The American Bahá’í/Volume 15/Issue 2/Text

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The American Bahá’í February, 1984

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[Page 1]

House comments on attitude to persecutions

During the last four years the persecutions in Iran have been the single greatest concern of the Bahá’í world.

It is as if the early days of the Faith have returned in a modernized version. Once again we witness boundless heroism and perverse cruelty; once again men, women and children sacrifice their lives for the Cause of God so that mankind may be guided to the Truth and escape annihilation.

It is not easy for us to develop proper spiritual attitudes toward the events that are taking place in Iran. We are fortunate, however, in receiving the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.

The advice of our Supreme Institution and the spirit that permeates its letter of December 7, 1983, will help us to understand more clearly our role in the historic developments we are witnessing.

The National Spiritual Assembly calls upon the friends to study the letter of December 7 from the Universal House of Justice and to absorb and internalize its message.

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States January 5, 1984

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

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

In recent months the Universal House of Justice has received comments from individual American believers expressing their distress over the continuing persecution of their beloved co-workers in Iran, and proposing such ways of registering their protest as public demonstrations and the wearing of arm bands and ribbons.

Consideration of these comments has prompted the instruction of the House of Justice that we write you thus.

IT IS INDEED difficult, given the heartbreaking disabilities imposed upon the Iranian Bahá’í community and the seeming impotence of the American community directly to effect a positive change, for the friends to be at ease.

But that the situation in Iran, grave as it is, should lead to feelings of depression and alienation on the part of the American believers, as has been reported, or that it should be allowed to hamper their success in teaching on the home front, suggests the need for a proper perspective.

You will sense in the comments and appeals of the beloved Guardian addressed to the American community during 1955-56 a striking resemblance between the reactions and attitudes of the friends toward the crisis then and now. A re-reading of his letter of August 20, 1955, describing the situation then and the opportunities it created for the proclamation of the Faith, and his cables of January 5, February 2 and June 22, 1956 (Citadel of Faith, pages 133-142) urging action is most instructive.

The American community has displayed in the past a tendency toward periodic immobility, a condition the Guardian commented upon from time to time and which was the main concern of his last letter to the American believers.

Vast outpouring of funds wins $1,000,000

HASTEN CONVEY UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE JOYOUS NEWS ACHIEVEMENT GOAL FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN WLGI $1,000,000 REACHED THREE DAYS BEFORE TERMINAL DATE. WISH TO EXPRESS DEEP GRATITUDE FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND FOR VALIANT SUPPORT OF MR. SEARS.

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 28, 1983

On Wednesday, December 28—three days before the December 31 deadline—the National Spiritual Assembly announced in a cable to the Universal House of Justice the thrilling news that the goal of $1,000,000 for the construction and operation of radio station WLGI had been met.

ITS accomplishment was made possible by an unprecedented outpouring of funds from Bahá’ís across the country following a dramatic taped appeal by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears that was broadcast at the Feast of Masá’il (December 12).

Early in December the fund-raising drive for North America's first Bahá’í-owned and operated radio station, which was launched less than a year ago at the 74th Bahá’í National Convention, had barely passed the halfway mark with less than $600,000 raised.

SHARE YOUR ELATION HARD-WON SUCCESS FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN WLGI. GRATEFUL SIGNAL ASSISTANCE HANDCAUSE SEARS. PRAYING SCHEDULE COMPLETION EAGERLY ANTICIPATED STATION MAY BE FULLY REALIZED.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE DECEMBER 29, 1983

But following Mr. Sears' appeal, in which he reminded the friends that one of the beloved Guardian's fondest wishes was that a radio station should be built in this country, the contributions started pouring in and hadn't stopped as of early January.

By December 31 the count had reached $1,043,000, and by January 5 it had risen to nearly $1,200,000.

"We... wish to thank every member of the American Bahá’í community, whose confidence, courage and capacity to sacrifice produced a triumph of heroic proportions in such a short time," Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, said in a letter of December 29 that conveyed news of the victory to the Bahá’ís of the U.S.

"TO ME, this tremendous victory is a tribute to the marvelous collaboration between the institutions of the Faith and the believers," said Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Assembly.

"And especially is it a tribute to the help and support of the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears," Judge Nelson added. "His appeal, together with the many activities that were taking place across the country, I think virtually assured the victory through universal participation. It is heartening to see that our Campaign for Unified Action is reaching even into the fund-raising area."

In the final days of the WLGI campaign it was indeed apparent that widespread participation had made the victory possible. The Office of the Treasurer noted that the goal was won by universal participation.

"THE DOUGH BUBBLED OVER & WLGI TOOK RIGHT OFF!"

Issuance of new I.D. cards delayed

The National Spiritual Assembly will not be issuing new Bahá’í identification cards this month.

Because of a lack of funds, the issuing of new cards has been postponed until late 1984.

Although the current blue and white membership card indicates an expiration date of February 29, 1984, believers should keep their cards as Bahá’í identification until new cards are issued later in the year.

Other National Spiritual Assemblies in North America have been advised that the blue and white membership card is still valid, so the friends should experience no difficulty when visiting Alaska, Canada or Mexico.

Of course, any Bahá’í traveling for an extended period of time, or moving his residence to another national Bahá’í community, should inform the National Assembly of his intended destination and expected length of stay. [Page 2]

Pace of teaching must be quickened

To the American Bahá’í Community

Dear Friends:

The triumphal conclusion of the fund drive to put WLGI on the air has enormously lifted our spirits. The entire community has been energized by the signal success gained through the united efforts of individual Bahá’ís and the institutions.

TO ADD TO OUR sense of elation, we have been informed by the group of experts who had recently met in Wilmette to inspect and suggest methods of restoring the House of Worship, that the Temple, though in serious condition, is not threatened with imminent collapse. Therefore the necessary repairs will not have to be made immediately but will be stretched over the next several years.

Though as of this writing we still have no firm figure for the total projected cost of the Temple repairs, we do know that in the current fiscal year we will not be called upon to expend millions of dollars on the reconstruction of the House of Worship.

As we survey the state of the Bahá’í community at mid-winter 1984, we see one area where we lag. That area, sad to say, is teaching. It seems that the Bahá’í community has not yet discovered the ways to turn unprecedented publicity into a wave of conversions that would vastly increase the number of avowed adherents of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

THE EXHILARATION we felt from the great victory won for WLGI came from our unified action, from the commitment of the friends all over the land to the achievement of that victory.

A similar unified commitment to teaching would doubtless produce another victory, one that would lead to the rapid fulfillment of every goal of the Seven Year Plan.

With loving greetings.

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

Proclamation

Mayor George Milhim of Hempstead Village, New York (right) proclaimed September 18 'World Peace Day' in the village. Shown with the mayor are Ina McNeil, vice-chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Hempstead Village, and Cyrus Tommadon, a member of the Bahá’í Group of nearby Garden City, Long Island. The Bahá’ís of Hempstead Village sponsored a World Peace Day carnival which was attended by about 100 people including many seekers.

Assembly must grow, develop toward maturity

First of two parts

It is the evening of the Nineteen Day Feast. From Maine to California, from Seattle to Miami, Bahá’ís have gathered to receive spiritual sustenance from devotions, to consult upon and carry forward the work of their communities, and to enjoy fellowship and hospitality.

FROM community to community the essentials of the Feast remain the same. Yet closer scrutiny reveals differences which are based not so much on culture or region as on size.

Smalltown, Anywhere, is a Bahá’í community of 12 active members and several others who seldom if ever attend meetings. This evening, its Feast is being held in the home of one of the Bahá’ís.

The hosts have prepared the devotional part of the Feast and provided the refreshments. The business portion is informal and spirited with those present seated comfortably in the living room. The scene is a familiar one to most American Bahá’ís because Smalltown's Feast is representative of the majority of Bahá’í communities. But not all Feasts are quite like this one.

In Burgeoning Suburb, for example, the chairman of the Assembly has stepped to the microphone to call the business part of the Feast to order. There are about 50 adults present, and the children have left for another room to begin their classes.

Burgeoning Suburb has about 75 active members and another 20 or so on the roll who attend meetings only infrequently. As usual, the Feast is being held in a rented room at a local school, which the community has used since it outgrew homes.

Several families have worked together, with guidance from the Feast Committee, to plan the devotions and provide refreshments. The business part of Feast is long and formal and includes many committee reports and announcements. Consultation is limited and often dry. Some older members fondly remember the days when Nineteen Day Feasts were held in homes, and regret the loss of community intimacy.

This month's article, "The Evolution of a Local Spiritual Assembly," is the first of a two-part series by M. Kathryn Jewett, an attorney who lives in Richmond, Virginia.

THE BIG City Bahá’í community outgrew its rented hall several years ago, and this evening has gathered in its Center's auditorium. Of the 500 people on its rolls, nearly 200 are present. This large Feast is unique because most Big City Feasts are now held in quadrants of the city, the Assembly having divided the community in regions several years ago. Hence, Feasts for the entire community are eagerly anticipated as a chance to see those who live in other areas of the city.

The Feast Committee has planned the devotional program and provided refreshments with money from the local Bahá’í Fund. To facilitate consultation, microphones have been placed throughout the auditorium. The business part of Feast has been carefully planned in advance by the Spiritual Assembly. Consultation seems often to consist of speeches instead of a sharing of ideas because so few are willing to speak before an audience of 200. And with so many people present, it is difficult to have more than superficial chats with a limited number during the social part of Feast. Even though the community apparently likes the larger Feasts, the Assembly is discouraged by their cost and by the lack of meaningful consultation. Consequently, it has been debating whether to continue to hold them at all.

Elsewhere, Teeming Metropolis community has not held a community-wide Feast in years. This evening, as usual, its Feasts are being held in various locations throughout its jurisdiction, mostly in homes. Tomorrow morning, several more will be held.

There are so many area Feasts in Teeming Metropolis that it is no longer possible for a member of the Spiritual Assembly to be present at each one; therefore, the Assembly has appointed representatives to chair and carry out other tasks at each area Feast. Packets have been carefully prepared in advance to assure that each Feast covers those items of business that the Assembly has determined are important. Consultation flows well and notes are taken so that matters raised can be reported back to the Assembly. In most respects these area Feasts resemble the one being held in Smalltown, but the resemblance is deceptive. Beneath the similarities, the Feasts in Teeming Metropolis reflect the solid foundation of experience gained by that community during its growth and evolution, while the Feasts in Smalltown reflect the fact that the community is still in its infancy.

Bahá’í Institutions Are Organic

The Writings of the Faith, especially those of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, are replete with descriptions of the evolutionary character of the administrative order. For example, he refers to the institutions as "organic" and "ever-expanding." He speaks of the "gradual consolidation of the administrative structure which its avowed followers the world over are labouring to raise and fortify..." (From a letter written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the West, dated October 29, 1926, and quoted in Unfolding Destiny, p. 60). Further, he promises that the Bahá’í institutions of the future will not be like those of today:

"...NOT only will the present-day Spiritual Assemblies be styled differently in the future, but (they) will be enabled also to add to their present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh." [Page 3]

LETTERS

February 1984

Please encourage pioneers to remain at posts

"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, never to derogate another's opinions or attack anyone on a personal level.

Letters should be kept 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:

My husband and I are pioneering in South Korea. We live in a city of 1,500,000 people in which there are only four Bahá’ís.

We have been holding regular firesides for more than a year, and are finally beginning to see the results of our efforts. Our most recent Sunday afternoon firesides have been well attended by Korean university students.

Recently my husband made a "rest and recuperation" trip back to the States. While he was there he visited our former home community, whose members pleaded with him to bring us all back there as soon as possible, as the community was not very active.

I feel a certain regret that this sort of thing had to happen, but I realize too that many Americans do not realize how desperately pioneers are needed in other parts of the world.

I believe the Bahá’ís at home should do everything they can in their correspondence with their pioneering friends to encourage them to remain at their posts.

In the case of Korea, which has a population of some 40 million, there are a little over 100 active Bahá’ís in the whole country.

It is never "easy" to be a pioneer. One faces situations that simply don't exist in one's native land. Sometimes the yearning to give it all up and return to the U.S. is very appealing.

If the friends could encourage their Bahá’í pioneers to "hang in there" with a pat on the back through regular letters, it would be a great help.

Sara Hatch Taegu, Korea

A word about EST

The National Spiritual Assembly recognizes the sincere desire of many of the friends to follow programs for personal improvement.

However, the Assembly firmly believes that the teachings of EST do not uphold the spirit of the Faith.

According to its founder, Werner Erhardt, the purpose of the program is to teach each student that the individual is "the God of his universe."

The goal of personal improvement is admirable, but the belief that an individual can become his own God, or can replace God by self-control or self-assurance is not acceptable.

To those friends who are interested in self-improvement, the National Spiritual Assembly recommends that they investigate the Personal Transformation Program offered by the National Education Committee.

To the Editor:

For several years I have been involved with the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, a unique organization whose purposes are to train clergy and religious counselors in dealing with those problems within the framework of their faith and to make secular and law enforcement agencies aware of the religious dimension in the lives of victims and abusers.

AS THE first, and until recently the only Bahá’í member of the CPSDV board of directors, I have been responsible for adapting the center's pastoral training programs to the needs of Bahá’í Assemblies.

As a result of my paper in the March issue of the "Notebook for Bahá’í Studies," I have been asked to give deepenings on the spiritual concerns Bahá’ís have in dealing with these problems.

At a recent deepening, I mentioned my concern with an item in one of the Bahá’í books on rearing children.

Several others said they had read the book, shared my concern, and urged me to share it with the Bahá’í community as a whole.

Our concern is with statements found on page 90 of Mothers, Fathers and Children by A.A. Furútan.

Taken as a whole, the book is a fine one which contains much sound advice and certainly upholds wonderful Bahá’í ideals to which all parents can aspire.

HOWEVER, arbitrary advice to parents never to allow their children to "speak ill of others or find fault with them" is the worst possible advice in a country where children are disappearing by the hundreds every year, some of them literally kidnapped from under their parents' gaze.

In a society where incest and sexual abuse of children—especially pre-school children—have reached epidemic proportions, it is both foolish and dangerous to tell your children to speak only of Uncle Joe's nice blue eyes when your daughter is trying to find a way to tell you that Uncle Joe is molesting half the kids on the block, and she's afraid she'll be next!

Our towns, even our neighborhoods, are full of people who need to have evil "spoken of them" because they are evil people from whom we must protect ourselves and our families.

If their "fault" is child abuse of any kind, then that "fault" had better be "spoken of" and reported to the proper authorities before a child is emotionally scarred for life or one day found dead.

There are many adult Bahá’ís who are not yet spiritually mature or deepened enough to understand that reporting a crime (or the suspicion of a crime) to the authorities is not backbiting—or that going to a mental health professional for counseling is not the same as confession.

How can we then expect a four-year-old child to be able to distinguish? All she knows is that something is wrong and she is frightened about it.

We must encourage our children to be open and frank with us about their fears and concerns about people who behave toward them in a manner that makes them uncomfortable.

We adults can then determine whether the matter is frivolous or serious.

But to turn a child off with the arbitrary rule that "we only listen to good things about people" is to place that child in danger of being kidnapped, sexually abused—even tortured or murdered.

As Bahá’í parents, we need to encourage open and frank communication with our children. We need to know about their problems with the pressures to indulge in drugs, alcohol, reckless driving, sex, shoplifting, etc.

If we have established a pattern of politely shutting up anything "negative" when they were small, there is no way they are going to confide in us about their fears and worries as teen-agers. Of that we can be sure.

The world is a mess. It's a jungle out there. But we must survive it to build the new World Order.

Bahá’u’lláh has told us that our children are a great responsibility. We can't let our desire for perfection leave our precious little ones defenseless before the alligators.

Janet Tanaka Issaquah, Washington

To the Editor:

I am surprised by the cries of slander and backbiting which I find in the letters section of The American Bahá’í.

I find the column stimulating, challenging, open, direct, amusing and lively. I look forward to reading it each month.

Also, I was delighted with Leonard Godwin's "Comment" (October) in which he wrote: "The escape from the harshness and brutality of our material world into a higher sort of consciousness once offered by religion has been replaced by the poisonous escapes prescribed by doctors and other dealers in drugs."

Bravo! My sentiments exactly.

It's time we obeyed the Báb. "The Báb hath said that the people of Bahá must develop the science of medicine to such a high degree that they will heal illnesses by means of foods." (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 153-54)

Winnie Pringle Hillsborough, North Carolina

To the Editor:

I would like to invite every Bahá’í to listen to the tape, "Glenford Mitchell's Farewell Address."

With love, compassion and concern, he gently reminds us of our position in the world, and even more gently chides us for our occasional smugness and arrogance.

To whet the appetites of those who haven't heard the tape, here are two brief excerpts:

"We must be careful. We must be careful about adopting the very practices that our religion came to eliminate. We are a civilizing force. We are the nucleus of a civilization, but we are not—we don't know everything, and we don't have the complete plan of God in our hands either. Remember this. Part of the plan has been given to us, and we are conscious of the part we have. But there's a larger plan that involves everybody, Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í. So we are not the only ones working exclusively on the business of redeeming mankind."

And again, "We have to be sure, friends, that we don't think that we are the only ones on the job. We have a conscious part of the plan—that is our blessing—that we know the source of all this. We don't have the whole ball of wax! So that ought to help us not to be too smug or be too arrogant about things, and to put our thinking and our attitudes into proper balance."

I believe that the fact that we are only a part of God's plan for mankind should help us to re-evaluate ourselves as individuals.

Are we separating ourselves from the rest of the world instead of involving ourselves as we have been admonished to do?

We are at the beginning of a 500,000-year-long experience, and it must be remembered that Bahá’u’lláh’s Spirit touches and influences not only Bahá’ís but non-Bahá’ís as well in order for God's plan to be carried out.

Marian Hurt Wichita Falls, Texas

To the Editor:

I would like to share some of my thoughts about giving to the Fund.

If we are to be as fountains for the Cause, we are told that we must give freely while trusting God to renew our resources.

BUT in order to give freely we should also be willing to receive freely.

If the water entering the fountain is shut off, the fountain soon stops flowing.

Yet many people, including Bahá’ís, turn off the input while promoting giving.

Often, we willingly give our time, energy and money for the Cause and for others, but when we are given an opportunity to receive a gift or increase we turn it away or disparage it.

If we are given a sincere compli-

Representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of Texarkana, Texas, recently discussed the Faith and the situation of Bahá’ís in Iran with Mayor Durwood Swanger of Texarkana. Shown (left to right) are Mrs. Dorothy Cook, a Bahá’í from Atlanta, Texas; Esfandiar Akhtar-Khavari, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Texarkana; Mayor Swanger; and Fuad Akhtar-Khavari, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Texarkana. [Page 4]

HOWARD COLBY IVES

"He looked at me! It seemed as though never before had anyone seen me."

With these words, Howard Colby Ives, a Unitarian minister from New Jersey, described his first meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

IT HAPPENED in 1912, in a reception room at the Ansonia Hotel in New York City where the Master motioned to Mr. Ives from across a crowded room.

"He beckoned, and such understanding love enveloped me," Mr. Ives recalled in his autobiographical book Portals to Freedom, "that even at that distance and with a heart still cold, a thrill ran through me as if a breeze from a divine morning had touched my brow!"

Howard Colby Ives, born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1867, described his 46 years prior to that meeting with the Master as comparable to the experiences of a 10-year-old child.

As a teen-ager plagued by lung problems, he spent many months on a Wyoming ranch writing poetry while he tended sheep.

In 1905 he was graduated from a Unitarian theological school in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Before moving to New Jersey he served parishes in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

IN ADDITION to his parish work in Summit, New Jersey, he began a "Brotherhood Church" that was not affiliated with his regular denominational church work and offered no pay.

It was through an associate in this group of "brothers of the spirit" that Mr. Ives learned of the Faith and attended his first Bahá’í meeting.

After his meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, he soon gave up his denominational work to become "a minister of the Temple of the Kingdom," a term that the Master

House gives guidance on attitude to persecution

America dated September 21, 1957 (Citadel of Faith, pages 151-58).

While the House of Justice does not now have the impression that the American believers as a whole are depressed, it feels it might be helpful to all concerned to make the following comments on the basis of that assumption, as conveyed in the correspondence received.

THE AMERICAN Bahá’í community has for many years been in the forefront of defending the weak and oppressed. Its distinction in this respect won the repeated praise of the beloved Guardian, as, for example, "The Advent of Divine Justice," his celebrated letter of December 25, 1938, affirms.

Against an enumeration of afflictions that at that time threatened to force the majority of the existing Bahá’í communities into the shadows of retreat, he described the Bahá’í community in North America as the "one chief remaining citadel, the mighty arm which still raises aloft the standard of an unconquerable faith."

The many instances during subsequent years in which that community came to the aid of other defenseless communities are a testimony to the effectiveness of American responses in times of need and trouble.

But the situation in the world and in the Bahá’í community has changed. Consequently, the accustomed reactions to American interventions have also changed.

While this change does not nullify the pre-eminent rôle destined for America in the eventual efflorescence of Bahá’u’lláh’s system in the world, it does require the American believers to obtain a deeper understanding of their situation in relation to the changed circumstances.

THE FRIENDS' response to the Iranian situation should neither be solely pragmatic nor solely spiritual, but a combination of both; moreover, it must not only meet the test of the immediate crisis, it must also match the challenge of the historic moment.

In both these respects a fair appraisal of the results thus far should steel their resolve, not induce depression.

Even though when viewed from the truculent reactions of the powers in Iran, the petitions and protests of the American community in particular, and Bahá’í communities in general, appear to have been ineffective in stemming the persecutions of our brethren, there is strong reason to believe that had the Bahá’ís around the world not taken these actions, the plight of the Iranian friends would be far more tragic.

And while there is a vast array of direct actions that could be, or could have been, contemplated, not every proposed action is fitting or timely. Actions perceived to be appropriate within the framework of American society can be counter-productive when viewed in the broader framework of a world community.

The Bahá’í world, in its complex diversity, has been guided to act according to the assessment by the House of Justice of the immediate circumstances and the resources at hand, and in consideration of the opinions and judgments of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, which until its recent disbanding, functioned with heroic verve in defending the rights of those under its charge.

Since the Bahá’í community must operate as a cohesive entity, it is not conducive to its success for any single unit of that world-embracing organism to go off at a tangent in its reactions to the situation, as well-intentioned as that unit might be.

THE HOUSE of Justice suggests that the American friends look at the great contrast between the relatively low profile the Faith kept before the crisis and the obvious prominence it has achieved since then; that they consider the remarkable impression that the national Bahá’í communities throughout the world have made upon their national governments and international organizations; that they contemplate the extraordinary breakthroughs for the Faith in the media of the world compared to the media's reticence toward the Cause a few years ago; and finally, that they think of the implications of all these new advantages for teaching work and determine dispassionately whether, in fact, the opportunities for the progress of the Faith are greater or lesser than before.

There is no gainsaying the insight set forth in the Teachings that opposition to the Faith creates opportunities for its progress. By their radiant submission to this insight, the Iranian Bahá’ís have surely demonstrated their conviction as to its potency.

Motivated by their understanding of it, a number of Bahá’í communities in different parts of the world have engaged in activities that are producing concrete results in the expansion and consolidation of the Faith.

For the American believers to give true expression to the anguish they feel over the persecution of their brethren, they too must capture the value of this insight and act upon it.

The vision, the admonitions, the encouragement which "The Advent of Divine Justice" conveyed so many years ago, and which the Guardian elaborated in so many of his subsequent messages, are as appropriate, perhaps even more so, to the current situation as when they were first given.

THE RESPONSES he attempted long ago to evoke are no less desirable and necessary now; a deeper spiritual awareness, a deeper spiritual maturity are called for if the American community must pursue successfully its destined course.

It should not be forgotten that the beloved Master promised, as the Guardian recalled in his early letters to America, to send intellectual, rather than physical, tests to the friends there in order to purify and better prepare them for their divinely appointed destiny.

Nor should the prerequisites of success the Guardian outlined for the American Bahá’í community be overlooked. It is in the framework of these prerequisites that the success or failure of the American community must ultimately be measured, not from the standpoint of any frustration in effecting a desired change in the Iranian situation, which, despite its admitted distress for the community, has done more to proclaim the Cause abroad than any other experience in this century.

In a society whose people are as protestant and demonstrative as the Americans, such public displays and symbolic gestures as street demonstrations and the wearing of arm bands and ribbons may have a certain appeal to public attention and may even prove to be effective in the proper context and under the proper circumstances. But the evocative power of such activities is difficult to sustain over a long period.

Particularly is this so in your country where the public demonstrations of a myriad groups constantly compete for attention. The House of Justice feels that while these ephemeral activities might relieve the immediate anxieties of some of the friends, they would have no measurable effect on the course of events in Iran.

OUR HUMAN resources are so limited, they must be devoted to the most effective means of responding to the situation. Of infinitely more value are actions that reflect the spiritual profundity underlying these persecutions and that match the dignity, radiance and optimism for the Faith of the valorous victims, who, as their published testimonies show, are quite clear about the reasons for their suffering and dying.

Moreover, in the long view, it would not serve the best interests of the Faith for its members, at the very time of their emergence from obscurity, to impress themselves upon the consciousness of the public as a community identified with such symbols as arm bands and ribbons.

An important point to bear in mind is that our activities in defense of the Iranian believers must be supported by those toward the accomplishment of our stated goals.

Preoccupation with the Iranian crisis, at the expense of neglecting the Seven Year Plan, would divert the Bahá’í world community from achieving the very success necessary to the strengthening of the Faith and the confounding of its enemies. Such a neglect would be unworthy of the sufferings of the Iranian friends.

Indeed, the ideal being constantly pursued is to defend them vigorously, while, at the same time, exploiting the opportunities created by their sacrifices to promote the Cause of God.

THE unprecedented publicity occasioned by the unremitting appeals to governments and international bodies, the increased contacts with leaders of thought, and, above all, the redoubling of teaching activities and the deeper consolidation of the Bahá’í community, as called for by the House of Justice, are ultimately the best means of defending and securing the relief of the beleaguered Iranian community; besides, by these means will the world community of Bahá’ís be better prepared to meet the inevitable opposition yet to come elsewhere.

It is the fervent prayer of the House of Justice that the American friends will be sustained by the same unconquerable spirit that fortifies the resolute faith of their brothers and sisters in Iran, that they will be refreshed from the same fountain of hope inspired by Bahá’u’lláh’s incontrovertible assurance to the loved ones of God in that land, whom He exhorts "to patience, to acquiescence, and to tranquillity," and addresses in these consoling words:

"Whatever hath befallen you, hath been for the sake of God. This is the truth, and in this there is no doubt. You should, therefore, leave all your affairs in His hands, place your trust in Him, and rely upon Him. He will assuredly not forsake you. In this, likewise, there is no doubt. No father will surrender his sons to devouring beasts; no shepherd will leave his flock to ravening wolves. He will most certainly do his utmost to protect his own.

"If, however, for a few days, in compliance with God's all-encompassing wisdom, outward affairs should run their course contrary to one's cherished desire, this is of no consequence and should not matter. Our intent is that all the friends should fix their gaze on the Supreme Horizon, and cling to that which hath been revealed in the Tablets."

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat December 7, 1983

Counsellors named

On December 6, the Universal House of Justice announced the appointment of two new Counsellors: Mr. Wingi Mabuku in Africa, and Mrs. Isabel P. de Calderón in the Americas. [Page 5]

THE FUNDS

February 1984

N.E. Georgia, Navajo-Hopi win 1st ’VIE’ honors

What can "vie" have to do with the National Fund? Easy! Our contributions to the National Fund are Voluntary, Individual, and Every month.

As our beloved Hand of the Cause of God William Sears reminded us at last year’s National Convention, it was Bahá’u’lláh Himself Who exhorted the Bahá’ís: "Vie ye with each other in the service of God and His Cause. This is indeed what profiteth you in this world, and in that which is to come...

ALTHOUGH Mr. Sears came up with many meanings for the letters in "vie," we also see in them this message about giving to the National Fund: voluntary, individual and every month!

"Vying" with one another in giving to the Fund is a new idea for our national community, and an activity that we should be able to have fun with.

"Vie" is the best kind of competition, because everyone wins—those who support the National Fund win, some Districts will win, and, best of all, the National Fund wins through your increased support.

In the January issue of The American Bahá’í it was announced that participation statistics by district are now available to the Treasurer’s Office. Those statistics will now be used to help with this friendly "competition."

Here’s how "vie" will work:

Each month, the Treasurer’s Office receives a computer printout of individual participation and membership figures by district.

FROM that data, a report will be compiled that shows each district’s National Fund participation percentage.

Each issue of The American Bahá’í will provide an update in two areas—how your district is doing compared to every other district, and how your district is doing compared to itself.

To get each district started on an "equal footing," we’ve averaged participation statistics for three months (Kamal, Asma and Izzat August 1 through September 6, 1983).

That figure represents your district’s "starting point." You’ll be trying to raise your percentage of participation from that figure.

In "Vie" Chart No. 1 you will see the information described above, plus your district’s participation percentage for the most recent Bahá’í month (Qawl, ending December 11, 1983).

IN "Vie" Chart No. 2 you’ll find the "Winners’ Circle" in the "race" for universal participation. The top 19 districts in two categories will be shown:

1. Highest percentage of participation (each district "vies" with every other district).

2. Most improved (the districts having the largest increase in participation from the beginning of the "race." Each district "vies" with itself.)

The "rules" of the "race" are easy. To "vie," you need only remember to give Voluntarily to the National Fund, as an Individual, Every Bahá’í month.

You can help your local treasurer to remind everyone to give to the National Fund each month; you can encourage your Bahá’í family members to give; you can challenge other individuals or communities within your district to raise their participation. And then, watch to see your district’s name in the "Winners’ Circle."

The best way to make sure you are counted is to send a contribution to the National Fund yourself.

If you ask your local treasurer to forward a contribution, or earmark a contribution to the National Fund, please be sure to give the treasurer your full name and Bahá’í I.D. number.

Don’t be discouraged if your district is presently at .05 per cent—shoot for 1 per cent, then 10 per cent, 20 per cent, etc.

We can all watch with excitement to see what happens to the National Fund and to the Faith as the entire community "vies" its way toward 50 per cent participation and beyond!

’VIE’ Chart No. 1: Contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund by District

District Name	Membership	3-month avg No.	3-month avg %	Most recent month (Qawl) (12/9/83) No.	Most recent month (Qawl) (12/9/83) %
Alabama S/Florida NW	349	10.7	3.0	11	3.2
Alabama N	307	21	6.8	24	7.8
Arizona N	941	51	5.4	46	4.8
Arizona S	410	21	5.1	25	6.0
Arkansas	476	24	5.0	38	8.0
California C No. 1	2,722	190	7.0	258	9.4
California C No. 2	445	40	9.0	52	11.0
California N No. 1	585	70	12.0	90	15.4
California N No. 2	389	41	10.5	50	12.8
California S No. 1	2,709	180	6.6	237	8.7
California S No. 2	1,158	112	9.7	145	12.5
California S. No. 3	441	42	9.5	47	10.7
California S No. 4	981	82	8.4	108	11.0
Colorado NE	483	61	12.6	70	14.5
Colorado SE	181	15	8.3	24	13.2
Colorado W	195	23	11.8	32	16.4
Connecticut	471	57	12.1	77	16.3
DelMar Va	292	15	5.1	17	5.8
Florida C	382	19	5.0	28	67.3
Florida N	284	19	6.7	22	7.7
Florida SE	1,113	54	4.9	77	7.0
Florida SW	495	43	8.7	63	12.7
Georgia NE	339	48	14.2	93	27.4
Georgia NW	876	17	1.9	25	2.9
Georgia S	1,158	8	.69	10	.86
Idaho N/Washington E	473	63	13.3	81	17.1
Idaho S	183	21	11.5	20	10.9
Illinois N No. 1	596	52	8.7	75	12.6
Illinois N No. 2	1,148	143	12.5	221	19.3
Illinois S	742	68	9.2	82	11.0
Indiana	541	66	12.2	76	14.0
Iowa	383	63	16.4	99	25.8
Kansas	340	35	10.3	52	15.3
Kentucky	231	25	10.8	38	16.5
Louisiana N	84	11	13.1	18	21.0
Louisiana S	536	21	3.9	34	6.3
Maine	216	26	12.0	36	16.7
Maryland W/D.C.	752	79	10.5	96	12.8
Massachusetts	946	103	10.9	148	15.6
Michigan Mainland	1,171	126	10.8	138	11.8
Minnesota N	166	26	15.7	44	26.5
Minnesota S	434	79	18.2	92	21.2
Mississippi	415	18	4.3	24	5.8
Missouri	657	75	11.4	80	12.2
Montana	347	36	10.4	42	12.1
Navajo/Hopi	370	9	2.4	22	6.0
Nebraska	307	45	14.7	49	16.0
Nevada N	165	14	8.5	20	12.1
Nevada S	150	16	10.7	24	16.0
New Hampshire	339	44	13.0	61	18.0
New Jersey	693	78	11.3	96	13.9

The Winners' Circle

Highest Percentage of Participation

Most Improved Participation

1. Georgia, Northeastern 2. Minnesota, Northern 3. Iowa 4. Wisconsin N/Peninsular Mich. 5. Tennessee, Eastern 6. Wisconsin, Southern 7. Minnesota, Southern 8. Louisiana, Northern 9. Vermont 10. Pennsylvania, Western 11. Illinois, Northern No. 2 12. Pennsylvania, Eastern 13. North Carolina, Western 14. New Hampshire 15. Idaho N/Washington E 16. Maine 17. Kentucky 18. Colorado, Western 19. (tie) Connecticut and Ohio, Northern

1. Navajo/Hopi 2. New Mexico S/Texas W 3. Georgia, Northeastern 4. South Carolina, Eastern No. 2 5. Oregon, Eastern 6. Texas, Eastern No. 2 7. Minnesota, Northern 8. Texas, Central No. 1 9. West Virginia 10. Tennessee, Eastern 11. North Dakota 12. Louisiana, Southern 13. Texas, Northern 14. Louisiana, Northern 15. Arkansas 16. Colorado, Southeastern 17. Tennessee, Western 18. Iowa 19. Vermont

[Page 6]Duffy Sheridan and his wife, Jeanne, are shown with some of Mr. Sheridan's paintings of Falkland Islanders which were displayed November 6-18 at the Bahá’í Center in San Francisco, California. The portrait to their right, of darts champion and cemetery caretaker Angus Jaffray, was purchased on the opening day of the exhibit by a non-Bahá’í, Miss Mae Sexauer, who then donated the work to the San Francisco Bahá’í Center.

Pioneer Duffy Sheridan's art works displayed

Works of art by Duffy Sheridan, a Bahá’í from Alameda, California, who pioneered with his family for seven years in the Falkland Islands, were displayed November 6-18 at the Bahá’í Center in San Francisco.

MORE than 350 guests viewed the exhibit during the 13-day period.

The weekly magazine California Living did a pictorial feature on Mr. Sheridan, and he was interviewed by KRON-TV.

The artist and his family are presently touring the U.S. with his paintings.

One of the most popular and talked-about works at the exhibit was Mr. Sheridan's stunning portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

His other works focus on the rugged and self-reliant people of the Falklands, everyone from sheep-shearers to sea captains.

The portraits were displayed on portable wooden stands positioned so as to create corridors within the Center's auditorium. Sofas and chairs were placed to allow visitors to sit comfortably and view the paintings for as long as they wished.

The environment was further enhanced by the soft harpsichord music of Glenna Rodgers, a Bahá’í from Albany, California.

Tea, coffee, cakes and cookies were offered to all the guests.

ALL ENGLISH-SPEAKING

Barbados (2). A goal just assigned to the United States.

Dominica (2). Reopened goal because two pioneers left.

Truk (2). A goal assigned to the U.S. in September 1983 with the request that it be filled immediately.

Marshall Islands (1). Reopened goal. The community is in dire need of help.

Denmark (3). Reopened goal; the only country that is totally not English-speaking. However, most people there speak English.

Goals Committee can help overcome 'ifs' in pioneering

The International Goals Committee receives 50 to 100 volunteer offers for pioneering each month. Many people, then, take that first step. It is a tentative reaching out, most often filled with fear and trepidation.

IT IS filled with "ifs"—if I had a degree, if I had some savings, if I weren't so scared, if our Assembly were not in jeopardy.

The biggest "if" often is "if you (the Goals Committee) can find me a job, I'll be glad to go pioneering."

These fears are normal. If it weren't for the fact that we have fears, we would not need courage, just as we need the night to appreciate the day.

Our Teachings say, "The beginning of courage is the promotion of the word of God." The "ifs" all have their basis in reality and should be dealt with, because they are in the way of achieving your hopes and dreams.

Perhaps you should replace the word "if" with "when." Say to yourself, "I will go pioneering when..."

That is, when the house sells. Or when I get my degree. Or when I have saved $5,000.

ACCEPT the responsibility for the obstacles in your way, set goals and a target date, and work toward them.

The International Goals Committee has trained consultants who are ready and willing to talk with you about your hopes and dreams of pioneering as well as all the obstacles that stand in your way.

It has information about jobs and countries, and can help you find your way through the maze toward your cherished desire.

Make your application for pioneering now. And most of all, persevere with that audacity and tenacity, that consecration and devotion so lauded by our beloved Guardian.

Pioneer Training Institute Schedule: 1984-85

1984 March 22-25, Wilmette May 24-27, Wilmette July 26-29, Wilmette September 27-30, Wilmette November 15-18, Wilmette

1985 January 10-13, Bosch Bahá’í School March 28-31, Wilmette

In Grenada, pioneers carry on work

The name Grenada was on the lips and in the prayers of many people during the military, invasion there in October 1983. Many Bahá’ís asked whether the pioneers and others in the Bahá’í community were safe. Here, in an article written by Jon Bruss, a pioneer from the U.S., insight is given into recent events. One can readily perceive the Hand of God active in the entire episode, especially when one realizes that a new National Spiritual Assembly will be formed on Grenada at Ridvăn 1984.

Grenada: A Bahá’í Perspective

By JON BRUSS

It was October, but the chill autumn winds were not blowing here, for this was Grenada, jewel of the Caribbean, basking continually in the warm, tropical sun. We Bahá’ís were busy planning and carrying out our activities in the hope that our small community would be sufficiently prepared by next Ridvăn to form the first National Spiritual Assembly of Grenada.

LITTLE did any of us suspect that the events of the coming weeks would affect not only our individual lives, but those of people throughout the world.

These events were far more than a struggle between opposing forces for control of a strategic location. They were part of a process that was meant to spiritually purify this small island nation so that it would be able to achieve its ultimate and glorious destiny.

These events also were leading the world one step closer to that hoped-for Lesser Peace, and ultimately, to the Most Great Peace.

Being present during the crisis, witnessing the confirmations from the Abhá Kingdom that seemed to blossom directly out of the confusion to help us in the work of the Cause, was, and still is, such an exhilarating experience that one cannot but thank God for it.

In the past year our community had been continuously strengthened and growing. Slowly but surely, we were gaining confidence that Bahá’u’lláh was guiding us in undertaking the tremendous responsibility of laying the foundation for our future National Spiritual Assembly.

ALTHOUGH we sometimes did not understand fully the reasons for certain happenings, the wisdom behind them later became apparent.

One such event was the loss of a dear pioneer family, forced to leave unexpectedly only a month before the turmoil began.

A member of that family had been suffering from severe, recurring nightmares as a result of his experiences in Vietnam. Although the nightmares were serious, we could not understand why this family had to leave; yet it became apparent later that God was protecting His most loved servants from the coming danger.

Another event that now seems miraculous was the purchase of our future national Haziratu’l-Quds.

For many months the Bahá’ís of Grenada had been stalled in their endeavors to purchase a desirable building. Nothing was moving forward. Even with the appointment by the National Spiritual Assembly of a new Property Management Committee, progress was essentially non-existent.

THEN, like a bolt of lightning, events began occurring spontaneously.

A house was found, and plans were made to call the owners who were in Canada.

Committee has Manual for Pioneers

The International Goals Committee is now the only supplier in the United States of the invaluable guide, A Manual for Pioneers, by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum. The Bahá’í Publishing Trust no longer stocks this book, which is indispensable in preparing to pioneer.

To obtain a copy, please send $5.25 (which includes book rate postage) to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Are you a pioneer?

What are the essential qualities of a pioneer? On page 7 of The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi writes:

"... the essential qualities of audacity, of consecration, of tenacity, of self-renunciation, and unstinted devotion... have prompted them to abandon their homes, and forsake their all, and scatter over the surface of the globe, and hoist in its uttermost corners the triumphant banner of Bahá’u’lláh..."

Webster defines audacity as "intrepid boldness," that is, boldness characterized by "resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance."

The dictionary also defines consecration as the quality of being able to "make or declare sacred." By living the life of a pioneer, we make our lives sacred.

Tenacity is the quality of "tending to adhere or cling." Adhering to the laws and ordinances of the Faith, "clinging to the hem..."

Self-renunciation means "renunciation of one's thoughts, wishes or feelings," which, with unstinted devotion, enables one to devote himself "without restraints or limits" to the work of the Faith. [Page 7]

UN Year for Youth in ’85 offers many fine opportunities

Among the exciting programs anticipated for the not-too-distant future for Bahá’í youth is the celebration in 1985 of the International Year of Youth.

THE UNITED Nations has designated 1985 for a year-long observance of youth under the triple theme of ‘Participation, Development and Peace.’

The National Youth Committee is heavily involved in the early planning of this commemorative year and has appointed a task force of youth to research program possibilities for Bahá’í participation at the local, national and international levels.

The final outline of the program is expected to be announced at the 75th Bahá’í National Convention to be held in April in Chicago.

“This represents a special opportunity for Bahá’í youth,” says Gilbert Smith, chairman of the National Youth Committee.

“We’re hoping that the youth will take every advantage of this significant teaching and proclamation event in 1985. Our participation also will serve to underscore our fine relationship with the United Nations.”

More information on the International Year of Youth will be forthcoming along with details of the Continental Youth Conference to be held during the summer of 1985 in observance of IYY.

Keep reading the “Youth Hotline” and the youth page in The American Bahá’í for program information.

Enrollments: Last hurdle in National Youth Plan

As the American Bahá’í community approaches the closing weeks of the three-year second phase of the Seven Year Plan, careful thought should be given to the goals that remain to be won.

The National Youth Plan has several numerical objectives, and the National Youth Committee is pleased to report that almost all of these goals will be readily won before the April 21 deadline.

THE LAST HURDLE OF THE NA-

If we are to overcome this hurdle, we must seriously and carefully consider our individual responsibilities to teach the Faith to our peers.

Some of the ways in which we can apply ourselves to this all-important task are:

• participating in teaching projects in our districts;
• giving our seeker-friends a chance to become Bahá’í’s by inviting them to firesides and explaining the process of enrollment to them;
• hosting youth firesides;
• encouraging youth who have not yet officially enrolled and who are above the age of 15 to make their personal commitment to the Cause of God;
• praying that each of us will be guided to waiting souls.

The Universal House of Justice, in its message of October 20, 1983, regarding the role of service, wrote, “Ultimately, the call to action is addressed to the individual friends ...”

All of our planning and consulting and organizing will come to naught if the individual Bahá’í fails to do his or her part.

The National Youth Plan does not belong to committees or clubs—it belongs to every youth in our national community. “Please God, ye may achieve it!”

THE LAST HURDLE

Canada invites U.S. youth to participate in its ‎Ist 1st‎ International Youth Conference

The dates have been set ... the facilities secured ... the program outlined! The youth of the United States are now cordially invited to participate in the first International Youth Conference hosted by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.

The conference will be held August 24-28, 1984, at the University of Western Ontario, London.

It is open to all Bahá’í youth ages 14-24 inclusive.

The National Youth Committee hopes the U.S. national community will be strongly represented, and urges everyone to start making plans how to attend.

A highlight of the conference will be the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Ali-Akbar Furútan.

Early conference information can be obtained by writing to the 1984 International Conference Committee, c/o Jim Heidema, general coordinator, Ontario Canada L3T 2A1.

Volunteers over age 24 are also needed and should contact the conference committee at the above address to sign up.

Because attendance will be limited to 2,500 youth, early registration is a must. Additional conference information will be appearing each month in The American Bahá’í and the “Youth Hotline.”

Youth Committees vital to teaching, planning

District Youth Committees are playing a vital role in coordinating and planning teaching projects and social activities for youth throughout the country.

In conjunction with college clubs, local and high school clubs, District Youth Committees form part of a growing Youth Network that is becoming an increasingly valuable resource for teaching activities nationwide.

PRESENTLY, there are more than 70 District Youth Committees, but another 23 districts still do not have one.

Great work is being done by these committees. In many areas they are working to establish cooperation between youth and adults in all phases of Bahá’í life.

In Oregon, youth and adults working together are sparking one of the most successful teaching efforts in the country.

In Southern California District No. 1, the Youth Committee has begun a campaign called “ad-YOU” (pronounced aid-you) in which adults are being asked to provide transportation, meeting space, and other support—moral and financial—to a growing series of youth firesides and other teaching projects. They report a remarkable response to the campaign by adults and youth alike.

In many places, District Youth Committees are producing their own newsletters (Pennsylvania, Oregon, Louisiana, for example) and planning local and even regional conferences, thereby gaining valuable organizational and consultative skills that will serve them well as adults.

FUND-RAISERS (dance-a-thons, read-a-thons, car washes), social activities (cook-outs, parties, dances), and service projects round out the full range of activities planned and coordinated by these youth.

But this doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen by itself. Each District Youth Committee needs an Assembly or District Teaching Committee as sponsor, supportive adults, and enthusiastic youth to man it.

Here is a list of those districts that do not yet have a District Youth Committee:

Arizona, Southern; Colorado, Northern; Colorado, Southern; DelMarVa; Florida, Central; Georgia, Northeast; Louisiana, Northern; Maine.

Michigan, Peninsular; Montana; Nevada, Northern; Nevada, Southern; North Carolina, Central; North Carolina, Eastern; Pennsylvania, Western.

Rhode Island; South Carolina, Eastern No. 2; South Carolina, Western; Tennessee, Western; Texas, Central No. 2.

Texas, Southern; Wisconsin, Northern; Wyoming.

If you are an Assembly member or can help an Assembly, or if you are a youth who would like to form a Youth Committee in your district, contact the National Youth Committee office (Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315) and the necessary information will be sent to help guide you.

Let’s have a District Youth Committee in every district in the nation!

Black History Month perfect occasion to emphasize unity, oneness of mankind

February is Black History Month, and if YOUth haven’t already set your teaching plans in motion, NOW is the time!

BLACK History Month is the perfect time to emphasize the oneness of mankind, unity with diversity, and the destiny of the United States in helping to bring peace to the world through the resolution of the “most challenging issue”—the elimination of racial prejudice.

What have other youth done to proclaim the Faith during this month?

1. Sponsored a talk on “Racial Prejudice: The Poison of America.” 2. Planned a Race Unity dance—the admission to which was to bring a person of a different race. 3. Donated a copy of the book To Move the World to the local library (with much fanfare, of course).

Some other teaching ideas you might consider:

1. Form a friendship team composed of various races and go out and teach together. 2. Write a paper on “The Oneness of Mankind” or a similar topic and present it to your class. 3. Join your school’s speech team and present a talk on how the elimination of prejudice can help bring about peace on earth. 4. Sponsor a quiz show during morning announcements at your school. Give clues to the identity of famous blacks in history with prizes for the winners. 5. Write an editorial on racial unity for your local or school paper. 6. Attend and support the programs in your area sponsored by black clubs and organizations.

What other ideas do you have on how Bahá’í’s can help celebrate Black History Month? Go to it!

On August 28, 10 members of the Bahá’í Youth Club in Asheville/Buncombe County, North Carolina, participated with several adults in a 10-mile long ‘hike-a-thon’ through the Mount Pisgah Forest that raised $510 for the National Bahá’í Fund. Each participant donated 10 cents a mile (or more, if desired) to the Fund. Pictured here are Bahá’í youth (standing left to right) Jerry McLendon, Marzi Schwandes, Peyam Barghassa, Ronda ‎Mclendon McLendon‎, and (kneeling left to right) Mara McLendon, Shirin Schwandes, Mojdeh Barghassa. Also participating were Elizabeth Dobbs, Tara Edmondston, and Blake Kimbrough.

The Bedrock of all other Institutions National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

[Page 8]

Commentary

Children should be integral part of Feast

Attendance at the Nineteen Day Feast helps children to learn what it means to be a member of the local Bahá’í community—an important part of their Bahá’í identity and their Bahá’í education.

IN LETTERS to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, the Universal House of Justice wrote:

“Since children of Bahá’í parents are considered to be Bahá’ís, they are to be encouraged to attend all Feasts, there to share the reading of the Writings and prayers and be bathed in the spirit of the community.” (June 28, 1977)

And again, on October 14, 1982: “Attendance (by children) at the whole of the adult celebration ... becomes a sign of growing maturity and distinction to be earned by good behavior.”

Many communities are experiencing difficulties with the integration of children into the Feast experience. Adults who are not parents may resent distracting behavior of children at Feast, while parents may feel the lack of support and understanding by others in the community.

Children, responding to these ambivalent attitudes, may not want to attend the Feast, and when they do, they sometimes misbehave.

An extended-family atmosphere at the Feast provides a climate of co-operation that can reduce the incidence of misbehavior by children.

In this atmosphere parents will see as helpful the well-meaning disciplining of their children by other adults, and non-parents will be sensitive to the special needs of children and to the difficulties parents face. Patience and tact by parents and non-parents alike are needed in this mutually-supportive alliance.

IF PARENTS and other adults in the community give the children clear guidance about standards of behavior at Feast, and if that behavior is modeled by the adults themselves, it will contribute greatly to good behavior by children. If a child is disruptive, the Universal House of Justice said in its letter of October 14, 1982, he should immediately be removed from the group by his parents.

The presence of the children should be considered when making plans for Feast. Such preparation and forethought can result in better organized agendas so that the Feast is a more uplifting and enjoyable experience for everyone.

The streamlining of the Feast agenda, which takes into account the more limited attention span of children, will result in eliminating the extraneous, the unnecessary. Didn’t ‘Abdu’l-Bahá say that He never liked to give a talk that lasted more than 20 minutes because He didn’t want to overburden His listeners?

The presence of children in the community can spur adult planners to better organize the Feast program.

During consultation at Feast, if there are a few children present, quiet manipulative materials can be made available in the room so that very young children can be occupied and yet hear what the adults are saying and feel a part of the Feast environment.

Older children can work quietly on individually-assigned Bahá’í lessons or projects (which might be shared with the adults during the social portion).

In larger communities where it is inadvisable to keep the children with the adults for part or all of the consultation, planned educational activities can be provided for them in a separate room, or they might, with suitable adult supervision, have their own Feast consultation. Each community will make its own special adaptation to meet the needs of all of its members.

A workshop entitled “Politeness and Manners: Children and the Nineteen Day Feast” is available for use by local communities to develop a behavior standard for children at the Feast. The workshop materials affirm the Local Spiritual Assembly as the point of unity in a community for setting and implementing standards of behavior.

These materials are available by writing to the National Education Committee (a listing appears elsewhere on this page).

In its Five Year Plan message to the Bahá’í world, the Universal House of Justice stated that the Local Assembly is “concerned with individuals and families whom it must constantly encourage to unite in a distinctive Bahá’í society, vitalized and guarded by the laws, ordinances and principles of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. It protects the Cause of God; it acts as the loving shepherd of the Bahá’í flock.”

As more and more families enter the community of the Greatest Name, they will look increasingly toward the local Bahá’í community as a haven in a fragmented and disillusioned society.

Workshop, guide for children at Feast

A workshop, “Politeness and Manners: Children and the Nineteen Day Feast,” has been prepared by the National Education Committee for use by local communities. It is designed to help Spiritual Assemblies set standards of behavior for children at the Feast. It includes:

• Convenor guidelines, agenda, and workshop handouts.
• Letters on the topic from the Universal House of Justice.
• A cassette tape prepared by the National Education Committee.
• A Feast questionnaire that can be used to obtain feedback from parents, youth and children about how local Nineteen Day Feasts are perceived.

Workshop materials cost $5 and can be obtained by writing to the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Checks should be made payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund” and earmarked “Politeness and Manners.”

A Children’s Activities Guide for Bahá’í Feasts—19 Feast lessons—is presently being developed. The friends will be informed as soon as this material becomes available.

“The instruction of these children is even as the work of a loving gardener who tendeth his young plants in the flowering fields of the All-Glorious. There is no doubt that it will yield the desired results; especially is this true of instruction as to Bahá’í obligations and Bahá’í conduct, for the little children must needs be made aware in their very heart and soul that ‘Bahá’í’ is not just a name but a truth.”—From Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Answers to last month’s math quiz

Here is the answer to the mathematical quiz presented in the December issue of The American Bahá’í.

What’s the numerical increase? Column A: Of 1,000 children born to Bahá’í parents in 1975, all remain Bahá’ís. At age 25, each marries someone who is not a Bahá’í but each couple brings up its children as Bahá’ís. All couples have two children who remain Bahá’ís. Everyone lives to be older than 75 years. Column B: Same ‎a as‎ Column A, except that only one-half of all children remain Bahá’ís.

Year	A	B
1975	1,000	1,000
2000	3,500	1,750
2025	8,500	2,500
2050	18,500	3,250
2075	37,000	3,250
2100	74,000	3,250
2125	148,000	3,250
2150	296,000	3,250
2175	592,000	3,250

(Number stabilizes; no numerical progression)

Green Acre conference for Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís draws 45

About 45 Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís, adults and children, from more than 10 countries attended the Green Acre Bahá’í School’s third annual conference for Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís held last October 22-23.

A HIGHLIGHT of the gathering was the reading of a letter from Counsellor Sarah Martin Pereira.

The friends were deeply touched to learn that Dr. Pereira attached such importance to this conference and had taken the time to write a letter of such seriousness especially for them.

After consultation on the letter, these major points of agreement...

See GREEN ACRE Page 22

2 fund-raisers net $474 for Temple restoration

As a result of two recent fund-raising events, the Bahá’ís of Nevada County, California, were able to raise $474 for the House of Worship restoration fund.

The first of these events, on the eve of November 12, was a supper honoring the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh.

A month later, the Spiritual Assembly of Grass Valley sponsored a hotcake breakfast and auction.

Why not give Brilliant Star for Intercalary Days

Soon it will be Ayyám-i-Há. These “intercalary days” between the 18th and 19th Bahá’í months (that is, February 26 through March 1) are specially devoted to hospitality to friends, the giving of presents, ministering to the poor and sick, etc. (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 188)

The editorial board of Brilliant Star magazine would like to suggest subscriptions to the magazine as presents.

What better way to offer a gift that keeps coming all year long (or even two!), provides spiritual deepening in the Faith, and helps support this important periodical of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Another idea the editorial board is especially excited about is the friends offering gift subscriptions to families who cannot afford it. And what better time of year to do that than Ayyám-i-Há and Naw-Rúz!

Many children and adults have never seen Brilliant Star or received its exhilarating message in the mail every other month.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if all those families were privileged enough to receive subscriptions from friends who can afford it.

Recipients will be sent a gift card from Brilliant Star announcing your present—with or without your name, as you desire.

Send subscription requests to Brilliant Star, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Road, Hixson, TN 37343.

The cost is $9 for a one-year subscription (in the U.S.), $17 for two years. Overseas subscriptions are $11 for one year ($15 air mail), $21 for two years ($28 air mail).

Thank you for your support, and for sharing Brilliant Star with a friend!

Enclosed is my gift of $_____ to the Brilliant Star Endowment Fund, established in honor of the Bahá’í children of Iran, for the purpose of developing materials for children. I understand that my gift will become part of a perpetual fund whose earnings will support this purpose. [Page 9]

Gregory Institute begins 'Operation Catch-up'

The Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina has begun "Operation Catsup" (Catch-up), an educational tutorial and enrichment program for children and youth.

THE IDEA is to serve the general population of the area by providing basic skills, motivation, self-confidence, and a concept of developing divine attributes and promoting the oneness of mankind as expressed in the Bahá’í Writings.

According to Dr. Alberta Deas, who is the administrator of the Gregory Institute and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, the response of area communities to a survey of interests led to offering the first course in the program.

That course trains participants of all ages in computer use and programming, using an easy, simplified method.

There are separate classes for various age groups, but everyone is given thorough, hands-on experience in each session.

Dr. Ralph Scales, one of the course facilitators, emphasizes that the process is easy and fun. "This is a course that can break down fears," he says. "Some people think that machine (the computer) is smarter than it really is."

THERE is another aspect of the course that is equally important and that goes hand-in-hand with the computer classes.

Through training in interpersonal skills, participants learn to feel more positive about themselves and about what they can expect out of life.

Students are also helped to identify career areas where the economy has a demand for employable skills.

For many youth especially, the combination can be a big boost in finding a job or moving up to a better one.

As for children, they receive an introduction to the increasingly important area of computer literacy. Along with this comes the stimulation to develop more positive feelings about themselves.

ADULTS also participate, either for the reasons already stated or to gain confidence as parents in helping their children with computers.

Dr. Scales, a recently enrolled Bahá’í who earned his doctorate at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, donated his time to the first phase of the course.

He was helped by several area educators and others with computer training, most of whom are not Bahá’ís.

The computer and interpersonal skills program, the first element in "Operation Catsup," ran from October through early December. Forty children and 20 adults participated.

Future courses in the program will focus on language arts, mathematics, arts and crafts, and other disciplines, as well as computers.

The program coordinator for future phases of the program is Jackie Wiggins.

Some of the 40 children who participated from October to December in the first phase of 'Operation Catsup,' an educational enrichment program at the Louis Gregory Institute in South Carolina, are shown at the keyboard as they learned some of the elements of computer use and programming.

Joseph Woodbury, a school teacher from Lake City, South Carolina, who served as a facilitator of the first phase of 'Operation Catsup,' an educational enrichment program at the Louis Gregory Institute, examines the work of two young computer programming students.

1st National Child Education Conference slated

The first National Bahá’í Child Education Conference to be sponsored by the National Education Committee will be held over the Memorial Day weekend May 26-27 in Wilmette, Illinois.

Special topics for the conference workshops will include:

Organizing and administering Bahá’í inter-community schools.

• Bahá’í curricula.

Educational materials that are available from the National Education Committee.

The Local Education Adviser Program.

• Developing quality educational programs for Bahá’í youth.

There will be an "Activities Fair" to display curricular materials that have been developed by the friends in various parts of the country.

Participants are encouraged to bring activities/games that they have developed for teaching children so that these may be shared at the Activities Fair.

"The exchange of ideas—the 'cross-pollenization'—that can take place through the conference workshops and Activities Fair will be a healthy process in helping the friends to meet the educational needs of the children in their areas," says Janice Lever, coordinator of child education.

"We expect this conference to be the first of other national conferences on Bahá’í child education."

The conference will feature special guests at a Saturday evening program that will include a reception.

Sunday night, participants will meet with the members of the National Education Committee.

Conference workshops will be held at Kendall College in Evanston (a few blocks from the House of Worship) with evening programs at the House of Worship.

Participation will be limited to 300 persons. Two hundred dormitory spaces at Kendall College are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Other participants will need to make their own overnight arrangements.

Meals will be served in the college cafeteria (vegetarian food will be available). There is no provision for child care. Pre-registration for the conference is required.

Conference costs are: Dorm (shared double room), $12.50 per night per person; meals, $4 per meal (3 meals on Saturday and Sunday, breakfast on Monday); registration fee, $7.

Those who are interested in attending the conference should return the completed registration form with their $7 registration fee to the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091: (Checks should be made payable to "Bahá’í Services Fund.")

Registration letters will be accepted, but they must include all the requested information. Make your reservation(s) now!

(Please print) Name Address Tel. No.

(Please check, if applicable) I am a Local Education Adviser I am a Local District Coordinator

Please include $7 registration fee Send to National Education Committee Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091

Archives Committee seeks original letters from the Guardian

The National Bahá’í Archives Committee is trying to locate original letters from the Guardian to the following individuals:

Mrs. H.W. Birins, Ralph C. Browne, Helen Campbell, Dorothy Dent Dopieralska, Walter Guy, and Bertha Harmon.

The originals or photocopies of these letters are needed by the Universal House of Justice in its efforts to compile and study the letters of the Guardian.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of these letters is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 10]

U.S. communities form ‘spiritual partnership’ with Iran

Last August 29 the American Bahá’í community learned that the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies in Iran had been disbanded.

At the 1983 District Conventions, the National Teaching Committee asked that every jeopardized Assembly in this country be saved and all large Groups brought to Assembly status in the name of one of those that were lost in Iran.

All over the U.S., cities and towns have made themselves spiritual partners with the friends in Iran and have begun to teach with renewed zeal.

The following list is of some of these Assemblies and their extension teaching goals:

California San Bernardino has adopted Grand Terrace in the name of Yazd.

Colorado Cortez has adopted La Plata in the name of Yazd.

Florida The Florida Central District has adopted Deland, Altamonte Springs and Apopka in the names of Tabriz, Isfahan and Zahedan.

Illinois Evanston has adopted Riverside in the name of Rasht.

Iowa The District Teaching Committee has adopted Dallas Center in the name of Karaj; Cedar Rapids has adopted Linn County in the name of Tehran; Davenport has adopted Bettendorf in the name of Isfahan, and Muscatine in the name of Shiraz.

New Mexico Santa Fe has adopted El Rito in the name of Yazd.

Nebraska Grand Island has adopted Kearney in the name of Mashhad.

Nevada Boulder City has adopted Boulder Beach in the name of Zanjan.

Washington Pierce County Peninsula will raise itself to Assembly status in the name of Yazd.

Wyoming Newcastle will raise itself in the name of Madjid-i-Sulaiman.

This dedication to teach the Faith in honor of those who have made such an heroic sacrifice will reap many bounties. A permanent record will be kept by the National Spiritual Assembly, and someday we will be able to share our victories with the friends in Iran.

If your community would like to dedicate its extension teaching to a lost Assembly in Iran, a list of names of those Assemblies is available from the National Teaching Committee.

In American society, among others, January 1 is traditional, the day we look back over our accomplishments of the last year and make resolutions for the next. Generally, we resolve to do better, be better and take better care of ourselves.

During the festival of Riḍván, Bahá’í communities elect their Spiritual Assemblies for the coming year. Thus Riḍván becomes the time they look over their accomplishments and make resolutions for the next year.

The outgoing Assembly reports to its community the major events of the year, its growth and changes. Bahá’í communities take the opportunity to consult on the events of the past year and to make suggestions to the newly elected Assembly.

One of the major topics for discussion is teaching and enrollments. Will your community have new believers at the election of its Spiritual Assembly? Has your community set a goal for new enrollments? Has it met the goal?

Some communities have found a goal helpful as a way of encouraging teaching. If your community decides to set a goal this year, be generous but not overly optimistic; set a goal you know you can win, and then win it!

Enrollments for December 1983: 116 adults, 33 youth, total 149. Enrollments in December 1982 totaled 159. Total enrollments for 1983 were 1,557; for 1982, 1,755.

	Adult	Youth	Total
Alabama	0	0	0
Arizona	7	0	7
Arkansas	0	0	0
California	22	4	26
Colorado	3	2	5
Connecticut	0	0	0
Delaware	0	0	0
Florida	27	0	27
Georgia	0	0	0
Idaho	2	0	2
Illinois	1	0	1
Indiana	0	0	0
Iowa	0	0	0
Kansas	2	0	2
Kentucky	1	2	3
Louisiana	1	1	2
Maine	2	0	2
Maryland	0	0	0
Massachusetts	1	0	1
Michigan	5	1	6
Minnesota	0	0	0
Mississippi	0	0	0
Missouri	1	0	1
Montana	1	0	1
Nebraska	1	0	1
Nevada	1	2	3
New Hampshire	0	0	0
New Jersey	1	0	1
New Mexico	4	2	6
New York	6	1	7
North Carolina	3	2	5
North Dakota	0	0	0
Ohio	1	3	4
Oklahoma	0	0	0
Oregon	2	1	3
Pennsylvania	0	2	2
Rhode Island	0	0	0
South Carolina	5	4	9
South Dakota	0	0	0
Tennessee	1	0	1
Texas	7	1	8
Utah	1	0	1
Vermont	1	0	1
Virginia	2	0	2
Washington	1	2	3
West Virginia	0	1	1
Wisconsin	1	1	2
Wyoming	0	0	0
Washington, D.C.	2	1	3
	116	33	149

Missouri’s ‘Mankind’ conference is held in University City

Bahá’ís and their guests from several Midwestern states participated September 10-11 in the first “Oneness of Mankind Conference” sponsored by the Bahá’í community of University City, Missouri.

Speakers included Auxiliary Board members Robert Postlethwaite and Ronna Santoscoy and Artis Mebane Jr., an assistant to the Auxiliary Board.

Topics discussed at the conference included Effective Listening and Communication Skills, the Equality of Men and Women, the Most Challenging Issue, World Peace, Bahá’í Community Life, and the Unifying Power of the Universal House of Justice.

Entertainment was provided by members of the Central High School Choral Group of the St. Louis public schools.

Ella M. Young, a Bahá’í from Albany, Georgia, who teaches 11th and 12th grade English, was named Terrell County’s Teacher of the Year for 1983 and represented that school system in the Georgia Teacher of the Year program. Miss Young was chosen for the honor over teachers from three other schools. She is an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Adrienne Reeves.

On Saturday, October 22, more than 200 people attended the fifth annual United Nations Day observance in Mesa, Arizona. In addition to a wide assortment of international foods provided by Bahá’ís from four communities and a talk by a representative of the Phoenix chapter of the United Nations Association, there was entertainment by a Javanese dancer; a woodwind quintet from the Mesa Symphony Orchestra; a trio of Bahá’ís who played guitar, saxophone/flute, and santour; and a troupe of East Indian dancers, two of whom are shown here. The local community college and several clubs and organizations were among those represented at the event. [Page 11]

TEACHING THROUGH FRIENDSHIP TEAMS

Although we have emphasized fun and friends as results of belonging to a Friendship Team, the main focus, of course, is to teach the Bahá’í Faith.

Not everyone can donate weekends or vacations to teaching, nor all of us can travel and teach, and it’s not possible for everyone to host a fireside in their home.

WE ALL, however, can make friends.

According to Shoghi Effendi, “... the most effective way for the Bahá’ís to teach the Faith is to make strong friends with their neighbors and associates.

“When the friends have confidence in the Bahá’ís and the Bahá’ís in their friends, they should give the Message and teach the Cause. Individual teaching of this type is more effective than any other type.” (From a letter dated December 1954 written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer. For more sound advice on teaching, read The Individual and Teaching: Raising the Divine Call.)

Two Friendship Teams are using quite different means to teach their friends.

In Yakima, Washington, three young mothers have formed a team to meet on a weekly basis.

THEY deepen on topics of interest, support and help each other in parenting, and make an effort to include Bahá’ís in neighboring communities. These weekly meetings have easily become firesides when other “at-home” mothers have joined the group.

In Seattle, two Bahá’ís get together as a Friendship Team for lunch.

Along with other Bahá’ís who work in the downtown area, they meet with seekers and friends of the Faith to “build whatever bridges God wills.”

They’ve had five such lunches so far with at least two non-Bahá’ís present each time.

Friends teaching friends can be a wonderfully relaxed and satisfying way to teach the Cause. There is no greater joy than when a dear friend declares his faith in Bahá’u’lláh and points to your friendship as the means that attracted his heart.

Paradise Valley, Arizona, auction, dinner benefit WLGI, Institute

As one response to the Campaign of Unified Action, the Bahá’ís of Paradise Valley, Arizona (11 adults plus youth and children) held a dinner and auction December 2 to benefit WLGI Radio and the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute.

About 35 Bahá’ís shared a dinner provided by the host community at a private home.

This was followed by the teaching prayer revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the Southern states, a ‎medly medley‎ of musical introductions from the WLGI Feast tapes, and inspiring words about the purpose of the radio station and Institute—all of which helped to create a favorable atmosphere for the auction which raised $3,869.50.

Many of the auctioned items were Bahá’í-related, and all represented some sacrifice on the part of the donors.

The dinner and auction complemented a similar event in October at which $4,005 was raised for the renovation of the Bahá’í House of Worship.

Homefront pioneer

Selected Assemblies asked to provide pioneers for homefront

Selected Spiritual Assemblies have been asked to produce homefront pioneers. Some of them have already won or even surpassed their goals. Many more individuals have moved to pioneer posts from isolated areas or Bahá’í localities that are not on this list.

The National Teaching Committee is keenly aware of the great contribution which each homefront pioneer makes to our beloved Faith, and would like to send each of them an acknowledgement of their arrival at a post.

If your community is aware of homefront pioneers who have arrived at their post since Riḍván 1983, we urge you to contact the National Teaching Committee immediately. Pioneers should send us their new address, phone number, Bahá’í identification number, and the name of their previous Bahá’í community.

CALL THESE LARGE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITIES IF YOU NEED A HOMEFRONT PIONEER FOR YOUR JEOPARDIZED ASSEMBLY OR LARGE GROUP

LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY	HOMEFRONT PIONEER GOAL	RESULT
ALABAMA
Birmingham	2
Montgomery	2
ARIZONA
Glendale	1
Mesa	1
Phoenix	2
Pima County	1
Scottsdale	1
Tempe	1
Tucson	1	2—SURPASSED
CALIFORNIA
Anaheim	1
Berkeley	1
Beverly Hills	1
Burbank	1
Carmichael	1
Concord	1
Davis	1	WON
Encinitas	1
Escondido	1
Freedom	1
Fresno	2
Garden Grove	1
Glendale	2
Gonzales	1
‎Hawthorn Hawthorne‎	1
Huntington Beach	1
Inglewood	1
Irvine	1
Long Beach	2	WON
Los Angeles	21	2—AT POST
Mountain View	1
Newport Beach	1
Oakland	1
Pasadena	1
Riverside	1
Sacramento	2	1—AT POST
San Diego	7
San Diego Co. N. J.D.	1
San Francisco	3
San Jose	4
San Lucas	1
San Mateo	1
Santa Ana	1
Santa Barbara	1
Santa Monica	2
Santa Rosa	1
Spring Valley	1
Stockton	1
Thousand Oaks	1
Ventura	1	2—RECRUITED*
Ventura County	1
Walnut Creek	1	WON
COLORADO
Colorado Springs	1
Denver	2
Fort Collins	1
FLORIDA
Dade County Central	1
Fort Lauderdale	1
Gainesville	1	5—RECRUITED
Jacksonville	1
Miami	1
Orlando	1
GEORGIA
Atlanta	2
DeKalb County South	1
Marietta	1
ILLINOIS
Chicago	8
Evanston	3
Joliet	2
Peoria	1
Skokie	1
Springfield	1
Urbana	1
Wilmette	2
INDIANA
Bloomington	1
Fort Wayne	1
Indianapolis	2
IOWA
Des Moines	1
KANSAS
Kansas City	1
Lawrence	1
Topeka	1
Wichita	1
KENTUCKY
Louisville	1
LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge	1
Lafayette	1
New Orleans	1	2—SURPASSED
Shreveport	1
MARYLAND
Baltimore	1
Howard County	2
Montgomery County C	1
Prince Georges County S	1
Washington, D.C.	2
MASSACHUSETTS
Amherst Town	1
Boston	1
MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor	1
Detroit	3
Grand Rapids	1
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis	2
St. Paul	1
MISSOURI
Columbia	1
Kansas City	1	1—RECRUITED
Springfield	1
St. Louis	1
MONTANA
Billings	1
NEBRASKA
Lincoln	1
Omaha	1	2—RECRUITED
NEVADA
Las Vegas	1
Reno	1	WON
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque	3	1—RECRUITED
Las Cruces	2
NEW YORK
Brookhaven Town	1
Buffalo	1	3—SURPASSED
Hempstead Town	1	WON
Islip Town	1
New York City	10
Rochester	1
NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville	1
Charlotte	2
Greensboro	1
Raleigh	1
Rowland	1
Tabor City	1
Whiteville	1
OHIO
Cincinnati	1
Cleveland	1
Columbus	2
Toledo	1
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City	1
Tulsa	1
OREGON
Corvallis	1
Eugene	2
Multnomah County	1
Portland	4
Salem	1
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia	2
Pittsburgh	1
TEXAS
Amarillo	1
Corpus Christi	1
El Paso	2
Harris County S.E.	1
Harris County S.W.	1
Lubbock	1
UTAH
Salt Lake City	1
VIRGINIA
Alexandria	1
Arlington County S.	1
Fairfax County N.	1
Fairfax County S.E.	1
Fairfax County W.	2
Falls Church	1
Norfolk	1	2—SURPASSED
Richmond	1
WASHINGTON
Bellevue	1
Bellingham	1
Kirkland	1	2—SURPASSED
Seattle	4
Spokane	1
Tacoma	1
Walla Walla	1
Yakima	1
WISCONSIN
Madison	1	4—SURPASSED
Milwaukee	3	2—AT POST

• Recruited: Volunteered to pioneer but not yet at post.

[Page 12]

RACE UNITY

‘When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine . . .’ (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 54)

What others are saying . . .

In an article last July in a Charleston, South Carolina, newspaper, a 70-year-old world traveler was asked what had impressed him most on a recent trip. “It’s the ‘one world’ thing,” he responded. “That’s the biggest change on earth in the last 50 years.”

During the course of the article, the gentleman explained how among the peoples of Peru, China, India and Africa he had found the same aims and aspirations, cross-culturization, and English as a common language. He mentioned that in his own family relatives have married people of different races, nationalities and religions.

Also, he said, “when you think about how the cultures of the world have mingled and diluted each other in my lifetime you have to be aware that eventually—maybe even in the lifetime of babies being born today—there will be only one culture, one main language—and, whether you like it or not, one race.”

Asked if this would mean more wars, he replied, “No, but the conflicts would be sort of civil wars instead of nationalistic ones.”

• * *

Not too long ago, a sign was hung on the main street of Greenville, Texas, which proclaimed that that city had “The blackest land, the whitest people.” Now, that Dallas suburb is in the news because of its possible wrongful incarceration of a young black engineer, Lenell Geter.

Some people contend that it was the racism inherent in that street sign which caused this young man to be given a life sentence for a crime many people believe he did not commit. Mr. Geter is accused of robbing a Kentucky Fried Chicken store, but several of his co-workers say he was at work during the time the robbery took place.

In November, a segment of the CBS-TV news program “60 Minutes” was devoted to the Geter case. According to an article in Time magazine, “60 Minutes” received an unprecedented amount of viewer mail expressing outrage over the way in which the case had been handled. As a result of public pressure, Mr. Geter was released on bail with the promise of a new trial.

Although it was probably racism that led to Mr. Geter’s unfair treatment, it is racial amity that will enable him to have another chance.

• * *

The eradication of racial prejudice was at the core of the commencement message December 22 to mid-year graduates of the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

Commencement speaker Fred R. Sheheen told the graduates and their guests that “... we must understand that the dignity of people is their most precious asset, and that discrimination, even in private activity, eliminates a person’s dignity.”

Mr. Sheheen, who is chairman of the state’s Commission on Higher Education, urged his audience to remember the words of President Theodore Roosevelt: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the great twilight zone that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

The speech is especially worth noting because the College of Charleston did not open its doors to black students until 1971, and the school still has a relatively small black student population.

Dr. William H. Smith (center), a Bahá’í from Sudbury, Massachusetts, is shown at the recent dedication of television station WNDS-TV in Derry, New Hampshire. Dr. Smith is president of the station. Among those attending the dedication ceremony was John Sununu (second from right), the governor of New Hampshire. Also pictured are members of the station’s board of directors (left to right) James Stellos; Robert Blum, a Bahá’í from Highland Park, Illinois; and Gerald Nash.

Dr. Eugene Andrews (left), a member of the National Teaching Committee who is an executive with the General Electric Company in New York, was the guest speaker October 29 at the 20th annual banquet of the Charleston, South Carolina, Business and Professional Association. Dr. Roy Jones (third from left), a member of the Association and the national Race Unity Committee, helped arrange Dr. Andrews’ appearance. To Dr. Jones’ left is Dr. Andrews’ wife, Nancy. Judge Arthur McFarland, president of the Business and Professional Association, is second from right.

Dr. Andrews guest speaker at Charleston’s 20th Business and Professional Association banquet

Dr. Eugene Andrews, a member of the National Teaching Committee, was the guest speaker October 29 at the 20th annual banquet of the Charleston, South Carolina, Business and Professional Association.

WHILE the banquet theme was “Demanding Your Fair Share,” Dr. Andrews, an executive with the General Electric Company in New York, placed his emphasis on “Gaining One’s Fair Share.”

He spoke about the temporary impact of protests, boycotts, and the political process on the economic progress of America’s minorities, and stressed the long-term impact of “excellence” and an investment in the educational and moral development of our young people on economic growth and the quality of community life.

Dr. Andrews urged his audience to be the best, to give their best, and to always do their best.

He urged parents to be concerned and involved in the education of their children, and to encourage those children to pursue the sciences and math.

He exhorted community leaders to start computer literacy classes and enrichment programs for youth to augment their education, and asked that we recognize academic achievements as we do athletics.

About 225 people attended the banquet. The Association, which was founded in 1958, is a community and business service organization of 80 ‎busipess business‎ men and women—lawyers, doctors and educators.

Dr. Andrews’ appearance was arranged by the Spiritual Assembly of Charleston and Dr. Roy Jones, who is a member of the Association.

In his introduction, Dr. Jones mentioned that Dr. Andrews is a Bahá’í.

Ives

Continued From Page 4

had applied to him.

In November 1920 Mr. Ives was married to Mabel Rice-Wray, and together they decided to chart an unusual course by selling or giving away all their possessions and taking jobs as salesmen to give them more freedom to move about and teach the Faith.

Their first stop was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they held 36 Bahá’í meetings in a six-week period.

AFTERWARD, they moved from city to city, their teaching work bringing many rewards. The Ives taught throughout the eastern, central and southern areas of the U.S.

Mr. Ives was 67 years old when, in Knoxville, Tennessee, he began to write.

Employed as a writer by the Tennessee Valley Authority, he found that he had an ability to write vivid prose, but his health, which had always been frail, was failing.

He suffered from angina, and his hearing and eyesight were fading. Forbidden by doctors to strain his eyes, Mr. Ives learned the “touch” system of typing and completed Portals to Freedom, which was published in 1937.

He then wrote a book-length poem entitled “Song Celestial,” and two later works that have not been published.

“WHEN I recognize the undoubted fact that all this life has taught me, or could ever possibly teach me,” he wrote shortly before his death, “is but a sign, a token, a symbol, of what the future worlds of God shall surely teach—my whole being is lost in thanksgiving and praise of Him Who has bestowed on me this boundless Gift and this infinite Bounty.”

With his wife at his side, Howard Colby Ives passed to the Abhá Kingdom on June 23, 1941, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, cabled his widow:

“Profoundly deplore tremendous loss outstanding promoter Faith. Evidences his magnificent labors imperishable. Deepest sympathy. Ardent prayers.” (Signed) Shoghi Effendi.

Pizza party for WLGI

In mid-December, 10 Bahá’ís from Cicero, Liverpool, Manlius and Syracuse, New York, held a pizza party to raise funds for WLGI radio.

The event was the centerpiece of a week’s activities that brought in $789 for the station. [Page 13]

INTERMEDIA

News from the Office of Public Affairs

The November 1983 issue of Physics Today includes a two-column letter to the editor written by Gerhard Muller, a Bahá’í from Stony Brook, New York. The letter, headlined “Woman Physicist Executed,” reports the execution of Mrs. Ginous Mahmoudi, the Bahá’í director of the Department of Meteorology of Iran and president of the Iranian School of Meteorology.

Who has the time? The Office of Public Affairs recently received an intriguing inquiry from the editor of an encyclopedia: “We have received a letter from a reader who is anxious to learn the exact time of day when ‘Alí Muhammad of Shíráz, Iran, declared himself to be the Promised One. The date of his declaration was May 23, 1844, and the time is given as two hours and 11 minutes after sunset.” In other words, at what time did sunset occur on that date? We contacted the U.S. Naval Observatory, but they are short of staff and could not assemble the information. Does anyone have the answer for us?

Bahá’í columns are surfacing among the clippings we receive from newspapers around the country. “Pearls of Wisdom,” a column by Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Gayle Woolson of Evanston, Illinois, appears in the bi-monthly North Shore Examiner that is distributed on Chicago’s North Shore. If your community would like copies of the column for your local paper, contact the Office of Public Affairs. George Savitt, a Bahá’í in Miami, Florida, has been writing a column in the Miami Times for 25 years using the pen name “Phil Ossofer.” He teaches indirectly through the column with Bahá’í interpretations of biblical phrases, the inclusion of facts about black history, and an occasional mention of the Faith itself. A column about the Faith by contributing writer Abdullah Brooks appears regularly in the Sacramento Observer in California’s state capital. The history of the Faith and its Founders is related sequentially in each issue. An interesting note—each of these newspapers is aimed toward a predominantly black readership.

Reprints of recent statements about the Faith by prominent individuals are available from the Office of Public Affairs. Use these with the background information you are providing to influential people and the media. Prices are as follows: Banning of Bahá’í institutions by Iran’s attorney-general, 25 cents each; New York Mayor Koch’s letter to President Reagan, 20 cents; open letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, 50 cents; President Reagan’s human rights proclamation, 20 cents; statement by the Hon. C.N. Dombalis, U.S. alternate representative to the United Nations, 30 cents each. Please include an additional 10 per cent of the total order to cover postage. Make checks payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund.”

Commentator David Brinkley mentioned the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran on Christmas morning on his television show, “This Week with David Brinkley,” on the NBC network.

In November, a Bahá’í pioneer in Monrovia, Liberia, writing to his mother in the U.S., stopped in mid-sentence and then wrote, “Wow! You won’t believe this, but I had the BBC on my shortwave radio and the announcer just read a prayer by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and started talking about the Bahá’í Faith!”

Among important editorial comments about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran that appeared during the week of November 20 were those by Suzanne Garment in The Wall Street Journal and by Leanita McClain in The Chicago Tribune.

2 N. American journals publish articles on Iran persecutions

Two scholarly journals in North America have published recent articles on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

One of them, Cultural Survival Quarterly, an international magazine devoted to minority issues, included in its fall issue an article entitled “The Bahá’ís of Iran” written by Douglas Martin, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.

A longer article by Mr. Martin entitled “The Bahá’ís of Iran Under the Islamic Republic” appeared in the November 1983 issue of Middle East Focus, which carried an earlier article in the same series entitled “The Bahá’ís of Iran Under the Pahlavi Regime.”

Middle East Focus is published by a group of Canadian academics with a special interest in strategies for peace in the Middle East.

The two articles are based on a larger study by Mr. Martin entitled “The Persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, 1844-1984” which is soon to be published by the Association for Bahá’í Studies as a special issue in its series of monographs.

The Bahá’í Faith

This Bahá’í booth at the annual United Nations Festival held November 4-6 in Columbus, Ohio, won first prize among 147 booths in the community service category. The booth was designed and hand-painted by Keith Kresge, a commercial artist in Columbus. It was the eighth and most successful booth sponsored to date by the Bahá’ís of Columbus, with many inquiries about the Faith and the distribution of every available pamphlet on the very first day (a record). Shown manning the booth are (left to right) Bob Lohr, Penny Lohr, Norman Rafizadeh, Shireen Connor and Madlen Connor.

Renowned director does 6 TV spots

Responding to a request from two Bahá’ís, award-winning film director Karl Krogstad recently completed six new television public service announcements for the Faith which will be distributed by the national Office of Public Affairs.

MR. Krogstad’s films are so popular in Germany that special showings had to be arranged at the famous Metropolis cinema to satisfy public demand.

Film critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, in an article entitled “The Genius of Karl Krogstad,” terms him “a dazzling multi-media technician.”

Gene Youngblood, writing in Expanded Cinema, says Mr. Krogstad is “... a genuine, absolutely authentic talent, maybe even a genius ... few filmmakers, except perhaps Fellini, are capable of such astonishing visual magic.”

Why would Mr. Krogstad, who is not a Bahá’í, take time from his current feature film to direct a series of TV spots for the Faith? His reasons, he says, are both professional and personal.

“I was approached by Burl Barer and Allen Goldblatt, two men for whom I have the greatest respect,” he says. “Through them I had become familiar with the aims and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, and the current persecutions in Iran.

“THEY had the ideas, the scripts, the go-ahead from their Bahá’í national office, but a budget that was almost non-existent.

“Well, I fell in love with the project. This was something I could put my heart into because of the Bahá’í principles, which I feel are the most important principles to which people can be exposed.

“There was also the thrill of doing six different styles, six forms. No two of these spots are alike, yet they all interrelate.”

The project, if done in Los Angeles, “would cost no less than $90,000 to $200,000,” says Mr. Krogstad. “We did it in Seattle for $8,000 including post-production.”

Written and produced by Barer/Goldblatt Associates, the series was filmed at various locations in the Seattle area.

SITES included the outdoor track at the University of Washington and the private offices of a prestigious law firm on the 30th floor of the Bank of California.

One spot features an elaborate industrial scene that is actually a detailed miniature.

Another is done in the style of a TV headache remedy commercial, except the cause of these “headaches” is a combination of racism and sexual discrimination.

There is also a Spanish-language spot focusing on extended family unity, and a youth-oriented spot dealing with teen-age stereotypes.

“Some of these are quite direct in their approach,” says Mr. Barer, “others are more subtle. All of them are public service messages, not commercials for the Faith. There is a wide variety of styles; we tried to provide spots that would be of value to any Bahá’í community, rural or urban.”

Also working on the project was Leslie Moulton, a Bahá’í who has extensive television experience. Ms. Moulton was assistant director of such network shows as “Laverne and Shirley” and “Cagney and Lacey.”

Post-production work was targeted for completion by the end of January, with distribution expected to begin sometime this month through the Office of Public Affairs.

Writers’ workshop, book party held in San Francisco

A book-signing party and writers’ workshop presided over by author Wendy Heller were held in November at the Bahá’í Center in San Francisco, California.

About 20 people attended the afternoon event with some coming from as far away as Sacramento.

Ms. Heller has a solid background in writing, having published numerous articles and books on a variety of topics.

In the workshop, she covered such areas as choosing a topic, deciding on appropriate book or article length, and the importance of knowing one’s audience.

Also discussed were sales, contracts, and other pertinent business information.

Afterward, a buffet lunch was served and there was an informal discussion with questions and answers. [Page 14]

Bahá’í Publishing Trust Price List

Correct as of February 1, 1984

Bahá’í Publishing Trust 415 LINDEN AVENUE WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091

Explanation of Abbreviations Used

CD = CARDS (GREETING, TEACHING, PRAYER) CS = CASSETTE EA = EACH (ONE FOR THE PRICE OF...) FS = FILMSTRIP HC = HARDCOVER EDITION LOB = LIGHT OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH LP = LONG-PLAYING RECORD (ALBUM) LT = LIGHTWEIGHT EDITION NET = NO DISCOUNTS APPLY (PRICE IS NET) PER = PERSIAN LANGUAGE PH = PHOTOGRAPH PM = PAMPHLET PSTR = POSTER PS = POCKET SIZE EDITION SC = SOFTCOVER EDITION SET = SET FOR THE PRICE OF... SPN = SPANISH LANGUAGE 10/ = TEN FOR THE PRICE OF... 50/ = FIFTY FOR THE PRICE OF...

• = NEW PRICE SINCE LAST LIST

Alphabetical Domestic Price List

Current as of February 1, 1984

364003 BAHÁ’Í ELECTRL PRCSS CDP SC EA $3.50 231059 BAHÁ’Í FAITH INTRODUCTION SC EA $1.50 267002 BAHÁ’Í FAITH TCH BKLT ENG SC 10/ $14.00 440004 BAHÁ’Í FAITH: SPIRIT WAY SC EA $2.00 331096 BAHÁ’Í FOLLOWER OF LIGHT SC EA $3.00 855001 BAHÁ’Í FTH PRSNTN FL FLDR EA $0.50 340080 BAHÁ’Í FTH: SUMMARY RPRNT PM 10/ $4.50 769082 BAHÁ’Í HISTORY CALENDAR 1984 EA $5.00 831080 BAHÁ’Í HISTORY, LOB CS EA $9.00 831084 BAHÁ’Í LAWS, LOB CS EA $9.00 315085 BAHÁ’Í MARRIAGE/FAM LIFE SC EA $2.50 215056 BAHÁ’Í MTS/19 DAY FEASTS SC EA $2.00 769064 BAHÁ’Í POCKET CALENDAR 1984 /10 $1.50 115070 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS HC EA $11.00 115071 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS SC EA $3.00 315005 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS GIFT-WHITE HC EA $5.50 115007 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS (OLD EDIT.) HC EA $4.00 369033 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS ERRATA SLIP FREE 315054 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS & TBLT/YNG HC EA $5.00 315072 BAHÁ’Í PRAYERS LEATHER OUT OF STOCK 332116 BAHÁ’Í PROOFS HC EA $15.00 368003 BAHÁ’Í PUB TRUST 83 CATALOG EA $2.00 337050 BAHÁ’Í STDS NBK 1 ESSAYS&PMS EA $6.00 332066 * BAHÁ’Í STDS NBK 2:HEALTH SC EA $6.00 337052 BAHÁ’Í STDS NBK 3:MAR&FAMILY EA $6.50 332058 BAHÁ’Í STDS 10:CREATIVITY SC EA $4.00 332060 BAHÁ’Í STDS 11:SPIRITUALITY EA $4.00 337000 BAHÁ’Í STDS 2:SCI/RELIGION OUT OF STOCK 337002 BAHÁ’Í STDS 4 BAHÁ’Í HISTORY EA $4.00 337003 BAHÁ’Í STDS 6:VIOLNC-FR SOC OUT OF STOCK 332059 BAHÁ’Í STUDIES #9: MNFSTTN SC EA $5.00 340007 BAHÁ’Í TCHNGS FR WRLD FTH PH OUT OF STOCK 769045 BAHÁ’Í WALL CALENDAR 1984 EA $1.00 315020 BAHÁ’Í WORLD FAITH HC EA $12.00 340011 BAHÁ’Í WORLD FTH FR MD MN PM 10/ $3.50 333000 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 1-12 HC NET $200.00 333001 BAHÁ’Í WORLD: VOL 1 =I HC EA $10.00 333010 BAHÁ’Í WORLD: VOL 10 =X HC EA $25.00 333011 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 11 =XI HC EA $25.00 333012 BAHÁ’Í WORLD: VOL 12 =XII HC EA $26.00 233013 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 13 =XIII HC EA $27.00 233014 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 14 =XIV HC EA $16.00 233015 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 15 =XV HC EA $17.50 233016 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 16 =XVI HC EA $20.00 233017 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 17 =XVII HC EA $22.50 333002 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 2 =II HC EA $15.00 333003 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 3 =III HC EA $15.00 333004 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 4 =IV HC EA $20.00 333005 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 5 =V HC EA $26.00 333006 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 6 =VI HC EA $26.00 333007 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 7 =VII HC EA $27.00 333008 BAHÁ’Í WORLD: VOL 8 =VIII HC EA $27.00 333009 BAHÁ’Í WORLD VOL 9 =IX HC EA $27.00 368032 BAHÁ’Í WRITINGS A CONCRDNC SC EA $9.00 555100 BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN SC NET $3.00 831081 BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, LOB CS EA $9.00 332047 BAHÁ’U’LLÁH KING OF GLORY HC EA $24.00 315074 BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AND NEW ERA HC EA $10.00 315075 BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AND THE NEW ERA SC OUT OF STOCK 340014 BASIC FACTS/BAHÁ’Í FAITH PM 50/ $4.00 331036 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ CENTER/CUNNT HC EA $13.95 331037 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ CENTER/CUNNT SC EA $6.95 875019 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ COLOR LTH 11X14 EA $4.00 875020 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ COLOR LTH 5X7 EA $5.00 106041 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ IN LONDON HC OUT OF STOCK 875047 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ LITHO 10.5X15 EA $2.50 870020 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ LITHOGRAPHS SET 7/ $5.00 875045 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ 11X14 LITHO PH EA $1.25 870010 ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ 2X2 LITHOS PH 10/ $2.00 108001 ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTICE HC EA $11.00 108002 ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTICE SC EA $6.00 352080 ALI'S DREAM HC EA $10.95 352081 ALI'S DREAM SC EA $5.95 331013 AN EARLY PILGRIMAGE SC OUT OF STOCK 332032 ANOTHER SONG/SEASON HC EA $9.50 332037 ANOTHER SONG/SEASON SC EA $2.00 353023 ANTHOLOGY FOR BAHÁ’Í CHILD OUT OF STOCK 831052 ARE YOU HAPPY?-OLINGA CS EA $7.00 308052 AROHANUI SHOGHI EFFENDI HC EA $7.00 332035 AUGUSTE FOREL & BAHÁ’Í F SC OUT OF STOCK 848094 AYYAM-I-HA BALLOON CD 10/ $2.00 848087 AYYAM-I-HA FRIEND SHIP CD 10/ $2.00 848099 AYYAM-I-HA GIRAFFE CD 10/ $2.00 308054 BAB HERALD DAY OF DAYS HC EA $10.95 332052 BABI & BAHÁ’Í RELIGIONS HC EA $29.50 831085 BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATION, LOB CS EA $9.00 340002 BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS PM 10/ $2.50 831087 BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY LIFE, LOB CS EA $9.00 769021 BAHÁ’Í DATE BOOK 1984 EA $2.00 215059 BAHÁ’Í EDUCATION COMP. SC EA $3.50 352055 BIRTH OF BAHÁ’Í FAITH SC EA $1.00 353019 BJ & LANGUAGE OF WOODLAND SC EA $3.75 352070 BLACK ROSE, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 848085 BLOSSOM-ASSORTMENT OF 3 CD 12/ $2.00 842001 BOOKPLATES, GREEN 20/ $2.00 332045 BRILLIANT STARS HC OUT OF STOCK 332026 BUDDHA M-A HAS APPEARED SC EA $9.00 340098 BUILDING A UNIFIED CMTY PM 10/ $3.00 108050 CALL TO THE NATIONS HC EA $6.00 108051 CALL TO THE NATIONS SC EA $3.00 215058 CENTERS OF BAHÁ’Í LEARNING SC EA $1.50 306035 CHILDREN'S PRAYER CD 10/ $1.50 331010 CHRIST AND BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $3.00 106001 CHRIST'S PROMISE FLFLLD SC OUT OF STOCK 441009 CIRCLE OF UNITY HC EA $7.00 108006 CITADEL OF FAITH HC EA $11.00 108007 CITADEL OF FAITH SC OUT OF STOCK 368052 COMMENTRY WL/TST ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ OUT OF STOCK 315011 COMMUNION WITH GOD LG/TYPE EA $1.50 315009 COMMUNION WITH GOD STD. SC 10/ $5.00 368052 CONCORDANCE TO HDDN WRDS SC EA $2.50 368065 CONCORDANCE: GLEANINGS/W/B SC OUT OF STOCK 368064 CONCRDNCE S/W/‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC EA $9.00 225002 CONSTITUTION UNIV HS JUST SC EA $1.50 215064 CONSULTATION COMPILATION SC EA $1.50 215067 CONTINENTAL BRD COUN COMP SC EA $3.50 352071 CORNERSTONE, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 332034 COUNSELS OF PERFECTION SC OUT OF STOCK 332097 CROWN OF BEAUTY, A HC OUT OF STOCK 332098 CROWN OF BEAUTY, A SC OUT OF STOCK 332086 CRY FROM THE HEART HC EA $8.50 332087 CRY FROM THE HEART SC EA $2.50 859012 CRY FROM THE HEART PSTR 10/ $1.50 332041 DAILY LESSONS RECVD AKKA SC EA $5.00 331053 DAWN BREAKERS HC EA $20.00 332018 DAWN OVER MT HIRA HC EA $4.50 332019 DAWN OVER MT HIRA SC EA $2.00 315087 DAYS TO REMEMBER SC EA $7.00 468007 DECLARATION TRST/BLW LSA EA $1.00 365015 DEEPENING PCK FR NW BLVRS EA $4.00 315076 DESIRE OF THE WORLD HC EA $8.50 315077 DESIRE of THE WORLD SC EA $3.50 332107 DIARY OF JULIET THOMPSON HC OUT OF STOCK 340060 DIVINE LAW: SOURCE HMN RTS PM 10/ $3.00 332099 DOOR OF HOPE HC EA $18.75 332100 DOOR OF HOPE SC EA $9.75 364015 DYNAMIC FORCE/EXAMPLE CDP SC EA $10.00 331014 EG BROWNE & BAHÁ’Í FAITH HC EA $11.95 332036 EARTH IS BUT ONE COUNTRY SC EA $7.50 340056 ENVIRONMENT/HUMAN VALUES PM 10/ $3.00 103001 EPISTLE TO SON OF WOLF HC EA $11.00 340074 EQUALITY OF MEN & WOMEN PM 10/ $3.00 365014 EXPLANATION EMBLM GRTST NM OUT OF STOCK 106042 FAITH FOR EVERY MAN SC OUT OF STOCK 631072 FAREWELL ADDRESS CS NET $4.50 331082 FLAME, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 835009 FLIGHT LP EA $4.00 352075 FLY THROUGH BAHÁ’Í YEAR SC OUT OF STOCK 364004 FORTRESS FR WL BNG CDP SC EA $6.00 364010 FORTRESS FR WLL BNG GT ED HC EA $12.00 106003 FOUNDATIONS OF WORLD UNTY HC EA $10.00 332117 FOUR ON AN ISLAND HC EA $8.95 332118 FOUR ON AN ISLAND SC EA $4.50 848048 FOUR SEASONS NAWRUZ CD 10/ $2.00 579079 FRN: BAHÁ’ÍS EN IRAN EA $3.00 332108 FROM BEHIND THE VEIL SC EA $3.25 332030 FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH SC EA $2.00 848096 FROST AT DAWN RITES CD 10/ $2.00 332103 GEORGE TOWNSHEND HC EA $19.50 332104 GEORGE TOWNSHEND SC OUT OF STOCK 315051 GLAD TIDINGS/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $5.95 103003 GLEANINGS WRT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $13.00 103031 GLEANINGS WRT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH PS EA $3.50 103004 GLEANINGS WRT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $8.00 352043 GOD & HIS MESSENGERS SC OUT OF STOCK 331074 GOD LOVES LAUGHTER SC OUT OF STOCK 352086 GOD MADE THE STARS HC EA $4.50 108010 GOD PASSES BY HC EA $13.50 108011 GOD PASSES BY SC OUT OF STOCK 341012 GOD'S GREAT PLAN SC EA $2.00 340057 GOD'S NEW AGE PM 10/ $1.00 864004 GREATEST NM 8X10 GOLD EA $2.00 864009 GREATEST NM 8X10 SILVER EA $2.00 352090 GREEN YEARS, THE OUT OF STOCK 835019 HAPPY AYYAM-I-HA LP EA $4.00 332085 HE LOVED & SERVED SC EA $6.50 331017 HEART OF THE GOSPEL, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 103005 HIDDEN WORDS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $5.50 103006 HIDDEN WORDS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $3.00 352087 HORSE OF THE MOONLIGHT SC OUT OF STOCK 340025 HUMAN RTS ARE GOD GVN RTS PM OUT OF STOCK 332110 IMPERISHABLE DOMINION, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 215084 IMPORTANCE OF DEEPENING SC EA $2.00 830099 IN DAYS OF GUARDIAN..IOAS CS EA $7.00 832025 IN HIS PRESENCE.SAMANDARI CS EA $7.00 340077 IN MEMORY OF THE MARTYRS CS EA $7.00 368062 IN SEARCH OF SUPREM TLSHN PH 10/ $3.00 368063 INDEX OF QUOTATIONS, AN HC OUT OF STOCK 369032 INDEX OF QUOTATIONS, AN SC OUT OF STOCK 369032 INDEX/ERRATA: S/W/‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ FREE 369031 INDEX/ERRATA: SEL/WRIT BAB IP FREE 369030 INDEX/ERRATA TAB/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH FREE 215060 INDIVIDUAL AND TEACHING SC EA $1.50 315080 INSPIRING THE HEART HC OUT OF STOCK 315081 INSPIRING THE HEART SC OUT OF STOCK 332093 IRAN'S SECRET POGROM SC EA $3.50 339007 ISLAMIC CONTRIB TO CIV SC EA $5.00 332053 KHADIJIH BAGUM WIFE/BAB SC EA $3.75 332091 KHANUM: GREATEST HLY LF SC OUT OF STOCK 103008 KITAB-I-IQAN HC EA $14.00 103032 KITAB-I-IQAN PS EA $3.50 364002 KNOWLEDGE VOLITN ACT CDP SC EA $1.50 497004 LAO FULFIL BUDD PROPH SADDLE EA $1.50 497003 LAO NEW GARDEN PERF BOUND EA $3.00 497001 LAO PRAYERS & HIDDEN WORDS EA $1.50 848046 LEAF AYYAM-I-HA CD 10/ $2.00 831054 LEGACIES OF SERVICE SET 5 CS SET $30.00 315079 LET THY BREEZE RFRSH THEM HC OUT OF STOCK 530040 LIBRARY PRESENTATION PACKAGE NET $30.00 332074 LIGHT OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $2.50 831089 LIGHT OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SET/CS NET $74.50 308054 LIGHT OF DIVINE GUIDANCE HC EA $21.00 332029 LIGHT SHINETH IN DARKNESS HC EA $9.95 332028 LIGHT SHINETH IN DARKNESS SC EA $5.95 215040 LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY SC EA $0.50 831086 LOCAL SPRTUL ASSMBLY, LOB CS EA $9.00 835018 LOTE TREE LP EA $4.00 340031 LOYALTY TO GOVERNMENT PM 10/ $1.50 315083 MAGNIFIED BE THY NAME HC OUT OF STOCK [Page 15]

Price List

STOCK NO. DESCRIPTION TYPE UNIT/ PRICE

332105 MARTHA ROOT LION/THRESH HC EA $20.00 332106 MARTHA ROOT:LION/THRESH SC EA $12.50 364001 MEANING OF DEEPENING CDP SC EA $3.00 340034 MEANING OF WORSHIP PM 10/ $5.00 332010 MEMORIALS OF THE FAITHFUL HC EA $10.00 332010 MEMORIES OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ HC EA $10.00 332011 MEMORIES OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC EA $6.00 340035 MESSAGE OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH PM 10/ $3.00 108015 MESSAGES TO BAHÁ’Í WORLD HC EA $10.00 225008 MESSAGES UNIV HOUSE JUST HC EA $9.00 225009 MESSAGES UNIV HOUSE JUST SC EA $4.00 415061 MIGHTY RIVER SC EA $0.50 332027 MILLY SC OUT OF STOCK 332090 MIRACLES AND METAPHORS HC EA $11.95 332054 MIRACLES AND METAPHORS SC EA $8.95 331018 MISSION OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $7.50 353017 MISSION OF YOUTH CD 10/ $2.00 332071 MOTHERS/FATHERS/CHILDREN SC EA $6.50 339001 MUHAMMAD/COURSE OF ISLAM HC EA $19.50 352091 MULLA HUSAYN EA $3.50 352053 MY BABY BOOK HC EA $5.00 332092 MY MEMORIES/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $11.95 352077 MY NAME IS NABIL HC EA $6.00 831051 MY ONLY DESIRE..ALEXANDER CS EA $7.00 315082 MYSTERY OF GOD HC EA $21.00 303024 SELECTED WRIT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $10.00 303023 SELECTED WRIT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $1.00 105050 SELECTIONS WRIT OF BAB HC EA $9.00 105051 SELECTIONS WRIT OF BAB LT EA $6.00 352078 NINE DAYS TO ISTANBUL SC OUT OF STOCK 353022 NINE HOLY DAYS OUT OF STOCK 352048 O GOD GUIDE ME SC OUT OF STOCK 859009 O GOD, GUIDE ME PSTR EA $1.50 340037 ONE UNIVERSAL FAITH PM 50/ $4.00 340099 ONE WORLD, ONE PEOPLE PM 10/ $3.00 340058 OPEN DOOR, THE W/ENVELOPE PM 10/ $7.50 332101 OTHER PEOPLE/OTHER PLACES HC EA $13.75 332102 OTHER PEOPLE/OTHER PLACES SC EA $6.75 106015 PARIS TALKS HC EA $7.50 106016 PARIS TALKS SC EA $5.00 406046 PER SEL LTRS ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ HC EA $8.00 406047 PER SEL LTRS ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC EA $5.00 403043 PER/ARA TBLT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $14.00 389049 PER BAHÁ’Í FTH NOT POLITICAL EA $4.00 389068 PER EPISTLE TO SON OF WOLF EA $20.00 389064 PER FIRE AND LIGHT OUT OF STOCK 389037 PER KITAB-I-IGAN OUT OF STOCK 389048 PER STORY OF MY HEART HC EA $13.95 389061 PER TABLETS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH K/A EA $19.95 389069 PER THE GLORIOUS PETALS EA $6.50 364008 PERSONAL TRNSFRMTN PROGRM SC SET $20.00 832026 PIONEER CS EA $8.50 331022 PORTALS TO FREEDOM SC EA $6.50 365001 POWER OF COVENANT-PART 1 SC EA $2.00 365002 POWER OF COVENANT-PART 2 SC EA $2.00 365003 POWER OF COVENANT-PART 3 SC EA $2.00 315078 POWER OF DIVINE ASSIST SC EA $2.00 103010 PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS HC EA $11.00 331024 PRESCRIPTION FOR LIVING SC OUT OF STOCK 331048 PRICELESS PEARL SC EA $5.00 339003 PRINCE OF MARTYRS SC EA $2.75 315028 PRINCIPLES/BAHÁ’Í ADMIN HC EA $6.00 315027 PRINCIPLES/BAHÁ’Í ADMIN SC OUT OF STOCK 103012 PROCLAMATION BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $7.50 103013 PROCLAMATION BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $3.00 831088 PROGRESSIVE REVELATN, LOB CS EA $9.00 331025 PROMISE OF ALL AGES HC EA $8.25 331026 PROMISE OF ALL AGES SC EA $2.75 108017 PROMISED DAY IS COME HC EA $8.00 108018 PROMISED DAY IS COME SC EA $5.50 106039 PROMULGATION OF UNV PEACE HC EA $16.00 340043 PROPHECY FULFILLED PM 10/ $4.50 352072 PROUD HELPER, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 840025 PUZZLE/PUZZLE EA $1.00 352092 GUDDUS EA $3.50 215068 QUICKENERS OF MANKIND SC EA $2.00 331030 RELIGION FOR MANKIND SC OUT OF STOCK 331032 RENEWAL OF CIVILIZATION SC OUT OF STOCK 332076 RESPONSE SC OUT of STOCK 331090 REVELATION/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH #1 HC EA $15.00 331092 REVELATION/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH #2 HC EA $17.00 331093 REVELATION/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH #2 SC EA $9.95 331094 REVELATION/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH #3 HC EA $18.50 352076 SCOTTISH VISITORS SC OUT OF STOCK 859011 SEAT UNIV HSE JUST PSTR EA $2.50 353013 SECRET IN GARDEN HC EA $4.00 353014 SECRET IN GARDEN SC EA $2.50 106006 SECRET OF DIVINE CIVILZTN HC EA $10.00 308043 SELECT WRT SHOGHI EFFENDI SC EA $1.00 215042 NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASMBLY SC EA $1.00 106025 SELECTIONS WRT ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ HC EA $10.00 106040 SELECTIONS WRT ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ LT EA $6.00 106026 SELECTIONS WRT ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC EA $6.00 332078 SEVEN MARTYRS OF HURMUZAK HC EA $8.50 332079 SEVEN MARTYRS OF HURMUZAK SC EA $3.95 103015 SEVEN VALLEYS & 4 VALLEYS HC EA $5.50 103016 SEVEN VALLEYS & 4 VALLEYS SC OUT OF STOCK 225051 SEVEN YEAR PLAN-1981 SC EA $0.50 331033 SEVEN YR PLAN:STAT REPORT SC EA $2.50 331065 SHELTERING BRANCH HC OUT OF STOCK 831083 SHOGHI EFFENDI/RECLLCTNS CS EA $9.00 106037 SOCIAL TEACHING, LOB PS EA $3.50 106043 SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS HC EA $12.00 332112 SOME BAHÁ’ÍS TO REMEMBER HC EA $14.95 332113 SOME BAHÁ’ÍS TO REMEMBER SC EA $7.50 332020 SOME EARLY BAHÁ’ÍS/WEST HC OUT OF STOCK 332021 SOME EARLY BAHÁ’ÍS/WEST SC OUT OF STOCK 215047 SPECIAL MEASURE OF LOVE SC EA $1.00 215066 SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS SC EA $1.00 831082 SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS, LOB CS EA $9.00 452094 SPN AB CEDARIO BAHÁ’Í EA $4.00 415002 SPN ASAMBLEA ESPRT NACINAL EA $3.00 431015 SPN BAHÁ’U’LLÁH NUEVA ERA SC OUT OF STOCK 425075 SPN CONSTITUCION CASA U EA $5.00 440070 SPN DATOS BSCS FE BAHÁ’Í PM EA $0.10 452068 SPN EL REGALD EA $4.00 440047 SPN FE BAHÁ’Í ALBA NV ERA PM OUT OF STOCK 431055 SPN LA FE BAHÁ’Í FAIZI SC OUT OF STOCK 231006 SPN LA FE BAHÁ’Í TCH BKLT SC EA $1.50 394009 SPN LOS BAHÁ’ÍS EN L IRAN SC EA $3.00 408083 SPN META NUEVO ORDN MNDL SC EA $1.50 468066 SPN ON BECOMING A BAHÁ’Í EA $1.25 115013 SPN ORACIONES BAHÁ’ÍS SC EA $3.00 403024 SPN PALABRAS OCULTAS SC EA $2.00 415032 SPN PRINCIPS ADMIN BAHÁ’Í SC OUT OF STOCK 468056 SPN QUIENES DIOS CONFIA EA $0.50 353020 SPOTLESSLY LEOPARD, THE SC EA $3.25 332024 STORIES FROM DELIGHT HRTS HC EA $9.00 831056 STORY AS TOLD PM 10/ $5.00 332109 STRENGTHENING ADMIN ORDER CS EA $7.00 332010 STUDIES BABI & BAHÁ’Í HST HC EA $10.00 332114 SUDDEN MUSIC A HC EA $19.95 332115 SUDDEN MUSIC, A SC EA $11.95 353005 SUNFLOWER BKS YNG SET 4 SC SET $5.50 352088 SUNSHINE TREE HC EA $2.50 352089 SUNSHINE TREE SC EA $9.75 555106 SUPPLEMENT BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN NET $1.00 364005 SUPREME GIFT GD TO MN CDP SC EA $2.00 103020 SYNOPSIS & CODIFIC AQDAS HC EA $2.50 103021 TABLETS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $10.00 103029 TABLETS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH LT EA $6.00 106010 TABLETS OF DIVINE PLAN HC EA $10.00 106011 TABLETS OF DIVINE PLAN SC EA $5.00 352093 TAHIRIH EA $3.50 332088 TAHIRIH THE PURE HC EA $6.50 332040 TEN DAYS IN LIGHT OF AKKA SC EA $4.50 332081 THESE PERSPICUOUS VERSES SC EA $5.00 331060 THIEF IN THE NIGHT HC OUT OF STOCK 331061 THIEF IN THE NIGHT SC EA $5.50 303025 THY NAME IS MY HEALING CD 10/ $1.00 332073 TO MOVE THE WORLD- SC EA $7.50 106027 TRAVELLER'S NARRATIVE HC EA $10.00 106028 TRAVELLER'S NARRATIVE SC EA $5.00 831053 TRIUMPH OF CAUSE..BALYUZI CS EA $7.00 332005 TWO THIRTY-NINE DAYS HC EA $10.00 108040 UNFOLDING DESTINY HC OUT OF STOCK 352073 UNFRIENDLY GOVERNOR, THE SC OUT OF STOCK 332095 VIGNETTES LIF/‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ HC OUT OF STOCK 332096 VIGNETTES LIF/‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC OUT OF STOCK 831055 VISIT WITH THE MASTER, A CS EA $7.00 832027 WE ARE BAHÁ’ÍS CS EA $7.00 225005 WELLSPRING OF GUIDANCE HC EA $9.00 225006 WELLSPRING OF GUIDANCE SC EA $4.00 332038 WHEN WE GROW UP HC EA $7.50 332039 WHEN WE GROW UP SC OUT OF STOCK 848098 WHITE BLOSSOM RITES CD 10/ $2.00 106020 WILL/TESTAMNT ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SC EA $1.00 859001 WILMETTE HOUSE OF WRSHP PSTR EA $1.00 331064 WINE OF ASTONISHMENT EA $2.75 332082 WITNESS OF PEBBLES HC EA $10.95 332083 WITNESS OF PEBBLES SC EA $5.95 352094 WONDERLAMP, THE HC OUT OF STOCK 555200 WORLD ORD/BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN SC NET $5.00 108020 WORLD ORDER/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH HC EA $11.00 108021 WORLD ORDER/BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SC EA $6.50 555163 WORLD ORDER, SPRING 1982 SC NET $3.00 332089 YOUTH IN VANGUARD HC EA $14.00 353018 ZAHRA'S SEARCH SC EA $3.00

General Ordering Instructions

If an item is not on the price list, it is not available from the Publishing Trust at this time.

IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL, THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO ORDER:

1. Through your local librarian 2. Cash order by mail 3. MasterCard or VISA by phone or mail

Through your local librarian

A. If your community has a librarian, he or she can place the order for you. B. Write down what you want and give it to the librarian at Feast. He or she will combine all orders from your community and place one order with the Publishing Trust.

By cash through the mail

A. Use the coupons provided in The American Bahá’í or the order form provided by the Publishing Trust. B. Fill out the order form completely. Add shipping and handling, and include a check to "Bahá’í Publishing Trust." Mail the order to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.

By MasterCard or VISA

A. The Bahá’í Publishing Trust accepts MasterCard and VISA for personal orders over $10.00, by telephone or mail. B. To call in your order, phone 1-800-323-1880. Be sure to have your MasterCard or VISA card handy.

Inventory Note

The Bahá’í Publishing Trust apologizes for the large number of titles listed as "out of stock" on this price list. Recent declining sales have forced the Trust into a temporary inventory shortage. We hope to return to a complete stock position by Ridván. [Page 16]

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.

WLGI job openings. At this critical hour in the development of Bahá’í rádio in North America, there exist opportunities for service that will never come again. Secretaries are needed immediately to help in many aspects of the developing work at the Louis Gregory Institute. There is also an opening for a radio engineer. Those who feel moved to arise and respond to this call for service should contact Dr. Alberta Deas, Hemingway, SC 29554 (phone 803-558-5093) or Karen Crenshaw, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

NIGERIA has several job openings dealing with a World Bank project to increase food production and farm incomes to be implemented over a five-year period starting this year. Requires at least seven years experience including some in developing countries. Needed are: program manager (must have a degree in agriculture and management experience); chief land use planner (should have a degree in agriculture and some familiarity with aerial photography and other land use planning techniques); financial controller (must be a CPA with solid computer accounting experience) chief engineer (with engineering degree); chief technical officer (degree in agriculture and considerable administrative ability); chief training officer (degree in agriculture and extensive manpower training and development experience); chief monitoring and evaluation officer (should have a degree in agricultural economics); and a zonal accountant (must be a CPA and will be responsible for budget control). Information about these jobs will be given to those Bahá’ís whose applications for pioneering have been accepted by the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

WORK-STUDY positions in maintenance, kitchen and office and in teaching children's classes are available this summer at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. Individuals are sought who want to work full-time during one session and come to a second session as a student at no charge. There are a limited number of openings for any particular program. Interested individuals can apply by sending a letter stating their interest in a work-study position, the sessions they would like to work and attend, and their qualifications (applicants must be at least 17 years old). Letters, or requests for more information, should be sent to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone 313-653-5033.

DO YOU enjoy working with people? Do you have strong organizational ability and good clerical skills? Applications are now being accepted for a variety of positions at the Bahá’í National Center. Word processing and data entry experience are helpful. If you feel moved to serve the developing administrative order in the shadow of the holiest House of Worship, please contact Karen Crenshaw, Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039 for applications or further information.

THE FRENCH-speaking country of Zaire has several U.S. AID job openings. A total of 15 positions are vacant in agriculture. Areas needed range from agronomy, soil science, and agricultural economics to entomology and plant breeding to training and extension services. Most positions require a master's degree or PhD, although a couple require only a bachelor's degree. Information about these jobs will be given to Bahá’ís whose applications for pioneering have been accepted by the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

THE BAHÁ’Í Publishing Trust is seeking a multi-talented person to serve as Promotions Coordinator in its editorial department. The position requires experience in writing promotional copy, strong editing skills, and basic clerical experience. Applicants must be widely read in Bahá’í literature. To obtain an application, please contact the Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 265.

HELP establish an Assembly in Anderson J.D., California, a rural community in the north-central area of the state south of Redding in Shasta County, a sportsman's paradise surrounded by lakes and mountains. Many of the Bahá’ís who came to this area to help form communities have been unable to stay because of a tight job market. As a result, the Assembly formed in 1978 has been a Group since 1982. We need a strong foundation on which to rebuild, and would welcome any homefront pioneers, especially those who have an income or are able to make a business investment. For more information please contact Carolyn Herlacher, Anderson, CA 96007, or phone 916-365-0961.

TEACHERS: Several positions in several countries are available. Secondary school teachers are needed in Zimbabwe. Need BA and should be able to teach more than one subject. Zambia also needs teachers; requires an MA. The American-Nicaraguan School has several vacancies, especially in English, math, science and social sciences. Excellent benefits. Persians would be welcomed. South Africa still has many positions open for university teachers. The Pacific island of Fiji needs professors in mathematics, accounting and industrial arts. Also needed are a senior auditor and a director of buildings and grounds. Papua New Guinea needs technical teachers in metal fabrication, electical work, instrumentation, machining, and heavy equipment fitter. The University of Papua New Guinea needs several math instructors and administrators. Information about these positions will be given to Bahá’ís whose applications for pioneering have been accepted by the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

NEEDED: Two adult Bahá’ís to become homefront pioneers to Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, the state's largest city with a population of about 800,000. There are many opportunities in health care and research with more than 20 hospitals and clinics within driving distance, while the University of Alabama at Birmingham has several hospitals and clinics and conducts a great deal of research. The area boasts a number of junior and community colleges as well as several four-year colleges and universities. Immediate housing is available for at least one male. For more information or help, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of Homewood, c/o Larry Rhodes, P.O. Box 55145, Birmingham, AL 35255.

CHILDREN'S teachers who wish to teach during June, July and August at the Louhelen Bahá’í School are asked to send a letter indicating what ages they would like to teach and a resumé of their teaching experience to the school at 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Applications from those who are interested in serving as Child Education Director for the summer are also welcomed.

NANTUCKET, Massachusetts, has a jeopardized Assembly. From May through October there are many opportunities for jobs serving tourist businesses. It's important to make a commitment soon, as many college students come all winter to secure living quarters and a job. If one has no place to live, one cannot get a job. There may be year-round jobs at a hospital, government offices, a home for the elderly, the airport, a real estate building, etc. One Bahá’í has available for summer or year-round an apartment to share at a reasonable rate (for one female only). We would be happy to have a Persian believer. Should one wish to consider his own year-round residence, places are scarce and rents high, as are electricity, food, transportation by boat or plane. But Nantucket is a progressive, charming and historic island with opportunities in arts and crafts. Write to Anna Hall, Nantucket, MA 02554, or phone 617-228-2904.

PHYSICAL therapists and nurses are needed for teaching positions in the Asian country of Nepal. Previous overseas experience is desired. Travel and room and board are provided. Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

ADMINISTRATIVE assistant needed at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center. Must be experienced in office organization and management, typing, shorthand, computer and other office skills as well as having a working knowledge of Bahá’í administration. Please send a resumé as soon as possible to the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center, 5755 Rodeo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90016, or phone 213-933-8291.

WANTED: Personal papers of early Bahá’ís, especially letters, diaries, personal recollections, manuscripts or photographs. The National Bahá’í Archives would like to acquire the papers of Bahá’ís so it needs to learn the names of descendants of early Bahá’ís, whether Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í, so that they can be contacted about the papers. Among the papers being sought are those of Willard Ashton, Soraya Chamberlin, Howard MacNutt, Shelley Parker, El-Fleda Spaulding, and Percy Woodcock. Anyone who has information about these or other personal papers should contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

BAHÁ’U’LLÁH needs an energetic individual or family as homefront pioneer(s) to Lebanon, Oregon (population 10,500). Are you the one(s) for whom He is looking? Race, age, sex are unimportant; the only requirement is a willingness to arise and serve the Faith, for which you are assured divine assistance and the help of the Spiritual Assembly of Linn County. How can you lose? But hurry this offer is good for a limited time only. Please let us hear from you now. Contact the Spiritual Assembly of Linn County, Scio, OR 97374, or phone 503-394-3914.

RECREATION and music directors are needed at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. If you have a background in recreation or music and would be able to serve as a recreation or music director at Louhelen during the summer or winter sessions, please send a letter and resumé to the school at 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. The recreation director should be able to plan and carry out diverse recreational activities for children, youth and adults that involve traditional games and sports as well as new, cooperative games. The music director should be able to lead groups of children, youth and adults in singing songs. The Louhelen School is building a resource file of individuals with skills in these areas and would appreciate hearing from you if you are able to serve in either capacity.

TO ALL members of jeopardized Assemblies, non-functioning Assemblies, and large Groups: help us to send you a homefront pioneer! Keep us informed of jobs, schools, rooms for rent, homes to share (Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í) and special situations in your community. Write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WANTED: Photographs, biographical sketches, anecdotes or any other information or materials about famous black American Bahá’ís for use in a Black History Month presentation in February. Contact Gwen Sisson, secretary, Spiritual Assembly of North Las Vegas, P.O. Box 4408, North Las Vegas, NV 89030, or phone 702-399-3187.

WANT to save an incorporated Assembly? There are opportunities in Moorhead, Minnesota, for Bahá’í students and others who need employment. This urban area, which supports a population of 100,000 and is surrounded by beautiful lakes which offer summer and winter sports, is a great place to raise a family without big-city drawbacks. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Moorhead, MN 56560, or phone 218-233-3138 after 5 p.m. Central time.

PSYCHIATRIST is needed immediately on the Caribbean island of Dominica. The assignment is for 2-3 years and involves supervision and on-call duty for psychiatric patients in a ward. Also requires consultations with outpatients, special clinics and rural hospitals. Will also conduct in-service training in community mental health for nurses and general practitioners. Travel and housing allowance accompany salary. Dominica has a mild climate and low cost of living; English is the main language. Dominica is a U.S. goal yet to be filled by Ridván. Information about this position will be given to Bahá’ís whose applications for pioneering have been accepted by the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School is seeking applicants for the following summer positions: Recreation director to plan and coordinate recreational and some social activities for people of all ages. Child education director to plan and coordinate children's [Page 17]

BOOKS FOR THE NEW YEAR

for Adults Youth Children

SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS The importance of Desaing our Knowladge and Understanding of the Fath

Pocket-Sized Editions

Kitáb-i-İqán (pocket-sized ed.) A portable, inexpensive, handsome edition of Bahá’u’lláh’s masterly discussion of progressive revelation. Bound in maroon to match the pocket-sized Gleanings. Excellent for travel, study classes, students—and gifts for the new year. Pocket-size Catalog No. 103-032 $3.50

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (pocket-sized ed.) The pocket-sized edition of Gleanings, together with the new pocket fqán, makes a compact deepening duo for you— or a handsome gift for a public official. Pocket-size Catalog No. 103-031 $3.50

Some Answered Questions (pocket-sized) Now available! A pocket-sized edition of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s answers to questions concerning the Bahá’í Faith, plus discussions of Christianity, the Prophets of God, Biblical prophecies—and more. Bound in handsome blue and stamped in gold. A gift for yourself—or a friend. Pocket-size Catalog No. 106-043 $3.50

Compilations

Days to Remember Guidance and appropriate readings for each Holy Day assembled under one cover. Excellent for deepenings. Essential for planning Holy Day celebrations and commemorations. (Australia) Softcover Catalog No. 315-087 $7.00

The Power of Divine Assistance A pocket or purse-size compilation from the writings of the Central Figures and Shoghi Effendi on divine assistance. Includes the Fire Tablet. (Canada) Softcover Catalog No. 315-078 $2.00

The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding Faith Your personal road map to the study of the Creative Word and the sacred texts of the Faith. Sets out the basic elements of our Faith that we must master in order to achieve personal growth and success in teaching and administrative activities. Softcover Catalog No. 215-084 $2.00

New for Adults

Bahá’í Proofs Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl’s much-loved treatise addressed to 20th-century Christians. Also contains short biographies of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. New preface by Juan Ricardo Cole plus a new index. Hardcover Catalog No. 332-116 $15.00

The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 3 Adib Taherzadeh’s third volume, covering the nine years from Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in ‘Akká to His departure from the prison-city. (George Ronald) Hardcover Catalog No. 331-094 $18.50

For Children and Youth

From Behind the Veil Táhirih and the Bábís come alive in a novel that captures the audacity of the foremost woman Bábí. You will relive your own acceptance of the Faith. Softcover Catalog No. 332-108 $3.25

Mullá Husayn A brief account of the first believer in the Báb—for children and youth. (South Africa) Softcover Catalog No. 352-091 $3.00

Táhirih For children and youth—a retelling of the story of the foremost heroine of the Bábí era. (South Africa) Softcover Catalog No. 352-093 $3.00

Quddús An account of the favorite disciple of iode the Báb—for children and youth. (South Africa) Softcover Catalog No. 352-092 $3.00

Calendars

Bahá’í Wall Calendar: 1984 Fifteen-month calendar features a photo of the door to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. Calendar Catalog No. 769-045 $1.00

2 Bahá’í Date Book: 1984. Page for each month (15 in all) contains space for notes. Includes reminders of Feasts, Holy Days, special-event days, U.S. legal holidays. Cover features the Louhelen Bahá’í School. Calendar Catalog No. 769-021 $2.00

Bahá’í Pocket Calendar: 1984 Handy pocket calendar contains 12 months from January through December. Feasts, Holy Days, Fast clearly marked. Calendar Catalog No. 769-064 10/$1.50

Bahá’í History Calendar: 1984 Popular calendar from Hawaii features this year stunning photographs of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. Calendar Catalog No. 769-082 $5.00

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Lithographs

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Color Lithograph, 11 x 14. In time for Naw-Rúz—a new full-color lithograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reproduced from the only known color photograph of the Master. Suitable for framing. Lithograph Catalog No. 875-019 $12.00

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Color Lithograph, 5 x 7 A small, desk-size reproduction of the lithograph described above. Surprise all your friends on Naw-Rúz. Lithograph Catalog No. 875-020 $5.00

THE BAHA PROOFY

FROM BEHIND THE VEIL

ORDER FORM

Qty Title Price. Kitáb-i-lqán, PS $3.50 Gleanings, PS 3.50 Some Answered Questions, PS 3.50 Seven Valleys, HC 6.00 Seven Valleys, SC 3.00 Power Divine Assistance, SC 2.00 Importance of Deepening, SC 2.00 Days to Remember, SC 7.00 Bahá’í Proofs, HC 15.00 Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, HC 18.50 From Behind the Veil, SC $3.25 Mullá Husayn, SC 3.00 Táhirih, SC 3.00 Quddus, SC 3.00 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá color litho, 11 x 14 12.00 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá color litho, 5x7 5.00 Bahá’í Wall Calendar: 1984 1.00 Bahá’í Date Book: 1984 2.00 Bahá’í Pocket Calendar: 1984 10/$1.50 Bahá’í History Calendar: 1984 5.00

Enclosed is my check or money order for $. (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50).

Charge to: ($10.00 minimum order) VISA MC Card expires

Send to: Name. Address City. State Zip

Bahá’í Publishing Trust 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 (All orders are NET—no discounts. No charges on librarians’ accounts accepted. Credit card orders accepted by phone: 1-800-323-1880.) Prices good through April 15, 1984 [Page 18]

75TH BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CONVENTION

(April 26-29, 1984)

CONVENTION SEATING REGISTRATION REGISTRATION BY LETTER IS ACCEPTABLE; HOWEVER, PLEASE INCLUDE ALL THE INFORMATION REQUESTED BELOW. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT RESERVE HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT THE HOTEL DIRECTLY. PLEASE PRINT USE ONE FORM PER FAMILY LIST ALL ATTENDEES 15 YEARS OLD AND OLDER

(Mr./Mrs./Miss). (Mr./Mrs./Miss). Bahá’í I.D. No. Bahá’í I.D. No.. (Mr./Mrs./Miss). (Mr./Mrs./Miss). Address. Bahá’í I.D. No.. Bahá’í I.D. No., Telephone (

CHILDREN'S REGISTRATION LIST ALL CHILDREN 14 YEARS OLD AND UNDER Please note special needs (medical, emotional, dietary, etc.) Child's name Sex Age Special needs

A QUALITY CHILDREN'S PROGRAM IS PLANNED. PRE-REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL TO INSURE YOUR CHILD'S PLACE IN THIS PROGRAM. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!

Mail to: Office of Membership, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091

More information about 75th U.S. Bahá’í Convention

The 75th Bahá’í National Convention will be held April 26-29, 1984, at the Chicago 60616. The toll-free phone number is 1-800-621-6909 (in Illinois, phone COLLECT, 312-791-1901).

Rates: $48 per night (plus tax)-1, 2, 3 or 4 in a room (two double beds). Rollaways are available @$10 each.

the names of ALL those sharing the room with you, and (2) indicate any special facilities needed for the handicapped (rooms to accommodate wheelchairs, etc.), as the number of such rooms is limited.

Suites available: 1 bedroom, $96-$200; 2 bed- rooms, $144-$248 per night. (All suites have par- lors with sleepers in addition to the bedrooms.)

Reservations: Must be made directly with the hotel. Please be sure to identify yourself as at- tending the Bahá’í National Convention, April 26-29, 1984. Request confirmation to ensure that your reservation was received. PLEASE (1) give

Sharing rooms: The hotel will NOT find you a roommate. You must make your own arrange- ments.

There is regular bus service-Continental Air Transport-to the McCormick Inn from O'Hare Airport ($6) and from Midway Airport ($5). Taxis also are available.

The coupon above includes registration infor- mation for seating and for the registration of children at the Convention.

Association sets 1st symposium on Bahá’í Faith, Islam

The first International Sym- posium on the Relationship of the Bahá’í Faith and Islam will be held March 23-25 at McGill Uni- versity in Montréal, Canada.

Co-chairmen of the sympos- ium, which is sponsored by the Association for Bahá’í Studies, are Douglas Martin, a member of the Association's executive com- mittee, and Donald P. Little, di- rector of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University.

Bahá’í speakers will include Dr. Amin Banani of UCLA; Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly; Dr. Heshmat Moayyad of the University of Chicago; and Vahid Rafati, director of the Research Department at the World Centre in Haifa.

Because of limited space, the symposium is open only to current members of the Association on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, please contact the Association for Bahá’í Studies, Ontario KIN 7K4, Canada (phone 613-233-1903).

As a part of their 'Operation Be- friend' efforts, the Bahá’ís of St. Charles, Missouri, offered in No- vember to stripe the parking lot at the local library where many of their proclamation events are held. Although the Assembly of- fered to absorb the entire cost, library officials insisted on paying for the paint that was used. The library plans to install a plaque in its main entrance thanking the Ba- há’ís for their contribution.

WLGI

many individuals giving what they could, not by a few making large contributions.

Among the more than 400 let- ters that arrived in the weeks following Mr. Sears' appeal were many that included warm mes- sages of love and appreciation to the Hand of the Cause. Each of them is being forwarded to Mr. Sears.

TAKEN together, these letters convey a story of heroic sacrifice seldom equaled by the American Bahá’í community. Here are a few examples:

For six months, a 13-year-old paper boy saved his wages for WLGI. He sent it all: $100.

A community that had set up a memorial fund to honor the memory of one of its members, a CB radio enthusiast, decided to send the entire $260.25 to WLGI.

Youth and children in one community worked for more than a year at filling a large jar with their coins (and their parents') which they collected at every Feast and contributed to the station.

"Quarter savers" for WLGI were used in South Carolina, and one seven-year-old must have fill- ed his 10 times because they hold only $5 and he sent $50.

• One woman wrote that her husband, whom she sweetly re- ferred to as "an undeclared be- liever," had suggested that she contribute to the radio station rather than spend money on a party for their 50th wedding an- niversary.

IN TEXAS, two sisters, ages 9 and 4, practiced a program of gymnastics, dances, songs and prayers for weeks, then sold "tickets" to their family for the Thanksgiving day performance. They sent in $33.

These are but a few of the many examples of sacrifice contained in the letters bearing contributions for WLGI.

Others tell of innovative and successful fund-raisers of all kinds, from potluck dinners and auctions to talent shows, dances, fairs and video nights.

Ground was broken last Octo- ber 16 for WLGI, which is to be built at the Louis G. Gregory In- stitute near Hemingway, South Carolina.

Among those who were most generous and constant in their fund-raising efforts for the station were the Gregory Institute's sister schools, Bosch, Green Acre and Louhelen.

As a member of the Louhelen staff put it, "We were the most re- cent project to experience the gen- erosity of the American Bahá’í community, and we want to share it now with the Gregory Insti- tute."

On learning of the victory, the South Carolina Regional Teach- ing Committee sent the following cable to the National Spiritual As- sembly:

"South Carolina rejoices meet- ing WLGI goal. Grateful entire American community its whole- hearted support. Local believers and several Local Assemblies South Carolina contributed more than $40,000. Warmest Bahá’í greetings."

The station itself, as well as the Institute that bears his name, is a monument to the life and work of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory who was born in 1874 in Charleston, South Caro- lina. [Page 19]

داستان‌های تکان‌دهنده

هر سخن کز دل برآید لاجرم بر دل نشیند

قسمت اول نامه ذیل در شماره ماه ژانویه امریکن بهائی بطبع رسید. متاسفانه در صفحه بندی اشتباهی رخ داده بود و صفحه ۱۸ بجای ۱۹ چاپ شده بود که بهمین یاران رحمانی متذکر شده‌ا‌ند. اکنون با عرض معذرت قسمت آخر نامه از نظردوستان میگذرد.

صبح ساعت ۳/۵ بود که من خواب دیدم با مادرم را که در یک نور عجیب و نورانی قرار گرفته است و این نور از نور خورشید بسی قویتر و نورانی تر بود و مادرم در آن نور مرا دعا میکردند و میگفتند دعا بخوان و مناجاتهای حضرت عبدالبهاء را بلند بلند بخوان و از نظرم ناپدید شدند همینطور که از خواب بیدار شدم زندانیان آمد که برای دادگاه آماده بشویم همه میگفتند که حتماً شما را خواهند کشت بعضی‌ها میگفتند حبس ابد خواهید شد خلاصه ما آمدیم در دادگاه حاکم شرع که مردی روحانی بود بمجرد دیدن ما دو نفر گفت شک بخود راه ندهید و حکم اعدام برای شما قطعی است هر دفاعی که دارید بکنید. در همین حال بودیم که تمام برادران پاسدار که شاهد زیارت‌نامه خواندن من بودند در زندان وارد شدند و اجازه صحبت خواستند. در مورد ما دو نفر خیلی حرفها زدند و گفتند آقای حاکم شرع این شخصی که می بینید آیات قرآن را از ما بهتر می‌خواند و معنی میکند. مناجاتهائی که می‌خواند اشک همه را جاری می‌سازد و بگذارید در مورد خودشان در محضر دادگاه صحبت بکنند که دوست هم سلولی من رشته کلام را در دست گرفتند و تقریباً دو ساعت صحبت کردند و خیلی خیلی اثر بیانات ایشان باعث شد آقای حاکم شرع به ماها اجازه ملاقات با همسرانمان را دادند و چون همسر من بعلت مریضی فرزندم به شهر دیگری رفته بود نتوانست با من ملاقات کند ولی همسر آقای ... توانستند مدت یک ساعت با ایشان ملاقات کنند. دادگاه بعد از دوسه ساعت تعطیل شد و قرار شد در مورد ماها آقای حاکم شرع با رئیس دادگاه صحبت بکنند و معلوم بود که بیانات آقای ... روی حاکم شرع اثرات عمیقی گذاشته است.

‎دوه دو‎ سه روزی گذشت. یکروز پنج شنبه بود که یکی از دوستان هم سلولی که سلمانی هم بود بمن گفت بیا سرت را اصلاح کنم همانطور که سر مرا اصلاح میکرد بمن گفت من مدت ۶ ماه است که اصلاً از خانواده‌ام خبر ندارم و مرا به جرم کمونیست بودن گرفته‌اند در حالیکه من کمونیست نیستم و ‎دادگاهام دادگاهم‎ الان ۵ ماه است که تمام شده و هنوز آزاد نشده‌ام تو را به همان کسی که بنام حضرت عبدالبهاء می‌دانی و دوستش داری برای من مناجاتی بخوان که از نگرانی در بیایم نمی‌دانم مناجاتهای تو بی اثر نیست. در همان حال گفتم خدایا چکار کنم کمکم کن و وجود خود را برای من و هم برای این شخص ثابت کن. گفتم چشم دوست عزیزان لوح مبارک احمد را برایت می‌خوانم و این دوستم رفت و دوستان دیگری داشت جمع کرد و گفت همگی بنشینید و به دعای آقای ... گوش دهید که میخواهد برای من بخواند. ساعت ۴ عصر پنج شنبه بود که درست ۳۱ روز بود ماها در زندان بودیم که شروع به خواندن لوح مبارک احمد کردم. لوح مبارک احمد تمام شد وقتیکه چشمم را باز کردم دیدم این مرد بسیار اشک ریخته است و تعجب کردم چقدر اثر گذاشته. نمیدانید انسان وقتی که در تنگنای قرار میگیرد چقدر بخدا نزدیک میشود و من در آنجا این حالت را در خودم حس کردم خداوند را حس میکردم و وجودش را لمس کردم. بعد از خواندن لوح مبارک احمد دوسه دقیقه‌ای همینطور داشتم تاریخچه لوح را برای دوستان شرح میدادم که یکمرتبه درب زندان باز شد دو نفر پاسدار وارد شدند و گفتند اسامی زیر را می‌خوانم در عرض ۵ دقیقه اثاث خودشان را بردارند و آماده شوند که از زندان خلاص شده‌اند و آزادند. اولین اسمی که خوانده شد اسم همین دوستم بود که برایش لوح مبارک احمد را خواندم نمیدانید چه غوغائی بپا شد این دوست من مرا در آغوش گرفته بود و زار زار گریه میکرد و بعد از آن هم تمام دوستانش مرا روی دست بلند کردند در حالیکه صورتم به سقف زندان مالیده میشد و فشار به من وارد شده بود خیلی زیاد (چون سقف زندان بسیار کوتاه بود و گاهی سر خودم به سقف میخورد). در هر حال این طرف و آن طرف می‌بردند و مرا می‌بوسیدند فقط این شخص وقتیکه میخواست خارج شود درب گوشم گفت .... آدرس یکی از احبا را بمن بده تا ‎برام بروم‎ و .... درباره امر مبارک جویا شوم که من هم آدرسی را که بلد بودم فقط لفظی چون نمیشد روی کاغذ نوشت و هیچ چیز از زندان خارج نمیبایستی میشد چون افراد را بازدید میکردند و اگر کاغذی پیدا میشد خیلی سخت میگرفتند لذا آن شخص رفت و فردای آنروز روز جمعه صبح ساعت ۹ بود که با ‎زدرب درب‎ زندان باز شد و اولین اسمی که خوانده شد اسم من بود که آزاد شدم. باورم نمیشد ساعت ۱۱ صبح بچه‌ها مرا می‌بوسیدند و همه خوشحال بودند که آزاد شدم و تمام پاسدارها هم آمده بودند و از پشت میله‌های زندان داخل سلول‌ها را نگاه میکردند که دوستان هم سلولی چکار میکردند خلاصه مرا روی دست با صلوات و الله اکبر آوردند دم در زندان و رهایم کردند. آنوقت همان برادری که شب اول زندانمان با چوب دستی ما را همراهی میکرد و سر و ‎جوب چوب‎ را گرفته بود که دستش نجس نشود و ما نمی‌توانستیم از شدت درد پا (چون محل زندان رطوبت داشت) راه برویم روی دوش تا درب جبهه آورد و مرا بوسید و معذرت خواهی کرد و گفت این زندان هم برای شما و هم برای ماها درس بسیار خوبی است ماها افرادی را که با خدا هستند و به جرمهای گوناگون میگیریم بعد از مدتها می‌فهمیم که اشتباه میکنیم و آزاد میکنیم برایمان درس بزرگی است برای شما هم درسی است که هیچ وقت خدا را فراموش نکنید و به همه ثابت کردید که با خدا هستید. در هر حال بعد از ۳۲ روز زندانی کشیدن وارد خیابانهای شهر شدم در حالیکه نمی‌دانستم آیا زن و فرزندم در این شهر هستند یا خیر. آمدم منزلمان دیدم هیچ کس نیست رفتم منزل همان شخصی که آدرس داده بودم روز گذشته به آن یار زندانی احوالپرسی کردم مرا دیدند و گریستند چون شناخته نمیشدم. موهای سر و ریشم بلند شده بود و قیافه زرد و بسیار ضعیف خیلی ناراحت شدند و گفتند دیشب فردی آمده بود و از شماها تعریف میکرد و خیلی مناجات‌ها و الواح رویش اثر کرده و از ما خواسته بود که او را راهنمایی کنیم برای من حقیر و پر گناه ثابت شد که وجود خدای بزرگ و یگانه را به وضوح دیدم. در هر حال فردای آن روز رفتم که درب مغازه‌ام را باز کنم دیدم که اصلاً ‎زینگها زنگ‌ها‎ و وسایل دکان خبری و چیزی نیست درست همان روزیکه ما را به زندان برده بودند روز بعدش مغازه را مصادره و اموالش را به نفع ... برده بودند. خیلی دوندگی کردم و نزد همه شکایت کردم ولی نتوانستم حاکم شرعی را که مرا آزاد کرده بود ببینم و از او اموال مغازه‌ام را ‎بگیریم بگیرم‎ رفتم نزد امام جمعه شهر و با ایشان در جریان گذاشتم. بعد از صحبت‌های زیاد آخرین حرفی که ایشان زدند گفتند پسرم اموال دکان شما به نفع مستضعفین حراج شده حال اگر من جای شما باشم هیچوقت انکار نمی‌کنم و بلکه خوشحال هم هستم من هم گفتم البته من هم بسیار خوشحالم و انکار نمیکنم آخر مگر خدائی نیست که خودش کارها را درست کند حال منم رویم بخداست که خدایا خودت کارها را درست کن تو که برای من ثابت کردی که وجود داری پس ای خدای بزرگ این را از ما قبول کن و احبای خودت را آزاد بگردان. احیای ما مورد امتحانات خودت قرار شده چون قوه امتحان شدید است و هر کسی تاب مقاومت را ندارد. پس قدرتی بده که بتوانیم از عهده امتحانات تو برآئیم و تو را همیشه شکر کنیم. در آخر فقط میتوانم بگویم تا شیری که دعا و مناجات بدرگاه خداوند و بزرگ دارد هیچ چیز و هیچ قدرتی ندارد و از همه دوستانی که این نامه را خواندند استدعا دارم این دعا را از صمیم قلب بخوانند و انشاء‌الله دعایشان مستجاب میگردد.

"انه لهو المقتدر المختار"

يا مالك الاسماء و فاطر السماء خلص احباء من سجن اعداء انك سلطان القضاء و المشرق من افق البداء يا اصل البقاء لعمر البهاء لاتقطع الرجاء فانصر ‎هولاء هؤلاء‎ انت الحاکم علی ما تشاء و فی قبضتک ‎ملکوه ملکوت‎ الانشاء و قد اخذت ‎انسباب اسباب‎ للجم الاحباب ان احفظ الاحباب يا مالک الرقاب و الحاکم فی المآب.

ورقه هویت بهائی

اوراق هویت بهائی که از جانب محفل روحانی ملی ایالات متحده صادر گردیده در انتهای ماه فوریه سال ۱۹۸۴ تجدید نخواهد شد و احبای الهی بایستی کارت‌های خود را تا اطلاع ثانوی حفظ فرمایند.

علت بتعویق افتادن صدور کارت‌های جدید تا اواخر سال ۱۹۸۴ کمبود بودجه صندوق ملی است. در این فاصله کارت‌های آبی و سفید رنگ فعلی معتبر است و مراتب از طرف محفل روحانی ملی به محفل ملیه آلاسکا، کانادا و مکزیک نیز اعلام گردیده است تا در صورتی که دوستان به هر یک از آن کشورها مسافرت کنند مشکلی از جهت شرکت در تشکیلات بهائی نداشته باشند. بدیهی است برای مسافرتهای طولانی یا انتقال محل اقامت ‎داشتم داشتن‎ به کشور دیگر یاران گرامی بایستی مراتب را به دارالانشاء محفل روحانی ملی اطلاع دهند تا رسماً به محفل روحانی کشور مقصد معرفی شوند. [Page 20]

ادای حقوق‌الله

دوستان عزیز

در این موقع که نقشه ‎منبعه منبسطه‎ هفت‌ساله بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی که هدف نهائی آن انتشار و تقدم هر چه بیشتر شریعت الله در سراسر جهان مظلم کنونی است به پایان مظفرانه خود نزدیک می‌شود لزوم توجه و اهتمام یاران در اجرای احکام مقدسه منصوصه که نتیجه آن ارائه حیات بهائی بعالم انسانی است بیشتر از پیش احساس می‌گردد.

بهمین جهت بیت‌العدل اعظم که کشتیبان سفینه الله در دریای طوفان زای جهان آشفته و متلاطم معاصر است ابلاغ تدریجی احکام و حدود الهی را بمقتضای نمو معنوی جوامع امریه از اهداف عالیه این نقشه تعیین فرموده و در سبیل تجهیز قوای روحانـیـه موجود در عالم امر و تشویق و ترغیب یاران باجرای حدود و احکام مقدسه توجه خاصی مبذول میفرمایند. قل من حدودى بمر عرف قميصى و بها تنصب اعلام النصر على القنن والاتلال.

از جمله احکام منصوصه که اهمیت تفهیم و درک و قیام باجرای آن در ایام اخیر بارها گوشزد یاران الهی گردیده توفیق در محاسبه و ادای حقوق‌الله است که حکم مقدس حقوق‌الله از طلوع شمس ظهور بیان در شرق ابلاغ گردیده ولی تعداد قلیلی از نفوس مقدسه حکم و مصالح مکنونه در آنرا ادراک نموده و بادای آن توفیق یافته‌اند. شاید بعضی از دوستان چنین تصور کنند که ادای حقوق‌الله فقط وسیله‌ای مادی جهت انتشار و ترویج امرالله و توسعه امور خیریه و عام‌المنفعه است ولی اجرای این حکم بفرموده قلم اعلی متضمن حکمتهای عدیده میباشد: سبب حصول برکات الهی است، محک ایمان است و موجب ثبوت و رسوخ در میثاق ربانی، تلاشهای مادی ما را موزون و متعادل میسازد و ما را بعوالم خوش معنوی پیوند میدهد. حق جل جلاله ادای حقوق‌الله را علت و سبب تطهیر اموال نفوس قرار داده است بهمین جهت فرد مؤمن و معتقد که میداند قسمتی از مازاد مصارف ضروریه او وجهی است که باید بقبول الهی مفتخر و بـه حق منسوب گردد، اموال خویش را طبیعتاً از طریق مشروع و مناسبی تحصیل خواهد نمود تا لایق انفاق در سبیل الهی گردد. تأدیه حقوق‌الله رمزی از عشق الهی و نشانی از تعلق فرد بهائی به جامعه انسانی است، چه بدین وسیله است که فرد در مصالح عالیه بشری ذینفع و سهیم میگردد و ‎انفاقـیـکـه انفاقی که‎ بعنوان حقوق‌الله بعمل میآورد باراده مرجع کل امور، یعنی دیوان عدل اعظم الهی صرف امور مبره و عام‌المنفعه در سراسر عالم بهائی میگردد. مطالبه حقوق‌الله طبق نصوص قاطعه الهیه ممنوع است ولی ادای آن فرض و واجب. این امر جلوه از بلوغ روحانیست چه فقط وجدان بیدار و آگاه است که بطور مداوم و منظم شخص را متذکر میسازد که این پیوند روحانی را همواره ‎منین متین‎ و محکم حفظ نماید و ایـن رابطه معنوی را که بشکل انفاقی مادی تـحـقـق میپذیرد همچنان ثابت و پایدار نگاه دارد.

اگر این تنبیه و آگاهی وجدان نباشد و کوشش در راه

متوجه ساخته‌اند که آنچه از اموال ناس بحقوق‌الله تخصیص یابد احدی جز مرجع امر حق تصرف در آنرا ندارد، حتی تصرف خود شخص در سهمی که از اموال او بحق راجع است ‎جاز مجاز‎ نیست و به منزله خیانت در حقوق‌الله محسوب میشود ولو جهت ‎بـرع ایـر سایر‎ مشروعات امریه باشد. بنابراین ادای تبرعات باید بعد از احتساب و پرداخت حقوق‌الله صورت گیرد نه قبل از آن. امید است دوستان عزیز بـا قیام باجرای آن خود را مشمول الطاف حضرت منان قرار دهند.

امین حقوق‌الله

از ایادی امرالله جناب دکتر علیمحمد ورقا خادم حق‌الله

جمع مال و کسب ثروت از راه نمایش معنوی محروم گردد ثروتی که باین طریق بدست آید از برکات الهی بی‌نصیب خواهد شد و چه بسا نفع منتظر عاید صاحب آن نخواهد گردید. جمال اقدس ابهی در لوحـی خطاب بسمندر میفرمایند:

"یا سمندر چه مقدار نفوسی که بکمال سعی و اجتهاد مشتی از زخارف جمع مینمایند و کمال فرح و شادی را از جمع آن دارند ولکن در باطن از قلم اعلی بدیگران محول شده، یعنی نصیب خود ایشان نیست، یا میشود که به اعدای آن نفوس میرسد. اعاذنا الله و اياكم من هذا الخسران المبين. عمر تلف شد و شب و روز زحمت کشیده شد و مال هم سبب وبال گشت. اکثر اموال ناس طاهر نیست. اگر ناس بما انزل الله عامل باشند البته حق آن نفوس را محروم نگذارد و در هر حال فضلش مراقب و رحمتش متوجه خواهد بود."

پس خوشا بحال نفوسیکه با توفیق در اجرای ایـن وظیفه مقدسه وعده مباركه "ينزل عليه البركه من سماء عطاء ربه الفياض المعطى الباذل القديم" در حق ایشان تحقق یابد و وا اسفا از برای آنانکه با اهمال و عدم توجه باین فریضه محتومه بیان مبارک "من خان الله یخان بالعدل" درباره ایشان مصداق پیدا کند.

محاسبه حقوق‌الله طبق نصوص الهیه برمبنای سنجش ارزش مال با واحد طلا صورت میگیرد یعنی پس از بلوغ وجوه نقدینه و یا اموال مازاد بر حـوائـج ضروریه (از قبیل خانه و اثاث البيت و وسائل کسب و غیره) به قیمتی معادل نوزده مثقال طلا، باید نوزده در صد آن محاسبه و مشخص گردیده و بـابت حقوق‌الله منظور گردد. تشخیص و تعیین ضروریات زندگی که از پرداخت حقوق‌الله معاف است وابسته بدرجه تعلقات روحانی و راهنمائی وجدان هر فرد مؤمن است و ضابطه معینی برای آن نمیتوان نمود. این مورد نسبت بـهـر فرد و در هر موقع اجتماعی و اقتصادی متفاوت است. مثلاً ممکن است تـمـلک اتومبیل برای یک فرد وسیله ضروری کار و امرار معاش باشد که طبعاً از ادای حقوق‌الله معاف است در صورتیکه برای فردی دیگر فقط وسیله تفریح و تفنن تلقی شود که در اینصورت مشمول حقوق‌الله میگردد. بنابراین هر فرد مؤمن و معتقد باید با توجه تامه باهمیت ادای دین به حق، همواره وضع دارائی خود را با ‎تطیق تطبیق‎ به درجه و سطح زندگی خویش سنجیده و آن چه را وجداناً مشمول ادای حقوق‌الله تشخیص میدهد از دارائی خویش منتزع نموده و ذمه خویش را آزاد سازد.

در این سنوات که در نشریات امریه مطالبی راجع به اهمیت حقوق‌الله انتشار یافته، بعضی از دوستان که در مشروعات متنوعه امریه مشارکت میفرمایند چنین تصور فرموده‌اند که میتوان تبرعات مختلفه را بجای حقوق‌الله محسوب نمود و در این مورد نیز ‎سئوالی سؤالی‎ از ساحت بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی بعمل آورده‌اند و آن مقام منیع طی مرقومه مستدلی موضوع را کاملاً تشریح فرموده‌اند و احبای عزیز را

نشانی معاونین محترم امین حقوق‌الله :
Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA 90402
Mr. Moussa Mostaghim P. O. Box 296 Ephrata, PA 17522

"اصول عقاید بهائیان"

محفل روحانی ملی بهائیان آلمان در آگست ۱۹۸۳ مجموعه‌ای در ۶۰ صفحه تحت عنوان "اصول عقاید بهائیان" منتشر نموده‌اند که حاوی منتخباتی از آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله درباره اصول اعتقادات بهائی است. در مقدمه این کتاب نصوص مبارکه درباره اهمیت و طریقه مجاهدت برای وصول به حقیقت درج گردیده و سپس آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله در هفت فصل شرح ذیل تنظیم و تدوین گشته است:

۱- خدا و خلق ۲- حقیقت انسان ۳- انبیاء و ادیان الهی ۴- اوامر و احکام ۵- دیانت حقیقی ۶- عصر حاضر ۷- بهائیان

سرانجام کتاب "اصول عقاید بهائیان" با قسـمـتـی تحت عنوان "تـذکار دوست" که در حقیقت مؤره‌ای برای کتاب محسوب میگردد به اتمام میرسد.

این مجموعه نفیس که با خطی خوش بـطـبـع رسـیـده کوچکترین و بهترین مجموعه آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله برای معرفی اصول و مبادی امرالله به افراد غیر بهائی است. از امتیازات خاص این کتاب اینست که اصول اعتقادات بهائی صرفاً با نقل مستقیم آثار فارسی حضرت بهاء‌الله عرضه گشته و برای ایرانیانی که مایل به مطالعه شمه‌ای از آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله باشند بهترین مجموعه خواهد بود.

دوستان عزیز بهائی میتوانند با هدیه ایـن اثـر نفیس به دوستان ایرانی غیربهائی خود در بلاد غرب آنان را که از طریق رسانه‌های گروهی اطلاعات نادرست و یا ناقصی درباره اعتقادات بهـائی کسب نموده‌اند با اصول اساسی تر عقاید بهائی آشنا سازند.

مؤسسه مطبوعات امری آمریکا تعدادی از نسخ مجموعه "اصول عقاید بهائیان" را از آلمان وارد کرده و بقیمت ۳ دلار در اختیار دوستان قرار داده است. [Page 21]

تأمین مخارج رادیوبهائی WLGI

روز ۲۸ دسامبر ۱۹۸۳ محفل مقدس روحانی ملی تأمین وجوه لازم برای ساختمان رادیوبهائی WLGI را طی پیام ذیل به ساحت رفیع بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی اعلام نمودند.

خبر مسرت بخش تحقق هدف یک میلیون دلاری صندوق رادیوبهائی WLGI را سه روز قبل از انقضای مهلت با استحضار بیت‌العدل اعظم میرساند. از ادعیه معهده عالی برای موفقیت این برنامه و از پشتیبانی و حمایت جناب سیرز سپاسگزاریم.

روز بعد پاسخ تلگرافی ذیل از آن ساحت منیع واصل گردید.

در ابتهاج و سرور شما بجهت موفقیت برنامه جمع‌آوری وجوه لازم برای WLGI سهیم و شریکیم. از معاضدت بارز ایادی عزیز امرالله جناب سیرز متشکریم. برای اجرای کامل برنامه ساختمان فرستنده رادیوئی که همگی مشتاقانه منتظر آن هستیم دعا میکنیم.

محفل روحانی ملی طی متحدالمالی که در تاریخ ۲۹ دسامبر ۱۹۸۳ خطاب به جامعه بهائیان آمریکا صادر فرمودند رسماً مراتب تشکر و قدردانی خود را بحضور ایادی عزیز امرالله جناب ویلیام سیرز که الهام‌بخش عموم بودند و قول و عملشان سرمشق و نمونه درخشانی از انقطاع و فداکاری برای جامعه بود تقدیم داشته از افراد اعضاء جامعه بهائی آمریکا که اعتماد و شجاعت و ایثار و فداکاری آنان چنین موفقیت و افتخار عظیمی را در فرصتی کوتاه ممکن ساخته تشکر نمودند و اظهار اطمینان کردند که در آتیه نیز به پیروزیهای مهمی نائل خواهند شد.

طبق گزارش دفتر امین صندوق وصول تبرعات یاران و وجوهی که در جوامع محلی بمنظور کمک به صندوق رادیوبهائی جمع‌آوری شده ادامه دارد و تا هفته اول ماه ژانویه یکصدوپنجاه هزار دلار بیش از مبلغ یک میلیون دلار که بعنوان هدف در نظر گرفته شده بود به صندوق محفل ملی رسیده بود. وجوه اضافی که به صندوق مذکور میرسد برای مخارج جاری فرستنده که قرار است در بهار آینده شروع بکار کند منظور خواهد شد.

مسؤولین مؤسسه بهائی لوئیس گرگوری اطمینان دارند که با شروع پخش برنامه‌های رادیو پیشرفت و تقدم بی سابقه‌ای در انتشار نفحات الله و استحکام اساس محافل و جوامع محلی در آن ایالات حاصل خواهد شد.

میدان خدمت

جامعه بهائی ایالات متحده در این ایام غرق شادی و سرور افتخارآمیز است زیرا بموفقیتی عظیم نائل گشته و بار دیگر ثابت کرده است که هنگام عمل حاضر به همه گونه فداکاری است. آنچه بیش از همه در این پیروزی جدید یعنی نیل به هدف یک میلیون دلار صندوق بنای رادیو بهائی لوئیس گرگوری جالب توجه است قیام و اقدام عمومی و مشارکت جمع یاران در این مشروع تاریخی است. وجوه لازم توسط چندین نفر از نفوس مستغنی تقدیم نگردیده بلکه قطرات تبرعات کم و بیش کوچک فرد فرد یاران و محافل و جوامع محلی بود که بصورت سیلی درآمد و قبل از موعد مقرر حتی بیش از مبلغ پیش‌بینی شده در اختیار محفل روحانی ملی قرار داد.

همین روح ایثار و از خودگذشتگی و همکاری و مشارکت در خدمت میتواند کلیه اهداف ملی و بین‌المللی را بسهولت تحقق بخشد. اکنون جامعه بهائی آمریکا بایستی این حرکت و همت را متوجه از بین بردن کسر بودجه صندوق محفل ملی و تأمین اهداف مهاجرت داخله نماید تا ‎انشاء‌الله ان‌شاءالله‎ در رضوان آینده همگی با رضایت خاطر و اطمینان از انجام وظائف روحانی در انجمن شور روحانی مجتمع شویم و شاهد ورود جامعه اسم اعظم بمرحله تبلیغ دستجمعی باشیم.

ایالات کارولینای جنوبی که بزودی زیر پوشش رادیو بهائی لوئیس گرگوری قرار خواهد گرفت آماده تقلیب روحانی است و جا دارد که عده‌ای از خادمین منقطع آستان الهی به آن منطقه نقل مکان نمایند و هر یک در گوشه‌ای از آن ایالت مستعد و پربرکت مرکزی برای ازدیاد انجذاب و اشتعال مصدقین بوجود آورند.

در بسیاری نقاط دیگر مملکت نیز محافل در خطر انحلال یا جمعیتهای بهائی که احتیاج به یکی دو مهاجر از خود گذشته برای تشکیل محفل روحانی دارند فراوانند. از جمله محفل روحانی Bethlehem در ایالت پنسیلوانیا است که پس از مدتها سعی و کوشش محفل روحانی آن سال گذشته تشکیل شد و اکنون مجدداً در خطر انحلال قرار گرفته است. برای کسب اطلاع بیشتر ممکن است با تلفن ۳۴۷۸-۶۹۱/۲۱۵ با جناب دکتر قدرت‌الله روشن تماس گرفت.

همچنین محفل روحانی Bountiful در نزدیکی شهر سالت لیک در ایالت یوتا که بدون کمک مهاجرین جدید ممکن است موفق به حفظ محفل در سال آینده نشوند و با اصرار از احبای ایرانی دعوت مینمایند که به آن نقطه نقل مکان نمایند. علاقمندان میتوانند با تلفن ۵۰۸۰-۴۸۷/۸۰۱ با جناب جمشید طالب رضا تماس حاصل فرمایند. دفتر لجنه ملی تبلیغ و دفتر لجنه امور احبای ایرانی در دارالانشاء محفل روحانی ملی نیز آماده‌اند تا اطلاعات بیشتری درباره نقاط لازم‌المهاجره در مناطق کشور در اختیار دوستان قرار دهند.

احبای عزیز ایرانی شایسته است از این فرصتها استفاده نموده بیاد جانبازیهای خواهران و برادران عزیز ایران و بالنیابه از جانب آنان قیام به خدمت نمایند و بنام هر محفل که در ایران منحل شده چندین محفل جدید در این کشور تأسیس نمایند و یا از انحلال محافل موجود جلوگیری کنند. تا چه کند همت والای دوست.

استدعای لجنه امور احبای ایرانی

لجنه امور احبای ایرانی کوشش میکند در گزارشهایی که به ساحت محفل روحانی ملی تقدیم میدارد خلاصه‌ای از خدمات و مجاهدات احبای ایرانی را منعکس نماید و باین جهت از یاران روحانی مستدعی است با مراقبت دقیقه از وقت عزیز خود اطلاعاتی درباره خدماتی که خود یا منسوبین و دوستانشان در طی سال تشکیلاتی جاری (۲۱ آوریل ۱۹۸۳ الی حال) انجام داده‌اند در این ورقه ثبت نموده به نشانی این لجنه در دفتر محفل روحانی ملی ارسال فرمایند.

مهاجرت داخله نام و نام خانوادگی: ____________________ عده همراهان: ____ نفر بزرگسال ____ نفر جوان ____ نفر نوجوان یا کودک محل اقامت فعلی ____________________ محل اقامت جدید ____________________

نتیجه نقل مکان: ( ) تشکیل محفل جدید ( ) جلوگیری از انحلال محفل ( ) تأسیس یا تقویت جمعیت بهائی ( ) فتح نقطه جدید ( ) تقویت محفل روحانی ( ) تشکیل محفل جدید با یکی از محافل محله ایران

مهاجرت به خارج از کشور نام و نام خانوادگی ____________________ عده همراهان: ____ نفر بزرگسال ____ نفر جوان ____ نفر نوجوان یا کودک محل مهاجرت: کشور ____________________ شهر ____________________

آیا لجنه اهداف بین‌المللی مطلع بوده است؟ ( ) بله ( ) خیر تشکیل گروه الف اسامی اعضاء گروه ________________________________________ فعالیتهای گروه ________________________ چنانچه عکسی از گروه و یا فعالیتهای گروه الف خود دارید لطفاً ضمیمه بفرمائید.

کتابخانه لجنه امور احبای ایرانی

مجموعه‌ای از بعضی کتب و آثار امری به زبان فارسی و عربی در دفتر لجنه امور احبای ایرانی در دارالانشاء محفل روحانی ملی تهیه شده است تا در تهیه برنامه‌های لجنه مورد استفاده قرار گیرد. مع‌الوصف این اقدام از زمانی شروع شد که تهیه این نوع کتب از ایران میسر نبود. بهمین سبب بسیاری از آثار مهم و مورد احتیاج در دسترس لجنه نیست.

لجنه امور احبای ایرانی از یاران روحانی که احتمالاً نسخ اضافی از بعضی کتب امری در اختیار دارند مستدعی است در صورت امکان نسخ اضافی را به کتابخانه لجنه هدیه فرمایند. لجنه حتی آماده است آثار مهمی را که نسخه اضافی از آن موجود نیست بعاریت گرفته فتوکپی از آنها تهیه کند و نسخه اصل را عودت دهد. دوستانی که حاضر به این فداکاری باشند ممکن است صورتی کتبی را که میتوانند به این لجنه عنایت فرمایند ‎بقید بالأنتشار بقید بالانتشار‎ به لجنه ارسال فرمایند تا در صورتی که در مجموعه کتابخانه موجود نباشد طلبیده شود. [Page 22]

World NEWS

Nine hundred fifty-two people were treated last August 17-23 at the first free Bahá’í Medical Camp for Eye Patients in Maddure, Karnataka State, India.

One hundred-twenty of the patients were operated on, while the others received medicine, treatment, and free eye glasses.

Hundreds learned of the Faith, and the head of the Mysore Health District praised the Bahá’ís for their principles and their actions.

Habib Habibi, a Bahá’í from Bangalore, was chiefly responsible for organizing the camp which was proposed after the principal of the local medical college became a Bahá’í ...

A French television crew was among a large number of visitors to a Bahá’í exhibit last May 27-29 at a European festival in Brussels, Belgium.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Belgium sponsored the booth at the festival, whose theme was "The World We Choose, an Exhibition on the Quality of Life and Human Values."

Among the visitors were university professors, artists, writers, a member of the party accompanying King Baudoin of Belgium, members of Amnesty International, and busloads of school children and their teachers ...

Indigenous believers attended the Greenland Bahá’í Summer School for the first time this year.

The 14 Bahá’ís who gathered June 24 in Holsteinsborg, a coastal settlement north of the Arctic Circle, included six Greenlanders and visiting Counsellor Lloyd Gardner ...

Seven members of the Spiritual Assembly of Potenza, Italy, and Auxiliary Board member Gian-Franco Mazzoni met last June 26 with Emilio Colombo, the Italian minister of foreign affairs.

After discussing the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, the minister said he was well-informed about the situation and promised to do what he could on their behalf ...

The National Spiritual Assembly of the French Antilles reported last October that the 11th Local Spiritual Assembly had been formed on Martinique, and the 17th Assembly was ready to form on Guadeloupe ...

More than 150 people attended a conference on world peace last October 20 sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Panama.

Among the guests were representatives of the United Nations, members of the diplomatic corps, and government officials. The program, which included a guitar and piano concert, commemorated International Peace Day ...

Grenada

Continued From Page 6

could call them, they phoned to say they were coming to Grenada for the sole purpose of completing the transaction.

Within a week of their arrival, agreements were made, lawyers contacted, documents drawn up and signed, all without complication. The Bahá’ís had finally acquired their Center.

At first we did not understand the rapidity of these events, but that was because we could not anticipate the coming storm that would place our once-secluded corner of the earth in a spotlight for all the world to see.

We signed the documents at 2 p.m. October 14, only minutes before it was announced that Prime Minister Bishop had been placed under house arrest.

ALMOST instantly after that announcement, the city of St. George shut down and boarded up including the attorney’s office we had just left.

Had the signing been delayed for any reason it would not have been completed, for the entire law firm staff quickly disappeared, fearing possible riots and bloodshed.

The owners of the house also rushed away to pack for a return to Canada on the earliest possible flight.

Seeing the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Registry in a state of total confusion, we began to understand why the transaction had to be completed during that week.

It was all a part of Bahá’u’lláh’s mysterious Plan.

Having witnessed the brutal massacre of innocent people at Fort Rupert, participated in chain prayers with the Bahá’ís on Grenada during the shoot-on-sight four-day curfew, and lived through an invasion by foreign troops, I am absolutely convinced that these events were God’s way of preparing the hearts of the Grenadians for an even greater battle, the spiritual conquest of their country.

THIS preparation, in fact, was begun long ago. This was the island chosen by Dorothy Baker as her pioneer post. She had bought a home here and was en route to settle on Grenada when the plane in which she was a passenger crashed.

There are many bounties for her sacrifice alone, the island will always be specially blessed.

A few days before the arrest of the Prime Minister, a young boy, the son of one of the pioneer families, had an unusual dream that warned of the coming chaos.

He dreamed that he was at a beach watching a Grenadian girl who had built out of sand a typical Grenadian house. The house was not abnormal, except that it was quite large.

Suddenly the roof of the house was removed, and disappeared without a trace. Then, as he peered into the roofless structure, the walls began to crumble and wash away with the tide.

THE HOUSE was a symbol of the revolutionary government led by Maurice Bishop, which abruptly lost its "roof" as Bishop and several of his cabinet ministers were savagely murdered while others were imprisoned or fled.

Even as this is written, the whereabouts of their bodies remains unknown. They simply disappeared without a trace.

The walls of the house came down as waves of troops stormed the island, eliminating the remnants of the previous government.

It is now the task of the Grenadian people and the Bahá’ís here to build a new house, hopefully with a new spiritual foundation.

Even though we were somewhat shaken by the events of the past weeks, and at times feared for our lives, we have had daily confirmations that Grenada is on the verge of a spiritual revolution.

Our 24-hour chain prayers during the curfew had such a unifying effect on the Bahá’ís that, as though drawn by a magnet, seekers dared the curfew to come to our homes, where we gave them a new sense of hope with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

NOW that some peace has returned to Grenada after the invasion, the Faith has spread its wings with a new spirit.

The mere act of our staying as pioneers has produced world-wide publicity for the Faith through such media as ABC News, National Public Radio, the Voice of America, the BBC, the British Independent Television Network, and many newspapers.

The Bahá’í pioneers were among the few foreigners who stayed through the crisis, having requested not to be evacuated.

While only God knows for certain, it is interesting to speculate about how these events were a part of His Plan.

For example, the National Assembly would perhaps not have been able to form under the oppressive rule of the military council that was thrown from power.

It is interesting to note that the new interim government is composed of an administrative council of nine members who are non-political.

WHEN one of our prominent Bahá’ís was asked by the governor-general what he thought about a 12-member council, he replied that nine persons would be far more effective. And so it came to be.

It is also interesting that our future Hazíratu’l-Quds is across the street from the governor-general’s mansion. Coincidence? Perhaps, but the longer I am a Bahá’í the less I believe in coincidence.

Does Bahá’u’lláh have plans for Grenada? We Bahá’ís most certainly believe so, and thank God for the opportunity to remain on this Caribbean jewel.

Green Acre

Continued From Page 8

and commitment were made:

• To pray daily for teaching opportunities.
• To read the Writings each day.
• To form teaching teams with English-speaking Bahá’ís.
• To open homes for regular potluck dinners as a way of attracting seekers to the Faith.

Because many of the believers had not been successful in encouraging their non-Bahá’í friends to attend firesides, there was a lengthy discussion on ways to attract others to the Faith.

Inspiring and well-researched talks were presented on such subjects as teaching and the history of the Faith.

The friends left the conference with a renewed commitment to teach the Faith and to deepen their own knowledge of its Teachings.

The Bahá’ís of Overland Park, Kansas, placed this display in the Overland Park library during the entire month of October and in the Olathe, Kansas, library in November. The same display is soon to be seen for another month in the Prairie Village library.

20 seekers attend Peace Day meeting in Harrisburg

The Spiritual Assembly of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, sponsored a World Peace Day observance last September 18 at a local park.

Peace Day proclamations were issued by the governor of Pennsylvania, the board of commissioners of Dauphin County, and the mayor of Harrisburg.

About 20 seekers joined the 20 Bahá’ís at the program to hear Brian Lepard from the office of the Bahá’í International Community in New York City speak on "The Long-Lasting Peace" and April Neal of Harrisburg speak on "The Role of Women in the Establishment of Peace."

The event was publicized on radio and television, and a part of it was filmed by a TV station which showed it on the evening news that same day.

Assembly to sponsor marriage institute in Grand Island

The Spiritual Assembly of Grand Island, Nebraska, is sponsoring a marriage institute May 19-20.

Topics to be addressed include "Marriage: An Assistance to Yourselves," "Development and Dimensions of Love in Marriage," "Stress and Marital Unity," "Marriage and Service to the Cause," "The Developmental Path for the Future of Marriage," and "Guidance from the Writings."

Workshops will be held on "Counseling the Couple," "Re-marriage," and the National Treasurer’s workshop, "The Secret of Wealth."

Those who would like to attend should contact Mrs. Gwen Parmenter, P.O. Box 953, Grand Island, NE 68802, or phone 308-381-1112.

90-year-old Bahá’í feted for half-century of ongoing firesides

For more than 50 years, Helen Barrick Marinello, a member of the Bahá’í community of Maywood, Illinois, has been holding regular firesides in her home, making hers perhaps the oldest ongoing fireside in the country.

Mrs. Marinello was honored December 2 by the Maywood community on her 90th birthday. Both of her parents became Bahá’ís in 1912, the year in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the U.S.

One of Mrs. Marinello’s closest friends was Nettie Tobin, the woman who in 1912 brought a stone to the site of the future Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette in a baby carriage. The stone was used by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Temple’s dedication stone. [Page 23]

Trail of Light travels busy road in New Mexico

By REGINA ANCHONDO

The sky may have been overcast when we arrived with the Trail of Light teaching team in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but our spirits weren't.

This was new territory and cooler temperatures, both of which excited us enormously.

WE WERE picked up at the airport and taken to the home of Auxiliary Board member Ernie Bruss for lunch and a briefing about the pueblos we would visit. Ernie would accompany us while we were in New Mexico and Arizona, and we came to call him our "wagonmaster."

Our first surprise was that we would be traveling in two motor homes for the next 10 days.

My second surprise was that I would be driving one of them.

This was a new experience for most of us—the South Americans had never even seen a motor home, let alone "lived" in one.

After a brief discussion about who would get which vehicle, we piled in and headed for Espanola, our home base for the next several days.

Over dinner with the Bahá’ís in Espanola, we learned that our first presentation the following day, Saturday, would be at San Juan Pueblo.

WE DROVE to the pueblo early, parked the motor homes and went for a walk around the area.

Striking up a conversation with one of the women leaving a general store, we found that many of the older residents of the pueblo spoke Spanish. She said she would come to the afternoon program and bring some friends.

The threat of rain materialized as we moved into the hall where the program was to take place. Attendance was sparse at first because of a previously scheduled baseball game, and some of the residents volunteered to go out and round up the team and spectators.

The program began with a welcome from members of the tribal council and three dances performed by children and an elder who sang for them.

The precision of these children was admirable, especially since pueblo drums alter the rhythm frequently.

The Trail of Light presentation followed, after which gifts were exchanged. At the close of the program, we were invited to visit the San Juan crafts cooperative across the street.

THE WOMEN in the shop hadn't seen the program, so they asked Clemente Pimantel to play some songs for them on his tarqa (flute) and charango (a stringed instrument made from an armadillo shell).

Since that evening's program at another pueblo was canceled, some members of the team visited Pojoaque Pueblo where there are a few Bahá’ís and had a successful visit.

The next day, Sunday, was District Convention. The team was scheduled for activities at Santa Clara and Taos pueblos, and so we would not be able to attend. Instead, team members taped a message to the convention in which they expressed their hope that the friends would be inspired to win the goals for this phase of the Seven Year Plan.

The program at Santa Clara, which took place in the gymnasium, began with dances by the children and youth. As at San Juan Pueblo, male elders played the drums and sang as the younger people danced.

WE HAD seen one of the dances performed at San Juan the day before, and noted the similarity and differences in its execution.

The eight Northern Pueblos are often referred to as Tewa pueblos because they share a common language known as Tanoan.

Members of each pueblo say they speak Tewa, but add that they cannot understand the Tewa spoken in the neighboring pueblos.

While on the surface the pueblos may appear to be almost identical, each has its own customs, artistic designs, language, and principal means of support.

Aware of the pride that the pueblo Indians have in their children, Sabino Ortega and Leopoldo Richard made a point of congratulating the children for their mastery of the traditional dances, and their parents for having instilled in them such pride and discipline.

AS THE Trail of Light team became accustomed to its surroundings, new things were added to its presentation.

For example, Leopoldo had brought with him samples of clothing worn by Guaymi women and developed this into an audience participation activity.

Each member of the team had an area of "expertise." The presentation usually began with an introduction of the members by Counsellor Lauretta King who explained the history of the Trail of Light.

Sabino would then introduce the program itself, stressing that none of them was a professional artist, but that they were simply common people sharing the customs of their "households."

He would introduce Clemente who might say a few words and then play two songs, one on the tarqa and another on the charango.

EGON Nieto would follow with a greeting in the Mapuche language, and would explain the meaning of the designs on the head of his kultrun, a small drum made from a hollowed log, covered with goat skin and tied with braided horsehair.

The designs were always of interest to the Indians because they symbolize the four cardinal points—north, south, east and west—to which Indians in this country also make their supplications.

In fact, on the surface at least, the Mapuche culture shared by Egon was the most similar to that of the North American Indians.

As an Auxiliary Board member and dedicated teacher for many years, Sabino had cultivated an ability to speak effectively, so it was always his responsibility to give the "official" message of the Trail of Light during the program, the message of the Faith.

All of us were happiest when this could be done freely and openly, and the spirits of the team members rose and fell in accordance with the opportunities to do so.

AFTER Sabino's joyful if serious announcement concerning the fulfillment of Indian prophecies, it was Leopoldo's turn. He had the ability to make people laugh and feel right at home. He always had a special story for the children with a moral based on Bahá’í principles.

Following group photos with the team members and children in their ceremonial dress, instruments, articles of clothing and ornaments from South America were displayed on tables for our pueblo friends to examine.

People would swarm around the tables asking questions, fingering flutes and banging on drums. There was a great deal of interest in the irridescent parrot feathers worn by Leopoldo, and several people wanted to know where they might get some.

Our first thought was that the feathers were a novelty, but we were told that, in fact, they are considered sacred and are used in certain ceremonies of the "old religion."

After lunch we went up to the Puye cliff dwellings as guests of the Santa Clara Pueblo which owns and maintains the site.

THE VISIT was a tonic for the spirits of Egon, Sabino and Clemente, all of whom come from mountainous areas. Clemente was in the habit of playing his tarqa whenever he felt happy, and the mountains always made him happy.

As we walked along the top of the cliffs our guide, one of the women responsible for training the children in traditional ways, explained the history of the site.

Until a few years ago, she said, it had been used for a particular ceremony each year. At the last gathering there was an electrical storm and several of the participants were struck by lightning and killed. Since then they had not returned.

We talked, too, about the importance of raising one's children with an awareness of the traditional ways. Her two-year-old son ran ahead of us, picking up pieces of brush that were similar to those used in certain dances, and began two-stepping in rhythm to an imaginary drum.

She said proudly that he had begun learning to dance earlier in the year.

AS WE climbed into the motor homes to return to the pueblo and prepare for our trip to Taos, my new friend asked if she could come with us.

We took her to her car and then stopped to visit with a woman who lived across the street from the center where we had presented our program. She had asked a friend to bring the team by so she could give them a gift, a lovely piece of pottery that she had recently finished.

We went with our friend while she dropped off her car, then she and her son rode with us in the motor home to Taos where our first stop was a potluck dinner with Bahá’ís in the area.

Arriving at the Taos Pueblo, we found that our meeting that evening had been canceled. The first frost had occurred the night before, and the ceremony marking its occurrence had to be performed right away.

All of the elders and the more traditional youth had gone up the mountain, and the pueblo was closed to the public, even to Indians from other pueblos.

We were, however, able to meet with some of the youth, and the evening was quite enjoyable.

WE COULD hear those on the mountainside singing the ceremonial songs as they came down, but gave up the idea of approaching them since the youth told us they had probably been drinking.

Instead, we talked to the youth and to a young man who worked

Counsellor Lauretta King (front row center) is pictured with members of the Trail of Light team (front row left to right) Clemente Pimantel, Sabino Ortega, Leopoldo Richard and Egon Nieto during their visit to Arizona. In the back row are National Spiritual Assembly member Chester Kahn (left) and Ben Kahn.

Members of the Trail of Light team Egon Nieto (left) and Leopoldo Richard display their musical talents during a presentation at a pueblo in New Mexico. [Page 24]

Archives has Keith Ransom-Kehler papers

It is well known that the Hand of the Cause of God Keith Ransom-Kehler went to Iran in 1932 as a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada to try to persuade the government of the Shah to lift its ban on Bahá’í literature.

IT IS less well known that prior to this mission, during the course of which she died, Mrs. Ransom-Kehler had undertaken an extensive teaching tour of the western United States and the Orient.

This journey is well-documented in the Keith Ransom-Kehler papers in the National Bahá’í Archives.

Although the Keith Ransom-Kehler papers cover only this teaching trip of 1930-32, they nevertheless present a vivid picture of the abilities of Mrs. Ransom-Kehler.

Her trip began in Washington state, Oregon and California where she fulfilled numerous speaking engagements at universities, churches, clubs and homes. From her varied background as a university English professor, chicken farmer, and consultant to a large retail store, she was able to offer talks on a wide range of topics: interior decoration, child psychology, international relations, economics, and of course, the Bahá’í Faith.

The newspaper clippings and correspondence in the papers show that her wide ranging speaking ability lent added prestige and impact to her Bahá’í talks.

MRS. Ransom-Kehler's tour of the Orient began in Japan and took her to China, Australia, New Zealand, Java, Singapore, Burma and India.

The newspaper accounts from Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís documenting the tour reveal that she made as good an impression throughout that vast area as she had in the U.S.

A letter from the president of a non-Bahá’í group in Adelaide, Australia, recommending her to another group as a speaker comments that Mrs. Ransom-Kehler is "interesting as being a different type of American to what we generally meet."

And her papers include letters from non-Bahá’ís indicating how she had awakened their interest in investigating the Faith by the quality of her talks, and from Bahá’ís stating that due to her talks and classes they now more fully appreciated the depth of the Faith.

Something of Keith Ransom-Kehler's speaking ability can be gathered from the few surviving manuscripts of her talks and articles, which range from martyrdom to marxism, as well as introductions to the Faith.

FORTUNATELY, not only the public side of Mrs. Ransom-Kehler's tour is represented in the papers but also the private side, found in the diaries she kept in small notebooks during her journeys.

In these diaries we discover how she thought her audiences responded to her, and the joys and stresses of dealing with many different Bahá’í communities of varying capacities on short acquaintance, and often while travel-weary and ill.

We can also discover in these diaries the delightfully period contents of her suitcases, the hostess-pyjamas and Chanel frock, for instance, as she frequently mentions what she wore to speaking engagements and social gatherings.

In all, the Keith Ransom-Kehler papers bring to life two strenuous but rewarding years in the teaching career of a distinguished and notable Bahá’í, and also inform us of the self-aware and striving human being behind the public person.

The Creative Word: The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys

Among the attributes of God is that mysterious force which attracts all creatures unto Him. Primary among the ways in which that force is transmitted is the Creative Word.

No manifestation of the Creative Word is more compelling or challenging than the works of mysticism. Foremost among Bahá’u’lláh’s mystic writings are His two treatises, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.

In these marvelously evocative works the journey is not one of earth, air and water. It is one of the soul and the heart. It concerns a reality that is perceived but never seen. Yet to say these things is to examine but one facet of a many-faceted jewel.

To say that The Seven Valleys is merely a reply to questions about Súfi philosophy or that The Four Valleys is an epistle to a Shaykh is an understatement of the highest order.

As the reader travels through these awe-inspiring valleys, he hears Bahá’u’lláh’s mystical voice describing those things that are "not to be pictured in words." Not in words perhaps, but in the Creative Word which goes beyond ideas and concepts to stimulate the mind and offer a vision for the soul.

(Hardcover, Catalog No. 103-015, $6) (Softcover, Catalog No. 103-016, $3)

First Spiritual Assembly of Bloomfield, New Jersey

The first Spiritual Assembly of Bloomfield, New Jersey, was formed November 12. Its members include (left to right) Theron Herman, Zizi Gibbs, Edward Gibbs, Bonnie Hill, Farzan Kardan, Shelly Herman, AH Rad, Marjorie Dickinson. The ninth member of the Assembly, Ferdosian Daemi-Rachida, was visiting a daughter in Brazil when the photograph was taken.

Trail

with them, and then dances were shared and traded.

Egon, Leopoldo and I spent the night in Taos while the others returned to Espanola-each group had radio or newspaper interviews in the respective towns.

The next day we met again in Espanola to prepare for our big night out. We were going to spend a few hours simply wandering around Santa Fe before dinner, then go to the Santa Fe Indian School for a presentation.

The school auditorium was packed with young people. It took a while for everyone to settle down, but when they did they enjoyed the program thoroughly.

Afterward, there was a reception for the team with older students, many of whom were dressed in the traditional way of their people. Several youth from the Northern Pueblos mentioned that their parents or brothers and sisters had seen us at Santa Clara or San Juan.

We met Sioux youth as well, and told them about our upcoming visit to their Reservations, hoping they would alert their parents to watch for us.

Leopoldo taught them a Cuna Indian dance, and they showed us a few too.

We left Espanola the following day to return to Albuquerque. As we were about to leave, our friend from Santa Clara Pueblo came by. She wanted to give the team members copies of a Tewa dictionary she had helped compile and some of the Tewa texts she had been working on.

The South Americans went to her office at the school where she gave them the books. As we left, she cried.

Next: Northern Arizona

Comment

not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power..." (The Bahá’í World, Vol. III, p. 108).

As parents who are schooled in child development are better able to carry out their roles in rearing children to adulthood, so the more the process of the development of Spiritual Assemblies is understood, the fewer will be the growing pains. By studying existing Bahá’í communities, from those with the newest fledgling Assemblies to large and longstanding urban communities with mature Assemblies, it becomes possible to discern distinct stages of development. What is presented here is an attempt to delineate those stages.

From the outset the reader should be aware that, while the following comments are generally true, each community will have factors that make it unique, and that therefore some observations may not apply in particular cases.

The key element that serves to determine each stage of growth is the number of active Bahá’ís in a community. That factor alone, for example, determines how large a facility is needed for the Nineteen Day Feasts and how effective consultation can be. The number of active members has a significant impact on the Assembly itself, with sizable increases in numbers requiring qualitative changes in the way the Assembly operates, aside from the more obvious changes in meeting places.

BECAUSE the key lies in the number of active believers, the stages of community development apply whether the community is rural, suburban or urban. Of course, a town with roughly a thousand residents will never be faced with some of the problems that cities with millions of residents will encounter. Nevertheless, as hundreds of people in that smaller town become Bahá’ís, it will find itself experiencing essentially the same difficulties that now confront many urban Bahá’í communities.

Many active, vital Bahá’í communities stagnate at the point at which they should be evolving into the next stage of their development. This is due partly to fear of change, and partly to their inability to make the adjustments that are necessary for a successful transition. Change requires flexibility and courage. Looking ahead to future needs can help dispel the fear of change, and plans can then be laid to help bring about and ease the metamorphosis necessary for continued growth.

Next month: Stages of growth

Pioneer produces cassette tape of songs

Joany Lincoln, a pioneer to Africa for 13 years who is well-known for her inspiring and heartfelt songs about the Faith and pioneering, has produced a cassette tape featuring several of her songs in English, French and several African languages. The tape is now available from the International Goals Committee.

If you would like a copy, please write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, and include $8 for the tape and postage costs.

Roseville fund-raiser nets $1,500 for WLGI

More than $1,500 was raised for WLGI Radio at a dinner-auction November 19 in Roseville, Minnesota.

About 40 Bahá’ís from nine Twin Cities suburbs attended the event.

Regional Teaching records are sought

The National Bahá’í Archives is seeking the records of Regional Teaching Committees for the 1930s and 1940s, particularly minutes and correspondence. Anyone who has such records should write to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 25]

Nuevo México: Intercambio de cultura y corazón

Por REGINA ANCHONDO

Tal vez el cielo estuvo nublado cuando llegamos a Albuquerque, pero no nuestros espíritus.

Nos encontramos en un territorio nuevo con temperaturas más suaves, lo cual nos gustó muchísimo.

NOS recogieron del aeropuerto y nos llevaron a casa de Ernie Bruss para almorzar y revisar el horario y datos necesarios sobre los pueblos que íbamos a visitar.

Ernie nos acompañaría durante la gira en Nuevo México y Arizona.

La primera sorpresa fueron los dos “trailers” (casas rodantes) en los cuales íbamos a viajar y vivir durante los próximos días.

Mi segunda sorpresa fue que yo tendría que manejar uno de ellos.

Las traductoras íbamos descubriendo que nuestro título cubría una multitud de quehaceres. Fue una experiencia nueva para nosotros—los sudamericanos nunca habían visto tal vehículo, ni hablar de haber vivido en uno.

Subimos y salimos rumbo a Española, nuestra base de operaciones para los días siguientes.

NUESTRA primera presentación fue en San Juan Pueblo. Llegamos temprano. Estacionamos los trailers y paseamos por el pueblo.

Conversamos con una señora que salió de una tienda y la invitamos al programa. Hablando con ella descubrimos que muchos de los habitantes de mayor edad hablaban español. Ella prometió asistir al programa y llevar a unos amigos.

La amenaza de lluvia se cumplió mientras entramos al ‎salon salón‎ donde el programa tomaría lugar. Había poca gente al principio debido a un juego de béisbol y unos residentes ofrecieron ir a traer a los jugadores y su público.

El programa comenzó con la bienvenida por parte de un miembro del consejo tribal y tres danzas presentadas por niños y un mayor que tocaba tambor mientras bailaban.

Fue nuestra primera oportunidad de disfrutar de tal presentación. La precisión de los niños fue admirable, especialmente como los tambores pueblos cambian de ritmo con frecuencia.

La presentación del Camino del Sol siguió y después un intercambio de regalos. Al final del programa nos invitaron a la cooperativa de artesanía del pueblo.

Cada miembro del equipo recibió una grabación de la música de San Juan Pueblo, incluyendo la música para los bailes que recién vimos.

Las mujeres que trabajaban en la cooperativa no podían asistir a la presentación y pidieron a Clemente Pimantel que tocara algunas melodías con su tarqa (flauta) y charango.

Por alguna razón el programa de la noche en otro Pueblo fue cancelado y decidimos visitar a Pojoaque Pueblo, donde hay unos cuantos Bahá’ís.

Como no les queríamos incomodar algunos nos quedamos atrás, yo entre ellos.

El día siguiente me contaron que fue una visita agradable y Clemente regresó con un tambor que le regalaron.

EL DÍA siguiente, domingo, era de la convención del distrito. El equipo ya tenía compromiso en Santa Clara Pueblo y Taos Pueblo, así que no pudimos asistir.

Sin embargo, grabamos un mensaje a los asistentes de la conferencia para animarles a ganar las metas de la región.

El programa en Santa Clara tomó lugar en el gimnasio. Estuvimos rodeados por el público abajo. Arriba en el segundo nivel también muchos se quedaron de ‎pié pie‎ cerca de la baranda.

La presentación empezó con bailes por los niños y jóvenes que estudiaban las costumbres tradicionales en un programa especial de la escuela.

Como en San Juan Pueblo, mayores tocaron el tambor y cantaban mientras ellos bailaban. Viendo a los niños en su ropa tradicional ceremonial nos dimos cuenta de algunas semejanzas y diferencias entre los pueblos en cuanto al vestuario.

Por ejemplo, los colores básicos utilizados en la ropa son blanco, azul turquesa, negro, rojo y amarillo. Las diferencias se encuentran en el color predominante, la combinación de colores adicionales y los diseños geométricos que se utiliza.

COMPARANDO los bailes hechos en Santa Clara con los del mismo género que hicieron el día anterior en San Juan, notamos otra vez las semejanzas.

A los Ocho Pueblos del Norte también se les refiere como los Pueblos Tewa porque ‎el raíz la raíz‎ de sus idiomas es un lenguaje de la familia tanoana.

Sin embargo, aunque todos dicen que hablan tewa, también dicen que no ‎estienden extienden‎ el tewa hablado en los pueblos vecinos.

En la superficie los pueblos parecen ser idénticos, pero cada uno tiene sus costumbres, lenguaje, diseños artísticos y medio principal de ganarse la vida.

Enterados del orgullo que los indígenas pueblos tienen para con sus hijos, Sabino Ortega y Leopoldo Richard se esmeraron en felicitar a los niños por haber demostrado su destreza en los bailes tradicionales, y a los padres por haberles inculcado tanto orgullo y disciplina.

A MEDIDA que el equipo del Camino del Sol aprendió a trabajar juntos, agregamos cosas nuevas a nuestra presentación. Leopoldo había traído ropa tradicional de las mujeres guaymíes e inventó una actividad en la cual el público podía participar.

En Santa Clara pedimos la ayuda de una joven de 16 o 17 años. La vistimos en la ropa guaymí con sus prendas y pedimos que se sentara con el público hasta que Leopoldo la llamara.

Cada miembro del equipo tenía su habilidad. Por lo general, los programas comenzaron con una introducción por la Consejera Lauretta King, quien presentaba a los miembros del equipo y explicaba la historia del Camino del Sol.

Sabino introducía el programa mismo, enfatizando que ninguno de ellos era artista profesional, sino personas comunes y corrientes que venían a compartir tradiciones de la casa.

Presentaba a Clemente quien tal vez dirigiría algunas palabras al público y tocaba dos canciones con la tarqa y el charango.

Egon seguía con un saludo a los presentes en el idioma mapuche. Explicaba el significado de los diseños en su kultrún, un tambor hecho de tronco ahuecado cubierto con cuero de chivo y amarrado con ‎crín crin‎ de caballo.

Los miembros del Camino del Sol: Egon Nieto, indígena mapuche de Chile, tejedor y estudiante; Clemente Pimantel, indígena quechua de Bolivia y agricultor; Leopoldo Richard, indígena kuna de Panamá que ahora vive en Venezuela donde vende y exhibe la artesanía de los indígenas guajiros; y Sabino Ortega, indígena quechua de Bolivia y fotógrafo, peluquero y maestro rural.

LOS diseños en ‎el piel la piel‎ siempre interesaban a los indígenas porque simbolizaban las cuatro direcciones cardinales, norte, sur, este y oeste, a las cuales ellos también dirigen sus súplicas.

En efecto, por lo menos en la superficie, la cultura mapuche como Egon la mostraba era la más parecida a la cultura indígena norteamericana.

Como miembro del Cuerpo Auxiliar y maestro dedicado de la Fe, Sabino había cultivado la habilidad de hablar eficazmente. Por eso siempre era su responsabilidad dar el mensaje “oficial” en el programa, el Mensaje de la Fe Bahá’í.

Todos éramos más felices cuando esto se podía hacer libre y abiertamente y los espíritus de los miembros del equipo subían y bajaban de acuerdo con las oportunidades para hacerlo.

Después del mensaje en cuanto al cumplimiento de ciertas profecías indígenas por la Fe, le tocaba a Leopoldo. Su mayor habilidad era hacer feliz a la gente con sus cuentos y chistes.

ESA mañana en Santa Clara mencionó que el equipo echaba de menos a una hermana para acompañarles, y que habían encontrado una muchacha en el camino.

La adoptaron y la vistieron de ropa guaymí. Si ella nos podía acompañar, sería un estómago menos para llenar y un cuerpo menos para vestir en el pueblo. Sin embargo a la hermana adoptiva le faltaba nombre.

Cada miembro del equipo sugirió un nombre en su idioma indígena y al público les tocaba aplaudir para el que más les gustó.

Después de nombrarla Leopoldo anunció que quizás ‎alguién alguien‎ entre los presentes quisiera reclamarla antes de que nosotros la lleváramos. Vino corriendo la abuela, ‎quién quien‎ reía mientras la abrazaba.

Nunca decíamos a las hermanas adoptivas de que se trataba lo de vestirse en la ropa guaymí; nada más les pedíamos que la modelaran. Siempre se quedaban tan sorprendidas como el público al resultado. Esta vez la joven lloró y nos agradeció por haberla escogido.

DESPUÉS de fotos con los niños en su ropa ceremonial, instrumentos, ropa y prendas de sudamérica se mostraron en unas mesas para que los amigos pueblos los examinaran.

Rodearon las mesas haciendo preguntas, tocando flautas y tambores. Hubo mucho interés en las plumas ‎iridescentes iridiscentes‎ de ‎papagallo papagayo‎ que llevaba Leopoldo, y muchos preguntaron cómo los podían conseguir.

Al principio pensamos que las plumas eran una novedad nada más, pero ellos nos informaron que se consideran sagradas y que se usan en ceremonias especiales de la religión antigua.

Debido a leyes muy estrictas en cuanto a la importación de ‎papagallos papagayos‎, las plumas son muy escasas y caras. Hay una señora de edad que mantiene un ‎papagallo papagayo‎ pero le es muy difícil repartir a todos.

Les pregunté cuánto tiempo habían usado las plumas y de dónde las conseguían en el pasado. ‎alguién alguien‎ mencionó una ruta indígena antigua de comercio entre latino y norteamérica antes de la llegada de los conquistadores.

MIENTRAS yo acercaba otro grupo, oí a varias personas tratando de hacer arreglos personales con Leopoldo para el envío de plumas.

Después del ‎amuerzo almuerzo‎ fuimos a las escarpas de Puyé, donde los antepasados de los pueblos de muchos siglos atrás habían labrado sus hogares.

La vista de las escarpas fue como elíxir para los espíritus de Egon, Sabino y Clemente, quienes son de regiones montañosas. Clemente tenía el hábito de tocar melodías de su flauta llevadas por el viento.

El y otros decidieron bajar por las escarpas para investigar las casas y los que nos quedamos para pasear arriba escuchamos las melodías de su flauta llevadas por el viento.

Una señora responsable para el entrenamiento de los niños en las costumbres tradicionales nos acompañó como guía. Ella enseña el idioma tewa y bailes tradicionales en la escuela.

TAMBIÉN practica la religión antigua de su pueblo. Mientras caminamos me contó la historia del local.

Hasta hace pocos años se lo había usado para una ceremonia especial anual. Durante la última reunión hubo una tormenta eléctrica. Algunos participantes sufrieron golpes de rayo y se murieron. Desde entonces no volvieron a repetir la ceremonia allí.

Hablamos de la importancia de criar en los niños un conocimiento de las costumbres tradicionales. Su hijito de dos años corrió hacia delante, agarró dos ramas de arbusto parecidas a las que se usa en ciertos bailes y empezó a bailar al ritmo de un tambor imaginario. Ella comentó con orgullo que él recién empezó a aprender los bailes.

Véase CAMINO Pág. 26 [Page 26]

Can you identify anyone in this picture?

This is a picture of the Spiritual Assembly of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, date unknown. Please send any information you may have about the names of the individuals, or the date, to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Publishing Trust announces price increase on many items

Effective February 1, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust raised its prices on many, but not all, of the titles it sells, according to Larry Bucknell, general manager of the Trust.

The price increase is the first of any significance since January 1982.

“WE HAVE effected many economies to bring the prices of books down,” says Mr. Bucknell, “but higher expenses for printing and operating have finally forced us to make a price increase.”

The Publishing Trust, he explains, “unlike other national Bahá’í committees, is entirely self-supporting. It pays all its own bills, and receives no support from the National Bahá’í Fund.”

It should be noted, says Mr. Bucknell, that while some prices have been raised, others remain the same and some have actually been lowered.

For example, the prices on the following titles have been reduced: The Local Spiritual Assembly (compilation); Deepening Packet for New Believers; In Search of the Supreme Talisman; Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; The Promised Day Is Come; and the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Prices on a number of additional items remain the same. Among them are: Bahá’í Prayers; Epistle to the Son of the Wolf; The Dawn-breakers; Gleanings (hardcover); The Light of Bahá’u’lláh; The Open Door; The Promulgation of Universal Peace; Some Answered Questions; and Tablets of the Divine Plan.

The new Bahá’í Publishing Trust price list, effective February 1, appears as an insert in this issue of The American Bahá’í.

Bay Area Bahá’ís attend introductory Esperanto session

More than 15 Bahá’ís from the Bay Area attended an introductory session on Esperanto held in November at the Bahá’í Center in San Francisco, California.

The session was conducted by Bruce Kennedy, a well-trained and knowledgeable Esperantist.

Included were a history of Esperanto, a profile of its founder, Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof, and his daughter, Lydia, a brief history of languages, and an explanation of the recent languages conference held in Budapest, Hungary.

The Bahá’í Esperanto League, headquartered in Gallup, New Mexico, was discussed and book lists were distributed.

A buffet luncheon followed the session.

VIE Chart No. 1

Continued From Page 5

Participation

District Name	Membership (12/9/83)	3-month avg.		Most recent month (Qawl)
		No.	%	No.	%
New Mexico S/Texas W	979	22	2.2	46	4.6
New Mexico N	481	37	7.7	49	10.2
New York E	1,254	93	7.4	127	10.1
New York W	582	78	13.4	93	16.0
North Carolina C	636	31	4.9	34	5.3
North Carolina E	654	17	2.6	16	2.4
North Carolina W	408	32	7.8	33	8.1
North Dakota	137	16	11.7	26	19.0
Ohio N	551	66	12.0	90	16.3
Ohio S	388	46	11.8	52	13.4
Oklahoma E	358	26	7.3	32	9.0
Oklahoma W	499	28	5.6	38	7.6
Oregon E	276	4	1.4	7	2.5
Oregon W	1,255	103	8.2	120	9.6
Pennsylvania E	452	60	13.3	87	19.2
Pennsylvania W	195	26	13.3	38	19.5
Rhode Island	108	13	12.0	16	14.8
South Carolina C	1,314	10	.76	10	.76
South Carolina E No. 1	2,397	3	.13	4	.17
South Carolina E No. 2	2,017	6	.29	11	.55
South Carolina N	821	4	.49	1	.12
South Carolina S No. 1	627	6	1.0	8	1.3
South Carolina S No. 2	794	4	.50	1	.13
South Carolina W	386	15	3.9	17	4.4
South Dakota	266	7	2.6	7	2.6
Tennessee E	159	23	14.5	38	23.9
Tennessee W	300	19	6.3	30	10.0
Texas C No. 1	528	34	6.4	57	10.8
Texas C No. 2	105	3	2.9	4	3.8
Texas E No. 1	1,269	83	6.5	112	8.8
Texas E No. 2	838	70	7.4	108	12.9
Texas N	186	13	7.0	21	11.3
Texas S	219	12	5.5	18	8.2
Utah	251	29	11.6	40	16.0
Vermont	156	20	12.8	31	19.9
Virginia N	670	53	7.9	73	10.9
Virginia S	538	40	7.4	56	10.4
Washington NW	1,011	93	9.2	142	14.0
Washington SW	356	38	10.7	52	14.6
West Virginia	178	15	8.4	25	14.0
Wis. N/Peninsular Mich.	237	41	17.3	57	24.1
Wisconsin S	757	130	17.2	179	22.0
Wyoming	151	15	10.0	19	12.6

Camino del Sol

De Pág. 25

Cuando subimos a los vehículos para regresar a Santa Clara, mi amiga pidió permiso para acompañarnos a Taos, la próxima destinación. La llevamos a recoger su carro y paramos a visitar a una señora que vive cerca de donde hicimos la presentación. Ella había pedido a nuestra amiga que nos trajera a verla. Quiso regalar un ejemplo de su alfarería al equipo.

AL LLEGAR a Taos Pueblo descubrimos que se había cancelado la reunión. La noche anterior había traído la primera escarcha y había que celebrarla con la ceremonia ‎apropriada apropiada‎ lo más antes posible. Todos los mayores y los jóvenes tradicionales habían subido a la montaña y el pueblo se cerró al público, inclusive a indígenas de otros pueblos.

Logramos reunirnos con algunos jóvenes y pasamos una tarde agradable. Se podía oír a los celebrantes cantando los cantos ceremoniales mientras bajaban. Nos quedamos charlando e intercambiando bailes con los jóvenes y un señor que trabaja con ellos. ‎All Al‎ llegar la hora de despedirnos, varios dijeron que antes no tenían el menor interés en los bailes tradicionales y que iban a aprenderlos. Otro ‎jóven joven‎ nos ‎confío confió‎ que nunca había bailado hasta aquella noche.

EL DÍA siguiente partimos de Española para pasar la tarde en Santa Fe. Paseamos por la plaza mayor con sus tiendas y vendedores, cenamos y llegamos a la Escuela Indígena de ‎Sante Fe Santa Fe‎ donde había otra presentación. El auditorio se llenaba de jóvenes. Tomó un rato hasta que todos se tranquilizaron, pero gozaron del programa.

Después había una recepción con los estudiantes mayores, muchos de ellos vestidos en su ropa tradicional. Varios muchachos de San Juan y Santa Clara Pueblo nos dijeron que sus familias nos habían visto y nos acordamos de algunos de ellos. Conocimos jóvenes sioux y les advertimos de nuestra próxima visita a sus tierras con la esperanza de que ellos dirían a sus familias que asistieran nuestras presentaciones.

Salimos de Española el día siguiente para siempre, rumbo a Albuquerque. Pero antes de irnos llegó nuestra amiga de Santa Clara Pueblo. Ella quiso regalar ejemplares de un diccionario tewa que había compilado y unos textos para niños, también en el idioma tewa. Los sudamericanos la acompañaron a su oficina en la escuela para recogerlos. Cuando nos despedimos, ella lloró.

Próximo: Arizona del Norte. [Page 27]

Ten years ago... in The American Bahá’í

The Continental Board of Counsellors announces the appointment of six new Auxiliary Board members in North America: Darrell W. Borland, assigned to Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota; Raymond Hudson, assigned to Alaska; Elizabeth Martin, assigned to South Carolina; Nancy Phillips, assigned to Arizona, New Mexico and the northern and western districts of Texas; Fred Schechter, assigned to Southern California District No. 3 and southern Nevada; and Dr. William Tucker, assigned to Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia...

The National Teaching Committee reports a significant movement of homefront pioneers to communities whose Assemblies are in jeopardy.

So far, the committee says, 50 Assemblies have been saved, 22 of them in California, while the number of jeopardized Assemblies has declined from 112 in January to 89.

"It's a little late, but it's still encouraging," says Dr. Philip Christensen, secretary of the National Teaching Committee. "If the friends increase the momentum we may be all right at Riḍván."

An energy conservation plan for Bahá’í properties is adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly to cooperate with government efforts to conserve fuel supplies during the nationwide shortage. As noted in the press, the floodlights that surround the Bahá’í House of Worship are turned off each night as a part of the energy conservation program.

Other measures include lowering room temperatures in offices at the National Center and at other Bahá’í properties...

The Green Acre Bahá’í Winter School has among its speakers Dr. Magdalene Carney, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly; Auxiliary Board member Katherine McLaughlin; Robert McLaughlin, an architectural consultant to the Universal House of Justice; and Jamshid Monaghem, a Persian Bahá’í who has pioneered in Iraq and Ethiopia...

More than 125 people attend a fireside conducted by renowned jazz musician John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts...

Actor Jay Silverheels, who portrays Tonto in the "Lone Ranger" television series, is a recipient of the annual Human Rights Award presented by the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles County, California...

Ads

...classes and to develop curriculum plans and materials for the school's future use. Program coordinator to help with planning and running adult sessions. Librarian to staff the library and work on developing the library and archives. Maintenance/grounds assistant to help maintain and clean the buildings and to direct volunteers in grounds development. Assistant secretary/registrar to serve as registrar at sessions and to help with secretarial and clerical needs. The school is seeking qualified people in these areas. Married couples without children are preferred. Employment would be from mid-June (exact date can be negotiated) to Labor Day. Although the school would like one person per position for the entire summer, consideration will be given to qualified individuals for part of the summer. Lodging, meals and a weekly stipend of $50 will be provided. If you are interested in any of these positions, please send a letter stating your interest and including a resumé of your professional activities and Bahá’í service to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone 313-653-5033.

STUDENTS and permanent residents—the adult Bahá’í population of Bowling Green, Ohio, has dwindled to nine, with the possibility of others leaving soon. If you are 21 or older, please come and help us save our Assembly. Bowling Green, about 20 miles south of Toledo, is a typical small midwestern town, the home of Bowling Green University and its 16,000 students. The city has about the same number of residents. Students, professionals, those who are interested in small industry work, and those who are retired may be most able to relocate here because jobs are scarce, though not impossible to find. For more information please contact Vicky Corbitt, Bowling Green, OH 43402.

A POSITION (GS-11) for an electrical engineer is open in lovely Alamogordo, New Mexico, only 19 miles from a ski lift and tall pines. Near the Apache Indian Reservation and Mexico. Must be a U.S. citizen, as this is a federal government position. Write to Don Hawley, Alamogordo, NM 88310.

BEAUTIFUL Lompoc, a city of about 27,000 in southern California, 50 miles from Santa Barbara and 10 miles from Vandenburg Air Force Base, where six Bahá’ís are striving to rebuild a lost Assembly, is again seeking help in developing a more diverse racial community to continue building strength in our teaching efforts. The temperature in Lompoc averages in the 70s all year, and is rarely hot. The Lompoc Valley serves a population of more than 50,000. Please contact us at Lompoc, CA 93436.

THE BAHÁ’Í Group of Blacksburg, Virginia, needs two more adults to form an Assembly. Blacksburg, the home of Virginia Tech, a friendly town that offers academic positions, business opportunities and a clean and scenic area, is one of two goal Assemblies for southern Virginia. Contact the Bahá’í Group of Blacksburg, P.O. Box 708, Blacksburg, VA 24060, or phone 703-552-8667.

H.F.P. (homefront pioneers), please call "home!" Remember, you cannot be counted toward the goal of 200 homefront pioneers until you tell us you have arrived at your post! Please send us your new address, Bahá’í I.D. number, phone number, and previous community. Thank you. The National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

THE NORTHEAST a possibility for relocation? Then consider Arlington, Massachusetts, which has easy access to historic Lexington and Concord; the urban diversity of Boston; the student centers of Harvard, MIT and countless other colleges; and is a one-hour drive to the Green Acre Bahá’í School. Suburban location with excellent public schools and public transportation. Also, a small but active Bahá’í community whose Assembly is jeopardized. Contact the Spiritual Assembly of Arlington, P.O. Box 451, Arlington, MA 02174.

HAMILTON Township, New Jersey, is planning a celebration after Ridván to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of its Spiritual Assembly. Anyone who has helped build this community is cordially invited to participate. Visitors, those who have lived here, passed through, or know of anyone who has, please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Hamilton Township, P.O. Box 2529, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690.

THE NORTH Haven, Connecticut, Fair-Planning Committee is seeking ideas from successful communities for booth design, exhibits, themes, activities, etc. Please write to Howard Garey, correspondent, North Haven Bahá’í Group, Mount Carmel, CT 06518.

WANTED for a forthcoming book: historical or personal material and sources concerning Bahá’u’lláh's fulfillment of the prophecies of Native Americans, Afro-Americans, and Jews. We are especially interested in any outstanding similarities and/or distinctions in the recent (since 1844) history of these three groups. Please send materials or comments to Bunch and Judith Washington, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

Vicki Clare Katz

Clare Katz, former pioneer to Liberia, dies at 29 in Texas

Vicki Clare Katz, a former pioneer to Liberia, died November 30 in Houston, Texas. She was 29 years old.

After her service in Liberia from 1977 to 1979, where she was a member of the National Teaching Committee, National Publicity Committee and Liberian Summer School Committee, Miss Katz returned to the U.S. and worked in the International Goals Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center, first as a volunteer and later as a pioneer coordinator.

She resigned in August 1978 to pursue a master's degree in International Health and Tropical Medicine, in her words, "in the hope of returning to Africa."

Two recent teaching campaigns in the Houston area were carried out in her memory.

Mrs. Cuellar, first Bolivian Bahá’í, dies

Mrs. Yvonne Cuellar, the first declared Bahá’í in Bolivia, died December 7 in Colorado. She was 87 years old.

She and her husband Arturo came to the U.S. in 1954 and subsequently served as pioneers to Spain and Portugal and as traveling teachers in Brazil.

The Cuellars were planning to return to Bolivia as pioneers in 1977, but Mr. Cuellar died before their plans were completed and Mrs. Cuellar, who even then was in failing health, was unable to go alone.

Instead, she remained active in teaching the Faith in Colorado.

In 1981, Mrs. Cuellar canceled a pilgrimage to the Bahá’í Holy Places because, as she wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly, she had "disposed of the money to help our brethren Persians (who have been) persecuted and (I) have sent all I could to the Universal House of Justice."

Her exemplary devotion and dedication prompted the House of Justice to cable:

"Saddened learn passing Yvonne Cuellar. Offering prayers Sacred Threshold progress her soul Abhá Kingdom."

In Memoriam

Edward Barton Jr. Boise, ID November 27, 1983

Guy Bizelle Lima, OH Date Unknown

Charles Browning Riverside, CA November 20, 1983

Fannie Butts Brownwood, GA Date Unknown

Thelma Cawood Jersey City, NJ October 24, 1983

Yvonne Cuellar Arapahoe County, CO December 7, 1983

Enda Dennis Bolton, MS 1980

Pedro Encarnacion Sr. Passaic, NJ November 14, 1983

Grace Fox Newtown, ND August 30, 1983

Juanita Garcia Jemez Pueblo, NM Date Unknown

Gertrude Gillam Atlanta, GA October 30, 1983

Julia Golden Quitman, GA Date Unknown

Willie Grant Lumpkin, GA Date Unknown

Inez Greeven Carmel, CA July 1983

Fernando Grasselly Arvada, CO October 17, 1983

Alfred Irby Phoenix, AZ November 1983

Robert D. James Bellingham, WA October 20, 1983

Vicki Clare Katz Houston, TX November 30, 1983

Noreen Keith-Beattie Ruidoso, NM November 26, 1983

Gayle Ketcham Bellingham, WA November 28, 1983

Ralph Miller Longboat Key, FL November 21, 1983

Iraj Mirzapour Elmhurst, IL November 29, 1983

Amadore Phone Dulce, NM Date Unknown

Helen M. Price Fort Myers, FL December 2, 1983

Joy G. Simmons Aurora, CO January 15, 1983

Naim Sobhani Van Nuys, CA November 20, 1983

Harry Stewart Tucson, AZ November 1, 1983

Claramae Taylor Apex, NC Date Unknown

Cherlia Todd Bay City, TX 1980

Addie Towns Butler, GA July 22, 1983

May Verhoeven Glendale, AZ October 3, 1983

Bertha Lee White Bolton, MS 1976 [Page 28]

Letters

Continued From Page 3

ment, instead of offering a simple “thank you” we profess our unworthiness, thereby unwittingly disparaging the intent of the gift from God, for God works constantly through His servants.

Many of us are embarrassed or apologetic if we make a good income and play it down, even if we give a goodly share to the Fund.

All gifts are from God. Who are we to tell Him or His servants that He has made a mistake and so we cannot accept His gift?

If we do this, is it any wonder that the fountain stops flowing?

Let us learn to accept the gifts of Bahá’u’lláh as willingly as we have learned to give, and I believe that with all the inlet pipes opened the fountain will be a mighty and glorious sight to behold!

Kenyon Foroughi-Gross Muscatine, Iowa

To the Editor:

This is a suggestion that in our efforts to proclaim the Faith we look to those associations and organizations whose goals and purposes are similar to those of the Faith.

One way we might do this is to send them announcements of our public meetings and ask that they inform their members about them.

It would also be a good idea, I think, to include a pamphlet or the Bahá’í House of Worship card, which includes a list of “what Bahá’ís believe in” ...

So many of us are working as organizations for the same purposes: universal peace, a spiritual solution to our problems, equal rights for men and women, the elimination of prejudices—we really should get to know and support each other in our efforts.

Violet Wuerfel Clark Highland Park, Michigan

To the Editor:

Can a married Bahá’í couple “remain childless by choice”?

In the October issue, a writer says she and her husband have made such a choice, and goes on to say that child-rearing is an option that “not every individual will select.”

ALTHOUGH Bahá’u’lláh did not reveal it as a specific law, that one of the purposes of marriage is to have children can be extrapolated from the Bahá’í prayers:

“Marry, O people, that from you may appear he who will remember me ...”

And elsewhere: “... Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another ...”

Since my husband and I are childless (not by choice), I have been alert to references on this issue.

On page 4 of the recent compilation “Bahá’í Marriage and Family Life,” a letter to an individual from the Universal House of Justice is quoted:

“A decision to have no children at all would vitiate the primary purpose of marriage unless, of course, there were some medical reason why such a decision would be required.”

So if the only acceptable reason a married couple do not have children is because it is medically impossible or unsound, can we say that this is an “option”?

On the contrary, I believe this statement from the Universal House of Justice removes child-rearing from the arena of personal choice.

If there are other references on this issue, I would appreciate hearing about them.

The writer says she wrote to the Universal House of Justice, and quotes in part its response to her: “... the condition of being childless is a matter personal to the couple, and should not be the concern of their fellow Bahá’ís.”

This comment refers to individual privacy and courtesy, which are important matters, but does not address the issue of being “childless by choice.”

Gail Meyer Selcuk Rancho Palos Verdes, California

To the Editor:

I attend various events in the secular community, and have recently noticed that conversation always seems to settle on world conditions.

I am struck by the depth of people’s disturbance. At most of these events, the eventual questions are: What is happening in the world? What can we do?

I am also struck to see the comprehension upon hearing Shoghi Effendi’s description of the age in which we live, the colossal challenge of the call to world unity, and the trauma that mankind must face as we enter the final stage of human evolution.

These people do not realize they are hearing Shoghi Effendi; suddenly, however, their vision is enlarged, and their world makes more sense.

I am writing in the hope that the American Bahá’í community can be encouraged to read and study The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh as a means of helping others to better understand the current events of their world, and as a preparation for their eventual acceptance of the principles and the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

Bonnie J. Taylor Glencoe, Illinois

To the Editor:

One of the special bounties that Bahá’u’lláh has showered upon us is the re-definition and spiritualization of much of reality.

This includes such militaristic terms as “war,” “army,” “ranks,” etc. So despite our “old world” associations to these words (as indicated in a letter in your November issue), Bahá’u’lláh’s meaning is, of course, of the utmost purity.

In Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (p. 24), He writes: “We have decreed that war should be waged in the path of God with the armies of wisdom and utterance, and of a goodly character and praiseworthy deeds.”

It seems to me that the Divine Educator is teaching us to look on these things with a new eye, one turned toward strength and courage without abuse of the same.

Another precious gem which the Educator of the age has bestowed upon man is the principle of the sin-covering eye, as expressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in this passage from Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (p. 169):

“One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise. When this is done, one can be a friend to the whole human race. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of their faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task.”

As we are able to embody this principle of the Faith more and more into our own inner spiritual lives, the concerns we have for the questionable attitudes and behavior of our beloved Bahá’í coworkers will disappear.

Lee Nelson S. Juan Capistrano, California

To the Editor:

None of us has trouble seeing evidence of the crumbling old world order.

What is sometimes difficult to see, and especially to show to those who are not Bahá’ís, is the evidence of the inexorable rise of Bahá’u’lláh’s new World Order.

For those who have this difficulty, may I recommend Alvin Toffler’s The Third Wave?

This book defines the old world order without considering religion per se. It delineates the degree to which this old order has been undermined, and documents the evidences of a “new wave” of cultural thinking which will inevitably build a new world.

The world Mr. Toffler sees coming is one in which individual diversity can be extended for more effective action and greater productivity.

As society fragments (his word is “demassify”), people will be bound in greater unity by world-wide communications networks.

His description of how we can have both greater unity and the diversity to bring the “wisdom of many” to human society is the first I have seen that makes sense.

Every one of us is a product of the old world order. To the degree that we are able to see the shape of the new Order, we can liberate ourselves from the old.

All too often, with tunnel vision, we cling to our old world concepts and put new ‎labe'ls labels‎ on them a practice that causes disunity and alienation in Bahá’í communities, and troubled spiritual lives for many individuals.

I believe Mr. Toffler’s book illuminates both our problems as “children of the half light” and the splendor of the world the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is forging before our very eyes. I highly recommend it.

Annette Hinshaw Tulsa, Oklahoma

Twin Cities Bahá’í Women’s Committee sponsors conference on community life

The Bahá’í Metropolitan Women’s Committee of the Twin Cities is sponsoring a conference on Bahá’í community life and the education of children April 7 at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus.

Dr. Jane Faily, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, will address the theme of Bahá’í community life, while Dr. Stephen Suhm, a school psychologist from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, will speak on the education of children.

The theme of this year’s conference was chosen to fulfill a goal of the Seven Year Plan, the “development of Bahá’í community life with special attention to the Bahá’í education of children and the spiritual enrichment of communities.”

The Bahá’í Metropolitan Women’s Committee, formed in 1979, is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of St. Paul.

The committee has held several conferences which have drawn up to 150 Bahá’ís from a five-state upper Midwest area.

Hospitality is available at the April conference for those from out of town. For information, please write to the committee at West St. Paul, MN 55118, or phone the secretary, Liz Pawlak-Kanyusik, 612-457-9293.