The American Bahá’í/Volume 11/Issue 4/Text
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Hand of Cause Balyúzí dies in England[edit]
To the National Spiritual Assembly
Bahá’ís of the United States
WITH BROKEN HEARTS ANNOUNCE PASSING DEARLY LOVED HAND CAUSE HASAN BALYÚZÍ. ENTIRE BAHÁ’Í WORLD ROBBED ONE ITS MOST POWERFUL DEFENDERS MOST RESOURCEFUL HISTORIANS. HIS ILLUSTRIOUS LINEAGE HIS DEVOTED LABOURS DIVINE VINEYARD HIS OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORKS COMBINE IN IMMORTALIZING HIS HONOURED NAME IN ANNALS BELOVED FAITH. CALL ON FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERINGS. PRAYING SHRINES HIS EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENTS HIS STEADFASTNESS PATIENCE HUMILITY HIS OUTSTANDING SCHOLARLY PURSUITS WILL INSPIRE MANY DEVOTED WORKERS AMONG RISING GENERATIONS FOLLOW HIS GLORIOUS FOOTSTEPS. HOLD SPECIAL MEMORIAL GATHERING IN MOTHER TEMPLE.
February 12, 1980
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The Hand of the Cause of God Hasan M. Balyúzí, a renowned Bahá’í historian and author, came from a Persian family distinguished for its scholarship and administrative ability.
Mr. Balyúzí was an Afnán; that is, a member of the family of the Báb.
His father, who was partly educated in London where he met Professor E.G. Browne and became a close friend and correspondent of the future eminent orientalist, was in later years governor of the Persian Gulf ports and islands.
MR. BALYÚZÍ’S earliest education was in Poona and Tihrán, after which he received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a Master of Arts degree in history at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon.
His pursuit of studies in diplomatic history, specializing in relations of European powers with the countries bordering the Persian Gulf, earned him a M.Sc. degree in economics from the University of London.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Mr. Balyúzí joined the Persian Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation
HAND OF CAUSE H.M. BALYÚZÍ
Bahá’í Historian, Scholar Dies
Dorothy Nelson named U.S. Court judge[edit]
The Hon. James F. Nelson, Judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court, administers the oath of office for the U.S. Court of Appeals to his wife, Dorothy W. Nelson, on February 12 in Bovard Auditorium on the campus of the University of Southern California where Mrs. Nelson served for 12 years as dean of the USC Law Center.
Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, was invested February 12 as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit during a ceremony at Bovard Auditorium on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
The oath of office was administered by her husband, Judge James F. Nelson of the Los Angeles Municipal Court, who is chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Mrs. Nelson was nominated for the U.S. Circuit Court by President Jimmy Carter. The nomination was later approved by the U.S. Senate.
PRIOR TO JOINING the Ninth Circuit Court, she served for 12 years as dean of the USC Law Center, only a short walk from the auditorium in which the investiture was held.
More than 1,000 people were present at the ceremony—colleagues in the legal profession, co-workers from many community committees, faculty and administrators at USC, students, family, and friends from the Bahá’í community.
The program began with glowing tributes to the new judge. Samuel L. Williams, Esq., chairman of the Judicial Nominations Commission of the Ninth Circuit, spoke of the many contributions she has made to the community.
John A. Sutro, Esq., of the American Bar Association lauded her legal expertise. Michael Rumbolz, president of the Student Bar Association at the USC Law Center, spoke of her warmth as a professor and counselor, and announced the establishment of a “Dorothy W. Nelson scholarship fund” for USC law students.
Orrin B. Evans, dean emeritus of the USC Law Center, reviewed her accomplishments
Go-ahead given to rebuild Louhelen Bahá’í School[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has approved a proposal by the National Education Committee to rebuild the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Davison, Michigan.
The plan calls for an estimated $1.6 million building cost with a completion goal of August 1981.
A preliminary design has been produced by a four-member Louhelen Project Committee appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly. Funds have been released to have architectural drawings prepared.
PROJECT Committee members are Sam Clark of Ferndale, Michigan (coordinator); Robert Armbruster of Oak Park, Michigan; Frederick McCoy and David Pauls, both of Ferndale, Michigan.
The committee members have professional expertise in the areas of site development, engineering, and finance. The project is under the supervision of the National Education Committee.
The early completion date was chosen, according to David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, to avoid increasing costs
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In this issue THE 71ST BAHÁ’Í National Convention scheduled April 24-27 at the House of Worship in Wilmette. Page 4 THE BAHÁ’Í CHILDREN’S Album, Happy Ayyám-i-Há, wins an Angel Award from Religion in Media. Page 6 HOUSE OF WORSHIP gears up for summer Special Visit programs. Page 8 SPECIAL PAGES for Spanish- and Persian-speaking Bahá’ís. Pages 9,19 LOS ANGELES believers proclaim the Faith with a softball team. Page 10 BOZEMAN, Montana, community observes the International Year of the Child with a large proclamation program. Page 11 |
5 conferences for Persian believers held
A series of five regional conferences for Persian-speaking Bahá’ís was held in February in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Wilmette, Illinois; New York City; and Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
Each of the conferences was blessed by the presence of a Hand of the Cause of God. The Hand of the Cause Zikrullah Khadem participated in the conferences in Wilmette and New York, while the Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá participated in the gatherings in Louisiana and California.
Also attending the conferences were Dr. Iraj Ayman and Dr. Manuchihr Salmanpur, members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Western Asia, and Mas’ud Khamsi, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for South America who was invited by the National Spiritual Assembly to travel to the U.S. to advise and counsel the Persian believers concerning pioneering to South America.
ROBERT EARL HAYDEN
Was One of Nation’s Foremost Poets
Robert Hayden, renowned poet, dies at age 66[edit]
Robert Earl Hayden, a well-known and widely acclaimed Bahá’í poet who was a professor of English at the University of Michigan, died February 26 at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. He was 66 years old.
Mr. Hayden, author of more than half a dozen books of poetry, was a frequent contributor to World Order magazine and served on its editorial board.
In January, he was among a group of
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
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Editorial Integrating Persians into the mainstream During the last year, about 20 Persian Bahá’ís have settled in the greater Reno, Nevada, area, taking up residence in Reno, Sparks, Central Washoe County and Carson City. They now make up about 25 per cent of the community. These Persian believers have been fully integrated into the mainstream of Bahá’í community life. They serve on Local Spiritual Assemblies, open their homes to firesides and social events, teach children’s classes, and conduct deepenings for adults. CLASSES ON THE PERSIAN language are offered for Americans, while American children learn Persian at the intercommunity Bahá’í school. Likewise, classes in English are offered for the Persians. At Feasts, when selections from the Writings are read or chanted in Persian, they are matched with the English translation. Underlying all these things is an obvious affinity and love between the American and Persian believers. When asked how this condition has come about, the friends in Nevada mentioned a number of factors. Persians found themselves serving on Local Assemblies shortly after their arrival. Others became involved in other activities. When one is serving the community, one of the Persian friends commented, it is difficult to be critical. A second factor was patience. “It has taken patience and give-and-take on everyone’s part,” said one of the friends. Each person has also taken an active interest in the other’s culture and has made certain adjustments to accommodate different ways of doing things. Another important factor cited was dispersion. The Persians settled in an area where few Persians lived. This caused them to be dependent on the Americans for help, and made assimilation into the American culture easier. IN THE LAST YEAR, more than 4,000 Persian Bahá’ís have come to the U.S. In those areas of the country where they have settled in communities having no other Persian believers, or only a few, they have been readily integrated, and have become involved in local activities, with both Americans and Persians being patient and loving with one another, taking an active interest in one another’s culture, and making whatever changes are necessary in the way things are done. But beyond these factors lies the desire of the Persian believers to follow the guidance of the institutions of the Faith to disperse to those areas in which they may more easily become a part of a diversified Bahá’í community, and the importance of all the friends becoming aware of the value and benefits of diversity. These factors help to generate a spirit of fellowship that should be the constant concern of every member of the Bahá’í community. |
As one of a series of activities honoring the International Year of the Child the Bahá’í community of Blacksburg, Virginia, held a puppet show last October 27 at a local shopping mall. More than 400 people attended the five half-hour shows presented that day. The event was well publicized in the local newspaper and on radio. About 250 ‘Love That Child’ balloons and more than 200 ‘Love That Child’ pamphlets were given away. The show was so popular that the president of the mall’s Merchants Association invited the Bahá’ís to return in December to present another puppet show on sharing.
Peru to host Radio-TV gathering[edit]
From May 28-June 3, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Peru is sponsoring the Lake Titicaca International Bahá’í Conference for Radio and Television at Puno, Peru.
Lake Titicaca has been approved by the Universal House of Justice as the site of the first Bahá’í radio station in Peru.
The purposes of the conference are (1) to provide a stimulus for persons involved in the development of radio and television; (2) to study production
systems and the realization of programs; (3) to foster an exchange between National Committees with the goal of teaching and proclamation in Latin America through radio and television; and (4) to train persons involved in radio and television.
Those who are interested in attending the conference are invited to write to the Comite Nacional de Radio y Televisión Bahá’í del Perú, Apartado Postal 11709, Lima 11, Perú, South America.
Comment
Writing a history of your local Bahá’í community[edit]
By ROB STOCKMAN
Have you ever wondered who was the first Bahá’í to set foot in your town? Or how long Bahá’ís have lived there?
Such questions will become increasingly important in years to come as the Faith continues to grow.
We are making history at every Assembly meeting, every fireside, and our descendants hundreds of years hence will yearn not only to understand our actions, but also to know what it was like to have been a Bahá’í in this age.
RELATIVELY LITTLE is known about the spread of Christianity across Europe; we can, however, provide future generations with precious information about the growth of the Bahá’í Faith. We can even provide them with photos and recordings of the voices of many of the early believers.
How do we preserve information for posterity? A good archives is essential.
The National Bahá’í Archives can give communities information about how to organize and preserve their records.
Equally valuable can be the writing of a history of your local Bahá’í community.
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This month’s article, “Writing a History of the Faith,” was written by Rob Stockman of Providence, Rhode Island. |
The act of writing a history requires asking questions of other Bahá’ís and assembling information that future historians would have difficulty doing.
It can also help the writer to hone his research and writing skills, to learn more about the growth of the Faith, and to interact in new ways with Bahá’í administrative institutions, as well as provide him with many opportunities to teach the Faith.
THE FIRST STEP in writing a history is to choose a region to study. Often the history of the Faith in several neighboring towns is so intertwined that it is best to write a history of the region, rather than a single community.
As information is gathered, the historian will most likely find that Bahá’í activity in that area goes back much farther than previously thought.
To begin, two things are necessary. The first is a file folder in which information can be placed.
The second is a history “diary.” Entries made in this diary every few days will help in reviewing information previously found, drawing conclusions from the data, and thinking of new questions for investigation.
Eventually, all notes and data should end up in an archives, extensively annotated and described so that they will be of maximum use to future historians.
THE OLDEST members of the local Bahá’í community can be an excellent first source of information. An hour-long interview with one or more of them may provide the broad outline for a history.
Interviews should be tape-recorded and transcribed, so that every word is available when the history is written. Showing the transcript to the believer who was interviewed, or to other Bahá’ís, may stimulate additional ideas and verify information.
Since exact dates often are poorly remembered, they should be checked carefully by using other sources such as official records.
Another source to consult is Bahá’í publications. Star of the West contains occasional lists of Bahá’ís and reports of Bahá’í activities in some of the most unexpected localities.
Early editions of The Bahá’í World list all Bahá’í Groups and isolated believers in the country. Bahá’í News often printed letters from homefront pioneers describing their new posts.
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The American Bahá’í
(USPS 042-430) Published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL. Editor: Jack Bowers The American Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1980 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. |
The Spiritual Assembly of Alexandria, Virginia, established in 1944 and the second oldest Assembly in the state, observed its 35th anniversary in 1979. The present members of the Assembly are (seated left to right) Esfandiar Aghdassi, Willa Gordon, and (standing left to right) Stephen Buczinski, M. John Fazlollah, Harvey Wiener, Miriam Wiener, Adelaide Turner, Susan Moye, Ghamar S. Aghdassi. The Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney was a member of the first Assembly there in 1944.
[Page 3]
LETTERS
Bahá’í vocabulary is sometimes confusing[edit]
To the Editor:
In response to Theodore S. Heizer’s excellent and timely article, “Friends Must Be Ready to Talk With Christians” (February 1980): There is always more work to be done on this subject if Bahá’ís are to successfully reach their Christian brothers and sisters with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
There are many words in the Bahá’í vocabulary that Christians find unusual and sometimes unintelligible.
SUCH WORDS as “spiritual,” “universal,” “manifestation,” “prophet,” “oneness,” “teachings,” “education,” and “mankind,” to name a few, are not words that most Christians understand to have a religious meaning.
Often, a Christian will give such words an entirely different connotation than do Bahá’ís.
(Example: The word “spiritual” can mean anything from ouija boards and psychic experiences to the ramblings of a guru in an obscure cult.)
Also, to many fundamentalist Christians, a Bahá’í prayer, so beautiful and filled with knowledge and wonder to a Bahá’í, often sounds like “speaking in tongues” when read aloud.
However, we must never be intimidated by the Christian point of view. There are many things we share in common: the Holy Spirit, salvation, the love of Jesus Christ, prophetic fulfillment, love of God, and a desire to do His Will.
We will be successful in teaching our Christian friends if we are sincere, firm, gentle and filled with love.
As Mr. Heizer points out, we must explain the relationship of Christ and Bahá’u’lláh from their point of view. This should be done simply and clearly.
Also, many Christians appreciate a personal testimonial; not “Why I am not a Christian,” but rather, “Why I am a Bahá’í.”
Seattle, Washington
To the Editor:
Much has been said during my five years as a Bahá’í about the importance of teaching.
Great stress has been laid on reaching goals—first the Five Year Plan, and now the Seven Year Plan.
We are urged to teach, teach, teach, and to bring in at least one new believer each year.
OFTEN, MY PERSONAL reaction to such urgings has been negative. I would begin to feel guilty because I didn’t bring in enough new believers, and then I would become depressed. This in turn would hinder my teaching.
I have been analyzing my responses and wondering whether other Bahá’ís might have experienced similar responses.
Perhaps there is another way to encourage the friends to teach.
It seems to me that the most important element in teaching the Faith is one’s love for Bahá’u’lláh. If we are truly deepened in the Covenant and in love with the Faith, we cannot help but teach.
If every Bahá’í were excited about the Faith, and considered it the most important thing in his life, teaching would not be a problem. It would be natural.
I WOULD SUGGEST that the Bahá’ís need much more deepening on the Covenant, and on the lives of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the early believers.
The Guardian tells us that to teach the Cause, we must live the life. We need to deepen more thoroughly on how to do this.
I am happy to see more material coming from the Publishing Trust and more attention being paid at Bahá’í schools to the various aspects of living the life.
I hope that we can continue to grow in internalizing Bahá’í standards as our own.
Finally, I think we need to learn more about detachment and submission to the Will of God.
Submission is hard for Americans, brought up in a society that prizes personal independence.
But if we could submit completely to the Will of God and teach the Cause with detachment, we would truly raise the call of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!” throughout the land.
Pierson, Iowa
To the Editor:
I work in construction of electrical power transmission lines. It’s a lonely life for a Bahá’í, as it requires me to move two or three times a year.
In the last two years I have lived in Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky, and I’m about to move to Texas.
I love to meet the believers and serve the Cause wherever I can. Each time I move, I look in the phone book for a Bahá’í listing in hopes of establishing contact quickly so I can begin working with the friends.
WITH RARE exceptions, however, I have been disappointed.
My experience has been that it usually takes at least a month to find the nearest Bahá’ís. Since I seldom work more than six months in any area, and usually less than that, this means a considerable loss to me of supportive Bahá’í contact and rewarding service.
I would like to appeal to every individual Bahá’í and Bahá’í community to place a listing in the phone book.
Near Gallipolis, Ohio, after some digging, I found two isolated Bahá’ís and we three began teaching. We found ourselves teaching another local believer who had no idea there were any other Bahá’ís around. He too had looked in vain for a Bahá’í listing.
How much time could have been saved by a simple listing in the white pages!
Even if a visiting Bahá’í never calls you, the listing itself serves as an inexpensive form of proclamation.
As radio and television proclamation increases, and as world crises open people’s eyes, more than one Bahá’í community has received calls from inquirers who found “Bahá’í Faith” listed in the phone book.
A listing costs so little and makes it so much easier for the public to find us! I wish everyone would consider its advantages.
Maysville, Kentucky
To the Editor:
As one who prefers deeds to words, I have often thought, “Why do we spend so much money on our Temples and buildings?”
Finally, I have found concrete evidence to satisfy my question.
At a recent film presentation sponsored jointly by a Christian Center, a Baptist Church, and a Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian minister approached me and my wife, Dorothy, and asked, “Are you Bahá’ís?”
When we replied that we were, he said he had recently been to the Holy Land and had seen the World Centre of the Faith and its shrine on Mount Carmel above Haifa.
Our cordial discussion resulted in his commenting on “the beautiful gardens and grounds at the shrine.”
Seeing the World Centre had an impact upon the minister and his family. So hallowed and beautiful is the Centre that it drew these people near. So I feel now that I have proof of the worth of this shrine.
Now another question plagues me. Could we as a community start being Bahá’ís in deed, not word, and draw people to us as our Temples and shrines do?
Halfway, Oregon
Comment[edit]
Continued From Page 2
SEARCHING THESE volumes thoroughly requires many hours of work, but it is a fascinating effort and may reap many rewards in terms of references to Bahá’í activities in the area being studied.
Archives are an invaluable fount of knowledge about the history of the Faith. Once the sources of information listed above have been utilized, it may be time to request access to the Local Assembly’s archives.
The Assembly may wish to restrict that access to certain files. Voting lists, newspaper clippings, newsletters, community calendars, annual reports, and transfer forms are most useful to the historian.
The National Bahá’í Archives, archives of Regional, State and District Teaching Committees, and the archives of other nearby Bahá’í communities should also be checked.
NON-BAHÁ’Í sources may also contain considerable information. Newspapers carry obituaries, and occasionally run nationally syndicated articles on the Faith. Important dates in Bahá’í history, such as the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or Shoghi Effendi, should be checked for any local references.
City halls have birth, marriage, and death certificates that can be obtained for a small fee.
Even local historical societies can be helpful. For example, it was possible to determine ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s train routes through southern New England using timetables found in the Rhode Island Historical Society’s library.
After several months of research, it may be time to begin writing. Because so much Bahá’í activity is the result of teaching Plans, it is likely that the history will divide itself easily into periods using these Plans.
Eunice Braun’s book, From Strength to Strength: The First Half-Century of the Formative Age of the Bahá’í Faith, provides background information on the worldwide growth of the Faith and serves as an excellent model for organizing a local history.
THERE ARE AT LEAST three possible approaches to writing a history; each calls for a different writing style and appeals to a different audience.
A chronological approach, consisting of a mere recitation of dates and facts, is dry and should be avoided.
A personal chronicle, using anecdotes and reminiscences, can be lively and enjoyable, but may miss or underplay important events.
A sociological analysis of the growth of the Faith, using graphs and statistics, can provide valuable information but may put the reader to sleep.
A balance of these three approaches will usually result in a well-rounded history that appeals to a wide audience.
After the history has been written, an important step is “peer review.” Any paper can benefit from a thorough examination by others, not only in terms of grammar but also in terms of how thoroughly the thoughts included in the paper are developed.
REVIEW BY local Bahá’ís will ensure the accuracy and balance of the history. Submission to a Bahá’í institution, whether local or national, for review before publication is absolutely essential.
Writing a history of the Faith can be one of the most important services a believer can render. The passing of early believers and possible loss or destruction of records in the coming years could forever rob us of much valuable information on the development of the Faith. A thorough effort on our part will earn the gratitude of posterity.
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once said to Prof. E. G. Browne: “...you should so endeavor that in future centuries your history may become the undisputed authority, nay be considered sacred history, and accepted both by the communities of the people of the Kingdom and by the just amongst the people of the world ...” (Edward Granville Browne and the Bahá’í Faith, pp. 98-99)
As a part of its observance of the International Year of the Child, the Spiritual Assembly of Manhattan, Kansas, sponsored a panel discussion of issues concerning children. The event was widely publicized in newspapers, on radio, and on the Kansas State University campus. Shown here (left to right) are members of the panel Diana Sinclair, a Bahá’í; Linda Norman, representing UNICEF; Dr. Mary Harris of the department of education at Kansas State University; and Rodney Olsen, an attorney.
Poet Robert Hayden dies[edit]
Continued From Page 1
prominent American poets honored at a White House reception hosted by President and Mrs. Carter. Only two days before his death he was honored by the Center for Afro-American and African Studies at the University of Michigan for his contributions to American poetry.
IN 1971, Mr. Hayden received the Russell Loines Award for poetry from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. The Academy of American Poets elected him its 1975 Fellow.
OUR SPIRITS SORELY TROUBLED UNEXPECTED NEWS PASSING YOUR DEARLY LOVED HUSBAND OUR HIGHLY PRIZED BROTHER ROBERT HAYDEN. HIS BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENTS AS MAN OF LETTERS MADE US PROUD. EXEMPLARY TRACES HIS MANY YEARS SERVICE AS AN EDITOR WORLD ORDER MAGAZINE REMAIN INDELIBLE. MAY BLESSED BEAUTY TO WHOM HE SO ELOQUENTLY BORE WITNESS, HIS LOGOS, POET, COSMIC HERO, SURGEON, ARCHITECT OF HIS HOPE OF PEACE, HAIL HIM NOW BESTOW UPON HIS EXPECTANT SOUL TIMELESS JOY ETERNAL PROGRESS. TO YOU AND OTHER BELOVED MEMBERS HIS FAMILY WE SEND ASSURANCES OUR HEARTFELT SYMPATHY OUR LOVING PRAYERS. National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá’ís of the United States February 26, 1980 |
The following year, he was appointed consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress (the first black ever to hold the position), and in May 1979 was elected to the prestigious American Academy Institute of Arts and Letters.
Mr. Hayden’s works of poetry include American Journal (nominated for a National Book Award in 1978), Angle of Ascent, The Night-Blooming Cereus, Words in the Mourning Time, Heart-Shape in the Dust, Figure of Time, and A Ballad of Remembrance, which won the grand prize at the first World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Sénégal, in 1966.
He also edited Kaleidoscope, a collection of poems by black American poets, published in 1967.
Selections from his works appeared in many other books including Cross Section, The Poetry of the Negro, Beyond the Blues, Soon One Morning, and American Negro Poetry.
BORN IN DETROIT, Michigan, on August 4, 1913, Mr. Hayden was educated at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.
He was a drama and music critic for the Michigan Chronicle, and taught English and creative writing for more than two decades at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mr. Hayden joined the English department at the University of Michigan in 1969, and returned there in 1978 after a two-year leave of absence during which he served as the Library of Congress’s consultant in poetry.
He won the University of Michigan’s Jules and Avery Hopwood Prize for poetry twice, in 1938 and 1942.
He also received a Julius Rosenwald fellowship in creative writing in 1947, and a Ford Foundation fellowship for study in Mexico in 1954-55.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1976 from Brown University and from Grand Valley State College in Annandale, Michigan. The following year, he received the Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina, and from Wayne State University.
Mr. Hayden is survived by his wife, Erma; a daughter, Maia Hayden Tedla, and a grandson.
Ali A. Mazrui, director of the Center for Afro-American and African Studies and professor of political science at the University of Michigan, addresses the audience during a tribute to poet Robert Hayden (whose portrait is next to the dais) held February 24 at the university. Mr. Hayden, who was unable to attend the ceremony because of illness, died two days later.
Rights are removed[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly regrets that it must inform the friends that the membership rights of ________, formerly of Saranac Lake, New York, and ________, formerly of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and more recently San José, California, have been revoked.
The present whereabouts of both these individuals is unknown. Should either ________________ introduce himself to a local Bahá’í community, the friends are asked to call or write the National Spiritual Assembly.
71st Convention to be held in Wilmette[edit]
The 71st Bahá’í National Convention will be held April 24-27 at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
The 171 delegates to the Convention will elect the National Spiritual Assembly and consult on matters of importance to the American Bahá’í community.
The delegates were elected by the Bahá’í community at 99 District Conventions last October. (The number of voting districts in the U.S. was raised to 99 last year while the number of teaching districts remained at 87.)
DELEGATES ARE elected according to the principle of proportional representation, with each voting district having at least one delegate.
The Convention opens with the seating of the delegates. Next, the National Spiritual Assembly presents its annual report on the status of the American Bahá’í community.
The election of the new National Spiritual Assembly is held at a point midway through the Convention, to give the incoming National Assembly an opportunity to consult with the delegates and to present the broad outlines of its plans for the coming year.
The National Spiritual Assembly is elected by plurality vote. The nine people who receive the highest number of votes cast by the delegates are elected.
The members of the National Spiritual Assembly are free to participate in discussions on the floor of the Convention, although only those who are delegates may vote on questions that are called during the proceedings.
DURING THE Convention, the delegates (“accredited representatives of the American believers,” as the Guardian called them) fulfill the functions of “...an enlightened, consultative and cooperative body that will enrich the experience, enhance the prestige, support the authority, and assist the deliberations of the National Spiritual Assembly.”
The deliberations and decisions of the Convention, however, are only advisory.
The opinions expressed by delegates are recommendations to the National Spiritual Assembly which, as the Guardian urged, are given serious attention by the incoming National Assembly.
The authority of the National Spiritual Assembly as the supreme administrative institution of the Faith in the U.S. continues in effect even while the Convention is in session.
The Guardian explained that the National Convention is a temporary gathering whose status is “limited in time to the convention sessions, the function of consultation at all other times being vested in the entire body of believers through the Local Spiritual Assemblies.”
AFTER THE CONVENTION, the delegates return home to acquaint their fellow believers with the accomplishments, decisions, and aspirations of the Convention.
The first Bahá’í Convention in the U.S. was held in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1907. It was called to discuss construction of a House of Worship.
The handful of believers who assembled there, in the words of the Guardian, “...arose, despite the smallness of their numbers and their limited resources to initiate an enterprise which must rank as the greatest single contribution which the Bahá’ís of America, and indeed the West, have yet made to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.”
The second National Convention, in 1909, established the nine-member Executive Board (six men and three women were elected) that later was to evolve into our National Spiritual Assembly.
For purposes of numbering, the 1909 Convention is counted as the first official U.S. Bahá’í Convention.
That Convention was held on the very day that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entombed the remains of the blessed Báb on Mount Carmel. There were 39 delegates at that second Convention, representing 36 Bahá’í communities.
The present figure of 171 delegates (19 x 9) was established by the Guardian in 1937, and later confirmed by the Universal House of Justice.
Before each Convention, the Universal House of Justice restates the number of delegates that are to be elected to represent the community. To date there has been no change in the number specified by the Guardian.
As a part of its commemoration of the International Year of the Child, the Bahá’í community of West Contra Costa Judicial District, California, sponsored a dinner last December 5 at which Mrs. Nancy Fahden (left), a member of the county Board of Supervisors, was presented a copy of ‘The Violence Free Society: A Gift for Our Children’. Shown making the presentation is Pamela Rafaat, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of West Contra Costa J.D.
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
Contributing to the Fund is our ‘sacred obligation’[edit]
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Loftiness—‘Alá’
136 B.E. National Bahá’í Individual Participation
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‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “Consider what marvelous changes would be effected if the beloved of the Merciful conducted themselves, both in their individual and collective capacities, in accordance with the counsels and exhortations which have streamed from the Pen of Glory.”
Contributing to the Fund is just such an activity—one that affects us both individually and collectively.
For the individual, giving to the Fund is a spiritual action; it causes spiritual growth.
SHOGHI EFFENDI called giving to the Fund “a sacred obligation,” as important as prayer or fasting.
Our contributions are a sign of our love for Bahá’u’lláh. When we are motivated to give as a token of our love for God, that action becomes a means for our spiritual progress.
The Guardian also said, “It is the spirit that moves us that counts, not the act through which the spirit expresses itself ...”
This is made even more clear by the principle that the spirit behind the gift is of primary importance, not its amount.
However, a contribution motivated by love of God is even more meritorious when it includes an element of sacrifice, for it demonstrates our attachment to God and our detachment from the material world.
Individual contributions have another great importance. The Guardian wrote that without the support of individuals, all our plans would be doomed to failure.
INDIVIDUAL contributions comprise the bedrock of the Bahá’í institutions—Bahá’u’lláh’s gift to the world.
We might say that the funds now belong to God and are held “in trust” by the institutions to do God’s work. The money that once belonged to us is now a resource for building the Kingdom of God on earth.
The work it performs is no longer conditioned by our own particular tastes or wants; it is used to fulfill God’s great Plan, the unfoldment of the new World Order.
Local and National Spiritual Assemblies have an obligation to support the various Funds, too. Their contributions represent a “collective” gift from the entire community, not merely a number of individual contributions transferred through the institution.
The Guardian made this clear when he spoke of the significance of donations that come from both “individual believers and local Assemblies.”
WE KNOW that the act of giving promotes the spiritual growth of an individual, but our collective contributions have a strong spiritual impact as well.
The Universal House of Justice underscored the spiritual significance of our collective efforts when it said, “...the unity of the friends in sacrifice draws upon them the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty.”
The spiritual progress of an individual depends largely upon the extent to which he supports materially the Divine institutions of the Faith.
In addition, these Divine institutions will “best function and most powerfully exert their influences only if reared and maintained” by the individual believer.
Given this perspective, we can easily see that our individual and collective support of the Fund is, indeed, a sacred obligation.
Fund Progress Survey an aid to local evaluations[edit]
Last November, the National Spiritual Assembly distributed its 1979 Bahá’í Fund Progress Survey to all Assemblies and Groups in the U.S.
The survey provides the National Spiritual Assembly with information on the Fund at the local level and assists local communities to set financial priorities and evaluate the progress of their local Fund.
The importance of this second function was reinforced by a comment on the survey made by the Spiritual Assembly of University Park, Texas:
“THE QUESTIONNAIRE is a good stimulus to the Assembly’s self-education—keep these surveys coming!”
Summary evaluations were made of the more than 550 Assemblies that returned the survey.
On the average, 60 per cent of the Bahá’í community regularly attends the Nineteen Day Feast while 58 per cent of the believers regularly support the local Fund.
It appears that the main basis of support for the Fund comes from the believers who attend Feast.
Ninety-one per cent of the Assemblies report that they are following a budget. Local contributions goals are met by approximately 52 per cent of the communities.
Assemblies reported that they have been able to “light the candle” (i.e., meet the goal) on their contributions chart about 60 per cent of the time.
ONE AREA in which there appears to be room for improvement is that of contributing to all four Funds—local, National, Continental, and International.
Ninety-six per cent of the Assemblies have budgeted regular contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund, but only 62 per cent budget contributions to the Continental Fund.
Apparently as a result of the visit to the U.S. last summer of Borrah Kavelin, a member of the Universal House of Justice, contributions to the Bahá’í International Fund showed an increase of 20 per cent over the previous survey.
In 1977, 58 per cent of the reporting Assemblies were contributing to the International Fund; in 1979, 78 per cent of the Assemblies were contributing regularly to that Fund.
In addition, the average monthly contribution to the International Fund has nearly doubled.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Lee County, Florida, wrote: “Apart from the National Fund, we have not budgeted support from our local Fund for the other Funds. We expect to remedy this procedure.”
There also seems to be a need for more local efforts to encourage individual participation in support of all four Funds.
Sixty-nine per cent of the communities reported that the friends are encouraged to support all four Funds regularly. This means that more than 30 per cent of the responding Assemblies are not yet offering such guidance to the believers in their community.
The National Spiritual Assembly was pleased to learn that the National Treasurer’s letter is read in 97 per cent of the communities during Feast, and that 93 per cent of the communities consult regularly on the Fund.
The Bahá’ís of Des Moines, Iowa, wrote: “We appreciate the National Treasurer’s letter. It is interesting and inspiring.”
THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly is confident that one reason for the continued growth of the National Fund is the local communities’ use of the National Treasurer’s letter.
Deepenings on the Fund also are increasing. A total of 32 per cent of the communities reported holding deepenings on the Fund, and 25 per cent said they had been visited last year by a National Treasurer’s Representative.
The National Spiritual Assembly is encouraged by the fact that 69 per cent of the Assemblies had requested some form of assistance from a National Treasurer’s Representative.
Each of these requests has been forwarded to the appropriate NTR for follow-up. The most common requests were for the deepening programs, “The Surest Way” and “The Secret of Wealth.”
In general, the information contained in this year’s survey was encouraging. Communities continue to grow in size, while their contributions are showing steady increases.
‘Each and every believer, undaunted by the uncertainties, the perils and the financial stringency afflicting the nation, must arise and ensure, to the full measure of his or her capacity, that continuous and abundant flow of funds into the national Treasury, on which the successful prosecution of the Plan must chiefly depend...’ (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian as published in Bahá’í Procedures, 1942 edition, pp. 8-9) |
THE GREAT MAJORITY of Assemblies are following a budget, and most are committed to regular support of the various Funds.
The National Spiritual Assembly’s major concern remains the need for greater participation by individuals in contributing directly to the Funds.
It appears, however, that many communities are attacking the problem through an increase in the number of local deepenings on the Fund, and through the educational programs offered by the National Treasurer’s Representatives.
These activities, combined with active teaching plans, are certain to provide a firm foundation for the growth of the Fund at the local level.
[Page 6]
THE MEDIA
Marcia Day (left), executive producer of Prism Productions, congratulates Joyce and Danny Deardorff, producers of the children’s album, Happy Ayyám-i-Há!, which won a 1980 Angel Award presented by Religion in Media.
Bahá’í children’s album wins 1979 Angel Award[edit]
The Bahá’í children’s album, Happy Ayyám-i-Há!, has won a 1979 Angel Award from Religion in Media.
The award was presented during a ceremony February 14 at the Hollywood Palladium to Joyce and Danny Deardorff, producers of the album, and Marcia Day, executive producer of Prism Productions, through which the album was released.
This was the fifth annual awards program sponsored by Religion in Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of religious programming on radio and television.
ALTHOUGH RIM represents all religious viewpoints, the Bahá’í album was one of only two non-Christian enterprises to win an award.
The hostess and host for the awards program were popular singing star Della Reese and Ted Knight, who is best known for his portrayal of newsman Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The Deardorffs and Ms. Day received a warm welcome from the audience of more than 1,000 at the Palladium.
Ms. Day ended her brief acceptance remarks by saying, “We hope we accomplished what we set out to do—express for children the principles of the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of mankind.”
The Bahá’ís had two large tables near the front of the assemblage, and stood out as the most lively and diversified group at the ceremony.
To order Happy Ayyám-i-Há!, see your Bahá’í librarian or send $10 per album (check or money order) to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Rhode Island spreads wings with media campaign[edit]
In Rhode Island, one goal of the Seven Year Plan is well on its way to completion—increased use of the media.
During the Five Year Plan, the Spiritual Assembly of Providence initiated an effort that produced extensive radio, television and newspaper exposure for the Faith for the first time in Rhode Island.
In early July 1979, it was decided that the next logical step would be the sponsorship of a state media committee.
WITHIN A MONTH, the other four Assemblies in Rhode Island and three Groups had appointed members to the committee. A post office box was rented, a bank account opened, stationery printed, and the Rhode Island Bahá’í Media Committee was in business.
The committee’s first project was a radio ad campaign for Universal Children’s Day, using “Love That Child” materials. A radio station agreed to provide one minute of free air time for each minute the committee purchased, and to produce the commercials.
Contacts were made at all three Rhode Island television stations and at nine of the 11 radio stations in the Providence area.
One central Rhode Island radio station also was contacted, and agreed to interview a Bahá’í.
Public service spots for Universal Children’s Day were broadcast on most stations. The “Love That Child” TV spots were accepted by one station and are being aired.
TWO RADIO and one TV interview were produced, and one more radio and two TV interviews are promised.
Since the campaign, the media committee has helped one Group to contact radio stations in its area. Contacts at stations have been developed further through follow-up visits with the aim of making all Public Affairs Directors friends of the Faith.
An effort to establish a statewide Bahá’í telephone number has begun. Another major thrust of the committee is to help local Bahá’í publicity officers learn how to contact and utilize their local newspapers.
A series of small newspaper ads suitable for weekly newspapers using the theme “One God—One Religion—One Mankind” is being developed.
The response from non-Bahá’ís has been excellent. One non-Bahá’í asked a Bahá’í friend, “Who does your publicity? It’s fantastic!” Another commented, “Every time I turn on the radio, I hear you Bahá’ís.”
The media committee also is impressed by the depth of commitment of individual Bahá’ís to its efforts. Since the “Love That Child” campaign, more than $180 in contributions has been received, even though the committee had not requested funds or announced its future plans.
The money received will be used for newspaper advertising in District Teaching Committee goal areas.
Article in New Republic touches on Bahá’í persecution in Iran[edit]
An article entitled “A Death in Tehran (More Adventures in Iranian Diplomacy)” in The New Republic magazine of December 29, 1979, mentions the persecution of Bahá’ís in that country in the 1920’s in connection with the slaying of American vice-consul Robert Whitney Imbrie who was attacked and beaten to death by a mob in Tehran on July 18, 1924.
According to the article’s author, Bruce Hardcastle, a Middle East specialist working in the diplomatic branch of the National Archives, Mr. Imbrie was accused of being a Bahá’í while on a sightseeing tour of Iran’s capital city.
AS HE AND other members of the American legation paused to take photographs at a fountain, set up to provide water for passersby on the hot, dusty streets, the cry suddenly arose, “They are Bahá’ís! They have poisoned the fountain!”
Mr. Imbrie and his companions, the article goes on to say, left the scene in a carriage and were pursued through the streets by an angry mob as cries of “Stop that carriage! The infidels have murdered two soldiers and two women at the Sagha Khaneh!” rang out.
The carriage was overtaken, and Mr. Imbrie was pulled from it and beaten senseless by the mob, which had grown into the thousands, before being rescued by police.
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he lay on an operating table when the mob once again pushed past the few police guards and began beating him with anything available, even chairs and heavy tiles ripped from the floor.
Suffering from shock and loss of blood, Mr. Imbrie—who was not a Bahá’í—died about four hours after he began his sightseeing tour through Tehran.
Phoenix community gets TV studio time[edit]
As a result of its continuing effort to establish close ties with local news media, the Bahá’í community of Phoenix, Arizona, has secured the use of television production facilities at KPHO-TV on a regular basis free of charge.
Matt Walker, executive producer of KPHO-TV’s Get It On variety show, offered 2 1/2 hours of studio time each Sunday afternoon for Bahá’í teaching/proclamation/entertainment productions.
The Phoenix community, through the Greater Phoenix Bahá’í Media Committee, is presently broadcasting a monthly half-hour Bahá’í program. Additional air time has been promised as it is needed.
Kingsport Press (Tennessee), the world’s largest complete book manufacturer, played host last December to four representatives of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, for whom it has printed books for more than 40 years. Shown here with Blaine Cox (left) of Kingsport Press are Publishing Trust staff members (left to right) Terrill Hayes (production coordinator); Barbara Carney (assistant production coordinator); Marie McRoy (assistant to the general manager); and Ed Ryland (general manager).
N.Y. Review features Kazemzadeh article[edit]
“Afghanistan: The Imperial Dream,” by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, professor of history at Yale University and vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, appeared in the February 1980 issue of the New York Review of Books.
The article traces the history of imperial intervention in Afghanistan that led ultimately to the invasion last December by the Soviet Union, an event that has brought condemnation from many nations and placed an enormous strain on U.S.-Soviet relations.
Dr. Kazemzadeh, who was born in the Soviet Union, explores Russian expansionist motives and designs in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and observes that “the power vacuum that has recently emerged in the Middle East gave Russia an opportunity to achieve goals it had been pursuing for well over a century.
“Recent events,” he writes, “confusing as they may seem, are a logical extension of traditional politics, another move in the Great Game. ...
“Although it is too soon to analyze Soviet intentions toward Iran and the other Persian Gulf nations, the dismemberment of both Iran and Pakistan is not impossible; nor can one dismiss the possibility that Russia may reach the shores of the Gulf of Oman and emerge as a power in the Indian Ocean.”
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
District Youth Committees report varied activities[edit]
A number of District Youth Committees have forwarded reports of their activities to the National Youth Committee:
Arizona has planned its third Touchstone Weekend for March or April.
Central California No. 1 is planning firesides for youth by youth, and district-wide deepenings after each District Youth Committee meeting, from which local deepenings can develop.
Certain youth are being asked to act as area representatives to report on their activities at the committee’s regular meetings.
The committee is also working on a District Youth Bulletin.
Western Colorado had a Naw-Rúz dinner and an “Each One Bring One” retreat in February.
Youth in Connecticut requested that their District Youth Committee have a “rap session” at which youth can talk about their lives.
Iowa is going to have a youth retreat during spring vacation.
Kansas elected its District Youth Committee at a youth conference in Lawrence attended by about 20 youth. Auxiliary Board member Darrell Borland was the speaker.
The Southern Minnesota youth also met with an Auxiliary Board member, Stephen Birkland, who encouraged them to continue meeting and teaching.
New Jersey held a youth conference last November at which its Youth Committee was organized. About 60 youth attended.
North Dakota held a youth weekend in February whose theme was “Spiritual Requisites for Teaching.” Its youth plan calls for doubling the number of youth in the district, increasing traveling teaching efforts, and having monthly weekend gatherings.
Young adults in Rhode Island are helping the youth, most of whom live far apart from one another and have no transportation, to attend meetings and other activities.
Northern South Carolina is having “weekend teach-ins” in Local Spiritual Assembly areas every second weekend of each month.
Eastern Texas No. 1 has many ideas, among them to form a Persian/American Youth Program, and to start a Visitation Program wherein the youth and adults can get together and talk over problems and life situations.
Youth in Utah are making teaching trips to southern Utah to help consolidate new believers on Indian Reservations.
Northwest Washington state had a youth booth at its District Convention. Present plans include a camping and deepening weekend, and evenings of deepening and fun, especially for pre-youth.
District Youth Committees: Please tell us what you’re doing and what is successful. We want to share your ideas with other District Youth Committees!
Write to the National Youth Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
- ▲ Seattle, Washington
- ▲ Santa Barbara, California
- ▲ Fort Collins, Colorado
- ▲ Green Bay, Wisconsin
- ▲ Fort Worth, Texas
- ▲ Birmingham, Alabama
- ▲ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
REGIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCES PROPOSED SITES
7 Regional Conferences for youth slated in June[edit]
The National Youth Committee is planning to host seven Regional Youth Conferences the weekend of June 27-29.
The tentative conference sites are Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Fort Worth, Texas; Fort Collins, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Santa Barbara, California.
The purpose of the conferences is to acquaint Bahá’í youth with the opportunities for teaching and service available this summer.
Information about international and domestic teaching projects, work/study projects, and consolidation activities will be given, along with encouragement from guest speakers.
A member of the National Youth Committee will be present at each conference.
Further details on the Regional Youth Conferences will be forthcoming.
About 60 Bahá’í youth attend Western N.Y. Youth Conference[edit]
About 60 Bahá’í youth attended the first Western New York Bahá’í Youth Conference, held last October 20 at Oswego State College.
Attendees came from as far away as Niagara Falls, Potsdam, and Morrisville, New York.
Included in the program were talks, workshops, and a panel discussion.
The anniversary of the Birth of the Báb was observed that evening with special readings from The Dawn-Breakers.
AS A BAHÁ’Í 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.
‘News Update’ delivers latest news to youth[edit]
The National Youth Committee is getting the news to Bahá’í youth as it happens via the “Bahá’í Youth News Update,” a bulletin that is being sent to all youth after each meeting of the National Youth Committee.
Each month, the bulletin contains a letter from the Youth Committee, plus details of activities that the committee is planning.
In this way, youth will receive the most up-to-date information on events pertaining to them.
If you are between 15 and 20 and would like to receive the “Bahá’í Youth News Update,” simply send a note to the National Youth Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, and we’ll be happy to add your name to the mailing list!
S. Carolina slates youth conference[edit]
The second annual South Carolina Bahá’í Youth Conference will be held June 13-15 at Lander College in Greenwood, South Carolina.
The conference will be followed by a three-day Deepening Institute from June 16 through 18, also at Lander College, and a nine-week teaching project from June 19 through August 19.
A minimum two-week commitment is required from participants in the teaching project.
The entire program is being carried out under the auspices of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee.
Last December 16, six members of the children’s class sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, presented gifts of handcrafted planters and bookmarks to elderly patients at the Dauphin County Hospital. Twenty plants and about 30 bookmarks were distributed. Making the presentations were (top) Joey Basso, (middle left to right) Jeff McClain, Florence Bard, Julie Gardner, and (bottom) Chuck McClain, Nima Zandieh.
Bahamas teaching[edit]
The International Goals Committee is calling for Bahá’í youth to join a teaching project in the Bahamas during August 1980.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas would like to have teams of youth (over the age of 18) for teaching work in West End, New Providence, and Grand Bahama.
Approximate round trip air fares are: from Atlanta, $260; from Miami, $86; from New York City, $242. Costs of room and board are in addition to transportation costs.
If interested, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
[Page 8]
HOUSE OF WORSHIP
Coming this summer! The 1980 Special Visit Programs to the Bahá’í National Center[edit]
View relics of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arranged especially for your visit by the National Archives.
See first hand how the National Spiritual Assembly conducts its business.
Learn how the construction of the “Mother Temple of the West” was a primary stimulus for the development of the American Bahá’í community.
Tour the entire Bahá’í National Center visiting the:
- Office of the Secretary
- Office of the Treasurer
- National Committee Offices
- Bahá’í Publishing Trust
- Bahá’í Home
- Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds
- New Administrative Office Building
Have fun, make new friends, and participate in a spiritual experience you will never forget.
Some of the participants in one of last year’s Special Visit Programs.
Program Dates:
- June 19-22
- July 3-6
- (Special Family Program)
- July 31-August 3
- August 14-17
- August 28-31
Register Early!
Housing Packages: Four Days, Three Nights
- A. College Dorm—within walking distance.
- All rooms have twin beds.
- Single (1 person)..Total: $45.00
- Double (2 persons).Total: $60.00
- All rooms have twin beds.
- B. Holiday Inn—in downtown Evanston.
- Near public transportation to Wilmette.
- Single (1 person)..Total: $126.00
- Double (2 persons).Total: $147.00
- Each additional person, add $18.00
- Near public transportation to Wilmette.
Send $20.00 deposit to reserve each room. Please make checks payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund.”
[Page 9]
PÁGINA HISPANA
La Mano de la Causa Muhájír falleció[edit]
Lamentamos profundamente la pérdida inoportuna en Quito, Ecuador, de la Mano de la Causa Rahmatu’lláh Muhájír después de un ataque cardíaco durante el transcurso de su reciente gira por Sud América.
Las copiosas e irrestringidas energías físicas y espirituales de que ofrecía todo su ser en el camino del servicio, ya han cesado. La posteridad no dejará de notar los devotos servicios de sus años jóvenes en la cuna de la Fe y sus subsiguientes hazañas únicas en el campo de pionero en Asia Sudoriental, donde se ganó la designación de Caballero de Bahá’u’lláh.
Sus esfuerzos incansables durante más de dos décadas desde su nombramiento como Mano de la Causa estimulando en muchos países de Occidente y Oriente el proceso de la entrada en masa a la Fe. Los amigos en todos los continentes lamentamos esta trágica pérdida, ahora súbitamente privados de la colaboración de que se hizo querer mediante su benevolencia, su personalidad luminosa, su celo incansable y ejemplar, su método creativo entusiasta para lograr las metas asignadas.
Pedimos a los amigos en todas partes llevar a cabo reuniones conmemorativas dignas de su alta posición y realizaciones únicas. Que su alma radiante en el Reino de Abhá coseche una gran recompensa por sus dedicados servicios y autosacrificios a la Causa de Dios.
30 de diciembre de 1979
RAḤMATU’LLÁH MUHÁJIR
Informe del proyecto de enseñanza en Nuevo Méjico[edit]
En enero, la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional nombró a un Nuevo Comité Nacional que se designa Comité Nacional de Enseñanza Hispana. Sus miembros son:
Antonio Cubero, Coordinador; Regina Anchondo, Sec’/Tes.; Angélica de Arhontogiorgls; Nonel González; Maud Grasselly; Marilyn Sánchez.
Este Comité ya ha celebrado dos reuniones y lanzó, en colaboración con el Comité de Enseñanza del Distrito (para Nuevo México y el Sur y el Oeste de Texas), su primer proyecto, un Instituto en Deming y Anthony, en los Estados de Nuevo México y Texas. Este instituto se llevó a cabo los días 9 y 10 de febrero del presente año. Unos 35 adultos y 15 niños asistieron al evento.
El primer día se reunieron todos los amigos en oraciones y comieron juntos. Luego comenzó el instituto que trató los siguientes temas: La Enseñanza de la Fe, Administración e Historia.
Las comunidades representadas eran, además de las mencionadas, Hatch, Socorro, Las Cruces, Phoenix (Ariz.), Borderland, Canutillo y Castle Rock (Colo.).
El segundo día, muchos de los asistentes salieron a enseñar la Fe en distintos lugares de la Zona y con las confirmaciones de Bahá’u’lláh, encontraron a 22 nuevos creyentes quienes abrazaron nuestra Fe. El Comité Nacional de Enseñanza Hispana está muy agradecido por la gran colaboración del Comité de Enseñanza del Distrito sin cuya ayuda no hubiera sido posible tener el gran éxito que colmó el evento.
La próxima actividad del Comité Hispano se realizará en Los Ángeles y cercanías, durante el mes de abril. El Comité publicará noticias sobre sus actividades en futuras ediciones de esta página.
Agradeceríamos sugerencias y noticias, de parte de los creyentes. La dirección de la secretaria es: P.O. Box 29525, San Antonio, Texas 78229.
Noticias Bahá’ís del mundo[edit]
ESPANA[edit]
Dos Bahá’ís, abogados internacionales, representaron a la Comunidad Internacional Bahá’í, en septiembre último, en la Novena Conferencia sobre El Derecho en el Mundo llevada a cabo en Madrid, España.
La señorita Iyoti Munsifí del Reino Unido y Alberto Lincien de la República Central Africana, presentaron los puntos de vista de la Fe Bahá’í en distintos foros y reuniones y distribuyeron literatura sobre la Fe a los participantes.
El Rey de España habló a los Delegados ante la Conferencia, quienes sumaban unos 1,500 representado a 120 países. Entre ellos había 50 jueces.
Todos los Delegados llevaban identificación con el nombre de su país, menos los dos representantes Bahá’ís quienes simplemente llevaban la palabra “BAHÁ’Í,” después de su nombre, indicación de su status internacional, como miembros de la Fe.
AUSTRALIA[edit]
Sesenta mujeres del Estado de Victoria, en Australia, asistieron a la Primera Conferencia Bahá’í de Mujeres en ese estado, el 19 de agosto pasado. La Conferencia fue auspiciada por el Cuerpo Auxiliar y la Asamblea Espiritual Local de Moorabbin, en respuesta al Mensaje de la Casa Universal de Justicia sobre el Plan de Siete Años y su meta de “...animar a las mujeres Bahá’ís para que ejerzan al máximo sus privilegios y responsabilidades en el trabajo de la comunidad...”
La conferencista principal era la Dra. Janet Khan, miembro de la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de Australia. Su conferencia, basada en los escritos de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, fue titulada “El Verdadero Significado de la Igualdad.”
Las sesiones matutinas se centraban en discusiones sobre la vida de figuras centrales femeninas de la Edad Heroica de la Fe: Táhirih y Bahíyyih Khánum, la “Hoja Más Sagrada.” Las sesiones de la tarde incluían discusiones sobre la manera en que las mujeres pueden ayudarse mutuamente en su trabajo y vida Bahá’ís.
Dos diarios publicaron el evento. El Sunday Observer publicó una cabecera que proclamaba “Bahá’í Primero” arriba de un artículo sobre la conferencia. Otro diario, The Age, publicó entrevistas con dos mujeres asistentes a la Conferencia.
NUEVA ZELANDIA[edit]
Los Bahá’ís de Nueva Zelandia auspiciaron una Conferencia Nacional de Juventud el verano pasado, la primera reunión de este tipo durante el Plan de Siete Años.
Entre los asistentes se encontraba el Dr. Cheli Sundram, Consejero Continental para Asia Sudoriental. Entre los que hablaban figuraba el miembro del Cuerpo Auxiliar, el Sr. Owen Battrick, quien se refirió a los sacrificios de los jóvenes Bahá’ís durante los primeros años de la Causa, en una Conferencia titulada “Desde el Báb Hasta Ti.” Otros temas era: la fe, la firmeza, el casamiento y la educación.
Durante la conferencia también tuvo lugar un concierto, juegos, poemas, canciones, un partido de basket ball y una visita a un termo.
AFRICA OCCIDENTAL[edit]
La Mano de la Causa de Dios, Rahmatu’lláh Muhájír, parado a la izquierda del centro en camisa blanca y corbata viajó por cuatro países de África Occidental en un viaje de enseñanza que comenzó en junio de 1979 y terminó un mes más tarde. El Dr. Muhájír visitó pueblos en Togo, Costa de Marfil, la República de Camerun y Benin. En estos lugares conoció a los creyentes nativos y les animó a tomar parte activa en el trabajo de la enseñanza. Muchas personas declararon su creencia en Bahá’u’lláh durante este esfuerzo en grupo conducido por el Dr. Muhájír.
Veinte y dos Bahá’ís representando 14 comunidades, cinco huéspedes y cuatro niños asistieron una Conferencia Regional de Enseñanza en dicha ciudad, en octubre de 1979. Los creyentes se prometieron formar 13 Asambleas Espirituales Locales, establecer tres parcelas de terreno para centros Bahá’ís.
La Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de los Bahá’ís de Tumut Shire, New South Wales, Australia, auspició su segundo seminario de educación que se realiza anualmente. Ocho personas interesadas concurrieron el evento. Dos días antes del seminario, La Asamblea Espiritual de Tumut Shire auspició una exhibición de un programa de ‘Día de Carrera’ en el liceo. El Tópico de esa exhibición era ‘Nuestra Carrera en Nuestras Manos.’
PROFUNDIZACION[edit]
Comenzamos con este número una sección dedicada a la profundización. Necesitamos estudiar cada día nuestra Fe, para estar listos y preparados a enseñar, lo que es nuestra más sagrada e ineludible obligación.
Te vamos a presentar a continuación un Cuestionario, con diez preguntas sobre la Fe. Contéstalas y en el próximo número te daremos las respuestas para que compruebes tus conocimientos.
Cuestionario No. 1
- ¿Creemos los Bahá’ís en Dios? ¿Cuál en nuestro concepto de Dios?
- ¿De dónde proviene la palabra Bahá’í? ¿Qué quiere decir?
- ¿Dónde y en qué época surgió la Fe Bahá’í?
- ¿Quién era El Báb?
- ¿Qué era El Bayán?
- ¿Qué importancia tiene la Fe del Báb para nuestra religión?
- ¿Recuerdas algo de la vida del Báb?
- ¿Cómo murió El Báb?
- ¿Quienes eran las Letras de los Vivientes?
- ¿Recuerdas una oración revelada por El Báb?
[Page 10]
PROCLAMATION
In Los Angeles, a softball team proclaims the Faith[edit]
Bahá’ís have the most wonderful Message in the world to share, but how do we get people to listen to us?
One group of Bahá’ís in Los Angeles decided to proclaim the Faith by organizing a softball team. They are listed in the Los Angeles and Culver City league schedules as the Bahá’í Faith, and their uniforms read: “One Planet, One People ... Please!”
The idea was born after several Bahá’ís became homefront pioneers to Catalina Island, a goal area off the California coast.
WHILE LOOKING for ways in which to enhance their teaching activities, which at first proved unsuccessful, they noticed an organized softball game that had attracted a considerable number of bystanders.
A softball team, they reasoned, would be fun for Bahá’ís to participate on, it would be inexpensive, and it would let people know that the Faith exists.
The Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles agreed to sponsor the team, and Paul Monka took the responsibility of finding and organizing the players.
On Naw-Rúz 1979 the Los Angeles City Softball League agreed to allow the Bahá’ís to join the league, and the group has been playing and teaching ever since.
During the first season, more than 100 other softball players, their wives and families came in contact with the Bahá’ís on a weekly basis over a four-month period.
In addition, two members of the team who are non-Bahá’ís became closer to the Faith and have attended firesides and other Bahá’í activities.
The softball team composed of Bahá’ís that competes in leagues in Los Angeles and Culver City, California, and whose members proclaim the Faith through their uniforms and their sportsmanship.
THE TEAM HAS done very well, receiving a trophy at the end of its first season for its second place finish.
And even when the Bahá’ís lost, it was not unusual to hear fans from the other teams give them the following cheer:
“Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’í Faith!”
Now in its second season, the team has joined the Culver City Softball League in addition to the Los Angeles league, thus exposing even more people to the Faith.
Direct teaching is done by Bahá’ís in the stands watching the game and talking with friends of the opposing teams.
As a Bahá’í community activity, the softball team has given many of its members a chance not only to become better acquainted, but also to grow together as a working unit, physically as well as mentally and spiritually.
To commemorate Universal Children’s Day last October 24, the Bahá’ís of Grand Forks, North Dakota, hosted a ‘harvest party’ for the children of Grand Forks. The party was publicized on radio, in the local newspaper, in flyers, and on a large signboard outside the armory building in which it was held. The program included games, stories, music, a costume parade, a piñata and prizes for everyone. The Bahá’í community has decided to make the harvest party an annual event.
Wauwatosa Bahá’ís in reunion[edit]
The Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Bahá’í community celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of its Spiritual Assembly with a reunion last June 16.
A considerable search was required to reach the roughly 165 people who had been members of the Wauwatosa community since its first Assembly was established in 1939.
The reunion was held at the City Hall, which was decorated with spring flowers, balloons and a banner that had been made several years ago for a street fair.
A PRINTED program and souvenir bookmark marked each place at the table, and each child was given a UNICEF place mat as a memento.
Following a catered dinner, the friends were entertained by the musical teaching group, the “New World Construction Company.”
The formal program included an account of the history of the Faith over the past 40 years, a summary of local activities as they related to the Bahá’í world during that time, and the Bahá’í world in the setting of world history from 1939–1979.
Special recognition was given to three members of the first Bahá’í community in Wauwatosa: Mrs. Hildegarde Lewis, Mrs. Marion Nelson, and Harry Nelson, two of whom are members of the present Assembly in Wauwatosa.
Also recognized were Knights of Bahá’u’lláh Loretta and Carl Scherer who left Wauwatosa to pioneer to Macao, Portugal, and the Madeira Islands.
Kansas City community ends three-month media campaign[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Kansas City, Missouri, recently completed a three-month media proclamation campaign.
Fourteen large, lighted “Love That Child” billboards were placed on freeways and well-traveled streets all over the city.
The billboards proclaimed the “Love That Child” Bahá’í message day and night through November and part of December to an estimated 140,000 Kansas City residents and numerous travelers passing the city on a major Interstate highway.
Every Sunday morning from November through the first week in February, the 13-week “New World” Bahá’í television series was run from 7 to 7:30 on Kansas City’s ABC-affiliated TV station.
The program, featuring the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and various Bahá’í guests, proclaimed the Faith, according to station polls, to some 14,000 teen-age and adult viewers each week.
The station reaches over half of Missouri and Kansas plus parts of Iowa and Nebraska.
The media campaign has helped in consolidating the local Bahá’í community and in attracting new believers.
One of the 14 billboards displaying the Bahá’í ‘Love That Child’ message that were placed on freeways and well-traveled streets throughout November and part of December as part of a media proclamation campaign sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Kansas City, Missouri.
[Page 11]
PROCLAMATION
Some of the more than 25 people who attended a Universal Children’s Day pizza party last October 1 in Bozeman, Montana.
Varied Bozeman program salutes ‘Year of Child’[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Bozeman, Montana, planned and carried out several events as a part of its observance of the International Year of the Child in 1979.
In mid-June a large display was set up in the lounge of the Student Union building at Montana State University.
The display remained there for 14 weeks and was one of three Bahá’í displays in Bozeman for the week of Universal Children’s Day in October.
THE OTHER Bahá’í displays were in store windows, one in the downtown shopping area, the other at a children’s clothing store in a shopping center.
The Bahá’ís also began distributing “Love That Child” buttons, one to each pediatrician in town, to their nurses, and to other interested persons.
One elementary school principal gave permission to have every teacher and staff member given a button and every student given a “Love That Child” balloon on Universal Children’s Day. More than 325 balloons were given away.
Several large ads were placed in the daily, weekly and university newspapers for Children’s Day, and two special public meetings were held during that week.
On Universal Children’s Day, October 1, the Bahá’ís hosted a pizza party at a local pizza parlor that proclaimed the event for two weeks on its marquee.
MORE THAN 25 people attended the party including several non-Bahá’ís.
Later that month, a member of the staff at Montana State’s School of Nursing asked for some “Love That Child” buttons to give away during a Children’s Health Fair to be held on campus in November. The Assembly donated 100 buttons to the School of Nursing.
After the Fair, only five buttons were returned. Several Nursing School faculty have been seen on campus wearing the buttons.
Over a four-month period, more than 200 of the buttons were given to students at Montana State.
To cap the year, billboard space was purchased for the month of December and a large “Love That Child” billboard was placed at the western edge of the city, outlined by a lovely scenic backdrop of mountains.
The billboard remained in place a second month at no charge to the community. Meanwhile, the Assembly noted an increased interest in the Faith with more requests for literature than ever before.
CONCERNED ABOUT recent events in Iran, the community decided to raise an additional $1,000 for the Universal House of Justice by Riḍván 1980.
By the end of December 1979, that goal had been met or pledged. Its success so inspired the community that another $1,000 goal was decided on for a proclamation program in April.
Billboard space has again been rented, this time for a “One Planet, One People ... Please” billboard in the heart of downtown Bozeman across from the Post Office.
Also planned is a mass mailing to 10,000 homes of a flyer announcing a public meeting with guest speaker Margaret Gallagher, a member of the Auxiliary Board.
In addition to these activities, the Bozeman community—composed of 18 adults, two youth, and eight children—continues to hold firesides, deepenings, and Bahá’í classes for children and youth.
The Assembly reports that with the exception of one community member who is in a nursing home and unable to get out, attendance at Feasts and Assembly meetings is usually 100 per cent.
This Bahá’í display commemorating Universal Children’s Day was placed in a downtown store window by the Bahá’í community of Bozeman, Montana.
Indian sand paintings boost California proclamation effort[edit]
During June 1979, a collection of artist David Villaseñor’s sand paintings were displayed at the Santa Barbara Savings & Loan Association’s office in Morro Bay, California.
Two public meetings were held during that time, advertised in the local newspaper and by more than 400 flyers and the display itself.
One of the meetings was held in Baywood, the Morro Bay Assembly’s extension teaching goal.
ATTENDANCE AT the meetings was about 40, two-thirds of whom were not Bahá’ís, and most of whom came as a result of having seen the paintings on display.
The bank’s manager was so pleased by the display that he took photos and wrote to his home office about it.
He also invited Gary and Barbara Ellison, to whom the paintings belong, to speak at the Rotary Club, one of the most influential civic organizations in Morro Bay.
Later, the sand paintings were displayed at the San Luis Obispo County Fair with cards that read, “This display courtesy of the Bahá’ís of San Luis Obispo County.”
The Santa Clara County Fair board wants to display the paintings at an artisan’s fair, and a TV interview has been arranged with full newspaper coverage as well.
DURING THE San Luis Obispo Fair, a teacher at Templeton Junior High School was so impressed that a display at the school was arranged on the spot.
Gary Ellison (left) and Lee Avery of Morro Bay, California, mount one of the Indian sand paintings by Bahá’í artist David Villaseñor that were displayed last June at a local bank in Morro Bay.
Leon Panetta, the U.S. congressman from the district, stopped at the display to let the Bahá’ís know he had read the letters he’d received about the plight of Bahá’ís in Iran and would do whatever he could to help.
A few months after the display at the bank and the Fair, the sand paintings were offered to the local high school as part of a series of Bahá’í service projects planned for the first week in October to commemorate the International Year of the Child.
For three days, the Ellisons visited the school to talk about the paintings and the Faith.
About 250 students attended these talks the first day. The attention and response was dramatic; teachers and students stayed in the room class after class.
THE FOLLOWING DAY, the program was moved to the school library to accommodate an audience that numbered 120 at a time, some of whom had seen the display the previous day.
On the third day, following the program, the school was presented with a small sand painting and two Bahá’í books.
One student remarked that she’d seen the display seven times and would have come more!
The Bahá’í community of Morro Bay feels that the sand paintings are unsurpassed for making friends for the Faith, for introducing previously untapped segments of the community to the Bahá’í Message, and for enhancing the social standing of the Faith in the community.
Dizzy Gillespie scores big hit in Cedar Rapids[edit]
On Saturday, January 26, jazz trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie performed with the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Symphony Orchestra at the Paramount Theater in Cedar Rapids.
At one point during the concert, Mr. Gillespie paused to tell the audience that he is a Bahá’í, and to thank the Cedar Rapids Bahá’í community for flowers that were sent to his hotel.
Later, he explained the death of the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga as an introduction to his composition written in honor of the Olinga family.
Before the evening was over, the voices of 1,700 people were harmonizing the theme for a Hand of the Cause of God!
[Page 12]
EDUCATION
‘Life of Service’ deepenings draw warm over-all response[edit]
The over-all response to the recent deepening program, “A Life of Service,” that featured a tape-recorded message by the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga was one of pleasure and appreciation, according to David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee.
The taped program, prepared by the National Education Committee on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, was mailed to Assemblies and Bahá’í Groups of five or more for use on or about January 27.
“THE FRIENDS not only enjoyed Mr. Olinga’s inspiring talk and the opportunity they had to discuss certain points in the message between sessions,” said Mr. Smith, “but they also discovered a renewed and greater feeling of community fellowship and unity.”
This, he added, inspired many communities to plan more deepenings.
Suggestions sent to the National Education Committee from local Bahá’í communities included the idea of holding a similar program using a talk by the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir; publishing transcripts of the tape by Mr. Olinga; and including guidelines for follow-up activities in future such deepening programs.
Mr. Smith said a transcript of Mr. Olinga’s talk has been prepared and is available on request from the National Education Committee.
Among the other comments in response to the January program were these:
“Everyone enjoyed the program format of small discussion groups and the break for lunch at a nearby restaurant.”
“The Bahá’í Education Committee is to be complimented on a well-organized program that produced a thought-provoking day for the friends.”
Members of the Evanston, Illinois, Bahá’í community listen to a taped message from the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga during one of four community deepenings held January 27 in Evanston. Similar deepening programs, sponsored by the National Education Committee, were held that day in Bahá’í communities throughout the U.S.
Assembly must use committees, task forces wisely[edit]
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a five-part series on improving the performance of Local Spiritual Assemblies written for the National Education Committee by Ronald S. Gilpatrick of San José, California.)
•
Committees, Task Forces, and Other Ways to Get Things Done
Not all Spiritual Assemblies use committees or task forces to accomplish the objectives of the community. In smaller communities the Assembly and the Bahá’í community often are synonymous, or nearly so.
Under such circumstances, Assembly members often split up various responsibilities, or there may be small subcommittees made up of Assembly members for the purpose of carrying out certain tasks.
Spiritual Assemblies in larger Bahá’í communities are more likely to use a committee or task force structure to accomplish community work. This makes sense for several reasons.
FIRST, THE Spiritual Assembly cannot possibly do all the work for the community. If things are to be done, there must be a division of labor.
Second, the use of a committee structure allows the Assembly to exploit the talents of all community members.
Third, service on a committee or task force causes members of the community to maintain or increase their level of Bahá’í activity.
Fourth, by their very nature, committees, when functioning properly, create a sense of unity and community cohesiveness.
One of the great dilemmas for Spiritual Assemblies is that committees often falter, become inefficient, and sometimes create disunity rather than unity.
There are several major reasons why committee activities sometimes seem to fall apart—and some ways to correct the problem.
1. Lack of adequate guidelines. The Spiritual Assembly must give its committees clear, understandable, and reasonable guidelines.
A Spiritual Assembly that creates a teaching committee and tells the members to develop a comprehensive teaching plan for the Bahá’í community in the coming year is dooming that committee to almost certain failure.
A teaching committee must know what the Assembly has in mind. Shall there be an emphasis on proclamation, an “each one teach one” campaign, direct teaching, or a combination of various methods?
The Assembly must spell out exactly what it wants its committees to accomplish. It must give each committee a vision and a framework on which a plan can be developed.
2. Failure to develop a reporting system. Committees must have access to the Assembly. However, Assemblies can inundate themselves with committee reports. Three suggestions are offered to aid in the reporting process:
First, Assemblies should consider having committee reports given on a regularly scheduled basis. For example, teaching committee reports on the second week of each month, Feast and Holy Days committee reports on the third week, and so on.
This gives committees time to prepare their reports and plan their activities.
Second, the Assembly might consider appointing Assembly members to serve as liaisons to the committees.
The Assembly member needn’t attend all the committee meetings; however, the liaison touches bases frequently with the committee chairman or secretary to receive an update of activities that can be reported to the Assembly at the appropriate time.
Third, committee reports must have enough information to enable the Assembly to make decisions.
FOR THIS TO happen, the Assembly must let its committees know what kinds of information are required. Too often, committee reports aren’t specific, thus requiring that the Assembly, in the final analysis, end up planning the event.
A committee report should always include:
- An outline of the activity (event), stating the purpose, objectives, and an overview.
- Time, place and date of the event.
- Estimated cost, and a plan for allocating the funds to be used.
- Names of those responsible for hosting, setting up, preparing refreshments, and cleaning up for the event.
- A description of materials, equipment or other physical needs, and a plan for acquiring them.
- A plan for publicity and how communications will be handled.
It is the Assembly’s responsibility to instruct its committees regarding the needs in terms of committee reports.
Failure to address this issue means the Assembly seldom gets the kind of information it needs. Such a situation forces the Assembly to step in and oversee committee actions.
3. Committees or task forces are
At the annual balloon race held at the American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona, the Bahá’í Club sold fresh-squeezed orange juice and raised $200 for the club’s fund. The money will be used to help establish a club library, to buy books to donate to the school library, and for refreshments at firesides.
|
BAHÁ’Í NATIVE COUNCIL July 11-12-13,1980
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. |
[Page 13]
EDUCATION
A school with Bahá’í principal, principles[edit]
By SCOTT STUART
There is an elementary school in Urbana, Illinois, where the principal’s Bahá’í ideals and students from 46 nations combine to create a living example of unity in diversity.
The school is named for famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. John Bustard, a Bahá’í, became its principal in 1965, shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had sparked a growing awareness of racial equality in the U.S.
ONE OF HIS FIRST acts was to meet with parents of children attending the King School in their homes to discuss the reality and effects of integration.
Parents met with the school board while Dr. Bustard worked with the administration. Most people felt that integrating the school would be best for its students, and by 1966 about half the black children in Urbana were being bused to schools away from their neighborhoods, while white children were being bused to the King School.
The school board also decided that the King School would become the attendance center for children who lived in Orchard Grove, the University of Illinois’ housing complex for graduate married students.
At first, most of those children were white Americans; over the years, however, the university began to recruit graduate students from overseas.
Today the King School boasts students from Australia, Canada, Chad, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iran, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, the Soviet Union, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, Zaire—in fact, from 46 nations in all.
EVENTUALLY, the King School asked the University of Illinois for support for a multi-cultural program.
“One of the fundamental Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh,” says Dr. Bustard, “is the idea of ‘unity in diversity.’ That was the jumping-off point for our program.”
The international make-up of the school’s student body made it an ideal place to practice this principle.
Rather than seeing it as a weakness to shore up, Dr. Bustard built upon its strength. The school uses the richness of its students’ backgrounds as a resource to enrich the lives of everyone.
This is done in two ways:
First, every child who attends the King School has the opportunity to learn a second language, beginning in first grade.
The languages taught there include Spanish, French, German, Persian, Hebrew, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese and English.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY two classes in each language, one for students who are learning it as a second language, the other to help students increase their skills in their own language.
Second, at the King School every student is made to feel that he is a part of the school community.
This is done by sharing experiences. Each student is given an opportunity to tell his classmates about the lifestyle and customs of his country. This sharing is at the core of the social studies program.
In any given class, there may be children from half a dozen countries.
For social studies in kindergarten or first grade, a child’s family may be invited to the classroom to discuss how people live, work and play in their country, and to shed light on the unique relationship of parents to children in that culture.
THE SCHOOL also hosts a number of special events each year. A recent international dinner was attended by more than 400 people.
Once, the school held an African bazaar in the library. The only way anyone could buy anything at the bazaar was to barter for it. Children brought handmade items and traded them.
While the King School offers the same basic curriculum common to most elementary schools, with a heavy emphasis on reading, writing and math, the structure is unusual, with each classroom containing a number of “learning centers” devoted to such subjects as art, science, music, reading, and so on.
The structure provides for the presentation of a number of different activities at the same time, with teachers working with smaller groups of children.
A child who becomes bored or frustrated with a particular subject can work in another area until he or she feels better.
“LEARNING centers” are not unique to King School, says Dr. Bustard. They are widely used now, he says, and widely misused as well.
Learning centers, he points out, are not the same as “interest centers,” in which the student is allowed to determine his own learning interests.
At King School, the decisions about where the child is going academically, and in what sequence he will attend the learning centers, is left to the teacher.
The teacher must therefore be knowledgeable about each student, must be able to diagnose his learning style and speed, and to prescribe the kinds of materials and activities most appropriate for that child.
“Using this approach,” says Dr. Bustard, “you don’t just say, ‘Well, the children are going to read pages 20 through 30 today.’ You have to provide a much wider variety of materials and activities so you can tailor them to the child’s needs, and not the other way around.”
ACCORDING TO Dr. Bustard, teachers at the King School are as concerned about how the children learn as they are about what is being learned.
This is especially important at King School, since many of the children will return to their native countries where school systems aren’t as extensive or sophisticated as they are in the U.S.
Dr. Bustard feels it wouldn’t be fair to expect such children to master the same curriculum as a student who is transferring to the Massachusetts school system, for example.
What the school does is to try and instill in the children a basic approach to learning itself. That is why a visitor to the King School may see children working alone or in small groups on a wide variety of projects.
Beyond the academic goals of the school, Dr. Bustard believes the child’s spiritual and moral development is an essential part of his education.
“WE TRY not only to get children to understand, but to develop those qualities that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has identified as being desirable in human beings,” he says.
As principal, one of Dr. Bustard’s responsibilities is the selection of faculty.
While he is at present the only Bahá’í at the school, he tries to choose teachers whose views are in harmony with Bahá’í principles.
As a result, the staff is able to help inculcate desirable behavior, such as means other than force in resolving differences.
At the King School, if children argue, and others help them resolve the argument without fighting, a teacher may explain that that is the best way to do things, and reward the students with extra time in the gym or library.
Or, the teacher may take the children aside and praise them for doing the right thing. Teachers try never to embarrass a child who makes a mistake.
“I BELIEVE, again from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that wrongdoing results from ignorance,” says Dr. Bustard. “I feel our job is to help children learn, not to punish them.”
Sometimes, he says, it is necessary to hold a child firmly in one’s arms to prevent him from striking out at someone else.
“But you never strike the child,” says Dr. Bustard. “We have few ironclad rules here, but that is one of them. No child at the King School is going to be struck, ever.”
Instead, a first offense may bring a firm explanation of what the child has done wrong and why.
Subsequent offenses may result in the child’s doing extra work at recess, or helping the custodian with his work.
If the offense is serious, the child’s parents may be summoned for consultation.
DR. JOHN BUSTARD
‘Our Job Is to Help Children Learn’
PARENTS ARE encouraged to participate in other ways at the school. Mothers may help in the classrooms, at the discretion of teachers, or in the library, as well as in the multi-cultural program.
In spite of the many changes he has been able to make at King School, Dr. Bustard is far from satisfied.
“One of my long-held dreams,” he says, “is to be able to work in a Bahá’í school, where I can invoke the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh without having, in effect, to disguise them.
“I’d like to hang a banner across a room that quotes Bahá’u’lláh.”
His wife, Margaret, a teacher in nearby Champaign, does that in her classroom, he says. Her class’s motto is “Let courtesy be your adorning.”
His wife, says Dr. Bustard, deserves much of the credit for what he has been able to do at the King School. Their discussions of ideas and approaches to educational problems and their solution have led to many of the ideas used at the school.
Those ideas, he hopes, have helped instill in future world citizens an appreciation for differences, and a broader understanding of the meaning of unity in diversity.
Children from 46 countries attend the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois.
[Page 14]
IGC: PIONEERING
Answering questions about overseas teaching[edit]
Looking more closely at the concept of traveling teachers, the International Goals Committee answers some commonly raised questions about international teaching trips.
•
What is the purpose of traveling teachers?
According to the Universal House of Justice, the traveling teacher reinforces “the efforts of those who are laboring so valiantly to expand and consolidate the Bahá’í communities.”
Wouldn’t it be more useful to concentrate on strengthening our goal areas with permanent Bahá’í residents instead of this itinerant variety?
We must certainly concentrate on establishing strong communities, but if the traveling teachers are channeled into teaching activities in our sister communities they will strengthen those communities as well as the bonds that link them to Bahá’ís elsewhere. This flow of movement is reviving, strengthening, refreshing and spiritually stimulating.
Do you need to have some special talents to undertake a teaching trip?
Not at all. There have been traveling teachers this year as ordinary as Bahá’ís on business trips or vacations. The International Goals Committee urges every Bahá’í to consider every trip outside the country as a possible teaching trip.
So, in fact, anyone can become a traveling teacher simply by visiting Bahá’í communities overseas?
Yes, as far as the desire, the will, the initiative of the individual are concerned. But remember, the desire can only be directed, and the initiative confirmed, when we turn to the Institutions.
You mean we can’t just get up and go? We must first contact the International Goals Committee?
It’s often a simple process, and can only be beneficial. As the Universal House of Justice writes, it is “well considered efforts” that are needed, not haphazard fireworks that dissipate our resources.
The application process for teaching internationally begins when the individual contacts the International Goals Committee about his trip to another country. The committee then requests information from him and his Local Spiritual Assembly or District Teaching Committee to learn about his skills, talents and abilities.
Next, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly is notified of his plans. He is then introduced by cable or letter to the National Assembly within whose jurisdiction he will be traveling.
To help that National Assembly plan teaching activities for him, it is informed of his special skills and talents. He is given the address of that institution, and is encouraged to correspond directly for more details about his trip.
Upon his return to the U.S., a report of the teaching trip should be sent to the International Goals Committee.
When we combine the zest and energy of our personal response to the call for traveling teachers with the guidance and protection of the administrative bodies, we find, because we are obeying the directives of the Universal House of Justice, that the “hosts of success” literally surround us and crown our efforts.
Whenever this magnetic process has been followed, the results have been rich. The communities that have been blessed by the presence of a traveling teacher write and say: “This kind of visit is always a bounty and an inspiration to our communities. It tends to broaden our perspective of the Faith. Thank you for directing to us these beautiful friends.”
The traveling teachers find that they are equally enriched, and feel that they are the ones who are most blessed.
This is one way in which we can all respond to the call of the Universal House of Justice “to swell to a mighty river” the invigorating motion of traveling teachers across the globe.
This is the way we can respond to the exhortation of Bahá’u’lláh Himself to become “the soft flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men.” This is one of the ways in which we can truly become “a river of life eternal to His loved ones.”
Eileen Cregge Tyson, formerly ot Rahway, New Jersey, a Bahá’í pioneer to Monrovia, Liberia, points to her pioneering post in West Africa during a recent visit to the U.S. in February, Mrs. Tyson became the first white Bahá’í, and one of the few whites ever, to graduate from a Liberian university. She was graduated summa cum laude from the University of Monrovia with a degree in English and secondary education.
Pioneer to Monrovia, Liberia, an honor graduate of university[edit]
Eileen Cregge Tyson, formerly of Rahway, New Jersey, who has been pioneering with her husband in Monrovia, Liberia, for the past three and one-half years, was graduated February 21 from the University of Liberia.
Mrs. Tyson, 24, is the first white Bahá’í and one of a very few whites ever to attend and be graduated from a Liberian university.
SHE WAS valedictorian of her class at the university’s William V.S. Tubman Teacher’s College, graduating summa cum laude, the highest honor offered by the university.
Mrs. Tyson’s degree, in English secondary education, represents a departure from her original intentions as a journalism major at Rutgers University prior to her decision to pioneer.
“I changed my major,” she explained during a recent visit to the U.S., “when I found that this was a way to be of service to the country of Liberia.
“I think it’s important to have been graduated from a Liberian university since I want to teach in that country. It will make me a more efficient and understanding teacher having lived in the country and received my education there.”
During her senior year at the University of Liberia, Mrs. Tyson was chosen by her professors to be a paid faculty assistant providing English tutoring help to her fellow students.
As chaplain of her college’s Future Teachers Association, she read Bahá’í prayers at the opening of each association meeting. Mrs. Tyson also served as treasurer of the university’s Bahá’í Club.
Hospitality awaits pioneers to Benin[edit]
An opportunity exists for a single Bahá’í, a couple, or a small family to stay on the second floor of the National Hazíratu’l-Quds in Cotonou, Benin (formerly Dahomey), West Africa for a few weeks or months while participating in activities at the Center and at other localities in Benin.
Although there is an active Bahá’í community in Cotonou and a caretaker at the Center, the National Spiritual Assembly of Benin has found that having pioneers in residence adds to the warmth and attractiveness of the Hazíratu’l-Quds.
Many seekers and Bahá’í friends drop by each week to visit, in addition to attending meetings planned by the Spiritual Assembly of Cotonou such as weekly firesides, children’s classes, Feasts and Holy Day observances.
A pioneer family in Abomey, the historic royal capital 90 miles inland from Cotonou, would also welcome a visitor for a few weeks this summer.
A student would have an opportunity to encourage youth activities in that area while participating in activities at the National and Regional Centers in Cotonou and Porto-Novo. Some familiarity with French is a necessity.
For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
U.S. Bahá’ís aid San Salvador[edit]
Eight American Bahá’ís traveled to San Salvador last December for a teaching project sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas.
San Salvador, where Christopher Columbus first landed, is mentioned in the Tablets of the Divine Plan as Watling Island. It is a tiny Caribbean island 12 miles long and six miles wide with 700 inhabitants.
The National Assembly of the Bahamas rented a house on the island for the teachers to live in during the month-long project.
SINCE THERE were no believers on San Salvador, the teachers were instructed to lay a proper foundation before beginning to teach the residents.
Following prayer and consultation, the teachers contacted the ministers of the 12 local churches, the Catholic priest, the librarian and police chief.
Once this was accomplished, the teachers began to meet the local people and give them the Message. This was done informally by visiting the residents in their homes.
Since the people there are church-oriented, many of the discussions centered around the Bible and the relationship of Jesus to the Bahá’í Faith. Filmstrips were shown, and were followed by intensive discussions with many questions being asked.
As a result of the teachers’ efforts, nearly everyone on San Salvador has heard of the Faith and been left with a favorable impression of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Seventy-two believers from 60 Bahá’í communities in California’s Northern and Central Districts attended a child education seminar last November 3-4 at the Bosch Bahá’í School near Santa Cruz. The seminar, conducted by Bahá’í Education Consultants Ruth Somerhalder and Marguerite Wilson, attempted to raise the consciousness of the friends in assuming responsibility for meeting the needs of Bahá’í children and youth, and for more fully integrating them into the mainstream of Bahá’í community life.
Trust hosts meeting to plan children’s program[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust hosted a meeting in Wilmette, Illinois, January 26 to lay the bases of a publishing program for children and youth.
The gathering also served as a first step toward the establishment of a children’s literature division at the Publishing Trust.
The day-long meeting included a number of formal presentations, group discussion, and a brainstorming session.
THE SPEAKERS were Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly; Deborah Christensen of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, author of a series of books for younger children—the “Sunflower Books”—soon to be published by the Trust; and Barbara Marino of Culver City, California, a member of the National Education Committee.
Other special guests were Mary Kay Radpour, editor of Child’s Way magazine; David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee; Helene Steinhauer, managing editor of the children’s division at Dell Publishing Company in New York City; and Amy Marks of Wilmette, who is completing work on a doctorate in marketing at Northwestern University.
The meeting, arranged by the editorial department at the Publishing Trust, marked the first time that so many people who are actively involved in the area of children’s literature were brought together to discuss issues and problems common to that field of endeavor.
Present at the meeting from the Publishing Trust were General Manager Ed Ryland; General Editor Betty J. Fisher and the editorial staff; the manager and staff of the special materials branch; representatives of the marketing and promotion departments; and the production coordinator and art director.
Mrs. Christensen opened the meeting with a presentation of the Bahá’í Writings on education, educational theory, and their implications for Bahá’í materials for children and youth.
DR. CARNEY then discussed various approaches to publications for children and youth.
After lunch, Mrs. Marino presented the National Education Committee’s perspective on children’s publishing needs.
Among the needs set forth by the committee were for materials oriented toward (1) consolidation, (2) the “most challenging issue,” (3) personal development, and (4) parent training.
The late afternoon and evening were devoted to brainstorming on the needs of the American Bahá’í community with respect to materials for children, youth and parents.
The discussion established priorities for a publishing program for materials for children and youth.
Representatives of the Publishing Trust expressed pleasure with the outcome of the meeting. As a direct result of it, a number of new materials for children and youth are being developed.
Deborah Christensen (left) of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, an educator and author of children’s books, emphasizes a point during a discussion of children’s literature held January 26 in Wilmette, Illinois. Seated next to Mrs. Christensen is Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. The meeting was arranged by the Publishing Trust’s editorial department.
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem addresses the regional Persian Conference held February 16 in Wilmette, Illinois. Other conferences were held in New York City; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
Persian conferences are held[edit]
Continued From Page 1
THE CONFERENCES, sponsored jointly by the Persian Affairs Committee and the host Spiritual Assemblies, had a three-fold purpose, according to Dr. Manouchehr Derakshani of the Persian Affairs Committee.
First, he said, the conferences were held to familiarize the Persian believers with the mandate and activities of the Persian Affairs Committee.
Second, they were to encourage the Persians to disperse throughout the U.S. as homefront pioneers or to pioneer to another country.
Third, they were to encourage those who remained in the U.S. to become more fully integrated into American Bahá’í community life.
Each regional conference provided the Persian believers with information about pioneering on the homefront and internationally.
In addition, legal advice on matters of immigration was provided at three of the conferences by attorney Donald Chadwick, an American Bahá’í who specializes in that field.
THE CONFERENCES were opened by a representative of the host Assembly, and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly or its representative delivered a message to each conference.
Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, addressed the conferences in Wilmette and Los Angeles, and representatives of the Office of the Treasurer were present at each of the other conferences.
The program at these conferences included a moving audio-visual tribute to the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir; a slide presentation on the most Holy Shrine in Iran, the House of the Báb, and its recent destruction; and the filmstrip, “The Greatest Undertaking,” showing the progress in building the Seat of the Universal House of Justice.
Participants learned of the recent messages and instructions from the Supreme Institution concerning the concentration of Persian believers in certain areas and the need for their relocation to homefront and international goal areas of the Seven Year Plan.
The Persian Affairs Committee reported that attendance at the conferences ranged from 150 to 1,200, and that at each conference an average of 20 per cent of the participants indicated their readiness to pioneer.
Messages from each conference were sent to the Universal House of Justice, and replies were received assuring the friends of prayers at the Holy Shrines for their success.
Following the conferences, consultations were held with the friends in smaller groups and specific guidance was provided by the Hands of the Cause and Counsellors present.
The Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muḥammad Varqá addresses the Regional Persian Conference held February 17 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
20th Green Lake gathering set[edit]
“Our Brightest Visions...Our Highest Hopes” is the theme of this year’s Green Lake Bahá’í Conference, scheduled for the weekend of September 12-14 at the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
The theme is taken from the Universal House of Justice’s message of Naw-Rúz 1979 outlining the Seven Year Plan:
“We are the bearers of the Word of God in this day, and however dark the immediate horizons, we must go forward rejoicing in the knowledge that the work we are privileged to perform is God’s work and will bring to birth a world whose splendour will outshine our brightest visions and surpass our highest hopes.”
The conference facilities management has asked that the Bahá’ís be informed that there is a better chance of securing one of the cottages, cabins or luxury homes if reservations are received no later than May 15, 1980.
After that date, these facilities may be rented by the general public, and in recent years the demand for these buildings by the Bahá’ís has been tremendous.
This pertains only to the buildings mentioned, not to private rooms at the Inn or other buildings, nor to dormitory rooms.
Please write for reservations information directly to the American Baptist Assembly, Green Lake, WI 54941.
For conference information, please contact Lori J. Block, Green Lake Conference Planning Committee, 633 Porlier St., Green Bay, WI 54301, or phone 414-432-7110.
Mr. Balyúzí dies[edit]
Continued From Page 1
in London where, until his resignation in 1958, he gained considerable experience in various branches of broadcasting.
Mr. Balyúzí served for many years as chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in October 1957 by the Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.
He is the author of widely acclaimed biographies of the Central Figures of the Faith—the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
His other books include Muhammad and the Course of Islám, The Rising World Commonwealth, and Edward Granville Browne and the Bahá’í Faith.
Mr. Balyúzí’s last book, Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory, was published in March.
CLASSIFIEDS[edit]
CLASSIFIED notices in The American Bahá’í are printed free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. These notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no commercial or personal messages can be accepted for publication.
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APPLICATIONS are being accepted for the following positions at the Bahá’í National Center: Executive Secretaries—Must have superior secretarial skills, type 70-plus wpm, shorthand 100-plus words; proven ability to work with confidential information, ability to work well under pressure and with limited supervision. Clerk-Typists—Must have office experience, type 55-plus wpm accurately; must be neat, organized and efficient. Good grammar, spelling and composition essential. Record-keeping and receptionist experience helpful. Applicants for the above positions are asked to submit specifics of typing and shorthand speeds. Editorial Assistants—Write, rewrite, proofread copy; must type at least 45 wpm. One or two years experience and/or college degree in journalism or a related field. Bahá’í administrative experience a must. Applicants are encouraged to submit samples of their writing. Promotions Assistant—Writes ad copy, monitors media coverage. Minimum of two years experience in advertising, promotion; degree in journalism, advertising, or communications helpful. Office Manager—Must have ability to develop and monitor youth programs, supervise daily office operations. Should have strong communication skills, direct experience with youth, and a Bahá’í teaching background. Managerial experience is essential. Individuals who are interested in applying for any of these positions may do so by contacting the Bahá’í National Center, Office of Personnel Affairs, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or by phoning 312-256-4400, ext. 123.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS needed. The New Era Bahá’í School in Panchgani, India, which operates under the direction of the National Spiritual Assembly of India, is building up its primary school division and is in need of children’s literature for its library and classrooms. Anyone who would like to donate children’s books and/or workbooks may send them in care of Geoffrey and Amy Marks, 1448 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
RACINE, WISCONSIN, needs two adult Bahá’ís to form its Assembly by Riḍván. Racine is in southeastern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan. Milwaukee and Chicago are easily accessible through the adjacent Interstate highway system. Job opportunities are favorable in many local industries; rental apartments are readily available. Racine is only three and one-half miles from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus, and there are other technical schools in the immediate area. Recreational opportunities abound for both summer and winter sports. For more information, please write to Dr. Behzad Samimi, 3715 Waterbury Lane, Racine, WI 53403, or phone 414-554-1041.
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS NEEDED. The Bahá’í Publishing Trust is seeking photographs that show people reading Bahá’í books or pamphlets. If you have or can arrange to get a photo of one or more children, youth, or adults absorbed in reading Bahá’í literature, please send a copy (glossy black and white if possible) to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Dept. S, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. All photos will be acknowledged, but can be returned only upon request.
THE BAHÁ’Í community of Fishkill, New York, needs homefront pioneers to maintain its Assembly. Fishkill, 60 miles from New York City, is the fastest growing community in Dutchess County, and offers many employment opportunities at two IBM facilities, a Texaco research center, and numerous factories, shopping malls, etc. Regular train service is available to and from New York City. There is an excellent school system that includes three area colleges. For information, please contact the Assembly secretary, Hiko Place, Paradise Heights, Fishkill, NY 12524. A Bahá’í family is moving from the area and has a lovely home for sale. Phone 914-896-6561.
POSITION AVAILABLE immediately for English teacher in a Bahá’í-owned language school in the city of David, Panama. David has a year-round tropical climate with access to white beaches and mountain villages. The school has been operating successfully for six years. Requirements: B.A. or B.S. in any subject. We will improve your Spanish and teach you our method of teaching. We offer a good salary (higher than the average Panamanian salary for teachers). Your work day would be about four hours per evening. We can also secure a position for a qualified teacher at a local private high school in the mornings or afternoons to supplement your salary. There is ample time for Bahá’í activities. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
GREEN ACRE Bahá’í 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 Bahá’í School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
PIONEERS ARE urgently needed in Samoa. A director is needed for the Teaching Institute at the Bahá’í National Center in Apia, Western Samoa. The director is responsible for developing the curricula to meet the deepening needs of the Samoan Bahá’í community, and will also organize and train the teaching staff for this facility. An ideal person would be someone who is retired, or a couple who are self-sustaining. A family of two would need an income of at least $500 a month. Another need is for a pioneer couple to settle on the large island of Savaii where the greatest potential for development of the Faith in Samoa exists. The National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa would like to establish a communications center on that island that would serve as a focal point for coordination of Bahá’í activities on Savaii. For more information about these pioneering opportunities, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
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). Midway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, two hours by car from the state capital (Harrisburg). Mainly professional jobs available; small hospital nearby, also an airport. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of State College, P.O. Box 253, State College, PA 16801, or phone 814-234-0601.
NORTHERN MINNESOTA, land of 10,000 lakes and majestic woods, is an excellent location for homefront pioneers. Jeopardized Assemblies, unopened Indian Reservations, and other unopened localities provide a marvelous opportunity for Bahá’í 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.
SPEND THE WEEK of July 4th at the Carolinas Bahá’í School at lovely Lander College in Greenwood, South Carolina. Comfortable facilities—all rooms air-conditioned, swimming pool, special facilities for the handicapped. Teachers of adult classes will be Mrs. Soo Fouts, Dr. Robert Henderson, Dr. Wilma Brady, and Dr. Farhang Holakouee. The theme is “Arise to the Challenge!” The approximate cost for the week (June 29-July 5) is $70 for adults, $51 for children 11-15, and $36 for children under 11. The registrar is Mrs. Celeste E. Hicks, 2107 Arden Drive, Monroe, NC 28110.
CANARY ISLANDS: An opportunity exists for a Spanish-speaking Bahá’í to visit the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, known for their year-round springlike climate. A youth would be especially welcome, as the Bahá’í community presently consists of adults. Room and board will be offered by a Bahá’í family. The young people of the Canary Islands will be home from their studies on other islands, and a youth would have many opportunities to teach the Faith. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
THE WESTERN MARYLAND/District of Columbia Teaching Committee is looking for one Bahá’í to raise Frederick City, Maryland, to Assembly status. Frederick, a 1 1/2-hour drive from Washington, is the home of Hood College and gateway to the beautiful rolling hills of Western Maryland where there are almost no Bahá’ís. Come help this new and enthusiastic Group of eight believers realize its goal of Assembly status. Please contact Mrs. Vi Cook, 404 Lee Place, Frederick, MD 21701, or phone 301-662-7491.
WANTED: A Bahá’í who knows the ins and outs of telephone marketing and is willing to help the Bahá’í communities of Burnsville and Bloomington, Minnesota, with dignified follow-up to a direct mail campaign. This will be a long-term project covering 30 weeks designed to introduce people to the Faith, gain face-to-face contact and enroll new believers. If you are interested and would like to know more about how you can help, contact the Spiritual Assembly of Burnsville, P.O. Box 1103, Burnsville, MN 55337.
PIONEERS desperately needed on Navajo Indian Reservation. If you can’t leave the U.S. but would like to pioneer among people of another culture who are highly spiritual, then come to Navajo-land. Housing is available with most jobs. Needed are doctors, nurses, dentists, a speech therapist, special education teachers, teachers for public schools, college, and employees at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Also, students who wish to pioneer while attending college (first two years) can apply. For more information, please send a large stamped, self-addressed envelope to Jan Herbst, P.O. Box 701, Ganado, AZ 86505.
PHYSICIANS are needed in two unopened counties in Nevada—Nye and Esmeralda—neither of which has a doctor or dentist at this time. This is a wonderful opportunity for homefront pioneering. For more details phone the Southern Nevada District Teaching Committee, 702-458-5152.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado, in an area famed for its skiing, has eight adult believers and needs at least one more to save its Assembly. Glenwood Springs is between Aspen and Vail, two of the very best ski areas in Colorado. There is plenty of work available for unskilled laborers—maids, waitresses, etc.—but not much for professional people. Other opportunities for employment exist in mining and construction, and a planned highway through Glenwood Canyon will provide work for highway engineers. For more information please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Glenwood Springs, 1329 Pitkin, Apt. 24, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 (phone 303-945-9297), or write to Kevin McCord, P.O. Box 12, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 (phone 303-945-9204).
DESPERATE NEED for a pioneer in Venda, a tiny new country in the northern area of South Africa that was recently granted its independence by the South African government. Venda has a predominantly black population with about 300 whites living there. There is no racial separation. The country is mountainous, the climate warm, and the land fertile. Business is almost exclusively in agriculture. Anyone with ability in that direction would be welcomed, as would someone who knows forestry. The people are quite friendly, and very religious. There is only one doctor, in the capital city of Sibasa. Nurses also are needed, and school teachers to a lesser degree. If you’d like to learn more about Venda, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
ACTIVE, WELL-KNOWN five-year-old Bahá’í Club at a beautiful small university desperately needs new members. Rice University in Houston, Texas, is famous for engineering, pre-med, music, business, religious studies, and architecture. Admission standards are high and academic pressures heavy, but a strong community spirit exists. The name “Bahá’í” is known across campus, and activities are well received—plus, members of the Houston Bahá’í community will support activities there. For more information, please write to Melanie Ehni, c/o Houston Bahá’í Center, 2121 Oakdale, Houston, TX 77004.
TRAVEL THIS SUMMER to Ireland and join the teaching activities in a land of rare natural beauty with lakes and rolling emerald-green hills, then finish your teaching trip by participating in the Irish Bahá’í Summer School in Waterford. The school will be held from August 10-24 at the Newtown School. For further details, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
WHICH PAMPHLETS work best for you? Do you use Bahá’í pamphlets to teach the Faith? If so, which ones do you find most effective? The Bahá’í Publishing Trust would like to hear how you have used a pamphlet successfully in teaching. Share your experience in a letter to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust (Attention: Mr. Steve Wilder), 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, a city of 40,000 in the southeastern part of the state, needs homefront pioneers to save its Assembly. Varied employment opportunities are available, and housing in this part of the country is still rather reasonable. For further information, write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Norwich, 2 Twins Court, Norwich, CT 06360.
GREEN ACRE Bahá’í 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 résumé of experience with children/youth to Sally Eiler, Green Acre Bahá’í School, Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
COME TO WASHINGTON, Illinois, and help save an Assembly. Washington, 15 miles from Peoria, has good schools, parks, and recreational facilities. It is near the Caterpillar Tractor Company. For more information, please contact the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Washington, P.O. Box 464, Washington, IL 61571.
GREELEY, COLORADO, a city of 50,000 in the eastern area of the state, has six adult Bahá’ís and needs three more by Riḍván to save its Assembly. Greeley, only an hour’s drive from Denver or the mountains, is the home of the University of Northern
The Bahá’í Group of Otoe County, Nebraska, sponsored a “free coffee stop” for motorists during the 78-hour Labor Day weekend at the Nebraska State Wayside Area near the village of Unadilla. Orange drinks and ice water also were offered. The Group received help from the Crete, Lincoln and Hickman Bahá’í communities in the effort to share the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and serve traveling motorists. A display board of Quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, a literature rack and ‘guest register’ were used with good results. Many people inquired about the Faith, and two interest cards were taken.
[Page 17]
PUBLICATIONS
Publishing Trust plans to release new books[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust is planning to release a number of new books and pamphlets, revised editions and reprints late this month in time for the Bahá’í National Convention.
The publications include, among others, one by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, three by Shoghi Effendi, an introduction to the Faith, and a new series of books for children.
Foremost among the new books is a revised edition of A Traveler’s Narrative by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
FIRST PUBLISHED in 1891, this is the Master’s fascinating account of the rise of the Bábí Faith and of events in the lives of the Báb’s followers, including Bahá’u’lláh. Many Bahá’ís have never read A Traveler’s Narrative, as it has been out of print for years.
Another revised edition due this month is The Promised Day Is Come.
Although it was written a generation ago in the midst of a world war, the book is relevant to our own concerns and fears in a world that lives in constant danger of nuclear holocaust.
In eloquent and forceful terms, the Guardian explains that the reason for the present worldwide moral and social chaos is man’s rejection of Bahá’u’lláh.
Two collections of the Guardian’s messages are being reprinted with new cover designs.
In The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Shoghi Effendi describes boldly and clearly the causes that have brought humanity to its present plight and presents Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings.
In Citadel of Faith: Messages to America, 1947-1957, the Guardian describes for American Bahá’ís their world mission and reminds them of the responsibilities outlined for them in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets of the Divine Plan.
A new compilation of Bahá’í writings—Consultation: A Compilation—will be available at the National Convention. (A limited number of copies of this compilation were distributed to Local Spiritual Assemblies last May.)
Prepared by the Universal House of Justice, the new booklet is intended to guide the friends in their personal lives as well as in their Bahá’í administrative activities.
The Seven Year Plan will be published in convenient booklet form. The booklet consists of the Universal House of Justice’s Naw-Rúz 1979 messages to the world and to the U.S., and guidelines adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly for the first phase of the Plan.
Two new pamphlets on the theme of world order, both prepared by the Bahá’í International Community, will be published in April.
Building a Unified Community teaches the Faith indirectly by citing principles that, when carried out, will have a unifying influence on society.
One World, One People—A Bahá’í View approaches the issue of unity more directly through the use of a number of quotations from the Bahá’í Writings.
Both pamphlets conclude with brief statements on the role of the Bahá’í International Community at the United Nations.
A special surprise is in store for children ages three to seven this spring. Deborah Christensen, mother of two young boys, has written a series of children’s books—Sunflower Books for Young Children.
The four Sunflower Books, titled My Bahá’í Book, My Favorite Prayers and Passages, Our Bahá’í Holy Places, and God and Me, offer basic information, give children a good feeling about the Faith, and provide simple activities—coloring, drawing, matching, pasting—that can be shared by parents and young children.
Another welcome surprise this spring will be Come and Sing, a stereo LP with 16 new songs the whole family will enjoy.
The album features delightful songs on Bahá’í virtues such as patience, truthfulness, and courtesy, as well as several Bahá’í prayers.
Details on all of the new books and materials will be announced to all Bahá’í librarians and published in next month’s The American Bahá’í.
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New!
Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Want to learn more about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the early Bahá’ís? Read Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the warm, personal story of the early days of the Bahá’í Faith in California. Memories shows how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit, His words, and His Tablets galvanized the early believers into action. By Ramona Brown (1899-1975). An excellent gift for Bahá’ís and seekers interested in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 122 pp., index, 29 photographs. Catalog no. 7-32-10 $9.95 |
More copies of ‘Tokens’ ready
To meet popular demand, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust is making available additional copies of the cloth edition of Tokens from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
This edition, elegantly bound in deep gold and ivory natural linen, has been widely used by Bahá’ís as a gift ever since it was published in 1973.
Tokens features selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, photos, and drawings that emphasize the beauty and mystery of the physical world and its underlying spiritual significance.
The quotations were selected by Jay and Constance Conrader, who also illustrated the book with drawings and 33 photographs, 10 in color. (Catalog No. 7-03-18. $15)
New children’s books feature stories about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá[edit]
Looking for Bahá’í reading material for your young children or grandchildren?
You may be interested in The Proud Helper or The Unfriendly Governor, two recently published books about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land.
They are the latest in a series of children’s paperbacks about the Master published by Kalimat Press and distributed by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The Proud Helper ($2.50 NET, 24 pp., Catalog No. 7-52-72) tells of the efforts of a young American Bahá’í pilgrim to help ‘Abdu’l-Bahá serve the poor in ‘Akká. The story is adapted from Howard Colby Ives’ book, Portals to Freedom.
The Unfriendly Governor ($2.50 NET, 24 pp., Catalog No. 7-52-73) relates the dramatic story of a plot against the Bahá’ís by an unfriendly official in ‘Akká and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s surprising response. The incident is described in Lady Blomfield’s The Chosen Highway.
Both books illustrate such Bahá’í values as love, service, courage, integrity, and obedience. They include notes for parents and suggestions for classroom use.
All the books in this series, which includes The Cornerstone ($2.50 NET, Catalog No. 7-52-71) and The Black Rose ($2.50 NET, Catalog No. 7-52-70), were adapted for children by Anthony A. Lee and are illustrated by Rex John Irvine.
These four stories about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are available from local Bahá’í librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. On orders under $5, please add 75 cents to cover postage and handling.
3-page article on Faith appears in California church’s booklet[edit]
The November 1979 issue of Reflections on Life, described as “The Written Ministry of the Church of Reflection Inc.,” in Palo Cedro, California, includes an accurate and well written three-page article on the Faith entitled “Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet of World Unity.”
In a brief introduction to the article, its author says:
“The Bahá’í religion is a faith well suited to the spiritual and cultural needs of the Space Age. Its Persian founder, Bahá’u’lláh, encouraged tolerance of different cultures, respect for various traditions, and the adoption of a universal language.”
The article goes on to discuss various Bahá’í beliefs and laws, closing with these words:
“In fine, the Bahá’í creed is designed to benefit everyone and offend none. Its essential philosophy is one that we can all identify with: unity through diversity, and equality without regard to age, race, sex, or background.
“Bahá’ís are right at home in the Space Age, as they advocate a balance between religious faith and scientific investigation. One of their most commendable goals is the adoption of a universal language, which would indeed be a strong link between all the varied cultures on our planet.”
[Page 18]
COMMUNITY LIFE
Idea exchange
Austin sets family events; Iowans get ‘a round tuit’[edit]
A series of family events is being held in Austin, Texas, as a part of the community’s endeavor to nurture a deeper understanding of Bahá’í family life. The series includes a bird-watching walk, a moonwatch, a hike, a nature program, and a pet program, “Meet the Animals.”
•
Are you “getting a round tuit”? The Bahá’ís of Davenport, Iowa, are. Every time a member of the community has a fireside, he or she places a round “tuit” in the “tuit box.” The “tuit coordinator” then counts the number of “tuits” and is able to determine the percentage of community participation to record on the Individual Fireside Chart provided by the National Teaching Committee.
•
The Bahá’ís of Montrose, Colorado, have initiated an effort to provide bicycles for the use of a refugee family from Southeast Asia who recently arrived there. This has given the family transportation to and from work and school.
•
A recent visitor to the Bahá’í community of Wausau, Wisconsin, comments on the strong sense of community life being fostered:
“The most noticeable thing about this community is the very evident love and affection they have not only for each other but also for strangers ... Despite their busy individual schedules, they take time to have a lot of fun together—such as dinners and weekly volleyball matches. These are also open to the isolated believers in the area.”
•
Durham, North Carolina, has adopted a “sister” community, Rowland, North Carolina, and has begun a program of visits and the exchange of photographs of community and Assembly members so that everyone can become better acquainted.
•
The Makah Reservation in Washington State is having successful youth and children’s classes. The youth are studying consultation and Bahá’í laws and are planning a fund-raising event. The children memorize prayers, the Hidden Words, and study stories of the early days of the Faith.
•
Greeley, Colorado, has planned an extensive teaching program to lift itself out of its present jeopardized situation: a booth at the University, direct teaching efforts, special invitations to interested seekers and friends, and regular Assembly consultation on the matter until full membership is restored are among the measures being employed.
In Western North Carolina, there are two Assemblies, Asheville and Buncombe County, the media for both of which are located in Asheville.
Last spring the two Assemblies met together to discuss their mutual concerns and the feasibility of holding joint children’s classes and formulating a coordinated approach to the media. In the fall the Assemblies met again and appointed joint committees for children’s classes, a newsletter, Holy Days, and proclamations.
The Assemblies rotate sponsorship of the committees at six-month intervals, and have drawn upon Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies for guidance on how the committees should function.
•
Have an idea that has worked well in your community? Send it to the Idea Exchange in care of the Department of Community Administration, Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Members of the National Teaching Committee meet with members of the seven District Teaching Committees in California to discuss teaching work in that state. The meeting was held February 23 in Fresno.
Teaching Committee confers with committees in California[edit]
On Saturday, February 23, the National Teaching Committee met in Fresno with the seven District Teaching Committees in California to discuss the progress of the teaching work in that state.
Twenty-nine of the 37 District Teaching Committee members attended.
The committees reported on the status of their goals and on things they have done that have been successful.
TEACHING STRATEGIES were discussed, as was the over-all direction to be taken during the remainder of the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.
One major concern was how to energize the individual believer; another was doubling the number of believers in the state by Riḍván 1981, one of the goals of the two-year phase set for California, New York and Illinois by the Universal House of Justice.
The National Teaching Committee urged the committees to initiate a seven-week plan, to end at Riḍván 1980, in which all energies would be directed toward stimulating teaching and pursuing the goal of doubling the number of believers.
The participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to consult with the National Teaching Committee.
“We were pleased with the visit,” said John Conkling, secretary of the National Teaching Committee. “We’re confident that the friends in California will respond with characteristic zeal and determination to the challenge set for them by the Universal House of Justice.”
New Publishing Trust manager plans to speed up development[edit]
As the new general manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Ed Ryland plans to speed up its development and make it more responsive to the needs of the Bahá’í community.
Mr. Ryland, who was appointed to the position by the National Spiritual Assembly, began work at the Trust last December 1.
“It’s time for a new beginning at the Publishing Trust,” he said in a recent interview. “We are going to work hard—very hard—to become the kind of publishing house that best serves the community. We are going to expand.”
TO HELP BRING about the necessary improvements, Mr. Ryland plans to hire more people in several key departments.
Among the areas receiving special attention are the marketing and promotion departments. Their primary responsibilities include finding out what materials the Bahá’í community wants and needs, and publicizing the available items as widely as possible.
The Publishing Trust has ambitious plans to increase the number of new items.
“We need quality materials from authors, artists, photographers, musicians, jewelers, and craftsmen,” said Mr. Ryland. “We are trying to establish an aggressive acquisitions program and to respond more quickly than in the past to the works submitted by writers and artists.
“We are going to be known for the good service we deliver,” he continued. “In 1979, the switch to United Parcel Service dramatically speeded up the handling and delivery of orders. In 1980 we hope to improve service in other ways.”
ED RYLAND
‘Time for a New Beginning’
MORE WILL BE DONE to train librarians, to help them play a more active role in their communities.
“The local Bahá’í librarian is our representative in the field,” said the new general manager, “as well as our No. 1 customer. We plan to do more to develop and educate librarians to give them the tools they need to excel at that job.
“The foundation of all these improvements,” said Mr. Ryland, “is to have the Publishing Trust operate on a sound financial basis.
“The outcome of these changes should be a stronger, more responsive Publishing Trust.
“Soon we’ll be able to use the Publishing Trust to spread the Bahá’í name outside the Bahá’í market. We have a great deal of work to do, but with the support of the friends and the expertise of our staff, we will achieve our goals.”
The Bahá’í Youth Workshop was featured Sunday, February 24, on the KNBC (Los Angeles) television program, ‘Odyssey.’ Although the 35-member performing group could not be assembled for the program, representatives Oscar DeGruy and Michelle Sandusky spoke about the Faith and the Workshop while photos of the Workshop members performing were shown to an estimated 10,000 viewers. Representatives of two other faiths also were on the show, which began and ended with pictures of the workshop, concluding with the song, ‘One Planet, One People ... Please,’ sung by Seals and Crofts. Members of the Workshop are shown here during last summer’s highly successful cross country tour.
[Page 19]
PERSIAN PAGE
- PERSIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
- 112 Linden Ave.
- Wilmette, IL. 60091
- (312)256-4400
Conifer Hill schedules three summer sessions[edit]
The Conifer Hill Bahá’í School in Colorado will host three sessions this summer: a work/study camp (June 28-July 2), a family camp (July 3-9), and a children’s activity weekend (August 1-3).
The work/study camp will concentrate equally on improving the grounds and facilities and deepening in the Bahá’í Writings.
Cecil Cook, who designed and provided technology for the solar water heater at the Louis Gregory Institute, will be at the camp to help build a solar hot water system with the campers.
THE FAMILY CAMP program will be especially exciting this year, utilizing a unique approach with families working together and making the Writings a part of their daily lives.
The sessions will include one separate adult and children’s class on an identical theme, as well as two family workshops.
Naturecraft projects have been designed for complete family participation. Single Bahá’ís are welcome, and will enjoy the workshops in small “family” groups.
The children’s activity weekend is the first ever planned at Conifer Hill. Children ages 8 through 12 are invited as campers. Junior counselors will be chosen from 13- through 18-year-old Bahá’í youth. Counselors will be Bahá’ís 19 years old or older.
Conifer Hill is a fairly isolated Bahá’í school about 8,000 feet high in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Sloping meadows abound with wild flowers and aspen trees; pine-covered mountains surround the camp.
FACILITIES ARE primitive, with unheated dorms and latrines, but with hot water for showers and cooking.
Handicapped friends are welcome, and will receive assistance if needed. Families are urged to bring their own tents and camping equipment. There is limited dormitory space that is given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
Campers can either bring their own food and cook on portable stoves or an outdoor fireplace, or they can eat food prepared in the central kitchen. The food is nutritious and delicious, with plenty available to satisfy high altitude appetites.
The school committee is accepting applications for individuals interested in cooking for the work/study and family camps. A sound knowledge of “natural” foods and the ability to cook traditional American meals for large numbers of people are essential.
For information about the camp and staff positions, please write to Mrs. Marilyn Fisher, 437 Pine, Boulder, CO 80302.
Classifieds[edit]
Continued From Page 16
Colorado and Aims Community College. Those who are interested in homefront pioneering in colorful Colorado are encouraged to write to the Spiritual Assembly of Greeley, P.O. Box 396, Greeley, CO 80631, or to phone Mavis Lilywhite at 303-330-3732.
WANTED: A dedicated Bahá’í to help an isolated believer form a Group in Sterling, Colorado, home of Northeastern Junior College. A meat plant and other small industries offer job possibilities. There is a good vocational school and general academic courses are available at Northeastern. All this plus clean air! For details, contact Rose Jean Harris, 119 Landrum Lane, Sterling, CO 80751, or phone 303-522-0927.
BEAUTIFUL OCEAN CITY, Maryland calls you to homefront pioneer this summer. Teach by the sea, live and work in Ocean City and raise new believers in Salisbury, Maryland, and Ocean City. Transportation is needed. For more details please contact George or Sylvia Stroop (301-742-7739), or Bob or Fredi Stewart (301-524-2579).
SUMMER OPPORTUNITY in India. An outdoor leadership program for youth and a village project and leadership program are being established at the New Era High School in Panchgani. The following personnel are needed: 1. A full-time program coordinator. Must be a mature Bahá’í with experience as a program director. 2. Head counselors. Must be mature Bahá’ís with leadership qualities and appropriate technological experience. The outdoor leadership program, in one or two four-week sessions in July and August for youth from 10-14 years old, consists of developing skills in community living and communication, recreation and survival living, an appreciation for and understanding of the balance of nature, and acquisition of technical skills for use in a rural setting. The village leadership program, for 6-8 weeks in July and August for youth ages 15 and older, will teach the youth the skills listed in the outdoor leadership program and also will include building a village Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and teaching Bahá’í children’s classes. For further information please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
YES, VIRGINIA, there is a Delaware... and its capital, Dover, is one of the few state capitals with no Spiritual Assembly. If you are willing to relocate, Dover needs you as a homefront pioneer. The DelMarVa District Teaching Committee is launching a long-term teaching project in Dover, inspired by a visit by the late Hand of the Cause of God, Dr. Muhájir, to reach 100 families by Riḍván 1980. We need you. If you can relocate or spend time teaching in Dover, please call Sandi Todd, the District Teaching Committee secretary, at 302-656-5002 after 5 p.m. (eastern time.)
Forty-five people, including 35 non-Bahá’ís, attended a World Religion Day observance January 20 at the YWCA art gallery in South Bend, Indiana. The event was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South Bend. Participants included (left to right) Father Frank Podgorski, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame; Deborah Dwyer of the South Bend Bahá’í community; Abdul Wallee Suluki of the World Community of Al-Islám, Imam of the Masjid Muhammad in South Bend; Rabbi Irwin Schwartz, principal of the South Bend Hebrew Day School; and the Rev. Lester Bill, associate pastor of Grace United Methodist Church. Members of the Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Bahá’í faiths each read from their respective scriptures passages concerning the oneness of God and of religion.
Treasurer’s Office distributes Assembly-Group finance report[edit]
The Office of the Treasurer recently distributed the “Local Spiritual Assembly/Bahá’í Group Financial Report to the National Spiritual Assembly.”
Accompanying the report form is a “Budget Worksheet” for use by Assemblies and Groups in determining their budgets for the coming Bahá’í year.
THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly is encouraging all Assemblies and Bahá’í Groups to consult on their community’s plans for the coming year and to ensure that goals are established for local teaching, administrative, and educational activities.
In addition, the National Spiritual Assembly considers it of the utmost importance that community contributions goals be established in support of the National, Continental and International Funds.
Such goals are considered as the community’s collective contribution and are separate from contributions to these Funds by individual believers.
Assemblies and Groups are encouraged to formulate their budgets for the new fiscal year before Riḍván to be submitted to the incoming Assembly or Group officers for approval.
An approved copy of the financial report should be sent to the Office of the Treasurer by June 15, 1980.
Assemblies[edit]
Continued From Page 12
often overwhelmed. This is especially true in smaller Bahá’í communities.
Far too often, Assemblies give a task to a few people who really don’t have the skills to deal effectively with it.
If the Assembly asks the Community Life committee to plan the entire social calendar for the coming year, it may frighten some committee members into resigning.
Assemblies should parcel out tasks to community members in such a way that the friends can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
While the Community Life committee may not feel capable of planning the whole year’s program, if asked to plan a potluck dinner or other special event, it will likely take on that task with enthusiasm.
In other words, Assemblies should consider asking their committees and task forces for help in such a way that the friends can see a beginning and an end to it.
Too often, committees become frustrated because there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Members feel they are drowning in a sea of never-ending planning sessions.
A word about task forces: Smaller Bahá’í communities, and even moderately sized ones, might consider using task forces rather than standing committees.
A task force is a number of individuals asked by the Assembly to accomplish one specific task, whereas a standing committee functions throughout the year.
If a task force successfully accomplishes one task, its members will feel a sense of victory and closure—and that is one good feeling!
Assemblies must take care not to “burn out” committee members. And when a committee or task force handles an assignment well, the Assembly must find ways to say “thank you” for a job well done.
4. Committees often lack the skills needed to consult, administrate and carry out tasks. This is often a key factor in the failure of committees and task forces to function adequately.
The Assembly can be of enormous help to its committees by holding occasional committee training workshops, wherein the Assembly actually trains committee members in consultation, record keeping, planning activities, and reporting procedures.
A committee workshop offers an opportunity for the Assembly to meet with the members of its committees and discuss community goals and objectives. Thus, each committee can see how its tasks relate to what other committees in the community are doing.
In our final article, we’ll tackle some odds and ends that relate to the consultative process, the commitment of Assembly members to serve, and ways of getting the Assembly to fire on all nine cylinders.
Bahá’ís from the greater Wilmington, Delaware, area provided information about the Faith and refreshments to passersby last October during Wilmington’s annual Willingtown Days—an event that draws thousands to Wilmington’s Market Street Mall. Many people stopped to read the ‘Love That Child’ posters—newspaper ads blown up to poster size. Shown here (left to right) are Bahá’ís Arasteh Draper and Donalee Blaine.
National Assembly restates 7 Year Plan strategy[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly used the occasion of the Feast of Mulk (Dominion) in February to re-emphasize its strategy for winning the goals of the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.
In lieu of its usual Feast letter to U.S. Bahá’í communities, the National Spiritual Assembly sent a tape recording to every Local Spiritual Assembly and Bahá’í Group of five or more adults.
The cassette tape included messages from Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, and the secretary of the National Assembly, Glenford E. Mitchell.
DR. KAZEMZADEH began by reviewing the present crisis in Iran and its impact on the Bahá’í world community.
“Every day,” he said, “the newspapers, the radio and television bring us evidences of a worsening situation throughout the world.
“As Bahá’ís, we cannot separate ourselves from the life of humanity ...
“The world situation has been deteriorating quite rapidly. There is an economic crisis sweeping the world. ...It is one more evidence of the triumph of materialism in modern civilization.
“And then there is the political crisis, which manifests itself most violently these days in central Asia. ...In fact, central Asia has become the cockpit of another worldwide conflict.
“Of course, for us Bahá’ís, the crisis in Iran is something with which we are most directly involved.
“THE TURMOIL and anarchy which have occurred in that nation threaten all minorities, but most of all the Bahá’í community of Iran.
“Systematic attacks have occurred on the Bahá’í community and on the Bahá’í institutions. ...
“All of this has led to a temporary neutralization of the Iranian Bahá’í community. Our brothers and sisters in Iran are not capable, and will not be capable for the next several years, to participate in the great enterprise of building the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
“Here in the United States, we are capable of only one reaction to the difficulties of the Persian Bahá’í community, and that reaction is to rally and to carry on the banner by ourselves.”
Mr. Mitchell then reiterated the National Spiritual Assembly’s strategy for moving the country forward and winning the goals of the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan, emphasizing the importance of the individual in carrying out its programs:
“THE TASK,” said Mr. Mitchell, “ ...is that of multiplying the number of believers, increasing the efficiency of Bahá’í institutions, their capacity to deal with increasing numbers of people, and, generally, to bring about a state of order where there is disorder.
“But the idea here is not to be frenzied in our response, not to try to keep up with the pace of the disorder, but to do exactly the opposite—to introduce an orderly approach to the solution, which, of course, we know is the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
“Where do we begin with this? With the individual.
“One individual who believes in Bahá’u’lláh attracts another individual to the Cause. And here is where I would like to emphasize the National Assembly’s message.
“A few months ago the National Assembly, in response to the call of the Seven Year Plan, consulted on how it might best advise the friends to deal with the plan—to meet the goals.
“ ...IT CAME UP with a formula which is not new, and which should not surprise anyone, but which in its simplicity, really, might be overlooked.
“What is the formula? That wherever a believer exists, whether he exists in a locality where there is no other believer, or in a Group, or in an established community, wherever that person exists he must endeavor to bring in at least one new believer to the Faith in one year.
“This was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instruction and advice to us. So we begin from here in meeting the goals of the Seven Year Plan....
“If you are an isolated believer, the goal for your area is to bring in four more, making the number five, by the end of the Plan.
“If you find yourself in a Group of five or more, the goal of your Group is to increase the number of members to nine so that a Local Spiritual Assembly can be established.
“ONCE THAT Assembly is established, the goal then of the nine members should be to preserve the Assembly through deepening in the Teachings, through learning the methods of Bahá’í administration and practicing the principles and procedures of the administration.
“That’s one thing—preserving itself. The other is to expand the number of believers to 15. So you go from one to five, from five to nine; an Assembly comes into existence; then that Assembly has two tasks—to preserve itself, and to increase the number of the friends in that community to 15.
“Of course, increasing the number to 15 also is a method of preserving the Assembly.
“Once the community attains the number of 15, then it can adopt an extension goal; in other words, it can open a new locality to the Faith, and to develop that community through the same method: one to five, five to nine, and so on.
“And then ...after 15 has been attained, a third goal becomes important, which would be to increase the number of believers to 30 or more.
“SO THE FORMULA, quite simply, requires each individual to teach, so that the expansion can be orderly and can be measured by Bahá’í institutions in order to answer the requirements of the Seven Year Plan....
“We could win the Plan ahead of time,” Mr. Mitchell concluded, “if everyone internalized and practiced this systematic and orderly method of teaching.”
He also stressed the importance of contributing generously to the various Funds, “because, as you know, spiritual progress comes through material means, and so of course we know that we have to ensure that the House of Justice will have its legislative Seat completely constructed in a short time, and that the two Temples that are to be constructed in Samoa and India will go up and be ready by the appointed time, and that where we have need for local Centers and such other building projects, these will also be accomplished through the liberal outpouring of funds from the believers.”
It is up to us, in the Cradle of the Administrative Order, said Mr. Mitchell, “to demonstrate conclusively to a skeptical world that no enemy, no person on earth has the power to put out the light which Bahá’u’lláh has already brought to this world, and to demonstrate further that those of us who have caught a glimpse of it will not rest until it has spread, in all of its wonderful radiance, throughout the planet.”
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Manna, California, was formed last October 6. Its members include (back row left to right) Huron Robinson, Lane Calvert (chairman), Roy Auerbach (vice-chairman), Brenda Calvert (recording secretary), and (front row left to right) Toni Vaira (corresponding secretary), Willie Mae Robinson, Ken Allen (treasurer), Irene Allen (librarian). Not shown is Assembly member Veldamor Davis.
UN observes 35th anniversary[edit]
1980 marks the 35th anniversary of the United Nations.
Since the UN was formed shortly after the Second World War, the American Bahá’í community has distinguished itself in bringing to the public a heightened awareness of the world’s problems through its support of the goals of the UN: world peace, universal human rights, and the full social and economic development of the peoples of the world.
THE BAHÁ’Í International Community urges the friends to make efforts to learn about the global issues addressed by the UN and the Bahá’í solutions to these ever-increasing concerns.
The UN calendar of special days, events and years provides many opportunities to reach out to the non-Bahá’í community with special teaching and proclamation events.
The following special materials available through the Bahá’í Publishing Trust address these problems specifically:
Human Rights: A Bahá’í Declaration of Human Obligations and Rights; Divine Law: Source of Human Rights; Human Rights Are God-Given Rights.
Status of Women: Equality of Men and Women—A New Reality; Women: Attaining Their Birthright.
Status of Children: Love That Child.
The Environment: The Environment and Human Values—A Bahá’í View.
World Peace and Unity: The Bahá’í Peace Program; Bahá’u’lláh—His Call to the Nations; One God, One Truth, One People.
Racial Discrimination: Man—One Family; Race—What Is It?
Statements made by the Bahá’í International Community to the UN are available from the U.S./UN Office and may be duplicated for hand-outs.
The subjects of these statements include world food, the environment, racial discrimination, the status of women, disarmament, science and technology, and drugs and alcohol.
UN-related events can be celebrated in a variety of ways: women’s conferences, children’s and youth conferences and seminars, public meetings, panel discussions, luncheons, dinners, human rights awards, or awards for service to children, minorities, the disabled (1981) or the elderly (1982).
Film festivals can be arranged using UN or UNICEF films.
Such community-oriented programs sponsored by the local Bahá’í community or co-sponsored with other organizations in the spirit of service to our neighbors can be a memorable and joyous demonstration of our Faith in action.
For special packets of sample Bahá’í and UN materials to aid in planning such events, please write (including $2 to cover postage) to Nancy Mondschein, representative, U.S. National Bahá’í Community, 866 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.
1980 Calendar of UN Days and Events
- June 5: World Environment Day
- July 14-30: World Conference on the UN Decade for Women, Copenhagen, Denmark. Theme: “Equality, Development and Peace”
- October 1: Universal Children’s Day. Theme for 1980: “Children of the ’80s”
- October 24: United Nations Day; 35th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations
- December 10: Human Rights Day
Special International Years
- 1980—35th anniversary of the United Nations (commemorated on October 24)
- 1981—International Year of the Disabled
- 1982—International Year of the Elderly
IYC proclaimed in North Carolina[edit]
As a part of their observance of the International Year of the Child, the Bahá’ís of Greensboro and Guilford County, North Carolina, showed United Nations films in local schools, sponsored a booth at a shopping mall, and presented awards to two persons active in the field of children’s service.
The UN films, with a “children around the world” theme, were shown at two schools last October to coincide with Universal Children’s Day.
The display booth, at the Four Seasons Mall in Greensboro last November 17, featured posters and other materials. The friends gave away “Love That Child” pamphlets, bumper stickers and window decals.
The Bahá’í award for service to children was a framed certificate presented to the two recipients on December 20 by Mayor Jim Melvin of Greensboro.
The local newspaper carried a brief article about the presentation.
[Page 22]
The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Orcas Island, Washington, held its Recognition Ceremony last June 16. Members of the Assembly are (left to right) Lester E. Geer (treasurer), Ruth Geer, T.S Applegate, Marion Williams, Henry Horton, John Goodrich, Kathleen Goodrich (secretary), William J. Conway (vice-chairman), Florence Conway (chairman). Orcas Island lies off the west coast of Washington, one and one-half hours by boat from the mainland.
Trust offering book on Islám[edit]
What do you know about Islám and its effects on Western civilization? If you are like many Bahá’ís, you know more than most Americans but much less than you would like to know.
To help the Bahá’í community learn more about this fascinating subject, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust is now distributing Dr. Stanwood Cobb’s book, Islamic Contributions to Civilization ($4, paper, 84 pp., Catalog No. 7-39-07).
This brief book sums up the achievements of Islamic culture in a way that the western reader can easily understand.
IN HIS BOOK Dr. Cobb shows how Mamun, a gifted Caliph, absorbed Greek, Persian, and Hindu learning to found the world’s first university, in Baghdad.
He describes how Cairo, Fez, Cordova, and other Muslim centers of culture followed the example of Baghdad, and how these cities fostered remarkable developments in medicine, chemistry, mathematics, geography, navigation, and agriculture.
The author goes on to describe how these sciences were passed on to Europe during the Middle Ages through contacts in Spain and Sicily and through translations of Arabic texts into Latin.
This rediscovery of Greek learning, via the Arabs, eventually stirred Europe to begin the age of science, which culminated in the machine age.
Islamic Contributions to Civilization can help Bahá’ís deepen on Islám and teach the Bahá’í Faith more effectively.
SHOGHI EFFENDI several times stressed the importance for Bahá’ís of the study of Islám, “the source and background of their Faith.”
Although this book does not delve into the teachings or laws of Islám, it does an effective job of showing how the religion of Muhammad contributed to the development of civilization.
Dr. Cobb is widely known among Bahá’ís as the author of many books on spiritual subjects.
The Publishing Trust carries two other publications by Dr. Cobb: Tomorrow and Tomorrow, an introduction to the Faith (65 cents, 82 pp., paper, Catalog No. 7-31-35), and The Destiny of America, an analysis of statements made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concerning the future of America (10/$1.60, 22 pp., Catalog No. 7-40-18).
Islamic Contributions to Civilization and the other items mentioned here can be ordered from your Bahá’í librarian or directly from the Publishing Trust.
Send check or money order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. On orders under $5, please add 75 cents for postage and handling.
MABEL SNEIDER
Long-time Pioneer Dies
Long-time pioneer Mabel Sneider dies[edit]
Mabel Sneider of Huntsville, Texas, who had pioneered for more than 15 years in the Gilbert Islands, helping to form its National Spiritual Assembly, and twice served as a delegate to elect the Universal House of Justice, died last December at the age of 79.
Miss Sneider became a Bahá’í in 1946 in Panama where she was employed as a nurse. While there, she helped to choose and purchase the original land for the Panama House of Worship (which was later exchanged for the present Temple site).
In 1958, after retiring from her position in Panama, she pioneered to Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.
During her 15 years in the Gilberts Miss Sneider helped purchase land for the National Bahá’í Center and in 1967 became a member of its first National Spiritual Assembly.
She came to Huntsville in 1975. One of her last wishes was to see the reformation of its Spiritual Assembly.
Her wish was fulfilled when, in 1978, the Huntsville Assembly was re-formed with Miss Sneider as chairman.
U.S. pioneer, Board member Helen Wilks dies in S. Africa[edit]
“GRIEVED NEWS PASSING MUCH LOVED DEVOTED SERVANT FAITH HELEN WILKS STOP HER LONG YEARS OUTSTANDING WORK TEACHING FIELD BAHÁ’Í EDUCATION CHILDREN IN HER NATIVE LAND AND HER HIGHLY EFFECTIVE SERVICES AS PIONEER AND BOARD MEMBER AFRICA UNFORGETTABLE STOP SUPREME BODY AND TEACHING CENTRE ASSURE ARDENT PRAYERS SHRINES HER RADIANT SOUL.
•
Mrs. Helen Wilks, an American pioneer who was an Auxiliary Board member in Southern Africa for the past 14 years, died January 3 after suffering a massive heart attack.
She served on the Auxiliary Board for the Southern African countries of Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
PRIOR TO HER arrival in Africa in 1964, Mrs. Wilks had been a homefront pioneer for nearly 20 years in a number of communities in the Seattle, Washington, area.
The Continental Board of Counsellors in Southern Africa described her as “an indefatigable teacher of the Faith” and “a stubborn promoter of children’s education.”
Her services in the field of teaching children, the Counsellors wrote, “endeared her to thousands of children and their parents throughout many parts of the U.S. and all over the southern African zone.”
In expressing the loss of her outstanding services, the Board of Counsellors wrote that it was “comforted by the fact that dear Helen took her flight to the Abhá Kingdom the way she always wished—dying in the service of God, or, in other words, with her boots on, as the last day of her life was busy with visits to 11 communities and attending a local Bahá’í Women’s Club.”
[edit]
An article about the Bahá’í pilgrimage of John Nesbit, a teacher on the Navajo Indian Reservation at Tuba City, Arizona, appeared in the December 1979 issue of Warrior News, the Tuba City high school newspaper.
Mr. Nesbit reports that it marks the first time the Faith has been mentioned in the Tuba City school paper, and perhaps the first time in any high school publication on the Navajo Reservation.
He says the article has resulted in two firesides so far as well as several inquiries about the Faith.
In memoriam[edit]
- Donald Allison
- Berwyn, Illinois
- January 1980
- Mrs. Camilia Benjamin
- Rimini, South Carolina
- December 30, 1979
- Mrs. Marie Brown
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Dorothy Champ
- Providence, Rhode Island
- November 28, 1979
- James Curry
- Rains, South Carolina
- December 24, 1979
- William Henry Denny
- Eveleth, Minnesota
- March 21, 1979
- Mrs. Minnie Dickerson
- Waco, Texas
- Date Unknown
- Grady Drake
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Barbara Drew
- South Charleston, West Virginia
- January 15, 1980
- Robert O. Eilers
- Urbana, Ohio
- January 30, 1980
- Johnny Evans
- Goldsboro, North Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Robert Freeman
- Arlington, Tennessee
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Lucy Hawkins
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- January 22, 1980
- Georgia Hayes
- Washington Park, Florida
- 1980
- Dewitt Haywood
- Midwest City, Oklahoma
- January 27, 1980
- Kim K. Heinrichs
- North Liberty, Iowa
- April 24, 1979
- Mrs. Alma Hill
- Easley, South Carolina
- August 1979
- Lemit Ishem
- Meggett, South Carolina
- 1977
- Mrs. Mary Kellis
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- October 12, 1978
- Mrs. Pearl Kennedy
- Lynchburg, South Carolina
- August 1979
- Alois S. Knapp
- Fort Myers, Florida
- February 3, 1980
- Gary M. Kolacinski
- Cudahy, Wisconsin
- December 25, 1979
- Cedric Konkel
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- January 17, 1980
- Mrs. Margaret Kornegay
- Goldsboro, North Carolina
- May 1979
- Mrs. Adele K. Kovachy
- Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Date Unknown
- Wilson Maclin
- Brownsville, Tennessee
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Emma Martinez
- San Antonio, Texas
- June 18, 1977
- Mrs. Eleanore W. Morgan
- Cleveland, Ohio
- February 5, 1980
- Mrs. Frances L. Morris
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- March 1977
- Mrs. Charlotte D. Orlick
- Laramie, Wyoming
- December 27, 1979
- Mrs. Lillian Perkinson
- San Antonio, Texas
- December 15, 1979
- Mrs. Alice Powell
- Cottageville, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Theodore Powell
- Goldsboro, North Carolina
- December 1979
- Tibursio Rodriguez
- Watsonville, California
- January 13, 1980
- Jack V. Scott
- Chesapeake, Ohio
- Date Unknown
- Mahmud Shakiban
- Beaumont, Texas
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Catherine Taylor
- Goldsboro, North Carolina
- Date Unknown
- David B. Thomas
- Long Island, New York
- February 2, 1980
- Karl F. Wagner
- Leipsic, Ohio
- Date Unknown
- William Wright
- Princeton, West Virginia
- 1979
- Hiroshi Yamamoto
- Berkeley, California
- September 18, 1979
- Luke Yazzie
- Houck, Arizona
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Ann M. Young
- Rochester, New Hampshire
- 1979
[Page 23]
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Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory contains fascinating information not generally available elsewhere. Read about Bahá’u’lláh’s ancestry and family; His journeys of banishment from Iran; the horrifying martyrdom of Badí‘, His messenger to the Sháh; the marriage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; the scheming of the Covenant-breakers; and the closing months of Bahá’u’lláh’s life at Bahjí. The story is set against the historical background of a nation in decline under the treacherous rule of the Qájárs.
This is the absorbing story of the One Whose advent signalizes the rise of universal civilization “with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor can as yet conceive.” 544 pp. More than 100 photographs.
7-32-47 $22.50
Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi autographs a copy of his book, The Story As Told, for Bahá’í Ellen Engs during an autograph party held January 27 at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Bookstore. The party was co-sponsored by the book’s publisher, Kalimát Press.
‘Autograph party’ in L.A.[edit]
On Sunday, January 27, the Los Angeles Bahá’í Bookstore hosted a festive autograph party at which Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi introduced a new edition of his book, The Story As Told.
The party was co-sponsored by the publisher, Kalimát Press, a new publishing house in Los Angeles that specializes in books by Bahá’ís, or books that illustrate Bahá’í principles.
The party was in the best of literary tradition. A lovely “champagne fountain” dispensed a mixture of sparkling apple cider and ginger ale, and delicate party cookies were served.
More than 40 people showed up to have their copies of the book autographed, to talk with Dr. Mahmoudi, and to meet with the friends.
The Story As Told approaches poetry as it shows the golden thread of unity and spirit between all the Manifestations of God and how They combine to teach us the way to world unity and understanding.
The new edition of the book is beautifully done, with marvelous illustrations and calligraphy by Bahá’í artist Russ Roberts.
The Story As Told is available through local Bahá’í librarians, or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 (Paper; Catalog No. 7-32-24; $5.75).
Greensboro holds proclamation[edit]
On November 3, 1979, a clash between members of the Ku Klux Klan and Communist Workers Party in Greensboro, North Carolina, left five members of the Workers Party dead.
Although it was later learned that those involved were not from Greensboro, the incident left residents in a state of shock, and a grim picture of the city was painted in the national news media.
The Bahá’í community was concerned that Greensboro citizens realize that the confrontation gave an extreme view, and that the city, while far from perfect, has made considerable progress in race relations.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Greensboro planned a “Unity Day” celebration that would include a proclamation by the mayor. The event was to espouse no cause, but simply promote and celebrate unity.
When the mayor was approached, he urged the Bahá’ís to join a group of Christian and Jewish clergy who were working on a similar idea.
The Assembly contacted the group in time to be included in planning an interracial-interfaith service.
During a portion of the program, which was held last December 2, speakers from various groups were given three minutes in which to speak.
Mrs. Frances Hunter, representing the Spiritual Assembly of Greensboro, read passages on unity from the Bahá’í Writings.
The planning group, now called Greensboro Dialogue and including a representative of the Spiritual Assembly of Greensboro, continues to meet and to address itself to issues within the community with a goal of finding constructive and enlightened ways to handle problems and concerns of human relations.
Conference slated[edit]
The Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith will hold its fifth annual Conference from 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 everyone. There is a $5 registration for non-members of the Association.
An International Bahá’í Conference on Health and Healing will be held June 2-4, also at the University of Ottawa.
Its theme is “Spiritual Dimensions of Health and Healing.” Registration is $5 for Association members, $10 for non-members.
For information, please write to the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith, 224 Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2L8 Canada.
Dorothy Nelson named to U.S. Appeals Court[edit]
Continued From Page 1
as dean of the Law Center, and John R. Hubbard, president of the University of Southern California, expressed the great sorrow felt by the USC administration in losing her.
TO BAHÁ’ÍS in the audience, one of the most memorable moments occurred when the Hon. James R. Browning, chief judge of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, explained that the Ninth Circuit was established in 1863—the same year in which Bahá’u’lláh publicly proclaimed His Station!
The last speaker before the investiture was the Hon. Thomas Bradley, mayor of the City of Los Angeles and a longtime friend of the Nelsons.
After acknowledging Dorothy Nelson’s excellence as a community leader, scholar, lawyer, teacher and administrator, Mayor Bradley said he would like to change the emphasis somewhat to focus on the motivating purpose behind that excellence.
Having known and worked with her for many years, the mayor said, he had come to understand that Dorothy Nelson is an extraordinary human being because she is a Bahá’í.
In a moving talk that could not have been given by a Bahá’í on such an occasion, Mayor Bradley said such things as, “Bahá’u’lláh teaches us that ‘the best beloved of all things in My sight is justice,’ and Dorothy Nelson has devoted her life to making justice a reality in the world around her.
“BAHA’U’LLAH also teaches the equality of men and women, and Dorothy Nelson is a perfect model for us all to emulate.”
The mayor has shown his friendship for the Faith and spoken warmly of it at many Bahá’í gatherings. But his informal fireside on this occasion, in front of some of the most influential people in the country, left the Bahá’ís in the audience overwhelmed.
The investiture itself brought tears to the eyes of many. After administering the oath of office to his wife, Judge Nelson kissed and embraced her warmly.
The new judge was helped into her robes of office by her daughter, Lorna, and son, Frank, who then escorted her to her official place on the bench.
During her remarks, Judge Nelson thanked the many friends and family members who were able to attend the ceremony.
Among those whose presence was acknowledged was Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, who had traveled from Wilmette, Illinois, for the occasion.
AT THE CLOSE of the ceremony, Judge James Nelson read the benediction: the Prayer for America by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Dorothy W. Nelson is helped into her robe of office by her daughter, Lorna Jean Nelson, and son, Franklin Wright Nelson. Husband and father Judge James Nelson looks on during the swearing-in ceremony February 12 at Bovard Auditorium on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Dorothy Nelson, 55, was graduated in 1950 from the University of California at Los Angeles. The following year, she enrolled as one of 70 students in the second class ever at the UCLA law school.
There she studied under Roscoe Pound, a renowned legal scholar from Harvard University who sparked her interest in the administration of justice.
Married after her first year of law school to James Nelson, a law student at Loyola University in Los Angeles, Mrs. Nelson practiced law for three years after her graduation before receiving her master’s degree in law at USC.
She joined the faculty at USC in 1957. In 1967, the same year in which she was named a full professor, she assumed the interim deanship of the Law Center, becoming its dean two years later.
DURING HER 12 years as dean, the Law Center drew faculty from some of the country’s most distinguished institutions, toughened its admissions requirements, and greatly expanded its library.
Judge Nelson is chairman of the board of the American Judicature Society and serves on the boards of many organizations, including the Council on Legal Education for Professional Responsibility, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the Southern California Edison Company, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
She was appointed by the U.S. Chief Justice to the Committee to Propose Standards for Admission to Practice Before the Federal Bar.
A Bahá’í since 1954, Dorothy Nelson has served as treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly since 1971.
She has participated twice in the election of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel.
Her new position will involve travel throughout the western United States as well as to Alaska, Hawaii and Micronesia. She will continue to reside with her husband and children in Pasadena, California.
Louhelen[edit]
Continued From Page 1
due to inflation, and to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the school’s founding.
Rebuilding will be financed primarily through contributions to a special Louhelen School fund and the sale of promissory notes, said Mr. Smith.
The project will proceed in phases as quickly as funds become available.
The Louhelen campus was closed seven years ago for reasons of safety.
IN 1977, the National Spiritual Assembly decided to establish a new prep school on the site in keeping with the Guardian’s hope that the school would one day become “...a great center for the reunion of the friends and the spread of the spirit and teachings of the Cause.”
It was announced in January 1978 that a team of architects had been chosen and instructed to design and prepare architectural drawings for the National Assembly’s consideration.
The National Assembly was forced to abandon that plan, however, because of spiraling inflation and a tight budgetary situation.
In a letter of February 22, 1978, the Universal House of Justice instructed the National Assembly to “redevelop the Louhelen properties at a reasonable cost... so that the School can be an effective and attractive but simple and unluxurious centre in which can be given courses specializing in the Bahá’í teachings on parenthood, family life and the upbringing of children; courses to train believers how to organize and conduct Bahá’í classes for children; courses for youth to deepen their understanding of the Faith and their devotion to Bahá’u’lláh; seminars and courses in which many of the questions that trouble and interest youth can be discussed and answered from the Bahá’í point of view; and courses that will prepare believers for pioneering and travel-teaching; as well as any other courses for adults, youth and children suitable for a Bahá’í Summer or Winter school’s sessions and weekend activities.”
The National Assembly’s present plan for Louhelen is a response to that mandate from the Supreme Body.
The Louhelen Bahá’í School was founded in 1931 by Lou and Helen Eggleston of Davison.
In 1977, shortly before her death, Mrs. Eggleston sold the last 44 acres of the property to the National Spiritual Assembly for a token payment of $1. Earlier, the Egglestons had given another 12 acres to the National Assembly.
Fort Peck slates Two Bahá’í events[edit]
Two Bahá’í events are planned on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana:
On April 26, the fourth annual Bahá’í Pow wow will be held at Oswego.
From June 14-29, a direct teaching project is scheduled with these goals:
- Raise enough Bahá’ís to form two to three new Assemblies.
- Deepen the present Assembly members so that the Assembly functions more fully.
- Open the localities surrounding the Reservation.
