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[Page 1]THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í MAY 17, 1998 ’AZAMAT/GRANDEUR BAHÁ’Í ERA 155

Representatives of the world's 175 National Spiritual Assemblies cast their ballots for the election of the Universal House of Justice during the eighth Bahá’í International Convention held April 29-May 2 at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel. Those elected to serve as members of the House of Justice for the next five years are Ali Nakhjavani, Peter Khan, Adib Taherzadeh, Glenford Mitchell, Ian Semple, Hooper Dunbar, Farzam Arbab, Douglas Martin and Hushmand Fatheazam.

A highlight of the Convention was the first-time participation of a number of National Spiritual Assemblies, most from Asian nations that emerged from the Soviet Union.

National Teaching Plan: A new level of unified momentum

BY THE NATIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE

THE POWER OF RACE UNITY:

Broadcasts June 7, June 14 on BET Cable Channel 11 p.m. Eastern 10 p.m. Central 9 p.m. Mountain 8 p.m. Pacific

Teaching momentum in the United States accelerated to a new level following the March 28 broadcast of The Power of Race Unity on the Odyssey Channel, complemented by teaching activities in hundreds of communities across the country.

In the first 10 days of the national campaign, about 6,000 people either inquired about the Bahá’í Faith or attended a Bahá’í activity.

Preliminary reports from AT&T and Advertel, which served respectively as the carrier for the national telephone number 1-800-22-UNITE and the server for the national default system, listed nearly 3,000 calls March 28-April 8. In addition, the public Web site (www.us.bahai.org) received about 300 inquiries for literature. A handful of the completed calls were from Bahá’ís who wanted to try out the phone system, but the vast majority were from seekers.

Inspiring the friends with his memories

Mr. ‘Aziz Yazdí inspires a gathering of friends at Chicago in April with tales of his encounters as a child with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Mr. Yazdí, who for years was a Counselor at the International Teaching Center, made a special trip for several appearances in the Midwest, including a warm-spirited visit at the House of Worship in Wilmette, where 200 people were spellbound with his story of watching the Master pray at the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. Photo by Ken Duszynski

Visions of Race Unity: Bahá’ís take action in West Virginia

The announcement went out to Bahá’í communities weeks ago: A television station in Charleston, West Virginia, led its March 13 broadcast with a report about the Bahá’í perspective on race unity, featuring interviews with children and contrasting the viewpoint with a small effort to organize a whites-only church in town.

That's the tip of the iceberg. The broadcast is part of a process transforming the community so swiftly that one believer called it "the end of life as we know it." In a diverse area that has shown little outward interest in race unity issues, the Bahá’ís find themselves at the center of the topic with a series of developments:

The television station continued to report on the community's efforts to raise the issue with public dialogues at the local library.

Devoted servant Florence Mayberry passes away

A message from the Universal House of Justice, April 9, 1998:

DEEPLY SADDENED LOSS OUTSTANDING VALIANT DEFENSE COVENANT, UNFLAGGING STAUNCH PROMOTER FAITH FLORENCE MAYBERRY. HER TIRELESS INSPIRED SERVICES, LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL, IN BOTH TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE FIELDS, SPANNING OVER FORTY YEARS, CROWNED BY UNFORGETTABLE DECADE AS COUNSELLOR MEMBER INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE. EFFORTS BLAZON NAME INTREPID FAR-FLUNG TRAVELS DISTINGUISH HER SPLENDID RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS. ASSURE FERVENT PRAYERS PROGRESS HER LUMINOUS SPIRIT. CONFIDENT BOUNTIFUL REWARDS ABHA KINGDOM.

THE NATIONAL FUNDS

Between May 1, 1997 and March 31, 1998

$25,600,000 Goal/All Funds $20,463,209 Received/All Funds National Fund Deficit: $1,705,652

EXCERPTS

"... the intention must be purified, the effort ennobled and exalted, so that you may establish affinity between the hearts of the world of humanity." — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [Page 2]

LETTERS FROM READERS

Be alert for opportunities to share unity message

To the Editors:

As we in the American Bahá’í community focus a national proclamation on the need for racial unity, I would like to suggest that our efforts could be much more effective if we were alert for particular opportunities that are presented to us.

For example, we know that the media and the American public are very interested in racial issues. But they are much more interested when something like the publication of The Bell Curve creates widespread turmoil. The Bahá’í writings address the subject of race and intelligence with teachings that describe intelligence as supernatural, a property of the human soul. We have teachings that address the kind of racial divide that swept the country during the O.J. Simpson trial. We have teachings that support the principle of affirmative action, an issue that is being hotly debated all around the country today.

If we as a national community would seize the opportunities to share the remedies given to us by the Divine Physician at times when they are most relevant to current events, I believe we would be much more effective teachers of this Cause.

Shoghi Effendi wrote, “The opportunities which the turmoil of the present age presents, with all the sorrows which it evokes, the fears which it provokes, the disillusionment which it produces, the perplexities which it creates, the indignation it arouses, the revolt which it provokes, the grievances it engenders, the spirit of restless search which it awakens, must ... be exploited for the purpose of spreading far and wide the knowledge of the redemptive power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and for enlisting fresh recruits into the ever-swelling army of His followers.” (Advent of Divine Justice, p. 40)

Our local community tries to take advantage of these opportunities. The Assembly is offering to share copies of some articles we published in our local paper on the issues described above. If interested, please send a self-addressed envelope to me at the address below.

Bonnie J. Taylor 317 Adams Ave. Glencoe, Illinois 60022

We can become closer without resort to gossiping

To the Editors:

Recently we learned that a good Bahá’í friend fell extremely ill, near death. Not too long ago we learned that another dear Bahá’í friend had major neck surgery, and another has serious cancer. Besides these trials of health, there are those we find out are dealing with the breakup of their marriage, loss of jobs, prolonged difficulties, and the list goes on.

Yes, we do eventually learn about these tests and trials of our friends, but always much after the fact. It leads me to suspect two things: 1) we really don’t understand the law of backbiting and gossip; 2) we have little or no sense of ourselves as a spiritually bonded community uniquely in love with a single divine source of salvation: Bahá’u’lláh.

Here I’m just making a query, not broaching an answer: If I learn that a Bahá’í in my community is facing a health challenge, is it gossiping to call other Bahá’í friends asking them to say healing prayers for so and so and asking them to also pass this message on? I wouldn’t have to say what the health (or personal) challenge is. And the other Bahá’ís understanding the law of gossiping shouldn’t try to get any more intimate information from me or allow their imaginations to go off.

I’m not a doctor or a health care technician, so I can’t offer any medical help. With none of these people have I been a “close, personal” friend, just a friend.

But I can pray. I could share the information with my family and we could pray together. I could bring it up at Feast so the community could pray, and at devotional meetings as well. If it is really serious, a group could hold a vigil. The afflicted Bahá’í doesn’t have to be “a leader” or well known. This person is our brother, our sister in Bahá’u’lláh. The power of prayer and care, multiplied by the unity of the community, is omnipotent.

Our sense of community should extend beyond meeting at meetings. Our sense of community is spiritual bonding, and can be done with “strangers.” In this world, in this point in history, we are such a small minority, and so many of us suffer such hardship because of our belief that our bond has to rest on no other factor than our shared love for Bahá’u’lláh.

When we hear that a Bahá’í is seriously ill, even if we don’t know the person specifically, we should yearn for their well-being in the will of God and pray for them. The bond should be beyond our life circumstances, our personalities, or our degree of activity in the community.

Nancy Yavrom Citrus Heights, CA

EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS

DANNY BERKMAN, a 10th-grader in Palm Desert, California, was recognized in February as a Golden State Scholar in math for the second year in a row.

ERIN BYRNE, a 14-year-old Bahá’í from Canton, Ohio, was awarded the 1997 Ohio Very Special Arts Young Soloist Award, qualifying to audition for the national competition. She sang two arias for the competition: “Le Violette, Gia Soleil del Ganger” and “My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair.” In 1996, she sang “Maid of Carmel” as a soloist with an international choir at its Canton performance.

ERIC GREEN, a 13-year-old Bahá’í from Lake County, California, was chosen as Student of the Month for January by the teachers at the Terrace School.

PRISCILLA L. GRIFFITH, a Bahá’í from Temple Terrace, Florida, has been appointed to a five-year term as co-editor of The Reading Teacher, a reading education journal distributed to 63,000 educators worldwide. Dr. Griffith will retain her position as a ‎fcaulty faculty‎ member and co-chair of the College of Education in the University of South Florida.

CHRIS B. HENNION, a 17-year-old Bahá’í from Norman, Oklahoma, is one of five students from Norman North High School to be designated a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship.

Bahá’ís ASHLEY LINEBARGER and RAPHAEL HABEEB’U’LLÁH won the girls’ and boys’ competitions, respectively, in an Optimist Club oratorical contest Feb. 28. They represented the Ewing/Deas Gavel Club, the youth affiliate of the Dawn-Breakers Toastmasters Club that meets at the Bahá’í Unity Center in South DeKalb County, Georgia. Ashley enunciated three principles of the Faith in her speech and Raphael quoted the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in his. Both repeated their speeches, which they wrote, at Sunday devotions at the Unity Center on March 8. The Atlanta Bahá’í Youth Workshop facilitated the program.

DELORES J. MARTIN, a Bahá’í in Springfield, Illinois, received an Unsung Heroine award sponsored by the public television show To the Contrary. The executive director of the Springfield Community Federation and former assistant attorney general was honored for her part in a local welfare-to-work program designed as a pilot project for the state. Bahá’í-inspired principles of consultation among government agencies were integral to her design of the project.

PHILIP SCRIBANI, a 9-year-old Bahá’í from Mineola, New York, recently won a gold medal at the Y.H. Park Taekwondo School Charity Festival held at C.W. Post University in Pennsylvania.

QUINN WALKER, a 9-year-old Bahá’í from Klamath, California, won first place among fourth-graders at the Del Norte County Speech Tournament with a talk about Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for racial equality. [Page 3]

Austin takes to the streets

March, rally draw hundreds

Some Texas-size strides are being made in Austin, the state capital.

The Bahá’í community recently capped a week of teaching with a wildly successful march and rally on Naw-Rúz. Soon after, the Spiritual Assembly announced it had purchased a building to replace the current, overcrowded Bahá’í Center.

Bahá’ís from all over Texas and from places as distant as New Jersey, Montana, Oregon, California, Kansas, Louisiana and New Mexico took part in the Unity of Mankind March and Rally and the week of activities that preceded it.

TARGETING DIVERSE AREAS

For several days they split up the city and knocked on doors, handing out about 2,000 invitations to the march and rally. Especially targeted were the 10th Ward, which is primarily African-American and Latino, and the predominantly white Travis Heights area.

Each morning, the teams deepened and performed memorization drills before going out to teach. They also took part in service projects.

An immediate impact was three declarations of belief in Bahá’u’lláh during the week and a turnout of about 250 for the march.

The march proceeded from Huston-Tillotson College to the Fiesta Gardens park. The route was symbolic. It bridged communities by combining the routes blacks and Latinos traditionally marched to the Capitol in seeking rights.

“We started this because we felt there were a lot of people striving for unity and we had hoped to demonstrate Bahá’í unity, which consists of blacks, browns, whites and all races and felt a march for the unity of mankind is a perfect response for the crying need of this nation,” Ramon Sepulveda explained in kicking off the march.

“We’re here to celebrate the diversity of mankind and enjoy each other’s company and work towards that peace, love and fellowship,” he said.

A multicolored balloon arch led the way for marchers. Police on motorcycles accompanied the marchers and held back traffic.

Banners proclaiming the oneness of mankind were held aloft, and Bahá’í Youth Workshops sang and danced. Neighbors stood outside their homes looking at the marchers and reading the signs.

Then began the rally, attended by about 450. Karen Pritchard of Plantation, Florida, a member of the Southern Regional Bahá’í Council, co-hosted with Bahá’í gospel singer Van Gilmer of Washington, D.C.

The Austin Bahá’í Youth Workshop performed, along with Mr. Gilmer, the San Antonio “country Bahá’í” group Los Nice Guys, hip-hop artists Justice Leeg from Los Angeles, and the song-and-dance team of Auxiliary Board member Robert Ramirez and Southern Regional Bahá’í Council member Lupita Ahangarzadeh.

Counselor Alejandra Miller addressed the crowd about the teaching work ahead and our responsibilities. National Spiritual Assembly member Jack McCants spoke movingly of the importance of this day.

At 7 p.m. the occasion became more informal, with some of the performers heard again and Bahá’ís and their guests mingling to deepen friendships and talk about the Faith. Firesides were held late into the night.

Organizers promise a bigger, even better Unity of Mankind March and Rally next year. By that time the Austin community will have its new center in place.

TO A LARGER CENTER

The present center opened in 1985 in a three-bedroom home that had been converted to a church.

The facility couldn’t long accommodate the growth. There was ‎chi little little‎ room for Nineteen Day Feasts or children’s classes.

But the search for a new property was suspended two years ago because of a lack of resources. It was only when an individual Bahá’í asked the Assembly to revisit the subject and included a check for $1,000 that the quest was renewed.

With that action as a catalyst, the Assembly appointed a task force to develop a plan. A phased approach was adopted, calling for fund raising, the sale of the present center, and search for a new facility.

Shortly after the first major fund-raising event, a 6,500-square-foot office building with ample parking near the old airport became available in a bankruptcy sale. The Assembly made an offer substantially below the building’s value. After a 30-day bidding period, the offer was accepted. ♦

The world in Haifa

Delegates from around the world mingle at the Bahá’í World Center during the celebration of the Ninth Day of Ridván just before the Bahá’í International Convention in Haifa, Israel. Photo courtesy of National Secretary’s Office

Enrollments

March ‘98	132
April ‘98	93
Total since May 1, ‘97:	1,595

THE FUND

May 1, 1997–March 31, 1998 Contributions received by National Treasurer

Received since May 1:	Goal for entire year:
$20,463,209	$27,000,000

• 76% of goal has been met
• 92% of fiscal year has passed

March 31, 1998 April 30, 1998

Allocations to other funds

Arc Projects Fund	$2,529,585
12% of contributions received by National Assembly (goal is 19%)
International Bahá’í Fund	$5,068,688
25% of contributions received by National Assembly (goal is 7%)
Continental Bahá’í Fund	$273,964
1.3% of contributions received by National Assembly (goal is 2%)
Other contributions:	$742,860

Total revenues and expenses

at Bahá’í National Center May 1, 1997–March 31, 1998

$15,872,840 Revenues ♦

$17,578,492 Expenses ▼

Resulting deficit: $1,705,652

♦ Includes contributions plus revenues from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Bahá’í Home, permanent schools, etc. ▼ Operating and capital expenses, not including depreciation.

Mail contributions to: National Bahá’í Fund 112 Linden Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091-2800 Please write Bahá’í ID # on check

Newly revised Assembly manual available

The eagerly anticipated revision to Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities: Guidelines for Spiritual Assemblies is completed. Originally published in 1989, the manual has become a standard source of reference for Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the United States.

Among the revisions are additional references from the Universal House of Justice and updates to the current policies of the National Spiritual Assembly on a variety of topics.

“With these revisions and an easier-to-use format,” said Theresa Mullen of the Office of Assembly Development, “it promises to be an even more valuable addition to the library of Assemblies and individual Bahá’ís who wish to better understand the Administrative Order and the application of spiritual and administrative principles.”

Most of the manual is a compilation of the Bahá’í Writings, including excerpts from the Writings of the Central Figures of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice.

Included are chapters on such subjects as: The Local Spiritual Assembly; The Formation of the Assembly; Organization of the Local Spiritual Assembly; Consultation; Protection of the Faith; Community Membership; Teaching and Consolidation; The Distinctive Bahá’í Community; Holy Days, The Nineteen Day Feast and Special Events; Bahá’í Education; External Affairs; Properties; Marriage; Divorce; Burial Law, Wills, and other miscellaneous topics. A list of suggested readings is provided at the end of each chapter, directing the reader to other information on the topic.

“When Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities was originally published, the intention was to update it on a regular basis—hence the loose-leaf format. Due to budget constraints and a lack of staff, it was not possible to fulfill this goal,” Mullen said.

“However, with the establishment of an Office of Assembly Development at the Bahá’í National Assembly, we hope now to realize this goal, and that Assemblies will not have to wait so long for future updates to the manual.” She added that the office “welcomes suggestions from users of the manual as part of the ongoing revision efforts.”

Every Assembly in the United States should obtain a copy of Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities: Guidelines for Spiritual Assemblies, and many Assemblies may wish to buy copies of the manual for each of their members. Copies may be purchased through the Bahá’í Distribution Service (phone 800-999-9019). ♦ [Page 4]

MESSAGE TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE WORLD

for Ridván, B.E. 155

Dearly loved Friends,

t this halfway mark in the Four Year Plan, we affirm with uplifted hearts that the worldwide Bahá’í community is breaking new ground at a dynamic stage in its evolution. The process of entry by troops, upon which its energies are focused, is clearly advancing.

Three developments brighten our expectations. One is in the solid results being produced wherever training institutes are in operation. Tens of thousands of individuals have over the last two years completed at least one institute course. The immediate effects upon them have been a greatly strengthened faith, a more conscious spiritual identity, and a deepened commitment to Bahá’í service. The second pertains to the notable improvement in the conditions affecting the establishment and renewal of Local Spiritual Assemblies. The decision to form these institutions only on the first day of Ridván, and to do so principally at the initiative of the communities to which they belong, was put into effect in 1997. While there was an immediate but not unexpected drop in the number of Local Assemblies worldwide, the decrease was not very large; in fact, increases were recorded in some countries. This outcome indicates that the process of maturation of these divinely ordained institutions is on course. The third is that a new confidence in teaching is stirring the friends, yielding impressive results in various regions. The potential for a steady and ever-expanding influx of new believers has always been great, and we are able to say with assurance that the capacity to actualize it is methodically being developed more than ever before with the prosecution of the current Plan.

Further to these signs of progress, we are gratified by the marvellous speed with which the construction projects on Mount Carmel proceeded to fulfil the schedule which had been set for the year just ended. Immediately ahead are the establishment in May of three new National Spiritual Assemblies—Sabah, Sarawak, and Slovakia—and the re-establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly in Liberia, raising to 179 the pillars of the Universal House of Justice.

In contemplating the divine favours being bestowed on our community, we acknowledge with deep gratitude the constancy of the acts of service being performed by the individual Hands of the Cause of God, by the International Teaching Centre, and by the Counsellors and their auxiliaries on all continents. The increasing strength of National Spiritual Assemblies also bolsters our certitude in the imminence of resounding victories.

Against this salutary picture of the community's prospects is the confused background of a planet at odds with itself. And yet, amid the widespread desolation of the human spirit, it is apparent that at some level of consciousness there is among the peoples of the world a growing sense of an irresistible movement towards global unity and peace. This sense is being aroused as the physical barriers between peoples are being virtually eliminated by breathtaking advances in science and technology.

Nevertheless, a mixed catalogue of world-shaking tribulations and world-shaping developments keeps humanity concurrently dazed and dazzled. The storms and stresses battering the social fabric are incomprehensible to all except the relatively few of the planet's inhabitants who recognize God's purpose for this Day.

Our fellow human beings everywhere are insensibly subjected at one and the same time to the conflicting emotions incited by the continuous operation of simultaneous processes of "rise and of fall, of integration and of disintegration, of order and chaos". These Shoghi Effendi identified as aspects of the Major Plan and Minor Plan of God, the two known ways in which His purpose for humankind is going forward. The Major Plan is associated with turbulence and calamity and proceeds with an apparent, random disorderliness, but is, in fact, inexorably driving humanity towards unity and maturity. Its agency for the most part is the people who are ignorant of its course and even antagonistic towards its aim. As Shoghi Effendi has pointed out, God's Major Plan uses "both the mighty and the lowly as pawns in His world-shaping game, for the fulfilment of His immediate purpose and the eventual establishment of His Kingdom on earth." The acceleration of the processes it generates is lending impetus to developments which, with all the initial pain and heartache attributable to them, we Bahá’ís see as signs of the emergence of the Lesser Peace.

Unlike His Major Plan, which works mysteriously, God's Minor Plan is clearly delineated, operates according to orderly and well-known processes, and has been given to us to execute. Its ultimate goal is the Most Great Peace. The four-year-long campaign, at the midpoint of which we have arrived, constitutes the current stage in the Minor Plan. It is to the achievement of its purpose that we must all devote our attention and energies.

At times it may seem that the operation of the Major Plan causes a disruption in the work of the Minor Plan, but the friends have every reason to remain undismayed. For they recognize the source of the recurrent turbulence at play in the world and, in the words of our Guardian, "acknowledge its necessity, observe confidently its mysterious processes, ardently pray for the mitigation of its severity, intelligently labour to assuage its fury, and anticipate, with undimmed vision, the consummation of the fears and the hopes it must necessarily engender."

Even a cursory survey of the global scene in recent years cannot but lead to observations fraught with special significance for a Bahá’í viewer. For one thing, amid the din of a society in turmoil can be discerned an unmistakable trend towards the Lesser Peace. An intriguing inkling is provided by the greater involvement of the United Nations, with the backing of powerful governments, in attending to long-standing and urgent world problems; another derives from the dramatic recognition by world leaders in only recent months of what the interconnectedness of all nations in the [Page 5]

FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

matter of trade and finance really implies a condition which Shoghi Effendi anticipated as an essential aspect of an organically unified world. But a development of even greater moment to the Bahá’í community is that a massive number of people are searching for spiritual truth. Several recently published studies have been devoted to this phenomenon. The ideologies that dominated the larger part of this century have been exhausted; at their waning in the century’s closing years, a hunger for meaning, a yearning of the soul, is on the rise.

This spiritual hunger is characterized by a restlessness, by a swelling dissatisfaction with the moral state of society; it is also evident in the upsurge of fundamentalism among various religious sects, and in the multiplication of new movements posing as religions or aspiring to take the place of religion. Here are observations that enable one to appreciate the interaction between the two divinely propelled processes at work on the planet. The manifold opportunities thus providentially provided to present the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to searching souls create a dynamic situation for the Bahá’í teacher. The implications for the task at hand are immensely encouraging.

Our hopes, our goals, our possibilities of moving forward can all be realized through concentrating our endeavours on the major aim of the Divine Plan at its current stage—that is, to effect a significant advance in the process of entry by troops. This challenge can be met through persistent effort patiently pursued. Entry by troops is a possibility well within the grasp of our community. Unremitting faith, prayer, the promptings of the soul, Divine assistance—these are among the essentials of progress in any Bahá’í undertaking. But also of vital importance to bringing about entry by troops is a realistic approach, systematic action. There are no shortcuts. Systematization ensures consistency of lines of action based on well-conceived plans. In a general sense, it implies an orderliness of approach in all that pertains to Bahá’í service, whether in teaching or administration, in individual or collective endeavour. While allowing for individual initiative and spontaneity, it suggests the need to be clear-headed, methodical, efficient, constant, balanced and harmonious. Systematization is a necessary mode of functioning animated by the urgency to act.

Towards ensuring an orderly evolution of the community, a function of Bahá’í institutions is to organize and maintain a process of developing human resources whereby Bahá’ís, new and veteran alike, can acquire the knowledge and capacity to sustain a continuous expansion and consolidation of the community. The establishment of training institutes is critical to such effort, since they are centres through which large numbers of individuals can acquire and improve their ability to teach and administer the Faith. Their existence underscores the importance of knowledge of the Faith as a source of power for invigorating the life of the Bahá’í community and of the individuals who compose it.

The facts at hand confirm that the Four Year Plan works where a systematic approach is understood and applied. These same facts show that the institutions of the Faith, in their collaborative efforts at national, regional, and local levels, have clearly been adhering to this understanding. However, with individuals, on whom rests the ultimate success of the Plan, this understanding is less clear. For this reason, we must emphasize to our fellow-believers the importance to their individual effort of this prerequisite of success in teaching and in other undertakings.

As translated into programmes and projects by national and local institutions, the Plan, among other things, gives direction, identifies goals, stimulates effort, provides a variety of needed facilities and materials to benefit the work of teachers and administrators.

This is of course necessary for the proper functioning of the community, but is of no consequence unless its individual members respond through active participation. In so responding, each individual, too, must make a conscious decision as to what he or she will do to serve the Plan, and as to how, where and when to do it. This determination enables the individual to check the progress of his actions and, if necessary, to modify the steps being taken. Becoming accustomed to such a procedure of systematic striving lends meaning and fulfilment to the life of any Bahá’í.

But beyond the necessity of responding to the call of the institutions, the individual is charged by Bahá’u’lláh Himself with the sacred duty of teaching His Cause, described by Him as the “most meritorious of all deeds.” So long as there are souls in need of enlightenment, this duty must surely remain the constant occupation of every believer. In its fulfilment, the individual is directly responsible to Bahá’u’lláh. “Let him not wait for any directions,” Shoghi Effendi urgently advises, “or expect any special encouragement, from the elected representatives of his community, nor be deterred by any obstacles which his relatives, or fellow-citizens may be inclined to place in his path, nor mind the censure of his critics or enemies.” The writings of the Central Figures and of our Guardian are replete with advice and exhortations concerning the individual’s irreplaceable role in the advancement of the Cause. So it is inevitable that we should feel impelled, at this particular time in the life of humanity as a whole, to appeal directly to each member of our community to ponder the urgent situation facing us all as the helpers of the Abhá Beauty.

Our lot, dear brothers and sisters, is to be consciously involved in a vast historic process the like of which has not ever before been experienced by any people. As a global community, we have, thus far, attained a unique and magnificent success in being representative of the full spectrum of the human race thanks to the inestimable expenditure of life, effort and treasure willingly made by thousands of our spiritual forebears. There is no other aggregation of human beings who can claim to have raised up a system with the demonstrated capacity to unite all of God’s children in one world-embracing Order. This achievement places us not only in a position of incomparable strength, but more particularly in one of inescapable responsibility. Does not every one of us therefore have a divine obligation to fulfil, a sacred duty to perform towards every other one who is not yet aware of the call of God’s latest Manifestation? Time does not stop, does not wait. With every passing hour a fresh affliction strikes at a distracted humanity. Dare we linger?

In a mere two years the Four Year Plan will be concluded, just some months before the end of an unforgettable century. Looming before us, then, is a twofold date with destiny. In extolling the unprecedented potential of the twentieth century, the beloved Master averred that its traces will last forever. Seized with such a vision, the mind of the alert follower of the Blessed Beauty must undoubtedly be astir with anxious questions as to what part he or she will play in these few fleeting years, and as to whether he or she will, at the end of this seminal period, have made a mark among those enduring traces which the mind of the Master perceived. To ensure a soul-satisfying answer, one thing above all else is necessary: to act, to act now, and to continue to act.

Our heartfelt plea at the Holy Threshold on behalf of us all is that we may be divinely aided and richly confirmed in whatever we do towards meeting the urgent aim of the Divine Plan at so fate-laden a moment in human history.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

RIDVAN 155 [Page 6]

Bahá’ís a major part of women’s rights drive

Effort from Bahá’ís was responsible for half of the 10,000 letters delivered in early March to U.S. Senate offices, urging that the U.S. ratify the U.N. Women’s Convention (CEDAW).

The National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of the Secretary for External Affairs delivered 5,000 letters from Bahá’ís and other supporters of CEDAW in the days before and after March 8, International Women’s Day.

The success of this phase of the Campaign for Commitment on CEDAW can be measured by the enormous response from people all over the country, in the more than 30 Senate offices which opened their doors to CEDAW advocates because of those letters, and in the response of the Clinton administration to this outpouring of support for CEDAW.

(Left to right) Mark Brown of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs, Dwight Bashir of the National Assembly’s Office of the Secretary for External Affairs, and Pat Rengel and Jim Russell of Amnesty International USA sort thousands of constituents’ letters in support of CEDAW for delivery to U.S. Senate offices in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy Office of the Secretary for External Affairs

In addition, several local newspapers ran articles on CEDAW as part of their coverage of International Women’s Day, thanks to the contributions of local CEDAW advocates in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Salt Lake City, Utah. (If you are interested in seeing any of those articles, contact the National Assembly’s Washington Office.)

Two of the senators selected for contact during the campaign have indicated they will support ratification of CEDAW. Sen. Richard Durbin, responding to the great work of the Bahá’í community and others in Illinois, was the first to indicate he will support the treaty. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was next. Other Senate offices are still considering their response.

In a ceremony March 11 celebrating International Women’s Day, President Clinton called on the Senate to consent to U.S. ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Pronouncing the acronym, CEDAW, the President noted that it was a “cumbersome acronym, but a simple idea.” The Bahá’í representative at that event had the opportunity to speak to the First Lady about the 10,000 letters delivered to the Senate offices.

Also that day the President sent a letter to Senate leaders announcing that “obtaining Senate advice and consent to the ratification of CEDAW is a top Administration priority during this session of Congress.” The President also said in the letter: “I am announcing my goal of having the full Senate act on CEDAW this year, which marks the 150th anniversary of the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York.”

The week of International Women’s Day, the President’s chief of staff called the Senate majority leader and said that the administration wanted a vote on the treaty in this anniversary year of the Seneca Falls convention. And the secretary of state spoke to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the administration’s goal of bringing the treaty to a vote in this year.

OUR NEXT ACTIONS

What are the next steps?

• First, keep writing letters to your senators—those who support the treaty, those who are undecided, or even those who oppose it. An international treaty needs 67 votes to pass the Senate, but the Campaign for Commitment has as a goal a more comfortable “super” majority of 75 senators committed to supporting the treaty. As of this writing, 54 senators are known to be committed to ratification.

Continued letter-writing and phone calls are important. Reach out to business and professional women’s groups, local groups working against violence against women, women in academia as well as local church groups if you have not already done so and encourage them to write their senators.

• Second, help develop local or state resolutions in support of CEDAW. With considerable Bahá’í assistance, the New Hampshire legislature just passed a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to consider ratifying CEDAW this year. Five other states have passed resolutions on CEDAW: California, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and South Dakota. Several local governments have also passed resolutions, including Evanston, Illinois; Iowa City, Iowa; Burlington, Vermont; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Rockford County, New York; Lexington/Fayette Counties, Kentucky; and Broward County, Florida.

If you are interested in this activity, contact the National Spiritual Assembly’s Washington office (see below) for the how-to packet on grassroots organizing on CEDAW.

• Third, use the media to help spotlight the issue. The President has called on the Senate in very clear terms to vote this year on the treaty, and has used the 150th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention (July 19-20) as a marker. Use or respond to coverage of events leading up to that anniversary as an occasion to mention CEDAW and call on senators to support a vote for ratification.

American women struggled for their rights. Women in other countries continue to struggle and U.S. support for CEDAW will help them in that struggle. Use stories to show CEDAW as a tool that works for women.

For information or assistance in any of the above activities, contact the National Spiritual Assembly’s Washington office (phone 202-833-8990, e-mail ).

The Age in Which Ye Live: Chastity emerges as a key to full equality

• Current Statistics: There were 9.9 million single mothers and 1.9 million single fathers in the United States in 1996. The total of single mothers includes those who maintain their own household (7.7 million) and those who live in the homes of relatives or nonrelatives. The number of single mothers has jumped more than 50 percent since 1980, when it was 6.2 million. (from Census Bureau data)

• Quotation: “The achievement of full equality requires a new understanding of who we are, what is our purpose in life, and how we relate to one another—an understanding that will compel us to reshape our lives and thereby our society.” —from Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men, statement by the National Spiritual Assembly

• Reflections: A note from “one of the many single mothers in our country” after attending a Bahá’í meeting on the equality of women and men sponsored by the National Committee for the Advancement of Women:

“I am a new Bahá’í and also one of the many single mothers in our country. I also serve as a school psychologist in a local school system, consulting with students, parents, teachers and administrators.

“The issue of chastity was brought up in our discussion. As a new Bahá’í, I knew it was a moral tenet of the Faith. Although I strive for obedience to many rules in my life, I generally like to feel I believe and understand the rationale so that my obedience is not simply blind faith. The concept or purpose of chastity between men and women in society and in my personal life I had explored with myself, but only briefly thought about or discussed with other Bahá’ís until today.

“Sitting in the session today, I realized that this requirement of Bahá’u’lláh, of God, represents an essential key to dramatic change in the relationships between men and women. It is only through the removal of our emphasis on sexuality and a refocus upon spirituality that equality will occur.

“I could not accept the concept of chastity as simply a moral right or wrong. That is not its purpose. The purpose lies in enabling us all to first see each other as human beings—before we see each other as male, female, black, white, short, tall. Only when abstinence from sex can be viewed by all as a step in the direction of each other in all areas...

“Whoops! lost my train of thought—interrupted by one of my female children, for whom I hope the world will be a better place.

“A very spiritual friend of mine recently asked me why I had decided to join an organized religion. The response I gave her was much more deeply cemented by my experiences with you today: that I do not believe we exist independent of each other, but that we were put here not only for our individual growth but also to contribute to the growth of humankind, and that only from religion do I perceive positive growth to have come.

“Thank you for this experience. R. Clark”

What is your community doing to foster a “new understanding of who we are...”? Let the National Committee for the Advancement of Women know: 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (e-mail ). [Page 7]

PROMOTING THE PRINCIPLES

Diverse efforts get OneVoice project off to audacious start

College students across the country responded in March to the call from the U.S. Bahá’í National Committee for the Advancement of Women (NCAW) to dedicate the first week of the Fast, and the first week of Women's History Month, to teaching the Bahá’í principles of equality on their college campuses.

The national campaign was called the One Voice Project. This idea was originally presented to the NCAW by the University of North Carolina at Asheville Bahá’í college club. The students envisioned that a great deal of energy, momentum, proclamation and friendships could be built around a unified nationwide effort at colleges.

As one of the objectives of the NCAW is to work with and raise awareness among youth of the need for gender equality, the committee began working with the UNCA club to get college students energized around the campaign. The National Youth Committee was enlisted, and enthusiastically offered its network of students as well as other substantial help.

By the end of March, dozens of reports had been received of many ambitious goals on very diverse college campuses. Numerous university executives and leaders received the Bahá’í message; campus newspapers across the country ran articles highlighting Bahá’í efforts; thousands of students received the statement Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men; numerous displays were set up at colleges; and Bahá’í students across the country were praying in unity for the success of the campaign.

The significant effect is that many college-age people are investigating the Bahá’í Faith as a result of the unified and often spontaneous action in cooperation with the national campaign.

The entire project, with all the coordination involved, electronic press packets sent out, guidance on reaching prominent people, organization of public meetings, of individual firesides, etc., cost the National Bahá’í Fund under $100.

The committee hopes this will be just the first year of the project. Many clubs didn't receive information about the One Voice campaign, but all can start thinking about One Voice 1999.

PARTICIPATING COLLEGE CLUBS

This is a partial summary of activities for the OneVoice campaign, from 27 reports compiled by Eric Horton at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Use these ideas to plan activities for future One Voice campaigns.

Arizona State University: Booth on central mall about gender equality; presentation of Two Wings statement to university head; various evening workshops, talks, and firesides; donation drive for a women's shelter; survey of campus community about equality, religion and contemporary society; panel discussion with various religions on gender equality issues; invitation to student government to declare Gender Equality Week; celebration with performers, a talk, survey results; coverage in student newspaper.

Northern Arizona University: Presentation of statement to head of university and various deans; panel discussion.

Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania): Presentation of statement to president; fireside on the statement; publication in school newspaper; table tents with excerpts from statement in dining halls.

University of California at Berkeley: Ceremony with Councilwoman Polly Armstrong, with the statement presented to the university and the city, and Bahá’í speakers, on The Equality of Women and Men Day; distribution of statement; display table; banners; fireside.

University of California at Davis: Presentations of statement to department heads; various firesides; booth on campus.

University of Southern California: Presentation of statement to university leaders; statement published in school newspaper; talk by Counselor Wilma Ellis on the statement, followed by fireside.

College of DuPage (Illinois): Display table; distribution of statement and flyers; making friends.

University of Illinois-Springfield: Presentation of statement to head of school; article in campus newspaper.

Ithaca College (New York): Presentation of statement to head of school; step dance performance with speaker on gender equality; editorial in school newspaper. (This club just formed, and quickly grew from two Bahá’ís to eight members.)

Michigan State University: Presentation of statement to president; other activities possible.

University of New Mexico-Albuquerque: Panel discussion on statement; publication of statement in school newspaper; presentation of statement to as many different departments and university leaders as possible.

University of New Mexico-Gallup: Booth to gather signatures for Senate ratification of U.N. Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; Ayyam-i-Há dance for the equality of women and men, with proceeds to benefit a women's shelter; presentation of statement to administrators, selected faculty, etc.

University of North Carolina at Asheville: "Evening of Women's Arts," featuring variety of musicians and poets; public talk titled "Women in the 21st Century from a Bahá’í Perspective"; group meditation/visualization on the advancement of women; distribution of statement; excerpts printed in school newspaper; presentation of statement to chancellor.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Presentation of statement to chancellor, statement mailed to other important people; publication of excerpts in school newspaper; public display; public discussion on the equality of women and men.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Booth on quad with distribution of statement, which is also tentatively to be printed in school newspaper.

Princeton University (New Jersey): Presentation of statement to president and some deans; publishing statement in school newspaper.

Rice University (Texas): 80 copies of statement presented to key faculty; fireside on gender equality.

Santa Rosa Junior College (California): Campus display, distribution of statement.

Smith College (Massachusetts): Speaker; publication of statement in school newspaper.

University of Southern Maine: Presentation of statement to appropriate leaders; publication of excerpts from statement in school newspaper; display and distribution on campus; public meetings.

Texas A&M University: Statement published in campus newspaper (circulation 42,000); community presentation and discussion on gender equality.

University of Texas at Arlington: Presentation of statement to administrators and professors; display in University Center.

University of Texas at Austin: Public talks by a man and a woman on the equality of women and men; "interactive discussions" where women can talk about the advancement of women without the men speaking, and then vice versa; presentation of statement to president; massive advertising; end-of-week party.

Vassar College (New York): Posted Bahá’í quotes all across campus, with local Bahá’í e-mail address and the national Bahá’í Web site.

University of Virginia: Formal display on Two Wings statement; distribution of statement and formal presentation to heads of departments and the student body; public talk and music/arts presentation celebrating the equality of women and men.

University of Washington: Booth in student union, with distribution of statement and quiz game on theme of women's history; display about women's history around the world; display on race unity; public talk.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Co-sponsoring public display about the equality of women and men, the Bahá’í Faith, and a letter-signing campaign to have CEDAW passed; public talk about U.N. proposals, with display; open prayer meetings.

Californians link up to promote statement

Five communities in Northern California groups and businesses for such leaders. Five communities in Northern California munity committee to carry out the Two Wings of a Bird Project to promote the National Spiritual Assembly's 1997 statement on the equality of women and men. Sponsored by the Assembly of Concord, California, the project already has held two workshops attended by about 40 people each, coordinators Guity Kiani and Theresa A. Slezak reported to the National Assembly's Office of Women's Affairs.

Exhilarated by this success, the project participants intend to search out women leaders in their communities and create a "Woman leader resource bank" of names and organizations. They will ask Spiritual Assemblies to search phone books, newspapers, organizations, schools, churches, civic groups and businesses for such leaders.

Later, committee members plan to personally present the statement Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men to the leaders, inviting them to join a seminar, possibly as part of a panel discussion. Those who are interested would eventually be invited to study the Bahá’í Faith in a deepening class organized for them.

The project was originally proposed to an established Intercommunity Teaching Committee, then approved by the Spiritual Assembly of Concord.

The director of the National Assembly's Office of Women's Affairs would like to hear what you are doing to foster the principle of equality between the sexes. Please write to the office at 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611.

SEEKING PRINT PRODUCTION SPECIALIST

THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í & Brilliant Star need a print production specialist • To assist in production and design of both publications • To work with authors, illustrators, etc. • Must be versed in all phases of digital print production Experience with Quark Xpress, Photoshop, Illustrator Experience with Web design and development See details in Classified section, page 32 To inquire or apply, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430) [Page 8]

Plans on track for 1999 conflict resolution/peacemaking event

The National Spiritual Assembly is encouraging Bahá’ís interested in the field of conflict resolution to consider attending the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution (NCPCR), the largest conference of its kind in the world.

Past plenary speakers have included President Jimmy Carter, Dean Rusk (former secretary of state), Ruan Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), Martin Luther King III, Vern Bellecourt (founder of the Native American movement), Janet Reno (attorney general), Jean-Bertrand Aristide (former president of Haiti) and many others.

The theme of this year's conference is "Weaving a New Beginning: Liberation, Healing and Community." Organizers hope to foster a community around key peacemaking issues that will create for humanity a new vision of peacemaking for the 21st century. Their goal is to bring unique cultural approaches to peacemaking and conflict resolution and to develop a network of culturally diverse peers.

Bahá’ís who work in the general field of conflict resolution may wish to submit proposals that weave Bahá’í principles into organized workshop presentations, panels and/or lectures. Submission deadline for workshops or papers is September 1998.

Send or e-mail proposals to Ms. Emily Fitzsimmons, c/o NCPCR, Fairfax, VA 22030 (phone 703-993-2440, e-mail).

A local Bahá’í NCPCR Planning Committee has been formed under the Local Spiritual Assembly of Phoenix. The Committee is actively seeking dramatic and performing arts presenters, youth presenters for "Youth Day," and artwork to be displayed in a hospitality room sponsored by the Bahá’ís.

For more information, or if you are interested in being a volunteer at the conference, please contact Stephanie Fielding at the Bahá’í NCPCR Planning Committee, Phoenix, Arizona 85044 (phone 602-940-7594, e-mail: ).

Bahá’í Faith has presence at historic development dialogue

The Bahá’í Faith was one of nine major faiths participating in a historic consultation on the role of spirituality in development, hosted jointly by the World Bank and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Feb. 18-19 in London.

A report in the publication Bank's World said the World Faiths and Development Dialogue addressed questions such as "What kind of development policies are needed to overcome growing inequality? How can the proper spiritual and material resources be harnessed to create sustainability? What role can the world's faiths and governments play?"

James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, was quoted as telling the assemblage that all the faiths could bring their experience together to improve the lot of poor people everywhere. "There is a unity between us," he said. "A unity for the concern for physical livelihood, but also spiritual and cultural continuity."

George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Anglican Church, said the meeting was an honest sharing of concerns about development and the World Bank's role.

The dialogue was attended by a Bahá’í delegation led by Counselor Kiser Barnes of the International Teaching Center. Other religions represented include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Taoism.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION FOR THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY

July 3-5, 1998

An intensive 3-day training seminar designed to improve consultation in dealing with difficult personal and legal problems facing Bahá’í communities.

Faculty includes: Valerie Dana, J.D., attorney and mediator Stephanie Fielding, mediator Stephen Gonzales, J.D., attorney and Landegg professor of conflict resolution J'Leim Liese, M.A., conflict resolution

REGISTRATION FORM

Name Organization Address City State Zip Phone Fax E-mail

Registration fees: ⚫$100 after June 15 ⚫$75 on or before June 15

Make check or money order in U.S. currency, payable to True Justice Center, and return with this form. Fee covers tuition and materials only.

Please return this registration to: Registar/ /Littleton, Co. 80302-4034

Classes held at: Metro Denver Bahá’í Center / 225 East Bayaud, Denver, CO

For information: Call 303-933-2854/E-mail

Classes start at 9 a.m. Friday and end noon Sunday

Race unity event in St. Louis

Drs. June and Richard Thomas make their keynote presentation on "Racial Unity, An Imperative for Social Progress" at a recent public race unity event attended by about 90 at the St. Louis, Missouri, area Bahá’í Faith Information Center. Opening remarks were given by the mayor of Webster Groves, and leaders of a church and a community center also spoke. Local photo

China reaching out to professionals willing to share their expertise

The People's Republic of China is experiencing rapid social and economic development. With doors open to the rest of the world, the people of China welcome ideas and consultation in many fields of endeavor, providing an avenue of service for individuals and groups with professional expertise in needed areas.

Activities of this kind can be carried out by traveling to China to consult with Chinese professionals, or by participating in such exchanges with Chinese colleagues here in the United States.

For those who can travel to China, professional fields in which the Chinese are especially interested are:

• Public health and Western medicine.
• Psychology and counseling.
• Women and family.
• Education and moral development.
• Agriculture.
• Computer science.
• Advanced technologies of all kinds.
• Electronics and telecommunications.
• Bioengineering.
• New materials and energy sources.
• Environmental protection.
• Marine science.
• Aerospace.
• Architectural engineering.
• Marketing and advertising.
• Public relations.
• Business management.
• Many other fields of endeavor.

Upon returning from a recent service project in China sponsored by Health for Humanity, an organization enabling healthcare professionals to offer services and resources throughout the world, one person wrote, "... [T]his was the first time that many of us had traveled to China. Understandably, we were filled with much excitement and anticipation. In a nutshell, we fell in love with China. There were many reasons for this. At the heart of our attraction was the nobility of the Chinese people which was evident in their daily lives, in their relationships with one another, and in how they treated us... their simple, yet dignified lifestyle, genuine love, kindness and friendship. Our Chinese brethren left an indelible mark on our spirits; we cherished every moment we spent with them. The impression we left on the Chinese seemed to be equally deep. They, too, were moved by our spirit."

If you would like within the next few years to travel to China to consult with Chinese colleagues in your field, please contact Susan Senchuk (phone 847-733-3506, e-mail). [Page 9]

Toward Oneness

A compilation on Racial and Cultural Issues compiled by Tod Ewing $4.00 (TO)

A selection from the Bahá’í writings specifically designed to foster a greater understanding of the goals of the Cause regarding unity and equality and the process by which these goals can be achieved. Includes sections on Principles Regarding Race and Culture, The Significance and Effects of Prejudice, How to Address Issues of Prejudice, and How to Eliminate Racial Prejudice.

69 pp. Palabra Publications

Teaching the Cause

Ruhi Institute Book 6 $6.00 (TC6)

Book six in the Ruhi series is designed to train effective teachers. The three parts cover the following: The Spiritual Nature of Teaching explores the spiritual dimensions of teaching, The Qualities and Attitudes of the Teacher helps to develop humility, courage, wisdom, and other qualities and attitudes of a capable teacher, and The Act of Teaching examines how to teach, building skills necessary for individual teaching and participation in organized projects.

149 pp. Palabra Publications

The Light of Unity

Healing Racism (LU) bulk priced per copy as follows:

1 copy	$1.25	100-499 copies	$.65
2-9 copies	$1.00	500-999 copies	$.50
10-99 copies	$.85	1000 copies and up	$.40

This is a full-color booklet containing extracts from the Bahá’í writings on the subject of racial unity. Although specifically developed as a follow-up piece to the national media initiative, this collection will have a broad appeal due to the general nature of the quotations and attractive format.

32 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, U.S.

Secret of the Second Coming

Christ’s Glorious Return by Gary Matthews see pricing information below (SSC)

This pamphlet explains that Bahá’u’lláh satisfies biblical conditions for the Second Coming of Christ, in the same way that Jesus Himself fulfilled Old Testament promises of the coming of the Messiah. A challenging introduction to the claims and station of Bahá’u’lláh.

Stonehaven Press

Bahá’ís and the Bible

by Gary Matthews see pricing information below (BB)

A frank examination of the Bible as sacred scripture and of its position in the Bahá’í Faith: Are the Old and New Testaments divinely inspired? How reliable and authentic are the manuscripts we possess? To what extent should we take the Bible literally? Does the Bible itself claim to be God’s “last and only” revelation? An essential deepening tool for Bahá’ís and Christians alike.

Stonehaven Press

The Glory of Christ

A Bahá’í Testimony by Gary Matthews see pricing information below (GOC)

If progressive revelation is true, why did Jesus Christ call Himself the only way to God? This pamphlet shows from the Bible that the “Christ” who makes this claim is not the historical Jesus, but that universal divine Spirit which speaks through all the Manifestations. The reader is challenged to investigate the claim that this same eternal Voice speaks today through Bahá’u’lláh.

Stonehaven Press

Christianity and the Bahá’í Faith

Frequently Asked Questions by Gary Matthews see pricing information below (CBF)

Who was Jesus Christ? What do Bahá’ís believe about the Incarnation, the Trinity, the Bible, the Resurrection, Satan, Heaven and Hell? Using traditional Christian language, and emphasizing common ground, this pamphlet offers brief but challenging answers to these and other questions.

Stonehaven Press

PRICING ON PAMPHLETS FROM STONEHAVEN PRESS

10 copies	$.35 each
100 copies	$.25 each
1000 copies	$.18 each

[Page 10]

A Closer Look

Reading the Qur’án for Central Meanings by Dr. Arashmidos Monjazeb $6.95 SC (CLS)

This examination of the central work of Islam reveals the teachings of Muhammad to be one of the great monotheistic religions of the world. Those attempting to study and understand the Qur’án freed from any preconceived notions and negative presentations learned in the past will find this book most helpful. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 56 pp. Arashmidos Monjazeb

Raising the Call

The Individual and Effective Teaching by Shabin Vafai $6.00 SC (RTC)

The follow up book to The Path Toward Spirituality, this book is a practical training guide on the subject of individual teaching and what it takes to become truly effective in this essential work of the Cause. Includes ‎excercises exercises‎, quotations, questions for study. Excellent for use in training institutes and personal deepening. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 222 pp. Palabra Publications

Day Break

Studying the Bahá’í Teachings Day by Day compiled by Christine Kurzius-Krug $16.95 SC (DBS)

A carefully chosen selection of passages from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice to answer the questions often asked by young people and to assist in the daily study of the Bahá’í teachings. 4 1/4" x 6", 464 pp. George Ronald, Publisher

Multiple Author Refer System – Trial Version

$3.00 CD ROM (MARSTV)

This trial version of the popular MARS search and retrieve software gives the user access to the complete MARS for Windows program for 30 days. Try it out! Crimson Publications

A Guide to Studying Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986

$7.95 SC (SGMUHJ)

This guide is designed for a systematic study of the recent compilation of messages from the Universal House of Justice. Thematically oriented, thought-provoking and well-organized, this study guide can be adapted to a range of needs, interests and settings. 6" x 9", 117 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, US

The Reincarnation Mystery Revealed

by Dr. H.M. Munje $6.95 SC (RMR)

A critical look at the religious belief of reincarnation and possible approaches to explaining this widely held belief in light of the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", 100 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, India

Two Wings of a Bird – Economy Edition – 50pk

The Equality of Women and Men Bulk pricing available as follows:

Packs of 50

1	$10.00
2-4	$8.00 each
5-9	$6.00 each
10+	$5.50 each

A full-color, economy version of the statement by the National Spiritual Assembly on the equality of women and men. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, U.S.

Bahá’í Marriage and Family Life

Selections from the Writings of the Bahá’í Faith $11.95 SC (BMFL)

An excellent resource for anyone concerned with creating and sustaining a healthy marriage and family life. Explains the Bahá’í viewpoint on subjects such as love, dating, marriage, parenting, family relationships, and divorce. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 85 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, U.S.

The Bahá’í Faith

The Emerging Global Religion by William S. Hatcher and J. Douglas Martin $18.95 SC (BFEGRS)

This revised edition includes a new chapter covering the most recent developments of the Bahá’í Faith and updated statistical information in one of the most popular introductions to the Faith. Named by the ‎Brittanica Britannica‎ Encyclopedia as a book of the year in religion. 5 1/2" x 8", 252 pp. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, US

Coral and Pearls

Some Thoughts on the Art of Marriage by Mehri Sevidvash $11.95 SC (CAPS)

Married? Engaged? Thinking about the future? Coral and Pearls looks at some of the reasons why relationships fail to thrive and offers practical suggestions for keeping our marriages vibrant, joyous and intact. 5" x 7 3/4", 116 pp. George Ronald, Publisher [Page 11]

For Children!

The Ayyám-i-Há Surprise

by Stacey Coverstone illustrated by Anja Shanmugampillai $5.95 AHS

The Santos family is busy getting ready for Ayyám-i-Há. They’re baking cookies, wrapping presents, and decorating the house. Lisa and her grandfather are working hard on a special surprise. Come and join the Santos family as they celebrate these days of Ayyám-i-Há.

Brilliant Books

Mariana and the Mountain of God

by Stacey Coverstone illustrated by Mary Firman $6.25 (MMG)

After watching a video-tape about the Arc on Mount Carmel, Mariana is inspired to do all she can to help. But how can she help build the Mountain of God with an empty piggy-bank?

Brilliant Books

A Bahá’í Alphabet Book

by Anne Breneman illustrated by Barbara Casterline $6.95 (BAB)

“A” is for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá... and airplane, animals, and Africa. An ABC for Bahá’í children, through Deeds, Kindness, and Prayer, all the way to Zeal. With a few ducks and kangaroos and pandas and zebras too!

Brilliant Books

I Can Teach

by Shidan Toloui-Wallace illustrated by Salka Holtz $4.00 (ICT)

Black-and-white illustrations and a simple text that encourages young children to become teachers of the Faith. Also suitable as a coloring book.

28 pp. Palabra Publications

Stewardship and Development

A Desktop Reference for Spiritual Assemblies and Treasurers $8.95 (SAD)

The first publication of its kind in the U.S. since the late 1970s, this valuable booklet includes a deepening on the fundamental spiritual ‎principals principles‎ of the Fund with several passages never before published, as well as in-depth guidance for local treasury management. In addition, extensive appendices ‎includes include‎ passages from the Writings and sample forms for use in managing the local funds. Comprehensive references to such topics as accurate accounting for contributions, earmarking, proper receipting, tax deductibility and fund-raising make this expandable document a must-have resource for Local Spiritual Assemblies and individuals alike.

145 pp. Office of the Treasurer, Bahá’í National Center

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How two cities filled their needs for local centers

Two stories about establishment of local Bahá’í centers ‎shows show‎ that timing is everything: Great patience is necessary, but sometimes the moment has to be seized.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

Sometimes hopes and dreams are a long time in the making.

Gladys Roberts, secretary of the Colorado Springs Assembly from 1934 to 1974, wanted a Bahá’í center.

In 1979, when she was moved to a nursing home, her Bahá’í possessions were donated to the community and auctioned, bringing in $1,922.66, which was dedicated to a Bahá’í Center Fund. Within a year that amount nearly doubled, but there was a long way to go.

It got increasingly harder to meet in homes and rented rooms. By 1986 the community itself nearly doubled to 75 adults, 28 children and eight youths—but still only $15,000 in the Center Fund.

Arrangements were made to meet at a health facility in return for services. For the next 10 years the Bahá’í community provided counseling, engineering, painting, building, landscaping, indoor plant maintenance—often involving dozens of Bahá’ís and their friends. But in 1996 the facility changed management and it was time for the Bahá’ís to move on.

Serious research into buying a Bahá’í center began by 1988. Locations were suggested and considered, and hopes ran high. Time after time, properties were too expensive, needed too many renovations or both. In 1997 an offer was even made on a site, but had to be withdrawn.

Purchase of the Bahá’í center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the culmination of a local process of consultation and fund-raising that substantially got started in 1979. Local photo

Some of the friends had strong opinions. Fortunately, devotion to the Assembly and its decisions outweighed attachment to personal views.

Through all of this, the center fund steadily increased while the friends learned patience and detachment. Yet there was an urgent need for a center to further the process of entry by troops.

Finally, an ad for a commercial property at the right price was brought to the attention of the Assembly. It was discussed briefly, and two members were asked to look into it the following day.

Immediately excited, they arranged for all but two Assembly members to see the property. After a phone poll, an offer was made and accepted.

Three weeks later, Feb. 18, 1998, a spiritual meeting was held in the new Bahá’í center. A temporary sign was proudly hung and a large portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, bequeathed by Senobar Fallahi, was brought to its long-awaited home. Prayers for the departed were said on behalf of Mrs. Roberts, Mrs. Fallahi and others who had helped pursue the goal of a Bahá’í center.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

The Bahá’í community of Indianapolis is still working on its permanent center. But time’s a-wasting, the Local Spiritual Assembly decided recently.

So in an innovative move, the Assembly leased an apartment to serve as a multi-purpose Bahá’í office.

The Assembly acted after consulting with the National Spiritual Assembly and its agencies during an Assembly development weekend in Wilmette.

“The requirements of the Four Year Plan and the recently announced nationwide media/teaching campaign demand a more visible Bahá’í presence,” the Local Assembly told local believers in a Feb. 8 letter.

“We need a place that can be used as a headquarters for the many teaching programs in our goals—programs like a Hispanic teaching campaign, a weeklong race unity day camp this summer, and the Building the Kingdom of God Project,” the letter explained.

SEE BAHÁ’Í CENTERS, PAGE 35

HUQÚQU’LLÁH THE RIGHT OF GOD

Payments to Huqúqu’lláh should be made to “The Bahá’í Huqúqu’lláh Trust” (please write your Bahá’í identification number on your check) and sent to one of the Trustees:

• Dr. Amin Banani, [...] Santa Monica, CA 90402 (phone 310-394-5449)
• Mr. Stephen Birkland, [...] Arden Hills, MN 55112 (phone 612-484-9518)
• Dr. Daryush Haghighi, [...] Rocky River, OH 44116 (phone 216-333-1506)
• Mrs. Thelma Khelghati, [...] Lunenburg, MA 01462 (phone 508-582-9216)

Due to a recurrent illness, Trustee Dr. Elsie Austin is unable to receive payments for Huqúqu’lláh at this time.

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

Guardian clarifies purposes of Bahá’í National Convention

What are the purposes of the National Convention?

Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf dated Nov. 18, 1933, specified that the Bahá’í Convention has a “twofold function of electing the body of the National Spiritual Assembly, and of offering any constructive suggestions in regard to the general administration of the Cause. ...”

As further illumination on the Administrative Order, the beloved Guardian wrote:

“The administrative machinery of the Cause ... should both provide the impulse whereby the dynamic forces latent in the Faith can unfold, crystallize, and shape the lives and conduct of men, and serve as a medium for the interchange of thought and the co-ordination of activities among the divers elements that constitute the Bahá’í community.”

The National Spiritual Assembly looks forward to welcoming delegates, special guests and visitors to the 89th Bahá’í National Convention on May 28-31 at the Holiday Inn O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. A telephone hot line has been established to provide answers to common questions about the Convention: 847-733-3569

Also, Shoghi Effendi wrote that this gathering poses challenges both to the individual and to the community: to “reinforce the motive power of our spiritual activities” as well as “raising the standard of administrative efficiency so vitally needed at this advanced stage of our work.”

A letter written on the Guardian’s behalf cautioned the friends against viewing the Administration as “an aim in itself” and against failing “to grasp the spiritual and moral development which is its purpose to achieve.” He wrote:

“The Convention meetings are not intended to be purely administrative. Their main and essential purpose is to enable the assembled delegates and friends to have a deeper and broader vision of the Cause through an increase in the spirit of unity and of whole-hearted co-operation.”

With regard to the potential outcomes of the Bahá’í Convention, Shoghi Effendi pointed to “the unique functions it fulfills in promoting harmony and goodwill, in removing misunderstandings and in enhancing the prestige of the Cause.” He said the work on the plans of the Faith can gain “tremendous impetus” from the “consultation and mingling of the friends” at Convention, and the valuable role of the delegates in carrying back to their fellow-believers “a very real awareness of the work in hand and the needs of the hour.” ◆

Excerpts from National Convention, a statement and compilation prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.

Payroll deduction not recommended for making Huqúqu’lláh payments

From time to time requests are made for a procedure to make automatic regular payroll deductions for Huqúqu’lláh. You may, of course, choose the way in which you wish to pay your Huqúqu’lláh obligation that is convenient to you. But direct automatic payroll deduction is not recommended for the following reasons:

• Some employers deduct a percentage as a fee for their service, and may not even inform you of this.
• The bank informs the Trustee of the total deposits, but not of each individual payment, with the identity of the payer so the Trustee can issue prompt receipts.

• By far the most important reason is that automatic uniform deductions rob you of the spiritual benefits of applying the Law of Huqúqu’lláh as Bahá’u’lláh has intended it—particularly the requirement to distinguish between your “needful” and other expenses. In other words, the act of calculating what you owe is in itself a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth. While regular automatic payroll deductions are a very good and conscientious way of contributing to the National Bahá’í Fund, they are not appropriate to Huqúqu’lláh. ◆

[Page 13]

Friends advised to keep watch against abuse of hospitality

Because it is generally known that most Bahá’ís are generous and sympathetic, it is not uncommon for them to receive appeals for financial and other kinds of emergency help from itinerant Bahá’ís and others who claim to be Bahá’ís or friends of the Faith.

While it is left to the discretion of the friends to respond as they see fit, it should be remembered that the Bahá’í community is not a traveler’s aid or social service agency prepared to assist the needs of itinerants, other than in some select cases.

Although Bahá’u’lláh has told us to “be a home for the stranger ... an answerer of the cry of the needy,” no Bahá’í should presume that the hospitality of his fellow ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’í‎ is his due. Bahá’u’lláh also states, “No man should enter the house of his friend, save at his friend’s pleasure, nor lay hands upon his treasures, nor prefer his own will to his friend’s, and in no wise seek advantage over him.”

Thus, Bahá’u’lláh makes hospitality the prerogative of the host and not of the guest. Common courtesy requires that an individual should not impose himself upon anyone without prior invitation, and Bahá’ís should be especially conscientious in this respect.

Many years ago the Guardian expressed the view that when a Local Spiritual Assembly has before it a case of urgent distress it should endeavor, first, to have it relieved by the individual’s own family, and second, to exercise the right of all citizens to employ all civil instruments of help and ‎distress redress‎. Therefore, when people who are traveling call upon Assemblies or individual Bahá’ís for financial assistance or food and lodging, they should in most instances be directed to the local social service or traveler’s aid office. For ready reference, every Assembly should know where these offices are located in its community, their telephone number and, ideally, the people within the organizations who can handle such emergencies. In many communities, the police department can provide this information.

Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that a person from the U.S. or another country will contact an Assembly or believer, claiming to be a Bahá’í but having no Bahá’í credentials or other forms of identification. Before offering aid to such a person, it is advisable to check with the Office of Community Administration and Development at the Bahá’í National Center to verify that the person is indeed a member of the Faith and does not have a pattern of taking advantage of the good will of the friends.

Give to National Fund for Regional Councils

In its May 30, 1997, message to all National Spiritual Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice wrote: “A Regional Bahá’í Council can be authorized by the National Spiritual Assembly to act as its agent in operating a regional branch of the national Bahá’í fund.” The Supreme Body also suggested that each Regional Council encourage “believers within its region to contribute to various funds of the Cause, including the regional branch of the national fund, with the aim that, in due course, the entire expenditure for the region would be provided by the believers in the region.”

Question: Some of the friends have asked whether this means that they can send contributions directly to the Councils.

Answer: For the time being, contributions for the work of the Regional Bahá’í Councils should be sent to the National Bahá’í Fund with a notation by the donor that it is their wish for the gift to be dedicated to a Regional Council.

Any checks received by one of the Councils will, at the instruction of the National Assembly, be endorsed to the National Fund and processed at the National Center, while the funds themselves will be used to cover the expenses of the Council that received the donation originally.

All financial management is currently being carried out at the national level in light of the statement of the House of Justice in its Dec. 12 message to the National Spiritual Assembly: “We appeal to them at this crucial moment not to expend too much time on formulating new procedures or refining the mechanics of their operations. Their accumulated knowledge of Bahá’í administration and the assistance in advice and in practical terms that they will receive from the Counsellors and the National Assembly will enable them to get on with their vital tasks without any delay.”

How and when these procedures will change will be better understood as the work of the Councils develops. There is a range of administrative arrangements that could be conceived that would increase efficiency while still maintaining the link between the friends in the four regions and the Councils created to serve them.

Glimpses at two ways of sacrificing for the Cause

RALLYING TO CONTRIBUTE ON A RAINY NIGHT

More than 50 hardy souls braved an El Niño downpour to attend an intercommunity fundraiser in Whittier, California, on Feb. 7, where an international potluck dinner was followed by inspirational talks by Saeed Amanat and Auxiliary Board member Burrell Bullock.

More than $9,200 was raised for the National Bahá’í Fund at the event, planned by the EU 139 Intercommunity Committee and hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of Whittier.

MAKING IT GROW A LITTLE AT A TIME

Loose pennies (and nickels and dimes) really can add up when they’re going to a good cause.

That’s what the Bahá’ís of Roanoke County, Virginia, are discovering as they collect change every fourth Feast and send the amount raised to the Bahá’í International Fund.

The contributions are being made in the name of Bahá’ís around the world who would like to give but cannot—people to whom our spare change would be major income.

THE TREASURER’S CORNER

The Treasurer’s Corner is devoted to helping local treasurers, and others who have special interest in development of the Funds, by offering suggestions and ideas that might be helpful in this work. If you would like to offer stories or ideas that have increased your community’s understanding of and participation in the Fund, you are invited to share them with other communities through this column. Contact the Office of the Treasurer and Development (phone 847-733-3472, e-mail ).

TAX FORMS RECEIVED BY MANY LOCAL ASSEMBLIES

Your Spiritual Assembly may have received forms for filing taxes this year. From time to time the Internal Revenue Service may do a mailing of forms to certain organizations. Generally, Assemblies are not required to file tax forms. However, please be aware that a property-owning Local Assembly may be required to file when part or all of its property generates income. This is the case with Bahá’í centers where a portion of the property is rented.

BAHÁ’Í ID NUMBERS ARE ESSENTIAL

Please continue to encourage the friends in your community to include their Bahá’í ID numbers on every contribution check they send to the National Fund. Often, names appearing on checks are not easily matched with the name on one’s membership file at the National Center; add to that a change of address for which we have no record, and we have no means for matching the contribution to an existing record. Every effort is made to ensure that contributions are accurately accounted for, even to the extent of writing a letter or calling the contributor when possible. However, our best efforts are not always successful, resulting in some contributions being allocated to gifts for charity. We know that everyone prefers that this not happen, so please use your Bahá’í ID on every check.

STOCKS MAY BE AN OPTION FOR GIVING

The friends are always looking for new ways to support the work of the Cause. Some of the friends may be unaware of one of their options. With the recent rise in stock values, some may find themselves owners of stock that has increased dramatically in value since the time of purchase. This can present both opportunities and challenges. Making a gift of the stock to the Faith is an option that the contributor might not have considered, and it can reduce the contributor’s overall tax obligation. Please share this information with the friends in your community. If someone is interested in exploring this option further, have them contact Rebecca Wilson (phone 847-733-3476, e-mail ).

A REMINDER ABOUT FUND APPEALS

As individual and community projects expand in number and frequency, appeals for funds to support these efforts are becoming more frequent as well. To avoid inundating the believers with constant requests for money, it is suggested that all appeals for funds for special projects (centers, teaching projects, etc.) be reviewed by the appropriate institution. For instance, it is preferable that individual believers seek the guidance of their Local Spiritual Assemblies prior to seeking financial support from other believers or other Spiritual Assemblies. In turn, Local Spiritual Assemblies will wish to inform their Regional Bahá’í Council and consult with that institution prior to broadcasting an appeal to other Assemblies or friends outside their jurisdiction. This process will unify our efforts and ensure that they are guided by a divinely ordained institution.

“...our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the system of Bahá’u’lláh—Divine in origin—that the world can be gotten on its feet and want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá’ís cannot contribute to our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own teaching work as this will lead to the healing of the nations.”

From a letter dated Dec. 8, 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi [Page 14]

CONSOLIDATING the VICTORIES

Conferences look at spiritual side of professions

A series of professional development conferences at Louhelen Bahá’í School is under way, aimed at fostering spiritual development within the professions of education, therapy, law and medicine.

This series applies the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to the professions; explores how to use the tools of these professions to further the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and to offer better service to humanity; and provides forums for discussion.

International Dialogue on Education, July 10-15

With presentations representing Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, this conference offers an exchange of ideas among public- or private-school educators, especially those involved in Bahá’í or Bahá’í-inspired education projects. Presenters include well-established educators such as Paul Lample, Bahá’í World Center; Dr. Irene Taafaki, Marshall Islands Education Project; Duncan Hanks and Cindy Hanks, Núr University; Dr. Iraj Ayman, National Bahá’í Education and Schools Office; and members of the National Bahá’í Education Task Force.

This exciting five-day session addresses such questions as: How can education theory, practice, and processes be improved through the application of Bahá’í principles and Bahá’í-inspired approaches? How can educational institutions, in the non-Bahá’í sector, be improved from within through the work of Bahá’í-inspired educators and ideas?

The session also includes a Young Educators’ Workshop designed to allow more-established ‎educato:s educators‎ to consult ‎i in‎ small groups with younger, aspiring educators, and to share experiences and insights on professional development and paths of service.

Conflict Resolution, Consultation, Justice and Bahá’í Community Life: Developing Unifying Responses to Conflict, June 12-14

Facilitated by the Bahá’í Justice Society, this session explores the question: How should Bahá’í communities deal with the conflict surrounding us in a collapsing society? It focuses on creating healthy, community-building responses to conflict within the Bahá’í and the greater communities. Participants will study the conflict resolution movement, learn about the model used at the new Corinne True Justice Centers in Denver and Los Angeles, deepen their consultation skills, and explore application of the principle of justice to society.

Therapists Conference: Two Wings of a Bird, May 22-25

Facilitated by the National Committee for the Advancement of Women, this conference for practitioners in such fields as behavioral medicine, marriage and family therapy and other mental health disciplines focuses on the principle of the equality of women and men in the Bahá’í community and explores strategies for strengthening and preserving Bahá’í families. A children’s program runs concurrently.

First topic: The Physician’s Challenge

The series began with “The Physician’s Challenge,” March 27-29. Designed by physicians to assist Bahá’ís serving the medical profession, this session helped participants focus individual initiatives, community and group initiatives, and global service projects to serve the Bahá’í Faith even more directly. Facilitated by Drs. David Ruhe and Elizabeth Bowen of the United States; Joanne Langley and John LeBlanc of Canada, it offered physicians the opportunity to consult on pressing questions and issues such as: What is it to be a Bahá’í physician?; Getting Acquainted with Bahá’u’lláh’s Standards; The Millennium and the Science of Medicine; Approaches to Ethics; and Exploring International Projects for/by Bahá’í Physicians. Participants left with individual plans and clear lines of action to rise to new heights of service to Bahá’u’lláh.

(From left) Mary Darling of Louhelen Bahá’í School poses with Dr Elizabeth Bowen, Dr. David Ruhe, Margaret Ruhe, Dr. John LeBlanc and Dr. Joanne Langley during “The Physician’s Challenge” March 27-29, the first in a series of professional development conferences at the school. Photo courtesy Louhelen Bahá’í School

Institute brings out role of love in teaching

It was a labor of love for Mehrdad Fazli when he spent five years researching the gravesites of two prominent early Bahá’ís. And it led to a second such devotional effort, a training institute he conducts on “The Love of God and Teaching.”

Fazli has taken the one-day institute on the road to about 45 locations in the United States, Canada, western Europe, Adrianople and the Holy Land.

The course purpose is to deepen our “understanding of the consecration necessary for us to become steadfast and inspired teachers of the Faith,” Ken Bowers, secretary of the National Teaching Committee, explained in a letter to select Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Fazli describes it similarly. “The friends in the West have a great focus on the faculty of mind, so that is how they teach,” he said. “But teaching is little about message to the mind and much about message to the heart—passing on the love of Bahá’u’lláh.”

The engineer and engineering trainer from College Station, Texas, patiently located the gravesite in Smyrna of Jináb-i-Muníb, whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of so lovingly in Memorials of the Faithful. He also found in France the grave of Thomas Breakwell, the first English Bahá’í. When that grave was restored, Fazli attended the commemoration.

At the urging of Universal House of Justice members, he took what he had learned about these two devoted early servants of the Cause and combined it with information about two others, ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb Shírází and Lua Getsinger.

The story of their lives constitutes one of three parts of the course. Another explores Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the love of God and writings of Shoghi Effendi on how this relates to teaching. The third section looks, step by step, at how the flame of love can be acquired, sustained, and flourish within us.

A typical course takes 4½ hours, although Fazli can expand it to eight or nine if requested. He usually flies to a city Friday night, conducts the class Saturday and returns to Texas Sunday.

Fazli’s latest trips are being made to Seattle and Walla Walla, Washington; the University of Maryland; and Italy and England.

At each stop he encourages the friends to write a detailed evaluation so he can continually improve the course. Thoughtful and overwhelmingly glowing responses have arrived from Spiritual Assemblies in Birmingham, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Also writing were the Kansas Winter Bahá’í School and the Bahá’í Council for England.

At least in Birmingham, Fazli’s course hit really close to home. Lua Getsinger’s brother, William “Jack” Moore, is believed to have been the first Bahá’í pioneer to that city, and the community has been learning about his life story in connection with this year’s centenary of the Faith in the state and the South.

Communities wishing to receive further information about the course may contact Fazli at College Station, TX 77845 (phone 409-690-6001, e-mail)

NABI improves buildings, campus

The Native American Bahá’í Institute has conducted a series of building improvements over several months, to benefit the institute’s programs and beautify the 40-acre grounds.

A new staff trailer was installed to provide housing for the volunteer youth coordinator, along with an overflow of female youth volunteers.

NABI also added a double-wide office trailer so all administrative staff can work under one roof. In the past, the administrative office was on the opposite end of the grounds from the research and program development office.

This opened up greater space for youth and children’s programs, allowing them to be held in separate classrooms.

Added outside lights not only add to the safety of the grounds but help beautify them as well. The lights have aided many children and elderly visitors who take part in NABI programs. They also make it easier to walk on many of the trails that were once covered in darkness.

NABI also added a new parking lot, with lighting, to handle traffic overflow from its increase in visitors and program participants. [Page 15]

Bosch plans summer full of music

Get your summer started on the right “note” by attending one of the music sessions offered at Bosch Bahá’í School in June and July.

We are pleased to host our fourth annual Choral School and second annual Children’s Music Camp, June 21–27. These sessions are being held concurrently to allow for fun intergenerational activities as well as individualized classes. In addition to choral practice, workshops will be offered in sight singing, voice, music theory and choral conducting. Children will participate in sports and garden activities for a balanced program of physical, spiritual and musical training. Children must be 8 or older to participate. Directors will be Tom Price and Jamie Findlay. Don’t forget to bring instruments!

The Youth Music Academy, July 7–14, is first of its kind in the Bahá’í world. High school, college and university vocal and instrumental students from around the world will come together for a week to study with outstanding teachers and to explore the Bahá’í Writings on the spiritual aspects of the musical arts. Instruction will be offered on strings, woodwinds, brass, keyboard, percussion instruments and vocal music. At the final concert, students will perform an original oratorio written for this performance by academy director Victor Wong. Contact Bosch for an application form. Audition tapes are required.

Also this summer will be the third annual Ocean of Light Pacific Islanders Teaching Conference, July 2–5. Counselors Ben Ayala and Violette Haake, as well as Samoan Princess Tosi Malietoa, have been invited to attend. The loving spirit of this gathering, the music and sharing of culture, the enthusiasm for spreading the Word of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the Pacific region, makes this an outstanding event each year.

Winter rains have given way to spring showers, green hillsides are carpeted with wildflowers—it’s a beautiful time to be at Bosch!

Those who attended the Mysticism Conference, April 2–5, enjoyed a broad spectrum of presentations. Plenary speakers included noted British scholar Stephen Lambden; Amin Banani, professor emeritus of history and literature from UCLA; Sheila Banani; Terry Culhane; and Jack McLean, author of Dimensions in Spirituality. Workshops on a variety of topics were presented by Venustiano Olguin, John Thelen-Steere, Linda Cicada and Derek Cockshut.

The New Believers/Seekers Weekend that ran concurrently with the Mysticism Conference was also a big success, as participants enjoyed the classes and music of Jan Faulkner and Darrell Metcalf.

Students have a ball during recreation time at Bosch’s Spring Children’s Academy, designed to promote race unity as well as fun. Photo courtesy Bosch Bahá’í School

The Spring Children’s Academy focused on the theme of race unity, tying into the campaign of the National Spiritual Assembly to raise the first generation of prejudice-free children. They had a great time in their classes and games, provided service by washing cars, and enjoyed toasting marshmallows and singing at the bonfire and their special candlelight dinner.

The Summer Children’s Academy July 25–29 will continue to explore the topic of race unity. These programs strive to develop the students’ capacity to see themselves as catalysts for change in their family, school and community.

We look forward to a sunny and busy summer with the friends at Bosch. We hope to see you, too! ♦

Wilmette Institute updates

• Spiritual Foundations program: Registration is still open for the summer session of the Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program. If you can come to Wilmette for three weeks, July 18–Aug. 8, to study Bahá’í community life and governance, please apply immediately. Tuition is $825, dormitory lodging will be $440 and the fee for three common meals a week is $55. Some financial aid is available.
• Correspondence Course: Registration is open for a correspondence course on the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, 1868–92 (the ‘Akká period) to be conducted July 3–Dec. 27. It will examine all the major works of Bahá’u’lláh revealed during the period: the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, tablets revealed after the Aqdas, and the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. You do not have to have taken the course on the 1853–68 period, which will be offered again next year.

Registration is $200 for an individual and $160 per person for local study groups of three or more.

• For more information on the Wilmette Institute write it at 536 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette, IL 60091; call its 24-hour information line, 847-733-3595; visit its Web site (www.usbnc.org/wilmette); call the registrar, Heather Gorman, at 847-733-3415; or fax the Institute at 847-733-3563. ♦

PERMANENT SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES: Bosch Bahá’í School, 408-423-3387, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Green Acre Bahá’í School, 207-439-7200, 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903 Louhelen Bahá’í School, 810-653-5033, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, 803-558-9131, 1313 Williams Hill Road, Hemingway, SC 29554 Native American Bahá’í Institute, 520-587-7594, Box 3167, Houck, AZ 86506

Session on Louis Gregory’s example caps spring programs at Green Acre

Green Acre Bahá’í School’s spring programming continues Memorial Day weekend, May 22–24, with a special program by James Sturdivant that celebrates the life of a true pioneer for race unity in America.

“The Exemplary Life of Mr. Louis Gregory and My Response in the Four Year Plan” follows the path of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory, who dedicated his life to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. This course will examine the admirable qualities of Mr. Gregory’s life, his actions and their impact, the lessons from them, and how we can set our own goals in light of his example as we approach the end of the Four Year Plan.

In other upcoming programs:

• Auxiliary Board members Mary K. Makoski and Barbara Markert discuss individual initiative and teaching in the remaining minutes of the Four Year Plan on June 12–14 in “A Million Minutes & Me: Changing The World.” This will include a session with the Regional Bahá’í Council of the Northeastern States and a performance by the Northeast Regional Bahá’í Gospel Choir.
• Staff members of the Bahá’í National Center’s Office of Community Administration will present a Local Spiritual Assembly Development Forum June 26–28 with a variety of workshops on the Local Assembly’s role. Ask about a special discount rate for communities that send three or more.
• The first full summer session runs June 26–July 1, opening with the Local Spiritual Assembly Development Forum described above, followed by “The Art of Effective Communication.” Fafar and Jack Guillebeaux will discuss barriers to communication—in the family, the community or the workplace—and offer powerful communication tools that take into account both thinking and feelings.
• Also offered June 26–July 1 will be Camp Green Acre, coordinated by Barbara Higgins Nelson for children in grades 3–6. Please note that while all other Green Acre summer sessions include classes for ages 3 and up, Camp Green Acre will be the only program offered for children this week.
• The week of July 3–8 will feature musician Eric Dozier presenting “In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’: Images of Bahá’u’lláh in African-American Spiritual Music Tradition.” Also, Ladjamaya Green-Mahoney and Jaine Toth will present “Reaching the Hearts Through the Arts: Discovering the Artist Within,” aimed at helping participants unleash the ability of the arts to empower, transform and attract hearts. Ladjamaya, Eric Dozier and the Northeast Regional Bahá’í Gospel Choir will perform Sunday, July 5, in the summer’s first Concert-Picnic on the Piscataqua.
• A Junior Youth Institute for those in grades 6–8 will also be offered July 3–8 by facilitators Peter and Danielle Oldziey.
• Summer sessions continue July 10–15 with an in-depth study of Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh led by Ahang Rabbani. The course will include the history of the Tablets’ revelation, their relation to other Writings and a scholarly analysis of their contents and allusions. Also, Jane Faily will present “Our Individual Response,” on the potential God has given each individual, the process prescribed for realizing that potential, and stories of how the early heroes and heroines of the Faith arose in service.
• July 10–15 will also feature a Youth Institute for those in grades 9–12 facilitated by Carmine and Anna Consalvo.
• Also offered July 10–15 will be a 32-hour Core Curriculum Teacher Training course for Spiritual Education of Children. Included are the first sections of the curriculum for ages 6–12.
• A four-day summer session will be offered July 25–29, with Bob Harris presenting “I Will Be a Happy and Joyful Being.” The session will explore the role of humor and how the central figures of the Bahá’í Faith used it. Also, “Make a Statement” with Janet and Rodney Richards and Barbara Harris will discuss ideas for sharing and promoting the statements The Vision of Race Unity, Two Wings of a Bird and The Promise of World Peace.

Green Acre’s summer sessions continue through Labor Day Weekend. For further information or to register, please contact the school (phone 207-439-7200, fax 207-438-9940, e-mail ). ♦ [Page 16]

CONSOLIDATING THE VICTORIES

Regional schools across the country help kindle development of the Faith

WESTERN REGION

CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN, JUNE 26-28 Program: "Entry by troops and the Individual" with Joel and Esther Orona. Core Curriculum-trained teachers for children. Location: Pilgrim Pines near Yucaipa, CA. Facilities: Cabins with showers, special needs housing. Sports, outdoor recreation. Fees: Adult/Youth $100, Pre-youth (10-14) $85, Child (3-9) $55, Infant free, Family discount. Contact: Edye York, Ontario, CA 91764 (phone 909-983-1022, 909-735-1509). Pre-register by June 5.

COLORADO EAST, JUNE 24-28 Program: "Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops: the Individual." Location: Red Rock Campground and Woodland Park Middle School, Woodland Park, CO. Facilities: Classes held at middle school. Accommodations at primitive campground, or list of nearby lodging is available from registrar. Fees: Adult $50, Youth (11-20) $40, Child (3-10) $30. Contact: Don Brayton, Woodland Park, CO 80863 (phone 719-687-3351, e-mail). Pre-register by June 14.

BILL Members of four Regional Bahá’í School committees—California South, Colorado East, Four Corners and Utah—gathered April 3-5 in Cortez, Colorado, in a "School for Schools" session for consultation and development, hosted by the National Schools and Education Office and the Four Corners School Committee. A similar workshop for committees in the Southern and Central regions was planned for May 15-17 in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo courtesy Education and Schools Office ation, basketball, swimming. Fee: $75. Contact: Ernie Sheehan, Med-

FOUR CORNERS, JULY 22-26 Program: "The Role of the Individual in Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops." Location: Kamp Kiwanis, Vanderwagen, NM. Facilities: Dorm housing, tent/RV sites; dining with $10 deposit by June 5. hall and picnic tables. Sports, outdoor recreation. Contact: Bill Bright, ford, OR 97501 (phone 541-773-1621, e-mail). Pre-registration required Gallup, NM 87301 (phone 505-722-0039). Pre-register by July 15.

MONTANA (JOHN H. WILCOTT), JULY 26-31 Program: "Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops The Role of the Individual" with Shannon Javid and Erica Toussaint. Full youth and children's programs. Location: Luccock Park Camp in Absaroke Mountains south of Livingston, MT. Facilities: Bunks in rustic cabins with fireplaces; showers available. Meals at central building. Outdoor recreation; fee for swimming or riding. Fees: Adult $140, Youth/Child (7-17) $120, (4-6) $85, (0-3) $25. Contact: Sandi Marisdotter, Helena, MT 59601 (phone 406-442-526, e-mail). Pre-register by July 13.

OREGON EAST, AUG. 8-11 Program: "The Individual and Spiritual Transformation" with Joseph Sheppherd. Children's and youth programs. Location: United Methodist Church Camp, west of Sisters, OR. Facilities: Family cabins or semiprivate dorms; elderly and handicapped accommodated. Meals at dining hall. Fees: Adult, Youth and Pre-youth $110-125 (depending on accommodation), Child (2-8) $65-75, family $350-400. Contact: Jan Wilson-Sheppherd, Bend, OR 97702 (phone 541-389-9776, e-mail). Pre-register by July 27.

OREGON WEST "BADASHT," AUG. 12-16 Program: TBA. Location: Camp Myrtlewood, 50 miles west of Roseburg, OR. Facilities: Dorm housing, meals at dining hall. Outdoor recreation. Fees: Adult $80, Youth/Pre-youth (9-20) $68, Child (2-8) $53, Family $250. Contact: Jim Smith, Lebanon, OR 97355 (phone 541-259-1417, e-mail). Pre-register by Aug. 1.

OREGON WEST YOUTH RETREAT, JUNE 19-22 Program: Speakers include Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi on using The Dawn-Breakers as a teaching strategy book; Dr. Khalil and Sue Khavari on the Art of Speaking to Groups. Seekers welcome. Location: Sis-Q Meadows Camp, Cave Junction, OR Facilities: Dorm-style accommodations in wilderness setting. Bring sleeping bag. Outdoor recreation, basketball, swimming.

WASHINGTON EAST/IDAHO NORTH "SHELTERING BRANCH," JUNE 27-JULY 3 Program: Speakers include Celia Johnson and Todd Kutches, Auxiliary Board members. Special guest: miniaturist Tooraj Djahangirloo. Children's and youth programs. Location: CampWooten Environmental Learning Center southwest of Pomeroy, WA. Facilities: Large cabins; tent or RV camping available. Pool, gym, outdoor recreation. Fees: Adult (19-59) $160, Senior (60-up/Youth (15-18) $105, Pre-youth (11-14) $95, Child (6-10) $80, Infant (2-5) $50, (0-1) $30, Family $500. Contact: Shannon McConnell, Richland, WA 99352 (phone 509-943-1236). Pre-register by June 14.

SOUTHERN REGION

FLORIDA, JULY 1-5 Program: "The Role of Individuals" with Counselor Tod Ewing, National Spiritual Assembly member Jack McCants, Gary Matthews. Location: Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL. Facilities: Dorm housing, meals at cafeteria. Wide variety of other lodging nearby. Contact: Toni Mayer (phone 954-742-8116, e-mail).

KENTUCKY, SEPT. 4-7 Program: "The Role of the Individual in Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops" with James Sturdivant. Full children's program. Location: Kentucky Leadership Center, Faubush, KY. Facilities: Cabins with multiple bunks or hotel-style rooms for 1-4 people. Pool, gym, outdoor recreation. Fees: Course fee $15 ($35 for families). Meals/lodging per day: Adult $23.75-47.75 depending on accommodations; Youth/Pre-youth $23.75-36.75; Child (6-11) $14.88-27.88. Contact: Floyd Donley, KY 42044 (phone 502-362-4228, e-mail). Free Saturday breakfast if you register by Aug. 20.

MARYLAND "DAYSPRING," JULY 30-AUG. 2 Program: "The Individual's Role in the Advancement of Civilization." Location: Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD. Facilities: Dorm housing, meals at cafeteria. Pool, gym, tennis court. Contact: Ingrid Olson, Herndon, VA 20170 (phone 703-481-8393, e-mail). Pre-register by July 1.

MISSISSIPPI, JUNE 5-7 Program: "Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops: the Individual" with Farah Guchani-Rosenberg, Auxiliary Board member. Children's and youth classes available. Location: Duncan M. Gray Episcopal Conference Center, Canton, MS. Fees: Registration fee $5 by May 15. Conference fee $111.50, includes lodging/meals. Contact: Alma I. Smith, Vicksburg, MS 39180.

SOUTH CAROLINA, JUNE 12-14 Program: "Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops Focus on the Individual." Keynote speaker: Dr. Wilma Ellis, member of Continental Board of Counselors. Please bring a copy of The Advent of Divine Justice. Location: Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, SC. Facilities: Dorm housing (please bring linens), meals at dining hall. Other lodging available Georgetown. Fees: Registration fee per person: Early $15, on-site $20. Discount for large families. Lodging/meals per day: Adult/Youth (12-up) $25, Child (under 12) $20. Contact: Emie Hilton (phone 803-558-9881).

TENNESSEE BAHÁ’Í INSTITUTE, SEPT. 4-7 Program: TBA Location: DuBose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN. Facilities: Dorm-style or cabin lodging, area motels available. Swimming, sports, outdoor recreation. Fees: Lodging depends on accommodations; meals: Adult/Youth/Pre-youth $51, Child $43, Infant free. Contact: Kaihan Strain, Hixson, TN 37343 (phone 423-842-1750). Pre-register by Aug. 15.

VIRGINIA "HEMLOCK HAVEN," JUNE 19-21 Program: "Spirit to Heart: Sharing Bahá’u’lláh’s Message." Speaker/workshop format; music by El Viento Canta. Location: Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA. Facilities: Cabins, kitchen units, camping or trailer hookups available. Outdoor recreation. Fees: Adult $79, Child $52/36. Camping extra. Contact: Sarah Jane Lee (phone 540-889-0445) or Clint Dye (phone 540-873-6754, e-mail).

CENTRAL REGION

ILLINOIS "HEARTLAND," AUGUST 5-9 Program: "Reassessing Your Role in the Four Year Plan." Location: Knox College, Galesburg, IL. More information: Brochures to be mailed in May, information to be posted on Web site (empath.vp.uiuc.edu/heartland/).

IOWA, JULY 17-21 Program: "Copper to Gold" with Lisa Smits and Lynn Wieties. Location: Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA. Facilities: Dorm housing, meals at cafeteria. Pool, gym, lots of greenspace, planned recreation. Fees: Adult $170, Family of 4 $575. Contact: Rita Landers, Davenport, IA 52802-2603 (phone 319-323-8242). Pre-register by June 24.

KANSAS, JULY 3-5 Program: "Express Yourself: Using the Arts to Teach the Bahá’í Faith." Location: Tall Oaks Conference Center near Lawrence, KS. Facilities: Cabins, special needs housing, RV/tent spaces. Outdoor recreation, swimming. Fees: Adult $85-100, Youth $75-90, Pre-youth $65-80, Infant free. Contact: Gray Bishop, Derby, KS 67037 (phone 316-788-5378). Pre-register by June 20.

KANSAS, JULY 3-5 Program: "Express Yourself. Using the Arts to Teach the Bahá’í Faith." Location: Tall Oaks Conference Center near Lawrence, KS. Facilities: Cabins, special needs housing, RV/tent spaces. Outdoor recreation, swimming. Fees: Adult $85-100, Youth $75-90, Pre-youth $65-80; Infant free. Contact: Gray Bishop, Derby, KS 67037 (phone 316-788-5378). Pre-register by June 20.

MINNESOTA "WILLIAM SEARS GREAT NORTH WOODS," AUG. 12-16 Program: "The Role of the Individual in Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops: Instilling the Fire of Teaching in Every Believer" with Hoda Mahmoudi and others. Special Friday night multicultural arts/music program. Location: Camp Onomia near Onamia, MN. Facilities: Dorm rooms, camping, lake and outdoor recreation, game room. Fees: Adult: Full session about $160, day student $50. Reduced rates for youth/children. Contact: Ali Mahabadi, Plymouth, MN 55441 (phone 612-557-6039 or 612-379-8535).

WISCONSIN "MARION STEFFES," JULY 13-17 Program: "Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops Focus on the Individual." Children's classes and nursery. Location: Byron Center, Brownsville, WI. Facilities: Semi-private rooms; camping available. Outdoor recreation. Fees: Adult $170, Youth/Child (6-18) $85, Infant (0-5) $15, Family $475. Contact: Lisa Riemer, West Bend, WI 53090 (phone 414-338-3023). Pre-register by July 6. Space limited.

NOTICE: GREEN LAKE BAHÁ’Í CONFERENCE IS SCHEDULED A WEEK LATER THAN USUAL

WISCONSIN-GREEN LAKE BAHÁ’Í CONFERENCE, SEPT. 18-20 Program: Special guests include the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Central States and William Hatcher. Location: Green Lake Conference Center, Green Lake, WI. Facilities: Meals and lodging at the center. Fees: Basic fees (accommodations additional): Adult (18-up) $20, Youth/Child (2-17) $10, Family $40. Contact: Lori Block, Green Bay. WI 54301 (phone 920-432-110). For accommodations: contact the conference center (phone 800-558-8898).

NORTHEASTERN REGION

NEW YORK, AUG. 14-23 Program: Speakers to include Joy Leary, John Hatcher, Laurie Early, Peter Murphy. Location: Oakwood School, Poughkeepsie, NY. Facilities: Dorm rooms; gym, tennis courts. Fees: Depend on length of stay. Contact: Tom Cody, PO Box 355, Lincolndale, NY 10540 (phone 914-248-5963) [Page 17]

How much did it cost?

Goal for efficiency was met

The essential purpose of the media aspect of the national teaching plan is to bring in growing, measurable response from non-Bahá’ís who come into contact with the Bahá’í Message through television, radio or other communications media. In such a way we can vastly expand the number of people that individual believers can teach.

The process is very sophisticated, involving careful testing and analysis of programming content and results from live tests. Over time the results have shown our increasing ability to reach more people for less money.

The first two-week test of The Power of Race Unity in Atlanta yielded about one direct response for every $50 spent on air time. By industry standards this was a very respectable showing; for us it was unsustainable.

That test told us a great deal about when people tended to watch, and who they were. Refinements based on this knowledge yielded an average of one call per $18 spent over the next three months.

The aim of the Odyssey broadcasts was to drive the level of efficiency even further, to $10 for every call. This was achieved, and can be considered extraordinarily good, especially since we are a relatively unknown religion. ♦

PRICE PER RESPONSE

$50	$18	$10
ATLANTA	ATLANTA	ODYSSEY
June 1997	July-Aug. 1997	Mar.-Apr. 1998

As our experience with using The Power of Race Unity increases, we gain more phone contacts from the public for our money.

Our challenge: MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM

The national media initiative is only one element of the national teaching plan. The Universal House of Justice has made it clear that a number of efforts must proceed together if we are to make a significant advancement in the Four Year Plan. These speak to the development of individuals, communities and institutions. Together they make for a harmonious, ongoing, evolving pattern of Bahá’í life.

“The degree of energy and resources expended by local communities in only a few weeks has been astounding,” says Ken Bowers, a member of the National Teaching Committee. “It has also been heartening to see, based on the scores of reports that we have received, that, in general, attention has been paid to all the elements of community life necessary to advance the process of entry by troops. For example, a great deal of attention is being paid to the development of human resources, as well as to specific activities such as firesides, devotional meetings, service projects, use of the arts, youth and children’s programs, and so on.

“What this means is that we are more conscious that Bahá’í community life involves a rich variety of activities, in which we all participate according to our own individual capacities and local resources.

“The challenge now is to sustain the overall effort, recognizing that we are committed to a long-term process. Over time our communities need to evolve into closer and closer conformity with the spirit of the Teachings of the Faith—from activities into a divine and spiritually enriching system of community life. This will attract and confirm more people than anything else.”

PROCLAMATION IS NOT EVERYTHING

“The National Teaching Committee has said this before,” Bowers continued, “but it is worth repeating that the proclamation component of the plan is meant as an enhancement for individual and local teaching effort. In no way is it a substitute. What we are trying to do is to find ways of getting more seekers into local communities and in contact with believers; in other words, we are trying to increase the opportunities for teaching.

“But this does not mean that the friends should simply wait for the phone to ring. Local communities, in the aggregate, have far more ability than the National Assembly to generate interest in the Faith on the part of individual seekers. What we are doing is learning lessons that will help us all to do this better. We are all in this process together.

“The individual believer has a particular responsibility in this regard. If the individual does not act, then the plan cannot succeed.

“It is important to remember that institutions do not teach the Faith, per se. The National Assembly does not teach the Faith, nor do Local Assemblies. Even the National Teaching Committee, in spite of its name, does not teach the Faith.

“What the administrative institutions can do is to foster favorable conditions within which the individual can arise to ‘spread the divine fragrances.’ But the heart of the matter is

SEE MOMENTUM, PAGE 24

Jodie Hulti (left) and Julie Anderson of Eugene, Oregon, flank the banner that welcomed visitors to an event centered on the first showing of The Power of Race Unity in March at the Eugene Bahá’í center. Photo by Quddus Miller

WHAT’S COMING THIS YEAR

In addition to the June broadcasts of The Power of Race Unity on Black Entertainment Television, the following plans are being developed for the coming year:

• New programs. U.S. Bahá’í Media Services is developing a video program on women’s issues. SIDCorp (the Satellite Initiative Development Corporation) is working on several new programs, the first on the theme of prayer and worship, and others on community life and indigenous peoples. SIDCorp is continuing its collaboration with the National Teaching Committee.
• News media strategy. A national public relations strategy is being developed, aimed at gaining coverage for the Faith in news media. The plan will involve approaches to the national media as well as training for regional and local public relations representatives.
• Radio production. Plans are being developed for radio programming targeting specific audiences, especially Latin-Americans and African-Americans. Details will be published as soon as possible.

• Staying on the air. There will be future national broadcasts of The Power of Race Unity, and possibly other programs, in 1998–1999. Details on channels and time slots are being worked out, and will be published as soon as possible.

[Page 18]

What the early results of media initiative tell us

According to the National Teaching Committee, the results of the initiative to date offer a number of important lessons:

• There is an audience for the Bahá’í Faith. The relatively large response to the Odyssey broadcasts shows that vast numbers of people will be attracted to the Faith if we share the Message with them. The success of local communities in attracting people to teaching events also shows this to be true.

It should be remembered that the initial broadcasts were a very small beginning that opened a window to the real potential we face. Everything we have experienced is in perfect harmony with the observations of countless scholars and commentators on religious trends—namely, that vast sections of the U.S. population are “on the move” spiritually, in search of belief systems that address their needs.

• Audiences can be defined and reached through systematic effort. The Power of Race Unity was developed in collaboration between a group of independent Bahá’í producers, known as the Satellite Initiative Development Corporation (SIDCorp), and the National Teaching Committee. The U.S. Bahá’í Media Services agency also contributed significant effort.

The video was developed through an extensive process of testing and revision, using focus groups of non-Bahá’í viewers. This was to ensure the message was conveyed in a positive way and to find out what groups of people tended to respond best. Thus the final version of the program was much different from the original draft.

The focus group tests were a good predictor of the response to real broadcasts. This shows that a systematic process of audience analysis works very well.

Ethel Crawford, member of the National Teaching Committee, credited members of SIDCorp for their determination to stay with this process of testing and evaluation:

“Everyone learned a great deal from this process, but it should be acknowledged that the newness of it all meant that the friends at SIDCorp had to sacrifice a great deal of extra resources and energy. After all, this really was the first time anyone had ever approached the development of teaching materials in this way. The contribution they made was more than a video—it is a totally new way of looking at how we address audiences with the Bahá’í Message.”

• Sensitivity to the audience is essential. One of the key lessons is abundantly confirmed in the Writings of the Faith—that a key ingredient for teaching success is the capacity to be sensitive to the needs and viewpoints of others. This lesson carries over into all teaching activities, and is worth considering in every aspect of Bahá’í community life.

• The American Bahá’í community is ready and willing to arise. The response to the national initiative shows we have a large core of dedicated believers in every corner of the country, willing to do what it takes to advance the process of entry by troops.

“This is a significant thing not only from a practical organizational standpoint,” Crawford said, “but also from the standpoint of our collective spiritual unity, which is what attracts the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty. There can be little doubt, based on what we have seen these past few weeks, that this community has rallied behind the National Spiritual Assembly and is marching forward with audacity and determination.”

“We now know that we can generate response to the Bahá’í Message at a sustainable rate,” Crawford added. “What’s more, our capacity to attract people is bound to increase as our knowledge and experience increase. It is not beyond reasonable expectation that thousands, tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of people will want to know about the Faith in the near future.”

CHALLENGES FOR NEAR-FUTURE ACTION

The National Teaching Committee points out several near-term challenges that will require energetic national, regional and local action:

• Development of human resources. Success in proclamation increases the need for effective teachers, and for people trained to administer community affairs. Regional training institutes have been established to provide programs for these needs. Locally sponsored programs are in place in a number of areas as well.
• Effective follow-up. We need to learn how to follow up with people who contact us to learn about the Faith. This means greater effectiveness in virtually every aspect of community life, as well as in initial encounters with seekers.
• Development of community life. We know Bahá’í community life is not simply a list of activities. Rather, it is a pattern of life that manifests the spiritual forces released by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and proves the efficacy of His Teachings. This requires that the believers strive to build truly united, loving communities that embrace all people.
• Expanded outreach. The NTC and others will continue to work on reaching new audiences with the Bahá’í message. Plans have been developed for public relations approaches to news media, for new videos and literature, radio and the Internet.
• A sustained learning process. The most important thing of all is that the believers everywhere continue their activities, while refining them as necessary. This will require constant activity, a readiness to try new things, and the willingness to learn from mistakes.

TEACHING, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

from individuals who saw the broadcasts on Odyssey and became interested in knowing more about the Bahá’í Faith.

“The National Teaching Committee hoped that the broadcasts would yield about 2,400 calls,” says Alejandro Melendez, a member of the committee. “This would be a rate of one call for every $10 spent for air time. The number of calls was increased to some extent through local promotion of the broadcasts, which entailed separate costs.

“Even if we factor these out of the total, then we still reached the goal,” Melendez said. “This is very important, because it assures the sustainability of the effort.”

The National Teaching Committee also arranged for a random survey of Bahá’í communities, beginning about one week into the initiative. This survey, carried out by non-Bahá’í professionals to help ensure objectivity, was designed to gauge the extent and success of local teaching activities ‎conjunction in conjunction‎ with the national effort.

“The results of this survey were nothing less than extraordinary,” Melendez said. “About 4 out of 10 communities had developed and implemented teaching activities as a direct response to the national initiative. They held activities of virtually every description. Most of them had firesides, devotional meetings, public talks and local proclamation activities. The friends were very vigorous about inviting people to attend meetings to see the video and to hear about the Faith. As a result of the survey, we can safely project that slightly more than 3,000 people attended Bahá’í teaching events of one kind or another.”

The survey also showed that another 5 out of 10 communities had made definite near-future plans for local teaching. Most were to be carried out within a few weeks from the time of the survey. Only 1 community in 10 had not yet made a plan.

“It has been two decades since we have seen this pace of teaching activity in the U.S.,” Melendez said. “We are clearly at a new level, and poised to win great victories in the second half of the Four Year Plan.”

Youths pitch in

Young volunteers from across the Chicago metropolitan area, gathered in the lunch room at the Bahá’í National Center, help assemble and roll out some of the hundreds of National Teaching Campaign materials for mailing to participating Bahá’í communities across the country. Youths from Ohio also came to help out. Photo courtesy National Teaching Office

AN EXERCISE IN UNITY

At the beginning of the Four Year Plan the Universal House of Justice asserted that one of our two main challenges is “...to mount a campaign of teaching in which the broad membership of the 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...”

It is fair to say that significant progress has been made on both fronts. As crucial as plans and processes are, more important are the spiritual qualities of love for the Blessed Beauty and for humanity, of unity, of perseverance and of sacrificial commitment to our sacred task. As the beloved Guardian stated:

“Perseverance is the magnet that will, in these days, attract the promised blessings of the Almighty Author of our beloved Faith. Unity and harmony constitute the basis on which the structure of these activities can securely rest. Self-sacrifice, audacity, undeviating adherence to the essentials of the Faith, will reinforce that structure and accelerate its rise.” [Page 19]

Tale of two cities: One uses Odyssey, one plans without it

BY TOM MENNILLO

Two cities—one with the Odyssey Channel and one without—typify the rich variety of community responses to the national media initiative.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, residents could view The Power of Race Unity on cable TV.

But 120 miles northwest in Lebanon, Tennessee, a Nashville suburb, the program was unavailable on cable.

Chattanooga Bahá’ís instituted a multilayered teaching effort to take advantage of the broadcasts.

A billboard, bus placards and radio announcements invited people to watch the show or to call for information on how they could “join the Bahá’ís in helping Chattanooga bridge the racial divide.”

Events sponsored by the Bahá’ís for that purpose included:

• Firesides seven days a week in various parts of the city (including the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga campus), the county, and beyond.
• Prayer meetings each Wednesday evening.
• Weekly worship services following the prayer meetings with talks on such topics as “Many Faiths, One God,” “Ye Are the Leaves of One Tree and the Fruits of One Branch,” “Women and Men: Two Wings of a Bird,” “Strengthening Families,” and “Consultation: A New Way to Solve Problems.”

The Bahá’ís also opened a public information center in Eastgate Mall, which draws customers primarily from the minority community. Chattanooga’s Bahá’í Center is in the Hixson area a few miles from Eastgate.

In addition, a public meeting was hosted on the university campus April 4 titled “Worlds Apart Then, Side by Side Now: A Model for Racial Healing.”

Featured speakers were Jayne Mahboubi and Ashburn Searcy, Bahá’ís who are descendants of slaves and slave owners, respectively, in the same small south Georgia town.

Debbi Hampton, in opening the program, told the more than 40 attendees that eradicating racial prejudice is difficult even for Bahá’ís, who strive to make their personal and community lives a workshop for putting into practice the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

“It’s not about just making nice, but creating something new,” she said, adding that while the speakers wouldn’t be addressing the Bahá’í Faith directly, “whatever they say will be framed within a Bahá’í context because the oneness of humanity is pivotal to their beliefs. This is the age for reunification of the human race.”

The speakers were interviewed on-camera by reporter Alison Starling of WDEF-TV12, the CBS affiliate in Chattanooga, before their talk.

The night before, up in Lebanon, the Bahá’ís of Wilson County held a public showing of The Power of Race Unity followed by a discussion of concrete steps residents can take to bring the races together.

Lebanon lacks a Bahá’í community. Most Bahá’ís in the county live in the Mt. Juliet area to the west.

But Lebanon, with its virtual wall of separation between black and white and several recent racial incidents, is a focus of efforts by Wilson County Bahá’ís. The friends have forged relationships with the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter and other leaders of thought.

The Spiritual Assembly of Wilson County recently sent a letter urging community leaders to “respond appropriately to these communities by finding ways to open honest dialogue between all citizens so that healing can begin and this insidious disease of racism can be eradicated.”

In the letter, the Bahá’ís offered their experience in building unity and declared they stand “ready to aid in the necessary process of healing racial hurts and building strong relationships among all Wilson Countians.”

It concluded, “Over the next weeks we will be offering models of race unity through various media presentations and workshops. We are committed to this effort ‘for the long haul’ and we invite others to join us in this commitment to the power of race unity in Wilson County.”

The April 3 program was the first of these events. It was attended by 16 brave souls who ventured out amid a violent storm that spawned several destructive tornadoes.

Joyce Maneck introduced the night’s program, saying its aim was to “show the video and use it as a catalyst to discuss what can be done in Wilson County to resolve some of the issues between the races here.”

The video, she explained, contains models of what people around the country are doing. Perhaps, she said, attendees could use them to spark ideas for further dialogue and action by area residents.

An hourlong discussion ensued, with attendees—Bahá’ís (including three new believers) and non-Bahá’ís—enthusiastically voicing their ideas.

Another event the Bahá’ís are planning is the Wilson County Race Amity Conference on June 14 at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon.

The conference will feature:

• A panel discussion with area citizens on improving race relations.
• Multicultural children’s activities.
• Entertainment (led by country singer Dan Seals performing his inspirational “We Are One”) reflecting the diversity of the community.
• Presentation of three race unity awards to county residents, including a “lifetime achievement” award. ♦

A diverse audience in Lebanon, Tennessee, views The Power of Race Unity video as a prelude to discussion about ways to bring about harmony in their community. Photo by Tom Mennillo

Communities in New York work as many parts of one body for teaching efforts

BY FRANCES HAYDEN

In Westchester County, New York, the media initiative has mobilized the friends there like no other recent event.

Intercommunity cooperation has begun to be a reality in a county that is economically and culturally a unit but politically is divided into some 40 municipalities. These municipalities are often made up of several villages, and to make matters even more confusing some villages are divided so that half are in one town and half in another.

Using such tools as The Lamplight newsletter and electronic mail, multicommunity Holy Day celebrations, a county-wide prayer vigil, and occasional multicommunity feasts and fellowship, the communities are beginning to develop a regional identity.

There is even some cross-border cooperation with Fairfield and Litchfield counties in Connecticut, including the Hushmand Taraz Teaching Institute in Norwalk.

Things begin to take shape last fall when a large meeting was held in the home of one of the believers. Thirty-two people attended, and with the guidance and advice of the assistants small groups were formed to work together on goals of the Four Year Plan and the National Teaching Plan.

By the time the media campaign hit, they were accustomed to working across city boundaries:

• New Rochelle installed a line with which to connect to 800-22-UNITE.
• White Plains worked with the Gannett newspapers to publish the “Help America Heal the Racial Divide” ad, which the newspapers liked so much they agreed to increase its size and place it in triple the original circulation area.
• Cortlandt agreed to send out the initial literature to all respondents to the television show and 800 number.
• Several local access cable stations agreed to air The Power of Race Unity. In Mount Vernon, an assistant high school principal was so impressed with the video she asked the Bahá’ís to host a 45-minute workshop at a youth forum with the theme of race unity.
• In addition to the national broadcasts scheduled on BET in June, local public access broadcast has been arranged for Larchmont and Mamaroneck, two communities without Bahá’ís, beginning in April.
• A Bahá’í physician was interviewed on a local talk show about “Racism as a Disease.” He mentioned the Bahá’í prescription, the Central Figures and the 800 number. He was surprised the next week to learn that the executive director of the hospital in which he works saw the show at home and was impressed.
• A countywide and some local Web sites are up and running and beginning to be promoted.

The number of respondents to the program has been small because Odyssey is seen only for limited hours and in limited localities. But the quality of responses has been heartening.

One person told how she was spiritually guided to find the ad in a pile of old newspapers and then to watch The Power of Race Unity on Odyssey. Her call was caught live by a believer who had been praying and waiting by the telephone. She said that it was meant for her to meet this Bahá’í, that she had been following the Bahá’í Faith for a long time, and that now is that time for the world to hear our message.

A man in Mount Vernon, which has a large African-American population, saw the ad and was stirred. Unable to catch the broadcast, he called the 800 number and received literature. He read it all and found it “compelling.”

The second Mount Vernon respondent, and the sixth overall in the county, made contact with the Faith in a very touching way. When the Bahá’í line was checked, there was one new message, marked “urgent” by the caller. She sounded like a teenage girl. The call was received at 6:59 p.m., and almost certainly she had just watched the 6:30 p.m. broadcast on a public access channel. ♦ [Page 20]

Chicago suburb’s success springs from unlucky turn

BY KEN GOEBEL

A perfect example of how something bad can bring good:

One day a Bahá’í from Highland Park, Illinois, was driving home on the highway from a contracting job in Wilmette. The Bahá’í was almost home when he heard a loud bang. Looking around and into the rear view mirror, he observed the muffler bouncing off the side of the road.

Looking to kill some time while the car was being repaired, he remembered that an old friend worked at a local radio station just down the street and went to pay her a visit. Asking about the station’s programming, the Bahá’í was told there was a variety, including religious shows featuring Hassidic Jewish, Muslim, conservative Christian, and Catholic perspectives.

As it happened, a church was canceling its contract in a month, so time was short for the Assembly of Highland Park to decide and to act.

“It was a hard sell at first. None of us knew anything about radio, other than where the on and off buttons were!

“But we had the option of canceling our contract with the station after 60 days at $80 per half-hour show if things didn’t work out. So we said, ‘What the heck, let’s go for it,’” the Bahá’í said.

‘Morning Fireside’ can be heard every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in four states to a potential 4 million listeners.

Suitable Bahá’í programs were tough to find. So the friends decided to put on their own show, taking advantage of the area’s abundance of learned and deepened Bahá’ís to interview, with a mountain of stories and information to share.

“Sometimes a microphone can humble even the best of them, so after some auditions through on-air trial and error, we found an interviewer and we were on our way,” the Bahá’í said. “We named the show ‘Morning Fireside’ and after six months of on-air experience, we started sounding pretty good.”

Then came word that the station was being sold to a big downtown Chicago station that wanted the air time to put on a syndicated show from Los Angeles.

It was fun while it lasted, thought the Bahá’í. But then he found through casual conversation with a radio engineer that this new station was selling time on the weekends—for a little more than double what the Bahá’ís were paying.

Back to the Assembly, where it was decided other communities must get involved.

“So we pitched the idea of moving our show to a bigger station at a higher cost to our neighboring communities of Glencoe, Winnetka, Wilmette, Evanston and Glenview,” the Bahá’í said. “Enthusiastically, all of them said, ‘Let’s do it. We’re in. How much do you need?’ and now, after a year and a half, this still-evolving ‘Morning Fireside’ can be heard every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in four states to a potential 4 million listeners.” It has been a useful tool in promoting the cable telecast of The Power of Race Unity. Four shows were dedicated to promoting the video.

So the next time your muffler falls off your car, don’t get mad. It could be a good thing. ♦

Power of Race Unity broadcast wins over school official in Racine

SUBMITTED BY AMY JILL NEEB

The tiny Bahá’í Group in Racine, Wisconsin, was delighted when the multicultural coordinator for the school district expressed an interest in taping The Power of Race Unity broadcast and making it available for teachers to use in the schools.

But that was by no means the only exciting response to efforts in Racine, home to one of the first Local Spiritual Assemblies in the United States, to support the national teaching initiative.

• On the first Saturday of the campaign, the nearby Milwaukee Bahá’í community aired the video on a network television channel. Minutes after the broadcast, the first telephone call was received, and the friends promptly sent out an information package including The Bahá’ís magazine, the race unity statement, and a flier listing firesides.
• A family of three attended a video showing in a believer’s home that included dinner and a long discussion about race unity and related topics.
• A very interested seeker called during the campaign, was sent information, and then visited the home of a Bahá’í family to pick up additional reading materials.
• An individual who had been investigating the Faith received a copy of the flier and later met with a believer.
• A Bahá’í youth was granted permission by the principal to post the fliers in his high school. He also invited several teachers and students to the events.
• A flier was posted at the local library.
• A neighboring Bahá’í group provided radio advertisements about the broadcast.

Monthly firesides will continue, and the friends have also begun to hold monthly social dinners. They feel these consistent efforts are important, even if they have no guests at first, so that when seekers do contact them, events are in place. ♦

Councils boost local endeavors

Regional Bahá’í Councils have taken actions in development of the national plan (See bottom of page for report from the Council for the Northeastern States):

SOUTHERN STATES

• Coordinating Teams appointed by the Regional Council were particularly effective in maximizing the efforts of the friends in designated areas where there are a large number of Assemblies, such as Atlanta, Metro D.C. and the Greater Triangle Area of North Carolina. These Assemblies pooled their resources, and obtained a lot of publicity and enthusiasm for the video.
• Distribution was approved for race unity material produced by the Southern Race Unity Committee, titled Accepting the Challenge: Creating Vibrant Models of Unity in Diversity. This booklet helps the friends in a safe environment explore the issue of racism and race unity within themselves, and within and without the Bahá’í community. It was sent to every Assembly and group in the South. Additional copies are available from the Race Unity Committee c/o Chuck Egerton, Asheboro, NC 27203-5826.

The Southern Council would be very interested in knowing how we might be of greater assistance to the Friends with the Power of Race Unity Campaign or any other issues. The Assemblies and friends can reach the Council at Oakland Park, FL 33309 (e-mail ).

CENTRAL STATES

The Council supports the local teaching initiatives through prayer, consultation, assisting with networking, directly encouraging support of the plan and sharing

SEE REGIONAL COUNCILS, PAGE 24

Boston-area task force, communities shine in their resourcefulness

SUBMITTED BY WILLIAM SMITH

The Coordinating Task Force for the Boston Area knew it had a lot of ground to cover: in its area of influence in eastern Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island, southern Maine and New Hampshire, only the Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts, cable TV systems carried the Odyssey cable channel.

Then another challenge arose: They found out just before the broadcasts of The Power of Race Unity that those systems were dropping Odyssey.

So the task force, an agency of the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Northeastern States, determined to become even more resourceful with the $30,000 raised for proclamation from Local Assemblies, groups and individual believers.

The Regional Council reports that three time slots on Sunday mornings and four on Friday mornings were bought to broadcast the program on WABU-TV. That station reaches 1.2 million households on 130 cable systems.

Airing of the program also was arranged on the Global African International Network, which airs on several Massachusetts cable systems. The show “‎Carribscope Caribscope‎” on that system interviewed Arlene Brock, a Bahá’í from Belmont, Massachusetts, who is a native of Barbados.

To promote the broadcasts, they advertised in 50 local community newspapers and on high-viewership channels in a number of cable systems. Borrowing an idea from an intercommunity committee based in Skokie, Illinois, they bought advertising time on movie theater screens.

A special Web site for seekers containing basic information on the Bahá’í Faith, news of upcom- [Page 21]

Ohio children will not be left unprepared in teaching work

BY ADDISON BIBB

The Four Year Plan and the teaching campaign are bringing home to us the vital role children can play in our local initiatives.

By inviting their teachers and friends to view The Power of Race Unity on television or inviting them to firesides, and by behaving in school and setting a good example, children are making an impact on their communities.

In Columbus, Ohio, children are not biding their time waiting to be of service. They are learning how to teach and are teaching everywhere they go.

“In the last few years, the Olivia Kelsey Bahá’í School has refocused itself strategically to become a foundation piece for the whole Columbus area in entry by troops,” explains David Hansen, a teacher in the class for children 8 to 12 years old.

The resulting Enayati-Reza’i teaching project is named for two Bahá’ís who were killed in Iran last July. “The class, in memory of these two men, is developing training ‎intsitute institute‎ courses to be offered to the Bahá’í community, as well as for firesides and deepenings for those people investigating the Faith,” Hansen said.

Each child has selected a research topic for independent study with at least one adult mentor.

Negin Chang’s course on the Kitáb-i-Aqdas will challenge anyone. She is taking an in-depth look at specific laws on crime and punishment and on her favorite topic: Bahá’í marriage. Each child is working to memorize prayers and sacred Writings.

Other children are studying and giving presentations on such topics, which they selected themselves, as “The Abhá Kingdom,” “The Life of Bahá’u’lláh,” “Life After Death,” “The Treatment of Animals,” “The Arts,” and “Bahá’u’lláh’s Life in Prison.”

One student, Payam Lanjani, has been using the Bahá’í Writings to create art. Another student, Brandi Williams, says that she has daily opportunities to teach her teachers and noon-aides at school about the Faith and any of her friends who will listen.

SEE CHILDREN, PAGE 24

Anisa Lanjani (left) and Camillia Brown team up for study of the Bahá’í Writings on the subject of life after death at the Olivia Kelsey Bahá’í School in Columbus, Ohio. Photos by Farshad Lanjani

Teacher David Hansen says the Olivia Kelsey Bahá’í School is a foundation for entry by troops in Columbus, Ohio.

Billboards central to Houston project

SUBMITTED BY AJIT GIANI

Forty-eight colorful billboards proclaiming principles of the Faith sprang up all around the Houston area in late April, as the Bahá’ís of that Texas city launched a massive media campaign with a goal of making the majority of the 4.2 million people in the metro area aware of the Bahá’í Faith.

Each of the four billboard designs (one in Spanish) invites viewers to call or e-mail the community for more information. They were placed so that an estimated 25 percent of the greater Houston population will see one each day. Many of them will see the message numerous times over 30 days.

After the first month the number of billboards will be reduced to 18, strategically placed to reach 10% of the population every day.

Only days after the first billboards went up, the community launched a radio advertising campaign on the most popular AM and FM stations, designed to be heard by 700,000 people daily. The community planned to run about 20 one-minute ads per week on three stations.

A multi-line phone system is in place at the Houston Bahá’í center, with volunteers answering the phones seven days a week. Callers are offered the choice of going to one of 30 firesides in the area, having a Bahá’í teacher visit, or having information mailed to them. All callers will receive a follow-up letter within a week of calling or e-mailing the community.

The plan is made possible by the great sense of love and cooperation amongst the friends in the greater Houston area, and by the sacrifice of time and resources by the friends. ♦

Billboards in Houston proclaim in English and Spanish.

Shaheen Tedjarati, Solomon Atkins and Richard Thomas share a light moment at an April meeting between the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Central States and members of several institutions in the Columbus, Ohio, area along with directors of the Dorothy Baker Regional Teaching Institute. The meeting was to discuss Local Assemblies’ activities in support of the media component of the National Teaching Plan. Local photo

...ing public events, and a digitized ad for the video were especially developed for this campaign.

Also, the phone system organized by the area’s Bahá’ís has been retrieving inquiries from all telephone exchanges in the campaign area.

All this was carried out with the hard work of public relations coordinators from 26 communities, mobilized by the task force.

The first results have been evident in public meetings organized by at least 15 communities in the area.

In Concord, Massachusetts, about 40 people—mostly non-Bahá’ís—showed up for a meeting for the premiere of the program.

In neighboring Marlboro, the mayor was among the guests at the public premiere, and spent a long time discussing the need for a “unity approach” with the Bahá’ís. The mayor agreed to meet again with Bahá’í community representatives to discuss race unity activities in the city. ♦ [Page 22]

Santa Clarita attracts hundreds on Web swiftly

The cable TV company in Santa Clarita, California, was impressed. The TV ads promoting the local Bahá’í toll-free phone line and Web site were the best they had ever seen, their representative said. So in addition to the time the Bahá’í community paid for, the cable company offered to run the spots free when openings came up.

The viewers and Web browsers were impressed. Promoted only on the cable TV ads and weekly public-access programs, the Internet site—sponsored by the Santa Clarita and Newhall JD communities in their proclamation/teaching campaign—received over 1,000 visits in the two weeks after it was posted.

“Looked at another way,” a report on the campaign says, “since the average age of residents in our community is about 18.5 years, and assuming the inquiries were primarily from among the 85,000 adults in our community, over 1% of our adult community has searched for the Faith, and knows about us, in just 14 days!”

Bahá’ís in the city of 165,000 north of Los Angeles have been maintaining or stepping up their normal activities as well: inviting seekers to public meetings at a higher rate, leading a community walk to feed the hungry, helping plan a citywide International Festival for this fall, and participating in the local InterFaith Council and an annual women’s conference.

And community members are making a point of gathering to say teaching prayers for every public meeting or fireside, which doubtless helps the community spirit.

Still, the media proclamation campaign is elaborate. It includes newspaper ads and announcements, mailers, fliers, and letters and e-mail messages to past seekers.

The first contingent of 188 cable TV ads was to run through Ridván on such channels as CNN, Discovery, USA, Lifetime and HDLN. In mid-April the community was contemplating buying more ad time further into the future. The four 30-second ads they use were prepared by a company in San Diego.

On the radio, meanwhile, fully 500 commercial spots proclaiming the Faith are to run months into the future. ◆

Bahá’ís in the Santa Clarita Valley of California pose after a park cleanup, one of several community involvement projects they participate in. Local photo

The reports in this section do not represent all the innovative and energetic efforts nationwide in cooperation with the National Teaching Plan, but here are some more of the victories space allows us to report:

Wenatchee, Washington: An independent civic group called Bridge Builders is rallying behind the theme “The Power of Race Unity” and will support the Bahá’í community’s public discussion on the topic, to be held some time near Race Unity Day.

Though Bahá’ís in the Wenatchee area have been instrumental organizers and participants in the annual Martin Luther King Day activities sponsored by Bridge Builders, a letter on their behalf said the vote of support was surprising and “will give the Bahá’í community complete autonomy in creating a meaningful and memorable public statement on race unity.”

Portland, Maine: Regular public access cable broadcasts are not the only race amity activity this Assembly has engaged in. The community is involved, with other organizations, in a project to restore and convert the third-oldest black church in the country, the “Abyssinian Church,” into a black history museum.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bahá’ís here arranged for 19 showings of The Power of Race Unity starting in late March. Some of them were not only on public access channels, but as well on network television affiliates.

Lake County, Florida: Several months of persistent contact with two local newspapers paid off for this community west of Orlando. A columnist for the Lake Sentinel attended a public meeting that used a video program on progressive revelation in early April.

The columnist, Mike Archer, wrote about the Faith in the April 6 and April 8 editions, the latter article concentrating on the Faith’s teachings on unity, its worldwide scope and its power to transform individuals.

“[T]his little band is part of an idea that could someday reshape human history in much the same way Christianity has done,” Archer wrote.

The response was quicker than the community had ever received: “From the first article we had five seekers and two phone calls—one man saying he wanted to become a Bahá’í,” a letter from the Local Spiritual Assembly said. “We don’t get the [Odyssey] TV channel and we thought Lake County should be doing something.”

New Mexico gets a jump-start

New Mexico Bahá’ís began the New Year with a boost for the Four Year Plan teaching goals.

About 100 believers met on Naw-Rúz at the Albuquerque Bahá’í Center to hear Auxiliary Board members, Regional Bahá’í Council and Spiritual Assembly representatives and members of the Latin-American Task Force and the National American Indian Teaching Committee. A surprise visit brought Alberta Deas, a National Spiritual Assembly member now living on the Navajo Reservation.

They ended up forming task forces whose members will stay in touch by e-mail, telephone and travel meetings. Believers also swung behind a project to bring The Power of Race Unity to New Mexico television audiences.

Auxiliary Board members Quill Head and Brent Poirier were everywhere during the daylong conference, encouraging and consulting with the friends.

Poirier noted that the conference was one of the last acts of the highly active Paradise Hills Local Spiritual Assembly, absorbed into Albuquerque at Ridván this year. “This is a model for individual initiative channeled through the administration and then supported by a wide spectrum of the believers,” he said.

Task forces set goals and shared ideas at the end of the gathering. These included a media group, an extension of the Media Task Force in the state’s largest city. That group immediately focused on raising the cost of an independent presentation of The Power of Race Unity, since only one community in the state has the Odyssey channel on cable.

The statewide group heeded Head’s caution that everything must be ready and in place, including systems to handle inquiries and enroll believers, before the media push brings them to our doors.

Other task forces are concentrating on intercommunity coordination, as well as reaching Native Americans, youth and women.

New Mexico believers also formed a team called Arts Afire to use the arts and the state’s artists in the effort.

The conference “made me proud to be a Bahá’í,” said one excited participant at the end of the afternoon. “It gave me focus and courage,” another said. Submitted by William E. Dunning ◆

Rhea Coleman (left) of Hurley, New Mexico state coordinator for traveling teaching, and Nancy Stern of the sponsoring Assembly of Paradise Hills participate in a small-group consultation on teaching at the Area-Wide Search Conference in Albuquerque. Photo by Richard Kochmann

San Jose, California: In addition to advertising the program’s Odyssey Channel broadcast in print for four days, the San Jose friends arranged showings of The Power of Race Unity on public access TV and at a public meeting in the newly acquired South Bay Bahá’í Center.

The community is also planning to work with the Dr. Martin Luther King Association, a support group for the King Center in Atlanta, in hopes of co-sponsoring a showing of the video at the African American Community Center Agency.

Jacksonville, Florida: A nine-day teaching campaign is being geared to the Power of Race Unity theme, beginning June 5 with the sixth annual presentation of Unity in Diversity Awards. The television program will be broadcast on several stations, and throughout the nine days will be shown as the catalyst for discussion groups at libraries and university gatherings.

Culminating in Race Unity Day, the week will include a variety of events including evening programs, picnics, musical offerings, and a number of direct teaching efforts. It is intended to fulfill a goal: everyone in Jacksonville will have heard of the Bahá’í Faith by the end of the Four Year Plan.

Jefferson City, Missouri: Regular showings of The Power of Race Unity on local access cable were supplemented when the local group Christians United for Racial Equity—made up mostly of church leaders—asked for a private showing at their meeting. The video was followed by intense discussion about the need to be active in race unity activities. The meeting also led to the interview of a Bahá’í by a priest for his weekly television show. ◆ [Page 23]

Who called in when the program aired?

A preliminary review of the respondents to the national broadcasts of The Power of Race Unity shows these early results by mid-April:

• We do not yet know how many calls were routed to local communities, and in how many states. On the national default system, calls came in from 44 mainland states. Texas received the most calls, then North Carolina, Virginia and California. Some came from Hawaii, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands.
• 65% of the responses are from women.
• African-Americans appear to be in the slight majority of respondents, although in many cases the race of the caller was not clear.

"These results say some significant things about our audience," said Bill Geissler, a member of the National Teaching Committee. "First, there are people in virtually every part of the country who will respond positively to the issue of race unity as presented by the Bahá’í Faith. So there is no community that should feel left out.

"Second, women are the primary respondents. We experienced the same thing in focus group tests and in Atlanta. It is important to note that every knowledgeable commentator on American religious trends says that women are the driving force behind conversion. Our own survey of new believers who came into the Faith during 1996 and early 1997 shows almost exactly the same proportion of women as the respondents to these broadcasts. This has big implications for the way in which we present the Faith.

"Third, it is very significant that most of the respondents are African-American, especially considering that they are a relatively small proportion of the Odyssey Channel’s viewership. This means that we stand to get even better results by broadcasting on channels that have a higher proportion of African-American viewers, such as Black Entertainment Television.

"The overall consistency of our experiences in focus groups, in Atlanta, and now on the national level, demonstrate the value of a systematic process of learning and experimentation. This paves the way for a multitude of efforts that will reach new audiences with the Teachings. It should also encourage experimentation in local communities." ◆

WHEN YOUR PHONE RINGS ...

Here are a few tips that might be helpful when an inquirer calls you after seeing a broadcast of The Power of Race Unity:

• Most respondents are women. It is preferable for a woman to answer the phone whenever possible. If you receive a recorded message from a woman, always have a woman call her back.
• Establish trust first. This is more important than information. It is essential that we be friendly and helpful, and not insist on offering more than a person wants to know. Some people may want the literature and nothing else; some might be excited and want to know a great deal over the phone. Be ready to accommodate them, but do not insist.

Remember, most people do not call to enroll. There is no need to push them toward the Faith. They have already taken a risk by calling us, and we need to show ourselves worthy of trust.

• Keep a list or database of callers. Send out initial literature with a cover letter, then follow up at appropriate ‎inte:vals intervals‎, especially with invitations to local events. But do not overwhelm them. Some people may respond only after they have received a lot of information. But if a person asks to have no further contact with you, honor that request. ◆

Training institutes are a resource for your community’s preparation

The Universal House of Justice stated in its Ridván 153 message to the Bahá’ís of the world, "What the friends throughout the world are now being asked to do is to commit themselves, their material resources, their abilities and their time to the development of a network of training institutes on a scale never before attempted."

This statement has become the call for developing necessary human resources for entry by troops in this country.

The National Spiritual Assembly, in response to this urgent goal of the Four Year Plan, has established 18 regional training institutes across the nation, each with its board of directors and all eventually to be supervised by Regional Bahá’í Councils.

They are responsible for providing the friends with formal, systematic training programs geared toward training new and veteran believers in the fundamental verities of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh.

Training institutes in the Four Year Plan play a critical role in helping the friends become more knowledgeable teachers in the Cause and developing in each participant a deep love for Bahá’u’lláh. These centers of Bahá’í learning are crucial to sustaining the teaching efforts of the friends and will be important contributors to the second half of the plan.

Regional Training Institute locations: Northeastern States: Boston, Massachusetts; Rochester, New York. Southern States: Atlanta, Georgia; Florida; North Carolina; Northern Texas; Southern Texas; Virginia. Central States: Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minnesota; St. Louis, Missouri. Western States: Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Southern California, Southern New Mexico, Washington/Northern Idaho.

Participants gather at a Regional Training Institute Conference recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo courtesy Education and Schools Office

There are also more than 300 local training institutes nationwide, sponsored by Local Spiritual Assemblies. Their primary mission is to raise up "large numbers of believers who are trained to foster and facilitate the process of entry by troops with efficiency and love."

In April, the National Teaching Committee hosted Regional Training Institute Conferences at Atlanta, Bosch Bahá’í School and Louhelen Bahá’í School. These conferences provided forums for consultation, deepening and networking among the regional training institutes.

Shelley Rastall of the National Teaching Office said, "These conferences were an important step in providing the vision for the regional training institutes, and in emphasizing the key relationship between building up the human resources of the Faith and advancing the process of entry by troops."

Each regional institute, in collaboration with Local Spiritual Assemblies and Auxiliary Board members, is:

• Planning training courses based on the study of needs in each area.
• Offering programs in support of local and regional teaching plans.

Several longer-established RTIs have developed program tracks and ongoing study groups, and appointed subcommittees to help their work.

Many regional institutes offer Core Curriculum courses and other programs developed by the National Education Task Force. Others use the Ruhi model or are developing study programs to meet the needs of each region. ◆

WORKSHOPS CREATED TO ENHANCE USE OF RACE UNITY VIDEO

A series of workshops has been produced as adjunct materials with the video program The Power of Race Unity. This came as a result of a meeting among the National Teaching Committee, the National Education Task Force and the Education and Schools Office at the Bahá’í National Center.

The workshops are aimed at several purposes, including:

• Becoming familiar with the Bahá’í Writings on race unity.
• Developing skills for organizing meetings and gatherings on the issue.
• Understand the individual’s role in helping to establish race unity.
• Recognizing the progress made in the field within the Bahá’í Faith in relation to the larger society.
• Becoming an active promoter of race unity.

This workshop material has been sent to all Local Spiritual Assemblies. Please contact the one nearest you to obtain copies workshop materials, especially if you are interested in conducting the workshop.

For more information, please contact the Education and Schools Office (phone 847-733-3492, e-mail ).

These workshops are meant to encourage the believers to take advantage of the Race Unity training activities in their area, and are not meant to replace the comprehensive Race Unity Training component of the Core Curriculum. They are also specifically designed to support the National Teaching Plan through the use of media and be a tool that the friends can use in their efforts to meet America’s most challenging issue of racism. ◆ [Page 24]

First small step represented a learning process

The broadcast of The Power of Race Unity on the Odyssey cable channel was a perfect first step into national proclamation of the Faith, says Pamela Zivari, director of the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of Public Information and member of the task force that planned the media initiative.

“It was a great ‘trial balloon,’ because we could test all aspects of our approach without necessarily being overwhelmed,” she said.

Odyssey was available in about 40 percent of Bahá’í communities. Even where it is available, it is not a highly watched channel. As a first step this was preferable to a channel with high penetration.

“There were many things we needed to learn in order to see what would be involved in a national campaign of this kind,” says Zivari. “As it turned out, there were many challenges and unexpected developments.”

Examples:

• No one anticipated that the response of local communities to the campaign would be as high as it was. The original estimate was that 350 communities would sign up, based on the best recorded case of local support for a national teaching initiative. The actual result was 1,100.
• “That was a wonderful response, but it taxed our resources to the limit,” Zivari said.

“There were many things that we needed to learn. ... As it turned out, there were many challenges and unexpected developments.” —Pamela Zivari, director, Office of Public Information

• The release of the final version of the video took longer than expected. This was not due to any lapse in planning. Rather, because it was the first time anyone had gone through a testing process of this kind, people underestimated the production schedule.
• The telephone service presented problems. Many communities did not receive local routing in time for the broadcasts. Again, this was because the time for processing was underestimated, not only by the task force, but also by AT&T. Fortunately, all calls were routed to the national termination line and so were not lost.
• Within three weeks, the Bahá’í Distribution Service sold a volume of teaching literature that normally takes six months. The level of demand was far beyond what had been expected.

“These are a few of the things we experienced. We have learned from all of them,” Zivari said. “We have to expect such challenges as a natural part of any new endeavor. The important thing is to learn what we can from each experience and then move on to the next level of effectiveness. We are now going to be much more prepared for the next series of broadcasts as well as to serve local communities better.

“Overall, the positive aspects far outweigh any problems that arose. The results in terms of respondents is proof of that. But there is another way of judging the effort,” she said.

A MORE UNIFIED PROCESS

“A number of agencies of the National Spiritual Assembly collaborated to make the media initiative possible. In addition, literally dozens of individual Bahá’ís volunteered their services on various aspects of the effort. It was an incredible experience, very unifying and joyous, to work with all of these talented and devoted people.

“At the National Center, it has led to a more unified process. The National Assembly’s agencies now think more in terms of collective strategies. As this process is sustained it will also lead to more and more effective collaborations with the Regional Councils and the friends in local communities.” ◆

CHILDREN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

“This class has given me a lot of confidence about being a Bahá’í. And I know that when I reach the age of maturity, that I will stay a Bahá’í,” states Brandi.

“My friends listen. I guess that they are sort of gradually getting interested, but I just teach them bit by bit. This class has helped me be proud to be a Bahá’í and that really helps me teach the Bahá’í Faith,” says Soraya Ma’ani, who has studied some of the letters of Bahá’u’lláh and His proclamations to the rulers of the world.

“The students have been asked to develop their own courses not only because they are going to become teachers but so that they can become an example to the whole community, both youth and adults alike, that everyone must be a teacher,” explains Hansen.

They are practicing research, public speaking, asking questions and being of service.

“They’ll be going out and teaching people who are 30, 40, 50, 60 years old and fulfilling the mandate that we all have to teach and deepen on the principles and verities of the Faith to become ready to embrace large numbers of people entering the Bahá’í Faith,” concludes Hansen.

Elsewhere, communities are having similar experiences:

• The small Bahá’í community in Uvalde, Texas, did not plan to more than quadruple in size through teaching children. It happened when a handful of Bahá’í adults, who had been struggling to form an Assembly for years, took time out of their busy schedules to take a few of the local children swimming at the river on a hot summer afternoon.

On the way they talked about the Bahá’í Faith and said prayers together and sang songs. The adults offered love, service and hospitality to the children and youth of their neighborhood. Now Uvalde is an active community composed primarily of youth.

• In Huntington Park, California, the children’s classes in the park attract not only children. Through this initiative entire families have become Bahá’ís, proving that when you teach the children you reach their parents as well. ◆

MOMENTUM, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

... that the individual must act.”

CAN A FAST PACE BE SUSTAINED?

“Some people have asked whether it will be possible to sustain a high pace of activity,” Bowers added. “Of course, we should be realistic about what we can do over the long term. We should not exhaust ourselves. In a sense, we need to think like marathon runners, rather than like sprinters.

“We all recognize that there are natural cycles to community life. There are times when we are relatively busy as compared with other times. But overall, what we need is a long-term commitment to high levels of service. Our capacity will increase as we move forward systematically and with faith.

CRUCIAL TIMING

“We have a wonderful window of opportunity, in that there are many Americans who are ready to listen to what we have to offer. But windows of opportunity sometimes close, so we need to act now before such a thing happens.

“Let us remember how urgent the need is to share the Message of Bahá’u’lláh with our countrymen. The Universal House of Justice has repeatedly stressed this, noting the intense and pitiful suffering of the masses of humanity. We really cannot afford to relax in our sacred task.

“If we can increase our understanding of the divine process, as the House of Justice has advised, and if we rely on the Blessed Beauty, then we will feel less overwhelmed and more ready to bear this burden for His sake.” ◆

ARE YOU READY? Here is a checklist of activities that will help you get the most out of the national broadcasts and video of The Power of Race Unity: Hold varied proclamation activities Promote the video and broadcast widely through all media Promote 800-22-UNITE Make sure your phone system can receive more than one call at a time Promote the public web site www.us.bahai.org Hold varied teaching activities—both community and individual Have strong follow-up procedures in place: a. contact seekers immediately and keep track of them b. have many events to take seekers to, especially firesides c. deepen all declarants quickly TELL US ABOUT IT! The National Teaching Committee is eager to hear about local activities across the country. Your information is extremely important in helping us gauge the efforts nationwide for our planning. Please request a copy of our media survey: By mail to the National Teaching Office c/o National Bahá’í Center, 1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201; By fax (847-733-3502); or By e-mail ( ). An electronic version of the survey can be filled out through the Internet at the National Bahá’í Administrative Web Site, www.usbnc.org (you will need to log in at this site with your Bahá’í ID number). ◆

REGIONAL COUNCILS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

... information. At the local level we have met with communities throughout the region and encouraged a focused and systematic response to the national plan using the media, recognizing that this is a tool or catalyst for our current teaching work.

Many times a request for help is something that may be directed to national or regional resources that already exist. Networking is a major focus here.

WESTERN STATES

In addition to encouraging communities toward specific activities prescribed in the Four Year Plan, the Regional Council has been formulating its initial plans to:

• Develop collaboration with the Assemblies and the friends.
• Support the strengthening of Local Spiritual Assemblies—the focal centers of activity.
• Devise region-wide youth programs, and promote collective endeavors by the youth.
• Enhance, nurture, and network training institutes.
• Help improve Unit Convention quality and attendance.
• Accelerate present expansion and consolidation efforts under way, and foster initiatives aimed at reaching all strata of the diverse human family in this region. Submitted by Lynn Wieties, Charleen Maghzi, Robert James ◆

[Page 25]

Brilliant Star KID’S corner

Rich & Noble, too

" … make me a cause of bounty to the human world, and crown my head with the diadem of eternal life … "

Rich & Noble, too is about the Bahá’í Funds. Kids can and do give to the Funds and help the world tremendously by doing so! In every issue of The American Bahá’í, you will find Rich & Noble, too in the Kid’s Corner with Bahá’u’lláh’s words to remind ourselves just how rich and noble we truly are! You will also see a lion whose name you can discover below by solving the puzzle.

Rich & Noble, too (and lion) introduced by Nancy Wong

There are 26 letters in the alphabet. To figure out the lion’s name, list out the alphabet beginning with the letter A and ending with Z. Then match the numbers 1 through 26 to the letters. Afterwards, place the letter with the matching numbers below in each of the suns. You will find out the lion’s name! We’ll help you get started …

A	B	C	D	E	F	… you finish!
1	2	3	4	5	6

What does diadem mean? Answer: A crown or headband worn as a symbol of dignity or royalty

12 9 1 14 7

Find out the correct answer, meaning and pronunciation of the lion’s name in the next issue of The American Bahá’í! If you have stories or ideas about the Bahá’í Funds, please share them with the Office of the Treasurer (mail: 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 phone: (847) 733-3424 e-mail: ). Until next time, here is some food for your rich and noble soul …

O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. —Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

We are LOOKing for KIND-Hearted artists, ILLUSTRATORS, educators, WRITERS, and photographers to contribute their talents to Brilliant Star.

Our upcoming themes: Power of the Covenant Force of Transformation Dynamics of Prayer Study of the Holy Texts Inspired to Teach

Please contact: Amethel Parel-Sewell Managing Editor/Art Director BRILLIANT STAR c/o Bahá’í Media Services 1233 Central St. • Evanston, IL 60201 tel/847.853.2355 • fax/847.256.1372

Brilliant Star in Color!

We have great news! Brilliant Star Special Edition 1998 has just been released for use in Bahá’í summer schools. This edition is REALLY SPECIAL because it is in COLOR, yes COLOR! Red and Kathy Grammer also wrote a theme song for it called “It’s Up to Me!”

A SPECIAL cassette tape with this and other songs will complement the new COLOR issue!!!

For information, contact the Education and Schools Office at (847) 733-3492 or at their e-mail address ( )

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

Please enclose payment. Canadian/International orders enclose international money order or bank cheque drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars. To charge your credit card account, give number, expiration date and name.

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☆ $18 United States, one year (six issues) ☆ $32 United States, two years ☆ $18 All other countries, surface mail, one year ☆ $32 All other countries, surface mail, two years ☆ $28 Air mail, one year ☆ $52 Air mail, two years		Total enclosed

Mail to: Bahá’í Subscriber Service 5397 Wilbanks Drive • Chattanooga, TN 37343 Fax: 423-843-0836 E-mail: [Page 26]“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.” —Universal House of Justice, Riḍván 153 B.E. to the Bahá’ís of North America

A MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL YOUTH COMMITTEE

Dear Bahá’í sisters and brothers, Alláh-u-Abhá!

The National Youth Committee is excited to announce the “Heroic Deeds of Service to the Cause” campaign in this issue of The American Bahá’í. Please join us in this campaign that is an act of love and support for our beloved Universal House of Justice.

As we cross the midpoint of the Four Year Plan, and as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Conference of Badasht, let us remember the Bahá’í heroes of the past, and let us become the heroes and heroines of the present and future!

Summer has always been a time of increased activity for Bahá’í youth. Youth from around the country will arise this summer and, armed with the love of Bahá’u’lláh, dedicate themselves to heroic acts of teaching and service to the Cause. A few of the teaching and service opportunities available to Bahá’í youth are listed on Page 27 for your convenience.

Every month, the National Youth Committee offers prayers at the House of Worship in Wilmette for the Bahá’í youth of the United States. As we begin a summer of service together, the committee sends you these prayers, its wholehearted support and its deepest love. ◆

What will be YOUR ‘heroic deeds of service’ ?

● What is this campaign?

The Heroic Deeds of Service to the Cause campaign is a nationwide effort by Bahá’í youth to support this call of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the United States for the Four Year Plan.

Members of the American Bahá’í community have the priceless distinction of being described as the spiritual descendants of the Dawn-Breakers of a Heroic Age. The summer of 155 B.E. marks the 150th anniversary of the conference of Badasht. The Universal House of Justice, with its call to heroism, is summoning the Bahá’ís of the United States to recall these early heroes of our Faith, to honor the sacrifices they made to lay the foundation upon which our current service to the Cause rests, and to vindicate the distinction that we have been given as their spiritual descendants.

Who better than the Bahá’í youth to lead the way?

● How are Bahá’í youth involved in this campaign?

Bahá’í youth around the nation each are pledging to perform one heroic deed of service to the Cause that will support the Four Year Plan. Youth are being asked to pray, to deepen and to think deeply about what makes an action heroic, and then to choose one action they can take that, for them, would be heroic.

Having decided on these personal heroic deeds of service to the Cause, the youth are asked to fill out pledge sheets describing their plans and why they consider the deeds to be heroic. Adults are also welcome to participate.

The National Youth Committee will collect the pledge sheets and send them as a gift to the Universal House of Justice. It will be a gift of love, faith and support from the Bahá’í youth of the United States, a demonstration that they have heard the call of their Supreme Institution and have responded with all the effort and strength of their souls to become heroes in the path of service to Bahá’u’lláh.

● What is a heroic deed?

For each person the word “heroic” will mean something unique. A heroic deed involves sacrifice, idealism, love and faith. It involves hard work and persistence. Some heroic deeds are noticed by everyone; some are only known to the person who performs them.

Heroic actions involve reliance on the power of God rather than on oneself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said, “If the susceptibilities of the spirit control him, there is no created being more heroic, more undaunted than man.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 264)

The spirit in which a deed is performed is the most important thing, and Bahá’í youth are being asked in this campaign to connect with the spirit of heroism, then to convert that spirit into a thousand different individual deeds that are all heroic in their own way.

● How can I get involved?

If you would like to participate, please fill out a pledge sheet and send it to the National Youth Committee. To help you achieve the proper spirit in choosing your heroic deed, before filling out the pledge sheet, please pray and deepen about what it is to be heroic, and think deeply about what kind of action would be heroic for you. If you don’t have an official pledge sheet, just use a blank piece of paper that includes the following:

1. What heroic deed of service to the Cause will you perform? If your deed is of a private nature, you may describe it in a general way that conveys the spirit of your efforts without including details.

2. Why is this heroic for you?

3. What other thoughts or quotes do you have related to heroism?

4. Your name, age, address, e-mail, phone number.

Individuals who send in pledge sheets will be contacted some time after their sheets have been received to see what was easy or difficult about converting their pledges into action (not to check up on them).

Please send this information to the National Youth Committee at 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201 (e-mail [email address censored]).

“Canst Thou see any who have championed Thy Self, or who ponder on what hath befallen Him in the pathway of Thy love? Now doth my Pen halt, O Beloved of the worlds. ...

“Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail? Rather shall I weep at the fewness of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast caused the wailing of the worlds.”

—Bahá’u’lláh, the Fire Tablet ◆

Badasht can be an inspiration for our spiritual renewal

BY MONA KASHARI

“Arise in His Name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.” With these words His Holiness the Báb sent forth the Letters of the Living to teach and spread the news of the coming of the Lord of Hosts.

The followers of His Faith, though young in age, were armed with His Name. They arose, sacrificed and gave their all in His path.

The Guardian of our Faith, the sign of God on earth, described our station as being “the spiritual descendants of the Dawn-Breakers,” those who, by their living sacrifice, fulfill this mission. We are the heirs of the legacy which the Letters of the Living have left mankind. We have the honor of following in their spiritual footsteps, and, with the same heroism and sense of mission, spread the Faith of the Blessed Perfection to all corners of this country.

In July we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the day when Mullá Husayn, followed by 202 Bábís, raised up the Black Standard and started his journey to the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsí. In Nabíl’s Narrative we read: “Mullá Husayn was still in Mashhad when a messenger arrived bearing to him the Báb’s turban and conveying the news that a new name, that of Siyyid ‘Alí, had been conferred upon him by his Master. ‘Adorn your head,’ was the message, ‘with My green turban, the emblem of My lineage, and, with the Black Standard unfurled before you, hasten to the Jazíriy-i-Khaḍrá’, and lend your assistance to My beloved Quddús.’ Mullá Husayn immediately assembled his companions, mounted his steed, and gave the signal for their march. All along the route, Mullá Husayn and his fellow disciples fearlessly proclaimed the message of the New Day and invited the people to embrace its truth.”

Let this summer be a voyage of spiritual growth for all of us. That we all as individuals, members of Bahá’í youth workshops, youth committees, and college clubs stand up with a united effort to increase our love for Bahá’u’lláh and create a spiritual fire that not only attracts new believers into the Faith but kindles such a blaze in their hearts that they too will arise to join us in establishing the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

Let us practice the example of the Dawn-Breakers in our daily lives and, with a sense of commitment, stand up to fulfill the goals of the Four Year Plan as the “most enthusiastic supporters.” May the spirit of Quddús, Mullá Husayn, Ṭáhirih and all those holy souls, who gave their lives for our beloved Faith, be with each and every one of us during the summer months.

May they inspire, guide and confirm all our efforts in fulfilling the goals of the Four Year Plan. ◆ [Page 27]

South Africa trip was an act of faith, a lesson in planning

Three Boston youths refused to let go of the dream of traveling to South Africa to serve the Faith, and the result was a 25-day trip that included performances for more than 2,000 people in eight localities.

The "Re-evolution Productions" teaching trip by Núrí Chandler-Smith, Ali Anastasio and Jeremy Owens—members of the Boston Bahá’í Youth Workshop—was the fulfillment of efforts that had been in the works for well over a year and were made possible by some timely assistance.

Traveling under the name of "Boston Group" or "Indigenous Soul," the performers were practically adopted by the South African Bahá’ís, who often referred to them as their "children." For most of the trip the Boston Group was joined by Jon Ikgopoleng from Mmabatho, whose teaching experience, talents, and radiant smile were of great assistance. The foursome visited village chiefs, night clubs, middle schools, high schools, universities, and the offices of government officials.

Everywhere they went they gave a brief introduction of themselves and the Faith, and discussed the principles of the oneness of the human family, the equality of women and men, and the need to rely upon God in times of hardship.

Since their return to the United States, there have been many informal and formal presentations on the events of the trip, and the Re-evolution Productions Web site (www.re-evolution.org) has been posted.

For youth who are thinking about embarking on international or domestic projects of their own, the project planners have compiled several factors that helped them in achieving their goals: "First and foremost, it is vital to consult on any plans of action with Local Spiritual Assemblies, Auxiliary Board members, and their assistants. Gain as much training as possible in studying the writings and participating in teaching projects. Every member of this group had been involved in some combination of a Year of Service, Bahá’í Youth Workshop, and College Club. And never forget the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘As ye have faith, so shall your powers be.’"

Also, contact with the Office of Pioneering assures that communication with institutions abroad, as well as your preparatory steps, are focused and forward-moving.

The genesis of the trip came in 1994, when the Youth Workshop submitted a proposal to KLM airlines’ "Bridging the World" contest: to take the Workshop to South Africa to promote racial unity between youth of the United States and South Africa. They didn’t win the contest, but the seed of the idea was planted.

In 1995, Robin Chandler (Núrí’s mother) was awarded a Fulbright grant to spend a year lecturing at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr. Chandler served as key link in the revival of plans for a teaching trip.

Two youths went on a fact-finding trip to South Africa in 1996, consulted, drew up a proposal and budget, and submitted them to the Spiritual Assembly of Boston. They proposed a trip by six to eight youths who would teach about the Bahá’í Faith through the arts, taking videos and photos for future presentations and a Web site.

The fundamental goals of the proposal were: to implement the objectives laid out by the Universal House of Justice, to contribute to the process of entry by troops, and to humbly attempt to perform the "heroic deeds of service to the Cause" which will "astonish and inspire their fellow-believers throughout the world," called for in the Four Year Plan.

Specific directives from the Four Year Plan that served as inspiration included: increased use of the arts in expansion and consolidation, the central role of youth in the arts, believers of African descent serving ‎as as as‎ a source of "encouragement and inspiration to their African brothers

Jon Ikgopoleng (left) joined the "Boston Group," Ali Anastasio, Núrí Chandler-Smith and Jeremy Owens, for much of their teaching/performing trip through South Africa. Local photo

SEE BOSTON TO AFRICA, PAGE 35

Making the summer count: teaching and service opportunities

—INSIDE THE UNITED STATES—

CENTRAL REGION

• Wilmette, Illinois, May-September

House of Worship Needs: guiding, garden teaching, tour guiding, ushering, and choir members. Contact: Pamela Barrett (phone 847-853-2325)

• Rochester, Minnesota, June 20-27

Rochester Minnesota Teaching Project Contact: Barry Klann (e-mail bklann@sprynet.com)

NORTHEASTERN REGION

• Eliot, Maine, June 18-Sept. 7

Green Acre Bahá’í School Needs: food service, maintenance, housekeeping, children-pre-youth program, recreation, library, office assistance, bookstore/cafe. Contact the school at: 188 Main St., Eliot, ME. 03903 (phone 207-439-7200, fax 207-438-9940, e-mail greenacre@usbnc.org).

• Long Island, New York, July 17-25

Intensive Teaching Project Contact: Sandy Nosseir (phone 516-289-2006, e-mail snossier@aol.com).

• Warwick, New York

Hidden Words Project: International endeavor to set the Hidden Words in English to music. Contact: Samyar Bukovcan, Warwick, NY 10990 (e-mail samyar@aol.com).

SOUTHERN REGION

• Washington, D.C., June-August

Office of the Secretary for External Affairs handles relations between the National Spiritual Assembly and the federal government as well as other governmental or NGO organizations. Current projects include ratification of the U.N. treaty to end discrimination against women, support for U.N. funding, and opposition to religious persecution. Contact: Glen Fullmer, 202-833-8990

• Fayetteville, North Carolina, June 26-July 18

Badasht Conference/Teaching Project: Main themes are transformation, teaching, consolidation. Contact: Badasht Institute via Web site (www.badasht.dawnpt.com).

• Charlottesville, Virginia, July 9-19

Crimson Ark Virginia Statewide Teaching Project Contact: Sum Mehrnama (phone: 703-450-6397, e-mail mmehrnama@aol.com) or Joel Adriance (e-mail jadriance@juno.com).

• Hemingway, South Carolina

Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute Needs: general program support, agriculture, education, radio station Contact: Sophia Berhane (phone 803-558-5093, e-mail lgbi@juno.com)

WESTERN REGION

• ‎Tuscon Tucson‎, Arizona, May 20-June 15

Badi Project: Driving across the southern half of the United States offering firesides in various localities along the way. Goal is to focus on the smaller communities and present the Faith through drama, slide show and interaction. Contact: Christopher Smith, Tucson, AZ 85719 (phone 520-770-1157, fax 520-882-5573, e-mail badi@primenet.com).

• El Dorado County, California, May 23-25

Gold Fever Conference: General sessions on the global perspective of the Faith, the Four Year Plan, race unity. More specific sessions on equality, race unity, Huqúqu’lláh, the Covenant and spiritual transformation. Contact: Debra Clark (phone 530-621-2123).

• Santa Cruz, California, June 16-Sept. 8

Bosch Bahá’í School Needs: Experienced children’s teachers, recreational director/certified lifeguard. Also, cabin counselors for Summer Children’s Academy July 24-29 (must be 18 or older), Youth Institute Aug.1-6 (must be 19 or older) and Junior Youth Institute August 8-13 (must be 16 or older). Contact: Linda Bedford (phone 408-423-3387, e-mail bosch@usbnc.org).

• Salt Lake City, Utah, July 3-12

Color Me Human Conference/Teaching Project: Service projects, performances, and workshops to raise a generation free of prejudice! Contact: Russ Coover (phone 801-328-2989, e-mail russ@xmission.com) or Jan Saeed (phone 801-582-3135, e-mail jansaeed@aol.com).

—INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES—

• Honduras, July-August

Tierra Santa: Working in a home for 119 abandoned children. Helping with their studies, deepening their faith, teaching new dances for their workshop, and taking them on teaching trips. Contact: Lea Iverson (e-mail iversonlea@aol.com).

• Baltic States, July-September

Dr. Muhajir Mass-Teaching Project: Using the arts, street teaching, literature stands, public meetings and firesides for mass teaching while also participating in the Pan-Baltic summer school for consolidation. Contact: Arild Drivdal (e-mail drivdal@online.no), registration deadline May 31.

• Ivory Coast, July-November

Project Audacity: Goal is to advance the process of entry by troops. Contact: Joubine Eslahpazire (phone 01-40-78-87-80, e-mail eslahpazire@nordnet.fr) or Sulianne Benhamed (phone 01-46-55-60-51, e-mail sbenhamed@hotmail.com).

• Taiwan, July 15-August 15

Taiwan Youth Workshop Contact: Cathy Hsiao Ru-hsiu (e-mail hsiu@tpts6.seed.net.tw).

• Juárez, Mexico

Edna Ford Continuous Teaching Campaign: Teaching the Tarahumara Indians, students and professors at the Autonomous University. Deepening believers. Contact: Juárez Local Spiritual Assembly (e-mail juarez-lsa@infosel.net.mx), Mike Pietrzak (e-mail mike-p@infosel.net.mx) or Carl Ewing (e-mail cewing@infosel.net.mx).

• Monterrey, Mexico

Project Furutan: Ongoing project in Northern Mexico. Direct teaching to university teachers and students through campus teaching, conferences, firesides, youth cafes, and social activities. Contact: Ryan Stump (e-mail rstump@mty1.uninet.net.mx). [Page 28]

Letter to the friends from the Latin-American Task Force

Dear and Esteemed Friends in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh:

Motivated by the recent election of the new Universal House of Justice, we wish to discuss the Administrative Order. One of the most important aspects in the deepening of new Bahá’ís is instilling into their hearts an attitude of profound love, respect and absolute obedience toward the sacred Institutions of the Faith an expression of fidelity to the Covenant and one of the distinctive characteristics of the true Bahá’í.

Mistrust and lack of respect toward the institutions and social symbols of authority,, it may be said, have more or less become the common denominator of today's social dynamic. When coming into the community as new Bahá’ís, we may bring some of that attitude with us.

But as Bahá’ís we learn not only to trust the institutions of the Faith, to obey them and cooperate with them, but also to respect and love them sincerely. How does this transformation take place? The renewing force of the unifying Message of Bahá’u’lláh, accepted with true sincerity, brings about a radical transformation of the individual and hence of society. It brings into being a new creation. The institutions of the Bahá’í Administrative Order are in the same way a new divine creation capable of transforming the world.

Paradoxically, most efforts being made today to establish peace and unity are carried out through the institutions of the existing social order, which are incapable of achieving that purpose. They are, as Christ expressed it, "the old bottles" inadequate to contain "the new wine":

"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles." (Mark 2: 21-22)

Bahá’u’lláh has brought to mankind not only the "new wine" of world unity but also the new "bottles" to contain it: the divinely ordained Institutions of His Faith, the channels through which shall flow the spirit of the oneness of mankind. These institutions are of a unique character, for Bahá’u’lláh Himself has given them to us, together with the laws necessary to govern their operation.

The human race has never known such institutions. They are, in truth, a "new creation" from God Himself through His Supreme Manifestation. For this reason in the Bahá’í community, unlike society in general, there is no conflict between the administrative and the spiritual. Quite the contrary: The institutions of the Bahá’í Administrative Order are by nature spiritual, and represent the means by which the regenerating spirit brought by Bahá’u’lláh exercises its revitalizing effect on humanity. Shoghi Effendi stated:

"For Bahá’u’lláh, we shall readily recognize, has not only inbued mankind with a new and regenerating Spirit.... He, as well as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after Him, has, unlike the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a body of laws, established definite institutions and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice on earth." (from Call To the Nations)

Dear friends! As we rejoice in the election of the new Universal House of Justice, the Supreme Institution of the Faith by means of which God guides us today, it is necessary to strive for the strengthening among us of the spirit of loving unity, of support and of obedience toward the sacred Institutions of the Faith. God has ordained them as the sole means for achieving the peace and well-being of mankind. The Guardian stated:

"That is why the Bahá’ís must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá’í Cause and its administration. They can neither change nor help the world in any other way at present. But if they build up the Bahá’í pattern, they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed." (In a letter from Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, published in Bahá’í News, March 1951)

Carta a los amigos de la Comisión de Trabajo Latinoamericana

Queridos y Estimados Amigos en la Causa de Bahá’u’lláh:

Con motivo de la reciente elección de la nueva Casa Universal de Justicia, discutiremos en esta oportunidad el Orden Administrativo. Uno de los aspectos más importantes en la profundización de nuevos Bahá’ís, es el de infundir en sus corazones ese profundo amor, respeto y absoluta obediencia hacia las sagradas Instituciones de la Fe, actitudes que son a la vez expresión de fidelidad al Convenio y una de las características distintivas del verdadero Bahá’í.

En el ambiente social de hoy, en mayor o menor grado, la desconfianza y la falta de respeto hacia las instituciones y los símbolos sociales de autoridad, se han convertido, por así decirlo, en el común denominador de la dinámica social. Al ingresar, como nuevos Bahá’ís dentro de la comunidad, es posible que traigamos con nosotros algo de esta actitud. En contraste, como Bahá’ís aprendemos no solo a confiar en las instituciones de la Fe, a obedecerlas y a cooperar con ellas, sino también a respetarlas y a amarlas de corazón. ¿Como se opera esta transformación?

La fuerza renovadora del Mensaje unificador de Bahá’u’lláh, aceptado con verdadera sinceridad, opera en el individuo y por ende en la sociedad misma, una transformación radical. Hace surgir una nueva creación. Las instituciones del Orden Administrativo Bahá’í son así mismo, una nueva creación divina capaz de transformar al mundo.

Paradójicamente, los esfuerzos en favor del establecimiento de la paz y de la unidad se realizan hoy en su mayoría a través de las instituciones del orden social existente, las cuales son impotentes para lograr dicho propósito, porque son, como lo dijo Cristo "los recipientes viejos," ineptos para contener "el vino nuevo":

"Nadie arregla un vestido viejo con un remiendo de tela nueva, porque el remiendo nuevo encoje y rompe el vestido viejo, y el desgarrón se hace mayor. Ni tampoco se echa vino nuevo en cueros (o recipientes) viejos, porque el vino nuevo hace que se revienten los cueros, y se pierdan tanto el vino como los cueros. Por eso hay que echar el vino nuevo en recipientes nuevos." (Evangelio de San Marcos, capitulo 2, versículos 21 y 22).

Bahá’u’lláh no solo ha traído a la humanidad el "nuevo vino" de la unidad mundial sino también los nuevos "recipientes" para contenerlo: las Instituciones divinamente ordenadas de Su Fe, los canales mediante los cuales fluirá el espíritu de la unidad de la humanidad, y que son instituciones de carácter extraordinariamente único, pues Bahá’u’lláh Mismo nos las ha dado, junto con las leyes necesarias que gobiernan su operación. La humanidad no ha conocido jamas instituciones como estas. Son, en verdad una "nueva creación" del Mismo Dios a través de su Suprema Manifestación.

Es por esto que en la comunidad Bahá’í, a diferencia de la sociedad en general, no existe conflicto entre lo administrativo y lo espiritual. Al contrario, las instituciones del Orden Administrativo Bahá’í son de naturaleza espiritual, y representan el medio por el cual el espíritu regenerador traído por Bahá’u’lláh ejerce su efecto revitalizador sobre la humanidad. Dice Shoghi Effendi:

"Reconoceremos rápidamente que Bahá’u’lláh no solo infundió en la humanidad un nuevo espíritu regenerador. ... El, además, lo mismo que ‘Abdu’l-Bahá después de El, a diferencia de las Dispensaciones del pasado, clara y específicamente formularon un conjunto de leyes, establecieron instituciones definidas y proveyeron los elementos de una economía divina. Ellas están destinadas a conformar un modelo para la sociedad futura, un instrumento supremo para el establecimiento de la Mas Grande Paz, el único factor para la unificación del mundo, y la proclamación del reino de la rectitud y la justicia en la tierra." (Llamado a las Naciones, p. 40).

¡Queridos amigos! Al tiempo que nos regocijamos con la elección de la nueva Casa Universal de Justicia, la Institución Suprema de la Fe mediante la cual Dios nos guía hoy, es necesario velar por el fortalecimiento entre nosotros del espíritu de amorosa unidad, de apoyo y de obediencia hacia las sagradas instituciones de la Fe. Dios las ha ordenado como el único medio para lograr la paz y el bienestar de la humanidad. El Guardián ha declarado:

"Es por eso que los Bahá’ís deben canalizar todas sus fuerzas en la construcción de la Causa Bahá’í y su administración. No pueden ni cambiar ni ayudar al mundo de ninguna otra manera en el presente.... Pero si construyen el modelo Bahá’í, podrán ofrecerlo como un remedio cuando todo lo demás haya fracasado" (En una carta de Shoghi Effendi para un creyente individual, publicada en Bahá’í News, Marzo de 1951) [Page 29]

Youth Congress points to action

Twenty-five countries were represented by 662 youths at the first Latin American Bahá’í Youth Congress in January at Santiago, Chile, which raised "a consciousness of the need for action" in the participants, according to a report from the four national youth committees sponsoring the event.

More than 60 indigenous believers from four countries participated, and the presentation of their music and folklore was a high point of the event. Members of the Continental Board of Counselors, who held their meeting in Santiago at the same time, also were present and gave their support.

Eleven people attending the Congress declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh. Thousands more heard of the Faith as the media, particularly radio and newspapers, covered different aspects of the program.

A letter received from the Universal House of Justice "became the foundation of many of our reflections," the national youth committees of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru reported jointly. "A letter from our beloved Hand of the Cause of God ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was also received and distributed to all the participants as a source of inspiration."

Youth participants chose one of seven areas for the emphasis in their study during the conference: artistic workshops, teaching projects, institutes, teaching in indigenous areas, methods of deepening and consolidation, external affairs and mass media.

TEACHING

• Colombia: Thirteen simultaneous teaching campaigns throughout the country brought 800 new believers into the Bahá’í Faith earlier this year.bing

"Among the more outstanding achievements was the immediate response of the believers to participate wholeheartedly in teaching, especially the youth," the National Spiritual Assembly reported, noting that 144 teachers arose and seven volunteered to serve as pioneers.

DEVELOPMENT

• Albania: The new National Center of the Albanian Bahá’í community was inaugurated Jan. 10 in Tirana, the capital, during a ceremony filled with celebratory talks and music, attended by 150 of the friends from across the country as well as Austria, Belgium, Dubai, Italy and Malta.

A highlight was the reading of a message from the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum. "It was an expression of love for the Albanian Bahá’ís, sent by this great lady, who a few years ago had marked a brick of the building with her signature during the groundbreaking ceremony," a report from the National Spiritual Assembly said.

• Bangladesh: Volunteers from the Dhaka Bahá’í community vaccinated 220 children in the Fatullah district of the city, "an area not served by any other team during the ... January National Immunization Days," according to a report.

In the same area, doctors from the Bahá’í communiuty treated 60 patients and dispensed medicine at no cost during the vaccination campaign.

• More from the Bahá’í International News Service is available on the Administrative Web site (www.usbnc.org).

"The youth actively studied and reflected on the development of their latent capacities, specifically the capacities to take initiative, establish friendships, gain the collaboration of others in service to the Faith and society, and convert into action the decision of the consultative bodies," the report said.

A highlight was a panel discussion with guest speakers from local universities and an indigenous member of the Bahá’í community presented their views and perceptions related to the Latin American youth movement. This session was complemented by an array of displays sponsored by eight non-governmental organizations advocating social development.

"This activity allowed a number of guests to observe the diversity in our community, exchange views with the Bahá’ís, and enhance our mutual understanding," the report said.

"The Challenge of Youth," one of three documents written to address the development of the youth movement, was distributed during the day. It was also used in the teaching campaigns in Chile following the congress.

A festive greeting

The Women's Committee of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Luebo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, pays its respects during a visit to the customary chief in recent months. Photo courtesy Bahá’í International News Service

PIONEERING NEEDS OUTLINED BY THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

At Riḍván 153, the Universal House of Justice addressed the believers in North America stating:

"As members of the North American Bahá’í community, you enter the Four Year Plan with a brilliant progress the In the eight decades since you received this mandate, your prodigious exertions have carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to all parts of your continent, and throughout the entire length and breadth of the planet. You have played a critical role in the establishment of the framework of the Administrative Order and in the sustained proclamation of the Faith. 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.

"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 upon the recipients of the Tablets of the Divine Plan."

• "... the descendants of the early inhabitants of your continent... should be ever mindful of the vital contribution they can make to the work of the Faith throughout the American continent, in the circumpolar areas and in the Asian region of the Russian Federation."

• "We direct the attention of the believers of African descent... to the pressing need[s] ... of the Cause in distant areas, including the continent of Africa for which they were assigned special responsibility by the Guardian...."

• "... the friends of Hispanic background have fertile fields before them throughout Latin America."

• If you arose in response to the call of the Universal House of Justice to one of the above-mentioned ethnic groups, please indicate your background and trip information below.

• If you made any other international trips for the purpose of promoting the interests of the Faith, please also return this form to the Office of Pioneering.

Name(s): Name(s): Street: I.D. #(s): I.D. #(s):

[ ] American Indian [ ] African descent City, State, Zip: [ ] Hispanic background [ ] Other

COUNTRIES / FROM / TO / MAIN PURPOSE

Please attach any comments. [Page 30]

Counselors energize L.A. co-workers in unity field

Counselors Tod Ewing and Wilma Ellis hosted a conference on "The Most Vital and Challenging Issue" that left the Bahá’ís stunned by the depth of emotion that racial issues can evoke.

The 120 participants from the L.A. area were also duly impressed with the importance that the elimination of racism has for the future of America and teaching the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

Beginning April 3, Bahá’í friends gathered in the Dizzy Gillespie Theater, housed in the recently built Unity Center adjacent to the L.A. Bahá’í Center, to learn more about race unity and cultural diversity issues.

The event reached such a spiritual level that one African-American Bahá’í from Los Angeles, Dorothy Laidley, was moved to comment: "There are three things that stand out in my life: my pilgrimage, the World Congress, and this weekend conference on the most challenging issue."

Music was a vital part of the overall program. The vocal trio Soul Folks, singers Ron Brown and Kristin Barnes, rapper Tom Emerson and an impromptu group of L.A.-based Bahá’í musicians, dubbed by Dr. Ellis as The Guys Who Show Up to Play Music, kept the mood elevated.

ALL IN THE WRITINGS

A central principle the counselors stressed was: Everything we need to understand about what race unity is and how to eliminate racial prejudice can be found in the sacred and authoritative texts of the Bahá’í Faith.

Study material packets were distributed to the attendees. A compilation of excerpts from the Bahá’í Writings on racial and cultural issues called Toward Oneness was made available.

After small-group study on the role of individuals and institutions in addressing diversity, the friends were divided Saturday into 11 fictitious Spiritual Assemblies to consult on a case study in race relations. The interaction of the Auxiliary Boards with Spiritual Assemblies was also closely examined, as was the delicate nature of race issues in today's America.

A direct reminder came from a message of Shoghi Effendi as quoted in Pupil of the Eye: "It is difficult for the friends to remember that in matter[s] where race enters, a hundred times more consideration and wisdom in handling situations is necessary than when an issue is not complicated by this factor."

After prayers Sunday morning, Dr. Ellis disclosed some of the pain that she has experienced as a Bahá’í, as a woman, and as an African-American yearning to take off the "mask" of pretense and conventionality. It was the shared sorrow that can only be exchanged when loving trust is established and linked heart to heart, face to face, soul to soul.

Friends said the talk was so moving as to be shattering, and one remarked that Wilma had "brought it on home."

Mr. Ewing's brief comments were about radiance of spirit, devotion and holding on for dear life to the Covenant. But he cut his talk short to allow the friends time and space to digest the morning's events.

"It is difficult for the friends to remember that in matter[s] where race enters, a hundred times more consideration and wisdom in handling situations is necessary than when an issue is not complicated by this factor." --Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Pupil of the Eye

Spontaneously, the friends began to sing and pray beginning with the simple chant of the Greatest Name. Some spoke prayers choked with feeling, while others sang Bahá’í songs with tears on their cheeks.

A MOVING WORSHIP PROGRAM

The weekend gained even greater spiritual intensity when the gathering attended a Sunday worship program with Fernando Huerta as speaker and guest singer David Doughtry of First Angeles Church. One person in attendance was moved to declare his faith in Bahá’u’lláh.

Either of these programs by itself would have filled the hearts of many seeking a spiritual experience. But taken in tandem, and following the prayer, study, and spirituality from the previous sessions, they put the weekend conference into an entirely different category: inspiration for action.

Later, as Bahá’ís of African descent from across Southern California joined the meeting, Mr. Ewing encouraged them to travel to Africa as the Universal House of Justice directed in its Ridván 153 Message to the followers in North America.

Jihmye Collins, an African-American Bahá’í artist from the San Diego area, added his encouragement, relating how his Spiritual Assembly had even deputized him to travel to Africa.

The friends in Los Angeles are hoping to build on the momentum from the April gathering with the fourth "Vanguard of the Dawning" conference in June, which will feature numerous speakers and musicians, and is aimed at "uplifting the hearts of the African-American community," its organizers say.

-Submitted by Randolph Dobbs, secretary, Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, and Lenise Jackson-Gaertner

Drama used to stimulate diversity outreach in Texas

Michael and Karen Sadar-Watt act in a play on the early lives of Louis and Louisa Gregory, an interracial couple whose marriage was facilitated in 1912 by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Two Bahá’í communities in Texas' Brazos Valley have used a stage performance by a Louisiana couple, portraying Louis and Louisa Gregory, as a springboard for outreach toward a diversity of humanity in their region.

The communities of College Station and Bryan combined forces over Valentine's Day weekend to present a multimedia Black History Month program featuring the drama by Karen and Michael Sadar-Watt of Slidell, Louisiana.

Karen adapted the play on the Gregorys' early lives and marriage from the biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory, To Move the World by Gayle Morrison. Also included were slides, songs and rap celebrating tolerance and diversity.

The program was presented three times over the weekend, drawing diverse audiences. At the North Bryan Community Center, they performed for about 30 children enrolled in a Saturday program, as well as several adults. Saturday evening's event at Neil Elementary School auditorium drew several seekers.

MEDIA RECOGNITION

Sunday's performance in College Station, home of Texas A&M University, was attended by a local newscaster who interviewed the performers afterward. A segment where they discussed how to build bridges across the races aired that evening.

The two Bahá’í communities are collaborating on further teaching and proclamation efforts and hope to reach out to blacks and Latinos living in the Brazos Valley, as well as to the large population of Chinese students studying at the university.

Karen Sadar-Watt, a nurse-midwife, says she was inspired by seeing the dramatic presentation at the second Bahá’í World Congress in New York City.

She and Michael, who is studying welding, travel at least once a month to present the production in the South. They welcome inquiries and have sent monologues and copies of the play to individuals who wish to perform it.

Friends in Springfield garner a central role in newly formed "study circles"

When the mayor of Springfield, Illinois, announced she was forming a city-wide Study Circles program to foster communication and improve race relations in Abraham Lincoln's hometown, the local Bahá’í community sprang into action.

Three local Bahá’ís met March 6 with Mayor Karen Hasara and her Study Circles program coordinator, Sandy Robinson. Mayor Hasara and Robinson viewed a 20-minute version of The Power of Race Unity in the mayor's office. Both officials were greatly impressed by the Bahá’í stance portrayed in the video and in the National Spiritual Assembly's 1992 statement The Vision of Race Unity.

The three Bahá’ís Bedi Mesbah and Delores Martin of Springfield and Mike Lang of Sherman offered the use of the Springfield Bahá’í center as a meeting site for the Study Circles program. The mayor gratefully accepted.

In addition, the Bahá’ís offered copies of the race unity video and statement for use in the program. They also promised to publicize the program on the local Bahá’í cable-access television program, and invited Hasara and Robinson to appear on the show.

Twelve local Bahá’ís were among the first 120 people citywide who registered for the Study Circles program, to begin in April.

Under the program, groups of 10 to 12 people from diverse backgrounds meet weekly for six two-hour discussions. Each session focuses on one aspect of racial harmony and diversity.

Springfield-area Bahá’ís plan to actively promote the Bahá’í teachings on race unity in the Study Circles program, which culminates in early summer with the development of a citywide plan of action. [Page 31]

VISIONS OF RACE UNITY

Friends in Denver take the message nationwide

Bahá’ís from metropolitan Denver and national media outlets. Bother areas in Colorado played a very visible role in the President's Initiative on Race when it held town meetings in Denver on March 23-24.

More than 30 Bahá’ís attended the meetings. They were allotted several seats in the special section reserved for groups that were known for commitment to race healing.

During the public comment segments, individual Bahá’ís spoke passionately of the need for racial healing in the United States and the importance of spirituality in curing the disease of racism.

The comments of several of the friends were reported by local and Valerie Dana, a Bahá’í attorney from Denver, was quoted on local news and the national Newshour with Jim Lehrer. She told the panel that racism is America's most challenging issue, not just one of the most challenging issues, as former Transportation Secretary Frederico Peña had stated earlier. She said that racism is a disease like a cancer that needed more than a Band-Aid approach, and that the president's idea of one America must also be mindful of unity in diversity.

Seymour Weinberg, a Bahá’í who returned to college as a senior citizen and is the president of the Metropolitan State College Bahá’í Club, closed the public comment session with an eloquent speech about the importance of spirituality in the healing of racism and urged the panel not to forget the role of religion in its work.

Bahá’ís presented the president's panel with a copy of The Power of Race Unity, which was warmly received by the panel's representative. They also handed out fliers on both days announcing the televised showings of the video.

In addition, Bahá’ís played a role in preparing the community for the town meetings.

Roberta Smith Lange, a Bahá’í from Douglas County, served as co-facilitator for a dialogue on education and race at preliminary town meetings organized by the Colorado Coalition on Race Relations.

In Pueblo, at a regional meeting in response to the president's initiative, Bob and Pat Haugen were busy sharing the Bahá’í message on the healing of racism.

The Governor's Citizen's Advocacy and Outreach Facilitator requested a copy of The Vision of Race Unity. Agatha Jackson, executive officer for the state Department of Human Services, said she notified all her staff about a Bahá’í-organized institute for the Healing of Racism/Dialogue Racism.

Among the other Bahá’ís participating was one who traveled from Oklahoma.

the local library, even as the public appeared apathetic. Though attended by few, those early dialogues resulted in some solid contacts, including a state attorney general's assistant.

• Contact with the Upward Bound organization resulted in a 100-student dialogue on race April 4 at nearby West Virginia State College, and a well-publicized march three days later, attended by the student body president. College President Hazo W. Carter Jr. was presented with the video The Power of Race Unity.

• The Charleston Bahá’í Race Unity Committee is taking the lead in organizing Race Unity Week June 14-21, with the highlight to be a Human Ribbon of up to 8,000 people stretching along four miles of the Kanawha River in town.

Byron Hoggatt of the Local Spiritual Assembly wrote that this story is as much about "following the instructions" as about riding the wave of confirmations the Universal House of Justice said would be released as the process of entry by troops advances.

RECENT TESTS

Charleston, whose Assembly was first formed in the 1930s, had lost the numerical strength to maintain it by the Holy Year of 1992-93. Even as pioneers moved in and native West Virginians returned to shore up the community, the Bahá’ís had to call on the power of true consultation and obedience to endure the fire of Covenant-breaking in nearby Huntington.

It was before this backdrop that the Assembly entered into intense deepening, aided by The Miracle of Governance, to raise the spirit and maturity of its consultation. "Each Assembly meeting would begin with a reading of the Prime Requisites and the Spiritual Laws of consultation," a report says. "The character of the Assembly's consultation changed and a new spirit was infused into the community."

The friends held town meetings characterized by deep and fruitful consultation, organized regular family dinners, and put new vigor into the Monday night firesides at the library. The results included what has been a rarity: "A number of native West Virginians came into the lives of the friends who, much to our astonishment, asked to be Bahá’ís."

They likened their development to the weaving of a Persian carpet on a loom of love and unity: "The interaction of the Assembly (design work) and the individual (handiwork) create a community life (pattern)."

ENTER THE MEDIA INITIATIVE

By early March, as the media initiative of the National Teaching Plan was being developed, the Local Assembly had taken steps to participate: it approved a budget and received the materials.

Television Channel 3 was the last local media outlet to be presented with a media packet, along with a videotape of The Power of Race Unity. This happened to be the day after the station aired a report about a man trying to start a whites-only church. Asked about his reaction, the community media coordinator said, "I guess you could say the Bahá’ís are on the other extreme, we love everyone."

The material was sent to a reporter who, was evidently hungry for the chance to present a positive story and, on talking with the Bahá’ís, was interested in the discussion on the Lesser Peace and raising the first generation of prejudice-free children.

Thus aired the ground-breaking television report March 13 on the 11 O'Clock News, and later follow-up reports by Channel 3 on the public race unity events and dialogues organized on the WV State campus. The ground is tilled and relations are amiable for future events.

"The Assembly had already opened the door for the opportunity to make contact with the news station by approving the campaign, and the rest was just 'chopping wood,'" the local media coordinator said.

"The Assembly had already opened the door for the opportunity to make contact with the news station by approving the campaign, and the rest was just 'chopping wood.'" -Local media coordinator in Charleston, West Virginia

ORGANIZING ON CAMPUS

Meanwhile, encouraging contact was made with Barbara Cary, the state college's coordinator for Upward Bound, an organization supporting those who are in their families' first generation of college students.

"She previewed the video and fell in love with it," the Assembly reports.

The historically black college was still stung from the previous year's racial troubles at a nearby high school, and Ms. Cary found the mood receptive for organizing student dialogues, as well as setting the stage for founding of race unity clubs at the high school—all with the steady involvement of Bahá’ís.

This effort involved cooperation of student organizations from the state college and the private University of Charleston, for the first time in anyone's memory.

At the race unity march on campus April 7, Dr. Carter, the college president, welcomed any information that he might be sent on the Multi-Racial Unity Project spearheaded by a Bahá’í educator at Michigan State University, Dr. Richard Thomas.

For Upward Bound's part in the Bahá’í-organized Race Unity Week, Ms. Cary is planning an event for 500 high school participants from across the state to create banners on which they write "pledges" to build one America.

In the meantime, the Bahá’í youth were invited to return to Upward Bound's last meeting before graduation on May 2, to perform the "Zipopo" dramatic workshop dealing with moral dilemmas. This workshop originated in Russia and was developed in English by a Bahá’í youth workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Submitted by Byron Hoggatt ✦

May 17, 1998

DIALOGUE IN DURHAM

The Eye, For One Race Unity Team in Durham, North Carolina, has begun a series of eight race unity dialogues at their Bahá’í center.

These dialogues, designed to promote racial understanding and reconciliation, began Feb. 6 and will run through May 29, culminating in a Race Unity Day Picnic on June 13.

Topics include "Race Relations in the Workplace," "Creating Multi-Racial Communities," "Racial and Ethnic Relationships," "Interracial Marriage," "Rearing Children in a Multi-Racial Home," "Religion and Racial Harmony," and "The Triangle Latino Community."

As a result, the Bahá’ís have been asked to join the City Human Relations Commission Committee on Racial Understanding.

Also, two Bahá’ís (one a Unity Team member) appeared on a PBS talk show for 45 minutes discussing this initiative specifically and the oneness of humanity in general.

The Durham Fair Housing Violation Bureau is considering the possibility of requiring attendance at the dialogues for people who violate religious/racial fair housing laws.

For more information about this initiative or the Eye, For One Race Unity Team, please contact Nancy Rustam at Anyema Kirtz at or

OUTREACH INVOLVING MEDIA

The first in a series of dialogues on race relations at the Tarrant County, Texas, Bahá’í center drew about two dozen people and coverage by two local newspapers.

In the articles, participants told reporters from the Arlington Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about their varied experiences and about the Bahá’í Faith's commitment to race unity.

Several color and black-and-white photographs in the Fort Worth newspaper showed smiling participants of many backgrounds, including African, European, and Iranian. [Page 32]

CLASSIFIED

Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge to the Bahá’í community. Because of this, notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial ads are accepted. Some of the opportunities have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly; the friends should exercise judgment and care in responding.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AT THE BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CENTER

Assistant Coordinator for Refugee Program, U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office. Helps the Refugee Coordinator in executing the work of the office. The employee is primarily responsible for work associated with refugees, asylum seekers and diplomatic matters. Should have excellent written and oral communication skills in English, and flexibility in performance of routine and non-routine tasks, as well as typing/word processing skills. Will be responsible for drafting letters and reports without supervision, helping carry out other functions of the office, and keeping track of the status of all refugee, immigrant and asylum cases. Also will maintain computer files, databases and office systems.

On-site meeting and travel specialist experienced in hospitality supervision with strong organizational skills, good understanding of hotel business, site research, contract negotiation, meeting room arrangements, food functions and accommodations. Should know travel industry; Appollo or other travel system experience helpful. Will reconcile bills and claims. Must be able to work under pressure and handle several meetings at the same time. Work schedule flexible, considerable weekend work required.

The Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project is seeking a part-time administrative assistant to support its editorial team. Maintains a variety of files and records, inputs editorial corrections from hard copy, assists with various research tasks. Must type a minimum of 60 wpm, have excellent computer skills, sound judgment, strong writing and editing skills, and the ability to produce professional-quality work.

If interested in either position, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

AT THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Office administrator: Performs administrative duties to support operations of the Office of the Secretary for External Affairs, including supervision of the office secretary, bookkeeping, property management, facilitation and coordination of personnel issues, and travel coordination. Minimum 3-5 years' relevant administrative/supervisory experience, working experience with basic accounting and budgeting procedures, experience with business software including high proficiency in Word 6.0, and sound understanding of Bahá’í administration and principles. College degree preferred.

If interested, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

AT GREEN ACRE BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

Full-time assistant cook sought for summer. Must love people and food and be self-motivated. Will oversee all aspects of meal period from dining room setup to preparation and serving of food to cleanup of kitchen. Must have knowledge of food safety, proper food handling and kitchen sanitation; also knowledge of operation/maintenance of food service equipment, including convection oven, ranges, steamers, dishwashers. Minorities encouraged to apply. Contact James M. Sacco, Co-Administrator, Green Acre Bahá’í School, 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903 (phone 207-439-7200, fax 207-438-9940, e-mail).

Maintenance worker. Enthusiastic, industrious, spiritually motivated. General knowledge of custodial duties, building maintenance and repair, grounds work, and mechanical systems helpful. High skill in interior/exterior painting a plus. Work environment requires a resourceful person dedicated to courtesy, meticulous attention to detail. Minorities, women encouraged to apply. Professional training available. Contact Eric Nelson, Facilities Manager, Green Acre Bahá’í School, 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903-1800 (phone 207-439-7200, fax 207-438-9940, e-mail).

AT BOSCH BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL

Assistant facilities manager sought for Bosch Bahá’í School. Responsible for maintenance of buildings, grounds, equipment and vehicles for Bosch; helps direct the work of volunteers. Responsible for creating and maintaining operating procedures and system documentation. Works on all renovation, repair, restoration and new construction. Must have knowledge and skills in building and equipment maintenance, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, roofing, painting, masonry, etc. Strongly prefer applicant with five years' experience in facility management (hotel, motel, school, condo, light industrial, etc.), with at least 3 years supervising 3 or more workers. Basic computer literacy (database, spreadsheet, word processing) is necessary; CAD experience desirable. Organization/consultation skills, flexibility and enthusiasm are essential. Contractor experience very desirable. Vehicle maintenance skills desirable. Contact Mark J. Bedford, Co-Administrator, Bosch Bahá’í School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (phone 408-423-3387, fax 408-423-7564, e-mail).

THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í & BRILLIANT STAR MAGAZINE

Print Production Specialist for Bahá’í Media Services. Provides production support for The American Bahá’í and Brilliant Star magazine. Assists in design and layout of both publications. Works with printers and outside vendors to ensure smooth production of each issue; with freelance authors, illustrators, writers and designers to acquire content for both publications. Qualifications include a strong command of all phases of digital print production, including design, layout, photo editing, copy editing, production, and digital prepress; a minimum of two years' experience with Quark Xpress and Adobe Photoshop in a newspaper, magazine or other print production environment; experience with Illustrator and Freehand; skill in verbal and written communication; ability to work with minimum supervision.

If interested, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

CRITICAL NEEDS FOR THE MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS

Constructing the buildings and terraces of the Arc in Haifa, Israel:

• Industrial/commercial plumber. Needs experience in all aspects of the trade, including drainage, fittings, etc.
• Horticulturist/professional gardener. Needs experience in maintenance and general aspects of formal and informal gardens.

To apply, please mail or fax your résumé to Mount Carmel Projects, Project Manager's Office, P.O. Box 155, 31 001 Haifa, Israel (phone 972 (4) 835-8358, fax 972 (4) 835-8437, e-mail).

STAFFING NEEDS AT THE BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTER

In Haifa, Israel:

DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS: Employees to serve the Universal House of Justice and the International Teaching Center by monitoring data on the progress of teaching plans and national community growth and activities. Requires strong interest or experience in research/analysis in social science or related areas. Good to strong English skills; interpersonal and communication skills; basic math required. Computer and Web-related skills a plus.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS SERVICES: Critical need for programmers with experience supporting Oracle financial and human resource packages, and Oracle database administrators/programmers who can convert applications to graphical user interfaces. Also, several individuals with a background in technical support/computer skills training are sought.

ACCOUNTING: Accountant in Comptroller's Office with three to five years' experience (including general ledger, budgeting, financial analysis) plus knowledge of computerized accounting system. Knowledge of foreign currency translation helpful. Four-year degree or equivalent experience needed.

GARDENS OFFICE: This office has the privilege of maintaining and expanding the gardens at Bahji, the most holy spot on earth. Also under its care are the gardens surrounding the Mansion of Mazra'ih, the Ridvan Garden, the soon-to-be developed Junayn Gardens north of Mazra'ih and—when completed—the terraces on Mount Carmel and other gardens of the Bahá’í World Center. The following professional staff are needed: Gardens Coordinator; needs background in life sciences, 5 to 10 years' experience in management and Bahá’í administration, organizational, communications and leadership ability. Senior Horticulturist; minimum 5 to 10 years' experience in ornamental horticulture/gardens management (related degree preferred), organization, supervisory, and people skills. Junior Horticulturists; degree in horticulture, agriculture, agronomy or related field, at least one year's experience, ability to supervise Bahá’í youth and local workers. Arborist/Tree Care Specialist; 5 years' experience pruning and maintaining ornamental trees, supervisory ability, related degree preferred. Mechanic/Purchasing Agent; experience in repair of small equipment, demonstrated ability to maintain records, scheduling and inventory control.

Positions advertised previously in The American Bahá’í:

ARCHIVES OFFICE: Professional archivists with qualifications and experience in archival science, writing skills in English. People with strong skills in Persian and Arabic and ability to communicate in English, for work with original Tablets. Microfilming workers with archive/library experience in work with documents and camera/film.

RESEARCH OFFICE: Research assistant with high skill in Persian and Arabic and knowledge of Bahá’í Writings in those languages, plus computer skills. Translator with excellent skills in Persian, Arabic and English as well as familiarity with Bahá’í Writings.

We are also looking for skilled tradespeople, photographers, floor care specialists, and much more.

To apply, please contact Bahá’í World Center, Office of Personnel, P.O. Box 155, 31 001 Haifa, Israel (e-mail).

INTERNATIONAL

Friends interested in participating in professional and academic exchanges with colleagues from China, here at home or abroad, can be of great service to this rapidly developing country. The following fields are especially desired: Health and Western medicine, psychology/counseling, women and family, education and moral development, agriculture, computer science, advanced technologies of all kinds, electronics/telecommunications, bio-engineering, new materials and energy sources, environmental protection, marine science, aerospace, architectural engineering, marketing/advertising, public relations, business management, many other fields. If within the next few years you are willing to make a trip to China to consult with Chinese professionals in your field, please contact Susan Senchuk (phone 847-733-3506, e-mail).

PIONEERING/OVERSEAS

Although the Office of Pioneering tries to help by providing information on employment opportunities that come to its attention, it does not have the resources for actual job placement.

AFRICA: Botswana—Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority. Burundi—Shelter manager. Central African Republic—Population development (UNFPA). Cameroon—World Bank financial management specialist. Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)—Information systems specialist, finance manager. Ghana—Executive director, national development planning/poverty reduction/social investment fund. Liberia—Field project manager. Mali—USAID team leader, information and communication. Mozambique—Senior auditor. Zambia—Teachers, basic education adviser. Zimbabwe—Project development coordinator, disaster mitigation and preparedness coordinator, Africa monetization technical adviser.

AMERICAS: Bolivia—Child survival project manager. Chile—Program officer. Colombia—Business development officer, economist (CIAT). Guyana—Volunteer trainers for literacy project. Haiti—Field director (NDI). [Page 33]Honduras Teachers. Jamaica-Project coordinator. Mexico Community service program (AFSC); teachers, Universidad de Quintana Roo. Suriname-Clinical specialists. Turks & Caicos-Government doctor. Venezuela-Caretakers for National Institute, computer outlet store for sale.

ASIA: Armenia-Small business lending specialist, finance delegate, technical construction delegate, contracting specialist, environmental law liaison. Azerbaijan-Community health education manager, field coordinator, administrative officer, country director for IRC, manager. Cambodia Disaster preparedness delegate, HIV/AIDS program adviser (WB), prosthetist, orthotist lecturer, reproductive health adviser. India-Vice principal-New Era High School, program manager. Japan-Engineering manager, ESL teachers, R&D mechanical engineer. Kazakhstan Country representative for ACDI/VOCA, engineering manager, R&D mechanical engineer. Korea University ESL teacher, program manager (computer/telecommunications). Kyrgyzstan Finance and administrative manager. Macau- Teachers. Russia- Sakhalin teachers, financial controller. Philippines-IRRI director general and director for external relations, librarian-Asian Development Bank. South Asia-Development managers. Thailand Volunteer physician. Taiwan Teachers. Ukraine-Environmental law liaison. Uzbekistan Country director (OSI). Vietnam-Field project manager, (Vietnam and Southeast Asia) industry consultants.

AUSTRALASIA: Australia-Natural resource economist-tropical agriculture, professor of economics, secretary general (CIVICUS), postdoctoral fellowship/research fellowship in international relations. Kiribati-Printing setup/training for National Assembly. Mariana Islands-Physician at health center on Rota. New Zealand-Lecturer in economics. Papua New Guinea- Senior program manager (UN). Solomon Islands Custodians at the Bahá’í Center. Western Caroline Islands-Self-supporting assistant to the National Assembly secretary.

EUROPE: Austria-Legal officer (IAEA), personnel officer, head-Office of Internal Audit and Evaluation support, senior auditor. Bosnia-Senior media professional. Czech Republic Primary and secondary teachers in mathematics, science, humanities, Spanish, English as a secondary language, Montessori teacher. Germany Economists. Hungary University lecturers and professors for CEP, head of office (IOM). Ireland-Research post for Northern Ireland Economic Research Center. Italy-Agricultural officer, information officer for TV, legal officer, personnel officers (legal matters and other), statistician, food security officer, Cerestronic editor, statistician (FAO), project leader (CGIAR), weather and climate specialists. Kosovo Project directors, nurses, nurse midwives, obstetricians, child psychologists, pediatric neurologists, child welfare specialists, epidemiologists (DOW). Luxembourg Lending/credit specialist (EIB). Netherlands Senior officer ISNAR, water enterprise development professional, director general. Poland Junior lecturer in public policy. Portugal Consultants in agricultural and rural development. Romania Junior lecturer in political science. Russia-International finance, economic development/regional investment specialist, facility protection officers, agricultural lending/credit specialist, international finance, women's issues -legal specialist. Slovakia-English teacher. Switzerland-Professor for entrepreneurship and innovation, senior training officer, director-division of international trade (UN), special coordinator (UN). Ukraine-Program director (economics education). United Kingdom-Information management faculty appointment, director-Policy Studies Institute Westminster, dean and director of business school, readership in economics and deputy director-Center for Study of African Économies, lectureship in economic theory and mathematical economics.

MULTI-REGIONAL: Agribusiness consultants worldwide, project managers, social development consultants, international management consultancies, consultants for private, public, and social sector development, intermediate technology consultants. Teachers for African Program of IFESH. University faculty to teach on military bases in Russia (Irkutsk and Vladivostok), Europe and Asia. American Refugee Committee. Breast cancer treatment/prevention, Central Europe; consultants in Eastern and Central Europe. English teaching fellows (ETF). Teachers in international training in women's and development projects, international sales and marketing. Entrepreneurial agricultural marketing specialist for Latin America. Director of operations and regional communications coordinator for WWF in Latin America and Caribbean. Educational Services Institute (ESI) is recruiting instructors. Multi-disciplinary team for WRI (World Resources Institute). Country representatives for Africare. CEO for Central Asian-American Enterprise Fund. Managers and specialists for SAC International. Economists for Latin America and Asia (EIU). Clinical legal specialists for Albania, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe, NIS. Associate liaisons for Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Ukraine. Civic educators and organizers for Eastern Europe (NDI). Peace Corps: foresters, parks and wildlife, environmental education and awareness. Water and sanitation engineers, Agronomists for Action Against Hunger. Internships (some paid positions) reproductive health program, rural self-help, HIV/AIDS education. Global Classroom Inc. offers free placement assistance to English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) professionals seeking overseas employment. All positions require a minimum of an ESL/EFL certificate or one year ESL/EFL teaching experience.

URGENT NEEDS

HONDURAS Elementary and secondary school teachers.

INDIA Experienced, qualified vice-principal for the New Era High School.

MACAU-The School of Nations needs qualified kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers.

SOLOMON ISLANDS Self-supporting couple to serve as custodians of the Bahá’í Center in Honiara. Volunteer to train National Center office staff.

For additional information, please contact the Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 847-733-3508, fax 847-733-3509, e-mail ).

For the past eight years, Bahá’ís from all over the United States have traveled throughout Russia to spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh. The Marion Jack Project has been responsible for the creation of more than 35 Assemblies and has been a testimony to the power of the Faith to unite the hearts of peoples of different cultures and nations. This summer, we are going again and would love your assistance and/or participation. Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to serve our beloved Cause. For more information, please contact Lois Willows (phone 310-274-5674, e-mail ) or the Office of Pioneering (phone 847-733-3508, fax 847-733-3509, e-mail ).

For an application, contact Arghavan Rahimpour at

YOUTH

Visit China: High School Youth Summer Student Exchange! Twenty youths age 14-17 will participate in a language, culture and friendship exchange trip to Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China, sponsored by the School of the Nations, Macau and Baotou Gang Yuan Foreign Language and Culture Exchange Center. July 10-early August or July 18-August 8. Estimated cost $450-$660 per person, plus round-trip airfare to Macau. Application deadline is: June 1, 1998. For details and application information, contact Susan Senchuk (phone 847-733- 3506, e-mail

PIONEERING/HOMEFRONT

If you're considering moving to help save an Assembly, there is a need for Bahá’ís in Palm Coast, Florida, next door to St. Augustine and just an hour from Orlando and many of its attractions. The Local Assembly was formed during Ridván 154 (April 20, 1997) and continues to be active in teaching, deepening and public relations with only six adult Bahá’ís. Prayers for the success of the reformation of the Assembly are deeply appreciated. For further information please contact the chair, Paul Locher (phone 904-445-6656, e-mail ), or the secretary, Ken Kalantar (phone 904-446-7854, e-mail

The College of Charleston in South Carolina-founded in 1770 and maintaining a strong liberal arts curriculum-invites Bahá’í students to help the work of a small but budding college club in an institution where receptivity to the Teachings is high and tuition is relatively low. Charleston is the birthplace of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory, and one of the nearly finished projects of the local community is a museum in his name. For information, contact Nahal Badiian, College of Charleston Bahá’í Club (phone 803-762-0067, e-mail

ARCHIVES

The National Bahá’í Archives is seeking original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following individuals: Amelia Buxton, Elise Pumpelly Cabot, S. Parkes Cadman, Danny Caldwell, David Caldwell, Elaine Caldwell, Harry Caldwell, Geo. Caleoper, Ward M. Calhoon and Elizabeth Callaway. Anyone knowing family members or relatives who might have these Guardian's letters is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-869-9039).

Several free information sheets on local archives and records are available from the National Bahá’í Archives. Any local Bahá’í community wishing a set is asked to send a request with a mailing address to the National Bahá’í Archives, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 ( phone 847-869-9039).

WANTED

University of Nevada Las Vegas graduates, where are you? UNLV is celebrating its 40th anniverary this year, and our Assembly (Paradise Township, Nevada) will present a plaque inscribed with an appropriate quote about education from the Writings. We would like to have a scroll with the names of Bahá’í graduates to present with the plaque. Contact Marion West-Hoffman (phone 702-729-1050, fax 702-739-1553).

Intensive Persian Language Course 1998

Sponsored by the Persian-American Affairs Office in collaboration with the Wilmette Institute.

WHEN/WHERE: July 19-Aug. 8 in Wilmette, Illinois, at the same time and facilities as the Wilmette Institute's Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization summer residential session.

SESSION: Three weeks, five hours a day, five days a week. Program will include cultural activities to support and enhance classwork.

COSTS: $450 for tuition, study materials $20 per night for dormitory

MORE INFORMATION: Call 847-733-3526.

TO REGISTER: Please complete this form and send it, with a check for the appropriate amount, to the Persian-American Affairs Office, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201.

Title: (Ms./Mrs./Mr./ Dr.) Family name First name Address City Country Home phone Fax I plan to stay in the dorm from except for the night(s) of) for a total of My check # Signature Middle initial: State ZIP/Postal Code Work phone E-mail to (dates), nights. for S is enclosed. Date [Page 34]

Florence Mayberry, world teacher, International Counselor

Norence V. Mayberry's view of her life in worldwide service to the Cause of God as a member of two National Spiritual Assemblies, on the first Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas, and later at the International Teaching Center—was summed up in the title of her autobiography: The Great Adventure.

Embracing the Bahá’í Faith in 1941, she quickly became an enthusiastic teacher. She had the privilege of meeting Shoghi Effendi on her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in early 1957. Her travels for the Faith took her to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Latin America and every continent north of Antarctica.

"She cared, deeply, about everyone she met," said Lynn Wieties, who traveled often with Mrs. Mayberry in her last years. "I can see her now, so tall and elegant, bent down a bit and looking into the eyes of whomever she was talking or listening to....? They were important, they mattered."

Mrs. Mayberry passed away April 8, 1998, in Conway, Missouri, the home of her early childhood.

Most of her youth was spent in Missouri and in Santa Paula, California. Her family moved to Reno, Nevada, in the late 1930s. There she met and married David Mayberry. She maintained contact with her first Bahá’í teacher, Elizabeth Carpenter of Santa Paula. When Mrs. Mayberry declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh, within a day her husband, mother, brother and sister-in-law also entered the Faith.

Moving back to California (and years later to San Antonio, Texas), she and her husband were staunch workers for the Faith. After Mrs. Mayberry recovered from a serious illness she resumed her education and, following the advice in a letter from the Guardian, launched a deep study of the Bahá’í teachings. After the Continental Teaching Conference of 1953 in Chicago, she responded to an invitation from the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and taught the Faith across that country.

In 1954 she was among the 18 members of the first Auxiliary Board assisting the Hands of the Cause of God in the Western Hemisphere. Her travels expanded to all parts of the United States, Canada and Alaska, and she also served on the National Spiritual Assembly for two years.

On her pilgrimage, she recalled, the Guardian directed her, "Tell your family to scatter and teach, scatter and teach!" Her mother set her sights on Europe, while David and Florence Mayberry and their son, Michael, settled in Guadalajara, Mexico. Still serving on the Auxiliary Board, Mrs. Mayberry was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico when it was formed in 1961. Meanwhile, her teaching work took her to several Central American countries, especially to indigenous villages.

By the time the Mayberrys returned to the United States in 1963 for business reasons, Mrs. Mayberry was established as a writer, having published a children's book and continuing to write mystery stories.

When the Continental Boards of Counselors were created in 1968, Mrs. Mayberry was among the first contingent appointed in North America. Five years later the Universal House of Justice established the International Teaching Center at Haifa, Israel, and Mrs. Mayberry was one of three Counselors named to serve alongside Hands of the Cause in that body.

As a Counselor she traveled to teach and serve the Cause in many countries, including Iran, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Japan, China and New Zealand.

In 1983 she and her husband returned to the United States and settled first in North Idaho, then back in Missouri. Her husband passed away in 1994.

Donald Erby served in China

Don Erby, beloved pioneer, died April 2, 1998, at age 67. Don was blessed to have had the opportunity to pray at the Holy Threshold just this February.

Although Don and his dear wife, Serene, had returned to the United States less than a year ago because of his health, Don was determined to get well and planned to return to the pioneering field. He was unable to fulfill this wish here, but his spirit is sure to be with all those serving our beloved Cause.

Donald Erby was born in Sacramento, California, on Jan. 10, 1931. He declared in May 1966. In 1971 he was asked to homefront pioneer to South Carolina. He stayed for eight years, traveling throughout the South giving firesides, deepenings and Bible classes.

In 1995 Don and Serene went to China. Don's health required that they return to the United States in 1997. With his eye set on returning to China and his heart set on serving his fellow man, Don continued to share his knowledge with others until the day he ascended.

By those who knew him, Don has been touchingly described as "an old-time believer... mature," a man who "understood the value and power of love and prayer" and had "a great love for the Cause."

June Meese was pioneer in Bolivia

June Meese passed away Aug. 19, 1997, at her pioneering post in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, at age 67.

Born into a Bahá’í family, she had before her a model of service in her mother, Ellen Sims, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

At 58, after visiting her mother in Paraguay in 1988, June fell in love with the country and the people and settled there in 1989. This allowed her to be close at hand to help her ailing mother.

In August 1993, following her mother's death, June hoped to remain in Paraguay. However, she was offered a position in Bolivia where her sister was pioneering, and in 1994 she settled there.

June worked actively with, and loved her association with the youth of Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, her health failed her and she was forced to return to the States. She returned to her post in Bolivia in May 1997, a mere three months before she succumbed to cancer.

Bernice Wood recalled fondly in Hong Kong

Our National Spiritual Assembly received the following e-mail message for the Local Spiritual Assembly of Seattle from the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Hong Kong on March 30:

"Our grief at losing our Bahá’í sister, Bernice Wood, was offset by our learning of the care your assembly was taking in ensuring her proper burial. She was a loyal and dedicated pioneer to Hong Kong who deserves our every respect...."

Bernice Marie Jarvis Wood was born March 11, 1910, in Tacoma, Washington. As a child she loved to play the game "Around the World with Nellie Bly" and dreamed of visiting those exciting places.

Bernice took a job as administrative assistant in the Medical Supply Division of the United Nations and enjoyed assignments in several Asian and Middle Eastern countries. She first visited Hong Kong in 1949 on her way from China to Thailand.

After working in a number of different countries she returned to Hong Kong in 1960 as a pioneer. At that time the community was very small, with only one Local Spiritual Assembly. Her apartment often served as a place for meetings.

In 1967 Bernice left Hong Kong for Hawaii, but returned in 1970 and remained there until ill health caused her to return to the United States in 1990.

She served as secretary to the National Convention in April 1974 that elected the first National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Hong Kong and Macau. After the National Bahá’í Center was purchased in the late 1960s, she assured that firesides were held every Friday and they continue to this time.

Bernice was a gentle soul with a kindly word for everyone. Her heart failed her, and she passed away peacefully March 12, 1998, a day after her 88th birthday.

IN MEMORIAM

Easter Berry New York, NY February 19, 1998

R. Thomas Blazier Indianapolis, IN March 20, 1998

Marie Brodie Raleigh, NC March 5, 1998

Peggy H. Carson Alamo Heights, TX January 5, 1998

Stuart Charns Juárez, Mexico March 16, 1998

Jerald B. Dorsey New Orleans, LA March 30, 1998

Robert Finney Belle Glade, FL August 18, 1997

Grace A. Fountain Chico, CA March 5, 1998

Sarfaraz Jiveh Hanford, CA March 18, 1998

Leonard Kroll Brooksville, FL November 14, 1997

Marian A. Lawyer El Cajon, CA March 16, 1998

Majdeddin Manavi Rancho Palos Verdes, CA February 14, 1998

Florence V. Mayberry Conway, MO April 8, 1998

William R. McBride Jr. Hattiesburg, MS March 4, 1998

Deloris Mitchell Hemingway, SC January 16, 1998

Barbara J. Nicholas Los Angeles March 7, 1998

Gwendolyn Pagani Vernon, CT April 3, 1998

Georgianna M. Quinn Tucson, AZ January 25, 1998

Howard Rose Tucson, AZ November 1997

Farzaneh Samii Sierra Madre, CA April 5, 1998

Ralph Sanderson Portland, ME March 14, 1998

Nathaniel Scott Darlington, SC November 28, 1997

Donald P. Steinwachs Tucson, AZ March 1, 1998

Frank Stewart Oklahoma City, OK February 22, 1998

Paul Stirneman Paradise, CA February 19, 1998

Gordon W. VanWieren Marietta, GA March 7, 1998

Bradley Zahrai Norman, OK March 2, 1998 [Page 35]

Stuart Charns served Cause in U.S., Mexico

Stuart Charns ascended to the Abhá Kingdom on March 16, 1998, in Juárez, Mexico, after having been a stalwart of the Faith for 28 years. He was 47.

Stuart embraced the Bahá’í Faith as a 19-year-old at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. He studied religion as a minor subject in college along with his math major. His father recalls Stuart was interested in religion all through his youth, even once aspiring to be a rabbi.

In his career as an industrial engineer, Stuart had the opportunity to serve the Faith in many areas of the country. He loved traveling to teach, especially in isolated communities, and was adept at reaching people of all backgrounds with his story-telling ability. In addition, he helped inspire believers both in the U.S. and Mexico to arise and increase their activity in the Faith.

One of his abiding interests had been learning about religions of the world, both the major ones and the not-so-well-known ones. Friends throughout the Phoenix, Arizona, area fondly remember his numerous fireside talks and the comparative religion seminars for which he won the respect and admiration of those from every religion involved.

In the words of a representative from one religion, "Stuart was the only one who came to these meetings without a hidden agenda. All the rest of us were trying to get our point of view across. But Stuart truly had a pure heart."

His family and friends will sadly miss his delightfully wry sense of humor. "He made everyone laugh," recalled Paul, his youngest son. "I'm sure he is making ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laugh now."

Assembly members who served with him in the Gilbert, Arizona, Bahá’í community greatly valued his keen analytical mind and his sense of detachment, which greatly facilitated consultations.

Last fall, on one of his frequent business trips in Mexico, Stuart's ability to resolve disputes and fluency in Spanish won the admiration of a businessman who invited him to be a plant manager in Juárez. Stuart first commuted to the job from El Paso, Texas, then moved into an apartment in Juárez. He passed away from carbon monoxide emitted by the apartment heating system.

Stuart is credited with many accomplishments: He was a standup comedian in college; wrote books on religious subjects; developed board games and a Bahá’í-themed calendar; played the guitar and wrote classical music for various instruments; spoke Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Spanish and English.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; two sons, Daniel and Paul; a daughter, Leslie; a brother, Larry; and his parents, Isadore and Frances Charns. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Jeffrey and Donald.

In recognition of service

Tayebeh Aboonour (center left) welcomes Sua Ly Her (left) and Mrs. Her's grandchildren Kue, Toua, Ma and Yang at a dinner at the San Diego, California, Bahá’í Center, where Mrs. Aboonour was honored for nearly 20 years' service to the local Southeast Asian community. For information on the work of the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office, please call 847-733-3547.

Bahá’í Centers

Over the years, space for Feasts and other events was rented in clubhouses and community rooms. But the friends were at the mercy of changing fees and policies.

"We need a place where seekers can stop by and pick up literature or talk to a Bahá’í," the letter continued. "We need a place where the Assembly can meet and keep its records. We need an office where Bahá’í volunteers can answer callers who respond to the national media campaign. We need a place where a change in policy won't stop our community from having Feasts."

The apartment-office, and access to the complex's community room, will fulfill those needs. And the Assembly foresees it will "increase our desire and willingness to sacrifice for a larger, more fitting space that we can truly call our own."

That permanent home for Indianapolis Bahá’ís on West 62nd Street is in the works, with water/sewer hookups requested and architectural plans being developed.

Completion will be dictated, though, by the material sacrifices of community members, in concert with the community's overall goals for expansion, consolidation, administration, and community development through the end of the Four Year Plan.

Mary Lou Ewing helped open New Mexico to Bahá’í Faith

Mary Lou Ewing opened New Mexico to the Bahá’í Faith along with her husband, Tom Ewing, at the beginning of the Guardian's first Seven Year Plan. Mary Lou passed away December 19, 1997.

In addition to serving on various area and regional committees, she was corresponding secretary of the Albuquerque LSA for almost 50 years before moving to Florida.

Described in the Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker's biography as "one of the brilliant lights of Dorothy's heart," Mary Lou became a Bahá’í in Lima, Ohio, in 1935 and remained always a close friend.

She was a professional pianist, the coordinator of several programs with Pueblo Indians through the Save the Children Community Development Foundation, and later the administrative assistant to the provost at the University of New Mexico.

She is survived by her second husband, Clarence Danhof of Sarasota, Florida; her daughter, Annette Chakerian of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and two granddaughters.

Alice Sinclair pioneered in ’60s

Alice Sinclair departed this life Dec. 2, 1997, after a long life of service to the Faith. She was 87.

In 1960, she and her husband, Dale, pioneered to Guatemala, serving there for five years. In 1965 Dale received his degree, but learned they would have to wait at least a year for a job to open in Guatemala.

So the Sinclairs set their sights on settling in Honduras, where they remained for 6 years until they were able to go back to Guatemala. Lack of work and health concerns required that they return to the States, where they continued to actively work for the Faith in every community where they settled.

The Sinclairs served at the Bahá’í National Center while they investigated possibilities for returning to an international pioneer post. Though that wish was never fulfilled, they were able to homefront pioneer and save Assemblies where they resided.

Boston to Africa

and sisters," and making use of the "reservoir of human and material resources unmatched elsewhere in the Bahá’í world."

The Spiritual Assembly of Boston forwarded the proposal to the National Office of Pioneering, and following consultation on the response, "Re-evolution Productions: The South Africa Project" received institutional approval on July 1, 1997.

Still, departure was planned for late July or early August. After three weeks of frenetic fund-raising, Re-evolution did not have the money or time for the South African community to be able to plan and schedule.

When all parties had conceded that the South Africa Project was to go unfulfilled, a bequest came into the possession of the Spiritual Assembly of Boston. With the help of a portion of these funds, Re-evolution now had enough to transport three individuals across the Atlantic Ocean.

Phone calls were made to the National Youth Committee of South Africa, the length of the trip was shortened to four weeks, the date of departure was backed up by two weeks, and the trip was a reality!

This year's ABS Conference set for Sept. 27-28

The 22nd annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies has been set for Sept. 25-27 at the Hôtel du Parc, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Theme is "The Covenant: Pivot of the Oneness of Humanity." The conference will feature lectures, panel discussions, arts presentations, participatory seminars and workshops. A children's conference will be held at the same time.

Advance registration fee is $80 for ABS members; fees are higher for non-members or those who register on site. A scholarship fund is available.

A registration form will be published in future issues of The American Bahá’í. The association's address is 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIN7K4 (phone 613-233-1903, fax 613-233-3644).

To ask about accommodations at the Hôtel du Parc, call 800-363-0735. [Page 36]رئیس جمهور ایالات متحده از مجلس سنا درخواست کرده است که پیمان مذکور را تا ۲۰ جولای سال جاری به تصویب رساند.

زنان امریکائی برای احقاق حقوق خود سالها پیکار کردند زنان کشورهای دیگر هنوز در جریان این پیکارند و تصویب پیمان سازمان ملل راه آنان را در این پیکار هموار می‌سازد.

دوستان می‌توانند برای دریافت اطلاعات درباره فعالیت‌هائی که در بالا ذکر شد یا دادن پیشنهاد با دفتر محفل روحانی ملی در واشنگتن تماس حاصل نمایند. شماره تلفن: ۸۹۹۰-۸۳۳ (۲۰۲)

89TH BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CONVENTION

هشتاد و نهمین کانونشن ملی از ۲۸ تا ۳۱ می سال جاری در Holiday Inn Hare در شهر روزمانت در ایالت ایلینوی تشکیل خواهد شد.

همان گونه که یاران عزیز آگاهی دارند، غرض از تشکیل کانونشن به فرموده حضرت ولی امر الله یکی انتخاب اعضای محفل روحانی ملی و دیگر ارائه پیشنهاد درباره تشکیلات و اداره امور امری است. در عین حال هیکل مبارک در بیانات خود فرموده‌اند که تشکیلات و نظم اداری را نباید هدف انگاشت و از جنبه روحانی و اخلاقی که اصل است غفلت نمود به همین جهت هدف اصلی کانونشن نباید صرفاً اداری باشد. بدین ترتیب کانونشن باید در نمایندگان روح وحدت بدمد و آنان را به همکاری صمیمانه برانگیزد و به گسترش هماهنگی و از میان بردن سوء تفاهمات رهمون شود.

دوستانی که مایل به دریافت اطلاعات بیشتر درباره شرکت در کانونشن ملی باشند می‌توانند با شماره مخصوصی که محفل روحانی ملی بدین منظور معین فرموده است تماس حاصل نمایند. شماره تلفن: ۳۵۶۹-۷۳۳ (۸۴۷)

کتابهای تازه (NEW PUBLICATIONS)

شرکت Images International صورتی از کتابهائی را که برای فروش در اختیار دارد ارسال داشته است صورت ارسالی در زیر درج می‌گردد:

آثار قلم اعلی کتاب مبین مجموعه الواح حضرت بهاءالله قیمت ۳۸ دلار

کتاب بدیع نازل از قلم معجز شیم حضرت بهاءالله قیمت ۲۲ دلار

حصن حصین شریعت الله به قلم حضرت ولی امر الله ترجمه جناب فؤاد اشرف، قیمت با جلد کاغذی ۲۳ دلار با جلد مقوائی ۲۹ دلار

تقریرات درباره کتاب مستطاب اقدس بیانات شفاهی جناب عبدالحمید اشراق خاوری، تنظیم و تدوین دکتر وحید رافتی قیمت ۲۳ دلار

مطالعه معارف بهائی شماره ۱۱ "روح انسانی" نگارش جناب ادیب طاهرزاده ترجمه دکتر باهر فرقانی قیمت ۹ دلار

مطالعه معارف بهائی شماره ۱۳ "سفینه میثاق" نوشته دکتر امین الله مصباح قیمت ۹ دلار

مطالعه معارف بهائی شماره ۱۴ "دیانت بهائی و نهاد خانواده" نوشته دکتر نادر سعیدی، قیمت ۸ دلار

پژوهش نامه سال دوم شماره اول از انتشارات نشریه پیام بهائی حاوی مقالات گوناگون، قیمت ۱۴ دلار

خوشه‌های از خرمن ادب و هنر شماره ۸ دورة حاجی میرزا علی اصفهانی قیمت ۲۵ دلار

ریاض اللغات جلد سوم ج ح خ فرهنگ عربی به فارسی، تألیف دکتر ریاض قدیمی قیمت ۵۵ دلار

قصة عشق درباره میرزا محمد علی زنوزی، تألیف جناب روح الله مهرابخانی، قیمت ۴ دلار

در خدمت دوست خاطرات میرزا محمد ثابت مراغه‌ای قیمت ۱۵ دلار

گلستان خاطرات به یاد جناب عطاء الله مقربی تألیف خانم وحیده مقربی (ثابت) قیمت ۱۵ دلار

باغبانان بهشت خدا نوشته Collete Gouvian ترجمه خانم باهرة سعادت قیمت ۱۲ دلار

ایران آینده اثر جناب جمشید فنائیان قیمت ۱۹ دلار

حضرت طاهره و جناب قدوس و جناب ملاحسین سه جزوۀ جداگانه قیمت هر جزوه ۴ دلار

علاقه‌مندان می‌توانند برای سفارش این نشریات با شرکت ایمجز اینترنشنال تماس حاصل نمایند. شماره تلفن: ۴۵۲۵-۴۷۰ (۸۰۰)

حقوق الله (HUQUQU’LLÁH)

هر از گاهی برخی از احباء تقاضا می‌کنند که ترتیبی داده شود که تقدیمیهای حقوق الله آنان از حسابشان برداشت شود و به حساب حقوق الله واریز گردد. چنانکه دوستان استحضار دارند چنین ترتیبی را دفتر امین صندوق برای تبرعات احباء به صندوق ملی فراهم ساخته است بدین شرح که به درخواست دوستان هر ماه مبلغی از حسابشان برداشت می‌شود و به حساب صندوق ملی واریز می‌گردد. اما امنای حقوق توصیه می‌کنند که به دلائل زیر در مورد حقوق الله چنین روشی اتخاذ نشود:

• برخی از کارفرمایان بعنوان حق‌الزحمه چند درصد کم می‌کنند که ممکن است به اطلاع صاحب حساب نیز نرسد.
• بانکها امنای حقوق را از کل مبالغ واریز شده آگاه می‌کنند و تک تک تقدیمیها را معین نمی‌کنند و به همین جهت امنای حقوق قادر به صدور قبض برای افراد نخواهند بود.
• دلیل دیگر که در واقع مهمتر از دیگر دلیل‌هاست اینکه افراد احباء به وظیفه روحانی خود مأمورند نیازهای اصلی خود را از دیگر هزینه‌ها جدا کنند و تقدیمی حقوق الله را بر مبنای مقداری که حقوق الله به آن تعلق می‌گیرد محاسبه و سپس تقدیم کنند. برداشت مبلغ معین و یکسانی از حساب احباء به طور ماهانه در واقع موضوع محاسبه نیازها و غیره را از میان بر می‌دارد و دوستان را از یکی از منافع روحانی حقوق الله باز می‌دارد.

بدین ترتیب هر چند این روش در مورد تبرع به صندوق ملی سبب نظم و ترتیب می‌شود و از فراموشی مانع می‌گردد در مورد حقوق الله روش مناسبی تلقی نمی‌شود.

از دوستان عزیز مستدعى است تقدیمیهای حقوق الله را در وجه Bahá’í Huququ’lláh Trust به نشانی یکی از امنای حقوق ارسال فرمایند:

Mrs. Thelma Khelghati Lunenburg, MA. 01462-2125

Dr. Amin Banani Santa Monica, CA 90402-3154

Mr. Stephen Birkland Arden Hills, MN. 5511-3756

Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, OH 44116-1124

کلاسهای فشرده زبان فارسی (INTENSIVE PERSIAN COURSE)

دفتر امور احبای ایرانی امریکائی با همکاری مؤسسه ویلمت در صدد تشکیل کلاس فشرده‌ای برای آموزش زبان فارسی در تابستان سال جاری است.

بر اساس تقاضاهای رسیده کلاس فارسی تابستان امسال در حد ابتدائی خواهد بود. برنامه کلاس از ۱۹ جولای تا ۸ آگست سال جاری ادامه خواهد داشت. برنامه درسی کلاس مذکور هفته‌ای ۵ روز و هر روز ۵ ساعت ادامه خواهد یافت و شامل فعالیت‌های فرهنگی برای کمک به فعالیت‌های داخل کلاس خواهد بود.

قیمت ثبت نام برای کلاس فشرده فارسی در طی سه هفته ۴۵۰ دلار و مخارج خوابگاه شبی ۲۰ دلار است.

علاقه‌مندان می‌توانند برای نام‌نویسی و یا دریافت اطلاعات بیشتر با دفتر امور احبای ایرانی امریکائی تماس حاصل نمایند. شماره تلفن: ۳۵۲۶-۷۳۳ (۸۴۷) [Page 37]

تازه تصدیقان را زنان تشکیل می دهند

ثالثاً با اینکه سیاهپوستان درصد تقریباً کمی از بینندگان شبکه Odyssey را تشکیل می دهند اکثر کسانی که تماس گرفتند سیاهپوستند. بنابراین اگر برنامه مذکور در شبکههائی که درصد بینندگان سیاهپوست آنان بیشتر است نشان داده شود، تعداد تماس ها بسیار بیشتر خواهد شد.

در ضمن تماس چه باید کرد؟

چون پخش برنامه تلویزیونی منجر به تماس مردم با احباء خواهد شد بی فایده نیست که به نکات زیر توجه شود:

• از آنجا که زنان اکثر تماس گیرندگان را تشکیل می دهند بهتر است که زنان بهائی تلفن ها را پاسخ دهند.
• در تماس با متحریان باید همواره کوشید که اعتماد آنان جلب شود آنان را نباید تحت فشار قرار داد یا در همان تماس اولیه دعوت به تسجیل کرد.
• باید اسامی متحریان را در جائی نگاه داشت تا تماس با آنها به سهولت امکان یابد.

پخش بعدی

پخش برنامه The Power of Race Unity در نوبت دیگر ٦ جون و ۱۴ جون ساعت ۱۱ شب به وقت ناحیه شرقی ایالات متحده آمریکا از شبکه (BET) Black Entertainment Television خواهد بود. از جوامع امری انتظار میرود فعالیتهای تبلیغی خود را علاوه بر این برنامه ملی افزایش بخشند باشد که تبلیغ امر مبارک با سرعت بیشتری صورت گیرد.

به گفته یکی دیگر از اعضای لجنه ملی نشر نفحات انتظار میرود که پخش برنامه تلویزیونی در این دو نوبت سبب شود تعدادی بیش از مجموع کسانی که در اثر دیدن شبكة Odyssey با احباء تماس گرفتند درخواست کسب اطلاع درباره امر بهائی کنند.

دلیل این انتظار این است که شبکه BET را تعداد بیشتری از شرکتهای تلویزیونی cable نشان می دهند و این تعداد خود سه برابر شبكة Odyssey است. ثانیاً بیشتر بینندگان شبکه BET را سیاهپوستان تشکیل می دهند و چنانکه میدانیم این گروه بیشترین تماس را با احباء داشتند.

در حال حاضر مذاکرات با دیگر شبکه ها در جریان است و نتایج این مذاکرات به آگاهی دوستان خواهد رسید.

دیگر برنامههای تبلیغی از طریق رسانه ها

علاوه بر پخش برنامه ویدیوئی در ماه جون از شبکه بی ای تی برنامههای دیگری در دست تهیه است به قرار زیر:

• شرکت SIDCorp که یکی از تهیه کنندگان برنامه "نیروی وحدت نژادی" است در حال حاضر دست اندر کار تهیه چند برنامۀ دیگر است که موضوع یک از آنها دعاست. موضوع برنامه دیگر مردم بومی خواهد بود. شرکت مذکور همچنان به همکاری خود با لجنه ملی نشر نفحات ادامه خواهد داد.

• برنامه رسانه های خبری: یک برنامه ملی روابط عمومی در دست تهیه است که هدف آن گزارش بیشتر درباره امر مبارک خواهد بود.

• برنامه های رادیونی: برنامههانی برای پخش از ایستگاه های رادیوئی در دست تهیه است که برای گروه های ویژه ای مانند سیاهپوستان و افراد اسپانیائی زبان طرح خواهد شد.

• پخش مجدد ویدیوی نیروی وحدت نژادی: قرار است ویدیوی نیروی وحدت نژادی و یحتمل ویدیوهای دیگری در سال جاری و سال آینده همچنان پخش شود.

چاپ جدید مجموعه راهنمای محافل روحانی

REVISED ASSEMBLY MANUAL AVAILABLE

محفل روحانی ملی در سال ۱۹۸۹ راهنمائی برای محافل روحانی محلی تدوین کرد و آن را منتشر ساخت از آن زمان تا کنون این مجموعه مرجع اصلی محافل روحانی محلی در سراسر ایالات متحده بوده است.

به تازگی چاپ جدیدی از این مجموعه انتشار یافته که حاوی مطالبی از بیت العدل اعظم الهی و مشیهای جدید محفل روحانی ملی درباره مسائل گوناگون است.

بخش بزرگی از این راهنما را نصوص طلعات قدسیه امر مبارک و آثار حضرت ولی عزیز امر الله و بیت العدل اعظم الهی تشکیل می دهد. برخی از فصل های راهنمای محافل روحانی عبارت است از: محافل روحانی محلی؛ تشکیل محافل محلی؛ سازمان دهی به محافل محلی؛ مشورت؛ حفظ و حراست؛ عضویت در جامعه امری؛ تبلیغ و تحکیم اساس جامعه؛ ایام متبرکه و ضیافت نوزده روزه؛ تربیت امری؛ روابط خارجی؛ املاک امری؛ ازدواج و طلاق؛ احکام دفن و تهيه وصیت نامه.

به همه محافل روحانی محلی در ایالات متحده توصیه میشود که نسخه ای از راهنمای محافل روحانی را خریداری نمایند. همچنین محافل محلی می توانند نسخه ای از مجموعه مذکور را برای هر یک از اعضای خود ابتیاع فرمایند.

راهنمای محافل روحانی را میتوان از طریق مؤسسه توزیع آثار بهائی سفارش داد و خریداری کرد. شماره تلفن مجانی: ۹۰۱۹-۹۹۹ (۸۰۰)

پیمان رفع تبعیضات علیه زنان

WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS CEDAW

از پیش به آگاهی خوانندگان عزیز رساندیم که جامعه بهائی یکی از حامیان پیمان سازمان ملل متحد درباره حقوق زنان است.

پیمان مذکور که عنوان کامل آن پیمان بین المللی برای رفع هر گونه تبعیض علیه زنان و عنوان کوتاه آن CEDAW است هنوز به تصویب ایالات متحده نرسیده است. حامیان این پیمان در ایالات متحده با سناتورهای ایالات خود از طریق نامه تماس میگیرند و درخواست میکنند که مجلس سنا پیمان مذکور را تصویب کند.

در اوایل ماه مارچ سال جاری ۱۰ هزار نامه به دفاتر سناتورها در مجلس سنا فرستاده شد که نیمی از آن از جانب احبا ارسال گردیده بود. دفتر روابط خارجی محفل روحانی ملی در چند روز پیش از ۸ مارچ - روز جهانی زن - ۵ هزار نامه از طرف احباء و دیگر حامیان این پیمان به دفاتر سناتورها تحویل داد.

دو تن از سناتورهائی که بنا بود با آنها تماس حاصل شود اظهار داشتند که از جریان تصویب پیمان مذکور حمایت خواهند کرد. سناتور ریچارد دوربین Durbin از ایالت ایلینوی نخستین سناتوری بود که با اشاره به فعالیتهای احباء و دیگران اعلام کرد که برای تصویب پیمان مذکور کوشش خواهد کرد. سناتور تیم جانسن از ایالت داکوتای جنوبی نیز حمایت خود را از پیمان مذکور اظهار داشت.

روز ۱۱ مارچ سال جاری مراسمی برای بزرگداشت روز جهانی زن برگزار شد که آقای بیل کلینتن رئیس جمهور ایالات متحده در آن شرکت و سخنانی ایراد کرد. نماینده جامعه بهائی نیز در مراسم مذکور شرکت داشت و توانست با همسر رئیس جمهور گفتگو کند و او را از سهم احباء در فرستادن نامه به دفاتر سناتورها آگاه سازد.

از آنجا که تا تصویب پیمان مذکور راه درازی در پیش است اقداماتی که احباء میتوانند صورت دهند بدین ترتیب است:

• نخست اینکه احباء باید همچنان به نگارش نامه و فرستادن آن به سناتورهای خود یا تماس تلفنی با دفاتر آنان ادامه دهند. برای تصویب این پیمان توسط مجلس سنا لازم است حد اقل ۶۷ رأی داده شود. در حال حاضر فقط ۵۴ نفر از سناتورها تعهد کرده اند که پیمان مذکور را به تصویب برسانند. بدین ترتیب فعالیتهای احباء باید همچنان ادامه یابد. همچنین میتوان با سازمانهای گوناگون زنان از جمله زنان اهل حرفه و فن، استادان دانشگاه و اعضای سازمانهای علیه خشونت و غیره تماس گرفت و حمایت آنان را خواستار شد.

• باید در پی یافتن راه حلهائی در سطح محلی یا ایالتی برای تصویب پیمان رفع تبعیضات علیه زنان بود. مجلس ایالتی نیوهمشایر New Hampshire با کمک احباء قطعنامه ای صادر کرد که بر مبنای آن از مجلس سنا تقاضا شده است که پیمان سازمان ملل را به تصویب برساند.

• باید استفاده از رسانههای همگانی را برای تأکید...

[Page 38]

ترجمه پیام بیت العدل اعظم الهی

MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

خطاب به عموم محافل روحانی ملی مورخ ۹ اپریل ۱۹۹۸

فلورانس میبری Florence Mayberry

از فقدان مروج برازنده و ثابت قدم امر الله فلورانس میبری Florence Mayberry عمیقاً محزونیم. بیش از ۲۰ سال خدمات خستگی ناپذیر و الهام بخشش در میادین تبلیغ و تشکیلات اداری محلی و ملی و بین المللی امر در مدتی متجاوز از چهل سال به اکلیل ده سال فراموش نشدنی عضویت در عصبة مشاورین دار التبلیغ بین المللی مزین گردید. دفاع دلیرانه از عهد و میثاق و مساعی مجدانه برای اشتهار نام امر الله و اسفار پرشهامتش به اقصی نقاط جهان تاریخ اقدامات درخشان وی را ممتاز می سازد.

شما را به ادعیه صمیمانه جهت ارتقاء روح پرفتوحش که یقیناً در ملکوت ابهی به پاداشی جزیل نائل گردیده است، اطمینان میدهیم.

بیت العدل اعظم

برنامه تبلیغ TEACHING PLAN

پخش برنامه ویدیوئی The Power of Race Unity از شبکه Odyssey و فعالیتهای تبلیغی که به صورت دنبال آن صورت گرفته تبلیغ امر مبارک را در ایالات متحده تسریع کرده است.

در ۱۰ روز اول این برنامه حدود ۶ هزار نفر به طرق گوناگون دربارۀ امر مبارک پرس و جو کردند یا به دعوت احباء در جلسه ای شرکت جستند. مطابق گزارشهای ابتدائی از ۲۸ مارچ تا ۸ اپریل ۳ هزار تماس تلفنی برای کسب اطلاعات درباره امر مبارک حاصل شد و حدود ۳۰۰ نفر از طریق شبکه کامپیوتری تقاضای دریافت نوشته ها و جزوات بهائی کردند.

لجنة ملی نشر نفحات امیدوار بود که ۲۴۰۰ نفر تلفنی تماس بگیرند و خواستار اطلاعات بیشتر شوند. در این صورت هزینه پخش برنامه تلویزیونی نفری ۱۰ دلار میشد.

جامعه بهائی ایالات متحده آماده مجاهده و اقدام است پاسخ به صلای محفل روحانی ملی حاکی از این است که عده بسیاری از احباء در هر گوشه و کنار این کشور آماده اند که به هر طریقی شده است امر مبارک را به پیش برند و جریان اقبال دسته جمعی مردم را تسریع کنند.

امر مبارک ترتیب داده بودند. تخمین زده میشود که افرادی است که در اداره امور تشکیلات کارآزموده بیش از ۳۰۰۰ نفر غیربهانی در فعالیت های بهائی باشند. مؤسسات آموزشی ناحیه ای برای تأمین این شرکت کردند. نیاز تأسیس شده اند.

. جریان پیگیری پس از آشنا ساختن مردم با امر ۵۰ درصد جوامع در برنامه های تبلیغی قطعی در آینده نزدیک طرح کرده بودند و بنا بود تا چند هفته مبارک بسیار مهم و شامل همه جوانب حیات جامعه بعد از ارزیابی آنها را به مرحله اجراء برسانند. فقط است.

- ۱۰ درصد جوامع برنامهای طرح ندیده بودند. به گفته . پرورش حیات جامعه حیات جامعه بهائی به معنی شرکت در یک سلسله فعالیتهای امری نیست یکی از اعضای لجنة ملى نشر نفحات بیش از ۲۰ سال بلکه بدین معنی است که قوای روحانی ظهور مبارک در است که چنین جنبشی در زمینه تبلیغ امر مبارک نداشته ایم.

نتایج به دست آمده به ما چه می آموزد؟ . نخستین درسی که از یافته های خود می آموزیم این است که در جامعه غیربهائی گوش شنوا هست. جامعه دمیده شود. اعضای جامعه باید جوامعی بسازند که به راستی نمایانگر یگانگی و محبت بین اعضاء باشد.

. دستیابی به مقاصد .دورتر لجنة ملى نشر پاسخ گسترده ای که مردم به پخش برنامه تلویزیونی از نفحات همچنان برای یافتن راههائی جهت دستیابی به شبكة Odyssey دادهاند از این حکایت می کند که در تعداد بیشتری از مردم و ابلاغ کلام الهی بدانان خواهد صورتی که پیام الهی را با مردم در میان بگذاریم عده کوشید. زیادی جذب خواهند شد. در حال حاضر برنامههائی برای تماس با رسانه های گروهی تهیه شده است.

فراموش نباید کرد که پخش برنامه مذکور از . آموزش مستمر و مداوم ادامه و استمرار جمله گام های نخستین برای ارائه امر مبارک به همگان فعالیتهای احباء از اهمیت خاصی برخوردار است. است. پژوهشهای دانشمندان علوم اجتماعی همه حاکی احباء در عین حال که به فعالیتهای خود می پردازند از این است که بخشهای بزرگی از جامعه امریکائی در باید مدام با مشاهده و تجربه در پی اصلاح آن باشند. پی یافتن یک نظام روحانی و دینی برای رفع نیازهای در این راه درسهای بسیاری هست که هنوز نیاموخته ایم و این آموزش مستمر و اصلاح برنامه ها روحانی خود است.

. علاقه مندان به امر مبارک را میتوان با کوشش صورت نمیگیرد مگر اینکه از رفتن به قلمروهای جدید منظم شناسانی کرد و بدانان دسترسی یافت ویدیوی باک نداشته باشیم و از آزمون کارهای تازه ابا نکنیم و نیروی وحدت نژادی با همکاری فیلم سازان و در عین حال از اشتباهات خود متنبه شویم و چیزی تهیه کنندگان مستقل و لجنۀ ملی نشر نفحات و مؤسسه بیاموزیم. خدمات رسانه ای تهیه شده است. ویدیوی مذکور پس از طی کردن جریانات گوناگون آزمایشی و تجربی تهیه شده است و چشم اندازی که از امر مبارک ارائه میدهد کاملاً بدیع است.

. بسیار مهم است که به موقعیت و نیازها و نظریات شخصی دیگران احترام بگذاریم و حساسیت نشان جوامع محلی فرستاده شد اما در سطح ملی مردم از دهیم. ۴۴ ایالت با احباء تماس گرفتند. ایالات تکزاس و آثار مبارکه بهائی این مطلب را به صراحت کرولاینای شمالی و ویرجینیا و کالیفرنیا بیشترین خاطرنشان میسازد که احترام به عقاید دیگران و مدارا تماس ها را داشتند. و دیدن وضعشان و اذغان به موقعیتشان یکی از مبانی تبلیغی امر مبارک است.

چه کسانی تماس گرفته اند؟

پس از پخش برنامه تلویزیونی، لجنة ملی نشر نفحات از یک بررسی مقدماتی که در اواسط ماه اپریل صورت گرفت به نتایج زیر رسیده است:

. ۱۵ درصد از کسانی را که با احباء تماس گرفتند زنان تشکیل می دادند. . از لحاظ نژادی سیاهپوستان اکثریت را تشکیل میدادند هر چند که در بسیاری از موارد نژاد تماس گیرنده معلوم نبود.

ارزیابی نتایج پخش برنامه تلویزیونی

لجنة ملی نشر نفحات از یک سازمان غیربهائی درخواست کرد که تأثیر پخش برنامه مذکور را در جوامع بهائی و همچنین فعالیتهای تبلیغی آنها را ارزیابی کند انتخاب یک مؤسسه غیربهائی اساساً به این منظور بود که بی طرفی این ارزیابی کاملاً تأمین شده باشد.

نتایجی که در این ارزیابی به دست آمد بهتر از آن بود که انتظار میرفت ۴۰ درصد جوامع بر اثر برنامه تلویزیونی فعالیتهائی از جمله بیوت تبلیغی و جلسات مناجات و فعالیتهای مربوط به اعلان عمومی است یکی از اعضای لجنه ملی نشر نفحات اظهار داشت که این نتایج به ما نشان می دهد که اولاً در هر نقطه از ایالات متحده کسانی هستند که به نحو مثبتی با مسأله وحدت نژادی روبرو می شوند.

ثانیاً، زنان اکثریت پاسخ دهندگانند. در گروه های آزمایشی نیز همین نتیجه به دست آمده بود. آماری که از سال ۱۹۹۶ تا ۱۹۹۷ در دست است حکایت از همین میکند که همین درصد از

پیکارهائی که در پیش است

لجنة ملی نشر نفحات به مسائلی که مستلزم اقدامات محلی و ناحیه ای و ملی است اشاره کرده است.

. پرورش منابع انسانی توفیق بیشتر در زمینه اعلان عمومی امرالله مستلزم پرورش مبلغان مؤثر و [Page 39]

MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS PART 26

VINEYARD OF THE LORD

Forms are placed on the roof of the International Teaching Center building for a star-shaped skylight. Photo by Ruhi Vargha

INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTER STRUCTURE VIRTUALLY COMPLETE

With completion of the final arched portion of the roof structure facing the Monument Garden, a milestone has been reached in construction of the International Teaching Center building. The structure is practically complete, so finishing and services will become the main focus of the work. Placement of the first external marble at the beginning of February initiated yet another exciting phase of construction. The same team of French artisans who installed the marble in the Center for the Study of the Texts is engaged in this work for the Teaching Center.

Installation has progressed smoothly, and the front colonnade of eight columns and two end pilasters has been raised, each about 26 feet high with an Ionic-style capital. Scaffolding and supports have also been put up for construction of the front portico ceiling. This will consist of 10 panels of precast slabs, supported by the building's outer wall and a system of beams spanning the colonnade. Work also has begun on the rear colonnade of 12 columns, each nearly 20 feet high with a Tuscan capital.

The stone cladding of the auditorium in the common area of the Teaching Center complex has begun. Floor tiles for the foyer and lobbies are being prepared in Italy.

UPPER TERRACES IN VARIOUS STAGES

Construction is in progress on the first two terraces at the foot of Mount Carmel and on Terraces 11 to 14 above Hatzionut Avenue. Higher up, intensive landscaping of Terraces 15 to 19 continues at the crest of the mountain.

The structure of the building under Terrace 1, which will house a mechanical pump room, garden storage and security station, is 85 percent complete. Above it the structure of Terrace 2, with concrete steps and pools, has been finished. Its geometric curves and contour walls also have been constructed and it is being prepared for inner landscaping.

Looking down from a balcony on Terrace 19, one can see the terraces down to Hatzionut Avenue in different stages of development.

On Terraces 19 to 15, inner and outer planting is receiving the final touches. The structures of Terraces 14 to 12 are clearly evident with their contour walls, geometric curves and concrete steps all constructed. Concrete pools are completed for two of them, while piping work is under way on Terrace 12. An underground mechanical room, to house a large transformer, is being built west of Terrace 14.

Finishing items for the interior of the building under Terrace 11 are receiving attention. Marble, millwork, skylights, doors, windows, in fact all finishing items have been ordered and are in the process of being prepared and delivered to the site.

STRONG ROOM IN THE ARCHIVES EXTENSION READY FOR PURGING

A significant section of the newly built extension to the International Bahá’í Archives is ready for "purging"-six months of purifying the environment in the rooms for long-term storage of important records and relics.

The "Strong Room" and an adjacent "Cold Room," state-of-the-art conservation areas for Sacred Writings and precious artifacts of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith, are mechanically complete. Electrical and ventilation systems, marble flooring, painted walls, steel shelving and hanging panel systems are all in place.

Purging of the rooms begins with activation of the air-conditioning system to clear out all fumes from paint, glue or other sources.

WORK PROCEEDING ON HATZIONUT AVENUE

The last concrete pouring for the slab of the bridge over Hatzionut Avenue was undertaken just before the opening of ered to help provide an uninterrupted walk from the bottom to the top terrace.

Retaining walls on both sides of the street also have been built, and the precast panels are in place. Although much of the stone cladding of these walls is complete, masonry work will continue for a while due to the massive dimensions of the walls, which require more than 26,000 square feet of stone.

Left: Placement of marble columns progresses on the front colonnade at the International Teaching Center building.

Above: From the Upper Terraces above the Shrine of the Báb, various stages of construction work are evident down to Hatzionut Avenue. Photos by Ruhi Vargha [Page 40]

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 bosch@usbnc.org; Green Acre Bahá’í School, phone 207-439-7200; fax 207-438-9940; e-mail greenacre@usbnc.org; Louhelen Bahá’í School, phone 810-653-5033; fax 810-653-7181; e-mail louhelen@usbnc.org; Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, phone 803-558-5093; fax 803-558-9136; e-mail lgi@usbnc.org; Native American Bahá’í Institute, phone 520-587-7599; fax 520-521-1063; e-mail nabi@usbnc.org

MAY

22–24: “Pioneer for Race Unity” at Green Acre Bahá’í School.

22–24: Two sessions at Louhelen Bahá’í School: “Who are the New Bahá’ís?”; “Two Wings of a Bird.”

22–24: Conference of Nur, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: “Attaining Spiritual Maturity” with Javidukht Khadem, Bob Harris and Dr. Michael Penn. Register by May 1; contact Bob and Judy Basso, Harrisburg, PA 17110 (phone 717-599-5939).

22–25: Utah Bahá’í School, Clear Creek Family Ranch near Zion National Park. Register by May 15; contact Shokouh Imani, Layton, Utah 84040 (phone 801-771-0586).

22–25: Marriage enrichment weekend at Bosch Bahá’í School.

23–24: Gold Fever Conference at Indian Creek School in Placerville, California. Call 530-626-0341.

28–31: Bahá’í National Convention, Holiday Inn O’Hare, Rosemont, Illinois. See form on page 5.

29–31: Three sessions at Louhelen Bahá’í School: “Paying Special Regard to Gardening and Agriculture”; “Maiden of Heaven” young women’s institute for ages 14–17; “Fostering the Advancement of Women.”

JUNE

5–7: “Social and Economic Development” at Louhelen Bahá’í School.

12–14: “A Million Minutes and Me: Changing the World” at Green Acre Bahá’í School.

12–14: Two sessions at Louhelen Bahá’í School: “Conflict Resolution, Consultation and Bahá’í Community Life” and Institute for Local Spiritual Assembly Development.

12–14: Wilmette Institute short course on Islam at Bosch Bahá’í School.

12–14: “Majnun and Layli: Both Wings—Searching for a Lifelong Mate,” youth retreat campout with Auxiliary Board member Dianne Bohannon-Letzer and Adib Koslow, held at Marquette, Michigan. Contact National Office of Pioneering 906-228-7668 or 906-226-3252.

21–26: Children’s Institute at Louhelen Bahá’í School.

18–21: Pioneering/BYSC/SITA Institute at Louhelen Bahá’í School. Contact National Office of Pioneering.

19–21: “Vanguard of the Dawning” conference for African-American Bahá’ís, Los Angeles Bahá’í Center. Fees: Adult $19, Child $9 ($5 each for more than two). Contact Lenise Jackson-Gaertner (phone 909-825-2974); e-mail information requests to [email] and cc: [email].

26–28: Badasht Memorial Conference and Teaching Project, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Three days of workshops followed by a 19-day teaching project. Sponsored by Badasht Institute, Spiritual Assembly of Cumberland County. Contact the Institute at 3771 Ramsey St. #109-384, Fayetteville, NC 28311 (phone 910-488-2552 or 910-867-2155, e-mail [email] or [email]).

26–July 1: Summer Session I at Green Acre Bahá’í School: Local Spiritual Assembly Development Forum and “The Art of Effective Communication.”

26–July 1: Camp Green Acre for children in grades 3–6, Green Acre Bahá’í School.

27–July 1: “The Arts and Teaching” at Louhelen Bahá’í School. Sunday concert with Dan Seals and others.

JULY

2–5: Ocean of Light Pacific Islander Teaching Conference at Bosch Bahá’í School.

3–8: Persian American Bahá’í Studies at Louhelen Bahá’í School: “The Life and Writings of the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi”; “The Hidden Words.”

3–8: Two programs at Bosch Bahá’í School: Junior Youth Institute; also “In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’: Images of Bahá’u’lláh in the African-American Spiritual Music Tradition”/“Reaching the Hearts Through the Arts: Discovering the Artist Within.”

5: Concert-Picnic at Green Acre Bahá’í School: Ladjamaya, Eric Dozier, N.E. Bahá’í Gospel Choir.

7–14: Youth Music Academy at Bosch Bahá’í School. Application and audition tape required.

10–15: Three programs at Green Acre Bahá’í School: “The Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh/Our Individual Response”; Youth Institute; Core Curriculum teacher training.

10–15: Two programs at Louhelen Bahá’í School: “International Dialogue for Education”; Youth Eagle Institute: “The Role of Youth in America.”

11: Conference of Badasht 150th Anniversary: Conference for youth and young adults, sponsored by Regional Bahá’í Council for the Central States at the Bahá’í House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois. For information e-mail [email].

17–22: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth (12–15) at Louhelen Bahá’í School.

18–23: Persian Session at Bosch Bahá’í School: Tablets of the Divine Plan and Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Most classes presented in Persian.

24–29: Family and Friends session: “Spiritual Parenting” at Louhelen Bahá’í School.

25–29: “I Will be a Happy and Joyful Being/Make a Statement” at Green Acre Bahá’í School.

25–29: Children’s Academy at Bosch Bahá’í School.

REGIONAL SUMMER SCHOOLS

“How wonderful it would be if all the friends could arrange to spend at least a few days in one of these summer schools and take an active part in their development.”

—From a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi

See nationwide list on page 16.

Bahá’í International Convention

File:ConventionDelegates.jpg

Two delegates enjoy a moment during the Bahá’í International Convention in Haifa, Israel, during Ridván. Nearly 1,000 National Spiritual Assembly members from around the world were delegates to the convention. Photo by Artis Mebane

BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CENTER 112 LINDEN AVE WILMETTE, IL 60091-2849

MAY 17, 1998 ‘AZAMAT/GRANDEUR • B.E. 155

CHANGE OF 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 (B) must be filled in. Please allow three weeks for processing. (This also updates the National Center’s database.)

A. NAME(S)
1. _________________________________ ID# ___________	3. _________________________________ ID# ___________
2. _________________________________ ID# ___________	4. _________________________________ ID# ___________
B. NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS	C. NEW MAILING ADDRESS
Street Address ______________________________________	Street Address ______________________________________
Apartment # (if applicable) ___________________________	Apartment # (if applicable) ___________________________
City _________________ State _______ Zip code _______	City _________________ State _______ Zip code _______
D. NEW COMMUNITY	E. HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER
Name of new Bahá’í Community ________________________ Moving Date __________	Area Code Phone Number _____________ Name _____________
F. WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S)
Area Code Phone Number _____________ Name _____________	Area Code Phone Number _____________ Name _____________
G. WE RECEIVE EXTRA COPIES BECAUSE:	H. I WOULD LIKE A COPY
[ ] we do not have the same last name. We do not want extra copies, so please cancel the copy for the person(s) and ID 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, ID number and address above.
[ ] the last names and addresses on our address labels do not match. We have listed above the full names of family members as they should appear on the national records, their ID numbers, and the corrections so that we will receive only one copy.

The American Bahá’í