The American Bahá’í/Volume 13/Issue 5/Text
Riḍván message from the House of Justice[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the World
Dearly-loved Friends,
Triumphs of inestimable portent for the unfoldment of the Cause of God, many of them resulting directly from the steadfast heroism of the beloved Persians in face of the savage persecutions meted out to them, have characterized the year just ending.
The effect of these developments is to offer such golden opportunities for teaching and further proclamation as can only lead, if vigorously and enthusiastically seized, to large scale conversion and an increasing prestige.
HEARTWARMING progress in the construction of the Indian and Western Samoan Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs, the opening of the second Bahá’í radio station of Latin America in Peru, the establishment of the European office of the Bahá’í International Community in Geneva, steady advances in the second phase of the Seven Year Plan, encouraging expansion of the systematized Bahá’í education of children, sacrifice and generous outpouring of funds from a growing number of friends, all testify to the abundant confirmations with which Bahá’u’lláh rewards the dedicated efforts of His loved ones throughout the world.
The world-wide attention accorded the Faith in the media, which has opened wide the doors of mass proclamation of the divine Message, and the sympathetic discussion of it in the highest councils of mankind with the resulting actions taken by sovereign governments and international authorities, are unprecedented in Bahá’í history.
All this, dear friends, augurs well for the coming year which is rich in Bahá’í occasions. The fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf will be commemorated at the five International Conferences and by the publication of a book, compiled at the World Centre, comprising texts about her and some hundred of her own letters; the move to the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice will take place; in November the twenty-fifth anniversary of the passing of our beloved Guardian will coincide with the midway point of the Seven Year Plan and the year will terminate with the fifth International Convention when members of National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world will come to Haifa to elect the Universal House of Justice.
The distinguished and invaluable activities of the beloved Hands of the Cause are a source of pride and joy to the entire Bahá’í world. The assumption of wider responsibilities by each Continental Board of Counsellors is proving an unqualified success and we express our warm thanks and admiration to the International Teaching Centre and all the Counsellors for the great contribution they are making, in increasing measure, to the stability and development of the embryonic world order of Bahá’u’lláh.
AS TO Bahá’í youth, legatees of the heroic early believers and now standing on their shoulders, we call upon them to redouble their efforts, in this day of widespread interest in the Cause of God, to enthuse their contemporaries with the divine Message and thus prepare themselves for
In photo at left, Rep. Don Bonker (right), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, greets Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, at a luncheon March 30 in Washington, D.C. Above: Mr. Mitchell is interviewed by ABC-TV about the situation of Bahá’ís in the Falkland Islands.
Prayer meeting is disrupted in West Virginia[edit]
The shadow of persecution of the Faith in Iran darkened the landscape in Morgantown, West Virginia, March 27 as a Bahá’í observance of the Day of Prayer called for by the National Spiritual Assembly to honor Bahá’ís martyred in the Cradle of the Faith had to be moved because of telephoned threats that were believed to have come from Iranian students at West Virginia University.
Representatives of the Hotel Morgan, which was to have been the site of the meeting, called on the Bahá’ís shortly before it was scheduled to be held and refunded a deposit, explaining that they had received threats from a group of Iranian students who promised to disrupt the gathering, damage the hotel, and cause the Bahá’ís physical harm.
IT MARKED the second time in as many months that a Bahá’í gathering in this country was disrupted by Iranian students.
| What’s inside
THE PUBLIC Affairs Committee reports a great upsurge in media publicity for the Faith. Page 6 SUMMER teaching projects around the world are detailed by the International Goals Committee. Page 8 A COMPLETE listing of U.S. Bahá’í Summer Schools. Pages 10-11 A CRY from the Heart, a powerful new book by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, is now available. Page 15 |
On February 27, Muslim students at the University of Nevada-Reno appeared at an Ayyám-i-Há party being held in a building across from the university campus in Reno.
The students chanted pro-Khomeini slogans and distributed anti-Bahá’í literature. No violence was reported, and the 100 believers and their guests left the building without further incident.
On learning of the possibility of violence in Morgantown, Gloria Allen, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly, immediately contacted the Bahá’í National Center, and her report was brought to the attention of the National Spiritual Assembly, which was conducting its monthly meeting that weekend.
Telegrams were sent to Gov. John D. Rockefeller of West Virginia, Mayor James Craig of Morgantown, and E. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University, in which the National Assembly appealed for a full investigation of the threats of violence against the Bahá’í community of Morgantown.
The telegrams read: “We are deeply shocked that threats of
Iran persecutions
Bahá’ís present case to Congress[edit]
Bahá’ís were scheduled to testify early in May at hearings into religious persecution throughout the world that are being conducted in Washington, D.C., by the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The hearings, chaired by the Hon. Don Bonker (D-Washington state), were convened February 10.
IN HIS opening statement at that time, Rep. Bonker said, “In Iran, the situation is desperate as the Bahá’í community has been singled out for extermination by the Islamic authorities solely because of their faith ...”
The Bahá’í representatives planned to offer documentary evidence of the systematic effort in Iran to eliminate the Faith by attacking its leadership and denying its members such basic rights as employment, education, marriage, ownership of property and other assets, adequate medical care, and even burial.
They were to present graphic proof as well of the destruction of Bahá’í Holy Places in the Cradle of the Faith and of the murders since the Islamic revolution in 1979 of more than 100 Bahá’ís including eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran who were executed without trial last December.
In addition, scores of Bahá’ís are missing and presumed dead in Iran including the members of its previous National Spiritual Assembly who disappeared in August 1980.
To help generate interest in the hearings, Rep. Bonker sponsored a luncheon/seminar March 30 at the James Madison annex of the Library of Congress in Washington, at which Bahá’í representatives presented information about the situation of their co-religionists in Iran. BESIDES discussions of the
Manila Conference to Australia[edit]
The Bahá’í International Conference that was scheduled to be held May 7-9 in Manila, the Philippines, has been canceled because of political unrest in that country.
The Universal House of Justice requested the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia to act as host since that country is located at the southern pole of the spiritual axis referred to by the beloved Guardian as extending from “the Antipodes to the northern islands of the Pacific Ocean ...”
The conference will therefore be held in Canberra from September 2-5, 1982. The Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery will attend as the representative of the Universal House of Justice.
It is hoped that all those who had planned to attend the Manila Conference will find it possible to support the one now scheduled for Canberra.
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
Editorial
Teaching best response to Iran’s crisis[edit]
For almost four years the Bahá’í world has lived with the nightmare of watching while our brothers and sisters in Iran face the kind of vicious persecution that forebodes systematic extermination. No end is in sight, only escalating suffering.
Furthermore, as this crisis has increased so has the need for increased vigilance by Bahá’ís all over the world, lest information fall into the hands of the enemies of the Faith that could further endanger the Iranian Bahá’ís.
SURELY most believers are aware by now of the many fruits gained by the sacrifice of the martyrs.
Their courage and steadfastness have helped propel the blessed Name of Bahá’u’lláh forward at a rate that makes it almost impossible to keep abreast of the coverage accorded the Faith by the world’s news media. The number of newspaper column inches and radio and television interviews is truly unprecedented and a cause for great rejoicing.
But what has been the response of the American Bahá’í community to these historic times? Many of the friends have expressed frustration and a belief that we do not pay enough attention to the plight of the Iranian Bahá’ís; some have said that the Faith is not doing enough to stop the persecutions.
On the other hand, there are those who are fearful of being part of a group that is facing persecution, or who feel that too much emphasis is being placed on the martyrdoms. While such sentiments are understandable, they reflect a lack of full understanding of the nature of the crisis.
We must not forget for a moment that there are Bahá’ís who are risking everything, even their lives, for the sake of the Faith.
We should be proud of their example, for they prove daily that the Bahá’í Faith is worth dying for. We should help them with our prayers. But we should not become paralyzed and fearful.
INSTEAD, we must place our trust firmly in God and know that the Supreme Concourse is assisting the Bahá’ís throughout the world including those in Iran.
We must also trust that the institutions of the Faith are taking every possible step to alleviate the persecution and suffering of our friends in Iran and to focus world attention on the tyranny and oppression practiced by the enemies of the Cause of God.
Already, some results of these actions can be seen. The regime in Iran, which once flouted the killing of Bahá’ís, now carries out its executions in secret lest it incur the wrath of world opinion.
And in this country the eyes of Congress are now focused on the persecutions, resulting in an invitation to present our case before a congressional hearing.
But what can the individual believer do to help his brethren in Iran? The answer is simple: Teach.
Never before have the doors been open wider in this country with opportunities to teach and proclaim the Faith. If it is the obvious goal of our enemies to wipe the Bahá’í Faith off the face of the earth, what better way is there to thwart their purpose than by making the Faith stronger by winning to the Cause an unprecedented number of avowed new believers.
For every Bahá’í in Iran who falls before the firing squads’ bullets, let us raise up 100 to carry on his work. We must seize this opportunity and heighten our resolve to be the best Bahá’ís we can be so that we will be worthy of the sacrifices being made that our Faith might live and grow.
Only in this way will we have truly honored the blessed memory of our fallen heroes and heroines.
11-year-old Bahá’í receives top science award[edit]
Eleven-year-old Jayanne Bixby, daughter of Fred and Janet Bixby, members of the Bahá’í community of Chicago, has received the highest science project award possible for a sixth grade student in the Chicago public school system.
Her project, “The Eye and Its Diseases,” was selected for top honors from among 100 student projects in her district. The judging was done by science professionals whose time was donated by their various science and industry companies.
JAYANNE’S exhibit included special viewers to demonstrate the various degrees of partial vision experienced by people who are partially sighted, even though they may be considered legally blind.
Her display also included a model of the eye, a limited field vision chart, and diagrams showing diseases of the eye, their effects on vision, and possible treatments.
In recognition of her achievement, Jayanne and the other top sixth grade science students from the other districts in Chicago were to participate in a special visit to the city’s Museum of Science and Industry.
On weekends, Jayanne, whose mother is blind and whose father has only partial vision, serves as a guide for a group of blind and partially-sighted children who are enrolled in a special recreational program at the Vision Foundation.
She is secretary of her school’s student council and a member of the math club.
Jayanne’s Bahá’í activities include caring for children at Nineteen Day Feasts, attending the North Shore Bahá’í School in Wilmette, and attending the annual Green Lake Bahá’í Conference in Wisconsin.
Bahá’ís and their guests in Eugene, Oregon, enjoyed a puppet play January 17 that commemorated World Religion Day. The play was adapted by Steve Boergadine of Cottage Grove, Oregon, from Cynthia Walcott’s book, The Gift. It shows how various animals who are hostile toward one another learn to live in peace and harmony. Nine puppeteers participated in the play, which was narrated by Mary Hackler (right with book).
Letters
Commitment to kindness, concern best way to support Bahá’í parents[edit]
| The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of general interest. Letters should be as brief as possible, and are subject to editing for length and style. Please address letters to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. |
To the Editor:
In answer to the letter from Janice Renwick (February) asking what specific kinds of support, love and consideration are being asked for by mothers, the question itself is a start and should be asked of parents and children in every community by the members of that community.
I have a few suggestions to share.
WHEN there is a family in your community with an infant or small child, they must be made to feel welcome in the friends’ homes. No committee is needed for this.
A personal commitment has to be made by every individual to treat the parents and child, or children, with kindness and to show concern by offering his or her help.
For example, if a parent is struggling at Feast to quiet a baby, which is fussing during the readings, or while a letter from the National Assembly is being read, what do you do?
(a) Smile and try to ignore the distraction; (b) give the parent a dirty look; (c) give the child a dirty look; or (d) offer to hold the baby.
If you chose “d,” you’d be doing so much to help fulfill the parent’s need for love, support and consideration.
Another way to think of it is that we are basically one family. So treat others as your brothers and sisters, and the children as your grandchildren, nieces and nephews, or sons and daughters.
TAKING a special interest in the parents and children outside of community activities also is important. Befriend the friends. Offer to babysit, or give them a phone call now and then.
As the children grow older the same rules of kindness and concern apply. Show your personal interest in these tender leaves of the Faith.
Society is full of tests for parents. They need a community and friends that are aware and concerned, willing to give of themselves however they can to help assure the safety, growth and knowledge of their children.
Although married, I am not a parent. But if and when I have children, I pray that the Bahá’ís I know will give me their love, support and concern to help my family insure its hope for a better future and a better world in the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings—and perhaps even more importantly, to help me deal with the world as it is.
Torrance, California
To the Editor:
We wanted to let the readers of The American Bahá’í know about some of the feats recently accomplished by youth living in Washington state, as far as pioneering is concerned.
A year ago Sandy Spell and Mina Sperling left for Denmark and Sweden to fulfill goals there.
Their departure has led to a flood of pioneers from the state, many of them youth.
Beeta Keramati left recently with her mother to join her family in Australia. Both she and her cousin, Deena Meshgin, are pioneers for the Seven Year Plan.
Also, Rainn Wilson and his parents soon will be leaving for their posts in Africa.
Youth are serving on the homefront too. Hengameh Heravi has left for Oklahoma; Debbie Larson is enrolled at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, hoping
the Champion builders[edit]
HOOPER HARRIS
William Hooper Harris, whom the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, called “one of the leading apostles of Bahá’u’lláh,” was born December 14, 1866, in New York City and spent his early childhood in Nashville, Tennessee.
As a youth he was interested in studying law, but family financial difficulties required that he work, so he had to study law at night.
WHEN HE WAS 21 years old, Mr. Harris was married to Sarah Gertrude Rawls of Birmingham, Alabama. He was admitted to the bar in Birmingham in 1893, and the following year he and his wife moved to New York City where Mr. Harris became a court reporter.
It was Mrs. Harris who, in 1898, first heard of the Faith. She quickly realized that it marked the fulfillment of her search for spiritual truth. Mr. Harris accompanied her to Bahá’í meetings, and he too soon declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
It was in 1906 that Mr. Harris decided to answer ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s call for an American to help teach the Cause in India.
Accompanied by Harlan Ober of Beverly, Massachusetts, he sailed from New York for ‘Akká on November 10, 1906, to receive instructions from the Master.
Mr. Harris later said that when he asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for specific guidance concerning how to teach the Faith in India, His advice was to face people with a smile, the love of God, and entire reliance on the Holy Spirit.
The Master sent with Messrs. Harris and Ober two Persian believers, neither of whom spoke English.
JANABI Ibn Abhar was an elderly Bahá’í who had suffered long years of imprisonment for the Faith. The fourth traveler was
2 Native American Bahá’ís at Kennedy Center[edit]
Native American Bahá’ís Kevin Locke of Vermillion, South Dakota, and Phil Lucas of Issaquah, Washington, were among a group of traditional Indian performers and Hollywood stars who appeared March 4 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The special program to raise scholarship funds was sponsored by the Council of Energy Tribes, an organization devoted to helping native peoples become involved in the management of underground resources on Indian lands.
MR. LOCKE, a member of the Sioux tribe, performed a traditional “hoop dance” using 28 hoops at one time.
He describes the dance, which took him two years to develop to its present state, as a “choreographed prayer” that had its origins in a vision of the unity of all peoples seen by Sioux Chief Crazy Horse during a period of fasting and prayer when he knew his death was imminent.
A part of Mr. Locke’s performance was telecast during news programs on two networks, CBS and NBC, on March 3, the day after the special program in Washington.
Mr. Lucas, who is chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Issaquah and co-producer of the PBS television series “Images of Indians,” was a writer for the special program at the Kennedy Center as well as one of the performers in that event.
Mr. Locke, the only member of his tribe and one of only a handful of Native Americans who play the traditional Indian flute, demonstrated that wooden instrument and explained its role in traditional Indian life during the second North American Native Council held in July 1980 at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
He cut short his participation in a cultural exchange program in France and Scandinavia sponsored by the South Dakota Arts Council, by whom he is employed, to perform at the Kennedy Center.
Other recent cultural exchange programs have taken Mr. Locke to Spain, Australia, and nine African countries.
Discussions with members of the audience following performances of traditional Sioux music and dance, he says, often include mention of the Faith.
Mr. Locke and another Native American believer from Canada are planning to form a group of traveling teachers who will perform and teach indigenous peoples this summer in Ecuador and Bolivia.
Kevin Locke, a Native American Bahá’í who is a member of the Sioux Indian tribe, performs a traditional ‘hoop dance’ using 28 hoops at one time.
N. Hampshire Bahá’ís ‘befriend’ English students[edit]
Bahá’ís in New Hampshire have found a sure-fire way to put “Operation Befriend” into action—by teaching English as a second language.
In response to a suggestion made at last year’s District Convention, Bahá’ís from Bedford, Concord, Dover, Exeter and Manchester are teaching Laotians, Greeks, Chinese, Cambodians and Hispanics to speak English.
As a result, they have made many new friends for the Faith while meeting three major community goals: (1) reaching minorities; (2) providing a community service; and (3) developing contacts with community leaders.
Irene Richmond of Bedford has been tutoring for several months. She received basic training in the technique of teaching English as a second language (ESL), was matched with a student and now teaches two or more hours a week.
Other Bahá’ís in the statewide program are Laila Cate and Anthony and Marian Joy of Manchester; Paul Tamburro of Exeter, and Ann Jennings of Dover. Tom Sousa of Concord is coordinator of adult ESL programs in New Hampshire.
If you’d like to participate, contact your local adult education program or write to the state Director of Adult Basic Education at the state capitol.
Lawrence Fey (second from right), chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Smithtown, New York, presents a $100 U.S. savings bond to the winner in the Assembly’s recent essay contest on ‘The United Nations Year of the Disabled’ as two of the three contest judges look on.
Smithtown believers sponsor Year of Disabled essay contest[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Smithtown, New York, recently sponsored an essay contest whose theme was “1981 Is the Year of the Disabled—What Does This Mean to Me?”
The contest, which was open to students from the sixth to ninth grades, drew many entries.
Judges were an adjunct professor of English at a state university, a city council member, and an executive director of the Suffolk County United Cerebral Palsy Association.
Prize for the best essay was a $100 U.S. savings bond; second prize was a $50 savings bond. The prizes were given during a ceremony at the United Cerebral Palsy Center.
The event generated excellent news coverage, both before and after the contest.
Institute receives gift from Rúḥíyyih Khánum[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum has sent a special gift for the first hogan to be built at the Southwest Bahá’í Institute in Arizona.
The gift, a framed woven rendering of the Greatest Name, was given to Ben Kahn, a Navajo Indian from Window Rock, Arizona, during his recent pilgrimage to the World Centre.
The first hogan at the Institute is scheduled to be built this summer.
Howard U. address by Dr. Kazemzadeh[edit]
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly and chairman of the Committee on Middle Eastern Studies at Yale University, delivered the keynote address during a program February 21 at Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel in Washington, D.C., that was devoted to the Bahá’í Faith, human rights, and the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
It was in the Rankin Chapel in 1912 that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá first raised the call for racial unity in the U.S.
The historic chapel was filled to overflowing for Dr. Kazemzadeh’s address, entitled “The Universality of Human Rights.”
The talk was warmly received by the audience of students, faculty, other invited guests and Bahá’ís from the surrounding area, and was carried in its entirety on the university radio station, WHUR-FM.
Dr. Evans Crawford, dean of the chapel, read a prayer revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which was followed by a choral response.
In his introduction of Dr. Kazemzadeh, Dr. Crawford gave a brief history of Howard University’s connection with the Faith and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence in that chapel in 1912.
The invitation extended to Dr. Kazemzadeh was a result of several years of dedicated work by the Bahá’í Club at Howard University, which also has appointed Dr. Elsie Austin, a Bahá’í from suburban Maryland, as one of the coordinated campus ministries, representing the Bahá’í Faith.
Hearings in Washington focus on Iran oppression[edit]
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most recent reports about persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran, there were reports on the recently concluded session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, by the Hon. Michael Novak and the Hon. Richard Schifter, co-chairmen of the U.S. delegation to the Geneva conference.
Among those attending the luncheon, which was described by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, as “highly successful,” were six members of the U.S. State Department; a large number of congressional staff members; representatives of non-government organizations concerned with human rights and religious issues; representatives of the Brookings Institute and the Center for Strategic & International Studies; and members of local and national news media.
Counsellor Sarah M. Pereira and three members of the National Spiritual Assembly—Mr. Mitchell, Dr. Dwight W. Allen and Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh—were among the 10 Bahá’ís who were present at the event.
On March 12, about a month after the congressional hearings began in Washington, news was received at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette that the UN Human Rights Commission had adopted a resolution concerning the situation in Iran.
In that resolution, the Commission expressed its “deep concern” over continuing reports of “grave violations of human rights” in Iran, urged the government of Iran to “respect and ensure, to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, the rights recognized in the relevant International Covenant,” and requested that the Secretary-General establish direct contact with the government of Iran on the human rights situation prevailing in that country and to continue his efforts “to endeavour to ensure that the Bahá’ís are guaranteed full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms ...”
The subsequent takeover by Argentina of the British-owned Falkland Islands early in April once again turned the attention of U.S. news media toward the Faith, since 21 of the islands’ estimated 41 American residents are Bahá’ís (12 adults and nine children).
Shortly after the takeover and the dispatch of a fleet of British ships to the Falklands, the secretary of the National Assembly was interviewed by the ABC, CBS and NBC television networks regarding the situation in the islands and its possible consequences for the Bahá’ís there.
Newsweek magazine, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times were among the major print media that phoned the Bahá’í National Center to ask for information about the Falklands, and particularly about the Bahá’ís who are living there.
Bahá’ís and others attending a March 30 luncheon in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations listen to a report of the recent session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.
Meeting[edit]
Continued From Page 1
property damage and bodily harm by a group suspected of being Islamic Iranian students at West Virginia University have been allowed to prevent local Bahá’ís in Morgantown from holding a publicly announced prayer meeting for their co-religionists recently executed in Iran. Meeting was scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 27, at the Hotel Morgan.
We urgently request a full investigation, public disclosure of the facts of this incident, and assurance that the rights of American Bahá’ís to assemble freely will be protected.”
MEANWHILE, in Morgantown, local police were sent to the hotel to guard against possible trouble even though the Bahá’í meeting was moved to Mrs. Allen’s home outside the city.
The reported threat against the Bahá’ís came only a week after a group alleged to be Iranian students disrupted a “Women’s Day” gathering in Morgantown and attacked an Iranian woman for wearing western clothing.
News releases about the Morgantown incident were prepared by the Office of Public Affairs and sent to media in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Charleston and Parkersburg, West Virginia, including regional offices of the two national wire services.
Reports of the threat were broadcast on the West Virginia public television network, by two local radio stations, local TV stations in Charleston and Parkersburg, and by Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV, which sent a reporter to Morgantown to interview Mrs. Allen, hotel representatives, and local police.
Articles were published in the Morgantown Dominion-Post, the Clarksburg Telegram and the Atlanta (Georgia) Journal.
The Atlanta paper printed a lengthy article on its editorial page April 2 under the headline “Iran’s terror tactics reaching U.S. Bahá’ís” after contacting the Office of Public Affairs for more details.
“We may not be able to stop the attacks on the Bahá’ís in Iran,” the article said, “but we surely can do something about attempts to rob American Bahá’ís of their right to gather and worship as they please in this country.”
Referring to Iranian Muslims, it concluded by stating that “... if they try to persecute Bahá’ís in this country they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law—or shipped out on the next boat.”
On Friday, February 12, Mayor John Johnson (right) of Morristown, Tennessee, was given the book The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh along with several Bahá’í pamphlets by Linda Cote, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Hamblen County, and Zia Ahmadzadegan, chairman of the Assembly. The mayor was reportedly quite pleased, promised to read the book, and pledged his support to the Bahá’ís in his area. This photo appeared in the local newspaper, the Morristown Tribune.
House[edit]
Continued From Page 1
the day when they will be veteran believers able to assume whatever tasks may be laid upon them. We offer them this passage from the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Blessed is he who in the prime of his youth and the heyday of his life will arise to serve the Cause of the Lord of the beginning and of the end, and adorn his heart with His love. The manifestation of such a grace is greater than the creation of the heavens and of the earth. Blessed are the steadfast and well is it with those who are firm.”
The rising sun of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation is having its visible effect upon the world and upon the Bahá’í community itself.
Opportunities, long dreamed of for teaching, attended by showering confirmations, now challenge in ever-increasing numbers, every individual believer, every Local and National Spiritual Assembly.
The potent seeds sown by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are beginning to germinate within the divinely-ordained Order expounded and firmly laid by the beloved Guardian. Humanity is beaten almost to its knees, bewildered and shepherdless, hungry for the bread of life.
This is our day of service; we have that heavenly food to offer. The peoples are disillusioned with deficient political theories, social systems and orders; they crave, knowingly or unknowingly, the love of God and reunion with Him.
Our response to this growing challenge must be a mighty upsurge of effective teaching, imparting the divine fire which Bahá’u’lláh has kindled in our hearts until a conflagration arising from millions of souls on fire with His love shall at last testify that the Day for which the Chief Luminaries of our Faith so ardently prayed has at last dawned.
Riḍván 1982
‘Humanist’ magazine sets essay contest[edit]
“The Humanist,” a magazine of science, philosophy and service to others, is sponsoring an essay contest for men and women age 29 and under.
Suggested topics that may be of special interest to Bahá’ís include:
- Ways to Surmount the Divisiveness of World Religions.
- Steps Toward Humanizing the World.
- Self-Fulfillment Through Service to Others.
Winning essays of not more than 2,500 words will be published in “The Humanist” and other media.
First prize in the contest is $1,000. Second prize is $500, third prize $100.
Contest procedures:
- Manuscripts must be typed and double-spaced.
- Entries must be postmarked before July 15, 1982.
- Send to “The Humanist,” ________ Amherst, NY 14226.
Winners will be notified by November 15, 1982. “The Humanist” reserves the first right of publication. Entries will not be returned.
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
Regularity most important in supporting Funds[edit]
This is the last 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.
The principle of establishing rhythmic patterns of behavior is presented to us in many aspects of Bahá’í life by Bahá’u’lláh, Who stated that we should pray daily, hold Feast each 19 days, and fast every year.
Contributing to the Fund is another area in which establishing a regular pattern of action is important.
IN CALLING for support of the Funds by the body of the believers, the Guardian often stressed the concept of regularity.
For example, he stated that “the National Fund ... should receive the continued and wholehearted support of all the believers. Both the local Assemblies and the individual believers should realize that unless they contribute regularly and generously to that Fund the progress of the Faith ... will not only be considerably retarded but will inevitably come to a standstill.” (“Bahá’í Funds and Contributions,” p. 14)
Although regularity is stressed in giving to the Fund, it is never specifically defined. Is once a year regular? Once a month? Perhaps once every Bahá’í month? Or once a week?
No one can decide these questions for anyone else—it is left to the individual believer to decide. But in summarizing the principle of regularity in giving, the Universal House of Justice wrote:
“The continual expansion of the Faith and the diversification of the activities of Bahá’í communities make it more and more necessary for every believer to ponder carefully his responsibilities and contribute as much and as regularly as he or she can.” (Wellspring of Guidance, p. 19)
THEN there is the question of the four different major Funds—local, national, continental and international. Should each Fund be supported as regularly as every other one?
Once again, the individual must decide, after considering carefully the particular needs of each Fund.
Last year the National Spiritual Assembly specifically called for 20,000 individuals to directly support the National Bahá’í Fund every month.
This was an effort to put the National Fund on a firm financial foundation, to strengthen it to meet the increasing demands placed upon it by the crisis in Iran and the perceptible emergence from obscurity now taking place in this country.
The results of the increased focus on regularity, in conjunction with a drive toward universal participation, were immediately apparent. The number of regular contributors doubled, while total contributions from individuals increased by 40 percent.
Developing a pattern of regular giving, balanced with the other principles we have examined and outlined in this series, will ensure growth in the future to the National Fund or any of the other major Funds.
To the degree that each believer puts these principles into action will we see the “progress and execution” of our spiritual aspirations through our material means.
Auctions aid Fund in Redondo Beach[edit]
To raise money for the National Fund, the Spiritual Assembly of Redondo Beach, California, holds an auction after every Nineteen Day Feast, and has been able to raise from $20 to $48 for the Fund at each one.
|
The Fund Is the Bahá’í National Center |
At one Feast the community combined forces with nearby Lawndale and raised $73.
Notes... from the Treasurer[edit]
Campaign for 20,000 contributors continues ...
The last fiscal year saw significant results from the National Spiritual Assembly’s call for 20,000 individual believers to contribute directly to the National Fund every Bahá’í month.
About 8,000 responses were received from Bahá’ís indicating their willingness to support the Fund regularly. While participation totals for any given month have never reached that level, there is presently an average of almost 6,000 contributors per month. That is twice the number of believers that contributed to the Fund each month at the beginning of the year.
Another impressive fact is that contributions during the year ending in April 1982 exceeded those of the previous year by about $1 million. More than 90 percent of the increase was due to contributions from individual believers.
The program to reach 20,000 regular contributors has already been an obvious success, and it will continue to be strongly pursued throughout the remainder of the Seven Year Plan.
This will no doubt result in ever higher levels of individual participation so necessary to attract the divine power of assistance promised when we work together in unity for the Faith.
Envelope packets discontinued ...
At this time many believers are probably reaching for their familiar blue envelope packets only to find them empty.
Unfortunately, although there was a high percentage of contributions received throughout the year in the blue envelopes, the cost of reprinting these materials is extremely high. We are therefore unable to make them available to every Bahá’í again this year.
However, there is some good news. For those individuals who found the packets an indispensable aid to making regular contributions, we do have a limited quantity left over from last year that we can distribute.
These can be obtained by sending a request to the Office of the Treasurer, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please include your name and return address with your request.
Before writing to us, you might check with your local Treasurer. Some communities will also have packets left from the previous year in their files.
It should be clear that any envelope can be used to send a contribution to the National Fund. The pre-addressed envelopes are for the convenience of the friends. If the computer receipt envelopes or the dated envelopes from the packets serve the extra function of acting as a reminder, we are more than happy to provide them when available.
139 B.E.
National Bahá’í
Fund
Individual Participation
goal—20,000 individuals
Contributions
goal—$316,000
$287,000
received
goal
$5,254,988
$5,688,000
$6,000,000
SHORTFALL: $433,012
Media interest in Faith shows large, rapid growth[edit]
The campaign by the Office of Public Affairs to increase the number of media committees and representatives in the U.S. is bringing great results, results that are being translated into thousands of column inches of newspaper space and geometric leaps in the amount of radio and television coverage of the Faith.
In the past year, says Public Affairs Officer Parks Scott, there have been more than 2,000 articles about the Faith in newspapers around the country.
AND IN cities nationwide, he says, Bahá’í events are receiving ever larger amounts of radio and TV coverage.
Much of this is directly attributable to local media contacts calling attention to the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and gaining substantial coverage of Bahá’í events, Holy Days and teaching.
“One media committee in the Northwest did a survey,” says Mr. Scott, “and found that 78 percent of the people in their area had first heard of the Faith through the media.
“In another area a teaching team jokingly refused to go into an area unless the media committee had been there first because it made the work so much easier.
“Our teaching and proclamation efforts will be even more successful as we enlist more people in the front lines to do the job of proclaiming the Faith through the media,” says Mr. Scott.
The Office of Public Affairs presently has 240 media committees and 343 media representatives on file.
“WE’RE stepping up our efforts to increase that number,” says Mr. Scott. “Media committees or contact persons who are not now receiving mailings from the Office of Public Affairs should advise us of their correct names, addresses and office telephone numbers.
“Media conferences, which are designed to better equip our local friends to deal with the media, will be held in many areas of the country during the coming year.
“Our intention is to hold conferences as soon as possible in locations that will give every Bahá’í who is interested in media work an opportunity to attend.
“It is impossible to stress too heavily the importance of having a media contact in every community,” Mr. Scott adds. “We can only send news releases to those communities that have media committees and/or representatives on our mailing list. It is not cost-effective to send news releases to Assemblies that have no designated media contact person.”
Many Assemblies, he says, are not now receiving this information for that reason.
For the next year the Office of Public Affairs is setting its sights on 1,000 media committees and/or media representatives.
EACH area media committee should have a mandate signed by its sponsoring Assembly, as well as by all Assemblies that it serves.
Media committees and representatives serving only one Assembly should also have a signed mandate. Copies of sample mandates are available from the Office of Public Affairs.
“We’ll also be publishing for media committees and/or representatives a newsletter so that ideas that work well in one community or area can quickly be communicated to others around the country,” says Mr. Scott.
“As media committees and representatives become more proficient, and as radio and television materials become available for use by local communities, added emphasis will be placed on providing assistance for proclamation activities such as Bahá’í Holy Days, special event days and related projects.”
Sample ad slicks for newspapers and periodicals, billboard ads, suggestions for displays and floats, and guidelines for presenting a successful proclamation are projects now in various stages of completion at the Office of Public Affairs.
“As these plans take form,” says Mr. Scott, “the means will be realized for transforming every Bahá’í locality into a communications center radiating the Bahá’í Message to all parts of that area.”
Auction, dinner raise $ for Fund, Council[edit]
More than $3,000 was raised for the National Bahá’í Fund and the Bahá’í Information Council of Greater Atlanta at an auction and dinner January 30 sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Marietta, Georgia, in cooperation with its Feast and Holy Days Committee.
The Information Council received enough money to launch its cable television plan that includes sponsorship of 26 half-hour programs prepared by the Office of Public Affairs and production of its own series of 26 half-hour follow-up programs.
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, addresses the audience in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette during the National Day of Prayer observance held there on March 27. Similar observances were held at the same time in hundreds of Bahá’í communities throughout the country.
Nigeria invites U.S. Bahá’ís to attend conference[edit]
The Bahá’ís of the United States are warmly invited to attend the Bahá’í International Conference to be held August 19-22 at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria.
Those who are planning to attend the Nigeria conference should phone the Office of Planning and Coordination at the Bahá’í National Center for instructions about their visa application. The telephone number is 312-869-9039.
Conference registration will be held all day Thursday, August 19, at the National Theatre.
Should you arrive before that date, please phone the Bahá’í National Center, 83-4742. The address is 37 Curtis Adeniyi Jones Close, Surulere, Lagos.
Vista dinner observes World Religion Day[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Vista, California, observed World Religion Day last January 16 with a potluck dinner and speakers representing five religions: the Bahá’í Faith, Judaism, the Catholic Church, Kirpal Light-Satsang, and the Unitarian Fellowship.
The theme was “Love and Unity” with the emphasis on the similarities of each religion.
About 100 adults (including 50 Bahá’ís) attended.
The 20 children who were present sang such songs as “Building Bridges Out of Walls,” “God Is One” and “Come Join Us.”
Dr. Gari Rea-Airth, a Bahá’í from Canada who is a pioneer to Paraguay, dresses in the costume of his Dogrib Indian tribe to entertain children and adults during a workshop and deepening on community life, unity and sacrifice held last November 11-12 in Eliot, Maine. While visiting the area Dr. Rea-Airth also performed at the elementary school in Eliot and at the Creative Learning Center in nearby Kittery. Dr. Rea-Airth, who is deaf and walks with a cane as the result of polio, is a psychotherapist as well as an adept entertainer.
18 HOURS WITH ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
On November 4, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived in Cincinnati at 6:00 p.m. He left at 12:00 noon the following day.
On November 5, 6, & 7, 1982, there will be a convention and commemoration of the 70th anniversary of His visit.
More details to follow!
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
WHICH ONE?[edit]
(Which one of the Regional Youth Conferences are YOU going to?)
At Riḍván the second year of the three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan will be under way, and the National Youth Committee has planned a new series of Regional Youth Conferences to be held around the country.
Details of the conferences, which are scheduled during the spring and summer months, are provided below, along with a registration coupon. The friends are encouraged to register as early as possible for these important events that have attracted capacity attendance during the first year of the three-year phase.
Louisiana: From May 28-31 the youth will gather at Camp Ruth Lee near Clinton for a four-day conference. Costs for housing, meals and registration are $45 per person. The program will begin in the afternoon on Friday, May 28, and continue through lunch on Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day).
Navajo-Hopi: The Southwest Bahá’í Institute site is the location for the next Regional Youth Conference, to be held June 11-13. The cost has yet to be determined, but it will be minimal in this rustic camp setting. The conference is scheduled to coincide with the “Trail of Light” teaching campaign, and youth are encouraged to plan to stay in the area afterward to participate in this important effort. The conference will open on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday afternoon.
California: On July 2-5, a Regional Youth Conference will be held at Francisco Torres in Goleta. Because of the holiday weekend, the conference will run for four days and three nights, with a total cost for housing, meals and registration of $74 per person. The conference will begin with dinner Friday evening and conclude by noon on Monday.
At its most recent meeting, the National Youth Committee selected the theme for the Regional Youth Conferences to be held during the second year of the three-year second phase of the Seven Year Plan: “Be a Bahá’í: It Makes a Difference.”
In addition to those conferences listed above, Regional Youth Conferences are also being planned for other locations in this country. Full details on dates and places will be published on the Youth Page in future issues of The American Bahá’í.
Shown here are the 25 Bahá’í youth from Northern Illinois District No. 2 and adult believers from nearby Wilmette, Illinois, who attended a ‘Mini-Youth Conference’ March 6 in Evanston. Speakers at the day-long conference, which was called to form a District Youth Committee, included Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland. The conference was co-sponsored by the National Youth Committee and the Spiritual Assembly of Wilmette.
Youth Conference scheduled for July in Northern Illinois[edit]
Coming this summer: The Illinois Youth Conference.
The Northern Illinois District No. 2 Youth Committee, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, announces an exciting conference for youth to be held July 10-11 at Oakdale Park near Freeport.
The conference theme is “The Role of Bahá’í Youth in Teaching.” The fee is $20 per person, which covers food and lodging.
Registration is limited, as only 100 youth can be accommodated.
Checks should be made out to the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago (earmarked “Youth Conference”) and mailed to ________, Chicago, IL 60603. Please include your name and mailing address.
Committee notes steady growth in enrollments of youth in U.S.[edit]
In the last two years the National Youth Committee has witnessed a steady growth in the number of youth enrollments in the Faith.
“Since last March,” says Walter Heinecke, chairman of the committee, “there has been a 21 percent increase in the number of youth enrolled, and during the previous year a 22 percent increase was recorded.
“THE TREND shows a definite upswing in the growth of the youth population, and the new surge of believers is expected to grow throughout the remainder of the Seven Year Plan.”
The National Youth Plan for the three-year second phase of the Plan calls for an increase in the number of youth enrollments in the Bahá’í community, aiming at doubling the number of youth from 3,000 to 6,000.
In addition, youth have been asked to support many activities designed to win this goal. Among them:
• All District Youth Committees are asked to schedule at least one teaching project this summer in conjunction with their District Teaching Committee or local community.
• Regional Youth Conferences are being held all over the country and youth are encouraged to bring their seeker-friends to these activities.
• Summer schools, local conferences and social activities afford excellent opportunities to share the Faith with friends. Youth are urged to bring a friend to these kinds of Bahá’í events.
• EVERY Bahá’í youth has been asked to choose a friend, to pray daily for his or her guidance, and then to nurture that friend until he or she has embraced the Cause.
“The facts show that the youth in the U.S. are dedicating their energies toward doubling the youth population,” says Mr. Heinecke.
“The National Youth Committee expects that the momentum that has been building among the youth will continue to increase until all of the goals of the National Youth Plan have been won or exceeded.”
... A WONDERFUL SUMMER-FULL![edit]
...International teaching projects are being held in France, Panama and Bolivia. Youth with French- or Spanish-speaking skills are urged to contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, to find out more about these exciting opportunities to serve the Faith.
All District Youth Committees have been asked to set up a summer teaching project in their area. Why not contact your District Youth Committee and offer your help for these important efforts?
...The Bosch Bahá’í School is planning two weeks of classes with the emphasis on youth! The first session will be June 19-24, the second August 21-26. Pre-youth are encouraged to attend their own special session of “Junior Youth Week” at Bosch from June 26-July 1. For more information contact the Bosch Bahá’í School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
...At Conifer Hill, there will be work/study weeks planned for June 25-July 1 and July 9-15, in addition to classes and social activities, three hours of each day are set aside to improve the grounds and make needed repairs on campus. Conifer Hill is also looking for youth counselors. For more information write to Marilyn Fisher, Conifer Hill Bahá’í School Council, ________ CO 80302.
...The Trail of Light teaching project will be held in conjunction with the Regional Youth Conference at the site of the Southwest Bahá’í Institute in Arizona. If you are thinking about joining this special effort to reach out to Native Americans, please contact the Navajo-Hopi District Teaching Committee, c/o Joan Belshaw, secretary, ________ NM 87328.
...And last but certainly not least, there will be three Regional Youth Conferences this summer—the first over the Memorial Day weekend at Camp Ruth Lee near Clinton, Louisiana; the second at the Southwest Bahá’í Institute site near Window Rock, Arizona, from June 11-13, and the third from July 2-5 at Francisco Torres in Goleta (near Santa Barbara), California.
All this plus summer schools, local conferences, teaching projects, and the International Conferences in Quito, Ecuador; Lagos, Nigeria; Dublin, Ireland; Montreal, Canada; and Canberra, Australia ... Bahá’í youth will really be on the move this summer!
[Page 8]
IGC: PIONEERING
World News[edit]
Among those who joined local believers in a six-week teaching campaign last fall that encompassed 33 localities in goal areas of Togo were Bahá’ís from Niger, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bénin, and a traveling teacher from the World Centre.
Early results include enrollments in 13 new localities; four all-Bahá’í villages; the enrollment of four tribal chiefs; and the formation of two new Spiritual Assemblies ...
Counsellor Bahiyyih Winckler was among the more than 100 Bahá’ís from Cape Town and seven nearby communities who attended a teaching conference last November that was arranged by the National Teaching Committee of South and West Africa ...
More than 70 people, the largest group at any Bahá’í school in Nigeria, attended the third annual Seven-Day School last December 27-January 2 in Makurdi, Benue State.
Participants, representing nine nationalities, came from 14 Nigerian states ...
A 40-day teaching campaign planned and carried out by the Spiritual Assembly of Guayaquil, Ecuador, ended last October with the enrollment of 90 new Bahá’ís and good proclamation through press and public meetings, especially at the universities ...
Fifty institutes were held at 50 locations throughout the United Kingdom on the same day last December in a nationwide campaign to carry out a consolidation goal of the Seven Year Plan ...
The first official meeting between a representative of the Faith and the prime minister of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing protectorate of Denmark, took place February 8 when Roy Philbrow, an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Halldór Borgeirsson of Iceland, met with Prime Minister Pauli Ellefsen ...
More than 2,000 students and faculty at secondary schools and teacher training institutes in Zimbabwe learned of the Faith last October through a series of talks presented by Bahá’ís.
The subjects of the presentations in the ongoing program are “The Harmony of Science and Religion,” “Progressive Revelation,” and “Introduction to the Bahá’í Faith” ...
A statement prepared by the Continental Board of Counsellors in Australasia was read on behalf of the Bahá’í International Community at the 21st South Pacific Conference last October by a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Vanuatu ...
Pioneering victory near; funds needed[edit]
The response to the appeal for extra funds made by the International Goals Committee in the March issue of The American Bahá’í has been heartwarming.
Although it was too early as the May issue went to press to know whether all the goals would be won by Riḍván, the committee anticipated that 40 of the 46 goals would be filled.
VALIANT efforts were made by various pioneers to settle in Mauritania (goal: 2) and Denmark (4), but immigration and employment laws in those countries kept them from being filled on time.
A total of more than 280 pioneers went out from the U.S. in 1981-82, bringing to more than 1,365 the number of American pioneers presently in the field.
There are now 1,045 family units who have contacted the International Goals Committee and are trying to pioneer.
Many prospective pioneers are professionally well-qualified to find work in other countries, but feel the need to have secure jobs in hand before leaving this country.
While this condition is most desirable, it usually is not possible. To pioneer to most countries, it is necessary to be there to look for work, which means that the person or family must have enough money to cover very expensive transportation costs and living expenses for at least a few months.
Few prospective pioneers can do this without help from outside sources, and some do receive deputization from their local Bahá’í communities or from their Bahá’í families and friends.
HOWEVER, the great majority must now receive help from the National Fund if they are to fill the goals, because only a small fraction of the believers are in a position to finance themselves totally.
During 1981-82 only one in four persons who filed an application with the Goals Committee was actually able to pioneer to another country.
All of those who went to non-goal countries did so without financial help from the committee, because of the committee’s policy of providing funds only to those who are filling assigned goals.
More contributions would make it possible to raise that number to one in three or better.
In anticipation of receiving a new complement of goals from the Universal House of Justice, the Goals Committee is again providing a tear-off coupon for use of those friends who may have missed the one in the March 1982 issue of The American Bahá’í and would like to deputize a new pioneer or one who is already in the field and in need of help.
Summer teaching opportunities abound[edit]
The summer of 1982 is the time when the Bahá’í Faith will be visibly evident in the world, as traveling teachers and projecteers add to the number of Bahá’ís who will be attending one or more of the five International Conferences. “The movement itself from place to place, when undertaken for the sake of God, hath always exerted, and can now exert, its influence in the world.” (Bahá’u’lláh, quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 70). If we add to this movement from place to place a sincere effort to teach the Faith, the results will be amazing.
The International Goals Committee is pleased to announce the following teaching projects that are to take place this summer:
| Country | Language | Dates | Project |
| Guyana | English | July 18-Aug. 28 | “Release the Sun” in commemoration of the heroic sacrifices of our brethren in Iran. |
| Panama | Spanish helpful but not required | July 9-31 | “Vahid” project, aimed primarily at consolidation and expansion through public meetings, children’s classes, deepening activities, and proclamation efforts in both indigenous and urban areas. |
| Windward Islands | English | July 31-Aug. 28 | Three weekend summer schools in Dominica will be followed by village projects. In St. Vincent from August 15-21, summer school, then another teaching project. |
Other projects may be held in Bolivia and Puerto Rico. The project for France is not accepting additional applicants at this time.
Plan to attend the Ecuador Conference either before or after having taken part in a project in the listed areas. Other possibilities for teaching are available in conjunction with the conferences in Nigeria, Ireland and Montreal, Canada.
The Philippines Conference has been moved to Canberra, Australia, and will be held September 2-5. Many opportunities for teaching will be available on the way to and from this conference too.
For full information please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
The 19 Bahá’ís attending the Pioneer Training Institute held April 1-4 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, were making plans to pioneer to the Mariana Islands, Chile, New Caledonia, Nepal, Africa, Denmark, Mexico, the Marshall Islands, Dominica, Trinidad, French Guiana and the Caroline Islands. Speakers at the institute included Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem and Dr. Iraj Ayman, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago. Also shown (front row left) is Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Letters from pioneers reflect marvelous spirit of the Faith[edit]
Every day pioneers all over the world write to the International Goals Committee. Some of these letters are shared through a newsletter, the Pioneer Post, sent out four times a year by the committee. When reading the letters, the committee often feels the desire to share each one of them with the entire Bahá’í world, because of the marvelous spirit reflected in them. Since that isn’t possible, only two of them are printed here.
•
Jean Marc Tesson, French Guiana—“Three weeks after arriving in French Guiana I found a job as a chef, 70 hours of work weekly, very tiring, no time for Bahá’u’lláh.
“The kind of cooking I had to do was traditional French cuisine, which requires a lot of alcohol. This was taking all of my energy, but I worked hard so I could stay at my post.
“Every night before going to work I prayed down near the sea, facing east. I asked God to help me. It was there one night that it occurred to me to write to the Universal House of Justice about
[Page 9]
TEACHING
‘Operation Befriend’ Nationwide success story[edit]
The 25th anniversary of the passing of the beloved Guardian and the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf will also mark the climax of “Operation Befriend,” the service project conceptualized by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and launched nationwide in May 1981.
The American Bahá’í community responded to this project with involvement in various service projects, some of which have been reported in previous issues of The American Bahá’í.
WE WOULD like to share with you some other examples of Bahá’í involvement in service projects that were shared with the National Teaching Committee.
In California, six Bahá’í communities combined forces to entertain the handicapped, visiting children in hospitals and hosting a large Ayyám-i-Há party for retarded children from three institutions.
The Bahá’ís in these communities noted the unity that these cooperative activities brought to their area, leading to increased support for each other’s firesides and deepenings.
The Bahá’í community of Columbus, Ohio, sponsored a food and clothing drive for the American Indian Center during Ayyám-i-Há, an event that moved the personnel at the center to speak favorably of past associations with the Bahá’ís.
For Bahá’ís living in apartment complexes, a believer in New Jersey suggested befriending and helping new residents when they move in. The resulting friendships could lead to possibilities for teaching as well as provide a pleasant welcome for the newcomers.
Perhaps the most ambitious project was that undertaken by the Bahá’ís of Ridgecrest, California. Along with non-Bahá’ís, they formed PRIDE (People for Retarded and Infant Developmental Education).
THE PURPOSE of the committee was to raise funds for the Sunshine House, a local center that serves the physically, mentally and emotionally handicapped.
The Sunshine House benefited financially, while the Bahá’í community saw acquaintances of the Faith become active seekers.
By working on the committee, the non-Bahá’ís were able to learn about and participate in Bahá’í consultation and were favorably impressed with the process.
In addition, the media production company that assisted the Bahá’ís of Ridgecrest was able to increase its business as a result of the quality of the spots it produced for the PRIDE committee.
The Bahá’í community also benefited from its involvement: “Over a thousand man/woman hours were spent in meetings, presentations, etc., meaning that the community became much closer and more acquainted with many aspects of the other members’ personalities and their own. Working on a project of this magnitude has shown us all our capabilities and limitations as individuals and as a community, and will surely strengthen our bonds for future projects and demands.”
There are many ways in which the single believer can participate in “Operation Befriend.”
ONE BAHÁ’Í, for instance, volunteered a few hours every week at a local hospital, while another believer helped with “Meals on Wheels” during his own lunch hour.
The coming year will see the expansion of the “Operation Befriend” program to encompass the participation of college clubs through service projects directed toward the campus community.
The National Teaching Committee encourages each Bahá’í community to continue or initiate endeavors that will enable its members to “befriend” their neighbors.
In the future, these people will come to our aid and support on a scale that has not heretofore been seen in this country.
Conference update
Carrying proper Bahá’í credentials important[edit]
Dublin
Anyone who wishes to attend the International Conference in Dublin, Ireland, must have conference credentials, which can be obtained from the Bahá’í National Center. These credentials will constitute the primary means of identifying Bahá’ís in good standing and ensure their admittance to the conference.
Montreal
1. Children between the ages of 5-11 who wish to attend the children’s conference must be pre-registered using the form provided in the March 1982 issue of The American Bahá’í.
Children who are not pre-registered may not be admitted. You should be aware too that children under 12 years of age will not be admitted to the main conference at the Olympic velodrome.
2. New enrollees will be processed as soon as they are listed on our records.
3. Non-Bahá’í spouses will not receive conference credentials; however, they will be able to register at the conference and attend the general sessions on Friday and Saturday.
4. Please be patient. Conference credentials will be sent as the time for the conference draws near.
Lagos
Persons arriving in Nigeria for the International Conference in Lagos will be asked for a letter of invitation to the conference.
This letter and specific instructions regarding shots, visas and other travel documents can be obtained from the Bahá’í National Center.
Manila
The conference scheduled for Manila, the Philippines, has been moved to Canberra, Australia (see announcement on Page 1).
If you are planning to combine a teaching trip with your visit to any of the conferences, the International Goals Committee can supply you with the appropriate information.
Please address all inquiries to the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, c/o Office of Planning and Coordination.
Orders are being processed for new Bahá’í Directory[edit]
Orders for the new Bahá’í Directory are currently being processed for the August 1982 issue.
This issue will be current with all changes resulting from the spring elections. Please note that the directories are produced for the use of Bahá’í Assemblies and registered Groups and are not normally made available to individuals. Directories will not be mailed automatically. They will be mailed only to those communities that request them.
The March 1982 issue of the directory was a limited edition, printed to show up any problems with the new format (which it did). Only a small quantity of this issue was printed since parts of it would be superseded after the Riḍván elections.
More than $1,600 to help the National Fund was raised at a recent potluck dinner and auction sponsored by the Bahá’í communities of Hurst, Bedford, Euless, Colleyville and Arlington, Texas. Shown here are the friends who attended the event.
Douglas Martin, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, addresses the audience of about 500 Bahá’ís and their guests at the special Naw-Rúz memorial program in Chicago that was dedicated to the memory of recent Bahá’í martyrs in Iran.
Chicago observance honors memory of martyrs in Iran[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, Illinois, observed Naw-Rúz this year with a special program dedicated to the memory of Bahá’ís in Iran who have recently given their lives for the Faith.
The program, held at the Americana-Congress Hotel, was attended by some 500 Bahá’ís and their guests from the Chicago area.
The speakers were Douglas Martin, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada; Dr. Fazlur Rahman, a Muslim who is professor of Islamic thought at the University of Chicago; and Dr. Henry A. Singer, director of the Human Resources Institute in New York City.
Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, was master of ceremonies. Prayers were offered by Azar Movagh of Oak Brook and Ernest Lopez of Winnetka.
Mr. Martin’s talk was accompanied by a slide presentation that depicted recent destructive acts against the Bahá’ís in Iran and paid loving tribute to many of those who have given their lives in the latest wave of persecution.
Dr. Rahman, an outspoken champion of the Bahá’í cause, emphasized in his remarks that what is happening in Iran is not in any way justifiable according to the Qur’án and is a clear violation of human rights.
Dr. Singer offered a heartfelt tribute to one martyr who had been his close friend while he was working in Iran, a tribute that moved both Dr. Singer and his audience to tears.
The complete program was audio- and video-taped. Its organizers included Bradley Hooper, Dr. Manouchehr Imani, Dr. Pouran Iman and Lucki Wilder, all members of the Bahá’í community of Chicago.
[Page 10]
EDUCATION
Complete listing of U.S. Bahá’í Summer Schools[edit]
Alabama
- Tentative Schedule: August 13-15.
- Location: Camp Chandler.
- Contact: Debbie Wix, secretary, ________ Calera, AL 35040. Phone 205-668-0442.
Arizona
- Date/Theme: August 8-13. “Fostering the Spiritual, Intellectual and Social Life of the Bahá’í Community.”
- Location: Camp Aloma, Prescott.
- Rates: 10 years-adult, $75; 5-9 years, $50; 2-4 years, $15; under 2 years, free.
- Registrar: Pam Hawley, Glendale, AZ 85301. Phone 602-931-1305. Pre-register by July 15 please!
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Edward Diliberto.
Bosch
- Dates/Themes/Highlights: 12 sessions, June 19-September 9. “Some Answered Questions.”
- June 19-24: General session, classes for all ages, special youth emphasis.
- June 26-July 1: Junior youth, ages 12-15.
- July 3-8: General session, classes for all ages.
- July 10-15: General session, classes for all ages, one optional class in Persian.
- July 17-22: General session, classes for all ages, optional parenting workshop.
- July 24-29: General session, classes for all ages, one optional class in Persian.
- July 31-August 5: General session, classes for all ages.
- August 7-12: General session, classes for all ages.
- August 14-19: General session, classes for all ages.
- August 21-26: General session, classes for all ages, special youth emphasis.
- August 28-September 2: General session, classes for all ages, one optional class in Persian, optional parenting workshop. Auxiliary Board member Edward Diliberto.
- September 4-9: Adults and youth age 15 and older.
- Location: Santa Cruz mountains, elevation 2,000 feet. Weather variable, mostly pleasant days with cool nights. Cabins with a separate bath house, 5 to 7 persons. Special facility for the handicapped available. Meals served family style in main lodge dining room. Swimming pool, children’s wading pool, volleyball court, children’s playground, hiking trails, table tennis. Capacity: 87.
- Access: 14 miles from the city of Santa Cruz. Accessible from Highway 17 from San Jose, or Highway 1 from San Francisco or Santa Cruz, then local roads. A map will be sent upon receipt of registration deposit. Nearest airport is San Jose, 40 miles away. Greyhound bus comes to Santa Cruz.
- Information: To receive an update of session information, teachers, space availability, phone 408-423-3093 (taped message).
- Registrar: Jeremy Phillips, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Phone 408-423-3387.
- Library: The Bosch library features one of the largest collections of Bahá’í books, both historic and current, in the world. Also, a tape library of historic and current tapes is available. The bookstore sells a wide variety of Bahá’í books and jewelry.
Southern California
- Dates/Theme: August 29-September 2. “Cycles of Bahá’í Service.”
- Location: Pilgrim Pines, Yucaipa.
- Registrar: Gerald Healy, Van Nuys, CA 91401. Telephone 213-760-3252.
Colorado East
- Dates: June 26-July 2.
- Location: Westmore, Colorado.
- Accommodations: Dorm type, tent, camper space available.
- Capacity: 100.
- Rates: 12 years-adult, $75; 3-11 years, $37.50; 0-3 years, free.
- Registrar: Don Brayton, P.O. Box 1033, Woodland Park, CO 80863. Phone 303-687-3351.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Dennis Jenkyns.
Colorado West
- Dates, theme, location can be obtained by contacting: William Bright, ________ CO 81101. Phone 303-589-3217.
Conifer Hill (Colorado)
- Dates/Theme: June 25-July 22. “Getting Your ‘A.C.T.’ Together—Action, Character, Thoughts.”
- June 25-July 1: Youth camp (work/study).
- July 2-8: Family camp.
- July 9-15: Youth camp (work/study).
- July 16-22: Parent education seminar; day camp for children.
- Location: Lyons, Colorado; wilderness of Roosevelt National Forest to the north.
- Elevation: 8,000 feet.
- Accommodations: Three dorms, canvas sides, roof and floors; latrines; cabin for cooking and serving, eating under the trees.
- Recreation: Nature walks, mountain climbing (no gear needed), volleyball, horseshoes, campfires and singing, some arts and crafts.
- Capacity: 30 in bunk beds, 70 in their own tents.
- Access: Four miles off highway road (no precipices); hilly and rutty; transportation from Boulder, or the last four miles.
- Rates: Adults (over 20), $60; 15-20 years, $50; 8-14 years, $30; 2-7 years, $15.
- Registrar: Mrs. Jo Fleming, ________ Evergreen, CO 80439. Telephone 303-674-4344.
- Note: During family camp, participants may prepare their own food on camp stoves or fireplace.
Florida
- Dates/Theme: July 1-4. “Bahá’í Family Life.”
- Location: Small private college in Daytona Beach.
- Accommodations: Dormitory lodging; linens must be provided by each student; meals served cafeteria style.
- Capacity: 250.
- Recreation: Gymnasium, tennis and basketball courts, baseball and soccer fields available.
- Registrar: Richard Evertz, ________ Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. Telephone 305-421-8979 (evenings).
- Note: Those students who choose to bring their own sleeping bag and/or linen, and would prefer to sleep on the floor will save $10 a day.
Georgia
- Dates/Theme: August 27-29. “In the Name of the Martyrs.”
- Location: Rock Eagle, Eatonton.
- Registrar: John Haynes, ________ Marietta, GA 30060. Phone 404-427-1597.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Adrienne Reeves.
Great Plains
- Dates: July 19-26.
- Location: Peru State College, Peru, Nebraska. Beautiful wooded campus, some air conditioned sleeping rooms, air conditioned classrooms.
- Capacity: 500.
- Recreation: Swimming, tennis, volleyball, baseball, softball, hiking, arts and crafts. Afternoon “interest groups” in addition to morning and evening classes.
- Registrar: Dave Clarke, Omaha, NE 68147. Phone 402-734-0344.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Ronna Santoscoy.
Green Acre (Maine)
- Dates: July 3-September 2. Weekly session, Monday through Friday; weekends, Saturday and Sunday.
- Location: Eliot, Maine, a small, charming New England town. The school’s spacious grounds extend to the edge of the Piscataqua River.
- Capacity: 150.
- Recreation: Playground, fields, and the ocean is only 15 minutes away (where the entire school goes for a midweek outing).
- Rates: Adults, $20/day, less for children. Family discounts.
- Registrar: Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
- Special Guests: Early August weekend, Auxiliary Board member Javidukht Khadem; August 16-20, Auxiliary Board member Nat Rutstein; August 28-September 2, Auxiliary Board member Robert Harris.
Green Lake Conference
- Dates/Theme: September 17-19. “Points of Light” (taken from the Seven Year Plan, it refers to localities where the Promised One is recognized).
- Location: American Baptist Assembly Conference Center, Green Lake, Wisconsin.
- Capacity: 1,400-1,500.
- Accommodations: Campsites, cabins, luxury houses, Roger Williams Inn (rooms), dining area, snack bar, or cook your own meals at campsites and in houses.
- Recreation: Lake, golf course, tennis courts, nature trails, bicycles for rent, indoor swimming pool.
- Children: Complete cooperative nursery for 3 years and younger. Outstanding children’s program.
- Access: Through a private gate on Highway 23, three miles west of the city of Green Lake.
- Rates: Rooms, $15-$35 (single); campsites, $9-$11.50. Cabins and luxury housing should be reserved by mid-July. Meal tickets, $13.85 adults, $8.70 children.
- Registration: American Baptist Assembly, Green Lake, WI 54941. To reserve housing, telephone 414-294-3323.
- Conference Information only: Barbara Beasley, Lawrence Court, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051.
- Note: World’s largest annual Bahá’í gathering of its kind, attended by more than 1,200 last year.
Idaho
- Dates: June 16-20.
- Location: Camp Sawtooth, near Ketchum.
- Access: Follow U.S. 93, 10 miles north of Ketchum, turn right at Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters. Camp is about two miles from there.
- Registrar: Sun Valley School Committee, c/o Ann Sollars, ________ Blackfoot, ID 83221. Phone 208-785-4495.
Kentucky
- Dates/Theme: July 8-11. “Learning Living Sacrifice.”
- Location: Centre College, Danville.
- Accommodations: Modern air conditioned dormitory rooms. Meal service in campus dining room.
- Access: Map will be provided with pre-registration packet.
- Pre-registration: Required by June 26.
- Rates: Room and board (Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch), $40 per person double occupancy, $50 per person single occupancy. Up to two children in sleeping bags may occupy their parents’ room at no cost. With this option, cost of meals is $24 per child. Linen, blankets, towels and pillows are not provided. Linen and towels are available for issue at a cost of $2.50 per person. Due to the rate structure at Centre College, reduced rates for those attending only part of the school are not possible.
- Registrar: Dean Rector, ________ Knoxville, TN 37917. Telephone 615-522-1977.
Louhelen
- Dates: August 1-6.
- Theme: “Excellence in All
The Bahá’í community of Paradise Town, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas, recently presented a number of Bahá’í books to the Clark County Library District. Shown (left to right) at the presentation are Bahá’ís Ellen K. Rozario and Celia Ferris Lewin and library director Charles Hunsberger.
[Page 11]
EDUCATION
Schools[edit]
Continued From Page 10
- Things.”
- Location: Lansing Environmental Education Center, Wayland, Michigan.
- Registrar: Phil Cavanagh, ________ Vassar, MI. Telephone 517-823-2865.
Massanetta (Virginia)
- This conference has been canceled for this summer. It will resume in 1983.
Minnesota
- Dates: July 26-30.
- Location: American Lutheran Memorial Camp, Onamia.
- Registrar: Steve Grams, ________ Togo, MN 55788. Phone 218-376-4472.
Missouri
- Dates: September 10-12.
- Location: Trout Lodge, Potosi.
- Registrar: Naomi McCord, ________ Rock Hill, MO 63119.
Montana
- Dates/Theme: August 1-7. “Uniting the World ... One Heart at a Time.”
- Location: Red Lodge.
- Accommodations: Cabins sleep eight on bare mattresses. Bring sleeping bags and pillows. Excellent food served in central hall. Classrooms/cabins/meeting halls have hard wood benches. Bring cushions. Indoor/outdoor recreation planned. Warm days, cool nights. Seven thousand foot level of Beartooth Mountains.
- Capacity: Approximately 100
- Access: By auto, 10 miles south of Red Lodge just off the Beartooth Highway on Lake Fork Road, or transportation to the camp can be arranged for persons flying or bussing into Billings. Please contact registrar if this service is needed.
- Rates: 15 years-adult, $70; 8 years-14 years, $40; 3 years-7 years, $30; 2 years-under, $20; part-time, $5 per night. Meals: 3 years and over, $2 per meal; 2 years and under, free.
- Registrar: Diane Virostko, ________ Helena, MT 59601. Phone: 406-443-1061.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Opal Conner.
Southern Nevada
- Dates/Theme: August 20-22. “Rhythm of Growth.”
- Location: In the mountains; outdoor camping.
- Accommodations: Dining hall and tent units. Everyone needs to bring sleeping bag, pillow, blanket, linen (for cabins that sleep four with one cabin per tent unit).
- Classrooms: Outdoors for children, youth, adults.
- Capacity: 150
- Rates: 11 years-adult, $40; 3-10 years, $20; under 3 years, free.
- Registrar: Mrs. Susan Tofigh, ________ Las Vegas, NV 89107. Phone 702-870-9977.
- Note: Guest speakers, planned sports activities, talent show and cool air.
- Access: Auto, paved roads.
New Jersey
- This new school committee’s plans are not confirmed as of this date. For information contact Betty Ann Turko, ________ Lakewood, NJ 08701 (phone 201-367-2755), or Hedy Deuschle, ________ Red Bank, NJ 07701 (phone 201-747-1573).
New Mexico (Gladys Weeden Institute)
- Dates: September 4-6 (Labor Day weekend).
- Location: Camp Mary White, May Hill.
- Contact: ________ Alamagordo, NM 88310. Phone 505-434-0378.
New York
- Dates/Theme: August 21-29. “Approaching the Golden Age.”
- Location: Deerhill Retreat and Conference Center.
- Registrar: Luann Hammerschmitt, ________ Maspeth, NY 11378. Phone 212-326-3094.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Nathan Rutstein.
Nine Oaks (California)
- Dates: One-day weekend institutes are planned. The exact dates depend on the guest speakers’ availability: May 15 or 16; July 17 or 18; August 14 or 15; October 23 or 24; December 18 or 19.
- Location: Arroyo Grande.
- Accommodations: Meeting room holds approximately 50. Large, grassy outdoor area.
- Registrar: Gayle Hoover, P.O. Box 8, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Phone 805-481-6676.
- Special Guests: Paul Poleno, May 15; Henry A. Weil, July 24-25; Tony Lee, August 15; Homa Mahmoudi, October 23.
North Carolina
- Dates/Theme: July 11-17. “While There is Yet Time.”
- Location: Pembroke State University, Pembroke.
- Registration: Pre-registration required by June 28.
- Contact: Celeste Hicks, ________ Monroe, NC 28110. Phone 704-289-6274.
Nur’u’lláh (Indiana)
- Dates: June 22-27.
- Location: Camp Kikthawenund, Frankton.
- Registrar: Margaret Rhoades, ________ Greenfield, IN 46160. Phone 317-462-4559.
Oklahoma
- Dates/Theme: July 30-August 4. “Quickeners of Mankind.”
- Location: Central Oklahoma Christian Camp, between Edmond and Guthrie. Beautiful and secluded rural setting with lake, woods and trails.
- Accommodations: Cabins hold 5 to 15. Classes and meals in large, well-furnished, air conditioned Conference Center.
- Recreation: Swimming pool, soccer field, hiking, indoor ping pong and table games.
- Capacity: 80.
- Access: Leave Highway I-35 at Seward Road. East one-half mile, north 1 mile, east 3/4 mile. Roads are well marked for the camp.
- Registrar: Alvin Daniels, ________ Oklahoma City, OK 73131. Phone 405-478-3279.
- Note: This will be the first Oklahoma Summer School.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member Hormoz Bastani.
Ohio
- Dates/Theme: July 9-11. “Service to the Faith: Martyrdom and Teaching.”
- Location: Ohio Dominican College, Columbus.
- Accommodations: Dorms, hotel.
- Registrar: Eric Beck, P.O. Box 21166, Upper Arlington, OH 43221. Phone 614-857-1623.
Oregon West
- Dates: Badasht, July 8-11; Crow, August 5-8.
- Theme: “Matching the Sacrifice.”
- Contact: James Smith, secretary, ________ Lebanon, OR 97355. Phone 503-259-1417.
Oregon East
- This new committee’s plans are not yet confirmed. For information contact Ted Hayes, convenor, ________ Joseph, OR 97846. Phone 503-432-1433.
Pennsylvania
- Information about this annual institute may be obtained by contacting the Eaton Township Bahá’í Group, Joyce A. Williams, secretary, R.D. 3, Tunkhannock, PA
Tennessee
- This institute will not be held on the Labor Day weekend this year. The committee is planning the session for early 1983. Look for information then or contact Joyce Block, ________ Old Hickory, TN 37138. Phone 615-758-0307.
Texas
- For general information about this school contact Carolyn Self, ________ Denton, TX 76201. Phone 817-387-0907.
Washington East
- Plans for this school are not confirmed. For information contact Ted Lew, convenor, ________ Everett, WA 98116. Phone 206-692-9000.
Wilhelm Institute (New Jersey)
- For information on the proposed weekly activities at Wilhelm please contact Stephen Karnik, ________ Dover, NJ 07801. Phone 201-361-0445.
Wisconsin
- Dates/Theme: July 5-9. “The Bahá’í Faith—the Promise and the Challenge.”
- Location: Camp Byron, Brownsville.
- Accommodations: Double and triple rooms with semi-private baths in well-maintained two-story building, plus new, one-story building with nine double rooms, two baths, on-site tent and trailer space. Dining in large, air conditioned dining room; plentiful food.
- Recreation: Guarded swimming pool, softball diamond, volleyball, tennis courts, trails.
- Capacity: 100.
- Access: Two miles off U.S. Highway 41.
- Rates: 10 years-adult, $75; 5-9 years, $45; 1-4 years, $5; under 1 year, no charge.
- Registrar: Charles Kennel, ________ Waukesha, WI 53186. Phone 414-542-2120.
- Special Guest: Auxiliary Board member D. Thelma Jackson.
Wyoming Institute
- Dates: August 7-9.
- Theme: “All God’s Children Have a Place in the Choir.”
- Location: Camp Mallo, near Newcastle, with fresh air, peaceful surroundings.
- Capacity: Approximately 80.
- Registrar: Dee Vaughan, P.O. Box 212, Evansville, WY 82636. Phone 307-234-9079.
- Note: The school will be centered on the Rhythm of Growth as it affects each individual’s “Place in the Choir,” and what you can do to help make it work.
On January 26, the Bahá’ís of Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, presented a number of Bahá’í books to the Lakewood Public Library. Shown making the presentation to Mrs. Cynthia Orr, head of the first floor adult section, is Lakewood community librarian Mrs. Heidi Burns (left). Also representing the Bahá’í community was Mrs. Sue Coates. The Lakewood Bahá’ís also have presented two children’s books to the public library and other books to the Lakewood High School library and three middle school libraries.
[Page 12]
RACE UNITY
Louis Gregory: ‘Wherever he went, the people loved and admired him’[edit]
“He was a rare soul, an enlightened soul. To see him and to meet him was to love him.”
That brief description of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory comes from someone who should know—89-year-old Felice Sadgwar of Wilmington, North Carolina, who learned of the Bahá’í Faith from Louis Gregory in 1922.
MR. GREGORY, whose biography, To Move the World, by Gayle Morrison, is now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, was a guest on two occasions at the Sadgwar home in Wilmington.
FELICE SADGWAR
He had first come in contact with the family in the mid-1890s through Miss Sadgwar’s oldest sister who attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, at the same time that Mr. Gregory was a student there.
Both Miss Sadgwar and her father, Frederick C. Sadgwar Sr., who was then in his 80s, became Bahá’ís as a result of their meetings with Mr. Gregory and were deepened in the Faith by Mr. Gregory’s friend, Roy Williams, who died last year in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was buried in Wilmington (see The American Bahá’í, January 1982, p. 19).
“Everywhere he (Louis Gregory) went in the city, people loved him,” says Miss Sadgwar. “I took him to the various schools in Wilmington, and to the chamber of commerce. He spoke at some of the churches. He just stood out. You couldn’t help but admire him.”
Miss Sadgwar, the youngest of 12 children, was very close to her father, a carpenter-builder and leader in educating former slaves whose home was recently designated an historic landmark by the Historic Wilmington Foundation.
To help assuage Miss Sadgwar’s grief after the death of her father in 1925, Louis Gregory invited her to accompany him to the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, where she met his wife, Louisa, and other Bahá’ís including Juliet Thompson and Horace Holley.
“IT WAS a marvelous summer,” she recalls fondly.
Miss Sadgwar never married but remained in the family home where she provided the daily care needed by an invalid brother who passed away in his late 80s.
In 1975 her sister Mabel, who was then 87 years old, declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh. The two women still live in the family home that was built by their father in 1877 and enlarged in 1910.
In spite of sight impairment caused by cataracts and glaucoma, Miss Sadgwar, who taught school for 41 years in New Hanover County, continues to devote much of her time to a volunteer program for retired senior citizens and other community service efforts. She also teaches piano in her home.
As a result of her many community service activities, she was recently named “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” for 1981 by the New Hanover County Human Relations Commission.
In reporting the February 28 award presentation, the Wilmington Journal cited Miss Sadgwar’s black, white and Cherokee Indian heritage, saying that she “embodies the spirit of human relations.”
Though her life has been long and eventful, one as-yet unfulfilled wish is to visit the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.
Asked whether she would be able to see the Temple in spite of her eye problems, her answer is quick and emphatic: “Oh, yes. I certainly would!”
The home in Wilmington, North Carolina, built by Felice Sadgwar’s father in 1877 is now an historic site.
Phoenix ‘riddle’ brings flood of calls[edit]
More than 200 phone calls were received in a four-day period following the insertion of a small newspaper ad January 20 by the Greater Phoenix Bahá’í Media Committee in the Arizona Republic, a major daily paper in the Southwest.
The ad, which cost $67 to place, read as follows:
Riddle—There is an empty room with only one chair. Into the room enter Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Who will sit in the chair? Who will sit on the floor? For the answer call 253-0560.
Since media rules of measurement say that for everyone who calls, another 500 wish to but do not, the Media Committee figures that as many as 100,000 people were reached and motivated by the “riddle” approach, which was designed by the Blue Mountain Media Team of Walla Walla, Washington, and further developed by the Inland Empire Media Team of Spokane.
Half of those who responded to the ad were appreciative, inquisitive and respectful of the answer (“Since all the Prophets of God are the essence of humility, none would exalt Himself above the others and all would sit on the floor.”)
One caller, a Zoroastrian, was elated that those of another religion, one she did not know about, not only knew of Zoroaster but held Him in high esteem.
The Greater Phoenix Media Committee would like to continue placing such ads and invites the friends to offer their ideas.
You may write to them c/o Doug Carpa, P.O. Box 885, Tempe, AZ 85281, or telephone 602-838-1518 or 602-831-0108.
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.
Mayor Charles Royer of Seattle, Washington (seated) proclaims September 20, 1981, World Peace Day in Seattle as Bahá’ís (left to right) Mark Hoover, Julie Worthington, Majid Mohager-Jasbi and Scott Klug look on. Copies of the proclamation were sent to 208 members of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, in which the Seattle Bahá’í community has observer status, with an invitation to attend a 24-hour prayer vigil at the Seattle Bahá’í Center to commemorate the occasion.
For martyrs in Iran
Nearly 100 attend memorial service in Buffalo, New York[edit]
Nearly 100 people braved wintry weather January 30 to attend a memorial service in Buffalo, New York, for the eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran who were recently martyred in that country.
The speakers were Dr. Samandar Há’í, a Bahá’í from Olean, New York, and Dr. Ralph Loew, a clergyman who is in charge of religious instruction at the Chautauqua Institute.
Prayers and readings on peace and justice were interspersed with the talks and with presentations by two professional musicians: pianist Linda Gillette, who has taught at the University of New York at Fredonia, and Wesley Dyring, who plays viola with the Rochester Philharmonic.
About 500 invitations were sent to churches, other religious organizations, clergy and individuals.
The Buffalo community reports that the event has led to close contacts with three groups: the Buffalo Associated Ministry, Buffalo Council of World Affairs, and Western New York Peace Center.
At Naw-Rúz, about 150 people attended a catered dinner sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Buffalo.
Asian Teaching Conference set for May[edit]
The first Regional Asian Teaching Conference to be held in the western states will take place in the Los Angeles area May 28-31. The conference will include:
- Asian cultural dances
- Bahá’í literature in Asian languages
- Media materials in Chinese
- Classes on Buddhism and Confucianism
In addition, there will be orientation workshops on the following Asian peoples: Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian/Thai, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Filipino.
If you plan to attend this historic conference, please write to:
- Regional Asian Teaching Committee
- c/o Mr. Tekseng Lee, secretary
- _______
- San Marcos, CA 92069
- Telephone 714-744-9123 weekdays after 5 p.m. (PST) or weekends
Ottawa site of Association’s 7th Conference[edit]
The Association for Bahá’í Studies is urging early registration for its seventh annual Conference to be held August 30-September 2 at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
The theme of this year’s conference is “The Bahá’í Option,” focusing on the Bahá’í Teachings as mankind’s blueprint to remedy the profound disunity of thought, feeling and action in people’s inner lives and in their relationship to the family and society.
The program outline is:
- Monday, August 30—Unity within the individual.
- Tuesday, August 31—Unity within the family.
- Wednesday, September 1—Unity of mankind (presented in collaboration with the International Projects Committee, covering issues relating to international development from a Bahá’í perspective).
The conference will end Thursday, September 2, giving participants ample time to travel to Montreal by car, bus, train or air for the opening of the Bahá’í International Conference at the Olympic Velodrome on Friday, September 3.
The executive committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies is calling upon the friends who decide to submit papers to its conference to focus on such topics as human rights, ethics, law, economics, and international development.
Topics should be addressed from a Bahá’í perspective within the broad framework of their effect on the individual, the family and society.
On the final conference day, Thursday, September 2, the following workshops and symposia will be held:
• International Development Workshop—on the achievement of Bahá’í goals and the types of development projects that lend themselves to this end, including follow-up sessions to previous days’ presentations.
• Bahá’í Scholarship Symposium—addressing specific topics gleaned from study of the Sacred Writings, the early history of the Faith, and the relationship of the Faith to other religions and ideologies.
• Bahá’í International Health Agency Symposium—presentation of papers on various aspects of health in the light of divine revelation and scientific knowledge.
• Bahá’í Curriculum Development Workshop—on the development of university courses, seminars and lectures on the Faith.
Simultaneous translations to French or English will be available at all events with the exception of workshops and symposia, which will be held either in English or French depending on the language preference of presenters or participants.
A conference registration fee of $15 is required from non-members, $10 from members of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.
Please note that those who attend are requested to make their own hotel reservations and travel arrangements.
Update on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran[edit]
Prepared by the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs
Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, Bahá’ís in that country have been subjected to a ceaseless storm of persecution. The following highlights of the recent attacks on Iran’s beleaguered Bahá’í community make it clear that government authorities intend to pursue their avowed campaign to eliminate the Faith from Iran to its grim conclusion.
•
Summary executions and arrests
• On December 27, 1981, eight members of Iran’s National Spiritual Assembly were secretly executed following their summary arrest on December 13 as they met in a private home. No charges were made, no trials were held, and none of the victims’ families was notified of their deaths. Five of the victims’ bodies were subsequently found in the “infidels” section of a Muslim graveyard in Tehran.
• On January 4, 1982, six members of the Spiritual Assembly of Tehran were secretly executed with the woman in whose home they were meeting when all seven were summarily arrested on November 2, 1981. The killings brought to 97 the number of Bahá’ís whose deaths have been acknowledged by Iranian officials. Another 14 Bahá’ís including the members of the previous National Spiritual Assembly have been missing since their arrests in August 1980.
• Some 150 Bahá’ís are still languishing in Iran’s prisons—many for more than a year—without any formal charges having been made following their summary arrests.
Intimidation to induce recantation of faith
• All Bahá’í homes in Birjand, Khurasan, were looted, causing villagers to desert these homes and flee to safety. In the small villages around the city of Isfahan, large-scale attacks on local Bahá’ís have included summary arrests, kidnappings, and the seizure of personal property. These actions have been aimed at forcing rank and file Bahá’ís to recant their faith.
Destruction of Bahá’í Holy Places and cemeteries
• In November 1981, authorities demolished the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Takur and offered the land and gardens surrounding the Holy Place for sale to the general public. Authorities also seized the Bahá’í cemetery in Tehran, leaving thousands of Bahá’ís without a place to bury their dead.
Dismissals from jobs and revocation of passports
• Thirty-one Bahá’ís, employees of the Pepsi-Cola company, have been dismissed from their jobs for as long as they refuse to recant their faith. In a recent government memo marked “Very confidential—urgent,” Iran’s consular officials all over the world are instructed to collect the names of all Bahá’ís residing outside of Iran. Their passports are revoked, and they will only be issued travel documents permitting their return to Iran.
Denial of educational opportunities
• In September 1981, school authorities in Iran carefully scrutinized each student’s religion and refused to register Bahá’í children for classes. A Ministry of Education document, published in the September 30, 1981, edition of Kayhan, decreed that professors and students alike are henceforth barred from Iran’s universities if they are members of “the misled and misguided sect,” a term often used by authorities in Iran to describe the Bahá’í Faith.
Washington teaching campaign focuses on Mexican-Americans[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Anacortes, Washington, in the northwestern part of the state, have begun an active teaching campaign among a group of Mexican-Americans in nearby Burlington.
Firesides are being held about once every two weeks. Before these meetings, Bahá’ís from several communities speak with people on the street and give out invitations door to door.
To end the first phase of the project, a public meeting was held at the Burlington Community Center. The program included a musical presentation by the Jin’ái Singers, songs and music by other Bahá’í artists, folk dances, and a magic act for the children in the audience.
Nine Mexican-American seekers attended, plus two children, a Vietnamese woman and a girl who later declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Some of the Bahá’ís in Anacortes are learning Spanish with their new Mexican friends, who in turn are learning English.
College student presents paper on Faith as class assignment[edit]
Nelson Valken Le-Duc, a Bahá’í from Bountiful, Utah, recently presented an introduction to the Faith as an assignment in a class entitled “Philosophy of Democracy” in which he was enrolled at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
As a result, one member of the class has shown considerable interest in the Faith and has asked for more literature.
Also, the professor, Dr. Jennings Olson, who is acquainted with the Faith and is sympathetic to the plight of Iranian Bahá’ís, gave the class the address of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust so that they could write for more information, read the short obligatory prayer to the class, and announced that in two classes he was to teach the following quarter he would devote five to six lecture hours to the Bahá’í Faith.
The Bahá’í booth at the Arkansas State Fair is a statewide project coordinated annually by the Spiritual Assembly of Little Rock. Shown here attending the booth are (left to right) Divina Ward, Helena Ward, Allan Ward II and Scott Marshall.
[Page 14]
PÁGINA HISPANA
Curso de Estudio 4: La religión tiene dos aspectos[edit]
Las enseñanzas religiosas que están en contradicción con la ciencia y la razón son invenciones e imaginaciones humanas, que no son dignas de ser aceptadas; por cuanto la antítesis y lo opuesto al conocimiento, es la superstición que nace de la ignorancia humana.—‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Cuando las creencias religiosas se oponen a la ciencia, dejan de ser religión y se convierten en superstición.
La religión tiene dos aspectos:
- (a) el aspecto espiritual;
- (b) el aspecto práctico.
YA HEMOS mencionado que el aspecto espiritual es esencialmente el mismo en todas las épocas ya que todos los Profetas o Manifestaciones de Dios han enseñado las mismas verdades y han exhortado a los hombres a hacer el bien, a ser generosos, sinceros, veraces y a ser cumplidores de la ley.
El aspecto práctico de las religiones trata de las formas exteriores. Este aspecto cambia de época en época, según los requerimientos de una sociedad que cambia continuamente.
A medida que transcurre el tiempo se acumulan dogmas, ritos y prácticas externas en concordancia con las supersticiones propias de cada edad, de modo que muchos dirigentes religiosos han llegado a creer que la importancia de la religión radica en adherirse firmamente a estas prácticas.
En esta forma se apegan con tenacidad a ellas, confundiéndolas con los verdaderos principios que constituyen la verdad esencial e interna.
Estas formas exteriores varían de religión y de una secta a otra. A menudo son contradictorias y son causa de discordias, odios y desuniones; esto ha llevado a muchos hombres a repudiar la religión, por considerar que es contraria a la ciencia y la razón.
El lamentable efecto de esta ceguera supersticiosa es que hombres de ciencia se han apartado de la religión, y los religiosos se han apartado de la ciencia.
COMO consecuencia de ello, la actitud científica ha desembocado en un océano de materialismo y la religión se ve envuelta en discusiones interminables y disensiones nacidas de la superstición y de la ignorancia.
El hombre de ciencia busca conocimientos sobre el mundo material. La religión busca conocimientos sobre la vida del espíritu. Ambos mundos, el material y el espiritual, son creaciones de un mismo Dios.
Pretender que las verdades esenciales de ambos mundos son mutuamente excluyentes, es asegurar que Dios está en contradicción consigo mismo y esto es, evidentemente, absurdo.
Las contradicciones nacen de la ignorancia, de algunos científicos respecto a la religión, y de los prejuicios de algunos religiosos respecto a la verdad científica.
Si la religión estuviese en armonía con la ciencia y ambas caminaran juntas, habría terminado gran parte del odio y amargura que traen tanta miseria a la raza humana.
Consideremos lo que hace diferente al hombre de todos los demás seres creados. ¿No es acaso su inteligencia y poder de raciocinio? ¿No debe hacer uso de ellos para el estudio de la religión?
DEBEMOS pesar cuidadosamente en la balanza de la razón y de la ciencia todo lo que nos sea presentado como religión. Si no pasa por esta prueba debemos rechazarla, porque es ignorancia.
Si volvemos nuestra vista a todos lados, veremos que el mundo de hoy está sumergido en supersticiones y formas exteriores.
Algunos veneran la creación de su propia imaginación; esta creación de su mente limitada no puede ser el Hacedor infinito de todas las cosas visibles.
Esto ha llegado a tal punto que los hombres disputan sobre determinados puntos de ritual o de alguna práctica particular, hasta llegar a oír vanos argumentos y disensiones por todos lados.
No se debe poner en duda la fuerza y el poder de la verdadera religión a causa de la incapacidad de comprensión de estas personas ignorantes.
Debemos poner todas nuestras creencias en armonía con la ciencia; no puede haber oposición pues la Verdad es sólo una.
Cuando la religión se libere de sus supersticiones, tradiciones y dogmas absurdos y demuestre su conformidad con la ciencia, entonces habrá una gran fuerza unificadora en el mundo que terminará con todas las guerras, discordias, disgustos y controversias.
Entonces se unirá la humanidad en el poder del Amor de Dios.
Toda creencia religiosa que no esté de acuerdo con la prueba e investigaciones científicas, es pura superstición; por cuanto la verdadera religión es, esencialmente, realidad y razón pura; por lo tanto, ambas deben estar de acuerdo. Si decimos que la religión se opone a la ciencia, nos falta conocimiento ya sea de la verdadera ciencia o de la verdadera religión, ya que ambas se fundamentan en las premisas y conclusiones de la razón y ambas deben ser probadas mediante ella. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
La divulgación de la Fe Bahá’í en Burlington[edit]
En la ciudad de Burlington, situada en la parte noroeste del estado de Washington, vive una pequeña comunidad de mexicanos.
Por este motivo, la Asamblea Espiritual de Anacortes, que queda a unos treinta kilómetros de distancia, ha respondido a las exhortaciones de las instituciones nacionales para enseñar la Fe entre las minorías, y se ha dedicado a la divulgación del Mensaje de Bahá’u’lláh en Burlington.
PARA iniciar el proyecto, los Bahá’ís de Anacortes organizaron tres reuniones de enseñanza que se llevaron a cabo aproximadamente cada dos semanas.
Antes de cada reunión, los participantes Bahá’ís, que venían de varias partes del distrito, hablaban con la gente en la calle y daban invitaciones de puerta en puerta.
Una de las reuniones, y tal vez la más exitosa, tuvo lugar en la casa de una familia mexicana, donde asistieron amigos y familiares, e incluyó actividades especiales para los niños.
Para culminar la primera fase del proyecto, organizaron una reunión con programa mucho más amplio en el Burlington Community Center. Este consistió en una presentación musical sobre las Siete Velas de la Unidad por los Jin’ái Singers, otras canciones y música por otros artistas Bahá’ís, bailes folclóricos para estimular la participación activa de todos los presentes y un número de trucos mágicos para los niños del público.
Asistieron nueve simpatizantes mexicanos, más dos niños, una señora vietnamita y una joven que en visión había sido llamada por ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. La última también se hizo Bahá’í poco tiempo después.
ACTUALMENTE, algunos de los Bahá’ís de Anacortes están aprendiendo español con los nuevos contactos mexicanos, al mismo tiempo que los mexicanos aprenden inglés.
De esta manera, nuevas amistades entre Bahá’ís y simpatizantes se están formando, y esto, junto con el ritmo ya establecido de reuniones públicas promete mucho éxito.
Los Bahá’ís de Anacortes, y todos los otros amigos que también han participado en este proyecto, piden apoyo espiritual en la forma de oraciones a los otros amigos interesados de este país.
CONFERENCIA REGIONAL DE ENSEÑANZA HISPANA
El Comité de Enseñanza Hispana para los estados del oeste patrocinerá una Conferencia de Enseñanza Hispana en Los Angeles el fin de semana del 4 de julio. Si se desea más información sobre la conferencia escribe a:
- Comité Regional de Enseñanza Hispana
- c/o Mrs. Francine Márquez
- P.O. Box 6127
- Alhambra, CA 91802
O llama a Sra. Senta Azarkadeh, 213-322-6934.
Una vista del Monte Carmelo de noche
Enseñanza personal: Consejos de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sobre los niños[edit]
Extractos de las expresiones de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Os doy mi consejo que es este: Enseñad a estos niños con exhortaciones divinas. Desde su infancia instilad en sus corazones el amor de Dios para que manifiesten el temor de Dios, y tengan confianza en las dádivas de Dios.
Enseñadles a librarse de las imperfecciones humanas y a adquirir las perfecciones divinas latentes en el corazón del hombre.
Si se convierte en el centro de las imperfecciones del mundo de la humanidad, la muerte es preferible a la vida, y la no existencia mejor que la existencia.
Por lo tanto, haced un esfuerzo para que estos niños sean instruidos y educados rectamente, y que cada uno de ellos logre la perfección en el mundo de la humanidad. Conoced el valor de estos niños porque todos ellos son mis hijos. (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pág. 51)
***
A cada niño bahá’í le corresponde sobrepasar a los otros en el aprendizaje de las ciencias y las artes, pues ellos han sido acunados en la gracia de Dios.
Todo lo que los otros niños aprendan en un año, que los niños bahá’ís lo aprendan en un mes. El corazón de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, en su amor, ansía descubrir que todos los jóvenes bahá’ís son conocidos a través del mundo por sus logros intelectuales. No cabe duda, salvo que deberán extremar sus esfuerzos, sus energías, su sentido del orgullo, en aprender las ciencias y las artes. (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pág. 141)
***
La instrucción de estos niños es como el trabajo de un jardinero amoroso que cuida sus tiernas plantas en los florecientes campos del Todo Glorioso.
No cabe duda que esto producirá los resultados deseados; esto es verdad, especialmente la instrucción en cuanto a las obligaciones y conducta bahá’í se refiere, pues es menester que a los niños pequeños se les haga conscientes en sus propios corazones y almas que “bahá’í” no solo es un nombre sino una verdad.
Cada niño debe ser adiestrado en las cosas del espíritu, para que encarne todas las virtudes y se convierta en una fuente de gloria para la Causa de Dios. De otra manera, la mera palabra “bahá’í” si no produce fruto, se convertirá en nada.
Esfuérzate entonces, hasta lo mejor de tu habilidad, para que estos niños sepan que un “bahá’í” es aquel que encarna todas las perfecciones, que debe brillar como un cirio encendido—no ser oscuridad sobre oscuridad y aún así llevar el nombre “bahá’í.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pág. 143)
[Page 15]
PUBLICATIONS
Cry from Heart: moving account of martyrdoms[edit]
A Cry from the Heart: The Bahá’ís in Iran, by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, is a powerful and frank new book that will help you answer many of your own questions and those of your friends and relatives who are concerned about human rights and religious persecution.
How many times have you been asked the following questions—and stumbled over the answers?
• WHY IS the largest religious minority in Iran denied legal status and basic human rights?
• Why are its Holy Places and humanitarian institutions destroyed or seized?
• Why are the homes, farms and possessions of its members looted, burned, stolen?
• Why are its children refused education and hounded by school authorities?
• Why are the Bahá’ís in Iran imprisoned, tortured, executed, murdered in terrible ways without fair trial?
• Why do Bahá’ís choose to die rather than deny their Faith?
• Are these innocent victims important to a world that is struggling to survive?
A Cry from the Heart will help answer these and other questions for you. And it provides, in a readable and illustrated format, a book you can put in the hands of seekers and friends.
The book opens with a dramatic and moving account of the martyrdom of a devoted Bahá’í couple in the village of Núk.
Then follows a chapter on accusations leveled at Bahá’ís and another refuting each accusation.
Six chapters detail the destruction of the House of the Báb; the persecutions in Tehrán, Hamadán, Shíráz and Tabríz; and the effects upon Bahá’í children.
The book then concludes with a list of martyrs and those known to be imprisoned or missing, and with cables and other information disseminated as the book was going to press.
A Cry from the Heart is now available in a paper edition ($2.50; Catalog No. 332-087). Details on the cloth edition will be made available early this summer.
You may order the paper edition of A Cry from the Heart through your local Bahá’í librarian, or you may call the Bahá’í Publishing Trust at 800-323-1880.
Bahá’í books among top-selling paperbacks in B. Dalton stores[edit]
Two of the four Bahá’í books carried by B. Dalton, a nationwide bookseller, are among its top-selling religious paperbacks, according to Greg Weiler, marketing manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
J.E. Esslemont’s Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era (paper edition) appeared in January and February in the top 4 percent and Gloria Faizi’s The Bahá’í Faith: An Introduction in the top 3 percent.
Sales of the other two Bahá’í books also are respectable. The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh appears in the top 15 percent of Dalton’s paperback religious books while The Divine Art of Living is in the top 25 percent.
The Publishing Trust is grateful to the friends for purchasing Bahá’í books at B. Dalton and for encouraging seekers to do likewise. The promotion and sale of Bahá’í literature in bookstores is an effective means of proclaiming the Faith throughout the country.
Special issue
World Order magazine honors memory of poet Robert Hayden[edit]
The Fall 1981 issue of World Order magazine, which is now in the mail, pays tribute to Robert Hayden, a major American poet who served as the magazine’s poetry editor from 1968 until his death in February 1980.
The “Hayden issue,” as the editors lovingly refer to it, can be used for presentations to selected prominent people in your community as well as to professors at local colleges and universities.
The magazine can also be worked into plans for Race Unity Day, along with the forthcoming biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory, To Move the World.
Included in the issue are essays and poems on many facets of Mr. Hayden’s life. A long biographical sketch by Pontheolla Williams contains much previously unpublished material.
Gerald Parks’ essay on Mr. Hayden’s religious poetry provides much food for thought. Julius Lester’s moving tribute brings alive Robert Hayden the man, the teacher, the friend, the poet.
Two poems—by Jacob Miller and Donna Denizé—indicate how much respect Mr. Hayden inspired in his students.
Single issues of the Fall 1981 issue of World Order ($1.60; Catalog No. 051-061) may be ordered through your local Bahá’í librarian, or you may phone the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 800-323-1880.
ROBERT HAYDEN
Martha Root biography of Ṭáhirih now available[edit]
Ṭáhirih the Pure, the Hand of the Cause of God Martha Root’s biography of the indomitable Letter of the Living, is now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Fascinated by the story of Ṭáhirih, Martha Root traveled to Iran to piece together her life story. The result is an illuminating biography of the Bábí heroine—and a glimpse into the life of Ms. Root herself.
First published in Pakistan in 1938, this new Kalimát Press edition contains Martha Root’s original dedication and introduction, the corrected text, and the original appendices (an essay on Ṭáhirih’s poetry and Shoghi Effendi’s statement about the Bahá’í Faith).
New to the book is a poetical essay by Marzieh Gail, who knew Martha Root; photographs and illustrations; an appendix containing Bahá’u’lláh’s tribute to the Báb and His chief disciples; and explanatory notes.
Ṭáhirih the Pure, available in a cloth edition only, is $7.95 (Catalog No. 332-088).
To order the book, see your local Bahá’í librarian or phone the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 800-323-1880.
New ‘Child’s Way’ magazine celebrates spring[edit]
The May-June 1982 issue of “Child’s Way” magazine celebrates spring and the bounties of being a Bahá’í.
An original song by Mimi McClellan extols the mineral, vegetable, animal and human kingdoms.
“A Look in the Pond” by Sharon Lautner describes the lives of amphibians—frogs. Photos accompany the article.
Another article, “Kids in the Kitchen,” shows how to make a great surprise dinner for Mom and Dad.
A special treat that may make you very proud to be a Bahá’í is “Love Letters from Iran.” Many are excerpts from the last letters written by those who are “making their lives a melody for God.”
All this, in addition to regular features like Reader’s Registry, “Dear Agatha,” and a craft activity, makes “Child’s Way” something to look forward to. Subscribe now! The cost is only $6 per year or $11 for two years.
Please send payment with your complete name and address to Bahá’í Subscriber Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Bahá’í authors article in journal[edit]
An article entitled “The Significance and Example of Communication Models” by Kurt Hein, a former staff member in the National Treasurer’s Office who is now with Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador, appears in the Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, and Sociometry, Vol. 34 (February 1982).
The article is in a communication section edited by Dr. Allan L. Ward, professor of speech communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Ward is a member of the Bahá’í community of Little Rock.
Trust has Remember My Days in stock[edit]
Remember My Days: The Life Story of Bahá’u’lláh, Lowell Johnson’s popular and easy-to-read version of the life of the Blessed Beauty, is once again in stock at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
The paperback booklet includes incidents not generally found in accounts of Bahá’u’lláh’s life, such as the time He visited the Sháh at the age of seven or eight to convince the monarch not to demand any more monetary “tribute” from His father.
There also are touching details about Bahá’u’lláh’s wife, Asíyih Khánum (“the Most Exalted Leaf”), and glimpses of His daughter, Bahíyyih Khánum (“the Greatest Holy Leaf”) and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as children.
This is an excellent book for youth and non-Bahá’ís, offering a brief but personal look at the life story of Bahá’u’lláh, as well as of His family, companions and followers.
Remember My Days ($2.50; Catalog No. 352-083) may be ordered through your local Bahá’í librarian, or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. Telephone 800-323-1880.
[Page 16]
CLASSIFIEDS
Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.
•
THE NATIONAL Youth Committee is looking for talented youth and young adults to perform in a Bahá’í “road show” currently being developed. If you have vocal, dramatic, dance or instrumental (pop, folk, jazz or modern) ability, please write to the National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Send a summary of your experience with an audition tape and photograph.
WANTED: The National Bahá’í Archives Committee is seeking the records of Regional Teaching Committees for the 1930s and 1940s, especially minutes and correspondence. Anyone having such records is asked to write to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
WANTED: By the International Goals Committee—information about blue collar jobs in other countries (not the Middle East, where we do not send pioneers). If you have access to ads in trade journals or elsewhere that are geared toward finding carpenters, brick masons, plumbers, electricians, printers, tanners, diesel mechanics, sheet metal workers, pipe fitters, glaziers, structural welders, pipe welders, stone masons, office machine repair personnel, machinists, auto mechanics, and similar kinds of jobs, the committee would appreciate your writing or phoning. If you can do this on a regular basis, you will contribute greatly to the placing of pioneers overseas. Please write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
THE OPPORTUNITY to become a homefront pioneer is available for a Bahá’í male with experience and/or training in architectural drafting or design. The business, located in New Jersey, is involved in commercial interior design and is owned and staffed by Bahá’ís. If you are qualified and would like to help raise Glen Rock, New Jersey, to Assembly status, please contact Vance Remick, ________ Glen Rock, NJ 07452.
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 communities and individuals. The scripts cover radiance, patience, health, unity, fairness, family, and education. Four are based solely on the 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, ________ Chicago, IL 60603. If possible, please include $2 per set to cover the cost of copying and postage.
WANTED: Bahá’í educators, artists, musicians, mathematicians, computer technicians, etc., who can give two to three weeks this summer to participate in a Summer Enrichment Program for middle school and high school students at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute. Please write to Dr. Alberta Deas, administrator, _______ Hemingway, SC 29554, or phone 803-558-5093.
SMALL southern Wisconsin community wishes to preserve its eight-year-old Assembly which is now in jeopardy. Stoughton is within 20 minutes of the state capital, Madison, and the University of Wisconsin. We need you! Please write to P.O. Box 45, Stoughton, WI 53589, or phone (evenings) 608-873-8503.
THREE homefront pioneers are needed to help save the 11-year-old Assembly in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, a small, pleasant suburb of Philadelphia that is the home of Swarthmore College. The community has regular teaching activities, supports the Swarthmore Bahá’í Club, and is ready to offer help in finding a place to live and employment. Transportation is readily accessible. Please contact Joyce Perry, Swarthmore, PA 19081. Phone 215-543-5921.
WE ARE looking for a female elementary educator who would be interested in teaching for one-half day in a private “one-room school house” situation in Alamosa, Colorado, that employs as many Bahá’í concepts as possible. Starting date is September 1982. Certification is not required. Pay is minimal. Please phone Bill Bright, 303-589-3217, after 5 p.m. MST.
GUATEMALA urgently needs a pioneer for Zacapa, the regional center of a spiritually open area in which 14 Local Assemblies need deepening. The Bahá’ís there have just finished building their regional Center. Semi-desert climate, small town atmosphere, three and one-half hours from the capital city. Spanish necessary. Possible work that a pioneer might obtain once in the country: TV repair, watch repair, English teacher. Please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
A CONFERENCE for single Bahá’ís to be held June 18-20 at the Lazy F Conference Center in Manastash Canyon near Ellensburg, Washington, will include presentations on the Bahá’í teachings concerning human sexuality, a positive approach to old world situations, preparation for marriage, relating to children in the community, and effective teaching. The conference is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The cost of $35 per person covers five meals and two nights’ lodging. No child care will be provided. For more information or to register, contact Geralyn West, ________ Liberty Lake, WA 99019, or phone 509-255-9926.
A SACRIFICE. To pioneer internationally, must sell a lovely 16-acre farm with two-family house, well-insulated. Wood or oil heat, barns, apple trees, excellent land, near Saratoga, New York. Tax assessment is $48,000; will sell to a Bahá’í for $35,000. Please telephone Michael Kavenagh, 716-293-3003.
WANTED: Information about the Hand of the Cause of God A.Q. Faizí for use in a biography to be written by his widow, Gloria Faizí. Needed are recollections, copies of Mr. Faizí’s letters, examples of his calligraphy, photos, and taped talks. Composition and style of writing is unimportant; what is needed are accounts of any meetings with Mr. Faizí, recollections of any interesting events in which he took part, and anecdotes about him, especially about his well-known sense of humor. The source of any item used in the book will be acknowledged in the name of the person who submitted it. Please address anything you send to Mrs. Gloria Faizi (AQF), P.O. Box 155, 31-001 Haifa, Israel. It is important to include “AQF” on the envelope along with your own full name and address.
IF YOU are moving to Southern California, Downey, the home of the Apollo space shuttle, invites you to make this your new home. Downey, centrally located in the Los Angeles basin, is adjacent to Orange County and within 30 minutes of downtown Los Angeles. The community needs a completely Bahá’í home that would be open to all activities. Downey has no public meeting places. Please write to Box 882, Downey, CA 90241, for more information. We will help you in any way we can.
THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives Committee is planning to hold its annual Archives Institute June 23-27 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois. Those who are interested in attending the program should submit to the Archives Committee by May 20 a brief statement of their background and why they would like to attend the institute, which is designed to introduce believers interested in the archival field to the nature and functions of a Bahá’í archives. Attendance is limited to eight people, and each participant is responsible for his or her own expenses and housing. Please address requests to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
THE GREEN ACRE Bahá’í School has a work/study program that offers people 15 years old or older a chance to attend the school for two weeks at minimal cost. Please write for information. Also, summer jobs are available for cooks, innkeeper, housekeeper, program directors, kitchen help, snack bar, and others. Please write for applications. For teachers of children and youth, the school is developing a concept of a faculty team to teach the several dozen youth and children who attend Green Acre each week. Are you interested in being a part of it? If so, please write for information. Direct all inquiries and correspondence to the Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.
TEACHERS are needed in Nigeria. The State of Kaduna in northern Nigeria has opened 22 new secondary schools and has an urgent need for teachers with degrees in English, typewriting and shorthand, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, agricultural science, and various other vocational and technical fields. Nigeria is not a goal area for the U.S. at present, but needs well-deepened pioneers. A stay in Nigeria can serve as excellent preparation for service in other parts of Africa. For more information please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone 312-869-9039.
TESOL Summer Institute is being held June 28-August 6 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The institute is sponsored by TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language), Northeastern Illinois University, the University of Illinois—Chicago Circle, and Northwestern University. To register, or for more information, write: 1982 TESOL Summer Institute, Northwestern University, _______ Evanston, IL 60201.
HOMEFRONT pioneer wanted for Anthony, New Mexico. Prefer Spanish-speaking family or single Bahá’í who is committed to teaching and consolidation work among new Spanish-speaking believers. There is an Assembly here and others in five neighboring towns. There is much work to do. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Anthony, c/o Marylou Krummenacher, secretary, ________ Anthony, NM 88021, or phone 505-882-4664.
SPEAKERS at the second annual Bristol Bahá’í Conference set for May 28-30 at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol will include an assistant to the Auxiliary Board; a noted surgeon who is a fifth generation believer; and the first female faculty member at the University of Tunis in Tunisia. The conference, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Roanoke, will include workshops that emphasize how the Faith fulfills Christianity and Islam. Pre-registration checks ($10 for adults, $5 for children who wish to attend children’s classes) should be made out to the Bristol Bahá’í Conference Committee and sent to Mrs. Anita Williams, registrar, P.O. Box 6071, Roanoke, VA 24017. Phone 703-982-6984.
POTTSTOWN, Pennsylvania, a small urban community surrounded by picturesque countryside steeped in natural history, could be just what you’re looking for as a homefront pioneer. Jobs are available for RNs, LPNs, secretaries, programmers and program analysts. Philadelphia is an hour away, and colleges one-half hour. Apartments rent from $190 a month, houses from $400. If you are interested in making Pottstown your permanent home, please phone Thelma Alting at 215-323-4765.
SERVE Bahá’u’lláh under palm trees on the Gulf of Mexico. The lovely town of Naples, Florida, needs a homefront pioneer to help support fireside and teaching activities. A large modern hospital provides good employment opportunities for nurses and other health care workers. Please contact John K. Brown, ________ Fort Myers, FL 33907, or phone 813-482-2513.
GRADUATE student in agency counseling who is a relatively new Bahá’í is looking for ways in which to incorporate the principles and Writings of the Faith in the field of psychology. Interested in corresponding with professional psychologists who can refer her to good books or essays on the subject, or can share some of their insights on how to be a Bahá’í psychologist. Please write to Susan Shuford Wilde, ________ Boone, NC 28607.
THE SECOND annual Bahá’í Festival of the Arts will be held in May in Sacramento, California. Painters, sculptors, photographers are invited to contact Doris Klumb for information or entry blanks. Performers who wish to lend their talents should contact Bonnie McCarty. The address is: Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Sacramento, P.O. Box 161252, Sacramento, CA 95816.
ARE YOU looking for a place where you can best serve the Cause of God? Look no further. Come to Okanogan, Washington, a community of seven adult Bahá’ís that is soon to have an Assembly. Okanogan, a quiet community with a lovely seasonal climate, is surrounded by orchards and cattle ranches and is only minutes from forested recreation areas. For those who are interested in teaching minorities, there are many Spanish-speaking orchard workers, and Okanogan borders the Colville Indian Reservation.
[Page 17]
J. Arthur Hatley, a member of the Bahá’í community of Dallas, Texas, who is president of Nortex Lighting Systems, has received the Award of Distinction for Lighting Design from the Illuminating Engineering Society in Dallas. Mr. Hatley’s winning design is an energy-saving low voltage system used for retail merchandising. Having won the district award in February, Mr. Hatley will now enter the national competition. In addition to running Nortex Lighting Systems, Mr. Hatley, who has a degree in theatre from San Jose State University in California, is a professional actor who has appeared in such productions as “Cabaret” and “War Stories” in Dallas.
Service for Blind[edit]
AVAILABLE NOW:
- In Braille or on tape—
- Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
- The Priceless Pearl
- Selections from the Writings of the Báb
- The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh (Volumes 1 and 2)
PLUS more than 80 other titles
For a printed catalog write:
- Bahá’í Service for the Blind
- 3110 East Lester St.
- Tucson, AZ 85716
Adults and children alike had a marvelous time while raising $4,200 for the National Fund at an Intercalary Days Fair and Auction held in Pompano Beach, Florida. Activities included many game booths for the children, a clown, palm reader, raffle, used toy booth, a “Kiddie Korral” for toddlers, and refreshments that ranged from simple sandwiches to linguine with clam sauce. The highly successful event represented a unified effort by the Bahá’ís of St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties and the west coast communities.
Bahá’í is cited by Board of Education[edit]
Stephen O. Jackson, a Bahá’í from Deerfield, Illinois, was recognized recently by the Board of Education of Township High School District No. 113, Lake County, Illinois, for his “dedicated service” as a member of the board from April 1978 to November 1981.
Mr. Jackson, who serves at the Bahá’í National Center as assistant to the National Treasurer, served on the school board’s policy, insurance advisory, and finance committees and as its representative to the Illinois Association of School Boards.
In addition, according to the citation, his “interest in the music program led to the development of the Community Orchestra ... He has a fine record of community service through the Children’s Theater of Deerfield.”
The board “warmly expresses its gratitude and appreciation to Steve Jackson and wishes him continued success during the years ahead.”
REGIONAL SPANISH TEACHING CONFERENCE
The Regional Spanish Teaching Committee for the Western States will host a Spanish Teaching Conference to be held in the Los Angeles area on the 4th of July weekend. If you would like more information, please write to:
- Regional Spanish Teaching Committee
- c/o Francine Márquez, secretary
- P.O. Box 6127
- Alhambra, CA 91802
Or phone Senta Azarkadeh, 213-322-6934.
Iran troubles lead to publicity, proclamation in Culver City[edit]
Recent discussions by the Bahá’ís of Culver City, California, with local newspapers and the mayor of Culver City about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran led to two long newspaper articles and a proclamation by the mayor designating March 27, 1982, as a day for “Recognition of the Rights of Bahá’ís in Iran.”
The articles appeared on page 3 of the Culver City News and on the front page of the Metro section in the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.
The second article was reprinted in an affiliated paper, the Culver City Independent & Star News, as its lead story on page 1.
Mayor Richard Alexander of Culver City was given a letter and UN packet including an update on the persecutions in Iran.
In return, he offered to contact Congressman Julian Dixon personally to enlist his support in Congress on behalf of the friends in Iran.
The mayor’s proclamation was presented to Lauren Metcalf, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Culver City, at a city council meeting on March 8.
About 40 attend 3rd annual ‘All-Iowa Spaghetti Dinner’ in Marshalltown[edit]
About 40 Bahá’ís from several Iowa cities including Waterloo, Ames, Toledo, Mason City and Lamoni attended the third annual “All-Iowa Spaghetti Dinner” February 27 in Marshalltown, Iowa.
The dinner, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Marshalltown, is held during Ayyám-i-Há each year in honor of a particular Bahá’í Fund. This year’s dinner honored the India and Samoa Temple Funds.
Dr. Magdalene M. Carney, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, was a special guest at the dinner and at a public meeting held the previous evening.
One of the 14 seekers who attended the public meeting was a black minister who had seen a photo of Dr. Carney that appeared in the local newspaper with a description of her talk, which was entitled “The Most Challenging Issue: The Elimination of Prejudices.”
The minister accepted Bahá’í literature and expressed an interest in attending firesides.
Bahá’í presents paper to speech association[edit]
Dr. Allan L. Ward, professor of speech communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, presented a research paper entitled “The Semantics of Religious Experience: A Comparison of Perspectives” at the 67th annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association held in mid-November 1981 in Anaheim, California.
The paper by Dr. Ward, who is a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Little Rock, included quotations from the Bahá’í Writings and other scriptures with a summary of interviews conducted with people of various faiths, showing the similarity of the events often referred to as “religious experience.”
[Page 18]
PERSIAN PAGE
Ten years ago ...[edit]
in The American Bahá’í
About 4,000 Bahá’ís from 40 countries attend the dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America in Panama.
Speakers on the historic occasion include the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Ugo Giachery and Zikrullah Khadem.
The friends participating in the conference that marks the Temple dedication report in a cable to the Universal House of Justice the enrollment of 2,400 people during the month prior to the gathering ...
Continental Counsellors Edna True and Lloyd Gardner and Auxiliary Board members Eunice Braun, Peter Khan, Paul Pettit and Thelma Thomas are among those attending the 63rd Bahá’í National Convention at the House of Worship in Wilmette ...
Bahá’í children in southern Illinois participate in two children’s conferences planned by the Southern Illinois District Teaching Committee.
Activities include an imaginative skit by 10- to 15-year-olds about what the world might be like in the year 2001 ...
The South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee seeks volunteers for consolidation work associated with Phase II of “Operation Gabriel,” the mass teaching program being directed by that committee.
Training institutes are scheduled throughout the summer for new volunteers arriving in South Carolina to help with the consolidation work ...
The Rocky Mountain Bahá’í Schools Committee announces its first work-study camp for youth at the Conifer Hill school in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
The two-week session is to be followed by a full week of regular summer school classes. The objective is to develop the outline for a model deepening program for youth ...
Plans are announced for summer teaching campaigns aimed at reaching Native Americans in Northern California, Montana, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota.
In California, the effort centers around Siskiyou County; in Montana, a conference in Great Falls is planned as a prelude to teaching among the Flathead, Salish and Kootenai Indians; and in South Dakota, the “Waubay Project” is to begin in June on the Sisseton Sioux Reservation, which will serve as a base of operations for teachers traveling to other parts of South Dakota and to Minnesota and North Dakota ...
Leonard Hippchen, renowned criminologist, dies[edit]
“We recall steadfast devotion our co-worker, Leonard J. Hippchen. Praying progress his soul holiest House of Worship. Convey relatives, friends our sympathy love.”
January 25, 1982
•
Dr. Leonard J. Hippchen, a member of the Bahá’í community of Richmond, Virginia, died January 15 at the age of 58.
Dr. Hippchen, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, was an internationally known criminologist and a pioneer in his profession.
HE STRONGLY felt that it was important to base his professional opinions and research on the Bahá’í Writings, which was reflected in his active promotion of a world-wide approach to controlling criminal behavior and of a world university.
Dr. Hippchen was in the forefront of the study of the rehabilitation of criminal offenders using approaches that combined good nutrition and spiritual development with behavior modification.
He was the author of numerous professional publications and was the recipient of many awards for his work.
After becoming a Bahá’í in 1965, Dr. Hippchen worked diligently to promote the Faith.
Among his many contributions were service on Spiritual Assemblies in Maryland, Florida, Texas, New Jersey and Virginia; on District Teaching Committees, school committees, and, at the time of his death, as an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Albert James.
He will be especially remembered for his years of service in working with mass-taught communities.
Dr. Hippchen is survived by his wife, Mrs. June H. Hippchen; two sons, David and Mark; a daughter, Mrs. Patty H. Habegger, and two grandchildren, all of whom are Bahá’ís.
LEONARD J. HIPPCHEN
Harris[edit]
Continued From Page 3
Mírzá Maḥmúd, a young man who, in 1912, would accompany ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to America.
From the time of his first address, given aboard ship at the captain’s request, Mr. Harris was engaged continuously for seven months in proclaiming the Faith.
His letters to the friends in the U.S. are voluminous and provide vivid descriptions of his activities in Bombay, Poona, Lahore, Calcutta, Rangoon and Mandalay.
Mr. Harris addressed large meetings of the Brahma Somaj and Arya Somaj movements, theosophical societies, the National Association of Indian Women, and a conference of religions in Lahore.
He wrote a series of six articles on the Faith for a Zoroastrian daily newspaper, and other articles for the Bombay New Thought Magazine and the Times of India.
Returning to the U.S. in 1907, Mr. Harris continued his avid teaching work. He was appointed chairman of the National Teaching Committee for the Northeastern States, and served as a member of the Spiritual Assembly of New York City for many years from 1921 until his death in 1934.
THE HARRIS home, which was open at all times to the friends, served as headquarters for the “Board of Counsel” in New York City, the forerunner of the Local Spiritual Assembly.
House guests included many of the Persian Bahá’ís sent to the U.S. by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In 1912, the Master Himself stayed in the Harris home one afternoon and overnight.
The many Tablets Hooper Harris received from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are now preserved in the National Bahá’í Archives in Wilmette.
Following Mr. Harris’ death on July 27, 1934, the Guardian added the following postscript to a letter to his widow:
“The irreparable loss of your very dear husband has removed a distinguished figure from the community of the American believers and inflicted a severe blow to its best interests.
“The share he has had in lending fresh impetus to the teaching activities of its members, the contributions he has made to the advancement of its institutions, the example he has set by his single-mindedness, his eloquent presentation of the essentials of God’s Faith and his exemplary devotion to its cause will long be remembered after him. He was indeed one of the leading apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Colorado Assembly recognized for United Way work[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Grand Junction, Colorado, was awarded a “Certificate of Appreciation” by the United Way of Mesa County at its well-attended victory celebration banquet February 16.
During the past year, Diana Carson has represented the Assembly and Bahá’í community of Grand Junction on the local Voluntary Action Council, which has presented many opportunities to serve the community in many ways and express in practical terms the principles of “Operation Befriend.”
In Memoriam[edit]
- Mrs. Mary Bachman
- Elizabethtown, PA
- February 22, 1982
- George W. Brandon
- St. Simons Is., GA
- February 11, 1982
- Ernest Brown
- Long Beach, CA
- March 12, 1982
- Mrs. Elizabeth Ciccole
- San Rafael, CA
- February 9, 1982
- Albert A. Comes
- Rio Rancho, NM
- March 3, 1982
- Phil Dotson
- Wichita Falls, TX
- Date Unknown
- Ms. Elsie Gaertner
- Milwaukee, WI
- March 3, 1982
- Ruben Garcia
- Hatch, NM
- February 11, 1982
- Mrs. Caroline Herman
- Milwaukee, WI
- March 26, 1982
- Ms. Viola Holman
- Douglasville, GA
- Date Unknown
- Ray A. Irlbacker
- Hartsdale, NY
- February 15, 1982
- Mrs. Lorna J. Jaster
- Cloverdale, CA
- February 5, 1982
- Mrs. Charlotte Jedlicz
- Wilmington, DE
- February 14, 1982
- Mrs. Verna Justice
- Austin, TX
- January 10, 1981
- Mrs. Louise Kachlamat
- Wapato, WA
- January 18, 1982
- Mrs. Marjorie Kravetz
- Jemez Springs, NM
- February 15, 1982
- Gabriel Lazance
- Los Angeles, CA
- March 10, 1981
- Mrs. Jo Ellen Mason
- Arlington, TN
- February 1982
- Gilbert Grubbs
- Willamina, OR
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Grace M. Grubbs
- Willamina, OR
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Queen Mikell
- Statesboro, GA
- July 25, 1981
- William Middlebrooks
- Austell, GA
- December 1981
- William K. Milligan
- Ringwood, NJ
- Date Unknown
- Miss Agnes McKinnon
- Beverly, MA
- February 27, 1982
- Harry C. McPherson
- Bismarck, ND
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Florence G. Oliver
- Millburn, NJ
- February 17, 1982
- Miss Marlene Owen
- Hinsdale, NH
- February 18, 1982
- Mrs. Virginia Peskorz
- Fond du Lac, WI
- February 5, 1982
- Mrs. Carolyn Prevost
- Hillsborough, NC
- February 15, 1982
- Robert L. Phillips
- Pamplico, SC
- August 1981
- Mrs. Mamie Roberts
- Marshall, IL
- September 10, 1981
- Anthony T. Reynolds
- Forks, WA
- February 25, 1982
- Ms. Helena Reynolds
- North Woodstock, NH
- February 24, 1982
- Carsten D. Schmidt
- Monterey, CA
- March 2, 1982
- Mrs. Liley Tate
- Mounds, IL
- Spring 1980
- Mrs. Viola M. Winters
- Douglas, AZ
- February 27, 1982
Ads[edit]
Continued From Page 16
For more information contact Mickey Davidson, Group correspondent, P.O. Box 1162, Okanogan, WA 98840, or phone 509-422-4358.
THE BAHÁ’Í community of Seal Beach, California, invites you to help build the community and maintain its Assembly status. If you are interested in meeting this immediate challenge, please contact the Seal Beach community at P.O. Box 2875, Seal Beach, CA 90740, or phone 213-594-8428.
THE BAHÁ’Í community of San Leandro, California, is producing a weekly series of Bahá’í programs for cable television. As we are preparing programs for reuse, we are in need of 3/4-inch VHS U-Matic video tapes. If anyone has such tapes to donate or sell, please write to the Bahá’ís of San Leandro, P.O. Box 515, San Leandro, CA 94577. Thank you!
WOULD YOU like to escape the rush of big city life without living in the outback? We need only three more Bahá’ís to form an Assembly in Dixon, California, a town of 5,000 in the lush Sacramento Valley. Dixon has the neighborliness and “rural feeling” of a small town but is only minutes by freeway from the University of California at Davis, about 20 minutes from Sacramento, and 50 miles from the San Francisco bay area. The location assures a large number of job opportunities in a variety of fields. For further information please write to Joel Mikesell, ________ Dixon, CA 95620, or phone (evenings) 916-678-4061 or 916-678-9432.
Welcome back, Mr. Sirovitch[edit]
We are pleased to report that Raymond Sirovitch, whose name appeared in our “In Memoriam” section in January, is very much alive in North Miami Beach, Florida.
We regret the error.
Pioneers[edit]
Continued From Page 8
the use of alcohol in traditional French cooking, which uses alcohol 90 percent of the time.
“A month later I received a letter from the House of Justice. It was concise, pure and simple, with excerpts from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the House of Justice itself. The message was clear: no alcohol.
“While I was waiting to hear from Haifa, I had received a call from the National Education Office of French Guiana, where I had applied for a job last May. Thanks to my diplomas, they were asking me to be a teacher of French cuisine.
“With the letter from Haifa in my hand, I accepted. The directress and other teachers met with me to explain their standards. In both my cooking and instruction, I was to use no alcohol.
“I happily accepted this position of a 28-hour work week at double my previous salary and no alcohol. What do you think of that?
“I now have three days of work and free time for the Faith. I am so happy—truly!”
Kurt and Delane Hein, Ecuador—“In case we haven’t told you, we love pioneering ... it’s so much more fulfilling than one can ever anticipate.
“We are especially hopeful that our children, Katurah and Lukas, may always grow in the arena of service to the Faith. Katurah considers the House of Worship ‘hers’ and now she identifies wholly with Radio Bahá’í.
“From birth, she has been playing at Bahá’í institutions and totally immersed in the Bahá’í community of servants. What greater gift we could give to our children I could not imagine. We sure hope that these two young lights are lion-cubs in the Covenant!
“And, of course, the privileges, the bounties for our marriage of working together toward common Bahá’í goals, the exposure to the true valiant servants of the Faith, from the Hands of the Cause and Counsellors to village believers ... these are just a few of the miracles and the rewards that we never want to release.
“I suspect that pioneering is called the ‘prince’ of all deeds because God rewards you so royally ... even when you are certain that you’ve done nothing that merits reward. What a miracle is this Faith.”
Bahá’ís participate[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Poway, California, were invited to participate February 19 in an interfaith service entitled “Spiritual Resistance to Genocide” that was co-sponsored by Temple Adat Shalom and the North County Interfaith Council.
The program, presented during the regular Friday evening observance at the Temple, included songs by the Bahá’í children’s choir and remarks by Ruth Brannan, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.
‘No mother ever feels she has done well enough’[edit]
Continued From Page 2
to fill a goal there; and her sister, Karen Larson, soon will pioneer to Yakima, Washington.
The Northwest Washington Youth Committee would like to congratulate these youth and wish them success in their service to the Cause.
Youth and Young Adult Team
Suzette Ruys, secretary
Bainbridge Island, Washington
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to Janice Renwick’s letter (February) regarding what is specifically being requested when mothers write expressing a desire for support, love and consideration from the Bahá’í community.
No matter what successes we may achieve in our personal or professional life, with the start of parenthood we all begin at ground zero.
EVEN if formerly we have been the most patient, rational and reasonable people, parenthood is sure to lower that by about one standard deviation per child.
No mother ever feels she has done well enough. All of us are, barely below the surface, rawly vulnerable to mention of our inadequacies and implied ineptitude regarding children.
It wouldn’t be so bad having these feelings of inadequacy if child rearing were strictly for our own satisfaction and amusement.
But in raising children, the upbringing is done for everyone. Our children are never really ours, they are only small birds flying around our wood, entrusted to our care for a number of years.
If I were to say to you that I would like support, love and consideration from the Bahá’í community, I would mean that I’d like for you to be patient with me and to be as kind to my little ones as you know how to be.
We may not be the best we could be, but Janice, we’re not finished yet.
Fallbrook, California
To the Editor:
I’d like to share an idea on the use of the social portion of the Nineteen Day Feast by Bahá’ís who, for one reason or another, must observe Feast alone.
Having found myself in this situation many times, I often would use the social portion to pray for friends.
At the most recent Feast, however, I realized that the social portion could also be used to write a letter or two to another isolated believer, a shut-in, or anyone else who might be alone during Feast.
After prayers and readings, after attending to any personal Bahá’í “business,” I feel that turning in fellowship to another Bahá’í, if only in writing, helps make the Feast more meaningful to me.
Thank you for allowing me to share this idea.
Gap, Pennsylvania
To the Editor:
I would like to share with you some thoughts about our children.
As parents, we should be keenly aware that our children are living in two worlds—the world that Bahá’u’lláh has told us will collapse, and the one that we Bahá’ís are helping to build.
LIVING in two worlds is a challenge for anyone. Can you imagine how much more challenging it must be for our children?
They are and will be facing problems we never dreamed of. But are we preparing them for these challenges?
Bahá’u’lláh has given us all the necessary tools for this formidable task.
Prayer, we are told, will protect us from violent tests and help us to develop spiritually.
Are we encouraging our children to memorize and learn the revealed Word? Are we making it a habit to pray together with our children in the morning and evening?
The length of time is unimportant; what is important are the feelings that are invoked at these times of devotion.
Teaching the Faith is another means of growth that Bahá’u’lláh has given us. We are told that when we teach we are protected, deepened and confirmed in God’s Cause.
THESE bounties are only possible when we are engaged in teaching. The moment we stop, the assistance is cut off.
Third, and probably most important: Are we living a Bahá’í life? Are we reflecting in our daily lives the Teachings of our beloved Faith?
Sometimes it’s easier to tell others how to do something than it is to do it ourselves.
As parents, we can set the pattern for our children’s lives by following the Teachings given to us by Bahá’u’lláh.
The challenge is great, the tools are in our hands. All we need do is try.
Los Angeles, California
The Spiritual Assembly of Golden Valley, Minnesota, held its recognition ceremony October 20. Members of the Assembly include (front row) Lake Kissick, and (back row left to right) Linda Akhavan, G. Ali Mahabadi, Roya Akhavan, Mrs. Monireh-Soltanian, Peter Olver, Cherzao Olver, Sabihe Mahabadi.
Can you guess which Temple?[edit]
A popular Chicago radio station, WIND, recently held a contest. Over a period of several weeks the station gave clues to 10 prominent landmarks in the greater Chicago area.
The fourth clue was as follows:
“This beautiful Temple was built in the northern suburbs because of the desire of the Faith’s Founder to have Houses of Worship around the world open to all for meditation and prayer. The Faith, which originated in Persia, means ‘Glory of God.’ ”
Any guesses?