The American Bahá’í/Volume 25/Issue 14/Text
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American community thanked for Arc pledges
To the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States Dear Baha'i friends,
Fund during the Three Year Plan. The loving dedication and sacrifice for the sake of supporting the present critical needs at the
Be assured of the continued prayers of the House of Justice at the Sacred Threshold that the American believers may attain even greater heights of
The Universal House of Justice has received with deep appreciation your letter of June 16, 1994, together with the June 1994 Arc Unit
Baha'f World Center, which the friends in the United States are demonstrating through these actions, are commended. The House of Justice
devotion and sacrifice in the path of service to the Cause of Baha'u'llah, and may be rewarded with divine bestowals and confirmations.
Pledges list and copies of letters from the friends who have either contributed or pledged to con would appreciate receiving similar reports of contributions to the Arc Projects Fund periodi Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat
tribute one or more units to the Arc Projects cally.
July 27, 1994
Masulvyar 8.€. 151/
SeptemBer 27, 1994
Vo.umeE 25, Numeer 14
Public information office opens in NY
By Tom Mennillo
Anew era in Baha'i media relations has dawned with the Office of Public Information’s relocation to New York City.
The move from Wilmette to the “media capital of the world” affords us opportunity to build relationships with members of the media.
Developing the network of local public information representatives is OPI’s other priority.
Trish Swanson has been appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly to direct what will be a two-person office when an assistant is hired.
Ms. Swanson didn’t have to move far to take up her new duties. She headed the Baha’{ International Community’s Office of Public Information in New York.
The new director sees the office’s primary role as a facilitator.
On the national level that means developing strategic, longterm relationships with print and electronic media.
OPI can provide ideas and sources for coverage that shows the unique role the Faith is playing. Topics may include such themes as race unity, the advancement of women, and moral education.
But the media “must be met on their own terms,” said Ms. Swanson. “We need to develop ways of crafting our stories so that major press outlets will be interested.”
She noted the second Baha’f World Congress as an example. The Media Task Force identified themes to which reporters could relate, and the result was an unprecedented number of articles about the Faith worldwide.
Ms. Swanson pointed to the credibility the Office of External Affairs has achieved in government relations for the Faith in the nation’s capital.
Fostering that same level of credibility with the national media will serve the Faith well—especially in times of crisis or opposition, she said.
On the local level, OPI is looking to build on what Ms. Swanson calls a “very strong foundation” developed by the success of public information representatives in broadening news coverage of the Faith.
The first step will be to assess in-depth “where we are and what the reps need,” she said.
Then the office can work with local Baha'is to create programs and materials to meet today’s public information needs.
In doing this, there will be no need to “reinvent the wheel,” Ms. Swanson said. Baha’ communities are gaining experience in many arenas—she mentioned local radio programs in particular—from which others can benefit.
That, of course, is fully in accord with the Universal House of Justice's call in the 1993 Ridvan message to develop the human resources of the Faith.
“There are only two people in OPI,” Ms. Swanson noted, “so we can’t do it all. We will be relying on the talents and achievements of local Baha’is.”
The American
at
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON
August 23, 1994
Dear Mr. Chairman:
‘Thank you for writing to me about the recent efforts of the Congress to call attention to the persecution of Baha'is by the Government of Iran. Iam deeply concemed about the situation that feces the Baha’is, as well as other religious minocities, in Iran. My Administration will continue to work to create an international consensus to influence Iran to change its behavior on human rights.
‘Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 is 2 useful reminder that we must
continue to be vigilant in calling attention to the plight of the Baha’is. I can assure you that we will continue to urge the Ieadership‘of Iran to improve its treatment of religious minorities and to do more to protect
President vows to
maintain vigilance
on Iran
President Bill Clinton acknowledged in a recent letter to Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island the need to “continue to be vigilant in calling attention to the plight of the Baha’is” in Iran.
the basic human and civil rights of its citizens.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Clairbome Pell ‘United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510
Tw
Mr. Pell and four other U.S. senators had written to the president to draw his attention to the latest congressional resolution conveying concern “over the officially sponsored repression that has been directed against Baha'is since the Iranian Revolution.”
Baha’is sponsor forestry forum
Amatu’lBaha Ruhiyyih Khanum addresses spiritual dimension
The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’lBaha Rahiyyih Khénum and H.R.H. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, were the principal speakers July 28 at the World Forestry Charter Gathering at St. James's Palace in London.
Amatu’l-Bahé Ruhiyyih Khanum's brief address on the spiritual dimensions of the environmental challenge, which cited words of Baha'u'llah as the inspiration for her own devotion to the environmental cause, was interrupted several times by warm applause from her audience.
“What we really need,” she said, “is greater love for the planet. I hope all of us can find ways to help the planet, to help preserve our priceless mother earth for future generations.”
Prince Philip used the occasion to issue an urgent call for a legally binding international convention to halt reckless deforestation of the planet.
All nations, he said, should agree to fair and common rules for international trade and competition in timber products so that the unrestrained exploitation of the world's forests can be brought under control.
“Governments must come to accept that any variation of national rules to make their forestry industry more competitive in the international market is unacceptable,” Prince Philip said. “It is up to the international community to decide how best to regulate the market to ensure that it is fair
See FORESTRY page 17
[Page 2]
-Wision in Action
Maas HOt atti Pe) a
ithe
ee ie Lich deo ee te eee hs
espe eee
THe American BaHA'l
peice ee Ra aes Bete tbat NR
Horace Holley Project welcomes seekers old and new
For Vicki McMullin Coon, it was like coming home when she entered the Horace Holley Teaching Project storefront in Torrington, Connecticut.
She remembered the time 22 years ago when she was but 11 and was befriended by Baha’is who operated a Baha'i Information Center at the same site. She signed a declaration card then that was not sent to the Baha’i National Center because of her age, and afterward she lost contact with the Faith.
But when she showed up at the Center at 274 Main Street this summer, she had the old declaration card in hand and quickly signed a new declaration card.
She and her husband have been regularly attending firesides at the Center since then and taking part in Baha’ events within the community.
The Horace Holley Teaching Project is in its second season of operation under the direction of Ludi Stritt Johnson. The storefront Center has been open seven days a week for 12 hours each day
In McMinnville, Oregon
‘World Citizen Award’ given
The Baha'is of McMinnville, Oregon, hosted 60 non-Baha’fs and 20 Baha’is on April 10 at a ceremony to honor a local couple with the second annual World Citizen Award.
Helene and the Rev. Frank Nelson received the award from the Spiritual Assembly of McMinnville for “their contributions to the improvement of the human condition.”
The Nelsons are involved in many community activities and travel extensively through the Rev. Nelson’s position as director of Linfield College’s “January” program, which sends students to Southeast Asia, China, England and France.
Keith Blanding, representing the Baha’i community, told the gathering that “to
Beth Cooprider (left), chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of McMinnville, Oregon, presents the
since mid-July, and was scheduled to close its doors in mid- to late September.
Asuccession of young teachers representing the Army of Light served one or two weeks at the Center during the summer. Among them were Rachel Gargiulo of Brunswick, Maine; Aaron Cederquist of Poughkeepsie, New York; Carleton Page of Canterbury, New Hampshire; Kalim Armstrong of Durham, New Hampshire; Jon Maynard of Kennebunkport, Maine; Marie Jester of Medford, New Jersey; Gabrielle Marlowe of Saratoga, New York; Marissa Godoy of Pennsylvania; Sahar and Saughar Somoli of Nutley, New Jersey; and Corey Suarez of Philadelphia.
A troupe from the Connecticut Baha’f Youth Workshop presented performances at Coe Park on two successive days.
English as a Second Language for beginners was taught Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. by Ludi Johnson Stritt, a former pioneer to Martinique.
Four Ecuadorians were regular students throughout the summer.
Firesides were held every evening, and several were conducted by the youth teachers.
A Baha‘i who has written a biography of Horace Holley visited the Center twice to talk especially with the youth about the importance of teaching, which Mr. Holley, early in the Heroic Age of the Faith, saw as a cornerstone of the Administrative Order.
She outlined the significance of the contributions that Mr. Holley made in developing the Administrative Order, ending her talk with this quotation from Mr. Holley’s book, Religion for Mankind:
“Education alone can overcome the inertia of our separateness, transmute our creative energies for the realization of world unity, free the mind from its servitude to the past and reshape civilization to be the guardian of our spiritual and physical resources.
Teaching Committee plans to establish
The N;
- offer Baha'i solu
- help communi
Recognized prof
tion to the
national speakers bureau to proclaim Cause
ational Teaching Committee is establishing a national speakers bureau of Baha'is who are available to speak on a number of topics to various audiences. The primary focus of the bureau is to make available Baha'i speakers who can cogently address the problems and society. These speakers would be able to
- proclaim the teachings of Baha'u'llah indirectly
ons to problems facing humankind to develop ¢ develop the material and human resources of the Faith ionals and those with successful experience in consulting and public speaking are especially encouraged to take part in this endeavor. The more well-known and respected people are, the more likely it is that they will be sought after for speaking and consulting.
Colleges and universities offer an especially fertil effort, as do community agencies and private organizations. Baha’ able to contact, recommend and/or choose speakers or consultants from the speakers bureau for these and other groups. They may wish to get on the committees that either approve funding or have budgets to bring, in speakers.
Those who would like to be considered for this important service are invited to complete the application below or to provi National Teaching Committee Office, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. The information will be entered on a data base and published in a future issue of The American Baha updated and published periodically and made available on computer diskettes for a nominal fee. Speakers may delete their names from the list by notifying the National Teaching Committee.
Individuals, clubs or other agencies would contact these individuals
ues facing our
arena for this sort of might be
e the requisite informa
‘i. The data base will be
the Baha’‘s, the example set by Helene and Frank is not just a noble island of virtue in a sea of generalized despair as though it were a kind of personal altruism or aristocratic pastime. To the Baha’is this goal of world citizenship is a sacred truth, a religious discipline, an evolutionary imperative applicable to every human on the planet.”
Friends and associates of the Nelsons also offered tributes.
In accepting the award, the Rev.
second annual World Citizen Award to Helene and the Rev. Frank Nelson.
Nelson commented that the Bahai Faith’s “emphasis that all religions have some common values is right. The notion of a world citizen is an appropriate award for Baha’is to make.”
Major feature articles on the Nelsons and the World Citizen Award ceremony were published by the McMinnville News-Register and The Linfield Review.
The American Baha’ is published 19 times a year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201. Second class postage paid at Evanston, IL, and additional mailing offices. ISSN Number: 1062-1113. Executive editor: Jack Bowers. Associate Editor: Tom Mennillo. The American Bahd’i welcomes news, letters and other items of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Baha'i 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 Bahd’i, Wilmette, IL 60091. Postmaster: Send address changes to Management Information Sys~ tems, Bahd’{ National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201. Copyright © 1994 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd’fs of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
directly for more information or to discuss arrangements for appearances. It is assumed that these speakers would require as a minimum that all travel expenses were covered, while many would require additional fees for speaking orconsulting.
Further information, such as references, résumés and fees, can be supplied directly to interested parties by the speakers once they are contacted.
APPLICATION FORM
Name
Address
City, state, zip
Telephone, fax, e-mail
Presentation topics (limit to 15 descriptive words)
Minimum fee
Qualifications (degrees, publications, relevant experience—15 words
only)
| | | | | | | | Title/ position | | | | | | |
| Send to: Speakers Bureau, National Teaching Committee Office, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091
[Page 3]
Three Year Pian
I} YSARNRLAN 1993 - 1996
TOTAL ENROLLMENTS OF NEW BELIEVERS
PAU CUS Usststs.sicss LOD
Year to date.... 790
THE FUND
(Preliminary, August 31, 1994)
Four Major Funps
$4,933,135
HR 01 for 151 BE.
[2] Contributions to Date
NATIONAL FuND $4,236,965
INTERNATIONAL FUND.
EE «750
$81,902
Arc Projects Funp
Seed
$577,404
bene
CONTINENTAL FUND
HB From Nat’ Baha’ Fund
Earmarked Dollars
HBR) Totat contributions
=» MIssIon 1
Masuiyyat s.€. 151 / SeptemBer 27, 1994
(2 MONTHS TO Go!)
d.S. Baha’i Community Current Goals and Status - Mashiyyat 151 - September 27, 1994
NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
Army Of Light Boot Camp:
National Youth Conference For Preparing the Soldiers December 23 - 26, 1994
Personal Information: Name ——_—
Street Address —__
Race/Ethnic Background
Special As Walking Assistance, Blind Access):
‘City eee ea ee Stale Zip ih DENN reece enter este Ge Seeeeeeee ene Ee Baha'f ID Number Sex
ice Required (i.e. - Wheelchair access,
area of preference: Ushering
Security Registration
As assigned
VOLUNTEERS: We need volunteers. Please check your
ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS: musical, dramatic, or artistic talents
audio or video.
If you have any to share, please let us
know. Enclose a separate sheet or an audition tape, either
If you are under 18, please have y following: I,
parent of
authorize the Baha'f National Youth
advisable by any physician or surge
child is attending this event. Date — Signature of parent
oc
our parent fill out the
, a minor, Task Force to consent
to any and all medical or surgical treatment deemed
on licensed under the
provisions of the Medical Practice Act effective while my
Policy #
If you are under 15, and attending fill out the following: 1,
ome
appoint
to be my child
is fully responsible for him/her at th Date
Signature of parent
Signature of sponsor
without a parent, please , parent
onsor at the Baha'f National Youth Conference. The sponsor, who is of the same sex and over 21, will serve as a good and kindly parent to my child and
conference.
- Pre-registration deadline—December 10.
+ Be sure to include payment with your registration form.
+ Use only one form per person. Photocopies are acceptable.
BOOTH SPACE: Any individuals, companies, or Spiritual Assemblies who would like to be considered for a sales booth or display area for a teaching or service effort at the Conference should contact the National Youth Task Force in writing. Space for booths is limited. Applications should be received no later than November 1. Please be sure to include your telephone number. For more information, telephone 1-800-DWN-BRKR.
FEE for Registration: $30. Fee must be included with registration form. Please make checks payable to: Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Phoenix.
HOTELS: Those wishing to stay in area hotels must make their own reservations. Mention the Baha'f Conference when making all reservations to ensure discounted rates.
1-800-233-1234 $50 a night for up to 4 people upon availability
Hyatt Regency
Holiday Inn Crown Plaza 1-800-HOLIDAY $42 a night for up to four people upon availability
Please note: December 10 is the final day for these rates. These rates are available for December 21 - 27.
FOOD: We have been notified that there will be no outside food allowed in the hotels. There are restaurant and fast food facilities available in the hotel areas.
At the Holiday Inn:
Breakfast $3.50 Lunch $5.50 Dinner $8.00
On-Site Registration: On-site registration begins on Thursday afternoon, December 22.
Medical Release for those under 18: Everyone under the age of 18 must have a parent fill out the medical release section on the registration form. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Age Limit: Please note that this is a Youth Conference.
It is for people between the ages of 12 and 25. If you are outside this age bracket, please consider attending the Grand Canyon Bahd'f Conference.
Send to: PO Box 9961
Phoenix, AZ 85068-9961
PLEASE NOTE: This form is for the National Youth Conference ONLY. If your family is planning to attend the Grand Canyon Baha'f Conference, please be sure they register with the GCBC Committee.
[Page 4]
Pioneering
Some months ago, eight African-American Baha’i women initiated their own international project for the human resources development of southern African women. An equal goal of this trip was to teach the Faith. As a result of these plans they recently undertook their first trip to South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to meet and begin consultation with their sisters abroad. The project, titled ‘The Zimarian Walker Sister-to-Sister Traveling Teaching Project’ is dedicated to the memory of Zimarian Walker, a pioneer to Brazil who passed away at her post. One member of the group notes that this trip ‘marks the beginning of...waves of love and support extended to the women in southern Africa’ which will continue in the form of an annual gathering. The Universal House of Justice states in a letter addressed to the members of the project, ‘Unquestionably, the African-American believers are enviably poised to bring the life-giving Teachings of Baha’u’llah to persons of African heritage living in the United States, as well as to the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa itself, with whom they share a common ancestry.’
Please report international, domestic trips of any nature whenever teaching is done
Beloved friends, the domestic and international travels of the North American Baha'is form a significant part of the history of the development of the Faith. As such we have been asked by the institutions to keep detailed rec— ords of our domestic teaching trips and international trips of any nature. It is important to remember that any effort you may make to share the news of Baha‘u'llah’s coming, even your mere presence and prayers in another locality, can potentially bring the spirit of the Faith of Baha’u’llah to that land. Baha‘u’llah revealed to us that “The movement itself from place to place, when undertaken for the sake of God, hath always exerted, and can now exert, its influence in the World. In the Books of old the station of them that have voyaged far and near in order to guide the servants of God hath been sent forth and written down.” Please let us know of your travels by filling out and sending in the short report form below. You may also report domestic traveling teaching to the National Teaching Office at 708-733-3494 (fax 708-733-3502), and international traveling teaching to the Office of Pioneering at 708-733-3511 (fax 708-733-3509).
Traveling Teachers Sought for Three Year Plan
If you have traveled internationally, please return this form to: Office of Pioneering, Baha’f National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. If you have travelled to teach within the United States, please return this form to: National Teaching Office, Baha’{ National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Name: ID #:
Street: City/State/Zip:
Date: from to Where did you go?
Comments:
Se ee ae Ee aT
THE AMERICAN BAHA'I 4
4 Fulbright Program offers
grants to teachers, students
(From an article in “International Employment Hotline,” September 1994) .
October 15 is the deadline for the Teacher Exchange Program and October 31 is the deadline for U.S. Student Grants for Graduate Study and Research Abroad including English teaching assistantships in six countries. ive countries have been added to the list of participants in this year’s. Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program. They include Barbados, Jamaica, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.
The other countries taking part this year are Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Rus Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
For an application booklet, which includes a directory of individual positions and the amounts awarded
Overseas
for each, contact:
Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 235, Washington, D.C. 200242520. Telephone 800-726-0479 or 202475-3095.
The 1995-96 U.S. Student Fulbright Grants for Graduate Study and Research Abroad will send students and artists abroad to study or conduct research in one or several of over 100 nations. Preference is given to recent university graduates.
Also administered under this program are Fulbright grants for English teaching assistantships in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Korea and Taiwan.
Applications for the U.S. Student Fulbright grants, including the English teaching assistantships, should be sent to the Institute for International Education (IEE), 809 United National Plaza, New York, NY 10017-35803 (telephone 212-9845330).
(For more information, please contact the Office of Pioneering at the Baha‘i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 708- 733-3512.
Teaching Areas Institute held at Louhelen Baha‘i School July 15-20. Among their pioneering destinations are Croatia, Guadeloupe, Europe and Africa.
Upcoming events, activities
Sept. 29-Oct. 3—First International Women’s Conference in Kishinev, MOLDOVA. Theme: “Women, Spirituality and Family.” Conference languages: English, Romanian, Russian, French.
Oct. 10-15—Seminar entitled “International Year of the Family: Families, Women and Children” in Tianjin, CHINA.
Oct. 16-19—International Symposium on Miao (Hmong) Culture, Economy, Trade, Communication and Cooperation, Jishou, CHINA.
Oct. 13-15—International Conference on “Violence in the Family,” Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS. Organized by the Task Force on Violence in the Family of the Free University of Amsterdam in collabora tion with the International Council of Women (ICW) during the International Year of the Family.
Sept. 4-15, 1995—United Nations fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development, Peace. Beijing, CHINA.
”..we urge you, with all earnestness from the utter depths of our conviction as to the ripeness of the time, to lay aside your every minor concern and direct your energies to teaching His Cause--to Pivclaiming, expanding and consolidating it.”--The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 1988
Masuiyyat 8.£. 151 / SeptemBer 27, 1994 5
Before the fall: how the deficit grew last summer Jury 31, 1994
That’s what happened, and now the National Spiritual Assembly is beginning the intensely active autumn months at a serious financial disadvantage.
Did giving stop during the summer months? No, actually contributions, went up!
Then how come the deficit in the Baha‘ National Fund grew? Here is what happened.
Elsewhere on this page are two charts whose figures show that the Bahd’is have done rather well with part of what the Universal House of Justice has requested: giving in support of the Arc Projec'
At the end of the first quarter of this fiscal year, offerings for the Mount Carmel Projects, whether given directly or as a part of the National Assembly’s own promised allocation, totaled $1.2 million, nearly FOUR TIMES the level reached by July 1993—an extraordinary accomplishment!
During the same three months, however, giving to the Baha'i International Fund and the Continental Fund, as well as earmarked contributions for various programs and needs outside the United States, actually dropped 28 percent, from $373,000 to just $269,000.
This is the money available to the House of Justice and the Continental Counselors to do all the work they are charged with in the U.S. and around the world.
When giving from the U.S. drops
National Baha’i
Where we are Where we need to be
$4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 where we are
$2,205,246 Int’1/ Arc/Cont’l Funds $1,454,967 $3,625,000 Arc only $1,186,290 Where we need to be $2,625,000
$4,000,000
$3,000,000
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$0 where
we need
to be
International Fun
Int’l/ Arc where Arc/ only we need Cont’! to be
There is, as the chart shows, a big, gap between where we are and where we need to be in our support for the Universal House of Justice, even with
the remarkable progress already made.
like this, it Here in the means less Glorified art Thou, 0 my God! Thou — United States, the support for knowest that my sole aim in summer means activities every- revealing Thy Cause hath been to increased spendwhere: dimin- ing on every asished capacity at Feveal Thee and not my self, and to pect of teaching, the Baha’i World manifest Thy glory rather than my —_on restorative ‘enter; restric- maintenance on tions on the Bory aley Pacer on te atta our sacred buildactivities of the Thy pleasure, | have scorned rest, ings, and so on. Counselors and _ joy, delight. Baha'u'llah, Some of these Auxiliary Board = Prayers and Meditations, needs are not members as they especially glam strive to support 103-106 Spiritual Assemblies; less for schools, for teaching programs, for the other Baha'i radio stations, etc. It is all affected by our actions.
orous; the boiler at the National Center, for example, must be overhauled before the windchill factor hits minus 80 degrees, and that alone is nearly $10,000.
But contributions to the Baha’i National Fund were just 3 percent higher than last year, up from $2.1 million to $2.2 million. When the impact of inflation is subtracted, contributions for the work of the
National Fund had increased to about $650,000 by July 31.
That kind of shortfall threatens to destabilize the national administration’s functioning, and that in
turn means less
national adminis- _ +» our Contributions to the Faith support for local tration actually are the surest way of lifting once Spiritual Assemfat and for all time the burden of pies enadelaye s the chart or reductions in indicates, there is hunger and misery from mankind, the things the also quitea gap _ for itis only through the System of — National Spiribetween where Baha’u’llah—Divine in origin—that tual Assembly we are and can do in such where we need the world can be gotten on its feet. fields as external to be to meet « Letter on behalf of Shoghi affairs, educapressing needs Effendi, December 8, 1947 tion, and so throughout the forth. US. A trend such as this forces the Na The domestic situation is tight, even though spending has been kept well below the budgeted amounts. The cumulative cash deficit of the
tional Spiritual Assembly to focus more on paying its bills and less on its mission to become a force for change in society.
New approach to Arc Fund development gaining momentum
A promising individual initiative in support of the Arc Projects is swiftly gaining momentum in the South.
As reported earlier this year, the National Spiritual Assembly has been giving concentrated support to an effort to raise the community’s awareness of progress on the Arc, with very gratifying results. To date, more than one hundred believers throughout the South have stepped forward to do their part in ensuring the timely completion of the Mount Carmel Projects.
Following a week-end training and orientation program, these souls have returned to their home districts
to spark consultation and practical
action in order to increase and focus the community’s human and financial resources on these vast projects.
“The most wonderful part of this process,” said a Development Department staff member, “is that the people who are coming forward are doing so because they are passionate about the Arc and all that it means in the world.
“They learn practical ways to focus the money the House of Justice will need to build the Arc, and they leave their session having made definite commitments for action and service,” the staff member said. “There is no program of the National Assembly
that could be as effective as the united will of these wonderful friends.”
Participants are trained by another volunteer, Mel Thomason of Asheville, North Carolina, to consult with local Assemblies on ways to increase the resources of the Assembly itself, so that more money is freed up:
- to contribute to the Arc Projects
Fund;
- to consult with area communities
in the planning of a major fundraising event designed to give individuals an opportunity to make offerings or pledges of support; and
- to discuss frankly the need for
large contributions from those who have the financial capacity to make
them.
“If every Assembly makes its own commitment to the Arc, and if every large fund-raiser is a success,” says Mr. Thomason, “we still will not reach our goal unless there are at least 20 gifts of $100,000 or more during the Three Year Plan.”
As the Universal House of Justice has indicated (January 4, 1994), “While everyone is called to participate, it is clear that the bulk of the resources must come from those who are blessed with material resources.”
The National Spiritual Assembly is presently looking at ways to expand this program to other areas of the country.
[Page 6]
Distribution
Approach to a Sacred Place
The Art of Otto Donald Rogers
V1 $24.95 / Cope—ATSP
Approach to a Sacred Place is an enlightening new film about Counselor Otto Donald Rogers. A a member of the International Teaching Center in Haifa and an internationally recognized artist Mr. Rogers has uniquely blended the of the Baha’{ Faith with the landscapes that surround him. His work evokes both the grandeurofthe'
spiritual principl
Re Ona aru lea
he was raised and the anci
of Israel, where he now liv:
film features superb paintings interspersed with interviews and beautiful images of western Canada and Israel. This is an important film to be shared with others, particularly friends in the artistic community. 57 minutes
Film Crew Production / Unity Arts
Music of the World Congress
CD Set $35.95# - Code MWCCDCS Set $24.95# - Code MWCCS
A professionally made recording of the beautiful World Congress music including a full oratorio with featured soloists. This music was recorded last October in Russia with the Mila Moskow Orchestra and singers from the World Congress Choir. Original works by five Baha’ f composers.
ACK IN STOC
The Advent of Divine Justice, PS $3.00#
The Baha’fs (magazine), SC $1.25"
Baha’f Prayers and Holy Writings, SC $2.75
Baha’ Prayers: A Selection $.50
The Covenant (study book) $3.00%
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, PS $3.00*
Hidden Words and Selected Holy Writings, SC $2.75,
The Hidden Words, HC $11.00#
The Hidden Words, $3.50%
The Secret of Divine lizations, PS $3.00%
The Significance of Bahd’u'llih’s Revelation, SC ‘$3.00
Some Answered Questions, PS $3.00#
Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Hi $11.00*
The Vision of Race Unity (10 and 100 packs), PA $3.50 / $25.00
The Word of God, SC $3.00#
Youth Can Move the World, SC $3.00#
The Baha’i Faith and the Family ,
By Baha'i Intemational Community
PA $.75 / Copr—BFF
Designed to st Bahd’{s in presenting to the world the Baha’f model of family life and the role of the individual within the family. This full color booklet covers the Bahé bilities, the equality of the and education and consultation. This booklet i:
concepts of
marriage, individual rights and respon: ideal for
proclamation and indiv
al presentations, esp ly during the International Year of the Family.
5-3/4" x 8-1/4", 8pp.
Baha'i Publications Australia
THe AMERICAN BAHA't 6
Reflections
Verses from the Baha'i Teachings
Compiled by Akwasi O. Osei SC $11.95 / Cope—RSC
A rich offering of verses from the Baha’f writings, beautifully presented, to help us reflect on the meaning of life, the mystery of love, peace, virtue, the value of deeds, religion, as well as the new world order envisioned by Baha’u’ll4h.
5-1/8" x 7-1/2", 114pp., contents, bibliography, references
George Ronald, Publisher
‘| BDS@USBNC.org
We are now accepting orders and answering correspondence via E-Mail. To contact us, please use the following Internet address, and be sure to include your credit card number, expiration date, and address with your order.
Song of the Nightingale
by Grant Hindin Miller HC $12.95 / Cope—SNH What could impel a little bird to leave its warm
and risk life and limb in the wintery chill to sing its most glorious song? This beautifully illustrated story book for children celebrates the birth of Baha'u'llah. Never before has the story been rendered with such poetry and color. The Song of the Nightingale will win a treasured spot in the heart of every reader.
9-1/4" x 10", 32pp.
Nightingale Press
ti (ey am CY
1-800-999-9019
The Psychology of Spirituality by H. B. Danesh, M.D.
SC $14.95 / Cove—PS
What is love? What is the secret of hu a free will? What is the purpose of human life? These questions and many more are addressed in The Psychology of Spirituality, a new book by Dr. Hossain Danesh. Through case histories, in-depth analysis, and practical examples, Dr. Danesh offers new ways of addressing these important questions. Dr. Danesh helps us look at ourselves, our relationships, our problems, and our world in a totally new way. Life can in fact be good, happy, and fruitful.
6" x 9", 270pp., tabel of contents, preface, notes, bibliogra phy, Index, about the author Nine Pines Publishing
s? Do we have
[Page 7]
Distribution Masuivyat 8.€. 151 / SeptemBer 27, 1994 7
SUR cme Ua ae fee ea UNAS Culeag UE aR CMa) ye ea ATU Ae Sen Uae ote Taare Eleanor Cm mel eaee
These and many other fascinating questions are explored in
Life, Death, and Immortality, a collection of Baha'i sacred writings iB A that examines the nature of the soul and its development.
More than a discussion of life after death, Life, Death, and Immortality explains the purpose of material and spiritual existence
and encourages living in spiritually nurturing ways now and forever.
| MM RTA tee p sop etl Ua kk UC RUT eli for spiritual awakening and development is included. THE $1 ny
JOURNEY
ne New From the Baha’i Publishing Trust
Calling All Colors The Baha’i World 1992-93
VT $14.95 / Cope—CAC An International Record
HC $19.00 / Copr—BW93H
SC $10.00 / Copr—BW93S
The appearance of this volume inaugurates a new series of The Bahd’t
A thought provoking look at the efforts of children and youth to address the challenge
of achieving racial unity. Calling All Colors World, the publication that was conceived almost seventy yea
features highlights of the national award- Ss ago
winning race unity conferences of the same as the principal public record of the activities around the globe of the
emerging Baha’ world community. Although nineteen volumes of
name, including frank discussions with students. It has proven highly effective for spark- the initial series have been published (volume nineteen is now ing discussions about racism and cultural sen- available, volume twenty is in preparation), the redesign of the series sitivity with all ages, and is also useful for is undertaken primarily in response to a growing public interest in those who wish to plan similar conferences. In the Faith and a desire to respond better to the needs of researchers. the words of Calling All Colors founder, Anisa The Baha’ World 1992-93 focuses on the activ Kir
leading the world, and we have to respect everyone's ideas and not
ies of the Holy The publication of the statement on Bal ‘lah and The Aqdas, The Mount Carmel Projects, Baha’f involvement at
, age ten “We are the next generation, and soon we will be
worry about racial differences.” the Earth Summit, The Second Baha’f World Congress, and much much more. The last three articles 30 minutes provide an overview of the Faith for general readers who have only a superficial familiarity with it. The Center for Education and Community of Coastal Carolina Color photos, maps, and charts make The Baha’ World 1992-93 a perfect gift for public officials and
Univ. i ersity local libraries.
6" x 9°, 316pp., contents, preface, introduction, statistics, directory
< World Centre Publications
Suir To a SEE os TEM _ oot ecks | QUANTA
Daytime TELEPHONE ( Ds OTA 7 ACL For onptns smrrtp oursion rt U.S., PLease Avo 15% (min. $3.00) TOTAL Tennessee Restourts Purast Avo 7.75% Saves Tax
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[Page 8]
THe AMERICAN BAHA't
Classified notices in The American Baha’{ are published free of charge as a service to the Baha’t community. Because of this, notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial ads can be ac— cepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly; the friends should exer— cise their own judgment and care in responding to them.
SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
THE BAHA't National Center presently has openings for the following, positions: administrative consultant, Community Administration; mail room supervisor, mail room clerk, Management Information Systems; Fund Development coordinator, administrative assistant, cashier, Office of the Treasurer; administrative assistant, Persian/ American Affairs Office; publishing coordinator, editorial assistant, Baha’f Publishing Trust; communications aide, National Teaching Office; certified nursing assistant (parttime), Baha'f Home; secretary /receptionist, Baha'i House of Worship; painter's helper, Office Services; grounds maintenance, Properties Office; security guards (experience required), Public Safety. For information about any of these positions, please contact Julie Ravenal, Department of Human Resources, 708-733-3427.
THE GREEN ACRE Bahai School has an immediate opening for a full-time maintenance person. This person will be Tesponsele for general maintenance and upkeep of the facility and grounds ona
ear-round basis. Candidates should
ave a good working knowledge of plumbing, electrical and mechanical sys~ tems. preventive maintenance, basic car— pentry and small engines. Three or more years experience in a similar position is required. Please send a letter of interest and résumé to the administrator, Green Acre Baha’i School, 188 Main St.., Eliot, ME 03903 or phone 207-439-7200.
THE BOSCH Baha'f School has an immediate opening for a morning cook. The position is part-time (averaging 2030 hours/week) except when the school is in session; it then becomes full-time (40 hours/week). Duties include working under the supervision of the Food Services Manager, preparing breakfasts for groups as large as 130, and helping to prepare desserts and lunches. Salary is commensurate with experience and adjusted if one lives on campus. If you are interested, please phone 408-423-3387 or fax 408-423-7564 right away and we will send an application.
PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)
EMPLOYMENT opportunities overseas: AFRICA: Botswana—teachers. Tanzania—English/ESL teacher. Madagascar—country adviser needed for Basics, a USAID-funded project providing technical and material assistance to improve child survival. AMERICAS: Chile—elementary school teachers. ASIA: Macau—urgent need for teachers. Pakistan—Health Department adviser. AUSTRALASIA: Papua New Guinea—head of department and protesoship for the Department of
lectrical and Communication Engineering, chair of professorship for the Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering in the field of information technology and computer science. EUROPE: Czech Republic— teachers of science, math, English, history and social sciences, foreign languages, Baha‘{ studies. Italy—
agricultural economist, rural organization officer. MULTI-REGIONAL: legal advisers needed by the American Bar Association Central and East European Law Initiative (CEELI) for volunteer tions in the former Soviet Union and
astern Europe. For more information,
pis contact the Office of Pioneering, hé’f National Center, Wilmette Il
60091. Telephone 708-733-3512; fax 708733-3509.
PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)
HAMMOND, Indiana, a goal city of the Three Year Plan located 25 minutes east of Chicago on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, needs homefront pioneers. Hammond is served by two universities—Purdue University in the city and Indiana University, 10 minutes south in Gary. Both offer liberal arts, engineering, and graduate courses. Hammond has beaches, dunes, nature walks and water sports. The Baha’f community includes six adults. For information, please write to Evelyn Leonhardt,
Hammond, IN 46324, or phone her at 219-937-2797.
TEXARKANA, Texas—gateway between the South and West—welcomes Baha’fs to help re-form the Assembly in this city of 53,000 targeted in the Three Year Plan to raise to Assembly status. Texarkana has a growing economy, affordable housing, excellent public schools, and a soon-to-be-completed hospit East Texas State Univers yeaa
na and Texarkana College offer a variety of degrees in education, business, nursing and psychology, to name only a few. The proposed Interstate 49 corridor from Kansas City, Missouri, to Shreve rt, Louisiana, is to be built through
‘exarkana, and has brought and will continue to bring many new businesses and industries to the area. Texarkana is home to many culturally and racially diverse populations, and we gladly encourage anyone who is interested to contact us for more information. Write to the Baha'i Group of Bowie County,
exarkana, TX 75501, or
phone 903-832-6181.
MANHATTAN Beach, California, needs homefront pioneers. We have a strong, active community with an incorporated Assembly and an ambitious oneyear plan. Manhattan Beach, only a few miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport, is within commuting distance of Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Long Beach and points between. Prices for homes have dropped dramatically in the last few years. Ocean breezes, moderate temperatures and Bahd'i service. Wow! Write to the Spiritual Assembly of Manhattan Beach, P.O. Box 3773, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, or phone Chris Hendershot, 310-372-5856.
THE BAHA'f community of Winfield, Kansas, would like to invite a deepened Lao Baha'f family or individual to pioneer to this small midwestern city to help consolidate, deepen and translate for a sizable community of Lao Baha'fs (we presently have five Lao families on our rolls). Winfield itself has a stable Lao community of 60-70 families. There are two Lao food markets, one Lao clothing store, and several Lao-owned laundromats. Most Lao residents hold jobs at three local factories or at the state hospital. Winfield is a lovely city of 13,000 with a mild climate amid rolling prairies. If you can help, please contact Jean Gould, secretary, Spiritual Assembly of Winfield, P.O. Box 250, Winfield, Ke 67156, or phone 316-221-3089.
BAHA'f COLLEGE applicants: come
and serve the Cause for four years while
ursuing an ncererediiate legree at the
tate University of New York at Geneseo, listed as No. 10 on Money magazine's list of most selective institutions and No. 5 as the best buy among all colleges. In this, the second year after the Baha'i Unity Club of SUNY-Geneseo was
HELP WANTED
The office of the National Teaching,
National Projects Administrator
ing Committee. Some duties include:
Baha’f administration.
use in print and audio/visual media.
skills.
3427).
in the NATIONAL TEACHING OFFICE
in light of the present needs of the Faith. As a result, applications are being accepted for the following full-time positions:
Responsible for executing projects sponsored by the National Teach
- Manages national support of teaching throughout the U.S.
- Monitors nationally appointed task forces and national ii
- Coordinates special activities and events.
Experience: Proven project management skills; excellent verbal ability; strong analytical and management capacity; superior interpersonal skills; experience in teaching and familiarity with the principles of
Communications and Development Administrator
Responsible for the communications and development agenda of the National Teaching Committee. Some duties include:
- Develops news and messages to the American Baha’f community for
- Facilitates the production of teaching and deepening materials.
- Gathers and analyzes information related to the teaching work.
Experience: Professional background in writing and production for the media; superior writing skills; comprehensive knowledge of the Baha‘f Writings; proven ability in research and data analysis; ability to coordinate the work of volunteer task forces; excellent interpersonal
For more information or to apply, please write to the Office of Human Resources, Baha’f National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 708-733 Committee has been restructured
atives.
formed, the Faith is being recognized as a campus leader in the race unity movement. Help spread the teachings in the heart of upstate New York's Genesee Valley (45 minutes south of Rochester, an hour east of Buffalo). For information about the college, write to Emil Lou, Wayne Hall 403, SUNY, Geneseo, NY 14454, or phone 716-245-7354 or 716-2435993, or e-mail
ARCHIVES
THE NATIONAL Baha'i Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Minta B. Trotman, Edith Tudor-Hart, Philip Turbov, Beryl E. Tuttle, M.N. Tyler, Margarite loas Ullrich, Vera B. Ulrich (died Laramie, WY, 1961), Dorothy M. Underwood, Albert Vail and Bahiyyih Valentine (died New York City, 1957). Anyone knowing family members or relatives who might have these letters from the Guardian is asked to contact the National Baha'f Archives, Baha’f National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or to phone 708-869-9039.
THE NATIONAL Baha’ Archives is seeking copies of the following books by Bahd'u'll4h in good or excellent condition: The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys (cloth, 1952, 1963, 1968, 1971, 5th printing, 9th printing; paper, 1968). Anyone having copies they could donate is. asked to send them to the National Baha'i Archives, Baha’ National Center, Wilmette, IL 600091.
SINGERS and musicians are needed for what might be the largest-scale Baha‘i musical program since the second World Congress. The Rabbani Charitable Trust is planning a significant role for music at its second annual North American Baha‘{ Conference, to be held December 8-11 in Orlando, Florida. The theme of this year’s conference is “Baha’{ Family: For the Time of the Lesser Peace.” Tom Price, who conducted the World Congress choir and orchestra, will organize and lead the Orlando groups. Anyone who took part in the music at World Congress is automatically eligible. Others are encouraged to audition. Choir and or
chestra members will receive a discounted rate on conference registration.
They will be responsible for their own
travel and accommodations, but a conference rate is available at the host hotel,
the Buena Vista Palace adjacent to Disney World. For information on musical
articipation, write to North American
ha’f Conference Music,
Hendersonville, TN 37075.
LOOKING for Bahd'f-oriented dramatic works—plays, monologues, musicals, anything! Our community—ages 3 years to adult—is eager to perform. Please send whatever you have to L.K. DeGoosh, Marquette, MI
49855.
THE BAHA'{ HOME in Wilmette (near the Bahd'f House of Worship) has vacancies for elderly persons who are ambulatory (walkers/canes are accepted) and who can administer their own med— ications. Private living quarters (furnished or finrimalshed)! jome-cooked meals (and two snacks daily), nursing assistants on duty 24 hours, personal laundry, all necessary personal care, a full schedule of activities, single-floor design and lovely residential area are some of the many amenities provided in the low rent of $1,400 a month. For details, contact the administrator, 708-2517000. Open to all.
GRADUATE music student is needed to arrange original Baha'{ music (taped) into four-part choral music. Excellent opportunity for a school project. Must have strong knowledge of music theory, arranging and voicing. Please send ré— sumé to S. Bayat, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (phone 510-524-9468).
YOUTH
YOUTH: dance for the Faith full-time! A new full-time Baha'i workshop is starting this September in western Michigan. workshop will perform daily at schools, community centers, etc. We're looking for young people with performing experience to travel to Michigan and dedicate a significant amount of time to service with this workshop. Room and board provided. Please call for more information: Sean Wolfe,
Grand Rapids, MI 49506-5359 (phone 616-452-5324). "
“In Little Andaman Teaching, Project,” an activity conceived during this year's National Convention of the Baha'fs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, resulted in the enrollment of more than 300 people in the Cause of Baha'u'llah. The campaign began June 6 with a gathering of the friends from Gwalior, Port Blair, Caricobar and Katchal. Simultaneous deepening classes were held for the new believers while arrangements for conducting chilclasses and adult literacy ses were made. In connection with the project, a conference on Family and Victory was held, with 47 people taking part.
On May 24, during the celebration in Germany of the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, Dr. Susanne Schaup, a non-Baha'i journalist, presented an extraordinary talk about the Faith to an audience of about 400, the majority of whom were not Baha'is. Her talk was “so well-received, so well-written and breath-taking” that the editorial board of the German Baha'{ newsletter, Baha’f-Nachrichten, decided to publish it in full. Among the highlights: “The world is crying for a new divine revelation. Such has already occurred, as the Bahd'fs are aware. ...I hope the Baha'i religion gains more influence. in.Germany. ,.J could imagine the financial resources and power of this country married with the know-how of the Baha'i community, its expertise, its ethos to foster peaceful projects in our society and in the third world. ...”
°
More than 200 people attended a ceremony July 9 at the Baha'f Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, marking the completion of a Seminar on Global Change promoted by the Baha'is. The ceremony, co-sponsored by Ecology and World Unity magazine and the Baha'i Department of Ecology, was attended by ecologists and
Gverseas
representatives of non-governmental organizations and the media, among, others. The seminar consisted of nine meetings focusing on such topics as “Models of Development,” “Women's Position,” “Sustained Agriculture,” and “International Peace.” During the event, the Faith wa sented directly since many pa pants had shown an interest in Baha'i activil After an introduc Baha'i principles, an audioprogram on the Baha'f world community was shown and a talk on Baha'u'llah was presented.
.
Her Royal Highness Princess
Nanasipau’u of Tonga was the
featured guest and speaker during a
seminar organized by the National
Baha'{ Public Relations Committee
honoring the International Year of
the Family. The gathering, held in
May at the International Dateline
Hotel in Nuku’alofa, emphasized the
theme “The Importance of Family as
the Nucleus of Society.” Presentations were made on family health by
Dr. Ken Edmondson, a resident
adviser to the South Pacific Alliance
for Family Health, and on the importance of moral education by
Counselor Betty Benson. About 40
people, the majority of whom were
not Bahd'fs, attended the seminar, at
which Her Royal Highness expressed
her pleasure that the Baha'is had
sponsored such a gathering and indicated that other religious groups
should place their emphasis on the
family.
More than 600 people representing 37 nationalities took part June 18 in the annual joint multicultural gathering sponsored by the Baha'i communities of Albury and Wodonga, Australia, to commemorate National Refugee Week. Among those present were the Hon. Tony Plowman, Member of Parliament; Councilor Terry Corcoran, the mayor of Wodonga; Councilor Bob Crosby of the Wo
Masuiyyar 8.€. 151 / SeptempBer 27, 1994
ia anes ce
donga City Council; and Auxiliary Board member Eric Kingston. The program consisted of traditional dances and music of various cultures. °
The Governor General of the Solomon Islands, the Prime Minister, the Minister of "inance, the Minister of Education and Human Resources, and representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were among the more than 100 people who attended an observance May 22 of the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab presented by the National Spiritual Assembly in cooperation with the local Spiritual Assembly of Honiara and held at the Baha'{ Center in that city.
°
The Baha'i community of the Netherlands took part recently in the World Festival in Tilburg, “presenting the Message of Baha'u'llah to many of the 175,000 people who visited this world-culture festival.”
°
About 70 Bahd'fs from throughout Sri Lanka took part May 20-22 ina National Teaching Conference at the Baha’ Teaching Institute in Kadugannawa. With an over-all theme of “Pattern of Baha’ Life,” presentations were made on “Methods of Teaching the Faith,” “The Role of Women in Building a New World,” “Youth Can Move the World,” and “The Importance of Educating Children.” A workshop on “The Exemplar of the Baha'f Faith” was presented in the English, Sinhala and Tamil languages. On the final day of the conference, it was decided to start a teaching campaign in the unopened area of Ratnapura. Volunteers were called for, “and 15 friends arose on the spot.”
The first inter-Assembly Conference of the Spiritual Assemblies of Turkmenistan was held May 28-29 in Firaz with members of the National and local Spiritual Assemblies and two Auxiliary Board members among the 29 people taking part. Consultation was centered on achieving national goals through establishing local goals.
More than 240 people patheede at ite Baha'i Center on Goodenough Island, Papua New e
Guinea, to celebrate the arrival of the Kitab-i:Aqdas. To demonstrate the community's
utmost respect, the book was placed on a bed of roses and carried to the village.
In February, Baha'is played a leading role in a public
in Costa nee the first regional Bah
‘i summer school was held March 31-April 3 in the Bri Bri community of Mojoncito. Pictured is one of the work groups studying the theme of the family.
forum in Guyana on the dangers of drug abuse sponsored by the Camp David Foundation. The opening statement, prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly and read by a Baha’i college student, included quotations from the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The entire program was recorded by the media.
About 100 people from throughout Bulgaria took part June 11-12 “in an atmosphere of love and learning” in the first Family Seminar sponsored by that country's Baha’f community. Presentations were made on marriage, raising children with Baha'{ morals, relationships between parents and children, and the influence of families on society. On June 13, a press conference on the outcome of the conference was attended by 25 journalists, and articles appeared in several newspapers.
HUQdQuU'LLAH
Payments for Huqdqu'llah should be made to “The Baha'f Huqtiqu'lléh Trust” and sent to one of the Trustees:
- Dr. Elsie Austin, 9039 Sligo
Creek Parkway, Unit 612, Silver Spring, MD 20901 (phone 301-589-8481).
¢ Dr. Amin Banani,
Santa Monica, CA 90402 (phone 310-394-5449). ¢ Dr. Daryush Haghighi, Rocky River, OH 44116 (phone 216333-1506).
Inquiries regarding Huqdqu'llah should be referred to one of the Trustees or to the Office of the Secretariat, Baha'f Huqtqu'llah Trust,
Rocky River, OH 44116.
NSD
from the pages of Brilliant Star.
I Want to Help!
The Universal House of Justice has told us that now is the time for every man, woman, youth and child to work together to build the World Order of Baha'u'llah. There are many things children can do for their Baha’f Community. Here is a list of just some of the things you can do. Have you ever done some of these things? Look through the list and check off each one you have done. Are there other ways you could help your community?
Community Service Checklist
Host a Feast
Q greet people at the door
Q welcome people by saying “Alléh-u-Abha”
Q help people find seats
Q serve food during the social portion
Q during Feast, help a young child who has trouble being still by playing together in another room.
Prepare the Devotional Portion of Feast
Q select prayers and passages from the Baha'i Writings
Q select music or songs from the Baha’f Writings
Q make a program that lists your selections and call readers in advance so they may prepare ahead to read
Q find things other children can do to help make Feast special
Prepare Refreshments for Feast
Q plan and make the food Ze =
Q plan and prepare the beverages Q decorate and set the food table
Host Firesides | Tu Q plan a date and invite your friends is
Q plan a topic to talk about it
Q prepare a auort talk or choose a video to show Q invite te guest speaker
Q prepare refreshments
Q have Baha’f booklets ready to give out
Host a Children’s Deepening
Q find out something the children in your community want to learn Q find a guest speaker to talk or video to show
Q plan a date and invite the guests
Q look up more information on your topic
(Holy PLACES \Banal VIDEO T
Serve on a Teaching Committee
Let your Spiritual Assembly know you are willing to serve. If you are appointed to a committee you may be asked to:
Q go to meetings and offer your ideas
Q help plan teaching activities
Q help prepare teaching materials
Q help your community include children in all the teaching plans
Serve on a Holy Day Committee Let your Spiritual Assembly know you are willing to serve. If you are
"rag appointed to a committee you may be asked to:
N Raavicars? Q go to meetings and offer your ideas
Q help plan a Holy Day activity
Q help select and decorate a location Q help plan the program
Q help make invitations
Q help plan refreshments
Start a Children’s Teaching Institute
Q find some friends who want to work with you
Q learn about Teaching Institutes
Q make plans to start your institute
Q find an adult who can help you get started
Q tell your Auxiliary Board Member about your institute
Write a letter to your Local Spiritual Assembly to say you are ready to serve your community. Children are always welcome to write or talk to their Assemblies, especially at the Feast.
Reprinted from Brilliant Star, My Bahd’t Community, Jan-Feb 1993, by Pepper P. Oldziey, illustrated by Carla Marlene
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By Tom Mennillo
On August 13, old world met new World Order in the stifling hot confines of Ames Courtroom at Harvard Law School.
The walls of the great oaken chamber have absorbed stirring words before from such luminaries as John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.
But never, said David S. Ruhe, retired member of the Universal House of Justice, had a “more important message” than the healing, Message of Baha'u'llah been given to those in that historic room.
Among the salient points of Dr. Ruhe's address in the annual Hasan Balyuzi Memorial Lecture:
¢ “that America’s evolution as a multicultural democracy and federal union of equal states has prepared this country and Canada for spiritual leadership of the world”;
¢ “that world forces of discord are already largely countered or surpassed by forces for unity”;
¢ “that post-Darwinian concepts of human evolution anticipate a megaleap in the sociocultural organization of mankind despite possibly grim scenarios of chaos and complexity”;
¢ “that religion has the force of common and familiar tradition, that it is religion which provides ethical and moral guidance for the average man”; and
¢ “that the Baha‘is are the authentic saviors of the world society, the inheritors of a great evolutionary destiny.”
Dr. Ruhe’s remarks to an overflow audience provided an exclamation point for “Anarchy Into Order: Understanding Humanity’s Role and Destiny,” the theme of the Association for Baha’i Studies’ 18th annual conference.
The August 11-14 proceedings at the Cambridge Center Marriott in Cambridge, Massachusetts, brought together more than 700 people including members of the Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas and the National Spiritual Assemblies of the U.S. and Canada.
Speakers and panelists traced the state of society from its present travails to the elements of transformation under way in the individual, family, community, nation and world.
A parallel children’s program conducted by members of the Boston Baha‘i Youth Workshop explored the same issues in a unique way.
And woven throughout the conference were various performances of the arts, offering yet another perspective—one that coordinator Anne Gordon Perry of Dallas, Texas, called “ideally suited” to the weekend’s theme for its balancing of individual expression and the needs of community.
Applying the Writings
The proceedings began with special interest seminars on the topics of agriculture; arts; built environment; business and economics; the Baha’i Computer and Communications Association; consultation; education; the environment; marriage
‘Anarchy into order’
Conference examines our role and destiny
David S. Ruhe (left), retired member of the Universal House of Justice, shares a laugh with PierreYves Mocquais, academic director of the Association for Baha‘i Studies, during Dr. Ruhe’s keynote Hasan Balyuzi Memorial Lecture in the historic Ames Courtroom at Harvard Law School.
books for conference attendees.
and family; race unity; the study of religion; and women’s and gender issues.
These mostly day-long meetings strove to apply the Writings to “real world” situations and professions. ‘or example, a joint afternoon s on of the agriculture and economics seminars discussed ‘Abdu’lBaha’s concept of the village storehouse and local House of Finance. Social and economic development projects in Latin America and a derivative micro-loan program for small businesses in New England were used as nascent models.
An evening devoted to the role of the arts followed.
Expressions included creative devotions, musical presentations by a violinist and choir, and a dramatic presentation, adapted from The Dawn-Breakers, of Haji Sulayman Khan and Haji Allah-Yar’s daring rescue of the remains of the Bab from Tabriz.
a = ee Author, author! Richard Thomas (left) and David $
's of their latest
. Ruhe sign copi
The second day consisted of intensive study classes in English and a symposium in Persian on writings, particularly by Shoghi Effendi, related to the conference theme.
Participants chose four 90-minute sessions to attend from a varied menu ranging from “Spiritual Transformation Through the Creative Word: A Language Processing Model of Cognitive Restructuring” to “Educating for Oneness: The Day is Come.”
Unfolding a world civilization
Later, conference attendees were treated to an informal evening with six members of the Board of Counselors.
In many ways, it set the stage for what was to follow.
Counselor William Roberts of the USS. began with thoughts about the “value and importance of clarifying or delineating cultural standards and patterns during this dramatic, key
transition period.”
Counselor Roberts noted that we look forward to the establishment of anew world civilization, but we have only an elusive understanding, of what that experience will be. We live, he said, “in the kind of ‘superficial culture unsupported by a cultivated morality’ that ‘Abdu’l-Baha described.”
But he said a process is under way in the Baha’f community that involves various cultures getting together to discover “what part of their experience, when fully understood and appreciated, can be offered, in light of the Revelation of Baha’u'llah, in the erection of this new world civilization.”
This most important process, he said, “ensures a broad-based incorporation of values that have been nurtured and developed in different parts of our planet.”
The Counselor acknowledged that the gulf between peoples is still vast, but said “it can be narrowed with the realization of the beauty, the wonder of these powerful processes produced by diverse people—all, of course, bent toward the establishment of world unity, of world order, in the name of Baha’u‘llah.”
Achallenge
His colleagues from Latin America who followed Counselor Roberts to the lectern described just that: remarkable developments that demonstrate how the Baha’i community is contributing to the unfoldment of a world civilization.
And they challenged the friends in North America to work side by side with them in the effort.
Counselor Farhad Shayani of Brazil reminded his audience that the compilation by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice,
See COUNSELORS page 12
THe AMERICAN BAHA'I
ea
12
Counselors call on Baha’is to ‘make history’
Continued from page I!
“Promoting Entry by Troops,” invites us to “make history, not just study it.”
Analyze teaching strategies, he urged attendees, and create forums for discussion so the friends can clearly see how to achieve entry by troops. He listed such areas of focus as promoting and sustaining growth, creating distinctive communities, aiding Spiritual Assembly maturation, and making teaching structures more efficient.
Bahd’is, Counselor Shayani concluded, must “be in the advance of constructive forces of society—not imitators, not ‘me too,’ but standard bearers.”
Counselor Isabel de Sanchez of Peru echoed her colleague.
God has given us much, she observed. But from those who have been given much, God expects much in return.
Bahd‘is can form a bridge with South America, said Counselor de Sanchez. The region is changing rapidly, and knowledge is growing, but there is a long way to go.
She urged the friends, especially youth, to join with such Baha‘f efforts as Universidad Nur that are redefining leadership through moral education.
Leadership for age of maturity
That comment provided an opening for Counselor Eloy Anello of Colombia to talk about the pioneering efforts of Universidad Nur.
The old concept of leadership— ego-based, manipulative, “know it all”—has caused much of the world’s problems, said Counselor Anello. It creates great dependence in people, who think solutions can come only from outside the community, and it breeds mistrust.
Instead, he said, the Baha’fs must instill a new definition of leadership, one that is oriented toward service and common good; facilitates transformation—individual and collective; possesses a morality rooted in truth; and is characterized by the capability to learn, evaluate, take initiative, share a vision, and persevere.
So Universidad Nur is connecting, with the “moral leaders of a dying, civilization who are searching for answers” to instill “leadership for the age of maturity that is in harmony with the Teachings of Baha’u’lléh.”
Through courses at the university, 550 rural teachers are now being trained. Nur also has entered into an agreement with the governor of Santa Cruz to train municipal workers who are being given greater responsibilities under government decentralization.
In addition, a federation of grassroots organizations wants Nur to develop workshops for its members on moral leadership and administration of projects. And a German government agency has contracted to
Jack Lenz leads the choir in song (above), while George Davis performs a dramatic monologue depicting an individual’s inner strug: gle over the issues confronting society today.
have Nur operate a leadership school for small-business owners involved in an aid project.
Counselor Anello urged Baha'is to be more audacious in applying the Teachings to issues. “Don’t just write books for ourselves,” he said, “but... explain the Faith to the non-Bah world so this world will become a Baha’i world.”
The session was moderated by Counselor Jacqueline Delahunt of the US. Counselor Ruth Pringle of Costa Rica was present but said she would save her comments for a talk later in the conference.
Disintegration and Integration
The next morning, third of the conference, launched two days of sessions in which speakers and panelists, including Patricia Locke of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly and Reginald Newkirk, secretarygeneral of the National Assembly of Canada, examined the progressive patterns of “anarchy into order”:
¢ the battling forces of disintegration and integration—a Baha’{ perspective on anarchy and order;
the dilemma of the individual— finding a life purpose in an anarchic society;
- rebuilding families and communities;
- promoting racial unity as a foundation for community life;
- reinventing structures and processes of governance; and
- creating a just global order—the
ee E i iD mi
imperative of action.
An extraordinary dramatic monologue written by Ross Woodman, professor emeritus of English literature at the University of Western Ontario, and performed by George Davis of Rockford, Illinois, also began its two-day run at the first plenary session.
Segments were interspersed throughout the sessions, progressing to a climax in which an individual struggling with today’s issues finds the answers in the Revelation of Baha’u'llah.
Conference participants heard, too, from the choir assembled for the occasion, with soloists Roya Bauman of Arlington, Virginia, and Canadian singer/composer Jack Lenz.
Members of the Boston Bahd’i Youth Workshop brought an emotional response from the audience with their rap on the equality of women and men and an intense precision dance dramatizing the unbreakable spirit of the Babis imprisoned with Baha’u’llah.
And the annual awards of the Association for Baha’i Studies were presented.
Essay contest winners were Roya Hanna, high school; Christopher Buck, university; and Martha Schweitz, general. Honor roll recognition for excellence in Bahd’f service and scholarship went to Anne Gordon Perry and Peter P. Morgan.
A special award was bestowed on
Hossain Danesh, former secretarygeneral of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and an Association bulwark, who recently was named director of the Landegg Academy and Institute of International Education and Development in Switzerland.
A new evolution
When all is said and done, though, the comments of Dr. Ruhe may echo loudest and farthest from the conference.
Speaking on “A New Evolution: Religious Bonding for World Unity,” Dr. Ruhe called on his experience as an epidemiologist and his longtime service to the Baha’f community to crystallize the “great challenges facing the whole world at this time.”
American thinking today, he said, is colored by cynicism and materialism and by our rearing in a “JudeoChristian-Islamic religious trad that tends to link spirituality with isolation, deprivation and poverity.”
Not yet are we aware, he said, that “spirituality today is linked to honorable affluence achieved in service to others—quite a new principle. For only through an ethic of service can the ‘me-first’ egocentrism of modern man and woman be sublimated to present-day demands for the preservation ofiour physical world and for world peace and world unity.”
This ethic of service, “rooted in the religious feeling and essential good will of Americans and Canadians,” provides the promise of our spiritual destiny, he said.
Appropriate to the surroundings of Ames Courtroom, Dr. Ruhe built an impressive case that Baha‘u’‘llah, the Supreme Prophet, is the “father figure for this age now aborning.”
And he presented it in the full belief that “the next six and a half years—or perhaps 2,100 days—are singularly historic and possibly heroic ones, to be feared, to be confronted, and in retrospect, we think, to be applauded.”
Thesis 1: America’s destiny
Dr. Ruhe asserted that the U.S. and Canada are “steadily evolving, however rocky the course, to better reflect the dream of true and inclusive reality and justice in all spheres of human life.”
He traced the singular roots for this to the Iroquois Federation. Long before the Europeans arrived here, he said, the Indians had “originated the concept and reality of a federal union of democratic, equal states.”
This, he said, was “cemented...with a great law of peace, a constitution which propounded one expansive family of man who claimed the sky for their ceiling and all the earth for their floor.”
The federation included popular participation in the community, the natural rights of man, equality of women, freedom of expression, separation of civil and religious affairs, and the relatively equal
[Page 13]
Baha’!
distribution of wealth, he said.
Women chose the chiefs, he said, and these chiefs lost their personalities and became servants of the community. Honesty, justice and freedom were valued. And the Iroquois memorialized not battles won but places of peace
On such a foundation, said Dr. Ruhe, the Founding Fathers built our Constitution and Bill of Rights that established in America individual rights over property and power.
In this regard, he said, the Civil War was inevitable in the development of American democracy and the autonomy of states. It was fought for national unity against seccesion and for “equality of the common man against a nascent southern aristocracy,” with the abolition of slavery an essential corollary of both war goals.
America probably has won “the fundamental psychological and political instruments needed to achieve the promised spiritual happiness,” he said.
Thesis 2: forces for unity
The 19th century saw a flowering of the Age of Science, with its system of thought and observation, that has led to the technological development of society, said Dr. Ruhe.
At the same time, he noted, a parallel process that evolved from centuries of society’s youth and adolescence brought a tidal wave of religious thought “aimed precisely at the spiritual unity of mankind” and possessing the same global scope as the scientific wave.
Thus emerged our Faith, he said, one that projects “a world-encompassing set of principles and doctrines exquisitely in tune to the emergent needs of mankind.”
Its “Darwin” was Baha’‘u’llah, “of a far greater stature, given a far larger and more difficult task, for His role was to uplift the spirit and reshape the behavior and aspirations of man for a new age which would demolish entrenched traditions,” said Dr. Ruhe.
“Ultimately,” he said, “His mi was to congeal, with the annealing force only possible through a new religion, the group soul of man for the Great Peace” surely to emerge from the “universal convulsion” now enveloping the world.
Thesis 3: post-Darwin evolution In this day, said Dr. Ruhe, evolution can be measured not in centuries and millennia but in years and
decades.
Below the present strife, he said, we can plainly see the next stage in human evolution, “the organization of human society in a planetary civilization that will be characterized by the emergence of a world community, consciousness of a world citizenship, and the founding of a world civilization and culture that will allow for an infinite diversity in the characteristics of its components.”
He pointed to the web of communications and transportation that is connecting us all: “More group mind and values are emerging in all
studies
Youth is radiant, as these young Baha’:
Youth Workshop (right) can attest.
fields,” he said.
What is the immediate fate of humankind?
Dr. Ruhe sees possibly an evolution born of necessity—a mega-leap stemming from some event or circumstance. Cooperation and peace, in these near-doomsday scenarios, would be forced upon us by war, pandemic disease, climactic changes or, conceivably, extraterrestial beings.
But expect some form of peace, some “new and higher energy flux in our affairs” in the next 2,100 days, he said.
“We're close to a planet-wide fusion of many cultures,” he said, a unity that has been the dream of man, through a succession of prophetic voices, throughout history.
Thesis 4: bonding for Golden Age
“It should not be surprising that a spiritual genius (Bahd’u'llah) should have been born exactly for this evolutionary crisis, even as a swarm of genius thinkers of science was created through a process for the past 150 years,” said Dr. Ruhe.
“Nor should we be surprised,” he said, “that He foresaw the diseases of society oncoming and proclaimed Himself to be a physician to those ailments, a healer given the power to cure the confused, the lost, the emotionally and mentally sick humanity of which we are a part. He is today’s channel or voice of God’s purpose for our time.”
Dr. Ruhe said “the call of religion is sorely needed to provide the energy of belief contained in ideas of unity and cooperation at the world level, plus the willingness to adapt to change.”
But the role of religion, he said, doesn’t stop there.
“Religion is critically essential to strengthen the innermost conviction and commitment the Baha’ Prophet shows to be good for all mankind, taken one by one, by families, clans, peoples.
“Religion is the power of guidance brought by Bahd’u'llah for this age. His message stiffens the moral backbone of an emerging world society as it is being welded together from
RAS
participating in the conference (above) and performing with the Boston Baha‘t
Masnivyat 8.€. 151 / SeptemBer 27, 1994
13
incredibly, and almost impossibly, diverse parts.
“Religion is the fuel which speeds the engine of science into the new age, is the glue of a world society which must live loftily and at peace with all of God’s biosphere, including precious humans in their entirety.”
How wonderful, said Dr. Ruhe, that “the Baha’ message of enlightenment is daily more congruent with the theories of 20th century science.”
Moreover, at this very moment, “the Baha’i Faith has come of age, bringing a new Scripture, evolutionary, consistent with, but greatly expanding its Judeo-Christian-Islamic heritage, that energy steam which, however inconsistently, has sustained concepts of mora for more than 20 centuries in the East and the West,” he said.
Thesis 5: Baha'is as saviors
Dr. Ruhe identified five unique aspects of the Bahd’f teachings that qualify it to be the answer to the bonding needs of the new world civilization. fi man is inherently good, possessing free will but also conscience.
Second, salvation is won through good works, not by grace alone, “not by the vicarious sacrifice of the Savior, worthy as is that deed.”
Deeds of service, he said, form “a critical element of character development to counter self-centeredness.”
Third, to the many versions of the Golden Rule that exist, Bahé’u’ll4h has added a greater Golden Rule as a corollary to the Most Great Peace: “Blessed is he who prefers his neighbor before himself. Such a one is of the people of Baha.”
Fourth, three great keys to universalism are found in the Baha‘i Faith: universalism of the Messiah, with Baha’u’llah the Expected One of all religions; universalism of holy books, based on belief in God and His Manifestations, with the freedom to use all as relevant; and acceptance of
the “bible” of science as complementary to the scriptures of religion.
Fifth, the call to group spirituality
is uttered by Baha’u’llah, Who tells
us that we must become as “one soul
in many bodies,” complete men and
women of peace who have attained
trtre understanding and nobility.
A postscript
Dr. Ruhe, although conceding that “the crystal ball I possess is cloudy,” ended with a scenario far different from those of the doomsday variety.
“What is coming in the next 2,100 days no one knows,” he said. “But it must happen. Evolution is calling for it.”
Expect surprises, he said. “The thoughts I’ve expressed tonight are afoot in the world, are coming from every corner. Our hour h ae
The enlightenment that gressing in the world and is moving toward recognition of a world family, of the need for world bonding, world moral and spiritual education” may not be recognized as the Baha’ Faith, said Dr. Ruhe, but it “is coming upon coming at all kinds of levels, and in all kinds of ways, with all manner of force.”
Expect also massive growth in the Faith, he said, and expect to have to educate a new generation of Baha'is, of whatever age, “at speed and very intensely.”
Finally, Dr. Ruhe said to expect “to use the organizational skills which you acquire almost casually as Baha’is.”
The Faith, in its electoral process and in the way it puts together local Spiritual Assemblies and committees, is simple but quite powerful, he said.
“Consultation is even more powerful, providing you know how to use it,” he said. “Therefore, you must study and know how to use it. You must become expert in using the tools that are at hand.”
14
THe American BaHA'l
Peter Adriance, a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly, was among the more
than 200 individuals including members of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from five
continents who attended a conference entitled
“Two Years After UNCED: Exploring
Partnerships for Sustainable Development” which was held in late July in
Davenport, lowa.
The conference focused on cooperative efforts by business, government and NGOs since the 1992 Earth Summit to achieve sustainable development.
Principal sponsors were the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development, the Stanley Foundation, and the lowa division of UNA-USA.
As part of the conference process, the National Spiritual Assembly submitted a paper entitled “Unity and Consultation: Foundations for Sustainable Development” which was published in a compilation distributed to all participants at the conference.
The paper was the first in the compilation and appeared in its opening section on principles. It was also distributed separately as a brochure and received much positive comment.
One participant remarked that the paper demonstrated clearly the practical relationship between spiritual values and sustainable development without becoming “overly religious.”
The brochure is now available to the Baha'i
Faith represented at conference on development
community through the Bahd'f Distribution Service (phone 800-999-9019).
Mr. Adriance, the National Spiritual Assembly's liaison to non-governmental organizations, served on the conference steering committee and helped
Mr. Adriance, the National Spiritual Assembly's liaison to non-governmental organizations,
served on the conference steering committee and helped with essential aspects of organizing and running the event...
with essential aspects of organizing and running the event, a cooperative effort by more than 100 organizations involved in the Earth Summit follow-up.
He also arranged and moderated a workshop, “How Can We Work Together: Business, Government, NGO.”
Those taking part in the workshop included representatives from the Global Tomorrow Coalition, the National Association of Counties, the John Deere Company, and the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board.
Ina letter to the Stanley Foundation following the conference, the representative from John Deere praised the facilitation skills of the Baha'i moderator, saying, “I believe all parties to the discussion group benefited from the open and honest exchange that Peter so skillfully guided. ...When
local groups talk as we did last week, many of the differences evaporate early in the meeting.”
In the workshop, Mr. Adriance had introduced principles of consultation. Another Baha’f attending the workshop, Marda Rodriguez, helped to reinforce the ideas he put forward.
Mr. Adriance read the Baha'i prayer “Blessed Is the Spot” as an invocation before a dinner one evening, after which several people commented on the prayer's beauty and simplicity and asked for copies.
The Spiritual Assembly of Davenport offered the use of its Center to conference participants who desired lowbudget accommodations.
The hospitality and generosity of the local Baha'is was noted and appreciated by a young man who had ridden his bicycle across the country to raise awareness of hunger. As a result of his stay, he expressed a desire to learn more about the Faith.
Guided by the instructions of the Universal House of Justice to serve as a source of unity and to introduce Baha'i principles where applicable, said Mr. Adriance, Baha'is can become involved in similar efforts in their own ies, and in so doing can serve their ‘izens and help foster an ever-advancing civilization.
“The teaching opportunities associated with such work,” he noted, “are a natural by-product of serving with others.”
Baha'is in Speedway, Indiana, find half-hour video on Faith being shown on cable TV
When the Baha’is of Speedway, Indiana, gathered July 9 to commemorate the Martyrdom of the Bab, they were delighted to turn on the television in their hosts’ home and find the Baha’i video “Out of God’s Eternal Garden” being shown on Comeast cable.
The half-hour video, on the early history of the Baha’f Faith, includes a segment on the Martyrdom of the Bab. It was a wonderful start to the observance.
But the Baha’is hadn’t scheduled that particular video to be played on July 9. It was one of a stack of tapes that had been taken to the station several weeks before for airing.
The Baha’f program on Comcast is broadcast five times each Saturday. Another cable system, American CableVision, airs the program once each on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Persian dinner, ‘cakewalk’ raise $6,000-plus for Arc
In Santa Clarita, California, a Persian family recently prepared and served a Persian dinner for 64 adults and children to help raise funds for the Are.
A “cake walk” and door prizes provided entertainment for children and adults alike. Dinner tickets and other contributions raised more than $6,000 for the Arc Fund.
Baha'is in California establish cemetery section in honor of Tehran's destroyed Baha'i Gulistan
No joy can equal the pleasure a believer receives in witnessing the triumph of the Cause of God.
Those involved in establishing the Bahd’{ Gulistan Javid, a new section of Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California, experienced a glimpse of such joy upon the successful completion of the project May 15.
Gulistan Javid honors the name of the Baha‘i cemetery in Tehran where grave sites were destroyed in 1993 as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s continuing persecution of the Faith.
When news was received last September of the desecration, the Spiritual Assembly of Laguna Niguel held a memorial meeting on the grounds of Fairhaven, an old and beautiful memorial park serving Orange County.
The gathering was well publicized, and media coverage by Orange County News television and The Register newspaper was excellent.
Keynote speaker for the event was James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, who told the assemblage that the dignity of Baha’is cannot be taken away by the act of destruction of grave sites; rather, their dignity is preserved by their dedicated service to humanity.
This message and similar ideas conveyed through selections from the Writings read at the event had a profound effect on the staff of Fairhaven. That opened the door for further cooperation to establish a permanent memorial site.
The driving force was Baha’u’lléh’s stated promise, as conveyed b' Shoghi Effendi, “Should they attempt to conceal its light on the continent, it will assuredly rear its head in the mid-most heart of the ocean, and raising its voice, proclaim: ‘I am the lifegiver of the world!’” (God Passes By, p. 253)
Through consultation with Fairhaven staff, it was decided to design and build a monument of black granite, with gold-filled inscription, to be placed within the cemetery grounds.
Fairhaven chose a newly developed section of the park in which to place the monument, with 240 adjacent grave sites, oriented toward the Qiblih, to be offered for purchase initially to the Baha’is and then to the public.
This section, named Gulistan Javid, was dedicated in a ceremony May 15 to the memory of the dear Baha’i friends whose grave sites in the Gulistan Javid of Tehran were destroyed.
At the dedication, the music of Sandra Simmons and Jamie Findley and the keynote speech by Auxiliary Board member Hoda Mahmoudi exhilirated the souls of more than 300 attendees. Included in the program was a poem written especially for the occasion by Aqdas Towfiq and rendered into English by Norman Bethel.
A lovely program booklet was printed and distributed to all
present. Surrounding communities contributed flower arrangements that enhanced the beauty of the setting.
On August 29, the Baha’i section of Fairhaven was mentioned prominently in a Los Angeles Times frontpage article titled “New Niches for Funeral Marketing” and subtitled “Mortuaries like Santa Ana’s Fairhaven court Gypsies, Buddhists and Baha’is as industry mixes culture, commercialism to offset a decline in traditional burials.”
The article noted-that the increase in cremations among “mostly white, Protestant” Americans has caused funeral homes and cemeteries to market burial services to people of other faiths and cultures.
Lou Carlson, a Fairhaven family service counselor, keeps both Muslim and Baha’f holy books in his briefcase, according to the Times. The newspaper also said Mr. Carlson “extols his funeral home’s attention to sacred Baha’f burial rituals in 18minute infomercials.”
Under a full-color photograph of Mr. Carlson polishing the Gulistén Javid monument, the Times described the funeral of Khalil Vajdi, an active Bahd’‘f in Irvine who was the first to be buried in the section.
The newspaper also quoted two local Baha’is on the “sense of identity” created by the special cemetery, and gave a one-paragraph summary of background information on the Faith.
MAsHiyYAT B.
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151 / September 27, 1994
Chaplaincy leads to other opportunities
Sometimes the smallest actions make the greatest impact. Just ask Joe Ferguson.
The Stone Mountain, Georgia, Baha’f felt he “might be able to serve the Faith and others” by joining the volunteer chaplain program at nearby Rockdale Hospital.
What he ended up doing has gone far beyond the important role of providing spiritual care to patients, their families, and staff.
He has also:
prepared a monthly calendar of Holy Days of the world’s religions to be circulated around the hospital;
- been appointed to the Chaplain’s
Advisory Board for 1994;
- given a presentation on the Faith
at the chaplains’ quarterly meeting;
¢ made a similar presentation to the nurses and staff of the hospital;
- consulted with other chaplains
on making the hospital’s chapel a truly interfaith worship center;
¢ received interest from chaplains at Hartsfield International Airport and Henry County General Hospital about adding Bahd’fs to their programs;
¢ helped form an interfaith study and sharing group that meets at a Trappist monastery; and
¢ worked with a rabbi on a presentation about prayer to the Kiwanis Club of Rockdale County.
Mr. Ferguson became interested in chaplaincy when he and a fellow Baha’{, Rosland Hurley, visited Susan Sendelbach, director of pastoral care at Rockdale Hospital.
Ms. Sendelbach had expressed a desire to hear about the Faith after meeting Marion Jackson, a Baha’{ who was interning at the hospital. After an hour of conversation, Ms. Sendelbach asked whether the Bahda’fs might be interested in providing a volunteer chaplain.
At that point, Mr. Ferguson approached the Spiritual Assembly of South DeKalb County. He was interested in taking part but concerned that fellow Baha’is would “get the idea I wanted to be a minister or have some ministerial role.”
The Assembly allayed his fear and encouraged him to join the program.
Some of the other 40 or so chaplains—mainly Christian clergy— were not so easy to convince that Mr.
The National Spiritual Assembly encourages local Spiritual Assemblies to contact the hospitals in their communities to ensure that the Faith is listed as one of the religious options for patients to choose when registering.
Many hospitals that don't already list the Baha’f Faith in their computers often put “other” or “none” on the computer print-out
Does your hospital list ‘Baha’i’ as option?
for Baha'i patients. Some cases may need consistent follow-up by the Assembly.
A local Spiritual Assembly can also leave the name and telephone number of its representative and ask that the hospital notify Baha'i patients of the representative's name, or that the hospital notify the representative if the patient is critically ill.
Ferguson should be on their team. That situation improved, though, as Mr. Ferguson took on the calendar
project.
For each Holy Day he included a few lines explaining its history and significance. In the process, he called various religious leaders to verify that what he wrote was accurate and captured the nature and spirit of the day.
That gave Mr. Ferguson an opportunity to talk with many of the leaders about the Faith. They also were grateful that he was considerate of their beliefs.
Participation on the Advisory Board also helped Mr. Ferguson gain credibility among the “mainstream” chaplains. In fact, when he presented the Faith at the quarterly meeting, several chaplains brought guests just to hear his talk.
The presentation generated requests for more information. So did his talk to the nurses and staff, many of whom were particularly impressed with the Faith’s view of women.
Mr. Ferguson’s involvement in the interfaith study group was in part a result of his meeting the Rev. Thomas Francis, a Trappist monk, at a funeral
for one of the chaplains. When Father Francis heard that Mr. Ferguson is a Baha’{, he asked to hear more.
Mr. Ferguson later visited him and gave him copies of The Hidden Words and the Statement on Baha'u'llah. They spent more than an hour talking about the Faith and how it “fits into the scheme of things.”
Since then, the monk has called several times with questions and has told several friends about the Faith.
Father Francis also opened up the monastery for meetings of the discussion group, which includes in its membership of nine a Hindu swami, conservative and reform rabbis, Ms. Sendelbach, and other non-clerics.
Interfaith cooperation was the basis of the chapel renovation project and the Kiwanis Club presentation, as well.
Mr. Ferguson is working with several other chaplains on a fundraising campaign for the chapel and to develop with an artist a piece depicting symbols from various religions.
With Rabbi Sy Commanday, he came up with a program that would, as the rabbi said, show the Kiwanians “unity and diversity.” It included Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha‘i prayers, American Indian flute music, and a 10-minute presentation on the Faith.
Larry Strickland and Hoda Ataie, Baha‘fs from the South DeKalb community, helped in the Kiwanis presentation. Mr. Strickland read two prayers and Miss Ataie, a pre-youth, recited the “Remover of Difficulties” in Arabic and English.
Rabbi Commanday and Mr. Ferguson have discussed reworking the presentation, adding material, and “taking it on the road” to meetings of other social organizations. The rabbi told him he thinks it is important for as many people to see this “unity and diversity” as possible.
Where might the Baha’fs’ role in chaplaincy go from here?
Hartsfield airport and the Henry County airport have expressed an interest in having Bahd’fs participate. In addition, Ms. Sendelbach is encouraging, Baha’is to enroll in clinical pastoral education (CPE) classes that would give them added skills when consulting with individuals.
Baha’is share perspective on prayer, meditation
The Bahd’fs of Portland, Oregon, recently took part in an interfaith dialogue on how prayer and meditation can be used as peace-building tools.
More than 300 people gathered to hear representatives of Christianity, Islam and the Baha’f Faith speak of their spiritual experiences. The session was sponsored by Sant Rajinder Singh, whose Science of Spirituality advocates meditation as the means for people of all religions to reach a realization of self and of God.
Michael Sears, a member of the
Spiritual Assembly of Portland, captured the audience by opening his comments with the prayer “Blessed Is the Spot,” followed by the prayer for unity.
He then outlined the teachings of Bahd‘u’ll4h, using appropriate quotations from the Writings, and closed by reciting statistics that reflect the spread of the Faith.
Ata reception after the dialogue, a number of young people gathered around Dr. Sears and other Bahd’is to ask questions.
The next day Lydia A. McCarter, an
assistant to the Auxiliary Board, represented the Baha’fs at an interfaith luncheon.
Ms. McCarter and a Unity Church minister offered prayers, and a consultation followed in which she presented a perspective on Baha’f obligatory and other prayers.
She also was asked about her travels, which opened the door for her to talk about the Baha’f World Center in Haifa, Israel, and the Baha’i House of Worship in India.
Arthur Stein, chairman for both interfaith sessions, remarked about
the beauty and grandeur of the Temple in India and said, “The Temple could not have been constructed but through Baha‘u’llah.” Dr. Stein, it was later learned, has shared a radio program in Rhode Island with members of the Faith. The interfaith dialogue also afforded the Baha’is an opportunity to display The Promise of World Peace, The Vision of Race Unity, and the Models of Unity report produced by the Spiritual Assembly of Portland and the Human Rights Commission. Many attendees picked up copies.
[Page 16]
_Race Unity Day ’94
MPTON, VA
Hampton, Virginia.
In many respects, the second annual Race Unity Walk in Hampton, Virginia, was a success before the marchers stepped off June 11.
Earlier in the year, the Hampton Coalition for Youth, a city agency that promotes and educates the community on youth issues, was so impressed with the presence and behavior of the Bahai youth at the Dr. Martin Luther King march in Washington, D.C., that it asked the local Baha'is to take part in programs that it was designing.
In turn, the Spiritual Assembly of Hampton asked the Coalition to co-sponsor its Race Unity Walk.
By the day of the walk the fruits of this relationship were already manifold:
- a mayoral proclamation, with
quotes from the writings of Bahda’u'llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, was read by City Council during its live weekly televised session to join with the local and National Spiritual Assemblies in celebrating Race Unity Day;
- a 10-minute radio interview
about the walk was conducted;
- City Hall agreed to hang
posters in its main lobby from a race unity poster contest to be judged at the walk; and
- a 25-foot banner advertising the
walk was stretched over a four-lane major highway in Hampton.
The fruits of this all-important celebration on the day of the event
tivities June 5 in the Wisconsin city.
-— MILWAUKEE, WI Newspaper article on festivities quotes several Baha’is about oneness
Several Baha’is were quoted by the Milwaukee Sentinel in its coverage of Race Unity Day ac “The oneness of mankind—racial unity—is the most important issue for America,” Jerry Lee told the newspaper during the festivities at the Milwau
ne
Bearing smiles and balloons, Race Unity Walk participants march through
Fruits of relationship pay off in city co-sponsorship of walk
were equally bountiful.
About 170 people of many races and backgrounds attended the opening program, which included Baha’, Muslim and Native American prayers as well as traditional African-American songs and acoustic spiritual music.
Attendance was nearly triple that of 1993's event, and the majority of the attendees were not Baha’is.
At the conclusion of the program, the crowd, many carrying banners for the Baha’ Faith, the Coalition for Youth, the 4-H Club, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hampton, set off with a police escort on the 1.2-mile walk.
Photographs of the event were published in a local newspaper and ina city government publication that is mailed to every household. In addition, the Baha‘is have received many inquires about the Faith, including a letter of appreciation with an attached contribution that had to be returned.
But one of the mos isfying and permanent impressions left by this day is the story of a group of middle school students who wanted to bring a banner to the walk.
The students planned to create the banner on the morning of the event, but school officials would not open the building for them.
When the principal heard about this, he allowed the students to paint a mural in the school cafeteria depicting racial unity.
WAUKEGAN, IL
Media coverage of the Baha’fs in the Waukegan, Illinois, area turned Race Unity Day into Race Unity Week.
First, the News-Sun reported that Robert C. Henderson, secretarygeneral of the National Spiritual Assembly, would be in town later that week to conduct a workshop on cultural diversity for Lake County officials.
Two days later, the newspaper published a profile, with full-color photograph, on Jim Polley, a Bahai from Antioch who is a juvenile counselor for the Lake County Department of Court Services.
Finally, the News-Sun and local radio and cable television outlets reported on Mr. Henderson’s talk.
The workshop, titled “Race Unity: Imperative for Social Progress,” was sponsored by the Minority Affairs Committee of the Lake County Board and the Urban League of Lake County.
Angelo Kyle, chairman of the Minority Affairs Committee, was quoted by the News-Sun as saying the purpose of the workshop was to “orient the board to the cultural diversity of Lake County as the fabric of our strength.”
The newspaper reported that the workshop was precipitated by “walls of intolerance” that had been built within the County Board chambers, particularly with
Cultural diversity seminar, profile highlight week of news coverage
16
THe AmericAN BaAHA'
respect to the wording used in the opening prayer at board meetings.
In his talk, Mr. Henderson called on the county’s elected and appointed officials to give more than lip service to racial unity.
He noted that one of the pillars on which this nation was founded is cultural diversity. But he said the country is being led down the path of self-destruction by society’s rejection of that strength.
“We've got to begin to put our money where our mouth is,” he was quoted as saying. “We have to take steps to change.”
As change agent Mr. Henderson pointed to the leaders themselves. He told them that models of unity can be found even in the most decaying areas of the community, and he encouraged them to reinforce and encourage others to join these constructive forces.
The newspaper's profile on Mr. Polley quoted him extensively on his community involvement, especially as program chairman of the Antioch Rotary Club and as a founding member of the Lake County Race Unity Task Force.
He also explained that since the Baha‘f Faith has no clergy, members “do what we can do with our free time.” He noted his service as a guide at the Baha’ House of Worship and as a member of the Midwest Baha’i Gospel Choir.
ki
The Bah
kee Baha‘i Center attended by about 200 people. Noting that people of all backgrounds and ages mingled at the event, the newspaper quoted Edris Taborn, a member of the Midwest Baha’i Gospel Choir, which performed at the event, as saying, “To me, it’s great to see the diversity of people gather
- — LAKE JACKSON, TX
is of Lake Jackson, Texas, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Baha‘i Dispensation, the centenary of the Faith in America, and Race Unity Day with a picnic. An article in The Brazosport Facts gave a history of the Faith and quoted local Baha’is on race unity and the oneness of humankind.
ing together, getting along.”
Also quoted by the newspaper was Auxiliary Board member Robert Malouf.
“Our religion is about family. It’s about celebrating diversity by yearning to really understand other cultures,” he:said.
Masuiryar 8.€. 151 / SertemBer 27, 1994
17
ser 3
A series of events highlighted by the Baha’isponsored Race Unity Day picnic has animated a greater appreciation of “unity in diversity” in Holland, Michigan.
It started with the annual Tulip Festival Parade.
Holland, despite its name, has not been predominately Dutch for many years. In fact, more than 30 percent of its residents are Latin American and 8 percent are Southeast Asian, and a number of people have African and East Indian roots.
Yet the city’s float in the Tulip Festival Parade has always reflected only the Dutch heritage of the community.
Until this year, when the theme of the float in the May 14 parade was “Celebrating Our Diversity,” and it carried 150 to 200 children of various races and cultures dressed in clothing representing their heritage.
The new atmosphere of openness could have stopped in its tracks right there, however. The next day, the Lakeshore edition of the Grand Rapids Press carried an interview with a member of a local white supremacist group, Das Eisen Corps.
But the Bahd’is weren’t about to let progress slip away.
Ina letter to the city, the Spiritual Assembly of Holland acknowledged the risk the city took in changing the theme of its float. The Baha’f community expressed its support for any activities the city might undertake to further celebrate diversity.
The Spiritual Assembly also responded to the Grand Rapids Press in a letter inviting the newspaper to balance its coverage of racial issues. It noted that by attending the Race Unity Day picnic on June 12 the newspaper would see people building harmony and unity among the races
Participants in the Holland, Michigan, Race Unity Day picnic join hands to sing ‘We Have Overcome.’
Diversity flowers following tulip parade, Baha’i picnic
and religions in the community.
The two initiatives quickly bore fruit.
The city Department of Leisure and Cultural Affairs agreed to co-sponsor the musical part of the picnic so the park’s band shell could be used for performances. And the Grand Rapids Press and the Holland Sentinel both published advance articles about the picnic and about the Baha’f Faith.
At the same time, invitations to the picnic were going out to area churches, to City Hall, and to Hispanic and Laotian businesses and organizations. (The Holland Baha’i community is 30 percent Laotian.)
So it was no surprise when between 250 and 300 adults and children showed up to enjoy prayers, music, food and fellowship at the June 12 picnic. Members of at least one gang also looked on, but did nothing to disrupt the event.
Opening prayers in English, Spanish, German and Laotian were followed by lunch. People were asked to bring their own picnic lunches, but the event actually turned into a potluck as attendees started sharing what they had brought. The Holland Baha’ community also grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
Following lunch, The Vision of Race Unity was presented to Jose Reyna, director of Human and Community Relations for the city. A short but touching speech was given by Holland Baha’{ Katie Kloske, and the presentation was made with great dignity and grace by Chansy Sengsounthone, one of the senior Laotian members of the Holland Baha’i community.
Free helium ballons imprinted with various phrases were given out to children throughout the picnic. Water balloons also were to be part of the afternoon’s games, but a six-pound Pomera nian named Misha ate most of them before the event. Amazingly, the dog is fine.
Activities included face painting, a three-legged race, a wheelbarrow race, a limbo contest, a sack race, volleyball, and the breaking of two pijiatas, important considering the number of people in Holland of Hispanic origin.
Following lunch, musical entertainment began at the shell. The Lao Friends Band played first, then two members of the Central States Baha’i Youth Workshop performed dances, and the Gospel Choir from the Harvestime Fellowship Church sang.
The picnic closed with most of those gathered joining hands and singing a song titled “We Have Overcome,” a modified version of the ’60s civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” The singing was led by the Harvestime choir, whose enthusiasm and energy added a great deal to the meaning of the song and the moment.
It is important to note that all during the day the Baha’is served those in attendance. A large beverage dispenser was set up ona table near the band shell, and the Baha’fs would wander through the crowd asking people whether they could get them something to drink. This act of service seemed to make quite an impression.
Since the picnic, the Baha’i community has mailed thank-you cards to those individuals and organizations that supported, contributed to, or otherwise helped make the event a success.
The Baha’fs also have held regular weekly firesides focusing on unity and equality.
And two weeks after the picnic, the Baha’is brought in three Baha’ Youth Workshops to perform at the community arts festival and at the park where Race Unity Day had been held. These performances continued the theme of racial unity, equality and the oneness of humankind.
Forestry Gathering supported by 17 governments, including U.S.
Continued from page |
to all producers.”
Also speaking at this year's event was G.N. Cimarra, a director of Oilinvest (Netherlands) B.V., the holding company of TAMOIL, the petroleum company that sponsored the Gathering.
Among the more than 200 distinguished guests at the luncheon and reception that followed were ambassadors and other diplomats, representatives of major environmental protection groups, and prominent persons in government, business and the professions.
The government of the United Kingdom took part through a statement from Prime Minister John Major, which was read by the Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs.
Messages of support and encouragement were received from 17 governments, the one from President Clinton capturing succinctly the vision that animated the Gathering; that is, that in the protection and sustainable management of the earth's forests, there are no national boundaries.
The idea of regular gatherings to focus government and media atten tion on preserving the world's forests was begun in 1945 by Dr. Richard St. Barbe Baker, a well-known Baha'i and internationally renowned pioneer in the field of ecology.
The tradition was revived in 1989, on the 100th anniversary of Dr. Baker's birth, by the Baha'i International Community in collaboration with the International Tree Foundation (formerly “The Men of the Trees”), the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the United Nations Environment Program, and Dr. Baker's literary executor, Hugh Locke.
“Our aim in organizing the 1994 World Forestry Charter Gathering
was to address the issue of forestry in a global context,” said Guilda Walker, who planned the Gathering on behalf of the Baha'{ International Community's Office of the Environment.
“We wished to further the idea that the world's forests must be considered the common heritage of all humanity if they are to be effectively preserved and sustainably managed,” Ms. Walker added.
Baha’'f leadership in the endeavor earned generous praise in Prince Philip's address to this year's Gathering and.in several messages from heads of state and government.
Nightingale Project in new phase
Bring on Phase II!
The Nightingale Teaching Project, which began in April in San Diego, California, has seen the creation of billboards, the introduction of “800” telephone service, nightly firesides, and family activities every weekend at the San Diego Baha'i Center.
Now a second phase of the project has been launched, a “neighborhood teaching and display campaign” aimed at the communities surrounding the Baha’i Center.
The goal is to open the Baha’i Center to residents of the area, making friends and teaching the Baha’i Faith to families and individuals.
A conference September 16-18 with inspiration and guidance from Counselor Arturo Serrano and a keynote address by James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, set Phase II in motion.
A teacher training institute was held at the conference, and teaching teams were organized to take invitations, door hangers and display booths into the neighborhoods.
Phase II also will launch the project’s $7,000 radio campaign, a four-part audio brochure series, and an expansion of the citywide billboard campaign to the freeways.
Project participants continue to deepen by focusing on the compilation of the Universal House of Justice, “Promoting Entry by Troops.”
In addition, they receive continuing guidance from, Counselor Serrano, Auxiliary Board members Edward Diliberto and Marcia Baltgalvis, and the sponsoring Spiritual Assembly of San Diego.
The work of the project is divided into departments. They do not operate
HMONG AND ENGLISH
LAOTIAN
VIETNAMESE AND ENGLISH
ping address.
HOW CAN WE
UNITE
800-22-UNITE
as committees; instead, each is headed by an individual who is responsible for final decisions related to the department and for mobilizing and inspiring a team who can help him or her complete the assigned tasks.
The departments are advertising / media, firesides, youth, fund raising, accounting, child education, public displays, human resources, and cross-cultural.
From a Baha’f population of 1,100 in San Diego County, more than 200 of the friends have completed question g
naires and asked for assignments.
A master computer data base of available human resources has been assembled for use by all departments. In some departments, the counsel and assistance of Bahd’fs from outside the district, as well as individuals who are not Baha’is, has been used.
The heightened awareness of the vast and varied resources within the community and its circle of friends has led to increased confidence. This, coupled with a demonstrable plan of action, has fostered unprecedented cooperation among those from different local Baha’f communities.
Financial resources also have been marshaled for the effort. The project has received $39,000 in contributions from individuals and local Spiritual Assemblies toward the minimum of $50,000 needed in the coming year.
These resources, human and financial, will be used to target the population that lives or transacts
EXPLORE BAHA’! SOLUTIONS
SUCCESSFUL TEACHING AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIANS
Language barrier is no problem with video tapes in original languages
The following video tapes in Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese are now available to help teach and deepen our Southeast Asian friends in the United States.
“An Introduction and Deepening on the Baha'i Faith” by four Hmong leaders from California, including Mr. Lao Chue Cha, a former member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Laos.
“KA Deepening Tape on the Baha'f Faith” by Mr. Kanna Baran, a former secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Laos and long-time pioneer in Thailand.
“The Early History of the Baha'i Faith in Vietnam” and “Some Teachings from the Baha'f Faith” by Mr. Jamshed Fozdar, a pioneer to Vietnam who was referred to by the beloved Guardian as “the spiritual conqueror of Sarawak [Malaysia],” translated into Vietnamese by Mr. Sau Nguyen.
The video tapes may be obtained for $4.50 each (plus $2 for shipping and handling for the first tape, $1 for each additional tape). To order, please phone the U.S. Baha'f Refugee Office, 708-733-3522, or send a check payable to “U.S. Bahd’t Refugee Office” c/o Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please include a ship
business within an eight-mile radius
of the Baha’f Center. This area is considered the crossroads of the entire
county because of the freeway configuration and the concentration of
commerce and industry.
Outlying communities will benefit when commuters and consumers drive into San Diego's core business districts and shopping areas.
Local Baha’f communities also can request customized versions of the display booths, four-color doorhangers and handout cards for use in their own neighborhoods.
In addition, the 18.5- by 50-foot four-color billboards titled “How Can We Unite?” will be located throughout the county on freeways and at arterial locations.
The toll-free number (1-80022-UNITE) will serve the entire population, with Baha‘is from each part of the county responding to calls from their own area with literature and personal call-backs.
And the 60-second paid radio spots will be heard by everyone listening to the two stations chosen.
A center of much of the project’s activity will be a weekly open house and weekly family festival.
The open house on Saturday evenings gives residents an opportunity to make new friends and enjoy musical entertainment, guest speakers and group discussions. On the third Saturday, a special cross-cultural night replaces the open house.
The family festival on Sunday mornings has special activity centers, musical performances and discussions designed to engage families in an entertaining and educational experience, with Baha’i values and perspectives conveyed in a friendly atmosphere.
18
City, schools aid Pasadena peace parley
The seventh annual Children’s Peace Conference in Pasadena, California, struck a chord with community leaders.
The conference theme, “Calling All Colors: An Invitation to Raise the First Generation of PrejudiceFree Children,” won a ringing endorsement from Mayor Katie Nack. She declared the quest for racial harmony to be a central theme of her term of office, and she offered the city’s help in preparing for the conference.
The Pasadena Unified School District also gave the event its support, allowing the use of one of its elementary schools as a site.
Community organizations such as the Girl Scouts and the Boys and Girls Clubs, along with several businesses, helped the Spiritual Assembly of Pasadena sponsor the event. Their support made it possible to charge only $3 per participant.
And the Pasadena Star News and Daily Bulletin published accounts of the conference, complete with comments from organizers and participants. The Daily Bulletin’s feature , quoted extensively from the National Spiritual Assembly's statement, “The Vision of Race Unity.”
More than 350 children and youth and 75 adults from the surrounding communities took part in the conference. About half of those attending were not Baha’‘fs.
Three school superintendents and several school principals from both public and private schools were there, too, observing and taking part. Two school officials asked that the organizers of the conference bring the program to their schools in the fall.
The curriculum was supervised by Joannie Yuille of Monrovia and was derived from the core curriculum produced by the National Baha’i Education Task Force. Story-telling, arts, crafts and music were emphasized.
In the school cafeteria, each child silk-screened an individually designed heart inscribed with his or her name. The hearts were assembled by Robin Moore, a Baha'i from Pasadena, to create a canvas mural.
The mural, with appropriate Baha'i quotations, will be displayed in schools in the area and then hung in the Pasadena City Hall and the Pasadena Public Library.
Four adult classes, organized by Keyvan Geula of Claremont, had as their theme “Creating a Prejudice-Free Home.” The classes were taught by Baha‘is and non-Baha‘is.
To maintain the momentum built at the conference, a Children’s Peace Conference newsletter will be published at least quarterly.
Pictured is the 29-member graduating class at the Maxwell International Baha'i
School in British Columbia, Canada. Among this year's graduates are six students from the U.S.
6 G.S. students among 29 in Maxwell graduating class
On June 30, the Maxwell International Baha'i School in British Columbia, Canada, held its third graduation ceremony.
Among the 29 graduates were six from the U.S.: Maniksaq Baumgartner of Alaska, Michael Cook of Washington state; Neda Ferdowsi and Holly Seals of Tennessee; Elissa Gurinsky of New Mexico, and Kalon Stoakley of Illinois.
Their classmates came from Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Western Samoa and Zambia.
The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahé Ruhiyyih Khanum sent a personal message to the graduates, which read in part:
“Remember you have not only acquired at Maxwell School knowledge but optimism, with a vision of how our sadly troubled and disturbed society must and will evolve into a better world society in the immediate decades to come—and a determination to play a constructive, optimistic role in the great spiritual and social events that you will have a part in.”
The commencement address was given by Reggie Newkirk, secretarygeneral of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.
“The world needs you,” Mr. Newkirk told the graduates, “and you need the world to become all that you can become.
“Your life is a work of art which is unfinished, and the only way to finish it is to follow a path of spiritual and intellectual discipline. Acquire it and make it a daily habit in your life and it will be a bridge that will carry you over the low points in your life.
“May the lamp which illumined the heart of the traveler in The Seven Valleys shine through your eyes and touch the hearts of all with whom you come in contact.”
Before the ceremonies began, the class had chosen to create a 45minute presentation entitled “Wit ness the Future: Fire and Light,” composed of contributions from the graduates themselves in response to the concept of heroism.
Involving drama, dance, music, tableaus and costumes from many cultures, the presentation centered around the life of Mona, a 16-yearold Baha'i who was martyred with nine others 11 years ago in Iran for refusing to recant her faith.
The presentation received a standing ovation from the audience of almost 700 guests, family visitors and fellow students.
Auxiliary Board member Kathy Roesch addressed the previous evening's honors dinner for graduates and their parents, saying, “Graduation is a rite of passage celebrating an achievement, acknowledging a gift. Take that vision and translate it into your life, into great, and humble, and good deeds.”
Ata special assembly on the last day of school, the graduates—two of whom, Saba Moghbelpour of Western Samoa and Michael Cook of Washington, had come to Maxwell in grade seven when the school was opened six years ago—were invited to present their final thoughts to their peers.
“We must perfect ourselves,” said Michael, “and that will perfect the group. We must learn to pray actively, and that will perfect the group.”
Saba said he would “miss the school and the people, my Maxwell experience. Thank you for a great growing up.”
Ten Maxwell students in grades 1012 received awards in the Canadian Mathematics Competition sponsored by the University of Waterloo.
Kevin Merrill, Gloria Talabreza and Shiva Martin were among the seven students who received medals for being in the top five percent of students across Canada who took part in the exam.
ix days before the start of ummer school and the organizing committee finds that the site is suddenly unavailable.
That is the unenviable position in which the Colorado East Schools Committee found itself this summer.
Rather than cancel the event, though, committee members relied on the grace of God and their own love and dedication to locate a new venue and somehow pull together all the details.
This saga of faith in action begins Tuesday, June 21. On that day, Dennis Green, the committee's treasurer, had a strange feeling of forboding.
He didn’t know why until three days later when he called to place the school’s food order through the Trinity Ranch Camp. The director told him that the Episcopal Archdiocese had decided on Tuesday to close down all of its schools and camps and cancel all reservations, including the Baha’fs’.
Mr. Green quickly apprised committee secretary Sandra Bolz of the development, and she in turn rang up chairman Richard Staller.
“I must have sounded desperate, because Dr. Staller’s receptionist called him away from a patient to speak to me,” said Mrs. Bolz. “I explained the situation to him, and when he returned to the patient, she asked him why he had been called away in the middle of a consultation.
“When he explained, she suggested Beaver Ranch in Conifer, where her ‘orked, and two other ies,” she said.
Kathy Staller, the children’s class coordinator, found out about the dire situation that afternoon, but her evening prayers gave her cause to feel that there was no reason to be concerned. Everything would be fine.
For awhile, though, it didn’t seem that anything would be fine.
s. Staller could not find tele‘ings for two of the camps the patient had mentioned. And she couldn't reach anyone at Beaver Ranch, either.
Meanwhile, Mr. Green unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with Trinity
School committee puts itself in God’s hands after site falls through 6 days before session
Ranch, offering to use the summer school’s own insurance through the National Spiritual Assembly. Meanwhile, other committee members checked on several alternate locations without success.
As Mrs. Staller was heading out the door to an emergency committee meeting on Sunday, however, she received a call from Beaver Ranch.
She headed straight there and determined that the site was a very good possibility. It turned out that a group had been booked there for the same weekend, but had canceled two weeks before.
Needless to say, the committee decided to go ahead.
Summer school started July 1, one day later than originally planned, and ran one day longer, through July 4, a holiday for most people.
The class schedule was rearranged to accommodate the flight times of keynote speakers Sherri Smith, from the National Education and Schools Office, and Theresa Zingery, from the National Treasurer’s Office.
It so happened that some of the Baha'i youth were in Colorado Springs teaching at that time. They picked up Ms. Zingery at the airport, took her to a fireside and introduced her to Barbara Campbell, who brought her to the school.
Toward the end of the school, the caretaker walked into the lodge and remarked that the “feeling” in the room was very unusual. She attended some classes, was pleased to be given some literature, and promised to come to a fireside at the Stallers’ home.
In this and many other ways, the Colorado East Baha'i Summer School, with 76 attendees, was one of the most successful to date.
“This is due entirely to the grace of God and the guiding hand of Baha’u’llah,” said Mrs. Bolz. “The members of the committee genuinely love and care about each other and try their best to dedicate themselves to the service of the friends.
“J feel that this love and dedication is what enabled us to literally ‘do the impossible,’” she concluded.
Olya’s Story author launches tour
After a highly successful year promoting her book, Olya‘s Story, in Great Britain, Olya Roohizadegan will visit California for six weeks starting October 1.
The media in Britain have shown great interest in her eyewitness account of the persecution of Baha'is in Iran in the early ‘80s, which has so far resulted in three television interviews, more than 50 on radio, and almost 200 newspaper articles.
Highlights include a 10-minute interview on CNN and a half-hour
transatlantic interview on CBC-TV (the Canadian Broadasting Company), plus full-page coverage in two national newspapers in Great Britain, The Times and The Daily Mirror, and a number of reviews in prestigious magazines, including The Times Literary Supplement.
A large number of declarations have resulted from Ms. Roohizadegan's talks during the past year, and it is hoped that her visit to California will prove equally valuable to the teaching and proclamation work there.
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L.A. Youth Workshop visits Native American Institute
in Baha'i activities came back to NABI to be with the Workshop, and the local youth accompanied the performers to each major engagement in Arizona and New Mexico.
The goal of staff at NABI is to see that this popular activity brings more spiritual warriors into Baha'u'llah’s Army of Light on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations.
In July, the 22-member Los Angeles Baha'i Youth Workshop gave a series of dynamic presentations in Navajoland while visiting the Native American Baha'i Institute in Houck,
Arizona.
The mostly Navajo communities in the area were treated to powerful messages about the need for racial harmony, equality of the sexes,
and spirituality for the world.
u'llah.
One immediate result of the Workshop's presentations was two declarations of belief in Baha' About 33 local youth (eight full-time) studied carefully the Workshop with an eye toward starting one of their own on the Navajo Reservation. Of the 33 young people, 16 are Navajo.
Some of the youth who had stopped taking part
Baha'is, friends in Japan complete first Peace Relay from Hiroshima to Nagasaki
On August 6-9, 40 Baha'is and their friends in Japan completed the first Baha'i Peace Relay, running in relay teams from Hiroshima to Nagasaki.
Baha'is from seven countri Japan, Australia, Iran, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the U.S.—made the run as a gesture of peace and out of respect for the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 as well as for the victims of World Wars 1 and II and other catastrophes in this century.
The relay, sponsored by the National Spiritual embly of Japan, began in Hiroshima on August 6 following a minute of silence and the release of doves commemorating the 49th anniversary of the bombing of that city at the close of World War II. ch participant ran from one to five kilometers (.62 to three miles) three or four times a day until the group reached Nagasaki on August 9, two hours before the anniversary of its devastation by a second atomic bomb in 194!
The run’ completed the approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) by running during the day and resting at night, enduring temperatures exceeding 100°F, narrow roads and an untested route.
On arriving in Nagasaki, the runners prayed for peace and called for the e: ment of a just world order, inviting citizens of all nations to work together for peace and to study the writings of Baha'u'llah, which can alone bring relief to a troubled world.
All of the participants expressed a desire to repeat the event next year.
Janet Ward, who pioneered to Bermuda, worked at World Center, dies at 89
Janet Nundy Ward, a former pioneer to Bermuda and worker at the World Center in Haifa, Israel, died July 20 in California. She was 89 years old.
Mrs. Ward, a Baha'i for 70 years, spent 11 of those years in Haifa with her late husband, N. Forsyth Ward, whom she had met while attending Cornell University.
Mrs. Ward pioneered to Bermuda in 1972-73. After returning to the States, she became actively involved in programs for senior citizens in San Jose and Santa Clara, and was recognized by President Nixon for her contributions to the community.
40 Ojibway Indian children join Baha'is at week-long Day Camp at state park near Onamia, Minnesota
The annual Baha'i Day Camp, held July 25-29 at Kathio State Park near Onamia, Minnesota, brought together 40 Ojibway children ages 5-13 from the Mille Lacs Reservation with 27 Baha'fs of various other backgrounds for a week-long experience in enjoying the oneness of the human family.
The Day Camp, sponsored by the Baha'is of central Minnesota, is part of the Mille Lacs Area Children's Academy for Moral Education, an ongoing Baha'i initiative that focuses on multicultural education, interaction and appreciation.
The Day Camp is staffed by Baha'is of all ages, and this year's staff consisted of 11 adults and 16 children from throughout central Minnesota.
Each session begins with a Circle of Unity and uses guided lessons, prayers, memorization, crafts, recreational activities and a shared lunch to teach and experience the concept of unity and the need to eliminate prejudices of all kinds.
Ojibway Indian children from the Mille Lacs Re: during the annual Baha'i Day Camp held July 25-29 at Kathio State Park near Onamia.
The camp's location has significance for the coming together of various races, as the promontory was occupied for thousands of years by
indigenous peoples, and today is used by people of many races and cultures for recreation and the enjoyment of nature.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers visit Baha'i booth at Atlanta conference
On July 28-31, more than 250 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) visited the Baha'f booth at the 17th annual conference of the National Peace Corps Association in Atlanta, Georgia.
While most RPCVs took Baha'i pamphlets on sustainable development and racial unity, many stayed to discuss Baha'u'llah's teachings.
The conference theme was “Kahadineh,” a Navajo word for “gathering of the people.” Many speakers, workshops and booths celebrated the heritage of our diverse American and international communities.
The Baha'i information booth was part of the “Grand Bazaar,” where more than 40 vendors and groups displayed their crafts and ideas.
Children's class gives rise to newsletter
A Bahd’i children’s class project in Manhattan Beach, California, has taken on a life of its own.
It started when the six boys, ages 9 through 13, were asked to start a newsletter for Baha'i children.
The entire project, from selection of the name to the articles, jokes, videogame tips, book reviews, artwork and typing, would be done by the students themselves.
The role of their teacher, Shahin P. Carrigan, would be to give direction and suggestions for improvements.
B.L.T.4KIDS (Baha'i Life and Times for Kids) was chosen as the publication’s name, and the children got right to work.
Now, after two successful issues,
the class is hoping to expand the newsletter to include other topics and circulate to other communities.
Mrs. Carrigan can be contacted at Culver City, CA 90230, for more information.
Viola Tuttle, last of loas family to see Master, dies
Viola Tuttle, a life-long Baha'i who was the last remaining member of the Ioas family to have met ‘Abdu’lBaha during His visit to America in 1912, died last July 29 at the age of 101.
Mrs. Tuttle was the last living sibling of the Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas.
Many RPCVs came to the Baha'i display to talk about personal projects and ideas that are in accord with Baha'i teachings.
One photo-journalist, who was doing a piece on interracial children, said she wanted to study the Baha'i writings to look into the spirituality of interracial marriage.
Talieh K. Abbasi Rita A. Ploof
Charlotte, NC Northampton, MA July 9, 1994 July 8, 1994
Banoo Akhtar-Khavari Betty Rigsby Miami, FL Waukesha, WI
Date Unknown Ralph J. Baldwin
August 6, 1994 Parviz Salim
Federal Way, WA _ Stillwater, OK July 30, 1994 July 25, 1994 Sharon W. Hepp Dan Anthony Smith Auburn, AL Lomita, CA
August 16, 1994 Victoria Rose Lord New Haven, CT April 8, 1994
Jean Palazzo
Scottsdale, AZ August 5, 1994
January 1994 Hooshmand Taraz Flushing, NY August 1, 1994 Vernon Voelz Gainesville, FL July 11, 1994
Rose Morris (center) and her sister, Diane Whitehorse (third from left in back with face hidden in shadow), host monthy firesides at their home on the Navajo Reservation near Aneth, Utah. Traveling teachers usually come from the Four Corners area; however, the guests at the fireside August 3 came from much farther away— Alan and Angela Bryson (standing behind Rose), hosts at the visitors’ center for the Baha'i House of Worship in Germany, and Andrea Tong-Dickson and Michael Dickson (standing at left) of San Mateo, California. Both couples attended the Colorado West/Four Corners summer school a few days before. Laverne Myerson (right) and her mother, Hazel Myerson (third from right), are new Baha'is at Aneth. Five of the children in this photograph—Cynthia and Ramalldo Garcia, Kaylyn Yazzie, and Harry and Harris Bitah—attended the Four Corners summer school.
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OCTOBER
7-9: National Latino Conference, “Compartamos el Futuro” (Let's Share the Future), Bosch Bahd’f School. The program, only in Spanish, to be facilitated by Auxiliary Board member Alejandra Miller of Mexico. Registration deadline: October 1. For information, phone 408-423-3387; fax 408-423-7564.
9: Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Spiritual Assembly of South Bend, Indiana, and the centenary of the establishment of the Faith in North America, Marriott Hotel, South Bend, Everyone interested in the history of the Faith in South Bend is invited to attend; in particular, former residents. For information, contact Dr. Mana Derakhshani, secretar} , Spiritual Assembly of South Bend, South Bend, IN 46616 (phone 219-289-4467; fax 219-289-4673; e-mail
14-16: Annual meeting of the Bahai Justice Society, Best Western Grace Inn, Tempe, Arizona. Theme: “Barriers and Bridges—Toward a New International Legal Framework.” Baha'is and non-Baha'is are welcome. Registrar: Deanna Recker, P.O. Box 640, Gilbert, AZ 85299 (602-892-0100). Hotel telephone: 602893-3000.
14-16: Third Haj Mehdi Arjmand Scripture Conference (conducted in Persian), Green Acre Baha'i School, Eliot, Maine. For information, phone Robert H. Stockman, 708-733-3425.
14-16: Urban LSA Conference IV, Bosch Baha‘i School. Among those attending: Counselors Anello, Correa and Serrano, and representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly. For information, phone 408-423-3387; fax 408-4237564.
14-16: Seminar for Health Services Professionals, Louhelen Baha'i School. For information, phone 810-653-5033.
20-23: Training program for Sensitive International Teaching Areas (SITA), Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL. Attendance by invitation.
20-23: Baha'i Youth Service Corps/Pioneer Training Institute, Baha'i National Center, Evanston, Illinois. Attendance by invitation.
21-23: All Persian-language Weekend, Bosch Baha'f School (special Englishlanguage presentation Saturday evening only). Meet Olya Roohizadegan, author of Olya’s Story which recounts the martyrdom of young Baha'i women in Iran. Children's program in English. Registration deadline: October 14. For information, write to the school at 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or phone 408-423-3387.
21-23: Marriage Enrichment Retreat: A Fortress for Well-Being, Green Acre Baha'i School, conducted by Dr. Khalil and Sue Williston Khavari. For married couples only. For information, phone 207-439-7200; fax 207-439-7202.
21-23: Annual Campout, Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservatioi{ hear Houston, Texas. Guest speaker Mike Biegler, music by INKA. For information, contact Nazy Khadiv Houston, TX 77099 (713-530-8663).
21-23: Kansas Baha‘f School, White Memorial Camp, Council Grove. Contact: Joyce Stohr, Topeka, KS 66601.
22; International Year of the Family Conference, Baha'{ Center, San Diego, California. Open forum panel, workshops with experts in the fields of family counseling, consulting, and education. Co-sponsored by the Spiritual A: blies of San Diego County/UN Association/ Interfaith Peacemakers. For information, phone Sharrie Miller, 619-656-1051.
22: Association for Baha'i Studies Middle Atlantic Conference, “Fulfilling, Gender Equality,” Bryn Mawr College just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 28-30: Youth Deepening Weekend, Bosch Bahd'f School. Organized by the Sacramento-area Baha'i youth. For information, write to the school at 500
Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or phone 408-423-3387.
28-November 2: Annual meeting of the International Society of Agriculture
and Rural Development, Landegg Academy, Wienacht, Switzerland.
NOVEMBER
4-6: Wisconsin Family Weekend, Byron Center. Contact Lisa Reimer, West Bend, WI 53095 (phone 414-338-3023).
4-6: Youth Eagle Institute, Louhelen Baha'i School. For information, phone 810-653-5033.
4-6: Fourth Haj Mehdi Arjmand Scripture Conference, De Poort, the Netherlands, with focus on the Kitab-i-Aqdas. For information, phone Robert H. Stockman, 708-733-3425.
4-6: Rendezvous of the Soul Weekend, Bosch Baha'i School, designed for individuals, groups or communities. For information, phone 408-423-3387.
11-13: Second annual Young Adult Conference, “Baha'i Marriage—A Sharp Distinction,” Ramada Inn, Chads Ford, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. For information, phone 215-527-1928.
11-13: The Kitéb-i-Aqd ‘harter of a World Civilization, Green Acre Baha'i School. Habib Riazati, facilitator. For information, phone 207-439-7200, or fax 207-439-7202.
11-13: “Women and Men: Building a Real Partnership,” Louhelen Baha'{ School. For information, phone 810-653-5033.
12: Special program for the anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, Bosch Baha'f School For information, phone 408-423-3387.
12: Celebration of the anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, Louhelen Baha'i School. For information, phone 810-653-5033.
18-20: Adult Research Weekend and “Star Trek” Teaching Weekend (the choice is yours), Bosch Baha'i School. For information, phone 408-423-3387.
18-22: Music Forum, Landegg Academy, Wienacht, Switzerland. Theme: “The Role of Music in a Changing World.” Worskhops conducted in English and German. For information, please contact Landegg Academy, CH-9405, Wienacht/AR, Switzerland.
24-27: Desert Rose Baha'i School, Ramada Inn, Tucson, Arizona. Speakers: Dr. Khalil and Sue Williston Khavari, Keyvan Geula, Dr. Nat Rutstein, Entertainment by Dan Seals and the Soul Folk Trio.
