The American Bahá’í/Volume 11/Issue 8/Text
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Nearly 1,600 attend 7 Regional Youth Conferences[edit]
WE SEND OUR LOVING GREETINGS TO ATTENDEES SEVEN REGIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCES PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA; EVANSTON, ILLINOIS; FORT WORTH, TEXAS; FORT COLLINS, COLORADO; SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, AND COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO AND CALL UPON ALL PARTICIPANTS ARISE FULFILL SHOGHI EFFENDI’S HIGH HOPES FOR DISTINGUISHED ACCOMPLISHMENTS AMONG BAHÁ’Í YOUTH IN SERVICE BAHA’U’LLAH’S CAUSE.
the Bahá’ís of the United States
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A total of nearly 1,600 Bahá’í youth attended seven Regional Youth Conferences sponsored by the National Youth Committee the weekends of June 20-22 and June 27-29.
The theme of each conference was “Meeting the Challenge of a Changing World—Individual and World Perspectives.”
The speakers included the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem. Continental Counsellor Angus Cowan, members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the U.S. and Australia, and Auxiliary Board members.
MR. KHADEM was among those who addressed approximately 350 youth at the conference in Evanston, Illinois.
Other speakers at the Evanston conference included Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem.
The 320 youth at the conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, heard talks by Counsellor Cowan; Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly: Dr. Janet Khan, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia; and Auxiliary Board member Opal Conner.
Dr. Daniel C. Jordan of the National Spiritual
A group of youth enjoys an outdoor study session during the Regional Bahá’í Youth Conference in Evanston, Illinois, June 28-29.
House of Worship sees 6-month repair program[edit]
At its meeting in May, the National Spiritual Assembly signed a $570,000 contract with an Evanston, Illinois, construction firm for a major repair project at the Bahá’í House of Worship.
The construction program, which got under way in July and was expected to take six months to complete, includes replacing the circular concrete “apron” surrounding the steps of the House of Worship, redesigning the entrance to Foundation Hall, and eliminating the problem of water leakage through the present entrance.
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What’s inside THE OFFICE of the Treasurer makes its annual Assembly participation report to the National Spiritual Assembly. Page 5 THE NATIONAL Education Committee moves to make the Personal Transformation Program available in every state. Page 6 A NEW Race Unity page makes its debut. Page 11 AUTHOR GUY Murchie participates in a Birmingham. Alabama, proclamation effort. Page 14 53 ATTEND Bahá’í Women’s Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Page 23 |
THE APRON has cracked and settled in places, leaving some sections no longer level with others. Replacing it will help guard against potential injury to visitors and the resulting possibility of lawsuits.
Installation of the new apron also will allow for stabilization of the circular retaining wall at its outer edge.
Some sections of that wall have fallen outward over the years, while others have tilted inward toward the House of Worship.
These sections will be repositioned and secured in place, according to Stephen Koehl, general manager of NSA Properties Inc., a non profit corporation established by the National Spiritual Assembly to manage and hold its properties.
The short flight of stairs leading from Linden Avenue to the mall approach to the House of Worship will be widened, said Mr. Koehl, and a reflecting pool will be added to the grassy mall area.
The present project also includes redesigning the rear service entrance to the House of Worship and constructing a maintenance shop area beneath the apron, said Mr. Koehl.
THIS WILL allow the present maintenance shop to be moved out of the House of Worship, a location that is less desirable for such a facility.
About 20 years after the 1953 dedication of the House of Worship, said Stephen Jackson, assistant to the National Treasurer, “it
September study session set[edit]
In accordance with the Seven Year Plan guidelines adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly, the National Education Committee has planned a nationwide study session for September.
“The study session will be in two parts,” says David Smith, secretary of the Education Committee, “and will follow the format used in last January’s ‘Life of Service’ deepenings.
“PART 1 focuses on ‘The Application of Love and Harmony in the Local Bahá’í Community,’ while Part 2 centers around ‘The Most Challenging Issue.’ ”
Each part will last approximately 90 minutes, and communities have the option of conducting the sessions on two separate days, two separate weekends, or on a single day with a potluck lunch or dinner break between Parts 1 and 2.
“Ideally, we’d like communities to select the third option and schedule the session on September 13,” says Mr. Smith, “However, flexibility is necessary because September is an especially active time for many Bahá’í communities.”
As examples of other activities coming up in September, he cited the annual Green Lake conference. World Peace Day observances and, in several states, special deepenings to be conducted
New Teaching Committee maps plans[edit]
At its second meeting June 27-29, the recently-appointed National Teaching Committee moved to clarify further the functions of District Teaching Committees and to step up efforts to form new Local Spiritual Assemblies while helping to save the 121 Assemblies that are numerically jeopardized.
In appointing District Teaching Committees for the coming year, the committee reminded them of the National Spiritual Assembly’s recent directive that they “concentrate their energies on opening new localities to the Faith and raising Groups to Assembly status,” said Rose Lopez, secretary of the National Teaching Committee.
“ONCE A GROUP becomes an Assembly,” she added, “the District Teaching Committee no longer is responsible for its direction; the Assembly then reports directly to the National Teaching Committee.
“This frees the Teaching Committee to concentrate fully on its assigned tasks, those of opening new localities and helping Groups reach Assembly status.
“And once an Assembly adopts an extension teaching goal,” she added, “it assumes sole responsibility for that goal. The District Teaching Committee is no longer involved.”
To enhance communication with jeopardized and newly-formed Assemblies, help them adopt extension teaching goals, and develop a nationwide program of traveling teachers, said Mrs. Lopez, the National Teaching Committee has added a new member to its office staff—Carol Allen, former secretary of the California Regional Teaching Committee who has worked for a total of 11 years at the Bahá’í National Center, most recently in the Office of Community Administration.
“At least 700 Assemblies must adopt extension teaching goals by Riḍván 1981, the end of the first phase of the Seven Year Plan,” said Mrs. Lopez. “The number that had done so as of the end of June was 407, so you can see we have
Members of the recently appointed National Teaching Committee are (left to right) Rose Lopez, secretary; J. Kenton Allen; Dr. Wilma Brady; Juana Conrad, chairman; Dr. Kourosh Nazerian.
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Editorial
Strong youth key to healthy community[edit]
A sign of a healthy community is a strong and vibrant youth population. In its letter to the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Raḥmat, dated June 13, 1980, the National Spiritual Assembly commented on the need to capitalize on the energies of our youth and to cultivate a more harmonious and productive relationship with them.
The message is so important to the growth of the community at this stage in its development that we are reprinting it here in full:
“IN OUR LETTER to the Feast of Ilm almost two years ago, we expressed concern over the dwindling number of Bahá’í youth in our community. Although we did not receive many replies to the letter, there are signs that the situation is improving somewhat.
“The recent activities of the National Youth Committee and the plans set forth for the seven regional youth conferences scheduled for the latter two weekends of June suggest that youth activities have gathered some momentum. But much more needs to and can be done.
“So important were the points raised in our earlier letter that we feel it timely to restate them briefly with the conferences in mind.
“The youth are among the priceless assets of the Bahá’í community. They have played a prominent part in the progress of the Faith from its earliest beginnings.
“Even recently, in its announcement of the Seven Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice pointed to the ‘encouragement of Bahá’í youth in study and service’ as one of the measures required to develop and foster the ‘spiritual, intellectual and community life of the believers.’
“THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly feels that the Bahá’í community needs to cultivate a more harmonious and productive relationship with its youth members. To do so is to know their concerns, needs and aspirations, as well as to allow them the opportunity to develop their capacities in service to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
“Dealing with the questions of youth is not merely an administrative matter to be handled only by the Local Spiritual Assembly or its committees. It is a matter that concerns every adult believer who wishes to foster the spirit of unity and cooperation among the various elements that exist in all Bahá’í communities. Of course, the youth themselves must do their part to ensure the effectiveness of this cooperation.
“A letter written on 4 January 1936 on Shoghi Effendi’s behalf stated that the Guardian fully realized the difficulties that stand in the way of cooperation between the young and old believers.
“ ‘The solution,’ the letter said, ‘is to be found through intelligent and mutual compromise. The old believers have to give up something of their old conceptions and ways of working in order to better adapt themselves to the changing social conditions and circumstances. The young too must learn to act with wisdom, tact and moderation, and to take advantage and benefit from the age-long experiences of their older fellow-believers.
“ ‘The old and young have each something specific to contribute to the progress and welfare of the Bahá’í community. The energy of youth should be tempered and guided by the wisdom of old age.’
“THE YOUTH will emerge from the June conferences anxious to render services to the Cause, especially in the field of teaching. Here, then, will be a ready opportunity for Bahá’í communities to take advantage of their availability and energy.
“We suggest that the youth could be of invaluable assistance in the extension teaching work, and we strongly encourage the Assemblies to employ the services of the youth to win their extension goals and to carry out any other teaching or service projects the youth are willing to undertake.
“With loving Bahá’í greetings.
the Bahá’ís of the United States”
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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. |
Faith is praised in French Antilles
An article in the French-language daily newspaper, France Antilles, reporting last January on a visit to the French Antilles by Lea Nys, a Bahá’í from Belgium, offered a superb presentation of the Faith, saying in part:
“If the Bahá’ís reject the appellation of ‘sect,’ it is because their 136-year history, their literature, their 20,000 martyrs, the zeal of their members, who are neither clergy nor missionaries, but volunteers ... have cast new light on the truths of all religions of the past, in a unanimous desire for respect, brotherhood and universality.”
The guest book was signed by 55 children and adults at a garden party June 7 for Pioneer Valley Bahá’í children and their friends, held at the Chamberlin home in Three Rivers, Massachusetts. Thirteen communities in Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts were represented. The youngest person attending was 3 1/2 years old, the oldest 76 years young. Games, music and refreshments were greatly enjoyed by one and all.
Comment
Faith’s progress depends on cooperative endeavors[edit]
By FRED BRUNING
The relationship between the “twin institutions” of the Faith, the two arms of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh (that is, the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies and their committees on the one hand, and the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, the Continental Boards of Counsellors, and the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants on the other) may be viewed as a special gift given to mankind by his Creator at a critical point in man’s development.
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The Fund Is the Life-Blood of the Faith 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 |
To the extent that the Bahá’í community is able to understand, appreciate and utilize this gift, the progress of the Faith will be greatly accelerated, and the teaching work will become much more fruitful.
AT THIS POINT in the development of the Faith, it has become essential that a higher level of cooperation and communication between these twin institutions be achieved.
These institutions are the twin pillars upon which rests the well-being of the entire Bahá’í community.
Each institution has its special strengths and capacities, and each has an essential role to play in the success of any global, national, regional or local plan.
The Universal House of Justice, in a letter dated October 1, 1969, clearly defined one of the important distinctions between the two institutions, and stressed the need for close collaboration between them:
“It is the responsibility of Spiritual Assemblies, assisted by their committees, to organize and direct the teaching work, and in doing so they must, naturally, also do all they can to stimulate and inspire the friends.
“It is, however, inevitable that the Assemblies and committees, being burdened with the administration of the teaching work as well as with all other aspects of Bahá’í community life, will be unable to spend as much time as they would wish on stimulating the believers.
“Authority and direction flow from the Assemblies, whereas the power to accomplish the tasks resides primarily in the entire body of the believers. It is the principal task of the Auxiliary Boards to assist in arousing and releasing this power. This is a vital activity, and if they are to be able to perform it adequately they must avoid becoming involved in the work of administration.
“FOR EXAMPLE, when Auxiliary Board members arouse believers to pioneer, any believer who expresses his desire to do so should be referred to the appropriate committee which will then organize the project.
“Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members should not, themselves, organize pioneering or travel teaching projects. Thus it is seen that the Auxiliary Boards should work closely with the grass roots of the community: the individual believers, groups, and Local Spiritual Assemblies, advising, stimulating, and assisting them.
“The Counsellors are responsible for stimulating, counseling and assisting National Spiritual Assemblies, and also work with individuals, groups and Local Assemblies.”
This statement serves to illustrate an important fact, one that is often overlooked by individual Bahá’ís.
As the Universal House of Justice states, “the power to accomplish the tasks resides primarily in the entire body of the believers” (emphasis added).
That is, while the National and Local Assemblies have the responsibility for creating and administering the teaching plans, it is the individual believer who is the repository of the power to carry them forward.
IN VIEW of this fact, a significant role of the Auxiliary Boards is clearly stated: “...to assist in arousing and releasing this power.”
This being the case, it can be seen clearly why complete and loving communication and cooperation between the twin institutions is so vital.
In effect, the Assemblies design the engine, while the Board members stoke the flames. One without the other cannot produce the desired results.
To this end, the Universal House of Justice, in a letter dated July 6, 1977, wrote:
“It has become apparent that in some areas the progress of the teaching work requires closer collaboration between Auxiliary
[Page 3]
LETTERS
Feast’s three-fold character should be emphasized[edit]
To the Editor:
Your suggestions in an otherwise excellent May 1980 editorial seem somewhat misleading.
Specifically, in a desire to shorten the “business portion” of the Nineteen Day Feast so as to “allow more time for true fellowship,” the administrative aspect of that divine institution appears to be de-emphasized.
THE SIGNIFICANCE of the Feast is three-fold, emphasizing devotional, administrative and social aspects of Bahá’í community life.
In the booklet “Bahá’í Meetings and the Nineteen Day Feast,” letters written on behalf of the Guardian state that “when these three features are all combined” the Feasts “can and will surely yield maximum results,” and that the friends should regularly attend them not only because they “foster the spirit of service and fellowship,” but also “in view of the fact that they afford the believers a splendid opportunity to discuss the affairs of the Cause and to find ways and means for continued improvement in the conduct of Bahá’í activities.”
The beloved Guardian stressed in particular this aspect of the Feast “for better training in the principles and practice of Bahá’í administration,” including consultation and increasing the capacity for unified action.
He counseled both Assemblies and individuals to “look forward to this happy period of discussion, and neither fear nor suppress it.”
Our joy in participating in Bahá’í institutions surely increases many times over through a fuller understanding of their functions and a deeper appreciation of their true significance.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
To the Editor:
Do you have a storage problem? Are your basement and garage stuffed to the gills, and your closets overflowing?
Do you buy handyman magazines to find out how to build cabinets and shelves in which to store your possessions?
There is a simple solution to the problem: Declare a moratorium on buying!
That’s right—no more purchases. Say NO to Madison Avenue (except for necessities—of course, that gives you some leeway, since one man’s necessities are another man’s luxuries).
This solution to your storage problems has some additional advantages. Not only do you save space, you now have more free time (less shopping) in which to read the Writings, and more money to give to the Funds.
Champaign, Illinois
To the Editor:
This is a response to a letter in the May 1980 issue of The American Bahá’í written by a believer who questioned the attitude regarding psychic investigation as presented in the article “The Guardian on Psychic Phenomena” (Bahá’í National Review, February 1980).
Above and beyond whatever we hold viable looms the reality of the Cause.
Individually, we are free to ponder the universe, but as participants in this Cause we are obliged, I believe, to strive for consonance with the advice and admonitions of its divinely ordained exponent, Shoghi Effendi.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
(A letter dated March 4, 1946, written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer said in part: “What ‘Abdu’l-Bahá always pointed out ... is that these psychic powers were not to be used in this world, and that, indeed, it was dangerous to cultivate them here. They should be left dormant, and not exploited, even when we do so with the sincere belief we are helping others. We do not understand their nature and have no way of being sure what is true and what is false in such matters.”—Ed.)
To the Editor:
After having read the views published in The American Bahá’í in the last several months, there seems to me to be some confusion about what constitutes an acceptable form of review from which the friends may receive an insight into the nature and contents of a newly released book on the Faith.
Clearly, a book that has received the approval of the National Spiritual Assembly must needs receive a “positive” review when it is intended for the above-mentioned purpose.
IT SEEMS to me, therefore, that The American Bahá’í is not the place for a “constructive” critical essay on such a book.
At the very least, the review should be unopinionated and factual, so that those who read it may be given a fair chance to “seek truth for themselves.”
Needless to say, only God’s works are perfect; we can always find imperfections in each other’s work.
But one thing the Kingdom of God can do without is the darkness of the world from which it is emerging. Valid criticism does have a place in the Faith, but as Bahá’ís we must put it where it belongs, and not leave it where it has been left by a “heedless generation.”
Tastes differ, and so do views. A “book review” for the Bahá’í community cannot possibly represent all views and tastes, just as no book can.
One cannot review and criticize at the same time—much as we try to—since the former involves seeing-over-again “as it is found to be,” and not as we think it should be, as is implied in the latter. The American Bahá’í is, I feel, the place for reviews, not for criticism.
YES VALID criticism must have a place in the Faith. But work is a private act between man and God that should not be subject to the approval or acceptance of other men.
We work to meet God’s approval; it is done for God. Unless the one whose work is being criticized has requested criticism, it is not valid—provided, of course, that the work is beneficial to man.
In the spirit of the Faith, ours is not to criticize each other’s works—our acts of worship—but rather to improve upon them with our own if we can.
Salamanca, New York
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your January editorial, “Are Fifteen Enough?”
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The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of general interest. Letters should be as brief as possible, and are subject to editing for length and style. Please address letters to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. |
Your plea for large Bahá’í communities where “the Local Spiritual Assembly can begin to function as the governing body, the pattern of Bahá’í life can be established on a noticeable scale, and the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life can be developed” is certainly understandable.
WE ALL hunger for that time when the Bahá’í world is the world, and this is bound to occur first in large local communities.
I was given a glimpse of such a life when I became a Bahá’í in a large community near the House of Worship.
The unforgettable experience of living in unity with people of all races, ages, educational levels, interests and abilities, and joining them in promoting this glorious Cause, is something I will always treasure.
Yet we remain in the Formative Age of the Faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has implored God that we may “conquer these countries through the love of God and the illumination of the divine teachings.”
In our own country, there are as yet many areas where the Faith is not known.
Like people in metropolitan areas, residents in the countryside, in small towns and hamlets, are suffering the maladies of a society gone berserk. But their contacts with the outer world are limited.
LARGE-SCALE proclamations and media campaigns may not reach them. What they need is someone “down the block” or “around the corner” who can share Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings with them and demonstrate in his or her life the truth of His Cause.
For the past few years I have been a homefront pioneer—first to help form an Assembly, then to open a locality and later to help form an Assembly there.
The incredible bounty of being able to serve as a source of guidance where there are so few Bahá’ís must be experienced to be understood.
I would urge everyone living in a large Bahá’í community (more than 15 adult believers) to consider homefront pioneering.
You may find, as I have, a simpler, more relaxed lifestyle as a side benefit. Also, there are minorities in the hinterlands.
Friends, we now have fewer localities open to the Faith than we had at the end of the Five Year Plan. Let us announce to our fellow citizens, as we are to the world, the thrilling news that the Promised Day has come!
Carnation, Washington
To the Editor:
Is there anyone who does not enjoy receiving a personal letter from someone?
During difficult times, doesn’t a letter take on even greater importance?
Think of our Bahá’í pioneers all over the world—and even those who move to isolated areas in the U.S.—far from relatives and friends.
UNLESS A pioneer has lived at his post for 10 or 20 years, it doesn’t really feel quite like home. There is always some mental, emotional or spiritual stress.
We can all imagine how much fun it must be for a pioneer to receive a letter from “home.” Just take a moment to consider how important that mail is to them.
Sometimes a month or more goes by with no mail for the pioneer. How many of us don’t get mail for a month?
Perhaps if someone is going pioneering from within the area of a Local Spiritual Assembly, the Assembly could make sure that at least one person in the community would regularly keep in touch, or set up a rotation so that all the friends would be writing only once or twice a year.
The point is, the pioneer would be receiving letters regularly.
Some people think that a letter to a pioneer must be inspirational, with quotations from the Writings and so forth.
THAT IS NICE if it comes naturally, but letters mean just plain news and activities at home too. We’re all living, and it is comforting to know that others
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Now available in a paper edition! Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
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18 Bahá’ís, 11 seekers attend N.C. proclamation[edit]
Eleven seekers, four of whom have been attending bi-weekly firesides, were present May 18 with Bahá’ís from North Carolina’s Eastern District for the first proclamation held in Williamston, North Carolina.
The 18 Bahá’ís who participated traveled from Henderson, Currituck, Goldsboro, Raleigh, Kinston, Wilson and Greenville, North Carolina, and one believer came all the way from New Jersey to support the event.
The proclamation was organized by a local believer, Robert Barnes, with help from the District Teaching Committee.
Radio, television and newspaper announcements were used with house-to-house personal invitations to advertise the proclamation.
The speakers were Dody Theriault, who recently moved to North Carolina from Florida, and Charles Bullock, an Auxiliary Board member in West Africa who had returned temporarily to his native North Carolina with his family from their pioneer post in Sierra Leone.
The meeting was opened with remarks by a town commissioner, Mr. Honeyblue, representing the mayor of Williamston.
A question-and-answer period that closed the formal part of the meeting was followed by prayers and songs.
Counsellor Edna M. True recalls memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi during a ‘Festival of Love, Fellowship and Unity’ sponsored by the Auxiliary Board May 3-4 in Mesa, Arizona.
More than 300 Arizona Bahá’ís attend 2-day ‘Festival of Unity’[edit]
More than 300 Bahá’ís from throughout Arizona were present May 3-4 at Centennial Hall in Mesa, Arizona, for a “Festival of Love, Fellowship and Unity” sponsored by the Auxiliary Board whose special guest was Edna M. True, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for North America.
Four Auxiliary Board members—Ernest Bruss, D. Thelma Jackson, Nancy Phillips and Fred Schechter—participated in the conference that included sessions Saturday evening and all day Sunday.
The friends responded warmly to Miss True who lovingly shared memories and recollections of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.
A discussion on “How Bahá’í communities can utilize the services of assistants to the Auxiliary Boards” evoked a great deal of lively discussion and interest during workshop and panel sessions.
Adding to the enjoyment of the occasion were musical interludes, a Sunday picnic at a park, children’s activities, and a prevailing spirit of love and fellowship enkindled and supported by the host Assemblies of Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix.
On Saturday evening, Thelma Jackson presented an illuminating talk on “Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant: Source of Love and Unity.”
The Sunday session began with a lively presentation in Spanish and English by Fred Schechter and his wife, Julia, that evoked a spirit of loving fellowship among the friends.
Ernest Bruss, co-planner of the program, followed with a dramatic audiovisual presentation, “The Significance of Our Times,” featuring slides and a powerful musical background depicting evidence of the world’s derangement.
Nancy Phillips introduced two of her assistants, Benjamin Kahn and Elizabeth Dahe, who shared slides and descriptions of the site on the Navajo Reservation of the proposed Southwest Bahá’í Institute.
For the fifth year in a row the Bahá’ís of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, participated in that community’s annual Memorial Day parade. Joined by Bahá’ís from across southern New Jersey, they wore T-shirts and carried balloons under the banner “One Planet, One People ... Please.”
Teaching[edit]
Continued From Page 1
some work to do there.”
The number of Assemblies, which stood at 1,461 on June 30, must be increased to 1,650 by Riḍván 1981 to win that goal of the Plan.
“WE’RE QUITE optimistic about the potential for growth in the number of Assemblies,” the secretary noted. “While 121 Assemblies are in jeopardy, there are 787 Groups of five or more that we believe can be brought to Assembly status by the end of the first phase of the Plan.
“This is one of the areas in which the District Teaching Committees are being encouraged to direct their energies and their efforts,” she added.
Also at its second meeting, the National Teaching Committee appointed a new National Youth Committee and named one of the Teaching Committee members, Kenton Allen, liaison to the Youth Committee.
Four members of the six-member Youth Committee served on that body last year: Sharon Allen of Clarkston, Georgia; Walter Heinecke of Menlo Park, California; Karin Ryan of San Diego, California; and Edward White of Newton, Massachusetts.
The new Youth Committee members are Charles Cornwall of Plantation, Florida, and Dawn Haghighi of Rocky River, Ohio.
At its first meeting, June 14-15, the National Teaching Committee appointed a five-member Urban Strategies Task Force to undertake a study to help the Teaching Committee develop strategies for teaching the Faith in the larger cities in the U.S.
Also at that meeting, Juana Conrad was named chairman and Mr. Allen vice-chairman of the National Teaching Committee.
“By working hard and relieving the District Teaching Committees of at least a part of the huge burden they’ve carried in the past,” said Mrs. Lopez, “the committee feels confident that the domestic teaching goals of the first phase of the Seven Year Plan can be won and even exceeded.”
Repairs[edit]
Continued From Page 1
was noted that a large amount of work needed to be undertaken at the House of Worship.
“This included two large projects in particular: the work recently undertaken associated with repairs to the apron around the building, and repairs to the dome of the Temple.”
A number of other repair projects at the House of Worship have been completed since 1973.
These include cleaning and re-upholstering the 1,200 chairs in the auditorium; replacing the unstable canvas chairs in Foundation Hall, and replacing draperies in the auditorium, as reported in The American Bahá’í in November 1973.
THE TEMPLE’S heating system has been cleaned and repaired, and the electrical system upgraded. More recently, the gallery and clerestory levels of the building were re-roofed (see The American Bahá’í, July 1980).
In 1973, the Universal House of Justice contributed $20,000 toward repair work at the House of Worship on behalf of the worldwide Bahá’í community.
The National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada and Hawaii followed that lead by pledging financial support for the needed repairs at the Mother Temple of the West.
“It is going to take money to keep the House of Worship in good shape,” Mr. Jackson observed. “We have most of the money needed for the present apron project. We are going to need more funds for the apron as well as money for future work on the dome.”
“There has been enough work done on the dome of the Temple to put it in a ‘holding pattern’ so that it is not yet critical,” said Mr. Jackson. “In other words, the House of Worship isn’t going to fall down, but we know that a major repair job on the dome awaits us.”
Replacing the concrete apron around the steps of the House of Worship probably could have been done in 1973 for about half of what it now costs, he added. “Inflation is a very real factor; it eats away at our budget every year.”
There is at present $450,000 in the National Spiritual Assembly’s capital improvements fund to cover all of its capital projects, said Mr. Jackson. The $570,000 price tag on the apron project alone serves to place the financial needs for capital improvements in perspective.
Individuals may earmark contributions for the present apron repair project, said Mr. Jackson.
While the entrance to Foundation Hall is being redesigned, and during the replacement of certain sections of the apron, visitors to the House of Worship will be routed to other entrances.
However, both Foundation Hall and the upstairs auditorium will remain open to visitors during the present major repair project.
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
Assembly Fund participation shows slight decline[edit]
The Office of the Treasurer has completed its annual Assembly participation report to the National Spiritual Assembly.
This report studies the regularity of contributions for each Assembly during the 19 Bahá’í months of fiscal 1979-80.
Each institution is rated either excellent (15-19 months participation), good (10-14 months), fair (5-9 months), poor (1-4 months), or non-contributing.
FOR PURPOSES of this report, an Assembly with an excellent or good rating is considered a “regular” supporter of the National Fund.
Generally, the year just completed saw a slight decline following the dramatic increase in participation that occurred during the last year of the Five Year Plan.
Average monthly participation was about 685 Assemblies, compared to an average of 700 the previous year.
The total number of Assemblies contributing at least once was 1,108, a decrease of seven.
The percentage of regularly contributing Assemblies remained about the same, down to 52 per cent from 53 per cent.
Although basic strategies have been drawn up for expansion of the Fund into mass-taught areas of the country, it will take time before a significant change in Assembly participation can be seen.
South Carolina, Georgia and the majority of Native American Bahá’í communities remain largely untapped in terms of their potential for Fund participation.
STATES IN which at least 80 per cent of the Assemblies contributed regularly last year were Iowa (100 per cent), Minnesota (87 per cent), Massachusetts (82 per cent), Missouri (82 per cent), and Wisconsin (81 per cent).
This report provides a means for the National Spiritual Assembly to study contribution patterns of Assemblies from year to year.
Each Assembly, according to its contributions pattern, has received a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly expressing its appreciation and offering encouragement in our joint efforts to support the National Fund.
National Treasurer’s Representatives will be meeting with various Assemblies to offer their services to help establish and consolidate this important flow of funds to the “life-blood” of the institutions of the Faith.
| REGULARLY CONTRIBUTING LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES | ||||
| Percentage | Number | Change | ||
| Contributing | Contributing | in Number | ||
| Regularly | Regularly | From | ||
| Fiscal 1980 | Fiscal 1980 | Fiscal 1979 | ||
| Total | 52% | 753 | -12 | |
| Northeastern | 62% | 98 | +5 | |
| Western | 64% | 321 | +7 | |
| Central | 67% | 168 | –17 | |
| Southern | 30% | 166 | –7 | |
| Southern, minus SC & GA | 54% | 147 | –4 | |
Louis Gregory: a selfless example[edit]
Giving to the Bahá’í Fund has a special significance. As Bahá’ís, our material donations go toward developing the Kingdom of God on earth.
These contributions are a visible sign of our greater commitment—to strive to incorporate the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh in our own lives and to share His Message with mankind.
LOUIS G. GREGORY
WHEN THE LESSONS of sacrifice and selflessness are learned and practiced, giving of material resources becomes a natural extension of service, and the Faith can grow unhindered by shortages of funds.
As we strive to practice the attributes of sacrifice and selflessness, we can derive inspiration from the lives of many of the early American believers who vividly demonstrated what it means to be a spiritual descendant of the Dawn-breakers.
Among this devoted group of early Bahá’ís was Louis G. Gregory.
Louis Gregory, a lawyer by profession, became a Bahá’í about June 1, 1909, in Washington, D.C.
As was usual for new believers at the time, he wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to express his appreciation for his new-found Faith.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá soon replied, expressing His desire that Louis would help improve relations between the races:
“I hope that thou mayest become ... the means whereby the white and colored people shall close their eyes to racial differences and behold the reality of humanity.”
EVEN BEFORE the Master’s reply was received, Louis Gregory had arisen to serve this urgent need of the Cause.
Working with the Assembly in Washington, he helped to erase the barriers between the races in that nascent Bahá’í community, establishing a pattern of service he would follow for the rest of his life.
In 1911, Mr. Gregory made his pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he attained the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
From that time forward, he was a candle shedding heavenly light. Completely devoted to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he turned his back on the economic security he had developed as an established lawyer in order to spend more and more of his time working for the Faith.
Louis Gregory was a dynamic speaker and an excellent teacher of people of both races. He labored serenely through many difficulties to unite and instruct the Bahá’ís and the country about race unity.
MR. GREGORY served for 24 years as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and served on many national committees.
After his death in 1951, Louis Gregory was designated by the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, a Hand of the Cause of God, thus becoming the first member of his race to attain that high station.
Ever more radiant, humble and attracted as he progressed through the years of his life as a Bahá’í, Louis G. Gregory was a soul whose deeds in every field of service bore eloquent testimony to his love for Bahá’u’lláh.
Of him ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: “He is like pure gold. This is why he is acceptable in any market, and is current in every country.”
Nineteen believers from Lemon Grove, La Mesa and Spring Valley, California, marched with this banner April 26 in the annual ‘Old Time Days Parade’ in Lemon Grove. The friends sang songs along the parade route, and some wore costumes from other countries.
Notes... from the Treasurer[edit]
Louhelen promissory notes—what are they ...?
The National Spiritual Assembly has recently approved plans for the reconstruction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School near Davison, Michigan.
The project represents a significant step forward in Bahá’í education in the U.S. The National Assembly also approved a plan to sell promissory notes totaling $1.8 million to the friends so that the school may be built immediately.
THIS PLAN will allow the Bahá’ís to lend money to the National Spiritual Assembly to underwrite construction of the school in exchange for the notes.
Purchasers of the notes will receive an annual interest rate of 7 per cent, with the principal to be repaid after a 10-, 15-, or 20-year term.
The notes will be repaid from contributions received in future years. Although the interest rate is not competitive—set as it is a percentage point or two above the usual passbook rate paid by banks—purchasing a promissory note is a way for individuals to invest their savings to help the National Assembly bring this significant school into being.
Promissory notes will be offered in 26 states starting in September. At that time a complete description of the Louhelen project will be made available to the friends in the form of a handout known as an offering circular.
Of course, contributions to the project may also be made through the National Fund by any believer, regardless of his or her state of residence.
Feast presentations ...[edit]
How do you feel about the presentation of the Fund at your community’s Feasts?
This report should be a well-planned, inspiring presentation. It should be an occasion that helps foster a strong relationship between the believers and the vital institution of the Bahá’í Fund.
The report, however, is not the sole responsibility of the local Treasurer. Every member of the Bahá’í community should feel a sense of responsibility toward the Bahá’í Fund.
It would be valuable for the community as a whole to review what has been published about Feast reports in Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, pp. 144–145, and then consult on ways to improve this important presentation.
The report should include information about the National and Local Funds, followed by a creative presentation covering any topic that would give the believers a better understanding of the spiritual nature of the Fund and its role in the ever-expanding Cause of God.
Various media can be used, including readings, stories, tapes and filmstrips. The features published on this page in The American Bahá’í are also designed to help prepare interesting reports.
A good way to infuse fresh life into the Fund report is to rotate Fund presentations among all the community members.
Each individual would then be required to study the Fund principles, and would have to give some creative thought to presenting them.
This would also aid the community’s understanding of the Treasurer’s job and help to establish a stronger relationship between every Bahá’í and the Fund.
[Page 6]
EDUCATION
Study session[edit]
Continued From Page 1
by Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.
“We don’t want the study session to interfere with any of these activities,” Mr. Smith emphasizes, “especially those conducted by the Board members and their assistants, and the best means of assuring that there is no conflict is to give communities a scheduling option.”
ALL ASSEMBLIES and larger Groups (five or more) will receive in late August or early September a cassette tape and additional instructions for the session. Mr. Smith says the recording quality of the tape is much improved over those used in the January session.
Meanwhile, communities can begin planning for the study session by reserving a study date on their calendars, securing a site, planning for a children’s program or child care if necessary, and notifying community members, neighboring Groups, and isolated believers about the meeting.
To promote the widest possible participation in the study session, the National Education Committee has prepared the accompanying quiz on “The Most Challenging Issue.”
Each believer should complete the quiz and bring it to the September session, where the correct answers will be provided and discussed.
The National Education Committee hopes that every believer will make a special effort to attend what promises to be an inspirational, innovative, and thought-provoking study session.
THE MOST CHALLENGING ISSUE QUIZ
(Circle the correct answers and bring this quiz to the September study session)
- In The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi states that the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Bahá’í community at the present stage of its evolution is
- The large enrollment of new believers
- Teaching
- Racial prejudice
- Understanding the Covenant
- Bahá’u’lláh tells us that prejudice in its various forms
- Cannot be eliminated entirely
- Destroys the edifice of humanity
- Contributes to mankind’s diversity
- Exists throughout nature
- A superior power is needed to overcome human prejudices. That power is
- The love of God
- Scientific advances
- The Covenant
- Not known at this time, but will be disclosed to future generations
- The Guardian states that freedom from racial prejudice should be demonstrated in
- Our willingness to attend Bahá’í Summer Schools
- Every phase of our activity and life
- The Seven Year Plan
- Greater sacrificial giving to the Fund
- The elimination of racial prejudice is a task that falls primarily upon
- Believers of the white race
- Believers of the black race
- Native American believers in the Southwest
- All believers, regardless of racial background
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that in the estimation of God
- Some colors are more preferable than others
- There is no distinction of color
- Yellow is superior to all colors because it is the color of the sun
- All should plant a colorful garden
- Racial prejudice is often difficult to acknowledge because
- We are told to ignore it
- Many times it is subconscious
- It is seldom found in modern society
- Acknowledging it only worsens the problem
- Brotherhood and fellowship between the races is not possible without
- Will and effort on the part of each race
- Increasing the membership of Local Spiritual Assemblies
- A comprehensive understanding of the Guardian’s writings
- The freedom of each race to develop into a separate and distinct society
- Interracial marriage in the Bahá’í Faith is
- To be approached with extreme caution
- Not discouraged—but not recommended
- Obligatory
- Encouraged
- By their very nature, the Bahá’í Teachings
- Renew themselves every 19 years
- Have little to say about racial prejudice
- Transcend all limitations imposed by race
- Free the individual believers from having to think about racial problems
Twenty-four Local Education Advisers and their families shared games and other activities including a unity Feast during the Education Adviser training session for the Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington districts held May 17 in McComb, Washington. The Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP), first introduced in Indiana last year by the National Education Committee, emphasizes the integration of children and youth into Bahá’í community life.
Education Committee to widen Transformation Program scope[edit]
Acting under the direction of the National Spiritual Assembly, the National Education Committee has begun a campaign to assure that the Personal Transformation Program becomes available to believers throughout the continental United States.
“The goal,” says David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, “is to have the Personal Transformation Program accessible to the friends in every state by Riḍván 1981.
“THE PROGRAM is one additional way of improving the overall quality of our deepening efforts,” says Mr. Smith. “As the Faith grows and develops, so must the methods we employ to study its Teachings.”
The Comprehensive Deepening books, the materials used in the 10-week program, have been available since 1973 and are part of many individuals’ personal libraries.
“Many of the friends feel that since they have gone through these materials on their own, they must have completed the Personal Transformation Program,” says Marcia Walton, program coordinator in the National Education Committee office.
“This is simply not the case,” she adds. “An all-important part of the program is individual goal-setting. Once the makeup of the program is explained and this point is clarified, the friends are generally eager to participate.
“The primary purpose of the program is helping the friends acquire knowledge of their true spiritual nature and transmuting that knowledge into will or volition that results in some form of positive action.”
Two major benefits resulting from participation in the program, she says, are learning the art of goal-setting and receiving group support and love while endeavoring to achieve one’s chosen goals.
“BOTH OF THESE advantages are unique features of the program,” says Miss Walton, “and are key elements in the success of personal transformation.”
While the Personal Transformation Program is not new to the U.S. Bahá’í community, its formal use has been limited to the states of California, Illinois and New York.
Work is now under way to train program facilitators in 14 additional states by the end of October.
The National Education Committee began the training program by first appointing and training 14 “facilitator trainers” in various areas of the country.
These trainers, in turn, are now planning and conducting training sessions for newly appointed facilitators in Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming.
Training sessions for facilitators in the New England states are being held at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine. Training sessions in other states are planned in a variety of locations.
FACILITATOR training sessions are held on two consecutive weekends. Prospective facilitators are recommended to the National Education Committee by Local Spiritual Assemblies or facilitator trainers.
The committee then invites selected individuals to attend the training sessions. Afterward, selected individuals are appointed as facilitators for their state.
These facilitators are trained to offer the 10-week Personal Transformation Program to believers at the invitation of a Local Spiritual Assembly.
One of those who already has participated in the program remarked, “This program has changed my way of life. The process of choosing goals based on the Writings is so simple, I wonder why I didn’t think of it myself.”
Said another participant: “Our community has become so much more unified since we completed the Personal Transformation Program. I’m really excited about it.”
Magazine marks Arkansas Bahá’í[edit]
Albert Jeffrey Porter II, a Bahá’í who is a sophomore at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, is featured with other graduates of Little Rock public high schools in the April 1980 issue of “Focus,” a monthly publication of the Little Rock School District.
In an article entitled “Little Rock’s public school graduates speak out,” Mr. Porter comments about his academic training in Little Rock, and mentions that he was raised in a family in which the tenets of his religion—the Bahá’í Faith—“stressed the oneness of mankind.”
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
Regional meetings hone youths’ resolve[edit]
Continued From Page 1
Assembly and Auxiliary Board member Fred Schecter were among the speakers at the San Diego conference attended by approximately 300 youth.
About 250 youth gathered at Fort Worth, Texas, where the principal speaker was Auxiliary Board member Hormoz Bastani.
THE PHILADELPHIA conference, attended by about 200, included addresses by Auxiliary Board members Robert Harris and Javidukht Khadem.
Auxiliary Board member Sam McClellan was among the speakers at the Birmingham, Alabama, conference. About 100 youth from five states attended.
Auxiliary Board member Dennis Jenkyns spoke to the approximately 35 youth from New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado at the conference in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Members of the National Youth Committee were present and spoke at each of the seven regional conferences.
Every conference included workshop sessions on topics of concern to youth such as dealing with various forms of peer pressure, Bahá’í marriage and family life, career choices, pioneering, and teaching.
EACH AGENDA included a presentation on the Fund by a National Treasurer’s Representative (except in Evanston, where Judge Nelson made that presentation) as well as opportunities for youth to meet one another and enjoy various kinds of entertainment.
In Coeur d’Alene, about 300 non-Bahá’ís attended a proclamation that featured John Ford Coley and Leslie and Kelly Bulkin. About 20 of them stayed afterward for a fireside.
There were at least four declarations at the Coeur d’Alene conference. About one-fourth of the Bahá’í youth there were from Canada.
The Evanston conference, planned and organized entirely by the North Shore Bahá’í Youth Council, reported two declarations during the three-day event.
At the San Diego conference, 24 youth volunteered to go pioneering, while each of the participants pledged to bring at least one soul into the Faith in the next year.
IN FORT WORTH, where Bahá’í youth from six states gathered, a non-Bahá’í seminar on world religions was being held at the same time as the Bahá’í youth conference.
The Bahá’ís were asked if non-Bahá’í youth might attend a part of the Bahá’í conference. As a result, 20 non-Bahá’ís attended a session that featured a presentation of the role of youth in the history of the Faith.
A large group of Bahá’í youth from Virginia was among the 200 attending the conference in Philadelphia. Other participants there came from as far away as Ghana and Australia.
The relatively small number of youth at the Fort Collins conference allowed for greater individual participation. Many of those attending said they would like to make the conference an annual event.
Bahá’í Esperanto League starts correspondence service[edit]
The Bahá’í Esperanto League is starting a correspondence service for Bahá’ís who speak Esperanto.
Youth and others who wish to learn Esperanto can contact the League c/o Roan Orloff Stone, 627 North 5th St., Gallup, NM 87301.
Those who are interested in the correspondence service may also write to that address.
Esperanto is an excellent way for youth to “internationalize” their outlook and make contacts in more than 90 countries around the world.
Learning Esperanto is relatively easy and inexpensive compared to other languages.
Deadline extended for essay contest[edit]
BAHÁ’Í YOUTH: The deadline for the National Youth Committee’s essay contest has been extended to September 1, 1980.
You still have time to submit your 250-word essay on “Why Should I Be a Bahá’í?” to the National Youth Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Secretary is interviewed over ‘Voice of America’[edit]
Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, taped a 30-minute interview for the “Voice of America” and met with journalists during a visit June 16 to Washington, D.C.
Mr. Mitchell answered questions about several aspects of the Faith from Francis Ronalds of the Voice of America, a shortwave radio network whose broadcasts can be heard all over the world.
MR. MITCHELL described basic Bahá’í beliefs and outlined the history of the Faith during the interview.
Other topics covered ranged from the Bahá’í view of the relationship between men and women to the present situation for Bahá’ís in Iran.
The secretary’s visit to the nation’s capital included meetings with a member of United Press International’s Washington bureau, the religion editor of the Washington Star, and an assistant to newspaper columnist Jack Anderson.
These briefing sessions for journalists were arranged for Mr. Mitchell by Hill and Knowlton, a public relations firm under contract to the National Spiritual Assembly.
David Anderson of the UPI bureau was especially well-informed about the Faith, having previously interviewed jazz trumpeter John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie.
The secretary’s purpose, in addition to answering questions about the Faith, was to let the media representatives know of the existence of the American Bahá’í community and to encourage them to contact the National Spiritual Assembly whenever questions about the Faith should arise.
GLENFORD E. MITCHELL
45 attend Oklahoma seminar[edit]
Forty-five Bahá’ís from 15 communities and three states participated with four assistants to the Auxiliary Board in a seminar on teaching non-Reservation Indians held May 31–June 1 in Spencer, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s two District Teaching Committees also were represented at the seminar, which was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Bethany, Oklahoma.
ITS GOALS included building an awareness of teaching opportunities among urban Native Americans in Oklahoma, and the creation of an ongoing task force to work under the direction of the American Indian Teaching Committee (AITC).
The gathering, led by AITC Secretary Cathy Cook, began with a review of past Indian teaching activities in Oklahoma.
The discussion then turned to the fact that the time has come to plan further direct teaching programs among Native Americans in that state.
Teaching and consolidation needs and methods also were discussed.
Past Indian teaching activities in Oklahoma have included the National Spiritual Assembly’s presentation of a statue of the Indian leader Sequoyah at Tahlequah, Oklahoma; visits by Franklin Kahn, a Navajo Indian and member of the National Spiritual Assembly; and a powwow sponsored by the Bethany Bahá’í community.
Mr. Kahn’s artwork has been included in an art show at the Native American Center in Oklahoma City.
IN ADDITION, there have been several Native American teaching trips made in past years.
Participants at the seminar generally felt that there is a lack of follow-up activities to Indian teaching efforts in Oklahoma.
“It appears that the Indians have been given a good first impression of the Faith,” said Mrs. Cook. “They have been shown respect for their cultural heritage and spiritual qualities.”
There really is no mystery to teaching Native Americans, participants agreed. What is important is a sensitivity to their human and spiritual qualities. Direct and indirect teaching methods have both proven successful.
Persians can be effective teachers of Native Americans, said Mrs. Cook.
In consolidation work, she observed, terms such as “chairman,” “secretary,” “deepening,” and “Feast” should be used carefully, as they may be frightening or have a negative connotation to Native Americans.
A five-member task force formed during the seminar includes as members Gail Bigler of Sapulpa, Oklahoma; William Wakeham of Prague, Oklahoma; Shahin Sobhani of Bethany, Oklahoma; and Cyrous and Mina Heydarian of The Village, Oklahoma.
Mr. Wakeham is secretary and coordinator of the task force.
Members of a newly formed task force on teaching Native Americans in Oklahoma consult with Cathy Cook (left), secretary of the American Indian Teaching Committee. Task force members include (clockwise from left) William Wakeham, secretary; Shahin Sobhani; Mina Heydarian; Cyrous Heydarian (back to camera). Not shown is the fifth task force member, Gail Bigler.
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Alaska address is corrected[edit]
In an article containing the addresses of Bahá’í Publishing Trusts and Distribution Services in other countries (The American Bahá’í, March 1980), the address of the Bahá’í Sales Committee of Alaska was listed incorrectly.
The correct address is SR Box 500-E, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.
Letters[edit]
Continued From Page 3
are living too.
The important thing is the contact, and it doesn’t take much money. It doesn’t have to mean that you receive a letter in return, though that’s nice too when it happens, and the news can be shared among the friends here.
Remember, a stream of sustaining contact and prayers from home can sometimes mean the difference between pioneers returning or remaining at their post.
Is your Assembly in touch with a pioneer? Are you?
Foxboro, Massachusetts
To the Editor:
Regarding the question of literary criticism: no one, critic or author, can claim to command an absolute and objective perspective on anything.
Unless he is quoting the Writings word for word, an author is bound eventually to lapse into an error of fact or a weakness of opinion.
CERTAINLY, these lapses should be discovered and discussed, for this can be as edifying as the original work was intended to be.
Perhaps in the future (as is now done to some extent) this process will be undertaken by Bahá’í editors who, in consultation with the author, will carefully review the contents of his work.
In any case, I feel that one must not be hasty in applying modern literary criticism to Bahá’í writings, or writings by Bahá’ís.
Modern literary criticism, as some critics have themselves pointed out, is in some of its ideas, principles and practices, quite ludicrous.
We should bear in mind, too, Bahá’u’lláh’s admonition that “the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul.”
Any endeavor that begins and ends in mere words, and effects no benefit to those involved, is without doubt suspect.
As it must be in all cases, the principle of moderation should be adhered to.
“Whoso cleaveth to justice,” Bahá’u’lláh has written, “can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation ... The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men.”
Carson City, Nevada
[Page 9]
IGC: Pioneering
Letters ... from pioneers[edit]
Dear Friends:
Since it is now a little over a month since I arrived in Peru to begin a new life as a Bahá’í pioneer, I thought it was time to share some impressions with you.
First, I see that pioneering abroad is much different from homefront pioneering.
I have filled several homefront goals, always reading about the exemplary pioneers, weeping over them and yearning to follow them.
NEVER DID I realize the depth of the sacrifice and pain of leaving one’s native land and family. But now I am here, and I know that in later years I will remember this, these beginning months and weeks of pioneering, as the most wonderful time of my life.
I feel airborne and free. I have been cast off, have put myself in such a new and overwhelming situation that I can only rely on faith.
In the Valley of Search, Bahá’u’lláh promises, “...at every step aid from the Invisible Realm will attend him, and the heat of search will grow....” I have been a Bahá’í for 11 years and feel as though I have just begun to grow.
I have been shaken by many incidents, large and small, into trying to open my ears to the “midnight sighing of the poor.”
This is truly a poor country, a country with a “have not” attitude and reality; a dusty country with constant shortages of electricity, water, rice, etc.
People here are used to walking long distances, riding crowded and dirty buses, carrying heavy baskets and bundles, eating small meals, living together in one-room houses, sleeping on dirt floors, being frequently sick from bad water.
POVERTY BREEDS desperation. The illness of prejudice is rampant. I walk through the streets with my white skin and blue eyes, conscious of my responsibility to demonstrate Bahá’í love, to reach through the veils of color, education and an experience of life-long material comfort.
Only with the help of the Invisible Realm can it be done, for the meeting of two so unequal and unbalanced worlds is a miracle born of God’s love and mercy.
The spiritual springtime here will bring forth red blossoms. I have seen how just a little rain makes this desert bloom with the most brilliant colors.
This is a fascinating country of ancient ruins and mysteries, with hot desert coasts, impenetrable jungles, high arid mountains in which one hears the flutes of Indian shepherds echoing from valley to valley. Send more pioneers!
This is no romance. All the mundane chores are here. This is dust-filled wind and burning sun. But the nights are cool and breezy and starry, the hearts are warm and pure, the horizons are vast (and the ice cream is delicious!).
Pioneering is a spiritual adventure, but it also demands every ounce of physical energy one can expend.
In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a line that reads, “...we dream of miracles and wake up to loaves of bread ...”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave us a prayer (quoted in An Early Pilgrimage): “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God...”
Piura, Peru
Some of the believers who are participating in an international teaching project in Belize, Central America, are shown during the Pioneer Training Institute in Wilmette, Illinois, June 6-8. The Belize project began August 2 and will run through the end of the month. The objectives include teaching and consolidation. Projecteers were divided into small groups for assignment to eight goal towns in Belize,
Seventy-four people participated in a Pioneer Training Institute in Wilmette, Illinois, June 6-8. Fifty-four of those at the institute were preparing to pioneer eventually to Nicaragua, Brazil, Uruguay, Venda, Samoa, the Falkland Islands, Denmark, Japan, the Far East, the Bahamas, Venezuela, Ecuador, Botswana, Togo, Greenland, Chile, Guatemala, Sweden, the Caroline Islands, Bermuda, Paraguay, Costa Rica and South Africa. Sixteen participants were preparing for an international teaching project in Belize. Three others represented Local Spiritual Assemblies, while one represented the District Teaching Committee of Southern Wisconsin.
He ‘moves mountains’ to live pioneering dream[edit]
(Editor’s note: The United Nations has designated 1981 as the Year of the Disabled. Some people, however, are determined not to let physical handicaps slow them down. Here is a brief profile of another such person.)
•
Terry Trotter, a mathematics and history teacher from Alsip, Illinois, has always wanted to live in Mexico.
It has been his dream since long before he became a Bahá’í, in 1973. The desire was no doubt an important motivation for his self-taught mastery of Spanish.
ON JUNE 14 the dream finally became a reality for Mr. Trotter when he and two non-Bahá’í friends left Illinois for Tapachula, Mexico, near the border with Guatemala.
Mr. Trotter has moved mountains to make his dream come true. Stricken by polio at age 14, he lost the use of much of his body.
He is confined to a wheelchair that has been motorized and is powered by a storage battery. Mr. Trotter, who has the use of only about half the muscles in one arm and none in the other, types by holding a stick in his mouth.
In spite of his physical disabilities, he has earned a master’s degree in math and has taught at the primary, secondary and college levels.
He taught math to sixth and seventh grade students at McKinley Middle School in Harvey, Illinois, before leaving for Mexico.
Mr. Trotter attended the second National Bahá’í Youth Conference in Oklahoma City in 1973, and the St. Louis Conference a year later.
He went to Georgia as a traveling teacher in 1974, and returned there to do more teaching in 1975.
TERRY TROTTER
A Dream Comes True
EARLIER this year, Mr. Trotter was one of 29 individuals who received the Corinne True Award for exemplary volunteer service at the Bahá’í House of Worship.
In an interview shortly before his departure for Mexico, Mr. Trotter said he sees nothing unusual about his pioneering.
“Quite frankly,” he said, “I don’t think I’m doing anything special. Going to a pioneering post is as natural as breathing.”
His two friends, a second-year medical student and a high school student, plan to help him in getting settled in Tapachula before returning to the U.S.
Mr. Trotter will work as a teacher of English to residents of Tapachula.
Bahá’í woman’s program focus of news article[edit]
The Women for Women Weekly, a newspaper published in Exeter, New Hampshire, included in its October 23, 1979, issue an article about a program begun by a Bahá’í woman.
The support group for women, called “Spiritual Mothering,” was founded by Melinda Armstrong, a Bahá’í from Dover, New Hampshire.
It was inspired by a group discussion for mothers at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine.
Mothers at that meeting compiled a list of topics that form a challenge to mothers who are concerned with the spiritual welfare of their children.
The article, which includes references to the Faith and to the Bahá’í teachings on the education of children and the role of the mother, includes an interview with Mrs. Armstrong and four other participating mothers.
Astoria Bahá’ís sell ‘excess property’[edit]
Last October, the Bahá’ís of Astoria, Oregon, started a series of fund-raising events with an “excess property sale” in which the friends offered for sale articles they either didn’t need, didn’t want or could do without.
That first sale netted $600. Other sales followed, with the result that by Riḍván 1980, the Astoria community was able to send $1,500 to the Universal House of Justice.
[Page 10]
PROCLAMATION
Chicago Assembly backs history week observance[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Chicago sponsored “Bahá’í History Week” June 20–28, a series of proclamation events highlighting aspects of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to that city in 1912.
The week began with a meeting co-sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago and the Chicago chapter of the NAACP at which Dr. Allan L. Ward of Little Rock, Arkansas, author of the book 239 Days: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America, spoke of the necessity for racial unity.
DR. WARD referred in his remarks to an address delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the NAACP’s fourth annual convention in Chicago in 1912.
DR. ALLAN L. WARD
The Rev. Herbert Martin, executive secretary of the NAACP’s Chicago chapter, praised the Bahá’í concept of racial harmony and said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s address to the NAACP in 1912 was no accident.
The Rev. Martin said he was especially impressed by the proclamation by Mayor Jane Byrne of Chicago recognizing “Bahá’í History Week” as well as by the lovely Bahá’í prayers.
The Chicago Assembly presented the Rev. Martin with an illuminated quotation from the talk given by the Master to the NAACP.
Dr. Ward also spoke about the Master’s visit to Chicago during interviews on two radio stations and one television station.
According to Lani Smith, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, the interviewers were pleasantly surprised to meet an author who was not plugging his latest book.
ON SUNDAY, June 22, Dr. Ward spoke in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship, again focusing his remarks on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Chicago.
Later that evening, at the Chicago Bahá’í Center, he presented a slide program on the Master’s Chicago visit.
Special “open house” sessions were held throughout the week at the Chicago Center.
The week-long proclamation ended June 29 with a “unity feast picnic” in Lincoln Park.
Among the highlights of that event was a guided walking tour of the places visited in Lincoln Park by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Dolores Gonzalez of Bergenfield, New Jersey, displays a lacework design she made for a recent exhibit at the public library in Bergenfield. The pattern, inspired by the lacework design at the Bahá’í House of Worship, was taken from the brochure ‘The Story of the Bahá’í House of Worship’, and was labeled ‘my inspiration.’ Most of the questions asked by those who saw Mrs. Gonzalez’s work concerned the lovely building, so she was able to talk about the Faith during most of the day.
The Bahá’í children’s class in Bloomington, Indiana, made crafts for its Ayyám-i-Há party February 29 to raise money for the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. The crafts, including prayer wall hangings, flower vases, place mats, posters, greeting cards, and Bahá’í calendars, were sold for a total of more than $70 at the party, most of which was sent to the House of Justice. Some was kept to buy supplies to help make crafts for children at a hospital. Members of the children’s class are Khalil Stewart, Joe Stewart, Allen Stewart, Vahid Qualls, Aqdas Qualls, Enoch Qualls, Severen Gurnell, Vincent Gurnell, Marnie Ward, Bahiyyih Landegren, Abe Schultz, Addai Borden, and Husayn Allmart.
Bloomington sees IYC events[edit]
The Bloomington, Indiana, Bahá’í community proclaimed the Faith through a number of successful activities during the International Year of the Child.
Several hundred children participated in a Bahá’í-sponsored art contest that was a part of UNESCO’s world-wide competition.
ONE OF THE Bloomington winners also won the national contest, and his entry competed in the international judging held in Paris.
Newspaper articles about the contest and letters to the editor provided extensive exposure for the Faith.
Bloomington Bahá’ís also organized a “Children’s Services Fair” at a local shopping mall.
More than 120 groups concerned with children were asked to participate by placing displays and information booths.
Twenty groups participated including the Kiwanis Club, Girl Scouts, 4-H Club, YMCA, Community Child Care Association, Storytellers Guild, and the public library.
Each participating group was given an information packet about the Faith. Several of them asked the Bahá’ís to consider making it an annual event.
ANOTHER successful children’s services fair was organized later in the year by the LaPorte, Indiana, Bahá’í community.
On Universal Children’s Day in October, the Bloomington Bahá’ís hosted a free puppet show at the local library.
The show was written by Chris Lee, a Bahá’í from nearby Nashville, Indiana. Despite being severely handicapped by cerebral palsy, Mr. Lee is completing work on a degree in creative writing at the University of Indiana.
He writes puppet shows that are produced professionally by his mother, Muriel Lee.
More than 225 children attended the puppet show, and many more had to be turned away at the door.
The show was preceded by songs and a brief introductory talk by Mr. Lee’s sister, Sandy, in which the Faith was mentioned.
Newspaper and poster publicity added to this proclamation event.
Mailing reminder[edit]
Whenever an Assembly or Group does not receive mail from the Bahá’í National Center for more than a few weeks, there is most likely a mailing problem. If this happens, please contact the Office of Membership and Records, Wilmette, IL 60091.
More than 50 participate in ‘Project Sears’[edit]
More than 50 believers from several southern Wisconsin communities participated June 7 in “Project Sears,” a day-long direct teaching effort in Bayside, Wisconsin.
The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, for whom the project was named, was asked to offer prayers for the success of the effort that was organized by the four-member Bahá’í Group in Bayside, an affluent suburb of Milwaukee.
About 200 homes were visited by two-member teams of believers. Residents were given flyers that explained basic Bahá’í beliefs and invited them to attend one of two public meetings.
The first of these, held that evening, was attended by five non-Bahá’í adults and a group of youths.
Los Angeles sets ‘training sessions’[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, having recently adopted the goal of 1,000 enrollments in Los Angeles by Riḍván 1981, has begun a series of “Fireside Training Sessions” for members of the community.
Their purpose, according to the Assembly, is to encourage all believers in Los Angeles to begin an active plan of teaching, using the most effective methods available.
The first of the training sessions was held on Sunday, June 29.
Colorado proclamation is aided by believer from Los Angeles[edit]
Lisa Janti, executive adviser on aging and the handicapped to Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, helped proclaim the Faith in Grand Junction, Colorado, during a visit there April 16–19.
Among the activities in which she participated was a seminar on aging and the handicapped that was attended by about 30 people, most of whom were non-Bahá’ís.
Ms. Janti was interviewed on two television and two radio stations, and articles about her visit appeared in two local newspapers.
She presented a copy of “The Violence-Free Society” to the mayor of Grand Junction, presided at a public meeting in nearby Delta, Colorado, and represented the Bahá’í community at meetings with public officials in Glenwood Springs.
Ms. Janti, a native of Warsaw, Poland, and a former actress, has been a member of Mayor Bradley’s executive staff since 1975.
LISA JANTI
[Page 11]
RACE UNITY
Superiority & Suspicion[edit]
“A tremendous effort is required by both races if their outlook, their manners, and conduct are to reflect, in this darkened age, the spirit and teachings of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Casting away once and for all the fallacious doctrine of racial superiority, with all its attendant evils, confusion, and miseries, and welcoming and encouraging the intermixture of races, and tearing down the barriers that now divide them, they should endeavor, day and night, to fulfill their particular responsibilities in the common task which so urgently faces them. Let them, while each is attempting to contribute its share to the solution of this perplexing problem, call to mind the warnings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and visualize, while there is yet time, the dire consequences that must follow if this challenging and unhappy situation that faces the entire American nation is not definitely remedied.
“Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race, to persuade them through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience of any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds. Let the Negroes, through a corresponding effort on their part, show by every means in their power the warmth of their response, their readiness to forget the past, and their ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may still linger in their hearts and minds. Let neither think that the solution of so vast a problem is a matter that exclusively concerns the other. Let neither think that such a problem can either easily or immediately be resolved. Let neither think that they can wait confidently for the solution of this problem until the initiative has been taken, and the favorable circumstances created, by agencies that stand outside the orbit of their Faith. Let neither think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country. Let them rather believe, and be firmly convinced, that on their mutual understanding, their amity, and sustained cooperation, must depend, more than on any other force or organization operating outside the circle of their Faith, the deflection of that dangerous course so greatly feared by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the materialization of the hopes He cherished for their joint contribution to the fulfillment of that country’s glorious destiny.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 33–34)
•
In the preceding quotation the Guardian pointed out in 1928 that the American Bahá’í community must make a supreme effort to resolve the issue of race prejudice. His exhortation to us is a reinforcement of the principle enunciated by the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh, that all nations “...should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened ... and differences of race be annulled.”
In a message addressed specifically to the American Bahá’í community, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá echoes Bahá’u’lláh: “Strive earnestly and put forth your greatest endeavor toward the accomplishment of this fellowship and the cementing of this bond of brotherhood between you. Such an attainment is not possible without will and effort on the part of each; from one, expressions of gratitude and appreciation; from the other, kindliness and recognition of equality. Each one should endeavor to develop and assist the other toward mutual advancement...”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá exemplified His words by deeds at every opportunity during His visit to this country. He stressed, through the arrangement of interracial gatherings and His outspoken advocacy of interracial marriage, the necessity of unity within the Bahá’í community. From the placid country setting of Dublin, New Hampshire, to the national convention of the NAACP in Chicago, He exhorted us to attain race unity.
The Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly have on several occasions directed the American Bahá’í community to focus its attention on the elimination of race prejudice. As we stand at the threshold of the decade of the ’80s, the National Spiritual Assembly, through its appointment of a Race Unity Committee, has again responded to the call by the Guardian to keep this issue in the forefront.
It is the goal of this committee to make the American Bahá’í community aware that racial prejudice does exist within our communities, and that it is the responsibility of every sincere believer to strive to eliminate it. Perhaps the most difficult part of what the Guardian referred to as a “long and thorny road, beset with pitfalls” is the willingness on the part of the American Bahá’í community to acknowledge that it is afflicted with racial prejudice.
The symptom of this affliction was diagnosed by the Guardian as the unconscious and sometimes inherent feeling of superiority on the part of the whites and suspicion and its implied distrust on the part of blacks. The Guardian’s promise that the problem can be resolved through the positive actions that he outlined should give us the strength to act.
During the coming year the Race Unity Committee’s efforts will focus on creating a greater awareness of this problem in the American Bahá’í community. Its resolution, though difficult, will result in great advancement of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Activities are being planned for this year to increase our awareness of the need to review, refocus and rededicate our efforts in dealing with racial prejudice. We are confident that this committee’s efforts will receive the understanding, support and loving cooperation of the friends as we share this most difficult task.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Your Turn[edit]
(The following is an excerpt from a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly from the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Los Angeles, California.)
•
“The Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles has noticed that there is some ethnic and racial polarization in our community. ...This is particularly noticeable at weddings and informal parties. Bahá’í weddings tend to be either all Persian, all black or all white.
“Some polarization is also noticeable at firesides and deepening classes, and at our Area Feasts. Some of these meetings remain consistently Persian, black or white. Of course, all of these meetings are integrated to some extent, but many times the representation of other races or nationalities is minimal.
“ON THE OTHER hand, the Assembly does not feel that there is any overt and conscious racial or national prejudice being expressed among the Bahá’ís here. There is a serious problem of stereotyping between Persians and Americans. There is a tendency toward social segregation. But we do not feel that there is any open and malicious expression of prejudice.
“Part of the problem we face is the fact that our city is so large and distances are so extreme. The city is, of course, ghettoized, and so it is simply easier for Bahá’ís to remain in their own areas for firesides, deepening classes, Feasts, etc. This results in a tendency toward polarization. Beyond this, there is the natural reluctance of all people to change old habits and attitudes.
“The Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles has remained aware of the need to foster interracial fellowship within the Bahá’í community and has taken a number of steps toward that end. It is the policy of the Assembly that the membership of all committees and subcommittees should be balanced between Persians, blacks and whites. This is not always possible, but every effort is made when making committee appointments to achieve this end. The Assembly also attempts to achieve a balance of men and women on all committees.
“RECENTLY, THE Spiritual Assembly raised the question of the polarization of the Bahá’í community as a subject at all Area Feasts. At that time, the Assembly deplored the growing tendency toward segregated Feasts and urged Bahá’ís to attend Feasts outside of their area. Considerable consultation was held on how to encourage interracial and intercultural sharing. The results were moderately successful.
“The Assembly has a number of recommendations for the National Spiritual Assembly on how this problem can be attacked on a national level:
“1. The Assembly feels that it must first be brought to the attention of the community that we
Interact[edit]
While no publication can be said to represent the collective views of a racial or ethnic group, there are some publications that can be an effective means for promoting understanding.
The Race Unity Committee recommends that the white friends buy minority-oriented publications with the intent of educating themselves about the hopes, aims and desires of minority groups. Listed below are a few such publications:
Nosotros, a monthly bilingual (Spanish/English) magazine available at newsstands and by subscription.
Ebony, a monthly magazine oriented toward black Americans available at newsstands and by subscription.
Black Enterprise, a monthly business-oriented magazine with an orientation toward black Americans.
•
Bahá’ís on the East Coast can participate in the Fresh Air Fund summer program by hosting an inner-city child for two weeks. Inquiries should be addressed to the Fresh Air Fund, 300 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036.
•
Have your community create an interracial play group. The play group should visit each of the neighborhoods of the children involved.
•
Make your next move into an integrated neighborhood, or one that is racially or ethnically different from your own.
•
Get together with people of different ethnic backgrounds in your community for social events that are not necessarily Bahá’í activities.
•
Consult with your Local Spiritual Assembly or Group concerning youth service activities that emphasize involvement of racially diverse youth.
From the Writings[edit]
“Let there be no mistake. The Principle of the Oneness of Mankind—the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve—is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hopes... Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family... It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced... It calls for no less than the reconstruction and demilitarization of the whole civilized world—a world organically unified in all the aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units. It represents the consummation of human evolution...” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 42–43)
[Page 12]
BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING TRUST
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Birmingham Bahá’ís Host Guy Murchie[edit]
A successful week-long proclamation in Birmingham, Alabama, resulted from a two-year correspondence between a member of the Mountain Brook, Alabama, Bahá’í Group and author Guy Murchie.
Mr. Murchie, author of The Seven Mysteries of Life (available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust; Catalog No. 7-39-04), accepted an invitation to visit Birmingham in April, arriving with his wife, Kathe, on April 11.
PROCLAMATION events included a dinner party whose guests included a faculty member from the University of Alabama, a reporter from the state’s largest newspaper, The Birmingham News, and a telephone company executive.
Mr. Murchie spoke to an audience of 90 including about 40 non-Bahá’ís at the South Central Bell Telephone Company’s auditorium in downtown Birmingham.
He autographed copies of his most recent book during a “tea” at the Mountain Brook Library where he also was interviewed by representatives of two local radio stations.
A dozen non-Bahá’ís attended an open house for Mr. and Mrs. Murchie during which many copies of his book were autographed.
Publicity included paid and public service spots on radio and television and in two local newspapers.
The Birmingham News published a quarter-page article on Mr. Murchie’s public presentation.
During an interview on a local TV station’s talk show, Mr. Murchie discussed the Faith as well as his book.
|
Samoan temple highlighted in two new films. Details on Publishing Trust rentals and sales next month. |
Mrs. Murchie spoke at a fireside during their visit to the Birmingham area.
“Everywhere the Murchies went,” said Sonya Henderson of the Mountain Brook Bahá’í Group, “they were received with love and respect.
“What was especially exciting about their visit,” she added, “was the tremendous unity and support shown by the Bahá’ís in all the surrounding communities.”
Guy Murchie, author of the book The Seven Mysteries of Life, participated in an autograph party April 14 during a visit to the Birmingham, Alabama, area with his wife, Kathe (seated to his right). Sonya Henderson (standing at right), a member of the Bahá’í Group of Mountain Brook, Alabama, had corresponded with the Murchies for about two years, and their exchange of letters led to a week-long proclamation in Birmingham with Mr. and Mrs. Murchie. Also shown here are Liz Yielding, daughter of the bookstore’s owner, and Mrs. Henderson’s son, John-Bennett Henderson.
Comment[edit]
Continued from Page 2
Board members and National or Regional Teaching Committees than heretofore.
“Following consultation with the International Teaching Centre on the matter, we have concluded that the possibilities provided by the present policy are adequate and that where a lack of collaboration has been felt it has arisen from an insufficiently full and frequent exchange of information between the institutions.
“While the members of the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants should never attempt to direct the work of committees or become involved in the administrative work associated with the committees’ functions, it is absolutely vital that they be kept fully informed of the committees’ activities and plans and their hopes for the work in the area.
“ONLY THEN can the members of the Auxiliary Boards be confident that the services to which they are exhorting the believers and the projects in which they are encouraging them are in harmony with the over-all plans and objectives of the National Spiritual Assembly and its committees.”
By this statement, the House of Justice has reaffirmed this aspect of the proper relationship between the institutions.
The Assemblies are the architects and designers of the plans; the Board members and their assistants are, in essence, the “spiritual engineers” whose loving encouragement will enable the believers to achieve the objectives set before them.
The result of this unique relationship, unknown in prior Dispensations, is a phenomenon known as “synergy,” or the state of the whole being greater than its parts.
Individually, the institutions are able to accomplish some successes. Together, they have the ability, as promised by the beloved Guardian and the Universal House of Justice, to achieve all the victories necessary for the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
At the local level, the duties and functions of the Assemblies are well-known, and won’t be repeated here.
THE ROLE of the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants, however, is not often as clearly understood. In the words of the Universal House of Justice, in a letter dated October 7, 1973, the role of the Board members “should be to activate and encourage Local Spiritual Assemblies, to call the attention of LSA members to the importance of holding regular meetings, to encourage local communities to meet for the Nineteen Day Feasts and Holy Days, to help deepen their fellow believers’ understanding of the Teachings ...”
In another letter, dated May 25, 1975, the Supreme Body further defined the role of this institution, urging the Board members to “nourish the roots of each local community, enrich and cultivate the soil of knowledge of the Teachings and irrigate with the living water of love for Bahá’u’lláh. Thus will the saplings grow into mighty trees and bear their golden fruit.”
These functions of the Auxiliary Boards may be viewed in the context of awakening and energizing the believers to arise and win the teaching goals set before them by their beloved Assemblies.
Far from engendering a sense of competition with each other, the role of the twin institutions is to support and encourage each other, and through this expression of love and unity, to enable the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh to win its promised victories.
At this early stage in the development of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, the true character, potential and station of the twin institutions has not yet been fully realized, and we are not yet able to fathom fully their significance.
HOWEVER, the greater the level of unity and cooperation between the institutions, and the greater the loving and united support of and confidence in them vouchsafed by the believers, the sooner their full development and flowering will be attained.
Without this love, support and cooperation, the growth of the twin institutions will be hindered, just as an inadequately watered rose bush will fail to release the full potential of its lovely flowers.
If this happens, the fault cannot be said to lie in the institutions, any more than in the ill-watered plant, but rather in the failure of the friends to give these institutions the love and support they need and deserve.
As the beloved Guardian so eloquently stated in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 64–65:
“The rise and establishment of this Administrative Order—the shell that shields and enshrines so precious a gem—constitutes the hallmark of this second and formative age of the Bahá’í era.
“It will come to be regarded, as it recedes farther and farther from our eyes, as the chief agency empowered to usher in the concluding phase, the consummation of this glorious Dispensation.
“Let no one, while this System is still in its infancy, misconceive its character, belittle its significance, or misrepresent its purpose.
“THE BEDROCK on which this Administrative Order is founded is God’s immutable Purpose for mankind in this day. The Source from which it derives its inspiration is no less than Bahá’u’lláh Himself. Its shield and defender are the embattled hosts of the Abhá Kingdom. Its seed is the blood of no less than twenty thousand martyrs who have offered up their lives that it may be born and flourish.
“The axis round which its institutions revolve are the authentic provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Its guiding principles are the truths which He Who is the unerring Interpreter of the Teachings of our Faith has so clearly enunciated in His public addresses throughout the West. The laws that govern its operation and limit its functions are those which have been expressly ordained in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
“The seat round which its spiritual, its humanitarian and administrative activities will cluster are the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar and its Dependencies. The Pillars that sustain its authority and buttress its structure are the twin institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. The central, the underlying aim which animates it is the establishment of the New World Order as adumbrated by Bahá’u’lláh.
“THE METHODS it employs, the standard it inculcates, incline it to neither East nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor, neither white nor colored. Its watchword is the unification of the human race; its standard the “Most Great Peace”; its consummation the advent of that golden millennium—the Day when the kingdoms of this world shall have become the Kingdom of God Himself, the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Now more than ever, it is essential that the believers deepen their understanding of these institutions and give them their unqualified, wholehearted and unswerving support.
The twin institutions must be regarded as a precious resource, without which this world can never come to realize the joys of attaining God’s Kingdom on earth, the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh.
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NATIONAL CENTER
House of Worship’s grounds given meticulous care[edit]
There is an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that extends throughout the gardens surrounding the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.
It’s the spell of the Temple, an aura that is felt by Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike.
It causes one to experience the gardens in a special way. Many visitors try to capture the beauty of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and the charm of its gardens by getting out their cameras. Few succeed.
THE MARVELOUS care given to the grounds at the House of Worship is praised daily in comments by visitors from far and near.
Says Ernest Lopez, who came with his family from Southern California six years ago to assume responsibility for the care and maintenance of the grounds of the Bahá’í National Center properties:
“There are many things that help to create the special feeling of beauty and peace found here, but two things in particular provide especially for that special atmosphere.
“One is the variety of ornamental plants and the ongoing display of color through the seasons; the other is the influence of the House of Worship itself.
“That this place is truly unique is a thought that does not escape the notice, not only of Bahá’ís, but of non-Bahá’í visitors as well.”
Lovely flowers aren’t all that visitors will see in the nine gardens. Often there are cardinals, orioles and robins, and sometimes Mallard ducks and even an occasional raccoon or rabbit.
THE BIRDS nest among the Chinese columnar junipers and hop from branch to branch among the flowering trees.
“While cottontail rabbits are considered a nuisance in many gardens,” says Mr. Lopez, “at the National Center we’ve always protected them.”
This spring, for example, the grounds crew installed a picket fence around the nest of some baby rabbits so they would be protected from lawn mowers.
“We use very few toxic chemicals here,” says Mr. Lopez, “and usually if we’re forced to use pesticides we use non-residual and low-toxicity materials to protect children and animals coming into the gardens.
“Seeing flowers, animals, birds and people together in one setting gives one the feeling of being in a peaceable kingdom, which is the way it should be at the holiest House of Worship in the Bahá’í world.”
Mr. Lopez supervises a permanent staff of five that is augmented during the spring and summer months by six or more temporary staff members.
EVEN THEN, it is difficult for the staff to accomplish all of the work that must be done for National Center properties that include the Bahá’í Home, two residences, the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, two committee offices, and the new administrative building.
The Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, on Sheridan Road directly across from the House of Worship, is surrounded by well-tended lawns, large shade trees, and lovely flowers.
The large, well-maintained area behind the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds extends to the shore of Lake Michigan and provides a breathtaking view of the lake, the Wilmette marina and its colorful sailboats.
In tending the flowers, trees and shrubs that surround the Bahá’í Home in Wilmette, the grounds staff shows great consideration for the elderly residents.
Old-fashioned perennials have been planted there at their request, as these flowers hold sweet memories for many of the residents.
Mr. Lopez and his staff are in the process of installing a small Japanese garden at the Home that includes a hidden bench where residents may sit and contemplate the beauty of the place.
THE GROUNDS of the new Bahá’í administrative building in Evanston have been claiming the increased attention of the grounds crew, even though none of the National Center staff—except the Treasurer’s Office—has yet moved to the new facility.
Landscaping in front of the two-story building includes a fountain and attractive closed-in garden that is easily visible from the street.
Grounds maintenance tasks include both routine items such as mowing lawns, raking, trimming, and so forth, to preventive measures such as spraying pesticides, using fungicides to control plant diseases, and treating plants in preparation for winter.
The Grounds Department also is responsible for the maintenance of power equipment and vehicles used by National Center staff.
The Guardian approved the design of gardens at the House of Worship, says Mr. Lopez, and the original design will be permanently preserved.
But there is considerable latitude, he adds, for expressing the same design in new ways through use of color and texture in flowers.
ONE GOAL in the upgrading and development of the Temple grounds, according to Mr. Lopez, is the inclusion of more fragrant and colorful flowers, plus a wider variety of ornamental plants chosen for their color, texture and flowering qualities.
This results, he says, in a beauty that grows year by year.
Mr. Lopez has had the opportunity to share his landscaping expertise beyond the National Center.
This year the Village of Wilmette asked him to design the grounds around the Village Hall as well as curbside planters for the village.
Another project in which he was involved was the design of a flower garden in the Village of Deerfield, another northern Chicago suburb.
Mr. Lopez was recently profiled on the news program “Someone You Should Know,” on Chicago’s WBBM-TV. The program was videotaped at the House of Worship and in its gardens.
Last year, Mr. Lopez and his work at the National Center were the subject of three television interviews, a newspaper article, and a radio interview.
DEALING WITH the public in a pleasant way, he says, is an important aspect of working at the National Center.
New members of the grounds staff are given a public relations orientation by Mr. Lopez, to “help them deal with the public in a way that is consistent with Bahá’í Teachings.”
Presently, two members of Mr. Lopez’s staff are Bahá’ís.
One of them, Ahmad Zia, from Afghanistan, came to work at the Bahá’í National Center two years ago.
He learned of the Faith in Iran, studied it in Iraq, and came to the U.S. as a student.
Once here, Mr. Zia applied for work at the House of Worship, saying he wanted to work there because he knew the Bahá’ís were good people and he wished to become a Bahá’í.
It is a constant challenge, says
Above: Ernest Lopez (left), supervisor of the Grounds Department at the Bahá’í National Center, chats with a reporter from a Chicago television station prior to a recent filmed interview about his work at the Bahá’í House of Worship and other Bahá’í properties.
[Page 16]
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED notices in The American Bahá’í are printed free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. 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: ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST—Under direct supervision of the Archivist, solicits, accesses and processes archival materials. B.A. in history, library science or related field required; M.A. desired. Archival experience preferred. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT—Writes, edits and proofreads copy at all stages of preparation. Must have B.A. or B.S. degree and type at least 45 wpm. Editorial experience required. For applications or more information, please contact the Personnel Affairs Office, Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
THE FIRST Wyoming Bahá’í Institute, August 29–31, will have as its theme “The Arc of the Covenant.” Speakers will include Auxiliary Board member Dennis Jenkyns and James Wood, a pioneer to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona. The institute, sponsored by the District Teaching Committee of Wyoming, will be held at Story, 17 miles north of Interstate 90 and Buffalo, Wyoming. Cabins are available, and meals will be provided. Meals: $18 for a single person, $40 for a family of three, $50 for larger families. Children’s classes too. Contact Registrar Carol Johnson, 508 Tschirgi St., Sheridan, WY 82801, or phone DTC Secretary Barbara Deverse at 307-684-2745.
RESIDENT COUPLE needed for historic Bahá’í Center (ideal for retired people). Use own furnishings in apartment, exchange upkeep for rent and utilities. September occupancy. Apply to the Spiritual Assembly of Urbana, Illinois, 301 W. Indiana, Urbana, IL 61801.
YOU CAN HELP save an Assembly! Hermosa Beach, California, a half-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles and two major universities (USC and UCLA) is numerically jeopardized. This small beach community has many apartments for rent that would be ideal for students or others moving to Southern California. We have six adults and need your help. Please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Hermosa Beach, P.O. Box 162, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254, or phone 213-379-5221 for information and/or assistance.
WANTED: 18 Bahá’í professionals in mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers) who are interested in participating in a seminar entitled “Self, Psychology and the Spiritual Being” to be held in October under the sponsorship of the Spiritual Assembly of Grand Junction, Colorado. Participants will lead a workshop and appear on a panel. For a list of topics and more information, please send a resumé and personal letter indicating areas of interest to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Grand Junction, P.O. Box 2805, Grand Junction, CO 81502.
HOMEFRONT pioneers needed. The Spiritual Assembly of La Plata County, Colorado, needs adult believers to help reach its goal of incorporation by Riḍván 1981. Please write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of La Plata County, P.O. Box 1265, Durango, CO 81301, or phone 303-259-1538 or 303-247-9179.
THE SARANAC Lake Bahá’ís would love to have you join their community! An instructor’s position is now open at The Saranac, a hotel in Saranac Lake owned and operated by Paul Smith’s College as a training facility for the school’s Hotel and Restaurant Management students, and a secretarial position will be available in August. Please send resumés to Donald F. Streb, general manager, The Saranac of Paul Smith’s College, P.O. Box 510, Saranac Lake, NY 12983.
THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives Committee is seeking copies of newspaper articles on the Bahá’í Faith published during the years 1893–1963. The committee is not interested in paid advertisements or Bahá’í announcements of local meetings. Please send a list of your newspaper articles to the National Bahá’í Archives, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
BAHÁ’Í COUPLE must leave a small Iowa town with no other resident Bahá’ís. They must also leave a house, which they are offering for sale, rent, or for someone to move into and maintain. The garden is in, with a bumper crop of potatoes, tomatoes and more expected this fall. A bumper crop of Bahá’ís can be harvested, too, at the appropriate time, but without loving Bahá’í hands the weeds will take over. Good seeds have been planted; come reap the harvest. Contact the Cliftons, P.O. Box 99, Pierson, IA 51048.
CAREER TAKING you to Southern California? Join an active Bahá’í community that is struggling to maintain its status as an incorporated Assembly—Manhattan Beach, an ocean-side city of 30,000 near Los Angeles. Housing is expensive, but the crime rate is low and schools are good, with the city made up largely of working and professional families. Manhattan Beach is within commuting distance of most of the Los Angeles area. For more information write to the Spiritual Assembly of Manhattan Beach, P.O. Box 3773, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.
THE BAHÁ’Í Reference Library in Peoria, Illinois, is in need of old publications and archival materials to upgrade the quality of its research and reference items. Peoria is an older Bahá’í community (more than 50 years) and is using this as a means of reaching another stratum of society. Inquiries about the Faith are answered from the community’s limited archival and reference files. Please respond by sending your name and address along with a list of your available items to Carolyn Henderer, 5326 Sherbrook Lane, Peoria, IL 61614.
TWO SINGLE Bahá’ís are looking for a married couple to accompany them on a month-long teaching trip to Mexico and Belize from mid-September to mid-October. Some knowledge of Spanish is necessary. They will drive to Mexico in a van; driving and gas expenses will be shared. For more information please contact Galen Gisler, Rt. 4, Box 227, Charlottesville, VA 22901.
Variety Keys August Events at Green Acre[edit]
August programs at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, include the following:
August 4–8: “The Greatest Holy Leaf, Amelia Collins, Lua Getsinger, Martha Root”—Juana C. Conrad; “God and His Manifestations”—June Remignanti; “The Loving Community”—Dr. Ann Schoonmaker.
August 9–10: “The Pupil of the Eye”—Dr. Ann Carpenter.
August 11–15: “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh: What We Believe”—William and Zarrin-Taj Foster; “The Science of Religion: The Covenant, Reason and Revelation”—Dr. William Hatcher; “A Survey of the Life and Work of Shoghi Effendi”—George and Nina Karamallis.
August 16–17: “Characteristics and Dynamics of Bahá’í Marriage”—Dr. Hossein B. Danesh.
August 18–22: “The Spiritual Essence of Bahá’í Community Life”—J. Jose Cortez; “Moral and Spiritual Growth”—Dr. Susan S. Theroux; “The Dawning Place”—Bruce Whitmore.
August 23–24: Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem.
August 25–29: Auxiliary Board member Robert Harris; “Soon Will the Present Day Order Be Rolled Up”—Dr. Ramin Khadem; “A New Race of Men”—Mildred Mottahedeh.
August 30–31, September 1: The Green Acre “Unity in Diversity Festival,” celebrating the unity of man with presentations by the International Goals Committee, the Spanish Teaching Committee, and the Asian Teaching Committee.
Bahá’ís Carol Eichenbrenner (left) and her sister Linda Brooks entertain during an international potluck dinner held February 23 at the Washington Park Center in Denver, Colorado. The dinner, whose theme was “We Are Building a New World Order,” was sponsored by the Spiritual Assemblies of Denver and Lakewood, Colorado. In addition to music, the evening’s activities included sharing dishes of various nations and dramatic readings by Elaine Mills, accompanied on piano by a non-Bahá’í, Mike Huber. The dinner’s planning committee consisted of Barbara Campbell and Tessie Martinet Wullschleger, both from the Lakewood Bahá’í community.
Mr. Khadem Participant in Pittsburgh Observance[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem was among the participants May 9–11 as the Bahá’ís of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, celebrated the 68th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to that city on May 7, 1912.
More than 150 of the friends came from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Georgia to hear Mr. Khadem and Auxiliary Board members Javidukht Khadem and Robert Harris.
THE WEEKEND program began Friday evening when Mrs. Khadem spoke at a fireside attended by four seekers and more than 35 Bahá’ís.
On Saturday morning, Mr. Khadem shared stories of the Master with more than 100 Bahá’ís.
The Saturday afternoon session, at the University of Pittsburgh’s Schenley Hall—which was the Schenley Hotel where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed and held a conference during His visit in 1912—featured the reading of the Master’s talk on that historic occasion, a recording of Him chanting prayers, and a film of His visit to the U.S.
Saturday evening, Mr. Harris spoke at a fireside at Schenley Hall that was attended by more than 40 people.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Khadem met with the Spiritual Assembly of Pittsburgh, encouraging its members to organize regular and well-planned firesides.
On Sunday, Mr. Khadem discussed the station of the Interpreters, Mr. Harris spoke about the Universal House of Justice, and Mrs. Khadem addressed herself to the topics of love for Bahá’u’lláh and service to the Cause.
Mr. Khadem then closed the conference with some brief remarks and a beautifully chanted prayer.
Paper Praises Bahá’í Election Process[edit]
On May 14, the daily Arkansas Democrat carried on its editorial page a favorable commentary on Bahá’í election procedures by columnist Erwin McDonald.
The article discusses the Bahá’í electoral process as a means of eliminating special-interest groups and unifying the contending parties and factions that dominate old world politics.
Among the Bahá’ís quoted in the article are Judge James Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Judge Dorothy Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly.
[Page 17]
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem (right) speaks with two Bahá’ís from Samoa during their recent visit to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. Moli Chang is an Auxiliary Board member in Samoa; his wife, Pua, the daughter of Samoa’s first believer, is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa. Earlier, Mr. and Mrs. Chang were greeted by Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. The Changs arranged their pilgrimage trip to include a stop in the Chicago area so that they could visit the Mother Temple of the West.
These lights, placed atop Black Mountain by Bahá’ís in North Maricopa County, Arizona, are a real ‘traffic stopper’ each year during the Riḍván period.
Ariz. Bahá’ís Light Up Mountain Towns[edit]
Residents of Cave Creek and Carefree, Arizona, look for a string of lights each April at the summit of Black Mountain. Many of them know that local Bahá’ís are responsible for the nighttime illumination from the mountain that overlooks the towns.
A group of 10 believers, along with some children, made the climb this year to the summit of the 3,100-foot mountain during the last three nights of Riḍván. Nine propane lanterns were placed at intervals along a ridge from the summit.
Bahá’ís from the North Maricopa County Bahá’í community have been making evening trips to the mountaintop during Riḍván for the last nine years.
At the summit, prayers for teaching are read. When seekers join the group, as was the case one evening this Riḍván, a mountaintop fireside is held.
The nighttime illumination is often a traffic-stopper, according to Thomas Collier, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of North Maricopa County.
“The display is visible from most parts of both towns,” he says, “and even as far as 20 miles away. Local townspeople look forward to the event.”
This year the local weekly newspaper published a time-exposure photo of the display accompanied by an explanation of Riḍván.
Your Turn[edit]
Continued from Page 11
have a problem, and that this problem must be consciously addressed. Too often, Bahá’ís believe that there are no problems of prejudice within the community, or that if there are, the solutions to these problems should come about unconsciously. Therefore, deliberate efforts to address the question of racial or ethnic prejudice are discounted. The friends should constantly be exhorted to mix and to confront their own prejudices.
“2. The committees that are appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly or by any Local Spiritual Assembly should always reflect the unity of mankind. This will allow all elements in the community a voice in community affairs. It also will provide an opportunity for close collaboration and the growth of real friendships between ethnic and racial groups.
“3. There is a need for workshops, conferences and seminars on the culture and history of various minority groups. Bahá’ís are often naive and uninformed about such matters. They are also often smug and arrogant about their freedom from prejudice. The Bahá’í community could learn much from other groups about techniques for the elimination of unconscious prejudice.
“Such discussions should always approach the problem in a positive way. Perhaps conferences could be called to discuss the question of ‘racial unity,’ rather than the problem of racial prejudice. The methods used should always be positive and encouraging, rather than negative or accusing.”
the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles
Grounds[edit]
Continued from Page 15
Mr. Lopez, “to do for this holy place what should be done with so few people and so small a budget.
“Our objective is simply to do the best professional job we are capable of doing, and to provide the best possible setting for this precious jewel that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has set in the heart of America.
“The Master spoke of the mystical bond between all living things,” he says. “Plants that are loved and cared for do respond in a positive way.
“We are grateful for comments from the public and the friends concerning the beauty of the grounds at the House of Worship. One of the great rewards of working here is that people express their appreciation to us each day.”
Bahá’í House of Worship Wilmette, Illinois
Summer Hours: May 15 to October 14
- Auditorium
- 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Open for Worship)
- 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Open to Visitors)
- Visitors Center in Foundation Hall
- 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Book Shop
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday Activities
- Devotional Program—3 p.m.
- Public Meeting—3:45 p.m.
Information on transportation, food and lodging is available from the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Garden Teaching Spurs Summer Evenings at House of Worship[edit]
One of the more unusual activities at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is garden teaching.
Every Friday and Saturday evening during the summer, after the House of Worship closes its doors to the public at 10 o’clock, a group of dedicated Bahá’ís moves into the gardens to await the coming of late-night visitors.
Upon approaching the main gate, visitors are met by a member of the Garden Teaching Committee who informs them that the House of Worship and its grounds are closed to visitors and invites them to enter one of the gardens to talk to a Bahá’í about the Faith.
Each year some 2,000 people are taught this way in the gardens. The teaching ends at midnight.
Said one Bahá’í: “This is the easiest form of teaching possible; direct teaching in which we are being approached by people, instead of the other way around.”
If you enjoy teaching and will be in the vicinity of the House of Worship this summer, plan to spend an evening or more teaching in the gardens.
Briefings on garden teaching are held in the House of Worship at 9:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday for those who wish to participate.
Participants in the Special Visit Program at the Bahá’í National Center from June 19–22 included (front row left to right) David Crenshaw, Karen Schmolze, Gwen Ensley, Pamela Batte, Kathy Davison, Dorothy Chamberlin, Nancy McCann, Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office coordinator Gazzal Towfiq; (second row left to right) Katie Farrar, Firooz Oskooi, Parvaneh Oskooi, Freddie Baker, Ramona Page, Karen Blankenburg, Chris Humble; and (third row left to right) Dennis Neil, Jim Martin, Herbert Baker, Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office coordinator Michael Carr, Scott Engstrom, Linda Gershuny, Sine Skaggs. Not pictured are Donna and Gene Romming. The visitors came from Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin, as well as from Barbados, Canada and Haiti.
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PERSIAN PAGE
[Page 19]
PERSIAN PAGE
[Page 20]
PERSIAN PAGE
[Page 21]
Bessie Arthur, a member of the Bahá’í community of Seal Beach, California, is shown with an exhibit of nine handcrafted dolls from around the world that was displayed at the three public libraries in Seal Beach to commemorate the International Year of the Child. Mrs. Arthur procured the dolls from Bahá’í friends in Salem, Oregon.
‘Bahá’í Week’ set in Largo, Florida[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Largo, Florida, is planning a series of proclamation events entitled “Bahá’í Week” in Largo from November 2–9.
In connection with the event, children from all over the U.S. are being invited to submit artwork or a drawing with the theme “The World Through the Eyes of a Bahá’í Child.” Those drawings and other works of art will be displayed in Largo during Bahá’í Week.
All work must be submitted by October 1, 1980, to Mrs. Ingrid Lanier, 839 6th Avenue S.W., Largo, FL 33540.
Please include the child’s name, age, city and state. All Bahá’í communities are encouraged to support their children in this proclamation event.
Correction[edit]
In the March 1980 issue of Bahá’í News, the statement is made (on page 17) that Lowell Johnson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of South Africa, had recently visited the U.S., and that one of his purposes in coming was to encourage believers from this country, blacks in particular, to pioneer to South Africa.
The statement was only partly correct. In fact, blacks are not permitted to settle in South Africa. Mr. Johnson was inviting blacks from the U.S. to consider pioneering to Bophuthatswana (slated to form its National Assembly in 1981), Namibia and Venda, where racial laws have been repealed and blacks are now welcome.
While here, Mr. Johnson encouraged whites and Persians to settle in South Africa as well as in the other three states mentioned.
During Intercalary Days, the Bahá’í community of North Las Vegas, Nevada, presented the book The Gift and the record album Lote Tree to the North Las Vegas public library.
Shown making the presentation to library administrator Mrs. Thomasine Carson (right) is Mrs. Diane Wingate, representing the Spiritual Assembly of North Las Vegas.
Ten-year-old Jane Lisezski of Wright County, Minnesota, is a kid teacher who teaches teachers. No kidding! Jane has taught the Faith to three teachers at her school and given them Bahá’í literature. She obtained a ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ T-shirt at February’s Spiritual Enrichment Institute in Minnesota, and has taught another 25 people about the Faith as a result of questions that have arisen about the T-shirt. One woman is coming to Jane’s home for a fireside and to see filmstrips about the Faith. The Bahá’ís of Wright County call Jane a remarkable 10-year-old Bahá’í teacher.
Auxiliary Board member Jalíl Mahmoudi presented a deepening April 6 on ‘family life and the spiritual psychology of child raising’ to Bahá’ís in California District No. 2 at the San Clemente Community Center. The deepening was followed by a fireside and entertainment.
Members of the Bahá’í children’s class in Green Bay, Wisconsin, presented a short play during the community’s Naw-Rúz party at which they wore costumes from various parts of the world. Four non-Bahá’í children, who are regular members of the class, participated in the observance.
Soo Fouts, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, had an opportunity last November and December to meet and talk with Bahá’ís in many countries during a unique around-the-world business trip. Mrs. Fouts’ journey, which began in Miami, Florida, took her to Honolulu, Makawao and Maui, Hawaii; Tokyo; Hong Kong; Macao; Shumchun, China; Taipei and Taiwan, Formosa; Bangkok, Thailand; Bombay; Frankfurt, Germany; Rome; London and Paris, before she returned to the U.S. via New York. Along the way Mrs. Fouts attended a number of firesides, deepenings and other meetings with the friends in those countries including many pioneers from America. In the photo at left above, Mrs. Fouts is shown with a group of Bahá’ís in Taiwan. Seated to her right is Marie Tom, whose husband, Victor, is a Chinese-American pioneer from California. Mr. Tom was ill and unable to attend the meeting. Above right, Mrs. Fouts meets with Bahá’í children in Maui, Hawaii.
Idea Exchange[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Jackson County, Oregon, are putting into practice the concept that work done in a spirit of service to mankind is equivalent to worship. They planned to hold a community service project to clean up the old Jacksonville Cemetery in commemoration of the Declaration of the Báb.
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Welcoming the Persian friends into the American Bahá’í community is a goal of the Bahá’ís of Montgomery County Southeast, Maryland. They have begun holding more social events, hosted by various members of the community, are getting to know the new Persian friends as well as other members of the community, and are developing a true sense of family.
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In Fort Collins, Colorado, the Assembly recently met with the children of the Bahá’í community to explain the Assembly’s function, the work of its officers, and its relationship to the Bahá’í community. In particular, it emphasized how it plans community activities and that it is there to help with any problems.
The attitude of the children changed dramatically. They now feel they are a part of the community, feel closer to the Assembly, and are beginning to look forward to coming to Feast. The Assembly is now considering holding a similar meeting with the community’s Bahá’í youth.
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Do you know of an idea that has worked well in your community? We’d like to hear it. Send it to the Idea Exchange, in care of the Department of Community Administration, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
[Page 22]
PUBLICATIONS
Attending a meeting June 2-3 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, sponsored by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust to help work out a publishing program for children and youth were (front row left to right) Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor at the Publishing Trust, Mrs. Deborah Christensen, Dr. Susan Theroux, Mrs. Barbara Marino, representing the National Education Committee, and (back row left to right) Dr. Geoffrey W. Marks, Mrs. Amy Marks, Dr. Philip Christensen.
Trust hosts 2nd meeting to unfold children’s plan[edit]
The second in a series of meetings called to develop a publishing program for children and youth was held June 2–3 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
The gathering, sponsored by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, was convened to work out a systematic plan to produce materials for 1- to 15-year-olds.
ATTENDING the meeting were Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust; Dr. Philip Christensen, director of the Learning Resources Center at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall; Mrs. Deborah Christensen, author of the Sunflower Books for children and My Baby Book, all recently released by the Publishing Trust; Mrs. Barbara Marino, representing the National Education Committee; Dr. Geoffrey W. Marks, assistant to the Secretary for Community Administration at the Bahá’í National Center; Mrs. Amy Marks, a doctoral candidate in marketing at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; and Dr. Susan Theroux, assistant professor of education at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
The group began by listing general considerations appropriate to Bahá’í materials for children and youth.
For example, materials must respect the integrity of the child’s soul and intelligence.
In addition, all materials should meet the developmental needs of the child, should attract him or her to God and Bahá’u’lláh in a positive manner, kindle the spirit, and cultivate a thirst for learning.
The group then created a list of materials appropriate for four age groups and assigned priorities. The age groups identified were 1–3, 3–7, 7–11, and 11–15 years of age.
“We had done several recent books for 3- to 7-year-olds,” said Dr. Fisher, “and we needed to work out in greater detail the types of materials best suited for that group, as well as for the 1–3, 7–11 and 11–15 age groups.”
With that in mind, developmental characteristics for the four age groups were identified, and a listing of materials appropriate for each in light of the Bahá’í Writings was compiled.
Afterward, priorities for each age group were established; that is, which materials should be produced first.
Another important outcome of the meeting was an agreement by Dr. Marks to coordinate the gathering of materials for a modular handbook for parents.
The handbook is to include sections on reading to children, proper nutrition, an annotated bibliography of non-Bahá’í books for Bahá’í parents to draw on, and so forth.
‘Circle of Unity’ booklet released[edit]
Circle of Unity, a more general version of the popular Sequoyah presentation booklet, was released by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust at the Bahá’í Native Council held July 11–13 in Wilmette, Illinois.
Revised by the American Indian Teaching Committee, Circle of Unity is a proclamation to Native Americans from the Bahá’í Faith “in recognition of their contributions to American culture.”
It has been designed as a handsome but inexpensive presentation gift to tribal leaders.
The booklet relates Native Americans, through a common history, to the basic aims and Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, and introduces them to the national and world scope of the Faith.
The booklet can be ordered through Bahá’í community librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 (Catalog No. 7-41-09, $1).
‘Concordance’ tops new fare[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust’s list of summer releases includes one new book, a new pamphlet, a revised pamphlet, and several booklets.
The book is A Concordance to The Hidden Words, compiled by Dr. Jalíl Mahmoudi.
DR. MAHMOUDI’S work, the first concordance to cover an entire Bahá’í book, was prepared to aid the reader in finding quotations easily. Nearly every word in The Hidden Words (except articles, conjunctions, interjections, and common prepositions) is recorded in alphabetical order, and every phrase in which the word appears is listed under that word’s entry.
The Hand of the Cause of God A.Q. Faizí has written a foreword for the book.
Three new compilations are being prepared—Centers of Bahá’í Learning, The Continental Boards of Counselors, and Spiritual Foundations.
Centers of Bahá’í Learning contains extracts from the writings of Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice on Bahá’í schools and teaching institutes. Many of these extracts have not been available before.
Among the topics covered are the importance and purpose of Bahá’í schools, courses and curricula, youth activities, and prospects for the future.
The Continental Boards of Counselors, prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly, is the most extensive compilation to date of letters and cables from the Universal House of Justice explaining the role of the Continental Boards of Counselors and Auxiliary Boards.
THE COMPILATION concludes with an address on the Continental Boards of Counselors by Counsellor Edna M. True.
Spiritual Foundations, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, contains many extracts, some not previously published, on prayer, meditation, and the devotional attitude.
Becoming Your True Self, the popular pamphlet by Daniel C. Jordan, will be available this summer in a revised edition.
The essay describes the nature of human potential and explains how the Bahá’í Faith enables the individual to release that potential.
In Search of the Supreme Talisman, a companion piece to Becoming Your True Self, also by Daniel C. Jordan, gives a Bahá’í perspective on education.
Details on all these new materials will be announced in upcoming issues of The American Bahá’í.
Duplicating albums discouraged[edit]
It has come to the attention of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust that some of the friends have been duplicating Bahá’í record albums on cassette tapes and giving or selling them to others.
The friends should be advised that duplicating record albums in this way is not only illegal, it also undercuts the financial resources of the Publishing Trust, a vital arm of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Duplicating albums makes the prices go up since demand goes down, thereby limiting the variety and quality of items the Publishing Trust is able to produce.
Duplication, or “bootlegging,” as it is sometimes called, also causes an incorrect assessment of demand for albums. Consequently, the Publishing Trust may decide not to produce new albums because it is thought that not enough people want them.
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Been waiting for the perfect introduction to the Faith for your public library?
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era is back in print in a handsome revised edition. This “authoritative and comprehensive introduction to Bahá’í history and teachings” should be on every library shelf. Catalog No. 7-31-04 Cloth $12.00 |
Irene Atkinson, representing the newly formed Spiritual Assembly of Portage, Michigan, presents a copy of the book Call to the Nations and some pamphlets to Mayor Engel Corstange. On April 13, the mayor attended the Assembly’s dedication ceremony. He mentioned having read and enjoyed the literature, added his appreciation for the Bahá’í Teachings of love and unity, and expressed a wish that the Faith would grow and prosper in Portage.
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Members of the Spiritual Assembly of Rolling Hills Estates, California, are shown during the Assembly’s Recognition Ceremony April 7 at the Palos Verdes Library. Seated (left to right) are Jinous Mirhashemi (treasurer), Barbara Markert (secretary), Nouranieh Sabai, and Farkhondeh Khajehnassiri; standing (left to right) are Lynden Gouchenour, Shureh Taylor, Hassan Khajehnassiri (vice-chairman), Sholeh Sabai, and Khalil Sabai (chairman).
53 Attend St. Paul Women’s Meeting[edit]
Beth McKenty, a Bahá’í journalist from Minneapolis, was the featured speaker May 17 at a Regional Bahá’í Women’s Conference in St. Paul that was attended by 53 Bahá’ís.
Also participating in the daylong event was Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland.
A “silent auction” held during the conference, which was sponsored by the Bahá’í Metro Women’s Committee, raised $235.50 for the Universal House of Justice.
Mrs. McKenty, reading passages from the journal of a woman compiled during a pilgrimage in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, related stories of Martha Root, Marion Jack and other early Bahá’í women, and urged her audience to start their own journals that evening so that history would not be lost.
“The world is clinging to an outworn garment that has served its purpose,” Mr. Birkland said during the afternoon session, using a tattered football jersey to illustrate the point.
Also during the afternoon, Mrs. McKenty introduced the Mahboobipoor family, who were pioneers from Iran to Afghanistan.
They managed to leave the country before the Russian invasion and are now living in Mankato, Minnesota.
With great emotion, the Mahboobipoors told the friends that they had done nothing. Bahá’u’lláh, they said, had given them the bounty of pioneering.
Small group discussions were an important part of the Regional Bahá’í Women’s Conference held May 17 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The gathering was sponsored by the Bahá’í Metro Women’s Committee.
Colorado Family Has Deepening Plan to Enhance Children’s Spiritual Growth[edit]
The Haug family in Fort Collins, Colorado, has its own deepening program to foster spiritual transformation.
The program involves the study of The Dynamic Force of Example by the children before they enter their teenage years. The book is one of the volumes in the Comprehensive Deepening Program.
“We’ve found it extremely useful,” says Mrs. Jolie Haug, “because it stresses practical application and presents concepts in a way that children and parents can understand and apply.
“IT HAS MADE the children more conscious of how they can improve their characters. It gives them a frame of reference different from the cues of the society around them.”
Mrs. Haug first took their eldest child, Linda, now 13, through the book when she was nine. Every night, Linda read a few paragraphs with her mother and discussed how they applied to her life experience.
Danny, 12, is now going through the book with his father, Peter Haug. Tommy, age 10, soon will have the same experience.
Linda, referring to her own deepening experience with the book, says, “I liked it. It helped me understand my brothers better.”
She adds that it made her more compassionate and helped her to realize that her brothers were developing as she was.
The book also helped in her relationships at school, says Linda.
“A LOT OF KIDS at school have fights,” she says, “and they break up and come back together, then have fights again.”
Reading The Dynamic Force of Example, she says, “helped me to control myself. I laugh more than they can.”
Linda also feels that the book has enhanced her understanding of the Faith.
“When I was younger,” she says, “I thought I understood it, and when I grew older I didn’t understand it so much, and then when I read it (the book), I understood it again.”
Mrs. Haug also points out that reading the book has helped her children learn new words.
“They’ve learned many words,” she says, “and those words have become a part of their vocabulary.”
Since reading The Dynamic Force of Example, Linda Haug has kept on reading. She is now working on Release the Sun, and has read God Loves Laughter several times.
Other materials about the Faith she has read include The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh and the pamphlet Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Stanwood Cobb.
More than 120 Bahá’ís from eastern Pennsylvania attended a recent fund-raising program in Pottstown sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. The event raised $7,200 for the construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. Many of the items offered for sale or auction were specially made by the friends for this event. Bahá’ís from many communities in eastern Pennsylvania helped organize the program.
In Memoriam[edit]
- Douglas Addison
- Columbia, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Carl Johnson Bryant
- Kingstree, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Leo Carter Jr.
- Orangeburg, S.C.
- May 25, 1980
- Mrs. Petra Chavez
- Sonora, Texas
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Christine Davis
- Varnville, S.C.
- May 26, 1980
- Mrs. Chepa Franco
- Tucson, Arizona
- February 1980
- Mrs. Alma Glassman
- Deerfield Beach, Fla.
- May 1980
- Pascual Gomez
- Sonora, Texas
- Date Unknown
- James Green
- Manor, Texas
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Beryl F. Miller
- Roosevelt Park, Mich.
- May 18, 1980
- William George Nelson
- Greenville, Texas
- May 6, 1980
- Mrs. Juanita Netels
- Salters, S. Carolina
- April 19, 1980
- Aaron Reed
- Chicago, Illinois
- February 29, 1980
- Mrs. Elsa Robinson
- Niles, Illinois
- February 6, 1980
- Mrs. Ethel Mae Salazar
- Adrian, Michigan
- June 2, 1980
- Mrs. Petra Sanchez
- Sonora, Texas
- Date Unknown
- Ralph E. Shuler
- Paso Robles, Calif.
- June 2, 1980
- Mrs. Kobra H. Soltani
- Tehran, Iran
- July 11, 1974
- Mrs. Bernice Stroessler
- Pacific Grove, Calif.
- May 21, 1980
- Mrs. Hannah Taylor
- Marion, S. Carolina
- Date Unknown
- George James Vaughn III
- Carmel Valley, Calif.
- May 11, 1980
- Franklin Delano Walker
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- May 10, 1980
Nearly 300 from U.S., Canada Attend Washington Conference[edit]
More than 230 adult Bahá’ís and 60 children from the U.S. and Canada participated at Anacortes, Washington, June 14–15 in the first Washington/British Columbia Bahá’í Teaching Conference.
Speakers included Auxiliary Board members Opal Conner of Seattle, Washington, and Peggy Ross of British Columbia. Also participating were Dr. Glen Eyford and Mrs. Ruth Eyford, members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.
THE CONFERENCE, encouraged by the National Spiritual Assemblies of Canada and the U.S. as a means of promoting greater cooperation in teaching efforts between the two countries, was planned and hosted by the District Teaching Committee of Northwest Washington.
More than 45 localities were represented including Bahá’ís from New York, Iran and the Cook Islands.
The gathering included workshop sessions on Asian, Indian and team teaching; the role of Bahá’í women; Bahá’í education; youth in study and service; the role of Spiritual Assemblies in Bahá’í community life; media proclamation; and Bahá’í family life.
Each session was offered twice to give the friends an opportunity to attend two of them.
Said one workshop participant: “Never have I experienced being in a group of Bahá’ís where everyone was so open and frank with one another.”
Another believer observed: “So many ideas were brought forth, yet we found ourselves in perfect agreement.”
The two-day conference included children’s classes, group singing, folk dancing, a public proclamation, consultation and fellowship.
“For me,” said Miss Ross, “this conference is a dream come true.”
THE AUXILIARY Board member shared a formula she developed during a difficult period for the teaching work in Canada. She calls it “the four ENs.”
First, she said, is ENthusiasm: “We could double our numbers if we could maintain our radiance.”
Next comes ENdeavor: “God never asks the impossible from us, but He can make the impossible possible.”
Third is ENdurance: “Never give up.” And finally, ENcouragement: “We need it more than anyone else.”
Mrs. Conner urged those attending to look always for opportunities to teach the Faith.
“We must become the substitutes for those Persian believers who are now unable to teach,” she said.
A workshop session on Asian teaching at the first Washington/British Columbia Bahá’í Teaching Conference held June 14–15 at Anacortes, Washington. Auxiliary Board member Peggy Ross of British Columbia is seated second from right.
Above: Wesley Baker sings at the Washington/British Columbia Teaching Conference. Right: Dr. Glen Eyford of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada addresses the conference.
The University of North Dakota Bahá’í Club took advantage of this spring’s annual pow wow to present a portrait of a distinguished Native American believer to the campus Native American Cultural Center. Alyce Blue (at right), a local Bahá’í artist, painted the portrait of Alvina Alberts (left photo), a Bahá’í from the Devil’s Lake Sioux Reservation who has served tirelessly in many capacities, seeking to improve the life of the Indian people. An engraved shield describing Mrs. Alberts as a ‘Handmaiden of the Spirit’ and designating the Bahá’í Club as the donor was given. Members of the Grand Forks Bahá’í community joined in an honor dance for Mrs. Alberts during which the portrait was shown to the audience.