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The American Bahá’í

Volume 21, No. 10 ‘The real treasury of man is his knowledge.’ —Bahá’u’lláh October 1991

Price reductions due for World Congress hotel, airline package

As promised in the World Congress registration materials distributed in April, negotiations have begun with hotels and airlines to reduce the prices originally quoted and published in the price list that accompanied the registration packet.

The ability to do this has been a direct result of the response from so many of the friends in registering promptly.

The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to announce that substantial reductions have been made and a new, adjusted price list will soon be published.

For the friends who have already sent in their deposits, this adjustment will be made on the final invoice, and for those who have sent in full payment, a refund will be made.

The Universal House of Justice has made the World Congress Logistics Office the official agent for travel and hotel arrangements for the World Congress. The National Assembly encourages the friends to avail themselves of this opportunity to demonstrate unity of action while carrying out the wishes of the Universal House of Justice.

Experienced Bahá’í professionals, working with hundreds of volunteers, have undertaken to anticipate and satisfy the needs of the friends from every corner of the globe.

The nature of the World Congress itself will be quite different from what is commonly expected by those who attend large Bahá’í gatherings. The solemnity and spiritual significance of the occasion will contrast sharply with the atmosphere of high sociability and celebration so often associated with Bahá’í events.

Therefore, a different level of preparation is needed for those who will be privileged to attend the World Congress. Although friendship and conviviality are always a hallmark of Bahá’í convocations, the “...exquisite celebratory joy” promised by this Congress anticipates the addition of an uncommon measure of reflection and spiritual investment on the part of the attendees.

Careful preparations are being made for us in the City of the Covenant, both by the Bahá’ís and by those who will be our hosts. The city will know about us and will expect us to prove our beliefs.

We have the potential to make of our presence in New York a pivotal change in...

See CONGRESS page 15

Expansion strategy moves forward at National Conference on Growth

Teaching work reviewed, new plans made

By KEN BOWERS

Bahá’ís from across the country met over the Labor Day weekend in Lincolnwood, Illinois, for a productive, down-to-business-style consultation on teaching.

The Conference on Growth, sponsored by the National Teaching Committee, marked an important step forward in a nationwide dialogue designed to accelerate and sustain the process of expansion called for by the Universal House of Justice in its goals for the Six Year Plan and beyond.

The 180 believers who attended mirrored the remarkable diversity of the American Bahá’í community. A special feature of the event was the large representation of youth, who made an invaluable contribution to the discussions. Also present were National Spiritual Assembly member Jack McCants, several Auxiliary Board members, and the members of the National Teaching Committee and the Chinese Teaching Committee.

The purpose of the gathering was to assess frankly the present state of the teaching work, and then to develop a plan that would build upon and enhance what has already been achieved.

Mr. McCants set the tone for the consultation in his keynote address on the first evening of the conference:

“The growth in the Fund shows that we have many mature believers in the country. We have what it takes to bring new people into the Faith. We know it.

“Even if only one percent of the people were ready to hear and accept the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, then we should have two and a half million believers in America right now. That gives us an idea of what we still need to do.

“The key is consultation, which is the purpose of this conference: to see how we are going to go about it.”

Mr. McCants pointed out that the “series of events” spoken of by the House of Justice, which will be “possibly catastrophic in nature,” and which will take place in the near future, will offer the Bahá’ís a succession of wonderful opportunities for teaching. The challenge for us is to already be actively engaged in promoting the Cause of God.

Participants in the National Teaching Committee’s Conference on Growth consult on some of the issues raised during the weekend of intensive consultation in Wilmette and Lincolnwood, Illinois.

“If we read all the Bahá’í books and fail to teach, it doesn’t amount to anything. It’s like reading articles about exercise and then sitting around the house. Bahá’u’lláh in all His writings tells us to arise!”

In closing, Mr. McCants reminded the friends of the true motivation behind the teaching work:

“It is not merely a matter of numbers. It is a matter of the pain and suffering in this world. We need enough people in the Faith to provide a model for the rest of mankind to see and emulate.”

The next morning Reynaldo Cruz, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, presented and defined the specific issues for consultation. As a further stimulus for discussion, he then invited Paul Lample to share his insights on teaching.

Mr. Lample is working with the National Teaching Committee on a number of projects, and is closely involved with the teaching in Okeechobee, Florida, one of the country’s most promising centers of activity.

Mr. Lample stressed the importance of consultation as an agent for unity of thought and action in a community, but also noted that “it is the individual who must ultimately decide for himself to make the effort to teach.”

Bahá’u’lláh, he said, delegated leadership to all the believers, with the guidance of the “learned,” such as the Auxiliary Board, and under the authority of the “rulers,” the local and national assemblies. But true power, he said, “rests with the individual—until the individual arises, nothing ever happens.

“All Bahá’ís,” he continued, “desire spiritual progress for themselves. But that will never come about if we put our own development first. It can only happen when we put service to Bahá’u’lláh at the center of our hearts.”

Mr. Lample also observed that, although mature and systematic planning is important in teaching, the friends should be ready to adapt to changing circumstances. But we should approach our teaching “not like architects working from immutable blueprints,” he said, “but like football coaches whose strategy develops as the game pro-

See GROWTH page 9

Growth in Bahá’í Funds Progress reflects spiritual growth 3

Faith Takes Role in UN Meeting on Education Conference sets forth four-point plan of action 10

Young Ideas at Standing Rock Youth teach in month-long effort to reach Indian people 2

Elbow Lab New Hope for Adults, Children Literacy training boon to Georgia community 5

Association for Bahá’í Studies Conference 16th annual event held at University of Victoria 15

[Page 2]

Traveling teacher stimulates teaching work among Chinese

In a space of five months, from February through June of this year, Farzam Kamalabadi, traveling on behalf of the National Chinese Teaching Committee, visited 33 university communities in 17 states, encouraging the work of reaching students and scholars from China who are presently in the United States.

The teaching tour was inspired by a communication from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly about the large number of scholars from the People's Republic of China at institutions of higher learning in the U.S. It is estimated that the number now exceeds 50,000.

The communication suggested that "a special effort be mounted now to take the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to these scholars and to present it to them in a manner that will suit their particular temperament and meet their particular interests," and called for "qualified volunteers... who can devote full time to visiting the various university campuses on a systematic basis to ensure that constant attention is given to this vital challenge." (March 28, 1990)

The tour featured Mr. Kamalabadi as a lecturer speaking in Chinese on the topic "The Future of China in a New World Order."

Many of the lectures were sponsored not by the Bahá’ís but by university associations of Chinese scholars and students who expressed an interest in continued study of the ideas presented.

Bahá’í youth in month-long teaching project at Standing Rock Indian Reservation

Ten Bahá’í youth from the United States and Canada gathered in South Dakota this summer for a unique month-long teaching project at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

The aim of the program was to promote the Faith through service to the Lakota Indians who live on the Reservation. The occasion also provided unusual opportunities for the youth to learn about Lakota values and culture.

The idea for the project came from one of the youth who took part in it. Sixteen-year-old Kimi Locke is a resident of Standing Rock, the daughter of Bahá’ís Kevin and Dorothy Locke. She is relatively isolated from other Bahá’ís her age, and for a long time had felt the need for more association with them. Her classmates at school knew she was a Bahá’í, but many did not understand the principles by which she tried to live. There were some who criticized her for not being more involved in activities that were incompatible with her beliefs.

"I thought it would be good to invite other Bahá’í youth to the Reservation for a teaching project," says Miss Locke. "That way my friends and neighbors could learn more about my religion, and I would have the chance to become strengthened through fellowship with other young Bahá’ís."

The adult Bahá’ís in her community responded enthusiastically to the idea. A planning committee was formed and the necessary arrangements were made over the course of several months. During the entire process the thoughts and suggestions of Miss Locke and other youth were taken into consideration.

The planners decided early on that the best way to teach the Bahá’í Faith on the Reservation would be by setting an example of service to the community. Many religious groups had come through over the years, the majority of which had ended up taking advantage of the locals, either deliberately or through well-intentioned but misguided behavior.

For that reason they chose to invite youth to Standing Rock who were deepened in their understanding of Bahá’í laws and teachings. These young people would take part in the life of the Reservation through a number of service projects, showing by their actions that they were people of pure motives and high ideals. They would, in turn, avail themselves of the occasion to learn from the people about Lakota traditions and beliefs.

The best opportunities for teaching came at the powwows that were held on the Reservation during the project. The youth served at several of these Lakota gatherings by picking up trash and helping with setup. For one such occasion they helped butcher and cook a buffalo. At another time they prepared food for 700 powwow participants.

The young Bahá’ís were invited by the organizers of the Sun Dance to take part in that important religious event.

The Sun Dance is a four-day ceremony at which prayers are offered by the Lakota people for peace and understanding among all nations. A great deal of emphasis is placed on reverence, spirituality and respect for tradition. It was therefore a significant honor for the Bahá’ís to have been included.

The youth rose to the occasion, helping to build sweat lodges and a bowery of branches and trees. They also gathered sage, a crucial element in the ceremony, at the request of the leaders of the event.

The Sun Dance offered to the non-Indian youth a rare, first-hand glimpse of Lakota culture. They valued the chance to learn about a way of life so different from their own. So profound was the experience that many of them considered it the highlight of the project.

Adults were impressed by the spirit of service shown by the Bahá’ís on so many occasions. They appreciated the open-minded way in which the young people accepted and adapted to Lakota ways, and noted the exemplary relationship that existed.

Pioneers in health care field needed in Gillette, Wyoming

The National Teaching Committee is publishing a series of articles to encourage and facilitate homefront pioneering and traveling teaching to various Bahá’í communities. Assemblies, Bahá’í Groups, or District Teaching Committees that are interested in receiving traveling teachers or homefront pioneers may send to the National Teaching Committee for its consideration such information as provided below:

HOMEFRONT PIONEERS: Psychiatrists, general practitioners, internists, nurse practitioners, and others in the health field are desperately needed at Campbell County Memorial Hospital in Gillette, Wyoming. The National Teaching Committee is encouraging Bahá’ís in the health field to consider Gillette as a homefront pioneering post.

Gillette (pop. 25,000) is located in the northeastern part of Wyoming, two hours away from Rapid City, South Dakota, and Casper, Wyoming. It is one hour from the Bighorn Mountains and one hour from the Black Hills, which provide splendid scenery with no heavy traffic or pollution to mar the view. One can expect severe weather for a short period of time during the winter, and heat waves in the summer, but with little humidity.

Wyoming has the lowest property tax in the country, no state income tax, and only a four percent sales tax. Housing is both available and relatively affordable. The average cost of a 3-4 bedroom house is $50,000-$70,000. Houses rent from $400-$500 per month, and 1-2 bedroom apartments are available from $200-$400 per month.

In addition to an excellent K-12 public school system, Gillette has a two-year college and a superb pre-school/day-care center. Recreation and entertainment facilities include a Performing Arts Center, a Recreation and Aquatic Center, and two golf courses. Opportunities to hike, fish, and engage in other outside activities are readily available in the area.

While a car is usually necessary for getting around in Gillette, the city has a taxi service and a special bus service for the elderly and handicapped. Gillette also has a commercial airport and inter-city bus service.

The Bahá’í community of Gillette is small, with only four adult believers. They would greatly appreciate the company of homefront pioneers and look forward to their help in building a strong Bahá’í community with a local Spiritual Assembly. For more information, please contact Nancy Moore, 307-746-4932.

TRAVELING TEACHERS: The Bahá’ís of Woodburn, Oregon (near Portland), who have been experiencing a steady stream of new believers that may lead to entry by troops, would like help in deepening and helping more than 100 new believers to become steadfast teachers for the Cause. Traveling teachers who speak Spanish or who could assist with English as a Second Language classes are especially needed, but others are welcomed too. For more information, please call David House, 503-678-1085. [Page 3]

Fund growth reflects our spiritual progress

“The continent of America,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide, and the free assemble.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 6)

“The American people are indeed worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of the Great Peace, and proclaim the oneness of mankind. ...For America hath developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations. ...The American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world, and be blest in both the East and the West for the triumph of its people. ...It will lead all nations spiritually.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 85-86)

“The range of your future achievements still remains undisclosed. I fervently hope that in the near future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your achievements. The hope, therefore, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cherishes for you is that the same success which has attended your efforts in America may crown your endeavors in other parts of the world, that through you the fame of the Cause of God may be diffused throughout the East and the West, and the advent of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts be proclaimed in all the five continents of the globe.” “The moment,” He most significantly adds, “this Divine Message is carried forward by the American believers from the shores of America, and is propagated throughout the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa, and of Australasia, and as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community will find itself securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion. Then will all the peoples of the world witness that this community is spiritually illumined and divinely guided. Then will the whole earth resound with the praises of its majesty and greatness.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 73-74)

Such words as these have been used by the Central Figures of our Faith to describe the powers and responsibilities of the American nation and of this Bahá’í community.

Speaking of our immediate challenges, the Universal House of Justice wrote just one year ago, saying: “We are confident that the members of the much-loved American Bahá’í community, the champion-builders of the embryonic World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, will arise with inflexible determination and exemplary self-sacrifice to meet the challenge placed before them.”

It is against the background of such statements that we should view the current record of our giving to the Funds of the Faith. It is these spiritual truths that make the numbers important.

And what is the picture that emerges? It is one of the giant who has begun to exert his great strength, in this case the spiritual giant that is our community. Some of the highlights shared with the District Conventions are:

• Last year, contributions to the major Funds and estate bequests totaled $15,595,000, an unsurpassed record that reflected a 37 percent increase over the prior year’s total.
• This total included an unprecedented $8.7 million in contributions to the Bahá’í International Fund and the Arc Fund.
• Contributions and bequests at the end of the first quarter of this year totaled $3,168,000, down 5 percent from last year but still 44 percent ahead of the first quarter of ’89 (see accompanying graph).
• New National Bahá’í Fund goals have been suggested to an additional 275 local Spiritual Assemblies who did not have the opportunity to take part last year in this important program.
• The $50 million initial reserve for the Arc Projects was completed in March ’91; the American Bahá’í community played a key role in this victory.

Attention must now turn to providing the $20 million yearly income the Universal House of Justice requested in its 1987 Arc message.

The National Spiritual Assembly’s commitment is to help the community provide $10-12 million each year to the Universal House of Justice until the Arc is completed; based on austere national budgets of $12-14 million each year, this commitment indicates the need for annual goals of at least $25 million for the remainder of the decade.

In 1988, the largest program of Temple restoration in the community’s history began. To date, these targets have successfully been met:

• A comprehensive program of external cleaning, which included research on, and implementation of, the first systematic program of yearly exterior cleaning and maintenance;
• completion of the replacement of the monumental entrance stairs at a total cost of $342,000;
• satellite laser mapping of all interior and exterior surfaces and testing of computerized maps for conversion into molds for ornamental concrete work, as a means of ensuring that future repairs will duplicate the building’s original appearance; and
• initiation of the structural and ornamental restoration of the base of the dome, a 2-3 year process whose estimated cost is $3.5 million.

Restoration of the Sarah Farmer Inn is approximately 65 percent complete, and has cost nearly $1.1 million to date; together with major repairs to other structures at Green Acre, this progress makes possible limited year-round operation of the school.

In these and many other areas, the pace of activity and achievement is increasing. The National Spiritual Assembly is confident that the “Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh,” as our loving Master called us, will exert every effort to carry forward the Cause of God.

COMING IN NOVEMBER: The corrected version of the 1991 Honor Roll

Quarterly Contributions - 7/89 to 7/91

(The graph displays quarterly contribution levels for the International, Arc, and National funds from the first quarter of 1989 through the first quarter of 1991. The y-axis shows dollar amounts from $1,000 to $5,000.)

THE FUNDS

Town Meetings provide chance for consultation on wide variety of issues

To date, 53 Town Meetings have been held in 20 states at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly and in cooperation with local Spiritual Assemblies.

Attendance has ranged between 20 and 250 believers, who have actively consulted with National Assembly representatives on a wide range of issues related to the progress of the Faith.

Recently, questions raised by the attendees have centered on the World Congress, the Law of Huqúqu’lláh, the teaching work, and policies and practices for raising funds at the local level.

These useful meetings have provided the National Spiritual Assembly with important information for use in its own consultation, and reports of these consultations are studied by many of the Assembly’s agencies.

In upcoming months, meetings are being scheduled for Arizona, New Mexico, California, Colorado and Massachusetts. Be sure to attend the meeting nearest you!

Standing Rock

from page 2

‎isted existed‎ between the youth and their adult supervisors.

Many younger people who observed them were fascinated as well. The Bahá’í’s were a group who did not have to turn to alcohol or drugs to have fun. Moreover, they led moral lives that won them the respect of their elders. Those who thought similarly learned that they had nothing to be ashamed of. Four youth asked to join them, associating closely with the Bahá’í’s until the end of the project.

The youth learned much about teaching the Faith through their experiences. Just as importantly, they gained a better appreciation of the Bahá’í way of life by working together toward a common purpose.

“They got a real-life lesson in cooperation and consultation,” said one of the parents who observed the project. “The young men and women ranged in age from 15 to 17, and were of various cultural backgrounds. Most of them had never met each other before.

“They camped out together for an entire month. It was their responsibility to set up and break camp, and to prepare the meals. On top of that they were out teaching the Faith every day.”

Differences in age, culture and perspective inevitably surfaced. The desire to serve the Faith, however, helped to overcome such problems.

“They faced the challenge head on,” the parent said. “By doing so, a greater sense of community was built up. They learned that situations which cause tension need not be disunifying. If worked through with maturity the result can be greater unity than ever. That is something we should all realize.

Use of photographs of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in media is discouraged

Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice have strongly urged the Bahá’í’s to treat photographs of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the utmost respect and dignity. The House of Justice has stated that photographs of the Master “should not be used indiscriminately.”

The National Spiritual Assembly discourages the use of portraits or photographs of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in contacts with the media, especially with newspapers. The seven Houses of Worship are appropriate photographs for publicity.

The Guardian and the Universal House of Justice have stated that the Greatest Name and Bahá’í ringstone symbol (a form of the Greatest Name) should not be used in publicity photos or in contacts with the news media.

Voting rights removed

At its meeting in July, the National Spiritual Assembly voted to remove the administrative rights of __________ of Los Angeles, California, for his knowing violation of the Bahá’í standards of morality. __________ is also prohibited from attending any Bahá’í conferences. [Page 4]

SHORT-TERM PIONEER GOALS

AFRICA	Goals (months)	Months Completed
Ciskei	24	2
Guinea-Bissau	12	0
Liberia	12	0
Nigeria	12	0
Tanzania	36	8
Uganda	24	0
Zambia	24	34
Totals	144	44
AMERICAS
Argentina	24	0
Bahamas	12	7
Barbados	12	0
Brazil	24	0
British V.I.	12	0
Colombia	24	0
Dominica	12	0
Ecuador	12	12
Guyana	24	34
Honduras	24	14
Jamaica	24	3
Leeward Islands	12	9
Martinique	12	0
Mexico	36	42
Nicaragua	24	2
Panama	36	15
Paraguay	24	0
Puerto Rico	12	3
Uruguay	24	0
Venezuela	12	12
Totals	396	153
ASIA
India	24	11
Japan	24	0
Pakistan	12	0
Taiwan	36	20
Totals	96	31
AUSTRALASIA
Mariana Islands	24	0
Marshall Islands	12	0
W. Caroline Islands	12	4
Totals	48	4
EUROPE
Portugal	24	0

Pioneer Institutes provide perspective on service to enhance one’s happiness

For the friends who have committed to serving Bahá’u’lláh as pioneers, we cordially invite you to contact the Office of Pioneering regarding your interest in attending one of the upcoming Pioneer Institutes. The Pioneer Institute will provide you with the skills and a perspective on service that will enhance your ability to be happy and effective at your post. Your success as a pioneer will be in direct proportion to your spiritual and practical preparation. The Institutes also provide workshops for returned pioneers, responding to the re-entry concerns of these friends, their families and their communities.

October 25-27—Green Acre Bahá’í School, Eliot, Maine

January 17-19, 1992—Bosch Bahá’í School, Santa Cruz, California

Spring 1992—Bahá’í National Center, Evanston, Illinois

For more information, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 or telephone 708-869-9039.

TRAVELING TEACHERS

Area / Country	Goal	Filled
Ukraine	100	157
Kazakhstan	6	5
USSR (Other Republics)	150	222
Bulgaria	5	3
Czechoslovakia	30	21
DDR/East Germany	10	4
Hungary	35	12
Poland	15	8
Romania	10	9
Yugoslavia	40	9
Mongolia	4	2
China	35	77
Totals	440	529

TWO-YEAR PLAN U.S. GOALS

SHORT-TERM PIONEERS	Goal	Open Goals	LONG-TERM PIONEERS	Goal	Open Goals
Bulgaria	2	1	Bulgaria	1	1
Czechoslovakia	4	2	Czechoslovakia	4	0
DDR/East Germany	2	2	DDR/East Germany	2	0
Hungary	2	2	Hungary	2	0
Poland	2	2	Poland	1	0
Romania	1	0	Romania	1	0
USSR			USSR
Ukraine	4	0	Ukraine	2	0
Kazakhstan	2	1	Kazakhstan	2	2
Other Republics	4	3	Other Republics	2	0
Yugoslavia	4	4	Yugoslavia	2	1
Mongolia	1	1	China	2	0
China	4	2	Totals	21	4
Totals	32	20

Pioneers Sent .......................................................................................................................... 67

Front-page newspaper article profiles Bahá’í community in Syracuse

The Bahá’ís of Syracuse, New York, were profiled in a front-page article August 5 in the Syracuse Herald Journal.

The article, headlined “Openness Hallmark of Bahá’ís,” described the great ethnic diversity of the believers and the Faith’s willingness to embrace the whole of humanity, touched on the history of the Faith and the Mission of Bahá’u’lláh, and outlined its basic teachings.

ONGOING TRAVELING TEACHING

Barbados; Bophuthatswana; Brazil; Burundi; Canada, Native and Chinese Teaching; Chad; Ciskei; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Eastern Caroline Islands; East Leeward Islands, H. Amadiyyeh youth teaching; Fiji; Gabon; Haiti; Hong Kong; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Malaysia; Martinique; Mauritius; Mexico; New Zealand; Pakistan; Republic of Benin; Singapore; South Africa; Taiwan; Tonga; Uganda; United Kingdom; Venezuela; West Leeward Islands, H. Amadiyyeh youth teaching project needs long-term traveling teachers, short-term pioneers, youth year of service volunteers; Yucatan. For more information, contact: Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

CURRENT U.S. PIONEERING GOALS

AFRICA	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(F) Burundi	1	0
(E) Ciskei	2	0
(E) The Gambia (Preferably Persians)	2	0
(E) Kenya (Preferably Outside Nairobi)	1	0
(E) Nigeria	3	0
(E) Sierra Leone	2	0
(E) South Africa	2	0
(E) St. Helena	2	1
(E) Namibia	2	0
(E) Transkei	2	0
(E) Uganda (One to teach the Faith in the university; one doctor)	2	0
(E) Venda	2	1
Total for Africa	23	2

AMERICAS	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(E) Bahamas (North Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island, Long Island)	3	0
(E) Barbados (Employment opportunities for a dentist)	1	0
(E) Belize (For radio, consolidation, development projects; skills for the National Secretariat)	1	0
(P) Brazil (Preferably for Amazon project, possibly of Persian background)	2	0
(S) Chile (Juan Fernandez Islands, preferably a Spanish-speaking couple)	2	2
(E) Dominica	2	1
(F) French Guiana (Preferably Persian)	3	3
(E) Grenada	2	0
(F) Guadeloupe (Opportunities for English teachers)	2	2
(E) Guyana (Preferably East Indians and Blacks)	2	0
(S) Honduras (Bay Islands, Yoro, Colon; preferably self-supporting)	2	1

AMERICAS - Continued	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(E) Jamaica (Preferably self-supporting for rural areas to work in village development)	4	0
(F) Martinique (French-speaking youth to enroll in university or with musical talent)	1	0
(S) Nicaragua (Preferably Persian)	2	0
(E) St. Lucia (Skills in community consolidation)	4	0
(E) St. Vincent & Grenadines	2	0
(D) Suriname (Preferably Persian)	2	2
(E) Trinidad & Tobago (Preferably Persian)	2	0
(S) Uruguay	2	0
(S) Venezuela	2	0
(E) Virgin Islands, British	2	0
Total for Americas	45	11

ASIA	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(E) India	2	0
(E) Malaysia (To help develop public relations experts)	1	0
(E) Nepal	2	0
(M) Taiwan (Chinese Background)	1	0
Total for Asia	6	0

AUSTRALASIA	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(E) Marshall Islands (To help with administration)	1	0
‎Total for Americas Total for Australasia‎	1	0

EUROPE	Goals Assigned	Open Goals
(P) Portugal (Couples for goal areas outside greater Lisbon, preferably Portuguese or Spanish-speaking)	2	0
Total for Europe	2	0

Total goals assigned ........................ 77	Pioneers to goal countries .................. 229	Pioneers filling goals for other countries .. 12
Total goals filled .............................. 64	Pioneers to non-goals .......................... 403	Total Pioneers sent ................................ 644

Language Key: (E) English (D) Dutch (F) French (M) Mandarin (P) Portuguese (S) Spanish [Page 5]

Bahá’ís in Griffin ‘reach out’ through Elbow Learning Lab

By KEN BOWERS

The Elbow Learning Lab of Griffin, Georgia, was founded in July 1990 as a response to the goal of the Six Year Plan for greater constructive involvement on the part of Bahá’ís in the life of their communities.

Offering free literacy instruction to adults and children, the Lab has been cited for its innovations and was hailed at Georgia’s Adult Literacy Symposium last April as a model for the state by the Assistant Commissioner for Adult Education and Literacy.

The program offers a successful example to Bahá’ís in other areas who are interested in undertaking long-term service projects.

Bahá’ís Clarence and Merle DuBois moved to Griffin with their daughter Louise in October 1989 as homefront pioneers. Their experiences in nearby Lawrenceville had led them to conclude that their efforts to spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh might be more successful if they were to live in the same area as the people whom they planned to teach; that is, in the poorer part of town.

“The less affluent people of Griffin had shown great receptivity to the teachings,” says Mr. DuBois. “But there were no experienced ‎Bahá’is Bahá’ís‎ living in their neighborhoods who could provide ongoing spiritual support and help organize activities.”

The DuBois thought that the best way to demonstrate the Bahá’í spirit of friendship would be to settle down among these people and become part of their world. So instead of moving into another middle-class home like the one they had just sold, they put most of their belongings in storage and rented a one-bedroom duplex in the heart of their target area.

It was not long before the DuBois began to see the need on the part of many of their new neighbors for an easily available and economically feasible program of literacy instruction. Most of the adults were uneducated, and consequently, either unemployed or underemployed. Many children were also poorly trained in basic reading skills, which hampered their performance in all school subjects.

Realizing that an important goal of the Six Year Plan was the establishment of tutorial projects, and recalling the support expressed by the Universal House of Justice for the United Nations Declaration of 1990 as International Literacy Year, the DuBois began to explore ways in which they might be able to fill that need in their community.

Mr. DuBois, himself a literacy instructor at Griffin Technical Institute, sought the help of a neighbor who was a teacher in the Griffin-Spalding County school system. Together they came up with a plan for a summer reading program for children and presented the idea to others in the neighborhood. Several parents indicated that they would like their children to attend.

Needing no further encouragement, the DuBois rented a duplex a few houses down from their old one. They set up housekeeping on one side and used the other for the new literacy school which opened in July 1990.

“The summer session,” says Mr. DuBois, “began with two students and ended with 29.”

The DuBois and their colleagues decided to continue into the school year; after six months they moved out of their side of the duplex to add an adult literacy component to the program.

Many of the adults who took part were also the parents of Learning Lab students. This offered the opportunity for family involvement in the program.

“This is where the principles of the Faith really came in,” says Mr. DuBois. “We Bahá’ís know that family unity has a crucial influence on development.

“The adults and children in this program learned to support each other and to share knowledge in a loving way. They also learned how to spend quality time together. The result was a strengthening of family ties and, we believe, much more enthusiastic learning on everyone’s part.”

By December the Elbow Learning Lab was well enough established to require that a board of directors be instituted to oversee its further development. On the board were four members of the local Spiritual Assembly of Griffin. An important goal was to ensure that teachers, whether youth or adults, came from a diversity of backgrounds, as a lesson to the entire community on the beneficial results of cooperation between classes, races and religions.

Interest in the program has grown steadily since last year. This summer 127 children ranging in age from kindergarten through high school took part in the program. Besides reading, the students now study math, science and social studies.

The project has affected the community in a number of ways. Three other groups have set up independent literacy sites modeled after the Elbow Learning Lab. One of these, at a local Baptist church, has a Bahá’í teacher and is directed by another Bahá’í.

The school system also followed the lead by instituting homework/tutorial programs in every school in the county. Several businesses have been encouraged to support a number of education-related programs in Griffin. The Bahá’í community has benefited greatly as well. Some of the Lab’s students, both youth and adult, are ‎Bahá’is Bahá’ís‎.

“The idea that each individual should investigate the truth for himself lies at the heart of our beliefs as ‎Bahá’is Bahá’ís‎,” says Mr. DuBois. “How can the believer who is unable to read the Writings learn and progress spiritually?

“The friends who are attending these classes are quickly maturing in their understanding of the Faith. Many are giving to the Fund regularly, teaching their friends, and helping with Feasts and other activities. New levels of inquiry and comprehension are evident at our regular deepenings.”

People associated even indirectly with the Elbow Learning Lab are learning the value of consultation and cooperation. The city and county governments have begun to work together to advance the cause of education in a county known nationally for its poor racial relations and political bickering. Racial amity has been fostered as white and black citizens work toward a goal that would have been considered unrealistic only a short time ago.

The program recently received $3,000 from U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich’s Earning by Learning summer reading program and the Certified Literacy Commission at Griffin Technical Institute. The DuBois and their colleagues have been invited by Georgia’s Assistant Commissioner for Adult Education and Literacy to consult with people in other Georgia towns who are interested in starting similar programs. And the DuBois plan to visit ‎Bahá’is Bahá’ís‎ in several localities to help plan projects patterned after the Elbow Learning Lab.

Mr. DuBois summed up his feelings about the marvelous progress being made in Griffin:

“It just goes to show what can be accomplished when we put our trust in Bahá’u’lláh. And to Him goes all the credit for what is happening here.”

Pictured are students (front row left to right) Sabrina Thompson, Andrian Smith and Keisha Coleman, and instructors (back row left to right) Retha Brown, Enoch Varner, Joyce Willis and Kim Leon Turner at the Elbow Learning Lab in Griffin, Georgia.

Young Bahá’ís gather in Kiev, Ukraine, to launch ‘Youth Can Move the World’ teaching campaign

By JIAN KHODADAD

On June 30, Bahá’ís from all over the world gathered in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, to launch the “Youth Can Move the World” teaching project.

There were 49 international participants including the two musical groups: “Bridges,” from Tennessee, and “Daystar 91,” from the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa.

The participants were divided into three groups, each going into different cities with the goal of taking the message of Bahá’u’lláh to the people of that area. The youth project took place in eight cities, two of which had never before been visited by Bahá’ís.

After gathering in Kiev for orientation and meeting with the Kiev Bahá’í community, each team departed on its respective teaching route. They were on the road for 10 days, traveling by bus and avoiding the usual tourist routes to be as close to the Soviet people as possible.

The groups reunited in Cherkassy, a small city in Ukraine and the site chosen for the first Bahá’í youth conference to be held in the Soviet Union.

More than 70 Soviet ‎Bahá’is Bahá’ís‎ joined the traveling teachers for that historic conference. Special guests included Shamsi Sedaghat, chairman, and Marina Pavlova, secretary of the newly elected Spiritual Assembly of the USSR.

Shahram Dana, one of the young traveling teachers, spoke about his experiences on the project:

“On this trip I fell in love with God. They were the most productive and enjoyable three weeks of my life. I saw before my very eyes the potency of the Faith and the power of Bahá’u’lláh’s words. ...I prayed that when I returned home I would be strong enough to carry this flame into my community.”

(Jian Khodadad, a high school senior from Winnetka, Illinois, was one of the youth who took part in the project.)

Pictured are young people from the Soviet Union and other countries who gathered this summer at the Cherkassy Bahá’í Youth Conference in Ukraine. [Page 6]BAHÁ’Í DISTRIBUTION SERVICE employees (From Left) — Jeffery Johnson, Derrick Mosley, and Clarence Burts receive the statement on Bahá’u’lláh from the printer.

To aid the friends in emblazoning “the Name of Bahá’u’lláh across the globe” and in making “it a known eminence in the consciousness of peoples everywhere,” the Universal House of Justice asked the Office of Public Information at the Bahá’í World Centre to prepare a statement on Bahá’u’lláh. It is a brief introduction to the life and work of Bahá’u’lláh, conveying His vision of humanity as one people and of the earth as a common homeland.

Bahá’u’lláh

prepared by the Office of Public Information at the request of the Universal House of Justice SC $5.95

“The widest possible proclamation of the Name of Bahá’u’lláh,” the Universal House of Justice has written, will be “an important feature of the activities of the Holy Year” and “A corollary” of the Bahá’í World Congress the purpose of which is “to celebrate the centenary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and to proclaim its aims and unifying power.”

The statement “is intended primarily for wide distribution to the public,” the Universal House of Justice has explained. It also has great value “as a source of study and inspiration for the Bahá’ís.”

The special edition prepared in the United States is elegant and dignified and is eminently suitable for presentations to national, regional, and local dignitaries and prominent figures. The deep-red cover stock has Bahá’u’lláh’s name stamped in rich gold foil; additional richness comes from a subtle red pattern on the cover. The end sheet is embossed with Bahá’u’lláh’s name. The text is set in large, easy-to-read type which will also make the special edition very usable for study classes. 7" x 10", 58 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United States

Youth Can Move the World

by Melanie Smith and Paul Lample SC $3.00

Youth Can Move the World is the latest in a series of popular deepening books—including The Word of God, The Covenant, and The Significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation—that explore major themes of the Creative Word. It addresses the role and responsibilities of Bahá’í youth in service to the Cause as they shape the societies of the coming century.

Chapter 1 examines the battle of the forces of light and darkness now sweeping the earth. Chapter 2 deals with the need for spiritual warriors to arise to champion the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

Chapters 3-6 discuss the actions required of the spiritual warrior: strengthening the spirit, acquiring a praiseworthy character, leading a life of service, and teaching.

Chapters 7 and 8 focus on the field of action—the ways in which youth can change the world through consecration and by addressing the problems facing humanity.

Youth Can Move the World has already received an enthusiastic response from youth in the United States and as far as Russia. While written from the perspective of youth, the themes it addresses have universal appeal to would-be spiritual warriors of any age.

World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, The: Selected Letters

by Shoghi Effendi PS $5.95

Seven letters from Shoghi Effendi on the theme of World Order written between 1929 and 1936 clarifying the meaning and purpose of the Bahá’í Faith and its central Figures, elucidating its relationship to past dispensations and to present world conditions, and guiding the Bahá’í community of the West to a better understanding of its duties, privileges, and destiny. Includes “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,” “America and the Most Great Peace,” and “The Unfoldment of World Civilization.” The letters develop a thesis carried forward in The Advent of Divine Justice and The Promised Day Is Come.

Persian: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh: Selected Letters

by Shoghi Effendi translated by Hushmand Fatheazam HC $24.95 / SC $14.95

From 1929 through 1936 Shoghi Effendi wrote a series of long letters to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada unfolding a clear vision of the relationship between the Bahá’í community and the entire process of social evolution under the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh. The letters elaborate on Bahá’u’lláh’s establishment of the Bahá’í Administrative Order as the nucleus and pattern of world civilization. A major letter in the compilation is “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,” which the National Spiritual Assembly has chosen as the “book of the year” for focused study. “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh” delineates the station of Bahá’u’lláh, the importance of His Covenant and its Center, and His establishment of an administrative order designed to usher in the long awaited “kingdom of God on Earth.”

5-1/2" x 8-1/2", 212 pp., introduction, preface Persian Institute for Bahá’í Studies

Bahá’í Newsreel, Vol. 2, No. 2

VT $15.95

This most recent edition of the Bahá’í Newsreel highlights eight teaching and development activities around the globe including: Formation of New National Assemblies in Romania, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and the West Leeward Islands • Laos: Meetings with President Vongvichit • Spread of the Faith among the Garifuna in Honduras • Iran: The Struggle for the Emancipation of the Bahá’í Community • Race Unity: America’s Most Challenging Issue • Hand of the Cause of God William Sears: Closing the Six Year Plan • Mount Carmel Projects: Phase Two Begins • In Memoriam: John A. Roberts, the Hand of the Cause of God.

Approximately 28 minutes Media Services

Persian: A Concise and Brief History of Religion

by Dr. Riyád Ghadímí SC $7.00

Dr. Ghadímí presents a very basic outline of the beliefs of various religions, sects, and philosophies. These include the revelations of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. Sikhism and Jainism, reform sects of Hinduism, along with Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese moral philosophies are also outlined.

6" x 9", 35 pp. University of Toronto

A Collection of Bahá’í Prayers and Holy Writings

SC $2.75

This highly affordable, attractive compilation of Bahá’í Prayers and Holy Writings is offered by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India. Comparable in size to the Malaysian publication, this fourth revised edition contains prayers for assistance, children, detachment, families, handmaidens, justice, and much more. The softcover edition is turquoise in color.

SC 3-3/4" x 5", 210 pp., Table of Contents, Chart of Bahá’í Anniversaries and Holy Days Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India

Persian: The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion

by William S. Hatcher and G. Douglas Martin SC $13.95

Written as an undergraduate textbook and originally published by Harper & Row, Publishers, this book was named by the Encyclopedia Britannica as a 1986 book of the year in religion. According to the Montreal Gazette it “Provide(s) non-Bahá’í readers with an excellent introduction to the history, beliefs, and sociopolitical structure of a religion that originated in Persia in the mid-1800s and has since blossomed into an international organization with over 3 million adherents from almost every country on earth.”

5-1/4" x 8-1/2", 334 pp. Persian Institute for Bahá’í Studies

George Ronald ‎annouces announces‎ price increase

George Ronald, the publisher of Arches of the Years, has informed us that the prices they advertised to us were incorrect. The correct prices, as printed on the book, are $32.95 for the hardcover edition and $20.95 for the softcover edition.

Order now through the Bahá’í Distribution Service • 1-800-999-9019 [Page 7]

Enlighten Curriculum

Pre-Kindergarten, Vol. 1 Second Grade, Vol. 4 by Lea Iverson SC $19.95 per volume

Pre-Kindergarten: This education level blends personal behavior lessons with historical information focused on important people in the Bahá’í Faith and essential concepts of belief. These topics are presented at a very basic level. Examples of personal behavior lessons are Bahá’í laws—such as sleep, kindness to animals, not entering a home without permission—or Virtues—such as courtesy and politeness, obedience to God, parents and teachers.

Second Grade: This level uses the same style lessons but at a higher complexity of understanding. Examples of personal behavior are the Bahá’í laws of obedience to government, work as worship, and understanding the five physical, and spiritual powers. Virtues such as loyalty, tranquility, patience, and thoughtfulness are emphasized.

This curriculum was developed between 1988-1990 for the Glad Tidings Bahá’í School located in Minneapolis, Minnesota—one of the longest-running Bahá’í children’s schools in the country.

8-1/2" x 11", approx. 94 pp. per volume

Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Golden Valley, Minnesota

Arches of the Years

by Marzieh Gail HC $32.95/ SC $20.95

Continuing the vivid story of Ali-Kuli Khan’s diplomatic career, Marzieh Gail takes her readers on the family’s travels. The story provides new insights into ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America and gives an unusual perspective on the Versailles Conference of 1919. Vignettes of President Wilson, Phoebe Hearst and other characters from the early days of this century are interspersed among fascinating pictures of Persia at the turn of the century.

6" x 9-1/4", approximately 360 pp., 16 illustrations

George Ronald, Publishers

(See side bar on bottom left corner of page 6)

SPECIAL SALE ITEM

Education A Bahá’í Perspective SC $8.95 10/pkg.

“Ignorance, the Universal House of Justice writes in The Promise of World Peace, is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success unless education is accorded all its citizens.”

Education: A Bahá’í Perspective, the third title in this very popular perspective series, challenges its readers to broaden their view of the essentials of education. It identifies nine elements of programs of literacy and basic education beyond the skills of reading, writing, and simple arithmetic that basic education can and should promote.

Originally priced at $12.95 for a 10 piece packet, we have reduced the price to $8.95 until November 1, 1991. It is an excellent introduction to the Faith for all those involved or interested in education.

5-3/4" x 8-1/4", 14 pp.

Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Down The Do-Re-Me

by Red & Kathy Grammer CS $10.95 / Teacher’s Notes $10.95

Once again the ‎Grammer’s Grammers‎ have produced a cassette and support material that is not only entertaining but, more important, educational. Through his music, Red stimulates his young listeners to understand the magnificence of nature, the benefits of being a caretaker of living things, the beauty of dawn, the spiritual well-being of offering work as service, and many other themes significant to spiritual education. The cassette is suitable for children ages 2-7. The Teacher’s Notes book aids teachers and parents in conveying the values expressed by the songs.

Teacher’s Notes: 8-1/2" x 11", 44 pp., introduction

Approximately 28 minutes

Children’s Group Inc.

New Title

Can You Imagine, CS by Rob Altork CS $10.95

A collection of original Bahá’í music in a Lennonesque style, gently spirited, ethereal, and mellow with a beat. The profound lyrics are food for the hungry hearted and are designed to attract new seekers. They reveal the challenge and sweetness encountered on the spirit path from the ‎affects effects‎ of ‎Abdul-Baha’s ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s‎ visit to America and give an unusual perspective of the Greatest Name. Bahá’ís will find their own Faith proclaimed, confirmed, and refreshed. Digitally mastered, chromium dioxide tape. Approximately 38 minutes.

State of the Heart Productions

Back in Stock

Christ and Bahá’u’lláh by George Townshend SC $7.50

George Townshend resigned his position in the Anglican Church to research what he called the “grand redemptive scheme” by which the whole human race is to achieve maturity in a world order embracing the planet. He concluded that the return of Christ has already occurred and ‎the, the‎ “confusion and darkness of our day—are the fulfillment of all the signs and portents which Christ gave to his followers.” He maintains that Christ has come again to an unheeding world in the person of Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith.

4-3/8" x 7", 116 pp., Table of Contents and Prologue

George Ronald, Publishers

The Golden Rule

by Jeffrey Streiff AP (Art Print) $15.00 Calligraphy Designs

Teddy’s Prayer

by Terry Shultz AP (Art Print) $15.00 Little Star Illustrations

We are happy to offer these two very beautiful art prints in our distribution line. Both Teddy’s Prayer and The Golden Rule are high quality full color prints suitable for framing. Teddy’s Prayer measures 15" x 22-1/2"; The Golden Rule measures 11-5/8" x 17-3/16". Each has been packaged in individual mailing tubes to ensure safety in shipping.

— NOW AVAILABLE —

East European Language Titles

ALBANIAN Hidden Words $4.50 Bahá’í Prayers 4.50 BULGARIAN Introduction, SC 1.00 FRENCH Bahá’í Prayers, HC 7.95

GEORGIAN Bahá’í Prayers SC $4.25 What is the Bahá’í Faith 4.25 GERMAN Bahá’í Faith Introduction 5.50 One Religion 3.00 Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era 10.95 Hidden Words 8.50

Recent New Titles

The Covenant for Young People by Enoch N. Tanyi SC $7.95

Rhapsody by Michael Fitzgerald SC $6.95

Order Form

Bahá’í Distribution Service / PHONE 1-800-999-9019 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Il. 60091 FAX 1-708-251-3652

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[Page 8]HELP WANTED Experienced, intelligent person, energetic, good language skills, computer experience helpful but not necessary. Apply in person

CLASSIFIEDS

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

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

AFRICA: Angola: Opportunities for employment with UN and NGOs, Twin Otter pilots to fly for the United Nations. Transkei: medical doctors. Zambia: director and teachers for newly founded Banani girls’ school. Swaziland: Bahá’í primary school needs assistant teacher. AMERICAS: Belize: custodians for the Amelia Collins Institute. AUSTRALASIA: American Samoa: architect with U.S. registration. Marshall Islands: psychiatrist, psychiatric nurses. Tinian: teachers, doctors, nurses. Sheladia Associates Inc., among the top 200 engineering firms in the U.S., provides engineering, technical, management and training services directly to U.S. and foreign governments and through contracts with institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development and maintains a résumé bank of professionals from which it draws candidates for international assignments. Résumés of experienced candidates are needed in the following disciplines for anticipated projects: agriculture, architectural planning and design, construction, energy, environmental, institutional development, irrigation and water resources, transportation, water supply, sewerage and public health. Aside from thousands of teaching openings in international schools, universities and traditional institutions of learning, there are short-term employment opportunities for academics and program staff to take part in innovative, international education programs. One such program is Semester at Sea, under the academic sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh. The following are staff positions aboard the S.S. Universe with Semester at Sea: assistant to the administrative dean, adult coordinator, AV/media coordinator, bursar, director of student life, resident director, executive secretary, field office coordinator, assistant librarian, security officer. For more information on any of the above, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone 708-869-9039.

PARLEZ-vous francais? If you do speak French, you are urgently needed for traveling teaching in French Polynesia. For more information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039.)

WINTER in southern Mexico. Here is an innovative way to combine learning Spanish with teaching in that language. The Javier Mckeevey English Language Institute has a special arrangement for the winter school year. For more information, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039.)

WHAT MUSICAL instrument do you play? A comb? harmonica? recorder? Or could it be a trumpet? saxophone? guitar? flute? You and whatever portable musical instrument you play would be most welcome in any of the ongoing teaching projects scattered throughout the planet. So, if you have not yet taken your vacation, consider teaching and playing in one of the following countries: Benin West Africa, Bophuthatswana, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cook Islands, East Leeward Islands, Fiji, Jamaica, Hong Kong, South Africa, Trinidad, West Leeward Islands. These are just some of the many sites of ongoing teaching projects where you and your instrument are needed and welcome. For more information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

ONGOING traveling teaching opportunities: ‎Bophuthaswana Bophuthatswana‎; Brazil; Burundi; Canada, Native and Chinese teaching; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Eastern Caroline Islands; East Leeward Islands, H. Amadiyyeh youth teaching; Fiji; Gabon; Haiti; Hong Kong; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Malaysia; Martinique; Mauritius; Mexico; New Zealand; Pakistan; Republic of Benin; Singapore; South Africa; Taiwan; Tonga; Uganda; United Kingdom; Venezuela; West Leeward Islands, H. Amadiyyeh youth teaching project needs long term traveling teachers, short term pioneers, youth year of service volunteers in Yucatan. For more information, contact: Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

Service/Employment opportunities at the Bahá’í National Center

The National Spiritual Assembly is seeking loving, talented people for the following positions:

House of Worship	Office manager
Human Resources	Administrative assistant
Media Services	Operations services manager
	Librarian/archivist
Management Information Systems	Customer services representative/receptionist
	Electronic communications coordinator
	Subscriber Services coordinator
	Director
National Teaching Committee office	Receptionist
NSA Properties Inc.	General maintenance with emphasis in plumbing
World Congress Logistics office	Registration processing specialist
Office of Public Information	Administrative aide (part-time)
Office of the Secretary	Administrative assistant
	Administrative aide
Office of the Treasurer	Secretary/receptionist
Bahá’í Publishing Trust	Customer service representative/receptionist

If you, or people you know, are interested in learning more about any of these positions, or would like an application sent, please write to the Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone Diana Harris, 708-869-9039, ext. 320.

Please note: Some of the positions listed may not be available as of the date of publication of The American Bahá’í, as the deadline is one month before publication.

PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

THE BAHÁ’ÍS of Sarasota, Florida, need a few energetic, dedicated Bahá’ís to help maintain their 31-year-old Assembly. Would like to have a more diversified community to reflect the city’s diverse population. Despite the popular notion that residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast are all retired or elderly, most of those in Sarasota are much younger. There are several colleges including New College, the Ringling School of Art and Design, and the FSU/Asolo Film Conservatory, which trains students for careers in film and television production. Sarasota also has great weather, excellent health-care facilities, and a friendly atmosphere in which to live and work. If you are interested, please contact the Assembly secretary, Patricia (Trish) Wicker, Sarasota, FL 34236, or phone 813-955-3073.

TWO ADULT Bahá’ís who are also choral singers are needed in Greenwood, South Carolina, to help activate its local Assembly and start a choir. This new choir will sing challenging music from gospel to classical, with emphasis on honing a group that will be versatile, professional and unique. Non-singers would be welcome too. If interested, write to Jane Craig, Greenwood, SC 29646, or phone 803-223-1972.

JOIN the only Bahá’í family in Kilgore, in the heart of the beautiful East Texas piney woods. Apprentice position for a locksmith trainee for safe and vault and builders hardware company where homefront pioneers are badly needed. Prefer career-minded person with some security background, bondable, with good mechanical aptitude. Send a résumé to East Texas Safe & Lock, Kilgore, TX 75662, or phone 903-984-5707.

RETIRED? Join seven active Bahá’í seniors at a 400-acre retirement village in the heart of Florida’s resort area. Exciting, challenging. For brochures and price list, write to the Spiritual Assembly of Osceola County, c/o Alice Winget, Kissimmee, FL 34746, or phone 407-933-1104.

THE BAHÁ’ÍS of Manhattan Beach, California, would welcome homefront pioneers to help save their jeopardized incorporated Assembly. The area offers beaches, jogging and biking trails, excellent schools, cultural activities, surfing. Convenient to UCLA, the University of Southern California, Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles. Join a Bahá’í community involved with local schools, libraries and children. Local Bahá’í has a room to rent. For more information, please contact Tony or Flor, 213-379-0360.

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Barbara Ives-Reich, Laura Jackson (died Dayton, OH, 1957), Wayne Jackson, William Jackson, Ida Elaine James, Lillian James (died Chicago, 1939), Maude Emi Jenkins, Albert Jenther, and Anthony Jochim. Anyone knowing family members or relatives who might have these letters from the Guardian is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or to phone 708-869-9039.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking photographs and personal recollections of sessions at the Green Acre, Louhelen, Geyserville and Bosch Bahá’í Schools and the Louis Gregory and Native American Bahá’í Institutes. Anyone having such photographs or recollections they could share is asked to send them to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please identify the photographs and those in them if possible.

WANTED

FOR A BOOK in progress for Oneworld Press on Martha Root, Keith Ransom-Kehler, May Maxwell, Marion Jack, Lua Getsinger, Hyde and Clara Dunn, Susan Moody, Dorothy Baker and Ella Bailey, I would like anyone with personal reminiscences of any of them to contact me. Write to Janet Ruhe-Schoen, Chile, South America.

WANTED: Bahá’ís who are interested in ‎formirig forming‎ a Bahá’í computer professional association to foster an exchange of ideas and information, share experiences, provide support, and form links between those needing the information technologies and the Faith. For more information, please contact Neil Krandall, Cincinnati, OH 45224, via the Bahá’í National Center Bulletin Board System, or phone 513-681-1677.

A RECENT VISIT to the National Center in Panama revealed the need for office equipment as part of the completion of their new administrative buildings. If you are interested in making a donation to the Panama effort, please contact the Milehams, P.O. Box 18204, Asheville, NC 28814.

VIDEO HELP needed. We need to find video tapes on 1/2-inch tape suitable to play on public access TV. If anyone has anything we could use, please send the information to the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Fe City, P.O. Box 9686, Santa Fe, NM 87504, or phone 505-982-3788.

WORLD ORDER magazine is actively seeking book reviews. Such reviews should be 750-2,000 words long (3-8 typewritten pages), double-spaced, and clearly written. Reviews may be written on recently published Bahá’í books, non-Bahá’í works that relate to a Bahá’í teaching in some way, or any work that could be of potential interest to World Order’s readers. Undergraduate and graduate students are especially encouraged to submit manuscripts. A list of books that particularly need to be reviewed is available on request, as are guidelines on preparing essays for World Order. Write to World Order magazine, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.

MEDIA SERVICES at the Bahá’í National Center seeks professional-quality slides and photographs of Bahá’í events for possible use. Especially needed are formal and informal shots of Spiritual Assemblies, teaching events, children’s activities, and diverse groups of people meeting, working, and enjoying recreational activities together. Please send slides or photos with a letter specifying whether they should be returned to: Bahá’í Media Services, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

MISCELLANEOUS

ISOLATED youth with a computer modem hook-up might be interested in starting an international hook-up with Bahá’í youth in other countries. Please contact Monib Moayyed, Nelson, New Zealand (0064-03-5480746).

EL RUISEÑOR (The Nightingale), a quarterly bi-lingual (Spanish-English) magazine sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly, is available to Bahá’ís on a subscription basis. The magazine’s editorial content is varied and includes items of interest to the Bahá’í community around the world: current developments and goals of the Cause, articles aimed at deepening our understanding of the Bahá’í teachings, reports of victories in the Hispanic community worldwide, ideas from the friends, a cultural page, letters to the editor, a calendar of national and international events, and other items of special interest to Bahá’ís everywhere. The subscription price is $10 a year (U.S. and Canada) and $12 a year overseas. Donations from Bahá’í institutions and individual Bahá’ís are welcomed. To subscribe, write to El Ruiseñor, P.O. Box 512, San Fernando, CA 91340 (phone 818-361-6931). [Page 9]Participants gather for a workshop session during the National Teaching Committee’s annual Conference on Growth held over the Labor Day weekend in Wilmette and ‎Liincolnwood Lincolnwood‎, Illinois.

Paul Lample, who has been involved in recent teaching efforts in Lake Okeechobee, Florida, addresses the conference.

Jack McCants, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, shares his unique insights on teaching the Cause.

Growth

from page 1

gresses.

He ended his talk by calling to mind the many blessings conferred upon the American community by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who had carefully nurtured it during the entire course of His ministry. It was for us that He had revealed the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and it was He Who said that America “is equipped to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history,” and that it “will lead all nations spiritually.”

The Bahá’ís spent the next day and a half in workshop consultation. The format centered on three general themes: the individual and teaching, the community and teaching, and achieving large-scale growth.

The Bahá’í writings provided the basis for discussion; relevant passages were compiled by topic and provided to participants by the National Teaching Committee.

The proceedings were characterized by a candid and sincere sharing of ideas. Appraisals and suggestions were collected in the workshops and shared with everyone on the last evening of the conference.

Reports were submitted for review to a specially created assessment committee, and the National Teaching Committee later accepted the proposals.

At the final session, the assessment committee presented a summary and evaluation of the workshop reports.

Several positive observations were made about the individual and teaching. It was clear, for example, that there is a new level of activity across the country. More and more people are becoming involved with teaching institutes and are struggling to grasp their implications. Among them are a large number of youth, who are playing a leading role in every significant teaching effort in the country.

There seemed, however, to be some confusion over the nature and purpose of teaching institutes. In some cases they amounted to little more than deepenings; in others teaching was initiated but had not been sustained.

Part of the reason for this, the assessment committee pointed out, was that in some cases teaching was not coupled with a corresponding process of spiritual enrichment including the full involvement of fresh recruits in the institutes. Other shortcomings lay in confusing teaching with proclamation, or failing to recognize growth in terms of continuous effort rather than as a series of disconnected events.

One’s approach to teaching, it was emphasized, must be based more than ever on explaining to others the Station and Mission of Bahá’u’lláh. The spiritual connection with God’s Messenger is what is vital for the souls, and is what will provide the basis for their obedience to the principles of His Faith.

The issue of Bahá’í communities was taken up next. The essential challenge for communities, it was said, is to envision growth as an ongoing process, requiring constant action and the guidance of mature reflection.

A handful of local Assemblies are beginning to form such a vision; many have begun developing and implementing teaching plans for their communities. The focus of these plans is usually a “target” population with whom the friends are sharing the Message.

But most communities still envision themselves as static entities instead of as growing bodies. Many of them create structures that sustain that view, with harmful consequences.

Local Spiritual Assemblies, it was pointed out in consultation, can become obstacles to teaching if they do not support individual teaching initiatives. On the other hand, members of a community must support plans that are developed by their local Assembly.

That they sometimes do not was attributed to two possible reasons: first, that individuals tend to place their own desires and rights above their responsibilities to the community; and second, that they are hampered by feelings of powerlessness to effect change.

Large-scale growth, it was said, should be the goal of all the Bahá’ís. Five places in the country were identified where the vision was in place and the action initiated for sustained progress. Common to all of them was the involvement of recently declared believers in the process of individual spiritual development and service to the Cause.

It was also noted that every successful teaching initiative has benefited from the involvement of an Auxiliary Board member who helped guide the friends along effective lines of action.

What every community in the nation needs, the summary concluded, is a similar vision of growth, combined with an understanding of how to translate it into reality.

The National Teaching Committee offered several suggestions for action that would guide the country in its next phase of development:

• A national focus on children and youth should be created. The youth who are already arising should be encouraged to continue in their work, and more should be stimulated, through a widespread youth network, to follow their example. Training must be emphasized so that the youth can become effective teachers.

• Local Assemblies must be helped to develop a vision of themselves as channels for the spiritual conquest, through mature plans, of the areas they serve.

• Those areas need to be focused on which have the combination of a receptive population, collaboration with an Auxiliary Board member, a cooperative institution or agency, and a concentration of Bahá’í youth. Institutes should be started or existing ones developed.

• Finally, there is a clear need for a national vision that integrates the many elements of the Bahá’í community as parts of a single civilizing process. Issues being tackled by the Bahá’ís such as race unity, education, peace, and so on, are not so many disconnected pursuits; all are related, in the end, to the teaching work.

The National Teaching Committee’s assessment and suggestions will be forwarded to the National Spiritual Assembly for its consideration.

The final moments of the conference were devoted to consultation as a single group, including a brief session with the Chinese Teaching Committee and further questions to and suggestions for the National Teaching Committee.

Several areas of concern were addressed. One was the need for raising up as many full-time teachers as possible.

The more successful communities, it was noted, enjoy the continual support of 50 percent or more of the believers in their areas, and it is in that field of service that the potential of the youth is greatest.

Mr. Cruz elaborated on the concept of targeting specific populations in teaching. The effectiveness of target groups, he said, lies in the way the energies of the Bahá’ís are channeled toward people who are most receptive to the Faith. By doing so it becomes easier to address their particular spiritual needs.

We need not feel, said Mr. Cruz, that other deserving souls are being excluded in this way. Wherever successful teaching is taking place the friends are targeting special groups; the experiences of all show that people of many backgrounds are inevitably attracted to the Faith through the spiritual power that is released.

As the conference drew to a close, the National Teaching Committee congratulated the friends for their accomplishments thus far, voiced its appreciation for their productive efforts during the conference, and expressed the hope that the annual event might grow in scope and significance in the years to come.

The friends responded by pledging to redouble their efforts to teach and to continue the consultative process in their home communities.

Members of the Chinese Teaching Committee address the National Teaching Committee’s Conference on Growth in Lincolnwood, Illinois. [Page 10]

Faith represented at National UNA-USA meeting in Denver on education issues

Shirley Lee, Bahá’í representative to the United Nations and chairman of the United Nations Association-USA (UNA-USA) Conference of UN Representatives in New York, represented the National Spiritual Assembly at a National Meeting on UN Education held August 16 in Denver, Colorado.

The meeting, sponsored by the UNA-USA with financial support from the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation, marked the beginning of a serious and important discussion within the UNA-USA about its role and mission to offer education about the UN in public schools in this country.

It was brought about as the result of a 1989 poll by the UN Department of Public Information and the UNA-USA in which only 16 percent of Americans were able to identify any UN agency or name the current UN Secretary-General.

The 35 people attending the meeting in Denver heard addresses by Edward C. Luck, president of the UNA-USA; William Smith, Acting Under Secretary for International and Interagency Affairs of the U.S. Department of Education; and Charlotte Anderson, president-elect of the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS).

Two days of intense consultation resulted in a four-point plan of action and a list of suggestions for its implementation to be considered by the UNA-USA Board of Governors at its meeting in November.

All chapters and divisions of the UNA-USA and the membership of the 130 organizations in its Council of Organizations will be encouraged to act on the initiatives. The National Spiritual Assembly is a member of the Council.

To request a copy of the UNA-USA National Report on UN Education, write to J.P. Muldoon, New York, NY 10017.

Among the 35 participants August 16-18 in a UNA-USA National Conference on UN Education were Margaret Bruce (left), former deputy director of the UN Division of Human Rights, and Shirley Lee, the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative to the UN.

Parents encouraged to register their children

Guidelines for registering Bahá’ís under the age of 15

Young people and their parents should be aware that children can be considered to be Bahá’ís before reaching the age of 15. The following is an excerpt from a letter written on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly to a local Spiritual Assembly on March 7, 1991:

“The National Spiritual Assembly has asked us to respond to your recent note concerning the registration of Bahá’í children and the enrollment of Bahá’í youth at age 15.

“It has previously been the policy of the National Assembly that Bahá’í youth should actively declare their belief in Bahá’u’lláh upon attaining the age of 15. About five years ago, however, the Universal House of Justice brought to the National Assembly’s attention that there were fewer youth and children in the American Bahá’í community than one would expect to find in relation to the age distribution statistics in the general population. The National Assembly was asked to study this matter and take whatever steps were necessary to strengthen the various aspects of Bahá’í youth activity in the United States.

“After extensive consultation and study of the factors involved, the National Assembly concluded that the imbalance could be attributed in part to the lack of official registration of Bahá’í children in this country. This lack... was reinforcing the widespread but erroneous assumption within the American Bahá’í community that Bahá’í children were not Bahá’ís until they reached the age of 15, with the result that many youth were distant or even estranged from the community by the time they turned 15.

“Therefore, the National Assembly decided to encourage Bahá’í parents to register their children and began sending membership cards to registered children on their 15th birthday. The policy of registering children is in keeping with the guidance given in the following letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Assembly of the United States dated July 5, 1950:

“‘A baby can be considered a Bahá’í; 15 is merely the age of maturity for fasting, marriage, etc., and in the case of America, a declaration is invited at that age from the youth in order to protect them, at a future date, from being forced to do active military service.’

“As you can see from this letter, the policy of declaring at age 15 is not rooted in any fundamental principle of the Faith.

“This fact is further stressed in the following letter dated June 17, 1954, written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles:

“‘Although the children of Bahá’í parents are considered to be Bahá’ís, there is no objection at the present time, for purposes of keeping a correct census, and also ascertaining whether the young people are, sincerely, believers, and willing to do their share in service to the Faith, to asking them to make a declaration of their intention, at the age of 15 or so. Originally the Guardian understands this was adopted in America to enable young Bahá’í men to make certain arrangements in connection with their application for non-combatant status, upon their attaining the age of military service. There is really nothing about it in the Teachings or in the Administration. Your Assembly is free to do as it pleases in this matter.’

“This is not to say, however, that 15 is not a significant stage in the life of a Bahá’í youth, for it is, according to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the age at which spiritual maturity is attained and a Bahá’í youth assumes the responsibility for obeying the laws of the Bahá’í community, including fasting and prayer.

“Although every soul has the right and responsibility to make its own spiritual decisions—there can be no compulsion in matters of belief—a Bahá’í child does not grow up in a spiritual vacuum, without moral training or religious education, prior to age 15, at which point he is suddenly presented with the Bahá’í teachings and asked to independently investigate the truth. In developing a procedure for child registration, the Universal House of Justice has indicated that the paramount consideration should be as follows:

“‘In whatever procedure it adopts a National Spiritual Assembly must wisely steer a course between seeming to doubt the faith of a child who has been brought up as a devout Bahá’í on the one hand, and seeming to compel a child to be a member of the Bahá’í community against his will, on the other.’

“Thus, as can be seen from the foregoing, it is not necessary for a youth who has been previously registered in the Faith as a child to sign an enrollment card at the age of 15. Of course, if the youth, at age 15 or any subsequent age, indicates that he has not yet made up his mind or does not believe in Bahá’u’lláh, his name will be removed from the membership rolls.

“The National Assembly understands, however, that becoming 15 is especially meaningful for Bahá’í youth and it hopes that each local Assembly will celebrate this occasion with the youth and take the opportunity to nurture his or her understanding of the significance of being a Bahá’í, of reaching the age of spiritual maturity and of obeying the laws of the Faith.”

Bahá’í children present speaking, music program at home for senior citizens in Evanston, Illinois

Carrying out ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s wish that children teach the Faith by giving “speeches of high quality” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 134), 13 Bahá’í children ages 5-14 recently presented brief talks on “The Vision of the Future in This New World Age” for a non-Bahá’í audience at the Levy Senior Center in Evanston, Illinois.

The recitations were interspersed with musical selections by the children on the piano, violin, flute and organette.

Afterward, Mildred Milar, retired principal of a school in Evanston, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the program and the Bahá’í children. They were well-prepared, and they enunciated admirably. ...

“Not only did they speak out, but they knew what they were talking about. They weren’t merely saying words. If more children would do this, we would have a better world.”

“Often, children that young draw back and are shy,” said Evelyn Shedden, another retired school employee. “These children were so poised and had assurance. This has been a happy and productive afternoon. ...”

Their remarks are reflective of a letter dated December 5, 1988, from the International Teaching Center that says in part, “These young people should... be seen as a door to entry by troops and as a fruitful source of teachers both for their own generation and even for the deepening of others their own age and older.”

The children in the Evanston area are taught public speaking by Gayle Woolson of Evanston.

Bahá’í children prepare to present a public speaking and musical program at the Levy Senior Center in Evanston, Illinois. At the microphone is their teacher, Gayle Woolson of Evanston.

‘Everyone can give to the Fund...’ National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

[Page 11]

WORLD NEWS

The National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana attributes the enrollment of 11,900 new believers from Ridván 1990 to Ridván 1991 to a broader base of participation in the teaching field. The response to the National Assembly’s direct call last February for planned, effective teaching brought about an increase in the number of those directly involved in teaching activities from an average of 30 during previous months to 121 in February. “In the seven areas where they were assigned,” the National Assembly reports, “the resident teacher teams have enrolled more than 9,000 new believers, have proclaimed the Faith to about 13,000 people, and have promoted 41 children’s classes, nine youth groups, 10 deepening classes, and 30 Nineteen Day Feasts.”...

In June, a teaching team of nine youth and one adult from Honduras, Canada, Iran and the U.S. enrolled 99 people in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The National Spiritual Assembly reports that the total number of enrollments in the capital city in the past year has reached 1,000, and the Assembly believes that this is the first capital in Central America to reach that number. ...

Also in June, 15 people from Austria and Italy traveled to three centers in Albania, a trip that resulted in about 150 enrollments. In the capital city, Tirana, the group met a renowned Albanian actress, a school headmaster, musicians at an Academy of Music, a number of civil authorities, and about 10 families, enrolling a total of 48 people in the Faith. ...

There are now 155 believers in the area around the city of Koula-Moutaou, Gabon, with 94 enrolled since last September. A Gabonese member of the National Spiritual Assembly spent four months in the area as a homefront pioneer, and his presence “provided a substantial impetus to the teaching work.”...

The Bahá’ís of Romania have hosted their first European Bahá’í Youth Conference at Neptune, a town on the coast of the Black Sea. On July 15, participants sent a message to the Universal House of Justice announcing the launch of the Táhirih II Neptune Teaching Project, the first in a series of nationwide summer projects planned in response to the National Spiritual Assembly of Romania’s call for large-scale teaching. ...

The Latin American Radio Advisory Committee, based in Chile, reports that about 60 people took part in July in the fourth Radio Bahá’í Seminar in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Participants came from Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Switzerland. Consultation was centered on the use of institute-radio complexes, literacy, and translation of the revealed Word. ...

Bahá’ís in Carnarvon, on the coast of western Australia, have been given a $2,000 grant to help coordinate a month-long festival to celebrate the diversity of cultures in that town. The grant was made under the western Australian government’s Community Relations Grants program. ...

In May, the Bahá’í community of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, celebrated the release of the first book ever printed in the Nalik language. To achieve this, Bahá’í pioneer Craig Volker had to construct a written form of the language. The book, Saaule Nakmai, is a collection of prayers translated from the sacred writings of several faiths including Christianity, Islam and the Bahá’í Faith. ...

In Turkey, Counselor Ilhan Sezgin reports that during one week in June the Faith was introduced to nine towns or villages, and 33 people were enrolled in the Faith. In many places people were given books about the Faith, and they responded by inviting the Bahá’ís to return once they had read the literature. ...

The National Spiritual Assembly of Burkina, in collaboration with other National Assemblies in Africa, took part this year in the 12th Pan-African Film and Television Festival in Ouagadougou. Among the 30 special awards presented was one from the National Spiritual Assembly of Burkina called “The Dove of Peace” for the best short- or medium-length films that raised questions related to peace through topics such as racism, nationalism, equality of the sexes, or literacy. A director from Zimbabwe, Simon Bright, won the $2,000 award and trophy for his film, “Mbira Music,” which shows that blacks and whites can overcome racial divisions through music. ...

Attention was drawn to a banner carried by Bahá’ís of Mbale, Uganda, during a parade on International Women’s Day in March because a woman and a man held it aloft. Bahá’ís handed out statements on women and peace during the event.

Counselor Beatrice O. Asare traveled recently to Navrongo, Ghana, to take part in an institute to deepen 70 relatively new Bahá’ís in that area. On the evening before the institute, Mrs. Asare presented a short talk on the Faith, after which 22 people in the audience asked to enroll and were invited to attend the institute. About 150 were on hand for that event, held at the local secondary school. Some students also came to listen, and 26 became Bahá’ís. ...

In July, 41 adults and 24 children took part in a conference entitled “Spirit North II,” the largest gathering of Bahá’ís ever held in Greenland. Among those taking part were a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark, Counselors Jacqueline Delahunt and David R. Smith, three Auxiliary Board members, and Bahá’ís from Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland and the U.S....

“Empowering Women to Achieve” was the theme of an eight-day Pacific Women’s Conference held recently in Hilo, Hawaii. The event was sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, the local Spiritual Assembly of South Hilo, the Hilo Bahá’í College Club, and the University of Hilo. Among the 76 people taking part were Counselors for Australasia Ben Ayala, Beatrice Benson, Betra Majmeto and Gayle Morrison. ...

The Spiritual Assembly of Panchgani, India, and the Panchgani Club sponsored a recent program for World Environment Day. Also taking part were the New Era Development Institute and the Pune division of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Between 350 and 400 people saw a colorful poster exhibit at the Panchgani bazaar, and about 120 people including 50 students from the Billimoria School attended a program that evening on “Action for Afforestation and the Environment” presented by a Bahá’í, Dr. H.T.D. Rost. ...

In July, Franco Ceccherini represented the Bahá’í International Community at a meeting between Pope John Paul II and the International Council of the World Conference on Religion (see photo on this page). The Pope received the group in one of the reception rooms in Vatican City. ...

Bahá’ís in the Netherlands took part in a recent Third World Festival whose theme was “One World, One Future,” distributing pamphlets and books on the Faith, Persian cookies and roses to the more than 70,000 people at the Festival. ...

Franco Ceccherini, representing the Bahá’í International Community, is greeted by Pope John Paul II before a meeting between the Pope and the International Council of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, held in July in Vatican City.

Bahá’í Esperantists take part in annual Congress of Esperanto League for North America (ELNA)

Several Bahá’í Esperantists took part July 19-24 in the Congress of the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Bahá’í couple from North Carolina, Betty and Charles Donoghue, helped with the get-acquainted evening, and Mr. Donoghue provided music for the banquet.

During the opening session, June Fritz, secretary of BELusono (the Bahá’í Esperanto League for the U.S.), introduced fellow Bahá’í Esperantist Darlene Evans who sang “Blessed Is the Spot” in Esperanto. Later that week Mrs. Evans was invited to sing again, and dedicated her song to Lidia Zamenhof, daughter of the inventor of Esperanto. Miss Zamenhof, who was a Bahá’í, was taught the Faith by Martha Root.

Among the professional presentations was a talk by Mrs. Donoghue about the medicinal properties of various plants found in North Carolina.

Mrs. Fritz coordinated an audio-visual presentation on the House of Worship in India with slides and taped narration by a Belgian Bahá’í, Pierre Daoust, and an introduction in Esperanto by Gordon Coates, a Bahá’í from Hinsdale, Illinois, and presented a paper, also in Esperanto, about the growth of the Faith in India.

John Dale, president of the U.S. Bahá’í Esperanto League, attended the Congress with his wife, Detelina, who recently arrived in the States from Bulgaria. Mr. Dale was invited to become a member of ELNA’s Commission on Legal Affairs.

About 90 people took part in this year’s Congress.

Please continue to share your experiences as homefront pioneers. They serve to encourage your fellow pioneers as well as inspire others to arise. If you can become a homefront pioneer, please phone the National Teaching Committee, 708-869-9039. [Page 12]

از نامه‌های رسیده

LETTERS

دفتر امور احبای ایرانی هر از گاهی نامه‌هایی از خوانندگان صفحات فارسی "امریکن بهائی" دریافت می‌دارد که هر گاه امکانات اجازه دهد عین نامه یا بخش‌هایی از آن را در این صفحات درج می‌کنیم.

جناب ابوالفضل رحمانی نامه‌ای ارسال نموده و در طی آن توجه یاران را به اهمیت "سال مقدس" معطوف داشته‌اند. ایشان یادآور شده‌اند که باید از هم اکنون خود را آماده استقبال از سال ۱۹۹۲ یعنی صدمین سال صعود حضرت بهاءالله و اعلان پیمان الهی به جهانیان نمائیم. به گفته جناب رحمانی برای آنکه بتوانیم لیاقت درک این سال مبارک را احراز نمائیم، می‌باید افکار و اعمال خود را با نصایح الهی تطبیق دهیم و بعنوان شاهد این گفتار دو فقره از آثار حضرت عبدالبهاء را نیز ضمیمه نموده‌اند که به درج آن در زیر می‌پردازیم.

حضرت عبدالبهاء در لوح جناب قابل ‎آبادای آباده ای‎ می‌فرمایند: "ای جناب قابل، کلمات مکنونه... لیلاً و نهاراً قرائت نمائیم و تضرع و زاری کنیم تا به موجب این نصایح الهی عمل نمائیم. این کلمات مقدسه به جهت عمل نازل شده نه به جهت استماع..."

همچنین می‌فرمایند: "همت را بلند کنید و مقصد را ارجمند. به قوت ایمان به موجب تعالیم الهی رفتار نمائید و اعمال را تطبیق به احکام الهی فرمائید. کلمات مکنونه تلاوت کنید و به مضمون دقت کنید و به موجب آن عمل نمائید. الواح طرازات و کلمات و تجلیات و اشراقات و بشارات را به امعان نظر بخوانید و به موجب تعالیم الهیه قیام نمائید تا آنکه هر یک شمعی روشن گردید و شاهد انجمن شوید و مانند گل گلشن رائحه طیبه منتشر نمائید. چون بحر پرجوش و خروش شوید و چون ابر فیض آسمانی مبذول دارید. این است وصایای عبدالبهاء."

تبلیغ چینیان

CHINESE TEACHING WORK

از ماه فوریه تا جون سال جاری آقای فرزام کمال‌آبادی از جانب لجنة ملی تبلیغ چینیان به سفر در سراسر ایالات متحده پرداخته و از ۳۳ دانشگاه در ۱۷ ایالت دیدار نموده و دانشجویان بهائی را تشویق کرده است که دانشجویان و دانشمندان چینی را در ایالات متحده با امر مبارک آشنا سازند.

در یکی از دستخط‌های بیت‌العدل اعظم به این نکته اشاره شده بود که حدود ۵۰ هزار نفر دانشجو و دانشمند چینی در آمریکا به سر می‌برند و همین گوشزد معهد اعلی عامل اصلی سفر تشویقی مذکور بوده است.

آقای کمال‌آبادی در طی سفرهای خود سخنرانی‌هائی تحت عنوان "آینده چین در نظم نوین جهانی" به زبان چینی ایراد نمود. جالب اینجاست که بسیاری از این سخنرانی‌ها را سازمان‌های دانشجویی چینیان ترتیب داده بود و تشکیلات امری فقط دست‌اندر کار معدودی از آنها بود.

آرزوی تحقق یافته

NEWS FROM SOVIET UNION

جناب وحید خاضع یکی از خادمان باوفای امر حضرت بهاءالله است. ایشان از اواسط دههٔ ۸۰ پیوسته در این خیال بوده است که چگونه خدمتی به امر مبارک نماید و به این منظور همواره دعا و مناجات می‌کرده است.

جناب خاضع پس از تامل دربارهٔ خدمات امری به نتیجه‌ای رسید که رسیدن به آن در زمان تصمیم‌گیری محال به نظر می‌رسید. او می‌خواست به زادگاهش در شوروی برود و پیام حضرت بهاءالله را به مردم آن سرزمین برساند. جناب خاضع در آن زمان ساکن ایالات متحده بود و جهت رسیدن به مراد خود به تدریج ترتیبات سفر به شوروی را فراهم می‌کرد.

جناب خاضع به دنبال رویدادهای مهمی که در جهان واقع شد و نیز کوشش‌های شخصی خود در پائیز سال ۱۹۹۰ عازم باکو در جمهوری آذربایجان شد و این سفر درست ۶۰ سال پس از اینکه خاک شوروی را به قصد ایران ترک کرده بود، صورت گرفت.

پس از رسیدن به شوروی دریافت که مردم آن دیار تشنه تعالیم الهی‌اند. به گفته جناب خاضع "وقتی از اروپا عازم مسکو بودم، به من گفتند که ۵ محفل روحانی در شوروی وجود دارد. وقتی به مسکو رسیدم تعداد محافل بالغ بر ۷ شده بود. بعد از یک هفته ۴ محفل روحانی دیگر هم تشکیل شد و تعداد محافل الان به ۱۱ رسیده است."

در اوایل سال ۱۹۹۱ تعداد محافل روحانی به اندازه‌ای بود که بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی احباء را تشویق فرمودند که اولین محفل روحانی ملی اتحاد جماهیر شوروی در رضوان سال جاری یعنی یک سال زودتر از موقع مقرر تشکیل شود.

جناب خاضع به دنبال تشکیل کانونشن ملی به عضویت آن محفل انتخاب شد. حدود ۲۶۰ نفر در کانونشن ملی شرکت کرده بودند که عده‌ای از آنان را مبلغان سیار و دیگر احباء تشکیل می‌دادند.

جناب خاضع که بازرگانی بازنشسته است تمامی وقت خود را صرف تبلیغ امر مبارک می‌کند. می‌گوید "نیروی محرکه‌ای که وجود دارد باور کردنی نیست و این نیرو هر روز شدت بیشتری می‌گیرد. مردم شوروی بعد از آنهمه سال‌های محرومیت نیاز شدیدی به پیام حضرت بهاءالله دارند و خیلی مشتاق شنیدن آنند."

به گفته جناب خاضع تا جولای سال جاری ۳۰ محفل روحانی در شوروی تشکیل شده بود و انتظار می‌رود که این تعداد افزایش یابد.

جناب خاضع از اواسط جولای تا هفته اول آگست سال جاری را به سفر در سراسر ایالات متحده گذراند. در طی این سفرها تحیات گرم محفل روحانی ملی اتحاد جماهیر شوروی و احبای آن سرزمین را به گوش احبای این دیار رساند و از کمک‌هایی که احباء برای تحکیم بنای جوامع و موسسات امری شوروی کرده‌اند، تشکر کرد.

موفقیت شایان جوانان بهائی

SUCCESS OF THE BAHÁ’Í YOUTH

آقای رابرت عهدیه جوان ۲۰ ساله‌ای است که در بخش روابط بین‌المللی دانشگاه پرینستون به تحصیل اشتغال دارد و در حال حاضر به مدت یک سال مطالعات ویژه‌ای را در شهرهای مسکو و وین و واشنگتن دنبال می‌کند.

آقای عهدیه پیش از آغاز تحصیل در دانشگاه پرینستون یک سال به عنوان داوطلب در مرکز جهانی بهائی به خدمت مشغول بود و در ماه آگست سال جاری عازم مسکو شد تا بعنوان یکی از اولین دانشجویان آمریکائی در مؤسسه دولتی روابط بین‌المللی مسکو به تحصیل بپردازد.

رابرت در دسامبر سال جاری به وین خواهد رفت تحت راهنمائی شاهزاده الفرد لیشتن‌شتاین Liechtenstein محقق نامدار اروپین لزلو Ervin Laszlo در آکادمی وین به تحصیل درباره آینده جهان مشغول شود. همچنین آقای عهدیه از آپریل تا جولای سال آینده را در واشنگتن به سر خواهد برد که مطالعات خود را در کمیسیون هلسینکی ادامه دهد. کمیسیون مذکور که بیشتر بعنوان کمیسیون همکاری و امنیت اروپا شهرت دارد، مرکب از نمایندگان و سناتورهای آمریکائی است.

رابرت در سپتامبر سال ۱۹۹۲ به پرینستون باز خواهد گشت و سال سوم تحصیلات عالی خود را در مدرسه روابط بین‌المللی آن دانشگاه آغاز خواهد کرد.

اخبار بین‌المللی امری

BAHÁ’Í INTERNATIONAL NEWS

گایانا محفل روحانی ملی گایانا گزارش داده است که از رضوان سال ۱۹۹۰ تا رضوان سال جاری ۱۱۹۰۰ نفر به امر مبارک اقبال نموده‌اند. علت این افزایش شرکت هر چه بیشتر احباء در برنامه‌های تبلیغی بوده است. هنگامی که در فوریه سال جاری محفل روحانی ملی یاران را دعوت کرد به طرح و اجرای برنامه‌های مؤثر و منظم تبلیغی بپردازند، تعداد اینگونه برنامه‌ها از ۳۰ به ۱۲۱ افزایش یافت. در نتیجه کوشش‌های گروه‌های تبلیغی ۹ هزار نفر به صف اهل بهاء پیوستند و ۱۳ هزار نفر از مقاصد امر الهی آگاهی حاصل نمودند. علاوه بر این ۴۱ کلاس امری برای کودکان و ۹ گروه برای نوجوانان و ۳۰ ضیافت نوزده‌روزه تشکیل گردید.

ترکیه گزارش شده است که در طی یک هفته در ماه جون سال جاری پیام امر الهی به ۹ شهر و ده ابلاغ شد و در نتیجه ۳۳ نفر به امر مبارک اقبال نمودند. برخی از اهالی در نقاط مختلف ترکیه کتاب و جزوات امری دریافت داشتند و قرار شد پس از مطالعه آنها از احباء دعوت شود که به منازل آنها رجوع کنند.

هندوراس یک گروه تبلیغی که متشکل از ۹ نفر از احباء از هندوراس و کانادا و ایران و آمریکا بود، در ماه جون سال جاری طی یک برنامه تبلیغی موفق شدند که ۹۹ نفر را در پایتخت آن کشور به جرگه مؤمنان امر حضرت بهاءالله ملحق نمایند. محفل روحانی ملی هندوراس گزارش داده است که از سال پیش تا کنون هزار نفر تصدیق امر مبارک کرده‌اند. این اولین بار است که چنین افزایشی در پایتخت یکی از کشورهای آمریکای مرکزی صورت گرفته است.

آلبانی همچنین در ماه جون سال جاری ۱۵ نفر از احباء از ایتالیا و اطریش مبادرت به سفری تبلیغی به آلبانی نمودند که منجر به تصدیق حدود ۱۵۰ نفر شد. در تیرانا Tirana پایتخت آن کشور احباء توانستند با یک هنرپیشه مشهور آلبانی و مدیر یک مدرسه و نوازنده‌ای از آکادمی موزیک و عده‌ای از اولیای امور و همچنین ۱۰ خانواده تماس حاصل نمایند. در نتیجه این کوشش‌های تبلیغی ۴۸ نفر تسجیل شدند.

طرد اداری

مطابق رأی محفل روحانی ملی در جلسه ماه جولای سال جاری طرد اداری آقای شهرام سبحانی ساکن لوس آنجلس در ایالت کالیفرنیا به علت نقض اصول اخلاقی بهائی محرز گردید. همچنین آقای سبحانی از شرکت در کنفرانس‌های بهائی محروم خواهد بود.

دوستانی که مایل باشند در خدمات امری بین‌المللی - مهاجرت خارجه و سفرهای تبلیغی - شرکت نمایند، و همچنین عزیزانی که علاقه‌مند به خدمات امری در داخل آمریکا باشند، می‌توانند جهت کسب اطلاعات بیشتر با دفتر محفل ملی تماس حاصل نمایند. تلفن: ۹۰۳۹-۸۶۹ (۷۰۸). Bahá’í National Center Wilmette, IL. 60091

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کنگره جهانی بهائی

BAHA’I WORLD CONGRESS

چنانکه یاران عزیز آگاهی دارند، کنگره جهانی بزرگ‌ترین اجتماعی خواهد بود که تاکنون اهل بهاء در سراسر تاریخ خود داشته‌اند. اوراق نام‌نویسی کنگره جهانی به دست بسیاری از احبّاء در سراسر جهان رسیده و شور و هیجانی در میان آنان ایجاد کرده است.

این شور و هیجان در مراسلاتی که دوستان و تشکیلات امری با دفتر مسؤول طرح و برنامه‌ریزی داشته‌اند هویداست. نمونه‌ای از سؤالاتی که طرح شده، از این قرار است:

چرا جریان نام‌نویسی چنین پیچیده است؟ آیا هزینۀ شرکت در کنفرانس گران نیست؟ برنامه‌های کنفرانس از چه قرار است؟ در شهری به بزرگی نیویورک چگونه می‌توان از محلی به محل دیگر رفت؟ البته این نمونه‌ای از پرسش‌هائی است که یارانی که مصمّم به شرکت در کنگرۀ جهانی شده‌اند، طرح نموده‌اند.

پیداست که نمی‌توان همۀ سؤالاتی را که در رابطه با این واقعۀ بزرگ تاریخی طرح می‌شود، پاسخ گفت. اما عزیزانی که قصد شرکت در کنگرۀ جهانی را دارند، باید مطمئن باشند که از ثمرات یک برنامه‌ریزی مفصّل و پیچیده بهره خواهند برد.

احبای متخصّص و باتجربه با همکاری صدها داوطلب می‌کوشند که تمامی نیازهایی را که احبای سراسر جهان ممکن است در کنگرۀ جهانی داشته باشند، برطرف نمایند.

کنگره جهانی در نهاد خود با همۀ مجامع بزرگی که تا کنون احبّاء در آن شرکت نموده‌اند، تفاوت دارد. ابّهت و اهمیت روحانی این رویداد تاریخی تفاوتی بنیادی با دیگر کنفرانس‌های بهائی خواهد داشت که در آنها احبّاء بیشتر به اختلاط و مصاحبت با دوستان و آشنایان می‌پردازند.

به همین جهت لازم است برای کسانی که افتخار شرکت در کنگرۀ جهانی را خواهند داشت ترتیبات و برنامه‌های ویژه‌ای فراهم شود. هر چند اختلاط و الفت وجه امتیاز مجامع بهائی است، اما شرکت در کنگرۀ جهانی مستلزم تأمّلات و تعهدات روحانی بیشتری از جانب شرکت‌کنندگان خواهد بود.

ترتیبات عظیمی از جانب افراد و تشکیلات بهائی برای برگزاری کنگرۀ جهانی در "مدینۀ میثاق" در شرف انجام است. نام و آوازۀ امر بهائی و اصول و معتقدات آن در شهر نیویورک منتشر خواهد شد و آشنائی بیشتری با نام و مرام اهل بهاء حاصل خواهد گردید. به همین جهت از یاران انتظار خواهد رفت که اصول و تعالیم خود را در عمل به ظهور برسانند.

حضور احبّاء در نیویورک این فرصت را بالقوه فراهم خواهد ساخت که جزو اجتماعی یکی از بزرگ‌ترین و مهم‌ترین شهرهای دنیا امکان دگرگونی و تحوّلی اساسی یابد.

البته لازم نیست برای این تغییر و تحوّل به انتظار نشست. در حال حاضر به تعداد بسیاری داوطلب نیاز است. این نیاز در زمان برگزاری کنگرۀ جهانی بیشتر خواهد شد. به همین دلیل یاران می‌توانند با تکمیل اوراق "داوطلبان" که به ضمیمۀ اوراق نام‌نویسی ارسال شده است، کمکی به تسهیل امور برگزاری این مجمع تاریخی نمایند.

دومین کنفرانس انجمن ادب و فرهنگ ایرانی

PERSIAN ARTS AND CULTURE CONFERENCE

دومین کنفرانس انجمن ادب و فرهنگ ایرانی از ۹ تا ۱۲ ژانویه سال ۱۹۹۲ در حظیرة‌القدس لوس آنجلس برگزار خواهد شد.

موفّقیّت بیش از حدّ انتظار اوّلین کنفرانس انجمن ادب و فرهنگ ایرانی و استقبال گرم یاران از آن مجمع مجریان و دست اندر کاران آن را واداشت که کمر همّت را محکم کنند و هر چه زودتر در صدد برگزاری دومین کنفرانس بر آیند.

محور اصلی برنامۀ کنفرانس دوم "نعیم اصفهانی، ادیب بهائی" خواهد بود و انتظار می‌رود برخی از سخنرانی‌ها دربارۀ زندگانی و آثار و خدمات آن "منادی پیمان" باشد.

موضوعات دیگری که مورد توجّه انجمن است و در این کنفرانس و همچنین کنفرانس‌های دیگر انجمن مورد بررسی قرار خواهد گرفت، عبارت است از: جایگاه زبان عربی در آثار نزولی امر بهائی؛ سبک ادبی آثار حضرت عبدالبهاء؛ سبک ادبی آثار حضرت ولی امرالله؛ گسترش ادب و فرهنگ ایرانی در جهان توسط مهاجران بهائی؛ تشکیلات بهائی در ایران و تأثیر آن در توسعۀ اقتصادی و اجتماعی آن کشور؛ راه پیشرفت و ترقّی ایران در آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله؛ نثر فارسی در گذشته و امروز؛ سبک ادبی نویسندگان بهائی؛ مبانی موسیقی ایرانی؛ ارتباط دستگاه‌های موسیقی ایرانی با اوزان نظم فارسی؛ نمایشنامه‌نویسی و اجرای آن در دوره‌های پی در پی.

موضوعاتی که در بالا بدان اشاره شد، نمونه‌ای از مطالبی است که در آغاز کار انجمن مورد بررسی قرار خواهد گرفت. از یاران عزیزی که مایل باشند دربارۀ موضوع‌های مربوط به ادب و فرهنگ فارسی تحقیق نمایند تقاضا می‌شود با دفتر امور احبای ایرانی تماس حاصل فرمایند و طرح‌های خود را با آن دفتر در میان نهند. تلفن: ۸۶۹-۹۰۳۹ (۷۰۸).

خدمات جوانان

YOUTH CAN MOVE THE WORLD

روز ۳۰ جون سال جاری عده‌ای از جوانان بهائی از سراسر جهان در کیو Kiev پایتخت اوکراین در اتحاد جماهیر شوروی گرد هم آمدند تا در یک برنامۀ تبلیغی جوانان با عنوان "جوانان می‌توانند جهان را به حرکت اندازند" شرکت نمایند.

مجموعاً ۴۹ نفر از یاران و دو گروه موسیقی در این برنامۀ تبلیغی شرکت داشتند. شرکت‌کنندگان به سه گروه تقسیم شدند و هر گروه راه شهری را گرفتند تا پیام الهی را به گوش ساکنان برسانند. جوانان از ۸ شهر در سه جمهوری دیدار کردند.

شرکت‌کنندگان در این سفر تبلیغی حدود ۱۰ روز را با اتوبوس در راه‌ها گذراندند. چون هدف از این سفر ایجاد ارتباط واقعی با مردم شوروی بود، از برنامه‌هایی که دیگر جهانگردان از آن استفاده می‌کنند، بکلی اجتناب شد. به همین دلیل بسیاری از موانعی که بر راه ایجاد ارتباط قرار می‌گیرد، از ابتدا برطرف شد.

سه گروه مذکور در چرکاسی Cherkassy، یکی از شهرهای کوچک اوکراین، به هم پیوستند. این شهر محل انعقاد اوّلین کنفرانس جوانان در سراسر شوروی بود. ۷۰ نفر از احبّای شوروی به جمع مبلّغان سیّار پیوستند و در این کنفرانس تاریخی شرکت کردند.

آقای شهرام دانا، یکی از جوانان شرکت‌کننده در این برنامۀ تبلیغی از این تجربۀ تبلیغی چنین یاد می‌کرد: "در این سفر عاشق خدا شدم! این سه هفته پربارترین دورۀ زندگیم بوده است. قدرت امر الهی و نیروی کلام حضرت بهاء‌الله را به چشم می‌دیدم. امیدوارم وقتی برگردم بتوانم این شعله‌ای را که در جانم آتش انداخته به جامعۀ محلّی سرایت دهم."

برنامۀ تبلیغی فوق دوازدهمین سفر تبلیغی است که توسط یک شرکت بهائی به نام International Soviet Resources ترتیب داده شده است. مرکز شرکت مذکور در ‎Gainsville Gainesville‎ در ایالت جورجیا و کیو در جمهوری اوکراین است.

کنفرانس مؤسسهٔ مطالعات بهائی

ASSOCIATION FOR BAHÁ’Í STUDIES

از ۱۵ تا ۱۸ آگست سال جاری شانزدهمین مجمع مؤسسۀ مطالعات بهائی در ویکتوریا واقع در بریتیش کلمبیا در کانادا تشکیل گردید. موضوع این انجمن "حیات و آثار حضرت بهاء‌الله" بود.

بیش از ۶۰۰ نفر در این کنفرانس شرکت کردند. کنفرانس مرکب بود از جلسات عمومی و پنل و گروه‌های مطالعه و بخش‌های هنری و سمینارهای حرفه‌ای و برنامه‌های تقدیم جوائز.

دو جلسه به یاد دو ایادی عزیز امرالله جناب حسن موقّر بالیوزی و جناب جان رابارتس منعقد شد. در گروه‌های مطالعه کتب و الواح حضرت بهاء‌الله مورد مذاکره و تحقیق قرار می‌گیرد. در سمینارهای حرفه‌ای موضوع‌هائی مانند هنرهای گوناگون، امور اقتصادی و بازرگانی، مشورت و حلّ اختلافات، آموزش و پرورش، بهداشت، روابط فرهنگ‌های گوناگون، ازدواج و خانواده، مطالعات دینی، علوم و تکنولوژی، مسائل مربوط به زنان، و آیندۀ مطالعات بهائی به بحث گذاشته می‌شد. کوشش‌های تحقیقی سه نفر از شرکت‌کنندگان که مقالات ارزنده‌ای نوشته بودند با تقدیم جوائز به آنان مورد تقدیر مؤسسۀ مطالعات بهائی واقع شد.

قرار است مجمع بعدی مؤسسه در اواخر بهار سال ۱۹۹۳ در مونترال تشکیل شود. کسانی که مایل باشند اطلاعات بیشتری دربارۀ فعالیت‌های مؤسسۀ مطالعات بهائی دریافت دارند، می‌توانند با نشانی زیر تماس حاصل نمایند. تلفن: ۱۹۰۳-۲۳۳ (۶۱۳).

Association for Bahá’í Studies

Ottawa, CANADA. K1N 7K4

حقوق‌الله

از دوستان عزیز مستدعی است تقدیمی‌های حقوق‌الله را در وجه Bahá’í Huququ’lláh Trust به نشانی یکی از امنای حقوق‌الله ارسال فرمایند.

Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA. 90402

Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, OH. 44116

Dr. Elsie Austin P.O. Box 927 Silver Spring, MD. 20910 [Page 14]

Puestos para el cuerpo Bahá’í de servicio juvenil establecidos dentro los Estados Unidos

El Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil es un programa diseñado para jóvenes quienes toman tiempo de la escuela o del trabajo para dedicar servicio de jornada completa a la Fe. En el pasado, la mayoría de los puestos del Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil se han localizados fuera de los Estados Unidos. El Comité Nacional de Enseñanza está ahora animando a Asambleas Espirituales Locales de levantar puestos para el Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil en sus comunidades, y está ayudando para poner maestros para la Causa de jornada completa dentro de esas comunidades.

Un voluntario del Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil puede ayudar en los esfuerzos de enseñanza de una comunidad Bahá’í de muchas maneras. Por ejemplo, puede ayudar a establecer y mantener institutos de enseñanza y participar de jornada completa en proyectos de enseñanza. Un voluntario puede visitar a nuevos creyentes durante el día, puede ayudar en educarlos y profundizarlos, y puede ayudar a los nuevos creyentes con sus primeros esfuerzos para enseñar a sus familias, vecinos, y amigos. Si la comunidad tiene jóvenes y niños, un voluntario del CBSJ puede juntar a estos creyentes jóvenes y movilizarlos para enseñar. O un voluntario puede ofrecerse para trabajar de jornada completa en centros Bahá’ís o centros de información Bahá’í como parte del personal, recibir visitantes, contestar preguntas telefónicas, y dar clases de alfabetismo o para niños.

Para empezar el proceso de establecer un puesto del CBSJ, una Asamblea Espiritual Local obtendría y completaría un formulario de propuesta para una posición que se puede obtener del Escritorio de Jóvenes en la ‎oficia oficina‎ del Comité Nacional de Enseñanza. Este formulario nos provee con información acerca de las necesidades de la comunidad y los tipos de servicio que un voluntario joven podría hacer. Entonces, tratamos de corresponder a las necesidades de una comunidad con las habilidades de un joven voluntario. El Comité Nacional de Enseñanza trabaja íntimamente con la Asamblea Espiritual Local para establecer y llenar un puesto y proveer guía como sea necesario.

Hay algunos requisitos generales que el Comité Nacional de Enseñanza siente son necesarios para hacer la experiencia del Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil beneficioso para todos. La Asamblea Espiritual Local debe proveer vivienda para los jóvenes en el hogar de una familia Bahá’í y cobrar al voluntario una cantidad mínima por pensión completa. La Asamblea Espiritual Local tiene que proveer un programa bien definido, ser responsable por la supervisión del trabajo, y asegurar que apoyo emocional está proveído para el joven voluntario.

Por otra parte se espera que los jóvenes voluntarios, sirvan por un mínimo de nueve meses, sean libres de otras obligaciones y responsabilidades, y se mantengan a sí mismo financieramente. El programa está abierto para jóvenes entre las edades de 18 a 23 años. Aquellos que solicitan participar en este programa tienen que asistir a un programa intensivo de cuatro días antes de ir a su puesto.

Además del desarrollo del puesto de un Cuerpo Bahá’í de Servicio Juvenil, una Asamblea Espiritual Local puede ayudar a los jóvenes de su comunidad para satisfacer a su deseo de servir a la Fe a través de este programa. Una Asamblea Espiritual Local puede desempeñar un papel crucial en levantar jóvenes para servir a la Causa. Una Asamblea no sólo puede proveer guía a los jóvenes para su año de servicio, sino también ayudarle a que los jóvenes de su comunidad adquieran experiencias Bahá’ís en administración y enseñanza que serán necesarios, en un puesto del CBSJ. Por ejemplo, nombrándolos a comités, envolviéndolos en proyectos Bahá’ís, y pidiéndoles para ayudar con clases de niños, la Asamblea puede preparar a los jóvenes para cumplir estos tipos de deberes que tal vez serán llamados a hacer durante el año de servicio. Este entrenamiento también ayudará a prepararlos para años de servicio a la Causa después de su experiencia de CBSJ.

El Comité Nacional de Enseñanza invita a aquellas Asambleas o individuos interesados en saber más sobre el Año de Servicio Juvenil Bahá’í llamar a la Oficina Juvenil en la Oficina del Comité Nacional de Enseñanza al número (708) 869-9039 ext. 232.

Pre-jóvenes pueden servir como mentores para niños menores

Los niños ‎precisamenmente precisamente‎ en este momento pueden efectivamente servir a la Causa y ayudar en el trabajo de enseñanza. Sus padres pueden animarlos y habilitarlos hacer esto consultando como podrían mejor promover la Causa y ayudarlos a preparar una guía para un plan de acción.

La familia de un niño de trece años en Illinois nos provee con un ejemplo de como se podría realizar esto. Este niño había sido estimulado y ayudado al considerar como podría usar sus talentos para servir la Causa. Uno de sus padres consultó con él para ayudarlo a identificar y evaluar sus habilidades. El otro consultó con él como se podría usar estas habilidades para servir a la comunidad y avanzar la Causa de Bahá’u’lláh.

Juntos, determinaron que una de sus mejores habilidades, y algo que le gustaba hacer, era leer en voz alta. También notaron que en la Fiesta de diecinueve días, dos niños menores, que tenían admiración por el niño mayor, gozaban de estar en su presencia y muchas veces se sentaban cerca de él.

Decidieron, entonces, que una vez al mes, el niño de trece años invitaría a estos dos niños de nueve años (también a un niño de diez años que no era Bahá’í) a su hogar para leerles cuentos sobre Bahá’u’lláh y de esa manera ayudarles a aprender más sobre la Fe y su Fundador.

Estas sesiones de los sábados por la tarde empezaron hace alrededor de cinco meses. Por anticipado, el niño mayor planea una comida y actividades por el día. Una semana antes de su reunión planeada, él llama para recordar a los niños menores de la próxima reunión.

El empieza su tarde juntos preparando almuerzo y sirviéndoles a ellos. Entonces, después de repasar con los niños menores lo que aprendieron durante su previa reunión, él les lee un cuento sobre Bahá’u’lláh, actualmente del libro Remember My Days (Recuerde Mis Días). Discuten el cuento, y toman parte en una actividad recreativa afuera como frisbee o basketbol. Antes de que los niños menores se vayan a sus hogares, terminan en la tarde con “Nintendo” o juegos tableros.

Los padres de los creyentes menores están encantados que el niño mayor Bahá’í ha proveído a sus niños con un modelo que les está ayudando a crecer en la Fe. Han notado que sus niños están contentos de ir a las Fiestas porque saben que su amigo mayor especial, su mentor, estará allí.

Bahá’í youth and adults from Canada and Washington state helped man a teaching booth and comfort station for mothers with small children July 13-14 at the annual Vashon Island Strawberry Festival near Seattle. The friends also organized an award-winning dance routine for the annual Festival parade, and followed up those activities with a Sunday evening fireside at which the message of the Faith was well-received by a number of seekers.

Friends encouraged to join growing network of Bulletin Board users

Notice to local Spiritual Assemblies, ‎registered registered‎ Groups, District Teaching Committees, and individual Bahá’ís:

If you or any of your members have access to a personal computer with a 300, 1200 or 2400 baud modem and a communications software package, the National Spiritual Assembly encourages you to join the growing network of users on the Bahá’í National Center Bulletin Board System (BNCBBS).

This electronic communications system offers immediate and efficient access to offices and agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly. We wish to communicate with as many members of the community as possible in order to disseminate and gather important news and information.

The BNCBBS can be reached 24 hours a day at 708-869-0389. Software parameter settings should be N/8/1 (no parity, 8 databits, 1 stop bit).

For more information or help, please contact Merrill Miller, Management Information Systems, 708-869-9039, ext. 295.

‘Oneness of Mankind’ proclamation is held for Seminole Indians

A “Oneness of Mankind” proclamation was held August 3 for Seminole Indians in the area around Sasakwa, Seminole County, Oklahoma.

Some Bahá’ís from Arizona, California, Oklahoma and Texas took part in the event which was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Seminole County and supported by the Auxiliary Board for Oklahoma.

The friends prayed, deepened, heard talks by a number of Bahá’ís including Sylvester Scott of the National Race Unity Committee, held a fish fry and fireside, and took part in a Creek Indian stomp dance.

All Bahá’ís must secure permission from the Universal House of Justice before traveling to Israel, whether for business, visiting relatives, a three-day stay in Haifa, or any other reason. The address of the Universal House of Justice is P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 001, Israel.

[Page 15]Left photo: Registrants gather outside the auditorium prior to a session of the annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies. Right photo: A view of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where the Association’s 16th annual Conference was held in September.

Association for Bahá’í Studies holds 16th annual Conference

“Bahá’u’lláh: His Life and Writings” was the theme of the 16th annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies held August 15-18 at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia.

More than 600 people attended the event which included plenary sessions, simultaneous study sessions, cultural performances, awards, and professional interest seminars.

Among the highlights were a memorial service for the Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts; the Hasan Balyuzi Memorial Lecture by David Hofman, a retired member of the Universal House of Justice, whose topic was “Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory”; a keynote address by Counselor David Smith; other major addresses by Counselors Wilma Ellis and Fred Schechter, and two members of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, Robert C. Henderson and Firuz Kazemzadeh; a performance of poetry and prose by Roger White, assisted by Anne Atkinson and Mary Ann Gorski; poetry by Michael Fitzgerald accompanied by saxophonist Marvin (Doc) Holladay; East Indian dances by Mitra Samie; and a presentation including dance and video by the Maxwell International Bahá’í School.

The Conference was opened and closed with a Native American ceremony presented by Randy and Diana Chipps of the Southern Nootka Nation. Pierre-Yves Mocquais, academic director of the Association, served as convenor, organizer and chairman of the Conference.

In addition to the plenary convocations, study sessions were held on various books and tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, along with ABS professional interest seminars for the arts, business and economics, consultation and conflict resolution, education, health and intercultural issues, marriage and the family, the study of religion, science and technology, women’s studies, and a special workshop on the future of Bahá’í scholarship. Consultation in the seminars was focused on developing statements for possible publication in each area of interest.

Awards were presented by the Association for essays by Christopher Buck (“The Authority of the Reformer”); Ludwig Tuman (“The Spiritual Role of Art”); and Michael Sours (“The Maid of Heaven, the Image of Sophia, and the Logos”).

Conference participants also took part in a dinner and Annual Meeting of the Association, and a special tour of the Maxwell Bahá’í School which is located about 45 minutes from the University of Victoria.

The Conference helped prepare participants for the Holy Year 1992 and provided meaningful sessions and interchanges in the lovely setting of British Columbia. The Association plans on holding its next Conference in the late spring of 1993, with a tentative site of Montreal.

Those who would like information about the Association may write to the Association for Bahá’í Studies, Ottawa, Canada K1N 7K4, or phone 613-233-1903 (fax 613-233-3644).

EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS

Peter Murphy, a Bahá’í from Ventnor, New Jersey, has been named a “1991 Distinguished Teacher” by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Mr. Murphy, who has taught English and creative writing for 15 years at Atlantic City High School, received a plaque on behalf of President Bush at a Washington luncheon hosted by Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander. Mr. Murphy is the recipient of poetry writing fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Corporation of Yaddo, and in 1986 was the first recipient of the Robert Hayden Poetry Writing Fellowship at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

Christopher Gray, a young Bahá’í from Belleville, Illinois, has won first prize in the elementary school division of the International Computer Problem-Solving Contest. His solutions were sent to the University of Wisconsin where he was ranked seventh in the world in his division.

Robert Ahdieh, a 20-year-old student at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs, has begun a year of special studies in Moscow, Vienna and Washington, D.C. Mr. Ahdieh, who spent a year as a volunteer worker at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel, before entering Princeton, left in August for Moscow where he is one of the first American students to study and conduct research at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In December he travels to Vienna to study with Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Ervin Laszlo at the Vienna Academy for the Study of the Future, then returns to Washington to work next April through July at the Helsinki Commission, composed of U.S. Senators and Congressmen and known officially as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Mr. Ahdieh will return to Princeton in September 1992 to begin his third year at the Woodrow Wilson School.

Noah Brandon, a 21-year-old Bahá’í from Center Harbor, New Hampshire, who is a professional snowboarder, was the subject of an article in the September issue of Snowboarder magazine, which noted that “Noah doesn’t fit the mold because he doesn’t live and die by the sport of snowboarding. ... Noah’s true devotion is to God through the Bahá’í Faith, an emerging world religion based on progressive revelation.”

Lea and Lily Ray, twin daughters of Dr. and Mrs. Wayne Ray of Wilson County, Tennessee, each won the top awards for highest over-all scholarship, science, math, language arts and social studies at their sixth grade Appreciation Day. Lily Ray placed first in her school in the Geography Bee competition, first in the state semi-finals, and fifth in the state finals, and both girls won plaques in the area-wide math competition.

Waldo Boyd, a Bahá’í from Geyserville, California, has been given the Jack London Award for meritorious service by the California Writers Club. Mr. Boyd, a professional writer since 1947, is the author of seven books, the most recent of which is Computer Cryptology: Beyond Decoder Rings, published by Prentice-Hall in 1988.

Don Thayer, a Bahá’í from Carson City, Nevada, has received the “Blue Chip Enterprise Award” co-sponsored by Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and Nation’s Business magazine. Mr. Thayer is a partner in the Heidi’s Restaurant firm, which includes four restaurants and two bakeries.

IN MEMORIAM

Horace Brown Spartanburg, SC August 8, 1991	Dr. Khalil Fard Rolling Hills, CA Date Unknown	Farrkhon Khajeh Rolling Hills, CA Date Unknown	Mattie Wiggins Keysville, GA Date Unknown
Joseph Brown Titusville, FL October 20, 1988	Eberhard Friedland Suriname June 1991	Kim Ly Ngim Stockton, CA August 25, 1990	Willie Wiggins Burke County, GA 1989
Alicia Cardell Red Bluff, CA 1991	Nicholas Franciosi Foxborough, MA August 13, 1991	Janie Overstreet Burke County, GA September 1990	Harry Williams Keysville, GA Date Unknown
Albert Cobe Lac du Flambeau, WI Date Unknown	Amelia Jacobsen Stevens Point, WI 1991	Eugene Reddix Burke County, GA April 20, 1991	Rita Walters Ledyard, CT August 9, 1991
Jimmy Clark Orangeburg, SC August 3, 1991	Evelyn Jenkins McCandless, PA May 2, 1991	Margaret Rubino Detroit, MI July 3, 1991	Dianne Wisner Farmington, NM Date Unknown
William Daughtry Titusville, FL Date Unknown	John Lynch Xenia, OH October 4, 1989	Evelyn Van de Mark Worcester, MA August 16, 1991	Yee Cha Porterville, CA 1991
William Edmonson Kansas City, MO July 27, 1991	Lee A. McGee Springfield, MO August 10, 1991	James Wiggins Burke County, GA 1990	Nellie Zabel Newark, OH March 17, 1982
Loron D. Frazier Titusville, FL April 19, 1991	Blanche McLain Chicago, IL May 25, 1990

Congress

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the atmosphere of one of the world’s most notable cities.

But one need not wait to become a part of this transforming experience. Many volunteers are needed now, and many more will be needed as the time for the Congress approaches.

You can help carry forward this vital work by filling out and sending in the volunteer form enclosed in the registration packet. [Page 16]

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

This Bahá’í float won first prize in the 58th annual Daffodil Festival parade in Wapato, Washington, and was then displayed in the Puyallup Spring Fair. Later, the float won the Queen's Trophy as most original entry in the annual parade in Olympia, the state capital. At the Seattle Seafair parade, the float was singled out as one of the top four entries, winning the Seafair Parade Marshal's Award (first place in the non-commercial division). The float was scheduled to appear in yet another parade in October.

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 what your new address will be.

A. NAME(S): 1. I.D. Title Full name—No nicknames please! 2. I.D. Title Full name 3. I.D. Title Full name 4. I.D. Title Full name

B. NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS: Street address Apartment # (If applicable) City State Zip code

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.

C. NEW MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box or Other mailing address Apartment # (If applicable) City State Zip code

D. NEW COMMUNITY: Name of new Bahá’í Community Moving date

E. HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER: Area code Phone number Name

F. WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S): Area code Phone number Name Area code Phone 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) and I.D. number(s) listed above.

The last names and addresses on our address labels do not match. 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.

H. I WOULD LIKE A COPY: Our household receives only one copy of The American Bahá’í. I wish to receive my own copy. I have listed my name, I.D. number and address above.

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

OCTOBER

25-27: Bahá’í Leadership Association, Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina. For information, phone 803-558-5093.

25-27: Alabama Regional Bahá’í School, "The Dawn-breakers," at Youngs-by-the-Sea Hotel, Gulf Shores, AL (phone 1-800-245-0032). Please make your own reservations at the above number: $30 for a one-bedroom suite (sleeps four), $40 for a two-bedroom suite (sleeps six). Registration: $10 per person if pre-registered, $35 on-site. Pre-registration deadline: October 15. Registrar: Keitha Hudson, Birmingham, AL 35222 (phone 205-595-9905).

25-27: Race Unity Conference (no program for youth or children), Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

NOVEMBER

1-3: Oklahoma Regional Bahá’í School, "The Significance of Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation," at Dwight Mission in Vian, OK. Registrar: Liz Wakeham, Bethany, OK 73008 (phone 405-789-2525).

8-10: New Believers' Conference, "Bahá’í History," Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

16-17: Indiana Bahá’í School, South Bend. Theme: "Claiming Our Destiny." For information, contact Carol McKiel, Mishawaka, IN 46544 (phone 219-259-4621).

26-30: Second International Chinese Teaching Symposium, Macau. Sponsored by the International Chinese Teaching Committee. For information, phone the National Chinese Teaching Committee, 708-869-9039.

28-December 1: Desert Rose Bahá’í School, Tucson, Arizona. Participants to include the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi. For information, write to the Desert Rose Planning Group, Tucson, AZ 85737.

28-December 1: Florida Bahá’í Winter School, Leesburg. Theme: "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory." Registrar: Jim Lanier, Largo, FL 34640. Phone 813-584-2080.

29-December 1: Kansas Bahá’í School, Junction City. Theme: "The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh." Registrar: Shahrokh Khaze, Topeka, KS 66609 (phone 913-266-2419).

29-December 1: Louisiana Bahá’í School, Fountainbleau State Park. Theme: "Bahá’u’lláh, the Comforter." Registrar: Nathaniel West, Avondale, LA 70094 (phone 504-436-4958).

29-December 1: Parenting Conference, Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

DECEMBER

21-27: "Preparing Bahá’í Youth for European Service," the Bosch Bahá’í School Youth Institute Winter Program (limited enrollment). A five-day, disciplined, intensive training course for European projecteers under the direction of Auxiliary Board member Edward Diliberto. Cost: $180; deposit, $75. Prerequisites for admission: (1) a decision to pioneer, carry out a year of service, or take part in a summer project in Eastern or Western Europe in 1992; (2) a satisfactory personal/phone interview with the Admissions Officer; (3) a recommendation by an institution of the Faith, or one of their agencies. Please apply to the Admissions Officer, Mrs. Angelina Allen, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007 (phone 619-944-6441).

27-29: South Carolina Bahá’í Winter School, Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway. For information, phone 803-558-5093.

27-29: Illinois Winter School, Champaign. Theme: "The Vision of Race Unity." Registrar: Leon Stevens, Salem, IL 62881 (phone 618-548-3274).

27-30: Seventh annual Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona. Speakers to include Wilma Ellis, Soheil Bushrui, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Robert Harris. For information, phone Terry Agahi, 602-863-1919, or Shervin Nicknam, 602-998-3075.

27-January 1: Family Session, "The Family of Bahá’u’lláh," Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

27-January 2: "Forum '91," Landegg Academy, Switzerland. Theme: "Alternative Futures: The Bahá’í Model in Perspective." For a brochure, write to Landegg Academy, CH-9405, Wienacht, Switzerland, or phone René Steiner, 41-71-91 91 31 (fax 41-71-91 43 01).

JANUARY

10-12: Education Conference, "A Curriculum with a World-Embracing Vision," Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

17-19: Second Eastern Bahá’í Music and Arts Conference, Old Colony Inn, Alexandria, Virginia. Sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Alexandria. Workshops, seminars, exhibits, jam sessions, variety shows, and a Race Unity banquet/proclamation event. Presenters to include Marvin (Doc) Holladay, Dave and Helene Van Manen, Mark Ochu, Anne Atkinson and Randy Armstrong. Musicians and artists sought to perform for children and adults. For information, write to Bonnie Cote, coordinator, Music and Art Task Force, Springfield, VA 22150 (phone 703-569-2371), or Lucinda Huttlinger, Arlington, VA 22202 (phone 202-687-6433).

17-19: Women's/Men's Conference, "Women's Journeys/Men's Journeys and Journeying Together in the Path of Bahá’u’lláh," Louhelen Bahá’í School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

HUQUQU’LLÁH

Payments for Huqúqu’lláh should be made to "The Bahá’í Huqúqu’lláh Trust" and sent to one of the Trustees:

Dr. Elsie Austin, P.O. Box 927, Silver Spring MD 20910 (Tel. 301-589-8481). Dr. Amin Banani, Santa Monica, CA 90402 (Tel. 213-394-5449). Dr. Daryush Haghighi, Rocky River, OH 44116 (Tel. 216-333-1506).

Inquiries regarding Huqúqu’lláh should be referred to one of the Trustees or to the Office of the Secretariat, Bahá’í Huqúqu’lláh Trust, Rocky River, OH 44116.

Video tapes of talks by the Hand of the Cause of God and Trustee of Huqúqu’lláh Dr. ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá, and by ‘Alí Nakhjavání, a member of the Universal House of Justice, are available from the Office of the Secretariat for $6 each (postage included).

Copies of the compilation "Huqúqu’lláh, Extracts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice" can be obtained from the Bahá’í Distribution Service at 85 cents per copy.