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Special issue: mid-year highlights

The American Bahá’í

‘The real treasury of man is his knowledge.’ —Bahá’u’lláh

Volume 20, No. 12 — December 1989

‘Through the shadow of confusion deranging present-day society, there is a far glimmer ... of an approach, slow but definite, toward the culmination of the three collateral processes envisaged by the beloved Guardian, namely: the emergence of the Lesser Peace, the construction of the buildings on the Arc on Mount Carmel and the evolution of National and local Spiritual Assemblies.’ —The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1989

‘The full measure of your success is as yet unrevealed . . .’

In its message of August 31, 1987, to the Bahá’í world, the Universal House of Justice announced that mankind has reached a fundamental turning point in human history, a period during which dramatic changes in the world and in the Faith are to be expected. In the light of these anticipated developments, the House of Justice explained the urgent need to complete the great work of erecting the remaining buildings of the Arc on Mount Carmel which “will bring into being a vastly augmented World Center structure capable of meeting the challenges of coming centuries and the tremendous growth of the Bahá’í community which the beloved Guardian has told us to expect.”

‘... the way is now open for the Bahá’í world to erect the remaining buildings of its Administrative Center, and we must without delay stride forward resolutely on this path.’ —The Universal House of Justice, August 31, 1987

In that same letter the House of Justice described the dynamics of growth and change in the Faith and set our agenda for action:

“The Faith advances,” wrote the Supreme Institution, “not at a uniform rate of growth, but in vast surges, precipitated by the alternation of crisis and victory. In a passage written on 18 July 1953, in the early months of the Ten Year Crusade, Shoghi Effendi, referring to the vital need to ensure through the teaching work a ‘steady flow’ of ‘fresh recruits to the slowly yet steadily advancing army of the Lord of Hosts,’ stated that this flow would ‘presage and hasten the advent of the day which, as prophesied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, will witness the entry by troops of the peoples of divers nations and races into the Bahá’í world.’ This day the Bahá’í world has already seen in Africa, the Pacific, in Asia and in Latin America, and this process of entry by troops must, in the present plan, be augmented and spread to other countries for, as the Guardian stated in this same letter, it ‘will be the prelude to that long-awaited hour when a mass conversion on the part of these same nations and races, and as a direct result of a chain of events, momentous and possibly catastrophic in nature, and which cannot as yet be even dimly visualized, will suddenly revolutionize the fortunes of the Faith, derange the equilibrium of the world, and reinforce a thousandfold the numerical strength as well as the material power and the spiritual authority of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.’ This is the time for which we must prepare ourselves; this is the hour whose coming it is our task to hasten.”

Evidences of the world-shaping changes foretold in the Bahá’í Writings are visible on every continent. As many Bahá’í national communities are achieving unprecedented growth, we are also witnessing the impending economic and social reorganization of Europe; the dramatic changes occurring in the Soviet Union and China; the social upheavals in many African and South American countries; and the accelerating decline of institutions and social order in America.

The role and contribution of the American Bahá’í community to this God-ordained drama are destined to be pivotal to its ultimate outcome. Our immediate challenges lie in four broad areas:

• to achieve a vast increase in the number of new believers
• to foster the maturation of Spiritual Assemblies
• to increase the Bahá’í education of children, youth and adults; and
• to achieve the goals of the National Bahá’í Fund for contributions to the Arc Fund, the Bahá’í International Fund, the repair of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, the Bahá’í schools and institutes and the offices and agencies of the National Hazíratu’l-Quds.

This issue of The American Bahá’í provides a cursory glance at the range of activities throughout the community at mid-year. We are especially pleased to note:

• the rapid increase in the number of “teaching institutes” or “core groups,” now estimated to be 400, bringing believers together for prayer, study of the writings, and teaching activities;
• the growth in the numbers of Indo-Chinese believers in various regions of the national community;
• the encouraging reports of steady growth of enrollments in Greater Atlanta, Phoenix, Portland and San Jose;
• the successful launching of the Spiritual Assembly Development Program;
• the significant increase of efforts, throughout the community, to promote race unity and equality of the sexes;
• the consistent growth in the quality and scope of the programs at the five permanent and 38 temporary Bahá’í schools, two institutes, and more than 400 community-based Bahá’í schools for children, youth and adults; and
• the encouraging response of an increasing number of the friends to the requirements of the National Fund which suggests growing firmness in the Covenant among the believers and reaffirms our confidence in the strengthening resolve of the community to take the offensive in building the Kingdom of God on earth.

We acknowledge the ambitious character of our goals, and appreciate the widespread activities sustained by the friends throughout the community. We are compelled, however, to say a word about the mission conferred upon the American Bahá’í community in the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, especially at this time when the signs of the accelerating breakdown of the existing order, specifically foretold by the beloved Guardian, are so conspicuously evident.

We must lift our sights. Our goals, although ambitious, are merely steps on the path toward our spiritual destiny. While our immediate challenge is to achieve entry by troops, our ultimate mission is to infuse new spiritual life into the drooping soul of this nation. Even as we continue to make steady progress in the areas of race unity, equality of the sexes and Bahá’í education, our underlying purpose is spiritual transformation and the establishment of new models of life. As we struggle to reach our annual budgets, our ultimate goal should be no less than contributing a major part of the $300 million needed to complete the Arc on Mount Carmel, the spiritual shelter of mankind. Our true challenge is a test of faith and will. Let us resolve to place our faith in the guiding Hand of Bahá’u’lláh and be filled with confidence by these words of assurance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

“The full measure of your success is as yet unrevealed, its significance unapprehended. Erelong ye will with your own eyes witness how brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the firmament of your country the

See STATEMENT page 2 [Page 2]Charles Nolley (left photo) edits ‘The Seat of God’s Throne,’ a video tape for Bahá’í audiences which explains the history and significance of the Arc on Mount Carmel with narration by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum. Also produced by the National Assembly’s Media Services Office this summer for release by the Bahá’í Distribution Service was ‘Vision to Victory: A Talk by David Hofman,’ retired member of the Universal House of Justice, which was taped in Los Angeles. The Bahá’í Publishing Trust editorial staff (right photo) is also working on a biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem written by his widow, Javidukht Khadem.

‘... assisting in endeavors to conserve the environment in ways which blend with the rhythm of life of our community must assume more importance in Bahá’í activities.’ — The Universal House of Justice, Riḍván 1989

Puran Stevens, coordinator of the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office (seated at right during a fireside in San Francisco), has visited several Bahá’í communities with high concentrations of Bahá’í refugees from Southeast Asia to help locate them, assess their needs, and consult with Assembly members about them.

Pioneering around the world: Left photo, celebrating a declaration in Taiwan; right photo, teaching the Cause at Washington Farm, Liberia.

Statement

from page 1

light of divine guidance, and will bestow upon its people everlasting life. ...”

At this pivotal time in human history, we call particularly on the individual believers, described by the beloved Master as “apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.” The success of this enterprise depends on you more than it does on any institution or agency of the Faith. Whatever skills you possess, whatever resources you have to contribute, large or small, homespun or professional, now is the time for you to arise in sacrificial endeavor. The perfection of the human soul does not occur in isolation, it takes place as the individual takes part in the process of serving his Lord. As you consecrate your life to the service of His Cause and the advancement of civilization, your relationship with Bahá’u’lláh will grow stronger. Your soul will be refined and your capacity to render further service expanded. The progress of the Faith and the movement of mankind toward its own salvation depend to a large extent on your exertions as individual Bahá’ís. Our prayers for the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh to guide and protect you are with you always.

“My thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your mention. Could ye know how my soul gloweth with your love, so great a happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored with each other.” — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

With our deepest love and appreciation for all that you have done,

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States December 1989 [Page 3]‘Every individual believer—man, woman, youth and child—is summoned to this field of action; for it is on the initiative, the resolute will of the individual to teach and to serve, that the success of the entire community depends.’—The Universal House of Justice, Riḍván 1988

Kweku Productions, an Afro-American dance group, was among the performers in September at the fourth annual World Peace Dinner sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Houston, Texas. The keynote speaker was Dr. Jane Faily, senior clinical psychologist of the Royal Ottawa Hospital University in Yukon, Canada. Among the more than 370 people attending were representatives of a number of non-Bahá’í groups such as Peace Project, Peacelings, and Beyond War, along with Vince Maggio, director of the Houston chapter of the United Nations Association.

As part of a consolidation plan of the National Spiritual Assembly, the Louhelen Bahá’í School enrolled two American Indians, one Hispanic and five young Bahá’ís from South Carolina in this year’s Louhelen Residential Program. Besides studying at the school and at two nearby colleges, the students took part in teaching campaigns in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Bahamas. Also, special conferences were held at the school to draw the interest of non-Bahá’ís. As a result of its teaching programs, Louhelen has seen more than 60 declarations, mainly by youth and pre-youth, this summer.

This booth was set up by the Bahá’ís of Yakima, Washington, at the city’s second annual Peace Fair in August. Displayed were pamphlets, buttons and copies of ‘The Promise of World Peace,’ many of which were taken by visitors to the booth. The booth itself was featured that evening on two local television news programs.

Restoration and physical development are a large part of ongoing plans at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Maine. Above, the Sarah Farmer Inn, soon to enter phase one of its own restoration program, is pictured as it looks from the Piscataqua River after the ‘jungle’ of trees and bushes obscuring the view was cut down this year, leaving a new open landscape on the riverfront. Repairs to the Inn will begin with the top three floors at a cost over the next six months of $600,000. At right, major porch repairs are undertaken on the school’s library building. [Page 4]In keeping with the Six Year Plan goal of ‘a wider extension of Bahá’í education to children and youth,’ the Bosch Bahá’í School this summer held two special week-long programs, the first for junior youth (ages 12-15) and the second for youth and young adults (ages 15 and older). Two 12-day intensive programs were offered to selected youth for in-depth study of the Writings. Other summer programs included a three-day marriage enrichment conference; a two-day conference sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Portland, Oregon; and nine five-day summer sessions. Programs for non-Bahá’ís included four six-day Elderhostel sessions and rentals to four outside groups. In all, the Bosch School offered 53 program days for Bahá’ís and 30 for non-Bahá’ís with attendance at Bahá’í programs more than 1,300 with another 325 or more at the non-Bahá’í sessions.

‘Progress in the development field will depend largely on natural stirrings at the grassroots, and it should receive its driving force from those sources rather than from an imposition of plans and programs from the top.’—The Universal House of Justice, October 20, 1983

Bahá’í Refugee Office

Mid-year highlights from the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office:

• Published in June 1989 American Culture and Traditions: A Handbook for New Americans to describe American culture to all newly arrived refugees (including ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎) in order to help them adjust more quickly to life in the U.S.
• Took part in the first Cambodian National Convention in Austin, Texas, with a Bahá’í speaker, Nat Rutstein, and workshops that stressed such Bahá’í-oriented goals as social and economic development, maintaining one’s cultural identity, literacy, and youth leadership.
• Supported a growing number of efforts by local Bahá’ís to locate and welcome into the Bahá’í community refugees from Southeast Asia and other countries.

SIX YEAR PLAN

Total Goals Assigned	77
Total Pioneers Sent	417
Total Goals Filled	49
Total Open Goals	28
Pioneers to Goal Countries*	145
Pioneers to Non-Goals	266
Pioneers Filling Goals for Other Countries	6
*Includes consolidation goals

Combining social and economic development with the need to educate children from all strata of society while fostering better relations among the races, the Bahá’í National Center continues to support the Reading and Math Program (RAMP), an inner-city tutoring project in Chicago. During the past year, National Center staff have served as tutors to the children and sponsors on field trips, have donated clothing and funds to help support the program, and wielded mops and brooms (as shown here) to clean up the area around RAMP’s headquarters. Also, the RAMP kids toured the National Center and House of Worship last summer, met with staff, and shared a picnic lunch. Michael Brownstein, the founder of RAMP, is pictured third from the left.

‘Our primary response must be to teach—to teach ourselves and to teach others—at all levels of society, by all possible means, and without further delay.’—The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1989

Sheboygan: literacy program

Two years ago, Bahá’ís in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, became aware of the need for a volunteer one-on-one literacy program for English-speaking adults. Within a month they had contacted a number of like-minded groups, and in September 1987 a Literacy Council was formed with three of its four officers Bahá’ís and all of its financial support coming from the Bahá’í community.

Since then the council has enlisted the support of other groups, has trained some 60 volunteer tutors and has helped more than 30 adults with reading disabilities with the number of inquiries continuing to grow.

The several articles about the Council in local newspapers have mentioned how it was formed by the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎. Although 90 percent of those presently on the Council are not ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎, the Bahá’í community continues to support it, financially and through service as tutors and officers, and to work closely with other groups and individuals to minister to the needs of non-readers in the Sheboygan area. [Page 5]‘It is not enough to proclaim the Bahá’í message, essential as that is. It is not enough to expand the rolls of Bahá’í membership, vital as that is. Souls must be transformed, communities thereby consolidated, new models of life thus attained. Transformation is the essential purpose of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, but it lies in the will and effort of the individual to achieve it in obedience to the Covenant.’ — The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1989

When Hurricane Hugo unleashed its fury on South ‎Caroilna Carolina‎’s eastern coast in September, the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, undamaged by the storm, swung immediately into action, serving first as a haven for those left homeless, then as a center from which to distribute food and clothing to those in need. Evolving from the relief effort has been an ongoing unity worship service, held each Sunday morning at the Institute, the first of which drew more than 60 non-Bahá’ís.

The work of the National Spiritual Assembly, whose Office of External Affairs on New Hampshire Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C., is pictured here, resulted in the introduction in Congress of House Concurrent Resolution 87 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 53. Both resolutions acknowledge recent improvements in the treatment of Bahá’ís in Iran but express concern that the Bahá’í community as a whole remains an oppressed religious minority. As of November the resolutions had 55 co-sponsors in the Senate and more than 140 in the House of Representatives.

Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles accepts the Hiroshima Peace Flame on behalf of the people of Los Angeles from Muhtadia Rice, director of the Los Angeles Bahá’í Office for Peace, co-sponsor of the 1989 Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemorative Peace Program at the Bahá’í Center in Los Angeles. More than 850 people attended the solemn event, which was held on the 44th anniversary of the devastation of Hiroshima by the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a city. [Page 6]The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Costa Rica achieved one of its goals of the Six Year Plan when it moved into its new national Hazíratu’l-Quds. The dignified two-story building is located one block from two major thoroughfares in the capital city, San Jose. The American Bahá’í community met its Plan goal of helping Costa Rica when the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly provided both a direct contribution and a mortgage for purchase of the building.

‘The human race, as a distinct, organic unit, has passed through evolutionary stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the lives of its individual members, and is now in the culminating period of its turbulent adolescence approaching its long-awaited coming of age.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‘The Promise of World Peace’

Detroit: tutorial program

Fathers Inc., a Bahá’í-sponsored tutorial program for young people in Detroit, Michigan, was begun three years ago by John Mangum, a former policeman, as a response to the goal of the Six Year Plan calling for “a greater involvement of the Faith in the life of society.”

Starting with Mr. Mangum’s children, their cousins and a few close friends, the program has grown to include nearly 40 young people, and was recently incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation for the development of inner-city youth. Last year the program won a $3,000 grant from a Detroit charitable foundation that enabled its members to travel to the Louhelen Bahá’í School in February 1989 for a class in character development. More recently the group has been able to attend computer classes at two nearby schools, Mercy College and Wayne State University, and has returned twice to Louhelen to perform in talent shows and at the annual Homecoming celebration this fall.

U.S. PIONEER GOALS

(In months of service)

In a letter dated September 7, 1989, the Universal House of Justice wrote to all National Spiritual Assemblies:

“There remains, therefore, the immediate task for the Bahá’í world to fill ... pioneer posts remaining vacant from the original pioneer call and, indeed, to increase the flow of long-term pioneers to needy areas. In addition to these, the tremendous recent acceleration in the twin processes of expansion and consolidation calls for a new flexibility in meeting the needs in the field. Therefore, to supplement the work of pioneers and traveling teachers, the Universal House of Justice is now calling for a range of short-term pioneer projects during the remaining years of the Six Year Plan.”

GOALS (in months)		GOALS (in months)
AFRICA		Martinique	12
Ciskei	24	Mexico	36
Guinea-Bissau	12	Nicaragua	24
Liberia	12	Panama	36
Nigeria	12	Paraguay	24
Tanzania	36	Puerto Rico	12
Uganda	24	Uruguay	24
Zambia	24	Venezuela	12
AMERICAS		ASIA
Argentina	24	India	24
Bahamas	12	Japan	24
Barbados	12	Pakistan	12
Brazil	24	Taiwan	36
British Virgin Islands	12
Colombia	24	AUSTRALASIA
Dominica	12	Mariana Islands	24
Ecuador	12	Marshall Islands	12
Guyana	24	W. Caroline Islands	12
Honduras	24
Jamaica	24	EUROPE
Leeward Islands	12	Portugal	24

We recognize that not everyone may be able to settle abroad. As Bahá’ís, our obligation is to serve our beloved Faith wherever we may live. As Shoghi Effendi wrote:

“Pioneer service in these epoch-making days need not be confined to going out in foreign fields. The friends can pioneer on their Assemblies in helping bring about a keener vision of what their duties are; they can pioneer in developing new local teaching methods, new contacts with new classes of people, indeed they can even be said to pioneer inwardly, finding new depth in their own souls and new ways in which their own God-given capacities can be put to use in serving the Faith.”

The completion of our 28 long-term pioneer goals, 708 months of service in short-term pioneer commitments, international consolidation goals in the teaching work, and the needs of the homefront provide for all of us, every adult, youth and child, an opportunity to continue “undeflected and confident, to seize the magnificent possibilities which ... allow for actualizing the immediate interests of our sacred Cause.”

Terrill Hayes (left), general manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and other members of the staff look over the proposed publishing agenda for 1989-90 to be submitted to the Publishing Trust Committee which is working to extend that agenda through the end of the Six Year Plan in 1992. Included in the proposal are reprints of a number of Bahá’í texts that are now out of print.

To help aid the cause of Bahá’í education, the Brilliant Star Connection recently linked generous donors in the U.S. with Bahá’í schools in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago who are now able to enjoy that children’s magazine. Gift subscriptions for schools, local Assemblies and children’s class teachers are only $15 a year and are matched by participating National Spiritual Assemblies. Meanwhile, World Order magazine recently mailed a big double issue celebrating its 20th anniversary with articles, poetry, editorials and a book review representing the best of more than 70 issues produced from the ’60s to the ’80s. And U.S. Bahá’í Report continues to be mailed quarterly by Subscriber Service to more than 1,900 non-Bahá’í leaders, local and national government officials, and the news media. For more information, write to Subscriber Service, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 7]

Louis Gregory Institute

Mid-year highlights from the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute:

• Emphasized education through the annual South Carolina Bahá’í Summer School with classes for children, youth and adults, and the Youth Academy, an intensive deepening, study and training program for 14 youth from around the country including American Indians from South Dakota.
• Held a Black Men’s Gathering sponsored by Counselor William Roberts at which more than 50 black men from South Carolina met to study the Writings, consult on personal and community transformation, and develop teaching plans.
• Conducted a Work Weekend at which more than 50 adults and children worked, prayed and enjoyed entertainment and fellowship.

Chinese Symposium to be held in March at San Francisco Center

The Bahá’í Center in San Francisco, California, will be the site next March 29-April 1 of an International Chinese Symposium sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly and coordinated by the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office.

Registration and hotel reservation information will appear in the next Feast mailing and in the January issue of The American Bahá’í. The deadline for hotel reservations is February 15.

For more information, please write to the Spiritual Assembly of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94103, or phone 415-431-9990.

Faith takes him far, far away

Year in Guatemala was good education for Bonita High grad

In Guatemala, there are no supermarkets.

"I can’t stand it. Ever since I’ve been back, I catch myself looking to see if my socks match etc., or if my pants are baggy. I’m not used to it. Here I’m starting to get materialistic again and I don’t want to. Once you’ve been to a place like Guatemala, you realize things like this don’t matter at all."

Michael Tarar of Bonita, a follower of the Bahá’í Faith, took a year-long trip to Guatemala at his parents’ expense (living on only $100 a month) to get out of his "comfort zone."

"It worked," says Tarar. "It worked."

He has been accepted at UCSD after a year’s absence from academics. His plan of study changed from "no idea," to "Latin American studies."

"My family and friends all went straight to college," he says. "They have no idea what I have seen."

Tarar is particularly fervent about his own education now. "I saw men making only $2 a day, breaking their backs, and cutting cornstalks. I saw kids over there traveling long ways and sleeping in little rooms just to go to a one-room school."

"And then I would think back to home, and all of the times I said, ‘God, I don’t feel like going to school today.’"

"In the new Eastlake homes, the master bedroom’s bathroom’s closet is two times the size of the place where I’d been sleeping."

Former Cleveland student sends gifts to 20th reunion

... velander ... riada, Israel, will be unable to physically attend the 20-year reunion of Cleveland High School's Class of 1969, he will be remembered as each of his former classmates ... holy pilgrimage for us” since it was a “high time” for many faiths including Christians, Jewish, Moslems and the Bahá’í Faith. According to a recent letter from Sperry, during these three years he has “had the opportunity ...

One God, one religion, one mankind

Bahá’í reaches Wood County Spreading the message about a newer faith

THE LOTUS THAT BLOOMS IN THE NIGHT A Bahá’í temple shines in remembrance of God

Bahá’ís Teach, Learn, Live Their Religion

“It is the duty of each Bahá’í to study, to learn and to teach others. However, we tell about our religion. We do not proselytize.”

Reprinted by permission of the following: North-west County Journal, St. Louis, MO; Chula Vista Star-News, Chula Vista, CA; The Daily Tribune, Wisconsin Rapids, WI; Arizona Daily Wildcat, Tucson, AZ; Cleveland Daily Banner, Cleveland, TN; "LD + A" Magazine, New York, NY.

Positive mention of the Faith continues to grow in newspapers and other media thanks in large part to the work of the Public Information Network, now solidly in place throughout the country. Public Information representatives are appointed or reappointed each year by local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups, and as of November 1, the Office of Public Information had received notification of the following appointments: communities appointing a PI rep who did not have one in the previous year, 227; communities appointing a new representative or reappointing their present one, 480; total appointments received, 707; Public Information Committees, 116.

“... we urge you, with all earnestness from the utter depths of our conviction as to the ripeness of the time, to lay aside your every minor concern and direct your energies to teaching His Cause—to ‎proclalmlng proclaiming‎, expanding and consolidating It.’—The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1988

For the past four years the Spiritual Assembly of North Fulton County, Georgia, has hosted a series of Business and Professional Luncheons. Speakers this year have included Nat Rutstein, Dr. Robert C. Henderson, Dr. Joel Nizen and Larry Miller. At the meeting in September, a special award was given to J. Lowell Ware (left), publisher of The Atlanta Voice, which has carried articles and columns about the Faith for many years. The presentation was made by Lynda Godwin Couture (not pictured), a Bahá’í whose weekly newspaper column, ‘A New Reality,’ appears in a number of newspapers in the Southeastern U.S.

The Bahá’í National Center Bulletin Board System (BNCBBS) continues to grow and develop with 362 current computer users of which more than 80 are institutions or agencies of the Faith. In October, more than 242 hours of log-on time were used. The Bulletin Board’s 24-hour phone number is 708-869-0389. [Page 8]‘... assisting in endeavors to conserve the environment in ways which blend with the rhythm of life of our community must assume more importance in Bahá’í activities.’—The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1989

Two new summer programs at the Green Acre Bahá’í School, a conference for youth ages 13-17 and a children’s camp for ages 8-12, were enthusiastically received by parents and children. At left above, Paul Tamburro, an American Indian Bahá’í, teaches children about Indian culture, while at the right, entertainer Red Grammer prepares children and youth for a local ‘peace run.’ Also at Green Acre, family enrichment conferences focused on preparation for marriage, family unity, and maintaining a spiritual basis for marriage, while weekly firesides brought increased numbers of seekers. Special sessions included a Black Teaching Conference, a Hispanic Teaching Conference, a Pioneer Training Institute and Teacher Training Institute. Music and drama were featured at the third annual Arts Conference, while the Association for Bahá’í Studies sponsored a forum on social change that included both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í participants. In all, about 2,000 people attended 16 conference sessions and a variety of other activities at the school this summer.

Under the direction of the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of External Affairs, the National Race Unity Committee is embarking on an ambitious program to develop friendly relations with other organizations as a means of applying the spiritual principles of race unity to society at large. The NRUC also lends its support to local and regional activities such as the appearance of the South Carolina Bahá’í Youth Workshop (pictured) at a recent race unity program in Columbia, South Carolina. Under the direction of the National Assembly, the committee will seek support for ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Kitty Herriott (back row second from left), the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office’s representative in Lahore, Pakistan, has been conducting cross-cultural workshops for U.S.-bound Iranian Bahá’í refugee families. USBRO also worked closely with the Bahá’í International Community’s offices in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland, to prepare materials for three Iranian Bahá’í refugees who testified last July before the UN Special Representative on Iran in Geneva about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

Office of External Affairs

Mid-year highlights from the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office in Washington, D.C., the Office of External Affairs:

• A change has taken place during the last year that indicates a new level of collaboration between the National Spiritual Assembly and other national organizations. Regularly the Bahá’ís are being asked to contribute to the planning and execution of events and are being requested to provide and include Bahá’í perspectives on issues around which the conferences and events have been constituted.

• The National Spiritual Assembly has taken part this year in a number of national conferences. Its participation has included exhibit booths, Bahá’í speakers at conferences and on panels, articles by Bahá’ís in published conference proceedings, and Bahá’í representatives on conference planning committees. The following is a partial list of national conferences and sponsoring organizations with which the National Assembly has collaborated during the last six months: The Institute for the Study of Genocide, American Association of University Women, World Future Society, the United Nations Association, Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Global Tomorrow Coalition Globescope Pacific Assembly, Common Security Through Structures for Peace, North American Interfaith Network, Sino-American Conference on Women’s Issues, and the United Nations Department of Public Information.

• The National Spiritual Assembly continues to work with a coalition of other non-governmental organizations to pursue Senate ratification of six pending UN human rights Conventions. Hearings by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Convention Against Torture were expected to begin in November.

[Page 9]‘New prospects for teaching the Cause at all levels of society have unfolded. ... The immediate possibilities presented by this providential situation compel us to expect that an expansion of the Community of the Most Great Name, such as has not yet been experienced, is, indeed, at hand.’ —The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1988

The four major teaching campaigns

Mid-year highlights from the four major teaching campaigns:

Atlanta

• Bahá’ís are serving the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission in a number of ways—as secretaries, receptionists, tour guides and accountants.
• As a result, the King Center has asked for Bahá’ís to serve on the National Student and Youth Conference Committee, the Inter-Faith Service, the Parade and March Committee, the Publicity Committee for the annual King parade, the National Youth Assembly, and the Religious Involvement Committee.
• In October, more than 300 Bahá’ís and their guests attended a “Unity Celebration” in College Park. Among those present were Dr. Robert C. Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, and two members of the National Teaching Committee, Reynaldo Cruz and Jennifer Mileham.

Chicago

• Bahá’ís in the Chicago area are arising to teach through the House of Worship’s interest card project, contacting those who indicate that they would like to learn more about the Faith and accompanying them to the growing number of firesides in the Chicago area.
• Efforts are being made to reach the area’s Hispanic population in Chicago parks frequented by Hispanics as well as with public meetings, regular firesides and deepenings for new Hispanic believers.
• Several teaching institutes have begun in the area, while interaction with immigrants from the Soviet Union and other countries is increasing. Firesides to which the immigrants are invited often include more than 20 seekers.

Massachusetts

• The Spiritual Assemblies of Boston and Cambridge have been sponsoring workshops on the “Most Vital and Challenging Issue” to open dialogue among the Bahá’ís about racial prejudice. Boston has rented a Center in a predominantly black neighborhood to offer service to its residents.

San Jose

• As part of the Metro 1000 Project, the Spiritual Assembly of San Jose has encouraged surrounding communities to establish regular weekly firesides and deepenings, which most have done. In addition, San Jose itself has increased the number of its community firesides from one to 4-5 per week. The number of individual firesides also has increased.
• Street teaching is carried out on a weekly basis followed by a public fireside in an Hispanic area of San Jose.
• Efforts to reach the Southeast Asian population continue, fueled by a media program designed to locate Bahá’í refugees from Vietnam.

One of the highlights of Bahá’í involvement at the United Nations this year was the introduction in May of the International Sacred Literature Trust, one of the largest and most ambitious interfaith projects ever undertaken. The Faith is one of eight major world religions affiliated with the Sacred Literature Trust, which plans to translate and publish collections of the Sacred Texts of those religions. A copy of the Trust’s charter was presented by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (right), to UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. A commemorative booklet about the Trust is being distributed by the Bahá’í Office of Public Information.

Charles Nolley prepares to shoot film footage for ‘Jewel in the Lotus,’ an architectural documentary of the Bahá’í House of Worship in India, one of many projects in which the Bahá’í Media Services Office is presently involved. Recently completed were ‘Vision to Victory,’ a video taped talk by David Hofman, and audio cassettes of talks by Mr. Hofman and Dr. Peter Khan. In progress are ‘Like an Eagle in the Sky,’ a video about the spiritual destiny of native peoples; and ‘From Haitian Roots,’ a documentary on rural development projects undertaken by the Anís Zunúzí Bahá’í School in Haiti. In pre-production are ‘The Promise of World Peace,’ a video on the peace statement; a new introductory program with the working title ‘Why I Am a Bahá’í’; and translations of ‘The Seat of God’s Throne’ in French, Persian, Spanish and Portuguese.

As a result of contacts made during their annual Race Unity Day programs, the Bahá’ís of Marietta/Cobb County, Georgia, are working hand-in-hand with such community groups as the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the YWCA, Habitat for Humanity, and local churches on a number of projects. For example, area Bahá’ís serve as tutors for more than 40 children ages 6-15 in a program sponsored by the NAACP in Marietta. The program is located in an area in which the Bahá’ís have been actively teaching for several years.

Archives Committee

Mid-year highlights from the National Archives Committee:

• Answered 131 research requests—52 from the Bahá’í National Center and 16 from the World Center—including several requests from the World Center for information about early Chinese believers.
• Helped research a history of Afro-American Bahá’ís to be published by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
• Received new collections containing material on the Bahá’í history of Ohio, California and Tonga.
• Began a search for photographs of living Hands of the Cause of God, Counselors, and members of the Universal House of Justice.
• Opened for research collections documenting early teaching activities in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., the southern United States, and South Africa.

[Page 10]Sacrificial efforts during the first half of the year by individuals, Local Assemblies and Groups have boosted the year-to-date contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund eight percent above last year’s level, to $3.72 million. The number of individuals taking part in the Automatic Contribution program, which is an important stabilizer of the Fund, has risen to 3,590, just short of the goal of 4,000 subscribers. Support by local Assemblies and Groups has likewise risen, to 150 and 52, respectively, against the over-all goal of 400. In light of our community’s historic pattern of giving (see chart), these are hopeful signs for the achievement of our $9.5 million goal. Let’s not lose sight of that goal, however; in only nine Bahá’í months, another $5.8 million is needed. Based on our monthly goals, we are moving a bit slowly (the shortfall at the end of Qudrat stood at $1.3 million) and contributions by individuals were off, on average, about seven percent. One reason it is so vital that this year’s goal be won, and even surpassed, is that by next spring significant funds must be in hand to begin major repair work on the House of Worship.

National Bahá’í Fund Contributions

(thousands)

Month	FY 1989	FY 1990
MAY	480	440
JUN	500	680
JUL	520	580
AUG	700	620
SEP	640	700
OCT	600	680
NOV	910	—
DEC	1000	—
JAN	880	—
FEB	820	—
MAR	950	—
APR	820	—

YEAR-TO-DATE (through October):

• FY 1989: $3.44 million
• FY 1990: $3.7 million

Responding to a recent upsurge in racist incidents on college campuses, the Bahá’í Club at Auburn (Alabama) University co-sponsored with the school’s Office of Special Programs a statewide conference in October whose theme was ‘The Most Challenging Issue’ and whose purpose was the elimination of racism from every campus in the state. The keynote speaker was Regina Colston, a Bahá’í who teaches broadcasting at Alabama A&M University. Dr. Mary Fish, a Bahá’í who is a professor of economics at the University of Alabama, led workshop sessions in which members of groups were given specific racist scenarios and discussed various responses and alternatives. Four days after the conference, the Auburn student newspaper, read by many of the school’s 26,000 students, carried three articles and two editorials deploring racism, while racism was also the topic of a student radio talk show.

‘The cause of universal education ... deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend It.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‘The Promise of World Peace’

Education Committee

Mid-year highlights from the National Education Committee:

• Reviewed past and current publications along with many unpublished materials from the National Archives and published a “Bahá’í Education Materials Catalog” in the September issue of The American Bahá’í.
• Researched the sacred Writings, letters of the Guardian and messages from the Universal House of Justice and developed a rough outline of a core curriculum for Bahá’í children ages 6-12.
• Discussed educational concerns with representatives from Alaska, Australia, Canada and Hawaii during the second annual Seminar on Education which preceded the Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Irvine, California.

Houston: resolution condemning racism

Bahá’ís in Houston, Texas, recently sent a news release about a workshop on racism to the media and to people who had spoken out on the topic. A woman who had appeared before the city council to ask that a resolution condemning racism be passed phoned the Bahá’í Center to discuss the workshop. It was learned during the conversation that she is the mother of a Bahá’í.

A meeting was arranged to discuss with her and others the submission of a second resolution. As a result, a second appearance before the city council was held at which five members of the group spoke in favor of the resolution. On September 20 the council responded by passing a resolution condemning racism in Houston. The Bahá’ís in Houston are now in the forefront on the issue of racism and plan to continue to play a leading role in the community’s discussion of the issue. [Page 11]Repairs to the House of Worship come on the heels of a number of conferences and meetings discussing various aspects of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and its spiritual significance as delineated in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.

At one of these gatherings, held last April, Bahá’ís from communities in the area around the Temple held in-depth consultation about the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár with special emphasis on its future development as the central integrating element of the new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

NSA Properties Inc. continues to oversee the restoration of the Bahá’í House of Worship with cleaning, replacement of the monumental stairs, and preparation for repair of the gutter area below the dome. Last spring, after two years of testing and experimentation, concrete was produced that duplicated the composition, texture and color of the original concrete on the Temple. Below and at left, workers blast away grimy deposits from the outside of the dome with water and specially formulated cleaning solutions; above, workers replace the steps below the main entrance to the House of Worship. Over the past five years the cost of such repairs has been $1.5 million, with about $3.8 million required over the next three to four years to complete the task, the most important undertaken by the American Bahá’í community in relation to the Temple since its dedication in 1953.

Bahá’í House of Worship all are welcome

Pictured at the prison-city of ‘Akká are members of last year’s Youth Pilgrimage with their chaperones. Young Bahá’ís ages 15-24 as of June 25, 1990, are welcome to request an application for next summer’s Youth Pilgrimage, to be held June 25-July 3. The minimum cost is $1,400 per person. If you are a U.S. citizen, you must have a passport valid through January 1991; others must have a re-entry permit valid through June 1991. There will be 18 pilgrims and two chaperones in the group, which may visit Jerusalem or the Guardian’s grave site in England before or after the pilgrimage. To apply for this year’s pilgrimage, send a postcard with your name, address, phone number, birthdate, 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, 1990.

‘...further systematic attention needs to be given to the eventual elimination of illiteracy from the Bahá’í community, an accomplishment which would, beyond anything else, make the Holy Word accessible to all the friends and thus reinforce their efforts to live the Bahá’í life.’ —The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1989 [Page 12]

‘La medida completa de su éxito aún no está revelada...’

En su mensaje del 31 de agosto 1987 al mundo Bahá’í, la Casa Universal de Justicia anunció que el género humano ha alcanzado un punto crucial en la historia humana, un período durante el cual alteraciones dramáticas en el mundo y en la Fe se esperan. A la luz de estos acontecimientos anticipados, la Casa Universal de Justicia explicó la necesidad urgente de completar la gran labor de construir los edificios restantes del Arco en Monte Carmelo que “llevará a cabo un enorme aumento de la estructura del Centro Mundial ‎capáz capaz‎ de enfrentar los desafíos de los siglos venideros y del tremendo crecimiento de la comunidad Bahá’í que el bienamado Guardián nos ha dicho que esperásemos.”

Nuestro gran privilegio Fondo Nacional Bahá’í Wilmette, IL 60091

En esa misma carta la Casa de Justicia describió la dinámica de crecimiento y cambio en la Fe y colocó nuestra agenda para acción:

“‘La Fe adelanta,” escribió la Institución Suprema, “no en un paso uniforme de crecimiento sino en oleajes inmensos, precipitados por la alternación de crisis y victoria. En un pasaje escrito el 18 de julio 1953, en los meses tempranos de la ‎Crusada Cruzada‎ de Diez Años, Shoghi Effendi, refiriéndose a la necesidad vital de asegurar por medio de la labor de enseñanza un ‘flujo constante’ de ‘reclutas nuevas al ‎ejercito ejército‎ adelantando lento pero constantemente del Señor de las Huestes’ expresó que este flujo ‘presagiará y acelerará la venida del día que, como pronosticado por ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, presenciará la entrada de tropas de ‎les los‎ pueblos de diversas naciones y razas al mundo Bahá’í. Aquel día el mundo Bahá’í ha visto ya en Africa, el Pacífico, en Asia y en Latinoamérica, y éste proceso de la entrada de tropas debería, en el plan presente, debe ser aumentado y extendido a otros países porque, como indicó el Guardián en esta misma carta, ‘será el preludio a aquella hora esperada cuando una conversión en masa de parte de estas mismas naciones y razas, y como resultado directo de una serie de eventos, graves y tal vez catastróficos en su naturaleza, y la cual todavía no se puede vislumbrar, de repente revolucionará la fortuna de la Fe, estorbará el equilibrio del mundo, y reforzará mil veces tanto la fuerza numérica así como el poder material y la autoridad espiritual de la Fe de Bahá’u’lláh.’ Este es el tiempo por el cual debemos prepararnos; ésta es la hora cuya venida es nuestro deber de adelantar.

Indicios de los cambios profundos pronósticos en las escrituras Bahá’ís se ven en cada continente. Así como muchas comunidades Bahá’ís nacionales alcanzan un crecimiento sin precedente, también presenciamos ‎el la‎ inminente reorganización económica y social de Europa; los cambios dramáticos aconteciendo en la Unión ‎Sovietica Soviética‎ y en la China; los trastornos sociales en muchas naciones Africanas y Sud Americanas; y la declinación acelerada de instituciones y del orden social en América.

El papel y la contribución de la comunidad Bahá’í americana a éste drama ‎ordenada ordenado‎ por Dios están destinados a ser críticos a su resultado final. Nuestros desafíos abarcan cuatro ‎areas áreas‎ generales:

• lograr un vasto aumento en el número de nuevos creyentes
• nutrir la maduración de Asambleas Espirituales
• aumentar la educación Bahá’í de niños, ‎jovenes jóvenes‎ y adultos; y
• lograr las metas del Fondo Bahá’í Nacional para contribuciones al Fondo del Arco, al Fondo Internacional, a la reparación del Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, las escuelas e institutos Bahá’ís y las oficinas y agencias del Hazíratu’l-Quds Nacional.

Esta edición de The American Bahá’í ‎proveé provee‎ una mirada sumaria del alcance de las actividades por toda la comunidad a medio año. Estamos especialmente contentos al notar:

Vea LA MEDIDA página 20

CURRENT U.S. PIONEERING GOALS

	Goals Assigned	Pioneers Sent	Open Goals
AFRICA
(F) Burundi	1	1	0
(E) Ciskei	2	2	0
(E) The Gambia Preferably Persian	2	1	1
(E) Kenya Preferably outside Nairobi	1	4	0
(E) Nigeria	3	1	2
(E) Sierra Leone	2	2	0
(E) South Africa	2	11	0
(E) St. Helena	2	0	2
(E) Southwest Africa/Namibia	2	1	1
(E) Transkei	2	4	0
(E) Uganda One to teach the Faith in the university; one doctor	2	2	0
(E) Venda	2	2	1
Total AFRICA	23	33	7
AMERICAS
(E) Bahamas North Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island, Long Island	3	4	0
(E) Barbados Employment opportunities for a dentist	1	4	0
(E) Belize (S) For radio, consolidation, development projects; skills for National Secretariat	1	3	0
(P) Brazil Preferably for Amazon Project, possibly of Persian background	2	17	0
(S) Chile Juan Fernandez Islands, preferably Spanish-speaking couple	2	0	2
(E) Dominica	2	2	1
(F) French Guiana Preferably Persian	3	0	3
(E) Grenada	2	4	0
(F) Guadeloupe Opportunities for English teachers	2	1	2
(E) Guyana Preferably East Indians and blacks	2	7	0
(S) Honduras Bay Islands, Yoro, Colon; preferably self-supporting	2	11	1
(E) Jamaica Preferably self-supporting for rural areas to work in village development	4	6	2
(F) Martinique French-speaking youth to enroll in university or with musical talent	1	1	0
(S) Nicaragua Preferably Persian	2	2	0
(E) St. Lucia Skills in community consolidation	4	1	3
(E) St. Vincent and Grenadines	2	1	2
(D) Suriname Preferably Persian	2	0	2
(E) Trinidad and Tobago Preferably Persian	2	2	2
(S) Uruguay	2	1	1
(S) Venezuela	2	9	0
(E) British Virgin Islands	2	3	0
Total AMERICAS	45	79	21
ASIA
(E) India	2	7	0
(E) Malaysia To help develop public relations experts	1	1	0
(E) Nepal	2	2	0
(M) Taiwan Chinese background	1	16	0
Total ASIA	6	26	0
AUSTRALASIA
(E) Marshall Islands To help with administration	1	1	0
Total AUSTRALASIA	1	1	0
EUROPE
(P) Portugal Couples for goal areas outside greater Lisbon, preferably Portuguese or Spanish-speaking	2	2	0
Total EUROPE	2	2	0

LANGUAGE KEY (E) English (D) Dutch (F) French (M) Mandarin (P) Portuguese (S) Spanish [Page 13]Now nearing its sixth year of operation, WLGI Radio Bahá’í in South Carolina continues to serve the needs of its listeners and of the Faith in a variety of ways. Most of the station’s non-music programming is aimed at preparing the hearts of its listeners to receive the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, thus paving the way for entry by troops. Programs of various lengths acquaint the audience with the purpose, history and teachings of the Faith, as well as exposing them to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. WLGI aids the maturation of Assemblies through informational programs such as the ‘Bahá’í Calendar,’ which provides examples of the activities of other communities and encourages Assemblies to plan events well in advance. The education of children, youth and adults is advanced by programs that provide basic information on many aspects of the Faith. After Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina in September, the station was able to be of great service to those in its listening area by providing news of relief efforts and other vital information.

‘The present challenge calls for teaching on a scale and of a quality, a variety, and intensity outstripping all current efforts.’—The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1988

Teaching Institutes

Last year the International Teaching Center expounded upon and renewed the call of the Universal House of Justice, first raised in 1964, for the establishment of teaching institutes.

Under the leadership of the Auxiliary Board members and guided by the National Teaching Committee, teaching institutes designed to raise up teachers for the Cause are springing into being through grassroots initiatives in many areas of the country.

The National Teaching Committee estimates that between 300 and 400 teaching institutes have begun in the U.S. in recent months.

Freed by the International Teaching Center from the misconceptions of the past, in which a teaching institute was thought of as an event or a meeting place and was often hampered by notions of complex administrative requirements, a concept of the teaching institute more conducive to the process of teaching has been introduced and clarified.

In this evolutionary approach to teaching institutes, a small core group makes a commitment to come together regularly to study the Writings about teaching; memorize passages from the Sacred Texts; choose and engage in teaching a specific population group about the Faith; develop materials appropriate to teaching that targeted group; and deepen new believers, drawing them into the teaching work.

Auxiliary Board members throughout the country, in collaboration with the National Teaching Committee, have championed the call of the International Teaching Center. Teaching institutes ensure that a grassroots system is in place to facilitate large-scale growth and to further the process of teaching.

When entry by troops takes place in the U.S., a balance between expansion and consolidation will be maintained by teaching institutes. Recognizing this potential, representatives of both arms of the Administrative Order often join forces at community gatherings to discuss the concept of teaching institutes and to help with their establishment.

Although the evolutionary approach to teaching institutes is a new concept in this country, and core groups are only now beginning to get together, results are already being reported in some areas.

Several small communities in Oregon, for example, some of which had not seen enrollments in years, are gaining new members due to the work of teaching institutes.

And along the border between Texas and Mexico, two institutes have developed bi-lingual teaching materials that may be useful in other areas of the country.

It is anticipated that we will be hearing of many other accomplishments as more institutes pass through their initial formative stages.

For more information about teaching institutes, you may order the booklet, “An Evolutionary Approach to Teaching Institutes,” prepared by the National Teaching Committee. They are available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service for 50 cents apiece.

Harlene Finn (foreground) and Mari Hurt work on design elements of ‘Individual Rights and Freedoms in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,’ a letter from the Universal House of Justice that was published in booklet form by the Publishing Trust. Also published recently were ‘Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities: Guidelines for Spiritual Assemblies,’ and (in The American Bahá’í) a four-part study guide on the Kitáb-i-Íqán. In the works is the publication of another volume of letters from the Universal House of Justice, this one spanning the years 1963-86.

The U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office is seeking ways to work with the National Spiritual Assembly of Thailand to help the hundreds of Bahá’í refugees, many of them children, at the Site-2 Camp on the Thai-Cambodian border. The Spiritual Assembly of Wilmette, Illinois, has adopted the Site-2 Camp as a ‘sister community,’ while Bahá’ís in the U.S. and Canada have contributed about $2,000 for relief of Bahá’í refugees in the camp. [Page 14]Although reaching the Navajo people with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh is a long and difficult process, efforts have been made by the Native American Bahá’í Institute in cooperation with the Spiritual Assembly of Oak Springs to teach by using the Eternal Peace Flame, which has been presented to Apache and Hopi tribes as well as to the Navajo. At left, White Mountain Apaches await the arrival of the Peace Flame at White River, Arizona. Below, Thomas Pela, village chief at Second Mesa, accepts a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from the Bahá’ís. As a result of these activities, there have been several declarations in the Navajo/Hopi District.

‘... although it has hitherto been impracticable for Bahá’í institutions generally to emphasize development activities, the concept of social and economic development is enshrined in the sacred Teachings of our ‎Falth Faith‎.’—The Universal House of Justice, October 20, 1983

In September, the West Sacramento (California) community’s Hmong Teaching Project led to its locating several families of Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees such as the one shown here with Bahá’ís from West Sacramento. Meanwhile, in Stockton, the Feasts have taken on a truly international flavor with three-fourths of the attendees of Southeast Asian descent and the rest black, white and Hispanic.

Members of the National Education Committee were among those who took part last summer in this Teacher Training Institute at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. Members of the committee also played a part in similar events at Green Acre, Bosch and the Louis Gregory Institute. Another of the committee’s goals, to host and coordinate an international collaborative meeting with representatives of education committees from other countries, was carried out in September when members of the National Education Committees of Alaska, Australia, Canada, Hawaii and the U.S. consulted during the second annual Seminar on Education which preceded the annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Irvine, California. [Page 15]Bahá’ís in Atlanta have carefully nurtured a growing relationship with the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. Bahá’ís have helped the Center in a number of ways as volunteers, and have taken part in and helped plan some of the Center’s programs including a recent celebration honoring the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi at which one of the speakers was Carole Miller, the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative to the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. Its theme was ‘Linking Arms Around the World with the Non-Violent Legacy of Gandhi and King,’ and here the participants, including Coretta Scott King and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, link arms to sing ‘We Shall Overcome.’ Bahá’ís comprised about half of the audience at the event.

‘... the paramount purpose of all Bahá’í activity is teaching. All that has been done or will be done revolves around this central activity, the ‘head cornerstone of the foundation itself,’ to which all progress in the Cause is due. The present challenge calls for teaching on a scale and of a quality, a variety, and intensity outstripping all current efforts.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‎Ridván Riḍván‎ 1988

In response to a request by the Universal House of Justice to search for missing letters from the Guardian, the National Bahá’í Archives Committee has issued an appeal to all local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups for help in locating such letters. The response has been good, and the Archives has received 46 original letters written by or on behalf of the Guardian. To help preserve information valuable to Bahá’í administrators and scholars, the Archives Committee has begun preservation microfilming of the earliest local Spiritual Assembly minutes and annual reports, beginning with Washington, D.C., Chicago and Milwaukee. Of course, updating and revising files and other information remains a high priority, as it does for these Bahá’ís (pictured) working in the local Archives in Louisville, Kentucky.

United Nations

Mid-year highlights from the National Spiritual Assembly’s United Nations representative:

• Presented the Bahá’í perspective on issues brought forward in numerous meetings of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) affiliated with UN agencies, and at conferences, seminars and briefings related to the work of the UN.

• Served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Conference of UN Representatives of the UN-USA, and was a member of the National Council of Women’s Policy Committee, the Advisory/Planning Board of the North American Environmental Sabbath Committee, and the Executive Committee of the NGO-UN Department of Public Information.

• Responded to more than 200 requests from Bahá’ís for UN materials, visited Bahá’í communities and the House of Worship to speak about the work of the Bahá’ís at the UN, placed UN displays at major Bahá’í conferences, and submitted monthly articles about its work to The American Bahá’í.

The Navajo Translation Workshops held at the Native American Bahá’í Institute in Arizona have been quite successful, rendering valuable translations of the Creative Word while helping to deepen the Bahá’ís. One volunteer has taught adult reading skills using the Bahá’í Writings. A half-dozen other meetings for adults have been sponsored by NABI, and four others by other institutions or communities. Meanwhile, bi-weekly children’s classes are held on a regular basis and, with the help of traveling teachers from California, three successful children’s institutes were held this summer. Also held were several youth retreats and the annual Arizona Bahá’í summer school (pictured). [Page 16]

"حال موفقیت شما هنوز معلوم و مفهوم نگشته"

بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی در دستخط مبارک مورخ ۳۱ آگست ۱۹۸۷ خطاب به عالم بهائی اعلان فرمودند که عالم انسانی به نقطه عطفی در تاریخ بشری نائل گردیده است: مرحله‌ای که در خلال آن باید در انتظار حصول تغییرات چشمگیری در جهان و امر مبارک بود. بیت‌العدل اعظم در پرتو تحولات و تغییرات مذکور ضرورت و فوریت اتمام ساختمان‌های باقیمانده قوس حول مراقد مطهره را تشریح فرمودند و خاطر نشان ساختند که اتمام ساختمان‌های مذکور بر عظمت مؤسسات مرکز جهانی امرالله خواهد افزود و قابلیت بیشتری به آن خواهد داد تا بتواند مشکلات و حوائج قرون آینده و مسائل مربوط به توسعه جامعه بهائی را، که به فرموده حضرت ولی امرالله در انتظار آنیم، رفع نماید. معهد اعلی در دستخط مذکور مقتضیات توسعه و تحول امر مبارک را تشریح و خط مشی اقدامات اهل بهاء را معین فرموده‌اند:

سرعت و شدت تقدم و پیشرفت امر مبارک همواره یکسان نیست. بلکه حضیض و اوجی متناسب با تناوب ابتلاءات و انتصارات دارد. حضرت ولی امرالله در توقیعی که در تاریخ ۱۸ جولای ۱۹۵۲ در ماههای اولیه جهاد کبیر اکبر صادر گردیده، در ارتباط با احتیاج حیاتی به "دخول و الحاق دائمی نفوس جدیده به جیش بعلی‌الحرکة ولکن دائم التقدم رب‌الجنود" بر اثر فعالیت‌های تبلیغی، می‌فرمایند: "این دخول و الحاق" ظهور یومی را بشارت می‌دهد و تسریع می‌نماید که به فرموده حضرت عبدالبهاء شاهد دخول دسته جمعی مردم از اجناس و ملل مختلفه در ظل لوای امرالله خواهد بود. عالم بهائی در قاره افریقا و آسیا و امریکای مرکزی و جنوبی و جزائر ‎محیظ محیط‎ اعظم شاهد ظهور یوم مذکور بوده است. ولکن در نقشه جدید این دخول دسته جمعی ناس در ظل امرالله باید ازدیاد یابد و به سایر ممالک تسری جوید، چه که حضرت ولی امرالله در همان توقیع مذکور می‌فرمایند: "این دخول مقدمه ظهور یومی است که ملل و اجناس مختلفه بر اثر وقوع يك سلسله وقایع خطیره که محتملا مصیبت‌بار و حتی به طور تقریبی نیز غیرقابل تصور می‌باشد، تقلیب و تبلیغ دسته جمعی شده، که خود بغتة مقام و موقع امر مبارک را متغیر، نظام عالم را مضطرب، و عده نفوس و قوای مادی و معنوی امر جمال قدم را هزاران بار تقویت خواهد نمود." این همان زمانی است که اهل بهاء باید خود را برای ظهورش آماده سازند. این همان میقاتی است که فرارسیدنش را باید تسریع نمود.

آثار تغییراتی که جهان را دگرگون خواهد ساخت و در نصوص مبارکه نیز بدان اشاره شده است، در همه قارات جهان به چشم می‌خورد. این تغییرات همزمان با رشد بی-سابقهٔ بسیاری از جوامع ملی امری حاصل شده است: تغییرات بنیادی در زمینه اقتصاد و اجتماع در قاره اروپا، همچنین تغییرات چشمگیری در چین و اتحاد جماهیر شوروی، و نیز انقلابات اجتماعی در بسیاری از ممالک افریقا و امریکای جنوبی و همچنین انحطاط سریع موسسات و نظام اجتماعی در آمریکا، چنین مقدر گردیده است که جامعه امری ایالات متحده در این نقشه الهی وظیفه و سهمی اصلی داشته باشد. مسائلی که در پیش داریم در چهار مقوله اصلی قرار دارد:

• ازدیاد بی سابقه عده تازه‌تصدیقان.
• گسترش بلوغ و کارآئی محافل روحانی.
• توجه بیشتر به تعلیم و تربیت اطفال و نوجوانان و بزرگسالان بهائی.
• تحقق اهداف صندوق ملی برای تبرعات مربوط به "صندوق قوس" و صندوق بین‌المللی و مخارج ترمیم مشرق‌الاذکار و مدارس و مؤسسات بهائی و ابنیه اداری حظیرة‌القدس ملی.

در شماره حاضر نشریه "امریکن بهائی" به اختصار نظری به دامنه فعالیت‌های امری در سراسر جامعه در نیمه اول سال تشکیلاتی خواهیم نمود. پیشرفت‌های زیر بخصوص موجب خوشوقتی است:

• افزایش سریع تعداد "موسسات تبلیغی" که عده آنها تخمیناً بالغ بر ۴۰۰ است. این موسسات یاران را جهت تلاوت ادعیه و مطالعه آثار مبارکه و فعالیت‌های تبلیغی گرد هم می‌آورد.
• افزایش عده احبای هندوچینی در نواحی مختلف جامعه ملی.
• وصول گزارش‌های مسرت‌بخشی در مورد ازدیاد عدد مومنین جدید در آتلانتا و حومه، و فینیکس و پورتلند و سن حوزه.
• شروع موفقیت‌آمیز "برنامه پرورش محافل روحانی."
• افزایش چشمگیر مساعی یاران در سراسر جامعه امری در خصوص ترویج وحدت نژاد و تساوی حقوق مردان و زنان.
• پیشرفت متداوم کمی و کیفی برنامه‌های ۸ مدرسه بهائی دائمی و ۲۸ مدرسه فعلی.
• دو مؤسسه بهائی و بیش از ۴۰۰ مدرسه بهائی محلی برای تربیت و تزیید معلومات اطفال، جوانان و بزرگسالان.
• قیام متزاید عده روزافزونی از یاران جهت رفع حوائج صندوق ملی حاکی از آنست که یاران در تمسك به عهد و پیمان راسخ‌تر شده‌اند و این امر اطمینان ما را نسبت به عزم جامعه جهت قیام به تأسیس ملکوت الهی بیشتر می‌سازد.

این جمع به علویت و دشواری اهدافی که در پیش‌ داریم مطلع و فعالیت‌های گسترده یاران را در سراسر جامعه امری قدر می‌شناسند. ‎معذلِك مع‌ذلک‎ ناچار از آنند که به ویژه در این هنگام که علامات شکست و سقوط نظم کنونی مطابق پیشگوئی حضرت ولی عزیز امرالله چنین آشکارا به چشم می‌خورد، درباره مسؤولیتی که در "فرامین تبلیغی" حضرت عبدالبهاء بر عهده جامعه امری امریکا نهاده شده است، خاطر یاران را به نکاتی چند متذکر دارند. یاران باید نظر را به آینده دورتر بدوزند. اهداف امری احباء با همه ‎غلو علو‎ و دشواری تنها قدم‌های اولیه‌ای در راه نیل به سرنوشت روحانی آنان است. هر چند هدف فعلی تحقق "یدخلون فی دین الله افواجاً" است، معذلک هدف غائی تسری حیاتی روحانی در جان و روان افسرده این ملت است. با آنکه در حال حاضر موفقیت‌هائی در زمینه وحدت نژاد و تساوی حقوق مردان و زنان و تربیت امری به دست آمده، اما غرض اصلی ایجاد تقلیب روحانی و ارائه نمونه‌های جدیدی از حیات انسانی است. در حالی که می‌کوشیم تا به هدف سالانه‌ تبرعات برسیم، هدف نهائی باید تبرع سهمی عهده از ۳۰۰ میلیون دلار مخارج اتمام ابنیه قوس باشد که به راستی مأمن عالم انسانی است. در این مقام ایمان و اراده اهل بهاست که در معرض امتحان قرار گرفته است. بیایید توکل تام به حضرت بهاءالله داشته باشیم و از اطمینانی که در این بیان مبارك حضرت عبدالبهاء نهاده است سرشار شویم: "حال موفقیت شما هنوز معلوم و مفهوم نگشته، عنقریب خواهید دید که هر يك مانند ستاره‌های دری درخشنده در آن افق نور هدایت بخشیدید و سبب حیات ابدیه اهل امريك شدید" این جمع در این برهه حساس تاریخ بشری افراد احباء را که از قلم حضرت عبدالبهاء به "حواریون بهاءالله" ملقب گردیده‌اند، به قیام فرا می‌خوانند. موفقیت در این نقشه بیش از آن که به فعالیت هر موسسه یا تشکیل امری متکی‌ باشد، بسته به همت افراد است.

یاران هر مهارت یا تجربه‌ای داشته باشند و منابع و امکاناتشان هر چه باشد، اندك یا بسیار، زمان، زمان قیام به خدمات فداکارانه است. کمال روح آدمی در خلاء صورت نمی‌گیرد بلکه با شرکت در تقدیم خدمت به آستان الهی تحقق می‌یابد. یاران با وقف حیات در سبیل خدمت به امر مبارک و توسعه مدنیت الهی ارتباط خود را با حضرت بهاءالله محکم‌تر می‌سازند. روانشان صفا می‌گیرد و قابلیتشان برای تقدیم خدمات آتی افزونی می‌پذیرد. پیشرفت امر الهی و وصول عالم انسانی به رستگاری تا حد زیادی متکی بر خدمات و فعالیت‌های افراد احباست. دعای این جمع به درگاه حضرت بهاءالله جهت حصول تأییدات الهی و شمول حفظ و هدایت الهی همواره همراه شماست.

"الآن بیاد شما مشغولم و این قلب در نهایت هیجان اگر بدانید که کل وجدان چگونه منجذب یاران است البته بدرجه‌ئی فرح و سرور یابید که کل مفتون یکدیگر گردید."

(فرامین تبلیغی حضرت عبدالبهاء)

با عمیق‌ترین اشواق قلبیه و تشکر از مجاهدات مستمره آن عزیزان

محفل روحانی ملی بهائیان ایالات متحده دسامبر ۱۹۸۹

NOTICE

We are saddened to report the abduction in St. Joseph, Minnesota, of Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year-old boy whose father is a Bahá’í. Vigorous efforts are being made to distribute posters with a photograph of Jacob.

Those who are interested in displaying posters to help locate Jacob may phone 612-363-0470.

Jacob’s disappearance in October shocked his community and led to statewide and even nationwide efforts to locate him. An article about the kidnapping and its after-effects will appear in the January issue of The American Bahá’í.

Committee on Women

Mid-year highlights from the National Committee on Women:

• Assisted the National Spiritual Assembly which had a booth and advertisements at the annual convention of the American Association of University Women in Washington, D.C.
• Continued work on a pamphlet on equality of the sexes for the general public, interest cards to be used at committee-sponsored events, a curriculum on equality for Bahá’í schools, and a humorous play focusing on the principle of sexual equality.
• Worked on developing training modules on various aspects of male-female relationships.

Robert Ramirez (right of center in white shirt and tie) conducts a session during an Assembly Development Program held in October in Wilmette, Illinois, one of a number of such events being held around the country by the National Spiritual Assembly as a part of its goal of community maturation. [Page 17]‘The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged prerequisites of peace.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‘The Promise of World Peace’

The National Committee on Women, working with a task force of local Bahá’ís, sponsored three major events in western New York state this year including an evening at the Seneca Falls Historical Society at which about 75 people heard Bobbi Oese-Siegel (pictured) of Seneca Falls and Charlene Winger-Bearskin, a Bahá’í of Iroquois descent, speak about the spiritual roots of the area’s Iroquois people and their dedication to the equality of the sexes.

The following evening more than 100 people including several local dignitaries gathered to honor women chosen for their services to the local Iroquois community, and at the third meeting, about 60 Bahá’ís met with the committee to hear Dr. Alberta Deas, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board member Mara Khavari speak of equality in terms of educational needs and the significance of sacrifice.

In May, the National Committee on Women held its second annual conference on the equality of the sexes in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a number of American Indians and Hispanics as special guests. Among the speakers was Juana Conrad (pictured here), a member of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Peace Fest ’89 was the largest and most successful of the four annual events sponsored by the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute and WLGI Radio Bahá’í. This year’s Bahá’í Peace Award was given to Dr. William F. Gibson of Greenville, chairman of the national Board of Directors of the NAACP, who is pictured accepting the award on behalf of the Institute from Dr. William Smith. Other highlights of Peace Fest ’89 included a performance by the Bahá’í Peace Orchestra, a Gospel Jubilee, talent showcase, and interfaith worship service.

1989-90 PLAN FOR ACTION

Achieving a vast increase in the number of new believers

• To hold a second series of Vision to Victory conferences.
• To assign one full-time staff position in the Office of the National Teaching Committee to the greater Atlanta, Georgia, teaching project.
• To continue efforts to achieve large-scale growth in the four project sites.
• To establish desks for the coordination and support of minority teaching projects including blacks, Chinese and Indo-Chinese, Hispanics and Native Americans, and to abolish existing committees.
• To initiate, in selected localities, projects aimed at specific populations.
• To expand efforts to engage college clubs in a campaign to eradicate racism on college campuses.
• To develop a plan to involve children in all Bahá’í teaching activities.
• To produce a pamphlet for the general public on the equality of the sexes.
• To pursue opportunities to support and to participate with the International Task Force on Literacy and to encourage grassroots initiatives and sponsorship of activities to combat illiteracy within and without the Bahá’í community.
• To develop a strategy to expand the use of “The Promise of World Peace” in proclamation and teaching activities.

Fostering the maturation of local Spiritual Assemblies

• To continue the process of simplifying the national administration and to consolidate the work of its agencies to coordinate and to speed the flow of work.
• To implement, in conjunction with the Continental Board of Counselors and their Auxiliary Board members, a program for training all local Spiritual Assemblies.
• To design a systematic procedure for assisting Spiritual Assemblies in distress, especially those in large urban areas.
• To request selected local Spiritual Assemblies to assume responsibility for a variety of special projects and services in the process of decentralizing responsibility for administering the community’s affairs.
• To publish Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies.
• To publish a statement of the Bahá’í position on drug abuse.

Increasing the Bahá’í education of children, youth and adults

• To assign to youth and adults the reading and studying of the Kitáb-i-Íqán as a personal education objective.
• To publish a study guide on the Kitáb-i-Íqán.
• To publish the letters of the Universal House of Justice (1963-1986).
• To publish a core curriculum for the Bahá’í education of children ages six through twelve years.
• To develop and implement a plan for increasing the cultural and racial diversity of the attendees at the permanent Bahá’í schools.
• To develop a plan for the establishment of a Navajoland Bahá’í School.
• To distribute, upon request, the Bahá’í education curriculum materials compiled and catalogued by the National Bahá’í Education Committee.

The Fund

• To set the operating budget at $9,500,000.
• To establish a separate Fund goal of $2 million toward completion of the Arc.
• To establish a special fund for repairs to the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.
• To allocate $30,000 to assist the National Spiritual Assemblies of Belize and the Leeward Islands to complete their property goals.
• To present a gift of $400,000 toward the repair and restoration of the Green Acre Bahá’í School.
• To increase to at least 300 the number of local Spiritual Assemblies enrolled in the Automatic Contribution System (ACS).
• To increase to 4,000 the number of individuals enrolled in the Automatic Contribution System.

[Page 18]To help educate children and youth and to strengthen family life, the Louhelen Bahá’í School held five youth conferences this summer that included sessions conducted by traveling teacher Meherangiz Munsiff (pictured); hosted a family-oriented Pioneer Training Institute; included sessions on teaching or pioneering at all summer sessions; held a teacher training conference; completed the third year of its Bahá’í children’s conference (pictured); and held week-long or weekend 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 preparing for and strengthening marriages.

House of Worship

Mid-year highlights from the Bahá’í House of Worship:

• Began a three-part fireside series that focuses on the Central Figures of the Faith and discusses candidly the Station of Bahá’u’lláh and the spiritual significance of His Revelation.
• Hosted the “Light Exchange,” a bi-monthly open discussion on a focused topic of high interest to the community such as the equality of men and women, combating racism, and the nature and reality of the soul.
• Formed a Children’s Program Committee to ensure that children and youth are included in celebrations of Holy Days and special events at the House of Worship.
• Held monthly study classes that were recently bolstered by the addition of two more teachers.
• Hosted two Special Visit programs, with several Canadians taking part in the second one.
• Held monthly programs based on “The Promise of World Peace” planned by the Bahá’í community of Wilmette and featuring speakers prominent in such areas as teaching and administration.
• Welcomed at least 104,000 visitors from all over the world including increasing numbers from Russia, India, Pakistan, China and Spanish-speaking countries. Since April, 615 interest cards have been filled out by visitors.

In October the Atlanta Bahá’í Youth Workshop performed at Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Due to a perceived racial incident at the school the previous week, the Workshop was asked by school officials to expand its presentation to include the entire student body. The performance was well-received at four student assemblies, and during the two remaining class periods Workshop members held question-and-answer sessions for those who wished to discuss racial issues. That evening 10 students attended a fireside in Alpharetta.

Indiana: making friends with Chinese students

Continuing efforts that began in October 1988, Bahá’ís at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, are establishing bonds of friendship with Chinese students at the school.

In July the Purdue Bahá’í Club and the local Chinese Association co-sponsored a potluck dinner and fireside in connection with a second showing at the school of “The Sights and Sounds of China,” a video made by a Bahá’í, Jene Bellows, during a visit to China in 1988. More than 90 people (including about 60 Chinese) attended the slide program, while more than 50 (half of whom were Chinese) attended the dinner.

As a result of these activities, says a report from Barry Shapiro of the Bahá’í Club, “a change of spirit” has been sensed by the friends “including a heightened desire to teach all strata of society and increased love and unity” among the friends.

Five adult Hmong (Cambodian) refugees recently declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh in San Diego, California, including the father, mother and brother of a Hmong Bahá’í medical student, Chue Chang (back row center). They were taught the Faith by Mrs. Tayyabeh Nour (standing at left), a local Persian Bahá’í who has been helping Hmong refugees in the area for the past seven years while teaching them and their families the Faith. Mr. Chang is chairman/general manager of the Hmong New Year Organizing Committee, which expected 30,000 to 45,000 people to take part in that annual event this month. [Page 19]

Pioneer settlement

As we stand at the mid-point of this Bahá’í year and look toward the Six Year Plan goal of achieving ‘a vast increase in the number of new believers,’ the Office of Pioneering is happy to report that, to date, 417 pioneers have settled abroad, completing 49 of our 77 long-term goals for the Plan. Also, 135 traveling teachers have undertaken 321 trips to help with the all-important teaching work all over the globe. These friends have expressed their commitment to Bahá’u’lláh by bringing His healing Message to 70 countries in at least 14 different languages, with more than a dozen traveling to Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China.

CARIBBEAN AREA

Bahamas	Martinique
Barbados	Puerto Rico
Dominica	St. Lucia
Grenada	St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Guadeloupe	Trinidad & Tobago
Jamaica	Virgin Islands, British
Leeward Is.

Bahá’ís from Brookhaven, New York, have taken part recently in a series of public events promoting the idea of peace through use of what is called a ‘peace quilt.’ A large bedsheet forms the base of the quilt; people are encouraged to express their ideas about peace on pre-cut pieces of fabric using magic markers. The patches are then glued to the sheet, forming a quilt. Two collages are placed near the quilt, one expressing the ‘old world order’ and the other depicting the Faith and its new World Order. During a ‘Youth Day Fair’ the quilt was so successful that the Town Supervisor demanded that it be shown in a public place. A formal presentation was made to town officials, and the quilt is now on display in the town board room. The idea of the ‘peace quilt’ was originated by the Bahá’í Club at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst where it has received a great deal of support from students and faculty.

Sponsors sought for Asian refugees

The U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office (USBRO) has been directed by the National Spiritual Assembly to locate Bahá’ís in the U.S. who are interested in sponsoring Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees.

There are hundreds of Bahá’ís including many children at refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border. Due to the recent turmoil in the region, these believers face forcible repatriation to Cambodia unless sponsors can be found. At this time, USBRO is updating its list of individual Bahá’ís and local Spiritual Assemblies who would like to be considered for sponsorship of Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees. This will assure that there are Bahá’í sponsors waiting if and when Bahá’í refugees from Southeast Asia are allowed to resettle in the U.S.

Individuals and local Spiritual Assemblies who are interested in sponsoring Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees in the U.S. are urged to contact the USBRO as soon as possible. You may phone 708-869-9039, ext. 217, or write to: USBRO, c/o Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Race Unity Committee

Mid-year highlights from the National Race Unity Committee:

• Took part in October in the National Urban League’s 33rd annual Equal Opportunity Day dinner in New York City.
• Worked with a committee of Bahá’ís in the Washington, D.C., area on a series of firesides for civic activists who have shown an interest in the Faith.
• Completed a module on “Celebrating Diversity” for the Assembly Development Program, and neared completion on an index and study guide for “The Power of Unity.”

‘Racism, one of the most baneful and persistent evils, is a major barrier to peace. Its practice perpetrates too outrageous a violation of the dignity of human beings to be countenanced under any pretext.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‘The Promise of World Peace’ [Page 20]

Special Issue: mid-year highlights

Pictured are Bahá’ís who took part in October in the annual Gaithersburg (Maryland) parade. Bahá’í participation was organized by the local teaching committee of Montgomery County West.

La medida completa

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• el aumento rápido del número de “teaching institutes” o “core groups” ahora estimados en 400, juntando a los creyentes para oraciones, el estudio de las Escrituras y actividades de enseñanza;
• el crecimiento en el número de creyentes Indo-Chinos en varias regiones de la comunidad nacional;
• los informes estimulantes del crecimiento constante en Greater Atlanta, Phoenix, Portland y San José;
• el exitoso lanzamiento del programa de desarrollo de Asambleas Espirituales;
• el aumento significante de los esfuerzos, por toda la comunidad, para promover la unidad de las razas y la igualdad de los sexos;
• el crecimiento consistente en la calidad y la magnitud de los programas en las 5 permanentes y 38 temporales escuelas Bahá’í, 2 institutos y más de 400 escuelas Bahá’í para niños, jóvenes y adultos; y
• la respuesta animadora de un número creciente de los amigos a los requerimientos del Fondo Nacional que indica una firmeza creciente en el Convenio entre los creyentes y reafirma nuestra confianza en la resolución intensificada de la comunidad para tomar la ofensiva en construir el Reino de Dios sobre la tierra.

Reconocemos el carácter ambicioso de nuestras metas, y apreciamos las extensas actividades sostenidas por los amigos en toda la comunidad. Nos ‎compela compele‎, sin embargo, decir una palabra sobre la misión conferida a la comunidad Bahá’í americana en el Plan Divino de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, especialmente en este tiempo cuando las señales del arruinamiento ‎acelerando acelerado‎ del orden existente, específicamente ‎predichos predichas‎ por el querido Guardián, son tan evidentes.

Es necesario levantar nuestra vista. Nuestras metas, aunque ambiciosas, solamente son pasos en el camino hacia nuestro desafío inmediato es ganar la entrada de tropas, nuestra misión fundamental es infundir una vida espiritual nueva en el alma decaída de ‎ésta esta‎ nación. Aun cuando continuamos progresando en las áreas de unidad racial, igualdad de los sexos y educación Bahá’í, nuestro propósito básico es el establecimiento de nuevos modelos de vida. Mientras luchamos para alcanzar los presupuestos anuales, nuestra meta final debe ser nada menos que contribuir una porción mayor de los $300 millones necesarios para completar el Arco en Monte Carmelo, el refugio espiritual para la humanidad. Nuestro desafío verdadero es una prueba de fe y de voluntad. Resolvámonos todos poner nuestra fe en la mano guía de Bahá’u’lláh y llenarnos de confianza con estas palabras de convicción de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

“La medida completa de su éxito aún no está revelada, su significación no comprendida. Dentro de poco ‎atestiguarais atestiguaréis‎ con vuestros propios ojos cuan refulgente cada uno, tal como una estrella brillante, radiará en el firmamento de su país, la luz de la guía divina, y conferiréis a vuestro pueblo la vida eterna. ...”

En este momento crucial en la historia humana, particularmente llamamos a los creyentes individuos, descritos por el querido Maestro como “apóstoles de Bahá’u’lláh.” El éxito de esta empresa depende de vosotros, más que de cualquier institución o agencia de la Fe. Cualquier habilidad que poseáis, cualquier recurso que tengáis para contribuir, grande o pequeño, hecho en casa o profesional, ahora es el tiempo para elevaros en esfuerzo sacrificado. La perfección del alma humana no sucede en aislamiento, sino mientras el individuo participa en el proceso de servir a su Señor. Mientras consagráis vuestras vidas al servicio de Su Causa y al adelanto de la civilización, vuestra relación con Bahá’u’lláh se tornará más fuerte. Vuestras almas serán refinadas y vuestra capacidad desarrollada para rendir un mayor servicio. El progreso de la Fe y el movimiento del pueblo humano hacia su propia salvación, depende en grande parte de vuestros esfuerzos como individuos Bahá’ís. Nuestras oraciones que las bendiciones de Bahá’u’lláh os ‎guien guíen‎ y protejan están siempre con vosotros.

“Mis pensamientos se vuelven hacia vosotros y mi corazón salta dentro de mí con vuestra mención. Si pudierais saber como mi alma arde con vuestro amor, una felicidad tan grande inundaría vuestros corazones como para causar que os ‎querais queráis‎ unos a otros.” —‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Con nuestro amor más profundo y aprecio por todo cuanto ‎habeis habéis‎ hecho,

Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de los Estados Unidos Diciembre 1989

MOVING? TELL US YOUR NEW ADDRESS

To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving your copy of The American Bahá’í, send your new address and your mailing label to MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, as soon as you know where you are going to move and what your new address will be.

This form may be used for one person or your entire family. Please be sure to list FULL NAMES and I.D. NUMBERS for all individuals, ages 15 years or older, who will be affected by this change.

A. ID# / Title / Full name—Please DO NOT use nicknames 1. 2. 3. 4.

B—NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS: House/Space #, Street or Description City / State / Zip

C—NEW MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box or other Mailing Address City / State / Zip

D—NEW COMMUNITY: Name of new Bahá’í community / Moving date

E—HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER: Area Code / Number

F—WORK TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Please indicate in the right-hand space whose work numbers these are. Area Code / Number / Name Area Code / Number / Name

G We receive extra copies because: [ ] we do not have the same last name. We do not want extra copies, so please cancel the copy for the person(s) whose name(s) and I.D. number(s) are listed above. [ ] the last names and addresses on our address labels do not match exactly. We have listed above the full names of all family members as they should appear on the national records, their I.D. numbers, and the corrections so that we will receive only one copy. [ ] Our household receives only one copy of The American Bahá’í. I wish to receive my own copy as well, and have listed my name, I.D. number and address above so that I may be put on the mailing list to receive my own copy.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID WILMETTE, IL. PERMIT NO. 479

BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CENTER 112 Linden Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091

Atlanta: annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade

Bahá’ís in the Atlanta area hope to have a record turnout of the friends from all over the U.S. at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. march and parade, which will be nationally and internationally televised. This year’s event will be held January 15, which coincides with the 61st anniversary of Dr. King’s birth.

If you are able to attend, please phone the parade coordinator, Paulette Trail, 404-238-5591, or the Atlanta Bahá’í Task Force, 404-250-0721.

‘World order can be founded only on an unshakable consciousness of the oneness of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the human sciences confirm.’—The Universal House of Justice, ‘The Promise of World Peace’