The American Bahá’í/Volume 13/Issue 1/Text
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House of Justice: ‘Situation friends Iran steadily deteriorating’[edit]
SITUATION FRIENDS IRAN STEADILY DETERIORATING. ALTHOUGH REVOLUTIONARY COURT YAZD ORDERED RELEASE FOUR OF THOSE DETAINED PRESSURES IN DIFFERENT FORMS ARE MOUNTING IN YAZD AND IN OTHER PARTS COUNTRY. BAHÁ’Í WORKERS BEING INCREASINGLY EXPELLED FROM FACTORIES. BAHÁ’Í SHOPKEEPERS IN ONE PROVINCE ORDERED CLOSE DOWN FOLLOWING WITHDRAWAL BUSINESS LICENCES, SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SCRUTINISING RELIGION STUDENTS PRIOR TO REGISTRATION RESULTING IN REFUSAL REGISTER BAHÁ’Í STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. DECREE ANNOUNCED BY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PUBLISHED IN KAYHAN DAILY NUMBER 11397 DATED 9 MEHR 1360 (SEPTEMBER 30, 1981) LISTS CRIMES WHICH BAR PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS FROM BEING EMPLOYED OR REGISTERED AT UNIVERSITIES. AMONG CRIMES LISTED IS WHAT TEXT OF DECREE DESCRIBES AS MEMBERSHIP IN SECT WHICH IS RECOGNIZED BY MOSLEMS AS THE MISLED AND HERETICAL SECT. THIS IS OBVIOUS REFERENCE TO MEMBERSHIP IN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY. BAHÁ’Í CHILDREN AND YOUTH EXEMPLIFYING HIGH SPIRIT HEROISM STEADFASTNESS PREFERRING DEPRIVATION FROM SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION TO RECANTATION FAITH.
OCTOBER 16, 1981
The Master’s prayer for the Fund[edit]
“All the friends of God ... should contribute to the extent possible, however modest their offering may be. God doth not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Such contributions must come from all centres and all believers ... O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture, your industry, and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will receive a tenfold reward. There is no doubt that the living Lord will abundantly confirm those who expend their wealth in His path.”
*****
O God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true lovers and support them with angelic hosts of certain triumph. Set firm their feet on Thy straight path, and out of Thine ancient bounty open before them the portals of Thy blessings; for they are expending on Thy pathway what Thou hast bestowed upon them, safeguarding Thy Faith, putting their trust in their remembrance of Thee, offering up their hearts for love of Thee, and withholding not what they possess in adoration for Thy beauty and in their search for ways to please Thee.
O my Lord! Ordain for them a plenteous share, a destined recompense and sure reward.
Verily, Thou art the Sustainer, the Helper, the Generous, the Bountiful, the Ever-Bestowing.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Words of God: A Compilation of Prayers and Tablets from the Bahá’í Writings)
The funeral procession for Bahá’í martyr Habibu’lláh Azizi in Tehran, August 29, 1981.
63 are enrolled in Ohio, Missouri, Texas[edit]
Sixty-three people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh as a result of weekend teaching efforts in October that launched ongoing teaching projects in Toledo, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; and Houston, Texas.
The Houston project, which began October 24-25 under sponsorship of the Spiritual Assembly of Houston, resulted in 27 declarations and the opening of four new localities to the Faith.
ONE OF THOSE previously unopened localities—El Campo, Texas—now has 18 new believers, more than enough to form a Spiritual Assembly.
Bahá’ís from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma participated in the ongoing teaching campaign that began October 17-18 in Kansas City.
The project, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Kansas City, will continue throughout the winter months with door-to-door teaching each weekend.
Fifteen people embraced the Faith during the first two days of the project, which is focused in minority neighborhoods.
In addition, nearly 100 residents of areas visited expressed an interest in having another visit by a Bahá’í, firesides, or Bahá’í literature.
Twenty-one people declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh and one new locality was opened to the Faith during the teaching effort that began October 31-November 1 in Toledo, Ohio.
Under the sponsorship of the Spiritual Assembly of Sylvania, Ohio, the project has goals of 200 new believers and the formation of nine new Local Assemblies by next Riḍván.
It began with teams traveling to five communities in Ohio and two
| What’s inside
NEW GOALS for overseas pioneers assigned by the Universal House of Justice. Page 4 BAHÁ’Í YOUTH continue to make impressive gains toward the goals of the Youth Plan. Page 7 THE NATIONAL Education Committee presents a study session on The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh. Page 8 TWENTY-SIX new districts are set to participate in the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP). Page 9 ELFIE Lundberg of Wilmette recalls her meetings with the Master during His visit to the U.S. in 1912. Page 17 |
73rd Convention at House of Worship
The 73rd Bahá’í National Convention will be held April 29-May 2, 1982, in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
For this reason seating will be limited, and only those who have pre-registered will be admitted to the sessions (delegates excepted).
All non-delegate registration will be handled in the order that requests are received. There will be no provisions for children at any of the sessions, nor will there be any child-care facilities.
Additional details about this important event will be forthcoming in the February issue of The American Bahá’í.
Dawn-breakers’ exemplary conduct warrants similar sacrifices today[edit]
In calling for individuals to support the National Fund through regular contributions each Bahá’í month, the National Spiritual Assembly has requested the friends to arise in service to the Cause in numbers equal to the 20,000 who gave their lives in the early days of the Faith.
As we strive to attain this participation goal we would do well to recall the events that unfolded during the time of the Dawn-breakers, and learn from their example of love and devotion as manifested in many forms of sacrifice, and also from their complete detachment from material things.
RENUNCIATION of worldly attachments and a desire to use material resources in service to the Faith were characteristics constantly demonstrated by these early believers. Many stories, especially those in The Dawn-breakers, underscore this theme.
Consider, for example, Mullá Husayn’s appeal to his companions on their trip to Mázindarán under the Black Standard, a journey that would end in their martyrdom at the fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí:
“ ‘Leave behind your belongings.’ he urged them, ‘and content yourselves only with your steeds and swords, that all may witness your renunciation of all earthly things, and may realize that this little band of God’s chosen companions has no desire to safeguard its own property, much less covet the property of others.’ ”
The Bábís instantly obeyed, ridding themselves of their possessions. Among them was the father of Badí’, who threw aside a purse filled with valuable turquoise.
Another example of detachment from worldly things was demonstrated by Vahíd.
As the vehement attacks of the avowed enemies of the Faith grew in Yazd, he advised his wife to take their children to safety in the home of her father. He encouraged her to take all their belongings, but to leave behind his personal property.
In The Dawn-breakers, we read:
“ ‘This palatial residence,’ he informed her, ‘I have built with the sole intention that it should be eventually demolished in the path of the Cause, and the stately furnishings
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Editorial
The art of ‘spiritual conference’[edit]
“In this Cause,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained, “consultation is of vital importance; but spiritual conference and not the mere voicing of personal views is intended.”
What is meant by “spiritual conference”?
WHILE IT WOULD BE presumptuous to attempt an exact definition, since this is something we now can only dimly understand, it seems safe to say that “spiritual conference” does not involve discord, wrangling, insisting on one’s own views, and belittling the opinions of others. If any of these things are present, one can be sure that “spiritual conference” is not.
Referring to consultation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote: “The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the Assembly ... The second condition:—They must when coming together turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and ask aid from the Realm of Glory. They must then proceed with the utmost devotion, courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to express their views. They must in every matter search out the truth and not insist upon their own opinion, for stubbornness and persistence in one’s views will lead ultimately to discord and wrangling and the truth will remain hidden.”
As Bahá’ís become experienced in the art of consultation, we will grow ever closer to the high standards set for us by the Master. In so doing, we will find the key to collective happiness.
“No power can exist,” Bahá’u’lláh explained, “except through unity. No welfare and no well-being can be attained except through consultation.”
What, then, is “spiritual conference”?
The question might well be raised at Feasts, at Assembly and committee meetings, and at deepenings. Perhaps our examination of this question will yield insights that will bring us to the brink of discovery.
Members of the Bahá’í community of Washington, D.C., are shown as they received a proclamation by Mayor Marion Barry of Washington declaring October 17, 1981, ‘Universal Unity Day’ in the nation’s capital to highlight the ‘flagrant violation of the most basic of human rights’ of Bahá’ís in Iran. The proclamation was presented on the mayor’s behalf by his executive secretary (third from right). It closed with these words: ‘I, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, ... call upon all of our residents to join with me in supporting the aims, goals and programs of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Washington, D.C., during this day and throughout the year for the benefit of all mankind.’
Comment
Strong support can help marriage break bars of race[edit]
| This month’s article, “Some Thoughts on Interracial Marriage,” was written by Mrs. Marcia J. Smith of Sudbury, Massachusetts. |
When one has been married for 11 years or more, she doesn’t often think about being “inter-racially married.”
Individuals meet, become attracted to one another, fall in love, get married. “Races” don’t do that.
THE DAY-TO-DAY existence of a marriage includes coping with children, helping with homework, packing lunch boxes, doing laundry, balancing the budget, paying bills, “bringing home the bacon,” etc. This is the routine in every marriage, interracial or not.
It is only when someone outside the family asks, “Isn’t it difficult to be married to someone of another race?” or makes some other equally perceptive observation that I really stop to think about it.
My first reaction has always been, “Yes, it’s difficult to be married—period!” Being “interracial” has nothing to do with the degree of difficulty.
But I suppose that isn’t entirely true. There are those in society who frown upon the marriage with varying degrees of rudeness or vulgarity.
Quite frankly, I never notice them. I’ve always been so convinced that I’m right in anything I do that “what people say” has never bothered me.
In many instances, this has been an annoyance to many and quite a flaw in my character. In this case, however, I think it has been a great source of strength and a definite asset.
A REAL PROBLEM for those considering marriage to someone of a different race can be family support. As Bahá’ís, we must have parental consent to get married. As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, I could see no sense in this at all.
I was willing to obey, but I really didn’t understand it until I saw the impact of that gesture on my mother. She would have supported my marriage in any case, but being drawn into the process in such a significant way had a special effect. By this process the foundation for family unity is established.
Our wedding was a shock to many of our friends, who were used to the sort of strained acceptance, brittle smiles and ominous tension in the air at many interracial weddings where “skeleton crews” represent each family and the occasion is bittersweet, at best.
Not so our celebration! Our families—aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandparents—were all in attendance.
Maybe they were confused, but they were happy!
This family closeness and support has continued, and it is so vitally important to our family’s sense of strength and security.
Many interracial families do not experience the added ingredient of extended family support. In the absence of this kind of support, the Bahá’í community should form a cushion of love and strength for the interracial couple.
NO COMMENT on interracial marriage would be complete without mentioning that age-old question, “What about the children?” What do people expect—Pintos? Zebras?
The children of any marriage seem to embody the best of both their parents. This is especially true of interracial children.
Physically, they are often just as beautiful as any others. They are free from diseases that afflict members of certain racial groups, such as Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis, or sickle cell anemia.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá apprised us of this fact, which is verified by scientific evidence, when He said, “God’s wisdom hath decreed that partners to marriage should be of distant origins. That is, the further removed the relationship between husband and wife is, the stronger, the more beautiful and the healthier will their offspring be.” (From an unpublished Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá researched by the Department of the Secretariat at the Universal House of Justice)
Each parent brings to the child the best from his or her culture. As Bahá’ís, we try to train our children properly, to educate them and encourage their best traits.
When I look at these bright, talented, beautiful children, I think that they are our “new race of men.”
WE MUST raise our children to be strong and steadfast in the face of a not always friendly world. If there is one character trait necessary for an interracial marriage to survive, I think that this is it—strength of character.
As a community or as individuals, we cannot be wishy-washy and weak. Racism, with materialism, is probably America’s most predominant negative characteristic. Only through spiritual strength and steadfastness can we rise above this and follow the path we know to be right.
In the Bahá’í community, we have an obligation to share these precepts with our children and our fellow believers.
We face the tremendous challenge of overcoming our own feelings of superiority and suspicion while presenting the concept of interracial marriage as one of the integral elements of a vibrant, all-embracing way of life essential to the well-being of the Bahá’í community and the establishment of a new World Order.
Florida media conference slated to be held in Orlando in February[edit]
A Florida media conference will take place February 6-7 in Orlando.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Orlando and the Office of Public Affairs at the Bahá’í National Center. Florida District Teaching Committees plan to assist and support the conference.
All Spiritual Assemblies in the northern, central and southern districts of Florida are being encouraged to send to the meeting Bahá’ís who are interested in working with the media.
The two-day gathering will explore the critical relationship between use of the media and teaching. Attendees will hear presentations on organizing media committees, the effective use of print and electronic media, and proclamation strategies.
Anyone who is interested in attending the conference may contact the Spiritual Assembly of Orlando, c/o Genevieve Suganuma, secretary, 3604 Clemwood Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
[Page 3]
LETTERS
American Bahá’ís deeply touched by sacrifices in Iran[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:
It was with great indignation that I read the editorial in the October issue of The American Bahá’í.
To imply that the American Bahá’í community does not daily feel the plight of our Iranian brothers and sisters is a gross misjudgment, and an insult to those who are making their lives a martyrdom to the Cause.
THE NEWS and special letters from the National Spiritual Assembly informing us of the daily suffering of the Iranian Bahá’ís touch us deeply—it tears us apart to think of the sacrifices that these valiant souls so willingly make for the love of Bahá’u’lláh.
We wept openly at the account of the last days of one martyr, and news of each new death makes each of us suffer as if the bullets had passed through our own bodies—as indeed they have, for we are of one body and one soul.
You fail in your editorial to recall that, as the most recent wave of persecution began, we were cautioned by the National Spiritual Assembly not to respond publicly to these indignities.
We were assured that steps were being taken, that we were going through proper channels to assure the safety of the friends.
We were further admonished to “soft pedal” our distress so as not to complicate the plight of the U.S. hostages at the Embassy in Tehran.
We obeyed the National Assembly, even though it was difficult to remain still. Even when the hostages came home, we continued to suffer in silence, knowing as we did of the hostages still remaining in Iran who had no bargaining power of funds to freeze or powerful governments to be their advocates.
How much longer must we be silent? When may we express openly our grief, anger and outrage at the senseless slaughter of our loving friends?
GIVE US but a word and we could make the world aware of the stinking, festering wound on the face of humanity.
Give us back our voice and we will give a great shout that will resound around the world—Let my people go!
All it takes is a sign from the National Spiritual Assembly, and we will so deluge the media and the powers that be with news of the martyrs that they will no longer be able simply to ignore us.
The tide of public opinion is a force to be reckoned with. The only thing we have to be ashamed of is that here, where we have no legal constraints on freedom of speech or freedom of religion, we have imposed these constraints on ourselves.
We have abandoned the very thing that our brothers and sisters in Iran are dying for!
I beg the National Spiritual Assembly prayerfully to consider this issue. Please, consider permitting an organized media blitz involving the entire American Bahá’í community.
Let us rise up with one voice so that the blood of our brethren in Iran does not dry up unnoticed in the dust. Some of our momentum has been lost, but it could be regained.
Please, let us make the world aware of our plight—that is the only response that will justify their sacrifice!
Woodbury, Connecticut
(A word of explanation is needed if the role of the American Bahá’í community in responding to the crisis in Iran and the point of October’s editorial are to be properly understood.
The defense of the Iranian Bahá’í community and publicizing the persecution it is undergoing lies outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly. It would be altogether improper for the American Bahá’í community to strike out on its own and take action without the approval of the institutions responsible for making decisions on these matters.
The best way to defend the Bahá’ís in Iran is to teach the Faith and to do all that is required to hasten the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. The more the Faith expands throughout the world and the stronger its influence is felt, the more futile will be the efforts to eradicate it.
The National Assembly fully appreciates the intense feelings of anxiety and frustration of the American believers and understands their desire to express those feelings in various actions. However, the only actions that will have any lasting effect are those that channel their anxiety into the service of the Cause and further its rapid advancement.—Ed.)
To the Editor:
I would like to call your attention to the article about Bahá’í activities in Oklahoma in the September 1981 issue of The American Bahá’í.
The name of the pioneer family who went to Oklahoma City at the request of the Guardian is Entzminger, not “Emslinger” as stated in the article.
My thanks to you for noting this, and my appreciation and admiration for our fine newspaper, The American Bahá’í.
Sebastopol, California
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to the editorial in the October issue of The American Bahá’í.
The question was raised as to why the American Bahá’í community’s response to the situation in Iran has been so muted. The answer given was that perhaps we have become too “Americanized,” too “desensitized” by our diet of raucous art, sex- and violence-prone TV; too involved in our own material well-being.
PERHAPS SO. I don’t know. But I would suggest another answer.
To become a Bahá’í means that one has awakened more than all others. It means that, at great odds, one has rejected the “paths of delusion” and chosen to think for himself. It means that one judges knowledge in the light radiated by Bahá’u’lláh.
To become “awake” means, among other things, to become aware of the problems of evil; to see the darker side of life on the collective as well as the individual level.
As Bahá’ís, we can dare to see because of the strength given to us through Bahá’u’lláh. The forces of darkness have multiplied during my lifetime to such an extent that imagining them is like trying to imagine a billion stars in a billion galaxies.
The television that purveys the sex and violence also shows me, in the comfort of my living room, the starving children of five continents; the thousands tortured at the hands of their “benevolent” leaders; the millions mangled by incessant war.
All around me, I see the “comfortable” living in their private hells of ignorance and corrupt desires. A full stomach matters little to the starving soul.
THE LACERATIONS that these millions of cries for help have cut into my mind and soul must, of necessity, be staunched by scar tissue. Otherwise, I’d bleed to death.
To be “insensitive” is something that occurs on the neurological level. It is part of an organism’s system of self-defense. None of us can remain as open as a new-born babe.
I have literally been on the edge of death several times. It isn’t so hard to die. Without the knowledge of the Lord that the suffering of Bahá’u’lláh has enabled me to have, I could not live today.
Only the knowledge of my own incompleteness and the necessity of doing His bidding keeps me on this “darkling plane where ignorant armies clash by night” (Matthew Arnold).
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
To the Editor:
About the term “non-Bahá’í,” as mentioned in your “Letters” column:
I’ve held many firesides and inevitably the expression “non-Bahá’í” would be overheard by a guest. This has always made me feel uncomfortable.
I had two non-Bahá’ís who regularly attended my firesides, and both said they found the term offensive and discriminatory.
How about the word “seeker”?
Staten Island, New York
To the Editor:
Due to the terrible conditions in Iran, we American Bahá’ís are now almost the sole financial support of all Bahá’í activities and projects worldwide.
Our own National Bahá’í Fund has shrunk to the point at which I fear the National Spiritual Assembly may either have to go into bankruptcy or sell off some of the Bahá’í properties to pay our debts.
I am no different from other American Bahá’ís—I do not like to sacrifice my creature comforts.
But I cannot stand idly by and see the condition of our National Fund and the International Fund get even worse.
So, in the spirit of sacrifice, I have decided to sacrifice one day of free time each week, at a second job, and to send all of the take home pay from that job to the National Fund.
As a senior citizen, and in poor health, I find it isn’t easy to do so. But I am doing it!
I sincerely and lovingly challenge other American Bahá’ís to do likewise.
Lawndale, California
To the Editor:
The ongoing calamitous events in Iran have resulted in a crisis in the Fund, as we were informed at our District Conventions.
As an “American” Bahá’í, I cannot help but feel that the crisis should be properly viewed as an indication of another problem that must be constructively addressed.
IF IN FACT the Bahá’ís that comprise the American community were truly able to perceive that the Iranian Bahá’ís are our family, I am certain that the response would be a demonstration of the unity that our Faith exhorts us to strive for.
I believe that our lack of unity, and our languishing response, are symptoms of our ingrained western and old world order thinking.
Our indoctrination and upbringing is, for the most part, one of belief in rugged individualism and “national” pride.
Bahá’ís invited to Ecuador conference[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Ecuador is extending a special invitation to Bahá’í artists, scientists, educators and the like to attend the Bahá’í International Conference to be held August 6-8, 1982, in Quito.
The conference, one of five to be held in 1982, is dedicated, as are the others, to the memory of the Greatest Holy Leaf on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her passing.
The Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney will represent the Universal House of Justice at the Quito conference.
Bahá’ís from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula area sponsored this booth August 28-30 at the annual Houghton County Fair. They were helped by Bahá’ís from Detroit and Ann Arbor. More than 150 prayer cards and copies of the booklet Communion With God were accepted by visitors to the booth, many of whom stopped to talk with the friends. Shown here are Bahá’ís Jan and Tara McGrath (seated) and Camilla Hutchinson (standing, partially hidden).
[Page 4]
IGC: PIONEERING
World NEWS[edit]
Since May 1981, Brazil has accepted some 3,000 new believers into the Faith in many parts of the country. Nine new Indian tribes are represented by 21 persons who have entered the ranks of the Faith in recent months ...
In St. Lucia, Windward Islands, the first week of a teaching campaign that ended early in August saw 300 enrollments in the Faith with many family units included among them ...
“The Dawnbreakers,” a Bahá’í musical group from Austria, appeared in concert last July in Steyr, Austria, to support a self-help group of disabled people and their families. In the audience of 330 was the observer representing the Austrian Bahá’í community at the Vienna office of the United Nations Information Service who gave an informative talk on the International Year of the Disabled ...
A weekly Bahá’í radio program, “The Glad Tidings,” was first broadcast July 28 on the only radio station in Barrow, Alaska. The Barrow community had prayed and planned for years to make the program a reality ...
The National Spiritual Assembly of Spain has begun a campaign aimed at helping the friends to reach various levels of Spanish society with the Bahá’í Message.
The Assembly has suggested to the believers that for a three-month period they concentrate on proclaiming the Faith to physicians, medical students and faculty at medical colleges in Spain ...
On July 22, 1981, the occasion of his diamond jubilee, His Majesty King Sobhuza II of Swaziland was given a beautifully illuminated scroll bearing several quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh on the subject of kings and kingship by the National Spiritual Assembly of Swaziland ...
The Bahá’ís of Paraguay have dedicated their new National Information Center in Asuncion to the memory of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir. A plaque on the building states that it is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Muhájir “because of his inspiring and tireless teaching of the Bahá’í Faith.” ...
More than 950 people from 20 countries attended a Bahá’í Youth Conference last July 16-19 at Chigwell in Sussex that launched the second phase of the Seven Year Plan for Bahá’í youth in the United Kingdom ...
Eighteen Bahá’ís from Denmark, Iceland and the United Kingdom attended a teaching conference last August 8 in Thorshavn, the largest town in the Faroe Islands ...
Conferences offer chance to teach Faith[edit]
This is the year to make our Bahá’í presence felt in the world. For our fellow Bahá’ís in Iran, dedicate your attendance at one of the International Conferences, teaching en route, and raising high the Banner of Bahá’u’lláh.
Please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, for help with your travel plans.
Manila, Philippines
May 7-9
Air fare: $950 (round trip) Los Angeles to Manila.
Accommodations: $49-$150 depending upon hotel; includes: 4 nights, 4 breakfasts, service charges, tax, transport to and from airport and conference site. $5 per day/dormitory, includes: breakfast and dinner, transport to and from conference site.
Teaching: Traveling teaching projects are planned for all areas of Australasia; a two- to four-week minimum length of stay in each area is suggested. Teachers staying one or more weeks will be met at the airport and receive hospitality.
Climate: Hot and humid; cooler in the evenings. Conference site is air-conditioned.
Clothing: Light, casual clothing; wear native dress/costume during conference.
Health precautions: Typhoid immunization; immune serum for hepatitis A; precautions for cholera (contact Board of Health), antimalarials (Chloroquine).
Address: The Manila International Conference Committee, c/o Mr. Nelson I. Sapad, secretary, ______ corner Bautista St., Singalong Subdivision, Manila, Philippines.
Dublin, Ireland June
25-27
Air fare: $650 (round trip) New York City to Dublin (Aer Lingus flies direct).
Conference site: Royal Dublin Society, Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland.
Climate: Seasonal, yet unpredictable.
Clothing: Lightweight; be prepared for rain.
Address: Conference Committee, Mr. Patrick O’Mara, secretary, ______ County Wicklow, Ireland.
Quito, Ecuador
August 6-9
Air fare: $506 (round trip) Miami to Quito.
Climate: Temperature varies with altitude, not season.
Clothing: Spring/fall weight clothing is useful all year in the Sierra, while summer cotton clothes are necessary in the coastal and eastern areas.
Health precautions: Typhoid immunization; immune serum for hepatitis A; antimalarials (Chloroquine); contact Board of Health for yellow fever immunization and information on precautions for cholera.
Address: International Bahá’í Conference, Quito, General Conference Committee, Tarasieh Werle, secretary, ______ Quito, Ecuador.
Lagos, Nigeria
August 19-22
Air fare: $1,112 (round trip) New York City to Lagos.
Conference Site: The Lagos National Theatre.
Teaching: Arrive one or two weeks before the conference; teaching teams will receive hospitality with local Bahá’ís.
Local travel cost: Air flights within Nigeria $50-$125, bus or taxi cheaper.
Climate: Humid, 85° average temperature.
Clothing: Wear mostly cotton, bring a sweater for evenings.
Health precautions: Typhoid immunization; immune serum for hepatitis A; antimalarials (Chloroquine); contact Board of Health for yellow fever immunization and information on precautions for cholera.
Visa application: Allow ample time to procure a visa. Two names will be asked for. You may use: Mr. Fred Assam, P.O. Box 2029, Lagos, Nigeria; Mr. Edet Ekerendu, P.O. Box 2029, Lagos, Nigeria.
Address: International Conference Committee, c/o Mrs. M. Garman, ______ Ibadan, Nigeria.
Montreal, Canada
September 3-5
Air fare: $123 (round trip) New York City to Montreal.
Accommodations: Suggest the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Can. $50-$80 per night (single). Can. $60-$90 per night (double). For reservations, write to: Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Montreal, Box 889, Place Bonaventure, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Attention: Housing Committee.
Teaching: Plans will be forthcoming.
Local transportation: Montreal’s Metro is quick and easy travel to the conference site.
Climate: 60°-70° daytime; 40° evenings.
Clothing: Light weight clothing recommended; do bring raincoat and a sweater.
For further assistance with your teaching or travel plans, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone 312-869-9039.
House of Justice assigns U.S. 46 new pioneer goals[edit]
Only a few short months remain until Riḍván. During that time, 46 additional pioneers must arrive at goals assigned to the United States in November by the Universal House of Justice.
This goal can be won only if each believer sincerely ponders in his heart whether he can personally arise to help meet this challenge.
Bahá’u’lláh has written that pioneering is “the prince of all goodly deeds,” and He has elevated this form of service to such heights that He attests, “ ...no act, however great, can compare with it.”
The International Goals Committee is confident that the American believers will respond to this latest call for pioneers quickly and with determination, and will make whatever sacrifices are necessary to fulfill this divine mandate.
U.S. Pioneer Goals—Revised November 23, 1981
Second Phase of Seven Year Plan—To Be Filled by Riḍván 1982
| AFRICA | Assigned | Filled | Y | |||
| (E) | Gambia | 2 | ||||
| (E) | Liberia | 2 | ||||
| (F) | Mauritania | 2 | ||||
| (A,F,S) Morocco | 2 | |||||
| 8 | ||||||
| ASIA | ||||||
| (J) | Japan | 2 | ||||
| (P,E,C) Macao | 2 | |||||
| (E) | Nepal | 2 | ||||
| (T,E) Thailand | 2 | |||||
| 8 | ||||||
| EUROPE | ||||||
| (D) | Denmark | 7 | ||||
| 7 | ||||||
| AMERICAS | ||||||
| (E) | Bahamas | 1 | ||||
| (F) | Fr. Antilles | |||||
| Martinique | 1 | |||||
| (E) | Leeward Is. | 2 | ||||
| (F) | Fr. Guiana | 1 | ||||
| (E) | Windward Is. | |||||
| Dominica | 2 | |||||
| 7 | ||||||
| LANGUAGE KEY | ||||||
| A—Arabic | ||||||
| C—Chinese | ||||||
| D—Danish | ||||||
| E—English | ||||||
| F—French | ||||||
| J—Japanese | ||||||
| P—Portuguese | ||||||
| S—Spanish | ||||||
| T—Thai | ||||||
| AUSTRALASIA | Assigned | Filled | Y | |
| (E) | Caroline Is. | |||
| Kosrae | 1 | |||
| (E) | Fiji | 2 | ||
| (E) | Marshall Is. | 6 | ||
| (E) | Marianas | |||
| Guam | 1 | |||
| Rota | 2 | |||
| Saipan | 2 | |||
| (F) | New Caledonia | 2 | ||
| 16 | ||||
| TOTAL ASSIGNMENTS | ||||
| Africa | 8 | |||
| Americas | 7 | |||
| Asia | 8 | |||
| Australasia | 16 | |||
| Europe | 7 | |||
| TOTAL | 46 | |||
| Reopened Goals | ||||
| *Bahamas | ||||
| *Fr. Antilles | ||||
| *Botswana | ||||
| *Austria | ||||
| *From first phase of Plan | ||||
| Y—Youth | ||||
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
NOTES ...from the Treasurer[edit]
Response from the friends ...
We have been receiving a steady flow of letters from the friends since November, expressing their concern about the condition of the National Fund, sharing stories of sacrifice, and pledging their determination to contribute each month to the Fund.
The letters are quite moving, and although we are unable to answer each one directly, we wish to thank all of the friends who have written.
These letters have given us an indication of the devotion of the American community. The growing support for the Fund is another measure of the eagerness of the “spiritual descendants of the Dawn-breakers” to champion the Cause.
We extend our deep love and appreciation to those believers who have made special efforts on behalf of the Fund.
The letters have shared a wide variety of ideas and comments, as you can see from the excerpts that follow:
“Dear Friends: I pray for 20,000 contributing Martyrs to counteract the atrocities being perpetrated on our brethren in the Cradle of the Faith. May the American community arise, teach, and sacrifice.”
“I will endeavor to do my part, and have rededicated myself to attempt to achieve a deeper appreciation of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings in order to apply these principles in my life. Thank you for this opportunity to give.”
“The enclosed contribution is from our son, who is 8 1/2. He would like to count as one of the 20,000 individuals contributing regularly to the National Fund.”
“I often think of the ‘Letters of the Living’ and their clarity of purpose. This conference (Scars meeting) has again assisted me to remember the shortness of our days and the bounties that are bestowed upon us by the mercy of God alone.”
“We cannot vindicate the martyrdoms, but we need to meditate upon the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh as well as the reason for which He suffered and gave His life, and see if there aren’t reasons for which we might all personally sacrifice—not for the short term only, but in an ongoing way for a lifetime.”
Carefully seal blue envelopes ...
We have found that a number of the blue envelopes being received in the Treasurer’s Office have come unsealed during mail handling. Although no contributions have been lost, in some cases the glue is not holding the flap closed.
We would suggest that you make sure your contribution envelope is securely closed, even by using a piece of tape if necessary. This will ensure that your gift reaches its intended destination.
Indian Temple contributions ...
The Universal House of Justice has informed us that it would be helpful if the funds contributed for the House of Worship in India were to be sent directly there rather than collected in and dispatched from the World Centre. Donations for the Temple project in India should now be sent to:
- Bahá’í Temple Project
- Savings Bank, a/c No. 592
- Syndicate Bank, Foreign Exchange Branch
- Connaught Circus
- New Delhi 110001
- India
Contributions will be acknowledged by the Temple Project Committee, which will provide the World Centre with a periodic accounting of contributors and amounts received.
In the case of the Temple in Samoa, it is preferable that contributions continue to be sent to Haifa. As always, the National Spiritual Assembly will be happy to forward contributions for either or both of these projects to the proper destination.
Regular receipts necessary ...
A number of the friends have written suggesting that we do not send them a receipt for each contribution because their canceled checks can serve as a receipt. This, they suggest, would save postage costs.
Other believers have requested that we send only one receipt at the end of the year—again the object being to save funds.
The National Spiritual Assembly is grateful that the friends are eager to find ways to reduce expenses. However, in outlining the duties of the Treasurer, the beloved Guardian stated that the Treasurer “holds and disburses the funds of the Faith to (the National Assembly’s) satisfaction, keeping proper accounts and issuing receipts for all contributions.”
Following this directive to receipt all contributions, the National Assembly feels that at the present time, the best method is to continue to send a receipt in return for each gift.
To try to keep a record of a few individual requests for special handling would cost more, in the long run, than would be saved by one yearly receipt. Also, regular receipts allow for the return of Fund envelopes, which many of the friends find helpful in establishing a regular pattern of participation in giving to the National Fund.
Support of Bahá’í Funds is vital to Faith’s Administrative Order[edit]
(This is the third in a seven-part series on important aspects of the Bahá’í Fund. Although man functions in a material world through material expressions, he is called upon to acquire divine attributes and to manifest spiritual behavior. The Fund, as a Divine Institution, provides man with a means to grow spiritually and to demonstrate that growth through action. The purpose of this series is to highlight the spiritual principles that underlie the outwardly material act of giving to the Fund.)
•
In the Faith there are several levels of administrative institutions, each devoted to a particular area of responsibility for the growth and development of the Cause.
Shoghi Effendi explained that “the progress and execution of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means.” He therefore determined that each institution should have a Fund to support its activities.
The four major Funds are:
Local Bahá’í Fund (local address)—Supports the teaching, consolidation and administrative work of a local Bahá’í community.
National Bahá’í Fund (Wilmette, Illinois 60091)—Supports the efforts of the National Spiritual Assembly to direct, coordinate and stimulate Bahá’í activities throughout the country.
Continental Bahá’í Fund (______ Wilmette, Illinois 60091)—Enables the Continental Board of Counsellors and its Auxiliary Boards to perform their missions of protection and propagation of the Faith for the Americas.
Bahá’í International Fund (P.O. Box 155, Haifa, Israel 31-000)—Enables the Universal House of Justice to assist the work of National Spiritual Assemblies around the world, to maintain and beautify the Holy Shrines at the World Centre, and to provide services to pilgrims.
These are not the only Funds of the Faith. From time to time a Fund is established for a specific purpose, such as the Persian Relief Fund or Temple construction Funds. However, these are generally temporary, lasting until a particular goal is accomplished.
Support for the four major Funds was called for by the beloved Guardian, and by the Universal House of Justice. They encouraged both individual and collective contributions to these Funds, a distinction that will be examined more closely in the next article in this series.
We are all generally familiar with the need to support the local and national Funds. After the establishment of a local or National Assembly, the Guardian said, a Fund should be immediately established, and placed under control of the Assembly.
“It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Bahá’u’lláh who desires to see His Cause advance,” the Guardian explained, “to contribute freely and generously for the increase of that Fund.”
In the same way, the believers are encouraged to support the Continental and International Funds. “Urge the initiation of five Continental Bahá’í Funds,” Shoghi Effendi cabled in 1954. “Appeal to the twelve National Assemblies and individuals to insure a steady augmentation of these Funds through annual assignments in National budgets and by individual contributions.”
As early as 1951 the Guardian cabled: “Emergence of independent sovereign state in Holy Land, synchronizing with the rise and consolidation of the Administrative Center of the World Faith of Bahá’u’lláh ... demand henceforth reorientation and necessitate increasing financial support ... The extent of appropriations from national and local budgets of communities in both hemispheres is regarded as a spiritual obligation ... Moreover participation of individual believers ... (is) imperative and beyond the scope of the jurisdiction of National and local Assemblies.” (Messages to the Bahá’í World, pp. 13-14)
These quotations clearly outline the importance of participation in contributing to the four major Funds by individuals as well as communities.
Though at first one might consider his resources too meager to allow for support of all of the Funds, we must remember that there are spiritual principles involved.
The frequency of giving to each of the Funds is left to the discretion of the individual believer, based on his understanding of the needs as expressed by the Institutions of the Cause.
It is certainly not necessary to give to every Fund each time one makes a contribution. However, every Bahá’í has the privilege to give to each Fund directly, and is encouraged by the Guardian to do so.
Certainly by following the guidance of Shoghi Effendi, regardless of the amount given, the best spiritual results are obtained.
Service[edit]
Continued From Page 1
with which I have adorned it have been purchased in the hope that one day I shall be able to sacrifice them for the sake of the Beloved. Then will friend and foe alike realize that he who owned this house was endowed with so great and priceless a heritage that an earthly mansion, however sumptuously adorned and magnificently equipped, had no worth in his eyes ... Would that such compelling evidence of the spirit of renunciation were able to open the eyes of this perverse people, and to stir in them the desire to follow in the steps of him who showed that spirit!’ ”
An eloquent testimony to the spirit of financial sacrifice for the Cause came from Manúchihr Khán, the governor of the province of Isfáhán in Iran.
The governor provided sanctuary in his home for the Báb for 40 days, despite the demands of the Sháh for the Báb’s presence in Ṭihrán.
One day Manúchihr Khán admitted that he recognized the Station of the Báb, and informed Him of his plans to do everything in his power to spread the Faith, including dedicating his vast wealth and striving to win the allegiance of the Sháh to the Cause of God.
“May God requite you for your noble intentions,” the Báb responded. “So lofty a purpose is to Me even more precious than the act itself.”
HE THEN informed the governor that it was not God’s plan that the Faith be established through his great wealth. However, he said, Manúchihr Khán’s gallant intentions would be greatly rewarded, though his earthly days were soon to draw to an end.
Manúchihr Khán, resigned to the Will of God, rejoiced, and made preparations for his departure from this world.
The words that the Báb addressed to the self-sacrificing Manúchihr Khán hold special significance for us today as we consider the subject of financial support for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Not by the means (the great wealth and stature of one individual) which you fondly imagine will an Almighty Providence accomplish the triumph of His Faith. Through the poor and lowly of this land, by the blood which these shall have shed in His path, will the omnipotent Sovereign ensure the preservation and consolidate the foundation of His Cause.”
The privilege to give for God’s Faith is one that He has preserved for the body of His followers. No better time is there than now for each of us to demonstrate the same degree of renunciation and detachment from material things that characterized and animated the efforts of our spiritual forebears.
[Page 6]
YOUTH NEWS
UNICEF helps child tell teacher about Holy Days[edit]
Five-year-old Adam Mondschein started kindergarten this fall in Elsmere, New York. Adam, his father and mother, and Adam’s 2-year-old sister are the only Bahá’í family in his community.
As the holidays approached, Adam’s classmates talked of gifts and lighting Chanukkah candles and trimming Christmas trees.
ADAM felt left out, for no one had heard of Ayyám-i-Há. A 5-year-old has trouble understanding the Bahá’í Faith, much less explaining it.
So Adam’s mother, Ginny, thought of a way to share their gift of the Faith with his teacher and classmates.
She consulted with the U.S. Bahá’í Office at the United Nations about using the UNICEF calendar for 1982 that shows all the Bahá’í Holy Days and U.S. Committee for UNICEF materials especially designed for use by small children and their teachers.
Mrs. Mondschein sent a note to school with Adam requesting an appointment with his teacher to explain the family’s religion and Holy Days.
Adam told his teacher that he was a Bahá’í and that his family exchanged gifts on the days of Ayyám-i-Há.
When the day of the appointment came, Adam, his mother, and sister Emily Anne visited the teacher and presented the gift packet that contained the UNICEF calendar (so mother could explain the Bahá’í Holy Days); a Bahá’í fact sheet and related material for the teacher’s information; and a special packet of classroom lesson plans and materials that focus on the concept of one world, one family.
THE TEACHER was delighted with these unique and well-designed materials. Before this, she had never heard of the Bahá’í Faith.
Adam and his mother also presented her with the book The Secret in the Garden as a gift from the Mondschein family to the class.
Adam’s identity as a Bahá’í is now firmly established in his classroom. As Adam explained to his classmates, “We believe in God and His Teacher, Bahá’u’lláh, Who said all of us in the whole world belong to one family.”
If you would like to obtain this packet to help your child establish his Bahá’í identity at school by presenting it to his or her teacher, you may do so by requesting it from the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. The complete packet the Mondschein family used costs $6 postpaid. It contains:
- A UNICEF calendar for 1982.
- A special packet of lesson plans, maps, etc., for Grades 4 through 6 (teachers can adapt the materials for younger children) entitled “Big World, Small World, My World.”
- U.S. Committee for UNICEF materials for children, courtesy of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF (posters, decals, etc.).
- A fact sheet entitled “The Bahá’í Faith and Its World Community” (for the teacher’s information).
Checks should be made payable to Bahá’í Services Fund earmarked “UN Kit.” A kit will be mailed to you immediately upon receipt of your order.
Youth and the Fund![edit]
In an effort to increase the flow of contributions from Bahá’í youth to the National Fund, the National Youth Committee has mailed to every youth a specially-developed Fund envelope.
“At its most recent meeting,” says Charles Cornwell, secretary of the committee, “the National Youth Committee consulted at length on the critical state of the National Fund.
“THE COMMITTEE is confident that the youth are eager to do their part to help alleviate this difficult situation, and felt that a special envelope would serve to remind youth of their responsibility to contribute directly to the National Fund on a regular basis.”
At the District Conventions in October, the National Spiritual Assembly announced a goal calling for 20,000 believers to contribute regularly to the National Fund.
“The American Bahá’í youth can make a sizable dent in that goal,” says Mr. Cornwell, “by their individual donations. The Youth Committee felt that the Fund envelope would be a useful aid in assisting the youth to contribute.”
The envelope, he says, also makes it possible to keep track of the number of donations received from youth, and the National Youth Committee will be announcing results of the special Fund effort in future issues of The American Bahá’í.
Anyone who would like additional envelopes may contact the National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
World Order pays tribute to poet Robert Hayden[edit]
The Fall 1981 issue of World Order magazine pays loving tribute to Robert Hayden, a major American poet who served as that magazine’s poetry editor from 1968 until his death in February 1980.
Articles include a biographical sketch of Mr. Hayden, an essay on his religious poetry, an “in memoriam” tribute, and two poems dedicated to his memory.
The issue is, in a sense, a double tribute to Mr. Hayden, for most of the authors who are represented stepped forward unsolicited to pay homage to a friend and teacher who evoked love and admiration in them as he did in others.
The biographical sketch, “A Life Upon These Shores,” is by Pontheolla Williams.
The poems are “Words for Robert Hayden” by Jacob Miller, and “Toward the Silence” by Donna Denizé.
Julius Lester’s tribute is entitled “In Gratitude for Robert Hayden.” Gerald Parks writes on “The Bahá’í Muse: Religion in Robert Hayden’s Poetry.”
Exciting story of a boy’s pilgrimage is recounted in Child’s Way article[edit]
Do you know the story of the cloud of locusts at the Riḍván Garden?
It is told in “Naysan’s Journey,” which describes a pilgrimage through the experiences of a child in the lead article of the Sharaf-‘Ala 138 B.E. (January/February 1982) issue of Child’s Way magazine.
In this exciting story, written by Child’s Way editor Mary K. Radpour, the reader is taken to Haifa and ‘Akká in the words of a boy’s journal, kept for his teacher, Miss Milly.
Accompanying his parents and grandfather, the youngster visits the Shrine of the Báb, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, and the International Archives. Keith Kresge illustrated the journal.
A bonanza of craft projects can also be found in this issue. “Connect the Dots,” a planetary mobile to make, an Intercalary Days pocket wall hanging and “Draw Me and Take Me Home,” an activity for younger readers, will keep the whole family delightfully busy!
For Child’s Way subscription information, please write to Subscriber Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Remember steps for successful teaching![edit]
In the December issue of The American Bahá’í, the National Youth Committee encouraged every Bahá’í youth to welcome at least one new Bahá’í into the Faith by Riḍván 1982. Do you remember the steps for successful teaching that were recommended?
- Pick a person.
- Pray for that person every day without fail.
- Be of service to your friend.
- In your conversations, slip in the word “Bahá’í” from time to time.
- Invite your friend to a Bahá’í function.
- Keep praying!
- Be persistent and loving!
- Invite your friend to become a Bahá’í.
- When your friend becomes a Bahá’í, don’t stop there—go back to Step 1 and start all over again!
Forty-six Bahá’ís from the New York City area marched September 27 in the Atlantic Avenue parade in Brooklyn. The Bahá’í youth and children, wearing ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ T-shirts, carried three brightly colored banners, one of which informed the thousands of onlookers that the Bahá’ís were observing UNICEF’s International Children’s Day. The parade climaxed a busy summer in New York that included booths at nine street festivals and a Star Trek convention, month-long library displays, street teaching in many areas of the city, and a Children’s Day picnic at Flushing Meadows.
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
New momentum propels youth toward Plan victory[edit]
A new momentum is animating the American Bahá’í youth as they make greater and more audacious strides toward winning the objectives of the National Youth Plan.
From across the country, reports of victory continue to filter in to the National Youth Committee, allowing in some instances the assignment of additional goals for specific areas.
“We continue to be inspired by the deeds of service to the Cause being demonstrated by the youthful Bahá’ís,” says Albert Huerta, a member of the National Youth Committee. “There seems to be a fresh new momentum sweeping the country, allowing us to meet the goals of the Plan in record time.”
More than 70 percent of the goal for the establishment of a Youth Network had already been won by the end of November, and the goal calling for 50 international traveling teachers should be won by the end of next summer, according to the Youth Committee.
“Each day,” says Mr. Huerta, “the Youth Office receives news from youth who are actively engaged in teaching the Faith and are bringing the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the waiting souls.
“We hope that this momentum will continue to grow, and we are certain that the Bahá’í youth will dedicate their talents and energies to the needs of the Faith in these challenging days.”
Youth Network adds first Bahá’í high school club[edit]
The first Bahá’í high school club was recently added to the roster of clubs in the Youth Network!
The youth of Ashland, Oregon, formed the first high school club of the three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan, and many more high school clubs are expected to be added to the list in the next few months, as the Youth Committee has sent out dozens of club formation packets to communities and individuals who have requested them.
These club formations are an essential part of the National Youth Plan that was launched at the Continental Youth Conference last July.
The youth in Oregon were asked to form a total of six college clubs and at least four local or high school youth clubs during the course of the three-year phase. After consulting on these goals, the District Youth Committee felt that the Oregon youth could achieve even greater victories, and pledged to form two more college and two more local clubs.
In addition, they are aiming to raise up two international pioneers, two international traveling teachers, and four homefront pioneers. They’ve also decided to double the number of Bahá’í youth in Oregon by Riḍván 1984!
The National Youth Committee is certain that this high level of energy and dedication will attract many blessings, thus enabling the Oregon youth to readily win their goals.
Their inspiring degree of commitment is only one of the many examples of zeal and enthusiasm that are being displayed by the Bahá’í youth in America.
Local youth clubs help reinforce Bahá’í way of life[edit]
Q.: What is a local youth club?
A.: At the onset of the Five Year Plan, the National Spiritual Assembly called for the formation of local youth clubs “specifically designed to provide youth with a peer group of social support (that would) reinforce the Bahá’í youth in the orientation to the Bahá’í way of life ...” Local youth clubs are designed to provide an alternative social environment for Bahá’í youth that reflects Bahá’í values and beliefs.
Q.: Why should I be a member of a local youth club?
A.: Club activities present excellent social opportunities for Bahá’í youth. It is often quite easy to get caught up in the “old world” and to be influenced by the negative and material pressures present in today’s society. As a member of a local youth club, you’ll have a chance to socialize with other Bahá’í youth and to focus your energies on building the new World Order. Activities sponsored by local youth clubs are often excellent events to which to invite your friends and to give them an opportunity to share the fun of being a Bahá’í!
Q.: How do I get a club started in my area?
A.: Clubs are sponsored by Local Spiritual Assemblies. You might want to ask your Assembly to consider sponsoring a club in your community. Why not bring up the subject at the next Nineteen Day Feast? Formation kits for local youth clubs are available from the National Youth Committee, which will be happy to forward copies on request.
Q.: Who can be a member of the club?
A.: The guidelines developed by the National Youth Committee state that all Bahá’í youth in good standing are eligible to join. In many areas, the membership has been expanded to include young people ages 12-14. Once the club has been established by the Spiritual Assembly, youth are asked to apply for membership, which should be granted automatically if the youth meets the age requirements.
Q.: What activities can a local youth club sponsor?
A.: Local youth clubs are encouraged to sponsor events that are conducive to its purpose: the creation of a positive peer group. Some kinds of activities that have been successful include field trips, parties, and sports events. Others might include service projects, hosting Feasts, study sessions, and firesides for youth. Some local youth clubs have held successful teaching projects and fund-raising events. In short, the local youth club should serve as a focal point for youth activities in an area, and the club can organize those activities that will meet the needs of its members while attracting other youth to the Faith.
Q.: Can I be a member of a local youth club and a college or high school club at the same time?
A.: Sure!
Q.: How does the local youth club fit into the goals of the National Youth Plan?
A.: The Plan calls for the formation of 500 college, high school and local youth clubs during the second three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan. At present, the youth have achieved more than 70 percent of this goal, but only 62 local youth clubs have been formed. By getting a local youth club started in your community, you’ll be making a positive contribution toward winning this important goal of the Youth Plan!
The Bahá’í Club at Stanford University invites all young Bahá’ís to attend a special College Club weekend January 22-24 at the Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz, California.
For more information about this event please phone Ehsan Talebi at 415-327-0760.
[Page 8]
EDUCATION
Study session on The Hidden Words[edit]
To the American Bahá’í Community
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
In its Seven Year Plan message of January 1981 to the Bahá’ís of the United States, the Universal House of Justice calls upon the believers to “pursue a nationwide campaign, with emphasis on the use of the Creative Word, designed to inspire every believer to live the Bahá’í life, thus demonstrating to their fellow-countrymen the beneficent effects of the Bahá’í way of life achieved through adherence to the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.”
As we strive to fulfill this objective, we cannot but stand in awe at the vast body of literature so richly bestowed upon us by Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, and Selections from the Writings of the Báb all provide us with ample opportunity for study of the Creative Word.
There is one work, however, that appears ideally suited as a starting point for the sincere believer seeking to reorient his life through study of the Creative Word. That work is The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh. Indeed, Bahá’u’lláh Himself reveals in the opening to The Hidden Words:
“This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His Trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine Virtue.”
The following study session is designed to assist individuals and communities in their deepening on the Creative Word by focusing on the many themes contained within The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh. After reading the background information, each believer is invited to take the following 25-item study quiz on The Hidden Words, referring when necessary to the text itself, and taking a few moments with each item to meditate on its implications for living the Bahá’í life.
To further assist in this study of the Creative Word, the National Education Committee is sending each Local Spiritual Assembly and Bahá’í Group (and anyone else who sends a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the NEC office) a copy of the correct answers to the quiz, along with suggestions for using the quiz as the basis for community deepenings.
As you study The Hidden Words it is important to keep in mind that the meanings and implications for action contained within the Creative Word can never be fully grasped in one deepening session. With each new maturing of the human soul come deeper and more illuminating insights into the Writings of the Manifestation of God, more discoveries of the “pearls of wisdom” that lie hidden in the Ocean of His words.
The following study session on The Hidden Words is only an invitation for the individual believer to begin to nurture a relationship with the Creative Word, a relationship that will sustain and guide him throughout eternity.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
‘The Hidden Words’
Background Information
Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian of the Cause of God, in his appraisal of The Hidden Words, refers to it as “that marvelous collection of gem-like utterances” and places it second only to The Kitáb-i-Íqán among the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
The Hidden Words was revealed in Baghdád by Bahá’u’lláh in 1858, five years before His public declaration as the “One Whom God would make manifest.” Revealed partly in Arabic, partly in Persian, a number of the verses were written by Bahá’u’lláh as He paced, meditating, along the banks of the Tigris River. As time went on other verses were added. When given to the early believers, disconsolate at the loss of the Báb, the verses were known as the “Hidden Book of Fátimih.”
Fátimih was the daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad and the wife of ‘Alí, the first Imam. According to Shíah Islamic tradition, Fátimih was grief-stricken at the loss of her Father, and the Holy Spirit came to her as the Angel Gabriel and dictated through ‘Alí verses to comfort her soul. It is these verses that Bahá’u’lláh has identified with The Hidden Words.
‘The Hidden Words’[edit]
Study Quiz
The following study quiz covers only a few of the many themes contained within The Hidden Words. Read each item and select the answer that best completes the sentence, then identify the verse(s) from The Hidden Words that applies to the item. If your community decides to have a deepening on The Hidden Words using this study quiz, bring your answers and references to share with others.
- We were all created from a single source so that __________.
HW No. ______.- everyone would be recognized as a single species.
- everyone would have the same capabilities and capacities.
- no one might exalt himself over another.
- true excellence might be distinguished.
- The company we seek out and the type of activities we enjoy indicate __________.
HW No. ______.- how open-minded we truly are.
- what we ourselves are like.
- what our individual history is.
- nothing more than what our personal preferences are.
- God has ordained all that is in heaven and earth for man, except __________.
HW No. ______.- fame and fortune.
- the human heart.
- comfortable surroundings.
- his soul.
- Sorrow and joy ought to result from __________.
HW No. ______.- our proximity to God.
- our failures and successes.
- the quality and extent of our knowledge.
- the circumstances that God has given us.
- In relation to life on this plane, souls that have left this world __________.
HW No. ______.- see us as we actually are, with all our strengths and weaknesses.
- are kept informed of all the happenings on this plane.
- are not informed of our personal failures on this plane.
- are unconcerned with life on this plane.
- Man as created by God is __________.
HW No. ______.- imperfect and exists only through God’s forgiveness and mercy.
- noble and imperishable.
- perfect but incapable of exercising good judgment.
- a mortal being inherently sinful.
- Prosperity and abasement in this world __________.
HW No. ______.- indicate how closely we are adhering to the Will of God.
- are signs of God’s love for us.
- are accidents of birth and have no role in our spiritual life.
- will pass away and cease to exist.
- In our relationship with one another, we should not __________.
HW No. ______.- practice moderation.
- seek to gain an advantage.
- prefer others before ourselves.
- consider the wishes and desires of others.
- To help ourselves and others to grow, we must __________.
HW No. ______.- hear and see no evil.
- point out others’ mistakes as tactfully as possible.
- call attention to our mistakes so that others can learn from them.
- deal harshly with our own failures but forgive others.
- When seeking truth, it is best to __________.
HW No. ______.- ask the most learned people around.
- rely upon the wisdom of those with the most experience.
- depend on the judgments of those who lead exemplary lives.
- think for yourself.
- The pace of an individual’s spiritual development __________.
HW No. ______.- should be slow and sure.
- is dependent upon the difficulty of the tests he receives.
- should be as swift as possible.
- is irrelevant to God.
- If you wish to be loved and praised __________.
HW No. ______.- be ambitious and productive.
- seek earnestly the good will of your friends.
- acquire the best education that you can.
- seek contentment.
- Receiving God’s love requires that __________.
HW No. ______.- you sincerely desire God’s grace and bounty.
- you first love God.
- you first show yourself worthy by your good deeds.
- you become a “true” Bahá’í.
- The sign of love is __________.
HW No. ______.- fortitude and patience.
- justice and mercy.
- compassion and forgiveness.
- reverence and contentment.
- The true lover yearneth for __________.
HW No. ______.- tribulation.
- forgiveness.
- grace.
- mercy.
- The worst of all men are those that __________.
HW No. ______.- become attached to the things of this world.
- fail to live up to their potential.
- become distracted by the teachings of the “unwise.”
- bear no fruit.
- Entering the divine court of holiness requires __________.
HW No. ______.- a keen awareness.
- a purging of the heart from malice.
- extensive memorization of the Writings.
- the inner peace that comes only from meditation.
- The calamity that will befall the people of the world is __________.
HW No. ______.- massive earthquakes.
- a third world war.
- unknown and not specified.
- clearly predictable from the world’s deteriorating condition.
- God has pledged not to forgive __________.
HW No. ______.- mistakes we might make.
- Covenant-breakers.
- failure to obey Bahá’í laws.
- any man’s injustice.
- Today, guidance is given by __________.
HW No. ______.- deeds alone.
- words and deeds.
- words alone.
- prayer.
- The Hidden Words tells us that the time of our death is __________.
HW No. ______.- heralded by clear and evident signs.
- unknown to us.
- foreseen through prayer and meditation.
- a veil between the lover and the Beloved.
- Those who backbite and gossip are __________.
HW No. ______.- assured of God’s mercy.
- accursed of God.
- ostracized by the group.
- stricken with new tests and difficulties.
- The Hidden Words encourage us to free ourselves from the prison of __________.
HW No. ______.- time.
- ignorance.
- acquired knowledge.
- self.
- At death we are asked to __________.
HW No. ______.- account for our deeds.
- follow the light of Divine Guidance.
- forgive those who have offended us.
- pray for those who have gone before us.
- The wise are they that __________.
HW No. ______.- teach with the utmost sincerity.
- do not speak until they have found a listener.
- follow current events with a keen eye.
- speak boldly and firmly at each gathering.
[Page 9]
EDUCATION
26 new districts set to participate in Education Adviser Program[edit]
Twenty-six new districts including those in California, Nevada, Texas and most states in the northeastern region of the U.S. will participate this spring in the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP).
The purpose of LEAP is to prepare representatives of Local Assemblies and selected Groups on a district basis to serve as advocates for children and youth in their respective local communities.
IN ADDITION to the role of advocate for children and youth at the local level, Advisers work with other Advisers in their district to serve as a resource network of adults to plan and carry out special district-wide events for children and youth, such as the children’s program for Convention and youth camping retreats.
Advisers are encouraged to look beyond “classes” as the only means of providing Bahá’í educational experiences for children and youth. Ways of incorporating children and youth into the “natural” Bahá’í calendar events, especially the Nineteen Day Feast, is an important focus of consultation.
In addition to exposure to educational theory, methods and materials, an emphasis in LEAP workshops is on consultation and communication skills so Advisers can better serve efforts in the local community to meet the needs of the children and youth.
The structure of the program is this: Under the direction of the National Education Committee, national representatives conduct three workshops on the topic of Bahá’í child education. Each Local Spiritual Assembly (and selected Groups) in the district is invited to send one representative (sometimes two) to these workshops. Sessions last six to eight hours each and are held once a month for three consecutive months.
After the three basic workshops, ongoing sessions are conducted approximately every six months to introduce new skills and topics, and to provide opportunities for Adviser participants to share ideas and community experiences.
After the first LEAP workshop, the Adviser representative reports to his or her sponsoring Local Assembly about consolidation activities that are available to the community through the program.
SPECIFIC services the Adviser is prepared to perform include:
1. Conducting an Education Planning Meeting designed to help community members become more aware that the Bahá’í education of children and youth can be accommodated within the community process through particularly (a) the celebration of Bahá’í Holy Days and other Bahá’í calendar events, and (b) the establishment of a local education curriculum for the children and youth.
2. Using an Inventory Questionnaire to provide information to the Local Spiritual Assembly regarding the expressed needs of the children, youth and families within its jurisdiction.
3. Planning and carrying out a Unity Celebration. This afternoon-and-evening program is especially suited as an inter-community activity. It can help the friends explore creative ways of celebrating the devotional, consultative and social portions of Feast. It emphasizes the full integration of community members of all ages and cultural backgrounds and is especially recommended for integrating new believers into the Bahá’í community. The Unity Celebration includes a dinner that is prepared and shared by participants.
4. Conducting a deepening entitled “Responsibilities of Bahá’í Parents and Children.” The simple format for this deepening can be used for other deepening topics as well.
5. Serving, or recommending another to serve, as coordinator for a local Bahá’í parent group, making use of the Bahá’í Parent Program materials from the National Education Committee.
TO SUMMARIZE, Adviser functions are to
- serve as an advocate for the children and youth in the local community;
- conduct community activities on consolidation topics from materials prepared by the National Education Committee;
- participate in district functions that provide opportunities for children’s programs, such as District Convention; and
- help stimulate and develop district events for youth, such as camping weekends.
According to David Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, an important characteristic of LEAP is the latitude it provides the friends for initiating and carrying out their own activities.
“The diversity that characterizes various regions in the U.S. Bahá’í community, and the local communities in each region, is taken into account with the flexibility of the program,” says Mr. Smith.
One direct result of LEAP cooperative effort at the district level was the high quality of children’s programs at the recent District Conventions in all districts where the program has been introduced.
Integrating all community members—adults, youth and children—in a loving extended-family environment forms the basis for consultation by these participants in the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP) in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Quiz reviews recent Assembly development articles[edit]
This month the National Education Committee is departing from its familiar question and answer format and, instead, is providing the friends with an opportunity to review what they have learned about the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the last four articles. After each answer in the following quiz we have listed the past issue of The American Bahá’í in which the subject was discussed.
•
- It is expressly recorded in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings that __________.
- Local Assemblies must be indirectly elected by the friends.
- National Assemblies must be indirectly elected by the friends.
- Local and National Assemblies must be directly elected by the friends.
- Local Assemblies can help prepare the friends for District Convention by __________.
- explaining the purpose of the Convention.
- assuring that all ballots are received 15 days before the Convention.
- sending a community representative to the Convention.
- Voting for Convention delegates is __________.
- the primary purpose of the National Convention.
- not permissible by absentee ballot.
- a sacred responsibility.
- Membership in a Local Spiritual Assembly carries with it __________.
- the option to attend Assembly meetings.
- the ability to attend regularly Assembly meetings.
- the obligation to attend every Assembly meeting.
- A believer may legitimately resign from the Local Assembly under special circumstances such as __________.
- personal differences with other Assembly members.
- prolonged illness.
- an over-commitment to other Bahá’í activities.
- The relationship of the Local Assembly to the Auxiliary Board member is one of __________.
- loving collaboration.
- non-intervention.
- unilateral cooperation.
- An Auxiliary Board member does not __________.
- direct the teaching work.
- report on the proper working of administrative institutions.
- encourage local communities to meet for the Nineteen Day Feast.
- Assistants to Auxiliary Board members __________.
- are exempt from serving on administrative institutions.
- are not exempt from serving on administrative institutions.
- can choose between serving as an assistant or serving on administrative institutions.
- Local Spiritual Assemblies are encouraged to __________.
- deepen new parents on child-raising techniques.
- submit enrollment cards for all Bahá’í children in their communities.
- keep a register of births.
- The Bahá’í burial law requires that __________.
- the body not be transported more than two hours’ journey from the place of death.
- the body not undergo cremation.
- the body be embalmed within three days unless prohibited by state law.
ANSWERS: 1.(b) August ’81; 2.(a) August ’81; 3.(c) August ’81; 4.(b) September ’81; 5.(b) September ’81; 6.(a) November ’81; 7.(a) November ’81; 8.(b) November ’81; 9.(c) December ’81; 10.(b) December ’81.
In this photo taken November 18, construction workers are shown pouring concrete footings for one of two new dormitory buildings at the Louhelen Bahá’í School near Davison, Michigan. Since the photo was taken, plumbing fixtures have been installed and the concrete flooring has been poured. Carpenters are now erecting the frame of the dormitory building.
[Page 10]
NATIVE AMERICANS
Okmulgee launches Native American teaching plan[edit]
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, is in the heart of the old Muscogee (Creek) Indian Territory. From 1868 to 1907 it served as the capital of the Creek Nation and the seat of its government.
It was in Okmulgee that a stone council house was built in which met tribal representatives, judges, and principal Chiefs of the Creek people.
TODAY that same building is an Indian museum owned and operated by the city of Okmulgee. It was from this historic site that the Spiritual Assembly of Okmulgee decided to launch the first phase of its American Indian teaching plan.
The Assembly began by sponsoring a “Native American Series” of seminars during October 1981 to make the Okmulgee Creek Indian community aware of the Faith, its goals and its interests.
Four topics centering on the Creek tribe were chosen and guest speakers selected to present each of them. Non-Bahá’ís were picked for the first three programs, with the last one reserved for a presentation by the Bahá’ís.
The events were publicized in part by 100 large posters in businesses and public places all over town. Local newspapers ran articles about the series, and the Okmulgee radio station aired a lengthy announcement for several days on its daily newscasts.
In addition, direct-mail invitations were sent to some 400 Indian households in the area. All materials mentioned that the series was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Okmulgee.
Bruce Shackleford, curator of the Creek Museum and a long-time friend of the Faith, paved the way for use of the council house for the series, presenting the idea to the City Council and the museum’s board of directors on behalf of the Bahá’ís and convincing them that it would be in the museum’s best interest.
ON OCTOBER 10, the first program in the series was held with about 50 people present to hear Phillip Deere, a Creek medicine man and town chief, speak on “The Traditional Way.”
The chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Okmulgee opened the program by dedicating the series to the Bahá’ís of Iran.
The second program, October 17, focused on Creek art forms. Mr. Shackleford presented a talk along with slides of pottery, jewelry, baskets and clothing to an audience of about 15.
Kenneth Childers, Speaker of the Creek National Council, presented the third program entitled “The Muscogee (Creek) Nation: the Story of a Sovereignty.”
His remarks were preceded by the showing of a color videotape on the subject, produced by Bahá’í Gary Robinson, communication specialist for the Creek Nation. Again the audience numbered about 15.
The final program in the series, “The Spirit Path,” was presented by Mr. Robinson and Michael Jamir, another Okmulgee Bahá’í who works with Mr. Robinson at the Creek Nation Tribal Complex.
Although no declarations have so far resulted from the series, many Indian people who had never heard of the Faith became aware of it in a positive way.
In addition, each of the guest speakers received Indian-oriented pamphlets about the Faith. And 6,000 Creek households across the country who receive the monthly Creek newspaper read about the series in an article that mentions the Faith.
Future community teaching plans include a service project for the elderly Creek people in Okmulgee, letters to Indian churches in the area, and continued development of one-to-one contacts with the Indian people.
Assembly secretaries and Group correspondents—Please include your telephone numbers at home and at work on all correspondence sent to the Bahá’í National Center.
San Fernando Center ‘open house’ proves dynamic, moving experience[edit]
In response to the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears’ call to the American believers to end the recent 24-day period of prayer and sacrifice with a 24-hour prayer vigil, the Spiritual Assembly of San Fernando, California, decided to open the doors of the San Fernando Bahá’í Center to the friends from sunset November 11 to sunset November 12.
What resulted was, for the 30 or so Bahá’ís who came, a most dynamic and moving experience of prayer, fellowship and deepening.
Bahá’ís from San Fernando supplied soup, chili, salads, etc. Others brought favorite prayers and selections from the Writings, and some intensive deepening took place.
Some friends brought sleeping bags while others stayed until dawn, slept at home, then returned to continue the vigil.
A few hardy souls stayed up all night, praying and deepening. In short, the Center was a bee-hive of loving Bahá’í activity during the entire 24-hour period.
The evening of November 11 included an observance of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh that turned into a high-powered deepening and open discussion on the reality of the Station of Bahá’u’lláh.
The evening of November 12 ended with an announcement that more than $350 had been contributed to the National Fund. It was decided to cable the National Spiritual Assembly the news of this unforgettable event.
Since then the Center has remained open every evening for the friends to share in prayer and fellowship and keep the torch burning.
On August 22-23, the Bahá’ís of Mississippi launched a teaching effort among the Choctaw Indians in that state with a teaching weekend at Nahih Waiya State Park near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Cathy Cook, secretary of the American Indian Teaching Committee, came from Arizona to encourage the friends. The weekend events included prayers at a sacred burial mound in the park, a picnic, and teaching with filmstrips. Many Bahá’ís participated, and two Native Americans declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh during the weekend. Shown at the picnic are (left to right) Mack Bell, Effie Joe, Mary Joe, Helen Henry, Mavis Henry.
Gary Robinson, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, makes a point about American Indian prophecies during the fourth in a series of ‘Native American’ programs sponsored last October by that Assembly.
Nevada friends co-sponsor 2-day education workshop[edit]
“Education for Worldmindedness” was the theme of a recent two-day workshop in Reno, Nevada, that was co-sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Northern Nevada, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the University of Nevada’s Global Studies Board and International Club.
The workshop, which was offered for both undergraduate and graduate credit, was attended by 10 school teachers and two university students. Among the participants were six university professors, a social studies curriculum adviser for the local school district, and an elementary school teacher.
Only one of the workshop leaders, Dr. Tahirih Foroughi, a professor of accounting, is a Bahá’í.
The workshop was organized by another Bahá’í, Harry Massoth, who is director of the regional chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Highlights included an international dinner attended by nearly 200 people representing about 40 countries; an evening panel discussion attended by 30 people including representatives of a group of peace marchers who are trekking across country to the United Nations building; a display of Bahá’í and UN posters focusing on the theme “One Planet, One People ... Please”; and a special audio-visual presentation entitled “A Tour of Earth, Space, and Our Place” that introduced a world-wide global education project that is being coordinated by Planetary Citizens, a non-governmental organization of the UN.
A packet of workshop materials offered a variety of pamphlets and articles on global education including a reprint of the article “Bahá’u’lláh’s Model for World Fellowship” by Douglas Martin, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.
Please ask for IDs[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico has asked the National Assembly of the U.S. to inform the friends in American communities that they should ask for identification cards from the Bahá’ís of Mexico who visit this country. These ID cards should be dated 1981-82.
[Page 11]
TEACHING
the Champion builders[edit]
HORACE HOLLEY
Horace Hotchkiss Holley, who was named a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951, served as secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly for 34 years, beginning one year after the formation of the Assembly in 1922.
Born April 7, 1887, in Torrington, Connecticut, Mr. Holley studied literature at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. In 1909 he left college to travel and study in Europe. It was there that he met Bertha Herbert who introduced him to the Bahá’í Faith and whom he later married.
IN 1911, while living in Italy, Mr. and Mrs. Holley heard of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival in France. Mr. Holley had the bounty of meeting the Master on that occasion, and again later in Paris.
His first book on the Faith, Bahá’ísm—The Modern Social Religion, was published in 1913. A second book from the Bahá’í viewpoint, The Social Principle, appeared three years later.
In 1921 Mr. Holley edited Bahá’í Scriptures, the first comprehensive compilation of the Writings in English. He later revised the book, which was published in 1943 as Bahá’í World Faith. He also contributed a number of articles to the Bahá’í magazine, “Star of the West.”
In 1924 the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, wrote to Mr. Holley: “My most precious brother: The recent activities of the Publishing Committee with you as its central figure and moving and directing force, are indeed worthy of the highest praise. Words are inadequate to express my admiration, gratitude and appreciation.”
One year later, in writing to the National Spiritual Assembly, the Guardian referred to him as “your distinguished secretary,” and again as “that indefatigable servant of Bahá’u’lláh, my esteemed
More than 12,400 Bahá’ís attended the 24 meetings in 24 U.S. cities proposed by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears during the 24-day period from October 20, the anniversary of the Birth of the Báb, through November 12, the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh. In addition to his appearance at the meeting in Los Angeles, Mr. Sears was able to attend the gatherings in Miami, Florida, and (shown here) Charlotte, North Carolina. The friends who gathered in Charlotte were able to greet the friends at the San Francisco meeting via a special telephone hookup. Other cities that received telephoned greetings from Mr. Sears were St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The friends at the conferences contributed more than $65,000 to the National Fund and $325 to other Funds.
Teaching Committee names Asian, Hispanic Regional Committees[edit]
To provide more effective assistance to Bahá’í communities in reaching the Hispanic and Asian population, the National Teaching Committee has appointed four Regional Asian and Hispanic Committees.
Their primary purpose is to provide the believers with any assistance and advice they may need to carry out teaching, proclamation and consolidation activities at the local level that are directed toward Asians and/or Hispanics.
Following is a list of contact people for these committees:
ASIAN TEACHING
- Northeastern States—Mr. Farzam Kamalabadi, ______ Watertown, MA 02172 (phone 617-924-0296).
- Southern States—Mr. Khai Do Linh, ______ Langley Park, MD 20783 (phone 301-445-1895).
- Central States—Mr. Bijan Bayzaee, ______ IL 60076 (phone 312-674-4013).
- Western States—Mr. Tekseng Lee, ______ San Marcos, CA 92069 (phone 714-744-9123).
SPANISH TEACHING
- Northeastern States—Ms. Marjorie Corrales, ______ Astoria, NY 11105 (phone 212-626-3360).
- Southern States—Ms. Shirin Selph, ______ Gainesville, FL 32601 (phone 904-373-2296).
- Central States—Ms. Angelica C. Huerta, ______ Northfield, IL 60093 (phone 312-441-7908).
- Western States—Mr. Brian Abrom, ______ Los Angeles, CA 90044 (phone 213-756-5212).
Assembly/Locality Goals — December 1, 1981
| LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES | LOCALITIES | |||||
| END FIRST | GOAL | END FIRST | GOAL | |||
| STATE | STATE PHASE 7YP | RIḌVÁN 82 | CURRENT | PHASE 7YP | RIḌVÁN 82 | CURRENT |
| Alabama | 18 | 19 | 18 | 107 | 109 | 102 |
| Arizona | 41 | 42 | 41 | 175 | 177 | 173 |
| Arkansas | 11 | 12 | 11 | 87 | 88 | 87 |
| California | 270 | 274 | 271 | 619 | 623 | 612 |
| Colorado | 35 | 36 | 35 | 113 | 114 | 110 |
| Connecticut | 16 | 17 | 15 | 95 | 96 | 91 |
| Delaware | 2 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 21 WON |
| Florida | 87 | 89 | 87 | 268 | 271 | 277 WON |
| Georgia | 89 | 90 | 89 | 302 | 304 | 302 |
| Idaho | 9 | 10 | 9 | 57 | 58 | 63 WON |
| Illinois | 72 | 76 | 72 | 368 | 372 | 380 WON |
| Indiana | 17 | 18 | 17 | 117 | 119 | 119 WON |
| Iowa | 13 | 14 | 13 | 94 | 97 | 96 |
| Kansas | 10 | 12 | 10 | 71 | 74 | 80 WON |
| Kentucky | 6 | 8 | 6 | 54 | 57 | 54 |
| Louisiana | 12 | 13 | 12 | 86 | 87 | 88 WON |
| Maine | 7 | 8 | 7 | 71 | 72 | 81 WON |
| Maryland | 24 | 25 | 24 | 112 | 113 | 107 |
| Massachusetts | 29 | 32 | 29 | 182 | 186 | 184 |
| Michigan | 33 | 35 | 34 | 269 | 272 | 284 WON |
| Minnesota | 21 | 22 | 21 | 119 | 121 | 127 WON |
| Mississippi | 11 | 12 | 12 WON | 77 | 79 | 78 |
| Missouri | 16 | 18 | 16 | 145 | 147 | 147 WON |
| Montana | 13 | 14 | 13 | 57 | 58 | 60 WON |
| Nebraska | 10 | 12 | 11 | 53 | 55 | 57 WON |
| Nevada | 11 | 12 | 11 | 35 | 37 | 36 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 12 | 11 | 72 | 73 | 71 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 17 | 14 | 199 | 201 | 193 |
| New Mexico | 33 | 35 | 33 | 133 | 136 | 127 |
| New York | 38 | 42 | 37 | 342 | 346 | 355 WON |
| North Carolina | 40 | 41 | 40 | 214 | 215 | 213 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 7 | 6 | 26 | 28 | 25 |
| Ohio | 22 | 25 | 21 | 214 | 217 | 226 WON |
| Oklahoma | 17 | 19 | 21 WON | 116 | 119 | 113 |
| Oregon | 49 | 50 | 49 | 176 | 178 | 176 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 16 | 14 | 240 | 244 | 241 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
| South Carolina | 224 | 226 | 224 | 484 | 485 | 489 WON |
| South Dakota | 9 | 10 | 9 | 46 | 47 | 44 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 16 | 14 | 75 | 78 | 79 WON |
| Texas | 96 | 98 | 96 | 348 | 351 | 362 WON |
| Utah | 6 | 8 | 6 | 49 | 51 | 48 |
| Vermont | 3 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 52 | 53 WON |
| Virginia | 38 | 39 | 38 | 144 | 146 | 143 |
| Washington | 70 | 71 | 71 WON | 220 | 221 | 225 WON |
| West Virginia | 5 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 59 | 55 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 25 | 24 | 217 | 219 | 234 WON |
| Wyoming | 2 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 40 | 35 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1,622 | 1,700 | 1,628 | 7,244 | 7,344 | 7,353 WON | |
[Page 12]
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)
Opinion
Word of God changes hearts of men[edit]
“You cannot change white people,” said a black professor at an eastern university. He had been denied tenure and attributed the action to racism.
Be that as it may, his statement is a challenge. If one did not believe in the power of religion to change hearts, he might reluctantly accept the man’s statement. For the Bahá’í, it is unacceptable.
THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH was born to change the world by changing attitudes. It was born to create a new race of men. Only the Power of God Himself is capable of this creation.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “There is no greater tie to bring about the affection between the white and the black man than the influence of the Word of God.” (Race and Man, pp. 97-98) In a talk in London He declared, “People get together and talk, but it is God’s Word alone that is powerful in its result.” (“Star of the West,” Vol. XII, No. 6, p. 122)
And again the Master observed, “There is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices; a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible power is the love of God.” (“Star of the West,” Vol. XXI, No. 3, pp. 71-72)
The skeptic may ask, “But do people really change?” The Master spoke of ‘Abdu’lláh Baghdádí, who in his youth was “devoted to pleasure” and was seen as one “mired down in his physical passions.” But “the moment he became a believer, he was carried away by the sweet savors of God, and was changed into a new creation.” Transformed, he then lived “by the Spirit.”
The non-believers were truly amazed by the change—he who had been tainted became pure. His mind was consumed with divine love. He traveled to ‘Akká on foot. There the Master asked him how he was. He replied, “I was in darkness; now, by the favor of the Blessed Beauty, I am in light. I was a heap of dust; He changed me to a fertile light!” (Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 129-130)
We, too, can change if we truly wish to do so and try hard enough. Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to a learned man, and said, “You should follow the teachings. Now you merely read them.” (“Star of the West,” Vol. XII, No. 6, p. 122)
We are assured that confirmations will constantly reach the “ ‘person who strives after the conciliation of the colored and the white.’ ” (“Star of the West,” Vol. XIX, No. 8, p. 248) If even a vestige of prejudice is tucked away in our minds and hearts, let us change that to conform to God’s Divine way.
Glencoe, Illinois, Bahá’ís help present race prejudice seminar[edit]
Seven community organizations including the Bahá’ís of Glencoe, Illinois, presented a seminar October 25 in Glencoe whose theme was “Prejudice: Barrier to the Development of Our Human Potential.”
About 60 people attended the program that included a keynote address by Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly who is chairman of the Department of Education at National University in San Diego, California.
Florence Boone, president of the Glencoe Village Board, opened the seminar by welcoming those who attended. Its moderator was Dr. David Clayborne, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Glencoe.
In his keynote address, Dr. Jordan spoke of prejudice as an emotional commitment to an error that, when translated into action, is usually harmful.
HE DESCRIBED how prejudices are formed, and how difficult they are to eradicate. Then he spoke of the beauty of diverse groups and relationships if trust is present, and of how stimulating to growth and creativity such experiences can be.
The first objective of our school systems, Dr. Jordan said, should be the elimination of prejudice.
Following Dr. Jordan’s address, three panelists offered ideas for individual action toward eliminating prejudice and discrimination.
Panelists were Owen Thomas, director of the Evanston Human Relations Committee; Nelson Armour, principal at a Glencoe school; and Clayton Taylor, supervisor of security at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette and a member of the Bahá’í community of Glencoe.
THE SEMINAR was initiated by the Spiritual Assembly of Glencoe. Community groups that supported the program were the Human Relations Committee, Department of Public Safety, North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe Montessori School, St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and Glencoe School District.
When organizations were approached about the program, they were presented with an outline of its goals along with a selection of Bahá’í writings on “the Most Challenging Issue.”
Among the results of the seminar was more than 130 inches of publicity in several area newspapers including a full-page follow-up report covering in detail Dr. Jordan’s address and the panel presentations.
In addition, local organizations carried announcements in their newsletters, and 2,500 flyers were distributed in the community, so the contents of the program went much further than the 60 people who attended.
Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and director of the Department of Education at National University in San Diego, California, addresses a seminar entitled ‘Prejudice: Barrier to the Development of Our Human Potential’ that was held October 25 in Glencoe, Illinois. The seminar was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Glencoe with cooperation from six community groups.
Members of the ad hoc committee that planned a seminar last October 25 in Glencoe, Illinois, entitled ‘Prejudice: Barrier to the Development of Our Human Potential’ included members of the Spiritual Assembly of Glencoe Bonnie Taylor (left) and Dr. David Clayborne (right) and Bill Hendrix of the Glencoe Department of Public Safety.
Materials are sought[edit]
Can you recommend the names of appropriate non-Bahá’í
Books, films (address and cost)
Slide programs (address and cost)
dealing with racial amity?
If so, kindly inform the
Race Unity Committee
Readers, please watch our page for news of such offerings!
‘Race’ is an often misused word[edit]
| Interact |
To the Editor:
“Race,” as in “racism,” is probably one of the most misused words in the world. Let’s see if we can’t once and for all lay the problems and fears to rest (at least for Bahá’ís) that accompany this widely misunderstood concept.
“Race” can be properly defined as “any human population, large or small, which can be distinguished as a distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.”
THESE genetically transmitted characteristics must distinguish a racial group from all others.
Anthropological evidence strongly indicates that up to about 50,000 years ago there were many easily distinguishable races on
Your letters, cards are welcome[edit]
The Race Unity Committee has received mail from many parts of the country concerning “The Most Challenging Issue.” The “year of awareness” appears to have been a great success.
Mail expressing interest, concern and hope toward the eradication of the last of lingering prejudices has come from such places as Lansing, Michigan; Belford, New Jersey; Taylorsville, Mississippi; Rialto, California; Austin, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Kent, Washington; Highland Park, Illinois; Charlottesville, Virginia; Champaign Township, Illinois; Lyons, Oregon; and Duluth, Minnesota.
Please continue to write to the Race Unity Committee c/o Dr. Carole Allen, secretary, ______, Norfolk, VA 23508.
Reports of your plans to help eradicate prejudice and foster racial amity are most welcome. Please be aware that your letter might reach The American Bahá’í, on the Race Unity Page, unless you specify that you do not want it published. Published letters may not be anonymous.
[Page 13]
Mime artists Bill George, a Bahá’í from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Lorraine Zeller, a non-Bahá’í from Allentown, display the Fringe First Award presented to their five-member mime/theatre company, Touchstone, at the world’s largest international arts festival held last August in Edinburgh, Scotland. These two members of the company created and performed the award-winning program.
Bahá’í mime group ‘Touchstone’ captures top award in Scotland[edit]
A performance by “Touchstone,” a mime/theatre company started by Bahá’ís Bill and Bridget George of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has earned a prestigious award at the world’s largest international arts festival, held annually in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The coveted Fringe First Award was presented to Touchstone for its production entitled “Of Arrows and Roses,” a 90-minute adult mime presentation that ends with a mime based on the Hidden Word that begins, “O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust ...” (No. 68, p. 20, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh).
Touchstone’s was one of only 17 Fringe First Awards presented in August among the 550 new works performed in the festival’s Fringe division. The awards are given by The Scotsman, the national newspaper of Scotland.
Writing in London’s Daily Telegraph, widely respected dance and mime critic Fernau Hall applauded the Touchstone program, saying it “... stands out because of the courage and enterprise of the artists in tackling such a wide variety of styles.”
During its European tour, the five-member Touchstone company also performed in London and Oxford, England, and in the Aberdeen area of Scotland.
Bahá’í presents exhibit of his art[edit]
Michael Wayne Sours, a Bahá’í from Dallas, Texas, presented a week-long exhibit of his art last September at North Texas State University in Denton.
The oil paintings, graphite studies and calligraphy depict the early history of the Bábís and Bahá’ís in Iran and especially their suffering at the hands of the Muslim clergy and other enemies of the Faith.
The exhibit, sponsored by the university’s Bahá’í Association, was dedicated “to those Bahá’ís who today are being imprisoned, tortured and martyred for their faith in Bahá’u’lláh, and to all other people who suffer in the effort to establish universal peace.”
Michael Wayne Sours, a Bahá’í from Dallas, Texas, had an exhibition of his paintings and calligraphy depicting the early history of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths presented September 21-25 at North Texas State University in Denton. The display of art showing the persecution of followers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh was sponsored by the university’s Bahá’í Association and Union Program Council.
[edit]
Bruce Whitmore, secretary of the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee and manager of the Bahá’í House of Worship, spoke to nearly 700 Bahá’ís during a recent visit to the West Coast.
Included in his itinerary were stops in Tacoma, Washington; Portland, Oregon; San Jose, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego, California; and the Bosch and Southern California Bahá’í schools.
“THE PURPOSE of the trip was twofold,” said Mr. Whitmore. “The first was to share with Bahá’ís a sense of the history of the House of Worship and a realization of its unique position in religious history.
“Among the more important aspects of that history,” he said, “is that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and later Shoghi Effendi, used the project as a tool to establish unity within the American Bahá’í community and to lay the foundation for the erection of the Administrative Order in this country.
“The 50-year history of building the Temple is primarily a story of individual and collective sacrifice and struggle—and that story can serve as a tremendous source of inspiration for all of us today.”
As a part of his lectures, Mr. Whitmore presented a slide program that included many unpublished pictures of the various stages of construction of the House of Worship.
The second objective of his trip was to begin the process of sharing with Bahá’ís the exciting plans for renovation of the visitors’ center at the House of Worship.
In the planning stages for nearly three years, the remodeling is intended to increase dramatically the teaching effectiveness of the Temple.
“ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s promises concerning the ability of the ‘Mother Temple of the West’ to function as one of the greatest teaching and proclamation vehicles that we have are truly astounding,” said Mr. Whitmore.
“We attract nearly 200,000 people a year to the House of Worship, but the environment in the downstairs area has never been conducive to capitalizing on that great potential for teaching. We now plan to change that.”
UN Day observance[edit]
More than 100 people from 15 countries participated last October in a United Nations Day celebration sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Hamblen County, Tennessee.
The Bahá’ís and their guests enjoyed food, costumes, handicrafts and dances from China, the Philippines, Iran, Argentina, India, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Micronesia, France, Belgium, Pakistan and Germany.
Interact[edit]
Continued From Page 12
earth.
Since that time, however, there has been so much intermarrying that these various racial characteristics have become so blurred as to completely cease functioning as a differentiator.
For more than a hundred years, anthropologists have been trying everything under the sun (and a few things that aren’t!) to scientifically pinpoint genetically transmitted characteristics that would definitely and definably distinguish one group from another.
The effort has gone through all the more or less obvious things, such as skin color, but my colleagues keep running into (sometimes embarrassing) facts like finding Caucasians in Ceylon, an island off India; or very white “Negroes” in northern Japan, before it was decided that the Ainu constituted a distinct “race” unto themselves—and before even that theory went out the window!
Things such as the number of pores per square inch of skin were tried. That didn’t work either. The point is that modern science says (far too quietly!) that there is one race on planet earth: the human race.
No longer do we need think of that last statement as mere wishful thinking. It’s for real. It is scientifically provable.
Also, large-scale population studies carried out over a great many years have shown that there is no significant difference among various groups of people at any level of intelligence, from genius to idiot.
Certainly, as people travel the world in ever-increasing numbers, not only will the so-called racial lines continue to blur, but so too will the color lines continue to proliferate until it is possible to postulate that one day every “flower” in God’s garden may be different from every other flower. Talk about unity in diversity!
Overland Park, Kansas
To the Editor:
I believe that one can say with assurance that the Master’s statement on race relations, though based on timeless principles, is best understood within the context of those times and conditions—an American society overtly and unabashedly racist, and the consequent social pressures exerted upon a fledgling Bahá’í community, struggling to comprehend and internalize those majestic principles enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh.
Seen in this light, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s meaning and intention become abundantly clear, though one could expound volumes on the underlying spiritual significances.
What is perhaps more significant for these times is the amount of correspondence generated by those simple statements, indicative of smoldering resentments and real or imagined hurts and slights.
The “most challenging issue” remains our most challenging issue. The problem is basically spiritual, and we are no more likely to achieve perfection with respect to this human frailty than with any other (the Fund problem comes immediately to mind).
Making accusations would serve only to increase feelings of guilt and resentment. Conferences can, at best, only increase one’s level of awareness.
But one thing we can do is increase our love for one another, despite our imperfections, and learn to accept one another as something less than absolutely perfect Bahá’ís while retaining the hope for an even more brilliant future.
Who knows? If we can achieve this, perhaps the next time we look for the “most challenging issue,” it will have become something else!
Little Canada, Minnesota
[Page 14]
PÁGINA HISPANA
El Mas Grande Nombre[edit]
“...Al vencedor le daré del maná oculto; y le daré una piedrecita blanca, y en la piedrecita escrito un nombre nuevo, que nadie sabe sino aquel que la recibe.” (Apocalipsis 2:17)
•
El Más Grande Nombre es el de Bahá’u’lláh (La Gloria de Dios).
Por el Más Grande Nombre se entiende que Bahá’u’lláh ha aparecido en el Más Grande Nombre de Dios; esto quiere decir que El es la Suprema Manifestación de Dios. (Bahá’í News, 224)
Alláh’u’Abhá es un saludo cuyo significado es Dios El Todo Glorioso.
Este nombre es usado para conmemorar, para suplicar, para la protección, para saludar, para orar y adorar. No es en el dar o recibir de una palabra, bien sea hablada o escrita, en lo que consiste su sagrado valor, sino más bien en el uso de ella. Su uso confiere Vida Eterna, si es usada fielmente de acuerdo con las instrucciones divinas. El descuido de su uso priva al alma de su desarrollo e inmortalidad.
Usale y presérvale en el sagrado santuario de tu corazón, tal y como se mantiene el ardor de las llamas en los altares sagrados. Cántale 9 veces antes de la lectura de las Palabras Sagradas. Cántale cuando estés afligido o en peligro. Cántale siempre como guía divina. Pronúnciale al despertar por la mañana y al acostarte por la noche.
No permitas nunca que se apague su fuego en el altar de tu corazón. Y sobre todo, una vez cada 24 horas, retírate en un lugar donde puedas estar solo, y mirando hacia el Este, recítale 95 veces. Un rosario con cuentas sencillas es lo más adecuado para este propósito. (Y con relación al uso de las cuentas, el propósito no está en las cuentas, sino en la ayuda que suponen para poder concentrarse mejor y mantener la mente fija en lo que se está diciendo.)
El uso del Más Grande Nombre resultará beneficioso y bendecirá el alma hambrienta y sedienta.
Preguntaron a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “¿Por qué razón todo el mundo tiene que mencionar el Más Grande Nombre 95 veces todas las mañanas?” El contestó: “Es tan sólo para mencionar el nombre de Dios, puesto que el conmemorar su Sagrado Nombre nos hace avanzar hacia Él y nos hace más vigilantes.”
Saludo Bahá’í—Los Bahá’ís tienen la libertad de saludarse los unos a los otros, diciendo: Alláh’u’Abhá, si cuando se encuentran desean hacerlo así; pero deben evitar todo aquello que para un extraño, en un país occidental, pueda parecer como una contraseña oriental. Tenemos que ser muy firmes con nuestros principios y leyes, pero también muy normales y naturales en nuestra conducta, con el fin de poder atraer a personas extrañas. (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í News, 288)
Esta invocación, oración o solemne petición, destinada especialmente como bendición, ayuda o intercesión, se usa, cuando el creyente quiere, como petición al mismo Bahá’u’lláh. Y puede ser usada en cualquier momento que se desee.
ES EL NOMBRE DE LA MANIFESTACIÓN QUE TIENE QUE SER ATESORADO EN EL CORAZON.
ES EL NOMBRE DE DIOS MEDIANTE EL CUAL HEMOS DE ADORARLE.
¡Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá! Esto es la vida de las arterias, posee pulsación. Hay otras venas que son activas. Esto es el llamamiento que crea la actividad. Esto es el llamamiento que da la Vida.
Avanza siempre en el Reino de Bahá’u’lláh; que tu corazón esté siempre ocupado con la mención de Bahá’u’lláh; cuida que tus ojos no contemplen sino a Bahá’u’lláh; y que Bahá’u’lláh esté siempre en lo más íntimo de tu corazón.
Cuando te encuentres en dificultades, di: ¡Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Si alguien se opone a ti, di: ¡Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Aún cuando estés en tu trabajo, di: ¡Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Serás acusado por causa Mía; la gente te tratará de infiel por causa Mía; tendrás que pasar por muchas dificultades por causa Mía. Sé valiente y no temas. Lo mismo ocurrió en los tiempos de Jesucristo.
La musica es una escalera por la cual se puede ascender al Reino[edit]
“Y aquellos que cantan los versos del Misericordioso en tonos de los más melodiosos, lograrán de esta forma aquello, con lo que los reinos de la tierra y de los cielos jamás podrán ser comparados.
“E inspirarán de ello la fragancia de Mis reinos, que ninguno puede percibir en este día, salvo aquellos que han sido dotados de visión por esta Belleza sublime.”—(Bahá’u’lláh, en el Kitáb-i-Aqdas)
“Os hemos consentido que escuchéis la música y las canciones. Guardaos para quel hecho de escucharlo no os haga exceder los límites de la decencia y de la dignidad. Regocijaos de la alegría de Mi Más Grande Nombre, que encanta los corazones atrayendo las mentes de los agraciados.
“Hemos convertido la música en una escalera mediante la cual las almas puedan ascender al reino de lo alto. No la cambiarlo en alas del egoísmo y de la pasión. Suplico el amparo de Dios para que no seais de los ignorantes.”—(Bahá’u’lláh, en el Kitáb-i-Aqdas)
“Entre algunas naciones del Oriente, la música y la armonía no están autorizadas; sin embargo, la Luz Manifiesta, Bahá’u’lláh, en esta gloriosa época, ha revelado en Tablillas Sagradas que el cantar y la música son el alimento espiritual de los corazones y de las almas.
“En esta dispensación, la música constituye una de las artes altamente apreciadas, y se considera como un medio para exaltar los corazones tristes y abatidos. Por lo tanto, ... pongan música a los versos y a las palabras divinas que puedan ser cantados con una melodía conmovedora en las asambleas y reuniones, y que los corazones de los oyentes puedan animarse y levantarse hacia el Reino de Abhá en súplica y en oración.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en Bahá’í World Faith, p. 378)
“...aunque el sonido no es más que unas vibraciones del aire que impresiona el tímpano del oído, y las vibraciones del aire no son más que un accidente entre los accidentes que dependen del aire, ¡mirad cuánto unas notas maravillosas o una canción encantadora influyen en los espíritus! Una canción maravillosa da alas al espíritu y llena el corazón de exaltación.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en Bahá’í World Faith, p. 334)
“¡Oh tú quien has sido atraído hacia el Reino! Acaba tus estudios del arte y sacrifícate más o menos para el Señor del Reino.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 671)
“...considera cuán admirado y alabado es el arte de la música. Procura, de poder ser, utilizar melodías, canciones y tonos espirituales y armonizar la música terrenal con la melodía celestial. Entonces te darás cuenta cuán grande es la influencia de la música y cómo confiere vida y alegría sublime. Has de tocar tales melodías y tonos como para llenar de alegría y de éxtasis a los ruiseñores de los misterios divinos.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en una tabilla a un creyente)
“...por lo tanto, las Enseñanzas de Dios, bien sea la forma de himnos o comuniones u oraciones causan mucha impresión cuando son cantadas en voz melodiosa. Era por este motivo, que Su Santidad David cantaba los salmos en el Santo de los Santos en Jerusalén, con dulces melodías.
“En esta Causa el arte de la música tiene una importancia suprema. La Bendita Perfección, cuando vino por primera vez al cuartel (en San Juan de Acre), reiteraba esta afirmación: ‘Si entre los primeros creyentes hubiera habido aquellos que supieran tocar algún instrumento musical, por ejemplo la flauta o el arpa, o que supieran cantar, esto hubiera cautivado a todos.’ ”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en “Table Talk,” ‘Akká, Julio 1909, citado en “Herald of the South,” Enero 13, 1933, pp. 2-3)
“Todo cuanto hay en el corazón del hombre, lo conmueve y lo despierta la melodía. Si se une un corazón lleno de buenos sentimientos a una voz pura, se producirá un gran efecto. Por ejemplo, si existe el amor en un corazón, mediante la melodía, aumentará hasta que su intensidad apenas se pueda llevar; pero si el corazón abriga malos pensamientos, tales como el odio, se acrecentará y se multiplicará.
“Por ejemplo: la música que se utiliza en la guerra despierta el deseo de derramar sangre. El significado de esto es que la melodía hace que cualquier sentimiento, que se encuentre latente en el corazón, aumente. Algunos sentimientos surgen por casualidad y otros tienen su fundamento.
“Por ejemplo: algunas personas son amables por su naturaleza, pero pueden encontrarse desconcertadas por casualidad, debido a un ataque de ira. Pero, cuando oyen música, su verdadera naturaleza se volverá a implantar. La música en realidad despierta la verdadera naturaleza natural, la esencia individual.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en unas palabras a la Sra. Mary L. Lucas, citado en “A Brief Account of My Visit to ‘Akká”)
El Consejero Continental Athos Costas junto con Antonio y Carolina Otero después de una visita a la escuela bahá’í Green Acre.
[Page 15]
PUBLICATIONS
Trust package ideal for giving books to libraries[edit]
In July the National Spiritual Assembly once again reminded all of us of the growing importance of having Bahá’í books available for checkout at local libraries.
Noting that almost every Bahá’í book in South Carolina had been checked out of libraries there, the National Assembly urged “every Group and community, however small or large, to consider obtaining from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust a package of materials appropriate for placement in public libraries.”
TO AID the friends the Publishing Trust made available “Proclamation Package A.”
This package (Catalog No. 530-041-10) consists of three hardcover books suitable for all public libraries and is priced at $20 (an $8 savings).
Included in “Package A” is Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, an introduction to the Faith that is especially pertinent in light of worldwide attention on the plight of Bahá’ís in Iran.
Also included are The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, a succinct and provocative sample of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, and Bahá’í World Faith, a compilation that will acquaint readers with the wisdom of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on a variety of subjects.
If your community wishes to offer a more complete selection of materials to libraries in your area, one of the following seven packages, which are part of the “Rhythm of Growth” catalog, may be right for you.
Package 30A1, “First Fruits” (Catalog No. 530-011-10, $45), is ideal for public libraries and two-or four-year colleges. It offers some basic Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; a compilation of devotional passages; and two introductions to the Faith.
WITH PACKAGE 30A2, “More Gifts” (Catalog No. 530-012-10, $20), you can add to public and college libraries Shoghi Effendi’s history of the Faith, God Passes By; another introduction; and three perennial favorites—God Loves Laughter, Thief in the Night, and Prescription for Living.
If you would like to appeal to the children who visit your local library, Package 30A3, “For Children” (Catalog No. 530-013-10, $24), is ideal. It contains a collection of prayers and devotional passages for youth, prayers for small children, two cassettes and one album, as well as The Secret in the Garden with a durable cloth cover.
If there is a university in your area, you should consider Packages 30A1 and 30A2 described above, as well as one or all of the following three packages:
Package 30B1, “A Universal Perspective” (Catalog No. 530-021-10, $45), contains the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and Shoghi Effendi, an eyewitness account of the early years of the Bábí era, and a scholarly examination of misconceptions about the Bahá’í Faith and Islam.
Package 30B2, “Biographies” (Catalog No. 530-022-10, $45), includes biographies of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. All will provide valuable resource materials for term papers and dissertations.
Package 30B3, “History Comes Alive” (Catalog No. 530-023-10, $48), contains two histories of the growth of the Faith and an account of Orientalist E.G. Browne’s relationship to the Faith. It also includes a study of Muhammad and the growth of Islam that will provide more resource material for students.
IF THERE IS a seminary nearby, you should consider the 30A and 30B packages described above, plus Package 30C, designed especially for seminaries.
Package 30C, “For the Student of Religions” (Catalog No. 530-031-10, $48), includes three important works by Bahá’u’lláh useful for theological studies.
The first of these is Bahá’u’lláh’s exposition of progressive revelation (The Kitáb-i-Íqán). The second contains His mystical treatises describing stages in the development of the soul (The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys).
The third volume in this package is Bahá’u’lláh’s last major Tablet, in which He quotes some of His most famous passages and reaffirms the validity of His Cause (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf).
Package 30C also includes historical studies of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and an examination of His Revelation as the fulfillment of Hindu and Buddhist prophecies.
To order any of these packages please contact your local Bahá’í librarian or phone the Bahá’í Publishing Trust (toll free) at 800-323-1880.
The Arlington, Texas, Bahá’í community has been carrying out one of its goals for 1981, that of increasing public awareness of the Faith and its principles, by donating books to the Arlington public library system. Shown here presenting books to library assistant Mary Steffen are Bahá’ís S. Poursharif (center) and S. Engs (right).
Utah Bahá’ís take part in weekend retreat[edit]
About 110 Bahá’ís from Utah and their guests gathered September 19-20 in the Wasatch Mountains for a weekend retreat and conference sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Murray.
The conference theme, “Cultural Exchange—Unity and Diversity,” was carried out in discussion groups, a deepening topic, children’s skit, music, an international potluck dinner, a display of folk tales from around the world, and addresses by Auxiliary Board member Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi and Muin Afnani, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.
Among the highlights was an auction through which more than $600 was raised for the National Bahá’í Fund.
Good relations were established with the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, whose camp was used for the conference.
[Page 16]
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED notices in The American Bahá’í are printed free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no commercial or personal messages can be accepted for publication.
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PERSONNEL are needed at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa in several areas including construction foreman with at least 10 years’ experience to assume responsibilities connected with maintenance and repair of Holy Places and other buildings at the World Centre; executive secretary, a highly responsible position requiring composing and drafting letters, conducting research, high level typing skills, shorthand, and accuracy in organizing and maintaining files; inventory control person with experience in organizing and maintaining stock inventory; painter foreman with at least five years’ experience in supervision and familiarity with various painting techniques and materials; photo lab technician with professional experience in processing and printing black-and-white and color film; structural engineer with experience in building construction and architectural design. In anticipation of the occupancy of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, the World Centre also is seeking applications for prospective personnel in these areas: maintenance, janitorial and security personnel, bookkeeping, building trades, general office, library assistant, printer assistant, and systems analysts/programmers. If you are interested and qualified for any of these positions, please send the following information to the Department of Organization and Personnel, P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 001, Israel: Bahá’í background, education and work experience, personal data (age, marital status, health, nationality, language skills, etc.), Bahá’í and professional references, typing speed and other skills, if applicable, and any other relevant information. Please indicate also date available and length of service desired.
DEEPENED homefront pioneers are needed to help restore the Spiritual Assembly of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne, only 1-2 hours from Colorado ski country, has a 30 percent Hispanic population, good schools, and the flavor of the old West. For more information write to the Cheyenne Bahá’í Group, Box 2274, Cheyenne, WY 82001.
FOR TEACHERS who want to pioneer: Six organizations and institutions customarily hold fairs for the recruiting of persons who wish to work in an overseas American school. These fairs bring together the job seeker and the overseas administrator responsible for filling positions with qualified persons. The Recruitment Fair schedule for 1982 is: February 12-13, University of California at Los Angeles. For information, contact the Director, Education Career Services, ______, Los Angeles, CA 90024. February 18-22, International Schools Services, New York City. For information, contact P.O. Box 5910, Princeton, NJ 08540. February 25-28, Teacher Overseas Recruiting Center. For information, contact National Teacher Placement, P.O. Box 9027, Cleveland, OH 44109. February 26-28, University of Northern Iowa. For information, contact the Teacher Placement Office, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. February 28-March 2, the University of Alabama. For information, contact the Dean’s Office, College of Education, P.O. Box 2923, University, AL 35486. March 6-7, Edinboro State College, Pennsylvania. For information, contact the International Placement Coordinator, School of Education, Edinboro, PA 16444. Remember: If you decide to look into teaching jobs overseas for the purpose of pioneering, do contact the International Goals Committee office. The office will have information on other teaching jobs as well as these.
COME homefront pioneering in Frankfort, the state capital of Kentucky, where a Bahá’í wishes to share a two-bedroom apartment with a male roommate. Rent is $90 a month. There are employment opportunities in state government in Frankfort and a varied job market in Lexington, a city of 200,000 that is 20 miles away. For information contact Bob Giles, ______, Frankfort, KY 40601, or phone 502-695-3318 (home) or 502-223-2374 (work).
FRIENDS, if you yearn to serve Bahá’u’lláh, pray about homefront pioneering to the midlands of South Carolina where the average Bahá’í community is composed of about 90 percent undeepened Bahá’ís, responsive to the Word of God but often lacking the literacy, transportation or even telephone to keep in touch or to teach themselves through reading the Writings. A tiny handful of workers finds endless avenues of service to these people. Expanding the Faith to all strata must be achieved! This is a scenic, green, peaceful land with abundant employment opportunities for nurses, farmers and teachers. The area is popular for retirees. The state capital, city conveniences and numerous colleges are within this area. Please write to the South Carolina Central District Teaching Committee, c/o Barbara Ferguson, secretary, ______, Columbia, SC 29204, or phone 803-782-0701.
THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives Committee is seeking to locate, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters from the Guardian to the following individuals: Ralph C. Browne, Pearl Burke, Helen Campbell, Dorothy Dent Dopieralski, Walter Guy, Priscilla Hassan, and Laura D. Walsh. The originals or photocopies of these letters are needed by the Universal House of Justice in its efforts to study and compile the letters of the Guardian. Anyone having information regarding the whereabouts of these letters is requested to contact the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
WANTED: Active, enthusiastic Bahá’í youth and adults to live in Lowell, Massachusetts, for at least two years and help strengthen the community to Assembly status by Riḍván 1982. Lowell is about eight miles from the New Hampshire border and an hour’s drive from the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine. This historic city offers a full range of studies in engineering science at the local university, city bus transportation, and substantially lower rents compared to surrounding cities in eastern Massachusetts. There are ample employment opportunities in all technical fields, especially electronic/computer technology. Answers to specific questions may be obtained by writing to the Bahá’í community of Lowell, c/o Lorraine Matthews, ______ MA 01851, or by telephoning 617-459-1604 after 5 p.m. (EST).
SIX NEW pioneer goals have been assigned to the Marshall Islands. These will be impossible to fill unless housing is provided by the pioneer, as there are few places available to rent. A single-person dwelling costs about $2,000 to build on land that is provided. Anyone wishing to contribute to such a project may contact Elizabeth Anderson, pioneer to the Marshall Islands, c/o the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
THE REED College (Oregon) Bahá’í Club encourages Bahá’í students to apply to one of the top undergraduate institutions in the nation. Reed offers many opportunities to teach the Faith while receiving an excellent education in the liberal arts and sciences; the atmosphere is highly academic and the students highly motivated. There are three members of the Bahá’í Club, two of whom will graduate in 1982. For more information, please contact Lorri Hendon, Box 660, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202. For information about the college, write to the Office of Admissions, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202.
IMAGINE more than 100 new Bahá’ís who are waiting for someone to deepen them, are willing to walk an hour to the Local Spiritual Assembly election, and are eagerly awaiting a homefront pioneer to help them understand the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Imagine Ojinaga, Mexico/Presidio, Texas. Teams are traveling from El Paso (five hours) and Alpine (two hours) to deepen these new Bahá’ís. The work could be hastened if there were a Spanish-speaking homefront pioneer. Teaching positions usually are available in Presidio schools. Pioneer to Ojinaga/Presidio and render a great service for the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Write to the District Teaching Committee of Southern New Mexico/West Texas, c/o Oscar Arrambide, secretary, P.O. Box 1255, Fabens, TX 79838, or phone 915-764-2743.
BAHÁ’Í music student wants to perform classical, popular, folk or soul vocal music with a Bahá’í theme at Indiana University, the country’s largest music school. Soprano range. Will pay for music used or return to sender. Help teach the Faith with music! Send to Georgene Borden, ______ Bloomington, IN 47401, or phone 812-339-3886.
JOBS for pioneers! If you are interested in pioneering and need help finding work at your pioneer post, the International Goals Committee may be able to assist with information on jobs such as the following: Health Fields—Nurse anesthetist educator (Jamaica); Critical care nursing consultants (Jamaica); Public health nurses, LPNs, RNs, NPs (Liberia and Somalia); Health educators and media specialists (Liberia); Medical and biomedical technicians (Liberia and Jamaica); Pharmacy educator (St. Lucia, Windward Islands); Occupational therapists (Thailand); Handicapped rehabilitation specialist (Nepal); Lecturer in chemistry, college (Fiji). Engineering/Technology—Mechanical engineer to manage workshop (Sierra Leone); Mechanical/electrical engineers for plant maintenance (Venezuela); Industrial engineer (Liberia); Road engineers (Sierra Leone); Computer repair, sophisticated systems (Botswana). Education/counseling—Instruction materials design (Lesotho); Audiovisual adviser (Lesotho); Vocational education/job counseling, English language (Korea). Agriculture—Horticulture officer (Botswana); many other agricultural jobs (Africa). For details, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
JEOPARDIZED Assembly in Lynchburg, Virginia, on the eastern fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains, needs help. Lynchburg offers excellent public schools, four fully accredited colleges, two community colleges, and an excellent employment opportunity next fall for an AMI certified teacher in a school that serves children from a variety of backgrounds, on 42 acres with access to nature trails, playground facilities, and a small outdoor porch. Please contact Robin McMurry, ______ VA 24502, or phone 804-237-0578.
HOMEFRONT pioneering opportunity. The Spiritual Assembly of West St. Paul, Minnesota, is in jeopardy and needs four adult Bahá’ís by Riḍván 1982. The present Bahá’í community there includes two married couples, one other adult, and three children (ages 3 to 6 years). The Assembly meets regularly, Feasts and Holy Days are observed, and teaching and proclamation activities are undertaken regularly. West St. Paul is a suburban community of 18,000 only five minutes from downtown St. Paul, 10 minutes from Twin Cities International Airport, and 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. It is close to several colleges and universities, has an excellent school system, many job and cultural opportunities, parks, a small town atmosphere, and a large number of Mexican-American and Lebanese residents. Please contact the Spiritual Assembly of West St. Paul, c/o Mrs. Jean Harley, corresponding secretary, P.O. Box 6093, West St. Paul, MN 55118, or phone Jean or Bill Harley, 612-455-7169.
CHILD’S WAY subscription problems? Changes in the Subscriber Service operation during the last year have caused errors in some subscriptions. If you have a problem with your Child’s Way subscription that has not been resolved, please contact Bahá’í Subscriber Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
PHILLIPS Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, needs to be opened to the Faith. As an alumnus, I am aware of the strong traditionalism manifested there, and ask that any Bahá’í alumni with suggestions contact me immediately. I have February or March 1982 in mind for a public event to which to invite all faculty, and need a respected Bahá’í speaker with credentials. Write to Jon Ring, class of ’72, c/o the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Exeter, P.O. Box 384, Exeter, NH 03833 (phone 603-772-4680).
SEVEN two and one-half minute “Thought for the Day” scripts—suitable for radio or television—have been prepared by the Bahá’í Media Committee of Chicago and are being offered to Bahá’í committees and individuals around the country. The scripts cover radiance, patience, health, unity, fairness, family, and education. Four are based solely on Bahá’í Writings (one incorporating both English and Spanish); the other three include quotations from other faiths. Request “Thought for the Day Set 1” from the Press Secretary, Chicago Bahá’í Center, ______ Avenue, No. 1208, Chicago, IL 60603. If possible, please include $2 per set to cover the cost of copying and postage.
ACCOUNTANTS, engineers and businessmen, take note. There may be a place for you in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Homefront pioneers are needed to help consolidate and to encourage believers who were recently reactivated
Elfie Lundberg: Memories of the Master’s presence[edit]
On a windy morning in early May 1912, 15-year-old Elfie Lundberg is hurried out the door of her mother’s bakery on the north side of Chicago by her mother, who is in such a hurry that she doesn’t bother to lock the door and forgets to take her purse.
Mrs. Lundberg explains to Elfie as they walk that she feels drawn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Master, “like iron to a magnet.”
AND SO IT IS that young Elfie will soon have the bounty of again being in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Miss Lundberg, who now resides in the Bahá’í Home in Wilmette, fondly recalls the crowds who jammed hotel lobbies in Chicago during the Master’s stay there in 1912.
She speaks of the excitement, the joyful anticipation each time that she and the other believers were about to be in His presence.
Shortly after Elfie was born in 1896 her mother became a Bahá’í, and even as a baby Elfie was taken to Bahá’í gatherings. Later, she attended Bahá’í children’s classes and even conventions of the “Bahá’í Temple Unity” prior to the establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly.
As a teen-ager Miss Lundberg was frequently among the groups of Bahá’ís who were with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to Chicago. She walked with the Master in Lincoln Park and was photographed with Him on several occasions.
Miss Lundberg recalls that once she tiptoed shyly up behind the Master and removed a precious hair from His aba to keep as a souvenir of her time with Him.
“It is impossible to tell someone what it was like to be with Him,” she now says with tear-filled eyes. “You should have seen Him walk with His hands uplifted!”
ON HIS LAST DAY in Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave Elfie the name “‘Azizieh” (dear one), and to her mother He said, “You, I shall never forget.”
As a child Miss Lundberg learned about the Faith from her mother and from early American believers such as the Hand of the Cause of God Corinne True and Lua Getsinger, as well as from Dr. Zia Bagdadi and ‘Abdu’l-Karim.
Among the Lundbergs’ many welcome guests was the Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory.
“He was such a wonderful man, so gentle and kind,” she recalls. “You would never forget him.”
Fujita, the second Japanese believer, who worked for the Guardian as a gardener in the Holy Land and later visited the gardens at the House of Worship in Wilmette, stayed with the Lundbergs off and on for several years, says Miss Lundberg. She remembers that he built a small wooden bench for their back yard.
Marion Jack, who later pioneered to Bulgaria, was another of the Lundberg family’s house guests. Miss Lundberg recalls that Miss Jack, an artist, had her paints and canvases everywhere.
Marion Jack’s portrait of Miss Lundberg’s mother, Emma, now hangs in Miss Lundberg’s room at the Bahá’í Home. It is one of her most precious possessions.
MISS LUNDBERG, who watched the House of Worship rise from the laying of its cornerstone in 1912 to its public dedication in 1953, fondly remembers enjoying picnics with other Bahá’ís at the Temple site in Wilmette.
In the early days, she says, there were never enough guides at the House of Worship. “Sometimes we guided all day long, rather than the two- and three-hour shifts they have for guides now.”
Miss Lundberg has attended almost every National Convention at the House of Worship from the first one convened by the Bahá’í Temple Unity.
At the 72nd National Convention last April, she returned to the spot in Lincoln Park where she had spent time with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912 and shared some of her memories of those thrilling days with the children at the Convention.
Over the years, Miss Lundberg has seen great development in the American Bahá’í community. One example, she says, is the abundance of Bahá’í literature and teaching aids available today.
“We had almost no books in the old days,” she recalls. “Only a few hand-copied books existed during the Faith’s early years in America.”
And yet, she observes, the importance of teaching the Faith was as great then as it is today.
“Look at everyone!” says Miss Lundberg. “When will they wake up? We must help them to realize the Truth for today!”
To encourage the friends to pursue the all-important teaching work, Miss Lundberg advises: “Look beyond the horizon!”
Elfie Lundberg (second from left) is seated next to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during the Master’s visit to Chicago in 1912. As a teen-ager Miss Lundberg had the bounty of being in the Master’s presence on several occasions. On His last day in Chicago, He gave her the name “‘Azizieh” (dear one).
San Gabriel Valley enjoys unity feast[edit]
The Bahá’í community of South Pasadena, California, sponsored a unity feast September 13 for the San Gabriel Valley.
Its purpose was to encourage the small and largely isolated communities in the valley to unite in a spirit of love and cooperation, to stimulate teaching, fund-raising and social projects, and to allow the friends from the various communities to get to know one another.
As a result of the feast, a San Gabriel Valley Bahá’í directory and talent pool was established, an aluminum can drive to aid the Fund was begun, and three new intercommunity committees were set up.
Of the 22 communities invited, 15 were represented at the feast, which was attended by 51 Bahá’ís.
Bermuda holds 1st Bahá’í summer school[edit]
The first Bahá’í Summer School sponsored by the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bermuda was held last September 4-6 at the Admiralty House Community Center.
More than 30 adult Bahá’ís and several non-Bahá’ís attended classes on Bahá’í history, the Covenant and Administration, and Bahá’í laws.
The teachers included Bill and Joan Noury, pioneers to Bermuda from California.
At least 25 non-Bahá’ís attended a Saturday evening public meeting and barbecue. Among them was Bermuda’s only opera star, mezzo-soprano Joy Blackett, who accepted the Faith the following evening.
‘Operation Befriend’ catches on in Poway, California, community[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Poway, California, has held a number of recent events in connection with “Operation Befriend.”
First, the Bahá’ís held a “nutrition tea” for neighbors and friends. Small cookbooks were printed and shared with those present as well as recipes for goodies served. A brief lecture on good nutrition was enthusiastically received.
Next, a children’s carnival was held at a local park with 140 non-Bahá’í children among those attending. Bahá’í games were created for the carnival, and local merchants donated prizes for the winners. In addition to the games, there were clowns, balloons, and face painting.
The Bahá’ís donated a tree to the Weingart Senior Center in memory of Hugh Rouse, the first chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Poway. A plaque was placed on the tree, and a special place was made for it in landscaping for the Center.
In September, the Bahá’í float in the annual Poway Western Days parade won second place in the religious division.
To carry out the parade theme, “Birth of a City,” the Bahá’í float had a giant egg nestled on bales of straw from which emerged children dressed as chicks holding aloft signs depicting Bahá’í ideals for the new citizens of Poway.
Following the parade, the Bahá’ís were host to a western-style potluck dinner.
For Bahá’ís only, the Poway community held a fund-raiser for the Louhelen Bahá’í School that grossed more than $400 for its reconstruction.
The program included a fashion show as well as a breakfast.
The Bahá’í community of Poway, California, won a second place award for this float last September in the annual Poway Western Days parade.
Music conference slated for February in Bogotá, Colombia[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Colombia, in cooperation with the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, is sponsoring an International Bahá’í Music Conference to be held February 12-14 in Bogotá.
The conference is directed toward composers, arrangers, and performers of music with Bahá’í themes.
Among the features will be proclamation at all levels with concerts offered in parks, theatres, schools, universities, etc., by the groups and individuals who attend.
For more information please write to the Comité Nacional de Radio, Attn: Sr. Galo Vanegas, ______, Bogotá, Colombia, South America.
Bahá’ís host program at rehabilitation center[edit]
About 20 residents of the Mirada Hills Rehabilitation Center in La Mirada, California, including one Bahá’í, Mrs. Hazel Rawitsch, enjoyed a program November 12 commemorating the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh that was planned and carried out by the Bahá’ís of Whittier and Whittier J.D., California.
Seven adult Bahá’ís and six children participated in the program, which included a brief introduction to the Faith, slides of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Panama, entertainment, and refreshments.
[Page 18]
PERSIAN PAGE
Ten years ago...[edit]
in The American Bahá’í
In a cable to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, the Universal House of Justice announces that after many years of difficult negotiation, an obelisk marking the site of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár on Mount Carmel has been erected.
The construction of the obelisk fulfills a project initiated by the beloved Guardian during the early phase of the Ten Year Crusade.
The Supreme Body also announces the extension of the gardens at Bahjí and in Haifa by the development of a quadrant lying southeast of the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh and the establishment of a formal garden at the southwest corner of the property surrounding the Shrine of the Báb ...
The National Teaching Committee initiates “Operation Gabriel,” a regional teaching campaign in South Carolina designed to establish at least 100 new Local Spiritual Assemblies and to reform Assemblies that were established at Riḍván 1971. The teaching program also calls for the number of Bahá’í localities in the state to be increased to 250 ...
The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum writes to the Deep South Committee: “ ...The news from your part of the world has been thrilling the hearts of the Bahá’ís everywhere and proves that when, far too long ago, Shoghi Effendi told the Americans that if they were not meeting with a response in the North, they should concentrate in the South, he meant what he said; but we so seldom listened ...”
Hartford, Connecticut, is the site of the first of 40 Local Spiritual Assembly seminars to be held this summer to strengthen those institutions and help equip them to handle the affairs of the rapidly growing numbers of believers.
The meetings and workshops, attended by Assembly members from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, are conducted by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Mrs. Caterina Kazemzadeh ...
Bahá’ís from Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska participate in “Bahá’í Week” in Lincoln.
Highlights include a concert at the University of Nebraska by Seals and Crofts, a puppet show given at an orphanage by Bahá’í children, and the presentation of Bahá’í books to the governor and lieutenant governor, and to the mayor of Lincoln ...
Holley[edit]
Continued From Page 11
brother, Mr. Holley ...”
IT WAS Mr. Holley who conceived the idea of a publication that would chronicle on an annual basis the international activities of the Faith. The Guardian reacted enthusiastically to the idea, and thus The Bahá’í World came into existence.
Until his death in 1960, Mr. Holley wrote every “International Survey of Current Bahá’í Activities” for the volumes of The Bahá’í World. The material for these articles was usually sent to him by Shoghi Effendi with pages of instructions appended.
Mr. Holley also titled the general letters of the Guardian to America and to the believers in the West, picking from the text such eye-catching phrases as “The Promised Day Is Come,” “The Goal of a New World Order,” and “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.”
In addition to presenting a great many public lectures to Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í audiences and participating in various symposiums, Mr. Holley frequently taught Bahá’í summer school courses, particularly at the Green Acre School in Eliot, Maine.
On Mr. Holley’s initiative the American Bahá’í News was created in 1924 and met with the Guardian’s enthusiastic approval.
Mr. Holley contributed many articles to “World Order” magazine and to various volumes of The Bahá’í World in addition to his survey articles.
Working with a Bahá’í lawyer, Mr. Holley was responsible in part for drafting the Declaration of Trust of the National Spiritual Assembly along with the By-Laws of a Local Spiritual Assembly, which the Guardian made a pattern for all such legal instruments of the Faith in other countries.
MR. HOLLEY was named a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951. It wasn’t until 1953 that he met the Guardian for the first time, although he had served Shoghi Effendi and the Faith tirelessly for more than 30 years.
Although in poor health, Mr. Holley participated in the first gathering of the Hands of the Cause in Haifa following the death of the Guardian in November 1957.
“It was here,” wrote the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the widow of the beloved Guardian, “that Horace crowned his lifetime of service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh by producing the finest fruit of his knowledge and understanding of its teachings—the Proclamation issued by the Hands, the first draft of which, and major portion, we owe to his pen alone.”
In Memoriam[edit]
- Mary Brockington
- Andrews, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Rosa L. Burgess
- Brooklyn, N.Y.
- 1981
- Eddie Dickerson
- Andrews, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Henry Domke
- Branson, Missouri
- October 10, 1981
- Lucille Ellington
- Fairburn, Georgia
- June 1981
- Kaye Ibatuan
- Wapato, Wash.
- November 5, 1981
- Robert S. Largin
- Old Fort, N.C.
- April 24, 1978
- Edna D. Meinzer
- Klamath Falls, Ore.
- October 29, 1981
- George Robare
- Bemidji, Minn.
- November 1981
- Archie Tichenor
- Dumont, N.J.
- November 7, 1981
- Emma Wilson
- Kalamazoo, Mich.
- October 10, 1981
Washington area Bahá’ís observe World Peace Day at Monument[edit]
Several hundred Bahá’ís from Washington, D.C., and from nearby Maryland and Virginia commemorated World Peace Day with music and proclamation September 20 on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
The celebration included prayers in 11 languages; music by the Bahá’í group Do‘a, whose music blends jazz, folk and classical traditions from around the world; dances and music by Washington-area performers; and an explanation of the principles of the Faith by emcee Marc Towers, a pioneer to the Virgin Islands.
The gathering marked the culmination of months of planning by a committee of the Spiritual Assembly of Washington and the generous cooperation of Bahá’í communities throughout the metropolitan area.
Advance publicity work led to extensive public service announcements on radio and in newspapers, and brought local television crews to the event.
Contributions by Bahá’ís of literature, refreshments, balloons, banners, stage decorations and a professional sound system were crucial to its success.
Organizers of the event were struck by the contrast between the freedom of the Bahá’ís to proclaim the Faith openly in the U.S. and the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Roy Williams, companion of Louis Gregory, dies at 93[edit]
GRIEVED PASSING DEVOTED SERVANT CAUSE ROY WILLIAMS. HIS PIONEER EFFORTS FOSTER RACIAL AMITY FOLLOWING PASSING MASTER AND TIRELESS SERVICE AS MEMBER NATIONAL AMITY CONVENTION COMMITTEE FROM ITS INCEPTION WARRANT HONORED PLACE ANNALS CAUSE AMERICA. CONVEY WIFE FAMILY LOVING SYMPATHY ASSURANCE PRAYERS PROGRESS HIS SOUL.
SEPTEMBER 17, 1981
•
REGRETTABLE PASSING ROY WILLIAMS, STAUNCH SERVANT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH WHO DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS TRAVELING COMPANION TO GOLDEN-HEARTED NOBLE-SPIRITED LOUIS GREGORY AND AS PIONEER TO SOUTH CAROLINA FOR OVER THREE DECADES, DEPRIVES AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY YET ANOTHER PILLAR TEACHING WORK. HIS SHINING EXAMPLE STEADFAST DEVOTION TO INTERESTS BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY WILL REMAIN AN INSPIRATION TO SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS. KINDLY CONVEY MRS. WILLIAMS OTHER RELATIVES AND FRIENDS OUR DEEP SYMPATHY AND ASSURE THEM OUR ARDENT PRAYER THAT HIS RADIANT SOUL WILL REAP RICH REWARDS THROUGHOUT ITS ETERNAL JOURNEY ABHÁ KINGDOM.
SEPTEMBER 15, 1981
•
“The Oneness of Mankind” was Roy Williams’ topic when he addressed the second national Race Amity Conference in December 1921.
Mr. Williams was among those who organized that conference as well as the first Race Amity Conference seven months earlier that was planned at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and held in Washington, D.C.
MR. WILLIAMS was also a member of the planning committee for the third national Race Amity Conference held in the U.S.
For three and one-half years, beginning in 1919, he traveled through the South with the Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory. The two men spoke about the Faith in 30 cities and towns, addressing audiences in schools and churches.
Educated at Howard University in Washington and at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Williams served as director of the trades department at the Hampton Institute in Virginia and as a supervisor from 1939-41 in the National Youth Administration.
He retired in 1973 from his position as a teacher of cabinet making and related trades to disadvantaged children.
Service as a homefront pioneer took Mr. Williams and his wife to Greenville, South Carolina, during the first Seven Year Plan where he became the first black member of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Williams was of mixed ancestry. Many members of his family were Cherokee Indian, and his father, Charles P. Williams, was a Cajun.
Mr. Williams lived in South Carolina for many years. He passed away September 13, 1981, in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 93, and was buried in Wilmington.
ROY WILLIAMS
‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed two Tablets to Mr. Williams, and the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, wrote one letter to him.
The Master also referred to him in a Tablet to Louis Gregory:
“Convey on my behalf to thy fellow traveler, Mr. Roy Williams the utmost kindness. I am greatly pleased with him and my hope is that in future he will be greatly confirmed.”
Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Bernice, a member of the Bahá’í community of Greensboro.
Notice[edit]
Assembly secretaries and Group correspondents—Please include your telephone numbers at home and at work on all correspondence sent to the Bahá’í National Center.
Ads[edit]
Continued From Page 16
after a lapse of many years. Yazoo City, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, is the home of Mississippi Chemical Corporation which is actively seeking accountants and perhaps has other openings. Mississippi has been characterized as having an excellent atmosphere for business investment due to availability of labor, raw materials and encouragement from the state government. For more information please contact the District Teaching Committee of Mississippi, c/o Carolyn Reusche, secretary, Route 1, Box 391, Starkville, MS 39759.
HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed to maintain an Assembly in Morganton, North Carolina, at the base of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The city has many progressive organizations, plus a two-year college, school for the deaf, and state mental hospital. It is in the center of the textile and furniture industries, with low unemployment. The climate is moderate, the scenery breathtaking. Especially needed are a couple with transportation to help in active plans to promote the Faith. For more details, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Morganton, Route 3, Box 726, Morganton, NC 28655, or telephone 704-433-4407.
THE BAHÁ’Í Group of Nantucket, Massachusetts, has six members and hopes to have an Assembly by Riḍván 1982. There are good job opportunities in teaching, hospital services, small airlines, and many other small island businesses on Nantucket, a resort island of 6,000 year-round population 30 miles at sea off Cape Cod. Nantucket has local TV and radio stations, many restaurant and guest house jobs, and art galleries and art schools in summer. Anyone is welcome. One Bahá’í has an apartment to share for one female. Please write to the Bahá’ís of Nantucket, c/o Anna Hall, ______ MA 92554, or phone (evenings) 617-228-2904.
THE BAHÁ’ÍS of Comfort, Texas, need people who are interested in relocating to the Texas hill country. Comfort, an unincorporated town of 5,000 about 45 miles from San Antonio and only 22 miles from Kerrville, was recently rated by Newsweek magazine as one of the 10 most desirable small towns in which to live. There are ample employment opportunities in the area. Interested Bahá’ís may write to the Kendall County Bahá’ís, Route 1, Box 184A, Comfort, TX 78013, or phone 512-995-2599.
JEOPARDIZED Assembly in Moorhead, Minnesota, needs strengthening. Moorhead, a city of 30,000, is in the Red River Valley, one of the nation’s richest agricultural areas. Its total population with sister cities is 100,000. There are two state universities, one liberal arts college, and many job openings for professionals. The quality of life is outstanding. A good place to raise a family. Please contact the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Moorhead, Box 995, Moorhead, MN 56560.
NEEDED: A homefront pioneer to Naperville, Illinois, who would be willing to work for board and room to help an elderly couple who are both mentally alert. One is bedridden and receives regular nursing care. The other has cancer but is mobile. They need meal preparation and companionship Saturdays, Sundays and weekday evenings. Their home is near North Central College, the train, and downtown Naperville. For more details please telephone Priscilla Hofert at 312-355-4686 or 322-7960.
Sharing news of worldwide Bahá’í activities aids unity[edit]
Continued From Page 3
As Bahá’ís, we must transcend this myopic old world perception and ascend to the essential unity that will bind mankind together in love and compassion.
To promote the essential unity and to expand the scope of our sense of community, it seems to me important that we begin to share information and news of all kinds regarding the activity and lives of Bahá’ís throughout the world.
We need to hear from and about our Bahá’í family all over the world on a regular basis, just as The American Bahá’í now shares with the American believers information about our fellow Bahá’ís in this country.
Perhaps by devoting a page or two of The American Bahá’í to news, ongoing events and profiles of our fellow Bahá’ís throughout the world, we can begin to engender feelings of true world unity and foster a closeness of spirit that would make impossible and unconscionable the inadequate response to the Fund crisis that has, to this point, been forthcoming from the American Bahá’í community.
Eugene, Oregon
(While The American Bahá’í is primarily a newspaper for and about the American Bahá’í community, a column devoted to news from other countries does appear on a regular basis. Those who wish a more comprehensive treatment of international news may subscribe to Bahá’í News, a magazine that reports news of the worldwide Bahá’í community.—Ed.)
To the Editor:
Let there be no mistake: the martyrs in Iran have given their lives for a noble Cause.
Yet, each of us must remember the small silent war of the “spiritual martyr” that goes on inside of us every day.
The consensus of opinion seems to be that we American Bahá’ís are always looking for challenges as great as those our brothers and sisters in Iran have faced.
But because we are not killed, that does not mean we do not fight any “battles.” Each day we must smile when we want to cry, bring solace to a saddened one, or engage in some other facet of self-sacrifice.
To feel somehow less important than the martyrs in Iran is counterproductive to the underlying principles of the Faith.
Roswell, New Mexico
To the Editor:
As the sun sets on the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, I would like to share a few thoughts with my fellow Bahá’ís.
I thought the occasion would be a good time to send a contribution to the Fund. After meditating about how it could be “sacrificed,” I decided that, since the income from my oil painting has to go for new supplies of canvas and frames, etc., I wouldn’t worry about it, so I dipped into it. (If Bahá’u’lláh wanted me to continue to paint, I was sure He would make it possible.)
I went to the mail box to mail my money to the Fund, and in the box was an acceptance check for a painting!
Then I went to pick up another painting that I had hanging in a public place, and as I started to take it down, a woman said she wanted to buy it!
Think of this: Within the hour Bahá’u’lláh had more than replaced my contribution!
We need never worry about the “empty cup”—He refills it to overflowing. All we have to do is trust Him!
Crofton, Nebraska
To the Editor:
As Bahá’ís, we are now thinking of our brothers and sisters in Iran and perhaps trying to think of an appropriate response on the part of the American Bahá’í community to show our courage in the face of the persecution there.
Bahá’u’lláh says the source of courage is promotion of the Word of God. Many of us have fears to overcome, based on conventional ways of thinking.
From personal experience I can say that the best ways I’ve found to lessen fear and increase courage have been to participate in direct teaching efforts in Texas and Alaska.
There is also no better way to overcome lethargy and materialism.
If the economic problem we face is indeed a spiritual one, maybe we should start channeling our efforts into the very sound methods of direct teaching that have been developed and are sanctioned by the Universal House of Justice.
Nacogdoches, Texas
To commemorate Universal Children’s Day in October, the Bahá’í community of Butte, Montana, presented a copy of The Secret in the Garden with a cassette tape to the children’s room of the city-county library. Also, since Jamie Colt, the 10-year-old daughter of Bahá’ís Sandra and Don Colt, was chosen to be in a local production of ‘Johnny Appleseed,’ the Bahá’í community sponsored an afternoon at the play followed by supper at the home of a Bahá’í family. Shown are the 15 children who participated, nine from four Bahá’í families and six guests. George Galinkin of Butte has been able to arrange to present two UNICEF slide programs on children to elementary school social studies classes at his neighborhood school.
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others in Michigan.
A representative of the National Teaching Committee was present as the projects were launched in Kansas City and Toledo.
Teaching teams in all three areas are using the orange teaching booklet entitled “The Bahá’í Faith.”