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The American Baha’!

Volume 21, No. 6

“The real treasury of man is his knowledge. '--Bahd'u'lláh

June 199]

America’s most challenging issue

THE VISION OF RACE UNITY

“The Vision of Race Unity—America's Most Challenging Issue” is a statement by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd’is of the United States about the Bahdé’t principles relevant to the elimination of racial prejudice and establishing the principle of the oneness of humankind in American society. It represents the latest chapter in the long history of the American Bahd’t community's efforts to bring about a reconciliation of races, ethnic groups and religions, efforts that represent the community's most important contribution to date to the development of the American nation (see related article, page 11). The statement is a conscious elaboration and application of themes expressed in “The Promise of World Peace.”

Several hundred people took part June 8 in a ‘Walk for Race Unity’ through Evanston and Wilmette, Illinois, sponsored by the Bahd't-originated North Shore Race Unity Task Force. The mayor of the city of Evanston and president of the village of

“The Vision of Race Unity” was written not merely for the study of the friends, but for widespread distribution, not only to political leaders and leaders of thought but to the rank and file of American society. Its purpose is to promote unity, both inside and outside the American Baha'i community. It is also meant to accelerate the teaching work and as a vehicle through which to touch the hearts of people with the healing principles of Baha'u'llah.

°

Racism is the most challenging issue confronting America. A nation whose ancestry includes every people on earth, whose'motto is “E pluribus unum,” whose ideals of freedom under law have inspired millions throughout the world, cannot con

Wilmette proclaimed June 8 ‘Race Unity Day’ in their community. The walk ended with a devotional service at the Bahd't House of Worship in Wilmette followed by apicnicand musical performance atnearby Gillson Park.

Congress introduces fifth resolution on behalf of Iran's Baha’i community

On May 22, the eve of the Declaration of the Bab, Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Albert Gore of Tennessee, together with Congressmen Wayne Owens of Utah, Benjamin Gilman of New York and John Porter of Illinois, publicly expressed their support for the emancipation of the Iranian Baha'i community by introducing “The Baha'i Community Emancipation Declaration” in both Houses of Congress.

The resolution, the fifth such concurrent resolution to be introduced since 1982, urges the government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting those rights guaranteed by international covenants to which Iran is a signatory.

The latest resolution is meaningful in that it states that “the United States regards the human rights practices of the government of Iran, particularly its treatment of the Baha'i community and other religious minorities, as a significant element in the

development of its relations with the government of Iran.”

The press briefing, held in the Senate's Russell Office Building, witnessed the largest single gathering to date of elected national officials to express support for the Bahd‘is in Iran.

See RESOLUTION page 19 Coming Soon toa Mailbox Near You

Contributions up 36 percent

Congress mailing largest, in Faith's history

over last year 5

tinue to harbor prejudice against any racial or ethnic group without betraying itself. Racism is an affront to human dignity, a cause of hatred and division, a disease that devastates society.

Notwithstanding the efforts already expended for its elimination, racism continues to work its evil upon this nation. Progress toward tolerance, mutual respect, and unity has been painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks. The recent resurgence of divisive racial attitudes, the increased number of racial incidents, and the deepening despair of minorities and the poor make the need for solutions ever more pressing and urgent. To ignore the problem is to expose the country to physical, moral, and spiritual danger.

Aware of the magnitude and the urgency of the issue, we, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, speaking for the entire U.S. Baha’i community, appeal to all people of goodwill to arise without further delay to resolve the fundamental social problem of this country. We do so because of our feeling of shared responsibility, because of the global experience of the Baha’i community in effecting racial harmony within itself, and because of the vision that the sacred scriptures of our Faith convey of the destiny of America.

The oneness of humanity is the pivot round which revolve all the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. It is at once a statement of principle and an assertion of the ultimate goal of human experience on the planet. More than a century ago Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’ i Faith, wrote: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until

‘Racismis an affrontto human dignity, a cause of hatred and division, a disease that devastates society.”

its unity is firmly established.” It is a principle that issues naturally from the genesis and purpose of human existence. The Word of God as presented in the Baha’i writings offers compelling insights as in the following examples:

Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.

Know ye not why We created youall from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.

Having gone through the stages of infancy and turbulent adolescence, humanity is now approaching maturity, a stage that will witness “the reconstruction and demilitarization of the whole civilized world—a world organically unified in all

See RACE UNITY page 10

National Spiritual Assembly, Counselors unveil new National Teaching Plan; details on Page 3

This year, for the first time, a National Teaching Plan has been developed as a result of consultation among the members of the Continental Board of Counselors in the Americas, the National Spiritual Assembly and the National Teaching Committee.

The complete text of the plan, whose basic strategy is to intensify local Assembly

BIC Has ff New UN Rep in NY

Mr. Ahderom, wife arrive |) from Ethiopia

9

collaboration with the Auxiliary Boards and to broaden the base of teaching institutes at the individual, community and project levels, appears on page 3. Included are six major goals for the final year of the Six Year Plan as the American Baha'i community prepares for the Holy Year and second World Congress in 1992.

An Enduring Commitment to Equality

U.S. Baha’i community sets pace in efforts to integrate

11 �[Page 2]Page 2'/ The American Baha'i / June 1991

The National Teaching Committee continues this month its series of short articles written to encourage and facilitate traveling teaching and homefront pioneering. Local Spiritual Assemblies, Baha'i Groups, or District Teaching Committees that wish to request traveling teachers or homefront pioneers may call or write the National Teaching Committee. Please give a brief description of upcoming opportunities for those who are traveling teaching so that they may take part in teaching efforts, or of opportunities for those who wish to resettle as homefront pioneers. Also, friends who wish to offer their services as traveling teachers or homefront pioneers are invited to send the National Teaching Committee information about when they would be available, what kinds of teaching and administrative experience they have had, with what kinds of activities they would be able to help, and any special needs they may have. Because the National Teaching Committee may need to contact local Assemblies or individuals for more information, and because preparing and printing The American Baha’i takes time, we ask that information be submitted at least three months before teaching activities are to

About 200 people gather at Tennessee conference on Indian spiritual traditions

Approximately 200 people gathered May 12 at the Red Clay Historical Area in Tennessee fora day-long conference on American Indian spiritual traditions and the Baha'i Faith.

The Red Clay area was the seat of the Cherokee Indian government from 1832 until their forced removal in 1838.

The “One in the Spirit” conference was co-sponsored by the Regional American Indian Teaching Committee for the Southeastern States, local Spiritual Assemblies and District Teaching Committees.

Counselor Jacqueline Delahunt joined Auxiliary Board members Mary K. Radpour and Jean Scales to share thoughts, prayers, stories and songs.

The diverse gathering included members of the Tewa, Choctaw, Cherokee, Chippewa and Lakota tribes as well as other cultural and ethnic groups.

The spirit of the event was enriched when some American Indian participants who are not Baha'is took part in worship services and contributed to the consultation.

Everyone gathered at the end of the day for a round dance and prayers to close the conference.

At least one non-Baha’i who took part in the activities has declared his belief in Bahda‘u'llah since May 12.

take place or before individuals are free to travel or relocate. .

SOUTH GEORGIA needs homefront pioneers in a number of cities: Albany (pop. 56,000), in southwestern Georgia, has a functioning Assembly but only seven active believers. There are two colleges: Darton (two-year) and Albany State (fouryear), both part of the University of Georgia system. Employment opportunities are varied including a new tile manufacturer and a Procter and Gamble plant. Americus (pop. 17,000), also in southwestern Georgia, has 45 Bahd’is on its rolls, a nonfunctioning Assembly, and one homefront pioneer living just outside the city. Home of Georgia Southwestern College (fouryear). Major employers include the college, mobile home manufacturers, and a shirt factory. Columbus (pop. 170,000) has one homefront pioneer. Active teachers

are needed who would like to become involved in anarea with tremendous growth potential. Many opportunities for employment; students can attend Columbus College. Perry (pop. 12,000), in central Georgia, hasanon-functioning Assembly (there are 65 Baha'is onthe rolls) and no homefront pioneers. Valdosta (pop. 40,000), in southcentral Georgia, recently formed an Assembly but will have only seven adult Bahd‘is as of September. One of the fastestgrowing areas outside of Atlanta; many employment opportunities. Students can attend Valdosta State College or Valdosta Technical-Vocational Institute. Warner Robins (pop. 40,000), in central Georgia, hasanon-functioning Assembly, 20 Baha’is on the rolls, and one homefront pioneer. Employment possibilities include Warner Robins Air Force Base, the county hospital, and in social services, mental health, and a number of industries and medical

facilities innearby Macon, acity of 115,000. Three four-year colleges are within a 30minute drive. For information about these and other homefront pioneering possibilities, contact the District Teaching Committee of Southern Georgia, Bruce Whitmore, secretary,

' St. Simons Island, GA 31522, or phone 912-634-0658.

TRAVELING TEACHING: opportunity to take part this summer in a teaching project in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for Baha’is who possess particular skills, sensitivities and resources. For more information, please contact David Ingham, 612823-9074, or Sharon Hick, 612-825-5048.

THE HELP of traveling teachers is welcomed in Woodburn, Oregon, where 20 new believers have been enrolled in the Cause this spring. For more information, please phone David House, 503-678-1085.

Teaching the Cause to one's family and friends can be key to entry by troops in American Baha’i community

In our country of more than 250 million individuals, in which only 110,000 are Baha’i, relatively few people have friends or family members who are followers of Baha'u'llah.

When new believers join the Baha'i community as youth or adults, only a few have relatives or friends who are also believers. Often, people hear of the Faith on their own and come into the Faith one at a time. The greatest realization they have had, that there is anew Manifestation of God for this day, is a reality that they do not share in common with their families and friends. In this sense, many new believers are separate and alone.

Although new believers gain a Baha’i “family,” their new Baha’i family often cannot replace for them, nor should it be expected to replace for them, the strong bonds of natural families.

Teachers of the Cause can be sensitive to these bonds by building relationships not only with individual seekers but also, to the extent possible, with their relatives and others who are close to them.

For example, Baha’is can ask those they are teaching if they may meet their families and friends and have the opportunity to get to know them. Seekers can be encouraged to invite their spouses, children, siblings, or parents to Baha’i gatherings.

Also, seekers can be encouraged to discuss, and, if possible, to study the Faith which they are investigating with their families and friends.

While it is true that the doubts of seekers might be reinforced by the doubts of others, it is also quite possible that the reservations they have as individuals may be banished by those who are near to their hearts. Individuals who are trusted by seekers may help to calm any apprehensions or fears. Their opinions and feedback may provide for the seekers important insight or confirmation.

In addition, new believers may need to be reassured about sharing their joy in discovering the Message of Baha'u'llah with their families and friends. This is surely an action that can have far-reaching

United States, 536 Sheridan Road, Wi ‘ilmette, IL

address all materials and

The American Baha'is published ana hs the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the

_ Management Information Systems, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Executive editor: Jack Bowers, Associate editor: Scot Corrie. The American Bahd't welcomes news, letters and other items of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Baha’! Faith. Articles should be written ‘cleatly and concisely; color or black-and-white glossy photograj

hae ries eens eta tien en id rights reserved, Printed Peace

60091, Postmaster: Send address changes to

iphs should be included whenever to The Editor, The American Baha't, Wilmette,

effects in the lives of new believers and in the Faith.

Once these people know what the Baha’i Faith is about, they may be more supportive of the new believer's involvement in the Cause, even if they do not become believers themselves.

Ideally, however, the seeker’s natural family and new Baha’i family would be merged into one, and entire families and groups of friends brought into the Faith.

The entry of such ever-expanding networks, especially those of family members, has exciting potential for large-scale growth of the Faith. Asthe Universal House of Justice wrote in a letter dated April 17, 1981:

“If the believer is the only one of his family who has embraced the Faith, it is his duty to endeavor to lead as many other family members as possible to the light of divine guidance.

“Assoonasa Baha’i family unit emerges, the members should feel responsible for making the collective life of the family a

spiritual reality, animated by divine love and inspired by the ennobling principles of the Faith. To achieve this purpose, the reading of the Sacred Writings and prayers should ideally become a daily family activity.

“As far as the teaching work is concerned, just as individuals are called upon to adopt teaching goals, the family itself could adopt its own goals.

“In this way the friends could make of their families strong healthy units, bright candles for the diffusion of the light of the Kingdom, and powerful centers to attract the heavenly confirmations. Thus, focusing our teaching efforts on families and groups of friends could significantly affect our Baha’i communities.

“Bearing in mind that one definition of the word ‘troop’ is ‘a group of people,’ entry by troops could well begin with the entry of families and groups of friends.”

(Reprinted from The DirectLine, a bulletin produced by the National Teaching Committee)

Former President Jimmy Carter shakes hands with Dr. Alberta Deas, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, after receiving a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ at his office in the Carter Center at Emory University in Atlanta. Looking on are Auxiliary Board member Soo Fouts and another member of the National Spiritual Assembly, Jack McCants.

President Carter, who is quite fam with the Faith and asked how the Baha’ Tranare doing, mentioned that he is writing abookto be titled ‘Waging Peace’ and said he might borrow some of the concepts expressed in the peace statement. He also said he had visited the Baha'i gardens in Haifa, Israel.

�[Page 3]The American Baha'i / June 1991 / Page 3

For final year of the Six Year Plan

NATIONAL TEACHING PLAN: 1991-92

Prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd'ts of the United States, April 1991

The National Teaching Plan, resulting from the consultation of the Continental Counselors, the National Spiritual Assembly and the National Teaching Committee, is designed to help the friends go forward confidently and accelerate the pace of the work to expand our community. The basic strategy of the Plan is to intensify local Assembly collaboration with the Auxiliary Boards and to broaden the base of teaching institutes at the individual, community, and project levels. The institutes can be the impetus for a widespread increase in personal teaching and can provide a growing resource of teachers of the Faith for special projects.

The work of teaching institutes does not supersede firesides, “the most effective method of teaching,” or other means of teaching; rather, it complements those efforts by preparing the friends for active participation in the teaching work.

Baha‘u'llah’s mighty Covenant is a major theme of the Six Year Plan, and the Universal House of Justice tells us that “teaching is the food of the spirit; it brings life to unawakened souls and raises the new heaven and the new earth; it uplifts the banner of a unified world; it ensures the victory of the Covenant and brings those who give their lives to it the supernal happiness of attainment to the good pleasure of their Lord.” To help us bring about that victory in the final year of the Plan and initiate the process of entry by troops, we have established the following goals:

I

To obtain a deeper appreciation of the station and purpose of Baha'u'llah and of the basic meaning of His

resources and the spiritual force to enable the beloved Cause to worthily play its part in the redemption of mankind.”

IV

To establish at least 10 teaching institutes focused on supporting large-scale teaching projects in areas of high concentrations of blacks, Southeast Asians, Hispanics, American Indians, and Chinese.

Teaching institutes are valuable instruments for the continuous training of new recruits and veteran believers so urgently needed for rapid expansion and for subsequent deepening and consolidation.

Institutes will be selected in areas of large-scale teaching projects to focus on deepening and training children, youth and adults from the target populations to enlist them in the process of entry by troops.

Baha’is in every region will be encouraged to designate periods of self-supporting, full-time service to teaching in selected areas.

Plans for reaching selected populations will be developed by the National Teaching Committee, the National Race Unity Committee, the national Chinese Teaching Committee, and the seven regional American Indian Teaching Committees.

Vi

To establish at least 10 teaching institutes focused on using the National Spiritual Assembly's statement on Race Unity to teach the Faith, particularly to blacks, and to promote models of race unity.

Race Unity Day will serve to launch a national campaign of proclamation in conjunction with the publication

and distribution of the statement on race unity. Institutes will be established that focus on deepening on

the Baha'i Writings about unity, teaching the Faith (espe cially to blacks), and promoting models of race unity.

VI

To establish at least 100 teaching institutes, comprised of children and youth, aimed at enrolling their peers as teachers and servants of the Cause of God.

Every youth and child is summoned to teach and toserve the Faith. To prepare children and youth for this service, teacher-training sessions will be held across the country.

Large-scale growth will be the focus assigned to selected Baha'i Youth Service Corps posts to be established on the homefront in the United States.

"The National Spiritual Assembly is lookin, “to fill two positions vital to the : These on of the Baha’i N: vena

itions require stron; eral mana; ible of scrupulous adherebee to Bahai ple and le of creating a work enviSyatent in ea liance with both the spirit and form of Baha’iadministration. Additional skills _ needed include numbers of |

large people, Pett ertuceat ben budgets, and deseopue plans and strategies for : desired results. If you are able to share your’ ee tah feeealt ee at:

‘plea with the National

mighty Covenant.

In anticipation of the Holy Year, “this high water mark in Baha'i history,” the 1990 Ridvan message of the Universal House of Justice calls on the friends to “be spiritually prepared through prayer and study of the Teachings to obtain a deeper appreciation | of the station and purpose of Baha’u'llah and the basic meaning of His mighty |

| |

—

Which of these “‘convincing arguments and proofs” would you like to have at your command?

“We don't believe in that God either” |

Covenant.”

Focus at the regional schools and in teaching institutes will be on the significance of the Holy Year, the Station and Mission of Baha'u'llah, the “blessings which flow from the Word of God,” and the sacred nature of teaching.

Further, the regional schools and teaching institutes will train teachers of the Cause and deepen new believers to enable them to be well-grounded in the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.

New Publications | for members | The Association for | Bahd'{Studies Bulletincontains previously untranslated scripture, as available, abstracts of the past three | months’ published Baha'i |

CONVINCING ARGUMENTS [ andl nrooes puline que. tion in perspective, and gives the questioner something to think about. These “right insights at the right moment” can move a seeker. And they

+ “It sounds like you're trying to take over the world,” said the radio interviewer. “Heavens _| no,” responded his guest,

a retired House of Justice member,"“we want the

world to take us over!”

I

To establish at least 100 teaching institutes focused on enrolling receptive populations and raising up teachers from among the new believers, including children and

youth,

a0: ae = P i ; flow easi fs 4 i Teaching institutes are to build upon their successes and focus their energies on ey aenkatngn re + “Tdon't think I believe eee ne. and mnuich issues of concern to receptive populations, so as to attract and confirm new believers spirit... those who pray aan me ilof or ae cin) THe

from among these populations. Further, teaching institutes are to survey the range of opportunities unique to the various target localities and populations in which Baha’i children and youth can take

and meditate daily. “We don't believe

Imagine Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander speaking of her need to “become a Baha'i again each day.”

It's easier to be vigilant when we're positioned, in the information we receive and the presence we feel, at the very center of our evolving Faith.

This advantage is now available to you

in your daily study. . .

‘Cause, in that God either.”

ee

Journal ofBaha'i Studies, offers informed discussion of spiritual solutions to the problems of humanity and details of Baha'i social and economic development successes around the world.

|

|

|

pert ae pen o . i Regional and/or district meetings will be called to initiate new teaching | Membership, which includes confer|

|

|

institutes, with emphasis on the involvement of children and youth, to broaden the base of support for the teaching work.

Il

To charge at least 100 local Spiritual Assemblies to develop and execute local teaching plans involving children and youth and aimed at target populations.

ence and special publication discounts, is asuperb value for just $40 per year / $50 for couples / $20 for seniors and students.

While it's still fresh in your mind, consider picking up the phone and joining right now. .. ASSOCIATION FOR BAHA'i STUDIES MEMBERSHIP LINE

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Every local Spiritual Assembly is encouraged to develop teaching plans, in consultation with the Auxiliary Boards, that are aimed at target populations and that stimulate children and youth to take part in the execution of the plans.

In addition, Assemblies are encouraged to determine the actions needed locally to ensure the enrollment of ever-larger numbers who “will provide the energy, the

a} Got a new telephone number? Please don’t forget to let your Ves |) Foroll me inthe Adsocistion for Bab4is Stadless ng ASSOCIATION FQ, | community secretary and the National Spiritual Assembly know Name on A H A | | fF seg hi ican y deober eredlog sve per iting ail tetera we | | no interruption in receiving your Baha’i mail. . oe STUDIES | Pb your cub veRlonedy ai form ap} on the last page State — Zip

Make your check for $40 ($50 for couples; $20 for seniors and students) payable to:

address change pears American Baha’i. Simply fill it out, place it in an it Information Systems, Baha’ Association for Baha'i Studies, 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIN 7K4

Baha’ National —

�[Page 4]Page 4 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

‘CV’ can be helpful in securing employment overseas

(Excerpt from the “International Employment Hotline” for May 1991)

The one- or two-page résumé is a distinctly American document. Recruiters in most other countries prefer a more lengthy

Baha'is in New York City mark 79th anniversary of the Master’s arrival

In April, Baha’is in the New York City area commemorated the 79th anniversary of *Abdu’l-Baha’s arrival on this continent when on April 7, 1912, His ship, the S.S. Cedric, landed in New York.

Asmall group of Bahd’is traveled to the Battery Park Esplanade on the southern tip of Manhattan Island where they mounted the observation platform, fashioned to represent Liberty's crown.

From there they looked out over the harbor’s entrance, taking in a panoramic view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and sunset on the Jersey shore of the Hudson River while pondering the significance of the events of that day 79 years ago when the Master began His 239-day visit to North America.

One of the friends recited the poem “April

11, 1912,” from the book Another Song, Another Season, adapted by poet Roger White from “The Diary of Juliet Thompson.” Afterward, the Bahd‘is distributed copies of the peace statement and Baha’i pamphlets to those in the area and invited them to firesides and public meetings at the Baha’i Center.

TRAVELING TEACHERS

Goal Filled

100 125 2 165 3

Area | Country

Employment opportunities on U.S. Indian Reservations

Many employment opportunities exist on or near Indian Reservations throughout the United States. Both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service have publicized such job listings. Mature Baha'is could be of service as homefront pioneers, particularly those who could respond to the crisis in medical care on Reservations. For more information, contact:

National Teaching Committee

American Indian Desk

Baha'i National Center

Wilmette, IL 60091

Phone 708-869-9039, ext. 361

six-toeight-page résumé, commonly called a “curriculum vitae” or “CV.”

Like the résumé, the CV is used toscreen job applicants, but the foreign employer expects and requires more information upfront. The employer is not only looking for candidates who satisfy basic job requirements, but for candidates who have experience that is highly pertinent to the job they may be hired to do. Since this experience may be collective, rather than specific to one job, it’s necessary to go into details about each job or project.

The first page of a CV is used to list personal data and education and can be up to two pages long. The next page of your CY, the second or third page depending upon the length of your personal data and education history, should be your professional summary.

Recruiters will often quickly review this section to see if your job titles and duration of employment constitute relevant work experience. The last few pages should be devoted exclusively to detailed descriptions of your work history.

At the end of your CV list three to five professional references with name, address and telephone and fax numbers. Be sure to let yourreferences know they may be called upon to attest to your professional competence.

Fora copy of the complete article, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Baha’i

National Center, Wilmette IL 60091, or telephone 708-869-9039

In Eastern Europe, many doors for teaching Cause are opening for those in various academic fields

In these historic times, as we witness the dramatic changes taking place in the world’s evolution toward the establishment of the Lesser Peace, a committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’ is of Germany, responsible for the teaching of the Cause in the majority of the U.S.S.R., has brought to our attention doors that are opening up in that country on an unprecedented scale, particularly in the academic world which is in search of new standards and concepts and is only too ready to listen and accept well-grounded arguments presented with eloquence and conviction on the humanitarian as well as religious teachings of the Faith.

We ask you to give consideration to some possible avenues of service in your academic field: Do you know whether your university has a partner university in the Soviet Union? In which fields are exchanges already taking place and how could you participate in these? How about initiating contact with a Soviet university that is conducting interesting research in your field?

Many international scientific conferences offer opportunities for contact with universities in the Soviet Union, and in almost every field there are conferences held in that country. Why not seize the chance to turn these professional gatherings into teaching activities?

Also, lecture tours through the Soviet Union could be arranged for you by Soviet academicians. Once the contact with these co-workers is established and the Baha’i Faith introduced, other topics relating the Faith to your academic field can be presented and finally, the offer can be made to give a presentation on the general principles of the Faith itself.

It is uncertain how long these golden opportunities for proclaiming the Faith to the academic world will remain or for how long the receptivity of the people, which is currently so high, will last. Now is your chance to take full advantage of these favorable conditions for teaching the Faith in the Soviet Union.

CURRENT U.S. PIONEERING GOALS

Cat Island, Long Island) ....

tariat) sibly of Persian background) .... €) ®) ©) ®) Blacks .

ably self-supporting) .

Bahamas (North Abaco, Eleuthera,Andros,

(S)_ ment projects; skills for the National Sec

(P) Brazil (Preferably for Amazon project, pos

(8) Chile Juan Fernandez Islands, preferably a

(E) Guyana (Preferably East Indians and

(S) Honduras (Bay Islands, Yoro, Colon; prefer

Goals Open Goals Open AFRICA Assigned Goals AMERICAS - Continued Assigned Goals AAP RATAN EMA NOS FOr RIA (E) Jamaica (Preferably self-supporting for ene 0 rural areas to work in village development) . 4 0

2 9 (F) Martinique (French-speaking youth to en(E) The Gambia (Preferably Persians 2 o roll in university or with musical talent) ...... 1 0

©) Kenya (Preferably Outside Nairobi a ° (S) Nicaragua (Preferably Persian) ... hg 0 ©) Nigeria 3 io. () St. Lucia (Skills in community consolida2 0 tion) . .4 0 Ze (E) St. Vincent & Grenadines 9 enlig 2 1 (D) Suriname (Preferably Persian) .... 2 2 2 1 (E) Trinidad & Tobago (Preferably Persian) .... 2 0 (B) Transkei. 0 © \Usgay: = aie (E) Uganda (One to teach the Faith in the un- (S) Venezuela 2 0 a versity; sno doeio) 5 , (B) Virgin Islands, British . So atl =) Ven : Total for Africa artes eLotal fox Americas AS ale Goals Open AMERICAS Assigned Goals

0 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 5 3 Total for Americas 1 0 0 Goals Open EUROPE : Assigned Goals (P) Portugal (Couples for goal areas outside 0 greater Lisbon, preferably Portugese or Spanish-speaking) . ee ce sel On 2 1 Total for Europe Ded

Total goals assigne Total goals filled

sy] - 60

213 371

Pioneers to goal countries .. Pioneers to non-goals ....

Pioneers filling goals for other countrie: Total Pioneers sen

| Language Key: (E) English (D) Dutch (F) French (M) Mandarin (P) Portuguese (S) Spanish |

�[Page 5]The American Baha'i

June 1991 / Page 5

Fund increase ‘remarkable victory’ for American community

THE FUNDS

The American Baha’i community has won a remarkable victory for the Funds of the Faith this past year. With contributions to the four major Funds up 36 percent over last year’s level, the believers’ achievement is at once a testimony to the community's growing maturity as wellasa strong foundation for further accomplishments in the coming year.

The spiritual impetus generated by the friends’ material sacrifices must surely carry the community of the Most Great Name forward to win new blessings in the teaching field and in building Baha’u’Ilah’s new World Order.

Central to this success has been the Local Assembly Goal Program. The wholehearted response of the friends to such a challenging program, launched at the year’s midpoint, has been thrilling beyond description.

Fornext year, the program will continue; local Assemblies will be asked to take as their minimum goal their commitment of last year, unless they wish to change the number themselves. In addition, new goals totaling some $800,000 will be suggested to 277 Assemblies who received no suggested goals last year.

But the friends themselves are the most eloquent commentators on the beginning of this historic process. Here are passages from some of the letters the National Spiritual Assembly has received during the last month:

NEW JERSEY

“When our Local Spiritual Assembly was challenged to raise this year’s Fund contribution to $20,000, we decided that we would try. With prayers and support from countless friends, we made it! ...Dear friends, from the bottom of our hearts we thank you for challenging our community with this goal. ...The spirit of deep love and

National Spiritual Assembly to continue its series of consultative ‘Town Meetings’

Last yearsaw another new process aimed at enhancing the consultation between the local and national levels of the Baha’i community: the Town Meetings.

Some 150 of these gatherings were held in 10 months, reaching an estimated 750 communities and over 1,500 believers. Featuring representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly, these meetings discussed current news and issues of national and local concern. The thoughts and feelings shared by the friends were carried backtothe National Assembly, whose consultation was enriched significantly with this important information.

This year, a preliminary list of 100 localities has been drawn up, including sites not visited in some time by friends serving at the Baha’i National Center. The first meetings were scheduled for the end of May and the first part of June in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee.

total unity that came from working side by side with these dear souls (from two neighboring communities) produced the victory we have experienced. ...The moment we accepted your challenge we knew that (Baha'u'llah) would send us His powerful spirit and blessings...and He did. Baha'u'llah sent us his devoted friends to help us.” NEW HAMPSHIRE

“As promised you back in November 1990 we not only met our...goal but exceeded it! It has changed every one of us in some way, for the better. We are not the same community as we were a year ago. Thank you so much.” WASHINGTON

“Last October you suggested $6,000 asa goal for our community to contribute to the National Baha’i Fund. After the hysterical laughter subsided, we consulted and increased the community budget to ...--still not enough to meet your goal, but all we thought we could manage. ...During the prior 10 Baha’i months, contributions averaged $193. In the seven months that followed your request and our consultation, contributions have averaged $428.

We are a small community...but determined. The level of giving has been sacrificial. Thank you for giving us a goal that forced us to look deeply into ourselves and evaluate our commitment to Baha'u'llah. Thank you for giving us insight into our inner resources.” ALABAMA .in service to Baha’u’llah and dedication to the National Spiritual Assembly (we are) pleased to announce that...wehave reached the special goal for National!” OREGON

“We made it!” CALIFORNIA

“Ya Baha-ul’Abha! It is the rhythm of progress/the cord of creation/the melody of eternity/and the password to the Kingdom of God. ...Thank you, Baha'u'llah. With joy in our hearts and tears in our eyes we did what was almost an impossible task.” MARYLAND

“...we thought that we should thank you for recognizing the potential of our community to raise our National Fund goal to $15,000. ...We look forward to a new year of commitment from our local Community to play a part in assuring that our National Fund Goal is achieved.” GEORGIA

“It is with the utmost joy and happiness that our community is able to send the last check, just collected tonight at Feast, which will complete our goal. ... The sacrifice and level of participation has never been so high. ...God moved us all and we achieved this bounty. ... Thank you for giving us the opportunity to stretch ourselves and grow.”

PENNSYLVANIA

“Our fund-raising efforts not only produced the funds needed to meet the new goal, but also served as a catalyst for renewed community spirit and dedication. -It is our very great pleasure to aid the National Spiritual Assembly in reaching its goal and we pray for your continued success. ...”

MASSACHUSETTS

“We are extremely pleased to be able to send to you our final payments by the enclosed checks. ...We realize our $10,000 goal was not met; however, at the time the goal was set, we had only two families consistently giving to the fund. At this timewe are pleased to tell you that we have

Brian Wittman (left), treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Assembly member Roy Norman show graphically how that

added two more families who give each Baha'i month and two individuals who give much more consistently. Together, we have surpassed our own annual budget as well!! ...We feel very fortunate to be able to give to the National Baha’i Fund and look forward to another great year!” CALIFORNIA (Again!)

“We fell far short, yet the improvements in so many areas of our lives makes us realize the blessings we received by taking on so great a goal. ...Our Assembly has worked with great maturity, efficiency and heart this year. We have done may new and wonderful things. ... Thank you for having the faith in us to set such a high goal, so we could be inspired and encouraged, and then reap such positive rewards.”

UTAH

“Like may of our fellow communities, we...were surprised and overwhelmed when we first received the request from the National Spiritual Assembly for such a large contribution. ...Quite honestly, we were tempted to think it was a mistake: ‘they must be thinking of someone else.’ As it turns out they were thinking of someone else: Baha'u'llah. ...After much consultation and with considerable skepticism, we decided to adopt the highly challenging fund goal of $4,000, representing 10 times the amount we contributed last year. Our decision was due innosmall parttoa...letter by William Davis...in which he emphasized the fact that Baha’i institutions cannot expect to accomplish anything without turning to the power of Baha’u’Il4h. (What aconcept!). ...To make a long story short, we have reached our Fund goal! What a lesson this has been for all of us about what we can accomplish when we all work together with faith in the Blessed Beauty.”

community responded to the Fund goal recommended this year by the National Spiritual Assembly.

DELAWARE

“Please accept our thanks for your encouragement, love, support and prayers. As a result of your specifically directed request for a financial goal, and the consultations and answers to prayers offered in an effort to achieve such a goal, our aspirations, expectations and realizations have all been lifted. We know this is only a beginning...the porch still underfoot. But now that we've started to stir, we may begin to conceptualize what needs to be done to ‘run with the big dogs.’” MICHIGAN

“The success of this challenge was assured by the sacrifices of the whole community. And as a result of the success achieved (this community) stands ready to accept any challenges put forth in order to meet the goals of the Six Year Plan.”

Amen!

Charlotte charts success with ‘B int Star’ school

The Baha'i community of Charlotte, North Carolina, has enjoyed considerable success with its “Southern Brilliant Star School” at which classes for adults, youth and children are conducted every Sunday by the Charlotte Baha'i School Committee.

As a result, seekers have been attracted to the classes at all levels, but especially to the adult classes where Dr. Behruz Sabet of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and a number of local Baha'is have been teaching and lecturing.

These activities, combined with heightened teaching and regular firesides by the friends, have led to four declarations in Charlotte in the last five months, as well as two or three others in areas near the city itself.

Payments for Huqiiqu’llah should be madeto “The Baha’{Huquiqu'llah 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. 213394-5449),

Dr. Daryush Haghighi,

Rocky River, OH 44116 (Tel. 216-333-1506).

Inquiries regarding Huququ'llah

. stalidbe PUT anit are

I HEE Oities of in SetseeatTa Bahk

HUQUQ

U' LUA). 1 2s Rocky River, OH 44116.

Video tapes of’talks by the Hand of the Cause of God and Trustee of Hugqiiqu'llah Dr. Ali-Muhammad Varga, and by Ali Nakhjavani, 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 “Huqiqu'llh, Extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha,

Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice” can be obtained from the Baha’t Distribution eee at 85 cents

�[Page 6]Page 6 / The American Baha'i / June1991

New Publications .

Personal Enrichment .

This document should be shared and distributed as widely as possible and used to accelerate teaching of the Faith.

THE VISION RACE UNITY AMERICAS

MOST CHALLENGING

ISSUE

Racism, terme the most baneful and pe: statement from the National been told by Shoghi Effendi that the erad challenging issue”—one the divisive r: America’s peace, prosperity, and he resolution of this issue, the National § in the principle of the onene:

The Vision of Race Unity

America’s Most Challenging Issue by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’ts of the United States ererall Edition intended for mass distribution)

niversal House of Justice in The Promise of World Peace ent evils” and “ama

piritual Assembly of the Bal ‘ation of racism is America’s has become all the more pt | attitudes and the deepening despair of minorities and the poor. Recogn

anding in the international community depend on the piritual Assembly offers a vision of race unity grounded of humankind. The National Spiritual Assembly also offers for

© 10$17.50 © 25 $40.00

“one of ace,” is the subject of this major of the United States. We have “most vital and nce of

or barrier to p

ing with the recent re:

examination the experience of the Baha’i community, which has endeavored far more than a century to create models of unity. Individual Americans are challenged to heal the wounds of

racism and begin building a society in which people of diverse ba ared and distributed

of one family. This document should be

grounds live as members widely as possible and used

to accelerate teaching of the Faith. 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (GE), 7x 9 inches (P

13 pages, addendum Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United States

he Six Year Plan Messages from the Universal House of Justice NB $8.00 The Six Year Plan brings together 27 major messages of the Universal House of Justice written during the Six Year Plan. Starting with the letter of January 2, 1986, that announced the beginning of the Fourth Epoch of the Formative Age, this volume of messages includes letters outlining the goals of the Six Year Plan and highlighting the progress of the International Baha’ community in fulfilling them. Among the messages included are Ridvan messages from 198691; announcements and descriptions of progress made toward the goal of completing the Arc on Mount Carmel; messages addressing the importance of literacy, the institution of the Nineteen Day Feast, marriage, and the sancitity and nature of Baha’i elections; messages concerning the education of Baha’is in the law of Huqtqu’ll4h; announcements of the remarkable progress of the teaching work in eastern Europe; anda letter outlining preparations to be made for the Holy Year 1992-93 that will mark the end of the Six Year Plan. 8-1/2 x 11 inches, 81 pages Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United States

The Purpose of Physical Reality

by John Hatcher

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Why has God ordained that spiritual beings-human souls-should begin their lives in the physical world? Dr. Hatcher suggests a challenging resolution to the seeming dilemma of this age-old question. Through an examination of the Baha’i writings, as well as of various traditional approaches, he demonstrates in a dramatic way that physical experience offers unique and practical assistance to spiritual development both here and hereafter. Dr. Hatcher describes the world as a classroom designed by God to instigate and nurture mental and spiritual growth. The Purpose of Physical Reality examines the components of this classroom to show how everyday experience induce spiritual insight. Thus we come to appreciate the overall justice of God’s plan, as well as the subtle interplay between human free will and divine assistance in unleashing human potential.

5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches, 154 pages, bibliography

Bahd’i Publishing Trust of the United States

Paisajes Del Alma by Navid Mohabbat

HC $13.95 A collection of nine stories featuring some of the most signifi le believers of the Babi and Baha’ Faiths. Our Spanish readers will enjoy the stories of Khadijih Bagum, the wife of the Bab; Bahfyyih Khanum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, daughter of Baha'u'lláh and the sister of ‘Abdu’l-Baha; Marie, Queen of Rumania; and the greatest of the early American women teachers of the Cause. These include the incomparable Martha Root; the beloved Lua Getsinger, whom ‘Abdu'l-Baha called the Herald of the Kingdom; Dorothy Baker, who taught Baha’u'llah’s message around the world; and Corinne True, who almost single-handedly championed the building of the Mother Temple of the West

6-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches, 405 pages, introduction, preface, references, bibliography Editorial Baha'i de Espana

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collection of gems from the Baha’{ writings, The Divine Art of Living provides spiritual guidance on a number of topics to help make your life less harried and to assist you in making life

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The Journal of Baha’i Studies Vol. 2, No. 4

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Sacred Mythology and the Baha'i Faith * Interpretation as Revelation, The Qur'an Commentary of the Bab * On Human Origions: A Baha’{ Perspective * The Development of Communication and the Communicationof Development * Commentary on John Hatcher's The Equality of Women: The Baha’t Principle of Complementarity * Works of Michael

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�[Page 7]For Understanding Princ For Enjoyment . .

i

The American Baha'i / June1991 / Page 7

sles of the Bahd’t Faith . ag Ue Sa os

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Compilation of Compilations compiled from the Bahd’t Writings

The

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8 x 9-1/2 inches, 131 pages, foreword, introduction, map, 103 photographs

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ON THE PISCATAQUA

Alzheimer’s Disease An Eclipse before Sunset by A. M. Ghadirian, M.D.

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Dr. A. M. Ghadirian writes in Alzheimer’s Disease An Eclipse before Sunset, that “although patients with Alzheimer’s lose their memory and intellectual faculties, they often maintain a sense of intuition and mysterious spiritual awareness . . . which transcends the barrier of their illness.” Dr. Ghadirian examines the biological, psychosocial, and spiritual dimensions of this disease, as well as the role of the family in caring for afflicted patients.

6x 9 inches, 11 pages, biographical note

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Omni-Source, Inc.

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Approximately 28 minutes

Images International

Baha'i Prayers is now back in stock ¢ HC $10.95 © SC $5.95 SPN: Baha’ Faith a World Community: This title is no longer available due to improper translation.

[Ordered by: (Please print or type)

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�[Page 8]Page 8 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

World pongiess mailing is largest in history of the Faith

ANORLD CONGRESS

The largest mailing ever undertaken in Baha’i history took place as registration packets for the Baha'i World Congress were sent recently from the Baha’i National Center.

Almost 80,000 separate pieces of mail left Wilmette for 198 countries including the U.S. and Canada. Each piece of mail contained anywhere from less than 10 to more than 7,000 individual packets.

A special room was set aside at the National Center to accommodate the tables of materials and rows of boxes that were required, and a small army of volunteers was recruited to help with stuffing and mailing.

Staff members from the National Center gave their lunch hours and evenings, and Baha’is from nearby communities were recruited to help.

In addition, since the process was begun shortly before the National Convention, visitorsand spouses of delegates were asked to contribute some of their time to this gigantic effort.

International mail was handled first, as it

with stuffing and mailing.

A special room was set aside at the National Center to accommodate the tables of materials and rows of boxes that were required, and a small army of volunteers was recruited to help

takes so much longer for mail to reach countries overseas. In the U.S., more than 40,000 pieces of mail were sent to local Spiritual Assemblies, registered Groups, and District Teaching Committees. Besides the individual Registration Form, the registration packet contains a Registration Guide with general information about the World Congress, air/hotel package

prices from dozens of cities throughout the world, and instructions for completing the Registration Form. The friends are encouraged to read the Registration Guide carefully.

Also in the packets are forms for registering groups traveling together or staying in the same hotel; a volunteer form for those who would like the privilege of con tributing some time during the Congress; and a lovely poster that could be used for display purposes.

Please direct all questions about registration to 708-869-2294.

Plans are being finalized for program content and ancillary activities in New York City, and it promises to be an enriching and inspirational experience for all who attend.

Registration for the World Congress is on a first-come, first-served basis, so everyone is encouraged to register as early as possible. The registration period will close in April 1992 or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

This is the second World Congress to be convened by the Universal House of Justice. The first was held in 1963 in London, England, and introduced to the friends the newly elected members of the Universal House of Justice.

About 6,000 Baha’is attended the first World Congress, so it is easy to imagine how much more challenging the planning is for this second Congress where 32,000 are expected.

Space has been blocked in more than 90 hotels in the New York/New Jersey area, and dozens of buses will be used to transport the friends from their hotels to the Javits Convention Center where the main program will take place.

More information about the World Con Baha'i National Center volunteers Ada James (left) and Laura Cessna help pack some of the nearly 80,000 registration packets sent to 198 countries around the

world in preparation for the second Bahd't World Congress to be held in November 1992 in New York City.

gress will be released as it is obtained from the World Center, but the friends are encouraged to register soon to ensure a reservation.

One Country newsletter is now available from Baha’i Subscriber Service

One Country, a quarterly newsletter that reports on Baha’i-sponsored environmental, “Although One Country was created for distribution to non-Bahd‘is,” says Ron social and economic development projects around the world, is now available to Baha'is Browne, manager of Baha'i Subscriber Service, “many Baha'is have seen it and have through Baha'i Subscriber Service. begun to ask how they might subscribe.

Designed to inform prominent persons around the world about Baha’i efforts to address “Now, through a joint agreement between Subscriber Service and the Baha'i Internacontemporary social issues, One Country is published in New York by the Office of _ tional Community, we are pleased to announce that the newsletter is at last available to Public Information of the Baha’i International Community. Until recently, it was Baha'is.” distributed only to prominent non-Baha'is and was not available by subscription to One Country focuses on what Baha’i communities around the world are doing to help Baha’is. humanity at large. Each issue carries an editorial that addresses world problems from a Baha’ point of view, as well as two or three in-depth feature articles on Baha'i-sponsored development projects, environmental efforts, or educational programs.

7 Hyatt Lincolnwood

4500 WEST TOUHY AVENUE LINCOLNWOOD, ILLINOIS 60646 USA 708 677-1234 FAX #708 677-0234 \ TOLL FREE 1 800 233-1234

pels eee reese RAAT CChENENO oN GRO IT In one recent issue, for example, the cover story reported on the Dae eee ae tember 2, 199 dramatic success of the University of Nur in Bolivia, which is operated Single $62.00 August 30-Sep! 2, 1001 Baio ‘ Reservations must be received by: along Baha'i principles and has grown from 100 to 1,000 students in Double $62.00 August 21, 1991 only six years. Triple $62.00 Arrival as Another recent issue carried an article on the Baha'i Vocational , Quad $62.00 ‘Check-in time: 3 pm Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India, explaining how the Institute Smee care ae ‘Check-out time: 12 noon combines practical education with spiritual principles in its highly Reservations until 6 pm on day of arrival unless one Name successful training program for women from remote tribal villages. CARS Capoes ls recente op gunrannens crea a Address In gathering material for these and other articles, One Country relies

on an international network of Baha'i journalists. The emphasis is on producing high-quality articles that will draw the interest of prominent people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

1) Gid.for late arrival with credit card Verte edhoen groped hee

{(nurrber & expiration date must be Inced)

A Mail to: National Teaching Committee office + Bah4’{ National Center « Wilmette, IL_60091_/

Cy amex [) Dincus ( Gar. Blan. (-) Visa The first issue of One Country was produced in February 1989. Ne eel cat cer ~ [T1-C1) _/ currently, it is published in English, French and Chinese with each Be ne cut here —— —— —— ———————————-— __ issue running 16-20 pages long. a Conference on Growth Tl ie anny ee The subscription price is $12 a year in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and $16 a year for other overseas addresses. A two-year subscription in Name: Bah4’s ID #: North America is $22, and is $30 for other countries overseas. ‘ Requests for subscriptions or other information should be directed to Address: Registration / materials fee may be paid Subscriber Service, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone City/State/Zip: in advance by check or money order or at 708-869-9039). Home phone: ie eT ae Coe oot! Co Baha'is win scholarships in Oregon essay contest . In Oregon, young Baha’is won the two top scholarships in a recent ‘Work phone: _ 5 essay contest sponsored by the Woodmen of the World’s College 1am most interested in —$10.00_ Fee per person Tuition Assistance Program. a ncaDe ke bape Tee eas _______ Total enclosed The theme of the contest was “World Peace: My Role in It.” First _— The Individual and Teaching Total di prize was won by Jade Rubick of West Linn High School, second prize —— The Community and Teaching pe. by Erin Conway of LaCreole Junior High School in Dallas, Oregon. _— Teaching the Masses Please return by August 21, 1991 The contest was organized on behalf of the sponsoring body by a

Baha’{, Lydia McCarter, who is employed at Educational Services Plus in Portland. Ms. McCarter did not take part in judging contest entries.

�[Page 9]The American Baha'i / June 1991 / Page 9

UNITED NATIONS

Having recently completed the many complex procedures required to leave one country, take up residence and begin a new occupation in another, Techeste Ahderom has settled in as a representative to the United Nations for the Baha’ i International Community (BIC) in New York. He replaces Victor de Araujo who retired in January.

Mr. Ahderom’s responsibilities include the areas of human rights, peace, and social and economic development in addition to his over-all coordinating role for the UN office.

Acitizen of Ethiopia, Mr. Ahderom was the general manager of the National Urban Planning Institute in Addis Ababa, the capi BIC welcomes new UN representative | in N.Y.

tal of Ethiopia. From 1979-1983, he was president and associate professor at Asmara University. His more than 25 years of professional experience in urban development and renewal, manufacturing, agriculture, and design research and construction of health centers, housing projects, a zoo and public buildings should prove invaluable.

He has a masters degree in architecture from Iowa State University, masters degrees in city planning and transportation planning from Yale, and more than 40 publications to his credit.

From 1966-68, Mr. Ahderom was secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of North-East Africa, comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, the Sudan, Egypt and Libya.

He served as secretary (1970-79), vicechairman (1980-83) and chairman (198390) of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia.

Mr. Ahderom’s wife, Alasebu Gebre Selassie, is a former member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia and the Spiritual Assembly of Addis Ababa.

She hasa B.A. insociology anda masters in social work from the University of Utah,

Techeste Ahderom, who has replaced Victor de Araujo as the Bahá'i International Community's representative to the United

and has often represented the BIC in Africa at conferences on women’s issues and the “Advocates for African Food Security: Lessening the Burden for Women.” She will continue to be of assistance in this

Nations, and his wife, ‘Alasebu Gebre Selassie.

important field of endeavor.

The Ahderoms have three children, Selam, Sewit and Senei, who are presently attending schools in Connecticut.

A group ofearly ‘Greenacreites' assembled in the pines at what was then the Green

Acre Conference Center. Swami Vivekanandais seated in the center foreground;

actor Joseph Jefferson (with dark hat) is standing behind the Swami.

New book celebrates 100th anniversary of Green Acre

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Sarah Farmer Inn, the Green Acre Baha'i School Council has published a comprehensive account of the history of Green Acre.

The book, entitled Green Acre on the Piscataqua, isnow available from the Baha'i Distribution Service at $19.95 (softcover) and $50 for the special limited hardcover edition.

Profits from the book will benefit the Green Acre Restoration Fund.

The work includes an historical essay; a description of the town of Eliot, Maine, site of Green Acre; map and sites listing of the properties significant to Green Acre; achronology of events pertaining to Green Acre history; a biographical listing of many of

the people associated with Green Acre; personal reminiscences and poetry; and more than 100 charming and historic photographs.

Chronicling Green Acre’s development as it evolved from a resort hotel in 1890 to a Baha'i school attracting visitors from all over the world, the book reveals the story of the Farmer family and the early days of the conferences that brought to Green Acre such renowned people as poet John Greenleaf Whittier (who gave Green Acre its name); the well-known actor Joseph Jefferson; the Rev. Edward Everett Hale; W.E.B. DuBois, founder of the NAACP; writers Edwin Markham, Jane De Groff Thompson and Ralph Waldo Trine; educator Booker T. Washington; Rabbi Joseph

Silverman; artist Marsden Hartley; and many others.

The book also describes the historic visit by ‘Abdu’l-Baha to Green Acre in 1912 and includes many of the Master's tablets to Sarah Farmer, one of which predicts that she would one day be “the envy of queens of all regions and the rival of the celebrated people of the world.”

It also cites accounts of *Abdu’l-Baha’‘s prophecies that a university and House of Worship would be built at Green Acre.

The book underscores Green Acre’s importance as an historic site and an educational institution witha bright future. It will inspire readers to appreciate the present efforts to restore the Sarah Farmer Inn for posterity.

Landegg Academy hosts its third annual symposium for youth

Switzerland's Landegg Academy held its third annual symposium for youth March 28-April 3.

Landegg symposia are designed to provide a forum in which youth, in consultation with experienced adults, can explore a variety of critical social issues. Last year’s symposium was dedicated to the environment, this year's to conflict-free conflict resolution.

A faculty of six young professionals guided the 90 Baha'i and non-Baha'i youth from 16 countries through an intensive five-day training program.

Dr. Farzam Arbab, a Counselor member of the International Teaching Center in Haifa, and Ms. Dorothy Cotton, a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 60s and now director of student activities at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, were guest speakers at this year's symposium.

One of the challenges of the symposium was to effectively integrate three language groups. Simultaneous translations from English to French and German enabled the entire conference to stay together, and a variety of informal activities helped bridge the communication barriers.

The evaluation of the symposium by participants was overwhelmingly positive; most of the youth said they had never been to a Baha'i conference quite like this one.

Given the vital need in the Baha’i community for comparable participatory learning activities, plans were made, in consultation with Dr. Arbab, to conduct an intensive training seminar on workshop methodology at Landegg in December 1991, immediately before the Academy’s second annual Forum for Young Professionals.

Meanwhile, plansare under way for Symposium ’92, which will focus on the role of the arts in transforming individuals and societies. �[Page 10]Page 10 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

the essential aspects of its life.” In no other country is the promise of organic unity more immediately demonstrable than in the United States because this country is a microcosm of the diverse populations of the earth. Yet this promise remains largely unrealized even here because of the endemic racjsm that, like a cancer, is corroding the vitals of the nation.

For too much ofits history and in so many places the human race has squandered its energy and resources in futile efforts to prove the unprovable: that one portion of itself, because of separation by geography, a difference in skin color, or the diversity of cultural expression, is intrinsically distinct from another portion. The ignorance and prejudice on which such efforts are founded have led to endless conflicts in the name of the sanctity of tribe, race, class, nation, religion. Paradoxical as it may seem, in the consistency of these negative efforts across the spectrum of the race, humanity has proved the exact opposite: it has affirmed its oneness. The proof is in the fact that, given the same circumstances, all people, regardless of ethnic or cultural variety, behave essentially the same way. In the futility of its efforts to classify and separate its diverse elements, humanity has become disoriented and confused. Unaided by the divine influence of religion, people are incapable of achieving a proper orientation to their innermost reality and purpose and are thus unable to achieve a coherent vision of their destiny. It is in this respect that the Baha’is find relevancy, direction, and fulfillment in the teachings of Baha’u’Ilah, the Founder of their Faith.

The oneness of humanity is a spiritual truth abundantly confirmed by science. Reccognition of this truth compels the abandonment of all prejudices of race, color, creed, nation, and class—of “everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.” The principle of the oneness of mankind “is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. . . . It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal. . . . It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced.”

II

The application of the spiritual principle of the oneness of mankind to the life of the nation would necessitate and make possible vast changes in the economic status of the non-white segments of the population. Although poverty afflicts members of all races, its victims tend to be largely people of color. Prejudice and discrimination have created a disparity in standards of living, providing some with excessive economic advantage while denying others the bare necessities for leading healthy and dignified lives. Poor housing, deficient diet, inadequate health care, insufficient education are consequences of poverty that afflict African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic Americans more than they afflict the rest of the population. The cost to society at large is heavy.

Evidence of the negative effect of racial and ethnic conflict on the economy has prompted a number of businesses and corporations to institute educational programs that teach conflict resolution and are designed to eliminate racial and ethnic tensions from the workplace. These are important steps and should be encouraged. If,

however, they are intended primarily to save the economy, no enduring solution will be found to the disastrous consequences of racism. For it cannot suffice to offer academic education and jobs to people while at the same time shutting them out because of racial prejudice from normal social intercourse based on brotherly love and mutual respect. The fundamental solution—the one that will reduce violence, regenerate and focus the intellectual and moral energy of minorities, and make them partners in the construction of a progressive society —rests ultimately on the common recognition of the oneness of humankind.

It is entirely human to fail if that which is most important to people’s self-perception is denied them—namely, the dignity they derive from a genuine regard by others for their stature as human beings. No educational, economic, or political plan can take the place of this essential human need; it is not a need that businesses and schools, or even governments, can provide in isolation from the supportive attitude of society as a whole. Such an attitude needs to be grounded in a spiritual and moral truth that all acknowledge and accept as their own and that, like the oxygen that serves all equally, breathes life into their common effort to live in unity and peace. Absence of the genuine regard for others fostered by such truth causes hopelessness in those discriminated against; and inastate of hopelessness, people lose the coherent moral powers to realize their potential. This vitalizing truth, we are convinced, is summarized in the phrase: the oneness of humankind.

Soessential is the principle of the oneness of humanity to the efficacy of educational programs that it cannot be overemphasized. Without its broad influence such programs will not contribute significantly to the development of society. The very fact that businesses are themselves implementing educational programs is indicative of the glaring deficiency of the entire educational system. As we have already said, beyond the mechanisms of education lies the essential prerequisite of a proper attitude on the part of those dispensing curricula and, even more important, on the part of society as a whole. On this basis, education is not only the shortest route out of poverty; it is the shortest route out of prejudice as well. A national program of education, emphasizing the values of tolerance, brotherhood, appreciation for cultures other than one’s own, and respect for differences would be a most important step toward the elimination of racism and, asa consequence, the bolstering of the economy.

Til

The persistent neglect by the governing bodies and the masses of the American people of the ravages of racism jeopardizes both the internal order and the national security of the country.

From the day it was born the United States embraced a set of contradictory values. The founding fathers proclaimed their devotion to the highest principles of equality and justice yet enshrined slavery in the Constitution. Slavery poisoned the mind and heart of the nation and would not be abolished without a bloody civil war that nearly destroyed the young republic. The evil consequences of slavery are still visible in this land. They continue to affect the behavior of both Black and the White Americans and prevent the healing of old wounds.

Healing the wounds and building a society in which people of diverse backgrounds live as members of one family is the most pressing issue confronting America today. Her peace, her prosperity, and even her

standing in the international community depend toa great extent on the resolution of this issue.

That the virulence of the race issue in America attracts the attention of the entire world should spur this country toan unprecedented effort to eliminate every vestige of prejudice and discrimination from her midst. America’s example could not fail to have a profound influence on world society, nor could it fail to assist the establishment of universal peace. “For the accomplishment of unity between the colored and white,” the Baha’i writings proclaim, “will be a cause of the world’s peace.”

The responsibility for the achievement of racial peace and unity in the United States rests upon both Black and White Americans. To build a society in which the rights of all its members are respected and guaranteed, both races must be animated with the spirit of optimism and faith in the eventual realization of their highest aspirations. Neither White nor Black Americans should assume that the responsibility for the elimination of prejudice and of its effects belongs exclusively to the other. Both must recognize that unity is essential for their common survival. Both must recognize that there is only one human species. Both must recognize that a harmoniously functioning society that permits the full expression of the potential of all persons can resolve the social and economic problems now confounding a society wracked with disunity.

Itis evident that both the Black and White Americans in large numbers are feeling deeply disappointed and frustrated by what each group perceives to be a failure of the effortsin recent decadesat effecting progress in the relations between the races. To rationalize this failure, both have been reacting by retreating to the more familiar ground of racial separation. Asthe problems with crime and drug addiction mount, the tendency is to use the seeming intractability of these problemsasa measure of the failure of years of struggle on the part of both to overcome the barriers of centuries. Formidable as is the challenge yet to be met, can it fairly be said that no significant progress has taken place since the days of the sit-ins at lunch counters across the South?

Similarly, the victims of a protracted and entrenched racial discrimination seek relief in the notion that Black Americans, White Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans ate so distinctly different from one another that all of them must stake out their own cultural and social territories and stay within them. Would this be sensible? Would it not be a retreat from the reality of our common humanity? Would it not be a formula for the total breakdown of civilization? Those who raise the call for separation preach a grim doctrine indeed. If the nation is seriously to submit to such a view, where exactly will either the Black or the White Americans divide their cultural heritage, one from the other?

Racism runs deep. It infects the hearts of both White and Black Americans. Since without conscious, deliberate, and sustained effort, no one can remain unaffected by its corrosive influence, both groups must realize that such a problem can neither easily nor immediately be resolved. “Let neither think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country.”

Both groups must understand that no real change will come about without close asso

ciation, fellowship, and friendship among diverse people. Diversity of color, nationality, and culture enhances the human experience and should never be made a barrier to harmonious relationships, to friendship, or to marriage. “O well-beloved ones!” Baha’u’Ilah wrote. “The tabernacle of unity has been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.”

IV

Our appeal is addressed primarily to the individual American because the transformation of a whole nation ultimately depends on the initiative and change of character of the individuals who compose it. No gteat idea or plan of action by the government or other interested organizations can hope to succeed if the individual neglects to respond in his or her own way as personal circumstancesand opportunities permit. And so we respectfully and urgently call upon our fellow Americans of whatever background to look at the racial situation with new eyes and with a new determination to lend effective support to the resolution of a problem that hinders the advance of this great republic toward the full realization of its glorious destiny.

We mention the experience of the Baha’{ community not from any feeling of pride and ultimate victory, because that which we have accomplished still falls short of that to which we aspire; nonetheless, the results to date are most encouraging, and it is as a means of encouragement that we call attention to them.

From its inception in 1863 the Baha’i community was dedicated to the principle of the unity of humankind. Baha’fs rely upon faith in God, daily prayer, meditation, and study of sacred texts to effect the transformation of character necessary for personal growth and maturity; however, their aim is to create a world civilization that will in turn react upon the character of the individual. Thus the concept of personal salvation is linked to the salvation, security, and happiness of all the inhabitants of the earth and stems from the Baha’i belief that “the world of humanity isa composite body” and that “when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequence.”

Guided and inspired by such principles, the Baha’i community has accumulated more than a century of experience in creating models of unity that transcend race, culture, nationality, class, and the differences of sex and religion, providing empirical evidence that humanity in all its diversity can live as a unified global society. Baha’ is see unity as the law of life; consequently, all prejudices are perceived as diseases that threaten life. Rather than considering that the unity of humankind can be established only after other problems afflicting it have been solved, Baha'is believe that both spiritual and material development are dependent upon love and unity. Therefore, the Baha’is offer the teachings of their Faith and the example of their community forexamination, convinced that these can makea contribution toward the eradication of racism endemic in American society. We do so with firm faith in the assistance of our Creator, Who, out of His infinite love, brought forth all humanity from the same stock and intended that all belong to the same household. We believe, moreover, that the day of the unification of the entire human race has come and that “the potentialities inherent in the station of man, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God.”

�[Page 11]The American Baha’i / June 1991 / Page 11

American Baha’i community:

An enduring commitment to equality, integration

By ROBERT H. STOCKMAN

The commitment of the American Baha’ community to racial integration and equality is one of the longstanding features of its beliefs and community life.

The first African-American Baha’i— Robert Turner—was enrolled in the Faith in 1898, only four years after the first European-American. In the following year Olive Jackson became the first AfricanAmerican woman to become a Baha'i.

Although they were a small minority among the approximately 1,500 American Bahda’is at that time, the African-American presence soon began to grow. Teaching the Faith to rural blacks began in Fairhope, Alabama, by 1901. About 1905 AfricanAmericans began to enroll in the Faith in Washington, D.C., and by 1908 they numbered about 15 of that community's approximately 75 Baha’is.

In 1909 Washington's African-American Baha'is acquired an important addition to their ranks, a lawyer named Louis G. Gregory (1874-1951).

Although the European-American Baha‘is encouraged the blacks to establish their own separate but equal Baha'i community in the city, Mr. Gregory took to heart the Baha'i commitment to racial integration and equality and insisted on integration of the black and white Baha'i communities.

The white Bahd‘is, although used to the customs of a thoroughly segregated city, reluctantly agreed.

In 1911 Mr. Gregory became the first African-American to serve on a Baha’i administrative body when he was elected to the “Working Committee,” the coordinating body for all of Washington's Baha'is.

In 1912 he was elected to the Bahai Temple Unity Executive Committee, the nine-member body that coordinated Baha'i activities throughout North America.

Mr. Gregory continued to be elected to that body and its successor, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, intermittently for 32 years. His election was an important litmus test of the American Baha'i community's commitment to equality.

In 1912, when ‘Abdu’l-Baha visited North America for nine months, race unity was a major theme of His formal and informal talks.

He addressed the fourth annual convention of the NAACP, and insisted that facilities where He gave public talks be open to blacks as well as whites so that His audiences could include both races.

The Baha'is of Washington had excellent contacts among the city’s white leadership and held a formal reception and dinner for *Abdu’l-Baha to which federal officials and others were invited. *Abdu’l-Baha insisted that Louis Gregory be included, and when ‘Abdu’l-Baha was seated at the head of the table He gave Mr. Gregory the seat of honor, to His right.

“Abdu’l-Baha’s commitment to racial unity found its most radical expression in His emphasis that the love between the races should be so strong that they should intermarry. At the time, such an act was often derogatorily termed “miscegenation” and was illegal in half of the United States.

Before he left the country ‘Abdu’l-Baha had the privilege of attending the wedding of Louis Gregory to an English Baha’i, Louisa Mathews, the first interracial marriage among Baha’is.

MATTHEW BULLOCK

The teens and twenties saw a steady increase in the diversification of the American Baha'icommunity. African-Americans were drawn to the Faith in Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York City, Boston, and many smaller cities and towns such as Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Geneva, New York.

In every case they were integrated into the existing Baha’i communities; separate black Baha'i communities were never established.

In 1919 Dorothy Champ became the first black woman elected to the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of New York City. By 1928, the Baha’i community of Chicago had more than 50 black members out of a total membership of perhaps 300. Among the Baha'is in Chicago were two interracial couples.

African-Americans were not the only minority group to join the American Baha'i community. The teens and twenties saw growing numbers of Catholics, Jews, and even some American Muslims enrolled as Bahd‘is.

American Indians and Hispanic Americans became members as well. By 1944 there was even an organized Baha'i community on an Indian Reservation.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S. and Canada made its first significant public commitment to fostering race unity in 1921, when it began to sponsor a series of race amity conferences around the coun Louis Gregory began at that time series of tours of the South, where he spoke about the Baha'i Faith at colleges and to any audience that invited him.

As a result, a racially integrated Baha’i community was slowly established in the South. The changes in racial attitudes that swept the South in the 1950s and 1960s accelerated considerably the Faith's growth there, especially among rural blacks who began to become Baha'is in relatively large numbers.

In 1991 African-Americans constitute about one-third of the membership of the American Baha’i community; in the last three decades two or three of the nine seats on the National Spiritual Assembly have consistently been occupied by blacks; and two of the National Assembly's seven executive secretaries have been black.

In addition to the significant commit LOUIS G. GREGORY

ment that American Baha'is as a community have made to racial unity and fellowship, as individuals they have devoted much time to integration and equality in American society.

Louis Gregory wasa tireless supporter of efforts to heal the divisions between the races. He knew, and corresponded with, many of the early 20th century leaders of the effort to bring about the advancement of blacks, such as W.E.B. DuBois. One result was that Nina Gomer DuBois, wife of the well-known activist, became a Bahd‘i.

She was not the only prominent AfricanAmerican attracted to the Faith. George W. Henderson became a Baha’i about 1916. A professor of business at Roger Williams University in Nashville, Tennessee, he later established Henderson Business College, a successful black college in Memphis.

Robert S. Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, one of the most important blackoriented newspapers in the country, becamea friend and sympathizer of the Baha'i Faith in 1912, and became a member of the Baha'i community in 1934.

Alain Locke, professor of philosophy at Howard University and a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, became a Baha'i around 1922. Mr. Locke wrote extensively about adult education, world peace, cultural pluralism, and the advancement of blacks from a perspective informed by both the Baha'i Faith and the pragmatism of such philosophers as William James, John Dewey and Charles Peirce.

Elsie Austin, one of the first black women in the U.S. to earn a law degree, accepted the Faith about 1935. She served with distinction as assistant Attorney General for the state of Ohio and in the U.S. diplomatic service in Africa. In 1946, she was elected to membership on the National Spiritual Assembly, the first African-American woman to serve on that body.

Matthew Bullock, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School and later a recipient of honorary degrees from both schools, became a Baha'i in 1940. In addition to membership on the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, he became distinguished as a lawyer and public servant in Massachusetts who fought for social justice and human dignity.

Robert Hayden, a well-known 20th cen

ALAIN LOCKE

tury poet and the first black to serve as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, became a Baha'i in 1943.

In the 1970s world-renowned jazz trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie, recipient of many honors including a recent medal for lifetime achievement in the arts from President George Bush, was enrolled in the Faith and has been an effective spokesman on its behalf all over the world.

The American Baha’i commitment to racial equality was expressed by active support for the civil rights movement in this country. Many Baha’is took part in the celebrated march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, and in less dramatic efforts such as voter registration and preparing black children to attend integrated public schools.

In recent years Baha'is have been important participants in programs at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Center for Non-Violent Social Change. Two Baha'is serve on the Martin Luther King Federal Holiday Commission.

The slowing of progress in America toward legal and social equality in the 1980s appears to underscore the importance of the Bahd‘i view that lasting improvement in race relations is a matter of changing attitudes and cultural patterns, as well as changing laws.

The recent focus of Baha’i interest on the search for models of interracial, interethnic and interreligious unity outside the Baha'i community, and continued strengthening of integration within the community itself, representa new phase in the Baha'i effort to bring about a revolution among races and in the development of closer relations among people in American society.

The American Baha'icommunity remains unswerving in its commitment to help all persons realize the full development of their human potential, regardless of their ethnic background, religious tradition, or race. It offers itself as a model for study and as an example of a community with positive, dynamic and actively developing race relations.

�[Page 12]Page 12 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

‘Active’ is word to describe Atlanta Baha’i Youth Workshop

The Atlanta Baha’i Youth Workshop has begun several exciting projects in the past few months and has devised a set of goals for the coming year.

Among the goals are monthly teaching activities to focus on youth and minorities; monthly service projects; regular fund-raisers; and youth prayer sessions.

In January, the Worskshop took part in Atlanta’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade, in which members were asked to carry the front banner in the march section.

After the parade, two Workshop members spoke at a youth rally, sharing the Message of Baha'u'llah with their audience.

On March 25, the Workshop held a game night fund-raiser for the National Fund and the Arc. The next morning, two members traveled with the Workshop directors to Nashville, Tennessee, and spent the day

with Nashville youth, getting to know one another and answering questions about what it takes to make a workshop successful.

In February, Workshop members had decided to celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha ina spirit of service by taking part in the Georgia Department of Transportation's Adopt-aHighway clean-up campaign. They plan to clean a mile of Georgia highway once every other month.

On March 9, the Workshop performed the “Equality of Men and Women” dance at the Agnes Scott Women’s College International Festival.

A week later, Workshop members celebrated the month of fasting with a dinner party. They observed Naw-Ruz witha party on March 22 anda picnic the following day at Stone Mountain Park.

On March 31, the Workshop welcomed to the deepening part of its practice session Fafar Guillebeaux of Montgomery, Alabama, who led a workshop on the equality of men and women.

The service project in March was a toy collection forarea children’s shelters. Workshop members donated toys throughout the month, and several boxloads were delivered to two children’s shelters in the Atlanta area.

The Workshop is now planning its summer-long teaching projects which include a nine-day trip through North and South

Members of the Atlanta Bahd'i Youth Workshop are pictured next to the ‘adopted’ one-mile stretch of Georgia highway they have agreed to maintain as a part of the state Department of Transportation's

Carolina and several weekend projects in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. If you believe the Workshop could be of

‘Adopt-a-Highway’ program. The project is one of a number of service activities the Workshop has already undertaken or plans to begin in the coming months.

service to your community, please contact them through Glenn and Maryam Evans, 404-438-6563.

Charlotte Baha’is co-sponsor symposium whose theme is ‘Women: Up from Obscurity’

The Baha'i community of Charlotte, North Carolina, co-sponsored a symposium March 30 whose theme was “Women: Up from Obscurity and Toward World Recognition.”

About 70 people attended the day-long event whose other sponsors were the Mecklenburg County Women’s Commission and the Afro-American Cultural Center, where the symposium was held.

A task force consisting of representatives from the co-sponsors and the Baha’i Proclamation Committee served to build bridges between the Baha’icommunity and Charlotte civic groups, government commissions and high-profile individuals to broaden the focus, widen publicity efforts,

and win support for the symposium.

The mayor and city council proclaimed March 24-30 “Achievements of Women Week,” and the symposium was publicized on radio and television.

Three Baha'i women were among the featured speakers: Nancy Dobbins of Dallas, Texas; Dr. Carole Allen of Norfolk, Virginia; and Zylpha Mapp-Robinson of Washington, D.C.

The Charlotte community is now poised to raise its proclamation and teaching activities to a higher level to bring to the attention of the public the Station of Baha'u'llah and to speak boldly of Him as the Lord of the Age during the upcoming Holy Year.

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EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS j

Jim Haslip, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Tuolumne, California, has been appointed by the California superintendent of public education to attend the National Gallery of Art's 50th Anniversary Teacher Institute Scholar ceremony in July. A school superintendent and teacher from each state was appointed to attend the ceremony, to be held in Washington, D.C. “[Mr. Haslip] has set an exemplary example of how arts education can be part of a core curriculum,” the appointment notice said. “And he has shown how in a small, rural county there is money for dance, music, drama and the visual arts. He provides a real model that other administrators can follow.”

Dr. Manucher J. Javid,a Baha'i who is professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, was elected president of the International Intradiscal Therapy Society at its annual meeting April 6 in Houston, Texas. Dr. Javid was also the 1991 alumnus elected to Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society, Atpha chapter, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and was honored during their annual meeting March 16 in Chicago.

Ruhi Reimer, a Baha'i from Atlanta, Georgia, has received a Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship for four years of study at Emory University. The scholarship is based on academic achievement and demonstrating a strong social conscience. While at Northside High School, Ruhi and another Baha'i student, Enoch Varner, suggested and gained approval for a campus organization to address the need for closer ties between black and white students, who were segregated during lunch breaks and extracurricular activities. Earlier this year, Ruhi was named “Mr. Northside High” by his fellow students.

John J. Phillips, a Baha'i from Pembroke, Massachusetts, has received the Academic Excellence Award in Health Records Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. After his graduation in June, Mr. Phillips planned to continue his work as a coder in the Department of Coding and DRG Analysis at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.

Three pieces by a Baha'i, tressa ralya reisetter of Fairfax, Virginia, were featured April 14 ina concert by the Manassas (Virginia) Choral Society. Two of the pieces, “Find Him There” (based on selected Hidden Words), and “Thou Kind Lord” based on a prayer revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha) were premiered at the concert. The third, a setting of the traditional Christian piece, “Lamb of God,” had been performed several times previously in central Iowa.

June McKee Lindsay, a Baha’i from Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been appointed a deputy Director General of the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England. Ms. Lindsay will assist and advise in the planning and running of the annual International Congresses of the IBC in major world cities, in approaching other leaders and achievers with a view to including them in future directories and reference titles, and in increasing the membership of the International Biographical Association and the World Literary Academy, which are sponsored by and headquartered at the IBC.

�[Page 13]The American Baha'i / June 1991 / Page 13

A traveling “Peace Education” exhibit created by Baha'is in Brazil reached some 150,000 people in nine Brazilian cities last year and presented many opportunities to teach the Faith. At the exhibits final stop, Londrina, 34 local artists displayed their work as part of the initiative, which local media called “The Art for Peace Exhibition.”...

Since the beginning of the Six Year Plan, enrollments in the Central African Republic have averaged about 1,000 per year.

Afteraseries of meetings between Baha’is and government officials, the Faith has been recognized and registered by the government of Romania. In January, a document to that effect was signed by the Minister of Culture, and was registered and notarized in February by the national court in Bucharest. In the document, the Baha'i community of Romania is registered as ‘a religious association’ on a national level with its seat in Bucharest, with its aim ‘to spread the Faith of Baha‘u'llah in Romania.”...

More than 165 people from 13 countries attended India’s fourth annual Baha'i Winter School at Panchgani. Indian participants came from 11 states and included a group of 30 students from the Rabbani School at Gwalior. The school was dedicated tothe memory of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, “whose vision of the new World Order this generation is privileged to witness.”...

In the Mariana Islands, Baha'i Mark Heath represented the Territory of Guam at a recent meeting of senior officials on a Program of Action in Support of Education for All, called by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Meanwhile, Baha'is Graham Hassall of Melbourne, Australia, and Lin Poyer of Cincinnati, Ohio, took part in the Pacific Historians Association Conference on Guam. Dr. Hassall presented a paper on the growth of the Faith in

the Pacific area from 1954-68. And at the Federation of Asian Women's Association convention, alsoon Guam, Dr. Craig Lewis, a Baha’i, presented a talk entitled “Women as Peacemakers.” Dr. Lewis was introduced as a member of the Baha'i community of the Mariana Islands. ...

The National Spiritual Assembly of Trinidad supported the participation of a Baha’i physician ina public health seminar on “Women and AIDS.” The seminar was attended primarily by young student nurses eager to learn how to help in this medical crisis. A Baha'i prayer was read at the start of the program, the Baha'i doctor was one of the speakers, and at the end of the program the chairman thanked the Baha'is for their involvement and support.

Arctic Ventures Ltd., a variety store in Iqaluit, Northern Territories, Canada, is now selling Baha'i books. The breakthrough came as a result of efforts by the Baha'i Teaching Committee-Arctic, which has a goal of getting Blessed Is the Spot into bookstores in the Arctic. The book, produced by Baha'i Canada Publications, contains the prayer in English, Inuktitut, and Greenlandic, along with illustrations.

Nearly 200 people from a number of religions attended Bophuthatswana’s first World Religion Day observance sponsored by the Baha'i community of Mmabatho. The opening speech was given by the mayor of Mmabatho. ...

About 140 people were enrolled in the Faith during the first 10 days of a teaching campaign that began last January in Manaus, Brazil. ...

The National Spiritual Assembly of Gambia sponsored a competition for secondary and high school students to express through the arts ways in which world peace can be achieved. Six schools took part, with an audience of more than 600 present for the judging. The competition, said a report from the National Assembly, “was a magnificent proclamation of “The Promise of World Peace.’ We now have appointments for seminars on the peace statement in the two branches of the Gambia College, and consideration is being given to holding competitions for the schools in other regions of the country.”...

From January 5-20, four Bahd’i youth and a number of local friends went to remote villages in the district of Pitas, Malaysia, where they helped form three local Spiritual Assemblies. Some consolidation work was later carried out, and As

A Bahd'i children's camp was held in February in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, with some 45 youngsters from the coastal areas

of the country taking part. Among the many activities planned for the children were art classes.

sembly members were taught how to conduct the Nineteen Day Feast. ...

The Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom, with help from the Scottish Baha'i Information Office, held a proclamation event to mark the publication of a new book, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Edinburgh. The program was held February 28 in the National Library of Scotland. .

In Canberra, Australia, a nine-yearold Baha'i used a classroom “Show and Tell” session to proclaim the Faith, using as her presentation a cassette tape of Baha'i songs. The children showed interest in the

tape, asked questions, and asked the teacher to make a copy for the class. The young, Baha’i went on to talk about the Faith and Baha’i children’s classes, and gave her teacher a lovely personalized invitation card to a Baha'i community fireside. ...

A former Auxiliary Board member from Costa Rica who attends the Instituto Centroamericano de Administracio de Empresas in Managua, Nicaragua, suggested the use of the Baha'i electoral process—and the system was adopted. It marked the first time that an election along spiritual guidelines was carried out in an educational institution in that country. ...

Eighteen Bahd'ts including two Auxiliary

Board members and seven members of the National Spiritual Assembly took part last

December in a deepening seminar in Guéckédou, Guinea.

Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum present as Romania hosts 300 Baha'is at its first-ever National Convention

The first Baha’i National Convention of Romania was held April 26-29 in Bucharest with the participation of almost 300 Baha’is, among whom were about 30 Baha'is from 15 countries.

The official representative of the Universal House of Justice on this historic occasion was the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bah4 Ruhiyyih Khanum whose presence was an extraordinary blessing felt by all who had the bounty of taking part in the Convention.

Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khénum explained that she is especially attracted to Romania because of the outstanding services rendered to the Faith by Queen Marie and the special correspondence cultivated between the beloved Guardian and the Queen.

She also emphasized the great importance for Romania for the development of the Faith throughout Europe, and the shining example given by the Baha’is of Romania through their extraordinary increase in numbers.

The Convention was further enriched by Counselor Sohrab Youssefian who, onseveral occasions, contributed to the success of its deliberations and was a source of love and encouragement for all.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Germany was represented by Fritz Kluber. Messages of greetings and well-wishes were received from the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, the Continental Boards of Counselors for Europe and Asia, 27 National Spiritual Assemblies, and two local Assemblies.

�[Page 14]Page 14 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

Judy Knight-Frank (left), chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, and Mary Baca, an Hispanic activist, display their awards

at the Bahd'i-sponsored “Women Uniting the World’ conference April 5-7 in Denver, Colorado.

at the Baha’i National Center

“The administration of the Cause in the United States is entering a completely new phase, of high promise, challenging problems and golden opportunities. You are the cradle of the Administration, and in this development you can become a pattern for the entire Baha'i world.” (Excerpt from. a letter by the Universal House of Justice addressed to “the Believers in the Cradle of the Baha’i Administrative Order,” December 29, 1970.)

The National Spiritual Assembly is calling for talented, qualified people toarise to serve the National Assembly at this time. There isa particular need for the following:

Baha'i Volunteers

© Volunteers are critically needed to support the World Congress in the following areas: film script writing, video editing, video directing, video camera operation, photojournalism, public relations, audio, and photo processing.

Administrative Assistants

¢ Essential to the efficient functioning and quality of service provided by the Baha’i National Center

© Must be well-versed in Baha’i principles and administration

© Must be skilled in word processing; type 50-60 wpm.

¢ Must have strong self-management and organizational skills

Director, Management Information Systems

© Oversees all information services for the National Spiritual Assembly including the design and maintenance of a coordinated plan for all data management and data accessing

• Requires 5-8 years experience in the MIS field

• Experience ina DEC environment preferred; knowledge and experience

in Ingress data base a plus

© Must have managerial experience in staff supervision, budget control, policy formation and implementation

General Manager, NSA Properties Inc.

• Assumes overall responsibility for the acquisition, development and

maintenance of all Baha’i properties in the U.S. owned by NSA Properties Inc:

© Must have general management experience including strong financial management and people management experience or background

• Requires 3-4 years experience in property development and management

with emphasis on general business management

© Must be familiar with all phases of design and construction

© Must have working knowledge of pertinent legal issues critical to the work

¢ Prefer special skills in renovation of historic properties

Other opportunities include:

- Baha’ Publishing Trust: Associate Editor,

- House of Worship: Office Manager

- Media Services: Secretary/Receptionist

- NSA Properties: Custodian/Supervisor

- National Teaching Committee: Secretary/Receptionist

- Periodicals: Writet/Reporter

- WLGI Radio: On-Air Operator

~ World Congress Logistics Office: Registration Processing Specialists.

If you are able to share your talents with the National Spiritual Assembly, please send your résumé to the Baha'i National Center, Department of Human Resources, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone Diana Harris at 708-8699039.

Editorial Assistant

Ne

( Service/Employment opportunities

/

Women activists given awards at Denver Baha’i Conference

On April 5-7, the National Committee on Women and the metro-Denver Baha'i community co-sponsored a weekend conference, “Women Uniting the World: A MultiCultural Perspective on Equality.”

On Friday evening, an awards banquet was held to honor outstanding women from the first two cultures settling Colorado: Judy Knight-Frank, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, and Mary Baca, a well-known civic activist of Hispanic descent.

The award, a bronze and nickel sculpture entitled “The Dove Dancer,” crafted by Colorado artist Rik Sargent, has been named “The Alteria M. Bryant Award: Celebrating the Diversity of Womankind,” and is to be presented annually.

Mrs. Bryant was the first Baha'i in Colorado, having accepted the Faith in 1900.

One hundred sixty-four people attended the awards banquet, 40 percent of whom were not Baha’i

Besides attending various panels and workshops, attendees heard from 15 noted speakers including Judy Canales, president of the Mexican American National Women’s Association; Luz Martin del Campo-Cohan, associate director of the National Council of Women; Juana Conrad, founder of Women for International Peace and Arbitration; and Celeste M.C. de Baca, a Denver County judge.

Each of the plenary sessions was begun. with a dramatic or musical vignette.

Workshopand panel topics included “The Impact of Feminine Quality on Society,”

“Women’s Role in Improving the Health of the Family,” and “The Growth Potential for Women in the Workforce.”

On Saturday evening, a program of multicultural entertainment entitled “The Colors of Colorado” was presented for an audience of more than 300, more than three-fourths of whom were not Baha'is.

Following a performance Sunday morning by De Colores del Mundo, an Hispanic women’s musical group, Mrs. Conradspoke on “Women, the Catalyst for Peace.”

The Baha'i National Committee on Women then presented a panel discussion on that topic.

CHECK OUT SUMMER SCHOOLS

Like a vacation, a Baha’i summer school can allow participants to experience an atmosphere that is both peaceful and exhilarating, restful and stimulating.

But unlike a mere vacation, a Baha’i school can unlock doors to understanding Baha‘u'llah’s life and teachings. A Baha’i school can help every participant to be a competent and confident teacher of Baha‘u'llah’s Cause.

And a Baha’ school can go far beyond the mild pleasures of a vacation by immersing the participants in an atmosphere of true Baha’i fellowship.

Summer schools are planned in many areas across the U.S. Please consult the May issue of The American Baha’i for the schools nearest you. More information is available from the National Teaching Committee office, 708-869-9039, ext. 288.

address. Name of Recommended Person:

Address

THE NATIONAL RACE UNITY COMMITTEE NEEDS YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A SPEAKERS’ BUREAU TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE ONENESS OF MANKIND

Race Unity Committee Glencoe, IL 60022

We are interested in building a speakers’ bureau to assist the national Baha'i community in planning programs teaching the oneness of mankind. If you are acquainted with individuals whom you would recommend as speakers, workshop leaders, panelists, etc., please give us some information about them. We have provided the following form for your convenience. Please return it to the above

City

Telephone

State (if address is unknown, please provide community of residence)

If known, please provide some biographical information and/or information about the kinds of talks, workshops, etc. this individual presents:

zip

Is this person a Baha'i?

Why do you recommend this person?

Your name:

Address

City

Your telephone (home)

State (if address is unknown, please provide community of residence)

(work)

zip

Is this person a Baha'i?

�[Page 15]The American Baha'i / June 1991 / Page 15

First-hand report from youth on ‘Year of Service’

Volunteer ‘ engine’ powers Maxwell Baha’i School

Two young Baha'is, Noah Bartolucci of Winston-Salem, North Carolian, and Jamal Reimer of Boone, North Carolina, are spending a Youth Year of Service documenting the services to the Faith of other Baha'is, young and old alike, in a number of areas around the world. Here is the first of a series of reports written especially for The American Bahd’i, from the Maxwell International Baha'i School in British Columbia, Canada. This first article was written by Noah.

°

The engine that powers the Maxwell International Baha'i School is its staff of volunteers.

There are 20 of them, ranging in age from 18 to 71, but most are youth. They serve in the school’s cafeteria, its health center, administrative offices and facilities department. When they're through the working day they help coach sports, tutor students or lead teaching institutes. They're always on the job.

“The year-of-service personnel truly support the running of the school. They provide us with huge economic benefits,” says Dr. Ray Johnson, a Baha'i who is principal

of the Maxwell School. "They're crucial in these first years of the school’s operation. We couldn't get along without them.”

Dr. Johnson, who has directed the school since its inception in the fall of 1988, says the youth are more than a labor force. He considers them role models for the students.

“The Maxwell community is a learning environment,” he says. "You need to give opportunities for service so you can teach service.

“The year of service is a separate curriculum, another objective of Baha'i education.”

Even before Maxwell's founding the school made good use of volunteers, the first group of whom helped prepare the school for its opening, taking part in maintenance work and readying the grounds for the dedication ceremony.

Each year since then, the structure of the service work and the orientation programs for the volunteers have been refined and improved.

Today, prospective volunteers need specific skills to enhance the “engine's” performance. While some areas of the school require that volunteers be somewhat specialized, Dr. Johnson says youth should still be prepared to do whatever they are asked.

“It may be that we need someone to serve in different capacities because one of the youth has fallen and brokena leg,” he says.

The volunteers’ need to be adaptable extends beyond the workplace. They must be ready to help students, sometimes as tutors and other times as a mature friend in whom to confide.

“Many of the students are really close to

Seventeen Bahd't college students from all over California gathered February 19-21 fora ‘research weekend’ retreatsponsored by the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Bahd't Club. The students independently

researched Baha'i questions and practiced

presentation skills by presenting brief talks on research topics. The retreat adhered to the rigor and content of the Bosch School Bahd't Youth Academy.

Eva Trantor (left), a ‘Year of Service’ volunteer at the Maxwell International

Bahda'i Schoolin British Columbia, Canada,

the volunteers—you can go to them for help,” says Rita Scheck, a Baha’i from Oregon who is a ninth-grade student at Maxwell. “We can go to the staff for help too, but most of the volunteers are younger and sometimes they can better relate tous.”

Many students think of the volunteers as older siblings, people they can laugh with and seek guidance from. But many of the volunteers also inspire the students to do their own pioneering.

Lindsay Wood, a Baha'i ninth-grader from Ontario, Canada, says that interacting with the volunteers and seeing them work has prompted her to undertake a year of service.

“Wherever the volunteers are,” she says, "they always seem happy. That teaches you a lot about the spirit of service.

“Before I came here I didn’t understand what the year of service was about, or what the point was. Now I see, and I'm hoping to serve a year after a graduate from Maxwell.”

The students aren't the only ones who witness the spirit of service exemplified by the volunteers and marvel at their growth. The school’s permanent staff, co-workers of the volunteers, spend more time with them than any other group. Leo Kolodychuck, a Baha'i who is the school’s maintenance director, is one of those people.

“Whether or not the volunteers come with a good work ethic,” he says, "they all learn it sooner or later; and they learn patience too. Everyone who comes to the school learns that.”

Mr. Kolodychuck says service for the volunteers isn’t always easy. Coming to grips with hard labor tests many volunteers to their limits.

“Most of them,” he says, “don’t have hard, physical labor in their background.”

His favorite incident concerning volunteers took place soon after the school first opened. He, another worker and two young Bahd’is had spent two days loading lumber onto the back of a truck. It was, he recalls, “back-breaking work.” Once they were done, the truck set off for the Yukon Territory.

“We got a call later that night,” Mr. Kolodychuck says. “The truck had toppled over, and we had to spend another two days picking up the logsand loading themagain.

“Now, whenever those youth and I see each other, we laugh about it. Nothing bonds people better than having to endure hardships together.”

and two Maxwell students show off their ‘Maxwell Workshop’ sweatshirts.

‘Seniors’ find service at Maxwell School challenging, rewarding

Service for the benefit of one’s fellow man is not only the highest station one can obtain, it is the essence of the Faith in action.

“Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.” A Year of Service is available for everyone, not merely the youth.

Whatare you going todo when youretire (or before)?

The Maxwell International Baha'i School has a volunteer service program that is essential to the smooth operation of the school. There are more than 20 Year of Service personnel ranging in age from 18 to 78.

Eva and Richard Trantor have been serving at the Maxwell School as assistant cook and maintenance personnel for the 1990/ 91 school year. Alberta and Keith Schulte from St. Cloud, Minnesota, will be joining the volunteer staff in August, Alberta as assistant nurse and Keith to head the custodial department.

What is unique about these and other volunteers at the Maxwell School is that they are retired. Not only do they put ina good 8-10 hours of work each day, they are also substitute grandparents to 165 students.

Eva says that for the first time, she and Richard have the opportunity t their life experiences and trai their desire to serve Baha'u'llah. Almost 24 hours a day, they know they are helping the Cause through their service to the Maxwell School.

Serving at the Maxwell School is an example of the kind of challenges and bounties Baha’i communities will have in the future. This last year of the Six Year Plan requires an increase in service from as broad a spectrum of the Baha'i community as possible.

The Maxwell Baha'i School is one alternative of many that could use your time and talents. Contact your National Spiritual Assembly fora list of short- and long-range service opportunities.

And if you are interested volunteer service at the Maxwell School, write to the Principal, Maxwell International Baha’i School, Bag 1000, Shawnigan Lake, BC VOR 2W0, Canada.

�[Page 16]Page 16 / The American Baha'i / June1991

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HELP WANTED

Experienced, intelligent persor energetic, goo language stalls, computer experience helpful but

Classified notices inThe American Baha'i are published free of charge as a service to the Bahd't 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 Sriends should exercise their own judgment and care in responding to them.

°

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

‘THE BOSCH Baha ‘i School is accepting ap plications for summer 1991 employment. Positions available include children’s teachers (3), assistant cook, recreation director, lifeguard, music director, kitchen assistants (2) and maintenance assistants (2). All positions require a willingness to serve and interact with children, youth and adults. Those chosen will serve from July through August (9-10 weeks) and receive a small stipend plus room and board. To apply, senda brief résumé of your experience or request an application form for employment from the Bosch Baha’i School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (phone 408-423-3387).

THE WORLD Congress Logistics Office at the Baha’i National Center is looking for “a few good people” to work in the registration office for the next year starting immediately. Available positions are: travel desk coordinator, responsible for coordinating the exchange of travel and hotel accommodation-related information between the Logistics Office and travel agency as directed by the Registrar; periodic reports, routine correspondence and other needs identified by Registration or Logistics Office staff. Registration processing specialist, responsible for conducting initial processing of all registration forms, inspecting forms for accuracy and appropriate attachments, assuring correct payment, ensuring, that all registration forms and currency are given strict accounting and securely handled, and carrying out a number of other duties in connection with registrations. If you or anyone you know is. interested in applying, please phone the Department of Human Resources, 708-869-9039, ext. 265, or the World Congress Logistics Office, ext. 287.

THE GREEN ACRE Baha’i School is accepting applications for summer employment. Positions available include children’s teachers, kitchen and housekeeping help, maintenance, office help, and program assistant. Applicants should be available from mid-June through the end of August. Room and board are provided with a small stipend. Please send a brief résumé to the Green Acre Baha’i School, 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903, or phone 207-439-7200 Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) for more information.

CHILDREN’S program teaching staff sought at the Louhelen Baha’i School: child education coordinators, master teachers, teachers’ assistants for weekend conferences through the summer months. For details or to apply, contact the Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or telephone 313-653-5033.

THE LOUHELEN Baha’i School is accepting applications for summer positions. These include children’s education director, adult program director, registrar, recreation director, dishwasher/food service assistant (two positions), housekeeper, assistant librarian/book sales, and groundskeeper. Room and board and a stipend are provided. Applicants should be able to serve from the middle or end of June through August 22. Please send a brief résumé listing applicable

experience and position desired to: Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

THE MAXWELL International Baha’i School is expanding its program to full capacity in September 1991 by adding grade 12, thereby requiring additional staff in several areas. To better meet the needs of its international student body, the school is interested in receiving résumés from qualified applicants who have experience with students of diverse racial and ethnic heritage from all socio-economic levels. Positions are anticipated in the following areas: Academic—curriculum/staff developer; teachers in all disciplines who can be certified by the British Columbia Ministry of Education. Service personnel—custodial, groundskeeping, housekeeping. Residential—dorm parents, couples who can make a full-time commitment in a demanding and uniquely rewarding environment. Administrative—clerical staff with word processing and receptionist skills. Those who wish to provide a Year of Service are also encouraged to apply for any of the above positions. Please send a résumé outlining your experience and qualifications to: Principal, Maxwell International Baha'i School, Bag 1000, Shawnigan Lake, BC VOR 2W0, Canada.

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

Health & Nutrition. Guinea-Bissau: Agricultural Specialist. Project coordinator. Sierra Leone: Investment opportunities. Swaziland: Caretaker couple for the National Baha'i Center. Transkei: Caretaker couple for Center. AMERICAS: Belize: Custodians for the Amelia Collins Institute. Dominican Republic: ESL/Teacher Trainer. Honduras: Elementary School Teachers (2). ASIA: Macau: Coordinators for Pre-School, Primary/Secondary and Night School, Primary and Secondary Teachers. Pakistan: Project Manager/Crafts, Health Project Manager.Thailand: Montessori Trained Teacher. AUSTRALASIA: Marshall Islands: Manager. Food Services, Patrol Officers, Civil/ Structural Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electronic Technician, digital Systems Technician, Loss Prevention Engineer, Standardization engineer, Operational Procedures Writer, Documentation and Forms Control Specialist, Physicians, Clinical Nurse Specialist(Med/Surg), PA, Nurse-Midwives. Palau: Secondary School Math, Science and English Teachers. Samoa: Caretaker for the Mother Temple of the Pacific. EUROPE: Poland: Advisors needed by the Polish Business Advisory Service. Romania: Program Officer for program in Romania orphan health. Soviet Union: Russian language speakers for Resident Manager, Facilities Manager, Building Projects Supervisor, Mechanical Supervisor, Customs Expeditor. MULTI-REGIONAL: Health Professionals and Biomedical Scientists for short-term exchange visits to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union. The New Era Development Institute in Panchgani, India has a one-year certificate course for community development facilitators. For additional information on any of the above, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Baha’{ National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone (708) 869-9039.

THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Republic of Ireland is seeking someone experienced in public relations to assist the Irish Baha’i community in its public re lations work and to train one or more individuals to continue the work. The Baha'i community of Puerto Rico is seeking pioneers deepened in Ba ha’i administration to settle in Ponce. Would pre fer self-supporting believers. For additional information on the above, please contact the Of fice of Pioneering, Baha’i National Center, Wil mette IL 60091 or telephone 708-869-9039.

ONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

NORTH FLORIDA, an area with abundant water, Spanish moss-draped oak trees, lush farm lands and woods, needs homefront pioneers. Land is cheap; homes start at $47,000. Employmentis marginal, but cultural activities are splendid and nearby rivers are lovely. Self-employed or retired people are invited to write for details to Hans Valk, Lake City, FL 32055 (phone 904-755-3675).

FORT LEWIS College in Durango, Colorado, has re-established a Baha'i Club after the lapse of 10 years and warmly welcomes any students who could come and help reinforce ite efforts. Fort Lewis is a four-year liberal arts college in the Rockies that provides free tuition for American Indian students. For information, write to the Office of Admissions, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO 81301, or contact the Baha’is of Durango, P.O. Box 256, Durango, CO 81302 (phone 303-247-8072).

HOMEFRONT pioneers needed for the rural North Carolina communities of Roxboro (pop. 12,000) and Person County (pop. 18,000) about 30 miles north of Durham with easy access to major universities and employment opportunities. Inexpensive land: and housing available; one isolated Baha'i presently lives in the area. For information, please contact Terri Hamrick,

Roxboro, NC 27573, or phone 919-: 597-4687 (home) or 919-599-8366 (work).

DIVERSITY: Northern New Mexico has it all. Diversity in culture: Hispanic, American Indian, black, white and Asian. Diversity in climate: from 10,000-foot mountains to warm flatlands. Diversity of populated areas: from small towns to modern urban centers, Diversity of employment: from opportunities in healthcare to education to laundromats. Northern New Mexico needs Baha’is in all these areas to support existing local Assemblies and Groups and to help form new Assemblies and save those in jeopardy. For more information, contact Sharon Ewing, Santa Fe, NM 87505.

MOVING? Put your shoulder to the wheel in cone of many localities in Northern California which need Baha’is to retain, regain or attain Assembly status. Area has small to large colleges, ethnic diversity, mountain solitude or western “foothill” towns, agriculture, or closeto-capital city excitement. For information, please write to the District Teaching Committee of Northern California No. 1, c/o Grace Shahrokh, secretary, Fair Oaks, CA 95628, or phone 916-966-7490.

CATALOG of summer conferences at the Louhelen Baha'i School is available from the Registrar, Louhelen Bahai School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

“REFLECTIONS?” catalog listing “Mankind Is One” sweatshirts, T-shirts, tapes, books and other Baha’j-related materials is available at no cost from the Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 313653-5033).

WANTED

THE BAHA’I Club at Dartmouth College is looking for Baha’ is who are Dartmouth alumni. We would like to keep them updated on the of the Baha’i Club. Please write to the Baha'i Club of Dartmouth, Tucker Foundation, 102 College Hall, Hanover, NH 03755.

ANY AND ALL Baha'is who have lived or taught in eastern North Carolina are invited to return for a homecoming in July. For more information, please contact the District Teaching Committee of Eastern North Carolina: Mike Hillis (919-291-1187) or Mary Spires (919-4465889).

ESSAYS needed about American youth who have professed their faith in Baha'u'llah to be compiledina chronicle entitled 99 Lights Across America. Essays should explain how the individual came to recognize Baha'u'llah and how this transformed his/her life. The book will be an inspiration for teaching the Faith, and will attest to the fact that everyone is potentially a Baha regardless of race, religion, social or economic background. Publication of the identity of the author of each essay is optional. Please send essays as soon as possible to Jennifer Redson,

Washington, DC 20012 (phone 202-726-5909).

LOOKING for a Bahai community willing to sponsor and man a Baha'i prayer telephone line. For information, phone Jim Seigel, 408624-7551.

AN EXCITING feature of the Baha’i World Congress in New York City in November 1992 will bea specially-created World Congress Choir, consisting of singers from all parts of the world. Baha’is who plan to attend the World Congress are invited to audition for the choir. Singers from any part of the world can try out by mail provided they are able to record their voices on cassette tape. Information about how to do this is available from the World Congress Program Committee. In addition to the main choir, singers are needed for special choirs in various parts of the world including Africa, South America, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Iran, India, Europe and the Far East. The World Congress is not able to pay for transportation or housing of singers. Baha'is who feel they may be capable of taking part in this project are warmly encouraged to send for an application form and audition procedures. Write to: Baha’ World Congress Choir

ition, P.O. Box 789, Wilmette, IL 60091

THE UNIVERSAL House of Justice has given the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly the task of publishing Baha'i sacred writings and other Baha’i literature in the Ukrainian and Kazakh languages. Individuals with skills in these languages are needed to serve as translators. If you are interested in helping with this important work, or if you know of someone who might be, please contact Melanie Smith, Ukrainian and Kazakh Desk, Baha’i Publishing Trust,

East Lansing, MI 48823 (phone 517-337-2858).

DISTRIBUTORS: individuals, groups or Assemblies are sought to serve as distributors of the “Mankind Is One” sweatshirts and T-shirts. Distributors will receive consignment discounts. Write to“Reflections,” Louhelen Baha’i School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

OP DSU AY Ory

HELP US reach our National Fund goals and receive in return a 42-minute cassette tape of lovely meditative pianomusic (Chopin, Debussy, Brahms, Bach, Pachelbel, Ravel and others) performed by Nancy Harper. The tape is designed to be used during Feast and Holy Day ‘observances or for ‘own peaceful meditations. “Meditations” is available for $10 plus shipping and handling from the Spiritual Assembly of Santa Fe, P.O. Box 1767, Santa Fe, NM 87504. All proceeds go to the National Baha’i Fund.

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Baha’i Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Florence Holsinger, Lulu Perle Holstein, Glenn C. Hood (died Beverly, MA, 1960), Chandon Hopkins, Olive Hopper, Hiram H. Hoskin, Charles C. Howard (died Canon City, CO, 1971), P. Windsor Howard (died Los Angeles, 1944) and Marion Hoylen. Anyone knowing famiiy members or relatives who might have these letters from the Guardian is asked to contact the National Baha’i Archives, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 or phone 708-869-9039.

THE NATIONAL Baha’i Archives is seeking photographs of local Spiritual Assemblies, local communities and local activities in South Carolina, especially early pictures. Anyone having photographs they could donate is asked to send them to the National Baha'i Archives, Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please identify the photographs if possible.

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bx 1 Following the briefing, Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, the National Spiritual Assembly secretary for External Affairs, and members of the National Assembly’s staff in Washington, D.C., visited House Speaker Thomas S. Foley who issued a strong statement on behalf of the Baha’is in Iran.

Sens. Dodd, Gore, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas and John McCain of Arizona, the leading co-sponsors of the resolution, were joined by 10 other senators from both parties.

In the House, Reps. Gilman and Wayne Owens of Utah, both members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Reps. Porter and Tom Lantos of California, co-chairmen of the House Human Rights Caucus, were joined in co-sponsoring the resolution by nine other Congressmen from both parties.

Sens. Dodd and Gore paid tribute to the late Sen. John Heinz of Pennsylvania who initiated the first Senate resolution on the Bahda‘is in Iran in 1982.

“This year,” said Sen. Gore, “the good news is that the wholesale persecution of Bahd‘is in Iran has stopped, and something approaching normalcy now exists.

“The bad news is that, for the Baha’is, ‘normalcy’ means life in Iran without citizenship.

“The Baha’is do not have the most basic legal rights within the Iranian system. Their marriages are not recognized by the state. Their livelihoods are not sanctioned by the state. They may not even own land in which to bury their dead.”

The emancipation of the Baha’is in Iran, said Sen. Gore, “would provide clear and unmistakable proof that the Iranian people are committed to uphold compassion and justice in their domestic affairs, and to place great value on sustaining their good name among other nations.

“We are offering this resolution in a

constructive spirit, hoping that the leadership of Iran will find in it not just criticism but encouragement to make further improvements.”

“This is the Congress at its finest moment in many ways,” said Sen. Dodd. “...Congress shines when we stand up for people who are being denied their basic rights.”

His colleagues in Congress, he said, “are mindful of what is happening to the Baha'is; their concerns have not gone unnoticed. We are fully aware of how they are being treated, and while we welcome the positive news that they are not being subjected to execution as they were only a short time ago, we are aware that they are being denied their basic rights to practice a religion which seeks no advantage over anyone else in their country. They want only the freedom to worship God in their own way.

“Weare going to insist in the months and years ahead that as tensions may ease between our two countries, any stabilization...will have to include—must include—a fair and better treatment of the Baha’

Sen. Kassebaum also inserted remarks about the resolution in the Congressional Record insupport of the basic human rights of the Bahd‘is in Iran.

Rep. Porter took the occasion to announce an historic initiative by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus to establish a network of parliamentarians around the world to encourage their governments toadopt resolutions that would impact upon the government of Iran in a coordinated effort to effect positive changes.

“We believe this will help us,” he said, “in organizing our network because this is a new effort by the Caucus to work with parliamentarians in other countries. It will help us bring people together ina common. cause and work together toward improving the situation in Iran.”

Reflecting the sentiment of his remarks of March 19 in the Congressional Record,

ABS reprints ‘Divine Institution of Marriage’

The Association for Baha’i Studies has recently reprinted “The Divine Institution of Marriage.” This 153-page volume contains the following articles:

“The Poetry of Loving: Family Therapy and the Baha’i Faith,” by Michael Bruwer.

¢ “The Development and Dimensions of Love in Marriage,” by Hossain Danesh.

Fourth ‘I Have a Dream’ National Youth Assembly to be held in Philadelphia

The fourth annual “I Have a Dream” National Youth Assembly sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission will be held August 9-11 at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The theme for this year’s Assembly is “Peace Through the Empowerment of Youth.”

Through presentations, workshops and group discussions, young people will explore Dr. King’s definition of peace and how it affects their lives on a personal, family and community level. Participants will then devise plans of action to use this information at home within their community.

For costs, accommodations and other information about the Assembly, please write to Flossie Thurston, coordinator, MLK Jr. National Youth Assembly,

- Washington, DC 20410, or phone 202-708-1005.

• “Marriage: The Eternal Principle,” by

Ruth and Helgi Eyford.

• “Human Responses to Life Stress and

Suffering,” by ‘Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian.

¢ “Marriage and the Nuclear Family: A Baha'i Perspective,” by Khalil Khavari.

• “Marriage Breakdown in North

America: A Psychosocial Perspective,” by Kerry Mothersill.

• “Applications of Positive Psychotherapy for Marriage and Family Therapy,“

by Nossrat Peseschkian.

¢ “Parental Authority: Its Uses, Misuses and Implications,” by Sandra Roberts.

• “Counseling Members of the Baha'i

Faith Involved in Domestic Violence: Some Special Considerations,” by Janet Cullen Tanaka.

The work sells for $6a copy, and Assemblies will receive a 30 percent institutional discount on all orders.

For information, write to the Association for Baha'i Studies, 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7K4, Canada, or phone 613-233-1903.

Florence Gibson, 82; was 1st administrator of Baha'i Home Florence Gibson, who served as the first administrator of the Baha'i Home in Wilmette, Illinois, died April 9 in Falls Church, Virginia. She was 82 years old. Mrs. Gibson was for many years chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Wilmette.

The American Baha'i / June 1991 / Page 19 RR RSS SESS SESS a SS

Rep. Porter said that “while the executions have stopped, the Baha'i community in Iran remains fundamentally and officially repressed.

“They are a peaceable, law-abiding people who recognize civil authority. They are a people not demanding independence, or autonomy, and provide no threat whatsoever to the state of Iran. This is perhaps the most pure example in the world of religious intolerance, and it is one that the world, including the United States, ought to address as strongly as possible.”

“Religious liberty,” said Rep. Owen, “is the pillar of our Republic. It is a principle that has special meaning for my home state of Utah, many of whose Mormon forebears had driven across the continent to escape persecution. ...

“This resolution makes clear that Congress continues to be deeply concerned about Iran’s human rights practices, especially its denial of rights to members of the Baha’i community, Iran’s largest religious minority.”

“Itismy sincere hope,” said Rep. Gilman, “that this Congressional action will inspire the UN Human Rights Commission to press the Iranian government to abandon, once and forall, its persecution of these peaceful people.”

Dr. Kazemzadeh concluded the briefing with these remarks: “I feel that resolutions such as the one that is being introduced today have an impact even beyond the case of the Baha’is of Iran. ...

“Resolutions such as this one create an atmosphere, create a feeling within the international community that will eventually make it impossible to deprive any religious minority of its rights. ...Insistence on religious tolerance is relatively new and the Baha’i case, then, becomes an archetypal case.

“The treatment of Baha'is within society can thus be taken asa yardstick by which to measure human rights in that society. This is why the support given to the Baha'is by the U.S. Congress is so important. This is why the Baha'i community in this country, and I personally, am so grateful to the Congress for the actions it has taken and will continue to take.”

In a statement issued after his meeting with Dr. Kazemzadeh, Speaker Foley emphasized that “in addition to Iran's assistance in the release of American hostages

in Lebanon and an end to Iranian-supported terrorism, continued progress must be made in providing full human rights to the Baha'i community in Iran.”

The National Spiritual Assembly's office in Washington will continue to solicit co-sponsors for the resolution in both Houses of Congress before it is put toa vote sometime next year.

Teacher-training session for young people held at Native American Institute

In response to goals of the National Teaching plan, an intensive teacher-training session for youth and children was held April 27-28 at the Native American Baha’i Institute near Houck, Arizona.

Of the 22 youth who attended, at least five were not Baha’is and only two were over 16 years old.

NABI staff members were pleased and surprised to see how many of the children memorized passages to recite in front of the group. The program included praying, deepening and memorizing in order to empower the participants to express their love for Baha’u’Ilah by teaching the Faith.

On Saturday, a non-Baha’i youth suggested role-playing a teaching experience. He volunteered to be the person interested in learning about the Faith. A Baha'i youth volunteered to be the teacher and the group shared ideas about how to respond to questions.

Several Baha’i youth shared their desire to learn more about the Faith so they would be better prepared to teach. The concept of teaching institutes was discussed.

As a result of the training, two teaching institutes were formed. Both will study “The Significance of Baha’u'llah’s Revelation.” One institute has met at NABI every Friday afternoon since the training; the other was committed to meet in Chinle on Thursdays beginning May 2.

Other intensive teacher training sessions have taken place in Avondale, AZ; West Sacramento, CA; Lakewood, CO; Roxbury, CT; Evanston, IL; Warren, MA; Los Lumas, NM; Woodburn, OR, and Tacoma, WA. Several of the children and youth attending these sessions have formed teaching institutes and are actively teaching the Faith.

N MEMORIAM

Minnie Benjamin Sharon Ferguson Dovesville, SC Renton, WA Gladys Bradley Rachel Flowers Kansas City,KS Florence, SC Jessie Bridges Billy George Florence, SC Hartsville, SC Lawrence Brown _ Florence Gibson Oatland, SC Falls Church, VA Andrew Burnette Aubrey Gifford Patrick, SC W. Sacramento Co, CA Huskie Burnside Arthur Graham Houck, AZ Dovesville, SC Delmont Campbell Joe Graham Patrick, SC Hartsville, SC Bensaim Canteen Josephine Graham Georgetown, SC _ Hartsville, SC Arthur Capers Lillian Gregory Olanta, SC San Marcos, CA Claude B. Cole May Griggs Brooklyn, MI Lebanon, NH Clarence D. Cook —_Tevita Halaholo Farmington, NM San Mateo, CA Doris H. Cook

Bloomfield, NM

Lamont Henderson _ Alfred C. Pilz

Florence, SC ‘Cuba, MO Frank Hoffer Jessie Red Bear Jensen Beach, FL Allen, SD Wanden Kane George Schultheis Fountain, CO Beacon, NY Elmer Kenneally Ricardo Shamwell Clinton, SC Crossville, TN George Kennedy John Stackpole Kingstree, SC Nantucket, MA Ann Kenworth David Taylor Minneapolis, MN Olanta, SC

Sally Khodadadeh Kathryn Tedrow

Bloomfield Hills, MI Klamath Falls, OR

Kenneth Marshall Evelyn van de Mark Martin, SD Worcester, MA Eugene McLeod Marilyn Van Deusen Olanta, SC Berea, OH

Lillie Mai Moses John Vipont Dovesville, SC Schurz, NV

Nerssy Moshtagh Katherine Walker San Diego, CA Stamford, CT

�[Page 20]Page 20 / The American Baha'i / June 1991

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Pictured with parents (and clown) are most of the 24 children from eight communities February 26 in San Pablo, California. wie, took part in an Ayydm-i-Hé talent

show, sing-along and gift-giving party

H.I WOULD LIKE A COPY:

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receive my own copy. Ihuvelisted my name, bers as they should appear on the national | ILD. number and address above.

reconds, their LD. numbers, and the correc 4 | ‘To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving your This form may be used for one person or your entire I MOVING? ‘copy of The American Bahd't, send your new family. Please be sure to list FULL NAMES AND ||| brecoesroum |) cesees nd eerenemotne ANCE Un esena aeaocnies ne |_| NEW ADDRESS. | Nit Center Wiehe IL 6091, soon a : |

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BAHA’ NATIONAL CENTER 112 Linden Avenue ‘Wiimette, [L 60001

receives only one copy ‘of The American Bahá't, 1 wish to

JUNE.

28-July 3: Eighth annual Teacher Training Conference, Louhelen Baha'i School. With Dan and Linda Popov, the Grammers, Louhelen’s Teacher Training Committee, others. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

29-July 4: Bosch Baha'i School summer session: “China Is the Country of the Future,” “The Divine Polity: Uniting East and West,” “Chinese Philosophy and the Baha'i Life.” For information, phone 408-423-3387.

29-July 11: 1991 Summer Youth Academy, Bosch Baha’i School. Other sessions to be held July 13-25, August 3-15, and August 17-29. To inspire Baha’i youth through a disciplined academic approach to deepen in the fundamentals of the Faith. Local Spiritual Assemblies are encouraged to sponsor youth to attend. Previous Youth Academy graduates may apply and be considered for an advanced program. Asattendance is limited to 20 students per Academy, early application is advised. Please write to the Academy registrar, Mrs.

Angelina Alien, Cardiff, CA 92007, or phone 619-944-6441. 30: Artists for the Arc, 7:30 p.m., Los Angeles Baha‘ Center auditorium. For information, phone Mina Sabet, 714-974-5426.

JULY

3-7: Sixth Continental Indigenous Council, Maxwell International Baha'i School, Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada. Theme: “Transformation and the Family.” For information, contact Christine Lucas, Maxwell International Baha’{ School, Bag 1000, Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada VOR 2W0.

5-10: Pioneer Institute, “Lifetime of Service,” with emphasis on the family, Louhelen Baha'i School. Co-sponsored by the Office of Pioneering. For information, phone 313-6535033.

6-11: “The Environment: Fundamental Issues of a Sound Economy in a Just Society,” Bosch Baha’i School. Baha’i professionals, students or active volunteers in environmental fields are invited to take part in a panel for ACTION AGENDA. Also, “Sustainable Agriculture: A Nobel Science,” and “Equality of Men and Women: What Has That to Do with the Economy and the Environment?” To register, send a $35 deposit to: Registrar, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or order by charge card by phoning 408-423-3387. To take part in the panel, please submit a brief bio, Attention: Program Director.

7-August 3: Youth Academy (high school students and older), Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina. For information, phone 803-558-5093.

8-13: “Directions for Esperanto--Local and National,” 3rd Midwest Conference, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. For information, phone Sherry Wells, 313-543-5297, or Steve Brewer, 616-626-8202.

11-14: International Youth Conference, Guadalajara, Mexico. For information, contact the Youth Desk at the Baha’i National Center (phone 708-869-9039).

13-18: “Bringing Up Parents,” “Work as an Expression of Worship,” “Priceless Moments of Our Primary Mission,” Bosch Baha’ { School. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

18-21: Second annual Persian arts and culture conference, Louhelen Baha'i School. The conference is part of an effort to promote familiarity with the language and culture of Iran and to facilitate an appreciation for and understanding of Baha'i history and writings. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

20-25: “The Healing of Racism,” “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf: Content, Style and Metaphor,” “Women and Men/Mothers and Fathers,” Bosch Baha'i School. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

21-27: Elderhostel, sponsored by Louhelen and the University of Michigan-Flint, Louhelen Baha’i School. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

AUGUST

2-7: Family Week 1, Louhelen Baha’i School, with Auxiliary Board members Sam McClellan and Morris Taylor. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

2-12: Zikrullah Khadem Teaching Project, Menominee Indian Reservation, Wisconsin (Keskena). For information, phone 414-386-2908.

3-8: “The Oneness and Wholeness of the Human Family,” “Story-Telling Workshop,” “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,” “The Holy Qur’én,” Bosch Baha'i School. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

4-17: Children’s Academy (upper elementary school students), Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina. For information, phone 803-558-5093.

8-14: Connecticut Baha'i Youth Conference: “Teaching, a Tool: Preparation for the World Congress.” Forinformation, phone Frank Robinson (203-747-2918) or Shar Gardella (203354-6079).

9-14: Junior Youth Week, Louhelen Baha’i School.

10-15: “The World Order of Baha‘u'll4h,” “Community Building,” Bosch Baha’i School. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

15-18: 16th annual Conference, Association for Baha'i Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Theme: “Bahd‘u'llah: His Life and Writings.” For information, phone ABS, 613-233-1903 (fax 613-233-3644).

16-21: Family Week 2, Louhelen Baha’i School, with focus on the arts and education. For information, phone 313-653-5033.

30-September 1: Pioneer Institute, Louis Gregory Baha’i Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina. For information, phone 803-558-5093.

30-September 2: National Conference on Growth, Hyatt Lincolnwood Hotel, Lincolnwood, Illinois. Sponsored by the National Teaching Committee. Conference and hotel registration forms are on page xx. Registration deadline is August 21. Please note: there is no meal plan this year, and conference participants are responsible for finding their own roommates. For those who plan to fly to Chicago for the conference, special rates on Delta and American Airlines are available from Corporate Travel Consultants, Group Services Division, 800323-0088. For more information about the conference, please phone the National Teaching, Committee office, 708-869-9039.

SEPTEMBER

12-15: “Rest, Relax, Reunite” at the annual commemoration of “Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. For information, phone 303-945-6303 or 303-625-3932.

13-15: 32nd annual Green Lake Baha'i Conference, American Baptist Assembly, Green Lake, Wisconsin. Theme: “With humility before our Soverign Lord...” A weekend aimed toward personal transformation as well as fellowship and fun. Dorms, campsites, cabins, private rooms; cafeteria-style meals. For reservations, phone 800-558-8898.

20-22: Peace Fest 91, Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina, For information, phone 803-558-5093.

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