The American Bahá’í/Volume 14/Issue 3/Text
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March 1983
The American
Baha’i
Universal House of Justice occupies permanent Seat
TO THE FOLLOWERS OF BAHA’U’LLAH IN EVERY LAND WE BOW OUR HEADS IN INFINITE GRATITUDE TO THE BLESSED BEAUTY FOR HIS ALL-EMBRACING CONFIRMATIONS ENABLING HOUSE JUSTICE OCCUPY ITS NEWLY CONSTRUCTED PERMAMENT SEAT. THIS AUSPICIOUS EVENT SIGNALIZES ANOTHER PHASE IN PROCESS FULFILMENT SAILING GOD’S ARK ON MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD AS ANTICIPATED IN TABLET CARMEL, WONDROUS CHARTER WORLD SPIRITUAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRES FAITH BAHA’U’LLAH. THIS HIGH POINT HISTORY STRUGGLING FAITH NOW EMERGING FROM OBSCURITY, THIS CRUCIAL HOUR SUFFUSED WITH UNTOLD POTENCIES GENERATED BY SOULSTIRRING SACRIFICES BELOVED BRETHREN IRAN, MARKED BY VISIT MEMBERS HOUSE JUSTICE TWIN HOLY SHRINES AND FIRST GATHERING COUNCIL CHAMBER TOGETHER WITH HANDS CAUSE AMATU’L-BAHA RUH{YYIH KHANUM ‘AL{L-AKBAR FURUTAN AND COUNSELLOR MEMBERS INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE TO OFFER PRAYERS HUMBLE THANKSGIVING. LET ALL REJOICE. LET PRAISES ANCIENT BEAUTY RESOUND. MAY UNRELENTING EFFORTS FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HASTEN ADVENT THAT DAY WHEN WONDROUS POTENTIALITIES ENSHRINED IN TABLET CARMEL WILL BE FULLY REVEALED AND WHEN FROM GOD'S HOLY MOUNTAIN, AS ENVISAGED BELOVED GUARDIAN, WILL STREAM FORTH RIVERS OF LAWS AND ORDINANCES WITH ALL-CONQUERING POWER AND MAJESTY. UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE FEBRUARY 1, 1983
DEEPLY MOVED BY YOUR ELOQUENT MESSAGE, INSPIRED BY THE ANTICIPATION OF THE STREAM OF LAWS THAT
A Crown of Beauty
secre
WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF MANKIND, FEELING THE ACCESS OF FRESH ENERGY THAT FLOWS FROM THE WORLD CENTRE OF THE CAUSE, WE JOYFULLY RENEW OUR PLEDGE TO PURSUE WITH INCREASED VIGOR THE MIGHTY TASKS ENTRUSTED TO THE AMERICAN BAHA’{ COMMUNITY BY THE MASTER AND THE GUARDIAN.
New book opens proclamation, teaching doors
The recent publication of A Crown of Beauty brings a unique and beautiful book into the hands of Baha’is, opening doors for proclamation and teaching not previously available in a Baha’i book.
A Crown of Beauty is the first book for the general public that focuses upon the Baha’i Faith in the Holy Land, but the story
reaches around the world—particularly to Persia, Iráq, Turkey and the West.
“IT IS,” writes the Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts, ‘‘a beautiful, inspiring and enlightening book, just what we have needed for years ...I1 want to give one to every friend, every Baha’i, every person I know.’”
The concept and design for this
American community prepares for important Ridvan elections
As Ridvan approaches, the National Spiritual Assembly hopes that all Assemblies will turn their attention to the forthcoming elections, not only with eager antici
Index
Viewpoint . a2 Letters .. 3 The Funds 5 Youth News.
Education.
Teaching
National Convention. +12 Goals Committee 13 Spanish ..... 14
Publications .
pation but with thoughtful planning.
Ridv4n is an important period in the annals of the Faith. It marks the commemoration of Bahd’u’ll4h’s momentous, earthshaking declaration that God had once again sent mankind a Divine Messenger.
RIPVAN is also the time when God’s administrative order is renewed and reinvigorated for the coming year, just as Bahá’u’lláh’s. declaration 120 years ago marked the coming of a spiritual Springtime.
It should therefore be in a spirit of joy and thankfulness that As semblies approach their task of preparing for this important
See RIDVAN Page 10
artsize book, published by George Ronald of Oxford, England, comes from Hugh Chance of Haifa. It is profusely illustrated
and white photographs, drawings and maps.
The text is by Eunice Braun of Glenview, Illinois. Editions _in
See CROWN Page 4
House of Justice asks national day of prayer for friends in Iran
To all National Spiritual Assemblies Dear Baha’i Friends:
As you know the persecution of our friends in Iran continues unabated, and our oppressed brethren are bearing this ordeal with resignation and valor.
The Universal House of Justice feels that the time has come to once again call for a day of prayer, and it asks that you inform the members of your community to offer special prayers on the Feast of Jamal (Beauty) on Thursday, April 28, 1983.
The House of Justice is confident that the friends will also want to pray for the believers in Iran during the Fast, particularly at dawn, and it would be useful for National Spiritual Assemblies to remind the friends of the privilege of joining universally in prayers during this period about which Baha’u’llah has written, ‘“Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee}-:.??
In addition, your Assembly should set aside time during your National Convention for such prayers, as will be done at the International Convention.
It is hoped that these manifold supplications, reverberating from every corner of the globe, will attract in ever greater measure the blessings of the Almighty upon His lovers in the Cradle of the Faith, and will reinvigorate our determination to accelerate the tempo of our activities, in order to compensate for and indeed more than offset the setbacks being suffered by our beleaguered co-workers in Iran.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
with both four-color and black
Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat December 29, 1982
IN THE DARK NIGHT OF TRIBULATION OUR
EYES TURN TO THE HORIZON OF BAHA
- U'LLAH’S WILL WHILE OUR HEARTS FILL
WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE BOUNTY OF WITNESSING SUCH MOMENTOUS EVENTS.
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE BAHA'IS OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 1, 1983
National Assembly answers questions from community
Whenever the National Spiritual Assembly meets away from Wilmette it receives many more questions from the friends than time allows for answering. Therefore, the Assembly has decided to begin a regular column of questions and answers in The American Bahá’í, The questions in this first column in the series were posed during the National Spiritual Assembly’s January meeting in Los Angeles, ifornia.
° . Q. Should Assemblies encourage the friends to become more involved in community service as a means of finding seekers?
A. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives four fundamentals of teaching: goodly deeds, spiritual attributes, an utterance that is crystal clear, and happiness reflected in the face of the teacher. Community service is ““goodly deeds’’ and can certainly aid the growth of the Faith,
Q. When an Assembly decides to have a Baha’i special occasion or proclamation, it appoints individuals to handle the event and then the members feel their attendance isn’t necessary. What can be done about this?
A. The goal of every event sponsored by the Local Spiritual Assembly must be universal participation. Committees or individuals are not responsible for the
See QUESTIONS Page 24
Da SSS SS
[Page 2]
VIEWPOINT
The American Baha’i
Feast letter
To find potential, we must look inward
Dear Friends:
Amidst the vigorous campaign to achieve the goals of the Seven Year Plan it may be wise to pause for a brief moment of quiet meditation.
Occasionally some of us entertain the secret suspicion that the many teaching projects, deepening sessions, conferences, meetings, and discussions of the state of the National Fund are not enough, that a vital element is missing, that we are neglecting an indispensable requirement of success.
IN MOMENTS of doubt we instinctively turn to Shoghi Effendi “hose luminous mind sheds never diminishing light on our perplexities.
Nearly 45 years ago, when American Baha’is struggled with their first Seven Year Plan, the Guardian wrote that great and vital as were the tasks of developing administrative institutions, of fashioning projects, of raising funds, and even of teaching, ‘‘ ...the imponderable, the spiritual factors, which are bound up with their own individual and inner lives, and with which are associated their human and social relationships, are no less urgent and vital, and demand constant scrutiny, continual self-examination and heart-searching ... lest their value be impaired or their vital necessity be obscured or forgotten.””
The spiritual prerequisites of the success of every activity undertaken by the American Baha’ fs are ‘‘ ...a high sense of moral rectitude in their social and administrative activities, absolute chastity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed, or color.”
If we take these words to heart, we will, one and all, look into ourselves, discover the infinite potential concealed in our souls, and, strengthened by prayer and meditation, begin to win our individual spiritual battles. 5
Our personal victories will soon be translated into victories of the entire community, accelerating its growth in size and quality, and making it an ever more attractive haven for the masses disillusioned with a de
caying, materialistic civilization.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
- Comment
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’fs of the United States
Baha’f children in Graham, Texas, found that even building a family of snowpeople needn’t stop them from teaching the Faith. ‘Papa and Mama Snow’ are wearing Baha’i T-shirts and hats from the Montreal Conference. Passing cars slowed down so their passengers could get a better look at the snowpeople. The children are (left to right) Shoaleh Heda: Martha Villagomez, Leyla Heda: Badi Villagomez.
Canada meeting airs topics of mutual concern
Representatives of the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas, the National Spiritual Assemblies of Alaska, Canada and the U.S., and the Baha’ International Community met January 22-23 at the Baha’i National Center in Toronto, Canada, to discuss topics of mutual concern.
The meeting was suggested by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and received enthusiastic endorsement from the Universal House of Justice.
The Board of Counsellors was represented by Lloyd Gardner and Velma W. Sherrill.
National Assembly members at
Todd Jones of Alaska; Dr. Hossein Danesh, Douglas Martin and Edward Muttart of Canada; and Dr. . Carney and Dr.
Wilma Brady, Dr. Magdalene M. Firuz Kazemzadeh of the U.S.
The Baha’i International Community was rep resented by Dr. Victor de Araujo, Gerald Knight and Giovanni Ballerio.
Areas covered during the two-day meeting included responses to the crisis in Iran; the question of Iranian refugees; meeting opposition to the Faith within the academic community; protection of the Baha’i community, and communication with the mass media in North America.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants submitted a number of recommendations to the House of Justice for its consideration.
Another result of the gathering was a decision that
the meeting were
the Counsellors and representatives of the three National Spiritual Assemblies should be in touch with
each other on a weekly basis as the need arises to
share information of mutual interest.
Woman’s role as mother extremely important
“O maidservants of the Merciful! It is incumbent upon you to train the children from their earliest babyhood! It is incumbent on you to beautify their morals! It is incumbent on you to attend to them under all aspects and circumstances, inasmuch as Godglorified and exalted is He!—hath ordained mothers to be the primary trainers of children and infanis. This is a great and important affair and a high and exalted position, and it is not allowable to slacken therein at all!
“If thou walkest in this right path, thou wouldst become a real mother to the children, both spiritually and materiaily.”’ (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Vol. III, p. 606)
°
A discussion has been going on
The American Baha’i
(USPS 042-430) Published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, $36 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL.
Editor: Jack Bowers
Assoclate Editor: David E. Ogron
‘The American Bahá'{ welcomes news, letters and
other items of interest from individuals and the should be
various institutions of the Faith. written in a clear and concise manner; black and white glossy photos should be included whenever possible. Please address all materials to The Editor, ‘The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, 11. 60091
Copyright e 1983 by the National Spiritual Assem bly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.
for more than a year in the “‘letters to the editor’’ column of The American Baha’. The point in question: the role of Baha’i women as mothers.
The many sides of this issue can be discussed forever unless we turn to the Writings of the Faith for direction and guidance, as in the above quotation.
THE STATION of woman is indeed high and exalted in this day ... in her role as mother, primarily.
Her role as doctor, lawyer or truck driver may be fulfilling, exciting or rewarding, but is secondary in importance. That’s what “Abdu’l-Baha says:
“The question of training the children and looking after the orphans is extremely important, but most important of all is the education of girl children, for these girls will one day be mothers, and the mother is the first teacher of the child. 4
“In whatever way she reareth the child, so will the child become, and the results of that first training will remain with the individual throughout his entire life, and it would be most difficult to alter them. And how can a mother, herself ignorant and untrained, educate her child? ...
“God sayeth in the Quran that they shall not be equals, those
The first of two articles on “True Feminism: The Baha’i Approach,” written by Pat Tyler Kinney of Leonia, New Jersey.
who have knowledge and those who have it not. Ignorance is thus utterly to be blamed, whether in male or female; indeed in the female it is greater.
“I hope, therefore, that the JSriends will make strenuous efforts to educate their children, sons and daughters alike. This is verily the truth, and outside the truth there is manifestly naught save perdition.”” (““Baha’i Education: A Compilation,” p. 46)
Current popular thought is that women “‘waste”’ their education if they stay home with their children. As Bahá’í women we must keep in mind the balance between spiritual and material achievement:
“Among the safeguards of the Holy Faith is the training of children, and this is among the weightiest of principles in all the Divine Teachings. Thus from the very beginning mothers must rear their infants in the cradle of good morals—for it is the mothers who are the first educators—so that, when the child cometh to maturity, he will prove to be endowed with all the virtues and qualities that are worthy of praise ...
“The purport is this, that to train the character of humankind is one of the weightiest commandments of God, and the influence of such training is the same as that which the sun exerts over tree and Sruit.
“Children must be most careSully watched over, protected and trained; in such consisteth true parenthood and parental mercy...” (“Baha’i Education: A Compilation,”’ p. 23)
It is difficult for a Baha’i woman to consider this advice from ‘Abdu’l-Baha in these days when from a purely practical standpoint mothers often must work because families can’t get along without an extra pay check.
PERHAPS at the present time we Bahá’í women don’t have the choices we would like to have. We can, however, consider the Baha’i women of the future.
In deepenings for Baha’i youth and pre-youth on marriage, we can offer them a chance to consider the role of women as mothers. When we counsel young people in planning their education and careers to best serve themselves and the Faith, we can discuss those occupations that offer flexible hours, or that can be done at home, or where a short childrearing hiatus would not cause great difficulty.
Recently, several acquaintances of this writer have returned to work. These women are not Bahd’is, but they have decided for reasons of their own to stay at home with their children, and have found ways of earning extra money at home.
One of them is doing dictaphone typing. It is demanding work, but it pays well and she can arrange her schedule around her family obligations.
Two other women are baby-sitting. Not glamorous work. No prestige. Ph.D not required. But the pay is excellent. Working mothers find it quite difficult to find loving and dependable women to care for their children, and
- will pay handsomely for the ser vice.
ONE OF my _ baby-sitting friends quit a full-time managerial job. Her own children are teenagers, but she says she and the children are much happier when she is at home and a part of their lives.
Certainly, Bahdé’i women can also find alternatives such as these. Undoubtedly, many Baha’i women have already done so. It is the exception, however, not the rule.
It is by our actions that we will lead others into-the Faith, and it is
See COMMENT Page 3
(SSS
[Page 3]
i a ae
LETTERS
March 1983
3
Writer offers another perspective on Fund
To the Editor:
The diversity of opinion offered in the letters column of The American Baha’i is refreshing and most welcome. Although at times I disagree with a particular statement, I appreciate it for the consideration it invariably provokes.
Charles Beachner’s letter _regarding the Fund (January 1983) raised several points I would like to address.
WHILE it might be tempting to view the Fund chart as a signal that “‘the old appeals and inspirational programs haven’t worked,” it should be borne in mind that this institution and its method of requesting funds is laid out clearly in the sacred Writings, and that Shoghi Effendi (Baha’f Administration, p. 101) makes it quite clear that Bahda’u’llah intends that no coercive elements are to enter into it.
Creating guilt in those who do not participate by condemning their spiritual condition is not a new idea; on the contrary, it is as old as priesthoods. It is Bahd’u’llah’s loving exhortations, free of condemnation or ridicule, that stand so clearly apart from the old world institutions.
The Baha’i Faith is not ‘‘a religion for mature people,”’ it is a religion for mankind. It is not an exclusive club for those who are spiritually mature enough; it is the womb in which an immature humanity will grow and develop in accordance with Baha’u’llah’s instructions.
This development is continuous for every Baha’i, and requires an atmosphere of loving encouragement and devotion to one another, rather than condemnation. Bahá’u’lláh has a_ sin-covering eye, so we can do no less with each other.
The failure to achieve universal participation in giving to the Fund is not due to an obstinate “‘refusal’’ by knowing individuals, nor a failure in institutional methods.
MORE than likely, it is due to our failure on the local level to consistently provide the true Baha’i community necessary for the fullest development of individuals entering the Faith.
An understanding of the significance of the Baha’i Fund is one part of the over-all development occurring in a warm and encouraging community. The inspiratio Comment
Continued From Page 2
by our actions that we will surely assume true leadership as women. Our standards are high, and we must be determined to uphold them.
When other women are abdicating their roles as mothers we can demonstrate a unique aspect of our teachings: Women are great indeed, but as mothers our importance is immeasurable.
nal approach of the National Treasurer’s Office, far from failing with its inspirational requests, has succeeded in deeply moving those few in number who keep us afloat—those who are exposed to it.
Beyond this we have no right to speculate because the spiritual condition of the friends is not ours to speculate about. That judgment lies with God alone.
Jeanne L. Dammarell Dayton, Washington
To the Editor:
Please convey my heartfelt gratitude to all the Baha’i friends in the U.S. and Canada who gave me their loving hospitality during my recent visit to those blessed countries.
I was privileged to visit with many of the friends following the Montreal Conference. I cannot write to each of them individually, and would like to thank them in this way.
Herbert R. Sikombe Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
To the Editor:
As Bahá’ís, we are striving for unity—not only among non-Baha’is, but among Baha’ is as well.
In the most recent Treasurer’s letter, it was noted that a Persian couple had donated a large sum of money to the Fund. While not belittling this meritorious act, we feel that the nationality of the couple is irrelevant, and that pointing out their nationality may encourage stereotyping.
Let us pray that all Baha’is in the U.S. follow the example of this couple in their personal sacrifices, no matter how large or small.
Frank Wilf
Valiollah Vargha Robert L. Ward Sherry S. Bass Nancy Field
Eastern Pennsylvania
To the Editor:
I truly enjoyed reading the letter to the editor from Margaret Creech of Laramie, Wyoming (October 1982). Her likening of the Creative Word to a Baha’i “‘operator’s manual’’ was quite nice.
I was a bit dismayed, however, that she compared reading Baha’u’lláh and the New Era to the “Reader’s Digest,’’ and I would like to point out some of the innumerable differences between the two.
First, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era was written by a Hand of the Cause of God—a devoted, lifelong servant of our beloved Faith.
Second, ‘Abdu’l-Baha did not, to my knowledge, personally correct any of the text of the ‘‘Reader’s Digest,’’ whereas our beloved Exemplar did read and correct three and one-half chapters of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.
Also, Shoghi Effendi never spe 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, Baha’ National Center, Wilmette, TL 60091.
cifically encouraged us to read the “‘Reader’s Digest.’’ On the other hand, the Guardian had Baha’u’lláh and the New Era translated into more than 100 languages, and it was one of the first Baha’i books to be translated into many of those languages.
The Guardian referred to Baha’u’liah and the New Era as the “textbook of the Faith,”’ and indicated that it would erations yet unborn.
Although the unabridged sacred Tablets of the Faith may be more important for Baha’fs to read than Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, we must realize that Dr. Esslemont’s book has a very special place among the many introductions that have been written about the Faith.
John Mackill San Diego, California
To the Editor:
After reading last month’s letters to the editor, I felt that I should respond to Michael Sullivan’s concern that Baha’is familiarize themselves with “‘sign language”’ for the deaf.
There are many people, Baha’is and non-Baha’is, who are quite involved in learning this ‘‘language.”
I have participated since July 1982 in a cours Communications,’’ as it is listed, at a local community college, and will begin a new class in the spring.
The fees are relatively small, and the interest is great. It is not hard to learn, and it is great to have a second working ‘‘language.”
As Baha’is we should be wellinformed. I have found studying sign language to be a most enjoyable experience, well worth the time and study.
If a ministry to the deaf is to become a reality, it will have to be through individual efforts. It is just another way in which the Baha’is can pioneer.
Kathi George Dunnellon, Florida
To the Editor:
It was good to see Dr. Dan Popov’s ‘‘Comment’’ column about EST in the January issue of The American Baha’i.
I also have explored many such approaches to ‘‘spiritual awareness’? and fully agree with his findings. Always, there seems to be something missing.
Some of us are compelled to explore the deeper aspects of everything. There is a truism that says we see ourselves reflected in
others.
How good it would be if we could look deep inside and see directly what we ourselves actually are. Would we then see the answer to such questions as, ‘‘Why must we be constantly admonished and reminded of our personal responsibility in matters of active paripation—teaching, proclaim» Pioneering, giving, and service to mankind?”
Yes, we can easily see something missing in others. But is there also something missing in us? Must we wait for a new race of men to reveal it to us?
C.M. Gordon Valley View, Texas
To the Editor:
In response to Charles Beachner’s letter (January 1983) in which he suggests that a new approach to help solve the problem of the Fund may be based upon The Hidden Words:
With all due respect, it is hard to believe that Bahá’u’lláh’s mention (in The Hidden Words) of the basest among men...’”
“|.who. yield no fruit on earth ...’’ who are counted among the dead ...”” and ‘* ...who are as rs ...’’ could refer to
those Baha’is who do not give to the Fund, however badly we may tend to regard them.
IN CONTRAST, Mr. Beachner continues to quote from The Hidden Words: ‘‘The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend it upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God ...”” which he (Mr. Beachner) compares to those faithful souls who do give to the Fund.
Could this not refer, however, to our personal achievements through the use of our own resources, to properly (in the Name
of God) clothe and feed our families, help the poor, aid our friends and neighbors and use our livelihood for the greatest good? (A part of which would, naturally, consist of contributing to the growth of one’s Faith.)
Must we go on forever clubbing one another with the Sacred Writings, often at the expense of pitifully twisting their subtle, blessed meanings in order to lay emphasis on the Fund?
Is this really a new approach? Or is it simply an old, outmoded one, used by religions long agoto rob the people of the truth in order to make them give money, and to feel guilty if they don’t.
Perhaps a “‘new approach’ may lie in learning to love each other a little more, by withholding all forms of criticism and judgment ... and just let Baha’u’Hah do it!
If we are the ‘‘mature adults’” Mr. Beachner claims we are, why must we be ‘‘force-fed’? upon these tactics, when we are perfectly able to find our own directives within this vast, broad green meadow—where the “‘sheep”’ instinctively harken to the voice of their Shepherd, and not to the constant ‘“‘bleatings” of those around them.
Steve and Phyllis Stanley Santa Rosa, California
To the Editor:
Some months ago someone suggested that the Universal House of Justice wished us to read the “Fire Tablet”’ for our suffering friends in Iran.
Since then a small group of Baha’ is that meets each Sunday morning at a park here in Burbank has been reading the Fire Tablet (each one reads a part of it) followed by other prayers and a study of the
See LETTERS Page 22
As a tribute to the memory of Amoz Gibson, a member of the Universal House of Justice who died May 14, the Spiritual Assembly of Walla Walla, Washing ton, donated a copy of To Move the World, the new biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory by Gayle Mor rison, to the Walla Walla public library. The book was inscribed ‘To the people of Walla Walla in memory of Mr. Amoz Gibson—(signed) the Bahd’fs of Walla Walla.’ Shown making the presentation is Mrs. Emmalu McCandless (left).
The American Baha'i
ilders
Cre bu
va yf \
JOHN DAVID BOSCH
It was John David Bosch, a Swiss-born wine maker from California, who was taken by the hand by ‘Abdu’l-Baha and pulled into an automobile that was to take the Master from His hotel in New York City to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney.
“* ..Immediately,”’” Mr. Bosch later said of that memorable experience in 1912, ‘‘He put His arm around my waist, dropped His head on my left shoulder, and with a deep sigh went to sleep.””
THROUGHOUT the hour-long drive, ‘Abdu’l-Baha slept on the shoulder of John Bosch. Earlier, at the Ansonia Hotel, the Master had said to Mr. Bosch, ‘‘You are now one of the family. You may come and go as you please.””
Five days later Mr. Bosch was in the same car with ‘Abdu’l-Baha when the Master traveled to Washington, D.C., and again a week later when He prepared for His visit to Chicago.
Later that year, in California, Mr. Bosch spent every possible moment in “Abdu’l-Baha’s company.
Born August 1, 1855, in New Sankt Johann, Switzerland, John Bosch left home as a teen-ager to study wine making in Germany, France and Spain before coming to the U.S. in 1879.
He first learned of the Faith in 1905 and began attending Baha’i meetings at the home of Helen Goodall in Oakland. He wrote to the Master and received the first of what would be many Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
WHEN Mr. Bosch learned that the use of alcohol is forbidden in the Teachings of Baha’u’llah, he asked the Master what he should
do.
‘Abdu’l-Baha replied that it would be better for him to engage in another business, but gradually. This Mr. Bosch did on his
See BOSCH Page 19
Crown
Continued From Page 1
German and Dutch are under way, with editions in other languages projected for the future.
One double-page spread shows photos of all Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world and those under construction. Another such spread shows places sacred in the Holy Land to Christians, Muslims and Jews.
The story opens in the present day with the visit of a German youth, a student of science, to the Shrine of the Bab, as he learns about the Bahda’i teachings from his guide.
THEN, in a series of flashbacks, various episodes in the lives of the Central Figures of the Faith are recounted, coming back again and again to focus on some new point of orientation in the Holy Land.
As the journeys of exile unfold, many ancient, historical memories are evoked. The reader travels with Taéhirih down the “pilgrimage road”’ to Baghdad, through cities made famous by Cyrus the Great and Darius I.
Baha’u’llah’s caravan, en route to Constantinople,
brings the
travelers close to the ruins of Nineveh, city of the Biblical past where Jonah went at the bidding of his Lord; past the site of the fiery furnace recorded in the Book of Daniel.
As the steamer enters the inlet of the Golden Horn, the imposing mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent rises above the harbor. Again, as Bahá’u’lláh’s ship pauses for a time before the harbor of Jaffa at sunset, tokens of the past “‘rise out of the historical mists.””
Here the reader hears the beat of booted and sandaled feet “treading city stones and desert sands” as the Crusaders wend their way to Jerusalem, the city of salvation.
BIBLICAL references are woven unobtrusively throughout the text, aiding the seeker, and are reflected in such chapter headings as “How Beautiful Upon the Mountains,” “The Wilderness and the Solitary Place,” and ‘‘The Majesty of Carmel.”
The title of the book itself is taken from a verse in Isaiah: “‘and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord.”
The “‘crown of beauty” be
Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie accepts a
bouquet of roses from Baha’i ad
Renowned jazz trumpeter John
mirers following his performance last fall in a concert at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Gillespie concert, international dinner well publicized in Lexington, Kentucky
Two events held last fall in Lexington, Kentucky, resulted in excellent publicity for the Faith in that area.
The first, a concert by jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, led to reviews in both the city newspaper and the University of Kentucky’s paper, one of which mentioned the Faith.
The second, an_ international dinner on United Nations Day, October 24, resulted in a 11-column-inch article describing why Baha’fs observe that occasion printed with a photo and some recipes of dishes served at the dinner.
In addition, curiosity about paid ads the Baha’is were running in the paper’s religion section led the editor of that section to write a long article entitled ‘“Baha’is want
community to know them, their beliefs.””
During his appearance, Mr. Gillespie acknowledged from the stage that he is a Baha'i, dedicated the piece “‘Olinga’’ to the Baha’is who were present, and led the audience, at the end of the instrumental portion of that song, in singing “‘Ya Bahd’u’l-Abha’’ in three-part harmony.
The author of the review in the university newspaper offered to write an article for the school’s Baha’i Association.
Following the lead of the Town. of Ithaca, New York, the Lexington media committee submitted information, recipes and photos to the food editor of the Lexington Herald/Leader, resulting in the UN Day coverage.
The recently formed Spiritual Assembly of Williamsport, Pennsylyania, held its public recognition ceremony last November 13. Since the event was conceived primarily as a (eaching occasion, invitations were sent to city council members and a local congressman, among others. Guest included several Ba
Reh
ha’is from outside Williamsport
and about 40 friends of the Faith,
Members of the Spiritual Assembly of Williamsport are (left to
right) Dan Henry, Jan Grinder,
Jean Henry, John Grinder, Susan
Troxel, Brian Yasipour, Bonnie
Galer, Rick Troxel, Betty Jacobs.
comes immediately visible as the golden dome of the Shrine of the Bab graces the full color jacket of the book and is the first full-page photo the reader sees inside.
One of the most encouraging aspects of this book is the way in whick ‘t has been received in various formal and informal presentations around the world.
This began in Montreal when many high-ranking officials were presented with copies of the book by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum and others.
RECENTLY, a copy of the book was given to U.S. Rep. Edward J. Derwinski by the National Spiritual Assembly at a special luncheon in his honor.
Rosalie Wahl, the first and only woman member of the Supreme Court of Minnesota, responded warmly when presented with a copy.
In addition, numbers of university department heads of philosophy and religion have received copies and responded positively.
Concerning this, Douglas Martin,
of the National bly of Canada, +t cannot but arouse the interest of great numbers of people ...Apart from its value for the general teaching work, it provides us with a beautiful presentation piece for government officials and other prominent Canadians.””
On the jacket of the book is a tribute to the Faith by Dr. Franklin Littell, head of the department of religion at Temple University.
Of special interest to Baha’is and photographic researchers is a full-page photo of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, never before published.
IT HAS been learned recently that this photo is a result of some of the earliest experiments in color photography done in Paris in 1911, using only three colors yet obtaining a very natural effect.
Recently a researcher in this field, the nephew of a Baha’i, dis secretary
covered the old plates still extant.
Another “‘first’” for the book is the fact that the largest book agency in Israel decided from the beginning to distribute it throughout its bookstores in Israel and in the Nof Hotel where many pilgrims reside.
This has been described by Counsellor Florence Mayberry of the International Teaching Centre as ‘‘a real breakthrough.””
For Baha’is, A Crown of Beauty can be, in essence, a first pilgrimage or a pilgrimage revisited.
Writes long-time pioneer Cora Oliver: “Sitting in a rocking chair ...you took me to the World Centre in A Crown of Beauty.
“You made it so very real that I could almost inhale the fragrance of the flowers in those rare and beautiful gardens ...1 would like to take A Crown of Beauty to each Baha’i to make of this very special book a gift ...’”
Baha’ is everywhere will identify with the closing paragraph of the book:
“As the paths that radiate outward from the Shrine of Baha*u’ll4h at Bahji point to the infinite horizon, so does guidance and inspiration continue to radiate from this hallowed place to thousands of Baha’i communities, around the world. And for every Baha'i, wherever he may abide, the paths are retraced back again to this sacred Spot—for it is a spiritual lodestar that forever beckons him to these shores.’”
1983 Green Lake Conference dates are September 16-18
The 1983 Green Lake Baha’i Conference will be held September 16-18 at the Green Lake Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
The theme of this year’s 24th annual conference is ‘Mirror Forth My Beauty.’”
Other information about the conference will be forthcoming as plans are completed.
1 SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS AL
[Page 5]
THE FUNDS
March 1983
5
Commentary Principles of Fund appeals, education
The Office of the Treasurer noted with interest a letter to the editor in the January issue of The American Baha’i. The letter outlined a ‘“‘new approach”’ to Fund appeals and inspirational programs based on ‘‘plain talk and realistic language’’ for ‘‘mature people.”
In response to this viewpoint, the Office of the Treasurer would like to explain briefly the principles of the Faith regarding Fund appeals and Fund education.
IT IS THIS Office’s responsibility to conduct a program of Fund education according to those principles, and we hope that the friends will appreciate an explanation of the Office’s approach to this task.
The Writings of Bahá’u’lláh are available for each individual to study and to apply to their personal lives as they see fit. However, when it comes to applying those Writings for an entire Baha’i community, the interpretation of individuals must give way to that of the institutions of the Faith.
The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, has, within the framework of Baha’u’llah’s Teachings, formulated spiritual principles and guidelines that relate to every aspect of the Administrative Order. Included are principles governing how funds can be raised to support the work of the Cause.
Every appeal from the National Spiritual Assembly, and every action suggested by a member of the community to increase the flow of funds into the national Treasury, must be examined closely in the clear light of the Guardian’s principles.
One suggestion found in the previously mentioned letter to the editor was that certain quotations from The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah (“The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth ...”’ “The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling ...’’) be brought to the attention of those believers who are not contributing to the National Fund.
THIS OFFICE strives to help every Baha’i in America realize the importance of giving to the Fund, but always through a frank and loving method, never a negative one that might make the friends feel guilty.
This approach derives from the following words of Shoghi Effendi (emphasis added): ‘‘ ...I feel urged to remind you of the necessity of ever bearing in mind the cardinal principle that all contributions to the Fund are to be purely and strictly voluntary in character. It should be made clear and evident to everyone that any form of compulsion, however slight and indirect, strikes at the very root of the principle underlying the formation of the Fund ever since its inception. While appeals of a general character, carefully worded and moving and dignified in tone are welcome under all circumstances, it should be left entirely to the discretion of every conscientious believer to decide upon the nature, amount, and purpose of his or hér contribution for the propagation of the Cause.”’ (Baha’f Administration, p. 101)
“* ..In matters of contribution we should not use any compulsion whatsoever and ascertain clearly the desire of the donor. We should appeal to but not coerce the friends.’’ (Baha’i Funds and Contributions, p. 11)
“Shoghi Effendi has repeatedly stated that no pressure should be used upon the friends and psychological pressure falls under that category ...”” (Ibid.)
Based on this guidance, the Office of the Treasurer’s program of Fund education has taken a certain direction—one which aims to convey a loving, consistent and positive approach in all articles, letters and deepening courses. The objective is to nurture within the hearts of the friends a personal relationship with, and a commitment to support, each of the various Baha’i Funds.
THE APPROACH to Fund appeals is similarly based. All appeals are addressed to the entire community, never singling out one segment for special appeals, since to do so would be in conflict with the Guardian’s principles.
The emphasis is not on fund-raising, but on loving inspiration and frank sharing with the friends of the needs and activities of the Cause that rely upon the National Fund for their support.
No one, based on the evidence presented each month on the National Fund chart, could claim that the task of developing a universal love
See PRINCIPLES Page 12 Couples both counted when contributing
The Office of the Treasurer reminds couples who contribute to the National Fund using a joint checking account that each will be counted among the individuals giving if both names and their respective I.D. numbers are included.
Receipts will be returned with ‘‘Mr. and Mrs. ”” and one I.D. number. This designation shows that two duals have been counted. The computer is programmed to print one I.D. number per receipt, so we are unable to comply with the many requests that we have received for both numbers to be shown.
More than $1 million is earmarked to support worldwide work of Cause
Fi Bahai i
This is the fifth in a six-part series on how monies contributed to the National Fund are used. Since the National Fund is, as described by Shoghi Effendi, the bedrock on which all our activities rest, its ability to support these manifold activities depends on the sacrificial and regular contributions of the believers. This series is intended to provide the American Baha’i community with a fresh look at the wide range of activities that are supported by the National Fund.
.
Each year when preparing its budget, the National Spiritual Assembly divides its expenditures into two broad categories.
One category covers all domestic expenses, such as financing the work of national ‘committees, while the other involves funds to be forwarded for the international work of the Cause.
THIS international category includes more than just the American Baha’i community’s contribution to the Bahd’{ International Fund. It also includes the Continental Fund for the Americas, the Samoan and Indian Temple construction funds, and the International Deputization Fund.
In all, $1,100,000 was budgeted by the National Spiritual Assembly for international work this year—17 per cent of the total budget of $6,480,000—with the bulk of that money being used to support the needs of the World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
The growth and significance of the World Centre is based on one of the charter documents of the Faith, the Tablet of Carmel (see Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 14-17).
In 1951 the Guardian cabled the Baha’is of the world, informing them of a new opportunity for accelerating the growth of that centre:
“Emergence of independent sovereign state in Holy Land, synchronizing with the rise and consolidation of the Administrative Center of the World Faith of Bahá’u’lláh ... demand henceforth reorientation and necessitate increasing financial support by Baha’i National Communities of East and West, through curtailment of national and local budgets. The extent of appropriations from national and local budgets ... is regarded as a spiritual obligation ...’”
FROM that time, contributions to the World Centre have taken on an added importance.
In 1979, the cut-off of funds to Haifa from Iran due to the persecutions of the believers there had another critical impact on the international work of the Cause.
In response to an appeal from the Universal House of Justice for
USTOSN TOT Ne aaterly Nalel st
5,000
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$400,000
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minimum goal
Sovereignty—Sulan 139 B.E.
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increased contributions, the National Spiritual Assembly raised its goal for support of the World Centre to $1 million a year—more than double its previous level of $430,000. This new level is sustained today, in spite of steadily increasing financial demands from activities on the homefront.
This year’s $1 million contribution to the World Centre includes. $940,000 for the International Fund and $60,000 for the International Deputization Fund.
Of all financial objectives set by the National Assembly, this one holds priority. However, this goal is often threatened when difficulties arise in the National Fund, because the irregular flow of contributions causes a delay in payments forwarded to Haifa.
OF THE remaining $100,000 budgeted for the international work of the Faith, $40,000 is sent to the Continental Fund and $60,000 for construction of the Indian and Samoan Houses of Worship.
The importance of contributing to the Continental Fund is stressed in statements by the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice. The National Assembly, therefore, also holds the community’s collective contribution to the Con tinental Fund of the Americas as a high priority.
The amount of this support is based on the needs of that Fund, determined through close collaboration between the National Spiritual Assembly and the Continental Board of Counsellors.
This, in brief, summarizes the support of the national community for the international work of the Cause.
Of course, the individual Baha’i has the privilege and is encouraged to support each of the Funds directly, especially the International and Continental Funds. However, this does not diminish the grave responsibility of the community as a whole to insure that our collective obligation to these Funds is met.
IN 1970 a shortfall in contributions to the National Fund prevented the National Assembly from forwarding more than a small part of the monies promised to the International Fund.
This, in turn, precipitated a severe crisis in that Fund, forcing a decrease in activities in Haifa and cuts in support to National Spiritual Assemblies around the world.
See EXPENDITURES Page 12
|S TR A STL EE PE DE RIE LE ELE
[Page 6]
YOUTH NEWS
The American Baha’i
6
Commentary Baha’ ‘jargon’ can hinder teaching
If you were around people who were talking about leaves, branches, animal kingdoms, dawn and the sun, what would you think? Probably that they were into nature.
Then when they dropped references to God into their outdoor termi= nology, you might realize that there are sun worshippers still running around.
CERTAINLY YOU would be surprised when you caught on that they were Baha’is, talking about the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Most Mighty Brarich, the Purest Branch, the Dawning-Point, the kingdoms of existence, and the Sun of Reality.
The use of ‘*Baha’i jargon’’ when speaking with people who are not yet Bah: can hinder effective teaching. While such phrases have great significance to Baha’is, they are sources of misunderstanding to others.
Baha’ is have sometimes been accused of having been “brainwashed” because they all use the same jargon to describe their beliefs. If we understand the concepts, principles, history and administration of our religion, putting them into our own words will convey sincerity and thought.
Best of all, the listener will more fully understand the discussion. If our purpose is to draw people nearer to the principles of the Faith and to Baha’u’llah, the last thing we want to do is make them feel strange or out of place.
If we are teaching the concept of unity and the oneness of mankind, then creating exclusivity and cliqueishness by our language is out of the question. If the meaning of what we say is ultimately up to the interpretation of our listeners, then the most clear and concise words are necessary to avoid misunderstandings that may threaten the integrity or reputation of the Faith.
WHEN YOU SPEAK of “‘Ayy4m-i-H4,” make it clear to the listener that we do not have a holiday for motorcyles. If you invite someone to a “‘fireside,”’ don’t be surprised if he expects a romantic evening in front of an open hearth.
And the next time you refer to “‘the Board,”’ be aware that you have described the masses of people who are disinterested, or a surface upon which Monopoly is played.
While we may think we are dazzling an audience with our references to “NSA, LSA, DTC, ABM, CBC, NTC, Hands, assistants, Feasts, seekers, pioneers, the Master, the new World Order,” and other such jargon, we may only be confusing the listener and causing him to turn his back on the very gift we are offering.
Jacqueline Osborne, an isolated major religious bodies in the city,
believer in Florence, Alabama, decided this year to ask some of her non-Baha’i friends to help plan a World Peace Day program. The result was an outing in a park with one Baha’i and 200 guests, displays in five libraries, posters made by children in Mrs. Osborne’s son’s fifth grade class, involvement by all but one of the
a World Peace Day resolution passed by the local university’s student government, and information tables with representatives from a dozen organizations. Says Mrs. Osborne: ‘We now have two Baha’is in Florence, so next year our World Peace Day observance will be twice as large!’
Southern California District Youth Committee sponsors weekend youth retreat in mountains
On the weekend of December 10-12 the newly appointed District Youth Committee of Southern California District No. 4 sponsored a weekend retreat for youth in the Big Bear Mountains.
The entire weekend was conceived and executed by youth, and attendance was limited to ages 15-25.
The program was developed as follows:
The group of about 25 people was divided into smaller groups of four or five, each of which had been assigned a certain topic from the Writings and given a list of selected references upon which to base its discussion.
The group was then to develop a format with which to present the topic to the entire group at the afternoon session.
The method proved to be extremely successful in involving all the youth who participated. In the smaller groups, some youth who normally would tend to remain silent in discussion groups contributed substantially, and consequently gained valuable knowledge and enthusiasm from the experience.
It was exciting to see the eyes of some of these youth light up when they discovered something in the Writings that touched them because they had found it, not be Baha’i youth from California who participated last December 10-12 in a weekend youth retreat in the Big Bear Mountains sponsored by
cause it was read at them; the difference is immeasurable.
The committee hopes that other youth groups might try this method of deepening which it has found to be so effective.
The rest of the weekend was filled with activities such as group games, singing around a fire, a movie night, and inner-tubing down snow-covered hills. :
Another highlight was a moving
the District Youth Committee of Southern California District No. 4.
talk by a 17-year-old Baha'i youth, Shahrooz Rahnejat, on the history of outstanding Baha'i youth in the Cause.
The retreat coincided with the occasion of the Nineteen Day Feast, so a unity feast was held during which the youth participated in open consultation concerning future activities of the District Youth Committee.
100 students attend second West Coast College Club meet
About 100 students from more than 15 colleges on the West Coast attended the second annual West Coast College Club Weekend sponsored January 7-9 by the Baha’i Club at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
The theme for the weekend was “Living the Life on Campus.’”
Speakers included Bob Phillips (Baha’i involvement in current issues On campus), Anthony Lee (the Baha’s position on politics), and Bill Lyell (Far Eastern thought and concerns in a changing world).
Also present was Charles (Cap), Cornwell, secretary of the National Youth Committee, who encouraged the students in their work on campus and offered ideas and help on behalf of the committee.
Valuable ideas and experiences were shared in a Saturday evening, forum on (1) teaching the Faith on campus, (2) living the Baha’i life on campus, (3) components of a healthy College Club, and (4) fun and social events for College Clubs.
The Saturday evening program also featured a talent show, dancing and songs.
A similar weekend program is being planned for next January.
Seals and Crofts star In new radio show
Seals and Crofts have joined forces again! This time they’ve put together a dynamite two-hour radio program combining their music and a discussion of how the Baha’i Faith has affected their lives.
The format is four reel-to-reel tapes, and the program can be aired in the total two hours or as two one-hour shows. It’s a terrific tool for college clubs, so don’t delay. Bring Seals and Crofts to your campus today!
YES, I want to rent the Seals and Crofts radio program for the fabulously cheap price of only $5! You send the tapes and I'll do the
rest!
Name.
College. Date needed Address
State, Zip. Phone number.
Please mail to Baha’i National Youth Committee, 200 S.W. 20th St.,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315.
Paper chronicles 5-year-old’s generosity
Five-year-old Marietta McMurry of Cleveland, Tennessee, was recently featured in a local newspaper for her contribution to the area Basket Fund.
When her teacher invited parents to contribute to the fund in lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts, Mrs. McMurry suggested to Marietta that she give a part of her allowance ‘‘to buy food for the poor.’’
Since she had been saving for a special toy, Marietta’s first response was ‘‘no.”? But a week later, unprompted and with tears in her eyes, Marietta told her mother she was thinking about the
people who couldn’t buy food and wanted to give to the Basket Fund,
Marietta’s teacher told the story to the fund-raising committee. To show their appreciation, they presented Marietta with a doll. The story was then featured on the front page of the local paper.
Marietta said she was very happy, and that she knew she had made God and Bahd’u’ll4h happy too.
Marietta, the daughter of Keith and Robin McMurry, who recently moved to Cleveland from Lynchburg, Virginia, has a younger sister, Dana.
[Page 7]
YOUTH NEWS
March 1983
7
Wh
RIAZ ANTHONY JURNEY North Carolina Baha’i youth is scholarship winner
Riaz Anthony Jurney, a Baha’i youth from High Point, North Carolina, who is a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has won a United States Achievement Academy scholarship in speech and drama.
Scholars are chosen for the honor by an independent panel of educators which reviews applicants from across the country and selects the winners based on grade point average, rank in. class, achievement test scores, school activities, and honors and awards received.
Mr. Jurney, a pre-med student and an active member of the Baha’i Club at Chapel Hill, also was awarded a Herbert Worth Jackson Scholarship to UNC.
As a high schoo! student he was a member of the National Honor Society, the French Honor Society, the Beta Club, and won a number of awards as a member of the school’s debating team.
In 1981 he attended a five-week high school institute for forensics at Northwestern University.
Mr. Jurney, the son of David and Vedad Jurney of High Point, was listed in the 1980-81 edition of Who’s Who Among American High School Students.
His older brother, Nabil student at East Carolina University in Greenville.
Information is asked
about courses on Faith
News of the Faith is spreading across the land and schools are becoming interested in evaluating the facts. Courses on the Bahá’í Faith or references to it in comparative religion classes are no longer unknown.
The National Youth Committee would like to know where these classes are being held and what is being taught. If you know of a class that is on the Faith or that refers to it, credit or non-credit, college, high school or continuing education courses, please write to us about them at Baha’i National Youth Committee, ~ Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315.
Youth Leadership Programs scheduled
The National Youth Committee has finalized plans for holding 10 sessions of the Youth Leadership Program at various sites around the country between now and June.
“The program has been developed by the committee in an attempt to stimulate youth to be self-initiating in their service to the Faith,’’ says Walter Heinecke, a member of the National Youth Committee.
“Our aim,”’ he adds, “‘is to give youth a chance to concentrate on the development of true leadership skills—spiritual skills—that will upgrade their level of awareness of the needs of the Faith and their individual role in meeting those needs.””
The first session in the series was held last December in Oregon. Additional sessions are scheduled:
March 4-6: Green Acre Baha’i School, Eliot, Maine.
March 25-27: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
April 1-3: Salt Lake City, Utah.
April 8-10: Bosch Baha’i School, Santa Cruz, California.
April 15-17: San Diego, California. .
April 22-24: Tempe, Arizona.
May 6-8: Louhelen Baha’i School, Davison, Michigan.
May 13-15: Central Iowa.
May 20-22: Fargo, North Dakota.
June 3-5: Louis G. Gregory Baha’ Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina.
Owing to the intensive nature of the program, registration is limited to 30 youth participants at each session.
Invitations have been sent to all youth in the country, advising them of the particulars of each session including registration arrangements.
“The Youth Committee is hoping to devise a means of making
Letter from youth stresses need to learn more than one language
The National Youth Committee recently received some inspiring letters from Baha'i youth—letters that we are eager to share with the rest of the American Baha’i community.
While these messages have 2 special appeal for Baha’i youth, they also present issues of concern for Baha’fs of all ages.
The first letter is from Allen Plymale, a youth from Austin, Texas:
. Dear Baha'i Friend:
For those Baha’is who are attending school, I wish to remind us of how important it is—both for ourselves and for the Faith—to learn a foreign language.
The problems of human communication are often overlooked in an age where man can transmit his voice to every corner of the
Orangeburg youth plan conference
The Baha'i Youth Committee of Orangeburg, South Carolina, is planning a Regional Youth Conference to be held April 1-3 at the Louis Gregory Baha’i Institute in Hemingway.
The conference cost (including food and lodging) is $35. If you would like to attend, please send a $5 pre-registration fee to the Louis Gregory Baha’i Institute, Route 2, Box 71, Hemingway, SC 29554.
Athens conference set The Baha’i Youth Committee of Athens, Georgia, is sponsoring a Youth Teaching Conference to be held May 13-15 in Athens. Everyone is welcome. Watch for further details in the April issue of The American Baha’s.
planet and beyond. Since the time when man built the Tower of Babel, he has struggled with many different languages.
TODAY as Baha’is, we are faced with the same linguistic challenges the people of Babel faced. It is our duty and responsibility to pursue the study of a language other than our native tongue.
By breaking mankind’s language barriers, one also crosses over the many cultural barriers that exist between countries and peoples. And now more than any time in history, it is important for men to understand one another.
Within my own district, translations in English, Persian and Spanish were necessary at District Convention.
At the International Conference in Montreal, the language differences were sometimes very frustrating.
Outside the Baha’i community throughout the world, there are well over 3,000 languages and dialects. Among these, Chinese, English, Hindustani, Ru: |, Spanish, German, Japanese, Indo-Chinese, French and Arabic are the top 10 languages spoken by masses of people in our world.
MANY school districts, despite budget cuts, offer several foreign languages. In colleges and universities, the variety and intensity of the study of languages grows.
American Baha’j youth have a great opportunity to learn a language other than their own. I strongly urge all Bahá’í youth to begin, if they have not already done so, the study of another language. It is a practical and, in many localities, necessary goal.
Allen Plymale Austin, Texas
the program available to as many youth as possible,”’ says Mr. Heinecke, “‘and plans are now being discussed to maximize participation.””
The goals of the sessions are to upgrade the level of youth’s consciousness of the Faith and their role progress, to define leadership in accordance with the Baha’i Writings, to teach organizational skills on a personal and group level, to develop communication and teaching skills, and to educate youth about the administrative framework of the Faith and the individual’s role in that
framework.
The success of each individual session is judged by the increased level of activity in a given area following the program.
“Since the Oregon program was held last December,” says Mr. Heinecke, “‘the Youth Office has noted the formation of new College Clubs, with increased teaching programs planned on area campuses with clubs.
“Continuing reports are being received from participants concerning their sustained enthusiasm for actively sharing the Message of Bahá’u’lláh with their peers.’”
To honor the memory of the
adults and children participated In
Greatest Holy Leaf, the Baha’i the project, about which an article community of Eugene, Oregon, was published In the Eugene Regundertook a gardening project at ister-Guard.
Eugene’s Hendricks Park. Twenty Mark your calendars now!
Many youth gatherings planned
Many youth gatherings are being held around the country in the next several weeks. Be sure to mark your calendars with some of these special dates:
March 25-27: Westérn Regional Youth Conference, Pasadena, Cal fornia. Sponsored by the District Youth Committee of Southern California District No. 1. Contact Shahraum Sobhani, Van Nuys, CA 91401 (phone 213-786-7070).
March 31-April 3: Texas Regional Youth Conference, Granbury, Texas. Sponsored by the District Youth Committee of East Texas District No. 1. Contact Corky McNeill, Box 17431, Dallas, TX 75217 (phone 214-398-4667).
April 1-3: Holyoke annual Youth Conference, Holyoke, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of South Hadley, Massachusetts. Contact the Baha’is of South Hadley, P.O. Box 241, South Hadley, MA 01075.
April 3-8: Junior Youth Session, Louhelen Baha’i School, Davison, Michigan. Contact the school, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 313-653-5033).
April 8-10: Association for Baha’i Studies Conference, Green Acre Baha’i School, Eliot, Maine. Contact the school, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903 (phone 207-439-0256).
April 9-10: Fourth annual Touchstone Conference, Bastrop, Texas. Sponsored by the District Youth Committee of Central Texas District No. 1. Contact Beth Plymale, Austin, TX 78750 (phone 512-258-4836).
April 9-10: Career Choice Conference, Gainesville, Florida. Sponsored by the Baha’i Club of the University of Florida. Contact Kris Logan, c/o Dye, David (talk)" ~~" * ~~ __*, Gainesville, FL 32608 (phone 904-378-6365).
Also, International Youth Conferences are being held March 31-April 3 in Honduras and Costa Rica. Youth who are planning to attend either of these gatherings should contact the National Youth Committee Office, - __, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315, for more information.
———— ee
[Page 8]
EDUCATION
The American Baha'i
‘Flower blooms’ for 160-plus at 1st N. Jersey Baha’i School
One hundred-sixty adults and children attended the first New Jersey Baha’i School session last November 19-21 at the Hudson Guild Farm in Andover.
The school’s theme was ‘‘A Flower Has Begun to Bloom’’ and its program topic was ‘‘individual unity’’ as expressed through self, family and community.
Besides adult and youth classes, four children’s classes were held from nursery to pre-youth levels with a presentation by two of the classes to the rest of the school on
the last morning.
Weekend highlights included Iks and participation by Auxiary Board members Robert Harris and Javidukht Khadem who also visited and addressed children’s classes.
Recreational activities included hiking and music and dance presentations each evening.
Participants came from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio in addition to New Jersey, with large support from the Persian friends.
Adult classes were prepared and
taught by Jon Anastasio, Iran Parsa, Evelyn Grammer and Peter Murphy.
Youth classes were conducted by Robert and Cindy Gunther, Blanche Kaufman and Bob Weber.
The children’s program, supervised by Sharon Karnick, included work by Barbara Harris, Robin Pflueger, Mary Ellen O’Brien, Bill and Marie Procter, Tina Swatton, Robert Umans and Fifi Avaregan.
Shown are most of the 160 adults and children who attended the
first New Jersey Baha'i School
last November 19-21 in Andover.
Louhelen Baha’i School prepares varied menu of programs, conferences including ‘Homecoming’ in September
The following is a list of programs being offered from April through September 5 at the Louhelen Baha’i School. More information can be obtained by writing to the school at 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or by phoning 313-653-5033.
April 2-3, Persian Cultural Awareness Weekend, observing Seizdabadar, the 13th day after Naw-Rúz, a Persian holiday; 3-8, Junior Youth Week, Sor youth ages 10-14; 15-17, Community retreats; 23, Ridvan Children’s Festival; 29-May 1, Association for Baha’i Studies Conference.
May 13-15, Work weekend, all are welcome! Room and board in exchange for work on the grounds; 20-22, Child Education for Parents; 27-30, Community
retreats.
June 4, World Peace: Fact or Fiction; 5-10, Senior Ci Week; 11-12, Michigan Te: 1g Conference, sponsored by the District Teaching Committee; 12-24, Intensive Youth Study Program for youth 15 and older; 26-July 1, National Teacher Training Week.
July 2-4, Pioneering and Traveling Teaching Institute; 10-22, Intensive Adult Study Program on the Creative Word and Baha’i history; 24-August 3, Junior Youth Session for youth ages 10-14.
August 7-12, General session; 12-21, Intensive Adult Study, Marriage Institute conducted by Dr. Hossein Danesh; 21-26, General session; 28-September 1, General session.
September 2-5, Homecoming. First annual meeting of the Friends of Louhelen.
Shown during the last December 2 of 12 Bahi’i books to the Johnson County, Kansas, library system are (left to right) Jim Walker, vice-chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Over presentation
land Park; Mary Alice Amelung, head librarian at the Oak Park Library; Auxiliary Board member Robert Postlethwaite; and Mayor Ed Eilert of Overland Park.
Kansas Baha’is present books to library
On December 2, the Baha’i community of Overland Park, Kansas, presented 12 major books of the Faith to the Johnson County library system.
The books were presented on behalf of the Overland Park community by Auxiliary Board member Robert Postlethwaite and Jim
Walker, vice-chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Overland Park.
They were accepted by Mary Alice Amelung, head librarian at the Oak Park Library. |
Also present was Mayor Ed Eilert of Overland Park who was given three additional books.
Association plans Baha’i history conference
The California Regional Com mittee of the Association for Baha’i Studies is planning an academic conference on Baha’i history. : The purpose of the conference is to survey the present state of academic knowledge of Baha’i history, present papers that will further that knowledge, foster communication among scholars working in this field, and discuss new avenues of inquiry.
The conference will be held August 5-7 at the University of California at Los Angeles, in cooperation with the UCLA Baha’i Club and the Spiritual Assembly of Los
Angeles.
The committee is soliciting for its consideration abstracts on substantive topics in the history of the Faith.
Papers presented at the conference will be considered for possible publication as a volume.
Abstracts must be received by April 30. Please send them with a cover letter to Dr. Amin Banani,
, Santa Monica, CA 90402.
Limited funds are available to help defer travel expenses for those who are approved to present papers. Please indicate in the
cover letter for your abstract if funds are requested and the amount needed.
Papers must be on one aspect of Baha'i history, and will be expected to conform to academic standards.
Since papers will be reproduced for those attending the conference, they must be in the hands of the committee by July 15.
For more information please contact Anthony A. Lee, c/o BaWai Center,’
Los Angeles, CA 90035 (phone 213-933-8291).
Paradise Valley, Arizona, Assembly announces formation in mailing to 3,042 residents of town
The formation of the first Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, was announced recently in a mailing to 3,042 residents of the town.
A distinctive flyer with the theme “Uniting the world ... one heart at a time,’’ available from Images International, was used for the mailing.
Besides announcing the formation of the Assembly, the mailing listed 14 basic teachings of the Faith, included several brief quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, and invited anyone who was interested to use either of two listed phone numbers.
A similar announcement in the form of a paid ad was placed in a local newspaper and time to coincide with the mailing.
Several posters,
Video tapes available
A few copies of the video tape of the Congressional hearings on Iran are still available from the Office of Public Affairs. Copies for home video machines are $30 in either VHS or Beta form:
The 3/4-inch format tape for television is $45. Copies for use on cable or standard TV stations can be rented for a month for $5.
Many communities are having success in using excerpts from the Congressional hearings tape as part of an interview with local Baha’is.
coordinated
with the color and theme of the flyers, were placed in local business establishments, and the local Baha’ fs were given buttons of the same color and theme to be worn for further emphasis.
The proclamation was culmi Rae Members of the first Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, are (standing left to right) Dr. Derakhshan Hedayati, Calvin Thur, Maureen Thur,
nated with a public meeting at a local resort attended by about 50 people including neighboring Baha’is and their guests. The speakers were Baha’is Lisa Janti and Dr. Mark Rossman.
ie a Parvin Najmi, Sohrab Najmi, Yadullah Rezvani, and (seated left to right) Cynthia Mitchell, Farahanguiz Ayman, Parichehr Khavari.
[Page 9]
EDUCATION
March 1983
New ‘Brilliant Star’
It’s not a rocket, not a meteor, not even a display of fireworks in the night. That light you’ve seen flashing across the sky announces the birth of a jant Star!
Brilliant Star is the new name given to an old friend. Child’s Way magazine, which has served Baha’i children and their communities for 15 years, is now Brilliant Star.
WITH the advent of the MarchApril 1983 issue, subscribers are treated to a new larger size, a new format, and an ever-better selection of articles, stories and activities.
The new format is intended to continue the development of this instrument for the education of Baha’i children into a more professional, more exciting magazine.
Some of the friends have asked many questions about Child’s Way and how it has come to be Brilliant Star. Here are some of them:
Who writes Brilliant Star?
Writers, poets, artists, photographers, children, parents—all of these contribute the stories and articles that appear in the magazine.
Who puts the magazine together?
We have a general editor, Mary K. Radpour, and an art editor, Rita Leydon. The general editor decides what goes into each issue, asking writers to submit materials for a diverse collection of articles.
The art editor then asks the artists who work with her to illustrate each story or article. Then she sends it all to the printer, who
Louhelen to offer seminar on Writings in Persian, Arabic
The National Spiritual Assembly’s Persian Affairs Committee, the Louhelen Baha’i School and the Association for Baha’i Studies plan to sponsor a seminar this summer on the Baha’ Writings in Persian and Arabic.
Although the plans are not yet final, it is expected that the seminar will last about six weeks and will be taught by one or more senior Baha’i scholars.
Students will be required to have at least an intermediate reading knowledge of both Persian and Arabic.
Enrollment will be limited and by application only. The cost will be somewhere between $100 to $150 per week for dormitory accommodations. There may be work/study or scholarship help available, but that is not certain.
If you will or might want to participate, please send a resumé and cover letter explaining your interest in the seminar and including any suggestions you may have about its form or content to Dr. Geoffry Marks, Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.
prints and binds the sheets to make the magazine that arrives in the subscriber’s mail box.
How is it mailed to me?
Until last fall, subscribers received their magazine from the Baha’i Subscriber Service in Wilmette. Since then, however, it has been mailed from the new Brilliant Star Subscriber Service in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Those who wish to subscribe may contact:
Brilliant Star Subscriber Service, _ , Hixson, TN 37343.
It is important that subscribers: who move send their address change to this address, as address changes submitted to the Baha’i National Center for The American Baha’f and other mail do not come to our office.
What is the Brilliant Star/ Child’s Way editorial board? Composed of Debbi Bley, Keith Boehme, Rita Leydon, Mimi McClellan, Mary K. .Radpour and Janet Richards, the editorial board reviews materials for the magazine and advises the editor on how to improve the magazine and make it an even more effective tool for the education of children.
The board is appointed by the National Education Committee.
Where does my subscription money go?
All of the money goes to the printing and mailing of Brilliant Star/Child’s Way.
At the present time, income from subscriptions is not enough to cover the cost of producing the magazine, and we do not, of course, sell advertising, so the rest of our expenses are paid from the National Baha’ Fund, which has many other important responsibilities.
Help is in sight, however, thanks to the new Brilliant Star endowment fund.
What is the Brilliant Star endowment fund?
It is a special fund, approved by the National Spiritual Assembly. Money is sent to it as a gift so that it can be invested and earn interest, which then is used to pay for the magazine’s expenses.
We hope that this fund will help us to steadily improve children’s
literature and materials.
How can I help Brilliant Star/ Child’s Way?
You can send your letters, poetry, stories, and news. And you can encourage your Bahd’f community, your Baha’i school, your library, and all your friends to help by becoming subscribers or by contributing a gift of money to the Brilliant Star endowment.
Subscriptions and gifts can be sent to the Brilliant Star subscriber service.
Who are the readers of Brilliant Star/Child’s Way?
Our readers come from every corner of the world—from the icy Arctic to the steamy tropics. Fully 13 per cent come from outside the U.S., with an amazing number in Australia, Europe, Africa and Canada.
Child’s Way has been read at countless Feasts as part of the consultative program, and Brilliant Star will soon be heard there too.
The magazine goes to the children of pioneers everywhere, and we have many grown-up readers as well, who are amazed at what they learn about Baha’i history and teachings in the magazine.
Brilliant Star is really for the young at heart, and for anyone who longs to become a brilliant star in the world of the spirit!
bursts forth for children
pend
Site nt Star.
Louhelen hosts successful ‘singles’ conference
Some 75 people attended a conference for single adults last December 10-12 at the Louhelen Baha’i School in Davison, Michigan.
“This was marvelous to come to,”’ one person wrote on the conference evaluation form. “‘I really need the company of other single people who live a Baha’i life. To talk, to listen, to know I’m not the only person not part of a twosome.”
THE PURPOSE of the conference was to provide an opportunity for single people to discuss issues of common concern and to gain a clearer perspective from the Baha’i Teachings on how to face the challenges of being single in a disintegrating society.
Highlights included workshops on preparation for marriage;
Association for Baha’i Studies seeks to broaden membership
The Association for Baha’i Studies indicated in a recent letter to its members that it is experiencing financial difficulties and asked that memberships be renewed promptly upon expiration.
Among the recent costs incurred by the Association was $10,500 to hold its seventh annual Conference.
In addition, it costs about $672 per issue to print the Association’s quarterly bulletin, plus $7,000 for postage, and costs an average of
$5,000 to print 3,000 copies of a 44-page “‘Baha’i Studies Notebook’’ and another $1,000 to mail it to members.
Membership in the Association for those living in North America or Europe is only $15 a year for students or those over 70, $20 for adults, and $30 for couples.
If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact the Association for Baha’i Studies,
. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIN 7K4.
preparation for marriage the second time around; marrying a nonBaha’i; dating and other alternatives for mate selection; and step-parenting.
Workshops also were held on finding fulfillment in the single life, and on raising children as a single parent.
Paula Drewek, secretary of the Louhelen Council, gave an excellent keynote talk on ‘‘Personal Expansion and Consolidation.””
Conference evaluations indicated that those attending found that a good balance was struck between workshops and talks and that the workshops were well-conducted and suited to their needs.
THE evaluations also indicated that many of those attending came to meet other single Baha’is.
“To get away from ‘old world’ situations,’”’ one of them wrote, while another stated that he “needed some time for myself with individuals in my own situation, especially Baha’is.””
The enthusiastic response to the conference has led the Louhelen Council to schedule a_ similar gathering for single adults for March 25-27.
Those who are interested in attending may send a non-refundable $10 deposit to the Registrar, Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.
Early April dates set for pre-youth session at Louhelen Baha’i School
April 3-8 are the dates for the first session for youth ages 10-14 to be held at the Louhelen Baha’i School in Davison, Michigan.
“The dates coincide with the spring vacation for most of the public schools in Michigan and northern Ohio and Indiana,’’ says Bruce Reynolds, a member of the Louhelen School Council.
“We intend to provide the youth with an action-packed week,’’ Mr. Reynolds adds. “There'll be rigorous and challenging classes, stimulating discussion groups, and plenty of time for recreation, service projects
and fellowship.
“Youth at this age are among the most ardent Bahá’ís in our community,” he notes, ‘‘and we need to give them more substantial educational experiences within the Faith so that they’ll have a strong Baha’i identity when they enter high school.’”
The cost for the week is $68 ($17 a day), not including linens. To register, please send a $10 nonrefundable deposit to the Registrar, Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.
8 ER RSS ESS SS SSS SSS SS
[Page 10]
TEACHING
The American Baha'i
10
The homefront pioneer
Wisconsin, to from 1910 until
Kendall, Monta his death in 1963.
The National Teaching Committee is preparing to make homefront pioneering a major part of its plans to secure the goals of this phase of the Seven Year Plan by Ridvan 1984. Selected Local Spiritual Assemblies will be requested to prepare a number of homefront pioneers to fill extension teaching goals and save Assemblies.
Homefront pioneering is an important part of Baha'i activity, and we encourage every Bahii’{ to consider his or her ability to serve the Faith in this capacity. If you can serve as a homefront pioneer before Ridvan 1984 please write to the National Teaching Committee so we can begin helping you with your plans immediately.
Following are two more letters from homefront pioneers.
.
Dear Friends:
Responding to your notice on page 10 of the September issue of The American Baha’i to notify you of homefront pioneering, you may be interested to know that my husband and I left the Salt Lake community (after 32 years) in October 1981 and moved here to the Illinois Valley in southwestern Oregon.
We were the seventh and eighth Baha'is here, and in February a ninth Bahd’{ moved in and we formed our Assembly on April 11, 1982.
Although we are a “‘baby Assembly,’’ we are quite active, with weekly firesides, weekly paid newspaper ads, weekly articles, radio spots, Jeff Reynolds 30-second spots (paid) running 15 times a month, weekly children’s classes, etc.
If the above is considered “thomefront pioneering,”’ you can put down two more names on your list: John L. Ayer and
Merridy C. Ayer Cave Junction, Oregon
Dear Friends:
I’ve been very much encouraged and impressed by reading the homefront pioneer column.
How wonderful it is to be able to hear that there are people all over the country who, though seemingly ‘‘alone and lowly,”’ are
See HOMEFRONT Page 11
S.C. Baha’is discuss teaching, first radio station
More than 100 Bahá’ís from South Carolina gathered February 6 in Columbia to discuss their teaching plans for the state, set individual teaching goals, and participate in plans for the further development of the Louis G. Gregory Baha’i Institute and the first Baha’i radio station in North America.
Dr. Alberta Deas, administrator of the Gregory Institute, stressed the importance of beginning fund-raising for the station in South Carolina. Everyone, she said, can give something.
“THE radio station is to serve all the people of South Carolina,” said Dr. Deas, “‘and we want to show our Baha’ friends across the country that we are participating in its development.””
At the meeting, more than $1,500 was raised for the station.
A guest speaker at the event was Robert G. Wilson, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, who spoke about teaching the Faith through firesides and about not letting the fear of making mis takes stop us from teaching.
“Everyone makes mistakes,’” he said. ‘We must learn from them and always teach with greater enthusiasm and increased confidence.
“Confidence comes from one’s own understanding of the Teachings and from full acceptance of the Manifestation of God.”
Auxiliary Board member Elizabeth Martin spoke on the need to increase our teaching efforts and not to be too concerned about results, but to rely upon the Power of the Holy Spirit and arise to serve.
SPEAKING on the need for giving and the true meaning of sacrifice was Elwin Howard, a member of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee.
Another member of that committee, Trudy White, spoke about the goals needed to assure teaching victories at Ridvan.
On February 5, the day before the meeting in Columbia, Mr. Wilson met with the Regional
Ridvan Continued From Page 1 period.
Annual report
The first task of an Assembly should be to begin preparing its annual report which will help the community to reflect upon its growth and achievements when it comes together for the annual meeting on April 21.
The report will also serve as the community’s most important historic record of the past year. Setting goals
The Assembly should also devise goals and objectives for the coming year to be presented to the incoming Assembly for its approval immediately following Ridvan.
This advance planning will assure that the new Assembly assumes its responsibilities with ease and that the work of the Faith continues while the new Assembly is becoming organized.
Hopefully, the goals and objectives will inspire the community and give them the impetus to achieve even greater victories during the coming year.
Membership The Assembly should begin now to prepare for the election. The first step should be to review its membership list to be certain that it has current addresses for everyone in its jurisdiction.
If there are address changes to be made, the Assembly should immediately inform the Office of Membership and Records at the Baha’i National Center.
Furthermore, if there is any question about the membership status of any member of the com munity, it should be resolved in consultation with the National Assembly or its appropriate offices at the National Center as far in advance of Ridvan as possible. This is especially true of Persian believers who have not yet been fully transferred into the American Baha’i community.
Election notice
The Assembly should plan to notify the members of its community of the election at least 15 days in advance.
It should locate a meeting place for the election and take steps to secure its use; it should begin to plan the annual meeting and to decide who will read prayers, who will serve as tellers, whether food will be served, and so forth.
Help in forming
Some Assemblies will be unable to re-form without outside help. In such cases, it is especially important that the agencies or persons who will assist begin now to help plan the election.
Reporting to the National ‘Assembly
This year, at the end of May, the National Spiritual Assembly must submit a detailed statistical report to the Universal House of Justice. To properly prepare that report, it is imperative that Assembly formation forms be received immediately following the Ridvan elections.
The Festival of Ridvan is a joyous time during which the victories of the past year are harvested and the seeds sown for even greater achievements in the year to come.
With careful and early planning, the American Baha’i community can look forward to this important time with vigor and enthusiasm.
Teaching Committee to establish administrative guidelines for the Baha’i radio station.
A program director for the station is to be hired soon. Interested
applicants are invited to write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahd’{ National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 for further details.
Sixteen Bahá’ís from Evanston, Hanover and Savanna, Illinois, participated January 28-30 in a teaching weekend in Savanna. Thirty-five non-Baha’is enjoyed a
magic show, and one seeker ai tended and taped a public talk. Savanna is Evanston’s extension teaching goal.
Morganton, N.C., Assembly presents second annual Human Rights Awards
On Tuesday, January 11, the Spiritual Assembly of Morganton, North Carolina, presented its second annual Human Rights Awards to James J. Williams, North Carolina’s teacher of the year, and Mrs. Naomi B. Jaynes, president of the Morganton chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
In addition, a special service award was given to Esther Carson for her 30 years of work in education, church and volunteer activities in Burke County.
Mr. Williams, who was nominated for the award by the Burke County schools, is choral director at East Burke High School.
Mrs. Jaynes has worked in a
program to distribute cheese to the needy in Morganton, is a volunteer for the Red Cross blood bank, the local hospital, and the First United Methodist Church in Morganton.
More than 60 people including two ministers, a mayor, members of the county and city commission, the school superintendent’s staff and other school officials, and 12 members of the black community attended the award ceremony at the Holiday Inn in Morganton.
Included on the program were prayers, an audio-visual presentation, ‘‘Human Rights Are GodGiven Rights,’’ and music by Kim Cozort.
PREPUBLICATION OFFER for GUIDELINES FOR BAHA’l ARCHIVES
Price is $6.50 up to May 1, 1983, and $7.50 after May 1
The Guidelines for Baha’i Archives (72 pages) covers in detail the organization and functioning of a Bahd’{ archives. It is highly suitable for larger communities faced with the need to organize a local archives.
Name.
Address.
City.
State. Zip.
Order form with payment should be sent to: National Baha’i Archives Committee, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Read all about it!
Read about the significance of “the greatest single undertaking of that (Five Year) Plan,” the construction of the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, in the July 1975 issue of
Bahá’í News.
A limited supply of that issue (50 copies) is available for $1 each, made payable to Bahd’{ News, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
| sn om Be TR SS EE ESS ES A SS
[Page 11]
SS
TEACHING
March 1983
11
Traveling teachers working closely with Groups
Since the inception of the traveling teacher program, participants have been busily working with Baha’i Groups.
The National Teaching Committee receives letters and reports daily that communicate the excitement and sense of fulfillment that the traveling teachers are experiencing.
SEVERAL have reported the
Homefront Continued From Page 10
keeping their hearts close to Bahau’llah, and showing forth His teachings in so many ways.
Since becoming a Baha’ five years ago, I’ve been living here in the Taft area, so I’ve never had the experience of living among a large community of believers.
At first I felt lonely, but I soon found the tiny handful of fellowBaha’is in my area, and from then on I’ve felt especially blessed to know and love these wonderful people.
We've been able to complete a number of activities over the past few years, such as giving a gift subscription to Child’s Way to the ibrary, presenting a musicand-slide introductory fireside, inviting people to Ayyam-i-Ha and Naw-Rwiz parties, having articles printed in the local paper, presenting a history and introduction to the Faith at Taft College’s comparative religions class (and being invited back!), and presenting a puppet show at a well-attended Ayyam-i-Ha party.
Cindy Johnson Taft, California
imminent formation of Spiritual Assemblies in communities they have been helping; others have begun to keep detailed journals of their experiences as traveling teachers, and one has described her visit to two isolated believers in rural Georgia who, although they had been taught little about the Faith, felt the need to ask for someone to come and tell them
ee reports from these traveling teachers indicate that our Baha’i community is vibrant and growing.
Many traveling teachers have found themselves making adjustments in other areas of their lives that will allow them more time for meeting with and encouraging the
friends across the country.
After Ridvan many of them will be helping newly formed Assemblies to make the transition from Group to divine institution so that their progress will be assured.
The National Teaching Committee urges you to contact its office in Wilmette if you would like to have a traveling teacher visit
your community.
Your request may not be filled immediately, but it will be noted so that a traveling teacher can visit you at the first opportunity.
You may write to the committee at the Bahd’{ National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312869-9039.
Two-week border teaching campaign a success
More than 40 people were enrolled in the Faith and three new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed as a result of a border teaching project last December sponsored by the District Teaching Committee of Southern New Mexico/West Texas.
Baha’is from as far away as Florida and California participated in the two-week campaign.
The project began with a fiesta in the border town of Anthony, New Mexico, where almost 100 Bahda’is and their guests gathered
N. Mexico conference for Spanish-speaking
The Spiritual Assembly of Espanola, New Mexico, is sponsoring a ‘conference May 20-21 for the 40-50 Spanish-speaking Baha’is who have been identified in that area.
The conference will be conducted in Spanish. Anyone who plans to attend should contact Gerardo Vargas, 505-753-3428, or write to John Megimesey, P.O. Box 1154, San Juan Pueblo, NM 87566.
Nashville community honors long-time believer Maude Barnes on 85th birthday
The Baha’i community of Nashville, Tennessee, honored Mrs. Maude Barnes for her 48 years of service to the Faith with a banquet last December 10, shortly before her 85th birthday.
Mrs. Barnes was a member of the first Spiritual Assembly of Nashville in 1935 after having been led to the Faith by Louis Gregory.
Her home soon became a popular “‘stopping place’’ for local and visiting Baha’is.
As the community grew, the need for another building became a necessity, so in 1956 Mrs. Barnes, with about 14 others, purchased an older home and remodeled it. That home still serves the community and many others around it.
Mrs. Barnes may soon see the construction of a new Baha’i Center which is well into the planning, stages.
Her husband, John T. Barnes, practiced dentistry in Nashville for 50 years. He passed away in 1956.
Although Mr. Barnes was not a
MRS. MAUDE BARNES.
Baha’i, he was a gracious and hospitable man who welcomed the friends to his home for numerous meetings and other events.
Mr. Barnes also made several visits with his wife to the House of Worship in Wilmette.
The Barnes had five children, all of whom are still living.
for music, food, fellowship and fun.
Baha’is who were recently enrolled through similar teaching efforts were brought to the fiesta to share the fellowship and to be introduced to more of their fellow
Baha’is. There were five declarations at the fiesta.
The annual teaching campaign, directed primarily toward Spanish-speaking people, was sup ported and encouraged enthusiastically by Spiritual Assemblies in
that area.
Robert G. Wilson, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, attended the opening of the project and participated in the teaching activities.
Mr. and Mrs. William Davis, representing the Baha’i community of Atherton, California, are shown during a recent presenta tion of two Bahá’í books to Ms. Linda Chiochios (left), head librarian at the new Atherton town library.
Teaching success focus of Boston area deepening
More than 45 Baha’is from the greater Boston area attended a Personal Deepening Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday, October 16.
The conference, arranged by the Spiritual Assembly of Cambridge, was designed to promote success in teaching through personal prayer, deepening, and effort in one’s daily life.
It was further designed to help achieve the goal set by the Universal House of Justice in the Seven Year Plan to ‘stimulate dividual believers and local communities to follow ever more faithfully the Baha’i way of life ... through such act +. weekend conferences
The gathering included two presentations each by Auxiliary Board members Carole Allen and Nat Rutstein, and provided an excellent introduction to some of the essentials of daily Bahá’í life for an audience that included four newly declared believers.
What’s going on here .. .?
.-. and all over the Baha’i world!
You'll find the answer in Baha’i News. Now more than ever it’s the news you need to keep you up-to-date on what is happening in Baha’i communities throughout the world. To subscribe, simply complete the coupon and mail it to Baha’i Subscriber Service Department, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.
Please enter my subscription to Baha’ ws. | enclose my check, bank draft, or money order for the
amount indicated (for Baha'is only).
Within United States Allother countries.
Name.
Address. Clty ster Zip Code
Please enclose payment and Baha’; identification number with your order. Thank you!
State and Country.
Contact your National Spiritual Assembly
News,
1 year, $12.00; 2 years, $20.00
[Page 12]
NATIONAL CONVENTION
The American Baha’i
12
74TH BAHA’I NATIONAL CONVENTION (May 26-29, 1983)*
CONVENTION SEATING REGISTRATION
REGISTRATION BY LETTER IS ACCEPTABLE; HOWEVER, PLEASE INCLUDE ALL THE INFORMATION REQUESTED BELOW. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT RESERVE HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT THE HOTEL DIRECTLY.
PLEASE PRINT
USE ONE FORM PER FAMILY
LIST ALL ATTENDEES 15 YEARS OLD AND OLDER
(Mr./Mrs./Miss), (Mr./Mrs./Miss) (Mr./Mrs./Miss)
(Mr./Mrs./Miss)
Address.
_____. Baha’ I.D. No.. _ Baha’i I.D. No.. Baha’i 1.D. No.
___ Baha’ I.D. No..
Telephone( __).
CHILDREN’S REGISTRATION
LIST ALL CHILDREN 14 YEARS OLD AND UNDER Please note special needs (medical, emotional, dietary, etc.)
Child’s name , Sex
Age
Special needs
A QUALITY CHILDREN’S PROGRAM IS PLANNED. PRE-REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL TO INSURE YOUR CHILA)’S PLACE IN THIS PROGRAM.
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW! Mail to: Office of Membership, Baha’ National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091
- Memorial Day weekend. It is imperative that reservations be made as early as possible!
Make plans now for 74th National Convention
Since the members of the National Spiritual Assembly will be in Haifa, Israel, next April to participate in the election of the Universal House of Justice at the fifth International Baha’i Convention, the 74th U.S. Baha’i Convention will be held later than usual, from May 26-29 at the McCormick Inn in Chicago.
The friends should note that this is the Memorial Day weekend, when travel is generally heavy and accommodations hard to find, and make their plans early if they wish to attend the Convention.
Following are some facts that should help to make that planning easier:
CONVENTION SITE: The McCormick Inn, 23rd & the Lake, Chicago 60616. Toll free number, 800-621-6909 (in Illinois, phone COLLECT, 312-791-1901).
RATES: $48 per night (plus tax)—1, 2, 3 or 4 in a room (2 double beds). Rollaways are available @ $6 each.
SUITES AVAILABLE: 1 bedroom, $96-$200; 2 bedrooms, $144-$248. (All suites have parlors with sleepers in addition to the bedrooms.)
RESERVATIONS: Must be made directly with the hotel. Please be sure to identify yourself as attending the Baha’i National Convention May 26-29, 1983. Request confirmation to ensure that your reservation was received. PLEASE (1) give
the names of ALL those sharing the room with you, and (2) indicate any special facilities needed for the handicapped (rooms to accommodate wheelchairs, etc.), as the number of these rooms is limited.
SHARING ROOMS: The hotel will NOT find you a roommate. You must make your own arrangements.
TRAVEL: Although you are free to make your own travel arrangements, you may find it helpful to use the ‘‘meeting services desks’’ offered by the following airlines to help ensure that you receive the lowest possible fare for travel to Chicago. Toll free numbers have been provided. When using these numbers, please state that you are planning to attend the Baha’i National Convention May 26-29, 1983.
American Airlines, 800-433-1790 (Texas, 800792-1160); Northwest Orient Airlines, 800-3287747 (Minnesota, 800-552-1290); Continental Airlines, 800-525-1130 (Colorado, 398-3000, ask for group desk).
There is regular bus service—Continental Air Transport—to the McCormick Inn from O’ Hare Airport ($6) and from Midway ($5). Taxis also are available.
The coupon above includes registration information for seating and for the registration of children at the Convention.
‘Wildfire’ Baha’i arts conference to be held in Greencastle, Indiana
The Spiritual Assembly of Greencastle, Indiana, and the Indiana District Teaching Committee are co-sponsoring a ‘‘Wildfire’? Baha’i conference of the arts July 8-10 at DePauw University in Greencastle.
Conference highlights will include an observance of the Martyrdom of the Bab to which local dignitaries will be invited, evening concerts open to the public, workshops on various topics, and an all-star orchestra performing works by Baha’i composers.
All creative Bahá’ís, whatever their medium of expression or
Expenditures
Continued From Page 5
The Universal House of Justice was forced at that time to respond with an appeal to each believer. Its statement may well serve as a call to every Bahá’í today when material support for the activities promoting the growth of the Faith are again threatened. It stands as a simple statement of the individual’s duties, and ultimate goal, as a bearer of the Message of Baha’u’ lah:
“The backbone of the Fund must be the regular contributions of every believer. Even though such contributions may be small because of the poverty of the donors, large numbers of small sums combine into a mighty river that can carry along the work of the Cause ...
“The universal participation of the believers in every aspect of the Faith—in contributing to the Fund, in teaching, deepening, living the Baha’i life, administering the affairs of the community, and, above all, in the life of prayer and devotion to God—will endow the Baha’i community with such strength that it can overcome the forces of spiritual disintegration which are engulfing the non-Baha’i world, and can become an ocean of oneness that will cover the face of the planet.””
level of expertise, are encouraged to participate.
Facilities include three indoor theatres, one outdoor amphitheatre and a studio, all equipped to record amateur or professional musicians ‘coffee house’’ style before a live conference audience.
Spacious dorm rooms and allyou-can-eat meals are available at low cost to the first 750 people to register.
Children are welcome, and may stay in their parents’ room at reduced rates. Pre-school classes will be held in dormitories within one-half block of the conference site.
Pre-registration by June 1 is mandatory for anyone performing, staying in dorms, or bringing children.
The total cost, room and board included, from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon is only $48 per person.
For more information please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Greencastle, 606 Crescent Drive, Greencastle, IN 46135.
1983 Archives Institute scheduled July 20-24
The National Baha’i Archives Committee is planning to hold its 1983 Archives Institute July 20-24 at the Baha’i National Center in Wilmette, Illinois.
Those who are interested in attending the institute should submit to the National Baha’i Archives Committee by May 15 a brief statement of their background and why they would like to attend the institute.
The institute is designed to introduce Baha’is interested in the archival field to the nature and functions of a Baha’i archives.
Attendance is limited to eight persons, and each participant is responsible for his or her own expenses and housing.
Please address requests to the National Baha’i Archives, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Principles of giving
Continued From Page 5
within the American Baha’i community for giving to the Fund has been fully accomplished. Until that long-range goal is reached, the Office of the Treasurer must continue its program to communicate to the friends the spiritual responsibilities and benefits of contributing regularly to the
National Fund.
As early as 1935, the Guardian advised the National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S. and Canada to ‘‘ ...continue impressing upon the believers the necessity of their contributing regularly to the National Fund, irrespective of whether there is an emergency to be met or not ...’”
No one is more aware than the staff at the Treasurer’s Office that many of the Fund messages and appeals are received and pondered by the very Baha’is who steadfastly support the Fund. No one has better evidence, as shown by many letters from the friends, of how deeply some can be affected by the repeated message.
Nevertheless, the National Spiritual Assembly has no choice other than to continue to work within the principles outlined by the Guardian to inform the community of the needs of the National Fund.
As the Office of the Treasurer continues with this approach in its Fund education programs and its Fund appeals, it appreciates and even solicits the constructive response of the friends to its programs.
‘ocr em RE SES SDSS TEES SSPE AS SS SE SS OS RES AP REP AE ESSE DPE
IGC: PIONEERING
March 1983
13
Pioneers write of victories, many confirmations PIONEER POS
Marilyn and Mike Higgins, Japan—It seems like a long time since we last wrote. I guess the slow but steady progress of things this past year has not seemed like much to “write home about.””
But in retrospect, this has been our best year yet in Japan—all aspects in the plus column, and nothing in the minus ...
One of the most fruitful activities of this year has been the connection our community made with this city’s sister-city in Australia. Ube and Newcastle established a sister-city relationship a few years ago.
In 1981 I asked the LSA of Ube if they'd like to try to contact the Baha’is of Newcastle—if there were any there. All were in favor of the idea, so I wrote a letter of inquiry to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia asking them to let us know of any Baha’ is in our sister-city of Newcastle.
They sent a quick reply and also sent our letter on to the secretary of the Newcastle Assembly, who also delighted us with a prompt and welcome reply ...
The fortuitous change of the International Conference to Australia provided a golden opportunity for an in-person visit to Newcastle by Mike and the secretary of our Spiritual Assembly ...They met the Newcastle mayor, and newspaper and radio people.
The conference theme of the “Spiritual Axis’? between Japan and Australia added an extra impetus to the meetings, and the resulting publicity in both of our cities has been unprecedented!
Barry and Marilyn Smith, Honduras—We have just completed two years at our pioneering post. Marilyn is starting the third year of her Montessori school and it has grown into a well respected, if not particularly profitable, preschool.
My work with AID continues to be interesting and provides me with plenty of materials and ideas on community development, many of which are transferrable to the kind of development we are attempting with Local Spiritual Assemblies ...
Our oldest child we are educating through a correspondence course from the States supplemented with tutored instruction in Spanish and social studies in Spanish. She assists at Marilyn’s school in the mornings.
The younger two are students at the school, so the. family is together all day ...We are grateful to Bahá’u’lláh for the opportunity to serve His Cause and for the multiple bounties which that service has engendered ...
Gary and Jill Spence, ZaireThe Bahá’í community in Kindu is continuing to grow. A few Baha’ is from other, more established communities have moved here and are already helping us to deepen the new Baha’is.
We are getting ready to open a Baha’i cultural center, a place where the public can come to read Baha’i literature. We also hope to have prayer meetings, study classes, and film presentations there ...
In August we went on a threeweek travel teaching trip through villages in the forest with Hemedi, a young Bahda’{ friend. Thanks to his dedicated efforts we were able to present the Faith to several villages. He has been such a help to us in many ways as a friend and translator ...We have become very close to him ...
The trip was fascinating and informative. It gave us a nice feel for the roots of the people in this part of Zaire. We walked about 200 km in all, and visited about 12 villages and small towns ...
In one village they asked us what we put on our skin to make it
neer Training Institute held January 21-23 at the Bosch Baha'i School in Santa Cruz, California. Forty-two adults, 12 children, two representatives from Local Spiritual Assemblies and three from District Teaching Committees attended. Speakers included Counsellor and Mrs. Fred Schechter; [rvin Lourie, a member of the International Goals Committee, and
eis
his wife, Harriet; and Debbie Youngquist, a former pioneer to the Falkland Islands. The prospective pioneers were preparing for posts in the Marquesas, the Marshall Islands, St. Vincent, Papua New Guinea, South America, the Leeward/Windward Islands, Australasia, Africa, Korea, Brazil, Middle Caicos, Fiji, and Finland.
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PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL GOALS COMMITTEE of the NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’IS of the UNITED STATES.
white because they wanted to try it, too. We explained that just as God made butterflies in many colors, He made man in different colors to make the world more beautiful. Then they asked if God also made our hair ‘that sleeps’? (because theirs is curly). Gary said yes, and that he could make it “wake up’’ if he went out in the wind ...
Chris and Janet Ruhe-Schoen, Chile—Our pioneer life here is really accelerating. We are on the LSA, I (Chris) am on the RTC, and we are on a teaching team.
We sing for the Baha’is all the time. We have been guided here. On all levels it appears to be working out.
Thave a contract for next school year, a great thing in this unemployment world. Janet writes for a local English-language newspaper, and we sing professionally every week.
The children are happy. Both attend Santiago College, where I teach. The Baha’is here are a wonderful, unified group. Santiago is beautiful, with pleasant weather. Here we stay ... God willing ...
Jim and Martha Taylor, Philippines—I am now working as a teacher at an Indochinese refugee processing center. There are three of us Baha’is working here, one Filipino and two American pioneers—David Apostle and myself.
At present there are 12 Vietnamese Baha’is here as refugees who recently came to our center from Hong Kong ...We visit these Baha’is about twice a week although we do not have any literature in their language; we use a translator ...
It was our intention to leave the Philippines for another pioneer post, but when we wrote the Universal House of Justice, they advised us to stay ...They said they
These girls, wearing the traditional Guaymi Indian dress, are
attending a Baha'i conference in Soloy, Panama.
would pray for us to be able to get employment. Very soon thereafter, David, who is working as a teacher trainer at the camp, came to me and asked me if I wanted a job working with refugees. Prayers answered.
Martha took some courses in Islam to increase her knowledge on the subject. She is now called upon to lecture or serve as a consultant to an employment agency for companies that are sending workers to the Middle East
By the grace of Bahá’u’lláh everything is working out according to His plans ...Our children are growing and we have them ina Chinese school so they can learn Chinese. They are 6 and 7 and are tri-lingual: English, Farsi, Filipino, and getting started in Chinese.
Charles and Alice Nightingale, Bahamas—We are very much still here on Abaco, this being our sixth year, feeling the pleasant senior status in the emerging Bahamas teaching profession.
We have the same principal who has maintained strict standards at the school which previously had been quite lax ... The boys are in their fifth year at St. Francis de Sales School with Rasul in kindergarten, Hooshmand in Primary C, and Trevor in Intermediate, getting homework for the first time ...
In a nutshell, we are disgustingly healthy, seemingly problemfree.
Our great privilege
National Baha’ Fund Wilmette, IL 60091
Panama needs teachers for Guaymi Project
Has anyone ever awakened you from a deep sleep just before dawn because he was anxious for you to enroll him in the Bahá’í Faith?
Has your arrival to teach the Faith in a new village ever been anticipated by some residents who had dreamed of your coming and were waiting to receive you?
WHILE driving along a highway, have you ever been flagged down by a woman who wanted you to enroll her in the Baha’i Faith right then and there?
Have you felt the joy of arriving in a new village only to be stopped almost at once by someone who said, “Oh, yes! Mr. so-and-so told us about this wonderful Faith and for months we have been waiting for you so we could become Baha’is!’”
Oh, city-dwelling friends! Can any of the comforts and ease of modern life even remotely compare with the spiritual rejoicing with which such experiences as these fill one’s soul?
Such a priceless privilege is yours for the asking. The Guaymi Indian Cultural Project in northern Panama needs traveling teachers—Spanish-speaking or notfor a project that started on February 4, 1983.
The project, which will last for 30 months, is broken into two phases, the first of which is to last for 18 months. Its purpose is to establish a Baha’i radio station and to teach people about everyday living.
THIS region is like a large and beautiful orchard filled with trees whose boughs are laden with won derful fruits, but there is no one to reap the harvest for Bahá’u’lláh. Time is running out!
The missionaries, the merchants, the politicians are discovering this marvelous orchard. Will we let them reap the ‘harvest instead? Can anyone afford a moment’s hesitation?
Hurry, before it’s too late, throw off the fetters of city life and offer your traveling teaching services, so that you may share the joys of serving Bahá’u’lláh among these dear souls. ‘Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no
For more information about this project, please contact the International Goals Committee, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
“sre A RN HE TERETE AE OE NY GGG EN ERAT REA DES ERTS I EE, TERE
PAGINA HISPANA
The American Baha'i
14
Uno de los grandes privilegios del hombre es el de la oracién, que es una forma de conexién entre el ser humana—no y el Unico Creador; porque cuando el hombre esta entregado con todo su coraz6n y su alma en la oracién vuelve su rostro hacia el Todopoderoso, buscando Su asociacién y deseando Su amor.
“LA MAYOR felicidad del amante es conyersar con el ser amado y el mayor don para el buscador es familiarizarse con el objeto de su afloranza.”’
Por eso es que la mayor esperanza de cada alma que se siente atraida hacia el reino de Dios es encontrar una oportunidad para rogar y suplicar por el océano de Su bondad y esta oportunidad constituye la oracién.
Para poder alcanzar la condicién espiritual en la que es posible conyersar con Dios, es necesario que el hombre se esfuerze y luche para llegar a este nivel; el mejor camino es el de la meditacién el de desear menos las cosas materiales y més las espirituales. Cuanto mds nos alejemos de una més nos acercaremos a las otras y por consiguiente a Dios.
Nuestra percepcién espiritual debe ampliarse, para poder reconocer Su divina presencia en todas las cosas. Todas las cosas pueden reflejarnos la luz de Su espfritu. Baha'u'llah escribe:
“Oh Pueblo, librad yuestras almas de las cadenas del yo y puriSicadlas de todo apego a cualquier cosa fuera de Mi
“Entona Oh Mi siervo los versos de Dios que tu has recibido:... para que la dulzura de tu melodia encienda tu propia alma y atraiga los corazones de todos los hombres. Quienquiera que recite en su cdmara los versos revelados por Dios, los dngeles esparcidores del Todopoderoso esparcirdn por doquier la fragancia de las palabras pronunciadas por su
Si deseamos orar necesitamos un objeto en el cual concentrarnos. Si nos volvemos hacia Dios,
zones hacia cierto punto; si el hombre se dirige directamente
Conferencia de habla hispana en Espanola, New Mexico, en mayo
La Asamblea Espiritual de los Baha’is de Espanola, New Mexico, patronicara una conferencia de habla hispana para los 40-50 Baha’is de habla hispana en la area.
Esta conferencia se realizara el 20-21 de mayo en la cuidad de Espanola, New Mexico.
Toda persona que piensa asistir debe ponerse en contacto con Sr. Gerardo Vargas, tel. 505-7533428 0 escribir a Sr. John Megimesey, P.O. Box 1154, San Juan Pueblo, NM 87566.
hacia Dios, tiene que formarse primero un concepto de El y ese concepto sera creado de acuerdo a su propia mente y como las limitaciones de la mente humana no permiten captar lo infinito de Su grandeza, sdlo est4 creando una fantasia, una falsa imagen, y no puede existir conexién alguna entre semejante concepto y el Ser Supremo.
Por lo tanto, debe dirigirse a un punto que su mente pueda comprender seres en los cuales se vean reflejados, como en espejos, el Sol de Su idad en Sus manifestaciones, como Cristo 0 Baha*u'llah.
Un hombre que trata de adorar a Dios sin volverse hacia Su Manifestacién es como un hombre en un calabozo tratando de gozar de los rayos del sol pur medio de su
aha dice al respecto:
“A no ser que el Esptritu Santo sea intermediario no podemos alcanzar directamente las bondades de Dios. No paséis por alto esta simple verdad, pues es evidente que un nifto no puede instruirse sin profesor y la sabiduria es una de las bondades de Dios. La tierra no se cubre de pasto y vegetacion sin la Iluvia de la nube, por lo tanto la nube es intermediaria entre la divina bondad y Ia tierra, La luz tiene un centro y si procuramos buscarla por otro que no sea ese centro, no la podremos encontrar.””
PARA toda persona que desee la proximidad de Dios y evite Su alejamiento que nificaria la muerte misma, la oracién adquiere un cardcter indispensable e ineludible. El no practicarla significaria apartarse de Su Divina Providencia.
Bahd’u’ll4h ha revelado tres oraciones obligatorias diari Cada uno es libre de elegir cualquier de estas tres, pero esta obligado a recitar una de ellas.
En adicién a estas oraciones obligatorias tenemos los 19 dias del ayuno, una oportunidad para todos los Baha’is; un alto en nuestra existencia, un periodo de meditacién sobre si nuestras vidas estan siguiendo las huellas trazadas para nosotros por Bahá’u’lláh, y hacer los ajustes necesarios.
Ademas que esté en nosotros hacer de estos dias los mas hermosos del afio, sumerguiéndonos en una actitud totalmente espiri tual, rompiendo los lazos que siempre estan «niéndonos a las cosas materiales ; sintiendo cada vez mas proxima la presencia de Dios y despertando todos los potenciales que El ha puesto en nosotros. Y, ojald que esta actidud continuara en nosotros por el resto de nuestras vidas.
La manera mas sabia de orar es sometiéndose a la Voluntad de Dios, ya que muchas veces podriamos estar pidiendo algo que pareciera de nuestro beneficio, pero que el tiempo podria demos
trarnos el error de nuestra peticién.
TENEMOS el ejemplo de un paciente muy débil que pide a su médico que le de alimento que podria ser muy peligroso para su vida y condicién. El médico es sabio y amable. El sabe que seria peligroso para su paciente y por
Curso de estudio 12: Entona los versos
eso si niega a complacerlo. El médico es misericordioso, el paciente ignorante,
Por la firmeza del médico el paciente puede decir que el médico es cruel, que no es bueno, porque se niega a complacer su ruego.
No debemos olvidar tampoco la infinidad de oraciones que con las
de Dios
palabras mds dulces y en la forma mas poética han revelado el Bab, Bahá’u’lláh y ‘Abdu’l-Baha para toda circunstancia: proteccién, pruebas y dificultades, ayuda, alabanza, curacién, ete, para nuestra protec paz, iluminacién y progreso espiritual.
He aqui un fotografia aerea del
Centro Mundial Baha'i en el monte Carmelo rodeado con sus esplendorosos jardines. Se vé a la ‘Reyna del Carmel il majestuoso edificio del Santuario del Bab, cuya vista domina toda la ciudad de Haifa. A Ia izq. se vé Ia Casa de Peregrinos, que por v: rias decadas recibio devotos peregrinos que visitaron Ia Montaiia Sagrada de Dios. En la parte superior izq. se aprecia el monumental edificio, sede permanente de Ia Casa Universal de Justicia,
Cuerpo Supremo de la Causa de Dios; éste edificio ocupa el lugar central del drca trazada por el Guardian y que constituye el eje alrededor del cual se construira todos los edificios necesarios y desde donde se administra a todo el mundo Baha'i. Sobre esta arca también su puede apreciar el edificio de los Archivos Internacionales que guarda las reliquias sagradas y escritos originales de los personajes centrales de la Fe. El artifice que fijo en detalle estos
“lugares que por siempre estan li gados a El, que constituyen el refugio de una humanidad descarriada y zenit de la administracion Baha'i, base para el establecimiento de un Orden Mundial, es nuestro Amado Guardian Shoghi Effendi y al conmemorarse los 25 aiios de su fallecimiento, del profundo de nuestro ser rendimos homenaje y eterna gratitud a su perpetua ¢ inolvidable memoria en quien fué designado como ‘Signo de Dios en la Tierra.’
“*¢Qué pudiera yo decir?”
(Para el Bab) joh! Qué pudiera yo PENSAR
después de conocer tu vida y tu ejemplo,
tu prisién y tu martirio;
después de ver tu cuerpo perforado por la descarga brutal de 750 fusiles infernales.
Qué pudiera yo SENTIR
al ver el santisimo santuario de tu cuerpo
colgando destrozado como péndulo inmolado,
marcando el tic-tac del tiempo venidero, cuando todos los hombres tendran que regirse por la hora exacta del reloj universal
que Tu echaste a andar a la hora de tu muerte.
Qué pudiera yo DECIR
cuando siento en mf el reflector potente de tu amor que atraviesa lado a lado, cual espada enamorada,
mi alma triste y torturada por el mundo y el dolor.
Qué pudiera yo DECIR
cuando siento que me envuelves en tu hdlito.divino
1 ya SSS SSS SSS SS SSS ESSE SS
Seccion poética
y me llevas tras de ti; que me arrastra con tu manto, tu mirada y tu bondad, y me llevas al sendero de una gran tranquilidad.
BAB: Heraldo, Puerta,
nacido en oriente y fulgor de occidente,
rayo matriz de la UNIDAD,
espejo radiante que proyecta
el fulgurante anhelo de la humanidad;
yo te declaro protector, iniciador, canalizador,
orientador,
- sois.
océano inmenso que bajia con sus olas
la maravillosa Tierra que nos vid nacer.
S6s* el precursor de la armonia
y de la maravillosa gracia que Dios manifesté. Sés la base principal y punto de apoyo espiritual de la fuerza redentora.
Sos el lazo universal que une corazones,
Sés el alma de cristal que riega bendiciones.
{Que pudiera yo decir?
Dennis Pilarte Arcia Managua, Nicaragua
PUBLICATIONS
March 1983
15
The Creative Wordinspiring you to live the Baha’i life
The Promulgation of Universal Peace
Mark April 12, 1983, on your calendar, and make plans to set out on a trip that will last until December 5. Your host—‘Abdu’l-Bahaé. Your itinerary—the Master’s footsteps as he criss-crossed the country.
Your only luggage—The Promulgation of Universal Peace, ‘Abdu’lBaha’s proclamations and deepenings for students and professors, rich and poor, Bahd’{s and seekers, dignitaries and clerics.
USING ‘ABDU’L-BAHA’S almost daily talks, for the next nine months you can plan your own deepenings around many of the fundamentals of your Faith—the oneness of God, the continuity of the prophets of God, the oneness of mankind, the elimination of racial prejudice, the equality of men and women, the harmony of science and religion, and much more.
‘Abdu’l-Baha Himself, when He arrived in New York in 1912, stated that it was His ‘‘purpose to set forth in America the fundamental principles of the revelation and teachings of Bahd’u’ll4h.”” It would then become the duty of the Bahd’{s, He said, to give those principles ‘‘unfoldment and application in the minds, hearts and lives of people.’”
As late as 1956 Shoghi Effendi told the Baha’is that there was ‘‘a desperate need for deepening ... themselves in their own faith.’’ Even more recently, the Universal House of Justice has reminded us of the importance of deepening ourselves in the purpose of God for man “‘as revealed and directed by Bahá’u’lláh.””
- Abdu’l-Baha’s informal talks and discourses in The Promulgation of
Universal Peace provide us with a unique opportunity for reviewing the fundamentals of our Faith. The talks were addressed to Americans, about topics that concern Americans, in American forums. They give us the teachings of Baha’u’llah in their purest form.
MOREOVER, THE approaches ‘Abdu’l-Baha used to individuals, small groups, and large audiences allow us to analyze how the Master reached out to those listening to Bahá’u’lláh’s message for all mankind.
For this special trip with the Master there are no restrictions—except a copy of The Promulgation of Universal Peace and a willing, open heart.
To order The Promulgation of Universal Peace, (1) see your local Baha’f librarian; (2) send a check or money order for the total amount (plus 10 per cent for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to the Baha’{ Publishing Trust; or (3) use the coupon on this page of The American Baha’.
seeee
The Bosch Baha’i School will be holding a class on The Promulgation of Universal Peace each week during its summer session, June 18 through September 1. Watch for details in The American Baha’i and in brochures from the school.
Pocket-sized edition of Gleanings readied
A pocket-sized edition of Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’ llth will make its debut at the 1983 Baha’ National Convention. About the size of the paperback Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, the pocket-sized Gleanings will be the first in a series.
Those planning teaching and/or proclamation events for the late spring and summer will certainly want to include the new pocket-sized Gleanings in their plans. It will feature an attractive cover design printed on stock similar to that of the new softcover edition of Baha’i Prayers.
Watch for details on price, stock number and ordering instructions.
‘Light of Baha’u’llah’ problems are resolved
For 300 Bahá’ís who ordered sets of the “Light of Bahá’u’lláh’’ cassette tapes the problems that were plaguing the project have finally been resolved.
Complete sets have been mailed to everyone who placed an order at the 1982 Baha’i National Convention. Sets have also been mailed, on a first paid-in-full order basis, to those who ordered after the National Convention.
The remaining 236 sets will be mailed, it is hoped early in March, when the supplier delivers the balance of the order.
The first problem the Light of Bahá’u’lláh program encountered was that it took the firm ‘‘Connections’’ in Alaska longer to edit the tapes than was expected.
Second, the supplier for the binders for the tapes has not been able to deliver them on time to the production company assembling the tapes into packages.
As a result, almost half of the sets already ordered are not yet ready for the customers.
“The Light of Bahá’u’lláh cassette program,” says Greg Weiler, fulfillment manager at the Baha’i Publishing Trust, ‘‘is not a Publishing Trust project. It is a joint venture of the National Spiritual Aescatblics of Alaska and the US.
“The Publishing Trust has had no control over production from the outset. Its only role is that of a distributor when the completed sets are delivered.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as the suppliers dealt with the problems.’”
Titles from Around the World
BIC—Baha’i International Community NS—Neville Spearman
Prices valid only in 48 contiguous states of the United States
The Power of Divine Assistance A compilation conveying the assurance that the assistance of God will surround and confirm the efforts of the friends when they arise to deliver His divine message and teach His Cause. (Canada)
(SC, Cat. No. 315-078, $2.00)
Bahfyyih Khánum: The Greatest Holy Leaf
The ‘‘outstanding heroine of the Baha’i Dispensation’’ honored in statements by Baha'u'llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi. Also includes photographs and 92 of her own letters. (UHJ)
Possible tape defect warrants caution
Anyone who purchased “The Light of Baha'u'llah” cassette tape program should immediately listen to the tape on progressive revelation. Several Baha'is have reported that it actually contains rock music.
It appears that, on a small number of tapes, the labels were put on the wrong tape. If your tape on progressive revelation contains rock music, please return it to the Baha’i Publishing Trust at once, and we will secure a new tape from the vendor.
How to order from the Publishing Trust
Use the largely blank order form below to order any of the titles listed on this page or in the Publishing Trust Price List published in the February issue of The American Baha’i. Cash orders must be accompanied by a check or money order for the full amount (including 10 per cent for postage and handling, minimum
$1.50).
Credit card orders are accepted by phone (1-800-323-1880) and by mail; a Visa or MasterCard account number and expiration date must be included. Send orders to the Baha’i Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
UHJ—The Universal House of Justice
(HC, Cat. No. 315-074, $10.00; SC, Cat. No. 315-075, $5.00)
Iran’s Secret Pogrom
Geoffrey Nash’s journalistic account reviews the history of the persecution of Persian Baha’is, Baha'i beliefs, present-day persecutions, and the sad possibilities for the future of the Baha’ is in Iran. (NS) (SC, Cat. No. 332-093, $5.50)
The Baha'is in Iran: A Report on the Persecution of a Religious Minority
Excellent for proclamation—the Baha’i International Community’s white paper on the systematic nature of the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, together with the fake charges, international reaction and media coverage, and many official documents. (BIC)
(SC, Cat. No. 555-100, $3.00)
Out of print (George Ronald)
Baha’u’llah: The Word Made Flesh, sc
The Brilliant Stars, sc
Christ and Baha’u’llah, cx
A Compendium of the Baha’i World, Vols. I-XII, he
A Cry from the Heart, he Heavens Are Cleft Asunder, sc He Loved and Served, he Hikayat-i-Dil, he
The Horse of the Moonlight, he Khadijih Bagum: The Wife
of the Bab, he
Khanum: The Greatest Holy Leaf, he
Mothers, Fathers and Children, he
Mysticism, Science and Revelation, sc
Portals to Freedom, sc Response, he
Star of the West, he
These Perspicuous Verses, hc The Wine of Astonishment, sc The Witness of Pebbles, hc
Out of stock (Kalimat Press) Miracles and Metaphors, he
Missed a Baha’i meeting lately?
The new 1983
© Wall Calendar
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[Page 16]
CLASSIFIEDS
The American Baha'i
16
Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Baha’i 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 PERSONNEL Office at the Bahda’i National Center is updating its resource files and is soliciting the names of individuals who have a background in security or law enforcement. Please write to the Personnel Office, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
COME to rural Texas and help form an Assembly in Caldwell County. We have an active Group of five that’s chomping on the bit to become an Assembly. You can live among oil wells and cattle within 10 minutes of San Marcos and Southwest Texas State University or within 45 minutes of Austin and the University of Texas. Caldwell County is a fine place for retired persons to live and serve the Faith. Baha'is of any minority, especially Spanishspeaking, are most welcome. For information contact Martha Ebersole, P.O. Box 89, Harwood, TX 78632, or Carolyn Jennings, Route 1, Box 74, Martindale, TX 78655.
NEEDED: Staunch, well-deepened couple or individual to help develop the Spiritual Assembly in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a college town with radio and TV stations, a mild climate, friendly people, modern stores and shopping centers. Fort Smith (pop. 71,384), on the Arkansas River, has an interesting historical background. For more information please write to the Spiritual Assembly of
Rogers, Rogers, AR 72756.
THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Napa, California, is jeopardized and needs two homefront pioneers to maintain its Assembly status. This is the only existing Assembly in Napa County. Napa, a city of 55,000 in the renowned Napa Valley 70 miles southwest of Sacramento and 40 miles north of San Francisco, is a favorite retirement community. Employment often is available in agriculture, with Kaiser Steel, Basalt Rock Company, the Napa State Hospital, and Mare Island shipyard, as well as in the San Francisco Bay area. Institutions of higher learning include Napa Valley College, U.C.Davis, U.C.-Berkeley, Cal State University-Sonoma, and Cal-State University-San Francisco. For more information write to the Spiritual Assembly of Napa, P.O. Box 2663, Napa, CA BHS>8,,. or phone 707-252-0236.
WHY NOT live 365 days a year in Minnesota’s heartland vacation paradise? The jeopardized Assem
bly in Bemidji, Minnesota, needs
Bahd’f families to settle in this
beautiful lakes region. Bemidji is
the retail and educational center
for a wide area, reaching to the
Canadian border and emcompassing five Indian Reservations. This
is an ideal pioneering opportunity
for a Persian or American Indian
family. Bemidji State University
offers baccalaureate programs in
many areas, as well as an associate
degree program for those wishing.
to transfer to a larger school. For
aah information write to the
itual Assembly of Bemidji,
Pi .O. Box 56, Bemidji, MN 56601,
or phone Sue or Bob Johnson,
218-751-0317.
FEMALE dance partner wanted for collaboration in performing for proclamations and special Baha’f events. Must have several years experience in ballet and modern dance, and ideally live within a two-hour drive of the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area. Contact Norbert DuBois, c/o Baha'i Center, _
Baltimore, MD 21207, or phone 301-448-1512.
THE LOUHELEN Baha’i School is accepting applications from Baha’is with experience teaching children ages 0-14 to join the. teaching staff during the months of June, July and/or August. Those interested in applying are asked to send a letter with a curriculum vitae and resumé of their teaching experience in the Baha’i community to the Child Education Committee, Louhelen Baha'i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Child
-ren’s programs are scheduled in
two segments, June 26-July 4 and August 7-September 5. It is hoped that teachers will be able to teach for one complete segment, but those who are able to teach for a part of a segment are nonetheless encouraged to apply.
ANY of the friends throughout the world who knew the late Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga, corresponded with him, who may have photos, etc., are urged to write immediately to a Baha’i pioneer in Nigeria who is doing research on Mr. Olinga’s life. No item of interest should be dis counted as perhaps too insignificant. Items of interest can be anything pertaining to Mr. Olinga, his Baha’i activities, talks, teaching, pioneering, general or personal characteristics, manners, friends, newspaper articles, his relationships with others. Historical material of any nature regarding Mr. Olinga will be gratefully acknowledged. Please direct correspondence to Don Addison, Music Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Anambra State, Nigeria (West Africa).
NEEDED: Homefront pioneers in southern Florida, a tropical paradise with sunshiny days, balmy breezes, rustling palms, the music of birds, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets, to help form a
new Spiritual Assembly in the southern part of Palm Beach County, in the unincorporated area of Boca Raton. The cight Baha’fs in that area need help to reinforce their Group and form an Assembly by Ridvan. Ideal location for a retired couple who could open their home for meetings. New housing available at a reasonable cost. For more information contact Carolyn Wells,
Boca Raton, FL 33433, or phone 305-482-3892.
HOMEFRONT pioneers are urgently needed to help save the jeopardized Assembly of Mahomet Township in the lovely Sangamon River valley in central I nois. The University of Illinois is nearby, and there is ample housing in various price ranges available. Mahomet is about 150 miles from the Mother Temple of the West and claims a beautifully wooded and extensive county park. We would welcome all Baha’is, especially those with children. Please contact the Baha'is of Mahomet Township, c/o Naomi Hendricks, -_ RR No. 1, Mahomet, IL 61853, or phone 217-586-4284. Hospitality and introduction to the area provided during visits for inquiry.
HOWARD University in Washington, D.C., a distinguished black university rich in Baha’i history needs six students to keep its Baha'i Club. Excellent teaching opportunities. For more information contact the Washington Baha’i Center, — _N.W.,
ashington, DC 20011, or phone 202-291-5532.
‘WANTED in Macau: computer programmers and/or systems analysts for a new Baha’i-owned software company. Macau is a small Portuguese colony in southeastern China, near Hong Kong, with a colorful history, prosperous economy and an active Baha'i community. It is an international goal area. Cantonese is the language spoken by most of the people, but Portuguese is the official language, and business is conducted in English. Desirable but not essential qualifications for applicants include work experience in small-business environment; computer science degree; knowledge of micro-computers and BASIC. Send resumé and questions to the International Goals Committee, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone. 312-869-9039.
AM COMPLETING a book on. Ethel Murray, a pioneer to the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. Need additional personal stories, experiences, pictures, slides, etc. from those who, may have visited her or worked with her-on the Reservation. Already have a wealth of material, but know there must be those who, have additional first-hand experiences that they may wish to share. Please be assured that all material will be carefully used and
promptly returned. Please let me hear from you soon. Derald Hendry, Route 3, Box 726, Morganton, NC 28655. Phone 704-4434407.
WANTED: Three homefront pioneers to help form the first Spiritual Assembly of Clarkston, Georgia, whose Group is presently made up of six adults who pioneered there and three children under three years of age. The Group is holding firesides, deepenings and children’s classes. Clarkston, about 12 miles east of Atlanta, is on a major bus route, close to the Interstate highway, yet small-townish in some ways. Many apartments and houses are available. The town is quite integrated, and very family-oriented. For information or help, please contact Leslie Cummings,
Clarkston, GA 30021, 404-294-7566.
“SPIRITUAL Mothering,” a bi-monthly journal for parents who are dedicated to the spiritual growth and well-being of their families, is looking for articles on these subjects: “Growing With Adolescence,”’ ‘‘Health and Heal ‘or phone
ing,’” ‘“‘Women Working at Home,”” “‘Instilling the New While Living in the Old, X
tending Families—Acquiring
Communities,” and “How Do
You Share Your Religion With
Your Children?’’ Contribute to
the growth of this innovative
teaching and deepening periodical, half of whose subscribers are
not Baha'is. Contact Melinda
Armstrong, P.O. Box 128, Dover,
NH 03820.
INTERNATIONAL traveling teachers: If you participated last year in the 12-page International Goals Committee survey of traveling teachers, you should soon be receiving a summary of the results. If it has not arrived by the end of February, please send your present address (after checking at your former address if you have recently moved) to the International Goals Committee, Bahda’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
JEOPARDIZED Assembly in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, needs two more adult Baha’is to preserve its Assembly status at Ridvan, This active community includes Persians and college youth; the area offers work opportunities in fishing, factory, mill and industrial positions. Southeastern Massachusetts University and Bristol Community College provide educational opportunities for prospective students. This oceanbordered town, next to historic New Bedford and one hour from Boston and Providence, combines a moderate climate with natural rural beauty. Please address inquiries to the secretary, Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Dartmouth,
N. Dartmouth, MA 02747.
PERSIAN Bahda’{ (male) with graduate degrees in general psy
chology and counseling is interested in homefront pioneering.
Willing to locate anywhere. Seeks
a position either as an out-patient
counselor for hospitals or clinics,
‘as a teacher at the post-secondary
level or in schools that do not require certification, or in a personnel department or a management training program. Please reply to P.O. Box 440622, Aurora,
CO 80044.
A NAW-RUZ gala sponsored by the Baha'is of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be held Sunday, March 20, from 6 to 10 p.m. A Persian dinner with live dinner music will be followed by children’s activities, a mime and musical entertainment, a short talk, and music and dancing for every‘one. Advance tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 4-12. Baha’fs should pay for their guests. For tickets or more information, please write to Anne Atkinson,
Philadelphia, PA 19143. Checks should be made payable to Naw-Rúz Committee.
WANTED: Baha'i couple to manage a 21-unit motel in Wells, Nevada, 180 miles west of Salt Lake City, and open a new Baha’i locality. Some knowledge of general maintenance and troubleshooting helpful. Salary is $800 a month with furnished living quarters and utilities provided. Should be able to relocate by April 1. There is also an opening for a Bahaf couple to manage another motel 200 miles south of Salt Lake City. Relocate by April 15. Would be happy to consider elderly couples. Applicants should furnis! peccable references of honesty, integrity and stability to Jamshid Talebreza,
Salt Lake City, UT 84109. During office hours you may phone 801535-7775.
BEAUTIFUL college town in Virginia desperately needs homefront pioneers. Blacksburg is a quiet town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) and Radford University offer employment possibilities and continuing education. VPI is a highly respected university that specializes in sciences and engineering; Radford also has highly accredited programs in education. If you are interested in helping us keep our Assembly, please write to ‘“Homefront Pioneer,” c/o Baha’i Faith, P.O. Box 708, Blacksburg, VA 24060, or phone 703-951-1420.
THE LOUHELEN Baha’i School Council is seeking applicants for the following summer positions: Recreation director to plan and coordinate recreational and some social activities and to help with planning programs for youth and pre-youth; Child education director to plan and coordinate children’s classes and to develop curriculum plans and materials for the school’s future use; Program coordinator to help with planning and running adult ses See ADS Page 23
| SSS CR
[Page 17]
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The American Baha'i
March 1983
17
Asa result of the recent ‘Rising Sun’’ teaching campaign in Honduras, 409 new believers were enrolled in the Faith, seven Local Spiritual Assemblies were Strengthened, and 35 Baha’f teachers were trained.
Also in Honduras, ‘Project Wanita George,”’ named in honor of an American who has been a Pioneer in Honduras for 20 years, resulted in the enrollment of 224 People, most of whom are members of the Jicaque Indian tribe.
In addition, about 20 villages were opened to the Faith, and two new Spiritual Assemblies were formed during the five-day camPaign last December ...
As a result of a week-long teaching trip last summer by eight Bahd’{s from five countries to Urhobo tribal areas in Bendel State, Nigeria, 255 people including 32 youth declared their belief in Bahd’u’ll4h and five new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed.
Also in Nigeria, more than 5,000 people learned about the Faith last November during the first International Trade Fair in Enugu, Anambra State. Twentyfive of the visitors to the Baha’i booth at the Fair declared their belief in Baha’u’llah ...
A week of proclamation last November in Karachi, Pakistan, was described as ‘‘one of the most successful teaching projects ever arranged by the Bahá’í community of Karachi.””
Groups of Baha’is proclaimed the Faith to 85 prominent physicians and surgeons, 44 heads of educational institutions, more than 50 school and college teachers, 28 lawyers, and more than 100 other prominent people including government officials, United Nations representatives, bank managers, newspaper editors, and radio and television executives ...
At least 20 of an estimated 3,500 people who learned of the Faith last November during a week-long teaching campaign in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, later declared their belief in Baha’u’llah.
Many dignitaries, professors, doctors and students were among those who were contacted by Baha’is and given introductory pamphlets during the teaching effort that was dedicated to the memory of the Hand of the Cause of God Rahmatu’ll4h Muhájir and sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Rajshahi ...
Baha’i and non-Baha’i women from several Pacific communities participated last fall in a two-day women’s conference in Apia, Western Samoa, that was planned in honor of the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf
Counsellors in Americas meet Florida Baha’is
The illuminating words of Bahá’u’lláh rang out in the conference hall:
“O people of God! Righteous men of learning who dedicate themselves to the guidance of others and are freed and well guarded from the promptings of a base and covetous nature are, in the sight of Him Who is the Desire of the world, stars in the heaven of true knowledge.
“Tt is essential to treat them
with deference. They are indeed Sountains of soft-flowing water, stars that shine resplendent, fruits of the blessed Tree, exponents of celestial power, and oceans of heavenly wisdom.
“Happy is he that followeth them. Verily such a soul is numbered in the Book of God, the Lord of the mighty Throne, among those with whom it shall be well.”’ (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 96-97)
Counsellor Sarah M. Pereira welcomes Baha’is from Florida, five other states and four foreign countries to a special meeting last December 19 with the 16 members
of the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas at the University of Florida at Coral Gables.
Baha'i has campus fiber arts exhibit
The fiber arts of Ann Booth, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Westminster, Maryland, were exhibited last November 30-December 17 in a one-woman show on the campus of Western Maryland College.
The hand-woven hangings, characterized by delicate pastel colors, were done in a series of techniques including tapestry, ikat and double-weave pick-up.
Publicity mentioned Ms Booth’s affiliation with the Faith and stressed its strong influence in the subject matter of the hangings.
One work, a series of seven weavings, illustrated Ms. Booth’s impressions of The Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah.
Entitled ‘‘The Journey,’’ each of the hangings in this work was accompanied by a plaque with a
Got a new address?
MOVING? Got a new telephone number? Don’t forget to let your local community secretary and the National Spiritual Assembly know about your new address and phone number right away so there will be no interruption in receiving your Baha’i mail.
For your convenience, there is an address form on the last page of this issue of The American Baha’i. Simply put it in an envelope and mail to: Baha’i National Center, Office of Membership and Records, Wilmette, IL 60091.
quotation written in calligraphy by Ms. Booth.
Other weavings included single works entitled ‘‘*Abdu’l-Baha,”’ “Bahiyyih Khanum,’”’ ‘“Unity Star’’ and “The Bab’s Orange Tree.”
about 150 people attended the opening evening of the show and heard a talk about Ms. Booth’s works and their relationship to the Faith by Dr. Julie Badiee, a member of the faculty of the Western Maryland College art department who also is a Baha’i.
Ms. Booth’s wall hangings of The Seven Valleys will be on permanent display at the Louhelen Baha’i School in Davison, Michi
With faces beaming, a large gathering of Baha’is from Florida greeted all 16 members of the Continental Board of Counsellors. in the Americas last December 19 at the Wesley Foundation, University of Miami at Coral Gables.
THE Counsellors had taken time from their plenary session in Miami to be received by the Baha’{ friends in that area. In addition the four districts in Fl Baha’is were there from
to
Frank and Agnes Sheffey, Baha’is who now live in Kansas City, Kansas, undertook an extensive teaching trip from January to July of last year that involved 130 presentations in 97 Baha’i communities in 27 states and the Toronto, Canada, area of an audio-visual program the Sheffeys had developed during their 12 years of teaching the Cause in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their efforts were aided by the International Goals Committee and by many Local Spiritual Assemblies. About 10 per cent of the 1,700 Baha’is who attended the meetings voiced their desire to help fill an international goal of the Seven Year Plan by pioneering or travel teaching abroad.
California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, while others were visiting from Belgium, Chile, Germany and Nicaragua.
The National Spiritual Assembly was represented by Mrs. Soo Fouts.
Physical arrangements for the meeting, which was chaired by Counsellor Sarah M. Pereira, were attended to by the Spiritual Assemblies of Dade County Central, Dade County North, Dade County South, Miami and North Miami.
The Spiritual Assembly of Fort Lauderdale displayed a wide selection of Bahá’í literature for those present.
After paying eloquent tribute to the late Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney, Dr. Pereira introduced her colleagues to the company of believers.
MRS. FOUTS then spoke, expressing the love we bear for the institution of the Counsellors, and enjoining the friends to arise and win the goals of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Afterward, six of the Counsellors addressed the audience: Lloyd Gardner, Mas’ud Khamsi, Lauretta King, Artemus Lamb, Raul Pavén and Velma W. Sherrill.
Their uplifting remarks covered a wide range of topics dealing with propagation and protection of the Faith.
As Trustee of the Continental Baha’i Fund, Counsellor Gardner expressed appreciation for the manner in which the U.S. believers have supported that Fund, and explained how contributions from more affluent countries help support the work of the Cause in Latin America.
Members of the five host Assemblies were introduced with those Florida assistants to Auxiliary Board members Benjamin Levy and Dr. William Tucker who were present at the meeting.
Closing remarks by Counsellor Pereira, music, fellowship and refreshments topped off a spiritually magnificent evening.
Within United States: 1 year. 2 years.
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[Page 18]
PERSIAN PAGE
The American Bahá’í
1
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[Page 19]
ee nn
The American Bah.
March 1983
19
Bosch
Continued From Page 4 properties in Sonoma, Mendocino and Contra Costa counties in California.
In 1914 Mr. Bosch and Louise Sophia Stapfer of New York City were married, and from that time on, in all their activities, the names of John and Louise Bosch were inseparable.
In 1920 the Bosches, both of whom spoke French, taught the Faith for five months in Tahiti. The following year they traveled to Haifa to visit ‘Abdu’l-Baha, teaching en route in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
They arrived in Haifa only two weeks before the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahd. Two days before His passing, the Master walked in a garden with John Bosch, giving him oranges from the trees there.
MR. BOSCH was asked to help the Holy Family with burial preparations, and he served as a pallbearer, helping to carry the Master’s casket to Mount Carmel.
In 1927, when the National Spiritual Assembly appointed Mr. Bosch, Leroy Ioas and George Latimer to a committee to find a suitable location for a Baha’i Summer School in the western states, John Bosch recalled that in 1919 he had offered ‘Abdu’l-Baha the use of his property at Geyserville, California, for use as a Baha’i home and school.
On August 1, 1927, John Bosch’s 72nd birthday, the first Baha’i school in the West became a reality.
The Geyserville Bahá’í School was deeded to the National Spiritual Assembly in 1936 and grew from a small, informal retreat to an efficiently operated Baha’i institution. The school’s success became the all-compelling purpose of John and Louise Bosch.
Mr. Bosch’s last appearance at the school came on his 89th birthday when those attending one of its sessions gathered with invited guests to honor him.
JOHN Bosch passed away July 22, 1946, less than two weeks before his 91st birthday. At the request of the Guardian, a memorial service in his honor was held at the House of Worship in Wilmette.
“His saintly life,” the Guardian cabled, ‘‘pioneer services, historic contribution of institution of summer school, entitle him to rank among outstanding figures of the closing years of heroic, and opening years of formative age of the Baha’i Dispensation ...’”
The Geyserville Bahá’í School had to be abandoned in 1973 when a highway was planned to run through the school property.
It was replaced by a 67-acre campus in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California that was dedicated July 13, 1974, in honor of John and Louise Bosch.
Unity requires sensitivity to cultural differences
By JULIE BADIEE
Many communities across the U.S. have had the bounty of welcoming large numbers of Baha’ is who have fled the brutal regime in Tran.
In some areas, these Iranian believers have significantly changed the composition of the Baha’i community; in others, their impact, though less in number, has nevertheless been significant.
AMERICAN Bahi’is have always felt a sort of magnetic attraction to Iranians, and for most of us, speaking with someone who shares a culture and language with our beloved Manifestation of God is an uplifting and exciting experience. .
This is rightly so, for ‘Abdu’lBaha tells us that in the future “the East and West will understand each other, will reverence each other and embrace like longparted lovers who have found each other.’’
In our day-to-day living, howevér, there may not always be such a sense of unity and understanding. Too often, we may be fooled into thinking that our own cultural approach is the ‘‘correct’’ one, and have trouble understanding the framework within which another Baha’i may be working.
These meetings of cultural beliefs and the enriched society that flows from them are, of course, what the Baha’i Faith is all about.
As Americans, we may want to consider the question: What are our duties to the newly arrived friends from Iran?
IN PARIS Talks (p. 15), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
“O you of Western nations, be kind to those who come from the Eastern world to sojourn among you. Forget your conventionality when you speak with them, they are not accustomed to it ...When you meet a Persian or any other stranger, speak to him as if to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help him, give him of your willing service, if he be sad console him, if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery comfort him.””
Most of us have opened our hearts to the Iranian believers, and we have all agonized over the events in Iran. On this subject, the grief of all Baha’is runs deep.
But have we truly sensitized ourselves to the plight of the Iranian Baha’is here in the U.S.?
Perhaps we should take a moment to try and imagine how we would feel if suddenly, say tomorrow, we were ripped from our homes and forced to flee to a different country, one in which we had not chosen voluntarily to live.
FIRST, we would be confronted by a totally foreign language and would perhaps be unable to satisfy even our minimal needs.
We would be cut off from communications we had taken for granted such as newspapers, tele
vision, chats with friends and
family, a ies in the Baha’i
community.
No matter how great our resolve to learn the new language, months of loneliness and misunderstanding would have to ensue before we would begin to feel at home.
In time the language barrier would pass, but what of other concerns?
In many cases we would not have been able to take much money with us, and finances would be a constant, gnawing problem.
We would not be able to take up our former occupation, and language and educational barriers might keep us forever from returning to our chosen field.
IMAGINE yourself as a once highly respected doctor, lawyer, professor or business executive now reduced to seeking the simplest, low-paying job, or being unable to find work at all.
Add to this the constant worry about your family and friends who remained in your home country. Each month you may hear terrible news of the death of a dear friend or a cherished family member. Surely, the stress on you would be almost unbearable.
Another concern may also arise: the immigration status of yourself or family members. Are you going to receive a deportation notice today? How many hours must you spend in line at the Immigration Office? These are problems that have been faced by many of the dear Iranian friends in this country.
Iranians “are a proud people, often unwilling to admit problems to others. There is a story in Persia about a poor, starving man who would ‘‘slap his cheeks red’” rather than let others see his sallow, malnourished color.
Are there Iranians we know who are “slapping their cheeks red’? so that we won’t see the depth of their troubles?
THERE is, fortunately, something definite that all Bahá’ís can do to help the Iranians in our midst, and that is to contribute to the Persian Relief Fund.
These monies, administered by the Universal House of Justice, go specifically to help the friends who have been experiencing extreme difficulty in other lands.
Here in the U.S., the Persian Affairs Committee investigates cases and helps Iranian Baha’is who are in desperate situations.
Many Iranians who are in a better financial condition have given generously to this fund, but the monies are running dangerously low. Cannot we Americans provide support too?
Finally, if we can truly imagine ourselves as having fled to that foreign land, we can begin to understand the natural tendency of
This special column about assimilating Persian believers into the mainstream of American Bahd’{ community life was written for The American Bahá’í by Julie Badiee, a member of the Persian Affairs
Committee.
the Iranian friends’to want to stay together, to speak their own language, to visit and laugh together in a desire to recreate in some way what they have lost.
Wouldn’t we do the same?
IT IS our duty as Baha’is to reach out, to enter those clumps of Persians, and to be willing to create a new sense of harmony and unity.
It is the duty of the Iranian Baha’is, of course, to reciprocate such attempts at friendship and not to ‘freeze’? the American friends out.
Perhaps it might help if we were to learn one or two Persian phrases. We needn’t study the language, but a ‘‘hello’’ or ‘‘how are you”’ in Persian could surely light up the face of the sorrowing grandmother who sits alone at a meeting.
American Bahá’ís are loving and generous, and many find it the most natural thing in the world to welcome with overflowing hearts the precious friends from the Cradle of the Faith.
We must be vigilant, however, about lumping them together into one category. We know from bitter experience that the Faith has vicious enemies and that many of them would stop at nothing to harm or even eradicate our Faith.
FOR THIS reason, it is important that American Baha’is be extremely strict about registering all Iranians who come into their community.
Americans may sometimes think that all Iranians are pioneers, great teachers, and that they possess the attributes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahd. This, of course, is not
‘We must not do the Iranians the
disservice of overlooking behavior that runs counter to Baha’i stan dards. Laws must be applied equally to all, and no exceptions should be made.
Finally, we need to keep in mind that many of the dear Iranian friends who come here have found some of the things about our Baha’i communities surprising and even difficult to comprehend.
I remember the surprise of a sweet elderly Persian woman who was shocked to find that we had no Baha’j cemetery in our town.
To her this was unthinkable. Where would we bury our dead?
IT WAS beyond her comprehension that we had had a Baha’i community in our area for only five years, and that burying our dead had.a very low priority!
Many young Persian Bahda’is are used to attending special youth events at which often more than a hundred are present. How difficult it must be for them to arrive in a community with only one or two other youth.
As ‘“‘hosts’” we must reach out to these Baha’is to let them know how desperately they are needed and wanted here.
Also, we must help the Persian friends realize that they are probably here for good and that there is no going back.
They must learn English, no matter how difficult it may seem, and resolve to become pioneers in this land.
The potential of this marvelous new resource in our community is beyond measure. Let us work together to reinvigorate the American Baha’i community to fulfill its glorious destiny.
arson SCS RE IAT EE EE ESTES EE SE EE ASE
[Page 20]
RACE UNITY
The American Baha’i
20
‘When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine...’ (‘(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 54)
Master’s remarks on racial issue must be studied in proper context
Dear Friends:
I would like to respond to the letter from Mr. Samadani (October 1982) concerning ‘Abdu’lBaha’s remarks on the racial issue.
It might be interesting to note the atmosphere in which those remarks were made, as they could easily be misunderstood if taken out of context.
ACCORDING to Gayle Morrison in her book, To Move the World, they were made ‘‘to promote a particular psychological reorientation of the minority’s attitude toward the majority and toward itself. Rather than intensify a natural preoccupation with oppression, ‘Abdu’l-Baha sought to foster confidence in the power to effect change.” (p. 57)
She goes on to say that ‘“‘His public themes did not spring, therefore, from unfamiliarity with or disregard for the terrible obstacles blacks faced in their efforts to achieve equality in America. Rather, He sought to nurture the positive attitudes among blacks that would stave off desperation, hopelessness, growing hatred, and the ultimate disaster of racial warfare so violent that it would ‘cause the streets of America'to run with blood.’ ” (p. 60)
It would be unfortunate for anyone to assume that these statements of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s constitute a release for the white race
Your Turn
from partial responsibility for the racial situation in America.
Indeed, Shoghi Effendi says, “A tremendous effort is required by both races if their outlook, their manners, and conduct are to reflect, in this darkened age, the spirit and teachings of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 33)
IF WE NEED a model to look to for the promotion of racial unity, other than the supreme example set by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, we may look to that of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory.
About him, the Guardian said, “You have attained spiritual heights that few indeed can claim to have scaled. You have displayed a spirit that few, if any, can equal.”” (Shoghi Effendi to Louis Gregory, October 24, 1933, National Baha’i Archives, Wilmette, Illinois)
From the time he became a Baha’i in 1909 until his death in 1951, Louis Gregory worked unceasingly for racial harmony in America.
He believed that if we arise and. work for the cause of brotherhood, ‘‘God will give to us that inward peace which shall leave its bright traces in all the realms of existence. It will make us true men
Jacksonville community marks 50th
Dr. Roy Jones, director of affirmative action and human relations at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, was the keynote speaker last November 14 at the 50th anniversary observance of the Baha’i community of Jacksonville, Florida.
anniversary with four-day celebration
“Uniting the world, one heart at a time’’ was the theme of a gala banquet last November 14 that climaxed a four-day celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Baha’i Faith in Jacksonville, Florida.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Roy Jones, a Baha’i who is director of affirmative action and human relations at the College of Charleston, South Carolina.
Special awards were presented to Dr. Duane Dumbleton, Mrs. Lucille Barrett, and Miss Kathryn Vernon, who began the Jacksonville Baha’i community when she entered the Faith in 1932.
Dr. Dumbleton presented a history of the community’s past 50 years based on notes and records kept by Miss Vernon.
Other activities during the 50th anniversary observance included an excursion with the children to St. Augustine; a devotional observance of the Birth of Bahd’u’lláh; a pie party; a visit to the grave of Dr. Walter Guy, an early Baha’i teacher; a seminar on race unity, and a prayer breakfast.
and women; it will make us the torch-bearers of the light of God and will enable us to transmit a radiance by which the peace and pleasure and happiness of the whole world of existence will be adorned. And there is nothing more glorious for man than to realize this bright destiny.”’ (To Move the World, p. 315) Susan E. Patton Jemez Springs, New Mexico
Dear Friends:
We live in a society based upon a foundation of racism and prejudice.
It is within that context that we must come to understand what
- Abdu’l-Bahá meant when He
said that black people should be grateful to the whites. It is certainly not for any rewards bestowed upon them, past or present.
The barrier that separates black people from whites is injustice, not bad attitudes. This is rooted in the historical and concrete relationship between the two races on this continent.
Until Baha’is take up this perception they will realize no lasting impact upon racial unity in the U.S., and will offer no concrete alternative to the status quo other than a seemingly more sophisticated form of accommodation.
For this reason, I suggest that a nationwide conference be called for black Baha’is and interested whites at which the issues of racial unity and the many aspects of being black and a Baha’ in the U.S. can be discussed and illuminated.
William Pleasant Chicago, Illinois
Deanne Kelley (right), secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Austin, Texas, and her daughter, Zarrin Taj, are shown presenting Baha’i books to the librarian at HustonTillotson College in Austin on be More than 90 people participate Portland hosts cross-cultural unity gathering
“Kindly convey Local Assembly Portland, Oregon, warmest commendations successful unity gathering embracing members number minority groups and assurance prayers their confirmed participation community endeavours.”” Universal House of Justice °
More than 90 people including members of six American Indian tribes, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia, Persians, and black and white Americans participated last December 25 in a cross-cultural unity gathering in Portland, Oregon, that was cosponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Portland and the Western Oregon District Teaching Committee.
Publicity for the day-long event, which was arranged by the Bahd’{ Unity Council, a committee of the Spiritual Assembly of Portland, and held at Portland’s Urban Indian Council building, included announcements on an Indian radio program that
reaches many of Portland’s 10,000-member urban Indian community.
A LARGE inter-cultural potluck meal was preceded by a traditional Native American blessing and a Bahd’{ prayer chanted in Persian.
Speakers included a Lakota Sioux Indian guest from South Dakota who spoke about his tribe’s cultural heritage; an Englishman; a black woman, and an
half of the Texas Bahá’í Summer School Committee. The presentation was made following last year’s summer school, which was held at the predominantly black college.
Aztec Indian, each of whom spoke spontaneously about their experiences and feelings.
One of the Indian drummers who provided music for dancing that continued into the evening hours said he is a Baha’i, a fact that was unknown to the friends who were present.
The inter-cultural program included gift giving to honor elders of all four tribes present with baskets, blankets and specially prepared passages from the Writings of Baha’u’llah.
The success of the event was seen in the attendance of more than 100 people at a follow-up meeting held at the Native American organization’s spiritual headquarters in Portland.
[Page 21]
THE MEDIA
March 1983
21
New Jeff Reynolds show aims at country-western market
A new version of the ‘‘Jeff Reynolds Baha’i Perspectives’’ radio series, geared for country and western stations, is now available.
Thirteen half-hour segments of the series are ready with themes ranging from “‘Spiritual Survival’” to ‘‘Cheatin’.’””
“THE JEFF Reynolds shows combine Baha’i ideas with topics that are contemporary concerns for most people,” says Burl
Media briefs
Barer, the writer, producer and alter ego of Jeff Reynolds.
Mr. Barer, who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, has been “Jeff Reynolds’’ for half a dozen years. This is the fourth series of programs he has produced for the National Spiritual Assembly.
“The idea,’’ says Mr. Barer, “was to make religious programs that were not ‘preachy’ and that would appeal to stations with
more modern formats.
“So the message of each program is given in a matter of five or six minutes and the rest of the show is devoted to music.
“Sometimes we're able to fit some of the songs to the theme of the program, but that’s not a hard-and-fast rule,’’ he says. “That would make it too ‘cute’ and might detract from the direct Baha’i message built into each
Rep. Derwinski is author of article
on Iran ‘tragedy’ in Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune carried on its editorial page January 18 an article about the persecution of Baha’is in Iran written by former U.S. Rep. Edward J. Derwinski of Illinois.
The article, headlined ‘‘Baha’i tragedy goes on in Iran,’”’ summarizes the recent persecution of Bahda’is in Iran by the Khomeini regime, includes a brief history of persecutions in that country, and outlines some of the measures that have been taken by world and national bodies to help alleviate the suffering of Iran’s Bahá’í community.
Rep. Derwinski, who was honored by the National Spiritual Assembly at a luncheon in Washington last December for his help in securing passage of a concurrent resolution condemning the persecutions in Iran, has been nominated by President Reagan to become a counselor at the State Department.
ae
The Herndon (Virginia) Observer carried a lengthy article last October 8 detailing the plans of Katie and Arzhang Youssefi of Herndon to pioneer for the Faith
Steve Roos (left), representing the ‘
Spiritual Assembly of Carnation, Washington, presents a copy of The Promised Day Is Come to Mayor Nick Loutsis of Carnation
in South America.
The article includes a brief introduction to the Faith including its. belief in the oneness of mankind, and cites it as the Youssefis’ reason for abandoning ownership of a thriving business in Herndon to become pioneers.
“If I cannot make myself go where people are supposed to hear this message,”” says Mr. Youssefi, “then I think I am not doing the right thing.”
Six members of the Baha’i community of Herndon plan to go pioneering by Ridvan.
tae
A five-minute interview with Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, on the most recent executions of Baha’is in Iran was broadcast January 5 throughout Canada by radio stations affiliated with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and in the U.S. by some Public Broadcasting System (PBS) stations.
Questions focused on why the Baha’is are being persecuted in Tran.
“Primarily,” said Dr. Kazemzadeh, ‘‘they wanted to know why
at a during a recent City Council meeting. At the end of the presenta tion, a Baha’i prayer for America was read.
the Islamic regime would want to do this.’’
He described the interview as remarkably objective and straightforward, saying, “I have a good feeling about it.””
The telephone interview was taped while Dr. Kazemzadeh was in Los Angeles for a meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly.
It was broadcast in Canada as part of the CBC’s news background program, ‘‘As It Happens,”’ and in the U.S. during a similar in-depth news program that is carried on 14 PBS stations across the country.
tae
Years of persistent work by the Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Cortlandt, New York, paid off recently with the publication of a feature article about the Faith on the front page of the community’s Sunday newspaper, the Peekskill Sunday Star.
For several years, the Assembly in Cortlandt has been submitting articles to the local paper. Occasionally, a brief report was used, but the feature article marks a breakthrough in publicity for the Faith in that area.
Two Persian Bahá’ís from Peekskill contributed to the reporter’s understanding of the Faith in general and the plight of the Baha’is in Iran in particular, but their names and pictures were not used so as not to jeopardize the safety of their relatives in Iran.
The article is being followed up with an announcement on the local cable television channel that simply says, ‘‘Learn about the Baha’i Faith. For information on meetings call (number).””
Especially worthy of note is that this free announcement appears on TV for 10 seconds every six minutes, or 10 times an hour.
If no programs are scheduled, which is often the case, the announcement appears 240 times a day for a total of 40 minutes.
‘the harder the sacrifice, the more meritorious will it be
National Baha’i Fund Wilmette, IL 60091
half-hour.””
BOTH the music and the message, he says, are oriented toward young people who may find themselves still searching for some of life’s answers,
“One senior citizen heard the program on a station in Binghamton, New York, for weeks,”’ says national Public Affairs Officer Parks Scott. ‘Finally, she went out and began asking people
if they knew any Baha’is.
“Eventually she found someone who did, and she declared her faith in Baha’u’llah.””
Sets of the new country-western version of the Jeff Reynolds show can be purchased from the Office of Public Affairs.
The price is $100, and checks should be made payable to ‘‘Bahd’i Services Fund.”
the Bahá’í Faith
Uniting the .One heart at
The South Florida Baha’i Media Committee has been able to secure billboard advertising space on six signs in the Broward and Palm Beach county area. Through the efforts of the committee, the billboards have been rented on a
world a time
yearly agreement at one-tenth the retail cost. The cost to the Baha’is is $3,600 a year, compared to the retail cost. Funds for the advertising are contributed by Baha’i communities throughout southeastern Florida.
‘World Refugee Survey’ notes persecution of Bahda’is in Iran
The plight of Baha’is in Iran is mentioned in ‘World Refugee Survey 1982,” a publication of the U.S. Committee for Refugees.
Under the headline ‘‘Baha’is Persecuted in Iran; Some Flee to Other Lands,”’ the survey reports:
“Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, members of the Baha’i religious minority have faced persecution which has increased in intensity. More than 100 Baha’is have been executed, holy places have been destroyed, and scores of Baha’is have been dismissed from jobs or deprived of business and trade licenses, for refusal to recant their faith.
“In December 1981 eight members of the religion’s national assembly were secretly executed; no charges were made, no trials held, and none of the families notified of the deaths, the Baha’is report.
“Protests against this persecution of a religious minority have reached the UN. In March 1982 a number of nations sponsored a resolution ‘urging the government of Iran as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect and ensure rights recognized in that covenant.’ The resolution asked the
secretary general to investigate and report back to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
“As a result of continuing oppression, thousands of Baha’is have fled from Iran, including as many as 5,000 to Pakistan.””
The non-profit U.S. Committee for Refugees is a program of the American Council for Nationalities Service.
Corpus Christi, Texas,
-paper’s article about
Baha’i artist notes Faith’s influence
A lengthy article in the January 16 issue of the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller Times about artist Suzanne Klotz-Reilly, a member of the Baha’i community of Corpus Christi, includes an introduction to the Faith and emphasizes its influence on the artist’s work and outlook.
An exhibit of her paintings entitled ‘‘Suzanne Klotz-Reilly: The People No One Ever Really Knew,”’ appeared through January 30 at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi.
[Page 22]
The American Baha’i
Letters
Continued From Page 3
Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
One of the participants, Jerry Entwistle, has gone to Chile as a pioneer, and he tries to pray there at the same time on Sunday mornings. We have suggested to him that those who meet there wi him might also read the Fire Tablet.
The thought behind this letter is that if it were printed in The American Baha'i, perhaps Baha’is in other communities and other countries might join us on Sunday mornings, to the end that these wonderful words would encircle the world like a cleansing spiritual wave, hastening the day of the Most Great Peace.
As the last line of the Fire Tablet says, ‘‘Should all the servants read and ponder this, there will be kindled in their veins a fire that shall set aflame the worlds.’”
Since we cannot physically help our Iranian friends, we can give to the Fund in their name, and we can unite in reading this prayer on Sunday mornings.
Del Wells Burbank, California
To the Editor: I would like to say a word about Baha’is and psychotherapy.
T have heard a number of Baha’is claim that therapy is not necessary for a Baha’i, since the Teachings offer all that we'll ever need, psychologically and spiritually.
1 AGREE that the Teachings do contain all that we need. But are we aware enough to apply them as well as we can, without help?
Baha'u'llah says that ‘the hath known God who hath known himself’’ and that we should gain a true knowledge of our own selves—‘‘a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being.”
Although I was not skimping on prayer or deepening, I knew it
stinctively that therapy would it crease my understanding of myself, of the Writings, and of my relationship to God.
I feel that it has brought a grace
into my life that has served to deepen my commitment to the Covenant, lighten my spirit, and assist me in the process of becoming my true self.
Psychotherapy has never caused me to question my faith—it has only confirmed it, and that in itself is confirming.
Of course, one must be careful in selecting a therapist, and choose someone who is spiritually sensitive.
I share this with the Baha'i community in a gesture of love. My prayers are with you all.
Jenina Shaw New York, N.Y.
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the letter from Charles Beachner that appeared in your January issue.
The letter itself was appalling enough, but the fact that The American Baha’f chose to headline it and thus give it an endorsement was, frankly, unbelievable.
IN HIS letter, Mr. Beachner chose to cite three passages from The Hidden Words (Nos. 80, 81, 82) to sustain his argument that those who ‘“‘refuse’’ to give to the Fund “‘know the result of what they are doing,” adding, “Could not those who refuse to share what God has given them be called ‘the basest of men’—‘that yield no fruit on earth’ and ‘are counted as among the dead’?’”
Evidently this was not strong enough, so Mr. Beachner further suggests that “those who refuse to give are in a similar spiritual state as those who do not work and ‘whose death is better than their life,’ people similar to beggars whom Baha’u’llah calls the most despicable of men.’’
I do not believe that Mr. Beachner’s idea of punishment fits the crime.
Not only has he misused The Hidden Words to convey the fire and brimstone message of his conviction, but he has left this reader with the sickening feeling that unless this kind of assertion is countered, others who feel zealous might also use the Writings to justify their personal opinion regarding the “‘spirituality’”’ of their fel
As a part of its observance of
World Religion Day, the Baha’i
community of Duluth, Minnesota, presented Mayor John
Fedo of Duluth with a copy of the
book The Earth Is But One Coun
try. Shown making the presentation to Mayor Fedo (right) at the
mayor’s office on January 17 are
Baha’is (left to right) J.B. Brown,
Melissa Samimi and Scott Hal
low Baha’is.
Mr. Beachner uses the phrase “refuse to give to the Fund.’” How can any of us know if a fellow Baha’'{ is “‘refusing”” to give to the Fund? How can we even assume such a thing?
Might there not be Baha’is who are indeed unable to give regularly to the Fund? Should we, at any time or in any way, imply that our fellow Baha’is are “‘beggarswhose death is better than their life’?
Let us never presume that a fellow Baha’i is guilty of desiring a deficit in the National Fund. Let us instead assume that every Bahai is working to ‘‘give forth goodly and wondrous fruit” (The Hidden Words, No. 80), and that the word ‘‘fruit’’ may not necessarily mean, as Mr. Beachner implies, only money.
Carol R. Goodrich Bellingham, Washington
(Headlining an article or letter does not imply an endorsement of that article or letter.—Editor)
To the Editor:
A Hand of the Cause of God has said that two per cent of the U.S. population would be ready to accept the Faith if only they were properly informed of the Message that Bahá’u’lláh gave to the world.
South Carolina has a population of more than two and onehalf million. That means that this state alone has a present potential of 50,000 new Baha’is.
AFTER working on many teaching projects (mostly in South Carolina) for just over 10 years, I am firmly convinced that this particular state as well as perhaps a few others in the U.S. has an actual potential of perhaps four per cent rather than two.
That would mean 100,000 potential Baha’is in South Carolina, which would double the present U.S. Baha’i population.
Some of this rich harvest will fall to the ground for lack of workers in the field; but we can still harvest that many if we continue to train teachers and recruit workers from other sources. This. we are trying to do.
Many wonderful things are happening in South Carolina. This year we can show an increase of more than 10 per cent in the number of Baha’is in the state.
We rejoice that this year (1982) three out of five District Conventions were totally planned and carried out by local believers.
South Carolina has elected Assemblies in more than 230 localities, and although many do not function as well as we might wish, we are diligently working to improve this.
THE FUTURE for the Baha’ is of South Carolina is exceedingly bright.
We look forward eagerly to start building soon the first Baha’i radio station in North America, which among other benefits will help us to deepen our local believers and to develop our admii
_BeE BOOK ston”! * , palettes |
James Stone of Gallup, New Mexico, is shown manning that community’s Baha’i booth last October 26 at the Bureau of Indian Affairs book fair. The Gallup community is holding weekly firesides and deepening classes, as well as monthly ‘‘cluster’’ meet
ings in the surrounding area,
sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Gallup. The Assembly
also is sponsoring an Esperanto
class for Baha’is, and programs
for children for fun and indirect
teaching.
istrative framework and Local Assemblies.
The task is immense; nowhere in the U.S. are the opportunities greater, the harvest more rewarding. Come join us!
Elwin Howard Hemingway, South Carolina
To the Editor:
I would like to add a thought to the letters you've received about motivating the friends to give to the Fund.
Like a woman whose letter was published not long ago, I agree that too much emphasis is placed on the ‘‘negative’’ aspects of giving: ‘‘Sacrifice so that you can feel virtuous about feeling miserable.”
OF COURSE, this is not what is intended, but it is all too often the way the message comes across.
Many of the friends already are suffering from lack of income. They already are sacrificing just to keep the lights and the heat on and shoes on their children. If there is anything they don’t need, it is talk of ‘more sacrifice.”
Erich Fromm, in his book The Art of Loving, opens a new vista that we Pacific Northwesterners might call the ‘Potlatch Connection’:
“The most widespread misunderstanding is that which assumes that giving is ‘giving up’ something, being deprived of, sacrificing. People whose main orientation is a nonproductive one feel giving as an impoverishment just because it is painful to one should give; the virtue of giving, to them, lies in the very act of acceptance of sacrifice ...
“For the productive character giving has an entirely different meaning. Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous than re ing, not because it is a
deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness.’”
It is time we started emphasizing the joy, the sense of heightened vitality and potency, the feeling of overflowing aliveness that comes from giving.
Giving to the Fund must be envisioned as the generous bestowal of a gift on a loved one. Who is too poor to give a gift, no matter how small, to his/her beloved?
Can't afford to give a florist’s rose? Give a daisy from the backyard garden.
Is there a mother or father who at Ayy4m-i-Ha or Christmas or Chanukkah does not give their child some gift, if only from the second-hand store? What parent has not received a child’s handmade, hand-colored gift and been delighted? A daisy from a lover is worth more than all the roses in the florist’s shop.
Speak to us of giving to the Fund as the joy of presenting a gift of love to our Loved One. Remind us of the joy on the face of the One who receives such a gift.
Janet Tanaka Issaquah, Washington
To the Editor:
I would like to recommend that Baha'is make an effort to use Sir Richard Attenborough’s film, “Gandhi,”’ in teaching the Fait!
This is an extraordinarily pressive and affecting motion picture. Since the theme is so close to the Baha’i teachings, it could very easily serve as a springboard for some good discussions and for introducing Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings.
What should make it even easier is that the Faith is mentioned. We saw the film and were very moved, but we were positively galvanized when we saw during the closing credits, ‘‘The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India.”’
Does anyone out there know just how the Baha’is of India were involved in making this film?
Violet Tichenor Union Dale, Pennsylvania
[Page 23]
The American Baha'i
March 1983
23
fers
in The American Baha’i
In a Naw-Rúz letter to the Baha’is of the United States, the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears urges the friends to rescue those Local Spiritual Assemblies that are in jeopardy and to lend their support to Groups that have the potential of becoming Assemblies at Ridvan.
“The year 130 has begun,’’ writes Mr. Sears. ‘‘That means there are only 31 days left before the end of the Nine Year Plan.
“« Make yourself a solemn vow that every Local Assembly that is threatened with loss will be rescued—WILL BE RESCUED! It is up to us ...””
Visits by Mr. Sears; Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly; and Auxiliary Board members Thelma Khelghati and Jane McCants highlight the first few weeks of operation of the new Louis G. Gregory Baha’i Institute near Hemingway, South Carolina. The first official classes at the Institute are held December 23-24, 1972
The New York City Baha’i community honors two New York churches with plaques commemorating the 60th anniversary of “‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to those churches during his tour of the U.S. in 1912...
The third Spiritual Assembly on the Yakima Indian Reservation is formed in Wapato, Washington. Formation of the Assembly marks the culmination of a large-scale proclamation effort by the Baha’i communities on the Reservation ...
Bahd’{ youth from several communities in Los Angeles County and from the Crestline, California, area participate in the third weekend deepening institute for youth at the Chimes Chateau in the Crestline Mountains ...
“The Removal of Prejudice’’ is announced as the central theme of all Baha’i schools in the U.S. during 1973.
The National Spiritual Assembly charges the National Baha’ Schools Committee with the responsibility of helping individual schools to attain a high level of excellence in exhibiting the qualities of Baha’i life with special emphasis on overcoming and removing all traces of prejudice from the individual and collective lives of Baha’fs ...
About 60 Bahda’fs and their guests attend an all-day consolidation and expansion institute at the Evergreen Cabin in Teaneck, New Jersey. The gathering is sponsored by the New Jersey District Teaching Committee ...
Ads
Continued From Page 16
sions; Librarian to staff the library and to work on developing the library and archives; Maintenance/grounds assistant to help maintain and clean the buildings and to direct volunteers in grounds development; Assistant secretary/registrar to serve as registrar at sessions and to help with secretarial and clerical needs. The Council is seeking qualified people in these areas. Married couples without children are preferred. Employment would be from mid-June (exact date will be negotiated) to Labor Day. Although the Council would like one person per position for the entire summer, consideration will be given to qualified individuals for part of the summer. Lodging, meals and a weekly stipend of $50 will be provided. If you are interested in any of these positions, please send a letter stating your interest and a resumé of professional activities and Baha’i service to the Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone 313-653-5033.
PIONEER overseas would like to borrow for 3-4 weeks or buy either individual volumes or the entire set of the out-of-print series “‘Baha’i Lesson Plans Grades K-8.”" If borrowed, will return by registered air mail in good condition. Craig Volker, P.O. Box 244, Kainantu, Papua New Guinea.
THREE communities in Louisiana need your help, two of them to maintain their Assemblies, the other to help establish an Assembly. The first two are Hammond, about 50 miles east of Baton Rouge and 50 miles north of New Orleans, and La Place, about 15 miles north of New Orleans in the heart of the ‘‘industrial corridor’” on the Mississippi River. Denham Springs, which needs six adults to reach Assembly status, is about 15 miles east of Baton Rouge. If you love water sports, etc., we would love to welcome you to one of these lovely communities. For more information contact Bill and Sharon Irwin,
Denham Springs, LA. 70726, or phone 504-665-7143.
Correction
We are happy to inform friends and relatives of Howard S. Smith of Limestone Township, Illinois, that the report of his death which appeared in the February issue of The American Bahá’í was in error.
HOMEFRONT pioneering? The Bahd’{ community of West Linn, Oregon, needs at least one more Baha’i to save its Assembly. West Linn offers beautiful countryside, only two and one-half hours from Pacific beaches or the mountains. There are plenty of houses/apartments for sale/rent; good local high schools; two liberal arts colleges and two universities within a 25-mile radius. Only 25 minutes from Portland via bus or freeway. Local industry includes electronics and lumber. Ideal for self-supporting Baha’is. Please write to Gary Elston, secretary, P.O. Box 349, West Linn, OR 97068; phone 503-657-6614.
WANTED: In Papua New Guinea, a computer technician for a newly created position in Anisa computers (Baha’i-owned company). Prefer married couple to double as caretakers of a rapidly expanding Baha’i Center. Apply in writing (including references and full details) to the International Goals Committee, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
KALIMAT Press is a privately owned publishing company which publishes Baha’i-related books in English and Persian. Persons who wish to be placed on the Kalimat Press mailing list may do so by writing to j Los Angeles, CA 90024. Please specify whether or not you are the librarian for your community.
THE BAHA’l community of Plano, Texas, is seeking homefront pioneers to settle in Allen, Texas, by Ridvan 1983 to help raise that city to Assembly status. Allen, a fast-growing suburb of Dallas, is situated on a major expressway 15 miles north of the city. The Plano community will provide house- and jol inting assistance for pioneers willing to settle in this prime sunbelt location. For more information contact the Baha’f community of Plano, P.O. Box 1322, Plano, TX 75074, or phone 214-423-4634.
COME live the Baha’i life in the sun. Teach in the “‘land of enchantment”’ in beautiful Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a fast-growing community near Albuquerque whose Assembly is in jeopardy. There is a flower garden of mankind, plus jobs and sports. Homes and apartments are plentiful. We need a spark—quick. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Rio Rancho, . , Rio Rancho, NM 87124.
Knight of Baha’u’llah Dudley Blakely dies
DEEPLY SADDENED RECENT PASSING KNIGHT OF BAHA*U’LLAH DUDLEY MOORE BLAKELY WHOSE PIONEERING SERVICES GRATEFULLY REMEMBERED. KINDLY CONVEY HIS WIDOW JUDY OUR LOVING SYMPATHY ASSURANCE OUR ARDENT PRAYERS FOR PROGRESS HIS SOUL AND HER FULL RECOVERY FROM RECENT ILLNESS.
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
JANUARY 19, 1983
FRENCH-speaking high school, elementary, or vocationaltechnical educators are needed in Gabon, a high priority goal country. The Gabonese government is accepting applications for teachers to work in the Gabon school system in 1983-84. Especially needed are instructors in the construction trades: metal, auto mechanics, maintenance, electronics, building design, air conditioning, plumbing, and others. On the high school level, math, physics, chemistry, biology, natural sciences, dustrial arts, French and Spanish teachers are in demand. Also needed are certified elementary school teachers. Positions include housing, family benefits, vacation time and travel expenses. Salaries depend upon the level of degree and experience. Minimum requirements for all postions are an advanced degree in the field and at least three years experience. Application deadlines for the coming year are due soon. For more details contact the International Goals Committee, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.
HELP the people of Wyoming learn about ‘“‘unity in diversity.” We need homefront pioneers, especially of minority races and ethnic backgrounds. Goal areas are Rock Springs, Gillette, and Cheyenne, and unopened counties are Platte, Hot Springs, and Sublette. For information contact Nancy Moore, secretary, District Teaching Committee of Wyoming, : __ Newcastle, WY 82701; phone 307-746-4932.
CLEARFIELD, Utah, wants YOU! A large Group (four) needs
homefront pioneers to settle in this friendly community between Ogden and Salt Lake City—three miles from the Great Salt Lake. Plenty of skiing nearby, mountain scenery, cultural events. Unique teaching opportunity among the Mormons. Employment opportunities in various industries, at Hill Air Force Base; unemployment in Utah is lower than the national average. Please consider us; we want to become an Assembly! Contact the Bahda’{ Group of Clearfield, , Clearfield, UT 84015, or telephone 801-776-6048.
NORTHERN Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, majestic woods and wonderful people, is an excellent place for homefront pioneers. Jeopardized Assemblies and unopened localities (including Indian Reservations) provide a marvelous opportunity for Baha’i service. For more information please contact the District Teaching Committee of Northern Minnesota, ; Alexandria, MN 56308, or phone 612-762-1075.
GEORGETOWN, Texas (25 miles north of Austin) needs a homefront pioneer to help consolidate that fledgling community. Major employers include Southwestern University, Westinghouse, Semcor, and medical services. Active teaching and consolidation assistance to homefront pioneer would be given by the Baha’ community of Round Rock. Contact the Bahá’ís of Round Rock, P.O. Box 433, Round Rock, TX 78664, or phone Randy Ricklefs, 512-255-7900.
See ADS Page 24
In Memoriam
Massaoud Belateche Arlington, VA January 10, 1983
Dudley M. Blakely
Miss Jean Hunter Phoenix, AZ December 14, 1982
Mrs. Marguerite Luckinbill
Miss Lena Slaughter Buena Vista, GA 1980
St. Simons Island, GA St. Cloud, MN Rudolph Smith December 19, 1982 January 7, 1983 Pectin alls
Mrs. Nell Deniston Mrs. M.H. Major November 29, 1982 Lima, OH Matoaka, WV Mrs. Lossie Taylor Date Unknown May 22, 1980 Riverside, CA
Carl Douglas Mrs. Margaret Mason January 16, 1983 Duarte, CA Augusta, GA Mrs. Mamie Thomas
August 1982
January 5, 1983
Hartsville, SC
Mrs. Edna Erfurth Theodore Mathis 1982
Pasco, WA Buena Vista, GA Rudolfo Vasquez December 30, 1982 June 1980 Batesville, TX Mrs. Lucile Fulton Edward McClary November 1982 Ringsurces SC, Kingstree, SC Mequi Vives Date Unknown Date Unknown San Diego, CA
Mrs. Mary Gordon Abilene, TX
Augustin Melecio Batesville, TX
January 13, 1983 Stevenson Wood
December 12, 1982 November 1982 Lugoff, SC
Mrs. Susie Graves William T. Perry November 10, 1982 Albany, NY Norfolk, VA Tra J. Woodard Date Unknown April 1982 LaPorte, TX
Mrs. Jean Harber James Rhames December 22, 1982 Medford, OR Mitten Lane, SC Arthur Young Date Unknown November 3, 1982 Lakeland, FL
Mrs. Elsa de Hernandez Chicago, IL January 1983
December 22, 1982
[Page 24]
The American Bah:
pS eng ee oa
jh 42a
Ads
Continued From Page 23
POKHARA, Nepal, urgently needs two English-speaking teachers, one for primary grades, the other for Tibetan refugees. For more information or to send your resumé, contact the Continental Pioneer Committee for the Americas, c/o Shirley Baldwin,
Sarasota, FL 33581.
BAHA’i writer/researcher would like to hear from Baha’is who were formerly members of the following religious communities: Jevovah’s nesses, Latter Day Saints (Mormon), Unification Church, People’s Temple, Children of God, or Church of Scientology. Researcher is a member of the Association for Baha’i Studies and is working on a longterm project on ‘‘cults’’ vs. minority religions. I am also interested in hearing from other Baha’i scholars working on similar projects. Please write to Janet Tanaka, P.O. Box 405, Issaquah, WA 98027.
WRITER-director needed at once for well-established dedicated Bahá’í road show troupe, “Live on Stage.’? Come to south Florida. and help us teach while filling a goal area. Twelve musical Baha’is need a director and new material for the year-old road show. Contact Jack Sterns, {
_ Boca Raton, FL 33432, or phone 305-482-6990.
RICHLAND, Washington, needs one believer to save its Assembly. This is a well-organized, active community—an ideal place for a creative, active Baha’i. Nurses and/or nurses’ aides should have no problem finding jobs. Hospitality is available while job- or house-hunting. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Richland, _ , Richland, WA 99352. Phone 509-375-1529.
HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed in Salinas, California, which has a jeopardized Assembly and is in a strategic Spanishspeaking area. This is a warm and fairly receptive community in an agricultural area. The Assembly has done direct teaching, placed Baha’i books in the library, and hosted traveling teachers. This Baha’i community needs your helpwon’t you consider serving Baha’u’llah here? For more information write to the Spiritual Assembly of Salinas,
...----, Salinas, CA 93906, or phone 408-424-2150 after 6 p.m.
THE BAHA'I Group of Saratoga Springs, New York, has de
The Fund Is the
Life-Blood of the
National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL. 60091
veloped a manual on how to set up a filing system for a Baha’i community and is willing to share its research with other communities. If you would like a copy of the manual, please send a9 x 12 inch self-addressed manila envelope with 54 cents to cover postage to Patricia M. Hernandez, __ —_____
_ Saratoga Springs, NY
12866.
COME to Santa Maria, California, to help restore our Assembly which was lost last Ridvan. Santa Maria is a pleasant community of about 34,000 with a very desirable climate. For work or housing information, please contact the Baha’is of Santa Maria, P.O. Box 1611, Santa Maria, CA 93454. Phone 805-928-6739.
PERSONAL computer users: I would like to communicate with Baha’is who may be using a personal computer as part of the Faith in their community. I am collecting information on ways a p.c. can be used to help the Faith, and will answer all letters. Also, if you have any software documentation to share, please send it along. Send to Mike Mycek, P.O. Box 5222, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602, or phone 914-473-1926 after 7 p.m. (no collect calls please).
Questions Continued From Page 1
goals. Everyone is.
Q. How is it possible for the newly appointed youth traveling teachers to travel and go to school at the same time?
A. Many traveling teaching assignments will be for weekends, summer or evenings in the traveling teacher’s district. The trayeling teachers are free to manage their own schedules,
Q. Does the National Assembly foresee in the immediate future any curtailment of international travel for pioneering or traveling teaching purposes?
A. We know that every day brings fresh disruptions in the world’s equilibrium, and they are usually unforeseen, taking forms that we did not expect.
In its message to the Montreal International Conference, the Universal House of Justice said, “The valiant countries of North America should in the second half of the Seven Year Plan ensure that an ever-swelling number of pioneers and traveling teachers will arise and travel to and settle in countries which need their support, however inhospitable the local conditions may be, ceaselessly endeavoring to contribute to the expansion of the teaching work and the strengthening of the foundations of the communities they are called upon to assist.””
This statement seems to suggest that we will continue, as conditions allow, to send out pioneers and traveling teachers. In any case, we are not inclined to worry about the perils and uncertainties
Second Class
Postage Paid
At Wilmette,
March 1983 Winois
-— _ eared Moving? Name Mis Uta SS TL a a 1
1 joving? Miss Full name—00 NOT use nicknames
ooo Residence
j new address a House ov Space Nomber. Street orDescnption SO
To avoid unnecessary delays in re| your copies of The American ga ON
1 send your new address and Cnty ‘State Zip Code
Rar cbiny Wid she tees I
J} your 1D number to the Office of Rduress Caer cl
Membership and Records, Baha'i Siveet, Rural Route. or Post Office Box Number
[Nationa Center, Wilmette, IL
[221,35 soon a8 You know that you ce
are going to move and what your new or
{dates wi be, We wil do our best Home “'"Y Fe ee
to see that changes. are processed Tolephone Huickly so that the transfer of mail to Wie Gaae NGnbar Tee
1 your new home is accomplished with
all possible speed Pe aah 1
1 Comment !
Name of Local Assembly. group’ or Wolated locally where this parson resides !
bxcreets ae |
| form for in ‘Maiing label should accompany address change form
| changes only. We have been receiving more than one copy
I of The American Baha’i. Because we don’t
1 need extra copies, please remove my name
1 from the mailing list for this publication. 1
i Please check box. 1
| BAHA‘T NATIONAL CENTER !
! Wilmette, Illinois 60091 \
! |
1
1
1
|
prevalent inthe world.
Q. When one is a parent, wage earner, Assembly member, District Teaching Committee member, and involved in various other activities, time and energy grow thin. Being a parent of teen-agers in today’s world is very trying. Please give some guidance to a confused soul: which is the most important, teaching the Faith to a waiting world, or teaching on the homefront, that is, being available to your children or to the teaching committee?
A. Teaching the Cause and the development of Baha’i family life are both goals of the Seven Year Plan. We cannot say one is more important than the other.
In fact, it will help us to look at them as complementary goals rather than competing goals. The creation of a loving, unified and happy family certainly requires our time and energy, but at the same time one’s family can be a powerful and attractive vehicle for teaching. Consider the following statement written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice:
“Another aspect of Baha’i life
emphasized in the provisions of
the Seven Year Plan is the development of the Bahá’í family life. If the believer is the only one of his family who has embraced the Faith, it is his duty to endeavor to lead as many other family members as possible to the light of divine guidance.
“As soon as a Baha’i family unit emerges, the members should feel responsible for making the collective life of the family a spiritual reality, animated by divine love and inspired by the ennobling principles of the Faith.
There are times in our lives when it may be necessary for us to decline certain committee appointments or assignments in favor of family responsibilities. There are also times when it may be beneficial to the Faith and to ourselves to accept such appointments.
When we feel pressured or confused by specific circumstances, we can always seek the guidance of an Assembly.
“To achieve this purpose, the reading of the Sacred Writings
and prayers should ideally become a daily family activity. As far as the teaching work is concerned, just as individuals are called upon to adopt teaching goals, the family itself could adopt its own goals. In this way the friends could make of their families strong healthy units, bright candles for the diffusion of the light of the Kingdom, and powerful centers to attract the heavenly confirmations.”’ (Letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies dated April 17, 1981)
More than 150 attend St. Louis
Human Rights
The Riverview Mansion House Center, overlooking the Great Arch, was the site last December 10 of a well-publicized Human Rights Day observance sponsored by the Bahá’ís of St. Louis, Missouri.
More than 150 Baha’is and their guests responded enthusiastically to the program, whose theme was “Human Rights—A Cry from the Heart.””
DR. HARRY J. Cargas, professor of literature and religion at Webster College, Webster Groves, Missouri, and member of the National Holocaust Memorial Commission, spoke of th portance of maintaining integrity of language for succeeding generations, quoting many contemporary authors who echo in various ways the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh that it is better to be killed than to kill.
Mrs. Billie Mayo, a member of the Bahd’{ community of St.
Day observance
Louis who is a teacher in the St. Louis Magnet Schools, presented the thesis-that human rights are God-given, not man-made.
England Dan Seals delighted everyone with his lively musical presentation of popular and Baha’i songs, and, following refreshments and fellowship, shared the Bahd’{ message with many of those present.
The Baha’i children captivated the audience with their singing of several songs appropriate to the occasion. *
The successful proclamation event was planned by an intercommunity ad hoc committeé and supported by seven Assemblies in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Five hundred invitations were mailed to civic leaders and others, while the Metro Media Council of St. Louis arranged newspaper, radio and television publicity.
