The American Bahá’í/Volume 32/Issue 1/Text

The American Bahá’í
Volume 32, Issue 1

W: are delighted to share with you a

response from the Universal House of Justice to a letter sent by the National Spiritual Assembly about the forthcoming conference “Building the Kingdom for Every Man, Woman, Youth and Child.” The National Spiritual Assembly informed the Supreme Body

that its Rid

More on the upcoming vin 2000 conference / page 4 message highlighting

the urgency to focus on our pre-youth and children, and the con: ions with the Counselors and the Regional Baha'i Gouncils on previous letters of the House of Justice referencing Bah families, motivated the National Spiritual / bly to sponsor a conference entitled

“Building the Kingdom for Every Man, Woman, Youth, and Child.” The purpose of the conference is to

launch the Five Year Plan in an atmosphere

oflove and joy that provides an opportuni

ty for the participants to learn from one another. The National Assembly noted that the format of the conference invites children, pre-youth, youth, adults, institutes and institutions to share what the learning aboutall aspects of teaching, and economic development, youth in tives, community development, family i institute training, seeker follow-up; in short, everything we are learning about advancing the process of entry by troops and building the Kingdom. In addition, invitations to the conference will be sent to s who responded to the media initi tive by requesting to be involved directly with the Baha'i community. d the Supreme Institution for to help us arise as one soul and to prosecute with unrelaxing resolve the high mission with which our imme:

re

diate di extricably interwov On Dee. 17, 2000, the National Spiritual Assembly received the response

John Joyce, Tom and Sandy Garland confer at the Oct. 21 area meeting with a National Spiritual Assembly representative in Rochester, New York. Thirty-six such historic meetings were held around the country. Photo by Glenn Egi, Rochester, NY

Report on the October and December meetings around the U.S./page 5

UN expresses ‘concern’ on Iran situation

BAHA'l WORLD NEWS SERVICE

‘or the 15th time in 16 years, the United Nations General Assembly has expressed “concern” over human rights violations in Iran, once again specifically mentioning the “unabated pattern of persecution” against the Baha'i community of Iran, that country’ largest religious minority, and calling for its complete emancipation. In a resolution passed Dec. the Assembly called on Iran to all forms of discrimination based on reli

Background information on the situation of the Baha’is in Iran may be found on the Web at: www bahai.org/artice-1-8-3-6.html

grounds or against persons belongand decided S n of the human rights situation in Iran for another year.

Approved by a 67-54 vote with 46 abstentions, the resolution followed release of a UN report stating that some 11

SEE UNITED NATIONS, PAGE 23

"The Onneral House of Justis read with keen interest your letter of 10 November 2000 concerning the preparations you are making to launch the Five Year Plan in your country. It has asked us to assure you of its ardent prayers in the Holy Shrines that your plans and activities may attract divine confirmations, and that your efforts to advance the of children, pre-youth and youth your community may achieve outstanding success

With loving Baba’i greetings, Department of the Secretariat

progre

Letter of the Universal House of Justice

to the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’is of Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, dated Nov. 28, 2000

D™ Baha'i Kriends,

We are assured that you share with us in admiring the services of the Baha'is in Iran—those who have not only withstood the inhospitable environment of persecution in the Cradle of our Faith, but have managed to organise themselves in such a manner as raised them toa level unimagined 20 years previously. The participation of young and old in study groups of various kinds has produced wonderful servants of Baha’u’llah, and is a process which could be emulated all over the world. The ‘tness of these staunch followers of the Greatest Name living in Iran has been instrumental in opening new doors internationally and in bringing the of God out of obscurity. ends in Iran are troubled by one ich tends to undermine these 's and to weaken their steadfastness in the face of their many deprivations; this is the encouragement which certain of their relatives and friends outside Iran repeatedly press

SEE UNIVERSAL HOUSE, PAGE 4

January 19, 2001

SULTAN/SOVEREIGNTY MULK/DOMINION BAHAY ERA 157

VOLUME 32, NO. |

“leN-S-1-D-E:

THE NATIONAL FUND

Between May 1 and November 30, 2000

$15,750,000" Goal/all funds

STEPS TISAI PETRA

E-X-C-°E-R-P-T°S

“This Cause is too evident to be obscured, and too conspicuous to be concealed. It shineth as the

sun in its meridian glory.”

—Baha’u'llh

[Page 2]ALMANAC

Ayyam-i-Ha

Days of giving

Observed from sunset Feb. 25 through sunset March 1

Work is not suspended

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

‘The name “Ayydm-i-Ha” translates into “Days of [the letter] Hi.” A note accompanying the Kitab-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 beboveth the people of Baba, 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. ...” —Bahd’u'lléh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, para. 16

Some significant dates in Baha‘i history Late January and February

February 1894: [brahim Kheiralla settled in Chicago. His teaching work in the next few months led to the founding of the first Baha’f community in the Americas.

February 1938: The Baha’f House of Worship in ‘Ishqabad, Soviet Union, was confiscated during a wave of crackdowns on Baha’fs. 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.

February 1, 1959—The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States opened the first dependency of the Bahd’f House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois: the Baha’i Home for the Aged.

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

January-February 1983—The building that is the Seat of the Universal House of Justice was completed and formally occupied by the Supreme Body of the Cause of God.

Feb. 24-25, 1990: The Soviet Union’s first national Baha’i conference in six decades was held in Moscow.

Significant upcoming dates

Month of fasting (‘Al4), March 2-20

Naw-Riz (Baha’i New Year), March 21

¢ Festival of Ridvan (anniversary of Declaration of Baha’u’llah), April 21-May 2

¢ Anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, May 23

Anniversary of the Ascension of Baha’u'llih, May 29

Facts in the “Some Significant Dates” section were compiled from A Basic Bahd’i Chronology.

RANA FAZLI, a Baha’f in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was chosen to participate with a full scholarship in the prestigious Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry, which brought 84 interns from 36 countries to a sixweek learning experience at Lehigh University last summer. Fazli, a business graduate student who has lived in the United States only since July 1999, was accepted in the program partly on the strength of an essay about her experiences earning a degree at the Baha’s Institute for Higher Education (Open University) in Iran. She was able to share many of those experiences in a presentation to the Global Village par

E IN ALL THINGS

THE AMERICAN

_ Bahé’f National ¢ "847-869-9039

Editorial Office of Babi

Editor James Humphrey /

Associate Editor ‘Tom Mennillo

Facilities Manager, Baha’i Media Services Artis Mebane

Contributors

Ramin Abrishimian, Rebecca Asai, Fredda Bartolucci, Thomas Carsey, Nate Cocco, Christine Conrad, Glenn Egli, Alloysia Haynes, Nabil Jurney, Riaz Jurney, Jeff Kraus, Alan Moll, Alice Moore, Ken Post, Jean Scales, Ruhi Vargha

ticipants.

ALLEN MAURICE JACKSON, a Baha’f and eighth-grade student in Hemingway, South Carolina, was honored as outstanding art student at Chavis Middle School. An honor student and member of the National Junior Beta Club, he was chosen for the Artistic Gifted and Talented program.

Kevin LOCKE, a Bahd’i in Aberdeen, South Dakota, recently was given a Native American Music Award for the year’s best traditional recording, for his disc The First Flute. Locke, a nationwide touring performer who presents traditional singing, flute music and hoop dancing, also serves as Auxiliary Board member for Propagation in the Dakotas and Wyoming.

Rana Fazli (front row, left) poses with other members of the Global Village for Fu Se ——}

PUBLISHED ONCE EVERY 38 DAYS (plus one, P special ine) fot a tral panes

ture Leaders group at Lehigh University.

Lots Nocuman, a Baha’f in Huntington Woods, Michigan, holds a number of world swimming records for her age group (75-79), with records in all six individual butterfly swimming events measured in meters and all five individual medley events measured in meters. She has been swimming competitively in the U.S. Masters Swimming organization since 1988, and defended her global standing at the world meet last summer in Munich, Germany.

ANNA DALE WaREN, a Baha’ in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was chosen as an Academic All-Star representing Westark College by the Arkansas Association of Two Year Colleges. The biology and pre-med major also has served as a peer leader for Westark’s freshman success program, College Seminar, and is a member of two honors organizations.

Other honors: Academic

Farzad Mashhood, I1, Palos Verdes, CA; President's Award for Academic Achievement. Noble Shore, Derwood, MD, student at Carnegie Mellon University in PA; accepted into National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

N. Shore

Career Coitt Kessler, Luling, TX; Best All-Around Cadet in his class at Austin (1X) Fire Department Training Academy. Robherda Lange, Goleta, (A; mentioned as “Unsung Heroine” by Professional Women’s Association of University of California at Santa Barbara; for attitude of service as a data security administrator.

Community Michael Fitzgerald, Winchester, VA; “Being Together” award for distinguished contributions to interreligious dialogue; also, Marion Park Lewis Fellowship for Literature from Shenandoah Arts Council.

Te Cun ee ag the Baha'is of the United States,

Ma eat Me a EY

page 2

Tne American BanA’i ¢ ALMANAC/EXCELLENCE IN ALL THINGS

January 19, 2001 [Page 3]

ETT PRP TFT

TH

E*SECOND®

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Oe

U.S. elects Regional Baha’i Councils

fs‘ al Spirit

ross the in mid-November t four Regional Ba elections we

of the Covenant, Nov. 2 As the electoral p tion come under scru

d Baha’ electoral proc

by becoming we

acter of believers who are eligible to be and by prayerfully considering the important work to be completed by

elected,

our elected representatives. The

cils are

d below.

Northeastern States (listed in order of votes received) Joel Nizin: 317 Nathan Rutstein: 280 Vickie Nizin: 273 Robert Harris: 260 _ William Smith: 253 John Joyce: 242 Nina Dini: 237 Neil McBride: 210 Chester Makoski: 39 Participating in the election were 94 of the 113 Local Spiritual Assemblies in the region. Sixty-one percent of the

1 Assembly members d States gathered cast vot Councils. Il completed by the Day

for the

of our nainy, we must be ent to adhere scrupulous!

Believ‘an prepare themselves throughout the year for the next election of the Reand for the Unit by encouraging mblies to host a

stalwart members of these Coun

These

to our

their

p

Tellers in the election of the Regional Baha’i Council for the Northeastern States

pose during the November meeting at which ballots were counted.

Southern States Central States

(listed in order of votes received) (listed in order of votes received) Karen Pritchard: 740 Lynn Wieties: 531 Carole Miller: 735 Richard Thomas: 457 A. Jack Guillebeaux: 661 Morris Taylor: 455 James Sturdivant: 628 June Thomas: 453 Robert M. James Jr.: 581 L. Caswell Ellis: 445 Ahmad Mahboubi: 511 Paul Jacobi: 363 Kambiz Rafraf: 496 Curtis J. Russell: 322 Mahyar Mofidi: 488 Jena Khodadad: 297 Covey Cantville: 462 Elvora Jacobi: 217

Participating in the election were 260 of the 356 Local Spiritual Assemblies

in the region. Sixty percent of the eli

Participating in the election were 176 of the 197 Local Spiritual Assemblies in the region. Seventy percent of the

Western States

(listed in order of votes received) Habib Riazati: 838 Derek Cockshut: 802 Shannon Javid: 775 Charleen Maghzi: 740 Fereshteh Bethel: 718 Elahe Young: 693 Carol Brooks: 624 Shad Afsahi: 614 James F. Nelson: 537 Particpating in the election were 399 of the 525 Local Spiritual Assemblies in the region. Fifty-four percent of the

Enrollments

November 2000 ................ 35 December 2000 .. Since May 1, 2000 ....... eee 958

THE FUND

_ May 1-November 30, 2000 Contributions received by National Treasurer (excluding Kingdom Project) re Goal f Ma uo aie Pa $9,034,329 272000, 000) 33.5% of year’s goal was met $8% of fiscal year has passed

eligible voters cast ballots.

Huququ'llah, the Right of God, on the Web

he Board of Trustees of

Huqdqu’llah is pleased to announce the establishment of a Web site devoted to the presentation of educational materials on the Sacred Law of Huqdqu’llah.

The site contains approved materials including complete compilations of the Law of Huqiiqu’llah, The Codifcation of the Law of Huqaqu’llah, numerous educational materials, and the history of the development of the institution of Huqdqu’ll4h with photographs. Publications for the education of Baha’i children also are included. Soon, an index and details of available answers to questions regarding Huqdqu’llah will be added to the Web site.

Preparation of the site has been the result of collaboration between the U.S. Baha’i National Center and the Board of Trustees of Huqdqu’llah.

Access www.usbnc.org and click on the “Huqdqu’llah” link

ARCHIVE

‘ol the Bahl valtings

January 19, 2001

Tue American BanA’i ¢ BanA’i Distrurion Service page 9 [Page 10]

| Dreams, Nightmares and Dreams Again

| Angéla Szepesi

$19.95 SC (DNDA)

| Presented here is the amazing story of a life lived in times of great upheaval, for the world and the author, spanning World War II and formative years of the Baha’s Faith. Written from an intensely

| personal perspective, this book is presented as such; it does not pretend to be an official statement about the history of the Baha’i Faith, its institutions, or even the author's family. It is about a personal relationship with her family, God and the Baha’i Faith. Not a smooth pathway, but a journey worth taking and, now through this book, worth observing.

5!" x 84", 60 pp.

Women’s Talk Florence Conway | $7.50 SC (WT)

| Florence Conway's interest in the status and advancement of women spans many decades. Her experiences of living in a diverse range of cultures and her extensive travels have enabled her to closely observe the prevailing conditions and influences on the lives of women throughout the world. Her passion for these issues clearly rings

~~ through this volume as she encourages women from of all walks of life to arise and, through their deeds, become a catalyst for change. 5!" x 84", 112 pp.

Cultivating Distinction: Newly Released Modules Directed to

Individuals and the Community

These modules are targeted to individual electors, rather than to Assemblies. Their objectives are to increase our appreciation of the sanctity of Bahd’f elections. ‘Together, they cover the necessity of elections; participation in elections as a sacred responsibility; required or forbidden practices in Baha’ elections; and spiritual principles underlying this guidance. They can be helpful to communities where participation is low, where electoral practices may not be well-understood, or where their study may enhance the spiritual atmosphere of elections. Each module is two hours long and has optional extensions.

Baha’i Electoral Practices

An Assembly Development Module Workshop $15.00 (DMPBEP) 10-pack of participant handouts $30.00 (DMFBEP) Facilitator’s Guide

Objectives include gaining a broad understanding of the process and practices of Baha’i elections, recognizing the spiritual principles underlying these practices, and appreciating the importance of participation in elections as a sacred responsibility.

The Spiritual Nature of Baha’i Elections

An Assembly Development Module Workshop $15.00 (DMPSNBE) 10-pack of participant handouts

$30.00 (DMFSNBE) Facilitator’s Guide

Objectives include exploring aspects of “a new state of mind,” identifying ways to prepare oneself throughout the year to perform one’s sacred duty, recognizing qualities to consider and ignore in deciding who to vote for, and heightening one’s appreciation of the significance of Baha’u’llah’s Administrative Order.

et dis tlotien ell poe WRG HE hearing them for the first time. Tracks 1-6 contain vocals and music while tracks

encouraging its use at Baha’f events and

A Message to the Indian & Eskimo Baha’is of the Western Hemisphere Amatu’'l-Baha Rubtyyih Khdnum

(MINES)

1-49 $3.95SC 50-99 $3.50SC 100+ $3.00SC Reprinted with permission from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada by the Native American Baha’ Institute in honor and loving memory of the Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahé Ruthfyyih Khénum. This is a reprint of Ruhiyyih Khinum’s 1969 message to the Indians of the Western Hemisphere in which she lovingly encouraged the members of indigenous peoples to strive for full partnership in society. This publication includes pictures from the Green Light Expedition, a six-month trip that she led through the Amazon Basin, representing one of her many personal endeavors toward fulfilling her individual teaching goals. The publication’s size and format is most suitable for wide

distribution at Baha’{ teaching events and other gatherings. 6" x 6", 35 pp.

‘Ahd-i A‘la Zindiganiy-I Hadrat-i Bab The Babi Dispensation / The Life of the Bab Abu’l-Qdsim Afnin

$60.00 HC (PLBABH)

This major Persian work, 20 years in the making and enjoying access to original-source and previously unpublished materials, is authored by the last custodian of the House of the Bab in Shiraz. Afnan is also among a small group of people in the world who may be regarded as current experts on the life and writings of the Bab. This remarkable work includes numerous photos and facsimiles of original historic documents and Tablets of the Bab, many of which appear for the fi me in this publication. Those who are fortunate enough to read Persian will most certainly relish this new and significant publication.

7" x 9A", 672 pp.

The Saddlebag

A Fable for Doubters and Seekers

Bahtyyih Nakhjavini

$22.00 HC (SBAGH)

“A first novel of astonishing power and originality. ... Inspired by the Holy books of the major religions of the world. ... This is both a thriller and a meditation on the ultimate goal of human existence.” —The Good Book Guide

This review reflects the sentiments of critic after critic for the exciting novel by Bahiyyih Nakhjavini. Publisher's Weekly, the primary industry periodical for publishing, states, “The novel’s Bah4’i message is beautifully rendered in these tales of multiple paths leading to one destination. ...” Inspired by the story of a stolen saddlebag filled with divinely revealed scriptures, The Saddlebag expands the work of Bahs’s artists into the popular genre of religious/spiritual fiction. If you read one novel this year, you will want it to be The Saddlebag.

5A" x BA", 258 pp.

Consent of Parents Consent John F. Skeaff si $9.00 SC (COPA)

Written to increase the understanding and appreciation of the obligation for Baha’is to obtain parental consent before marriage, this important book not only addresses the law of consent but continues further in drawing together many quotes from the sacred Baha’ writings as well as a wide range of insights from leaders of thought on the subject of marriage and family. A most useful tool for couples seeking parental consent, parents considering issues of consent and institutions assisting individuals.

5A" x 814", 60 pp.

Her Eternal Crown

Queen Marie of Romania and the Baha’i Faith

Della L. Marcus

$24.95 SC (HEC)

“Tf ever the name of Baha’u'llh or ‘Abdu’l-Baha comes to your attention, do not put their writings from you. Search out their Books, and let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine.” —Marie, Queen of Romania

Her Eternal Crown is the compelling story of Queen Marie and her P association with the Baha’ Faith, told through her letters and diary entries, and arosat the letters and articles of her teacher, Martha Root.

5!" x B14", 324 pp.

page 10 Tue American BanA’i ¢ BanA’i DistripuTion Service _January 19, 2001 [Page 11]hi si | Other World Order highlights include “Religious Pluralism: A Bahé’f Perspective” by Julio Savi.

“} 10" x7", 48 pp. Seasonal Titles From

Celebrate Black History Month this February with two wonderful books on the life of Louis Gregory!

Like Pure Gold: The Story of Louis G. Gregory story by Anne Breneman illustrated by Gregory Newsom $14.95 (LPG) In this children’s book, the life of Louis Gregory is chronicled in a manner any child can readily identify with. His hardships and triumphs and, most importandy, his example are painted as vividly as the full-color illustrations in the book. Sharing this story with your child will leave an impression they won't soon forget.

x 7", 45 pp., illustrations

To Move The World Gayle Morrison $13.95 (TMW)

At the heart of the most challenging issue for the American Baha’f community—the problem of obliterating racial prejudice—stands Louis George Gregory. A highly regarded teacher, writer and lecturer throughout the first half of the century, and the first black to serve on the national administrative body of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada, Louis Gregory is a major historical figure. To Move the P

World is more than a biography. It brings into focus a number of strands: the life of Louis Gregory, the social and racial forces at work in the United States during his lifetime (1874-1951), and the dynamics of the Baha’s Faith that were shaping, often against the wishes of individual members, a community unequivocally committed to the oneness of mankind and the elimination of racial prejudice.

8" x 5",399 pp.

ae Gee

ang Nace Wi Raut

7 ELS oe

WORLD

the Bah4a’i

Publishing Trust

Consider, CPi aided res titles| to your schoo! or community libraries

Children’s Stories from the Dawn-Breakers story by Zoe Meyer illustrated by Winifred Barnum-Newman $19.95 SC (CSFDB) This richly illustrated edition of 30 exciting, ageless stories tells of the amazing events surrounding the birth of the Baha’s 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 Nabil’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 Baha'is today. Includes a glossary of symbols found in the illustrations. 9" x 7", 156 pp. illustrations

Maggie Celebrates Ayyam-i-Ha

story by Patti Rae Tomarelli

illustrated by Wendy Cowper-Thomas

$9.95 SC (MCAH)

This colorful children’s book tells the simple, lyrical story of one child’s joyous, creative celebration of Ayydm-i-Ha. 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 Ayyim-i-H4, 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. illustrations

The Ayyam-i-Ha Camel story by Cher Holt-Fortin

illustrated by Rex John Irvine

$9.95 (AHCS) | Celebrate Ayyim-i-Hi with Leili and her friends! Set against the backdrop ’ of Christian and Jewish holidays, Leili learns about the Baha’{ Holy Days and celebrates Ayyam-i-Ha in her own unique way. Includes step-by step instructions and illustrations for how to make a paper Ayyim-i-Hi camel! Excellent resource for teaching children! 9" x 6", 45 pp., illustrations

Baha’i Distribution Service * 4703 Fulton Industrial Blvd.

Atlanta, GA 30336

NAME AS IT APPEARS ON CREDIT CARD.

us + 800-999-9019 + toll-free |

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January 19, 2001

Tne American Band’ ¢ BanA’i DistRipuTION SERVICE page II [Page 12]

TRAINING

WilmetteInstitute

Distance Learning: Judaism; Rediscovering the Dawn-Breakers

Judaism for Deepening and Dialogue, Feb. 1-April 30

Registration is open for this course reviewing the history of the Jews, the history of composition of the Old ‘Testament, the m teachi of Judaism, and points of comparison between Judaism as understood by Jew and the Baha’i Faith. Understanding of Judaism not only can help students be ter understand the basics of the Baha Faith, but also can help our dialogue with Jews.

Rediscovering the Dawn-Breakers: ‘The Bab and the Babi Faith, March I-May 31

Using The Dawn-Breakers, God Passes By and other sources, students will learn S ‘achings of the Bab; the people who accepted Him and attempted to create a Babf community under adverse conditions;

Spokane, Washington

The 32nd annual ___ Interfaith Thanksgiving Service in Spokane, Washington, heard a Baha’{ message from the perspective of a personal journey as Ferris Paisano delivered the keynote speech on “The Circle of Healing.”

Temple Beth Shalom, a local Jewish congregation, was the host of the Thanksgiving weekend program, arranged by the Spokane Council of Ecumenical Ministries.

Contributions to ceremonies came from American Indian, Unity, Methodist, — Episcopal, — Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’i and other faith traditions.

A longtime Baha’{ living in Lapwai, Idaho, Paisano told of his heritage—a mixture of Nez Perce, Hopi, MexicanSpanish and Scots-Irish—which included a grandfather who was a Presbyterian minister.

According to Joseph Urlacher of Spokane, the Baha'i representative to

the depth of their persecution; and the community’s eventual acceptance of Baha'u'llah. The first of four courses on Baha’{ history, this will provide an excellent opportunity to study the Faith’s founding and early development systematically.

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Jan. 15-April 15

Registration will still be open during the first month of the course as long as space is available.

Full tuition is $150 for any of these Distance Learning courses, but financial aid is available for students unable to pay the full amount.

Spiritual Foundations 2001 Applications are being accepted for this piritual Foundations for a Global ation program. Home study be conducted May 1-Sept. 30. Principal themes of the two-week summer session

All courses include e-mail listservers for students and faculty, regular conference calls, systematic lesson plans and a wide variety of learning projects to apply in your local community.

All courses are available at an introductory, intermediate (collegelevel) or advanced (graduate) level. Financial aid is available.

BRIEFLY

the Council of Ecumenical Ministries, Paisano was humble and soft-spoken yet passionate.

Through his spiritual journey of disillusionment, rediscovery and reconciliation, and through his 32 years’ experience as a teacher, Paisano said, he has learned the world needs more teachers and healers.

Nearly 1,000 people attended this year’s service, which was covered by a variety of local news media.

Canton, Mississippi

New teaching ground was broken for this area, as Baha’is for the first time received permission from the Canton city government to set up a booth on Flea Market Day, Oct. 12, in this town north of the state capital. Local and Jackson-area Baha’is staffed the booth, and about 75 of the event’s 1,000 attendees came forward for cookies, pamphlets and conversation about the Faith, according to co-organizer Nosratollah Ghaemmaghami.

New on the Web at www.usbnc.org:

National Education & Schools News

Updates from the National Education and Schools Office * National goals and local lines of action New materials * Wilmette Institute * Scouting awards * More!

INSTITUTES

in Wilmette will be the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development of the individual and marriage and family life. The topics will be supplemented by study of the mission of Baha’w'lléh, of the life of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and His role as exemplar, and of Baha’ writings on spirituality (especially the Kitab-i-Aqdas), plus workshops on creative writing, researching and ing the Faith.

Other courses in 2001 “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llih,” April 1-June 30 Tablets of Baba’wllab Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, April 15—July 15 Christianity for Deepening and Dialogue, May 15-Aug. 15 ‘The Baha’ F: A Comprehensive Introduction, June 1-Aug. 31 The Secret of Divine Civilization, July

i-Aqdas, Sept. 1-Dec. 31 ‘Abdw’l-Bahé, the Exemplar, Oct. L-Dee. 31

THE WILMETTE INSTITUTE 536 Sheridan Road Wilmette, IL 60091

Phone/fax: 877-WILMETTE (toll-free) E-mail: Web site: www.wilmetteinstitute.org The Web site is secure for accepting credit card payment of tuition.

Augusta, Maine ‘The Spiritual Assembly here has spon sored a Baha’{ information booth for 20 years at the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Common Ground County Fair.

One year the community was asked to co-sponsor a morning worship celebration at the event, and the Baha’i community was awarded a “Friends of the Fair” ribbon in 1998.

Fargo, North Dakota

When a “Festival of Faiths” was planned as part of celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Fargo and its sister city, Moorhead, Minnesota, organizers made sure the 56-year-old Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is was recognized.

During the festival July 2 at Concordia College, the Baha’i community participated in a Procession of Faiths, and contributed prayers recited in front of a tableau of symbols of several religions, including the Baha’i Faith.

REGIONAL TRAINING

INSTITUTE CONTACTS

Southern States Regional contact: Susan Nossa * Training institutes: . Aguila del Cielo Central Texas * Amatu’l-Baha RGhiyyih Khdnum Alabama, Georgia *

Crimson Ark DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia *

Jubilee Tennessee and Arkansas © Magdalene Carney florida, Lousiana, Missin =

Mathew Kaszab South Teas * North Texas +

Oklahoma +

Sam McClellan Keotudy *

South Carolina +

Supreme Talisman North Carolina + Tree of Life Houston, Texas *

Central States Regional contact: Council secretary * e-mail Training institutes: Chicago + Dorothy Baker Ohio + Gateway Missouri * lowa + Kansas + Milwaukee Metro * Minnesota *

Western States Regional contact: Council secretary * email Training institutes: Arizona * Columbine (olorado + California Northeast + California Northwest * California South + IMWW Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming

Native American Baha'i Institute + Nevada South +

Oregon +

Rio Grande New Mexico +

Northeastern States Regional contact: Chet Makoski > e-mail Training institutes: Doris McKay Western New York state *

New York Tri State Metro NYC, Northern NJ, Long Island * Sadie Oglesby Eastern New England © Thornton Chase Connnectcut River Valley *

William Sears Eastern Pennsylvania *

More on regional training institutes at www.usbnc.org

Access the Administrative Web Site with your Baha’s ID number, click on “Regional Councils,” then link to the Web site for the Council in your region of the country! :

page 12. THe AMERICAN BaAnA’l * NATIONAL TEACHING PLAN

January 19, 2001 [Page 13]

One : 8 rmantcaetne love, happiness and

e4 R pe spiritual devotion

Insure children and junior

youth acquire spiritual virtues and are free of prejudice

Foster devotional life of individuals and community

+, GOAL: INTENSIFY DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITUALLY =a oe

Establishing New Bases for Human Happiness

Our study program for 2001

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf: January through June

The Secret of Divine Civilization: July through December

www.usbne.org Check the Administrative Web Site for materials to facilitate your study (link to NSA Departments/Education and Schools Office)

Participants at the Nov. 12 centennial celebration in Milwaukee saw a list of events and accomplishments over the years in the Milwaukee community—a reminder not only of its progress but of its part in the mission of the Faith. mens highlights:

The community received a Tablet

from ‘Abdu’l-Baha in 1907.

Milwaukeeans began teaching the

Faith to American Indians in 1915. Years of effort bore fruit with the enrollment of Marian Steffes, considered the earliest American Indian Baha’i in the U.S. and a highly active teacher.

AMilwaukee couple was the first to

be married in Foundation Hall at the

To the next century in Milwaukee

Baha’is celebrate 100-year presence

ilwaukee, Wisconsin, has had a Baha'i p nce for a century, since Charlotte and Henry

Morton moved to the city from Kenosha in November 1900.

One hundred yea ter, the Baha’i community culminated its year of centennial festivities with a public dinner attended by 200 on Nov. 12, replete with joyous music, devotions and a sense of Milwaukee's Baha’ history.

Albin Kubala, a patriarch of three generations of Milwaukee Bahd’is, was keynote speaker, relating stories of the community’s development over the years and sharing the podium with his son and grandson.

The program also included a short talk on the life of Bahé’u'lléh by Dorothy Ramsey, Local Spiritual Assembly member.

Music was provided by folk singer Emily Ware and a roup led by pianist Roland Ashby. Later the lively One Human Family Workshop Choir of Milwaukee/Madison, led by Martha Banda, energetically reminded the gathering: “God is good!” drawing the response: “All the time!”

One unplanned part of the advance publicity was a substantial newspaper ar

Baha’i House of Worship site in 1927.

Antonio Roca, who embraced the

Faith in 1938, later traveled to teach the Cause in Mexico, arranged for printing and translation of several books in Spanish, and introduced the Faith into Honduras.

Inspired by an appeal by Shoghi Effendi to spread the Faith, 13

believers moved to Wauwatosa and established a Spiritual Assembly.

ABaha’i Peace Banquet in 1945

brought in 700 people, including the mayor, the schools superintendent, and other dignitaries; numerous races were represented. The turnout. was one fruit of several years’ public

ticle on the Metro section cover, touching on the worldwide and local history of the Faith, as well as some of its teach race amity activity.

In reponse to the goals of the Ten

Year Crusade, many Milwaukee Baha’is moved out to establish new Baha'i communities abroad or in other parts of the U.S.

The 1970s saw increased emphasis

on teaching the Faith, with greater involvement in media, holding of numerous special events, and substantial increase in the community’s numbers.

Hiring of a child education coordinator

in 1997 helped invigorate whole-family community life, and underscored a commitment to be a child-development-centered community.

Highlights of Milwaukee’s year of centennial activities included an “Honor Our Baha’i Elders” event May 6 (pictured above), and a public dinner and social event on Noy, 12 (pictured at left).

ings. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel religion editor assigned the story to a new staff member—Nahal Toosi, who happens to be a Baha’s.

All year, the Milwaukee community had kept the centennial, and remembrance of the community's history, in its forefront. A March 11 “Breaking the Fast” event and a May 6 “Honoring the Elders” evening, both well-attended and held at the Bahd’s Center, featured programs on the city’s Baha’t history. ularly remembered was Victoria Bediakan, a beloved and stalwart believer who traveled the world for the Faith.

Also for the centennial year, the community arranged for a professional, attractive booth that drew considerable attention at three community festivals: African World Festival, Mexican Fiesta and Indian Summer Fest.

Rescheduled ‘Irfan Colloquium, Seminar at Bosch seek presentations

he ‘Irfan Colloquium and Seminar

at Bosch Baha’i School have been heduled, now to eld May 18-20, with parallel sessions in English and in Persian. The theme will be “Mysticism and the Baha’{ Faith,” and the colloquium also will deal with fundamental principles of Baha’{ belief. The seminar section of the program will be devoted to the Tablets revealed during the early ‘Akka period.

Proposals for presentations should be received by Feb. 15. For further information please contact: ‘Irfin Colloquium,

{ National Center, 1233 Central 2 nston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-733-3501, fax 847-733-3502, e-mail iayman@usbnc.org).

The 29th and 30th s ‘Irfan Colloquium and S$ vened Oct. 6-9, 2000, at Louhelen Baha'i School. The parallel s Engl nriched by 28 scholarly presentations on the writings of Bahé’u’lléh during the ‘Akké period of the Ba i tem. Participants engaged in lively fruitful dialogues.

Presenters in these betical order, wer Mw in Afnani, Bayat, Sateh Bayat, Theo dar Ha’i, Ruhullah Khosh Lawson, Frank Lewis, J MacLean, in Maneck, Habib Riazati, Nader

sh Samanadari-Khoshbin aid Brian Wittman. Manuchehr Vahman conducted several musical performances.

Each participant's package of materials included abstracts of all the presentations and a volume composed of the col

sions, in alphaDavid Adrian, Iraj Ayman,

lection of selected papers presented at loquia in 1999.

series of annual ‘Irfan publicahe Lights of ‘Irfén, was launched It contains the text of selected papers in English presented at the ‘Irfan Colloquia and Seminars.

‘Irfan activities are sponsored by the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund. ‘Irfan colloquia and seminars are held annually in cooperation with the Persian/American Affairs Office of the Baha’{ National Center and the Institute for Baha'i Studies. @

January 19,2001

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ Spmrruat Distinction

page 13 [Page 14]

Module workshops: Not just for Local Assemblies

AS awareness of Assembly erelcs ment Module Workshops around the country, and participation in them increases, Local Spiritual Assemblies and training institutes are discovering that many workshops can benefit a wider audience.

Because development of local institutions is impacted by individual Baha’fs and has an effect on them, several workshops are designed with the individual believer in mind. Some can be done by a group drawn from several communities—for example, at an institute or summer school—while others are best-suited for a community to participate in together.

Baha’{ community members are intimately involved with the Local Spiritual Assembly. Those who aren’t members of an Assembly may at some point be called to this service. They also have the sacred responsibility of electing the membership of these divine institutions. And, of course, all believers are privileged to serve and obey their Spiritual Assembly. Several workshops contain material to help the friends to carry out these responsibilities.

All workshops are centered around the Baha’f writings and use interactive techniques designed for different learning styles. The ultimate goal is to help participants gain new insights and adjust their behavior.

Institutions, institutes, schools, groups or other organizations are welcome to coordinate a workshop for believers in their area. Assembly Development representatives are available to facilitate these workshops (see box).

Many individual Baha'is have benefited

Descriptions of all workshops and a nationwide list of Assembly Development representatives to facilitate them are available on the Administrative Web Site (www.usbnc.org) or through the Office of Assembly Development (phone 847-733-3490, e-mail

).

If your community wishes to facilitate its own workshop, rather than utilizing a trained Assembly Development representative, it will need to purchase a Facilitation Guide for the particular workshop from the Bahd’i Distribution Service (phone 800-999-9019).

from other Assembly development resources, including the booklets Spiritual Institutions: The Unique Nature of Spiritual Assemblies and Electing Bahai Assemblies. Both booklets use simple language, short quotes and beautiful images to convey the basics of the Administrative Order to those who may have limited familiarity with the unique nature of these institutions and their relationship to them. Many believers also find the Assembly reference manual Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities extremely useful in providing quotes and guidance on a variety of issues confronting them in their daily lives, and in helping them apply principles to their decisions and actions. All these materials are the Baha’{ Distribution S 800-999-9019). @

Who should use which workshops

General guidelines for use of Assembly Development Module Workshops:

Well-suited for use by any study group + The Individual and the Local Spiritual Assembly + Baha'i Electoral Practices + The Spiritual Nature of the Electoral Process

Particularly useful for an

+ The Equality of Women and Heo Part. One: A Shared Responsibly

+ Celebrating the Nineteen Day Feast

+ A irade of Governance: the Local Spiritual As sembly (ideo workshop)

Designed primarily for use by an Assembly

+ The Spiritual Nature of the Local Assembly

.: a ee

spas a tae pec ee

Designed for use only by an Assembly

Consultation Part Two: Consulting in Unity and

Harmony (should only be done after the Assembly has completed Part One, either alone or with community members)

+ The Equality of Women and Hen Part Two: The Assembly's Role in Fostering Partnership (should only be done after the Assembly has completed Part One, alone or with community members)

‘+ Fostering Racial Unity

Central California the event boosts energy

INFORMATION FROM REBECCA ASAI

he spirit of sharing flowed and Baha’t identities were stret

when about 90 people from ifornia gathered Oct. 14 at a Merced,

ty Potluck Pic

ceived a: group of Baha Project 99—a service project fors South. in youth—to gather and share in ’s bounty.

The event drew picnickers from as far north as Modesto and as far south as Fresno and Ahwanee. Honored guests included Micah Reed, who spoke of his experiences on last summer’ Spirit Run, and a group of Buddhist Taiko Drummers visiting from Stockton.

Many Southeast Asian youths at the picnic said they were very inspired with the recollections of the Spirit Run experience and what it spiritually meant to so many. The picnic also made it possible for Southeast Asian youths from several

Members of a Buddhist Taiko drumming group perform for a Unity Potluck Picnic that drew people from a wide area of Central California.

citi wo

along the Central California valley ake contact with each other. Under sunny skies, and over the diverse gathering in the park, hung banners proclaiming the unity of God, of religion and of humanity. 1 spiritual dimension. was nda of a Perho had recently left Turlock, California,

sian Baha’{ fam: Tran and arrive

just two weeks before. How special it was for them to be there, able to share openly in Baha'i festivities without fear of reprisal!

One of the children, Nafiseh, graciously agreed to chant a prayer in Persian before the meal. And though she and her brother Danial knew no English, they did not let that deter them from playing with the other children. #

Regional studies event to focus on technology,

children’s needs

Aken Baha’{ Studies conference, “Addressing the Pressing Needs of Humanity:

children, Technology and the Future,” will be presented April 6-8 at the Unive of California, Berkeley, by the California Regional Committee of the Association for Baha’ Studies.

Speakers, presentation of papers, workshops, panel discussions and the arts will address a wide range of topics that affect our future, including the role of science and religion, the appropriate use of technologies, business and entrepreneurship, justice, ethics, education and scholarship, the Covenant, racism and equality of women and men—particularly as these issues affect the well-being and spiritual growth of children.

Youth sessions include an interactive youth forum, and programs for children and junior youth will be held.

For more information, contact Stephen Friberg, committee secretary,

(phone > e-mail

‘Those who would like to present a paper or project (works in progress as well as completed papers) must submit a 250-word abstract or presentation description to the above address no later than March 1. Audio- or videotapes of presentations utilizing the arts are acceptable.

HELP WANTED: PIONEERS

Combining to such a degree the essential qualities

° of audacity

of consecration

° of tenacity

° of self-renunciation

¢ and unstinted devotion

that will prompt them to abandon

their homes, and forsake their all,

and scatter over the surface of the globe, and hoist in its uttermost corners the triumphant banner

of Baha’u’llah (qualifications from The Advent of Divine Justice)

Office of Pioneering + 1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60202 + 847-733-3508 Fax 847-733-3509

e-mail

page 14

Tue American BanA’i ¢ Spinmruat Distincrion

January 19, 2001 [Page 15]

BAHA’i EDUCATION

A stronger bond

Ross fell in love with a Louhelen Bab chool session aimed at helping married couples fall more in love with one

another.

Jason and Kristy, married in the summer of 1999, had heard about the Baha’f Faith through a professor while they attended Northern Michigan State University at Marquette in the mid-9(

Rodney Clarken, a favorite professor of Kristy’s, had offered firesides in his home. She occasionally attended these gunering® because she not only enjoyed also had heard him spi from a Baha’{ viewpoint during a couple of interfaith gatherings on campus.

While Kristy and Jason both liked what they heard about the Bah: sage, graduating and starting their Careers took precedence for a while. Still, they corresponded regularly with Clarken, who always passed along encouragement and more reading 1 rial about the Faith.

Early last year, Jason’s employer held a conference—renting the meeting space at Louhelen Baha’i School.

Jason was surprised and excited. Coming home from the meeting, he asked Kristy, “Guess where I today?” He showed her the two books he bought at the Louhelen bookstore, Christ and Babd’wllib and Thief in the Night.

A few days later, the couple visited Louhelen on their own. They looked at upcoming sessions in the school brochure and signed up for the Institute

was

Kristy and Jason Ross of Michigan found their shared spiritual journey led through

Louhelen Baha’i School.

for Married Couples, held in February.

“We figured if ic was uncomfortable in any way for us,” Jason recalled, “we could always le

They didn’t. The diversity of people at the session and among those working at Louhelen impressed them. The devotions resonated with both, particularly

catching Kristy’s attention.

“Thad a dream only a few months earlier, and the dream had a song in it,” she said. “A woman sang a prayer during evening prayers that had the exact rhythm and melody of the one that was in my dream.”

Furthermore, the combin: ticipatory activitie: steeped in Baha

ion of p: and practical advice ripture that permeated the conference created a rarefied atmosphere that benefited the couple's already-strong marriage. and I became aware of the spiritual bond between us e were able to together for the first time be: e our views of God became united,” Kristy said. In addition, the pair had been a ened to the depth and truth of the Bal sage. The night they went home,

they began an intense study of Christ and Babd’wildb, and devoted much of their spare time to it over several weeks— comparing what they read in that book and in Thief in the Night with the Bible. They felt they had found the Truth for the world today, and ma to become Baha'is.

‘They began their new liv New Year, enrolling at the East Lansing home of Jeanne Gazel during Naw-Riiz. ‘They recently moved to a home near East Lansing, and now serve on the Spiritual Assembly of Meridian Township.

The rarefied atmosphere that can enhance a marriage is again being provided. The “Celebrating Marriage” session at Louhelen is scheduled for Feb. 9-11.

Naw-Riiz Family Weekend, March 7S

Complete list of upcoming Louhelen sessions on Calendar, back page

Equality exploration

The 16 participants in the second Men’s Seminar sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of Women’s Affairs pose at Bosch Baha’i School in November. The seminar was aimed at exploring issues surrounding equality of women and men through the viewpoint of men of a variety of cultures.

Devoting time to service

“My time here so far has been full of

joy and spiritual rapture. Many tests have come but I praise the Almighty

owing upon me the gift of chal ng these tests I've grown

“I’ve found such a deep trust in

Bahé’u'lléh like I have never had before. I hope I never lose it.

+ “My first service was with a workshop in Croatia. I was inspired by how my services helped others and I knew a month wasn’t enough for me.”

These testimonials come from youth volunteers who, as part of the Baha’ Youth Service Corps program, have devoted up to a year of th serve the Faith at Bosch Baha’f School.

‘The Baha’f Youth Service Corps program places youth from the U.S. and around the world at service posts in all regions of the United States, and at numerous locations in countries abroad.

At Bosch, a typical day for youth volunteers may include keeping the grounds maintained, the cabins cleaned, and the food hot and plentiful, ensuring the smooth operation of the school.

Beyond that, however, are the gifts of spirit they bring to the campus—enthusiasm, energy, joy and smiles, qualities much loved by the Blessed Beauty.

The service of youth extends to the greater communit well, involving teaching activities and tutoring at a local elementary school.

Youth also attend weekly deepening s that emphasize firmness in the Covenant and gaining a clearer sense of purpose in terms of future education and career orientation.

This powerful experien many. One youth commented:

“Who could ask for more than to know that you are rendering service each ¢ We know that even though a service may seem small, ultimately it contributes to the ion of souls, the spreading of the

volunteers

as

dl

for

transform: the all glorious Cause, and ultimately building of the Kingdom of God on earth.”

Any youth interested in the possibility any permanent t complet

of service at school or institute fi unteer form that helps in placement at a post suited to their interests and the cter and needs at each campus. You may ask for a youth volunteer form from Bosch or any of the schools

and tutes, or from the Office of Youth rs (phone 847e-mail ).¢@

Complete list of upcoming Bosch sessions on Calendar, back page

January 19, 2001

Tne American BanA’i ¢ SrintruaL DistiNcTiON

page IS [Page 16]

Census of college clubs:A snapshot of who we are

he first known census of Baha’f college club activities was undertaken in spring 2000,

bringing to ie surface several interest

labs are fairly diverse, with mixed percentages of members of European, Pers African, Asian and iracial descent. However, the few American Indian and members. 44% meet at least once a week, while 20% do not meet at all. 76% have not developed a formal teaching plan for their club.

Just 10% of Ba college clubs meet with their sponsoring Local Spiritual

Assemblies at least once a semester.

56% of Baha'i college clubs sponsored

activities related to the theme of race unity in the last year.

44% sponsored act

gender equality.

28% of clubs reported having declarations on their campus in the last year.

These findings were the result of a

joint research project conducted by the

former National Youth Committee and the National Teaching Committee.

Baha'is on 160 campuses were asked to complete the survey; 50 responded. The

results of th i

shot of

related to

The national Office of Youth Affairs now has responsibility for the No. I Web site for Baha’i youth!

Messages from other youths
Online discussions

Baha’i Youth Workshops Baha’i Campus Associations

. .

Information from Regional Youth Committees
Art, photos, poetry, essays by young people

.

And more!

Office of Youth Affairs, Baha'i National Center

1233 Central St. * Evanston, IL 60201 « 847-733-3499 * e-mail

What else does the Office do?

Research initiatives

Publishing Fertile Field,

a newsletter for Baha’is studying, working and teaching at America’s colleges and universities

We've expanded! The Office of Youth Affairs now has two members! Mojan Sami, 23, joins Eric Horton, 25, at the Baha’ National Center!

phone

TRUE WEALTH

Bahai Funds Quiz

by the Office of the Treasurer

What do you know about the Baha'i Funds? (Following a format we all know and many of us love, we give you the answer—you supply the question!)

Category: Spiritual principles of giving 1. (100 points) to the Funds is a way to show this kind of attribute of God.

2. (200 points) Regular and sacrificial giving causes this kind of growth.

3. (300 points) This spiritual quality is a prime requisite for a treasurer.

4. (400 points) This is what it is called when every believer supports the Funds. 5. (500 points) These individuals are the only people who can give to the Baha’i Funds.

(Solutions on page 35.)

If your total points were:

Want to

» spenda summer at the Bahai House of. Worship?

Summer employment opportunity! The Temple Conservation Team eking youths 18 and older. Summer technicians take part in cleaning the dome, replacing sidewalks, building and landscape maintenance, detailed inspections, photo documentation and other tasks. Must have considerable selfdiscipline and maturity, but no specific preservation experience is required. For additional information and to receive an application packet, contact the Conservation ‘Team (phone 847-853-2331, e-mail

). Applications due by March 15

For other summer service opportunities, contact the Office of Youth Affairs (phone 847-733-3499, e-mail ) or the Office of Pioneering (phone 847733-3508, e-mail

).

Youth Affairs, Regional Baha’f Coun regional youth committees and indi lowing them to strategically es at colleges. assessment process, ‘h campus in the United ked to complete a short Internet-based survey near the end of each semester th The survey is part of a larger research effort by the Office of Youth Affairs. This office, which at Ridvan 2000 assumed some of the responsibilities of the former National Youth Committee, is mandated to conduct expert study on es related to youth. The new knowledge and insights are shared with

me REGIONAL UPDATES

Central States

About 65 youths gathered in Shawnee,

Kansas, in late November for an intensive one-day conference, the first major event planned by the Regional Youth Committee serving lowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. Participants attended workshops on three main themes: advancing the process of entry by troops, contributing S ment of a distinctly B: erating the transformation of soci The committee sees the conference as the first component in a renewed effort to galvanize the youth of their ar allowing them to develop their capacit as teachers, administrators and full members of the Baha’f community. ¢ A record-breaking 50 college students representing 17 campuses attended October's annual Fall Campus Association Weekend at Louhelen Baha’i School in Davison, Michigan. The Regional Youth Committees serving Michigan/Ohio and_Illinois/Indiana facilitated an intense and fun weekend that included deepening in the role of Baha'i college students and tips on strategic planning. he Regional Youth Committe i jiana_ recently initi

Contact the Regional Youth Committees in the Central States by writing the Regional Baha’i Council for the Central States (e-mail ).

Western States

More than 100 college students

attended an eventful college club weekend in late October at Bosch Baha'i School, Santa Cruz, California. Discussions and presentations were all based on the most vital and challenging issue facing the American Baha’{ community—racial unity. The event is sponsored annually by the Regional College Club Desk, one of several desks mandated to help the youth of the Western Region arise in service to the Cause. Contact the Youth Office for the Western States at

and individuals within the Baha’f com munity on the regular basis to

matically refine and improv

’{ life pertinent to youth.

For more information on these research

i ‘ontact the Office of Youth Af).¢

areas

‘a

Southern States

Youth played an important and vibrant

role in the regional conference held in Nashville, Tennessee, over Thanksgiving weekend. Many youths volunteered much of their time to ensure the experience was a smooth and uplifting one for all. Sev em and speakers in main were youths, and the Southern Regional Youth Coordinating ‘Team organized youth ions that were challenging, diverse and focused. The youth team also enacted a skit in the main session ©. the final morning, sharing a humorous—but insightful and challenging— vision of a future Baha'f community.

An e-mail list for youth in the South

has been established. Send your name, email address, Bahai ID number and city/state of residence to sby to connect with other youth in the South! Contact the Southern Regional Youth Coordinating Team at

Northeastern States

NEBYFest 2001! “Intoning the Verses of God” will be the theme of the first

annual Northeast Baha’i Youth Festival, scheduled for Feb. 16-19 in Teaneck, New Jersey. © A Campus Associati be held at Camp On: sylvania Jan. 19-21 Fall Campus Green Acre Baha’i School, Eliot, M: Both were sponsored by the North Regional Youth Committee.

Make plans now for two exciting summer projects! The annual Badasht Academy for intensive study of the Faith will

be held July 6-12 at Green Acre Baha’i School. An audacious teaching project will follow July 13-23.

An e-mail list for youth in the Northeast has been established. Send your

name, e-mail address, Baha’i ID number and city/state of residence to neby to connect with other

youth in the Northeast! Contact the Northeast Regional Youth Committee at .

n Weekend is to in southern Pennmplementing the

page 16 Tne American BanA’i Your

January 19,2001 [Page 17]SOQOUTHERN*REGIONAL*CONFERENCE

Photos by Nate Cocco and Jeff Kraus

An unforgettable ‘Celebration’

BY TOM MENNILLO

olks won’t remember everything they experienced at A Celebration of the South.

But how it made them feel will surely dwell in their hearts forever and animate their efforts to advance the proc entry by troops.

These 2,700-plus friends—of all backnd lengths of service to sense of history and mission before they traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Southern gional Ba Council-sponsored conference on Thanksgiving weekend.

After all, they live each day amidst the fruits of sacrifice by those who came before them: Louis G. Gregory, Magdalene Carney, Sarah Pereira, Joseph Hannen, Casey Walton, Sam McClellan and the like.

So their goal—alongside the opportu nity to renew and make friendships—for

“weekend was to sharpen the tools uicy use to nurture and harvest those fruits throughout these 16 “temperate zone” states so loved by ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

A series of challenges

No challenge would be too large, and they tackled many, as enumerated in a letter of joy House of Justice: ¢ Linking our hearts to Baha’u'llah. Nurturing our children, junior youth and youth. Lifting our community to higher lev dressed to the Universal

els of love and unity. oF

rther systematizing our teaching efforts. Understanding training institutes, the engine of the process of entry by troops. Intensifying our efforts to attract all

minority and indigenous populations to the Faith and to foster their full

participation.

Realizing the urgency of confirming

to the Cause the increasing number of

seekers responding to our National Spiritual Assembly's far-reaching media cam

A serie hops allowed. the attendees to study and reflect on these ch

lenges. Tides of the well-attended sessions ching Using Multi-Media Tools,” “Serving Our Youth,” “Teaching the Latino Population,” “Huququ'llsh,” “What Are Training Institutes,” “Assembly Development Modules,” “Spiritual Parenting ” “Race Unity: A Revolutionary Change,” “Becoming a Butterfly: The Plight of Pre-Youth,” “Chinese

Is,

Magnetic Devotional nd “The Spiritual Responan Baha

Connection,” Gatherings,” sibilities of Pe USA.” A sepa Local Spiritual small-group discussion of how individu

i Friends in the

¢ seminar for members of

Assemblies featured

als and institutions can connect to Baha'u'llah and where this could lead. Between sessions, the friends stopped

at booths.

Some were staffed by representatives of projects such as the Baha'i Community

Center being constructed south of

Nashville and the Louis G. Gregory Museum being created in the renovated

Charleston, South Carolina, boyhood

home of the late Hand of the Cause of

God. Other booths provided information

Photos by Tom Mennillo

on Assembly Development modules, the national media campaign, race unity, regional training institutes, youth service opportunities and regional teaching. nt

Late-night programs afforded ni; owls an opportunity to interact. Students and young professionals came together, as well as attendees of African, Chinese, Asian, Latino, American Indi

an and Persian descent, to explore their distinctive roles in the Cause.

Brilliance of the arts But the evening sessions for all and the

concurrent plenary sessions for adults, children and youth will likely echo the farthest as the friends return home.

On hand to raise and keep spirits a

loft a cadre of artists expressing their faith in forms that ranged from music to dance,

w

Left: Ashlynd Johnson (front) and others in an I |- to 12-year-old class during the conference play a memory game.

Above: Evander Gilmer and exuberant members of the Voices of Baha choir raise their voices in praise.

Left: Roohullah Mahmoodzadeh plays santour as family members of Iranian martyrs bear roses in their loved ones' memory. A special tribute to Baha’is who have been martyred in Iran since the mid-1970s, held during the conference’s final evening, culminated in a listing of the martyrs’ names projected on a large screen.

drama, photography, and videog

Some of the performances came in a special Day of the Covenant observance conducted by the Nashville Spiritual Assembly. “Pupils of the eye,” believers of Afri in words, song and movement the gloriiny of American Baha'is of all

an descent, movingly presented

ous de:

culture

Later that evening, a arts extravaganza featured such well-known artists as Dan Seals, the Voices of Baha, Ava, the One Human Family Choir, Los Nice Gu Marvin “Doc” long with Chinese dancers, South American singers, of Marshallese Islanders now living in

choir

SEE CELEBRATION, PAGE 18

January 19,2001

Te AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ SourHeRN REGIONAL CONFERENCE

page I7 [Page 18]SOUTHERN*REGIONAL*CONFERENCE

CELEBRATION,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Arkansas, and others.

Other performances punctuated the pleary sessions. There were dramatic readings; a video on the race amity conferences of the 1920s; a poignant scene from the lives of Louis and Louisa Gregory; and more music.

Also in the plenaries, a tribute to the martyrs in the cradle of the Faith moved nearly everyone to tears. A skit by members of the Southern Youth Coordin: ing Team elicited rueful laughs and maybe tears as they honestly a Baha’i community

ed

Iwo new

life today. introduced to the Faith through the National Media Campaign told of their spiritual journey. Three stalwarts of the mass teaching efforts in the 1960s and ’70s told inspiring stories of their humble service. Members of the Regional Baha'i Council and the National Spiritual Assembly answered questions from the audience.

believers

Key Addresses And such Baha’is as Counselors ‘Tod (Smith and National embly members Robert C. and ‘Toussaint moments, _ their arly on race unity and

Erica

Henderson

shared, at key insights—partic

and on. children- their fervent love for the friends.

Ewing, a native Minnesotan but longtime South Carolina resident, completed his servic member of the Continental Board of Counselors while at the conference. On the final morning, he was honored in tributes by Henderson and Toussaint and given a token of appreciation by the Regional Council.

Te was a fitting way for attendees to be sent on their way.

But first a battle cry, as adopted from the national med: i call go unanswered.”

Or, as expanded on by Tor call of a child, no call of a youth, no call of a parent, no call of an Assembly, no call of a seeker will go unanswered.”

Young girls try out their Persian dancing moves with the encouragement of singer Ava (left).

WORDS FROM THE CONFERENCE

Tod Ewing, member of Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas, on “Systematizing Our Teaching Efforts’

“I want you to breathe out, breathe in. Breathe out, breathe in. That’s expansion and consolidation. ... Can you breathe out without breathing in? Can you breathe in without breathing out? They’re parts of the same pro . And what happens when you breathe out too long without breathing in? You know, sooner or later you're going to die. What happens in the community when we breathe out without breathing in? We die. ... This is about systematizing the work. ...

Now, friends, one by one we cannot get the spirit out to all mankind in the United States. ... We need the spirit of Baha’u’llah’s teachings to permeate mankind before they will come in in large numbers, and we cannot do that with a hundred thousand people as Baha'is. So now ... this media campaign ... is causing the principles of Baha’w'llah to permeate mankind. And guess what? That means soon people will be ready to come in to this Faith in large numbers, because that’s a prerequisite. But on the local level, friends, i where the systematization takes place. Thi where we need to figure out what to do. How do we capture these hundreds of thousands? How do we fire their imagination?”

David Smith, member of Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas, on “Serving Our Youth”:

“Never imagine that youth must await the years of their maturity before they invaluable services to the Cause of God. ... When [the Universal House of Justice] wrote in 1984 that youth can move the world, this not meant simply as something of a source of encouragement. ... It was a reality, a truth. Youth can move the world. They, a position to transform civilization. They need the encouragement and the tools and the assistance to be able to carry out their destiny. . Let them become the noble beings they can. ... Just help your youth to honor their trust. Help your youth to do great things. E: pect your youth to do great things. They are destined to be greater than you. If you believe in an advancing civilization, you will pale in comparision to what they have been ordained by God to do. So, instead of pulling them with you, I would suggest you just walk with them and talk about life, about God, and about how they will align their lives to be pleasing to Baha'u'llah.” @

an render

re in

Strategically placed boxes gave con- — ference attendees ample opportunity. to contribute to the material needs of the Regional Baha’i Council.

page 18 THe AMERICAN Ban’

SOUTHERN REGIONAL CONFERENCE

January 19, 2001 [Page 19]

WELCOME BAHAI> THE WORLD AT A TIME

UNITING

ONE HEART

cass es oe ss Some Celebration of the South attendees start to dash across the street under a welcoming banner outside the conference hotel. Photo by Tom Hennillo

Above: Regional Baha’i Council members Carole Miller and Jack Guillebeaux take their turn as co-emcees for a main session of the conference.

Left: Michael and Karen Watt of Louisiana present a dramatic reading on the lives of Louis and Louisa Gregory. Photos by Nate Cocco

Left and above: A Day of the Covenant celebration on the theme “Pupil of the Eye” was a multigenerational presentation of sacred and other writings on African-Americans. Photos by Nate Cocco

WORDS FROM THE CONFERENCE

Erica Toussaint, National Spiritual Assembly member, on “The Needs of Our Junior Youth and Children”:

“We don’t have a model for spiritual parenting in this culture. ... If we love our children and want to see them free of any flaws, what should we do? ... [CJriticism is not a tool that will free them of the flaws. It stunts the growth and development of the child. ... Instead, we have to use training, admonition, and praise. You know, ‘Abdu’l-Bahé says the mother must pay special attention to the child, and if she sees him do the slightest thing wrong she must punish him, even to the extent of a slight verbal ch: ment. That is the big . The most terrible punishment would be a slight verbal ch: eve 90) how on earth do we create discipline, accustom children to hardships, teach them to work and s ? It’s a difficult question, but it c: be done by, said, judging between those things which are self-correcting with the passage of time and do no particular harm, and those things which require intervention. When a child does something which you know they will outgrow,

cl

nd when a child does something intervention, intervene in such nd educate, not to browbeat ism won't work, and training

overlook it.

or crit will work.”

Robert C. Henderson, National Spiritual Assembly secretary-general, on “Linking Our Hearts to Baha’u’llah”:

“It is true. We are puny. We are few. We And yet we

have just a paucity of resources have a world-changing, world-directing mission given to us by God to bring all of God's children together. ... But we have to know Baha’u’llah, know what He went through, and how He responded to those challenges, in order to bring Him into our hearts and have an intimate spiritual partnership with Him to direct our lives and to change the way we think, to stamp His name on our foreheads and to receive that spirit of oneness and love and unity in our hearts and write His law in the inward tablets of our hearts. And if we do these things, we will see that we will be seized by a power that will draw all people to the Baha’i community.” #

January 19, 2001

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ SouTHeRN REGIONAL CONFERENCE, page 19 [Page 20]

Definition of Baha'i development: Apply the teachings

Evidences of transformation at center of annual conference in Orlando

BY TOM MENNILLO

hree challenges awaited partici pants at the eighth annual

Baha’i Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas in Orlando, Florida.

They were to: equally share and learn; increase our knowledge of the consultative process; and acquire ideas and tools for creating love and unity through the arts.

Judging from the workshops, talks, performances and networking opportuities available, all three challenges were well within reach of anyone attending the Dec. 14-17 conference sponsored by the Rabbani Charitable Trust.

Baha’ development, we were told, nply is applying Baha’u’llih’s Revel tion to the problems of humanity. It is not expansion or consolidation; rather, it is an essential complement to that process.

Through development efforts, we demonstrate the power of the teachings to transform individuals and commun: ty. Hence the conferenc: theme, “Advaneing the Process of Transforming the World.”

Blossoming through involvement

Michael O’Neal had no development experience before founding Parent University, a project in Savannah, Georgia, to bridge community and schools. He wasn’t even an educator; he i cian.

an electri

Yet Parent University in one year ha ‘graduated” hundreds of parents from its skills enrichment cour tracted of sponsors. The Spiritual mbly of Danville, California, had engaged in no si ic development launching the Voi ar

and has atand

dozens corporate

governmer

before

activities nail Project six go. The Baha'i communi

about

15 strong, was not resource- or peoplerich

Yet the Voicemail Project now provides people a 4,000-square-mile area—the homeless, women fleeing do

nd people in recovery programs—with a vital connection to potential landlords and employ to other support sy

And it has involv blies, the Regional Ba the Institutions of the Learned in a capacity-building collaboration.

In conference workshops on these and

ers and

ssem4’f Council and

s and inspiration and project representatives received feedback vital nd growth.

Opening and closing conference plenary talks focused attende: on the guiding principles of Bah velopment.

Michael O’Neal (right) of Savannah, Georgia, describes Parent University as facilitator Ray Rudolph writes instructions for a small-group activity. Photos by Tom Mennillo

Left: Cindy Nielsen and Allan Wunsch work together to fill out a “buddy system”

sheet during a small-group acti

ity in the Parent Unive

y workshop.

Right: Canada’s Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute youth workshop performs.

William E. Davis, chairman of the National San Assembly, examined current socie “Prison. of Cultur How Culture Rect Development”

and presaged the promise of an emerging Baha’i culture.

Veteran development practitioner Holly E. Hanson described current

global patterns of development. in 3lobal Dilemmas, Individual Responses: Developing Patterns of Action That Make the World Different” and traced the grassroots Baha’{ development efforts beginning to heal communities’ disorders.

‘Two plenary panels ing efforts to do just that.

“A New Vision for the Arts in Building Baha’u’llah’s World Order” focused on how the arts can take their proper place in advancing the process of transformation.

“SED and the Indian Peoples Americas: Needs and Opportuniti

eatured pioneer

cused on the Bah nfluenced Northern Plains He: t program, which is reducing infant mortality among ri can Indians in a four-state area, a) a

Artistic threads in the weave Building on an effort begun at last

year’s conference, inspirational learning through the arts wove performances and innovative devotionals into every session—plenary and workshop alike. Some examples were: reci Fire Tablet and the long healing prayer layered with singing and ompanimen|

a excerpts from mu: dramas such as The Gathering by Laura Lee, The Unquenchable Flame by Gina d Russ Garcia, or The Seven Valleys by Wendy, Mart Jaitlyn Quinn; ror ing singing by the One Human Family hop hoi and the Jeffrey Barnes such as Farzad

GoaL: STRENGTHEN AND

Khozein on violin, Mark Ochu on piano and Gwendolyn Watson on cello.

‘Then there was the emotional children’s_ performance, highlighted by songs, dances and quotations from Baha’f and other uplifting writings by the Children’s Theatre Company of New York City.

Classes for children, junior youth and youth paralleled the adult ons. Younger participants learned about some of the same projects their parents did, and their express of appre tion for development efforts included producing a conference newspaper and creating two incredible quilts that were red to projects.

‘Throughout the conference, day and night, attend networked on shared interests, such as agriculture, business, equality, health, multicultural ice, the environment

and Indian peoples.

Comparing notes on development Speci: the focus of a pre-conference seminar, Dec. 12-14, for invited development practitione! ‘Tracks included the Moral Leadershi Program developed at Nuir University in Bolivia; the fourth annual conference of the International Environment Forum; development, the Baha’i Administ Order, and the communit sion among B: composers, performers, dramatists and media producers on the role of the creative process in development. alks included “The Direction of Baha’{ Social and Economic Development: Prospects for the Future” by Glen Eyford of Canada; “Building Institutional Capacity” by Haleh Arbab of Colombia; and “Degress of Complexity in Baha’; Development Activities” by muel DuBois of Ecuador. This year’s conference marked the retirement of Benjamin Levy from the Rabbani Trust after 10 years of service. He was lauded as the conference’s champion and prime mover in a reception, and later he was presented with an award and the announcement of an annual scholarship in his name. #

-d interests also were

tive and discus

page 20

Tue American BanA’i ¢ MaturinG Communtmies

January 19, 2001 [Page 21]

Chinese group sends high-ranking delegation

INFORMATION FROM WIPA AND RAMIN ABRISHIMIAN, BOSTON, MA.

ome of the highest-ranking women in China gained a close-up view of social nd econom:

development projects involving Baha'is in four states, during a USS. visit in October arranged through Women for International Peace and Arbitration.

The visitors are officials of the All China Women’s Federation (ACWF), which represents more than 500 million women in every part of Chii

‘The site visits were arranged so that the visitors could observe both official and private development efforts,

and could

share their experiences as well. At the Boston, Ma: Center, the Chinese dele; an English-a is conducted weekly by th Institute. With Al tute’s board chairman, gates also received information about other programs the institute provides for women, children and men.

‘The ACWF representatives expressed admiration for the number of helpers who are unpaid volunteers, and for the spiritual foundation of the Tahirih Peace Institute$ vision and programs.

The delegation met with women who are managers at Lotus Corp., also in Boston. Host was Charles Pau, who also helped facilitate the Boston activities in his

tion observed second-language class that hirih Peace cia, the instias host, the dele

Dignitaries from the All China Women’s Federation visit the Boston Baha’i Center recently to observe a class conducted by the Tahirih Peace Institute.

capacity with the Baha'i Chinese Friendship Association. The “visitors Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in an excursion arranged by Cindy and Daniel Chen.

WREN, a rural New Hampshire project that helps cain women for business and fosters community development, was observed in a visit hosted by Mara Khavari.

In Southern California, the Chinese delegate: the s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, with Senior Judge Dorothy Nelson as host; and the Orange County Superior Court, with Judge Pamela Iles hosting. Nelson has been a pioneer in the movement for court-sanctioned mediation of disputes, while Iles is an expert in domestic violence cases and child abuse.

also saw

visited two courts:

In Illinois, the visitors went to. the National Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in a visit facilitated by Phyllis Medrano. An excursion to Woodlands Primary School was arranged by teacher House of hosted by

Worship: in Wilmette w swell nd Dorita Fulle:

The Women’s Federati included i director

gation ational vice president, the eneral for the service center, the

tional Liaison Department and the General Administrative Department, the Women’s Federation presidents for Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces, its director for Kang Bao County, and a officer/translator.

Representing Women for International Peace and Arbitration at all site visits were

Close-up on Boston

The Tahirih Peace Institute currently serves 76 adult students and 10 children. Since its beginnings, more than 250 students have completed courses.

Central to the institute’s programs is a weekly English-as-second-language class at the Boston Baha'i Center. Other lectures, seminars and training workshops are conducted in the areas of conflict resolution, financial independence and professional development, including computer training.

As the mission gradually branches out, men as well as women have been welcomed to participate. A children’s program with emphasis ‘on arts is being developed, having begun as a child-care program for

participating parents.

Classes and programs are offered free of charge to students and their children. So far, funds have come entirely through voluntary contributions from Baha'is and Baha'i institutions in Eastern Massachu‘setts. The Institute plans to apply for additional funds from governmental and charitable organizations.

Juana and Sam Conrad. Members of the Chinese Consulates in cago and Los ngeles participated in some of the events, and there was extensive television, radio and newspaper coverage. @

Local Baha’i communities are growing in our understanding of ‘process’

BY THE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH OFFICE

(74 Nee cing the process of entry by

troops” is a phrase that has become a permanent part of our Bah: vocabulary. Through continued mention and encouragement from a varie most of us are getting comh talking about “proc ” in our service to the

We have, perhaps, a general sense that we are supposed to focus on trends now, rather than isolated or one-time events, and we think of that as a “process” and of ourselves and our activities as being “process-oriented hat’s an important evolution in the view of our work as Baha'is.

But are we equally aware of the fact that in many disciplines, the word ” has some specific meanings?

In the literature on organizational development, for example, a focus on process has become one of the central ideas a lot of people talk about.

The definition of process in that sphere is “a defined series of steps that leads to a concrete outcome.”

If you are making a product, you start with a carefully researched idea of what

EXPERIMENTS IN COMMUNITY BUILDING

your clients are looking for, then you “build backward” from the deliv ry point, c has to occur in order to put the Hi sired outcome in the right place at the right time. Which departments get involved, and in what sequence? Where does the ‘aw material come from and when does it have to arrive? Who does the final assembly? The packaging? The shipping?

Again, “building backward”

‘The same is true of service providers: ‘They ask, “What do our clients need or expect from us, what do they value, and how can we produce that result efficiently and effectively?” Instead of thinking from the top down, as has be tory of so many endeavors, companies using this kind of analysis start with the people whose needs they want to me and work upstream so they can do the: share in meeting those needs.

A homeless family comes to the office—what happens first? What other steps happen next so the family gets food, clothing, housing, medical care ete.?

If you are interested in more information about improving community processes, Mottahedeh Development Services has an excellent draft manual on and other subsets To get it:

Download it from the Web at

www.mdssed.org (click on “Publications,” then on “Skills of Servant Leadership”).

Or, write the National Center Development Office, 1233 Central

St., Evanston, IL 60201 (e-mail

).

Because process management becomes a fairly exact di ne with these organizations, it is easy to spot. How do you know whether a company has identified its “core processes”?

‘The answer: You can ask anyone in the organization and they can tell you what the core processes are and what their individual role is in carrying out those processes. They may even have “process maps,” flow charts that give a picture of the sequence of steps in each process and

who is responsible for completion of each step.

Just for the sake of discussion, let’s try this idea on for size in a Baha’ context. If you ny three local communit what their is for welcoming ‘ht you not get three (or more) different answers?

Our local processes

One communi y have a kind of “hands off” approach, based on the idea of independent investigation. They might tell the new believer, “There are books about anything you want to know s the librarian who get you the books you want.” The second community might meet ch month with new Baha'is, serving a and cake and welcoming the new folks into the community. It might hand out a calendar of ev and encourage the new recruits to attend, maybe suggesting a committee to serve on. The third community is more sophisticated. It has the librarian and the welcoming meeting, but does some other things, too. Its members re: that new believers will have all kinds of

SEE COMMUNITY, PAGE 27

January 19,2001

Tne American BanA’i ¢ MATURING ComMUNITIES

page-2I [Page 22]

MATERIAL MEANS

More notes on Huqaqu'lah

This article is the fifth and last in a series cont ing excerpts from the Codification of the Law of Huqdiqu’llah. It was prepared with reference to the compilation on Huqdqu’llah, which is available from the Baha’i Distribution Service.

Among principles expressed in previous issues: The Huqdqu’llah (Right of God), established in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, i: offered joyfully and without hesi When offered in this spi prosperity and protection to the friends, purify their worldly possessions, and enable them and their offspring to benefit from the fruits of their endeavors. Huqaqu’llah is to be calculated first in a person’s lifetime as a percentage of his/ her wealth, and later as the same person’s wealth (after necessary expenses) increases by specific amounts. Some categories of belongings do not need to be counted in this calculation. Each individual decides which expenses are needful, and when to make Hugqdqu’llah payments.

Some details were shared in the Nov. 4 and Dec. 12 issues of The American Bahd’f; here are more.

D. Additional notes, based on the

first supplement to the Compilation 1. Whereas a believer has discretion to

decide whether to treat his or her contribu

simple and e

Baha’i Fund?

like to give, and then they send an

amount if they wish when more funds are : Using the Automatic Contribution System s

the fund thousands of dolla:

as well as in human resources required to process

contribution che

The AC but also for Local Spirit a tered groups. ly made betw: ach Gregorian month. : enclosed with the form to a

“Every deed must be

performed i in @ spirit of Joy and radiance.” —Bahd'witéh

tion to the Fund of the Faith as an expense, or make them only out of money on which Huqtiqu’lléh has been paid, he or she also has the discretion to treat some contributions in one way and some in the other.

2. One believer cannot discharge the obligation of another to pay Huqiqu’llih, nor can a payment to Huqtiqu’llih be earmarked for any purpose or be made in honor of anyone.

3. The Law of Huqiqu’llsh imposes an obligation only on individual believers, not on Bahda’i institutions or corporate bodies.

4. Although the law provides a certain leeway in the timing of the payment of Hugqiiqu'lléh, it should preferably be paid by a believer during the course of his or her life whenever it falls due, and the only payment to Huqiqu’llih which should need to be provided for by will is such additional ry as may be found to exist when the believer's affairs are reckoned up as at the date of death.

5. Each believer should learn not only how to calculate Huqiqu’llah during the course of his or her life, but also how to provide for the payment of the balance

remaining at the time of death.

Applicability of the Law of Hugiqu'ilah For many decades the sacred law of Huqtiqu’llth had been applied only to the believers from the Middle East. The worldwide application was instituted by the Universal House of Justice as from Ridvan 1992, the beginning of the Holy Year marking the 100th anniversary of the Ascension of Bahd’u’lléh.

Payment of Huqiqu’Ila4h The Hugqtiqu’llah is normally paid to the Trustee of Huqiiqu'llah, his Deputies, or their appointed Representatives. ‘These persons issue receipts and forward the funds to the World Center.

Management of the Huqaqu’llah

Decisions on the necessary ordinances concerning Huqtiqu’llih, as well as on its disposition, lie within the sole jurisdiction of the Central Authority in the Cause. The Huqiqu’llsh can be employed for charitable purposes, or for other purposes useful to the Cause of God. #

Videotapes on Huqdqu’llah in English and Persian are available for a reduced price of $12. Please contact Badiyan Productions, (phone , e-mail ).

HUQUQU’LLAH

THE RIGHT OF GOD

Payments to Huqiqu’llah should be made to “The Baha’i Huqdaqu’llah Trust” (please write your Baha’i identification number on your check) and sent to one of the Trustees:

+ Amin Banani, phone

e-mail

Stephen Birkland,

» fax 310-394-6167

phone » fax 651-490-7521 e-mail + Sally Foo, phone fax 609-671-0740 e-mail + Daryush Haghighi, , phone » Fax 440-333-6938 e-mail

Elizabeth Martin, P.0. Box 178,

Winnsboro, SC 29180 phone , fax 803-635-9982 e-mail Office of the Secretariat, Baha’i Huqdqu’llah Trust, (phone , fax 440-333-6938, e-mail Web site now accessible through www.usbne.org

Charitable Gift Annuities

Under a charitable gift annuity: Benefits:

ed with other annuity funds.

you, the donor, for your lifetime.

8-page brochure from the Office of the Treasurer

Individual copies may be requested free. Nominal charge for ordering in quantity.

‘+ A donor irrevocably transfers funds to our National Spiritual Assembly, which are invest

Regular quarterly payments are made to

+ The remainder of the annuity fund is transferred to the Baha'i Fund after your passing.

Guaranteed fixed payments for life, a portior

are non-taxable.

A charitable income tax deduction for a portion of the

gift in the year in which the annuity is established. 2 + Reduced capital gains taxes if funded with an appreci ated asset. + Increased support of the Bahé’i Fund.

Examples (based on a $10,000 annuity): Age 60: Charitable deduction $3,782.30; annual lifetime annuity $660 Age 70: Charitable deduction $4,261.20; annual lifetime annuity $750 Age 80: Charitable deduction $4,907.40; annual lifetime annuity $920

has been established to help believers make a variety of financial arrangements for themselves, their families and the Baha’i Faith:

now offered by our National Spiritual Assembly as a gift-planning option

A charitable gift annuity is a contract between you, as the donor, and our National Spiritual Assembly—providing advantages for both.

Requirements: in of which => Must be at least 60 years of age to enter into an annuity agreement with our National Spiritual Assembly. Must establish the annuity with a minimum of $10,000.

Must irrevocably transfer the funds.

Will receive lifetime annuity payment.

Not yet licensed in Arkansas, California, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin

The National Spiritual Assembly's Gift and Estate Planning Program

Providing for the Baha’i 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

Access www.usbne.org with your Baha’{ ID

aumbery-thensfollowiche links|co “NSA Depart and “Office of the Treasurer.”

OR: Request an ACS form from the Office of

the Treasurer (phone 847-733-3460). #

To order The Writing of a Will or to find out more about the gift and estate

planning program:

Phone 847-733-3466 / e-mail
Or, fill out the form with the Baha’i Funds envelope attached to this paper.

page 22

Tue American BanA’i ¢ Maturing Communmes

January 19, 2001 [Page 23]

Dissolving our common myths about money

BY THE OFFICE OF THE TREASURER

‘ou've heard them, you've grown up

with them: society’s views of money and finances. We hear that money is the root of all evil, or there is something inherently spiritual about not having money—or, conversely, that having money means you are not a spiritual person.

‘These myths about money hover just outside our consciousness. First of all, the actual quote from the Bible reads, “The love of money is the root of all evil”—very different from the common. misquote above. And there is nothing fundamentally spiritual about poverty.

‘The Stewardship and Development program, developed by the Office of the Treasurer, helps educate Baha’is about

n “intrinsic element of the devotional life of the individual”—contributing to

Improve sensitivity

to luminous souls

To the Editor:

Recently our Local Spiritual Assembly had the privilege of visiting with a member of our community who wished to withdraw from the Faith. As our representative talked to this individual, became apparent she was overwhelmed with shame over her inability to openly represent the Faith in this community.

After reading the Writings and in The American Bahd’i again and again the push to go out and shout the name Baha'u'llah and to “be a soldier in the forefront of God's army”—and recognizing her own inability to be that assertive—she felt guilty. She felt she could not live up to the high standard of the Faith and so must withdraw.

‘That this gentle soul, who arose every morning to give her life to Ba nd lived each day to be of service to mankind (such that she is known as an angel at work), should feel such shame filled us with a great sadness.

We realize that a great number of believers have risen to wonderful levels of service after being inspired by some of our beloved friends in the forefront, and that they may not have arisen without some gentle nudging. That we need enthusiastic Baha'is to go out and teach the Faith is obvious, but is it not equally obvious that we need these gentle souls who radiate love and compassion to anyone? Should we not encourage their role in the community as well?

How many gatherings have we gone to where one or two of the friends have stayed in the background, smiling and helping with small things or with hospitality, and in their own quiet way welcoming new friends? How many of these friends are thanked for their part?

Luckily a lot of these believers are sufficient enough in their belief Baha'u'llah that they need little encourage

lf

the Bahé’i Fund. Stewardship and Development seminars help communities structure their thinking on a wide variety of topics related to the local treasury and the Baha’i Funds in general, including such bold initiatives as the Kingdom Project.

The Ridvin 2000 letter describes a noticeable change in the “expanded capability, methodical pattern of functioning and the consequent depth of confidence of ... the individual, the institutions and the local community.”

One way to smooth the progress of this expanded capability is through the Stewardship and Development program. Skilled facilitators across the country are ready to offer their services to communities in the form of half-day, full-day or two-day seminars. To locate a facilitator in your area, contact Regina Blum in the Office of the Treasurer (phone 847-733

Participants get actively involved in a recent Stewardship and Development faci

tor training session at the Baha’i National Center. Photo by Alloysia Haynes

3495, e-mail ).

We must continue expanding our capacity in order to foster and accommodate the dramatic growth that is fast approaching. “This is the time,” states

the Universal House of Justice, “for which we must now prepare ourselves; this is the hour whose coming it is our task to hasten.” The Stewardship and Development program can help.

LETTERS FROM READERS le welcome letters from readers on topics relating to the furtherance of the goals of the current Plan, the principles of the Writings, and response to

content in The American Bahd’i.

+ The purpose of Letters from Readers is to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions, never to denigrate another's views or attack anyone—openly or subtly.

Opinions expressed are those of the writers, not necessarily of the editors.

+A 250-word maximum length is suggested. Letters will be edited for style and

possibly for length.

Address to: Editors, The American Baha’i,

1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201.

ment to continue serving. But many have simply faded away from the Faith. Yes, they should have been deepened enough to be that self-sufficient, but we believe they also needed validation of the importance of their role in the community.

We are all human. Bahi’is need to be nurtured and to feel that connection with the undertakings of the community at large through the acts of service that we offer individually.

Please God, let us remember to honor these gentle souls.

Spiritual Assembly of the Baba’is of Flathead County, Montana

Teaching by example in a church setting

To the Editor:

I work at a Methodist church in Barrington, Illinois. When I applied for the position, I made it clear that I wa Baha’i. 1 explained how we honor the major religions, since I was willing to accept them as they were, I hoped they would so accept me. They did.

The pastor and I have a good working relationship: among other things I proofread his sermons. When something he has written reminds me of a Baha'i prayer or writing, I have soon unearthed it and show it to him. And he reads whatever I bring in, reads with interest.

I have also joined the choir. The church is a short drive from my home and I love to sing. Because the church is

small, the choir only has 15 people; therefore I was happily accepted and really count. I’ve made a number of friends there and they all know of my background. It doesn’t matter. When I told one lady more about the Baha’f tenets, she replied, “I know your beliefs must be good, because you're such a nice person.”

We were told the Barrington Area Ministerial Association was having a joint Thanksgiving service, and the churches

combined choir for the “my” church is too si tholic church was hosting. some intervention by the Methodist pastor, I was put on the program to say a Baha’ prayer. I chose the “Prayer for Mankind.” I the only non-Christian on the program. I got a lot of compliments on it from the choir members.

Near the end of the service, several people took turns eludicating events that occurred during various centuries. They started with the 12th century and progressed toward the end of this millennium. When they came to the 19th century, one of the events they listed was the establishment of the Baha’i Faith. I almost fell out of my chair; this service was written before “my” pastor's request that I read a prayer! In other words, the composer(s) of the service were aware of the Faith on their own, quite apart from me!

There were probably over 100 people there; I never found out who had known of the Faith. But you can be sure I will participate again next year!

Susan Bowers, Cary, Mlinois

UNITED NATIONS,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE |

members of the Baha’i community of Iran face death sentences because of their religious belief and that the community as a whole continues to experience di crimination in education, employment, travel, housing and the enjoyment of cultural activities.

‘That report, issued Sept. 8 by Maurice Copithorne, the special representative of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, said there have been recent reports of “situations of discrimination and persecution” against Baha’is, including “acts of intimidation carried out in order to prevent Baha’i from participating in religious gatherings or educational activities

In its resolution, the Assembly expressed concern that Iran has failed “to comply fully with international standards in the administration of justice, the absence of guarantees of due process of law, and the absence of respect for internationally recognized legal safeguards ... with respect to persons belonging to religious minorities.” We are pleased that the United Nations’ most representative body, the General Assembly, has once again note of the ongoing persecution of our co-religionists in Iran,” said Techeste Ahderom, principal representative of the Baha’{ International Community to the United Nations

“The Baha'is in Iran only wish to be al lowed to practice their religion fully, in accordance with the numerous international human rights covenants that Iran is a party to,” Ahderom added. Since 1979, when the Islamic Republic of Iran was formed, more than 200 Baha’fs have been killed or executed, hundreds have been imprisoned, and thousands of been deprived of jobs, education or property.

January 19, 2001

Tne American Band’i ¢ News/Lerrers/Conrinuep

page 23 [Page 24]

lassified notices in The American

Babd’i are published free of charge to the Baha’{ 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

f you know of anyone who has skills in

the following areas, or know of people who may know others with these skills, especially for positions listed as “Urgent Needs,” please contact our Human Resources Department.

Meeting/Hospitality Assistant, Meetings and Travel Office. Will promote loving, attentive, pleasing atmosphere for meetings of the National Spiritual Assembly and the Baha'i National Center. Involved in menu planning, meeting setup and close-down, supply purchasing, stockroom maintenance, collaboration with the Office of the Secretary and Properties Office. Will also assist with travel-related and billing tasks, Very flexible work schedule available to accommodate intermittent weekend meetings. Should have aptitude for creating an aesthetic

decor, arranging flowers; must be able to work well under pressure and time constraints. Assistant Researcher, Research Office. Responsibility and salary depend on ability to match the following skills: writing basic correspondence; organizing files/tracking many projects; orga small scholarly gatherings and conferences; creating, maintaining, expanding databases; critiquing manuscripts and corre~ sponding with authors about their work; interacting with, encouraging and answering questions from academics (Bahi’i and non-Baha’)) about the Faith; carrying out basic literature and/or stati

| research about the Faith and

its community in answer to research questions; analyzing and responding to articles critical of the Faith ina friendly, persuasive, thorough

fashion. Bachelor's degree required; doctorate ormaster’s degree highly desired.

Concrete Journeyman, Conservation Office. Utilize your skills in state-of-the-art concrete repair for the historic Baha’t House of Worship. Opportunity to manage and train concrete artisans in a unique studio environment. 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; ensure that all ‘equipment and buildings are efficiently and effectively maintained. Needs at least five years’ experience in all areas of bi

ding maintenance (HVAG, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, clea

ng etc.) with three to five years as a maintenance manager; valid driver's license; supervisory command of English. Staff Producer, Media Services. Full range of video/audio production tasks, especially writing/development of Baha’ Newsreel. Keeps dayto-day production process in order; researches, gathers news, writes, edits finished Newsreel stories, at times on own; helps develop network of correspondents; arranges duplication/distribution. Needs broad knowledge and experience in broadcast journalism; flexibility, organizational skills, familiarity with Bahs’s administration.

‘Will manage all aspects of Business Office activities; coordinate/communicate with BDS manager and buying office, Office of the Treasurer, other

tionally; supervise business office assistants. Minimum five years’ experience in many aspects of accounting (receivable/payable, bank reconciliation, cash receipts etc.) including a year’s management experience; varied retail background a plus; strong computer skills including QuickBooks and Excel; must be highly motivated, a problem solver, able to work independently. 1 Office of the Treasurer, Evanston: Fund Development Coordinator. Helps formulate strategies to increase participation, regularity and levels of contributions to the Baha’f Funds; helps educate communities, treasurers and Assemblies on the principles underlying contributions to the Funds and helps them apply these principles; reaches the community mainly through letters, phone calls and presentations; frequent travel. Needs strong communication skills and warm, mature personality; computer proficiency, ability to coordinate many tasks. Must be grounded in fundamental verities of the Faith. Related work experience a plus.

Baba’i Distribution Service, Fulton County, Georgia: Buyer. Helps ensure timely, economical availability of Baha’{ literature and materials; communicates with publishers and vendors; negotiates sales agreements. ‘Two years’ experience as a biiyer, including work with purchasing contracts or two years’ experience retail ordering and stocking; experience with basic office administrative support including Microsoft Word.

Persian-American Evanston: Administrative Assistant. Office skills should include Microsoft Windows 98 and/or 2000, possibly Excel; typing 55 wpm, calculator by touch. Excellent verbal and written skills in both Persian and English a MUST. Should be well-versed in both cultures, able to interact with all types of people; must possess in-depth knowledge of the Baha’ Faith and have excellent consultative abilities.

Office of the Secretary, Evanston: Administrative Assistant. Interacts with all departments, composes responses to all correspondence, handles high volume of detailed information with frequent interruptions. Needs sound problem-solving/organizational judgment, ability to work with confidential information and to work as part of a team (with and without supervision), written and interpersonal communication skills, proficiency in word processing, driver's license. Office of the Treasurer, Evanston: Executive Assistant. Coordinates administrative tasks; maintains relationships with institutions and volunteers through phone, mail and electronic correspondence; and helps in executing tasks assigned to the Office of the Treasurer by the National Spiritual Assembly.

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

Baha’f offices, Boe publishers, vendors and others nationally’ and interna- |

OFFICE OF INFORMATION SERVICES Systems Support Manager (technical manager). Must know Windows NT4/2000, have WAN experience.

Senior Applications Developer (2 positions). Provides high-level analysis, design, implementation of information systems. Familiar with a variety of technologies: VB/VBA (preferred), SQL7, Microsoft Access, Web Tools, Delphi, C++. Applications Developer. Provides high-level analysis, design, implementation of information

systems. Familiar with variety of technologi VB/VBA (preferred), database, Web ‘Tools. Network Administrator/Engineer. Responsible for configuration, maintenance, security of computer network infrastructure (LAN and WAN) including servers, cabling, routers, switches, NICs. Maintains documentation of network and rvers. Should know NT4/Win2K. SQL 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 MS SQL7 using MS Access, VB or other tools. Telephone Systems Specialist. Report Writer. Skilled in Access, Crystal Reports; Visual Basic helpful. Help desk, Coordinates support activities for

LSAT project. Provides training and support for LSAI. Handles or delegates requests for support. Develops training-related materials, assists promotion and education.

For BRILLIANT STAR MAGAZINE WitmeTTe, ILLINOIS Associate Editor. Helps coordinate and execute all phases of content acquisition/development, proofing, and digital print production for all six issues per year of Brilliant Star in a

ISSIStS, Media Services. Must have two years’ experience with editorial and production work in educational publishing for children (ages 6-12); familiarity with children’s activities and eduea creative, deadline-driven atmosphe

with other print projects within Baha

tional materials to suit various reading |

and learning styles in the context of Bak teachings. Must have strong creative writing and editing skills. Should be detail-oriented;

able to work in a consultative manner as a

member of a team, as well as independently with little supervision.

At Bosch BAHA’! SCHOOL SANTA Cruz, CA Children’s Program Coordinator/Teacher. Looking for a dynamic, personable, energetic person with a bachelor’s degree in education

| URGENT NEED

3 Visit ‘wrirwaisbielorg: and click on the “Current Opportunities for Service” link in the

What's New list.

We regret that no inquiries (by phone, fax or mail) or visits to the» Office of Public Information or to

the Office of External Affairs can be accepted.

or related field; must be trained in Core Curriculum; must have knowledge of curricu lum building for children of all ages on a wide

range of subjects; able to contact and supervise volunteer teachers. Will plan and organize children’s program as well as help with adult program. Organizational and leadership skills are a must; musical talents are a plus.

AT GREEN ACRE BAHA'I SCHOOL EuoT, MAINE Food Service Manager/Head Cook. Plans all meals, cooks or supervises cooking, manages dining room and kitchen, makes food purchases; supervises Assistant Cook and up to 6

volunteers. Must have at least 3 years’ experi

ence as cook and 2 years’ experience as head cook. Must be flexible, have strong interpersonal skills, and be imbued with the spirit of service.

Assistant Cook (part-time). Helps Head Cook prepare and serve meals; occasionally oversees kitchen and dining room operations. Must have at least 2 years’ experience as a cook.

At Native AMERICAN BAHA'I INSTITUTE Houck, ARIZONA

Cook. Urgently needed: experienced cook to prepare 3 meals a day for 45-350 people. Off season there are 11 residents. Must have a least 3 years’ experience in all-around food handling, food preparation and cooking. Prefer a licensed food handler (any county/state).

If interested in any of the above Babd’i National Offices posts, contact the Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847733-3427, fax 847-733-3430).

ACROSS THE NATION ‘The Office of Women’s Affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly is looking for interested people willing to serve as copy and formatting editors for upcoming publications. For more information, please contact Sasha Williams (e-mail

phone ). INTERNATIONAL China: Numerous openings for English teachers

and professionals willing to travel for service in this rapidly developing country. For information contact Susan Senchuk (phone f fax 847-733-3509, e-mail y

page 24

Tue American BanA’i ¢ CLAssirieD

January 19,2001 [Page 25]

The staff of the Office of Ex nal Spiritual Assembly

ral Affairs

represents the N: in its relations with the federal and state

ment activities with

ional non-g

nmenleaders of thought and the

. The office also coordinates

the interactions of and provides policy guid ance to the U.S. Baha'i community regard

ing its contact with government officials, leaders of thought and national and interna tional nongovernmenual organizations.

The director is the head of staff and coor dinator for the N:

external affairs of Washington offic Nations Office and the Office of Public Inforr

Principal Responsibilities

rights officer will work on var ious activities at the Nai

al Assembly's Washington offices includin

Collaboration with the director of the

office in the defense of the Iranian Baha'is

and Baha'is in other Muslim countries.

‘The work includes diplomatic relations with U.S. ge

officials

ernment executive and con

«d contact with the

gression:

national media on de!

nse matters.

Collaboration with non;

organizations and agenc ernment on human

Y. World

m, the formation

issues, the U gainst Ra

n, rac

of the International Criminal Court, ratifi 847-733-3430, e-mail

Washington office can be accepted.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY’S OFFICE OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, WASHINGTON, DC The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to announce an exciting job opportunity in its Washington, DC office, the Office of External Affairs.

Please send your cover letter and résumés to: Office of Human Resources, Baha’i National Center, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (fax

We regret that no inquiries (by phone, fax or e-mail) or vi

cation and implementation of U.N. human. rights treaties, and other relevant

Researching and drafting materials to

support human rights and other related *

projects of th

Yational Spiritual Assembly

such as the promotion of human rights,

religious freedom, and ra

¢ unity.

ion and guid

Assisting with communic:

2 S. Baha’ community a

a to the U. the deci

1d policies of the National

Assembly in external affairs

Collaboration with the Bah:

. “i@bllaboraon with the three other exter nal affairs offices as well as other offices,

agencies, and committees of the Nationa

Assembly.

Qualifications The individual who applies for the position

should have demonstrated interest and

experience in the application of Baha’ principles to the current problems of socie=

ty. Acollege degree is required. Ai

cal sci

advanced degree, such as law, poli ence, international relations or related

ble. At least fiv

field, is highly desi

related work experienc

ind

idual must write and spe

English. Because much of the work

involves attending meetings with government officials and other national organiza tions, researching and drafting of letters,

and telephone conversations, the individual

must have highly des tion and consultation skills.

loped commu

s to the

AT THE BAHA'| House OF WoRSHIP WiMETTE, ILINOIS

Summer Employment Opportunity: Temple Conservation Team! Seeking youth 18 and older for summer 2001, Summer technicians take part in cleaning the dome, replacing sidewalks, building and landscape maintenance, detailed inspections, photo documentation and other tasks. Must have considerable self-discipline and maturity, but no specific preservation experience is required. For additional information and to recei

n application packet, contact the Conservation ‘Team (phone 847-853-2331, e-mail ) Applications due by March 15, 2001.

PIONEERING / OVERSEAS

The Office of Pioneering is cager to assist the friends preparing for international serv ice, For information regarding jobs and study abro:

|, or international traveling teaching opportunities and other events, plea tact the Office of Pioneering, Bah: National Genter, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (phone 847-733-3508, e-mail

).

con

MISCELLANEOUS

Will the composer of the music for “Ponder a

While” please contact

ARCHIV

‘The National Baha'i Archives is seeking original letters written on bebalf of the Guardian wo the id Fales, Elisha N. Fales, Frances Fales, Grace Lynde Fales, John E. k, Shawkat Ali Farajullah and Jean T: rand. Anyone knowing family members or

following: Teresa Falcon, D:

relatives who might have these Guardian’ lette is asked to contact the National Baha’ Archives, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201-1611 (phone 847-869-9039).

‘The National Baha’i Archives is seeking copies of the following books in good or excellent condition: Door of Hope by David Ruhe, The Bab by HM. Balyuzi, Babid’u'lldb: King of Glory by HM. Balyuzi and Nearness to God (compilation).

Anyone with copies they could donate is asked to send them to the National Baha'i Archives,

1233 Central St. Evanston, IL 60201-1611.

URGENT NEEDS AT THE BAHA’| WorLD CENTER, HAIFA, ISRAEL Electrical Engineer * Electrician * Maintenance Supervisor

For details on positions see: WWW-USDNEC.org

Please send your résumé to: Baha’i National Center Office of Human Resources, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (fax 847-733-3430, e-mail

IN MEMORIAM

gs for “In Memoriam” come from the Membership Office of the Baha'i National Center. To report the passing of a member of the Bahai community of the United States, please contact the Membership Office, 1233 Central St., Evanston, IL 60201 (e-mail ).

Annie C. Hamilton Lake Oswego, OR September 24, 2000

Kelli K. Peil New Richmond, WI November 16, 2000

Sally R. Anderson Everett, WA September 12, 2000 Sharon L. Welborn

Jack R. Barbre Albert H. Peinecke

Mukilteo, WA Haproft Andover, NJ January 7, 2000 Henderson, NV October 18, 2000 October 4, 2000

Billie M. Brackett Rose D. Pike Monterey, CA Fern Howard Adams County, CO

November 18, 2000 ‘Topeka, KS

March 1, 1999

September 16, 2000.

Herbert G. Buder Imre I. Pinter

Bishop, TX Howard W. Huffman Elizabethtown, NY October 6, 2000 Concord, NH August 7, 2000 December 27, 1999 Leland D. Carlson Willie Rogers Hanford, CA Lyle James Davenport, IA October 9, 2000 Eugene, OR June 1998 March 7, 2000 Robert W. Chamberlain Robert A. Schmoll Teller County, CO. Phillip L. Jamison —_ West University Place, TX August 5, 1997 Pendleton, OR July 24, 2000 October 16, 2000 Bahiyeh Danesh-Araghi Elizabeth J. Scott Salt Lake City, UT Erma Jellum Chesapeake, VA. October 8, 2000 Rancho Mirage, CA November 8, 2000 October 24, 2000 Philippe C. Dean Tahereh H. ShahMadison, OH Theolia Kirkland Mohamadlu February 6, 1998 Statesboro, GA Wichita, KS March 25, 2000 October 2000. Susan A. DelaneyZauhar Robert R. La Grange —_ Marjorie J. Thompson St. Petersburg, FL Knoxville, IA Kent, OH December 18, 1999 October 17, 2000 November 12, 2000 Dianne L. DeMuth Lena Mitchell Maria Villarreal Newport News, VA Aneth, UT Davenport, IA October 23, 2000 October 15, 2000 1999 Elizabeth C. Fox Vincent Morris Alice Wallace Painted Post, NY Syracuse, NY Evanston, IL. July 6, 2000 January 1999 February 18, 1999 Suzanne K. Gage Virginia L. Neasham Ghanaery d, Svasnbarn Amarillo, TX Folsom, CA Pomeroy, WA March 30, 2000 ‘May 1997 November 21, 2000, Charles N. Gold Kenneth Ormandy Eric M. Williams Jr. ‘Tigard, OR San Carlos,AZ Evanston, IL - October 9, 2000 October 18, 2000 November 1998 _ Mary B. Greenblatt Gail A. Omer Arlene R. Wools Grants Pass, OR San Fi co, CA Medicine Lodge, KS July 23, 2000 October 17, 2000 May 11, 2000 Ni “ Creadell Haley Hifumi Yamamoto Washington, DC Please see obituary ~ Madison, WI “November 2, 2000 stticles on page 28: October 19, 2000

January 19,2001 Tne American BanA’i ¢ CLassiriep/In Memoriam page 25 [Page 26]

Vedad Jurney was North Carolina pioneer

INFORMATION FROM JEAN SCALES, NABIL JURNEY, RIAZ JURNEY

\ J edad Mansour Jurney, 75, died

November 7, 2000, from com plications after a scheduled sur gery. Hers was the first Baha’f family to

settle in High Point, North Carolina, in

1966, and she stayed at that pioneering post the rest of her life.

She was born Dec. 24, 1924, in the House of ‘Abbiid in ‘Akké, Palestine (now Israel)—in the room where Baha'u'llah revealed the Kitéb-i-Aqdas.

Her father, Abdul-Rassul Mansour, and mother, Rafich Shahidi Mansour, were caretakers of that sacred house. Her mother had been in the presence of Baha'u'llah as a child.

A fourth-generation Baha’i, Vedad was given her name (meaning amity and love) by Bahfyyih Khénum, the Greatest Holy Leaf. In fact, as she grew up in nearby Haifa, she was immersed in the love of the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahé and of all the friends.

When she was 14, her family moved to Tehran, Iran, where she finished high school and attended business school. She later was the first Persian woman to work for the British Embassy in Tehran as the director's executive secretary and interpreter, using the five languages she had learned as a student.

After a brief marriage that produced a daughter, but ended without her being able to keep or see her child, she left the tumult of personal and religious persecution in 1954. She and her mother embarked to the United States and settled near her sister's

Kenneth Ormandy served on reservation

K=s Ormandy was a beloved — resident of the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona, a steadfast servant of humanity who accepted the Baha’i Faith in the last few years of his long life. He passed away October 18, 2000, at age 79.

His Baha’{ community and Local Spiritual Assembly services were part of a long list of works he did for the reservation community. For example, Ormandy served on the board and as a volunteer for People Helping People, conducted Alcoholics Anonymous. meetings at the San Carlos Jail, was involved in the Alcohol and Drug Assistance Program, and was generally known as a helper of those in need.

‘Though Ormandy was not of Apache blood, the Tribal Council gave special permission for burial in San Carlos, with the general approval of the reservation community, according to his friends Riaz and Bronwyn Castillo.

He is survived by two children. @

family in Norfolk, Virginia. There Vedad became a registered nurse.

In 1961 she married architect David Jurney. The couple served the Faith together in Greensboro and Rocky Mount, North Carolina, finally settling in High Point, where she was a founding member of the Local Spiritual Assembly in 1971.

Her mother lived with the Jurney family for LO years, and Vedad translated her mother’s stories at Baha’i conferences as well as for many visitors to their home.

A US. citizen since 1970, Vedad was active with her children’s PTA and the Friends of the High Point Library. She supported her husband’s work with the High Point Human Relations Commission and with his book Gems of Guidance.

Throughout her life she championed the teachings of the Faith, particularly the causes of world peace, equal rights for women and racial harmony. She spoke publicly on many occasions about the Baha’f Faith and the Middle East to a broad range of groups, including the Rotary Club, churches and schools, and on television and radio.

Her travels included cities in Europe, Asia, India, Pakistan, Bermuda, New York City and the Middle East. “Mother taught everyone the Faith in her own gentle way,” her son Nabil relates. “One day a woman who was a Jehovah’s Witness came to her door and she taught her the Baha’i Faith. Now, years later, she is one of High Point’s most devoted Baha'is.”

For 21 years Vedad served as an assistant, in turn, to Auxiliary Board mem

Vedad Jurney was given her first | name by the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahiyyih Khanum.

bers Elizabeth Martin, Adrienne Reeves, William Roberts and Jean Scales.

David preceded his wife in death in 1992. The couple had brought up two sons: Nabil, a radio and voice-over artist who narrates the Babd’é Newsreel; and Riaz Jurney, a business executive in New York City.

In 1996, Vedad was reunited with her daughter after they had not seen each other for more than 40 years: Sherry Black of Northville, Michigan, a human resources executive.

Other survivors include Vedad’s sister, Behjat Arnold of Rocky Mount, Virginia; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Her late brothers, Ebrahim and Badi Mansour of Tehran, Iran, were deeply dedicated to the Cause.

A letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States to her family read in part:

“Vedad Jurney exemplified the spirit of service we are all called to demonstrate. Her dedication and commitment to her Lord were reflected in her untiring services as a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of High Point and her various good works in the community-at-large. She was truly a cornerstone of the High Point, North Carolina, Baha’i community.”

Chauncey Washburn settled in variety of pioneering posts

hauncey L. Washburn, a Baha'i for

more than four decades and pioneer both abroad and on the homefront, passed away November 20, 2000, in Spokane, Washington. He was 65.

In 1993, he and his wife, Mary, had fulfilled their longtime desire to pioneer abroad, settling in Ecuador until 1997. Over the years they also pioneered in close to a dozen homefront localities in Wisconsin, Idaho and Washington, finally settling in Pomeroy, Washington, where he resided at the end of his life.

“Chancy” was a native of Mosinee, Wis consin, born with his twin brother on Dec. 28, 1934, to Guyneth and Chauncey Washburn Sr. War veteran, he served in the 1954-1956. He accepted the Baha’{ Faith in the late 1950s.

His work for 30 yea number of localiti ing Abbotsford, El

a long-distance truck driver mily to open a faith, includIton, Pickerell and

Polar, Wisconsin, according to his wife. Other homefront posts included Mosinee, Schofield and Marathon County, Wisconsin; and Clarkston, Washington. The family also served the Faith living on two Indian reservations: Mole Lake in Wisconsin and Nez Perce in Idaho. Chauncey served on Spiritual Assemblies in Wausau, Wisconsin, and Lapwai, Idaho.

He sponsored four refugee families during the Southeast / influx in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

After their return from Ecuador, the Washburns settled in Pomeroy, opening Garfield County to the Faith.

Chancy enjoyed driving, reading, motorcycling, pool and bowling, until he lost his n in 1990. He is remembered as an energetic grandfather, a willing friend to those in need, an avid horseman

and an animal lover. He

survived by Mary, his wife of 33 a daughter; three

ye whom is still pioneering in E five grandchildren.

Forough Maghzi served selfessly in Iran and U.S.

INFORMATION FROM SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

OF LOS ANGELES, CA

orough Sohrab Maghzi’s heroic

services for the Cause in her home city of Isfahan, Iran, included providing safe places for a significant relic of the Bab as well as for the remains of several Baha’{ martyrs.

Living her last 12 years in Los Angeles, California, she was much loved and respected for her ability to recognize the good qualities in others and to encourage them to service. She passed away August 9, 2000, in Encino, due to complications following heart surgery.

Forough was born July 29, 1929, in Isfahan, the daughter of Enayat’u’llah and Zanangis Sohrab. Her father was a distinguished Baha’i scholar with several publications to his credit.

In August 1944, Forough married Nosrat’u’llah Maghzi, a great-grandson of Mirzi Muhammad-Husayn, the Beloved of Martyrs.

Forough Maghzi served on several Baha’i institutions in Isfahan and, during times of crisis, performed valuable services.

After the Baha’i World Center was informed of the existence of a box that had at one time contained the earthly remains of the Bab, an elaborate plan was devised to transfer the box to the Holy Land. Keeping the box at the Maghzi home was the final stage of this plan before it was conveye

She also played a crucial role when the city of Isfahan adopted a development plan that entailed demolition of a section of cemetery where three Baha’{ were buried: the Hand of the Cause of God Keith Ransom-Kehler; Mirza Muhammad-Hasan, the King of Martyrs; and the Beloved of Martyrs. Mrs. Maghzi hid the remains of these precious souls until they could be safely reinterred at a new location.

In 1957, when religious fanaticism created a hostile environment in Iran, she organized a memorial at her home in Isfahan for the ascension of the Guardian. ‘Twenty years later, her home was used as a meeting place for the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, many of whom were later arrested and executed.

Forced to flee the country in 1980, Forough and her family emigrated to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In their eight years there, Forough enjoyed organizing Baha’f ind meetings in her home.

In 1988, the couple moved to Los Angeles due to Mr. Maghzi’ illr

When asked to perform som: for the Faith, Mrs. Maghzi alw:

best to make sure details were handled efficiently, while 1

ing that things I as functional. She is survived by oun daughters, two , three brothers and nine grandchildren, all of whom live in Canada or California. @

so}

page 26

Tne American BanA’i * IN Memoriam

December 12, 2000 [Page 27]

MEETINGS,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

seekers that have yet to be responded to at the local level.

As part of the process of welcoming new members to our family, the National Spiritual Assembly urged the friends to take part in regional training institutes, in the wake of the Universal House of Justice’s reference to such institutes as the “single greatest legacy of the Four Year Plan.”

Material needs

Finally, the representatives called attention to the material resources that are needed to realize ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s mission for America. The Kingdom Project, launched at Ridvin 2000 with the blessing of the Universal House of Justice, is the first comprehensive development plan for the American Baha’{ community.

The successful completion of this effort will ensure the restoration and protection of the House of Worship, the expansion of the dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, the redesign of the Hazfratu’l-Quds and the fundamental development of the Baha’{ schools. It will also continue and expand the media init and other national teaching efforts, create strategic reserves to give our community the flexibility to respond promptly to opportunities for significant growth, and begin the establishment of an endowment.

The representatives called on the community to celebrate the fact that nearly $21,000,000 in pledges and cash had already been contributed toward this effort. A financial commitment of

David Whitman, Tina Shahidyazdani-Serrano and Navid Serrano were part of the youth session with a National Assembly representative in Rochester, NY. Photo by Glenn Egi

$60 million over the next five years, with pledges to be secured in the first two, is required to achieve these initiatives. The goals of the plan represent investments in our future, and demand sacrifices above and beyond the regular contributions needed to carry on the annual operations of our National community and our ongoing commitments to the international Funds of the Faith.

Host Assemblies shine

The loving attention by the 36 host Assemblies to every detail and the care and concern for making all of the friends feel the warm embrace of the institutions of the Faith—the Continental Board of Counselors, the National Spiritual Assembly, the Regional Baha’i Councils and the host Assemblies—

resulted in a widespread feeling of joy which is our inestimable privilege to have been given and our sacred obligation to share with others.

And this was the overriding message the National Spiritual Assembly wanted

Breaking bread together (or pizza, in the case of the gathering in Jacksonville, Florida) was a feature of a number of the 36 weekend meetings held nationwide in October and December.

Photo by Christine Conrad

to leave the friends: “ ‘Joy gives us wings,’ the beloved Master reminded us. ‘In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener. ...’ Share the joy,” the National Spiritual Assembly urged the community, “build the Kingdom. It’s our time.” #

—— a workshop participant

“We mote through exercises that brought new shafts of light and understanding to our minds and joy and enlightenment to our hearts.”

e-mail

Spiritual Assemblies are working to build a new state of mind.

Join them by taking one of 15 Assembly Development Module Workshops. Contact the Office of Assembly Development at 847-733-3490, or go to wwu.usbnc.org

COMMUNITY,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

questions and talents, based on who they are, whether they have a family, what kind of work they do, and so on.

So this community has created ways to find out about all their new people. It has a “buddy system” to keep them company, help them start to serve, come with them to meetings, include them in dinner get-togethers, and on and on. There are sequenced classes on the history and fundamental verities of the Faith, and the Local Assembly makes sure the new believers know the schedule and the class outlines, feel welcome to attend, and have the chance to fit the classes into their personal schedules. We could go on, but the point should be clear: The third community has asked itself what new believers will need to become active, contributing members of the community, and it has made orderly provisions and task assignments to almost every Bahd’i so that those things happen and the new believers have a great experience.

It’s an instructive way to think about things, because as growth in our ranks accelerates, we will want more efficient

ways of welcoming and accommodating new Bahé’is from all backgrounds. Making it up as we go along just won’t work!

Finding the balance

Some might say this sounds too mechanical. Consider that the Universal House of Justice urged us to administer with “efficiency and love”; that balance is so important!

Think about your last Ayyém-i-Ha dinner party: you planned your time for shopping, cleaning up the house, getting the meal ready and setting the table, and everybody had a job to do. You also recalled that your cousin is vegetarian, your uncle makes a great hollandaise sauce, and your mom’s back has been bothering her lately. You love them all,

so you made sure everything was just right for each one.

On the whole, we have done things pretty informally. If we think of get the wrinkles out of our processes as an expression of courtesy and loving concern for our new believers—who may approach their new community with high expectations and more than a little awkwardness—then we probably would want to give careful thought to making arrangements that will bring happiness and comfort to everyone.

January 19, 2001

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i ® ConrinueD page 27 [Page 28]ALL BUILDINGS ON ARC NOW FULLY FUNCTIONAL

he In tional Teaching Center

occupied its permanent seat on the Hill of God on Oct. 6, marking another historic landmark toward the completion of the Mount Carmel Projects. With this move, all buildings on the Arc are fully functional.

On Oct. 25 a reception was held in the new building of the International ‘Teaching Center, to officially mark the move of that institution “which is specifically invested with the twin functions of the protection and propagation of the Cause of God,” according to the Universal House of Justice. The honored participants were the Hands of the Cause of God ‘Ali-Akbar Furtitan and ‘Ali Muhammad Varq4, members of the Universal House of Justice and their spouses, Counselor members of the International Teaching Center and their spouses, and selected invitees.

a GRACEFUL FEATURES EMERGE ON PLAZA AND TERRACE 1

sss of the Entrance Plaza and Terrace 1 at the foot of Mount mel is progressing rapidly, with installation of a marble cascade in between two sets of stairs leading upward from the plaza site. The overall design of

14 cascading pools is reminiscent of clas sical fountains, yet utilizes contemporary

details and construction methods. The type of Italian marble used, with

a warm creamy tone, is named after

Michelangelo, a Ren nce sculptor

who used that type of marble extensive ly. A fountain in the retaining under

‘Terrace | uses the same type of stone. Work is proceeding on a pool located

ona landing beneath the cascade, which

ill receive the overflow of water.

t of Terrace 1, demolition of a re cently acquired building at the end of

September has served two purposes:

+ After being leveled, the area can now be part of expanded gardens and form part of the landscape of the Terraces. This enhances the view of the Shrine of the Bab and the gardens from Ben Gurion Avenue.

It allows direct access from the Terraces to the site where Baha’u’llih’s

tent was pitched on Mount Carmel during His visit to Haifa.

Above: A marble cascade is installed between stairways

leading upward from the Entrance Plaza to Terrace |. Right: A building at the foot of Mount Carmel is leveled, further opening the view toward the Shrine of the Bab.

he 20th century, this “Century of Light,” is rapidly coming to a close. At this beginning of a new millennium, the immediate prospects for the Baha’is of the world are exciting. Among them are the Counselors’ Conference in the Holy Land in January, and the official inauguration of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab in May. For the Mount Carmel Projects team, these weeks promise to be a time of feverish activity. We have entered that part of the race against time which requires the final massive thrust toward the finish line. More than ever before, we ardently beseech the prayers of the Universal House of Justice and our Baha’i brethren in every part of the globe for the success of our endeavors. Mount Carmel Projects, Office of the Project Manager

page 28 THe AmeRICAN BanA’i ¢ Mount CaRMeL PROJECTS January 19,2001

[Page 29]

‘on one of the nine Terraces above the Shrine of the Bab.

Above and left: Water features and other ornaments on the Terraces above the Shrine of the Bab.

PHOTOS BY RUHI VARGHA

f one approaches the foot of Mount Carmel along Ben Gurion Avenue at dusk, the illuminated Shrine of the Bab presents an enchanting picture to the eyes. The Shrine appears almost surreal, but as you enter the courtyard leading toward it, there it stands before you glowing like a jewel. Lights play an important role in enhancing the exquisite architecture of the Shrine, and in the design concepts of the Terraces surrounding it. The illumination serves as a poignant contrast to the dark nights the Bab suffered during His incarceration in prison fortre: es such as Chihriq and Maki. This verse in the Persian Bayan reveals His angu' ‘How veiled are ye, O my creatures, ... who, without any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain [Maki], not one of whose inbabitants is worthy of mention ... With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence, which is My Presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp!”

A major upgrade of the lighting system of the Shrine of the Bab, linking it to a computer system that controls lights for the buildings on the Arc and the Terraces, has been finished after some months’ work. A new automated dimming system controls outer floodlights, bringing them on gradually at sunset and fading them out at sunrise, creating a stunning effect. This enables the Shrine to remain lighted through the night.

Several lighting panels in rooms adjacent to the Shrine have been relocated, to minimize technical visits to the Shrine building.

A similar electrical upgrade has begun in the Monument Gardens, the lower and the upper Arc paths, including installation of floodlights for the monuments.

When this work is completed, the Shrine, the Terraces, the Arc buildings and all the Baha’i gardens on Mount Carmel will be connected with a state-of-the-art electrical system.

Gardens demand high standards of maintenance

he Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab and the gar dens surrounding the new Arc buildings have added yet another dimension to the Bahd’i gardens on Mount Carmel. They provide a complex ecosystem, with several climatic zones due to change in altitude, stretel s they do from the bottom to the crest of Mount Carmel. This makes it a challenging task to maintain them.

Over the past few years, a system of maintenance

been carefully developed as each new Terrace has been completed. Personnel management plays as large a part as plant management in this system. Sometimes the low-tech, “tried and tested” methods Il work best. For example, some terrace lawns located on slopes as steep as 40 degrees are still mowed with a two-stroke rotary mower operated by three men. Experts from around the world, consulted on this matter, have yet to come up with a reliable alternative:

On the other hand, unique gardening techniques have been employed on a difficult site where the gardens rise nearly 1,000 feet over a 3,300-foot dista In the formal central areas of the Terraces, trees, shrubs and hedges are all shaped and trimmed to harmonize with the architectural beauty of the stone work. Unique “profiles” have been designed and built, which allow trimming to correct shape, and also permit easy handling on the difficult slopes.

Preserving the old gardens

The older gardens that hail from the time of ‘Abdu’lBaha and Shoghi Effendi must be preserved in design and character. But gardens are dynamic, living, growing things. It takes skill to preserve a live display, to ensure that future generations can enjoy them too.

Think of the famous circle of cypress trees behind the Shrine of the Bab, which shaded Baha'u'llah. They must be allowed to grow at their slow, natural pace. Fertilizers and irrigation that would speed their growth (and shorten their lives) must be kept away from them. And yet, the new surrounding gardens require additional attention to mature their growth, ahead of their official opening in Ma

There are four main garden types that have to be dealt with on Mount Carmel: ¢ The old gardens, mostly established by the

Guardian.

The hedges, flowers and lawns of the formal, styled

Arc gardens and inner terraces. ¢ The mass plantings and trees of the “transition

zones” that edge the terraces.

“Wildlife corridors” with native plants and animals

on the boundary.

However different, these four garden types blend seamlessly into one united whole, carpeting the mountainside with a multicolored blanket of peace. Each garden type requires unique handling and care. But they are treated as one great living organism.

The key to maintaining this complex system is the skill shown by the garden staff, whose main tool is consultation. With a mixture of local residents and Baha volunteers representing a wide spectrum of cultures, one may expect volatility. Instead, the gardens are cared for with skill and devotion.

Personnel management emphasi the need for good communication and cooperation within a noncompetitive system of teamwork. Most of the gardeners are laborers and unskilled volunteers, supervised by a handful of horticultural professionals. Other specialists provide training, tree care and mechanical support. The standard of the gardens testifies for these methods.

January 19, 2001

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ Mount CARMEL PROJECTS

page 29 [Page 30]

VTS set): ) 0 (MEI ea]

World Order

Now available: Spring 2000 issue

Reflections on the Century of Light

the fact that the 20th cer

Your window to

teaching, deepening and external affairs

How do we recone as arguably the bloodiest ever recorded

authors weigh in with points of light

with the fact that Baha'is see it as the century of ligh

in what is commonly perceived to be a dark centu

Geoffrey Marks on Chaim Potok, humanity's fan

tephen Friberg on science and religion, Morrison on the ages of transition, Jim Stokes on

lan Voykovic on transmission and consumption of culture and ideas

Review essays introduced by Kevin A. Morrison

Available soon: Summer 2000 issue is on Aft

Gwendolyn Etter-Le American

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women writers * Dorothy Mai

on organizational management and change * Gayle Morrison on slavery in Australia and the United States * Michael L. Penn Muhammad Afnan on “The Bayan’

Howard Garey transl:

on Oedipus today *

rom Gobineau

es a pas:

about the beginnings of the Babi Faith

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Honor those you love on their spe- You may get these Treasurer’s cial days or remember them after Office forms: they've passed on On the Web: Printable forms for these special contributions are available on the Administrative ... with your gift to the National Babi’ Fund. Wed Site (www.usbne.org).

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INFORMATION ON YOUR

INTERNATIONAL TEACHING TRIP

aie record achievement of traveling teaching goals, the Office of Pioneering needs information on all international trips taken 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. Include the following special information (use a separate sheet as needed): © Names and ID numbers of all Baha’fs on each trip © Names of each country visited, plus the one or two main localities, and date(s) of visit(s)

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‘TAB 1/19/01

page 30 THe AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ SEEKING YOUR RESPONSE January 19,2001 [Page 31]

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January 19,2001

Tne American BAnA’i * PERSIAN page 33 [Page 34]

BAHA'I WORLD NEWS SERVICE

¢ Hanover, Germany: An estimated 500,000 people visited the Baha’f pavilion at the Hanover Expo 2000 from its opening in June to its closing in October.

The 1,800-square-foot Baha’i exhibit, hosted by the Baha’ International Community and the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany, featured development projects in Colombia, Kenya and Eastern Europe that illustrate th portance of grassroots capacity-building, the advancement of women, and moral and spiritual values in the process of social and economic development.

‘The pavilion was designed to resemble a lotus flower, with 10-foot-high acrylic “petals” in a semicircular arrangement around a central space for reflection and contemplation. At the edges of the space were information booths, wall displays on several development projects, and a multimedia presentation on computer screen.

Visitors could see the Baha’i exhibit immediately on entering the “Global

TEACHING

United Kingdom: London’s Millennium Dome hosted a “Baha’i Day” Oct.

21, as more than 2,000 Baha'is from around the country came to the dome to commemorate the annniversary of the birth of the Bab. About 30,000 people visited the Dome throughout the day. A diverse program included juggling, clog dancing, a string quartet, singers, a Ceilidh band, dancers and a steel band. They also hosted an exhibit about the Faith just inside the main entrance, an Arts and Crafts area for children, and a ‘Tranquillity Zone for prayer and meditation, Baha'is traveling to the event “brought so many flowers that the management of the Dome had to send out for more pots to put them in,” said Iain Palin of the United Kingdom Baha’i Information Office.

Ghana: A radio project was launched

last fall in the Volta region, with the aim of introducing the history and teachings of the Baha’f Faith to more than 1 million people in three months. Patterned after an established project in the greater Accra and Central regions, the informational broadcasts and phone-in talk shows in the Ewe language sparked positive reactions from the start in the city of Hohoe and surrounding villages, with numerous people asking for more information, said project coordinator Micah Yeahwon.

Canada: Baha'is from Hay River hosted a feast Sept. 9 at K’atl’odeeche, the

Hay River Dene Band Reserve, to mark the release of a compact disk with selections of Bah: red writings translated into six languages spoken by the Dene peoples in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It was the latest phase of a project launched four years ago by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada to enable Native Canadians to listen to the scriptures in their own languages. #

House,” an area designated and meeting place for organi policy-makers interested in sustainable development and the Agenda 21 proc In addition to the standing exhibits, the pavilion housed seminars on three Baha’i-inspired development projects during the exp

“Stop and Act,” an interactive theater

production in which actors portray a situation leading to conflict, action is stopped, and audience members are invited to consult on solutions. Shamil Fattakhoy, a Russian journalist, has developed the concept into a successful television program, and it has been adapted in several countries for radio, theater and schools. The Kalimani and Matinyani Women’s Projects in Kenya’s semiarid Kitui District, in which traditional women’s groups in the two villages have taken grassroots action toward efforts as varied as dam construction, a health center, a mango-drying scheme using solar en

More information about Baha’i participation in the Hanover Expo is available online: www.bahai-expo2000.de

ergy, and a rug-weaving business. Presenter was Geraldine Robarts, a Baha’{ artist living in Kenya who has trained women of the villages in the arts. Robarts also had designed 20 sails, each up to 50 feet high, that decorated the expo’s Africa Pavilion.

‘The University for Integral Development, established in Colombia by FUNDAEC, a Baha’i-inspired agency. It provides 40,000 students in Colombia’s rural areas with education in agriculture, education, appropriate technology, economic enterprise and _ institutional development. The university combines practical training with an emphasis on taking charge of one’s moral and spiritual growth and on contributing to the transformation of society.

The Kenya effort and FUNDAEC

Getting a strong start

area. Baha'i World News Service

Efforts by a young Baha’i, Jesion Meding, have helped establish the Baha’i Faith among the Penan tribe in the Lusong Laku region of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. The photographs show a study circle and a children’s class. Meding is also conducting literacy classes in the

trition Center.

Blended-culture artworks win praise

¢ Canberra, Australia: A monthlong exhibit by Robin White of New Zealand and Leba Toki of Fiji, consisti orative artworks on cloth), has won widespread admiration for their uniqueness and harmonious blending of Western and Fijian artistic traditions. White and ‘Toki, both Baha'is, are highly regarded artists. Their collaboration was “not just a way of experiencing new forms of artistic expression,” White said, “but also a way of demonstrating the potential for people from very different cultural backgrounds to work together in harmony, in a positive and creative manner.” The three works,

ch about 8 feet by ely titled “Cakacaka

vata (Working Together).” Incorporating English, Indian and Fijian cultural elements, the designs are based on the packaging of well-known brands of tea, milk and sugar.

“We were interested in taking the idea of having a cup of tea as a means for conveying a deeper significance ... the possibility of different cultures being able to come together harmoniously, to honor and celebrate their diversity and to share in the pleasures and benefits of this world,” White said.

‘The set was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia. The exhibit’s opening

Oct. 20 was attended by New Zealand’s high commissioner and the counselor of the Fi

inspired solutions at Expo

were selected as “Worldwide Expo 2000 Projects.”

A “Global House Day” on Sept. 9, organized jointly by all exhibitors in the hall, attracted 11,000 visitors to the Baha'i pavilion alone. Ranzie Mensah, a Baha’{ artist from Ghana and a princess of the Fanti tribe, gave a stunning musical performance as part of an ongoing cultural program presented by the Baha'is in the Global House’s One World Café. In the evening the Baha’f International Community hosted a reception for the commissioners of the Expo's national pavilions and other exhibitors and dignitaries to mark the release of the German translation of “Who is Writing the Future,” a reflection on the 20th century and humanity's prospects for the future issued by the Baha’f International Community.

More than 250 Baha’f volunteers around Europe received speci: training to staff the exhibit and answer questions from the public during the Expo’ five months of operation.

Humor is a key ingredient in food education TV show

© Samoa: “O le Kuka Samoa,” the country’s first television series dedicated to a healthy diet, was launched in October. Well-known comedian Sumeo, alias “O le King Kuka,” stars as a master chef in the weekly Samoan-language program, produced for TV-Samoa by the Samoan Baha’f Charitable Trust for Social and Economic Development and the

amoan Nu

“Promoting greater use of nutritious locally grown fruits and vegetables to improve the diet of children in Samoa is the essential aim,” said a spokesman for the Baha’{ Charitable Trust, “but the key ingredient to getting the message across is the humor masterfully ladled out by Sumeo.” The show, he added, features interviews with celebrities and sportspeople.

A companion cookbook featuring recipes used in the show was released at a launching ceremony Oct. 16, World Food Day, at the residence of the New Zealand high commissioner.

Other partners in producing the program include the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa, New Zealand Official Development Assistance, the Australian Agency for International Development, the FAO Pacific Regional Office, UNICEF, the Samoan Health Department and Television Samoa Corporation.

Leba Toki and Robin White collaborate on artwork that blends Western and Fijian traditions. Baha'i World News Service

page 34

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i * INTERNATIONAL News

January 19, 2001 [Page 35]*INTERNATIONAL*NEWS-=

UN Day in Uganda shows triumphs

Jinja, Uganda: The Bahé’is of Uganda showcased

their achievements and activities in education, family health, moral training for children, publishing and collaboration with other nongovernmental organizations at a national United Nations Day celebration Oct. 24 at Muguluka Primary School.

‘The school grounds were transformed into a festive fairground, with booths and tents representing

_a large variety of UN, government and civil society organizations. The Baha’is erected a large white tent with a banner iming “The earth is one country and mankind its citizens.”

‘Throughout the day hundreds of people toured the five information tables in the Baha’{ tent, many lingering for extensive discussions and requesting follow-up contact. Chief guest for the day was Uganda’s minister of information, Basoga Nsadhu, accompanied by Dauda Toure, UN resident coordinator. They were escorted through the Baha’{ exhibits by George Olinga, director of the Baha’ Office of External Affairs.

‘The Uganda Baha’f Institute for Development displayed curriculum guides and training materials for teachers and parents in health education and moral development. The Baha’{ Publishing Trust displayed a wide range of Baha’ literature and scripture in several indigenous languages.

Another table handled nominations for a peace prize to honor individuals, groups or institutions for their contributions to a culture of peace in Uganda. ‘The Baha’{s are co-sponsoring the prize along with the government and several nongovernmental organizations in observance of the ieee Year for a Culture of Peace. i

Earlier in the week, the Baha'is held an observance of UN Day at the Baha’f National Center and the Baha’{ House of Worship in Kampala. #

>,

Top: sooner coordinator,

signs the guest book at the Baha’i booth in the na tional United Nations Day celebration, attended by of Information

Basoga Nsadhu, Ugandan i (background left), and George Olinga, director f the Baha’i Office of External Affairs (right). : Above: Visitors view the Baha’i literature table. Baha'i World News Service

Development scholars call for more spiritual emphasis

© New Delhi, India: Noting the shortcoming of international development efforts to fully realize their goals of ending poverty and achieving social ju: speakers at a groundbreaking gathering of nongovernmental, acad ic and religious organizations called for a new model of development that would emphasize spiritual and religious values as the missing ingredients.

The Colloquium on Science, Religion and Development was held Nov. 21-24 at the India International Center, with opening ceremonies at the Baha’s House of Worship.

“Although there has been considerable evolution in development thinking over the past several decades, serious questions remain concerning present approaches and assumptions,” said Bani Dugal Gujral of the Baha’t International Community’s United Nations Office in an opening address. “The great majority of the world’s peoples do not view themselves simply as material beings ... but rather as social and moral beings concerned with spiritual awareness and purpose.

“True prosperity—a well-being founded on peace, cooperation, altruism, dignity, rectitude of conduct and justice—requires both the ‘light’ of spiritual virtues and the ‘lamp’ of material resources,” Gujral added.

Co-sponsored by United Nations Children’s Fund

(UNIC International Development Research Center of Cananda, Decentralized Training for Urban Development Projects, The Department of Secondary Education and Higher Education of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the World, Health Organization (WHO) and The Textile Association (India), the colloquium was organized by the National Spiritual Assembly of India and the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, an agency of the Baha’i International Community.

Participants included representatives from a wide range of NGOs, academic institutions and religious groups involved in development work, mainly from India and nearby nations.

“Development practitioners have for a long time been looking for a missing link, to explain the shortcomings of the current model,” said Behnam Ta’i, the South Asian regional representative of the Netherlands-based Institute for Housing and Urban Studies. “For a long time, we thought it was the environment.”

Katherine Marshall of the World Bank said religious organizations have long played a special role in understanding and helping the poor. “Yet their insights and their work are too little known in many development circles,” she said. @

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5.Who are the Baha’is?

Youth center battles perils of drugs, AIDS

¢ Russia: In response to rising rates of alcoholism, drug use and AIDS among youth in the Siberian republic of Buryatia, Baha’is here have created a “Youth Center for Social Initiatives” to promote a healthy lifestyle among youth and teenagers and to train teachers and other specialists to do prevention work with youth. Deaths from AIDS have increased 33-fold in Buryatia since the beginning of the year, a symptom of the general moral crisis afflicting much of the region.

“No prevention work is effective without the development of a sustainable system of moral values among the youth and offering them channels for individual growth and self-fulfillment through community service,” said Oxanna Dorzhieva, director of the youth center. “Our principal tasks are the development of young people's awareness of their personal dignity and the need for spiritual independence, development of a volunteer movement for prevention work, training of teachers and other specialists in prevention education, and cultivation of a positive lifestyle among youth and teenagers.”

The Youth Center is an outgrowth of a Bah’ project for youth in Ulan-Ude known as the “Young Lions” social project, which provided alternative youth activities, training in moral leadership and popular social s for the youth of the Ulan-Ude region.

“Many prevention projects organized by Young Lions, such as ‘Youth Against Drugs,’ ‘Be Sober in the New Millennium,’ ‘Our City’ and seminars on AIDS, have won serious attention from the government of Buryatia and popularity among youth in Ulan-Ude and

neighboring communities,” Dorzhieva said.

The administration of Ivolga, a region with the highest rates of drug use among youth and of alcohol and drug-related crime, approached the Young Lions to help organize regionwide prevention activities.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

India: The president of the Republic of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimmson, and his family visited the Baha'i

House of Worship in New Delhi on Oct. 29. He was the first head of state to visit the “Lotus Temple” during an official state visit.

‘The president was accompanied by about 30 Icelandic dignitaries, including the foreign minister, Haldor Asgrimmson, and his wife. They were met by the secretary-general of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Ramnik Shah; the general manager of the House of Worship, Shahin Javid; and a member of the Continental Board of Counselors for Asia, Zena Sorabjee.

The Icelandic delegation included a Baha’, Vilhjalmur Gudmundsson, who is director for market development for the Trade Council of Iceland.

The president’s visit began with a briefing in the library on Baha’{ social and economic development efforts in India, with an emphasis on recent efforts to contribute to a moral education curriculum for Indian schools. The delegation then visited the House of Worship’s main hall for a brief prayer service.

January 19, 2001

Tue AMERICAN BanA’i ¢ INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

page 35 [Page 36]

aes 9-11: “Celebrating

Marriage” at 9-11. “The Most Vital and Challenging Issue” at Bosch.

9-11: Married Couples Retreat at Green Acre. 9-11: Iowa Winter School, “Baha’u’llah: Love Me that I May Love Thee”; Newton, IA. With Khosrow Rezai, Auxiliary Board member. Registrar: John Hanke,

( , e-mail ). 9-12: Core Curriculum Equality Trainer Training at Louhelen; continues May 18-20. 16-18: “The Power of Love in Our Personal, Family and Community Life” at Bosch. 16-18: “Handmaidens! Becoming Our Best Selves— A Weekend for Women” at Green Acre. 16-18: North Dakota Winter School, with Lynn and William Wieties. Information: Rosalin Chrest (phone 701-839-1015). 16-19: Core Curriculum Race Unity Trainer Training at Louhelen; continues May 18-20. 16-19: Two programs at Bosch: “Reaching People of Chinese Descent” and “Holding Successful Firesides.” 16-19: Northeast Regional Baha’{ Youth Festival, “Intoning the Verses of God”; Teaneck, NJ (for information rail ). 23-25: “Islam and the Baha’{ Faith” at Louhelen. 23-25: Two programs at Bosch: “The Qur’én and the History of Islam”; “Sharing the Good News with Christians.” 23-26: Core Curriculum Marriage and Family Life ‘Trainer Training at Louhelen; continues May 25-27.

BAHA’i NATIONAL CENTER 112 LINDEN AVE WILMETTE, IL 60091-2849

Institute, “Young Women and Men

Agents of Change” Ruhi Book 1 training “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit.”

23-25: Three at Bosch: “The Healer of All ‘Thine Ills”; Ruhi Book 1 training, “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit”; Assembly Development Modules.

23-25: Naw-Riiz Family Weekend at Louhelen. 30-April 1: “Olya’s Story” at Bosch.

30-April 1: “Understanding the Significance of the Station of Louis Gregory” at Green Acre.

Rebecca Macina and Gisu Mohadjer talk with visitors at the Baha’i

) i 7-9: Youth Study Weekend at Bosch. 13-15: Four programs at Bosch: “The Dawn-Breakers, Part 2”; Seekers and New Believers Weekend; Ruhi Book 2 training (Book | training is a prerequisite); Core Curriculum Parenting Workshop (continues April 27-29).

13-15: Two programs at Louhelen: Youth Eagle Institute; “Blueprint for the Kingdom.”

13-15: “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf” at Green Acre.

20-22: Spiritual Empowerment Institute for Junior Youth at Louhelen.

20-22: Two programs at Bosch: Mothers’ Retreat; “Managing with the Wisdom of Love.”

27-29: Three programs at Bosch: Mysticism Conference; Ruhi Tutors Course (Ruhi Book 1 training is a prerequisite). Core Curriculum Parenting training.

27-29: Two programs at Green Acre: “A True Pattern in Action”; “Created Rich: Achieving True Prosperity.”

27-29: Two programs at Louhelen: “Islam and the

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JANUARY 19-FEBRUARY 25, 2001 City City SULTAN/MULK + B.E. 157 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 F WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER(S) ‘Area Code Phone Number Name Area Code Phone Number Name

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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.

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