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[Page 1]American Bahá’í 'The real treasury of man is his knowledge.'—Bahá’u’lláh

The 77th Bahá’í National Convention

Seven Year Plan ends in victory; drive to win new Plan under way

By JACK BOWERS

Nearly 1,700 believers gathered May 1-4 at the historic 77th Bahá’í National Convention to salute the accomplishments of the Seven Year Plan, celebrate the Faith's rapid emergence from obscurity, and set their course toward victory in the Six Year Plan whose inauguration has signaled the opening of the fourth epoch of the Formative Age of the Cause of God.

This year's Convention, held at the McCormick Inn on Chicago's lakefront, was blessed by the presence of the Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and William Sears.

Other special guests included Counselors Wilma Brady, Robert Harris and Fred Schechter; a former Counselor, 97-year-old Edna True; and Dr. Victor de Araujo, the Bahá’í International Community's representative at the United Nations in New York.

The Convention was marked from beginning to end by a spirit of optimism and resolve as delegates, guests and members of the National Spiritual Assembly reviewed the remarkable progress of the Cause during the Seven Year Plan and made ready to consult in district "town meetings" this month to formulate the local and national goals of the new Plan.

The Convention was opened Thursday evening with a moving celebration in word and song of the 12th Day of Ridván, after which Mr. Khadem welcomed those who had assembled in the auditorium.

Rounding out the first evening were a presentation by Dr. de Araujo on behalf of the Bahá’í International Community; a video tape of the presentation of the peace statement to President Reagan; and a reception for delegates and others at the Convention.

Friday morning was devoted to reading and consulting on the Naw-Rúz and Ridván messages from the Universal House of Justice and the annual reports from the National Spiritual Assembly, the Office of the Treasurer and the Office of External Affairs.

"Our response to the crisis (in Iran) and the resulting victories of the past seven years testify that we are not the community we once were," the National Spiritual Assembly said in its report. "We have become a rapidly emerging presence on the world stage."

The American Bahá’í community, it said, stands "at a grand juncture in the history of our Faith: The Cause has emerged from obscurity and we have entered a new epoch in the Formative Age of its development.

"What the future holds no one can tell. But we will meet its challenges as we always have, fearless, confident and strengthened by these words of the Báb, ... know ye of a certainty that He will render you victorious, will exalt you among the peoples of the world and will demonstrate your high rank before the gaze of all nations..." "

On Friday afternoon, in an atmosphere charged with emotion, a message of love from the Bahá’ís of Iran, addressed to "the beloved ones of our heart and soul," was read in Persian and English.

Ferida Khanjani of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, reads in Persian a letter to the 77th Bahá’í National Convention from the Bahá’ís of Iran as Judge James Nelson, the Convention chairman, looks on. In the foreground are 189 red roses sent as a token of love by Bahá’í prisoners in Iran.

Ervin Laszlo to present Conference keynote, Dizzy Gillespie to perform

Ervin Laszlo, former director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), has agreed to deliver the keynote address at the first Bahá’í International Peace Conference in San Francisco.

The conference is to be held August 28-31, primarily at the Civic Auditorium and the San Francisco Hilton and Towers.

Another highlight of what promises to be one of the most extraordinary Bahá’í conferences ever held in this country is "An Evening with Dizzy Gillespie" featuring the world renowned trumpeter and other top flight jazz musicians.

The concert is part of an outstanding program that includes plenary sessions with noted speakers, workshops, multi-media presentations and entertainment.

Each workshop is to include a "highlight session" panel discussion of various aspects or viewpoints on a specific theme. The panelists will be primarily non-Bahá’ís with a Bahá’í moderator.

Highlight sessions will be held in the Civic Auditorium's Polk Hall, which seats about 700-900 people.

Among the themes to be explored in these sessions are "Spiritual Renewal," "Racism/Elimination of Prejudice," "Disparity of Rich and Poor/Social and Economic Development," "Equality of Men and Women," "Universal Education," and "World Government."

In addition, there will be about 30 "hands-on" workshops to be repeated in each time segment (morning or afternoon) that are designed to develop the themes presented in the highlight sessions. These workshops will include multi-cultural and artistic presentations.

Mr. Laszlo, a well-known authority in the field of systems science, was a speaker in 1983 at the eighth annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Chicago.

He is the author of several books including Introduction to Systems Philosophy, The Systems View of the World, Goals for Mankind, A Strategy for the Future, and The Inner Limits of Mankind.

Mr. Gillespie, one of the true pioneers and innovators in modern jazz, was honored last year by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles on his 50th anniversary in music.

In addition to his remarkable trumpet playing, he is a talented composer whose best-known works include "A Night in Tunisia," "The Champ," "Salt Peanuts" and "Woody n' You."

THE SEVEN MAJOR GOALS OF THE SIX YEAR PLAN

1. Carrying the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of mankind 2. Greater involvement in the Faith in the life of human society 3. A worldwide increase in the translation, production, distribution and use of Bahá’í literature 4. Further acceleration in the process of the maturation of local and national Bahá’í communities 5. Greater attention to universal participation and the spiritual enrichment of individual believers 6. A wider extension of Bahá’í education to children and youth, and the strengthening of Bahá’í family life 7. The pursuit of projects of social and economic development in well-established Bahá’í communities

IN THE NEWS...

THE ANNUAL Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá commemorates the Master’s visit to New Jersey in 1912.

A ROCK musical based on Bahá’í principles draws a warm response in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

THE NATIONAL Teaching Committee begins a systematic plan to recruit homefront pioneers.

WE PRESENT our annual year-end review of the events that shaped our lives during B.E. 142.

Report available

The annual report of the agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly for B.E. 142 is available to the friends for $2.50 from the Bahá’í Distribution Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 1-800-323-1880).

Text of National Assembly's annual report.

Have you registered yet for SUMMER SCHOOL? "How wonderful it would be if all the friends could arrange to spend at least a few days in one of these summer schools..." —Shoghi Effendi

The American Bahá’í (USPS 042-430) is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Editor: Jack Bowers. Associate editor: Laura E. Hildreth. The American Bahá’í welcomes news, letters and other items of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Faith. Articles should be written in a clear and concise manner; color or black and white glossy photographs should be included whenever possible. Please address all materials to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright 1986 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. [Page 2]

Many Iranians can now receive visas in Pakistan, travel to U.S.

For the first time it has become possible for many Iranians to receive refugee visas in Pakistan and enter the U.S. directly. They do not need to move to another country for transit to the States.

During the weekends of April 11-13 and 18-20, some 330 Iranian Bahá’ís were interviewed in Islamabad, Pakistan, by special officers of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) dispatched from Rome.

According to information available to the National Spiritual Assembly, the majority of those cases were approved and are being processed for issuance of visas.

A requirement for issuing visas is the assurance of sponsorship which has to be submitted through one of the voluntary agencies involved in the resettlement of refugees.

The National Spiritual Assembly's Refugee Office and the Refugee Data Center in New York are cooperating in finding sponsors for those Bahá’í refugees who do not have relatives in this country and/or wish to settle in homefront goals.

Since it is now possible for Bahá’í refugees who do not have relatives in this country also to come here as refugees, the Bahá’í Refugee Office is trying to locate sponsors for such refugees with a view to helping them settle in homefront goal areas.

That office has been informed of more than 40 cases (individuals or families) who are in need of sponsors at this time. For this reason a memorandum has been sent to all those friends who had volunteered to sponsor refugees and had not yet had a refugee placed with them.

The hope is that from June to September of this year, all of those who have been interviewed and approved will arrive in the U.S. As announced earlier, it may still be necessary for some Bahá’í refugees to go through Austria or other countries where refugee processing centers exist.

Although going on to those countries may reduce the length of time refugees have to wait, there are certain costs involved that the refugees themselves or their sponsors would have to bear.

Those costs include transportation from Pakistan to Europe (about $430) and $180 monthly living expenses while waiting in Europe. At this time, the waiting period in Austria is about six months.

Those refugees who have close relatives in this country need to have affidavits of relationship. This is important because after each case has been approved the order of processing of the cases is determined by the closeness of the relationship between the refugee and the relative in the U.S.

If the relationship is close (that is, parent, spouse or sibling), the refugee will be Priority 3 instead of 4 and will be able to leave Pakistan earlier.

Warning: Some local Assemblies have arranged directly with various voluntary agencies to sponsor refugees. In some cases these refugees may not be Bahá’ís in good standing.

If a sponsor checks first with the Bahá’í National Center before making such arrangements directly with a voluntary agency, advice and guidance can be given that may avoid many potential problems.

SMILE

Every year about this time I pick up a box of Matzoh ball soup and prepare it for our family and we talk about the Jewish Passover celebration.

This year I missed Passover but was planning to mix the soup one Friday evening. I called a Jewish friend that afternoon and mentioned what I was serving. She laughed and said that was a perfect Sabbath meal—then told me she and her family were having fish.

When I mentioned this to my husband, he said, "Well, the Bahá’ís are serving Jewish Matzoh ball soup, and the Jews are having a 'Christian' fish supper—now all we need to find are some Christians serving potluck!"—Joan Haskell, Merrimack, New Hampshire

VIEWPOINT

When I received a letter from my parents some years ago telling me they had joined a religion called the Bahá’í Faith, my immediate reaction was, "They're nuts!"

What, I thought, had they gotten into now? They were not "religious" people and had never been involved with a church as I had been all my life.

I always wondered about that ... how could anyone justify to himself not being involved with a church? Personally, I was afraid of the consequences.

But here was this letter telling me they had become Bahá’ís. I couldn't even pronounce it, and immediately began to conjure up in my mind all kinds of weird pictures.

They must have something to do with those airport people, or the ones I had seen on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I wondered if they would dress radically and move into a commune.

How in the world, I wondered, could two apparently sane parent-type people get involved with some kind of cult? Before this, I'd never had any indication that they were having an identity crisis. Parents should have outgrown that stage.

What I decided to do was to watch what happened, pray for them, and wait for my opportunity to try to convince them that there was only one "normal and true" religion and that was the one that followed Jesus Christ—not some guru or robed self-proclaimed prophet with his head shaved.

You should keep in mind that I was born, raised, and still lived in a small town in Alabama with absolutely no exposure to anything outside of that environment except what I saw on television. So my knowledge of "Bahá’í Faith" was zero.

What made you think we haven't had many seekers lately? by Heidi Burns, Lakewood, Ohio

.but he wouldn't argue with me!

The first chance I had to visit with my dad, I tried to open the topic of religion so that I could impress on him how wrong he was.

But this never happened, because before I got my chance, he gave me several books on the Bahá’í Faith and said that when I had read them he would be glad to talk to me about his new religion—but not before.

"What dirty pool," I thought. "That's not fair—he won't even discuss it."

Also, I saw that there was nothing noticeably strange going on in their household. They looked and talked normal—had even given up their drinking. So I had no angle; what could I point my finger at to let them know they were messed up?

This month's column, "He Wouldn't Argue With Me," was written by Lynda Couture of Pensacola, Florida. It is reprinted from her weekly column in a black-oriented newspaper, The Pensacola Voice.

The books my dad gave me lay unopened for about five years, and even when I did at last open them I was convinced they held no truth so I merely skimmed over a few pages.

Meanwhile, I kept my eyes and ears open for my parents to make their slip-up so the faults could surface. They still did not discuss the Bahá’í Faith with me; just a few words now and then.

After seven years and still no sign of their becoming "strange," I finally began to read a little about the Faith, and, much to my surprise, it made plenty of sense.

So I let my defenses down a bit and invited my stepmother to speak to our Methodist Sunday school class on the Bahá’í Faith.

It was then that a really strange thing happened—my classmates instantly rejected this new religion and all but declared it false. Like me, they knew absolutely nothing about it, but they knew it was wrong.

I found myself defending the Bahá’í teachings that day. What had happened to me?

The next year I really began to read, and the more I read, the more I wanted to know.

Somewhere between the front cover and the back cover of a book called Thief in the Night by William Sears, I knew I was a Bahá’í, in spite of myself. Now I was really confused!

My dad's wisdom started to become clear to me. He would not discuss with me something I knew absolutely nothing about, especially when my idea of "discuss" was to "disprove."

After reading enough to be able to "discuss" the Bahá’í Faith, I had no desire to "disprove" it because I had discovered the truth.

What a lesson I learned, one I have tried to share with my children: never practice condemnation without investigation.

Later, I was to discover that one of the primary principles of the Bahá’í Faith is personal investigation of truth.

Before you decide that the Bahá’í Faith is not true, I urge you to read the writings for yourself instead of accepting someone else's opinion.

I am proud to be a Bahá’í, and so far, at least, I don't do weird things either.

Phone listing pays dividends in Maine

As a result of placing a telephone listing on the church page of the local newspaper, the two-member Bahá’í Group of China, Maine (Alma Carr and Lin Poyer) was contacted by a reporter from the paper, the Waterville Daily Sentinel, who wrote a lengthy article which appeared on February 21 under the headline "Bahá’í Faith: A spiritual and social world view."

The article, which includes a large photograph of Mrs. Carr and Ms. Poyer, discusses their backgrounds and how they became Bahá’ís and touches on the history and principles of the Faith.

Don't contact national leaders

The National Spiritual Assembly would like to remind the Bahá’í community that no individual or local Spiritual Assembly should contact or send the Universal House of Justice's peace statement to any federal government official or agency, to the headquarters of any national organization, to any nationally prominent individual, or to any national media headquarters or media leader without first contacting the National Assembly at its New Haven, Connecticut, office, the Office of External Affairs: 203-787-0303.

Bahá’í Holy Days on which work should be suspended

The Feast of Naw-Rúz, March 21 The first day of Ridván, April 21 The ninth day of Ridván, April 29 The twelfth day of Ridván, May 2 The anniversary of the declaration of the Báb, May 23 The anniversary of the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, May 29 The anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb, July 9 The anniversary of the birth of the Báb, October 20 The anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh, November 12 [Page 3]

LETTERS

"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions." —‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any topic of general interest. The purpose of the "letters" column is to allow a free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, never to denigrate another's opinion or to attack anyone on a personal level. Letters should be as brief as possible (a maximum of 250 words is suggested). Letters are subject to editing for length and style. Please address all letters to the Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

To the Editor:

I have been a Bahá’í for 15 years and have seen few stories about Bahá’ís who are handicapped (blind, crippled, deaf, etc.) teaching the Faith despite their disability.

I've heard some stories that I've been unable to verify, but they show the feeling of love for Bahá’u’lláh's Message and the dedication to teach.

For example, a Bahá’í (in India or Africa, I think) who was bedridden was told after declaring his belief that he must deliver the Message too. After giving it much thought, he decided to ask the two young men who had taught him to carry him and his bed so they could teach together.

I hope someday we'll have a collection of short stories like this one. If anyone has a verifiable story he can share, please write to me. Also, please print or type, as I am legally blind myself.

My address is Galt, CA 95632.

Lawrence E. Crason Galt, California

To the Editor:

There is an area of service that the friends may not have considered.

Have you reflected on your reaction if you or a loved one were told that the only way to survive was to have an organ transplant? Signing a Uniform Donor Card, available from Departments of Motor Vehicles, transplant banks, hospitals and medical schools, may let you give "the gift of life." While alive, donating blood is always possible. But most transplants come from brain-dead donors.

Many parts of the body can be used: cornea and sclera from the eyes; pituitary gland and dura mater; bone, muscle and cartilage covering; kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and pancreas. Skin can help a burn victim's own skin to heal. Patients sometimes wait for many years in hope of a new life; many do not survive the wait.

Some 25,000 patients succumb to brain death in U.S. hospitals each year and are within the acceptable age range to qualify as organ donors, yet no more than 10 per cent ever become donors. Three states—California, New York and Oregon—have recently enacted legislation requiring hospitals to routinely ask relatives of dead patients to allow organ removal.

Bahá’ís often ask, "Is it permissible?" The answer is found in the National Bahá’í Review, No. 118 (March 1982), in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian and dated March 22, 1957:

"There is nothing in the Teachings against leaving our bodies to medical science. The only thing we should stipulate is that we do not wish to be cremated, as it is against our Bahá’í laws. ...

"... The spirit has no more connection with the body after it departs, but as the body was once the temple of the spirit, we Bahá’ís are taught that it must be treated with respect."

The Guardian, through his secretary, suggests that one make the necessary provision in one's will. However, this is usually inadequate because the will is often not reviewed until after interment. Useful tissues and organs must be taken within hours of death. Therefore, the Donor Card and the family's awareness of your wish to donate are the best way for "stipulating that you wish your body to be of service to mankind in death, and that, being a Bahá’í, you request that your remains not be cremated and not be taken more than an hour's journey from the place you die."

Kent Dana Palo Alto, California

To the Editor:

It is obvious that The American Bahá’í has worked hard to upgrade the quality of our publication while attempting to be creative.

The cartoon strip has a definite potential as a humorous teaching tool. However, the content and message should always be positive, unifying, and conform to our high standards.

The feeling your most recent cartoon (March) left me with was not one of encouragement. Please, let's not belittle anyone to get a laugh.

Kate Goodrich Eastsound, Washington

To the Editor:

As an aspiring Bahá’í humorist, I wish to express my concern about the cartoon that appeared in your March issue.

While from a Bahá’í perspective the cartoon has a kernel of truth, it makes its point at the expense of Fundamentalist preachers.

With Bahá’u’lláh's admonition that we should "consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship" in mind, we might perhaps ponder what the reaction of some non-Bahá’ís would be on seeing a cartoon such as this in a national Bahá’í publication.

Surely, we would not appreciate being made fun of in a cartoon that appeared in a Christian-oriented publication.

While we as Bahá’ís know that God loves laughter, we should also realize that such laughter must never come at the expense of others, no matter what their religious views.

David C. Mueller Champaign, Illinois

To the Editor:

Thank you for the article (March) regarding the teaching of children. It gave special guidance and support to me as an early childhood education student.

Of course, many of the teachings of the Faith mesh with those of many child developmentalists who stress respect of the child in their philosophies.

In studying the developmental issues of teaching and working with children under age six, I have wanted to contribute in some way to the materials used in teaching very young children about the Faith.

To begin, I would like to compile a book of ideas from Bahá’í parents and teachers, such as anecdotes, songs, games—anything that parents and teachers use to augment the materials already available in Bahá’í literature.

I think it would be wonderful, too, to compile this book as a cooperative and uniting effort of Bahá’í parents and teachers as a gift for their children.

If anyone is interested in contributing ideas, etc., to such a project, please write to me at Boulder Creek, CA 95006.

Sue Cauhape Boulder Creek, California

To the Editor:

The letters to the Treasurer's office (January) were nice, but was there any follow-up as to what the letter-writers' lives (financially) were like after they had made their sacrifices?

For example, there was a time in my life when I cried if I didn't find at least one penny a day because I was worried about not having money for medical bills if I should get sick.

I had been studying the preamble to the prayer for the Fund: "O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture, your industry, and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will receive a tenfold reward."

I decided to give it a try; so for the past year, I've been giving all my "found money" to the Fund. And would you believe, I don't have to cry any more about not finding at least a penny, because I usually do and then some! That "one goodly deed" has really paid off for the Fund—note the amount of "found money" this coming Feast!

Bahá’u’lláh tells us that "a miracle is only a miracle to the eye of the beholder." Would telling stories of what happens afterward make an impression in the mind (or soul) of the believer? Would he/she be willing to give it a try just to see what happens?

About the only thing left to say is, "Try it, you may like it." Believe in miracles. Pray for them. But you have to make them happen to you.

Sylvia W. Jenkins Evanston, Illinois

To the Editor:

The purpose of religion, we are told, is the attainment of a peaceful and united world. However, there seems to be no outward unity among the thousand of large and small religious groups that exist today.

With the exception of a few, all claim to be the way for the people of the world to follow. At the same time, many of the religious, social and political groups have in common progressive ideals, goals and means that can lead mankind to that ultimate peaceful and united world.

Most progressive groups have specific "physical" goals. At the local level, these include the various routes of community development projects. At the global level, the major goal is peace through disarmament and international cooperation.

One cannot claim that there is no spirituality involved with these goals simply because most of the people associated with them are not Bahá’ís. Any non-violent and peaceful method of attaining harmony and justice has the notion of spirituality inscribed in it.

Bahá’ís are one of the progressive groups and should not claim to possess the sole solution to the world's problems. As Bahá’ís, we should pursue our goals while cooperating as much as possible with other like-minded groups.

If along the route others decide to join us formally, they are welcome, but as long as they are sincerely working for the same ideals, they should be considered as one with us regardless of their outward political or religious allegiance.

Payam Foroughi Logan, Utah

To the Editor:

In response to an inquiry about the celebration of holidays, the Guardian said it was "surely preferable and even highly advisable" for Bahá’í communities to emphasize the observance of Bahá’í Holy Days rather than such holidays as Christmas.

However, the attitude of some Bahá’ís about non-Bahá’í holidays is so negative that it seems to us closer to Puritanism than to the spirit of the Guardian's advice.

Recently, a letter appeared in The American Bahá’í from some Bahá’ís who were upset by a Persian friend celebrating Christmas, in what sounded like a well-meaning attempt to participate in American culture.

The writers of the letter described Christmas as a "Christian holy day." Christmas, in our culture, is in fact both a religious and a cultural event. It is celebrated by many people who are not theologically Christian (whose beliefs range from Jewish to agnostic to Zen), while there are some Christian churches whose members do not observe it.

Although Christmas—like almost everything else in our public life—is debased by commercialism, it is still associated, for several hundred million people (not only Christians), with a genuine spirit of giving, of family unity, and of a sense of the spiritual life. These are certainly values that Bahá’ís should support!

In view of these connotations—as well as the association of this holiday with Jesus Christ—speaking of Christmas as though it were something sinful does not seem an appropriate way to convey the spirit of the Faith.

The fact is that Christmas is still celebrated, in varying degrees, by many Bahá’ís—especially older, more tradition-oriented ones. It would seem most unkind to try to "purge" these people of a practice which has had for them, all their lives, connotations of love and reverence.

A more positive approach would involve helping the Bahá’í community to find more meaningful and joyous ways to observe Bahá’í Holy Days, and to help everyone share in the spirit. (The Persians, with their heritage, have much to offer here.)

Also, our feeling is that in raising a family, and taking part in activities for children both inside and outside the Bahá’í community, the important meanings to

See LETTERS page 35

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Peace: MORE THAN AN END TO WAR

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312 pages, 504 excerpts from the Bahá’í writings, beginning with the peace statement by the Universal House of Justice and concluding with prayers for peace.

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Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091 TEL. 1-800-323-1880

• Price valid only in the United States

[Page 4]

JOSEPH H. HANNEN

Joseph H. Hannen, one of the earliest and most distinguished American Bahá’ís, became a believer and an active worker in the Cause during the early years of this century, around 1903 or 1904. Born in Richmond, Virginia, he lived for many years with his family in Washington, D.C. Few souls have arisen at any time who possessed such a variety of gifts and who used them so ceaselessly and devotedly for the Cause of God and the betterment of humanity.

In Washington, Mr. Hannen served as secretary of the Bahá’í community, handling both records and correspondence; was a member of Washington's Working Committee, a group whose many tasks did not belie its name; and served as both a resident and traveling teacher, instructing children and the poor, promoting race unity, and speaking often at public meetings.

Since his business required that he travel a great deal, he made a large number of personal contacts and had many opportunities to help groups in other cities.

Mr. Hannen served as a delegate to several national Conventions, and was always well-prepared to face large audiences. His address at a public meeting during the Bahá’í Convention held in San Francisco during the World's Fair in 1915 was especially well-received.

His most triumphant public moment, however, came with his address to the League to Enforce Peace, meeting in Washington. The organization was comprised of many of the most eminent men in the country. President Woodrow Wilson was one of the leading advocates present; another was former President William Howard Taft who chaired the session.

Mr. Hannen's opportunity to speak to the League came as a result of its expressed desire to hear from other groups whose members cherished the ideals of peace. His brief address, based on the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, received the largest ovation of the session.

During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s three visits to Washington in 1912, the Faith was proclaimed in many circles through public meetings and the media.

Later, the Master wrote that it would be unwise to agitate the public mind, but that articles written by Mr. Hannen would be ac-

HOTEL RESERVATION FORM

Name Confirmation Address City, State, Zip: Arrival Date and Time Departure Date Please reserve rooms Single Twin Double Suite: 1 BR 2 BR

Hotel: 1st Choice: 2nd Choice: 3rd Choice:

Bahá’í International Peace Conference August 28-31, 1986 San Francisco, California

Mail to: Bahá’í International Peace Conference Housing Bureau P.O. Box 5612 San Francisco, California 94101

Note: You will receive acknowledgment of your reservation(s) directly from the Housing Bureau. To assure your reservation, a $100 deposit check charge for each room must be received by the hotel 15 days prior to arrival. Details will be explained on hotel confirmation. Send deposit to hotel where assigned. DO NOT SEND deposit to convention Housing Bureau. For cancellations up to fifteen (15) days prior to your arrival, contact the Housing Bureau in writing. Less than fifteen (15) days prior to arrival, contact the hotel directly. All cancellations must be received by assigned hotel at least 72 hours prior to arrival for refund. All other changes must be made directly with the hotel. Reservations will not be held past 6:00 p.m. unless arrangements are made with the hotel from which you receive confirmation. Conference rates in effect for 1 week prior to and 1 week following the conference.

Name and address of all occupants of room(s). Please "bracket" those rooming together. Incomplete information will delay assignment of space! NAME(S) & ADDRESS(ES) ARRIVAL/DEP. DATES

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM

Registration Rates $ 50 Adults (21+) $ 40 Children & Pre-youth* $ 30 Student/youth** $135 Family of 4 or more***

$10 Discount for Early Registration**** $ 40 $ 30 $ 20 $125

Bahá’í International Peace Conference August 28-31, 1986 San Francisco, California

1. Name Guest Bahá’í ID # Age

2. Name Guest Bahá’í ID # Age

3. Name Guest Bahá’í ID # Age

4. Name Guest Bahá’í ID # Age

Shuttle Bus Rates: Adults $10/weekend Children $ 6/weekend Shuttle bus routed between conference facilities, Thur. pm through Sun. noon. (Public transport - MUNI, 75¢ per ride)

Please send info on work/study scholarships

• Ages 3-14 (under 3 free)
  • With current student ID
    • Parents and 2 or more children over 3
      • MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JULY 31, 1986

Mail to: Conference Registration Bahá’í National Center Wilmette, IL 60091

Number x Rate TOTAL ENCLOSED

Make checks payable to: Bahá’í Peace Conference Charge to: VISA MASTERCARD Card # Expiration Date Signature

Confirmation Address City, State, Zip

Media Task Force lays plans to publicize Peace Conference

To Bahá’í communities, Groups and isolated believers

Dear Friends:

The mandate given us by the National Planning Committee for the International Peace Conference to be held August 28-31 in San Francisco is as follows:

Develop plan to increase awareness about the Faith and the peace statement among the community at large. Assess teaching plans in the area and begin to identify local non-Bahá’ís who have shown a particular interest in the peace statement. Develop a plan to utilize media coverage prior to and during the conference.

Our Task Force is in the process of developing comprehensive plans to take advantage of the many media opportunities the conference will present. These plans include paid advertising, development of public service announcements for radio and TV, press kits, personal contact with Bay Area media, many press releases as conference plans progress to publicize all aspects of the conference, and a press room at the conference itself.

We will also strive to obtain radio and television interviews for the keynote speakers and other appropriate guests on the local networks and with newspaper reporters.

A great many of the materials we produce will be useful in your efforts to publicize the peace statement and activities in connection with the International Year of Peace, as well as the conference itself. These materials will be made available to you at cost, and you will soon be receiving information about them.

Since the effects of conference publicity will be far-reaching and no doubt will enhance and reinforce local publicity efforts, we are asking you to help defray the costs involved with such an extensive campaign. Please send your contributions to Natalie Reyes, 2971 Kentridge Drive, San Jose, CA 95133 (phone 408-923-1068), made payable to the "Media Task Force."

Your wide distribution of the peace statement is impressive. Please let us know the names of the VIPs in your area who have received the message enthusiastically. We urge you to continue to distribute the statement in order to saturate the entire area with knowledge and awareness of the Bahá’ís, our beliefs, and the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

If your community has a media rep, we would appreciate having the name, address and phone number. If not, you are encouraged to appoint someone who can develop local media contacts to use the publicity we will generate. Also, if there are people in your community who have expertise in graphic arts, print and/or broadcast journalism, advertising, audio-visual production, or other media skills who would be willing to work with our Task Force, please forward their names, addresses and phone numbers as soon as possible.

We commend you for all the activities you have already undertaken and look forward to working with you during these coming months.

This is the first major international conference the Bahá’ís have ever held on the West Coast, in the birthplace of the United Nations, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said the first flag of international peace would be unfurled. It is a rare opportunity for us, and no doubt our joint endeavors will produce a rich harvest for our beloved Faith.

Please let us hear from you promptly. Thank you.

Natalie Reyes For the Media Task Force [Page 5]

THE FUNDS

The annual financial report of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States for 1985-86 was presented to the assembled delegates and guests at the 77th Bahá’í National Convention held May 1-4 in Chicago. The following is a summary of the report. The entire report as presented to the Convention is available on request from the Office of the Treasurer. All figures are estimated as of April 30, 1986.

Contributions

The highest level of contributions ever recorded was achieved in fiscal 1986—$7.5 million. Throughout the year monthly contributions exceeded the same month one year ago. Monthly gains in contributions surpassing 140 per cent were recorded.

Annually, individual contributions show the highest gains. Individual believers increased their support of the Bahá’í Fund by 30 per cent. Contributions from local Assemblies experienced a four per cent gain, and a slight decline (four per cent) was recorded for Groups. Over-all, a 20 per cent increase in annual contributions was reached—an historic achievement for the American Bahá’í community.

Participation

Individual participation levels echoed the success achieved in contributions. An average of 6,000 individual Bahá’ís contributed to the National Bahá’í Fund throughout the year—a growth rate of seven per cent above the previous year.

Participation from local Assemblies remained stable, showing a one per cent increase. Although Group participation declined by 10 per cent, the shift of 96 Groups to Assembly status probably accounts for this loss.

'Right of God' purifies wealth through giving

Huqúqu’lláh (the Right of God) is a law revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Obeying the law of Huqúqu’lláh purifies the material wealth we acquire throughout our lifetime by giving back to the Cause of God a part of that which came from our Creator.

At this time, the law of Huqúqu’lláh is binding only on Persian believers and those who are required to observe the law in their native country. Western believers are free to pay Huqúqu’lláh if they so choose. Payments to Huqúqu’lláh are deductible for federal income and estate tax purposes.

Questions or payments should be addressed to one of the following Trustees:

Dr. Elsie Austin, P.O. Box 927, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Dr. Amin Banani, Santa Monica, CA 90402; Dr. Daryush Haghighi, Rocky River, OH 44116.

Automatic Contributions

The Automatic Contribution System (ACS), announced during the Bahá’í National Convention last year, is now a firmly established alternate method of giving. A base of more than 1,200 contributors now use this system to provide a regular source of monthly income for the financial needs of ongoing national activities. The current rate of contributions from this source exceeds $500,000 annually. This new contribution system will play a significant part in providing a firm financial foundation for the Faith in the United States.

Call for 20,000

The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears mounted a call for 20,000 contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund during the period of the Fast and Naw-Rúz. For 20 days (March 2 through March 22) more than 20,000 "tokens of love" flooded the Office of the Treasurer. This is the largest number of contributions ever received during an equivalent time period.

Fund progress during the Seven Year Plan

• 1980: $3,602,000
• 1981: $4,649,000
• 1982: $5,867,000
• 1983: $5,683,000
• 1984: $6,270,000
• 1985: $6,427,000
• 1986: $7,500,000

Total: Over $40 million

Contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund increased by 108 percent during the Seven Year Plan. Total contributions exceeded $40 million for the seven year period—an unprecedented level of financial progress.

Growth of the National Bahá’í Fund during the Seven Year Plan

• Contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund increased by 108 per cent
• Participation in giving to the National Bahá’í Fund grew by 220 per cent
• Total revenue from contributions surpassed $40 million
• National support of the Bahá’í International Fund escalated from $900,000 to $1.5 million annually

Accomplishments during the Seven Year Plan

• Reconstructed the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Wilmette
• Purchased the new National Administration building bordering Wilmette
• Built the Native American Bahá’í Institute on the Navajo-Hopi Reservation
• Expanded permanent and regional Bahá’í Schools from 29 to 46
• Established a Persian/American Affairs Office
• Established an External Affairs Office
• Increased the number of new believers by more than 25,000
• Formed more than 300 new local Spiritual Assemblies
• Assisted the filling of nearly 2,000 international pioneer posts
• Reconstructed the Louhelen Bahá’í School
• Constructed WLGI, the flagship North American Bahá’í radio station
• Engaged in an ongoing renovation plan for the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette
• Renovated and refurbished the Bahá’í Publishing Trust building in Wilmette

[Page 6]

Spirit of faith, love conquers pioneer's fear

There is a spirit that moves the heart, that gives us a courage we know we do not possess and a strength we could not have imagined. It is a spirit of love, of devotion, and, finally, of faith. This is the power given to us at times of true sacrifice.

In December 1985, Jill Johnston left her home to travel to her pioneering post in the Marshall Islands. She had prepared to go pioneering by September 1986, but the job came through in September 1985!

To assume her new responsibilities in December, Jill had to leave her husband and 13 1/2-year-old son in the States until they could join her eight months later. Her words describe the experience best:

"It has been one month today since we landed on Majuro Atoll. Jim, 12, wasn't sure he'd like it. After all, 'we'll leave all the good things of life behind."

Friends can ‘adopt,’ write to pioneers

Pioneers in other lands need letters and encouragement from Bahá’ís in the States. If you or your local Spiritual Assembly would like to "adopt" a pioneer, please write to the International Goals Committee and we'll assign you a pioneer who has expressed an interest in the program.

"But within two days he was surrounded by a dozen kids and more. He fits like an old shoe. Watching him and his friends playing for hours in the surf, it's hard to believe this is the same boy who hated salt water.

"Because my husband, Gary, and our son, Lonnie, were unable to come at once, after prayer and meditation, Gary said, 'Go now while the opportunity is here.' So we did.

"I've never been so lonely, so filled with heartache as during the flight from Seattle to San Jose, our first stop. I cried most of the way.

"But at the same time, I felt assured that Bahá’u’lláh wouldn't allow so much pain for nothing. I knew there would be rewards. And that's what this letter is really about.

"In my nine years as a Bahá’í, never have I been so conscious of the presence of Bahá’u’lláh as I have been in this short time. Each day brings confirmations, one of which is the general lack of loneliness.

"Yes, I miss Gary and Lonnie and I cry over their letters. But on a day-to-day basis, I'm not lonely.

"In one of the teaching prayers it says: 'O Lord! Grant me communion with Thee in my loneliness, and be my companion in these foreign lands.' And it's true! That terrible, ever-present ache doesn't exist now.

"I feel close to Gary and Lonnie even though we're 5,000 miles apart and likely will be for six or seven more months. And it's not because I'm a strong person. It's Bahá’u’lláh transforming a former moth into a falcon.

"Jim's changes in attitude were not conditioned by me; I don't have that power. It's the power of the Blessed Beauty.

"So friends, if you want to see some heavy-duty confirmations, if you're tired of being a moth, consider making some sacrifices, perhaps big ones, and check out pioneering. The Goals Committee has lots of practical information in addition to their spiritual booster.

"Bahá’u’lláh led us here quickly from September to December. I didn't think we could pioneer. Bahá’u’lláh showed us we could. 'O Lord, increase my astonishment in Thee!'"

Pioneer must abandon our 'no risk' ideology

The following remarks are taken from a talk given April 3 to a Pioneer Training Institute at the Bahá’í National Center by Dr. Will C. van den Hoonaard.

It is a blessing to have been invited to speak at this Pioneering Institute.

I grew up as a Bahá’í thinking that teaching and pioneering were as integral to one's living as breathing. My spiritual parents, Ed and Mary Bode—(the latter had met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and helped unveil the Tablets of the Divine Plan in New York)—were pioneers to Holland, my home country.

In my own life, I have spent five years pioneering in the subarctic areas of the world: in the Canadian Northwest Territories, climbing down 10-story ladders in a gold mine, and in Iceland, living in a remote fishing village.

Pioneering is a spiritual act which creates new ways in which we think, act and pray. Phenomena, whether spiritual or physical, take on new meaning because they are brought into relationship with a larger cosmos or world.

For example, one's education takes on new meaning. It either becomes particularly valuable in a pioneer setting, or it becomes useless.

Also, one's relation to his or her family becomes stronger, or it becomes weaker. You who have gathered here tonight know what I am talking about.

You have decided to be pioneers, and already you have experienced the process of detaching yourself from your familiar surroundings. The spiritual revolution, albeit a personal one, is already beginning to take place—and you haven't even left your home yet!

The significance of pioneering relates to another point, namely the particular value of tests.

Have you noticed that whenever you decide to teach, or pioneer, for the Faith, tests seem to multiply? It's as if God is saying to us, "Now, you are worthy of My tests!"

The act of pioneering creates an opposite set of standards from those that prevail in America today, especially with respect to our attachment to the "no pain" and "no risk" society.

The whole medical establishment is built on the former premise; the legal and insurance professions are founded on the latter.

But here you are, a prospective pioneer, throwing out the "no pain" and "no risk" ideology! There is probably no better way to ferment mental and spiritual anguish. Ah, the soil is being tilled well.

A third, but no less important result of your decision to pioneer may quite well lead to ill health and some sort of physical deprivation. (Mind you, there are countless pioneers who have somehow managed to escape this fate.)

In researching early histories of pioneering, I was fascinated to find a universe of maladies which have beset pioneers: malaria, kidney ailments, dental problems.

I remember once meeting a Bahá’í who suffered intensely from back pains because of a certain area's barometric pressure.

These internal, personal and material conditions of pioneering require sacrifices of various kinds. For some, the sacrifice consists of

See PIONEERS page 34

Notice to travelers

Bahá’ís traveling outside the U.S., please contact the International Goals Committee, c/o Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039). Two months' notice is desirable.

PIONEER GOALS Ridván 1986

Until a new assignment is given to the United States by the Universal House of Justice, all goals assigned for the last phase of the Seven Year Plan must be kept filled. The countries are:

ASIA (E) India (K) Korea (E) Nepal (E) Philippines (Th) Thailand

AUSTRALASIA Caroline Islands (E) Kosrae (E) Palau (E) Truk (E) Fiji Mariana Islands (E) Rota (E) Tinian (E) Marshall Islands (E) Samoa (E) Tuvalu

AFRICA (F) Benin (E) Lesotho (E) Liberia (F) Mauritania (E) Nigeria (E) Tanzania (E) Uganda

LANGUAGE KEY E-English F-French Gr-Greek K-Korean S-Spanish ThuThai T-Turkish

AMERICAS (S) Argentina Bahamas (E) San Salvador Is. (E) Barbados Chile (S) Easter Island (S) Colombia (E) Dominica (F) French Guiana Ecuador (S) Galapagos Is. (S) El Salvador (E) Grenada (S) Guatemala (S) Honduras Jamaica (E) Cayman Islands (E) Leeward Islands (E) Anguilla (E) Montserrat (S) Mexico (S) Yucatán (S) Puerto Rico (E) St. Lucia (E) St. Vincent Turks and Caicos Is. (E) Grand Turk (E) Providenciales (Provo) (E) North Caicos (E) Middle Caicos (S) Uruguay

EUROPE (S) Canary Islands (Gr,T,E) Cyprus (E) Ireland

Universal House of Justice clears way for summer travel to teach in Europe

Because of terrorist activities in Europe and the recent nuclear accident in the Soviet Union, the International Goals Committee sent the following message on April 28 to the Universal House of Justice:

"MONTHS OF PLANNING HAVE RESULTED IN TEACHING PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES IN ITALY, SPAIN, IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM, NORWAY, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM, WEST GERMANY, EAST GERMANY AND POLAND. SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE. NOW WE ARE UNSURE WHETHER TO PROCEED OR CANCEL THE PROJECTS. ALL INFORMATION IS READY TO DISSEMINATE AT CONVENTION. WE ANXIOUSLY AWAIT YOUR ADVICE.

On April 30, the committee received the following reply:

DELIGHTED PROSPECT MOUNT TEACHING PROJECTS IN COUNTRIES NAMED. AS LONG AS NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES INVOLVED CONCUR, WE SEE NO REASON (TO) HESITATE. IF YOU NEED FURTHER ADVICE KINDLY SPECIFY NATURE YOUR CONCERN.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

The above should allay your anxieties about whether it is wise to go to Europe this summer. However, if you have further questions, the International Goals Committee will be happy to request further advice from the Supreme Body.

Summer Teaching Projects for Youth and Young Adults: 1986

Countries / Languages / Dates

EUROPE

Belgium French, German, Dutch, English 15 August-15 September (2-week minimum)

Germany German 7 June or 12 July (2-week minimum)

Poland German, Polish, English 3-31 July; 2-10 August

Ireland English 3 July-open

Spain Spanish open (2-4 weeks; July is good)

Italy Italian, English 3-19 July only

Norway Norwegian, English, Spanish open

Switzerland German, English open

United Kingdom English open

AMERICAS

Belize English 4-week minimum

Grenada English August

Guyana English May-November

St. Lucia English open (2-week minimum) [Page 7]

An open letter to Bahá’í youth

Dear Bahá’í Co-workers,

The close of one global Plan and the launching of another is a significant milestone for the Cause of God. It is a time to appraise success and a time to both delight in past victories and prepare for future gains.

The Seven Year Plan was a time of mighty strides forward for the Bahá’í youth of America as the youth proved themselves to be active, vital supporters of the Cause at all levels of the community, winning the support and praise of both the adults and the institutions.

The past two years were especially significant as young Bahá’ís moved rapidly from victory to victory, winning every challenge along the way. We have not only met, but indeed surpassed every youth goal targeted for the final phase of the Seven Year Plan. Spurred on by the challenge of the Universal House of Justice that "youth can move the world," the Bahá’í observance of the International Year of Youth in 1985 was an enormous success.

Demonstrating the renewed spirit of the Bahá’í Youth Movement, we arose last summer to participate in teaching projects in a manner and with a spirit unprecedented in the Plan. Moreover, the spiritual discipline and maturity of today's Bahá’í youth leave even the most skeptical of observers in awe. Indeed, in the span of but two years, the youth have emerged to stand in the front ranks of the teaching work of our beloved Cause.

The victories of the past year bear eloquent testimony to the victories that must inevitably lie ahead. We must begin the new global Plan with victory so that the momentum can build into increasing success for the Cause. The House of Justice, in 1984, asked the youth to begin a "mighty mobilization for teaching," and it is time now, at the start of the new Plan, to launch that process.

The immediate goal is this: to raise up, as an initial commitment to this "mighty mobilization," more than 1,000 summer projecteers for domestic and international teaching and service projects. The summer of '86 has the potential to be record-breaking... the key ingredient is your participation and support. Will you arise to contribute to this effort?

You won't have to travel far to serve this summer with at least 95 domestic projects planned in addition to several border efforts and a host of opportunities overseas. And with scholarship funds available through the National Youth Committee for domestic projecteers, those who require financial assistance can also participate fully.

The commitment is yours to make. The National Youth Committee hopes to hear from each of you, whether you can serve for a few days or for the whole summer. We ask that you stand up and be counted by making your offer of service today.

"... it is on young and active Bahá’ís, like you, that the Guardian centers all his hopes for the future progress and expansion of the Cause, and it is on their shoulders that he lays the responsibility for the upkeep of the spirit of selfless service among their fellow-believers. Without that spirit no work can be successfully achieved. With it, triumph, though hardly won, is but inevitable."

Our gratitude and loving admiration goes to each of you who have served the Faith so devotedly during the Seven Year Plan. With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Bahá’í National Youth Committee

‘Year of Service’ leads to many joys, victories as youth meet, pass tests

The following excerpts present a sense of the spirit of the Youth Year of Service program which has grown from the vision of the Universal House of Justice to the reality of the lives of individual youth who are serving in the field.

Their words speak for themselves—the tests, the struggles, and the many joys and victories that shed bounties on these individuals, on the communities where they are serving, and on the U.S. Bahá’í community which has sent them.

Contact the National Youth Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center (312-869-9039) if you would like to be a part of this glorious service.

Some comments about the Youth Year of Service

The Universal House of Justice in a letter of January 1984 to the Bahá’í youth of the world:

"... while still young and unburdened by family responsibilities, you (should) give attention to the idea of volunteering a set period, say, one or two years, to some Bahá’í service, on the homefront or abroad, in the teaching or development field. It would accrue to the strength and stability of the community if such patterns could be followed by succeeding generations of youth. Regardless of the modes of service, however, youth must be understood to be fully engaged, at all times, in all climes and under all conditions."

Counselor Farzam Arbáb, speaking at the Bahá’í International Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio, July 1985:

"This social and economic development of the world, according to the Bahá’ís, is going to be very different from social and economic development according to many other people.

"It will not be something that the powerful will do to the powerless, or the rich to the poor, or that the so-called 'knowledgeable' will do for the ignorant.

"The Universal House of Justice has told us very clearly that the heart of social and economic development of the world is the activity of the local communities, from the stirrings at the grassroots of the Faith. We will see all of humanity participate in its own destiny using the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

"It is imperative that people, Bahá’ís from all over the world, go to these places, to participate in the lives of these people, becoming one with them, bringing to them their knowledge and technology, even while learning from the traditional knowledge of the culture, thus blending modern science with traditional knowledge and lasting values, and then begin to forge new villages and new towns, places that humanity has never seen before.

"To promote this, the Universal House of Justice has once again called upon the youth. They gave you a very special gift.

"They asked if you would give, while you are young, one or two years of your life in service... to travel to these places, living among the peoples and helping them with their projects of social and economic development.

"This is a beautiful development for the Faith. I hope you have pondered this service and begun to grasp the impact of this service."

Nicole Ewing, now serving in Paraguay: "Many prayers need to be said, and one really learns how to depend on Bahá’u’lláh and His Writings. One learns that nothing else keeps you going.

"One learns to appreciate what little one has. One also learns a whole bunch about one's self! Oh boy, is it hard—but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Tom Haanen, Panama: "We learned what it means to develop unity in diversity. This concept is not an accidental occurrence when..."

YES! I WILL BE ONE OF THE ONE THOUSAND to arise to teach this summer!

Please count on my participation.

Name Age Sex Address Phone City State Zip

Do you plan to attend a travel teaching institute? Where would you prefer to teach? What dates will you be available to serve? Will you need financial help?

Upon receipt of this coupon, we will send you an updated list of summer projects. Mail to: National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Montana host to youth conference

Auxiliary Board member Margaret Gallagher was the keynote speaker at a Northwest Regional Youth Conference held March 28-30 in Missoula, Montana.

Thirty-two youth including six non-Bahá’ís attended what was the largest gathering of Bahá’í youth ever held in Montana, traveling from as far as Olympia, Seattle and Bellevue, Washington; Lapwai, Idaho; and Portland, Beaverton and Aloma, Oregon, to join local youth, adults, pre-youth and children at the event.

Mrs. Gallagher spoke several times during the conference on "Youth as Peacemakers," using as her guide the book Unrestrained As the Wind, which she referred to as a "handbook" for Bahá’í youth.

Also taking part were Mrs. Gallagher’s assistants, Keith Blanding, George Galinkin and Michael Wood.

The Bahá’í youth of Missoula presented several workshops on the prerequisites for peace as outlined in the statement by the Universal House of Justice, "The Promise of World Peace."

Maria Nelson conducted a workshop on "Eliminating the Extremes of Wealth and Poverty," and Stephen Dimitroff, an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Opal Conner, presented a workshop on "Young Heroes and Heroines of the Faith."

A group of youth who had taken part in a service project in Lapwai, Idaho, gave an exciting report about the project.

Plans are being made for another youth conference in the fall.

(Colorado Retreat)

On the weekend of January 25-26, 20 youth and pre-youth and three adults held a retreat at the home of the North family in Mancos, Colorado. Seventeen of the youth came from eight towns in Colorado and three others from Utah. The weekend was spent deepening on such topics as the importance of prayer, the necessity of teaching, the principles of the Faith, and Bahá’í laws as set forth in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Pictured are (front row left to right) Mary Francis Poole, Badi Reddy, Blaine Johnson, Jennifer North, Stephanie Snook, Rebecca Johnson, Sine Doherty, Trina Richardson, Joe Skaggs, and (back row left to right) Taraz Samandari, Jason Zillich, Andishe Samandari, Fred North, Elin Griffith, Kii Hursey, Chey Hursey, Matt Hitti, Cari North, Wendy Wilson.

Iowa Bahá’í named to Phi Beta Kappa

Joseph Foroughi, a member of the Bahá’í community of Ames, Iowa, has been inducted into Zeta chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society, at Iowa State University in Ames.

He was honored for being in the top two per cent of his class, the class of 1987. As a Bahá’í, he is presently serving on the Regional Youth Committee, has served on the District Youth Committee and Great Plains School Committee, and has taken part in teaching projects in Wanblee, South Dakota, and Belize, Central America.

More than 50 babysitters are needed at San Francisco Peace Conference

If you are a youth and would like to be of service while making some money during the International Peace Conference in San Francisco, all you have to do is fill out this application to be a babysitter.

The Bahá’í youth of Northern California District No. 2, responsible for operating a babysitting agency for the conference, need your help. Their goal is to get more than 50 responsible youth to babysit each night of the conference (August 29, 30, 31) during the evening program.

As a sitter, you'll be responsible for caring for the children in their hotel room until the parents return from the evening program, for which you will be paid $2 an hour by the parents.

Please mail the application as soon as possible. The deadline is July 9.

BABYSITTING APPLICATION

Name Address Phone number ( )

Night(s) available (circle): August 29, August 30, August 31 Ages of children most comfortable with babysitting (may check more than one): 0-2 years, 3-5, 6-11 Name of community Signature of Assembly member

Please send to: The Youth of Northern California District No. 2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 [Page 8]

Annual 'Souvenir' commemorates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit

On June 29, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a Unity Feast for more than 300 guests at the Roy Wilhelm property in West Englewood, New Jersey.

With warmth and joy, He personally welcomed the friends, served Persian food with His own hands, and anointed everyone with attar of roses.

The gathering lasted well into the evening with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaking by candlelight.

In God Passes By (p. 266), Shoghi Effendi writes of the great importance that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attached to His trip to North America, and of "... the symbolic feast He Himself offered to a large gathering of His disciples assembled in the open air, and in the green setting of a June day at West Englewood..."

In The Promulgation of Universal Peace (p.213) is found a paraphrase of the speech given that day by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as compiled by Howard MacNutt from notes by Esther Foster:

"This is a delightful gathering, you have come with sincere intentions and the purpose of all present is the attainment of the virtues of God. The motive is attraction to the divine Kingdom.... This is a new Day, and this hour is a new Hour...."

In a Tablet revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Roy Wilhelm in 1913, He wrote: "O Thou, my dear son! Thy letter dated July 13, 1913 was received. Its contents indicated the firmness and steadfastness of the believers of God and told of holding a divine meeting in your radiant, charming country place.

"Praise be to God that that day was spent in the utmost joy and happiness. That Annual Memorial Meeting will be the Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá especially when it is passed with infinite delight and gladness."

Since that time, the last Saturday in June has seen the gathering of hundreds of Bahá’ís at the Wilhelm properties for a picnic held in the spirit of joy and unity followed by prayers, a keynote speech, and music.

In 1916, Roy Wilhelm and Curtis Kelsey began construction of an Evergreen Cabin at the site of that original Unity Feast. The cabin was enlarged over the years until it now contains nine rooms, a kitchen, attic and basement.

The properties also include the original country house, a caretaker’s house, the Evergreen Grove, and the 1911 Reo touring sedan used by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on several of His trips.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá indicated that the Evergreen Grove would, in the future, become a national memorial to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in America.

The property, now owned by the National Spiritual Assembly, serves as a National Bahá’í School whose regularly scheduled events include classes for children and adults, public meetings, firesides, social gatherings, marriages, conferences, and local, state and national committee meetings.

The annual Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá serves to remind us that "... this is a new Day, and this hour is a new Hour.... You must become united and agreed among yourselves."

Pictured are Bahá’ís and their guests who gathered June 25, 1932, for the annual Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the Wilhelm property in West Englewood, New Jersey.

The 74th 'Souvenir' set for June 28

The 74th Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will be held from 2:30-5 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at the Wilhelm property in West Englewood, New Jersey.

The keynote speaker will be Gerald Knight, United Nations representative for the Bahá’í International Community, whose topic will be "World Peace."

Special guest Hooper Dunbar, a Counselor member of the International Teaching Center in Haifa, will discuss "The Six Year Plan," and Donald Kinney will comment on the first Unity Feast hosted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912.

The program, which will extend into the evening with children’s entertainment, a fireside, and other activities by candlelight, is free, no pre-registration is required, and everyone is invited to attend.

New compilation explores contemporary views on peace

In its letter of January 23, 1985, regarding the UN's International Year of Peace, the Universal House of Justice encouraged Bahá’ís to "engage people at the grassroots and at all other levels of society in a broad range of profoundly effective activities through which they will interact with the Bahá’í community in a sustained, world-wide effort to attend to the fundamental issues of peace, aided by the unique insights provided by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh."

A number of questions become apparent to any Bahá’í who arises to meet the challenge presented by the Universal House of Justice.

What is the "Bahá’í view of peace"? Are there Bahá’í teachings on specific issues related to peace? What is the range of views of others on this issue? What have Bahá’ís already done for peace—haven't we just been concerned with our community's growth throughout the world? What solutions do the Bahá’í teachings propose, and how will these solutions unfold?

To help Bahá’ís in their study of these and other questions about peace, a new publication has been prepared by the National Teaching Committee with the help of some of the believers around the country. In Pursuit of Peace is composed of a number of essays that explore contemporary views on peace as well as the Bahá’í perspective. Topics covered include:

• The Bahá’í definition of peace
• Six contemporary views on peace—from "peace through strength" to "peace through personal transformation"
• Bahá’í references on specific peace topics, such as disarmament and deterrence
• The role of the Universal House of Justice's peace statement in dialogue between Bahá’ís and the world
• Bahá’í teachings on the future unfoldment of peace

Each major section in the book is followed by questions for group discussion. The last section provides suggested readings, and references for a more detailed study of issues raised in the essays.

In Pursuit of Peace can be used by individuals or groups. It complements the study of the Bahá’í writings on peace and "The Promise of World Peace." There is no fixed format; communities can adapt In Pursuit of Peace to fit their needs.

One possibility is to hold four consecutive sessions, one on each part of the material, spaced a week or perhaps a month apart. Participants can read the material in preparation for a group discussion of questions during class time.

Another alternative is to have one person (perhaps a local Bahá’í with knowledge of the peace movement) develop a presentation using the material as a reference; the group could discuss questions following the presentation.

A third option would be to ask peace organizations in your area to make presentations as part of a series of classes; In Pursuit of Peace could be used to help prepare a Bahá’í segment. Bahá’ís, members of peace groups, and the general public could be invited to attend.

The Bahá’í community's involvement in peace activities will extend well beyond the International Year of Peace. The National Teaching Committee hopes this course will help Bahá’ís engage in discussion and activities with other people and groups who are working for peace and on peace-related issues, and will enrich our understanding of the scope of Bahá’u’lláh's unparalleled vision for the re-ordering of human affairs.

Order from: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 Linden Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091 800-323-1880 or 312-251-1854 in Illinois

In Pursuit of Peace, 64 pages. Please send ____ copies @ $3.00 per copy. Include 10% for handling ($1.50 minimum).

Name ________________________________________ Address _____________________________________ City ________________ State ________ Zip ______ Phone _______________________________________ Credit Card # _______________________________ (circle one) Visa/MasterCard exp. date _______

Continental Fund supports work of Counselors, Auxiliary Boards

As one of the four permanent Bahá’í Funds, the Continental Bahá’í Fund supports the work of the Counselors and Auxiliary Boards. There are now three options in the manner of making contributions to that Fund:

1. Contributions may be made payable directly to the Continental Bahá’í Fund and sent c/o the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. 2. Contributions may be included in gifts to the National Bahá’í Fund by earmarking a portion for the Continental Fund. 3. Contributions may be made to the Continental Fund through one's local treasurer by earmarking them for the Continental Fund.

The Continental Board of Counselors in the Americas wishes to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your devoted and continued support of this Fund. The Counselors ask for your prayers as they work closely with the National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Americas during these exciting times in the history of the Cause of God.—Farzam Arbáb, Trustee for the Continental Board of Counselors in the Americas [Page 9]

Family Unity Night

FIRST WEEK OF JULY: Martyrdom of the Báb (July 9, noon). Thought for the Week: "O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but martyr- dom in the path of Thy love..."-the Báb. Prayer: Bahá’í Prayers, p. 22. Les- son: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Hid- den Words, No. 71, p. 21. 2. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 59. 3. Choose from any of the following: Release the Sun, chapter 19; God and His Messengers by Hofman, pp. 30-33; or Stories from the Dawn-breakers, pp. 57-59. Activity: 1. Say prayers for the present-day martyrs of Iran. If children are older, try reciting the "Fire Tablet" (Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 214-220). 2. Deco- rate a box beautifully-like a precious gift. Perfume the box on the inside. Make six cut-out letters to spell "The Báb" and place them in the box, but do not tell the children what is in it yet. Sit together in a circle and talk about the joy in giv- ing and receiving gifts. Practice sharing this boxed gift by handing it to one an- other and sharing it. When the time feels right, open the box, take the letters out, and share the words inside. Refreshments: Fresh berries with milk or cream.

SECOND WEEK OF JULY: FEAST OF KALIMÁT (WORDS) JULY 13. Thought for the Week: "... If any differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your face..."-Bahá’u’lláh. Prayer: Bahá’í Prayers, p. 174 ("O my God, aid..."). Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Hidden Words, No. 44, p. 37. 2. Gleanings, pp. 315-16, CXLVI. 3. Vignettes, No. 25, pp. 52-53. Activity and refreshment: "Alphabet bread sticks." Set oven temperature at 300 degrees. Ingredients: 3-3 1/2 cups flour; 1 Tbs. sugar; 1 tsp. salt; 2 pkg. yeast; 1/4-cup salad oil; 1 1/4 cups hot water. 1. Stir 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast together. Add oil. Gradually add hot water. Beat two minutes with electric mixer or 300 strokes by hand. 2. Add 1/2-cup flour and beat two more minutes or 300 strokes. Add the remaining 1 1/2-2 cups flour to form a soft dough. 3. Turn onto floured board. With floured hands knead into smooth ball, shape into a log, then divide into 20 pieces. 4. Roll each piece into a rope. Place the ropes on a greased pan and roll to grease all sides. Arrange in alphabet letter shapes, leaving an inch of space be- tween the letters. 5. Let rise 15 minutes or until puffy. Then bake 25-30 minutes. Arrange the letters into words.

THIRD WEEK OF JULY: THE BAHÁ’Í CALENDAR. Thought for the Week: "... for any movement animated by love moveth from the periphery to the cen- tre."-Selected Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 197. Prayer: Triumph of the Cause, p. 200. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Hidden Words, No. 3, p. 4. 2. Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 10-11. 3. "The Promise of World Peace," p. 1, para. 1. 4. The Bahá’í World, Vol. XVI (1973-76), pp. 499-502. Activity: Play Bahá’í calendar "Concentration." Write the names of the Bahá’í months on squares of paper, two copies of each. Spread the cards face down on the table and mix them up. Turn them over one at a time and try to match pairs by remembering where they are. If you have younger children, use only half of the months' names. Refreshments: Make "banana splits" of frozen yogurt piled in a glass with sliced bananas, cherries, and favorite toppings.

FOURTH WEEK OF JULY: THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE. Thought for the Week: "Lift up your hearts! The Day of God is at hand!"-The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1985. Prayer: pp. 120-21. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Hidden Words, No. 2, p. 3. 2. Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 446-48. 3. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 132-33; pp. 306-7. 4. Paris Talks, pp. 99-100. Activity: Dur- ing the new Six Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice will publish the Kitab- i-Aqdas in English for the first time. This is Bahá’u’lláh’s Book of Laws. Discuss the value of laws and make a family book of laws. Use paper, paste and pretty decorations for the sheets, then write your family's laws on each page. Keep the book for future reference! Refreshments: Pear halves stuffed with softened cream cheese; fruit juice.

Debbie Bley (right), editor of Brilliant Star magazine, and Mary K. Radpour me recently with the Subscriber Service workers to dis- cuss ways to make it easier for people to subscribe to the Bahá’í children's magazine. For example, did you know you can write out the information on a piece of notebook paper or Xerox the form in The American Bahá’í? You don't have to cut up your newspaper! If you have a good idea to help others subscribe, please send it to: Brilliant Star, 5010 Austin Road, Hixson, TN 37343.

Bahá’í-centered rock musical draws warm response in Massachusetts

"Destiny," an original rock musical based on Bahá’í prin- ciples, has drawn an enthusiastic response from audiences since its introduction in February 1985 at the Children's Academy for the Performing Arts (CAPA) in Mar- blehead, Massachusetts.

The script was co-authored by two Bahá’í women, Barbara Ey- ges of Marblehead and Shay Whitman Cooper of Salem, with music by a non-Bahá’í, Amanda Maffei of Marblehead.

The play, whose themes include love, unity, world peace and the elimination of prejudice, was writ- ten as a theatre project for the Children's Academy, a profes- sional training-ground in acting for young people, and premiered by the Youngest Theatre Com- pany, CAPA's performing group, for 10 performances.

Since its premiere the show has toured numerous elementary, middle and high schools in the greater Boston area.

It was performed at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Maine as a part of the Association for Bahá’í Studies’ New England Conference last spring, and in November the cast traveled to New York City where a part of the play was pre- sented at the United Nations for the "Youth Can Save the World" celebration. On that occasion, the cast received a standing ovation.

The authors' goal is to have the play performed for young people and families throughout the coun- try and by as many theatre groups as possible. They have submitted it to publishers and looked into the possibilities of TV and/or film versions.

Another Bahá’í, Mark Sadan of Kiva Productions in New York, has submitted proposals to raise money to create a video version of "Destiny."

Cast members of the rock musical 'Destiny' rehearse a scene in which the youngsters pledge to eli- minate prejudices and unite like 'one big happy family.'

Assemblies, Groups or indivi- dual Bahá’ís who would like more information about the play may write to Barbara Eyges, Marblehead, MA 01945, or phone 617-631-8175.

Louhelen conference to train teachers in classroom skills, planning, curriculum

Don't forget the National Child Education Teacher Training Con- ference which is to be held July 2-7 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan.

The conference, sponsored by the National Teaching Committee in cooperation with the Louhelen school, will focus on classroom teaching skills, lesson planning and curriculum.

Each participant will, as a result of training activities, be in a po- sition to improve the quality of his own program and to serve as a re- source person for other class pro- grams in his area.

Local Assemblies are encour- aged to sponsor, and to subsidize if necessary, children's teachers in their areas who might not other- wise be able to attend the con- ference.

The conference fee is $130 per person (with a $10 non-refundable advance fee required to secure reg- istration). Attendance will be lim- ited to 100.

Parents are encouraged to make home care arrangements for child- ren. Child care will be provided only in special cases.

For information, contact the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

Brilliant Star

one year $12.00 (six issues) two years $23.00 foreign, surface, one year $15.00 foreign, surface, two years $28.00 foreign, air (A.O.), one year $25.00 foreign, air (A.O.), two years $47.50

Name: Street City State & Zip Age of recipient

Enclosed is my gift of $ to the Brilliant Star Endowment Fund, estab- lished 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.

Send to: Brilliant Star Suburban Office Park 5010 Austin Rd. Hixson, Tn. 37343 [Page 10]

TEACHING PROJECTS ’86

• Lapwai Service Project, Nez-Perce Indian Reservation, summer. Contact: Ferris & Linda Paisano (208) 843-7745, service.
• Montana Youth Service Project, No. Cheyenne Indian Reservation, summer 1986. Contact: Cynthia Lee Hagen (406) 477-8357, service project for youth.
• Wind River Service Project, Wind River Reservation, WY, July. Contact: Mary Churchill (307) 332-9496, service & youth activities.
• Amoz Gibson Project, Nebraska - ongoing. Contact: Kay Webster (402) 837-5736, consolidation & spanish teaching.
• Project Dawn Breakers, Bemidji, MN area. Contact: Bob Johnson (218) 751-0317, teaching.
• Victory Harvest, Kansas City, MO, ongoing. Contact: Bahá’í Center, Kansas City, MO 64127, teaching.
• Warriors of Light, nw Washington Indian Res., June. Contact: Robert Wilson (206) 547-8377, teaching.
• Pasco Project & Yakima Project, Southeast Washington, July 10-20. Contact: Steve & Jeni Godfrey (509) 943-2416, teaching & consolidation.
• Amoz Gibson Teaching Project, ongoing. Contact: Edwin Roberts (605) 332-0127.
• Victory Harvest, Kansas, ongoing. Contact: Phyllis Medrano (316) 662-8243, teaching & consolidation.
• Project Niijii (Friendship), Reservations in WI & MI, June 27-July 13. Contact: Charlotte Horkings (715) 588-3560, teaching.
• The Gathering, Montague Center area, ongoing. Contact: Jeanne Kendrick (617) 367-2363, teaching.
• The Lowell Project, Lowell, MA, May 26-Sept 1. Contact: Lorraine Matthews (617) 444-7722, teaching & consolidation.
• Operation Daybreak, Greater Boston & So. MA, summer 1986. Contact: Larry McCollough (617) 459-1604, teaching & consolidation.
• Umatilla Reservation Service Project, Umatilla Reservation, OR, summer 1986. Contact: Adele McConnel (503) 278-0523, service.
• Fort Hall Teaching Project, Fort Hall Reservation, summer. Contact: Dale & Anne Sollars (208) 785-4495, teaching.
• Illinois Teaching Project, southern Illinois, June, July & August. Contact: Mary Lou McLaughlin (618) 465-3404, teaching & music.
• Operation Daybreak, Milford, MA, June 15-July 26, teaching & consolidation.
• Project Lua, New York in Newfane/Wilson, ongoing. Contact: Jeanne Delaney (716) 825-5457, teaching & consolidation.
• West Chester Project, West Chester, PA, July 1-31. Contact: Kathie & Peter Schawaker (215) 696-3018, teaching.
• Olinga Teaching Project, Falls Church, VA, ongoing. Contact: Jamshid Amini (703) 820-0610, teaching & consolidation.
• Project Tabarsi, South Carolina, ongoing, teaching & consolidation.
• Carolina Victory Train, North Carolina, ongoing. Contact: Sam Williams (919) 679-2623, teaching & consolidation.
• S. Sacramento Sustained Teaching Campaign, southern Sacramento, CA, ongoing. Contact: Donald Erby (916) 381-5419, teaching.
• San Francisco Drama Workshop, California, summer 1986. Contact: Rosanne Groger (415) 647-0700, teaching & consolidation.
• Raul Pavon Project, Salinas Valley, ongoing. Contact: Ann Miller (408) 688-0221, service & teaching.
• Mona Teaching Project, Fresno, CA, ongoing. Contact: Gayle Scott (209) 264-7393, teaching & consolidation.
• Trail of Light, CA no. & so. border, Aug 19-28.
• Lights of Unity Summer Project, western Colorado, summer 1986. Contact: Elin Griffith (303) 874-4970, proclamation.
• Heart of Texas, central Texas, ongoing. Contact: Lynn Richards (512) 492-3147.
• Yellow Rose, east Texas, August 8-24. Contact: Andre’nea M. King (409) 886-4853, service.
• L.A. Workshop, west coast, summer 1986. Contact: Lois Willows (213) 933-8281, teaching & consolidation through drama.
• Annual Winter Teaching Project, New Mexico, so. Texas & Mexico, late December-January 1987. Contact: Richard Gurinsky (505) 437-0173, teaching & consolidation.
• Great Texas Service Project, Texas, summer 1986. Contact: Shervin Hawley (713) 464-7124, unity & service.
• Spanish Language Institute, Juarez, Mexico, June 6-July 3. Contact: Ingrid Cardena, phone 5-15-19 (Juarez, Mexico). Increase spanish language skills & teaching.
• New Mexico Teaching Project, Anthony, TX & Juarez, Mexico, June 30-July 20. Contact: Rob & Sylvia Gibietz (915) 886-2524, youth deepening & spanish teaching.
• Hopi Reservation Youth Project, Hopi Indian Reservation, AZ. Contact: Elizabeth Dahe, Phoenix, AZ 85031.
• Project Raul Pavon, Phoenix, ongoing. Contact: Martinez (602) 936-8114, teaching & consolidation.

Send coupons to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091; or call at (312) 869-9039

Community Projects	Teaching Project Guidelines	Project Participants
Yes! Our community would like to hold a teaching or service project this summer. Name of Community _________________ Contact Person _________________ Address of Contact Person _________________ City, State, Zip _________________ Phone _________________ Project type: (circle) service / teaching / other	Please send us a copy of Teaching Project Guidelines to help us plan, carry out, and evaluate our project. Name _________________ Address _________________ City, State, Zip _________________ Please include with your order a check for $2.00 per copy payable to "Bahá’í Services Fund".	Yes! I would like to arise to teach this summer. Please send me more information. Name _________________ Address _________________ City, State, Zip _________________ Phone _________________ Dates available: _________________ Financial assistance needed: (circle) yes / no Projects I am interested in: _________________

[Page 11]

New Hispanic Task Force seeks volunteer help

In response to one of the goals of the Six Year Plan, the National Teaching Committee has appointed a five-member Hispanic Teaching Task Force.

Under the goal of "carrying the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of mankind," the Supreme Body says this: "Increase the number of believers from all strata of society, identifying as goals of the Plan those specific sectors, minority groups, tribal peoples, etc., which are at present under-represented in the Bahá’í community and which will, therefore, be given special attention during the Plan."

With this goal in mind, the Task Force would like to hear, in writing or by telephone, from anyone who would be interested in helping with the teaching work among Hispanics.

Besides teachers, we would like to hear from Hispanic musicians who could offer their time and talent to this effort.

To volunteer, please contact the Task Force member nearest to your geographic location. The members are:

Maria Estela Hermosillo, South Windsor, CT 06074 (203-644-3087).

Manuel Marcial, Key West, FL 33040 (305-745-1151, home; 305-294-2060, work).

Sergio Montenegro, San Jose, CA 95118 (408-264-1398).

Don Roupe, Chicago, IL 60625 (312-275-3359).

Judith Spychalski, Phoenix, AZ 85035 (602-269-2703).

Plans under way to recruit homefront pioneers

The National Teaching Committee has begun to lay plans for a continuous, systematic effort to recruit and train homefront pioneers.

"This comes at a time when we're seeing increased interest in homefront pioneering as expressed by many local communities and at the National Convention," says Cap Cornwell, secretary of the National Teaching Committee. "There is also an increased need for pioneers, especially in South Carolina, South Dakota and southern Georgia, to help consolidate last year's successful teaching efforts."

The new program will be patterned after the successful international pioneering program of the International Goals Committee. A number of institutes will be held throughout the Six Year Plan to introduce prospective homefront pioneers to the special nature of their task.

"The more strenuous the effort exerted daily and methodically," Shoghi Effendi wrote in Citadel of Faith (p. 155), "by the individual laboring on the home front to rise to loftier heights of consecration, of self-abnegation, to contribute, through pioneering at home... the lighter will be the burden of the impending contest that must be waged, sooner or later... between the rising institutions of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic divinely appointed Order, and the exponents of obsolescent doctrines and the defenders, both secular and religious, of a corrupt and fast-declining society."

As a first step in preparing for the homefront pioneering workshops, two consultations were held with homefront pioneers to gain a clearer understanding of the role of the homefront pioneer in supporting the growth and development of a local community.

The first of these was held March 15-16 at the Native American Bahá’í Institute, with 17 pioneers attending; the second took place March 22-23 in Rapid City, South Dakota, with 13 believers in attendance.

At each, there was considerable consultation about the development of the new Bahá’í communities, as well as about how to involve new Bahá’ís in a study of the writings.

The consultations with homefront pioneers will be followed by additional meetings and discussions with the International Goals Committee before the program for homefront pioneers is put in place, tentatively by late summer or early fall.

In the meantime, the National Teaching Committee is compiling a list of individuals who are interested in homefront pioneering, and a list of localities seeking homefront pioneers.

Interested individuals or communities should contact the Teaching Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center or phone 312-869-9039 for more information.

S.C. communities work together to present statement

The Spiritual Assemblies of Cross and South Berkley County, South Carolina, have been working together to present the peace statement to local officials, and have held several joint deepenings on the statement.

Thus far, the peace statement has been presented to:

• The mayors of Goose Creek, St. Stephens and Moncks Corner.
• State Senator Rembert Dennis.
• The sheriff of Berkley County.
• Many officials and leaders of thought in Berkley County and Moncks Corner.

Other presentations are being planned for teachers, educators, judges and the local chief of police.

SEVEN YEAR PLAN TEACHING SUMMARY

Enrollments during the Seven Year Plan 1979-1986:

5000 4500 4000 3770 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500

4267 4889 2695 2284 2793 5059

1979-1980 1980-1981 1981-1982 1982-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986

• • Assemblies**

Assembly goal (Seven Year Plan): 1,750 Local Assemblies formed: 1,785 Assemblies on Indian Reservations (goal: 50): 62

The number of Assemblies for the Seven Year Plan is based on the number formed before Ridván, 1986. This represents the inclusion of two Assemblies that formed in the closing hours of the Seven Year Plan—Bismarck, North Dakota, and Oak Brook, Illinois—which then re-formed at Ridván. Congratulations to these and all other local Spiritual Assemblies formed during the Seven Year Plan.

The total number of Assemblies formed at Ridván 1986 based on telephone reports from districts is 1,737. This total will be subject to change based on the receipt of Assembly election forms from local communities. While a loss of 48 Assemblies occurred, this represents only a 2 percent drop at the Riḍván elections. Between the end of the Five Year Plan and the start of the Seven Year Plan, Assembly totals dropped from 1,489 to 1,400, a 6 percent loss.

• • New Bahá’ís**

Seven Year Plan goal: "unprecedented increase" Since Ridván (1985): 5,059 Total for entire Seven Year Plan (adults and youth): 25,757

At the start of the Seven Year Plan there were 75,448 believers in the American Bahá’í community. With the addition of 25,757 new Bahá’ís during the course of the Plan, along with deaths and withdrawals, the total membership is now 97,557.

The first individuals to enroll in the Faith during the Plan have now been Bahá’ís for seven years! To them, and to their brothers and sisters recently enrolled in the last few days of the Plan, we extend a loving welcome as we begin an exciting new Six Year Plan and a new epoch in the development of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

Prepared by the National Teaching Committee May 1, 1986

WLGI renews invitation to join its 'record club'

WLGI-Radio Bahá’í extends its invitation to Bahá’ís from around the U.S. to join its unique record club.

The club is different from most other such clubs because instead of receiving records from the club, you send them to the club!

It's a great way to make extra contributions to the Faith, to take part in the activities of WLGI, and to help keep the station's expenses down.

Here's how the club works. Simply call or write WLGI and let them know how many albums you can contribute (it could be one a month, one each year, or a one-time-only donation).

They'll get in touch with you and give you the name of an album that's needed. Once it is received, you'll be sent an acknowledgment including a receipt for an "in-kind" contribution.

As an extra incentive, WLGI is holding a "Name the Record Club" contest. Send your suggestion for a name for this crazy record club. If your entry is the one chosen, you'll receive a free WLGI T-shirt and other goodies.

Here are some of the Bahá’ís who have joined the club so far: Anayatollah Behjat, Rowland Heights, California; Pierre A.A. Croonenberghs Jr., Greensboro, North Carolina; Harlene Finn, Evanston, Illinois; Kenyon Foroughi-Gross, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Kimber Richter, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Phelan family, Greensboro, South Carolina; Luann Scribani, Ridgewood, New York.

For more information, write to WLGI-Radio Bahá’í, Route 2, Box 71A, Hemingway, SC 29554, or phone 803-558-2977.

Teaching and peace

"In connection with your teaching work; what the Guardian wishes you to particularly emphasize in all your talks is the supreme necessity for all individuals and nations in this day to adopt in its entirety the social program given by Bahá’u’lláh for the reconstruction of the religious, economic and political life of mankind. He wishes you to explain and analyze the elements that help in raising this Divine World Order in the light of the present-day events and conditions in the world. Special stress, he feels, should be laid on the impending necessity of establishing a super-national, and sovereign world-state, as the one described by Bahá’u’lláh. With the world becoming increasingly subject to tumults and convulsions never experienced before, the realization of such a necessity is entering into the consciousness of not only the wise and learned, but of the common people as well. The believers should, therefore, seize this opportunity and make a supreme effort to present, in a convincing and eloquent language, those social and humanitarian teachings of the Faith which we believe to constitute the sole panacea for the innumerable ills afflicting our present-day world." (November 15, 1935) [Page 12]

Photo Vignettes

Some photographic vignettes from the 77th Bahá’í National Convention: (1) As always, the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears had 'the answer' to any problems his listeners were experiencing, which he is about to 'unlock' for them. (2) Counselor Robert Harris introduces a diminutive Cambodian friend, Many Mann, who (3) performs a classic dance from her country, much to the delight of everyone present. (4) A view of some of the audience in the ballroom of the McCormick Inn in Chicago where the Convention was held. (5) Vocalist Donna Kime belts out a lively jazz tune while baritone saxophonist Marvin (Doc) Holliday supplies the accompaniment. (6) Music with a country flavor was also very much in evidence with singer-guitarist Mary Davis shown here.

77th Bahá’í National Convention

Accompanying the letter was a gift of 189 red roses from Bahá’ís imprisoned in Iran as a token of appreciation for the U.S. Bahá’í community's efforts on their behalf.

Friday afternoon was also the occasion for a dramatic multi-media review of the Seven Year Plan entitled "Emergence from Obscurity: An American Perspective."

After supper, the broad outline of the Six Year Plan was formally presented to the delegates and guests.

Mr. Sears addressed the Convention that same evening, saying that his call for 20,000 contributions to the National Fund in the 20 days from March 2-21 had been surpassed with 27,431 contributions recorded by the Office of the Treasurer.

The $540,000 contributed during that period helped raise the total for the fiscal year to a record $7.5 million, an increase of 108 percent above the $3.6 million contributed in 1979, the first year of the Seven Year Plan.

Mr. Sears challenged his audience to arise as one soul to serve the Faith—and to help them solve any problems they might encounter, he brought with him "The Answer," a large and mysterious box festooned with a red ribbon and a large padlock.

At the end of his talk Mr. Sears opened the box and released about 50 colorful balloons, each of which was inscribed with the single word "Teach."

To the Universal House of Justice

Your loving messages of guidance, the presence of beloved Hands of the Cause Khadem and Sears, along with Counselors Brady, Harris and Schechter, as well as the love expressed through the words and roses (189) sent to us by our stalwart Persian brothers and sisters have deeply moved our hearts and challenged each of us to action.

Inspired by the success of our Seven Year Plan and aware of the potential for national, local and individual growth that the Six Year Plan offers, we confidently launch the fourth epoch of the Formative Age.

As we embark on this Plan, a Plan conceived through the participation of individuals on all levels of our administrative order, our hearts are filled with joy at our opportunities and we feel assured that with your loving prayers and the continued blessings of Bahá’u’lláh, we will succeed.

With much love and gratitude, 77th National Bahá’í Convention May 3, 1986

From the Universal House of Justice

Your Convention message joyfully received. Greatly pleased happy resolute spirit evoked by large attendance, by loving gesture beleaguered Iranian friends, by varied inspiring features marking triumphal conclusion Seven Year Plan and confident beginning new Six Year Plan. Dynamic participation Hands Cause Khadem Sears and three Continental Counselors gratefully noted. Rest assured our supplications Holy Threshold that he who watches over special destiny highly prized American Bahá’í community may release fresh outpouring divine confirmations your noble sacrificial continuous strivings in His Name enable you achieve unscaled heights service garner untold abundance victories.

Universal House of Justice May 4, 1986

Convention Report

On Saturday morning the delegates, 163 of whom were present at the Convention, were taken by bus to the House of Worship in Wilmette, there to elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly for 1986-87.

Those elected are Dr. Robert Henderson, Judge James Nelson, Judge Dorothy Nelson, Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Soo Fouts, Chester Kahn, Dr. William Maxwell, Dr. William Davis, and Dr. Alberta Deas.

This year's non-delegate session was a mini-conference of its own with seven workshop sessions covering the following topics:

• The major themes of the Six Year Plan.
• The Bahá’í Youth Movement: retrospect and prospect.
• The Six Year Plan goals for international assistance.
• The dimensions of unity.
• Social and economic development and the Six Year Plan.
• Fostering equality of the sexes.
• True integration: The challenges of creating a world culture and civilization.

Each workshop was presented twice, in the morning and afternoon, with special afternoon sessions conducted in Persian.

The National Youth Committee arranged special sessions for youth and pre-youth including a Friday morning discussion of the "Bahá’í Youth Movement" and an address that evening by Counselor Harris.

Classes and other activities for younger children were conducted by a task force coordinated by Janice Lever, a member of the National Teaching Committee's staff at the Bahá’í National Center.

Saturday evening was set aside for a gala celebration of the Seven Year Plan victories with music ranging from gospel, jazz and country to classical Persian as performed by santour virtuoso Kiu Haghighi.

Among the many show-stoppers was a classic Cambodian dance by nine-year-old Many Mann whose delicate grace and winsome smile quickly captivated the large and enthusiastic audience.

Other performers included "Wildfire" (Wilfred Johnson and Mary Davis); vocalist Susan Engle and drummer Rudi Fox; the "Improv Blues Quintet" with vocalist Donna Kime; and Gospel singers from South Carolina and other areas who had many in the audience on their feet and "Marching to the Kingdom" in a rousing finale to the evening's entertainment.

The Sunday morning session, in which Mr. Khadem, Mr. Sears and the three Counselors participated, was charged with emotion as Maria Azadullah Zadeh, a Bahá’í from Iran whose mother, grandfather, aunt and uncle were martyred, addressed the Convention, saying her relatives had been "pillars of the castle of Bahá’u’lláh" and urging the friends to redeem their sacrifice by exerting even greater efforts in the Path of God.

Afterward, the Counselors presented a single rose from the Bahá’ís of Iran to the delegates, each of whom promised to take it home and urge those in his or her district to perform some heroic service to the Cause in return.

As the Convention reached its close at the McCormick Inn chartered buses were waiting to take the delegates and others back to the House of Worship for a devotional service dedicated to the Six Year Plan.

Many remained afterward for a program in Foundation Hall at which a large four-panel "Peace Tapestry" by Vicki Hu Poirier of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was formally unveiled.

Among the fabric techniques used in the 7- by 25-foot tapestry are appliqué, reverse appliqué, needlepoint, petit point, hand weaving, silk embroidery, crewel embroidery, silk painting, bead work, tatting, needle lace, machine embroidery, commercial machine floral embroidery, yarn flowers, ribbon work, batik, hand spinning of yarn, and soft sculpture.

The tapestry, in which are incorporated the main themes of the Universal House of Justice's peace statement, uses authentic clothing and other materials from many parts of the world and took an estimated 500 hours to complete. [Page 13]

The 77th National Convention: A pictorial remembrance

YOUTH YEAR OF SERVICE

UPON OUR EFFORTS DEPENDS IN VERY LARGE MEASURE THE FATE OF HOMANTY

(1) Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, delivers the annual report of the Office of External Affairs.

(2) The many booths at the Convention were a good place to renew old acquaintances and discuss important matters pertaining to the Faith.

(3) The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem welcomes delegates and guests to the Convention at Thursday evening's opening session.

(4) Candace Moore, who has a smile and a pleasant word for everyone, helps a customer at the Subscriber Service booth.

(5) A highlight of the Saturday evening musical celebration: Gospel singers from South Carolina and other areas lead the way as members of the audience begin 'Marching to the Kingdom.'

(6) A delegate casts her ballot for the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

(7) The Hand of the Cause William Sears admires the flowers sent by Bahá’í prisoners in Iran.

(8) It's Donna Kime again, this time performing a duet with fluegelhornist Warren Kime.

(9) The age of electronics wasn't overlooked; here, one of the Convention's younger participants tries his hand at a Bahá’í 'true-false quiz' on a personal computer.

(10) The view from onstage as vocalist Susan Engle leads a Saturday evening sing-along.

(11) Music with an Eastern flavor: santour virtuoso Kiu Haghighi of Glenview, Illinois, has the audience spellbound as he displays his remarkable command of the instrument. [Page 14]

Women: Extracts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice

In early May the compilation on women arrived at the Bahá’í Distribution Service and is now available for sale. Women—A Compilation sells for $2 and contains a number of quotations from Bahá’u’lláh on the station of women that have never before been translated into English. A second compilation, this one on the Huqúqu’lláh, is being prepared with an introduction by the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muḥammad Varqá. It is hoped that this eagerly awaited compilation will be available this month or early in July.

Many of the nearly 1,700 Bahá’ís who attended this year's 77th Bahá’í National Convention at the McCormick Inn in Chicago took time to browse at the Bahá’í bookstore, taking careful note of a number of new books and compilations that are now available along with many of the old favorites from years gone by, some of which were being offered at special sale prices. Especially popular this year were materials dealing with peace such as the compilation 'Peace: More Than an End to War' and the newly released 'World Peace and World Government.'

Publishing Trust, Distribution Service reach sales milestones, break new ground in relations with publishers around world

The last year of the Seven Year Plan saw the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and its Distribution Service reach significant milestones. Both branches finished the year with sales far ahead of the goals set at Ridván 142 B.E. As a result, both ended the Seven Year Plan on firm financial ground.

142 B.E. was the first full year in which the Trust and Distribution Service operated as separate financial entities, and the result was a profitable operation for both divisions.

"The success of the Trust and Distribution Service," says Terrill Hayes, acting general manager, "was in large part attributable to the publications produced by the Trust. Several new compilations produced over the last two years have been among our sales leaders.

"Included among these compilations," he says, "were Unrestrained as the Wind, which was produced in cooperation with the National Youth Committee; Unto Him Shall We Return; Bahá’í DayBook; and Peace: More Than an End to War.

"Publishing compilations such as these is much different than editing a manuscript from an author," says Mr. Hayes. "You must first decide on the form of the book and the theme that will be pursued, then find the quotations from the Writings which fall within the general outline. This places a much greater burden on the editorial staff of the Trust.

"We've been especially pleased with the response to these compilations, which have been reprinted once or even twice since their publication. The Trust is certainly looking to produce more of this kind of book during the Six Year Plan.

"In the last year," says Mr. Hayes, "work was completed on the revised, re-translated and updated version of The Divine Art of Living, a book that has been a valuable teaching and deepening tool for nearly 40 years. A prayer was also added and translations updated when the children's prayer book O God, Guide Me! was reprinted this year."

Corrections, new prayers and an index were added to the latest reprint of Bahá’í Prayers, and The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh was also reprinted during the last year.

"While the Trust was finding success with its new titles," says Mr. Hayes, "the Distribution Service was breaking new ground in its relations with publishers of Bahá’í materials all over the world.

"Perhaps the most important development was the establishment of a new level of cooperation with the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom. An agreement on distribution was reached that will make many more titles from England available to Bahá’ís in the U.S.

The number of National Assemblies that are publishing books and other materials in English is growing," Mr. Hayes observes. "We'll be making available these quality publications—many at very low cost—through the Distribution Service."

Amex phone orders are now accepted

Individuals who order books by phone may now charge orders to their American Express cards. The Distribution Service now accepts American Express charges as a convenience to customers who have requested this service. Both VISA and MasterCard have been accepted for telephone orders for a number of years.

"Now that we have eliminated postage charges to our customers," says marketing manager Robert Blum, "we expect to find that many more people will want to place telephone orders.

"We encourage our customers to place larger orders so that the postage costs we incur won't be too high in relation to the cost of the books.

"If we find that our postage costs are too high," he says, "it may be necessary to set a minimum amount for orders, and that's something we really hope to avoid."

Order Form

• The Bahá’í Faith in America, HC - $19.95
• The Divine Art of Living, SC - 7.95
• O God, Guide Me!, SC - 3.75
• Peace: More Than an End to War, HC - 16.00
• Peace: More Than an End to War, SC - 8.95
• The Six Year Plan, SC - .75
• Unrestrained as the Wind, SC - 7.95
• Unto Him Shall We Return, SC - 7.95
• Women—A Compilation, SC - 2.00
• World Peace and World Government, SC - 2.50

[Page 15]

The Six Year Plan

6

New column to emphasize aims, goals of new global Plan

In the Seven Year Plan, emphasis was placed on the Creative Word (the writings of Bahá’u’lláh) as a means of our demonstrating the posi- tive effects of the Bahá’í way of life and on the development of Bahá’í literature for our children. From 1979 through Riḍván 1986 we featured on the Bahá’í Publishing Trust page in The American Bahá’í a column highlighting various volumes of the Creative Word and suggesting ways in which they could be used in our teaching and deepening.

In addition, we gave special attention to producing new books and materials for children, and established, with money from the sale of the leather-bound prayer book, a fund to subsidize (and thus lower the sell- ing cost) of such materials.

In the new Six Year Plan, even more goals relate to the use of Bahá’í literature. Goal No. 3 is entirely devoted to an increase in the produc- tion, distribution and use of Bahá’í literature. Other goals contain sub- points that encourage us to see Bahá’í literature as an essential compo- nent of our spiritual development and that suggest the importance of us- ing Bahá’í literature as we mature as a community.

In studying and meditating on the goals related to publishing, we at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust have been struck by the fact that although Bahá’í literature has certainly always played a crucial role in Bahá’í life, we are all as a community challenged to use our Bahá’í literature in the fulfillment of our goals and dreams.

Hence we have decided to expand the Creative Word column to ex- plore ways in which books produced by the Publishing Trust and other Bahá’í institutions can be used to help win the goals of the Six Year Plan. We hope to challenge us all to find new and even more creative ways to use our precious Bahá’í literature. In doing so, we welcome your comments and feedback during the exciting months and years ahead.

If you haven't yet ordered your copy of The Six Year Plan, we suggest that you order the booklet, which is our road map leading to 1992. This booklet, available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service at 75 cents each or 10 for $5, provides us with a handy reference to the inspiration and information we need as we move resolutely into the new Plan.

Next month we'll begin our exploration of specific titles and how they relate to the goals of the Six Year Plan. We look forward to your par- ticipation in this adventure.

Customers praise newly restructured edition of old favorite Divine Art of Living

One of the most talked about books at this year's National Con- vention was the new edition of The Divine Art of Living.

As customers passed by the dis- play of the handsome new book some were heard to say, "I've been waiting for this book to re- turn for a long time," or, "This is the best book for seekers I've ever found," or, "Isn't the cover love- ly?" or, "I wonder what makes it different from the old edition."

The fact is that The Divine Art of Living is significantly different from its precursor, last revised in 1960. The new edition has been re- structured and updated for the 1980s.

Two new chapters have been added—one on marriage and one on the day in which we live—and many of the original passages were replaced by new translations.

In addition, the new material included in the revised edition deals with the family and with the regeneration of society.

Yet The Divine Art of Living re- mains one of the best compila- tions of the writings dealing with individual spiritual growth. It has retained the qualities that en- deared it to so many Bahá’ís and their friends in earlier decades while now providing a focus on the needs of the present.

"My mother would have been the first to approve the changes," says Sylvia Parmelee, daughter of Mabel Hyde Paine, who produced the compilation in the 1930s to meet the needs of that era, when there were few Bahá’í books and even fewer compilations available.

To order your copy of the new edition of The Divine Art of Liv- ing, see the coupon on the Dis- tribution Service page.

The Divine Art of Living

The new edition of The Divine Art of Living is now available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service in softcover only for $7.95.

Children's prayer book draws warm response

The new edition of the child- ren's prayer book O God, Guide Me! has evoked comments from a number of parents and educators about the relationship between prayer and child development and education.

The following remarks were gleaned from telephone interviews with Bahá’ís from various parts of the country.

From a Montessori teacher who has also worked with handicapped children:

"When we help to guide a young heart to supplication, we are helping it develop a depen- dence on God—a dependence that will eventually be there without thinking.

"In the new edition of O God, Guide Me! there is a newly trans- lated prayer that asks God to be- stow upon the child a 'pure heart, like unto a pearl.' This pearl will become more and more lustrous with supplication.

"The prayers and illustrations in O God, Guide Me! are full of concrete imagery. They help the child see the relationship between saying prayers and acquiring spir- itual attributes and conditions, such as obedience to God, assis- tance, protection, healing, purity of heart, and spiritual education.

"When the child learns to ask for God's help to develop these qualities, a feeling of love and reverence for the Creator grows. The child then learns to talk to God about practical reality.

"O God, Guide Me! has an ap- peal for the younger child—third grade and below—and is very helpful for the classroom teacher. When we use this book to nurture the child's link with God, we are participating in his spiritual pres- ent and future."

From a mother, educator and co-author of a series of books for mothers in Africa:

"Not only do prayers help at- tune the new soul to its spiritual reality and to God, they also es- tablish the spiritual bond between mother and child.

"Prayers are associated affec- tively with love, warmth, solace and nurturing. When we put chil- dren to bed at night with prayers, we are encapsulating them in the bosom of God's love as mani- fested by the mother and father.

"After we teach the children to read and recite the prayers, they develop a natural response to prayer, which in turn becomes a habit over a long period of time.

"When everyone in a family shares this habit, it is very rein- forcing. Saying prayers together can unify a family in a way that no other activity does; this offers a protection for the family in a so-ciety that is divisive.

"Our family loves O God, Guide Me! with its beautiful and dignified illustrations. The prayers help to teach our children about symbolism and metaphor. Prayer is the highest form of language. What a gift it is to introduce this language to our children."

From a third-grade teacher and parent:

"Giving the child a tool to use in times of difficulty can help him develop some independence from the forces around him, such as his peers.

"Through turning to God, a child can also learn that there is something beyond his parents— someone to turn to when there are problems at home, for example. This relates to the process of in- vestigating truth independently, developing spiritual habits, and acquiring a reliance on God.

"Children are innately suscep- tible to spiritual growth, and are not bound up by logic. If they don't grow up with a belief in God, it is much harder to develop later. When we nurture our child- ren with prayers, we help build a

O God, Guide Me!

O God, Guide Me! is available from the Bahá’í Distribution Ser- vice for $3.75; Bahá’í DayBook for $3.75; and The Divine Art of Living for $7.95. We welcome your comments about these or other books for children.

TRUST'S PEACE COMPILATION IS MOST EXHAUSTIVE TO DATE

Question: So many new ma- terials are coming out on peace that I'm becoming confused by all of the options. Can you tell me the difference between your new peace compilation and the one published by the Bahá’í Publish- ing Trust of the United Kingdom?

BPT: The new peace compila- tion created by the Research De- partment of the Universal House of Justice and published by the Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom is entitled Peace. The 45-page compilation includes se- lections from the Bahá’í writings, letters of Shoghi Effendi, and messages from the Universal House of Justice. It is now avail- able from the Bahá’í Distribution Service for $2.95.

Our book, Peace: More Than an End to War, is a 308-page com- pilation that includes many of the references in the smaller compila- tion. It is the most exhaustive compilation to date of the Bahá’í writings on peace. Part 1 includes the peace statement from the Uni- versal House of Justice. Part 2 is a compilation of Bahá’í writings organized to support the five sec- tions of the peace statement. Part 3 contains prayers for peace and unity. This structure allows the reader to see the broad Bahá’í vis- ion of world peace and then to focus on many of the specific, concrete aspects of it with pas- sages from the writings.

Peace: More Than an End to War includes a foreword by Counselor Peter Khan, an appen- dix with information about the Faith by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, a glossary of Bahá’í terms, ref- erences, a bibliography, and an in- dex.

The compilation was designed with both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í readers in mind. Bahá’ís can use it as a deepening tool and as a pre- sentation gift for dignitaries, li- braries, organizations and seek- ers, perhaps in follow-up to the peace statement.

We hope that individual Bahá’ís and communities will take advan- tage of all of the new resources on peace that are available. These tools will help us understand the breadth and depth of our teach- ings on peace, prepare us for our role in achieving peace, and pro- vide us with appropriate books and materials to give to others.

Peace: More Than an End to War is available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service in hardcover at $16 and in softcover at $8.95.

Peace MORE THAN AN END TO WAR

One of the special events at this year's National Convention book- store was the appearance of au- thor Robert Stockman, who auto- graphed copies of The Bahá’í Faith in America: Origins, 1892- 1900 for the friends. The book is available, in hardcover only, for $19.95 through the Bahá’í Dis- tribution Service.

How to order

To order any titles listed on this page, individuals living anywhere in the world should see the Bahá’í Distribution Ser- vice coupon below.

Bahá’í institutions outside the contiguous 48 states should order directly from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 16]

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified notices in The Amer-ican Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Because of this, no-tices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or com mercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been ap-proved by the National Spiritual Assembly; the friends should exer-cise their own judgment in re-sponding to them.

EMPLOYMENT

THE BAHÁ’Í World Center is continuing its search for qualified individuals to serve in a variety of positions in the Holy Land. Among the immediate needs are these: administrative assistants/ executive secretaries; cook/kitch-en supervisor; electrician; iron worker; professional gardeners; indexer. Also, there are a number of positions for which an ongoing need exists. Positions that require individuals who are available for short-term employment (up to one year) include interns for the Arch-ives office, garden helpers, and janitorial and security staff (18 months). Other positions that re-quire a commitment of two and one-half years or possibly longer include carpenter, plumber, mason/plasterer, painter, auto-motive mechanic, curator, general office helper, and bookkeeper. We strongly encourage any of the friends who possess the necessary skills and have a desire to serve at the World Center now or in the future to contact Karen Cren-shaw, Department of Human Re-sources, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312- 869-9039.

SUMMER jobs at the Green Acre Bahá’í School: cooks, inn-keeper, program directors for adult, youth and children's pro-grams, registrars, librarian, book sales, kitchen, housekeepers. Please contact the Green Acre Ba-há’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.

WE NEED you... to serve in a variety of positions at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette. As you explore your role in the Six Year Plan, please consider service at the National Center. We are presently taking applications for the following positions: adminis-trator, Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office; Fund develop-ment officer, Office of the Treas-urer; director, Office of Public In-formation; secretarial assistant, Persian/American Affairs Office; administrative assistant, Interna-tional Goals Committee Office; pioneer consultant, International Goals Committee Office. For fur-ther information and/or an appli-cation, contact Karen Crenshaw, Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, Wil-mette, IL 60091, or phone 312- 869-9039.

GENERAL MANAGER Bahá’í Publishing Trust

This individual will be re-sponsible for the general oper-ations of the Publishing Trust in Wilmette. Duties include budgeting, staffing and plan-ning. Experience in a manager-ial position in a small- to medium-size company is neces-sary with a background in mar-keting, finance and human re-sources preferred. Please send resumés no later than July 1 to the Department of Human Re-sources, Bahá’í National Cen-ter, Wilmette, IL 60091.

THE OFFICE of the U.S./UN Representative to the United Na-tions is seeking a qualified indi-vidual to serve as an administra-tive assistant to help the Rep-resentative prepare for briefings, conferences and special projects. Types correspondence, maintains files and office accounts. High energy, good verbal and written skills, typing of at least 55 wpm are essential, as are basic ac-counting skills. College degree is desirable. Please send resumé to Shiva Tavana, UN Representa-tive, Bahá’ís of the United States, New York, NY 10017.

THE BAHÁ’Í International Community at the United Nations in New York City is seeking qual-ified persons to fill two key posi-tions: special assistant in human rights and administrative assis-tant. For more information and an application, please write di-rectly to the Bahá’í International Community, UN Office, New York, NY 10017.

THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School is taking applications for intern positions in maintenance, food service and "Reflections" sales. Intern positions entail living at Louhelen and receiving room, board and a weekly stipend for other living expenses. Positions are full-time. Length of service depends on the needs of the school and the Louhelen Resi-dential College. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age. This is a marvelous opportunity to help in developing the Residential College and other services at Louhelen. Please send a letter and resumé to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

WORK-study program at Green Acre: work one week, study one week. For youth and adults. Con-tact the Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.

PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

HOMEFRONT pioneers: North-west Arizona has no Assemblies or active Bahá’í Groups. Mohave County has three incorporated cities and no Assembly. Greater Kingman (pop. about 22,000) is the county seat, 45 minutes from the Colorado River, 12 miles from a lovely mountain park. Fresh air, sunshine, low crime rate. Write to Gloria B. Troy, Kingman, AZ 86401, or phone 602-753-9422.

HOMEFRONT pioneers: Meadville, Arizona, two hours from Las Vegas, two hours from Kingman, and a few minutes from a lake, is an ideal retirement com-munity. Lots sell for about $4,500 and one can put a mobile home on them. The community has no res-ident Bahá’ís. For information about any area in Mohave County and a tour of the area, write to Gloria B. Troy, Kingman, AZ 86401.

NATIVE Americans who are interested in attending a chiro-practic college may be eligible for a four-year tuition scholarship to Western States Chiropractice Col-lege in Portland, Oregon. The scholarship award of approxi-mately $25,000 will be given to a Native American who has indicat-ed an interest in chiropractic health care and intends to practice in a Native American community upon graduation. The Indian Stu-dent Project is part of a three-year federal grant awarded by the Health and Human Services De-partment to Western States in 1983. Applicants must be of Na-tive American heritage (defined as one-fourth or greater Indian blood) and complete the scholar-ship application by July 15. For more information, contact the Fi-nancial Aid Office, Western States Chiropractic College, Portland, OR 97230 (phone 503-256-3180).

BLACK Mountain, North Ca-rolina, awaits you city dwellers looking for the right opportunity to escape. Clean air, the highest mountains in the Southeast, a moderate climate, and employ-ment in nearby Asheville compete with the attraction of being able to help save a jeopardized Assembly. Please write to Happy Dobbs, Black Mountain, NC 28711, or phone 704-669-5537.

IOWA invites you to become a homefront pioneer and open new areas of Iowa to the Faith. Storm Lake: population 10,000, in northwestern Iowa, home of Buena Vista College (4-year, coed, liberal arts, enrollment 950). Storm Lake is also home of a 3,200-acre water playground with beaches and a center of agribusi-ness in the area. Fort Dodge: population 30,000, in west-central lowa less than two hours from the state capital, Des Moines; known as Agri-Center U.S.A., a retail center for communities in a 60- mile radius. Has a community col-lege, a number of major manufac-turers and other large employers. Please write to the Iowa District Teaching Committee, P.O. Box 63, New Liberty, IA 52765, or phone the committee secretary, 319-843-3382.

VAN HORN, a small West Texas town, needs school teach-ers. Teachers receive bonuses to work in this remote town. Many stay only a few years, which creates a need every year at this time. What is more important, the District Teaching Committee of West Texas and Southern New Mexico has a great need for home-front pioneers here. Write to Tim Mullen, Las Cruces, NM 88001, and we'll put you in touch with the right people.

HOMEFRONT pioneers: Do-lan Springs, Arizona (pop. 2,500), which has no Bahá’ís at present, is great for people who love horses or want an acre or more of ranch land. Clear air, mild climate, hot in summer. For information, write to Gloria B. Troy, Kingman, AZ 86401, or phone 602-753-9422.

HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed in Pitkin County, Colo-rado, in the heart of the Elk Mountains in beautiful Roaring Fork Valley, 30 miles from Glen-wood Springs, site of the annual commemoration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit in 1912. Pitkin Coun-ty has skiing, a Music Festival and other cultural events, hiking and backpacking in the summer, many low-paying jobs and plenty of op-portunities to teach the Faith. Temporary housing is available for single women until they can get established. Contact the two-member Bahá’í Group of Pitkin County, Snowmass, CO 81654, or phone Janet Coester, 303-927-3036.

TEACHERS: street teachers, door-to-door, coffee shop, laun-dromat-however you teach, we need and want you in Kingman, Arizona, where much work has already been done and many peo-ple are aware of the Faith. Also needed is a homefront pioneer who can consolidate and pull to-gether the work that has been done. Floor sleeping space for two. If you have sleeping bags, can sleep in the backyard of Mohave County Bahá’ís. For in-formation or a tour, write to Gloria B. Troy, Kingman, AZ 86401, or phone 602-753-9422.

THE IOWA District Teaching Committee invites you to become a homefront pioneer to central Iowa, home of the Sac-Fox (Mes-quakie) Indians, who live on their own 3,300-acre tract of land near Tama-Toledo, the twin cities of Iowa. There may be possibilities for teaching at the Indian Settle-ment School, which offers classes through grade five, or at the local elementary, junior high or high schools. Tama-Toledo is in the heart of Iowa, surrounded by lovely farm lands, an hour's drive from any of the three state uni-versities at Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Falls. For information, write to the Iowa District Teach-ing Committee, P.O. Box 63, New Liberty, IA 52765, or phone the committee secretary, 319-843- 3382.

BAHÁ’Í chiropractor is needed in Walsenburg, a town of about 5,000 in southeastern Colorado nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 45 minutes from the northern border of New Mexico and one and one-half hours south of Colorado Springs. The Bahá’í community of Walsenburg consists of one full-time resident and one who travels frequently. The town lost its only licensed chiropractor last summer and needs someone who is responsible, consistent, out-going and professional. For more information, write to Judy Ken-nedy Silcock, Silver Scissors, 510 Main St., Walsenburg, CO 81089, or phone 303-738-1060 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

PEACH Springs, Arizona, needs homefront pioneers. One may be able to get a job in the health field or as a teacher. Peach Springs, on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, is an hour from Kingman. Contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or write to the Peach Springs School, Peach Springs, AZ 86434. For a tour of the area, write to Gloria B. Troy, Kingman, AZ 86401.

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

A UNIVERSITY in Nigeria is advertising for electricians, car-penters, plumbers, librarians, a medical officer, radiographer, medical records assistant, assis-tant chief accountant, graphic ar-tist, computer operator, data an-alysts, key punch operator, pur-chasing officer, secretaries, and civil and/or structural engineers. Nigeria is a goal country. For more information, write to the In-ternational Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

TWO universities in Cheong-ju, Korea, are looking for professors in their English and linguistics departments. An advanced degree in English, linguistics, TESL, or a related field is required. The work load is 10 hours per week. Hous-ing may be offered. Knowledge of Korean is not required. For infor-mation, write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í Na-tional Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

THE ISLAND of Yap in the U.S. Trust Territory of the Caro-line Islands needs two high school teachers for the September term. If you are interested in pioneering on a tropical island in the South Pacific, write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í Na-tional Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

A POSITION for a nutrition-ist/dietician is open with the Min-istry of Health on the Caribbean island of Grenada. A registered dietician or someone with a mas-ters degree in public health would qualify. For more information, write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Cen-ter, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

COLEGIO Granadino in Co-lombia is looking for certified ele-mentary school teachers to begin work next February. The school is privately owned and bi-lingual. A comfortable salary is offered with housing and transportation to Co-lombia. If you are interested in this pioneer post, please write to the International Goals Commit-tee, Bahá’í National Center, Wil-mette, IL 60091, or phone 312- 869-9039.

ARUBA, a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, is looking for qualified persons to fill vacancies at its international school for a principal, second and fourth grade teachers, and math and social studies teachers for grades 6-9. A position may also be open for a TESL teacher. For more information about this pio-neer post, write to the Interna-tional Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

ENJOY a summer in the sun on a tropical island in the English-speaking Caribbean. A second "Mona" teaching project is scheduled for the month of Au-gust in Grenada. Cost: travel to Grenada plus food (about $2 U.S. per day). Interested persons should contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í Na-tional Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

UNIVERSIDAD Nur is a new university in the heartland of Bo-livia whose founders and govern-ing board are all Bahá’ís. Now in its second academic year, the ad-ministration of the school is based on Bahá’í principles; the curricula are interdisciplinary and unique in Latin America. The university, recognized by the Universal House of Justice as a social and economic development project, is seeking resumés of qualified pro-fessionals with teaching ex-perience in administration and management, computer sciences, communications, human services, sociology and anthropology, earth and life sciences, ecology, and comparative religion. Fluency in Spanish is a necessity. It is [Page 17]possible to provide service to Nur in its early stages as a short-term visiting scholar, during one's sabbatical leave, or as a Bahá’í pioneer-scholar seeking eventual faculty status. If interested, please send a resumé to Universidad Nur, vice-rector academico, Casilla 3273, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

WANTED

FEATURES and other articles on any topics related to the Faith are needed for possible inclusion in Bahá’í News. Please send to the editor, Bahá’í News, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

INTER-RACIAL pioneer family returning from the West Indies on September 1 is seeking a locality that will meet our needs and use our experience. Needs: to be located (1) near a vibrant community with children's classes and teaching projects; (2) near an adult education program (leading to high school diploma) and community college; (3) near a good pre-school (Montessori, etc.); (4) near prospective employment in management (business) or counseling/mental health fields. Experience: Mass teaching and consolidation; youth and children's activities; media proclamation; administration (National Assembly, local Assemblies, National Teaching Committee, Auxiliary Board, other committees). Contact Richard Pellegrino, c/o National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

WANTED: Information about Eve Nicklin, the "Spiritual Mother of Peru," for a book that is now being written. Please send information to Boris Handal, Peru, South America.

A GROUP of Bahá’ís working at Digital Equipment Corp. are eager to locate other Bahá’ís working for Digital Equipment. We are looking for Bahá’ís to communicate with electronically over the E-net or by other means. If you work for Digital, please contact Mike Register, DTN 225-5848, HL02-3/M10 (E-net address ILM: REGISTER) or Kamran Hakim, DTN 225-6925, HL01-1/E03 (E-net address UNCLE: HAKIM).

WRITERS are needed to contribute essays for two books in the Circle of Unity series from Kalimát Press: Circle of Harmony: The Challenge of Diversity and Circle of Spirit: The Arts and Community. Both books require individuals with experience and knowledge in the field who are willing to research the Writings and relevant materials to produce well-rounded, fresh essays. Circle of Harmony will concentrate on the issue of race unity including black-white, Hispanic and Native American, while Circle of Spirit will offer those with a creative bent to explore the arts, music and literature in light of the Bahá’í teachings. Please send completed manuscripts of 7-10 pages (double-spaced) to Michael Fitzgerald, Winchester, VA 22601.

ARTISTS are wanted to design rubber stamps for Stampinks Unlimited, a graphic rubber stamp company created to offer rubber stamps that relate to Bahá’í subjects, ideas and ideals. We need sharp, clear, black-and-white original drawings depicting or relating to Bahá’í themes. We pay the artist a royalty twice a year and give free stamps of his/her design. A catalog of rubber stamp images (including educational and creative applications and examples) will be made available, and will include a brief biographical/professional sketch of each contributing artist. Please submit art work for consideration to Stampinks Unlimited, Mentor, OH 44060. For more information, include a stamped self-addressed envelope.

WANTED: Any information regarding the whereabouts of three letters allegedly written by V.I. Lenin to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, or His response (one letter) to Lenin. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who even so much as knows that the letters did exist at one time, even if they have no knowledge of their present location. Please contact Mary Hart, Concord, NH 03301.

THE "Reflections" department at the Louhelen Bahá’í School is seeking persons, Groups and/or Assemblies to serve as distributors of the "Mankind Is One" sweatshirts and T-shirts. Distributors will receive compensation. Write to "Reflections," 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

SOON I will attend an Intensive Journal Workshop given by Dr. Ira Progoff and would like to hear from people who are familiar with his ideas. How are you implementing his ideas in your work or in the Bahá’í community? Please write to Marylou Krummenacker, Las Cruces, NM 88001, or phone 505-522-7834.

WANTED: Volunteer staff members for an exciting teaching project in West Chester, Pennsylvania (40 minutes from Philadelphia). Must be dedicated, enthusiastic and have use of a car. Knowledge of Spanish would be useful but is not mandatory. Room and board furnished. Contact Kathie or Virginia Schawacker, West Chester, PA 19382, or phone 215-696-3018.

SWISS psychologist Carl Jung is the focus of my graduate studies. I would like to correspond with people who have met, studied with or studied Dr. Jung's writings and ideas. Do you know his views of the Bahá’í teachings? Write to Marylou Krummenacker, Las Cruces, NM 88001, or phone 505-522-7834.

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking state and district voting lists used in State and District Conventions for the period from 1952-67. Anyone having lists they could donate should contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

WANTED: Original Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the following individuals, with approximate dates of the Tablets: Maude H. Irvine, New York City (1909), Lars Johnson, Chicago (1909), Miss Belle Jorgenson, Baltimore (1910), Jennie Kingsbury, Chicago, Emma Josephine La Pierre, Chicago (1902), Edgar Lucien Larkin, director, Lowe Observatory (1909) and Fanny M. Meadowcraft, New York (1911). Anyone having information about the possible location of any of these Tablets is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

BAHÁ’Í SCHOOLS

ADULT literacy teaching training is scheduled July 27-August 1 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. An intensive training course in the methods of teaching literacy, conducted by Dr. William Diehl. To register, or to obtain more information, see the schools' insert in the April issue of The American Bahá’í or contact the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 313-653-5033).

THE LAND on which the Conifer Hill Bahá’í School was held was returned last October to its original owner and will no longer be operated as a national Bahá’í school. Items, if still in existence, that were given to the Committee/Council will be returned if a request is received by July 15. Cost of shipment should be included with the request and sent to R.J. Harris, P.O. Box 860, Lyons, CO 80540. Information about possible future use of the property may also be requested.

THE GREEN Acre Volunteer Program: Many skills are needed, especially carpentry and painting. Room and board are provided. If you have a weekend or a week to help, please contact the Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.

A COURSE on "Bahá’í Development: The Practical Processes of Transforming Mankind," by Holly Vick, Bahá’í World Center, is available on audio tape. The course examines the Bahá’í concept of development, compares it to other models, places it in the context of the Faith's emergence from obscurity, and explores its prospects for instigating an organic change in human society as a means of building the Bahá’í world commonwealth. Four tapes, $26. Write to Reflections, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA or MasterCard accepted.

HANDS ON!, a workbook of Bahá’í educational activities for children by Sandy and Alonzo Coleman and Diane Bogolub Petit, is available from the Louhelen Bahá’í School. Included are more than 100 practical activities, 178 pages, 80 photos of activities described in the text along with sample record-keeping forms and reproducible activities. The cost, including a three-ring binder, shipping and handling, is $19 (for U.S. orders only). Phone orders with VISA or MasterCard accepted. Write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

HIKE a new horizon this summer on "Quest '86." Backpack for five days in the Black Hills of South Dakota, August 4-9, while deepening on the Creative Word. Space is limited to 20 youth ages 15-21, so make plans early. Contact the South Dakota Bahá’í Schools Committee, c/o Dan Binder, Spearfish, SD 57783, or phone 605-642-4636.

"REFLECTIONS" catalog listing "Mankind Is One" sweatshirts and T-shirts, tapes, books and other Bahá’í-related materials is available at no cost from the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 313-653-5033).

VOLUNTEER workers are needed at the Louhelen Bahá’í School for landscaping and grounds projects, carpentry projects, and major office projects planned for the late spring and summer. Louhelen is seeking a few volunteers to stay at the school during conference sessions and help with these projects. Room and meals provided. For more information or to express your interest, please write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

COULD you receive college credit for working on the Green Acre School's youth or children's program? Excellent experience, good for your resumé. Contact the Green Acre Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 17, Eliot, ME 03903.

A COURSE on "The Forces of Light and Darkness" by Counselor Hooper Dunbar is available on audio cassette. The course examines the origin and operation of these forces, the power of the Creative Word, the interaction of spirit and matter, and presents an analysis of the forces of darkness and of the diffusion of the forces of light. The impact of these forces on the individual and society is explored, as are the Major and Minor Plans of God, the twin processes of integration and disintegration, the purging of one's character and becoming incarnate light. Four tapes, $26. Write to Reflections, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA or MasterCard accepted.

CONFERENCES

INTERESTED in serving the Faith by teaching or working with children? Your talents and abilities are needed to serve our children September 12-14 at the annual Green Lake (Wisconsin) Bahá’í Conference. Contact Laurie Kautz, Lodi, WI 53555, or phone 608-592-5612.

ITEMS AVAILABLE

SPIRITUAL Mothering Journal is a non-profit, Bahá’í-oriented magazine that aims to inspire, support and help parents raise their children as spiritual beings. Themes for 1986 include "Prayer and Meditation," "Music and the Arts," "Domestic Violence," and "Education." The magazine is published quarterly. Subscription rate: $10/year. Write to Gresham, OR 97030.

DO YOU want to make Feasts as meaningful for the children in your community as they are for the adults? The Nineteen Day Feast Lesson Guide for Children, a compilation of easy-to-teach lessons for ages four and up, based on the 19 months of the Bahá’í year, is back in print after being unavailable for several months. Designed to be used during the business portion of Feast only, the guide makes it possible for every adult to share the responsibility of teaching the children on a rotating basis. It's that simple! The guide is a non-profit publication by Bahá’ís in the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP). Copies of the current printing are $12 each (Texas residents add 72 cents sales tax). Please make checks payable to "BCC Publications" and send to Bonnie Wilder/Claude Sellars, Houston, TX 77077.

CHILDREN'S Bahá’í membership cards are available from the Louhelen Bahá’í School. These attractive, wallet-sized cards can be used by Assemblies, District Teaching Committees and parents to strengthen children's sense of Bahá’í identity. Cost: $1 for 15, $2 for 30, $3 for 50. Payment by check, VISA or MasterCard. Write to "Reflections," 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

THE SAN Francisco Alcohol Education Project is preparing a script to be used in filming a video that will focus on certain techniques used in treating family alcoholism. Is your community concerned with this problem? Do you have suggestions for the script content? Do you have a need for education on other issues involving this discipline? Please address comments to the San Francisco Alcohol Education Project, 170 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94103.

World Peace and World Government: A Bahá’í Approach by J. Tyson An outline of the way forward to the Lesser Peace practical answers for those difficult questions. 112 pages, $2.50 from GEORGE RONALD

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50 to: Bahá’í Distribution Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 18]

MAY

The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears leads a triumphant "Victory Celebration" in Kansas as Bahá’ís there prepare to harvest the fruits of their unrivaled teaching/proclamation effort during the "month of firesides" campaign in November 1984.

Mr. Sears and his wife, Marguerite, travel to communities all over Kansas, urging the friends everywhere to keep the teaching fire ablaze.

JAMES NELSON

In response to Mr. Sears' call to "arise and teach," the Kansas District Teaching Committee calls on the National Teaching Committee, the Continental Board of Counselors, Auxiliary Board members, members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and National Center personnel to help them proclaim the Faith during "Bahá’í Victory Month" in Kansas.

The Campaign of Unified Action: assumes a dynamic new dimension. May 24-25 as four members of the Continental Board of Counselors in the Americas, members of the National Spiritual Assembly, 21 Auxiliary Board members, members of national committees and National Center staff assemble at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan to "strengthen the pledge of partnership" forged during the historic first Louhelen meeting the year before.

This year's conference, permeated by the "spirit of Kansas," centers on four components of the Campaign of Unified Action whose challenge to the American Bahá’í community looms as especially important during the closing months of the Seven Year Plan: connecting hearts to Bahá’u’lláh; achieving an unprecedented level of enrollments; attaining unity in diversity; and releasing and fostering individual initiative.

The National Spiritual Assembly begins publishing through its Office of External Affairs a new quarterly newsletter, "U.S. Bahá’í Report," which is aimed at government and United Nations officials and leaders of thought in education, religion, philanthropy and other disciplines.

Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Assembly, is one of more than 100 honored guests at a luncheon held during the annual convention in New York City of the United Nations Association of the United States. Also attending are Bahá’ís Monireh Kazemzadeh, the National Assembly's UN representative, and Mrs. Evelyn Diliberto, president of the UNA chapter in Long Beach, California.

The National Youth Committee reports that as of early May, at least 8,497 trees have been planted by Bahá’í youth in the U.S., about 40 percent of the goal of 20,000 to be planted in memory of the martyrs in Iran during the International Year of Youth.

The Universal House of Justice announces that during the last year of the Seven Year Plan—that is, from April 21, 1985, to April 20, 1986—lapsed Assemblies that achieve adequate strength to regain Assembly status, as well as those that are being established for the first time, may form at any time during the year.

The House of Justice sends a letter dated May 8 to the Bahá’í youth of the world, introducing ideas for meditation and consultation, inspiring the youth and assuring them of the trust and confidence placed in them by the Supreme Body.

Twenty-six Bahá’ís from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey attend an orientation seminar for prospective Public Information consultants May 4-5 at the University of Massachusetts. The conference, conducted by the National Office of Public Affairs, is co-sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Amherst.

JUNE

The Bahá’ís of Kansas begin planning a "Victory Harvest" campaign that is to last through Ridván 1986. Committee members are putting in at least one eight-hour day per week to begin making arrangements for the far-reaching campaign.

The goals of the Victory Harvest, which begins officially the weekend of July 13-14 in Wichita, are (1) to raise up new Spiritual Assemblies; (2) to increase diversity among the Bahá’ís in Kansas; and (3) to double the number of believers in the state.

The Persian/American Affairs Committee announces the production of a new video tape, "For a Drop of the Lover's Blood," designed for use as a catalyst for discussion and consultation in local communities. The tape depicts the efforts of one community to overcome its racial and cultural differences and achieve unity.

About 250 people attend a World Unity Day proclamation event June 9 at Hofstra University, sponsored by the Bahá’ís of the Village of Hempstead, Long Island. Mayor George Milhin of Hempstead sends a proclamation in honor of the event.

ROY JONES

Members of the National Race Unity Committee are among the guests June 8 for a Day of Unity at the People's Church in Chicago sponsored by that city's Race Unity Task Force. The keynote speaker is Dr. Roy Jones, a member of the Race Unity Committee and director of the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina.

About 70 Bahá’ís from nine states including Counselor Farzam Arbáb and Auxiliary Board members Joyce Dahl and Edward Diliberto are present May 31-June 2 at a California Regional Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies held at the Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz.

The Martha Root Conference, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania District Teaching Committee, is held May 31-June 2 at Alliance College in Miss Root's hometown, Cambridge Springs. Keynote speakers are Robert Stockman, author of The Bahá’í Faith in America: Origins, 1892-1900, and Mabel Garis, author of Martha Root: Lioness at the Threshold.

FRED SCHECHTER

The "Fire from Within" group, composed of more than a dozen Bahá’í youth from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, undertakes a 19-day journey through 17 communities en route to the Bahá’í International Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio, stopping along the way to plant trees, paint park equipment, pick up trash, provide free car washes, and visit the elderly and handicapped.

After 10 years as editor of Brilliant Star magazine, Mary K. Radpour steps down and is replaced by Deborah Bley of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

JULY

"Youth Can Move the World" is the rallying cry of more than 3,300 serious-minded young Bahá’ís from 42 countries who gather July 3-7 in Columbus, Ohio, for an International Youth Conference. Joining the youth at the unique "triple conference" are more than 1,200 adults and some 500 children under age 12.

Conferences for parents and children are held simultaneously with the youth conference at Ohio State University. All three events are blessed by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem.

Also taking an active part in each of the conferences are Counselors Farzam Arbáb and Fred Schechter; Hooper Dunbar, a Counselor member of the International Teaching Center in Haifa; and eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

The Faith's emergence from obscurity is underscored by the presence at the conference of two legislators, U.S. Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa and Ohio state Sen. Robert Ney.

To support the National Fund, FUNd runners of all ages log more than 17,000 laps around a 1/8-mile track. The Red Cross, conducting its first blood drive at any conference, is astonished by the number of Bahá’ís who volunteer to give blood.

Canadian Bahá’ís Jack Lenz and Doug Cameron perform at all three conferences, presenting their new video, "Mona with the Children." The song, written and sung by Mr. Cameron, tells the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a 16-year-old Bahá’í who was martyred in Iran.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop presents its uniquely upbeat and modern style of music and dance in a number of communities while traveling cross-country to the conference, and gives two public performances in Columbus, at a shopping mall and on the lawn of the state capitol building.

After the close of the conference, about 65 youth spend Sunday afternoon cleaning up a local park in Columbus, collecting about 250 bags of trash.

Forty-five Bahá’ís are among the more than 14,000 people at the "World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace" held July 15-26 at the Jomo Kenyatta Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The U.S. National Assembly is represented by Dr. Alberta Deas. Also attending are Dr. Magdalene Carney, a Counselor member of the International Teaching Center, and Dr. Jane Faily, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.

Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly and Judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is named co-winner of the Justice Award of the American Judicature Society, a national group of some 30,000 lawyers, judges and lay persons dedicated to improving the country's judicial system. The co-recipient is Fred Friendly, former president of CBS News.

Since "Project Tabarsi" was begun at Ridván in South Carolina, and especially since entering its recent intensive teaching phase, more than 1,500 new believers have been enrolled in the Faith thanks to the efforts of some 130 volunteers, many of whom are youth. As of mid-July, the Regional Teaching Committee reports, eight new Assemblies have been formed in the state.

AUGUST

The National Spiritual Assembly receives from the Universal House of Justice an advance copy of the eagerly awaited statement, "The Promise of World Peace."

The Supreme Body asks that the 12-page statement be made "a matter of serious consideration, conversation and action within and without the Bahá’í community," and directs the National Assembly to: • prepare to present the statement to the country's chief executive; • prepare the believers to undertake the broadest possible proclamation of the statement; and • prepare a media kit to accompany the statement with answers to those questions that are certain to arise as a result of its proclamation.

DOROTHY NELSON

The "Lowell Project," a summer teaching campaign supported by 125 participants from 16 states and 10 countries increases the number of enrolled Bahá’ís in Lowell from 17 to 108 in 40 days. The Lowell community, in an area that had never before sponsored a direct teaching campaign, now boasts the largest Bahá’í population in New England.

The American Veterans Committee of the World Veterans Federation, meeting in Washington, D.C., drafts a resolution on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran that decries "an unparalleled national policy which denies fundamental religious freedom to Iran's 300,000 Bahá’ís" and "labels as 'criminal acts' all Bahá’í teaching and religious activities." The resolution calls on the government of Iran to respect and ensure the rights of all its minorities.

MAGDALENE CARNEY.

• On August 15, the National Spiritual Assembly sends a letter to all regular contributors to the National Fund expressing the Assembly's appreciation for their continued support.

A production crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation visits the Bahá’í National Center, the Louis Gregory Institute, and the Bahá’í Center in New York City to gather material for a 50-minute TV documentary on the Faith to air in October as a part of the BBC's award-winning "Everyman" series.

• More than 600 people from North America, Europe and Africa gather August 15-18 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, for the 10th annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

Fourteen Bahá’ís from seven countries including three from the U.S. are among the 2,300 delegates from 56 countries at the 70th Universal Esperanto Congress in Augsburg, West Germany.

A seven-year effort to proclaim the Cause in Winfield, Kansas, is rewarded in August with the formation of that city's first local Spiritual Assembly.

Some 200 youth from many religious backgrounds including a number of Bahá’ís take part August 2-4 in an Interfaith March for Peace in Oregon. The theme of the 25-mile event is "Youth Can Move the World."

An International Year of Youth proclamation from the mayor of Portland is read along with a letter of encouragement from U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon.

SEPTEMBER

The National Spiritual Assembly, working closely with several of its committees to carry out the wishes of the Universal House of Justice concerning the statement "The Promise of World Peace," mails a study guide to every local Spiritual Assembly and Group in the U.S. to help the friends understand the statement's far-reaching implications for the American Bahá’í community.

Meanwhile, National Treasurer's Representatives from across the country meet in Wilmette over the Labor Day weekend for the eighth annual [Page 19]NTR Training Institute. Task force groups, addressing such issues as "Unified Action" and "Children and the Fund," produce valuable ideas and direction for the future of the NTR program.

On September 5, eight Bahá’í youth leave the U.S. for Cali, Colombia, to begin their Youth Year of Service. Alex Blake, Alex Carlberg, Laura Clayton, Nicole Ewing, Thomas Haanen, Yvonne Kraus, Scott Pflueger and Amy Schechter are the first young Bahá’ís from this country to be chosen for the first project of its kind, initiated by the Universal House of Justice during the International Year of Youth.

"Creating Love and Unity Between Blacks and Whites" is the theme of a keynote address for the Labor Day weekend at the Green Acre Bahá’í School by Dr. Richard Thomas, a professor at Michigan State University and member of the executive committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

"Mona with the Children," a recording by Canadian Bahá’í singer/composer Doug Cameron, is released in the U.S. following a favorable reception in Canada where it ranks 23rd on the pop music charts.

More than 1,000 people including the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem attend the 26th annual Green Lake (Wisconsin) Bahá’í Conference whose theme is "working together to win the goals of the Seven Year Plan and devise preliminary strategies for the Six Year Plan." Among the other speakers are Auxiliary Board member Nat Rutstein; Charles (Cap) Cornwell, secretary of the National Teaching Committee; Bruce Whitmore, administrator of the Bahá’í House of Worship; Duane Dumbleton, a member of the National Race Unity Committee; Katherine Bigelow of the Office of External Affairs; and Kevin Locke, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in South Dakota.

More than 60 Bahá’ís from California, Mexico and as far away as Texas gather over the Labor Day weekend in San Fernando, California, for the first Conference of Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís.

CAP CORNWELL

Some 500 fans, friends and fellow Bahá’ís meet at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center to honor legendary jazz trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie on his 50th anniversary in music. A certificate of commendation from Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles is presented to Mr. Gillespie by Judge James Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.

About 212 Bahá’ís from several states and even from Africa gather in Crossville, Tennessee, over the Labor Day weekend for the sixth annual Tennessee Bahá’í Institute, while at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, more than a thousand people attend three major events in September during Native American Month.

Hugh Chance, a member of the Universal House of Justice, returns to his hometown, Winfield, Kansas, to help celebrate the formation of the town's first local Spiritual Assembly and to take part September 29 in a "World Peace Through Education" conference at Southwestern College. Prior to the conference, the mayor of Winfield proclaims September 29 "Hugh Chance Day" in the town of 10,000.

Also in Kansas, the "Victory Harvest" continues with a goal of at least one direct teaching project every weekend.

DIZZY GILLESPIE

The District Teaching Committee responds to an ad in The American Bahá’í in which the Bahá’ís of Florence, South Carolina, offer to come and teach in return for help in building their Bahá’í Center.

OCTOBER

The Universal House of Justice releases its eagerly awaited statement to the peoples of the world, "The Promise of World Peace," the full text of which appears in the October issues of Bahá’í News and The American Bahá’í.

On October 24, the House of Justice announces the appointment of the Continental Boards of Counselors for the five-year period beginning on the Day of the Covenant, November 26. Named as Counselors for the Americas from the U.S. are Dr. Wilma Brady, Robert Harris and Fred Schechter.

In making the appointments, the Supreme Body pays tribute to 19 devoted Bahá’ís "who are being relieved of the onerous duties of membership on the Boards of Counselors" and who will, "as distinguished servants of the Cause, continue through their outstanding capacities and experience to be sources of stimulation and encouragement to the friends." Among these "distinguished servants of the Cause" are Dr. Sarah Martin Pereira of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Velma L. Sherrill of St. Louis, Missouri.

The National Spiritual Assembly announces that the registration of Bahá’í children is to begin this month. Parents may obtain registration cards from their local Assembly or District Teaching Committee, or may request them directly from the Office of Membership and Records at the Bahá’í National Center.

The tree-planting project sponsored by the National Youth Committee for the International Year of Youth draws recognition from the national and international IYY Commissions while forming new bonds of friendship with offices at the UN and exceeding the goal of planting 20,000 trees in memory of the Dawn-breakers.

In anticipation of public response to the recording and video of "Mona with the Children" by Canadian singer/composer Doug Cameron, the National Assembly names a task force to launch the "Mona Project," intended to help the friends use "Mona" as a teaching tool. The task force is putting together a 40-minute video tape entitled "Working with Mona" to help point the way. Meanwhile, Doug Cameron and his band undertake a cross-country U.S. tour from October 18-November 10, taking the story of Mona to 17 cities in less than a month.

Excavation begins October 8 for construction of the Martha Root Hall at the Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz, California. The hall will bring the school's facilities up to a minimum capacity of 125.

NOVEMBER

The National Spiritual Assembly announces that a Bahá’í International Peace Conference will be held over the 1986 Labor Day weekend in San Francisco, California. Plans are being made to accommodate 5,000 to 7,000 participants.

On November 6, the National Teaching Committee announces that the Seven Year Plan goal of establishing 1,750 local Spiritual Assemblies in the U.S. has been won.

Sixteen days later, the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum, representing the Universal House of Justice, presents a special copy of "The Promise of World Peace" to UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar at UN headquarters in New York City.

On November 17, the Universal House of Justice announces the reinterment of Mirza Muhammad-Quli, the faithful half-brother of Bahá’u’lláh, and 11 members of his family "in a new Bahá’í cemetery on a hillside looking across Lake Kinneret and the hills of Galilee toward the Qiblih of the Faith."

According to the Bahá’í Distribution Service, combined sales of the various editions of "The Promise of World Peace" are approaching 100,000 in only the first two months in which the Universal House of Justice's peace statement has been available.

Bahá’í scholars from as far away as Thailand gather November 21-24 in Los Angeles for that city's third annual Bahá’í History Conference.

DECEMBER

On Tuesday, December 10, President Ronald Reagan receives from the National Spiritual Assembly a copy of the Universal House of Justice's statement, "The Promise of World Peace," during a White House ceremony marking Human Rights Week.

HUGH CHANCE

In his remarks, the President refers to the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, saying, "One of the more tragic cases today is that of the Bahá’ís whose leaders are with us today. The government of Iran is engaged in rampant religious persecution, especially against the Bahá’ís...."

The ceremony caps a 14-month effort by the National Assembly and its Office of External Affairs to set up a meeting with Mr. Reagan, and marks the third year in a row in which the President has mentioned the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran during his Human Rights Week address.

On December 27, President Reagan expresses his thanks in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly for the peace statement and commemorative plate presented to him on December 10, saying in part, "As the battles for freedom and human dignity continue to rage in countries around the world, the United States will remain loyal to the voices of outcry against the suffering of the Bahá’ís and other persecuted peoples and always hold fast to the cause of liberty."

RUHİYYIH KHANUM

Sixty-four Counselors from five continents gather at the World Center in Haifa to discuss with the members of the Universal House of Justice, the International Teaching Center, and the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land "the challenges and opportunities facing the Bahá’í world community" as the Seven Year Plan nears its end and the friends prepare to launch the new Six Year Plan at Ridván.

Dr. William E. Davis of Menlo Park, California, is elected in a by-election to the National Spiritual Assembly, replacing Dr. Wilma Brady who is now a member of the Board of Counselors in the Americas.

About 1,700 people attend the first Grand Canyon Bahá’í Youth Conference, held December 27-30 in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Phoenix and planned by Bahá’í youth in the greater Phoenix area.

JANUARY

In a letter to the Bahá’ís of the world dated January 2 concerning the new Six Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice says the opening of that Plan at Ridván coincides with the inception of the fourth epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith.

As of January 3, it is reported, the House of Justice's peace statement has been presented to more than 70 heads of state as well as to a great many leaders of political, academic and religious organizations and to royalty.

After several months of work, the remodeling of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust building in Wilmette is completed.

Forty-eight Bahá’ís from 18 states, Canada and the Bahamas including 29 lawyers, judges and law students take part in a conference January 10-12 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School entitled "Bahá’ís and the Legal Profession."

Also at Louhelen, the Association for Bahá’í Studies sponsors the first "Bahá’í/Marxist Dialogue" in which two of Canada's leading Marxist scholars, Professors Colin Leys and Howard Buchbinder, participate.

At Green Acre, more than 80 youth gather for the school's ninth annual College Club Conference, planned and carried out by the Regional Youth Committee. Counselor Eloy Anello addresses a standing-room-only audience, discussing the Lesser Peace and the role of Bahá’í youth in helping to bring it about.

Forty-one people including 28 non-Bahá’ís attend a commemoration at Central Oregon Community College of the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a symposium on the elimination of racism. The event is sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Bend, Oregon.

The "Trail of Light" Native American teaching team travels in California from January 8-15, presenting cultural programs and copies of the peace statement from the Hupa Reservation in northern California to the Tuli Reservation in the central part of the state.

FEBRUARY

The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears challenges the American Bahá’í community to achieve one final victory for the Faith before the end of the Seven Year Plan: 20,000 contributions to the National Fund in 20 days, from March 2-21.

"During the month of the Fast and Naw-Rúz," Mr. Sears says in a taped message for the Feast of Mulk, Bahá’ís throughout the country "will demonstrate their love for the Faith" by offering continuous outpourings to the National Fund.

The "Bahá’í Youth Movement" in North America is the main topic of discussion during a meeting February 1 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette. Taking part are Counselors Eloy Anello, Farzam Arbáb, Wilma Brady, Robert Harris, Lauretta King, Donald Rogers, Fred Schechter and David Smith; the National Youth Committees of Canada and the U.S.; and representatives of Alaskan Bahá’í youth.

After 37 years of debate, the U.S. Senate ratifies by a vote of 83-11 the UN International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, also known as the Genocide Convention. In the debate preceding its passage, several senators mention the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran as a contemporary example of attempted genocide.

WILLIAM DAVIS

By the end of February, the National Spiritual Assembly has received almost 60 reports of presentations of the peace statement to governors, senators and congressmen. The reports include many heartwarming stories of supportive comments and questions from the officials involved.

MARCH

In its Naw-Rúz message to the Bahá’ís of the U.S., the Universal House of Justice says, "Now, at the inception of the fourth epoch (of the Formative Age), your National Spiritual Assembly, working in close collaboration with the Continental Board of Counselors and drawing upon the advice of the delegates to your National Convention and of your local Spiritual Assemblies, has the inestimable privilege of devising the plans that will" [Page 20]

FIELD OF SERVICE

میدان جمت مهاجرت بین المللی لطفاً برای اطلاع از اهداف مهاجرت بین المللی در هر قاره به صفحات انگلیسی مربوط به لجنه اهداف بین المللی رجوع فرمائید.

مهاجرت داخلی مناطق زیر دارای امکانات کار و استقرار است و انتقال باین نقاط مایه تقویت جامعه امری آن سامان میگردد. تماس برای اطلاع بیشتر

Gloria B. Troy Kingman, AZ 86401 602/753-9422

EhTI Group of Pitkin County Snowmass, CO 81654 303/927-3036

Janet Coester

نوع کار: کارهای متفرقه نام شهر و ایالت: Meadville, AZ Dolan Springs, AZ Peach Springs, AZ Pitkin County,CO

SAN FRANCISCO PEACE CONFERENCE

کنفرانس بین المللی صلح در سان فرانسیسکو ۲۸ - ۳۱ آگست علاوه بر اطلاعات مندرجه در شماره های گذشته امریکن بهائی اطلاعات زیر در مورد برنامه کنفرانس جمع آوری شده است:

۱ - آقای اروین لزلو Ervin Laszlo رئیس موسة آموزش و پژوهش سازمان ملل متحد (UNITAR) موافقت کرده اند که نطق اصلی کنفرانس صلح را ایراد نمایند. ایشان یکی از متبحرین در علم نظامات بشری (systems science) هستند و در سال ۱۹۸۳ یکی از ناطقین هشتمین کنفرانس انجمن مطالعات بهائی بودند که در شیکاگو برگزار شد. ایشان صاحب تألیفات متعدده در رشته مذکور میباشند.

۲- از جمله برنامه های کنفرانس برنامه مخصوص نوازنده معروف جاز آقای دیزی گیلسپی Dizzy Gillespie و گروه ایشان میباشد. ایشان صاحب روشهای بدیع مخصوص بخود در موسیقی جاز میباشند و سال گذشته محفل روحانی لوس آنجلس خدمات پنجاه ساله ایشان را مورد تقدیر و تجلیل قرار داد

۳- برنامه های جلسات مشورت در موضوعات متنوعه ای از قبیل رفع تعصب نژادی، توسعه اجتماعی و اقتصادی، رفع تفاوتهای فاحش در سطح زندگی فقراء و اغنیاء، تساوی حقوق رجال و نساء، تعلیم و تربیت عمومی و حکومت جهانی برگزار خواهد شد.

A treasured gift from Iran

At the 77th Bahá’í National Convention in Chicago, the National Spiritual Assembly was presented a gift of 189 roses from the Bahá’ís of Iran.

This touching gift, purchased with contributions from the Bahá’í prisoners in Iranian jails, was given in memory of the martyred and missing Bahá’ís, and in gratitude for the efforts of the American Bahá’í community to alert the world to the fate of Iran's Bahá’ís and to help restore the basic human rights that have been denied them.

As the roses were presented, a two-page letter from the Bahá’ís of Iran dated Ridván 143 B.E. was read.

Here are some excerpts from that letter:

"... Dearly loved ones who are enthralled by the Beauty of the All-Merciful! You who are scattered all over the world and are in the forefront of the Army of Redemption, engaged in conquering the cities of mens' hearts, you should be well aware that we, the friends in Iran, consider the things that have befallen us and the painful vicissitudes of our fortune as our 'truly special mission,' a divinely prescribed Plan entrusted to us by the Everlasting Father.....

"It is precisely because of this vision that we are happy to submit heart and soul to all manner of difficulty and hardship and are full of hope that all of God's binding promises will come to pass, just as all the glad-tidings of the past are continually being fulfilled in our day and are giving great joy to the hearts of all the deprived ones of the world. ...

"... we should like to announce to you that on the first day of the Bahá’í month of ‘Ilm, the friends of Iran, especially our imprisoned brethren, those incarcerated and in fetters in various prisons of the country, joined all of you with one heart and one communion, and we besought with all the hope and ardor of our hearts His Holy Threshold that (the peace statement of the Universal House of Justice) will vouchsafe great and beneficent effects all over the world. ...

"And now our eager hearts are once again imploring you and beseeching you that the servants of the Cause of God all over the globe and in particular the Iranian friends, our well-loved fellow countrymen-men and women who have drunk (to a greater or lesser degree) from the same cup we drink from and who have now left-that you dear friends will rise and delight ... our hearts in compensation for the services that we are prevented from rendering because of the conditions prevailing here. ....

"(We are) earnestly hoping that the true spark of your spirit may soon become manifest with a new incandescence and shine resplendent with wondrous glory, and may truly give solace to our eyes and a sense of spiritual pride as we journey in the Path of the Well-Beloved in the Cradle of the Faith of God.

"May you be very happy. The Friends of Iran"

REFUGEE UPDATE

امور پناهندگان

برای اولین بار این امکان بوجود آمده است که یاران ایرانی مقیم پاکستان با اخذ ویزای پناهندگی بدون توقف در مملکتی دیگر مستقيما بامريكا وارد شوند در های هفته های نخستین ماه آوریل امسال حدود ۲۲۰ نفر از احیای ایران در پاکستان توسط مامورین مخصوص اداره مهاجرت آمریکا مصاحبه شدند و به ۲۷۲ نفر آنان ویزای ورود بامریکا داده شد.

یارانی که از پاکستان بامریکا میآیند غالبا خویشان دور یا نزدیکی دارند که شامل "Sponsor" آنان شده اند ولكن چهل نفر از این یاران کسی را ندارند که تکفل آنان را بعهده بگیرد دفتر رسیدگی بامور پناهندگان در دارالانشاء محفل ملی آمریکا عهده دار یافتن متکفل برای آنان شده و از بین افراد و محافل روحانیه ای که سابقا تقاضای تقبل مسوولیت پناهندگان را نموده بودند کسانی را برای این منظور در نظر میگیرد.

عده ۲۷۲ نفری که موفق باخذ ویزای پناهندگی گردیده اند بین ماه های جون و سپتامبر وارد امریکا خواهند شد.

عده ای که سابقا قرار بود از راه اطریش بامریکا وارد شوند هنوز بهمان نحو سفر خواهند نمود. مخارجی را که پناهندگان یا متکفلین آنها میبایست شخصا بپردازند عبارتست از ۶۲۰ دلار بلیط هواپیما از پاکستان تا اطریش و ۱۸۰ دلار در ماه برای مخارج اقامت در اطریش که حدود شش ماه بطول خواهد انجامید. یاران پناهنده ای که بستگانی در آمریکا دارند میبایست ورقه ای مبنی بر تایید خویشاوندی "Affidavit of Relationship" داشته باشند. این ورقه برای قرار دادن این یاران در نوبت ضروری است هرچه نسبت نزدیکتر باشد نوبت آمدن بامريكا زودتر خواهد بود.

پناهندگان در صورت رد شدن تقاضای ویزای پناهندگی در پاکستان میتوانند با كمك لجنه مالی امور احیای پناهنده در پاکستان مجددا تقاضا نمایند.

احبای عزیزی که آمادگی خود را برای تکفل پناهندگان اعلام نموده اند بهتر است فقط در مورد تکفل منسوبین و دوستان خود با موسساتی که ترتیب ورود پناهندگان را میدهند ارتباط داشته باشند. از کسانیکه میل دارند پناهندگانی را غیر از اقوام و دوستان خود بپذیرند تقاضا میشود از طریق دفتر امور پناهندگان در دارالانشاء محفل ملی اقدام فرمایند و حتی اگر از طرف موسسات فوق الذکر مراجعه شد موضوع را به آن دفتر ارجاع دهند.

محفل روحانی شهر تکزارکان در شرق ایالت تگزاس از یکسال و نیم پیش سعی های فراوانی نموده است که در شهر مارشال محفل روحانی تشکیل بدهد. اکنون در خاتمه نقشه هفت ساله و شروع نقشه شش ساله از یاران عزیز ایرانی كمك میطلبد که یک خانواده ایرانی دو نفری یا بیشتر باین شهر منتقل شوند و در تشکیل محفل همکاری فرمایند. علاقه مندان میتوانند با نشانی زیر تماس بگیرند.

Fuad Akhtarkhavari, Texarkana, Texas, 75503 Tel. (501) 773-5225 work (214) 792-2545 home

در صورتی که استقرار در مارشال برای دوستان ممکن نیست میتوانید بعنوان توکیل مقداری از مخارج يك نفر از احیای آن شهر را تأمین بفرمائید که مدتی از وقت خود را صرف تبلیغ نماید.

در حومه Summit Township در اطراف شهر جکسون Jackson در ایالت میشیگان یک خانواده بهائی ایرانی برای نگاهداری طفل يك ساله خویش جویای خانمی بهائی هستند لطفا برای ارسال سوابق و اطلاع از شرایط کار با تلفنهای زیر تماس بگیرید شهرك سامیت دارای گروه بهائی است.

Mr. and Mrs. Moafzali تلفن منزل : ۷۸۷-۲۸۳۹ (۵۱۷) تلفن کار : ۷۸۷-۶۴۴۲ (۵۱۷)

لجنه تبلیغ ناحیه ای در ایالت داکوتای جنوبی طی اطلاعیه ای اعلام داشته اند که فرصتهائی برای احیای تازه وارد ایرانی خصوصا آنها که در سنین بالاتر از عمر هستند در آن ایالت وجود دارد بشرح زیر:

تعداد یاران مورد نیاز: دو نفر نام شهر: Minnehaha, South Dakota 57020 اطلاعات بیشتر: Theora McVay, Crooks

تعداد یاران مورد نیاز: چهار نفر نام شهر: Pierre, SD 57501 اطلاعات بیشتر: John Retzlaff, 605/224-1041

تعداد یاران مورد نیاز: دو نفر نام شهر: Vermillion, S.D. 57069 اطلاعات بیشتر: Atwell Stewart, 605/624-2859

PUBLICATIONS

انتشارات

خلاصه بیانیه صلح بیت العدل اعظم که توسط محفل روحانی ملی بهائیان امریکا تهیه و در ابتدای چاپ مرغوب بیانیه درج و نشر شده بود اخیرا بفارسی ترجمه شده است. جزوه ایست مختصر در پنج صفحه بقطع ۸.۵ در ۱۱ اینچ و بسیار مناسب برای ارائه به دوستان و آشنایان فارسی زبان. یاران الهی میتوانند توسط آدرس زیر آن را ابتیاع فرمایند.

Persian/American Affairs Office Baha’i National Center Wilmette, IL 60091

قیمت هر نسخه نیم دلار است مخارج پست برای یک نسخه ۹۰ سنت و برای ۵ نسخه ۹۰ سنت و برای ۱۰ نسخه ۱.۷۰ دلار اضافه بر مبلغ فوق است.

بعضی اهداف نقشه هفت ساله آمریکا

هدف | انتهای نقشه ---|--- محافل روحانیه | ۱۷۵۰ محافل روحانیه در ناحیه سرخپوستان | ۶۲ افزایش عدد احباء | ۲۵۰۷۵۷

در بدایت نقشه جمع كل احباء آمریکا ۷۵۰۴۸ نفر بوده است و در پایان نقشه به ۹۷۰۵۷ نفر رسیده است.

NEWLY ARRIVED BELIEVERS

آدرس احبای تازه وارد

بدینوسیله از احبای عزیز تازه واردی که از نزد احبای متکفل خود به نقطه دیگری منتقل شده اند تقاضا میشود تغییر آدرس خویش را بدفتر احصائيه محفل مقدس ملی اطلاع دهند.

BAHA’I NATIONAL CENTER MEMBERSHIP & RECORDS WILMETTE, ILL. 60091

آگهی

تعدادی نوارهای نطق جناب فروتن ایادی امرالله، جناب دکتر فرهنگی، جناب دکتر ایرج ایمن و نوارهای موسیقی هدیه جوانان بهائی ایران در دفتر لجنه ملی موجود است. قیمت هر یک سه دلار بعلاوه مخارج پست. [Page 21]

MESSAGE FROM THE BAHA’ÍS OF IRAN

پیام احبای مهد امرالله به یاران غرب فيا مرحبا هذا عبدالله قد لاح عن افق مجد منيع

برادران و خواهران روحانی و عزیز با قلوبی طافح از فرح و سرور مقدم عید سعید رضوان را در این بهار جانفزا که صادف با طلوع صبحی جدید در عصر تکوین نظم جهان آرای حضرت بهاء الله است بان حبیبان دل و جان تبريک و تهنيت عرض مینمائیم.

در این ایام فرخنده فرجام که تاریخ امر مالك انام بنا بر تحولات و تطورات خطیر و حوادث کم نظیر صفحات زرین خویش را زینت بدیع بخشیده ستایندگان اسم اعظم الهی ستمدیدگان موطن مقدس جمال قدم از قعر بحر بلایا و مصائب لا تحمی با شور و سرور بی منتها باعتلاء بیسابقه امر ابهن ناظرند در اثر عنایات و هدایات معهد اعلی و همم والا و خدمات گرانیهای جامعه جهانی و فداکاری دلدادگان حضرت رحمان و جانفشانی شهدای نازنین مهد امرالله که عاشقانه بمیدان فدا در طریق امر بها شتافتند تا بفرموده حضرت ولی امر الله شجره امید سقایت گردد و به برگ میوه های گوناگون مزین شود و بمرور ایام اقوام و ملل متنوعة متباغضه اروپ امريك. تاجيك و آفريك را در ظل قليلش در آورده و تألیف دهد

چنانچه آن شیفتگان جمال رحمان که حال در اطراف عالم منتشر و در صف مقدم جنود نجات يفتح مدائن قلوب مألوف و مفتخرند استحضار دارند یاران ایران وقایع مولمه اخيره در مهد امرالله را رسالتی مخصوص و نقشه ای منصوص از جانب اب سماوی دانسته و فی الحقیقه اگر بطور عمیق و دقیق آنرا مورد تأمل و تفکر قرار دهیم مشاهده مینمائیم که با انگیزه های اجتماعی و اعتقادی حاکم بر جامعه های بشری قابل قیاس نبوده و نیست و اثراتش موجب در هم شکستن انظمه مقيمه قدیمه و تحقق پیان مبارك " قد اضطرب النظم من هذا النظم الاعظم " میباشد لهذا در جهت اجرای نقشه دار الطاف آلهیه هر مشکلی را بجان خریداریم و بتحقق وعود حتمیه اش امیدوار زیرا بشارات مقدمه پی در پی بمنصه ظهور و بروز میرسد و قلوب محرومان جهان را روشنی جدید می بخشد به خصوصا در شهور اخیره با پیام مهیمنه ربانیه صلح که از ساحت معهد اعلى خطاب به اهل عالم و رهبران جهان صادر گشته قلوب کتیبه ستایندگان اسم اعدام را در مهد امر الله مملو از شادی امید نموده و در لیله اول شهر العلم احیای ایران خصوصا مسجونين عزیز در زندانهای کشور همراه با یاران سراسر عالم پراز و نیاز پرداخته و از آستان مقدسش رجا نمودند که تأثیرات عظیمه بدیعه ای بعالم و عالمیان ببخشد

حال این مشتاقان از خادمان امر حضرت یزدان در پهنه جهان بویژه هم میهنان عزیز ایرانی که کم و بیش از این جام بلا نوشیده و اکنون ترك وطن مالوف نموده اند خاضعانه راجی و ملتمسند به جبران مافات خدماتشان که بنا بمقتنيات زمان از شرکت در خدمات جهانی محرومند قیام فرمایند و بفرموده مبارك بسلاح عرفان و سيف لماذ و ستان بیان و قوت موهبت و قدرت معرفت و افواج نصرت و لشگر رحمت بر صف عالم زنند و با بشارات پر حلاوت از پیشرفتهای آئین نازنین این طیور بال و پر شکسته در میدان استقامت و وفا راسخ تر و بر عبودیت استانش مصمم تر سازند بامید اینکه لمعه حقیقی روحتان ظاهر و عیان گشته جلوه بدیعی نماید و روشنی بخش ابصار و اسباب افتخار عاکفان کوی یار در مهد امر پروردگار گردد.

چانتان خوش باد یاران مهد امر الله

CONVENTION MESSAGE TO THE BELIEVERS IN IRAN

ترجمه پاسخ شرکت کنندگان کانونشن به پیام یاران ایران

یاران محبوب در موطن مقدس جمال اقدس ابهی پیام شما عزیزان ارواح را منقلب نمود و اشک شوق بدیدگان آورد.

اراده الهیه براین قرار گرفته که بار دیگر شما عزیزان دم مطهر خویش را در سبیل امر الهی بر خاک ریزید. جامعه Bahá’í از شهامت و فداکاری و جانبازی شما نیرونی جدید کسب نمود و در سالهای اخیر نقشه هفت ساله را بسوی انتصاراتی باهره سوق داده شد.

ای برادران و خواهران گرامی مطمئن باشید که از مصائب و بلایای شما با خبریم و در درد فقدان عزیزان و رنج زندان با شما سهیم و شریکیم و خود را در پیروزیهای روحانی شما نیز مهیم میدانیم و وحدتی جدید و پیوندی ناگسستنی با شما احساس میکنیم که بحق ما را به يك قوم و يك اهل یعنی اهل بهاء مبدل ساخته است.

در این حفله عظیم که بمناسبت خاتمه موفقیت آمیز نقشه هفت ساله انعقاد یافته تعهد میکنیم که وظائف و مسوولیتهائی را که شرایط موجود اجازه اجرای آن را بشما نمیدهد بانجام رسانیم و علم امر الهی را بنام شما و بنام خود در طی سالهای آینده باهتزاز آوریم تا روزی که شما از قید تغییقات و محدودیتهایی که بدست دشمن ستمکار دیرین بر شما تحمیل گردیده آزاد شوید و مقام و موقع واقعی خود را در صف مقدم مياه لا ينهزم مالك انام احراز فرمائید.

HUQUQULLAH

حقوق البة مجموعه ای از الواح و آثار مبارکه و دستخانهای بیت العدل اعظم آلهی راجع به حقوق الله توسط دارالانشاء مرکز جهانی Bahá’í انتشار یافته است. یاران عزیز آلهی میتوانند با تماس مستقیم با هريك از امناء حقوق الله نسخه ای از این مجموعه را دریافت دارند دمنا یادآور میشود کماکان پرداختی های حقوق الله به هیئت امناء حقوق الله و بنام Huququ’lláh Trus فرستاده شود.

Dr. Brush Haghigh Dr. Take Austin P.0.5977 Silver Serin, 2, 29910

Brianus) Santa Mendas CA WISO

Rocky River, (i, 46116

GLAD TIDINGS FROM AUSTRALIA

بشاراتی از استرالیا

۱- اخیرا جوانان Bahá’í ایرانی که از پاکستان بصورت پناهنده به استرالیا آمده اند و در هاستل اقامته ( ماکن میباشند اقدام به اهداء خون خود برای بیماران نمودند و انگیزه آنان این بود " اکنون که احیای آلهی در ایران جان خود را در راه امر جمال اقدس ابهی فدا میسازند ما هم چند قطره خون خود را برای بیماران کشوریکه با ممکن و ناوی و آزادی بخشیده است هدیه مینمائید. این عمل مورد توجه مطبوعات و رسانه های گروهی استرالیا قرار گرفت و مدتی از آن سخن میرفت

۲- احیای استرالیا ضمن تسلیم پیام صلح بيت العدل اعظم به همه مقامات مملکتی و موسسات افراد مختلفه يك قسم نمایشگاه صلح بمدت ۹ روز از ۲۹ مارچ الی 1 آپریل در محوطه مشرق الاذكار سیدنی با شکوه و عظمت خاصی برگزار کردند که هزاران نفر از آن دیدن نمودند. اقدامات و برنامه دانی که در این نمایشگاه عرضه گردید بطور خلاصه عبارت بود از:

احمد - تهیه ده هزار قطعه نوار صلح که در یک از احبه مفهومی که از صلح در اندیشه خود داشتند در پارچه های رنگارنگ باندازه کمتر در نیمتر نقاشی و یا نوشته مپس این قطعات زیبا بیکدیگر وصل و از مشرق الاذکار بخیابانهای اطراف و تا اقیانوس بحاول 1 کیلومتر کشیده شد و دو این بود که جامعه Bahá’í روح ملحجونی را از این مکان به اقیانوس و بجزائر مختلفه و سپس بجهان صادر مینماید.

ب - در سرویس عمومی بزرگ در روز یکشنبه ۲۰ مارچ و ۱ آپریل در مشرق الاذکار برگزار شد که برنامه های آن در شب همانروز از دو کانال تلویزیونی پخش و همچنین عکس و تفصیل آن در روزنامه مهم سیدنی مورنینگ مرالد درج گردیده بود

ب یک کنسرت Bahá’í که در حقیقت به تبلیغ دسته جمعی بسیار بدیعی بود در سالن اپراها توسط گروه میلزانه گرافت اجرا شد که حدود ۲۵۰۰ نفر شرکت داشتند از این تعداد ۷۰۰ نفر افراد احبه بلیط تهیه و بقیه که غیر Bahá’í بودند بلیدا رایگان داشتند.

ت - کنفرانسی تحت عنوان نقش زنان در صلح بین المللی بمدت ۲ روز در محل نمایشگاه منعقد شد.

ت کنفرانسی تحت عنوان راه حل اختلافات با سخنرانی جامعه شناسان و سخنرانان مشهور اجراء و سپس حاضرین نظریات خود را ارائه نمودند

ج - موزيك و رقص ملل مختلف در اغلب بعدازة هرها و شبها اجراء گردید.

ج - در روز درختکاری جهت صلح از مقامات برجسته مملکتی دعوت بعمل آمده بود.

آن روز برای ناهار یک میز غذای مجلل آراسته گردید که خانمهای ایرانی سهمی بزا در تهیه غذا داشتند

ج - پروگرامهای مختلف دیگری برای متین مختلف در نظر گرفته شده بود و بموقع اجرا گذارده شد.

در برگزاری این نمایشگاه تمام احبه از جوانان ساکن اقامتگاه تا افراد مسن شرکت داشتند و با وجود کمبود بودجه آنچه که در توانائی داشتند بخدمت گرفتند. این نمایشگاه از نظر معرفی امر و اهداف جامعه Bahá’í موفقیت بزرگی بدست آورد و مورد توجه رادیو تلویزیون و مطبوعات قرار گرفت و بیت العدل اعظم آلهی طی پیام خصوصی خوشنودی خود را از این اقدام و همچنین از اجراء کنندگان انتحار فرمودند.

INCOMING LETTERS

در زمره نامه های رسیده شرحی است که جناب سيامك منجذب نصری از Marion, Iowa در نوروز ۱۹۲ بدیع نگاشته اند که از جهات متعدد میتواند مورد توجه یاران الهی قرار گیرد ذیلا منتخباتی از آن را درج مینمائیم :

داستان بوستان مطالعات و تزیید معلومات خود را در زمینه این دین مقدس در سن پانزده سالگی وطن مقدس ایران را ترک کرده برای ادامه تحصیل تنها عازم این دیار شدم. در آن سن و سال جنگل غرب مرا در خود بلعید تا اینکه شهادت چندین تن از اقوام بوقوع پیوست . این امر مرا یان واداشت که بیشتر نمایم. خواندن کتب امری در ابتدا امری بس دشوار بود ولی با كمك دائرة المعارفهای مختلف کتب امری را مطالعه کرده و بمنظور الهی هر روز نزدیکتر میشدم بالأخره به فرمايشات بيت العدل اعظم گوش شنوا داده و کالیفرنیا و محل پر جمعیت را ترك كردم محلی را انتخاب کرده عازم به صفر شدم و عزم مهاجرت داخله نمودم با خواندن کتب مختلفه باین نکته و عقیده اعتقاد پیدا کردم که اگر يك قدم در راه امر مبارک بردارم خداوند متعال نه صدها قدم در راه كمك و پیشرفت برایم بر خواهد داشت . بهمین دلیل بدون اتلاف وقت يعرف مريون در ایالت آیوا رهسپار شدم و خود را در اختیار حضرت Bahá’u’lláh و حضرت ‘Abdu’l-Bahá قرار دادم خدا شاهد است که از بدو ورود تأییدات الهی چنان شامل حال گردیده که مرا شرمنده و خجالت زده نموده و بعضی اوقات در احیاد مناجات باو میگویم ای خدای بزرگ من لیاقت این همه لطف و عنایت را ندارم ولی هرچه هست شکر پروردگار مهربان بجاست که این ذره را بخدمت امرش موید فرموده است.

این ذره قانی در کالیفرنیا و یا در عمر خود ناطق بوده نه مبلغ و نه خدمتگزار و نه مومن یا Bahá’í کامل . ولی این عمل و عنایت مولای مهربان و حضرت کبریاست که این فقیر را نیرو و قوتی داده حال اگر از این حالت و شادی روح و سرور چشم و موفقیت ظاهری زودتر خبر داشتم به خدا در منطقه قبلی نمی ماندم

خود آگاه هستید كه يك جواد ۲۴ ساله که خود را نه Bahá’í کامل یا مومن درست میدانم و نه دعوی تجربه دارم و از دریای معلومات قطره ای آگاه باین صورت مورد عنایت قرار گرفته ام و این قدر در جامعه موثر بوده ام. پس خوشا بحال آن یارانی که تمام و یا قسمتی از این آگاهی و چند معلوماتی و چون روحانیاتی دارند. خدا آگاه است و خود میدانید که این اجتماع آن قدر باحیای ایرانی احتیاج دارد که حد آن قابل محاسبه نیست مقامی در خدمت برای آنان مقدر است که اگر ذره ای از آن را بدانند لحظه ای وقت خود را حتی به خواب و خوراک هم نمی گذرانند.

برای يك جوان دور از خانواده ووطن مقدس این احوال شور و حال دیگر دارد و آن قدر شاد و خوشحال هستم که دلم میخواهد به عالم و عالمیان با دوار و فریاد این لوح مبارك را تلاوت کنم و از عاقبت حال با خیرشان سازم حضرت مولى الوری میفرمایند: ای بنده حق آنچه ایادی امر الله مصلحت دانند اطاعت نما و پیمان قسم حرکت کن ابدا فتور وقصور شما و کلال و ملال حاصل مكن يكمال ثبوت بکوش تا موفق و موید گردی و روز بروز در آستان مقدس مقرب شوی در صنعتی که ترا گذاشته اند نهایت کوشش را بکن تا آنکه کمال مهارت را حاصل نباشی بیهوده میگرد اوقات را ضایع نما سرگردان مباش گرفتار هوی و هوس مگرد فکر عاقبت کن چشم بصیرت بگشا تا در نهایت حال پشیمان نشوی بلکه چون فکر ایام گذشته کنی نهایت مرور و حبور یابی و بروح و ریحان رسی که الحمدلله أيام گذشته را بیهوده صرف ننمودم و یهوی و هوس نگذراندم بلکه بعبودیت و عبادت درگاه احدیت موفق بودم و صنعت مكتبه را بنهايت اتقان رساندم این است سبب سرور دل و جان والا عاقبت پشیمانیت از خدا خواهم که موفق برشا گردی و موید ببعبودیت درگاه کبریا عباس

منتخباتی از مکاتیب حضرت ‘Abdu’l-Bahá جلد ۲ صفحات ۲۶۱-۲۶۲

قدم اول را بردارید خداوند در عوض نه صد قدم بلکه صد هزار قدم در راه ترقی شما بر خواهد داشت . اصل کار همین قدم اول است و اقدام اولیه بعد از آن چان را بردای استقامت و بردباری و از جان گذشتگی مزین نمودن است تا این قدم اول قدر نرود تا عنایات الهی نازل گردد و خلق بديع محقق شود....

حضرت ولی امرالله میفرمایند باندازه خدمت بامر الله موفقیت در بر ندارد. این مغناطیس تأييدات الهیه است در این صورت وقتی شخص فعال باشد روح القدس او را تأیید میکند (حیات بهایی صفحه ٤٤) [Page 22]

HOUSE OF JUSTICE TELEGRAM OF MAY 12, 1986

و همچنین خانم ادنا ترو Edna true و خانم مارا پریرا ویکتور داروجو Araujo Sara Pereira اعضاء سابق آن هیئت . و جناب دکتر ترجمه پیام تلگرافی بیت العدل اعظم مورخ ۱۲ می ۱۹۸۶ de Victor نماینده جامعه بین المللی بهائی در سازمان ملل متحد. Dr.

با قلوبی مملو از تأثر عمیق شهادت سه تن از یاران دلیر جامعه بهائیان ایران را اعلام میداریم جناب سر الله وحدت نظامی در تاریخ ؛ می ۱۹۸۶ در طهران بدار آویخته شدند. ایشان از تاریخ ۱۳ فوریه ۱۹۸۴ در زندان بسر میبردند جناب قدرس .شیرخ ۲۸ ساله در تاریخ ۹ می ۱۹۸۹ در شهر زاهدان بدار آویخته شدند ایشان برای بار دوم از ۲٦ سپتامبر ۱۹۸۳ زندانی شده بودند. هر دوی این یاران در قسمت اعظم دوره زندان شدیداً مورد شکنجه قرار گرفته بودند. شهید سوم جناب پیمان سبحانی پانزده ساله را همراه با والدشان جناب روح الأمين سبحانی جمعی از تعصبین مذهبی بتشویق عناصر رسمی مذهبی به کوهستان برده منگمار نمودند و هر دو را بتصور آنکه مرده اند از کوه به پائین انداختند اتوموبیلی که تصادفا از آن ناحیه می گذشت اجساد را یافت پدر که قریب به موت بود به بیمارستانی در باهران منتقل شد و هنوز در حال بحرانی بسر میبرد فرزند ایشان پیمان در محل جان سپرده بود.

این جنایات که پس از يك دوره آرامش نسبی در ایران اتفاق افتاده موجب نگرانی ما در خصوص امنیت و سلامت جامعه بهائیان ایران گشته است .....

WORLD CENTER REPLY TO CONVENTION MESSAGE

ترجمه تلگراف بیت العدل اعظم در پاسخ به تلگراف کانونشن

پیام کانونشن با شعف دریافت شد و روحیه معمم و پرنشایلی که در اثر حضور عده کثیری از یاران و وصول پیام محبت آمیز احیای متمدیده ایران و برنامه های متنوعه و الهام بخش مربوط به ختام موفقیت آمیز نقشه هفت ساله آغاز امینان بخش نقشه شش ساله بوجود آمده موجب خوشنودی بسیار گشت. مشارکت مستقیم حضرات ایادی امرالله خادم و میرز و مه نفر از اعضاء هیئت مشاورین قاره ای را تمجید و تقدیر مینمائید شما را اطمینان میدهیم که با تضرع در آستان مقدس آن رب مجید که ناظر و مهیمن بر مقدرات جامعه پر افتخار بهائیان امریکا است شمول تأییدات لانهایه اش را بجهت خدمات مستمر و فداکارانه ای که بنام حضرتش انجام میدهید می المبیم تا به مراتب و درجاتی رفیع و بی سابقه در خدمت بامرش نائل گردید و بفتوحاتی بی حد و حصر موفق شوید.

CONVENTION TELEGRAM TO WORLD CENTER

ترجمه تلگراف ارسالی از هفتاد و هفتمین کانونشن ملی یاران امريك به بیت العدل اعظم

پیام محبت آمیز آن معهد اعلی حضور حضرات ایادی محبوب امر الله جناب خادم و جناب سیرز و مشاورین ویلما بریدی رابرت هریس، وفرد ،شکتر و محبتی که بتوسط پیام و ۱۸۹ گل سرخ ارسالی از طرف برادران و خواهران شجاع ایرانی ما ابراز شد عمیقاً در قلوب ما تأثیر گزارده و هريك از ما را دعوت به قیام و عمل نموده است با الهام گرفتن از موفقیتهای حاصله در نقشه هفت ساله و آگاهی از فرصتهای مودوعه در نقشه شش ساله برای رشد ملی محلی ، و فردی عهد چهاره عصر تکوین را با نهایت اطمینان آغاز می نمائیم. در این زمان که نقشه ای را که با تشريك مساعی افراد احیاء در کلیه سطوح نظام اداری بوجود آمده آغاز می نمائیم. قلوبمان از فرصتهائی که در دسترسمان قرار دارد مملو از شادی است و مطمئن هستیم که با ادعیه آن معهد اعلى و عنایات دائمی جمال قدم در خدمات خویش موفق خواهیم شد. با تقديم محبتها و تشكرات عميقه هفتاد و هفتمین کانونشن ملی بهائی

SIX-YEAR PLAN (1986-1992)

نقشه شش ساله بقاطبه مردم جهان

اهداف اصليه: ۱- انتشار پیام حیات بخش جمال ابهی - مشارکت بیشتر امر الله در حیات جامعه بشری . ۲- افزایش ترجمه طبع و انتشار آثار بهائی در سراسر جهان . ۳- تسریع بیشتر در مسیر تکامل جوامع محلی و ملی در جهت نیل بمرحله بلوغ . ۵- توجه بیشتر به مشارکت عموم یاران در خدمات امری و تقویت روحانی آنان . ٦- بسط و توسعه برنامه های تربیت امری بین اطفال و جوانان و تقویت حیات بهائی در خانواده ها تعقیب برنامه های توسعه عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی در جوامع امری قوی تر .

77TH U.S. BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CONVENTION

هفتاد و هفتمین کانونشن ملی یاران امريك از اول الی چهارم ماه می ۱۹۸۹ قریب به ۱۷۰۰ نفر از یاران در هفتاد و هفتمین کانونشن ملی احیای امریکا شرکت نموده به برگزاری جشن خاتمه موفقیت آمیز نقشه هفت ساله خروج سریع امر الهی از مرحله مجهولیت و تدارك آغاز خدمت در نقشه شش ساله (۱۹۹۲-۱۹۸۹) که مقارن با شروع عهد چهارم عصر تکوین است پرداختند. حضرات ایادی امر الله جنابان ذکر الله خادم و ویلیام میرز با شرکت در برنامه های کانونشن پر رونق و برکت آن افزودند. دیگر مهمانان مخصوص عبارت بودند از اعضاء هیئت مشاورین قاره ای خانم ویلما بریدی Wilma Brady و جنابان رابرت هریس Robert Harris و فرد شکتر Fred Schachter

ایادی امر الله جناب ویلیام میرز در ضمن بیانات خویش اشاره فرمودند که تقاضای مشارکت بیست هزار نفر در تقدیم تبرعات با استقبال مواجه شده و در مدت مورد نظر ۲۷۰۴۲۱ پرداخت به صندوق محفل ملی و اصل گشته است که جمع کل آن ۵۴۰۰۰۰۰ دلار بوده است. ۱۶۳ نفر وکلای حاضر صبح شنبه به مشرق الاذکار رفتند و بانتخاب اعضاء محفل روحانی ملی پرداختند. اعضاء محفل ملی جدید عبارتند از جناب دکتر رابرت هندرسون ، جناب جیمز نلسون خانم دکتر دوروتی نلسون ،جناب دکتر فیروز کاظم زاده خانم سو فارتس جناب چستر کان جناب ویلیام دويس، جناب دکتر ویلیام مکسول و خانم دکتر آلبرتا دیواریس

در همان روز برای سایر شرکت کنندگان در کانونشن کنفرانسهای کوچکی تحت موضوعات زیر ترتیب داده شده بود: اهداف اصلیه نقشه شش ساله نهضت جوانان بهائی بهائیان امریکا است شمول تأییدات لانهایه اش را در گذشته و آینده اهداف نقشه شش ساله برای کمکهای بین المللی جنبه های مختلف وحدت و اتحاد برنامه های عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی نقشه شش ساله تقویت اصل تساوی حقوق رجال و نساء اندماج واقعی وظیفه ایجاد فرهنگ و مدنیت جهانی

جلسات شور و تبادل نظاری که تحت عنوان اخیر اندماج واقعی... منعقد گردید بوسیله اعضاء دفتر امور احبای ایرانی امریکایی اداره میشد و شامل سه جلسه بود که جمعا ۲۵۰ نفر از یاران در آن شرکت جستند در جلسه سوم مشاورات بزبان فارسی صورت گرفت در هريك از جلسات مطالبی کلی در زمینه استقرار احبای ایرانی در آمریکا و اهمیت درك حکمت آن و لزوم آشنائی احبای ایرانی و امریکایی به آداب و سنن و فرهنگ یکدیگر مطرح شد و سپس حاضرین دعوت شدند که نظریات و پیشنهادهای خود را عنوان نمایند. دوستان ایرانی و امریکایی با علاقه مندی کامل در مباحثات شرکت نمودند و پیشنهادهایی که ارائه شد جمع آوری گردید تا در طرح برنامه های لازم برای ازدیاد وحدت و یگانگی در جامعه بهائی مورد استفاده قرار گیرد

پس ای یاران معنوی شاد باشید و مستبشر و مدائن که آنچه واقع شده و میشود مد و موید آئین الهی و سبب خیر بندگان بارگاه مقدس اوست. کوته نظرانند که از نهیب حادثه از میدان بدر روند اما برگزیدگان جمال کبریا دیده جهان بین دارند و بافق سعادت ابدی ناظرند و طلوع شمس وعده های جانپرور الزی را منتظر کار خود را بلداف پروردگار حواله کنند کامکاری را در بردباری شناسند يتين نمایند که آیه فسوف ينزل على احبائه ما يجعلهم به غالباً على كل شيئى و انا بعد ما غلبوا سيغلبون حق ایشان نازل و بیان " ان موعدهم الصبح الين الصبح بقريب" دشمنان امر الهی صادق جمال مبارك جل ثنائه بأصرح كلام اهل بیدار را بشارت داده و وعده فرموده اند که ای دوستان نور فوق نور و عنایت فوق عناية ورحمت فوق رحمت و عزت فوق عزت و نعمت فوق نعمت است انشاء الله محروم نمائید و ممنوع نشوید و مقامات خود را باسم مالك وجود و سلطان غیب و شهود حقت نمائید ظلم ظالمین و اعراض معرضین و ضوضاء فاسقین شما را محزون ننماید قدم بسلطان وجود عنقریب جميع این باطنها برچیده شود و اثری از این نفوس در ارض باقی نمانه و آنچه در عرصه هستی و انجمن عالم ذکر شما و مقامات شما حرف بحرف صادر شود و در عالم منتشر گردد شکی نبوده و نیست که در بادی که بنایش بر کذب و افتراء ظلم و جفا باشد بقائی نیابد و بزودی منداور گردد و نجم آمال دشمنان حضرت ذو الجلال آفل شود و غلبه امر الله محقق گردد.

نذار بایز پیاز صریح حضرت ولی امرالله نمایند که میفرمایند : حضرت بهاء الله جمعی از یکها و مُفَها چنان انگاشتند که پیرواز امر مشتی ضعفاینه و در گوشه و کنار یعنی ان ممالك معلمه متأخره افتاده و پراکنده جمعشان متشتت و روحمان افسرده و افکارشان پریشان و منقلب جهت جامعه مفقود و از فیوضات روح القدس ممنوع و مأيوس... مزار شکر شارع قدیر را که حقیقت شریعه الله را بر مدعیان مکشوف نمود و سدوت قدیمه را در اندار جهانیاز از خواص و عوام جلوه داد. عن قریب کل شهادت دهند که بهائیان کار اصنام اوهامند و از تعصبات جاهلانه فارغ و آزاد هوشمند و غیررند و ترانا و مقتدر با درایست و کفایته و خیرخواه دولت و ملت پرنشته و نامند و از پیشرفت مقاصدشان پر بهجت و انباط . مستمد از روح فیاضد و مشکل بر امدادات متتابعه حضرت بی نیاز . عده شان يوما فیوم در ازدیاد و انفاس مسکیه قدسیه شاز آن زن در انتشار در اکثر اقانیم با روحی پرفتوح چون فارسان دلیر بتخير قلوب و تدابیر اخلاق تركيه نفوس مأنوس . حاملین پیار نجاتند و رافعين خیمه وحدت عالم انسان در شرق و غرب عالم پیروان اسم اعظم چون اعضاء و جوارح يك تن متحد و مرتبط و در ظل نظلم اعظم بتمهيد سبيل و تأسیس مدنیتی بیمثیل مشغول ... منريهم آياتنا في الافاق و سيعلم الذين ظلموا أي منقلب ينقلبون

پس ای دوستان مهربان وقت شادمانی است زیرا وجود حضرت کردگار پی در پی در عالم امکان آشکار و پدیدار شود. نیکوست که در این عصر مبارك که فرصتهای جدیدی در میدان عبودیت فراهم آمده چشم از غیر حق بربندی و اعمال و اقوال و اوقات و اموال خویش را وسیله عزت و نصرت امر الهی نمائیم و بجان بکوشیم تا آهنگ جهان بالا بلند شود و پرتو ملاء اعلی بدرخشد و سراپرده بیگانگی بلند شود آئین نفاق از لوح آفاق برافتد باید در همه حال وفاداری را در فداکاری دانیم تا چند صباحی که در این جهان فانی فرصت ماست در راه عشق و محبت محبوب آفاق بگذراینم و در عالم بقا فیض حضور یابی و از مهبای سرور نوشیم و از ثمره حیات برخوردار گردیم شهر البهاء ۱۴۳ بیت مال الله

روحیه خوشبینی و امید بر کلیه جلسات کانونشن حکمفرما بود و جمیع شرکت کنندگان آماده شرکت در کنفرانسهای محلی Town Meetings بودند که قرار است در ماه جون برای مشورت در خصوص اهداف محلی نقشه شش ساله تشکیل شود. غروب پنج شنبه اول می جلسات کانونشن بمناسبت جشن دوازدهم عید رضوان با موسیقی و آواز شروع و سپس با سخنرانی ایادی عزیز امر الله جناب ذکر الله خادم ادامه یافت . روز جمعه صبح پیامهای بیت العدل اعظم خطاب بامل عالم و احیای امريك بمناسبت رضوان قرائت شد و مورد مشورت قرار گرفت سپس گزارشهای مالانه محفل روحانی ملی قرائت گردید جمعه بعد از ظهر در حالی که فضای کانونشن مملواز رفت و عاطفه شده بود پیام یاران ایران خطاب به برادران و خواهران عزیز و روحانی در امريك بزبان فارسی و انگلیسی قرائت شد و ۱۸۹ عدد گل سرخ از قبل یاران زندانی ایران بوکلای منتخب جامعه یاران امريك بعنوان تقدیر و تمجید از خدمات این جامعه تقدیم گشت .

یکی از جلسات شور در موضوع اندماج واقعی حاق افقی می بالی با توجه بوده و می باید امین انهوس با چسب آنان تعلق است مشغول پاشیده نجات را در تربیت اهل عالم مصروف دارید سونی مدل یک مالید از یک کلمه ناقش نسی که بیت تاه الحمود ادامه معاینا جمال قدم [Page 23]

پيام يا بيت العوال عظم الهي

باران عزیز مهد امرالله در جمیع بلادجهان امر الله بالنيابه از این جمع طی مراسمی رسمی نسخه ای از رشد و نمو ذاتی و حیاتی امر الهی حال مقتضیات جدید و آنرا به دبیر کل سازمان ملل متحد ابلاغ نمودند و مشارالیه امکانات بدیعی را بوجود آورده که در مجهودات اهل بهاء و که از مفاد آن مطلع گشته بود تقدیر و استناد خویش را جامعه جهانی بهائی نیز منعکس گردیده است و ترقیات ابراز داشت و از جامعه بین المللی بهائی که در اشاعه اصول موسسات و مشروعات امر الله حال بدرجه ای رسیده که مقرر اهل بها را بشارت باد که در این ایام پر آشوب که ارکان و مبادی آن سازمان پیشقدم مستند سپاسگزاری کرد. گردیده است نفس محافل روحانیه علیه با مشورت کامل و مکالمومیت یاران ایران از طرفی موجب شهرت امر الهی دائم مشاورین در هر قاره اهداف نقشه شش ساله را خود عالم امکان از حوادث مدهشه متواتره مسئولیه متزلزل و گردید و از طرف دیگر باعث شد که بسیاری از مراکز تعیین نمایند و بصیرت و لیاقتى که بر اثر تجارب گذشته لرزان است و جهانیان از خطرات محتومه آتیه که متوجه عالم مواصلات و مخابرات در رادیوها و تلویزیونهای معروف و در میدان خدمت یافته اند صرف تقدم امر مبارک نمایند ایمان است ترسان و پیراسان پیروان مظلوم ابراعظم بمدد جرائد کثیر الانتشار جهان که احصاء دقیق آن ممکن نیست قوه غالبه دافعه محيطه الهیه هر روز نصرت جدیدی یابند و بصرافت طبع برنامه های مفصل تهیه و اجرا نمایند و ندای نقشه شش ساله که از رضوان اممال شروع میشود در سال نوید امیدی بینند نه وقایع مرعبه جهان ناسوت از تعدد ١٩٩٢ مطابق با سنه ١٤٩ بديع يعنى بعد از یکترن از اسم اعظم را بگوش قریب و بعید و وضیع و شریف و تنوع مجهوداتشان در سبیل تاسیس ملکوت آلهی در این جهان رسانند . ظلمانی بکاهد و اقول شمس حقیقت در عالم ادنی پایان میپذیرد. در آن سال نه والمم دشمنان دیرین و کید و مکر عظیم که خاتمه مجهودات شش ساله اول بهاست مقرر است که چه با نيويورك بكار افتاد که بینین بدانند که آنچه اعظم منور گردیده است پر سرشان میرود وسیله اعلام کلمه الله است و باعث جذب تأييدات ملاء اعلى وسبب فخر و عزت اهل بها در سراسر دنیا این است که میبینیم بارها در جانبازی اهل بها مر بلائی عنایتی مكشوف برنامه های اقتصادی و اجتماعی بنوعی که پاراز در سبیل خدمت به خلق تدارک دیده اند در این پیکمال پیشرفت فراوانی کرده و باشیان باجراء ۲۳۹ مشروع جدید از گشته و بعربه شهود آمده است چنانکه در های نقشه هفت ساله که مقارن با انقلاب ایران و ظهور و بروز معلومیت یاران آنسامان بود امدادات مخصوصه جنود ملکوت چنار احاطه نمود بی باری ای دوستان آلهی با اینهمه ترقیات محیر العقولی که نصیب امر الهی گشته در صاحب بصیرتی در می یابد که عالم ماکرین مانع سیر و سلوکشان بر منوج قوي و صراط مستقیم اهمیت مخابرات و طلب مجامع غیر بهائی در کسب معلومات دومین کنگره جهانی بهائی در مدینه میثاق با حضور دهها گردد زیرا قریب به یکصد و پنجاه سال است طوفانها دیده چنان رونق یافت و مخابرات رسمی چنان بالا گرفت که ناچار و محنت ما کشیده و تجربه فرموده اند که در وقت سیلی هزار از پیروان اسم اعظم از جمیع اقطار انعقاد پذیرد و در ارض اقدس اداره ای بنام دفتر اطلاعات عمومی بهائی بذکر و شنای جمال رحمن و شکر و سپاس تأییدات بنیان افکن هجوم نمود و درختان کهن را ریشه کن ساخت و تاسیس گردید. قیاسش که نصیب اهل بها فرموده اختصاص یابد شعبه ای دیگر از آن نیز در مرکز خاک نیستی بینداخت هرگز نهال نوخاسته امر الهی را آسیبی نرسانید بلکه آنرا قوت و قوت بخشید نمایندگی جامعه بین المللی بهائی در سازمان ملل متحد در ملاحظه نمودهاند که دشمنان ظالم بی انصاف در وقت برای انهدام بنیان امر الله آتشی افروختنه نور و حرارتش نصیب یاران شد و خاکستر مذلتش بر فرق آتش افروزان نشست . درمان با تشهیر امر یزدان و ازدیاد خماش روحانی جهانیان بهائی وارد مرحله ای جدید در مراحل تدریجی نظم اداری سوزانشان ایر عنایت را بحركت آورد و اشك چه با امر الله گشته است. لہذا این هیئت ملی پیام مورخ ۲ ژانویه امر تبلیغ نیز بالا گرفت چنان که تا بحال بشارت اقبال ۱۹۸۹ اعلام داشت که حال عهد چهارم از عصر بیش از چند صد هزار نفر در کشورهای مختلفه باین شار خونینشان می ریزش باران رحمت شد و خود پاکتان بخر تکوین آغاز نصرت و مکرمت را بجوش آورد لهذا چه عجب اگر امروز رسیده و در همین مدت ۲۱۲۵ محفل روحانی جدید تأسیس گردیده و مرحله جدیدی در حیات روحاني جامعه بهائی بوجود ملاحظه نمائیم که یاران ایران که از تجارب وقایع گذشته آمده است که خود طلیعه عهدهای آینده این عصر نورانی درس عبرت گرفته و اهل بصیرت گشته اند در این ایام باز ٣١٨٠٦ محفل بالغ شده از این رقم نیز بالاتر رود. خواهد بود و تا ظهور عصر ذهبی نظام بدیع جهان آرای الهی امتداد خواهد داشت همچنین تعداد مراکز جدیدی که در این سنه مفتوح گشته در سبیل محبة الله و تحکیم بنیان امر الله اسیر بند و زنجیر گردند و شکوه ای ننمایند صدف تیر شوند و ۱۳۱۸ مرکز است که تا بحال نزدید به یاد و بیت بر اهل بها پوشیده نیست که مولای عزیز توانا حضرت هزار (۱۲۰۰۰ مرکز در شرق و غرب عالم از انوار اسم اعتنائی نکنند شکنجه و تعزیر بینند و بجان بپذیرند و ولی امرالله در تبییز مراحل نشو و ارتقاء امر اعظام و نظم جهان آرای الهی بهمان قسم که عصر رسولی را به سه عهد اعلی و اینی و عهد مرکز میثاق جمال كبريا تقسیم فرموده اند عصر ثانی یا عصر تکوین را که امتدادش نامعلوم و ختامش با شروع عصر اخیر و ثالث دور بنائی یعنی عصر ذهبی مشروعات تمويه عام المنفعه از قبیل تأسیس مدارس روستایی مقارز است بمراحلی منقسم ساخته و پیاز داشته اند که عهد اول ومات ملی و کشاورزی و خدمات اجتماعی موفق عصر تکوین با افتتاح الواح وصایای حضرت عبدالبهاء آغاز گشته اند و تعداد اینگونه مشروعات را به ۱۸۹ زمانده اند. شد و قریب به ۲۵ سال امتداد یافت . در این عهد عظیم با افتتاحیه ایستگاه فرستنده رادیو بانی در کشور پادنا بهدایت و قیادت مرکز ولایت امر حضرت احدیث اساس تعلم در آمریکای مرکزی و عنقریم با بکار ادارد امرالله مرتفع شد و بفرموده حضرتش بتدريج ذکر آنچه در این هفت سال نصیب اول بهاء گشته سبب فرستنده دیگر در لیبریا در غرب افریقا و شیلی در آمریکای قوه قدسیه الهیه که در عصر رسولی دور بنائی تولد یافته .... تحویل کلام شود و گل در مکاتبات و مخابرات گذشته از جنوبی تعداد ایستگاه های رادیو بهائی پر مفت بالغ خواهد در مرحله اولای عصر تکوین در تشکیلات و موسسات این نظم طرف این مشتاقان بتدریج مذکور گشته و باطلاع عزیزان گردید. حق در جميع بلاد رسیده است بهمین کفایت میرود که فقط به بعضی از آثار ترقی و تقدم امر مبارک در سال تنوع خدمات تعدد اقدامات یاران در این ایام بحدی است عهد ثانی یا مرحله ثانيه عصر تكوين مقارن با سنین اولیه گذشته که از نتائج مستقیم جانبازی عزیزان حق در ایران الحقيقة ليتوان همه را ذکر شود همینقدر میتوان قرن دوم بهائی آغاز گردید و تا تاسیس بیت العدل اعظم در گفت که چه در مجهودات خامنه اقیل بوم از قبیل انتظار حاصل آمده اشارت رود تا از شاء الله سبب مرور و فرح و منه ١٢٠ بديع ادامه یافت. در این عهد تشکیلات نقم روح و ریحان ستمدیدگان کوی جانان و مزيد وشوق و اعتماد كتب و اثار باشی و کلاسهای دروس امری پیراز جهان آرای آلبی که بفرموده مبارک پیشرنه ادوات و قنوات آنان گردد. جوانان و انتقال و ابتیان فائر فاس و موقوفات و ارادی شرکت در مجامع و موسسات عمومیه از نامتناهی الهی باین جهان پروحشت و انقلاب " گردید و در مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل متحد که برترین مقام در هیئت قبیل شرکت موثر احیاء در کنفرات بیان پیرالمللی تغیر پاراز بهدد آن وسائه فعاله نقشه های تبلیغی ملی را تدارك اجتماعیه بشری است نام مبارك بهائی مرتفع شد و در کنفرانس زنان و جوانان و نمایشگاه های بین المللی کتاب و دیدند و خویش را آماده جولاز در میادین بین المللی در قل تصویب قطعنامه ای در حمایت از معلومان ایران مذکور افتاد و غیرها و فعالیت های جدیدی در جمع اهل بهاء مشهود نقشه دوساله جهاد جهانی روحانی نمودند که بفرموده مبارک این مناجات مولای بیهمتا را با وضوحی بیشتر و نمایانتر است مقدمه تاسیس و استحکام نظام الهی اقامه ارکان بخاطر آورد که خطاب به محبوب اینی میفرمایند: سپاس ترا که نقاب از وجه شریعت غرایت اعتراف به حمانیت امر جمال ابنی بر انگیخته است. شهد سوم از عصر تکوین با خاتمه نقشه دهساله و انتخاب برانداختی و سر مکنون و رمز معنون را شهره آفاق نمودی بيت العدل اعظم اعلان گردید و قریب به ۲۲ سال ادامه یافت كوس استقلال دین مبین را در اعلی المقامات بدست دشمنان بموازات این ترقيات عدیده واسعه در داخل و خارج جامعه و شاهد رشد و نبع سریع امر الله و انتشار انوار هدایت ديرين علمای رسوم بلند نمودی و بسمع قریب و بعید بهائی طبع بیشت های انتخابی مشاورین قاره ای نیز که از كبرن و بدا موسسات مباركه علیا در پیدا غیرا گردید. ارکان نظام اداری محسوبند وارد مرحله جدیدی در این مرحله محافل روحانيه عليه و محلیه از حيث تعداد و حضرات مشاورین که خادمان برازنده جامعه یاران و مشیر و استعداد ترقيات عدلیه یافتند و بر قبول مسئولیتهای خمیر و فتوحاتی را نصیب جامعه بهائی فرمود که از بسیاری از جهات در تاریخ امر الله تغیر و شیلی نداشته است . " رساندی مردمان را که تا این اواخر حتى نام بهائی را نشنیده مشرق الاذكار افتادن دو بديع متدرجا حلول نموده و متجمد " گردید. مشخصه بعينه در بسیاری از نقاط عام سبب ایجاد روابط مستحکم خود اند کل حامل و واسطه ایمال فيض متین جامعه بهائی با حکومتی متبوعه گشته و تعداد دیو از عدل آلبی در جمیع ممالك و بلدان عالم بود. طالبین حقیقت را افزایش داده و صاحبدلان را بر افتاد و ساختند گشته یعنی و بالمبيعه لازم آمد که مطابق با اتساع دائره در پارلمان مشترک اروپا که مرکب از کشورهای بزرگ مثار آنان در امور مهمه بوده و هستند خدمات عظيمة جدید قادر گشتند. بینت های منته به مشاورین بوجود آمدند اروپایی و همچنین در بعضی از پارلمانهای دیگر بسیاری از مشکوره روحانیه خویش افزودند و با کمال انقتان بر اثر تا بادامه وظائف هیئت جلیله ایادی امر الله علمداران سپاه ممالك راقيه جهاد داستان دوستان ایران و لزوم حمایت از اقدام حضرات ایادی معززه امر الله عليهم بهاء الله که مادی و نجات پردازند و بافتها از آن نفوس نفیسه در ترویج و ایشان از طرف ،ارباب انصاف بار دیگر پیاز شد و انگار قدوة حسنه آنانند منی نموده اندر معنوی خویش را مضاعف محافظه امر الله ساعی و جاهد .گردند. بودند بیش پیش متوجه جامعه اهل بها و تعالیم و میادی امر الله تعداد این نفوس نفیسه نیز افزایش یابد و حال تعداد محافل روحانیه ملیه که اركان بيت العدل اعظم اعضاء آن هیئت جلیله از ٦٣ نفر به ۷۲ نفر بالغ گردیده محسوبند که در بدایت عبد ثاني فقط ۸ محفل بود در خاتمه عهد ثالث به ١٤٨ حفل ملی بالغ شد یعنی به بیش از ۱۸ حضرات مشاورین که در قبل مجمع جليل دار التبليغ برابر افزایش یافت . عبودیت آستان آلبی باشند است . بین المللی بر عاليه شريعة الله نمود. بيانيه مشروحی درباره صلح خطاب باهل عالم مادر و بانه تمام مکتوبی مخصوص از این هیئت خطاب به هر يك از روما و ملوك عالم بلا استثناء فرستاده شد و نبرز ابلاغ آن چنین بود که دستورالعملهای مصرحه میشه مشغول و پر تحقق اهداف بنای دار التشریع که کانون مجهودات امر بها است پایان نقشه های تبلیغی ساعی و جاهد في الحقيقه مهمی عظیم در یافت و واسطه ارتباط با مراکز متعدد عالم شد. نامه ای پاسم و رسم هر یک از روسا و سلاطین از طرف بيت العدل اعظم بوسیله اعزام نماینده مخصوص یا بواسطه محافل روحانيه عليه و یا از طريق مقرای ممالک در مثل متحد و معدودی با پست مسجل ارسال گردید اكثر رویا گردیدند باجراء حمول انتصارات اهل بها داشته و دارند. چندی قبل تقديرا لمجهوداتهم وتمهيدا لاتساع نطاق خدماتهم بارض اقدس دعوت هیئت نمایندگی جامعه بین المللی بهائی در ملل متحد و جز معدودی که از حرکت باین شهر بواسطه استحکامی فراوان پذیرفت و از عضو ناظر بعنوان عضو کتبا با مفاها مراتب استناد خویش را از مضامین آن بیانیه مقتديات مملکتی جبرا ممنوع بودند بقیه موفق گشتند بعد مشاور در سازمانهای غیر دولتی ملل متحد ارتقاء یافت و نفوذ 3 که مقادش مستند واضحه دو مبیر منصوص است اظهار داشته اند. مقتبس از آثار باهره الهیه و تبیینات محافل عليه محليه و قاطبه احیا بیانیه مذکور را پاولیاء امور ملی و 3 و خدماتش در ملل متحد در سبیل صلح و آشتی بین ملل و دول بیشتر شد. رتاب مجهولیت در اکثر نقاط عالم از وجه جمال کبریا در مقر دار التشریع به خبر مشورت پردازند و صبیح امر الهی گرفته شد و تجلیات جمال ابهی جهان امکان راجع به مجهودات و فتوحات گذشته در قابل نقشه وقت محلی رسانده و خواهند رساند از اهم وقایع مربوط به ابلاغ بیانیه صلح آنکه حضرت ام البهاء روحیه خانم ایادی ساله و شروع نقطه شش ماله مذاره فرمایند. را فرا گرفت [Page 24]

BAHÁ’Í CROSSWORD

Copyright 1986 by Juliette Whittaker

ACROSS 1. Written consent to marry must be secured from all natural 5. Highest card in the deck. 6. Common name for "father." 8. To cut or chop into small pieces. 10. A force of great effect. 11. Stubborn as an 12. Name of first woman in the Bible. 14. Marriage is a of two partners. 15. First three letters in "nocturnal." 16. One way to grow: through a 18. Common address to a second person. 19. A cycle of time marked by certain events. 20. To inflict on another person is wrong. 21. To be habitually shows a selfish disrespect for others.

DOWN 1. The "cement" needed to encourage consultation. 2. What family members must show to one another. 3. Always use this word prudently. 4. The ideal Bahá’í marriage is both physical and. 7. A "fruit" to be tasted in marriage only for our highest well-being. 8. and women marry. 9. is needed from parents in order to marry. 13. A solemn promise to God. 17. A general term for an hour, day, season, etc. 18. An ardent longing.

Answers to this month's puzzle are on Page 30

Can you identify anyone in this picture?

This photograph was taken by Curtis Kelsey at Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1947. If you can identify any of those in the picture, please write to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

39 at peace conference/panel discussion sponsored by Bahá’ís of Napa, California

Dorothy Hansen (left) served as chairman at a peace conference April 19 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Napa, California, whose speakers were (seated left to right) Bahá’í Tom Kilpatrick of Orinda, California, and representatives of the Church of Religious Science and the peace group 'Beyond War.'

Thirty-nine people including 14 non-Bahá’ís attended a peace conference and panel discussion April 19 sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Napa, California.

The conference was chaired by Dorothy Hansen of Napa. Panelists were Bahá’í Tom Kilpatrick of Orinda, California, and representatives of "Beyond War" and the Church of Religious Science.

The event was publicized by flyers posted in the city and at the community college and by articles in the local newspaper and an interview of Mrs. Hansen on local radio.

The panel discussion was followed by a lively question-and-answer session, after which everyone was invited to Mrs. Hansen's home for dinner. The majority accepted the invitation, and thus had an opportunity to continue discussing the topic of peace well into the evening.

Midwest Youth Conference held at Louhelen

The Louhelen Bahá’í School was the site April 25-27 of a Midwest Regional Youth Conference co-sponsored by the school and the Regional Youth Committee.

About 120 youth and pre-youth attended the event which featured workshops, devotions, recreational activities, a late evening "rap session," and fellowship.

The youngsters were divided into two groups, those 11-12 years old and those 13 and older, for Saturday and Sunday workshop sessions.

Topics discussed by the younger children were "Becoming Your True Self" and "Life After Death."

Meanwhile, the older group was discussing topics that ranged from "Some Christian Concepts" and "Relations with Parents-How to Improve Them" to "Relations Between the Sexes," "The Most Challenging Issue," "The Promise of World Peace" and "The Other Side of the Picture."

A special Saturday evening program was arranged by the Regional Youth Committee.

Pictured are many of the 120 Bahá’í youth and pre-youth who attended a Regional Youth Conference held April 25-27 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School near Davison, Michigan.

Chinese Council receives peace statement

The peace statement was presented in Mandarin Chinese on March 9 at a Chinese Council meeting in Portland, Oregon, to Dr. Lee, vice-president of the Chinese Benevolent Association, and Gene Chin, chairman of the Chinatown Cultural Development Program.

More than 20 people witnessed the presentation by Faye Matthews of the newly formed Portland Chinese Teaching Committee who was accompanied by Mrs. Loie Mead and Howard Herrick.

from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust

Well-loved for generations The Divine Art Of Living (revised and expanded) returns to meet contemporary needs

■ warm, reassuring, and inspirational passages from the Bahá’í writings ■ guidance on prayer & meditation, health & healing, tests & difficulties, relationships, death & immortality, peace & unity ■ two new chapters—one on marriage, one on the day in which we live

5 1/4 x 8 in. 421 excerpts SC $795*

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) 10: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE WILMETTE, IL 60091 TEL 1-800-321-185 Price valid only in the United States [Page 25]

INTERMEDIA

News from Office of Public Information

National Convention sees beginning of media strategies for Six Year Plan

The 77th annual Bahá’í National Convention not only accomplished the primary business of electing the National Spiritual Assembly for B.E. 143, it also commemorated the achievements of the Seven Year Plan and propelled us all into the exciting, dynamic activity of the newly inaugurated Six Year Plan.

Those of us who work at the National Office of Public Information were able to connect names with faces when many of you who work with the media in your communities stopped by our booth at the Convention, held May 1-4 in Chicago.

It was a genuine pleasure to meet so many of the people who keep the Bahá’í Public Information Network (BPIN) going, along with your families and friends.

The display at the booth reflected the juncture of the two Plans, and in our talks and consultations with those who visited the booth (whether members of the BPIN or not), we began to look ahead to the coming months and years.

There could be no better time than right now to begin reflecting on the objectives of the Six Year Plan! Bahá’í communities across the country have received copies of the Plan as outlined by the Universal House of Justice, and many are about to hold "town meetings" to consult on how these goals relate to the local level.

Several sections of the Six Year Plan refer to the role that public information work will play in accomplishing the goals of the Faith. You may want to begin your consideration of the Plan as it relates to PI work by examining the connections between various specific objectives and the use of the media to achieve them.

For example, Section One calls for "carrying the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of mankind." It asks Bahá’ís to "seize teaching opportunities by planning projects in areas where receptivity is found, aiming at large-scale enrollment and entry by troops where possible."

Entry by troops should attract some media attention! Are you prepared to have the media knock on your door?

Clearly, any attempt at "large-scale enrollment" will not only attract the press, but will provide us with abundant opportunities to use the tools of mass communication to proclaim the Faith. In fact, Section One calls for precisely that "utilizing the mass media systems for greater proclamation" of the Faith.

How might a weekly notice now in your local paper's community calendar possibly pave the way for major coverage of the Faith later? What projects might you undertake that would not only serve your community but also merit attention by a local television station as both a significant and visually interesting event?

Make a realistic assessment—where is your community now in terms of developing a good working relationship with your media, and where would you like to be in six months? In a year? In six years?

In this way, you can take steps that are appropriate for you in terms of your resources, and have the satisfaction of watching a series of small accomplishments add up to the larger accomplishment of the Plan itself.

Section Two, aimed at "greater involvement of the Faith in the life of human society," sets as one objective "training suitable Bahá’ís to undertake public relations activities." While the scope of public relations work goes well beyond dealing solely with the media, that is still its very core.

How is your community planning to represent the Faith? What might you do to enact the Faith's principles, whether as an individual or as a community, so that others remember it for the promise it holds for the world?

Using the media well can spread the influence of any single public relations activity you might undertake well beyond the boundaries of the event itself.

These points are offered as starting places for your consultation. The Office of Public Information stands ready to respond to your requests, to the feedback we expect to receive in the next few months, and to your suggestions. Together we can meet the challenges of the Six Year Plan!

SIGNIFICANT MENTIONS

The April 15 edition of the Chicago Tribune carried a photograph of a delegation of church leaders from the Soviet Union in front of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. The 18 clergymen representing the Baptist, Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox churches were in the area for a theological conference with American clergy. They received a warm welcome from the Bahá’í community and a special tour of the House of Worship as well as presentation copies of "The Promise of World Peace."

The April issue of the nationally distributed Connoisseur Magazine included an article about Mildred Mottahedeh, a Bahá’í who is a collector of rare porcelain and manufacturer of fine porcelain reproductions. Mrs. Mottahedeh, besides having been elected to the International Council in Haifa during the time of the Guardian, has been a member of the International Goals Committee for 20 years. She founded the Bahá’í International Office (now the Bahá’í International Community) at the United Nations, and designed the commemorative plate that was given to President Reagan when he was presented with the peace statement.

In the article, she describes the work of the Mottahedeh Foundation: "Ours is not a glamorous foundation—we do the most essential, elemental things. We build schools in Uganda to teach adults and children how to read and write. We 'adopted' four villages in India—there are a hundred now—where first we de-loused the inhabitants and cured their skin diseases. Then we helped raise their milk production from two and a half liters per cow per day to 28. We do similar work in Bolivia, Liberia and Zaire, where there are 13,000 kids in a school run by my nephew. I visit all of them regularly. When you have only so many years left, you want to spend them right."

The monthly tabloid Religious Freedom Alert, published in Washington, D.C., printed an article about the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran that detailed the nature of the persecutions and described the outcome and potential effects of the recent UN General Assembly vote on the human rights resolution. Included was a photograph of a Bahá’í cemetery in Yazd, Iran, that was desecrated by Islamic fundamentalists.

BUSY BAHÁ’ÍS

Providencia Lord, a Bahá’í from Niantic, Connecticut, was the subject of an in-depth article that began on the front page of The Day, ran three and one-quarter full pages, and included a number of photographs. Reporter Marcel Dufresne spent 10 months researching the story of Mrs. Lord's struggle to overcome the paralysis of her legs and her insistence that a steel pin, inserted in her lower spine to prevent further damage but now doing more harm than good, be removed. The topic of the Bahá’í Faith's transforming effect on Mrs. Lord's life and outlook runs throughout the article.

News, Events, and More, the campus newsletter of Western Iowa Technical Community College in Sioux City, printed a summary of the peace statement at the request of the superintendent of the college. The Bahá’ís of Sioux City had presented him with the statement and afterward were asked by him to work with the newsletter's editor to summarize it for publication. So, while it was initially presented to only one person, many more were able to read it as well. Another good example of how the message of peace spreads exponentially!

Bahá’ís in East Texas recently received $3,000 worth of free air time for Bahá’í television public service announcements (PSAs). Public Information consultant Kim Bowers, working in conjunction with the Spiritual Assembly of Tyler, Texas, arranged for 24 showings of the PSAs on their local cable station.

Kim Bowers also reports that the Kilgore News Herald and the Longview News Journal carried articles about a Bahá’í, Candice Bowers, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Kilgore, Texas, who is a department chairman and instructor at Kilgore College and was chosen this year as an "Outstanding Young Woman in America." The articles mention her 17 years of Bahá’í service.

Marian Dessent, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Durham, North Carolina, was featured in an article on the Faith in the "Family Scene" section of The Durham Sun. The article describes some of Mrs. Dessent's personal history with the Faith and presents information about Bahá’í Holy Days, the Nineteen Day Feast, and the Bahá’í calendar as well as about the persecutions in Iran. It is accompanied by a large photograph of Mrs. Dessent.

The peace statement was presented recently to four prominent authors by the Office of Public Information in New Jersey. Writers Susan Sonntag, E.L. Doctorow, F.D. Laing and Harold Brodkey each received a copy of the statement during a panel discussion in Philadelphia on "World Peace and the Individual."

The Bahá’ís of Vermont were written up in the Bennington Banner on Naw-Rúz, the day on which they presented the peace statement in Montpelier to all members of their state legislature. Dr. and Mrs. Francis Brooks of Bennington, representing the Bahá’ís of Vermont, opened the morning session in the House of Representatives with a prayer for America and one other Bahá’í prayer.

The religion editor of the Tempe, Arizona, Daily News interviewed Bahá’ís from Tempe and Scottsdale and the paper subsequently printed a half-page article with a group photo of the Tempe community. The article also appeared in the Mesa Tribune and the Chandler Tribune. The Greater Phoenix Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee reports that they expect to carry on the tradition of harmonious relationships with their local news editors.

The two-member Bahá’í community of China, Maine, was the subject of a lengthy half-page feature on the religion page of the Morning Sentinel.

Please remember to keep those PI rep forms coming

Keep those light green Public Information Representative appointment forms rolling in to the Office of Public Information!

The forms for registering your local PI rep were included in the Ridván 1986 mailing to all Assemblies, and an additional form was provided on the media page in the May issue of The American Bahá’í for all interested Groups or isolated believers.

Whether you are appointing a new rep or re-appointing the same person, you must send in a form! We are updating our mailing list, and want to be sure we include everyone who wants to be a part of the Bahá’í Public Information Network.

9 camera-ready newspaper ads on peace ready for your use

A set of four pages with nine different camera-ready ads for insertion in newspapers is now available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service. The themes of the peace statement are typeset attractively with peace logos. Also included are variously sized peace logos which can be used for your own paste-up art work and ad designs. Ads are designed with white space for insertion of local information by the Bahá’í community. The complete set is $3. Send checks to the Bahá’í Distribution Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone toll free 1-800-323-1880.

Peace

The Great Peace towards which people of goodwill throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations.

The Earth Is One Country... A thought expressed by the Bahá’í Faith

Peace

Humanity is caught in the paradox of longing for peace, and at the same time believing that human beings are basically so aggressive and selfish that peace cannot be established.

Conflict and exploration have been common features of history. But they are part of the immature stages of social development—akin to the stages of infancy and childhood in the life of a person. Society now passes through stages of one true reality as noble well in material within times before kingdoms and nation to now on the threshold of peace. It is an evolutionary journey that is not only possible but inevitable.

A thought expressed by the Bahá’í Faith [Page 26]

To register for India Temple dedication: PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

Please fill out completely and mail with two passport size photos of each participant to DEDICATION COMMITTEE P.O. BOX 4365 NEW DELHI, INDIA. to reach it prior to August 31, 1986

Conditions in Delhi require a ceiling on the number of participants, and registration will be on a first-come first-served basis. Applications without photos will not be processed.

Name Mr Mrs Ms (last name) (first name) (Telephone:

Address:

State Provinces (City) Country (Nationality)

Passport No: ID & Place of issue: Valid up to:

Languages Spoken: Understood:

Family Members Accompanying you:

Mr Mrs Ms Last Name First Names Passport No ID & Place of issue Valid up to (Nationality)

Mr Mrs Ms Passport No ID & Place of issue Valid up to (Nationality)

Mr Mrs Ms Passport No ID & Place of issue Valid up to (Nationality)

Mr Mrs Ms Passport No ID & Place of issue Valid up to (Nationality)

Mr Mrs Ms Passport No ID & Place of issue Valid up to (Nationality)

If your passport details are not available at the time of sending this form please make sure to send it to us latest by October 1, 1986.

In order that we proudly demonstrate to the world at large the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh who will assemble here during this historic dedication, we request you to furnish the following information.

I We am are native(s) of

I We belong to (State Tribe, Ethnic or Racial Classification)

Any other brief information about you or your family that may be of relevance to the purpose mentioned above.

Registration fee for each participant 12 yrs old and over is US $ 40

Please complete this form and mail it with your Cheque Bank Draft M.O. payable to: THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF INDIA (DEDICATION).

Ventura Bahá’ís present peace statement to officials, media, Indians at banquet

Pictured are city and county officials and elders of the Chumash Indian tribe who were given copies of the peace statement 'The Promise of World Peace' at a gala Naw-Rúz party in Ventura County, California. At the podium behind them is the master of ceremonies, Auxiliary Board member Anthony Lease.

At Naw-Rúz, March 21, the Bahá’ís of Ventura County, California, presented the Universal House of Justice's peace statement to city and county officials, elders of the Chumash Indian tribe, and representatives of the local media at a gala banquet in the ballroom of a resort hotel.

The presentations, made on behalf of the seven Bahá’í communities by the master of ceremonies, Auxiliary Board member Anthony Lease, were preceded by a talk on the Bahá’í perspective of world peace by William Davis, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly.

The honored guests included a representative of the county Board of Supervisors; two mayors; a mayor pro-tem; other council members; two elders of the Chumash tribe; and representatives of three large newspapers in the area.

The statement on the commendation given to each official with the peace statement was read for all to hear while the dignitaries stood before the audience.

Also on the program were dinner, entertainment by the County Master Chorale, and live dance music.

The event was planned by the intercommunity Peace Message Presentation Committee.

Green Lake Bahá’í Conference

THE UNFOLDING PATTERN THE FOURTH EPOCH

School Dates September 12, 13, 14, 1986.

Site Name American Baptist Assembly

Site Capacity 1400

Site Phone 414-294-3323

Location South Central Wisconsin just West of the city of Green Lake

Classroom Facilities Most adult sessions in central meeting hall. During optional sessions, classes meet in 10-12 smaller classrooms spread over beautiful grounds in nearby buildings. Nursery, outstanding children's classes, pre-youth and youth classes also in nearby buildings. Persian sessions in main auditorium.

Accommodations for Meals and Lodging All accommodations in quiet seclusion of ABA grounds. Wide variety available from primitive to deluxe campsites, inexpensive dorms, private rooms for 1-4, cottage and cabins with cooking facilities, hotel rooms in classic and homey 81 room lakefront hotel, large luxury homes. Meals served cafeteria style on site. Overnight guests must take meal plan unless there are cooking facilities at accommodations (house, cabin, cottage, campsite). Day guests may buy meal tickets, use snack bar, use picnic facilities or restaurants off grounds. Vegetarian and specific diets available with advance arrangements.

Attractions Exhibition Hall featuring Publishing Trust Bookstore, Bahá’í Publishers, and suppliers, National Committee Booths, Bahá’í artists and artisans.

Recreation Facilities All recreational facilities are within the gates of ABA. Acres of serene meadows and woodlands with freely roaming deer and wildlife. Indoor pool, bicycling, boating, fishing, tennis, golf and miles of nature trails through hills and valleys. Ideal for photographers.

Pre-registration Date While accommodations variety is great, the number in each category is limited. Room reservations should be made as soon as possible. The earlier the better—to insure your first choice.

All housing registration inquiries should be addressed to American Baptist Assembly, Registration, Green Lake, WI 54941 (telephone 414-294-3323 or 1-800-558-8898 toll free). Bahá’í contact for program information only, Sue Schaut, Planning Committee Secretary, Sun Prairie, WI 53590 (telephone 608-837-8609).

Speakers Newly appointed member of the Continental Board of Counsellors, Robert Harris. Long-time veteran believer with extensive worldwide Bahá’í experience, Tony Pelle. Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, Robert Henderson. Morris Taylor. Plus... Bahá’í stand-up comic.

Rates To calculate Conference Cost, add the following three items:

1. Conference Fees A. overnight adults 12 and up $10 B. overnight children infant to 11 $5 C. maximum family fee (parents and children 0 to 11) $30 D. day guest adult, 12 and up $5 E. day guest children infant to 11 $5

2. Accommodations Rates A. tots 5 and under NO CHARGE The following per person/ per night rates apply to everyone age 6-adult B. dormitory style room with central bath 1-2 per room $13-25 C. rooms with semi-private bath 1-3 per room $16-27 D. rooms with private bath 1-4 per room $16-40 E. limited campsites, cabins, cottages and large luxury homes—contact the ABA

3. Meal costs A. tots 5 and under breakfast NO CHARGE lunch NO CHARGE dinner NO CHARGE B. children 6-11 breakfast $2.10 lunch $3.10 dinner $3.95 C. adults 12 and up breakfast $3.65 lunch $4.75 dinner $6.15

All overnight guests must take meal plan unless the accommodations have cooking facilities.

GREEN LAKE BAHÁ’Í CONFERENCE Pre-Registration for Children's Classes

RETURN BY SEPTEMBER 1, 1986

PARENT(S) NAME(S) HOME ADDRESS CHILD'S NAME BIRTH DATE (MO/DA/YR) GRADE SPECIAL NEEDS/DIET RESTRICTIONS (Emotional/physical needs behavior modifications, allergies, etc.) WILL ATTEND SAT AM, SAT PM, SUN AM

SEND FORM DIRECTLY TO LAURIE KAUTZ, LODI, WI 53555 Children 4-10 must pre-register

GREEN LAKE CENTER RESERVATION (one per family)

Mail to Reservations and make check payable to American Baptist Assembly—Green Lake, WI 54941

Advance Deposit—Room 1 Day Room Charge Housekeeping/Camping total charge

LAST NAME List below your First Name Age Title (Mr Mrs Miss etc) Attending Conference I plan to room with and the name of each family member accompanying you roommate may be assigned

Address City & State Telephone Zip

Arrival date. Circle Time BB AM PM EVE Departure date. Circle Time BB AM PM EVE

I desire single occupancy If not checked Arriving by Car Public Transportation If using public transportation, please give Date, Time, City and Place to be met if known, otherwise send when finalized

FRIDAY DINNER NUMBER ATTENDING.

Cancellation Fee— Room: Between 2 weeks and 4:00 pm day before reservation, deposit. Housekeeping/Camping Between 30 days and 4:00 pm day before reservation deposit. After 4:00 pm day before reservation, no refund either class

Accommodation/Rate Preference 1 2 3

Confirmation FOR OFFICE USE ONLY

BB Before Breakfast [Page 27]

DEDICATION OF THE BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP OF THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT

NEW DELHI DECEMBER 1986

O people of creation! It is incumbent upon you to build, in the cities and in the name of the Lord of Revelation, Houses as perfect as can be built on earth, and to adorn them with that which beseemeth them, not with images and statues. Magnify ye then therein the praise of your Merciful Lord in a spirit of joy and radiance. Lo! It is through His mention that hearts are illumined and eyes solaced. (Newly-translated extract from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)

"....the raising of that beautiful edifice is already serving as a magnet, attracting divine blessings and support to the Bahá’ís in that land." (UHJ. January 4, 1981).

"....the raising of the Temple in India,... is one of the many positive signs of the onward progress of the Faith of God.

"....the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in India will be a magnet of divine blessings, not only for India, but for the whole continent of Asia, and all of the Indian believers should feel proud to have the bounty of providing, within their individual means, a large share in the raising of this "Dawning-place of the Remembrance of God." (UHJ. July 26, 1981)

"It shares your delight in witnessing step by step the raising of the "Dawning place of the Remembrances of God" in that country, as well as your expectations of the great influence this edifice will have, not only in India but in many other countries of the world." (UHJ, March 30, 1982)

"The House of Justice is sure that you are as excited as it is, in anticipation of the dedication of the Temple and in the great blessings which that Institution of God will bring to your beloved country." (UHJ. June 24, 1985)

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF INDIA

6 Canning Road, New Delhi-110001

Dearly-loved Friends.

March 21. 1986

We were called upon by the Universal House of Justice at the beginning of the Five Year Plan in 1974 to "initiate the construction of the Mother Temple of the Indian Sub-continent in New Delhi." Under the loving and inspiring guidance of the Universal House of Justice, the collective and sacrificial efforts of the Bahá’ís of India together with their brothers and sisters all over the world. have drawn nigh the blessed hour of the triumphant completion of this mighty edifice in the very first year of the new Six Year Plan. It is, therefore, with a feeling of profound ecstacy and a deep sense of gratitude, that we joyfully convey the Supreme Body's auspicious announcement to hold the dedication of the Mother Temple in December 1986.

Beloved Hand of the Cause of God, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum, will represent the Universal House of Justice at this historic occasion and dedicate the House of Worship. The dedication will be followed by a three-day conference, the theme of which has been announced by the Universal House of Justice as "The Bahá’í House of Worship dedicated to the Unity of God, the Unity of His Prophets, and the Unity of Mankind."

The dedication of this "Institution of God" falls at a momentous time in the history of the Faith; a period which, "signalises the inauguration of a new stage in the unfoldment of the Administrative Order", marking "the inception of the fourth epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith", and the culmination of the Year of Peace.

On behalf of the Bahá’í community of India we are delighted to extend a very warm welcome to you to participate in this purely spiritual experience and share in the divine blessings released by the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF INDIA

GENERAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship of the Indian Sub-continent New Delhi, December 23-27, 1986.

Event: Registration Site: Bahá’í National Center / Designated Hotels Dates: Dec. 19-22

Event: House of Worship Site: House of Worship Dates: Dec. 23-27

Event: Stadium Site: Stadium Dates: Dec. 22-23

Event: Conference Inauguration Site: Stadium Dates: Dec. 23 afternoon

Event: Dedication Events Site: House of Worship Dates: Dec. 23 evening

Event: Conference Sessions Site: Stadium Dates: Dec. 24 entire day

Event: Public Meeting & Cultural Program Site: Stadium Dates: Dec. 23 evening and Dec. 25-26

Event: Children's Conference Sessions Site: Velodrome (stadium) Dates: Dec. 27 evening

Event: Distribution Service Committee Sales Site: Stadium Dates: Dec. 23-26

Event: [Service] Site: House of Worship Dates: Dec. 26 morning

The House of Worship of the Indian Sub-continent will be dedicated by the beloved Hand of the Cause of God, ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum, representative of the Universal House of Justice. A three-day international conference following the dedication will feature inspiring talks by several Hands of the Cause, Counsellors and other prominent Bahá’ís on the progress and growth of the Cause of God in Asia and in other parts of the world. The program will include a specially prepared audio-visual presentation on World Peace, and also on the uniqueness of the design and construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. World renowned musicians and artists will perform during the conference and at a special public meeting for an anticipated twenty thousand strong audience. A children's programme will also be conducted concurrently with the main conference.

THE VENUE

The site of the Conference is the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium located centrally in New Delhi. Constructed for the 1982 Asian Games, it is the largest indoor stadium in Asia.

CONFERENCE LANGUAGES

The official languages of the Conference are English and Hindi.

BAHÁ’Í CREDENTIALS

A pre-registration form is provided here which should be completed and sent to the committee. You will then be sent a special Bahá’í Dedication Credential Card in advance of your arrival for the dedication. When you arrive in New Delhi, please report to the registration area and present your Bahá’í credentials to obtain your Dedication identification badge. There will be no admittance to any of the dedication activities without the identification badge, which should be carried at all times.

Remember to bring your dedication credential card, your Passport and your current Bahá’í I.D. card or a Bahá’í Credential from your National Spiritual Assembly.

REGISTRATION FEE

The Registration fee for each participant (12 years old and over) is US $40 (payable in any currency except Indian Rupees).

The fee is non-refundable and covers the following: Transportation: Airport-Hotel-Airport transfers; and local transfers from Hotel to the conference site/House of Worship and back during the entire conference period. Other conference arrangements.

The Registration fee for children ages 5 to 11 years is as follows: US $ 15 per single child $25 for two children per family $30 for three or more children per family $40 for each child 12 years and above.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Since a large number of participants are expected, conditions in Delhi require a ceiling on the total number of participants. Therefore, friends will be registered on a first-come first-served basis. The last date for receipt of registration forms is August 31, 1986.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

We expect many children drawn from all around the Bahá’í world and belonging to diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to take part in this special programme which will run concurrently with the plenary sessions of the dedication conference. The site of the children's programme is the Velodrome which is adjacent to the site of the main conference.

Registration The programme is designed for children from ages 5 years to 14 years only. The children must be pre-registered by their parents using the form provided here. Children 12-14 years old are allowed to attend the dedication of the House of Worship and the sessions of the main conference in the stadium. However, the parents are responsible for their supervision. Children less than twelve years old will not be allowed to be taken into the House of Worship dedication programme or the Conference sessions. However, there will be a special session for the children at the House of Worship.

PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

Due to limited facilities we regret that we are unable to organise any programme for children under 5 years of age. The care of these children is the responsibility of their parents. Parents planning to attend the dedication are urged to make private arrangements to have their infants and toddlers taken care of at home. Infants and pre-school children (0-4) will not be allowed to be taken into sessions at the House of Worship or at the Conference.

MUSIC AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Bahá’í professional musicians and other renowned artists will perform during the conference. Pandit Ravi Shankar, the famous Indian musician will compose music and conduct the Indian choir at the dedication. A variety of cultural items featuring classical, folk, and tribal Indian dance and music will also be presented.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT

A dedicated volunteer corps is one of the keys to the success of the conference. There is an urgent need for volunteers for a number of different areas of service indicated on the volunteer form provided.

BAHA’I BOOKSTORE

The friends attending the dedication will be provided by the Bahá’í Distribution Service of the Dedication Committee with a large and varied selection of Bahá’í literature and related items for sale. All sales will be handled exclusively by the Bahá’í Distribution Service of the Dedication Committee.

TRAVEL TEACHING

The National Spiritual Assembly warmly encourages the friends to travel teach either before or after attending the Dedication. If you are able to contribute in this way you are requested to contact the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India P.O. Box 19, New Delhi 110001, India, as soon as possible with a curriculum vitae.

PASSPORT AND VISA

As per latest regulations, all visitors in their individual capacity as Tourists require a tourist visa to enter India which may be obtained from the nearest Indian embassy or consulate by making an application to them in advance. It is recommended to apply for TOURIST VISA for TOURISM purpose. (Those who intend visiting neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka etc. should apply for a MULTIPLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA for TOURISM purpose). Nationals of countries with which India does not have diplomatic or consular relations should register three months in advance giving all passport particulars. People arriving in India without a proper Visa would be returned immediately from the airport to their country of origin by the Indian authorities unhesitatingly.

OFFICIAL TRAVEL AGENTS

TRAVEL CORPORATION (1) PVT. LTD. (TCI), and SITA WORLD TRAVEL (India) Pvt. Ltd. are the officially appointed Travel Agents and will handle all hotel accommodation, local pre- and post-dedication tours, and local transportation, only for those participants who have registered with the Dedication Committee. Registered participants, on their arrival at the airport at Delhi should immediately report to the special information booths set up by SITA/TCI. [Page 28]

The annual report of the National Spiritual Assembly

The Annual Report of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States: Ridván 1986.

The beginning of the Seven Year Plan coincided with the renewal of persecutions of the Iranian Bahá’ís. Our excitement about the launching of the new Plan was overshadowed by our concern for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Iran and by our initial sense of powerlessness in the face of their suffering.

We found comfort in the writings of Shoghi Effendi who explained that periodic crises in the "mysterious evolution" of the Cause, "invariably sudden, seemingly fatal to both its spirit and its life," have historically "failed to arrest its march or impair its unity."

"Yet," the Guardian added, "viewed in their proper perspective, each of them can be confidently pronounced a blessing in disguise, affording a providential means for the release of a fresh outpouring of celestial strength," "an agency for the purification and revitalization of the life of the community, an impetus for the enlargement of its limits and the propagation of its influence....

He concluded that sometimes at the height of the crises, "the significance of these trials has manifested itself to men's eyes and the necessity of such experiences has been demonstrated

The wisdom of that prophetic analysis is evident to us now. It can be argued that the achievements of the Seven Year Plan are the legacy of the sacrifices of our Iranian brethren. The emergence of the Bahá’í Faith from obscurity was purchased with their blood. The revitalization of the community of believers and the dramatic growth of our capacities were related, in some mysterious way, to the suppression of the Bahá’í community Iran.

Its sacrifices have propelled us to a level of accomplishment and international prominence completely unanticipated at the outset of the Plan.

Our response to the crisis and the resulting victories of the past seven years testify that we are not the community we once were. We have become a rapidly emerging presence on the world scene.

As attempts were made to force our brethren to recant their faith, a world outcry arose focusing international attention on their plight and on the Bahá’í Faith itself. This outcry included the defense of the Iranian Bahá’ís by many governments and by the United Nations. And, in the United States:

• the persistent defense of the Iranian Bahá’ís and of the Faith itself by the President and the Congress;
• the announcement of scores of local and state level proclamations protesting the persecutions and asserting the integrity of the Faith;
• the publication of over 15,000 articles in newspapers and magazines, including eight editorials in The New York Times;
• the broadcast of major television programs about the Faith including ABC's "20/20" and the BBC's "Everyman" series, along with a sharp increase in local television programming; and,
• the establishment of the National Persian/American Affairs Committee and the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office, which works with the government and with the agencies of the United Nations to assist the immigration and resettlement of Iranian Bahá’í refugees.

As the world watched the outlawing of Bahá’í institutions in Iran and the relentless efforts to strangle one of our largest and most resourceful Bahá’í communities, the Bahá’í International Community persevered to secure:

• the establishment of the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice;
• the erection of Houses of Worship in India and Samoa;
• the formation of 23 National Spiritual Assemblies, 8,000 new local Spiritual Assemblies, and 16,000 new localities;
• the initiation of over 700 social and economic development projects worldwide including Bahá’í schools and colleges, health clinics, and agricultural development programs; and, in the United States,
• the construction of the Native American Bahá’í Institute, the Louhelen Bahá’í School, and Radio Bahá’í-WLGI.

And, finally, as a systematic effort to vilify the Faith and to distort its teachings continued to spread, the Universal House of Justice addressed the peoples of the world, for the first time, with the statement, The Promise of World Peace, galvanizing Bahá’ís everywhere and triggering proclamation and teaching activities on a scale far beyond any achieved before.

Within months of its release, the peace statement was presented to more than 70 heads of state. In the American Bahá’í community:

• the President of the United States received the statement in a public ceremony commemorating Human Rights Day, during which he repeated his protest of the persecution of the Iranian Bahá’ís and reaffirmed their innocence;
• members of the U.S. Supreme Court welcomed a delegation of the National Spiritual Assembly;
• Bahá’ís made literally scores of presentations to governors, senators, congressmen, mayors, city councils, tribal councils, tribal chairmen, and community organizations;
• Bahá’í communities sponsored conferences, television programs, and an increasing number of joint efforts with other organizations;
• Navajo and Lakota Bahá’ís began working on translations of the statement; and,
• the Universal House of Justice announced a World Congress, to be held in November 1992 in the City of the Covenant, New York, to mark the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant.

The Seven Year Plan

A recitation of the accomplishments of the Seven Year Plan must also include the following highlights:

The major numerical goals of the Plan were achieved and exceeded in each instance. The number of Spiritual Assemblies rose from 1,489 to 1,785; Spiritual Assemblies on Indian Reservations increased from 31 to 62, far surpassing the goal of 50.

Over the course of seven years almost 2,000 pioneers left for international service. And, while the enrollment of new believers could only be described as modest at 25,000 for the seven-year period, the past 15 months have seen a steady increase of teaching and enrollment activity in all sections of the community. This year, enrollments will exceed 5,000, the highest level since 1978 and the second highest rate in the past 15 years.

While the statistical achievements of the community are impressive, perhaps even more important to the future progress of the Cause is the change in the patterns of local and national activities.

The Seven Year Plan saw the spirit of the Campaign of Unified Action take root in the heart of the community. From this movement to foster initiative and collaboration has sprung a range of activities. Local communities have assumed new levels of responsibility for the direction of their development and the propagation of the Cause. A few examples serve to illustrate this encouraging trend:

• conferences of urban Spiritual Assemblies, organized by the communities themselves, were held in the West and the Midwest. These efforts were supported by members of the Continental Board of Counselors, the Auxiliary Board, and the National Assembly;
• efforts to promote The Promise of World Peace have included the purchase of 120,000 copies of the statement and the printing and distribution of tens of thousands more by local communities;
• regularly scheduled children's schools now number more than 350, while summer schools are currently scheduled at more than 40 sites;
• Indian people from the U.S. participated in three international and two U.S. regional "Trail of Light" programs;
• locally initiated race unity activities, social service and development projects, and minority teaching efforts are increasing steadily.

On the national level, similar evidences of growing strength are visible:

• the mutual support and coordination among the Board of Counselors, the National Spiritual Assembly and their agencies have given the Campaign of Unified Action its spirit and accelerated its progress;
• contributions to the National Fund, during the past seven years, have totaled more than $40 million. An additional $6.6 million was raised for special projects such as the Louhelen Bahá’í School, the Native American Bahá’í Institute, WLGI and the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, the repair of the Temple apron and dome, and the reconstruction of the National Haziratu’l-Quds;
• the birth of the Youth Movement, reinforced by the overwhelming success of the Bahá’í International Youth Conference, has re-established the role of youth as a driving force in the community;
• the appointment of the National Committee on Women's Rights signaled the advance of an essential area of our work;
• the establishment of the Louhelen Residential College, and the emergence of Radio Bahá’í-WLGI as a widely heard voice of community service, entertainment, and spiritual broadcasting, represent a dramatic entry into new fields of service;
• the expansion of a national network of Persian/American Affairs Area Committees adds strength to our efforts to facilitate the resettlement and integration of Iranian refugees;
• the successful reorganization and profitable operation of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust which, this year, will record more than $1 million in sales;
• the increased use of the skills and expertise of the friends in such areas as architecture, data processing, law, education, finance, public relations, and management development; and especially,
• the growth in the number of teaching projects from three in 1984 to 95 scheduled this summer.

Conclusion

Throughout this period of violent and unpredictable change, the Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem and William Sears, the Continental Counselors, and their Auxiliary Boards have played a prominent role in encouraging the friends and inspiring and supporting our progress. We owe them a great debt and our heartfelt gratitude.

To the Bahá’ís everywhere, and to the local agencies of the administration whose strength, farsightedness and initiative could not be adequately described in this summary, we express our deepest appreciation. And, especially, to the committees and offices of the National Spiritual Assembly whose work has contributed to so many victories, domestic and international, past and future, we offer our thanks.

Dear friends, we stand at a grand juncture in the history of our Faith: The Cause has emerged from obscurity and we have entered a new epoch in the Formative Age of its development. What the future holds no one can tell. But we will meet its challenges as we always have, fearless, confident and strengthened by these words of the Báb, "... know ye of a certainty that He will render you victorious, will exalt you among the peoples of the world and will demonstrate your high rank before the gaze of all nations...."

The National Spiritual Assembly Ridván 1986

Unity Conference slated in Atlanta

"World Peace Through Racial Unity" is the theme of a Race Unity Conference to be held July 4-6 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Speakers will include Mary Kay Radpour, Jean Scales, June Thomas and Richard Thomas.

No pre-registration is necessary. For information, contact Barbara or Foad Monadjem, Lilburn, GA 30247, or phone 404-925-1572.

Ethel Murray papers reflect involvement with wide cross-section of community

It's no accident that the correspondence in the Ethel Murray Papers at the National Bahá’í Archives represents a wide cross-section of the American Bahá’í community. This reflects Ethel Murray's life-long involvement with the Bahá’í grassroots.

It was a long way from Providence, Rhode Island, to the deprived conditions surrounding the Native Americans she came to teach.

But Ethel herself had had to make do in trying circumstances during her service in the first Seven Year Plan (1937-44) in Richmond, Virginia, and she willingly shared the life she found.

Her reports in Bahá’í News about the need on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina for warm clothing and blankets brought responses from many Bahá’í communities.

The correspondence is endearing, even when coming from the American Indian Service Committee, which was unflagging in its support of its stalwart southern colleague.

One of the most touching parts concerns Minnie Feather and Nellie Jumper, the first declarants resulting from Ethel Murray's efforts among the Cherokee.

The fulfillment of this statistical goal loses all impersonality when the letters are read concerning Nellie Jumper's struggles with a hard life and a partially conceived faith. Debts, crops, babies and health are what life was about, and while Nellie Jumper had a sincere belief in Bahá’u’lláh, in many practical respects Ethel Murray was the Faith for her.

Ethel was acutely aware of this trust, refusing to have her own straitened conditions eased as long as others around her were suffering, and declining to leave her post until severe health problems made the decision for her.

Other mementos of Ethel Murray's life found in her papers include the card file of all recipients of Bahá’í literature from her; a report by Peter McLaren (now a Counselor in South America) of the time he and a fellow youth, Bernard Streets, spent with her in the summer of 1956; and one of Ethel's paintings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Although she was a photographer by trade, Ethel Murray is better known as the creator of dozens of treasured portraits of the Master that decorate the homes of American Bahá’ís today.

ABS seeks papers

The Association for Bahá’í Studies Pacific Northwest Regional Committee has issued a call for papers for its conference entitled "Universal Peace: The Challenge of Our Day" to be held October 4-5 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Please submit abstracts by July 15 to ABS, P.O. Box 91055, West Vancouver, BC Canada V7V 3N3. For more information, phone Dr. Nasser Sabet, 604-986-8839 or 604-984-7223. [Page 29]

'Nayriz Youth Connection' teaches Faith from California to N. Carolina

Members of the ‘Nayriz Connection’ are pictured with their school bus during the group's stop at the Grand Canyon Youth Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, while en route from San Diego, California, to North Carolina.

Twenty-five Bahá’í youth from around the country gathered in Riverside, California, during their winter break to launch the “Nayriz Youth Connection,” a travel teaching campaign conceived by a group of young people last August at the Tabarsi Project in Hemingway, South Carolina.

The campaign, dedicated to the martyrs in Nayriz, follows the Tabarsi Project which was named after the first of three major Bábí upheavals in Iran.

The main purpose of the "Los Angeles to North Carolina" teaching trip was to proclaim the Faith and world peace through direct teaching, firesides, musical performances, presentations of the peace statement, slide programs and public talks.

It was also intended as a vehicle for establishing "connections" within the American Bahá’í community.

On December 24, the projecteers, helped by North Carolina Bahá’ís Wilford and Lollie Johnson, loaded their bus and headed for San Diego, the first stop on their cross-country trek, where they taught in a predominantly Asian neighborhood and handed out invitations to a public meeting.

Already, they had attended a unity dance sponsored by the Varqa Bahá’í Club in Tustin, California; taken part in door-to-door teaching in Placentia; and participated in presentations of the peace statement to the mayors of Fontana and Rialto.

Traveling from San Diego to Arizona, the youth took part in the Grand Canyon Youth Conference in Phoenix. During that event, $3,300 was donated to the Nayriz Fund which not only helped the youth complete the trip but will be used to fund further projects this summer.

On December 30 the Nayriz Connection, joined by youth and adults from the conference, taught on the Sacatan Indian Reservation.

"In many ways," one of the youth reported, "this evening with the Native Americans was the highlight of the whole trip. The energy, love, unity and receptivity was electrifying and awe-inspiring."

Together with new recruits from the youth conference, the youngsters traveled next to New Mexico. While about half of the group remained in Las Cruces, the others went to Juarez, Mexico, where they met with local Bahá’ís.

Those who remained in New Mexico taught in several towns from Las Cruces to Anthony, Texas, conducting public meetings and firesides in Spanish and English and handing out invitations to a "peace fiesta" in Anthony's American Legion Hall.

With 22 enrollments and three new localities opened, the Juarez projecteers returned to Las Cruces to begin a 48-hour non-stop drive to North Carolina that ended this first "Nayriz Connection" campaign.

Women's Conference set at Drake University

"Women as Peacemakers" is the theme of a day-long conference to be held Saturday, July 26, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Included will be workshops and addresses. Child care will be provided.

For information, phone Kim Heidarian, 515-265-5535.

Green Acre to offer 30-hour institute on foreign, homefront pioneering

The Green Acre Bahá’í School will offer a 30-hour institute in foreign and homefront pioneering during the week of July 7-11.

The teachers will include Mary Louise Suhm, secretary of the International Goals Committee and Jaci Delahunt, secretary of the American Indian Teaching Committee and staff member in the National Teaching Committee office.

Among the topics will be identification of goal areas, cross-cultural preparation, the pioneer's role and relationship to the Administrative Order, and such "nuts and bolts" issues as health, moving, and employment.

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá called pioneering the most meritorious of deeds," says school administrator Dick Grover. "This institute is for people who are planning to go to another community either in this country or abroad, or who may only be starting to consider such a move.

"People who have pioneered, or who are presently pioneering, are especially invited," Mr. Grover adds. "Their experience will be a rich resource for this program."

News Briefs

In March, the Bahá’í Group of Black Jack, Missouri, presented a copy of "The Promise of World Peace" to Mayor Fayette Paul of nearby Warrenton.

A photograph of the ceremony appeared March 26 in the Warrenton News-Journal.

"Gateway to Peace" is the theme of a Native Council to be sponsored July 25-27 by the Spiritual Assembly of the Makah Reservation in Neah Bay, Washington.

Highlights will include a multi-cultural presentation on Saturday evening; study and other activities for children and youth; presentations and consultation during the morning sessions by various special coordinators; and a Saturday evening salmon bake.

Because Neah Bay is a fishing resort and this is a peak season for fishing, it is suggested that one make reservations early if planning to stay at a motel or camp.

For more information, write to Rita Markishtum, P.O. Box 654, Neah Bay, WA 98357, or phone 206-645-2659.

In December, The American Bahá’í reported the opening of "The Dry Spot," a drug- and alcohol-free entertainment center for young people operated by Bahá’ís in Westminster, Maryland.

"The Dry Spot" remains open, and in February its director, Paula Myers, received the following letter from Nancy Reagan:

"Someone special wrote to me recently about the wonderful work you are doing in your community on behalf of the campaign against drug and alcohol abuse, and I wanted to write this little note to extend my own thanks and admiration for your dedication.

"Because of concerned, conscientious people like you, we are beginning to see a reversal in the tragic trend towards drug abuse. It is so very important that we continue working together, increasing our efforts, until we witness all of our young people choosing drug-free lives.

"I am confident that your heroic efforts will provide an added impetus to the success of the drug prevention activity in your city. You have my best wishes, and I thank you for your commitment to the youth of your community.

"Sincerely, Nancy Reagan"

Farsheed Ferdowsi, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Nashville, Tennessee, was profiled in the January issue of Advantage Magazine, which is devoted to business and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Mr. Ferdowsi, an engineer by training, is chief executive officer and president of Access Data Services Inc., a time-sharing computer company which he started six years ago with no other employees and no telephone, and which has grown at an average annual rate of 30 percent for the past five years.

The Spiritual Assembly of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has presented "The Promise of World Peace" to the following elected officials in its area:

U.S. Congressman George Gekas, Pennsylvania state Senator John Shumaker, state legislator Pete Wambach Jr., Dauphin County Commissioner Larry Hockendoner, Mayor Steve Reed of Harrisburg, and the members of the Harrisburg city council.

All of the recipients said they would like to receive copies of U.S. Bahá’í Report.

Pioneer Post available to subscribers

Pioneer Post is a newsletter consisting of excerpts from letters written by pioneers from the U.S. to the International Goals Committee. In its eight-year existence, it has been sent quarterly to the 1,500 or so U.S. pioneers in the field as well as to Counselors, Auxiliary Board members, and a few others who have requested it. Now it is being offered on a subscription basis to anyone who is interested for $4 a year. Send your checks to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. You'll find Pioneer Post a continuing source of inspiration and love.

O God, Guide Me!

New design; durable cover 48 pages 22 illustrations

Prayers to bind the hearts of children to Bahá’u’lláh

• excellent for family devotions and fostering a sense of Bahá’í identity
• makes a special gift from parents and Spiritual Assemblies to children and libraries
• contains one NEW prayer and updated translations
• includes prayers for guidance, spiritual education, protection, spiritual happiness, dawn, obedience to God, healing, light of God, assistance from God

$3.75

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE. IL 60091 TEL 1-800-323-1880 [Page 30]

Beyond Quest for Peace theme of 11th ABS Conference

"Beyond the Quest for Peace: Creating a New World Order" is the theme of the 11th annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies to be held August 22-24 at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada with auxiliary events beginning August 20.

The Conference schedule provides a splendid alternative for those who won't be able to attend the Peace Conference in San Francisco the following weekend.

Highlights of the Conference will include:

• Keynote presentations by the Hand of the Cause of God Amat’ul-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum.
• World renowned speakers including Ervin Laszlo of the Club of Rome.
• Distinguished Bahá’í speakers from all over the world including the Hand of the Cause of God Alí-Muhammad Varqá at the Youth Conference.
• The Hasan Balyúzí Lecture by Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh.
• Plus a gala evening of music and song, a reception and dinner for dignitaries, and a multiple presentation on "The Promise of World Peace."

Two other events will be held August 22-24 alongside the ABS Conference: an International Children's Conference on Peace (for ages 6-12) and an International Youth Conference on Peace (ages 12-14).

In addition, five Symposia on Peace will be held August 20-21, sponsored by the Bahá’í International Health Agency, the Bahá’í Institute for Environmental Design, the Bahá’í Family Institute, the Bahá’í Institute on Education, and the Bahá’í Institute on the Arts.

A Peace and Minorities Conference also is confirmed, and an Agricultural Policy Conference has been scheduled to begin August 20.

Due to limitations of space, pre-registration is absolutely essential both for adults and children. To ensure adequate supervision, no children can be accepted for the Children's Conference unless pre-registered.

Send your registration with a non-refundable $30 deposit to the Association for Bahá’í Studies, 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 7K4.

For information, phone 613-233-1903.

Hannen

...ceptable.

Mr. Hannen continued to submit articles to the press up to the time this country entered World War I, when newspapers no longer published articles on peace. One of his letters, in response to a clergyman's attack on the Faith, was so wise, gentle and spiritual that opposition was immediately silenced.

It was natural that one so capable and willing should receive many calls to serve. One of these requested that Mr. Hannen forward mail to traveling teachers. It was while on such a mission, near the post office, that he was struck by a passing truck. Mr. Hannen quickly forgave the careless driver, but after lingering for a week, surrounded by shocked, tearful and prayerful friends, he died peacefully.

In the words of Louis Gregory, "No praise from a limited source, however earnest and heartfelt, can do justice to the memories of Mr. and Mrs. Hannen, who share the spirit of the Persian martyrs in the heroic age of the Faith.

"Only a Great Writer can adequately describe them, and that Writer, Whose pen is guided by God, is no other than the incomparable Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá."

In a Tablet to Mrs. Hannen written after the passing of her husband, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote:

"... The favored servant of the Kingdom, Mr. Hannen, that pure and spotless soul, was the first self-sacrificing person in the path of the Merciful One.

"At night he was restless and during the day he was untiring. Not a moment did he rest and all his life time was consecrated to the service of the Kingdom. In the assemblage of the friends he was an active member and in the gathering of Thy favored ones an enkindled torch.

"In the Horizon of guidance he twinkled like a radiant star and in the Abhá Paradise he appeared a magnificent palm. He was an illumined soul, merciful, kingly, lordly."

REGISTRATION

Please complete a separate application for each registrant (Adult, Youth, Child, Infant)

PLAN A includes: 4 nights (from Wednesday to Saturday); 11 meals (Thursday Breakfast to Sunday lunch) and registration fee

PLAN B includes: 3 nights (from Thursday to Saturday): 8 meals (Friday Breakfast to Sunday lunch) and registration fee

PLAN C includes: Registration fee/day (no rooms, no meals)

CATEGORY ADVANCE REGISTRATION (by July 15, 1986)

MEMBERS Plan A: $160 Plan B: $120 Plan C: $10/day

NON MEMBERS Plan A: $180 Plan B: $140 Plan C: $15/day

CHILDREN Based on double occupancy 12 years and older, same fees as Adults 6-11 years (inclusive)—half of the Adult fee 1-5 years (inclusive)—$10/day for Nursery

ON SITE REGISTRATION (after July 15, 1986) Members: Plan A $180, Plan B $140, Plan C $15/day Non-Members: Plan A $200, Plan B $160, Plan C $20/day

"Due to limitations of space, pre-registration is absolutely essential both for adults and children. To ensure adequate supervision, no children can be accepted for the Children's Conference unless pre-registered.

Send your registration and non-refundable deposit of $30 to: ASSOCIATION FOR BAHÁ’Í STUDIES Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1N 7K4 (613) 233-1903

The 1986 Special Visit Program to the Bahá’í National Center

• View relics of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arranged especially for your visit by the National Archives.
• See first hand how the National Spiritual Assembly conducts its business.
• Learn how the construction of the "Mother Temple of the West" was a primary stimulus for the development of the American Bahá’í community. Tour areas of the building normally closed to visitors.
• Tour the entire Bahá’í National Center visiting the:
  • Office of the Secretary
  • Office of the Treasurer
  • National Committee offices
  • Bahá’í Publishing Trust
  • The Bahá’í Home
• Have fun, make new friends, and take part in a spiritual experience you'll never forget.

• The Special Visit Program is for Bahá’ís only!

July 31 — August 3 Housing at Holiday Inn in Evanston Rooms (per night): Single, $60; Double, $65

The hotel is close to public transportation coming to the Bahá’í House of Worship and O'Hare Airport.

Send a $20 deposit to reserve each room. Please make checks payable to "Bahá’í Services Fund." Reservations made through the House of Worship only.

Return registration form to: Special Visit Program, Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 31]

Year in review

from page 19

chart your course during the next six years to the eve of the Holy Year (1992) when you will join your sister communities in commemorating the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and host, in the City of the Covenant, the second Bahá’í World Congress."

On March 12, the UN Commission on Human Rights adopts its fifth resolution on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The new resolution, following closely in language and intent the resolution adopted in December by the UN General Assembly, calls for the appointment of a new Special Representative whose task would be to report on the human rights situation in Iran, including that of minority groups such as the Bahá’ís, to the General Assembly at its next session later this year and to the Commission on Human Rights at its 1987 session.

Former Counselor Angus Cowan dies March 9 at his home in Invermere, British Columbia, after a long illness. On March 29, a memorial service is held at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.

More than 650 people attend a gala banquet March 22 in Los Angeles, California, at which Mayor Tom Bradley and others are presented copies of "The Promise of World Peace."

The national Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs is renamed the Bahá’í Office of Public Information. Its primary function remains the same: developing and serving the national Bahá’í Public Information Network.

April

• For the third year in a row, Iran's persecution of its Bahá’í minority is cited by the U.S. State Department in its annual review of human rights around the world, "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1985." "The Bahá’í religion is not recognized in Iran," the report says, "and since the revolution (in 1979), the Bahá’ís, Iran's largest non-Muslim minority, have suffered severe persecution, mainly government-directed and aimed at the religious leadership."

• On April 11, the largest contingent of religious leaders allowed outside the Soviet Union in recent decades visits the Bahá’í House of Worship. The group, representing the Russian Orthodox, Armenian and Baptist churches, is in the U.S. to attend a conference of Russian and American clergy. Each of the visitors is given a presentation copy of "The Promise of World Peace" with a Russian translation.

• According to estimates as of April 30, fiscal 1986 sees the highest level of contributions ever made to the National Bahá’í Fund—$7.5 million. The friends far surpass the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears' call for 20,000 contributions from March 2-21 with a total of 27,431, the largest number ever received during a comparable period of time.

On April 25-27, a Midwest Regional Youth Conference is held at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan. The event is co-sponsored by the school and the Regional Youth Committee.

Bahá’í principles score high in debates

GOD ABRAHAM KRISHNA MOSES ZOROASTER BUDDHA CHRIST MUHAMMAD THE BAB BAHA'ULLAH HUMANITY

MOJGAN SAMI

Mojgan Sami, a 16-year-old Bahá’í from Bellingham, Washington, has been competing this year in speech and debate tournaments throughout the state using as her topic an expository speech on the Bahá’í Faith.

Mojgan, who moved from Iran to the U.S. with her family in 1975, has won five first place awards, two second places and one third place in these events, and was named fourth best speaker in the Northwest District.

At Naw-Rúz, the Spiritual Assembly of Bellingham presented her with an "Outstanding Bahá’í Youth Teacher Award" in the form of a plaque.

Mojgan, a top student throughout her school years, has been dancing since age three, has studied piano for six years, and is presently involved in forming a "Youth Movement Peace Club" at her high school.

She is the oldest daughter of Parviz and Simin Sami. Her sisters, Mojdeh and Mojan, also are top students at their school.

Milestones

from page 14

tribution Service in the coming months and years. At the same time, we hope to continue to supply items from established Bahá’í institutional publishers and commercial publishers of Bahá’í books.

"Improvements in our fulfillment department made it possible for the Distribution Service to ship 1,100 orders in a single week—a figure higher than what was possible in a month only a few years ago," says Mr. Hayes.

"We've also noticed a decrease in problems of billing and shipping. And all of this is being done with half the staff we had in 1983.

"Some of our success in the past year has to be attributed to the new vitality of the Bahá’í community and the inspiration provided by the International Year of Peace and the statement from the Universal House of Justice.

"Staff of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust were involved in the production of both the presentation and deluxe editions of 'The Promise of World Peace.' Sales of all the editions contributed to an over-all 60 percent sales increase for the year.

"Our sales this year," says Mr. Hayes, "have allowed us to make some much-needed improvements at the Publishing Trust building, which will allow for growth without sacrificing a comfortable working environment.

"Based on our recent experience, we cannot but look with great optimism toward the coming Six Year Plan, from the standpoint of both the publication and distribution of Bahá’í books."

"The Sacred Literature of the Bahá’í Faith conveys enlightenment. It inspires life. It frees the mind. It disciplines the heart. For believers, the Word is not a philosophy to be learned, but the sustenance of being throughout the span of mortal existence." —Horace Holley, Religion for Mankind, p. 64

Among the features of this year's Bahá’í National Convention was a devotional program presented by children in the Chicago area. Pictured with their teacher, Mrs. Gayle Woolson, are (left to right) Lisa van den Hoonaard, Shani Eftekhari, Maia Ashby and Jian Khodadad.

"Freedom from racial prejudice, in any of its forms, should, at such a time when an increasingly large section of the human race is falling a victim to its devastating ferocity, be adopted as the watchword of the entire body of the American believers...". —Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 30

Herald of the South

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND RENEWALS

Beginning 1st of June 1986 new subscription rates apply to those subscribing to Herald of the South for the first time or those subscribers renewing their subscriptions.

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‘The Promise of World Peace’

Bahá’ís throughout U.S. present statement to public officials, groups

U.S. Rep. Denny Smith of Oregon (center) receives a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from Bahá’ís (left to right) Tim Healy of Milwaukie, Manigeh Cannon of Oregon City, Tony Lopez of Forest Grove, and Lily Willis of Oregon City. The presentation was made February 12.

On February 13, a delegation of Bahá’ís from five communities in San Diego County, California, presented a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ to U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (left). With him are Bahá’ís (left to right) Telia Nunn (San Diego N. County J.D.), Doris Rodgers (San Diego), Michael Lavach (Lakeside), Farzad Ghaenizadeh (El Cajon) and Randy Newcomb (Lakeside). Rep. Hunter expressed his concern about the persecutions in Iran and his appreciation for the statement on peace.

On February 10, U.S. Rep. Robin Tallon (seated) received a copy of the peace statement ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from Bahá’ís in South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District and the Spiritual Assembly of Florence. Standing (left to right) are Dr. A. Misagh Rassekh, Jack LaBlanc, Dr. Anne Breneman, Dr. Kurt Hein, and Bret Breneman.

Mayor Harvey Gantt of Charlotte, North Carolina, receives a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of Charlotte (left to right) Pam Harden, Minoo Hauck, Mahtaj James, Bob James, Dr. Sarah Martin Pereira, Celeste Hicks, Dana Innis, Charles Hicks, Diane Nevill, and Regena Bruce. On December 16, copies of the peace statement were presented to the Mecklenburg County Commissioners, and two weeks later were given to members of the Charlotte city council. On January 15, the Bahá’ís of Charlotte co-sponsored a service commemorating the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mayor Raymond Ambrose Jr. of Altamonte Springs, Florida (standing), is pictured as he received a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ during a meeting of the city’s commissioners on April 1. The presentation, which was video taped and documented as a part of the record of the meeting, was made by Pearl Fleischhacker of the Bahá’í Group of Altamonte Springs and Francine Levy, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Seminole County.

Oregon state Sen. Charles J. Hanlon (right) receives a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of Forest Grove, Oregon (left to right) Helen Becker, Omar Lopez and Mark Johnson. The presentation was made February 25 at the Senator’s home.

On February 10, Mayor John Sampier (left) of Rogers, Arkansas, was presented a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ on behalf of the Bahá’í community of Rogers by two of its members, David O’Neill (center) and Kamran Talebi. [Page 33]On January 28, the Spiritual Assembly of the Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, presented a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ to Liz Leonard (center), Selectwoman of the Town. Making the presentation were Kim Streets (left) and Melba Barbour. Mrs. Leonard was also given a specially made porcelain dish emblazoned with an American eagle which was made by Mildred Mottahedeh, a Bahá’í from Stamford, Connecticut, for special presentations at the U.S. State Department. The dish and peace statement are now on permanent display in the Selectwoman’s office.

On January 18, U.S. Rep. Jim Bates of California was presented a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ by Bahá’ís from communities in San Diego South County. The congressman said he would read and study the document, and asked for information about the Faith, which he was given. Later, he remarked about how closely the principles of the Faith coincide with his own aims, views and hopes.

U.S. Rep. Wayne Fawbush of Oregon (right) receives a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from Richard Young, a Bahá’í from Hood River, Oregon. Bahá’ís from seven localities gathered to serve meals to indigent people in The Dalles, and the statement was presented to Rep. Fawbush while the meals were being served. (Photo by Jerald Ericksen courtesy of Reminder Publications, The Dalles, Oregon)

On March 31, ‘The Promise of World Peace’ was presented to U.S. Rep. Frank Annunzio of Illinois (center) by a delegation of Bahá’ís that included Parvaneh Lohrasbi of Schiller Park and David Sperry of Niles.

Mary Margaret Whipple, chairman of the Arlington County (Virginia) Board of Commissioners, addresses the audience after receiving a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ February 25 from John Russo, who represented the Bahá’í communities of Arlington County Northeast, Northwest and South. About 30 Bahá’ís attended the ceremony at which other members of the Board also were given copies of the peace statement and Anthony Vance, a Bahá’í from a neighboring community in Northern Virginia, presented a talk on the meaning of the statement.

On February 24, the Spiritual Assembly of South Gate, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, presented copies of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ to Mayor Bill DeWitt (right) and members of the South Gate city council. Making the presentation was Assembly member Joel Suffens. At least three weekly newspapers carried articles about the event with photos.

On January 28, the Bahá’ís of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, presented a copy of the peace statement to Phyllis Mouton (center), the first woman president of the local Chamber of Commerce. With her are Bahá’ís (left to right) Thomas Viator, Laural Sandoval, Shokouh Zaeri and Bijan Zaeri. The two Bahá’í communities have also combined forces to present the statement to the mayor of Lafayette, the Lafayette Parish council, and several officials at Southwestern Louisiana University. [Page 34]

Pioneers

forgoing a particular comfort; for others, it is a whole way of life. Whatever the sacrifice, God seems to accept the spirit in which it was given. No sacrifice in the pioneering field is untouched by God's endless rewards.

As individuals we differ greatly in the extent to which pioneering touches our lives. Some remain unshaken by the experience; others are shaken to the foundation.

But it is the larger picture of pioneering, the great image of the purpose of pioneering, which remains unaltered. Here are some possible large-scale implications of the act of pioneering:

Pioneering by Bahá’ís is the largest process of religious education seen anywhere in the world's history. Wherever Bahá’ís go, they are busy teaching about all of the Prophets of God.

In some sense, Bahá’ís are also Jewish, Christian, Muslim pioneers, laying the foundation for common understanding and tolerance.

There is also a secular aspect. Although we might be ethnocentric enough to tell our host lands about our own native country, there is also the undeniable fact that we share with our family and friends news of our new home.

Again, we are involved in a large educational process. All 10,000 pioneers to date have been involved in this type of education. For example, it might not be stretching the mind too far to say that the improvement of conditions on Canadian Indian Reserves was started by the Bahá’ís without their really being aware of it!

In the early '50s the Guardian pleaded with the friends to go to the Reserves. In the course of many years, it was the Bahá’ís who conveyed to their friends and families, and possibly to secular leaders, news of the deplorable conditions on many of the Reserves, thus laying the foundation for future programs.

It is this "invisible" education that you as pioneers should be proudly aware of.

Within the Bahá’í community, your departure represents a revitalization of the home community. You are the active Bahá’ís, leaving a vacuum that can only be filled by those who are left behind.

For a long time we Bahá’ís upheld the model that following every pioneer, there is a Group, followed by a local Assembly, and then by a National Spiritual Assembly.

This is still largely true, of course, but now every pioneering move will eventually lead not only to the formation of a National Assembly but also to the uplifting of the total society in a given country.

The pioneer today has a much greater and more immediate impact. The stages are following each other in much more rapid succession than ever before. Before the pioneer knows it, he or she is well into social and economic development projects.

There is one more final, large-scale aspect of pioneering today. During America's first two Seven Year Plans, the focus was on establishing local Spiritual Assemblies in Central and South America, in every province and state in Canada and the U.S., and on to opening Europe. These were the "let's open an area" plans.

This was still largely true during the Guardian's Ten Year Crusade. How exciting it must have been in 1953-54, when 100 countries were opened to the Faith! And how inspiring it must have been to the Guardian when 60 per cent of the British Bahá’í community pioneered (a record that still has not been beaten).

While the Plans of the Universal House of Justice call for opening new areas—and there are still many of these unopened goals—our attention, our efforts, are constantly drawn toward the matter of consolidation.

In short, we have gone from finding nine seekers to forming an Assembly to training a whole society to bring about that new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

Can we meet the challenge of our illustrious forebears? How can we ever match the heroism of such pioneers as wheelchair-bound Catherine Huxtable in St. Helena?

And what of that pioneer family whose only way to their home in the jungle was by holding on to meat hooks in a cattle plane, and whose only means of getting from their hut to the teaching area where Indians were still held in feudal bondage was by fording a river on horseback?

How can we ever hope to equal their successes—the one dying at her pioneering post with a tribute from at least 100 natives of St. Helena, the other winning over a feudal rancher, leading to the establishment of schools and other improvements of all kinds.

The answer is that you will find your own unique way of serving the Faith, which will bring an equal amount of amazement to the next generation of pioneers.

I don't need to encourage you. You have managed to encourage yourselves, and to face bravely the "pain" and "risks" of pioneering.

AUTOMATIC CONTRIBUTIONS

The Automatic Contribution system is a convenient way for individuals, groups and Assemblies to contribute to the National Bahá’í Fund.

Benefits to YOU You are assured that your obligation to contribute to the National Fund is always met. What's more, you eliminate the cost of postage and the inconvenience of handling.

Benefits to The National Bahá’í Fund The cost of processing, receipting, and mailing is reduced and a regular base of support is assured.

IT'S EASY... 1. Fill out the Form. 2. Send it to the National Bahá’í Fund with your check attached *

Receipts Your contribution will be deducted from your bank account on or around the 20th of each (Gregorian) month. A record of this transaction will be listed on your monthly bank statement. In February, you will receive a year-end contribution receipt for tax purposes.

Participation Individuals giving by Automatic Contribution are considered regular annual contributors and are counted as participants for each Bahá’í month. Automatic Contributions will be reflected on the monthly National Fund chart.

• It takes 30-45 days for your automatic contribution to be processed the first time.

PRINT FULL NAME: The National Bahá’í Fund residing at (STREET ADDRESS): (CITY, STATE & ZIP): hereby authorize the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States to charge my checking account each (Gregorian) month the fixed amount of:

(If your account is with a credit union or money market fund, please provide the address and telephone number of the office servicing your account.)

Attach this form to a check in the amount of your authorization. Signed: Bahá’í ID #: Date: Home phone: Work phone: Number of participants: Mail to: NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í FUND Wilmette, IL 60091

Bahá’í listed among outstanding women

Melinda Armstrong, a Bahá’í from Lee, New Hampshire, is one of 26,000 women whose biographies are included in the 1986 edition of Outstanding Young Women of America.

Now in its 21st year, the Outstanding Young Women of America program is designed to honor and encourage exceptional young women between the ages of 21 and 36 who have distinguished themselves in their homes, professions and communities.

Answers to crossword puzzle

ACROSS 1. Parents 5. Ace 6. Pa 8. Mince 10. Power 11. Ox 12. Eve 14. Union 15. Noc 17. Time 18. Yen 19. Era 20. Pain 21. Late

DOWN 1. Patience 2. Respect 3. No 4. Spiritual 7. Sex 8. Men 9. Consent 13. Vow 16. Test 18. You

Proclamation News

Bahá’ís Lin Poyer and Alma Carr were approached by a Sentinel reporter after she saw their phone numbers listed each week on the religion page as places to get more information about the Faith. The article is a testimony to the power of small, consistent efforts to proclaim the Faith.

A two-part series of feature articles about the Faith ran recently in the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The 65 column inches of writing are representative of current trends in coverage of the Faith: only three lines are devoted to the contemporary persecution of Iranian Bahá’ís. The remainder of the articles goes into great depth and detail about the history, nature and goals of the Faith. Two photographs are included, one of the House of Worship and one of Dr. Kurt Hein, general manager of WLGI-FM at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway. [Page 35]

10 YEARS AGO

In its annual Ridván message to the Bahá’ís of the world, the Universal House of Justice says the most critical need of the Faith is for every believer to concentrate on attaining the goals of the Five Year Plan, to "promote (the) process (of) entry by troops, achieve (a) vast increase (in the) size of (the) community, increase (the) number (of) steadfast self-sacrificing believers dedicated (to) conform every aspect (of) their lives (to the) high standards set (in the) Sacred Texts."

Delegates to the National Convention, held May 1 in Wilmette, re-elect eight members of the previous year's National Spiritual Assembly. The ninth member, newly elected, is Soo Fouts of Fairfax, Virginia. At an organizational meeting, the National Assembly elects its officers: Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, chairman; Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, vice-chairman; Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary; Dr. Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer....

In a message to the Universal House of Justice, delegates to the National Convention pledge to renew their efforts to revivify the spiritual life of the Bahá’í community, inflame the spark of enthusiasm for teaching, and enlist troops of new believers.

The delegates also express their loving appreciation to the House of Justice for the recent visits of four of the Hands of the Cause of God and two Counselors, and for "the unceasing guidance to (the) American Bahá’í community in (the) administrative and teaching spheres."...

The Universal House of Justice announces the completion of excavation work on Mount Carmel, the first step toward erecting the majestic edifice that will serve as its Seat and the center of legislation of the Bahá’í Faith....

The National Assembly, delegates and guests at the National Convention, and the Board of Counselors pay a moving tribute to the dedicated service of Charlotte Linfoot, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly for 22 years. Miss Linfoot is seriously ill and unable to attend the Convention, but her indomitable spirit permeates its deliberations....

Members of the Spiritual Assemblies of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are guests of the National Spiritual Assembly at a luncheon May 1.

The Assemblies report their accomplishments of the past year and their plans to help attain the goals of the Five Year Plan. Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh points out that these five cities are important as centers of social, intellectual, economic and cultural activities in the U.S., adding that they are especially important to the Faith because of the spiritual legacy given to them as a result of the visits in 1912 by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá....

A number of representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gather April 26 at the United Nations in New York to hear an address by Glenford Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, on the teachings of the Faith.....

Letters

convey about holidays—whether birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, Naw-Rúz or Ayyam-i-Há—always have seemed to us to be those of giving and fellowship. The differences have seemed less important. Albert McNett Sr. Chris McNett Orange, Virginia

To the Editor: We Bahá’ís have done a good job over the years of placing Bahá’í books in public libraries. Now, and I am sure that some Bahá’ís are doing this, as we become more visual, may I suggest that we offer our other materials as well. I am thinking particularly of Bahá’í magazines:

Brilliant Star (5010 Austin Road, Hixson, TN 37343, $12 for one year—six issues), and World Order (415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, $10 for one year—four issues).

It's a friendly thing to go into a public library and see a Bahá’í magazine on display and Bahá’í books listed in the catalog. Violet Wuerfel Clark Highland Park, Michigan

To the Editor: Just a brief comment about the heartwarming story "Peruvian Consul among those at meeting in Houston Center" (The American Bahá’í, March, p. 26): some readers may be puzzled by the phrase "oral dehydration," wondering what sort of malady it could be.

The writer surely intended to report Radio Bahá’í's efforts to combat dehydration among children in Peru through oral rehydration.

Each year, many of the world's children who suffer debilitating bouts with diarrhea become critically ill or die due to accompanying dehydration. An important goal is to change the environmental conditions that often cause the diarrhea.

An immediate step to check dehydration is to have the mother (or father or sibling) administer a simple salt/sugar/water solution in small doses before the situation becomes critical.

Ready-to-mix packets of this life saver are now being distributed through local arms of such agencies as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and others. This home-based intervention is called "oral rehydration."

Availability is one thing. Winning mothers away from practices which often aggravate the problem and training them to properly mix and deliver the solution is another.

Radio has been widely and successfully used for that purpose, coupled with village visits by health workers.

It's little wonder that health and other developmental organizations seek to include Bahá’í radio stations in their efforts. The nature of Bahá’í stations, which are of and for the indigenous peoples, engenders an unusually high degree of trust, for reasons the article points out so well. What a difference we Bahá’ís can make! Michael Stokes Columbia, South Carolina

To the Editor: Public opinion in the U.S. equates the attainment of financial goals with dedication and vitality within movements, religious and otherwise.

Support of the Fund by a large percentage of the diverse adherents of the Cause, and well-planned and efficiently executed social and economic development projects in well-established Bahá’í communities, demonstrating the spirit and effectiveness of the Bahá’í teachings are, in my opinion, essential to success in proclamation, teaching and the further development of administrative institutions at this stage of the development of our national community.

Many Bahá’ís are professional businessmen and women and have highly developed skills for getting things done, for analysis and implementation of activities, for administering projects and exploiting unexpected opportunities to the fullest for long-range planning.

It has always been a mystery to me that these skills seldom are carried over into their Bahá’í community life. Perhaps they think these are "old world" skills and are not relevant to the functioning of Bahá’í administration.

The truth is, however, that the Bahá’í community may desperately need them and their experience within the administrative process itself. The Assembly's guidance can help these believers make outstanding contributions to the Cause.

The Assembly should seek their advice and exert every effort to involve them in every aspect of community life. Further, the Assembly should examine carefully every resource and strength at its disposal, design activities and programs that are built around these strengths, and manage effectively the utilization of these resources in ways that will foster the maturation of the community and enrich the spiritual lives of its members.

Activities that encourage universal participation in this way will surely attract more people to the Faith and help build a more unified Bahá’í community.

Then it can be said all the more that the "Community of the Greatest Name" is truly a model for the world to examine and emulate. Kim Bowers Kilgore, Texas

To the Editor: I suppose it must be necessary to have a "First Bahá’í/Marxist Dialogue" (see "Viewpoint," April issue).

It is interesting to see what side of the fence people are straddling. I have a suggestion: in the spirit of fairness for which Bahá’ís are so well known, why don't they have a "Bahá’í/Capitalist Dialogue"—or is "capitalist" or "capitalism" considered a nasty word?

Marxism has no ideals, while capitalism is an unknown ideal. I think it's time we know which side our bread is buttered on.

You can be sure the starving masses in Ethiopia know. Marxist dialogue and philosophy put them there, and it was the material wealth and compassion generated by a capitalist society that attempted to save them.

Bahá’ís are not supposed to be involved in politics, but if they are going to (as is evident in the fact that they held a "dialogue"), they had better understand what and who they are dialoguing. Arthur M. Ryan Kent, Washington

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

Correction

In the April issue of The American Bahá’í, the dates for the Colorado West Bahá’í School were listed incorrectly as August 12-13. The actual dates are August 1-3. We regret the error.

Prayer book

foundation for their entire spiritual lives."

From a reading teacher and mother:

"When children have their own prayer books, it helps them establish a sense of ownership for their own spiritual life and responsibilities.

"Prayer should evoke pleasant associations—times of happiness and consequence. The Creative Word has the power to connect children's hearts to Bahá’u’lláh and also to the person with whom they are saying the prayers.

"Prayers are in themselves educational tools. The prayers in O God, Guide Me! have a lot of imagery. The prayer on page 17, for example, compares the child to a 'fresh plant in the rose garden' of God's love.

"When we discuss such concepts with our children, they begin to see the symbolic nature of the world. That in itself increases a child's intelligence.

"Besides O God, Guide Me! I would also recommend for children the Bahá’í DayBook and the new edition of The Divine Art of Living, both of which have short passages from the writings on specific topics.

"Providing our children with such resources will have a lasting effect on their spiritual and material growth and development."

IN MEMORIAM

Hilario Alcorta Kerrville, TX April 17, 1986

Betty L. Barrett Evergreen, CO April 1984

Barbara Blandin Montpelier, VT June 11, 1985

Edward Bonney Grants Pass, OR March 30, 1986

Earline Coger Riviera Beach, FL 1985

Fern H. Garleb Pueblo, CO March 16, 1986

Henry Graham Rowland, NC Date Unknown

James Hammond Glencoe, IL March 21, 1986

Nora Harper Blacksburg, SC Date Unknown

Ross Harper Springfield, MA December 22, 1985

Sophia Hiller Mountain Air, NM Date Unknown

Myrtis Jacob Maitland, FL January 1984

Sie Willie Johnson Charleston, WV April 19, 1986

Alice Josephine Mansfield, OH April 1, 1986

Joseph Jones Columbia, SC Date Unknown

Jeanette King Scottsdale, AZ Summer 1985

Beverly Lang Spokane, WA August 3, 1985

James McClain Mullins, SC 1985

Margaret McFay Anadarko, OK October 1985

Elizabeth McHenry Placitas, NM 1985

George McKain Robersonville, NC October 18, 1983

James Moore Post Falls, ID March 26, 1986

Lottie Bell Murray Perry, GA Date Unknown

Afagh Naraghi San Diego, CA November 20, 1985

William Nemour Leucadia, CA March 1986

Robert Newman Vero Beach, FL January 1985

Yaghoub Nosrat San Diego, CA March 18, 1986

Miles Oliver Redbird, OK 1985

James Owens Blacksburg, SC Date Unknown

Manual Padilla Rosemead, CA 1984

Sheila Parham Alto, GA December 25, 1985

Emory Plant Fort Valley, GA January 11, 1986

Ruperto Pringle Woodland, CA March 6, 1986

Ole Bear Robe Pine Ridge, SD March 20, 1986

Francis Reaves Mullins, SC 1985

Juanita Reeves Chicago, IL Date Unknown

Doris Reilly Rock Island, IL March 28, 1986

Mohtaram Sarlati San Francisco, CA March 3, 1986

Jeannette Schmidt Chippewa Falls, WI September 14, 1983

Fred Smith Muskogee, OK April 24, 1986

Golda Snell Thousand Oaks, CA April 12, 1986

Myrtle Silva San Diego, CA December 20, 1985

Corine Spry Vero Beach, FL January 1984

Ethlynne Thomas Durham, NC April 11, 1986

Tony Torres Avondale, AZ Winter 1984

Myron Tucker Eliot, ME March 18, 1986

William Vance Hartford, CT January 1986

Hazel Watts Londonderry, NH January 1986

Green Wells Riviera Beach, FL February 1985.

Raymond Wells Maywood, IL April 9, 1986

Andrew West Redbird, OK May 1985

Grace W. Woods Seaside, CA April 30, 1986

Hattie Wooten Wilson, NC Date Unknown

Johnny Wooten Wilson, NC Date Unknown

Alieh Zafarmand Passaic, NJ March 15, 1986 [Page 36]

Australia’s Peace Exposition highlights worldwide reports of Bahá’í Peace Year activities

Reports of Peace Year activities continue to be received at the World Center in Haifa, Israel, from Bahá’í communities all over the world.

On Sunday, April 6, more than 1,350 people were present at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney, Australia, for a service on "Religions for World Peace" that marked the conclusion of a 10-day Peace Exposition sponsored by that country's National Spiritual Assembly.

A key feature in all aspects of the event was the participation of non-Bahá’ís.

The keynote address was given at a well-attended media banquet on March 31 by Douglas Martin, director-general of the Universal House of Justice's Office of Public Information.

Each day and into the evening music and dancing from many cultures continued with varied programs and activities for all: Bahá’ís, visitors, busloads of school children, the elderly and the handicapped.

A popular event was the eight-hour open-air concert on the grounds of the House of Worship, followed by a fireside conducted by entertainers Seals & Crofts.

An audience of 2,500 enthusiastic, hand-clapping people (including about 1,800 non-Bahá’ís) attended a concert at the Sydney Opera House, listening to classical and rock music by Martin Lass, Seals & Crofts, and the Bahá’í Choir with a slide presentation in the background featuring Bahá’í quotations on peace.

More than 10,000 banners arrived from 40 countries and together created a "Peace Ribbon" which led from the Temple to the ocean nearly four miles away.

Conflict resolution workshops were quite successful, and attendants included school principals from Pacific islands and African nations.

Each conference attracted prominent people and was effective in its own right. The cumulative impact of the nine days of conferences was far-reaching as a result of wide coverage by the media.

A luncheon for dignitaries and leaders of the organizations involved in the Exposition was followed by the planting of an olive tree by the Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone and the president of the "Men of the Trees" organization, and the release of white doves against the background of the Temple.

Teaching opportunities continue to arise; meetings are being held with representatives of the Pacific Basin, and plans are being made to hold workshops throughout the various regions to develop the study of "The Promise of World Peace" and of the ideas generated by the Exposition including social and economic development and teaching.

Also from the Pacific area comes the news that the legislature of the Territory of Guam adopted a resolution last November citing "the International Year of Peace as designated for 1986 by the United Nations, the promise of world peace as exemplified by the Bahá’í Faith, and acknowledging the importance of world peace to everyone," and resolving to "recognize the efforts of the people who embrace the Bahá’í Faith to effectuate the promise of world peace and recognize the Bahá’ís for publicizing this cause and encouraging mankind to work for this worthy and high goal."

Farther east, "The Promise of World Peace" was presented April 4 to Lee Teng-Hui, the vice-president of Taiwan, who promised to give his response after reading it.

The peace statement was presented March 3 to the representative of the President of Gabon, the political commissioner of Foreign Affairs, at the request of the President; likewise, the President of Burkina Faso charged his general coordinator at the presidency to receive the statement on his behalf.

Three thousand copies of the peace statement have been distributed in the Republic of Ireland to the government and to local councils, ambassadors, members of the judiciary, educational organizations, trade and professional groups, women's groups, religious and business leaders.

In Spain, the statement was sent by mail to the King, and a delegation from the National Spiritual Assembly delivered it to the government's chief of protocol.

The peace statement was given in person to the public defender who is at the same time the honorary president of the Committee for the International Year of Peace in Spain.

It was also presented to the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and to the well-known professor and writer, Aranguren.

As a result of the wide distribution of "The Promise of World Peace" and the publicity it has received, Bahá’ís are being asked to serve on government and private sector committees for peace, and to give courses on the topic in schools and universities.

Meanwhile, Bahá’ís themselves are organizing conferences, forums and even a torchlight parade in Norway.

30 present at second in series of Oregon symposia on peace

Fourteen Bahá’ís and 16 non-Bahá’ís were present April 6 at the second in a series of symposia sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Central Oregon whose focus is the basic requirements for peace.

The keynote speaker was Marcia Van Orman of West Linn. Other guests included Bill and Rene Knight-Weiler of Gresham, publishers of Spiritual Mothering Journal; Vicki Allen, executive coordinator of Central Oregon Battering and Rape Alliance (COBRA); Jane Poor of the League of Women Voters and Church Women United of Bend; and Debra Cook of Eugene, who represented Clergy and Laity Concerned at the women's conference last July in Nairobi, Kenya.

The local newspaper and radio stations carried news items about the event, and the local television station interviewed two local Bahá’ís to help publicize it.

Youth

people of different cultures and beliefs are living and working together. It's more the end product of the clash of egos, buffered by prayers.

"In our case, the spiritualization of the Ruhí courses turned the demolition derby of self-will into a parallel, harmonious search to please God. We became an example of 'one human family.'

"... we find out that we're not just teaching children, we're developing Bahá’ís. We're trying to effect a change that will bear fruit in 10-15 years, in two or three generations.

"To me, this was a new concept in social development, being used to the 'quick fix' and the short term. So we worked our way down to the point of departure, seeing a lifestyle lived by more than 80 percent of the world's population, feeling our perception, preconceived ideas, vain imaginings, sometimes our very concept of what life is, shattered... the pieces unworthy of retrieval."

Scott Pflueger, Bolivia: "There were communities in such poverty with the people suffering so much materially that it helped me to realize more the potency of Bahá’u’lláh’s Word and His Station as the Divine Physician.

"At first sight these conditions are intolerable, but after teaching the children and consulting with their parents, tolerance turned to respect and love for these people."

Yvonne Kraus, Colombia: "I was out in La Dominga to help the youth paint a classroom as a service project, but there were holes in the walls that needed to be patched up before painting could begin.

"So we went out to dig up dirt that would be mixed with 'machooga' (I hadn't any idea what that was!) to patch up the room.

"Everyone started to mix the dirt and machooga with their hands and I pitched in to help... until I learned that machooga is cow dung! I had to leave the room.

"I was more than certain that no one I knew by the name of Yvonne Marie Kraus was going to plunge her hands into cow dung! So I sat outside feeling sorry for myself.

"After a few minutes I recalled stories I'd heard about pioneers who had been offered monkey brains or fried cockroaches to eat—absolutely repulsive! But they ate what they were offered to demonstrate their belief that all men are brothers, none better than the other, and that they cherished the friendship of those people and the love with which such things had been offered.

"So, I went back into the room and threw my hands into the mixture, joining my brothers and sisters of La Dominga, trying to hide my repulsion, and, after awhile, actually enjoying myself! I thank God that I didn't lose the opportunity to be a real part of the youth group of La Dominga."

Women's Congress

The 23rd Congress of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom will be held July 23-29 at Zeist, The Netherlands.

The over-all theme is "The World Economic Crises—Causes, Consequences and Solutions," with emphasis on the role of women in peace and education.

For information, write to Nationale Geestelijke Raad van de Bahá’ís van Nederland, Den Haag, Netherlands.