The American Bahá’í/Volume 2/Issue 1/Text
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Homefront Strengthened:[edit]
Over 150 Embrace Faith in West Virginia[edit]
Bluefield had been a goal city for the Bahá’ís of West Virginia since June 1970. The State Goals Committee was hesitant to send single pioneers there as the atmosphere was considered so hostile. A good chance for consultation came to us November 14 when the National Teaching Committee came to Charleston, West Virginia, and met with the State Goals Committee. We asked the National Teaching Committee to please make note that Bluefield was a city we wished to open. Bluefield had more Negroes, in both number and percentage of total population (25%), than any other city in West Virginia. Just how to open it seemed an enormous problem.
The National Teaching Committee studied our problem city. Its solution was to summon the “Conquerors”, the “Southern Lights”, and the “Eagles” (volunteer teaching teams—mostly from the Deep South—who constitute a “Victory Vanguard” of well-trained believers who assist local believers in mass teaching) to come and awaken the Bluefield area to the call of Bahá’u’lláh. Like the rushing in of angels, they came. Bluefield, West Virginia, will never be the same again.
Many hurdles seemed to be placed in the way of the Army of Bahá’u’lláh. First, there was housing. West Virginia closes all its State Parks on November 1. For the Deep South Committee this meant that there could not be the money-saving convenience of housing and feeding large numbers in camp sites. Second, the driving distance for almost everyone who would be coming to Bluefield was considerable. Even within West Virginia, Bluefield is over 300 miles away for Bahá’ís in the north. With prayers and trust in Bahá’u’lláh, everyone left his home and started towards Bluefield.
“The movement itself from place to place hath always exerted, and can now exert its influence in the world.”
Nez Perce Indian Reservation Site of Recent Expansion[edit]
With the exciting number of enrollments occurring in the South today, nine declarations in 24 hours do not sound too impressive. However, it was only a few short months ago that the headlines in the first publication of The American Bahá’í read “19 Declarations in 36 Hours” (Adams Run, S.C.).
The nine declarations in 24 hours occurred not in the South, but in the Northwest on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho.
This is the most significant and heart-warming victory, particularly for those who know anything of the tragic history of the Nez Perce tribe in the 1870s. The following account is taken from a U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs publication, U.S. Government Printing Office (1968):
The majority of this gathering composes the VICTORY VANGUARD, dedicated to the task of quickly achieving the audacious goals of the THREE-MONTH TEACHING PLAN for the South (see November issue of The American Bahá’í). The next issue of The American Bahá’í will feature a word-picture story about this historic event and the heroic sacrifices which brought it about.
Bulletin: Community Achieves Greatest Teaching Victory, Within 2 Weeks!
6000 new believers in Carolinas
Nez Perce[edit]
“With the discovery in the early 1860’s of gold on their Oregon holdings, the area was immediately overrun by prospectors. To Nez Perce demands for enforcement of treaty terms Indian Commissioners responded by calling another Treaty Council at Lapwai in the Spring of 1863 to persuade the Nez Perce to ‘adjust the boundaries of the reservation’.”
The ensuing events proved to be entirely tragic for the Nez Perce. A treaty was signed but not by all the tribal leaders, however, “...white officials who had persuaded several unauthorized tribal members to sign an order to obtain the required number of signatures, maintained that the treaty bound the entire Nez Perce Tribe...”
Leader of the Nez Perce in the battles with Federal troops in the 1870’s, Chief Joseph proved to be a master of strategy.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution)
“Then Old Chief Joseph, who for 30 years had befriended white explorers, settlers and missionaries tore up a copy of the treaty, destroyed his long-cherished copy of the New Testament and declared he would never again have anything to do with the white man.” He died in 1872. In 1875, his son, Joseph the younger, was ordered to move his tribe within 30 days. Although they prepared to leave, Federal troops were sent in a total of 19 times. In all of these battles, the Nez Perce out-maneuvered the Federal forces but were finally forced to retreat. “...With his remaining handful of braves and the women, children, old and sick of the band, Joseph set out for the Canadian border...” Their journey took them over 1,000 miles across the Rocky Mountains. “...Twice along the way the Nez Perce fought and defeated white soldiers.”
“The courageous Chief was stopped just 30 miles south of the Canadian border, defeated by Col. Wilson A. Miles, whose soldiers outnumbered the Indians two to one.”
“Surrendering, Joseph delivered what have become the classic Indian words of resignation: Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired, my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”
Little wonder that there were choked-back tears in the voices of Dwight and Jenny Williams, Bahá’í Indian youth pioneers from Lapwai, Idaho, when they called the National Center to report the enrollment of nine beautiful souls after a Mass Teaching Conference
Victory in West Virginia[edit]
An old, homey hotel with extremely low rates was found. It stirred from its bucolic slumber and was transformed into a bustling Bahá’í Center for two days. Bahá’ís filled the corridors. Their joy and unity made everyone aware that a special kind of people were in residence at the Virginia Hotel.
Mercer County Courthouse had been rented for our meeting place. The local house of justice would hold the followers of Bahá’u’lláh.
“The greatest of all things in My sight is Justice...”
- Bahá’u’lláh
Bahá’ís were gathering in greater and greater numbers at the courthouse.
The spirit began to rise as each new group arrived. The number of Bahá’ís rose to 70. They came from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Illinois, as well as West Virginia. We felt truly blessed by Bahá’u’lláh.
The Deep South Committee taught us the wonder of teaching the masses. It was done with words, music and much love. They stressed over and over the need for simplicity of presentation. Patience and love were to be the key words for us.
Banding together in teams, the united Bahá’ís went out to win 161 souls during the day-and-a-half we were in the Bluefield/Princeton area. This number included a church congregation with two ministers. The power of Bahá’u’lláh could be seen and felt everywhere.
“Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set ablaze with the fire of Thy Cause, and many a slumberer hath been awakened by the sweetness of Thy voice...”
Saturday was cold and windy. It was a bounty to just be near the love and warmth that flowed from the Bahá’ís. People came out of their homes to stand, many in shirtsleeves, and listen to the word of Bahá’u’lláh.
We were invited into their homes. We, in turn, invited them into the House of the Lord through Bahá’u’lláh.
During the evening, tales were related of just how the waiting souls had been taken into our world family. Many of the older people expressed the fact that they had been waiting years for the message! Why had it taken us so long to reach them? Our young Bahá’ís were praised and admired as the fruits of Bahá’u’lláh. In this day when the young are so unhappy, it was a pleasure for people to see our happy youth. Too soon it was time to stop teaching and return to the courthouse. Once there our spirits went even higher with the stories of the new believers. After a lovely dinner, we again shared the worship of Bahá’u’lláh with song. The Deep South’s Road Show was magnificent. Their power of attraction could not be resisted. People attending other meetings within the Mercer County Courthouse left their meetings to come to ours. Many enrolled and promised to come back the next day with friends.
One of the outstandingly beautiful events of that night was the wedding of Buzz and Nancy Greenlee. The Greenlees had enrolled two days before our Bluefield/Princeton Mass Teaching effort. Once with the Bahá’ís, they felt the need for an additional wedding ceremony—a Bahá’í one. The Bahá’ís formed a circle all the way around the courtroom. The Greenlees stood in the center smiling and holding hands. The singing of the Deep South combined with the simplicity and beauty of the Bahá’í wedding ceremony was too much for everyone. The groom was so strongly affected, he swooned. His beautiful bride lovingly attended him and the Bahá’ís rushed to his aid.
On Sunday morning many came from Bluefield, who had not signed when first hearing of Bahá’u’lláh. They had taken the word to their beds to ponder. When they saw our meeting, they said it was like a dream come true, and they enrolled on the spot.
The news of the congregation of the Mill Valley Baptist Church with two ministers all enrolling sent the Bahá’ís into awe and ecstasy. Why had Bahá’u’lláh chosen this spot to enroll the first church congregation? One could only ponder and trust. Many remembered the publication shown to us in Charleston by the National Teaching Committee. The publication was a Baptist one, and it was attempting to “put down” the Bahá’í Faith. How strange that a few weeks later a Baptist Church would be the first to enroll under the banner of Bahá’u’lláh.
EDITORIAL[edit]
Bahá’u’lláh, in His almighty wisdom, gave us His Revelation for our spiritual regeneration and His laws for our protection. In order to assure unity, interpretation of His Revelation was provided through ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant of God. Shoghi Effendi was subsequently appointed Guardian of the Cause of God. Their interpretations of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh are known to us and applied to our needs today whenever explanations and guidance are given by The Universal House of Justice.
Bahá’u’lláh gave us the Administrative Order with its Local Spiritual Assemblies, National Spiritual Assemblies, and The Universal House of Justice that we may be united in expressing the spirit of His Revelation and bringing into being the Kingdom of God on earth. We might compare the structure of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh to a house which is being built to shelter all mankind. We, the individual believers, are the foundation of the house. Without our strength and continued support the house could not be built.
Our contact with the building is through the floor—the Local Spiritual Assemblies. The walls of our house are raised above the floor. The National Spiritual Assemblies rise from the floor of the Local Spiritual Assemblies. Over the structure of the National Assemblies, Local Assemblies and believers towers the roof which shelters and protects us and unites us firmly in one structure—The Universal House of Justice.
To offer refuge to all mankind, the structure of our Administrative Order must remain strong. We, the individual believers, as the foundation on which the floor of Local Spiritual Assemblies rest, must not allow a Local Spiritual Assembly to become lost or jeopardized once it has been formed. To lose a Local Spiritual Assembly is like making a hole in the floor, thereby weakening the entire structure. The house becomes unsafe for that portion of humanity that would normally stand on that part of the floor.
Hence, it is most important that we, the individual believers, the strong, stable foundation of the Faith, do not, by any action on our part, endanger the floor of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh by leaving a community with less than nine adult believers. Pioneering is a most meritorious act for an individual Bahá’í to undertake, but if we endanger the structure of the Administrative Order by jeopardizing a Local Spiritual Assembly, we may defeat the very purpose for which pioneers are needed. Each member of that nine-member body is important. Have you ever seen a structure of blocks tumble because a single supporting block was removed? The structure topples! This is what can happen when a Bahá’í leaves his or her community in jeopardy.
As we strive to win the Nine Year Plan homefront goal of 600 Local Spiritual Assemblies, let each one of us be sure that he or she is not the cause of weakening the house of our Lord.
“Maintenance of all assemblies vital.”—Shoghi Effendi (Citadel of Faith, p. 122.)
Victory in West Virginia[edit]
All were eager to hear what had been said at the church. The simple talk had begun with an apology from the white race to the black race for all the injustices and hurts inflicted. The healing message of Bahá’u’lláh was given to them. The minister expressed “If I were to turn from this message, I would be turning from God.” He asked the congregation to recite the Lord’s prayer and then come forward and enroll. They all did.
“Remove the veil from mine eyes, O my Lord, that I may recognize what Thou hast desired for Thy creatures, and discover, in all the manifestations of Thy handiwork, the revelations of Thine almighty power.”
The victory of Bluefield/Princeton is still being felt. Declaration cards are still coming, and we expect more from this fertile, humble land of West Virginia. Our own Army of Light is moving to consolidate, teach and to give the love so badly needed. Already the new believers are engaged in teaching others. A Teacher Training Institute is being arranged for December 28, 29 and 30 in the Bluefield/Princeton area. A new Bluefield Bahá’í will handle the details for setting up this Institute. Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
door to door...[edit]
Confused Anyone?
In response to a letter recently received from a Local Spiritual Assembly concerning the distinction between door-to-door proselytizing and the “direct” teaching method:
At the request of the National Spiritual Assembly, we are replying to your letter of December, 1970.
The clarification from the Universal House of Justice in the July 1966 issue of Bahá’í News is quite clear: announcements of Bahá’í events may be distributed door-to-door but Bahá’í literature may not be distributed door-to-door. Regarding the asking of questions, this must not be used as a subterfuge to press the message upon people.
The practice of door-to-door proselytizing must not, however, be confused with the “direct” teaching method used so effectively in the Deep-South and spoken of in The American Bahá’í. “Direct” teaching still depends upon a willing listener or a waiting soul. However, it does alert us to opportunities which we might otherwise miss and it does call for a forthright, loving, open announcement of Who Bahá’u’lláh is and what His healing Message is.
There are many ways to teach directly without violating the principles so clearly stated by the Universal House of Justice. Once the heart and the mind have risen wholeheartedly to the challenge of speaking directly about Bahá’u’lláh and His healing Message, the opportunities arise. It is well to remember, also, that the “indirect” method must sometimes be used also.
Nez Perce[edit]
Jenny and Dwight Williams
was held in their area. Today a new sun now stands in Lapwai, Idaho. It is the Sun of Bahá’u’lláh and it brings a New Day for the people of Joseph. Praised be God!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: It is significant that this same time in the history of the Nez Perce people corresponds closely to the banishment of Bahá’u’lláh from place to place and finally His incarceration in ‘Akká.
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THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091. Material must be received by the 15th of the month of its intended publication. Black and white glossy prints should be included with material whenever possible. Articles and news written in a clear and concise manner are welcomed from individuals as well as assemblies and committees. Address all mail to: The American Bahá’í Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091. |
A PIONEER WRITES...[edit]
Ruth Pringle, an American pioneer to Panama, (now an Auxiliary Board member) has been spending much of her time traveling and teaching throughout Panama. Her love for the Panamanians and her spirit of dedication are reflected in the following:
“The prizes to be won in these areas are numerous and so, so sweet. We say we go to teach the Faith. I wonder. Do we really go to teach the Faith, or do we go to learn from those who through years and years of suffering have already learned the deep spiritual lessons which we are still struggling to understand but who have never heard of Bahá’u’lláh and Bahá’í? Then there are those who have heard and been inebriated with the Wine of the Love of Bahá’u’lláh. Outstanding among these are the Guaymi Indians in the western mountains of Chiriquí.
“How can I describe them? How can I talk about them or recognize their station when we can recognize only according to our own degree of development? When I think of their poverty, their isolation and generally forgotten condition, I am almost moved to tears. When I meet them in their communities, the tears cannot be restrained. Imagine the friends arranging for groups of ten or twelve to travel on foot, through torrential, tropical rains, bearing in their arms their most precious possession — their children — risking the hazards of strong currents so rapid that it is not unusual for a man to be swept away to the sea or dashed mercilessly against the rocks, journeying eight hours, for what? — to meet the visitors, so precious to them, to escort them to their village. All along the trail our flagging spirits are revived by the reverberation of “Alláh’u’Abhá”. Nearly every traveler in this area is now Bahá’í. At destination’s end, high in the mountains, nearly a hundred men, women, and children have already assembled. They rush forth and each one greets the visitors with a warm embrace and “Alláh’u’Abhá”. Their meeting begins — such perfect coordination, such order, discipline, reverence, and love as prayers are recited with deep feeling. Appeals for greater sacrifice in giving — they have so little — the contributions of pennies lovingly offered for the construction of the Temple — the beautiful young treasurer who arises, confident, poised, dignified, speaks with eloquence about our common projects and the spiritual significance of the Temple. When she states that the real temple is the human heart, you know she has discovered one of the hidden secrets which makes this statement far more meaningful to her than it is to you. You are humbled. Then the questions, profound questions, one after another, all beautifully and instantaneously translated into their dialect. The meeting goes on and on from one peak of love to another until the first rays of a new dawn begin to dispel the shadows of the night. With great joy, ringing voices, dawn prayers for unity, protection, teaching, steadfastness are recited. The meeting has come to an end. But not really, the memory will forever be alive. Then farewells, so painful so tender, so warm that nearly two hours pass before aching hearts and tear-stained eyes turn to the trail. The hurt is very real, for a brief span of time we have been transported from this world into paradise. The fire of the love of God was so intense it burned away the thought of everything except the mention of His name and the singing of His praises. The cold, the drizzle, the wet ground underfoot, lack of sleep — all was forgotten only the thought “Glory, Glory, Glory!” remains. The flame of the Dawn-Breakers has been transferred to these, the Indigenous peoples, its Light, there is no doubt in my mind, will be reflected to illumine the whole world.”
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WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM PLEASE PRINT “VIE YE ONE ANOTHER” YOUTH OF ARIZONA CHALLENGE ALL OTHER YOUTH BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT WE SHALL BE FIRST STATE TO HAVE 100 PER CENT UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION IN DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATIONAL YOUTH FUND BY RIḌVÁN. BAHÁ’Í YOUTH COMMITTEE OF ARIZONA
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Glimpses of Colorado’s First Training Conference for Teaching the Masses[edit]
On November 28th and 29th, 118 Bahá’ís gathered in Alamosa, Colorado from Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.
Evidences of much advance work done by the Spanish Speaking Teaching Committee and Alamosa’s devoted pioneers, Allen and Leslie Henderson.
a Taos woman weekending by force of circumstances with the Bahá’ís...reading the opening prayer of the closing session from a Bahá’í prayer book in Spanish presented her by the friends (Liz Ortega enrolled en route home to N. Mex.)
the gathering of old people in a nursing home to see A NEW WIND...the staff watching on with interest
two ladies closing their restaurant to come see the film
invitations into homes for firesides ranging from minutes to two hours
small groups gathered in motel rooms for prayers and talk into the wee hours
sharing experiences, evaluating, setting goals
a dauntless youth team who, upon finding a man who responded to Bahá’u’lláh’s principles, but claimed he didn’t believe in God, left him with a prayer book and the suggestion that he pray about it
faces lighted with happiness...air filled with love and unity
commitments to travel, travel, travel...teach, teach, teach!!! in an area of mountain passes and winter snow storms
gratitude to the members of the Spanish Speaking Teaching Committee for their inspiration, to those who could not come for their prayers, to so many at the National Bahá’í Center for the flow of help, encouragement, and new materials, and to God for the bounty of being a part of what happened in that high valley ringed by snow-capped mountains
Human Rights Day Celebration Highlights Proclamation Week on UCLA Campus[edit]
Seated at left, Hand of the Cause of God, Mr. William Sears, featured speaker at Human Rights Day celebration.
IT WAS A SUCCESS!
That’s the sum of it.
Our information table received a lot of
attention, and we
made some wonderful
new friends. We plan
to set it up again as
the new quarter begins so that we can
pick up a lot of
“loose ends”, namely
those people that
have not yet forgotten our proclamation
week activities.
Our fireside on Saturday, December 5, in Reiber Hall attracted many residents. There were at least 60 people who watched the film “Lamp Unto My Feet” and many others stopped by to see what was happening. The pamphlets were picked up like hotcakes—just pray that they will be digested well!
Our banners were up and flying, the ads were in The Bruin, and all was set for the Human Rights Day Celebration in the Grand Ballroom on Sunday.
The meeting on Sunday afternoon, December 6, 1970, was really something else! The program was beautiful, the flowers were beautiful, the people were beautiful—what else could one wish for? Our guests Mr. Ricardo Montalban, Mrs. Art Seidenbaum, and Mr. Ted Watkins were quite taken.
Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Sears, as expected, gave a talk that brought us all together with laughter under the shelter of Bahá’u’lláh. Our entertainers, Geraldine Jones and Jim Donkins, were marvelous.
We had another fireside at Reiber Hall that same evening. It was quiet and few people stopped by, but nevertheless we had an opportunity to talk to at least ten people at length about the Faith. The next days, Monday and Tuesday, our table was out on Bruin Walk and people stopped by.
It was quite an experience this week. Hectic in view of term papers to be turned in and preparation for final exams, etc., but it was also very satisfying. There are 26,000 students at UCLA—if we have just reached a few and made them aware of the Faith, that there is another way, a way out, it was worth all the time and effort.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!!
Bahá’u’lláh’s Army in Virginia[edit]
As a follow-up to the Deep South Teaching Conference on the weekend of November 21-22, an action meeting was held in Richmond, Virginia. At this meeting a total of eight permanent teaching teams were formed to go out each weekend to take the message of Bahá’u’lláh to all parts of Virginia. Three of the teams are based in northern Virginia, two in the Richmond area, two in the Tidewater area, and one in Augusta County. They are the “Badí” Team, “Váhid” Team, “Táhirih” Team, “Quddús” Team, “Mullá Husayn” Team, “Samandari” Team, “May Maxwell” Team, and “Louis Gregory” Team.
After the Conference, the teams went out on their first teaching and reconnaissance trip. Much information was gathered, many contacts were made—and a total of 31 souls declared their faith.
You will be thrilled to know that since State Convention, more than 80 people have joined the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in Virginia. Since the 1930s when the Faith had its beginnings in Virginia, the largest number of believers in the state was reported to have participated in this year’s State Convention. In one month this year, the friends in Virginia have enrolled more new believers than in the whole of last year (which was the best year ever). It is easy to see what is really happening: “The time is ripe and the opportunities illimitable.” The goal in Virginia is 1,000 new believers by February. Ya-Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Lee Thargy Ponders...[edit]
Teaching the masses...a new process is set in motion. How, thought Lee, can a person be a Bahá’í after knowing of the Faith for only 5 minutes? Is that person really a Bahá’í? He doesn’t know anything. Or does he? Lee was confused. He could not understand how this could be.
Lee thought and prayed and read. He read from Gleanings, “Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.” And he read, also in Gleanings, “The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His presence.”
Lee thought—Man’s purpose is to know God. Why, then, should we have to convince people that Bahá’u’lláh is who He says He is?
We shouldn’t!
Recognition of the Manifestation of God is a NATURAL process. It is only when the rubble of the crumbling society covers the eye of the soul that it seems as though people must be convinced. Even then, it is only a matter of helping the person to realize that beneath his intellectualizing, beneath his skepticism, lies his soul, waiting to fulfill its purpose, but obscured from doing so. It is NATURAL for his soul to instantly recognize the Manifestation of God—after all, isn’t that his purpose? As Bahá’ís we must teach on this assumption: each soul not only has the capacity to recognize the Manifestations of God but has been created specifically for that purpose.
Lee was amazed. All these years he had tried to convince people. What a difference it would make to teach with this new realization!
Youth Focus Their Teaching[edit]
(Taken from Washington Bahá’í Youth Committee Bulletin)
In a profound way the Faith is very simple. The Promised One has come. Bahá’u’lláh is the Glory of God. Women’s Liberation or Stop the Pusher is not the Cause. The cause is the Cause of God. What we’re trying to say, and what, I think, we all got out of the Santa Cruz conference, is this: in teaching we should never fail to mention the fact of Bahá’u’lláh. First off. How often have we been prone in the past to teach along the lines of “If you’re going to have a religion, you might as well have this one, because it’s very groovy,” or “Take a look at this list of principles—aren’t they FAR OUT—don’t you agree with just every one of them???” But our Faith really is very simple. Bahá’u’lláh has come. And we should tell people about this fact—from the very get-go of our rap. The Bahá’í Faith is not just a list of principles. The “platform” of the Faith is Bahá’u’lláh, not the Twelve Principles. Bahá’u’lláh is the authority, it is Bahá’u’lláh Who summons us to obedience, it is Bahá’u’lláh Who inspires us to great deeds, it is Bahá’u’lláh Who marks the advent of a new cycle in human history, a new stage in our spiritual evolution. Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
ONE IN SPIRIT...ONE IN THE LORD[edit]
A drunken Puerto Rican man of middle age was collapsed on a dark stairway. Despairing, and full of the pain of a broken marriage, he had sought refuge in the bar.
“Among the heedless is he who rubbeth his eyes and looketh to the right and to the left. Say: ‘Blinded art thou. No refuge hast thou to flee to.’ ”
A bearded American man in his early twenties was walking along the street. With compassion reminiscent of the good Samaritan, he helped the drunken man to his feet and brought him home.
“Say: ‘The stunning trumpet-blast hath been loudly raised, and the Day is God’s, the One, the Unconstrained.’ ”
The next morning, Marcial wondered who the kind man was who had brought him home. When the bearded man returned to visit him the next day and introduced himself as Bob Walker, Marcial knew. Bob said, in Spanish, that he was a Bahá’í, and he had come to tell him of “El Prometido de Todas Epocas.”
“Say: ‘The light hath shone forth from the horizon of Revelation, and the whole earth hath been illumined at the coming of Him who is the Lord of the Day of the Covenant!’ ”
Thus had Bahá’u’lláh guided Bob Walker and Marcial Malavé Taxidor to play a part in the awakening of the masses of mankind, when “a new process is set in motion, and the growth of a new civilization begins.” Firesides at Doug Ruhe’s apartment on Friday nights, conducted in Spanish or translated into Spanish, resulted in a wave of declarations by Spanish-speaking people. Spontaneously, and with great excitement, the new Bahá’ís—Israel Figueroa, Manuel Figueroa, and Marcial Malavé Taxidor—wrote songs and poems about Bahá’u’lláh.
In August of 1970, Bob Walker moved to Maine to begin a new job. The closest personal friend of the Puerto Rican Bahá’ís had left. Problems arose. There was no one who could speak Spanish who could easily assume Bob’s role. Organizing deepening classes failed, and, in general, consolidation was failing. Jim Sacco and Bill Geissler began informal visits to the Puerto Rican friends, in order to re-establish contact and attempt deepening through informal conversations. Ringing in their ears was the Universal House of Justice message on Teaching the Masses.
“Expansion and consolidation go hand in hand.”
An inter-community Spanish Teaching Committee was then appointed by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Northampton. They immediately began planning a proclamation of the Faith to Spanish-speaking people of Northampton. From the telephone book were culled the names and addresses of Puerto Ricans in Northampton, Amherst, and the surrounding small towns, and invitations, in Spanish, were sent to all. Posters announced the proclamation in hallways and stores.
The proclamation, entitled “Fin de Semana Social Bahá’í,” was held on three successive days in the home of Diti Bibb Geissler, December 3-5, 1970. “Musica Typica Puertorriquena” was provided by a group of six men, who joyfully entertained about forty people per event. They created a distinctively Puerto Rican touch to all the events. Activities were many. A simple and warm presentation of the Faith, an ongoing children’s school on the second floor, stories of the life of the campesino in Puerto Rico read by the Bahá’í actor-radio personality Julio Torres Soto, an international dinner, slides and movies of Puerto Rico, the youth film “It’s Just the Beginning,” and folk songs about the Faith by Beverly George and Lee Howell, all combined to express the desire of the Northampton Bahá’í Community to serve the Puerto Ricans and to welcome them into the Faith of God. The spirit was divine. Happiness abounded. Then Milagros Rivera de Sanchez, a Puerto Rican woman, declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Her first name—Milagros—means “miracle” in Spanish. Milagros had been sick for a long time. Her brother Rafael, who had embraced the Faith on Bahá’u’lláh’s birthday, had given her a Bahá’í book to read. He told her that she might find a cure in the words of Bahá’u’lláh! She was overjoyed with the whole weekend. “I’m just so happy. I’m just so happy,” she said softly.
The Comité de Enseñanza (Spanish Teaching Committee) figured that 54 of the 56 families who had been invited responded with at least one member attending one event. On Monday, December 6, the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s coming was spreading like a flame across the town, as the thankful Puerto Ricans proudly showed the posters announcing the proclamation to social workers and friends.
PERISCOPE[edit]
A game played at the Northern ILLINOIS State Convention is gaining in popularity: “First, join hands with the person on your right. Everyone say to himself Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá, then give the person on your left whatever money you have—the amount doesn’t matter—tell the person on your right how much you love Bahá’u’lláh. The person on the left deposits the money to the Fund.” If you cannot proclaim, lay the “groundwork” by driving through goal towns saying prayers. Soon after an ILLINOIS Bahá’í made such a trip, a new believer declared from Kewanee.
Prayer Breakfasts are held one Sunday each month in the communities of Phoenix Valley, ARIZONA.
How do you keep an audience interested for three hours? In Reedley, CALIFORNIA, a Bahá’í speaker at the Junior College limited his talk to 15 minutes and one point, leaving time for questions. As a result, the entire subject of Bahá’í was covered... The Chico Local Spiritual Assembly took A New Wind to a small town, Orland, which had no Bahá’ís—the gift was presented on Bahá’u’lláh’s birthday...and Yuba City welcomed Bahá’ís to the State Convention with a banner across the street, the Mayor’s proclamation of Bahá’í Week, and excellent newspaper coverage.
The State Convention in NEW MEXICO featured some outstanding displays by the communities: copies of ancient references to the Bahá’í Faith (Las Cruces), information on Esperanto (Gallup), Bahá’í references to present-day ecology (Santa Fe County), newspaper clippings showing their growth from “6 to 60” in one year (Alamogordo).. The Apaches of the Mescalero Reservation do not like long-haired men and tend to view them with suspicion.
In Nashua, NEW HAMPSHIRE, there was a Show and Tell Program in which relics and a variety of keepsakes precious to the Bahá’ís were presented. The friends realized the bounty of living so near the time of the founding of the Faith.
A youth from Minneapolis, MINNESOTA, writing about the Fund, stated, “...for if we understood the Fund, we would want to give according to our understanding. But if we lack self-motivation the process is incomplete...Through understanding one receives motivation, but to understand one must know. To know, or ‘apprehend God’s purpose for man’ is the Universal House of Justice’s definition of deepening.”
In WISCONSIN, at the Green Bay Community’s Folk Festival display, a man remarked that he had bought The Hidden Words for 5¢ at a second hand store and had been searching for some Bahá’ís ever since...Donating used Bahá’í books is one way to spread the Faith, and placing the Bahá’í House of Worship pamphlet in travel agencies is another.
GEORGIA, who leads all nine of the Deep South states, achieved its goals in four months. The State Goals Committee has been forced to set up new, more demanding goals to be won by Riḍván, 1971.
Mass Teaching Conference in Brandon, FLORIDA, resulted in 4 new believers as 26 Bahá’ís in 8 cars went out to “teach the masses”.
“Waiting Fruit”[edit]
| WELL, GOD HAS GIVEN US MANY FRUITS TO HARVEST. | THESE ARE BEAUTIFUL! I’LL GET WHAT I CAN QUICKLY AND PRESERVE THEIR BEAUTY! | I’LL PRESERVE THESE NOW THEN I’LL COME BACK AND HARVEST THE OTHERS. THEY’LL STILL BE HERE. | THESE WILL BE GREAT, ONCE I’VE CLEANED, PEELED, AND PUT THEM IN NICE TIGHT JARS. I’LL SHOW THEM AT STATE FAIR. |
| IT TAKES A LOT OF GOOD OLD WORK TO MAKE FINE PRESERVES. | MEANWHILE, THE UNHARVESTED FRUIT FALL TO THE GROUND AND RETURN TO NATURE. | STATE FAIR NEW LSA DIVISION 1st PLACE |
COME ON FRIENDS, THERE ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL FRUITS TO BE HARVESTED |
| “GUESS WE SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON THE OTHERS. LET’S HOPE THER’S ANOTHER HARVEST! | THERE’S A TIME FOR HARVESTING AND A TIME FOR PRESERVING |
World Power[edit]
In this glorious Dispensation, Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed that: “Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of His Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will not influence the heart of the seeker...”
All thanks be to God and “Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Book of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Meditate upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and immovable as the mountain in His Cause.”
“LIFE” and “DEATH”[edit]
“By the terms of ‘life’ and ‘death’ spoken of in the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and the death of unbelief.”
“...whosoever partook of the cup of love, obtained his portion of the ocean of eternal grace and the showers of everlasting mercy, and entered into the life of Faith—the heavenly and everlasting life.
“The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.”
|
TELEGRAM DECEMBER 22, 1970
DR. ROGER ROFF OVERJOYED NEWS GREAT VICTORIES DILLON AND LATTA. PLEASE CONVEY NEW BELIEVERS WARMEST CONGRATULATIONS LOVING GREETINGS ASSURANCE PRAYERS MOST HOLY HOUSE OF WORSHIP FOR EVEN MORE ABUNDANT CONFIRMATIONS. PERSEVERE TEACHING DEEPENING WITHOUT REST DAY AND NIGHT UNTIL HEALING MESSAGE PROMISED ONE REACHES EARS SINKS INTO HEARTS STIRS SOULS ENTIRE POPULACE. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY |
Hand of the Cause Visits Northwest[edit]
Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga was greeted by joyful representatives of Local Spiritual Assemblies, State Goals Committee, and Auxiliary Board on his arrival in Seattle.
Due to some technicality involving entry from Canada, there was grave doubt for a while that the beloved Hand of the Cause would be able to meet with the friends in the Northwest. Technicalities gave way to a prayer chain up and down the coast and our beloved Hand was granted a visa.
That afternoon Mr. Olinga went to KOL radio, a local rock station, where he was interviewed by Robert Palmer, a young black reporter from The Seattle Times; and Joe Fiala, a newsman at KOL. Fiala, who knew about the Faith (two of the station’s disc jockeys, in recent months, were Bahá’ís) declared later that evening. Palmer’s article about Mr. Olinga and the Faith ran an appropriate 19 column inches under a three-column heading in The Seattle Times, Oct. 17, and included a picture of the Hand of the Cause. KOL ran a five-minute piece about the Faith Thursday evening, and a half-hour special beginning, “Flash...This is a news bulletin 127 years late: Christ has returned...” the following Sunday evening.
When Mr. Olinga was taken to his hotel room, he was delighted with its beauty and the view of the Sound. The Seattle Bahá’ís had reserved a $16 room, but it seems the management had sensed this was a tremendously important person, and gave him a $32 suite instead at the same price!
Mr. Olinga’s suit had developed an unfortunate rip on the plane, so Seattle LSA chairman Jon Davis gave him his coat (which had been given to him by a Bahá’í when he left to pioneer).
Before the evening’s meeting got underway, Chip Baker of King County declared his belief in the Faith to the Hand of the Cause. The crowd was much larger than expected, with Bahá’ís present from all parts of the Western U.S., the Neah Bay Reservation, and as far away as Alaska and Florida.
The sea of people overflowed the room. Many stood outside in the crisp fall air at the building’s entrances to catch the words of the beloved Hand of the Cause of God.
Mr. Olinga led the group in singing “Alláh’u’Abhá.” Over 350 people felt the radiant love of the Faith as Mr. Olinga asked the question so often asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Are you happy?” and relayed messages of love from Bahá’ís around the world. Mr. Olinga told enraptured Bahá’ís that if we knew the value of this day in which we live, we would run and deliver the message of God, barely stopping for food or rest. He urged Bahá’ís to pray that they be led to the right people, since Bahá’ís are found and not made. He reminded the friends that they have tremendous power at their fingertips—all the power that Bahá’u’lláh took from the leaders of the world’s nations and religions and gave to His followers—as he recounted the Parable of the Vineyard.
Following his address, the Jin-Ai Singers presented selections from their new production, World Rise Up and Sing. They sang Bahá’í songs from around the world, and when they began to sing “Mwami Wa Bami,” an African song, a beaming Mr. Olinga rushed from his chair to join them.
The call for pioneers at the end of the meeting brought 18 volunteers to pioneer in Africa, 22 for Latin America, 2 for India, and 2 for the Tonga Islands.
Mr. Olinga left Saturday afternoon after three days of visiting with the friends in the Seattle and Yakima Indian Reservation areas.
|
DEPUTIZE A PIONEER |
Proclamation Ad Draws Added Attention to Faith[edit]
The new proclamation ad which features the name of Bahá’u’lláh is being widely used by Bahá’í communities across the United States. The ad also appears in the December 1970 issue of Ebony Magazine.
As a result of the ad, the number of requests for information on the Faith has increased considerably.
Information on the proclamation ad, which is known as proclamation ad series number 4, was sent out by the National Bahá’í Public Information Office to all Bahá’í communities, groups, and college clubs. Copies of the ad are available free to any Bahá’í community should they wish to use the ad in newspapers.
Bahá’í communities are reminded that the ad should continue to be used during the coming year. It is only by continued repetition of the ad that it can be effective. The information on the ad shows what variations can be made in the ad.
Some of the clippings of the ads received in the Public Information Office show that the design of the type for the name of Bahá’u’lláh and the words Bahá’í Faith were changed. Bahá’í communities are asked not to change the print of the name of Bahá’u’lláh or the words Bahá’í Faith. This design of type will be used extensively from now on to build a definite distinctiveness of the names of Bahá’u’lláh and Bahá’í Faith in future advertising, posters, etc. Any questions about the ad should be referred to the National Bahá’í Public Information Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. In some cases, the communities in an area can get together and place a joint ad. Also, communities are reminded that the ad can be placed in weekly newspapers including Negro newspapers, foreign language newspapers, college newspapers, shoppers, high school newspapers, and others.
The world has entered a new stage of history, the age of the maturity of man and the beginning of a world civilization.
The source of this new development was a Man who was exiled, tortured, banished and imprisoned for more than 40 years.
He lived during the last century. His name—
Bahá’u’lláh
- THE GLORY OF GOD
Bahá’u’lláh is the latest in the succession of Divine Messengers sent by God since the beginning of man’s existence. He is the Promised One of all religions. His coming ushers in the Age of Fulfillment mentioned in all the prophecies of the past. Bahá’u’lláh brings God’s Plan for world peace, world justice and world unity.
FOR INFORMATION:
Bahá’í Faith
- (your community address)
Spanish Speaking Teacher Training Institute Held in Central Arizona[edit]
Over the weekend of December 12 and 13, the Spanish Speaking Teaching Committee sponsored a Teacher Training Institute for Central Arizona. Dedication and love were characteristic of the entire weekend. (Special thanks must be given to an extremely conscientious cooking staff who slept only 2-3 hours a night so that the participants might enjoy the delicious “comida mexicana.”)
From 7:30 Saturday morning until 11:00 that night, the friends immersed themselves in discussions on “Living the Life,” “Bahá’í Laws,” “Bahá’í History,” “Prayer and Memorizing Prayers,” “Bahá’í Administration: The New World Order, the Local Spiritual Assembly and the Feast,” “Firesides,” “Deepening,” and “Children’s Classes.” The new believers also elected their own mock Local Spiritual Assembly, which then planned and hosted the Unity Feast held Saturday evening. The experience and deep understanding gained by participating in a Bahá’í election and consulting as a newly formed Local Spiritual Assembly was invaluable. During the consultative portion of the Feast, the friends discussed “correspondence” from the Universal House of Justice on universal participation. After the Feast, the movie, “It’s Just the Beginning”, triggered a very deep discussion on the meaning of “A New Race of Men.” Throughout the day there was much praying and singing—in English and Spanish. Sunday morning was devoted to the discussion of mass teaching. During the “graduation ceremony” (commencement exercises!) the friends were divided into teams, assigned goals, given teaching packets, declaration cards, and flowers. After the “Commencement Party” (which included a special cake, punch, and much singing) the friends came together for prayers, more songs, then dispersed to assigned areas to teach.
Besides opening a new locality and strengthening their own communities with renewed teaching activities and declarations, these 16 dedicated souls contributed $57 to the National Bahá’í Fund!
[Page 10]
A wonderful article about the Bahá’í Faith appeared in the January 1971 issue of Stereo Review as the result of an interview with Seals and Crofts. (Dash Crofts, left and Jim Seals, right)
Unipar[edit]
Treasurer’s Corner[edit]
Hello again! This month I have four sides. I can be a rectangle or a square. On one side of me, I carry many different pictures; on the other side (which you don’t see) I am able to stick to almost anything. I am worth a lot because I am able to bring you many things. I see you at least twice every month and sometimes I see you much more than that. We met when you first became a Bahá’í and I brought with me a friendly greeting from the National Spiritual Assembly. I help bring you exciting news of what your Bahá’í brothers and sisters are doing all over the world each month and I helped deliver your last contribution to the National Bahá’í Fund. I help deliver messages from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assemblies of the world and to all believers spread throughout the globe. As Unipar, in this capacity, I am able to see almost every Bahá’í in the world. I’ll tell you about an adventure I had just a few weeks ago and then maybe you will be able to guess who I am this month.
It all started like this—the National Teaching Committee has provided our national community with the “YEAR OF VICTORY SEMINARS”, a dynamic teaching plan to help each one of us participate in spreading the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to a spiritually parched American people, and to spur us on to achieving victory of our Nine Year Plan goals by Riḍván 1971. I was sent out with the materials for these inspiring seminars to all the communities in the country. You can’t begin to believe what it’s like being thrown into the bottom of a mail sack with three hundred pounds of mail on top of you, loaded into a cold truck, and raced out to O’Hare International Airport. From O’Hare Field, I was loaded into a score of jets going to every large city in the country. Flying at 30,000 feet, I thought for sure I was either going to freeze from the cold or faint from the lack of air. It was tense for a good while, but we landed safely, and the worst part of the trip was over. After going to hundreds of post offices, I finally found myself in a large leather bag jogging down the sidewalk, listening to a happy mailman singing in the morning. The mailman, after finding the package with me perched inconspicuously on the front side, reached inside his mailbag, took us out, and put us into a mailbox. That’s how I met the secretary or the correspondent of your community. You know the rest of the story by now and if not, you will when your community has its YEAR OF VICTORY SEMINAR.
Can you guess what I am this month? I’ll give you just a couple more hints. Every office at the National Bahá’í Center uses me each day. And I represent $3,500.00 worth of service to the American Bahá’í community every month. I am partly responsible for getting this issue of The American Bahá’í to your home.
RIGHT! You’ve got it! I am the six-cent stamp. Just think of all the times we’ve seen each other since you have been a Bahá’í. Through your contributions, the “lifeblood” is kept moving, all the time making it possible for us to communicate and know one another better.
| Alláh’u’Abhá! | See you next month. | You can write me at this address: |
| UNIPAR | ||
| 112 Linden Avenue | ||
| Wilmette, Illinois 60091 |
ONE IN SPIRIT...[edit]
If a community wants to teach its Puerto Rican neighbors, we suggest some or all of these steps:
- Prayer.
- Dispatching Spanish-speaking members to meet the Puerto Rican people in their own homes.
- Teaching the Faith simply, emphasizing the relationship between Christ and Bahá’u’lláh.
- Holding firesides in which Puerto Rican Bahá’ís or seekers are invited to sing some Puerto Rican songs.
- Arranging to hold a fireside in the home of a Puerto Rican Bahá’í or seeker, who appears to have the potential to become an outstanding Bahá’í teacher.
- Demonstrating the unity and love of the Bahá’í community, and developing personal friendships with Puerto Ricans.
- Holding a fireside with a non-white speaker.
- Keeping expansion going while consolidating. The Northampton proclamation was a very effective means of consolidation.
- Being ever mindful of the words of the Master:
“Of all the gifts of God, the greatest is the gift of teaching. It draweth unto us the grace of God, and is our first obligation. Of such a gift, how can we deprive ourselves? Nay, our loves, our goods, our comforts, and our rest, we offer them all as a sacrifice to the Abhá Beauty and teach the Cause.”
And the flame keeps burning in Northampton. Angel Martinez, a young and radiant new Bahá’í, holds firesides in Spanish every other Saturday night in his home. His neighbors are curious; they come and join the singing. “Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Bahá...” There can be no doubt that a “new process” has been “set in motion.”
Campus Activity Mounts![edit]
First ’70-’71 Campus Teaching Plan reports (see December issue of The American Bahá’í, p. 6-7.)
FORT LEWIS COLLEGE BAHÁ’Í CLUB[edit]
“Our community here started with four Bahá’ís in Durango the first of May. Now we have 18! In obedience to the goals given to us by our SGC to form an assembly and open up two new localities, three of our most beautiful youth are moving 18 miles away to the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and are commuting to college here in Durango.
“The first activity of the club was a poster campaign; next, putting Bahá’í books in all the college, town, and high school libraries; then we started a strong fireside program, had a campus trash clean-up; made teaching aids for 3 Headstart programs, brought John Cook on campus for a concert (500 came)...
“Oh, almost forgot, there are two Bahá’ís in the Student Senate and the vice-president is a Bahá’í so we can easily set up speakers. 10% of the campus are American Indian.”
BAHÁ’Í CLUB OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND[edit]
“We are launching a local teaching/proclamation plan whose objectives are to reach the black community in Lakeland, the married students in Calvert Apartments, and all 18,000 who live on campus. We seek to increase diversity and form an Assembly by Riḍván. Firesides are going well—thanks (YSA) for posters and advice—planning now for next semester.”
“P.S. We have posters in every dorm and every building on campus (all floors)—we rotate them!”
BAHÁ’Í CIRCLE OF MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE[edit]
“Our first goal—started before Amherst (Campus Teaching Seminar). The 1500 students are all now aware of the Faith and Bahá’u’lláh. Ads in 2 newspapers for 4 weeks with one response. Weekly firesides, deepening, prayer session 3 times a week. One-day religion conference in January with the theme “Have the Religions Blown it?” Bahá’ís are in on the planning—will make an issue-oriented presentation at the conference.”
BAHÁ’Í CLUB OF STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE AT OSWEGO[edit]
“Have had firesides and teaching—used posters and World Order blocks for display in Student Union—no response yet. We intend to continue weekly firesides concentrating on issues present on campus... How do you convey feelings you have to others to develop interest in the Faith? In short, how do you conquer apathy?”
BAHÁ’Í CLUB OF GOUCHER COLLEGE MARYLAND[edit]
“Copies of posters sent by YSA have been placed all over campus; they have spurred many questions from the students. Some students are so impressed that we find it difficult to keep our posters on display and out of people’s rooms! As of 2 December, copies of the posters of Bahá’u’lláh’s name and the issue-oriented posters advertised the lectures and one film to be held January 4-8. Lectures are: Equality of Men and Women; Oneness of Mankind; Science and Religion; Man—the Supreme Talisman.”
These are just a few of the reports now coming back to the Office of Youth and Student Activities. The tempo is picking up—let us hear from you. Remember the goal—
—To have the consciousness of Bahá’u’lláh’s coming sink into the hearts, minds, and souls of every member of every high school and college community (students, faculty, and staff) where there is a Bahá’í campus club, by June 1971—
CHILD’S WAY
HELP ME TO GROW[edit]
I am CHILD’S WAY, a Bahá’í magazine, dedicated to children everywhere. I am young and need nourishment to develop so I will have the strength to teach the Faith everywhere. My nourishment comes through your subscriptions.
Won’t you please complete and send in the attached order blank, today?
(I am really nice and think I make a wonderful gift, don’t you?)
It’s Just The Beginning[edit]
FREE-LOAN FILM
24 minutes in color 16mm sound
This film tackles the problems of peace, unity, and justice in the world as viewed by Bahá’í youth representing different races and strata of society. It presents, dramatically, the many problems bothering youth today and how the Bahá’í Faith provides solutions. Here, viewers are shown why this youngest of the world’s religions is attracting youth worldwide, and why it is the fastest spreading religion in the world today.
THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH
CARIBBEAN CONFERENCE SHIP SECURED[edit]
We are happy to announce that enough reservations have been secured to charter the ship, “New Bahama Star” for our Floating Institute to Jamaica next May. Almost five hundred Bahá’ís, their relatives, and friends will spend eleven days sharing an historic spiritual experience while participating in one of the Oceanic Conferences called for by our supreme Universal House of Justice in their message of 1967:
“These... conferences, ... will doubtless demonstrate yet again the spirit of joy which pervades such gatherings of the friends and will reinforce them in their determination to seize whatever means and opportunities they may find to raise the Divine call... these conferences, focal points of the love and prayers of the friends everywhere, magnets to attract the spiritual powers which alone can confirm their work, will it is confidently hoped, be potent sources of unity, spiritual enthusiasm, and realistic planning.”
The Universal House of Justice has specifically assigned this Conference, along with the Conferences next September in Iceland and Japan, as the ones which the American believers should make every effort to support. How thrilling it will be when this vast number of Bahá’ís lands in Kingston and later in St. Thomas to proclaim the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh! How ready these believers will be, after the pre- and post-Conference Institutes on board ship, to carry the spirit of the Conference back to their homes!
There are still a limited number of rooms available. For more details, write:
- U.S. Caribbean Conference Committee
- 112 Linden Avenue
- Wilmette, Illinois 60091
Employment Opportunity[edit]
There is a real need for Indian Bahá’ís to be employed at the Chemawa (Oregon) Indian School, particularly in the Guidance Department, but also on the Teaching Staff. For more detailed information contact:
- Alfred Robinson
- 1690 - 5th Street N.E.
- Salem, Oregon 97303
SPANISH-SPEAKING PIONEERS NEEDED IN WEST CHESTER![edit]
The Assembly of West Chester, Pennsylvania has been trying to teach the relatively large group of Spanish-speaking people in our town. This has been unsuccessful in the past, due to the fact that none of us speak Spanish. We have an established Assembly, and job and housing help will be gratefully extended for any settlers. We need you since we have no way of reaching this group on our own. Contact:
- Erv Schawacker
- 212 N. Everhart St.
- West Chester, Pa. 19380
- (215) 696-3081
The American Bahá’í
112 LINDEN AVENUE • WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091
in this issue...
West Virginia Victories Assure State of Nine Year Plan Goal
Indian Teaching Hails Advance on Nez Perce Reservation
Highlights of Visit to Northwest of Hand of the Cause Mr. Olinga
Arizona Host Teacher Training Institute for Spanish-Speaking
Floating Institute to Jamaica Scheduled
|
FLASH! Study Guide Cassette for Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Five Year Youth Program goal) now ready. Order from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 at $2.50 each. |
