The American Bahá’í/Volume 19/Issue 12/Text

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

Mayor is guest as L.A. dedicates new Bahá’í Center

Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles was the guest of honor September 11 at the formal dedication of that city's new Bahá’í Center.

After reminiscing about his visits to Bahá’í schools and firesides and his trip to Haifa, Israel, where he met with members of the Universal House of Justice, Mayor Bradley praised the Bahá’ís, saying, "I have always been struck by the spirit of love and harmony that exists wherever Bahá’ís are gathered. You live the principle of universal peace. You exemplify what is the finest and the best among human beings."

He pledged his support to the Bahá’ís, and spoke of his determination to "push for peace, to push for an understanding that we are one people, that we need not turn away from love and respect."

The mayor spoke fondly of his long association with Lisa Janti, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, whom he has known for 25 years, and of his warm relationship with Judges Dorothy Nelson, chairman, and James Nelson, vice-chairman, of the National Spiritual Assembly.

"My congratulations to you," Mayor Bradley told his audience. "This community of Los Angeles will be richer and better because of you. I salute you."

The Center's dedication has led to unprecedented media coverage including two major articles in the Los Angeles Times, others in minority-based papers including Iranian, and television coverage. As a result, the Center has been receiving inquiries about the Faith almost on a daily basis.

Project Massachusetts in higher gear as friends vow to work for victory in Plan

By ROBERT STOCKMAN

More than 900 Bahá’ís from the nine Northeastern states met November 4-6 at the Sheraton-Tara Hotel in Danvers, Massachusetts, 20 miles north of Boston, for the first of 12 "Vision to Victory" conferences called for by the National Spiritual Assembly.

The conferences are designed to inspire the friends to arise and achieve the goals of the Six Year Plan and to build a solid foundation for individual Bahá’ís and communities to help in those efforts.

They follow closely the announcement by the National Assembly of a two-year period of intensive sacrificial action from Ridván 1988 to Ridván 1990.

The spirit of Danvers was first felt Friday evening when some 400 Bahá’ís and their guests gathered to hear a performance by Doah (formerly Do'a World Music Ensemble) and a talk by Juana Conrad, the newest member of the National Spiritual Assembly.

In a spirited address, Mrs. Conrad, a founder of Women for International Peace and Arbitration (WIPA), described her experiences as organizer of a peace movement and highlighted peace-related issues described in the Universal House of Justice's document, "The Promise of World Peace."

A considerable amount of Bahá’í literature was taken by the non-Bahá’í guests, who seemed pleased by the quality of the program.

On Saturday morning, the sessions for Bahá’ís began with a talk by Counselor William Roberts who outlined the year-long history of Project Massachusetts and the premises underlying its success, emphasizing that it is dedicated to the memory of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem.

Following Dr. Roberts' talk, the audience saw a slide presentation on Mr. Khadem's life which closed with a recording of his chanting a prayer.

The friends then went to nearby rooms where those with projects had set up displays describing activities which ranged from door-to-door teaching campaigns to efforts to reach American Indians and Portuguese with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, video productions, a monthly newsletter for non-Bahá’ís, and a project to disseminate information on early childhood education.

Also represented with displays were the New England Committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies and the Bahá’í Health Association of Massachusetts.

On Saturday afternoon Dr. Robert C. Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, presented a talk entitled "The Vision" in which he pointed out that the Bahá’í Faith grows according to God's plan, not according to the expectations and exigencies of humanity.

Dr. Henderson urged everyone to take individual initiative, saying that when you pass to the next world you can't tell Bahá’u’lláh that you didn't act because you were waiting for everyone else to give you help and encouragement.

"The National Spiritual Assembly started the Campaign of Unified Action," he said, "but you in Massachusetts have perfected it. You have started a revolution—a spiritual revolution."

Dr. Henderson's talk was followed by a brief presentation on the Fund goal of the conference: $100,000, or more than $100 per person in attendance.

Within two hours more than $60,000 had been raised, such was the measure of inspiration that the talks had engendered.

Also in the afternoon, Counselor David Smith of Canada spoke on "The Bahá’í Community in Action," stressing the importance of teaching large numbers of people about the Faith and urging the friends to be innovative and imaginative in their quest to come up with new teaching methods.

A fund-raising dinner followed the afternoon talks, with entertainment by Rose Paulson and Lekan Parsons and a brief talk by Auxiliary Board member Mara Khavari. The funds collected rose to more than $70,000.

H. Borrah Kavelin (left), a former member of the Universal House of Justice, confers with Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, during the 'Vision to Victory' conference held November 4-6 in Danvers, Massachusetts, near Boston.

President's signature ratifies legislation to implement UN Convention on Genocide

Years of painstaking work by the National Spiritual Assembly and a number of human rights groups reached an historic conclusion November 4 when President Reagan signed legislation implementing the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The Bahá’í community was represented at the signing ceremony, which took place at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, by Katharine Bigelow, deputy director of the National Spiritual Assembly's Office of External Affairs in Washington, D.C.

She was invited to witness the signing as an acknowledgment of the role played by the National Assembly in helping to secure passage of the legislation.

Among those present for the signing November 4 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were U.S. Rep. John Porter of Illinois (fifth from left), co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and Katharine Bigelow (second from right), deputy director of the National Spiritual Assembly's Office of External Affairs in Washington, D.C.

During the past three years the National Spiritual Assembly has worked with many non-governmental organizations including the American Bar Association, Amnesty International, the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, B'nai B'rith International and the United Nations Association to encourage members of the Senate and House of Representatives to vote in favor of the legislation.

At the request of the National Assembly, several Bahá’í communities and individual Bahá’ís contacted their government officials by phone or by letter, first to urge that the Senate "advise and consent" to the treaty, and, later, to encourage congressional approval of the implementing legislation.

The U.S. first signed the Convention in 1948. Since then, many individuals and organizations have devoted years to the ratification effort.

Retiring Sen. William Proxmire of Wisconsin, one of the leading... [Page 2]

Vision

from page 1

was an address by H. Borrah Kavelin, a former member of the Universal House of Justice.

His topic, “The Appointed Time,” emphasized the theme of the Universal House of Justice’s Ridván message that “a new paradigm of opportunity for further growth and consolidation” of the worldwide Bahá’í community is at hand.

Mr. Kavelin said that the House of Justice had approved every word of the peace statement, and that if any member of the Supreme Body questioned any word of it, all of the members discussed that word until everyone agreed to it.

Sunday morning’s opening address, “The Ridván Message,” was given by Mrs. Conrad.

Dr. Roberts followed with a talk on “The Individual Commitment to Teach and Serve,” which led to the closing activity of the conference, a pledge by members of the audience to serve the Faith.

After a round of prayers, everyone wrote down his or her pledge and turned it in. The pledges were accepted on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly by Dr. Henderson who read a few of the particularly moving passages from them.

He then called the District Teaching Committee of Massachusetts to the stage for a warm and vigorous round of applause for their herculean efforts in planning the conference.

Those at the conference took with them memories of a joyous and inspiring experience and a new dedication to teach and serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

They could take pride in the fact that more than $80,000 was raised for the Bahá’í funds including $5,000 for the Huqúqu’lláh (which Mr. Kavelin had emphasized).

The conference in Massachusetts was to be followed by those in Chattanooga, Tennessee (November 11-13) and Seattle, Washington (November 18-20).

Other conferences will be held in Chicago; Houston, Texas; San Jose, California; Atlanta; Kansas City; Columbia, South Carolina; Los Angeles; New York City, and Washington, D.C.

Each has a four-fold purpose:

• To increase the friends’ understanding of the significance of completing the Arc on Mount Carmel.
• To inspire them to rise to the challenge of teaching “on a scale and of a quality, a variety, and intensity outstripping all current efforts.”
• To inspire the friends, both through individual and collective action, to contribute sacrificially to the Funds.
• To inaugurate the two-year period from Ridván 1988 to Ridván 1990 as a time of intensive sacrificial action.

At each of the 12 conference sites, local task forces have been hard at work. They are responsible for obtaining the site for the conference and hotel accommodations for Bahá’ís traveling to attend the event.

In addition, plans relating to guests and speakers as well as the program and agenda are finalized by the task forces in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary.

Such commitment and action on the part of the friends at the local level are vital to achieving victory.

The locally planned parts of the conference programs provide an opportunity for various communities to share ideas and resources and to increase participation and support for current projects or for those being planned. The emphasis is on action.

Coincident to the 12 regional conferences, four large-scale teaching campaigns—in Boston, San Jose, Chicago and Atlanta—are spearheading the further advancement toward entry into the Faith by troops in the U.S.

Genocide

from page 1

proponents of ratification, gave more than 3,000 speeches in the Senate over a 19-year period urging his colleagues almost daily to ratify the UN document.

In “The Promise of World Peace,” the Universal House of Justice says that measures such as the Genocide Convention, “if courageously enforced and expanded, will advance the day when the specter of war will have lost its power to dominate international relations.”

The Bahá’í community rejoices that America, the nation on which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá bestowed inestimable praise, has joined with the 96 other nations of the world that have already ratified the Genocide Convention.

In examining those forces that led ultimately to U.S. ratification, recognition must be given and tribute made to the Bahá’ís of Iran whose “heroic steadfastness, fortitude and patience” under the genocidal policies of the Islamic regime led to the Faith’s emergence from obscurity and enabled the American Bahá’í community to participate as an equal partner with other national organizations in activities promoting ratification of the UN Genocide Convention.

The National Spiritual Assembly wishes to thank the many local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá’í Groups and individuals who arose unitedly and responded immediately to each request for action over the past three years.

We can all celebrate this evidence of the conjunction of America’s true destiny and the efforts of the Bahá’ís to establish the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

1989 Youth Pilgrimage: Questions and Answers

Once again the National Spiritual Assembly is reserving one of its allotted 18 pilgrimage groups to youth. This privilege is a unique opportunity for young people to enlarge their spiritual horizons and to consolidate their personal lives.

One of the chaperones for the 1988 Youth Pilgrimage said, “I went on pilgrimage for the first time as a youth, and it was a special gift to have such a transforming experience early in my life when I was just beginning to make important life choices.”

All you need do is ask yourself these three questions:

• Do I really want to go on the Youth Pilgrimage?
• Can I afford to go?
• Do I meet all the requirements listed here?

The 1989 Youth Pilgrimage is from June 19-27; the minimum cost is $1,200 per person.

If you are a U.S. citizen, you must have a passport valid through January 1990. Those who are not U.S. citizens must have a re-entry permit valid through June 1990. Only those who already have a re-entry permit may apply. You must be between the ages of 15-24 (inclusive) as of June 19, 1989.

This year we ask that you send a post card with your name, address, telephone number, birth date and Bahá’í I.D. number to: Youth Pilgrimage, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Postcards must be postmarked no later than February 15, 1989.

There will be two chaperones and 18 pilgrims who will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a possibility of a tour of parts of Israel before or after the pilgrimage.

Please be sure you meet all of the requirements listed above before sending your postcard.

Youngsters work, raise $398.11 for the Arc

Youth, pre-youth and children at this year’s Western Washington Summer School decided to raise money for the Arc on Mount Carmel by performing a variety of chores—everything from wake-up calls to errands to baby-sitting—for those attending the school.

The youngsters set a goal of $200 by the end of the school session, posted a large chart in the main conference room, and updated it daily.

By the last day of school, they had earned through their efforts a total of $398.11 for the Arc.

From the House of Worship

Dear dedicated servants of Bahá’u’lláh at the House of Worship

It was a great pleasure and tremendous spiritual upliftment for my wife and me to be able to spend some time as guides in the House of Worship. For us, as Bahá’ís, taking time and getting away from this material world to teach the Faith is like removing a fish from a swamp and throwing it in fresh water.

Since the spiritual life of every Bahá’í depends on the continuous flow of the bounty and confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh, the only way we can secure this is by taking time away from the swamp of the material world, swimming in the ocean of the love of Bahá’u’lláh, and refreshing the spirit through sharing the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh with others. We can never taste the sweetness of this spiritual delight unless we take a part of our time and dedicate it to the service of Bahá’u’lláh. A Bahá’í has no refuge from this confused material world except Bahá’u’lláh.

During this period (at the House of Worship) we realized how much our Faith needs our help and how much our institutions suffer because of our indifference to the call of Bahá’u’lláh. The shortage of funds and the scarcity of manpower has influenced every institution of the Faith. We saw the flow of more than 200 people visiting the House of Worship every day, even in cold weather. Every one of them was a seeker and in need of information and explanation of the Faith. The shortage of manpower (to serve as) guides in the House of Worship deprives many of those people of hearing more about the Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh has entrusted His Cause to us to serve and protect. He has guaranteed the flow of His bounty and confirmation if we arise to serve His Faith. If we do not, there will be no other way to keep this channel open. For a Bahá’í, there is no spiritual or material happiness except through service to the Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh never deprives us of His bounty. It is like a television or radio set; although the picture and sound waves are flowing continuously from the station to the set, the only way we can see the picture or hear the sound is by turning it on. The confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh are all around us. The only way to open the channel to the outpouring of His bounty is to serve the Faith.

If in our hearts we pledge to spend a part of our time or money for the Faith, we can help guarantee its progress and the flow of Bahá’u’lláh’s blessings upon us. We must realize that it is painful for our institutions to repeatedly appeal to us for help. As we cannot bear the excruciating pain of any member of our body if the flow of blood stops, so the institutions of the Faith cannot continuously suffer because of the shortage of manpower and funds.

Our heart cannot take a minute’s break from (pumping) its continuous and rhythmic flow of blood to the body. In like manner, a regular flow of funds and service is essential for the progress of the Cause. We can only say that we, as Bahá’ís, should have a good answer when we face the Blessed Beauty and are asked about our covenant and agreement with Him.

Dr. Shokrollah and Mrs. Afsar Mirafzali [Page 3]

Our challenge: To ‘break through’ to new level of activity

“The stage is set for universal, rapid and massive growth of the Cause of God.”

It’s happening in India. It’s happening in Taiwan. How can we, in the United States, share in the victory of achieving a steady flow of new believers that will bring about entry by troops? How will we go on to assume our destiny as spiritual leaders in the world?

The challenge, as stated in the 1988 Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice, is to break through existing barriers to a new level of activity and achievement, a level that is “on a scale and of a quality, a variety and intensity outstripping all current efforts.”

But how can we do that? Here are some ideas:

• We can create a spirit of true fellowship in our Bahá’í community, and the community itself can serve as a magnet for others. Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike go where they feel loved and welcomed.

• We can also involve all individuals in the teaching work—every man, woman, youth and child. Everyone has his/her own special talents to contribute, and teaching can be done in many different ways.

• Rather than limiting our activities to what we believe our capacity is, we can lay aside our every minor concern and rely upon the divine assistance offered through prayer, through study of the Creative Word, and through action taken in compliance with that Word.

Let us remember that we have been assured by the Supreme Institution that new opportunities to teach the Cause at all levels of society have unfolded. The water’s fine; all we have to do now is jump in!

Persistence pays, Bahá’í teaches Faith to agnostic

In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, it was stated that, “The believers ought to give the Message even to those who do not seem to be ready for it, because they can never judge the real extent to which the Word of God can influence the hearts and minds of people, even those who appear to lack any power of receptivity to the teachings.”

Janet Kaye met someone like that. He was an agnostic who did not seem ready to believe in God, let alone accept all the Manifestations of God including Bahá’u’lláh.

The young man was Javier Salazar, Mrs. Kaye’s tutor at ‎Gavelin Gavilan‎ College in California where she is taking classes in Spanish. Mrs. Kaye was renting a room and Javier came to board in her home.

At first, Mrs. Kaye said nothing about the Faith. It wasn’t until he had asked about a photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she began, little by little, to introduce him to the Faith.

Javier is from Colombia. Mrs. Kaye learned from a friend that there was a Bahá’í from Colombia, Sergio Montenegro, living near San Jose.

Through her friend, she contacted Sergio and invited him to her home in Hollister for a barbecue. Sergio came to meet Javier, and they became close friends.

“The more Sergio told me about the Faith the more things started to make sense,” says Javier. He began to become more certain about the existence of God, and about a month after meeting Sergio, Javier declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

“I used to feel that I was not really capable of helping others,” he says. “I was pessimistic about life. Now I feel that I am not alone—but more than that, that God is behind us. Now I feel optimistic. Every activity in my life now has meaning.”

“My friends at school notice that I am different. And when they ask me about it, I tell them about the Faith.

“There are two levels of friends I have now—the ones who have heard about the Faith and the ones who haven’t. I’ve had a fireside for the ones who know something about it; now I’m going to have a fireside for the ones who don’t.”

Among the many insights that Javier shared during the Conference for Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís in San Fernando during October was about prayer.

He likened learning to pray to learning the multiplication table. At first, we don’t really understand how useful it can be in our lives, but once we learn it and it becomes automatic, we begin to understand how valuable it is.

Excitement, momentum build as Cleveland area undergoes widespread ‘teaching breakthrough’

“I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Everyone is talking about teaching. Every phone call I get is about teaching!”

“People want to do it, and they are doing it!”

These comments were gleaned from recent interviews of Bahá’ís from greater Cleveland, Ohio, an area that is experiencing a breakthrough in teaching—teaching that is on a scale and of a quality, a variety and intensity outstripping any efforts that can be remembered in that area.

The process leading to the breakthrough began with a proposed teaching plan presented by an individual Bahá’í to the Spiritual Assembly of Cleveland.

The Assembly accepted the proposal and called on Bahá’í communities in the area to come together beneath the banner of the “Northcoast Teaching Plan.”

A letter was sent to every Assembly explaining that a teaching plan was soon to begin and that their support was needed. Assembly representatives gathered at a meeting to consult on a draft of the plan, which was then presented in its modified form at the District Convention.

A resource assessment sheet was given to those attending the Convention to gather data about special talents, abilities and interests. Coordinators from throughout the area were given specific tasks.

In a spirit of unified action, the Northcoast Teaching Plan was launched. Some of the activities now under way are as follows:

• Each Friday, a different community hosts a fireside at the Golden Age Center in Cleveland. Record numbers of Bahá’ís and seekers are attending these firesides.

• A “Peace Force” is concentrating on distributing “The Promise of World Peace.”

• Every community in the area is beginning to hold its own ongoing firesides.

• A musical unity feast was scheduled to take place this month.

• The “Action Alert System” is being used to convey positive news throughout northeastern Ohio.

As a result of these activities, the number of enrollments in the area has increased, and an Assembly was formed for the first time in Stow, Ohio. That Assembly is now taking part fully in the plan.

The Northcoast Teaching Plan is one of inspiration and empowerment; most of its 11 pages are taken from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice.

The goals of the plan are presented in the same way as the goals of the Six Year Plan—in the areas of growth, development and integration.

Any Assembly interested in receiving a copy of the Northcoast Teaching Plan may contact Angela Maldonado, 216-631-2077, or Cecelia Smith, 216-381-2406.

Milwaukee youth set Green Lake meeting

Bahá’í youth in the Milwaukee area are sponsoring a youth conference December 30-January 1 at Green Lake, Wisconsin, whose focus will be on entering the New Age.

Speakers and discussion groups are planned along with skiing, tobogganing, singing, and a New Year’s Eve dance.

The cost is $45 for the weekend. For more information, contact Sarah Weiss, 4800 S. 95th St., Greenfield, WI 53228, or phone 414-425-3224.

Bahá’í one of five honored by Speech Language Association

Dr. Lina Zeine, an assistant professor at Western Washington University and a member of the Bahá’í community of Bellingham, is one of five people in the U.S. chosen by the executive council of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association to receive the Association’s Adviser Honors.

The award is given to local NSSLHA chapter advisers who have provided sustained and exceptional leadership to the Association through their work with local chapters.

Dr. Zeine earned her B.A. degree at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, her M.A. at the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D at the University of Kansas.

Bahá’ís take part in Peace Day event

Bahá’ís were among the more than 200 people taking part in a Peace Day celebration August 7 in Spokane, Washington.

The Faith was well-represented on the planning committee and on the program of events.

The event was covered in the local newspapers and by television reporters, one of whom interviewed two of the Bahá’ís.

Updated listing of new and ongoing teaching projects in U.S.

Due to the reduced number of pages in The American Bahá’í, the map of ongoing teaching projects in the U.S. has not been published since September. Since then, the National Teaching Committee has learned of many new teaching projects. These additional projects are listed below, by state, with the name and phone number of a contact person:

Arkansas: HOWARD COLBY IVES PROJECT. Lisa Armstrong, 501-758-4857.

Greater San Jose, California: METRO 1000. Ron Gilpatrick, 408-593-1864.

Dade County, Florida: WHITE ROSE PROJECT. Judy Munter, 805-932-4412.

Gainesville, Florida: GAINESVILLE PROJECT. Michael Bannister, 904-374-8900.

Atlanta, Georgia: METRO ATLANTA PROJECT. Megan Furutan, 404-250-0721.

Southern Georgia: SOUTHERN GEORGIA PROJECT. Jill Spence, 912-386-2680.

Chicago, Illinois: CHICAGO PROJECT. Lani Smith, 312-225-1919.

Indiana: A HEART BEAT AWAY. Cathy Russell, 317-675-6915.

Falcon Heights, Minnesota: FALCON HEIGHTS PROJECT. Cynthia Diessner, 612-647-1685.

Missouri: PROJECT 1000. Jeanne Engle, 314-762-2213.

Greater Cleveland, Ohio: NORTHCOAST PROJECT. Angela Maldonado, 216-631-2077.

Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania: DELAWARE VALLEY PROJECT. Rambod Hashemi, 215-657-0236.

Eastern Pennsylvania: UNOPENED COUNTIES EXPANSION-PROCLAMATION. Nancy Field, 215-543-8015.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: HISPANIC TEACHING PROJECT. Kathy Penn, 215-438-1487.

Warwick, Rhode Island: WARWICK PROJECT. Maylo Murday, 401-792-3579.

Darlington, South Carolina: RIGHT PATH. Moses Richardson, 803-332-2411.

Greater Dallas, Texas: SATURATION PROJECT. Byron Menking-Hoggart, 214-361-0422.

Southwest Virginia: PROJECT 1000. Sorour Payman, 703-783-9011.

Gassaway, West Virginia: THE GASSAWAY GATE—PROMISE OF ULTIMATE VICTORY. Richard Taylor, 304-364-2477.

Western Washington: WARRIORS OF LIGHT. John Lawson, 206-328-4135.

In addition to the new projects, there are several changes or corrections for other ongoing projects. These changes are:

Phoenix, Arizona: PROJECT MIHDI. Eileen Lourie, 602-971-0090.

San Diego, California/Tijuana, Mexico: BUILDING SPIRITUAL BRIDGES ACROSS THE BORDER. Hedieh Naraghi, 619-286-5187.

Evanston, Illinois: HOUSE OF WORSHIP PROJECT. Robert Ferguson, 312-864-7555.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana: BATON ROUGE PROJECT. Kamyar Nour, 504-293-7120.

Macy, Nebraska: AMOZ GIBSON PROJECT. Beverly Nichols, 402-837-5239.

WANTED:

Full-Time Teachers of the Cause

to meet the demands of deepening the many new believers who have recently joined the Faith in the Atlanta area. If you are not able to come yourself, please consider deputizing someone else. Below are projected monthly expenses for traveling teachers:

	1 person	2 persons	3 persons
Gas	$ 200	$ 250	$ 300
Transportation	200	200	200
Food	150	200	250
Teaching Materials	25	50	75
Clothing	25	50	75
Misc.	50	50	50
Housing	100	200	300
Total	750	1000	1250

For more information please contact Megan Furutan, Secretary of the Greater Atlanta Bahá’í Task Force: (404) 250-0721. [Page 4]

Fourth Hispanic Conference held

More than 60 Hispanic Bahá’ís from Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Oregon, Mexico and parts of California gathered October 7-9 at the fourth annual Conference for Spanish-Speaking Bahá’ís in San Fernando, California.

In keeping with the conference theme of “Consolidation and Motivation,” they held discussions on how the Hispanic Bahá’í living in the U.S. can help the American Bahá’í community meet its spiritual destiny.

Among the speakers was Counselor Jacqueline Delahunt who shared a video and insights on her recent trip to meet the Indian people of Bolivia and Peru with the “Trail of Light” teaching team.

Later, Counselor Arturo Serrano held an open consultation on the meaning and challenges to Bahá’ís of the Ridván 1988 message from the Universal House of Justice.

Meanwhile, Counselor Rodrigo Tomás addressed the theme of the conference, the importance of unity within the Bahá’í community, explaining that we need to be motivated to teach but that we must do it in harmony and unity with our community.

Roberta Maull, representing the National Teaching Committee, presented an overview of the Hispanic Bahá’í population in the U.S. and the participation of Hispanic Bahá’ís in the teaching efforts in this country.

Armando Alzamora followed with a discussion of the major goals of the Six Year Plan, while Mrs. Jeanne Serrano from Baja California, Mexico, encouraged the Bahá’ís to seize the challenge awaiting them in teaching the Faith on the border of the U.S. and Mexico.

Sergio Montenegro challenged those at the conference to define what is considered to be a new believer, and introduced Javier Salazar, a recently declared Bahá’í who shared his insights on the importance of prayer.

Since last year’s conference a group of Hispanic Bahá’ís from Los Angeles has initiated a performing workshop which made its debut at this year’s event, presenting several dramatic skits focusing on the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh along with poetry and music as part of the entertainment.

The children were also busy at the conference, creating arts and crafts on the principles of the Faith to present to their parents.

The participants returned to their communities to share the highlights of the conference, hoping to initiate teaching efforts as a unified campaign and to collaborate with the institutions of the Faith on Hispanic teaching.

Arise! To Teach

The third annual APAAC Conference was held October 29-30 at the Bahá’í National Center in Evanston, Illinois. Representatives of Area Persian/American Affairs Committees met with the National Persian/American Affairs Committee to share their experiences and concerns in relation to the integration goals of the Six Year Plan and to identify and discuss methods of promoting the full participation of Iranian Bahá’ís in the life and work of the U.S. Bahá’í community. Highlights included a role-playing session, a visit to the House of Worship, and addresses by Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Reynaldo Cruz, secretary of the National Teaching Committee.

Association for Bahá’í Studies holds its 13th annual Conference in Ottawa

The 13th annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies was held October 7-10 at the Skyline Ottawa Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

This year’s theme, “Toward a Global Civilization,” was addressed by a number of speakers, Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, whose focus was on the role of culture in (1) creating civilization; (2) providing and protecting identity through art, myth and language; and (3) facilitating social change and transformation.

This year’s Hasan Balyúzí Memorial Lecture, “Learning from History,” was presented by Moojan Momen, a well-known Bahá’í scholar and author from Bedford, England.

Essay awards were given in four categories: high school (to Amelia Danesh), general (Robert White), multi-author (Harry Massoth, Marilu Jeno), and university (Deborah R. Thorpe).

The ABS Conference was preceded by a children’s conference and professional interest seminars in agriculture, business and economics, consultation and conflict resolution, education, environmental design, intercultural issues, marriage and the family, science and technology, and women’s studies.

A special feature this year was cross-cultural presentations by North American Indians, blacks, and French-Canadians.

By sharing their art, their ceremonies and their history, they demonstrated the meaning of culture in their societies and furnished material for discussion.

The 14th annual ABS Conference will be held September 14-17, 1989, in Irvine, California.

Blacks from South Carolina share their music during a cross-cultural program at the 13th annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Anne Atkinson)

THE FOURTH EPOCH OPENS

The Fourth Epoch Opens

released from the World Center Office of Public Information

$19.95, video VHS/BETA

A thrilling video presentation of a slide show produced at the World Center on the development of the Faith through the first three epochs of the Formative Age. It introduces the Fourth Epoch and is useful for our understanding of the stage of growth we have reached in the Faith today.

World Dance

New Do’ah Album released by Global Pacific/CBS Records

$9.95, cassette / $16.50, CD

This 1988 production of the first Global Pacific/CBS recording with Do’ah features the composition “One World Symphony,” which was written for the United Nations International Year of Peace, and was inspired by The Promise of World Peace statement by the Universal House of Justice. Global Pacific/CBS has also selected radio air-play singles of two album selections: “Wayo,” and “World Dance,” to be included.

Reprints

from BDS Canada:

The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith $3.00, SC

The Power of Divine Assistance $2.75, SC

Remembrance of God $.95, SC

Recent Publications

Bahá’í Wall Calendar / $2.50 Bahá’í DateBook / $3.50 Bahá’í Pocket Calendar Package of 10 / $3.50 Do-It-Yourself Sticker Kit / $2.95 History Calendar / $6.00 A Concordance to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, HC / $49.95 Nothing In Common, SC / $4.95 Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being, HC / $15.95, SC / $8.95

Publications & Audio Visual Materials

Full Do’ah line now available Light Upon Light $9.95, cassette Originally released in 1977, these meditational and mood setting compositions include a portion of the prayer for the Western States.	Bahá’í Funds & Contributions, SC $ 2.50 Bahá’í Distribution Canada This compilation was prepared by the Universal House of Justice in 1970 to assist the friends in the proper appreciation of the importance and meaning of contributing to Bahá’í Funds and to remind them of the underlying principles that must govern the offering and administration of these funds.
Ornament of Hope $9.95, cassette This joyous musical celebration released in 1979 was top album pick in Billboard magazine. Jazz artist Paul Winter claims this to be music for a hungry soul.	Personal Teaching, SC $ 1.95 Bahá’í Distribution Canada This booklet for the study of the Faith and use in creative planning to stimulate teaching is now available in the United States. Personal Teaching: How to make it a way of life... is ‎a an‎ individual development and fireside resource guide.
Do’ah... The Early Years $16.50, CD Twelve selections from Light Upon Light and Ornament of Hope in 60+CD format.	Bahá’í Faith: Sect or Religion, SC $ 4.00 Association For Bahá’í Studies This monograph by Udo Schaefer distinguishes the “new age movements” from the independent character of the Bahá’í Faith. As public awareness of the Faith continues to grow, studies like this one will increase in value for all who seek to better understand the Faith as a full-fledged member of the community of world faiths. Sixteenth in a series of monographs from the Association For Bahá’í Studies.
Ancient Beauty $9.95, cassette / $16.50, CD Chosen by Digital Audio in the top 10 of new age/jazz CDs of 1986, this Do’ah presentation holds a 5-star rating for performance and recording quality.	The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, SC $ 5.00 Association For Bahá’í Studies This new trilingual quarterly journal makes available current studies on the meanings of the Bahá’í texts and their application to the various areas of contemporary life and thought, as well as historical investigations of the Central Figures of the Faith and of the growth and development of its institutions.
Companions of the Crimson Coloured Ark $9.95, cassette / $16.50, CD Downbeat magazine calls this collection “a marvelous kaleidoscope of shifting melodies, rhythms, and instrumental colors.”	Black Pearls, SC $ 9.95 Kalimát Press A collection of biographies of the black believers who served the families of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. A valuable resource for Bahá’í studies on the early history of the Faith.

Order through your local Bahá’í Distribution Representative, or send your order with payment to: 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091 Order now through the Bahá’í Distribution Service [Page 5]

THE TWELVE CONFERENCES

دومین کنفرانس از کنفرانس‌های دوازده‌گانه «از رؤیا تا پیروزی» بنا به تصمیم محفل روحانی ملی در روزهای ۱۲ و ۱۳ نوامبر ۱۹۸۸ در چاتانوگا در ایالت تنسی انعقاد یافت. در شب قبل از کنفرانس یارانی که گرد هم آمده بودند جلسه‌ای بمناسبت عید میلاد حضرت بهاءالله ترتیب دادند که عده‌ای از متحریان حقیقت نیز در آن حضور یافتند. اولین جلسه کنفرانس صبح روز شنبه تشکیل گردید. مشاور قاره‌ای خانم ویلما الیس Wilma Ellis و اعضای محفل روحانی ملی خانم البرتا دیز Alberta Deas و جناب جک مک‌کنتس Jack McCants که برای ۳۰۰ نفر از احباء را مخاطب ساختند. از جمله موفقیت‌های چشمگیر کنفرانس تقدیم مبلغی بیش از ۸۰ هزار دلار به صندوق محفل ملی بود که کلیه اطفال بهائی افتخار مشارکت در آن را داشتند.

عضو سابق بیت العدل اعظم جناب بورآ کاولین Borrah Kavelin که متأسفانه بعلت کسالت نتوانستند به شرکت کنندگان در سالن ملحق شوند از طریق نوار ویدیو نطق خود را ایراد نمودند. نطق ایشان روحی جدید در قلوب حائز دمید که منجر به تجدید پیمان فرد فرد یاران حاضر در جلسه با مولای خود گردید.

سایر کنفرانسهای «از رؤیا تا پیروزی» بشرح زیر انعقاد خواهد یافت:

شیکاگو (ایلی‌نوی) ۱۷-۱۸ دسامبر ۱۹۸۸ هیوستن (تگزاس) ۷-۸ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ سن حوزه (کالیفرنیا) ۷-۸ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ آتلانتا (جورجیا) ۱۴-۱۵ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ کانزاس سیتی (میزوری و کانزاس) ۱۴-۱۵ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ کلمبیا (کارولینای جنوبی) ۲۸-۲۹ ژانویه ۱۹۸۹ (قطعی نیست) لوس آنجلس (کالیفرنیا) ۴-۵ فوریه ۱۹۸۹ (قطعی نیست) نیویورک (نیویورک) ۴-۵ فوریه ۱۹۸۹ واشنگتن دی‌سی/الکزاندریا (ویرجینیا) ۲۱-۲۶ فوریه ۱۹۸۹ (قطعی نیست)

حضور اعضای سابق بیت العدل اعظم الهی، مشاورین قاره‌ای و اعضای محفل روحانی ملی و در بعضی موارد حضرات ایادی بدون شک شکوه و عظمت خاصی به کنفرانس‌های دوازده‌گانه خواهد بخشید. محفل روحانی ملی امیدوار است که یاران عزیز ایرانی کما فی السابق در این کنفرانسهای مهم حضور بهم رسانیده در مباحثات و مذاکرات شرکت جویند و در مشروعات تبلیغی آینده که پیگیری آنها هدف اصلی کنفرانسها است پیشقدم شده قوا و امکانات خدادادی را در سبیل توسعهٔ نظام امرالله و تحکیم اساس جامعه پیروان حضرات یزدان در این سامان بکار گیرند.

جهت مزید اطلاع راجع به تاریخهائی که هنوز قطعی نشده یاران می‌توانند با دارالانشاء محفل ملی به شماره ۸۰۲۹-۸۶۹ (۲۱۲) تماس حاصل نمایند.

BREAKTHROUGH CHALLENGE

لجنة ملی نشر نفحات از همه بهائیان ایالات متحده دعوت کرده که در میدان تبلیغ امر مبارک قیامی جدید نمایند.

بیت‌العدل اعظم فرموده‌اند که شرایط برای توسعه سریع و بی سابقه جامعه جهانی بهائی آماده است. این مرحله در هندوستان و تایوان شروع شده است. در ایالات متحده نیز باید راههایی یافت که مستمراً و به میزانی چشمگیر عدد صدیقین جدید افزایش یابد تا مقدمات تحقق وعده «یدخلون فی دین الله افواجاً» فراهم گردد. هدف این است که هم افراد احباء و هم جوامع امری بکوشند که از فعالیتهای گذشته قدمی فراتر نهند و با فداکاری لازم به افتخارات جدیدی نائل شوند.

لجنة ملی نشر نفحات روشهای زیر را برای تحقق بخشیدن به اهداف نقشه شش ساله توصیه می‌نماید: ۱- سهیم کردن همه یاران در فعالیتهای امری با ایجاد محبت و صفا روز افزون در جمع یاران که موجب جذب بهائیان و غیر بهائیان شود. ۲- گسترش دایره تبلیغ با به کار گرفتن استعدادهای نهفته کل جامعه چه هر یک از افراد توانائیها و قابلیتهای مخصوص به خود را دارد و نشر نفحات الله به صور و انحاء مختلف میسر است. ۳- نادیده گرفتن محدودیتهای فردی و معاذیر و مشکلات بی‌اهمیت و توسل به دعا و مناجات و اتکاء به تأییدات الهی و قیام و اقدام مطابق تعالیم ربانی.

به طور کلی باید به خاطر داشت که معهد اعلی اهل بهاء را اطمینان داده‌اند که فرصتهای جدیدی برای تبلیغ امر مبارک در بین طبقات مختلف به وجود آمده است و یاران باید نهایت استفاده را از این امکانات بنمایند.

CLEVELAND BREAKTHROUGH

اخیراً احبای کلیولند (در ایالت اوهایو) به موفقیت‌های چشمگیری در زمینه تبلیغ امر مبارک نائل شده‌اند. یکی از احبای آن شهر برنامه تبلیغی‌ای را به محفل روحانی کلیولند پیشنهاد کرد. این برنامه مورد استقبال محفل مذکور واقع شد و در حال حاضر در معرض اجراء قرار گرفته است.

این برنامه که «برنامه تبلیغی ساحل شمالی Northcoast» نام دارد، شامل فعالیتهای زیر است: - هر جمعه یکی از جوامع محلی میزبان یک بیت تبلیغی است که در «مرکز عصر طلائی Golden Age Center» واقع در شهر کلیولند تشکیل می‌شود. تعداد بی‌سابقه‌ای از احباء و مبتدیان در این بیوت تبلیغی شرکت می‌کنند. - هیئتی به نام «نیروی صلح» تشکیل شده که وظیفه‌اش توزیع بیانیه «وعده صلح جهانی» بیت‌العدل اعظم است. - هر يك از جوامع محلی حومه کلیولند قرار است بیوت تبلیغی منظم و پیوسته ای در محل خود تشکیل دهد. - قرار است ضیافت الفتی همراه با برنامه موسیقی برای تمام یاران آن منطقه در همین ماه منعقد شود.

در اثر این فعالیتها تعداد تازه تصدیقان افزایش یافته است. همچنین محفل روحانی استو Stow برای اولین بار تشکیل شد. کسانی که مایل به کسب اطلاعات بیشتر در مورد فعالیتهای احبای کلیولند و حومه آن باشند، می‌توانند با خانم آنجلا مالدونادو Angela Maldonado شماره ۶۲۱-۲۰۷۷ (۲۱۶) و یا با خانم سسیلیا اسمیت Cecelia Smith تلفن شماره ٢٤٠٦-٣٨٤ (٢١٦) تماس حاصل نمایند.

PAYAM BADI

همانطور که عزیزان ایرانی این دیار استحضار دارند، نشریه «پیام بدیع» تنها نشریه بهائی فارسی زبان است که در ایالات متحده منتشر می‌شود. این نشریه تحت اشراف محفل روحانی احبای نیویورک اداره می‌گردد.

اگر چه اخبار امری ملی و گاه بین‌المللی در «امریکن بهائی» درج می‌شود، اما نظر به امکانات محدود این نشریه (خصوصاً در وضع کنونی) امکان آن نیست که مقالات و اشعار و شروحی که راجع به شهیدان امر مبارک نگاشته می‌شود در قسمت فارسی امریکن بهائی مندرج گردد. اما یاران می‌توانند مطالب مذکور را در «پیام بدیع» بیایند و یا برای آن نشریه ارسال نمایند.

مضافاً یاران می‌توانند با كمك به «پیام بدیع» و تقویت آن از لحاظ مادی و معنوی اساس نشریه فارسی زبان ثابتی را در ایالات متحده پی ریزی نمایند. قیمت اشتراك «پیام بدیع» سالانه ۲۰ دلار است. علاقه مندان می‌توانند برای کسب اطلاعات بیشتر با نشانی زیر تماس حاصل نمایند:

Payam Badi The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of New York 53 East 11th Street New York, N.Y. 10003

INDIVIDUAL AND TEACHING

یکی از احبای ایرانی مقیم آمریکا به خدمات شایانی مفتخر گشته که شرح مختصر آن را در اینجا درج می‌نمائیم: تبلیغ امرالله برای خانم طیبه تور که یکی از یاران شهرستان دیاکویست، همواره در درجه اول اهمیت بوده است. حتی وقتی که این خانم مؤمن و خدوم در ایران به سر می‌برد، با وجود تعصبات و سوء نیت حاکم بر وضع اکثر ایرانیان، توانسته بود با كمك چند تن از دوستانش خانواده ایرانی را در ظل امر مبارک داخل کند.

وقتی که خانم تور حدود ۹ سال پیش وارد ایالات متحده شد، مانند بسیاری از هموطنان خویش نه زبان انگلیسی می‌دانست و نه وسیله نقلیه‌ای در اختیار داشت، اما نگذاشت که هیچيك از این موانع او را از تبلیغ امر مبارک باز دارد. مدت کوتاهی پس از استقرار در آمریکا به كمك یکی دیگر از احباء با چند تن کامبوجی که به تازگی در منطقه آنها مستقر شده بودند، طرح دوستی ریخت. اکثر این افراد کامبوجی نیز مانند خود خانم تور بعنوان پناهنده وارد آمریکا شده بودند. بنابراین خانم تور با آنها همدرد بود و دوای دردشان را در صحبت بی‌شائبه و مهربانی بی‌دریغ یافت.

خانم تور تا مدت دو سال سخنی از امر مبارک به میان نیاورد. اما پس از دو سال به تدریج آنان را با امر مبارک آشنا کرد و بسیاری از آنها و اطفالشان را به ساحل آمن ایمان به امر جمال مبارک آورد. تعداد زیادی از این اطفال در حال حاضر از مبلغان و خادمان صمیمی امر مبارک‌اند و با اینکه بعضی از آنها به شمال کالیفرنیا نقل مکان نموده‌اند، معهذا ارتباط خود را با خانم تور محفوظ داشته‌اند.

خانم تور نه تنها با کوشش و صمیمیت و محبت در دل این عزیزان کامبوجی جا گرفته بلکه قدمهای مؤثرتری نیز یافته و امر جمال مبارک را در مورد تبلیغ امرالله لبیك گفته است.

QUESTION ABOUT THE FUND

اخیراً از نمایندگان دفتر صندوق ملی سؤالاتی درباره اولویت تبرعات به صندوقهای مختلف امری شده است. به عبارت دیگر احباء می‌خواهند بدانند که به کدام صندوق امری باید تبرع نمایند.

اولاً در شرح این پرسش باید گفت که امکاناتی که برای تبلیغ امرالله به دست آمده، منابع مالی امر را تا حد زیادی تهی کرده است. لذا بعضی از جوامع وقتی احتیاجات صندوقهای محلی و ملی و قاره‌ای و بین‌المللی را در نظر می‌گذارند، نگران می‌شوند.

ثانیاً باید به خاطر داشت که صندوقهای مختلف امری رقابتی با یکبرابر ندارند؛ همانگونه که دست و پا و سایر اعضای بدن محتاج تغذیه است و در بسیاری از وظائف خود به یاری سایر اعضاء نیازمند است. به همان ترتیب نیز صندوقهای مختلف امری نیازمند تبرعات احباست تا به واسطه آن هم نیازهای مالی جامعه بهائی بر طرف شود و هم اهداف امری به طور منظم و بدون وقفه تحقق یابد.

GENOCIDE CONVENTION RATIFIED

در روز ۴ نوامبر سال جاری لایحه منع و تحریم قتل عام بر اثر کوششهای منظم و دور از انتظار سه سال گذشته و همچنین با ترغیب هیئتی محفل روحانی ملی و گروهی از سازمانهای حمایت از حقوق بشر، به توشیح رئیس جمهور ایالات متحده رسید.

نماینده جامعه بهائی در مراسم توشیح این لایحه که در شیکاگو برگزار شد، شرکت داشت. محفل روحانی ملی در سه سال گذشته با تعدادی از سازمانهای غیردولتی مانند کانون وکلای آمریکا و سازمان عفو بین‌المللی و کنگره یهودیان آمریکا و غیره جهت تصویب لایحه مذکور همکاری نزديك داشته است.

بنا به تقاضای محفل روحانی ملی تعدادی از جوامع محلی و افراد احباء جهت تشویق مجلسین آمریکا به قبول عهدنامه و تصویب لایحه با نمایندگان منطقه خود تماس تلفنی یا مکاتبه‌ای برقرار ساختند.

بیت العدل اعظم الهی در بیانیه «وعده صلح جهانی» فرموده‌اند که مواردی چون منع و تحریم قتل عام «اگر از روی شهامت و شجاعت مجری گردد و توسعه پذیرد سبب خواهد شد که به زودی طلیعه آن روز فرا رسد که کابوس جنگ دیگر نتواند بر روابط بین المللی سایه افکند.»

بهائیان ایالات متحده مسرورند که ملتی که از جانب حضرت عبدالبهاء به عنایات بی‌نظیری مفتخر گشته، به ۹۶ کشور دیگر که پیمان منع قتل عام را امضاء نموده‌اند، پیوسته است. ناگفته نماند که اعتقادات بهائیان ایران نیز تأثیر روحانی خود را برای امضای این پیمان به جا گذاشته است. آن عزیزان با قبول آزار و شکنجه و محرومیت، امر مبارک را از مرحله مجهولیت به مرحله اشتهار رساندند و سبب گردیدند که جامعه جهانی بهائی متحده بتواند با سازمانهائی که برای تصویب این پیماننامه می‌کوشیدند، همکاری داشته باشد.

محفل روحانی ملی از همه جوامع محلی و افرادی که در سه سال گذشته برای كمك به تصویب لایحه مذکور با صاحبان مناصب دولتی تماس برقرار نمودند، سپاسگزاری می‌نماید. یاران نیز از تعالی سرنوشت حقیقی آمریکا و هم احیاء جهت استقرار نظم بدیع شادمانند.

THIRD ANNUAL APAAC CONFERENCE

سومین کنفرانس سالانه لجنة ناحیه‌ای امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی از ۲۸ الی ۳۰ اکتبر سال جاری در دفتر محفل ملی انعقاد یافت.

اعضای این لجنة با لجنة ملی امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی ملاقات نمودند و ملاحظات و فعالیتها و تجربیات خود را در مورد اهداف مربوط به ادغام و اختلاط یاران ایرانی و آمریکائی با لجنة ملی در میان نهادند و درباره روشهای مؤثرتر شرکت همه یاران ایرانی در فعالیتهای امری ایالات متحده به مذاکره پرداختند.

شرکت کنندگان در این کنفرانس از بیانات جناب رابرت هندرسن، منشی محفل روحانی ملی و نطق جناب رینالدو کروز Reynaldo Cruz منشی لجنة ملی نشر نفحات استفاده نمودند. هر دو ناطق محترم درباره اهمیت شرکت احبای ایرانی در کنفرانسهای دوازده‌گانه و نیز شرکت در فعالیتهای تبلیغی محلی بیاناتی اظهار داشتند. همچنین شرکت کنندگان از مشرق‌الاذکار دیدن نمودند. [Page 6]

CLASSIFIEDS

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

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

THE DEPARTMENT of Human Resources at the Bahá’í National Center is accepting applications for the following positions: Bahá’í Publishing Trust—administrative assistant, associate editor, shipping/receiving clerk (Youth Year of Service). National Youth Committee—Youth Network coordinator. Interested applicants should apply to the Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

OVERSEAS positions now available include: Africa—Kenya: surgeon, water developer; director of administration, credit union development specialist. Nigeria: surgeon, internist, dentist, OB-GYN. Transkei: medical doctors. Sierra Leone: internist, surgeon, pediatrician, hospital administrator, dentist, business manager, nurses. West Africa: highway engineers, instrument design engineers, electrical design engineers. Americas—Belize: pathologist. Dominica: dentists, surgeons, lab technicians. Grenada: surgeon/orthopedic surgeon, anesthesiologist, MDs. Guyana: construction consultant, obstetrician, internist. Jamaica: dentists, physician, optometrist. St. Lucia: radiologist, ophthalmologist, optometrist, anesthetist, NRs, X-ray technicians, dermatologist, ENT, urologist, internal medicine, surgeon, anesthesiologist, orthopedic surgeon. Asia—India: general physicians, dermatologist, physiotherapist, medical doctors, general practitioners, cardiologist, ophthalmologist, nurses, physicians’ assistants, lab technician, water development specialist, internists. Nepal: infection control nurses, physical therapists, quality assurance RN, family and general doctors, TB specialists, pediatricians, internists, NRs, FNPs, agriculturist, administrative secretary. Taiwan: medical oncologist, pathologist, anesthesiologist, all physicians, public health nurse, infection control nurse, urologist, cardiovascular surgeon, administrator, respiratory therapist, intensive care nurse. Australasia—Marshall Islands: human services director, nursing educator, national health planner, dentist. Multi-Regional—university faculty. For more information about any of these positions, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

DAYTONA Beach, Florida, has a lot to offer homefront pioneers including year-round good weather and employment in the hospitality industry, the medical, engineering and teaching professions, and as support personnel for all kinds of businesses. There are four colleges in the metro area (population 282,500), and three major motion picture studios will open in central Florida in the next few years. Orlando, Cape Canaveral and St. Augustine are only an hour away; there are 23 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach to stroll (free); civic, community service and cultural activities; and a vibrant Bahá’í community that needs homefront pioneers. Contact the Spiritual Assembly of Daytona Beach, c/o Linda Akin, secretary, Daytona Beach, FL 32018, or phone 904-252-4387.

BECOME a homefront pioneer to beautiful western Tennessee. Rural areas, small-scale agricultural opportunities available. Ideal for someone who wants to return to country living and a slower pace. Phone Gene Buck, 901-968-9409, or Inez Jones, 901-847-2928, evenings.

SPENCER, Oklahoma, needs you! Spencer, a racially diverse community of 3,000, offers small-town living with big-city convenience nearby. There are many colleges and vo-tech schools in the greater Oklahoma City area, as well as Tinker Air Force Base and a General Motors plant. Spencer’s Assembly is in jeopardy; needed are two ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎. Won’t you be one of them? Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Spencer, P.O. Box 34, Spencer, OK 73084, or phone Mary Hetts, 405-771-4283, or Cindy Van Kley, 405-771-5274.

Arise!

SCHOOLS

THE LOUHELEN Residential Program is accepting applications for fall 1989. A maximum of 13 additional students (for a total of 26) is needed to enroll in this program; students live at Louhelen, have classes in Bahá’í studies and take part in Bahá’í conferences, fellowship, social, recreational and devotional activities while enrolled in degree-earning programs at the University of Michigan-Flint or Mott Community College. For information and application materials, write to Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

The MAXWELL International Bahá’í School is accepting admissions for fall 1989. Parents with children entering grades 7, 8, 9 or 10 should write to the school for more information. Student interviews begin in January 1989. Contact: Principal, Maxwell International Bahá’í School, P.O. Box 370, Shawnigan Lake, B.C. V0R 2W0, Canada.

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking photographs of the following people to add to its photograph collection: John Robarts, H. Collis Featherstone, Ugo Giachery, Edna True, Sarah M. Pereira, Velma Sherrill, David Ruhe, Hugh Chance, H. Borrah Kavelin and Glenford E. Mitchell. Anyone having photographs they could donate is asked to send them to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Marguerite Bruegger, Emma Buckley, Mary H. Buckman, George Buder, Clinton and Miriam Bugbee, Frieda Bullinger, Ann Bulloch, Gordon T. Burke and Tom Burke. Anyone knowing family members of relatives who might have these letters is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

PERIODICALS

CAN YOU help send Brilliant Star magazine to Bahá’í children’s classes in South America? There are more than 30 local Spiritual Assemblies in Guyana (formerly British Guiana) and the language is English, but the average daily wage is less than $1. For only $15 for a one-year subscription, you can connect the Bahá’í children of Guyana to their worldwide family and provide them with high-quality stories, poems, crafts and music with an emphasis on spiritual qualities and Bahá’í history. Please send your gift subscription to Subscriber Service, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. For more information, phone 312-869-9039.

WANTED

HELENA, Montana, is preparing to celebrate next Ridván the 50th anniversary of the formation of its Spiritual Assembly, the first in Montana. If you have ever lived in Helena or know any Bahá’í who has, please let us know. Send any information you may have, especially names, memories and anecdotes, to Ardith Heaney, Helena, MT 59601, or phone 406-443-6011. When the historical list of ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ is complete, we’ll try to send one to each contributor.

WANTED: Bahá’í musicians and singers for a concert next summer in Spencer, Oklahoma. A teaching event is being planned to center around the concert. Please let us know the type of music you perform and your financial requirements to participate. Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Spencer, P.O. Box 34, Spencer, OK 73084, or phone Mary Hetts (405-771-4283) or Cindy Van Kley (405-771-5274).

ARE YOU involved with an inter-faith group? Our small community has been invited to join the newly forming Interfaith Council of Erie and would like to hear as soon as possible from ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ who are already involved in such an organization. Please write to Jan Gorny, Waterford, PA 16441.

WANTED: ad slicks, print ads, samples, radio and TV PSAs developed and/or used by other communities. Please send to Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, Area, c/o Jackie Cone, Houston, TX 77081, or phone 713-667-2176.

MISCELLANEOUS

LAW STUDENTS: the Bahá’í Justice Society is looking for you! We want to serve your needs and need your support. But first, we must know who you are and where you are. For more information, write to the Bahá’í Justice Society, 400 Renaissance Center, 34th Floor, Detroit, MI 48243. To join, enclose $35 for annual dues. In appropriate cases, a waiver or reduction of dues can be made on written request. Please do it today!

A GRASSROOTS task force is developing deepening materials on racial unity for the Bahá’í community and invites your participation. To receive a brief survey, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Marcia LeRoy, Des Plaines, IL 60016.

Urgent notice

In June 1986, the National Spiritual Assembly removed the administrative rights of ________ after he was convicted of sexually molesting three children and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Since ________ has been released on a technicality and is awaiting re-sentencing, the National Spiritual Assembly wishes to make Bahá’í communities aware of his record and administrative status so that they might take whatever measures they deem appropriate under the circumstances.

‘The more one can give, the better it is ...’ National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

Mrs. Tayyebeh Nour (standing, left) of San Diego, California, with some of her many Hmong (Cambodian) friends.

New home, new language don’t slow Iranian woman’s teaching

Mrs. Tayyebeh Nour has exemplified the response to the call of the Universal House of Justice summoning every Bahá’í—man, woman, youth and child—to teach the Faith.

Mrs. Nour, a Persian Bahá’í living in San Diego, California, has always made teaching the Faith one of her top priorities. This was true even when she was living in the religiously repressive environment of Iran.

Undaunted by the grave risks involved in teaching the Faith in Iran, she and a few friends succeeded in bringing five Persian families into the Faith through consistent firesides held in Tehran—truly a wonderful example of courage and determination.

When Mrs. Nour came to America nine years ago as a displaced Iranian Bahá’í with no means of transportation and no knowledge of English, she did not let these become obstacles to prevent her from conveying the Bahá’í message, as she herself reports:

“I was determined that at 60 I should not remain inactive.”

Soon she and a Bahá’í friend encountered some Cambodians who had recently resettled in the area.

“Together,” she says, “we began to serve and came across these angelic souls, the Hmong friends.”

Like Mrs. Nour, most of the Cambodians had entered the U.S. as refugees and were facing similar challenges in becoming accustomed to their new environment.

She approached them with the most effective teaching tool of all: love. “My heart beats for them, they are the dearest people in the world to me ...”

How did she teach them the Faith? For about two years, Mrs. Nour associated with them in a loving manner but made no mention of the Faith. The Hmong readily accepted her as a teacher for their young children.

Despite her lack of transportation, Mrs. Nour visited them regularly, helping the newcomers find government-funded housing and sharing housekeeping ideas with the mothers.

Gradually and patiently, she began to teach and to bring many of the children into the Faith.

Many of them, both male and female, have since become active supporters of the Cause. And although some have moved to northern California, they keep in touch with Mrs. Nour and confide in her as though she were their mother.

Not only has she won the hearts of fellow human beings to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, she has won for herself the love of her new spiritual family. Certainly that is a reward worth striving for!

Fourth Grand Canyon Conference scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona

The fourth annual Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference will be held December 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.

Included will be dynamic presentations, stimulating workshops, outstanding entertainment, a conference for youth, and educational programs for children.

The main thrust of the conference is individual teaching at the local level.

For information, contact the conference registrar, P.O. Box 9961, Phoenix, AZ 85068.

Some Answered Questions ... About the Fund

Which Fund should we support? The increased opportunities to teach the Faith are taxing our material resources at every level.

Some communities are feeling tension when the National Bahá’í Fund is in crisis, the needs of the International Fund are dramatically expanding, the Continental Boards of Counselors are increasing their activity, and the local needs are greater than ever.

The Bahá’í Funds are not in competition with one another. Just as our physical arms and legs and internal organs need to be nourished and complement one another to support the work of the body, so all the Funds must be supported to carry on the work of the Faith. [Page 7]

San Fernando auspicia Conferencia Hispana

En el Centro Bahá’í de San Fernando, California, más de sesenta bahá’ís de Arizona, Nuevo México, Illinois, México, Oregon y de diferentes partes de California manejaron cientos de millas para reunirse en unidad en la Cuarta Conferencia Anual para Bahá’ís de habla castellano, el pasado 7 al 9 de octubre de 1988.

Bajo el tema de “Consolidación y Motivación,” se sostuvieron varias discusiones sobre cómo los bahá’ís hispanos residentes en los Estados Unidos pueden ayudar a la comunidad bahá’í americana lograr su destino espiritual.

Muchas de las discusiones fueron iniciadas por las charlas presentadas en la conferencia. Jacqueline Delahunt, Consejera Continental, estaba emocionada sobre su primera visita a la conferencia de bahá’ís de habla castellano y compartió un video y su experiencia de su reciente viaje para conocer los indios en Bolivia y Perú con el grupo “Camino del Sol.”

La señora Delahunt explicó que las palabras de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sobre la importancia de guiar y educar espiritualmente la gente indígena de América tenían un nuevo significado para ella desde su viaje a América Latina.

Ella dijo, “Hay una diferencia entre saber y entender.”

Arturo Serrano, Consejero Continental, condujo una consulta sobre el significado y los desafíos presentados a los bahá’ís en el mensaje de Ridván de 1988 y la carta con fecha del 31 de agosto de 1987 de la Casa Universal de Justicia.

Consejero Continental Rodrigo Tomás trató el tema de la conferencia y la importancia de la unidad dentro de la comunidad bahá’í.

Representando el Comité Nacional de Enseñanza, Roberta Maull ofreció una perspectiva sobre la población de los bahá’ís hispanos en los Estados Unidos y de la participación de los bahá’ís hispanos en las actividades de enseñanza en este país.

Armando Alzamora, miembro del Comité de Enseñanza Hispano, continuó con una discusión sobre los objetivos primordiales del Plan de Seis Años.

La señora Jeanne Serrano de Baja California, México, alentó a los bahá’ís de aprovechar el desafío que nos espera en enseñar la Fe en la frontera de México y los Estados Unidos.

Sergio Montenegro desafió a los participantes a definir lo que se consideraba ser un nuevo creyente y presentó a Javier Salazar, un bahá’í recién declarado quién compartió sus pensamientos sobre la importancia de la oración.

Era maravilloso escuchar a un nuevo bahá’í expresar su amor a Bahá’u’lláh y su alegría en encontrar la Fe Bahá’í; muchos de los que lo escucharon experimentaron un nuevo sentido de reencontrar nuestra propia espiritualidad.

Desde la conferencia del año pasado, un grupo de bahá’ís de Los Angeles han iniciado un taller de talentos el cuál debutó en la conferencia este año. Ellos presentaron varios actos de drama que trataron sobre el Nuevo Orden Mundial de Bahá’u’lláh, poesía y musicales como parte del entretenimiento.

Los niños también se mantuvieron ocupados durante la conferencia creando artesanías basadas en los principios de la Fe para presentarlo a sus padres.

Los resultados de la conferencia prontamente serán aparente. Los participantes regresaron a sus comunidades para compartir los aspectos destacables de la conferencia, esperando iniciar esfuerzos de enseñanza de una manera de campaña de acción unificada y de colaborar con las Instituciones en la enseñanza hispana.

En la foto se encuentran varios bahá’ís hispanos presentando su arte en la reciente conferencia en San Fernando, California, el 7 al 9 de octubre de 1988.

10 YEARS AGO

According to reports received at the National Teaching Committee office, the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the U.S. as of November 12, the 161st anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, is 1,318, surpassing the committee’s goal of 1,300 Assemblies by that date.

The committee is now aiming for a total of 1,400 Assemblies by November 26, the Day of the Covenant, which would complete that goal of the Five Year Plan. ...

A meeting October 13-15 of the National Spiritual Assembly in Rochester, New York, stimulates an intensive teaching drive in the Monroe County area that leads to 10 declarations and four enrollments in a 10-day period. ...

For the second year in a row the Bahá’ís of Bellaire, Texas, sponsor a booth at the Fayette County Fair in LaGrange.

The friends gave away some 500 pen-and-ink drawings of the county courthouse rendered by Bonnie Wilder, an artist and member of the Spiritual Assembly of Bellaire. A concise introduction to the Faith is printed on the back of each picture. ...

On August 18, 20 seekers and 21 Bahá’ís gather at the Community Theatre in Fremont, Ohio, for a public meeting on “The Spiritual Revolution” which features a mime show by Bill and Bridget George of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. ...

Twenty-one people attend a Teacher Training Institute held August 19-20 at the Wayside Cottage in Scarsdale, New York.

The purpose is to develop communication skills for effective teaching. ...

Public schools in Jefferson County, Colorado, join a growing list of educational institutions that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days by granting excused absences to children on those occasions. ...

Bahá’ís in the Window Rock, Arizona, area design and build a float for the Navajo Nation Fair Parade, held September 7-10 at Window Rock, capital of the Navajo Nation.

In keeping with the theme “Chants of the Future,” the words on the float are “One Creator, One Mother Earth, One People,” chosen by the Navajo Bahá’ís as the best way to tell the Indian audience about the Faith. ...

Meanwhile, as a result of a statewide teaching campaign, a new local Assembly is formed on October 29 in Chandler, Arizona.

Among its members are five who were enrolled in the Faith during a teaching effort in Arizona eight years before, during the Nine Year Plan. ...

“Fastest Growing Town in Georgia Elects First Bahá’í Assembly” is the headline in a local newspaper as the Spiritual Assembly of Roswell is formed early in September.

The article, prepared by the Assembly, combines its announcement with the recently released statistic showing that Roswell is indeed the fastest growing city in the state. ...

Victorias consecuencia mensaje de Ridván

A TODAS LAS ASAMBLEAS ESPIRITUALES NACIONALES REGOCIJO VÍSPERAS CELEBRACIONES MUNDIALES ANIVERSARIO NACIMIENTO BENDITO BÁB EVIDENCIAS NÚMERO AUMENTATIVO COMUNIDADES NACIONALES INVOLUCRADOS INICIATIVAS DE ENSEÑANZA DANDO PASO A ENTRADA POR TROPAS. TREINTA Y CINCO ASAMBLEAS NACIONALES ESPONTÁNEAMENTE HAN INFORMADO DECLARACIONES SUMANDO UN CUARTO DE MILLÓN DE NUEVOS CREYENTES DESDE RIDVÁN. COMPLACIDOS NOTABLE ACTIVIDADES CONSOLIDACIÓN ESENCIALES SALVAGUARDAR VICTORIAS LOGRADAS CON ESFUERZO. HORA PROPICIA AMIGOS ASAMBLEAS EN TODAS PARTES REDUPLICAR ESFUERZOS SACRIFICALES ALTAMENTE MERITORIOS CONCENTRAR SU ATENCIÓN EN IMPORTANTÍSIMAS ACTIVIDADES ENSEÑANZA DESTINADOS A LLEVAR FE REDENTOR MUNDIAL DE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH A PERÍODO LARGAMENTE ESPERADO DE RESPUESTA UNIVERSAL A SU LLAMADO IMPARTIDOR DE VIDA.

CASA UNIVERSAL DE JUSTICIA 13 DE OCTUBRE DE 1988

Events, urgent needs overseas

CHILE: International Youth Conference, January 11-15.

JAMAICA: Urgent help needed in recovering from Hurricane Gilbert.

MALAYSIA: Winter School, December 22-26.

Ongoing teaching projects in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia.

For more information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

Bahá’ís deben ser intrépidos y usar sus talentos en la enseñanza

“El escenario está listo para el crecimiento universal, rápido y masivo de la Causa de Dios.”

Está ocurriendo en India. Está ocurriendo en Taiwan. ¿Cómo podemos nosotros, en los Estados Unidos, compartir la victoria de lograr un flujo constante de nuevos creyentes que traerán la entrada en tropas? ¿Cómo podemos nosotros continuar asumiendo nuestro destino como líderes espirituales en el mundo?

Cómo fue mencionado en el mensaje de Ridván de 1988 de la Casa Universal de Justicia, el desafío es el de romper a través de todas las barreras existentes a un nivel de actividad y de cumplimiento: un nivel que es “en una escala y de una calidad, de una variedad, y de una intensidad que sobrepase todos los esfuerzos actuales.”

¿Pero cómo podemos lograr esto? Abajo hay unas ideas:

• Nosotros podemos crear un espíritu de verdadero compañerismo en nuestra comunidad bahá’í y la comunidad misma puede servir como un imán. Semejantemente, bahá’ís y no-bahá’ís van a dónde se sienten queridos y bienvenidos.

Nosotros también podemos envolver todos los individuos en el trabajo de la enseñanza—cada hombre, mujer, joven y niño. Cada persona tiene su propio talento especial que pueden contribuir, y la enseñanza se puede hacer en muchas diferentes maneras.

Vea ENSEÑANZA página 8

IN MEMORIAM

Otis Bradshaw Pleasanton, CA September 1988	M. Frances Hale Enfield, CT January 1988	Roosevelt Pittman Plymouth, NC Date Unknown
Stanley Brimigion Bath, ME June 18, 1988	Margaret Haury Grove City, PA August 26, 1988	Tomas Romannose Kingfisher, OK 1988
Violet Brown Manderson, SD October 10, 1988	Alice Ioas Fresno, CA July 7, 1988	Ella Louise Rucker Marshallville, GA October 2, 1988
John B. Burgess Eatonville, FL September 1, 1988	Talat Khalili-Ghazvini Bakersfield, CA August 27, 1988	Paul W. Sydman Milwaukee, WI September 9, 1988
Challoner Chute Charlottesville, VA Date Unknown	Ethel C. Koblentz Savage, MD September 13, 1988	John H. Scott St. Paul, MN Date Unknown
Coleman Crocker Jeffersonville, GA Date Unknown	Mahmood Laghaee-Far Fresno, CA Date Unknown	Edward J. Smith Sun Valley, NV September 2, 1988
Dolly Crow Charlotte, NC August 8, 1988	Leslie Lindsay Clewiston, FL Date Unknown	Irene Smiley Oklahoma City, OK April 30, 1988
Cynthia Dannhauser Oklahoma City, OK Date Unknown	Iran Madjzoub Van Nuys, CA January 1988	Julia M. Smith Fort Valley, GA April 1988
Annie Davis Anderson, SC Date Unknown	Darakshandih Missaghian Berwyn, PA February 26, 1988	Bradley Ware Birmingham, AL Date Unknown
Henrietta Davis Eatonville, FL August 1, 1988	Theola Montgomery Fresno, CA Date Unknown	Ernest White Fresno, CA Date Unknown
Lucende Dickerson Birmingham, AL Date Unknown	Michael Michalchik Newport Beach, CA December 4, 1987	Elizabeth Ann Williams Bend, OR September 23, 1988
Otis Dickerson Birmingham, AL Date Unknown	Jerry Morris Anderson, SC May 20, 1987	Robert Wilson Champaign, IL Date Unknown
Gary Dufault Upton, MA December 17, 1985	Charles Myers Willow Creek, CA September 15, 1987	Audrey B. Wood Woolwich, ME August 7, 1988
Willie Edwards Waco, TX July 6, 1988	Jack Perrin Atlanta, GA December 1987	Mike Zivanov Moore Haven, FL Date Unknown

New NTRs appointed. The Office of the Treasurer has added 36 members to the ranks of National Treasurer’s Representatives since Ridván including youth for the first time. [Page 8]

Eyewitness report notes Chile’s remarkable teaching campaign

Venezuela is ablaze! As reported by Mrs. Nina Gordon, the Bahá’ís in Venezuela started their teaching campaign this summer by saying the Tablet of Ahmad 19 times, following the example of Martha Root. The events that followed, writes Mrs. Gordon, were extraordinary:

"Several weeks ago, the city of Coro (population 110,000) notified the local Spiritual Assembly that they could not incorporate with only 15 adult believers since ... a bill had been passed requiring at least 200 believers in any religion.

"The Bahá’í community decided that to raise up 200 new believers, they would need to teach all levels of society and would need a Bahá’í Center. The goal was to achieve this in three weeks.

"Our best teacher was a Jehovah’s Witness until six months ago. She was probably 19 years old, was on fire and knew how to teach even the evangelicals.

"One woman was extremely ill and was not expected to live through the night. The doctor had been to her home that afternoon and was not hopeful.

"Sometime in the night, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá appeared to her in a dream, gave her a cup of tea and told her to drink it. She did so (in her dream), and her fever broke and her illness left her.

"She was lying in bed listening to the radio when our Auxiliary Board member, Ruth Blasco, was giving a half-hour talk on the Faith. Shortly after that, 15-year-old Janet Woodard showed up at her door and taught her the Faith.

"Ruth Blasco took a new believer, who had enrolled the day before, with her team to the upper middle class (section of town) to teach.

"They asked a nicely dressed woman if they could tell her about Bahá’u’lláh. She said she belonged to an order in the Catholic Church that is known to be one of the staunchest of the Catholic orders.

"They said that was fine, but they would still like to tell her about Bahá’u’lláh. About halfway through the presentation, she said quickly, ‘Well, we have been warned about false prophets.’

"The new believer of one day then said, ‘Señora, how can Bahá’u’lláh be a false prophet when He has come to establish unity throughout the world and to bring peace?’

"The woman seemed quite surprised by this reply. She listened quietly to the rest of the presentation, and became a Bahá’í.

"A young man became concerned about other youths living in a corrupt and dangerous part of Coro. He is a university student and went into the area and organized the youth.

"He was getting them away from drugs and alcohol and was doing a magnificent service. He became a Bahá’í and apologized for not being able to give much time to Bahá’í work because of this prior commitment.

"We laughed and told him he was doing Bahá’í work, and perhaps we could help him teach his youth.

"Four teams went out in one area, accidentally finished at about the same time, and were standing on a corner swapping stories when they heard a loud ‘pssst,’ looked across the street, and saw a man standing behind the grille of the window of his house.

"He motioned to Holly Woodard to come over. When she approached the window, he said to her, ‘Why are you all so happy?’

"Holly told him that if he would wait a few minutes, she would be pleased to tell him why she was so happy. She and her partner went in and enrolled the man, his wife and about seven children, most of whom were youth.

"As an example of how we were guided, a young engineering student (Jaime) became a Bahá’í and went teaching with us each afternoon. He worked in the summer during the mornings helping with the family business, but lived for the afternoons when he could teach with us.

"A new believer was enrolled early one afternoon and asked if we could come and teach in her area of town that same day. We told her we would be happy to, and left word for Jaime where we would be teaching.

"The group fanned out to teach in her neighborhood. Somehow they did not stop to teach one elderly woman. Finally, one team did stop and asked her if anyone had taught her about Bahá’u’lláh.

"She said, ‘No, they have been passing back and forth, but no one would stop. Young man, please tell me what this is all about.’

"They did, and she became a Bahá’í. As she was receiving her little gifts such as a prayer book and so forth, Jaime walked up and said, ‘Grandmother, what are you doing?’

"She replied that she had just joined a new religion. Jaime said, ‘Grandmother, I joined three days ago!’

"By the end of two weeks, the teams had enrolled 500 new believers, 40 percent of whom were from the upper middle and upper classes.

"It seemed that all we had to do was make a plan, say our prayers and bring ourselves to account, call upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and He would do the rest.

"I forgot to tell you that one of the wealthy believers said she had two houses and we could take our pick for a Center!"

Enseñanza

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En lugar de limitar nuestras actividades a lo que nosotros creemos nuestras capacidades son, podemos dejar a un lado cada interés menor y depender en la asistencia divina ofrecida a través de la oración, el estudio de la Palabra Creativa, y a través de la acción tomada en conformidad con esa palabra.

Debemos recordar que se nos ha asegurado por la Institución Suprema que se han desplegado nuevas oportunidades para enseñar la Causa en todos los niveles de la sociedad. Todo lo que tenemos que hacer ahora es sumergirnos!

Bahá’í in Boulder invited to speak to interfaith council

On August 20, Barbara Honaker, a Bahá’í from Boulder, Colorado, was invited to speak to the Boulder Council of Churches and Synagogues.

About 30 people of various faiths, 18 of whom were not Bahá’ís, attended the talk, which was arranged after the Bahá’ís began to work with the Council and were part of a project to feed the hungry and a Council-sponsored fair.

After the talk, the Faith was accepted as a full-fledged member of the Council.

Conferencia de Juventud en Chile

La comunidad bahá’í de Chile invita a todos los bahá’ís a la Conferencia Internacional de Juventud en Santiago del 11 al 15 de enero de 1989.

¡Esta Conferencia promete ser EXCEPCIONAL y espera ser el encuentro más grande de jóvenes bahá’ís jamás visto en Chile! El costo de la Conferencia es de $30 el cual incluye alojamiento, alimentación y materiales. Hasta ahora se han confirmado los siguientes charlistas: Eloy Anello, Habib Taherzadeh y Dorris Millalén.

Si están interesados en asistir a la Conferencia Internacional de Juventud y también desean participar en la organización de la conferencia, por favor de escribir al Comité Nacional de Juventud, Casilla 3731, Santiago, Chile.

From July 25-August 14, Bahá’í youth ‘uplifted the banner of peace’ in three cities: Tijuana, Mexico, and Los Angeles and San Diego, California. Spearheading the campaign were young Bahá’ís from Riverside, Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, San Diego, Chula Vista and even Wilmette, Illinois. Also taking part were the San Diego and Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshops, one of whom is seen here in an outdoor performance. [Page 9]

National Spiritual Assembly: A Mid-Year Assessment

In October, the National Spiritual Assembly asked each of its committees and agencies to submit reports noting the progress they had made since Ridván in carrying out their mandates and moving toward achievement of the goals of the Six Year Plan. These reports were shared at a meeting October 22 at the Bahá’í National Center, after which the National Assembly decided to share them further with the Bahá’í community as a whole so that the friends might become better informed about the many activities and initiatives being carried out on their behalf at the national level.

OFFICE OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

For the last six months the three offices of the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of External Affairs have been pursuing a wide variety of activities.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Governmental Relations

Human Rights

A third resolution condemning the human rights violations of the Bahá’ís in Iran passed the U.S. Senate on June 23, 1988, and the House of Representatives on August 8. It was sponsored by 117 representatives and 40 senators each of whom was contacted at least once by letter and phone by the OEA staff. Over 325 letters were sent to local Spiritual Assemblies asking them to thank their congressmen for sponsoring the resolution or making statements about the Bahá’ís before Congress. The staff attended the Senate and House committee meetings that reviewed the resolution and visited with Senate and House committee staff. The staff also wrote sample statements for two representatives and one senator.

On June 29, Firuz Kazemzadeh and Robert Henderson appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights along with two government officials. The staff assisted with and wrote the National Spiritual Assembly testimonies as well as contacting by phone and letter each member of the subcommittee before the hearing. OEA sent copies of all five testimonies to the Universal House of Justice and to six National Spiritual Assemblies.

OEA, along with the ad hoc group which includes representatives from the American Bar Association, B’nai B’rith International, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Amnesty International and the United Nations Association, continued to work for ratification of the UN Genocide Convention legislation by Congress. The staff made more than 150 phone calls to congressional offices for senate and representative sponsorship of the legislation, and asked Bahá’ís in more than 10 states to call directly their congressmen. OEA staff had three meetings with the ad hoc working group and in July took part in a meeting with Sen. Ford of Kentucky.

OEA has initiated plans for the National Assembly’s 1988 Human Rights Day event in Washington which will honor the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

Refugees

The office sent letters to State Department officials and congressmen about fiscal year 1989 refugee needs of the Bahá’ís. The staff attended the Senate and House Judiciary Committees’ hearings on refugee matters and attended two meetings at the State Department Refugee Bureau. A staff member met with counsel to the UN High Commissioner on Refugees. OEA also worked with the INS to secure travel documents for several refugees who testified before the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.

Congressional Black Caucus

The staff, with local Bahá’í support, attended workshops at the Caucus’ annual Convention. Four teams of two Bahá’ís each, one black and one white, attended meetings on women, civil rights, foreign affairs, youth and education.

Miscellaneous

OEA held a luncheon for congressional staff when Firuz Kazemzadeh visited; OEA staff had luncheons with State Department and Congressional staff; a staff member attended a White House seminar on Religion in the USSR; three staff members attended the State Department Foreign Policy Conference. The staff submitted to an Army chaplain a rewrite of the “Bahá’í Faith” section of the book on religions printed for the Armed Services chaplains (the edition currently in use lists the Bahá’í Faith between the American Society for Witches and the Church of Satan).

Non-Governmental Organizations

• An OEA staff member, as co-chair of the National Religious Involvement Committee of the Martin Luther King Federal Holiday Commission, attended a conference in Atlanta; attended meetings of the Commission in Washington; selected candidates for committee membership; and researched the life and beliefs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• An OEA staff member arranged a luncheon for the Board of Directors of the International Council of Women; worked with the BIC on a display of Laura Dreyfus-Barney’s life which was shown at the Barney Studio House of the Smithsonian Institution on June 26 when a luncheon was held for 63 women. Three staff members attended.
• Three staff members met with the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association; a report was drafted to the Universal House of Justice about Bahá’í involvement with the International Association for Religious Freedom in which the Unitarians play a key role.
• OEA played a major role in the Mobilization Rally, the Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative march on August 27, by arranging for two busloads of Bahá’ís from ‎south South‎ Carolina to come to Washington; by contributing $1,000 to the march organizers; by two staff members attending local and national meetings for several weeks before the march; by sending letters to 45 local Spiritual Assemblies informing them about the march; and by staff members marching and sitting in the VIP section.
• A staff member attended monthly meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty. OEA hosted three luncheons at the office for the Committee.
• A staff member attended Williamsburg Charter meetings and the signing weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia, as the National Assembly’s representative. He also attended a luncheon in Washington.
• The staff worked with the Bahá’í Committee for Services to the Hearing Impaired and Deaf and presented a copy of the peace statement to the President of Gallaudet College in Washington.

Conferences/receptions/meetings attended:

• UN Environmental Programme
• American Bar Association on refugees
• International Council on Women Centenary Convention, Washington, D.C., and New York
• UN Association luncheons
• Friends Committee on National Legislation, UN Education and Advocacy Group
• Amnesty International interreligious human rights group
• UNA-USA Convention, New York
• American Association for World Health
• Baptist Joint Committee for Public Affairs
• Israeli Embassy, 40th Anniversary of Israel
• luncheons with Washington Post reporter, American Association of University Women staff, and American Bar Association staff
• Committee Against Apartheid dinner
• Projects begun with Congressional Human Rights Foundation
• Christian Science Monitor/Discovery Channel reception
• Hosted dinner for Lebanese visitor at request of Universal House of Justice
• Reception for Equality Day by National Women’s Committee

Bahá’í meetings and interaction with the Bahá’í community:

• OEA hosted a two-day conference in Seattle. Firuz Kazemzadeh attended with staff members from three OEA branches. It was held for the Bahá’ís of Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
• Visits to OEA from representatives of PAAC, National Development Committee, OEA staff from Wilmette and New York, Wilmette Office of the Secretary, and new staff from the BIC offices in Haifa at the request of the Universal House of Justice
• A staff member visited BIC/NSA offices in New York, the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, and New Haven
• Eight in-house staff meetings
• A staff member was invited to be a keynote speaker at two Bahá’í conferences and a workshop leader at another conference
• The staff attended monthly luncheons hosted by Bahá’ís at the International Monetary Fund. They brought non-Bahá’í guests.
• A staff member hosted a luncheon for the wife of the new Ambassador of Swaziland
• A staff member made phone calls to each of the 150 local Spiritual Assemblies that have not yet presented the peace statement to their federal government officials and governors
• OEA processes about 50 pieces of incoming mail per week and handles, on average, 10 incoming phone calls a day from the Bahá’í community and 10 from other sources

U.S. UN REPRESENTATIVE

• Coordinated the Ten City Africa Focus project with the local Spiritual Assemblies of Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and New York. The project is continuing.
• Invited and hosted the youth director of UNA/USA, who gave workshops at the Bloomington International Youth Conference; the Bahá’í representative regularly attended UNA/USA meetings.
• Attended the annual UNA Convention.
• Elected as a member-at-large to the Executive Committee of the Council of Organizations.
• Attended regular UN Department of Public Information and U.S. Mission briefings, NGO committee meetings, seminars, workshops and social functions.
• Participated in the Unitarian Universalist annual meeting and led a discussion group on “Religious Persecution.”
• Worked with Global Cooperation for a Better World.
• Attended two UNIFEM (U.S. Committee for the UN Fund for Women Inc.) meetings and receptions.
• Attended the annual UN Department of Public Information conference for NGOs.

OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

• Coordinated the public information network, educated the public information representatives, and supplied public information materials to the 586 public information representatives and 114 public information committees in the U.S.
• Issued national press releases on the congressional resolution, the acquittal of the Egyptian Bahá’ís, and the fifth Continental Indigenous Council.
• Arranged a tea for U.S. Rep. John Porter at the Hazíratu’l-Quds.
• Attended the International Communication Association conference in New Orleans and met with the local Spiritual Assembly there to discuss public information.
• Produced and updated materials: the NSA Fact Sheet, the Bahá’í Faith and Its World Community, Bahá’í Statistics, and the House of Worship brochure. Made arrangements for reprints of the ‎Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia‎ Britannica articles on the Faith.
• Made presentations to participants at two Special Visit programs to the Bahá’í National Center.
• Sold more than 500 press/presentation kits since November 1987.
• Collected and classified newspaper references to the Faith from April to August 1988:

National, 66; local, 1,267. Content: persecutions, 56; Bahá’í Faith (general), 826; editorials/opinions, 20; letters to the editor, 86; syndicated columns, 141; Holy Days, 153; individual Bahá’ís, 51.

OFFICE OF THE TREASURER

The major activities of the Office of the Treasurer include accounting, financial planning and reporting, development of programs and materials to educate believers about the Fund, research regarding Fund-related issues, preparation of programs and reports for conventions and conferences, support of World Center in banking and funds transfers, encouraging and processing contributions, advising the believers about estate planning and bequests, and training local Spiritual Assemblies and local treasurers. The mid-year highlights:

Fund Education:

• Held meetings with local Assemblies, ABMs, NTRs, etc. in California (4), D.C., Virginia, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina.
• Held Growth Conference meetings with NTRs networking them with DTCs, Schools Committees, Youth Committee and other agencies.
• Consulted with Bahá’ís in South Carolina including ABM on Fund development in South Carolina.
• Prepared Fund program for the International Youth Conference including Fundmobile, FUND Run, Fund boxes, skit, workshops, children’s materials.
• Fund presentation at the annual Green Lake Conference including workshops, talk.
• Appointed 35 new National Treasurer’s Representatives.
• Supported Where There’s a Will seminar in Los Angeles.
• Networked FD/EP Advisory Committee with National Teaching Committee, National Youth Committee, National Development Committee, National Persian/American Affairs Committee, National Race Unity Committee.

Operations:

• Expanded the Automatic Contribution System among local Assemblies and Groups by 115 percent, increasing ACS contributions by $3,000 per Bahá’í month.
• Printed and distributed a revised edition of Where There’s a Will.
• Distributed a Fund video, “With All My Heart.”
• Improved insurance coverages and lowered premiums on casualty policies.
• Successfully completed 1987-88 audit with no major adjustments to National Fund accounts.

Special Projects:

• Translated/printed A Checklist for Preparing Your Will in Persian.
• Assisted with 12 “Vision to Victory” conferences.
• Organized National Assembly program to contact local Spiritual Assemblies about Fund needs and follow-up.
• Adoption/implementation of investment and banking policies.

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

(Community Administration)

The mid-year highlights:

• Responded to 1,198 letters from individual believers and the various institutions of the Faith.
• Responded to 2,400 telephone calls from individual [Page 10]believers and representatives of the various institutions of the Faith.
• Made five presentations at Bahá’í schools and conferences on the application of Bahá’í law and principles of Bahá’í administration.
• Conducted approximately 500 status checks on individuals being considered for appointment to various committees or to the position of public information representative for their area.
• Responded to daily requests from various offices and agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly for information/guidance on a variety of issues.
• Conducted nine reviews of The American Bahá’í.
• Produced a compilation of references pertaining to the year of waiting and Bahá’í divorce and a compilation on marriage for use by local Spiritual Assemblies.
• Drafted a variety of written communications for special projects.
• Produced one issue of the National Bahá’í Review.
• Actively supported several special groups including the Local Spiritual Assembly Guidelines Task Force, The American Bahá’í Review Board, the Budget Review Board, and the Records Management Task Force.

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (Special Events)

The mid-year highlights:

World Congress:

• Presentation about the World Congress at the National Convention
• Prepared informational letter sent from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies
• Completed initial feasibility studies for ground transport, for circulation and crowd control, and security pertaining to potential Congress attendance of 20,000-40,000
• Completed feasibility studies for satellite broadcasting
• Completed second phase design and circulation studies of the Javits Convention Center in New York City
• Blocked more than 17,000 hotel rooms for the Congress
• Conducted site inspections of about 25 hotels

National Convention:

• Completed final preparations for National Convention
• Prepared Planning Guide for National Convention

District Conventions:

• Completed final mailings and preparations for 168 District Conventions

Twelve Conferences:

• Established contact and working relationship with task forces
• Developed guidelines for task forces and conference planning
• Developed program, agenda and preparation of other aspects of conferences in collaboration with National Teaching Committee, Office of the Treasurer, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Office of Public Information, and other agencies

General:

• Maintained working relationship with local hotels
• Enlisted services of travel agency for agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly

NATIONAL RACE UNITY COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• Conducted Integration Conferences with the National Persian/American Affairs Committee at Louhelen, Green Acre and the National Conference on Growth.
• Presented and/or supported teaching efforts at schools in Maryland-Virginia-D.C., Florida, South Carolina and California and at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute’s Peace Fest ’88.
• With the Office of External Affairs, arranged for representation to the Congressional Black Caucus’ legislative weekend in Washington, D.C.
• Conducted focused consultation on teaching blacks with representatives of the metro Atlanta community and presented a public proclamation for the Atlanta metro area.
• Presented programs at various race unity events in the eastern and western U.S.
• Liaisoned with other committees and agencies of the National Assembly and various communities across the country.

NATIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE

The National Teaching Committee carries out a wide variety of activities on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, including:

• Guidance and support for more than 150 district teaching and regional schools committees, three national committees, hundreds of local Spiritual Assemblies, and many teaching projects through correspondence, newsletters, conferences and visits.
• Processing more than 100 inquiries about the Faith each month.
• Regular contact and collaboration on teaching with members of the Auxiliary Board through reports, correspondence and by phone.
• Coordinating 50 regional schools.
• The development, publication, distribution, promotion and evaluation of materials on the growth and development of the Faith including non-English language literature.
• The development of minority teaching through frequent correspondence and communications, National Teaching Committee publications and visits and talks to communities.
• The continuing development of a traveling teacher network.

The mid-year highlights:

• Held the fourth annual Conference on Growth designed to help the agencies of the National Teaching Committee and local Spiritual Assemblies to consult on the growth objectives of the Six Year Plan.
• Coordinated the fifth Continental Indigenous Council which attracted 50 tribes of Native Americans.
• Hosted a successful conference in which major issues and elements of growth were discussed among members of District Teaching Committees, regional schools, traveling teacher coordinators, and local Spiritual Assemblies.
• Supported the collaboration of regional schools, District Teaching Committees and local Assemblies as they sponsored 20 one-day institutes.
• Effectively communicated and promoted the concept of “Building Unity of Thought on Teaching” through correspondence, newsletters, The American Bahá’í, conferences, national committees, visits and school sessions.

NATIONAL YOUTH COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

A successful Bahá’í International Youth Conference was held June 30-July 4 in Bloomington, Indiana, resulting in

• a greater awareness of the role of youth in achieving America’s spiritual destiny
• a greater sense of urgency for the need to teach now
• a greater awareness of the role of the local Spiritual Assembly and the individual in teaching
• pledges by more than 3,000 Bahá’ís to greater heights of service to the Cause (the National Spiritual Assembly responded to the pledges, helping to cement the commitment to fulfilling them)
• intensive publicity for the Youth Year of Service program leading to more than 500 new recruits for future service

The Youth Committee also further developed the Youth Year of Service program:

• Established a greater variety and number of Year of Service posts.
• Accelerated placement of youth in posts (a total of 60 have been placed since the onset of the Six Year Plan, 20 of whom have departed in the last six months).
• Year of Service program coordinator met with the Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas to discuss progress of the program and expansion criteria.
• An inter-agency meeting was held to review program development and training needs.
• Appointment and training of four regional coordinators to help applicants with placement, resulting in more immediate and effective communication with applicants and their families.
• Contact was made with all returned volunteers, soliciting their help in counseling applicants and recruiting others.

The Youth Committee also:

• Increased the percentage of College Clubs reporting to about 80 percent.
• Co-sponsored 11 Intensive Study Institutes which inspired at least five institutes at the local level as well as several inquiries as to how to hold an institute.
• Published the Youth Hotline in March, April, May and September.

NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON WOMEN

The mid-year highlights:

• Took part in national “Decade of Achievement” conference in Washington, D.C.
• Panel presentation and meeting with the friends in Wichita, Kansas.
• Spelman College (Atlanta) conference on equality; established good relations with the mayor’s office and college faculty.
• Presentation to BPW-AAUW, Seneca Falls, New York; development of good relations with local populace, local government, national park offices and Bahá’ís.
• Took part in Phoenix (Arizona) Conference on Equality for Hispanic and Native American women.
• Co-sponsored ICW dinner, Washington, D.C.
• Developed community unity and agreement on important issues of equality.
• Made plans for and began educational materials and activities for the media.
• Sent a representative to the Dallas (Texas) Conference on Equality.
• Sponsored liaison program and local consultative groups.

NATIONAL PERSIAN/AMERICAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• NPAAC met twice, in June and September, in Wilmette.
• Riḍván message from the Universal House of Justice was translated into Persian and distributed at the National Convention.
• Feast letters were also translated and mailed to 394 communities.
• In The American Bahá’í, five pages in Persian included messages from the Universal House of Justice and National Spiritual Assembly, highlights of community activities, goals, profiles of martyrs, and deepening articles; also, martyrs’ profiles and articles on integration appeared in English.
• Maintained close contact with the 22 APAACs.
• Visited 8 APAACs: Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego and Los Angeles, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and New York City.
• Special visit with the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles by two NPAAC members.
• Presentations on integration at Bahá’í schools and conferences: Green Acre (with Race Unity Committee), Bosch, Wisconsin, Green Lake (Wisconsin), national Conference on Growth.
• Bahá’í International Youth Conference: special evening session in Persian on teaching, and two workshops in Persian on integration and the role changes of Persians in the U.S.
• Provided guest speakers (Dr. K. Fananapazir from the United Kingdom, Dr. A. Rassekh from Tennessee) for a weekend session at Green Acre.
• Published An Introduction to Bahá’í Administration in Persian to familiarize Persians with Bahá’í administrative procedures in the U.S.
• Martyrs’ files maintained and completed.
• Contact with relatives of martyrs maintained.
• APAAC activity highlights: deepenings on The Advent of Divine Justice, forming Friendship Teams, involving Persian Bahá’ís in local teaching efforts especially among racial and ethnic groups, promoting cultural awareness through special programs and presentations (such as “For a Drop of the Lover’s Blood”), welcoming newly arrived Bahá’ís to the U.S., organizing classes in English for interested Persians.

U.S. BAHÁ’Í REFUGEE OFFICE

The mid-year highlights:

• Helped 125 Iranian Bahá’ís to resettle in the U.S. from Pakistan and Turkey.
• Sent welcoming packets (containing a handbook, welcoming letter, membership questionnaire) to all newly arrived Iranian Bahá’í refugees.
• Published the booklet “America: A Nation of Immigrants” in Persian for those wishing to learn the basic features of U.S. life and customs.
• Helped 200 Khmer (Cambodian) Bahá’í refugees to resettle in the U.S. in September 1988.
• Sent welcoming letter from the National Spiritual Assembly (translated into Khmer) and a color portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to each newly arrived Khmer family.
• Consulted with Mrs. Herriott (USBRO representative in Pakistan) when she visited the USBRO office to help establish a closer working relationship.
• Held a reception for all refugees with refreshments and a slide program at the Bahá’í International Youth Conference (July 1, 1988).
• Published fourth reprint (1,000 copies) of “Iranian Refugees in America: A Cross-Cultural Perspective” to meet the continuing demand.
• Held a two-day consultation with Bruce Butler, who has experience acculturating and otherwise helping refugees from Southeast Asia resettle in Florida.
• Developed forms in the Khmer language to help resettlement of refugees.
• In September, the USBRO coordinator gave a cross-cultural presentation and workshop in Fresno, California, co-sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Fresno and the Fresno Human Relations Commission and funded by many non-Bahá’í organizations.
• Printed a poster (night view of the Bahá’í House of Worship in India) for sale to help benefit Bahá’í refugees.
• Placed articles in The American Bahá’í asking for refugee sponsors and educating the community as to what the refugees expect.
• Attended local and national refugee conferences and seminars.
• The USBRO coordinator served on the mayor’s advisory committee in Chicago as well as on several state and national refugee organizations.

NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• Consulted with national agencies, a Trustee of the Huqúqu’lláh, the editor of Brilliant Star magazine, and the staffs of the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, WLGI Radio

[Page 11]Bahá’í and the Louhelen Bahá’í School to determine needs in the area of Bahá’í education.

• Participated in the Louhelen School’s Teacher Training Conference.
• Began laying the groundwork for a system to collect, evaluate and disseminate educational materials and curricula.
• Consulted with the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and Distribution Service about how to make educational materials more available to parents and teachers and how to involve Bahá’ís from more diverse backgrounds in the creation of such materials.
• Appointed a task force to prepare several issues of a children’s page for submission to the editorial board of The American Bahá’í.
• Hosted a member of the Education Committee and National Spiritual Assembly of Australia who visited to consult about a proposal for international cooperation on the development of a comprehensive curriculum and the evaluation of educational materials.
• Took part in the annual Association for Bahá’í Studies conference by presenting papers at an education seminar and presenting the keynote address.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• Introduced the committee to the Bahá’í community through an article in the June issue of The American Bahá’í which outlined its aims and purposes.
• Appointed a Substance Abuse Task Force which has made progress in drafting a statement of guidance for the community.

NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í ARCHIVES COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• Acquisitions. The Archives Committee is making significant progress in locating and acquiring 7,200 missing letters of the Guardian. Since April, 236 letters of inquiry were sent and 86 original letters from the Guardian were received. So far, 1,200 letters have been accounted for. Among the 15 collections of personal papers received was the Jacqueline Delahunt papers, the first collection to be donated by an American Indian Bahá’í. To further diversify its holdings, the Archives also contacted 14 Hispanic, Asian and Native American Bahá’ís about their papers. The Archives has been working closely with the MIS department at the National Center in developing a National Center records management system.
• Library. The Archives Committee is working to develop the National Reference Library so that it can become a major research tool for the National Assembly. Even though a librarian could not be hired, the Archives staff continues to add to the library’s holdings, which now contain 950 separate book titles with 450 titles added since April. The assistant archivist also reorganized the National Center library and will continue to work to keep the collection up to date.
• Scholarship. As part of its ongoing support for the Bahá’í encyclopedia project, the Archives answered requests for information from two scholars working on articles for the encyclopedia. The encyclopedia’s general editor has been using the extensive collection of Persian and Arabic Bahá’í literature in the National Reference Library. The Archives also listed in the most authoritative guide to archives in the U.S., the Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States, which will increase its visibility to non-Bahá’í scholars.

NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR SERVICE TO THE HEARING IMPAIRED AND DEAF

The mid-year highlights:

• Held the first conference for the hearing impaired and deaf.
• Provided interpreters for the International Youth Conference.
• Created an annual award (to be given October 21 to Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C.).
• Presented the peace statement to the president of Gallaudet College.
• Formed two local Committees for Service to the Hearing Impaired and Deaf.
• Improved the functioning of our Sign Task Force.

HOUSE OF WORSHIP ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• The production of a new brochure for visitors to the House of Worship which includes material about the teachings, the structure and scope of the Faith, and the history and meaning of the House of Worship. About 25,000 of these brochures were distributed between July 1 and September 15.
• Established a weekly study class for the Activities staff about the proper use and significance of the Temple.
• Began background research and initial plans, in consultation with the Properties Committee, for new displays in the Visitors’ Center.
• Designed a plan for a special conference on the significance of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, which includes a two-year plan to deepen the understanding of the American Bahá’í community about this institution.

BAHÁ’Í SERVICE FOR THE BLIND

The mid-year highlights:

• We have secured the services of several new readers and a few people doing Braille transcription.
• We have adopted a policy of tone-indexing all of our taped materials. We are also trying to upgrade the quality of our taped materials.
• We have converted a large number of books to talking book format.
• We have placed notices about the Faith in magazines for the blind in which we offer free literature about the Faith in either Braille, large print or recorded medium. We have had several responses to these notices.

BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING TRUST

The mid-year highlights:

• Published Nothing in Common, A Concordance to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, and Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being.
• With the help of free-lance editors, completed editing on To Dance in the Market Square (adult novel) and Willie and the Number Three Door and Other Adventures ‎(for 3- to 5-year-olds. (for 3- to 5-year-olds)‎.
• With the help of free-lance editors, began substantive editing on Preparing for a Bahá’í-Christian Dialogue and With Love.
• Began compiling Messages from the Universal House of Justice: The Third Epoch, 1963-86.
• Initiated reprints of hard- and softcover editions of The Advent of Divine Justice and The Secret of Divine Civilization.
• Worked with Lee Nelson on developing computer software to reference the Bahá’í writings.
• Operated a point-of-purchase bookstore at the International Bahá’í Youth Conference in Bloomington, Indiana.
• Hired Mari Hurt as marketing manager to replace Robert Blum, now pioneering.
• Met with newly appointed National Teaching Committee to discuss ways to collaborate in the development of a publishing program, particularly to develop new, inexpensive materials for teaching.
• Conducted a workshop on developing and writing teaching materials at the 1988 Conference on Growth; conducted a weekend workshop for prospective authors at the Green Acre Bahá’í School; recruited authors at the Green Lake (Wisconsin) Bahá’í Conference.
• Reorganized the marketing and fulfillment departments, clarifying procedures for opening accounts, handling address changes, and the like.
• Purchased a desktop publishing system and trained three personnel in its operation to enable us to publish more economical books and promotional materials.
• Assisted the editorial board of the Short Encyclopedia of the Bahá’í Faith to develop a publishing plan and budget proposals in response to decisions by the National Spiritual Assembly.

BOSCH BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

The mid-year highlights:

• Will soon complete funding of Martha Root Hall. As of this report date, only $1,500 is needed to meet the $340,000 goal.
• Held the dedication ceremony for Martha Root Hall on September 17 with more than 425 people attending.
• Increased summer school attendance by 8 percent above 1987 with 20 percent less program days.
• Presented more than 80 program days in the period from May-October 1988.

LOUHELEN BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

The mid-year highlights:

• Noted increased attendance by target groups (non-Bahá’ís, Asians, Hispanics, American Indians, Canadians).
• Hosted three youth conferences, a Youth Theatre, and established a Youth Board to oversee programs.
• Hosted a Pioneer Training Institute and included a session on pioneering at all summer school sessions.
• Consulted with local Assemblies in the area to formulate a teaching plan.
• Began organizing Saturday and Sunday afternoon teaching events.
• Increased rentals by non-Bahá’í groups.
• Collaborated on programs with leaders in racial relations.
• Held teacher-training conferences which focused on the “most challenging issue.”
• Held conference sessions on child and family development, devotions, consultation, developing the Bahá’í way of life, enhancing the role of women, understanding and preventing substance abuse, and chastity. A children’s camp, pre-youth week and intensive study sessions were among innovations.
• Hosted the third Robert Hayden Poet-in-Residence Fellow; began a new program for Artists-in-Residence; established the Louhelen Youth Theatre, and held six public performances of the play “Táhirih.”
• Continued the Louhelen Residential Program which is attended by an international student body including pioneers, two Native Americans, and three students from South Carolina.
• Developed a course on Bahá’í studies for the Louhelen Residential Program.
• Collaborated with the Midwest regional committee for the Association for Bahá’í Studies in planning, with the University of Michigan, a major conference on the late poet Robert Hayden.
• The Center for Interracial Unity co-hosted a teacher training conference and held two conferences for local communities.
• Computerized operations and the use of more volunteers have enabled staff reduction; have encouraged regional support to bring about a permanent 45 percent reduction in the subsidy from the National Fund; have received increased contributions from Assemblies, Groups, individuals, and the Friends of Louhelen.
• Achieved minority participation of 24 percent at school sessions.
• The Louhelen Council’s Native American Task Force is active in American Indian-sponsored events throughout Michigan.

THE LOUIS G. GREGORY BAHÁ’Í INSTITUTE

The mid-year highlights:

• Hosted the South Carolina Bahá’í summer school.
• Conducted the Louis Gregory Youth Academy.
• Hosted a meeting of Counselors and Auxiliary Board members, “Passing on the Vision Conference.”
• Sponsored workshops by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu (Chicago), nationally known for research and writing in the area of building positive self-concepts in black children.
• Hosted a retreat for 24 black Bahá’í men.
• Successfully sponsored the third annual Peace Fest.
• Sponsored several activities involving the Louis G. Gregory Unity Choir.
• Participated in the International Youth Conference.
• Mobilized the entire Georgetown County (South Carolina) School District to bus their students to a special presentation and performance by trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie; Dr. Wilmot Fraser, author of To Be or Not to Bop; and the Peace Fest Quintet. The event was sponsored by the Institute in cooperation with the school district and was attended by more than 700 at Georgetown High School.
• Sponsored a concert by Mr. Gillespie and a specially assembled group, the Peace Fest Quintet. Much information about the Faith, the Louis Gregory Institute, and WLGI Radio was shared with the audience.

RADIO BAHÁ’Í—WLGI

The mid-year highlights:

• Broadcast three devotional programs a day, 10-12 minutes in length, at sign-on, noon, and sign-off times.
• Ten to 12 indirect Bahá’í spots, each about one minute in length.
• Three “Verse of the Day” programs, with quotes from the Writings, each about one minute long.
• Explanations of Holy Days and Feasts.
• Announce/promote teaching events, public meetings and study classes.
• Announce venues of unit conventions and Riḍván elections.
• Announce “information telephone numbers” after Bahá’í events and spots.
• Serve as the P.R. wing of Louis Gregory Institute and the Dizzy Gillespie and Peace Fest events.
• Announce 10-20 public service announcements each day.
• Record for later broadcast programs sponsored by the Institute and local Spiritual Assemblies.
• Broadcast and announce programs concerned with: Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday; Black History Month; literacy training; physical and mental health; cultural and arts programs; gospel and other music programs; school and educational programs.
• Co-sponsored a regional basketball tournament.

GREEN ACRE BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

The mid-year highlights:

• More than 2,000 adults and children attended one or more of 18 conference sessions held over nine weeks of the summer with 1,382 resident students at an average occupancy of 77 percent.
• A greatly diversified summer program encompassed teaching, marriage and family life, consultation, the equality of men and women, personal goal-setting, health and nutrition, and deepening our knowledge of the Faith.
• In the past year, the Green Acre staff and volunteers have substantially updated and organized the school library including the addition of many new Bahá’í publications.
• Extensive historical research has facilitated the plans for restoration of buildings at Green Acre and laid a foundation for further research to provide an accurate historical

[Page 12]record of Green Acre’s first 100 years of development.

• The annual raising of the Peace Banner to open the summer sessions included the participation of Rotary International, local clergy and area residents with plans for a much larger event next year.
• A Youth Service Training Program was begun for the first time to give youth a broader understanding of youth service including its challenges and rewards. A week-long program of intensive study, developed especially for youth, emphasized personal spiritual development.
• Green Acre, the National Persian/American Affairs Committee and the National Race Unity Committee collaborated on a special program focusing on cultural unity and integration.
• An increase in volunteer participation helped to reduce expenses while improving services.
• Widespread promotion in local media attracted residents to special programs held each week in the summer to teach the Faith, with enthusiastic response from those attending.
• A campaign to raise money for restoration of the Sarah Farmer Inn resulted in $200,000 in contributions over the past 12 months.
• Green Acre presently holds the distinction of being the top account by sales volume (next to the House of Worship bookstore) for the Bahá’í Distribution Service.
• The Maine District Convention, the first in many years to be held at Green Acre, was an outstanding success. A majority of those attending expressed a desire to have future conventions at Green Acre.
• Increased public relations with regional newsletters and many articles in The American Bahá’í have served to generate a greater interest in Green Acre’s development and to increase attendance at the school.

NATIVE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í INSTITUTE

The mid-year highlights:

• NABI hosted several conferences that were sponsored and conducted by other organizations, both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, including a meeting of Auxiliary Board members and their assistants; a recovery and healing gathering; weekly meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous; and an International Pioneer Institute. These events for the most part paid for themselves, so NABI gained new experience in self-sufficiency.
• NABI once again hosted a large part of the Navajo-Hopi Teaching Project, and many activities revolving around children’s classes were held throughout the summer. The arts played a prominent role in these classes, and visiting artists Rosanne Groger, Kim Kimmerling and Red Grammer contributed greatly to the high quality of these activities.
• As a culmination of the summer children’s classes, about 20 children, along with family and friends, toured the Navajo and Hopi Reservations with Red and Kathy Grammer, performing for audiences in seven communities.
• The new solar-adobe classroom/dormitory building was opened for use at the Institute.
• Lorraine Kahn, a Navajo Bahá’í, was appointed as the Institute’s new administrator, thus marking the achievement of NABI’s goal of increasing Navajo leadership in the direction and management of the Institute.

OFFICE OF PIONEERING

The mid-year highlights:

• Pioneer statistics: 83 arrived at posts including six youth; 93 departed from posts; 34 went to goal areas; 13 received deputization.
• Traveling teaching statistics: 179 people undertook 268 trips including 52 youth and 12 children; 81 went to collaboration goals—7 to China, 7 to the U.S.S.R., 5 to Eastern Europe, 10 to Taiwan, 8 for one month or longer; 41 took part in special projects; 20 went to Mexico; 6 went to Star 88 in Botswana.
• Year of Service: six participants departed for their posts.
• Held first Pioneer Training Institute at the Louhelen Bahá’í School with emphasis on the family pioneering as a unit, each member participating in the decisions and responsibilities of this service.
• Held a Pioneer Training Institute at the Native American Bahá’í Institute to provide a greater opportunity for cross-cultural awareness, benefiting all participants, as well as a physical environment closer to that encountered when pioneering.
• Took part in teaching a course on international service at the Amoz Gibson Training Centre in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
• Held consultation on the development of a unified and dynamic vision of pioneering and service.
• Held consultation on the use of grassroots resources such as the returned pioneers to inspire and inform the community about international service.
• Initiated the installation of Paradox software for the transfer of statistical data from the Apple computer to the IBM system.
• Participated in the Bahá’í International Youth Conference in Bloomington, Indiana, providing materials, information and guidance on international service and preparation for it.
• Collaborated with the National Teaching Committee and National Youth Committee to set up traveling teaching trips from the International Youth Conference in Bloomington to the International Youth Conference in Juarez, Mexico, encouraging grassroots initiatives to set up the traveling teaching caravans from Oregon to the conference in Juarez.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The mid-year highlights:

• The Budget Review Board continues to grow in its effectiveness in dealing with National Center budgetary matters. Several recommendations have been sent to the National Spiritual Assembly this year about various budgetary questions as the Board begins to deal with the management of the National Center budget on a weekly basis.
• The American Bahá’í Editorial Board was formed and has met several times to consult on the future design and focus of The American Bahá’í. One specific result of the Board’s activity was the editorial and format design of the four-page October issue of The American Bahá’í, which focused on teaching and the needs of the Fund.
• The Audit Task Force was formed at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly secretary. It was charged with the design of an auditing procedure that could be used by the offices and agencies of the National Assembly to measure the degree to which their activities were in conformity with their mandates and the expressed directions of the National Assembly. The Task Force has presented a preliminary report to the National Assembly secretary.
• The Coordinating Committee Task Force was formed at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly secretary to consult on methods of better organizing a larger segment of the National Center’s support functions than is now addressed by the Administrative Services organization. The Task Force has submitted its draft report to the National Assembly secretary.
• The National Assembly’s literature review process has been expanded and upgraded to better accommodate the continually increasing flow of manuscripts being submitted for review. More than 40 manuscripts have been submitted since May 1, 1988.
• Plans were completed, in consultation with the general manager of NSA Properties, for the remodeling of the administrative building in Evanston to accommodate increased staffing. The plan was designed to be implemented in phases to meet the developing needs of the National Spiritual Assembly in the most efficient and economical manner.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES/MEDIA

The mid-year highlights:

• Conferences: National Convention—major program and technical support. International Youth Conference—major program and technical support. Continental Indigenous Council—technical support and documentation. Green Lake (Wisconsin) Conference—provided four major audio-visual presentations. National Conference on Growth—documentation, production of edited series of talks.
• Provided a constantly increasing flow of materials to support growing production activities at all levels of the Bahá’í community as well as materials for two films by non-Bahá’í producers, materials to support activities in many communities including major teaching projects in Atlanta, Chicago and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• Other productions: Cassette series on growth; talk by Peter Khan (ready for release); video, “The Fourth Epoch Opens” (November release); versions in Portuguese and Spanish of “Peace ... The Promise” (in production).
• Completing renovation of video editing system.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

The mid-year highlights:

• Consolidation and unification into one MIS department: communications, data processing, mail services, membership, Persian enrollments and transfers, purchasing, records management, Subscriber Service.
• Developing and training our own people to do the things that we have paid others to do for us in the past.
• Closer collaboration between MIS and other National Center offices, agencies and committees, especially: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, the Bahá’í Home, Office of the Secretary, the Bahá’í House of Worship, the Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project, and the Bahá’í International Community in New York City.
• Expanded computerization of the Bahá’í National Center offices both onsite and offsite.
• Increased production and enhanced capability of Sperry/Univac Mainframe System.
• Upgraded mail services capacity with acquisition and installation of new state-of-the-art FAX for use by all National Center offices.
• Support of all onsite and offsite (and international) E-mail users; provided users with software, instruction, documentation and electronic trouble-shooting.
• Effected a $7,000 buyout of old copier system; new photocopying equipment includes one $16,000 machine at NO cost to the National Assembly except for maintenance and supplies.
• Centralized purchasing for the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly’s offices and agencies.
• Met with ROLM representatives about Bahá’í National Center telephone system and future voice/data communications system.
• Responsible for healthy functioning of more than 100 PCs and any other computerized equipment of every office and agency of the National Assembly.
• Designed and distributed, in cooperation with the Department of Human Resources, a Bahá’í Talent Survey.
• Effected the delivery of the National Assembly’s gift of a PC to the National Assembly of Denmark with in-house designed software—with no duty charge to the National Assembly of Denmark.
• Improved—substantially—the MIS image.

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

The mid-year highlights:

• Staffing: Placed staff in 16 full-time and 51 part-time or short-term appointments; processed an average of 100 referrals per month for the World Center, and filled 37 positions in Haifa; placed 22 volunteers at an estimated savings of $14,000; hired a new Controller for the National Center; co-designed and published (with MIS) a Talent Survey for the American Bahá’í community; conducted workshops at the International Youth Conference and the Green Lake (Wisconsin) Conference to stimulate recruitment; conducted needs assessment at Bahá’í Publishing Trust; began staffing plan to include redistribution of work and redefinition of job descriptions.
• Compensation/Benefits/Records: Designed staff merit and compensation program and implemented Phase I; conducted needs assessment among all staff to evaluate insurance/benefits usage compared to cost ratios; completed records project resulting in updates on 125 current files; closed out 300 former employees’ files for Archives.
• Training and Development: Received certified training to implement One Page Management System at Bahá’í National Center; began bi-weekly morning coffee for managers in which specific problems are addressed by a group of one’s peers; formed Task Force on Equality of Men and Women; provided first aid certification training to 30 employees; provided training in stress management for 30 employees; facilitated 46 interactive communication sessions among staff.
• General: Responded to an average of 145 requests from employees per week; responded to an average of 450 pieces of mail per month.

PERIODICALS OFFICE

The mid-year highlights:

• Completed the third year of producing the quarterly “U.S. Bahá’í Report.”
• Produced (in December 1987) the largest issue of The American Bahá’í (48 pages) in the history of that publication.
• Covered in depth the annual National Convention, the ABS Conference at Princeton, New Jersey, the International Youth Conference in Indiana, the Continental Indigenous Council in South Dakota, and the 29th annual Green Lake (Wisconsin) Bahá’í Conference.

BAHÁ’Í SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

The mid-year highlights:

• Maintained a timely schedule for magazines, renewals and reminder mailings.
• As a result of promoting Brilliant Star, increased interest has been shown from overseas communities (Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, the Sudan, Guyana and the United Kingdom). Information about Brilliant Star mailed with Bahá’í News renewal forms has increased subscriptions, especially gifts.
• Extended the Brilliant Star Connection to join U.S. donors with Bahá’í schools in Africa, bringing the magazine to schools in Chad, Botswana and Swaziland as well as to Guyana in South America.
• Developed an all-purpose order form which has been offered to Bahá’í schools, conferences and meetings across the country. This has led to many new subscribers.

NATIONAL PROPERTIES COMMITTEE

The mid-year highlights:

• Achieving $750,000 in major repairs to properties and placing $350,000 into the Property Maintenance Set-Aside Fund while using funds from estate bequests and the sale of donated properties but not using funds from general contributions and not borrowing funds for the repairs. $580,000 was placed in the Property Maintenance Set-Aside Fund last year, the year it was established. The annual goal is $600,000 with no monies to be withdrawn until a $600,000 fund has been established. Interest from the fund should then provide for the annual expense of major repairs to properties. In the past, such repairs were paid for from general contributions to the National Fund.