a guest on a listener call-in show called “The Diamond Mine,” hosted by Bill Diamond on KFI, while Tom Kavelin was the guest on “Interfaith Dialogue” with hostess Mary Dohr.
On November 24, Dean Dorothy Nelson guested on a call-in show, “Religion ‘on the Line,” on KABC Radio; on December 16, Sherna Hough talked about the Faith, the Baha'i Human Rights Awards, and awardee Dr. Robert Nichols on the program “Citizen of the Week” on KNX Radio.
In addition, 14 local radio stations ran the Baha’i “Love That Child” public service spots intermittently over a three-month period.
Newspapers
During an amazing period last August, September and October, there were articles about the Faith, about Baha'is, or that mentioned the Faith at least once a week, every week for 12 weeks in the Los Angeles Times, the largest newspaper in the area and one of the largest in the country.
Of course, articles about the Faith also appeared in many other newspapers in the area.
In addition to this coverage, the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles took out paid ads once each week in the Los Angeles Times and in La Opi
September following the memorial service
in Los Angeles for the Hand of the Cause
of God Enoch Olinga.
nion, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the area.
The response to these ads has been marvelous. An average of 10 people a week have left their names and addresses at the Baha’i Center to receive more information about the Faith since the ads started running in November.
Billboards
In recent months, the Baha’is of Los Angeles have been given tremendous opportunities to proclaim the Faith through outdoor advertising.
In September, Foster and Kleiser placed 11 “La Fe Baha'i” billboards, printed by the Spiritual Assembly of San Fernando, California, around Los Angeles County, and in October, the same company placed 50 ‘‘One Planet, One People... Please” billboards, printed by the Baha’i Media Network of Los Angeles County, throughout the area.
In December, Pacific Outdoor Advertising placed 10 “Love That Child” billboards, printed by the Baha’ Publishing Trust and purchased by the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, around the city—and all of this space was given free to the Baha'i community!
The effect of these billboards is hard to measure, but one result is clear: the producer of the television program “Psychic Phenomena: The World Beyond” invited a Baha'i to appear on the program after seeing the “One Planet, One People... Please’’ billboards and wanting to learn more about the Faith.
Published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL. The American Baha'i
welcomes news, letters and other articles of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Faith. Articles should be written in a clear and concise manner;
black and white glossy photos should be included whenever possible. Please address all materials to The Editor, The American Baha'i, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL
60091. Copyright « 1980 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
