The American Bahá’í/Volume 12/Issue 7/Text
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Message of sympathy sent to Catholics[edit]
HIS EMINENCE JOHN CARDINAL CODY
ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO
PERMIT US THROUGH YOUR KIND OFFICES TO CONVEY TO THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF THE UNITED STATES THE DEEP SORROW OF THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY THAT A DASTARDLY ATTEMPT WAS MADE ON THE NOBLE LIFE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II, A MAN BELOVED AND RESPECTED BY ALL FAIR-MINDED PEOPLE FOR HIS DEVOTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS AND WHO DESERVES THEREBY TO BE HONORED AND TREASURED BY A WORLD SADLY SINKING IN THE RAVAGES OF VIOLENCE. OUR SENTIMENTS ARE EXPRESSED WITH THE FULL FERVOR OF THE COMMITMENT OF THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY TO THE UNITY OF MANKIND AND WORLD PEACE, PRINCIPLES FOR WHICH THOUSANDS OF OUR IRANIAN BRETHREN HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY AND FOR WHICH SOME ARE EVEN NOW BEING MARTYRED IN IRAN IN THESE SO-CALLED MODERN DAYS, OFTEN IN THE UTTER SILENCE OF A DISTRACTED HUMANITY. BE ASSURED OF OUR PRAYERS AT THE BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP HERE FOR HIS HOLINESS’S RAPID RECOVERY AND QUICK RETURN TO HIS GOOD WORKS.
Bahá’ís of the United States
May 14, 1981
House of Báb site to face obliteration[edit]
PROFOUNDLY DISTRESSED OMINOUS NEWS IMMINENT OBLITERATION SITE BLESSED HOUSE BÁB BY AUTHORITIES SHIRAZ IN IMPLEMENTATION PLANS DRAWN UP SEVERAL MONTHS AGO BUILD ROAD AND PUBLIC SQUARE. OCCUPANTS ADJACENT HOUSES MOST OF WHICH HAD BEEN ACQUIRED BY BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY AS PROTECTION HOLY HOUSE NOW ORDERED VACATE HOUSES PRELIMINARY COMMENCEMENT PROJECT THIS WEEK. RECALL WHEN BAB’S HOUSE WAS CONFISCATED GOVERNMENT ALLEGED STEP TAKEN AS PROTECTION HOLY PLACE, WHEN HOUSE DESTROYED GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED ACT TO UNRULY MOB, BUT THIS DEVELOPMENT NOW TOTALLY BELIES SUCH ALLEGATIONS SHOWS OFFICIAL DELIBERATE SYSTEMATIC DESIGN ERADICATION BAHÁ’Í HOLY PLACES AFTER THEIR CONFISCATION, IN ADDITION TO HARASSMENT PRESSURE ON INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS RECANT THEIR FAITH ON PAIN LOSING JOBS PENSIONS DEPRIVATION CIVIL RIGHTS IMPRISONMENT EXECUTION ASSASSINATION.
MAY 26, 1981
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The above cablegram from the Universal House of Justice describes in detail the latest outrage against the Faith planned and carried out by government authorities in Iran.
Since the revolution in February 1978 that toppled the Sháh and brought the Islamic Revolutionary Government to power, that government has consistently denied its involvement in any systematic campaign of persecution or harassment against members of the Bahá’í Faith.
NOW, HOWEVER, the House of the Báb in Shíráz, the holiest Bahá’í Shrine in Iran, confiscated by the government in March 1978 as a “protective measure,” and desecrated in September 1979 by what government officials said was an unruly mob, is to be obliterated, with the knowledge and approval of those same government officials.
Since the Islamic Revolution Bahá’ís in Iran have been imprisoned, stripped of their means of livelihood, their properties confiscated. Others have been martyred, including seven believers in Yazd last September.
The members of the National
Louhelen School plans nearing critical stage[edit]
The Louhelen Bahá’í School, designated by the National Spiritual Assembly as the central parent-child training center for the United States, is nearing a critical point in its plans for development.
Only $450,000 of the $1.25 million needed by August 31 to begin construction of the school has been raised.
THE AUGUST deadline is critical because the National Spiritual Assembly is required by law to return all monies raised through the sale of promissory notes if the goal is not reached by that time.
This would result in an indefinite postponement of our plans for the school’s development.
The loss of this opportunity to rebuild the Louhelen School would be a severe blow to our community. The school is too important not to be supported by every means possible.
Not only will Louhelen be used as a resource and study center for Bahá’í schools, Assemblies and Groups in the U.S., but developments made there will assist the entire Bahá’í world.
The National Spiritual Assembly envisions the new Louhelen School as a worldwide resource and study center for creating new concepts and curricula for Bahá’í schools.
Let’s build this important “seat
| What’s inside
THE ATLANTA, Georgia, Bahá’í community sponsors a seminar on “The Violence-Free Society.” Page 4 THE FIRST “Youth for One World” convention is held in Redlands, California. Page 6 THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly appoints new regional committees for Asian and Spanish teaching. Page 11 THE WRITER-producer-director of “Fireside Playhouse” shares the behind-the-scenes story of its development. Page 15 “IYAMA” stars in “Rhythm of Growth” film. Page 17 |
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem (left) shares a lighter moment with Counsellor Angus Cowan during the ‘Spiritual Enrichment’ conference May 22-25 in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Counsellors, Board members hold ‘enrichment’ conference[edit]
“Spiritual Enrichment” was the theme of a conference May 22-25 in Lincolnwood, Illinois, sponsored by the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas (northern zone) and its Auxiliary Board members.
The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem participated in the conference with eight Counsellors, representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada, and the U.S., and 42 Auxiliary Board members from those countries and Mexico.
IT WAS NOTED that major objectives of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan are shared collectively by northern zone countries of the Americas, with few exceptions.
To achieve these goals, Mr. Khadem urged Board members to let their hearts tell them what to do, beginning with a change in their own hearts, becoming enkindled by love for Bahá’u’lláh.
To help clarify the question of how free Auxiliary Board members are as individuals to undertake Bahá’í service not necessarily related to their activities as Board
A big step forward[edit]
The issue of The American Bahá’í you are holding marks another milestone in its development.
For the first time since its inception more than a decade ago, the paper has been typeset in the Periodicals Office at the Bahá’í National Center.
The new equipment will help cut the time and expense involved in producing the paper, and, we hope, will lead to even further improvements in the months and years ahead.
Task force explores teaching plans[edit]
A task force consisting of four members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas and three members of the National Spiritual Assembly met May 28-29 in Lincolnwood, Illinois, to explore methods for expansion and consolidation of the Faith with the goal of determining what is most effective in the direct teaching of minorities and in international border teaching campaigns.
The two-day meeting, attended by Counsellors Farzam Arbáb, Sarah M. Pereira, Fred Schechter and Velma Sherrill and National Spiritual Assembly members Dwight W. Allen, Magdalene M. Carney and Soo Fouts, included a review of all available materials on expansion and consolidation.
The task force drew up plans for experimental teaching campaigns in specific localities in the U.S. Results of its consultation will be reported to the Board of Counsellors for the Americas and to the National Spiritual Assembly.
The creation of the task force was one result of the joint meeting February 21 in Wilmette of 10 members of the Board of Counsellors and the nine members of the National Assembly.
The long-range goal is to take full advantage of all that has been learned in the Americas about the twin processes of expansion and consolidation.
Participants at the February meeting felt that the success of future efforts in the U.S. would exert a favorable influence on similar direct teaching efforts elsewhere in the world, and that the collaboration of the Board of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assembly in this work would be vital to its success.
Growth pattern creates ‘rhythm’ for community[edit]
“The Bahá’í world community, growing like a healthy new body, develops new cells, new organs, new functions and powers as it presses on to its maturity ...”
•
Growth has a pattern. When a pattern is expressed through time, it produces a rhythm.
If the Bahá’í community is like a growing new body, it too will have a pattern—a rhythm.
TO FEEL the rhythm of the Cause is to feel its vitality and power, and to respond to the rhythm is to fit one’s life into the pattern.
The pattern of growth within the Faith is essentially a rhythmic alternation of expansion (producing new cells) and consolidation (developing new organs, which are composed of many cells organized or consolidated so that they generate new powers and new functions).
Each Bahá’í, therefore, is like a tiny cell whose job is to multiply (expand) while always becoming integrated with the other cells
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Editorial
Assemblies needn’t solve all problems[edit]
In this turbulent age, when the world is moving deeper into the heart of darkness, Local Spiritual Assemblies, whether they be new and inexperienced or old and seasoned, seem to be deluged with personal problems.
Often the problems of individuals consume a disproportionate share of an Assembly’s time and keep it from dealing with the teaching work, which is its paramount responsibility.
WHILE THERE ARE some types of human problems with which a Local Spiritual Assembly must deal, particularly those that involve violations of Bahá’í law and standards, not all personal problems need to come before the Local Spiritual Assembly.
The following explanation, excerpted from a letter from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, dated March 19, 1973, and published in the recently released compilation on consultation, indicates that there are other avenues that can be pursued:
“When a believer has a problem concerning which he must make a decision, he has several courses open to him. If it is a matter that affects the interests of the Faith he should consult with the appropriate Assembly or committee, but individuals have many problems which are purely personal and there is no obligation upon them to take such problems to the institutions of the Faith; indeed, when the needs of the teaching work are of such urgency it is better if the friends will not burden their Assemblies with personal problems that they can solve by themselves.
“A Bahá’í who has a problem may wish to make his own decision upon it after prayer and after weighing all the aspects of it in his own mind; he may prefer to seek the counsel of individual friends or of professional counselors such as his doctor or lawyer so that he can consider such advice when making his decision; or in a case where several people are involved, such as a family situation, he may want to gather together those who are affected so that they may arrive at a collective decision. There is also no objection whatever to a Bahá’í asking a group of people to consult together on a problem facing him.
“IT SHOULD BE BORNE in mind that all consultation is aimed at arriving at a solution to a problem and is quite different from the sort of group baring of the soul that is popular in some circles these days and which borders on the kind of confession that is forbidden in the Faith.
“On the subject of confession the Guardian’s secretary wrote on his behalf to an individual believer: ‘We are forbidden to confess to any person, as do the Catholics to their priests, our sins and shortcomings, or to do so in public, as some religious sects do. However, if we spontaneously desire to acknowledge we have been wrong in something, or that we have some fault of character, and ask another person’s forgiveness or pardon, we are quite free to do so. The Guardian wants to point out, however, that we are not obliged to do so. It rests entirely with the individual.’ ”
As the Faith expands and the demands on Local Spiritual Assemblies become greater, the friends need to find ways of dealing with their problems that are effective, in keeping with the tenets of the Faith, and that do not unnecessarily sap the vital energies of the Local Spiritual Assembly.
Likewise, Local Spiritual Assemblies need to acknowledge that they are not obligated to accept every problem brought to them and can advise the friends to seek guidance through other means at their disposal.
N.Y. Times editorial decries persecution of Faith in Iran[edit]
The persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran is the topic of an editorial that appeared April 27 in The New York Times.
The editorial, headlined “Iran’s Newest Victims,” describes the Faith as “an unoffending creed with no friends in power in Iran.”
After documenting some of the abuses committed against the Faith in Iran and touching briefly on its history, the Times editorial goes on to say that the Faith “has evolved into an independent world religion,” the first time such a statement has appeared in a newspaper of its size and prestige.
The editorial ends by saying that “Iran’s third-world friends have an obligation to speak out, before another religious bloodletting shames a supposedly modern world.”
How to take full advantage of all that has been learned in the Americas about the twin processes of expansion and consolidation was the topic of consultation for this seven-member task force that met May 28-29 in Lincolnwood, Illinois. Task force members are (left to right) Counsellors Velma Sherrill, Fred Schechter and Sarah M. Pereira; National Spiritual Assembly members Dwight Allen, Soo Fouts and Magdalene Carney; and Counsellor Farzam Arbáb. (Article on Page 1)
Comment
Community should help prepare its youth for college experience[edit]
By MRS. BETTY NEYMAN
Considering the stresses and chaos of present-day society, are Bahá’í parents and communities properly preparing youth for what they must face when they are away from home for the first time?
As adults we have gained valuable experience and insight. As a group, and as individuals, we should be making strong attempts to help our more inexperienced youth adjust to these rapidly changing conditions.
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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. |
AS PARENTS we know there are certain limitations in guiding youth who are working to establish their own identity and grow into mature and responsible members of society.
Yet we can continue to set guidelines. In our workshops, study classes, and youth conferences, we have much to do to aid the maturing process.
But are we doing enough? And if not, what should we do more of, or differently?
What can the Bahá’í community do to help its college-bound youth, most of whom are away from home for the first time?
Should there be a special liaison committee between the home community and college community? How do we help the student who is an isolated believer?
These are questions that I believe require greater attention.
The American Bahá’í welcomes columns of commentary from the friends. If you have something you’d like to say, we would be happy to consider it for publication in this space. Please send typewritten manuscripts (no more than four pages double-spaced) to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, IL 60091. Articles are subject to editing, and none can be returned.
| This month’s column, “Preparing Bahá’í Children for College,” was written by Betty Neyman of Evanston, Illinois. |
If our youth are to teach other youth effectively, they must first be secure in their own situation. If they are not, their teaching efforts will suffer, and they will reflect their insecurity to others.
THIS ARTICLE was inspired in part by a letter from a young woman who is now in college.
A Bahá’í since age 15, she was a leader in her home community, serving as secretary of the regional youth coordinating committee as a junior in high school, and as president during her senior year. Twice she helped teach the Faith in South Carolina.
The letter says in part:
“I have a racial and class analysis from my studies and experiences that says to me that being a good, loving person and seeking a secure job in the middle classes is not enough.
“If I work for a corporation that is oppressing people in Latin America, then who am I helping? Mainly myself. Building something for poor people who desperately need good health care is far more important ...
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The Fund Is the Life-Blood of the Faith 112 Linden Avenue, |
“Marxism is another term that is disliked by many who don’t really know what it is. I’ve found that it’s a theory, an analysis, and I use that analysis in many situations.
“I don’t follow Marxism as I would a religion, but I don’t discredit it either. Terms such as Communism and Marxism are used to denote a denial of one’s freedom, but what we don’t always see is that capitalism also denies freedom because it is losing its financial investments in countries if it doesn’t do this, and these countries are struggling to find a better life.
“ ...THERE IS no freedom in working 10 to 12 hours a day in the fields or canneries—and if this is such a free country, especially in terms of capital and a free market system, then why does 5 per cent of the U.S. population own 53 per cent of the country’s assets, a figure I learned from The New York Times.
“I’ve noticed that in the Bahá’í Faith a lot of emphasis is placed on securing a career, then serving the Faith by teaching. I haven’t found my place or set path in life, but that is not how I want to do it.
“I think one loves God more when he does more than teach about Him, but lives a life of service through organizing for poor people.
“ ...I have a sense of duty to serve people through more than just words. I don’t like the ‘missionary path’ so well.
“I feel it is very important to meet people’s spiritual needs and base our actions on spiritual principles, but how we go about it is important. I disagree with the emphasis on ‘teach, teach, teach’ instead of ‘serve, serve, serve’—and I don’t agree that the two mean the same thing.
“I think that the teachings of God do not necessarily provide the strategies needed for solutions, and in always dwelling on the goal, and not the strategy, and making numbers the goal, and not a transformation of all aspects of our lives first, we err.
“AT FEAST last night, many of my thoughts about what I’ve been writing were crystallized. I see things about which I disagree with
[Page 3]
LETTERS
Faith should encourage women to seek careers[edit]
To the Editor:
I am disturbed by remarks in a letter published in the February 1981 issue of The American Bahá’í concerning the station of motherhood.
The writer asserted that “the career-minded woman has everything going for her,” while the lack of attention to housewives has driven increasing numbers of them to drink and narcotics.
SHE STATED that the recognition accorded some professional women in Bahá’í publications and in the world at large has made her and many others ashamed to be housewives, and suggested as a remedy for depression among housewives, Bahá’í conferences to honor and explore the station of motherhood.
I am indignant at the assertion that career-minded women have “everything going” for them.
Although American society has progressed greatly in the area of women’s rights, equality has not been attained.
Recent studies have shown that employed women in the U.S. earn only 59 per cent as much as men doing similar work. Sex-based discrimination in hiring, promotion and terms and conditions of employment continue.
While federal and many state laws prohibit such discrimination, such cases are costly and difficult or impossible to prove, so that actual discrimination often goes unremedied.
The very fact that women must resort to the threat of litigation to obtain equitable compensation should be evidence enough that sex-based prejudice persists.
I BELIEVE that the Bahá’í community should not diminish its efforts to encourage women to pursue careers outside the home and otherwise to develop their talents in the service of humanity.
By pursuing a career and rendering service to the fullest extent of her talents, a woman is fulfilling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s exhortation to establish full equality by demonstrating equal ability.
In Paris Talks, the Master says: “Woman must endeavor then to attain greater perfection, to be man’s equal in every respect, to make progress in all in which she has been backward, so that man will be compelled to acknowledge her equality of capacity and attainment.”
And in Bahá’í World Faith (p. 170), Bahá’u’lláh Himself says: “The people of Bahá must not refuse to discharge the due reward of anyone, and must respect the possessors of talent.”
In light of these guidelines, Bahá’í conferences honoring distinguished women and encouraging young women to pursue careers outside the home would be appropriate.
I doubt that recognition given to distinguished women is the cause of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse among housewives.
If a mere contrast in public esteem caused such problems, we could expect similar symptoms among women employed in unglamorous occupations such as waitresses or domestic servants.
MORE LIKELY causes of housewives’ depression, alcoholism and drug abuse are the injustices of our economic and legal systems.
Housewives earn no money they can call their own. Without income, a housewife cannot establish her own credit.
Should a housewife seek employment, she may find that prospective employers don’t regard her years as a housewife as legitimate business experience or as an indication of maturity and ability warranting higher wages than those of high school students.
Further, upon divorce, the ex-housewife’s economic situation is usually bleak. She is typically unable to obtain income at a level comparable to that of her ex-husband.
And oddly, in a society in which creditors’ rights are strong, our legal system is unable effectively to enforce child support orders in many cases.
Bahá’í conferences that exalt the station of motherhood while ignoring these injustices can do little good and much harm.
All of the older religions of the world—certainly those commonly practiced in America—developed in societies that subordinated women and whose members mistrusted women in roles other than those of housewife and mother. A Bahá’í conference exalting motherhood could create the impression that the Bahá’í Faith shares this view of women.
ON THE OTHER hand, in Bahá’í conferences exploring career opportunities for women, we should include the option of being a housewife, which is, after all, a career choice.
Further, we should examine the current inequities in our society as they affect housewives. Only by opening our eyes to these realities can we improve the psychological and spiritual well-being of housewives, and only in this way can we help young women to make informed career choices.
Finally, only by recognizing injustice can we, as Bahá’ís and as good citizens, assist in the remedy.
Peoria, Illinois
To the Editor:
As the joy of the Riḍván season passes to more sobering thoughts, it is imperative that we pause to acknowledge the fact that the U.S. did not reach its goal of 1,650 Local Spiritual Assemblies during the opening phase of the Seven Year Plan.
We are a mature community, and we should be able to face the facts.
IT IS especially sad since we were only 23 Assemblies short of the goal given to us by our Supreme Body, the Universal House of Justice, and which we should have been able to accomplish had none been lost.
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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. |
Experience has taught us that gradual nurturing is the surest way these embryonic institutions of the Faith can develop to the point at which they can function at the first level of what we term Bahá’í administration.
Are there sufficient Local Assemblies and individuals who would be willing to sacrifice some of their time and energy, regularly and methodically, to become, if you will, “surrogate parents” to these mass-taught Assemblies and nurture them toward the first levels of activity?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to render this kind of service to the Cause—to be able to deepen another soul, to see a young Assembly develop from its embryo to a crawling, walking, standing tall and mature institution.
Hopefully, Assemblies all over the country will begin to take under their wings those mass-taught institutions nearby and begin to implement mutually inspiring programs so that some development will be obvious by Riḍván 1982.
Last, but far from least, I send a heart full of love and gratitude to all those who labored so hard in the field, especially the District Teaching Committees, to try and achieve the Assembly goals.
Only Bahá’u’lláh knows of the many sacrifices offered during this difficult period, and only Bahá’u’lláh can adequately bless and confirm these souls.
Atlantic Beach, Florida
To the Editor:
I have followed with interest our national community’s recent efforts to deal with the pernicious remains of racism in our society that has followed all too many of us into the Faith.
It seems to me, however, that this is simply a dramatic instance of a more general failure in the American Bahá’í community—to make the principle of unity in diversity really work.
THIS PRINCIPLE is a wellspring of the power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant that should shine as a beacon to a dissonant, disunited world—that, while diverse, Bahá’ís not only associate in amity but act in unity.
Instead, this light is all too often diffused and diluted by our failure to genuinely incorporate diversity.
All too often the person with a really diverse background or approach is frozen out.
That is to say, his ideas are ignored because they are unfamiliar and make others uncomfortable.
Where we should embrace these differences and incorporate as many of them as possible into the “wisdom of many” which is consultation, we have listened politely, rejected out of hand what is different, and forgotten anything that does not conform to the majority idea of how things should be done.
Those who brought diversity, which should act to freshen and enrich the Faith, have often drifted away. Communities have become ever more homogeneous—and stagnant.
APATHY GNAWS at our resolution, and our lack of action destroys the certitude of even the most faithful.
Let us meditate on the thought that from the clash of differing opinions comes truth.
Let us strive to listen, to open our minds to that often uncomfortable truth. When we learn to practice unity as we utilize diversity, the long-awaited “entry by troops” can become the reality we are promised.
Springfield, Missouri
To the Editor:
The National Spiritual Assembly is to be thanked for organizing the National Convention to provide so much information to those who attended and for making such fine facilities available.
The booths set up by the various national committees and agencies were excellent, as were the new teaching and deepening materials presented.
THE ASSEMBLY is also to be commended for its willingness to be flexible in the actual operation of the program. The Convention was, on the whole, a very good one.
There was one disappointing and confusing aspect, however—the consultation of the delegates.
Not so many years ago, a major function of the Convention was to inform and inspire through the sharing of stories and experiences from around the country by the delegates.
As the Faith has grown and developed, however, the role of the Convention may have changed.
The larger number of believers and their level of activity, the number of Bahá’í schools, the holding of numerous regional conferences, the addition of Auxiliary Board members and assistants, the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies, and the improved functioning of The American Bahá’í have combined to improve the awareness of the rank and file of the believers as to the progress and activity of the Faith.
Thus the primary role of the U.S. National Convention, beyond the election of the National Spiritual Assembly, may have shifted from inspiration and information to consultation.
THE DELEGATES should determine whether such a shift has taken place and modify their expectations for and actions at the Convention accordingly.
Consultation at the Convention may no longer be a time for the telling of stories, giving “fireside”
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Some Answered Questions Now in Cloth and Paper!
See page 1 of the Mini Catalog |
Meeting[edit]
Continued From Page 1
members, a recent letter from the International Teaching Centre was read and discussed.
The broad principle for consideration is whether the specific services would hamper one’s Auxiliary Board work in any way.
The ever-expanding services of assistants to the Auxiliary Boards were described by Auxiliary Board members Eunice Braun, Ronna Santoscoy, Dr. David Smith and Dr. William Tucker.
During their one-day meeting with the conference, members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada and the U.S. outlined the respective goals and decisions of their bodies relative to the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
SPEAKING FOR the U.S., National Spiritual Assembly members Magdalene Carney, Glenford Mitchell and Wilma Brady said the stature of the Cause is rising in this country, largely as a result of the crisis in Iran and activities at the United Nations.
Guides at the Bahá’í House of Worship, they noted, have seen an intense interest in the Teachings on behalf of visitors, and declarations are even occurring on the spot!
Also, they said, Southeast Asians and Hispanics are becoming increasingly attracted to the Faith, while a resurgence of response is now taking place in South Carolina, where 224 Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed at Riḍván.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska was represented at the conference by Jetta Brewer and Georgia Heisler, and the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada by Jameson Bond, Dr. Husayn Danesh, and Ed Muttart.
Those attending the conference had an opportunity to see the new film, “The Rhythm of Growth,” which uses animation and live actors to outline the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly’s overall theme for the remaining years of the Seven Year Plan.
A message of love was sent from the conference to the Southwest Bahá’í Institute Committee applauding progress made in erecting the southwest institute on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, a goal for the U.S. in the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Keynote presentations were made on border teaching, native teaching, Spanish teaching, Sikh and Vietnamese teaching, and reaching people of prominence with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Conference participants attended a gathering at the Bahá’í House of Worship commemorating the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb.
Eight Counsellors, 42 Auxiliary Board members, and members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada, and the U.S. conferred May 28-29 in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Atlanta seminar explores ‘violence-free society’[edit]
As a response to the recent killings of black children in Atlanta, Georgia, the Spiritual Assembly of Atlanta sponsored a seminar May 23 entitled “The Violence-Free Society: A Gift for Our Children.”
More than 200 people including at least 50 non-Bahá’ís attended the seminar whose speakers included Dr. Frances M. Baker, director of psychiatric services in the emergency room and primary care center at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Dr. Hossain B. Danesh, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and director of the therapy program, the thanatology service, and postgraduate education in the department of psychiatry at Ottawa Civic Hospital; Dr. Jane Faily, a clinical psychologist at Royal Ottawa (Canada) Hospital; and Dr. Frank Haendel, a psychiatrist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.
THE OFFICE of the mayor of Atlanta was represented by Adolph Reed, an aide to Mayor Maynard Jackson.
More than 40 community groups that are involved with children were invited to display materials about their organization on tables outside the auditorium of the downtown public library where the seminar was held, and nearly every one of them responded.
While the seminar highlighted the weekend, many other activities took place.
A Friday luncheon sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Atlanta featured a talk by Dr. Haendel entitled “Striking the Balance: Professional Success and Spiritual Maturity.”
The talk was taped by WABE Radio, the National Public Radio affiliate in Atlanta, for broadcast on a program called “Atlanta Forum.”
On Sunday morning, Drs. Faily and Haendel gave a joint deepening on “Strengthening Family Ties,” and teamed that afternoon to conduct a fireside.
DR. BAKER’S topic at the seminar was “Violence in the Family: Hurting the Ones We Love.” Dr. Faily spoke on “Building a Peaceful Society: Where Do We Go from Here?”
Dr. Haendel’s address was entitled “Developing Human Potential: How Do Our Children Grow?” Dr. Danesh, the author of the booklet “The Violence-Free Society,” spoke on “The Violence-Free Society: How Do We Achieve It?”
The afternoon session included a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Robert Henderson.
Participants and their topics included Dr. Barbara King (“Peace on Earth—Let It Begin with Me”); Ms. Rita Bloom (“The Effects of Television Violence on Children”); and Ms. Karen McClaskey (“Refugee Children and Violence”).
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the seminar was the media coverage.
Press releases ran in both major daily newspapers, in both major black-oriented papers, and an article appeared in the weekly free newspaper.
The seminar was the lead story on the Saturday evening news programs of all three network affiliated television stations in Atlanta.
ANNOUNCEMENTS about the seminar were heard on at least six radio stations, with interviews on both major news stations. Drs. Faily and Haendel were guests on an hour-long call-in show that has a high audience rating.
All local offices of the national news media were contacted in person including radio and television networks and offices of the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and so on.
One person who attended the seminar said she heard about it from a friend at the Los Angeles Times.
Music at the seminar was provided by Bahá’ís Steve Hampton and Barbara Missaghian.
Susan Lewis, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Atlanta and program coordinator, sang “Tomorrow Belongs to the Children,” and the film of that name was shown during the lunch break.
The entire seminar was videotaped and audiotaped. Copies of the audiotapes are available from the Bahá’í Information Council of Greater Atlanta, P.O. Box 14192, Atlanta, GA 30324.
Summit Lake, Wisconsin, to host conference[edit]
A weekend of learning, sharing and fun for Bahá’ís is being planned for the weekend of August 22-23 at Summit Lake Farm in Summit Lake, Wisconsin.
The event is being sponsored by the Wisconsin-Michigan District Teaching Committee.
While this is primarily a tent camping weekend, a limited amount of bed space will be available on a first come, first served basis for the elderly and handicapped.
All meals will be provided; there is a materials fee for the children’s classes.
Speakers on the subject of Bahá’í administration will include Auxiliary Board members Stephen Birkland and D. Thelma Jackson and Dr. Khalil Khavari, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.
Music will be directed by Jerry Johnson.
Dawn prayers will be recited on Summit Hill (the third highest point in Wisconsin) and evening prayers on an island in the lake.
Recreational activities will include boating, fishing, swimming, tennis and hiking—and there will be campfires and healthful food.
Adults or youth who are interested in working with the children’s classes should contact Joan Sayre, ______, Minocqua, WI 54548.
For more information or to register, please contact Melissa Trinrud, ______, Rhinelander, WI 54501.
This float, created by members of the Utah State University Bahá’í Club, was entered in last year’s Homecoming parade in Logan, Utah. Other recent club activities include organizing a youth conference last January 30-February 2 with Auxiliary Board members as two of the speakers, and planning various public proclamation events.
BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP
Wilmette, Illinois
Summer Hours (May 15 to October 14)
- Main Auditorium (Upstairs)
- 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., open for prayer; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., open to visitors
- Visitors Center (Downstairs)
- 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
- Bahá’í Book Shop
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
- Sunday Activities
- Devotional program, 3 p.m.
- Public meeting, 3:40 p.m.
Information about transportation, food and lodging is available from the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
Louhelen Contribution Workers from Springfield, Illinois, participate in a fund-raising project by memorizing a prayer. Front row (left to right) are Jason O’Hare, Lisa Mesbah, Neda Rouhiyad, Bita Khalifian, Carrie O’Hare. Back row (left to right) are Eric O’Hare, Zshila Mesbah, Darin Marquis, Mani Omid, Bryan Marquis.
Louhelen[edit]
Continued From Page 1
of Bahá’í education” now!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
There are four ways in which a believer can help build the Louhelen School:
- Through a contribution earmarked for the Louhelen Bahá’í School.
- Through a contribution to the “Faizí Endowment for Education.”
- Through a capital gift (i.e., stocks, property, etc.).
- Through the purchase of a promissory note (this is a loan to the National Spiritual Assembly that will be repaid in 10, 15 or 20 years).
The Guardian, through his secretary, wrote: “Louhelen has been greatly blessed, and he is happy to see the way it grows more important each year as a Bahá’í Institution and adds to its sessions and its subjects, sending forth pioneers and teachers and quickening the faith and zeal of those who attend.”
At the recent 72nd National Convention, the annual report of the National Spiritual Assembly referred to the “outstanding projects for which funds must be found.
“Not the least of these,” the report stated, “is the rebuilding of the Louhelen School, a project considered by the National Spiritual Assembly to be necessary to the success of the Seven Year Plan in the United States.”
AT THIS CRITICAL juncture, the success of the Louhelen project depends not only on support from the vast majority of believers, who, in their love for Bahá’u’lláh, will contribute to some degree in order to play a part in the Louhelen reconstruction project, but also on those who are financially able to lend or contribute a substantial sum of money.
The Louhelen Bahá’í School will undergo reconstruction and develop as an important seat of Bahá’í education. This is a fact foreshadowed by the direct quotations of the beloved Guardian.
What remains to be seen is whether we will seize the chance now, and reap the immediate benefits the school can provide, or whether the opportunity will be lost and the plans of the National Spiritual Assembly indefinitely delayed.
Those who would like more information about how to help rebuild the Louhelen Bahá’í School, or about any aspect of the project, are encouraged to return the coupon below to the Office of the Treasurer indicating that interest.
Fund could face new crisis[edit]
As the American Bahá’í community turns its attention to the challenges and opportunities of the coming year, we might also take this time to assess the condition of the National Fund.
The unprecedented and sustained levels of individual participation and contribution totals achieved last year were astonishing.
HOWEVER, rather than acquiring a surplus of funds at the end of the year, the outpouring of support for the Fund merely enabled the national community to avert a serious financial crisis.
The net result for the year was a deficit of about $150,000.
Although the deficit was relatively small considering the size of the budget ($5 million), this does present a problem as we enter the new year without any cash reserves.
The start of the new fiscal year is traditionally a time when contributions fall short of the monthly goal. Yet ongoing expenses cannot wait, and each month short of the goal leaves the National Assembly without the funds to meet its financial obligations.
The only alternatives are to obtain the necessary money from the bank, possibly at interest rates in excess of 20 per cent, or to cut vital plans and programs.
Already, after the first three months of the Bahá’í year, the National Fund faces a shortfall of more than three-quarters of a million dollars.
IF THE TREND continues we may soon be facing the same situation as in November of 1980.
Certainly the requirements of the Faith at this time call for a greatly expanded Fund. Even by meeting our new $6 million budget we are financing only a part of the possible opportunities available for the promotion of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
The answer, as always, lies with the individual believer. Through regular, sacrificial support and an ever-increasing number of Bahá’ís contributing directly to the National Fund, the Fund goals can be achieved and even surpassed.
We need only look back a few short months to see the strength and capacity of our community to meet the present challenges.
“Pursuing our objectives with confidence, optimism and an unshakable resolve, we must never forget that our service is a spiritual one,” the Universal House of Justice wrote in its letter introducing the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
That idea is no less true as we consider our support for the Fund.
Through such spiritual service the needs of the Faith, and therefore, the needs of a world that is “dying for lack of true religion,” can be met.
NBF⇒
US
MAIL
JUST ONE MORE THING BEFORE I GO!
Indian believer set example of devotion, service to Cause[edit]
In the Heroic Age of the Faith, thousands of God-intoxicated men, women and children joyfully sacrificed everything, including their very lives, for their Beloved. In the Formative Age such souls are rare indeed. G.S. Krishnan was one of them.
MR. KRISHNAN was born October 1, 1945, in Singapore. A quiet boy by nature, he would never quarrel and went his own way without troubling anyone.
Mr. Krishnan was a devout Hindu who frequently could be found meditating or praying.
He became a Bahá’í following the Oceanic Conference of the South China Seas, held in Singapore in January 1971, and from that moment on gave his whole heart and soul to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
He served the Faith by teaching and by working on committees, and even changed his residence so that he could provide a place for Bahá’í meetings.
He would deprive himself to give whatever he had to the Bahá’í Fund. While attending the Bahá’í Summer School in Johor Baru before he left Singapore, he gave away his only camera although he knew he would be lost without one.
NOTES ...from the Treasurer[edit]
A change in the Treasurer’s Letter ...
The new year brought with it a new look for the back of the Treasurer’s Feast Letter. In an effort to improve communications with the friends as well as help the local Treasurer present an interesting and exciting report, the page has been divided into two sections.
The first section will deal with stories, suggestions and notes to help the Treasurer. The second section will include announcements and special information that the believers should know about.
Although the basic information will be similar to that shared on the back of previous letters, we hope that the format change will stimulate a more effective use of the material.
Envelope packets mailed ...
By now all areas of the country should have received the new Fund envelope packets provided by the National Spiritual Assembly.
The packets were sent to Assemblies in bunches to be disbursed to the believers in the community. Members of Bahá’í Groups and isolated individuals received packets directly at their homes. Each packet was accompanied by a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly explaining the importance of these new materials.
To obtain extra packets, an individual or community can send a request to the Office of the Treasurer, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
[Page 6]
YOUTH NEWS
125 attend 1st ‘Youth for One World’ convention[edit]
About 125 people gathered April 25 in Redlands, California, for the first “Youth for One World” convention.
The keynote speaker at the convention was Edward Diliberto, an Auxiliary Board member from Mexico.
YOUTH FOR ONE WORLD, a Bahá’í-sponsored organization for children ages five to 15, seeks to instill a sense of Bahá’í identity and values in our children through monthly meetings and home and community activities.
The April convention was sponsored by the Riverside-San Bernardino County YOW district, the first one formed in the last several years.
Members from all four Southern California YOW districts attended and participated.
There are presently YOW organizations sponsored by participating Assemblies and Groups in North San Diego, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties with an estimated combined total of 190 children as members.
Since its founding in February 1980, YOW also has spread to Carmel, California, and to Washington state and Alaska.
Those who attended the April convention at Redlands High School, the majority of them children and youth, enjoyed a day of sharing and socializing with their Bahá’í peers.
Activities included songs, a talent show, displays from each district, carnival game booths, a clown, and a professional magician.
A YOW banner contest, for which each district brought beautifully made banners spelling out “Youth for One World,” was won by the Orange County district, the newest YOW club represented.
Another YOW convention is being planned for Southern California next year.
For information about forming a YOW club in your area, write to Youth for One World, c/o the Spiritual Assembly of Redlands, P.O. Box 229, Redlands, CA 92373.
A clown (Iris Danenberg of Fallbrook, California) makes balloon ‘hats’ for the children during the first ‘Youth for One World’ convention held April 25 in Redlands, California.
This youngster certainly knew how to get the best possible view of the first ‘Youth for One World’ convention April 25 in Redlands, California.
L.A. Bahá’í youth undertake program for junior youth[edit]
The Bahá’í youth in the Los Angeles area have undertaken a new program called “Operation Best Friend.”
The program is designed to involve junior youth in Bahá’í youth activities.
Each of the Bahá’í youth is sponsoring a junior youth (10 to 15 years old) and helping that youngster in getting to various functions and with questions about the Faith.
The National Youth Committee is quite pleased to hear of this program, and hopes to include further information about it in future issues of The American Bahá’í.
The Los Angeles area youth also are sponsoring youth firesides, participating in traveling teaching projects, sponsoring “park teaching projects”—and the Los Angeles Bahá’í basketball team won a first place trophy this season!
Youth discusses her decision to become pioneer[edit]
The following letter was written to the National Youth Committee by Karin Ryan, a former member of the committee from San Diego, California, who recently pioneered to Zaire.
•
Dear Friends:
You have asked me about my decision to pioneer to Zaire.
Let me first say that this entire experience has come as a result of many hours of prayer and meditation. This is the underlying spirit of my feelings toward this decision.
AS MANY of us find ourselves at one time or another, I found that I was rather uncomfortable with my life.
It wasn’t a physical discomfort, but a spiritual one. Even though I loved what I was studying in school and was happy about the Bahá’í activities I was involved in, I just couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything.
I’d always talked and dreamed of “someday” pioneering, but it got to the point that I was tired of talking—I wanted to do it!
So one day I went to the mountains, my favorite place to pray and think, and because there wasn’t a soul for miles around I was able to sit at the top of a beautiful stone peak and supplicate to Bahá’u’lláh however loudly and emotionally I pleased. And I did just that!
I said many prayers including the “Fire Tablet” and the Tablet of Ahmad. When I was through, I felt so filled with the spirit that I was sure my prayers had been answered.
When I arrived home I knew I had to do something about my goal of pioneering. So I wrote to the International Goals Committee, asking for information about various countries I had felt an interest in.
AMONG THOSE countries was Zaire. Unknown to me, the International Goals Committee still had three pioneer goals to fill in Zaire, goals that had been assigned in the first two-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Two days later I received a phone call from the committee, asking me to consider filling one of those goals.
When they asked this of me, I knew immediately that this was the answer I had been waiting for.
I still had commitments to the National Youth Committee and to others. I spoke with them that very day, and was assured that pioneering was one’s first and foremost commitment to Bahá’u’lláh.
Buoyed by that assurance, I phoned the International Goals Committee and said I would go to Zaire.
From that day on every aspect of my preparation seemed to be the result of guidance; if something went wrong, I prayed that it would work out, and it always did.
I HAVE NEVER doubted that this was the Will of Bahá’u’lláh because of the way it took shape. Because of this I’ve had constant faith that it would all work out, and it has.
My flight leaves in two days, and my feelings are so mixed that I sometimes don’t know whether I’m coming or going.
I can’t say that I still don’t feel sad about leaving my friends and family—all I can say is that I accept the pain of separation as a part of pioneering.
I suppose that is why Bahá’u’lláh called it the most meritorious of all deeds, because it requires sacrificing the everyday support and presence of those you love.
As I am preparing for that day when I say goodbye to them, I am thinking of how much richer my life is because of them. I know I’ll never be separated from them in my heart and soul, and I am eternally grateful that Bahá’u’lláh has granted me this immortal bond.
In closing, I would just like to say that the only regret I have is that I waited so long to make this decision.
I am so happy that I wish others the happiness I am feeling ... and will feel.
With all my love and prayers,
The Bahá’ís of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, celebrated Naw-Rúz with their fourth annual square dance. The event attracts more than a hundred people each year—most of them friends of the Faith.
Youth firesides generate publicity[edit]
The Bahá’í youth of Cloverdale, California, received excellent publicity for their recent youth firesides in an article in The Cloverdale Crier, a newspaper for the student body at Cloverdale High School.
The article gave an accurate summary of the origins and tenets of the Faith, and listed an address for the firesides.
It began: “If you are interested in discovering answers that explain why a Bahá’í can accept all the world’s religions as being valid, and if you are interested in answers that will give you an active role in unifying mankind, stop by 79 Clark Avenue every Friday night at 7:30 p.m.”
The Cloverdale youth, under the guidance of the Spiritual Assembly of Cloverdale, are also developing an ad for their firesides that they plan to run in the school paper.
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
... A WONDERFUL SUMMER-FULL![edit]
In case you haven’t heard, the Continental Youth Conference held July 2-5 in Kansas City, Missouri, was a rousing success! Please look for full coverage of this historic conference in next month’s issue of The American Bahá’í.
The Spiritual Assembly of Ithaca, New York, is holding an ongoing summer teaching project to help save its Spiritual Assembly.
The friends there are hoping that youth will arise to assist in this important effort. They are able to offer hospitality in local Bahá’í homes.
Youth who are interested in helping for a short or long period this summer should contact the Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Ithaca, c/o Carol Fox, secretary, P.O. Box 445, Ithaca, NY 14850.
Is your district having a “Wonderful Summer-Full”? Does your District Youth Committee have a summer teaching project or service project planned?
The National Youth Committee is asking every DYC to set up some sort of teaching or service project this summer so that all youth can enjoy a “wonderful summer-full” ...Contact your DYC and volunteer to help with the plans for your area!
It’s not too late to sign up for a border teaching project along the Canadian and/or Mexican borders.
Several of the projects planned for this summer won’t be held until August, so if you are interested in serving on a teaching project, please contact the National Youth Committee office as soon as possible ...Phone us at 305-462-1919.
Consultation at Convention centers around Bahá’í youth[edit]
At the 72nd Bahá’í National Convention, held in Chicago in late April, much of the consultation centered around Bahá’í youth.
The overa-ll point made by many of the speakers who addressed themselves to the topic of energizing and revitalizing Bahá’í youth was that the youth should be encouraged and supported by their Local Spiritual Assemblies to undertake bold efforts in service to the Cause.
CHARLES WOLCOTT, a member of the Universal House of Justice, advised members of Local Assemblies to give youth “an opportunity to express what they think they can do, and then guide them and help them over the rough spots.”
He added that if the adult community doesn’t call on its youth to help the Cause, then “your cause is lost.” Mr. Wolcott urged the Assemblies to “keep the youth under your auspices, not under your heels.”
How does this apply to American Bahá’í youth? How can we translate this special guidance into action?
The National Youth Committee hopes that all Bahá’í youth will seek the counsel of the institutions of the Faith and confide in the consultative bodies in making plans and developing youth activities.
Spiritual Assemblies, on the other hand, can help by welcoming youths’ opinions and ideas, and by encouraging their projects with the gentle hand of guidance and love.
During consultation at the Convention, several youth addressed the audience.
A youth from California’s Central District No. 1 spoke about the successful teaching efforts in that district, and explained the role of area youth in developing and energizing a project that has resulted in nearly doubling the number of Bahá’ís there.
TWO YOUTH from Oklahoma were asked to speak about their activities in teaching the Cause. Their enthusiasm and dedication brought a warm response as they described some of the outstanding deeds of service that youth are undertaking in their area in the expansion of the Cause.
Walter Heinecke, chairman of the National Youth Committee, presented an overview of youth activities during the past year, stressing the point that a wave of high-level excitement seems to be surging through the American Bahá’í youth community.
“This excitement,” he said, “will undoubtedly result in significant victories during the summer months of teaching following the Continental Youth Conference in Kansas City.”
On Friday evening, the youth attending the Convention were invited to a social given by the National Youth Committee. More than 100 of the friends attended.
Everyone had a chance to talk with members of the Youth Committee about plans for the Youth Conference, specifics of the National Youth Plan, and the various youth projects scheduled this summer.
Another highlight of the Convention for youth came when Dr. Magdalene Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, offered to spend one weekend each month traveling to colleges with primarily black student bodies as a special lecturer.
The National Youth Committee urges all Bahá’í College Clubs that meet this description to contact the Youth Office to investigate the possibility of setting up such an event.
Write to the National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Healthy response noted to ‘Pen Pal’ program[edit]
The “pen pal” program for Bahá’í youth, initiated by the National Youth Committee last year, continues to receive a healthy response from youth who are interested in corresponding with other young people from either another country or another area of the U.S.
The committee developed the program as “a unique method for youth to show their support and share ideas and experiences with a brother or sister Bahá’í from a different area,” says Edward White, a member of the National Youth Committee.
“Youth can specify whether they would like a pen pal from the U.S. or from another country,” he adds. “Most of the international pen pals are Bahá’í pioneers who are always anxious to correspond with American friends.”
To sign up for a pen pal, please fill out the Pen Pal Application Form and mail it to the National Youth Committee office.
The Youth Committee office will process your application and make every effort to get you a pen pal as quickly as possible, then advise you of his or her name and address.
The committee apologizes for previous delays in matching up pen pals. You may expect to hear from the Youth Committee very shortly.
N. England youth attend conference at N.Y.C. Center[edit]
Sixty Bahá’í youth from four New England states gathered April 4 at the Bahá’í Center in New York City for a day of inspirational talk, serious discussion, laughter, dancing and fun.
The gathering, sponsored by the Bahá’í youth of New York City, was entitled “Living a Bahá’í Life.”
Attending were youth from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.
The principal speaker was Dr. Ann Carpenter, a member of the Race Unity Committee, whose subject matter included peer pressure, marriage, and health, stressing the relationship of the spiritual teachings on our physical lives and the need to turn to the Bahá’í Writings for answers.
Afternoon workshops expanded on the topics introduced by Dr. Carpenter in the morning.
Also participating in the conference was Ed White of Boston, Massachusetts, a member of the National Youth Committee.
Contributing to Fund[edit]
“Contributing to the Fund is a service which will never cease to be open to all believers; the growth of the Faith and the rise of the Administrative Order require an ever-increasing outpouring of our substance, commensurate in however small a measure with the bounty and liberality of the outpouring confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh.” (Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 1968-1973, p. 118)
Members of the Bahá’í youth club of Fargo, North Dakota, which was formed March 15, 1981.
‘Hotline’ mailing to include pre-youth[edit]
The National Youth Committee is eager to include all Bahá’í “pre-youth” in the distribution of its monthly news bulletin, “Youth Hotline.”
“The committee has given the bulletin a face-lift and a new publishing schedule,” says Charles (Cap) Cornwell, secretary of the National Youth Committee, “and we would like to include all Bahá’ís between the ages of 12 and 14 on our mailing list.”
Youth Hotline provides up-to-date information about various youth activities around the country. The Youth Committee hopes that the publication will develop into a clearing house of ideas on teaching, deepening, and social activities.
Bahá’ís ages 12, 13 and 14 are asked to fill out the coupon on Page 19 and mail it to the National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
[Page 8]
EDUCATION
On May 12, the Bahá’í Club at the American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona, presented nine Italian cypress trees to the school with a plaque on which are the words, “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens—Bahá’u’lláh.” The presentation was made by a Bahá’í student from Iran, Faraz Ma’aní (fifth from right), to William Voris, president of the school (to Mr. Ma’aní’s right) who said that his best friends while he was in Iran had been Bahá’ís. Also present for the presentation ceremony were Dean of Students Stephen Beaver (right) and Robert L. Gulick (third from right), dean of admissions at the school and chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Glendale.
Try this quiz to broaden vocabulary[edit]
The National Education Committee has prepared the following quiz to help the friends become familiar with some of the more challenging words used in The Promised Day Is Come (1981 edition). Simply choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to the word in question. Correct answers are on Page 9 along with the actual sentences in which the words were used. Good luck!
•
1. Sublime. a. caustic; b. imperceptible; c. fitting; d. exalted.
2. Unequivocal. a. illiterate; b. leaving no doubt; c. understated; d. unbalanced.
3. Equitably. a. passively; b. insured; c. fairly; d. exclusively.
4. Abiding. a. enduring; b. assisting; c. commanding; d. meditating.
5. Arraignment. a. wardrobe; b. indictment; c. proclamation; d. visitation.
6. Censure. a. reprimand; b. disregard; c. momentum; d. trouble.
7. Suppliant. a. limber; b. defendant; c. vendor; d. beseeching.
8. Forbearance. a. ancestry; b. posture; c. restraint; d. influence.
9. Felicity. a. wrath; b. village; c. happiness; d. sorrow.
10. Abject. a. wretched; b. honorable; c. to protest; d. gadget.
11. Evanescent. a. glowing in the dark; b. fleeting; c. sacred; d. bubbling.
12. Peruse. a. evacuate; b. useful; c. examine; d. neglect.
13. Indubitably. a. having no value; b. impossible; c. doubtfully; d. unquestionably.
14. Ignominious. a. designated; b. unlettered; c. flammable; d. disgraceful.
15. Execration. a. digging; b. intense loathing; c. unpacking; d. celebration.
Sacrifice[edit]
Continued From Page 5
Mr. Krishnan arrived in India in January 1974 and proceeded to his parents’ home.
He served the Cause in India as eagerly as he had in Singapore. He was sent by the National Spiritual Assembly as a traveling teacher to Karaikal where he visited government offices, schools and colleges, and spoke to members of service organizations including the Lions Club and Rotary Club.
HE ATTENDED all Bahá’í conferences, near and far, to revive his spirits through the joy of Bahá’í fellowship.
Mr. Krishnan was distressed by the widespread drunkenness he saw. The only way to lay a firm foundation for the Faith, he concluded, was to educate the unspoiled children.
He vigorously pursued that plan, and started children’s classes in seven villages, one for each day of the week.
Mr. Krishnan visited the villages on foot, but as time went on his health declined.
The spicy local food did not agree with him, and he existed mainly on bananas and rice.
In June 1975 he obtained an appointment at a school in Lucknow, and there, too, he taught the Faith incessantly, although he spoke no Hindi.
At a regional teaching conference in Hyderabad he volunteered with some other Bahá’ís for a teaching project in an interior tribal area in Warangal.
WHEN THE CALL for funds was made at the conference, Mr. Krishnan gave his watch, then his money, and finally his sandals.
He proceeded with the team to Warangal where they had some success, but Mr. Krishnan soon fell ill.
He was admitted to the University Hospital where he succumbed to an internal hemorrhage on December 6, 1975.
In his small, battered suitcase were found only Bahá’í books and notebooks containing quotations from the Bahá’í Writings and carefully transcribed prayers.
The Universal House of Justice wrote on December 22, 1975:
“We were grieved to learn of the passing of the devoted, brave and steadfast pioneer, Mr. S. Krishnan. His passing in the field of service to the Cause of God no doubt will confer upon him a special bounty which will be a cause of the progress of his soul in the eternal Kingdom of God.” (Taken from The Bahá’í World, Vol. XVI, pp. 563–564)
Today, as in the days of the Dawn-Breakers, the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh needs believers who, like Mr. Krishnan, will dedicate their energies, their time, their possessions, their all to their Lord.
Life on this plane, no matter how difficult it may seem at times, is but a fleeting moment in relation to eternity. Every believer is capable of rendering service that will be a cause of the progress of his soul throughout God’s eternal Kingdom.
Quiz reviews development of Assemblies[edit]
For the last several months the National Education Committee has been presenting a feature on the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies. This month, the committee is departing from its question-and-answer format to give the friends an opportunity to review what they have learned about the proper functioning of Assemblies by taking the following quiz. If you do well on the quiz, we congratulate you. If you don’t do well, perhaps some review is in order. Therefore, after each answer we have listed the past issue of The American Bahá’í in which the subject was discussed.
- In any locality where the number of adult believers reaches nine
- Local Spiritual Assembly should be established.
- an extension teaching project should be initiated among minorities.
- a committee should be appointed to elect a Local Spiritual Assembly.
- The Local Spiritual Assembly is re-elected during ________
- Naw-Rúz.
- the ninth day of Riḍván.
- the first day of Riḍván.
- In any locality where the number of adult believers reaches nine
- Local Spiritual Assembly should be established.
- an extension teaching project should be initiated among minorities.
- a committee should be appointed to elect a Local Spiritual Assembly.
- The Local Spiritual Assembly is re-elected during ________
- Naw-Rúz.
- the ninth day of Riḍván.
- the first day of Riḍván.
- In the United States, the question of what constitutes a minority must be determined by ________
- nationality.
- race.
- race, religion, sex, and nationality.
- After the Local Spiritual Assembly has been elected, its first meeting is convened by ________
- the secretary.
- the chairman.
- the member who received the highest number of votes.
- If the balloting for an officer repeatedly fails to give anyone a majority, the Assembly can decide to ________
- appoint a member of the Assembly to that officer’s position.
- leave that officer’s position vacant.
- announce the plurality of votes.
- A meeting of the Local Spiritual Assembly is valid only when ________
- every member has been informed of the time and place.
- it has been called by three members of the Assembly.
- the National Spiritual Assembly receives copies of the minutes.
- The purpose of Bahá’í consultation is to ________
- show that the views of several individuals are preferable to those of one man.
- allow several individuals to express their personal opinions on how a matter can be resolved.
- allow a vote to be taken on all matters that affect the collective interests of the Cause.
- If enmity and threats arise during an Assembly’s consultation, the members should ________
- continue to express their views in a frank and loving manner.
- immediately postpone further discussion of the subject.
- contact their Auxiliary Board member for assistance.
- A Local Spiritual Assembly appoints committees to ________
- insure that each community member has a direct role to play in the Administrative Order.
- insure that its community follows ever more faithfully the Bahá’í way of life.
- insure efficiency and avoid confusion.
- When appointing committees, the Assembly must be careful not to ________
- place youth on committees dealing with the consolidation of the community.
- exclude youth from this opportunity to serve the Cause.
- overburden its youth with service on local committees.
ANSWERS:
1) a (March 1981); 2) c (March 1981); 3) b (March 1981); 4) c (April 1981); 5) c (April 1981); 6) a (April 1981); 7) a (May 1981); 8) b (May 1981); 9) c (June 1981); 10) b (June 1981).
Arizona school plans special ‘family’ class[edit]
“Developing the Community Family” is the theme of a special daily class at the Arizona Bahá’í Summer School to be held July 25–August 1 at Prescott.
The idea for the class grew out of a desire to have more activities that involve both adults and children—parents with their own and other children, and non-parents with children.
Class activities are to include games, projects, and consultation for adults and children.
[Page 9]
EDUCATION
Guidelines for studying ‘The Promised Day Is Come’[edit]
The following article was written for the National Education Committee by Martha K.S. Patrick, a former math and history teacher in Watertown, Connecticut, and former editorial assistant at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. She is presently devoting her full time and energy to educating her infant daughter, Jessica.
•
“A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth.”
These compelling words open The Promised Day Is Come by Shoghi Effendi and, in my opinion, challenge us to drop other things and read until we understand our duty as Bahá’ís to help in “leading humanity out of the valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and glory.”
THE CHALLENGE for many lies in finding time, energy, and discipline so that we may effectively study this monumental letter from the beloved Guardian.
The following strategies for studying The Promised Day Is Come are derived from one study group’s experiences.
We believe that they have helped us to use our time more efficiently, enjoy our study, and apply what we have read in our lives. We hope that they will be useful to others by stimulating each individual to think about a pattern of study.
Developing an Overview: Survey the book before sitting down to read it carefully. Note when it was written and to whom. Read the jacket type and skim boldface type, topic sentences, and the index.
Planning a Study Approach: Get a sense of the themes and structure of the book before planning the reading. You might find it helpful to read the opening and closing sections before the middle.
Setting Reading Goals: Create a schedule for the weeks prior to the study class. Plan to read at specific times—on the train, during your child’s nap, at lunchtime, on weekends, whenever. Set goals and call yourself to account.
Raising Questions: Begin reading with basic questions in mind and many others will emerge as you read. What does the title mean? What do the boldface headings emphasize? What are the main themes of the book? Why might the National Education Committee have chosen it for study at this time? In what ways might the book be as timely now as it was in 1941?
Reading with Pencil in Hand and a Dictionary Nearby: Use the margins or other space to write comments, questions, or ideas as you read, noting especially interesting or difficult sections by underlining or using asterisks or question marks.
Recording Key Passages: Use a blank page in the book or a separate sheet to list or outline important points.
Reading Aloud: The Guardian wrote this way, and hearing the words can help the reader feel the power of language and argument.
Keeping Track of Thoughts and Reactions: Jot down things that interested or surprised you, or that helped you to understand something in a new way.
Reflecting on What You Read: Continue asking yourself questions as you read. Can you see a pattern in the letters of Bahá’u’lláh? Why does Shoghi Effendi say only Bahá’ís can understand the “powerful upheaval”?
Bringing in Outside Reading: Relate this book to others you have read. Consider studying more about an historical figure, and follow themes into other books.
Following Up on Individual Study: Plan to get together with others to share feelings and thoughts and to discuss insights, questions and ideas.
Incorporating The Promised Day Is Come Into Your Teaching: Introduce themes and excerpts from the text in firesides and deepenings. Memorize short passages so that you can share specific or general understanding with others.
Putting Your Understanding to Work: Examine the book’s implications for your life. How does it help you to deal with the chaos around you, to develop detachment, and to find direction?
Strategies for reading and study are parts of our ongoing quest as Bahá’ís to follow the commandments of Bahá’u’lláh and to help build the World Commonwealth He has promised us.
Let us hope that our study will further enable us to fulfill what He has stated in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas:
“Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths ...Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavor to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs.”
Answers to ‘Promised Day’ vocabulary quiz[edit]
VOCABULARY QUIZ ANSWERS
1. (d) Exalted. “Fear God, O Concourse of kings, and suffer not yourselves to be deprived of this most sublime grace.” (p. 21)
2. (b) Leaving no doubt. “If ye pay no heed unto the Counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against you.” (p. 23)
3. (c) Fairly. “Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbors.” (p. 23)
4. (a) Enduring. “Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course…” (p. 24)
5. (b) Indictment. “And further, this evident arraignment in that same book: ‘We have asked nothing from you. For the sake of God We, verily, exhort you, and will be patient as We have been patient in that which hath befallen Us at your hands, O Concourse of kings.’ ” (p. 26)
6. (a) Reprimand. “To the Christian kings Bahá’u’lláh, moreover, particularly directs His words of censure, and in a language that cannot be mistaken, He discloses the true character of His Revelation.” (p. 27)
7. (d) Beseeching. “I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send down, then, upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself.” (p. 36)
8. (c) Restraint. “Again I say: Hearken unto My Voice that calleth from My prison, that it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My beauty, at the hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might, and how immense my forbearance, notwithstanding My power.” (p. 34)
9. (c) Happiness. “He it is Who summoneth thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the right course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be of them with whom it shall be well ...” (p. 37)
10. (a) Wretched. “Allow not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of honor, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City (Constantinople), and to it We bear witness …” (p. 39)
11. (b) Fleeting. “The evanescent are as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding.” (p. 41)
12. (c) Examine. “Peruse, with fairness and justice, that which hath been sent down.” (p. 84)
13. (d) Unquestionably. “It is indubitably clear and evident that in these things He Who is Lord of Revelation hath sought nothing for Himself.” (p. 47)
14. (d) Disgraceful. “What, then—might we not consider—has, in the face of so complete and ignominious a rejection, happened, and is still happening, in the course, and particularly in the closing years, of this, the first Bahá’í century, a century fraught with such tumultuous sufferings and violent outrages for the persecuted Faith of Bahá’u’lláh?” (p. 48)
15. (b) Intense loathing. “Not one Prophet of God was made manifest Who did not fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the denunciation, denial and execration of the clerics of His day!” (p. 79)
Elementary school students from the Roycemore School, a private school in Evanston, Illinois, visited the new Bahá’í administrative office building April 2. The children and their teachers also visited the Bahá’í House of Worship on their field trip to the Bahá’í National Center.
Two Summer Schools held in Oregon[edit]
The Oregon Bahá’í Schools Committee has planned two Summer Schools this year.
The first, “Badasht,” was held July 9–12; the second, “Crow,” is to be held August 6–9 near Eugene.
The theme for both schools is “In His Holy Presence.”
For more information please write to Sylvia Surratt, registrar, ______, Talent, OR 97540.
Letters[edit]
Continued From Page 3
talks, or discussing local problems.
Might not consultation now be a time for identifying the key issues affecting the American Bahá’í community and for assessing its progress during the previous year?
Such a change in the character of consultation at the Convention would not be easy. What may be required is a new spiritual attitude in the approach to consultation.
This might include greater restraint on the part of the delegates in making statements; increased awareness of the importance of each minute of consultation with a commensurate increase in concentration on the subject being discussed; and a determination and enthusiasm to strike to the heart of the important matters affecting the Cause.
The delegates might consider the uniqueness of the Convention—is it a forum on how to teach, give firesides or deepenings, or is it the one opportunity that the believers as a group have in which to interact and consult with each other, and with the National Spiritual Assembly and its committees?
It can perhaps be only dimly imagined what a source of inspiration truly effective consultation might be, and what a thrill of satisfaction the participants could carry home in their hearts and minds for having participated in it.
Would it not be a wonderful thing to discover that the Faith had grown so much that old ways and traditions must now be discarded.
Might not every believer be so inspired by such new and perhaps unexpected growth that he or she may have the insight to recognize and the courage to achieve the necessary personal transformation.
Falls Church, Virginia
To the Editor:
Much is being written and read about the training of children in today’s world. I would like to add yet a few more thoughts for consideration.
We know that children learn best and most deeply by example. But are we giving our children the opportunity to watch us in action?
DO WE teach them reverence, for example, by letting them see us in an attitude of reverence?
I feel that even the youngest children should be invited to and included in the devotional portion of the Nineteen Day Feast. A few moments of explanation beforehand and firm and loving control during devotions is an excellent way to show our children what kind of behavior is appropriate.
By starting at an early age, during their most impressionable years, we can instill in them habits that will stay with them all their lives.
If we assume that our children can behave appropriately, then we have already helped them to do it.
Do we include our children in such momentous and wonderful occasions as viewing the film of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?
I’ve heard some people say that children shouldn’t be allowed to see this film because they are noisy or inattentive. I think this is a terrible injustice to children.
If ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were with us, would we deny our children the privilege of meeting Him because we were afraid they might not act the same way adults do?
CHILDREN need to be taught reverence, decorum, manners and socially acceptable behavior. It takes a long time to learn these things.
We must begin early to give them good examples, and to let them practice such behavior in real situations. If a child cannot handle a particular mode of behavior in a specific instance, he or she can be removed for that particular instance.
But let’s not generalize, categorize, or stereotype all children at all times.
Instead, let’s help guide our children and assume that they will act appropriately. Our attitudes will go a long way toward helping them master the social skills they will need as citizens of a new world.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
To the Editor:
In the April issue of The American Bahá’í there is an article headlined “All Methods of Dignified Teaching Acceptable.”
I find this quite interesting. What is “dignified”?
IN THE compilation “In the Light of God’s Purpose for Man” there is a statement to the effect that it is irreverent to attend a Feast bare-footed.
But in Micronesia, for example, a person would be thought disrespectful if he entered another person’s home with his shoes on.
Don’t we need to examine the values of our own society before we list “door-to-door teaching” beside “teaching by example” as a dignified teaching method?
How does this society view people and organizations who offer something while going door to door? Is it considered dignified? Historically, the door-to-door salesman has been much more welcome in rural areas than in cities.
Let us think about such things before we go knocking on doors.
After all, each of us can think of at least one denomination in America today that is widely known and generally disliked because it has been insensitive to cultural values placed on door-to-door salesmanship. Such a thing as that should never be allowed to happen to the Bahá’í Faith.
The article did not list “teaching through the media.” This is a goal given to us by the Universal House of Justice; it is the method of the hour.
We should therefore present the Faith to the media, back this up with firesides, and back them up with the example of our daily lives.
In this way, “we shall not fall.”
Tucson, Arizona
National Assembly OKs amateur radio callbook[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has approved the compilation of an amateur (ham) radio callbook.
The callbook will list the call letters, name, address, and level of license held by Bahá’í amateur radio operators.
Bahá’í ham operators who would like to be listed in the callbook should send the required information to WD8CAW, Terry L. Bebertz, ______, Vassar, MI 48768 (phone 517-823-3810), no later than August 1, 1981.
Since amateur radio has the potential for worldwide communication, the callbook will serve two purposes.
First, it will allow a ready means of identification of Bahá’í ham operators.
Second, it will create the opportunity for Bahá’ís to teach the Faith through normal conversation via amateur radio broadcasts.
One such broadcast will take place August 1, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Louhelen Bahá’í School.
A temporary station will be set up at the school, allowing QSOs. Ham operators who contact the station will receive a special QSL commemorating the 50th anniversary.
Frequencies and times are:
- 1000-1030 EST, 1700-1730 EST—7.100-7.125 Mhz.
- 1100-1130 EST, 1600-1630 EST—7.275-7.300 Mhz.
- 1200-1230 EST, 1400-1430 EST, 1800-1830 EST—21.150-21.200 Mhz.
- 1300-1330 EST, 1500-1530 EST, 1900-1930 EST—21.375-21.425 Mhz.
“CQ Bahá’í” is to be called during the first five minutes of every time period listed.
The Bahá’í Metro Women’s Committee of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota, sponsored an Ayyám-i-Há party February 28 for Bahá’ís and their guests in the Twin Cities area. More than 160 people attended including more than 50 children and non-Bahá’ís. The first part of the evening was devoted to the children and included musical presentations, a play by the children, games, and clowns. After refreshments, the adults and children participated in Persian and western music and dancing.
Forty-five Bahá’ís representing eight communities marched April 25 in the Lemon Grove, California, Old Time Days parade, some wearing costumes from various countries to demonstrate that ‘mankind is one.’ The Bahá’í entry also included a decorated pickup truck with signs reading ‘Mankind Is One.’
Bulletin![edit]
The officers of the National Spiritual Assembly for 1981-82, elected at its meeting June 5-7 in Wilmette, are:
James F. Nelson, chairman; Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman; Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary; Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer; and Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary.
the Champion builders[edit]
CORINNE KNIGHT TRUE
The Hand of the Cause of God Corinne Knight True, an indefatigable worker for the Cause of God for more than half a century, is perhaps best known for her unparalleled service in the development of the Mother Temple of the West.
Born in Kentucky on November 1, 1861, she was a young girl when her family moved to Chicago. She married in 1882 and later gave birth to eight children.
MRS. TRUE True began her search for spiritual truth during her deep sorrow over the accidental death of her eldest daughter in 1892 at the age of nine.
It was seven years later that she first came into contact with the Faith through Persian teachers sent to Chicago by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The deaths of four sons and her husband between 1899 and 1909 caused Mrs. True to turn more and more to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh for comfort and solace.
Her bereavement was lessened also by the receipt of more than 50 Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, one of which was in response to her request for a set of guiding principles by which to live.
Early in 1907 Mother True, as she was affectionately known, visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa on the first of her nine pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
She presented the Master with a petition signed by more than a thousand Bahá’ís asking His permission to begin planning for the erection of a House of Worship in the West.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ encouraged her to devote herself to the Temple project, and offered basic instructions about its design.
From that moment on, Mother True’s life was closely bound to the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the West.
In 1909, following instructions from the Master, 39 delegates from 36 cities gathered in Chicago to establish the Bahá’í Temple Unity, a religious corporation invested with authority to hold title
[Page 11]
TEACHING
Regional Asian, Spanish committees appointed[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly, acting on a recommendation from the National Teaching Committee, has expanded the previous Asian and Spanish Teaching Committees by appointing four Regional Asian Teaching Committees and four Regional Spanish Teaching Committees.
In explaining its action to members of the two previous committees, the National Assembly referred to recent increases in the number of Asian and Spanish-speaking enrollees in the U.S.
“THE ADMINISTRATIVE challenges created by this unprecedented development already require us to devise new procedures,” said the National Assembly. “Thus we have accepted the recommendation of the National Teaching Committee to expand the structure represented by your Committee and permit the formation of four regional committees instead of just one national committee.”
The new committee appointments mean that the Northeastern, Central, Southern and Western states will each be served by a five-member Asian Teaching Committee and a five-member Spanish Teaching Committee.
The duties and responsibilities of each of the new regional committees include the development of ideas and recommendations for reaching all strata of Asian and Spanish-speaking peoples.
They are being called upon to assist Spiritual Assemblies and District Teaching Committees in the development and implementation of teaching activities designed to reach these ethnic minorities and to help deepen them.
The new committees will develop orientation materials for communities involved in reaching Hispanics and Asians.
They will also initiate and stimulate conferences, institutes, seminars, and training sessions designed to fill specific needs of each significant Asian and Spanish-speaking group in their respective regions.
Shown here are six members of the recently formed Spiritual Assembly of Somerville, Tennessee. The majority of its members became Bahá’ís as teen-agers during a teaching campaign in 1971. The Assembly is now making plans for an area-wide picnic. Assembly members are (left to right) Billy Kelly, Donnie Armour, Nellie Moorman, Brenda Zim, Debra Shaw, and Edna Mae Kelly. (The other members of the Assembly are Elizabeth Hobson, Willie Lee Hobson, and Joe Hart).
29 enrolled, 5 new Assemblies are formed in Tennessee effort[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Memphis, Tennessee, in cooperation with the Western Tennessee District Teaching Committee, sponsored a teaching project April 17-19 that laid the groundwork for the formation of five new Assemblies, the opening of six new localities, and the enrollment of 29 new believers (including 10 youth) in a two-week period.
Soo Fouts, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly; Auxiliary Board member Sam McClellan; and Bob James, representing the National Teaching Committee, were among those who participated in the weekend project.
THEY WERE joined by more than 18 other Bahá’ís including three who were enrolled during a similar teaching effort 10 years earlier.
The teaching and consolidation work during the two-week campaign was focused on the Groups of nine or more.
This is an area in which more than 160 people became Bahá’ís in February 1971, and in which there had been only sporadic follow up since then.
Two of the five new Assemblies were formed by joint declaration. In both cases eight of the nine believers attended the formation meeting to sign the form, and in both cases the ninth person had a valid reason for not attending.
Since the project ended, one of these Assemblies has elected officers and another has held its first Feast.
Future plans in Western Tennessee include forming a District Youth Committee, forming a youth club in one of the communities, having a two-week expansion and consolidation project in July involving the youth, starting children’s classes, conducting at least two deepening institutes with the help of the Auxiliary Board, and holding a unity picnic.
Traveling teachers have been assigned to work with each of the communities, visiting them at least once every Gregorian month.
Two of the believers who were enrolled during the teaching project 10 years ago moved to Memphis three years ago and have been heavily involved in the recent activities.
The two, Doris Baker and Patricia Moorman, were both elected at Riḍván to serve on the Spiritual Assembly of Memphis.
79 declare in Oklahoma project[edit]
Seventy-nine residents of five cities in central and western Oklahoma declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh following a teaching conference May 29-31 in Norman, Oklahoma, sponsored by the Western Oklahoma District Teaching Committee and the Spiritual Assembly of Norman.
As a result of the declarations, the formation of three new Local Spiritual Assemblies is anticipated.
Speakers at the teaching conference included Continental Counsellor Hidayatu’lláh Ahmadíyyih from Belize, and Auxiliary Board members Ronna Santoscoy and Hormoz Bastani.
The National Teaching Committee was represented by its secretary, Rose Lopez.
In a two-day period following the conference, the Bahá’í community of Lawton, Oklahoma, grew from six members to 51.
The successful teaching project, dedicated to the memory of Yadollah Astani, a Bahá’í who was martyred last year in Tabriz, Iran, also included the communities of Watonga, New Lima, Seminole County and Chickasha.
Several minorities are represented among the new believers including Laotians, Hispanics and Native Americans.
The teaching project initiated a summer-long effort in Oklahoma, with each week’s campaign dedicated to the memory of a recent Persian martyr.
Rhythm[edit]
Continued From Page 1
(consolidate) to help form new organs, such as Spiritual Assemblies.
The National Spiritual Assembly has set the beat for an over-all rhythmic pattern for the systematic growth and development of the Faith during the years to come:
From One to Five: Wherever there is an isolated believer, the immediate goal is to bring new souls into the Faith and pave the way for the establishment of an active Group of five members.
Once this goal has been reached, the Group can begin laying the foundation for a Local Spiritual Assembly.
The Group will want to elect officers, set teaching goals, fireside goals, Fund goals, and begin working to raise the number of believers in the community to nine to form the Local Assembly.
From a Group of Five to Nine: Once the community numbers nine, the Assembly should be formed, officers elected, and work begun on new goals—Feast attendance goals, Fund goals, deepening goals, teaching projects, proclamation activities, and so forth, that will help develop a strongly founded, well-deepened Bahá’í community.
The Assembly’s first objective, then, is the preservation and growth of that Assembly, which means more expansion within the community.
The next step is to reach 15.
From a Spiritual Assembly to a Community of Fifteen: Once the community is firmly based and includes 15 adult believers, three new objectives should be set: (1) incorporating; (2) adopting an extension teaching goal; and (3) increasing the membership to 30.
At this stage the community can begin focusing on more detailed goals such as opening new localities to the Faith, helping younger Bahá’í communities, etc.
(It should be noted that at 15, Assemblies should adopt an extension teaching goal. This does not, however, exclude those strong Assemblies in communities of less than 15 from adopting a goal, it simply means that at 15, an extension goal should be an automatic next step.)
From a Community of Fifteen with an Incorporated Assembly to a Community of Thirty or More: Once the community has reached 30, it becomes a manpower base from which pioneers can be sent (on the homefront or abroad), more extensive goals and extension work is adopted, conferences and institutes can be conducted, special teaching projects (such as those aimed at teaching minorities) can be developed, large-scale media campaigns can be undertaken, and the community can continue to expand, winning new recruits to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
At whatever stage you find yourself, you need to know how to function—how to expand and to consolidate in ways appropriate to that stage—in essence, how to keep the “rhythm” going.
To help everyone gain the knowledge required to keep the rhythm going, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, in collaboration with the National Teaching Committee and National Education Committee, has organized packages of materials containing information needed to function at each stage of growth.
It is important to keep in mind, of course, that Bahá’ís are encouraged to study all of the writings and to make use of all our literature and audio-visual aids.
The purpose of this approach to the “rhythm of growth” is not to put anyone on a rigid schedule, but simply to inspire the friends with a display of our riches as Bahá’ís and to stimulate their wider and more systematic use to help create a strong rhythmic pulse that can be felt in a balanced interplay between expansion and consolidation at all levels throughout the community.
If you procure materials relevant to your stage of growth, study the principles they contain, and let them shine through your life, we guarantee you a life liberated from the ultimate despair of materialism—a life of vitality, power, and joy in helping to build the new World Order.
Hisaka Schlatter (center) and Carlos Velazquez (right), members of the recently formed Bahá’í Group of Stanton, California, present a plaque commemorating World Religion Day to Carl Moyer, pastor of the Walnut Manor Lutheran home in Stanton. The Bahá’ís of Stanton were hosts for a program at the Lutheran Recreation Hall consisting of prayers and readings from the Bahá’í, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and American Indian scriptures.
[Page 12]
IGC: PIONEERING
World NEWS[edit]
More than 200 people, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís, gathered March 21 at the National Bahá’í Centre in Port of Spain, Trinidad, to observe Naw-Rúz and to inaugurate “Bahá’í Week” in Trinidad and Tobago.
The week-long proclamation event was publicized on radio, in newspapers, and by eye-catching banners hung across streets at various high-volume traffic locations in Port of Spain and Scarborough, Trinidad, and at Crown Point Airport on Tobago ...
Four thousand, seven hundred-nineteen people in six areas of Colombia declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh in January during a 10-day teaching effort that was directed by the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia and involved some 60 believers ...
Eighty people in four goal districts of Malawi embraced the Faith in January largely through the efforts of two traveling teachers from Europe and a local Bahá’í ...
In response to an invitation from the city of Milan, the Bahá’í community of Italy presented a series of six lectures on the Faith during January and February. The series was entitled “The Bahá’í Faith: A New Religion or a Proposal for the Solutions to the Problems of Today?” ...
The Faith was proclaimed in 95 communities throughout the state of Punjab, India, during a two and one-half month teaching trip by Salisa Kermani of Poona, India. Mrs. Kermani began her travels last November 10.
She spoke at dozens of schools and colleges, her fluency in Hindi making possible many contacts with women and village residents who cannot otherwise communicate directly with traveling teachers ...
Richard Benson, a Continental Counsellor for Australasia who has been a pioneer from the U.S. to that part of the world for 15 years, was confirmed unanimously January 19 as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia ...
Three hundred people including dignitaries of the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian faiths attended the first observance of World Religion Day in Sri Lanka on January 18. The Bahá’í-sponsored program in Colombo was covered by the state radio station ...
Fifty-six adults, four youth and 19 children declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh last September during a trip by three traveling teachers to Arica and 10 other communities in the northernmost sector of Chile.
Thumbnail sketches of goal countries[edit]
The Universal House of Justice has asked for 279 pioneers to settle in 80 countries this year. Although much information about the various countries can be found at one’s local library, the International Goals Committee will present thumbnail sketches of various countries in each issue of The American Bahá’í. Additional information can be sent on request to interested individuals by the committee office. This month, a few of the English-speaking countries in Africa are profiled.
GHANA
Ghana, in West Central Africa, is a country of great beauty and fascinating challenge.
Formerly called the British Gold Coast, it was the first European territory in Africa to establish its independence, in March 1957.
There are 334 miles of coastline enhanced by cliffs, beaches, palm trees and castles in the south, and by lush forests, cocoa farms and rolling hills in the north.
Many rivers and streams, some navigable only by canoe, add to the contrast of Ghana.
Although it is a tropical country, the weather is not oppressive. In Accra, the capital, the temperature ranges from 76° to 98°F. The north is somewhat drier and has a temperature range from 85° to 100°F.
The rainy season falls between May and July. The hottest months are February and March.
English is the official language in Ghana, but there are more than 50 local languages and dialects. The population is around 10 million, of which about 40 per cent are Christian, 15 per cent Muslim, and 45 per cent followers of native religions.
The Ghanians are intelligent, friendly and hospitable people who love music and dancing. Day-to-day living is the real challenge. The economy is struggling through a difficult period—attempting to regain stability after many years of corrupt government.
Ghanians as a whole are ready and willing to learn about the Faith. Another bonus there is the fact that there is complete religious freedom. The government has at times been sympathetic to the Cause.
It is easiest to enter Ghana as a student. There is a great need for teaching and proclamation in the colleges and universities.
Someone who can play a musical instrument can do a lot of teaching both in towns and villages. Jobs are available through organizations such as the Peace Corps, CUSO, World Bank, U.S. AID, and some food firms.
Highly qualified people in engineering, sciences, medicine, agriculture, and specialized fields such as computers have a good chance to secure teaching positions in the colleges.
SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone is a country about the size of South Carolina on the west coast of Africa.
It has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons—rainy and dry. Freetown, the capital city, is on the coast, and has the loveliest white sandy beaches in all of West Africa.
The climate is warm and so are the people, who are friendly and receptive to the Faith. In a three-year period during the Five Year Plan, the number of believers in Sierra Leone doubled and the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies grew from seven to 25.
The Bahá’í community of Sierra Leone is very young. The first pioneers arrived in 1966, and the National Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1975.
Sierra Leone is primarily an agricultural country, although minerals, principally diamonds, account for nearly half of all exports. Employment opportunities exist in engineering (primarily civil) and education.
The University of Sierra Leone is in Freetown, with an extension at Njala University College, which is mainly agricultural and has strong ties with the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
It would be possible for Bahá’ís interested in doing graduate work to do most of their course study at Njala.
There are also several teacher training colleges in Sierra Leone, as well as primary and secondary schools where teachers are always needed.
Although several tribal languages are spoken, English is the country’s official language.
The indigenous population of Sierra Leone is divided into 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the south are the largest. The most prominent religions are Muslim and Christian.
LIBERIA
The Republic of Liberia, about the size of the state of Ohio, lies on the southern coast of Africa’s western bulge. It is bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast.
Liberia is largely plateau land, well watered and densely forested.
Its near-equatorial climate is humid and tropical, with two seasons—hot and dry from November to April, and cool and wet from April to October.
The population of close to two million includes thousands of American missionaries and businessmen.
The first Spiritual Assembly of Highland County, Virginia, was formed by joint declaration on February 1. Its members are (back row left to right) Victoria Patricia Williams, Michael Edward Williams, Carolyn R. Campbell, Frank-Josip Racic, and (front row left to right) Elaine K. Buthe, Leon F. Pearson, Michele Kelly, Jesse R. Campbell, Mary Jo Tumulty Racic.
New York City holds classes for refugees[edit]
Two weekly English language classes for Indochinese refugees were begun in May at the New York City Bahá’í Center.
The two new classes are in addition to two that have been held since mid-March by Bahá’ís at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center.
The classes at the Bahá’í Center are attended primarily by Cambodian refugees.
In Guatemala, a teacher finds he’s not ‘alone’[edit]
Jeff Gates of Portland, Oregon, shared the following story after a recent traveling teaching experience in Guatemala.
•
The most interesting experience happened in a lovely fishing village, San Lucas Toleman, on the shore of Lake Atitlan, nestled in a valley guarded by three smoking volcanoes.
A nearby town, Panajachel, has been adopted as “the spot” for European and North American youth to gather, and for this reason I was avoiding it—too many bars, neon-lit discos, and “stoned” white youths in Mayan dress.
SAN LUCAS Toleman’s quiet mud streets, sloping gently from the reed-plumed shores, seemed far more attractive.
I had just negotiated with my friend and guide not to “teach” for a day or two, as it made him somewhat uncomfortable.
We were directed by two women in the market place toward a lakeside cafe, and assured that the hospitable owner kept cots to rent to travelers.
Our guides were correct, and we were happy to find a room with army-style cots on which to sleep, the lake’s lapping shore within earshot.
Our delight at the cafe’s menu was complete. The owner was quite remarkable himself: a youthful man in his mid-30s who was quick to comment on the evils of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
A brief lecture in Spanish, English or French was gladly given for any available ear on the importance of physical health and harmony.
HE USUALLY added comments about the necessity for true spiritual growth—offering at all times his own muscular torso, toothful smile, and infectious good humor as proof of the efficacy of his “prescription for living.”
My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, conversation, and company, which included several small groups of international travelers.
The owner’s son, pouring tea and clearing dishes, wore a t-shirt that caught my eye—its inscription read: “Bahá’í Youth of San Lucas Toleman: Champion Soccer Team.”
Questioning him soon brought the entire adventure into high spirits, and I found myself surrounded by the owner, his smiling mother, wife, sons, daughters, and sons of neighbors, all of us chattering in fragments of common language.
My fascination with the lake view had blinded me to the simple decor of Cafe Toleman: photos of Bahá’í Houses of Worship, snapshots of Bahá’í travelers from throughout the world, and several prayers, framed and mounted, in Spanish and English.
Soon multiple firesides were taking place, and all were made aware that this man and his Cafe Toleman are animated by the principles of Bahá’u’lláh.
So it was that an impromptu talk with a member of the “Champion Soccer Team” of Bahá’í youth culminated the most memorable day of my visit to Guatemala.
[Page 13]
IGC: PIONEERING
Goals Committee answers most asked questions[edit]
Question: What is the purpose of the International Goals Committee?
Answer: The International Goals Committee is appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly for the purpose of recruiting, preparing, and dispatching pioneers to foreign lands. It maintains contact with pioneers in the field, and in some cases provides deputization funds. A program of traveling teaching is also part of its work.
Question: Where do the pioneering goals come from, and who decides what countries are in need of pioneers?
Answer: The International Teaching Centre in Haifa keeps its finger on the pulse of all the countries of the world, and makes recommendations to the Universal House of Justice about which countries need pioneer assistance. The goals are then decided upon and assigned by the Universal House of Justice.
For the year 1981-82 no specific goals have been assigned to the U.S. or any other country. Rather, any country that can send pioneers should do so. Of the 279 goals listed for this year, the International Goals Committee believes that the U.S. should be able to fill at least 150.
Question: I have heard that there is less emphasis on international pioneering during this second three-year phase of the Plan. What does the committee think?
Answer: With each passing year, more restrictions are placed on requirements for entry into other countries, making it more difficult to pioneer. However, if we look at the number of overseas goals assigned during the first two years of the Plan—a total of 412—and the number assigned for this year—279—we see that the number needed this year is greater by 73 people than it was per year for the preceding two years. The need for pioneers remains very great.
Question: Is it more important to fill homefront or international goals?
Answer: In a talk that the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum gave recently in Virginia, she answered this question by saying she always stressed foreign pioneering over homefront pioneering, not because homefront pioneering was any less important, but because it is so much more difficult to find people who are in a position to go abroad.
The relationship between the homefront and the international field becomes apparent when one considers that time and again the beloved Guardian stressed the urgent need for a strong homefront. Without this, we cannot possibly fulfill our commitments internationally.
Question: What if I have the qualifications to pioneer, am needed to fill an international goal, but my leaving would jeopardize my Assembly’s status?
Answer: There seems to be a spiritual principle at work when someone arises to fill an international pioneering goal, and our experience has shown that it draws the confirmations to the home locality.
We have seen this happen many times over, that when people decide to pioneer, that community starts to grow by leaps and bounds. More prayers are offered for the community, more effort is made to teach, the various institutions of the Faith are informed that there is going to be a vacancy. We ask the applicant to talk it over with his Assembly, with the Auxiliary Board member and assistants, and make every effort to replace himself. If all these efforts are made, success is assured.
Question: If I am thinking about pioneering, at what point should I contact the International Goals Committee?
Answer: You should contact the committee as soon as possible, even though your thoughts are not clearly formed. We are able to provide career counseling for youth, advise you about jobs, give you information about the various countries, and help you to focus your efforts toward a place that would be good for you and you for it.
Question: I’ve heard that you require filling out Pioneer Volunteer Forms and Local Spiritual Assembly or District Teaching Committee recommendations before you will work closely with an individual. This has stopped me from contacting you. Why do you need these things?
Answer: The committee receives about 100 inquiries about pioneering each month, and works actively with about 1,000 families at any one time. We cannot know about each of you, as does your home community. If you fill out the form, doing so does not commit you to anything, but it does give us a great deal of help in guiding you.
The Assembly evaluation lets us know whether we should encourage you to pioneer at this time in your life, or whether you would serve best in this country for the time being. Sometimes there are reasons why people should not go overseas, and we need to know these things before encouraging you to proceed.
Even if you don’t intend to go pioneering for two or three years, the Pioneer Volunteer Form and the Assembly evaluation form help us to guide you.
Question: Are there funds available to help me go pioneering?
Answer: Travel and deputization monies are available. When you contribute to the National Bahá’í Fund, part of that money always goes toward helping a pioneer in some fashion. In some cases, we can make a loan for air fare, while in other cases, we can buy the tickets outright.
Sometimes it is necessary to assist a pioneer with deputization while he or she is looking for a job in the goal country. In countries where it is not possible to work, it may be necessary to deputize the pioneer for the entire time he or she is there.
The secretary of the International Goals Committee can answer all of these questions. Please phone her or write her a note and ask whatever questions you may have about your particular circumstances.
The address is International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. The phone number is 312-869-9039.
PIONEER GOALS ASSIGNED TO THE WORLD
For the second phase of the Seven Year Plan
1981-1982
| AFRICA | |||
| Assigned | Filled by U.S. | ||
| (P) | Angola | 2 | |
| (F) | Benin | 2 | |
| (E) | Botswana | 2 | |
| (F) | Burundi | 2 | |
| (F) | Chad | 3 | |
| (F) | Comoro Is. | 2 | |
| (F) | Congo | 2 | |
| (S) | Equatorial Guinea | 2 | |
| (F) | Gabon | 2 | |
| (E) | Gambia | 2 | |
| (E) | Ghana | 2 | |
| (E) | Lesotho | 4 | |
| (E) | Liberia | 4 | |
| (F) Guinea | 2 | ||
| (F) | Madagascar | 2 | |
| (E) | Malawi | 2 | |
| (F) | Mali | 2 | |
| (F) | Mauritania | 2 | |
| (A,F,S) Morocco | 3 | ||
| Sénégal | |||
| (P) Guinea Bissau | 2 | ||
| (P) Cape Verde Islands | 2 | ||
| (E) | Sierra Leone | 3 | |
| (F) | Somalia | 5 | |
| (E) | So. & West Africa | 4 | 1 |
| (E) Bophuthatswana | 2 | ||
| (E) Namibia | 2 | ||
| (A,E) | Sudan | 4 | |
| (F) Djibouti | 2 | ||
| (E) | Tanzania | 6 | |
| (F) | Togo | 2 | |
| (E) | Transkei | 1 | |
| (F) | Tunisia | 3 | |
| (E) | Uganda | 4 | |
| (F) | Zaire | 10 | |
| (E) | Zambia | 4 | |
| 100 | |||
| AMERICAS | |||
| (E) | Barbados | 2 | |
| (S) | Bolivia | 4 | |
| (S) | Colombia | 4 | |
| (S) | Dominican Republic | 2 | |
| (F) | Fr. Antilles | 4 | |
| (S) | Guatemala | 5 | 1 |
| (F) | Haiti | 5 | |
| (E) | Jamaica | 2 | |
| (E) | Leeward Is. | 10 | |
| (S) | Paraguay | 4 | |
| (S) | Puerto Rico | 5 | |
| (D,F) | Surinam-Fr. Guiana | 4 | |
| (E) | Trinidad-Tobago | 2 | |
| (S) | Uruguay | 6 | |
| (S) | Venezuela | 4 | |
| (E) | Virgin Is. | 3 | 1 |
| (E) | Windward Is. | 10 | |
| 76 | |||
| ASIA | |||
| Assigned | Filled by U.S. | ||
| (C,E) | Hong Kong | 4 | |
| (K) | Korea | 4 | |
| (E,C) | Macao | 2 | |
| (E) | Nepal | 2 | |
| (E) | Sikkim | 2 | |
| (E) | Sri Lanka | 2 | |
| (E,T) | Thailand | 4 | |
| 20 | |||
| AUSTRALASIA | |||
| Caroline Is. | |||
| (E) Yap | 1 | ||
| (E) Palau | 3 | ||
| (E) Truk | 5 | ||
| (E) | Fiji Is. | 2 | |
| (E) | Kiribati | 4 | |
| (E) | Mariana Is. | 2 | |
| (E) | Marshall Is. | 4 | |
| (F) | N. Caledonia | 2 | |
| (F) Loyalty Is. | 2 | ||
| (F) Marquesas Islands | 1 | ||
| (F) Society Is. | 2 | ||
| (F) Tuamotu Archipelago | 1 | ||
| New Zealand | |||
| (E) Cook Is. | 6 | ||
| (E) Niue | 1 | ||
| (E) | Papua New Guinea | 10 | |
| (E) | Samoa | 3 | |
| (E) | Solomon Is. | 6 | |
| (E) | Tuvalu | 4 | |
| (F,E) | Vanuatu | 6 | |
| 65 | |||
| EUROPE | |||
| (Gr,E) | Cyprus | 2 | |
| (Dn) | Denmark | 10 | |
| (Fn) | Finland | 6 | |
| 18 | |||
| World Goals | 3 | ||
| Non-Goals, Overfills, Refills | 13 | ||
| Total | 16 | ||
| Re-opened Goals (from first phase of Seven Year Plan) | |||
| Bahamas | 1 | ||
| French Antilles | 1 | ||
- LANGUAGE KEY
- A-Arabic
- C-Chinese
- Dn-Danish
- D-Dutch
- E-English
- F-French
- Fn-Finnish
- Gr-Greek
- K-Korean
- P-Portuguese
- S-Spanish
- T-Thai
Shown here are some of the nearly 90 people who attended a fundraising dinner March 14 in Schenectady, New York, at which $1,298.50 was raised for the National and International Bahá’í Funds. The guest speaker was Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and professor of history at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. The program also included international folk dancing and a dinner of Indian and Middle Eastern foods. A highlight was an announcement during the evening that John Stephens of Schenectady had declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Personal PROFILE[edit]
Name: Ebrahim Amanat
Community: St. Louis, Missouri
Occupation: Psychiatrist
Background: Dr. Amanat, a native of Kashan, Iran, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at St. Louis University and a member of the Training and Continuing Education Committee of the Greater St. Louis Council on Child Psychiatry. He served as president of the Council in 1975-76.
Dr. Amanat is the author of nearly a dozen papers on various aspects of psychiatry and has translated three books into Persian: The Forgotten Language, by Erich Fromm; Speech and Language Delay, by Ray Battin; and Biochemistry and Behavior.
Following his internship and residency in Pennsylvania, Dr. Amanat returned to Iran in 1967 where he served as director of the division of psychiatry at Tabriz University and was superintendent of Shahpoor Hospital. He came back to the U.S. in 1970 and was employed as an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Missouri.
He was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis from 1972-76 and was an assistant professor there from 1976-78 before moving to St. Louis University.
As a Bahá’í, Dr. Amanat has served as a member of numerous Local Spiritual Assemblies, and has served on many committees since he was a teen-ager attending the Ṭihrán Medical School. His hobbies include poetry and music.
Service for Blind
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- In Braille or on tape—
- • Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
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PLUS more than 80 other titles
For a printed catalog write:
- Bahá’í Service for the Blind
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Holiest Shrine in Iran faces destruction[edit]
Continued From Page 1
Spiritual Assembly of Iran were arrested in August 1980, and their whereabouts since that time is unknown.
The Bahá’í National Center in Iran is occupied by government troops; Bahá’í businesses and hospitals have been forced to close, and Bahá’í cemeteries have been desecrated.
The mob that attacked the House of the Báb in September 1979 was led by government officials in Shíráz who were accompanied by 25 armed members of the Revolutionary Guards.
The mob, which had the key to the house, smashed and dismantled doors and windows, destroyed ornamental plasterwork, breached the walls, and hacked to pieces a tree in the courtyard.
APPEALS by the believers in Shíráz to government officials there were unheeded as the destruction continued for two days.
The destruction of Bahá’í properties in other cities in Iran has continued to the present time.
In February 1979 it was reported that more than 300 private homes and dozens of shops and businesses already had been looted, burned down, or otherwise destroyed.
These recent persecutions call to mind the early days of the Faith in Iran when more than 20,000 followers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh gave their lives for the Cause of God.
Bahá’u’lláh Himself was a prisoner and an exile for the last 40 years of His life. He ascended in 1892 near the prison-city of ‘Akká in present day Israel, still a prisoner of the Turkish government.
In 1896, when Násirí’d-Dín Sháh was assassinated by a Pan-Islamic terrorist, the Bahá’ís were accused of the crime. A wave of persecution followed in which several Bahá’ís lost their lives.
THE REVOLUTION of 1906 prompted further attacks on the Faith in cities throughout Iran.
Another large-scale attack on the Bahá’ís in Iran was launched in 1955. During the orgy of murder, rape, pillage and destruction that followed, the dome of the National Center in Teran was demolished; the House of the Báb was twice desecrated and severely damaged; Bahá’u’lláh’s ancestral home in Tákur was occupied; and the house of the Báb’s uncle was razed to the ground.
In addition, shops and farms were plundered, crops burned, livestock destroyed, bodies of Bahá’ís disinterred and mutilated, private homes broken into and looted, adults execrated and beaten, young women abducted and forced to marry Muslims, young girls raped, families murdered, and government employees dismissed for no cause.
Although the Bahá’ís are the largest religious minority in Iran, their existence is not officially recognized. Unlike other minorities, such as the Christians, the Jews, and the Zoroastrians, the Bahá’ís enjoy no specific human rights under the Iranian constitution.
As a result, all manner of pressure has been brought to bear on the friends over the years to recant their faith; but as is the case today, the Bahá’ís in Iran have steadfastly refused to make such a concession even to save their own lives.
More than 80 people gathered February 13 at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, for a proclamation at which the speaker was Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh (center), vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly and professor of history at Yale University in New Haven. The event was sponsored by the Connecticut College Bahá’í Club and by the Bahá’í communities in southeastern Connecticut. Dr. Kazemzadeh spoke about the origins of the Faith in Iran and of the recent persecution of Bahá’ís in that country.
As a part of ‘Operation Befriend,’ the Spiritual Assembly of Arroyo Grande Rural, California, planned an Ayyám-i-Há party March 1 for residents of the Oak Park Manor rest home. Besides refreshments served by the Bahá’ís, the program included a flute solo by Sterling Vaden, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of San Luis Obispo; a slide presentation by Guenther Mayer-Harnisch, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Arroyo Grande Rural, and a brief explanation of the Intercalary Days and Bahá’í calendar.
Builders[edit]
Continued From Page 10
to the Temple property and to provide ways and means for its construction.
Mrs. True was elected financial secretary of Temple Unity and served in that capacity until the election in 1925 of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
As financial secretary, she acknowledged every contribution with a personal note, sharing progress of the Temple project with the friends.
Mrs. True and Cecilia Harrison found the present site of the House of Worship while serving as members of a committee appointed for that purpose.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a guest in the True home in 1912 while He was in Chicago to dedicate the Temple grounds and lay the cornerstone. In 1953 Mother True was present for the crowning victory, the dedication of the House of Worship in Wilmette.
THE YEAR before, she was named a Hand of the Cause of God by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, who paid tribute to her in these words: “Mrs. True is to be regarded as the most venerable figure among the pioneers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in the West.”
Although best known for her involvement in construction of the Temple in Wilmette, Mother True’s teaching record is equally remarkable.
During her early years as a Bahá’í she devoted considerable time to teaching the Faith in Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois, and in Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin, and was responsible for introducing the Faith in Michigan.
Overcoming her natural shyness, she followed the advice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and made herself an outstanding and effective public speaker, delivering a memorable address at the 1950 European Teaching Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In 1957, at the age of 95, Mrs. True represented the Guardian at the National Convention of the Greater Antilles in Kingston, Jamaica.
She died April 3, 1961, just seven months short of her hundredth birthday.
In 1979 the National Spiritual Assembly established an annual award in honor of Corinne True to recognize Bahá’ís who have volunteered their time to serve at the Temple to whose construction Mrs. True dedicated a great part of her life.
[Page 15]
THE MEDIA
Fireside Playhouse: Story behind the program[edit]
Fireside Playhouse, a new half-hour radio drama series produced for the National Spiritual Assembly, is now on the air in nearly 100 cities with the list of stations growing daily.
A series like Fireside Playhouse doesn’t just happen. It took three years of planning, coordinating, and plain hard work to bring it about.
The story of how Fireside Playhouse was created is almost as interesting as the dramas themselves. The broad outline of that story is related here by Betty Deborah Ulius, the producer-director-writer of Fireside Playhouse.
•
The concept of Fireside Playhouse began some time ago with a message on my telephone answering machine.
I had been in New York for several weeks, and when I returned, there was the message: “Please call Bahá’í National Center. We’re interested in having you write twenty-six 30-second radio spots for the Bahá’í Faith.”
I CALLED, but quite honestly, I felt that what was needed were not 30-second spots (which would barely touch the listeners’ consciousness before they were over), but a series of dramatic episodes that would present Bahá’ís involved in contemporary American settings, dealing with the problems of today on a down-to-earth yet spiritual level.
In a half-hour radio drama, I felt, we could give people who had perhaps never heard of the Faith some idea of who we were, what we believed in, and how we solved our own problems.
And that is what I suggested.
I had no way of knowing then that it would take three years, that I would work harder and have to dig more deeply into myself, into my beliefs, than I could ever have imagined, or that all of it—the whole experience—would be the most joyous of my entire life.
During the time since I answered that message from the National Center, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most skilled and talented actors in Hollywood: people like Hans Conried, Mason Adams, Ross Martin, Anne Seymour, Karl Swenson—actors whom I had been awesomely impressed by, some 30-odd years ago, when, as a teen-ager, I would hang around the NBC and CBS studios in New York City, autograph book in hand, longing for a chance to see and speak with these magical people.
In my 20s I was a radio writer and director, then went on to television and films. If I thought of radio at all, it was nostalgically. It was because I had been so young, I thought, that radio had been so much fun.
THE ACTORS couldn’t really have been so nice. The excitement of going on the air with a radio script couldn’t have had the intensity of a first-night opening on Broadway, it was only because it was so long ago, I told myself, that it had all seemed so marvelous.
Well, two years ago, when I returned to radio drama, I found that it wasn’t merely nostalgia. There is something about radio that makes for great camaraderie among the actors.
There is courtesy and warmth in radio, and the desire to do one’s absolute best in the short time (two hours altogether!) the actors have to read the script, set the characterizations, and tape the show.
When I was casting the Fireside Playhouse pilot, “Breaking Out,” I listened to several audition tapes in the offices at Studiohouse, where the show was to be produced.
Don Hills, the director of another program produced at Studiohouse, and I listened to a dozen or more voices trying to cast someone in the leading role of Gene Munroe. None of them was right.
Suddenly, I heard the one I wanted. Unmistakable! It was the voice of someone driven, irascible, a man at the end of his emotional tether, yet someone you knew could change if only he would give himself a chance.
“That’s him!” I said. “That’s the actor!”
DON HILLS groaned. “That’s Hans Conried,” he said. “You’re never going to get him.”
“Please call him,” I asked.
Don dialed a number, and Mr. Conried answered.
Don explained that I was producing a new show, Fireside Playhouse, and that it was for the Bahá’í Faith. He began to explain as best he could about the Faith, then stopped, mystified.
“He’s laughing,” Don said, turning to me. “He says he knows a couple of Persians. What does that mean?”
Mr. Conried must have liked the Persian Bahá’ís he knew, because a week later he was in the studio taping “Breaking Out,” the first episode in the 13-week Fireside Playhouse series.
I was to learn later that many actors knew someone who was a Bahá’í: Ross Martin, Jane Rose, and Mason Adams, who had been a friend of O.Z. Whitehead’s when they both worked in the theater in New York.
(Mr. Whitehead, who now lives in Ireland, is the author of the book, Some Early Bahá’ís of the West.—Ed.)
PEOPLE HAVE asked me how we managed to get the high caliber of actors who have appeared in the series.
All I can say is that I wrote the best scripts I could, scripts that tackled problems that struck responsive chords in many people: topics as openly discussed as mid-life crisis, as undiscussed (until recently) as child abuse among the upper middle class, to social evils many non-Bahá’ís don’t even think of as evil, such as the viciousness of gossip.
Often, when I was writing a script, I would suddenly begin to hear the voice of a particular actor, saying the lines. And no matter who it was, that was the actor I would try to get.
It took considerable courage, the first time, to phone Ross Martin’s agent, for instance; to tell him that I had a script I thought was right for Ross, that we paid the laughable sum of $70 for each show, but that I thought Ross might enjoy acting in it, and would the agent please send the script on to him?
The day of the taping of “Games,” Mr. Martin’s Silver Cloud Rolls Royce pulled into the parking garage at Studiohouse.
It was a two-part script, and for four hours Ross Martin gave us all of his talent, his expertise (he had been a radio actor long before movies and television), and—during the lunch break—a marvelous story about the first Bahá’í he had ever met, a black man who ran the elevator in his apartment building, many years ago.
ANOTHER of the actors in “Games,” playing the would-be romancer of Ross Martin’s wife, was a tall, blue-eyed, handsome young man named Jared Martin.
He arrived in a dented van, was living in a cabin in raffish Topanga Canyon, and really needed the token fee we were paying him.
Two months later, Jared Martin was cast as “Dusty” in the television series Dallas, given a $100,000-a-year contract by Lorimar Productions, and in May made the cover of People magazine. That, as they say, is show biz!
As of this writing (the end of May), Fireside Playhouse is being heard for 13 to 26 weeks on more than 85 stations across the country (with more stations accepting the series each week).
Within a 10-day period in April, articles about the series appeared in the Sunday supplement section of the Los Angeles Times, in the Los Angeles Daily News, and in the Hollywood Reporter, the area’s most important trade publication.
Another article on the series is scheduled to appear in the July issue of PSA, the airlines magazine.
And last week, the Division of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Wyoming asked for the entire Fireside Playhouse series in script form, as well as the 13-record set and the full press kit, to be placed in its archives.
There are many people responsible for the success of Fireside Playhouse; the actors; my genius of an engineer (who is a “born-again” Christian and who, for a while, would engage me in theological arguments at 4 o’clock in the morning while we edited the tapes); and especially the National Spiritual Assembly, who, when presented with the idea of a series of dramas about today, produced in that medium we have almost forgotten in this age of television and laser beams—radio—had the vision and the courage to say, “Go to it!”
Betty Deborah Ulius (right), the writer/producer/director of ‘Fireside Playhouse,’ was the guest May 29 on the KNX Radio (Los Angeles) Food News Hour with hosts Mel Baldwin and Jackie Olden. The popular program draws more than a million listeners daily.
Bahá’í presents solo recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall[edit]
Janis-Rozena Peri, a Bahá’í who is an assistant professor of music at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, presented a solo recital May 31 at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Peri, a soprano, performed works by Franz Schubert, George Bizet, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and John Davye.
Also included in the program was the world premiere of Eero Richmond’s “Cantata for a New Era, for Soprano and String Quartet.”
The new work, in seven movements and with a prelude and postlude, includes excerpts from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Ms. Peri was accompanied by pianist Harold Protzman, chairman of the music department at Old Dominion University.
The soprano made her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in May 1977, after which she was chosen to appear as soprano soloist on Carmen Three’s program, “Gustav Mahler in New York,” which was aired in more than 100 cities on the CBS network.
Since then she has performed the role of the Mater Gloriosa in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, also at Carnegie Hall; has appeared as Frankie in Carmen Jones in Germany, Switzerland and Holland; and has portrayed Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Ms. Peri joined the faculty at Old Dominion University in August 1979.
Texas Summer School[edit]
The Texas Bahá’í Summer School will be held August 7-12 at Houston-Tillotson College in Austin.
Special guests at the school will include Jack McCants and Dr. Allan Ward.
For information phone Sohrab Couroush, 512-836-0936.
[Page 16]
PUBLICATIONS
New compilation traces evolution, growth of Boards of Counsellors[edit]
To many Bahá’ís, the Continental Boards of Counsellors may be a respected but mysterious institution of the Faith, whose purpose and station has not been fully understood. A new compilation on the Continental Boards of Counsellors may help us to better appreciate that institution.
The Continental Boards of Counsellors (Catalog No. 215-067-10, $4) is a chronological compilation of letters, extracts from letters, and cables from the Universal House of Justice tracing the evolution of the Board of Counsellors from their establishment in June 1968 to their most recent development in November 1980.
The story of the Continental Boards of Counsellors actually began in April 1964, when the Universal House of Justice adopted the task of extending into the future the work of protection and propagation carried on by the Hands of the Cause of God.
By November 1964, however, the Supreme Body had concluded that there was “no way to appoint” Hands of the Cause, as that power, according to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was reserved only for the Guardian.
This meant in effect that, with the passing of the last of the Hands of the Cause of God, that institution, which the Universal House of Justice had called “one of the most precious assets the Bahá’í world possesses,” would no longer exist.
After four years of consultation and deliberation with the Hands of the Cause, the Universal House of Justice arrived at the momentous decision to establish the Continental Boards of Counsellors to “reinforce and supplement the work of the Hands of the Cause...”
The Continental Boards of Counsellors would henceforth direct the Auxiliary Boards for protection and propagation, a task that had originally been given by the Guardian to the Hands of the Cause.
The Counsellors were also given trusteeship of the Continental Bahá’í Fund. They were to consult and collaborate with National Spiritual Assemblies and keep the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause informed about the condition of the Faith in their areas.
The responsibilities given to the Boards of Counsellors were similar to those given by the Guardian to the Hands of the Cause.
Among them were the preservation of “the spiritual health of the Bahá’í communities,” the “vitality of the Faith and of its individual members,” and the “proper functioning of its laboriously erected Institutions...”
The appointment of the Continental Boards of Counsellors thus freed the Hands of the Cause to concentrate their energies on the protection and propagation of the Faith on a worldwide basis.
The existence of an institution such as the Continental Boards of Counsellors, comprised of individuals “who play such a vital role” in the Faith and “yet have no legislative, administrative or judicial authority,” is, according to the Universal House of Justice, “a feature of Bahá’í administration unparalleled in the religions of the past.”
A study of The Continental Boards of Counsellors compilation will not only provide a greater appreciation of the Boards of Counsellors themselves, but will give one a better understanding of the interrelationships between all the Institutions of the Administrative Order.
Also included in the compilation is an address by former Counsellor Edna M. True on the relationship of the Boards of Counsellors to National Spiritual Assemblies.
Other aids to one’s appreciation of the Continental Boards of Counsellors can be found in two cassette tapes that are also available from the Publishing Trust.
The Continental Board of Counsellors: Its Role and Station (Catalog No. 831-036-10, $7) enables you to enjoy a study class with the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears on this all-important subject.
A Moment with the Institution of the Continental Board of Counsellors (Catalog No. 831-076-10, $7) is a presentation by former Counsellor Edna True and four Auxiliary Board members that offers inspiration and guidance on teaching, pioneering, and handling opposition to the Faith.
To order your copies of these materials, see your Bahá’í community librarian or use the order form on Page 4 of the Mini-Catalog in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
New cassettes dramatic, inspiring[edit]
Sacred Writings set to music, dramatic narration about the Faith, and Bahá’í-inspired songs are among the treasures to be found in the new cassette tapes now available from the Publishing Trust.
A new inspirational collection of chants and songs in Persian is now being offered.
In Memory of the Martyrs (Catalog No. 832-125-10, $8) features the lovely chanting and singing of renowned Persian artist Shokouh Rezai Davis, recorded at the House of Worship in Wilmette.
The setting lends a haunting quality to her exquisite renderings of Tablets by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, odes by Bahá’u’lláh, a poem by Táhirih, and more.
Both Persian and non-Persian friends will want to use the tape as a background for prayer and meditation, or make it part of the devotional portion of Feast.
At long last, stereo cassette versions of four popular record albums are available.
In The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh (Catalog No. 832-022-10, $8.50), Donna Kime Barbre’s lyrical voice accentuates the poetic beauty of Bahá’u’lláh’s meditations on revealed truth.
Selected Hidden Words are sung in improvisational musical compositions featuring piano, guitar, dulcimer, sitar, and other instruments. Singer and musicians blend to create a musical experience that touches the heart as well as the soul.
Flight (Catalog No. 832-021-10, $8.50) is a collection of original songs by Bahá’í musicians that represents a diversity of races and cultures as well as musical styles.
Selections range from the folk sounds of “Hoy Es El Día” and the soft-rock of “The Prisoner” to the jazz improvisation of “Flight” and the rhythm and blues of “Can’t You Feel His Love.”
Together these songs exemplify the principle of the unity of mankind through the love of God.
The Lote Tree (Catalog No. 832-023-10, $8.50) combines the talents of the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and Bahá’í musicians such as Seals and Crofts and England Dan and John Ford Coley in portraying the Central Figures, the Guardian, and the principles and institutions of the Faith through dramatic narration and song.
Subtitled “A Musical Fireside,” The Lote Tree can be used effectively in firesides, deepenings, and for radio proclamations.
In Happy Ayyám-i-Há! (Catalog No. 832-044-10, $8.50) Mr. Sears is depicted as a loving grandfather surrounded by children of all ages and races at an Ayyám-i-Há party.
The children’s questions prompt him to explain the meaning of such things as the Bahá’í calendar and the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, and to tell a moving story about the Báb as a child.
The children sing a variety of songs, including two prayers set to music, a song about the heroines of the Faith, and a song about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sung in English and Swahili.
Happy Ayyám-i-Há! received Religion in Media’s Angel Award as best children’s album of 1979.
Among the cassettes now back in stock after a long absence is A Commentary of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Catalog No. 830-051-10, $7).
In this commentary, the Hand of the Cause of God A.Q. Faizí relates the simplicity and order of Bahá’u’lláh’s life to His Writings, recounts where and when the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed, outlines its structure, traces the “two gifts given to mankind through this book,” and explains why it is the “Mother Book of our Faith” and the “gate through which mankind enters into the Age of Maturity.”
Following Mr. Faizí’s commentary are 15 minutes of excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas taken from Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and Citadel of Faith.
This recording is invaluable in making the Most Holy Book of Bahá’u’lláh more accessible to the friends.
To order copies of these cassettes, see your Bahá’í community librarian, or use the order form on Page 4 of the Mini-Catalog in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
Trust materials set beat for ‘Rhythm of Growth’[edit]
“The Rhythm of Growth” is the program adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly to guide the American Bahá’í community during the last five years of the Seven Year Plan.
The “rhythm” is the regular pattern of expansion and consolidation essential to the growth and health of every Bahá’í community.
TO KEEP the “rhythm” going a community must have the knowledge required to function properly at whatever stage it finds itself.
To aid in providing that knowledge, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust has designed packages of materials to suit communities of every size, from one believer to 30 or more.
These packages were presented to the friends in the “Rhythm of Growth” catalog that appeared in the June issue of The American Bahá’í.
It might be helpful for the friends to understand the reasoning behind the organization of these materials so that they can receive the maximum benefit from their use.
In this issue of The American Bahá’í, we will examine “Stage One: Organizing Yourself.”
Every Bahá’í community starts with the individual. It is important, therefore, that you, as an individual Bahá’í, connect yourself to the source of spiritual growth and strength, understand the laws and principles of the Faith, and realize why teaching the Faith must play a vital role in your life.
The first package in Stage One is “1A: Getting Started (Catalog No. 501-011-10, $11 NET).
The first step in getting started is developing the habit of prayer. Therefore, Bahá’í Prayers is essential.
The second step is developing the habit of studying the writings of Bahá’u’lláh. The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh provides you with brief but potent meditations on the essence of revealed truth. Praying and deepening in the Writings every morning and evening is the mainstay of spiritual strength.
Another step is gaining an overview of the fundamentals of Bahá’í belief.
The Deepening Packet for New Believers allows you to concentrate
[Page 17]
PUBLICATIONS
Filmstrips help foster knowledge, understanding[edit]
One exciting and imaginative way to increase your knowledge of the history of the Faith, gain insights into teaching, or deepen your understanding of the Local Spiritual Assembly is through filmstrip programs.
Six filmstrips are once again available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Glimpses of Perfection (Catalog No. 800-007-10, $16) is an account of the Master’s visit to America in 1912.
The 16-minute black and white filmstrip relates many of His inspiring, often humorous encounters with some of the earliest Bahá’ís in the West, and suggests the deep significance of His journey through America.
Pilgrimage to the House of the Báb (Catalog No. 801-088-10, $20) is an audio-visual visit to that sacred spot in Shíráz, Persia, where the Báb declared His Mission on May 23, 1844.
It features a rich selection of photos and a narration highlighted by two previously untranslated excerpts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
The recent destruction of the House of the Báb adds poignancy to this priceless record of a Bahá’í Holy Place. The color filmstrip includes a 22-minute version in Spanish.
Out of God’s Eternal Ocean (Catalog No. 801-058-10, $20) traces the first 50 years of the Bahá’í Era.
It includes such dramatic events as the Báb’s declaration to Mullá Husayn, the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His followers in ‘Akká, and Professor E.G. Browne’s interview with Bahá’u’lláh.
Also recounted are some of the persecutions suffered by the two Manifestations of God and their followers.
The comprehensive scope and variety of photos in this 30-minute color filmstrip make it ideal for firesides, deepenings, or proclamations.
Land of Resplendent Glory (Catalog No. 804-005-10, $40) is a three-part series that depicts the lives of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and the “Letters of the Living” in the birthplace of the Bahá’í Revelation.
It traces the footsteps of the Báb and follows Bahá’u’lláh’s journeys into exile and imprisonment.
The 58-minute black and white filmstrip records landmarks and Holy Places of special significance to the Faith.
Written and photographed by Guy Murchie, author of The Seven Mysteries of Life, and narrated by Marzieh Gail, it will enhance your appreciation of the dramatic origins of the Faith.
Each One Teach One (Catalog No. 803-003-10, $15) is a 30-minute color filmstrip that uses imaginative cartoon artwork and music to demonstrate how much the Faith can grow when every Bahá’í strives to bring at least one person into the Faith each year.
The narration, featuring the song “Each One Teach One” by John Ford Coley and Bob Gundry, and artwork by Louise Taylor, will provide renewed inspiration for the teaching work in your community.
The Trusted Ones of God: The Local Spiritual Assembly (Catalog No. 800-066-10, $16) is based on the booklet of that name (Catalog No. 368-013-10, 50 cents). It takes a comprehensive look at the functions and duties of the Local Spiritual Assembly.
This 17-minute color filmstrip is invaluable as a deepening tool, and can be shown in its entirety or used in parts with periods of discussion in between.
Part One uses excerpts from the Writings to establish the spiritual foundations of the Local Spiritual Assembly.
Part Two describes when and how a Local Assembly is elected. Part Three outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Local Assembly.
Part Four describes the process of consultation, and uses excerpts from the Writings to detail the spiritual conditions under which it should be conducted.
Part Five provides a general summation of the responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly and the Bahá’í community to one another.
The “multi-media” approach of filmstrips can add variety to your firesides and deepenings, and present information that is succinct and appealing.
They may also serve to inspire the friends and seekers to go to the source of knowledge, the writings of the Faith.
To order any or all of these filmstrip programs, see your Bahá’í community librarian, or use the order form on Page 4 of the Mini-Catalog in this issue of The American Bahá’í.
‘Iyama’ stars in pleasing ‘Rhythm of Growth’ film[edit]
Who is “Iyama”?
He is an animated character who will become increasingly well-known in the next five years.
Iyama is the symbol of the “Rhythm of Growth,” the program developed by the National Spiritual Assembly as the theme for the American Bahá’í community during the remaining years of the Seven Year Plan.
IYAMA IS the star of a 16mm film that introduced the program at this year’s National Convention. The “Rhythm of Growth” film is now available for sale or rent from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The film uses animation and live actors to explain that the expansion and consolidation of cells, essential to the growth and development of any healthy organism, is also vital to the growth and health of every Bahá’í community.
Iyama is a single cell, representing the individual Bahá’í, who must learn how to multiply (expand) while becoming integrated (consolidated) with other cells to form new organs, such as Spiritual Assemblies.
The “rhythm” for this process of expansion and consolidation has been set by the National Spiritual Assembly: growth from one (the individual) to a Group of five; from a Group of five to nine (and the formation of an Assembly); from a Spiritual Assembly to a community of 15; and from a community of 15 with an Incorporated Assembly to a community of 30 or more.
Iyama and other animated cells demonstrate how a Bahá’í community can develop when individual believers understand what the institutions of the Faith expect of them at each stage of growth.
The name “Iyama” is taken from a line in the “Rhythm of Growth” theme song that begins and ends the film: “I am a tiny cell ...” The name underscores the importance of each individual Bahá’í to the growth of the Bahá’í community.
THE FILM itself is a valuable tool for educating the American Bahá’í community about this important program.
The friends should realize, however, that due to the special relationship of the “Rhythm of Growth” to the purposes and goals of the Faith, the film might only serve to confuse our non-Bahá’í friends. Therefore, it is not recommended for use at firesides, proclamations, or public meetings.
The “Rhythm of Growth” film (Catalog No. 828-018-10) can be purchased for $150 NET. Communities wishing to buy it are encouraged to order through their authorized community librarians.
Those who are interested in acquiring the film in a 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch video cassette format should contact Gil Muro, manager of special materials, at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, for more information.
The film is also available for a three-day rental at a cost of $16.50. Communities that wish to rent the film must send a letter to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust at the above address.
The letter should include (1) the name of the film; (2) the first, second and third choices of dates desired; and (3) a rental fee of $16.50 (includes 10 per cent for postage and handling). The rental fee must accompany the letter and cannot be charged to a librarian’s account.
For more information about film rental, please phone the Bahá’í book shop, 312-256-2957, any working day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. CDT.
The first Spiritual Assembly of Hopkins, Minnesota, was formed April 20. Its members are (standing left to right) Curtis C. Ewing, Melahat Zebarjadi, Fattaneh Eftekhari, Mehrnoosh Rouhani G., James F. Proetz, and (seated left to right) Soheil Zebarjadi, Marilyn Eva Pulley, Mildred L. Ewing, Farshid Eftekhari.
[Page 18]
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.
•
TWO BAHÁ’ÍS are needed to help form an Assembly in a lovely rural and recreational area in the heart of Wisconsin, adjacent to the shores of Lake Michigan. Wilson, a small farming community, is just south of Sheboygan, less than an hour north of Milwaukee, and two hours south of Door County, an artist’s and fisherman’s paradise. Homes may be purchased near the lake, and there is a mobile home park. For more information please write to Donna or Gary Gridley, ______ , Sheboygan, WI 53081, or phone 414-458-9355.
PERSIAN believers: looking for a place to settle outside of the big city? Greenfield, Indiana (population 12,000) is 16 miles east of Indianapolis with three universities within easy driving distance. Employment opportunities are down but possible. You can perform a great service for the Cause—Greenfield has the goal of incorporating this year as it observes the 10th anniversary of the formation of its Assembly. Good teaching possibilities, direct and indirect. Greenfield is a friendly, family- and child-oriented Bahá’í community looking for diversity. For more details write to P.O. Box 81, Greenfield, IN 46140, or phone Assembly Secretary Ruth Alewine at 317-462-7357.
LOOKING for a university? If you’re a student, instructor, professor—or anyone who likes working at or around a university, Moscow, Idaho, may be the place for you. The University of Idaho has especially fine programs in agriculture, engineering, forestry, wildlife, range sciences, and mines and earth resources. Moscow is a friendly, community-oriented town with plenty of racial and national diversity on the campus. Mountains, lakes, rivers and forests abound in the surrounding area. Please write to the Bahá’í Group of Moscow, P.O. Box 3068, University Station, Moscow, ID 83843, or write directly to “Admissions” or “Personnel” at the University.
THE BAHÁ’Í CLUB at Sam Houston State University desperately needs an active Bahá’í to keep the club—and the Spiritual Assembly of Huntsville, Texas—out of jeopardy. All the Bahá’í students at SHSU are graduating and moving away. The Assembly supports the college club wholeheartedly, but cannot keep it on campus without a student attending. The Huntsville community is active and unified, and the college club is one of the main ways in which it proclaims the Faith. Just one Bahá’í student on campus can help keep our foot in the door and the Faith visible at SHSU. Please consider Sam Houston State as a university to attend in the fall. Your presence alone could be a great service to the Faith. Please contact the Bahá’ís of Huntsville, P.O. Box 1836, Huntsville, TX 77340, or phone 713-291-8530 (days) or 713-291-2634 (evenings).
HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed to help teach the Faith in Piedmont, California. Piedmont is 20 minutes from San Francisco and close to Oakland and Berkeley. A recent proclamation has resulted in renewed interest and activity. Please write to the Bahá’í community of Piedmont, ______, Piedmont, CA 94611, or phone 415-653-3666.
THE BAHÁ’Í International Community is seeking an experienced bi-lingual (English-Spanish) secretary for its United Nations office in New York City. Since this international work is of a sensitive and confidential nature, the position requires maturity, discretion and tact. If you are qualified and interested, please phone 212-486-0560 or send your resume and references to the Bahá’í International Community, 866 United Nations Plaza No. 444, New York, NY 10017.
COME HELP sustain a high level of teaching activity in eastern North Carolina. A position is open for a qualified FAR Part 135 chief pilot for an all-cargo carrier operating Beech 18s. Applicants must be willing to live in a rural, agricultural area and help teach the Faith. There are 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies in eastern North Carolina, at various stages of development, and several Groups in a large geographical area. If you are willing to sacrifice some of the comforts of city living for the rewards of working for the Faith in a rural area, send a resume only to James M. Wilkinson, operations director, Day Star Air Cargo, P.O. Box 370, Spring Hope, NC 27882. Applications also are being accepted for director of maintenance, pilots, and mechanics.
ONE OR TWO Bahá’ís are needed to live and teach in Savannah, Georgia. Several jobs are open in a print shop owned by a Bahá’í including one for an experienced pressman and another for someone with experience to operate a Multilith 250. Typing, bindery and layout experience is also helpful. If you are interested, please phone Cecile Bigatin at the Wright Square Press, 912-236-1666.
CARETAKERS wanted to live in the beautiful Sierra foothills of California on a 20-acre farm. The Weyant Land Corporation, owned by a Bahá’í, is accepting applications for the caretaker position from couples only. They would care for the grounds, do general maintenance work and farming. They would also care for two elderly women during the day, do some housework and other general duties. Valid driver’s licenses are required. The position includes a residence suitable for a family of four, plus negotiable salary. It is full-time and permanent. By filling this position, the local Bahá’í community could split, establishing one Local Assembly and forming a new Group that would be near Assembly status. Please send a complete resume and statement of why you would like to have the position to Guy E. Shannon, Weyant Land Corporation, P.O. Box 325, Coarsegold, CA 93614. All inquiries will be answered.
THE AMERICAN School in Guatemala needs teachers. Anyone with a B.A. or B.S. can teach there. Since classes are taught in English, it is not necessary to speak Spanish to teach. Pioneers who are already working in Guatemala say this is an excellent way to get into the country, learn the language, and start looking for permanent roots. Guatemala is one of the goals assigned by the Universal House of Justice for the first year of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan, and the Continental Board of Counsellors has informed the International Goals Committee that the need for more pioneers there is great. Anyone who would like to learn more about this wonderful opportunity to serve the Cause should contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
A BILINGUAL school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, has a number of firm job openings for its fall 1981 term. Except where noted, these positions do not require Spanish, do not require a teaching certificate, and do not require a degree in education. A bachelor’s degree is useful, but not necessary. The pay is reasonable, and pioneers working at the school recommend it as a good place to begin pioneering. Positions open include: English teacher, grades 7 and 8; physics teacher, grades 10 and 11; chemistry teacher, grades 10 and 11; biology teacher, grades 10 and 11; general science teacher, grade 9; counselor, primary grades (requires Master of Education degree and Spanish); counselor, secondary grades (requires Master of Education degree and Spanish); and several primary school teachers (first grade and kindergarten require Spanish). For more information about these positions and pioneering to Honduras contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
ARTISTS are needed to participate in an Arts Festival August 28-29 sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Rochester, New York. Needed are performers, visual artists, and arts and crafts for teaching and proclaiming the Faith through the arts. For information, please write to the Bahá’í community of Rochester, c/o Verna Swicord, ______ , Rochester, NY 14607, or phone 716-546-6715.
AUTHOR researching the life of Lydia Zamenhof for a forthcoming book wishes to locate Bahá’ís who met Miss Zamenhof during her visit to the U.S. in 1937-38 as well as letters from Miss Zamenhof and articles about her in local newspapers in New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and elsewhere. Please contact Wendy Heller, P.O. Box 100, Temple City, CA 91780.
MUSICAL instruments are needed in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). Pioneers there say an old flute, guitar, banjo, viola, violin, xylophone, trumpet, bass, marimba, tuba, castanets, etc., would go a long way toward attracting youth and adults in Zimbabwe to hear the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. For more information, please write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
THE DAWN-BREAKERS of the Faith lived many stories that are unrecorded, and shared now only among the believers. As a published author, I believe I can serve the Cause by recording some of these stories for our own use, thus introducing a larger audience to their power and drama. I would appreciate knowing of believers who have such stories so that I can interview them by phone. Do you know such stories, or know someone (especially Persians) who does? Please write to me, giving your phone number and address, if you can help. Write to David House, c/o Vahid, ______ , Aurora, OR 97002.
A COURSE in radio broadcasting sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Puerto Rico will be held July 20-August 20. The course is designed to give extensive general knowledge in the rudiments of radio to a cadre of 15-30 Bahá’ís, providing “hands-on” training in the operation of equipment, script writing, announcing, program production, and basic technical skills. The instructor will be K. Dean Stephens, technical adviser to the Universal House of Justice’s audio-visual department and designer of Radio Bahá’í facilities in Ecuador. The 140-hour course will be held from Monday through Thursday with teaching on weekends. Reserved tuition is $300 per student, with $50 payable by July 9 and the remaining $250 by the July 20 starting date. The fee covers the course plus basic materials. All tuitions later than July 9/20 are $330. The course is the fourth in a highly successful series given in Puerto Rico and the U.S. in the past two years. Graduates will receive a certificate suitable for framing detailing the various elements covered in the course. For more information please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
THE SECOND Tennessee Bahá’í Institute will be held during the Labor Day weekend at Monteagle, Tennessee. As was the case last year, the conference will include guest speakers and talented musicians. Mark your calendar now for this historic event!
SUMMER teaching project in the lovely Finger Lakes region of western New York state. Help save an Assembly and form another while helping other exciting District Teaching Committee-sponsored projects. Housing is available. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Ithaca, P.O. Box 445, Ithaca, NY 14850, or phone 607-273-4240.
ATTENTION educators interested in international service. An excellent magazine is available from the European Council of International Schools relating to international education. It is published twice annually—spring and autumn—by ECIS, 19 Claremont Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT 6 4QR, England. Subscription price is $10 U.S. for individual or bulk subscriptions and $12 U.S. for institutions. The magazine deals with international education as a profession and as a growing awareness. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Performances by groups of folk dancers from Mexico and Hungary highlighted an Ayyám-i-Há celebration February 28 sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Ventura County, California, and supported by nearby Bahá’í communities. More than 200 people, about two-thirds of whom were non-Bahá’ís, from 14 communities in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties braved a heavy rainstorm to attend the “International Evening” at the Camarillo City airport. The event was well publicized on radio and in English- and Spanish-language newspapers.
Ten years ago...[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly approves plans for the immediate establishment of regional offices of the National Teaching Committee in the Northeastern, Southern and Western states along with Regional Teaching Committees to oversee the work of these new offices.
The Regional Teaching Committees are primarily concerned with the consolidation of Spiritual Assemblies while the District Teaching Committees are engaged in raising isolated centers and Bahá’í Groups to Assembly status ...
Dr. David S. Ruhe, a member of the Universal House of Justice, speaks to several hundred believers June 27 at a special reception in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
Dr. Ruhe stresses the importance of pilgrimage, education and the need to improve the quality of Bahá’í life. He shows slides of the Bahá’í Holy Places, and his wife, Margaret, shares some of her experiences and impressions of life at the World Centre ...
In less than a month more than 250 people in the Anaheim, California, area, most of whom are Spanish-speaking, declare their belief in Bahá’u’lláh as a result of a direct teaching campaign begun by a group of five believers under the name “Operation Trumpet Blast” ...
The National Spiritual Assembly announces that as of October 1, 1971, Bahá’í News will be placed on a subscription basis instead of being distributed free of charge to every American believer. The change is necessitated by rising production costs ...
More than 500 Jamaicans embrace the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in the wake of the Caribbean Oceanic Conference held in May in Kingston, Jamaica. These newest declarants are in addition to the 1,009 who became Bahá’ís as a result of a teaching trip to Jamaica prior to the conference by a group of six American believers from the Deep South ...
More than 60 believers from various parts of the Southwestern U.S. attend the second annual Mescalero Council Fire held June 4-6 on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in New Mexico ...
The National Teaching Committee predicts the achievement by Riḍván 1972 of the numerical goals of the Nine Year Plan concerning the establishment of Local Spiritual Assemblies and localities, but stresses the need for widespread proclamation of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and large-scale expansion efforts, giving them top priority at this time ...
Goals[edit]
Continued From Page 12
Monrovia, a city of 60,000 at the mouth of the St. Paul River on the Atlantic coast, is Liberia’s capital and main cultural and educational center.
English is the official language; however, becoming accustomed to “Liberian English” usually requires some patience and a good ear.
Tribal religions predominate, although Islam and Christianity are represented in significant numbers.
Higher education is provided by two major institutions—the University of Liberia in Monrovia, and Cuttington College in Suakoko.
Both schools have departments of liberal and fine arts. Degree programs in religion, social sciences, and law are also available.
Liberia’s principal resources are rubber and iron; its thriving export industry is built on these two commodities.
U.S. investment is larger than all other sources, and Liberia uses dollars as its medium of exchange. Nevertheless, the tribal people who form the bulk of its population are still engaged primarily in subsistence agriculture.
Liberia’s government is largely patterned after that of the U.S. An elected president is assisted by an 18-member cabinet, whom he appoints, and a democratically elected Senate.
Liberia boasts a large and active Bahá’í community. Once under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of West Africa, Liberia now has its own National Spiritual Assembly.
The people are largely receptive to the Faith and eager to learn. As in many areas of Africa, consolidation is most urgently needed.
Many employment opportunities exist in the field of preventive health care. Agricultural specialists and industrial engineers are also in demand on a regular basis.
ZAMBIA
Formerly known as Northern Rhodesia, Zambia is slightly larger than Texas.
It is a high plateau country in south-central Africa with a climate, modified by altitude, that is considered sub-tropical.
The worldwide goals for the first year of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan include four pioneers to English-speaking Zambia by Riḍván 1982.
Economically, Zambia is challenging. Employment is possible, but is best secured before entering the country. The key is to accept a job that offers a sufficient salary, enabling the pioneer to live a pleasant life.
There are educational opportunities for the children of pioneers as well.
Job opportunities are numerous for those with advanced degrees. Applications are invited for professors of English at the University of Zambia. Preference is given to candidates whose main interest is teaching English as a second language.
Also needed are teachers of French, geography, history, linguistics, and the Bantu language.
Jobs, especially for teaching couples, are open at the International School in Lusaka for qualified teachers at the elementary and secondary levels. Interviews are held in a few of the larger cities in the U.S.
The Zambian government is trying hard to build up its social services and is inviting engineers and other technical and professional people to help. Qualified accountants and administrators also are being sought.
The Bahá’ís of Bellingham, Washington, welcomed six new believers to that community February 26 with a dinner in their honor. All of the new Bahá’ís had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh within a three-month period as a result of active teaching and weekly firesides. The six are (left to right) Kathleen Hohl, Ben Ralston, Chuck Cooper, Kathy Riedler, Bart Reynolds, and Jackie Laub. A seventh person, Edith Yelland of Saskatchewan, Canada, became a Bahá’í during that same period while visiting relatives in Bellingham.
A steady flow of visitors marked an ‘open house’ held February 1 in Culver Judicial District near Los Angeles as the Bahá’ís of that community opened their newly established Bahá’í Center. The Center, on a semi-business thoroughfare in the heart of a large residential area, includes a public meeting room, Assembly conference room, well-equipped kitchen, and living quarters for its resident custodian, a Bahá’í. The ‘open house’ included refreshments, balloons for the children, and Bahá’í-oriented film presentations.
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PERSIAN PAGE
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PERSIAN PAGE
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NATIVE AMERICANS
Dancers in colorful Native American costumes were a part of the Council Fire held April 4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The annual event is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukee.
150 gather at annual Council Fire sponsored by Milwaukee Assembly[edit]
The annual Council Fire sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was held April 4 at the United Indian Center.
The Council Fire, a gift to area Indians from the Spiritual Assembly, offered two speakers, refreshments, and the drummers and dancing that are fundamental to Native American community life.
IT WAS attended by nearly 50 Bahá’ís and about 100 Indian guests.
One of the speakers was Dr. Khalil Khavari, a Bahá’í who is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Khavari praised the inherent nobility of the American Indians, and told them of Bahá’u’lláh’s special regard for their race and for the mission they are destined to arise to fulfill.
The other speaker and guest of honor was George Robares, a Mohawk Indian believer from Bemidji, Minnesota, who related how finding the Faith had restored his sense of self-worth and given him a greater appreciation of his heritage.
Mr. Robares ended his talk by exhorting his audience to investigate the Faith for themselves.
Drumming and singing was provided by the “Earth Survivors.” All but a few of the Native Americans present danced in full costume.
Twice during the evening Indian guests publicly thanked the Bahá’ís for the Council Fire and remarked on the atmosphere of fellowship.
A schedule of Bahá’í firesides was posted at the Indian Center and a special printing with the schedule and an Indian prayer was handed out.
The friends were able to make many personal contacts that will undoubtedly lead to growing friendships between Bahá’ís and members of the Native American community in Milwaukee.
Speakers at the annual Council Fire sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were Dr. Khalil Khavari of Bayfield, Wisconsin (third from right) and George Robares, a Mohawk Indian believer from Bemidji, Minnesota (seated next to Dr. Khavari). The speakers’ wives are seated beside them.
Indian teaching prominent in Plan[edit]
The American Indian Teaching Committee, enthusiastic about the prominence given to Indian teaching in the message from the Universal House of Justice announcing the second phase of the Seven Year Plan, met May 23-24 to consult on plans for implementing that mandate.
Expansion and consolidation of the Faith among Native Americans was mentioned four times in the message from the House of Justice.
The American Bahá’í community was directed to “raise the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies to at least 1,750, including 50 on Indian Reservations.”
U.S. Bahá’ís are to “greatly intensify teaching activities among and by American Indians and ensure their participation in the promotion and development of the Faith, thus hastening the fulfilment of the high destiny envisioned for them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
The friends in this country are to “construct and develop a teaching institute on the Navajo Reservation,” and to “develop, in consultation with the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska and Canada, cross border projects giving special attention to Indian Reservations.”
Dr. Allan L. Ward (right) of Little Rock, Arkansas, spoke on ‘ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Mystery of God,’ at a regional Bahá’í conference March 28-29 in Kansas City, Missouri. More than 135 Bahá’ís from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa attended the conference, which was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Prairie Village, Kansas. Many non-Bahá’ís attended a public meeting Saturday evening to hear Dr. Ward speak on the future of mankind from a Bahá’í point of view. The conference generated an article in the local newspaper and a 60-second spot on local NBC television news.
40 Assemblies![edit]
The American Indian Teaching Committee reported in April that, pending recognitions by the National Spiritual Assembly, its goal of forming 40 Assemblies on Indian Reservations in the U.S. at Riḍván was achieved.
The Riḍván period began with 37 Assemblies on Reservations. Six more were formed during Riḍván, while three were lost, leaving a total of 40.
The newly formed Assemblies (which still must be recognized) are:
Komatke District, Gila River Reservation, Arizona; Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota; Taos Pueblo, New Mexico; Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico; Mandaree, Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota; and Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota (restored).
Lost at Riḍván were the Assemblies at Crow Reservation, Montana; Devil’s Lake Sioux Reservation, North Dakota; and White Mesa Reservation, Utah.
Scott Tyler (right), a Makah Indian Bahá’í who is attending the University of North Dakota, presents a quilt made by Dakota Indian women at Crow Creek Reservation to visiting dignitaries from Norway, Chief Justice Rolv Ryssdal and his wife, Signe, director of social services in Oslo. The presentation was made April 1 on behalf of Native American Bahá’ís in the U.S.
North Dakota Bahá’ís present Indian quilt to Norway guests[edit]
When the coordinator of the University of North Dakota’s Indian Association was asked to present something of Native American origin to visiting Norwegian dignitaries Rolv and Signe Ryssdal (Chief Justice of Norway’s Supreme Court and director of social services for Oslo, respectively), she turned to a Bahá’í, Karen Jentz, a former pioneer to the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota.
Ms. Jentz, who now lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota, produced a quilt made by the Dakota women at Crow Creek as a memorial for Susie Wind, grandmother of two generations of Bahá’ís on that Reservation.
Scott Tyler, a Makah Indian believer from Neah Bay, Washington, who is attending the University of North Dakota, made the presentation April 1 to Mrs. Ryssdal on behalf of the Native American Bahá’ís in the U.S.
The Ryssdals were visibly moved by the gift. The Bahá’ís who were present felt that the star quilt was a tangible expression of the spiritual connections that united the two cultures, Native American and Norwegian, so predominant in North Dakota.
Trust packages accent ‘Rhythm of Growth’ plan[edit]
Continued From Page 16
on such subjects as the Covenant, the Central Figures, and the Bahá’í Fund individually so that you can gradually acquire a comprehensive view of the basic structure of the Faith.
When one becomes a Bahá’í, he also becomes a part of the worldwide Bahá’í community. The Seven Year Plan will help you to understand the role you can play in helping to achieve the goals of the present global teaching plan.
The guidance offered by the Universal House of Justice will give purpose and direction to your personal teaching efforts.
One of the goals everyone should set in his or her teaching efforts is to bring at least one new person into the Faith each year.
Each One Teach One: A Call to the Individual Believer will show you how to achieve this, with guidelines taken from the Bahá’í Writings.
A useful teaching tool is The Bahá’í Faith Teaching Booklet, which uses large type and colorful illustrations to present basic information about the Faith.
The final element in “Getting Started” is organizing your activities around the rhythm of the Bahá’í year: celebrating Feasts and Holy Days, observing the Fast, and so on. The Bahá’í Wall Calendar will help you to remember those important events and will give you some information about their observance.
The next package in Stage One, “1B: Adding to Your Treasures” (Catalog No. 501-121-10, $4.50 NET), continues your Bahá’í education by supplying you with guidance for your personal life, increasing your knowledge of the foundations of the Faith, and helping you along with your teaching work.
“The Bahá’í Life” will give you examples of how to apply Bahá’í principles to your daily life from the writings of the Guardian.
By deepening on The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá you will perceive the vital significance of the Administrative Order and see how its authority has been established.
The three booklets that comprise The Power of the Covenant discuss how Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant with mankind is the source of the unity and integrity of the Faith.
Finally, you will find renewed strength and purpose for your teaching work in The Individual and Teaching: Raising the Divine Call, a source of inspiration and guidance for teaching from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi.
The last package in Stage One, “1C: Completing a Core Library” (Catalog No. 501-031-10, $7.50 NET), adds the finishing touches to the basic information through which one’s spiritual life can flourish at this stage of growth.
Your habit of praying, reading the Writings, and meditating upon the Creative Word every day will be reinforced by Spiritual Foundations: Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude, a compilation of extracts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi on those subjects.
For your further deepening and meditation, Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, like The Hidden Words, brings you short, potent passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings.
The responsibility of the North American Bahá’í community in helping to achieve global teaching goals is dynamically underscored in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teaching mandate to the Bahá’ís of the U.S. and Canada to spread the Faith throughout the world.
The instructions for carrying out that mandate are given by the Guardian in The Advent of Divine Justice. These works will help you to see how your teaching work is contributing to the expansion of the entire Bahá’í world community.
Another essential element in one’s Bahá’í education is a knowledge of the history of the Faith.
From Strength to Strength is a brief history of the first half-century of the Formative Age of the Faith, from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing in 1921 to the establishment of the International Teaching Centre in the Holy Land in 1973.
This book will allow you to follow the growth of the Administrative Order under the Guardian and to appreciate the heroic response that was made to the Tablets of the Divine Plan.
The reward of acquiring the information provided by materials in Stage One, and acting on that information, will be the development of a vibrant Bahá’í community.
In the next issue of The American Bahá’í, we will look at the materials provided for “Stage Five: Building a Group.”
To order these packages of materials, use the order form on Page 4 of the Mini-Catalog in this issue, or the coupon on Page 16 of the “Rhythm of Growth” catalog in the June issue of The American Bahá’í.
Service for the Blind[edit]
AVAILABLE NOW:
- In Braille or on tape—
- • Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
- • The Priceless Pearl
- • Selections from the Writings of the Báb
- • The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh (Vols. I and 2)
PLUS more than 80 other titles
For a printed catalog write:
- Bahá’í Service for the Blind
- 3110 East Lester St.
- Tucson, AZ 85716
WORLD ORDER, a Bahá’í magazine, stimulates, inspires, and serves thinking people in their search to find relationships between contemporary life and contemporary religious teachings and philosophy.
Green Lake sets conference theme[edit]
“Emergence from Obscurity” is the theme chosen by the Green Lake Planning Committee for the 1981 Green Lake Bahá’í Conference scheduled for September 18-20 in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
The friends should make their reservations directly with the American Baptist Assembly using the form provided below.
Parents are urged to send the pre-registration form for their children directly to R. (Bud) Polk by August 30 to insure the proper planning and staffing for Green Lake’s outstanding children’s program.
|
Why did ... How did ...
Find out in The Promised Day Is Come, Shoghi Effendi’s eloquent and forceful analysis of the crises of our age. Get your copy now in preparation for the informative study tape on this momentous work, soon to be released by the National Education Committee. |
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PÁGINA HISPANA
El Templo Madre del Occidente centro espiritual y administrativo[edit]
LA MAESTRA SILENCIOSA
“Bahá’u’lláh dejó instrucciones para que Sus creyentes edificaran templos de adoración en cada país y ciudad.
“A estos templos les dio el nombre de ‘Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,’ que significa ‘Punto del Alba de las Alabanzas de Dios.’
“El Mashriqu’l-Adhkár debe ser un edificio de nueve lados coronado por una cúpula, y lo más hermoso posible en cuanto a su diseño y mano de obra.
“Debe estar en medio de un gran jardín adornado con fuentes, árboles y flores, rodeado de edificios auxiliares dedicados a fines educacionales, caritativos y sociales, de manera que la adoración de Dios en el templo está siempre íntimamente asociada con un reverente placer en las bellezas de la naturaleza y del arte y el trabajo práctico por el mejoramiento de las condiciones sociales.” (Bahá’u’lláh y la Nueva Era, p. 221)
El Templo Madre del Occidente, ubicado cerca a Chicago, Illinois, fue comenzado al principio del siglo. La piedra angular la puso en 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Mismo, bendiciendo así, en una forma muy especial, a este hermoso edificio.
Desde aquellos días, el Centro Nacional de los Bahá’ís de los Estados Unidos se ha desarrollado plena y constantemente. La primera de las dependencias, o edificios auxiliares, fue el Hogar Bahá’í de Ancianos, que ya lleva varios años de servicio a la comunidad, Bahá’í y no-Bahá’í por igual.
EN UN FUTURO cercano, ha de comenzar la construcción del Archivo Nacional, en donde se conservarán materias historicas preciosas, tales como Tablillas de Bahá’u’lláh en Su puno y letra, y cosas que pertenecían al Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, y ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Con el paso de los años, este centro espiritual ejercerá un papel cada vez más importante en la vida y las actividades de enseñanza de la comunidad norteamericana.
El centro administrativo de la Fe en los Estados Unidos también está ubicado alrededor del Templo: el Hazíratu’l-Quds, lugar de reunión de nuestra Asamblea Espiritual Nacional; las oficinas de los diversos comités nacionales; y, por supuesto, el lugar donde se hace esta ‘Página Hispana.’
La comunidad nacional ha crecido tan rapidamente que ahora requiere los servicios de un número apreciable de personas para mantener los archivos y llevar la correspondencia entre nuestra Asamblea Espiritual Nacional y las comunidades a través del país y alrededor del mundo.
En el fondo, el Centro Nacional, con la Casa de Adoración, sus dependencias y las oficinas de una administración en plan de desarrollo, pertenece a cada Bahá’í del país.
Desde este lugar, se juntan los esfuerzos y las oraciones de todos los Bahá’ís en su servicio a Bahá’u’lláh.
El diseno del edificio para los Archivos Nacionales Bahá’í.
Este día inmensamente exaltado[edit]
OH MIS QUERIDOS AMIGOS,
SON LOS PORTADORES DEL NOMBRE DE DIOS EN ESTE DIA. HAN SIDO ELEGIDOS COMO LOS DEPOSITARIOS DE SU MISTERIO. LES INCUMBE A CADA UNO DE USTEDES MANIFESTAR LOS ATRIBUTOS DE DIOS Y EJEMPLIFICAR, POR SUS ACCIONES Y PALABRAS, LOS SIGNOS DE SU RECTITUD, SU PODER Y SU GLORIA. LOS MISMOS MIEMBROS DE SU CUERPO DEBEN DAR TESTIMONIO DE LO EXALTADO DE SU PROPOSITO, LA INTEGRIDAD DE SU VIDA, LA REALIDAD DE SU FE Y EL ELEVADO CARÁCTER DE SU DEVOCION ...
EN VERDAD LES DIGO, INMENSAMENTE EXALTADO ES ESTE DIA POR ENCIMA DE LOS DIAS DE LOS APOSTOLES DE LA ANTIGUIDAD. ¡NO, INCONMENSURABLE ES LA DIFERENCIA! SON LOS TESTIGOS DEL ALBA DEL PROMETIDO DIA DE DIOS.
(El Báb, Los Rompedores del Alba, paginas 117-118)
Un episodio de niñez de Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
“Oh Amigos,” escribió Bahá’u’lláh, “no abandonáis la belleza sempiterna a cambio de una belleza que ha de morir, ni depositáis vuestro afecto en este mundo mortal de polvo.”
Con estas palabras Bahá’u’lláh enseña la esencia del desprendimiento. Nuestro esfuerzo para ser un verdadero Bahá’í en todos los aspectos de servicio a la Fe depende del grado al cual podemos mirar más allá de la ilusión del mundo físico y volvernos a las realidades eternas reveladas en las Enseñanzas de Bahá’u’lláh.
UN ASPECTO del principio de desprendimiento es ilustrado en la siguiente historia que Bahá’u’lláh contó acerca de su niñez:
“Cuando era niño y no había llegado todavía a la edad de la madurez, uno de mis hermanos se desposó en Teherán y de acuerdo a la costumbre de ese país durante siete días y noches estuvieron ocupados en festejos y banquetes.
“El programa para el último día de la entretención para los invitados fue la obra ‘Sultán Salim.’ Los ministros, nobles y oficiales de la ciudad estaban ahí en una gran multitud, y yo estaba sentado en una de las galerías del edificio, observando las escenas.
“Levantaron una gran tienda en el centro del patio. Representaciones de formas humanas de solo unas pocas pulgadas de alto salieron de la tienda y exclamaron: ‘Viene el Rey, coloquen los asientos en orden.’
“Entonces otras figuras salieron, barriendo el suelo mientras algunos rociaban las calles con agua. Luego se presentó otra figura quien se suponía que era el heraldo pidiendo que la gente estuviera lista para pasar revista delante de Su Majestad, el Sultán.
“Entonces vinieron los ministros, con sombrero y manto, de acuerdo a la costumbre persa. Habían otros armados con garrotes, mientras un cierto número estaban reunidos como chambelanes, ayudantes de campo, ferrases y verdugos con instrumentos de castigo. Todos se alinearon de acuerdo a su rango y clase.
“POR ULTIMO apareció el rey con soberano poder y una brillante diadema sobre su cabeza y con esplendor y gloria caminó lenta y majestuosamente y con perfecta calma, tranquilidad y compostura se sentó sobre el trono.
“En ese momento el ruido de las armas y la música del himno nacional se elevó y el humo rodeó la tienda y al rey. Cuando se despejó el aire, se vio que el rey estaba en su trono y los ministros, los magistrados y secretarios habían tomado sus puestos de acuerdo a sus rangos.
“Inmediatamente un ladrón, capturado por la policía, fue traído ante el rey y una orden real fue emitida para decapitarlo. Luego el jefe de los verdugos tomó al cautivo y le decapitó y un líquido rojo el cual era como la sangre fue visto por todos los espectadores.
“Mientras el Sultán estaba consultando con algunos de sus ministros se trajo la noticia de que cierta persona se había hecho rebelde. El Sultán dio la orden de que varios regimientos de soldados y artilleros se enviasen a la escena para calmar el disturbio.
“Después de unos cuantos minutos el ruido atronador de armas y artillería se escuchó detrás de la tienda y se nos dijo que estaban ocupados en batalla. Quedé asombrado y perplejo con estos asuntos. Entonces la representación terminó y bajó la cortina.
“Después de veinte minutos un hombre salió por detrás de la tienda con una caja bajo su brazo. Le pregunté, ¿Qué es esta caja? ¿Dónde están el rey y todos los hombres?
“EL RESPONDIO que todas estas grandes cosas y objetos manifiestos, tales como reyes, príncipes y ministros, gloria, majestad, poder y soberanía que contemplamos estaban encerrados en esta caja.
“Declaré por el Señor Quien ha creado todas las cosas mediante Su Palabra, que desde Aquel día todas las condiciones de este mundo y su grandeza han sido como aquella representación ante mis ojos. No tienen ni tendrán nunca el peso de una semilla de mostaza.
“Me sorprendió mucho que la gente se glorificara en estos asuntos. No obstante, la gente de discernimiento percibirá con el ojo de la certeza el fin de la grandeza de cada grande antes de que la vea.”
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PÁGINA HISPANA
Mensaje de la Casa Universal de Justicia[edit]
A los bahá’ís del mundo
Muy amados amigos,
Los éxitos de la fase inicial del Plan de Siete Años son evidencia alentadora del cuidado Divino que tan cariñosamente vigoriza y resguarda el crecimiento de la Causa de Dios.
Esta Causa, aún en su infancia, que ha sido hostigada y golpeada durante estos dos años por enemigos implacables, experimentando con rápida sucesión varias crisis y victorias de claro contraste, y que está rodeada por el tumulto creciente de un mundo que se desintegra, ha alzado su estandarte, reforzado sus cimientos, y extendido el alcance de sus instituciones administrativas.
EL RESURGIMIENTO de persecución cruel y bárbara de la Fe en el país donde nació, el paso de cinco Manos de la Causa de Dios al Reino de Abhá, el oscurecimiento de los horizontes del mundo a medida que las sombras fúnebres de convulsiones y caos universales extinguen las luces de la justicia y el órden, éstos figuran entre los factores que principalmente han afectado las condiciones y la ventura del ejército mundial de Dios.
La comunidad bahá’í en la Cuna de la Fe—habiendo atestiguado la destrucción de su Santuario más sagrado, el secuestro de sus Lugares Sagrados, la confiscación de sus dotaciones y aun de propiedades personales, el martirio de muchos de sus adherentes, el encarcelamiento de los miembros de su Asamblea Espiritual Nacional y de otras personas prominentes de su comunidad sin hacerles juicio y sin dar noticias de ellos, la privación de los medios de ganarse la vida, el vilipendiarlos y calumniar sus creencias atesoradas—ha permanecido tan firme como los Rompedores del Alba de antaño y ha salido espiritualmente unida y constante, el orgullo y la inspiración del mundo bahá’í entero.
En todos los continentes del globo su ejemplo y su situación desventurada ha llevado a los amigos a proclamar el Nombre de Bahá’u’lláh como nunca antes, personalmente, localmente, y por todos los medios de la comunicación masiva.
La comunidad mundial bahá’í, actuando por medio de sus representantes en las Naciones Unidas y por medio de sus Asambleas Espirituales Nacionales ha llevado a la atención de gobiernos y líderes mundiales en muchas esferas las creencias y el carácter de la Fe de Dios.
LOS PARLAMENTOS del mundo, sus consejos federales, sus agendas humanitarias, han dado consideración a la Causa Bahá’í, y en muchos casos han extendido su apoyo y expresado su conmiseración.
En medio de esta actividad en pro de nuestros amados hermanos persas que ha consumido tanto tiempo y energía, la comunidad del Más Grande Nombre, lejos de aminorar su procuración de los objetivos de la fase inicial del Plan de Siete Años, los ha promovido con creciente vigor. Agregado al deseo ardiente de los amigos en todas partes de demostrar su amor por sus hermanos en Persia mediante el enseñar la Causa con fervor redoblado, ha habido además la inspiración a enseñar derivado de la pérdida de las amadas Manos de la Causa, inspiración que ha sido alentada por los viajes de aquellos amados Manos que aún pueden dar este servicio cariñoso a los creyentes.
El ensanchamiento, durante esta fase inicial del Plan de Siete Años, de los cimientos de los Cuerpos de Consejeros y la consolidación de los trece Cuerpos zonales en cinco continentes ha reforzado grandemente esta institución vital de la Fe.
Se ha desarrollado aún más por el fijar un período específico de servicio para todos los Consejeros Continentales, como fue contemplado en los nombramientos originales.
El progreso en la Sede de la Casa Universal de Justicia y en los Templos de la India y de Samoa ha continuado.
SEIS NUEVAS Asambleas Espirituales Nacionales se formarán durante este Riḍván: dos en Africa, la de Africa Sud Occidental (Namibia) con sede en Windhoek y la de Bophuthatswana con sede en Mmabatho; tres en las Américas, Bermuda con sede en Hamilton, las Islas de Sotavento con sede en St. John’s, Antigua, y las Islas de Barlovento con sede en Kingstown, St. Vincent; una en el Pacífico, es decir la de Tuvalu con sede en Funafuti; y la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de Uganda volverá a constituirse.
A las que han de formarse durante el resto del Plan de Siete Años se han agregado las siguientes: dos en Africa, Guinea Ecuatorial con sede en Malabo, Somalia con sede en Mogadishu, y una en Asia, la de las Islas Andaman y Nicobar con sede en Port Blair.
Se han registrado incrementos en el número total de Asambleas Espirituales Locales y localidades durante la fase inicial, y comunidades bahá’ís en todas partes del mundo han demostrado mayor unidad y madurez en sus actividades colectivas.
La segunda fase del Plan de Siete Años, que se inicia ahora, durará tres años y será seguida por la fase final de dos años, terminando en Riḍván de 1986. El vigésimo quinto aniversario del fallecimiento de nuestro amado Guardián tendrá lugar durante el segundo año de la segunda fase del Plan, y ese mismo año también atestiguará el quincuagésimo aniversario del fallecimiento de la Hoja Más Sagrada.
La Casa de Justicia tiene planeado publicar una compilación de cartas dirigidas a ella por Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá y el amado Guardián, de palabras de ellos con referencia a ella, y de las cartas escritas por ella misma.
A TODA ASAMBLEA espiritual nacional se le ha enviado las metas asignadas a su comunidad para la segunda fase, para cuya procuración la comunidad mundial bahá’í ahora se halla lista y a la espera. Entre los acontecimientos principales que se vislumbran durante esta fase son:
Ocupación por la Casa Universal de Justicia de su Sede permanente en las faldas del Monte Carmelo arriba del Arco;
Terminación del Templo en Samoa y progreso continuado sobre el trabajo del Templo en la India;
Desarrollo adicional respecto de las funciones del Centro Internacional de Enseñanza y los Cuerpos de Consejeros, con referencia especial a la promoción de la vida espiritual, intelectual y social de la comunidad bahá’í;
La realización, durante los primeros nueve meses de 1982, de cinco conferencias Internacionales, en Lagos, Nigeria; Montreal, Canadá; Quito, Ecuador; Dublin, Ireland; y Manila, las Filipinas, esta última realizándose en el punto medio de un eje, al que se refirió el amado Guardián, cuyos polos son el Japón y Australia;
Preparación de planes arquitectónicos para la primera dependencia del Mashriqu’l-Adhkár de Europa, es decir, una casa de ancianos, y un incremento en el número de Hazíratu’l-Quds nacionales y locales; estos últimos, que serán ubicados especialmente en áreas rurales, han de ser adquiridos o construidos por los esfuerzos de los amigos locales;
La adquisición de seis nuevos sitios para Templos, cinco en Africa y uno en Australasia; y de cinco nuevas dotaciones nacionales, cuatro en Africa y una en las Américas;
La formación de dos editoriales bahá’ís, una en la Costa de Marfil y una en Nigeria;
Un gran incremento en la producción de literatura bahá’í en un número creciente de idiomas, el propósito final siendo el hacer posible que todo creyente tenga alguna porción del Texto Sagrado disponible en su idioma nativo;
La terminación de tres emisoras de radio más en América del Sur;
Gran atención al desarrollo y la consolidación de Asambleas Espirituales Locales en todas partes del mundo;
Desarrollo de la vida de comunidad bahá’í con atención especial a la educación bahá’í de niños y el enriquecimiento espiritual de comunidades;
El establecimiento de 279 pioneros en 80 países durante el primer año de la segunda fase.
Contribuciones liberales y acrescentadas a los varios fondos de la Fe serán esenciales si las tareas mencionadas arriba han de procurarse con éxito. Además, el hecho de la emergencia de la oscuridad que ahora experimenta nuestra amada Fe de manera observable impondrá la necesidad de nuevas empresas que llevarán consigo grandes requerimientos respecto de los fondos.
La conciencia creciente de los amigos en todas partes del mundo en los últimos años que los Fondos de la Fe son de veras la sangre vital de sus actividades es alentador para el futuro.
Confiamos en que esta conciencia aumentará, que más Asambleas Espirituales Nacionales dará grandes pasos hacia la independencia financiera, que presupuestos nacionales se cumplirán y que el Fondo Internacional Bahá’í recibirá una efusión siempre creciente de contribuciones haciendo posible que ese Fondo corra a la par con las necesidades internacionales siempre crecientes de la Fe.
Amados amigos, el mundo avanza más profundamente dentro del corazón de la oscuridad a medida que su viejo orden se desenrolla. Mientras vamos en procura de nuestros objetivos con confianza, optimismo y resolución inamovible, no hemos de olvidarnos nunca que la naturaleza de nuestro servicio es espiritual.
La humanidad se está muriendo por falta de religión verdadera, y esto es lo que tenemos nosotros para ofrecer a la humanidad. Es el amor de Dios, manifestado en la aparición de Bahá’u’lláh, que dará de comer a las almas hambrientas del mundo y que eventualmente conducirá a los pueblos fuera de la ciénaga actual a la tarea ordenada, elevadora e inspiradora de establecer el Reino de Dios sobre la tierra.
marzo de 1981
Algunos de los nuevos Bahá’ís de Campo Guzmán, California, con algunos de los maestros Bahá’ís.
Saludos y bienvenida a los creyentes del valle de Salinas[edit]
Queridos amigos:
Ha sido muy emocionante recibir la noticia del ingreso a la Fe Bahá’í de más de 1,500 nuevos creyentes de habla hispana en las regiones de California.
Con los corazones henchidos de felicidad y cariño damos nuestra cordial bienvenida a cada uno de Uds. que han declarado su fe en Bahá’u’lláh, la Bendita Belleza, el Consolador, el Espíritu de Verdad, el Prometido de todas las religiones y a Quien han estado esperando tan ansiosamente.
CITANDO de los escritos y queriendo compartir con Uds. la importancia del paso que han dado, Bahá’u’lláh dice: “Este es el Rey de los Días, el Día que ha presenciado la llegada del Más Amado, de Aquel que a través de toda la eternidad fuera aclamado como el Anhelo del Mundo.”
El pueblo de Bahá tiene un alto destino y en estos días en que toda la humanidad está sedienta de amor y guía no debemos olvidarnos de lo que se nos ha pedido hacer.
“Que vuestro interés principal sea rescatar al caído de la ciénaga de la extinción inminente y ayudarle a abrazar la antigua Fe de Dios.
“Vuestro comportamiento para con vuestro prójimo debe ser tal que manifieste claramente los signos del Dios único y verdadero, porque entre los hombres, vosotros solos los primeros en ser creados de nuevo por su Espíritu, los primeros en adorarle e inclinarse ante Él, los primeros en circundar su Trono de gloria.”
Queridos hermanos, bienvenidos a la Gran Familia Bahá’í.
Los Editores
Preparing a Bahá’í Will is of utmost importance[edit]
The following article on the importance of preparing a Will in accordance with Bahá’í law was written for The American Bahá’í by Stephen A. Koehl of the legal department at the Bahá’í National Center.
•
The writing of a Testament is one of the laws revealed by Bahá’u’lláh. It is incumbent on every Bahá’í, man or woman, to have a Will.
In our affluent but inflationary society, careful thought should be given to working out personal financial plans. This includes a Will for disposing of possessions upon death, to ensure maximum use of one’s resources, and to make certain that they are properly disposed of when one dies.
A WILL IS the document that specifies who is to receive one’s possessions when he or she dies, it also names an executor to carry out its provisions.
Dying without a Will causes problems and can spell disaster for one’s family, yet a great many people never make out a Will.
Some people, with good intentions, simply put it off until “later.” Others cannot face the fact that death is inevitable.
Still others find it difficult to persuade their spouses to sit down and discuss such a plan.
Preparing a Will has four main objectives: to pass along real estate, securities, bank deposits and other property to beneficiaries in an orderly and effective way; to make sure that one’s possessions go to those one wishes to give them to upon his death; to arrange for the care of dependent children; and to reduce the taxes on one’s possessions and set up, where applicable, trusts or other legal arrangements to assure professional management of business interests, real estate, or stocks and bonds.
It is important to have a current and properly written Will. In light of the Tax Reform Act of 1976, even people who had carefully prepared Wills and estate arrangements may need to update their plans.
To increase the friends’ understanding of the importance of making out a Will, the following answers to commonly asked questions are provided:
1. What happens when a person dies without a Will?
The property of a person who dies without a Will is distributed according to the laws of the state in which he or she resided. The pitfalls of such an arrangement are:
• Money, property and personal effects are distributed under a rigid formula set by the laws of one’s state.
• Relatives one scarcely knows or hasn’t seen in years may inherit one’s possessions.
• The court appoints an administrator, who could be a complete stranger to one’s loved ones, to handle their affairs.
• Some of one’s possessions may have to be sold to meet costs, leaving less money for one’s family.
• Lack of a Will may cause controversy among one’s relatives, and may cause a member of the family to challenge in court the distribution of one’s property or possessions.
• One’s estate may be subject to unnecessary taxes, and joint ownership of property, often counted on to replace a Will, may fail in its purpose.
• One’s family may suffer personal distress, and those one most wants to protect will be compelled to make important decisions at a time when they are least prepared to do so.
• Under the laws of many states, the property of the deceased who has not left a Will is divided so that one-third goes to his spouse and two-thirds to his children. In most instances this does not make sense. Typically, a husband wants everything to go to his wife, leaving it to her discretion and judgment to take care of the children.
One of the problems that arises when a husband with a relatively small estate dies without leaving a Will is that the portion that state law allots to his wife may not provide enough income for her support.
She may have to go to court to get some of the children’s money; that could be a complicated, expensive and time-consuming task.
Also, without a Will, stepchildren usually have no rights of inheritance.
• Lastly, if you desired the Bahá’í Faith to share your possessions, a Will is absolutely essential.
2. Why should an executor be named in a Will?
The executor’s duty is to carry out the terms of the Will on behalf of the deceased. The chores can be extensive.
Among other things, the executor helps make funeral arrangements. This is quite important to Bahá’ís.
The executor arranges for the surviving family’s immediate and continuing needs, collects all the estate’s financial records. Inventories all the property, and, when necessary, has it appraised, sets up a bank account for the estate, settles any claims against it, pays taxes and other costs, advises and counsels the beneficiaries, and prepares a final accounting for the probate court.
For a small estate, these duties may be routine. For a large one, they can be time-consuming and burdensome.
People with substantial property often select a bank or trust company to serve as co-executor with a family member or close friend. The Local or National Spiritual Assembly should not be named the executor of a Will.
3. Do you have more assets than you realize?
General prosperity and inflated values have caused personal wealth to multiply in recent years, thus giving one more assets than he may think he has.
Many people have been pushed into higher estate tax brackets without realizing it.
A recent study showed that a 38-year-old head of a family earning $14,000 a year will have assets of nearly $54,000, including various company or association benefits such as group insurance and retirement allotments.
By the time such a person has reached the age of 55, his total assets could exceed $100,000. Employee group insurance sharply increases the assets business people leave in their estates.
4. Doesn’t life insurance pass directly to the beneficiaries named in the policy without the necessity of a Will?
This is true, but it is important to consider insurance benefits along with the other assets in the estate.
Many people are not aware that the total amount of life insurance proceeds passed along to survivors is counted in one’s estate for tax purposes, even though the proceeds of the life insurance paid to survivors are not subject to income taxes.
5. What is the first step in making a Will?
Because of variations in the law from state to state, there can be no standard Will form approved by the National Spiritual Assembly. Therefore, a person preparing a Will should contact an attorney.
To keep down costs, you can help your attorney by having available the information personal to yourself, your family, your relatives and your beneficiaries, all the facts concerning your property, insurance and bank accounts, and the name and address of the person you wish to be your executor.
Your Will should have a special provision for burial in accordance with Bahá’í law. For a more comprehensive treatment of “Bahá’í Wills and Bequests,” it is suggested that you refer to Page 96 of Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies.
6. Can a Will be changed once it is drawn up and signed?
Yes. The procedure is fairly simple. Changes are made by what is known as a “codicil.” But for legal reasons, if one wants to change his Will, he should not try to write in a revision by hand.
Even a minor change should be
The Spiritual Assembly of Baltimore, Maryland, presented certificates of appreciation March 14 to a number of Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís who rendered outstanding service to the Assembly during the past year, especially in helping to renovate its Bahá’í Center. Those honored included plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, a carpet installer, and others. In addition, Mrs. Marguerite Hipsley, a Bahá’í from Bel Air, Maryland (seated at left) was given an ‘exemplary life’ award for her longstanding and continuous service to the Faith.
Forty-five people including 10 non-Bahá’ís attended a Race Unity Conference January 31 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of New London, Connecticut. The speakers were (left to right) William Roberts, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board; Dr. Ann Carpenter, a member of the Race Unity Committee; and Auxiliary Board member Nat Rutstein. The conference theme was ‘Ye Are All Flowers of One Garden.’ The program included a question-and-answer session, music, and refreshments.
The first Spiritual Assembly of Sylvania, Ohio, formed December 29, 1980, held its recognition ceremony March 6. The guest speakers were Auxiliary Board member Robert Harris and Jim Corbitt, an assistant to Mr. Harris. Members of the Assembly are (standing left to right) Marlin Flick, Mrs. Marcia Flick, Mrs. Jaleh Fazli, Mehrdad Fazli, Miss Mojdeh Behjati, Behrooz Modarai, and (seated left to right) Mrs. Ghamar Behjati, Enayatullah Behjati, Mrs. Susan Modarai.
Mrs. Marie Nadler, homefront pioneer to Miami Beach for many years, dies[edit]
Marie Nadler, a Bahá’í since 1950 who was vice-chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Miami Beach, Florida, died March 20.
Mrs. Nadler, a native of New York, was a homefront pioneer to several Florida cities including Key West, St. Petersburg and Miami Beach.
In 1956 she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where she had the bounty of meeting the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.
Mrs. Nadler, a widow for many years, is survived by three sons.
MRS. MARIE NADLER
In memoriam[edit]
- Mrs. Cora Barksdale
- Clinton, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Robert Brown
- Mullins, South Carolina
- 1978
- Miss Doris Browne
- Seattle, Washington
- January 12, 1981
- Ellis Clark
- Latta, South Carolina
- April 1980
- Richard Collier
- Wells, South Carolina
- February 1979
- Miss Lille Crosby
- Bamberg, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Perlena Edge
- Wampee, South Carolina
- 1980
- Mrs. Louetta Engelder
- Phoenix, Arizona
- May 25, 1981
- James E. Faulkner III
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- October 30, 1980
- Beatrice Frederick
- Long Beach, California
- April 24, 1981
- Mrs. Cleola Gause
- Langs, South Carolina
- 1980
- Edward Gordon
- Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Date Unknown
- Ms. Louise Gregg
- Latta, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Mastooreh Haghpajuh
- Dallas, Texas
- March 4, 1981
- John Hogan
- Anderson, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Homer W. Holmes
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- April 18, 1981
- Julius Hunter
- Franklin, Virginia
- Date Unknown
- Lewis Jackson
- Greeleyville, South Carolina
- October 8, 1980
- Mrs. Alberta Jones
- Detroit, Michigan
- April 1981
- Mrs. Sybil Kirkland
- Fox Point, Wisconsin
- February 1981
- David Logan
- Anderson, South Carolina
- Summer 1980
- Theodore C. Lucas
- Ipswich, Massachusetts
- March 27, 1981
- James Madden
- Laurens, South Carolina
- January 1981
- Robert Martinson
- Bloomington, Minnesota
- June 9, 1980
- Steven McDonald
- Marion, South Carolina
- March 19, 1977
- Louis Moore
- Anderson, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Douglas Norvell
- Jacksonville, Illinois
- December 29, 1980
- Mrs. Revesie Poltler
- Opa Locka, Florida
- February 20, 1981
- Ernest Rassman
- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
- January 21, 1981
- Mrs. Emogene Reed
- Anderson, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Arthur Siebert
- Lakewood, Ohio
- September 7, 1980
- Mrs. Freda Simpson
- Anderson, South Carolina
- 1980
- William A. Simpson
- Lancaster, Kentucky
- April 10, 1981
- Saeed Soheab
- Ventura, California
- February 1981
- Richard Sovereign
- Eureka, California
- March 1981
- Luther Sparks
- Marion, South Carolina
- January 1981
- Miss Ruby M. Stover
- Camden, South Carolina
- 1976
- Harold Timmons
- Marion, South Carolina
- February 1981
- Mrs. Joyce Vander Bunt
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- May 1, 1981
- Mrs. Flarrie Washington
- Bamberg, South Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Julius Wertheimen
- San Bernardino, California
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Rose West
- Oakhurst, California
- February 8, 1981
- John L. White
- Holly Hill, South Carolina
- February 1980
- Ernest Wiggins
- Lodge, South Carolina
- March 25, 1981
Final step in archives process is finding-aids[edit]
This is the third in a four-part series on Bahá’í archives written by the National Bahá’í Archives Committee.
•
Finding-Aids: The final part of processing an archival collection is preparing finding-aids to the collection.
As the name implies, finding-aids are designed to provide sufficient information to the researcher or archives staff so that they can find whatever they are looking for within a given collection.
A CATALOG card is typed for each collection, giving collection title, quantity, collection number, and donor.
The card is stored in a general card catalog covering the entire manuscript holdings of the archives.
Specialized card catalogs can be developed for the non-manuscript areas of the archives, such as photographs and tape recordings.
For collections larger than a few folders, an inventory is prepared, giving the title, quantity, donor, a brief history of the collection, and a list of the folder titles and box and folder numbers.
The goal of the archivist is to make the inventory as descriptive as possible of the collection’s contents, within the limits of available time and manpower.
Reference: Preservation of archival holdings would be pointless if the records were not used. Therefore, provisions should be made to allow researchers access to the records under proper supervision.
Researchers will need finding aids and a work table. The Spiritual Assembly will want to restrict access to records containing confidential material, such as recent Assembly minutes.
A donor may also place restrictions on his donation. But archivists generally prefer to have as few restrictions as possible and most restrictions should have a definite time limit.
Quarters: At present many Bahá’í archives have temporary quarters, often in the home of whoever is appointed archivist.
If there is a Bahá’í Center, the archivist should try to have one or more rooms assigned to the archives. This would eliminate the danger of losing part of the archives, when, during a change of archivists, it must be moved from one home to another.
It would also allow improvements to be made to the archives’ quarters when funds were available.
For more information on the organization and maintenance of a Bahá’í archives, please write to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
A puppet show with musical accompaniment was presented recently at a local shopping mall by the Bahá’ís of Corpus Christi and Portland, Texas, as a part of their observance of the International Year of the Child. Several shows were presented with large attendance at each. Bahá’ís were there to explain the Faith’s involvement in IYC and the importance of children to the future of mankind.
Comment[edit]
Continued From Page 2
the Bahá’ís, and I think that is all right.
“Maybe I’m a different model than the doctor ordered, but I feel that I am sincere and am happy about where I am at.”
Obviously, this young woman’s thoughts reflect the direction in which her heart and mind have led her, and according to the teachings of the Faith, there is nothing wrong with that.
As a basic principle, we must investigate truth for ourselves, and those of us who fail to do so are perhaps more remiss than those who have the courage to express strong differences from the heart.
None of us wants to change the basic truths of the Faith, nor could we even if we wanted to, but from our past experiences each of us brings a different flavor to these truths, as we fallible human beings grow in our understanding of them.
What is important here, in my opinion, is learning to work together more perfectly.
How can we learn to make better use of the marvelous tool that Bahá’u’lláh has given us than through the consultative process?
In trying to bring about greater harmony and understanding between youth and the adult community, what better method do we have? We should use it more extensively.
Personal PROFILE[edit]
Name: Marvin D. Holladay
Community: Ypsilanti, Michigan
Occupation: Musician/teacher
Background: Although not as well known as such other Bahá’í musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Seals or Dash Crofts, Marvin Holladay’s impressive credentials include membership in big bands fronted by Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Larry Elgart, Benny Carter, Manny Albam, Charlie Mingus, Gerald Wilson, and Thad Jones-Mel Lewis. He was a featured soloist with the Stan Kenton orchestra, a member of the Mercer Ellington orchestra that made a world tour in 1979-80, and led a quintet that featured trumpeter Clark Terry.
A versatile musician who plays saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe and English horn, Mr. Holladay has recorded and performed with top vocalists from Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstine to Peggy Lee, Leslie Uggams and Dinah Washington, and with such superb jazz musicians as Bill Evans, Jimmy Smith, Duke Pearson, Al Grey and Billy Mitchell.
Mr. Holladay, a native of Chanute, Kansas, is presently a professor of ethnomusicology and director of Jazz studies at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He attended Yale, Wesleyan and Phillips (Oklahoma) universities as well as the U.S. Navy School of Music. While at Wesleyan he was director of the school’s Afro-American Jazz Lab Band.
“It’s not enough that you gain a skill and knowledge of the mechanics of a music,” says Mr. Holladay, “but that you embrace the essence of the people or culture to whom that music is an essential part of existence.”
Mr. Holladay’s Bahá’í activities include service over the years on Local Spiritual Assemblies including those in Hamden, Connecticut, and Ann Arbor and Avon Township, Michigan. He has served on the District Teaching Committee of Mainland Michigan and helped consolidation efforts of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee. He also has taught and performed at the Louhelen and New York state Bahá’í schools and was a participant in the first Eastern Bahá’í Conference on Music held at the University of Maryland.
Mr. Holladay and his wife, Diane, have two children.
His hobbies include tennis and, of course, music.
Howard U. Bahá’í Club hosts race unity meet[edit]
Dr. Elsie Austin, a Bahá’í who was one of the first black women in America to become a lawyer, and Dr. Evans E. Crawford, dean of Howard University’s Rankin Chapel, were the keynote speakers April 23 at a race unity program sponsored by the Howard University Bahá’í Club in Washington, D.C.
The program, held in Rankin Chapel before an audience of 70, commemorated the anniversary of the 1912 address in Rankin Chapel by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in which the Master proclaimed that only the reconciliation of the races could assure the spiritual and social transformation necessary to establish the oneness of mankind and universal peace.
Dr. Austin, a pioneer to Africa for many years and more recently to the Bahamas, was the first black assistant attorney general in Ohio. She recalled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Howard and His joy at seeing an harmonious audience of mixed colors and races.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, she said, saw in America’s diversity its potential for greatness, its opportunity to serve as a world example of the oneness of mankind, and its most challenging issue.
Dean Crawford, long a promoter of the shared truths of the world’s religions, recounted how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brought to Howard a call for faiths to complement one another, and a challenge to follow the Word of God in our time.
History was made with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s address at Howard, he said, with the manifestation and interpretation of religion in our time, and with His call for unity.
Dean Crawford then announced that he would prepare a university brochure to include ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s momentous visit to Howard.
With advance publicity, the race unity program generated interest among area religion and news editors, as well as two radio interviews on race unity and the Bahá’í Faith.
DR. ELSIE AUSTIN
Mr. Varqá is guest at Florida fireside[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Alí-Muhammad Varqá was the special guest March 27 at a fireside in Wilton Manors, Florida.
The weekly firesides, known as the “Glad Tidings” firesides, resulted from a teaching project in Wilton Manors that began last December and that through April had seen the declaration of 21 persons in Wilton Manors and six in nearby Oakland Park.
Since all but four of the new believers in Wilton Manors are refugees from Haiti who speak either their native patois of Creole or French, Dr. Varqá conducted the fireside in French and English.
Dr. Varqá was accompanied to the fireside by his wife and by Auxiliary Board member Ben Levy of Miami.
Bermuda holds National Convention[edit]
About 150 believers gathered April 24-26 in the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum at the Bermudiana Hotel in Hamilton, Bermuda, for the first National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Bermuda.
Also present on this historic occasion were Continental Counsellor Sarah M. Pereira; Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States; and Auxiliary Board member Adrienne Reeves.
AMATU’L-BAHÁ Rúhíyyih Khánum, who represented the Universal House of Justice at the Convention, read the message from the Supreme Body to the Bahá’ís of Bermuda in which they were called upon to “face the future with optimism and courage” and to “resolve to undertake wholeheartedly and vigorously the achievement of the tasks which lie ahead during the next three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.”
Also read was the message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world outlining the specific tasks to be accomplished during the second phase of the Plan.
On Saturday, the delegates elected the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bermuda. Its members are:
Georgia M. Sanchez, chairman; Leighton Rochester, vice-chairman; Valerie Richmond, secretary; B.W. Jordy Walker, treasurer; Elizabeth Thomas, assistant secretary; Lloyd Williams; Mary Walker; Frank Esposito, and Hilda Harford.
The previous evening, the parent U.S. National Spiritual Assembly was the host at a reception for delegates, special visitors, and officials of the Bermudian community. The Hon. J. David Gibbons, premier of Bermuda, was represented at the reception by his wife, Mrs. Lully Gibbons.
Among the highlights of this memorable Convention was a presentation of the film “The Pilgrimage,” which was written and narrated by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum.
A MESSAGE was sent from the Convention to Katherine McLaughlin, the Auxiliary Board member for protection assigned to Bermuda, who was too ill to attend.
Dr. Pereira read the message to the Convention from the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, and Mr. Mitchell called the Convention to order on behalf of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly and presided until Convention officers were elected.
Those attending the Convention contributed $1,500 to help support the new National Spiritual Assembly of Bermuda.
Members of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bermuda are (left to right) Mrs. Georgia M. Sanchez, Mrs. Valerie Richmond, Mrs. Mary Walker, Leighton Rochester, B.W. Jordy Walker, Mrs. Hilda Harford, Frank Esposito, Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas, Lloyd Williams.
Wills[edit]
Continued From Page 26
made by an attorney. If a substantial change is needed, the attorney may suggest a new Will.
7. When should you revise your Will?
A Will needs to be kept up to date. Legal authorities suggest a review every year or so. In addition, a Will probably needs to be updated when:
- A child is born into one’s family.
- A divorce or death occurs in the family.
- One changes his residence, and especially if one moves to another state.
- A trustee, an executor, or a guardian named in the Will dies, becomes disabled, or is otherwise unable to act for you.
- One acquires additional assets of substantial value.
- A windfall increases the size of one’s estate, or a personal catastrophe reduces it.
- Changes in federal or state law alter the treatment of property in trusts and estates.
- One purchases a substantial amount of additional life insurance or becomes a participant in a new pension or profit-sharing plan.
- One’s family circumstances change, such as a serious illness or disability of a spouse, child or close relative.
8. Where should a Will be kept?
Most attorneys recommend that for safety’s sake the original document be kept in a safe deposit box where it is secure from theft, fire or alteration.
One or more copies should also be kept where they are immediately available after one’s death.
For example, a copy of a Will containing Bahá’í burial instructions should be given to one’s Local Spiritual Assembly so that it can guarantee that Bahá’í burial laws will be followed.
A copy should also be given to the executor.