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[Page 1]

THE SIX YEAR PLAN

‘THE REAL TREASURY OF MAN IS HIS KNOWLEDGE.’—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

MULK B.E. 148 / FEBRUARY 7, 1992

The first of a series on the goals and accomplishments

This article is the first of a four-part review of the U.S. Bahá’í community's achievements since the beginning of the Six Year Plan. The series will chronicle the outstanding events and important developments in our community in light of the Plan's major objectives. It will be followed by a statement from the National Spiritual Assembly on the meaning of these accomplishments as we look ahead to the challenges of the future.

It is beyond the scope of this series to offer a detailed history; volumes could be written on the subject as it applies to the American community alone. A survey of the highlights, however, should offer sufficient indication of the ways in which we have evolved during the course of the last several years.

SETTING THE STAGE

"The Divine Springtime is fast advancing," the Universal House of Justice wrote in its Ridván 1986 message to the Bahá’ís of the world, "and all the atoms of the earth are responding to the vibrating influence of Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation. The evidences of this new life are clearly apparent in the progress of the Cause of God."

That progress, the House of Justice continued, had "accelerated notably during the Seven Year Plan." The Supreme Body listed many achievements witnessed during that time "throughout the Bahá’í world and at the heart of the Cause itself."

Among the most noteworthy victories were the completion and occupation of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice; the approval of detailed plans for the remaining edifices of the Arc; the expansion of the membership and responsibilities of the International Teaching Center and the Continental Boards of Counselors; the establishment at the World Center of the offices of Social and Economic Development and Public Information; the dedication of the Mother Temple of the Pacific and progress on the House of Worship in India; the formation of 23 new National Spiritual Assemblies; the opening of three new Bahá’í radio stations (including WLGI in Hemingway, South Carolina); and the vast increase in numbers of local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá’í Groups, publications, and social and economic development projects around the world.

The Plan had coincided at its opening, the House of Justice said, with a "recrudescence of savage persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran," which had generated "tremendous international attention." The steadfastness of the friends in Iran sparked the concern and interest of the world's media and the United Nations itself, accomplishing the long-anticipated emergence of the Faith from the obscurity which had "characterized and sheltered the first period of its life."

In response to this dramatic development, the House of Justice had addressed a "Statement on Peace to the Peoples of the World" ("The Promise of World Peace") and seen to its delivery to heads of state and other rulers.

The House of Justice added that another process paralleled the outstanding events of those seven years. This was a "remarkable growth in the maturity of the institutions of the Cause," fostered by the "ever closer cooperation of the twin arms of the Administrative Order."

With this new level of maturity in mind, the House of Justice announced the inception of the Six Year Plan, whose major objectives had been sent to all National Assemblies and the Continental Boards of Counselors earlier that year.

THE FOURTH EPOCH

An outstanding aspect of the Plan was that, for the first time in history, the specific goals for each country would be decided on and implemented by the National Spiritual Assemblies in consultation with the Continental Boards of Counselors.

This significant advance, coming on the 70th anniversary of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's charter for the spiritual conquest of the planet, signalized "the inauguration of a new stage in the unfoldment of the Administrative Order." The House of Justice announced that it marked the inception of the "fourth epoch" of the Formative Age of the Faith.

In the U.S., local Bahá’í communities were an integral part of the planning process. A series of town meetings was held across the country under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly and Board of Counselors to consult on the goals of the Plan and make recommendations for their implementation. Later the National Assembly sponsored 18 "Vision to Victory" conferences whose focus was on teaching, raising funds for the Arc and the development of local Spiritual Assemblies.

In its letter to the Bahá’ís of the world dated January 2, 1986, the House of Justice stated that "the organic growth of the Cause of God, indicated by recent significant developments in its life, becomes markedly apparent in light of the main objectives and expectations of the Six Year Plan." They are as follows:

• carrying the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of mankind;
• greater involvement of the Faith in the life of human society;
• a worldwide increase in the translation, production, distribution and use of Bahá’í literature;
• further acceleration in the process of the maturation of national and local Bahá’í communities;
• greater attention to universal participation and the spiritual enrichment of individual believers;
• a wider extension of Bahá’í education to children and youth and the strengthening of Bahá’í family life; and
• the pursuit of projects of social and economic development in well-established Bahá’í communities.

Under each major objective the House of Justice added specific recommendations for consideration by the national communities. But it was left for the National Assemblies to determine how they could best achieve the goals according to their particular circumstances.

The goals of the Plan were designed to stimulate significant growth in every sphere of Bahá’í activity. All are interrelated and profoundly affect one another. They should be understood not as separate entities, but as facets of a single, comprehensive strategy for advancement.

Our level of teaching activity, for example, influences the maturation of our institutions, and vice versa.

INSIDE

• Teaching Institutes: Young Bahá’ís in Michigan discover success with systematic approach
• Goals program: Local Assemblies' response has positive impact on National Fund
• Glenford Mitchell: Member of Universal House of Justice speaks about upcoming Holy Year

Media Task Force holds seven conferences to present plans for second Bahá’í World Congress in New York

Seven regional meetings designed to present the media plans for the second Bahá’í World Congress were held in November and December in Africa, Europe and Asia.

These meetings, organized by the World Congress Media Task Force, were attended by Counselors, members of National Spiritual Assemblies and their public information officers, Auxiliary Board members, and Bahá’í media professionals.

Agendas included information about the spiritual significance of the World Congress; the planning, preparation and logistics involved; and the themes of the four-day program.

Because the media work for the Congress will be greatly enhanced if a significant number of believers representing a wide diversity of cultures attends, the Media Task Force was pleased to find that the meetings sparked a greater interest on the part of many who had not planned to attend.

In Africa, meetings in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Nairobi, Kenya, drew some 50 participants from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Daniel Wegener of the Bahá’í International Community office in New York City represented the Media Task Force.

Two meetings in India drew representation from the State Bahá’í Councils. More than 40 Bahá’ís took part in the meeting in New Delhi, while 18 attended the meeting in Madras.

Representatives of six national Bahá’í communities gathered in Suva, Fiji, for a meeting conducted by Counselors Wilma Ellis and Tinai Hancock and Tacheste Ahderom of the Bahá’í International Community's office in New York City.

In Spain, 40 attended a meeting in Madrid, and a meeting in Langenhain, Germany, drew 28 representatives from a dozen countries. Shirley Lee, a member of the Media Task Force, conducted that meeting as well as those in Spain and India.

At each of the meetings, the global media plan was explained and discussed. The Media Task Force announced that basic materials will be provided to National Spiritual Assemblies to encourage a unified approach to the media and to avoid duplication of expense and effort.

A video tape, produced by the Media Task Force, helped introduce the media plan and Media Task Force members and helped set the tone for consultation. Each National Spiritual Assembly received a copy of the tape to be used, if needed, at other meetings.

Other meetings were scheduled this winter in Hong Kong, Panama, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Canada.

Tod Ewing elected to membership on the National Spiritual Assembly

The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to announce the election to its membership of Tod Ewing who was named in a by-election in December to replace Kevin Locke. Mr. Locke resigned from the National Assembly to accept appointment as an Auxiliary Board member. [Page 2]

Bahá’ís in Iowa respond to incidents of racial intimidation

A recent surge of racial incidents in several Iowa cities involving violence and acts of intimidation has captured the attention of the national media and brought an energetic response from Bahá’í communities across the state.

Determined to uphold publicly the principle of the oneness of mankind and to lend their weight to the progressive forces working to counter this rash of bigotry, the Bahá’ís in that area have actively distributed copies of "The Vision of Race Unity" to community leaders and have taken part in forums and meetings held to address the problem.

ECONOMIC DEPRESSION

Iowa's minority population is small. The tensions of the last few months have been attributed by experts to a long period of economic depression plaguing the state, with the cities particularly affected. As often happens in such situations, minority groups have been used as scapegoats by some who accuse them of stealing jobs from whites. African-Americans, the largest minority in the state, have been the group most zealously attacked.

In such cities as Dubuque, Waterloo, Hoover City and Warren, racism has manifested itself in the form of cross burnings, verbal abuse and violence in the schools. Other incidents of various kinds have taken place throughout the state.

The Bahá’ís have taken many courses of action over the past few months. Representatives of the Waterloo and Cedar Falls communities attended several meetings of the Black Hawk Area Religious Coalition, where they distributed copies of "The Vision of Race Unity" to local ministers, black and white. The Bahá’ís of Waterloo later joined the Coalition.

The Bahá’ís in Cedar Falls participated in a parade of unity on November 24, organized by the Coalition. One of the friends was interviewed by the Waterloo Courier, and her remarks were printed in the subsequent article on the parade. The friends in Cedar Falls also submitted a public service announcement on racism to a black-oriented radio station in Waterloo. The management of the station promised air time for the announcement.

At least 10 Bahá’í communities have distributed copies of "The Vision of Race Unity" to school boards, principals and superintendents of schools; many have presented copies to clergy, city councils and mayors. Several newspapers have printed letters to the editor and similar items from Bahá’ís.

POSITIVE RESPONSE

Public officials have usually been quite positive about the statement on race unity, desperate as they are for solutions to the problem. When the Bahá’í public information representative for Mason City approached the mayor about an official presentation of the statement, the mayor eagerly took the Bahá’í’s personal copy from his hands.

In December, nearly 40 believers met in Des Moines with Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary-general of the National Spiritual Assembly, and with members of the National Race Unity Committee and representatives of the National Teaching Committee. The meeting was held to discuss what the friends in Iowa had done to create racial harmony in the state and to plan future actions.

Several concrete suggestions were offered, based on the emphasis placed by Dr. Henderson and the members of the Race Unity committee on performing deeds that correspond to our words. Among them were to reach out to people who have been hurt by racial incidents and help to heal their wounds; to conduct surveys of models of racial unity in various communities and support their work; to promote education on race unity in the school systems; and to devise ways of bringing black and white people together in constructive ways.

Some Bahá’í communities have stepped up their teaching activities to keep pace with proclamation and public information efforts. The community of Ames invited the National Teaching Committee to conduct a teacher training institute. The youth and children in several areas have become highly energized, and are eagerly sharing the Faith with their peers.

In addition, Bahá’í communities in Iowa are planning presentations of "The Vision of Race Unity" to their U.S. Congressmen and Senators under the direction of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Bahá’ís in Eliot, Maine, join Historical Society in project to restore local cemeteries

The Bahá’í community of Eliot, Maine, has joined members of the local Historical Society in an ongoing cemetery restoration project that began last September.

The program was initiated when the Bahá’ís, wanting to be of service to the town, wrote to the board of selectmen asking if there were a project for which there was no budget.

Responding with a multi-page listing of cemeteries in Eliot, the selectmen asked the Bahá’ís to see what they could do to help clean and restore some of the oldest graveyards in the area. The Bahá’ís chose six "derelict" cemeteries from the 150 sites listed.

"Derelict" cemeteries are those devoid of the most elementary care. Although historically valuable, they have fallen into disrepair over the course of many years. The Eliot Bahá’ís saw the cleanup project as a way of paying respect to the contributions made by the town's early residents.

Before beginning the work, a Bahá’í task force consulted with several experts on cemetery and gravestone preservation. Much to everyone's excitement, as the Bahá’ís picked up branches and raked away leaves that had accumulated for years on the lots, they uncovered five additional inscribed stones not previously known to have been there.

Once the cemeteries have had their initial cleanup, the Bahá’ís propose to maintain them. Future plans include expanding the number of graveyards they will tend on behalf of the town.

Concreting begun on 'collar wall' on Mount Carmel

Concreting has begun on the 'collar wall' behind the site of the Center for the Study of the Texts, flanking the Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel. Apart from its structural use, construction of this retaining wall provides additional safety for the workers who are continuing their excavation deeper into the heart of Mount Carmel.

Bahá’í Studies unit of American Academy of Religion holds eighth annual meeting in Kansas City, Missouri

The Bahá’í Studies program unit of the American Academy of Religion held its eighth annual meeting November 25 in Kansas City, Missouri.

This year's theme was the role of women in the Bahá’í Faith. Four papers were presented, followed by a panel discussion.

Paula Drewek's "Divine Spirit and Form in Bahá’í Scriptures: Where Does Gender Fit In?" examined feminine images for the divine in the Bahá’í writings, focusing specifically on the Mother Word, The Maid of Heaven, and the Queen of Carmel.

Robert Stockman presented "Sisters in the Spirit: American and Iranian Bahá’í Women," about the progressive expansion of the role of women in the Iranian Bahá’í community and the roles of western culture in general, and American Bahá’í women in particular, in fostering that development.

Diane Taherzadeh offered a valuable and insightful biography of Bahiyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, and briefly discussed her significance to the Bahá’í community.

Susan Stiles Maneck presented a paper on "American Women and the Bahá’í Administrative Order" which looked at the statements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the American Bahá’í community about the role of women in the Bahá’í administrative order, and the ways that role consequently changed.

Finally, Paul Numrich, a doctoral candidate in Buddhist Studies at Northwestern University, served as a respondent and discussed all four papers in the context of the Bahá’í understanding of the role of women.

Although the audience for the panel was small, the stimulating papers and lively discussion more than made up for the small number present.

Listing of local Assemblies in danger of losing status because of low membership

Below are local Spiritual Assemblies who, because their community membership has fallen below the nine adult believers necessary to form an Assembly, are in danger of losing their Assembly at Ridván. Bahá’ís in surrounding communities are asked to help with teaching efforts in these areas, traveling teachers are encouraged to arrange itineraries that include these Bahá’í communities, and prospective homefront pioneers are urged to consider them as pioneering posts.

Spiritual Assemblies in danger of being lost that have not yet reported their jeopardized status should contact the National Teaching Committee office.

ALABAMA

• Florence

ARKANSAS

• Fayetteville

CALIFORNIA

• Ojai
• Palm Desert
• Sierra Madre

CONNECTICUT

• Danbury
• Ellington
• Ledyard
• New Britain
• Ridgefield
• Southington
• South Windsor
• Torrington

DELAWARE

• Wilmington

FLORIDA

• Davie
• Altomante Springs

ILLINOIS

• Batavia
• Bolingbrook
• Glen Ellyn

MICHIGAN

• Northfield Twp.
• Troy
• White River Twp.

MISSOURI

• Washington County
• Rolla

NORTH DAKOTA

• Grand Forks

OHIO

• Beavercreek
• Xenia

OKLAHOMA

• Midwest City
• Ponca City
• The Village

OREGON

• Benton County

VIRGINIA

• Hampton
• Suffolk

WASHINGTON

• Snohomish Co., SW
• Woodinville

WEST VIRGINIA

• Monongalia Co.

The American Bahá’í is published 19 times a year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201. Application to mail at second class postage rates pending at Evanston, IL, and additional mailing offices. Executive editor: Jack Bowers. Associate Editor: Ken Bowers. Art director: Scot Corrie. The American Bahá’í welcomes news, letters and other items of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Bahá’í Faith. Articles should be clear and concise; color or black-and-white glossy photographs should be included whenever possible. Please address all materials and correspondence to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, IL 60091. Postmaster: Send address changes to Management Information Systems, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201. Copyright © 1992 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. [Page 3]

Bahá’ís in Michigan hit stride with systematic aproach

BY KEN BOWERS

After several years of dedicated activity two small Bahá’í communities are seeing results that mark a thrilling step forward for the Faith in Michigan. Their experiences provide important lessons about the ways in which teaching teams can be most effective.

For the past four years young Bahá’ís have gathered regularly at the Dickson Lodge in Ludington for deepening and fellowship. Last summer they were energized by two teacher training weekends including one at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

FULL-TIME TEACHING

As a result, the youth began to commit ends and holidays by other youth and adult teachers. These "satellite teams" are made up of Bahá’ís from across the state, and frequently include new believers who are learning to share the Faith with others. Regular firesides are now held in Twin Lake, attended by large groups of youth and adults; one recent fireside attracted nearly 70 people. There is growing interest in the Faith on the part of the residents, and the message is well received in virtually every case.

Carole Dickson, an adult member of the full-time teaching team, expressed the excitement of the friends at the victories being won:

"From the very beginning we were enthusiastic about sharing the teachings with the people in Twin Lake. What we have found is that passion has met passion, for there are many souls who had been praying just as hard for us to come as we were to find them! The spiritual opportunities here are astounding."

The Bahá’ís of nearby White River Township had been building friendships with the residents of Twin Lake, a low-income housing project, for three years. The Assembly had already decided that it was time to further these relationships with increased Bahá’í teaching.

The youth teaching team, which included several of the Louhelen residential students, began its activities in Twin Lake at the local park. After a few visits, 11 youth and pre-youth declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. These new believers began to attend Feast in White River Township.

When school began in late August, a few college age youth formed a full-time teaching team and continued the work. Since then they have been joined on weekends and holidays by other youth and adult teachers.

MATURE APPROACH

Beyond the desire to teach, however, has been a systematic and mature approach that has proven to be the basis for everything that has been achieved.

First, a long period of time was taken to lay the groundwork for teaching, by building friendships with area residents based on trust and a sincere spirit of brotherhood. The teachers also took the time to deepen themselves in the Faith and to make the necessary spiritual preparations for going into the field.

Also, the teachers understood a fundamental truth about teaching teams—that no single model can be rigidly applied to every situation. Thus, although they were familiar with aspects of the teaching work in such places as Oregon, they were ready to adapt to the needs of their target group.

The most important way in which they made themselves adaptable was by accepting the guidance of the local Spiritual Assembly, the Auxiliary Board members, and even a few of the non-Bahá’í residents of Twin Lake. One woman in particular made helpful suggestions. She later opened her home for Bahá’í firesides and has become quite interested in the Faith.

Another successful aspect of their approach is one whose effectiveness has been shown time and again. The teachers have identified and are focusing on a target population, in this case the residents of a certain neighborhood. Concentrating their efforts on one group conserves energy and allows for more careful planning, more consistent teaching, and a higher quality of deepening for the new believers.

"At one point a question was raised about teaching in areas besides Twin Lake," said Mrs. Dickson. "After all, the energy of the young teachers was so great that it seemed a shame not to spread it around some. As the teaching progressed, however, we realized that the people of Twin Lake have friends and relatives all over the state. There is bound to be a ripple effect of some sort; by teaching them we're teaching Michigan!"

There has also been a positive effect of another kind. Many of the visiting teachers, exhilarated by their experiences in Twin Lake, have initiated new teaching efforts in their home towns. Communities all over the state are already benefiting from the Twin Lake project with new teaching institutes of their own.

Joe Magaditsch, a Bahá’í from Norco, California, fingerprints young David Cuadra during a Bahá’í-sponsored Universal Children's Day Safety Program for residents of Norco and nearby communities at Riverside Community College. Children also learned fire safety and other precautions from fire department and sheriff's department personnel, Smokey the Bear and Deputy McGruff, and were given free Sparky and McGruff comic books and coloring books.

LONG-RANGE PLANS

Finally, the Bahá’ís involved have committed themselves to years of teaching and development in Twin Lake. Long-range plans are being made that will provide for the steady growth of the community over the next decade.

"This attitude is not a new one," said Mrs. Dickson. "Both ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Guardian stressed that teaching is a long-term commitment. Now, at last, there are communities in America that are planning for the duration in a mature way. Where we used to talk about dating, we are now talking about marriage."

Mrs. Dickson added that a willingness to teach must be accompanied by a readiness to sacrifice one's accustomed lifestyle:

"Teaching, even on the homefront, is a pioneering experience. Your life becomes rearranged, and all that is familiar is left behind. We must be ready to leave our comfort zones’ if we want to succeed.

"The members of this institute are learning more and more about the importance of sacrifice and the determination to succeed. Once we called off a fireside because a few of the friends had chest colds. The next day we received several phone calls from seekers who were upset that we had not lived up to our promised schedule. They were truly disappointed.

"We realized at that time that the people really need the Faith, they need to feel Bahá’u’lláh’s love for them. And after all, no one calls off a church service because someone is sick.

"We sometimes forget that we Bahá’ís need to feel Bahá’u’lláh’s love for us as much as anyone else does. Without that we don't have spiritual life; we have nothing. But the only way to feel His love is when we love mankind. And the supreme act of love, of course, is teaching.

"So we have, on the one hand, those souls who are poor in the things of this world, are burdened with the troubles of life and are praying desperately for a hopeful sign, like the people of Twin Lake; and on the other we have the Bahá’ís, materially well off for the most part, who are becoming involved in the act of loving others. When the two groups come together, there is spiritual enrichment for all."

International Chinese Teaching Committee marks 10th year with teaching conference in Macau

To the participants at the Chinese Teaching Conference in Macau:

Our thoughts are with you on this Day of the Covenant as you are gathered at China's threshold to deliberate on a subject which the Master so deeply cherished—that of the promulgation of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh amongst the Chinese people.

Untold changes and challenges await China and its people in the years to come. The tests and sufferings which also lie ahead can be ameliorated only through our Faith which is at once in harmony with science, is non-political in nature, and has as its highest aims the achievement of world peace and the unity of mankind. This Sacred Cause is the light that will illuminate the Chinese nation and the means by which it can fulfill its glorious destiny predicted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

We assure you of our ardent prayers at the Sacred Threshold that your gathering will result in unprecedented victories for the Blessed Beauty amongst the Chinese communities worldwide.

Universal House of Justice 25 November 1991

The 10th anniversary of the International Chinese Teaching Committee, and the steady increase in Chinese believers worldwide, were celebrated November 26-30 at an International Teaching Conference in Macau. The National Spiritual Assembly of Macau hosted the event, where participants from 19 countries were identified from almost every part of the world.

Macau has been a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years, but will return to Chinese sovereignty in 1999, two years after the similar return of Hong Kong, its neighboring British territory.

Counselors Shanta Sundram and Bijan Farid, Mrs. Iran Mohajer, Mr. Sean Hinton, Mr. Fariburz Sahba, Mr. T.K. Lee and members of the International Chinese Teaching Committee were featured speakers. In addition, presentations on the progress in reaching the Chinese in many countries were followed by workshops in Mandarin and English planned to cover systematic expansion and consolidation, developing a discourse on Chinese teaching, and presenting the statement on Bahá’u’lláh.

A translation of the statement was received from the World Center just before the conference, and is soon to be published.

Mr. Sahba, the architect of the House of Worship in India, spoke of his lecture tour in China in which the architecture and meaning of the House of Worship were presented, and Mr. Hinton, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for Mongolia, spoke of the mysterious forces that led him to research indigenous music in that land, and to fulfill the last remaining goal of the Ten Year Crusade.

Attending the Congress

The National Chinese Teaching Committee urges all communities with Chinese believers to ensure that they are aware of the importance of attending the World Congress. If cost is a barrier, perhaps your community could offer a scholarship. [Page 4]

Important tax information for Bahá’ís living overseas

To update IRS tax policies for the benefit of pioneers overseas, the Office of Pioneers would like to share the following information:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is developing programs and strategies to deal with hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens who are under the mistaken impression that one does not have to file a tax return while working overseas.

Through a series of tax acts beginning in 1981, Congress provided U.S. citizens working overseas with the right to exclude a qualified amount of their foreign earned income from taxation by the U.S. government. The "Foreign Earned Income Exclusion" is not automatic, and does not apply to everyone working abroad.

If you qualify for the exclusion, you still have to file a return with the IRS. Even if you owe no taxes, you must file a return that reports your income and claims your tax benefits.

The IRS has initiated collection and examination programs aimed at the overseas American. The tax law now requires that you include your social security number when applying for a passport. The IRS matches the social security numbers of Americans living abroad with a computer listing of returns filed to monitor taxpayer compliance with filing requirements.

The IRS can now request and receive income information related to American expatriates from the governments of approximately 35 countries.

If you would like a complete copy of the article on the IRS as found in the January 1992 issue of "International Employment Hotline," please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone 708-869-9039.

LETTER FROM SIBERIA

The people are 'thirsty' for religion, teaching work is moving forward, but more pioneers are needed

Dear Friends:

Life in Siberia has been truly exciting and extremely rewarding in terms of teaching. Here in Siberia, firesides are really a wonderful teaching method, as "teas" are an integral part of the social life of the people, so they seem totally natural.

People here are thirsty for religion, and eager to hear about the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. Ulan Ude formed its first Assembly in August 1990, and had its first Bahá’í wedding a week ago. We have also seen the formation of the first National Assembly of the USSR at Ridván and that was thrilling for all.

Now, of course, there are many new Assemblies in Siberia, and the consolidation work is tremendous. We have a great need for more pioneers, naturally, as Siberia has 25 million people and is only slightly larger than Canada.

Ulan Ude is one of the only cities in Siberia with pioneers, although recently the Weiss family moved to Khabarovsk in the Far Eastern Republic. At any rate, we cannot say enough about the bounties of pioneering here or anywhere to serve the Faith. Our love and prayers go out to all our brothers and sisters in the field!

Alláh’u’Abhá!

(signed) Brad & Leslie Cummings

Hospital Bayan in Honduras: A dream fulfilled for two caring Bahá’ís, Vern and Lea Iverson

The Office of Pioneering would like to share with you the story of a dream fulfilled, the dream of Vern and Lea Iverson now called Hospital Bayan.

Hospital Bayan, in Honduras, is a social and economic development project that was begun in 1986. Since its inception, with less than 20 people seeking its care, it has grown to a center that serves approximately 350 people per month and offers emergency care around the clock. The fees are minimal, making it possible for patients to afford medical care while maintaining their dignity and pride.

Vern Iverson is the stateside liaison for Hospital Bayan. He works closely with the Office of Pioneering encouraging traveling teachers, youth year of service volunteers, and short-term pioneers to assist the efforts of the hospital and gain first-hand experience in the development of the people there.

Some of the volunteers who have taken part are doctors, taking time between their internship and residency, nurses taking a break from their urban nursing duties, youth testing their decisions to enter the medical field, and many others. The spirit of the Bayan project is clearly evident when these people return to the States with a vastly different perception of the social and economic needs of the rural Honduran population.

In addition to the medical responsibilities of Hospital Bayan, the staff and volunteers have been successful in contributing to the growth of the Faith in that country. Much more help is needed. According to a report received from a recently returned traveling teacher, there is only one full-time doctor on staff. Equipment and manpower are always in demand and rarely available to the extent needed.

Traveling teachers, youth year of service people, and short-term pioneers are all needed to continue the dream that is Hospital Bayan. Speaking Spanish is a tremendous asset, but even if your Spanish is less than fluent, feel free to volunteer. For more information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

CURRENT U.S. PIONEERING GOALS

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

AFRICA

• (F) Burundi: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Ciskei: Goals Open 1, Assigned 0
• (E) The Gambia (Preferably Persians): Goals Open 10, Assigned 0
• (E) Kenya (Preferably Outside Nairobi): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Nigeria: Goals Open 3, Assigned 0
• (E) Sierra Leone: Goals Open 2, Assigned 2
• (E) South Africa: Goals Open 2, Assigned 2
• (E) St. Helena: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Namibia: Goals Open 4, Assigned 2
• (E) Transkei: Goals Open 2, Assigned 1
• (E) Uganda (One to teach the Faith in the university; one doctor): Goals Open 0, Assigned 2
• (E) Venda: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• Total for Africa: Goals Open 45, Assigned 9

AMERICAS

• (E) Bahamas (North Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island, Long Island): Goals Open 3, Assigned 0
• (E) Barbados (Employment opportunities for a dentist): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Belize (For radio, consolidation, development projects; skills for the National Secretariat): Goals Open 1, Assigned 1
• (P) Brazil (Preferably for Amazon project, possibly of Persian background): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (S) Chile (Juan Fernandez Islands, preferably a Spanish-speaking couple): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Dominica: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (F) French Guiana (Preferably Persian): Goals Open 3, Assigned 0
• (E) Grenada: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (F) Guadeloupe (Opportunities for English teachers): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Guyana (Preferably East Indians and Blacks): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (S) Honduras (Bay Islands, Yoro, Colon; preferably self-supporting): Goals Open 2, Assigned 1
• (E) Jamaica (Preferably self-supporting for rural areas to work in village development): Goals Open 4, Assigned 0
• (F) Martinique (French-speaking youth to enroll in university or with musical talent): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (S) Nicaragua (Preferably Persian): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) St. Lucia (Skills in community consolidation): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) St. Vincent & Grenadines: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (D) Suriname (Preferably Persian): Goals Open 1, Assigned 0
• (E) Trinidad & Tobago (Preferably Persian): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (S) Uruguay: Goals Open 1, Assigned 0
• (S) Venezuela: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• (E) Virgin Islands, British: Goals Open 1, Assigned 0
• Total for Americas: Goals Open 46, Assigned 2

ASIA

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

AUSTRALASIA

• (E) Marshall Islands (To help with administration): Goals Open 2, Assigned 0
• Total for Australasia: Goals Open 2, Assigned 0

EUROPE

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

TOTALS

• Total goals assigned: 77
• Pioneers to goal countries: 241
• Total goals filled: 66
• Pioneers to non-goals: 416

ONGOING TRAVELING TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Barbados; Bophuthatswana; Brazil; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada, Native and Chinese Teaching, and Yukon Bahá’í Institute; Chad; Ciskei; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Eastern Caroline Islands; East Leeward Islands; Fiji; French Polynesia; Grenada; Guyana; Haiti; Hong Kong; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Malaysia; Martinique; Mauritius; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Pakistan; Panama; Republic of Benin; Singapore; South Africa; Taiwan; Tonga; Uganda; United Kingdom; Venezuela; West Leeward Islands; Yucatan; Yugoslavia. For more information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

CURRENT LONG TERM U.S. PIONEERING GOALS REMAINING TO BE FILLED

AFRICA: St. Helena, Venda.

AMERICAS: Juan Fernandez Islands of Chile, French Guiana, Bay Islands of Honduras, St. Lucia. [Page 5]

Assembly goals program spurs growth of Fund

In its goals for the Six Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice asked for a "further acceleration in the process of the maturation of local and national Bahá’í communities." The House of Justice suggested that all National Assemblies adopt programs to consolidate local Spiritual Assemblies so that believers would be encouraged to take full part in the many aspects of Bahá’í community life. Among the points specifically mentioned by the House of Justice was support of the fund.

With this goal in mind the National Spiritual Assembly has taken a number of initiatives designed to stimulate the friends' understanding of and support for the various Funds of the Faith. One of them is program for local Spiritual Assemblies, which has proven to be a major factor in the growth of the National Fund in the last two years.

In 1990 the National Assembly developed a plan in which local communities would be asked to set fund goals for themselves based on amounts suggested by the National Assembly. The Universal House of Justice reviewed the plan and commended the National Assembly for its initiative.

ETHIOPIA HAD SIMILAR PLAN

In doing so, the House of Justice pointed out to our National Assembly that Ethiopia already had a similar system in place. That program, in effect for nearly 20 years, had been successful enough to render the Ethiopian community financially self-sufficient—a distinction unique among Third World countries.

The House of Justice gave its approval and the National Assembly's plan, known as the Local Assembly Goals Program, was launched in October 1990.

The American strategy calls for close cooperation between the national and local institutions. The National Assembly, considering such factors as community size and past record of contributions, makes a specific recommendation to each local Assembly as its goal for contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund for the year. The recommendation reflects the level of sacrifice that the National Assembly feels is within that community's power to achieve. The local Assembly is then asked to consult on the proposed goal and either accept it as it is or amend it as it sees fit.

The importance of the suggested goal lies not so much in the specific amount as in the level of sacrifice called for. Each community is asked to unite to give what it can in support of this crucial aspect of the Faith. And although it does not replace individual initiative, a specific goal helps give a clear indication to all the friends of their own community's progress. Moreover, the voluntary and secret nature of the individual believer's contribution is not compromised.

About 1,000 local Spiritual Assemblies were asked to take part in the Goals Program in its first year; this year the number has been increased to 1,300. Of these about 300 have responded, most of them for the second time.

Contribution Comparison - Totals at November 30 (000's)	Nov '89	Nov '90	Nov '91(est.)	Pct Change '89 to '91	Pct Change '90 to '91
National Bahá’í Fund	$4,188	$5,001	$5,316	27%	6%
Bahá’í International Fund	$304	$312	$557	83%	79%
Arc Projects Fund	$590	$2,193	$459	-22%	-79%
Continental Bahá’í Fund	$178	$160	$108	-39%	-33%
Estate Bequests	$0	$388	$452	N/A	16%
Total Contributions	$5,260	$8,054	$6,892	31%	-14%

The results for the National Fund have been extraordinary. There can be no doubt that the Goals Program is largely responsible for the significant growth in total contributions that took place in 1990. And although we are presently running behind last year's levels, a notable portion of the funds that are coming in is from participating local Spiritual Assemblies.

Most of the Assemblies taking part have kept their contributions the same as last year's; a few have increased their goal, and some have had to lower it because of changes in membership or economic difficulty. A great many of them have commented on the advantages of this means for setting a target level of giving.

First is the joy and honor of giving to the Bahá’í Fund. The spiritual benefits of this are tremendous; Assemblies across the country have reported greater levels of unity among the friends, increased teaching activity, higher quality of Feasts, and more universal participation in all facets of community life. They have attributed the new spirit in their localities in large part to their concentrated and collective efforts in support of the Fund.

The Goals Program has also fostered a greater sense of connection and cooperation between the local and national institutions, an achievement which in itself goes far toward accelerating that "process of maturation" called for by the House of Justice.

FOUNDATION REINFORCED

An added advantage of this approach is that the National Spiritual Assembly is better able to anticipate what the material resources of the American community will be as it makes its plans for the coming years. It can also be of greater help to the House of Justice by giving the World Center a reliable basis for our contribution to the International Fund. Thus, this process reinforces the foundation of the administrative order by binding the local Assemblies ever more closely to the national body.

But the most important result will be the increase, as the program becomes more solidly and widely established in the community, in our ability to meet the both the practical necessities of the Faith—needs that are steadily expanding as the Cause moves forward and its influence in the world grows—and its spiritual requirements, as our unified response becomes a symptom and a cause of greater strength.

'Raising Divine Call' theme of conference in Breen, Colorado

On November 10, Bahá’ís from the Four Corners area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah gathered in Breen, Colorado, for a conference on "Raising the Divine Call."

The conference was conceived by the local Assemblies of the Southern Ute Reservation, La Plata County and Durango as a grassroots effort to stimulate intercommunity teaching.

The response was inspiring with more than 50 adults, youth and children taking an active part in the event. The spirit of unity was strong, consultation was frank and open, and topics considered included traveling teaching, teaching on Indian Reservations, teaching institutes, youth projects, use of the media, and the role of Assemblies in area-wide projects.

The conference was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Durango, co-chaired by two members of the Spiritual Assembly of La Plata County, and held on the Southern Ute Reservation. The Bahá’ís of Cortez, Colorado, contributed a lovely book display.

Among the fruits of the conference were (1) plans to help the Southern Ute Reservation establish a permanent Bahá’í teaching institute; (2) plans for a proclamation/award event to honor a local public radio station; and (3) a project to develop a Bahá’í float to be used in parades in the area.

Friends should not invite reporters, other non-Bahá’ís to Feast

The Office of Public Information would like to remind local Spiritual Assemblies and individual believers that they should not invite reporters or other non-Bahá’ís to the Nineteen Day Feast. Publicity which might be generated by a journalist attending the Feast is not justification to compromise the cardinal principle of the institution of Feast. When a non-Bahá’í attends the meeting, it is no longer the Nineteen Day Feast.

If a journalist requests permission to attend the Feast, the local Spiritual Assembly should explain the nature of the Feast and that it is restricted to Bahá’ís only. The Assembly should arrange a special meeting to which the journalist could be invited.

A letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in May 1954 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria states the following:

"The Guardian wishes me to direct your attention to the fact that none of the institutions of the Faith nor its cardinal principles may be changed under any circumstances.

"The 19 Day Feast is an institution of the Cause, first established by the Báb, later confirmed by Bahá’u’lláh, and now made a prominent part of the administrative order of the Faith. These 19 Day Feasts are for the Bahá’ís, and the Bahá’ís exclusively, and no variation from this principle is permitted.

"Thus the Guardian feels you should rescind the action taken by your Assembly in opening the Feasts to 'near Bahá’ís,' as it is not consistent with the spirit of the administrative order for non-Bahá’ís or near Bahá’ís to attend the 19 Day Feasts, particularly the administrative portion of the Feast.

"The Guardian realizes the spirit which animated you in making the suggested proposal, in order that the teaching work might go forward more aggressively; but he feels in the long run it would be detrimental to the Faith, and therefore should be rescinded as indicated above."

"O Friends! Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust." —Bahá’u’lláh

Pictured are young people who took part October 25-27 in a youth retreat at the Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz, California. The focus was on studying the life of Bahá’u’lláh. About 50 youth from Santa Barbara to Davis attended.

On October 25 a fireside was held at UC-Santa Cruz with about 10 seekers present. The following evening, a group of young people who had been traveling and teaching in the Soviet Union gave a talk and slide presentation. [Page 6]

BAHÁ’Í DISTRIBUTION SERVICE

November 1991 BDS exhibit at the American Academy of Religion Convention attracts unprecedented attention.

Bahá’u’lláh: A Portrait

by David Hofman HC $21.95 SC $9.95

Onq alsop vic An absorbing account of the dramatic life of Bahá’u’lláh, set against the vast changes that have overtaken the world in the last century-and-a-half and the great opportunity for world peace now, at long last, opening before the nations. The two steps of Bahá’u’lláh’s peace program—the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace—are clearly explained and the vision of this new world order is shown as a practical reality. The majesty and grandeur of Bahá’u’lláh pervade the whole book, making it, as one review states, "an enthralling portrait" which "one can enjoy and become absorbed in.... a book of immeasurable value." There are copious quotations from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings and many of His well-known aphorisms: The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.... Soon will the present-day order be rolled up and a new one spread out in its stead.... The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come.

5-1/2" x 8-3/4", 200 pp., preface, introduction, bibliography, references, index George Ronald, Publisher fed be

Call to the Nations

by Shoghi Effendi SC $2.50 6012

Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, in exercising his function of interpreting the Bahá’í Revelation, dwelt at great length and with considerable emphasis on the world order enshrined within that Revelation. Early in his ministry he alluded to "those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary mission of the Bahá’í Faith," and over the years He penned a series of letters, generally referred to as his World Order letters, unfolding this theme. The vital necessity of world order is largely acknowledged today, but the means to achieve it baffle even its most passionate advocates. The Universal House of Justice has selected passages from Shoghi Effendi's World Order letters, and offers them under the title Call to the Nations as a light and a guidance to all humanity in this dark period of our history. With the increased usage of the term "World Order" comes the complaint from many quarters that no one is defining what such an order implies. The value of Call to the Nations as a source of such a definition is unequaled for both Bahá’ís and others.

5" x 7-3/4", 69 pp., foreword, introduction, references Bahá’í World Centre

Unrestrained As the Wind: A Life Dedicated to Bahá’u’lláh

compiled from the Bahá’í Writings by the National Youth Committee and the Bahá’í Publishing Trust SC $9.95

A long-awaited reprint of a compilation that sheds new light on basic aspects of a Bahá’í life of service. The selections focus on how to integrate the many aspects of a spiritual life of service and dedication to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. The book opens with a selection of prayers for spiritual growth. Other chapters focus on ones relationship with God; living a distinctive Bahá’í life; examples of inspiring Bahá’í role models; the role of education in transforming society; the importance of teaching; cleanliness and purity; interpersonal relationships and social relationships with both the old and new world orders. The final chapter contains messages from the Universal House of Justice. These express hope for and confidence in young people, assuring them that "youth can move the world."

The compilation was inspired by the 1984 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’í youth of the world. The message which assured Bahá’í youth that it is within their power "to contribute significantly to shaping the societies of the coming century." It challenged them to become "living embodiments of Bahá’í ideals." For all Bahá’í youth, and new or veteran believers, Unrestrained As the Wind provides an integrated view of what it means to dedicate ones life to Bahá’u’lláh and to rise to the challenge of being centered on the fundamentals of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith and "unrestrained as the wind" in carrying His message.

191 pp., foreword, bibliography Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United States

Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi

edited by Morten Bergsmo SC $13.95

A study guide to twenty-one of the books and compiled letters of the Guardian beginning with a compilation from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice and chapters on the life of Shoghi Effendi and his station as the Expounder of the Word of God. Each study guide consists of a brief description of the work, its significance, and the circumstances surrounding its genesis, followed by a list of thought-provoking questions. Accompanying each question is a page reference. References are to both the book being studied and to other books that elaborate the theme. The book is an important aid to understanding the writings of Shoghi Effendi. In the words of the editors, "It is... clear that a prolonged and systematic study of these (Shoghi Effendi's) writings is an indispensable component of, and an adjunct to, the study of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh as a whole. It unfolds to every believer a true understanding of the nature of the remedy the Divine Physician has prescribed for the ills of mankind, for it lays bare the innumerable gems that lie in the ocean of the revealed Word of God."

6-1/8" x 9-1/4", 202 pp., foreword, introduction, bibliography, references, notes George Ronald, Publisher

Emergence: Dimensions of a New World Order

edited by Charles Lerche SC $14.95

A book of six essays that adds a new dimension to the debate over humanity's collective future. It focuses on the ramifications of the emergence of the Bahá’í model of world order, built on Bahá’u’lláh’s practical plan of action that puts the individual at the center of global transformation. Six specialists in conflict resolution, development, law, economics, history, and ecology present various dimensions of this unique world order model, and explore its implications for the radical transformation of our planet. Published for the thoughtful individual seeking to understand the upheavals of our age, Emergence: Dimensions of a New World Order is a stimulating presentation on the dynamic processes reshaping our civilization and our role in its future systems.

5-1/2" x 8-1/2", 180 pp., introduction, index Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Persian: Jamál-i-Abhá (The Life History of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh)

by Riyád Ghadimí HC $25.00

This short history of Bahá’u’lláh’s life is a synopsis of information gathered from several sources, including the Bahá’í writings. Clearly written and well organized, it is intended for the general Bahá’í audience—for the individual who has a general knowledge of the Bahá’í teachings, but who does not know much of the history of Bahá’u’lláh’s life. Chapters include information on Bahá’u’lláh’s lineage, His parents and siblings, and stories from His childhood. The appearance of the Báb and the nine years of His Dispensation also provide a backdrop for stories of Bahá’u’lláh. His three month ordeal in the Siyah Chal is recounted, as are stories from His time in Baghdad, the Garden of Ridván, Istanbul (Constantinople), and Edirne (Adrianople). Stories from the last sixteen years of His life are set in ‘Akká and the surrounding area.

6-1/8" x 9-1/4", 199 pp., bibliography, index University of Toronto Press

Per/Eng: Bahá’í Prayers

Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá SC $2.75

A selection of twenty-three prayers published in English and in Persian. Although suitable for bilingual readers or readers of either language, its special value is for individuals who speak one of these two languages and wish to learn the other. The selection includes prayers for assistance, children, forgiveness, gratitude, healing, marriage, morning, the Short Obligatory Prayer, spiritual growth, and teaching. This inexpensive and easy-to-carry selection is especially suitable for Persian-reading older children, youth, and adults.

3-1/2" x 5-1/8", 45 pp. Century Press Pty. Ltd.

Persian: Hova’lláh: Volumes 1 and 2

by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá SC $6.95 for each volume or $13.00 for the set

Originally published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran, this much-loved selection of prayers revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for children and youth is once again available. This new edition of Hova’lláh is attractively illustrated by Mariya Beale; simple and delicate drawings of scenes from nature further inspire a devotional and meditative mood. Suitable for Persian-reading children aged 5-10.

5-1/4" x 7", 60 pp. Century Press Pty. Ltd. [Page 7]

Days of Certainty

by Martin Newman CS $9.95 An album expressing Bahá’í values in a "world" musical style similar to recent albums by Paul Simon. Side one begins with Dancing Round the Life Tree, a calypso beat with lyrics that speak of breaking lose from the chains that bind us and soaring to become the beings that we potentially are. The Kingdom features an acoustic guitar and maracas in an upbeat tune about a conversation between two people, one of whom sees "the kingdom rising slowly" and the other who can deal only with day-to-day living. Side Two includes Mr. Dream, a song with vocal qualities and rhythmic interpretations of a strong European influence, similar to groups like Berlin or Elvis Costello. Its lyrical theme is the apparent merry-go-round and paralysis of life in wanting more out of ourselves yet not believing that we can improve. Tell It to the World is another song of European pop style whose lyrics tell the story of someone who must find the Faith to believe in another. approximately 30 minutes Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Tear Down Those Borders The Day of God

by Peace Moves CS $9.95 A sophisticated, well-performed and produced cassette tape of Bahá’í themes in a pop music style. Side One includes a mixture of themes, including the political transition that is occurring in Eastern Europe; Peace Moves, "the majesty and power (that) illuminates the skies" surrounding the Bahá’í House of Worship in India, Under Eastern Skies, a very touching tribute to the love and suffering of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; and a mournful "new age" music instrumental dedicated to the exile of Bahá’u’lláh from Persia during the dead of a very severe winter. Side Two opens with the idea that "we cannot rest till we can give it Peace on Earth as a gift to our children." "If I should live or I should die it's neither in your hands nor mine but God alone will show the way," the reputed last words of Shirin Dalvand forms part of the lyrics of Sweet Shirin of Shiraz. Shirin was one of ten women including Mona Mahmudnizhad, (Mona Music Video and Mona with the Children) who was executed on June 18, 1983, for being a Bahá’í. approximately 30 minutes Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Bahá’í Datebook 149-50 B.E. (1992-93)

SC $3.25 This datebook from Australia uses a two-week-at-a-glance format showing both Bahá’í and Gregorian dates. Bahá’í and Gregorian names are provided for each day of the week and for each month. Holy Days, 19 Day Feasts, and the 19 Day Fast are also highlighted for easy reference. The datebook includes three pages for notes and eight pages available for addresses. Thirty-two quotes from Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the top of the calendar's pages provide inspiration and focus for developing a Bahá’í spirit and identity. 3-3/4" x 6-3/4", 80 pp. Century Press Pty. Ltd.

Journal of Bahá’í Studies

Volume 3, Number 2 SC $6.00 JURAY 1982-1993 110-150 This issue presents five major articles: The first is Selflessness: Congruences between the cognitive-development research program and the Bahá’í Writings, by Rhett Diessner. This article aims to illustrate four major concepts shared by cognitive-developmentalism psychology and the Sacred writings of the Bahá’í Faith. The second article, A Bahá’í Approach to the Claim of Exclusivity and Uniqueness in Christianity, by Seena Fazel and Khazeh Fananapazir, examines the nature of these claims that have led to conflicts within Christianity and alieniation from other faiths, and offers an approach to reconcile these divisions. The third article, From Copper to Gold: Finding Form, by Dorothy Freeman Gilstrap; looks at the biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker and explores the four major areas of the book From Copper to Gold. Next, Racial Identity and the Patterns of Consolation in the Poetry of Robert Hayden, by John S. Hatcher, suggests that an accurate and careful reading of Hayden's works reveal a clear pattern of consolation between his ethnic identity and his beliefs as a Bahá’í. The last article, Exploring Male Oppression from a Family-Systems Perspective, by Janet Huggins, explores sexual inequality and male oppression from a perspective adopted to encourage a more balanced and less prejudiced examination of these issues. The journal also includes research notes, commentaries, and reviews. 6" x 9", 76 pp. Association for Bahá’í Studies

Ageing: Challenges and Opportunities

by A-M. Ghadirian SC $9.95 What does the future hold for me? Some of us worry about what old age will bring; others look forward to the new opportunities that will arise as we grow older. In Ageing: Challenges and Opportunities, Dr. A-M. Ghadirian considers the process of ageing and how it affects different individuals. He also explores some of the myths about the ageing process and about being old. In the introduction Dr. Ghadirian writes, "This book intends to address the process of ageing and coping in the light of the Bahá’í Writings and current professional knowledge. Old age is a neglected period of human life which needs to be closely examined, understood and prepared for." Dr. Ghadirian is a professor of psychiatry at McGill University, Faculty of Medicine, and a senior psychiatrist at the Royal Victoria and the Douglas Hospitals in Montreal. 5-1/2" x 8-1/4", 132 pp., preface, introduction, references George Ronald, Publisher

The Day of God

compilation from the Bahá’í Writings SC $.75 These short quotations from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb focus on various aspects of the meaning of the "Day of God." Each quotation is one page or less to present the central idea in an easy-to-read format. This title is one in a series from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom that began with the popular booklets, Love of God and Glory of God. An example of the quotations is:

THE PROMISED DAY The potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God. 3" x 4", 24 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Faith in God

compilation from the Bahá’í Writings SC $.75 Bahá’u’lláh These short quotations from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá focus on various aspects of the meaning of faith. Each quotation is one page or less to present the central idea in an easy-to-read format. This title is one in a series from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom that began with the popular booklets, Love of God and Glory of God. An example of the quotations is:

THE FOUNDATION-STONE Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith. 3" x 4", 24 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom

Accents of God

edited by M. K. Rohani SC $12.95

Recent New Titles

The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh A Compilation HC $11.95

Bahá’í Datebook CA $3.50

The Bahá’í Faith by the Bahá’í Office of Public Information, Dallas/Fort Worth ‘Abdu’l-Bahá PA/10pk $3.50, 50pk $14.00, 100pk $25.00

Bahá’í History Calendar 148-149 B.E. National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands CA $6.95

Bahá’í Pocket Calendar CA $2.50, 10/pk.

Bahá’í Wall Calendar CA $2.75

Enlighten Curriculum Volume 5;Third Grade & Volume 6;Fourth Grade by Lea Iverson SC $19.95 per volume

German: Bahá’í Prayers HC (Leather) $19.95

The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá A Compilation HC $14.95

Persian: Nafahat-i-Fadl & Cassette A Compilation SC $9.95

Tokoloshe! I Married Eleven Dachshunds by William and Marguerite Sears SC $12.95

Understanding Christian Beliefs by Michael Sours SC $13.95

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CLASSIFIEDS

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

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

BOOKKEEPING/accounting skills and experience needed. The Maxwell International Bahá’í School is seeking a volunteer with these skills; a retired person would be welcome. If you qualify, please contact the principal, Maxwell International Bahá’í School, Bag 1000, Shawnigan Lake, B.C. VOR 2W0, Canada, or phone 604-743-7144 (fax 604-743-3522). A summary of your experience and a letter of reference from your local Spiritual Assembly or Auxiliary Board member would be appreciated.

THE BOSCH Bahá’í School is accepting applications for summer 1992 employment. Positions available include children's teachers (3), recreation director, lifeguard, music director, kitchen assistants (2) and maintenance assistants (3). 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, send a brief résumé of your experience or ask for an application for employment from the Bosch Bahá’í School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (phone 408-423-3387).

THE BANANI International Secondary School, in a lovely rural area near Lusaka, Zambia, is opening its doors in March 1992. This residential girls' school, built by the Bahá’í community, is interested in receiving applications from teachers and youth volunteers who are interested in serving the Faith overseas. Those who can offer assistance in science, math, or agriculture are especially needed. Please send résumés to the Principal, Banani International Secondary School, Private Bag RW 199X, Ridgeway 1510Z, Lusaka, Zambia.

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

AFRICA: Angola: health care personnel. Benin: primary school teachers. Burkina Faso: elementary, science/math teachers. Cape Verde: educator/administrator/rural agricultural expert/instructor. Ethiopia: volunteer physicians. Nigeria: technical adviser for UN's International Labor Office for social security/national health insurance program. Swaziland: business development adviser. Zambia: teaching and administrative staff for Banani Girls School. AMERICAS: Brazil: primary school teachers. Cayman Islands: technical staff for UHF-TV and wireless cable system office. Costa Rica: urgent need for special education teacher specializing in dyslexia. ASIA: India: teachers. Macau: ESL teacher. Malaysia: physical science teacher, general manager for company manufacturing wooden door and window components. Pakistan: elementary school teachers. Rangoon, Burma: teachers. Thailand: volunteers to conduct English classes in Bahá’í communities. AUSTRALASIA: Marshall Islands: primary school teachers. Pohnpei: business instructors. Solomon Islands: architect. Tinian, Marianas: teachers, doctors, nurses. Vanuatu: conservation biologist/environmental coordinator. EUROPE: Armenia: project manager for plastic and reconstructive surgery center. Estonia: teachers of English. Hungary: French and math teachers. Lithuania: English language teacher. Moscow: principals, teachers. Romania: elementary teachers. MULTI-REGIONAL: training specialist/manager for vocational training project in Eastern Europe. University faculty needed for teaching positions on U.S. military bases in Europe and Asia. Consultants needed by Malaysian management company: agricultural credit specialist, agriculturalist, crop processing specialist, economist, environmental specialist, land-use specialist, sociologist. Auditors for USAID programs. Consultants for Central and Eastern Europe: agro-processing specialists, management consultants, foreign aid administration consultants. URGENT NEED for credentialed kindergarten and elementary teachers for the School of the Nations in Brazil. The headmaster of the school will be in the States in late February or early March to interview prospective candidates. URGENT NEED FOR TEACHERS at the Banani International School in Zambia, a secondary school for girls with emphasis on agriculture. OPPORTUNITIES FOR PIONEERS AND TRAVELING TEACHERS IN CAMBODIA. The re-establishment of the Bahá’í community is being systemically achieved in Cambodia and the door is opening for friends from other countries to participate in this all-important work. Most helpful would be the assistance of traveling teachers, long-term and short-term pioneers of Cambodian background. For more information on any of the above, please contact the Office of Pioneering at the Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, telephone 708-869-9039 or fax 708-869-0247 Attn: Office of Pioneering.

URGENT NEED exists for traveling teachers to stay for periods of time and help with consolidation in the Soviet Union. Further information is available from the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

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

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Doris Kerber, Gloria M. Kessler, Mary Ketcham (died Holly Hill, FL, 1957), Lilyan Kiesewetter, Anna Kincaid (died Portland, OR, 1967), James Kincaid (died Portland, OR, 1956), Stephen Kitzmiller, Margaret Klebs, and Leonora B. Klein. Anyone knowing family members or relatives who might have these letters of the Guardian is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives has prepared a series of biographical sketches of prominent African-American, Native American, Hispanic and Asian Bahá’ís for use of local communities in special event observances such as Black History Month, Race Unity Day, and others. Any local Spiritual Assembly wishing copies of these sketches or more information about them is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-869-9039).

PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

BECOME a homefront pioneer by renting the childhood home of the Hand of the Cause of God Martha Root in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. Peaceful living in idyllic surroundings within easy reach of such urban centers as Erie, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo. Three Bahá’í families with a total of seven children ages 2-14 live within a 12-minute drive. Easy commute to well-known universities, access to lovely countryside with some of the country's last pure water lakes, clean air towns and pristine black bear territory. More important, because of Miss Root's fame, this is a high-profile Bahá’í property with every visit to the local grocer a teaching trip. If interested, please write to Teresa or Arild Pettersen, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403, or phone 814-398-8118.

HOMEFRONT pioneers are needed in Milledgeville, a family-oriented, medium-sized town in middle Georgia, two hours from Atlanta. There is a non-functioning Assembly in the county and a small Group in town. Milledgeville, near a large lake, has a four-year college, a state hospital employing people in the field of mental health, a large prison, and a number of industries. For more information, contact Sandy Jasnau, Milledgeville, GA 31061, or phone 912-452-2818.

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

WANTED

WANTED: photocopies of correspondence to and from Roger White for a book about how the renowned poet has influenced and inspired Bahá’ís all over the world. Reminiscences are welcome too. Also needed: information about Keith Ransom-Kehler, Thomas Breakwell and Juliet Thompson. Please write to Anne G. Atkinson, Wilmette, IL 60091.

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

BOOKS, educational materials, video tapes, pamphlets, posters, old magazines and catalogs, office machines, etc. are badly needed by our Bahá’í brothers and sisters in other countries. If you would like to help support teaching and development abroad, please write and let me know specifically what you are willing to donate. I will send you the names and addresses of those who need such materials. Both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í materials are needed. Please do not send materials to me. Write to Vonnie Lincoln, Lyons, OR 97358.

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

WANTED by Bahá’ís in Florida: Information on Knights of Bahá’u’lláh Ethel and Arthur Crane who pioneered to Key West in 1953 and later returned to Broward County where they died in the late 1960s. The Florida Bahá’ís want to find people who knew them so that their story can be told. If you have any information about the Cranes, or know someone who does, please write to Larry Schwandes, Gainesville, FL 32606.

FROM THE HEARTS of the Handmaidens, an international newsletter for Bahá’í women, is seeking poetry for an anthology of poems by, about or for women of the world. The editors are also seeking articles and subscriptions. Hearts is a newsletter whose aim is to facilitate peace by working toward the worldwide emancipation of women "one heart at a time." Articles include whatever is in the hearts of women throughout the world or about women. Many of the contributors and subscribers are men in support of women. For a complimentary copy, editorial guidelines for the newsletter and anthology, and more information, write to From the Hearts of the Handmaidens, Lynnwood, WA 98037. Hearts has been approved by the U.S. National Bahá’í Literature Review Board.

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

POEMS NEEDED for possible inclusion in a children's trade book for grades K-3 on theme of intercultural/interracial harmony. Would like to include Bahá’í poets (published or unpublished) and especially need poems by minority or non-American poets (please indicate with your submission). Send to: Gail Radley, DeLand, FL 32724.

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

DO YOU HAVE any poems lying around collecting dust? Are you a former or current poet waiting to be published? If you have any poems on themes in the Bahá’í teachings, we would like to review them for possible inclusion in a book to be titled Poems for the Arc. Please send poems to Poems for the Arc, Rockford, IL 61109.

MISCELLANEOUS

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

THE 1992 EDITION of "The Directory of Bahá’í Book Collectors, Bibliophiles and Researchers" is now being compiled. If you would like to be included, please write to Payam Afsharian, Santa Monica, CA 90402. The directory is distributed free of charge.

BAHÁ’U’LLÁH compared tests and difficulties to "healing medicine" and "light and mercy." We've all been through them, and we've all learned from them. Your tests and difficulties can help inspire others who may be undergoing similar trials. Write your story (anonymously if you wish; you may need to change other details as well). What bad things happened? What good came as a result? Let's put together a book that we can all turn to for comfort during the bad times to remind ourselves that "nothing can befall the loved ones of God save that which profiteth them." Write to John Bower, San Pedro, Honduras. [Page 9]THE AMERICAN BAHÁ'Í GLENFORD E. MITCHELL On the significance of the Holy Year 1992 (From a talk by Glenford E. Mitchell, a member of the Universal House of Justice, at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, December 18, 1991). Good evening, friends. I am very happy to be with you. I am always happy to be with you because I consider this to be my home, and whenever I have a chance, I steal away to get back to it. It is unlikely for me to be out of Haifa at this time of the year-but, you know, I have not experienced winter in the United States for many years now, and so I am very happy to be back-it doesn't matter what the temperature is. I want to give you a bit of news in addition to what you have just heard, but I'll start from a rather distant angle. While I was coming on the plane from Zurich to Chicago, I got a copy of that day's International Herald-Tribune, and on page 5 there is an article which begins with this paragraph, dateline Rome: "With a profusion of ecclesi- astical pageantry, Roman Catholic bishops from eastern and western Europe have ended an important synod that did little to heal the churches' historic rifts with other Christian churches but affirmed the Vatican's commit- ment to a new crusade for followers after the Cold War." A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE Now, this goes on to tell about what happened, and there were 140 prelates there and so on, and the wars that they had over their concern about the former Soviet Union-former Eastern Bloc countries, and what plans they wanted to make to conquer-reconquer, as they would think these countries. Now as I read this I real- ized that as this meeting was going on, this synod at the Vatican, that the Continental Board of Counselors for Europe were meeting in Haifa, and they came precisely for these reasons-to discuss the situation in the former Communist countries, which for us has become a tremen- dous challenge. And as you have heard, we will have more National Assemblies established in these areas in the next few months. I want to tell you also that any time now, we should be receiving an announcement revising the number of Na- tional Spiritual Assemblies. There will be additional National Spiritual Assemblies next Ridván. And not only in Europe but in other parts of the world. is, "What is the meaning of time?" Time has meaning for all expressions of life. It has meaning in science, history, literature, in work and in play. Time acts upon life in ways beyond our reckoning-and life acts upon time and through time. It occurs to me that time in its omnipres- ence and constancy harbors an indefinable divine quality which we associate with the divine Creator. We talk about past, present and future. Eternity. If you look at what God says in The Hidden Words about His "imme- morial being" and the "ancient eternity of His essence," you will see what I mean when I say that by its omnipres- ence and constancy it harbors an indefinable divine quality which we associate with the divine Creator. THE MEANING OF TIME Well, for the purposes of our discussion this evening, I would like to give some consideration to the meaning of time in history. Perhaps I'll get into serious trouble with those who know better when I say that history is what we make of time. Or, put differently, what we consciously make of time becomes history, and thus provides us with some meaning to life. But history, as you know, can be meaningless. There are long stretches of time to which we can attach no significance-no history. For instance, the Dark Ages. What happened? We often attach mean- ing to history according to what outstanding persons do. We often identify periods of time by what such persons do and the extent of their influence in changing the course of events or in creating a new understanding of life or in starting what passes down the generations as traditions. The most outstanding individuals with whom periods of time are identified are the Manifestations of God. Well, need I elaborate in saying to a Bahá'í audience that these Manifestations of God are the Fountainheads of history? They teach us the meaning of time and make time meaningful. For example: as Bahá'ís, we understand that there are different cycles. We speak of the prophetic cycle. Bahá'u'lláh tells us about the cycle of Requirements of the Present Hour." In this, the first four, five, six paragraphs, he discusses time...epochs. I think it's in that letter that he is encouraging us to move because of the urgency of the moment, and he says, "They can neither retrace their steps, nor falter, nor even afford to mark time." He talks about the sands running out; he would tell us that when there was a special situ- ation in the world or a special opportunity pre- sented to the commu- nity, he would say some- thing like this, that such a favorable conjunction of circumstances may never again recur, or may not occur for a hun- dred years. And of course, in one of his most extraordinary let- ters, the one addressed to the Bahá'ís who met here in the Interconti- nental Conference in dazzling outline of May 1953, he gives us a time-the meaning of time. And he divides up all of historic time into GLENFORD E. MITCHELL portions. We are now in the tenth part of the time that he discussed with us. WHAT IS A HOLY YEAR? So, then, in such a stupendous period as Bahá'u'lláh's statements imply, what is a Holy Year? In a search for precedents in history, I could find nothing from Islam. I checked out the encyclopedias, I talked to my friends who are scholars in Islam. They had never heard of such [The Holy Year]...is a time for transmuting memory into deeds of heroic proportions. It is a time made sacred by such activities. Not so long ago, at the World Center, the friends developed an interest in the Holy Year, and so I received a message by E-mail one day, asking me to speak on the significance of the Holy Year-which I did, eventually. But after my talk, and after hearing the comments of the friends, I suddenly thought about you. And I wanted to talk to you about the same thing-the significance of the Holy Year. We have not had enough time, in six years almost of the Six Year Plan, to stop to think about it. We've been so busy chasing goals and trying to create the conditions for the Holy Year that we have not discussed it, I suppose, sufficiently among ourselves. So I thought I would discuss this with you using my old notes from that other talk. Now, the first question that came to my mind after receiving this invitation to speak on the significance of the Holy Year was this: What is time? Because it has to do with time. What is time? I found myself preoccupied with this question for weeks. So I had to do a little reading-not enough, by any measure-but to satisfy my curiosity about this question. So I came up with these random and limited thoughts about it. As an independent phenomenon, time can be defined by no one. Time is somewhat understood in relation to other phenomena such as space, motion, events. But time remains a mys- tery. The World Book Encyclopedia says, "Time is one of the world's deepest mysteries. No one can say exactly what it is." In its naturalness, constancy and pervasive- ness in all life, time preserves its mystery. By these very virtues, it impresses itself upon every consciousness, even if it cannot be completely defined. Augustine once said of time: "If no one asks me, I know. If I want to explain it to a questioner, I do not know." You try to explain time to somebody. If such a great mind encountered such difficulty, why should I dwell on the question? It would probably be more rewarding to contemplate a related question, which a thing as a Holy Year in Islam. But in Roman Catholicism there is such a concept as a Holy Year. I read one of their encyclope- dias and some other things. Now, according to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, whatever edition I read, a Holy Year is "a year during which a solemn plenary fulfillment...and we know that there will be other cycles indulgence is granted to the faithful"-I am quoting- in the far future. But getting closer to the point of our topic, what has Bahá'u'lláh told us about now, and the kind of history we might expect? Here are some of His statements: "The purpose underlying all creation is the revelation of this most sublime, this most holy Day: the Day known as the Day of God in His books and scriptures, the Day which all the Prophets and the Chosen Ones and the Holy Ones have wished to witness." Just think about it. "The pur- pose underlying all creation," He says, "is the revelation of this Day." That is a very profound statement, one very difficult to comprehend. He says, "The Day of the prom- ise is come"-speaking about now. He says, "A fleeting moment in this Day excelleth centuries of a bygone age. Neither sun nor moon hath witnessed a Day such as this Day." Furthermore, He says, "Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye of past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the darkness of the times." He also says, "This is the Day in which God's most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things." You'll recall that in one of His statements, Bahá'u'lláh speaks of every created thing in this Day being endowed with all the potentialities it can bear. So the factor of time is impor- tant here. Think about it. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Cause, was con- stantly calling to our attention the significance of now the time in which we live. You'll remember his letters and what he would say: "While there is yet time" was a frequent phrase in his letters. "While there is yet time." He spent paragraphs telling us about time; about ages and epochs-cycles. This letter that he wrote in-when was it?-June of 1947-I think we call it...what do we call this? Help me, one of you...oh, yes, "Challenges and "under certain conditions, and special faculties are given to confessors." There are two kinds of Holy Year-two kinds. You have the ordinary Holy Year which occurs at regular intervals; that is, every 25 years, and you have the extraordinary Holy Year which is proclaimed for some special reason. For instance, there was one in 1933 to celebrate the anniversary of the Redemption. Now, the ordinary Holy Year begins on the 24th of December― Christmas eve-with the first vespers of Christmas; that is, at whatever period it comes. Holy doors of four basilicas are simultaneously opened. These places are visited by the faithful, and Rome is thronged at such a time. The first Holy Year was observed in 1300-that is, the first Catholic Holy Year-and up until 1950 there had been about 25 of the ordinary ones. Now, the concept of a Holy Year for Christians may have evolved from the Jubilee Year which was cel- ebrated in pre-exilic Judaism every 50 years. It was a year of remission in which debts were pardoned, and in some cases, slaves were freed. The medieval Popes came to apply such a custom spiritually, declaring a Holy Year or a Jubilee which was intended to improve the religious life of the faithful. Now, when we come to the Bahá'í Holy Year, we find that it is different in nature. Of course, we've had only one experience with it. So we might well ask ourselves, what are the distinguishing characteristics of a Bahá'í Holy Year? Now this is my own summary; I can't attribute it to anybody. It is a time to commemorate a special history, a time to reflect and meditate upon the meaning of that history, to take special or extraordinary action induced by the memory of that special history. It is a time for transmuting memory into deeds of heroic proportions. It MULK 148 B.E. / FEBRUARY 7, 1992 [Page 10]is a time made sacred by such activities. Now, as you know, the concept of Holy Year in the Faith was introduced by Shoghi Effendi in a message dated 30 November 1951. Now, you’ll remember—those of you who were a part of that time and experience as Bahá’ís that we were near the conclusion of the second Seven Year Plan. It was a message of tremendous evoca- tive power. I’d like to reacquaint you with some of the language of it. It’s a cable, so it’s in cable-ese. And it was sent here. It says, “Convey all National Assemblies Bahá’í world the following momentous announcement,” and it opens this way: “Approaching great Jubilee com- memorating centenary termination Bábí Dispensation birth Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation in Siyah-Chál Tehran as well as imperative necessity adopt effectual measures ensure befitting inauguration third concluding phase of initial epoch in the execution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan destined culminate hundredth anniversary of Decla- ration of Founder of Faith in Baghdad impel me summon entire Bahá’í world through 11 National Assemblies already functioning in East and West bestir itself arise during 16 months ahead through su- preme concerted sustained effort pre- pare for demonstration of Bahá’í soli- darity of unprecedented scope and in- tensity during entire course Bahá’í his- tory. Stop.” That’s one sentence of his cable.

HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT MEASURE

Intercontinental Conferences; these were, for the first time, occurring in the Bahá’í world—Intercontinental Conferences—no one ever heard of such a thing before. These were epoch-making conferences, really, immor- talizing the centenary of that memorable year. As I delved into this and read the letter and recalled some of what was happening—I was a youngster at the time and didn’t know all the details myself—I was think- ing, what surrounded this year? What was going on when Shoghi Effendi made this announcement? What was actually going on in the world—the Bahá’í world? And what happened through the Holy Year that surrounded it? And so I looked at his letters which, of course, provide an index for this.

TRIPLE ANNOUNCEMENT

First of all, we know about the Plans that were going on. Then, we see that in his messages, he talks about the establishment of relationships between the old and new Covenant-breakers; that is in December of ’51. After he has made this announcement, he sends a message and he says that this thing has happened. A very sad piece of participation of all National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá’í world aiming at the immediate extension of Bahá’u’lláh’s spiritual dominion as well as the eventual establishment of the structure of His administrative order in all remaining sovereign states, principal dependencies comprising principalities, Sultanates, Emirates, Shaykhdoms, Protectorates, Trust Territories, and Crown Colonies scattered over the surface of the entire planet.” One sentence. “The entire body of the avowed supporters of Bahá’u’lláh’s all-conquering Faith are now summoned to achieve, in a single decade, feats eclipsing in totality the achievements which in the course of the 11 preceding decades illuminated the annals of Bahá’í pioneering.” Now, you should have been in the seat receiving this message at that time. Tremendous enthusiasm was gen- erated by it, and wonder and awe at the whole thing. So that was one thing that was happening in and around the Holy Year. Then of course, the Intercontinental Conferences came, and marvelous messages were issued by Shoghi Effendi to these conferences. One of those that you will want to remember forever—he sent two mes- sages to the conference here, and in one of them he explained the meaning of time to us...of historic time. Something extraordinary and out of this world; it’s dazzling, and you should read it. So Kampala in February 1953; Wilmette— Chicago—in May 1953; Stockholm, July 1953, and New Delhi in October 1953.

...the concept of the Holy Year was introduced by Shoghi Effendi in a message dated 30 November 1951. ...It was a message of tremendous evocative power. I’ll read a couple more paragraphs.

This is a long cable. “Forthcoming celebrations must be signalized through inauguration long-anticipated inter- continental stage in administrative evolution of Faith marking its gradual development through successive phases of local, regional, national, international Bahá’í activity. Initiation this highly significant measure further cementing Bahá’í National Assemblies in five continents of globe will be acclaimed by posterity as counterpart to consolidation Faith at its World Center through recent formation International Bahá’í Council in Holy Land.” You’ll remember that it was in 1951 that the International Bahá’í Council, the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice, was formed.

And then this other paragraph and then I’ll quit because this is a lot to take in cable-ese: “Centennial festivities of Year Nine continuing throughout Holy Year”—this is the first time that the phrase Holy Year has been used— “commencing October 1952 must include, apart from consummation plans initiated by various National As- semblies both hemispheres, the formal dedication for public worship of Mother Temple of West in heart North American continent and possible termination superstruc- ture of Báb’s sepulcher in Holy Land; the convocation of four Intercontinental Bahá’í Teaching Conferences to be held successively in course historic year on continents of Africa, America, Europe and Asia.” Now, friends, you had to have been living at that time to realize, to sense the tremendous enthusiasm that this message produced among the Bahá’ís. It goes on, but you should read it yourself.

So the Bahá’í Holy Year that was initiated by the Guardian in 1952–53, October to October—what was it? It was an occasion for the centennial commemoration of the end of the Bábí Dispensation. You’ll remember that it was in 1853 that Bahá’u’lláh had His experience in the Siyah-Chál...when His ministry was made known to Him. And immediately it ended the Bábí Dispensation that experience He had in the Siyah-Chál. The Year Nine refers to the number of years since the Declaration of the Báb in 1844 to that experience in 1853. Nine years; the Year Nine.

This Holy Year also marked the inauguration of what the Guardian called the initial epoch in the execution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan. Now, what are we talking about here? There were two Seven Year Plans in which North America was involved; there were other Plans that involved other communities, but we remember the two Seven Year Plans; and now he was saying that the initial stage was to be inaugurated. That was the Ten Year World Crusade which the Guardian started in 1953, and at the end of that we had the completion of the first epoch of the Divine Plan.

Now, what were the features of the centennial festivi- ties of that year? Just to recap: you had the consummation of the Plans undertaken by NSAs in both hemispheres; formal dedication of this Mother Temple; he announced the possible termination of the superstructure of the Báb’s sepulcher—it became a reality—the convocation of four news. Then, almost immediately after that—well, maybe three months later, he announces the appointment of the first contingent of Hands of the Cause of God. It is February 1952. And the following month, he makes what he calls a triple announcement: the arrival of materials for the Drum of the Báb’s Shrine; investigation was initiated for fabrication of gilded tiles for the dome—the final material necessary for construction of the super- largement of the International Bahá’í Council, and the third was the call for the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of Italy. At that time Dr. Ugo Giachery was on pilgrimage. He sent this message, and he said that he was sending him back to make preparations for the formation of that National Assembly which became the 12th As- sembly to bear the burden of the Ten Year World Cru- structure. The second announcement was about the en- sade.

We find in the Guardian’s message of 26 March, just about two weeks or so, or three weeks, from that time, a very sad, tragic matter, the death of the architect of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb, Sutherland Max- well. And then, almost immediately, in a matter of a week or two, he tells us that six acres of land was acquired in the precincts of the Shrine of the Báb, bringing the holdings on Mount Carmel to 50 acres. And again, news about the Covenant-breakers. He says the Covenant- breaker Nayer Afnán, the connecting link between the old and new Covenant-breakers, has died. This is a few months after he made the previous announcement about the connection.

And then comes a cable—another three weeks, almost three weeks—announcement of victories throughout the world for the Faith. So you see, these cables alternated between joy and sadness. And then another cable, on 11 June, about the rapid progress of the Faith and the declining fortunes of the Covenant-breakers. And of course, on the 8th of October comes the message about the commencement of the Holy Year. Let me give you a taste of the language that he employed in announcing the Holy Year and telling us about what to expect. It opens with this sentence: “Hail, with feelings of humble thank- commemorating the centenary of the rise of the Orb of fulness and unbounded joy, opening of the Holy Year Bahá’u’lláh’s most sublime Revelation marking the con- summation of the 6,000-year cycle ushered in by Adam, glorified by all past prophets and sealed with the blood of the Author of the Bábí Dispensation.” That is the opening sentence of that message.

‘SPIRITUAL CRUSADE’

Now anon, he tells us this: “Feel hour propitious to proclaim to the entire Bahá’í world the projected launch- ing on the occasion of the convocation of the approaching Intercontinental Conferences on the four continents of the globe the fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long, world- embracing Spiritual Crusade involving the simultaneous initiation of 12 national Ten Year Plans and the concerted Now, in the meantime, he sent out a message, in May of 1953 telling us about things; and then, at the end of this message, he says this—and this will have relevance to what we will do in this other Holy Year coming up—he says this: “Planning to inscribe in chronological order the names of the spiritual conquerors on an illuminated Roll of Honor to be deposited at the entrance door of the inner Sanctuary of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh as a permanent memorial of the contributions of the champions of His Faith at the victorious conclusion of the opening cam- paign of the Global Crusade which is destined to attain consummation at the Most Great Jubilee commemorat- ing the centenary of the Declaration of His Mission.” That is how he announced to the Bahá’í world that he was inscribing on the Roll of Honor the names of the pioneers. They became known as Knights of Bahá’í’u’lláh.

SHRINE OF BAB COMPLETED

Then at the end of the period, at the final conference of 1953, in New Delhi, he makes again a triple announce- ment. The Shrine of the Báb is completed; it is done! It is no longer a possibility; it is an accomplished fact. He talks about settlement of pioneers in virgin territories and names them, and he says that preliminary steps have been taken to acquire the Temple land on Mount Carmel. Now the pilgrims go happily to this Temple land, not knowing all of the excitement which was generated behind its acquisition by the announcement of this...brought by this message. So then, friends, the Holy Year that the Guard- ian initiated had all of these elements to it. A very exciting time. We couldn’t sleep.

So then, what about this other Holy Year, the one that we now anticipate? On the 2nd of January 1986, the Universal House of Justice addressed a message to the Bahá’í world. It was done on the final day of the confer- ence of Continental Boards of Counselors at the World Center: “Ridván 1992 will mark the inception of a Holy Year during which the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh will be observed by commemorations around the world, and the inauguration of His Covenant will be celebrated in the City of the Covenant by the holding of the second Bahá’í World Congress.” This announcement, then, cast upon our mental screens a new configuration. Subsequent numerous communications of the House of Justice allude to the Holy Year, but it is not until 1990 that it begins—that is, the House of Justice—to amplify the purposes of this designated period. So we find, for instance, that in its message of Ridván 1990 it speaks of the Holy Year as “that special time when we shall pause to appreciate the tumultuous record of events which will have brought us to this centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and to reflect with due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet.” We find in that same message a reference to the Holy Year as “a high water mark of Bahá’í history.” In its message of Ridván 1991, it refers to the Holy Year as “a conscious year-long pause to allow His followers to pay befitting regard to the [Page 11]centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and of the inauguration of His world-unifying Covenant."

I would like to go back to that first statement about "reflecting with due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet" because it is quite a statement, and somebody asked the House of Justice about it. And I think I told you this when I was here the last time, but I'll repeat—I will read the text of how they explained this to this particular questioner. The person wanted to know how such a statement could be made, or what was the meaning of it, when we have been told that all the Prophets of God sit on the same throne, utter the same speech and so on, and there's no difference between them. This is a very important question; I found it a rather important matter to understand myself. And so the House of Justice instructed the Secretariat to reply in this way, and I'll read the whole letter to you because I think we should understand it:

"The House of Justice appreciates your frankness concerning your puzzlement over the statement in its Ridván 1990 message referring to Bahá’u’lláh as 'the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet.' You are entirely correct in drawing upon Bahá’u’lláh’s statement, cited on pages 78 to 79 of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, to point out the oneness and sameness of the essence of all the Prophets of God. The statement of the House of Justice should not be taken to imply anything to the contrary, but rather should be seen in the historical context of His Revelation, and in its nature and character relative to the Revelations that preceded it.

BEARERS OF A DISTINCT MESSAGE

"As Bahá’u’lláh has said in the same passage in the Gleanings from which you quoted, 'The measure of the Revelation of the Prophets of God in this world, however, must differ. Each and every one of them hath been the Bearer of a distinct message, and hath been commissioned to reveal Himself through specific acts.' According to His own Revelation, Bahá’u’lláh has testified to 'the inconceivable greatness of this Revelation' and said, 'That which hath been made manifest in this pre-eminent, this most exalted Revelation stands unparalleled in the annals of the past, nor will future ages witness its like.'

"In the following statement written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi offers important clarification on the question of the sameness of the essence of the Prophets and the comparative qualities of their Revelations in this world. 'Bahá’u’lláh is not the intermediary between other Manifestations and God. Each has His own relation to the Primal Source. But in the sense that Bahá’u’lláh is the greatest Manifestation to yet appear, the One Who consummates the Revelation of Moses—He was the One Moses conversed with in the Burning Bush; in other words, Bahá’u’lláh identifies the glory of the Godhead on that occasion with Himself. No distinction can be made amongst the Prophets in the sense that they all proceed from one Source and are of one essence. But'—and this is a crucial point—but their stations and functions in this world are different.'

"The letter goes on to say, 'This statement calls to mind several passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh which Shoghi Effendi quotes in God Passes By, on page 99: 'In this most mighty Revelation, He (Bahá’u’lláh), moreover, states, 'All the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation.' And again, 'None among the Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath ever completely apprehended the nature of this Revelation.' Referring to His own station'—that is, Bahá’u’lláh’s own station—'He declares: 'But for Him, no divine Messenger would have been invested with the robe of prophethood, nor would any of the sacred scriptures have been revealed. A very interesting point. When you think that so much of the sacred matter of the past was an announcement of this Day, you can see immediately how this comes into focus.

"The letter goes on to say, 'Also of relevance to the difference in stations between Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and those which have preceded or will come after it is the beloved Guardian's response to an inquiry which as conveyed said, 'There is no record in history or in the Teachings of a Prophet similar in station to Bahá’u’lláh having lived 500,000 years ago. There will, however, be One similar to Him in greatness after the lapse of 500,000 years.' So you see, when the House of Justice speaks of "the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet," that's behind it.

ANATOMY OF THE HOLY YEAR

Now then, let's get to this Holy Year and get into it—get into an anatomy of it. What are the special characteristics of this? First, we have the centennial commemoration in the Holy Land; that is, the commemoration of the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh. The House of Justice talks about "the gathering of representatives of the Bahá’í world along with the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahji in the precincts of the Mansion and in the vicinity of the Most Holy Shrine wherein the Roll of Honor of the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh will be deposited as a gesture indicative of the response of His lovers to His call to spread His teachings throughout the earth. There, at Bahji, this gathering will engage in a solemn act of worship."

Now I want to tell you a little bit about the plans surrounding this major event. Of course, the whole essence of the thing is to be involved in this act of worship in the vicinity of the Holy Shrine. But we find that there are other things connected with it; for instance, the deposit of the Roll of Honor will be on the morning of the 28th of May next year, 1992. It will be a Thursday morning, and the friends—meaning the representatives of various countries, the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, the Hands of the Cause, the Counselors and everybody, will gather at Bahji for this occasion on that morning. And then, of course, that night, leading to the 29th, they'll come back for the devotional exercise. Then following that, on the morning of the previous night, you know, the afternoon of the 29th, there will be a procession from the foot of the mountain—you know, this ascent to the Shrine of the Báb—the Shrine will be circumambulated, then the friends will proceed from there up to the Seat of the House of Justice along the Arc path, there to view the portrait of Bahá’u’lláh. And that will be the final event for that gathering. We hope that there will be the largest gathering of Bahá’ís in the Holy Land; as you know, 19 can come from each National Assembly area, nine each from other areas that have no NSAs. And the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh will be there—I expect that they have received their invitations by now.

The House of Justice, of course, tells us that there should be related events throughout the Bahá’í world, and in a message that was sent out on its behalf by the Secretariat we find this: "You will want to make sure," it says, "that a proper devotional program takes place in each locality at the appropriate time, on 29 May, and that the best effort is made to uphold the pre-eminent importance, the dignity and the profoundly spiritual character of the occasion, to which non-Bahá’ís may be invited according to the discretion of the Spiritual Assemblies."

That is that night event. I want you to know that the media in Europe are developing a very keen interest in this event, and already German national television has asked for permission to cover it.

Beyond these devotional programs the friends may plan to hold other special events—national, regional or local—for the benefit of both themselves and non-Bahá’ís to give a more public character to the observance of this anniversary and at which informative and inspirational presentations on the life and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh can be made and discussions held.

WHOLE BAHÁ’Í WORLD INVOLVED

So, the whole Bahá’í world will be involved in this, and the event in the Holy Land will be the pivotal event, but there'll be waves, you see, of action, so to speak, spreading out to cover the entire globe. So in a period of 24 hours, every hour the Bahá’ís will be gathering to commemorate this occasion.

Now the second event, of course, will be the Bahá’í World Congress to be held in New York, and the House of Justice refers to that in its 1991 message as it says: "...the World Congress scheduled to be held on 23 to 26 November 1992 in New York City, where the beloved Master revealed the implications of His station as the appointed Center of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and which He designated as the City of the Covenant." They go on to tell us that "throughout the world Bahá’í communities will hold appropriate auxiliary events to magnify the Congress's purpose, which is to celebrate the centenary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and to proclaim its aims and unifying power."

Celebrate. It's a different thing from what will occur in May of 1992. Now, what is meant by "celebration" in this case? The House of Justice has expressed its views about this, and in a letter—the same one I referred to earlier, the 3 April 1991 letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies written at its direction by the Secretariat—we find this statement about celebration, and I want to read the whole paragraph to you because I think it's very important that we all understand it. It says, "Celebration in this connection does not mean merely festive activities. It is primarily a spiritual celebration that is called for: occasions for deep reflection on the historic importance, the uniqueness, the meaning and the efficacy of the Covenant established by Bahá’u’lláh, on the outstanding results of its influence in raising up a worldwide community comprising a great diversity of members, and on the triumph of its virtue as a unifying power. At the heart of such reflection must be contemplation of the peerless purpose, magnetic person, luminous character and exemplary acts of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center and living embodiment of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. Consciousness of the exceptional and glorious stage in humanity's evolution initiated by the Covenant, the awe such consciousness inspires and the thankful gladness it induces are of the essence of the celebration intended by the World Congress and all other events associated with this centenary. A major purpose of these events will therefore be to evoke this solemn consciousness, which is itself the wellspring of the most exquisite celebratory joy. In this spirit the commemorative activities around the world should acclaim and proclaim the Covenant as the pivotal center of unity for all humankind and illustrate its dynamic effect on the struggle, the spread and the redemptive achievements of the Bahá’í community since the passing of the Blessed Beauty." So there you have it.

The explanation of celebrations thus provided by the House of Justice has established the framework for the program and activities which will be associated with the World Congress in New York. Now, I would like to discuss with you some of the characteristics, or character, features or whatever, of the World Congress. There are three things that I'd like to highlight, and that is New York City, and the size, and the program.

NEW YORK CITY A SPECIAL PLACE

In my view, New York City is itself a special and indispensable element of this celebration. Now, time does not allow for me to relate the extraordinary and exciting circumstances on 19 June, 1912, in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá conferred this honor on New York. Shoghi Effendi refers to its importance in God Passes By and in many of his letters. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's actions in New York clearly endowed that city with unusual capacity, and He held great expectations for it.

Now it doesn't matter what our opinion is of the current state of New York; that is irrelevant. In the same way that it doesn't matter what our current opinion is of Iran in its present state of God-knows-what. Or of the Holy Land, for that matter. It is the act, the sacred acts associated with these places that endow them with such potency and such potential for the future.

Now, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had things to say about New York which will gladden your heart and give you a new perspective. In His final meeting in New York with the friends, after He had spent so many months here in this country, and in North America in general, He said this: "I have attended more meetings in New York than in all other cities combined." Can you believe this? Out of His own mouth He said this. He ought to have known what He was doing. "I have attended more meetings in New York than in all other cities combined. Day and night, individually and collectively, you have listened to the teachings and exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh. I have proclaimed..." [Page 12]unto you the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of God and explained the wishes of the Blessed Perfection. I have set forth that which is conducive to human progress and shown you the humility of servitude. The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have been clearly interpreted. The time has now come when I must leave you. Therefore, this will be our farewell meeting."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá also expressed His feelings about New York as a physical entity. He said in His first talk in New York, "I am greatly pleased with the city of New York. The harbor entrance, its piers, buildings and broad avenues are magnificent and beautiful. As New York has made such progress in material civilization, I hope that it may also advance spiritually in the Kingdom and Covenant of God so that the friends may become the cause of the illumination of America, that this city may become the city of love, and the fragrances of God may be spread from this place to all parts of the world."

In another statement, He expresses a wish that New York will become "a blessed spot from which the call to steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part of the world." To some extent this has already occurred. But just let your imagination roam for awhile, and think about all of the possibilities with modern technology, modern means of communication, and with this glorious event that is to take place there.

So, this New York is the place in which a joyful noise is to be made about the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. This noise will reverberate throughout the earth. There is no doubt about it; none whatsoever.

Another special characteristic of the World Congress will be its size. I remember when the House of Justice decided that it should be held and the time came to ask the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States to find an accommodation for the Congress, the House of Justice told the Assembly to find a place with a capacity for 30,000 to 40,000 people. So it had big numbers in mind; it still does. The fact of the matter is that after a hundred years we ought to be able to pull together at least 40,000 Bahá’ís after a hundred years—to indicate that something happened after Bahá’u’lláh left this planet.

You can imagine the daunting logistical challenge that this presents. New York City, in its present configuration and state—30,000 Bahá’ís, hotels scheduled all over town—wow!

PROGRAM A SPECIAL ELEMENT

Still another special element of the World Congress will be the program itself. The program committee appointed by the House of Justice received the following instruction. I’ll just read a part of it: "Every appropriate means of expression, whether through speech, music, or other forms of the arts or other media of communications will be employed to produce a rarefied effect worthy of the spiritual and historic occasion to be memorialized by the World Congress." So we have to have an event that is far beyond just "talking heads," however significant those heads might be.

This thing is to take place in a building which was completed after the announcement of the Holy Year, and the National Assembly didn’t have a clue that such a building was under construction at the time. And its flat space, and the space that we’ll have, is two blocks long—I mean two city blocks of New York long. And that flat space will have to be converted into an environment that will satisfy the Bahá’ís.

Well, the fascinating details of the program will become known to you in due course, but I’d like to say that the program will operate on a scale never before achieved or attempted, I should say, since it hasn’t been achieved yet—for a Bahá’í event. It will have an impact on the public no less than on the Bahá’í community itself.

As you know, national and local communities throughout the Bahá’í world have been asked by the House of Justice to hold events in relation to the World Congress, and so again we’ll have the ripple effect, we’ll have this pivotal program, and we will have this wave of activities throughout the Bahá’í world. And I’m sure that the friends everywhere will be touched by the event in New York.

The House of Justice, or the Secretariat, I should say, writing at its behest, said that "the prospect of such events should encourage the friends to study the history and meaning of the Covenant. In such study the Continental Counselors, the Auxiliary Board members and their assistants will no doubt be sources of encouragement, stimulation and assistance."

Now, one more word...time is passing and you are getting tired...one more word about the World Congress.

The first World Congress—as you know, it was held in London at the end of the Ten Year World Crusade to mark the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration—the first World Congress affirmed to the Bahá’ís themselves that their Faith was a world religion, and that they had become a world community. You have to understand what was happening then. The Ten Year Crusade was launched with 12 National Assemblies; now we have more than 12 times that number. Twelve National Assemblies! And most of the world was not yet part of the Bahá’í community; we had not touched most of the world when the Guardian launched us on this grand enterprise. And we had read in Bahá’í News and from other sources about the Bahá’ís coming in in different parts of the world and we were all excited—there were fewer pictures in those days than we have now—and we believed what we were reading but we didn’t have a live experience with it. And when we went to London, those of us who went there had absolute proof that there was a world community—that we were in fact part of a Bahá’í world. So it affirmed to the Bahá’ís themselves that their Faith is indeed a world religion.

Now, the forthcoming second World Congress, in my opinion, should affirm to the public what it has increasingly been acknowledging through various publications, and that is that the Bahá’í Faith is indeed a world religion. And if you’ve been reading any materials of late you will see that it is now variously referred to as a principal world religion or a major world religion.

PROCLAMATION AN IMPORTANT FEATURE

One thing I’d like to mention before concluding is the proclamation aspect. The Secretariat’s letter of 3 April says "an important feature of the activities of the Holy Year will be the widest possible proclamation of the Name of Bahá’u’lláh." This is very important. "As an assistance to your efforts, a statement on Bahá’u’lláh has been prepared at the request of the House of Justice by the Office of Public Information." That statement is the fruit of a lot of work and research, and went through many permutations before it came to this.

Now this is important, friends: after a hundred years, in a period of such tremendous advancement in communications technology, at least the people of tahe world should know the name of Bahá’u’lláh—at least that if nothing else. It’s very important. And so the House of Justice has called for the blazoning of His Name throughout the globe. Of course, we will have to be dignified; we shouldn’t go out of our minds and do things that are inappropriate and so on, but we must do it!

Commenting on such corollary activities, you see, as proclamation, the Universal House of Justice, in its Ridván 1991 message wrote about the wide distribution of this statement which, it said, will serve both as a source of study and inspiration for the Bahá’ís themselves and as an informative publication for presentation to the public. And they say that "in these and other ways the Community of the Greatest Name will endeavor to blazon the Name of Bahá’u’lláh across the globe to make it a known eminence in the consciousness of peoples everywhere."

You remember that statement from Bahá’u’lláh in which He says to somebody, "Mention My name amongst the great and have no fear." I’m sure you remember in The Hidden Words where it says, "Make mention of Me on My earth that in My heaven I may remember thee. Thus shall thine eyes and Mine be solaced." So, mention His Name; it’s important. In context. And properly. But mention it.

Now, friends, the events projected for the Holy Year together will be conducive to a mighty thrust in the teaching work. There is no doubt about that.

TWO OTHER EXPECTATIONS

I want to mention briefly two other expectations for this year. The anticipated publication of the Mother Book—the Book of Laws—the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; that’s on the horizon. Last Friday—let’s see if I am still thinking in the same terms—yes, it was last Friday, the members of the Universal House of Justice received from the committee reviewing the translation the complete thing for review by the House of Justice. So I can imagine when I return that there’ll be a lot of work over there. The other thing, the other expectation is, of course, the initiation of the worldwide application of the Law of Huqúqu’lláh, the Right of God. That will be part of the Holy Year experience.

So let me come quickly to my conclusion. I can say this: that so much could be crowded into so short a period underscores the potencies of our time in history. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá exclaims in one of His Tablets: "How vast is the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. How great the magnitude of His blessings showered upon humanity in this Day. And yet how poor, how inadequate our conception of their significance and glory. This generation stands too close to so colossal a Revelation to appreciate in their full measure the infinite possibilities of His Faith, the da unprecedented character of His Cause, and the mysterious dispensations of His providence." That’s ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

So these are the days, my friends, that the Prophets and the Holy Ones have wished to experience. We here, for reasons that are locked in the treasury of God’s knowledge, are alive and are here. Finally, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: "Know thou the value of these days."

Local archives get help in development

From National Archives Committee

The National Bahá’í Archives Committee is involved in a project to help some of the local Spiritual Assemblies in the United States develop their local archives.

The goal of the project is to educate communities about the value of records generated by their local assemblies, as well as the importance of personal papers, photographs and rare books that the local archives will preserve.

These records not only represent the heritage and collective memory of the American Bahá’í community, but are also of value to the proper functioning of local Spiritual Assemblies.

The Archives Committee provides guidance to local communities in several important areas:

• Cultivating an awareness of the Assembly’s responsibility to preserve Assembly records and other archival material entrusted to its care;
• encouraging Assemblies to make resources available—human, physical and financial—to properly protect and use the archives; and
• providing information about how to acquire the archival materials necessary to properly organize and maintain an archives.

The Archives Committee is encouraged by reports from several older communities with important collections of Assembly records that have already adopted active archives programs. The 1990 annual report of the Philadelphia Archives Committee, for example, reflected months of careful planning and conscientious work.

The Philadelphia Archives Committee has begun inventorying its collections, determining what materials should be permanently included in the archives. The committee has joined local archival organizations to get professional training and have prepared commemorations of Assembly and community anniversaries, as well as local archives exhibits.

It also takes a community photograph each Ridván, and keeps the community informed of new archival acquisitions and services.

Pictured are some of the participants in an Archives Workshop held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although specific communities have been chosen for the current project, the National Bahá’í Archives Committee is eager to provide help to any community wishing to start a local archives program. For more information, call Roger Dahl at the National Bahá’í Archives, 708-869-9039. [Page 13]

World News

Eighteen people embraced the Faith this year during the Adam Benke Project II teaching campaign in Bulgaria. The campaign, in which 11 Bahá’ís from around the world took part, was an initiative of the European Bahá’í Youth Council.

Canada's Ministry for Education has accepted the use of The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys as poetry for meeting governmental requirements. Students at the Maxwell International Bahá’í School memorize an extract from The Hidden Words each week as part of their English literature program. They have weekly worksheets on which to record their understanding of the metaphors and symbolism used, and they sometimes compare the metaphor or symbol with a previously studied extract. Teachers have found that the exercise stimulates students' use of their reflective and contemplative powers.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Germany reports that Bahá’ís in Kraków, Poland, met on the anniversary of the Birth of the Báb and formed their local Spiritual Assembly, the fourth in that country.

A traveling teacher who recently spent time in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, has reported that one community has built a home to serve both as a meeting place for Bahá’ís and as a guest house for traveling teachers. The community has also pledged to build a Bahá’í Center in which pre-school classes can be held. Two other villages held tree-planting ceremonies to mark future Bahá’í Centers in the name of Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for the Admiralty Islands, Violet Hoehnke. At one community school, a teacher and headmaster have become Bahá’ís, and other teachers are showing an interest in the Faith.

Seventy-seven Bahá’ís from a dozen cities and villages attended a National Teaching Conference held October 25-27 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Twelve believers came from Germany, the World Center, and the U.S. for the occasion. Also attending were Counselor Foad Kazemzadeh and Christopher Sprung, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany. Consultation, according to participants, was focused on future plans for teaching in Bulgaria, while "a public talk by John Huddleston, as well as the conference itself, attracted the attention of the media."

Bahá’ís in Hong Kong were inspired by the positive response shown by people who visited the Bahá’í exhibit at the International Book Fair held recently in that city. Many Bahá’í books in English and Chinese were displayed and sold, while other items such as T-shirts and children's paper watches were made especially for the event. More than 10,000 pamphlets and other literature were handed out to visitors, many of whom were invited to public meetings at the Bahá’í hall.

The State Minister for Religious Affairs, Professor M.A. Mannan, attended a recent conference organized by the Spiritual Assembly of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The conference theme was "Equality of Men and Women—A Prerequisite for World Peace."

As part of its campaign to create innovative teaching methods, and to bring the Faith into areas of interest of non-Bahá’ís, the Spiritual Assembly of Las Condes, Chile, in Santiago's metropolitan area, has been sponsoring a series of panel discussions at the National Bahá’í Center, each led by a Bahá’í and a non-Bahá’í speaker who are well-versed in the subject matter. Topics have included "Where Is the World Going?—A Perspective from University Youth," "Nature and the Environment," "Are We Prepared for Peace," and "Human Relations at Work." Attendance has averaged about 75 per meeting.

About 400 Bahá’ís gathered September 15 in Bussum, the Netherlands, to celebrate World Peace Day. The mayor of Bussum accepted an invitation to officially open the meeting which included three lectures on the concept of world peace and a musical/meditative program.

Also in September, 50 Bahá’ís met in Birmingham, England, for the second annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies (English-speaking Europe). The theme of the weekend conference was "New Human Values for a New World Order." The main speakers were John Twitchin of the BBC, and Bahá’í author and broadcaster Nathan Rutstein from the U.S.

भारत INDIA 6.50 नई दिल्ली हीरक जयन्ती NEW DELHI DIAMOND JUBILEE 1991

The postal service in India has depicted the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi on a postage stamp to mark the Diamond Jubilee of that city. The Temple is included on one of two stamps that show other well-known buildings in India's capital city.

Team members of the Mobile Bahá’í Institute in Zaire traveled recently to the Shaba area to teach the Faith and to deepen local Bahá’í communities. During the trip 142 people embraced the Faith, five local Assemblies were strengthened, and one new Assembly was formed.

GLOBESCOPE AMERICAS

National Assembly represented at Miami conference to map strategy for UNCED event in Rio de Janeiro

Kit Bigelow and Peter Adriance of the National Spiritual Assembly's office in Washington, D.C., represented the National Assembly at the "Globescope Americas" conference October 29-November 3 in Miami, Florida. They were joined by Craig Loehle, representing the Bahá’í International Community.

The event was sponsored by the Global Tomorrow Coalition, of which the National Spiritual Assembly is a member. Its purpose was to examine ideas and prospects for a more sustainable future and to provide input to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), planned for June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. More than 300 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took part in the conference.

AN ATTRACTIVE display was provided by the Bahá’í International Community. Representing Bahá’í development projects in the Western Hemisphere, it occupied a highly visible, central space and was a dissemination point for much Bahá’í literature and the catalyst for many teaching opportunities. Additional literature was distributed at a "Global Swap Shop" open one evening to the general public.

Ms. Bigelow spoke to an audience of about 200 the first morning as part of a panel on Religion and Ecology. Her focus was on the spiritual principles needed for a sustainable future. Many people commented on the freshness of her presentation and its positive contribution to the discussion.

All three Bahá’í representatives took part in a Religious Caucus on Saturday. Upon request, Mr. Adriance opened the meeting with a Bahá’í prayer. He also served as the moderator for the morning session's panel discussion.

The U.S. Citizens Network on the UN Conference on Environment and Development, of which Mr. Adriance is secretary, held two meetings in which he took part.

Ms. Bigelow gave the benediction at an International Banquet by reading the prayer "Blessed is the Spot." U.S. Senator Albert Gore, who sat with her at the head table, acknowledged it in his opening comments. Later that evening Ms. Bigelow presented the findings of the focus group on Development and Human Values in which she and Mr. Adriance had taken part each day.

The "Globescope Americas" meeting was one of many programs in which the National Spiritual Assembly and the Bahá’í International Community are taking active roles as concerned organizations and agencies around the world prepare for the UNCED events in 1992.

Youth take ride in a canoe

On September 7, Bahá’í youth from the Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, areas took part in a five-hour canoe ride down the Wisconsin River.

The day-long outing, designed to foster fellowship and unity among the state's younger Bahá’ís, was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Stoughton. [Page 14]

NEWS IN BRIEF

National Education Committee 'field tests' new core curriculum for grades K-6; White Plains hosts race unity forum

Seventeen women and men from across the country gathered in September at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina, for a teacher-training session to "field test" the new core curriculum for grades K-6 developed for the National Spiritual Assembly by the National Bahá’í Education Committee.

A task force of the Education Committee designed the four-part training modules so that participants would experience a wide range of teaching techniques to address a diversity of learning styles. Among the methods used were music, movement, drama, nature study, large and small groupings, consultation and meditation.

Based on the trial run, plans were made to make core curriculum teacher-training modules 1-4 available nationwide this winter.

The second annual "Building Bridges Between Blacks and Whites" race unity forum was held November 9 in White Plains, New York, with the five members of the National Spiritual Assembly's Race Unity Committee among the more than 200 people taking part.

Joy Cross, a member of that committee, was the keynote speaker, pointing out that it is "the heartfelt responsibility of every Bahá’í...to create a world at one.

The forum was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of White Plains in cooperation with the Bahá’ís of Greenburgh and Scarsdale. Others attending included the executive director of the White Plains Human Rights Commission, the president of the local Rotary Club, a member of the White Plains African-American Men, and a former city councilman.

During the event, copies of the National Spiritual Assembly's statement, "The Vision of Race Unity," were given to each of those in the audience.

"Our greatest minds have sought only material solutions (to racial disunity)," said panelist Sylvester Scott, a Bahá’í from California. "If we acknowledge that it is a spiritual problem, then we can understand the need for religion, because spiritual values originate with religion."

After the event, about 80 of those in the audience—including a number of non-Bahá’ís—attended a reception and buffet at the home of local Bahá’ís. The forum received front-page coverage in The Reporter Dispatch, Westchester County's largest daily newspaper.

Dr. Rick Johnson, director of the Louhelen Bahá’í School, has appointed Kim Meilicke Douglas and Duane L. Herrmann as a steering committee to administer the Robert Hayden Poetry Fellowship.

The Fellowship was established at Louhelen as a memorial to the late Robert Hayden to promote writing and the development of poetry in the Bahá’í community. Mr. Hayden, an award-winning author of several books of poetry, was the first black to be named poet-in-residence at the U.S. Library of Congress.

Five promising poets have so far received Louhelen Fellowships, which are open to all poets in the early stages of their careers who have little or no published works to their credit.

The qualifications include evidence of potential and seriousness of intent. Submissions for this year's Fellowship must be postmarked by the first Day of Ridván, April 21, and must include three copies each of five poems, typed and dated but unsigned. An unsigned letter of application must accompany the poems. A cover letter can identify the applicant and his/her poetry submissions.

The address for more detailed information or to send one's application is Hayden Poetry Fellowship, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48432.

Both steering committee members, Mrs. Douglas and Mr. Herrmann, are recipients of the Hayden Fellowship who served as poets-in-residence at Louhelen in 1988 and 1989, respectively.

Dr. Robert Stockman, director of the Research Department of the U.S. Bahá’í National Center, joined 30 Bahá’í scholars from across the United Kingdom for a three-day meeting of the Religious Studies Seminar of the Association for Bahá’í Studies for English Speaking Europe at the end of November.

Dr. Stockman presented a paper titled "American Bahá’í Identity, 1894-1921," describing the development of American Bahá’í understanding of the nature of the Faith, and categorizing the types of people who became Bahá’ís in that period according to their religious and social interests.

LIGHTS OF DISTINCTION

Bahá’í communities in the New Orleans area designated 20 of the Faith's oldest living members 'Lights of Distinction' at a special celebration held September 14 in Kenner, Louisiana. The honorees, ranging in age from 70 to 97 years, include some of the earliest members of the Faith in the U.S. and the New Orleans area. Mrs. Florence Hanson of Long Beach, Mississippi, the eldest of the honorees at 97, was recognized for more than 70 years of service to the Faith. Mrs. Olivia (Lee) Blackwell, 81, was honored for 50 years as a member of the Faith including service as a representative to the United Nations and as chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of New Orleans. Others designated 'Lights of Distinction' were: from Louisiana, Grace Bulboaca, 84, Shreveport; Thelma Grandison, 83, Gretna; Dr. Kaykhosrow Rasti, 80, Baton Rouge; Shirin Yazadani, 74, Thibodeaux; Mary Ampey, 73, Baton Rouge; Lena Amato, 72, New Orleans; Nicholas Amato, 72, New Orleans; Mildred (Millie) Fradella, 71, Slidell; and Freda Roff, 71, Baton Rouge; and from Mississippi, Evelyn Hardin, 87, Meridian; Ralph Campbell, 81, Jackson; Allen Irving, 78, Honey Springs; Ethelyn Campbell, 77, Jackson; Frank Johnson, 75, Madison; Herman Fowlkes, 72, Jackson; Virginia Johnson, 72, Madison; Marie Bruce, 71, Jackson; and Fred Baker Sr., 70, Diamond Head.

EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS

MARY FURLET, a Bahá’í from Dallas, Texas, was recently profiled in the Dallas Times-Herald for her nearly 40 years of volunteer service to such groups as the Lighthouse for the Blind, Doctors Nursing Center, and as a tutor for the Dallas chapter of Literacy Volunteers of America.

JOHN DANESH, a 23-year-old Bahá’í who formerly lived in Oklahoma and is now in his final year at Otago University Medical School in New Zealand, has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. Mr. Danesh, who has recorded the highest grades in the history of Otago University, has earned more than 25 academic scholarships and prizes. He has won national debating titles in New Zealand, Australia and the U.S., hosts a weekly national television program, has been a member of several peace delegations sponsored by the government of New Zealand and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, has lectured on peace in such countries as Japan, France and Sweden, and in 1986 was named New Zealand's Young Writer of the Year, having authored works in such journals as Religious Studies, The New Zealand International Review, World Order magazine, and The Journal of Bahá’í Studies.

RACHEL SHAW, a 17-year-old Bahá’í who is a senior at Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida, recently took part in "America's Young Woman of the Year" competition. She received the academic achievement award and was chosen to represent her school in the county competition.

RICHARD V. BAPTISTE, a Bahá’í who attends Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Massachusetts, has been named a U.S. National Collegiate Award winner in human services by the U.S. Achievement Academy and will be listed in the Academy's yearbook, published nationally.

KIYOMI MERCADANTE, a 14-year-old Bahá’í from Richmond, Virginia, has been chosen to be a member of the Student Company of the Richmond Ballet, the state ballet of Virginia. Ms. Mercadante is an honor roll student at her high school.

TINA MARIE WILLETT, a Bahá’í who attends Everett (Washington) Community College, has been named Outstanding Student 1990-91 in Human Services. While working toward an associate degree in arts and sciences, she contributed more than 300 hours of community service as a Deaconess Children's Home volunteer. She is now studying to earn a degree in nursing.

KRISPIN LEYDON, a 15-year-old Bahá’í who is a freshman at George School, a private Quaker boarding school in Newtown, Pennsylvania, has won the school's $20,000 Centennial Scholarship for 1991. The scholarship, which will pay $5,000 a year toward Krispin's tuition for the next four years, is awarded to a student who demonstrates academic achievement, motivation, integrity, leadership, writing skills and community involvement.

MACAU

These presentations were followed by a call for settlers for China, with 64 individuals spontaneously arising to serve throughout that land before the close of the Holy Year.

Many of the local Bahá’ís and pioneers joined conference participants for a Chinese banquet at which a number of prominent individuals and leading officials of Macau were guests of the Bahá’ís. Musical presentations, a Chinese poetry reading, and a talk on Chinese principles and the Bahá’í teachings interspersed the courses.

A teaching campaign entitled "The South China Teaching Campaign" was announced, as a joint effort of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, with the goal of bringing ever larger numbers of active Chinese supporters into the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in Macau and Hong Kong during the Holy Year.

Following the conference some of the participants stayed on to record a video tape (in English) dealing with specific topics and concepts that frequently arise in Chinese teaching, to help Bahá’í communities around the world improve the effectiveness of their presentations. [Page 15]more grounded we are in Bahá’í education, the more universal participation there will be, and so on.

At the outset of the Plan the National Spiritual Assembly set the expectation that our progress would be reviewed periodically and our priorities modified as necessary.

In the U.S. there has been important activity in every one of the major objectives. Since the midway point of the Plan, however, the National Spiritual Assembly has directed that special emphasis be placed on vastly increased enrollments, the maturation of the institutions, Fund development, and Bahá’í education. This has been done, in large part due to close analysis of community activity and a shift of emphasis from locally set goals to goals established for a great number of communities by the National Assembly, first in the Fund and later in teaching.

With these points in mind, the most practical way to report the vast array of activities and intiatives undertaken in our community is to examine them as they apply to each of the goals of the Plan.

1. Carrying the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the generality of mankind.

This goal embraces many approaches. There are those that involve teaching, pioneering, proclamation, public information and external affairs; and those that result from our involvement in the life of society and our pursuit of projects for social and economic development, among others.

TEACHING

The increasing maturity of our institutions that set the tone for the Six Year Plan has been the key to a dramatic change in our approach to teaching in the short period of time since its inception:

• The opening of the Plan saw more than 130 teaching projects of varying durations, a significant number of which were focused on minority populations. The "Trail of Light" campaign in California was held in preparation for the International Peace Conference in San Francisco. The "Spirit of the Roses" project was undertaken in response to the gift of 189 roses from the Iranian friends, each rose symbolizing one of the believers martyred since the 1979 revolution. The project emphasized reflection on the spirit of sacrifice in teaching and support of the funds.

WE ARE FLOWERS FONE GARDEN BAHÁ’Í FAITH

• The second year of the Plan coincided with the 75th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America. Unity Picnics were held in honor of this historic occasion at the Wilhelm property in Teaneck, New Jersey, and in hundreds of communities across the country. Teaching and proclamation of the Faith were essential aspects of these events.

Dr. Peter Kahn, a member of the Universal House of Justice, addresses one of 18 'Vision to Victory' conferences called by the National Spiritual Assembly during the Six Year Plan, this one in New York City.

• On the national level, the Master's visit was remembered at the annual convention of the NAACP. A number of other commemorations were held including one at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, over whose cornerstone ceremony ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had presided while in this country.

• Inspired by the example set by the Center of the Covenant, teaching activities of all kinds were accelerated. Presentations of "The Promise of World Peace" became more frequent, and other proclamations and teaching events were held to focus on specific issues such as race unity and the equality of the sexes. The number of personal and community firesides increased by more than 50 percent that year, and the number of traveling teachers rose from 100 to 700.

• Meanwhile, efforts were made to promote greater unity of thought on teaching. Collaboration among national committees, such as the National Teaching Committee, the National Chinese Teaching Committee, the American Indian Teaching Committee and the National Youth Committee was increased. Other committees, including the National Race Unity Committee and the National Committee on Women, shifted their focus to more direct teaching efforts. A National Conference on Growth was held, which, together with its spinoff conferences in several areas of the country, pushed forward a program of nationwide consultation on teaching. Publications such as "The Word of God," a deepening booklet on teaching based on the Sacred Writings, and "Building Unity of Thought on Teaching" also fostered a process whereby individuals, local communities and national institutions worked ever more closely together toward the goal of large-scale expansion.

Bahá’ís from the Dallas, Texas, area assemble at the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Center after taking part in a Race Unity Day march.

• In 1988 four areas of the country were chosen as prospective sites for large-scale growth: Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; San Jose, California; and Massachusetts. The National Assembly designated them as "target areas" for growth, urged them to redouble their efforts to increase the number of new believers, and challenged the rest of the country to emulate their example. The National Assembly, the National Teaching Committee and the Board of Counselors committed their time and resources to the task as well, in the hope that these areas would blaze a trail for the rest of the country to follow.

• It soon became apparent that whatever successes took place in the four targeted areas were due in large part to focusing efforts on specific groups of people, especially minorities. Moreover, they showed the value of both persistent effort and follow-up work. Communities elsewhere, not wanting to be left out of the excitement, quickly caught on to these concepts, and before long began to see victories of their own, in some cases vying with the leading centers of teaching in numbers of new believers.

• To further stimulate activity, the National Assembly sponsored a series of 18 "Vision to Victory" conferences across the country. Their purpose, in addition to inspiring the believers to rise to the challenge of teaching "on a scale and of a quality, variety and intensity outstripping all current efforts," was to deepen the friends on the significance of the Arc project, declared by the House of Justice to be "intimately related" to the teaching work. The conferences also ushered in a two-year period of "intensive sacrifice and action in service to the Cause" called for by the National Assembly, from Ridván 1988 until Ridván 1990. The "Vision to Victory" conferences were the latest in the succession of efforts at ongoing and sustained consultation between the local and national institutions of the Faith that had occurred since the town meetings at the beginning of the Plan.

During the Plan literally hundreds of teaching projects and institutes have been initiated, each benefiting to some extent from the experiences of the others. Of special value have been the services of the Continental Counselors, Auxiliary Board members and their assistants who have provided support and inspiration to the friends in virtually every case.

Increasing attention has been paid to minority teaching during the Plan. Of special importance have been institutes focusing on African-Americans, American Indians, Chinese, Hispanics and Southeast Asians. The following are some areas that have been particularly successful:

• Blacks: Portland, Oregon; Lake Okeechobee, Florida; Harlem, New York; Twin Lake, Michigan; the Pee Dee region of South Carolina; and Griffin and Marietta, Georgia.
• American Indians: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bemidji, Minnesota; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho; the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon; and the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
• Chinese: communities in California, Massachusetts and Texas have been quite active; there has also been much activity on university campuses, especially in the "Big Ten" schools of the Midwest. A National Chinese Teaching Committee was appointed during the Plan to address this high-priority goal.
• Hispanics: Avondale, Arizona; Woodburn, Oregon; Glendale, California; Providence, Rhode Island; and Anthony, New Mexico.
• Southeast Asians: Sacramento, San Jose and Stockton, California; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS

One of the most important trends in the evolution of our teaching over the past several years has been a growing understanding of the nature and purpose of teaching institutes. Today there are an estimated 1,000 institutes in the country, each focusing on a specific population with whom the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are shared.

Not all institutes target minorities; some center on persons of similar social or academic interests, or bend their energies toward reaching individuals devoted to specific areas of concern, such as racism or the equality of men and women. They are an effective means of teaching. [Page 16]carrying the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to humankind because they systematically focus the spiritual energies and material resources of a core group of believers and allow for the "unity in diversity of actions" called for by the Universal House of Justice.

Many believers, of all ages and backgrounds, have taken part in or started institutes that are suited to their own capacities and inclinations. Meanwhile, communities of widely divergent resources have adopted plans that cater to their own regional needs. The institutes that already exist are reaching literally every stratum of society, and are opening up tremendous opportunities for the involvement of the Faith in progressive activities with non-Bahá’í groups.

The key to successful institutes is sustained activity over long periods. There are several areas where institutes have been going strong for a couple of years, such as the Okeechobee region of Florida, the Bay area of San Francisco, and the Woodburn, Oregon, area.

These long-term institutes, committed to the goal of entry by troops, cooperate closely with the Auxiliary Boards, the local institutions and the National Spiritual Assembly. They take advantage of the energy and enthusiasm of the youth and children and train new believers to become dedicated and deepened teachers of the Faith.

The ongoing teaching institutes represent a new development in the Faith in this country. Although we have yet to experience sustained, large-scale growth here—in fact, the rate of enrollments has barely increased since the beginning of the Plan—the seeds are being assiduously planted now, and the implications for future growth are encouraging.

Following are some other noteworthy developments:

• Full-time teaching teams have arisen in four states to carry forward the teaching work. These teams are either self-supporting or are funded in large measure by a sponsoring institution in the area they serve. Some concentrate on a single area; others are itinerant. The number of full-time traveling teachers has also increased.

• Especially remarkable has been the steadily growing involvement of youth and children, evolving from the Campaign of Unified Action to the Youth Year of Service and then the Bahá’í Youth Service Corps. There is almost no ongoing teaching project in the country that is not benefiting from their energy and wonderful spirit of service to Bahá’u’lláh. Most of the full-time teachers are youth; other young people are expanding their high school and college activities, focusing their efforts on winning the goals of the Plan.

• There has been a noticeable increase in the participation of American Indian believers in the teaching work.

ARTS AID IN TEACHING

• The greater consciousness of the arts as a medium for teaching and proclamation is apparent. Among the best examples of this are the showing of the play "Tahirih," produced by the Louhelen Bahá’í School, in Flint, Detroit and Indianapolis; the growing number of youth workshops that incorporate music, dance and drama to teach the Faith to their peers; the rise in international traveling teachers who use music and art in their presentation of the Faith; and the growing number of Bahá’í conferences on the arts, which include discussions on teaching through art and music.

• The Native American Bahá’í Institute, the Louis G. Gregory Institute, the permanent Bahá’í schools and the regional schools have all contributed greatly to training teachers of Bahá’í classes and deepening new believers, by providing high quality curricula to the friends.

• There has been more attention given to the life and station of Bahá’u’lláh in teaching, as opposed to an earlier emphasis on teaching by the principles of the Faith alone. The National Assembly has repeatedly stressed the need to connect hearts with Bahá’u’lláh, an assertion that has been validated by experiences in all the areas where growth is taking place; and this new emphasis was given further impetus by the recent publication of the statement on Bahá’u’lláh at the request of the House of Justice.

Whatever progress has been made in the our teaching work is due in no small measure to a few precious souls for whose unforgettable contributions we must remain eternally grateful:

The Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem, who passed away in November 1986, in the first year of the Plan. We owe a great deal of our strength as a community to his devoted efforts during the two and one-half decades he lived in this country, during which he set a high standard for service and wholehearted devotion to the Cause. His memory serves as an inspiration to all those who knew him and to lovers of Bahá’u’lláh everywhere.

• The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, one of the last "remnants" of the Guardian and a "standard-bearer" of the Cause of God, who has set an inspiring example of heroic sacrifice in Plan after Plan. Most recently he arose, in spite of grave physical infirmity, to visit five of the most promising areas of teaching in the country, inspiring the entire community with his vision, his love, and his words of encouragement.

The members of the Continental Board of Counselors and the Auxiliary Board, who have given freely of their time and energy to fulfill their arduous duties on behalf of the Faith. They have participated fully and frequently in local and national conferences, schools and institutes; have met with the friends in virtually every community in the country; and have lent their invaluable support to the administrative institutions in every phase of their activities.

The late H. Borrah Kavelin, who spent the evening of his life, after his retirement from membership on the Universal House of Justice, in constant service to his Lord. Returning to live in the the U.S. in the summer of 1988, he planned a six-city tour of the country to promote the teaching work. After a successful visit to Boston he proceeded to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where, becoming seriously ill, he video taped a presentation from his hospital bed for the local believers. That tape was also shown at the Northwest Conference in Seattle a short time later. Mr. Kavelin returned to his residence in New Mexico, where he passed away on December 18.

David Hofman, retired member of the House of Justice, who is presently in the midst of a third tour of North America. In 1989 Mr. Hofman visited the four "target areas" and took part in many of the "Vision to Victory" conferences. A knowledgeable and powerful speaker, Mr. Hofman has granted many interviews for newspapers, radio and television. Since last December he has been busily involved in teaching the Faith in this part of the world and in helping the friends to become better teachers.

• And Counselor Magdalene Carney, a member of the International Teaching Center, whose prayers, words and deeds were a source of courage and inspiration to us all, and who devoted the last days of her earthly life to us in a tour that took her through every area of the country. Especially memorable was her participation at the Louis G. Gregory Institute's annual Peace Fest in 1991, where she presented the Louis G. Gregory Award for humanitarian service less than a month before her death in Haifa.

THE MOTHER TEMPLE OF THE WEST

About one million people have visited the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette since the beginning of the Plan. A significant number of them were from foreign countries. Those visiting the holiest House of Worship in the world had access to:

• An improved visitors' center and bookstore, which offers literature in many languages and on a variety of subjects;
• regular firesides in English and Spanish;
• special talks and presentations on race unity, peace, equality of the sexes, and a number of other topics;
• video presentations on the House of Worship in India and on "The Promise of World Peace";
• forums for the discussion of current social and religious issues; and
• a variety of interfaith activities.

Other recent highlights include:

• The visits, on separate occasions, of the Hmong Buddhist High Priest for Thailand, the wife of the President of Guyana, the former President of Costa Rica, and the Indian Ambassador to the United States;
• the filming of a documentary on the Faith by a Soviet film crew, shot partially in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár;
• visits by other foreign dignitaries and travelers, often at the recommendation of their consulates; and
• an increasing number of tours given to groups of businessmen, scholars, students, government officials, religious organizations and special interest associations. This has occurred for the most part as a result of the efforts of the Bahá’í House of Worship staff.

It would be difficult to overstate the role that the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár plays in promoting the Cause of God. It is a mighty instrument for teaching, an increasingly prominent symbol of goodwill, and the source of inestimable spiritual blessings for the Bahá’í community and the entire nation.

Bahá’í entertainer Red Grammer appears with some of his favorite people—a group of young children—at the celebration in Teaneck, New Jersey, of the 75th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic visit to North America in 1912.

PIONEERING AND TEACHING OVERSEAS

The U.S. Bahá’í community has been responsible for important contributions to the international teaching work ever since the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. During the Six Year Plan hundreds of Bahá’ís have left the country for pioneering service or as traveling teachers, bringing the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh to their destinations and to their home community.

• As of this writing, 241 pioneers have left in fulfillment of 66 of the 77 goals assigned to us by the Universal House of Justice at the beginning of the Plan.
• Another 416 have left for non-goal areas, or to fulfill the goals of other National Assemblies.

In all, there are about 1,500 American pioneers in the field.

• Just over two years ago the House of Justice assigned a new category of goal to our community, asking that we provide 708 months of "short-term" pioneer service in various countries. Of these, 346 have been fulfilled.
• More than 1,500 people have taken some 2,000 teaching trips to more than 100 countries. Some special examples are:

The "Trail of Light" trips to the Saami (Lapp) country of Scandinavia, in which American Indian believers used shared cultural values as a means of teaching the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

• The public proclamation of the Faith throughout the USSR by various teaching teams and individuals and through Bahá’í participation in professional seminars. The support of the American believers has accelerated the formation of Bahá’í Groups and local Assemblies throughout that area.

• The consolidation and teaching efforts in the Falklands and in the Turks and Caicos Islands, goals assigned to us by the House of Justice. Great forward strides have been made in each of these remote areas.

• The heavy involvement of American Bahá’ís in the teaching in Guyana, which has been tremendously successful. The number of believers in that country has risen significantly.

[Page 17]There is still a need for more international traveling teachers to specific areas to meet our goals for the Plan.

The most extraordinary development in many years has been the opening of great regions of the world to the Faith, namely the USSR, Eastern Europe, China and Mongolia. American believers joined Bahá’ís from around the world who rushed wholeheartedly into this new arena of service.

In response to these extraordinary opportunities, our community adopted a special Two Year Plan which began at Ridván 1990. Since then 74 long-term pioneers have left to fulfill 33 of the 53 goals of that Plan. Also, 594 traveling teachers have made their way to these areas to proclaim and teach the Cause of God.

The Hand of God has brought about revolutionary changes on the world scene and in the fortunes of the Faith. Countries that had virtually no believers only two years ago now have their own National Spiritual Assemblies, and many more will soon have them. Time will tell exactly how significant this progress has been, as we move closer to the emergence of the Lesser Peace.

PROCLAMATION

In proclaiming the Faith to the public we have engaged in a seemingly infinite variety of activities on the local, national and global levels. The full spectrum of possibilities has been covered and the Faith brought to the attention of unprecedented numbers of people through:

• the hundreds of Race Unity celebrations held annually in more and more communities;
• the growing influence and popularity of Bahá’í programming at WLGI;
• our sponsorship of race unity efforts, such as the annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday;
• our support of the International Year of Peace from the grassroots to the United Nations;
• our dissemination of 180,000 copies of "The Promise of World Peace" and of 150,000 copies of "The Vision of Race Unity" to leaders of government, leaders of thought, and the general public;
• an increase in the number of articles about the Faith appearing in local and national media, from an average of 2,000 to 3,800 per year. The content of the articles has also changed a great deal, from a focus early in the Plan on the persecutions in Iran to an emphasis on Bahá’u’lláh and the teachings of the Faith. The efforts of public information representatives and other believers have contributed greatly to this change; and
• an endless series of events from meetings with mayors to presentations to Congress.

Pictured with their teachers are some of the young Bahá’ís who have embraced the Faith in recent months in the Griffin, Georgia, area.

The gains we have seen as a result of proclamation of the Faith make for fascinating study, related as they are to the tragic persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and resulting, among other things, in a vastly increased involvement of the Faith in the life of society.

In Part Two of this series we will elaborate on this issue, with special emphasis on external affairs.

SUMMARY

In its letter to the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Sharaf (December 31, 1991), the National Spiritual Assembly called our attention to the perplexingly low levels of enrollments we have seen during the Six Year Plan in spite of the new heights scaled in proclamation and teaching activities.

WILMETTE SISTER CITIES: Bahá’ís from the greater Chicago area take part in a Walk for Race Unity held last June in Wilmette, Illinois.

Stating its absolute conviction that the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is the only remedy for the steady descent of the world into chaos, the National Assembly pointed out that the community "is, as yet, too small to exert a significant influence in the reshaping of society and the salvation of its members."

The National Assembly expressed its confidence that "the continuing rise in teaching activities is a prelude to great victories," and, echoing the words of the House of Justice, appealed to every American Bahá’í, "at this critical moment in the destiny of the Cause and of humankind, to make a supreme effort to gather the as yet unharvested victories in the fast-fleeting days remaining in the Six Year Plan."

Next issue: Carrying the Message of Bahá’u’lláh through external affairs.

LETTERS

"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions."—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any topic of general interest. The purpose of the "letters" column is to allow a free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, never to denigrate another's views or to attack anyone personally. Opinions expressed in these columns are those of the writers, and are not necessarily those of the National Spiritual Assembly or the editors. Letters should be as brief as possible (a 250-word maximum is suggested) and are subject to editing for length and style. Please address all letters to The Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

God rewards us ‘four-fold’

To the Editor:

I just finished reading the Canadian compilation on Huqúqu’lláh, and was filled with more love and appreciation for Bahá’u’lláh than ever.

When I was 12, a Christian evangelist challenged us to give to God till it hurt, saying God would reward us four-fold for the giving.

I placed my 50 cents allowance in the offering plate without question, and waited. Within two weeks a distant aunt whom I'd never met sent me, from New York, a $2 bill. This proved to me, for all time, that God does reward one four-fold.

From that time on I've always doggedly given 10 percent to God, first. I have never wanted for anything, financially or spiritually, for I know that handling money carefully and well is at the heart of spirituality.

In the compilation on Huqúqu’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh says, many times over and in many ways, "The advantages gained from this deed revert to the persons themselves. However, the acceptance of the offerings dependeth on the spirit of joy, fellowship and contentment that the righteous souls who fulfill this injunction will manifest. (p. 2)

The primary motive for giving can't be the expectation of increasing one's income; it must forever and always be a sincere love for and gratitude to God for His blessings, and a commitment to be a good steward of any money we might receive.

Jan M. Goucher Spencer, Oklahoma

On backbiting, forgiveness

To the Editor:

I am writing to thank Jay Strain of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for his constructive insights (November) into my letter in the September issue of The American Bahá’í about supermarket tabloids. While it was never my intention to find fault with anyone, the letter, I fear, may have been construed by some as serving that purpose. Therefore, if I have offended anyone for writing it, I would like to apologize for doing so.

Having said this, I still believe that gossip and backbiting are insidious evils that must be overcome. At the same time, I must learn to concentrate on the virtues and blessings of others—wherever and whenever I encounter them.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke well when He said, "If a man has 10 good qualities and one bad one, look at the 10 and forget the one; and if a man has 10 bad qualities and one good one, look at the one and forget the 10."

Michael G. Lechner Dallas, Oregon

Use our Bahá’í resources

To the Editor:

I am a Bahá’í who is experiencing financial troubles. The Writings teach us that such problems aren't permanent, and that it is important to rely on God for our needs to be met (The Hidden Words, Persian, No. 51).

I decided that since I could not give money, I would perform services at various Bahá’í events. I served food, helped clean up, taught children's classes, baby-sat, etc. I think I benefited more from giving service in some form than I did when I was financially secure.

Also, I know that if I need help or guidance, I know I can depend on the local Assembly to help. Recently, for example, I was given a scholarship to enable me to attend a Bahá’í winter school.

What I am saying is that the resources of the Bahá’í community are out there—we simply have to take advantage of them. I have found most Bahá’ís to be understanding and helpful once they are told of and understand my situation.

I have also learned what is important in my life and what is not.

Ann Danehower Norman, Oklahoma [Page 18]... سراسر جهان بالغ بر ۵ میلیون کرده‌اند. پیشرفت‌های امری در سطح بین‌المللی به شرح زیر است: — ادامه امور ساختمانی بناهای قوس در کوه کرمل، — ترجمه کتاب مستطاب اقدس، — آشنا ساختن احباء با حکم محکم ”حقوق‌الله“، — طرح و اجرای صدها برنامه توسعه و عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی، — بهبود روابط با دول گوناگون.

اما کارهای نکرده نیز بسیار است. بیت‌العدل اعظم انذار فرموده‌اند که مبادا پیروزی‌های حاصله ما را چنان شادمان سازد که از دستیابی به پیروزی‌های آینده یا تحقق بخشیدن به اهدافی که هنوز انجام نیافته غفلت ورزیم.

در زمینه افزایش تازه‌تصدیقان نه تنها توفیقی به دست نیامده که حتی سرعت افزایش تعداد آنان از زمان آغاز نقشه در حد توقف بوده است. تعداد محافل روحانی نیز نسبت به همان زمان کاهش فاحش یافته به طوری که ۳۰۰ محفل روحانی را از دست داده‌ایم. اوضاع صندوق‌های ملی و بین‌المللی نیز رو به خرابی است و نسبت به سال گذشته از مبلغ تبرعات یاران کاسته شده است.

حضرت ولی امرالله برقراری صلح اصغر را همزمان با اتمام ساختمان‌های قوس و تحکیم اساس محافل روحانی ملی پیش‌بینی فرموده‌اند. تغییراتی که در اوضاع سیاسی جهان رخ داده، حاکی از آن است که امکان برقراری صلح اصغر در آینده‌ای نزدیک حاصل شده است. به همین جهت است که در حال حاضر تبرعات به صندوق امری اهمیت ویژه‌ای به خود گرفته است. آنچه می‌توان برای بهبود اوضاع انجام داد به طور خلاصه عبارت است از: — فعالیت بیشتر در امور امری از طریق شور و مذاکره و با در نظر داشتن اصل ”وحدت در کثرت“، — افزایش مبلغ تبرعات به صندوق‌های امری، — تأکید بر شخص و مقام خاص حضرت بهاءالله در حین تبلیغ امر مبارک.

— شرکت احباء در کنفرانس‌های گوناگون درباره صلح و عدالت اجتماعی و برابری نژادی و مشکلات محیط زیست و جز آنها، — اعزام نمایندگان بهائی به ”کنفرانس آمریکائیان و چینیان درباره امور زنان“، — شرکت نمایندگان محفل روحانی ملی در جلسات سازمان ملل متحد مربوط به محیط زیست، — همکاری نزدیک با ”مرکز مارتین لوتر کینگ برای تغییرات اجتماعی بدون توسل به خشونت“ در آتلانتا، — انعقاد کنفرانس‌های گوناگون درباره مسائل مختلفی چون صلح جهانی، مسائل مربوط به زنان، توسعه و عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی.

تعدادی پروژه مربوط به عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی در دست اجراست. در سطح ملی، دفتر امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی و دفتر امور پناهندگان و لجنهٔ نابینایان و ناشنوایان کمک‌های شایانی به گسترش برنامه‌های عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی کرده‌اند. همچنین تعدادی از احباء برنامه‌هائی برای مناطق سرخپوست‌نشین تهیه دیده‌اند که شامل کمک‌های بشردوستانه به ساکنان است.

رشد روحانی

اساس امر بهائی درک تعالیم حضرت بهاءالله و اجرای آن است. به همین جهت بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی اهمیت تربیت امری و نشر آثار بهائی و رشد روحانی را به تأکید یادآوری فرموده است. فهرستی از دست‌آوردهای جامعه امری از لحاظ رشد روحانی در زیر درج می‌گردد: — افزایش تعداد مدارس و کلاس‌های بهائی، — شرکت ۳۵۰۰۰ نفر از احباء در کلاس‌های تزئید معلومات امری، — تأکید بر اهمیت تربیت امری نوجوانان، — تهیهٔ مواد دروس اخلاقی برای نونهالان ۶ تا ۱۲ سال توسط لجنه ملی تربیت امری که در سال جاری منتشر خواهد شد، — گسترش فعالیت‌های لجنهٔ ملی زنان و لجنهٔ ملی وحدت نژادی، — تجدید چاپ آثار مبارکه، — تهیه فهرست مفصل آثار حضرت بهاءالله، — تهیه راهنمای محافل روحانی محلی، — تدوین دائرة‌المعارف کوچک امری که قرار است در سال جاری منتشر شود.

بلوغ جامعه امری

محفل روحانی ملی اقدامات مهمی برای کمک به بلوغ و کارآئی جامعه امری و مؤسسات آن صورت داده است که فهرست کلی آن و همچنین پیشرفت‌های حاصله در زمینه رشد روحانی در زیر درج می‌گردد: — تهیهٔ برنامهٔ تحکیم اساس محفل روحانی محلی، — گسترش دامنه فعالیت‌های دفتر تحقیق، — گسترش دفتر ”امور اداری جامعه امری“ و ”دفتر روابط عمومی“ و ”دفتر امین صندوق ملی“، — بهبود ارتباط محفل ملی و جامعه از طریق نوارهای ویدیو ”اخبار امری“ و نشریهٔ ”امریکن بهائی“، — افزایش تبرعات به دفتر امین صندوق ملی و در نتیجه ارسال مبلغ تقبل شده به مرکز جهانی، — ادامهٔ فعالیت‌های مربوط به مرمت مشرق‌الاذکار، — خرید املاک برای حظیرة‌القدس در جزائر فاکلند، — بهبود اوضاع مدارس و مؤسسات آموزشی بهائی، — شرکت حدود ۱۳۰۰ محفل روحانی محلی در برنامه‌های مربوط به کمک به صندوق ملی.

سهم افراد

پیشرفت جامعه امری و دستیابی به پیروزی‌های روحانی آینده در تحلیل نهائی بر عهده افراد است. افرادی که با جلوه‌گر ساختن تعالیم امری در حیات فردی و اجتماعی خود می‌توانند اهداف امری را متحقق سازند. در اینجا سزاوار است یاران ایران را در نظر آوریم و رفتار و شیوه آن دلدادگان جان‌برکف را ‎نهاده را ‎ سرمشق حیات خود قرار دهیم. شکی نیست که آنچه جمال قدم برای عالم خواسته به ظهور خواهد پیوست، اگر نه به دست این نسل به دست نسل‌های آینده اما با صرف همت و هزینه بیشتر. به قول نعیم: ”دیگر این بسته به آن همت والای شماست.“

روابط نژادی در آیووا

Race Relations in Iowa به تازگی حوادث ناگواری مبنی بر تعصبات نژادی در ایالت آیووا رخ داده که توجه جراید و رسانه‌های گروهی را به خود جلب کرده است. این رویدادها باعث شده که جامعه بهائی آن ایالت واکنش مثبتی در برابر این بیماری مزمن اجتماعی نشان دهد.

احبای آیووا که مصمم بوده‌اند اصل وحدت عالم انسانی را به همگان در عمل نشان دهند به نیروهای مترقی مخالف تبعیضات و تعصبات نژادی پیوستند و نسخه‌هائی از بیانیه محفل روحانی ملی ”چشم‌انداز وحدت نژادی“ را در میان ساکنان آن ایالت توزیع کردند.

یکی از عوامل رویدادهای ناگواری که پیش آمده رکود اقتصادی آن ایالت است. بسیار اتفاق می‌افتد که هنگامی که اوضاع اقتصادی وخیم می‌شود و مردم از لحاظ مالی تحت فشار قرار می‌گیرند، به دنبال محملی بگردند و تقصیر وخامت اوضاع را بر عهدهٔ اقلیت‌ها بگذارند. به نظر می‌رسد که برخی از اهالی آیووا نیز در دام همین بهانه نامقبول افتاده‌اند و با اینکه تعداد اقلیت‌ها در آن ایالت اندک است، سیاهپوستان را باعث بدی اوضاع اقتصادی می‌دانند. به همین دلیل دیری است که برخی از سیاهپوستان در بعضی از شهرهای آیووا مورد اذیت و اهانت و اعمال خشونت‌زا قرار گرفته‌اند.

احبای آیووا نیز از راه‌های مختلفی برای مبارزه با آزار سیاهپوستان وارد میدان شده‌اند. بدین منظور نسخه‌هائی از بیانیه وحدت نژادی محفل روحانی ملی را به برخی از رهبران دینی و اولیای مدارس اهداء کردند و در یک راهپیمائی که در روز ۲۴ نوامبر سال ۱۹۹۱ در یکی از شهرهای آن ایالت صورت گرفت، شرکت جستند. یکی از جراید آیووا نیز مصاحبه‌ای با یکی از احباء انجام داد که متن آن منتشر گردید.

واکنش اولیای امور نسبت به بیانیه محفل روحانی ملی عموماً مثبت بوده است. در ماه دسامبر سال ۱۹۹۱ جناب دکتر رابرت هندرسن، منشی محفل روحانی ملی به اتفاق اعضای لجنهٔ ملی نشر نفحات و لجنهٔ وحدت نژادی با ۴۰ نفر از احبای آیووا ملاقات کردند و درباره فعالیت‌هائی که یاران آن ایالت در قبال حل مشکلات نژادی انجام داده‌اند، مذاکراتی به عمل آوردند.

از جمله پیشنهاداتی که به احباء شده این بود که با افرادی که مورد آزار قرار گرفته‌اند ملاقات به عمل آید و با آنان همدردی شود و در مدارس اصول وحدت نژادی آموخته شود و راه‌هائی برگزیده شود که سفیدپوستان و سیاهپوستان را به نحوی موثر و سازنده گرد هم آورد.

بعضی از جوامع امری آیووا فعالیت‌های تبلیغی خود را افزایش داده‌اند و قرار است با همکاری دفتر روابط عمومی محفل روحانی ملی نسخه‌ای از بیانیه وحدت نژادی آن محفل به سناتورها و نمایندگان منتخب آن ایالت در مجلس شورا تقدیم شود.

علامات راهنمائی برای مشرق‌الاذکار

HIGHWAY SIGNS FOR BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP اخیراً محفل روحانی ملی نامه‌ای از اداره راه و ترابری ایالت ایلینوی دریافت داشته که بر مبنای آن درخواست محفل روحانی جهت نصب علامات راهنمائی در شاهراه‌ها برای رسیدن به مشرق‌الاذکار بهائی تصویب گردیده است.

دو علامت در شاهراه ۹۴ نزدیک شهر ویلمت و دو علامت دیگر در خود شهر نصب گردیده است.

در ۲۰ سال گذشته پاسخ به درخواست محفل روحانی ملی در این خصوص همواره منفی بوده است، اما مسؤولان اداره راه و ترابری ایالت ایلینوی شفاهاً اذعان نموده‌اند که مشرق‌الاذکار بهائی به راستی یکی از نقاط تاریخی است و در نتیجه این بار به درخواست محفل ملی پاسخ مثبت داده شد.

حقوق‌الله HUQUQU’LLAH از دوستان عزیز مستدعی است تقدیمی‌های حقوق‌الله را در وجه Bahá’í Huququ’llah Trust به نشانی یکی از امنای حقوق‌الله ارسال فرمایند. Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA. 90402 Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, OH. 44116 Dr. Elsie Austin P.O. Box 927 Silver Spring, MD. 20910

[Page 19]

پیام بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE OF JUSTICE

ترجمه دستخط بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی خطاب به شرکت‌کنندگان در کنفرانس تبلیغ چینیان در ماکائو مورخ ۲۵ نوامبر ۱۹۹۱

در این روز میثاق ضمیر این مشتاقان متوجه آن عزیزان است که در آستانه کشور چین گرد هم آمده‌اید تا درباره موضوعی مذاکره نمائید که مورد عنایت عمیق سرکار آقا، حضرت عبدالبهاء بوده و آن انتشار پیام حضرت بهاءالله در میان مردم چین است.

در سال‌های آینده دیگرگونی‌ها و دشواری‌های بی‌شماری در انتظار کشور چین و مردم آن است. چاره و درمان امتحانات و ابتلاتی که در پیش است تنها از طریق امر مبارک امکان می‌یابد، امری که با علم توافق دارد و در اصل خود غیرسیاسی است و غایت قصوایش برقراری صلح جهانی و ایجاد وحدت عالم انسانی است. امر مقدس بهائی نوری است که ملت چین را روشنائی خواهد بخشید و وسیله‌ای است که به وساطت آن ملت چین مقدرات پرشکوهش را، چنان که حضرت عبدالبهاء پیش‌بینی فرموده است، به منصه ظهور خواهد آورد.

آن عزیزان را اطمینان می‌دهیم که در آستانه مقدس الهی دعا خواهیم کرد که نتیجه اجتماع آن یاران حصول پیروزی‌های بی‌سابقه‌ای برای امر جمال قدم در میان جوامع چینی در سراسر جهان باشد.

بیت‌العدل اعظم

دهمین سالگرد تأسیس لجنه بین‌المللی تبلیغ چینیان

Tenth Anniversary of the International Chinese Teaching Committee

بزرگداشت دهمین سالگرد تأسیس لجنه بین‌المللی تبلیغ چینیان و همچنین افزایش پی در پی احبای چینی‌تبار در سراسر جهان با انعقاد کنفرانسی در ماکائو صورت گرفت. در کنفرانس بین‌المللی تبلیغ که از ۲۶ تا ۳۰ نوامبر سال ۱۹۹۱ تحت اشراف محفل روحانی ماکائو منعقد شد احباء از ۱۹ کشور از سراسر جهان شرکت داشتند.

۴۰۰ سال است که ماکائو یکی از مستعمرات پرتغال بوده و قرار است در سال ۱۹۹۹ مانند هنگ کنگ که مستعمره انگلستان است، به کشور چین باز گردانده شود.

اعضای هیئت مشاورین قاره‌ای سرکار خانم شانتا ساندرام Shanta Sundram و جناب بیژن فرید، و همچنین سرکار خانم ایران مهاجر و جناب شان هینتن Sean Hinton و جناب فریبرز صهباء و جناب تی کی لی T.K. Lee از جمله سخنرانان اصلی کنفرانس بودند. علاوه بر این برنامه‌هائی درباره پیشرفت امر تبلیغ در میان چینیان در سراسر جهان و نیز کارگاه‌هائی به زبان چینی و انگلیسی راجع به انتشار امر مبارک و تحکیم اساس جوامع امری و جلساتی جهت آشنا ساختن مردم با بیانیه معرفی مقام حضرت بهاءالله ارائه گردید. ترجمه بیانیه مذکور از طرف مرکز جهانی بهائی بفاصله کوتاهی پیش از انعقاد کنفرانس دریافت شده بود و قرار است به زودی چاپ و منتشر شود.

جناب فریبرز صهباء، معمار مشرق‌الاذکار هندوستان درباره سفر خود به چین که طی آن سخنرانی‌هائی درباره معماری و مفهوم مشرق‌الاذکار ایراد ‎فرمود بودند فرموده بودند‎ مطالبی اظهار داشتند. جناب هینتن نیز که فاتح روحانی مغولستان است، درباره نیروهای اسرارآمیزی که او را به تحقیق راجع به موسیقی بومی آن سرزمین واداشته و در نتیجه موفق به تحقق یکی از آخرین هنرهای جهاد کبیر اکبر گردیده بودند، سخنانی ایراد کرد.

۶۴ نفر تقبل کردند که تا قبل از پایان سال مقدس به تبلیغ در سرزمین چین برخیزند.

بسیاری از بهائیان محل و مهاجران و نیز شرکت‌کنندگان در کنفرانس در میهمانی که عده‌ای از صاحب‌منصبان ماکائو به آن دعوت شده بودند، شرکت کردند. برنامه‌هائی که در این ضیافت اجرا شد عبارت بود از اجرای موسیقی و شعرخوانی و بحثی درباره فرهنگ چینی و تعالیم بهائی.

همچنین در طی این کنفرانس اعلان شد که محافل روحانی ماکائو و هنگ کنگ و تایوان و مالزی و سنگاپور مشترکاً برنامه تبلیغی ویژه‌ای را طرح ریخته و در حال اجرای آنند. هدف از این برنامه تبلیغی افزایش روز افزون تعداد تازه‌تصدیقان در ماکائو و هنگ کنگ در سال مقدس است.

گزارش مختصر نقشه شش‌ساله

Six-Year Plan Update

بزودی همچنان که یاران عزیز آگاهی دارند که سال ۱۹۹۲، سال مقدس، آغاز می‌گردد و تا پایان نقشه شش‌ساله فقط سه ماه باقی مانده است. به همین جهت جای آن دارد که نظری به گذشته بیافکنیم و پیشرفت‌هائی را که در چند سال گذشته به دست آمده و نیازهای فعلی را که هنوز برطرف نشده بررسی کنیم و راه تحقق بخشیدن به باقی هدف‌های نقشه را از نظر بگذرانیم.

بهار روحانی

بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی در پیام رضوان سال ۱۹۸۶ اشاره فرموده بودند که "بهار روحانی" فرا رسیده است و تمامی ذرات زمین صلای حضرت بهاءالله را لبیک گفته‌اند و شواهد این حیات جدید در پیشرفت امر الهی پدیدار است.

معهد اعلی همچنین اظهار داشتند که این پیشرفت در خلال نقشه هفت‌ساله شتاب بیشتری به خود گرفت و فهرستی از پیروزی‌های آن نقشه را بیان فرمودند. خلاصه‌ای از دستاوردهای نقشه هفت‌ساله عبارت بود از:

- اتمام ساختمان دارالتشریع، مقر بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی، - تصویب نقشه‌های تفصیلی ساختمان‌های باقیمانده قوس حول مراقد مطهره، - افزایش اعضای دارالتبلیغ بین‌المللی و هیئت‌های مشاورین قاره‌ای و گسترش دامنه مسؤولیت‌های آنان، - تأسیس دفاتر عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی، و روابط عمومی، - افتتاح ‎المالمعابد ام‌المعابد‎ جزائر اقیانوس آرام و پیشرفت امور ساختمانی مشرق‌الاذکار هندوستان، - تأسیس ۲۳ محفل روحانی ملی جدید، - افتتاح ۳ ایستگاه رادیوئی بهائی، - افزایش گسترده تعداد محافل روحانی محلی و جمعیت‌های بهائی و مؤسسات مطبوعات امری و طرح‌های عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی در سراسر جهان.

آغاز نقشه هفت‌ساله به فرموده بیت‌العدل اعظم مصادف بود با تضییقات و ابتلائات احبای ایران. استقامت احبای ایران نظر ارباب جرائد جهان و سازمان ملل متحد را متوجه امر مبارک ساخت و بدین ترتیب امر الهی از مرحله مجهولیت خارج شد.

در اثر این تحول چشمگیر معهد اعلی بیانیه صلح را خطاب به مردم جهان صادر فرمود و مقرر داشت که آن بیانیه در دسترس همگان به ویژه سران دول و ملل عالم قرار گیرد.

همچنین بیت‌العدل اعظم اعلان فرمود که در طی نقشه هفت‌ساله مؤسسات امری به مرحله بالاتری از بلوغ و کارآئی رسیده است.

بدین ترتیب با در نظر داشتن همه دستاوردهائی که نصیب جامعه جهانی بهائی شده بود، معهد اعلی طرح و آغاز نقشه شش‌ساله را اعلام فرمود که اهداف اصلی آن به آگاهی جمیع محافل روحانی ملی و مشاورین قاره‌ای رسیده بود. اهداف کلی نقشه شش‌ساله عبارت بود از:

- ابلاغ پیام شفابخش حضرت بهاءالله به جمیع افراد بشر، - ازدیاد تأثیرات آئین ربانی در حیات جامعه، - ازدیاد ترجمه، تولید و تألیف و توزیع و استفاده از آثار امری، - تسریع شکوفائی و ترقی و بلوغ جوامع محلی و ملی، - ترغیب یاران به مشارکت عمومی در فعالیت‌های امری و تقویت روحانی افراد احباء، - توسعه تعلیم و تربیت بهائی و تسری آن به اطفال و جوانان و بزرگسالان بهائی و تقویت حیات بهائی خانواده‌ها، - تعقیب مشروعات مربوط به توسعه و عمران اجتماعی و اقتصادی.

نکته‌ای که نقشه شش‌ساله را از دیگر نقشه‌های امری ممتاز می‌کرد، این بود که اهداف اختصاصی هر کشوری با مشورت محفل روحانی ملی آن کشور و مشاورین قاره‌ای تعیین شد. این دیگرگونی چشمگیر را بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی نشانه افتتاح عهد چهارم عصر تکوین اعلام فرمود.

پاسخ جامعه امری

آشنائی بیشتر با "مؤسسات تبلیغی" و درک خصوصیات و هدف آنها مهم‌ترین روند در زمینه تبلیغ امر مبارک در ایالات متحده بوده است. از آغاز اولین سال نقشه بیش از ۱۰۰۰ مؤسسه تبلیغی دائر گردیده که بسیاری از آنها تمرکزشان بر تبلیغ یکی از گروه‌های سیاه‌پوستان و سرخپوستان و زرتشتیان و افراد اسپانیولی‌زبان بوده است. بعضی دیگر اقشار و طبقات خاصی از اجتماع را بعنوان هدف فعالیت‌های خود انتخاب نموده‌اند یا یکی از مسائل مبتلابه جامعه را مانند مسأله تبعیضات نژادی یا عدم تساوی حقوق زنان و مردان را مورد توجه قرار داده‌اند.

برخی از مؤسسات تبلیغی با همکاری نزدیک محفل روحانی ملی و محافل روحانی محلی و اعضای هیئت معاونت به پیشرفت‌های چشمگیری توفیق یافته‌اند. همچنین شرکت نوجوانان و جوانان در خدمات تبلیغی افزایش یافته است.

فعالیت‌های مربوط به روابط عمومی نیز رونق بیشتری یافته است. بیانیه صلح به بسیاری از مردم این کشور به ویژه رؤسای امور و اندیشمندان و ارباب جرائد اهداء شده است. شمار جرائدی که از امر مبارک نام برده‌اند از ۲۰۰۰ بالغ بر ۳۸۰۰ گردیده است و تعدادی از روزنامه‌های معتبر مانند واشنگتن پست و نیویورک تایمز مقالاتی درباره امر مبارک تهیه دیده و در شماره‌های مختلف خود درج کرده‌اند. دائرةالمعارف معروف بریتانیکا امر مبارک را از لحاظ کثرت گسترش دومین دین جهانی ذکر کرده است.

در زمینه مهاجرت خارجه نیز پیشرفت‌های قابل ذکر حاصل شده و از ۷۷ هدف مهاجرتی ۶۶ هدف به انجام رسیده است. همچنین حدود ۷۰۰ نفر مهاجر برای کمک به سایر محافل روحانی ملی به مهاجرت مبادرت نموده‌اند.

شرکت در امور اجتماعی

اهل بهاء از آغاز دعوت حضرت بهاءالله مأمور بوده‌اند که مظاهر رفتار پسندیده و اخلاق باشند. از آنجا که جامعه امری این دیار رشد کرده و از مرحله مجهولیت خارج شده و با جامعه غیرامری اختلاط بیشتری پیدا کرده است، این امکان برایش فراهم شده که دیگران را از تعالیم بهائی که قادر به حل بسیاری از مشکلات جامعه است آگاه سازد. از جمله فعالیت‌های اجتماعی که جامعه بهائی در آن دخیل بوده است می‌توان موارد زیر را نام برد:

- صدور بیانیه محفل روحانی ملی درباره وحدت نژادی، [Page 20]Pictured are some of the 29 housing units built by the Branford Interfaith Housing Corporation of Branford, Connecticut, of which the Bahá’í community of Branford is a member. The non-profit venture, funded by the State Department of Housing, was undertaken as a means of providing affordable housing for low-income families. Kenneth Gelband, a Bahá’í from nearby Woodbridge, served as architect for the project.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEBRUARY

6-9: Second Global Structures Convocation: Environment and Development, Marriott Hotel, Washington, D.C. Co-sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly. A representative of the Bahá’í International Community, Office of the Environment, will take part in a workshop entitled “Earth Charter: Establishing the Values and Principles for International Laws and Global Community.” Bahá’ís are welcome to attend the convocation; those who wish to do so are asked to notify the National Spiritual Assembly office at 1606 New Hampshire Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20009 (phone 202-265-8830). For information about the conference, contact Second Global Structures Convocation: Environment and Development, Washington, DC 20036 (phone 202-833-9585; fax 202-785-3942).

14-16: North Dakota Bahá’í School, Mayville State University campus. Theme: “The Significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.” Registrar: Marian Kadrie, Fargo, ND 58103; phone 701-235-3725.

14-17: “Singles: A Winter Retreat in the Redwoods,” Bosch Bahá’í School, Santa Cruz, California. Theme: “With Inward and Outward Eye.” Topics and texts: Participants can choose from several topics and study groups including The Advent of Divine Justice; Gleanings; “Individual Rights and Freedoms in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh” (letter from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the U.S., December 28, 1988); Bahá’í Marriage and Family Life, a Compilation. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

15-16: Louisiana Bahá’í School, Baton Rouge. Theme: “Teaching the Faith to Christians.” Registrar: Monya Sturdivant, Gretna, LA 70056 (504-393-6675).

15-17: Washington (West) Bahá’í School, Brighton Creek Conference Grounds, McKenna. Theme: “Preparation for the Holy Year.” Registrar: Harry Taylor, Arlington, WA 98223. Or phone Sandy Brizuela, 206-588-8419.

APRIL

4-5: Third Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies Mid-Atlantic Region, Western Maryland College, Westminster. Theme: “Global Renaissance: The Significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.” For information, write to the Association for Bahá’í Studies Mid-Atlantic Regional Committee, Levittown, PA 19057, or phone 215-949-1157 or 215-949-0699.

16-22: Youth Symposium ’92, Landegg Academy, Switzerland. Theme: “Regenerating the Arts.” For a program brochure, write to Landegg Academy, CH-Switzerland, or phone René Steiner, 41-71-91 31, or fax 41-71-91 43 01.

MAY

22-25: A Spiritual Renewal Retreat for Couples, Bosch Bahá’í School, Santa Cruz, California. Theme: “Love, Marriage, Parenting.” This weekend is for couples committed to working on their relationship. It is not designed to meet the needs of those in a Year of Patience. This is a session for adults, but infants in arms can be accommodated. Group I, Newer Married. Group leaders Terry and Carrie Kneisler will lead the newer married or younger couples as they build strong relationships in the marriage and with their children. Group II, Seasoned Couples. Group leaders Jack and Farzaneh Guillebeaux will guide seasoned couples to focus on obstacles, issues and joys of relating as a couple and as parents to older children. For information, phone 408-423-3387.

SPRING

Pioneering Institute, Bahá’í National Center, Evanston, Illinois. For information, phone the Office of Pioneering, 708-869-9039.

MOVING? TELL US YOUR NEW ADDRESS.

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

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

Vice president of World Federalists participates in UN Day activities during visit to Nebraska

Dr. Ronald J. Glossop, coordinator of Peace Studies at Southern Illinois University and a vice president of the World Federalists, took part in several functions related to United Nations Day during a five-day visit in October to southeastern Nebraska.

Dr. Glossop’s visit was sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Lincoln, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Nebraska Division of the UNA-USA, the Crete Chapter of Nebraskans for Peace, and the Nebraska Internacia-lingva Asocio, an Esperantist group.

The invitation was suggested by a local Bahá’í who had read Dr. Glossop’s book, Confronting War, and was impressed by his presentation of steps that must be taken to bring about world peace.

The Bahá’í community of Lincoln agreed that the UN Day events in Nebraska presented an excellent opportunity to promote the views on peace of this like-minded leader of thought.

Several events were held in honor of his visit, at which Dr. Glossop spoke about world citizenship, global education, and the need for an international auxiliary language.

The Beatrice Sun based a front-page feature article on Dr. Glossop’s visit, entitled “World Wide Leadership Should Guide New World Order.”

Bahá’í from U.S. takes part in Moscow conference for young political leaders

Robert Ahdieh, a 20-year-old Bahá’í from Pennsylvania, took part December 10-12 in a “Conference of Young Political Leaders” in Moscow.

Mr. Ahdieh, who is on a year’s leave of absence from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs, has been studying at the Moscow Institute of International Relations and working with the Soviet Peace Committee.