The American Bahá’í/Volume 27/Issue 9/Text

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[Page 1]

Believers called upon to surpass pioneering goals

FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

In June 1993 we raised the call for pioneers, both long-term and short-term, and traveling teachers for the Three Year Plan. We are now happy to announce that some 10,600 friends arose to serve the Faith outside the bounds of their homelands during the three years, evoking our admiration and pride. Of particular significance was the number of youth who dedicated periods of service to the Faith.

The Bahá’í world is currently launched upon the Four Year Plan, determined to advance the process of entry by troops. Pioneers and traveling teachers can make significant contributions to the furthering of this aim. Imbued with the spirit of humility, love and detachment, they can reinforce the work of the friends in every land in their efforts to increase the strength and influence of the Bahá’í community by the end of this century.

National Spiritual Assemblies will soon be asked to adopt numerical goals for pioneers and traveling teachers to go forth from their countries to serve in the international field. We call upon the believers everywhere to ensure, through their enthusiastic response, that these goals are not only met but surpassed. Information about pioneer needs is contained in a document prepared by the International Teaching Center and is available to you through the agencies of your National Assemblies and through the Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.

The prospect before us as the Plan unfolds is one to thrill every Bahá’í heart; the need of your fellow human beings for the Message of Bahá’u’lláh becomes more urgent day by day; ardent, willing and capable servants of the Cause are required in many lands and for many functions.

That His eager followers in every community will arise with devotion, audacity and determination to advance His Cause is the longing of our hearts and the object of our fervent prayers at the Sacred Threshold.

The Universal House of Justice September 15, 1996

Stephen Karnik heads United Nations Offices

In October, the Bahá’í International Community formally announced the appointment of Stephen Karnik as chief administrative officer of the United Nations Offices in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Karnik was appointed by the Universal House of Justice to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Wilma Ellis as administrator-general.

During Dr. Ellis's tenure, from 1986 to 1996, the UN Office was expanded to include an Office of the Environment and an Office for the Advancement of Women.

Dr. Ellis continues to serve as a member of the Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas from her new home in California.

Mr. Karnik, who assumed his post on July 29, comes to the Bahá’í International Community from the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel, where he served for six years as senior recruiter.

Letter holds U.S. to UN obligation

The National Spiritual Assembly has joined more than 100 organizations in making public an open letter to President Clinton and all members of Congress. The letter raises "an urgent call for U.S. leadership in the UN and fulfillment of our legal, financial and moral obligations to the world body."

The open letter project was organized by the United Nations Association's Council of Organizations in Washington, D.C. Peter Adriance, the National Assembly's representative on the Council, initiated the project and chaired the drafting committee.

The letter states, "While we acknowledge the efforts of Congress to meet regular and peacekeeping dues for fiscal year 1997, ongoing failure by the U.S. to pay these assessments in full and on time has exacted a high price.

"The U.S. practice of refusing to meet its financial obligations reduces America's credibility and negotiating position at the UN and in other international forums. The lack of U.S. commitment invites other member states to treat casually their international responsibilities.

"The resulting accumulated arrearages have pushed the UN to the brink of insolvency and jeopardized its operations."

The letter was delivered to President Clinton in September in advance of his speech before the UN General Assembly, and to members of the Senate and House appropriations committees during their deliberations on U.S. funding for UN regular and peacekeeping dues and for UN voluntary agencies.

The UN Association will continue to collect or-

Automation project moves into test phase

By TOM MENNILLO

A half-million-dollar pilot project involving five local Spiritual Assemblies in the western United States has been launched as the first step in building, from the ground up, an infrastructure to support large-scale growth of the Faith.

By the end of the Four Year Plan, it is anticipated that every local Assembly that is "willing and able" will be connected by computer. In terms of physical structure, only the restoration of the Bahá’í House of Worship was a more ambitious undertaking.

The network will allow many institutional functions to be automated at the grassroots level. Local Assemblies will be empowered with the tools to take on greater responsibility, and our national administration will be freed from many of its routine administrative concerns and enabled to engage in more strategically focused activities.

Communities will be able to generate certain data for local use. They'll also gain access to information being shared by the institutions of the Learned, the National Spiritual Assembly and its agencies, the Regional Teaching Committees, the permanent schools and institutes, and fellow communities.

In the pilot phase, five Assemblies—Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, California—are working hand in hand with the National Spiritual Assembly

Bahá’í Chair fulfills endowment agreement

On September 30, the University of Maryland at College Park announced that it had reached the goal of raising $1.5 million to complete the endowment of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace in its College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

The Bahá’í Chair, established in 1993, fosters the study of new approaches to ethno-cultural reconciliation in war-torn societies by focusing on the spiritual and religious dimension of world conflicts.

The present holder of the Chair is Suheil Bushrui, an internationally recognized scholar in Bahá’í studies and global conflict resolution.

The national fund-raising effort to complete the endowment began in October 1995. Development Committee Chairman Hormoz Hormozi of Elgin, Illinois, coordinated four regional task forces that sought out donors in Bahá’í communities across the country.

"The unflagging efforts of the task force members and their associates were critical to the successful completion of this challenge," said Irwin Goldstein, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

"Thanks to their labors the future of the Bahá’í Chair is secure and its programs can be enlarged and extended in the efforts to achieve world peace." [Page 2]

Nevada’s Television Teaching Institute wins national award

By TOM MENNILLO

The latest news from the Television Teaching Institute in Reno, Nevada, is that It has won a national cable award in the category of "television programming that makes a difference in the community" for Diamonds for a Glass of Water, a powerful program on the Holocaust.

The award was presented October 19 in Los Angeles. The institute, which is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Reno, had four final nominations in the competition, more than any other organization in the United States.

TTI’s other nominated programs were Comrades and Companions, with retired Universal House of Justice member David S. Ruhe and Mrs. Margaret Ruhe; The Healing Presence, with National Spiritual Assembly member Jack McCants; and In the Palm of His Hand, with internationally known Bahá’í artist Ivan Lloyd.

Diamonds for a Glass of Water, a two-hour broadcast, was jointly produced by TTI, the Reno Jewish Community, and the University of Nevada-Reno’s Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies.

Along with scholars of the World War II European Holocaust, Joseph Andrejchak Galata of TTI interviewed survivors of concentration camps in Germany and Poland. Guests discussed the persecution of Jews, Gypsies, Russians, Poles, Lithuanians, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses, Catholic priests and nuns, Bahá’ís and homosexuals in such camps as Auschwitz and Dachau.

Of course, no news is "latest" for long where TTI is concerned. Because of the program’s success, TTI and the Center are co-producing two more programs of international importance.

The first is The Shuffle of Shoes Left Behind: Holocaust Children. For that program, taped October 3, Mr. Galata interviewed four adults from Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic and England who were children of the Holocaust. One was the best friend of Anne Frank and another is one of the world’s most acclaimed writers of children’s books.

Off-camera, Mr. Galata talked with them about the Faith, since each has been to Israel and knows of the Bahá’í Shrines.

TTI and the Center are planning to distribute the program to every Holocaust library, museum and center in the world.

The final Holocaust-related program will be the story of Yukiko Sugihara, the Japanese ambassador to Lithuania at the start of World War II. This "Asian Schindler" defied his government’s orders and risked his life by illegally stamping more than 8,000 exit visas for Lithuanian Jews in the days before the Nazis invaded Lithuania. His autobiography, Visas for Life, was recently published.

Mr. Sugihara recently died, but his son agreed to come to Reno to make a formal presentation to Japanese students at the university and to be interviewed by Mr. Galata for the 60-minute program.

Because of a major public relations effort surrounding Mr. Sugihara’s visit and taping, the Bahá’ís are now in contact with the approximately 400 Japanese students at the university.

TTI has several other projects in the works as well:

• Bahá’ís and Roman Catholics from Nevada, New York, Montana, Indiana, Illinois and British Columbia visited Reno for two days in May to tape the three-hour television/video series Roman Catholicism and the Bahá’í Faith. The three segments focus on mysticism; devotions, worship, and administration; and life after death. The National Spiritual Assembly of France helped by arranging for footage to be shot at the Catholic shrine in Lourdes.

• Editing has been completed on a 90-minute interview with Marguerite Sears about the devoted services to the Faith of her late husband, the Hand of the Cause William Sears, and her own. "It’s really wonderful, I must say," reports Mr. Galata. "She was magnificent, and we’ve broadcast it here and the non-Bahá’í response has been overwhelming."

• Counselor Wilma Ellis was interviewed October 11 for the 90-minute program Racism Is Out of Style designed to teach the Faith to African-Americans. Many Reno-area African-American leaders were in the audience for the taping.

• As a Christmas gift to area children, TTI will produce a live television program featuring "interviews" with famous holiday characters Santa Claus and Ebenezer Scrooge. Each character will speak about virtues, and children will be able to call in questions.

Program host Joseph Galata (seated center) and guests prepare to tape another entry in the Reno, Nevada, Television Teaching Institute’s award-winning series.

The 1997 Nevada Women’s History Celebration board has asked TTI to produce the 20-minute opening video for the conference. As a result of this contact, the organization’s president has been presented with photographs of early Bahá’í women in Nevada and the university’s special collections library is starting a Nevada Bahá’í women’s file.

As though all this activity weren’t enough, the Bahá’ís are seeking underwriters for a weekly live broadcast for high school students called Global Challenge. This unique program, which TTI hopes to market to schools nationwide, teaches students how to negotiate and consult in situations of conflict. The game was invented by Lee Chazim, a guest on the Diamonds for a Glass of Water program.

How has TTI accomplished so much in such little time, about two years? Mr. Galata’s position as chairman of the board at a Reno television station and chairman of the Educational Television Channel Board has opened the door to obtaining the help of professional television personnel.

But about 30 Bahá’ís have been trained in studio production as well, and that doesn’t include all the talent and money expended in building sets for the programs.

Now other Bahá’í communities throughout the country are inquiring about the work of TTI, and the recent Unit Convention brought about a new working relationship with Bahá’ís in Idaho including one who operates a video distribution company.

For more information about the Reno Bahá’í Television Teaching Institute, please e-mail or write to P.O. Box 6447, Reno, NV 89513.

Fourth annual International Children’s Art Competition to be held early next year in Taiwan; entries are sought

The fourth annual International Children’s Art Competition for ages 6-8, 9-12 and 13-15 will be held early next year in Taiwan.

The theme of the competition, which is sponsored by the Bahá’í Office of the Environment for Taiwan, is "Local Life."

It is recommended that local competitions be held, with winning entries being sent on the the international event. Entries should be postmarked by February 27, 1997.

The purposes of the competition are:

• to have children share their feelings about the state of their local environment and their hopes for the future;
• for people around the world to see this concern; and
• to demonstrate the similarities between the peoples of the earth, how nature knows no boundaries, and the wonderful diversity to be found among people everywhere and life on our planet.

If your community would like to take part in the competition, please contact the Office of Pioneering for more information and the necessary forms. Write to Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611, phone 847-733-3508, fax 847-733-3509, or e-mail.

Notice to those returning from service at the Bahá’í World Center

Have you recently returned from service at the Bahá’í World Center? If so, please send a copy of your Bahá’í ID card from the World Center, both front and back, with your current U.S. address to the Bahá’í National Center, MIS Department-Transfers, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611. Your current U.S. Bahá’í credentials will be sent within two weeks of receiving your copies. Remember, you cannot attend Feast without a current U.S. Bahá’í ID card. [Page 3]

What is a training institute?

The National Spiritual Assembly wishes to advise you that reports are reaching us from different areas of the country indicating that there may be confusion in the minds of some friends about the role "training institutes" will play in the Four Year Plan and how it differs from the concept of "teaching institutes" created during the Nine Year Plan.

Some believers continue to see training institutes primarily as the product of individual initiative where three or four Bahá’ís decide to work together to promote the Faith in various ways. The National Assembly wishes to help the believers to understand the requirements the House of Justice has placed before us at this stage to develop permanent institutes for education, teaching and training in service. The Universal House of Justice is now calling for a new stage in the creation of "training institutes."

How does a training institute differ from a teaching institute?

In the House of Justice's letter of December 26, 1995, to the Conference of the Continental Board of Counselors, it states that a particular type of "teaching institute" had been developed during the Nine Year Plan. This process involved believers coming together to work in small groups or teams to pray about teaching, to deepen, to identify a particular "population" they hoped to reach, to plan firesides and other activates to reach that population, etc.

The believers began to call these efforts teaching institutes. The permanent "training institutes" we are now being asked to establish are of a quite different nature. The House of Justice is telling us that it is now time to develop another kind of institute to meet the human resource development needs of the Faith.

Why now?

"With the growth in the number of enrollments, it has become apparent that such occasional and consolidation, including the teaching and deepening of a large number of people-adults, youth and children. This purpose can best be achieved through well-organized, formal programs consisting of courses that follow appropriately designed curricula." (Letter of December 26, 1995, from the House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counselors)

Is a training institute an agency of the National Assembly?

In addition to refining our understanding of the nature of a training institute, the House of Justice also explains how it operates, noting, for example, that an institute is "an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly" and that "in some instances, the institute may consist of a group of dedicated believers with a well-defined program and some administrative arrangement that enables it to offer regular training courses. In many cases, in addition to a group of teachers associated with it, the institute will require part and full time staff, for whom assistance from the funds of the Faith may be necessary.

"The institute needs access to some physical facilities in which it can conduct courses and, at some stage of its development, may require a building of its own. Irrespective of whether or not an institute has its own physical facilities, its location and in the villages and towns so that an appreciable number of believers can enter its programs...." (Letter of December 26, 1995, from the House of Justice to the Continental Board of Counselors)

The House of Justice also told us that there would be a new thrust in the establishment of institutes and for that new thrust to succeed, it would need the active and intimate involvement of the Auxiliary Board members. From the same December 26, 1995, message it states, "If a board of directors is named, 'the membership should be decided upon by the National Spiritual Assembly in consultation with the Counselors and with their full support, Auxiliary Board members may serve on these bodies."

Are training institutes indispensable to a significant advancement in the process of entry by troops?

The Ridván 1996 message to the Bahá’ís of North America provides further guidance on the purpose of institutes: "Training institutes and other centers of learning are an indispensable element of a sustained endeavor to advance [the process of entry by troops], and to ensure that the essential deepening of new believers is not neglected, that they develop the necessary skills to effectively teach the Faith, and that an opportunity is provided for all Bahá’ís, new and veteran, to embark on a systematic study of the fundamental verities of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. We look to your communities to make an energetic response to the call for such institutes, and to develop a wide variety of approaches fitted to the needs of the diverse components of your population."

Is there a need for formal programs?

The House of Justice has defined the task of the "new" training institutes: "The development of human resources on a large scale requires that the establishment of institutes be viewed in a new light. In many regions, it has become imperative to create institutes as organizational structures dedicated to systematic training.

"The purpose of such training is to endow ever-growing contingents of believers with the spiritual insights, the knowledge and the skills needed to carry out the many tasks of accelerated expansion courses of instruction and the informal activities of community life, though important, are not sufficient as a means of human resources development, for they have resulted in only a relatively small band of active supporters of the Cause. These believers, no matter how dedicated, no matter how willing to make sacrifices, cannot attend to the needs of hundreds, much less thousands, of fledgling local communities." (Letter of December 26, 1995, from the House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counselors)

What is the role of the individual and of the local Spiritual Assembly in developing institutes?

The local Spiritual Assemblies will provide training and educational programs to meet the needs of each community. The Spiritual Assembly will want to work closely with individuals under their jurisdiction as well as with a member of the Auxiliary Board to ascertain the needs of the community. Once the needs are established, the training and educational programs will serve the unique characteristics of the local community and be under the authority of the institution of the local Spiritual Assembly.

An Assembly may decide to establish a more formal program of ongoing education for its community and establish a training institute. We anticipate a wide variety of approaches in the establishment of local training institutes, and are eager to receive news of your initiatives.

We do not assume that all institute programs will have the same degree of complexity, especially during their initial phases and encourage experimentation. In addition to local communities having their own programs for education and training, they will support the efforts of the national and regional institutes.

Are you a college student? Will you be returning home for summer vacation? Do you want your mail to follow you in a timely manner? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, this can help you. If you are returning home or changing your address during the spring/summer and moving again in the fall, please notify the Office of Membership and Records at the Bahá’í National Center at least one month before moving. There is a schedule that is required for printing The American Bahá’í and other materials. Sending your change of address ahead of time can keep your mail going to the correct address at all times.

Hundreds attend Austin's Race Unity Day event

On June 9, hundreds of people in the Austin, Texas, area gathered for the 39th annual Race Unity Day observance sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Austin.

The mayor of Austin proclaimed Race Unity Day, and a county commissioner opened the day’s events which consisted of entertainment from around the world and a carnival with games, face painting, and craft tables for children.

Dancers, musicians and singers from six continents included Inkululeko, an a cappella world music ensemble performing African and Afro-Cuban fare; the Latin band Son de Carib; music from Australia featuring the dijeridoo; the Homefires, Ballet Folklorico, the Balkan Singers, the Bahá’í Youth Workshop, Indian dances by Shilpa Motawani, and more.

SONG PISLANG SONG Pictured is one of the many exhibits mounted this year by the highly successful Bahá’í Club at the University of Texas in Austin.

Among this year’s co-sponsors were the United Nations Association and Austin Metro Ministries. Hundreds of non-Bahá’ís attended the event, two articles about which were published (one with a photograph and quotation from Bahá’u’lláh) in Austin’s largest newspaper.

All four local television stations included the event in news broadcasts, with the Fox and ABC affiliates running it as their lead story.

Three groups that heard of Race Unity Day through the media contacted the Austin Bahá’í community afterward. Two of them—IBM and Catholic Youth Ministries—are planning conferences on cultural diversity and asked the Bahá’ís to help. [Page 4]

PIONEERING

National Assembly approves unprecedented SLUD number of goals for international service

In response to the critical and urgent needs of the Faith in these last four years of the century, the National Spiritual Assembly has approved the adoption of a goal of 5,700 pioneers and traveling teachers for the Four Year Plan.

This total reflects the goals of 4,500 traveling teachers and 1,200 pioneers. With confidence born out of the successful response of the friends to the international needs of the Faith in the Three Year Plan, the National Spiritual Assembly set forth these extraordinary goals before our community in direct response to the call of the Ridván messages.

The Universal House of Justice reminded us that the believers of the North American continent, in response to the mandate of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, "have carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to all parts of your continent and throughout the breadth of the planet. ...These Tablets launched you on a worldwide enterprise which you, and the generations to succeed you, are called upon to continue during the vast period of time stretching throughout the Formative Age and into the Golden Age of the Bahá’í Dispensation."

For the community of the Greatest Name, the Universal House of Justice calls on "the indigenous believers...to make their own distinctive contribution to the pursuit of the goals of the Four Year Plan, both beyond the confines of North America and at home...in the circumpolar areas and in the Asian region of the Russian Federation."

And, "We direct the attention of the believers of African descent, so beloved by the Master, to the pressing need for pioneers, who will contribute to the further development of the Cause in distant areas, including the continent of Africa for which they were assigned a special responsibility by the Guardian...."

The Universal House of Justice further states: "We look to the members of the Bahá’í community in the United States to perform, during the Four Year Plan, heroic deeds of service to the Cause, which will astonish and inspire their fellow-believers throughout the world."

The National Spiritual Assembly turns to each and every believer in our community to take to heart the call for 5,700 traveling teachers and pioneers in the Four Year Plan. Follow the footsteps of those who have gone before you. Plan to offer a few days, a week, a few months or a lifetime in service to the Cause of God internationally.

For more information or to begin making your plans, contact the Office of Pioneering, 1233 Central St., Evanston IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-733-3508; fax 847-733-3509; email ).

Recruitment Fairs connect teachers to overseas schools

The following is extracted from the "International Employment Hotline," November 1996.

This is the time of year for teachers to apply for openings at overseas schools for assignments starting in academic year 1997-98.

There are hundreds of openings for K-12 teachers, counselors, administrators and other education specialists at American/international schools worldwide and in independent school systems.

The most common method of recruiting teachers is the "recruitment fair," typically a two- to three-day event at which recruiters and candidates are able to meet face to face.

Here is a current schedule of recruitment fairs. Applicants should have state certification and at least two years teaching experience.

February 14-16, Kingston, Ontario. Sponsor: Queen's University. Registration fee: Canadian $100. Contact: Faculty of Education, Duncan McArthur Hall, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6. Phone 613-545-6222, fax 613-545-6691.

February 20-23, Seattle, Washington; March 6-9, Atlanta, Georgia; June 20-22, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sponsor: International Schools Services. Application for ISS's recruitment fairs is December 15. To register, one must have a full professional file established with the ISS. The cost to establish an ISS file is $100, and the cost to take part in a fair is $125. Those who establish a professional file with the ISS will also receive a copy of the "ISS Directory of Overseas Schools." Contact: ISS, Educational Staffing Program, P.O. Box 5910, Princeton, NJ 08543. Phone 609-452-0990, fax 609-452-2690.

February 21-23, Columbus, Ohio. Sponsor: Ohio State University. Registration: $80. Registration deadline: February 7. Contact: Ohio State University, Office of Career Services, Attn; B.J. Bryant, 146 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210-1172. Phone 614-292-2741, fax 614-292-4547.

February 28-March 2, Waterloo, Iowa. Sponsor: University of Northern Iowa. Registration packets: $5. Registration fee: $140 for an individual teacher, $260 for a teaching couple (includes a subscription to a monthly newsletter and a directory of participating schools). Contact: ÚNI Overseas Placement, SSC #19, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0390. Phone 319-273-2083, e-mail ).

Service at the Bahá’í World Center

Have you recently returned from service at the Bahá’í World Center? If so, please send a copy of your Bahá’í ID card from the World Center, both front and back, with your current U.S. address to the Bahá’í National Center, MIS Department-Transfers, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611. Your current U.S. Bahá’í credentials will be sent within two weeks of receiving your copies. Remember, you cannot attend Feast without a current U.S. Bahá’í ID card.

SENSITIVE INTERNATIONAL TEACHING AREAS (SITA) Programs

Coordinated by the Office of Pioneering—now also available on a regional/local basis in many areas of the country.

What is a SITA? Why should you know about SITA programs and deepenings? For answers to these questions, contact your local Spiritual Assembly or the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 (phone 847-733-3506).

URGENT NEED for pioneers and traveling teachers

URGENT NEED for pioneers and traveling teachers for the countries of: Ba'tic States, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Macedonia and Serbia.

Macedonia, Serbia and the Faroe Islands were recently opened up to the Faith.

"...Let all believers consider the extent to which they can use familial and ethnic ties to other regions of the world for the fulfillment of the global mission conferred on the recipients of the Tablets of the Divine Plan..." (The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 153.)

Friends reporting travel and teaching

It is evident that larger numbers of Bahá’ís are becoming aware 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." To make your contribution to keeping records toward this important goal, please note the following information: the Office of Pioneering needs information about your international trips of any nature, since the beginning of the Four Year Plan (May 1, 1996).

Please include the names of all countries and main localities visited, the dates of your trip, the names of all Bahá’ís traveling, and the main purpose of your travel. Business trips, personal projects, vacation trips, family visits, conferences, meetings and teaching projects, among others, are all included in these statistics and duly designated. Please inform the National Teaching Office about those trips taken on the homefront for which some teaching activity was included.

To make this easier for you, simply fill out and send us the short form below by mail or by fax, or tell us by phone or e-mail 24 hours a day. For travel on the homefront, please report to the National Teaching Office, 847-733-3494 (fax 847-733-3502; e-mail ). For international travel: the Office of Pioneering, 847-733-3511 (fax 847-733-3509; email ). We look forward to hearing from you.

If you have traveled internationally, please return this form to the Office of Pioneering. If you have traveled to teach within the United States, please return this form to the National Teaching Office. The address for both is: 1233 Central St., Evanston IL 60201. Fax: (847) 733-3509

Names: Street: City, State, Zip: COUNTRIES or LOCALITIES DATES FROM Comments: I.D. #s: TO MAIN PURPOSE [Page 5]

The Dawn-Breakers

Nabíl’s Narrative Nabíl-I-Zarandí $29.95 HC (DB)

"Feel impelled appeal entire body American believers to henceforth regard Nabíl’s soul-stirring Narrative as essential adjunct to reconstructed Teaching program, as unchallengeable textbook in their Summer Schools, as source of inspiration in all literary and artistic pursuits, as an invaluable companion in times of leisure, as indispensable preliminary to future pilgrimage to Bahá’u’lláh’s native land, and as unfailing instrument to allay distress and resist attacks of critical, disillusioned humanity." - From a cablegram sent by Shoghi Effendi to the American Bahá’í community June 21, 1932.

6½"x9", 686 pp., table of contents, foreword, facsimiles, photographs, genealogical charts, glossary, bibliography, Index Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States

Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986

MESSAGES FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 1963-1983 THE THIRD EPOCH The Third Epoch of the Formative Age $24.95 SC (MUHJ)

"...[The] study of the messages contained in this volume yields a treasure of insight, knowledge, and understanding of the principles guiding the unfoldment of the Bahá’í Faith and the efforts of the individuals and communities as they strive to adopt the pattern of life prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh. Moreover, the inclusion of virtually every major message of the Third Epoch enables one to survey significant developments in the organic growth of the Bahá’í world community, to follow its increasing maturity and acquisition of new powers and capacities, to perceive a continuity in its development, and to detect patterns in the interplay between forces of light and darkness, between crisis and victory. Individuals, communities, and institutions will find the book an important aid in making decisions as they apply themselves to meeting current challenges and will derive continual inspiration and encouragement from the majestic pronouncements, authoritative elucidations, and ennobling, luminous, and loving counsels of the Universal House of Justice. The messages themselves are sufficient proofs that the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh is unbroken, that the channel of divine guidance remains open, and that "the Day which shall not be followed by night" has at last dawned upon the world."-from the foreword by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

6"x9", 864 pp., paragraph numbers, Index, glossary, footnotes, bibliography Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States

Take Me Up

by Mary Davis take me up $15.00 CD (TMUCD), $10.00 CS (TMUCS)

"One of the most purely melodious voices in existence today" (Marvin "Doc" Holiday), Mary Davis is a familiar voice in the Bahá’í community, having traveled internationally and appeared at numerous conferences including the 1986 International Peace Conference in San Fransisco with her well-known song "Woman You Are the Key to Peace," as well as productions by Jimmy Seals and Jack Lenz. With a "crystal clear voice that speaks the language of the soul" (Red Grammer), she has woven together in her third production of original material, Take me Up, the inspiration of her Faith—the metaphors of this earthly life—and the principles by which she strives to live, to create a tapestry of her spiritual journey.

44 minutes Windflower Music

To the Glory of God

Eric Dozier and Friends $17.95 CD (TGGCD), $11.95 CS (TGGCS)

Ever feel like you are going through the motions of being a Bahá’í and want your soul to be stirred again with love for Bahá’u’lláh? Try To the Glory of God, the latest gospel recording featuring inspirational music from Eric Dozier and Friends. Before becoming a Bahá’í, Eric was minister of music at several churches and was the director of the Duke University Modern Black Mass Choir. Since becoming a Bahá’í, Eric has performed at the Bahá’í National Convention, the Martin Luther King Jr. March in Atlanta, and conferences and summer schools around the nation. His knowledge of the Bible and strong Christian background make this recording an excellent teaching tool.

55 minutes Vanguard Music Productions

The Eco Principle

Ecology and Economics In Symbiosis by Arthur Lyon Dahl $21.95 SC (EPEES)

At a time when most societies have lost all control and direction, this book not only explains why present economic and political systems are not working, but integrates economic, environmental, social and spiritual dimensions into a new paradigm for understanding and changing them. Instead of our usual thinking in terms of mechanical analogies and essentially static entities, the author introduces the notion of Ecos. This, he argues, provides a more accurate portrayal of the real world as a complex "nested" structure of interacting, dynamic and constantly changing systems. He then applies this analytical approach based on the time-proven organic systems of the natural world to our understanding of human institutions. He shows how these are not immutable, but shaped by our values and understandings. This opens the way to a more integrated view of the solutions required for the economic, environmental and social problems we face.

5½"x8", 180 pp., bibliography, Index. George Ronald Publisher, Zed Books Ltd.

William Henry Randall: Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

by Bahiyyih Randall-Winckler with M. R. Garis $19.99 SC (WHR)

William Henry Randall is the compelling account of the life of the man described by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as "my spiritual associate ... my participator and co-sharer!" Drawing on the previously unpublished daily diaries of two early pilgrimages (1919 and 1922), this fascinating book provides unique glimpses into the life of the Holy Family, and offers an intimate portrait of the history of the Faith in America and the difficulties and challenges that faced the early Western believers.

5"x8", 276 pp., foreword, photographs, appendices, Index Oneworld

Law and International Order

compiled by The Táhirih Institute $17.95 SC (LIO)

Seven essays, addressing one of the most significant issues facing humankind as we stand at the dawn of the millenium and on the threshold of a new World Order. This book contains keynote presentations from the first European Bahá’í Conference on Law and International Order, held in the Netherlands, 1995. Authors and essay titles:

• Kiser Barnes, "The Theme of Service in the Evolving World Order of Bahá’u’lláh" and "The Nature of Bahá’í Law"
• Coleen Dawes, "Service to Mankind through the Legal Profession"
• Pieter van Dijk, "Universality of Human Rights, Tolerance and Freedom of Religion"
• Wendi Momen, "How Close Are We to the Lesser Peace?"
• Udo Schaefer, "Crime and Punishment"
• Christopher Sprung, "Bahá’í Institutions and Human Governance".

5¼"x8", 224 pp., foreword, bibliography, biographical notes Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United Kingdom [Page 6]

Jewels from the Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

$5.95 SC (HS) The fifth in the Jewels series presents extracts from the writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the theme of hope—hope for the individual through seeking the bounties of God, and the blessings to be obtained through following the life of the spirit and service to humanity.

6"x6", 40 p., bibliography, references Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United Kingdom

Zikrullah Khadem: La Itinerante Mano de la Causa de Dios

by Javidukht Khadem $10.00 SC (SZK) A Spanish translation of a biography of Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem. Written by his wife, the book recounts over 60 years of service to the Bahá’í Faith which stand as a testimony to the transforming power of one man's love for the Central Figures of the Faith and Shoghi Effendi. It will inspire readers to live as Mr. Khadem did with love, humility, and unwavering devotion to the principles of the Bahá’í Faith.

5-5/8"x8-3/4", 365 pp., contents, foreward, preface, Introduction, photographs, appendix, notes. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Spain

He Cometh with Clouds

A Bahá’í View of Christ's Return by Gary Matthews SC $21.95 (HCWC)

No impending event has ever been hailed with keener anticipation than the Second Coming of Christ. Nearly a hundred generations of Christians have turned their faces to the skies, eager to greet the Lord as He descends in power and glory, seen by every eye. Millions have implored God to hasten the Day when—as the Scriptures foretell—the stars will fall from heaven, the dead will rise to stand before God and Christ in final judgment, and the saints will be "caught up...in the clouds" to reign with their Lord over "new heavens and a new earth." Does God keep his promises? Will Christ return, or has He already come? Gary L. Matthews investigates the Bible's teachings about the second Coming and explores the relationship between Christ and Bahá’u’lláh.

5-1/2"x8-3/4", 416 pp. George Ronald, Publisher

Follow the Instructions

by Jenabe E. Caldwell $7.95 SC (FI)

In this book vignettes from the activities of Bahá’í teachers are used to illustrate the spiritual principles that govern our lives as Bahá’ís and assist us in our teaching work. The aim of this book is to instruct and inspire others who are arising to teach using the examples of many teachers already in the field.

5-1/2"x8-3/4", 168 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, India

Highlights of Bahá’í Activities in Africa

compiled by James A. Williams $5.95 SC (HBAA)

Bahá’u’lláh has promised that His Faith will be embraced eventually by all the peoples of the world. Every continent now has the flag of the Lord of the Age planted firmly upon its soil. To observe the gradual fulfillment of this prophecy is exciting and awe-inspiring. Highlights of Bahá’í Activities in Africa is the first booklet in a series designed to further inspire Bahá’ís and give seekers a glimpse of how an awakening humanity on each continent responds to the transforming power of Bahá’u’lláh's teachings, laws and institutions. As a teaching tool, it will assist in enhancing the sense of a growing, global Bahá’í community. Even a hurried glance through its pages will assure a seeker of the Faith's integrity in 40 African countries and of the praise and respect the Faith has truly earned.

5-1/2"x8-1/2", 80 pp. Wayfarer Publications

The Black Men's Bahá’í Gatherings

A Spiritual Transformation by James A. Williams and Ted Jefferson $4.00 SC (BMBG)

This powerful booklet provides a piercing insight into how we as Bahá’ís can better understand the after-stain of slavery and the overt racism that impede the attainment of true racial unity in the American Bahá’í community. Readers who are not African-American will share the emotional isolation and spiritual pain many African-Americans, men in particular, endure on a daily basis. One will learn why the Black Men's Bahá’í Gathering and its unique psychological model have been identified as a spiritual primary school for opening "the pupil of the eye." This compelling booklet transcends customary race-relations dialogue and demands re-reading many times because of its profound depth and honesty.

5-1/2"x8-1/2", 30 pp. Wayfarer Publications

Portraits of Some Bahá’í Women

by O.Z. Whitehead SC $16.95 (PSBW)

Western women have always been in the forefront of teaching the Bahá’í Faith. Here are short portraits of seven such women whose services to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh have spanned the 20th century. Some well-known, others less so, all devoted their lives to the promotion and development of the Faith they loved.

5-1/2"x8-1/4", 184 pp. George Ronald Publishers

In His Remembrance

by Sombol CD $15.95 (IHRCD), CS $10.95 (IHRCS)

A collection of 12 songs in Persian from the best of New Zealand recording artist Sombol.

65 minutes

The True Foundation of All Economics

compiled by Hooshmand Badi'l $9.95 SC (TFAE)

The True Foundation of All Economics is a compilation of extracts from the Bahá’í writings that help the reader examine the relationship of economics to other basic teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, including health, education, the status of women, the environment and the purpose of humankind's life on earth: to acquire virtues and carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. This book serves as a stepping stone for further pursuits into the vast subject of the relationship between economics, the most earthly of subjects, and spirituality, the most heavenly of realms.

5"x8", 194 pp. Hooshmand Badi'l

Poems of the Passing

by Ruhiyyih Rabbani HC $29.95 (POPH)

The author of this moving anthology was for 20 years the wife, companion and confidential secretary of Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, the great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Although she had been writing poems off and on all her life, the shock and grief of the sudden passing of him who was the head of her Faith, as well as her beloved husband, called forth from the depths of her heart this stream of deeply moving expressions of grief: It is the author's ardent hope that in sharing them with others they may echo the grief of separation in this world from our loved ones and the confident hope of reunion with them in an eternal realm of spiritual progress and mercy.

5-3/4"x8-3/4", 136 pp. George Ronald, Publisher

A Feast of ABCs

by Gail Radley illustrated by Malcolm Lee SC $9.50 (FABC)

A delightful ABC book for children about the Nineteen Day Feast by a well-known and popular writer for young people. Features children of many nationalities in its charming illustrations.

7"x10", 56 pp. George Ronald, Publisher

An Introduction to the Bahá’í Faith

An Informational Course for the General Public prepared by Khalil A. and Sue Williston Khavari $7.95 SC (IBFC)

This coursebook was designed specifically to aid Bahá’ís in presenting the Bahá’í Faith to audiences in a public forum or classroom setting. This course not only presents systematically the basics of the Bahá’í Faith, including history, beliefs, practices, and administration, it also helps prepare the teacher through outlines of course procedures and objectives. Includes sample handouts, letters, announcements, overhead transparencies and a brief appendix on public speaking.

8½"x11", GBC bound, approx. 90 pp. Khalil and Sue Khavari [Page 7]

The Bahá’í Faith and Its Literature

An offering of Writings Describing the Foumber, the Teachings and the Aims of the Bakk Faith

The Bahá’í Faith and Its Literature PACKAGE OF 20 $1.50 (BFL20), PACKAGE OF 80 $4.00 (BFL80)

Often in our efforts to introduce the Faith to seekers we are faced with situations where there is not enough time to prop- erly assess what literature would be ap- propriate or would interest the person whom we are teaching. This pamphlet is a catalog for seekers who wish to investi- gate further the writings of the Bahá’í Faith. It allows seekers to choose from among selected texts in areas that are of interest to them. It includes a brief introduction to the Bahá’í Faith and an overview of the different types of Bahá’í literature. This teaching tool is perfect for situations where initial contact with individuals is minimal, such as public meetings, exhibition booths and mail campaigns.

5"x8", 16 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Us

Bahá’ís Believe In...

BAHÁ’ÍS BELIEVE IN O Gen T bonaws. Tesi OF OUNCE AND BEY E ENE Sansio A

Bahá’ís Believe In... Teaching Cards 10 PK. $3.25 (BBI10), 100 PK. $27.00(BBI100) Poster $8.95 (BBIP)

These eye-catching four-color presen- tations of the basic tenets of the Bahá’í Faith are specifically designed to assist the individual Bahá’í in his or her teach- ing work. Available as business card- size handouts and poster-size displays. cards, 2-1/4"x3-1/2"; poster, 16- 1/2"x23-1/2" Bahá’í Publications Australla

The Bahá’í Faith Its Principles and History

$.50 PA (BFPHS) BULK PRICING AVAILABLE

A colorful revision of a long out of print pamphlet titled Teachings for a World Faith. Updated and revised, this pamphlet is bulk priced to facili- tate its use in teaching. 1-9 copies at $.50 ea., 10-49 copies at $.40 ea., 50- 99 copies at $.35 ea., 100 copies and up at $.30 ea.

3"x5", 30 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States

Healing Racism Education's Role

edited by Nathan Rutstein and Michael Morgan SC $24.95 (HRER)

Written by 16 Bahá’ís who are ex- perts in race relations and eyewit- nesses to the ravages of racial preju- dice, the articles in Healing Racism: Education's Role define this national disease. The authors tell how to di- minish racism's effects through class- room education emphasizing the one- ness of humanity and the cousinship of all human beings. Bahá’ís will find it useful for introduc- tion into any school system. This book serves as an inspira- tional guidebook for teachers and parents as it takes the reader through the educational system from early grades to the university campus.

9-1/4"x6", 361 pp. Whitcomb Publishing

Sustainable Communities in an Integrating World

a statement by the Bahá’í International Community SC $1.00 (SCIW), 10 PK. $5.00 (SCIW10)

As civilization approaches the 21st cen- tury, great efforts are being made to develop communities that are "socially vibrant, united and prosperous." For these efforts to have a lasting effect certain conditions must be met and the answers to fundamental questions of sustainability must be recognized. In this statement presented to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) by the Bahá’í International Community, the question of "What are the prereq- uisites for establishing sustainable communities?" is answered. The arguments presented should be within the scope of every Bahá’í's ability to reproduce so that we may further the under- standing of those with whom we come in contact.

8-1/2"x11", 6 pp. Bahá’í International Community

Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time

Bahá’í Studles, Volume 1 by John Walbridge SC $22.95 (SA)

This is the first book in a new series from George Ronald Publishers de- veloped for students of the Bahá’í Faith and those teaching courses on the religion. In Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time John Walbridge explores several areas of the sacred in the Bahá’í Faith including Bahá’í law and its background, the rites of life and death, teachings on wealth, pilgrimage, mystical writings, the Bahá’í calendar and festivals. This first in the series will be especially inter- esting to those with an academic interest in the Bahá’í Faith, those who wish to undertake a serious study of the religion and those who want to study it at a level deeper than is possible with introductory books.

5-12"x8-3/4", 322 pp., Index George Ronald Publishers

BACK IN STOCK!

1997 Bahá’í Wall Calendar Features a stunning photo- graph of one of the terrace fountains on Mount Carmel at sunset. $2.95 (BWC)

1997 Bahá’í Datebook Revised back to its original size of 24"x6". $2.95 (BDB)

1997 Bahá’í History Calendar The theme this year is photo- graphs of people and places associated with Shoghi Effendi. $7.50 (BHC)

1997 Multifaith Calendar The theme this year is sacred words from the various reli- gious traditions. $10.95 (MFC97)

1997 Multifaith Weekly Planner Newly revised with a summary of festivals and a new easy to read and follow design. $9.95 (MWP)

Bahá’í Daybook A newly revised format and redesigned cover make this popular daily readings book even more attractive and read- able. $7.95 (BD)

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EXPIRATION DATE 1-800-999-9019 Bahá’í Distribution Service 5397 Wilbanks Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37343 1-800-999-9019 Fax: 1-423-843-0836 ⚫ Internet: [Page 8]

Developing local Spiritual Assembly goal program

In October 1991, a crisis struck the American Bahá’í community. It came in the form of a new program announced by the National Spiritual Assembly, and directly affected 1,000 local Spiritual Assemblies.

The crisis bore the inoffensive name "Local Spiritual Assembly Goal Program," but in its own small way it was quite revolutionary.

Since that time, every local Assembly has been affected, important victories have been won, and much consultation has taken place.

Some of the friends felt angry in '91 and are still angry about the program, while others say that it galvanized their Assembly and community and caused them to view themselves, their capacity and their relationship with the National Spiritual Assembly in new ways.

Who's right? What has this experience meant? Where might the program go in future?

A brief history-Year 1

At the end of September 1991, an interoffice task force was convened to respond to a decision of the National Spiritual Assembly: to suggest goals to 1,000 selected local Spiritual Assemblies.

In the weeks to come, this group, which included staff members from the Office of the Treasurer, the National Teaching Committee, Membership and Records and the Secretariat, consulted and created a list of possible goals based on historical contribution information and any other data the Bahá’í National Center could find about community histories, regional demographics, etc.

The list was submitted to the National Assembly, approved, and letters were written in October to all 1,000 local Spiritual Assemblies, each with a suggested goal amount.

The response rate was high, and it varied along many lines. Some of the friends and their Assemblies were excited by the announcement; they felt it implied trust in them and in their capacity on the part of their National Spiritual Assembly.

Others were angry. They agonized over what they felt was a blow to the body of the Cause, that the National Assembly had overstepped the bounds of its authority.

Still others were confused. How could we reach the goal in only six months? Where did the numbers come from? Were the suggestions really a politely expressed marching order from the National Assembly?

All of these responses were collected, tabulated, reviewed and answered. In one way or another, nearly all of the 1,000 Assemblies responded, established goals for themselves, and began to marshal their forces. Other Assemblies, who were not part of the initial group, asked to take part in the program and received goal suggestions of their own.

When the dust had cleared, about 60 percent of the Assemblies set lower goals than those originally suggested. Their general response was, "We think you have overestimated our capacity, but we do want to participate at this lower level."

Nearly 40 percent of the Assemblies either accepted the suggested goal, saying "If you think we can make it, we'll give it a try," or said, "That's too small a goal." Five Assemblies (yes, just five!) refused to take part, insisting that the program was not in accordance with Bahá’í principles.

What was the actual experience that first year? Nearly all of those who chose to accept the suggested goal actually reached it, exceeded it, or at least came close.

In the majority of other cases, the friends met or exceeded the goals they had set for themselves. Some fell short, usually because of circumstances outside their control: layoffs, medical emergencies, etc.

There were a large number of discussions about what "counted"; views were many, varied and enthusiastically put forth by the friends.

The National Assembly had tried to be clear, through a series of general letters and articles in The American Bahá’í, that the goal only related to the offerings of the local Spiritual Assembly as an institution to the Bahá’í National Fund; gifts from friends in the locality, contributions for the Arc and others were excluded from the program because they were not a direct expression of the relationship between the local body and the National Spiritual Assembly.

A good many of the friends refused to accept this definition, despite the fact that it came from the National Assembly; in the event, the Office of the Treasurer was instructed not to make an issue of the numbers, as the real importance of the program lay in the Assemblies' setting and pursuing systematic goals.

The Universal House of Justice, in a letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies dated November 18, 1991, offered the following comment:

"As a method of stimulating contributions, certain National Spiritual Assemblies have for some time adopted a method of assessing, to the degree that they are able, the financial capacities of their local communities. Having done this, the National Assembly shares with the local Spiritual Assembly of each community which shows a sufficient level of activity and capacity information on the needs of the national and international funds, and suggests that the local Assembly consider setting a goal for contributions.

"In so doing, the National Assembly proposes what it feels to be a reasonable figure for such a goal, leaving it to the local Assembly to make the final decision itself in light of its knowledge of local circumstances."

Contributions for the year ended April 30, 1992, were significantly higher than the previous year, in large measure due to the encouraging response to the goal program. The share of National Fund contributions from local Spiritual Assemblies rose from less than 40 percent to more than 50 percent.

Year 2 to the present

The next year, the National Assembly decided to try to address the gaps in its information about local communities and to include every local Spiritual Assembly. Auxiliary Board members were asked to review lists of the Assemblies in their respective areas and to give their assessment of the appropriateness of the suggested goals.

A new list was created, which started with each Assembly's actual total of contributions to the National Fund for the previous year, and then increased the amount by a percentage roughly equal to the increase in the national budget.

The number of Assemblies responding was lower than the previous year, as a percentage of those receiving suggested goals, but was still a large majority of all Assemblies. Again, most Assemblies met or exceeded their goals; they put forward an impressive effort with local and regional fund-raisers of all kinds, reallocation of local budgets, and other measures.

Contributions to the National Fund were up 11 percent by April '93; again, about half the total came from local Spiritual Assemblies.

The main theme in the friends' feedback that year was that suggesting goals was not necessary, that the local Spiritual Assemblies were sufficiently mature and ready to be able to set and meet their own goals.

The National Assembly consulted on this information and decided to ask all local Spiritual Assemblies to set their own goals. The National Assembly further asked to be advised of the chosen goal so that it could use the information in its own planning for the national budget.

In the year this change was made (ending April '94), the rate of response dropped dramatically. The Vision in Action meetings were held to stave off financial crisis, and the friends responded, individually and as communities, but the goals program lagged behind.

For the last two years forms have been sent to the Assemblies in March to facilitate reporting of their goals; the response rate has continued to decline each year. As of mid-October 1996, less than 40 percent of Assemblies had advised the National Spiritual Assembly of their goal commitments.

What do these results mean? Could it be that, despite their repeated requests to be able to set their own goals, that in fact all those local Spiritual Assemblies were not ready to take on the commitment themselves? Is the low response rate a symptom of something else, some other factor?

The goal program for local Spiritual Assembly contributions to the Bahá’í National Fund has demonstrated its usefulness in expanding our understanding of the relationship between the local and national institutions of the Cause. The program has been recommended by the Universal House of Justice to every National Spiritual Assembly.

The National Spiritual Assembly is consulting even now about the next phase of this important program. Your input is welcome.

Bahá’í employs entrepreneurial spirit, know-how in service to Cause, turns failing business into thriving concern, seven-figure check for Arc

BY TOM MENNILLO

Life was good for Virginia Rogers. She had retired at age 39 with enough money to live on and was enjoying travel-teaching after having spent some time as a pioneer to Uganda.

Then came District Convention 1987 and a letter from the Universal House of Justice announcing the Arc Projects on Mt. Carmel.

Ms. Rogers knew she could give a fair amount of money to the Arc from her savings. But if she returned to the business world, couldn't she give a lot more?

After all, the Austin, Texas, resident had a knack for entrepreneurship. She had built Ginny's Copying Services into a nine-store chain that thrives to this day.

It would be a sacrifice, she realized. Many 100-plus-hour work weeks would be required to grow a new business.

But sacrifice is what Bahá’ís were being called upon to do. So she set an ambitious goal for her contribution—more than her net worth at the time—and started praying for guidance on how to proceed.

On a return trip to Uganda, Ms. Rogers started having vivid dreams that she was operating businesses in the States. Back home she went.

There was a store in Austin called Relax the Back that she started frequenting because its products for the prevention and alleviation of back pain helped her. Behind the store was her Bahá’í friend James Cansler's massage therapy office.

As she visited him one day he happened to mention that the store's owner was on the verge of closing it. The name and products were great, but in four years it had yet to turn a profit.

Ms. Rogers had a question for her friend. If she purchased the store, would he manage it?

He agreed, and within nine months business increased six-fold. They were in the black.

Soon after, Shiidon Hawley, another Bahá’í, came on board. Several other Bahá’ís worked for the company over the years, including Ms. Rogers' daughter, Carrie Rogers Casey. Two Bahá’ís, Lynda Godwin and Kathryn Parsi, are franchisees.

Relax the Back also benefited from the emotional support and customer referrals of many Bahá’ís in Austin and elsewhere. It was support that sustained Ms. Rogers through the trying times and the disappointment that she could not be as active in Bahá’í community life as before. [Page 9]

ENROLLMENTS

October: 202 Total for year: 1,141

THE FUND

(As of September 30, 1996)

National Bahá’í Fund YTD Goal: $6,000,000 YTD Actual: $4,278,953

All International Funds YTD Goal: $3,750,000 YTD Actual: $3,681,265

thru Sep 95 National Bahá’í Fund: $5,008,719 International Bahá’í Fund: $1,022,913 Arc Projects Fund: $13,236,908 Continental Bahá’í Fund: $103,350 Other Earmarked: $158,737 Subtotal/Int'l Funds: $14,363,171 Total/All Funds: $19,371,890

thru Sep 96 National Bahá’í Fund: $4,278,953 International Bahá’í Fund: $222,980 Arc Projects Fund: $3,334,295 Continental Bahá’í Fund: $123,990 Other Earmarked: $271,407 Subtotal/Int'l Funds: $3,681,265 Total/All Funds: $7,960,218

Debt Watch Loans Outstanding Sep 95: $0 Sep 96: $800,000

Preparing a will has practical, spiritual value

Sometimes the laws of the Faith may appear puzzling to us, especially in this society and at this time. However, trusting in Bahá’u’lláh and knowing that His wisdom and guidance are unerring, and believing with all our hearts that every word He uttered was divinely given, we try our best to follow His laws.

There are laws that are obviously very practical in the context of our present-day lives in this world. One of these is the directive in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas about the writing of a will:

"Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will. The testator should head this document with the adornment of the Most Great Name, bear witness therein unto the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, and make mention, as he may wish, of that which is praiseworthy, so that it may be a testimony for him in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and a treasure with his Lord, the Supreme Protector, the Faithful." (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 59)

First, let's look at the practical benefits of following this guidance.

We can achieve much for the welfare of those who depend on us for their material well-being and for the advancement of our own souls through obedience to this law. Among the many advantages of having a will are these:

1. A will specifies who is to receive our possessions when we die. Through a will we can ensure that our property goes to the people and institutions most important to us during our lives.

2. A will can indicate the persons we wish to appoint as guardians of our children, and facilitate our desire that the children be reared as Bahá’ís.

3. A will allows us to provide financial security for our beneficiaries who have special circumstances, such as minor children, disabled or elderly relatives, and others who might be unable to manage an inheritance.

4. A will provides a way to give from our estate to the Bahá’í Faith, as well as to those charities we consider worthy of support. Without a will, there is no provision for sharing our property with the Cause since the government recognizes only relatives as legally eligible for a share of any estate.

Dying "intestate," or without a will, can be expensive and troublesome for loved ones. The taxes payable under this circumstance can also be a much larger portion of the estate, and the settlement of an estate can take months, even years. Meanwhile, those who have depended on us for their material welfare may suffer from the delay and uncertainty involved.

What if we feel that we have no money or possessions of value to bequeath? Or perhaps we are young, have no family as yet, and believe that this law does not apply to us at this time? Bahá’u’lláh says that "Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will," and that means rich or poor, young or old, single or married, man or woman.

Beyond the practical aspects lies the spiritual side of this injunction. It is interesting to note that while there are all the good and practical reasons for writing a will that were mentioned above, which deal primarily with the material side of our lives, Bahá’u’lláh makes no reference to these things in His instructions to us regarding the will. Here is the passage from the Aqdas again:

"The testator should head this document with the adornment of the Most Great Name, bear witness therein unto the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, and make mention, as he may wish, of that which is praiseworthy, so that it may be a testimony for him in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and a treasure with his Lord, the Supreme Protector, the Faithful."

Earthly matters, material goods, are not the subject here. Clearly Bahá’u’lláh considers the most important aspect of the will our testimony to our belief in Him and our praise of Him in whatever words and in whatever manner we wish to express them. Every believer, regardless of his or her lot in life, has the privilege and obligation of testifying to this relationship with the Lord of the Age.

Some people delay writing a will because it relates to their passing from this world, or for the reasons mentioned earlier. How much better it is for our hearts to be gladdened by the words of our Guardian, so full of promise and light:

"The execution of the provisions of the will causes the spirit of the deceased to rejoice in the Abhá Kingdom." (Written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, quoted in a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, August 24, 1982, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States)

"the Writing of a Will" frames this practical law of The Kitáb-i-Aqdas in its proper spiritual context and contains step-by-step information for getting started on the preparation of your Will and Testament.

Kansas Bahá’ís to mark centennial in July 1997

Next July the Bahá’í community of Kansas will celebrate the first 100 years of its continuous existence.

In the summer of 1897 the first Bahá’í classes were held in Enterprise. A Bahá’í community resulted, but the friends did not organize in any form that would be recognizable today.

Because of the distance from Chicago, where most Bahá’í activities were centered, and the defection in 1900 of Ibrahim Kheiralla, who had taught the first classes in Kansas, many of those early believers drifted away, but not all, and the community was kept alive in Topeka.

To mark the centennial, eight Spiritual Assemblies in Kansas have joined forces to form a centennial planning committee. There are at present no Bahá’ís in Enterprise, but the president of the town's bank (whose family was involved in those classes a century ago) has provided space at the bank for committee meetings and has been of great help in contacting people in the town.

He has spoken with the local minister and church board about using the church for centennial activities (it is the largest meeting place in town), and they have agreed to do so.

He also arranged with the owner of the only local cafe to extend its hours so committee members could eat there, has offered to conduct a tour of the local cemetery where early Bahá’ís (mostly his family) are buried, and has announced the centennial in ads for the bank in the town's weekly newspaper, all on his own initiative.

The planning committee invites all Bahá’ís with connections to Kansas to return home to celebrate the centennial. Details of the program aren't yet firm, but the target date is July 19 and the basic nature of the celebration will be a turn-of-the-century chautauqua.

Look for details in future issues of The American Bahá’í. [Page 10]

More than Material Riches

Cross out all the material riches to reveal True Wealth. Don't cross out "wealth" or "world."

by Meg Andersen

coins the car diamonds wealth castle jewels money yacht bucks bank property the cash

"It is clear that the honor and exaltation of man must be something more than material riches." —‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions. p. 79

Produced in collaboration with the Office of the Treasurer and Fund Development

rubies limo silver stereo antiques

Order Now! Call Bahá’í Distribution Service at 800-999-9019 to order single issues by theme at $3.50 each. Call Subscriber Services at 847-251-1854, Ext. 11 to begin a subscription: $18 one year (six issues).

The Essence of Wealth

by Meg Anderson

Are money and jewels True Wealth? What about a fancy house or all the toys in the world? The only things you can take with you to the next world are treasures of your soul. These treasures are the Essence of Wealth. Find out what Bahá’u’lláh said about this Wealth.

Fill in each box with one letter from the column above it. Use each letter only once. Find the right box for each letter to discover the essence of wealth. Use a pencil to try out letters.

Reprinted from Brilliant Star, True Wealth, September-October 1996, answers on p. 32.

dollars other mansion gems jet bicycle emeralds crown world pearls jewelry is computer ship inheritance dimes palace nearness sapphires pager television to gold God land

With True Wealth you will know how to make the best use of the other riches.

GMAEYETHOMESNOPEPOERNTFSH LFETHETENNE HEOLSOPHOE V ES ASHOESOEHOE D ONA WSALLOVFA R EG WT NE T M D T H

Don't forget to purchase your copy of the most recent issues: "True Wealth" and "A Life of Service" from BDS, $3.50 each. [Page 11]

88th Bahá’í National Convention open to visitors

The National Spiritual Assembly invites all adult believers to attend the 88th Bahá’í National Convention, to be held next April 24-27 at the Holiday Inn-O'Hare, 5440 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois.

The National Spiritual Assembly has once again provided space so that up to 1,800 visitors will be able to attend National Convention. The site of the upcoming National Convention is the same as last year's, which was popular with visitors and delegates because of its proximity to Chicago's O'Hare Airport and accessibility from major highways. (See form for seating registration and hotel information.)

What can visitors expect at the National Convention?

Visitors will have a chance to observe, although they do not take part in the consultation between the delegates and the National Spiritual Assembly. These individuals will learn about the current state of the American Bahá’í community and witness the consultation, which will center on the advancement of the Four Year Plan.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to attend several non-delegate events that will be held concurrently with the Convention. Exhibitors representing many agencies of the Bahá’í National Center will be greeting the believers in the hotel's atrium area. Visitors will also want to plan a trip to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette during their Convention stay.

What exactly takes place at the National Convention?

The Convention opens Thursday evening with the seating of the delegates and the election of the Convention officers. Convention attendees will hear first-hand the Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice for the second year of the Four Year Plan.

Most of the Convention sessions before and after the election of the National Spiritual Assembly are devoted to consultation between the delegates and the National Assembly. The Convention closes about noon on Sunday.

What is the delegates' responsibility at the National Convention?

The 171 delegates to the Convention were elected at Electoral Unit Conventions held around the country this past October. The responsibilities of the delegates are to elect the National Assembly and to consult with it on matters of importance to the Faith.

Shoghi Effendi addressed the delegates to the 1923 National Convention in a message that is as timely today as when it was given: "You stand at this challenging hour in the history of the Cause at the threshold of a new era; the functions you are called upon to discharge are fraught with immense possibilities; the responsibilities you shoulder are grave and momentous, and the eyes of many people are turned at this hour toward you, expectant to behold the dawning of a Day that shall witness the fulfilment of His Divine Promise."

When the delegates return home, they are asked to report back to the believers in the Electoral Unit that elected them on the accomplishments, decisions and aspirations of the Convention.

How does the election take place?

The Guardian instructed that the election of the National Spiritual Assembly is to be held at a point midway through the Convention, to give the incoming National Assembly an opportunity to consult with the delegates and to present the broad outlines of its plans for the coming year.

The National Spiritual Assembly is elected by plurality vote. The nine people who receive the highest number of votes cast by the delegates are elected. The delegates will be transported to the Bahá’í House of Worship on Saturday morning for the election of the National Spiritual Assembly.

88th Bahá’í National Convention

Convention Seating Registration April 24-27, 1997 Rosemont, Illinois

Shoghi Effendi in 1923 told the National Spiritual Assembly, "When the delegates are gathered in Convention at the time of election, they must turn their faces to the Holy Land supplicating for Divine Guidance." Then he added, "Do the believers in America realize that the friends of God are the only people on earth to whom He has promised to guide their deliberations and confirm their decisions?"

During this time the House of Worship will be closed to visitors. The delegates return to the hotel for Saturday afternoon's Convention session.

Who can consult at the National Convention?

During the Convention, the delegates fulfill the function of "an enlightened, consultative and cooperative body that will enrich the experience, enhance the prestige, support the authority and assist the deliberations of the National Spiritual Assembly." The recommendations made by the assembled delegates are, as the Guardian urged, given serious attention by the incoming National Assembly.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly are free to take part in the convention deliberations. They may offer suggestions or recommendations. However, only National Spiritual Assembly members who were elected delegates at their Électoral Unit Conventions are able to vote on issues or be elected to serve as a Convention officer.

All attendees who are not delegates are able to observe the consultation, but only delegates can actually take part in the discussion taking place on the Convention floor.

What happens to the decisions of the Convention?

The deliberations and decisions of the Convention are advisory. The Guardian explained that the National Convention is a temporary gathering whose status is "limited in time to the convention sessions, the function of consultation at all other times being vested in the entire body of believers through the local Spiritual Assemblies."

Last Name First Name Middle Initial Bahá’í I.D. #

Contact Person (will receive registration confirmation for all listed on this form.)

Mailing Address Contact Person Street City State Zip

Will your party be staying at the Holiday Inn O'Hare? Yes □ No□

Will your stay require any special attention such as wheel chair accessibility or sign language interpreter? Yes □ No□

If yes, please specify needs on a separate sheet of paper including a contact name and phone number. "Attach to this form.

Mail form to: Conventions Office Bahá’í National Center Wilmette, IL 60091 Phone 847-733-3529 Fax 847-869-0247

Hotel Reservations must be made directly with the Holiday Inn O'Hare, 847/671-6350, 5440 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL. Make sure you ask for the Bahá’í National Convention rate.

Room Rates are $81 per room, double occupancy. Rollaways are $10 a day. Cribs are free. We ask that you make your hotel reservation at the Holiday Inn O'Hare. Staying at the Holiday Inn helps reduce the National Center's overall administrative costs for the Convention.

Sharing Rooms: Individuals seeking roommates must make their own arrangements. Neither the National Center nor the hotel can offer such assistance.

Air Arrangements: The Bahá’í National Center has negotiated with Total Travel Management to provide reduced airfares. Call 800/383-4133 between 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM est. After hours call 800-823-3695.

Free Shuttles to and from O'Hare Airport are offered by the Holiday Inn O'Hare. Follow the signs to the Bus Shuttle pick-up area, located in front of the Hilton Hotel.

Children: The National Spiritual Assembly regrets that the Convention is unable to provide a quality children's program. There are no provisions for children's classes or child care. The sessions are long three full 13 hour days and two half-days, and it is difficult to provide meaningful programs for children for such a long period of time. Your understanding and cooperation is appreciated. [Page 12]

Fayard Nicholas

Fayard Nicholas, one-half of celebrated tap-dancing duo the Nicholas Brothers, recalls his career during Bahá’í-sponsored evening at Pomona College in CA

When Bahá’ís in Claremont, California, approached Pomona College to ask that they be allowed to use one of its meeting halls for an evening with Fayard Nicholas, one half of the celebrated Nicholas Brothers tap-dancing duo from the golden age of Hollywood film-making, the college was so enthusiastic that it offered to co-sponsor the event, provide the hall and refreshments, and pay Mr. Nicholas an honorarium for appearing.

On September 20, Mr. Nicholas presented film clips of himself and younger brother Harold dancing in such films as "Stormy Weather," "Down Argentine Way" and "The Pirate," and reminisced about their career in 65 films, countless nightclubs and other venues for an audience of about 150.

Mr. Nicholas, now 82 and a Bahá’í since 1967, also spoke warmly about the Faith, its teachings on racial and sexual equality, and how it has become his "secret to staying young at heart."

The Nicholas Brothers have received many awards recognizing their unique talents including an Emmy, the National Film Society's ELLIE (1984), a Tony (1989), the City of Hope Award (1986), the Kennedy Center Honors (1991) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1993).

Mr. Nicholas, who spent the entire day in Pomona, taped two half-hour interviews for local cable television, had lunch with the Bahá’ís, and was guest of honor at a formal dinner attended by heads of the Theater Arts and Dance departments at Pomona College along with Dr. and Mrs. James McKenna. Mr. McKenna, a professor of sociology and anthropology, was instrumental in the school's decision to co-sponsor Mr. Nicholas' visit.

Six articles about Mr. Nicholas appeared in local newspapers, including two before his visit, and there was one Internet entry made by a publication that serves the black community.

Assembly Development Office hosts pilot forum

On June 29, representatives of 29 local Spiritual Assemblies within a 50-mile radius of the Bahá’í House of Worship attended a day-long pilot forum on Assembly development.

The gathering, held at the Bahá’í National Center, was coordinated by the National Spiritual Assembly's Office of Assembly Development.

Its purpose was to begin a process of helping Assemblies to "rise to a new stage in the exercise of their responsibilities" by focusing on the role of Assembly officers and strengthening the skills of Assembly members in such areas as consultation, planning and fund development, all under the Four Year Plan's central aim of significantly advancing the process of entry by troops.

"This is the first in what we hope will be many similar forums on Assembly development held in various regions of the country during the Plan," said Theresa Mullen, coordinator of the Office of Assembly Development.

"Often," she said, "members of Assemblies in a given area don't have the opportunity to consult with one another and to share ideas and strategies—for example, learning how one Assembly goes about organizing its Secretariat or having its meetings chaired may be helpful to another Assembly.

"The forums also give Assembly members not only a chance to improve their skills through workshops but an opportunity to draw upon each other's experiences and to learn about what is working in other communities."

Auxiliary Board member Mojgan Laghaei-Patel (standing at left) presents a workshop on consultation at the pilot forum on Assembly development held last June 29 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois.

A key element in the success of the pilot forum was the participation of Auxiliary Board members for the area as well as representatives from the National Teaching Committee Office and the Office of the Treasurer.

"This really was a joint endeavor in the true spirit of unified action," said Ms. Mullen. "I think the participants could sense that this wasn't your usual deepening on Assembly functions, and that what they had to contribute was as valuable as what was being presented to them."

Participants not only met and consulted together, they ate lunch and dinner together as well, taking advantage of those times to get to know one another in a less formal setting.

"With decentralization well under way through the appointment of Regional Committees," said Ms. Mullen, "there will be a growing need for intercommunity cooperation among Assemblies.

"One important step in that direction is for Assemblies to get to know one another and to feel comfortable about meeting together on issues of mutual benefit and concern."

A similar forum on Assembly development has been scheduled in mid-December for Assemblies in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.

As other forums are offered in the various regions of the country, Assemblies will be notified accordingly.

Texas radio program reaches out, touches heart in Mexico

It's 12 hours by bus from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to Harlingen, Texas. But it took only an instant for the radio program Encuentro con Bahá’u’lláh broadcast by the Bahá’ís of Harlingen to reach the ears and heart of Sara Elena Cervantes in San Luis Potosi.

The weekly series of 15 radio programs in Spanish was produced by David Noll of Harlingen and Lourdes Ballard of Edinburg.

A number of weeks after the broadcasts began, the Bahá’ís received a letter from Ms. Cervantes asking for more information about Bahá’u’lláh. Ms. Ballard promptly sent the woman a book and instructions on how to contact Bahá’ís in Mexico. The Bahá’ís in San Luis Potosi also were given the seeker's name and address.

Recently, Ms. Cervantes made the long bus trip to Harlingen to visit the Bahá’ís and, especially, her first Bahá’í teacher, Ms. Ballard. There, in the uplifting spirit of Harlingen's just-opened Bahá’í Center, Ms. Cervantes was officially enrolled as a follower of Bahá’u’lláh.

But the journey began long before Ms. Cervantes began hearing the Bahá’í broadcasts.

In her childhood her father subscribed to various religious magazines and showed a keen interest in religion. He told her that there was a new religion from the Middle East that teaches the unity of religion. He told her that the United Nations is based on the teachings of that new Faith but doesn't give credit to the Source.

Sara Elena Cervantes (right) from Mexico meets her Bahá’í teacher, Lourdes Ballard, in Texas. Ms. Cervantes heard about Bahá’u’lláh from radio programs broadcast from Harlingen. Lourdes hosted and co-produced the 15-week series titled Encuentro con Bahá’u’lláh.

Her father, however, never mentioned Bahá’u’lláh by name. As Ms. Cervantes grew up, she attended various churches, but felt that none of them could be the religion her father described because they were not interested in uniting all the religions.

Then last year Ms. Cervantes heard the radio program from Texas. She immediately felt that Bahá’u’lláh might be the One about whom her father spoke.

Unfortunately, as the origin of the broadcast was being aired, the signal faded and she couldn't catch the address. That happened every week for about two months before she was able to clearly hear and write down the Harlingen Bahá’í address.

One day several weeks later she received a phone call. It was Ms. Ballard calling to say she had sent some Bahá’í materials. That day the books arrived by post, and Bahá’ís from San Luis Potosi also contacted her.

As it turned out, Auxiliary Board member Kevin Locke, the well-known Lakota hoop dancer, was visiting San Luis Potosi, so Ms. Cervantes went. A school teacher, she was surprised to see a former student there and asked him why he had come. The alumnus answered that he is a Bahá’í and had come to see Kevin Locke perform.

Ms. Cervantes stayed in contact with the Bahá’ís throughout the year and read Bahá’í books. She even traveled to Guadalajara in July for the Mexico Bahá’í summer school.

But she didn't enroll as a Bahá’í until that trip to Harlingen, where she met her Bahá’í teacher, Ms. Ballard, who had taught her the Faith via radio. [Page 13]

BIC address to public information seminar in Prague

Following are the opening remarks by Matthew Weinberg, director of research for the Bahá’í International Community's Office of Public Information, at the Bahá’í Public Information Management Seminar held March 22 in Prague, Czech Republic.

It is a great pleasure to be out in the field, and particularly to be among the friends from so many European countries.

It is an honor to come to the European continent, because it is here where Bahá’u’lláh chose to openly proclaim His mission to the rulers and peoples of the world. It is also a continent that was twice blessed by the visits of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and was the scene of His first public appearance in the West. Thus, this is indeed an appropriate setting for exploring the ways and means of disseminating the healing and revitalizing message of the Manifestation of God.

The importance of the public information activities of the Bahá’í community cannot ever be overemphasized, because as the Universal House of Justice stated in its letter of December 31, 1995, announcing the Four Year Plan, "our work is intended not only to increase the size and consolidate the foundations of our community, but more particularly to exert a positive influence on the affairs of the entire human race." This is why we are here.

As we all know, we are now entering a period of history that will mark a crucial turning point in humanity's long, turbulent quest for lasting peace and stability.

It is a time that is ripe for concerted action by Bahá’í institutions throughout the globe. It is a time for Bahá’í communities everywhere to analyze the problems confronting their nations and regions, and to show how the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh solve them.

The Bahá’í writings propose radically new approaches to the central issues of life. It is time that leaders of thought and the public in general not only become familiar with these teachings, but actually use them in addressing the difficult issues of the day.

As the 20th century draws to a close, leaders of governments and non-governmental organizations, prominent thinkers, and the public at large have increasingly succumbed to a paralyzing uncertainty about the future. People everywhere are bewildered by the convulsive forces of change at work throughout the planet.

Given these conditions, the Bahá’í community has a window of opportunity to define those concepts and processes that will conduce to the establishment of global peace and security.

The forces of opposition have not yet gained momentum. We can now define what we are about and what we stand for. We are now presented with a favorable set of circumstances in which a proactive diplomatic and public relations agenda can be conceived and implemented.

The success of this enterprise will depend to a large degree on how well the Bahá’í community establishes itself as both a moral voice and a source of example. That it is possible to create societies that embrace diversity and are based on cooperation, trust and genuine concern for others, and that the community of Bahá’u’lláh is a living example of this fact, is at the heart of the message that we must share with the peoples of the world.

In this regard, it is important that the Bahá’í community not be seen simply as a global association of grassroots communities engaged in creative approaches to social and economic development. We are not a social movement, but something much more.

It must be communicated to both sympathizers and skeptics alike that the Source of Bahá’í motivation and rational orientation transcends all categories of ideology and organizational or social theory.

When leaders of thought and organizations of social change encounter the cooperative and progressive patterns of life now taking root in Bahá’í communities throughout the globe, they should be cognizant of the fact that they are having an encounter with the sacred—that there is an inextricable link between the practical and the spiritual aspects of life on earth.

Bahá’u’lláh has come to transform social institutions as well as the ways and habits of human beings. Therefore, regardless of the issues being addressed, or the projects being undertaken, the vision and Name of Bahá’u’lláh should be at the center of all of our initiatives.

But how is this to be done? An important distinction needs to be drawn here.

The emphasis of our public information work need not, and probably should not, be on the religious claims of the Faith, but rather on the insights, approaches and modalities that the Bahá’í writings offer to a world in the midst of a profound sociological transition.

We must share with friends and skeptics alike how the Bahá’í teachings offer a moral context and motivational basis for developing solutions to the many problems now battering at the foundations of society. As the House of Justice stated in its message of November 26, 1992, "the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh must of necessity anticipate a deep encounter with the forces operating with such bewildering ferocity throughout the world."

Thus, in both our diplomatic and public information initiatives we must affirm the vital role of faith as an instrument for creating vision and hope. It is our spiritual nature that engenders social cohesion and unity of purpose, and is the well-spring of human motivation that leads to both individual regeneration and collective transformation.

We must therefore underscore that human beings are spiritual beings with an unbounded capacity for intellectual, cultural and moral advancement. As our writings tell us, the practical expression of the religious impulse in the modern age is collective decision-making and collective action founded on spiritual principles.

Hence, the movement toward a system of global polity must be informed by a spiritual world-view that is coherent and universal and speaks to all dimensions of human activity.

The importance of this point is underscored by the following statement of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

"Chaos and confusion are daily increasing in the world. They will attain such intensity as to render the frame of mankind unable to bear them. Then will men be awakened and become aware that religion is the impregnable stronghold and the manifest light of the world, and its laws, exhortations and teachings the source of life on earth." (Quoted in a letter dated February 10, 1980, from the Universal House of Justice to all Iranian believers; translated and sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies, July 29, 1980)

So in presenting the concepts of unity found in our sacred writings and the models of unity now being implemented in Bahá’í communities around the globe, we must communicate that our objectives cannot be viewed in simple sectarian terms.

Bahá’u’lláh is not the founder of a religion as religion is conventionally understood, but rather the Prophet of civilization, of social order and universal transformation.

His Message transcends all religious categories. His vision of the oneness of humankind entails not only the deepening of human solidarity, the safeguarding of human rights, or the upliftment of humanity's material conditions, but rather a complete redefinition of human relationships—"an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced."

His prescriptions for the moral reformation of society and human nature are unique in their efficacy and universal in their applicability. Unlike Christianity, our greatest contribution as a religion is that we don’t draw a line between what is Caesar’s and what is God’s.

In short, we are being called upon to achieve a new level of engagement with leaders of thought, organizations of civil society, and the governors of human institutions.

Fortunately, the Supreme Body of our Faith has provided us with a road map on how to accomplish this daunting task. The external affairs strategy (October 10, 1994) gives us a thematic and organizational focus for presenting the Bahá’í vision concerning the reconstruction and advancement of society.

What is most important about the strategy is that it defines a public information and diplomatic agenda that is in accord with our own objectives—we are no longer simply following the United Nations agenda.

By focusing on the four principal themes of human rights, the status of women, global prosperity and moral development, the Bahá’í community can lend spiritual impetus to the processes leading toward world peace.

We are now embarking on a path that draws its inspiration directly from Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings. The strategy anticipates unprecedented collaboration between National Spiritual Assemblies, voluntary Bahá’í associations, and the agencies of the Bahá’í International Community. It requires that the resources of the entire community be identified, nurtured and tapped. This seminar is an important step in giving momentum to this process.

Just a few more thoughts. It is important to remember that we are not public relations specialists, nor are we necessarily trying to become specialists.

Although we must aspire to new levels of competence and creativity in our public relations work, we can’t ever lose sight of the fact that we are engaged in a process that is fundamentally supernatural in character.

The Bahá’í vision is not a compilation of ideas, but a creative force. It is based on the conviction that we are not alone in the universe; that life is not meaningless; that our destiny as a race is significant and ultimately glorious; that there is a loving Creator Who is the Source of all life, Who has intervened and will continue to intervene into human history with His guidance.

It is the latest guidance revealed to us by Bahá’u’lláh with which we are armed. The Universal House of Justice has stated that "there are divine deadlines to be met." The time is indeed short. So let us go forth. [Page 14]

Automation

to plan, build and fund a set of software modules to make all this possible.

Modules cover the areas of membership, contributions, teaching and proclamation, document management, and communications. Each Assembly is helping to develop, and when finished will test, one of the modules with the help of a local technical adviser who will continue to function as the first line of support for network users-at a great savings of funds and personnel.

When fine-tuning has been completed, the pilot Assemblies will adopt all modules and begin the process of expanding the network. Each Assembly will choose five others to get up and running, those five will train five others and so on until the region is completely networked.

Simultaneously, if resources allow, five Assemblies will start the ball rolling in each of the other regions.

Long-range plan

Planning for this day started even before the vision of phasing in a decentralized Bahá’í administration was enunciated by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated June 27, 1994, to the National Spiritual Assembly:

"The goal is to create strong local Spiritual Assemblies which are the focal centers of Bahá’í activity, and which are able to demonstrate their vital importance in the development of the Faith and their ability to regulate the affairs of their local communities."

In 1992, the Management Information Services office under Farzad Mogharabi began stabilizing existing systems within the Bahá’í National Center so there would be a strong platform of internal support for automation.

These systems included community membership lists and financial reports; the mail return project in which local Assemblies helped verify the addresses of believers; and distribution of data maintenance functions to various agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Automation continued with the more recent networking of the National Center, the House of Worship and the schools and institutes; an updated telephone system; the electronic filing system; and mail room implementation of ZIP + 4 and bar code capabilities.

Now, goals identified as long-range are coming into sight: image processing; electronic mail; wide area networking of the local networks; Assembly automation, as described in this article; an executive information system; and enhanced financial and non-financial data functions.

Product of consultation

The critical need in creating an Assembly automation goal was to identify a new model that integrates the divinely ordained Bahá’í hierarchy with available technology.

Consultation on a plan of action developed by MIS began with the Continental Board of Counselors and the National Spiritual Assembly. The two institutions identified local communities whose size foreshadows the complex needs all communities will someday have. Those Assemblies were invited to take part in the pilot project and accepted.

The five Assemblies, their technical advisers, and their Auxiliary Board members were brought together in March at the Bahá’í National Center to identify needs and examine how Assembly automation could help meet them.

From there, MIS grouped those needs into software applications that would have to be developed.

Another meeting in September at the Bosch Bahá’í School reviewed the progress to date. Unity was high. In fact, 90 percent of the Assembly members from the five communities attended the weekend session.

Each Assembly took on a module to help develop: Los Angeles, membership; San Francisco, document management; San Diego, teaching and proclamation; Portland, communications and technology; and Salt Lake City, contributions.

Input also was obtained on fund-raising options for the project. Contributions were pledged at the meeting, and the Assemblies will be soliciting contributions from their communities and from the cities the project expands to next.

That expansion is likely to happen by Ridván, if all the resources-hardware, software, people and money-are in place. Stay tuned.

Project participants take charge of destiny

For Roger Nesbit, the Assembly automation project is evidence of a mindset shift among Bahá’ís.

It shows him that we are beginning to take the process of entry by troops seriously. Through confident action, we are taking charge of our destiny instead of merely responding to circumstances.

Mr. Nesbit is treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly of Portland, Oregon, one of five Assemblies on the West Coast testing Assembly automation before it expands within the region and to other regions.

With 17 local Assemblies, the Portland area has had to enact sophisticated means of communication among Assemblies and believers. Among them are Internet e-mail listservs, a telephone automated attendant system, phone trees, and a traditional newsletter.

So it's no surprise that Portland was assigned to help develop the communications module for the automation project. Art Stanwood and Charles Cooper from Management Information Services at the Bahá’í National Center will be traveling to Portland in mid-December to further that process.

The prospect of connecting with other communities in the region and beyond is one thing that catches Mr. Nesbit's eye about automation. Assemblies and other institutions of the Faith will be able to share resources and build relationships in ways never before possible.

Development of resources within the community also will be critical. The Assembly has had to locate and call upon Bahá’ís who have technical expertise to serve as advisers to the project. And other avenues of contribution-money and energy-will be necessary to make the network a reality.

Mr. Nesbit likens this level of dedication and sacrifice to that required in the past four years to obtain the area's Center and make it a magnet for Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike.

"We need to be prepared for entry by troops," says Mr. Nesbit. "Maybe it hasn't happened yet because we didn't really believe it would."

There's every indication that's changing, and changing rapidly, in Portland as in so many other American cities.-Tom Mennillo

Letter

ganizational endorsements through December and will deliver copies of the letter to members of the new Congress and the Administration in early 1997.

In October, Congress approved the Administration's request for peacekeeping and regular UN dues for fiscal 1997; however. Congress rejected most funding for the Administration's five-year, $743 million plan to pay back the U.S. peacekeeping debt to the UN, approving only $50 million of the $142 million requested for fiscal 1997.

Congress also turned aside the request to pay the U.S. debt to the UN for regular activities.

As a result, after current payments have been made the U.S. will still owe about $850 million for peacekeeping and $200 million for regular dues.

The National Spiritual Assembly hopes that many Bahá’ís will write to their elected officials in the Senate and House of Representatives to urge consistent payment of U.S. obligations to the UN and to agree to pay back the U.S. arrears to the UN for peacekeeping and regular activities. Those who write may wish to enclose a copy of the open letter.

Of course, in letters to Congress on public policy there should be no quotations from the Bahá’í writings. The National Assembly's U.S./UN Office would appreciate receiving blind copies of these letters. Please send them to the office at 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017 (or fax them to 212-803-2573).

Local Spiritual Assemblies may wish to consider organizing a small delegation of constituents, composed of Bahá’ís and representatives of other local groups in their congressional district, to present the letter to their congressman before the first session of the 105th Congress opens next January 7.

Before doing so, however, they should contact for guidance the National Assembly's Secretariat for External Affairs, 1320 19th St., N.W., Suite 701, Washington, DC 20036 (phone 202-833-8990; e-mail ).

The complete text of the letter and a list of endorsing organizations is available from the web site of the United Nations Association at http://unausa.peak.org (click on "news items").

For a summary of congressional action on UN budget and peacekeeping issues, one may access the web site of the Project on Peacekeeping and the UN Council for a Livable World Education Fund at http://www.clw.org/pub/clw/un/unpeace.html.

One may also contact the National Spiritual Assembly’s Washington office for information.

Montessori school in Pennsylvania observes Ayyam-i-Há

The State College (Pennsylvania) Children's House, a private Montessori school with students at the pre-school, kindergarten and elementary levels, celebrates cultural and religious holidays from around the world to teach children about the diversity of the human family.

This year the school has both a student and teacher who are Bahá’ís, so the administration agreed to include a Bahá’í holiday among its observances.

With the help of the parents of the Bahá’í student, Ayyam-i-Há was observed among the various age groups on March 1 with introductions to the Faith, music, games and refreshments. Every student was given a letter explaining the significance of the celebration to take home to parents. [Page 15]

Young Romanian Bahá’ís ignite Queen Marie campaign

Twenty young Bahá’ís from Romania spearheaded the Queen Marie Teaching Campaign last August, carrying the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to various communities in that country with the help of 15 friends from Germany, Italy and Luxembourg and members of the National Youth Committee of Romania. The participants held teaching sessions, deepening activities, and worked closely with the news media. The public's response was warm, with concert halls crowded with people who wanted to watch the friends perform. A mobile teaching institute offered programs until late into the night, and hundreds of people asked questions about the Faith. As a result of these efforts, more than 150 new believers were enrolled in the Cause.

The Maui Bahá’í Youth Workshop, which includes 15 young Bahá’ís, 10 female and five male, ages 15-22, completed a successful seven-week teaching tour to the islands in the Central Pacific last July. They were accompanied by a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Hawaii and a member of the country's National Teaching Committee. The Workshop gave 32 performances: 23 on the island of Tarawa, in Kiribati; five on the island of Funafuti, in Tuvalu; and four on the island of Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. In Kiribati, more than 6,000 people attended their shows including the president, vice-president, cabinet members and other high-ranking government officials. In Tuvalu, about 2,000 people—almost a quarter of the country's population—attended the performances including the High Commissioner of the British Commonwealth who was visiting the country. Workshop members also visited the Bahá’í school at Na'a in Kiribati, teaching students how to use the performing arts to teach the Faith. The Kiribati Youth Song and Drama Team, which was performing throughout the islands, joined the workshop for further teaching and proclamation. As a result of these efforts, 52 people were enrolled in the Faith.

A teaching campaign organized under the aegis of the Regional Commission of the Bahá’ís of the Indian Ocean, which coordinates activities in Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island and the Seychelles, was held last August 19-25 on Reunion. Twenty-eight Bahá’ís from the four countries took part in the campaign to help expand and consolidate the Faith, holding four public conferences in various localities and teaching the Faith in seven regions. As a result of their efforts, 33 people embraced the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II greets Hugh Adamson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, during the Commonwealth Day observance last June 25 at Westminster Abbey.

The 118th course of the State Deepening Institute in Orissa, India, designed especially for new believers, was held last June 18-25. There were 33 participants from seven districts, 33 of whom embraced the Cause on the first day of the course. They were taught the importance of prayer and meditation, spiritualization, basic Bahá’í principles and administration, the history of the Faith, health and hygiene, and other topics.

Also in India, the Spiritual Assembly of Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, sponsored a recent teaching project in four villages. Eleven friends volunteered to teach, attending a deepening class before starting. As a result of their efforts, 600 people received the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and 38 were enrolled in the Cause.

Sixty young Bahá’ís from 18 countries gathered last August at the National Center in Brussels, Belgium, to launch the Lea Nys Teaching Campaign, a project undertaken by European Bahá’í youth from August 1-15. They were joined there by two members of the Continental Board of Counselors, Louis Hénuzet and Dr. Ilhan Sezgin. After morning deepenings focusing on the Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice, the youth spent afternoons teaching the Faith in public places in the center of Brussels. Panacea, a youth workshop that had traveled from the World Center to support the campaign, performed in parks and public squares while one teaching team taught in coffee houses and another spoke to people on the streets. The young people also performed at a day care center for underprivileged children. Two newspapers carried articles about these events. As a result of the campaign, 10 people were enrolled under the banner of Bahá’u’lláh.

Last June, a three-week project was arranged in Poland in conjunction with the visit of a youth theatre and dance group from Canada during which firesides and deepenings were held in many communities in the country. The Canadian group was on a "World Citizenship" tour/service project organized by Gordon Naylor. In the town of Olsztyn, efforts were supported by traveling teachers from Austria, Canada, Germany, Poland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Bahá’ís established strong bonds with the local youth, six of whom were enrolled in the Faith. The Canadian group performed at the Town Hall, received a gift from the town president, and later performed at the Bahá’í summer school in Poland, attended by more than 80 people.

Recently, a pioneer traveled to Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, to teach the Faith and hold deepening classes. During one of his visits he presented 43 books in Tamil to a librarian. When he returned on an appointed date, he found that 25 people were gathered in the library, eager to learn about the Faith. Afterward, two people accepted the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

Last June 8, at the request of teachers and students at a public primary school in Rende, Italy, and with the approval of the authorities, the school was dedicated to Giuseppe Stancati, a Bahá’í who died several years ago at the age of 12. The reason for the dedication was the wonderful attitude shown by the young believer toward others in difficulty, in spite of his own serious cardiac illness. This attitude was given tangible expression through the donation of his eyes to two poor people so that they would be able to see "the wonderful things of the world." It marked the first time that a public school in Italy was dedicated to a child.

"The Other Wing," an album of music produced by a Bahá’í, Sunny Taefi, has been released commercially in New Zealand. The album, which is dedicated to the advancement of women and uses the principle of sexual equality as a tool for teaching the Faith, is available in shops, and some who have heard it have shown interest in the Teachings.

NABI staff initiates 'unity circles' to proclaim Message

The administrative staff at the Native American Bahá’í Institute has initiated monthly gatherings called unity circles to proclaim the message of Bahá’u’lláh.

On October 2, the Institute invited friends and neighbors to attend the first unity circle. This gathering, initiating a series of monthly firesides, attracted 28 interested visitors.

The evening's festivities began with dinner and refreshments served by NABI staff and volunteers to those in attendance. Time was set aside for fellowship, which allowed for members and visitors to build friendship and trust.

Later that evening staff and visitors came together to learn more about the Faith and its message for this age. In his fireside presentation, NABI co-administrator Joel Orona gave historical accounts and referenced the Bahá’í writings in answering the question, "Who is Bahá’u’lláh?"

The gathering was capped by more social time and more informal teaching.

The monthly firesides already show much promise. Many more non-Bahá’ís have begun visiting the Institute and taking part in unity feasts and Bahá’í Holy Days.

In September, three staff members from NABI responded to an invitation from the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute and traveled to South Carolina to take part in the Institute's 11th annual Peace Fest celebration.

The NABI contingent, consisting of co-administrators Joel and Esther Orona and their son, Roman, presented songs and dances of the Navajo and Apache people coupled with the Message of the Faith.

Before their performance at Peace Fest '96, the NABI trio was able to take part in a community outreach program for more than 300 students, their principal and the superintendent of schools.

The program was well received as students and administrators alike approached the performers with questions about the Faith and their relationship to the local Bahá’í Institute.

The program helped solidify the role that Bahá’ís and members of the Louis Gregory Institute play in supporting their community while further promoting the concept of unity in diversity by allowing students to meet Bahá’ís from different areas and cultures.

WANTED

News articles and feature stories by or about Bahá’í youth. If you have news or other information to offer, please send it to the National Youth Committee, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (e-mail ). [Page 16]

International Teaching Center

The building that will house the Teaching Center is a large complex comprising the main nine-story building, the parking building and other areas known as the "common area" with a total floor space of about 19,000 square meters. The full extent of this large building can now be discerned with work in progress in all areas of the site. Waterproofing and backfilling of the perimeter is under way. As construction proceeds on the fifth level and more work areas become available, manpower at the site has been increased to gear up for a faster pace of work. As a result, the concrete pour has risen by about 40 percent to a monthly average of 700 m³.

A challenging aspect of the concrete work has been to achieve good quality exposed concrete surface. The exposed concrete areas are in the first three levels of the garage, and these have been completed.

Exposed concrete finish has been specified both in the Center for the Study of the Texts and the Teaching Center to achieve cost-effectiveness, as such a high-quality concrete finish will require no additional finishing work (such as plastering, painting, stone, marble, etc.) and only minimal maintenance.

For most areas the same system of formwork, work methods and quality control techniques similar to the Center for the Study of the Texts project have been used.

However, a unique feature in the Teaching Center is the large areas of curved walls. For this a special system of formwork from Germany, which can be adjusted to achieve smooth curvature, has been used successfully.

The slab receiving the kitchen in the common area of the Teaching Center has been cast on level 4. The amount of mechanical, and to a lesser extent electrical, connections for the kitchen required intensive coordination between the structure and the provision of these services. Water pipes, drainage, grease interceptors etc. have been accommodated in the kitchen area

Installation of stone in the patios inside the Center for the Study of the Texts building is being carried out simultaneously with the external stone work. The inner slopes of four of the Upper Terraces are lush with grass, and the structure of their fountain pools has also been completed. [Page 17]have been accommodated in the kitchen area which has been designed to serve about 900 people.

Installation of marble

Once the marble columns in the facade of the Center for the Study of the Texts were erected, work quickly proceeded to the installation of marble on the curved semi-circular wall of the entrance portico.

The entire wall has now been clad with marble along with the main door entrance. The door lintel has beautiful carving as well as the Greatest Name engraved on it, to be covered with gold leaf at a later stage. Above it, the marble cornice has also been put in place.

All 16 windows on the two levels of the entrance portico have marble frames. Eight of the windows on the lower level are crowned with cornices.

All this lovely marble work is, however, veiled at the moment by the profusion of formwork that is required not only for work to be carried out in this area, but also as a protection for the marble already installed.

Rapid progress is being made on five levels of the building of the International Teaching Center.

Preparations are under way to place pre-cast marble panels on the soffit between the double ring beams of the entrance portico. Each panel consists of seven pieces of marble assembled together and inserted with stainless steel fixings. It is then layered with a separation, a steel formwork placed over the panel and concrete poured over it. When the concrete sets, the entire piece, weighing about seven tons, is then ready to be lifted into place. Some of the 18 such panels have been prepared on site and will soon be installed.

Lower Terraces

As one moves along Ben Gurion Avenue toward the foot of Mount Carmel, the eye is drawn to the golden dome of the Shrine of the Báb surrounded by a vista of green of panoramic proportions, enclosed within geometric curves across the face of the mountain.

The seven completed Terraces below the Shrine make an immediate visual impact, even from afar. From close quarters, as one takes in the details, he or she may be struck by the beauty of the formal beds in the inner areas and the layout of the outer areas of these Terraces.

In the past two months, more than 20,000 plants were planted, and now both the inner and outer areas of Terraces 9 to 5 have been completed.

Maintaining the completed Terraces is an ongoing activity requiring careful planning and close attention to detail. The presentation of all the plant materials to look their best on the Terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Báb is a challenging experience.

A typical Terrace has two types of beds; one is a grass bed lined on all sides with a low hedge of grey Santolina and a Canary Island palm on the far end. The other is horseshoe-shaped, the sides being made with debish stones covered with a vine.

Inside, a changing display of annual flowers blooms among shrubs trained into various shapes such as cones, balls, etc. The annual flowers are changed at least three times a year. Several times each week, expiring flowers are carefully removed to keep the remaining flowers fresh and attractive. The shrubs receive constant attention so that they may maintain their predetermined geometric shapes which add to the formal appearance of the gardens.

Upper Terraces

There is steady progress on the Terraces above the Shrine of the Báb. The construction of the concrete fountain pools on Terraces 16, 17, 18 and 19 has been completed, and work has begun on the pools on Terrace 15.

The inner walls of Terrace 18 have been built with the debish stone so familiar in the architecture of Israel. Stonework on the stairs and runnels from Terraces 18 to 15 has begun and is expected to be completed in 10 months' time.

On the uppermost Terrace 19, whose structure is visible even from the foot of the mountain, the walls of the balconies on both levels of the building are being covered with stone. The entire length of the promenade adjacent to it, except for a small section of the western end, has been paved, and wrought iron railings installed. Soil for the trees that will line the promenade at regular intervals has been deposited in more than a dozen of the tree wells.

Hatzionut Avenue

Hatzionut Avenue is one of the main thoroughfares connecting downtown Haifa with central and upper Carmel. Any work on such a busy road is bound to present challenges as it interfaces with vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and major municipal services—sewage, water, electricity, telephone, cable TV, etc.

As we move to the intermediate stage between the second and third phases of lowering the road, the middle section of Hatzionut Avenue will be excavated. This will necessitate the diversion of traffic once again.

The downhill traffic will run at the lowered level just above the foundation of the Information Center at the south side, while traffic up the hill will be directed to run along the northern edge adjacent to the Terrace of the Shrine of the Báb.

Nearly 70 percent of the foundations of the Information Center building have been cast, and some of the structural walls and columns have been raised up to the level of the roof. The large rear rubble concrete walls filling in between the building and the rock embankment have also been cast.

Israeli TV brings Arc Projects alive to its viewers

On May 25, thousands of Israelis across the country, soon after Sabbath on Saturday evening, saw a program about the Bahá’í World Center on Channel 2 television, the country's only commercial TV channel.

The producers of Channel 2 arranged for the mayor of Haifa to be interviewed on Terrace 9 below the Shrine of the Báb along with Fariburz Sabha, architect of the Terraces.

"This is a unique project with nothing like it, I think, anywhere [else] in the world," the mayor said. "I have no doubt that it will attract many people from all over the world to visit.

"I don't think there is any other city in the world [that has received] such a large gift, invested so correctly."

The Universal House of Justice gave permission for the producers to use footage of the Seat of the House of Justice and the Bahá’í gardens, as well as lovely aerial shots of the Mount Carmel Projects.

The program commentary and audience feedback were quite favorable.

"Beloved friends, we enter this [Four Year] Plan amid the turbulence of a period of accelerating transition. The twin processes prompted by the impact of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation are fast at work, gathering a momentum that will, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, 'bring to a climax the forces that are transforming the face of our planet.' One is an integrating process, the other is disruptive. Out of the 'universal fermentation' created by these processes, peace will emerge in stages, through which the unifying effects of a growing consciouness of world citizenship will become manifest....

"Even though the establishment of the Lesser Peace is not dependent on any Bahá’í plan or action, and although it will not represent the ultimate goal humanity is destined to reach in the Golden Age, our community has a responsibility to lend spiritual impetus to the processes toward that peace. The need at this exact time is to so intensify our efforts in building the Bahá’í System that we will attract the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh and thus invoke a spiritual atmosphere that will accrue to the quickening of these processes.

"Two main challenges face us: one is to mount a campaign of teaching in which the broad membership of our community is enthusiastically, systematically and personally engaged, and in which the activation of an extensive training program will ensure the development of a mass of human resources; the other is to complete the construction projects on Mount Carmel toward which every sacrifice must be made to provide a liberal outpouring of material means. These twin foci, if resolutely pursued, will foster conditions toward the release of pent-up forces that will forge a change in the direction of human affairs throughout the planet." [Page 18]

CLASSIFIEDS

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

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

THE MEDIA Services Department at the Bahá’í National Center is seeking qualified candidates for three newly created positions. Staff producer-develops program concepts; researches and writes scripts; prepares budgets and monitors production expenses; contributes camera and editing work to designated projects; provides consultation and production advice to outside producers. Associate producer-researches stories; writes and edits basic program segments; logs footage; helps on location shoots. Video production specialist-provides production support with primary emphasis on video editing and camera work and secondary emphasis on archival recording of conferences and other events; helps maintain technical facilities in Media Services and the House of Worship. For more information or to apply, contact Christine Stanwood, Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-733-3429; fax 847-733-3430).

A VOLUNTEER, either youth, elderly or in-between, is needed to help maintain organic produce gardens as part of an agricultural project at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina. Short-term (weeks) to long-term (seasonal) help is needed—two to six hours a day in the gardens, which supply much of the food for the Institute, especially for the Summer Youth Academy. Bio-intensive, raised-bed, Machobane row-crop and traditional local methods of cultivation are used and taught. No experience is necessary, only the right attitude and work ethic. Get in touch with the fundamental basis of the community, "sustainable agriculture." If interested, phone the Louis Gregory Institute, 803-558-9874.

EXCITING overseas opportunities. Teachers of English are needed in a number of areas including Beijing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Huaibei, Huainan, Liaoning, Ningxia, etc. For more information contact Ms. Gwili Posey. 847-733-3512 (fax 847-733-3509; e-mail ).

SERVICE opportunities at the Bahá’í National Center: Program Coordinator, Persian American Affairs Office—to coordinate publications and deepening programs of the Persian American Affairs Office under general supervision of, and in collaboration with PAAO manager. Will plan and coordinate regional integration conferences and Persian arts and culture conferences and translate program-related documents and letters into and from Persian, including Persian pages of The American Bahá’í. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills in Persian and English. Membership Support Manager, Management Information Services—Responsible for managing and operating the data entry, records, membership, LSA formation and boundaries/electoral unit functions of the MIS department. Must have ability to perform and manage effectively in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. Prior experience in membership/customer database procedures, central file procedures and record-keeping procedures. To obtain more information or to apply for any of these positions, please contact the Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-733-3429).

THE DEPARTMENT of Human Resources at the Bahá’í National Center is seeking candidates for the position of school administrators at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina. A married couple will assume responsibilities for the development, programming, operations and maintenance of the Institute consistent with its mission, purpose and goals as approved by the National Spiritual Assembly. Please submit resumes to Gwen Clayborne, Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611.

THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School has an opening for a couple to serve as bookstore/café coordinator/properties assistant. Interested applicants should send resumés to Rick Johnson, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423-8603 (fax 810-653-7181 or phone Christine Stanwood, 847-733-3429).

THE INTER-ASSEMBLY Committee for Teaching (I-ACT) of northern San Diego County, California, is looking for a full-time teacher in search of a Year of Service opportunity in Escondido. Service will include, but not be limited to, manning the Bahá’í library for a few hours each day, teaching (street/parks, door-to-door), planning and implementing a family outreach program (for example, an ESL class), and helping with scheduled community events at the Bahá’í library. Escondido, 30 minutes from California's famous beaches, enjoys year-round warm weather and offers many recreational and sightseeing opportunities including the nearby San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, Sea World and Balboa Park—and is within two hours of Disneyland and other Los Angeles attractions. Escondido is about an hour's drive from the U.S.-Mexican border, so someone fluent in Spanish and English would be most welcome. We are looking for a people-oriented Bahá’í who is willing to make a commitment for a specific period of time (six months, nine months, a year). The individual will be given an apartment, and although some personal income would be desirable, it is possible that a stipend could be provided. The person who comes should be willing to hold weekly firesides at the apartment. Please respond to the Spiritual Assembly of Escondido, P.O. Box 300692, Escondido, CA 92030. And please include in your response your experience as a Bahá’í teacher, any professional training or experience, any musical or artistic abilities, and experience in traveling teaching or pioneering, either at home or abroad.

THE LOUIS Gregory Bahá’í Institute has full-time positions for a cook, a teaching coordinator and a part-time position for a lab instructor. The cook is responsible for managing the kitchen, preparing meals and making the necessary purchases of kitchen supplies and food. Must have a minimum of 2-3 years experience; hours are variable. The teaching coordinator is responsible for the Institute's teaching and consolidation program, which involves preparing and identifying teaching and consolidation materials suitable for use in South Carolina as well as supervising volunteers residing at the Institute. Also prepares programs for Radio Bahá’í; coordinates teaching activities for the Gospel Choir, workshop and speakers bureau; serves as liaison between the Institute and S.C. Coordinating Committee, and helps recruit students for CCP lab and educational programs. The lab instructor, working four hours a day five days a week, supervises and instructs programs at the Learning Center, providing instruction for GED, tutorial and literacy programs and performing other related duties assigned by the administrator. If you are interested in any of these positions, please send a resumé to Christine Stanwood, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-733-3429; fax 847-733-3430; e-mail ).

PIONEERING (OVERSEAS)

EMPLOYMENT opportunities overseas. AFRICA: Zambia—principal for the William Mmutle Bahá’í Institute, teachers, volunteer support personnel in kitchen supervision, construction, purchasing and accounting and financial coordination. AMERICAS: Guatemala—high school band teacher, music teacher. Honduras—teachers. ASIA: Bangladesh—International Centre for Diarrhoeal Research (ICDDRB) is seeking a director. Cambodia—English teacher. Laos—English teacher. Korea—teachers. Macau—teachers. Sakhalin—teachers. Taiwan—manager for National Center office. Thailand—volunteers to help with kindergarten, nursery classes, teach English, help with maintenance and building work. AUSTRALASIA: Rota, Mariana Islands—teachers. Solomon Islands volunteer to train National Office staff. EUROPE: Ireland—software engineers, hardware design engineers, systems and application test engineers, marketing engineer. Romania—caretakers for Iasi Bahá’í Center. MULTI-REGIONAL: social workers and Registered Nurses needed to staff family advocacy programs at U.S. Air Force/Army bases in Germany, Italy, England and Turkey. International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) seeks economist specializing in natural resources policy. Cameroon—The National Assembly of Cameroon is starting a publishing agency and needs a pioneer with publishing skills. Taiwan—urgent need for professional manager for national office. Urgent need for pioneers to The Bahamas, Bosnia, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia and Venezuela. Virgin Islands—The National Assembly of the Virgin Islands is seeking a project manager for reparations to building being purchased to serve as its National Center. Also needed are volunteers who are skilled building tradespersons. The Peace Corps is recruiting for South Africa: agriculturalists, educators, health professionals, skilled trades professionals, environmental workers, businesspeople, math, science & engineering majors; associate Peace Corps directors for Africa and other regions. For application information, call 800-424-8580 or write to Peace Corps, 1990 K St., NW, Room 8500, Washington, DC 20526. The November issue of "International Employment Hotline" lists some openings of interest: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) needs a fishery officer (Barbados), agricultural officers, land and water development engineer, economist and program analyst (Ghana). Also, finance managers are needed in Western and Southern Africa. For more information about any of these positions, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 (phone 847-733-3512; fax 847-733-3509; e-mail ).

URGENT NEED for pioneers to the Bahamas, Bosnia, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia and Venezuela. For more information, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 (phone 847-733-3512; fax 847-733-3509; e-mail ).

PIONEERING (HOMEFRONT)

RUSHVILLE, in west central Illinois, has a four-member Bahá’í community who need diversity to help their teaching efforts bear fruit. Rushville (pop. 32,000) emphasizes the arts and community involvement. Springfield, Peoria and Quincy are within a one-hour drive. Housing costs are quite reasonable, and there has been an influx of Spanish-speaking workers in a nearby town. The people in Schuyler County are friendly and helpful; they like Bahá’ís but need to learn more about the teachings. Please contact Richard or Sara Hatch toll-free at 888-841-0828 after 7 p.m. Central time or e-mail

NORTHWEST Cochise County, in southeastern Arizona, needs three Bahá’ís to form an Assembly. We are asking for believers, especially from the cities, to perform "heroic deeds of service to the Cause..." In our community, we wish to establish "a vibrant model of unity in diversity." The area is only a 30- to 40-minute drive to metropolitan Tucson. Many people in the area commute there to work or study at the University of Arizona, enjoying the rural atmosphere in the land of Cochise while reaping the cultural and economic benefits of the Tucson area. Please join us in service to the Cause during the Four Year Plan. Phone John Cook, 520-720-4555, and leave a message.

ATTENTION winter Texans! Help "advance the process of entry by troops" in Harlingen, whose Spiritual Assembly is now renting a Bahá’í Center. If you plan to come to the Rio Grande Valley to escape winter's icy grip, please consider the opportunity to help keep the Center open or to host daytime events for seniors while most community members are working. For information, write to the Spiritual Assembly of Harlingen, P.O. Box 830, Harlingen, TX 78551, or phone 210-425-6385.

ARCHIVES

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Ivy Lorraine Barlet (died Louisville, KY, 1948), Chester F. Barnett (died Peoria, IL, 1948), Gwean E. Barnett, Joseph L. Baron, Mildred Barranger, James Barrett, and Helen E. Barrick. Anyone knowing family members or relatives who might have these letters from the Guardian is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611, or to phone 847-869-9039.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking copies of World Order magazine, Volume 25, No. 2 (Winter 1994). Anyone having copies of that issue that they could donate is asked to send them to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611.

WANTED

AUDIO TAPES (interviews, music, talks, etc.) wanted for use on a new half-hour Bahá’í radio program heard each Sunday morning in the Chicago area. If you have tapes you would be able to donate, please send them to Gwen Clayborne, Department of Human Resources, Bahá’í National Center, Evanston, IL 60201-1611. Thank you.

SEEKING Black Indians, one of the least recognized groups in the U.S. Their history is the earliest on the mainland; many heroes and historic battles center around the first settlements in the Southeast. To recognize and record their [Page 19]colorful history we would like to hear from as many Black Indians—Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í as possible. Along with the collection of information we have some traveling Black Indian speakers who could visit and educate interested people in your area. For more information or to share history, please phone Carlos M. Velazquez, 945-570-5329.

THE SPIRITUAL Assembly of Kansas City, Kansas, is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding, which took place at Ridván 1957. We are seeking reminiscences from any of the friends who have lived in the Kansas City Bahá’í community over the years. We are compiling our archives and any contributions would be greatly appreciated. Please mail them to Loree Foroughi-Gross, secretary, Kansas City, KS 66102 (phone 913-287-4856 evenings, 816-468-5700 days).

WANTED: traveling teachers who may be in or near Des Moines, Iowa, to take part in a program of firesides entitled "Focus," established by the Des Moines Area Teaching Committee, with evening meetings on the second Thursday of each month. Special programs can be arranged for anyone who wishes to use the format. For details, write to Na-polun Birdsong, Des Moines, IA 50317, or Pamela Knox, Indianola, IA 50125, or phone 515-263-2778 (day) or 515-961-0605 (evening).

THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas needs a copy machine, television set and VCR for teaching activities. If you are able to donate any of these items, please contact Hormoz Hormozi, 847-697-7805. Shipping to the Bahamas will be provided.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES

YOUTH Year of Service and adult volunteers are needed at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute. Your strengths, commitment and skills are needed to support accelerated activity during the next four years in South Carolina. Interests and experience are needed in the areas of agriculture, education, curriculum, child development, children's classes, training, public relations, logistics, radio production, maintenance, and office skills. Send information to Volunteers, LGBI, 1313 Williams Hill Road, Hemingway, SC 29554. Or, e-mail

INTERNATIONAL Bahá’í Youth Service Corps opportunities. The enthusiastic services of Bahá’í youth are needed all over the U.S. and the world. The wide range of needs and opportunities include such arenas as reaching the masses with the message of Bahá’u’lláh, deepening new believers, conducting children's classes, youth classes and other educational activities, assisting the administrative work of Bahá’í Institutions, hands-on work with a variety of social and economic development projects, proclaiming the Faith through the arts, mobilizing the youth of a region or even a country, teaching fellow students and teachers, and more. In descriptions of pioneer needs compiled at the Bahá’í World Center during the Three Year Plan, 97 countries listed specific needs and opportunities for youth pioneers including many university study options. Since that time, many National Spiritual Assemblies have also written to our national community to advise of the following needs, which serve as further examples of their diversity.

AFRICA—The Gambia (English): assist with the new urban pre-school, with a Rural Education Center, or with administrative work and the production of educational materials at the national center. Senegal (French): "Olinga Teaching Project" near Dakar needs French-speaking youth to help with teaching, children's classes, activities for women and youth. Abilities in drama welcome.

AMERICAS—Alaska (English and indigenous languages): Nome youth service project, working with Eskimos, and Norton Sound Project. Barbados: dynamic, energetic youth with maturity and practical experience in teaching through the arts, who can serve for six months to a year. Belize: literacy program for Mayan peoples, July-November 1996. Brazil: School of the Nations, an elementary school owned and operated by the Bahá’í community of Brazil, needs volunteers to serve at the school, work with the Bahá’í community, attend workshops and conferences, and help with community development in the favelas that surround Brasilia. Canada: the Maxwell International Bahá’í School is in urgent need of volunteers in the areas of administrative services, finance and personnel services, student services, academic services and facilities services. Colombia (Spanish): Tutorial Schools Training Course at the Ruhi Institute from May 5-June 22, 1996. Costa Rica (Spanish): Self-supporting pioneers and "year of service" volunteers with genuine desire to serve the needs of the community and who can communicate in Spanish at least at a basic level. Haiti (French): serve at the Anis Zunuzi school teaching English, oral French, and arts and crafts, among others. Honduras (Spanish): volunteers with experience in printing needed to help develop a social and economic development project focused on the production of Bahá’í literature in La Ceiba. At Project Bayan youth are needed who have studied Spanish for at least two years and can stay for 6-12 months, or medical students who have completed their first two years of Medical School for 4-month periods (one at a time). Jamaica (English): serve for the summer or for a year helping youth workshops, teaching in rural areas, helping with the radio show and/or a television conference, with institutes and other training programs, teaching children's classes, or administrative work at the National Center. Venezuela (Spanish): three "entry by troops projects" and an ongoing year of service program supported by local youth incorporating proclamation, teaching, consolidation, theater, music and other aspects are in need of 6-10 youth at a time for at least six months service. Knowledge of Spanish a must. Low living costs.

ASIA—urgent needs. Contact the Office of Pioneering as soon as possible. India (English): New Era Development Institute, "an exciting place to work [which] offers a unique opportunity to learn about social and economic development in a Bahá’í context," is looking for one or two deepened Bahá’ís who enjoy working closely with other youth to come for anywhere from four months to a year, preferably arriving in June. Thailand (Thai and English): the Santitham School, a social and economic development project of the National Spiritual Assembly of Thailand and "a landmark of the Bahá’í Faith in the North-East of Thailand," whose contributions to society have been appreciated by the provincial government, needs dedicated volunteers for periods of at least six months.

AUSTRALASIA—Australia (English): children’s classes, firesides and hospitality, House of Worship guiding, gardening and janitorial and National Bahá’í Office work for several youth from anywhere in the world. Accommodation on House of Worship property provided. Eastern Caroline Islands (Carolinian, English and Japanese): two youth volunteers who have been helping to teach and deepen local youth will be leaving and need to be replaced. Accommodation is provided with Bahá’í families and the youth take part in an intensive study and teaching program. Kiribati (Gilbertese): the Ootan Marawa Bahá’í School is looking for mature youth to work as teacher aides, helping the school's 30 students to learn English, and to help with various school social and economic development projects. Samoa (Samoan and English): guide at the Temple, work with children at the Montessori Bahá’í School near the Temple, help organize displays and Bahá’í literature at book sales, teach and deepen new believers, teach children's classes, learn new songs with youth and other friends, and more.

EUROPE—Albania (Albanian): "...one or more devoted and capable youths... [to be] accompanied by an Albanian Youth... who could be in charge of driving a van and directing the Mobile Institute...." Driving experience important. Belarus: youth to serve at the National Office, preferably with computer skills, to staff Bahá’í centers and carry out teaching work, with option to studying Russian simultaneously. France (French): The Office of Public Information of the Bahá’í International Community in Paris needs a bi-lingual (French/ English) assistant for duties such as office administration and secretarial work, follow-up on publications, and participation in public relations projects. Lithuania: study engineering or medicine in English at Kaunas Medical Academy for an annual tuition equivalent to U.S. $3,000! Russia (Russian): earn a college degree through a U.S. university while living in Russia! Contact the Office of Pioneering for details. Switzerland (English and French): two youth needed to work with the National Bahá’í Secretariat, caring for the Hazira, traveling teaching and possibly studying French or German.

If you can arise to meet one of these needs, please contact your local Spiritual Assembly for initial consultation and information and to receive a copy of the Pioneer/Bahá’í Youth Service Corps Volunteer Form. As you work toward your goal, the Office of Pioneering will help you to do as the Universal House of Justice advises: "Through prayer and consultation, and after considering his own experience, inclinations and possibilities, he can choose his goal area and, confidently relying on the confirming power of Bahá’u’lláh, set out to serve the Cause of his Lord...."

A NETWORK of "Bahá’í Youth Service Corps Resource Persons" is being developed to help raise up and prepare a growing number of youth for homefront and international service. In early January a letter was sent to all known "veterans" of homefront and international Bahá’í Youth Service Corps (formerly Youth Year of Service). If you have served the Cause in this way and did not receive the letter, or would like to serve in some way, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611, phone 847-733-3511, fax 847-733-3509, or e-mail

PERIODICALS

DEEPEN Magazine, a project of Tsavo West Bahá’í Institute, is dedicated to bringing interesting and informative material to the Bahá’í community in a way that is both engaging and instructional. Recent articles have included transcripts of talks by Hands of the Cause of God and long-time servant of the Cause Lauretta Voelz. Features on ways of teaching and attracting seekers are always a part of the magazine, along with camera-ready ads, posters and brochures. If you or anyone you know would be interested in submitting articles for consideration in Deepen, please write to Phyllis Medrano, Chicago, IL 60626 (phone 312-274-4224; e-mail ).

Business woman

(Continued from Page 8)

She’s confident the Concourse was with her as well. Every time the business was on the brink of failure because she had used up all her assets, something happened to improve its fortunes.

The business expanded cautiously at first and accelerated as markets opened up. By the start of 1995, Relax the Back had 20 stores around the country.

Then Robert Shapiro, an attorney for O.J. Simpson, walked into the Beverly Hills store and bought an ergonomic chair to ease the strain of long hours in the courtroom. Soon 11 of the store’s chairs were in evidence at the trial, and media attention wasn’t far behind.

With fame came further expansion. Last year ended with 49 stores in the chain, and the number has since risen to more than 60.

The timing was propitious. When Ms. Rogers met with ‘Alí Nakhjavání, a member of the Universal House of Justice, during his historic mission last year to North America and Europe, she gained a heightened appreciation of the urgency of keeping the Arc Projects on track. It was time to sell and make her contribution.

From seven suitors for the business, Ms. Rogers sold to the chain’s largest and most successful franchisee. The sale closed at the end of August. A seven-figure check to the Arc Projects Fund followed.

Mr. Cansler remains with the chain as a franchisee. Mr. Hawley is director of operations.

In October, Ms. Rogers brought hundreds of Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís together for the 25th anniversary of the founding of Ginny’s.

Lyle Lovett performed, as did Asleep at the Wheel. There was a retrospective video of her life, including the pivotal moment in 1977 when she became a Bahá’í. And in her talk she told attendees what the Faith has meant to her.

Now it’s time for her to alternate some well-deserved travel—she has Kenya and Uganda in mind, as well as Israel with two- to three-week-long stays in Austin.

While in Israel she expects to consult with people at the Bahá’í World Center about current needs of the Faith. What that will bring she doesn’t know. She only knows that when the Faith calls, her talents are at its disposal.

"Bahá’u’lláh tells us we’ll be rewarded ten-fold when we give to the Fund," she says. "Perhaps we don’t really believe it or we’d do more. But He really gives us that much back—here as well as in the next world."

The Guardian and the Universal House of Justice have strongly urged the Bahá’ís to treat the Greatest Name with the utmost respect and dignity. The National Spiritual Assembly discourages the use of the Greatest Name in contacts with the media. It is not advisable for Bahá’ís to pose for newspaper photographs holding the Greatest Name or portraits of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. [Page 20]

EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS...

KAY MALONEY, a Bahá’í in Great Falls, Montana, has been honored as the first recipient of the Walter Brown Human Rights Award for her lifelong dedication to the fight for human rights. The presentation took place at the Montana Human Rights Network's annual conference at the Great Falls College of Technology. Ms. Maloney has served on the Montana Human Rights Network board for six years and is an active member of the Great Falls Human Rights Task Force.

SUSAN CUNNINGHAM, a Bahá’í from Pueblo, Colorado, has successfully introduced the volunteer children's protection program CASA (Court-Appointed Social Advocates) to the area. As a board member of Child Advocacy, Ms. Cunningham's knowledgeable and outspoken support of children's needs and rights has won her the respect and confidence of the area's civil and legal authorities.

NIELS JON MELIUS, a 13-year-old Bahá’í from Wilton Manors, Florida, has been named principal cellist for the Junior Symphony of the Youth Orchestra of Florida. He was also recently elected president of the National Junior Honor Society at his middle school.

Niels Jon Melius

JOHN ANGELO, a Bahá’í from West Hollywood, California, has been honored by the Alliance for Community Media in Washington, D.C., for his original teleplay, "Street People." Mr. Angelo's work was chosen from among more than 1,700 entries in this year's Home Town Video Festival. Mr. Angelo, who recently retired from Sony Pictures, has produced and directed more than 30 teleplays at the local public access channel in West Hollywood.

SHAUGHNESSY JOHNSON, a 25-year-old Bahá’í from Evanston, Illinois, who is a sculptor/painter, was profiled in a September feature article in the Chicago Defender newspaper, which called him "one of the finest creators and interpreters of contemporary art in the world today." Mr. Johnson, who sculpts in sandstone and metal, recently had an exhibit of his avant-garde sandstone works at Satori Fine Arts in Chicago's River North gallery district.

SICILY BUA, a young Bahá’í from Pennington County, South Dakota, was one of three sixth-grade students in her Middle School interviewed recently for the television documentary, "A Kids' View of the United States: Election '96." The producers said they were looking for three free-thinking, precocious youngsters able to speak their minds in an intelligent fashion to represent the entire state of South Dakota in the documentary.

JOHNEA BROOKS DE VITA, a 17-year-old Bahá’í from Pueblo, Colorado, was graduated from Central High School with honors in June. A member of the National Honor Society, she is listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students and has received full scholarships as a double major (French, English Literature) at the University of Colorado with national test scores that allow her to begin college taking third-year level French and second-year English Literature courses.

Marcie Parker

MARCIE PARKER, a Bahá’í from Chanhassen, Minnesota, has earned her doctoral degree in family social science from the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation looked at the kinds of loss experienced by elderly Southeast Asian refugees who have settled in the Twin Cities.

NORAH RASSEKH, a Bahá’í youth from West Hartford, Connecticut, was recently chosen by her 120 fellow seventh-grade students as "most courteous." A peer mediator for three years at King Phillip Middle School, she has been recognized for academic excellence in English and science.

Subscription rates (For outside the continental United States ONLY) First class/Surface: 1 Year $24, 2 Years $45 Air Mail: 1 Year $32, 2 Years $60 Please make check payable to: Bahá’í Subscriber Service, c/o Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. All orders must be pre-paid in U.S. currency. VISA/MasterCard accepted; please include full account number and expiration date.

Pictured are Dr. Huyuh Hoa and his daughter, Dr. Honi-Thao, who practice at their own Medical Center in Long Beach, California. The eight-member Hoa family became Bahá’ís in Vietnam after having overcome many hardships in their country. On arriving in the U.S. in the early 1990s, they contacted the American Bahá’í community and since then have diligently pursued their education. Dr. Hoa and his daughter received their medical degrees at the same summer graduation ceremony. They practice both American and Chinese medicine at their clinic.

S. B. U. ental Medical Centor CLINIC HOUR- MONDAY SATURDAY 10:00 AM-6:00 PM CLOSED on SUNDAY

Jazz trio's return to Matsumoto, Japan, is real treat for musicians, fans, patients and staff at hospital

The Phil Morrison Trio's return visit to Matsumoto, Japan, was a big treat for the musicians and for the patients and staff of a hospital at which they gave two concerts.

The group, which includes three Bahá’ís from Georgia and Florida, traveled to Matsumoto to perform August 10-31 at the renowned Hotel Buena Vista.

The idea for the hospital concerts was conceived by bandleader Phil Morrison and organized by the Suzuki Talent Institute, the Matsumoto Tourist Information Office, and the staff of Aizawa Hospital.

Members of the Phil Morrison Trio pose with Japanese friends at Aizawa Hospital in Matsumoto, Japan, where the group performed two concerts for patients and staff.

As the group played, the unity of humankind was made evident through the universal language of music. Patients cheered, cried and laughed. Some, too crippled to move, could be seen tapping a foot or finger. Staff and patients embraced members of the band after each performance and presented them with flowers.

Flautist Alina Golnar, a student at the Suzuki Talent Institute, joined the trio on two musical pieces, including an original tune written by Mr. Morrison for the city of Matsumoto during the group's first visit there last February and March.

The Phil Morrison Trio is made up of Mr. Morrison (bass/composer), Keith Williams (piano/vocal), Jay Corre (tenor saxophone/clarinet) and non-Bahá’í Steve Silverstein (drums). Another Bahá’í, vocalist Linda Ransom, performed with the group, as she did on its latest CD, Remember When, released in July on the Dr. Mac Records label established by Bonnie McCarty, a Bahá’í in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Families of children at Bahá’í school are dinner guests

On February 27, the Bahá’ís of Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted an Ayyam-i-Há dinner for families of children who attend weekly classes on moral values at Pillsbury Waite House Community Center.

The classes, part of the William Sears Teaching Project, have been offered each week for the past four years to children from ages 7-11. A weekly story hour for younger children was begun this year.

More than 50 people including Community Center staff attended the dinner, at which food was provided by about 15 Bahá’ís who also helped set up tables and decorations.

Children distributed invitations to their parents, and also decorated place mats with the word "peace" in many languages and scripts. [Page 21]

'Voices of Bahá’' choir completes 10-nation European tour

With guidance from the Universal House of Justice, prayers offered by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, and the unprecedented collaboration and sponsorship of 10 National Spiritual Assemblies in Europe, 90 Bahá’í singers from 18 countries lifted their voices in praise of Bahá’u’lláh before audiences of thousands throughout Europe last summer.

The racially and culturally diverse choir, which came to be known as "The Voices of Bahá’," was comprised of men, women and a number of youth who came from the U.S., Alaska, Antigua, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, England, France, Hawaii, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Macao, Mauritius, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Choir director Tom Price, who served as musical director of the second Bahá’í World Congress in 1992, enlisted singers from around the world to form the international Bahá’í choir that was to present concerts in Austria, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Romania and Russia.

The three and one-half week tour, which began July 26 with a two-day rehearsal in London before the opening concert at the Hackney Theatre (where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had once given a talk), ended August 18 in Moscow. Proceeds from many of the concerts were used to benefit UNICEF, the United Nations fund to aid underprivileged children around the world, and audience members often included local dignitaries and public officials.

Although concerts were coordinated and sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly in each respective country, those who attended many of them were for the most part non-Bahá’í, as in Frankfurt, Germany, where the audience of more than 1,500 was mostly Christian.

During intermission and at the end of each concert, choir members had a chance to speak to people in the audience, enabling them to teach the Faith, make new friends and bond with members of the local Bahá’í community.

In addition to scheduled concerts in some of the most beautiful and impressive concert halls in Europe, the choir performed in churches, parks, hospitals, at the House of Worship in Frankfurt, and even in Moscow's Red Square.

Also, many impromptu concerts were given including those at the resting place of the Guardian near London; on the lawn in front of Mozart's home in Salzburg, Austria; under a vineyard outside a Bahá’í Center in Moldova; in the detainment room at an airport, also in Moldova; and on a boat cruising the Moscow River. Many of the concerts performed in Russia, Romania and Hungary were carried to large audiences on television and radio.

For the choir, touring 10 countries in Europe while teaching the Faith through the arts was an exciting way to begin the Four Year Plan, which encourages the development and integration of the arts within the Bahá’í community for the development of the Faith.

As the Guardian stated in a letter written on his behalf: "The day will come when the Cause will spread like wildfire when its spirit and teachings will be presented on the stage or in art and literature as a whole. Art can better awaken such noble sentiments than cold rationalizing, especially among the masses of the people."

Besides awakening new souls, uplifting the spirits and refreshing the hearts of many, the choir's European tour promoted the expansion of the Faith while supporting the consolidation of Bahá’í communities all over the continent.—Pamela Brode

Pictured (left to right) are panelists at a commemoration September 17 of the International Day of Peace in Franklin, Tennessee: the Rev. Reginald Brock of the Franklin AME Church; Dave LaBelle, a Bahá’í from White Bluff, Tennessee; Rabbi Kenneth Kanter of Congregation Micah, Nashville; and the Rev. Jimmy Scott, pastor of First Unity Church in Brentwood.

Franklin, TN, Bahá’ís mark International Day of Peace

The Spiritual Assembly of Franklin, Tennessee, which is a little more than two years old, commemorated the International Day of Peace by welcoming a standing-room-only audience September 17 to the Holiday Inn in Franklin.

Speakers included the minister of Franklin's First Unity Church; the pastor of Franklin's oldest African-American Methodist Episcopal Church; and Bahá’í David LaBelle of White Bluff.

After a prayer for mankind and the Bahá’í choral ensemble's rendition of "Blessed Is the Spot," the panelists presented their views on how a lasting peace can be achieved.

Tom Price directs the 'Voices of Bahá’' during a concert at Domkerk (The Domed Church) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The 90-member Bahá’í choir, comprised of singers from 18 countries, performed for large and enthusiastic audiences in 10 European countries last July and August.

Santa Monica, CA, Assembly sponsors reception to honor Dr. Susan I. Moody

The Spiritual Assembly of Santa Monica, California, recently sponsored a reception to honor the life and work of Dr. Susan I. Moody, a Bahá’í from New York who was an artist, physician, educator and Bahá’í pioneer to Iran, where she died in 1934.

The opportunity to hold the event sprang from a conversation during Martin Luther King Day activities between a Bahá’í in Santa Monica and the newly appointed president of Santa Monica College, Dr. Piedad Robertson (formerly Massachusetts secretary of education for four years).

Dr. Robertson, on learning that there are Bahá’ís in Santa Monica (a community of 200), said that her husband, William Robertson, is the grandnephew of Dr. Moody and had inherited some of the oil paintings she had completed while in Paris as well as some of her letters.

When Dr. Robertson suggested that she and her husband would like to show these items to the Bahá’ís, the Assembly was informed and plans began to evolve.

A Bahá’í family in Santa Monica offered their home to host a reception and display Dr. Moody's paintings. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson were the guests of honor.

Special invited guests were Iranians who had either met Dr. Moody while she was in Iran or who had attended the Tarbiyat School for Girls, which she developed there.

A highlight was the presentation by the grandson of the Bahá’í (Fariborz Ruzbehian) who had been asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to accompany Dr. Moody to Iran to help as her translator when she first arrived in 1909.

Mr. Ruzbehian's grandson brought photographs of Dr. Moody and letters written to her by the Guardian about her valued services in Iran.

Members of the Santa Monica College Bahá’í Club and Bahá’í graduates of the college also took part in the reception. One who has become a medical doctor and returned to practice in Santa Monica spoke glowingly of the example of Susan Moody as a model for her own life of service. [Page 22]

House of Worship ends busy summer, shortens hours

September 30 marked the last day of extended summer visiting hours at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

Greeting the many visitors during the late evening hours, which included garden teaching, would not have been possible without the generous services of friends. The staff at the House of Worship greatly appreciates the 8,211 hours given by volunteers this summer, and extends its utmost gratitude to each one of them.

Guides came this year from all areas of the U.S. and from many countries overseas. The House of Worship continues to offer one of the most exciting and rewarding ways in which to fulfill one’s obligation to teach the Cause.

Sixty-four visiting guides availed themselves of the opportunity. From Denmark to India, from Canada to Tanzania, from Poland to Lebanon, and from New Zealand to South Africa, Bahá’ís came to demonstrate anew their eager response to the call from the Universal House of Justice for greater individual initiative.

The Guardian stated that “there is nothing that brings success in the Faith like service. Service is the magnet which draws the divine confirmations. Thus, when a person is active, they are blessed by the Holy Spirit.”

Fall and winter hours at the House of Worship began October 1. The Temple now closes daily at 5 p.m.

We warmly welcome the friends to visit the Mother Temple of the West, made sacred by the footsteps of the Master. Training sessions for guides are held at 1 o’clock every Saturday afternoon. An information packet will be mailed to everyone who inquires about guiding.

Please write to the Bahá’í House of Worship, Sheridan Road at Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, phone 847-853-2325, or e-mail

Pictured with Bahá’í House of Worship guides coordinator Mary Lou McLaughlin are volunteer guides Sabethi Firouzmandi (left) from Canada and traveling teacher Farideh Paymani.

National Assembly asks Bahá’ís to observe Human Rights Day

The National Spiritual Assembly encourages local Bahá’í communities and college clubs to celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10.

The day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly.

In its Ridván 153 message, the Universal House of Justice stated, “In the arena of external affairs, efforts will be aimed ‎an at‎ influencing the process of world peace, particularly through the community’s involvement in the promotion of human rights, the status of women, global prosperity and moral development.”

Human Rights Day provides an opportunity for Bahá’ís to join other groups in promoting the human rights of all people in a spirit of fellowship and common purpose.

The friends may wish to use the day to host a talk or workshop on race relations or the advancement of women, on ratification of the UN human rights treaties supported by the National Assembly, on the defense of the Bahá’ís in Iran and other religious minorities, or as an opportunity to reflect on the outcome of recent UN conferences such as those that took place in Vienna on human rights in 1993 or Beijing on women in 1995.

The U.S./Bahá’í Office would appreciate receiving reports from local Bahá’í communities of activities related to UN special event days, such as UN Day and Human Rights Day.

Please send reports to 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017 (phone 212-803-2500; e-mail ).

Information on human rights may be obtained through the UN web site at http://www.un.org/rights/ or from the U.S./UN Bahá’í Office.

Bahá’ís in Mt. Vernon, VA, take part in interfaith response to recent wave of church burnings

When the National Spiritual Assembly condemned the latest wave of church burnings and urged American Bahá’í communities to offer their support to affected congregations, there was already a model of Bahá’í response to emulate.

The Bahá’í community of Mt. Vernon, Virginia, took part in an outdoor interfaith service June 29 to highlight concern felt by the area’s religious believers.

The purpose was to pray for those who have been persecuted for their beliefs, to plead for God to transform the misguided perpetrators of prejudiced acts, and to issue a call for unity of God’s people.

The Bahá’í community had received a call 10 days earlier from a lay organizer at Calvary Presbyterian Church. The response was immediate and positive. Bill Collins, a Bahá’í in Mt. Vernon, called the local Bahá’ís to urge their presence at the service, and posted a notice on the Washington, D.C.-area Bahá’í Internet newsgroup.

Friends from Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and even North Carolina traveled to Mt. Vernon for the service.

They arrived to find members of the Ghanaian Presbyterian Fellowship warming up for musical numbers. The church’s youth pastor, the Rev. Henry Brinton, greeted the Bahá’ís warmly as he recalled his early contacts with Bahá’ís during his divinity school days at Duke University. The three earliest Bahá’í arrivals immediately volunteered to help set up chairs.

The program took place on the corner of a major thoroughfare in front of the church. About 80 people attended, of whom some 20 percent were Bahá’ís.

Speakers included U.S. Rep. James Moran of Virginia, who helped the audience understand the concern of lawmakers to see that arsonists are brought to justice and that congregants whose churches have been burned can rebuild.

Several speakers from area Presbyterian churches evoked the horrors of religious and racial hatred in the past and the urgent longing for the hosts of unity to defeat the forces of bigotry and prejudice.

As the Bahá’í speaker, Mr. Collins began with the words of Bahá’u’lláh: “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

“Verily, the words which have descended from the heaven of the Will of God are the source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness.”

“Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. ...They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindred of the earth with joy and radiance. ...Blessed are such as hold fast to the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free from animosity and hatred.”

Mr. Collins proclaimed Bahá’u’lláh as the “Glory of God” Whom Bahá’ís revere as the Promised One of the world’s religions, and called to mind His sufferings for teaching about religious unity.

He went on to mention the kinship Bahá’ís feel with those whose churches have been burned because of the ongoing persecutions of Bahá’ís in Iran and the expropriation and destruction of their holy places.

Mr. Collins closed with a prayer for mankind by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

See BURNINGS page 26

HUQÚQU’LLÁH

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

• Dr. Amin Banani, 1530 24th St., Santa Monica, CA 90402 (phone 310-394-5449).
• Mr. Stephen Birkland, 3614 Blue Jay Circle, Arden Hills, MN 55112 (phone 612-484-9518).
• Dr. ‎Darvush Daryush‎ Haghighi, 22422 Westwood Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 (phone 216-333-1506).
• Mrs. Thelma Khelghati, 147 Leominster Road, Lunenburg, MA 01462 (phone 508-582-9216).

Inquiries regarding Huqúqu’lláh should be referred to one of the Trustees or to the Office of the Secretariat, Bahá’í Huqúqu’lláh Trust, 22422 Westwood Road, Rocky River, OH 44116.

Pictured during their initial meeting October 13 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School are members of the newly expanded Board of Trustees for Huqúqu’lláh for North America (left to right) Thelma Khelghati, Daryush Haghighi, Amin Banani, Elsie Austin and Stephen Birkland. [Page 23]

WANTED AT GREEN ACRE BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

Join the Youth Service Staff at Green Acre

WHAT IS GREEN ACRE?

An International center of learning located in Eliot, Maine, Green Acre is the only Bahá’í school to have been blessed by the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

WHAT AWAITS YOU AT GREEN ACRE?

Green Acre offers a broad range of work experiences. Come participate in the fulfillment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prophesy that Green Acre shall become a great center, the cause of the unity of the world of humanity, and the site for the first Bahá’í university. In a talk given at Green Acre on August 17, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, "This is a delightful spot; the scenery is beautiful and an atmosphere of spirituality haloes everything."

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SERVICE DUTIES AT GREEN ACRE?

While serving at Green Acre, you may work toward the achievement of the goals of the Four Year Plan. Service duties include food service, teaching children's classes, housekeeping, grounds maintenance, office duties, and working at the Fellowship Bookstore Café. Activities include study of the fundamental verities of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh.

WHO IS INVITED TO OFFER SERVICE?

Energetic, enthusiastic youth committed to "heroic deeds of service to the Cause" are invited to offer service. Green Acre needs flexible, committed youth willing to sacrifice their time—three months, six months or one year.

HOW CAN GREEN ACRE BE REACHED?

Green Acre Bahá’í School 188 Main Street Eliot, Maine 03903 tel: (207) 439-7200 fax: (207) 439-7202

ANNOUNCING: NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í YOUTH CONFERENCE

WHEN: July 2-6, 1997 WHERE: University of Tennessee at Knoxville

For more information, look in the next issue of The American Bahá’í.

ON THE FRONT LINES

FROM THE Pages Of one magazine Josh Lincoln shares his vision of our global future with Josh Lincoln, 26 by Dan Makoski, 22/Medford, Massachusetts

JOSH LINCOLN: I was born in the U.S. My family moved to France about a year and a half after I was born, and then later to the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the Ivory Coast. I came back to the U.S. to go to high school. After high school, I spent a year of service at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel. Then I went to college in Washington, D.C., and came here to graduate school at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, to work on a Ph.D. My undergraduate focus was on international law and international organization; that is, the UN system. I also worked on West Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East.

ONE: What was your focus for your Master's degree?

JL: Negotiation, conflict resolution, and international organization. For my Ph.D., I'm studying nationalism and issues of identity and ethnicity, which is essentially about how different groups get along in society.

ONE: Give me an example of your work in this area.

JL: I worked in a junior capacity last summer for a non-governmental organization—an NGO trying to forward the mediation process between Liberian civil war factions. It was really hard to do. It made a lot of sense conceptually, but when people have been killing each other's children, wives and husbands, it's complex.

ONE: In this issue of One, our focus is on the year 2000. What do you see happening in the years to come?

JL: Sometimes it's very hard to distinguish one pattern from another. You can't figure out if a particular event is part of the old carpet being rolled up, or the new carpet being laid down. We're in a period of transition, of disintegration as well as integration. Periods of transition are inherently unstable. If you put a pot of water on the stove, it changes to steam through boiling. Boiling is a very unstable state. We have a lot of different things going around, bubbling all over the place.

ONE: Many people might argue that there is no process of integration. Is there a difference in magnitude in these two processes?

JL: The negative events usually make the headlines. There are positive things happening, but the negative things are more dramatic. The positive things are more progressive and subtle. In this century, we've had two World Wars, with the largest amount of people ever killed in the history of the world. At the same time, we've seen the evolution of a global society and a lot of experimenting with international institutions. After World War I, in 1919, Woodrow Wilson and several other statesmen established the League of Nations, the first major experiment in international organization. A lot of people were totally ecstatic; they thought that world peace had arrived. Right after World War I, after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cautioned everybody, saying that the hearts of men were still smoldering, even if their lips spoke of peace. The League of Nations, the first embryonic world organization, had seeds within it of disappointment yet to come. It worked out ideas of how to get nations to work together, but then fell apart in the 1930s for lack of political will. World War II and the United Nations followed, bringing the return of international cooperation. The UN has continued to evolve, often slowly and unevenly, but sometimes breaking new ground. That doesn't make a lot of news. There's no denying the ugly stuff—there's roughly 30 to 35 major armed conflicts going on today. For most of the people of the world, this is a pretty terrible time.

ONE: It's good to get that perspective. So we need to equip ourselves with a certain type of lens to view world affairs.

JL: I think we have to train ourselves, particularly as youth, to develop the habit to read newspapers, listen to the radio, or check the web, so we're aware of what's going on around us. Shoghi Effendi read a lot of newspapers and kept up on world affairs. He was in Haifa, developing the Bahá’í gardens and shrines on Mount Carmel by day, writing God Passes By by night, with World War II raging around him, corresponding with every Bahá’í community in the world, and he'd still get up in the morning and read the London Times, the Jerusalem Post, and the Herald-Tribune. If the Guardian could do that, then it's probably something we ought to do as well.

ONE: How can you protect yourself from a negative perspective, while still informing yourself of what's happening in the world?

JL: We need to be aware of what's going on, and at the same time not confuse that with what we need to do. We need to understand the world's events, but focus on spiritual growth. You get up in the morning and read the newspapers, but do it after you pray.

ONE: You have to get your spiritual food first. That's the lens which will allow you to see correctly.

JL: Yeah! Don't let it drag you down, because that's one less person that the rest of us can count on.

ANNOUNCING A NEW DAY

by Mojan Sami, 18/Bellingham, Washington

When will these nights turn to dawn? When will these children become adults? We're BURNING to ashes for the light of justice and holding a rifle for the barrel of love. We're waiting for warriors to search for our destiny while barricades of armies search for our BLOOD. Shaving the tree in a desolate forest leaves us with branches bereft of one life. Carrying a casket to the hollows of night shames the Sun who strives for His Glorious Dawn. The roots hold their breath for the strength of a New Day, but the Day only comes with the exhale of light. How much longer can we wait for a New Day to arrive? My voice is a whisper among the ears of the soldiers, an unwanted breeze to the eyes of their fate. Only our HEARTS can pound to the beat of the drum. When will we march as one native army to the beat of the drum against this turbulent war? The gardens are dying to the dust of Your Love. Hold me in Your Arms. until they come. Set me free to the FLAMES of unrequited justice. A New Day is coming, you wait and see. The Promised One wouldn't lie to me.

NATIONAL YOUTH COMMITTEE

Send us your ideas, suggestions, questions or comments by email: by voice mail: (847) 733-3587 by postal mail: National Youth Cmte. Bahá’í National Center 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201-1611

To receive One at your doorstep, send a check or money order payable to One magazine in the amount of $8.00 or more to Kittery, me 03904. Send art, poetry, articles and other contributions to the same address or via email to one. Call us at (207) 438-9034 for anything else. One is a Bahá’í youth publication published nine times a year. One is sponsored by the Spiritual assembly of the Bahá’ís of Eliot, Maine, and is reviewed at the US Bahá’í National Center. [Page 24]

Bahá’ís take part in Eliot Festival Day parade

Saturday, September 28, was Eliot Festival Day for the residents of Eliot, Maine, and also universal participation day for the local Bahá’í community.

From the oldest resident who made the lovely paper flowers given away at the Bahá’í booth to the youngest who rode on the Bahá’í float in the parade, everyone worked together in the true spirit of unity. The theme of the day, chosen by the Eliot Festival Committee, was recycling.

The adults and children worked for weeks building an elaborate Bahá’í float that showed how religion is renewed or “recycled” from age to age. The golden rule in its diverse renderings down through the ages was displayed against a rainbow background. The children rode on the back of the float singing the “golden rule” song by Mike and Beverly Rodgers.

The Festival Committee awarded first prize to the Bahá’ís. But there was no time to savor the honor because the community had to host the bean supper at the Methodist church that evening. The supper was a warm collaboration between a few Methodist women and the Bahá’ís of Eliot.

Special praise must be given to the children for their efficiency and manners in serving the food.

Bahá’ís prepare their colorful float for the Eliot (Maine) Festival Day parade September 28. The float, which depicted the ‘recycling’ of religion through progressive revelation, won first prize in the event.

Green Acre hosts turkey dinner for Eliot residents

On September 29 the Green Acre Bahá’í School hosted a turkey dinner, culminating a weekend-long series of events that witnessed the growing closeness among the school, local Bahá’ís and residents of Eliot.

More than 130 people attended the dinner, and many of them took the tour of the newly renovated Green Acre properties.

Everyone was delightfully surprised by the presence of two elderly women from the area who were in the company of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 84 years ago.

Responding to the desire of Eliot residents to attend more events at Green Acre, Dr. James Sacco, the school administrator, has decided to use the Green Acre Café as a vehicle for reaching out to the general population.

Musical entertainment featuring Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís on Saturday nights will be followed by Sunday afternoon firesides. Evidently, the time is now for entry by troops. We have merely to take the first step.

Some of the Bahá’í women dressed in period costumes for the turkey dinner held September 29 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine. More than 130 people attended the event.

Green Acre Fellowship Café opens to packed house

The Green Acre Bahá’í School’s Fellowship Café opened to a packed house October 12.

Besides housing the bookstore in a living room environment, the café offers gourmet coffee and fresh baked goods prepared by Green Acre’s celebrated cook, Pat Foye.

The evening included live musical performances by recording artists Bruce Grover of Boston and Rosie Emory of Canada. Ms. Emory, a well-known children’s entertainer, chose Green Acre as the place where she declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

The underlying purpose of the Fellowship Café is to respond to the growing interest in Green Acre by local residents. The weekly Saturday evening concerts will be followed up by Sunday afternoon firesides, all publicized in the local media.

Anyone who plans to come to Green Acre and would like to perform at the ‎caf é café‎ is asked to let us know with as much notice as possible. We are also interested in original poems that will be read between performances. Please help Green Acre fulfill its commitment to advancing the process of entry by troops.

To contact Green Acre, write to the school at 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903, phone 207-439-7200, fax 207-439-7202, or e-mail attn: Ron Tomanio.

Alamogordo Bahá’ís enhance NAACP ties

For the past several years members of the Bahá’í community of Alamogordo, New Mexico, have been active members of the local chapter of the NAACP. Their involvement has provided many opportunities to demonstrate the Bahá’í concept of unity.

Bahá’ís in Alamogordo were leaders in establishing four years ago a local observance of Martin Luther King Day. More than 400 residents of Alamogordo attended the most recent observance last January at which Bahá’ís took part as members of the planning committee and singers in the mass choir, and by reciting a prayer by Bahá’u’lláh at the close of the observance.

Also this year, Bahá’ís donated the book To Move the World to the NAACP while several served on the planning committee for the annual Juneteenth parade which involved more than 50 churches, business and service groups.

After receiving the letter from the National Spiritual Assembly about the burning of black and multi-racial churches, the Assembly decided to share its contents with 60 area churches and the NAACP.

The timing for the NAACP presentation couldn’t have been better, as the letter was read at the start of a meeting at which Clarence Fielder of New Mexico State University spoke about the burnings. He referred to the letter in his talk and mentioned that Bahá’ís were active in his community in working with the NAACP.

The Alamogordo community’s work with the NAACP is a concrete example of the positive impact a small community of Bahá’ís can have by reaching out to embrace the larger community.

Dr. James Sacco, administrator of the Green Acre Bahá’í School, presents a plant to Gertrude Hammond (seated center) who as a child was held in the arms of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to Green Acre in 1912. [Page 25]

The Permanent School and Institute

The Permanent School and Institute administrators, who meet four times a year, gathered October 2-6 at the Bosch Bahá’í School. During the five-day period the administrators not only dealt with the business of the schools and institutes but spent a part of one day working on a service project in the Bosch organic garden. Pictured are Dr. Beatriz-Rayna Curry, coordinator of the National Education and Schools Office; Rebecca Wilson of the National Treasurer's Office; Jeannine and Jim Sacco of Green Acre; Barbara and Rick Johnson of Louhelen; and Mark, Linda and daughter Kelsey Bedford, who are helping Sima Cockshut, volunteer coordinator and ’chief gardener’ at Bosch.

Youth Workshops meet at Bosch School

Bahá’í Youth Workshop directors and members from as far away as Illinois and Texas gathered October 4-6 at the Bosch Bahá’í School in California for a Bahá’í Youth Workshop summit. David Gilpatrick and Laura Kraft from the Eternal Flame Workshop in the greater Phoenix area organized this opportunity for Workshop coordinators to network and learn from one another. Keynote speaker Joseph Galata, a psychologist from Reno, Nevada, spoke about the importance of the deepening component of any Workshop forum and addressing the needs of youth.

The weekend event drew people from diverse backgrounds including veteran Workshop coordinators and those who are only now starting Workshops. Two members of the National Youth Committee, Liz Dwyer and Leili Towfigh, came especially to take part in the summit as well as to meet with the directors of the permanent Bahá’í schools and institutes.

Bosch School plans several special events

The Bosch Bahá’í School is planning a number of special events in the coming months.

Right after Thanksgiving (November 29-December 1), the school will host a family conference featuring the Kneisler family.

Winter Session I (December 20-25) will cover health and healing with Dr. Kerry McCord.

David Hofman, retired member of the Universal House of Justice, will come to Bosch directly from the conference on social and economic development in Orlando, Florida, on December 23 to present a special program he has developed entitled "A Quarter-Century at the World Center in Pictures."

Zarin Malmiri, a traveling teacher from Alaska, will be sharing her secrets for effective teaching during that entire session.

Winter Session II will feature Barney Leith, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, and his wife, Erica Leith, managing editor of George Ronald Publishing. Also, Anthony Green will present a special course on "Bringing God's Power into Your Life."

Louhelen sets workshop on marriage, family

The first workshop to prepare facilitators for a course on marriage and family life will be offered January 3-5 and continue on June 6-8 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School's National Teacher Training Center.

As the National Spiritual Assembly wrote in its letter to the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Mashíyyat, "Our hopes for doubling the active core of the Bahá’í community and fostering entry by troops depend greatly on our ability to foster unified and loving marriages and families."

Toward that end, the National Assembly has guided a continuously evolving process to strengthen marriage and family life and to foster the spiritual education of children, families and communities through training programs based on the application of the Sacred Writings of our Faith to daily life. Programs on parenting, race unity and the Bahá’í education of children are offered throughout the year at the National Teacher Training Center.

"Preparing Youth for Marriage and Family Life" offers young people five segments, each about four hours long, for a total of 20 hours. They are:

• Know Your Own Self: the Foundation for Marriage
• Consultation
• Preparing a Fortress for Well-Being
• Marriage: the Divinely Ordained Institution
• Family Life

"Marriage and Family Life" is a companion course for couples already enjoying the institution of marriage.

Like other core curriculum programs, the course on marriage and family life is designed to be offered at the local and regional levels by facilitators who prepare to serve in that role at the National Teacher Training Center. These facilitators serve under the sponsorship of a local Spiritual Assembly.

For more information about these and other core curriculum programs, please contact the National Teacher Training Center, Louhelen Bahá’í School, Davison, Michigan (phone 810-653-5033; e-mail ).

Gayle Morrison to speak at Louhelen School

Gayle Morrison, author of To Move the World, the biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory, will be one of the main presenters December 13-15 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

Other presenters will include Charles Bullock, former administrator of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute; Dr. June Thomas, professor of urban and regional planning at Michigan State University; and Marvin Hughes, a psychotherapist and Bahá’í lecturer.

The weekend program will focus on the processes that promote social equality through the example of Mr. Gregory.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, writing to Louise Gregory, described Louis Gregory as "...the essence of the love of God and...a symbol of guidance! How luminous is the face of this person! His character is [like unto] a rose garden."

In the preface to her biography of Mr. Gregory, which was published in 1982, Mrs. Morrison wrote, "Louis Gregory lived his life in the forefront of a struggle that is still being waged. The immediacy of his example has the power to inform and to inspire....

"His voice reaches across barriers of race and class, even of time and distance, to form lasting bonds of affinity. Thirty years after his passing, he is still a living presence, signaling hope for a changing world."

Dr. Thomas and Mr. Hughes will lead discussions and consultations based on the Writings on fostering social equality. [Page 26]

Bahá’ís in Detroit play prominent role in large interfaith Ethnic Summit ’96

Bahá’ís in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, took leadership roles in the inaugural Ethnic Summit ’96 held October 4 at Wayne State University. The summit is believed to be the first event of its kind in Detroit.

Winnie White, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Detroit, led a delegation of Bahá’ís at the summit. Another Bahá’í co-chaired the summit planning committee and presided over the summit program.

The summit was co-sponsored by the Bahá’ís and more than 40 other religious and ethnic organizations and organized by the International Institute of Metro Detroit, a non-profit organization that helps area immigrants.

More than 100 representatives of the co-sponsors attended the summit. Co-sponsors completed survey forms about ethnic concerns prior to the summit. Those were analyzed and reported back to the summit.

Sharon Davis, a Bahá’í who is a member of the board of the International Institute, helped obtain foundation funding to support the summit. Herbert Hopkins, another Bahá’í, helped with behind-the-scenes details on the day of the summit. He was recently named the casework director for the International Institute.

In related news, Azar Alizadeh, a Bahá’í in Bloomfield Township, has been elected to co-chair the Birmingham-Bloomfield Task Force on Race Relations and Ethnic Diversity, which has been instrumental in addressing interracial issues in the northern suburbs of Detroit.

Betty Alexander (left) and Andrea Smith (second from left), both Bahá’ís, and two other Ethnic Summit attendees look over brochures from organizations including the Bahá’í Faith.

Young Bahá’í shakes hands with President, gives him book, gets thank-you note

When President Clinton visited Charlotte, North Carolina, last July, one of those who greeted him was Louis Pellegrino, a 12-year-old Bahá’í from nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The young Bahá’í shook the President’s hand and gave him a framed copy of the prayer that begins "O God, refresh and gladden my spirit.”

About a month later Louis received the following letter on White House stationery:

"Dear Louis, I enjoyed my visit to Charlotte very much and was delighted with the warm welcome I received.

"Thank you for the framed prayer. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity, and Hillary joins me in sending best wishes. Sincerely, (signed) Bill Clinton."

Articles about Louis’s gift and the President’s response appeared in the Charlotte Observer and Rock Hill Herald.

Burnings

(Continued from Page 22)

The music of the Ghanaian congregation and the warm praise of the program by attendees served as a confirmation of the pure intention of the organizers.

Rev. Brinton, in his acknowledgements, noted that the attendees who had come the farthest were three Bahá’ís from Durham, North Carolina. The Bahá’í presence also was keenly noted because the Faith was the only religious group outside of the Presbyterian congregations that had chosen to give wholehearted support to the initiative.

As a final note, Rev. Brinton and the organizer asked for further information on the Faith to read and to place in the church library.

News in brief

Issaquah, WA, opens Information/Teaching Center

Some 53 years after the first Bahá’ís arrived in the small town of Issaquah, Washington, a Bahá’í Information and Teaching Center has been opened.

This was accomplished through the efforts of the Inter-Assembly Committee for Teaching (known as I-ACT 3) which involves three local Assemblies—Issaquah, King County Southeast and King County East Central—and one Group, North Bend.

Space for the Center, on the ground floor of a building in Issaquah’s historic downtown area, was rented by I-ACT on August 1.

On September 7 an open house was held for Bahá’ís, and the Center was opened to the public on September 16.

A grand opening ceremony was to be held in October with local dignitaries, church officials, religion editors and the press among those invited.

A notice about the Center’s opening appeared in the official Salmon Days program, which is sent to the more than 100,000 people who have attended the annual celebration during its 27-year history.

Bahá’ís have taken part in the event since the late ’70s, entering floats in the Salmon Days parade that have won several awards.

Bahá’í radio program completes four-year run in Glendale, CA

"The Bahá’í Faith in Southern California," a weekly radio program sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Glendale, recently completed a successful four and one-half year run on KIEV-AM in Glendale.

Broadcast every Saturday night from 11:30 to midnight, the program included in-studio discussions of the Faith, listener call-ins, and occasional performances by Bahá’í musicians.

Interviews were conducted on a wide range of topics with such well-known Bahá’ís as the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and David Hofman, former member of the Universal House of Justice, as well as more than 140 other Bahá’ís and friends of the Faith.

The cost of air time was underwritten by regular contributions from Assemblies in the area and a small number of individual Bahá’ís.

The Spiritual Assembly of Glendale maintained a toll-free voice mail message service that led to many inquiries and requests for Bahá’í literature.

If you would like more information about the project, please contact the Spiritual Assembly of Glendale, P.O. Box 9069, Glendale, CA 91226.

LET’S MAKE WAR A DISTANT MEMORY Pictured is one of the two Bahá’í floats that were entered in the annual Rodeo Parade held May 2 in Red Bluff, California. The float was towed by two Bahá’í children, ages five and seven years. (Photo by Ted Cardell)

Tampa Bay Youth Workshop ends busy proclamation year

During the past year, the Tampa Bay, Florida, chapter of the Bahá’í Youth Workshop has performed before an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 non-Bahá’ís in the area including large numbers of Christians, Jews, Hindus, East Indians and African-Americans.

Beyond that, the Workshop has proclaimed the Faith through newspaper articles, word of mouth, and group and individual interactions.

One of its members, 15-year-old Nathan Miller, who has since moved with his family to serve in the Holy Land, won a countywide competition with an artistic design on the message of unity. His school received $10,000 in sports equipment for his winning entry, while hundreds of billboards bearing the design were to be put up in Hillsborough County.

Another Workshop member, 18-year-old Kaveh Hemmat, won a statewide competition sponsored by the Sons of the American Revolution for his essay on the influence of Native Americans on the Constitution.

Kaveh is currently attending Landegg Academy in Switzerland before undertaking a year of service in Niger. [Page 27]

U.S. Bahá’í community membership: 1894-1996

By ROBERT H. STOCKMAN

The American Bahá’í community has now existed for 102 years. Its membership has increased almost continuously throughout its history, although growth rates have varied greatly from decade to decade.

An analysis of the numbers of Bahá’ís in this country reveals two factors in the growth of membership.

The number of Bahá’ís has increased most rapidly during times of severe social unrest, and most slowly during times of social stability. This suggests that growth rates historically have been driven by outside social forces.

Yet the growth rate also shows the effects of plans and new approaches within the community such as mass teaching. Thus both the efforts of the Bahá’ís and the circumstances of the times have contributed to the growth of the American Bahá’í community.

In the last century, the U.S. has passed through three periods of severe social strain, in the 1890s, 1930s and 1960s. The first was prompted by the closing of the western frontier, which prompted Americans to ask themselves where their country was going.

The World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 introduced Hinduism and Buddhism to America largely for the first time, and stimulated considerable religious introspection. A severe depression—the worst the nation had yet seen—led to strikes, riots, anti-union violence and the first march on Washington. Finally, in 1898, the Spanish-American War was fought and the U.S. was recognized for the first time as a world power.

During this period the Bahá’í Faith was introduced in this country and grew rapidly, often more than doubling its membership each year. As a result, by 1899 the community had 1,500 members. One cause of its growth was the fact that the Faith offered a convincing answer to a question many Americans were asking: what was the relationship between Christianity and other major world religions?

Another cause was Bahá’í use of a series of 12 introductory classes on the Faith. Generally, more than 90 percent of those who started taking the classes were enrolled in the Faith.

FIGURE 1 Number of American Bahá’ís for selected years Note: Statistics are available for most years, but not for all. The years shown were chosen to represent trends.

Year | Membership -- | -- 1894 | 7 1899 | 1,500 1900 | 500 1906 | 1,500 1916 | 2,884 1920 | 1,500 1926 | 1,500 1936 | 3,000 1941 | 4,256 1946 | 5,134 1951 | 6,729 1956 | 7,578 1962 | 9,659 1966 | 14,716 1968 | 17,765 1970 | 23,994 1971 | 40,221 1972 | 59,372 1974 | 63,470 1979 | 77,396 1984 | 91,669 1989 | 112,000 1993 | 120,000 1996 | 133,000

After a brief collapse in membership because of Covenant-breaking in 1900, the number of Bahá’ís in America rebounded to about 1,500 and remained there for about 20 years.

A preliminary analysis of available data suggests that the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to North America doubled the enrollment rate for 1912, compared to 1911 and 1913, but did not otherwise have a long-term impact on growth.

One difficulty the American Bahá’í community faced in the teens and early '20s was the lack of a system of organization to deepen and focus the activities of new believers (Shoghi Effendi did not establish the Administrative Order until 1922).

Because membership in the Bahá’í community was quite poorly defined, people drifted into the community at roughly the same rate as others drifted out.

Shoghi Effendi changed the situation by telling the Bahá’ís to elect a local Spiritual Assembly in every locality in which nine or more Bahá’ís resided.

He also asked the Bahá’ís to maintain voting lists, and defined clearly the criteria for membership in the Bahá’í community.

By the 1930s he told the American Bahá’ís they could no longer retain membership in churches.

The 1920s also saw the creation of teaching committees, networks of traveling teachers, and widespread use of public meetings (a popular way to spread the Faith before the rise of television and other mass media).

The result was an increase in membership throughout the late 1920s averaging two to three percent per year.

In October 1929 the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, marking the commencement of the second great social crisis of the century.

Enrollment data for the period is sketchy, but suggests that the number of enrollments in 1930 was 50 percent higher than in 1928 or 1929.

The Depression hit bottom in 1932-34 while enrollments rose even higher. As a result, the number of Bahá’ís in the U.S. doubled from 1926-36 (from 1,500 to 3,000, an average increase of seven percent a year).

That enrollment rate was maintained in spite of the outbreak of World War II, which began in Europe in 1939 and reached the U.S. in December 1941.

Wartime conditions disrupted many teaching efforts, but the Seven Year Plan gave the Bahá’ís teaching goals in every state and they overcame the difficulties. By 1945 there were almost 5,000 adult Bahá’ís in the U.S.

The end of World War II—and of the first Seven Year Plan—saw a temporary drop in the rate of enrollments. Even so, the number of adult Bahá’ís in the U.S. reached 6,000 in 1948, yielding an average growth rate of six percent per year from 1936-48.

The late 1940s and '50s was a time of relative social stability and saw a lower Bahá’í growth rate (an average of 4.5 percent per year). Nevertheless, the slow, steady increase brought the number of adult Bahá’ís in the community to about 8,500 by 1960.

In contrast, the decade after the end of the war saw rapid growth of the Faith in Europe, as societies there faced major challenges in adjusting to post-war political and economic conditions and threats from the Soviet Bloc. Europe also received a steady flow of dedicated American pioneers and traveling teachers.

Scholars often divide the tumultuous 1960s into two periods. The "first '60s," which encompassed the years 1960-67, was a time of growing unrest on campuses and in cities as the civil rights movement, then the anti-war movement accelerated.

These movements reached a peak in 1968 when the Tet offensive dashed hopes of an American victory in Vietnam; the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy brought disillusionment to millions who had hoped for a better society; and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shattered the dream that racial equality and justice could soon be established.

The result was the "second '60s," from early 1968 through 1971, when the anti-war fervor cooled, the civil rights marches largely stopped, and people either gave up their dreams or turned to more radical personal solutions (such as drugs or religion).

The "first '60s" saw the Bahá’í Faith in the U.S. grow by 10 percent annually, while the "second '60s" saw a growth rate averaging 35 percent a year. In 1971 alone, 17,000 people became Bahá’ís, increasing the community's numbers from 23,000 to 40,000, a 75 percent annual increase.

Two groups entered the Faith in large numbers during this period: younger people and those in predominantly black rural areas of the South.

College-age youth flocked to firesides all over the country, and the number of Bahá’í youth rose to 14,400 in 1972, a number never reached since (it presently stands at 6,500, and the community as a whole is much larger).

The period from 1968-72 also saw the introduction and heavy use of door-to-door teaching techniques in the U.S. Perhaps as many as 20,000 people became Bahá’ís in several years, especially in the rural South. Such techniques are now used less than in the early 1970s, and thus contribute less to growth rates.

After 1971 American society turned increasingly conservative in reaction to the extremes of the 1960s while the Bahá’í enrollment rate showed a steady decline.

The period from 1972-80 saw the number of Bahá’ís in the community increase from 60,000 to 80,000, an average annual increase of four percent.

One reason the growth rate dropped so sharply was because the withdrawal rate increased; not all of the college-age adherents and rural blacks who became Bahá’ís remained in the community. Annual enrollment numbers usually were 7-10 percent as large as the total membership, but withdrawals cut the real growth rate in half.

The period from 1980 to 1996—a time of marked social conservatism in the U.S.—has seen a Bahá’í growth rate averaging only three percent per year, about half of which has come from natural increases (the enrollment of children, for example) and about half from the conversion of non-family members.

As slow as three percent may seem, it has resulted in an increase in the Bahá’í population from 80,000 to 133,000 over a 16-year period.

If one projects a three percent rate of growth forward in time, there should be 150,000 Bahá’ís in the U.S. by the year 2000 and 200,000 by 2010. But history has shown that one cannot project accurately a particular growth rate forward in time for very long.

First, if history is any predictor of the future, another social crisis should be due in a few years; previous crises lasted about a decade and were separated by about 30 years of relative calm. The most recent crisis ended around 1971.

Second, history has shown that the American Bahá’í community has, at various times, developed specialized techniques for increasing its membership. The best examples are the structured classes of the 1890s, a combination of firesides and public meetings in the 1920s and '30s, and door-to-door teaching in the 1960s and early '70s.

The Universal House of Justice has called for "a significant advance in the process of entry by troops" which is essentially a call for a new breakthrough in the teaching work. Such a breakthrough would signal the start of a new era of growth and development for the American Bahá’í community.

Do you have a story to tell about the Campaign of Giving for the Arc? Please send it to the Office of the Treasurer, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 [Page 28]

کنفرانس معارف و عرفان

کنفرانس مشترک مجمع مطالعه معارف بهائی و مجمع عرفان از ۱۱ تا ۱۴ اکتبر ۱۹۹۶ در مدرسه بهائی لوهلن در ایالت میشیگان آمریکا با شرکت دویست نفر از یاران ایرانی تبار کانادا و امریکا در محیطی پر شور و نشاط برگزار گردید نقشههای سه ساله و چهار ساله بود یعنی تأکید به لزوم همکاری این کنفرانس با همکاری مؤسسه معارف بهائی (کانادا) و دفتر امور احبای ایرانی امریکانی محفل روحانی ملی ایالات متحده و جوامع بهانی و تشکیلات امری کشورهای مختلف.

محوطه دلگشا و سبز و خرم مدرسه بهائی لوهلن و هوای مطبوع پائیز و رنگانگ بودن درختان در فصل خزان و پذیرانی گرم و شایان مدرسه لوهلن از شرکت کنندگان موقعیت بسیار مفرح و مطلوبی برای این اجتماع فراهم آورده بود.

برنامه کنفرانس همه روزه قبل از ظهر به استفاضه از بیانات جناب دکتر شاپور راسخ عضو محترم هیئت مشاورین قاره ای در اروپا که سخنران مدعو کنفرانس بودند اختصاص داشت. موضوعهائی که در . جلسات صبح مطرح گردید عبارت بود از:

تحول جامعه بهائی در نیم قرن اخیر مسائل مهمی که در جامعه معاصر مطرح است کتاب مستطاب اقدس سرچشمهء مؤسسات عمده بهائی

بیانات جناب دکتر راسخ که در نهایت شیوانی و بنحوی مشروح ایراد میشد مورد استقبال و علاقه شدید حاضران قرار گرفت سایر جلسات این کنفرانس به ارائه مطالب ذیل اختصاص داشت

. استنتاجاتی از آثار مبارکه قلم اعلی در بارهء تربیت معنوی" توسط دکتر ایرج ایمن . مروری بر لوح مدينة التوحيد از آثار قلم اعلى توسط مهندس حبیب ریاضتی . مضامینی از کتاب مستطاب پنج شان از آثار حضرت نقطهء اولی توسط دکتر آهنگ ربانی . سیر و سلوک در مثنوی مبارک توسط مهندس موژان خادم • لوح مبارک قناع از آثار قلم اعلی و اشاراتی به حاج محمد کریم خان کرمانی توسط دکتر هوشنگ مهرآسا ه سوابق تاریخی و مضامین لوح شکرشکن توسط مهندس محبت الله سبحانی . معرفی آثار قلم اعلی در کتاب قرن بدیع توسط خانم پریوش خوشبین

بعلاوه اجرای برنامههای ساز و نوا به سرپرستی مهندس منوچهر و همن و با همکاری خانم شکوه رضائی و جناب منصور سبحانی و دکتر ثابت راسخ و دکتر سینا ثابت راسخ و نیز سخنان شیرین و اشعار نغزی که مهندس بهروز جباری در ضمن اداره جلسات کنفرانس بمناسبت مسائل مورد بحث بیان میداشت بر شور و نشاط جلسات میافزود و بالاخره دکتر روح الله خوشبین با تقریر پایان سخن که به شیوه ای بسیار شیرین و شیوا تهیه نموده بودند گزارش و نتایج این کنفرانس را به استحضار دوستان رساندند.

کنفرانس دوستداران فرهنگ ایرانی FRIENDSOF PERSIAN CULTURE CONFERENCE

هفتمین کنفرانس سالانه دوستداران فرهنگ ایرانی از ۲۳ تا ۲۵ می سال ۱۹۹۷ در هتل هیلتن شیکاگو تشکیل خواهد شد.

این کنفرانس شامل برنامه های همزمان فارسی و انگلیسی خواهد بود.

بخشی از برنامه کنفرانس به بزرگداشت حیات آثار و خدمات ایادی عزیز امر الله جناب ابو القاسم فیضی اختصاص خواهد داشت

برای نونهالان بهائی نیز برنامه های ویژه ای در نظر گرفته شده است

دوستان میتوانند برای رزرو کردن اتاق مستقیماً با هتل تماس حاصل نمایند و ذکر فرمایند که برای شرکت در Bahá’í Arts Festival اتاق لازم دارند نرخ مخصوص کنفرانس برای هر اتاق شبی ۸۹ دلار است این مبلغ فقط برای کرایه اتاق است و شامل مخارج خوراک و نام نویسی نمی شود.

تلفن هتل HILTONS-1-800

از علاقه مندان دعوت میشود برای نام نویسی در کنفرانس یا دریافت اطلاعات بیشتر با دفتر انجمن دوستداران فرهنگ ایرانی تماس حاصل نمایند

نشانی انجمن: Persian/American Affairs Office Bahá’í National Center 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201 تلفن: ۳۵۲۸-۷۳۳ (۸۴۷) فکس: ۰۲۴۷-۸۱۹ (۸۴۷) e-mail:

اطلاعات بیشتر درباره این کنفرانس در شمارههای بعدی این نشریه درج خواهد گردید.

اهداء مناجات به پرزیدنت کلینتن GIFT OF PRAYER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON

در ماه جولای گذشته پرزیدنت کلینتن سفری به شارلت Charlotte در ایالت کرولاینای شمالی کرد

یک نوجوان ۱۲ ساله بهائی به نام لوئیس پلگرینو Louis Pellegrino پس از دست دادن به رئیس جمهور نسخه قاب شده ای از یکی از مناجات های حضرت عبدالبها را به آقای کلینتن اهدا کرد.

حدود یک ماه بعد نوجوان بهائی نامه ای از کاخ سفید دریافت داشت که متن آن بدین قرار است

لوئيس ،عزیز از دیدار خود از شارلت بسیار لذت بردم و از استقبال گرمی که از من شد بسیار خوشحال شدم.

از آن دعای قاب شده ممنونم از سخاوت و بافکری تو بسیار سپاسگزارم از طرف هیلری Hillary و خود آرزوی بهروزی تو را دارم

امضاء بيل کلینتون

مقالاتی درباره اهدائی لوئیس و جواب رئیس جمهور در دو روزنامه محل به انتشار رسید.

تشکیل یک مرکز اطلاعاتی و تبلیغی بهائی BAHÁ’Í INFORMATION AND TEACHING CENTER

در شهر کوچک Issaquah واقع در ایالت واشنگتن شهری که ۵۳ سال پیش نخستین بهائیان به فتح روحانی آن موفق شدند، مرکزی برای اطلاعات و تبلیغ امر مبارک تشکیل گردیده است.

تشکیل این مرکز با کوشش های یک لجنه تبلیغی خاص صورت گرفت که تحت اشراف سه محفل روحانی محلی کار می کرد.

محل این مرکز در طبقه همکف ساختمانی در مرکز تاریخی شهر از اول آگست سال جاری کرایه شد.

روز ۷ سپتمبر جلسهای با حضور احباء در آن تشکیل شد و در مرکز روز ١٦ سپتمبر به روی همگان باز شد.

یک آگهی درباره افتتاح این مرکز در برنامه رسمی Salmon Days به بیش از ۱۰۰ هزار نفری که سالانه در آن برنامه شرکت می کنند فرستاده شد.

احباء از اواخر دهه ۷۰ در این برنامه شرکت کرده اند و در مراسم راهپیمائی Salmon Days جوائز متعددی دریافت نموده اند

جلسه سران اقوام و نژادها ETHINIC SUMMIT IN DETROIT

احبای دیترویت و حومه در یک جلسه نژادی که ۴ اکتبر سال جاری در یکی از دانشگاه ها تشکیل شد سهم عمده ای بر عهده داشتند.

رئیش محفل روحانی دیترویت به همراهی گروهی از احباء در این جلسه شرکت داشت و یکی دیگر از یاران رئیس مشترک هیئت برنامه ریزی بود.

این جلسه با همت احباء و بیش از ۴۰ سازمان دینی و نژادی تشکیل شد و برگزاری آن با کمک یک مؤسسه غیر انتفاعی کمک به مهاجران صورت گرفت

یکی از احباء که عضو هيئت مديرة مؤسسة مذکور نیز هست در تأمین بودجه برای تشکیل این جلسه دست داشت و یکی از دیگر احباء در اجرای جزئیات مربوط به خدمات پشت پرده مشغول بود.

حقوق الله

از دوستان عزیز مستدعی است تقدیمی های حقوق الله را در وجه Bahá’í Huququllah Trust و به نشانی یکی از امنای حقوق الله ارسال فرمایند.

Dr. Elsie Austin 9039 Sligo Creek Parkway, # 612 Silver Spring, MD 20901

Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA 90402

Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, OH 44116 [Page 29]

گزارش ساختمان‌های قوس

ARC PROJECTS PROGRESS REPORT

دارالتبلیغ بین المللی

ساختمان دارالتبلیغ بین المللی بنای عظیمی است که ۹ طبقه خواهد داشت و شامل یک محوطه پارکینگ و قسمتی به نام "محوطه عمومی" و در مجموع ۱۹ هزار متر مربع خواهد بود.

ریختن مواد ضد رطوبت و خاک‌ریزی در جریان اجراست و تعداد کارگران برای تسریع کار ساختمان افزایش یافته است. در نتیجه کار بتون‌ریزی ماهانه به ۷۰۰ متر مکعب رسیده است.

یکی از ویژگی‌های ساختمان دارالتبلیغ بین‌المللی دیوارهای انحنادار است که برای ساختن آن از قالب‌هائی خاص که از آلمان رسیده، استفاده شده است.

قالب مخصوص آشپزخانه در محوطه عمومی دارالتبلیغ تا طبقه چهارم ریخته شده و لوله‌کشی و نصب مجاری فاضل آب آشپزخانه در جریان اجراست. آشپزخانه چنان طرح شده که بتوان در آن برای حدود ۹۰۰ نفر غذا تهیه کرد.

مرمرکاری

هنگامی که ستون‌های مرمری مرکز مطالعهٔ نصوص نصب شد، مرمرکاری دیوارهای نیم‌دایره‌ای راهروی ورودی آغاز شد. تمام سطح دیوار و ورودی اصلی مرمرکاری شده است. در حال حاضر سطح مرمری پوشیده شده تا از آسیبی که ممکن است از دیگر امور ساختمانی بر آن وارد شود، جلوگیری گردد.

طبقات تحتانی

هر کس از خیابان بن‌گوریان گذر کند نخست گنبد طلایی مقام حضرت اعلی توجهش را جلب می‌کند که در حول آن چشم‌انداز سبز‌رنگی دیده می‌شود.

هفت طبقه باغ‌های زیرین مقام اعلی که بنای آن اتمام یافته جلوهٔ خاصی دارد. در دو ماه گذشته بیش از ۲۰ هزار گیاه کاشته شده و در حال حاضر قسمت‌های داخلی و خارجی طبقات ۹ تا ۵ تکمیل شده است.

نگهداری از طبقاتی که بنای آن انجام گرفته کاری است که به دقت و توجه ویژه‌ای نیاز دارد و ترتیب حفاظت از درختان و گیاهان در طبقات حول مقام به نحوی که بهترین جلوهٔ خود را داشته باشند امر دشواری است.

گل‌های این طبقات هر سال حد اقل سه بار از نو کاشته می‌شود. هفته‌ای چند بار نیز گل‌های پژمرده شده جمع‌آوری می‌شود تا از جلوهٔ دیگر گل‌ها نکاهد. بوته‌ها نیز به توجه مداوم نیاز دارند تا شکل خاص خود را متناسب با ظاهری که از پیش برایشان در نظر گرفته شده نگاه دارند.

طبقات فوقانی

کار تکمیل طبقات بالای مقام اعلی نیز مستمراً در شرف اجراست. ساختمان حوض‌های فواره دار بتونی در طبقات ۱۶ و ۱۷ و ۱۸ و ۱۹ پایان گرفته و ساختن حوض‌های طبقه ۱۵ آغاز شده است.

دیوارهای درونی طبقه ۱۸ ساخته شده و سنگ‌کاری پله‌ها و جوی‌های طبقات ۱۸ تا ۱۵ آغاز گردیده و انتظار می‌رود طی ۱۰ ماه پایان گیرد.

در بالاترین قسمت طبقه ۱۹ که بنای آن از قسمت پائین کوه نیز دیده می‌شود، سنگ‌کاری دیوارها و بالکن‌های هر دو قسمت ساختمان در دست اجراست.

اطلاعیهٔ دفتر امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE OFFICE OF PERSIAN/AMERICAN AFFAIRS

دفتر امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی برای کمک به ادارهٔ دفتر به یک منشی برنامه‌ریزی احتیاج دارد. وظائف اصلی عبارت است از:

• کمک به امور انتشارات و برنامه‌های تزیید معلومات دفتر مذکور تحت نظر کلی و با همکاری با مدیر دفتر،
• برنامه‌ریزی برای تشکیل کنفرانس‌های "دوستداران فرهنگ ایرانی" و ترجمهٔ مدارک و نامه‌های مربوط به نشریه "آمریکن بهائی" از انگلیسی به فارسی و بالعکس.

واجدان شرایط باید مهارت کامل در تکلم و تحریر به زبان فارسی و انگلیسی داشته باشند.

از کسانی که مایل به خدمت در دفتر امور احبای ایرانی/آمریکائی باشند تقاضا می‌شود برای دریافت اطلاعات بیشتر با کارگزینی دفتر محفل روحانی ملی تماس حاصل نمایند. تلفن: ۳۴۲۹-۷۳۳ (۸۴۷)

تهیه وصیت‌نامه

WRITING A WILL

چنانکه دوستان عزیز آگاهی دارند حضرت بهاءالله در کتاب مستطاب اقدس یاران را موظف داشته‌اند که وصیت‌نامه‌ای از خود به جا گذارند.

رفاه کسانی که از لحاظ مادی وابسته به احباء باشند تنها از طریق نوشتن وصیت‌نامه تأمین خواهد شد. سوای این امر تهیهٔ وصیت‌نامه حاکی از اطاعت از امر جمال قدم است. در زیر خلاصه‌ای از فواید نوشتن وصیت‌نامه درج می‌شود.

۱- در وصیت‌نامه مشخص می‌شود افراد یا مؤسساتی که احباء مایلند دارائیشان به آنها برسد کدام خواهند بود.

۲- با نوشتن وصیت‌نامه می‌توان معین کرد افرادی که احباء مایلند قیم کودکانشان باشند، چه کسانی خواهند بود.

۳- تهیهٔ وصیت‌نامه ممکن می‌سازد که افرادی را که احباء مایلند برایشان تأمین مالی فراهم شود، مانند فرزندان خردسال یا بستگان سالمند، مشخص شوند.

۴- تهیهٔ وصیت‌نامه شرایط وقف دارائی به امر بهائی یا دیگر مؤسسات خیریه را معین می‌سازد. بدون وصیت‌نامه امکان و شرایط وقف املاک به جامعه امری وجود ندارد زیرا دولت تنها بستگان احباء را واجد شرایط برای دریافت ارث می‌داند.

نداشتن وصیت‌نامه می‌تواند برای عزیزان احباء زحمت و خرج به همراه داشته باشد. مالیاتی که به اموال افراد بدون وصیت‌نامه تعلق می‌گیرد بخش بیشتری از دارائی شخص را شامل می‌شود و فیصله دادن امور از طریق دادگاه ماه‌ها و گاه سال‌ها به طول می‌انجامد و ورثه احباء را که از لحاظ مادی متکی به آنان بوده‌اند در وضع ناگواری قرار می‌دهد.

برخی از یاران بدین بهانه که مال و ملکی ندارند و یا جوانند و سنی از آنان نگذشته از نوشتن وصیت‌نامه سر باز می‌زنند. باید به خاطر داشت که حکم وصیت‌نامه در کتاب اقدس برای همه احباء جدا از اینکه درویش یا توانگر، خردسال یا سالخورده، مجرد یا متأهل، زن یا مرد باشند نازل شده است.

جدا از جنبهٔ مادی و موارد عملی نوشتن وصیت‌نامه از این نکته نباید غافل بود که در کتاب اقدس حضرت بهاءالله فرمان داده‌اند که عنوان وصیت‌نامه با ذکر اسم اعظم و اعتراف به ایمان به مظهر امر الهی نازل شده است. بدین ترتیب نوشتن وصیت‌نامه را نباید تنها حکمی برای امور مادی خود دانست، بلکه اهمیت اصلی وصیت‌نامه در اجرای حکم الهی و اذعان به اطاعت از آن است.

بدین قرار از دوستان عزیز تقاضا می‌شود اطاعت از این حکم الهی را فراموش نفرمایند و در صورتی که مایل به دریافت اطلاعات دربارهٔ چگونگی تهیهٔ وصیت‌نامه باشند با دفتر محفل روحانی ملی تماس حاصل نمایند. تلفن: ۹۰۳۹-۸۶۹ (۸۴۷)

نیاز به داوطلب در مشرق‌الاذکار

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP

۳۰ سپتامبر روز آخر ساعات تابستانه در مشرق‌الاذکار آمریکا بود (۱۰ صبح تا ۱۰ شب).

بدون خدمات بی‌دریغ بیش از ۸ هزار نفر از داوطلبان بهائی در مشرق‌الاذکار امکان نداشت اطلاعات لازم به کسانی که از آن عبادت‌گاه مقدس دیدار کردند، داده شود.

داوطلبان زیادی در سال جاری از بسیاری از کشورهای جهان و نقاط گوناگون ایالات متحده جهت راهنمائی دیدارکنندگان و معرفی امر مبارک به آنان در مشرق‌الاذکار به خدمت پرداختند.

این عزیزان بهائی از دانمارک و هندوستان و کانادا و تانزانیا و لهستان و لبنان و زلاند نو و آفریقای جنوبی آمده بودند تا به نحوی در مشرق‌الاذکار خدمت نمایند.

حضرت ولی امرالله فرموده‌اند خدمت به امر مبارک مغناطیس تأییدات الهی است. بدین ترتیب از یاران عزیز دعوت می‌شود از طریق داوطلب شدن برای راهنمائی و میزبانی در ام‌المعابد غرب خود را محل نزول تأییدات ربانی فرمایند.

ساعت دیدار از مشرق‌الاذکار در ماه‌های پائیز و زمستان از ۱۰ صبح تا ۵ بعد از ظهر خواهد بود. هر شنبه ساعت ۱ بعد از ظهر کلاس‌هائی برای کارآموزی راهنمایان در مشرق‌الاذکار تشکیل می‌شود.

از علاقه‌مندان تقاضا می‌شود برای خدمت در این امر مهم با دفتر مشرق‌الاذکار تماس حاصل نمایند. تلفن: ۲۳۲۵-۸۵۳ (۸۴۷)

e-mail [Page 30]

کتاب اقدس

KITAB-I-AQDAS

یکی از آرزوهایی که احبای ایرانی همواره در دل داشته اند این بوده که بتوانند کتاب مستطاب اقدس را خریداری نمایند. در واقع یکی از سؤالاتی که همواره مطرح می‌شد این بود چرا کتاب اقدس به چاپ نمی‌رسد تا همگان بتوانند از مطالعه آن بهره‌مند شوند. احبای ایرانی از دیر باز از این محرومیت ناخشنود بوده‌اند و همواره چشم جانشان در انتظار داشتن آن کتاب مستطاب بوده است.

یکی از اهداف بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی برای سال ۱۹۹۲ ترجمه کتاب اقدس به زبان انگلیسی و تحشیه و سپس چاپ و انتشار آن در سراسر جهان بود. ترجمه انگلیسی کتاب اقدس هر چند نعمت بزرگی برای همه بهائیان جهان به شمار می‌رفت، اما آرزوی کسانی را که مایل بودند آن کتاب مستطاب را به زبان اصلی و با چاپ معتبر و مجاز داشته باشند، کاملاً برآورده نمی‌کرد.

اما چنانکه یاران عزیز آگاهی دارند بالاخره در سال ۱۹۹۵ کتاب مستطاب اقدس، ام‌الکتاب امر بهائی با خط زیبا و تذهیب بعضی از صفحات به زبان نزولی به چاپ رسید.

برای احبای ایرانی نخستین بار بود که این موهبت نصیبشان می‌شد که کتاب اقدس را با چاپ مجاز در خانه خود داشته باشند و با مطالعه آن از مفاد کلام بلند مظهر امر خدا آگاه شوند و از این رهگذر چشم دل خویش را روشن سازند و مشام جان را معطر نمایند.

دارالانشاء بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی در نامه‌ای به تاریخ ۱۶ اکتبر سال جاری مرقوم داشته اند:

"با ملاحظه تعداد احبای ایرانی در عالم فقط سی هزار نسخه از این کتاب مقدس به اراده بیت العدل اعظم الهی به طبع رسیده است. چون به نظر می‌رسد که یاران الهی آن طور که باید و شاید از انتشار آن کتاب مطلع نگشته‌اند، مقرر گردید... این بشارت عظمی به سمع یاران فارسی زبان برسد تا مستبشر گردیده و با استعانت از یادداشت‌ها و توضیحات لازمه که به تصویب بیت‌العدل اعظم فائز گشته در مطالعه آن استفاده بیشتر فرمایند و از ترجمه مطالبی که در طبع انگلیسی آن سفر کریم درج شده بهره گیرند و مطالب را آسان تر درک نمایند."

در چاپ جدید کتاب اقدس در آغاز کتاب در دیباچه کوتاهی درباره مندرجات این مجموعه و نحوه ترتیب و تدوین آن سخن رفته است. در مقدمه‌ای که بیت‌العدل اعظم مرقوم داشته‌اند از اهمیت و جامعیت این اثر مطالبی خاطر نشان شده و در شرح مفصلی از هدف تعالیم حضرت بهاءالله چنین آمده است:

"باید در نظر داشت که هر چند بعضی از احکام کتاب اقدس به گروه خاصی توجه دارد ولیکن همین احکام جنبه عمومی نیز دارد.... احکام [کتاب اقدس] به کیفیتی در قالب کلمات و بیانات الهیه گنجانده شده تا ذهن خواننده را به این اصل مسلم متوجه سازد که مقصد غائی از احکام، در هر موضوعی که باشد، آن است که به جامعه انسانی آرامش خاطر بخشد و سطح رفتار و سلوک بشر را ارتقاء دهد و بر عرفان نفوس بیفزاید و هیأت اجتماعیه را مجتمعاً و منفرداً به حیات روحانی دلالت نماید."

سپس اشاره شده که یک سوم ترجمه حاضر به دست مبارک حضرت ولی امرالله صورت گرفته و دو سوم باقی با همت مترجمان با صلاحیت، با دقت انجام یافته و سعی شده با ترجمه هیکل مبارک هماهنگ باشد.

پس از این مقدمه صفحاتی از کتاب قرن بدیع در وصف کتاب اقدس نقل شده و سپس متن اصلی کتاب به زبان عربی که زبان نزول آن کتاب مستطاب است، آمده است.

آیات کتاب اقدس برای سهولت در مراجعه به ۱۹۰ بند تقسیم شده و در ۱۸۰ صفحه جای گرفته است.

پس از متن اصلی کتاب فصلی با عنوان "ملحقاتی بر کتاب اقدس نازله از قلم اعلی" گنجانده شده که حاوی بخشی از لوح اشراقات و متن کامل نمازهای روزانه بهائی و صلات میت است.

پس از این فصل متن کامل "رساله سؤال و جواب" درج شده است. همچنین ترجمه فارسی رساله "تلخیص و تدوین حدود و احکام کتاب اقدس" پس از "رساله سؤال و جواب" چاپ شده است.

در فصل "یادداشت‌ها و توضیحات" شرح روشن و ساده‌ای از برخی از آیات کتاب اقدس درج شده است. بخش آخر کتاب حاوی "فهرست کلی اعلام و مواضیع" است.

چنین به نظر می‌رسد که احبای ایرانی چنانکه باید از انتشار این کتاب مقدس آگاهی نداشته‌اند زیرا "لجنه نشر آثار امری به لسان فارسی و عربی" که از جانب بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی مسؤولیت توزیع کتاب اقدس را بر عهده دارد در طی نامه‌ای اطلاع داده است که "طبق آمار سفارشات که توسط مؤسسه مطبوعات امری آلمان تهیه و حضور بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی معروض گردیده، معهد اعلی در مجموع از کندی پیشرفت امر سفارش این سفر جلیل... اظهار نگرانی فرموده اند."

حال که آرزوی جان احبای ایرانی با چاپ متن اصلی کتاب اقدس و ملحقات آن برآورده شده به آگاهی دوستان می رسانیم که آن عزیزان می‌توانند این کتاب را از کتابخانه‌های بهائی یا مستقیماً با تماس با مؤسسه توزیع آثار امری خریداری فرمایند.

تلفن: ۹۰۱۹-۹۹۹ (۸۰۰)

هشتاد و هشتمین کانونشن ملی

88th BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CONVENTION

محفل روحانی ملی از همه احبای عزیز دعوت می‌کند در هشتاد و هشتمین کانونشن ملی که در Holiday Inn O’Hare, 5440 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois برگزار خواهد شد، شرکت نمایند.

محفل روحانی ملی بار دیگر ترتیبی داده اند که ۱۸۰۰ نفر از احباء بتوانند در کانونشن ملی شرکت فرمایند. محل تشکیل کانونشن امسال همان محل کانونشن سال گذشته است که به سبب نزدیکی آن به فرودگاه اصلی شیکاگو و شاهراه‌های اصلی مورد خشنودی شرکت کنندگان قرار گرفته بود.

شرکت‌کنندگان در کانونشن - غیر نمایندگان - خواهند توانست از آنچه در خلال کانونشن واقع می‌شود اطلاع یابند و از وضعیت کنونی جامعه بهائی در آمریکا آگاه شوند و شاهد مشاورات نمایندگانی که محور اصلی آن گفتگو درباره نقشه چهارساله خواهد بود، باشند. حاضران در کانونشن افتخار خواهند داشت که پیام جدید رضوان معهد اعلی را که نخستین بار در کانونشن قرائت خواهد شد، به گوش جان بشنوند.

همچنین این افراد خواهند توانست در جلسات مربوط به غیرنمایندگان شرکت کنند و از نمایشگاه‌های مختلف دیدار نمایند و به زیارت مشرق‌الاذکار آمریکا توفیق یابند.

در ماه اکتبر سال جاری ۱۷۱ نماینده از طرف جوامع گوناگون بهائی برای شرکت در کانونشن ملی انتخاب شدند. مسؤولیت اصلی نمایندگان انتخاب اعضای محفل روحانی ملی و مشورت درباره مسائلی است که برای جامعه بهائی در درجه اول اهمیت قرار دارد.

هنگامی که نمایندگان پس از شرکت در کانونشن به محل سکونت خود باز گردند، وظیفه دارند رویدادهای کانونشن را به احبای جوامعی که از آن انتخاب شده‌اند، گزارش دهند.

حضرت ولی عزیز امرالله فرموده‌اند که زمان انتخاب اعضای محفل ملی باید در نیمه راه کانونشن صورت گیرد تا محفل قبلی فرصت داشته باشد با نمایندگان به مشورت پردازد.

بدین قرار نمایندگان بهائی روز شنبه به مشرق‌الاذکار خواهند رفت و با صفای دل و اعتماد به مظهر امر الهی به ۹ نفر از کسانی که آنان را واجد شرایط برای عضویت در محفل ملی می‌دانند رأی خواهند داد.

از دوستانی که مایل به شرکت در کانونشن ملی باشند، تقاضا می‌شود برای یافتن ورقه نام‌نویسی و اطلاعات مربوط به گرفتن جا به صفحات انگلیسی این نشریه مراجعه فرمایند.

کرسی صلح در دانشگاه مریلند

BAHÁ’Í CHAIR FOR WORLD PEACE

روز ۳۰ سپتامبر سال جاری دانشگاه مریلند اعلام کرد که هدف مالی ۱/۵ میلیون دلار برای تکمیل موقوفه کرسی بهائی صلح در دانشکده علوم رفتار حاصل شده است.

کرسی مذکور که در سال ۱۹۹۳ تأسیس شد، با تأکید به ابعاد دینی و روحانی منازعات جهان به اشاعه بررسی راه‌های جدید به هماهنگی نژادی و فرهنگی در جوامعی که جنگ آنها را از هم فروپاشیده، پردازد.

کوشش‌های مربوط به جمع‌آوری تبرعات برای این موقوفه از اکتبر سال ۱۹۹۵ آغاز گردید. آقای هرمز هرمزی ساکن الجین Elgin در ایالت ایلینوی مسؤول ۴ هیئت ویژه برای جمع‌آوری وجوه در سراسر آمریکا بود. [Page 31]

Gordon Estes, former pioneer to Costa Rica, dies at age 85

Gordon Estes, a former pioneer to Costa Rica and traveling teacher to Romania, Mexico and Guatemala, died August 12. He was 85 years old.

Mr. Estes left Los Angeles in 1973 to settle in Costa Rica and served that community for two and a half years. He then returned to California, but was eager to teach the Faith in Central America whenever he could.

In the summer of 1976 he, his daughter Eileen and other friends traveled in Mexico and Guatemala teaching and deepening throughout the summer months.

In the summer of 1979 they returned to Mexico, visiting the Indian peoples and endearing themselves to all they met. The National Teaching Committee of Mexico expressed its appreciation for their "devoted and sacrificial efforts" in reaching these populations.

Another trip to parts of Mexico was undertaken in December of that same year. Gordon and Eileen returned to Guatemala as traveling teachers during the summer of 1981.

In 1991-92, when Mr. Estes was 80 years old, father and daughter served the teaching plans of the young Bahá’í community of Romania for a full year. On receiving the news of his passing, the following message was sent by the Universal House of Justice:

"With deep sadness we have learned of the passing of dedicated, longstanding promoter of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh Gordon Estes. His many years of service as a pioneer to Costa Rica and traveling teacher to other countries in Latin America and Europe are fondly and gratefully remembered. We extend loving sympathy to the members of his family. Be assured of our ardent prayers in the Holy Shrines for the progress of his soul throughout the worlds of God."

Hilda M. Pulley, long-time homefront pioneer in CA, dies at her post at age 87

Hilda M. Pulley, a Bahá’í for nearly half a century who became a homefront pioneer to Temple City, California, in 1948 and remained there until the end of her life, died May 10. She was 87 years old.

Mrs. Pulley was an active member of the Spiritual Assembly of Temple City until her passing, serving at various times as its secretary, treasurer and chairman.

Although a shy person, she taught the Faith to many including her best friend, Helen Mirkovich, a tireless teacher whose efforts in the U.S. and Central America led to the enrollment of many believers including those who would become members of National Spiritual Assemblies and Auxiliary Boards and, in one instance, a Continental Counselor.

At Mrs. Pulley's funeral, attended by more than 100 friends and family, the following message from the National Spiritual Assembly was read:

"Indefatigable maidservant Hilda Pulley will always be lovingly remembered for her many acts of kindness. Her more than a half century of dedication and commitment to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh are her legacy to present and future generations and inspire each of us to greater sacrifice. When they meet next weekend, the National Spiritual Assembly and the Continental Counselors serving North America will beseech the Almighty in the Mother Temple of the West to give this newly welcomed one her full share of divine blessings and speed the precious soul of dearly loved Hilda Pulley toward its beloved where 'days of blissful joy and heavenly delight' are assuredly in store for her."

Jean Platt Nwachuku, pioneer to Nigeria, dies in Connecticut

Jean Platt Nwachuku, a pioneer to Nigeria for 12 years and a member of that country's National Spiritual Assembly for most of that time, died September 13 in Ellington, Connecticut.

While in Nigeria she met and married her husband, Adiele, a native of that country.

Mrs. Nwachuku and her family returned to the States in 1987, settling in Ellington.

In Ellington, Mrs. Nwachuku served as a member of the local Assembly, on the District Teaching Committee and on the New World Bahá’í School Committee.

During her recent illness, it was reported that many were impressed with her equanimity and unshakeable faith in God.

Elizabeth Kappus, former pioneer to Peru, Ecuador, dead at 74

Elizabeth Kappus, a former pioneer to Peru and Ecuador, died in New York state in December 1995.

She was born September 6, 1921, and embraced the Faith as a 27-year-old in 1948. During the Ten Year Crusade, she and her husband Fred and their children left their farm in New York to pioneer, first to Peru from 1958-60, then to Ecuador from 1960-63.

In 1963 the family returned to the farm. The Kappus's continued to undertake traveling teaching trips to Central and South America.

Then, responding to a request from the National Assembly of Ecuador, she and her husband returned to Ecuador for six months in 1973-74. The Kappus's prepared a motor home to serve as a mobile teaching and deepening institute and planned more traveling teaching, visiting Nicaragua for three months in 1975 and another three months in Mexico in 1977.

In 1978, they again visited Ecuador and Peru and spent three months in Uruguay in 1979. One more trip to Ecuador and Peru followed in 1984. On learning of Mrs. Kappus's death, the Universal House of Justice sent the following message:

"...Dear Betty will be long remembered for the loving dedication with which she and her family served the Faith for many years, in numerous countries, and will be sorely missed by the friends whose hearts she touched in countless ways. Be assured of the prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines for the progress of Betty's soul in the Abhá Kingdom, and that her husband, Fred, and her children and their families may be solaced, during this time, through the divine grace of the Blessed Beauty."

Bahá’ís turn Pittsburgh's annual 5K and 10K run into teaching, proclamation event for thousands

Pittsburgh's annual 5K and 10K run, known as "The Great Race," draws thousands of people from many miles around to run, jog, walk or just socialize.

The Bahá’ís of Donora Borough, Pennsylvania—all two of them, Rodger A. Johnson and Craig Parke—decided this was an ideal teaching opportunity. They made plans to wear Bahá’í T-shirts, walk along with the throng of people, and see what would happen.

Rodger's wife, Karen Johnson, hand-painted the T-shirts herself. Working from plain white T-shirts she painted the earth, across which flew a dove of peace carrying an olive branch in its beak. In big letters above the earth was the word "Bahá’í," and below the globe were the words "Bahá’í World Faith."

The day of the race, September 29, was somewhat chilly at 6 a.m. when the Bahá’í contingent left Donora for Pittsburgh, and didn't warm up much by the beginning of the 5K, which the two men, being middle-aged and "a bit portly," decided to walk.

According to the mayor, who welcomed everyone to the race, there were more than 2,000 participants in the 5K race alone.

As the Bahá’ís walked along the streets of the Steel City, talking to people, handing out Bahá’í literature and generally enjoying the day, hundreds saw and a few even commented on the T-shirts. And although there were only the two of them the Bahá’ís felt they had accomplished something good for Bahá’u’lláh that morning.

Rodger and Craig also made it a goal for next year to get themselves into shape enough to run the 10K race. Any challengers?

Telephone number for the Bahá’í National Center Bulletin Board Service (BNCBBS): 847-869-0389.

Annamarie Baker, veteran pioneer to Bolivia, dies in Cochabamba

Annamarie Baker, a longtime pioneer to Bolivia, died in April 1995 at her post in Cochabamba.

Mrs. Baker was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Mattoon, prominent early believers in the U.S., and was married to Dr. William Baker, son of the Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker.

As a baby she was among the last pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before His passing in 1921.

The Bakers pioneered to Peru in 1968, moving to Bolivia a few years later. Dr. Baker remains a pioneer in Bolivia.

Besides serving the Faith in Cochabamba, Mrs. Baker taught kindergarten for several years in one of the local public schools.

IN MEMORIAM

Mahtaban Bastani College Station, TX June 22, 1996

Golara Behrouz Tustin, CA August 13, 1996

Frank Boyce Hot Springs, AR September 24, 1994

Homer Bryans Orange City, FL August 24, 1996

Sophia Butterfield Santa Rosa, CA April 24, 1996

Say Chou Cha Portland, OR September 1996

Alan Clement Kansas City, KS September 3, 1996

J.M. Conrader Oconomowoc, WI August 5, 1996

Oscar O. Cooper Tucson, AZ September 15, 1996

Kathryn Davison Greensboro, NC July 6, 1996

Joan Dilley Canon City, CO June 30, 1996

Robert Dutton Wells, ME October 15, 1996

Fatima Z. Eshraghi Fresno, CA August 25, 1996

Kaare Evensen Sr. Ignacio, CO October 14, 1996

Perry F. Gawen Arlington, VA August 14, 1996

Giovan Granger Alexandria, VA October 10, 1996

Willie Mae Harris Tuscaloosa, AL October 5, 1996

Helen Hartley Columbia, SC August 24, 1996

Ernest Haukedahl Grafton, ND May 1, 1996

Neil G. Jacob Chicago, IL October 1996

Paul E. Johnson Springfield, IL September 26, 1996

Behfar Kazerouni San Diego, CA September 26, 1996

Cora Langston Fayetteville, NC August 3, 1996

Joseph Lavadour Sr. Walla Walla, WA August 6, 1996

Sadat Ostovar Tajikistan September 10, 1996

Velouse Posy Montreal, Canada August 17, 1996

Kenneth Magnuson Jr. Tipp City, OH February 18, 1996

Josephine McFadden Lake City, SC August 30, 1996

Angeline Miller Kershaw, SC July 1996

Elinor Pressley Delray Beach, FL June 1996

Elizabeth Pressley Nesmith, SC August 1996

Louise Sawyer Greensboro, NC August 29, 1996

Mohammed Khani Spain July 1996

Manieh Mohtadi San Jose, CA October 11, 1996

John L. Morris Jr. Philadelphia, PA April 23, 1996

Ruth Mott Lake Forest, CA September 8, 1996

Ethelbert Neukirchen Seattle, WA August 20, 1996

Jean Nwachuku Ellington, CT September 13, 1996

Theodore St. John Madison, WI August 26, 1996

Kirby Townsend Chicago, IL September 25, 1996

Vivian Whaley Flint, MI September 15, 1996

Wallace Winship Seattle, WA June 1996

Robert Zanders Byron, GA September 22, 1996 [Page 32]

CALENDAR

Three Bahá’í communities in southern San Luis Obispo County, California, sponsored this float in the annual Arroyo Grande ‘Harvest Festival’ parade and celebration September 28. This year’s theme was ‘Harvest Hoedown,’ which all participants were required to tie into with their parade entries. The Bahá’í float was preceded by three youth carrying a banner which read ‘Bahá’í Faith.’ About 20 Bahá’ís served in various capacities to help make the event happen.

MOVING? TELL US YOUR NEW ADDRESS.

To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving The American Bahá’í, send all family members' names, new address and mailing label to: Management Information Services, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611. If acquiring a Post Office box, your residence address (c) must be filled in. Please allow 3 weeks for processing. (This also updates National's data base.)

A. NAME(S):
1. ____________________ I.D. # ____________________ Title __________	2. ____________________ I.D. # ____________________ Title __________
3. ____________________ I.D. # ____________________ Title __________	4. ____________________ I.D. # ____________________ Title __________
B. NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS:	C. NEW MAILING ADDRESS:
__________________________________________________ Street address	__________________________________________________ P.O. Box or Other mailing address
__________________________________________________ Apartment # (If applicable)	__________________________________________________ Apartment # (If applicable)
__________________________________________________ City	__________________________________________________ City
State __________ Zip code __________	State __________ Zip code __________
D. NEW COMMUNITY:	E. HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER:
________________________________________ Name of new Bahá’í Community	(_____) __________ Name ____________________ Area code Phone number
____________________ Moving date
F. WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S):
(_____) __________ Name ____________________ Area code Phone number	(_____) __________ Name ____________________ Area code Phone number
G. WE RECEIVE EXTRA COPIES BECAUSE:	H. I WOULD LIKE A COPY:
[ ] we do not have the same last name. [ ] the last names and addresses on our address labels do not match. We have listed above the full names of all family members as they should appear on the national records, their I.D. numbers, and the corrections so that we will receive only one copy. [ ] We do not want extra copies, so please cancel the copy for the person(s) and I.D. number(s) listed above.	[ ] Our household receives only one copy of The American Bahá’í. I wish to receive my own copy. I have listed my name, I.D. number and address above.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

For information about events sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly or its agencies at the Bahá’í National Center, please phone 847-869-9039 and ask for the relevant department. The numbers for the permanent Bahá’í schools and institutes are as follows: Bosch Bahá’í School, phone 408-423-3387; fax 408-423-7564; e-mail __________ Green Acre Bahá’í School, phone 207-439-7200; fax 207-439-7202; e-mail __________ Louhelen Bahá’í School, phone 810-653-5033; fax 810-653-7181; e-mail __________ Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, phone 803-558-5093; fax 803-558-9114; e-mail __________ Native American Bahá’í Institute, phone/fax 520-521-1063; e-mail __________

NOVEMBER

29-December 1: “Spiritual Transformation, Dawn of a New Day,” conducted by Leonard Smith, Green Acre Bahá’í School.

29-December 1: Fourth annual May Township Bahá’í Youth Conference, “Imbued with the Spirit,” Wilder Forest, Minnesota. Cost: $100/person which includes 3 days, 2 nights lodging and all meals. For more information, write to Maddy Papermaster, __________ Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047-9748, or phone 612-433-3686.

DECEMBER

6-8: Core Curriculum Race Unity Facilitator Training Session, Louhelen Bahá’í School, conducted by the National Bahá’í Education Task Force.

6-8: Seekers/New Believers Weekend, Bosch Bahá’í School. Also, session on computers, facilitated by Farshid Sabet.

8-22: Teaching campaign, South Africa, focusing on teaching through the arts. For information, contact the Office of Pioneering at the Bahá’í National Center.

13-15: Assembly Team Development Weekend, Bosch Bahá’í School.

13-15: “To Move the World” with author Gayle Morrison, Louis Gregory Institute administrator Charles Bullock and others, Louhelen Bahá’í School.

13-15: Core Curriculum Teacher Development Seminar (for those who have already received Core Curriculum teacher training), Green Acre Bahá’í School.

19-22: 1996 Bahá’í Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas, sponsored by the Rabbani Charitable Trust, Clarion Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Florida. For information, phone 407-740-5415.

20-23: 12th annual Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Phoenix, Arizona, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Phoenix (begins Friday evening). Sessions for adults, youth and children. Goal: to create action plans for implementing the Four Year Plan. For information, phone 602-375-8082 or fax 602-944-8822. For hotel reservations, phone 800-233-1234 or 602-252-1234.

21-January 1: Advanced Academy, Bosch Bahá’í School, covering Islam, the Writings of the Báb, the Covenant, and economics.

21-25: Winter I, “Health and Healing,” Bosch Bahá’í School, with Dr. Kerry McCord and Debbie Hasty. Also, “A Quarter-Century in Haifa,” facilitated by David Hofman and Mrs. Harriett Wolcott.

23-25: 10th anniversary celebration, Bahá’í House of Worship, India. For information, contact the Office of Pioneering at the Bahá’í National Center.

26-29: Winter School, Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, South Carolina. For information, phone Mahin Kozlow, 803-386-3744 (evenings).

26-January 1: Forum ’96, “The Millennium and World Peace,” Landegg Academy, Switzerland. Among those taking part will be Counselor David Smith and Robert C. Henderson, secretary-general of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly. Contact Landegg Academy, CH-9405 Wienacht/AR, Switzerland (phone +41-71-891 91 31; fax +41-71-891 43 01; e-mail __________).

27-29: Illinois (Heartland) Bahá’í School, Springfield Hilton Hotel. Contact Carl Clingenpeel, __________ Aurora, IL 60504 (phone 630-898-6385). Registration deadline: December 8.

27-January 1: Sixth annual Bahá’í Mid-Winter Youth Conference, Cleveland, Ohio. Theme: “Bahá’í Youth and the Four Year Plan.” For information, write to the Bahá’í Youth Board, __________ Cleveland, OH 44122, phone 216-283-8526, or e-mail __________.

27-January 1: Annual Family Winter School with Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi and Auxiliary Board member James Sturdivant, Louhelen Bahá’í School.

27-January 2: Winter School, “Applying Bahá’í Teachings to the Needs of Society,” “ ‘Amatu’l-Bahá’s Historic Visit to Brazil,” and “The Kitáb-i-Aqdas as a Powerful Means for the Spiritualization of Humankind,” Green Acre Bahá’í School.

28-January 1: Winter II, “The Individual and the Four Year Plan,” Bosch Bahá’í School, with Erica and Barney Leith from the UK. Also, “Bringing God Into Your Life,” facilitated by Anthony Greene.

26-January 1: “Forum ’96: The Millennium and World Peace,” Landegg Academy, Wienacht, Switzerland.

JANUARY

3-5: College Club Symposium, sponsored by the National Youth Committee, Bosch Bahá’í School.

3-8: Fourth European Discourse Seminar, Madrid, Spain, sponsored by the European Bahá’í Youth Council. For information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center.

9-12: International Youth Conference, Peru. Theme: “Toward the Spiritual Conquest of the Planet.” For information, contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center.

11-12: Eastern Colorado Bahá’í School. Contact Katherine Staller, __________ Evergreen, CO 80439 (phone 303-674-1478).

17-19: “With Efficiency and Love,” how communities can double their core of believers, with Peter and Pepper Oldjiev, Green Acre Bahá’í School.

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

QAWL B.E. 153 / NOVEMBER 23, 1996