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Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum

Hand of the Cause of God Message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, January 19, 2000

In the early hours of this morning, the soul of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, beloved consort of Shoghi Effendi and the Bahá’í world's last remaining link with the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was released from the limitations of this earthly existence. In the midst of our grief, we are sustained by our confidence that she has been gathered to the glory of the Concourse on High in the presence of the Abhá Beauty.

For all whose hearts she touched so deeply, the sorrow that this irreparable loss brings will, in God's good time, be assuaged in awareness of the joy that is hers through her reunion with the Guardian and with the Master, Who had Himself prayed in the Most Holy Shrine that her parents be blessed with a child. Down the centuries to come, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh will contemplate with wonder and gratitude the quality of the services ardent, indomitable, resourceful that she brought to the protection and promotion of the Cause.

In her youth, Amatu’l-Bahá had already distinguished herself through her activities in North America, and later, both with her dear mother and on her own, she had rendered valuable service to the Cause in Europe. Her twenty years of intimate association with Shoghi Effendi evoked from his pen such accolades as "my helpmate," "my shield," "my tireless collaborator in the arduous tasks I shoulder." To these tributes he added in 1952 his decision to elevate her to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God, after the death of her illustrious father.

The devastating shock of the beloved Guardian's passing steeled her resolve to lend her share, with the other Hands of the Cause, to the triumph of the Ten Year Crusade, and subsequently to undertake, with characteristic intrepidity, her historic worldwide travels.

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, pictured at the 1970 Youth Conference in Wilmette, Illinois.

A life so noble in its provenance, so crucial to the preservation of the Faith's integrity, and so rich in its dedicated, uninterrupted and selfless service, moves us to call for befitting commemorations by Bahá’í communities on both national and local levels, as well as for special gatherings in her memory in all Houses of Worship.

With yearning hearts, we supplicate at the Holy Threshold for infinite heavenly bounties to surround her soul, as she assumes her rightful and well-earned position among the exalted company in the Abhá Kingdom.

The Universal House of Justice

Adib Taherzadeh

Adib Taherzadeh, Universal House of Justice member Message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, January 27, 2000

The passing of our dearly loved co-worker, Adib Taherzadeh, has deepened our sorrows. We recall with admiration his devoted and unremitting services to the Cause of God for over half a century. His exemplary enthusiasm for the teaching work and his capacity to inspire the believers endeared him to all who knew him. As a self-sacrificing pioneer, as a champion of the Covenant, as a member of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the British Isles and of the Republic of Ireland, as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe, and as a member of the Universal House of Justice, he evinced complete consecration, unshakeable faith, and unyielding resolve.

At an early point in his life he was seized by the desire to make available to his fellow believers in the West the riches of the history and teachings of the Faith. It was this longing that found expression in the body of writings that will remain forever associated with his memory.

We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family, most particularly to his dear wife and beloved children, and assure them of our fervent prayers in the Holy Shrines for bountiful rewards to be vouchsafed to him in the Abhá Kingdom.

All National Assemblies are advised to hold memorial gatherings in his name, including devotional programmes in his honour in all Houses of Worship.

The Universal House of Justice

FEBRUARY 7, 2000 MULK/DOMINION ‘ALÁ/LOFTINESS BAHÁ’Í ERA 156

THREE BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN FACE DEATH SENTENCES

A STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

On Friday, February 11, 2000, the National Spiritual Assembly received the distressing news that the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, Iran, has confirmed the death sentences for two Bahá’ís, Mr. Sirus Zabihi-Moghaddam and Mr. Hedayat Kashefi-Najafabadi. The same court has also imposed the death sentence on a third Bahá’í, Mr. Manuchehr Khulusi, who had been arrested some eight months ago.

THE NATIONAL FUND

Between May 1, 1999, and Jan. 31, 2000 Goal/All Funds: $20,250,000 Received/All Funds: $14,818,618

EXCERPTS

"The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted as a jewel among men." —Bahá’u’lláh [Page 2]

ALMANAC

Ayyám-i-Há

Days of giving

• Observed from sunset Feb. 25 through sunset March 1
• Work is not suspended

There are five Intercalary Days in a leap year, four in most years. They fall between the Bahá’í months of Mulk and ‘Alá and are designated for spiritual preparation for the Fast, hospitality, charity and gift-giving.

The name “Ayyám-i-Há” translates into “Days of [the letter] Há.” A note accompanying the Kitáb-i-Aqdas states that Arabic letter has “several spiritual meanings in the Holy Writings, among which is as a symbol of the Essence of God.”

“It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name. ...” —Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 16

The Nineteen-Day Fast

Season of restraint

• Observed from sunset March 1 through sunset March 20
• Work is not suspended

During the Bahá’í month of ‘Alá, believers in sufficient health between the ages of 15 and 70 are to abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset.

“The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous.” —Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 16

“It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation. .... Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.” —Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Directives from the Guardian, p. 28

Naw-Rúz

A Bahá’í Holy Day

• Observed between sunset March 20 and sunset March 21
• Work is to be suspended

Rooted in an ancient Persian new year festival, Naw-Rúz was adopted by Bahá’u’lláh as a Holy Day. The Bahá’ís of the Western world observe Naw-Rúz on March 21, though eventually it will always be observed on the day of the spring equinox. The Guardian directed that the Feast of Naw-Rúz be celebrated separately from the administrative Feast for the month of Bahá.

“As it is a blessed day it should not be neglected, nor deprived of results by making it a day devoted to the pursuit of mere pleasure. During such days institutions should be founded that may be of permanent benefit and value to the people.” —‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 182

Some significant dates in Bahá’í history

February

February 1894: Ibrahim Kheiralla settled in Chicago. His teaching work in the next few months led to the founding of the first Bahá’í community in the Americas.

February 1938: The Bahá’í House of Worship in ‘Ishqábád, Soviet Union, was confiscated during a wave of crackdowns on Bahá’ís. It was later turned into an art gallery, heavily damaged in a 1948 earthquake, and demolished in 1963.

Feb. 12–18, 1953: The Ten Year World Crusade was formally launched with the first Intercontinental Teaching Conference in Kampala, Uganda. Expansion of the Faith into an unprecedented number of countries came in the next decade, which culminated in the first election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

Feb. 19, 1968: His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa, the first reigning monarch to become a Bahá’í, formally accepted the Faith.

Feb. 24–25, 1990: The Soviet Union’s first national Bahá’í conference in six decades was held in Moscow.

Significant upcoming dates

• Festival of Ridván (anniversary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh), April 21–May 2
• May 23: Anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb
• May 29: Anniversary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh ♦

Facts in the “Some Significant Dates” section compiled from A Basic Bahá’í Chronology

EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS

SUZANNE AMENT, a Bahá’í in Indianapolis, Indiana, received a Special Recognition Award from the Council for Community Accessibility in Bloomington, Indiana, where she lived until recently. She was honored for helping to establish the Volunteer Reading Partners Program to assist those who cannot read because of blindness or other reason.

KIRA CARBONNEAU, a Bahá’í in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has over her swimming career at Valley High School been a state champion in the 100-meter butterfly and a three-time school swimmer of the year. She also has been named a U.S. Swimming Scholastic All-American and has qualified four times for the Junior Championship.

KEN JASNAU, a Bahá’í in Milledgeville, Georgia, was honored for his 20 years of racial unity work and volunteer service with senior citizens with the 1999 “From the Heart” award. He was one of six people who received the award in Middle Georgia.

MAHDAD SANIEE, a Bahá’í who is an architect in Easton, Connecticut, has received four awards from the American Institute of Architects in New England and in Connecticut. Two awards went to Saniee for his design of an equestrian center on the East Coast. The other awards were for the design of two houses that Saniee carried out in collaboration with Centerbrook Architects of Connecticut.

ROBBIE SARRACINO, a 17-year-old U.S. Bahá’í pioneer living in Johannesburg, South Africa, won first prize at the secondary school level in the National Science Essay Competition sponsored by the Royal Society of South Africa. Entrants had to write about a great scientific or technological discovery.

LAUREL WOOTEN, a ninth-grade Bahá’í from Woodbury, Minnesota, was selected as Student of the Term for foreign language study at Woodbury High School. Fluent in Spanish, she was selected also because of her interest in service work at an orphanage in Honduras.

JANET WRIGHT, a Bahá’í from Jarales, New Mexico, received a runner-up award at a national quilting contest. Her block pattern “Angels of Many Colors,” inspired by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh on the oneness of humanity, is to be displayed nationally at exhibits, quilt shows and store openings. ♦

THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES Bahá’í National Center 847-869-9039 Editorial Office of The American Bahá’í Mail: 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201 Phone: 847-853-2352 Fax: 847-256-1372 E-mail: Editor James Humphrey Associate Editor Tom Mennillo U.S. Bahá’í Media Services: Facilities Manager Artis Mebane Contributors Alyce Blue, Patricia Campuzano, Bahieh Amelia Khamsi, Mark Sadan, David Schlesinger, Jason Schlesinger, Peggy Schlesinger PUBLISHED ONCE EVERY 38 DAYS (plus one special issue) for a total of 10 issues per year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611. Periodical postage paid at Evanston, IL and additional mailing offices. ISSN Number: 1062-1113 Canada: Publications Agreement Number 1486683 ADDRESS CHANGES If you have an address change, or wish to stop or consolidate mailings, contact the Membership Office, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (e-mail ). There is no need to contact the Editors directly. A form is on the back page. SUBMITTING ARTICLES AND PHOTOS THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í welcomes news, letters or other items of interest from individuals and institutions of the Bahá’í Faith. •ARTICLES should be clear, concise and relevant to the goals of the Four Year Plan and the National Teaching Plan. We may edit stories for length. We cannot print advance articles to publicize locally sponsored events, but may be able to list them in the Calendar. •PHOTOGRAPHS may be color or black-and-white prints. Please submit photos that are well-composed and in focus, and identify people in photos when possible. If you wish photos returned, include a self-addressed envelope (you do not need to supply postage). •DEADLINES for upcoming issues: March 2: Special issue April 9: Deadline March 11 PLEASE ADDRESS ALL ITEMS for possible publication to The American Bahá’í, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (e-mail ). ©2000 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

[Page 3]

‘A life so noble in its provenance’

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, 1910–2000

Hand of the Cause and chief supporter of the Guardian. Dedicator of Mother Temples in seven regions of the world.

Pre-eminent ambassador of the Universal House of Justice. Traveler for the Cause to splendid cities and humble villages in 185 nations, territories and islands.

A link from the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, through the Guardianship, to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. An instrument for union of East and West. An author benefiting scholars, pioneers and everyday followers of the Faith.

Maidservant of Bahá’u’lláh (Amatu’l-Bahá). Person of the Spirit (Rúhíyyih). Woman of nobility (Khánum).

The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum passed to the next world in the early hours of January 19, 2000, after a lifetime of service that cannot be paralleled. She was 89.

Daughter of champions

Her American-born mother, May Bolles Maxwell, was the first Bahá’í to live in Europe and later the first in Canada, one of the first pilgrims to ‘Akká from the Western world, and a tireless teacher in many countries. She was declared a martyr after she died while on a teaching trip.

Her Canadian-born father, William Sutherland Maxwell, was a renowned architect whose work reached a zenith in the design and finishing of the Shrine of the Báb. He was ‎an an an‎ able administrator for the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, who named him a Hand of the Cause.

An only child, Mary Sutherland Maxwell was born Aug. 8, 1910, in New York City and grew up in Montreal, Quebec.

Her heritage alone placed her at center stage in Bahá’í history. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed in the Maxwell home in Montreal during His North American visit in 1912; that home is now kept by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada as a shrine.

It was from Mary’s 8-year-old hands that two Tablets of the Divine Plan, addressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the Bahá’ís of Canada, were presented at the 1919 “Convention of the Covenant” in New York.

Her family was a wellspring of energy and teaching. She gave her first Bahá’í talk at age 15. She became a member of youth committees for Montreal and later for the United States and Canada.

After a two-year teaching trip in Europe, Mary Maxwell visited the World Center with her mother in 1937—her third visit since teen age. Shoghi Effendi then asked for Mary’s hand in marriage.

The Guardian asserted that their union cemented the bond between Bahá’ís of East and West. His cablegram to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada said the Guardianship itself was “reinforced” by this direct tie with the believers in North America, “whose spiritual destiny is to usher in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.”

SEE KHÁNUM, PAGE 4

Mary Maxwell as a young girl

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was honored after her passing with significant memorial articles in the Sunday New York Times and newspapers in Montreal, Canada, and Haifa, Israel.

About 1,000 bid farewell to Khánum during services at Master’s House

Light rain misted the garden in front of the historic House of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa, Israel, the residence since 1937 of His granddaughter-in-law, the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum.

About 1,000 people, many under umbrellas or in rain slickers, were gathered there for her funeral service at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23. While most were gathered outside the fence, Bahá’í pilgrims lined the path from the front gate. They watched as special guests solemnly filed into the house: the remaining Hands of the Cause, ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá and ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan; members of the Universal House of Justice; Counselors and National Assembly members from as far away as Mongolia and Samoa. Jack McCants and Patricia Locke represented the U.S. National Assembly.

Other dignitaries arrived: representatives of Israel’s parliament and Ministry of Religious Affairs, delegates of the U.S. and Canadian embassies, and the mayors of Haifa and ‘Akká.

The Jan. 19 message of the Universal House of Justice was read, signaling the beginning of the simple ceremony.

Prayers and scriptures, recited reverently inside the house, were heard through a sound system in the garden.

Culminating the service, ‘Alí Nakhjavání—member of the House of Justice and husband of Violette Nakhjavání, Rúhíyyih Khánum’s fast friend for decades—chanted the obligatory Prayer for the Dead in Arabic.

The more than 200 people inside the sacred house then stayed standing and watched as six members of the House of Justice lifted Khánum’s cedar coffin and bore it to the door.

Then six men from different parts of the world—some young, some older, most indigenous—took the coffin down the front steps and through the garden.

‘Alí-Akbar Furútan, an honorary pallbearer, was first to follow in the procession that led across the street to the burial site.

This simple garden had been transformed in the previous few days into a triple terrace. In the middle, the grave

SEE BURIAL, PAGE 6

The Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá (right) joins ‘Alí and Violette Nakhjavání at the burial service for Rúhíyyih Khánum.

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Khánum out the garden gate outside the House of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Photos courtesy of Audio-Visual Office, Bahá’í World Center [Page 4]KHÁNUM,

At the Guardian’s side

She took Shoghi Effendi’s surname, Rabbání, and the Persian name he gave her, Rúhíyyih. Appreciating her tireless work and indomitable spirit, the Guardian also gave her the title Amatu’l-Bahá.

Soon she settled in as a clear-spoken correspondent and secretary for the Guardian, answering many letters he received from the Western world. She became fluent in Persian alongside English, French and German.

At the same time she contributed frequent essays and commentaries for Bahá’í News and other publications of the U.S. and Canada. Her 1950 book Prescription for Living gained immediate popularity among the friends.

“We are not to cast our eyes within ourselves and say: ‘Now get busy saving your soul and reserving a comfortable berth in the Next World!’” she wrote in an essay aimed at youth in 1948. “No, we are [also] to get busy on bringing Heaven to this Planet.”

In the next two decades her crucial work often came during times of great personal loss and stress:

• The Guardian’s life and surroundings were fraught with difficulties: unrest in the Holy Land, heartache from the activities of hostile family members, frequent unresponsiveness from the Bahá’ís worldwide despite his loving encouragement and work for the Cause, illnesses arising from all the strain.

• May Maxwell, who had not seen Rúhíyyih Khánum for nearly three years, succumbed to a heart attack in March 1940 while on a teaching trip in Argentina.

• Sutherland Maxwell, an administrator for the Guardian starting in 1940, became subject to repeated illness. Rúhíyyih Khánum witnessed as her father endured his weakness and saw the arcade surrounding the Shrine of the Báb through to completion in 1951.

Her father passed away in Canada in 1952. The Guardian appointed Rúhíyyih Khánum to be a Hand of the Cause in her father’s place—despite “all my tears and remonstrances and begging him not to,” she later wrote.

Even before then, she began serving as the Guardian’s liaison on the International Bahá’í Council, which was formed in 1951 to manage the properties and business affairs of the World Center—a “forerunner,” the Guardian said, to the Universal House of Justice.

A singular triumph came in May 1953 when Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum spoke from the dais of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, dedicating it to public worship. Between then and 1986, she similarly dedicated all seven of the existing Houses of Worship.

Great victories and an unprecedented spread of the Faith came in the early years of the Ten Year World Crusade starting in 1953.

But this alternated with persecutions and attacks on the Faith—among the most public assaults being the seizure and demolition of Bahá’í shrines and centers in Iran in mid-decade.

In November 1957, a heart attack took the earthly life of Shoghi Effendi. He named no successor as Guardian, nor did he leave a will.

The 27 living Hands of the Cause were left, Rúhíyyih Khánum later wrote, as “orphans, deprived of our father. The responsibility for the entire Cause of God ... had been placed in our hands, with neither premonition, warning nor advice.”

Whether in Africa, the Americas, Asia or the Pacific, Rúhíyyih Khánum cherished the time she spent with indigenous peoples, and sometimes ventured into areas where no Bahá’ís had previously taught the Faith.

Representing the Guardian, Rúhíyyih Khánum officially dedicated the Bahá’í House of Worship in 1953.

Khánum in young adulthood

Burden of the Hands

Facing no other honorable path, the Hands of the Cause stayed within the guidelines of the Covenant and chose nine from among themselves to guide the global affairs of the Faith until the election of the Universal House of Justice. One of those nine was Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum.

In the 5 1/2 years of their Custodianship, the Hands kept the Bahá’í Faith from splintering and saw it through to meeting the goals of the Ten Year Crusade. Rúhíyyih Khánum later wrote that this effort would “increasingly be seen as one of the most extraordinary victories ... ever witnessed in the religious annals of mankind.”

Gradually, there emerged the Rúhíyyih Khánum whom Bahá’ís of this day know best: world traveler, inspirer, admonisher, unflinching teacher of the Cause, dynamic global dignitary of the Faith.

During the Custodianship of the Hands, she took a limited number of trips abroad: to Uganda for conferences, dedication of the Temple and visits to villages; to various points in Europe, and later India and Southeast Asia, to teach and counsel.

This period had its own troubles. The Guardian’s sudden passing had unsettled the friends worldwide and momentarily clouded ownership of the Bahá’í properties in Israel. Persecutions assailed the Bahá’ís in several nations, including Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Indonesia.

Four of the Hands died during this period. Another broke the Covenant by claiming the Guardianship for himself, creating a challenge to the unity of the Cause.

“It is, I think, impossible for others to understand how hard the Hands in the Holy Land daily worked,” she wrote.

But they took time to inspire the friends around the world. Rúhíyyih Khánum appeared with other Hands at the 1960 National Conventions of the United States and Canada to encourage the friends and bolster unity. Afterward she toured several North American cities, giving public talks and regaling Bahá’ís with stories of the Guardian’s work. She made a point of meeting with leaders of the Navajo and Hopi people in the U.S. and the Blackfoot people in Canada.

A talk she gave at Canada’s National Convention presented one of her lifelong themes: the vision that Bahá’ís be “mature” in their religious lives and “... not just go off into spiritual flutterings. It is very well to be spiritual and to have all the qualities of idealism and spirituality which we should have as believers, but we have to have our feet on the ground too.”

The triumphs of the Hands shine out. Construction was completed on the Temples in Uganda, Australia and Germany. The number of National Spiritual Assemblies more than doubled to 56. And the Universal House of Justice was first elected on April 21, 1963.

After overseeing the first Bahá’í World Congress in London, England, the Hands of the Cause ended their custodianship. They were free to range more widely in service to the Cause.

The Hands of the Cause of God

Only 50 Bahá’ís ever will legitimately bear the title “Hand of the Cause of God,” bestowed solely by the hereditary Head of the Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh designated four believers of His time to serve as Hands. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave four more believers the title posthumously to honor their outstanding services.

The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enlarged on the role of the Hands in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. They were given duties, powers and procedures toward the work of spreading the Faith and protecting its integrity.

During his Guardianship (1922-1957), Shoghi Effendi named 10 believers posthumously as Hands of the Cause of God. In three waves beginning in 1951, he appointed living Bahá’ís to carry out the duties of the Hands. When one died, the Guardian named another Hand within days or weeks.

When the Guardian passed away in late 1957, the Hands—27 in number—found themselves in charge of the global affairs of the Faith. They saw it through to election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

The House of Justice confirmed that no more Hands of the Cause could be appointed in this Dispensation. Within a few years, the institution of the Counselors was created to assume the functions of the Hands.

Gradually the Hands have been passing from this world. Two are still living, and both are resident in the Holy Land: ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá and ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan. [Page 5]

AMATU’L-BAHÁ RÚHÍYYIH KHÁNUM

Above: at the European Youth Conference in 1971 in Fiesch, Switzerland, where nearly 200 people accepted the Faith.

Left: In London with Violette Nakhjavání, a close friend and constant traveling companion.

“I will go myself”

In a book by her longtime friend and frequent traveling companion, Violette Nakhjavání, the words of Rúhíyyih Khánum are quoted:

“After Shoghi Effendi passed away, I did not know any way that I could say to the Bahá’ís, ‘Please go out and do his work and fulfil his hopes and obey his command.’ So I said the best thing is I will go myself. Maybe this is the loudest voice with which one can speak.”

That voice of example told the Bahá’ís repeatedly that the message of Bahá’u’lláh is for villagers and tribal people, emperors and presidents, city dwellers, farmers, young, old and everyone in between.

Her travels took her to practically every country in Africa, to all of Latin America and the Caribbean islands, North America, the Arctic, the Pacific, throughout Asia including China (five times), and all the countries of Western Europe—plus, starting in 1990, much of Eastern Europe and several former Soviet republics.

She met with heads of government in countries as large as India and Mexico, as small as the Seychelles and Lesotho. She represented the Universal House of Justice in numerous countries where Bahá’ís were convening to elect their first National Spiritual Assemblies. She was interviewed on radio, on television and by the press throughout the world.

In 1964, her most extensive teaching trip in nearly three decades took her 55,000 miles through India and its neighbors Sri Lanka, Sikkim, Nepal and Malaysia. She made a point of meeting with people of many tribes or ethnic backgrounds in each country.

She turned full attention to indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere in 1967. After ceremonially laying the cornerstone for the House of Worship in Panama, she took a seven-month trip to visit native people in nearly every country of South America—including the first Bahá’í contact with the Guaraní people of Brazil.

She didn’t shy away from the back roads, or places without roads.

Hooper Dunbar, now a member of the Universal House of Justice but then an Auxiliary Board member in South America, recalled: “Scenes like these—Rúhíyyih Khánum embracing the Indian ladies, ... or ‘shooing’ stray dogs and pigs from her bedside through the long tropical nights, or hauling water with a bucket from the well to help clean the neglected dispensary floor in gratitude for local kindness, or recounting touching moments from the life of the beloved Guardian while avoiding overhanging branches as the lurching, springless tractor-wagon lumbered along—who could forget such moments with the first lady of the Bahá’í world!”

Though her travels at the time in North America were less wide-ranging, she sent a long letter to this continent’s Indian and Eskimo believers in 1969. Published as a pamphlet, that letter is treasured as a source of inspiration and a reminder of the glorious destiny ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had proclaimed for America’s native people.

Another of her best-known books, The Priceless Pearl, came out about this time. It presents a warm portrait of the Guardian as administrator, human being and bearer of the burdens of the Cause of God.

On wheels and canoes

Her most celebrated teaching journeys followed: the Great Safari, a series of African trips in 1969–1973; and the Green Light Expedition through South America in 1975.

With Mrs. Nakhjavání she drove her own Land Rover emblazoned with the words “Rabbání African Safari” for 36,000 miles, crisscrossing Africa over 3 1/2 years. In four excursions south of the Sahara she visited 34 countries, being received by 17 heads of state along the way.

She also consulted with other Hands of the Cause, Counselors and National Spiritual Assemblies in various regions. The National Assembly of Tanzania observed that in public meetings she “delivered the Message gently and kindly, and at the same time, firmly and confidently. Indeed, to listen to her speeches is to be taught how to teach the Faith.”

With fellow travelers at times including local interpreters and guides, Rúhíyyih Khánum was at the center of “often 2 or 3 village meetings a day,” The Bahá’í World recorded. “... [I]n many places the friends had come from as far as 50 kilometres on foot.”

Then in 1975 came the Green Light Expedition. There was an extra purpose to this trip. It was recorded on film to go straight to the hearts of Bahá’ís in the more-developed areas with the message: Pioneers are needed in all parts of the world, often in the farthest reaches.

In jungle areas of Suriname, Guyana, and up the Brazilian Amazon River, she visited places that had few or no Bahá’í pioneers. In the film and slide shows of that journey, Rúhíyyih Khánum is seen on foot, in canoes, treading precarious bridges of fallen timber. She listens to flute music in Indian villages, gathers with people in city barrios, talks with press and radio reporters.

“How are we going to teach the human race about the Bahá’í Faith?” she asked rhetorically in an interview printed in The American Bahá’í in 1976. “Two-thirds of the world’s population live in villages. Over half of the world’s population is illiterate. ... They not only have just as much right to hear about Him [Bahá’u’lláh] as anybody living in a city, or in Europe, or North America, but frankly they are very much more receptive to it.”

She added that she was always graciously received in remote areas: “All primitive peoples are courteous. If you seek lack of courtesy, go to the city.”

SEE KHÁNUM, PAGE 6

Diplomatic roles and honors

• Representative of the Faith in meetings with the secretary-general of the United Nations; with many heads of state, including those of India, Western Samoa, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico and Argentina; and with royalty or other high figures in places including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Romania, Hungary, Taiwan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Brazil and others.
• Bahá’í representative and speaker at global-scale gatherings of the World Wildlife Fund in the 1980s.
• An honorary president of the Sacred Literature Trust since 1989.
• Member of the International Support Committee of the International Center for Peace and the Peace Museum in Verdun, France, since 1991.
• Honorary member of the Club of Budapest, 1995.
• Head of Bahá’í delegation at the Summit on Religions and Conservation in England, 1995.
• Honored as “Natu Ocsist (Blessed Mother)” by Blackfoot people of Canada; adopted by Eagle Tribe of the Tlingit of Alaska, and by a grandson of the Lakota chief Sitting Bull.

Written works

Books and other written works by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum:

• Prescription for Living, 1950 (revised 1970); in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Amharic and Braille.
• The Priceless Pearl, 1969; in English, French, German, Spanish, Persian, Italian and Braille.
• A Manual for Pioneers, 1974; in English and Spanish.
• The Desire of the World, 1982; in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
• The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, 1988; in English.
• Poems of the Passing, 1996; in English.
• Other short works: “Success in Teaching,” pamphlet; A Spiritual Assembly’s Growing Pains, short play; numerous articles for Bahá’í World, including “The Passing of Shoghi Effendi,” “The Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh” and “The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith.”

Films

Documentary films produced by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum:

• The Green Light Expedition, 1976; recounting her seven-month journey visiting people in remote areas of South America.
• The Pilgrimage, 1980; showing and explaining the Bahá’í historic places in the Holy Land.

[Page 6]

The youth connection

Bahá’í youth throughout the world were close to her heart. She had contributed to Bahá’í youth publications since 1937, and in North America she paid repeat visits to talk with and inspire young believers.

She interrupted her African travels in June 1970 for a memorable visit to the U.S. National Youth Conference in Wilmette, Illinois. Here 2,000 youths heard her exhortations about the role of Bahá’í youth as moral leaders and the call for them to travel as pioneers.

After stops at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Fort Valley, Georgia, she went to Vancouver, British Columbia, for a conference of 800 people. Mostly youths, they came from as far away as Alaska and the Northwest Territories to the north and Hawaii and Samoa to the south.

Youth conferences in the 1980s drew her back to the United States. Her stories, experiences and encouragements always cut to the essentials.

Studying and deepening are an essential part of learning what it is to be a Bahá’í, she told the Intercontinental Youth Conference in 1981 in Kansas City, Missouri. But they aren’t enough, she said: “Teach, teach! This is the greatest way of learning.”

By the simple act of our making effort to spread the word, we gain help and inspiration, she assured the youths. “However important or unimportant or capable or incapable you are, you have arisen in His name to spread His message,” she said. “Go out and bring these millions into the Faith.”

Islands and more islands

Remarkable in her next few years’ travels was a three-month stay with the tiny national Bahá’í community of Bermuda in 1976, where she described herself as a “mini-pioneer.”

Another trip to India and neighboring countries followed in 1977. Even though illness shortened a trip to Japan afterward, she took opportunities to visit the friends in Australia, the Philippines and India again on the way back.

An eight-month tour in 1978 took Rúhíyyih Khánum to several countries in Europe, then to the extended visit in Japan she had planned the year before. She also visited the friends in Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Soon afterward, her laying of the foundation stone for the Temple in Samoa was the springboard for a nine-week tour of the South Pacific, with stops in Western and American Samoa, Fiji, New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Making yet another connection with indigenous Bahá’ís, she became acquainted with the Maoris of New Zealand.

And she often returned to the indigenous of the Americas. She was an honored guest at 1982’s Continental Indigenous Council in Alberta, and also that year visited Native reserves in western and Arctic areas of Canada. Even when she traveled to address the Association for Bahá’í Studies Conference in 1986, she took time to visit the Spirit North Native Council just beforehand.

On occasion she also took opportunities to address Persian believers in their own language.

Envoy for the Faith

As the Faith emerged increasingly from obscurity, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum increasingly lent a Bahá’í presence to the global-level stage.

In November 1985, she presented the Universal House of Justice’s message The Promise of World Peace to Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, secretary-general of the United Nations.

Three times she shared the dais with Prince Philip of Great Britain in promoting the World Wide Fund for Nature (known in the U.S. as the World Wildlife Fund), starting in 1987 when the organization recognized the Bahá’í Faith as the sixth world religion involved in its work.

She also headed Bahá’í delegations to a global research conference in Hungary in 1987 and the 1995 Summit on Religions and Conservation in Britain.

And in those years there were more trips to every continent, including Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula.

Just as in many earlier travels, even as she ministered to the friends around the world she was received by high-ranking government officials:

• Presidents of Brazil and Argentina—the latter during a visit for the 50th anniversary of May Maxwell’s passing.
• Representatives of the parliaments or governments of Britain, Canada, France, the Philippines, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Turkmenistan and other former Soviet republics.

Above: At a 1985 banquet given by the Bahá’í International Community for special representatives to the U.N., with ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago (left) and Barbados (right).

Left: At the Bahá’í International Convention of 1998.

World Congress, 1992

Amatu’l-Bahá’s stirring address to 27,000 believers was a high point of the second Bahá’í World Congress on Nov. 25, 1992.

“When we leave here we’re going to leave not the kind of people we were when we came in,” she said, “...because we’ve received the outpourings of Bahá’u’lláh, we’ve felt the strength of our oneness, and we have a protective canopy over our heads in the Universal House of Justice.”

She added later, following the reading of a message of challenge and encouragement from the Universal House of Justice: “The immediate future is dark, but the distant future is very bright. We also believe in the immortality of the soul. Therefore, we face the future with happiness, with courage and without fear for the future happiness of the entire world.”

Her travels tapered off a few years later. Her final trip to the United States was in October 1995 to address a dialogue on global society, organized by the Bahá’í Chair for Peace at the University of Maryland.

Rúhíyyih Khánum remained generous in her letters of encouragement for efforts around the world to advance the Cause. In fact, in 1998 it was only through letters and prayers that she could reach out to celebrations of the centenary of the Bahá’í community in France and the 50th anniversary National Convention of Canada—the national communities her mother had founded.

In a letter of July 6, 1998, she praised the U.S. friends after reading reports of many local activities aligned with our National Teaching Plan. That letter read in part:

“When we remember how truly extraordinary have been the bounties of God bestowed upon the American continent since the early days of our Faith, we must surely thank God that old believers such as myself have lived to see with our own eyes such prestige and triumphs that our beloved Faith is increasingly winning all over the world.”

She continued by restating what she had told the Bahá’ís many times over the years—and demonstrated by her example: “Bahá’u’lláh did not appear for the privileged few and their relatives; He appeared for the entire human race, who are truly all the children of God and have a right to hear about the Faith and to embrace and serve it.”

BURIAL, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

...of Rúhíyyih Khánum was lined with a colorful cushion of flowers and surrounded by more flowers, arranged in a pattern that radiated out, and thousands of white and red rose petals. Once in place, the casket was bedecked with more roses.

Three more prayers were read at the graveside. Words revealed by Bahá’u’lláh rang out: “Within the garden of Thine immortality, before Thy countenance, let me abide for ever, O Thou Who art merciful unto me. ...”

Rain now poured heavily. Mourners filed past the grave, many tossing yet another flower into the grave with a silent prayer.

Some witnesses said birds had not been heard in the Bahá’í gardens of Haifa since a fierce windstorm rose during the evening of Rúhíyyih Khánum’s passing. During the service, as the message of the Universal House was read, birds began singing clearly.

Research sources for these articles:

• Bahá’í World Center: biographical sheet on Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum.
• Bahá’í World Center: The Ministry of the Custodians, 1957–1963.
• The Bahá’í World, vols. 14–16.
• Glenn Cameron with Wendi Momen, A Basic Bahá’í Chronology.
• Hugh C. Adamson and Philip Hainsworth: Historical Dictionary of the Bahá’í Faith.
• Rúhíyyih Rabbani: The Priceless Pearl.
• Ugo Giachery: Shoghi Effendi: Recollections.
• Past issues of The American Bahá’í and Bahá’í News.
• Materials from past issues of Bahá’í Canada magazine (special thanks to the editor).
• Photos from National Bahá’í Archives and files of The American Bahá’í.

[Page 7]

IRAN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Last May in Geneva, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations had assured Professor Maurice Copithorne, United Nations Commission on Human Rights Representative, that “relevant authorities” in Iran had informed him that “The Supreme Court, in compliance with due process of law reviewed the death sentence for Messrs. Zabihi Moghaddam and Hedayat Kashifi. After the review, the Supreme Court decided to reject the verdict of capital punishment for the defendants and sent their cases to another competent court for retrial.” (From: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland)

Now we have been informed that the previous death sentences imposed on Messrs. Zabihi-Moghaddam and Kashefi-Najafabadi have been confirmed, and a new death sentence has been imposed on a third Bahá’í, Mr. Khulusi.

International public opinion condemns this latest act of inhumanity. We fervently pray and hope that the death sentences imposed on innocent men will not be carried out. ◆

The Office of the President of the United States issued the following statement on Feb. 11: The President was deeply troubled to learn that death sentences have been reaffirmed for Mr. Sirus Zabihi-Moghaddam and Mr. Hedayat Kashefi-Najafabadi, both members of the Bahá’í community of Iran, and that a new death sentence has been imposed on a third Bahá’í, Mr. Manuchehr Khulusi. In all three cases it is clear that the individuals were arrested, charged and sentenced to death solely because of their religious beliefs. Executing people for the practice of their religious faith is contrary to the most fundamental human rights principles. President Clinton continues to hold the Iranian government responsible for the safety of the Bahá’í community of Iran and strongly urges that these executions not be carried out. The United States will continue to monitor closely Iranian treatment of the Bahá’í community, and particularly the treatment of those who remain imprisoned or under sentence of death for their religious beliefs. We condemn Iranian government persecution of all minority faiths.

Other current information on the situation in Iran has been posted on the National Spiritual Assembly’s Web sites (www.usbnc.org and www.us.bahai.org).

Enrollments
January 2000 .......................... 83
Since May 1, 1999 ............. 1,057

THE FUND
May 1, 1999–Jan. 31, 2000
Contributions received by National Treasurer
Received since May 1, 1999: $14,818,618	Goal for entire year: $27,000,000
55% of year’s goal has been met
75% of fiscal year has passed
April 30, 2000

Total cash-basis revenues and expenditures
for Bahá’í National Fund May 1–January 31, ‎1999 2000‎ (latest available figures)
$17,856,316
Revenues (contributions, book sales, school fees etc.)
$19,677,048
Expenditures (operations, capital and debt payments etc.)
Critical projects that could no longer be deferred have forced our Bahá’í national operations into a cash deficit.

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

Web has help for our study of ‘Distinction’

Variety of methods, tools available to communities

Our National Spiritual Assembly has asked the Bahá’ís of the United States during 2000 to study several important works of Shoghi Effendi: “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh” (January–March), The Advent of Divine Justice (April–June) and the remaining letters in The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh (July–December).

There are a number of ways to study these messages. Here are just a few suggestions:

Some communities are meeting in “study circles” to read the letters aloud and discuss them paragraph by paragraph. It seems to be helpful to assign a facilitator in this situation.

Other communities have created their own study guides for these documents, composed of study questions and a study outline with a reading schedule.

Materials are available for downloading from the National Spiritual Assembly’s Administrative Web Site to help you in this focused study. Access www.usbnc.org with your Bahá’í ID number, click on the “NSA Departments” icon at left then on the “Education and Schools Office” link to find:

• The entire “Cultivating Distinction” theme document, which states a number of verities and purposes behind the program of study.
• Sections of the book Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi, including an ample selection of questions to stimulate individual or group study. Publisher George Ronald has given permission for this material to be available.
• “Learning Activities” appropriate for community deepening, Bahá’í school classes or training institutes.

Share what your community is doing—let us know how you have approached the study of these documents from Shoghi Effendi! Contact the Education and Schools Office (phone 847-733-3492, e-mail ). ◆

91^ST Bahá’í National Convention

• April 27–30, 2000 • Sheraton Arlington Park • Arlington Heights, IL •

The National Spiritual Assembly looks forward to greeting the elected delegates at the 91st Bahá’í National Convention. The Convention will open Thursday evening, April 27, and close midday Sunday, April 30.

Complete information on the Web: www.usbnc.org

Visitors may pre-register with this form or a copy (separate copy for each person, please). Those who pre-register will be given priority for seating. Mail by March 8 to: Conventions Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 OR: Fax 847-869-0247 OR: Register through www.usbnc.org OR: e-mail No phone registrations, please

Convention location is wheelchair accessible

Last name	First name
Bahá’í ID number	E-mail
Mailing address	Day phone
	Evening phone
Please check if you will require: [ ] Wheelchair accessibility [ ] Sign language translation
Specify any other special assistance needed ____________________________________
Room Reservations at the Sheraton: Phone 800-344-3434 or 847-394-2000 • Fax 847-394-9868 Contact hotel directly by March 28 • Ask for Bahá’í contract room rate ($85 per room + tax)

[Page 8]

Adib Taherzadeh, 1921–2000

Universal House member, author, member of Irish National Assembly

Adib Taherzadeh, a member of the Universal House of Justice and descendant of faithful followers of the Báb, passed away after several weeks’ illness on January 26, 2000, in Haifa, Israel. He was 78.

He is well-known among U.S. Bahá’ís for his books, including The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh (1992) and the four-volume series The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh (1974–1987), which provides historical and biographical perspective on Scriptures revealed by the Blessed Beauty. He had just completed another substantial work that will be published shortly.

Born in Yazd, Iran, on April 29, 1921, Mr. Taherzadeh was steeped in Bahá’í lineage through both sides of his family. His paternal grandparents had become followers of the Báb in the 1840s in Yazd, while his mother was descended from Bábís who were martyred in the Nayríz upheavals.

Mr. Taherzadeh’s father, Hájí Muḥammad-Ṭáhir-i-Malmírí, was a Bahá’í historian and teacher of wide repute, and met Bahá’u’lláh.

His youth was marked by danger and ostracism in Yazd, a city characterized by hostility toward Bahá’ís. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Tehran and pursued advanced studies in Coventry, England. From 1950 to 1984, he worked as the chief engineer of an industrial company in Dublin, Ireland.

Mr. Taherzadeh served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles from 1960 to 1971. Living with his family in Dublin in 1972 when the Republic of Ireland gained its own national community, he was elected to that nation’s National Spiritual Assembly and served on it for four years.

In 1976, he was appointed to the Continental Board of Counselors for Europe. Mr. Taherzadeh continued to serve as a Counselor until 1988, when he was first elected to the Universal House of Justice.

He is survived by his wife, Lesley; two sons, Tahir and Bahhaj; and two daughters, Vida and Maryam. A funeral service Jan. 30 at the International Teaching Center was followed by burial at the Bahá’í Cemetery in Haifa. ♦

Adib Taherzadeh (lower right) is pictured with the first-ever National Spiritual Assembly of the Republic of Ireland at its formation in 1972. File photo

Mr. Taherzadeh’s wife, Lesley, and other funeral attendees take part in a procession through the Bahá’í World Center gardens.

‘Beijing plus 5’ is one of many efforts for gender equality

In September 1995 about 50,000 women and men gathered in Beijing, China, for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Several hundred Bahá’ís from around the world took part in that gathering, which produced a “Platform for Action” calling on participating governments to take action in 12 critical areas of concern, including poverty, education, environment, violence, and health care.

This June, women throughout the world will gather again for Beijing Plus Five, a special session at U.N. headquarters in New York, taking the opportunity to assess how much their governments have done to improve the lives in the five years since the Beijing conference.

Several related outreaches around the country have been organized by nongovernmental organizations, colleges and universities, regional community organizations and the U.S. government to celebrate that progress.

As a major nongovernmental organization committed to promoting women’s rights, the National Spiritual Assembly is participating in various Beijing Plus Five activities.

Last fall the National Assembly enlisted the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Charlotte, Boston, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco and Atlanta to provide a helping hand at regional Beijing Plus Five conferences scheduled there between October 1999 and March 2000.

The National Assembly’s commitment to promoting the objectives of the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women continues. ♦

SEE EQUALITY EFFORTS, PAGE 30

U.S. Congress votes for payment to U.N. following Bahá’í-aided effort

In late November, Congress passed legislation to pay a substantial portion of the U.S. debt to the United Nations. The legislation provided for payment over three years of $926 million of the approximately $1.6 billion that the United States owed the U.N., and it allowed enough money to flow to the U.N. before the end of 1999 to avert the automatic loss of U.S. voting rights in the General Assembly.

Since 1996, the National Spiritual Assembly has worked in cooperation with other organizations to urge the U.S. government to pay its mounting debt to the U.N. The American Bahá’í community played an important part in that effort by periodically engaging in letter-writing and phone campaigns, speaking up at town meetings held by members of Congress, visiting congressional offices, and working with other organizations at the community level to raise awareness of the U.N. funding situation among fellow citizens. These persistent efforts paid off with the passage of the funding legislation this past fall.

While payment of the U.S. debts is good news to U.N. supporters, the legislation imposes several conditions to be accepted by the U.N. before payments could be released. It requires the U.N.:

• To forgive about $600 million owed by the U.S.
• To reduce future U.S. assessment rates for peacekeeping from 31% to 25%.
• To reduce future U.S. assessment rates for regular dues from 25% to 22%.

Additional reforms mandate measures to improve the efficiency, accountability and transparency of U.N. operations. A major challenge facing the Clinton administration is to convince the other U.N. member states to accept the imposed conditions.

The National Spiritual Assembly will continue to work with other organizations for improvement of U.S. policy toward the U.N. and strengthening of the United States-United Nations relationship.

Bahá’í communities are encouraged to continue their involvement in activities that foster public support for the U.N. and an improved U.S. relationship with the world body. The United Nations Association, the World Federalist Association and the League of Women Voters are examples of national organizations with local chapters interested in the issue of U.N. funding and an improved U.N.

To learn more about the United Nations, visit the U.N. Web site (www.un.org). Various letters from the campaign for U.N. funding appear on the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org). Any questions about Bahá’í activities in support of the U.N. may be directed to the National Spiritual Assembly through the U.S. Bahá’í United Nations Office, 866 U.N. Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017 (phone 212-803-2500, e-mail uno@usbnc.org).

Questions specifically on the status of U.S. funding of the U.N. may be directed to the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of the Secretary for External Affairs, 1320 19th St. N.W., Suite 701, Washington, DC 20036 (e-mail osea@usbnc.org). ♦ [Page 9]Under the Divine Lote Tree Essays and Reflections J.A. McLean $19.95 SC (UDLT)

In a variety of moods and voices, Under the Divine Lote Tree builds bridges between the scholar and the poet, offering the reader a synthesis between academic and creative thinking. Among the age-old themes explored are those of divine and human love, joy and sorrow, detachment, trust, death and the afterlife. Within the span of these 85 short essays McLean considers such diverse themes as science and logic, theology, the self, and spiritual transformation. Under the Divine Lote Tree is sure to stimulate reflection and provide companionship on any spiritual journey. 8½” x 5½”, 200 pp.

FOR CHILDREN

Children’s Stories from the Dawn-Breakers story by Zoe Meyer illustrated by Winifred Barnum-Newman $19.95 SC (CSFDB)

This new, richly illustrated edition of 30 exciting, ageless stories tells of the amazing events surrounding the birth of the Bahá’í Faith from 1844–1850.

Children of all ages will enjoy these tales of the heroes and heroines who gave their lives for what they believed in. Adapted from Nabíl’s The Dawn-Breakers, the stories are perfect for reading aloud and convey a sense of the rich and dramatic spiritual heritage of all who call themselves Bahá’ís today. Includes a glossary of symbols found in the illustrations. 9” x 7”, 156 pp.

Maggie Celebrates Ayyám-i-Há story by Patti Rae Tomarelli illustrated by Wendy Cowper-Thomas $9.95 SC (MCAH)

This new picture book tells the simple, lyrical story of one child’s joyous, creative celebration of Ayyám-i-Há. Each day finds Maggie doing something special and wonderful all on her own, without prompting from the adults in her life. Through her actions, Maggie shows the true meaning of Ayyám-i-Há, demonstrating that children can give to their communities and be of service to others. Includes instructions for repeating Maggie’s special activities in your own home. 9” x 7”, 32pp. Ages 3–9

Tender Seedling Persian Prayers for Children (Vol. I) Jena Taghvai (Mosrefzadeh) Setar by: Amin $15.00 CD (TSCD)

Clear and melodious chanting of Persian Bahá’í prayers for children, accompanied by traditional Persian setar. A wonderful gift that can be used as a soothing lullaby for children of all ages and cultures or for an enjoyable introduction to one of the beautiful and poetic languages in which the writings of Bahá’u’lláh were revealed. Dedicated to all the children of the world.

The Flute Player and the Lazy One story by Gail Radley illustrated by Anne Meadowcroft-Wright $9.95 SC (FPLO)

The family of Farhad and Bahram are carpet weavers. Farhad works hard and also is a most gifted flute player while Bahram is rather lazy and can barely play at all. Bahram’s ego tempts him to devise a scheme to take the credit for his brother’s musical gift. His deception brings upon him a most unfortunate and unexpected consequence. This charming story, set in the Middle East of long ago, demonstrates how truthfulness and honesty are the foundation of all virtues. 7¾” x 5”, 32 pp.

PLANNING

Bahá’í Wall Calendar 2000—156 / 157 BE $10.45 CA (BPCAL)

This latest wall calendar shows each month separately and features breathtaking full-color pictures of the Shrine of the Báb and the nearly completed Terraces.

Bahá’í Feasts and Holy Days are indicated. Each month also includes powerful and inspiring excerpts from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet of Carmel and Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, selected quotes from Shoghi Effendi, and prophetic quotes from Isaiah. Each and all praise the spot on which “the tabernacle of Glory hath been raised.” 11” x 8½”

Multifaith Weekly Planner $9.95 CA (MWP)

Give the gift that promotes “Unity through Understanding”. Complete and accurate dates, times and descriptions for over 140 religious and cultural occasions are concisely described in this attractive planner.

It is useful as a reminder of important religious dates that are unique to one’s own particular religion while increasing awareness of religious and cultural events that are sacred to others. 8½” x 5½”, 144 pp. [Page 10]

BAHÁ’Í • DISTRIBUTION • SERVICE

Light of Unity: The Family BKT (LUF) They are bulk priced as follows:

1 copy	1.25
2–9 copies	1.00 each
10–99 copies	.85 each
100–499 copies	.65 each
500–999 copies	.50 each
1,000 and up	.40 each

This full-color brochure is the fourth in the Light of Unity series reflecting the themes of video productions for the media initiative. 3½" x 5¾", 32pp.

In Search of Certitude Deepening Our Understanding, Strengthening Our Faith Extracts from the Bahá’í writings, with introduction and notes by Geoffrey Gore $6.95 SC (ISC)

This book provides fresh insights into becoming firm in the Covenant. Through extracts from the Bahá’í writings, the process of attaining spiritual fortitude is treated as an exciting journey of discovery. Such a path leads one to a condition of spiritual happiness and true liberty. In so doing one fulfills the spiritual destiny of the soul, and attains to what Bahá’u’lláh describes as “the City of Certitude.” Insightful summaries conclude each chapter. 5½" x 8½", 104 pp.

Teaching with the Media A compilation on Media, Knowledge, Audience, Persuasion, and Unity $4.95 SC (TWM)

“This compilation pulls together from the writings... a detailed exploration of the importance of the use of media, knowledge, audience, persuasion, and unity in teaching the message of the Bahá’í Faith. Created in response to, and in an effort to develop an understanding of, the use of the media in teaching, this compilation not only serves to deepen our knowledge of the importance of using the media available to us in our current teaching work, it also places the recent systematic efforts of the National Teaching Campaign in a historical and spiritual context.” —The National Teaching Committee 5½" x 8½", 47 pp.

New Heaven—New Earth The Divine Order of Bahá’u’lláh Part One: Historical Evolution of the Bahá’í Faith and Its Covenant compiled by Heidi Lakshman $27.00 SC (NHNE)

The first installment of a series of compilations prepared as a resource for communities on Bahá’í administration. Bringing together texts from a range of writings, this volume gives an overview of the main historical events from the inception of the Faith to the formation of its Supreme Institution. It describes the ministries of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, introduces the fundamental tenets and verities they have taught, outlines the Covenants they have successively established, and traces the subsequent development of the Bahá’í Administrative Order and systematic international expansion of the Bahá’í community under the leadership of Shoghi Effendi. 6¼" x 8½", 312 pp.

The Power of Prayer A talk by Jack McCants $6.00 CS (POPCS)

This talk given by Jack McCants, in his spiritually profound yet down-to-earth style, provides deep insights into the potential power of prayer. Dr. McCants focuses our attention on familiar and lesser-known prayers while weaving in relevant stories that inspire both new and veteran believers to create a more disciplined pattern of prayer.

Talk by Mr. Hooshmand Fatheazam, Member of the Universal House of Justice $6.00 CS (HFCS)

This talk given by Universal House of Justice member Hooshmand Fatheazam rekindles our sense of mission through recounting the instructions and guidance given to us by the Central Figures and the Beloved Guardian. An insightful talk that assists one in his or her endeavor ‎to making to make‎ one’s mark in these closing months of the Four Year Plan.

From Copper to Gold The Life of Dorothy Baker by Dorothy Freeman Gilstrap $29.95 SC (FCG)

This new edition of the long out-of-print—and much-requested—biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker is now available! Included in this revised edition are 18 new photographs, brand new appendices containing radio talks and articles presented by Dorothy Baker, additional precious stories and recollections, and a new foreword written by the researcher of this volume, Louise Baker Matthias, the daughter of Dorothy Baker. 5½" x 8½", 569 pp.

PERSIAN BOOKS

Safínih-i ‘Irfán (Persian) Studies in Bahá’í Sacred Texts, Volume One $12.00 SC (PIRFAN)

Selected papers of such well known Persian scholars, including Faridu’d-Din Rad Mihr, Iraj Ayman and Vahid Ra’fati, are collected here in Volume One of ‘Irfán Colloquia. Provides exploration and insights into such works as The Seven Valleys, the Kitáb-i-Íqán and the major writings of Bahá’u’lláh during the Tehran-Baghdad period. 8½" x 5¾", 210 pp.

Safíniy-i ‘Irfán (Persian) Studies in Bahá’í Sacred Texts, Volume Two 12.00 SC (PIRFAN2)

Selected papers of such well known Persian scholars, including Vahid Behmardi, Vahid Ra’fati and Manuchehr Mofidi, are collected here in Volume Two of Safíniy-i ‘Irfán, presentations made at ‘Irfán Colloquia. Provides exploration and insights into such subjects as the laws of the Bayán and reference to the people of the Bayán in the Kitáb-i Aqdas, The Book of the Covenant and The Tablet of the Holy Mariner. 8½" x 5¾", 210 pp.

Malakút-í-Vujúd (Persian) The Majesty of Existence Thoughts on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Dr. Auguste Henri Forel Ali Murád Dávúdí, Ph.D. $20.00 HC (PMAJESTY)

Dr. Dávúdí shares his insights into the Master’s well known Tablet to an individual scholar who questioned the existence of God. 6¾" x 9¾", 172 pp. [Page 11]

MUSIC

Eastwind Adrienne Ewing-Roush & Harry Beall $15.00 CD (EWCD)

Adrienne had the voice and Harry had the melodies and words. Together they became Eastwind. This CD features the clean and soulful voice of Adrienne Ewing-Roush expressed through the contemporary song writing skills of Harry Beall. Folk rock and non-folk rock fans alike will enjoy this latest expression of musical inspiration. Other Bahá’í musicians lend their talents to this project, providing additional diversity and power.

Enlightened Heart Christine Deihim accompanied by Suzanne & Kingsley Swan $15.95 CD (EHCD)

These exhilarating and meditative songs cover the full range from light and rhythmic to reflective and deeply moving. The album features the voice of soprano Christine Deihim, accompanied by professional duo Kingsley and ‎Susanne Suzanne‎ Swan. Enlightened Heart is a thoughtful gift that will deeply touch the heart of any recipient.

Jeff Jones Live In Concert with The Doug Riley B3 Quartet $18.00 CD (JJCD)

Jeff Jones is a vocalist of emotional depth and expression. His repertoire spans the decades and his style is “Jeff Jones.” He puts everything he has into his singing. This album features many familiar songs such as “Imagine,” “His Eye Is On the Sparrow,” “You’ve Got A Friend” and “One Heart Ruby Red.” Yet each of these standard covers ‎have has‎ been touched by and made new with his unique and soulful sound.

Traces Geoff and Michaela Smith $15.00 CD (TCD)

Traces is a sparkling collection of 15 original tracks through which the Faith is represented in an appealing, accessible way—uplifting and joyous to Bahá’ís and seekers alike. Michaela sings her refined and soulful songs with exceptional clarity, warmth and beauty. A delightful blend of diverse musical styles.

Bahá’í Prayers, At The Sacred Threshold Selected and recited by Lisa Janti Music by Bob Alcivar Flute by Sam Most $15.00 CD (BPCD)

Prayers from the Bahá’í sacred writings offer inspirational and spiritual insights for Bahá’ís and seekers alike, helping us to draw nearer to God and gain a deeper awareness of our own spiritual reality and collective purpose. This CD is an uplifting addition at Feasts, firesides and other public events.

72 minutes

Celebration Congo Music $18.00 CD (CCMCD)

The sounds of this production are as diverse as the performers—there are songs in English and French, as well as the local language of Congo. The album contains a variety of selections which combine the traditional instruments and rhythms of Congo with synthesizers and modern sounds in a unique blend that will have you dancing and singing along from start to finish. The original text of each song is included with its English and French translations, so that everyone may appreciate Bahá’u’lláh’s message of unity and hope that these talented musicians can now share with all mankind.

Mystical Realities: The Báb Inspiring Stories of the Báb’s Revelation Minnesota Bahá’í Institute $16.00 CD (MRBABCD)

Set to beautiful Persian music, this is the first in a series of nine new CDs produced by the Minnesota Bahá’í Institute to convey the history and mystical realities of the Bahá’í Faith. This CD is excellent for seekers, study classes and Holy Day commemorations. The stories, prayers, and Tablets in this unique production will stir your heart and lift your soul. You will want to listen to it over and over again!

Songs From Green Mountain Ben Koen $17.95 CD (SGMCD)

Produced in response to the call of the Universal House of Justice for devotional gatherings, this is a wonderful resource and tool for teaching, deepening, meditation, devotion, Feasts, Holy Days and other gatherings. Also a powerful tool for relaxation and healing, this soundscape blends indigenous flutes and instruments of the world (featuring the ‘xiao’, a Chinese bamboo flute), live recorded streams and waterfalls, and recited prayers and passages from the Bahá’í writings.

Quest for Peace $16.00 CD (QPCD)

As humanity enters the turn of the century, the call for peace has been raised in every land. Quest for Peace consists of selections on the themes of Love, Unity, Friendship, Hope, Peace, Faith and the Covenant. This is music for music lovers, unique, improvisational, upbeat, and sweet. The first CD publication from Malaysia!

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SPREADING the TEACHINGS

Issues Pertaining to Growth, Retention and Consolidation in the United States

Summary of a research document by the National Teaching Committee

“The information is presented here to uplift the friends, promote a spirit of moderation, increase confidence, generate activism and channel the energies of the believers into more effective lines of action.” —National Teaching Committee

The National Spiritual Assembly has released a closing chapter to the groundbreaking work by the National Teaching Committee during the Four Year Plan, a chapter that will provide style and direction and stimulate consultation about the teaching work of the upcoming Twelve Month Plan.

A 39-page report, “Issues Pertaining to Growth, Retention and Consolidation in the United States,” was released after review by the National Spiritual Assembly. This article is a summary; the full report is available for downloading from the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org).

The report identifies trends of the Faith in America from an exhaustive study of Bahá’í membership records since 1970. It details myths and realities of both the growth of the Faith and religion in America, and it examines the impact of the national media initiative as a principal tool for increasing contact with seekers looking for new spiritual direction.

The goal of the report is to suggest “areas of strategic focus” for the friends in their individual and collective pursuit of advancing the process of entry by troops in the United States. The committee provided the report to broaden the important deliberations of the friends as they chart a course of growth and expansion; to provide accurate and balanced perspectives on key assumptions; and to introduce new insights to enrich the consultation on teaching.

In the final analysis, the report affirms all the major strategic objectives set by the Universal House of Justice for the Four Year Plan and explores how those objectives can be met within the context of the specific challenges and opportunities faced by the believers in this country.

The National Spiritual Assembly encourages the friends to read this report, the first of its kind on the American religious landscape. The report will contribute to discussions between the National Assembly and Regional Bahá’í Councils in developing the teaching plan for the Twelve Month Plan.

Changing consciousness

The research found American religious consciousness witnessing an unprecedented shift in spiritual priorities, enhancing the potential for more Americans to be exposed to the Bahá’í Faith.

Research commissioned by the National Spiritual Assembly, the national media initiative and the interlocking objectives of the Four Year Plan are designed, in combination, to reposition our teaching to more effectively address the true spiritual concerns of a vast and growing audience of people who define themselves as seekers.

Adhering to the objectives of the Four Year Plan, the teaching committee pursued a systematic process for generating information and evaluating results. New practical survey methods were used extensively to probe issues, gain insight on activities and performance and gauge Bahá’í prospects for growth.

With various survey techniques, Bahá’í perspectives have been probed on:

• Teaching.
• Spiritual practice.
• Interracial contacts and friendship.
• Fund participation.
• Personal well-being.
• Institutional confidence.
• Many other issues.

Respondents to television broadcasts and Web site visitors were surveyed on their religious backgrounds and other themes. Focus groups were utilized with non-Bahá’ís of many backgrounds, including African-Americans, Hispanics, baby boomers, born-again Christians and others, to understand audience reaction to religious presentations and their specific thematic content.

This research was enhanced by rigorous consultation of literature in a number of related fields, including opinion research, cultural studies, the sociology of religion and U.S. demographics, to better understand our experience as a community within the overall context of current trends in American religion.

The research studied what Bahá’ís think about the status of our own religion. An assertion frequently heard is that the American Bahá’í community is not growing but is in fact losing ground. But the facts show that in the mid-1960s the membership of the U.S. Bahá’í community was about 10,000. Slightly more than 140,000 are on the rolls today, an increase of 1,400 percent. We have grown far more rapidly than any other religion in the United States. What is most impressive is that the figure does not include members of the Faith who transferred in from other countries, such as the many thousands of Persian believers.

This pattern of achievement has been true ever since the Faith’s inception in America. Although one can argue that we could and should have grown more rapidly, there can be no doubt that the growth of the Faith has kept pace with even the most successful religious groups in the country. To have grown at all puts us in an elite category.

Our teaching efforts have been one factor influencing this growth. Another has been the growing receptivity to non-traditional religious alternatives in the population at large. At the transition from one millennium to the next, millions of people including a new generation of younger people are continuing a sweeping re-evaluation of their options in a quickly changing spiritual landscape.

For the first time in American history a significant number of Americans are willing to consider non-Christian alternatives on an equal footing with Christianity. Also for the first time, a considerable number feel empowered to resist cultural pressure for conformity in making independent choices about religious commitments. Our opportunity has never been greater and coincides remarkably with the emergence of the Faith from obscurity.

Bahá’í-hosted talk show wins national award

The long-running Bahá’í-hosted cable television talk show Reflections of Unity in Marin County, California, recently received the Judges’ Choice Award in the National Hometown Video Festival 1999.

A program segment titled “Raindrops of the Forest” received second prize in the Spiritual-Religious category. Featured guest was author Joseph Sheppherd of Oregon, who expertly related the teachings of the Faith to indigenous peoples and how they live in harmony with their environment. Sheppherd’s books include A Leaf of Honey, Elements of the Bahá’í Faith and The Island of the Same Name.

“This is great exposure for the Faith because the Reflections of Unity programs are devoted wholly to matters relating to the Faith,” said show host Derek Cockshut.

The program has been incorporated into the local media campaign and regularly displays the 1-800-22-UNITE number for seeker calls. Over time the program has resulted in numerous responses and some declarations in the Faith.

Produced by Joy ‎Wyiczorek Wyczorek‎ and Anisa Productions, the program has been on the air each Wednesday evening for more than five years on cable Channel 31 in Marin County. The show is under the auspices of the Local Spiritual Assembly and includes a predominantly non-Bahá’í production team.

The winning episode was one of over 350 that have been produced. The weekly program is also shown in several other counties in California.

Derek Cockshut (left) sits before the cameras with a recent guest on Reflections of Unity, former Universal House of Justice member David Hofman. [Page 13]

ISSUES, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

The challenge of retention

At the same time, retention of new Bahá’ís is a dilemma, just as it is in other religious groups. Our retention level was determined through an examination of Bahá’í records—in the realization that, in aggregate terms, a known address is the least reasonable condition of participation. While an identification of faith cannot be solely inferred from such membership data, it is reasonable to assume that affiliation on the part of individuals disengaged from participation over extended periods is open to question.

Based solely on available numbers, our retention rate may be 50 percent or less. This is one of our most serious challenges even as we position ourselves to take advantage of accelerated opportunities for enrollments.

Reaching out with the teachings

Dozens of people, only half of them Bahá’ís, listen recently to Homa Mahmoudi (right) deliver a talk on “New Thinking Needed for Issues from Personal to Global” at the Nine Oaks Bahá’í Institute in Arroyo Grande, California. The institute regularly hosts well-attended public gatherings, presenting the Bahá’í teachings with presentations rich in the performing arts. The locally sponsored institute also holds monthly interfaith devotionals, regular concerts and other gatherings for all ages. Organizers have patiently amassed a mailing list of more than 300 contacts. Photos courtesy of Karen Parrish

Bahá’ís and seekers: parallels

Regarding our makeup as a community and our ability to attract those who are the largest segment of society seeking new religious expression, there exist many similarities:

• Baby boomers still predominate among Bahá’ís and seekers, but there is growing diversity in both categories. More of both are younger, especially college-age women.
• In both cases, most are urban or suburban residents, and most are from high-growth areas of the South and Southwest.
• Women are the majority of the Bahá’í membership, the majority of new believers and the majority of seekers.
• More than half of Bahá’ís, and of seekers who have responded to national broadcasts of Bahá’í programming, are college-trained. A disproportionate number are employed in caring professions such as teaching and health care.

A challenge of critical importance to a Bahá’í community that is “aging up” is maintaining a focus on attracting youth. The emerging generation of youth is vitally attracted to diversity and deeply critical of churches for sidestepping the issue of racial unity. They are also more inclined than others to believe in the oneness of religion and to be offended by aggressive evangelism.

Understand needs, concerns

In observing the overall composition of seekers and believers, distinct patterns emerge. But this is not to say that there are categories of people whom we should never teach, nor that individuals who fit these patterns are the only ones that will be receptive. Indeed, receptive people can be found in any population. But the same principle will always apply—we will be more successful at reaching them to the degree that we understand their needs and concerns.

The national media initiative has been very successful in conveying the message of Bahá’u’lláh and blazoning His name across America. But there are fundamental realities about utilization of the media:

• There are a multitude of distinct audience segments, each with its own concerns and needs. No single message can be expected to reach all segments.
• Not all Americans are seekers, hence our media programming concentrates on the kinds of people who define themselves as seekers and the information they require to make reasonable judgments.
• Information that makes us comfortable sometimes makes others uncomfortable, which is one reason for testing of media messages.
• Similarities, not differences between ourselves and others, are the most persuasive points we make. People are attracted to the familiar and the positive.

Community deeds, not just words

Above all else, the national media initiative does not solve the problem of growth. It is only one aspect of systematic outreach. It is not a replacement for personal teaching. Indeed, people informed through media must still be taught by willing and sympathetic believers, who will befriend seekers and lead them to faith.

The vitality of community life is central to persuading a new generation of seekers of the viability of the Faith as an option for them and their families. Growth occurs naturally in the community as the friends more skillfully address the needs that seekers define for themselves and bring within the Bahá’í orbit.

Conversion of seekers will be triggered in significant measure by how they perceive the quality of Bahá’í community life. Our community life must be a source of meaningful relationships, spiritual enrichment and practical help, as well as an arena in which individuals can participate and serve.

Just as vital to our growth as a community is the realization that our ranks do not sufficiently reflect the presence of African Americans, Latinos, American Indians and Asians. “Nontraditional” households, such as single mothers, divorced parents etc.; youth; members of the lower and upper income classes; and the less educated are all underrepresented.

Building harmony

Harmonious coordination of various activities is essential to the teaching efforts. These include regular devotional meetings, the Nineteen Day Feast, regular firesides, training institutes and deepening programs for new and veteran believers, service projects, youth and children’s programs and the like. Individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies must expend greater effort to involve the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants as well as the Regional Councils in their community building.

The National Teaching Committee also notes the need for a higher level of evaluative, and less-strident, consultation and conversation on what will or will not achieve growth, what has or has not worked in the past, what we may lack in spiritual capacity. Hardened discussion affects our ability to act with unity and is repelling to seekers of love and harmony.

The need for growth is urgent. The goal, however, is not merely to increase our numbers, but also to transform our communities and our individual lives while also spreading the fragrances of the Divine Message into the world. The assessment of our own progress in advancing the process of entry by troops must take all these considerations into account as we move forward.

A vast increase in interaction with seekers will inevitably change the realities of our common experience, will alter the priorities of the Institutions, and will refine our sense of what it will take to achieve sustained expansion. Our ability to know the dynamics of growth at any given point, and to apply that knowledge toward practical outcomes, will dramatically assist the process of entry by troops.

Look at what’s on the Web!

Teaching tools free for the downloading

www.usbnc.org Log in with your ID number, then click on “Media Campaign” at left

• An advertising layout, produced to support the promotion of the video The Power of Race Unity, is available in HTML and Adobe Acrobat formats. Ads to support The Power of Prayer, Family: The Seeds of World Peace and upcoming productions will soon be available.
• Fireside Development Programs to support all three videos can be downloaded.
• A downloadable newsletter for seekers, The Light of Unity, is available in a format that allows you to insert local community contact information.
• The short television commercials will be available in streaming video format for use on local Web sites, as will Web banner ads on the themes of the national campaign.

“Webcam” view of the Bahá’í House of Worship

www.us.bahai.org/how/webcam.html

Part of the public U.S. Bahá’í Web site, the House of Worship Cam page shows a view of the Temple from the southwest, updated once a minute. Several independent Internet sites have at times listed this site among outstanding “webcam” sites, with the result that this page drew in 10,000 contacts in 1 1/2 weeks in January!

Teaching success report form

www.usbnc.org Log in with your ID number, then scroll down the “What’s New” menu [Page 14]

Seekers give voice to search for truth

BY PATRICIA CAMPUZANO, 800UNITE OFFICE

Behind every voice there is a life in need of the message of Bahá’u’lláh: “I saw you on TV,” “I want to know more about this religion,” “Your religion makes a lot of sense to me,” “How can I teach my children about this?”

Hidden in every voice is a plea for help. In a shy and tentative tone: “I wonder if you could please send me the booklet …” or in a casual, almost defensive manner: “I kind of like what you said about unity …” someone wants to take a step toward His Light.

There are voices that almost choke when they speak: “I am afraid to hope. This all sounds so good and I have been looking for so long.”

They all mean to come closer to God. And from the girl calling from the South spelling her name carefully, or from the Berkeley professor making clever comments, one hears a hunger and already a presentiment of having found the path to God.

We all know the relevance and power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Message, and people sense it. A mother, calling while her baby babbles in the background, knows she needs a renewed vision of the world, a “newness of thoughts” to teach her children.

There are also people who call depressed, lonely, even intoxicated in the middle of the night, their speech weak and sometimes rambling. But in their pain they are also reaching. For Bahá’u’lláh holds the medicine for the maladies of the present world, and He holds His arms open to every kind of seeker, every sincere soul who thirsts for God’s new Message.

The heart breaks with joy when you hear the very young voice of someone who you know has just been instructed to go slow, to give the numbers one at a time. You write Mr. So-and-So knowing that you hear the voice of a child. And he gives his name proudly, for whether he was nagging his mother to dial the number or was asked to make the call, he is intent on doing a good job.

Then a young girl says, “I have no phone number at home. I’ll wait at this pay phone for your call.” The heart breaks again. You know the time it takes for the call to be retrieved, forwarded and collected by the community is longer than the time she can wait by a pay phone. You begin to pray: “Open the door, provide the means, prepare the way, make safe the path …” and continue to work. After a few more voices, she calls again: “OK, I am going to give you my address. [Whew!] You said you could send me some stuff.” You forward the precious call and thank God for His Mercy.

All these signs of expansion are exciting. But after a seeker has caught the spark of faith, there is a further step to go: consolidation. Those seeds, once they have fallen by His Grace on fertile ground, need to be nurtured with the waters of friendship and with the sun of knowledge.

Each soul embarked on the investigation of the Truth is in need of spiritual sponsorship. We have invited these souls to the Banquet of His Word, we have exposed them to His Message and they have been stirred by it.

Now, we need to sustain them until they grow deep and strong roots into the Covenant. We must care for them until each little plant is able to stand on its own after suffering the burst of transformation. ♦

1-800-22-UNITE

MAKING IT WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITY

How does it work?

Each community registers by either:

• Requesting an application/confirmation form from the 800UNITE Office at the Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3497), OR:
• Completing a form in the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org); click on “1-800-22-UNITE” and then on “Voicemail Box Application/Confirmation).

Please allow 10–15 business days to receive your voice-mail box number and password, along with instructions for accessing your voice mail.

Each participating community will be assigned seekers who live in the ZIP code areas for which that community takes responsibility. When your community applies, you should supply a list of all ZIP codes within your jurisdiction. You may add other nearby ZIP codes only if other communities have not claimed them.

If you need help determining the ZIP codes in and around your community, contact your local post office for a listing or try the Postal Service Web site (www.usps.gov).

Useful hints

Please return call-back requests within 24 hours. We must follow up immediately to preserve a caller’s newly awakened interest in our beloved Faith and to show our enthusiasm and credibility.

Have a personalized letter ready to mail to seekers who provide mailing addresses. Be sure the letter invites them to local events and includes the name and phone number of a deepened Bahá’í who is committed to answering questions.

Keep your local public library well-stocked with Bahá’í books and invite seekers to investigate the Faith independently.

Be sure to keep a variety of brochures and pamphlets on hand to liberally pass out to seekers according to their interests and needs.

800UNITE Office

Phone 847-733-3497 • E-mail

Counselors carry encouragement to Navajo believers

Teaching and consolidation among the Navajos was the purpose when International Counselor Kiser Barnes, Continental Counselor Jacqueline Left Hand Bull and Auxiliary Board members Brent Poirier and Kevin Locke converged on the Native American Bahá’í Institute and nearby communities Nov. 6–8.

The visit’s historic nature was summed up by Barnes in a talk afterward in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

“Friends, what I have seen in my visit to the Navajo Reservation these past two days, you have a duty to continue to teach the faith of Bahá’u’lláh to the indigenous population of the Americas.”

The day of their arrival in Navajoland, people from the surrounding communities of Sanders, Houck and Pine Springs lined up early at the Big Hogan to greet their visitor from the Holy Land.

After breakfast, the friends entered the Prayer Hogan to say prayers. There, Barnes relayed greetings and love from the Bahá’í World Center—especially from Lauretta King, a native believer residing in the Holy Land.

Later, the Counselors, Poirier and Locke met with the NABI board and the National American Indian Teaching Committee.

International Counselor Kiser Barnes, visiting from the World Center, addresses the friends in Albuquerque.

The visitors were delighted to hear that the Navajo culture, its symbols and language are the backdrop for all the training programs at the Institute.

Barnes and Left Hand Bull later hosted a packed community meeting for all community members in the Big Hogan.

The next day, accompanied by NABI co-Administrators Jerry and Alice Bathke, Barnes and Locke visited Navajo believers in Chinle, Tsaile and Lukachukai.

Prayers were chanted or recited at every home he visited. Renowned native flutist Locke played for the friends.

The friends in Lukachukai held a special meeting/fireside. Barnes spoke about the station of Bahá’u’lláh and His promise to bring all peoples together. He said our love for each other, as brothers and sisters, should be so strong as to be “welded” together.

The image well applies to an area that saw 300 to 800 declarations of faith in 1963 at the Pine Springs Council Fire but little consolidation. Today, Bahá’ís are in the process of finding some of those early believers.

Barnes remarked that he would like the Bahá’ís to capitalize on Navajos’ talents in art, drama, dance and folk art, so these aspects of culture can be preserved. And he suggested that all Ruhi course materials be translated into the Navajo language, saying the importance of that initiative could not be stressed enough.

Before leaving the area, Barnes assumed his old law school teacher role and taught a class in international law at Diné College in Tsaile on Nov. 8. ♦

IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY

Honor those you love on their special days or remember them after they’ve passed on

…with your gift to the National Bahá’í Fund. Each gift sent with an “In Honor” or “In Memory” form will be beautifully acknowledged by the National Spiritual Assembly.

You may get these Treasurer’s Office forms:

• On the Web: Printable forms for these special contributions are available on the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org).
• Through the mail: Printed forms are available from the Office of the Treasurer, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (e-mail ).

[Page 15]

Artistic expressions provide fresh view of teachings

Artists—people who express their spirit through paint, clay, song, movement, drama and more—are arising more and more to demonstrate through their hearts’ expression that, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, “Art can better awaken ... noble sentiments than cold rationalizing. ...”

These are a few of many efforts in the past few months to bring the Bahá’í teachings into flowering—subtly or openly—through the arts.

Two perspectives on the “Valleys”

The theme of the seven mystical Valleys in the path of the spiritual wayfarer is a deep-rooted one, and the Islamic world knows of it through the writings of the great Sufi poets of past centuries. Bahá’u’lláh gave the world a definitive treatment of the theme through His writing of The Seven Valleys.

The breathtaking imagery in this epistle, and in the poetry liberally quoted by Bahá’u’lláh, almost invites presentation on stage of its emotional essence. A Bahá’í dramatist on the West Coast and a performing family in New England have taken diverse paths to expressing visions inspired by this mystical masterwork.

Mansour Taeed fused meditative music, poetry, dance and images of the seeker’s loneliness in writing and directing Seven Valleys, a production that appeared in September and October in Irvine and Berkeley, California; Seattle, Washington; Vancouver, Canada; and Chicago, Illinois.

While not expounding Bahá’í teachings as such, the performance piece—in English and Persian—symbolically shows the journey of Hasti (played by Taeed) through the seven spiritual stages as Bahá’u’lláh explained them. Hasti is guided on a journey of discovery, doubt and redemption by Barbad, personifying his consciousness, and Houri, personifying his spirit.

On the same program was a Persian classical music concert by Mohammad Reza Lotfi, who recited poetry of Rúmí and played setar, a stringed instrument.

Across the country, the Quinn family of New Hampshire—Marty, Wendy and Caitlyn—have completed their stage work The Seven Valleys and taken it on the road in several places in the United States and Canada.

They had performed parts of it for nearly two years, along with their other signature performance piece, The Magic Bird. Marty’s musical composition and drumming, Wendy’s dance and 13-year-old daughter Caitlyn’s singing and dance are performed before backdrops representing each “valley.”

Many of their recent shows have been arranged along with firesides or question-and-answer sessions with the audience.

In Buffalo, New York, a performance arranged as a benefit for the Western New York Food Bank sold out a 360-seat theater and generated substantial contributions of money and food. This effort drew positive local TV news coverage.

It was also notable for weeks of preparation, delegation and deepening among several Bahá’í communities in the region. Outreaches were made to longstanding community contacts and to Bahá’ís who had been out of contact.

A special touch of welcome was added: Everyone in the audience received a copy of The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys.

Other performances in early November came in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Carlsbad-Encinitas, California—the latter drawing 250 people including 100 guests of the Bahá’ís.

Above left: “Glance at the Camera: Market in Otavalo,” from an exhibition in Washington, DC. Photo by Bahieh Amelia Khamsi Top right: The Quinn family on stage—Caitlyn, Wendy and Marty. Photo by Mark Sadan Lower right: Kourosh Taghavi, Shahrzad Khorsandi and Mansour Taeed in Taeed’s Seven Valleys.

Exhibition in DC

A photo exhibition in the nation’s capital by Bahieh Amelia Khamsi, a 20-year-old Swiss Bahá’í, cast an international spotlight on the Bahá’í Faith at its launching Oct. 13 in the Ecuadorean Embassy.

Depicting the beauty of the people and countryside of Ecuador, the photos were taken during Khamsi’s youth year of service centered on Otavalo, Ecuador.

During her visit to Washington, Khamsi took ample opportunity to describe her year of service, and the Bahá’í teachings, during interviews by:

• The Spanish section of the Washington Times.
• Radio Payam-e Doust, a weekly Bahá’í radio program in Persian.
• The Bahá’í Hour weekly radio program in English.
• The Persian and Spanish departments of the Voice of America. The latter reaches well into Central and South America.

The exhibition, which continued well into November, was organized by Mona Khademi of International Arts Management.

Bahieh Khamsi

An “artful” fireside

An informal exhibit of Regine Tierney’s paintings set the stage for a presentation on “Spiritual Influences on Art” on Nov. 6. About 30 Bahá’ís and their guests gathered at a home in Newark, Delaware.

“The gathering’s participation was wonderful,” Tierney said, “and the individuals and paintings seemed to have reflected a strong spiritual light.”

Public art with a message

Twenty-two artworks by Alyce Blue were seen by thousands over the summer at the Maplewood, Minnesota, city hall.

Blue, of nearby St. Paul, focuses on artwork that depicts harmony between people of different races and cultures, and she often shares the Bahá’í inspiration for her work.

One great reward of the exhibition, she said, was that some people brought family and friends back to the city hall just to see the artworks.

“Phalen Summer,” a pastel by Alyce Blue of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Alyce Blue [Page 16]

Two goals at once

Chandra Almony, a 24-year-old Bahá’í from Missouri, writes from her service post in Namibia, “The Peace Corps is an excellent precursor to pioneering. I strongly believe that anyone who can endure the 26-28 months of Peace Corps can successfully serve the Cause of God almost anywhere in their future. The Mission Statement of the Peace Corps is ‘to promote world peace and friendship.’ How wonderful it is knowing that when I wake up every day in my little village, striving to fulfill the Peace Corps’ primary goal, I am, simultaneously, striving to fulfill the goal of Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation!”

OneVoice campaign to sound the call on campus

A message from the National Youth Committee and the National Committee for the Equality of Women and Men to all Bahá’í Campus Associations and college students throughout the United States

Dearly Beloved Friends,

As He sent them forth to conquer the hearts of humanity, the Báb addressed to the Letters of the Living these soul-stirring words:

“O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His mystery. ... Heed not your weakness and frailty; fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty. ... Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.”

It is in this spirit that we announce to the entire network of Bahá’í students and campus associations at colleges and universities around the United States the third annual OneVoice Campaign, March 6-12—just six weeks before the end of the Four Year Plan.

It is our ardent prayer that universities around the country will be ablaze with the activity of Bahá’í youths striving to make yet further marks in this historic time, “this crucial turning point of a juncture, the like of which shall never return.”

The OneVoice Campaign is scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month and the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace on March 8, and will take place during an early part of the Bahá’í Fast.

The chief aim of this campaign is to deepen the influence of the principle of gender equality at every corner of our lives. Through such actions as the recitation of a special prayer on a national scale, well-organized study of the National Spiritual Assembly’s statement Two Wings of A Bird: The Equality of Women and Men, presentation of that statement to high-ranking school officials, artistic presentations, speeches, firesides, coordination of CEDAW ratification activities, and countless other creative initiatives, the OneVoice Campaign has been a triumphant success for the past two years.

If your campus association has not already received this year’s OneVoice materials, or if you would like further information, please contact the National Committee for the Equality of Women and Men or the National Youth Committee (e-mail youth@usbnc.org or ncewm@usbnc.org respectively; or find contact information on the Web, www.usbnc.org).

We eagerly look forward to hearing about your victories as you join youths from around the country in an effort to promote the principle of the equality of women and men that will ultimately “compel us to reshape our lives and thereby our society.”

The Universal House of Justice assures us always of their prayers and emphatically states that “the hosts of the Abhá Kingdom stand ready to rush to the support of anyone who will arise to offer his or her acts of service to the unfolding, spiritual drama of these momentous days.” ◆

Some things your campus association can do for OneVoice: Study the statement Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men. Present the statement to high-ranking school officials. Pray. Organize related firesides, speeches or artistic presentations. Coordinate ‎activites activities‎ to promote ratification of CEDAW.

Equality workers

A handful of young men at the Grand Canyon Bahá’í Youth Conference Dec. 23-26 prepare to do their part for a workshop on equality of the sexes. Male and female participants each discussed equality issues separately, then gathered together to share thoughts. Photo by Jason Schlesinger

TRUE WEALTH

“My fervent prayer at the three Holy Shrines is that the bountiful Lord may bless His American friends who constitute the vanguard of His host in the Western world, and prosper them in their material affairs and pursuits, that the Cause which stands today in sore need of material help and assistance may advance, rapidly and unhindered, towards the fulfillment of its destiny.”

—Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í Administration, p. 53

ATTENTION

BAHÁ’Í YOUTH SERVICE CORPS PARTICIPANTS OR YEAR OF SERVICE VETERANS

The National Youth Committee is researching the state of the Bahá’í Youth Service Corps program in the United States. We want to identify strengths as well as areas that may need improvement. We are looking for:

• People who, as youths, completed a term of service and are willing to be interviewed about their experience.
• People who are interested in helping this research project by conducting interviews, analyzing collected data, contributing to an evolving web site, and/or researching the Bahá’í writings.

CONTACT:

National Youth Committee Bahá’í National Center 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201 phone 847-733-3499 e-mail [Page 17]

Conferences urge vision for new generation

INFORMATION FROM DAVID SCHLESINGER, PHOENIX, AZ

About 2,000 people from all over the U.S. and several countries were immersed in principles and ideas for transforming the world through the power of equality, at the 15th annual Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference and Grand Canyon Bahá’í Youth Conference, Dec. 23–26 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The parallel adult and youth conferences—as well as children’s sessions—explored how Bahá’ís can learn to transform our attitudes, assumptions and behaviors about women and men, raise up a new generation that understands gender equality, and improve the well-being of women in our society.

Highlight presentations included those by:

• Counselor David Smith, on spiritual transformation.
• Kambiz Rafraf, on the role of men in establishing equality.
• Rebequa Murphy, on raising a new generation, with emphasis on education and family example.
• Leonard Musta and Heidi Unterschutz on behalf of the Landegg Academy, on Bahá’í education and how it can both practice and encourage gender equality.

The organizing committees aimed not only to focus the conferences on gender equality—a main theme of the Four Year Plan—but also to recognize the important role of men, as well as women, in achieving it. Indeed, in Paris Talks ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was quoted as saying, “When men own the equality of women there will be no need for them to struggle for their rights!”

Other key presentations and workshops were led by National Spiritual Assembly members Juana Conrad and William Roberts as well as Dwight Allen, Katy Parsi, Mona Goharriz, Charlotte Kahn, John Foguth, Cynthia Thomas, Homa Mahmoudi, Farshad Marvasti and others. Each day the National Persian-American Affairs Task Force also held a well-attended major session in Persian.

Drama, music and other arts were integral, as the languages of emotion and reason reinforced each other to nudge people toward fresh understandings on many levels. Various Bahá’í artists and performers made presentations every day on themes related to equality:

• A dramatic presentation by Erika Batdorf of Massachusetts showed people’s changing attitudes and assumptions through the clothing men and women have worn.
• Singer-songwriter Stefanie Bouchard of Alaska presented her songs to the conference adults, but also provided musical support for the children’s program.
• Shahab Saeed of Utah created computer presentations that rose to the level of art.
• Sunday morning, at the end of the conference, hundreds of children joined the local Roses of Love Bahá’í Choir and presented a mini-concert that was moving to many.

The Youth Conference, drawing about 450 participants, was highlighted by a workshop that was first divided along gender lines—with Beverly Sneed leading discussion among young women and Calvin Terrell facilitating the young men’s side—then brought together for an enlightening discussion of the roles of women and men in establishing equality.

Other youth workshops were on topics such as marriage and relationships, roles of women in varied cultures and religions, family and career, social issues, the relationship between sexism and racism, and communication.

Performing arts were key to this conference as well, with dramatic presentations by Eric Cotecson and Parisa Rohani, and music by D.J. Navigator, Coleen Lovejoy and the Diversoul Descendants. A special coffeehouse area was set aside for youths to gather and share stories and experiences.

A proclamation concert, “One Family in Country Music,” immediately followed the conference, drawing an appreciative, largely non-Bahá’í audience. Stefanie Bouchard and her father, Cliff, joined other family acts including the Maule Sisters and Nashville-based Ray Herndon and the Herndon Brothers, who all brought themes of equality to a type of music that goes to the heart of many Americans. ♦

‘WOW!’ collaboration aims to empower artists

Women of One World were a powerful presence in their first-ever performances at the Grand Canyon Bahá’í Conference—especially considering most of the artists didn’t know each other until a day or two beforehand.

This collaboration by artists from across the nation was the brainchild of Global Visions Arts Alliance of Denver, Colorado. The organization hopes similar productions can be staged around the U.S. and internationally—utilizing local as well as national-level talent.

“WOW!” is not just a show, but also a concept, and a very important part of GVAA’s mission is to present weekend workshops to empower artists to create their own productions,” Global Visions reported.

In the concept’s Phoenix debut, the Grand Canyon audience witnessed some potent moments over three days:

• A dance by Adrienne Stengel of Indiana, in the classical style of south India, depicted “The Moment before the Moment” that Mullá Husayn received the revelation from the Báb. One man from the audience said he could not stop crying.
• A segment from an original drama, Three Women, by Valerie Dana of Colorado, portrayed an Iranian woman whose son is imprisoned and then martyred.
• Ává Bowers of Georgia sang a setting of a poem by an imprisoned martyr awaiting execution.
• The traditional version of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” was followed by a Native American chant of the same invocation, then a shawl dance done by all women on stage.
• Stefanie Bouchard of Alaska lamented the death of indigenous cultures in her song “Watching the Mother Die.”
• Beverlee Patton of Oregon presented a monologue on the death of her mother, then danced in duet with Ameria Jones while Susan Lewis Wright of Colorado sang the reflective “Bird.”
• A rap on the equality of women and men featured a break dance by Justice Beitzel, company manager of the Diversity Dance workshop in Washington.
• A shimmering collaboration of many performers centered on a musical setting of the short healing prayer.
• Wright’s song “Turn This World Around” featured dance solos from varied cultures leading to a finale dance involving six women plus Jones’ 9-year-old daughter Aisha.

Four members of Global Visions’ board were intimately involved in the shows: Wright, president of Global Visions, was executive producer as well as a performer; Bill Weddle handled logistics at the Grand Canyon Conference; Archie Evans was stage manager as well as singing a duet with Ává; and Larry Peterson was technical director as well as an instrumentalist. In addition, Patton, the director, had worked with Wright for 15 months to make this vision a reality. ♦

To inquire about arranging a show or workshop in your area, please contact Global Visions Arts Alliance, P.O. Box 9006, Denver, CO 80209 (e-mail glob- ).

[Page 18]Louhelen Bahá’í School 3208 S. State Road · Davison, MI 48423 810-653-5033 www.louhelen.org

Youth always central

Since its founding in 1931, Louhelen Bahá’í School has been a prominent center of education, training and fellowship for Bahá’í youth. The emphasis and focus has taken many forms over the years—from the Hand of the Cause Dorothy Baker teaching summer youth classes in the 1940s, to year-round sessions for children, youth and families, to ongoing training sessions for people working with these groups.

In a recent letter, the Universal House of Justice once again called our attention to the critical role of fostering children and youth in their spiritual growth and development:

“Strategies to advance the process of entry by troops cannot ignore children and junior youth, if the victories won in one generation are not to be lost with the passage of time. It is imperative, then, that at this point in the process of systematization of the teaching work, definite steps be taken to ensure that the vision of the community fully embraces its younger members. The education of children, an obligation enjoined on both parents and institutions, requires special emphasis so as to become thoroughly integrated into the process of community development. This activity should be taken to recover intensity during these twelve months and then be further raised in the years immediately after.” —Universal House of Justice, letter of Nov. 26, 1999

Attending Bahá’í school can be one of the most powerful life-forming experiences possible for a young person. Louhelen offers a nearly continuous series of programs designed to help younger members of the Bahá’í community arise in full service to the Cause, and enjoy the loving and supportive embrace of their local communities.

Contact Louhelen for details on these spring and summer programs:

Children Parent and Child Weekend, May 12-14 Camp Louhelen Children’s Institute I, June 18-23 Camp Louhelen Children’s Institute II, June 25-28

Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth, April 21-23 Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth, July 21-26

Youth Youth Eagle Institute, April 21-23 Young Women’s Institute, June 2-4

Families Parent and Child Weekend, May 12-14 Persian-American Bahá’í Studies, June 30-July 5 Family and Friends I, July 14-19 Family and Friends II, July 28-Aug. 2 Family and Friends III, Aug. 4-9 Family and Friends IV, Aug. 11-16 Choral Music and Community Growth, Aug. 18-24 Homecoming, Sept. 1-4 ◆

Preparing for a new level of service

A recent Pioneering/Bahá’í Youth Service Corps/SITA Institute at Green Acre Bahá’í School, conducted by the Office of Pioneering, helped prepare nearly two dozen people for a new level of service to the Cause. For a list of upcoming events at Green Acre, see the Calendar on the back page; for international goals, see page 39. Photo courtesy of Bill Thompson, St. Paul, MN

Bosch Bahá’í School 500 Comstock Lane · Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-423-3387 www.bosch.org

Life-changing

“It’s changed my life!” and “This is amazing” are the comments of two of the 28 friends who came to Bosch Bahá’í School on successive December weekends for courses using Ruhi Institute materials.

Hamilton and Ruth Breton facilitated the courses, which offer participants the opportunity to acquire knowledge, spiritual insights and skills for service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

As with almost every growth-oriented activity, personal gain and reward is a function of individual initiative and effort. So what led one friend to say the course changed her life?

Ruby Edgar is blind, but says, “We all have limitations.” Edgar transcribed an entire workbook into Braille a week before the session began, so she could participate in the memorization component of the course at the same level with others. She also shared fully in the many games and activities of both weekends, saying, “You’ve got to work hard and play hard,” adding the games help “to relax your mind and take in what you’ve learned.”

Tang Yang, a new Bahá’í youth living in Turlock, California, shared Edgar’s enthusiasm for the Ruhi course. Yang was so moved by his experience upon returning home he organized a gathering of more than 40 adults and youth “to do Ruhi, eat, and play the games we learned!”

Edgar will return to Bosch in the spring for the next-level Ruhi program. She also plans to share the materials with the believers in her community. “We all have the same bond,” she said. “We love Bahá’u’lláh. Then we get to share that with each other and it promotes unity.”

As we near the end of Four Year Plan and the start of the Twelve Month Plan, seize the opportunity to make a change in your life by attending a Ruhi course or other program at Bosch Bahá’í School this spring.

Upcoming programs

March 3-5: Becoming a Champion of the Covenant with Derek Cockshut. The Master said that without the Covenant, the Cause would have fractured into a thousand sects in a single day. You can gain a deeper appreciation for the Covenant through study of the Kitáb-i-Ahd and the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

April 14-16: Advancement of Women. Invited presenters include Javidukht Khadem and Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi. This inspirational session brings together courageous women who have served the Cause exceptionally and women searching for an audacious mission of service in His name. Bring your teen-age daughters, sisters and friends and add your contribution to a weekend of empowerment, goal-setting and synergistic activities. ◆

Call for papers

ABS seeks presentations on ‘A Century of Light’

The Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies-North America is the time when the community of Bahá’í studies comes together to share and expand our knowledge, to present and carry out collaborative projects, and to partake in the fellowship and contribute to the spirit of this unique enterprise.

This year’s conference, Aug. 31-Sept. 3, will be held in the Toronto, Ontario, area, and the theme is “A Century of Light: Who is Writing the Future?”

Proposals are invited for presentations and workshops on the following subthemes:

• The spiritual nature of reality: understanding the physical universe, advances in science and technology, implications for altering world views, science as an enhancer of life, information technology with its proliferation and implications.
• The shift in consciousness leading to a transformation of values and habits of mind: women’s equality; elimination of racism, ethnic prejudice and religious fanaticism; the end of clerical authority; the concept of government as a trust responsible for the well-being of all; the movement for global ethics.
• The maturation of humanity, with its signs of the coming of age of the human race: the transmutation of elements, universal auxiliary language, a new orientation to governance and leadership.
• The challenges of globalism: U.N., human rights and economic development issues and world order.
• Spiritual solutions: moral development, replacement of immature patterns, the concept of unity, a new paradigm of justice, service as an expression of self, new approaches to decision making, the imperative of a global perspective, Revelation as the source of civilization, harmonizing the spiritual and material dimensions of reality.
• The role of Bahá’í studies and scholarship in this process.

Proposals should consist of a 150-word abstract as well as biographical information about the presenter.

Proposal deadline is April 10. Deadline for papers is July 10.

Send proposals to Lynn Echevarria c/o Association for Bahá’í Studies, 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 7K4 (fax 613-233-3644, e-mail ).

For more information, see the Web site for the Association for Bahá’í Studies (www.bahai-studies.ca).

Rooms can be reserved by July 30 at the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Center (site of the conference):

• Phone (U.S. or Canada) 800-422-8238
• Fax 905-542-4038
• Web www.deltahotels.com

Specify the Association for Bahá’í Studies to secure the special room rate. ◆ [Page 19]Brilliant Star Kid’s Corner!

Activity by the Office of the Treasurer

Tangram Toward Unity!

“For thousands of years ye have been contending in warfare and strife. It is enough. Now is the time for unity.” ~Bahá’u’lláh, quoted in The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.322

Liang enjoys puzzles because he loves trying to solve them. When Liang does puzzles for fun, he is practicing being creative and innovative, which means doing things differently or in a new way. Liang thinks these qualities will help him in his work to teach about the Funds and to unify humanity. Do you like puzzles? Liang especially likes “tangram” puzzles. Have you heard of them? A “tangram” is an ancient Chinese puzzle. It is a 4" square that is cut into seven pieces that you can make into animal, people, or object shapes. In fact, the only rule to the game is that all seven pieces must be used and none of them may overlap

You Need: Paper Pencil Scissors

Directions: (1) Place paper on top of the tangram Liang provided. (2) With pencil, trace the tangram onto the paper. (3) Take scissors and cut along the pencil lines.

After cutting out the shapes on the right you will have seven pieces of the tangram. Now you are ready to create shapes. Before you start, study some of Liang’s examples. What kind of shapes can you make with a tangram that shows unity? If you want to do more than one tangram, get more paper and trace and cut again. Have fun!

TANGRAM

(Cut the seven shapes like this)

a person dancing

a rabbit

a sailboat

What kind of neat shapes did you make with your tangram? Share them with Liang and other kids. Make sure you glue your pieces onto another clean sheet of paper so they stay in place, and then mail it to our address at right.

Come join the fun! Subscribe to Brilliant Star SEE PAGE 33

Brilliant Star Bahá’í Media Services 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201 [Page 20]Stories and photos by Tom Mennillo

Art in the path of service

Annual development conference is filled with the expressive spirit

The arts came into their own this year at the seventh annual Bahá’í Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas in Orlando, Florida.

Artistic expression was woven into the very fabric of the Dec. 16–19 conference and Dec. 14–16 by-invitation-only seminar, both sponsored by the Rabbani Charitable Trust.

Not merely for entertainment, not just as a proclamation tool, performance was fully recognized and utilized for its potential to foster the application of Bahá’í principles to people’s lives.

Indeed, art was shown to be the spoken word’s equal as a means to “attract and confirm souls and put their feet on the path of service,” in the words of renowned painter Donald Rogers, former Counselor member of the International Teaching Center.

Every plenary session, “concepts and core processes” workshop, case study presentation or interest group networking session was enriched with “inspirational learning through the performing arts,” as coordinated by Leslie Asplund and Linda Bedford.

Rogers, for example, gave one session’s attendees a quick course in appreciation of modern art as a metaphor for the workings of the Holy Spirit. As images flashed on a screen he explained that just like the spiritual world it reflects, modern art is freed from the box of perspective. It has no center, foreground, background or single light source.

A lesson on improvising

Cellist Gwendolyn Watson led classical pianist Mark Ochu in an improvisational exercise to introduce a session on “Trial and Error Learning” facilitated by Douglas and Dwight Allen. They then lent their insights to group discussion.

Management consultant Dorothy Marcic underscored the lesson of Elizabeth Bowen’s “Community Building through SED: Mothers and Grandmothers” session with an often hilarious, sometimes poignant run-through—complete with costumes—of songs illustrating the evolution of women’s outlook on life during the 20th century.

Percussionist David Closson set in motion a multi-rhythmic lovefest featuring audience members of all backgrounds playing African instruments to open his and wife Rosemary’s session on “Best Practices for Race Unity Training: How to Apply Bahá’í Principles.”

Susan Lewis Wright set the mood for Deana and Raymond Choczynski’s case study on “Transforming Children and Youth in Distress” with a song she first performed at a memorial service in Littleton, Colorado, for victims of the Columbine High School violence.

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc held everyone spellbound with storytelling from indigenous culture.

Other “inspirational learning” artists included singers Mary Davis, Christina Quinn, Chris and Lynn Rosser and Jerry York; actor/singer Chris Hampton; actor Jennifer Head; and artist Jalaliyyih Quinn.

Conference participants also benefited from a talk by Rogers on “Promoting the Arts in the Bahá’í Community” and engaged in two networking sessions on the arts. Meanwhile, artists huddled with representatives of the Rabbani Trust to explore the possibility of an arts-focus conference.

Praise for the approach

Attendees lauded the weeklong blending of spirit and content.

Peter Adriance, non-governmental organization liaison for the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of External Affairs, later wrote to Benjamin Levy, program director for the Rabbani Trust:

“... [N]ever have I attended a conference of such duration that so successfully incorporated the arts and an interactive approach into the learning process.

“You didn’t just tack a guitar player onto the front of a session and leave it at that. Creativity abounded in the diversity of styles and formats, and in all of the sessions I attended the artistic portion was fully integrated into the theme and facilitated the learning process.

“That, combined with the interactive format and the excellent content of the sessions, made for a very enjoyable, stimulating and inspiring experience, one which seemed to tap all the senses and encourage full participation. ...”

Not that the week was bereft of musical performances intended purely for the 1,040 attendees’ enjoyment and upliftment.

Jack Lenz coordinated evening programs dedicated to the Universal House of Justice’s Who Is Writing the Future? statement; to the long-suffering Bahá’ís of Iran; and to our shared task of building a new World Order.

Featured were Lenz on piano, flutist Ron Allen, santour player Peyman Foroughi, pianist Nancy Harper, Styve Homnick on harmonica, singers Jeff Jones, Ladjamaya Mahoney and Shokouh Rezai, and cellist Watson.

But the biggest response of all was elicited by The First Commandment Gospel Singers.

The eight singers and musicians in this Delaware-Maryland-Virginia group come from a Christian background. Now that they are Bahá’ís—the last three accepted the Faith the night before the conference started—the members of First Commandment are introducing Bahá’í themes into their music.

After their appearances at the conference, group members were besieged by believers seeking to have them perform in their communities. ♦

Workshop attendees get a lesson in blending cultures from David L. Closson (left) of Winter Park, Florida, who employed group drumming in a workshop, “Best Practices for Race Unity Training,” led by him and his wife, Rosemary.

A quilt made by junior youths is presented at the conference for donation to the children’s enrichment program in Buffalo, New York.

Above: A joyful sound emanates from the cello of Gwendolyn Watson of Rome, Georgia. Her solos, complemented with singing and whistling, delighted audiences all through the seminar and conference. Above right: Oscar Merritt of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, peruses offerings at the conference bookstore. Right: Lloyd Ivey puts feeling into his lead vocals for the First Commandment Gospel Singers.

Idea-sharing and relationship-building

If one stopped and listened, myriad ideas could be heard bubbling to the surface as people “networked” formally and informally throughout the seminar and conference.

Two evenings were devoted to interest-group meetings. Each drew participants interested in such areas of endeavor as agriculture and rural development, the arts, business and economic development, education, equality between women and men, health and indigenous peoples.

Late-night consultations among representatives of projects also were hosted by Partners for Prosperity, a Canadian-based nonprofit organization. Participants exchanged information on “nuts and bolts” issues such as finances, legal structure and board development.

But most any hour of any day, smaller groups huddled in breakout rooms, restaurants and suites—even outside around the mostly empty pool.

Whatever the venue, ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ engaged in studying the Bahá’í writings about their area of interest, sharing papers, celebrating projects in progress, encouraging the development of new ones and making plans to continue their collaboration year-round.

Knowledge for the advancement of agriculture

Typical was the experience of friends interested in agriculture and rural development.

Over the years, many have followed the progress of such initiatives as Eco Ag Service, a North Carolina-based apprenticeship program for young Bahá’ís interested in agriculture, and the agriculture special interest group within the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

In recent months they’ve kept abreast of a social and economic development training program, also in North Carolina, known as Blue Ridge Encounters.

A document also circulated via e-mail encapsulating the kind of interaction that is sprouting a diverse crop of cooperation among Bahá’ís in agriculture worldwide.

So when the friends met in Orlando, they had a core of knowledge from which to work.

Their first session was a pre-seminar talk Dec. 14 on “Agriculture as an Ecosystem” by Arthur Lyon Dahl, coordinator of Earthwatch within the United Nations Environment Program in Geneva, Switzerland. Consultation followed.

At this session, green and white ribbons were handed out signifying the special regard the Bahá’í writings hold for the place of agriculture in society. The ribbons elicited questions from other attendees throughout the week.

Next, the interest group met Wednesday evening to read and discuss quotations of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the topic “The Farmer Is the Primary Factor in the Body Politic.”

A brown-bag lunch Dec. 16 focused on effective networking worldwide.

Friday evening a second interest group session was held. And days after the conference ended, a follow-up e-mail message reported progress on an ongoing networking mechanism. ♦

A young conference-goer jots down information on women in agriculture from the display for Eco-Ag, a service that matches young ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ with farm apprenticeships.

Veterans of development become guides and learners

Pre-conference seminar brims with knowledge

One enriching feature of the annual conference on social and economic development is the presence and participation of so many experienced practitioners.

More than 120 believers—many of them American pioneers—living throughout North, Central and South America and an array of other countries arrived Tuesday, Dec. 14, for the fourth annual by-invitation-only Bahá’í Development Seminar for the Americas.

They included representatives of ongoing development projects, Bahá’í agencies that interact with and foster the work of these practitioners, and selected start-up projects.

And before their third day together ended, this seasoned group assumed the role of mentors for the hundreds of friends who began arriving Thursday—helping along the people who were not so far along in their journey in social and economic development work.

Focus on ‘Prosperity’

Three main talks at the seminar, each derived from an aspect of The Prosperity of Humankind statement of the Universal House of Justice, were designed to help participants focus their efforts.

But most of the time they engaged in sharing perspectives born of years in the field.

They did that in small-group discussions following “concepts and core processes” and case study presentations.

They met as well in networking groups devoted to specific interests.

Some even had so much to share, they conducted sessions before the seminar.

One all-day affair for experienced practitioners examined “External and Local Initiatives, Institutional Capacity and Sustainability” and a case study from Canada concerning training Bahá’í communities in social and economic development.

At the same time, Eco Ag Service, a North Carolina-based apprentice program for young Bahá’ís interested in agriculture, hosted a session in which Arthur Lyon Dahl of the United Nations Environmental Program in Geneva, Switzerland, spoke on “Agriculture as an Ecosystem.” ♦ [Page 21]

Main talks approach transformation from varied angles

Three major talks served as rallying points for the conference, providing a vision for those venturing forth to apply the Bahá’í principles in society.

Donald Rogers, former Counselor member of the International Teaching Center, lent his many decades of service and his renown as a painter to an examination of “Promoting the Arts in the Bahá’í Community.”

Rogers noted that in previous dispensations art was often commissioned for spiritual purposes. But never before, he said, have believers at the grassroots been asked to use arts to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

And the role of artistic expression in this time of transition, he emphasized, is not just in proclaiming the message for the day but in expanding the ranks of faithful and consolidating those gains.

He said it is up to Bahá’í institutions to create a climate in which the talents and capacities of believers can develop and flourish. In that way, the arts of the old world—appealing primarily to our animal nature—will be put to use for the new spiritual age in a way that is transformative.

The essence of arts is creating metaphors, Rogers said. Bahá’í artists expressing the teachings for this day through their works can provide “a taste of the Bahá’í community at its highest level of consciousness” and help people identify with that community.

Patricia Locke, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, echoed Rogers in her talk on “Developing Capacities for Transformative Action.”

Focusing on indigenous cultures, she said Bahá’ís who want to teach among a people must make an effort to learn about them—their etiquette, value system, social structure, arts, world view, history and system of governance.

The reward for Bahá’ís who do this, she said, will be an ability to “more effectively demonstrate the beauty of our Faith and knowledgeably interact and consult with people.”

Locke said much of the work has been done for us in documents prepared by such entities as the United Nations and the Organization of American States. In them we can find a wealth of information on indigenous peoples’ needs and views.

Crystal Baker Shoaie of Bolivia capped the conference by pondering how we can mirror forth the beauty of the spirit in a talk titled “Living a Holy Life and Serving Humanity.”

Mirroring the spirit of her grandmother, the late Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker, she said we must practice the laws of God in the same manner a musician practices. Any endeavor in which we put our heart, our holiness, becomes very different as a result.

She said we cannot educate ourselves fully, however, without service—“applying what we learn and learning from that experience.”

And we cannot do this by ourselves, Shoaie said. We “have to be serving something and consulting with others about it.” Put another way, “We can’t solve problems first so we can unite; we need to unite so we can solve problems.”

Shoaie employed one more metaphor, saying our effort to create ever-wider circles of unity is like climbing mountains. We set a goal of reaching one summit, then once we’re there we see higher mountains and raise our goals—elevate our service—to surmount them.

Patricia Locke (above left) addressed the conference on “Building Capacity for Transformative Action.” Crystal Baker Shoaie (above right) gave the final talk, on “Living a Holy Life and Serving Humanity.”

Donald Rogers, a modern artist, chats with Roseanne Groger, whose play about substance abuse targeting youth in Gallup, New Mexico, has won a national award.

Breakout sessions give participants closer view of development work

Breakout sessions at this year’s conference operated under a cardinal rule: that they be learner-centered, rather than revolving around presentations or performances.

This approach to “concepts and core processes” and case study workshops put the focus squarely on helping Bahá’ís build their capacity to understand and undertake social and economic development work.

The overall theme centered on The Prosperity of Humankind statement of the Universal House of Justice, with the more recent Who Is Writing the Future? document as an adjunct.

Thus, sessions during the seminar portion of the week began with inspirational keynotes derived from aspects of The Prosperity of Humankind.

One was “Governance of Human Affairs and the Exercise of Authority” by Luis Henrique Beust of the Soltáníeh Educational Center in Brazil. Another was “Justice and Human Rights” by Matty Thimm of Albania. The seminar ended with “Eradication of Poverty” by Elizabeth Bowen of Mottahedeh Development Services in the United States.

During the conference, each “concepts and core processes” breakout session began with devotions, inspirational learning through the performing arts and a keynote, also from The Prosperity of Humankind.

The first day’s five keynotes were titled “Reconceptualizing the system of Human Relationships” and were delivered by Susanne Tamas and Louise Profeit-LeBlanc of Canada, Crystal Baker Shoaie of Bolivia, Linda Gershuny of Haiti, and Rebequa Getahoun Murphy of the United States.

The next day’s keynotes, on “Full Equality Between Women and Men,” were delivered by Patricia Locke, Carole Allen, Dorothy Marcic and June Manning Thomas of the United States and Donald Witzel of Venezuela.

A number of the session facilitators were people with great experience in developing areas of the world from Africa to the Caribbean to South America. They dealt with topics as pragmatic as “Trial and Error Learning: Learning from Our Experiences,” facilitated by Douglas and Dwight Allen of the United States; as abstract as “Synergism through Top-Down and Bottom-Up,” by Judie and Michael Bopp of Canada; and as thought-provoking as “Community Building through SED: Mothers and Grandmothers,” by Elizabeth Bowen of the United States and Janet Dexter of Ecuador.

Case studies, held every afternoon of the seminar and conference, integrated the arts in quite imaginative ways related to the topic.

They included examinations of projects from Florida’s Lake Okeechobee area to remote areas of Ecuador and the Yukon.

Two case studies familiar to many Americans were on the Táhirih Justice Center, based in the Washington, D.C., area, and the Buffalo, New York, project spearheaded by Raymond and Deana Choczynski and their daughter, Elisha Choczynski Shorter.

Elisha Choczynski Shorter (from left), Deana and Ray Choczynski do a skit on negative labels that can weigh people down, as part of their presentation on the children’s enrichment project they spearheaded in inner-city Buffalo, New York.

Enjoying a snack of the development conference’s famous cookies are (from left) Judy Carlberg of Fairhope, Alabama and pioneers Martha and Ron Posner of Venezuela. [Page 22]

Local TREASURER’S Corner

The Local 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 (phone 847-733-3472, e-mail ).

100% participation: One community’s experience

The following story was shared with the Office of the Treasurer by a local treasurer who precipitated a real change in support of her local Fund by helping the community to understand better, the critical nature of the Fund to the life of their Bahá’í community:

It was very discouraging to hear that only 21% of the friends in our community gave to the Fund, so I decided to do something about it. I looked at participation over a three-year period and suggested to the Local Spiritual Assembly that I would like to report only on the active believers’ participation in order to motivate the friends.

After much prayer and reading of the Sacred Writings, I used the problem-solving techniques that I learned from Leadership Through Quality classes and concluded that the friends needed to be in closer touch with the Covenant.

We read quotes from The Covenant of ‎Baba’u’llab Bahá’u’lláh‎ and had discussions about it at Feast. Deepenings were held later on. At each Feast I read a different story about love, sacrifice and detachment. The point was to have the friends see the positive side—instead of looking at what we don’t have, we look at what we do have and what we can do with what we have. Some stories were inspiring, some funny. Quotes from the Bahá’í writings were used. I had some of the friends tell about changes in their lives as a result of giving to the Fund.

At Feast, before giving the treasurer’s report, I had someone read the prayer for the Fund. I made Fund boxes available to each member of our community so the friends could put their change in them and bring them to Feast. The children in Bahá’í school happily agreed to count the change, so everyone was involved. When the money was brought in, it was placed in plastic bags and each one tagged to maintain privacy. This “Penny Fund Box Campaign” was a huge success. Three years later, the Penny Boxes are still working.

The Assembly’s goal to the National Spiritual Assembly was divided in such a way that everyone saw in what category they could give whether it was $1 or $500. For example: if one person gave $500, another $300, two people gave $65 each and an additional 19 people gave $1 each, etc., based on the amount that was needed each month, we could achieve the goal.

Lots of excitement and enthusiasm was generated. With every newsletter we sent an envelope. At first there was no response, but slowly contributions began to come in from inactive believers and those who missed Feast. Phone calls were made to people who sent in their envelopes, not only thanking them, but also sharing news.

The friends were delighted to learn that the percentage of participation was on the rise. Each time an inactive believer came to Feast, and/or gave to the Fund, his or her name was placed on the list of active believers until 100% was achieved. This process took our community to another level and brought some believers, previously inactive, back into the fold.

If you would like to contact this local treasurer to hear more about this experience with the Fund, contact the Office of the Treasurer (phone 847-733-3472, e-mail ).

Assembly Development reps now number 120 across U.S.

Local Assemblies now can call on any of 120 Assembly Development representatives across the country, who are trained to facilitate Module Workshops and to help Assemblies learn more about guiding their own maturation.

Seventy dedicated believers from every region recently completed an orientation, and they join 50 others appointed earlier as Assembly Development representatives by the National Spiritual Assembly. Each was recommended for that orientation by a Regional Bahá’í Council, a Local Spiritual Assembly, an Auxiliary Board member or an existing representative.

“These believers bring an outstanding array of experiences and facilitation skills, which promise to benefit Assemblies in their development process,” said Theresa Z. Mullen of the National Assembly’s Office of Assembly Development. “We are pleased that we will now be able to offer this assistance to a wider number of Assemblies.”

In addition to the modules, the Office of Assembly Development also offers guidance of a more general nature by referring Assemblies to programs and materials that will assist in their development.

Many other agencies and institutions offer Assembly development assistance, and Assemblies are encouraged to take advantage of the services best suited to their needs. Programs developed by the Office of Assembly Development are based on needs expressed in surveys of Assemblies, and are continuously updated as partners provide feedback about the programs.

Local Spiritual Assemblies wishing to suggest individuals for consideration as future representatives may send recommendations to the Office of Assembly Development (see box below for contact information).

For more information or to contact a representative

If your Local Spiritual Assembly wants to contact an Assembly Development representative to facilitate a Module Workshop, and/or to steer the Assembly toward other programs and materials for its development, check the Administrative Web Site to find out the names of representatives near you:

• Log in to www.usbnc.org with your Bahá’í ID number.
• Click on “NSA Departments,” then link to “LSA Development.” There will be a link to Assembly Development representatives information.

An Assembly may contact any representative directly, discuss the locality’s needs, and make suitable arrangements.

For information on a wide range of Local Assembly development issues—including the growing list of Module Workshops on a variety of issues vital to Assemblies—consult the Web site, or contact:

• National Office of Assembly Development, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3490, e-mail ).
• In the Western States, the Regional Bahá’í Council Assembly Development Desk (phone 831-427-3053, e-mail or ).

Where Assembly Development representatives live:

Western States

• Arizona: Chandler, Lukachukai, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma.
• California: Anaheim, Beaumont, Belmont, Concord, Martinez, Mountain View, Oceanside, Palm Desert, Placerville, Pleasanton, Rocklin, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Saugus, Temecula.
• Colorado: Aurora, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Loveland.
• Idaho: Boise, Moscow.
• Montana: St. Ignatius, Somers.
• New Mexico: Albuquerque, Las Cruces.
• Nevada: Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks.
• Oregon: Albany, Corbett, Florence, Grants Pass, Milwaukie, Mulino, Oakland, Philomath.
• Utah: Centerville, Salt Lake City.
• Washington: Edmonds, Everett, Issaquah, Moses Lake.
• Wyoming: Thayne.

Southern States

• Alabama: Florence.
• Delaware: Dover, Wilmington.
• Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Winter Springs.
• Georgia: Atlanta, Eatonton, Kennesaw.
• Louisiana: New Orleans.
• Kentucky: Louisville.
• Mississippi: Vicksburg.
• North Carolina: Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem.
• Oklahoma: Bethany.
• South Carolina: Beaufort, Orangeburg.
• Tennessee: Hendersonville.
• Texas: Bedford, Dallas, Houston.
• Virginia: Alexandria, Richmond.
• West Virginia: Morgantown.

Central States

• Iowa: Ames, Sioux City.
• Illinois: Chicago, Des Plaines, Springfield.
• Indiana: Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend.
• Kansas: Halstead.
• Michigan: East Lansing.
• Minnesota: Plymouth, St. Paul.
• Missouri: St. Charles.
• Nebraska: Aurora, Lincoln.
• South Dakota: Elk Point.
• Wisconsin: Green Bay, La Crosse, Racine.

Northeastern States

• Massachusetts: Acton, Hyde Park.
• New Hampshire: West Chesterfield.
• New Jersey: Ridgewood.
• New York: Rochester, Wading River, Webster.

[Page 23]

‘Traces which shall last forever’

The Four Year Plan 1996-2000: A look back

Stories by Tom Mennillo • Part two of four parts

DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES: SKILLS, UNDERSTANDING

In Part I of The American Bahá’í’s retrospective series on the Four Year Plan, we traced how national, regional and local institutions formulated “strategic, flexible teaching plans” to advance the process of entry by troops—and how some communities responded to the national and regional plans.

Our National Spiritual Assembly and its agencies, guided by the Writings and the Universal House of Justice and in collaboration with the Continental Board of Counselors, devised a National Teaching Plan and set in motion training mechanisms that would raise vital human resources.

Crucial to the plan were an unprecedented national media initiative, which drew heavily from research into seeking populations and patterns of Bahá’í behavior, and a twin focus on race unity and equality of women and men.

Closer to the ground, regional committees and, later, Regional Bahá’í Councils consulted with Auxiliary Board members and Local Spiritual Assemblies to identify opportunities, needs and resources in their areas.

Then, benefiting from the national framework, they worked to ensure that all the elements were in place to attract, nurture and confirm new lovers of Bahá’u’lláh and to provide believers of all ages and backgrounds with avenues of teaching and service.

This issue:

As our look back over the Four Year Plan continues, we turn to two more facets of the process of entry by troops in America:

Efficient administration and prompt consolidation: developing human resources; decentralization; integration of adults, youth and children in all aspects of community life; collaboration between Rulers and Learned; refugee work; arts in community life; firmness in the Covenant; and developing social cohesion.

Strengthening Local Spiritual Assemblies: Regional Bahá’í Councils’ role; tools offered by the Office of Assembly Development and the National Treasurer’s Office; Assemblies broadening their range of responsibilities; community efforts to support their Assemblies; and Assembly formation only on the First Day of Ridván.

The main topics have been drawn from “Promoting Entry by Troops,” a document by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. ◆

A systematic study of the writings such as our National Spiritual Assembly recently requested would have been impossible when the Four Year Plan began.

Regional training institutes. Wilmette Institute. Permanent and regional Bahá’í schools. All these resources will be called on to assist the “two-year study of the writings to gain a clear vision of the entire process of spiritual and social evolution under the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.”

Core Curriculum. Fundamental Verities. Ruhi Institute. The techniques learned in these training programs will be instrumental in helping the friends translate new understanding into deeper fellowship and more effective service.

As the Plan nears a climax, this interlocking system of education tools and centers of learning exists to “issue forth ever-growing contingents of believers capable of carrying out a wide array of services to the Cause, creating thus in every country the capacity to sustain the process of entry by troops,” as the Universal House of Justice foresaw in its letter of Aug. 6, 1996.

The Wilmette Institute, a college-level venture into Bahá’í education and training, combines academic study with service projects. Photo by Patricia Campuzano

Regional training institutes

By Ridván 1999, fully half of American Bahá’ís had taken at least one course offered by regional training institutes, which were established as agencies of the National Assembly and are supervised by the Regional Bahá’í Councils.

Since their administration was turned over to the Regional Councils, those institutes have grown in number, and are established in 26 locations:

Central States: Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio (Dorothy Baker); St. Louis, Missouri (Gateway); Metro Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minnesota.

Southern States: Central Texas (Aguila del Cielo); Atlanta, Georgia, area; DC-Maryland-Virginia-Delaware-West Virginia (Crimson Ark); Kentucky, (Sam McClellan); Florida (Magdalene Carney); South Texas (Mathew Kaszab); Middle Tennessee; North Texas; Oklahoma; South Carolina; North Carolina (Supreme Talisman).

Northeastern States: Boston, Massachusetts, area; Connecticut River Valley (Thornton Chase); Northern New Jersey; Eastern Pennsylvania (William Sears); Rochester, New York.

Western States: Arizona; Colorado (Columbine); New Mexico (Rio Grande); Oregon; Southern California; Idaho-Montana-Washington-Wyoming.

Many more Bahá’ís are being served by dozens of local institutes throughout the country.

Some of the truly transformative courses offered incorporate elements of the national training programs such as Core Curriculum and Fundamental Verities. Others were created locally or were adapted from ones proved to be successful in other parts of the world.

Among successful courses being offered around the country are “Arming for Victory,” “Consultation,” “A Sense of Oneness: An Exploration of Moral Education” and “Teaching Christians.”

Wilmette Institute

This center of learning sponsored by the National Assembly has evolved considerably during the Four Year Plan, as it gains new insights into its mission of training adult Bahá’ís to be better teachers, servants and scholars in the Cause.

Its first major effort, the four-year “Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization” program, boasted its first graduates last summer. Each year this program entails months of home study, service projects and a summer study session in the Wilmette area. To allow more people to take part, the Institute is reducing its tuition and time requirements.

In a further outreach, the Institute developed home-study courses that have attracted hundreds of participants. Two to six months in duration, these courses have dealt with either the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh or the teachings of other faiths. The latter series evolved from courses at the permanent Bahá’í schools taught by Wilmette Institute faculty.

This year new courses are being launched on the lives and writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and the history of the Faith.

Permanent and regional schools

The more than 30 regional schools, with sessions lasting from three to 10

SEE HUMAN RESOURCES, PAGE 25

To be covered in the next two issues: Part III, March 2:

• Goal-directed behavior.
• Relating the Faith to contemporary social and humanitarian issues.
• Reaching people of capacity.

Also, international highlights. Part IV, April 9: Themes that have run through published Universal House of Justice messages and our National Spiritual Assembly’s messages and Feast letters during the Plan. [Page 24]

RULERS AND LEARNED: COLLABORATION BETWEEN BRANCHES OF INSTITUTIONS

Collaboration between the Rulers and the Learned in the Four Year Plan started several months before the Plan actually began.

At their conference in the Holy Land in December 1995, members of the Continental Boards of Counselors were informed by the Universal House of Justice of an expanded role for the Institutions of the Learned—Counselors, Auxiliary Boards and their assistants.

After Ridván, members of the Board of Counselors for the Americas consulted with the National Spiritual Assembly on U.S. plans and strategies. That consultation moved quickly to the regional level and involved Auxiliary Board members, Local Spiritual Assemblies and committees.

We were told the Learned would become intimately involved during the Plan in developing human resources, through institutes and other centers of learning, to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding community. They would help raise and consolidate Local Assemblies. And with an increase in the number of Auxiliary Board members for Protection, they would directly and systematically assist community activities on a wide scale.

Two activities in which the Learned quickly injected their energies were the twin foci of race unity and the equality of women and men.

The Counselors facilitated a consultative meeting to train all Auxiliary Board members serving North America on “the most vital and challenging issue” and how they could help communities address issues of racial prejudice and unity.

The Learned similarly guided efforts toward the advancement of women. A clarion call in support of the National Assembly’s Two Wings campaign was a commentary published June 24, 1999, by Counselor Tod Ewing. The Learned also participated in local and regional efforts, including marriage and family life training.

When the Regional Bahá’í Councils were created in 1997, several Counselors were at their historic orientation to pledge their support and energies. ♦

LOCAL GLIMPSES: DEVELOPING SOCIAL COHESION

Differences in language, culture and age can keep people apart, both within the Bahá’í community and in the wider society. But Bahá’ís in many places are actively bringing about social cohesion through their proclamation, expansion and consolidation efforts. On these pages are just a few of the efforts The American Bahá’í has reported in the last four years. ♦

Northwestern Oregon

Bahá’ís in greater Portland, Oregon, are rallying around their youth in the spirit of the Four Year Plan.

The Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukie, with the support of neighboring communities and the Regional Council for the Western States, has charged the nine-member Portland/Vancouver Metro Area Youth Task Force with developing “the capacity of Bahá’í youth to be teachers, administrators and active members of the Bahá’í community.”

Armed with this mandate and support, the task force works with individual youths, Bahá’í youth workshops and campus associations. Youths in the area are very active, with a full range of activities, a newsletter and forthcoming Web site. ♦

New York City: Hundreds of Bahá’ís and friends gathered in June 1998 to celebrate ‎the the the‎ local Bahá’í community’s 100th anniversary. Archives were displayed and veteran community members were honored.

HUMAN RESOURCES, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

days, complement the year-round work of the regional training institutes and the permanent Bahá’í schools and institutes.

Regional schools often provide the first opportunity for a new believer to deepen his or her knowledge of the teachings and history of the Faith in a systematic fashion and to participate in “close and intense community life.”

They are places believers return year after year for study, fellowship and recreation. And for many children and youths this is where their identity as Bahá’ís is cemented.

Each year a theme is chosen for the regional schools and a curriculum outline related to the theme made available by the National Education and Schools Office. During the Plan, the schools have systematically examined the roles of the individual, institutions and the community.

The five permanent Bahá’í schools and institutes are evolving in their service to the Cause.

In a continuing effort to decentralize, the National Assembly has changed the mandate of the Native American Bahá’í Institute to a regional training institute and appointed a board with programmatic responsibility to the Western Regional Council.

Similarly, the mandate of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute is under revision that will enable it and WLGI Radio Bahá’í to better serve the surrounding communities, with supervision by the Southern Regional Council.

Bosch, Green Acre and Louhelen Bahá’í Schools, meanwhile, continue to serve the spiritual and intellectual growth of the American Bahá’í community with residential sessions for all age groups. These increasingly self-sufficient campuses also attract rentals from outside groups, and Louhelen serves as home of the National Teacher Training Center.

Youths at the Four Corners Bahá’í School don safety belts and helmets for a popular ropes course, which simulates rock climbing. This regional Bahá’í school, one of several dozen in the U.S., serves a diverse population in the Southwest.

Core Curriculum

Courses offered to foster community development include teacher training; race unity training; equality training; parenting training; marriage and family life training; preparing youth for marriage and family life training; and, most recently, youth facilitator training.

These courses were developed under the supervision of the National Assembly to support the development of human resources.

They are available through the National Teacher Training Center at Louhelen Bahá’í School (phone 810-653-5033, e-mail louhelen@usbnc.org). A nationwide network of trainers makes the various programs readily available at the local level.

Fundamental Verities courses

Also developed under the supervision of the National Assembly were a series of courses designed to deepen and consecrate new and veteran believers.

They include “We Are Bahá’ís: From New Believers to new Teachers in the Cause”; “Every Believer Is a Teacher”; “To Serve the Covenant”; “A New Civilization”; and the latest, “Teaching Christians.”

The course series is available through the Bahá’í Distribution Service, 4703 Fulton Industrial Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30336 (phone 800-999-9019).

Ruhi Institute

Once viewed primarily as a means to consolidate new believers from other cultures, the Ruhi Institute course books can help any Bahá’í learn to integrate the Creative Word into teaching efforts. In Ruhi study circles, becoming widespread among youth, new believers and veteran believers alike, repetition and memorization exercises are supplemented by fellowship and service activities. ♦ [Page 25]

DECENTRALIZATION: NATIONAL AGENCIES EVOLVE AND HELP CREATE NEW TOOLS

A mid-1999 Youth Summit at the Bahá’í National Center served as a jumping-off point for decentralization of the National Youth Committee’s work. Young people from all four regions consulted on ways to develop the youth movement and energize young believers in every part of the country.

The National Spiritual Assembly’s decentralization process was just hitting its stride when the Four Year Plan launched.

The National Assembly had recognized, with guidance from the Universal House of Justice, that some aspects of Bahá’í administration should move from the national to the regional and local levels. That way the National Assembly and its agencies could focus on longer-term strategy, rather than immediate tactics.

This transition prompted formation of Regional Teaching Committees and, later, Regional Bahá’í Councils (see the Dec. 31, 1999, issue for more details). But other efforts were spawned to help make decentralization work.

Connecting Assemblies

In late 1996, a half-million-dollar pilot project involving five Local Assemblies in the West was launched as the first step in building, from the ground up, an infrastructure to support large-scale growth of the Faith.

As envisioned, the network—dubbed Local Spiritual Assembly Automation and Integration (LSAI)—will allow many institutional functions to be automated at the grassroots level.

Communities will be able to generate and organize data for local use in the areas of membership, contributions, teaching support, document management and communications. They also will gain access to information being shared by the institutions of the Learned, the National Assembly and its agencies, regional committees, permanent schools and institutes and fellow communities.

In the pilot phase, five Assemblies (Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, California) worked hand in hand with the Information Services office at the Bahá’í National Center to plan, test, build and fund a set of software modules.

As the Internet evolved and home computer products became more powerful, the focus shifted to choosing and integrating a set of Web-based tools, rather than developing entirely new software. One of those tools will be an e-mail system that will provide every community with ‎a address an address‎ that would be consistent from year to year, even when community membership changes.

Testing in the Western localities should be finished by Ridván, and the next step would be making the first LSAI software set generally available. It would allow Assemblies and other authorized community members to use a secure Web site to update the national database on new believers, address changes and transfers, and tracking of seekers.

Down the road, an enhanced set of tools would serve local communities as they gain the responsibility of keeping master records in their own secured databases.

More regional thinking

As creation of Regional Bahá’í Councils formalized the balance between centralization and decentralization in the United States, agencies and committees of the National Assembly acted to redefine their own roles.

The National Teaching Committee and later the National Youth Committee began to make great shifts in their duties—no longer to direct and supervise efforts at the grassroots, but to research, serve and assist. Each in its own way is creating a base of knowledge and helping develop materials to support the friends’ regional and local projects.

Meanwhile, the Regional Councils gained some responsibilities the National Teaching Committee had held. The Councils now oversee and promote homefront pioneering, traveling teaching and regional training institutes within their regions.

Each Council has youth agencies to foster development, encourage teaching and service, plan large-scale conferences and projects, and stimulate youth workshops, campus associations and other channels for service.

Ethnic teaching committees and task forces appointed by the National Assembly felt the challenge as well to regionalize their functions in the face of unique opportunities.

Thus, the National African-American Teaching Committee consulted with the Regional Councils on establishing regional African-American teaching committees (starting in the Central States), while maintaining pilot programs in such cities as Atlanta, Los Angeles and Detroit.

The National Chinese Teaching Task Force encouraged Chinese-focus study groups in the four regions and initiated a regional system for training facilitators in use of specially developed Chinese materials. The task force also focused its attention on identifying at least two target university communities in each of the four regions.

And the National Latin-American Teaching Task Force provided data to support Hispanic teaching efforts, as that work increasingly has become the responsibility of the Councils.

Following the same current, the National Persian-American Affairs Task Force created regional task forces to bring its work of consolidation, education and unification closer to home.

And the Office of Pioneering organized its work along regional boundaries to help thousands of friends realize their desires to serve the Cause in other countries.

REFUGEE WORK: TWO-PRONGED APPROACH SERVES IRANIANS, SOUTHEAST ASIANS

Two major thrusts of the U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office (USBRO) during the Four Year Plan have been relocation and settlement of Iranian Bahá’í refugees and teaching and consolidation of Southeast Asian friends.

In aiding Persian Bahá’ís, the office has drawn on relationships built over the years with such agencies as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the State Department’s Office of Refugee Settlement.

This knowledge and standing has helped the office advise refugees and potential refugees, aid Iranian Bahá’ís who enter other countries in search of asylum, and work with Spiritual Assemblies affected by the influx of Persian Bahá’ís.

The office’s assistance to communities with large numbers of Southeast Asians also continues to bear fruit.

A network of ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ committed to teaching and consolidating refugees and their children is maintained through periodic visits and the quarterly publication of a Southeast Asian Helpers Bulletin, which has been redesigned and is being produced in-house. The office produces and sells video and print materials for use by those working with the Southeast Asians.

An annual Southeast Asian Community Builders Roundtable Discussion Conference at Bosch Bahá’í School has developed to the point that Southeast Asians now hold principal roles in conducting it.

Over time, much of the refugee work is expected to be decentralized in phases, with the Regional Bahá’í Councils gaining more responsibilities.

LOCAL GLIMPSES: DEVELOPING SOCIAL COHESION

Central California: Just this year, dozens of youths in the inland Highway 99 corridor have been attracted to the Faith through Project 99, a community-building effort that reaches out to Southeast Asians in cities such as Sacramento, Modesto, Merced and Fresno. Beginning as a literacy and virtues program for immigrants in one apartment building, it has grown and incorporated weekly study of Bahá’í writings as well as artistic activities. Volunteers drive long distances regularly to keep the project going.

[Page 26]

USE OF THE ARTS: SHOWCASING OUR DIVERSITY AND INSPIRING US TO UNITY

No doubt, Bahá’ís have a long way to go in our use of the arts. But that’s not from lack of effort—it’s a reflection of enormous potential.

And that potential has been brought into relief by the many and varied efforts made during the Four Year Plan.

Chief among them, at the urging of the Universal House of Justice, has been the advent of regular devotional gatherings.

Where else in Nashville, Tennessee, but at the Bahá’í Center can you find Scottish bagpiping, Irish dancing, Turkish singing, African drumming and Spanish-language prayers on a Saturday night?

The occasion is a monthly Bahá’í-sponsored “unity feast” that brings together people of all ages, religions and cultures for an evening of fun, fellowship and food.

Under sponsorship of the Nashville and Brentwood Assemblies, the devotional gathering has seen standing-room-only crowds and been blessed with an incredible array of performers.

During the Plan, our integration of the arts into the Nineteen Day Feast and Holy Day observances also has been marked. Particularly engaged have been ethnic believers and the young—two population groups that the Bahá’í community traditionally has trouble retaining.

In education, the Core Curriculum makes heavy use of the arts, as do the permanent and regional Bahá’í schools and children’s programs at Unit Convention—employing the special issue of Brilliant Star magazine.

The National Arts Task Force of the National Teaching Committee facilitated deepening of American friends on effective arts use through a series of pullout sections in The American Bahá’í and sponsorship of arts conferences.

The Bahá’í youth workshop movement has maintained its momentum, with about 80 workshops organized in the U.S. alone to deepen youths and help them proclaim and teach the Faith.

But perhaps the greatest strides in the past four years have been made in going beyond proclamation to expansion and consolidation using the arts.

Touring shows have given Bahá’í communities an opportunity to touch the hearts and minds of seekers with the content and spirit of a message, then systematically nurture them over time once the production has left town.

Included have been the River of Life riverboat tour led by Tom Price, which through ‎an unprecedented publicity efforts unprecedented publicity efforts‎ drew thousands to the boat in cities large and small; Global Vision Arts Alliance concerts in Colorado and beyond, coordinated by Susan Lewis Wright; The Noble Thief, Chris Hampton’s dramatized tale of transformation; The Kingfisher’s Wing, the story of Badi’ as told by Bill George and Styve Homnick; A Woman and Her Words: The Story of Táhirih, Muhtadia Rice’s one-woman depiction of our Faith’s first heroine; the Quinn family’s The Magic Bird and The Seven Valleys productions; and the Harvest Tour and other projects of the One Human Family Workshop Choir spearheaded by Eric Dozier.

Annual concerts in such cities as Canton, Ohio, and Rochester, New York, also have put the Faith on a wider stage, as have media reviews of art exhibitions in New York, Mexico, Texas and other locations.

Music at the Mother Temple of the West received new invigoration when the Bahá’í House of Worship Choir was re-established in 1997 and a full-time music director was hired for the first time in several years.

The learning curve for communities can be steep, but help is available.

Enter HEARTS (Heaven and Earth Arts Resource and Teaching Service), a social and economic project in Washington state that provides education and assistance to communities striving to more effectively spotlight the talents of Bahá’ís.

The Bahá’í Association for the Advancement of Arts and Media (BAAAM) also aims “to cultivate excellence in the expression of the spirit and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith through the arts and media and to stimulate utilization of these resources within and beyond the Bahá’í community.”

LOCAL GLIMPSES: DEVELOPING SOCIAL COHESION

Los Angeles, California

Area Bahá’ís’ recent participation in a sacred music festival was the latest in an accelerating pattern of service and unity-building that is benefiting residents citywide.

The Bahá’í Center was the site of two performance events for the nine-day festival: a display of musical solidarity between Jews and Arabs and a “Sounds of Oneness” concert featuring the Jeffrey Barnes Bahá’í Gospel Choir.

In recent years, especially since completion of the Unity Center component of the Bahá’í Center, local Bahá’ís have engaged in several ongoing outreach programs, including the Sunday worship program, Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop, coffeehouse, race relations video series, youth dinner discussions, Thornton Chase Bahá’í School, Cali’s Wild Fire youth gathering, Bahá’í college clubs, the Multicultural Organization for Neighborhood Arts, the Children’s Enrichment Program, the bookstore and regular Bahá’í discussions.

Skokie, Illinois

The friends in Skokie decided to bridge a perceived gulf between Persian- and American-born believers—spurred by a youth, Jonathan Ellis, who asked his parents whether more could be done to create unity.

Jonathan’s parents, Gwen and Caswell, consulted and decided to hold a “unity gathering” at their home. Their Iranian brothers and sisters could tell of coming to America and the American friends could share elements of their lives.

Amid a feast of Persian delicacies, East and West got to know each other that evening. Amazing stories of courage and patience flowed. And, upon leaving, each guest received a long-stemmed rose.

The gathering proved to be a good beginning for bonding of hearts. It will not be the last; a Persian family is making sure the gatherings continue regularly.

Louisiana/Texas: Michael and Karen Sadar-Watt of Slidell, Louisiana, traveled to perform a stage play based on the lives of Louis and Louisa Gregory, ground-breakers in the cause of racial unity.

Flint, Michigan: Bahá’ís and their friends ‎iinvolved involved‎ in YOUTH2, a development project, have made Race Unity Day an opportunity ‎to for for‎ the young and young at heart to have fun together while promoting social progress.

FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT: KNOWLEDGE MOVES US AHEAD THROUGH TROUBLES

Firmness in the Covenant, along with a realization that only our best will do at this critical juncture in the advance of humanity, has underlined every plan devised and every action taken the past four years.

The Covenant was very much on believers’ minds as the Plan began. Some individuals’ criticism of institutional actions and representatives had crossed the line into questioning the authority of institutions. Just as bad, the criticism had been voiced not within proper channels but in the most public of ways through the new medium of online communication.

This disturbing pattern prompted discussion of the Covenant at the 87th National Convention and a letter dated July 2, 1996, expressing “the ardent prayer of the Universal House of Justice that any friends who find themselves at odds in this endeavor will have confidence in the guidance it provides for them, will renew their study of the Teachings and, for the sake of Bahá’u’lláh, strengthen their love for one another.”

The National Spiritual Assembly soon after called for a period of study of the Covenant. Training institute courses on the fundamental verities of the Faith provided further grounding.

So, even as Covenant-breaking activity in Illinois and West Virginia was sorrowfully disclosed, the community of the Greatest Name could firmly and confidently move ahead.

And these last few months of the Four Year Plan coincide with the beginning of a two-year study program for U.S. Bahá’ís that involves numerous teachings on the Covenant. The first focus is on “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,” a letter by the Guardian that thoroughly sets out the flow of divine authority through our Administrative Order. [Page 27]

STRENGTHENING LOCAL ASSEMBLIES: REGIONAL COUNCILS GAIN CRUCIAL ROLE

A clear task lay ahead when the divine institution of Regional Bahá’í Council was created in mid-1997. Guidelines accompanying the Universal House of Justice’s May 30, 1997, letter to National Spiritual Assemblies called on each Regional Council to “devise and execute expansion and consolidation plans in close collaboration with the Local Spiritual Assemblies and the believers within its area of jurisdiction.”

In carrying out that task, Councils were to take aim at one overarching goal: “[T]o create strong Local Spiritual Assemblies which will be the focal centers of Bahá’í activity, will exercise their vitally important role in the development of the Faith and will demonstrate their ability to regulate the affairs of their local communities.”

The collaborative relationship that has developed between the four Councils and Local Spiritual Assemblies has become a model of mutual love and respect against a backdrop of the National Teaching Plan and the Four Year Plan aim of a “significant advance in the process of entry by troops.”

And since the beginning—when Local Assembly members in each region first elected the Councils in November 1997—this relationship has played out uniquely in four regions possessing individual strengths, challenges and opportunities.

Central States

The Regional Bahá’í Council for the Central States has called on Local Spiritual Assemblies to establish expansion and consolidation projects aimed at selected populations, participate to a greater degree in the national media initiative, and advance their administrative functioning.

As part of this effort, the Council has focused on helping Assemblies develop their own abilities—consultative, planning, goal-setting, resource management, etc.

Ten target metropolitan areas were targeted by the Council for special attention. The Assemblies in these areas, in the estimation of the Council, have demonstrated a working relationship with Auxiliary Board members, are involved in intercommunity collaboration, have teaching and consolidation plans in place, hold regular firesides and devotional meetings, and are home to or have the potential to support a regional training institute.

Two areas have been singled out for focused media outreach projects and further efforts aimed at community building and fostering the role of the individual.

In all these metro areas, an emphasis is placed on training believers in the skills needed to support plans of the Local Assemblies. The Council also has consulted with the National Assembly’s Office of Assembly Development on how best to promote use of Assembly development modules, particularly in rural areas, and on possible development of a plan for encouraging Assemblies to visit the Bahá’í National Center.

Northeastern States

The Regional Bahá’í Council for the Northeastern States has engaged in a multipronged approach to Assembly development, including acknowledgment of meritorious deeds, a series of “love letters” to Assemblies and encouragement of local race unity dialogues.

In a region where individual towns and cities have historically resisted collaborating to meet common goals, the Council sees the maturation of Assemblies as a means to aid individual expression of creative energies.

Encouragement of this impulse came to fruition when the Bahá’í “open university” in Iran was threatened with closure. Many groups and Assemblies in the Northeast arose to act systematically with letter-writing campaigns and efforts on local campuses.

The Council also has worked side by side with coordinating teams in Boston, Massachusetts, and Syracuse, New York. A product of this collaboration was a neighborhood race unity dialogue in Boston that the Council, the C-Team, the National Teaching Committee and area organizations co-sponsored.

Western States

In the far-flung and diverse American frontier, the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Western States used Unit Conventions to launch a massive home-front pioneering and traveling teaching effort to restore Assemblies. Wyoming has received special attention, with secondary priorities being New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

More than 150 believers volunteered at Conventions to pioneer on the home-front. Thirteen state coordinators have aided this effort to settle pioneers and bring in teachers. As a result, Wyoming went from no Assemblies in 155 B.E. to Assemblies in Cheyenne and Laramie in 156 B.E.

A working draft for intercommunity collaboration has been devised with help from experienced Assemblies throughout the region. Five Assemblies in the West also have participated in testing and development of the Local Spiritual Assembly Automation and Integration project of the National Assembly.

Montana was designated a pilot state for Assembly development because of its potential. Projects launched have included a statewide Assembly training weekend using development modules, with coordination by Counselor Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, the Auxiliary Board members and the Office of Assembly Development.

Southern States

The Regional Bahá’í Council for the Southern States began its Assembly development work by identifying five challenges: feeling a personal spiritual connection to Bahá’u’lláh; having a clear sense of mission; teaching with confidence and courage and acquiring effective teaching skills; nurturing an environment that is loving and accepting and embraces diversity of all kinds; and ensuring effective and sustained collaboration between the twin arms of the Bahá’í Administrative Order.

Assemblies responded to these challenges with overwhelming support. Interestingly, they identified an additional concern in this hectic world: finding adequate time to devote to planning and implementation.

This pointed up the emerging role of regional training institutes as a key to rallying communities and giving believers the skills they need to fully carry out Assembly plans.

The Council sponsored a conference of regional training institute board members in which Auxiliary Board members and representatives of the Office of Assembly Development also participated.

Coordinating teams and state teaching committees also have played a significant role at the grassroots in strengthening Assemblies and helping to turn jeopardized Assemblies and groups into functioning Assemblies.

LOCAL GLIMPSES: DEVELOPING SOCIAL COHESION

Dover, Delaware

Growth of the Faith in Dover has been likened to a ball hurtling downhill that the Local Spiritual Assembly need only nudge every so often to guide.

In one year, Dover doubled its active core of believers. In two years, Dover tripled it.

A period of tests late in the Three Year Plan had crippled the community, but Dover Bahá’ís emerged with more resolve than ever. And when four people being separately taught declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh in rapid succession, the friends knew they were on to something.

That something was youth—specifically, junior youth. One youngster taught another, they taught others, those others taught still more. And the parents of these teens were asking about the Faith to which their children gave allegiance.

It was then that the Dover Assembly decided to put youth at the heart of the community and harness the tremendous energy these young people were generating.

A series of monthly youth retreats began, with the thought of spawning a Bahá’í youth workshop. Eight teen-agers attended the first weekend retreat. Soon about 35 teens coming from up to two hours away were showing up for the combination deepening, workshop practice and social event.

The Bahá’í community as a whole has been rejuvenated. Adults have committed themselves en masse to undertake the Core Curriculum training. Even those without children have been seen accompanying youths to activities.

Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Youths organized a special night of honor for the area’s older Bahá’ís, which drew about 130 people. Held to help strengthen the bond among members of the community, the gathering ended with each older community member receiving a rose.

St. Cloud, Minnesota

An Assembly deepening program in greater St. Cloud led to a two-pronged teaching project in honor of a late, well-loved local believer.

It also has had “a transforming effect with our Bahá’í community,” a report from the Assembly states.

The area saw a great increase in declarations. Feasts are better-attended. And a variety of activities have blossomed, ranging from personal firesides to Bahá’ís joining the city’s Human Rights Commission. [Page 28]

ASSEMBLY DEVELOPMENT: NATIONAL OFFICE MAKES VARIETY OF TOOLS AVAILABLE

When Local Spiritual Assemblies—new and experienced—need help to function more effectively, they can call on a number of resources:

• Assembly development modules.
• Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities.
• A Miracle of Governance: The Local Spiritual Assembly and its companion workbook.
• Regional forums.
• The Weekend Visit program.
• The Self Assessment Tool.

Coordinating this multifaceted “hand up” for local institutions is the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of Assembly Development, established at Ridván 1995 as part of the Office of Community Administration and Development.

The office’s principal tool, the development module, covers such topics as teaching; consultation; connecting hearts to the Fund; fostering race unity; the equality of men and women; integrating the arts into Bahá’í community life; and stress management.

More than 100 believers from all four regions have been trained to facilitate module deepenings and otherwise represent the office.

Another major tool is Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities, the nearly ubiquitous loose-leaf reference manual for Assemblies. A revision was completed in 1998. This year it went online so Assembly members could download the entire document or revised pages for free.

A Miracle of Governance was produced by the National Assembly in 1997 to help communities deepen.

The 43-minute video features a talk by National Assembly member Firuz Kazemzadeh organized into four major topic areas: the station, duties and functioning of the Local Assembly, and the relationship between the Local Assembly and the individual.

Pauses built into the video allow for contemplation or use of the companion workbook exercises between segments. The exercises were devised by the Office of Assembly Development in cooperation with the National Teacher Training Center.

Regional forums for Assembly development began in mid-1996 with a pilot gathering at the National Center of 29 Assemblies within a 50-mile radius of the Bahá’í House of Worship.

Designed to strengthen the skills of Assembly members and to encourage inter-community cooperation, the forums have been held in several metropolitan areas.

The office’s Weekend Visit program acquaints Local Assembly members with resources available to them at their National Center.

These draw members of three or four Assemblies at a time for a weekend of tours, meetings with members of the National Assembly and representatives of its agencies, and time for sharing with other participating Assemblies.

Last but not least, the Self Assessment Tool is a series of questions to provoke thought among Assembly members on a number of functions and goals. It is supplemented by the document “Where to Find Assistance in Achieving Goals.”

During the Four Year Plan, the office also has encouraged local recognition ceremonies for new Local Assemblies so they are introduced to the community at large and to other area Bahá’í institutions.

FUND AWARENESS: A SPIRITUAL VIEW

American Bahá’ís entered the Four Year Plan having just sacrificed mightily to help erect the edifices and terraces on Mount Carmel. Other Funds of the Faith benefited as contributions reached unprecedented levels.

But new challenges lay ahead in the quest to attract souls while building the infrastructure necessary to welcome them into our embrace: decentralization, the national media initiative and capital expenditures, to name a few.

Against this backdrop the National Office of the Treasurer carried out its mission to educate the friends, mainly through their elected Assemblies, on the spiritual nature of giving.

Most visible of these efforts was the Stewardship and Development Seminar program. Bahá’ís around the country were trained starting in early 1997 to help Assemblies meet and manage the material resources needed to build thriving Bahá’í communities and, ultimately, the Kingdom of God on earth.

Each of the hundreds of seminars conducted during the Plan had two components: the nuts and bolts of local treasury management, including issues such as tax deductibility, receipt practices, fund raising and considerations in Center acquisition and operation; and deepening on fundamental spiritual principles of giving to the Funds.

Parallel to this program, the office:

• Revised the booklet Stewardship and Development: A Desktop Reference for Spiritual Assemblies and Treasurers.
• Refined the annual Assembly goal program to encourage more communities to participate.
• Published information on planned giving and on the practical and spiritual value of preparing a will.
• Regularly apprised believers of how their dollars were being spent.

LOCAL GLIMPSES: SUPPORT FOR ASSEMBLIES

Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the United States have devised teaching plans aligned with the national and regional plans.

But, as the Universal House of Justice noted in its May 19, 1994, letter to our National Spiritual Assembly: “The power of action in the believers is unlocked at the level of individual initiative and surges at the level of collective volition.”

The vignettes under this heading typify the support of the friends for their institutions during the Four Year Plan.

Palm Coast, Florida: When this city’s Local Spiritual Assembly was first formed, it was the first to be celebrated with a recognition ceremony. The public gathering was organized under guidelines from the Office of Assembly Development.

Florida

A grassroots organization called the Lights of Bahá’u’lláh Institute was established early in the Plan to channel the energies of Florida Bahá’ís into teaching projects and other activities aimed at advancing the process of entry by troops.

Any Assembly or group in the state could call on the organization’s services, including firesides, teacher training, a speakers’ bureau, conferences, teaching projects, displays/booths, consolidation, teaching materials, a traveling teacher bureau, quotation hotline, newsletter, resources and development for target issues, and evaluation of each phase of the Plan.

Lights of Bahá’u’lláh also has labored to inspire the Florida friends to make and act upon personal teaching plans and form small teaching groups.

RIDVÁN REQUIREMENT: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DEEPENING

In requiring that Local Spiritual Assemblies once again form only on the First Day of Ridván, the Universal House of Justice said the responsibility for electing a Local Assembly “rests primarily on the Bahá’ís of the locality.”

The National Spiritual Assembly anticipated that about 250 U.S. Assemblies—primarily in mass-taught and rural areas—would be affected by the change at Ridván 1997. In fact, the temporary net loss of Local Assemblies came to fewer than 200 over the next two years, and the total number of recognized Assemblies has begun to rise again (see chart).

Believers and institutions that helped in the past to form these Assemblies were urged to turn their full attention to deepening the friends’ understanding of the Bahá’í electoral process.

Aiding in this task, our national body identified relevant resources and published answers to many common questions about Assembly elections.

Assembly formations by year

As anticipated, the number of recognized Local Spiritual Assemblies nationwide fell after the Universal House of Justice required that all local Bahá’í communities act on their own to form or elect Assemblies on the First Day of Ridván.

Assemblies recognized each year, according to the Membership Office at the Bahá’í National Center:

1996–97 (153 B.E.): 1,329

1997–98 (154 B.E.): 1,175

1998–99 (155 B.E.): 1,144

1999–2000 (156 B.E.): 1,181

[Page 29]

ASSEMBLY RESPONSIBILITIES: DEVELOPMENT, COLLABORATION ARE ON THE RISE

Local Spiritual Assemblies across the United States are flexing new muscle as they devise, execute and sustain initiatives.

Northern Virginia

Three Assemblies in northern Virginia have teamed up to sponsor an intercommunity social and economic development project.

In early 1997, seven area Bahá’ís were trained as facilitators by Mottahedeh Development Services, an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Their new skills were put to immediate use as the Assemblies and then their communities brainstormed on pressing needs.

This led to formation of a support group for single parents. Now in operation for more than a year, the support group has met regularly.

Recently, this project has been augmented by a tutoring/mentoring program for children and youth.

The intercommunity effort has had its share of challenges, including how to communicate clearly and sensitively over a wide area and among people of diverse backgrounds.

But the sponsoring Assemblies and project organizers have worked through these issues and emerged stronger for the experience—thanks partly to input from seasoned social and economic development practitioners who used the northern Virginia project as a case study at the 1998 Rabbani Trust conference in Orlando, Florida.

Focus on National Fund

The National Bahá’í Fund was running a $1.9 million deficit at the worst possible time—as the U.S. community geared up in late 1997 for its largest media initiative ever.

So three Spiritual Assemblies in Florida took up a challenge from Counselor Tod Ewing for Florida believers to contribute their share toward eliminating the shortfall and, just as important, inspire others throughout the land to do the same.

The Assemblies approached Auxiliary Board member Charles Cornwell. With his help, a letter went out to every Assembly, Group and isolated believer in the state describing the proposed campaign, called Elevate and Educate.

The responses that started coming in almost immediately not only achieved higher contributions to the Fund but indicated a real change in how believers view giving.

As Ewing predicted, the effort spread. Auxiliary Board member Farah Guchani-Rosenberg took it to Assemblies in Louisiana and Mississippi. Fund raisers were held as well in Georgia.

And echoes of this campaign were heard nearly two years later and 3,000 miles away when the Assembly of Washington County North, Oregon, rallied that state’s believers to attack an $8.5 million gap between the National Fund goal and contributions.

The Assembly’s campaign, From Oregon with Love, aims to increase state believers’ contributions to the Fund by $250,000 and spur similar action by the friends nationwide.

LOCAL GLIMPSES: SUPPORT FOR ASSEMBLIES

A rally for UNITE was one of several ‎activites activities‎ that gained new contacts for the community in 1997.

Huntington, West Virginia

Bahá’ís here turned up the heat of their activity for the Cause after a low point in 1997. With a helping hand from the friends in Charleston and from Auxiliary Board members, area Bahá’ís have played highly visible roles in several community events such as the UNITE (Uniting Neighbors in Truth and Equality) Rally and the Huntington YWCA’s “Eliminating Racism and Hate Crimes” program. They also established a small Bahá’í center through the generosity of a Bahá’í couple.

Portland, Oregon

Individuals’ commitment to serve is the key to success as the Spiritual Assembly here has systematized its process for boosting participation and effectively executing plans.

Before choosing members of committees, the Assembly studies the messages of the Universal House of Justice and the National Teaching Plan, then calls in the Auxiliary Board members and assistants and experts on various subjects to consult on a shared vision.

The Assembly next identifies the committees needed and devises for each a set of goals and tasks.

With that in hand, the Assembly approaches friends whose capacities fit the tasks and asks them to meditatively decide whether to commit a year of service to that role.

Lastly, the Assembly immediately meets with the newly named committees to go over their mandate and get them off on the right foot.

EQUALITY EFFORTS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

HUQUQU’LLÁH — THE RIGHT OF GOD

Payments to Huququ’lláh should be made to “The Bahá’í Huququ’lláh Trust” (please write your Bahá’í identification number on your check) and sent to one of the Trustees: Amin Banani, Santa Monica, CA 90402 (phone 310-394-5449, fax 310-394-6167, e-mail Stephen Birkland, Arden Hills, MN 55112 (phone 651-484-9518, fax 651-415-1766, e-mail Sally Foo, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 (phone 609-671-9125, fax 609-671-0740, e-mail Daryush Haghighi, Rocky River, OH 44116 (phone 440-333-1506, fax 440-333-6938, e-mail Elizabeth Martin, P.O. Box 178, Winnsboro, SC 29180 (phone 803-635-9602, e-mail Office of the Secretariat, Bahá’í Huququ’lláh Trust: Rocky River, OH 44116 (phone 440-333-1506, fax 440-333-6938, e-mail

Women is further illustrated by its role in helping to create a national NGO, U.S. Women Connect (www.uswc.org), a focal point for global communications in North America on Beijing Plus Five.

However, the best demonstration of the National Spiritual Assembly’s role in encouraging the U.S. government to keep to its commitment made at the Beijing conference is the leadership role it has taken in efforts for U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The U.S. government in 1995 made a promise at the Beijing conference to ratify CEDAW by 2000. That document provides a universal definition of discrimination against women, establishing a basis for every government’s domestic and foreign policy to combat discrimination.

A longtime leader for women’s rights, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, introduced S. Res. 237, a resolution calling for hearings on CEDAW and Senate action by March 8, International Women’s Day. As a co-chair of the Washington-based national Working Group on Ratification of CEDAW, the National Spiritual Assembly has played a critical role in developing strategies to achieve universal Senate sponsorship of this resolution. The action plan calls upon people around the country to encourage their senators to co-sponsor S. Res. 237. Details of this plan can be reviewed by visiting either the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org) or the public Web site (www.us.bahai.org/cedaw) of the National Spiritual Assembly.

With the help of the National Committee for the Equality of Women and Men and the Office of Women’s Affairs, Bahá’ís who have indicated an interest in women’s issues were asked by the National Spiritual Assembly to schedule meetings with certain key senators or their foreign affairs legislative aides during the Senate winter recess.

The National Spiritual Assembly is deeply thankful for the efforts of each Bahá’í and every Local Spiritual Assembly that arises unhesitatingly to carry out its requests. [Page 30]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 EVANSTON, ILLINOIS

Executive Assistant, National Teaching Office. Helps National Teaching Committee secretary: Coordinates projects related to National Teaching Plan; helps develop reports; communicates with other agencies; prepares articles for The American Bahá’í. Needs bachelor’s degree; knowledge of Bahá’í writings/administration; project management experience; writing, speaking, analytical skills; word processing, spreadsheet, desktop publishing, Internet skills. Some travel required.

International Consultant, Office of Pioneering (2 positions). Recruits, counsels, trains and dispatches international pioneers, youth volunteers and traveling teachers; assists current volunteers and those returning to the States. Needs excellent communication and organizational skills and computer/word processing skills; office experience preferable. Should understand cross-cultural interactions, international affairs etc.

Staff Producer, Media Services. Full range of video/audio production tasks, especially writing/development of Bahá’í Newsreel. Will keep day-to-day production process in order; research, gather news, write and edit finished Newsreel stories, at times without assistance; help develop network of correspondents; arrange for duplication/distribution. Needs knowledge/experience in all production aspects of broadcast journalism; flexibility, organizational skills, familiarity with Bahá’í administration.

Conservation Coordinator, Conservation. Does inspection, recordkeeping, testing, research for Conservation Program at Bahá’í House of Worship; maintains Conservation Team information systems; manages some projects; must work at heights. Needs three years’ experience in engineering technology or conservation/preservation work; degree in engineering technology, museum science or related field; skill in sketching, word processing.

Maintenance Team Leader, Properties. Will manage facility/building maintenance and engineering staff to provide timely services at minimal costs; plan, estimate, schedule maintenance requests and projects; assure that all equipment and buildings are efficiently and effectively maintained. Needs at least five years’ experience in all areas of building maintenance (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, cleaning etc.) with three to five years as a maintenance manager; valid driver’s license; supervisory command of English.

Clerk, Mail Services. Handles incoming/outgoing mail; carries out shipping, receiving, distribution, storage duties. Must be computer-literate, especially in Microsoft Office programs. Must speak, read and write English; needs valid driver’s license.

Administrative assistant (part-time), U.S. Bahá’í Refugee Office. Prepares correspondence to refugees and to Bahá’í, government and other agencies involved in refugee resettlement. Develops reports, maintains records, helps process Southeast Asian Bahá’í refugees. Helps compile and write the Southeast Asian Helpers Bulletin, articles for The American Bahá’í and other publications. Needs proven ability to work with confidential information, strong skills writing and speaking English.

URGENT NEEDS

Office of the Treasurer, Evanston: Assistant Controller. Responsible for National Spiritual Assembly financial operations: budget and cash management, reporting and control. Maintains relationships with department heads. Needs high degree of honesty and integrity; five years’ experience as controller of mid-sized corporation or not-for-profit entity; bachelor’s degree in accounting (CPA preferred); experience in all areas of financial operations. Must be organized, skilled in communication, able to function in fast-moving, consultative environment.

Office of the Treasurer, Evanston: Program Coordinator I. Helps devise strategies for increasing regular participation in Bahá’í Funds and contribution levels; helps Local Assemblies apply principles underlying Fund contributions; helps administer Weekend Visit Program; helps prepare and present training materials. Must be well-grounded in the fundamental verities of the Faith; skilled in written/oral communication; able to coordinate many tasks; should have bachelor’s degree in human service field, experience in program design and management.

Meetings and Travel Office, Evanston: Hospitality Planner. Will promote a loving, attentive and pleasing atmosphere for National Spiritual Assembly and Bahá’í National Center meetings. Will plan menus, set up and close down meetings, buy supplies, maintain stockroom; will collaborate with Office of the Secretary and Properties office and occasionally assist with travel requests. Flexible work schedule available to accommodate intermittent weekend meetings. Aptitude for decor and flower arrangement is desirable.

Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, SC: Administrator. Responsible for Institute development, programming, operation and maintenance with its new mandate, including service to its local community and a focus on social and economic development. Must have proven administrative abilities (planning, coordination, budgeting, staff and volunteer management); in-depth understanding of Bahá’í teachings, administration and community life; commitment to behavior that meets Bahá’í standards and serves as a positive model.

Office of the Treasurer, Evanston: Payroll/Accounting Assistant. Will maintain payroll in all phases of process; assist Accounting Manager and support accounts payable and cashiers’ functions; prepare reports; assist with contribution processing and annual audit. Needs associate’s degree in accounting or equivalent training/experience; strong organizational and communication skills; extensive knowledge of mainframes and software such as Windows, Excel, WordPerfect; familiarity with accounting staff functions such as A/P, A/R and ACS.

If interested, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430). ♦

OFFICE OF INFORMATION SERVICES

Applications developer. Provides high-level analysis, design, implementation of information systems. Familiar with variety of technologies: Visual tools, database and Web tools.

Network Administrator/Engineer. Responsible for configuration, maintenance and security of all computer networking infrastructure (LAN and WAN) including servers, cabling, routers, switches and NICs. Maintains documentation of network and ‎severs servers‎ setup and structure.

LSAI Support. Coordinates support activities for LSAI project. Provides training and support for LSAI. Handles initial requests for support, escalates support issues to help desk when necessary. Develops training-related materials, assists promotion and education.

Database administrator. Coordinates database development. Responsible for Enterprise SQL server including security rights, table design, normalization. Responsible for design and implementation of user and departmental applications as front ends to SQL using MS Access, VB or other tools as determined.

AT BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING TRUST WILMETTE, IL

General Manager. Responsible for creation and execution of publishing agenda, policies; communication with other departments; smooth operation, product quality and financial results of publishing enterprise. Acts as its public and legal spokesperson. Helps achieve National Spiritual Assembly’s wishes to ensure that authoritative texts and related Bahá’í material are available to Bahá’ís; and to develop a presence for Bahá’í literature in retail bookstores and libraries. Needs high-level skills in communication, organization, consultation, presentation, negotiation, problem-solving; expertise in publishing and business management, including financial, personnel and marketing; ability to meet changing deadlines and establish priorities while holding firm to a long-term goal; bachelor’s degree, publishing experience, knowledge of Bahá’í literature and principles.

AT BAHÁ’Í DISTRIBUTION SERVICE FULTON COUNTY, GA

Manager. Will oversee general direction, policies/strategies, interdepartmental collaboration, business operations; ensure high level of service to the community, performance of financial mandates and safeguarding of employee welfare; recruit, train and develop personnel; coordinate marketing/customer service, buying, information services and fulfillment. Needs high-level skills in communication, organization, consultation, presentation, negotiation, problem-solving; expertise in publishing and business management/marketing; ability to meet changing deadlines and establish priorities; knowledge of Bahá’í literature and principles; bachelor’s degree; five years’ experience in business management/development, specifically in personnel and financial management; knowledge/experience in distribution or publishing.

Customer Service Representative. Will take and enter orders for Bahá’í literature and other products; handle customer information requests (including content and use of books or other products) and complaints; provide feedback on trends and concerns in the community. Must have knowledge of Bahá’í literature and international/national Plans; a year’s experience in customer service relevant to above duties; ability to speak English clearly and precisely; ability to work well, calmly and cordially under pressure, often while handling difficult personalities or changing deadlines. Desirable: a year’s experience in word processing or data entry; six months’ experience in phone orders and general office work.

If interested in any of these Bahá’í National Offices posts, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

AT GREEN ACRE BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL ELIOT, MAINE

Assistant Facilities Coordinator. Helps with inspections, preventive and routine maintenance, exterior and interior repairs. Must have proven skills in housekeeping and maintenance of buildings, equipment, vehicles and grounds.

If interested, please contact Jim Sacco, co-administrator, Green Acre Bahá’í School, 188 Main St., Eliot, ME 03903 (phone 207-439-7200, e-mail

LOUHELEN BAHÁ’Í SCHOOL DAVISON, MICHIGAN

Outreach Coordinator, National Teacher Training Center. Will support implementation of Core Curriculum programs in local communities and otherwise support the work of the National Teacher Training Center. Needs formal or informal educational experience; familiarity with Core Curriculum training programs; experience training children, youths and adults.

Properties Associate. Open in June. Full range skilled maintenance and manual labor, to care for Louhelen’s facilities and grounds year-round. Needs experience and training in any or all of the following: carpentry, construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, grounds etc.

If interested in either position, contact Rick or Barbara Johnson, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 810-653-5033, e-mail or see the Web site

ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Administrative Assistant, Regional Bahá’í Council-West, San Francisco, CA. Clerical/organizational tasks: filing, processing correspondence, phone duty, ordering supplies etc. Needs skills in computer word processing/data entry and general office tasks; patience, efficiency, initiative, attention to detail, ability to

SEE CLASSIFIED, PAGE 32 [Page 31]

Fizolah Valapour was homefront pioneer in Iran, physician, businessman

Fizolah Valapour’s courageous heart gave out after years of problems, Nov. 13, 1999, in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Charleston Spiritual Assembly received an e-mail message on Nov. 29 from the Bahá’í World Center:

“The Universal House of Justice was deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dr. Fizolah Valapour. His services in the pioneering and administrative fields in the Cradle of the Faith and in the Americas are lovingly remembered. Kindly inform his dear family and friends of its ardent prayers in the Holy Shrines for the progress of his soul throughout all the divine worlds and for the comfort and solace of his loved ones.”

Born in 1930 in Tehran to Munirih and Lotfallah Rahimzade, Valapour attended medical school in Isfahan and Tehran. He married Nasrin Rahmani.

After his residency, the family pioneered to Sari in the state of Mázindarán. In addition to his medical practice, he became a successful businessman.

The family came to America in 1979 because of the revolution. In Charleston, their hospitable home became a center of Bahá’í activity. Valapour served on the Local Assembly all his years in the city.

In appreciation of 20 years of service, the Charleston Bahá’ís sponsored a tribute to the Valapours on Aug. 29, 1999. The surprised couple reacted with characteristic humility: “We’ve done nothing; we’re just Bahá’ís.”

Surviving, in addition to Nasrin, are a son living in the United Arab Emirates; and daughters living in the Dominican Republic and Baltimore, Maryland. ♦

IN MEMORIAM

Gladys L. Abas Rogers, AR November 2, 1999	Charles Craft Albuquerque, NM November 28, 1999	Tom A. Freeman Redding, CA May 10, 1999	Effat Khierkhah La Jolla, CA December 18, 1999	James S. Locke Tacoma, WA December 23, 1999	Ruth T. Merritt Northglenn, CO May 8, 1999	Jack G. Reichenbach Lake County, FL December 9, 1999
Jose B. Acebo Las Vegas, NV December 16, 1999	Laura C. Craig Orlando, FL November 27, 1999	Frances P. Grandy New York City, NY December 14, 1999	Virginia J. Kreis Diamond Bar, CA October 3, 1999	Beth D. Maglothin Honduras July 4, 1999	Violette Nawi Norwood, NJ December 14, 1999	Alice Reid Mansfield, OH September 15, 1999
Margarete H. Acebo Las Vegas, NV December 11, 1999	Merle J. Danielson Anacortes, WA October 7, 1999	Sidney Harper Las Vegas, NV December 13, 1999	Loretta J. Ligon Schererville, IN December 28, 1999	John L. Mathis Milledgeville, GA November 14, 1999	Victoria Nestande East Lansing, MI October 17, 1999	Jamshid (James) Sabet Laguna Hills, CA January 4, 2000
Luella M. Balsiger Palm Desert, CA November 26, 1999	Gary L. DuBois Rockford, IL August 19, 1999	Ardith M. Heaney Helena, MT November 24, 1999	Mele Lino Bradenton, FL July 1999	Dale F. McCall Willingboro, NJ October 1, 1999	Martha Orage Beaufort, SC July 1999	Margaret G. Tangler Rocky River, OH December 3, 1999
Daisy Barbor Orange, VA September 13, 1999	Willie F. David Delray Beach, FL August 1999	Albert L. Hodges Milwaukee, WI January 2000		Lucille McCarrell Chicago, IL November 29, 1999	Gust Pappas Glendora, CA July 25, 1999	Ernest White Milwaukee, WI December 1999

CLASSIFIED, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

maintain confidentiality and work with minimal supervision; knowledge of Bahá’í teachings and administration; at least high school diploma. Must have access to regular transportation to or within San Francisco. Contact Regional Bahá’í Council for the Western States, 266 Casitas Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127 (fax 415-759-1991, e-mail ).

PC Hardware/Software Configuration, Information Services. Positions can be paid or voluntary. Need ability to replace and install parts and/or software in PCs, then reconfigure system. We are looking for people living near, or willing to travel to, Bahá’í schools, institutes, offices and communities in all parts of the country to perform these services when the need arises and scheduling permits. A few days’ orientation/training at Bahá’í National Center is requested. Contact Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

INTERNATIONAL

China: Numerous openings for English teachers and professionals willing to travel for service in this rapidly developing country. For more information contact Susan Senchuk (phone 847-733-3506, fax 847-733-3509, e-mail ).

YOUTH

AT THE BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP Summer youth jobs, Temple Conservation Team. College-age summer conservation technicians work in teams completing projects in building and landscape maintenance, specialized cleaning, detailed inspections and photo documentation. The meticulous and challenging work of caring for the Temple requires considerable self-discipline and maturity, but no preservation experience is required. Applications are due by March 15; phone interviews will be scheduled and employment decisions will be made by early April. For more information or to receive an application packet, contact the Conservation Team (phone 847-853-2320, e-mail ).

PIONEERING / HOMEFRONT

Please consider taking a pioneering post to save the Local Spiritual Assembly of Cortez, Colorado. This community in southwestern Colorado desperately needs to increase adult membership by 3 to 5 before Ridván. Specific information about a middle school teaching opening will be sent upon request. Please contact Sharon Babbitt, Colorado homefront pioneer coordinator for the Regional Bahá’í Council of the Western States. (e-mail ).

The Bahá’í Club of the University of Louisiana at Monroe invites Bahá’í students to consider this university. ULM is an academically challenging and beautiful school, with strong programs in gerontology, pharmacy, nursing, pre-medicine and many others. It is located in northeastern Louisiana, with bayous and cypress trees with hanging moss throughout the campus. Interested? Contact Dr. Chris Johnson (ULM Bahá’í Club faculty advisor), Institute of Gerontology, ULM, Monroe, LA 71209-0330 (office phone 318-342-1467, home phone 318-361-3906, e-mail ).

Centerville, Utah, is seeking pioneers and teachers to help us form a Spiritual Assembly at Ridván. With a pleasant small-town atmosphere, we are within easy commuting distance of Salt Lake City, Ogden and Hill Air Force Base. Universities and colleges are a short distance away. Jobs are available in health sciences, the arts and the computer sciences (including software development and web programming). Winter sports abound and a variety of performing arts thrive. With diverse teaching opportunities, the Centerville community can offer ample hospitality for traveling teachers. For further information, please contact Paul and Karen Webb (phone 801-298-4507, e-mail ).

Doraville, Georgia, in Metro Atlanta invites you to come and pioneer. We have a Local Assembly with a handful of active adult Bahá’ís and children; we need to increase our core of active believers. Doraville has a very diverse Asian, black, Hispanic and white population. Please contact Kathi Wright-Hulett (phone 770-458-0344, e-mail ).

PROJECTS IN U.S.

The Spiritual Assembly of New York City is seeking believers to assist with its Newark, New Jersey, teaching project. Newark has a population of more than 50,000 but no Assembly. If you would like to help by traveling teaching or homefront pioneering in Newark, please contact Hillary Chapman at the New York City Secretariat (phone 212-674-8998, e-mail ).

WANTED

Mottahedeh Development Services is seeking assistance with its computer distribution project. If you plan on travelling to Suriname or Poland and could transport a computer for the use of the national community in either of those countries, or if you would like to donate a functioning laptop as a gift in kind, please contact Hillary Chapman (phone 212-674-8998, e-mail ).

ARCHIVES

The National Bahá’í Archives is seeking original letters written on behalf of the Guardian to the following: E.B.M. Dewing, Elizabeth Dickerman, Fred Diehl, Naomi Dietz, Fred Dillingham, ‎Clarrissa Clarissa‎ June Dilts and Janice Mapp Dingwall. 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 847-853-2359).

The National Bahá’í Archives has prepared a series of biographical sketches of prominent African-American, Native American, Hispanic and Asian Bahá’ís for the use of local communities in Black History Month, Race Unity Day and other special events observances. There is also a partial chronology of U.S. race unity activities. Any local community or individual wishing a set of these sketches may send a request with a mailing address to the National Bahá’í Archives, 1233 Central Street, Evanston IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-869-9039). [Page 32]

World Order

Your window to teaching, deepening and external affairs

Now available: Spring 1999 issue Defining Moments • "Who Is Writing the Future? Reflections on the Twentieth Century" • Ahang Rabbani's "The Conversion of the Great Uncle of the Báb" • Aden Lauchner's "Albert Killius: Photographer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá"

Coming: Summer 1999-Special Issue on Religious Freedom World Order surveys global response to the attempt to close of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education in Iran, and larger issues about religious freedom in a world community.

Robert H. Stockman: "The Attack on the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education in Iran" Ghangiz Geula, Marianne Geula and John Woodall: "Health Care in a Persecuted Community: The Case of the Bahá’ís in Iran" • Wilma Ellis: "Religious Freedom Abroad" • Robert Hariman: "Radical Sociality and Christian Detachment in Erasmus' Praise of Folly" • Amin Banani reviews Juan Cole's Modernity and the Millennium

Subscriptions: US-$19/year, $36 / 2 years Outside U.S. surface mail- $19/year, $36/2 years Outside US. air mail- $24/year, $46/2 years Single copy: $5 plus shipping/handling

The Writing of a Will

Planned giving methods include: • Providing for the Bahá’í Faith in your will • Making a gift of securities • Making a gift of real estate • Making a gift through life insurance

Receiving income from your gift: • Charitable Gift Annuities • Charitable Remainder Trusts

This eight-page brochure from the Office of the Treasurer contains some Bahá’í teachings and practical advice on: • Importance and advantages of a will • Five steps to creating a successful will • Checklist for preparing a will • Burial instructions • Bequests to the Bahá’í Faith

Individual copies may be requested free. There is a nominal charge for ordering these brochures in quantity.

The National Spiritual Assembly has established a Planned Giving Program to help believers make a variety of financial arrangements for themselves, their families and the Faith.

To order The Writing of a Will or to find out more about planned giving: Phone 847-733-3466 or e-mail

Brilliant Star

Bimonthly children's magazine by the U.S. National Assembly Subscriptions: U.S.-$18/ year, $32/2 years Outside U.S. surface mail-$18/ year, $33/2 years Outside US, air mail $28/ year, $52/2 years Single copy: $3.50 plus shipping/handling See page 19 for Kid's Corner

The American Bahá’í

10 times a year; available by subscription to Bahá’ís outside the continental U.S. Subscriptions: U.S.-$24 / year, $45/2 years Outside U.S. surface mail $32/ year, $60 / 2 years Single copy: $3 plus shipping/handling

One Country

Quarterly about development by the Bahá’í International Community Subscriptions: U.S.-$12/ year, $22 / 2 years Outside U.S. surface mail-$16/year, $30/2 years Outside U.S. air mail $20/year, $36/2 years Single copy: $3.50 plus shipping/handling

Herald of the South

Quarterly by National Assemblies of Australia and New Zealand Subscriptions: U.S.-$28/ year, $50/2 years Outside U.S.: Contact Herald of the South, Ingleside NSW 2101, Australia; e-mail Single copy: $8 plus shipping/handling

Use a separate copy of this form for each subscription Which publication? Send to: Address City State, ZIP Country Daytime phone or e-mail Sold to (if different from recipient): Address City State, ZIP Country Home phone Work phone Fax E-mail Is this a gift subscription? (Circle one) Y N

Check/money order payment must be in U.S. dollars from U.S. bank, payable to Bahá’í Distribution Service. Do not combine subscription payments with payments for back issues or other single items. Georgia residents include applicable sales tax.

Credit card # Exp. date Cardholder signature

Phone orders: 800-999-9019 E-mail orders: Mail orders: Bahá’í Subscriber Service, 4703 Fulton Industrial Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30336-2017

INFORMATION ON YOUR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING TRIP

To record achievement of traveling teaching goals, the Office of Pioneering needs information on all international trips undertaken for the sake of promoting the interests of the Faith. This information is important whatever the level or amount of service and regardless of whether your trip was exclusively for service to the Faith or was combined with a trip for business, holiday, family, study or otherwise.

Just contact the Office of Pioneering, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3508, fax 847-733-3509, e-mail).

Use the Multipurpose Form below to respond by mail.

Special information (use a separate sheet as needed): Names and ID numbers of all Bahá’ís on each trip. Names of each country visited, plus the one or two main localities, and date(s) of visit(s). Main purpose of your travel. Did you arise to meet the call of the Universal House of Justice for: Native Americans to teach in the circumpolar areas? Hispanic believers to teach in Latin America? African-Americans to teach in Africa?

MULTIPURPOSE FORM

CLIP OR COPY AS NEEDED For which activity or inquiry? Name Address City State, ZIP Phone E-mail Special information (please include dates if reporting international teaching trip): (if applicable) [Page 33]

House of Worship Special Visit is a spiritual journey

In June 1972, 18 adults and an 8-year-old child attended the first of the now-annual Special Visit programs. These gatherings began for the purpose of welcoming the friends to the Temple for an in-depth experience with the Mashriqul-Adhkár and the Bahá’í National Center. This event, a very spiritual journey giving the believers an opportunity to connect with their material and spiritual center on this continent, was the inspiration of the staff of the Bahá’í House of Worship. Through the 26 years since then, the Special Visit program remained a much-anticipated event on the calendar of the House of Worship in Wilmette.

Some aspects of the Special Visit program include discussions with representatives of the Pioneering and National Teaching Committee offices. Learning about the meaning of the Temple and the work of the Bahá’í National Center, collecting firsthand knowledge of current concerns and initiatives of those institutions, the sharing with new friends and devotional time, both personal and structured, are all included to enrich the visitors as they revitalize their commitment to the Cause of God in a challenging, exciting time to be a believer. The weekend retreat becomes a deepening by experience in one’s own relationship to the Faith.

“The Special Visit Program has always been a very ‘special’ activity at the House of Worship and very close to my heart ever since that first one in 1972, which was an experiment, now institutionalized,” said Caswell Ellis, House of Worship director. “One need only feel the love and experience that spiritual connection that takes place between the visitor and our staff and to hear expressions of the hearts that indeed confirm the efficacy of the program.”

Visitor comments at the completion of such a program reflect this. Recent participants in this program have celebrated the warmth, the learning and the encouragement they experienced as meaningful enrichment for their growth and capacity to serve.

This original idea from 1972, intact and functional, is available to all the friends in 2000. Please use the form below to register with the Activities Office of the Bahá’í House of Worship. ♦

Bahá’í voice informs paper’s religion coverage

When this editorial board meets, its members represent Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu and Bahá’í viewpoints.

It is the editorial board for the Faith & Values section of The Record, the major daily newspaper in Bergen County, New Jersey. The unpaid body meets monthly to plan and assign stories for the bimonthly section.

Recent articles by Bahá’ís have included an essay on the history of the Faith in the region and a teen-ager’s account of how the Bahá’í teachings help make him proud of being in an interracial family.

Regularly, members of various faiths contribute articles on such topics as marriage, religious freedom, holy days, world peace and the commonality of all religions.

This ecumenical endeavor was born of the Interfaith Brotherhood-Sisterhood of Bergen County. With that organization, Bahá’ís have helped shape a well-publicized annual Brotherhood-Sisterhood Breakfast in the past few years. The February 1999 breakfast brought in 500 people for a talk by David Ruhe, former member of the Universal House of Justice.

The editorial board took shape in 1995, when leaders of northern New Jersey’s major faiths were invited to the newspaper’s offices in Hackensack. Pat Kinney represents the Spiritual Assembly of Teaneck on the board and helped draft its mission statement.

Kinney says the occasional disagreements on editorial policy have produced some surprising results.

“When I was assigned to do a story on Bahá’í persecutions in Iran, a representative from the Muslim faith attended an editorial meeting to try to kill the story,” she said. “Then Father Donald Sheehan, a Catholic priest, stated, ‘I am confident that Pat will present this story with fairness.’”

“One by one, around the table in the boardroom, two Protestant ministers, a Hindu lay person and another Muslim stated their confidence that the Bahá’í article would simply state fact without bias.” ♦

A SPIRITUAL OASIS

Bahá’í House of Worship SPECIAL VISIT REGISTRATION FORM

You are invited to participate in the 2000 Special Visit Program at the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in Wilmette, Illinois. These visits are created to offer the friends who live farther from the Mother Temple a spiritual oasis in which to relish a memorable experience with this sacred place. Bahá’ís may bring friends and family who are not enrolled Bahá’ís, with the understanding that some activities may require supplementary explanation for these visitors.

Please select the weekend for your visit (either visit may be canceled if advance registration is too low): — July 6–9 (6 p.m. Thursday through 2 p.m. Sunday). Register by June 8. Please join us for the commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Báb, the afternoon of July 9. — Aug. 3–6 (6 p.m. Thursday through 3 p.m. Sunday). Register by July 6.

Highlights

• Tours of Bahá’í House of Worship, Bahá’í Home, Media Services, Publishing Trust, Archives, National Center
• Presentations on properties and restoration
• Audiovisual and film programs
• Bahá’í Bookstore shopping
• Enrichment sessions from the offices of Pioneering and National Teaching Committee, Wilmette Institute and House of Worship
• Garden teaching and guiding opportunities
• Option to read in daily devotional programs in the Auditorium
• Classes and activities for children (age 4 and up) and youths
• Group photo; lakeshore park with beach; free-time opportunities
• Complete program for children ages 4 and up (infant/toddler care not provided)
• Youth activities (if a sufficient number register)

Registration (please clip or copy this form)

Family name of your travel group:
How many in your party?
Address
City	State	ZIP Code
If not from U.S., which country?
Telephone—Home	Work
Fax	E-mail
List name(s) and Bahá’í ID number(s) of all registrants; attach additional sheet as needed. Indicate ages of children/youths (ages 4 and up may register).

Registration fees: Adult $25, Youth (12–20) $20, Child (4–11) $10 Please send fees with this form; make checks payable to the Bahá’í Services Fund. International visitors, please send fees by cashier’s check in U.S. dollars.

Accommodations Howard Johnson’s Skokie can provide a group room rate (Per night: queen bed $89/1–2 people; double beds $90/1 person, $95/2 people). Hot buffet breakfast included. If you check option “A” below, we will register you with the hotel, but you must handle all financial arrangements with the hotel. If you wish to select your own accommodations, we will send you a list of area hotels.

Please plan to lodge with members of your own family or with friends of the same gender. This office cannot match roommates. A. __ Would you like to stay at the Howard Johnson? Number of rooms needed___ Number of people in each room___ B. __ Would you like us to send you a list of other hotels? C. __ Will you stay with friends in the area? Phone #______________________

Transportation/meals Bus transportation will be provided to and from the Howard Johnson. Two lunches and occasional snacks are included. Other meals and transportation will be on your own.

TAB 2/7/00

Return this form to: Spiritual Oasis, Activities Office Bahá’í House of Worship 100 Linden Ave. Wilmette, IL 60091

Please direct inquiries to the Activities Office (phone 847-853-2327, e-mail: _________________) [Page 34]

تماس با رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان

Contact with Persian Language Media

در تابستان گذشته معهد اعلیٰ دستوراتی به ۹ محفل روحانی ملی در باره استفاده از رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان صادر فرمودند. در آن پیام هدف اصلی افزایش و تقویت نظر موافق و مطابق با واقع نسبت به بهائیان و معتقدات و اقدامات آنان در فکر و ذهن اکثریت ایرانیان غیربهائی در خارج از ایران ذکر شده بود.

بدستور محفل مقدس روحانی ملی ایالات متحده، هیأت ملی امور احبای ایرانی - آمریکائی به بررسیهائی در این زمینه پرداخت و پیشنهادهائی به ساحت محفل تقدیم نمود. اقداماتی که مورد تأیید محفل مقدس ملی قرار گیرد بموقع خود به یاران رحمانی ابلاغ خواهد شد.

یکی از اقداماتی که از چندی پیش در نظر بود و پس از وصول پیام بیت العدل اعظم بموقع اجرا گذارده شد تشکیل هیأت ملی ارتباط با رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان بود. محفل مقدس ملی این هیأت را در ماه دسامبر ۱۹۹۹ تأسیس فرمودند و مقرر داشتند که تحت نظر هیأت ملی امور احبای ایرانی-آمریکائی فعالیت نماید. اعضاء هیأت عبارتند از خانم شکوه مجذوب، خانم گیتی اجتماعی، آقای ایرج خادمی، آقای سهیل زیرجدی، آقای علاءالدین قدس و آقای همایون حسامی.

از جمله وظایف هیأت ملی ارتباط با رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان برقراری تماس با روزنامه‌ها، مجلات، رادیوها و تلویزیونهای فارسی زبان و همچنین دیگر وسایل ارتباطاتی الکترونیک مانند قسمتهای فارسی شبکۀ جهانی اینترنت است. دو وظیفۀ عمدۀ این هیأت یکی گرد آوری اخبار و اطلاعاتی است که بطور روزافزون در بارۀ آئین بهائی در رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان آمریکا منتشر می‌شود، و دیگری پاسخگوئی به آن مطالب است.

رفع استیحاش و از بین بردن سوء تفاهمات ریشه داری که طی سالها در اذهان برخی از ایرانیان عزیز مقیم آمریکا جای گرفته و گاه در قالب نوشته‌ها، گفتارها و یا اظهار نظرهای درست یا نادرست در نشریات و رادیو تلویزیونها جلوه میکند، مستلزم تهیۀ پاسخی مناسب در چارچوب معیارهای حرفه‌ای و با صوابدید تشکیلات بهائی است. از اینرو از یاران عزیز درخواست می‌شود در دو زمینه با این هیأت همکاری فرمایند.

۱. هرگاه مطلبی به زبان فارسی در بارۀ دیانت بهائی، چه موافق چه مخالف، در هر نشریه، کتاب، برنامۀ رادیوئی و تلویزیونی و یا حتی در شبکۀ جهانی اینترنت ملاحظه فرمودند در اسرع وقت مراتب را به دفتر امور احبای ایرانی-آمریکائی در دارالانشاء محفل ملی اطلاع دهند. اگر بریدۀ روزنامه یا نسخه‌ای از مقاله یا کتاب یا حتی نوار برنامۀ مورد بحث نیز موجود باشد، ارسال آن موجب امتنان است.

۲. تحت هیچ عنوان در مقام پاسخگوئی شخصی برنیایند زیرا از طرفی واکنشهای فردی چه بسا که در اثر احساسات و علاقۀ شدید امری بیش از آنکه رفع شبهه کند بر میزان شک و تردید خرده گیران افزوده است و از طرف دیگر اطلاعات لازم برای پاسخگوئی ممکن است در دسترس افراد نباشد. به این ملاحظات واگذاری مسؤولیت پاسخگوئی به این گونه مطالب به هیأت ملی ارتباط با رسانه‌های گروهی فارسی زبان بهترین کمکی است که یاران گرامی می‌توانند در جهت رفع استیحاش و اجرای منویات بیت العدل اعظم الهی بنمایند.

از فرصت استفاده نموده بشارت میدهد که برنامۀ رادیوئی فارسی زبان "پیام دوست"، که نزدیک به شش سال است در منطقۀ واشنگتن دی سی پخش می‌شود، از روز چهاردهم نوامبر ۱۹۹۹ با برنامۀ ویژه‌ای بمناسبت تولد حضرت بهاءالله پخش برنامه‌های خود را روی شبکۀ جهانی اینترنت آغاز کرد. این برنامه که از ساعت نه و نیم تا ده و نیم بامداد هر یکشنبه بوقت منطقۀ واشنگتن پخش می‌شود و هدفش تنها رفع استیحاش است نه تبلیغ، تا کنون عدۀ بیشماری شنوندۀ فارسی زبان از جمله گروه زیادی از افغانهای منطقه را بخود جلب کرده است. علاقه مندان می‌توانند این برنامه را هر هفته در زمان پخش و همچنین برنامه‌های ‎گذشتۀ را گذشته را‎ از طریق صفحۀ مخصوص ‎رادی رادیو‎ "پیام دوست" www.bahairadio.org در شبکۀ جهانی اینترنت بشنوند. برای کسب اطلاع بیشتر در بارۀ برنامۀ "پیام دوست" و هرگونه همکاری با هیأت تهیه کنندۀ برنامه میتوان با خانم گیتی اجتماعی، تلفن شمارۀ ۹۵۹۵-۲۹۲ (۳۰۱)، یا آقای سهیل زیرجدی تلفن شمارۀ ۲۳۳۱-۷۲۹ (۷۰۳) تماس گرفت.

هیأت ملی امور احبای ایرانی - آمریکائی

آغاز هشتمین سال فعالیت مجمع عرفان

‘IRFAN COLLOQUIUM

هشتمین سال مجمع عرفان با تشکیل دورۀ بیست و هفتم در مرکز مطالعات بهائی، آکوتو(ایتالیا) از ۲۳ تا ۲۸ جون، و تشکیل دورۀ بیست و نهم در مدرسۀ بهائی لوهلن(میشیگان) از ۶ تا ۸ اکتبر ۲۰۰۰ آغاز میگردد. جلسات مجمع عرفان در سال ۲۰۰۰ میلادی به بحث و مطالعه سی اثر از آثار قلم اعلیٰ که در عکا عزّ نزول یافته است اختصاص دارد. آثاری که توسط دانشمندان و اساتید گرامی در این جلسات مطرح خواهد شد از جمله عبارتند از: الواح اشراقات، تجلیات، بشارات، طرازات، کلمات فردوسیه، امواج، رقشاء، قُدس، هادی، مستغاث، اشرف، رسول، ذبیح، سحاب، جمال، سورۀ اعراب، سورۀ امین، سورۀ وفا، لوح الامر، و لوح عاشق و معشوق. آخرین دورۀ مجمع عرفان در سال ۲۰۰۰ میلادی در مدرسۀ بهائی بوش از ۲۳ تا ۲۶ نوامبر برگزار میشود و به بحث و مطالعه آثار قلم اعلیٰ که در اسلامبول و ادرنه نازل شده اختصاص دارد.

برای ثبت نام و ذخیرۀ اطاق جهت شرکت در جلسات مجمع عرفان مستقیماً به مؤسساتی که محل برگزاری مجمع عرفان است مراجعه فرمائید.

دفتر مجمع عرفان برای دریافت پیشنهادهای مربوط به ارائه مقالات تحقیقی در آثار مبارکه در مجامع عرفان آماده است:

دفتر مجمع عرفان، تلفن ۳۵۰۱-۷۳۳-۸۴۷

مرکز مطالعات بهائی ۰۱۱-۳۹-۰۷۷۵-۵۶۰۶۱

مدرسۀ بهائی لوهلن، تلفن ۵۰۳۳-۶۵۳-۸۱۰

مدرسۀ بهائی بوش، تلفن ۳۳۸۷-۴۲۳-۸۳۱

انتشارات جدید

NEW PUBLICATIONS

کنز اسرار نام کلمات مکنونه و جملات زیبا و شاعرانۀ آن برای همۀ دوستان آشناست. همۀ ما بارها و بارها آیات این مجموعۀ مختصر را تلاوت کرده و با مفاهیم عالیه و اصطلاحات و تعبیرات شاعرانه و عرفانی آن کام جان را شیرین کرده‌ایم. محقق ارجمند دکتر داریوش معانی که سالهاست به تحقیق دربارۀ کلمات مکنونه فارسی مشغول است کتابی در تشریح اصطلاحات و تعبیرات عرفانی آن به نام کنز اسرار تألیف کرده است. جلد دوم این کتاب اخیراً توسط مؤسسۀ عصر جدید در آلمان به طرزی زیبا و دلپسند به چاپ رسیده است.

دوستان می‌توانند این نشریات را مستقیماً از مؤسسۀ ایمجز اینترنشنال تهیه فرمایند.

تلفن: ۴۵۲۵-۴۷۰ (۸۰۰)

سمینارهای تبلیغی

TEACHING SEMINARS

حضرت بهاءالله در یکی از الواح اشاره فرموده اند که یاران الهی در این روز فیروز باید چنان از آتش محبت الله مشتعل شوند که حرارت آن قلوب جهانیان را برافروزد و به سوی محبوب عالمیان کشاند.

در آثار مبارکه به کرات اشاره شده که تبلیغ امرالله و محبت الله رابطه‌ای تنگاتنگ با یکدیگر دارند.

یکی از سمینارهای تبلیغی که بسیار موفقیت آمیز بوده است، برنامه‌ای ست که "تقدیس، محبت الله، ‎وتبلیغ و تبلیغ‎ نام گرفته است. این برنامه بتوسط جناب مهرداد فضلی تهیه شده و مورد تقدیر معهد اعلیٰ، دارالتبلیغ بین المللی و محافل ملی قرار گرفته است.

تا اکتبر سال گذشته نقشۀ ۱۰۲ سمینار تشکیل شده است که همگی شادی آفرین بوده و قوّت قلب و اطمینان برای تبلیغ را در انسان بوجود آورده است. امید است تا آخر نقشۀ چهار ساله ۱۵۰ سمینار تشکیل گردد. علاقه مندان میتوانند با جناب مهرداد فضلی در این مورد تماس بگیرند:

Mr. Mehrdad Fazli

College Station, TX 77845 Phone: (409) 690- 6001 [Page 35]امر مبارک و نگارندهٔ کتاب معروف "تاریخ شهدای یزد" است.

جوانی جناب طاهرزاده با سختی‌های معمول در یزد گذشت. ایشان وارد دانشگاه طهران شدند و در رشته مهندسی برق به تحصیل پرداختند و سپس به انگلستان رفتند و در یکی از دانشگاه‌های آن به تحصیل ادامه دادند. از سال ۱۹۵۰ تا ۱۹۸۴ ریاست بخش مهندسی یک شرکت الکترونیکی را بر عهده داشتند.

جناب طاهرزاده از سال ۱۹۶۰ تا ۱۹۷۱ در محفل روحانی ملی انگلستان عضویت داشتند و از سال ۱۹۷۲ که محفل ملی مستقلی در جمهوری ایرلند تأسیس شد، به مدت چهار سال عضو آن محفل بودند.

از سال ۱۹۷۶ تا ۱۹۸۸ در هیئت مشاورین قاره‌ای به خدمت مشغول بودند و در سال ۱۹۸۸ به عضویت بیت العدل اعظم الهی انتخاب شدند.

از جمله خدمات ارزشمند جناب طاهرزاده تألیف کتابی در چهار جلد با عنوان The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh است. جلد اول این کتاب را دکتر باهر فرقانی تحت عنوان "نفحات ظهور حضرت بهاءالله" به زبان فارسی برگردانده و مؤسسه معارف بهائی کانادا آن را منتشر کرده است. کتاب دیگری نیز از ایشان تحت عنوان The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh (میثاق حضرت بهاءالله) در سال ۱۹۹۲ به زبان انگلیسی منتشر شد.

از جناب طاهرزاده همسرشان لزلی خانم Lesley و دو دختر به نام‌های ویدا و مریم، و دو پسر به نام‌های طاهر و بهآج باقی مانده. روانش جاودانه شادمان باد!

نماز و روزه

THE OBLIGATORY PRAYER AND FASTING

در آئین بهائی انسان موجودی آسمان‌زمینی است: هستی او در مفصل جهان خاک و عالم پاک است. حضرت عبدالبهاء اشاره فرموده اند که انسان "مطلع الفجر" است، پایان شام تاریکی و گمراهی، و آغاز پگاه روشنایی و راه‌یابی. گرایش انسان به نور یا تاریکی بسته به پرورش اوست، و نتیجه پرورش او بسته به اینکه از چه منبعی مایه گرفته باشد.

در کتاب مفاوضات آمده است که تربیت (پرورش) بر سه گونه است: جسمانی و انسانی و روحانی. تربیت جسمانی برای "نشو و نمای" جسم و مستلزم تغذیه و ورزش بدن است. باید "اطعمه لطیفه" خورد و با ورزش بدن را سالم نگاه داشت تا مرکب رهوار و سزاواری برای روان آدمی باشد.

تربیت انسانی عبارت از "مدنیت است و ترقی." مدنیت و ترقی، با پرورش مایه الامتیاز انسان از حیوان یعنی عقل، حاصل می‌شود. بدین ترتیب تربیت انسانی عبارت از پرورش عقل از راه تحصیل علم و حکمت و پرداختن به هنرهاست.

اما تربیت روحانی به معنی "اکتساب کمالات الهیه" است؛ بدین معنی که انسان هر چه بیشتر با اصل خود، با نائی خود همانندی جوید. اعتقاد به تربیت روحانی تنها با تدین فراهم می‌شود. زیرا به نظر اهل دین، این تربیت را انسان با تکیه بر علم حاصل از عقل نمی‌تواند به دست بیاورد. برای تربیت روحانی باید رو به سوئی دیگر داشت و جهانی فراسوی این جهان در باور خود پذیرفت.

گفتیم انسان موجودی آسمان‌زمینی است؛ پا در زمین دارد و سر بر آسمان برافراشته است. از آن لحاظ که زمینی است، با زمینیان غیرانسان همانندی دارد. روح جمادی و نباتی و حیوانی او مقهور قوانین تخلف‌ناپذیر زمین است، بستهٔ "خور و خواب و خشم و شهوت" و محدود به شش جهت است. نیازهای خاکی او را باید در زمین برطرف کرد.

اما انسان بر خلاف نزدیک‌ترین خویشاوند زمینی خود، حیوان، صرفاً زمینی نیست؛ به تمامی دستخوش غریزه نیست. می‌خواهد سر از طبیعت به در کند و به رازش راه یابد. زیرا خردی دارد که کارش کشف مجهول از راه کاربرد درست معلوم است. خرد آدمی برای ورزیده شدن نیازمند تفکر است. تفکر ورزش خرد است. پرداختن به علوم و هنرها خرد آدمی را ورزیده می‌سازد و نیاز فطری او را به دانستن تأمین می‌کند.

با این حال پرورش بدنی انسان با خوراک و ورزش، و بر طرف ساختن نیاز فطری او به دانستن با پرداختن به علم و هنر الزاماً به آرامش روان او نمی‌انجامد. بسیارند انسان‌های تندرست خوش‌خوردهٔ خردمند که روانی ملتهب دارند. در اینجا سؤالاتی مطرح می‌شود که چرا چنین است؟ چرا آدمی حتی با رفع حوائج جسمانی و عقلانی خود همچنان خاطری پرتشویش دارد؟

یکی از پاسخ‌هائی که می‌توان به این پرسش داد این می‌تواند باشد که آدمی با آمدن به جهان خاکی، چنانکه ملای رومی گفته است، از نیستان، از زادگاه و وطن اصلی خود به دور افتاده و بیم و تشویش و ناله و ناآرامی وی از این دوری است. روان آزردۀ آدمی در جهان خاک بیمناک و دل او آرزومند مولد تابناک خویش است.

شاید بتوان گفت که از دیدگاه بهائی آشوب روانی و التهاب روحانی آدمی را با ایمان به خدا می‌توان آرام ساخت. کلمه "ایمان" مشتق از واژهٔ "أمن" به معنی آرامش و دوری از بیم است. بدین ترتیب ایمان داشتن به معنی آرامش یافتن و آزاد بودن از بیم و التهاب است. انسان با ایمان به خدا به یاد می‌آورد که در این جهان او را تنها به خود رها نکرده و به تنگنا نیفکنده اند؛ به یاد می‌آورد که وطن حقیقی او کجاست و معشوق حقیقی او کیست. بدین ترتیب، این یادآوری اضطراب او را از میان برمی‌دارد.

حضرت عبدالبهاء، می‌فرمایند: "اگر جمیع احزان احاطه نماید، چون به مناجات در صلاه مشغول گردیم، کل هموم زائل و روح و ریحان حاصل گردد..." و نیز: "... نماز عبارت از ارتباط بین عبد و حق است، زیرا انسان در آن ساعت به دل و جان توجه به حضرت یزدان کند و به حق مؤانست جوید و محبت و الفت نماید. عاشق را لذتی اعظم از مکالمه با معشوق نیست..."

در آئین بهائی خواندن نماز، چنانکه از نصوص فوق مستفاد می‌شود، برای اطمینان خاطر و امنیت روح است، برای ارتباط یافتن با معشوق معنوی است. حضرت ولی امرالله تأکید فرموده اند که نماز "تأثیرش از ادعیه و مناجات‌های نازله شدیدتر" است و انسان را از "غفلت و فراموشی مصون" می‌دارد. البته دوستان بهائی به مفهوم نمازهای سه‌گانه بهائی توجه دارند که چگونه نمازگزار مانند عاشقی واله با معشوق خود به سخن می‌آید. در نماز کوچک این سخن کوتاه و پرمحتوی و حاکی از اذعان کیفیت ارتباط آدمی با معشوق حقیقی بیان شده است. در نماز وسطی این اذعان بسط بیشتری می‌یابد و در نماز کبیر زاری و استغاثه عاشقی نیازمند دیده می‌شود که با چه سوز و نیازی با دلدار به نجوا و عذر گناه می‌پردازد. با ادای هر یک از این نمازهای سه‌گانه گرسنگی روحانی آدمی از میان می‌رود.

حضرت عبدالبهاء فرموده‌اند روزه نیز سبب تذکر انسان می‌شود و قلبش "رقت" می‌یابد. همچنین روزه به معنی ترک خوردن و نوشیدن را نمادی یا به اصطلاح مبارک "رمزی" از روزه روحانی می‌دانند یعنی ای پروردگار، همچنانکه از مشتهیات جسمانیه و اشتغال به طعام و شراب باز ماندم، دل و جانم را از محبت غیر خویش پاک و مقدس کن و نفسم را از شهوات هوائیه و اخلاق شیطانیه محفوظ و مصون بدار تا روح به نفحات قدس انس گیرد... (مائده آسمانی ج ۹، ص ۲۵-۲۶)

در نصوص امر بهائی توجه به نماز و روزه همانند تذکر آدمی به اهمیت تغذیه و ورزش است، منتها در اینجا تغذیه به معنی روحانی خود، یعنی تغذیه روح آدمی با ذکر خداست و مراد از ورزش، ورزشی از نوع ریاضت روحانی برای یادآور اصل آدمی از یک سو و تشبه جستن به معشوق از سوئی دیگر است، چنانکه حضرت عبدالبهاء در تعبیر یکی از حکمت‌های روزه می‌فرمایند: "... هر نفس صادقی چون محبوبی داشته باشد در هر حالتی که محبوب او باشد آرزوی آن حالت را می‌کند... حال چون در این ایام حضرت اعلی اکثر ایام روزه داشتند و جمال مبارک از غذا و شراب باز ماندند، یعنی قلیل میل می‌فرمودند و بعضی روزها هیچ میل نمی‌فرمودند، بر احباء نیز لازم شد که متابعت کنند." [Page 36]

صعود جناب ادیب طاهرزاده

THE PASSING OF MR. TAHERZADEH

ترجمه پیام بیت‌العدل اعظم خطاب به عموم بهائیان عالم ۲۷ ژانویه ۲۰۰۰

Persian Translation of Message of the Universal House of Justice, Dated January 27, 2000, to the Bahá’ís of the World

یاران عزیز الهی

صعود همکار محبوب جناب ادیب طاهرزاده هموم و غموم این خادمان را شدیدتر ساخته است. خدمات مجدانه و مستمر آن متصاعد الی الله را به امر الهی که متجاوز از نیم قرن ادامه یافت با ستایش و تحسین به خاطر می‌آوریم. اشتیاق جناب طاهرزاده به خدمات تبلیغی که نمونه و سرمشق بود و استعدادشان در ایجاد شور و شوق در یاران سبب محبوبیت آن ‎متعارج متصاعد‎ الی الله در بین عموم کسانی بود که ایشانرا می‌شناختند. جناب طاهرزاده بعنوان مهاجری فداکار، مدافع عهد و میثاق الهی، عضو محافل روحانی ملی جزائر بریتانیا و جمهوری ایرلند، عضو هیئت مشاورین قاره‌ای در اروپا و عضو بیت‌العدل اعظم اخلاصی کامل و ایمانی راسخ و عزمی خلل ناپذیر را به منصۀ ظهور رساند.

در مراحل اولیۀ زندگانی اشتیاقی شدید وجود ایشان را فرا گرفت تا غنای مودوعه در تاریخ و تعالیم امر را در دسترس یاران غرب قرار دهند. این آرزو و اشتیاق سبب تألیف کتب و آثاری گشت که برای همیشه یادآور خاطرۀ ایشان خواهد بود.

مراتب همدردی صمیمانه خود را به خانواده داغدیده و مخصوصاً همسر عزیز و فرزندان محبوب آن متصاعد الی الله ابراز میداریم و به آن عزیزان اطمینان میدهیم که در اعتاب مقدسه علیا دعا می‌کنیم تا اجر بی‌پایان در ملکوت ابهیٰ به آن روح پرفتوح عطا گردد.

به عموم محافل روحانی ملی توصیه می‌شود محافل تذکری به یاد آن متصاعد الی الله منعقد سازند و در مشارق اذکار به اعزاز ایشان برنامه‌های دعا و مناجات ترتیب دهند.

بیت‌العدل اعظم

جناب ادیب طاهرزاده، عضو محترم بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی در ۲۶ ژانویه سال جاری در هفتاد و هشت سالگی در حیفا به ملکوت ابهی صعود نمود. مراسم تشییع جنازه و خاک‌سپاری روز ۳۰ ژانویه برگزار شد.

جناب طاهرزاده در ۲۹ اپریل سال ۱۹۲۱ در یزد چشم به جهان گشود. اجداد پدریشان از مؤمنان نخستین امر حضرت باب بودند. از سوی مادر نیز به شهیدان واقعه نیریز وابسته بودند. پدر ایشان، جناب حاج محمدطاهر مالمیری از مبلغان و خادمان نامدار

...بهاست. روحیه خانم به عنوان ایادی امرالله مسؤولیت تبلیغ و حراست امر الهی را بر عهده داشت و در ‎جانی جایی‎ گفته بود که پس از صعود حضرت ولی امرالله به جای قیل و قال و پند و اندرز به احباء، تصمیم گرفت که با عمل به خدمت امر مبارک پردازد و بدین جهت به اکثر کشورهای جهان در همۀ قارات عالم سفر کرد و مردمان آن کشورها را با نام و مرام حضرت بهاءالله آشنا ساخت. از جمله از سال ۱۹۶۹ تا ۱۹۷۳ از ۳۴ کشور در افریقا دیدار کرد.

امةالبهاء روحیه خانم به راستی نمونۀ پشتکار و خدمت بود. صورت برخی از خدمات ایشان به قرار زیر است:

• افتتاح همۀ معابد بهائی در سراسر جهان تا کنون به دست روحیه خانم صورت گرفته است.
• ایشان در کنفرانس‌های بسیاری به نمایندگی از جانب بیت‌العدل اعظم شرکت کردند، از جمله دومین کنگرۀ جهانی بهائی.
• تا آخرین دم زندگی عضو دارالتبلیغ بین‌المللی بودند.
• بیانیه صلح را به برخی از افراد برجستۀ جهان از جمله دبیر کل سازمان ملل متحد تسلیم نمودند.
• ایشان در کنفرانس‌های ویژۀ جوانان شرکت می‌کردند و آنان را با لحنی صریح راهنمائی می‌فرمودند.
• برای کمک به احباء در امور تبلیغ و مهاجرت و حیات بهائی چند کتاب نوشتند از جمله "دستور العمل برای زندگی" Prescription for Living.

روحیه خانم علاوه بر زبان مادری (انگلیسی) با زبان‌های فارسی و فرانسوی و آلمانی نیز آشنائی داشتند و آشنائیشان با زبان فارسی فرصتی برای احبای ایرانی فراهم می‌آورد که هنگام دیدار با ایشان بتوانند به فارسی با آن ایادی خدوم محاوره کنند.

از آنجا که حضرت ولی امرالله به حکمت الهی فرزندی نداشتند، صعود روحیه خانم در واقع صعود تنها باقی مانده هیکل مبارک و به همین دلیل فقدانی جبران ناپذیر است. جامعۀ بهائی به راستی سوگوار است. روانش شاد، یادش گرامی و خدمات پیگیرش نقش ضمیر همۀ یاران باد!

قطعه زیر را خانم دکتر سیمین شیبانی در رثای حضرت حرم سروده و ارسال داشته‌اند:

بانوی محتشم

بانو بگو چگونه شهامت یافتی در صدف آن دردانه «گوهر یکتا» و در خلوت تنهائیش که لبریز از ترانه‌های ملکوت بود با شهامت، ردای همسریش را بر دوش افکنی و به سالیان همدم و همراهش باشی؟

بانو بگو به ما خاکیان مبهوت که نقش هزار تکریم در پرده پندارمان نقش بسته است و حتی در حیات آن اسطورۀ جاودان ما زائران تاریخ را توانائی و دلیری نگاهی به زلال بلورین چشمانش تنفسی در هوای عطرآگین اطرافش و گذاشتن سری بر آستانۀ درگاهش نبود

تو بانوی محتشم چگونه در قلۀ رفیع "ولایت" با این همه صداقت در استوای حرمت در جوار او زیستی و آینه‌دار عظمت و حقانیتش بودی؟

بانو بگو چگونه دیدگان زیبایت به آفتاب پرحشمت جلال و جمال او بدون پرده و حجاب خیره شد؟ و نی‌نی، چشمانت رنگ نباخت و آن همه نور را تجربه کرد؟

بانو بگو چگونه پژواک آن نشنیده‌ها را که ملائک تاب شنیدنش را نداشتند و آسمان‌ها توان کشیدنش را شنیدی؟ و آن را در گنبد جان تکرار کردی؟

بانو بگو کدام نیرو و دست توانائی به هنگام تبیین معانی نور که آبشار واژه‌های طلائی پرصلابتش از بلندای جبروت به چشمه‌سار بیان می‌ریخت تو را پایدار نگاه داشت؟

بانو بگو چگونه در گذرگاه زندگی در فراخنای میدانی چندان عظیم چون ستونی استوار ایستادی و گرانسنگی بار آن را بر شانه‌های شریفت با شکیبائی شگفت‌آور و در خور ستایش و تحسین پذیرا شدی؟

و سرانجام بانوی پرحشمت به ما شیفتگان بگو و بگو چگونه در هنگام پرواز چون سیمرغی بلند مرتبه مشتاقانه از این خاکدان تیره به اوج ملکوت ابهی پر کشیدی تا در آن شکوه ورجاوند، جاودانه به دلدار پیوندی؟

اینک بانوی محتشم! در سوگ تو اندوه ما به اندازۀ عظمتت بزرگ است و دلتنگی و افسردگی ما به وسعت، لایزال! [Page 37]

صعود حضرت امةالبهاء روحیه خانم

THE PASSING OF AMATU’L-BAHÁ RUHÍYYIH KHÁNUM

ترجمه پیام بیت‌العدل اعظم خطاب به عموم بهائیان عالم ۱۹ ژانویه ۲۰۰۰

Persian Translation of the Message of the Universal House of Justice Dated January 19, 2000

در سحرگاه امروز روح پرفتوح حضرت امة البهاء، روحیه خانم، همسر محبوب حضرت ولی امرالله که آخرین حلقهٔ اتصال جامعهٔ جهانی بهائی با عائلهٔ مبارکهٔ حضرت عبدالبهاء بودند از قیود اطمینان این حیات عنصری آزاد گشت. آنچه غم و اندوه این فقدان را تحمل‌پذیر می‌سازد به آن است که روح مجردش حال به ملاء اعلیٰ در محضر جمال اقدس ابهیٰ پیوسته است.

یقین است که دیری نگذرد که آلام نفوسی که قلوبشان را حضرت امةالبهاء مسخّر فرموده و حال از فقدان جبران ناپذیرش در بحبوحهٔ غم و حرمانند به سرور و شادمانی تبدیل گردد زیرا کل متوجه خواهند شد که آن جان پاک در محضر حضرت ولی امرالله حاضر و به لقای مرکز میثاق که بنفسه در روضهٔ مبارکه دعا فرمودند که خداوند طفلی به پدر و مادر بزرگوارش عنایت فرماید واصل و فائز گشته است. پیروان جمال ابهیٰ طی قرون و اعصار آتیه با کمال اعجاب و امتنان کیفیت خدمات خستگی‌ناپذیر، صمیمانه و لایق حضرت امةالبهاء را در سبیل ترویج و صیانت امرالله در مدّ نظر خواهند داشت.

حضرت امةالبهاء در جوانی در اثر کوشش در خدمات پرارزش امری در آمریکای شمالی مقامی ممتاز احراز نمودند و بعداً نیز باتفاق والدهٔ مکرّمه و همچنین بتنهائی به تقدیم خدمات پرارزشی به امرالله در اروپا موفق شدند. مؤانست و همکاری نزدیک ایشان با حضرت ولی امرالله بمدت بیست سال سبب شد که از قلم مبارک به اوصافی چون "همکار من" و "درع من" و "همکار خستگی‌ناپذیرم در وظایف شاقهٔ که بر عهده دارم" مفتخر شوند. علاوه بر این خطابات ستایش‌انگیز، حضرت ولی امرالله در سال ۱۹۵۲ پس از صعود والد ماجد امةالبهاء، ایشان را به مقام ایادی امرالله ارتقاء دادند.

ضربۀ سهمگین صعود حضرت ولی امرالله عزم ایشانرا جزم نمود تا همگام با سایر حضرات ایادی امرالله سهم خود را در اتمام موفقیت‌آمیز نقشهٔ دهساله جهاد کبیر اکبر ایفا نمایند و متعاقباً سفرهای تاریخی خود را به اطراف و اکناف عالم با تهوری که مخصوص ایشان بود آغاز کنند.

حیاتی که بنیانش چنان شریف و برای صیانت و حفظ وحدت امر الهی چنان ضروری و در خدمت به امر الهی مستمر، خالصانه و توأم با فداکاری کامل بود ما را بر آن می‌دارد که اعلام نمائیم محافل تذکر شایسته‌ای در جوامع ملی و محلی، و اجتماعات خاصی در مشارق‌الاذکار بهائی به یاد ایشان منعقد گردد.

با قلوبی پر اشتیاق از آستان قدس الهی مسألت می‌نمائیم که الطاف و مواهب لانهائیه روح پرفتوح امةالبهاء را که در جمع اهل ملاء اعلیٰ در ملکوت ابهیٰ مقامی درخور شأن و منزلت خود احراز مینماید احاطه فرماید.

بیت العدل اعظم

ترجمه متحدالمال دارالانشاء بیت‌العدل اعظم به جمیع محافل روحانی ملی ۲۶ ژانویه ۲۰۰۰

Persian Translation of the Message Dated January 26, 2000 from the Department of the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice to All National Spiritual Assemblies

یاران عزیز الهی

بیت العدل اعظم در تعقیب پیام مورخ ۱۹ ژانویه ۲۰۰۰ دربارهٔ صعود حضرت امةالبهاء روحیه خانم مقرر فرموده‌اند نکات ذیل را باستحضار برساند.

در بعد از ظهر ۲۳ ژانویه در حالی که باران خفیفی می‌بارید هیکل عنصری روحیه خانم پس از تلاوت ادعیه و مناجات و صلوة میت در بیت حضرت عبدالبهاء و زیارت ادعیهٔ دیگر در کنار آرامگاه با حضور متجاوز از یکهزار و یکصد نفر از احباء در حیفا به خاک سپرده شد. خاک‌سپاری در قطعه زمینی واقع در مقابل بیت حضرت عبدالبهاء انجام گرفت که حضرت ولی امرالله آن را بصورت باغی در آورده بودند. حاضران که از نقاط دور و نزدیک آمده بودند از جمله عبارت بودند از: ۲۴ نفر از اعضای هیأت‌های مشاورین قاره‌ای، نمایندگان ۷۶ محفل روحانی ملی، زائرین اعتاب مقدسه، اعضای مؤسسات مرکز جهانی بهائی و افرادی که داوطلبانه در مرکز جهانی خدمت می‌کنند و نیز اعضای عالیرتبه سفارت خانه‌های کانادا و آمریکا و نمایندگان دولت اسرائیل و شهرداران عکا و حیفا و بعضی دیگر از شهروندان بلند پایه اسرائیلی.

بیت العدل اعظم از اینکه نمایندگان جوامع بهائی از نقاط مختلف جهان توانستند در ظرف مدتی کوتاه برای شرکت در این مراسم در ارض اقدس حضور یابند و از طرف جمیع بهائیان سراسر عالم که نتوانسته بودند در این مراسم حاضر باشند ادای احترام کنند بسیار مسرورند و همچنین از پیام‌های بسیاری که برای ابراز تسلیت و همدردی به مرکز جهانی واصل گردید و نیز از گلهائی که اهداء شده بود قدردانی مینمایند و خوشوقتند که خبر صعود حضرت روحیه خانم در وسائط خبری و الکترونیکی جهان منعکس شده است.

برنامه مراسم خاک‌سپاری ضمیمه است.

بدون تردید خاطرهٔ زندگانی حضرت امةالبهاء که بسیار پرارزش و بنحوی شگفت‌انگیز پرتحرک بود عزمی جدید و قوائی مضاعف به مؤسسات بهائی و افراد احباء در جمیع نقاط جهان عطا خواهد نمود.

با تحیات ابدع ابهیٰ دارالانشاء

یادی از زندگانی و خدمات حضرت روحیه خانم

AN OVERVIEW OF THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF RUHÍYYIH KHÁNUM

خانم اهل بهاء، ایادی امر خدا و قرین حضرت ولی امرالله، امةالبهاء روحیه خانم ربانی در نود سالگی روز ۱۹ ژانویه سال جاری به ملکوت الهی صعود فرمود.

امةالبهاء فرزند یگانه ایادی امرالله خانم می بولز مکسول May Bolles Maxwell و ایادی دیگر جناب ویلیام سادرلند مکسول، معمار پراعتبار کانادائی بود.

روحیه خانم در هشتم ماه آگست سال ۱۹۱۰ در نیویورک دیده به جهان گشود و دوره کودکی و نوجوانی را در کانادا گذراند. حضرت عبدالبهاء در سفر خود به آمریکای شمالی در سال ۱۹۱۲ چند روزی را در منزل خانوادهٔ مکسول گذراندند. خانهٔ مذکور از جمله موقوفات محفل روحانی ملی کاناداست.

دورهٔ جوانی روحیه خانم به فعالیت‌ها و خدمات گوناگون امری از جمله عضویت در لجنات جوانان و یک سفر تبلیغی دو ساله به اروپا گذشت.

در سال ۱۹۳۷ روحیه خانم به همراه مادر مهرپرور برای سومین بار به زیارت ارض اقدس شتافت. در همین سفر سوم بود که حضرت ولی امرالله به او فرمودند که ارادهٔ الهی چنان تعلق گرفته که روحیه خانم به ازدواج هیکل مبارک درآید.

بدین ترتیب روحیه خانم از سال ۱۹۳۷ ساکن حیفا شدند در مدت ۲۰ سال که همسر حضرت ولی امرالله بودند به خدمات بسیاری مشغول بودند از جمله پاسخ به عرایض احبای غرب از جانب حضرت ولی امرالله و عضویت در شورای بین‌المللی بهائی و البته رسیدگی به امور جاری خانوادگی.

مادر روحیه خانم در سال ۱۹۴۰ در ضمن یک سفر تبلیغی به آرژانتین به جهان بالا شتافت و پدر روحیه خانم در سال ۱۹۵۲ جهان را به ‎درود بدرود‎ گفت. در همان سال حضرت ولی امرالله ایشان را بجای پدر به مقام ایادی امرالله ارتقاء دادند.

روحیه خانم پس از صعود حضرت ولی امرالله در سال ۱۹۵۷ با کوششی پیگیر به خدمت امر مبارک ادامه داد و از جمله ایادی ساکن ارض اقدس در دورهٔ پیش از تشکیل بیت العدل اعظم الهی بود.

تبلیغ امر مبارک یکی از مهم‌ترین خدمات اهل [Page 38]

Dr. Varqá helps inspire 1,500 at conferences in Europe

European Bahá’ís had the bounty of visits by the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá at two major conferences on the Huqúqu’lláh in Barcelona, Spain, and Hofheim, Germany.

Accompanied by Firaydoun Javaheri, a Counselor member of the International Teaching Center, Dr. Varqá—who serves as Trustee of the Huqúqu’lláh—addressed the October conferences at the request of the Universal House of Justice.

At Barcelona, nearly 500 Bahá’ís from 12 countries heard Dr. Varqá deliver several inspiring talks, highlighting spiritual aspects of the law of Huqúqu’lláh including its influence on the soul, on society and on the growth of the Cause. A new video about Huqúqu’lláh was shown, and there were several artistic presentations. Dr. Varqá visited the children in a separate hall.

One participant wrote, “I am strongly convinced that this memorable conference will have permanent effects not only on those attending, and on those who enabled the attendance of the participants (i.e., wives, husbands, parents or friends who helped with finances or caretaking), but will also have long-lasting effects through them on the rest of the community at large in the attitude towards fulfilment of the law of Huqúqu’lláh and other laws of Bahá’u’lláh.”

In Hofheim, some 1,000 participants gathered from 41 countries. “In his uniquely gentle, loving and touching manner,” the German National Assembly reported, “Dr. Varqá addressed the friends on both days, giving them spiritual insights into the sacred law of Huqúqu’lláh encouraging them in their services to the beloved Cause, and helping them to realize their precious trust and pledge as followers of the Blessed Beauty.”

Dr. Javaheri’s talks emphasized the constant interplay of the spiritual and the material. He illustrated the right attitude toward Huqúqu’lláh through stories of African believers. Further, he dwelt on the importance of a systematic approach to advancing the Faith, above all with regard to individual teaching.

Several other Counselors also addressed both gatherings, and members of the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh in Europe, the Regional Boards of Trustees, and the representatives of Huqúqu’lláh were introduced. Devotions in the European House of Worship shared by many friends concluded this unforgettable event. ♦

Marching toward peace

La tierra es un solo país y la humanidad sus ciudadanos. Bahá’u’lláh

The Badí’ Youth Workshop of Venezuela performs during last summer’s March for Love, Friendship and Peace, organized by the Caracas chapter of the United Religions Initiative. Bahá’í International News Service photo

Pioneering, traveling teaching needs categorized

The pioneer calls of the Three and Four Year Plans encouraged the friends to consider the entire world as their arena for pioneering and traveling teaching. Those responding to the call are asked to examine their own particular experiences, inclinations and possibilities, and after prayer and consultation, choose a destination. This is the most recent list of countries and territories. (Universal House of Justice, letter dated March 7, 1999)

CATEGORY 1

The needs are especially pressing.

Africa: Mauritania, Rodrigues

Americas: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, Martinique, Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Australasia: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna

Europe: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Corsica, Croatia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Macedonia, Malta, Slovenia, Yugoslavia

CATEGORY 2

The Faith is established, but pioneers are needed to stimulate the process of growth and to help open new centers.

Africa: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Republic, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Réunion, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, Swaziland

Americas: Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Chiloé Island, Dominica, East Leeward Islands, Easter Island, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Galápagos Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Juan Fernández Islands, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, West Leeward Islands

Asia: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Armenia, Asiatic Russia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Georgia, Japan, Korea-South, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Ogasawara Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Australasia: Christmas Island, Eastern Caroline Islands, Fiji Islands, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, Norfolk Island, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Caroline Islands

Europe: Albania, Andorra, Azores, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus-Northern, Czech Republic, Denmark, Elba, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madeira, Moldova, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Sicily, Slovakia, Ukraine

CATEGORY 3

The process of expansion and consolidation has a significant momentum, but there is a need for pioneers who can undertake specific tasks, such as arousing the interest of prominent people, strengthening the communities in certain areas, or assisting with projects of social and economic development.

Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Americas: Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Asia: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sabah, Sarawak, Taiwan

Australasia: Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa

Europe: Canary Islands, Iceland

CATEGORY 4

Pioneers are greatly needed, but entry is difficult due to restrictions on Bahá’í activity, lack of security, or other circumstances that may present serious difficulties. These conditions present a need for believers who will resourcefully seek out opportunities for pioneering.

Africa: Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan

Americas: Cuba

Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea-North, Laos, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

Europe: Spitzbergen ♦

Office of Pioneering, Bahá’í National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL • 847-733-3508 •

TEACHING

• Chile: A national-scale media campaign and intensive teaching in two receptive areas are under way since the National Spiritual Assembly held a National Unity Gathering during September in Santiago.

Nearly 200 friends from Chile met with four Counselors and all nine National Assembly members at the conference, which was aimed at inspiring action with concrete plans, goals and a sense of direction.

“During the weeks following many friends arose to work,” the National Assembly reported. “The projects in the Mapuche area and the Copiapó area are both in motion.”

Several Counselors and National Assembly members stayed to record a series of short programs that are being broadcast on 33 FM radio stations owned by a Bahá’í. This organized effort includes a toll-free telephone number and a volunteer staff of phone answerers.

• Togo: A Local Spiritual Assembly-organized teaching project resulted in enrollment of nearly 60 people in three regions of the country.

A team traveling to Vo prefecture and Afagnan sub-prefecture contacted Bahá’ís living there and opened several new localities. According to reports, 21 people enrolled in the Faith in Amégnran, 24 in Dzrékpo-Hagou, 7 in Gninoume and 3 in Vogan Ville.

The next month, another team in Zio ‎prefecture team enrolled prefecture enrolled‎ three new believers in villages. The Local Spiritual Assembly of Lomé 5 has plans for a follow-up program based on the institute process.

EDUCATION

• Trinidad and Tobago: The Bahá’í Faith has been included in the religious section of the Complete Social Studies Course textbook written by A. Hospedales, J. Rocke and M. Browne, and published by Caribbean Educational Publishers. The chapter highlights the concept of progressive revelation, explains the Station of Bahá’u’lláh, and lists some basic principles of the Faith. The book is used in secondary schools across the country. ♦

[Page 39]

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. Numbers and e-mail addresses for the permanent Bahá’í schools and institutes are: Bosch Bahá’í School, phone 831-423-3387; fax 831-423-7564; e-mail __________; Green Acre Bahá’í School, phone 207-439-7200; fax 207-438-9940; e-mail __________; Louhelen Bahá’í School, phone 810-653-5033; fax 810-653-7181; e-mail __________; Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, phone 843-558-5093; fax 843-558-9136; e-mail __________; Native American Bahá’í Institute (NABI), phone and fax 520-587-7599; e-mail __________.

MARCH 3–5: “Becoming a Champion of the Covenant” at Bosch. 10–12: “Rúmí and the Bahá’í Faith” at Bosch. 17–19: Seekers’ Weekend at Bosch. 23–26: “Establishing Training Institutes: Arising to Serve” at Green Acre. Completion of Ruhi Institute Book 1 course is required. 24–26: Naw-Rúz Family Weekend at Louhelen. 24–26: Two programs at Bosch: “The Dawn-Breakers, Part 2”; Ruhi Book 2 course, “Arising to Serve” (Book 1 course is required). 31–April 2: “Bahá’í Marriage and Family Life: Building Stronger Communities” at Bosch. 31–April 2: “Fundamental Verities Part 3: A New Civilization” at Bosch; session continues April 28–30 and May 19–21. Recommendation by an Assembly, RTI or Auxiliary Board member required. 31–April 2: Two sessions at Green Acre: “Removing Obstacles from the Seeker’s Path: Reaching Atheists, Materialists and Others Who Avoid Religion”; Spiritual Empowerment Session for Junior Youth (Grades 7–9). 31–April 3: Advanced Core Curriculum seminar at Louhelen.

APRIL 7–9: Two sessions at Louhelen: “Teaching Christians”; “Ethics and Spirituality in Medicine.” 7–9: Ruhi Course, “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit,” at Bosch. 7–9: Social and Economic Development Facilitator training by MDS at two locations: Green Acre (session 1) and Louis Gregory Institute (session 2). 14–16: “Advancement of Women” at Bosch. 14–16: Marriage Enrichment Retreat for Couples at Green Acre. 14–16: Social and Economic Development Facilitator training by MDS at Louhelen. 19–23: Two sessions at Bosch: Youth Preparation for Pioneering and Traveling Teaching; “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.” 21–23: Youth Eagle Institute at Louhelen. 21–23: “Consecration, Love of God and Teaching” at Green Acre. 27–30: 91st Bahá’í National Convention, Sheraton Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, IL. Seating is open to Bahá’í visitors who register. See page 7 for details and registration form. 28–30: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth at Louhelen. 28–30: “Socio-Economic Development” at Bosch.

MAY 3–9: “Encouraging the Artist,” retreat for musicians, artists and dancers at Bosch. 5–7: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth at Louhelen. 5–7: Kansas Regional Bahá’í School, “Cultivating Distinction”; near Junction City, KS. With David Freeman and Lynn Wieties. Lodging on site. Registrar: Gray Bishop, Derby, KS (phone 316-788-5378, e-mail __________). Pre-register by April 15. 12–14: “Creating Sacred Space: How the Arts Create Community” at Green Acre. 12–14: Parent-Child Weekend at Louhelen. 12–14: “Heroines of the Faith” at Bosch. 19–21: “Work as Worship” at Green Acre. 19–21: Two sessions at Bosch: Ruhi Course, “Twin Manifestations”; “Heroines of the Faith” (second presentation). 19–21: “Young at Heart: The Older Person and the Bahá’í Community” at Louhelen. 26–28: Conference of Núr, “Make Thou This Garden to Flower: Using the Arts to Advance Entry by Troops”; Elizabethtown, PA. With David and Margaret Ruhe, Vaughn Loudenbach. Registrar: Mark Dunmire, __________, Harrisburg, PA 17104 (phone 717-234-0916, e-mail __________). 26–28: “Cultivating Distinction” at Green Acre. 26–28: “Consecration, Love of God and Teaching” at Louhelen. 26–29: “Health for Humanity” at Bosch. 26–29: Georgia Bahá’í School, “Developing Distinction and Citizenship in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh”; Hampton, GA. Registrar: C. Lavonte Steele, __________, Marietta, GA 30068 (phone 770-509-9686). 26–29: Utah Bahá’í School, near Zion National Park, UT. Indoor sleeping or camping. Registrar: Shokouh Imani, __________, Layton, UT 84040 (phone 801-771-0586) or e-mail __________ or fax 801-451-7993. Register by May 15.

PAID SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AT BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL OFFICES

Assistant Controller • Program Coordinator (Treasurer) • Publishing Trust Manager • Hospitality Planner • Coordinator, Louis G. Gregory Institute See pages 31–32

Accompanied by her father, Cliff (left), Stephanie Bouchard of Alaska performs at a country music concert that served as a proclamation event after the Grand Canyon Conference, Dec. 26 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Photo by Peggy Schlesinger

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving The American Bahá’í, send all family members’ names, new address and mailing label to: Membership Office, 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)
ID# _____________________
ID# _____________________
ID# _____________________
ID# _____________________

B. NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS	C. NEW MAILING ADDRESS
Street Address _________________________________
Apartment # (if applicable) _____________________
City __________________________________________
State _____________________ Zip code ___________

D. NEW COMMUNITY	E. HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER
Area Code Phone Number Name ____________________

F. WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S)
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. [ ] 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.	[ ] 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.

BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CENTER 112 LINDEN AVE WILMETTE, IL 60091-2849

FEBRUARY 7, 2000 MULK, ‘ALÁ • B.E. 156

[Page 40]

423-3387; fax 831-423-7564; e-mail

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly School, phone 207-439-7200; fax 207-438-9940; e-mail or its agencies at the Baha’i National Center, please phone 847-869-9039 and ask for the relevant deparunent. Numbers and e-mail addresses for the

permanent Baha’ schools and institutes are: Bosch Baha’{ School, phone 831 Green Acre Baha’i

Louhelen Baha’i

fax 843-558-9136; e-mail (NABD), phone and fax 520-587-7599; e-mail a

hool, phone 810-653-5033; fax 810-653-7181; e-mail Louis G. Gregory Baha’{ Institute, phone 843-558-5093; Native American Baha’ Institute

MARCH

3-5: “Becoming a Champion of the Covenant” at Bosch.

10-12: “Riim{ and the Baha’i Faith” at Bosch. 17-19: Seekers’ Weekend at Bosch.

23-26: “Establishing Training Institutes: Arising to Serve” at Green Acre. Completion of Ruhi Institute Book 1 course is required. 24-26: Naw-Riiz Family Weekend at

24-26: Two programs at Bosch: “The DawnBreakers, Part 2”; Ruhi Book 2 course, “Arising to Serve” (Book 1 course is 31-April 2: “Baha’f Marriage and Famil Building Stronger Comm 31—April 2: “Fundamental Veriti New Civilization” at Bosch; s S April 28-30 and May 19-21. Recommendation by an Assembly, RTI or Auxiliary Board member required.

31-April 2: Two sessions at Green Acre: “Removing Obstacles from the Seeker’s Path: Reaching Atheists, Materialists and Others Who Avoid Religion”; Spiritual Empowerment Session for Junior Youth (Grades 7-9).

31-April 3: Advanced Core Curriculum seminar at Louhelen.

APRIL

‘7-9: Two sessions at Louhelen: “Teaching

Christians”; “Ethics and Spirituality in Medicine.”

7-9: Ruhi Course, “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit,” at Bosch.

7-9: Social and Economic Development Facilitator training by MDS at two locations: Green Acre (session 1) and Louis Gregory Institute (session 2).

14-16: “Advancement of Women” at Bosch. chment Retreat for

and Economic Development ing by MDS at Louhelen. Bosch: Youth

ing and Traveling

Preparation: for Pion leaching; “The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah.” 21-23: Youth Eagle Insti at Louhelen. 21-23: “Consecration, Love of God and Teaching” at Green Acre.

27-30: 91st Baha’i National Convention,

Sheraton Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, IL.

Seating is Oren) Bal isitors who register. See page 7 for details and registration form. 28-30: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth at Louhelen.

28-30: “Socio-Economic Development” at Bosch.

PAID SERVICE

OPPORTUNITIES AT BAHA’{ NATIONAL OFFICES

Assistant Controller + Program Coordinator (Treasurer) Publishing Trust Manager * Hospitality Planner Coordinator, Louis G. Gregory Institute

See pages 31-32

BAHA’{ NATIONAL CENTER 112 LINDEN AVE WILMETTE, IL 60091-2849

Accompanied by her father, Cliff (left), Stephanie Bouchard of Alaska performs at a coun

MAY

3-9: “Encouraging the Artist,” retreat for musicians, artists and dancers at Bosch.

5-7: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth at Louhelen.

5-7: Kansas Regional Baha’f School, “Cultivating Distinction”; near Junction City, KS. With David Freeman and Lynn Wieties. Lodging on site. Registra: a Derby, KS (phone 316-788-5378, e-mail

Pre-register by April 15.

Sear acred See How the Arts Create

”; “Heroines of the Faith” (second presentation).

“Young at Heart: The Older Person and the

Community” at Louhelen. 26-28: Conference of Nir, “Make Thou This Garden to Flower: Using the Arts to Advance Entry by Troops”; Elizabethtown, PA. With David and Margaret Ruhe, Vaughn Loudenbach. Registrar: Mark Dunmire, Harrisburg, PA 17104 (phone 717-234-0916, ail 26-28: “Cultivating Distinction” at Green Acre. 26-28: “Consecration, Love of God and Teaching” 26-29: “Health for Humanity” at Bosch. 26-29: Georgia Baha’i School, “Developing Distinction and

nship in the World Order of Baha’u’llah”; Hampton, GA. gistrar: C. Lavonte Steele, Marietta, C 3A 30068 (phone 770-509-9686). 26-29: Utah Baha’i School, near Zion National Park, UT. Indoor sleeping or camping. Registrar: Shokouh Imani,

Layton, UT 84040 (phone 801-771-0586) or e-mail

or fax 801-451-7993. Register by May 15.

at Louhelen.

A. NAME(S)

try music concert

that served as a 1

Photo by Peggy Schlesinger

proclamation event Pape after the Grand 2.__ —— Canyon Conference, Ahem, OSI Dec. 26 in Phoenix, ID# Arizona. Rea

Street Address

B. NEW RESIDENCE

ADDRESS

C. NEW MAILING ADDRESS.

Street Address

Apartment # (if applicable)

Apartment # (if applicable)

FEBRUARY 7, 2000 City

MULK, ‘ALA © B.E. 156

City State Zip code State Zip code D. NEW COMMUNITY E. HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER Name of new Baha'i Community Moving Date Area Code Phone Number Name FE WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S) ‘Area Code Phone Number Name Area Code Phone Number Name

listed above.

G. WE RECEIVE EXTRA COPIES BECAUSE: 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)

H.1 WOULD LIKE A COPY

Our household receives only ne copy of The American Babd’é. 1 wish to receive my own copy. I have listed my name, ID number and address above.

the last names and addresses Di cota scire tabs tt match. We have listed above the fall 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.

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i