The American Bahá’í/Volume 12/Issue 9/Text
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Persecution in Iran enters ominous new phase[edit]
PERSECUTION BAHA’ÍS IRAN GAINING MOMENTUM ENTERING NEW PHASE: IN YAZD A FEW DAYS AGO GOVERNMENT FROZE ALL ASSETS 117 BELIEVERS. ON AUGUST 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS ON LOCAL RADIO SUMMONED HEADS 150 PROMINENT BAHA’Í FAMILIES TO REPORT WITHIN ONE WEEK TO REVOLUTIONARY AUTHORITIES. IN ABSENTIA DECREES TO BE ISSUED RESPECT ANY NAMED BELIEVER WHO FAILS PRESENT HIMSELF BY AUGUST 15. AMONG NAMES ARE FEW WHO PASSED AWAY, CONFIRMING DETERMINATION AUTHORITIES PERSECUTE BAHA’ÍS PURELY FOR THEIR BELIEF, NOT BECAUSE OF ANY ALLEGED CRIME. ONE OF THOSE NAMED WAS ARRESTED AS HE WAS PROCEEDING FOR NECESSARY TEMPORARY JOURNEY OUTSIDE YAZD. ACTIONS TAKEN FORESHADOW PLAN AUTHORITIES FORCE BAHA’ÍS RECANT THEIR FAITH ON PAIN CONFISCATION ALL THEIR PROPERTIES, OTHER DIRE CONSEQUENCES ...
FURTHER REPORT JUST RECEIVED INDICATES IN MANSHAD VILLAGE NEAR YAZD GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL FROM YAZD ACCOMPANIED REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS HAS PEREMPTORILY SEIZED FURNITURE CROPS LIVESTOCK LOCAL BELIEVERS.
FOLLOWING DETAILS ADDITIONAL PERSECUTIONS OTHER PROVINCES NOW IN HAND:
IN MASJID SULAYMAN AUTHORITIES HAVE INSTRUCTED BANKS SUBMIT LIST ALL CHECKING AND DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS BAHA’ÍS.
IN NAYSHABUR WHERE TWO BELIEVERS WERE RECENTLY MARTYRED MOB HAD DESTROYED WALL BAHA’Í CEMETERY. AUTHORITIES NOW CLAIM TWO MILLION RIALS FROM LOCAL COMMUNITY TO RESTORE WALL.
IN HEMMAT-ABAD NEAR ABADIH WIVES OF BELIEVERS WHO HAD FLED FROM THEIR HOMES HAVE BEEN GIVEN NOTICE CALL THEIR HUSBANDS. WIVES THREATENED GRAVE REPERCUSSIONS IF HUSBANDS FAIL PRESENT THEMSELVES ...
AUGUST 11, 1981
WITH HEAVY-LADEN HEARTS ANNOUNCE NEWS JUST RECEIVED NINE HEROIC FRIENDS EXECUTED TABRIZ BY FIRING SQUAD ONE OF WHOM AUXILIARY BOARD MEMBER AND SEVEN MEMBERS LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY: MASRUR DAKHILI, HUSAYN ASADULLAH-ZADIH, ALLAHVIRDI MITHAQI, MANUCHIHR KHADII, ABDUL-ALI ASADYARI, ISMAIL ZIHTAB, PARVIZ FIRUZI, MIHDI BAHIRI, HABIBULLAH TAHQIQI.
TWO TEENAGE GIRL STUDENTS IN MUSA-ABAD VILLAGE, NEAR TIHRAN, AND IN BALU VILLAGE NEAR URUMIYYIH, WESTERN AZIRBAYJAN, ABDUCTED FROM SCHOOL BY TEACHERS IN RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. PARENTS UNABLE DETERMINE FATE DISAPPEARED CHILDREN. LOCAL AUTHORITIES UNCOOPERATIVE. GRIEVED AT RUTHLESS RAPIDITY WITH WHICH PRECIOUS LIVES DISTINGUISHED VIRTUOUS MEMBERS COMMUNITY BEING SNUFFED OUT, THEIR HONOUR VIOLATED, THEIR HOMES POSSESSIONS PLUNDERED. WE PRAY BAHÁ’U’LLÁH BEHALF ENTIRE BAHÁ’Í WORLD ATTAIN GREATER CAPACITY SERENELY BEAR WEIGHT ORDEALS, WITNESS EARLY DELIVERANCE HIS PERSECUTED LOVERS CRADLE FAITH FROM SHACKLES REPRESSION BIGOTRY, AS PROMISED HIS SACRED WRITINGS.
JULY 30, 1981
GRIEVED ANNOUNCE TWO MORE ACTIVE DEDICATED SUPPORTERS FAITH BAHÁ’U’LLÁH IRAN KAMALUD-DIN BAKHTAVAR AND NIMATULLÁH KATIBPUR-SHAHIDI MARTYRED BY FIRING SQUAD IN KASHMAR, KHURASAN PROVINCE CHARGED WITH TOTALLY FALSE ACCUSATIONS INVOLVEMENT POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. IRANIAN BAHÁ’ÍS ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS FACED WITH FRESH WAVE ARRESTS AND CONFISCATION PERSONAL PROPERTIES. AROUND ISFAHAN ALSO KHURASAN KASHAN IN NUMBER TOWNS VILLAGES SEVERAL HUNDRED BAHÁ’ÍS FORCED FLEE THEIR HOMES TAKING REFUGE IN NEARBY LARGER TOWNS. SUCH RUTHLESS ATTACKS REMAIN UNCHECKED. ATTEMPTS TO TERRORIZE BAHÁ’ÍS INTENSIFIED. MORE INNOCENT LIVES AT STAKE.
JULY 27, 1981
The 16 members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas are shown with eight members of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly during the Counsellors’ meeting August 7–9 in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Counsellors meet in Wilmette area[edit]
The 16-member Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas held its second meeting as a body August 7–9 in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
The Counsellors, who were appointed last November to a five-year term of office by the Universal House of Justice, which also widened the scope of their authority to embrace the entire North American continent, had held their inaugural meeting last January in Panama.
AT THIS SECOND gathering, the Counsellors also met with the seven members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada who were able to attend, and with eight members of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly (the ninth member, Dwight Allen, was out of the country).
Afterward, representatives of both National Spiritual Assemblies described the meetings as highly productive.
Dr. Magdalene Carney, assistant secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, said its meeting with the Counsellors would go a long way toward enlisting the sort of grassroots support needed to help win the goals of the second three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.
In spite of an air traffic controllers’ strike that disrupted
| What’s inside
THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School holds its 50th anniversary observance Page 2 THE MEDIA responds to the crisis in Iran with unprecedented coverage of the Faith. Page 3 TWENTY-TWO Bahá’í youth attend a follow-up training session after the Kansas City Youth Conference before embarking on teaching projects throughout the country. Page 7 NEARLY 60 French-Canadian Bahá’ís participate in a special conference at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette. Page 10 |
Representatives named to Conferences[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
It is with great pleasure we announce that the following Hands of the Cause of God have been named as our representatives to the International Conferences:
- Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum—Montreal, Canada, September 2–5, 1982.
- Ugo Giachery—Manila, Philippines, May 7–9, 1982.
- Paul Haney—Quito, Ecuador, August 6–8, 1982.
- William Sears—Lagos, Nigeria, August 19–22, 1982.
- Collis Featherstone—Dublin, Ireland, June 25–27, 1982.
With loving Bahá’í greetings.
July 20, 1981
Time for sacrifice is now, says Hand of Cause of God Khadem[edit]
The meeting of the 16 Continental Counsellors for the Americas with Bahá’ís in the Wilmette area August 8 was especially blessed by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem.
Mr. Khadem’s talk, which came at the close of the meeting in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship, focused on the persecution of the believers in Iran, and the need for the American community to arise to the same level of selflessness and sacrifice.
CITING THE CURRENT situation with the National Fund, the beloved Hand of the Cause expressed his regret that it was necessary to mention this distressing problem.
He encouraged the friends to turn to the Writings of the Faith, to learn more about the sacrifices of Bahá’u’lláh, and to become so enamored with love for Him that each one of them would instantaneously arise to meet the pressing needs of the hour.
Mr. Khadem recounted the example of one small national community in the Middle East that contributed $1 million to help construct the Temple in India. As a result, the Universal House of Justice assigned that community additional financial goals for other projects around the world.
The friends in that community, he said, were delighted by the call to further service, and immediately
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Editorial
Emerging from obscurity: are we ready?[edit]
The tragic events in Iran have brought the Faith to the brink of emergence from obscurity.
Finally, world renowned newspapers, magazines, television and radio networks are carrying the Bahá’í message to millions. We are rapidly approaching the day when it will be impossible to mention the Faith for the first time to a new friend. This long-awaited development in the growth of the Faith promises to catapult us into untold opportunities for expansion.
BUT AS THE FAITH enters this new era, the question becomes, “Are we ready?” What added responsibilities will we assume solely because of our new-found prominence? How will our teaching be affected? How well will our Bahá’í communities and institutions withstand the close scrutiny of a doubting world outside the Cause?
These are among the important topics that need to be focused upon by all the friends. One forum in which to discuss these matters are the District Conventions to be held in October.
This year’s Conventions provide the individual believer with an opportunity that is unique to mankind: the opportunity to participate in an electoral process that culminates in the election of the Universal House of Justice.
The delegates elected in October will elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly who, in turn, will be among the delegates who elect the Supreme Institution of the Faith at the International Convention in Haifa in April 1983. Nowhere else on the planet is there a group of people who, at the grassroots level, have the chance to participate in the election of an international governing body.
During these dramatic and historic times, may we all make a redoubled effort not only to attend these vital Conventions, but to help make them an occasion for increased unity and renewed purpose as the Faith marches rapidly forward into this marvelous new stage in its development.
Louhelen Bahá’í School marks 50th anniversary[edit]
Although its name has changed over the years and sessions have been held at various locations, the Louhelen Bahá’í School has served the American Bahá’í community since 1931.
More than 300 Bahá’ís and their guests gathered August 1 at the original site of the school campus near Davison, Michigan, for the 50th anniversary celebration of the school that began as a dream of its founders, Lou and Helen Eggleston.
THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly was represented at the observance by its assistant secretary, Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, who brought “warmest loving greetings” from that institution.
The original Louhelen campus was closed in 1974 because the buildings that had served their purpose so well for more than 40 years could no longer be considered safe for occupancy, and funds were not available at that time for restoration or reconstruction. Since then, annual Louhelen School sessions have been held at various locations in Michigan.
A recent fund raising drive conducted under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly was designed to raise some $1.8 million for reconstruction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School.
The anniversary observance began with a potluck picnic on the original school grounds.
The program, conducted under a large tent set up near the original dormitory building, included a puppet show for the children and musical entertainment by a group of believers from East Lansing, Michigan.
Dr. Carney used the occasion to bring the friends up to date on news of recent media exposure the Faith has received as a result of the martyrdom of Bahá’ís in Iran.
DR. CARNEY reminded those present of the school’s importance in the education of Bahá’í
Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, addresses the audience during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Louhelen Bahá’í School held August 1 at the original site of the school in Michigan.
Bahá’ís should set example of purity, reverence[edit]
| 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, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. |
To the Editor:
In view of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s statements regarding smoking (see for example the Tablet on Purity in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 146, or Bahá’í World Faith, p. 333), it seems to me that we Bahá’ís should reexamine our current practices in this area.
If we are supposed to be “dynamic examples,” how can we attend public meetings and firesides and nonchalantly puff away as the principles of the Faith are being discussed with people who may be hearing about Bahá’u’lláh for the first time?
FURTHER, how can we speak of purity and holiness in a smoke-filled room?
Granted, some may, for various reasons, find themselves unable to stop smoking, but can we not restrain ourselves for the few hours that we spend at a Bahá’í meeting, as a sign of reverence and respect for the Faith?
If we truly believe and understand the assurance of the Master that “ ...wherever the spiritually-minded are gathered together, there in His beauty reigneth Bahá’u’lláh” (Bahá’í Meetings and the Nineteen Day Feast, p.7); are heedful of His exhortation, “These spiritual gatherings must be held with the utmost purity and consecration, so that from the site itself, and its earth and the air about it, one will inhale the fragrant breathings of the Holy Spirit,” and are aware that the spiritual and material worlds must, in this Day, be as mirrors, how can we consent that these “fragrant breathings” be stilled by a “worldly moisture”?
Westwood, California
To the Editor:
What will it take to wake up the Bahá’ís of the U.S.? World war? Loss of our right to teach the Faith? Persecution by religious radicals?
I fervently hope not!
Why, you may ask yourself, is this person writing with such urgency? Let me illustrate with two examples:
FIRST, I recently spent less than a year in a Bahá’í community where there was little or no teaching and a severe avoidance of being with other Bahá’ís except for Assembly meetings, Feasts, and, on occasion, a Holy Day observance.
After 10 months of trying to motivate some excitement toward the Faith, and being frustrated at every turn, I was compelled to leave that community because of illness in my family in another part of the country.
Second, I was pleased and honored to be the emcee for a Race Unity Day program on the grounds of the Washington monument.
The Bahá’ís of Washington, D.C., worked hard to put together a professional and thoroughly entertaining show. It featured some of the finest musical talent in the area and some of the most enjoyable and enlightening speakers to be found anywhere.
Several of the Washington television stations promised coverage on their news broadcasts if the crowds were large enough.
For both the morning and afternoon shows there were about 30 to 50 people in the audience. Needless to say, there was no TV coverage.
NOW COMPARE the poor turnout for this well-planned event with the crowd estimated at more than 500 who turned out in April to see the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum when she spoke in Northern Virginia.
If it takes a “celebrity” such as a Hand of the Cause or a member of the Universal House of Justice to generate excitement among Bahá’ís, we are missing, or simply ignoring, one of the basic teachings of the Faith, illustrated in a well-known statement by Bahá’u’lláh: “Attachment to the lamp is not loving the light.”
In both these examples I have tried to show that there is an apparent lack of interest and excitement toward the Faith in this country.
Perhaps if each of us were to read the Writings “in the morn and at eventide,” as the Báb exhorted us to do, we would recapture the enthusiasm and love for the Faith that the early American believers had in such abundance.
Frederick, Maryland
To the Editor:
One way to raise money for the Funds and have a wonderful time doing it is to set the alarm clock an hour early and take the extra time to go on an aluminum can hunt with your family.
It is as much fun as an old world order Easter egg hunt, provides exercise and promotes family togetherness.
We average about 50 to 100 cans a day for the Funds, and receive added bonuses as well. This morning, for example, we also found a tennis ball and six slightly-used tape cartridges that someone had thrown out.
South Pasadena, California
To the Editor:
It has become of concern to me, and to others with whom I have spoken, that correspondence entered into with pure intent and purpose is not reciprocated.
For myself, I have sent a letter and large self-addressed envelope for information about a homefront pioneering possibility and received nothing in return. I also answered an ad in The American Bahá’í for a “pen pal” and heard nothing.
Correspondence is a vital link within the Faith—a way to teach, give special support to the valiant efforts of pioneers, share creative ideas and inspiration, and much more.
Courtesy, integrity and respect for oneself and others would, I feel, warrant at least a response to any effort anyone should make to communicate, if only one letter.
Though unforeseen circumstances may happen, many times the lack of a response may be due to neglect, overextending oneself, misdirected purpose, or other human reasons. We may well, however, consider choosing for others what we would choose for ourselves.
For unity in the community, let us please make our communication a reciprocal action. Thank you.
Olympia, Washington
To the Editor:
In its Riḍván 1981 message, the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas brings to our attention that “the Universal House of Justice, in its infallible wisdom, has put much emphasis in the new phase of the Seven Year Plan on goals that require the active functioning of Local Spiritual Assemblies and the development of true Bahá’í communities.”
Among the examples of this development is “the observance of Bahá’í Holy Days.”
WE MAY HAVE read many times the following passage written on behalf of the beloved Guardian by his secretary to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly on July 7,
[Page 3]
THE MEDIA
Personal PROFILE[edit]
Name: Alex Rocco
Community: North Hollywood, California
Occupation: Actor
Background: “The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola’s epic study of organized crime in America, was far and away the most acclaimed movie of 1970. It helped many careers, including that of a young actor named Alex Rocco, whose splendid portrayal of mobster Moe Green first brought him to the attention of influential studio heads.
“I feel ‘The Godfather’ really got me started,” says Mr. Rocco, who has been an actor for 16 years and a Bahá’í for 14. “The movie was a real breakthrough for me.”
Since then he has appeared in nearly 20 other motion pictures and in numerous television series and specials, making his face one of the best known in Hollywood.
He has starred or co-starred in such movies as “The Stuntman,” “Voices,” “Freebie & the Bean,” “The Boston Strangler,” “Three the Hard Way,” “Stanley,” “Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins,” and “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” In addition, he has had feature roles in “The Outside Man” and “Slither.”
Mr. Rocco’s long and impressive list of television credits includes guest appearances on “Starsky & Hutch,” “Cannon,” “The Rockford Files,” “Police Story,” “Kojak,” “The Rookies,” “Baretta,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The FBI,” “Ryker,” the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and “That Girl.” He starred in the series “Three for the Road,” and has guest starred on the Lily Tomlin Special—“Sold Out,” and on a two-hour “CHiPs” special.
Mr. Rocco, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, says the spiritual values that are a part of the Bahá’í Faith are especially important to an actor, who must be prepared on a daily basis to deal with rejection. “If an actor lacks the knowledge of God,” he says, “he can easily get into drugs or alcohol to lessen the pain of rejection from the studios.”
Mr. Rocco plays softball and basketball on Bahá’í-sponsored
Faith’s media coverage unprecedented[edit]
Virtually every major national and regional newspaper in the U.S. has published something about the Faith and the recent persecution of believers in Iran, according to the Office of Public Affairs at the Bahá’í National Center.
The expanded newspaper exposure has been in the form of news or feature articles about the Cause and the recent martyrdoms in the Cradle of the Faith, or editorial comment about the troubles in Iran, says Jim LaMacchia of the Office of Public Affairs.
TELEVISION coverage, he adds, also has been extensive.
On July 12, the NBC-TV evening news included a four and one-half minute story about the Faith and the recent persecutions in Iran.
That same evening, WLS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago, broadcast an extensive report on the Faith and the current wave of persecution in Iran.
The suffering of Bahá’ís in that country led in the period from January 1 through May 31 to at least 340 newspaper articles about the Faith totaling more than 4,000 column inches.
These articles appeared in various areas of the country—from one coast to the other, says Mr. LaMacchia.
Not only is the amount of coverage increasing, he says, but the quality of articles about the Faith also has been higher in recent months.
This can be attributed to the martyrdoms themselves, says Mr. LaMacchia, coupled with a vigorous and aggressive publicity campaign undertaken by the Office of Public Affairs with the assistance of the National Spiritual Assembly’s public relations consultants, Hill & Knowlton, and several of the larger Local Spiritual Assemblies, for example, those in New York City and Los Angeles.
THAT OFFICE has initiated contact with the news media in many areas and is distributing news releases to the PR Wire Service, a national organization that circulates the releases to major newspapers and the wire services.
In addition, says Mr. LaMacchia, news releases from the Office of Public Affairs are being sent to the religion editors of every national and regional newspaper in the U.S. as well as to radio and television stations’ editors.
The office also is supplying the nearly 200 Bahá’í media committees across the country with appropriately modified versions of the press releases.
The Public Affairs Office keeps an ongoing record of each news reporter who contacts it. Each of them is kept up-to-date on a continuing basis whenever there is more to report about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and resulting action elsewhere, explains Mr. LaMacchia.
Another factor in the increased media exposure for the Faith, with the approval of the Universal House of Justice, he says, has been the willingness and ability of the relatives of martyrs who are living in the U.S. to be interviewed by the media. This has resulted in good coverage.
On the national scene, the Faith was mentioned in the July 6 issue of Time magazine in an article entitled “Terror in the Name of God.”
One month later, on August 6, a comprehensive and informative article chronicling the history and causes of the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, written by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, professor of history at Yale University and vice-chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, appeared on The New York Times’ editorial page.
THE FAITH also has received good coverage in the international press. On July 19, the Jerusalem Post carried a favorable description of both the Faith and the persecutions in Iran.
The article followed earlier coverage in such prestigious overseas papers as Le Monde (Paris), The Times (London), The Economist (London) and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The Faith was the subject of a recent CBC-TV program in Canada, while in the United Kingdom an extensive report on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and the Faith itself was broadcast during a recent BBC-TV evening news program.
Shown here are eight members of the recently formed first Spiritual Assembly of Glens Falls, New York. Standing (left to right) are Richard DeGolyer, Gary Namer, Lisa Namer, Charles Fleischbacker. Seated (left to right) are Denise DeGolyer, Pearl Fleischbacker, Wendy Speirs. Seated in front is Robert Speirs. The ninth member of the Assembly is Frederick Blood.
Faith seen on new TV program[edit]
The Bahá’í Faith is represented in a series of 13 half-hour programs entitled “Faithways,” produced by the Interreligious Council of Southern California, that are being broadcast each Sunday morning on KNXT-TV, Los Angeles.
Four of the programs are about “lesser known” groups that belong to the Interreligious Council: the Bahá’í Faith, Buddhism, the Sikh Dharma, and Vedanta Society.
Three Bahá’í representatives to the Council were asked to appear on the program that introduces the Faith. The program was broadcast August 2.
Bahá’ís also were asked to participate in programs dealing with church-state relations and comparative liturgies (or, in the Bahá’í case, lack of a liturgy).
L.A. Times covers Faith, persecutions[edit]
A lengthy article about the Faith, focusing primarily on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, appeared Sunday, July 19, in the Los Angeles Times, the largest and most prestigious newspaper in California.
The article, covering the better part of four pages, includes interviews with relatives of several of the believers who were recently martyred in the Cradle of the Faith.
Also included is a brief explanation of the history of the Faith and of its major principles.
John Kavelin and Sharon Monka are hosts for ‘The Spiritual Revolution’, a new 26-week series of Bahá’í programs that is being telecast in the Los Angeles area.
New Bahá’í television series makes its debut in Los Angeles[edit]
“The Spiritual Revolution,” a series of 26 half-hour television programs about the Faith, is being broadcast in Los Angeles, and plans are being made for distribution to other U.S. cities.
The series, whose last 13 programs are still in production, is being produced by Light Years International, a non-profit group of believers in the Los Angeles area that came into being as a result of consultation at the first U.S. Bahá’í Audio-Visual Conference last January 16-18 in San Fernando, California.
The Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs is overseeing production, providing funding on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, and will be responsible for distribution of the series.
Using two Bahá’ís from the Los Angeles area as interviewers, the programs focus directly on the Faith and how it has influenced the lives and professions of those who are being interviewed.
Guests on the programs include Jim Seals, Dash and Billie Crofts, Danny Deardorff, educator Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, author Winifred B. Newman, Marcia Day, composer Russ Garcia and his wife, Gina, at least one member of the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, several actors, and Bahá’ís from various other backgrounds and vocations.
The Office of Public Affairs will inform local Bahá’í communities when plans for distribution of the series have been finalized.
Plans also are under way for the creation of nine half-hour television programs in Spanish.
Unity among believers only cure for ‘inactivity’[edit]
Many Bahá’í communities today complain that they are plagued with large numbers of “inactive” believers on their rolls who make it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the goal of universal participation in giving to the local Fund.
The “active” members in whatever community these conditions exist should call themselves to account and seriously ask themselves what could be the cause of the withdrawal of certain believers from the activities of the community.
IN THE FOLLOWING quote from the Master (found in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 230-231) we can find clues to the source of apathy and estrangement:
“It behoveth all the beloved of God to become as one, to gather together under the protection of a single flag, to stand for a uniform body of opinion, to follow one and the same pathway, to hold fast to a single resolve. Let them forget their divergent theories and put aside their conflicting views since, God be praised, our purpose is one, our goal is one. We are the servants of one Threshold, we all draw nourishment from the same one Source, we all are gathered in the shade of the same high Tabernacle, we all are sheltered under the one celestial Tree.
“O beloved of the Lord! If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to withdraw. If any individual should speak ill of one who is absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner, to stop him, and say in effect: would this detraction serve any useful purpose? Would it please the Blessed Beauty, contribute to the lasting honour of the friends, promote the holy Faith, support the Covenant, or be of any possible benefit to any soul? No, never! On the contrary, it would make the dust to settle so thickly on the heart that the ears would hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the light of truth.
“IF, HOWEVER, a person settleth about speaking well of another, opening his lips to praise another, he will touch an answering chord in his hearers and they will be stirred up by the breathings of God. Their hearts and souls will rejoice to know that, God be thanked, here is a soul in the Faith who is a focus of human perfections, a very embodiment of the bounties of the Lord, one whose tongue is eloquent, and whose face shineth, in whatever gathering he may be, one who hath victory upon his brow, and who is a being sustained by the sweet savours of God.
“Now which is the better way? I swear this by the beauty of the Lord: whensoever I hear good of the friends, my heart filleth up with joy; but whensoever I find even a hint that they are on bad terms with one another, I am overwhelmed by grief. Such is the condition of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then judge from this where your duty lieth.”
When we make a conscious effort to submit our personal desires to those of the community for the sake of unity, we will find “inactive” believers coming out of the woodwork, and perhaps the elusive goal of universal participation finally will come within reach.
The healthy development of the Cause depends upon universal participation. And universal participation cannot be achieved without unity.
From the level of participation in giving to the local and National Funds, we can judge where our duty lieth.
Henrietta Moses of Darlington, South Carolina, jumps for joy during one of the games organized by Kathleen Underwood (background) of Orangeburg at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute’s Summer School.
|
DISTRICT CONVENTION
The Universal House of Justice
Riḍván Message, March 1981
Join your friends for fellowship and consultation on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1981 Your presence at your District Convention has never been more important! |
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
‘Rhythm of Growth’ requires widespread support[edit]
The “Rhythm of Growth,” the program launched by the National Spiritual Assembly to emphasize the systematic expansion and consolidation of the American Bahá’í community, also encompasses the divine institution of the Bahá’í Fund.
The Rhythm of Growth focuses on the healthy development of a Bahá’í community as it grows from an isolated believer to a Group, to an Assembly, and then to incorporation and an even larger membership.
IT IS CLEAR that this building process requires a local Fund strong enough to support the community’s teaching, deepening, proclamation and administrative activities.
Since the organic growth of the Faith occurs on every level—local, national, continental and international—each is in need of a healthy Fund.
The beloved Guardian emphasized this point when he described the National Fund as the “bedrock” and “lifeblood” of the work of the Faith at the national level.
A second area in which the Rhythm of Growth relates to the Fund involves the participation of the individual believer.
We have often seen the impact of greater participation in raising the total of contributions received. In the same way, every plan for expansion or consolidation of our community depends upon the individual believer arising to do his part.
The Guardian indicated that without the individual’s support, not only will the national and international plans of the Faith inevitably fail, but the “Author of the Divine Plan Himself is impeded in His purpose if the proper instruments for the execution of His design are lacking.”
IN DESCRIBING the fundamental factors underlying the growth of the Cause, the Universal House of Justice called for “the dedicated effort of every believer in teaching, in living the Bahá’í life, in contributing to the Fund, and particularly in the persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.”
The House of Justice concluded that the result of universal participation in these areas would be the showering of divine blessings on each individual and further growth and development for the Bahá’í community as a whole.
Here are copy and photo deadlines for The American Bahá’í for November-December 1981:
November—Copy deadline, September 30; photo deadline, October 8.
December—Copy deadline, October 28; photo deadline, November 5.
Please submit articles, letters and other materials to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Bahá’ís to play pre-eminent role in destiny of American nation[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Do you realize how important we Bahá’ís are to the future of this nation? You may be surprised to hear how strongly the Greatest Holy Leaf described our role in a letter written to an American believer in 1901:
“To (America) God has given much and much is expected from it. But without harmony and love existing among those who call themselves Bahá’ís, nothing will be seen from it whatsoever, for verily the believers are the pivots upon which the fate of nations hang, and a difference among two believers is quite sufficient to consume and destroy a whole country.”
These are words to ponder! What a responsibility we share! Without unity we will accomplish nothing, and America will not bring forth the spiritual fruit it has been ordained to bear. With unity, there is nothing we cannot do!
But we must broaden our concept of unity. Is it not a form of disunity for one individual to look at the National Fund chart and think: “Oh, the goal is so high ... what possible difference can the small amount I have to offer make?”
Are we not promised that we can meet the financial needs of the Cause, even without sacrifice, when all of us contribute in unity?
And what about Louhelen? Are all of us united behind the National Spiritual Assembly’s goal to raise the money needed to begin rebuilding this important seat of Bahá’í education?
Love, fellowship and harmony among the believers are essential elements of unity present within the American Bahá’í community, but let us not stop short of translating the spirit of unity into practical ways of strengthening the Cause of God and safeguarding America’s spiritual destiny!
With loving Bahá’í greetings.
Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer
Sacrifice[edit]
Continued From Page 1
set out to accomplish their new tasks, thus demonstrating in a tangible way their love for Bahá’u’lláh and his Administrative Order.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Khadem encouraged the believers in America to achieve the great potential of this large community, and to demonstrate in their personal lives the call of the beloved Guardian to become a “living sacrifice.”
This, he assured the gathering, would be our most satisfactory response to the persecution of the Iranian believers, and would easily solve any difficulties the Fund might encounter.
Cause is essence of love, oneness[edit]
“The Cause of the Ancient Beauty is the very essence of love, the very channel of oneness, existing only that all may become the waves of one sea, and bright stars of the same endless sky, and pearls within the shell of singleness, and gleaming jewels quarried from the mines of unity; that they may become servants one to another, adore one another, bless one another, praise one another; that each one may loose his tongue and extol the rest without exception, each one voice his gratitude to all the rest; that all should lift up their eyes to the horizon of glory, and remember that they are linked to the Holy Threshold; that they should see nothing but good in one another, hear nothing but praise of one another, and speak no word of one another save only to praise.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 229-230)
Peace Day observance[edit]
Join the Bahá’í musical group Do’a and Bahá’ís from the Washington, D.C., area Sunday, September 20, for World Peace Day at the Washington Monument.
A picnic at noon will be followed by music from 1:30 to 5 p.m. For details, phone 202-291-5532.
National Bahá’í
138 B.E.
| Individual Participation | |
| goal-6000 individuals | |
| 3012 | |
| Contributions | Assemblies and Groups |
| Individuals | |
| goal-$316,000 | |
| $211,000 | |
| The deficit is threatening the National Fund! This is a job for Super-Unipar!* | |
| *Short for Universal Participation | |
| Annual Goal $6,000,000 | |
[Page 6]
PUBLICATIONS
| The Bahá’í World | stand unexcelled and unapproached by any publication of its kind in the varied literature of our beloved Cause. |
| —SHOGHI EFFENDI, Bahá’í Administration, pp. 156-57 |
At the time of the Guardian’s passing twelve volumes had appeared, the largest running to over 1,000 pages. Although these were prepared under the supervision of the American National Assembly, published by its Publishing Committee, compiled by a staff of editors and dedicated to Shoghi Effendi, it would be more in conformity with the facts to call them Shoghi Effendi’s Book.
“He himself acted as Editor-in-Chief; the tremendous amount of material comprised in each volume was sent to him by the American Assembly, with all photographs, before it appeared and his was the final decision as to what should go in and what be omitted.
“It was Shoghi Effendi who arranged the order of the volume, had typed in Haifa the entire Table of Contents, had all the photographs titled, chose all the frontispieces, decided on the colour of the binding of the volume to appear, and above all gave exact instructions, in long detailed letters, to Horace Holley, whom he himself had chosen as the most gifted and informed person to write the International Survey of Current Bahá’í Activities, to which he attached great importance. “Detailed letter mailed for International Survey confident your masterly treatment collected data’ he cabled him.
“What Shoghi Effendi himself thought of The Bahá’í World he put down in writing. As early as 1927, when only one volume had been published, he wrote to a non-Bahá’í: ‘I would strongly advise you to procure a copy of the Bahá’í Year Book ... which will give you a clear and authoritative statement of the purpose, the claim and the influence of the Faith.’
“In a general letter addressed in 1928, ‘To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the East and West,’ and entirely devoted to the subject of The Bahá’í World, Shoghi Effendi informs them: ‘I have ever since its inception taken a keen and sustained interest in its development, have personally participated in the collection of its material, the arrangement of its contents, and the close scrutiny of whatever data it contains. I confidently and emphatically recommend it to every thoughtful and eager follower of the Faith, whether in the East or in the West ...’
“He wrote that its material is readable, attractive, comprehensive and authoritative; its treatment of the fundamentals of the Cause concise and persuasive, and its illustrations thoroughly representative; it is unexcelled and unapproached by any other Bahá’í publication of its kind.
“This book Shoghi Effendi always visualized as being—indeed he designed it to be—eminently suitable for the public, for scholars, to place in libraries and as a means, as he put it, of removing the malicious misrepresentations and unfortunate misunderstandings that have so long and so grievously clouded the luminous Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.’
“It was a book that he himself often gave as a gift to royalty, to statesmen, to professors, universities, newspaper editors and non-Bahá’ís in general, mailing it to them with his simple personal card ‘Shoghi Rabbaní’ enclosed.”
The Priceless Pearl, pp. 209-11
III
EXAMINE A LETTER TO A SEEKER BY THORNTON CHASE,
THE FIRST AMERICAN BELIEVER.
VI
STUDY A REPORT ON A “RACIAL AMITY CONFERENCE” BY LOUIS GREGORY.
X
DISCOVER HISTORIC DOCUMENTS TRACING THE GROWTH OF THE FAITH THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
I
EXPERIENCE A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE PASSING OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ.
IV
FOLLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR IN NORTH AMERICA.
VII
RETURN TO THE DAYS OF THE EARLY BELIEVERS THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES.
XII
BE THERE AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE TEN YEAR BAHÁ’Í WORLD CRUSADE.
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
22 youth attend Kansas City training session[edit]
Twenty-two of the 75 Bahá’ís who signed up to help with the summer teaching projects after the close of the Continental Youth Conference remained in Kansas City to attend a two-day follow-up training program.
Sponsored by the National Youth Committee, the training was designed to prepare the friends to join border teaching projects planned and organized by District Teaching Committees and Local Spiritual Assemblies located near the northern and southern borders of the U.S.
ALTHOUGH the projects were directed toward youth and young adult participation, two Persian women, mothers of some of the volunteers, attended the training sessions and joined the teaching teams.
The training program, coordinated by Jene Bellows of Skokie, Illinois, focused on the spiritual obligation of the teachers to carry the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the waiting souls with the utmost care and consideration.
“Teaching from the heart, yet with the wisdom to always be aware of the unique sensitivities inherent in each teaching encounter,” Mrs. Bellows emphasized, “can only be accomplished by the believer who has prepared his own heart through daily prayer and regular and constant study of the Creative Word.
“The teacher also must be willing to readily and with good spirit obey the institutions sponsoring the teaching projects. This is even more important when the friends teach in teams—when every action is magnified simply because of the number of Bahá’ís involved.”
Specific quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were studied during the training sessions and discussed in the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere of the Kansas City Bahá’í Center.
The friends were encouraged to comment on their insights and feelings regarding the Holy Words.
OTHER SESSIONS conducted by Richard and Margaret Gurinsky of El Paso, Texas, covered specific and proven methods of teaching the Faith with the aid of the teaching book available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Charles Bullock introduced the friends to the “old” songs sung in the South during the early 70s, songs with spirit and zest.
“When everyone sings together of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike,” said Mr. Bullock, “very often the seeker’s heart is opened and he becomes receptive to the teachings.”
Special emphasis was placed on teaching by example and through service to others.
Several of the prospective teachers were assigned to Indian Reservations, sensitive areas that require patient, loving service—“deeds, not words.”
Each of the teaching sites chosen was named for one of the recent Iranian martyrs.
At the close of the training session the friends read aloud a brief biography of the martyr “assigned” to their team, and the Fire Tablet was shared.
THE EL PASO team, at the request of Curtis Montgomery, the only teacher able to go there directly from the training, was given the names of two martyrs.
By the end of July, six full-time teachers had joined the El Paso team, and with the help of two Auxiliary Board members in Mexico, three Mexican localities were opened to the Faith and 30 new believers enrolled in the El Paso area.
The project there officially ended July 26, but the Spiritual Assembly of El Paso has adopted the goal of bringing in 1,000 new believers by Riḍván 1982.
Dr. Alberta Deas, administrator of the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina, reports that 11 Bahá’ís there welcomed 15 new believers into the Faith, and helped form three local youth clubs.
The Olympic Peninsula in Washington state has 22 full-time projecteers, and will open four Indian Reservations and establish one Spiritual Assembly on a Reservation.
The teams: Hakim (Olympic Peninsula, Washington); Samandarí/Farhangi (El Paso, Texas, and Mexico); Mavaddatt (Poplar, Montana); Na‘imi (Okeechobee, Florida); Farid (St. Regis, New York); Vafa’i (Hemingway, South Carolina); and Alavian (Grand Portage, Minnesota).
Twenty-two Bahá’í youth attended a training session for summer teaching projects following the Youth Conference in Kansas City.
Essay winners[edit]
Winners of the National Youth Essay Contest sponsored by the National Youth Committee were announced at the Continental Bahá’í Youth Conference in July at Kansas City, Missouri.
Winners in the contest, whose theme was “The Force of the New Age,” are:
- Helen and John Danesh, Norman, Oklahoma.
- Layli Dumbleton, Jacksonville, Florida.
- Brendon Hanna, Orangeburg, South Carolina.
- Debra Lindstrom, Happy Camp, California.
- Stacey Phelps, Camarillo, California.
- Ahmad Vahid, Washington, D.C.
- Andrea Zivari, Waldwick, New Jersey.
Warmest congratulations to these eight young Bahá’ís!
U.S. Bahá’í College Club network nears 300 mark[edit]
One of the goals of the National Youth Plan for the second phase of the Seven Year Plan is the establishment of 500 Bahá’í College Clubs, local Youth Clubs, High School Clubs, and District Youth Committees.
The National Youth Committee is happy to report that as of the beginning of August, 59 per cent of the goal had been established, with the total formation of 295 clubs and committees reported throughout the country.
“THIS YOUTH network of clubs and committees serves an important function for Bahá’í youth,” says Dawn Haghighi, a member of the National Youth Committee.
“The network is a focus for our activities and unifies the American youth in our teaching and service to the Cause.”
The National Youth Committee encourages all youth to support the activities of the clubs and committees, and hopes that more and more of these vital youth organizations will be formed in the next three years.
With a large number of Bahá’í youth returning to college this fall, the National Youth Committee is trying to assist in the formation of Bahá’í College Clubs.
A new packet of information for forming these clubs has been developed and will be mailed to those who request it. The packet contains all the necessary materials for establishing a recognized club and also has a list of suggested activities that a club may sponsor during the school year.
Renewal packets also have been prepared for clubs listed with the National Youth Committee office. These were mailed in late August.
Anyone who wishes to receive any of these materials should contact the Youth Committee office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-1919.
TO HELP Bahá’í College Clubs in their teaching work, the Office of Public Affairs has developed a publicity kit for the campus.
The kit is aimed at use of the media on campus (college newspapers, radio and television stations) in proclaiming the Faith.
The kit is available at a nominal cost from the Office of Public Affairs, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
In addition, a new series of radio programs has been developed that are suitable for college campuses. “The Jeff Reynolds Series, Part II” includes 13 programs that will be distributed through the Office of Public Affairs. The “Fireside Playhouse” radio dramas have proven to be another excellent teaching tool, and also are available from the Office of Public Affairs.
Interested college clubs should contact that office directly at the Bahá’í National Center, or write to the National Youth Committee for details on acquiring these proclamation materials.
Isolated believer hosts large fireside, guests hear talk on ‘Joys of Living’[edit]
On Saturday, July 11, 46 Bahá’ís, seekers, and casual acquaintances of the Faith attended a fireside at the home of Millicent Sereno, an isolated believer in Narberth, Pennsylvania, to hear Annamarie Honnold speak on “The Joys of Living” and to share an evening of fellowship.
Invitations to “A Happening at Millicent’s Place” brought Bahá’ís from surrounding communities and as far away as the Bronx, New York, and Cape May and Vineland, New Jersey, to help carry out the teaching effort.
Comments about the event from Ms. Sereno’s neighbors have filled her with optimism, and she is already making plans for her second annual “happening.”
6 Regional Youth Conferences slated this year[edit]
|
YOUTH |
The |
The National Youth Committee plans to sponsor a series of Regional Youth Conferences prior to Riḍván 1982.
In the text of the message announcing the current three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice called for the holding of at least five Regional Youth Conferences during each year of that phase.
THIS YEAR six conferences will be held at various locations around the country. The first one is scheduled for September 18-20 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine.
Other regional conferences are to be held in Arizona, Florida and South Carolina. Sites for conferences in the Central States and the Western region will be announced as soon as the facilities and dates can be confirmed.
The National Youth Committee has chosen a theme for this year’s Regional Youth Conferences: “The Bahá’í Faith Believes in YOUth.”
The theme was selected as a follow-up to the theme used for the Continental Youth Conference in July, and is designed to be of interest to the public as well as to the Bahá’í community.
More information about the Regional Youth Conferences will be published in future issues of The American Bahá’í and in the Youth Hotline.
[Page 8]
IGC: PIONEERING
World NEWS[edit]
The Bahá’í Center of Nasau-Moce in the Fiji Islands was dedicated on the weekend of March 21-22 in an opening ceremony that was significant for its demonstration of unity in a spot whose history has been stormy and marked by religious prejudice.
The Spiritual Assembly of Nasau-Moce is one of two incorporated in April, fulfilling a goal of the Seven Year Plan ...
One of India’s goals of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan was achieved in the first week of the new administrative year when an Assembly was established in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, an agricultural state of more than half a million people that lies along the Burmese border ...
The visit to Japan from February to May of Miss Farideh Paymani, a traveling teacher from Hong Kong, produced personal interviews with more than 400 individuals. Miss Paymani visited numerous television stations and newspaper offices, and at least 20 papers carried articles about her and about the Faith ...
An order (amending Provisional Constitution Order 1981) was issued on April 8 by the President of Pakistan in which the Bahá’í Faith is defined as “non-Muslim.”
This significant step—officially recognizing the Faith as one of the religious minorities in a Muslim country—was reported in the Karachi press, in both English and Urdu ...
An Institute to train teachers for Bahá’í tutorial schools and children’s classes was held February 11-18 in Villa Virginia, Panama.
The 11 adults and 12 youth who attended were taught methods for teaching reading and writing, arithmetic, and science, as well as techniques of classroom organization and discipline, and preparation of audio-visual materials. These skills will enable them to give instruction in accordance with the Basic Plan of the official schools, in localities where there are no public schools ...
The films and books of André Brugiroux proved an effective proclamation tool for Réunion, an island community that lies east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, during the month from January 11 to February 14 when the French filmmaker and author gave 11 showings of his film, “La terre n’est qu’un seul pays,” to 1,720 viewers.
In addition to the film showings, there were radio interviews, firesides, and newspaper publicity in connection with Mr. Brugiroux’s visit ...
Switzerland’s National Teaching Conference, held June 11 in Grindelwald, brought together 68 participants including two members of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe—Dr. Agnes Ghaznavi and Dr. Leo Niederreiter ...
Sixty-four people attended the Pioneer Training Institute held July 16-19 at the Bahá’í National Center. Speakers included the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem. Those attending the Institute were preparing to pioneer to South Africa, Finland, Belize, Togo, Tanzania, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Peru, the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Virgin Islands, New Caledonia, Cyprus, Papua New Guinea, Zaire, Paraguay and Japan. Participants also included traveling teachers bound for French Guiana and the Leeward/Virgin Islands teaching project. Visiting pioneers from the Dominican Republic and Nigeria also were present.
39 Bahá’ís answer call, participate in worldwide summer teaching effort[edit]
Thirty-nine Bahá’ís from the U.S. answered the call for participation in international summer projects, according to the International Goals Committee.
Eleven of these traveling teachers were youth, filling national goals that call for 50 youth to travel and teach internationally during the three-year second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Seven teachers went to the Windward Island of St. Lucia, 12 team teachers were in Belize, 11 taught in villages in the Leeward and Virgin Islands, six taught in Norway, and three went to Guatemala.
Initial reports from Norway told of the transformation of strong opposition to the Faith in the form of verbal attacks to a new respect and higher recognition for our beloved Cause in the Norwegians’ eyes as a result of the projecteers. They write, “There is a positive spirit encircling Norway.”
St. Lucia cabled, “First week project St. Lucia 300 enrollments many family units. Beg prayers further victories.”
|
The Fund Is the Life-Blood of the Faith 112 Linden Avenue, |
“The youth team in the Virgin Islands have won the hearts of all who meet them,” wrote the Pioneer Committee of the Virgin Islands.
Complete reports on these summer teaching projects will appear in the next issue of The American Bahá’í.
Dr. Brady speaker at New York City Race Unity meeting[edit]
Dr. Wilma Brady, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, spoke to nearly 200 Bahá’ís and their guests at a Race Unity Day meeting June 14 in New York City.
Dr. Brady’s topic was “Race, Rights and Reason.” The observance was dedicated to the children and families in Atlanta, scene of the recent murders of at least 28 black children.
The event was publicized during June by an exhibit at the New York Public Library, and for two weeks in the black-oriented newspaper, “New York Amsterdam News.”
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 | 1 |
| (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 | 4 |
| (E) Bophuthatswana | 2 | ||
| (E) Namibia | 2 | ||
| (A,E) | Sudan | 4 | |
| (F) Djibouti | 2 | ||
| (E) | Tanzania | 6 | |
| (F) | Togo | 2 | |
| (E) | Transkei | 1 | 1 |
| (F) | Tunisia | 3 | |
| (E) | Uganda | 4 | |
| (F) | Zaire | 10 | 2 |
| (E) | Zambia | 4 | __ |
| 100 | 8 | ||
| AMERICAS | |||
| (E) | Barbados | 2 | |
| (S) | Bolivia | 4 | |
| (S) | Colombia | 4 | |
| (S) | Dominican Republic | 2 | |
| (F) | Fr. Antilles | 4 | |
| (S) | Guatemala | 5 | 2 |
| (F) | Haiti | 5 | |
| (E) | Jamaica | 2 | |
| (E) | Leeward Is. | 10 | 1 |
| (S) | Paraguay | 4 | |
| (S) | Puerto Rico | 5 | 4 |
| (D,F) | Surinam-Fr. Guiana | 4 | |
| (E) | Trinidad-Tobago | 2 | |
| (S) | Uruguay | 6 | |
| (S) | Venezuela | 4 | 1 |
| (E) | Virgin Is. | 3 | 3 |
| (E) | Windward Is. | 10 | 2 |
| 76 | 13 | ||
| 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 | 1 |
| (E,T) | Thailand | 4 | ___ |
| 20 | 1 | ||
| AUSTRALASIA | |||
| Caroline Is. | |||
| (E) Yap | 1 | ||
| (E) Palau | 3 | ||
| (E) Truk | 5 | ||
| (E) | Fiji Is. | 2 | |
| (E) | Kiribati | 4 | |
| (E) | Mariana Is. | 2 | 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 | 2 | ||
| EUROPE | |||
| (Gr,E) | Cyprus | 2 | |
| (Dn) | Denmark | 10 | |
| (Fn) | Finland | 6 | |
| 18 | |||
| Goals filled by U.S. | |||
| World Goals | 24 | ||
| Non-Goals, Overfills, Refills | 34 | ||
| Total | 58 | ||
| 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
[Page 9]
EDUCATION
Assembly members must attend, participate[edit]
This is the sixth in a series of articles on the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies prepared by the National Education Committee. This month’s article focuses on attendance at Assembly meetings and resignation from the Local Spiritual Assembly.
•
1. Why is it important for members to attend meetings of the Local Spiritual Assembly?
Shoghi Effendi, through his secretary, stated: “It is only too obvious that unless a member can attend regularly the meetings of his local Assembly, it would be impossible for him to discharge the duties incumbent upon him, and to fulfill his responsibilities as a representative of the community. Membership in a local Spiritual Assembly carries with it, indeed, the obligation and capacity to remain in close touch with local Bahá’í activities, and ability to attend regularly the sessions of the Assembly.” (Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 50)
2. How should the Assembly respond if one of its members does not wish to attend Assembly meetings?
The Guardian, through his secretary, counseled: “Every case of prolonged absence from the sessions of the Assembly should be considered separately by that Assembly, and if the person is seen to not want to attend meetings, or to be held away from them indefinitely because of illness or travel, then a vacancy could legitimately be declared and a new member elected.” (Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, p. 36)
3. Are there legitimate reasons for which a member might choose to resign from the Local Assembly?
Responding through his secretary, Shoghi Effendi wrote, “With reference to your question, whether it would be permissible for a believer to resign from the local Assembly: under special circumstances, such as illness, one may do so, but only after, and never before he has been elected to the membership of the Assembly.” (The Local Spiritual Assembly, p. 21)
4. Would inharmony between Assembly members be a legitimate reason for resigning from the Assembly?
The Guardian, through his secretary, clearly stated: “Personal differences and disagreements among Assembly members surely afford no sufficient ground for such resignation, and certainly cannot justify absence from Assembly meetings.” He also wrote, through his secretary: “The remedy to Assembly inharmony cannot be in the resignation or abstinence of any of its members. It must learn, in spite of disturbing elements, to continue to function as a whole, otherwise the whole system would become discredited through the introduction of exceptions to the rule.” (The Local Spiritual Assembly, p. 21)
5. How might individual Assembly members respond then if hurt feelings and inharmony do arise occasionally during Assembly meetings?
Through his secretary, the Guardian reminded us that “the friends must be patient with each other and must realize that the Cause is still in its infancy and its institutions are not yet functioning perfectly. The greater the patience, the loving understanding and the forbearance the believers show towards each other and their shortcomings, the greater will be the progress of the whole Bahá’í community at large.” (The Bahá’í Life, p. 9)
6. If a member does resign, what course of action should the Assembly take?
The National Spiritual Assembly has written: “In view of Shoghi Effendi’s statements, a Local Assembly should discourage its members from resigning. If, however, an Assembly member does resign, the Local Assembly should notify the National Spiritual Assembly and give the reasons.” (Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, p. 37)
Bahá’í Parent Groups in U.S. number 130-plus[edit]
More than 130 Bahá’í Parent Groups have been organized in the U.S. since the Bahá’í Parent Program was made available in January of this year, according to David L. Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee.
“The committee conducted a telephone survey to see how well the program was being received by parent participants,” says Mr. Smith. “We telephoned the first 20 individuals who had ordered the program as Parent Group coordinators, and were heartened to find that the responses to the program were universally enthusiastic and positive.”
THE BAHÁ’Í Parent Program is designed as a group program, and would have limited benefit for individual study. It is practical in nature, allowing parents the opportunity to translate guidance from the Bahá’í Writings relevant to parent topics into action within the home, and then share results of their experiences with other parents in a supportive way.
Topics that are currently available include:
- Expressing love in tangible ways.
- Attracting your child to spiritual ideals.
- Building a sense of Bahá’í tradition in the home.
- Communication and consultation in the home.
- Discipline.
- Prayer, meditation, and deepening in the home.
- Developmental levels.
- Nutrition.
- Stories and literature in the home.
“Although the program is designed to provide support and guidance for Bahá’í parents,” says Mr. Smith, “persons who are not Bahá’ís can be invited to participate.
“But it should be understood by non-Bahá’ís that topics will be approached from a Bahá’í perspective.”
IF A LOCAL community wishes to form a Bahá’í Parent Group, it should designate a person to serve as the group coordinator.
The responsibilities of the coordinator (as described in the program materials) are to organize the meetings and facilitate group discussions.
When ordering the Bahá’í Parent Program, the name and address of the coordinator should be included so that materials can be sent directly to that individual.
The cost of the program is $20. The price also covers postage and mailing costs.
Orders should be sent to the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Checks should be made payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund,” earmarked “Parents.”
Louhelen[edit]
Continued From Page 2
children and youth, as stated by the Guardian.
“ ‘These Bahá’í children,’ ” she quoted Shoghi Effendi as saying, “ ‘are of such great importance to the future. They will live in times, and have to meet problems, which never faced their elders.’ ”
The Cause alone, said Dr. Carney, can equip them to serve properly the needs of a future war-weary, disillusioned, unhappy humanity. So their task will be a very great and responsible one, and too much care cannot be devoted to their upbringing and preparation.
Many letters from non-Bahá’ís who are sympathetic to the Bahá’í Cause, she said, have been received by the National Assembly.
Sam Clark, coordinator of the Louhelen Project Committee, and David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, reported on progress in the fundraising drive for reconstruction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School.
Members of the Bahá’í community of Flint, Michigan, had prepared commemorative bookmarks that featured plastic-encased dried flowers picked on the Louhelen property. They were distributed to those who attended the anniversary celebration.
A believer who is an amateur radio operator had a temporary “ham” station set up on the porch of one of the original school buildings, from which he had conversations with other ham operators around the country.
Those who contacted the special station each received a special confirmation card commemorating the Bahá’í school’s 50th anniversary.
The afternoon program ended with the release by the children of many helium-filled balloons.
The balloons were lettered with the 50th anniversary message, and many carried written proclamation messages that were tied to the balloon strings.
From the time they purchased the farm that was named Louhelen Ranch, the Egglestons had a vision of creating a Bahá’í school on the property.
The Guardian’s comments about the importance of the Louhelen School can be found in no less than 50 of his letters dating back to 1931, the year of the school’s first modest session.
The first separate session for Bahá’í youth at the school was conducted in 1934. A letter written in 1947 on behalf of the Guardian states: “ ...the Louhelen School... has been an immense help in training the believers—particularly the youth—in all aspects of the teachings, and it will grow in the future to be a seat of Bahá’í education.”
Over the years, classes at Louhelen have been conducted by many distinguished teachers including eight who later were named Hands of the Cause of God: Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Agnes Alexander, Dorothy Baker, Amelia Collins, Louis Gregory, Horace Holley, Leroy Ioas, and Corinne True.
The construction in 1939 of the library building at Louhelen was made possible through gifts from Amelia Collins and others.
The Egglestons legally transferred the school buildings to a trust of the National Spiritual Assembly, retaining only their home and nine and one-half acres at the school site. The transfer had been their intention from the time the farm property was purchased in 1930.
The school itself, first named Louhelen Ranch, was later renamed “Central States Bahá’í School.” The name Louhelen was reinstated in 1940, but was changed to “Davison Bahá’í School” in 1956 before the name coined by its founders was eventually readopted.
Youngsters prepare helium-filled balloons for release during the 50th anniversary celebration August 1 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan.
[Page 10]
HOUSE OF WORSHIP
French-Canadian Bahá’ís are guests for conference at House of Worship[edit]
Nearly 60 French-Canadian Bahá’ís gathered at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, the weekend of July 11-12 to participate in a conference especially arranged for them by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada in cooperation with the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee.
This historic event marked the first formal gathering of Canadian Bahá’ís at the Mother Temple of the West. The French-Canadians were accompanied by Mrs. Monique Roberts, a member of the National Teaching Committee of Canada.
THE GATHERING was the fifth in a series of conferences held to instill an appreciation in the French-Canadian Bahá’ís of their heritage in the worldwide Bahá’í community. The previous four conferences were held in Canada.
The Canadian believers toured their own National Center in Toronto, Ontario, on the way to Wilmette.
Among the highlights of the conference in Wilmette were inspiring talks by the Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and John Robarts.
Mr. Robarts, who flew in from Canada to spend the weekend with his fellow countrymen, spoke about the goals of the Seven Year Plan.
Mr. Khadem deeply moved the friends with his stories about the life of Bahá’u’lláh.
Other speakers included Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, who spoke about the administration of the Faith at the national level; Edna M. True, who shared her memories of the early days of the Faith in America, especially those touching on the work of Louis Bourgeois, the French-Canadian architect who designed the House of Worship; and Bruce Whitmore, secretary of the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee, who recounted the 50-year struggle to erect the Temple in America.
The Canadian friends learned that the Bahá’í communities of Canada and the United States were co-builders of the House of Worship, both having been part of one national community until the election in 1948 of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.
The historic weekend came to a close Sunday evening when Bahá’ís from the Chicago area joined their northern friends in Foundation Hall for a program of music.
The efforts of the House of Worship staff in preparing to receive the visiting Bahá’ís included a crash course in French in order to be able to welcome them properly and to provide basic services for them. The Canadian believers were thrilled by this effort to make them feel welcome.
Summing up his feelings about the conference, Mr. Whitmore observed:
“This was one of the most joyous and uplifting experiences I have witnessed at the House of Worship.
“The Bahá’ís from Canada were warm, loving and possessed a delightful sense of humor. The weekend inspired all of us to redouble our commitment to Bahá’u’lláh. I look forward eagerly to future Canadian visits.”
Nearly 60 French-Canadian Bahá’ís came to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, July 11-12 to participate in a special conference arranged for them by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and the House of Worship Activities Committee.
Warning[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly hereby advises the friends that mailings of a disturbing nature have been sent to some Local Spiritual Assemblies and individuals throughout the country by a person named Billy Rojas.
The mailings, which have no return address, have been posted in Eugene, Oregon. Mr. Rojas was a Bahá’í in the past but denied belief in Bahá’u’lláh some years ago and was dropped from Bahá’í membership.
Participants in the Special Visit Program for Families held July 2-5 at the Bahá’í National Center are (front row left to right) Rachel Daniels, Zivar Baker, Bill Baker, Matthew Gentzkow, Riaz Shoa‘íe, David Baker, Andrew Davidson, Tommy Davidson, Shawn Somerhalder, Joshua Boone-Wallis, Marjan Massoudi, Lua Clark, Rie Sato, Rachel Palmateer, Kate Draves, Crystal Gilmore, Nabil Draves; (second row left to right) Aaron Daniels, Jorma Moore, Nuri Sims, Faran Massoudi, Sushil Sims, Jason Smith, Doug Shoop, Cora Gilmore, Ruhullah Massoudi, Frank Baker, Special Visit Program Coordinator Michael Carr; (third row left to right) Lynn Daniels, Jason Daniels, Teresa Dominguez, Annamarie Baker, Tahireh Daniels, teacher coordinator Amy Baker, Farideh Massoudi, Irma Sims, teacher Lethia Draves, Farnaz Sheikhzadeh, Kevin Dinkens, Samira Moore, Layli Moore, Machiko Sato, Pamela Palmateer; (fourth row left to right) Juliet Gentzkow, Melinda Shoop, teacher Linda Somerhalder, Carol Gilmore, Carmel Gilmore, Bijan Massoumian, Golnaz Sheikhzadeh, Bijan Shahriari, Diann Boone-Wallis, Don Boone-Wallis, Bruce Whitmore, secretary of the House of Worship Activities Committee; (fifth row left to right) Kamala Shoop, David Shoop, Andrea Davidson, Peggy Smith, Tom Davidson, Sarah Lee Dinkens, Fran Amundson, teacher Pej Clark, Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, Martha Cavanagh, Harold Amundson, Ron Somerhalder, Michael Somerhalder.
Participants in the Special Visit Program held July 23-26 at the Bahá’í National Center are shown in front of the House of Worship. Front row (left to right) are staff member Cynthia Christensen, Pei-Lu Chiu, staff member David Rodriguez, Judy Cools, Sheila Sullivan, Farid Khorsandian, Payandeh Khorsandian. Second row (left to right) are Jim Fischer, Shedan Maghzi, Trudy Hicks, Teresa McElwain, Farzad Khorsandian. Third row (left to right) are Gene Hicks, Ruhiyyih Hicks, Lila Ala’í, Edward McElwain. Fourth row (left to right) are staff member Michael Carr, Adrian Davis, staff member Gwendolyn Clayborne, Lillian Davis, staff member Gazzal Towfiq, and Bruce Whitmore, secretary of the House of Worship Activities Committee. Not pictured are Soheil and Sohrab Mafi. The visitors came from California, Maryland, Michigan, Texas, Utah and Holland.
N. Carolina sets Peace Grove project[edit]
The Bahá’í communities of Greensboro and Guilford County, North Carolina, invite every Bahá’í to participate in their Peace Grove project at Hagan-Stone Park, about eight miles south of Greensboro, on World Peace Day, September 20.
A three-acre portion of the park was dedicated in 1966 as Peace Grove and nine loblolly pine trees were planted. The World Peace Day observance will include the planting of more trees and shrubs, guest speakers, and music in the outdoor amphitheatre.
Camping is available, including bath facilities and electricity. There are motels within five to six miles of the park.
For information or assistance, please write to the Bahá’ís of Greensboro, P.O. Box 6739, Greensboro, NC 27401, or phone 919-273-0270 or 919-855-5182.
[Page 11]
TEACHING
the Champion builders[edit]
ALAIN LEROY LOCKE
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in September 1886, Alain LeRoy Locke was destined to become a renowned Bahá’í educator and author.
At 18, he became a student at the Philadelphia School of Pedagogy, from which he was graduated three years later. He then entered Harvard College, graduating in 1907 with honors in philosophy and English.
HARVARD recognized his ability and achievements by conferring on him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1918.
That same year Dr. Locke traveled to England where he spent three years at Oxford University as the nation’s first black Rhodes scholar.
This was followed by another year of study at the University of Berlin, Germany.
It wasn’t until after his return to the U.S., when he spent six months in the Deep South, that Dr. Locke was confronted with the racial problem.
From that time until his death on June 9, 1954, Dr. Locke devoted his literary and avocational talents to the analysis, interpretation and recognition of the cultural achievements of blacks and their relations with people of other races.
It was in the early 1920s, while serving as a member of the department of philosophy at Howard University in Washington, D.C., that he first came into contact with the Faith.
DR. LOCKE immediately recognized and accepted the Faith as the only solution to the pervasive problem of racial prejudice. He reflected this belief in his later writings and public appearances.
Dr. Locke pointed out repeatedly that the rapid advancement of the black race should not be seen as a social and economic encroachment that prejudiced whites fought to hold in check, but rather as a part of the common advancement of all mankind, lifting the level of civilization as a whole.
U.S. extension teaching goal is won[edit]
The goal was won!
It is with great joy that the National Teaching Committee informs the American Bahá’í community that the goal of the first phase of the Seven Year Plan that called for the adoption by 700 Local Spiritual Assemblies of extension teaching goals was indeed accomplished.
Now we have entered the second phase of the Plan, and the Universal House of Justice asks the Assemblies to continue to work with their extension teaching goal.
ALSO, IN ITS Riḍván 1981 message, the Supreme Body calls upon us to “raise the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies (in the U.S.) to 1,750, including 50 on Indian Reservations,” and to “encourage the adoption and pursuit of extension teaching goals” by all Assemblies.
That means 1,750 Local Spiritual Assemblies must be encouraged to assist a community in their area. All 1,750!
Has your Assembly adopted an extension teaching goal? Is your community involved in helping that area? Do you have ideas about how to assist with the goal?
What is an extension teaching goal? A community can be adopted to:
1) Open the locality. This means there are no Bahá’ís in that area and you will try to open it to the Faith—find people there to teach!
2) Form a Group. There may be Bahá’ís in the area, but they may not have formed a Group and, therefore, are not receiving correspondence from the National Center. You may help them deepen their understanding of their role in the Administrative Order of the Faith and to become prepared for the time when they will be forming their own Spiritual Assembly.
3) ASSIST a Group to become an Assembly. Groups are important, and during this stage it is a good time for deepening and teaching with the goal of reaching nine adult members and holding an election to form the Spiritual Assembly.
4) Assist a jeopardized Assembly. When a community with an Assembly drops below nine adults, the Assembly becomes jeopardized and must take steps immediately to raise its membership back to at least nine. The beloved Guardian said, “The local Assemblies that have been so diligently and patiently established must under no circumstances be allowed to dissolve, or their foundations be in any way endangered.”
The National Teaching Committee encourages your Assembly to seriously consider adopting an extension goal as requested by the Universal House of Justice.
We are certain, too, that your own community will reap many spiritual benefits by arising in service to Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause.
Please notify the National Teaching Committee at the Bahá’í National Center when your Assembly adopts an extension teaching goal.
U.S. goals for 1981-82[edit]
The Riḍván 1981 message from the Universal House of Justice calls for an increase in the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the U.S. to 1,750 during the second phase of the Seven Year Plan, with 50 of those Assemblies on Indian Reservations, and the encouragement of the adoption by all Local Spiritual Assemblies of extension teaching goals.
To continue the Seven Year Plan in a “phased and systematic” manner, the National Spiritual Assembly has established yearly goals for the next three years, leading to the accomplishment of those goals established by our Supreme Institution.
The goals for the U.S. Bahá’í community for the first year of the second phase of the Plan are as follows:
- Increase the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies to 1,700 with 40 on Indian Reservations. (This represents increases of 100 and five, respectively.)
- Increase the number of localities in which Bahá’ís reside to 7,300 (an increase of 100).
- Increase the number of Assemblies with extension teaching goals to 800 (an increase of 100).
U.S. community responds warmly to ‘Befriend’[edit]
Operation Befriend, the service project envisioned by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, continues within the American Bahá’í community.
The National Teaching Committee has received news of some of the efforts the friends are making to be of service to the people in their neighborhoods and of the wonderful responses they have received.
But we also know that many more plans have been made and projects are ongoing. We would love to hear of your plans!
What kinds of projects are you undertaking? In addition to great personal satisfaction, what successes have you noted?
How has the community at large responded to your efforts?
Some of these ideas and responses will be published in The American Bahá’í, so please send your stories (and photos) to the National Teaching Committee, c/o the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Urgent need for pioneers on homefront[edit]
Homefront pioneers are needed now!
Are you able to move to an area of the country that really needs you? There are many places throughout the length and breadth of our land in need of such assistance, and if you are interested in serving the Faith in this way, the National Teaching Committee would be happy to help you find a community in which to serve.
It would be helpful to the committee if you were able to provide areas of preference, languages spoken, or other information that you feel would be helpful.
The Guardian said, “If the Bahá’ís remaining ‘at home’ would arise with the same spirit of devotion and fervor as animates the pioneers, there is no question of the remarkable results that would be achieved.”
Please contact the National Teaching Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
‘Newest’ believer is also ‘oldest’[edit]
The newest Bahá’í in Yucaipa, California, is also the oldest—John “Uncle Jack” Collins, who declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh recently at the age of 97.
Mr. Collins, who was born July 22, 1883, heard of the Faith several years ago. He attended a Bahá’í-sponsored picnic in Yucaipa, was asked if he believed in Bahá’u’lláh, and replied that he did. Shortly afterward, he was enrolled in the Faith.
A children’s class is held outdoors during the second Wisconsin Bahá’í Summer School July 6-10 at Camp Byron, Brownsville. The teacher (right) is Melanie Smith.
100 attend second Wisconsin Summer School at Brownsville[edit]
One hundred people from as far away as Florida, Maryland and Nebraska attended the second Wisconsin Bahá’í Summer School, held July 6-10 at Camp Byron in Brownsville.
The school theme was “Living Sacrifice.” The teachers included Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland, Robert Amerson, Albin Kubala, and Karen Washatko.
Adult classes were given on “The Mystery of Sacrifice,” “Bahá’í Service,” “Lives of Sacrifice,” and “The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh.” Classes also were held for the 30 children who attended.
A devotional service was held at noon on July 9, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Báb, and the film “The Pilgrimage” was shown early that day.
During an evening program, Ardeshir Akhtarkhavari of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, gave a moving account of his days spent in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Other evening programs included a presentation of the film “By Way of the Gate,” produced by John Booth, a Bahá’í from Canada, and a slide presentation by Mr. Kubala of the search for a Temple site in Venezuela and the Intercontinental Bahá’í Conference in Mérida, Mexico.
The school was organized by the Spiritual Assembly of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, under the guidance of the National Education Committee.
[Page 12]
YOUTH CONFERENCE
Personal PROFILE[edit]
Name: Gordon Ndando
Community: Cochran, Georgia
Occupation: Student
Background: Since coming to the U.S. last January, Gordon Ndando has proven to be a unique and valuable addition to the community of Bahá’í youth in this country.
Gordon, born into a Bahá’í family in Cameroon, West Africa, has experienced in his 20 years a degree of sacrifice and service that many people never face in a lifetime.
His father, Hansel Ndando, decided in 1963 to go to the neighboring country of Nigeria to live after an appeal for pioneers from the Universal House of Justice. Shortly after arriving in Enugu, the elder Mr. Ndando offered up his life in service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh—the victim of poisoning by unknown assailants.
One year after his father’s death, Gordon’s mother, Elizabeth, married the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga, and went with her new husband to live in Kampala, Uganda. Gordon remained in West Africa, attending school in Cameroon and Nigeria.
While in school he remained active in the Bahá’í community, serving as a member of the National Youth Committees of Cameroon and Nigeria. A frequent participant in area conferences, he also was an experienced traveling teacher, often accompanying pioneers on visits to villages while assisting as a translator. Indeed, Gordon’s very presence among them was of great benefit to the pioneers, because, as he says, “When the villagers see a native African among the Bahá’ís, they know they are not being deceived—that we have really come to tell them of the Promised One.”
Gordon continued his Bahá’í activities after high school, meanwhile working for a Cameroonian oil refinery. He planned eventually to go to the U.S. to obtain a degree in engineering before pioneering
The first Intercontinental Bahá’í Youth Conference of the Seven Year Plan, July 2-5, 1981, in Kansas City: A pictorial record
[Page 13]
YOUTH CONFERENCE
To our most beloved Universal House of Justice:
The friends gathered at the Continental Youth Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 2-5, 1981, extend to our Supreme Institution our deepest affection and dedication. This historic event, graced by the presence of the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Zikrullah Khadém, Continental Counsellors Velma Sherrill and Farzam Arbáb, members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, Auxiliary Board members, and distinguished visitors and representatives from 20 countries, has served to revitalize and energize the youth of the North American continent.
Approximately 3,500 participants, inspired by the supreme sacrifices made by our beloved brothers in the Cradle of the Faith, pledge to redeem their sacrifice through our reconsecrated service in the teaching field.
As a symbol of our commitment to unity and sacrifice, we have prepared for dispatch to the House of Justice a commemorative scroll signed by the conference participants on the 76th anniversary of a similar pledge made by the American believers to the beloved Master.
We beseech your prayers as we embark upon the National Youth Plan for the three-year phase and launch eight summer teaching projects.
With our promise of continued service.
North America
DELIGHTED LEARN REVITALIZING IMPACT KANSAS CITY CONFERENCE ON IMPRESSIVELY LARGE ASSEMBLAGE YOUTH. CONFIDENT EXCITING PLANS GENERATED PRESENCE INSPIRATION HANDSCAUSE AMATU’L-BAHÁ RÚḤÍYYIH KHÁNUM AND ZIKRULLAH KHADEM MEMBERS INSTITUTIONS FAITH RESULTING ADOPTION BOTH IMMEDIATE AND LONG-RANGE PROJECTS WILL CHANNEL ENTHUSIASM ENERGIES IMPORTANT RESOURCE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY TOWARDS PROSECUTION CURRENT FUTURE WORLDWIDE TEACHING CAMPAIGNS. FERVENTLY PRAYING SUCCESS EFFORTS YOUTHFUL BAND LOVERS BELOVED MASTER EMULATE EARLY AMERICAN TEACHERS IN PROMOTION HIS FATHER’S CAUSE.
JULY 9, 1981
Gordon[edit]
Continued From Page 12
to a country in West Africa.
In September 1979, only days before an intended trip to visit his family in Kampala, he received the shocking news of the deaths of his mother, step-father, and three of his step-brothers and sisters, all of whom had been shot in their Kampala home by unknown assailants.
Gordon was shattered by the cruel deaths of his family members, and saddened again by the recollection of his father, who had given his life in somewhat similar circumstances when Gordon was still a child.
Nevertheless, he was reinforced in his decision to go to America, obtain his degree, and return to Africa to redeem through his teaching efforts the deaths of his relatives.
More than a year later, Gordon arrived at Middle Georgia College to begin his studies. He loved the environment, even though he was an isolated believer—a situation that didn’t last long, as within a few months the five other Nigerian students on campus had become Bahá’ís, along with one student from Cameroon.
In addition, many of Gordon’s American friends are seriously studying the Faith as a result of his teaching efforts, which have included numerous firesides and teaching trips with other Bahá’ís in Cochran, Fort Valley, Americus and other towns in Middle Georgia.
Gordon has been spending the summer working at the Bahá’í National Center, but will return to Cochran this fall to continue his studies and to form the first Bahá’í College Club at Middle Georgia College.
How does he do it? “Be friendly to everyone,” says Gordon, “regardless of who they are. This is the best way to teach.”
[Page 14]
RACE UNITY
‘When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine ...’(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 54)
Comment
Bahá’í goal must be racial unity[edit]
Earlier this year, during a seminar at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center on “Racism and the Bahá’í Faith,” a Hispanic member of the audience went to the heart of the matter when he rose to say, “We do not teach together. Hispanics teach Hispanics, whites teach whites, and blacks teach blacks. We have not shared, we have not suffered together. How can we grow?”
Despite a decade or more of sometimes intense concentration on civil rights and racial equality, racism remains a problem in American life and affects the Bahá’í community of the U.S. as well.
AS BAHÁ’Í PANEL participants expressed it during the Los Angeles meeting, American Bahá’ís have achieved a higher level of racial equality, but are no closer to racial unity than they ever were.
Panelist Sidney Morrison, a high school vice-principal, noted that the mood of social concern that characterized the 1960s has given way to the social apathy of the 1970s and early 80s, and that this indifference is reflected in the Bahá’í community.
Although Bahá’ís, he said, ought to be in the vanguard of confronting racism—a problem Shoghi Effendi identified as “the most challenging issue” facing the Bahá’í community—there remains a great deal of racial isolation among Bahá’ís.
Two other panel members, Mary Carter and Angelica Huerta-Cortez, stressed that racism has its roots in misunderstanding and ignorance.
They said racism should be a continuing concern, adding that it is up to the Bahá’ís to struggle to unite the races, for upon that effort depends world peace.
The two women urged that more deliberate efforts be made for the races to interact with one another, to become more familiar with one another, and thereby to erase the suspicions and hostilities that often divide them.
ONCE THE PANELISTS had had their say, members of the audience added observations of their own. One woman noted that it is almost always racial minorities who integrate white neighborhoods, not whites who integrate minority neighborhoods.
Bahá’ís, she said, particularly white Bahá’ís, are making almost no effort to show by example their dedication to the oneness of mankind.
Someone else noted that when Bahá’ís hold their annual elections, they do seem to be conscious of the need to elect members of racial minorities to Local Spiritual Assemblies. But when it comes to appointments to such posts as assistants to the Auxiliary Boards—particularly those for protection—few members of racial minorities are singled out.
After more discussion, several recommendations were made. These included the establishment of multi-ethnic children’s classes, deliberate socializing among Bahá’ís of different racial backgrounds, and the encouragement of interracial marriage.
But the strongest recommendation was that racism within the Bahá’í community be a topic of consultation at Feasts and be placed on the agenda at meetings of Local Spiritual Assemblies.
Racial tension, Mr. Morrison pointed out, is resurfacing as a national problem. When the economy turns sour, as it has in recent months, it is minority groups who are blamed for “taking jobs” from the white majority. As Bahá’ís, he said, we need to consciously protect ourselves against the prevailing social moods, and make an extra effort now to become racially unified.
Master’s statement on race doesn’t favor one or other[edit]
Dear Friends:
“ ...from one, expressions of gratitude and appreciation; from the other, kindliness and recognition of equality.”
This segment of the exhortation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá carries, for me, no distinct reference as to which race is the one or the other.
The white race, for instance, can certainly express gratitude and appreciation to the black race for the suffering in their lives and the ability of that race to endure and maintain its vitality and spirituality.
Indeed, gratitude and appreciation are due the black race when the love, vitality and spiritual insight gained through such suffering is taught to the white race.
The black race, likewise, can express kindliness and recognition of equality to the white race.
Many references are contained within the Bahá’í Writings and scriptures of the other divinely inspired religions that exhort us (all) to be kind to our oppressors.
The black race must also recognize that God created mankind with equal abilities, which means the white race has the ability to gain the same insight, with the help of those who are willing to teach.
Kent, Washington
Dear Friends:
In response to the recent letters in The American Bahá’í on racial unity, I would like to make the following comments:
No one, of any race, should feel responsible for his heritage or the attitudes with which he was raised. However, as Bahá’ís we are accountable for overcoming our prejudices and surmounting our feelings of guilt and suspicion.
AT THIS STAGE in the development of the Faith, we have the privilege and the duty to help raise up that “new race of men”—whether they spring forth from within ourselves or generations to come—they cannot, nor will they, become a reality without the elimination of these seriously hampering obstacles.
Overcoming the difficulties involved is not easy, but tests never are! From time to time I’ll meet someone and feel attracted to him. A word or two is often spoken, but it goes no further. I go away to continue my affairs with a sense of sadness and regret. Why didn’t I pursue it further?
The physical nature reacts to differences, fearing rejection because of insecurities about oneself or the surroundings, or feeling intimidated by exterior appearances. Yet the spiritual nature cries out for companionship.
To help overcome the difficulties that all forms of prejudice present, becoming more secure as Bahá’ís, neither black Bahá’ís nor white Bahá’ís, rich nor poor, but simply Bahá’ís, is surely a fortress against the prejudices of the world. As Bahá’ís, we are meant to attract and unify.
Put out a hand. Someone is waiting to grasp it.
Rialto, California
Dear Friends:
I have followed with interest the reactions to the Master’s quote on race relations because I, like many people, had mixed reactions when I first read it.
At first, I couldn’t understand why blacks should show gratitude toward whites when whites have never done anything to deserve such thankfulness.
And on the other side, I thought that kindliness and recognition of equality wasn’t enough to make up for all the pain and suffering blacks have gone through.
But I knew that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had a purpose for writing this particular way. I tried to understand by looking at the quote from two standards, human and divine.
By human standards, we should expect anger and hatred from blacks. Why should they be grateful and show appreciation? White people don’t deserve that until they have earned it.
Bahá’ís from several communities in Mississippi are shown at the Race Unity Day observance held June 14 in Taylorsville.
For the fourth year in a row, Mayor Dana Eastham of Marietta, Georgia, proclaimed June 14 ‘Race Unity Day’ in that city. About 40 Bahá’ís and seekers attended an observance in the city square sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of West Cobb County whose speaker was Dr. Robert Henderson of Roswell, Georgia. Cobb County Bahá’í youth helped by serving refreshments to those who attended. Shown here (left to right) are Bahá’ís Sherri Wilson, Sharon McClellan, Parisa Izadi, Michell Morgan, Massi Kharazmi, and (back to camera) Robbie Haynes.
Mayor Jay Lytle (center) of Evanston, Illinois, met with members of the Bahá’í community of Evanston in June to issue a Race Unity Day proclamation and receive a copy of Tokens from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. Shown with the mayor are (left to right) Bahá’ís Dick Clark, John Cornyn, Morris Taylor, Bob James, Robert Ramirez, Harry Murray, Clementine Murray, and Kathy Cornyn.
[Page 15]
NATIONAL CENTER
National Center Services performs many tasks[edit]
About one million incoming and outgoing letters and packages pass through the mailroom at the Bahá’í National Center’s administrative office building each year.
The figure does not include the many letters and shipments handled by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust or the monthly mailings of The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í News, World Order and Child’s Way, says Harvey Weisberg, supervisor of administrative services—which includes mail services—at the National Center.
“LOOK AT the multitude of paper that one letter can generate,” says Mark Eaton, assistant to the secretary for National Center Services, which includes the departments of Administrative Services, Security, and Membership and Records.
“For example,” he points out, “when the Universal House of Justice sends our National Spiritual Assembly a letter announcing a new phase of an international teaching Plan, it will ultimately be sent to central files in the Records Office. But before that time, it will probably stimulate several programs involving a number of national committees and offices, and, in turn, generate documentation and the creation of new records.”
The original letter affects Local Spiritual Assemblies, District Teaching Committees, and/or individuals. Therefore, Membership and Records must become involved, says Mr. Eaton. It needs to enter membership changes such as enrollments, transfers, etc., into the computer at the National Center.
The names, addresses and Bahá’í identification numbers of new believers are fed into the computer, so that mailing labels can be generated.
Paperwork management activities such as these are coordinated by Mr. Eaton’s office.
SECRETARIES of Spiritual Assemblies and Groups often receive several letters from the National Center in the same envelope. This coordination of mailings from various offices and departments, explains Mr. Weisberg, not only saves on postage costs but also reduces the workload in the busy mailroom.
Another way in which postage expenses are kept down, he says, is by having letters printed on both sides of a piece of paper for reduced weight, rather than using one piece of paper for each page of a letter. An electronic scale in the mailroom helps to pinpoint the exact weight for correct postage.
Included under National Center Services’ present paperwork management program are such areas of concern as correspondence control, records management, forms and publications management, and communication management that includes the mail.
The National Center’s recent move to the new administrative office building in Evanston, Illinois, included the installation of an advanced telephone system.
The next step in developing better communications at the National Center, says Mr. Weisberg, was the installation of a “data line” communication channel between the National Center’s computer in Evanston and the Bahá’í Subscriber Service at the Publishing Trust’s distribution center in Wilmette.
The special telephone line between these two points enables a Subscriber Service staff member in Wilmette to enter and update information for subscriptions and mailing labels into the computer in Evanston.
THE PURCHASE of office equipment and supplies at the National Center is handled by Madeleine Deerly, a purchasing agent and supply specialist in Mr. Weisberg’s office.
Mr. Weisberg too is involved in negotiating for a variety of materials and services used by the various National Center offices and departments.
“I enjoy saving money for the National Fund by careful negotiations,” he says, “because it is just the same as my own money that is being spent and saved.”
Providing security at the House of Worship and other Bahá’í properties is a 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year responsibility, according to Clayton Taylor, supervisor of the National Center’s 12-member security department that is a part of National Center Services.
The House of Worship and its gardens are popular with the non-Bahá’í public because of their beauty, he says. Security there prohibits the misuse of Temple property.
During night time hours, the security force consists of at least two men with radio stops, and limits a variety of improper activities such as vandalism, misconduct, thefts and attempted break-ins.
When the situation warrants, the security guards call on local police for assistance.
THE SECURITY department’s nightly patrol schedule includes the administrative office building, the Publishing Trust and its distribution center, and the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and its grounds on the shore of Lake Michigan.
The beachfront property behind the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds is a regular part of security’s summertime patrol schedule, says Mr. Taylor. Picnickers, swimmers and boaters attracted to this area of Bahá’í property are advised that it is private property and are requested to leave.
The recent bolstering of security at the National Center, says Mr. Eaton, was prompted by the need to have a better security posture.
“It is not only to show the public evidence that there is security at the House of Worship and other Bahá’í properties,” he says, “but also to provide protective services. At the Temple, these staff are to assist in evacuation of the building if necessary.”
Security guards working at the House of Worship are now assisted by an electronic surveillance system.
Over the years, recalls Mr. Taylor, security personnel have helped traffic accident victims on busy Sheridan Road near the House of Worship. Often, Bahá’í security guards have been the first ones at the scene of an accident, and have phoned for police and ambulances.
The Security Department’s newest area of responsibility is providing security at national conferences and conventions when requested, says Mr. Taylor.
SECURITY guards from the National Center were present during the 72nd Bahá’í National Convention this year at Chicago’s McCormick Inn and the Intercontinental Bahá’í Youth Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Mr. Taylor’s staff includes people from a variety of backgrounds. In addition to some professional security guards, they include artists, musicians, students, and a teacher.
“Because we work in shifts,” he says, “we have to rely heavily on one another. When we pull together around our mission, there’s a special feeling of accomplishment.
“We get protective and prideful of these Bahá’í properties and institutions, and I think that is very positive.”
Mark Eaton (left), assistant to the secretary for National Center Services, chats with (from left) Janet Murphy, supervisor of the Office of Membership and Records; Harvey Weisberg, supervisor of Administrative Services; Mr. Eaton’s secretary, Marge Work; and Clayton Taylor, supervisor of the National Center’s Security Department.
2 Assemblies pool talents, proclaim Faith[edit]
The newly re-formed Spiritual Assembly of Fruitport, Michigan, and the 77-year-old Spiritual Assembly of Muskegon pooled their resources June 27-28 to proclaim the Faith.
Auxiliary Board member Stephen Ader was the special guest at a new believers’ conference and later at a dinner for Bahá’ís and guests. Carol Handy, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board, also was a speaker.
Although the non-Bahá’í attendance was small, press coverage of the event was excellent.
The two communities also worked together to build a float that was used in two parades—one in Fruitport and one in Muskegon—that drew a combined audience of more than 10,000.
The Bahá’ís had an information booth at the Seaway Festival Art Fair where several people expressed their sympathy over the recent executions in Iran.
Benefit dinner in New Jersey aids Louhelen[edit]
A benefit dinner to aid construction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School was held May 23 at the Evergreen Cabin in Teaneck, New Jersey.
The dinner was sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Verona, New Jersey, with help from other Bahá’í communities in northern New Jersey.
About 125 Bahá’ís attended the dinner, at which $3,070 was contributed to the school.
The Bahá’í Group of New Canaan, Connecticut, entered this float in the city’s Memorial Day parade May 25. In addition to colorful lettering, the float featured a paper maché globe on top.
[Page 16]
Portuguese dancers Emery Greenwell and Audrey Silva perform the ‘Fado’ during a Race Unity Day observance June 7 in Arroyo Grande Rural, California. About 300 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the Bahá’í Intercommunity Association (BICA) of San Luis Obispo County.
Dance festival held as Race Unity observance[edit]
About 300 people attended an international dance festival June 7 in Arroyo Grande Rural, California, sponsored by the Bahá’í Intercommunity Association (BICA) of San Luis Obispo County as a Race Unity Day observance.
The Bahá’í community of Arroyo Grande Rural was host for the event, which brought together the largest gathering of non-Bahá’ís ever to assemble in that rural area of Central California.
The colorfully costumed dancers, all of whom are non-Bahá’ís, performed folk dances of various countries including Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, Portugal and Colombia.
The speaker was Dr. Guenther Mayer-Harnisch of the Arroyo Grande Rural community. His topic was “Unity in Diversity.”
Two large banners erected for the occasion carried quotations from Bahá’u’lláh: “The earth is one country and mankind its citizens,” and “This handful of dust, the earth, is one home—let it be in unity.”
The event was well covered in newspapers and on radio and television, with reports both before and after the observance.
Several seekers in audience at Michigan public meeting[edit]
About 50 people including several seekers attended a public meeting May 9 in Roseville, Michigan, that was sponsored by the Michigan District Teaching Committee along with the several Bahá’í communities in Macomb County in the suburban Detroit area.
The program, planned for more than two months, included a presentation by the Flower Garden Puppet Theater from Benton Harbor; Bahá’í songs by Jane McIver of East Lansing; games for the children led by Lisa Irish of East Lansing; a talk on “The Individual Search for Truth: Who Will Answer?” by Delton Baerwolf of Allen Park; refreshments, and conversation.
The event was publicized in the local newspaper, on radio and cable television. A book presentation was made to the public library, and invitations were sent to nearby Bahá’í communities, churches, civic organizations and friends.
Follow-up activities included three firesides, a picnic, and a pizza party.
Photo credits[edit]
We wish to announce that starting with the October issue of The American Bahá’í, credit will be given when possible to those who take photos and submit them for publication.
If individuals or communities wish credit for the photographer, they should indicate that desire either on the back of the photo itself or in the accompanying caption.
Your Turn[edit]
Continued From Page 14
By human standards kindliness seems patronizing. But by divine standards, as Bahá’ís we recognize kindliness, gratitude and appreciation as virtues and attributes of God that we are striving hard to emulate.
Showing forth these virtues in a situation of racial animosity can be a most difficult test for a black or white person because it is so hard to see past our human emotions.
Because he or she is a creature of God, every human being deserves to be shown kindliness, gratitude, appreciation and recognition of equality.
Austin, Texas
BAHÁ’Í NEWS
In little more than a year Bahá’í News has presented comprehensive reports on:
- The persecution and martyrdom of Bahá’ís in Iran and the kidnapping of the members of its National Spiritual Assembly
- Progress on construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice
- The rezoning and reappointment by the Universal House of Justice of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
- The initial meetings in January 1981 of the newly formed Boards of Counsellors
- Worldwide activities in connection with the International Year of the Child
- The historic second North American Bahá’í Native Council in Wilmette, Illinois
- Border teaching campaigns in Colombia and Ecuador
- The centenary observance of the Faith in India
- A planning conference in Puno, Peru, for the second Bahá’í radio station in the Western Hemisphere
- The fifth annual conference of the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith (now the Association for Bahá’í Studies)
- “Operation Daybreak,” a teaching effort that doubled the number of Bahá’ís in Honduras
- Plans for the $1.8-million reconstruction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan
- The architectural design and plans for the Mother Temple of the Indian sub-continent
- The third annual Bahá’í Festival of Folk Music in Otavalo, Ecuador
- The first Latin American Bahá’í Women’s Conference in Bahia, Brazil
- A nationally televised interfaith service at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney, Australia
- The condemnation by the Parliament of Europe of the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran
- The presentation in Hawaii of the fourth Agnes B. Alexander award for service to humanity
- The visit by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum to six Latin American countries, and by Dr. David Ruhe, a member of the Universal House of Justice, to Ecuador and Peru
- The growth and development of the Rabbani Bahá’í School near Gwalior, India
- The first National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Bermuda
- The Women’s Mid-Decade Dialogue at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina
- “Bahá’í Week” activities in Trinidad and Tobago
YES, it’s still Bahá’í News! And now, more than ever, it’s the news you need to keep you up-to-date on what is happening all over the Bahá’í world. To subscribe, simply complete the coupon and mail it to Bahá’í News, Subscriber Service Department, 523 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.
Ten years ago[edit]
in The American Bahá’í
The National Spiritual Assembly introduces a program designed to help improve the quality of Bahá’í life. The program includes a series of seminars, special youth programs, and the publication of a pamphlet based on the Tablet of Purity.
A series of 40 weekend seminars is announced for Local Spiritual Assemblies. The seminars, designed to strengthen Assemblies in their responsibility of nurturing the inner lives of community members, are to be held during the remaining months of the Nine Year Plan.
Five two-week-long seminars are scheduled for the following summer for a total of 500 believers. Their aim is to deepen the friends’ knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation by training a corps of teachers and administrators who can in turn spearhead and sustain widespread deepening throughout the community.
The Office of Youth and Student Activities is placed in charge of a series of programs designed to help youth throughout the U.S. to understand the necessity of setting an example of Bahá’í conduct.
In announcing the program, the National Spiritual Assembly says the key to its success lies with the Spiritual Assemblies themselves ...
Adib Taherzadeh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, addresses a large audience of believers at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
Mr. Taherzadeh has been pioneering in Ireland for the past 20 years ...
The establishment of a new Regional Teaching Office for the Central States and another for South Carolina brings the total number of Regional Offices to five.
The offices operate under the guidance of Regional Teaching Committees set up by the National Spiritual Assembly ...
Three American Bahá’ís travel through Central America performing as a singing group that they call the “New Era Trio.”
Charles and Sandi Bullock and Jeanne Rebstock write that in one village in Honduras, more than 40 people gathered and waited for more than an hour to hear about Bahá’u’lláh.
The following evening, the traveling teachers sing for an audience of more than 500 in Grenada, Nicaragua ...
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust announces the availability of a new paperback book about the Faith by Gloria Faizí. The book is entitled The Bahá’í Faith: An Introduction.
[Page 17]
PUBLICATIONS
‘Rhythm of Growth’ leads to strong Assemblies[edit]
The “Rhythm of Growth” is the program adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly as the theme for the American Bahá’í community during the last five years of the Seven Year Plan.
The “rhythm” is the pattern of expansion and consolidation essential to the growth and well-being 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 a community of any size, from one to 30 or more.
These packages were presented in the “Rhythm of Growth Catalog” that appeared in the June issue of The American Bahá’í.
In the July and August issues, we examined Stages One and Five to give the friends an idea of the reasoning behind the organization of these materials, so that they might receive the maximum benefit from their use.
In this issue we will look at “Stage Nine: Building a Local Spiritual Assembly.”
According to the rhythmic pattern of growth outlined by the National Spiritual Assembly, a newly formed Local Spiritual Assembly has the responsibilities of organizing itself so that it can function properly, and of expanding its community’s numbers to 15 so that it can become incorporated.
THE FIRST package in Stage Nine is “9A: Now That You Are Nine” (Catalog No. 509-011-10, $7.50 NET). This package, plus “5B: On the Road to Nine” (Catalog No. 505-021-10, $3.50 NET—see the August issue of The American Bahá’í), will educate your Assembly in its foundations and functions.
It is important that your Local Spiritual Assembly find its place among the divinely ordained institutions of the Administrative Order.
The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice presents the fundamental principles upon which is based the Supreme Institution of the Faith, as well as those of the National Spiritual Assembly, the Local Spiritual Assembly, the Continental Boards of Counsellors, and the Auxiliary Boards.
The powers and duties of the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies are further delineated in Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States/By-Laws of a Local Spiritual Assembly.
By studying these two important documents, your Local Spiritual Assembly will gain a clearer perception of the interrelationship between the institutions of the Administrative Order.
Extracts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi in The Local Spiritual Assembly will help your Assembly to understand the station and functions of a Local Spiritual Assembly and its proper relationship to the believers.
Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies offers a detailed look at the principles, policies and procedures under which an Assembly should operate.
FINALLY, The Seven Year Plan will help your Local Assembly to plan its teaching activities in the context of national and global teaching goals.
The next package in Stage Nine is “9B: Settling In” (Catalog No. 509-021-10, $16 NET). These materials will help deepen your Assembly in the Administrative Order and provide assistance for its consultation on specific topics.
Bahá’í Administration includes excerpts from the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, from which “the system of Bahá’í administration,” as Shoghi Effendi says, “derives its authority,” and selected letters from the Guardian that record the early struggles attending the expansion of Bahá’í administration in America.
Principles of Bahá’í Administration contains counsel from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi on a variety of concerns of individual Bahá’ís and Local and National Spiritual Assemblies.
The compilation also clarifies the relationships between the two administrative bodies and their relation to the Bahá’í community.
The Bahá’í Electoral Process includes quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi in its elucidation of the purposes and procedures of Bahá’í elections.
Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi on the importance of material and spiritual education are brought together in Bahá’í Education: A Compilation. Guidance for Bahá’í youth from the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice is presented in Bahá’í Youth: A Compilation.
With the final package in Stage Nine, “9C: The Job Is Never Done” (Catalog No. 509-031-10, $10 NET), your Local Spiritual Assembly can continue its administrative deepening and gain further assistance in its consultation.
The Power of the Covenant, Parts 1, 2 and 3, aids an Assembly’s consolidation by examining Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant with mankind, Covenant-breaking, and external attacks on the Faith.
A Fortress for Well-Being will assist your Assembly in guiding members of the community who are preparing for marriage or experiencing marital difficulties.
Your Assembly will better appreciate the need for Bahá’í education through Centers of Learning, a compilation of writings by the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice on the importance and purpose of Bahá’í summer schools and teaching institutes.
With the incorporation of its Local Spiritual Assembly, your community has reached an important plateau in its growth and development. In the next issue of The American Bahá’í we will look at the materials provided for “Stage Fifteen: Building Your Community Library.”
To order any of the packages of materials for Stage Nine, or any of the other stages in the “Rhythm of Growth,” see your community librarian, or use the coupon on Page 16 of the Rhythm of Growth Catalog that appeared in the June 1981 issue of The American Bahá’í.
K.C. talk by Hand of Cause is available on cassette tape[edit]
One of the highlights of the first Continental Bahá’í Youth Conference of the Seven Year Plan was the talk by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum on Friday, July 3, in one of her rare visits to the United States.
Now you can enjoy that inspiring talk once more, or for the very first time, through a cassette recording now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Rúḥíyyih Khánum: Address to the First Continental Bahá’í Youth Conference (Catalog No. 831-004-10, $4.50) will serve as a delight and an inspiration in bringing you her witty and straightforward remarks on a wide variety of topics, and her pragmatic approach to the responsibilities of Bahá’ís in teaching the Faith and obeying the laws of God.
Her words have special significance not only for Bahá’í youth, but for Bahá’ís of all ages.
To get your copy of this memorable address, consult your local Bahá’í librarian, or order the cassette directly from the Publishing Trust (please add $1.50 for postage and handling) at 523 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, IL 60091. This offer is valid only in the 48 continental United States.
‘Child’s Way’ committee offers compilation of teaching ideas[edit]
A compilation of teaching ideas from issues of Child’s Way magazine dated 1980 is now being offered by the magazine’s editorial committee.
Parents and teachers will find the activities applicable for individuals and groups at home and in Bahá’í classes.
The compilation, by Judy Orloff of Massachusetts, examines three or four selections from each issue, and offers suggestions ranging from puppetry to service projects and crafts.
Assemblies, schools and Groups who subscribed to Child’s Way in 1980 can keep this useful tool with those issues for future reference.
Also available is a list of ways to use Child’s Way and other materials for pre-school children.
Please write to Child’s Way c/o Janet Richards, 4 Village Drive, Yardville, NJ 08620. Please stipulate which you would like: “Teaching Ideas, 1980” or “Pre-School Sheet.”
[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.
•
LA GRANGE, Illinois, a small, active, racially diverse community about 15 miles southwest of Chicago desperately needs home-front pioneers (especially a family). One family plans to pioneer overseas, leaving the Assembly with eight adults. There are several new Bahá’ís in the community. Schools are excellent; La Grange is only 30 minutes by train from the Chicago Loop, and one hour from the House of Worship. The newly formed “Bahá’í School of the Western Suburbs,” sponsored by the La Grange Assembly, is nearby. The school provides excellent deepening opportunities for adults, and a superb children’s program. Teaching is good here, and much groundwork has been laid and seeds planted. For more information, please contact Leon Stevens, secretary Spiritual Assembly of La Grange, P.O. Box 231, La Grange, IL 60525. Phone 312-579-5711 (evenings) or Julie Doris at 312-354-7018.
JOBS for pioneers. If you want to pioneer but need a job before you go, the International Goals Committee can help you. Here is a sample of the job listings the committee has in goal areas right now: Papua New Guinea (Goal: 10)—Teachers: primary, secondary, all subjects. Somalia (Goal: 5)—Agronomist for field crop production and soil management; irrigation sanitation engineer; construction engineer; automotive engineer for Toyota four-wheel drive vehicles; sanitary engineer for short term water supply; maintenance mechanics for electromechanical machinery, diesel and petrol engines, generators, and pumps. Liberia (Goal: 4)—Engineering consultant; health educator with an MPH; RN, PA or NP for preventive and primary health care training; public health nurse/midwife for training health workers; public health educator/media specialist; medical technology instructor. Sierra Leone (Goal: 3)—Roads maintenance manager/cost and quality control; two senior site engineers for feeder roads project; mechanical engineer to manage a workshop. Zaire (Goal: 10)—Surgeon; maintenance mechanic/electrician for repair of trucks, tractors, generators, etc. Burundi (Goal: 2)—Program director for multi-million dollar project, fluent in French. Botswana (Goal: 2)—Senior economist/deputy employment coordinator; senior planning officer to develop and coordinate educational projects. Thailand (Goal: 4)—Doctors; obstetricians; public health nurse; dentists; occupational therapists; physical therapists. Haiti (Goal: 5)—Non-formal education communication specialist for rural village development: marketing consultant with an MPA for producing an export catalog. African Homelands—Even when the International Goals Committee does not have specific job listings, the office does know what skills and professions are needed in many of the goal countries and can advise you about what jobs might be available. For example: Bophuthatswana (Goal: 2)—Needs doctors, nurses, public health personnel, and teachers. Namibia (Goal: 2)—Needs mining experts, stock raising experts, agriculturalists, mechanics (especially diesel), and electricians. Lesotho (Goal: 4)—Needs mining secondary teachers, medical personnel, conservationists, irrigation and dry land farming specialists, and UN service workers. Transkei (Goal: 1)—Needs math and science teachers. If you would like further information about any of these goal countries and the means of finding employment there, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
WANTED by a researcher: letters, documents, photos or paintings related to Marion Jack. Even the mention of her name in a document or letter would be most helpful. Please send materials to Jan T. Jasion, P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 001, Israel.
HOMEFRONT pioneer needed to open Waunakee, Wisconsin, a lovely small town of 3,700 within 10 miles of Madison, the state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin. Waunakee, known for its pilots who use their driveways as airplane runways, has a weekly newspaper, police and fire departments, a public library, a large shopping center, and an excellent educational system.
A CARETAKER is needed at the Bahá’í National Center in Trinidad. A man or couple who are financially self-sufficient and able to retire to Trinidad and Tobago is preferred. Also needed is a caretaker for a local Bahá’í Center in southern Trinidad. If you would like more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
MATERIALS are being sought for a proposed book about the Hands of the Cause of God. If you have shared the lives of any of the Hands, have interesting photos, notes of talks, letters, personal observations, or experiences that you could share, please contact W.A. Hill, ______, Van Nuys, CA 91401, or phone 213-760-3252.
AM DEEPLY interested in obtaining a set of the reprinted volumes of ‘Star of the West’. Perhaps you’ve recently married and have duplicate sets? Or perhaps you have inherited an extra set? Whatever the reason, if you would like to sell or trade a set of Star of the West, please contact Cheryl Johnson, c/o ATI, ______, Santa Clara, CA 95050.
LORDSBURG, New Mexico, needs homefront pioneers. Veterinarian, dentist could open a small business. For information please write to A. Isaac, ______, Lordsburg, NM 88045, or phone 505-542-9591.
WANTED: Illustrator or photographer to work on a book of poetry about nature, the Bahá’í Faith, and love. Please contact Craig Loehle, ______, Fort Collins, CO 80524, or phone 303-493-6152.
ATTENTION! Opportunity for a Bahá’í family in eastern Oregon. We need an experienced carpet installer who is willing to devote some years in a Bahá’í-owned installation company. A golden opportunity to become a homefront pioneer with job security. For more information please phone Pat or Scott Stephenson at 503-889-5779 or 503-889-2694, or write to Scott Stephenson, ______, Ontario, OR 97914.
AN INTERNATIONAL Bahá’í Summer School will be held December 21-27, 1981, at a government youth camp in northern Mauritius. Dormitories are available, and there are beach hotels not far from the site for those who prefer hotel accommodations. For more details, please write to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Mauritius, P.O. Box 358, Port-Louis, Mauritius.
URGENT! Homefront pioneer(s) are needed to help preserve and strengthen the Spiritual Assembly of Spartanburg, nestled among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern South Carolina. Spartanburg has six colleges, and employment opportunities in many areas including professional and skilled labor. If interested, please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Spartanburg, P.O. Box 3031, Spartanburg, SC 29302.
WANTED: Personal papers of early Bahá’ís, especially letters, diaries, personal recollections and photos. The National Bahá’í Archives Committee wishes to locate and acquire the papers of early Bahá’ís of national import. The committee would like to learn the names of descendants of early Bahá’ís, whether or not they are Bahá’ís, so that they may be contacted about these papers. Among the papers being sought are those of Robert Abbott of Chicago, Arthur Agnew, Albert Hall of Minneapolis, Alain Locke, Louise Dixon Boyle of Washington, D.C., Howard MacNutt, El-Freda Spaulding and Chester I. Thatcher. Anyone having information about the personal papers of these or other early Bahá’ís should write to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
ONE BAHÁ’Í who reads German fluently is needed to assist a Bahá’í historian for six to nine months in Vienna, Austria. Will live with a family of three, with room, board and pocket money provided. Only responsibility is research. Good opportunity for an individual who wishes to pioneer to Europe: time to look for a residence, job, school. If interested, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
NEEDED: A partner in a beekeeping business in El Volcán, Argentina. Pioneers who have nurtured their business to 50 hives and 4,000 pounds of honey a year are looking for someone to purchase another 50 hives. The present owner would work the bees and do the heavy work. The partner would work in the honey room, extracting and bottling honey, and also help in the sales room. The split would be 50-50. Cost of 50 hives is $3,000. Visitors come to El Volcán from all over Argentina, and the pioneers have found that selling honey provides many opportunities to talk about the Faith. If you are interested, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
PIONEER must sell 16-acre farm with 11-room house. Well insulated, wood or oil heat. Barns, garage, fruit trees. 10 miles from Saratoga, New York. Please contact Michael Kavanagh, P.O. Box 200, Churchville, NY 14428, or phone 716-293-3003.
LOST: tape recorder. Bahá’í teacher of children’s classes (age 3) at the Kansas City Youth Conference is looking for the father of one of her students (named Ian) who borrowed her tape recorder at the conference and unintentionally failed to return it. If you know someone who fits that description, please have him send the tape recorder to Nancy Stern, ____________, CA 90024.
JEOPARDIZED Assembly needs strengthening. Lynchburg, Virginia, a small city on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers four four-year colleges and one community college, and an excellent opportunity for an AMI-endorsed Montessori teacher (starting salary $12,000). The school is on 42 acres with nature trails, a pond, and large protected playground area. The class is composed of 2 1/2- to 6-year-olds from many backgrounds. If interested, please contact (immediately) Robin McMurry, ______, Lynchburg, VA 24502, or phone 604-237-0578.
URGENT NEED for caretakers at the National Bahá’í Institute in Yucatán, Mexico. Pleasant surroundings, lovely weather, in an attractive village that affords an opportunity to work with spiritually receptive Maya Indigenous peoples. Wanted are a married couple or two men who are self-supporting. Must know basic maintenance, some Spanish (or be willing to learn). A car is not a necessity but would be most helpful. For more detailed information please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
THE BAHÁ’Í International Conference in Dublin, Ireland, called for by the Universal House of Justice in its message to the Bahá’ís of the world outlining the goals of the three-year second phase of the Seven Year Plan, will be held June 25-27, 1982. Please address all correspondence in connection with the conference to Bahá’í International Conference 1982, Ireland Conference Committee, Patrick O’Mara, secretary, ______, County Wicklow, Ireland.
LEAVE the “rat race” behind and help the small Group in Fife, Washington, form an Assembly. Fife, a small farming community close to the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound, is only five minutes from Tacoma and 30 minutes from Seattle. Many apartments are available from $230 per month. For relocation information, please write to Frieda or Doug Nicol, ______, Fife, WA 98424, or phone 206-922-1084.
WANTED: Bahá’í musicians to help form a rock-country music band. Must be willing to be a homefront pioneer in central Missouri while forming the band. Have a drummer and organist, would like a piano player, lead guitar, bass, etc. Doubling on a second instrument would be helpful. Please contact Maureen Sidio, ______, Edgar Springs, MO 65462, or phone 314-435-6708.
Service for Blind
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. 1 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
SPANISH-SPEAKING teachers and consolidators are urgently needed to help unite the rapidly growing Bahá’í community of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The entire area provides a wealth of teaching opportunities for a Spanish-speaking person. Recent teaching projects have demonstrated a tremendous receptivity in southeastern New Mexico. Carlsbad, a popular retirement area, has a warm, dry climate and various job opportunities, including those in the medical, mining and oil-rigging fields. To become a part of this active community, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Carlsbad, ______, Carlsbad, NM 88220, or phone Sara Simon, 505-887-5771, or Bill Lynch, 505-885-5603.
BAHÁ’Í BUTTONS that have been produced locally or nationally for teaching or conferences are needed for a display show. Donations to this collection will be greatly appreciated. Duplicates will be returned if requested by the sender. Please send buttons to Adib Tashakkor, ______, Decatur, IL 62521.
Bahá’ís in eastern Oklahoma gather in Shawnee for district ‘Reunion’[edit]
Bahá’ís from the eastern district of Oklahoma (and some from the western district) gathered July 10-12 in Shawnee for a “Reunion.”
The speakers at the well-attended gathering, which was planned early in January by the District Teaching Committee, included Auxiliary Board members Hormoz Bastani and Ronna Santoscoy; Juana Conrad, chairman of the National Teaching Committee; and Albert Porter and Dr. Allan Ward, both of Little Rock, Arkansas.
One of the highlights of the reunion was a presentation of the history of the Faith in Oklahoma that was arranged by Mrs. Mary Watson and presented by Mrs. Arabella Haywood and Miss Kay Powell.
The growth of the Faith in that state was traced from the first pioneer couple, the Emslingers, who were encouraged by the Guardian to settle in that homefront pioneering post.
Each community was asked to bring archival materials to the meeting for display. These included letters from the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land to Local Assemblies, newspaper articles, and many photographs.
This photo appeared in the May 1981 issue of the NGO-UNICEF Newsletter with an article about a $5,000 contribution made recently by the Bahá’í International Community for the relief of children in Uganda. Shown (left to right) are E.J.R. Heyward, senior deputy executive director of UNICEF; Dr. Victor de Araujo, the Bahá’í International Community’s representative to the United Nations; and John Charnow, secretary of the UNICEF Executive Board and chief of the NGO Liaison Office.
Glenwood Springs to remember Master’s visit[edit]
The sixth annual commemoration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit in 1912 to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, will be held the weekend of September 26-27.
The event will be held at the Hotel Colorado where the Master stayed during His visit.
Last year, more than 300 Bahá’ís and their guests from seven states attended the gathering.
Among those scheduled to participate this year is Edna True who will relate stories of her meetings with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to America.
Also attending will be Auxiliary Board members Margaret Gallagher, Thelma Jackson, Dennis Jenkyns, Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi and Nancy Phillips.
Glenwood Springs is on Interstate 70, 159 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountains. Air service is available to the nearby communities of Aspen or Vail via Denver or Grand Junction. Rental car service is available at Aspen, Vail or Denver.
Bus service can be arranged by Continental Trailways or Greyhound bus lines.
Those who wish hotel rooms should contact the Hotel Colorado by phone (toll free) at 800-332-1490.
India Temple funds may be sent directly[edit]
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
Further to the cable of the Universal House of Justice of April 6, 1981, quoted in our subsequent circular letter of April 8, 1981, about the opening of two Funds in the Holy Land for the Houses of Worship in India and Samoa, we have been instructed to say that, while the friends are free to send their contributions to the World Centre if they wish, the Universal House of Justice has been notified by Mr. Fariburz Sahba, the architect for the Temple project in India, that it would be helpful for funds contributed for the House of Worship in that country to be sent directly there rather than to be collected in and dispatched from the World Centre.
Donations for the Temple project in India may therefore be sent to:
- Bahá’í Temple Project
- Savings Bank a/c No. 592
- Connaught Circus
- New Delhi 110001, India
All contributions sent through your National Spiritual Assembly or directly by individuals in your country to India will be acknowledged by the Temple Project Committee, which will provide to the World Centre a periodic account of contributors and amounts received.
In the case of the Samoan Temple, it is preferable for contributions to be sent to the World Centre.
With loving Bahá’í greetings.
Department of the Secretariat
Shown are some of the more than 100 people who attended a conference May 9-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that commemorated the 69th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to that city in 1912. The speakers included Auxiliary Board members Javidukht Khadem (front row, right) and Robert Harris (front row, second from right) and former Counsellor Edna True (front row, sixth from right).
Pittsburgh gathering recalls Master’s visit there in 1912[edit]
More than 100 people attended a conference May 9-10 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was held to observe the anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to that city in 1912.
The conference was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Pittsburgh.
Speakers included Auxiliary Board members Robert Harris and Javidukht Khadem and former Counsellor Edna True.
Miss True shared memories of her meetings with the Master in Chicago and with the Greatest Holy Leaf in Haifa.
The film of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that was made during His visit to the U.S. was shown, and a recording of His voice was played at one conference session.
Racism, parenting, and spiritual transformation were topics of workshop sessions offered during the conference.
The audience also was treated to a presentation of the film, “The Pilgrimage.”
A special children’s program was held for the conference’s younger participants.
Women’s liberation explored in Los Angeles Bahá’í seminar[edit]
More than 100 people attended a seminar entitled “Women’s Liberation—Where Does the Bahá’í Faith Stand?” that was held in June at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center.
Panelists included Dr. Shahin Carrigan, Peggy Caton, Juan Cole, and Dr. Farhang Holakouee.
After several hours of discussion, the panelists agreed that whereas world peace can never be secured unless and until women achieve equality, it would be impossible at this time to formulate a single universal Bahá’í standard of equality because social class, geography, and culture combine to shape the roles and relative status of women in various parts of the world.
Equality between men and women means different things in different areas, the panelists said, and must be considered in that light.
Two Bahá’ís, one from Edinburg, Texas, and the other from nearby McAllen, collaborated to make two banners, posters, and decorate a truck for the annual Fourth of July parade this year in McAllen. Five children rode in the truck while four adults carried the banners. Several thousand people lined the parade route.
[Page 20]
PÁGINA HISPANA
Algunos de los Hispanos presente en la Conferencia Continental de Juventude.
Algunos de los Asiaticos presente en la Conferencia Continental de Juventude.
La Mano de la Causa Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum.
Representante del Comité Nacional de Juventude de Mexico, Houshang Motlagh.
Primera Conferencia Continental de Juventude[edit]
El 2–5 de julio más de 3.000 jóvenes Bahá’ís de Alaska, Canadá, Hawaii, México y por lo menos 10 países más, asistieron a la primera Conferencia Continental de Juventude.
La conferencia tuvo una bendición muy grande con la presencia de dos Manos de la Causa, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum y Zikrullah Khadem.
También tuvimos el honor de tener presente la Secretaria de la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de Mexico, la Senora Cecelia de Cousins, y el representante del Comite Nacional de Juventude, Houshang Motlagh.
Durante la conferencia los Bahá’ís Hispanos y Asiáticos tuvieron la oportunidad de hablar sobre la enseñanza de la Fe Bahá’í entre sus pueblos.
Representantes de todas las razas de este continente estuvieron presentes. Fue rialmente un gardin muy bello, con flores de diferentes colores, razas, pueblos y idiomas.
Nuevos creyentes forman un bello y diverso jardin de Dios[edit]
West Buckeye, Arizona: ¡Mi casa es chiquita, pero mi corazón es muy grande! Durante la última semana de la Fiesta de Riḍván, se abrió una nueva localidad a la Fe de Bahá’u’lláh—West Buckeye, Arizona, y la primera Asamblea Espiritual Local de esa comunidad.
Durante la elección se tuvo que cambiar las balotas dos veces para agregar los nombres de dos nuevos creyentes que fueron atraídos a la reunión por las oraciones que escucharon. ¡Por fin se realizó la elección!
WEST BUCKEYE es una comunidad rural que consiste en aproximadamente cien casas rodantes, casas chiquitas, y dos tienditas. Aunque la distancia entre Phoenix y West Buckeye es como 40 millas y la temperatura generalmente pasa de los cien grados, la receptividad espiritual de esta comunidad ha atraído una variedad de maestros Bahá’ís, incluyendo niños, jovenes, mujeres embarazadas, los que hablan español y los que no lo hablan, hasta un miembro de la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de Hong Kong, el Sr. Chester Lee.
El método básico que se ha usado para enseñar la Fe es el método directo, y una calurosa invitación a unirse a la familia Bahá’í basada en que el nuevo creyente acepte a Bahá’u’lláh como Mensajero de Dios para esta época.
Los nuevos creyentes forman un bello y diverso jardín de Dios, incluyendo a los Papago, personas de ascendencia mexicana, Guatemaltecos y Anglos Americanos. Algunos de los creyentes son nuevos a la pequeña comunidad, y otros son residentes desde hace muchos años.
Cada visita a West Buckeye resulta en nuevos creyentes, y en hermosa y profunda lección para los visitantes.
Hay un relato muy lindo que queremos compartir: se trata de un señor que regresaba del hospital después de haber estado enfermo durante más de un mes. Al volver a su pueblecito, vio un grupo de Bahá’ís hablando con unos jóvenes de West Buckeye.
SE ACERCÓ y después de escucharles un ratito, les invitó a su casa para seguir la plática. Cuando llegaron los maestros Bahá’ís les explicó que en el hospital él había rezado al Señor que le mandara alguien que le platicara acerca de la Palabra del Señor.
Después de escuchar el Mensaje de Bahá’u’lláh, declaró su Fe, y explicó que esta religión es la que siempre buscaba.
Cuando le preguntó un Bahá’í, qué fue lo que le atrajo a la Fe Bahá’í, el señor se quedó pensando y después de escuchar la oración para la unidad, con lágrimas contestó: “Eso es ... eso es ... eso es.”
Esta alma dedicada ha enseñado la Fe a su nuera, quien ha ingresado a la Fe, enseña a sus amigos, tiene reuniones en su casa y, junto con otros creyentes, se ha comprometido a viajar a otros pueblos para ayudar con la enseñanza de la Fe Bahá’í.
El trabajo de la enseñanza en masa constantemente nos recuerda de nuestra insignificancia como individuos, y de nuestra tremenda importancia como instrumentos para la enseñanza y la consolidación.
Después de una reciente reunión, un nuevo creyente nos dijo que antes de llegar los Bahá’ís él se sentía tan solo y deprimido y que contemplaba suicidarse. Su sincera gratitud nos afectó profundamente.
Los niños también han sido una fuente de inspiración para los demás. Una chiquita maestra Bahá’í que estaba ayudando a formar la Asamblea de West Buckeye, respondió a la petición de su madre que se fuera temprano para llegar a tiempo a una clase de “ballet”, respondidó, ¡pero mama, no me puedo ir hasta que encontremos bastantes Bahá’ís para formar la Asamblea!
El Señor Chester Lee de la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de Hong Kong ayudando con la enseñanza en Arizona.
Don Luis Rodolfo dando las bienvenidas a los Bahá’ís: ‘Mi casa está chiquita pero mi corazón es muy grande.’
90 Bahá’ís attend Utah fundraiser[edit]
About 75 Bahá’í adults and 15 children attended a dinner June 28 in Ogden, Utah, at which $440 was raised for the National Bahá’í Fund.
The fundraiser was the idea of Persian Bahá’ís Hedayatollah and Shokouh Imani who prepared the dinner themselves and served as hosts at a motel managed by Mr. Imani.
Profile[edit]
Continued From Page 3
teams, and teaches acting at the local Bahá’í Center. When he appears on TV and radio talk shows to promote the films in which he is featured, he does so with the understanding that he will also talk about the Faith. He has spoken about the Faith on many TV programs, and in interviews for magazine and newspaper articles.
Mr. Rocco also speaks at high school and college workshops throughout California, always telling the students about the Bahá’í Faith while stressing the importance to an actor of spiritual growth.
Mr. Rocco and his wife, Sandra, have three children. He also has a daughter by a previous marriage.
Iowa community sponsors walk/run for race harmony[edit]
In response to an editorial in the November 1980 issue of The American Bahá’í, the Bahá’í community of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sponsored a 10-kilometer noncompetitive “Walk/Run for Racial Harmony” on Race Unity Day, June 14.
Fifty-nine people registered for the event, and many more actually participated.
INVALUABLE assistance and support was provided by the nearby communities of Marion, Iowa City and Johnson County.
The event proved to be an excellent medium for proclamation. Because of the attention given to the walk/run by local news media, the Bahá’ís were able to make valuable new contacts within the black community of Cedar Rapids.
Several radio stations announced the event, two articles appeared in local papers during the week before it was conducted, and two network-affiliated television stations reported it during their evening newscasts.
Radio coverage also followed the event, and on Monday, the local newspaper ran a large photo and brief description of it.
As a part of the proclamation, posters were designed using a logo created especially for the walk/run. The logo also was used on T-shirts that were given away to non-Bahá’í participants.
Many of those who took part in the event stayed afterward to enjoy a potluck supper. Altogether, about 100 people participated in the Race Unity Day observance.
Conference explores Bahá’í women’s role[edit]
More than 100 people from five states were present June 13 at the third annual conference on “The Role of Bahá’í Women in Today’s World” sponsored by the Bahá’í Metropolitan Women’s Committee of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The keynote speaker, Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem, emphasized the responsibility of women to foster unity within the family and community.
She also pointed out the great importance of individual actions in teaching the Cause and furthering its interests.
Mrs. Susan Khavari, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board, addressed the importance of regular prayer and education of children from their earliest years, and reiterated the woman’s role in raising a spiritually-oriented family.
The Spiritual Assembly of Roseville, Minnesota, formed and has sponsored for the past three years the Bahá’í Metropolitan Women’s Committee.
During that time the committee has produced a number of areawide events for men, women and children and their non-Bahá’í friends.
120-plus attend Bahá’í ‘Bible’ meeting[edit]
More than 120 adults and 30 Bahá’í youth from as far away as Mississippi and New Jersey attended a conference May 22-24 at Bristol, Virginia, that was designed to help develop an in-depth approach toward teaching the Faith to fundamentalist Christians.
The event was planned and carried out by the Spiritual Assembly of Roanoke, Virginia.
Because of the nature of the discussions, the conference was limited to Bahá’ís and close friends of the Faith. While it was in session a young man from West Virginia declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
While the formal discussions were being held, the youth and children enjoyed arts and crafts, sports, and Bahá’í classes organized by dedicated Bahá’í teachers.
Saturday evening, the youth presented a talent show with comedy skits, guitar and piano music, and group singing.
At the end of the conference, the participants agreed by acclamation to return to Bristol next year for the second “Bahá’í Bible Study Conference.”
Shown here are some of the more than 150 believers who attended a ‘Bahá’í Bible Study Conference’ May 22-24 at Bristol, Virginia.
Two Counsellors, Dr. Carney meet at Louis Gregory Institute[edit]
Counsellors for the Americas Farzam Arbab and Sarah M. Pereira met in July with Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly; Auxiliary Board members Elizabeth Martin and Dr. William Tucker, and 30 of their assistants at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina to discuss the challenge of winning the goals of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan and to consult on procedures to assist and enhance their work.
The two-day meeting was centered during its first day on sharing and understanding the basic principles of growth that could result in large-scale expansion and consolidation.
On Sunday afternoon, about 100 believers came together to pray, sing and share in the inspiration so lovingly given by the Counsellors and other speakers.
Seven-year-old Jian Khodadad of Winnetka, Illinois, describes progressive revelation and personal Bahá’í attributes during a memorized five-minute presentation during the Naw-Rúz program at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette. Jian is one of three Bahá’í children participating in a public speaking program initiated by Mrs. Gayle Woolson of Evanston, Illinois (seated at left of podium). The National Spiritual Assembly has sent a letter of commendation to Mrs. Woolson for her efforts on behalf of the children.
Rosa Parks (left), the woman who sparked civil rights movements in the 1960s when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Selma, Alabama, was honored June 14 during a Race Unity Day observance sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Detroit, Michigan. About 150 people including 20 seekers saw Mrs. Parks receive the award from Eulalia Barrow Bobo, a longtime Bahá’í and sister of the late heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Louis. The hour-long event was covered by local television in Detroit.
The Spiritual Assembly of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, with help from other local Bahá’ís, participated again this year in that community’s annual Memorial Day parade. A follow up picnic for Bahá’ís and seekers completed the sixth year of participation in the event.
[Page 22]
PERSIAN PAGE
In memoriam[edit]
- Cliff V. Abrams
- Interior, S. Dakota
- Date Unknown
- Mamie Bickerstaff
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Date Unknown
- Alvin Caldwell
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Date Unknown
- Winston G. Clark
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- May 24, 1983
- Lawrence Standing Crow
- Fort Yates, N. Dakota
- June 27, 1981
- Noble W. Curry
- Olmsted, Ohio
- April 27, 1981
- James M. Davenport
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- February 28, 1981
- Allen I. Dunn
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- January 14, 1981
- Eddie Easley
- Northport, Ala.
- 1979
- Roger Ellis
- Joplin, Missouri
- November 3, 1980
- Louisa Fender
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- May 15, 1981
- Helena Fischbach
- Clinton, Wisconsin
- 1979
- Carolyn Flowers
- Hemingway, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Joseph L. Gale
- Berkeley, Calif.
- March 30, 1980
- Fred Raymond Ramsey
- Milford, N.H.
- June 18, 1981
- Barbara Redstone
- Fort Yates, N.D.
- May 1981
- Juanita Reeves
- Chicago, Illinois
- February 28, 1981
- Aubrey Shakespeare
- Birmingham, Ala.
- June 1981
- Cleveland Shelton
- New Lima, Oklahoma
- June 21, 1981
- Ann Southern
- Santa Ana, Calif.
- June 13, 1981
- Kenneth W. Stevens
- Sparks, Nevada
- June 7, 1981
- Herbert R. Suhm
- Milwaukee, Wis.
- June 13, 1981
- Huey Thomas
- Northport, Ala.
- May 2, 1981
- Robert W. Tillman
- Bethany, Conn.
- June 10, 1981
- Terri Walker
- Lewisville, Texas
- June 15, 1981
- Marie Wilkerson
- Canyon, Texas
- April 1981
- Virgie George
- Pasadena, Calif.
- June 11, 1981
- Susanne Gethers
- Ritter, S. Carolina
- June 10, 1981
- Irving Goldstein
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- April 23, 1981
- George Goodman
- Hartford, Conn.
- April 1, 1981
- Gordon Haddock
- Reedsport, Oregon
- June 1980
- Robert Hedgebeth
- Plymouth, N.C.
- Date Unknown
- Theodore J. Kalies
- Highland Park, Mich.
- July 4, 1981
- Rosa Lewis
- Evanston, Illinois
- March 1980
- Beulah I. Magruder
- Little Rock, Ark.
- June 8, 1981
- Littie McCollough
- Plymouth, N.C.
- Date Unknown
- Amelia Nederhoed
- El Paso, Texas
- November 5, 1980
- Margaret M. Newman
- Akron, Ohio
- June 1981
- Rentha G. Park
- Ottawa, Kansas
- June 12, 1981
- Carolyn H. Poluianov
- Rio Oso, California
- June 23, 1981
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.
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.
Several Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í guests joined the Bahá’ís of Ridgecrest, California, at a Race Unity Day celebration June 14. The Spiritual Assembly of Ridgecrest, formed at Riḍván 1980, is in jeopardy. Anyone who is interested in moving there is urged to contact Mary O’Neal-Rush, 432 Lenoro St., Ridgecrest, CA 93555, or phone 714-375-4662.
Nevada Bahá’í loses his life in rescue attempt[edit]
Kenneth Stevens, a Bahá’í from Sparks, Nevada, lost his life June 7 in an attempt to rescue two young boys whose raft had overturned in a local pond.
The 33-year-old Mr. Stevens, a father of three, did not hesitate, said his wife, when he heard the boys cry for help.
“He just ran to the edge (of the pond),” she said, “took his shoes off and wallet out and jumped in.”
A newspaper article that recounted the tragedy mentioned Mr. Stevens’ concern for others, and that he was a Bahá’í.
Mr. Stevens’ brave and unselfish act also was praised in a lead editorial June 10 in the Nevada State Journal.
The National Spiritual Assembly sent a letter of condolence to Mrs. Stevens and her family.
The Spiritual Assemblies of Wapato and Toppenish, Washington, both of which are on the Yakima Indian Reservation, co-sponsored this float in the largest Fourth of July parade in that area. Twenty people including some non-Bahá’ís worked around the clock to build the float, on which the words ‘Bahá’í Faith’ were painted in bright red against a turquoise backdrop. Children from various races including Native Americans dressed in native costume rode on the float that was decked with more than 95 bouquets of flowers. An estimated 10,000 people saw the parade.
Letters[edit]
Continued From Page 2
1947:
“He wishes to stress the fact that, according to our Bahá’í laws, work is forbidden on our nine Holy Days. Believers who have independent businesses or shops should refrain from working on these days. Those who are in government employ should, on religious grounds, make an effort to be excused from work; all believers, whoever their employers, should do likewise. If the government, or other employers, refuse to grant them these days off, they are not required to forfeit their employment, but they should make every effort to have the independent status of their Faith recognized and their right to hold their own religious holy days acknowledged.”
Please note the word “forbidden” in the first sentence and the phrase “they should make every effort” in the last one.
If every Bahá’í who hasn’t already done so were to “make every effort” with his or her employer, this would be a proclamation in itself, reaching through all strata of society.
Perhaps those who then found that their employer still required them to work on a Holy Day would consider contributing the income from that day’s work to the Louhelen Project or to the Bahá’í Fund of their choice, over and above their regular contribution. This would hasten the advent of a world in which every Bahá’í would be able to observe fully each Holy Day, as Bahá’u’lláh has ordained.
“Say: From My laws the sweet smelling savour of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of Victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: ‘Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty.’ ”—Bahá’u’lláh
El Portal, California
To the Editor:
There are a lot of popular books out on the general subject of how to be an assertive woman. Having finished one such book, two main thoughts come to mind.
The principles of assertiveness—not aggressiveness—are very useful and much needed and underdeveloped in both men and women today.
ASSERTIVENESS has a lot to do with stating one’s feelings, and although men may be aggressive because of their place in history and culture, they also are not developed, in general, in stating their feelings.
Assertiveness is also relative—in any situation, our behavior as Bahá’ís must be within the context of love, courtesy and unity.
God gave us the minds to come to where we are today in psychology, counseling and related fields.
My prayer is that within the next five years, more and more of our Bahá’í professionals in these fields will write books for the general public to go side by side on the shelves with those already coming out, that are rarely balanced within any spiritual framework. This is the first thought.
The second is that we Bahá’ís can benefit the Faith by using assertiveness.
We hear how Bahá’ís are leaders simply because of the principles available to them today. But leadership, even at the most basic family or neighborhood level, takes some courage and assertiveness.
ONE PRINCIPLE of assertiveness that takes a while to feel comfortable with is that after we have stated our position, the other person has a right to his position.
In consultation, others can disagree, and in fact are called to disagree, when this is the way their mind and heart guides them.
The boss can say “no” when we ask for Bahá’í Holy Days off; that is his or her right, and not our problem. It is our problem, right and privilege to simply ask for the days off.
This is only one example. We can ask others if they would like to come to our home to hear more about the Faith, and it is not our worry whether they will say yes or no. That is up to them. But we can ask.
I can see myself benefiting from some more time with the friends discussing this more, and growing from it and becoming more of a Bahá’í.
Foxboro, Massachusetts
Meeting[edit]
Continued From Page 1
travel to and from the U.S., all of the Counsellors were able to attend the meeting in Lincolnwood, which is about a half-hour drive from the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.
They came from Alaska, Canada, the U.S., and eight countries in Central and South America.
On Saturday evening, the Counsellors were guests of the National Spiritual Assembly at a reception at Foundation Hall at the House of Worship that was attended by Bahá’ís from throughout the greater Chicago area.
ALSO PRESENT at the reception was the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem who spoke about the necessity for sacrifice to redeem the sufferings of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Other speakers included Counsellors Peter McLaren from Venezuela and Carmen de Burafato from Mexico, who described the progress of the Faith in South and Central America, respectively.
Counsellor McLaren mentioned specifically the increased use of mass media in Latin America, citing Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador as an example of what can be done to help deepen and consolidate Bahá’í communities while proclaiming the Faith to others.
The second Bahá’í radio station in South America, Radio Bahá’í of Lake Titicaca, Peru, began broadcasting July 9, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Báb, the Counsellor said.
Two more stations, he added, are to begin operations during the second phase of the Plan—in Brazil and Chile.
Auxiliary Board member Thelma Jackson of Wilmette also spoke at the reception, outlining the unique and special relationship that exists between the Universal House of Justice, the Hands of the Cause of God, the Boards of Counsellors, and the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants.
Counsellor Peter McLaren speaks at the reception in Foundation Hall at the House of Worship.
Victory celebration at Gregory Institute[edit]
About 50 statewide and out-of-state guests attended a recent “Victory Celebration” at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina.
Among those attending were Bahá’ís who had rendered exceptional service during the past year.
THE CELEBARTION consisted of an informational and inspirational program featuring musical presentations by Bahá’ís in the area, followed by an awards banquet at which Bahá’ís were recognized for outstanding service in South Carolina.
Featured speakers were Auxiliary Board member Elizabeth Martin of Winnsboro, South Carolina, and Dorothy Frye of Charlotte, North Carolina.
At the awards banquet, Trudy White gave a moving tribute to the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga, to whom the past year’s service in South Carolina was dedicated and after whom the service awards were named.
Enoch Olinga Service of the Year Awards were presented to the Bahá’í community of Rock Hill for assisting with the formation of 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies, and to Bobbie Ellis for his work with children and a Youth Chorus in Darlington.
Individual Service of the Year Awards were given to Emma Clark for her work in five communities, helping them regularly to observe Feasts, conduct children’s classes, and contribute to the Fund; and to Amber Spahn for her continuing and devoted services to the Southern District.
Certificates of appreciation were presented to several Regional Teaching Committee members in recognition of services rendered: Annette Young, Carolyn Fulmer, Elwin Howard (for the Public Information Task Force), Terry Edwards (for the Northern District Teaching Committee), Robert Martin (for the Central District Teaching Committee), Amber Spahn (for the Southern District Teaching Committee), and Charles Thomas Jr. (for the Eastern District Teaching Committee).
Also recognized were Mrs. Martin, who received a “Lamp of Knowledge” plaque in appreciation for her cooperation with the Regional Teaching Committee; and Genell Grimsley and Mrs. White, who were given plaques for “seven years of devoted service” to the Regional Teaching Committee.
Shown are some of the friends who attended a reception August 8 at the Bahá’í House of Worship for the Continental Counsellors in the Americas who were meeting in nearby Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Trudy White delivers a moving tribute to the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga during the recent ‘Victory Celebration’ at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina.
Locke[edit]
Continued From Page 11
Dr. Locke wrote numerous books and poems on the subject of race relations. Among his best known works are The Negro in America, The Negro and His Music, The Negro in Art, and his famous anthology, The New Negro (1925).
He had the bounty of visiting the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, during a pilgrimage to Haifa. He later wrote of his experiences in the Holy Land in an article, “Impressions of Haifa,” that was published in Volume III of The Bahá’í World.
Dr. Locke worked diligently with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to help organize the first convention for racial unity in the U.S., held in Washington in 1921. He then helped organize similar conventions in New York and other cities.
An article by Dr. Locke entitled “Unity Through Diversity: A Bahá’í Principle” was published in Volume IV of The Bahá’í World, and his article, “Lessons in World Crisis,” appeared in Volume IX.
IN ANOTHER article, “The Orientation of Hope,” published in Volume V of The Bahá’í World, Dr. Locke offered the following description of the present times and their challenge to Bahá’ís:
“As the clouds darken over our chaotic world, all of us—even those who still cherish the dream and hope of a new world order of peace, righteousness and justice, must face the question of where to focus our expectations, where to orient our hopes.
“To do otherwise is merely to hug an ideal to our bosoms in childish consolation and passive fatalism—a reaction only too human, but not worthy of the possessors of a virile and truly prophetic spiritual revelation.
“If we fall victim to the twilight mood and the monastic flight from reality, are we not really false friends and even spiritual traitors to the universal ideal?
“Must we not as true Bahá’í believers in these times embrace our principles more positively, more realistically, and point everywhere possible our assertion of the teachings with a direct challenge?”