The American Bahá’í/Volume 15/Issue 11/Text

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[Page 1]November 1984

The American Bahá’í

Mother Temple of the Pacific is dedicated

File:Mother Temple of the Pacific.jpg

The Mother Temple of the Pacific in Apia, Western Samoa, was dedicated September 1.

Representing the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly on this auspicious occasion was Mrs. Soo Fouts who presented the country’s head of state, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, with a set of volumes of The Bahá’í World and tapes of the recent congressional hearings on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

Mrs. Fouts was honored by being asked to serve as one of the readers at the dedication ceremony.

On September 7, the following cable from the Universal House of Justice was received:

OVERJOYED AUSPICIOUS UPLIFTING HEARTWARMING EVENTS ASSOCIATED DEDICATION TO PUBLIC WORSHIP OF MOTHER TEMPLE PACIFIC. COMMENTING UPON ARRIVAL AMATU’L-BAHÁ RÚHÍYYIH KHÁNUM IN WESTERN SAMOA COUNSELLOR ‘ALÁ’Í CABLED:

“AMATU’L-BAHÁ WAS BEFITTINGLY AND GRACIOUSLY RECEIVED AT AIRPORT BY HIS HIGHNESS MALIETOA TANUMAFILI II, HEAD OF STATE, AND WAS LATER ACCOMPANIED BY HIS HIGHNESS IN HIS LIMOUSINE WITH FULL MOTORCADE CEREMONY TO APIA.” ALSO PRESENT AT AIRPORT WERE HONORABLE PRIME MINISTER OF WESTERN SAMOA TOFILAU ETI, CABINET MINISTERS, DIPLOMATIC AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS MANY BAHÁ’ÍS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. “AMATU’L-BAHÁ WAS IMMENSELY TOUCHED AND HEARTS FRIENDS LEAPT WITH JOY AND FILLED SENSE GRATITUDE THANKSGIVING TO BAHÁ’U’LLÁH THIS UNPRECEDENTED RECOGNITION AND RESPECT BESTOWED UPON REPRESENTATIVE UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE BY HIS HIGHNESS MALIETOA WHO VALIANTLY AND COURAGEOUSLY DEMONSTRATED HIS UNDIMINISHED LOYALTY PROFOUND LOVE FOR SUPREME BODY IN MANNER UN-

See SAMOA Page 4

National Assembly takes steps to aid Iranian refugees

Under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly has taken an active role with National Assemblies in selected other countries and the Bahá’í International Community in making arrangements to help Iranian Bahá’í refugees.

DURING July and August, Puran Stevens of the Persian Affairs Office at the Bahá’í National Center, representing the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, and Vahid Hedayati, a Bahá’í from Graham, Texas, who volunteered to pay his way and to accompany Mrs. Stevens, visited U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service processing centers in Austria, Italy and Spain.

Special arrangements have been made in those countries for temporary visas to be issued to Iranian Bahá’ís to enter the country and to apply for U.S. refugee visas.

The purpose of the trip was to gather information and to identify liaisons for each of those National Spiritual Assemblies through which communications relating to

See REFUGEES Page 4

Index
Viewpoint	2
Letters	3
The Funds	5
IGC: Pioneering	6
Youth News	7
Education	9
Distribution Service	10
Teaching	11
Spanish	14
Publishing Trust	15
Classifieds	16
Persian	18-20
The Media	21
In Memoriam	23

Gibson Project turns to consolidation

The Amoz Gibson Project, which has inspired us all with many teaching activities in the last month, did not shut down at the end of a trail-blazing summer.

STILL based in Wanblee, South Dakota, it is now developing into a year-round teaching and deepening project. With your help, we can help keep the prairie fire burning throughout the long winter months.

To maintain its consolidation activities past Thanksgiving, more people, funds and literature are needed immediately.

So far, the sacrificial efforts of nine projecteers who have donated from five days to several months of their time has made it possible to hold Feasts in nearly all of the newly formed communities on the Pine Ridge and Rose Bud Reservations.

The volunteers leave enrollment cards with the new Bahá’ís who request them; during the most recent round of Feasts, six relatives of Bahá’ís who were enrolled this summer were waiting to share their freshly signed enrollment cards with the traveling teachers and to embrace their new global family.

See WANBLEE Page 2

National Spiritual Assembly members Robert Henderson and Dorothy Nelson address the Green Lake Conference.

Green Lake Bahá’í Conference celebrates 25 years of service

The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and the members of the National Spiritual Assembly were the honored guests September 14-16 as Wisconsin’s annual Green Lake Bahá’í Conference celebrated its 25th anniversary.

MORE than 1,130 Bahá’ís and their guests from Alaska, Canada, 22 states and the District of Columbia attended this year’s event whose theme was “Confirmation of Your Initiatives.”

They had the bounty of hearing Mr. Khadem speak on two occasions, and of attending two sessions conducted by the National Spiritual Assembly.

Mr. Khadem also addressed a special Persian-language session, one of a dozen optional sessions that were presented Saturday afternoon.

Among the other speakers was Dr. Jane Faily, a clinical psychologist who is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.

See GREEN LAKE Page 13

Senate Foreign Relations panel OKs bill to toughen U.S. anti-torture stance

Sen. Charles H. Percy of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced in a letter to constituents September 12 that the committee had unanimously adopted a bill to strengthen U.S. policy against torture.

The bill, S.J. Res. 320, which was written by Sen. Percy, passed the House of Representatives on September 11, “and should,” he wrote, “be acted upon in the Senate” later in September.

“Because so many Bahá’ís in Iran have been tortured by the fundamentalist Islamic regime there,” wrote Sen. Percy, “this bill has been strongly supported by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in the United States as an important means of

See SENATE Page 24

Harper & Row to publish new Bahá’í textbook

In early 1985 Harper & Row will publish a new introductory book on the Faith written by two members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, Douglas Martin and William Hatcher.

The book is titled The Bahá’í Faith: Emergence of a Global Religion.

“This is the first comprehensive book on the Faith produced by a

Warehouse relocation causes Bahá’í Distribution Service to close in December. See article on Page 10.

major North American publisher in more than 50 years,” says Larry Bucknell, general manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and Distribution Service.

“In the early ’20s Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era was published by Brentano’s, and since then there have been several other books, but they’ve either been attacks on the Faith or not very thorough accounts.

“To have a company like Harper & Row publish a book written by Bahá’ís is quite an accomplishment.”

The project, says Mr. Bucknell, “began several years ago when the Association for Bahá’í Studies asked Bill Hatcher and Doug Martin to produce a book that could be used as an introductory textbook on the Faith for comparative religion classes in Canadian colleges and universities.

“SEVERAL publishers were contacted and expressed an interest, but nothing concrete hap-

See TEXTBOOK Page 10 [Page 2]

UN body censures Iran for human rights abuse

On August 24 the United Nations Human Rights Commission's Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities passed by a vote of 14-1 with six abstentions a fifth resolution condemning the violation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following is the text of the resolution:

The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities,

Recalling its resolutions 10 (XXXIII) of 10 September 1980, 8 (XXXIV) of 9 September 1981, 1982/25 of 8 September 1982, and 1983/14 of 5 September 1983,

Welcoming Commission on Human Rights resolution 1984/54 of 14 March 1984, in which the Commission, inter alia, expressed its deep concern at the continuing serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran as reflected in the report of the Secretary-General, and particularly at the evidence of summary and arbitrary executions, torture, detention without trial, religious intolerance and persecution, in particular of the Bahá’ís, and the lack of an independent judiciary and other recognized safeguards for a fair trial,

1. Expresses its alarm at reports of continuing gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular of political, ethnic and national groups such as the Kurds, and of the Bahá’í religious community;

2. Welcomes with satisfaction the decision of the Commission on Human Rights to appoint a special representative whose mandate will be to establish contacts with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to make a thorough study of the human rights situation in that country based on such information as he may deem relevant, including comments and materials provided by the Government, containing conclusions and appropriate suggestions, to be presented to the Commission at its forty-first session;

3. Decides to request the Secretary-General to bring to the attention of the Commission on Human Rights and its special representative the information received by the Sub-Commission concerning the grave violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran and of the action taken by the Sub-Commission in this matter;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to inform the Sub-Commission, at its thirty-eighth session, of the actions of the special representative of the Commission and of the deliberations of the Commission on Human Rights on this matter, as well as of any consideration which may be given to it by the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council.

Wanblee

The Wakpamni District of Pine Ridge has already planned both its next Feast and a Halloween party for its children.

THE FEAST of Rahmat (Mercy) in Kyle was held at the home of Chief Fool's Crow who became a Bahá’í in 1983.

The chief, now 94 years old, is the most widely respected spiritual leader of the Lakota people. At the Feast, he offered a prayer that the Bahá’ís might help heal the difficulties of his people and their lands.

Donations from individuals as well as from the sponsoring committees have made it possible to begin "winterizing" the large cedar log and stone community hall in which the project is based—a necessity, as the snow has already begun to fly.

The hope is to build dormitory space onto or within the hall to reduce heating costs, but this depends of course on adequate funding.

Literature continues to rush through the projecteers' hands as more and more people ask to receive the Creative Word.

THE FRIENDS are thrilled by the warm response of the people who are concerned about the spiritual and material well-being of their Reservation communities.

From the beginning, the social and economic transformation of the Sioux Nation has been a major emphasis of the Amoz Gibson Project, and often Native American Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís come to solicit guidance on this theme.

Next summer, plans are set to expand the project even further into satellite projects that will reach a wider circle of neighboring Reservations.

The South Dakota District Teaching Committee, aided by the National Teaching Committee and American Indian Teaching Committee, continues to sponsor the project.

The committee requests a Local Spiritual Assembly or District Teaching Committee recommendation for those who are traveling to Wanblee to participate.

For more information, individuals can contact the committee directly c/o the Amoz Gibson Project, Wanblee, SD 57577, or phone 605-462-6309.

E. Lee Brown (right), the mayor of Ponca City, Oklahoma, receives a copy of the book Foundations of World Unity from two members of the Spiritual Assembly of Ponca City, Shahrokh Khaze and Monta Welch-Taylor, as a part of that community's World Peace Day observance September 15-16. The weekend activities included two potluck dinners, a presentation of the film 'A New Wind,' a community deepening on the Covenant, a fireside, and a public meeting at which Auxiliary Board member Ronna Santoscoy spoke on 'A Vision of World Peace.' Sixteen seekers attended the various events including two elders of the Ponca City Indian tribe and the vice-chairman of the Kaw tribe. All the events were publicized on radio, in newspapers and by posters. The public library was given a copy of the book The Secret of Divine Civilization, and arrangements were made for a display case at the library to carry information about the Faith.

New novel paints picture of 'Golden Age'

Kurt Vonnegut is fond of recounting a metaphor about miners and butterflies.

IT SEEMS that miners, in the days before sophisticated warning devices and coal dust sniffers, used to catch butterflies and take them into the mine shafts with them.

The butterflies, so delicate of constitution, would keel over at the slightest sniff of the explosive and poisonous gases the miners most feared, giving them ample time to beat a hasty retreat. An "early warning system," if you will.

Mr. Vonnegut compares the butterflies to a culture's artists. The artists, he points out, serve as society's sensitive antennae, perceiving trends and getting whiffs of the future before anyone else is able.

For Bahá’ís, who are so vitally interested in the direction of world civilization, the metaphor is an important one.

And for writers such as Mark Helprin, who wrote the current novel Winter's Tale, Mr. Vonnegut's idea proves incredibly astute.

Winter's Tale is a sprawling, broadly conceived work whose story takes us from the turn of the 19th century past the millennium and into the year 2000.

It is set in New York, which for Bahá’ís is the City of the Covenant and for Mr. Helprin a magical, beautiful, and horrible place with the potential to become the "perfectly just city rejoicing in justice alone."

This month's column, a review of the novel Winter's Tale, was written by David Langness of Capistrano Beach, California.

It is the larger idea to which this accomplished, perceptive writer is drawn—justice, love, revelation, re-creation, the rise of a new civilization through the rubble and disorder of the old; peace, detachment, transcendance, and, finally, as the title of his final chapter tells us, "A Golden Age."

In the dark welter of much current fiction about nothingness, discord, apathy and powerlessness, Winter's Tale shines like a white-hot beacon of human understanding, kindness and intelligence—and does so without being naive or simplistic or over-exuberant.

Mr. Helprin's protagonist, Peter Lake, brings his considerable skills as a burglar and master mechanic and an allegorical messenger to bear on the world of injustice and unlove, and dazzles the reader's inner and outer vision with his headlong rush toward humanity's long-promised Golden Age.

WHILE never once failing to see and to note the harsh reality of contemporary life, Mr. Helprin nevertheless floods us with images and visions of a nobler, higher plane where light suffuses all and the triumph of struggle beyond tests illuminates the soul of each and of the whole.

Mr. Helprin's images, beautiful beyond description, are like strikingly real dreams with the force of truth and exuberance.

Bahá’ís especially will recognize many of the ideas and scenes in this book—it is familiar and provoking and touching, and almost prophetic in the haunting way in which it talks to mankind, urging progress, change, love, justice, and the search for meaning.

And the language—one can imagine this book being taught in schools a thousand years from now, as an example of how subtle and uplifting words assembled with the full force of mind and spirit can be.

The impact of Mr. Helprin's language is at once classical and contemporary, with hilarity and deep sadness never far apart, with the profound and the puny set in funny and wrenching counterpoint, with the concerns of those who would change the world into that perfectly just society cast in the most heart-enlarging richness and grace.

Large and marvelously conceived, written with the generous and ultimately affirming tone of the greatest of artists, Winter's Tale definitely belongs on the bookshelves of Bahá’ís, if only to complement the beauty and scope of our own texts with the brilliantly realized vision of a butterfly in a mine shaft. [Page 3]“The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any topic of general interest. The purpose of the “letters” column is to allow a free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, never to derogate another’s opinion or attack anyone on a personal level.

Letters should be as brief as possible (a maximum of 250 words is suggested). Letters are subject to editing for length and style. Please address all letters to the Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

To the Editor:

After reading C.R. Kettell’s article, “Are we demanding too much of ourselves?” (September), I was both dismayed and amused.

I understood the Native Americans’ distrust of well-meaning anthropologists arriving in their village with research paraphernalia, asking all kinds of intrusive questions in the name of science.

BEFORE the Bahá’í community experiences a similar sociologist/anthropologist syndrome, perhaps we need to establish some guidelines and answer some questions.

I found myself asking questions after reading the first paragraph of the article: “...I administered a questionnaire to Bahá’ís living in the San Francisco Bay area.”

• On what authority was the questionnaire prepared and presented? Did it reflect a sound understanding of the Faith? Was it approved by an Assembly?
• Were the Bahá’ís who participated informed that some conclusions would be published in The American Bahá’í?
• What percentage of the community received the questionnaire and answered it?

In the next paragraph we are told that “a fair percentage of declared Bahá’ís are leaving or contemplating leaving the Faith ...”

• WHAT is “a fair percentage”? Is this to be understood as a percentage of the American Bahá’í community, or of the San Francisco area only? Or a percentage of the percentage who agreed to answer the questionnaire?

Further on, we are offered explanations for the “high divorce rate among Bahá’ís.”

Where are the references documenting this statement? Is the “high divorce rate” peculiar to the American Bahá’í community? How does it compare to the divorce rate for American society as a whole?

Also, I am wondering what kind of Bahá’í would use “blackmail” to obtain parental consent to a “Bahá’í marriage” and how long such a marriage would last before it became part of the “high divorce rate.”

It seems that the writer was trying to give some rationale for guilt feelings among Bahá’ís.

Although “uncertain as to where such feelings arise in every Bahá’í,” she proceeds to surmise “where some of these emotions are rooted.”

I WOULD say that the article does not accomplish its purpose, but is rather an exercise in rationalization based on erroneous premises.

“Guilt feelings” is a Christian emotion that stems from the Christian concept of sin, particularly in Protestant theology which associates sin with Christ’s sacrifice: “Jesus died for our sins,” and also with the concepts of original sin and baptism.

Since none of these concepts exist in the Bahá’í writings, the friends who experience guilt feelings may be carrying such emotions from their Protestant background.

I know that Jewish people and Roman Catholics are less prone to guilt feelings as they shed them ritually at Yom Kippur (Jews) and in confession (Catholics); such feelings are also foreign to Islam and oriental religions.

Basically, the Bahá’í teachings constitute a Divine Knowledge and the blueprint to apply it toward the development of spiritual maturity in the individual, society and the world.

Maturity implies learning from one’s mistakes and proceeding from there without the hindrance of guilt feelings. If we are aware of such negative emotions among some Bahá’ís, those friends should be encouraged and helped to better deepen in the teachings.

I respect the right of Bahá’ís to express themselves in The American Bahá’í; what I question is the presentation of this article as part of a sociological research project among Bahá’ís.

In that context, it seems to me that more homework was required to reflect a more accurate picture of a Bahá’í community. Eliane A. Hopson New York City, New York

To the Editor:

With the coming of the Christmas season I feel a great conflict about how to deal with this holiday with my Christian relatives.

I would love to proclaim to them once more the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and further make the announcement that “this year we’ll have our giving of gifts during the celebration of Ayyám-i-Há.”

But alas! the horror and anger this would create among them! And the arguments that I imagine would ensue—“But what about the children, why deny them Christmas?” Or, “What a Scrooge you’ve become!”

And of course, the dreaded “Now you’ve gone too far with this Bye-hi thing!”

On one hand I think yes, the outworn and misused traditions must be broken. I think of the brave Táhirih as she proclaimed, “This is ... the day on which the fetters of the past are burst asunder.”

But what of the practical side of dealing with loved ones who don’t embrace the Faith as we do?

Should we avoid stirring the pot and conduct business as usual this holiday season with perhaps a passing mention of the Faith and the hope for a clearer “next year”? Jeanne McCarty Griffith, Indiana

The Guardian has advised Bahá’ís that “it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Year and to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the intercalary days and Naw-Rúz ...” (Bahá’í News, March 1940, No. 134)

Thus, within our Bahá’í families and communities we do not observe these Christian holidays. However, most of us in the West live in a culture which places great stress on the observance of Christmas as a cultural and commercial celebration as well as a religious holiday. Many of us have relatives and friends who are Christian.

We, as Bahá’ís, can participate in the observance of Christmas with our non-Bahá’í relatives and friends without compromising our belief in Bahá’u’lláh for we know and love Christ as a Manifestation of God. We can join in a happy celebration of family unity at Christmas time as a cultural event as well as a religious observance.

Harmony and unity within our families is of prime importance. Their religious celebrations should not become a barrier between us.

If our non-Bahá’í families and friends enjoy Christmas decorations, pageants and programs, we can share these events and customs with them without feeling that we have endangered our Bahá’í identity. The same holds true for our children and their school programs.

In turn, we as Bahá’í families can demonstrate the importance of our religion by having our own festival gatherings during Ayyám-i-Há, Naw-Rúz and Ridván, and by sharing our joy on these occasions with our non-Bahá’í relatives and friends.

As the observance of these Bahá’í Holy Days becomes an integral part of our lives, our children will learn to love and look forward to the fun and festivity associated with them.—The National Spiritual Assembly

To the Editor:

In a recent issue (August), a writer suggested that “natural” means of healing are a reasonable alternative to the “knives, needles and drugs” of doctors.

I WOULD like to clarify that modern medicine uses many natural substances in healing, from penicillin (produced by the fungus penicillium chrysogenum, a member of the plant kingdom) to digitalis, a potent cardiac medicine (isolated from the foxglove plant and the seeds of a certain African tree). The examples are endless.

One dictionary definition of the term “natural” is “having or constituting a classification based on features existing in nature.”

What could be more natural than reproducing an identical copy of the body’s own hormones and peptides by recombinant DNA technology (i.e., human insulin, growth hormones, interferon) and using these natural substances with knowledge of human physiology.

The writer pointed out that Dr. George Washington Carver found that peanut oil could be used to help the atrophied muscles of polio victims, and held modern medicine at fault for not recognizing these findings. Thank God that modern medicine went on to eradicate polio with the Salk vaccine!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote that we should “accept physical remedies inasmuch as these too have come from the mercy and favour of God, Who hath revealed and made manifest medical science ...” (Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 152)

Modern medicine has many shortcomings, and has produced a significant amount of iatrogenic diseases (i.e., those induced by a physician).

Nevertheless, it is at present the closest we have come to practicing the principles outlined by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concerning physical healing. Lynette Knight Los Angeles, California

To the Editor:

Thank you for reminding us that giving to the Fund is a habit. Thank you for including the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence.”

One of the friends, in a sweet and well-modulated voice, said recently, “Bahá’ís already know how to give to the Fund.”

There is something so eloquent and moving in that simple and quietly voiced statement. Loie Mead Portland, Oregon

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to two points made in a letter (August) that concerned “teaching the masses.”

The first is the suggestion that our teaching efforts should focus on “quality” and not “quantity.”

WHILE I agree that Bahá’ís who are obviously deepened, active and firm in the Covenant are certainly an asset to the community, I would not care to judge whether or not someone else is a “quality” believer.

Since I often doubt my own spiritual strength, I try not to classify that of others.

The second point is closely related. The writer notes that “it is impossible to truly recognize this Most Great Revelation and be lukewarm, casual or careless of it.”

Again, I would not care to try and distinguish between those who have “truly recognized” this Revelation and those who have not. Have I myself “truly recognized”? I think not.

Bahá’u’lláh writes that God has “endowed every soul with the capacity to recognize the signs of God. How could He, otherwise, ...

See LETTERS Page 23

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A unique publication of daily readings, with special selections for the Holy Days and the Nineteen Day Feasts. The reader follows the compilation through the cycle of the Bahá’í year, while the major themes of the Revelation and the great events of Bahá’í history gradually unfold ...

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[Page 4]

MATTHEW W. BULLOCK

Even though Matthew W. Bullock, a Boston attorney and civic leader, did not become a Bahá’í until he was 59 years old, the remaining 32 years of his life were filled with service to the Faith which included membership on the National Spiritual Assembly, teaching trips to three countries, and service as a pioneer for which the Guardian named him a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

BORN September 11, 1881, in Dabney, North Carolina, Matt was one of seven children. When he was eight years old, the family moved to Everett, Massachusetts. In 1900, he was graduated with honors from Everett High School, after which he enrolled in Dart-mouth College where he earned money by singing with a classmate in hotels and churches.

Soon young Matthew became known as "the famous baritone singer of Dartmouth." He also was a member of the college's football and track teams.

He served in France during World War I with the 369th Infantry. Later, during his years as a practicing lawyer, he was ap-pointed to the state parole board, helped establish the Boston Urban League, and was president of the Community Church.

As church president, he was in-vited to a dinner for Ludmila Bechtold Van Sombeek, a travel-ing Bahá’í teacher. This was Mr. Bullock's initial contact with the Faith, and he established a warm friendship with Mrs. Van Sombeek who was his teacher for many years.

HE ASKED searching questions, and was especially inter-ested in the racial attitudes of white Bahá’ís.

After investigating the Faith for a number of years, Mr. Bullock became a Bahá’í in 1940. After his wife's death in 1945, he undertook teaching trips to Haiti, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Champion Refugees

builders the refugee situation may be carried out directly.

The goal is closer cooperation with those National Assemblies in helping to resettle Iranian Bahá’í refugees.

The two U.S. believers also par-ticipated with representatives of the Bahá’í International Commu-nity in a meeting at the headquar-ters in Geneva, Switzerland, of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees.

"CONTRARY to rumors circu-lating in the U.S.," says Mrs. Stevens, "it was clearly estab-lished that National Spiritual As-semblies in various countries are doing their best to provide for the refugees."

This is being done, she says, with the financial help of interna-tional agencies, the National Spiritual Assemblies themselves, and the Universal House of Jus-tice.

"In most cases," says Mrs. Stevens, "the minimum physical needs of the refugees are being met."

Following their European stops, Mr. Hedayati continued his trip, visiting two Middle Eastern countries.

As a result of their reports, two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. Wilma Brady and Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, met in Washington with officials of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

One result of that meeting was a speeding up of the process of is-suing refugee visas.

The Universal House of Justice is quite concerned about the wel-fare of Iranian Bahá’í refugees.

IN JUNE, one of its members, Hushmand Fatheazam, met in New York City with representa-tives of the U.S. and Canadian National Assemblies and the Ba-há’í International Community. Later, he met with representatives of several National Spiritual As-semblies in Europe.

Under the guidance of the House of Justice, plans are being developed for closer international coordination of refugee activities.

The National Spiritual Assem-bly hopes that the friends in the U.S. will offer their assistance in sponsoring refugees; so far, more than 300 believers have volun-teered to do so.

However, says Mrs. Stevens, the requirements of the refugees and the resources of those who wish to become sponsors do not always match.

"This is why," she says, "we need a larger pool of prospective sponsors throughout the country.

"Factors including the refu-gees' health problems, climatic re-quirements, employment situa-tion, and family composition need to be taken into account in match-ing refugees with sponsors."

Texas Bahá’ís hold second annual West Texas Bahá’í Seminar

Bahá’ís from central and west Texas met August 31-September 2 at Davis Mountain State Park to take part in the second annual West Texas Bahá’í Seminar spon-sored by the Spiritual Assembly of San Angelo and the District Teaching Committee of Texas Central No. 2.

Bahá’ís from Houston, Wichita Falls, Austin, San Antonio, Mid-land, Odessa, San Angelo and Al-pine joined others from Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Wichita, Kan-sas, for two days of presentations and discussions of contemporary Bahá’í topics.

Among the presenters were Auxiliary Board members Hor-moz Bastani and Ronna Santos-coy. A paper submitted by An-thony Lee of Los Angeles was presented in his absence.

The purpose of the seminar was to share diverse ideas in an atmo-sphere of frank and open discus-sion as a means of fostering closer interaction among Bahá’ís in the area.

NOTICE

The National Spiritual As-sembly wishes to make it clear that Bahá’ís who enter into pri-vate business with other Ba-há’ís or form private corpora-tions, etc., do so completely at their own risk and should not expect help from Bahá’í insti-tutions, or think that they may have claims against those insti-tutions.

Questions and answers about sponsoring refugees

Question: What are the responsibilities of a sponsor?

Answer: A sponsor has 13-week (90-day) responsibility for the following:

1. Providing adequate temporary housing; 2. providing food, pocket money, and adequate clothing; 3. helping the refugee in (a) registering for Social Security, (b) referral to health care facilities, (c) finding English classes or tutors for adults; 4. pro-viding orientation to the community; 5. helping the refugee(s) to find employment, or to receive job training as needed.

(Note: All refugees are eligible for a medical card and should apply for one immediately upon arrival; however, they should not apply for food stamps or cash assistance within the first 90 days.)

Q: Who can sponsor a refugee?

A: Anyone with a permanent status in the U.S., i.e., citizens, permanent residents, or those who have been granted asylum.

Q: Is a sponsor legally responsible for the refugee?

A: No.

Q: What happens after the 90-day period?

A: The expectation is that with the guidance and counseling of the sponsors, the refugee will be able to find a job and become in-dependent.

Q: Can the refugees work?

A: Yes, refugees are given work permits immediately upon ar-rival in this country.

Q: Is partial sponsorship also possible?

A: Yes, the resources of several sponsors can be pooled to help settle a refugee in a goal area.

Q: Can an Assembly or Bahá’í Group sponsor a refugee?

A: Yes.

For more information please contact the Persian Affairs Of-fice, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091; phone 312-869-9039.

PARALLELED HISTORY OF FAITH IN SAMOA

AMATU’L-BAHÁ RÚHIYYIH KHÁNUM DEDICATED THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR IN APIA, WESTERN SAMOA, ON 1 SEPTEMBER 1984 IN PRESENCE HIS HIGHNESS, MEMBERS OF ROYAL FAMILY, PRIME MINISTER AND FOUR MEMBERS HIS CABINET, AS WELL AS MANY REPRESENTATIVES OF FOREIGN GOV-ERNMENTS AND HIGH-RANKING OFFICERS SAMOAN CHURCHES, TOGETHER WITH MORE THAN 1,000 BAHÁ’ÍS FROM 45 COUN-TRIES AND ISLANDS.

RÚHIYYIH KHÁNUM DESCRIBING HISTORIC OCCASION CABLED: ’MOTHER TEMPLE PA-CIFIC ISLANDS SCENE UNTIL LAST MOMENT HUNDREDS BELIEVERS ALL PARTS WORLD, ALL AGES, ALL COLORS, LEVELING GROUND, PLANTING SHRUBS, CREATING ROCK GARDENS, CLEANING HUGE EDI-FICE.... SAMOAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND BAHÁ’ÍS, FORGOING DAY AFTER DAY REST OR SLEEP, WORKED ROUND THE CLOCK PREPARATIONS ALL DEPARTMENTS ENSURE BEFITTING SPIRITUAL MATERIAL CELEBRATION HISTORIC EVENTS SEP-TEMBER FIRST DEDICATION. SAMOAN LADIES CREATED HUNDREDS OF FEET FRA-GRANT FRANGIPANI GARLANDS ALONG EN-TIRE LENGTH MAIN PATHS, DECORATING ELECTRIC STANDARDS IN GARDENS WITH PLAITED PALMS AND FLOWERS, HANGING CHAINS FERNS INSIDE ON TEMPLE BAL-CONY....

’THE ONE-HOUR TEMPLE SERVICE, CHAR-ACTERIZED BY BEFITTING PROTOCOL AND DECORUM, COMMENCED WITH HIGHLY SUITABLE, DIGNIFIED AND MOVING SPEECH IN BOTH SAMOAN AND ENGLISH BY HIS HIGHNESS MALIETOA TANUMAFILI II, OUTLINING HIGHLIGHTS TEMPLE HISTORY AND THANKING UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUS-TICE FOR ITS ERECTION IN WESTERN SA-MOA. THE BEAUTIFUL SINGING OF THE CHOIR, THE WONDERFUL SELECTIONS FROM BAHÁ’Í SCRIPTURES AND THE BIBLE, READ IN BOTH SAMOAN AND ENGLISH, CULMINATING WITH INSPIRINGLY-CHANT-ED PRAYER WERE ALL PERFECT AND CREATED UNPRECEDENTED GLORIOUS HIS-TORIC OCCASION.

’ALL GATHERED IN PERFECT WEATHER FOR BOTH SACRED FIRST SERVICE IN PRECIOUS MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR AND, FOL-LOWING DEDICATION, THE JOYFUL TRADI-TIONAL SAMOAN SUA CEREMONY HELD OUTSIDE WHICH LASTED ONE AND A HALF HOURS.... THIS CEREMONY INCLUDED PRESENTATION BY RUHIYYIH KHÁNUM TO HIS HIGHNESS OF TEMPLE MODEL SENT AS GIFT BY UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE, AND PRESENTATION OF TRADITIONAL GIFTS OF ROAST PIGS, FINE MATS, TAPA CLOTH AND FOOD TO ALL HIGH OFFICIALS PRESENT. JOYFUL SPEECHES SINGING DANCING AND WELL-ATTENDED BANQUET ENDED OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES.

BELOVED AMATU’L-BAHÁ FURTHER RE-PORTED: ’SUNDAY MORNING IN THREE SES-SIONS LASTING OVER FIVE HOURS OVER ONE THOUSAND BAHÁ’ÍS WERE ANOINTED ATTAR OF ROSE AND VIEWED PORTRAIT BLESSED PERFECTION IN TEMPLE, OBVI-OUSLY OVERCOME BY PRIVILEGE AND GREAT EVENTS TAKING PLACE. PACIFIC IS-LANDERS CONSPICUOUSLY REVERENT, DEEPLY STIRRED, AWARE GREAT PRIV-ILEGE. SUNDAY EVENING TEMPLE PACKED FULL SERVICE DEDICATED BELOVED MAR-TYRS AND PERSECUTED BRETHREN IRAN....’

PRAYING HOLY SHRINES THAT FORCES NOW SET IN MOTION WILL RESULT UN-PRECEDENTED GROWTH FAITH SAMOA AND ALL AREAS VAST PACIFIC OCEAN.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE SEPTEMBER 7, 1984 [Page 5]

Bank debt at $1.2 million: Fund contributions lag far behind yearly goal

The National Spiritual Assembly reports that contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund continue to lag significantly behind our goal.

THE YEAR BEGAN with $400,000 in outstanding bank loans. Since that time it has been necessary to borrow an additional $800,000 to meet operating expenses, bringing the present bank debt to $1.2 million.

The National Assembly has taken measures that will reduce planned expenses for the year by about $1 million. The staff at the National Center are doing everything possible to economize by combining activities and delaying purchases. But these measures are long-range, and immediate relief is needed.

By mid-October, the National Assembly was faced with a serious dilemma about how to pay its outstanding bills and its employees while at the same time maintaining its level of contributions to the Bahá’í International Fund.

The National Spiritual Assembly, which is deeply grateful for the strong level of support the believers have consistently given to the National Fund, appeals once more for a generous outpouring that can, together with the planned reductions, reverse the present shortfall.

‘The Life-Blood of the Faith . . .’

National Bahá’í Fund

Wilmette, IL 60091

Gifts to loved ones can help strengthen Fund

The following letter from Auxiliary Board member Jalil Mahmoudi suggests a way in which Bahá’ís can give gifts to their friends and loved ones while at the same time strengthening the Fund. Dr. Mahmoudi writes:

Of all the gifts that my younger daughter received for her wedding, none was more meaningful and enjoyable to her and the entire family than the beautiful note she received from the Universal House of Justice.

IN THIS note, she and her husband were informed of an amount of money which her cousin had donated in their name to the International Fund.

I personally had a similarly joyful experience when I received a note from the Office of the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S. acknowledging receipt of an amount of money donated to the National Fund for an occasion in my name.

I wanted to share these joyful experiences with the friends, particularly at this time when our National Fund has a deficit.

How often we wonder what would be an appropriate gift for our friends and loved ones on certain occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Intercalary Days, Naw-Rúz, Ridván, graduation, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.

Certainly if our friends and loved ones are really in need of some things or some material means for their livelihood, we should not hesitate to help.

Other than that, what could be more spiritual, devotional, and meaningful than to express our love to our loved ones, to our Lord, to our Faith, to our institutions, to the well-being of mankind, to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, than a gift that would bring joy to the hearts of our loved ones?

And how often after a long time of thinking, deliberating and hesitating do we buy gifts that are either perishable, go to waste, or are of no use to the recipient?

Jalil Mahmoudi

Santa Monica, California

To honor an individual through a gift to the National Fund, the

See GIFTS Page 22

The first step toward 20,000

A long journey begins with the first step. Recognizing that the goal to achieve 20,000 regular contributors to the National Fund presents quite a challenge to the community, the National Assembly has established an interim goal of 7,000 monthly individual contributors.

We have already exceeded the goal once (during last year’s National Day of Unity and Sacrifice), and the National Assembly is confident that we can win it regularly by the end of this fiscal year.

Some districts show big improvement

Contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund by District

	'Starting Block' Info			Current Month Info (‘Izzat)
District Name	Membership as of 12/9/83	Number of participants	Percentage of participation	Membership as of 9/21/84	Number of participants	Percentage of participation
Alabama S/Florida NW
Alabama N
Arizona N
Arizona S
Arkansas
California C No. 1
California C No. 2
California N No. 1
California N No. 2
California S No. 1
California S No. 2
California S No. 3
California S No. 4
Colorado NE
Colorado SE
Colorado W
Connecticut
DelMarVa
Florida C
Florida N
Florida SE
Florida SW
Georgia NE
Georgia NW
Georgia S
Idaho N/Washington E
Idaho S
Illinois N No. 1
Illinois N No. 2
Illinois S
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana N
Louisiana S
Maine
Maryland W/D.C.
Massachusetts

See ‎VIE THE‎ CHART Page 22

The Winners’ Circle

Highest percentage participation	Most improved participation
1. Wisconsin, Southern	1. Oregon, Eastern
2. Iowa	2. Texas, Southern
3. Tennessee, Eastern	3. Georgia, Southern
4. Maine	4. Georgia, Northwest
5. Wisconsin, N/Michigan	5. Texas, Northern
6. Colorado, Western	6. Maine
7. Utah	7. Wisconsin, Southern
8. Pennsylvania, Western	8. Colorado, West
9. Idaho, Southern	9. Mississippi
10. Indiana	10. North Carolina, Western
11. Illinois, Northern No. 1	11. Illinois, Northern No. 1
12. Minnesota, Southern	12. Florida, Southeast
13. Georgia, Northeast	13. Iowa
14. Texas, Northern	14. California, Central No. 2
15. California, Central No. 2	15. Utah
16. Nebraska	16. Tennessee, Eastern
17. Pennsylvania, Eastern	17. Idaho, Southern
18. North Carolina, Western	18. Navajo/Hopi
19. Minnesota, Northern	19. Texas, Central No. 2

[Page 6]

Letter underscores urgent need for pioneers

Thumbnail sketches of most of the countries to which pioneers must go this year have appeared in the last four issues of The American Bahá’í.

THE articles have presented facts about the countries themselves, and we hope you found them enlightening, but they have not let you know how desperately you are needed in the international field.

Having just returned from the District Convention, at which consultation was centered around filling the remaining goals of the Seven Year Plan, we were reminded again of how seldom we include discussion about the international goals given to the U.S. which must also be filled.

The Universal House of Justice cherishes the hope “that these goals will be filled by the end of the first year of this new phase (that is, by April 21, 1985), thereby helping to usher in the triumphant conclusion of the Seven Year Plan.”

This means we must aim at filling 48 goals in the next five months. Not very many, you say, when we have so many Bahá’ís in the U.S.?

True. We need only 48 consecrated and prepared Bahá’ís to arise now, while there is yet time.

And how the other pioneers need you! A pioneer wrote the following letter recently which will give you an idea of just how much you are needed:

DEAR Bahá’í friends, I am a pioneer in a small country in the Americas. I’m writing to you because my country needs your help. Eighty per cent of the people on earth live in a country like mine, and they need your help too.

The help has to come from you because you understand the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. What you have is the medicine my country needs.

I hope you won’t hesitate. I hope you won’t spend too much time discussing the medicine and how wonderful the new Doctor is, because the patient is dying. There’s plenty of time to discuss the medicine and the Doctor after the medicine has been administered.

My country is full of ignorance, poor health and drunkenness. This is complicated by hopelessness, unemployment and emptiness. As you can see, all of these symptoms are easily corrected by the Divine Physician. We need you to administer the medicine.

You have delayed because of your fears. I know—I’m afraid too. But what I’m most afraid of is failing my responsibility to Bahá’u’lláh.

Just this week I shared smiles with a little boy and girl whose mothers had tried to kill them. Both are okay now, but the little boy has lost the power of speech. I read about things like that before I left the U.S.; now it’s my daily reality.

I mention it to reinforce the point. The patient is dying. We cannot withhold the medicine.

Don’t wait for the calamity to make the whole world Bahá’í. The calamity is here now. Please come and let’s help make the world Bahá’í. Alláh’u’Abhá!

Supreme Body issues new call for pioneers

A new call for pioneers was released in October by the Universal House of Justice. Twenty-four new goals have been added to the original 82 that were assigned last Riḍván to the U.S. Bahá’í community.

Speaking of these goals, the Supreme Body has said: “It is the hope of the Universal House of Justice that these goals may be filled for the most part by the end of the first year of the last phase, thereby helping to usher in the triumphant conclusion of the Seven Year Plan.”

Our deadline is April 21, 1985. Our present number of open goals is 72. The International Goals Committee appeals to each and every one of you to consider seriously your response to this latest call for pioneers from our Supreme Body.

If you can’t pioneer—deputize!

Many American Bahá’ís want to pioneer, but for any particular assigned goal there may be only one person who has the necessary qualities and qualifications and is ready to go in the time allotted.

IT IS HEARTBREAKING when that person becomes known to the International Goals Committee and he or she does not have the money to pay for air fare and living expenses while looking for employment (or in some countries, is not allowed to work).

It is then that the committee looks at its budget and tries to find the funds to help the person on his or her way. Sometimes the money is not there, either.

Three years ago the National Spiritual Assembly gave permission to the committee to announce to the friends that they may help deputize pioneers. A few of the friends in this country have regularly sent $3, $5, $10 or more earmarked “Pioneer Deputization.” These amounts, large and small, have added up to a number of pioneers who are at their posts because of these sacrificial gifts. The committee cannot thank these donors enough.

Once again we must appeal to those of you who want to pioneer but cannot, so that all our goals will be won, reminding you of Bahá’u’lláh’s words: “Center your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation ...”

The Universal House of Justice has written, “Let the Bahá’ís of the world join in the true spirit of universal participation and win all the victories while there is yet time. Let each assume his full measure of responsibility that all may share the laurels of accomplishment at the end of the Plan.”

Please make your checks payable to the National Bahá’í Fund, earmarked “Pioneer Deputization,” and send them as often as you can to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Thank you!

Luncheon honors 60 pioneers to Pacific area

Above: Pictured are some of the 60 Bahá’í pioneers to the Pacific area who gathered August 31 in Apia, Western Samoa, for a luncheon sponsored by the International Goals Committee as a part of the dedication ceremony for the Mother Temple of the Pacific. Right: Mrs. Soo Fouts (left), who represented the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly at the dedication of the Temple in Samoa, is shown at the luncheon with Mary Louise Suhm, secretary of the International Goals Committee. Also attending the event was the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum.

The islands of the Pacific now have their very own Bahá’í House of Worship. The Temple in Samoa was dedicated September 1 with Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum representing the Universal House of Justice and Soo Fouts representing the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly.

AT NOON on the day preceding the dedication, the International Goals Committee was host to 60 pioneers at a luncheon in their honor.

Gazing around the room at the faces ‎wrapt rapt‎ in attention while the Hand of the Cause of God Rúḥíyyih Khánum shared with them her thoughts about pioneering, one was filled with admiration and gratitude for the many hundreds and thousands of ‎Bahá’ís pioneers Bahá’í pioneers‎ who had gone out to the Pacific islands and elsewhere so that the Bahá’í world could celebrate the dedication of yet another House of Worship.

Among those present was Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Gertrude Blum who, with her late husband Alvin, answered the call of the beloved Guardian at the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade and opened one of the first islands to the Faith, the Solomons.

Another pioneer, Elouise Sanders, traveled halfway around the world from Liberia to be present.

Some of the faces were old, many were young. There were a number of children. Everyone was radiant.

HOW THRILLING it was to learn during the conference which followed that seven per cent of the population of Kiribati is now Bahá’í while the Marshall Islands has 5.4 per cent, Tonga 3.9 per cent, the Mariana Islands 2.1 per cent, Tuvalu 1.55 per cent, Samoa 1.5 per cent, the Solomons 1.3 per cent, and that Fiji has had a Bahá’í-sponsored rural development project for the last eight years.

These are only a few of the victories. And if it weren’t for the pioneers who answered the Guardian’s call in 1953, and all those from the U.S. and other countries who have gone out since then, these figures would not have existed.

So to all the pioneers who were able to attend the conference and the dedication of the Samoan Temple, and to all those who were unable to attend, the International Goals Committee expresses its deepest gratitude on behalf of the entire U.S. Bahá’í community. [Page 7]

-CONFERENCE NEWS UPDATE-

YOUTH can move the world!

July 3-7, 1985 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

As plans develop for the International Youth Conference to be held next summer at Ohio State University in Columbus, we’ll keep YOUTH posted on details in this new monthly column. Mark your calendars for July 3-7, 1985!

• Counsellors Farzam Arbáb and Fred Schechter are on the roster of speakers at the conference. They’ve been the driving force behind the growth of the Bahá’í Youth Movement, and will be sharing their perspective of its impact on the North American continent.
• This is a conference for YOUTH by YOUTH. Entertainment will feature talented young performers and artists. If YOU have something you wish to contribute, please send your ideas NOW to the National Youth Committee.
• Invitations have been sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies, and a strong international response is anticipated.
• Some youth groups have already begun plans for travel to and from the conference, and many are planning to teach along the way. Included are bicycle treks, walking treks and massive car caravans ... it’s not too early to consider your group travel plans!
• The bookstore promises to be one of the largest and best ever. Slated for sale will be a new compilation for youth!

There’s much, much more ... so keep checking this column for details as they develop!

Disney World conference bigger, better than ever

At last!—all the news that’s fit to print about the annual Youth Conference at Disney World!

This year’s gathering has been expanded to a four-night stay from December 27-31, and the program promises to be better than ever.

The theme is “Let Deeds, Not Words, Be Your Adorning.” Time has been set aside for participants to visit either the EPCOT Center or Magic Kingdom at the Orlando, Florida, resort. Present admission rates are $18 per day (for 13 years and up) and $15 for 3-12 year olds.

Conference speakers will include two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. Dwight Allen and Dr. Alberta Deas; Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh, a member of the International Goals Committee; Hussein Ahdieh and Jack McCants.

The registration packages include conference fees and housing for four nights. Register early, as space is limited and alternative accommodations are difficult to find during this busy time of year.

The prices: Package A, $26 per person (camping in own tent/Fort Wilderness); Package B, $38 per person (camping in rental tent/Fort Wilderness); Package C, $78 per person (travel trailer for six/Fort Wilderness); Package D, $10 per person (day student making own housing accommodations).

Please plan to arrive early or stay after the conference for the area teaching project sponsored by the District Teaching Committee of Central Florida.

To register, simply fill out the coupon and mail it to the National Youth Committee with full payment. You’ll receive a confirmation receipt with a fact sheet providing full details on the conference including housing, program and logistics.

PLEASE REGISTER ___ person(s) for the 1984 Disney World Youth Conference. I/we choose conference package A___ B___ C___ D___ (check one) and enclose full payment of $_________ (payable to Bahá’í Conference Fund). Please send me my conference fact sheet.

Name __________________________________ Age ____ Sex ____

Name __________________________________ Age ____ Sex ____

Address ________________________________ Phone ____/____

City _________________________ State _______ Zip _________

Mail to: Bahá’í National Youth Committee, Sunrise, FL 33313.

Essay composition newest category in Youth Year contest

Essay composition is the third category for contests of artistic and scholarly expression to be opened for Bahá’í youth in observance of International Youth Year 1985.

The essay theme should focus on “Youth Can Move the World” or “Participation, Development, Peace.” Entries should not exceed 1,000 words.

Entries will be accepted and prizes awarded in three age groups: 12-15 years, 16-20 years, and 21-24 years.

Prizes will include gift copies of Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference File, and there will be one grand prize of full tuition to the Bahá’í school of one’s choice.

Winning essays will be published in The American Bahá’í. Prizes will be awarded at the International Youth Conference at Ohio State University in July 1985.

Please note that the deadline for all categories including song composition, photography, and essays has been extended to February 28, 1985. It should also be noted that photography entries may be submitted in 8- by 10-inch format.

Next month: Poster design.

Bahá’í Merit finalist

Andrea Phillips, a Bahá’í youth from Beavercreek, Ohio, has been named her high school’s fifth National Merit Scholarship finalist for the current year.

As a finalist, she is now eligible to compete for one of 5,500 National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in 1985.

‘Youth Movement’ sets New England ablaze

Not to be outpaced by the other galvanized youth in North America, the “movement” made its triumphant entrance into New England at the Green Acre Bahá’í School’s annual regional youth conference September 14-16.

THE conference theme, “Youth ... Get the Message,” incorporated many of the issues that face today’s youth at this critical time in the affairs of the Cause.

Youth from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York joined those from New England at the conference, which was hosted by the Green Acre Youth Task Force.

They shared music, heard news about the United Nations celebration of International Youth Year in 1985, and talked about the Bahá’í youth movement.

Jim Ferguson, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board in New Hampshire, gave the opening address, “Faith and Obedience to Bahá’u’lláh and His Institutions.”

Rick Higgins, chairman of the Green Acre Youth Task Force, then presented the major themes which the institutions of the Faith have addressed to Bahá’ís in their messages, urging all youth to “get the message!”

Carolyn Eghrari, representing the National Youth Committee, introduced the “vision” of the movement before each of the youth took up the spirit and shared his own commitment to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

ALBERT Cheung, representing the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ at the UN for IYY, offered a way to channel that energy, sharing details of how Bahá’í youth can participate in the International Youth Year.

Adding to the UN theme of “Peace, Participation, Development,” Robin Chandler, a multi-media artist in Boston, presented a workshop on “intercultural communication,” emphasizing the importance of an awareness of other cultures.

A travel teaching workshop offered by youth who have taken part in such activities in the U.S.

See MOVEMENT Page 24

Youth making big plans to observe UN International Youth Year in 1985

Youth around the country are making plans for the Bahá’í observance of International Youth Year 1985.

A key response to this year-long celebration will be the planting of 20,000 trees in memory of the early martyrs of the Faith.

With IYY ’85 just around the corner, now is the time to set up tree-planting projects in your area.

The planting was chosen as a national response to IYY ’85 as it provides a service that can be applied in all parts of the U.S.

The loss of tree cover is being recognized as a worldwide environmental concern, and Bahá’ís can make a great contribution by participating in this effort.

If your community would like to participate (even if the number of youth in your area is small), clip the coupon below and the National Youth Committee will send you information about how to start a local tree-planting project.

Please send me the IYY Tree Project details ... I’d like to help!

Name __________________________________ Phone ____/____

Address ________________________________ Community __________

City _________________________ State _______ Zip _________

Mail to: Bahá’í National Youth Committee, Sunrise, FL 33313.

Bahá’í youth invited to California project

Bahá’í youth are cordially invited to participate in a two-week youth teaching project December 15-30 in Santa Cruz, California.

The project is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Cruz and is being hosted by the community’s youth committee, the Energizing and Teaching Committee (ETC). It will consist of a combination of direct teaching, firesides, and activities to kick off United Nations International Youth Year 1985.

For more details, interested youth are asked to contact Patty Skovgaard, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; phone 408-423-1243.

Youth vie in cross-U.S. fireside competition

Bahá’í youth in California’s Central District No. 1 are vying with their fellow youth in Massachusetts during the national month of firesides (November 4-22, the Bahá’í month of Qudrat) to see which district will hold the largest number of youth firesides as part of a new “continental connection” idea.

A youth fireside, explains Patty Skovgaard, a member of the Energizing and Teaching Committee (ETC) of the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Cruz, California, which initiated the idea, is any fireside conducted by an individual believer between the ages of 15 and 26.

The winning district in this cross-country “contest” will receive at least two traveling teachers from the losing district for a minimum of one week sometime in 1985.

Stephanie Camp, a 16-year-old Bahá’í from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of 240 high school students in that state chosen from almost 2,000 applicants to attend this year’s Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. Stephanie was given a five-week scholarship to the school and will study creative writing at Bucknell University. Her parents, Donald and Marie Camp, have been Bahá’ís for 17 years.

It is not the quantity, but the spirit— National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 8]

World NEWS

Eight hundred-twelve people from 140 villages declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and seven new Spiritual Assemblies were formed with another seven or eight to be elected last Ridván as a result of the William Masehla Teaching Campaign in Murewa, Zimbabwe.

The campaign was dedicated to the memory of Mr. Masehla, a Counsellor for Africa who died July 17, 1983 ...

Two recent reports from Burma describe the enrollment of 316 new Bahá’ís in the Rangoon area, 100 more in Shan State, and another 325 in the Okalapa area.

In addition, it is reported that during a five-day teaching trip by several Bahá’ís, 123 people embraced the Faith and 12 new localities were opened ...

The results of a nine-day teaching campaign last March 24-April 1 in Kenya’s eastern Embu Province included 58 new believers, 16 localities opened to the Faith, one Spiritual Assembly formed and another village ready to elect its first Assembly ...

About 100 people including Counsellor Athos Costas, the local mayor, the sub-prefect of the province, and newspaper and television reporters were present last March 31 for the first broadcast by Radio Bahá’í in Caracollo, Bolivia.

On May 23, the new station increased its daily broadcast schedule from two hours a day to four hours ...

Twenty people in the village of Saramacca, Suriname, recently became Bahá’ís as a result of a teaching trip by Bahá’ís from Cayenne, French Guiana.

The formation of a Spiritual Assembly in Saramacca fulfilled the goal of 12 Assemblies in Suriname before Ridván 1984 ...

Members of the Universal House of Justice joined the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land and Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre last April 15 for special prayers at the inaugural meeting in the new seat of the International Teaching Centre at 10 Haparsim St., Haifa, which served from 1963-1983 as the first office of the Universal House of Justice ...

Sarah Cassar, a Bahá’í artist who is a pioneer to Malta, was the focus last March 24 of a one-person art show sponsored by the minister of foreign affairs and held at the New Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta ...

Evelyn Taylor, the chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Bethel, Alaska, has won the 1984 Janice R. Oglietti award for her contribution to the elimination of substance abuse ...

House of Worship has new interior glass dome

The installation of a new interior glass dome for the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette is now being carried out as a part of an ongoing repair program directed by the Temple Restoration Committee.

When a large crane lifted the crated sections of the new glass from a Temple garden to the base of the dome on September 18, the original glass dome between the Temple’s inner and outer steel domes had already been cleaned and repaired where necessary, and the outer steel dome that is exposed to the weather had been repaired and epoxy-painted.

Three days later, installation began on one-half of the new glass that is being placed on top of the original glass dome. This procedure avoids the high cost of removing the original glass dome and will make use of its well-designed strength to support the new glass, says Robert Armbruster, secretary of the Temple Restoration Committee.

“The original glass dome that had been leaking could no longer be made water tight,” he says. “When the present work is completed, the milky plastic sheeting that had been installed to keep water from falling into the Temple will be removed and the sun will once again shine unobstructed into the House of Worship.”

The large crane will also be used to raise new roofing and flashing materials to the Temple’s upper levels, and that work is also scheduled to be completed this fall.

Bahá’ís who participated March 30 in a panel discussion on the Faith at the Conference of the Western Regional American Academy of Religion in Mill Valley, California, were (left to right) Susan Stiles, Richard Hollinger, Robert Ellwood, Anthony Lee, Christopher Buck and William Garlington. All except Mr. Ellwood also presented papers on the Faith.

A large crane which was set up September 18 in one of the gardens at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette lifts wooden boxes containing sections of the new interior glass dome to the clerestory level of the Temple. Installation of the glass began three days later.

6 Bahá’ís take part in American Academy of Religion panel

Six Bahá’í scholars participated last March 30 in a panel discussion on “The Diffusion of the Bahá’í Faith” presented as a part of the Conference of the Western Regional American Academy of Religion.

It marked the first time that the conference, which was held this year at the Golden Gate Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, has had a section devoted exclusively to a discussion of the Bahá’í Faith.

Besides taking part in the panel discussion, five of the Bahá’ís presented the following papers:

• Christopher Buck, “A Unique Eschatological Interface: Bahá’u’lláh and Cross-Cultural Messianism.”
• Susan Stiles, “Zoroastrian Conversions to the Bahá’í Faith in Yazd, Iran.”
• Anthony Lee, “The Establishment of a Religious Community: The Bahá’í Faith in West Africa, 1950-1963.”
• William Garlington, “The Bahá’í Mass Movement in Malwa, India.”
• Richard Hollinger, “The Spread of the Bahá’í Faith in the West.”

More than 130 at Olean conference on ‘Peace in Home, Peace in World’

More than 130 people attended a four-day conference last July sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Olean, New York.

The conference, whose theme was “Peace in the Home, Peace in the World,” included as speakers Auxiliary Board members Robert Harris, Dr. Sam McClellan, and Nat Rutstein.

Other speakers were Dr. Leonard Smith, Mimi McClellan, Dr. Ann Schoonmaker, Mabel Garis, Dr. Dorothy Hai, Lauretta Haynes, Carol Rutstein, Betty de Araujo, June Remignanti, Bill Procter, Ed Peace, and Dr. Susan Stengel.

Dr. Victor de Araujo, the Bahá’í International Community’s representative at the United Nations in New York, gave a presentation on world peace at a public meeting emceed by Mr. Harris.

Conference participants had a choice of two or three workshops to attend at any time, and most of the workshops were repeated.

Classes for children were conducted by local LEAP coordinators.

In addition to their participation in the conference, two of the speakers presented public talks at the local library: Nat Rutstein on “The Effects of Television on Children,” and Mabel Garis on “Writing Children’s Books.”

More than six articles appeared (with photographs) in the Olean Times-Herald including coverage of both library talks.

Archives seeking letters from Guardian

The National Bahá’í Archives is trying to determine how many individuals or local Spiritual Assemblies have in their possession original letters from Shoghi Effendi or those written on his behalf.

Anyone with original letters is requested to write to the Archives listing the number of letters, who they were addressed to, and the dates.

Individuals are of course free to keep original letters from the Guardian and pass them down to their family. However, if the originals are retained, the National Bahá’í Archives would like to receive a good photocopy which will be shared with the World Centre.

Any confidential material in the Guardian’s letters will be safeguarded. Those with original letters from the Guardian should write to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

IDEAS FOR THE MONTH OF FIRESIDES

For the teacher:

• The Advent of Divine Justice
• The Individual and Teaching

For the seeker:

• Gleanings (pocket-sized)
• Kitáb-i-Íqán (pocket-sized)
• Bahá’í Prayers
• Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era
• Bahá’í Faith teaching booklet
• God’s Great Plan

THE ADVENT of DIVINE JUSTICE

How can you help assure the destiny of America? Find out in the NEW edition of Shoghi Effendi’s THE ADVENT of DIVINE JUSTICE

Use the new thematic table of contents to study afresh

• the spiritual prerequisites for success in Bahá’í activities
• the hows and whys of teaching and pioneering
• the interrelationship of the spiritual and the practical in assuring America’s destiny

104 pages, new index, thematic table of contents bound in navy blue and silver Hardcover $12.00* Softcover $6.50*

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to:

Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091

• Price valid only in the United States

[Page 9]

• Assembly Development Program
• Bahá’í Schools
• Brilliant Star (Child’s Way) Magazine
• Local Education Adviser Program
• Personal Transformation Program

Family Unity Night (Fun)

FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER: HUMAN RIGHTS/MAN’S NOBILITY. Thought for the week: “O ye rich ones on earth! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust ...” (Bahá’u’lláh) Prayer: Mankind, p. 101 (top). Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. 1. Arabic Hidden Words, Nos. 68, 69, 4, 11, 13, 14, 22. 2. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 37-38. 3. Gleanings, pp. 250-53. 4. Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 40. 5. Some Answered Questions, pp. 235-37. Activity: This month concentrate on meal-time manners and etiquette, harmony of table conversation, table setting and serving for meals. 1. Have a “proper manners” night. Check to see that the table is set properly, utensils and napkins used properly, “please” and “thank you” are used generously. 2. Show home movies or slides of family, friends, vacations and special Bahá’í activities. If you have no slides or movies, you may have family picture albums to look through. Happy memories! Refreshments: Hot spiced cider and mixed nuts.

SECOND WEEK OF DECEMBER: MASA’IL/QUESTIONS. Thought for the week: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Matthew 7:7) Prayer: Children, p. 36 (middle). Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. 1. Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 105-9, 229, 238, 270. 2. Bible, Matthew 7:7-12. 3. The Seven Valleys, p. 7. Activity: Continue to concentrate on meal-time etiquette at each family meal. 1. Mealtime is ideal for clarifying values through informal discussion about the day’s events or other interesting topics. Be careful not to turn it into a lesson—each family member is encouraged to express himself. 2. Share special remembrances from each family member’s own Baby Book. If an individual’s book is in need of repair or not yet organized, you may wish to do this together at FUN. Dialogue may include questions and answers on first home, first pet, happy moments, historic events at the time of birth, etc.—take this perfect opportunity to uplift the heart and soul of one another! Refreshments: Bahá’u’lláh’s recipe (from Child’s Way, May/June 1980). Melt some butter in a pan. Add some pitted dates. Stir with a spoon until well-mixed. Serve warm.

THIRD WEEK OF DECEMBER: LOVE/BIRTH OF JESUS. Thought for the week: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Mark 12:31) Prayer: Triumph, p. 200 (bottom); or teaching, p. 174 (bottom). Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. How does this week’s lesson material relate to the first week’s? 1. Bible, I Corinthians 13:1-13. 2. Bible, I John 4:7-8, 4:12. 3. The Seven Valleys, “The Valley of Love.” 4. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 138 (bottom). 5. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 27-28; 3; 244-45. 6. Persian Hidden Words, No. 3. Activity: Remember to practice what you are learning about table manners and value clarification through conversations at the family meals. 1. Progressive dinner (either shared with several families in progressive courses or within your own family home with the meal courses served in different rooms by different family members). Meal courses should be planned and assigned in advance. 2. Make a tangerine light (directions can be found in the November/December 1981 issue of Child’s Way magazine). Place the light in the center of the dinner table, or on the front porch where passersby can enjoy the “light.” Refreshments: See activity suggestion for progressive dinner.

FOURTH WEEK OF DECEMBER: SHARAF/HONOR. Thought for the week: All honor belongeth unto God and unto them that love Him. (Bahá’u’lláh) Prayer: Spiritual qualities, p. 150. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. What is another word for honor? For respect? 1. Gleanings, pp. 305-6. 2. Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 2 (bottom), p. 19 (top). 3. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 134 (No. 108). 4. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 95 (top). Activity: Are meal-time lessons well-established and used outside the family setting as well as in the home? 1. If feasible, go out to dinner where proper etiquette can be exemplified in public. 2. “Something new”—if your family usually serves meals family-style, try something new! a. Smorgasbord: a variety of foods are placed on a counter, individuals pass by and dish up only what they want to eat. May go back for second helpings if desired. b. Table head-server: dishes up all food for each family member, food is then passed clockwise until it reaches the person on the immediate right of the table and so on until all have been served. Table-head “server” then gives permission for all to begin eating. This is a good way to serve soup from a large tureen. Older members of the family may need to help the younger ones pass the dishes around the table. Refreshments: If doing activity No. 1 you may choose to have dessert at the restaurant. If eating at home as in No. 2, serve the family’s favorite pie.

About 30 Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís and friends spent the weekend September 8-9 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Maine sharing camaraderie, experiences and classes on teaching the Faith, especially in the Northeastern states. Unity and love are the hallmarks of this semi-annual event, held each May and September. It is hoped that deepening experiences such as this will prepare the Hispanic believers even more for their role of infusing Latin warmth into Bahá’í activities in the Northeastern area. Those at the Hispanic conference came from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York as well as from Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Pictured are many of the Bahá’ís who attended an intensive language training course July 6-14 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

Spirits fly high at Louhelen’s 9-day language training course

By CHARLOTTE SOLARZ

What happens in the lovely surroundings of the Louhelen School when sincere, eager students meet enthusiastic, dedicated teachers—when you have capable staff who smilingly support both teachers’ and students’ needs—when morning prayers are recited, setting the tone for the day—when those of some several nations reach out to help each other in trust and love?

WHAT happens? It’s a bountiful and wonderful glimpse of the Abhá Paradise. It’s a sweet solace to the weary in a world that is forgetting God. It’s spirit found again—thank God, just in time!

For all who attend sessions at Louhelen this experience is commonly relatable. But there is something uniquely special about each particular session.

Our session, from July 6-14, was a nine-day intensive language training institute.

Three languages were offered: Persian, taught by Nategeh Yazdi; Spanish, taught by Dr. Tony Cubero; and English, taught by Charlotte Solarz.

“Intensive” is the key word. It was intensive in work, i.e., 10 hours of classes each day. And it was intensive in love.

Each of us experienced a tremendous amount of energy, giving and receiving. We were like those perfectly placed steel balls that just keep bouncing once they get started.

See LOUHELEN Page 24

6 child education conferences slated

The National Education Committee will sponsor six Regional Child Education Conferences throughout the U.S. next May 25-26 (the Memorial Day weekend) at the following locations:

• Central—Wilmette, Illinois.
• Northeastern—Wilhelm Institute, Teaneck, New Jersey.
• Southeastern—Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina.
• Western—Bosch Bahá’í School, Santa Cruz, California.
• Northwestern—Boise, Idaho.
• Southwestern—Dallas, Texas.

Each conference will include education workshops and an activities fair at which Bahá’í lesson plans, activities and materials that have been developed by friends in the area will be displayed.

These conferences will represent a follow-up to the exciting National Child Education Conference that was held last Memorial Day weekend in Wilmette.

“These national and regional conferences,” says David L. Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, “held in alternating years, will encourage a unified sense of direction and purpose for teachers working in the field of Bahá’í education, and will contribute to the development of a Bahá’í child education curriculum representing the regional diversity of the American Bahá’í community.”

The National Education Committee invites the friends to plan now to attend the conference in their area, and to watch for further information in The American Bahá’í. [Page 10]

Textbook

Continued From Page 1 pened until early this year.

“In January, the manuscript was sent to Harper & Row for evaluation and their recommendation as to a suitable publisher. They expressed interest in doing the book themselves, as it fit nicely into their publishing program.”

Harper & Row’s plan, he says, “called for the publication of definitive texts on the world’s major religions and philosophical systems.”

Negotiations to publish the book continued through the spring, and a contract was signed late this summer. Harper & Row will offer the book to its customers as a part of its Spring 1985 list.

The Bahá’í Faith: Emergence of a Global Religion should begin appearing in bookstores in February or March, says Mr. Bucknell.

Harper & Row will also be marketing the book to libraries in the U.S. and making it available in Canada through its distributors there.

Special arrangements have been made for the Bahá’í Distribution Services in Canada and the U.S. to market the book directly to Bahá’ís in both countries.

Since both Distribution Services are requesting large shipments of the book, it should arrive at their warehouses in December.

“The Bahá’í Faith: Emergence of a Global Religion will be available as a hardcover book only,” says Mr. Bucknell, “and is priced at $14.95. This is also the suggested retail price for general bookstores.

“While the book was designed as a college text, it is accessible to the general reader and should be welcomed by libraries, public officials and leaders of thought as the most current authoritative book on the Faith.

“Placing these books in libraries from such a well-known publisher, coupled with the fact that it was written by two such knowledgeable Bahá’ís, should go far in correcting many misconceptions about the Faith,” he adds. “It will also serve to refute many of the erroneous charges made against the Faith in earlier books such as William Miller’s The Bahá’í Faith: Its History and Teachings.”

In order for the friends to assure themselves of securing a copy of The Bahá’í Faith: The Emergence of a Global Religion as soon as possible, the U.S. Distribution Service is making a special pre-publication offer.

Simply fill out the order form and send it with your check for $14.95 to the Distribution Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Individuals may also place telephone orders by using their VISA or MasterCard charges.

Distribution representatives who wish to place larger orders for their communities should phone in their orders using the Service’s toll-free number, 1-800-323-1880.

Those in Illinois should call 312-251-1854.

All orders will be shipped postage paid in the order in which they are received beginning as soon as the books reach the Distribution Service warehouse. All orders received after December 31, 1984, will be billed 10 per cent for postage and handling ($1.50).

Please ship me ___ copies of The Bahá’í Faith: The Emergence of a Global Religion. I have enclosed $14.95 per copy, postage paid by the Bahá’í Distribution Service.

___ Check/money order ___ VISA ___ MasterCard

Card No. ____________________ Exp. date _______________

Name __________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________

City ____________________ State __________ Zip _________

TAB 11/84 Prices good through December 31, 1984

Distribution Service to suspend operations in December while warehouse is relocated

The Bahá’í Distribution Service will be forced to suspend shipments to customers beginning December 1 while it completes the relocation of the warehouse facilities it shares with the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

“THIS is going to be a large and complicated project,” says Larry Bucknell, general manager of the Publishing Trust and Distribution Service.

“We’ve never had to move an inventory of this size before, and it is a logistically difficult task.

“We entertained the idea of trying to continue to process and ship orders while the move was taking place but it simply wouldn’t be possible,” says Mr. Bucknell. “People can still place mail or phone orders while the move is taking place and we’ll begin processing them as soon as we can.

“Obviously,” he adds, “it is in our best interest to finish the relocation quickly. Since we’ll be establishing the method by which we fill orders for years to come, we want to take care that we set up our new warehouse as efficiently as possible.

“It’s our expectation that we can begin to process and ship book orders in the latter part of December, provided that no unexpected difficulties arise during the move.

“People who will be handling book sales for winter schools,” says Mr. Bucknell, “will have to place their orders as soon as possible, and we may not be able to process smaller orders from local communities and individuals that are received after Thanksgiving.

“That means if you plan to give See BDS Page 12

Looking over the gutted remains of one of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust’s rear rooms are (left to right) staff members Robert Blum, Terrill Hayes, Nida Kern and Richard Hill.

New leather-bound Bahá’í Readings set

Canada’s Bahá’í Distribution Service is printing a leather edition of its publication Bahá’í Readings.

The U.S. Bahá’í Distribution Service expects to receive its shipment in mid-November.

The book will be almost identical to the leather-bound special edition of Bahá’í Prayers produced by the Publishing Trust in the U.S. several years ago. It sells for $15.

Advance orders are being accepted to allow for shipment before the Distribution Service closes temporarily in December. Please use the order form on this page to place your order.

Spanish-language books from Argentina help replenish BDS’ dwindling stock

The Bahá’í Distribution Service has received a “badly needed” shipment of books in Spanish from EBILA, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Argentina.

“Our stock had dwindled to very low levels so the arrival of these books is quite welcome,” says marketing manager Robert Blum. “We tried to order a broad variety of books to support both our teaching efforts and the consolidation of Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís.

“Our order was placed after recommendations were made by Regina Anchondo, minority teaching coordinator for the National Teaching Committee.

“One booklet we think will be especially helpful in the teaching work is Palabras de Dios (Words of God),” says Mr. Blum. “It’s only 30 cents and contains an excellent selection of quotations from the Sacred Texts.

“Renovación de la Civilización (Renewal of Civilization) is available in large quantities as an inexpensive introductory book at only $1.50.”

Also available are the booklet El Poder de la Asistencia Divina (The Power of Divine Assistance) for $1, Oraciones Bahá’í (Bahá’í Prayers) for $3.75, Las Palabras Ocultas (The Hidden Words) at $2, La Sabiduría de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (‎Some Answered Questions Paris Talks‎) for $4.75, and small quantities of a variety of other works by Bahá’u’lláh and Shoghi Effendi.

For information on other available books, phone 1-800-323-1880. If you are calling from within Illinois, the number is 312-251-1854.

History calendar marks Youth Year

The United Nations International Year of Youth is the inspiration for the coming year’s Bahá’í history calendar from Hawaii.

“Youth Can Move the World” has been chosen as the theme for 1985, and full-color photographs, illustrations and historical dates in the Faith relating to young people highlight this special calendar.

The price for the Bahá’í history calendar is again $5. Due to the December warehouse relocation at the Distribution Service, advance orders for the calendars will be accepted so that they can be shipped as soon as they arrive.

Please use the form in this issue of The American Bahá’í to place your order.

Quan.	Item	Amt.	Quan.	Item	Amt.
Gleanings, PS	$3.50	Oraciones Bahá’ís	$3.75
Kitáb-i-Íqán, HC	14.00	Bahá’í Datebook 142 B.E.	1.85
Kitáb-i-Íqán, PS	3.50	Pocket Calendar 142 B.E.	10/1.75
Bahá’í Prayers, HC	7.00	Wall Calendar 142 B.E.	1.00
Bahá’í Prayers, SC	3.00	Palabras de Dios	.30 each
Foundations World Unity, HC	10.00	Renovación de la Civilización	1.50
Individual and Teaching, SC	1.50	El Poder de la Asistencia Divina	1.00
Advent Divine Justice, HC	12.00	Las Palabras Ocultas	2.00
Advent Divine Justice, SC	6.50	La Sabiduría de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	4.75
Bahá’í Faith teach bklt, SC	10/14.00	Bahá’í History Calendar	5.00
Bahá’u’lláh and New Era, SC	2.50	Circle of Unity	9.95
God’s Great Plan, SC	2.00	Bahá’í Readings	5.50
One Universal Faith, PM	50/4.00	Bahá’í Readings, Leather	15.00

Total plus 10 per cent postage ($1.50 minimum for postage) ________

Enclose a check for the full amount, or

VISA/MC (CIRCLE ONE) EXP. DATE ____________

CARD NO. _________________________________

Name _____________________________________

Address __________________________________

City ________________ State _____ Zip _____

(All prices are NET—no discounts. No charges on accounts accepted. Credit card orders accepted by phone: 1-800-323-1880.)

Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE WILMETTE, IL 60091

TAB 11/84 Prices good through December 31, 1984 [Page 11]

The homefront pioneer

The National Spiritual Assembly has responded to South Carolina’s call for homefront pioneers and is asking that 313 Bahá’ís move to the state by the end of the Seven Year Plan, Ridván 1986.

IT IS apparent that a large influx of energetic manpower is urgently needed now if the potential of WLGI Radio is to be realized, and if the 12,000 believers and 237 Assemblies in South Carolina are to be nurtured and expanded.

The figure of 313 pioneers was chosen because that was the number prophesied to be the Companions of the ‎Ta’im Qa’im‎ and was the number of Bábís who gathered in Fort Tabarsí under the leadership of Quddús.

Says Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly: “The work in the South must be put into perspective; we’ve had 14 years of victorious effort but now the work must be taken to a new level.”

Cap ‎Cornwall Cornwell‎, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, notes that “15 pioneers have moved so far (to South Carolina) since last June. The work there is vital, the believers are waiting, and we need every type of Bahá’í service.

“We need individuals who have experience with the media, education, approaching leaders of thought, and with direct and indirect teaching.”

Consolidating the Faith in South Carolina is a national project. If you have a desire to help in this effort, contact the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee, Route 2, Box 71, Hemingway, SC 29554.

“‘O ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God! Prosperity, contentment, and freedom, however much desired and conducive to the gladness of the human heart can in no wise compare with the trials of homelessness and adversity in the pathway of God; for such exile and banishment are blessed by the divine favor, and surely followed by the Mercy of Providence. ...Take heed, O people of insight.’”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“‘A far greater proportion of the avowed supporters of the Faith must arise, ere the Crusade suffers any setback, for the fourfold purpose of winning over an infinitely greater number of recruits to the army of Bahá’u’lláh fighting on the home front, of swelling to an unprecedented degree the isolated centers now scattered within its confines, of converting an increasing number of them into firmly founded groups, and of accelerating the formation of local assemblies, while safeguarding those already in existence.’”—Shoghi Effendi

District Teaching Committee members confer

More than 170 members of District Teaching Committees from all areas of the country joined the National Teaching Committee in Skokie, Illinois, September 28-30 for the first national briefing of District Teaching Committee members.

The gathering focused on the new vision of the Campaign of Unified Action and the important role that District Teaching Committees must play in achieving the goals of the Seven Year Plan.

The participants heard Counsellor Farzam Arbáb and Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, speak about the new spirit that is spreading throughout the American Bahá’í community as a result of the unified efforts of the friends.

In addition, three members of the National Teaching Committee made presentations: Jerry Bathke, who opened the briefing Friday evening; Keyvan Nazerian, who presented an update on the “youth movement”; and Juana Conrad, who introduced the newly designed enrollment card and a revised packet for new believers.

Saturday evening, the District Teaching Committee members were treated to a buffet dinner in Foundation Hall at the Bahá’í House of Worship and heard a tape by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears that introduces the special “month of firesides” in November.

Charles “Cap” Cornwell, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, then explained details of the fireside contest and the role that District Teaching Committees would play in assuring its success.

AFTERWARD, Mr. Cornwell was joined by the other members of the National Teaching Committee and its staff for a panel discussion.

District Teaching Committee members spent the rest of the evening asking questions of the National Teaching Committee and sharing ideas.

The program ended with prayers for the teaching work throughout the country.

Following the prayers, the lights in the upstairs auditorium were turned out for a few moments of quiet meditation.

Sunday morning, Counsellor Arbáb returned to inspire the friends with a new vision of the expansion work and the potential which this country has.

The friends said their goodbyes Sunday afternoon, and although the pain of separation was great, each left with a new and fresh understanding of his role as a member of a District Teaching Committee and of the excitement and challenge of the work ahead.

House of Worship visitors respond to ‘interest cards’

Bahá’í communities throughout the U.S. periodically receive letters from the National Teaching Committee office informing them of a seeker living in their area.

In many cases, this person has visited the House of Worship, and while there has completed an “interest card” to obtain more information about the Faith.

From June through August this year some 240 interest cards were completed at the House of Worship, 214 of which were from visitors living in the U.S. and 26 from visitors from other countries.

These individuals requested the following services: 224 requested literature; 16 wanted a Bahá’í teacher to visit; 22 wanted information on attending study classes; 64 asked for information on how to become a Bahá’í; and 10 indicated that they believed in Bahá’u’lláh and wished to become ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎.

World Religion Day excellent opportunity to proclaim Faith

World Religion Day, one of the special event days established by the National Spiritual Assembly, is one of the best opportunities we have during the year to proclaim the Faith.

Held on the third Sunday in January, this year’s observance falls on January 15.

November is none too soon to begin planning for this event, which could lead to increased contacts within your community, publicity, and strengthened relationships with other religions.

Whether your community is holding an ecumenical service or a festive social event, you’ll want to make sure you have the pamphlets and books you will need for the occasion.

Suggestions for World Religion Day and ordering information appear on the Bahá’í Distribution Service page in this issue.

Month of Firesides

With the inspiration and assistance of the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, the National Spiritual Assembly is proclaiming the Month of Qudrat (November 3-23, 1984) as a Month of Firesides. During these 19 days, districts throughout the country will vie with each other for a very special prize to see which district holds the largest number of INDIVIDUAL firesides.

RULES

• The purpose of this contest is to spark increased INDIVIDUAL teaching in the community. The contest involves holding INDIVIDUAL firesides.
• You are the judge! To determine whether or not your event can be counted as a fireside refer to the listed quotations from Shoghi Effendi.

“. . . It should not be overlooked, however, that the most powerful and effective teaching medium that has been found so far is the fireside meeting, because in the fireside meeting, intimate personal questions can be answered, and the student finds the spirit of the Faith more abundant there.”

The Individual and Teaching, p. 31

“The fireside method of teaching seems to produce the greatest results, when one invites friends into their homes* once in 19 days, and introduces them to the Faith. Close association and loving service affects the hearts; and when the heart is affected, then the spirit can enter.”

The Individual and Teaching, p. 38

“The friends must realize their individual responsibility. Each must hold a Fireside . . . once in 19 days, where new people are invited, and where some phase of the Faith is mentioned and discussed. If this is done with the intent of showing Bahá’í hospitality and love, then there will be results.”

Bahá’í News, #317, p. 4, July 1957

• The contest will run for the month of Qudrat (November 3 through November 23).
• Each individual is responsible for reporting the number of firesides held to the Bahá’í National Center using either a letter or postcard.
• All entries must include four important items: 1) the name and address of the INDIVIDUAL holding the fireside, 2) the number of firesides held, 3) the name of your local Bahá’í community and 4) the name of the district.
• Entries must be received no later than midnight November 30, 1984.
• The winner will be determined by tallying the number of firesides held in each district and comparing this with the Bahá’í population of that district. The district with the most firesides (per capita) will be the winner.

• For the purpose of this contest the word “house” is defined broadly to include a variety of locations so that children, youth, and individuals who do not own “homes” can be counted.

[Page 12]

News from the Bahá’í House of Worship

A World Peace Day observance September 16 at the Bahá’í House of Worship drew nearly 350 people, at least one-third of whom were not Bahá’ís.

The Spiritual Assembly of Glencoe, Illinois, and the House of Worship Activities Committee worked together to host the event, which was planned to help Bahá’ís educate the leaders of peace movements, clergy, educators, and social and civic groups to the Bahá’í call for unity and its role in establishing world peace.

Two thousand formal printed invitations were prepared for the event and distributed to Bahá’í communities in the area of the House of Worship with a cover letter explaining the event and asking the Bahá’í communities to prepare mailing lists for their localities and distribute the invitations.

Flyers advertising the program were sent to each community, and were displayed and distributed at the House of Worship. Articles were placed in several local newspapers.

The program began with devotions in the upstairs auditorium with readers representing various faiths and organizations. Readers were the Rev. Russell Becker (Glencoe Union Church), Mrs. Mary Raymond (North Shore Peace Initiative), the Rev. Thomas Raftery (Sacred Heart Church), Mrs. Dena Winick (Glencoe Peace Awareness Month Committee), Mrs. Ann Arp (Bahá’í community of Joliet), Mrs. Miyako Keay (Glencoe Nuclear Freeze Campaign), Kelsey Taylor (Bahá’í community of Glencoe), Mrs. Arlene Jennrich (Bahá’í community of Wilmette), Mrs. Gwen Clayborne (Bahá’í community of Glencoe), Dr. Orley Herron (National College of Education), and Layli Strasburg (Bahá’í community of Wilmette).

Music for the devotions was performed by Steve Brisley, Donna Kime and Sheryl McDonnell. A printed program was prepared which included the names of readers, the organizations they represented, and the sources of their readings.

Following the devotions, a public meeting was held in Foundation Hall with Reginald Young as moderator and music by Robert Reneau and Dr. Rosamond Brenner.

The speaker was Dr. Jane Faily, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and senior psychologist at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. Her talk was titled “World Peace: The Bahá’í Option.” She praised the grassroots peace movement and stressed the need to reject violence, believe in peace, and endeavor to bring it into reality. Dr. Faily closed by outlining the progressive role of religion in creating wider bonds of loyalty and brotherhood, and spoke of Bahá’u’lláh’s call to world unity and peace.

Afterward, refreshments were served and Bahá’ís and their guests remained in the downstairs area, engaged in conversation, for another one and one-half hours. The friends received many compliments, from Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike, for the program, which it is hoped will open new doors for discussion, friendship and teaching.

BDS

Continued from Page 10

Bahá’í books to seekers or relatives during the December holidays you’ll have to plan ahead. We will be back in full operation in plenty of time for people to order Ayyám-i-Há gifts.

“We look at this time,” he says, “as the last hurdle in our reorganization of the Publishing Trust. We’ll still have some remodeling left on the Publishing Trust and Distribution Service building, but that shouldn’t have as noticeable an effect on our order processing or shipments.

“When this is all completed,” says Mr. Bucknell, “we’ll really begin to see the effect in terms of providing reduced costs of publishing and distributing books.

“Ultimately, that is reflected in our ability to reprint the Sacred Texts and other key books, to publish new books of high quality, and at the same time to keep costs down.”

Mr. Bucknell invites those who have questions about the suspension of order processing or other matters relating to the Distribution Service to phone the Service’s toll-free number, 1-800-323-1880.

Shown are participants in this year’s Special Visit Program sponsored by the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee. Bruce Whitmore, administrator of the House of Worship (wearing necktie and glasses), is standing at the rear next to the window. To his left is Helen Shenton, a member of the House of Worship Activities Committee office staff.

Special Visit ‘gladdens spirits’ of participants

Bahá’ís from as far away as California and New Hampshire participated recently in the 1984 Special Visit Program at the Bahá’í House of Worship.

THE PROGRAM is an ongoing project of the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee and is designed primarily to “refresh and gladden the spirit” as well as to provide an insight into the functioning of the various departments at the Bahá’í National Center.

Participants in this year’s program heard a variety of speakers including Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly; Miss Edna True, a former member of the Continental Board of Counsellors; Auxiliary Board member Eunice Braun; James Mock, a staff member in the National Teaching Committee office; and David Rouleau, a staff member in the National Education Committee office.

Highlights of the three-day program included tours of the National Center administrative building, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and the Bahá’í Home.

The friends were also able to view a special archives exhibit prepared by national archivist Roger Dahl, and to learn more about the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár from Bruce Whitmore, administrator of the House of Worship.

One of the participants summarized her feelings about the Special Visit Program by saying, “It gave me a real glimpse of the dynamic workings at the National Center. Sometimes we think of it as a static, rather conservative place ... Now I have a better understanding of its history, purpose and creative workings as well as its potential for the future.”

Tentative plans are being made for two Special Visits next year including one for families. Dates and details will be announced in The American Bahá’í.

WLGI Radio dedication is postponed

The National Spiritual Assembly announces the postponement of the dedication of WLGI Radio, which was originally scheduled for October 20 in Hemingway, South Carolina.

An announcement of the new date for the dedication will be made as soon as it has been scheduled.

In light of the recently announced plan to re-initiate the “Army of Light” teaching campaign, the present plans for expanding the facilities and programs at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, and the program development efforts that are ongoing at the station itself, the National Assembly feels that rescheduling the dedication would allow us to take fuller advantage of the comprehensive development efforts that are now under way.

‘Parenting’ series

Responding to the spirit of “Operation Befriend” and to the impetus generated by the message from the Universal House of Justice on social and economic development, the Spiritual Assembly of St. Charles, Missouri, has initiated a program called “Mother to Mother: A Series in Creative Parenting.”

The series, which began in September and was to run through November, features noted local speakers in a presentation and discussion format and is designed especially to attract non-Bahá’ís.

Topics include “Love and Loving,” “Family Problem-Solving: Communication and Consultation,” and “Discipline: Is There a Better Way?”

Bahá’í is speaker at 2-day symposium on human rights

Dr. Amin Banani, a Bahá’í who is a professor of history and Near Eastern languages at UCLA, was one of the featured speakers September 22 during a two-day symposium in Beverly Hills, California, entitled “The Violation of Human Rights: The Quest for Understanding.”

Dr. Banani’s topic was “The Policy of Extermination of the Bahá’í Community in Iran: A Commentary on Religious Persecution.”

The symposium was sponsored by the Southern California Psychoanalytic Society in association with the Walter Briehl Human Rights Foundation.

Among the other speakers were former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; the Hon. Willie L. Brown Jr., Speaker of the California State Assembly; John G. Healey, executive director of Amnesty International; renowned Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld; and Jacobo Timerman, a former newspaperman in Argentina whose experience with oppression in that country led to the publication of a best-selling book, Cell Without a Number.

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Be like the fountain— empty yourself, and be refilled National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 13]

UNICEF programs help feed world’s hungry children

On a worldwide scale, almost half a billion people suffer from malnutrition.

IN MANY developing countries, one of every five children dies before the age of five, and an inadequate diet is a significant factor in these deaths.

Anemia, diarrhea, measles, chicken pox, pneumonia, tuberculosis—minor or at least controllable diseases in the U.S.—are routine causes of death for children already weakened by malnutrition.

While the world is producing enough food to give everyone an adequate diet, distribution of the world’s natural resources, and the products of those resources, remains unbalanced.

Even in the U.S., with its well-stocked supermarkets, malnutrition is present—among migrant workers and their children, in parts of the rural South, in Appalachia and in urban slums.

All over the world, dietary deficiencies are permanently damaging and robbing children of their opportunity to develop into healthy, mentally alert and physically capable adults.

IN THE developing world alone, the lives of some 40,000 children are lost every day to malnutrition and its attendant diseases . . . a shocking and saddening statistic.

UNICEF participates in programs to improve the lives of children in more than 100 countries. Adequate nutrition is vital to the effectiveness of all these programs.

This Thanksgiving—at a time when we traditionally join family and friends to give thanks for good health and the daily abundance of food on our table—you are invited to celebrate the spirit of the holiday in a special way.

The U.S. Committee for UNICEF is offering a Thanksgiving Community/Global Pantry Program that focuses on the problem of hunger and the impact it has on both the local and international community and its most vulnerable victims—children.

The aim of the program is to involve the community in collecting canned goods for distribution to those in need in the community, while at the same time asking those friends, neighbors, local stores and corporations to pledge “matching” contributions for every pound of food collected to UNICEF to help support its programs for those in need in developing countries around the world.

For information about the Community/Global Pantry Program and suggestions on organizing a Thanksgiving event, contact Debbie Haynes, U.S. Committee for UNICEF, New York, NY 10016, or phone 212-686-5522, ext. 411.

Green Lake Conference in Wisconsin marks 25th anniversary

Continued from Page 1

John Kolstoe, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, brought greetings and best wishes on behalf of that body.

This year’s conference included a special Sunday afternoon observance of World Peace Day.

AS IS always the case at Green Lake, which is held in the lovely and spacious complex operated by the American Baptist Assembly, there were well-organized classes for children and youth as well as for the adults.

The older children and youth enjoyed especially a spirited outdoor game of “Dungeons and Dragons” that left many of them pleading for more.

The National Spiritual Assembly used its Saturday morning presentation to answer questions from the audience.

The questions dealt with a wide range of topics from teaching, consolidation and administration to pioneering, the Funds, the spiritual destiny of Native Americans, the Iranian refugee question, Bahá’í involvement in “movements,” and the National Assembly’s Campaign of Unified Action.

After enumerating the extraordinary gains made possible over the last few years by the sacrificial efforts of the American Bahá’í community in giving to the Fund, such as the reconstruction of the Louhelen Bahá’í School and the acquisition of WLGI Radio in South Carolina, Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, said the Assembly is presently undergoing a period of “financial reorganization,” the goals of which, he said, include (1) breaking even with respect to Fund contributions and expenses, (2) retiring the present debt of about $1.8 million, and (3) building working capital to enable us to borrow from ourselves instead of from banks.

TO HELP achieve these goals, said Dr. Henderson, the National Assembly is (1) reducing administrative costs at the National Center by integrating some activities and resources and postponing some non-critical purchases and activities, and (2) seeking in every way possible to accelerate the teaching work in the U.S.

Saturday evening, individual members of the National Spiritual Assembly told of their recent travels to Africa (Dwight Allen and Wilma Brady), Israel (James and Dorothy Nelson), and the dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Western Samoa (Soo Fouts).

Also presented Saturday evening was an audio-visual program from the Audio-Visual Department at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa.

The Sunday morning session included the introduction of those who had attended all of the 25 Green Lake conferences as well as those Bahá’ís who had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh at Green Lake.

Saturday afternoon’s optional sessions were:

• “Knowing the Watchword: Key to Successful Teaching,” presented by the National Race Unity Committee.
• “BECOMING Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh,” presented by the National Treasurer’s Office.
• “Working Miracles with the Media,” presented by the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs.
• “Travel like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” (travel teaching), presented by Arden Lee.
• “Carry the Glad Tidings,” presented by Dr. Faily.
• “Shake Off the Very Dust from Your Feet,” presented by the International Goals Committee.
• “The Dawning Place of God’s Praise” (the House of Worship), presented by Robert Shaw.
• “Bahá’í Basics,” presented by Dale and Rhonda Spenner.
• “The Whole Earth Will Be Illuminated” (Native American teaching), presented by Edwin Roberts.
• “Educating Mankind,” presented by the National Education Committee.
• “Persian-Speaking Session,” presented by the Persian Affairs Office.

DR. FAILY addressed the conference twice, on Friday evening (“This Cycle Is Distinguished”) and Sunday morning (“Brilliant Jewels May Irradiate Upon Centuries and Cycles”).

Other speakers at the conference:

• David Rouleau, “Effort Ennobled and Exalted.”
• Kia Saeian, “The Youth Movement—The Feasibility and the Challenge.”
• Maia Ashby (age eight), “Humanity Is One Family.”
• Carol Handy, “The Dragons of Ridvania.”
• Don Quintenz, “The Spiritual World of Nature.”
• Lori Block, “The 25th Anniversary Observance.”

A wide range of musical entertainment was presented including classical, jazz, folk, Persian and country.

A breakdown of attendance by ages showed 777 adults, 68 youth and 287 children and infants. The total of 1,132 was nearly 200 below the record 1,305 who attended last year’s conference.

Above: Judy Courtwright of the International Goals Committee staff conducts a class on pioneering. Below: Dr. Dwight Allen greets Katherine Khavari, a member of the Green Lake Planning Committee.

Above: Singer/guitarist Mark Spittal (left photo) and Lennel Grace and Donna Kime of the musical group ‘Children of Time’ entertain at the Green Lake Conference. Below: A children’s class teacher offers helpful guidance in ‘cutting and pasting.’

Nearly 1,000 at Massanetta Springs Conference

Nearly 1,000 Bahá’ís and their guests were present during the Labor Day weekend for the annual Massanetta Springs Bahá’í Conference in Virginia.

This year’s conference was blessed by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem.

Other speakers included Auxiliary Board members Robert Harris, Albert James and Nathan Rutstein; Dr. Alberta Deas, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and director of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina; and Ms. Shamsi Sedaghat.

Saturday evening’s entertainers included country singer Lew DeWitt of the Statler Brothers, the Bahá’í choral group NAVA (Nourish All Voices in Amity), and several other talented musicians. [Page 14]

Generosidad y compasión para nuestras fallas

Shoghi Effendi, el amado Guardián, se refirió a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, así: “debe para siempre ser considerado como el Centro y Pivote de la Alianza incomparable, que todo lo abarca, de Bahá’u’lláh, como Su más exaltada obra, como el Espejo inmaculado de Su Luz, el perfecto Ejemplo de Sus enseñanzas, el infalible Intérprete de Su Palabra, la personificación de cada uno de los ideales Bahá’ís, la encarnación de cada una de las virtudes Bahá’ís, la Más Poderosa Rama salida de la Antigua Raíz, el Miembro de la Ley de Dios, el Ser ‘A Cuyo alrededor giran todos los nombres,’ el Resorte Principal de la Unidad del Género Humano, la Insignia de la Paz Suprema, la Luna del Astro Central de esa santísima Dispensación, nombres y títulos que son implícitos y hallan su más real, su más alta y más hermosa expresión en el mágico nombre: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”

La vida de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ofrece a cada creyente ejemplos de cómo nos debemos comportar para con nuestro prójimo y del amor que siempre debemos llevar en el corazón para la creación entera. En este número y los próximos, se presentará anécdotas de la vida del ilustre “Maestro,” para inspirar nuestros corazones y acciones.

En los primeros días en que se conocía la Causa de Bahá’u’lláh en América, la Sra. Lua Getsinger permanecía en ‘Akká pues había hecho el peregrinaje a la Ciudad Prisión para ver al Maestro.

ESTANDO un día con El, El le dijo que estaba demasiado ocupado para visitar a un amigo que se encontraba muy pobre y enfermo, y deseaba que ella fuese en Su lugar.

Concluyó El: “Llévele alimento y cuídelo como Yo lo he estado haciendo.”

Orgullosa de que ‘Abdu’l-Bahá le confiara esta misión, ella se fue gozosa.

Pronto volvió. “Maestro,” exclamó, “seguramente Ud. no se dió cuenta a qué lugar tan terrible me envió. Casi me desmayé del olor tan fétido, de los cuartos sucios, la condición degradante de aquel hombre y su casa. Salí volando antes de contraerme alguna enfermedad horrible.”

Triste y firmemente la miró ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, diciendo: “¿Deseas servir a Dios? Si es así, sirve a tu prójimo porque en él verás la imagen y semejanza de Dios!” (Portals to Freedom, p. 85)

• * *

La Sra. Getsinger se encontraba un día en ‘Akká. También se hallaba allí una mujer occidental quien estaba contando todos sus problemas a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

ESTO ERA algo raro pues generalmente cuando estaba uno en presencia de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, se contagiaba con Su radiante amor y sólo esperaba Sus bendiciones.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá escuchó con gran amabilidad durante una media hora; al fin se puso de pié y le dijo que tenía un compromiso y necesitaba salir, y señalándole hacia la ventana dijo:

“Pero allí va un hombre a quien traeré para que la vea. Se llama Haydar Alí. Nosotros lo llamamos ‘el Angel de Monte Carmelo.’ El camina sobre la tierra pero vive en el cielo. El tiene muchos problemas y ‎les los se los‎ contará.”

(En realidad, Haydar Alí había sufrido toda clase de persecución).

“El Angel de Monte Carmelo” con gran humildad y dulzura empezó a hablar con la mujer sobre el siglo tan luminoso en que vivíamos y la Era Divina que va a venir.

Ella le escuchó por cierto tiempo impaciente hasta que interrumpió la conversación diciendo: “Pero ‘Abdu’l-Bahá me manifestó que Ud. iba a relatarme sus problemas.”

“¿Problemas?” respondió Haydar Alí. “Nunca he tenido problemas. No sé lo que quiere decir la palabra ‘problemas.’” (Estrella del oeste, Vol. VIII, p. 244)

• * *

Yo, Sra. Florian King, dije al Maestro: “Oh, Bien Amado, el paraíso está oscurecido para mí sin Ti, y Tu Presencia. Para mí, Tú eres Bahá’u’lláh, Tú eres Mahoma, Cristo, Moisés, Buda.”

El extendió Su mano, diciendo: “Venid y tomad mi mano.”

Su rostro estaba radiante. Le pregunté si podría besar Su mano.

“No, hija mía,” replicó ‘Abdu’l-Bahá con su sonrisa paternal, “Eso no es permitido. La personalidad no es para ser adorada; es la luz que es de importancia, no la lámpara desde la cual brilla.” (The Chosen Highway)

• * *

A menudo cuando la familia de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá estaba por cenar en la noche, alguien informaba sobre algún infortunado que estaba muriendo de hambre y a quien El no había visitado durante el día.

Entonces, rápidamente la comida dispuesta para ellos era envuelta y colocada en una canasta para ser enviada apresuradamente a la familia en necesidad, mientras ‘Abdu’l-Bahá se sonreía y decía: “No importa, nosotros cenamos anoche y mañana cenaremos.” (Principios Bahá’ís, p. 14)

• * *

De todas las horas que pasamos con ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, las más memorables y elocuentes eran aquellas en que El describió el futuro económico de la humanidad.

EN ESA época, en 1907, las maquinarias industriales no habían afectado aún a los mercados.

El dijo: “Hoy día la dinámica energía del Espíritu se ha vertido en tal volumen por medio del Mensajero de Dios que aún las masas la han recibido, lo cual no fue posible antes.

“Siempre en el pasado ‎los almas las almas‎ especialmente sensitivos recibieron la influencia y actuaron de acuerdo con ella.

“Pero hoy, por primera vez, las mentes de todas las gentes han sido tocadas por el Espíritu y el resultado es que los diseños de las maquinarias industriales les han sido claramente revelados.

“Puede parecer extraño que el Espíritu Santo mostrase diseños para maquinarias industriales, pero en realidad cada impulso creativo del cerebro puede solamente elevarse por medio del contacto con el Espíritu. Sin eso el cerebro es meramente capaz de actuar en forma convencional y tradicional.

“Las maquinarias industriales han sido dadas para crear confort para toda la humanidad.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá repitió esto varias veces. El estaba tan profundamente impresionado con este hecho que a medida que hablaba se levantaba y comenzaba a caminar de un lado a otro en la pequeña habitación, Su rostro y Sus ojos brillaban con gozo al contemplar el futuro feliz de la humanidad. (Estrella del oeste, julio de 1923, p. 106)

• * *

En ‘Akká había un hombre que odiaba tanto a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, que cada vez que se encontraba con El en la calle, Le daba la espalda, temiendo que pudiese perder su odio al mirarlo.

Un día se encontraron en una callejuela tan estrecha, que el hombre se vió forzado a mirar a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cara a cara.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá palmeó el hombro del hombre y dijo: “Espera unos momentos hasta que yo le hable. No importa cuán grande sea tu odio por Mí, no puede ser más fuerte que mi amor por tí.”

El hombre se sobresaltó, vencido por el irresistible poder del amor del Maestro. (Estrella del oeste, junio de 1923)

• * *

‘Abdu’l-Bahá nunca podía obtener suficiente cantidad de luz. Nos enseñó a economizar cualquier otra cosa que no fuera la luz.

Dije yo: “Es maravilloso viajar bajo el resplandor de la luz con la verdadera LUZ—la LUZ de las luces.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá respondió: “Eso no es nada, esto es sólo el comienzo. Estaremos juntos en todos los mundos de Dios.

“No podéis daros cuenta aquí de lo que eso significa. No lo podéis imaginar, no podéis formaros ningún concepto aquí en este mundo de elementos como será estar conmigo en los mundos eternos.” (Primeros días de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá en América, p. 12)

• * *

Antes de la caída de Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá estaba comentando la campaña británica con algunos de los creyentes.

ENTONCES El predijo que, contrario a la opinión pública, la toma de Haifa y la amurallada ciudad de ‘Akká tendrían lugar sin derramamiento de sangre.

Esta predicción fue verificada con los hechos. El también mencionó que los turcos se rendirían en ‘Akká, la que se consideraba inaccessible, para dos desarmados soldados británicos. Los hechos que tuvieron lugar según pude informarme, fueron los siguientes:

Antes de la entrada de nuestras tropas en Haifa, la línea del frente avanzó hasta la mitad del camino a ‘Akká y una avanzada tomó posesión de las arenas de la Bahía a unas cuatro millas de ‘Akká.

Se creía que ‘Akká, como una ciudad fortificada y rodeada de murallas, estaría llena de tropas turcas en esta ocasión. Una mañana muy temprano dos soldados del servicio militar británico, que habían perdido su camino en la noche, se encontraron en las puertas de ‘Akká, creyendo por error que la ciudad ya estaba en manos británicas.

Sin embargo, las escasas tropas turcas se habían evacuado secretamente, hacía sólo 8 horas, y el alcalde de la ciudad, viendo a los soldados británicos, vino y les entregó las llaves de la ciudad en señal de rendición.

Se dice en fuentes dignas que los soldados aterrados, estando desarmados, hicieron caer la llaves y se alejaron rápidamente a las líneas británicas. (The Chosen Highway, pp. 224-25)

N. Mexico Bahá’ís donate blood for World Peace Day

As part of a local effort to counteract the shedding of blood by force in wars and conflicts around the world, the Bahá’ís of Albuquerque, New Mexico, observed World Peace Day by donating their own blood in cooperation with United Blood Services.

The blood drive was held September 15 at the University of New Mexico.

Simultaneously, an interfaith prayer service was held outside the building, followed by an informal discussion of the Bahá’í approach to peace.

The observance continued with a Concert for Peace, an outdoor picnic supper, a public talk entitled “Peace Begins With Me,” and international folk dancing.

Nuevos títulos disponibles en español

El servicio de distribución bahá’í ha recibido una buena cantidad de libros en Español de la editorial EBILA en Argentina. Para mas información vease en “The American Bahá’í” de éste mes, en la página “Distribution Service.”

‘Unity Day’ program

About 60 people attended a “Unity Day” ‎prógram program‎ September 9 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Orange County, New York.

The speakers, each of whom addressed the topic “The Oneness of Mankind,” were Rabbi Ronald Gerson, Father George Kolojczyk, the Rev. Kenneth Waldron, and a Bahá’í, Kathleen Nawi.

Dr. Hussein Ahdieh, a Bahá’í from New York City, moderated the program.

New from Kalimát Press

CIRCLE OF UNITY Bahá’í Approaches To Current Social Issues edited by Anthony A. Lee An attempt to present Bahá’í positions on the most pressing issues of our times—the nuclear arms race, racism, feminism, economic development, Marxism. Ten essays by Bahá’ís on important social issues. $9.95* paperback only Available in paper only. 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches, 258 pp. Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Price valid only in the United States.

[Page 15]

THE BAHÁ’Í WRITINGS

‘Individual and Teaching’ an excellent study guide to prepare oneself for ‘month of firesides’

Are you ready? Get set. Go!

Wait a minute. Shouldn’t we meet the challenge of the month of firesides with a little preparation?

WHAT BETTER WAY to prepare for this month than to read, reread, and take to heart “The Individual and Teaching: Raising the Divine Call.”

This booklet of gems brings together the injunctions of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi related to teaching, which is described by the Universal House of Justice in the book’s preface as “the cornerstone of the foundation of all Bahá’í activity.”

Now, we don’t need a month of firesides to know this. But while we’re focused on the fireside, we may as well study again about why it is the most powerful and effective way to teach the Faith.

We might also learn how the fireside method can be adapted to each individual’s circumstances. And how to become a better channel for the diffusion of the Cause.

Who makes the best teacher of the Bahá’í Faith? According to Shoghi Effendi, “A ‘best teacher’ and an ‘exemplary believer’ is ultimately neither more nor less than an ordinary Bahá’í who has consecrated himself to the work of the Faith....”

HMMM. MAYBE THAT’S WHY the National Spiritual Assembly in its message to the District Conventions reminds us of the responsibility of each individual in winning the goal of expansion of the Faith.

Whether we hold a fireside every evening, or only one in 19 days, we can all contribute to this goal—not just this month, but every month.

“The need of the hour is teaching on the home front,” writes Shoghi Effendi. “Its goals can only be won by a new spirit of dedication and consecration on the part of the friends, each in his own country, in his own home.

“...Never must they let a day pass without teaching some soul, trusting to Bahá’u’lláh that the seed will grow....”

For clear-cut guidance and inspiration for the month of firesides, “The Individual and Teaching” is one of the best refresher courses around.

Ready? Set? Go!

Be sure you have ample fireside materials

Remember what it was like to discover the Bahá’í writings for the first time?

During the month of firesides, teaching materials can play an enormous part in the success of your community’s activities.

What will the people you teach be attracted to? Something fairly simple, perhaps, with photographs, such as the orange Bahá’í Faith teaching booklet?

Something directly from the words of Bahá’u’lláh, such as the new pocket-sized Gleanings or Kitáb-i-Íqán?

Something with detailed information about the history and teachings of the Faith, such as Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era?

Something on Christian subjects, such as the pocket-sized Some Answered Questions or the new edition of God’s Great Plan?

And of course, there is always the indispensable Bahá’í Prayers.

The chances are good that the books our friends and seekers will be attracted to are as varied as the people themselves.

Rather than trying to second-guess them, it’s best to have as many teaching materials on hand as possible, so that when the firesides are rolling, the seekers who attend them will have adequate books and pamphlets to draw upon.

Order now! You’ll find ordering information on the Bahá’í Distribution Service page in this issue.

Ordering from Bahá’í Distribution Service

Individuals living anywhere in the world can order titles listed on this page from the Bahá’í Distribution Service at the prices quoted (see the coupon on Page 10). U.S. customers should add 10 per cent for postage and handling (minimum $1.50) for UPS or fourth class mail; foreign customers should add 15 per cent (minimum $1.50) for surface mail.

Bahá’í institutions outside the 48 contiguous states should order directly from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Four splendid new books ready for fall release

Four new books will be released by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust late this fall, according to Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor of the Publishing Trust.

The first book, Unto Him Shall We Return, is a comprehensive compilation of extracts on the reality and immortality of the human soul. Compiled by Hushidar Motlagh, its focus is on the progress of the soul in this world and in the next.

The first three sections contain extracts from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The final two sections offer selections from The Hidden Words and prayers for the departed.

“Unto Him Shall We Return is an excellent source book for detailed studies on life here and hereafter,” says Dr. Fisher. “It will also be useful in preparing funeral or memorial services.

“For the non-Bahá’í, Unto Him Shall We Return offers a perspective that is universal and extremely helpful to those coming to terms with the death of loved ones or thinking about the purpose of life here on earth.

“In addition,” she says, “its attractive appearance makes this long-awaited book of references on immortality a perfect gift book.”

Bahá’í Daybook: Passages for Deepening and Meditation is a book of daily devotions for each day of the Bahá’í year.

Beginning with Naw-Rúz, the Bahá’í Daybook serves as an educational tool to explain Holy Days and Feasts; aspects of Bahá’í history, administration and community life; and other teachings such as progressive revelation, race unity, work in the spirit of service, child rearing, and many other aspects of Bahá’í life.

It includes excerpts from the Bahá’í writings, passages from the Universal House of Justice, and from the Bible and other holy books.

In addition, there are questions and answers, definitions of difficult words in the writings, and illustrations. Both the Bahá’í and Gregorian dates appear on each page.

“The topics are organized around the Bahá’í year,” says Dr. Fisher. “For example, in April the references and the questions and answers deal with the formation of Local Spiritual Assemblies.

“This book will serve as a reminder of many aspects of Bahá’í life for deepened Bahá’ís, and as a great educational tool for new believers,” she adds.

I can help prepare and serve refreshments. A page from My Bahá’í Book

Special Strengths, a collection of four new stories for children by Gail Radley, will be published by Bellwood Press, an imprint of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Written by the author of Zahra’s Search, Special Strengths is a character-development book that deals with the theme of growth and transformation in the face of difficulties.

Through the experiences of four woodland creatures, Ms. Radley conveys the meaning of reverence and prayer, acceptance of differences, cooperation with others, and being one’s self—even if everyone else is following the crowd. Her style is refreshing and free of didacticism.

Especially good for 7 to 11 year olds, these stories also have appeal for older children and adults, who will enjoy the adventures of these forest creatures along with their children.

I Am a Bahá’í, the latest in the series of Sunflower activity books by Deborah Christensen, includes four Sunflower books under one cover.

It presents simple information about four aspects of Bahá’í life in language and with activities appropriate for 3 to 7 year olds.

The four sections, “My Bahá’í Community,” “My Feast Book,” “Our Bahá’í Holy Days,” and “Our Bahá’í House of Worship” are written in the first person from the child’s point of view. Drawings to color, photographs, and blank spaces for the child’s own drawings are included.

A six-page “Message to Parents” describes how I Am a Bahá’í can be used with children in a family setting or in children’s classes.

Ordering information for all of these exciting new titles will be available in the near future, says Dr. Fisher.

DO YOU LIVE IN COMMUNITY A?

(The following scenario takes place on April 28, 1985, at the first meeting of the Feast and Holy Days Committee of community A.)

John: I think we should be super-organized and plan the entire year. Does anyone have a calendar?

Consuelo: Oh, dear, I forgot to order my calendars and date-book from the Publishing Trust. Does anyone else have one?

Pierre: We have a datebook, but it’s in my wife’s purse. And I hate to admit it, but my pocket calendar went through the wash ...

Parvin: I think I can remember when the Holy Days are, but what about Feasts and special event days? It looks like we can’t plan out the year after all.

(Meanwhile, the Spiritual Assembly of community A has run into the same problem at its planning meeting. The bulletin editor wishes she had a calendar, and the librarian is embarrassed that he didn’t think about ordering calendars for everyone back in the fall.)

OR DO YOU LIVE IN COMMUNITY B?

(The following scenario takes place in community B at the Feast of Sharaf, December 30, 1984.)

Jane: Well, I’m glad we ordered enough Bahá’í calendars and datebooks for everyone and every committee.

Miguel: I have a wall calendar for home and for the office, and five pocket calendars in case I lose some!

Massoud: I’m so glad the datebook starts at the first of the year—March 21. And the price has gone down—only $1.85. It even has more pages!

Bernice: It’s great to feel prepared for planning the Bahá’í year!

HOW WOULD YOU SOLVE COMMUNITY A’S PROBLEMS?

(Multiple choice)

1) By ordering calendars early 2) By ordering enough calendars for individuals 3) By ordering enough calendars for the Assembly members 4) By ordering enough calendars for all committee members

YOU GUESSED IT—all answers are correct!

The 1985/142 B.E. calendars and datebook are now available. The Bahá’í wall calendar is $1.00. The Bahá’í datebook is $1.85. The Bahá’í pocket calendar is $1.75 for a package of 10. To order these items, see the information on Page 10. [Page 16]Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.

THE FALL issue of World Order magazine is now available. With articles such as “An Open Letter to Iran’s Rulers,” “Temple of Light: The Quest for a Design” by Bruce Whitmore, and “The Poor in America: A Visionary Assessment” by June Thomas, the Fall issue is a good example of what can be expected in every issue of World Order. The magazine makes a thoughtful gift to Bahá’ís and friends of the Faith. Subscriptions are $10 for one year, $18 for two years. Copies of back issues are available for $3 each. To subscribe, send check or money order to World Order, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

LESOTHO has a marvelous job opportunity suitable for a self-supporting couple without children to serve as caretakers at its National Center. Lesotho is a goal country. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

FORMER Oregonians: Please help facilitate the compilation of information about the growth of the Faith in Oregon from its earliest beginnings to the present time by writing to Bahá’í History Project, P.O. Box 1845, Florence, OR 97439. The project is under the direction of the Western Oregon District Teaching Committee. Initially, we need your full name(s) and address, date and place of enrollment, and activities performed in Oregon and other places. Anecdotes are welcome. Please don’t delay!

HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed to maintain and strengthen a jeopardized Assembly in Creswell, Oregon, a lovely rural community that is only a 15-minute drive from a university and community college. Apartments and homes are available; there are job opportunities in nearby Eugene and Springfield. For more information, write to the Spiritual Assembly of Creswell, P.O. Box 578, Creswell, OR 97426, or phone J. Doperoy at 503-895-2576.

WE CAN help Bahá’ís get into the best schools possible. Phone Bonnie, 202-231-3591, any time. Free counseling for high school, college and adult would-be students.

LIBERIA needs someone with a master’s degree in studio art or its equivalent, preferably with a background in history, to teach four courses per semester at a university. Liberia is a goal country. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

NURSING instructor/northern New Mexico: masters level nurse is being recruited as instructor for ADN program at a community college near Santa Fe. A great opportunity to become a homefront pioneer in the beautiful Southwest, to live and work among Pueblo Indians and Hispanics as well as Anglos. Also, help save the Assembly in Espanola, the sponsor of Project Daybreak whose goal is the formation of Assemblies on all 20 Indian Reservations in the state. Qualifications: masters degree; eligibility for licensing as an RN in New Mexico; knowledge of community college philosophy; commitment to teaching in both clinical and college setting; experience in student advisement and in one or more of the following specialties: maternal-child health, mental health, obstetrics, pediatrics. Salary is commensurate with qualifications. Deadline for application is December 30. Phone Lea Andersen, secretary, Spiritual Assembly of Espanola, 505-753-2144, or write directly to the chairman, Health Occupations, ADN Search Committee, Northern New Mexico Community College, P.O. Box 250, Espanola, NM 87532. Send letter of application, resumé, transcripts, and three letters of recommendation.

BAHÁ’ÍS with knowledge and/or interest in the field of deafness are sought. Please write to Chuck Bullock, c/o ... El Cajon, CA 92022.

ARE YOU retired and searching for a way to serve the Faith? The lovely Bahá’í Center in San Diego, California, needs a resident caretaker—retired couple preferred. The Center is large, as is the community, and duties include maintenance, minor repairs, and participation in community activities. Furnished studio apartment and remuneration in return for services. If this sounds interesting to you, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of San Diego, ... San Diego, CA 92111, or telephone 619-571-2970.

DAILY meditation (in addition to prayer) has helped me in many ways including health and spiritual development. I’d like to hear from other Bahá’ís who meditate daily. Let me know what techniques you use, how long you’ve been meditating, and the benefits you experience. Write to David Frankel, ... Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

CLEAN OUT your closets! We need those unread or used books. The Native American Bahá’í Institute in Burnt Water, Arizona, has established a public library for the people in that area. Needed are all kinds of hardcover books especially encyclopedias, dictionaries, language books, non-fiction works, and those on most other topics. Mail small shipments (prepaid) to the Native American Bahá’í Institute Public Library, Burnt Water, c/o Houck, AZ 86506 (1/4-mile east of the Burnt Water Trading Post). For large shipments, contact James Stone, librarian, Gallup Bahá’í Library, Gallup, NM 87301, or phone 505-863-6701.

NEEDED! Pioneering teaching stories, traveling teaching stories, indirect teaching stories, stories about teaching the Faith in your community—for a collection of stories about teaching the Faith. Send to Dari Fossum, c/o International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed in beautiful Tumwater, Washington, sister city to the state’s capital city, Olympia, at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound. Tumwater (population 8,000) needs a well-deepened Bahá’í couple, family, or single homefront pioneers to help teach and ultimately restore its lost Assembly. With a mild year-round climate and annual rainfall of 35 inches, Tumwater is considered a very desirable place to live, and the metropolitan tri-city area is the second fastest growing community in the U.S. People may inquire about jobs in government (the largest employer), education, agriculture, medicine, nursing, clerical work, social work or other services. There is a growing hardwood furniture industry, and cheesemaking, metal fabricating and mushroom growing are also important businesses. Hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities abound in nearby areas. Retired couples would love it here! The larger metropolitan cities of Seattle and Portland are within easy driving distance. Schooling is available at a private college as well as the Evergreen State College and several vocational schools; three large school districts support excellent public schools. Towering Mount Rainier, east of Olympia, lies between the heavily wooded Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, while Mount St. Helens is about 70 miles south. Won’t you give this your prayerful consideration, and let us hear from you? Please contact the Bahá’í Group of Tumwater, c/o Frances Amundson, correspondent, ... Tumwater, WA 98502, or phone 206-943-8093.

THE NEW “Homefront Pioneer Booklet” is available from the National Teaching Committee. The booklet lists and explains the committee’s priorities for homefront pioneers as well as helpful information for all Bahá’ís about homefront pioneering. You’ll want to have this information for yourself and your Assembly to be knowledgeable about the Homefront Pioneer Program and how we can use it to help win the goals of the Seven Year Plan. For free copies of this new publication, please write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

THE NATIONAL university of Lesotho has openings for lecturers in the departments of political and administrative studies, mathematics, and computer science. Master’s degree is required. Lesotho is a goal country. For information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

A GOOD JOB in Yucatán is being held for a Bahá’í, male or female, teaching English in a school. Living arrangements for a single person are immediately available. Go on a tourist visa; the school will arrange for a work visa. Yucatán is a goal area. Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

BAHÁ’Í NEWS celebrates its 60th anniversary in December 1984, and you’re invited to take part. If you already subscribe to Bahá’í News, you know that every issue is filled with the best news in the world. Bahá’í News gives the best in-depth coverage of national and international conventions, conferences, elections and dedications. And not only will Bahá’í News keep you in touch with Radio Bahá’í in South Carolina, but Radio Bahá’í in Peru and Bolivia as well. Subscribe now and be a part of the 60th anniversary celebration. Rates are $12 for one year, $20 for two. Make checks payable to Bahá’í News and mail to Subscriber Service, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

GRADUATE teacher is urgently needed to teach geography, English and science at a secondary school in Lesotho, which is a goal country. Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

MAINTENANCE skills and household materials are needed for the Amoz Gibson Project. We are currently putting in basic plumbing, insulation and other winterizing materials. People with skills in carpentry, mechanics or plumbing are especially needed. Also needed are basic furnishings such as beds, mattresses, desks, bedding, etc. Please contact or send to the Amoz Gibson Project, ... Wanblee, SD 57577, or phone 605-462-6309.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking to locate, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the following Bahá’ís: Mary Movius, Dr. Channing Stiles, Peter Maus, Richard Mayer, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Moxey, Edith Horn, the Rev. B. Alfred Hills, J. Wellman Marsh, Dorothy Barbour, Nellie M. Holmes, Gloria Baker, Lucille Bates and Viola Silver. Anyone having information regarding the whereabouts of these or any other original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

HAVE YOU ever thought seriously of pioneering to an island in the Atlantic? If so, try Martha’s Vineyard and help form a Bahá’í Group. Jobs are available and rent is lower than you may think (especially in winter)! And it’s exquisitely beautiful the year ’round. Contact Victoria de León, P.O. Box 994, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or phone 617-693-4581 (no collect calls, please).

PIONEER needing a trade to sustain self abroad or on homefront: I will give you two months free basic training in commercial printing including photography, paste-up and stripping, plating (letterpress and offset), and press operation. You must arrange for your own room and board and for transportation to, from and while in Dallas, Texas. Contact Massoud Azimi, Supreme Printing Company, ... Dallas, TX 75207; phone 214-742-2511.

A BASQUE-language course in Spanish is available free to an interested friend. A study of this language can help reach an important minority group. Contact Mrs. Roberta Bulling, ... Lemon Grove, CA 92045, or phone 619-469-4648.

EXTENSION educators and assistants are needed in Lesotho. The job involves the promotion of adult education movement through economic cooperation and income-generating projects at the village level. The work is challenging and involves extensive field work. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

HAS your community ordered more teaching materials than it can use? Please consider sending them to the Amoz Gibson Project. Especially needed are the Creative Word in paperback for individuals (especially prayer books) and hardback for libraries, introductory materials geared to Native Americans, and a copy of the Feast flip chart made available some years ago. Please send materials to the Amoz Gibson Project, ... Wanblee, SD 57577, or phone 605-462-6309.

TEACHERS are needed in English-Medium Primary School in Lesotho (a goal country) to teach children from varied cultural and educational backgrounds ages 4 1/2 to 12. Experience with multi-racial groups and ability to teach music, athletics, arts and crafts is an added advantage.

See ADS Page 24 [Page 17]

EYE ON NATIONAL

Last month’s article told you where everything is at the National Center—which building houses which offices—and the question “what is National” was answered.

This month we answer the question, “What does ‘National’ do?” or, “Who does what?”

THERE ARE both national committee offices and service offices at the National Center (although not all committees maintain an office at this time).

What this means to the National Spiritual Assembly is that it has both professionals hired in their area of expertise and elected experts to call upon for advice and assistance. We’ll look at both kinds of offices in this article to give you an idea of how the work is organized.

Office overviews

The National Education Committee office concerns itself with education and consolidation of the American Bahá’í community. The committee secretary and staff of five will answer your questions about Bahá’í schools, the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP), the Assembly Development Program, the Personal Transformation Program, and Brilliant Star magazine.

The National Teaching Committee secretary and four-member staff help the American Bahá’í community win the teaching goals assigned to us by the Universal House of Justice. The office also administers the District Teaching Committees, handles requests and helps with traveling teaching plans and homefront pioneering, and answers all inquiries about the Faith received at the National Center.

The International Goals Committee staff handles all projects involving international pioneering and traveling teaching. The committee and its office of six employees are responsible for recruiting, training and sending pioneers to fill the goals given to us by the Universal House of Justice. A major part of the work involves providing services for the approximately 1,500 pioneers who already are in the field.

The House of Worship Activities Office “runs” the House of Worship, which means planning all Holy Day and special event programs, arranging for dawn prayers, managing the volunteer staff, scheduling weddings, developing new audio-visual ‎aides aids‎ for guides and the public, working with local Bahá’í communities, giving tours, and supplying accurate information to the public and the media when requested—all done by a staff of, presently, three people.

The Persian Affairs Office carries out the dual duties of integrating and resettling the newly arrived Persian believers in this country, plus helping the National Spiritual Assembly with various projects: the Persian refugee program, translations, Persian membership transfers, and helping to prepare Congressional testimony on the persecutions in Iran. A committee secretary and three staff members handle these increasingly responsible duties.

The National Archives is located in the House of Worship, and the two-man staff is responsible for acquiring, preserving, cataloging and supervising all materials of archival interest to the American Bahá’í community. They continually seek out materials while making completed collections available for study to scholars, historians, administrators and authors. The Archives also hold all inactive records of the National Spiritual Assembly and National Center files.

NSA Properties Inc. has numerous responsibilities. The Properties Committee manages all the properties held by the corporation around the country and investigates any possible acquisitions or sales. The staff in Wilmette includes a general manager and office personnel plus the grounds, maintenance and security staffs. “Grounds” maintains the lovely House of Worship gardens and other Center properties—lawns, snow removal, flowers, indoor plants, etc. “Maintenance” works on everything from electrical circuits to air conditioning to cleaning to moving to carpentry, and on and on. “Security” provides round-the-clock guards at the National Center and House of Worship and carries out a regular round of security checks at other properties in Wilmette.

The Treasurer’s Office serves the community as accountant and educator. Of course, the National Fund is administered by this department. The staff receives and counts contributions, pays the bills, sends our contributions to other Funds, projects needs and growth, etc. The Fund Education Department administers the National Treasurer’s Representatives program, develops all Fund education and Fund appeal materials, and answers questions about the Fund’s status, local Fund accounting, and the principles that guide our Bahá’í Funds. An assistant to the Treasurer and a comptroller oversee the office of six “accounting” employees and two “education” employees.

To be continued next month.

Can you identify anyone in this picture?

The National Archives has no information regarding those in the photograph or when or where it was taken. Anyone who is able to provide any identification is asked to write to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Northern Arizona Bahá’ís use ad mailer to proclaim Faith

In June, the Northern Arizona District Teaching Committee sent more than 20,000 mailers to five communities in that district.

The mailer was part of an advertising package that is a weekly mailing organ for businesses and services in the communities.

According to the marketing firm, the Bahá’ís are the first to use its services for religious purposes.

Since nothing more than information was being offered, it was expected that the response would be light. About 30 people responded including one man from Prescott who is now an active seeker.

In Williams, Arizona, the mailer preceded a large direct teaching campaign, a public meeting, and local advertising that was coordinated as a part of the Arizona Bahá’í Summer School held over the Fourth of July weekend in Bellemont.

Many people had received the flyers, the cost of which was six cents apiece including printing and mailing, and among the results were four declarations during the teaching campaign.

The District Teaching Committee is considering a bi-lingual mailer for other parts of the district, while Boulder, Nevada, and East Coconino County, Arizona, are considering adapting the mailer to their local needs.

Two Publishing Trust staffers at children’s literature conference

Two members of the editorial staff of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust—Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor, and Richard Hill, editorial assistant—attended a recent children’s literature conference sponsored by the Chicago Children’s Reading Round Table (CRRT) at Mundelein College on Chicago’s lakefront.

The conference, held September 8, consisted of a keynote address by Barbara Elleman, co-editor of the children’s book section of Booklist; morning and afternoon interest group sessions; and a talk by author Nancy Bond on “The Writer’s Use of Imagination.”

The Publishing Trust participants attended sessions on writing for an ethnic audience and on psychological needs and children’s literature in today’s world.

“It was a significant opportunity for us to discuss books and their appeal to children,” said Dr. Fisher, who also serves as general editor of Bellwood Press, an imprint of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust that specializes in books for children and youth.

“I encourage Bahá’ís who are interested in children’s literature,” she said, “to become members of CRRT in their areas.”

Our sacred obligation National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

to help you win a goal of the 7 Year Plan!— the CREATIVE WORD in Pocket-Sized Editions handsome, deep-red flexible cover stamped in gold—

KITAB-I-IQAN The Book of Certitude

$3.50* EACH

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091

• Price valid only in the United States

[Page 18]

مستدعیات و تذکرات

مکاتبه بزبان انگلیسی با لجنات ملی و دوائر مرکز ملی بهائی ضروری است. احبای عزیز بایستی کوشش بفرمایند حتی المقدور مکاتیب و مرقومات خود را بزبان انگلیسی تهیه و بدفتر محفل ملی و لجنه ها و دوائر مختلف ارسال فرمایند تا از جهتی از تعویق در رسیدگی به خواسته هایشان و تقدیم جواب جلوگیری شود و از جهت دیگر فشار کار موظفین فارسی زبان مرکز ملی بهائی تقلیل یابد.

پناهندگان بهائی ایرانی مدتی است با همکاری تشکیلات بهائی از کشورهای مختلف به ایالات متحده آمریکا، کانادا، استرالیا و برخی دیگر از ممالک منتقل میشوند. برای ورود به آمریکا پناهندگان ایرانی بایستی خود را به یکی از ۹ کشوری که دولت آمریکا در آنجا دفتر رسیدگی به تقاضاهای پناهندگی دارد یعنی هنگ کنگ، هندوستان، یونان، اطریش، آلمان، ایتالیا، اسپانیا، مکزیک و فیلیپین برسانند محافل ملی ترتیبی داده اند که احبای عزیزی که در سایر کشورها در انتظارند بتدریج و بترتیب تاریخ ورود به یکی از کشورهای فوق بروند. اخیراً بعضی از دوستان با مکاتبه یا مراجعه به دفتر محفل روحانی ملی ایالات متحده یا سایر محافل ملیه تقاضا میکنند که برای منسوبین آنان خارج از نوبت اقدام شود تا زودتر به اروپا یا آمریکا برسند و برای این منظور حتی از بعضی دوستان خود در اروپا کمک میگیرند.

دفتر امور احبای ایرانی مستدعی است که احبای گرامی از این اقدام خودداری فرمایند زیرا از محافل ملیه خواهش شده است خارج از نوبت وسیله حرکت کسی را فراهم نیاورند زیرا عادلانه نیست و باعث تضعیف روحیه آن عده از یاران که در کشورهای مختلف در کمال بردباری منتظر نوبت مانده اند خواهد شد، مضافاً بر اینکه این قبیل اقدامات مخارج سنگین تری بر عده تشکیلات بهائی تحمیل مینماید و همچنین موجب اختلال در حرکت منظم و سریع پناهندگان میشود.

معاملات تجاری و مالی یاران با یکدیگر گاهگاه منجر به اختلاف نظر میشود و از تشکیلات امری تقاضای کمک مینمایند. نظر باینکه امکانات محافل بسیار محدود است و ‎بمبیزان بمیزان‎ لازم افراد خبره و متخصص برای رسیدگی و اظهارنظر درباره این چنین مرافعات در اختیار ندارد بنابراین بمنظور جلوگیری از اتلاف وقت مؤسسات و تشکیلات بهائی ‎تا ردیگر بار دیگر‎ خاطر خطیر احبای الهی را به این نکته معطوف میدارد که هرگونه معامله و دادوستد حتی بین دوستان صمیمی و منسوبین بایستی متکی به قرارداد و موافقت کتبی باشد که با رعایت موازین قانونی تنظیم گردیده است.

در مواردی نیز که علیرغم پیش بینی های لازم اختلافی در معامله حاصل میشود بهتر است دوستان روحانی با کمی گذشت و انقطاع مسأله را بین خود و با وساطت سایر دوستان فیصله دهند و نگذارند که رسیدگی و حل و فصل این قبیل مسائل شخصی محافل روحانی و تشکیلات امری را از انجام دادن وظائف اصلیه خود که نشر نفحات الله و ابلاغ کلمه الله است باز دارد.

داستان باستانی

اولین نگاه پدر

الله ابهی

داشی عزیز و مهربان فدای قلب با صفایتان گردم. مرقومه عزیزتان رسید و جمع سه نفری ما را شاد و مسرور نمود. امیدوارم و صمیمانه آرزومند که همیشه و در هر حال لحظاتی خوش داشته باشید و مؤید به تأییداتش گردید.

داشی عزیزم حال ما بد نیست باید سعی کنیم شاد و خوب باشیم هر چند قلوب ظاهراً دلتنگ است و روح در جائی دیگر بسر میبرد اما بخاطر رضای الهی و بخاطر دوستان و اطرافیان باید شاد باشیم و مسرور و قلوبی مطمئن داشته باشیم که بحر الطافش بیکران است و تأییداتش عظیم اما ما شاید چنان غرق در خود و دنیا هستیم که گوشه ای از آن را هم متوجه نمیشویم و باز هم گله مند و دل نگرانیم. فدای شما شوم قربانت گردم در این فضای روحانی، در این بهار روحانی که با تحمل بلایا و رزایا و سختی های بیشمار و به قیمت خون شهداء بدست آورده ایم افسوس و صد افسوس و آه که هنوز هستند نفوسی که قدر این ایام را نمیدانند چنان بی مهر و بی محبت هستند و غرق در هواهای خویش که جز خود و آسایش خویش هیچ چیز را نمیبینند و نمیخواهند آری ما که تا ابد رحل اقامت در دنیا نیافکنده ایم، این چند روزه عمر فانی هم بسر آید و همه به یکسو رویم اما آنچه باقی و برقرار است نیکی و احسان و خیرخواهی و عشقی پاک و نیتی خالص و خدمت است ما برای عالم ملکوت باید بکوشیم و آماده شویم بگذارید مطلبی و یا حقیقتی را برایتان بنویسم که از خاطرات خود در دوران محبوسی پدر عزیزم بیرون آورده ام بنام «اولین نگاه پدر» مینویسم و هر روز میخوانم تا حقیقت زندگی را فراموش نکنم و خون پدر و سایر عزیزان را قدر بدانم و برای همه هم میگویم و خواهم گفت

۱۰۸ روز میگذشت و کوچکترین اطلاعی از حال پدر و دیگر ‎شدایان شهدای آن‎ کوی محبوس نداشتیم تا آنکه روز موعود فرا رسید و فیض زیارت روی دلجویشان شامل حال گشت با شوق و عشقی بی حد و وصف به دعا و مناجات و سپاس به درگاه مقدسش پرداختیم ‎کل پس گل پس‎ مفرح میخواندیم تا در خود حالتی روحانی ایجاد نمائیم تا قابل دیدارشان باشیم و بر اقدام مبارکشان که بخاطر خدمت بعالم انسانی برداشته شد و بخاطر صداقت و راستی به بند رفته بود بوسه زنیم. با قدمهای لرزان، قلبهایی پرطپش و چشمانی از شوق دیدار به اشک آلوده به اتاق کوچکی رفتیم و در انتظار پدر و دو عزیز دلبند دیگر بودیم لحظه ها سخت میگذشت تا اینکه قامت زیبای بلند پدر که قدمهایی محکم و استوار برمیداشت و سینه ای سپر کرده از پشت شیشه نمودار گشت و با تبسمی روحانی وارد شد.

خدایا شکر ترا برای این فضل و موهبت که بنده آستانت این چنین محبوب و مقرب تو واقع شده است، این اولین نگاه نافذ و عمیق پدر بود که به چشمان ضعیف بنده حقیر دوخته شد در این لحظه بزرگ، با روحی پر صفا و قلبی مستبشر از عشق به جمال قدم و لبهایی به لبخندی ملکوتی آراسته، برقی در چشمان نورانیش پنهان مکشوف میساخت و میگفت، بلی این است حقیقت زندگی و آفرینش آری حقیقت بزرگ که بخاطرش به بند افکنده شده ایم، داشتن عشقی پاک و محبتی عظیم و تقدیمش به تمامی انسانها، آنانی که قلبشان را ظلمت کینه و نفرت و کدورت فرا گرفته، اثبات صداقت کلام الهی و فدا شدن در راه محبوب تا شاید رسم کینه و دشمنی برافتد و پیام صلح و آشتی جمال مبارک که عالم مدار آنیم سراسر گیتی را فرا گیرد و عالم انسانی که در ظلمتی از بی مهری و نفرت فرورفته به گلشنی از گلهای پرمهر و محبت و عشق و ‎مفا وفا‎ تبدیل شود تمام اینها را در یک لحظه در آن چشمان نورانی خواندم و فهمیدم و بار دیگر برای آخرین دفعه هنگامی که بر صورت سردش بوسه زدم در یک آن چشمان نیمه باز و تبسم ملکوتیش آن راز را که راز سعادت انسانهاست بخاطرم آورد و این بار گفت میخندم تا بدانی با چه شوق و عشقی در راه محبوبم قدم گذاردم و برای اثبات محبت مدعای خویش جان فدا کردم میخندم بر این دنیای پر آشوب و ‎برغوغا پرغوغا‎ میخندم بر انسانهای فانی که چگونه بی خبر از این حقیقت قشنگ، گرفتار دام هوی و هوس شده اند به مال و ثروتی که فانی است و مقام و منصبی که معدوم شدنی است افتخار میکنند و میخندم که زندگی روحانی و آرامشی ابدی در جهان ملکوت یافته ام. در آن حین بود که با او عهد بستم با او و با تمامی عاشقان سبیل مقدسش که قدم بر جای اقدام آن برگزیدگان الهی گذارم و چنان حرکت و سلوکی نمایم تا زندگیم مشحون از تعالیم الهی و روح بهائی شود آن نگاه نافذ و عمیق پدر را همیشه بخاطر خواهم داشت تا پیامش را راهنمای زندگیم باشد.

بله داشی جان فدای شما شوم این چند روزه حیات فانی ارزش این همه بی مهری و نامهربانی ها را ندارد چرا که باید توشه ای برای عالم ملکوت داشته باشیم که آن جهان، حیات ابدی ماست. به تمامی دوستان تکبیر و ‎وفیر تحیت؟‎ برسانید چرا که اگر هم یکدیگر را نبینیم و نشناسیم اما جمال مبارک در این عصر جدید قلوب را حکم واحد داده و قلوب با هم است.

قربان شما و فدای لطف و صفایتان

تصحیح و اعتذار

با کمال تأسف در متن مناجات مبارک صادره از قلم اعلی که در صفحه ۱۸ امریکن بهائی ماه قبل (اکتبر) درج شد دو غلط چاپی ملاحظه شده است که بدینوسیله خاطر عزیز یاران به آن اغلاط معطوف میگردد.

در سطر پنجم «الغفیته» غلط است و «الغفینه» صحیح است. در سطر هشتم «ناج» غلط است و «تاج» صحیح است. [Page 19]

حقوق‌الله

معافیت مالیاتی حقوق‌الله

پس از سالها کوشش محفل روحانی ملی ایالات متحده موفق شده است موافقت مسؤولین مالیاتی ایالات متحده را با معافیت مبالغی که احبای ساکن این کشور بابت حقوق‌الله میپردازند از مالیات جلب کند. بر اثر این پیروزی عظیم اکنون یاران روحانی که بوظیفه روحانی خویش عمل مینمایند میتوانند کل مبلغی را که از این بابت میپردازند از میزان درآمد سالانه خود که مشمول مالیات میشود کسر کنند.

به این منظور صندوق حقوق‌الله ایالات متحده رسماً تأسیس گردیده است و هیئت امنای آن توسط محفل روحانی ملی پس از مشاوره با حضرت ایادی عزیز امرالله و امین محترم حقوق‌الله جناب دکتر علی محمد ورقا تعیین شده‌اند. اعضاء هیئت امناء عبارتند از امة‌الله دکتر السی آستین، جناب دکتر امین بنانی و جناب دکتر داریوش حقیقی.

جواب بعضی سئوالهای یاران در خصوص حقوق‌الله

۱ - حقوق‌الله چیست؟ حقوق‌الله از احکام کتاب مستطاب اقدس است. ادای حقوق یعنی پرداختن سهمی از ثروت و دارائی که در طول حیات نصیب میشود به مرکز امرالله موجب تصفیه اموال است.

۲ - چه کسانی مشمول حکم حقوق‌الله‌اند؟ ادای حقوق‌الله در این زمان برای احبای ایرانی و کسانی که در موطن اصلی خود مشمول این حکم بودند واجب است. یاران غربی نیز در صورت تمایل میتوانند بر اجرای این حکم قیام نمایند.

۳ - آیا پرداختی‌های بابت حقوق‌الله از مالیات معاف است؟ بله. محفل روحانی ملی ایالات متحده موفق شده است طبق ماده (C) (3) 501 قانون مالیات بر درآمد برای حقوق‌الله معافیت مالیاتی تحصیل نماید.

۴ - حقوق‌الله چگونه محاسبه میشود؟ اساس حکم حقوق‌الله که از مهمترین خصوصیات امر جمال اقدس ابهی است کاملاً روشن است و آن پرداخت ۱۹ درصد از دارائی خالص افراد بهائی است پس از آنچه که دارائی به حد نصابی که معادل ۱۹ مثقال طلا است برسد. توضیحات مهم درباره اصل مذکور و شرح بسیاری از نکات فرعی آن در جواب سئوالات احبای ایران از قلم اعلی نازل شده یا در آثار حضرت عبدالبهآء و حضرت ولی عزیز امرالله آمده است. از جمله این توضیحات معافیت بیت مسکونی و ابزار کار و مصارف معموله زندگی از پرداخت حقوق‌الله است و همچنین معافیت آن مبلغی که قبلاً حقوق‌الله بابت آن پرداخت شده است.

ولیکن واضح است که قسمت اعظم سئوالات یاران مربوط به زمان و نظام اقتصادی بوده که بمراتب از آنچه ما میشناسیم ساده‌تر بوده است. همچنین شکی نیست که اصول و مبادی که در آثار حضرت بهاءالله و حضرت عبدالبهآء و حضرت ولی امرالله در خصوص حقوق‌الله ملاحظه میشود در آینده بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی بمقتضای زمان جزئیات قوانین اجرائی مربوط به حقوق‌الله را بر اساس اصول و مبادی که در آثار حضرت بهاءالله و حضرت عبدالبهآء و حضرت ولی امرالله بیان شده تعیین و تدوین خواهند فرمود. بنابراین در حال حاضر یاران الهی بایستی در محاسبه حقوق‌الله از هدایت ایمان و وجدان خود و مطالعه احکام موجود استعانت نمایند. اصل اینست که ۱۹ درصد ما یملک فرد در وهله اول و سپس ۱۹ درصد آنچه که در هر سال پس از کسر مخارج بر دارائی افزوده میشود بابت حقوق‌الله پرداخت شود.

۵ - حقوق‌الله را به چه صورت باید پرداخت؟ چک بایستی در وجه Huququ’llah Trust صادر شود.

۶ - حقوق‌الله را به چه شخصی باید پرداخت؟ یاران ساکن ایالات متحده میتوانند پرداختهای مربوط به حقوق‌الله را توسط یکی از اعضاء هیئت امناء که نشانی آنان ذیلاً درج میگردد ارسال فرمایند:

Dr. Elsie Austin P. O. Box 927 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA 90402

Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, Ohio 44116

یا مستقیماً به حساب مخصوص حقوق‌الله به نشانی ذیل ارسال دارند:

The Northern Trust Company Box 92959 Huququ’llah Trust 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60675

۷ - چه رابطه‌ای است بین ادای حقوق‌الله و تقدیم تبرعات؟ اگرچه ادای حقوق‌الله بر تقدیم تبرعات مقدم است ولیکن جانشین آن تبرعات نمیشود. ادای حقوق‌الله مستلزم امانت‌داری است در پرداخت آنچه متعلق به حق است و دقت در محاسبه مبلغ آن، در صورتی که تقدیم تبرعات به صندوقهای مختلف امری موکول به سخاوتمندی و فداکاری است.

۸ - سئوالات مربوط به حقوق‌الله را به چه مرجعی باید ارجاع نمود؟ یاران گرامی میتوانند سئوالات خود را به هر یک از اعضاء هیئت امناء بفرستند.

میدان خدمت

قدم اول در راه رسیدن به حد ۲۰۰،۰۰۰ نفر با توجه به این نکته که تحقق هدف ماهانه ۲۰۰،۰۰۰ نفر تبرع کننده به صندوق ملی یکباره آسان نیست محفل روحانی ملی هدفی مقدماتی برای جامعه در نظر گرفته‌اند و آن ۷۰،۰۰۰ تبرع کننده در هر ماه است تا انشاءالله در مراحل بعدی به هدف نهائی نائل گردیم. در سال گذشته یکبار این هدف ۷۰،۰۰۰ نفر تبرع کننده تحقق یافته است و محفل روحانی ملی اطمینان دارند که تا انتهای سال تشکیلاتی جاری نیل به این هدف بصورت مستمر و عادی عملی خواهد بود.

مهاجرت داخلی محفل روحانی ملی درخواست یاران ایالت کارولینای جنوبی را تصویب فرموده‌اند و لزوم اعزام ۳۱۳ مهاجر را به آن منطقه تا انتهای نقشه هفت ساله در رضوان ۱۹۸۶ اعلام میدارند. شک نیست که برای استفاده کامل از امکاناتی که در نتیجه شروع بکار فرستنده رادیو بهائی WLGI بوجود آمده است و بمنظور تعلیمات ۱۲۰،۰۰۰ نفر بهائی و تقویت ۳۲۷ محفل روحانی که در آن ایالت وجود دارد حرکت گروهی از نفوس با بذل نفس و شائق به خدمت به آن صفحات ضروری است.

عدد ۳۱۳ بیادآوری عدد اصحاب قلعه طبرسی که بوجود آنان روایات اسلامی در خصوص اصحاب قائم تحقق یافت انتخاب شده است. امید است احبای عزیز ایرانی در این میدان سرآمد اقران شوند و سهمی عظیم از این موهبت را بخود اختصاص دهند. علاقمندان میتوانند با لجنه ملی تبلیغ در مرکز ملی بهائی در ویلمت یا با لجنه منطقه‌ای تبلیغ در ایالت کارولینای جنوبی ارتباط حاصل فرمایند. South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee Hemingway, S.C. 29554

[Page 20]

پیام هیئت بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی

ترجمه پیام معهد اعلی در شرح جریان افتتاح مشرق‌الاذکار ساموآ مورخ ۷ سپتامبر ۱۹۸۴ خطاب به عموم محافل روحانیه ملیه

وقایع فرخنده و روحبخش و سرورانگیز مراسم افتتاح و تدشین اُم‌المعابد پاسیفیک سبب سرور موفور گردید. تلگراف جناب سهیل علائی عضو هیئت مشاورین جریان ورود حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء روحیه خانم را به ساموآی غربی چنین گزارش میدهد:

"در فرودگاه سلطان ساموآی غربی، عالیجناب مالیه‌توا تانومافیلی دوم، مقدم حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء را به ساموآی غربی گرامی داشتند و در معیت ایشان در اتومبیل سلطنتی و همراه با اسکورت مخصوص عازم آپیا پایتخت ساموآ شدند." بعلاوه در مراسم استقبال در فرودگاه مقام ریاست وزراء ساموآی غربی، جناب توفی لا اِتی، و وزرای کابینه و مقامات دولتی و رؤسای هیئت‌های نمایندگی دول خارجی و نیز جمعی کثیر از احبای الهی که از نقاط مختلف عالم آمده بودند حضور داشتند. "این مراسم رسمی و اداء احترامات بی‌سابقه به نماینده بیت‌العدل اعظم توسط عالیجناب مالیه‌توا که با شجاعت و شهامت و وفاداری عمیق و عشق شدید خود را بنحوی که در تاریخ امر در ساموآ سابقه و نظیر نداشت بساحت معهد اعلی ابراز داشت سبب ابتهاج خاطر حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء گردید و قلوب یاران را طافح از سرور و هیجان و شکرانه بی‌پایان به آستان قدس جمال منّان نمود."

حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء روحیه خانم مشرق‌الاذکار ساموآی غربی را در آپیا در روز اول سپتامبر ۱۹۸۴ با حضور رئیس دولت و اعضاء خاندان سلطنتی و ریاست وزراء و چهار نفر از وزراء کابینه وی و تعداد زیادی از نمایندگان دول خارجی و مقامات عالی‌رتبه کلیساهای ساموآ و نیز متجاوز از یکهزار نفر از احبّاء که از ۴۵ کشور و جزیره مختلف آمده بودند افتتاح فرمودند.

حضرت روحیه خانم طی تلگرافی در شرح این واقعه تاریخی مخابره فرموده‌اند میفرمایند:

"اُم‌المعابد جزایر پاسیفیک تا لحظات آخر قبل از شروع مراسم افتتاح صحنه فعالیت صدها نفر احباء از سنین و الوان مختلف بود که از اکناف عالم گردآمده سرگرم تسطیح اراضی حول مشرق‌الاذکار و غرس اشجار و تزیین با غات و تنظیف این بنای عظیم بودند... محفل روحانی ملّی و احبای ساموآ روزهای متوالی از خواب و استراحت صرفنظر کردند و شبانه روز را وقف تهیه مقدمات مراسم صوری و معنوی جشن افتتاح تاریخی مشرق‌الاذکار در اول سپتامبر نمودند. حضرات اَمَة‌الرحمن ساموآ صدها متر زنجیر از گلهای معطر فراهم کردند که در طرفین خیابانهای اصلی مشرق‌الاذکار آویخته شده بود و ستون چراغهای باغات را با برگهای نخل و گل بهم بافته آراستند و حلقه‌های بزرگ سرخس تهیه کردند که غرفات فوقانی تالار مشرق‌الاذکار را زینت داد...

"مراسم روحانی دعا و مناجات برای افتتاح مشرق‌الاذکار بمدت یکساعت با تشریفات و آداب شایسته و مجلل برگزار گردید و با سخنان بسیار مناسب و پرهیمنه و هیجان عالیجناب مالیه‌توا تانومافیلی دوم سلطان ساموآ که بزبان‌های ساموآئی و انگلیسی ایراد نمودند آغاز شد. سلطان ساموآ در بیانات خود تاریخچه مشرق‌الاذکار را با جمال بیان نمودند و از ساحت بیت‌العدل اعظم برای ارتفاع چنین بنائی در ساموآی غربی تشکر و سپاسگزاری کردند. طنین روح‌بخش سرودهای امری و قرائت منتخبات بسیار مناسب از آثار مبارکه امری و کتاب مقدس به السنه ساموآئی و انگلیسی و بالاخره تلاوت مناجات به لحنی ملیح جملگی در نهایت اتقان بود و سبب ایجاد موقعیتی تاریخی و بی‌نظیر گردید.

"جمیع شرکت‌کنندگان در هوای مطبوع ساموآ ابتدا در اولین مراسم روحانی دعا در ساختمان مشرق‌الاذکار حضور یافتند و سپس در مراسم جشن و سرور سنتی مردم ساموآ که بمدت یکساعت و نیم در فضای حول مشرق‌الاذکار ادامه داشت شرکت جستند..." در این مراسم حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء روحیه خانم ماکت مشرق‌الاذکار را که بیت‌العدل اعظم بعنوان هدیه جهت سلطان ساموآ فرستاده بودند به عالیجناب مالیه‌توا اهداء نمودند بعلاوه در مراسم مزبور طبق سنن مردم آن سرزمین تعدادی خوک‌های بریان شده و قالیچه‌های حصیری و پارچه‌های دستباف و اغذیه متنوعه به صاحب منصبان عالی‌رتبه ‌ای که حضور داشتند اهداء شد و مراسم روز افتتاح با ابراز نطق‌های پرشور و هیجان و رقص‌ها و سرودها و مهمانی رنگین خاتمه یافت.

حضرت اَمَة‌البهاء بعلاوه گزارش داده‌اند که "یکشنبه صبح در سه جلسه متوالی که مدت پنجساعت بطول انجامید به متجاوز از یکهزار نفر از احباء که برای زیارت شمایل مبارک جمال اقدس ابهی در مشرق‌الاذکار حضور یافتند عطر گل داده شد. احبای شرکت‌کننده بشدت تحت تاثیر این سعادت روحانی و واقعه بی‌نظیر تاریخی قرار گرفته بودند. احبای بومی جزایر پاسیفیک با وقوف کامل بر فرصت گرانبها و امتیاز عظیمی که نصیبشان شده بود نهایت احترام و روحانیت را ابراز میداشتند. یکشنبه غروب تالار مشرق‌الاذکار مملو از جمعیت یاران بود که برای تقدیم دعا و مناجات بیاد شهداء محبوب و خواهران و برادران ستمدیده در ایران اجتماع کرده بودند..." در اعتاب مقدسه دعا میکنیم که ‎قواثی قوائی‎ که این وقایع تاریخی ایجاد نموده است سبب پیشرفت بی‌سابقه امر بهائی در ساموآ و جمیع مناطق ساحه اقیانوس کبیر گردد.

بیت‌العدل اعظم

ترجمه پیام تلگرافی بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی مورخ ۱۱ اکتبر ۱۹۸۴

با قلوبی اندوهبار شهادت جناب شاپور مرکزی خادم برازنده امرالله در ایران و عضو محفل روحانی ملی سابق و عضو هیئت معاونت را اعلام میداریم. آن شهید مجید در طی ماه‌های اخیر مورد زجر و شکنجه شدید قرار گرفته بود. هدف از شکنجه دادن و وادار کردن ایشان به اعتراف به تهمت‌های بی‌اساس یعنی دادن نسبت جاسوسی به مؤسسات بهائی و خود ایشان بوده است. ادامه مقاومت و استقامت آن نفس مقدس موجب تشدید شکنجه و آزار گردید که ممکن است منجر به صعود ایشان در تاریخ ۲۳ سپتامبر شده باشد. روز ۲۵ سپتامبر جسد ایشان بدون اطلاع منسوبین و احباء بخاک سپرده شده است.

با کمال تأسف همچنین صعود جناب امین‌الله قربانپور بنائی ۶۰ ساله را در زندان در تاریخ ۲۵ آگست اعلام میداریم. علت مرگ معلوم نیست ولکن البسه خون‌آلود ایشان که همراه با کفشهایی که بتازگی شسته شده بود به خانواده مسترد گشته مرگ ایشان را مشکوک میسازد. جسد ایشان نیز بدون اطلاع منسوبین بخاک سپرده شده بود...

بیت‌العدل اعظم

جوانان

کنفرانس سالانه جوانان بهائی بار دیگر در سال جاری روزهای ۲۷ الی ۳۱ دسامبر در "دیزنی‌ورلد" در ایالت فلوریدا تشکیل میشود. بقرار اطلاع دو نفر از اعضاء محفل روحانی ملی در زمره ناطقین کنفرانس خواهند بود.

کنفرانس بین‌المللی جوانان بهائی روزهای ۳ الی ۷ جولای ۱۹۸۵ در دانشگاه ایالتی اوهایو در شهر کلمبوس منعقد خواهد شد. کمیته ملی جوانان اعلام نموده است که حضرت ایادی عزیز امرالله جناب ذکرالله خادم، جناب دکتر فرزام ارباب و جناب فؤاد یکتای اعضاء هیئت مشاورین قاره آمریکا و عده‌ای دیگر از دانشمندان و ناطقین بهائی در آن کنفرانس شرکت خواهند فرمود.

جوانان عزیز میتوانند برای اطلاع بیشتر به شماره اکتبر نشریه جوانان Youth Hotline یا شماره‌های اکتبر و نوامبر امریکن بهائی مراجعه نمایند.

شب مولود

شب مولود مسعود بها شد یگانه گوهری بر ما عطا شد

گرانقدر و بعالم نورافشان ز انوارش زمین رشک سما شد

بموج آمد یَم فضل عمیمش بنی‌آدم ز فیضش برنوا شد

ز یمن مقدمش انسان خاکی بسوی عرش اعلا از ثری شد

با نفاس مسیحایش چه بسیار پلنگ و گرگ و بره ‎همجرا هم‌چرا‎ شد

مقدس خاک ایران از قدومش مبارک شهر طهران شهـرِ زا شد

ز کلک اطهرش نظم نوینی براه وحدت عالم بنا شد

محبت خالصانه با همه خلق ز احکامش نصیب جمع ما شد

بلبل مولودش (مهری) ثناگو که الطافش چنین بر ما روا شد

مهرانگیز خانم خسروی [Page 21]

INTERMEDIA

News from the Office of Public Affairs

Newsworthy ...

Tempe, Arizona’s Greater Phoenix Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee reports that American Cable is “in a state of shock at the quality of the Krogstad TV public service spots.” The following is taken directly from their report:

“The program director was so overwhelmed by the message and high quality, she has ordered all six psa’s into rotation on every American Cable channel. These channels include ESPN, ASPN, CNN, MTV, the Health channel, and Channel 13, which airs religious programming. They have also accepted any message we wish to put on Channel 7’s ‘Information Line.’ We have sent them three for this month!”

The Sun in College Park, Georgia, featured an article in its “Upbeat! Leisure” section headed: “Non-traditional Thinking Sparks New Programs in College Park,” about Sophia Ward, a member of the Bahá’í community of East Point. She developed the program “Music—A Career,” as a new offering for the College Park Recreation Department. Four column-inches were devoted to the article, which mentions the Faith in the second paragraph. As we see more and more clippings, we learn that the natural creativity of the Bahá’ís makes news!

The Chicago Tribune reviewed Bruce Whitmore’s book, The Dawning Place, as having “an abundance of fascinating architectural data as well as detailing the temple’s role in the shaping of the Bahá’í community in America.” Further, it said, “Chicago architecture and history enthusiasts, not to mention followers of the Bahá’í faith, are in Whitmore’s debt for his valuable research and lucidly written chronicle.”

Wage peace

Clippings and proclamations have started to pour into the Office of Public Affairs about World Peace Day activities around the country.

We’ve received reports of mayors signing proclamations, public meetings being held, picnics, booths that display the Bahá’í viewpoint on peace, and radio programs in which Bahá’ís have participated.

LEAP advisers leap into the news

The Topeka Capital-Journal in Berrytown, Kansas, featured an article about the appointment of Susan Herrman as head of the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP). We urge other communities to seek publicity opportunities about child and youth education in this time of great focus on child protection and related issues. Contact the National Education Committee office for information about the LEAP program.

Programs, materials from Public Affairs Office help Bahá’í harness awesome power of media

How do we make every Bahá’í “like unto a regiment”? How about linking up with an invention that can knock on 100,000 doors at once and catch the eye and ear of the local grocer, the college professor, the ballet dancer and the congressman all in the same five minutes.

THIS IS the miracle of media—television, newspapers and radio. Talk about a helping hand for your teaching and proclamation programs—this is it!

The Office of Public Affairs stands ready to help every Assembly, Group and isolated believer to learn how to harness the power of these tools by offering training programs and making available more than 70 different media materials to assist with publicity and proclamation.

What can be accomplished by using the media? You can

• reach great numbers of people;
• inform and educate;
• project an image to the community;
• keep the word “Bahá’í” before the public;
• arouse an interest in the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith;
• cultivate cordial relationships with important media contacts;
• enlist support;
• become a familiar and accepted part of the greater community;
• strengthen community ties;
• revitalize and reinforce Bahá’í community spirit;
• publicize Bahá’í activities;

—and much more.

To date, more than 750 Bahá’í localities have assigned PI representatives to ensure that all teaching efforts are coordinated with proper publicity.

THIS impressive figure results in the appearance of more than 300 articles per month in newspapers across the country.

Public information representatives are charged with the responsibility of publicizing the newsworthy activities of the Bahá’í community and expediting the delivery of news releases received from the Office of Public Affairs.

What do editors consider newsworthy? The unique and unusual is always news. This makes many Bahá’í events excellent topics for a news release. Consider the unique aspects of:

• a Bahá’í marriage ceremony;
• a Bahá’í funeral;
• a Bahá’í election (what an appropriate time to publicize this!);
• a Bahá’í convention;
• the Bahá’í administrative order; and
• the origin and precepts of the Bahá’í Faith.

We have the news for this age!

The Office of Public Affairs encourages every Local Spiritual Assembly to capitalize on these opportunities by appointing a public information representative or committee to see that the public is made aware of your special events, service projects, prominent visitors, as well as the Bahá’í perspective on issues affecting the community.

Often, the rewards are not immediately apparent but the multiplicity of impressions coming from national, state and local media are deep and long-lasting.

So Assemblies, Groups and isolated believers, let us hear from you. We’ll help you throughout this endeavor.

To start with, when you let us know you’ve appointed a PI rep, we’ll send your representatives a “starter kit” that includes a list of media materials that are available, a “How to Deal with the Press” compilation, and sample mandates.

You will then be added to our list to receive national press releases. When you are ready to make this commitment, please complete the form below and mail it to the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, Wilmette, IL 60091.

It is not advisable for time-dated material to be sent to a post office box since national press releases often require urgent action. Please give us a street address where mail is picked up daily.

Instead of press contacts at 750 locations, let’s make it 7,000!

Next month: Watch for “How to be a Friend to Your News Editor.”

Name _____________________________________________________
Street Address ____________________________________________
City ___________________________ State _______ Zip ________
Telephone (home) ___________________ (work) ____________
Bahá’í locality __________________________________________
Check one: Local Spiritual Assembly Group Isolated believer
If Local Spiritual Assembly, signature of secretary:	_____________________________________ Date _____________
Mail to Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, Wilmette, IL 60091.

¿Se habla español?

SPANISH AD SLICKS ARE HOT OFF THE PRESSES!!

A set of two sheets with 13 different ads—including quotations from The Hidden Words—is available from the Office of Public Affairs.

Send $2.00

Make checks payable to: “Bahá’í Services Fund”

Allow 75 cents additional for postage

Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091

un solo mundo, bajo Dios

“Moráis en un solo mundo y habéis sido creados por la acción de una sola Voluntad. Bendito es aquel que se mezcla con todos los hombres con un espíritu de máxima bondad y amor.”

De los Escritos Sagrados Bahá’ís.

la Fe Bahá’í Para información llame al:

“La tierra es un solo país, y la humanidad, sus ciudadanos.”

De los Escritos Sagrados Bahá’ís

la Fe Bahá’í Para información llame al:

N.Y.C. Bahá’ís have display at County Fair

The Spiritual Assembly of New York City’s display committee had an attractive display and large table of Bahá’í literature at the crowded ‎Tama Tama?‎ County Fair which was held September 9 in Manhattan.

About 500,000 people attended the fair, and many had an opportunity to see the Bahá’í display.

On September 30, the committee set up another display at the Atlantic Avenue Festival in Brooklyn.

REMINDERS

Sorry, but . . .

WE CANNOT TAKE TELEPHONE ORDERS. WE DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS. WE CANNOT SHIP ORDERS WITHOUT PREPAYMENT (including postage).

Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 22]

VIE Chart

Continued From Page 5

'Starting Block' Info (Left) / Current Month Info ('Izzat) (Right)

District Name	Membership as of 12/9/83	Number of participants	Percentage of participation	Membership as of 9/21/84	Number of participants	Percentage of participation
Michigan Mainland
Minnesota N
Minnesota S
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Navajo/Hopi
Nebraska
Nevada N
Nevada S
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico S/Texas W
New Mexico N
New York E
New York W
North Carolina C
North Carolina E
North Carolina W
North Dakota
Ohio N
Ohio S
Oklahoma E
Oklahoma W
Oregon E
Oregon W
Pennsylvania E
Pennsylvania W
Rhode Island
South Carolina C
South Carolina E No. 1
South Carolina E No. 2
South Carolina N
South Carolina S No. 1
South Carolina S No. 2
South Carolina W
South Dakota
Tennessee E
Tennessee W
Texas C No. 1
Texas C No. 2
Texas E No. 1
Texas E No. 2
Texas N
Texas S
Utah
Vermont
Virginia N
Virginia S
Washington NW
Washington SW
West Virginia
Wis. N/Peninsular Mich.
Wisconsin S
Wyoming

A full-color lithograph of The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh in Spanish is unveiled by the artist, Richard A. Kjarsgaard, during a luncheon and reception March 21 in San Diego, California. Mr. Kjarsgaard, a well-known artist who is creative director of Orenstein and Associates, an advertising agency, spent nearly two years completing the design for the 40-by 30-inch work which contains calligraphy, type and illustration depicting the 133 verses of The Hidden Words. The lithograph is being distributed by Rodini of San Diego. A second lithograph of The Hidden Words, in English, has now been completed and is ready for distribution.

House of Justice: Huqúqu’lláh ‘not timely’ now

To the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We are requested by the Universal House of Justice to thank you for your letter of 10 July 1984 recounting the electrifying events which took place at the closing session of your last National Convention.

The House of Justice was deeply moved to learn of the enthusiastic response that the delegates and others present made to the inspiring talk given by the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrulláh Khádem, and by their desire, expressed on the scroll which you have forwarded to the World Centre, for the law of Huqúqu’lláh to be applied to all believers in the United States.

In response to this petition the Universal House of Justice has decided that, although it is not yet timely to apply this mighty law in the west, it will send to the believers in the U.S. and other western countries a translation in English of a compilation of texts so that they will be able to familiarize themselves with this subject.

This translation is now being prepared and when it is complete an appropriate announcement will be made which will constitute the first step in the process of applying this law of God to the western Bahá’í communities.

Kindly share this letter with the friends in your area of jurisdiction.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat August 6, 1984

Bahá’í from Oklahoma new U.S. hammer dulcimer champion

Steve Smith, a Bahá’í from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the new U.S. hammer dulcimer champion.

Mr. Smith, a computer programmer, won the title at the 1984 National Hammer and Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kansas.

ENAYAT Ziaie, a Bahá’í from Euless, Texas, won third place in the same competition.

Mr. Smith also took fourth place in the mountain dulcimer championship, while Jean Smith, also of Tulsa, played very well in the first round of the hammer dulcimer competition.

Mr. Smith won first place last year at the Texas state and Southern Regional hammer dulcimer competitions, and was second in the national hammer dulcimer championship.

This year, he was crowned champion in the Texas state mountain dulcimer competition.

At Winfield, Mr. Smith won a trophy, cash, a new hammer dulcimer, a signed and framed print, and a special limited-edition belt buckle.

Mr. Ziaie, an electrical engineer, won first place this year in the Texas state hammer dulcimer competition.

AS IN that contest, he played traditional Persian music at Winfield on a santour, an ancestor of the hammer dulcimer.

Mr. Ziaie won a trophy, cash, and a new hammer dulcimer.

The Smiths and Mr. Ziaie first met at the Texas contest this year, and had ample opportunity to teach the Faith.

At Winfield, with many more Bahá’ís among the 12,000 present, there were even more chances to teach.

As a first place winner, Mr. Smith must wait five years before entering the hammer dulcimer competition again, but he can still enter the mountain dulcimer contest, and with Mr. Ziaie and Mrs. Smith competing again in hammer dulcimer, there’s an excellent chance that Bahá’í champions could be crowned in both events next year.

Bahá’í honored

Rhett Diessner, a Bahá’í from Toppenish, Washington, has been selected for inclusion in the 1984 edition of Outstanding Young Men of America.

The program recognizes the achievements and abilities of men between the ages of 21 and 36 who are honored for their civic and professional contributions to their community, their state, and their country.

Archives seeking original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The National Bahá’í Archives is seeking to locate, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the following Bahá’ís: Mary Movius, Dr. Channing Stiles, Peter Maus, Richard Mayer, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Moxey, Edith Horn, the Rev. B. Alfred Hills, J. Wellman Marsh, Dorothy Barbour, Nellie M. Holmes, Gloria Baker, Lucille Bates and Viola Silver.

Anyone having information regarding the whereabouts of these or any other original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Gifts

Continued From Page 5

Office of the Treasurer needs to know the individual’s name and address and the occasion that is being commemorated (i.e., birthday, declaration, marriage, etc.).

Special contributions may also be given in someone’s memory. In this case the Treasurer’s Office needs to know the name of the deceased and a name and address for the person(s) who should receive the acknowledgement card.

A simple form has been developed by the Office to help you provide the needed information. It was printed in the July and September issues of The American Bahá’í. If more forms are needed, write to the Office of the Treasurer for a supply. [Page 23]

Ten years ago...

... in The American Bahá’í

More than 500 ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ are present at the House of Worship in Wilmette to help launch a five-year teaching program for Illinois, one of the three states visited by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that has been chosen by the National Spiritual Assembly for intensive teaching and consolidation efforts during the Five Year Plan.

Among those taking part in the special program at the Temple are the Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and William Sears, Counsellors Sarah Martin Pereira and Edna True, three members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board members Thelma Jackson and Javidukht Khadem.

Specific goals of the Illinois plan include raising the number of localities in which ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ reside from 288 to 400; opening the state’s remaining 50 counties to the Faith; raising the number of Spiritual Assemblies from 43 to 99, and doubling the number of incorporated Assemblies from 20 to 40 ...

Nearly 500 ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ attend a two-day conference in San Rafael, California, to explore ways of developing the distinctive character of Bahá’í life.

The speakers include Counsellors Carmen de Burafato and Velma Sherrill; Auxiliary Board members Opal Conner, Margaret Gallagher, Paul Pettit and Fred Schechter; and Jairo Bruni, an Auxiliary Board member from Brazil.

The meeting is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of San Rafael ...

One hundred ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ and their guests attend a special program marking the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of Racine, Wisconsin.

Among the speakers are Beth McKenty, who outlines the Faith’s history in Racine, and Dr. Philip Christensen.

Olgaard Nelson, a member of the first Spiritual Assembly of Racine, now 96 years old, is unable to attend but shares her memories of the Faith’s early days in that city via a tape recorded message ...

Fred and Lola Baker, ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ from Gulfport, Mississippi, lead a staff of interior decorators in reupholstering and refinishing the 1,200 chairs in the auditorium of the Bahá’í House of Worship.

The Bakers set up their staff and equipment in the basement of the Temple and work on chairs that are removed in sections of about 100 ...

Letters

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have fulfilled His testimony unto men, if ye be of them that ponder His Cause in their hearts.”

The ideal, it seems to me, would be to teach responsibly, as the author of the letter to which I am responding suggests.

This means that, in the words of the Universal House of Justice, “After declaration, the new believers must not be left to their own devices. Through correspondence and dispatch of visitors, through conferences and training courses, these friends must be patiently strengthened and lovingly helped to develop into full Bahá’í maturity.”

Thus, we must be responsible for aiding those believers who can benefit from our aid. I do not feel, however, that it is either wise or even permissible to allow ourselves to look solely for “quality” believers or those who have “truly recognized” Bahá’u’lláh.

He who feels comfortable making such distinctions may do well to observe more closely his own character and actions.

Brendon R. Hanna

Aiken, South Carolina

To the Editor:

In “Star Trek,” a science-fiction television program from the mid-60s, Captain Kirk and his crew were given a code of laws known collectively as the “prime directive.” In it, they were told never to interfere with the social development of a planet on which they were stationed.

IN A SENSE, there is a “prime directive” between Bahá’u’lláh and the earth. In it, He guides mankind’s spiritual progress while the majority of its members remain unaware of the Source of that guidance.

It is that “prime directive” which resolves the apparent contradiction between God’s omniscience and man’s free will.

As Bahá’ís, we also are given a “prime directive” in which we are told to teach the Faith while not interfering with the decisions of governments or political parties.

But this is a quite different sort of directive, because we are not on some “Starship Enterprise” orbiting several thousand miles above the earth but are a part of the earth, and therefore impacted on by the decisions of governments, political parties and individuals.

This impact is spiritual as well as material because it affects the quality of life future souls will have on earth.

Some factors affecting the human future we are at present powerless to change. For example, climatologists tell us that 100,000 years from now the site of the city of Chicago will be covered by a mantle of ice a mile thick. But by that time we may have moved on to colonize the solar system, or found a way to forestall or abort that cycle.

There is one immediate, overwhelming threat to the human future that we can do something about.

When we act to stop making, or to reduce or eliminate nuclear weapons, we are not jeopardizing “national defense” or advocating one political philosophy over another or meddling in the affairs of governments. We are simply helping to secure a human future that only Bahá’ís know how to build.

Philip H. Costa

College Station, Texas

To the Editor:

In response to a letter (August) concerning the matter of a “quick freeze” (on nuclear weapons), I submit for consideration the following statement by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which appears in Chapter 10 of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era:

“By a general agreement all the governments of the world must disarm simultaneously. It will not do if one lays down its arms and the others refuse to do so. The nations of the world must concur with each other concerning this supremely important subject, so that they may abandon together the deadly weapons of human slaughter. As long as one nation increases her military and naval budget other nations will be forced into this crazed competition through their natural and supposed interests.” (From the diary of Mirzá Ahmad Sohráb, May 11-14, 1914)

C.P. Gometz

Yerington, Nevada

To the Editor:

In these days when we find affection for parents waning, I would like to share something Miss Alma Knoblock, a pioneer, told me after her return from Germany after World War I.

While she was in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the subject of children came up, and this is what Alma told me He said:

In the future, children will have a greater love and better understanding of their parents because their parents were the means of giving them life and the opportunity to travel through all the worlds of God.

Shouldn’t this give us all something to ponder.

Laura Craig

Orlando, Florida

To the Editor:

I wish to compliment and commend the National Spiritual Assembly for its utilization of The American Bahá’í.

Not only is it pleasant for a “world citizen” to be receiving monthly, free of charge, a newspaper in three languages, but I have been so impressed by the handling of the letters to the editor section.

I feel that the National Spiritual Assembly, and the editorial staff of The American Bahá’í, have provided the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ of this country with another outlet for the pure democracy incorporated in the Blessed Beauty’s World Order.

With every edition, I find myself thrilled by letters that have sentiments I agree with, and horribly dismayed by letters I find wanting in perspective or insight.

Yet both these emotions serve purposes: to be pleased with a fellow-believer’s thoughts increases my sense of unity in a nation of physically separate Bahá’ís; to be dismayed helps me to challenge my previous thoughts and to examine the possibility that I might harbor some prejudice toward a new or different idea.

As a social scientist by profession, I find the letters to the editor most revealing in regard to the collective “personality” of our community.

Thank you for your courage in allowing such an open forum.

Rhett Diessner

Toppenish, Washington

Bullock

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At home, he served as chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Boston and on various national committees. In 1952, he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly.

A year later, en route to Kampala, Uganda, where he was a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly to an Intercontinental Bahá’í Conference, Mr. Bullock had the bounty of meeting the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, during a pilgrimage to Haifa.

Following the Kampala conference, he visited Liberia where he met with the country’s president and the U.S. ambassador.

MR. BULLOCK WAS 72 years old when he attended the Bahá’í National Convention in 1953. In spite of his age, he was among those who offered to pioneer in response to the Guardian’s messages that launched the Ten Year Crusade.

He moved to Curacao, Dutch West Indies, where he helped establish the first Spiritual Assembly and was honored by being named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

In 1960, now nearly 80 years old, Mr. Bullock returned to the U.S. to live with a daughter in Detroit, Michigan.

Ten years later, Harvard University awarded him an honorary degree, and in 1971 he was asked to speak at the commencement ceremonies at his alma mater, Dartmouth College, where he received a standing ovation and an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Upon receiving the news of Mr. Bullock’s death at the age of 91 on December 17, 1972, the Universal House of Justice sent this message to the National Spiritual Assembly:

“Grieved passing Knight Bahá’u’lláh Matthew Bullock distinguished promoter Faith. Convey family assurances prayers Holy Thresholds progress soul. Advise hold memorial gathering Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.”

A memorial service for Matthew Bullock was held February 17, 1973, at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.

IDEAS FOR WORLD RELIGION DAY

• Kitáb-i-Íqán (pocket-sized)
• Foundations of World Unity
• One Universal Faith (pamphlet)
• One World, One People (pamphlet)

Margaret Lindsay, one of first in Rochester to embrace the Faith

Margaret Lindsay, one of the first two residents of Rochester, New York, to accept the Faith (her late husband, Samuel, was the other) died August 18 at the age of 75.

Mrs. Lindsay served on the Spiritual Assembly of Rochester from its inception in 1935 until the time of her death, an unbroken span of 49 years.

She was deeply involved in community affairs in Rochester, participating as a member of many civic organizations including the NAACP and YWCA, on whose board of directors she served.

Mrs. Lindsay was renowned for her hospitality, opening her home over the years to an untold number of Bahá’í visitors.

In Memoriam

Alma S. Bates Brenham, TX March 15, 1982	Rudolph Handel San Mateo, CA September 2, 1984	Buz Sawyer Long Beach, CA July 21, 1984
Roy Bottorff Peoria, IL May 25, 1984	Marshall Miller Kane, PA September 26, 1984	Charlie Wilds Lydia, SC July 1984
Alice Bryant Detroit, MI September 1984	Tallulah McCollum Los Angeles, CA February 20, 1984	Ella Wilhelm Groveland, FL August 28, 1984
Beryle Burleson Bethany, OK June 1984	Muriel Newhall Sarasota, FL September 1, 1984	George Williams Walterboro, SC August 31, 1984
Delores Griffin Smithville, TX 1983	Therese L. Olson Cheyenne, WY September 20, 1984	Doris Wortham Bryan, TX September 18, 1984
Marian Gordon N. Hollywood, CA September 5, 1984	Mallory Robison San Carlos, CA September 3, 1984	Florence Zmeskal Toledo, OH August 27, 1984

[Page 24]

Louhelen

Continued From Page 9

PUT TO the task of comparing the Louhelen experience with that of teaching English as a second language, which I did while pioneering in Japan for 10 years, I think of several distinct advantages in the Louhelen way.

In terms of time, all of the language institutes I worked with offered two half-hour sessions twice a week in three-month stints. This adds up to 60 interrupted hours of class time.

But at Louhelen the students received more than 80 consecutive hours of class time.

In Japan there could be more than 25 students for one teacher. At Louhelen there were no more than 10 students per teacher.

In addition to class time, we socialized together, ate together, and enjoyed recreational activities together. All told, there were more than 100 hours of experience in learning and practicing the new language skills at Louhelen.

But there’s more! When I look back at what was accomplished, I feel good.

I’M THINKING especially of the wonderful, zany, inspiring skits the classes performed at the talent show in the language that they were learning.

The skits showed an effective way to teach the Faith abroad, and shared some of the home folk culture with those of the adopted country.

Along with concentrated efforts to master pronunciation and intonation, memorize basic conversational patterns, and internalize basic rules of grammar, listening skills, and so on, our courses had an added dimension.

We learned prayers in the new language. We concentrated on learning the names of the Bahá’í institutions. We practiced inviting our friends to firesides. We worked for the linguistic incorporation of our lives into the Bahá’í community.

This was remarkably dynamic. It felt like this is what a course of that amount of time could accomplish best at Louhelen.

There was much laughter those nine days—laughter that came from the use (or misuse) of the language.

And there were tears which came to our eyes as we understood the life experiences that were shared with us so trustingly.

And more tears when we said our goodbyes. That was the hardest part of the week. We had come to love each other so!

Senate

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enhancing international efforts to oppose torture wherever it occurs.”

The bill instructs U.S. officials to take urgent steps to monitor the occurrence of torture abroad, to teach international human rights standards when training foreign military or security personnel, and to publicize incidents of torture so that the practitioners of torture understand clearly that it is not in their interest to pursue such illegal conduct.

“I firmly believe,” wrote Sen. Percy, “that it will require an enormous worldwide effort to convince certain governments to cease their practice of torture, but we must make a strong beginning.

“That is the purpose of the bill which passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. It would have binding power if it passes the Congress.”

The senator added that he will “continue to watch the situation of Bahá’ís in Iran closely, and will keep you informed of other developments as they occur.”

2 proclamations herald N. Mexico ‘Peace Day’

Two proclamations, one by Gov. Toney Anaya and the other by Mayor Montaño of Farmington, declared September 16 “World Peace Day” in New Mexico.

In signing his proclamation, Gov. Anaya said, “This is probably the most worthwhile proclamation I’ve ever issued.”

Ads

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Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

SEVEN adult Bahá’ís have moved or soon will move from Machipongo, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, a rural community in which much teaching has been done but there’s plenty left to do. Two Bahá’í families have homes for sale, in Machipongo and Parksley. Job opportunities aren’t abundant but there are some in medical-related fields, public school teaching and business (there’s a growing convenience store chain). Contact Mary Springle, Machipongo, VA 23405, or phone 804-678-5718.

SYSTEMS analyst with a master’s degree is wanted in Lesotho (a goal country) to help develop and improve computer systems and train staff. Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

JOBS are available in Lesotho (a goal country) for senior and assistant librarian. Minimum qualifications are a degree in library science or a degree and post-graduate diploma in library science. Write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

HANDS ON!, a workbook of Bahá’í educational activities for children by Sandy and Alonzo Coleman and Diane Bogulu Petit, is now available. The book includes a chapter on creating learning centers and more than 100 practical activities in the areas of Bahá’í history, the Central Figures and Shoghi Effendi, religious history, the Bahá’í teachings, Bahá’í institutions, and the dynamic force of example. Also includes sample record-keeping forms and reproducible activities (crossword puzzles, word searches, etc.). Contains 178 pages and 80 photos depicting activities described in the text. Each activity description includes educational objectives, a list of materials needed, and a discussion of what to do and how to extend the experience; a valuable resource for teaching local children’s classes. The price of $19 includes a three-ring binder and shipping and handling charges. Please send check to Hands On!, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. VISA and MasterCard orders accepted by phone (313-653-5033).

WANTED: Information about starting a school. We hope to begin a small school for grades K, 1-2, and would like information about administration, legal matters, incorporating Bahá’í principles into the curriculum, etc. Please write to the Parkman Bahá’í Group, Cambridge, ME 04923.

Article spotlights Bahá’í school superintendent

Dr. Ronald Gilpatrick, a Bahá’í from San Jose, California, who is superintendent of the Belmont School District, was the subject of a feature article September 15 in The Times of San Mateo, California.

The writer, Alan Quale, describes Dr. Gilpatrick as “a crusader for equal rights” and goes on to explain that his attitude stems from a belief in the Bahá’í Faith, “a religion that espouses a oneness of humanity in order to build a better world civilization.”

The comprehensive article includes a brief history of the Faith, touches briefly on progressive revelation, explains basic Bahá’í beliefs, and concludes with a few statistics regarding the number of Bahá’ís in the U.S. and overseas.

Dr. Gilpatrick, who has been superintendent of schools in Belmont for two years, is currently the president-elect of Region 5, Association of California School Administrators, which includes San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

Dr. Gilpatrick is chairman of the Bosch Bahá’í School Council, and he and his wife, Marsha, are assistants to Auxiliary Board member Margaret Gallagher and members of the Spiritual Assembly of San Jose.

U.S. Bahá’í Directory currently out of stock

The June 1984 issue of the United States Bahá’í Directory is out of stock.

The next issue of the directory will be published in June 1985 and will be sent to communities that have requested one in the past and are therefore on the mailing list.

A notice will be printed in The American Bahá’í when the June 1985 issue becomes available so that communities that are not already on the mailing list may request a copy.

Movement

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or abroad helped illuminate the practical steps one takes in preparing for this kind of service.

Following the workshop, Afaf Stevens presented the closing address, “Giving a Year to Bahá’u’lláh.”

The audience laughed for an entire hour, never before having realized that dedication to Bahá’u’lláh could be such fun!

Inspired by the final session’s emphasis on teaching, several youth announced their intention to travel and teach in South Carolina by the end of the year.

NO ONE left the conference without expressing prayerful support for the youth at the Bosch Bahá’í School in California, with whom they had been in contact by phone throughout the conference.

As a result, action was taken to establish the “Continental Connection,” a growing number of Bahá’í youth networking with one another from coast to coast to give added impetus to the “movement.”

Even if it was only a glimpse, the youth at Green Acre did “get the message.” As the movement grows, history can record not a glimpse but a vision. And the youth of Green Acre were there!