The American Bahá’í/Volume 5/Issue 2/Text
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Art show will be held in St. Louis[edit]
An exhibit of Bahá’í art will be collected and displayed at the St. Louis Conference next year, the National Teaching Committee has announced.
The purpose of the exhibit will be to give Bahá’í artists an opportunity to show their work, according to the NTC, and to provide conference participants a glimpse of the ability and accomplishments of these artists.
The exhibit will be limited to oil and water color paintings, pen and ink drawings, charcoal drawings, and photographs. No other art forms will be displayed. A panel of judges will be appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly to select the works for display.
Each Bahá’í artist may submit three samples of his work to the panel of judges. No more than three works from any single artist will be considered.
A color photograph of each of the works submitted should be sent to the National Teaching Committee no
Deepening institutes planned for teaching[edit]
In an effort to accelerate teaching activities in the remaining weeks of this interim year, the National Teaching Committee has prepared a community deepening institute on teaching the Faith, to be implemented by Local Assemblies and Groups.
The material for the deepening institute was mailed to local communities at the start of February, the NTC said. This program is similar in format to The Generating Impulse, a deepening institute on the Fund distributed by the National Assembly last year.
The National Teaching Committee is encouraging all communities to schedule this institute by Naw-Rúz, March 21.
“As the interim year draws to a close and the new plan to be announced in a matter of weeks, the National Teaching Committee is stressing the importance of individual obligation to teach the Bahá’í Faith,” the NTC secretary, Dr. Philip Christensen, said. “Only if the individual believer arises can our goals be won. All the committee meetings in the world will not produce a single new Bahá’í, unless someone stands up and does the teaching work itself.”
Local Assemblies saved[edit]
A significant movement of home-front pioneers to communities with Local Assemblies in jeopardy has been recorded by the National Teaching Committee in recent weeks.
Already, 50 Local Assemblies have been saved, 22 in California alone. Seven Assemblies have been lost, and 89 remain in jeopardy, down from 112 in January.
This development represents the first surge of teaching energy in this interim year, according to Dr. Philip Christensen, secretary of the National Teaching Committee.
“It’s a little late, but it’s still encouraging,” he said. “If the friends increase the momentum we may be all right at Riḍván.”
In most of the reported cases Bahá’ís have given up their home communities and moved to save a jeopardized Assembly, Dr. Christensen said. Some of the Assemblies, however, are being saved by new declarations, particularly in South Carolina and California, where active Regional Teaching Committees operate.
As a result of the encouraging response to the call for pioneers, there now appears to be a chance to save the remaining jeopardized Assemblies, he said. However, the movement of pioneers must increase tremendously in the remaining weeks
[Page 2]
Exhibition
(Continued from page one)
later than July 1. The photographs will be delivered to the judges for their inspection.
The photographs should be in either a 5 x 7, or an 8 x 10 format. The artist’s name, address, telephone number, date of submission, the title, and the dimensions of the actual piece of art should be printed on the back of each photograph. The photographs cannot be returned after selections have been made.
All contributors will be notified no later than July 15 whether their entries have been selected for display. The artists selected by the judges will be responsible for framing, insuring, and shipping their work to St. Louis. The decision of the judges must be final.
The artists chosen must also agree not to sell any of their work during the course of the conference.
The work displayed need not pertain to Bahá’í subjects. However, no paintings or drawings of the Central Figures of the Faith can be accepted for display.
An exhibit of children’s art will also be displayed in St. Louis. Details for this event will be published at a later date.
The St. Louis Conference is expected to be the largest Bahá’í gathering ever held in this country. Plans are being made to receive more than 5,000 persons.
It is the hope of the National Assembly that this event will receive extensive publicity and that the conference itself will be an important proclamation instrument.
The National Teaching Committee and the Local Assembly in St. Louis are now planning a series of preconference and post-conference proclamation activities to take every advantage of this important event. A major public meeting during the conference may also be scheduled.
Registration forms for the St. Louis Conference will be printed in the March issue of The American Bahá’í.
Assemblies
(Continued from page one)
of the interim year.
“We still have dozens of Assemblies in jeopardy, and we need many more volunteers,” Dr. Christensen said.
There is a danger, he said, that the Bahá’í community will begin the new five-year international teaching plan with fewer Local Assemblies than at the end of the Nine Year Plan, an event which will make the winning of the new plan even more difficult.
Bahá’ís who feel they can move to save any of the Assemblies on the list on page 10 should promptly contact the National Teaching Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
On Homefront Pioneering[edit]
Arizona[edit]
Southern Arizona shares a border with Mexico. It is an ideal environment for those who would like to use the Spanish they have learned, and would like to find out firsthand about the beautiful Southwestern culture.
You are needed in every area except in the city of Tucson, which already has a strong Bahá’í community. There are two jeopardized Assemblies which need strengthening—in Douglas and Sierra Vista.
There are groups in need of help on the Papago Indian Reservation, Florence, Coolidge, South Tucson, Casa Grande, and Tombstone. And there are isolated believers in Benson, Elfrida, Morenci, and Nogales.
If you would like to live in this area, where the weather and people are warm and inviting, and where the Bahá’í Faith needs you, then write to the National Teaching Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
Rhode Island[edit]
Rhode Island is the nation’s smallest State. Any community in Rhode Island is within easy driving distance of any other community in the state. More than sixty percent of the population is Catholic, and the Church is extremely influential in community life.
| the American Bahá’í
Photo and Drawing Credits COVER: TAB Photos; 4 Mr. Chris S. Cholas; 12 (upper left) Courtesy Spiritual Assembly South Hadley, (lower right) Mr. Howard Jacobs; 13 (lower left) Courtesy Green Acre Council, (top) Courtesy Spiritual Assembly Greenfield, (middle) Courtesy Bahá’í Club Steven Foster University; 14 (top) Mr. Bob Harris. THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. Material must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Black and white glossy prints should be included with material whenever possible. Articles and news written in a clear and concise manner are welcomed from individuals as well as assemblies and committees. Address all mail to: The American Bahá’í Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. |
The employment center of the state is Providence, the capital, with its ample jewelry businesses. Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, and West Warwick are highly industrialized, but salaries are not particularly high, although demand for unskilled and semi-skilled laborers is significant.
The state’s two large universities are Brown, in Providence, and the University of Rhode Island, in Kingston. However, there are many smaller liberal arts colleges and technical schools which offer a wide range of studies. Major universities in Massachusetts and Connecticut are within driving distance of many points in Rhode Island.
Bristol, Barrington, Newport, Woonsocket, and South Kingstown are among the communities requiring special attention. Bristol has three believers and is the District Teaching Committee’s goal city to achieve Assembly status at Riḍván. Woonsocket has two enthusiastic Bahá’ís, one of whom is hampered by chronic illness, and Barrington has one Bahá’í family. The Assembly in Newport, made up primarily of Navy personnel, was lost when several of its members were transferred. The District Teaching Committee would like to see Newport achieve Assembly status once again. South Kingstown has an active Bahá’í group.
Pioneers needed[edit]
An urgent need exists for pioneers in Korea. The National Spiritual Assembly of Korea is urging Bahá’í youth to join the Peace Corps program and request assignment to Korea, as a way of learning the language and gaining experience of living in the country.
The Korean National Assembly suggests that after the term of service in the Peace Corps, the volunteers may be able to settle in Korea.
Six new Board members work in North America[edit]
In January the Continental Board of Counsellors announced the appointment of six new Auxiliary Board members in North America. The worldwide total of Auxiliary Board members was increased by The Universal House of Justice to 270 last October. There are now 24 Auxiliary Board members in the United States, Canada, and Alaska. The new members are:
MR. DARRELL W. BORLAND[edit]
Mr. Borland is assigned to Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where he has served as chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly for several years. He has also served as chairman of the Kansas District Teaching Committee for three years. A one-time industrial supervisor for the production of explosives, Mr. Borland now plans to attend Kansas University to work on a degree in political science and history.
MR. RAYMOND HUDSON[edit]
Mr. Hudson serves on the Auxiliary Board for Alaska, with Mr. Howard Brown. In 1964 he pioneered to Unalaska, in the Aleutian Islands, where he worked for seven years as an elementary school teacher. He is now director of the Iliuliuk Family and Health Services, Inc., in Unalaska. In 1970 Mr. Hudson went on pilgrimage to Haifa and Iran and afterward visited Norway, Switzerland, India, Vietnam, and Japan to teach the Bahá’í Faith. In September 1972, he was elected to the National Assembly of Alaska.
MRS. ELIZABETH MARTIN[edit]
Mrs. Martin serves on the Auxiliary Board for South Carolina. She and her family pioneered to Winnsboro, South Carolina, in 1968, from Adrian, Michigan. Mrs. Martin served on Local Assemblies in both South Carolina and Michigan, and on the District Teaching Committee for Michigan. She has taught at many Bahá’í summer schools and was program director at Davison Bahá’í School for several years. Mrs. Martin is still a resident of Winnsboro and teaches English at a junior high school there.
MRS. NANCY PHILLIPS[edit]
Mrs. Phillips is the new Board member serving Arizona, New Mexico, and the Northern and Western Districts of Texas. She has been active in teaching American Indians and has served on the Local Assembly of Phoenix, the Northern Arizona District Teaching Committee, the National Teaching Committee, and the National Bahá’í Indian Council. From 1962–70 she taught at the Phoenix Indian High School, run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. During this time she received the Brotherhood Award for Service to Indian Youth, given by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. She lives in Phoenix with her husband, Dr. Robert Phillips.
MR. FRED SCHECHTER[edit]
Mr. Schechter serves on the Auxiliary Board for Southern California District No. 3, and Southern Nevada. Mr. Schechter was a pioneer to Africa and Latin America for twelve years. He has lived in Kenya, South Africa, Afars and Issas, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. In Uruguay, both he and his Chilean wife, Julia, served on the National Spiritual Assembly. One of the Schechters’ two sons was born in Uruguay; the second in Ecuador. Mr. Schechter is currently Regional Supervisor for the San Diego Public Library Branches. He lives in La Mesa, California.
DR. WILLIAM TUCKER[edit]
Dr. Tucker serves as a Board member in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Dr. Tucker pioneered for two years in Argentina. He served on the Bahá’í Summer School Committee, has been a delegate to many National Conventions, and attended the 1963 World Congress in London. As a traveling teacher in the South, Dr. Tucker has conducted many special courses on the Bahá’í Teachings. He currently practices optometry in Asheville, North Carolina.
National energy plan adopted[edit]
An energy conservation plan for Bahá’í properties has been adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly to cooperate with government efforts to conserve critically short fuel supplies.
The most striking measure implemented has been to eliminate the use of floodlights around the Temple at night. The outside lights have not been on since November 26. This action has caused some concern in the area, where the House of Worship is considered a local landmark, and the decision to keep the lights off during the current energy crisis has been noted in the press.
An exception to this policy will be made by the National Assembly on Bahá’í Holy Days; the lights will be turned on during the evening hours. Some of the outside walkways around the Temple also remain lighted for considerations of safety and security.
Other conservation measures have included the lowering of room temperatures in National Center offices, and at Bahá’í properties in South Carolina, New Jersey, Michigan, and Maine. Unnecessary lights at all Bahá’í properties have also been kept off.
Dr. Rexford Parmelee, secretary of the National Bahá’í Properties Committee, said these measures “should in no way reduce school or institute sessions or the volume of teaching activity.”
Dr. Parmelee said a policy of economy is not foreign to Bahá’í administration. National committees have constantly striven for moderation and economy, he said.
Within the last few years Bahá’í properties in Wilmette have been converted from oil heating to the use of natural gas. More efficient lighting systems have also been installed, he said.
Dr. Parmelee said we are saving only three or four dollars a night by not lighting the House of Worship, but that Bahá’ís should lead the way in demonstrating a high sense of public responsibility.
The Bahá’í Home for the Aged in Wilmette has not been included in this program of conservation because of the special needs of the elderly residents. Its use of energy remains approximately the same as before.
Teaching team visits Tigua Indians in Texas[edit]
Bahá’ís from Colorado and New Mexico recently journeyed to El Paso, Texas, to introduce the Faith to the Tigua Pueblo Indians.
One of the Bahá’ís making the trip from New Mexico, Mrs. Linda Cholas, an Isleta Pueblo Indian, was particularly interested in taking the Faith to the approximately 350 remaining Tigua Pueblos.
The Tigua Indians were once part of the Isleta Pueblo, located south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, fought to end the presence of the Spanish missionaries, approximately 500 prisoners were taken by the Spaniards at the Isleta Pueblo, despite the fact that the Indians there did not actively participate in the uprising. The prisoners were relocated to the present Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, in Texas, far to the south of their original home.
The Tiguas first encountered Europeans when the explorer Coronado spent the winter with them in 1540. They were converted to Christianity during the Spanish colonization of New Mexico. Under the direction of the Spanish padres they built a mission at Isleta, New Mexico, in 1621, dedicated to St. Anthony, the Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism.
On their journey to Texas as hostages of the Spaniards, the Tiguas brought with them their tribal drum, staffs of office, and their statue of St. Anthony. In 1682 they built the present Ysleta Mission, east of El Paso, now the oldest Christian mission in the State of Texas.
The team of Bahá’í teachers arrived at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo on December 24. They paused to rest and ask directions at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission, outside El Paso. The priests gave them some historical information about the region, and gave directions on how to find the Tigua people.
The following passages are from the team’s report of its activities:
Bahá’í children, working in unity, are some of the best teachers in the Faith.
“After sunset, we walked down a small street marked ‘Road Closed’ and met some Mexican youth. They told us that the Indians had just gone by, and pointed down a path by an irrigation canal. They seemed to fear or dislike the Indians, as one of them said, “Don’t look at their faces or they’ll scare you.”
“We explained to them that we were Bahá’ís and wished to find the Governor of the Indians. We also told them a little about the Faith and left them several copies of God’s New Age in Spanish. Hopefully, Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching of the oneness of mankind will eliminate their fear of people of a different race.
“The path along the canal led to a small building from which we heard the sound of drums and Indian songs. Mrs. Cholas went to the entrance to see if we could watch. We were motioned to come in. The dances were performed by several youth in traditional Indian dress. After the dancing, the Governor and the War Chief (now only an honorary title) spoke to the small group in Spanish, asking for God’s blessings during the Christmas season. After the ceremony, they greeted us and we made arrangements to visit the Governor, Mr. Pablo Silvas, later in the week.
“For the visit with Governor Silvas, Mrs. Cholas went with a Bahá’í couple from El Paso, Rusty and Louise Hays, and their small daughter. The visit lasted for three hours. The Governor and his family were given a Bahá’í prayer book in Spanish and Bahá’í Holy Places at the World Center, which they warmly accepted. They also took several pamphlets about the Bahá’í Faith.
“Earlier in the day Mrs. Cholas and the Hays family met with the Sheriff of the Tiguas, who was also a member of the Tribal Council. They told him about the Bahá’í teachings and explained that the Bahá’í Faith has solutions for all the problems in the world, and will not destroy the cultural diversity of mankind. He said that if it would help his people, he would welcome the Faith.
“One thing we found throughout the trip was that Bahá’í children, working in unity, are some of the best teachers in the Faith. They open up many opportunities to teach, and display an example of the Bahá’í teachings in action through their love and openness to all people.
“Follow-up visits are planned by the Hays family, working with the Spiritual Assembly of El Paso, to remain in contact with the small tribe of Indians at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and attract them into the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Although the Tiguas have been without land, and have been engulfed by a Mexican and American civilization for 300 years, their tribal identity has survived, and today they practice customs that have been transmitted through generations.
They have retained their form of tribal government, for example, and they continue to perform the same ceremonial dances, live in the same adobe houses, and obtain their sustenance through hunting and farming.
Youth Conference[edit]
“On Becoming Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh” will be the theme of a youth conference to be held, February 22-24, at Camp McConnell, in Micanopy, Florida (near Gainesville).
Speakers will be Auxiliary Board member Jane McCants, Dr. Stanwood Cobb, and Mrs. Cora Pliver. The “Daystar” road show will provide musical entertainment. There will also be classes for children.
For further information please contact the Northern Florida District Teaching Committee, Mrs. Jan Turner, Secretary, 2530 Pine Ridge Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 (904) 386-2718.
Mrs. Louise Hays visits with Governor Pablo Silvas and his wife, Ermanita, as they bake Ysleta bread in an adobe oven.
International Faculty at Green Acre[edit]
A distinguished Bahá’í teacher from abroad, Mr. Jamshid Monagem, was one of the many able speakers taking part in the Green Acre Winter School, from December 26 until December 31.
Mr. Monagem, a Persian Bahá’í who has pioneered in Iraq and Ethiopia, currently resides in Canada. His profound knowledge of the Writings, which included many Tablets not yet translated in the West, gave new insights into the Faith to the nearly seventy participants in the Winter session.
Mr. Monagem opened his presentations to frequent questions from his listeners. One question posed to him was about the nature of meditation. In his reply he said meditation is conversation with our own souls. He recounted the following anecdote to illustrate his point:
“I heard from a prominent pilgrim, whose word I accept, that the Guardian asked him one day, ‘Do you pray?’ ‘Of course, beloved Guardian, I pray every morning,’ the man replied. Then the Guardian asked, ‘Do you meditate?’ The man paused a bit. ‘No,’ he said slowly. ‘Prayer is of no use without meditation,’ the Guardian said, explaining that meditation must be centered on the Writings. Finally, the Guardian said to this man, ‘Meditation is of no use unless it is followed by action.’ He thus added another major step to this spiritual process.”
The anecdote shows that meditation is not “...just sitting down, closing your eyes, keeping silent in a silent atmosphere, and being blank,” Mr. Monagem said. “That’s not meditation. You must concentrate on the Teachings, concentrate on their implications, and how they can be used.”
He said prayer was of no consequence if it remained “the murmur of syllables and sounds.”
“Of what use is it,” he said. “God knows already. We are not saying the prayers for God; we are saying them for ourselves. If the words do not strengthen us, if we do not reflect upon the Writings that we read, if we do not make the Writings a part of our daily action, I think we are wasting our time.”
A second foreign visitor at the Winter School was Mr. Vasudevan Nair. Mr. Nair is a Continental Counsellor for South Asia, currently on leave to further his studies in the United States. On several occasions he recounted stories about the growth of the Faith in India and Malaysia.
Other speakers included Auxiliary Board member Katherine McLaughlin, who had three discussions on the theme of “Living the Life”; and her husband, Mr. Robert McLaughlin, dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton from 1952 to 1965.
Mr. McLaughlin has served as architectural consultant for the House of Worship in Wilmette, the House of Worship in Panama, and most recently, as consultant for the planned construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mt. Carmel. He spoke about the development of Bahá’í properties at the World Center, and about his association with the House of Justice.
Miss Magdalene Carney, a member of the National Assembly, shared with the friends some of the problems and concerns of that institution, and answered questions about the workings of the Assembly. Mr. Richard Betts, the newest member of that body, twice spoke on the significance of Shoghi Effendi’s 1954 letter to the American believers, “American Bahá’ís in Time of World Peril.” The letter is found on page 122 of Citadel of Faith. Mr. Betts said the world is moving through trial and ordeal to a predestined goal: the Lesser Peace and the unity of nations.
Mrs. Emma Rice, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh who lives at Green Acre’s Fellowship House, where most of the Winter School’s activities took place, arranged the Eliot community’s extensive archives for display. Many items and photographs related to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Green Acre were shown. The school’s collection of rare books and manuscripts were also available to participants.
See pictures on page 13.
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The Mail[edit]
Redistribute[edit]
Dear Friends,
I was pleased to see the letter, in the December issue of The American Bahá’í, from Robert Ballinger, commenting on the problem of the chronic undernourishment of our National Bahá’í Fund. The beloved Guardian referred to the Fund as the ‘life blood’ of our administrative institutions. Using the same image, one might suggest that our Bahá’í institutions suffer from a deficiency anemia which has for long sapped them of the full strength and vigor which should rightfully be theirs. The question of how to treat this anemia surely deserves attention. On the strength of this belief, I offer some further thoughts on the subject.
To the present time, most civilizations have been economically based on the exploitation of the labor of impoverished masses by relatively small numbers of comparatively wealthy rulers, with some kind of middle class of artisans, intellectuals, etc., who shared to varying degrees the affluence of the ruling class. My understanding of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that He has decreed the abolition of the heretofore almost universal economic class structure of developed human societies by calling for the elimination of the extremes of both poverty and wealth.
Although the United States is generally considered the wealthiest nation in the world, we have millions of citizens still living in dire poverty, and though as a people we have continued to get richer year by year, as measured by our GNP, the disparity in material wealth between the richest and poorest of our society continues to increase rather than to decline.
I can draw no other conclusion, in the light of the Bahá’í principles, than that in the United States (to say nothing of the world as a whole) a significant redistribution of wealth must be an inevitable part of the realization of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
Now ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has explained that this redistribution of wealth will take place by two means: one is through taxation (on the principle of the progressive income tax); the other is through generosity and voluntary giving. We are attempting to demonstrate to mankind in our Bahá’í community a working model, albeit an embryonic one, of the society of the future, and we are striving to embody in that model, as far as possible, the principles of World Order given to us by Bahá’u’lláh. Our Bahá’í Administrative Order has not yet evolved (at least in the West) to a point where the principle of taxation is applicable, it seems. The principle of voluntary giving has, however, been operative in America since the 1920’s when Shoghi Effendi established the Bahá’í Funds.
But our American Bahá’í community is a cross-section of American society and includes among its members the extremes of poverty and wealth. We therefore have the task, which must sooner or later be faced if we are to exemplify it to the world, of implementing Bahá’u’lláh’s principle of the elimination of those extremes. Now the point I wish to make is that I do not think we American Bahá’ís, with all the words written and spoken about the Bahá’í Funds, have focused our attention on our National Bahá’í Fund as an instrument for the redistribution of wealth and the elimination, from our Bahá’í community, of the extreme disparity of economic class which is found in American society as a whole. Should we not do so?
Should we not have a longer heart-to-heart talk with Henry Halifax’s ambivalently loved Mrs. Wallabee, who remarked, you recall, “If we rich gave all that we could, and that’s a lot, it would deprive all those poor people of the marvelous bounty of giving,” and explain to her that in truth the Bahá’í principle of giving implies exactly the opposite? For the fact is that the more the rich give, the more the poor will have to give, so that it may be to some degree our failure to redistribute our wealth which is depriving the poor of the bounty of giving significantly.
Lest anyone misunderstand what I have in mind, when talking about the use of our National Bahá’í Fund today as an instrument for redistribution of wealth, let me give one possible example of what over-subscription of our national Bahá’í budget could mean. We might multiply Bahá’í schools and institutes in the Deep South and broaden their use to include compensation for the serious educational and cultural deprivations which thousands of Black Bahá’ís in those regions have experienced. (Such a program could be a major step toward enabling those same Bahá’ís to better their economic condition as well as deepening their faith.)
The burden of my thesis, reduced to action terms, is that those of us American Bahá’ís with more than average material means should be giving more to our National Bahá’í Fund, and the more we have, the more we should be giving. This in no way diminishes the importance of the requirement of universal participation in giving by every Bahá’í whatever his or her means. The latter theme seems to me to have been sufficiently reiterated by others, however. To the poor, it could be heard as a slightly bitter note unless the rest of us do a better job of trusteeship of our material possessions which, in the last analysis, belong to God.
- Sam McClellan
References:
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 151–4.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, pp. 38–44.
- Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í Administration, p. 41.
Relocate[edit]
The need for pioneers to foreign countries is still very great. There are thousands of souls ready to accept the Faith if only there were the workers needed to teach and deepen them. Of course, teachers are needed everywhere, but in going to a foreign country, one is forced more than ever to put his whole trust in God, and the results are marvelous. There are many wonderful things which can be learned in this field of service which cannot be conveyed in words but only learned through experience. There is no such thing as sacrifice for Bahá’ís because for every small sacrifice there are so many great spiritual gains.
Even small projects in the pioneer field are extremely valuable. If you can consider even a couple of weeks or a couple of months, your efforts will bring great spiritual benefits to the country you visit (as well as to yourself, I might add!).
Anyway, you are assisting us even now by your contributions to the National Spiritual Assembly and The Universal House of Justice because some of these funds are eventually expended in supporting teaching efforts in the less economically developed countries. You also assist by your example of unity and administrative strength. Bahá’ís in foreign countries aspire to becoming as capable as you are.
We are all one family! Give the other members of your family a large or small visit as soon as possible!
- Cynthia Lucas
- Nicaragua
Research[edit]
For its records, the National Spiritual Assembly would like to know of Bahá’ís who have had professional experience as archivists. The Assembly would appreciate if Bahá’ís with this kind of experience would send a resume to the National Bahá’í Center.
The Greatest Gift[edit]
This year of new opportunities will soon end, and a new global plan will be unveiled by The Universal House of Justice in the very near future. Now more than ever, the American Bahá’í community is called to spread the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the United States. If our current teaching goals are to be won and momentum gained in preparation for new demands, the individual believer must rededicate himself to spreading the Word.
The National Teaching Committee hopes that Bahá’ís will use this year’s Fast to study and meditate on the duty, purpose, and nature of teaching the Cause of God. The beloved Guardian has called this month: “a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation....” What better object of prayer and meditation than the following quotations, nineteen gems, mined from the Bahá’í Writings, whose beauty and clarity should stimulate the believers to a new understanding of their vital, God-given duty to teach.
Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds. Such a deed is acceptable only when he that teacheth the Cause is already a firm believer in God, the Supreme Protector, the Gracious, the Almighty. He hath, moreover, ordained that His Cause be taught through the power of men’s utterance, and not through resort to violence. Thus hath His ordinance been sent down from the Kingdom of Him Who is the Most Exalted, the All-Wise.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 278.
Center your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation, whose power hath caused the foundations of the mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be dumbfounded...
Be ye guided by wisdom in all your doings, and cleave ye tenaciously unto it. Please God ye may all be strengthened to carry out that which is the Will of God, and may be graciously assisted to appreciate the rank conferred upon such of His loved ones as have arisen to serve Him and magnify His name. Upon them be the glory of God, the glory of all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and the glory of the inmates of the most exalted Paradise, the heaven of heavens.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 278.
They cannot be the chosen people of God—the ones who have received the bounty of accepting Him in His Day, the recipients of the Master’s Divine Plan—and do nothing about it. The obligation to teach is the obligation of every Bahá’í, and particularly, the obligations of the American Bahá’ís towards humanity are great and inescapable. To the degree to which they discharge them will they be blessed and protected, happy and satisfied.
From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the American believers, dated September 21, 1957, reprinted as an insert to Bahá’í News, November 1957.
I appeal to the...believers... to ever bear in mind the supreme injunction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to teach unceasingly until the “head cornerstone of the foundation” of the Cause of God is firmly established in every heart. Let those whose time, resources and means allow, travel throughout the length and breadth of that vast continent, let them scatter to the most distant regions of the earth and, fired with enthusiasm and detachment, hand on the torch of God’s undying flame to the waiting multitudes of a sadly stricken world.
From a letter written by the Guardian to the American believers, dated June 3, 1925, quoted in Bahá’í Administration, p. 88.
They whose hearts are turned towards Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire creation must needs, in this Day, pass beyond and be sanctified from all created things, visible and invisible. If they arise to teach My Cause, they must let the breath of Him Who is the Unconstrained stir them and must spread it abroad on the earth with high resolve, with minds that are wholly centered in Him, and with hearts that are completely detached from and independent of all things, and with souls that are sanctified from the world and its vanities. It behoveth them to choose as the best provision for their journey reliance upon God, and to clothe themselves with the love of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious. If they do so, their words shall influence their hearers.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 200-1.
Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of His Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the
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On Teaching the Bahá’í Faith
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hearts of them that hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will not influence the heart of the seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of them that give good counsel to others but forget to follow it themselves. The words of such as these, and beyond the words, the realities of all things, and beyond these realities, the angels that are nigh unto God, bring against them the accusation of falsehood.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 277.
Wherefore, be thankful to God, for having strengthened thee to aid His Cause, for having made the flowers of knowledge and understanding to spring forth in the garden of thine heart. Thus hath His grace encompassed thee, and encompassed the whole of creation. Beware, lest thou allow anything whatsoever to grieve thee. Rid thyself of all attachment to the vain allusions of men, and cast behind thy back the idle and subtle disputations of them that are veiled from God. Proclaim, then, that which the Most Great Spirit will inspire thee to utter in the service of the Cause of thy Lord, that thou mayest stir up the souls of all men and incline their hearts unto this most blessed and all-glorious Court....
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 303.
God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may attract the hearts of such as are receptive to his call. Without it, he can never hope to influence his hearers.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 335.
This is the day to make mention of God, to celebrate His praise, and to serve Him; deprive not yourselves thereof. Ye are the letters of the words, and the words of the Book. Ye are the saplings which the hand of Loving-kindness hath planted in the soil of mercy, and which the showers of bounty have made to flourish. He hath protected you from the mighty winds of misbelief, and the tempestuous gales of impiety, and nurtured you with the hands of His loving providence. Now is the time for you to put forth your leaves and yield your fruit. The fruits of the tree of man have ever been and are goodly deeds and a praiseworthy character. Withhold not these fruits from the heedless. If they be accepted, your end is attained, and the purpose of life achieved. If not, leave them in their pastime of vain disputes.
Strive, O people of God, that haply the hearts of the divers kindreds of the earth may, through the waters of your forbearance and loving-kindness, be cleansed and sanctified from animosity and hatred, and be made worthy and befitting recipients of the splendors of the Sun of Truth.
Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 25-6.
Be ye not seated and silent! Diffuse the glad-tidings of the Kingdom far and wide to the ears, promulgate the Word of God, and put into practice the advices and covenants of God; that is, arise ye with such qualities and attributes that ye may continually bestow life to the body of the world, and nurse the infants of the universe up to the station of maturity and perfection. Enkindle with all your might in every meeting the light of the love of God, gladden and cheer every heart with the utmost loving-kindness, show forth your love to the strangers just as you show forth to your relations.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. III, p. 503.
Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching—no matter how worldwide and elaborate in its character—not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of the Abhá Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.
From a letter written by the Guardian to the American believers, dated September 24, 1924, quoted in Bahá’í Administration, p. 66.
In these days, the most important of all things is the guidance of the nations and peoples of the world. Teaching the Cause is of utmost importance for it is the head cornerstone of the foundation itself. This wronged servant has spent his days and nights in promoting the Cause and urging the peoples to service.
He rested not a moment, till the fame of the Cause of God was noised abroad in the world and the celestial strains from the Abhá Kingdom roused the East and the West. The beloved of God must also follow the same example.
This is the secret of faithfulness, this is the requirement of servitude to the Threshold of Bahá!
Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 10.
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The beloved of God must take thought night and day for the spread of the fragrances and for the promotion of the Word of God. They must send criers and messengers (teachers) to all parts of the world. Every soul who is himself able must ignite the candle of guidance, illumine the hearts with the light of knowledge and, if possible, they must travel to other countries of God. Thus may the confirmation of the Holy Spirit arrive and the breath of life reach other souls.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. III, p. 665.
The need of the Hour is teaching on the Home Front. Its goals can only be won by a new spirit of dedication and consecration on the part of the friends, each in his own country, in his own home. Miraculous victories are being won in the difficult virgin areas because the pioneers have consecrated their lives to the noble mission they have embarked upon. The friends at home must display this same consecration and dedication. Never must they let a day pass without teaching some soul, trusting to Bahá’u’lláh that the seed will grow. The friends should seek pure souls, gain their confidence, and then teach that person carefully until he becomes a Bahá’í, and then nurture him until he becomes a firm and active supporter of the Faith.
From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the Hands of the Cause in America, quoted in Bahá’í News, January 1957, p. 1.
Multitudes hunger for the Bread of Life. The stage is set. The firm and irrevocable Promise is given. God’s own Plan has been set in motion. It is gathering momentum with every passing day. The powers of heaven and earth mysteriously assist in its execution. Such an opportunity is irreplaceable. Let the doubter arise and himself verify the truth of such assertions.
To try, to persevere, is to ensure ultimate and complete victory.
Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Messages to America, p. 17.
It was He, our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, our true and shining Exemplar, who with infinite tact and patience, whether in His public utterances or in private converse, adapted the presentation of the fundamentals of the Cause to the varying capacities and the spiritual receptiveness of His hearers. He never hesitated, however, to tear the veil asunder and reveal to the spiritually ripened those challenging verities that set forth in its true light the relationship of this Supreme Revelation with the Dispensations of the past. Unashamed and unafraid when challenged to assert in its entirety the stupendous claim of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’ís, whether laboring as individuals or functioning as an organized community, feel certain that in the face of the apathy, the gross materialism, and the superficiality of society today, a progressive disclosure of the magnitude of the claim of Bahá’u’lláh would constitute the most effective means for the attainment of the end so greatly desired by even the staunchest and most zealous advocate of the Faith.
From a letter written by the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, dated February 20, 1927, quoted in Bahá’í Administration, p. 125.
The friends must realize their individual responsibility. Each must hold a Fireside in his or her home, once in 19 days, where new people are invited, and where some phase of the Faith is mentioned and discussed. If this is done with the intent of showing Bahá’í hospitality and love, then there will be results. People will become interested in ‘what’ you are interested in, and then be interested in studying. Individual firesides will bring the knowledge of the Faith to more people, under favorable circumstances, and thus constantly enrich its circle of friends, and finally its members. There is no substitute for the teaching work of the individual.
From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to two individual believers, dated March 1957, quoted in Bahá’í News, July 1957, p. 4.
O wayfarer in the path of God!
Take thou thy portion of the ocean of His grace, and deprive not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its depths. Be thou of them that have partaken of its treasures. A dewdrop out of this ocean would, if shed upon all that are in the heavens and on the earth, suffice to enrich them with the bounty of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. With the hands of renunciation draw forth from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith all created things, that they may be cleansed from all man-made limitations and may approach the mighty seat of God, this hallowed and resplendent Spot.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 279.
Be not grieved if thou performest it thyself alone. Let God be all-sufficient for thee. Commune intimately with His Spirit, and be thou of the thankful. Proclaim the Cause of thy Lord unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth. Should any man respond to thy call, lay bare before him the pearls of the wisdom of the Lord, thy God, which His Spirit hath sent down unto thee, and be thou of them that truly believe. And should anyone reject thine offer, turn thou away from him, and put thy trust and confidence in the Lord, thy God, the Lord of all worlds.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 280.
Saved Assemblies
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Jeopardized Local Spiritual Assemblies
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World News[edit]
Toured[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí Muḥammad Varqá recently completed a tour of Europe and the Western Hemisphere, which lasted from July until October.
After visiting the friends in several cities in France, Dr. Varqá traveled to French Guiana. From Cayenne, the capital city, he arranged a visit to a nearby Indian community where the Chief is a Bahá’í. From French Guiana, Dr. Varqá went north to the islands of Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Haiti. Throughout the islands, he delighted in visiting scattered and isolated believers. Newspaper, radio, and television interviewers frequently spoke with Dr. Varqá, and in Haiti, he met with the Minister of Education.
The next stop on his journey was Canada, a Bahá’í community with much responsibility for sending pioneers to French-speaking areas. In Montreal, he stressed to the friends the importance of accomplishing Canada’s interim year goals in preparation for the next global plan. Meetings were also held in Quebec and in Ontario, where Dr. Varqá met with the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly.
On his return trip to Tehran, Dr. Varqá conveyed to Bahá’ís in London and Paris the highlights of his journey in the Western Hemisphere.
Impressed[edit]
“How nice it would be if we were to follow these Writings,” commented the President of Bangladesh, Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, to the Bahá’í delegation with whom he met at his residence for forty-five minutes last October 13. Members of the Bahá’í delegation presented the President with a copy of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, Release the Sun, and a handsomely decorated album containing a photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, photographs of diverse Bahá’í groups, and excerpts from the Sacred Writings.
“This album made the President so happy that after turning over all the pages he once again viewed the picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and then read aloud and with reverence passages from the Writings,” one observer said.
“This is what is in my heart,” the President said after reading a quotation about justice and another about deeds not exceeding words.
When presented with a brass lamp inscribed, “To the President of Bangladesh from the Bahá’ís,” the Chief Executive responded, “I pray that this lamp will give light to me.”
In referring to Queen Victoria’s reply to Bahá’u’lláh, the delegation read a sentence from The Prisoner and the Kings by William Sears.
The President took out pen and paper to copy the passage and was so anxious to know more about this book that they presented it to him as well, apologizing for the fact that it was an old and worn copy.
During the three-week visit by Counsellor Shirin Boman to Bangladesh, audiences were obtained with the Vice-Chancellor of Johangirnagar University, the Minister for Food and Civil Supply, the State Minister for Power, the Secretary of Education, as well as with the President.
All the leading figures interviewed were reported to be attentive and courteous.
Televised[edit]
Beautiful autumn weather, a superb location overlooking the Rhone valley near Sion, the presence of the Hands of the Cause Adelbert Mühlschlegel and Ugo Giachery, of the Counsellor Anneliese Bopp, and about two hundred devoted friends made this year’s Swiss summer school unique and a blessing for all. For the first time, the Bahá’ís of Switzerland conducted the summer school completely on their own, coping with administration and cooking as well. “Never,” reported the National Assembly, “had voluntary services been offered with such a light heart and by so many!”
Months in advance, a television reporter had been invited to attend and interview one of the speakers. The interviewer came, eager and intent on performing his task perfectly. The noisy and joyous crowd of Bahá’ís were all “locked up” in the dining room where Dr. Giachery told stories to keep the crowd “quiet” while the recording was going on within the same building. The interview was scheduled for broadcast on the television station of the Suisse romande.
At the end of September, following summer school, the youth committee organized a national youth day at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. About 60 youth from nearly all communities and regions were packed into a downstairs room while the National Assembly was holding its meeting upstairs. The Assembly listened to members of the committee who explained different aspects of the three-year youth plan, which was to be launched at the beginning of October.
After meeting with the National Spiritual Assembly, the youth broke up into groups to work out details of the plan. They displayed both great earnestness and willingness to tackle the tasks.
Soon after the meeting, two teams were working in two different regions, Ticino and Thun, where the first Bahá’ís to enlist under Bahá’u’lláh’s banner through the efforts of the youth were welcomed.
Inspired[edit]
Several hundred people have declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh in Botswana as a result of teaching efforts undertaken during the recent Youth Conference there. The first Bushman Bahá’í youth, who enrolled on the eve of the Conference, actively participated in the extensive teaching activities. Any prejudice among tribes was quickly dispelled by the love shown by the Bahá’ís for one another. By the end of this first Botswana Youth Conference, a great admiration for the Bushmen had developed.
Inspired by the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, the believers set a goal of enrolling 300 new Bahá’ís in the area of Selebi-Pikwe. Within nineteen days, 323 new believers were found, exceeding the goal by 23. The teaching continues, and at last report, approximately 350 Bahá’ís were newly enrolled.
Although the Selebi-Pikwe phase of the plan is ended, four of the pioneers decided to continue the work for an additional week to firmly establish the Faith there. The teaching proved to be so successful that on one day, people were lined up waiting to sign declaration cards. As more people gathered, the new believers immediately began teaching.
Informed[edit]
The National Proclamation Committee of Argentina reports on a Deepening Course, sponsored by the Continental Board of Counsellors, held in Rosario over the weekend of September 1/2, 1973:
No ‘teachers’ or ‘introductory speakers’ were assigned for the subjects; rather, the programs were sent out in advance, asking each participant to search the Divine Texts illustrating each theme. The result was a mutual spirit of togetherness in turning to the Divine Teachings as our only source for individual and collective guidance. The friends left realizing more fully the impact of the Teachings with a renewed stimulus to continue studying and applying them in their lives.
News Briefs[edit]
Gillespie fireside[edit]
Bahá’ís from South Hadley and Holyoke, in Massachusetts, with jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie (fourth from right, second row). Mr. Gillespie gave a fireside to more than 125 people at Mt. Holyoke College, in South Hadley recently. Some other well-known jazz artists, Artie Shepp and Max Roach among them, attended the fireside. “The Bahá’í Faith must stand for good things if Dizzy is a part of it,” Mr. Roach said later. Auxiliary Board member Jane McCants spoke that same weekend at Mt. Holyoke College. Her topic was “America in Crisis.” More than 100 people attended that talk as well.
Mobile exhibit[edit]
A mobile exhibit, built by the Northern New Mexico District Teaching Committee to bring the Faith to the attention of smaller communities in the region, is being used with some success.
The exhibit is made of plywood and folds into a small trailer that can be pulled even by a compact car. It can be assembled by one person in approximately thirty minutes. The various panels are adorned with photographs and quotations from the Bahá’í Writings. The exhibit cost approximately $300 to build.
It was first used last August in Roy, New Mexico, a community with a population of 410. The exhibit was assembled on its trailer to become one of the six floats in Roy’s annual parade. Some 500 people lined the parade route and clapped enthusiastically for the unusual entry.
It was the first time many people in Roy heard of the Bahá’í Faith, although a few people said they had relatives who were Bahá’ís and took literature to find out more about what their relatives believed. Two families said they had visited the House of Worship in Wilmette, and a third called their daughter long distance after viewing the exhibit to advise her to visit the Temple when she arrived in Chicago on her way home.
The exhibit has been used extensively since its first appearance in Roy. It is available for use throughout Northern New Mexico through the District Teaching Committee.
On the back of the trailer, in large red letters, are painted the words, “The most important information in the world is in here.”
Tuskegee[edit]
An audience of over 20 people, including 5 non-Bahá’ís, attended a public meeting in Tuskegee, Alabama, December 9, to hear Dr. Sam McClellan, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, speak on “Understanding Our Troubled Age.” Four local Bahá’í communities were represented.
Pen pals[edit]
American Bahá’í youth have been invited to participate in an international pen pal program by the National Youth Committee of Italy. Interested persons should send their name and address, and a note stating their age, sex, hobbies, occupations, and foreign languages spoken, to Mr. Fatollah Sabet, Secretary, National Youth Committee of Italy.
Hollywood proclamation[edit]
For the past six months, the Bahá’ís of West Hollywood, California, have been presenting monthly proclamation meetings at the State Mutual Savings Bank in West Hollywood.
The meetings, which occur on every second Friday of the month, have attracted many seekers, with more coming each month.
The Local Spiritual Assembly has planned, with the aid of its Proclamation and Teaching Committee, the entire next year’s program in preparation for the next Five Year Plan. The proclamation effort has involved the entire community, and the unified effort has met with gratifying results.
The Bank has given the rooms free of charge to the West Hollywood Bahá’í community, and many of the bank employees have become interested in the Faith through this contribution.
January featured Mrs. Billie Crofts as speaker and England Dan and John Ford Coley as entertainers. In the past, Joan Bulkin, Maurice Willows, and Sidney Bulkin have been speakers. Some of the entertainers have been Walter Heath, Wednesday’s Children (a Bahá’í choral group), and Marc Joseph.
Human Rights Award[edit]
Mr. Jay Silverheels (left), a recipient of the Human Rights Award presented annually by the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles County, with Mrs. Ruby Jacobs (center), and Mr. Howard Jacobs (right). Mr. Silverheels, who portrays the character Tonto in The Lone Ranger television series, was honored for his service to American Indians.
Community Service Recognized[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Greenfield, Massachusetts, celebrated United Nations Human Rights Day this year by presenting two awards to local citizens for their service to mankind. More than thirty-five people, most of them non-Bahá’ís, attended the public meeting, which was held in All Souls Unitarian Church of Greenfield.
Father Jack Sanders and Mrs. Rosa Dinsmore, recipients of the Service to Mankind Award, were recognized for demonstrating the oneness of humanity by their deeds; for showing concern for and actively serving people who are poor or injured or rejected by others; and for serving all mankind as a humble and natural expression of their love for God and His creation.
Father Sanders, an Episcopal priest, is well-known in Greenfield for his untiring efforts to help troubled youth, the sick, and the poor. The Spiritual Assembly presented him with a framed reproduction of a pen-and-ink drawing of the Mansion of Mazra‘ih, by Dr. David S. Ruhe.
Mrs. Dinsmore, who is a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Greenfield and who has served the sick, the poor, and the indigent diligently for many years, was presented with a Bahá’í ring.
Mrs. Braulia Caban explained the significance of Human Rights Day in an opening address, and the awards were made by Mrs. Mabel Garis, the United States Bahá’í representative to the United Nations, and Ms. Joyce Gail, a member of the Montague Bahá’í community. Music was provided by Mrs. Carol Rutstein, who sang “No Man Is an Island” and “Blessed Is the Spot.” She was accompanied by Mrs. Phyllis Stone, a prominent local pianist. Leona Herzig and Mrs. Beverley Ruhe played and sang “I am the World Citizen.”
Many of the guests commented on how much they enjoyed the celebration. Father Sanders was pleased by the award and showed great interest in the explanation of the significance of the drawing he received. The Spiritual Assembly plans to present Service to Mankind Awards in the future.
Population Tribune[edit]
A representative of the Bahá’í International Community will attend a Population Tribune in Bucharest, Romania, August 19–30, to exchange views and ideas about current world population problems with other non-governmental organizations. This special forum will be conducted while the United Nations World Population Conference is also in progress in Bucharest.
Among the topics to be discussed at the Population Tribune are the relationship of population policies to such factors as socio-economic conditions, the environment, natural and human well-being, and migration and legal structures. The relationship between cultural and religious patterns and the well-being of the family will also be explored. 1974 has been designated World Population Year by the UN.
Energetic[edit]
The energetic Bahá’í Club of the Stephen F. Austin State University, in Nacogdoches, Texas. In addition to climbing trees, the Bahá’í Club holds weekly firesides at the University and a weekly study class for its members on the Comprehensive Deepening Program materials. A Bahá’í information booth is operated every second week. The Club now plans to initiate a Bahá’í film series and a lecture series on the world’s great religions.
Green Acre[edit]
Among the lecturers at the Green Acre Winter School were Mr. Jamshid Monajem (left in photo above) and Mr. Vasudevan Nair (right in photo above).
Mr. Robert McLaughlin, an architectural consultant to The Universal House of Justice, is shown at right.
See story page 5.
Child’s Way[edit]
Children and adults in nearly 40 countries are reading Child’s Way, enjoying it, and learning from it.
- Six issues a year, $4.50
- Foreign subscriptions, $5.00
Send your check or money order to Bahá’í Subscriber Service, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
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Assembly Seminars[edit]
Participants at the recent Local Spiritual Assembly Seminar, in Princeton, New Jersey. A series of forty-nine seminars, conducted throughout the country by the National Spiritual Assembly, began on November 17 and will be concluded on March 17. These seminars, according to the National Spiritual Assembly, are “to assist Local Assemblies to meet their responsibilities more effectively at a time when greater demands are being made upon them to fulfill the objectives for which they were created.” The seminars to date have been well attended. Seventeen seminars remain to be held in February and March.
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Spanish Speaking Regional Bahá’í Conference | ||
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BAHÁ’Í BOOKS AND MATERIALS[edit]
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A Special Listing of Materials to Assist in the April 21 Annual Election of Local Spiritual Assemblies
BAHÁ’Í LITERATURE Bahá’í communities preparing to reelect their Local Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’í groups preparing to elect Spiritual Assemblies for the first time should be planning deepening sessions now to prepare the friends for their “sacred duty” of participating “conscientiously and diligently” in the elections. The Publishing Trust would like to call to the attention of local Bahá’í librarians and of local deepening committees the following items which will enable them to prepare creative deepening programs on the significance of Local Spiritual Assemblies and of the role of the friends in electing them.
The Bahá’í Electoral Process—a part of the Comprehensive Deepening Program—explores the relationship between the electoral process and the Administrative Order, the pattern for future society. Part I examines the function, the divine origin, and the unique nature of the Administrative Order. Part II focuses on the purpose, spirit, and methods of the electoral process and includes chapters on qualifications for Assembly membership, preparation for voting, voting as both a sacred duty and an administrative right, the spiritual atmosphere of Bahá’í elections, and obedience to elected institutions. Part III is an appendix on election procedures in current practice. This appendix provides information on a variety of topics, such as joint declaration, ties, plurality and majority votes, and election of officers. The appendix also contains a checklist of steps to be used in a Local Spiritual Assembly election. Includes bibliography. This manual is the most comprehensive guide available on the Bahá’í electoral process. Grey cover. 45 pages.
The Local Spiritual Assembly was compiled by The Universal House of Justice from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. It is divided into sections on the following topics: Establishment and Station of the Local Spiritual Assembly; Membership—Qualifications, Election; Taking Counsel Together—Functions; Attendance and Resignation; Assembly—Relation to Believers; Believers—Relation to Assembly; and Prospects of the Future. The compilation is essential for understanding the importance of the Local Spiritual Assembly.
A study booklet on the Local Spiritual Assembly prepared by the National Teaching Committee. It combines, on facing pages, quotations from The Universal House of Justice’s compilation The Local Spiritual Assembly; short explanations; and drawings of multiracial groups which illustrate the Local Assembly’s role and activities in its community. Illustrations by Dale Robison. Bright gold and orange cover. 5 ½ x 4 ¼ inches. 47 pp.
This compilation on the covenant and administration is taken largely from the writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. Thus, it gives the reader an overview of the unfoldment of the Covenant of the Bahá’í Administrative Order in the words of the Central Figures and Guardian of our Faith. Covenant and Administration helps one to understand the meaning of God’s Covenant, the scope of Bahá’u’lláh’s Administrative Order, and the role each must play in establishing the new World Order. Gold cover. 8 ½ x 11 inches. 94 pp.
Majesty and Greatness of the Local Spiritual Assembly This is a deepening presentation featuring the Hand of the Cause of God Mr. William Sears in an informal discussion with several Bahá’ís. It is primarily for Bahá’ís.
The Trusted Ones of God: The Trusted Ones of God is a filmstrip study program in color, with cassette narration, based on the popular study booklet The Trusted Ones of God. The filmstrip can either be shown in its entirety at one time or used in segments in deepening classes on the role, election, and function of the Local Spiritual Assembly. Part 1 deals with the spiritual foundation of the Local Spiritual Assembly. Part 2 tells how a Local Spiritual Assembly is elected. Part 3 outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly. Part 4 deals with the process of consultation. Part 5 gives a general summation of the Assembly’s responsibilities to the Bahá’í community and the community’s responsibilities toward its Assembly. Essential for deepening programs on the Local Spiritual Assembly. Artwork by Dale and Claudia Robison. 50 frames. 6-00-66 Filmstrip, Cassette, Narration Book $7.50
Birds of Diverse Feathers is a color filmstrip program which humorously identifies many of the personality traits which tend to impair the consultative process. It also shows how, through an awareness of God’s purpose for man, these traits can be changed into spiritual attributes which facilitate consultation. Douglas Honaker’s colorful cartoon birds are delightful and thought provoking. This program will be valuable for Baha’is of all ages who want to understand more about and be a functioning part of the Administrative Order. 6-00-73 Filmstrip, Cassette, Narration Book $8.50 |
Sidrah Star Poster
An unusual illumination of the Arabic phrase “Sadratu’l-Muntahá,” a reference to the Manifestation of God for this day, is now available. The central Arabic motif is surrounded by panels and borders containing intricate design elements from the Celtic, Chinese, and American Indian cultures. The poster is printed in seven vibrant colors on heavy white paper, suitable for framing. An explanation prepared by the artist of the symbolism used in the poster is included with each order. 14 ½ x 22 inches.
- 6-47-05 1/$4.00 4/$15.00
Bahá’í Comprehensive Deepening Program
All five books of the Comprehensive Deepening Program are again available, having recently been reprinted for the third time. These special deepening materials have been designed to assist the Bahá’í community in “accelerating and strengthening its efforts to consolidate,” especially during this year of preparation for the next global plan of The Universal House of Justice. The books may be ordered separately or as a complete set packaged in an attractive, heavy-duty, three-ring binder.
The Meaning of Deepening | $2.50 |
The Supreme Gift of God to Man | $1.00 |
Knowledge, Volition, and Action | $ .75 |
The Bahá’í Electoral Process | $1.75 |
A Fortress for Well-Being | $2.50 |
Three-ring binder for CDP materials | $2.50 |
Complete package (5 books with binder) | $8.00 |
Attention
Artists and Book Designers[edit]
The Publishing Trust is announcing a competition for designing a dust jacket for a proposed cloth edition of Gloria Faizi’s The Bahá’í Faith: An Introduction. The proposed book will be the size of the recently imported cloth edition of The Promise of All Ages and The Heart of the Gospel—5 ½ x 8 inches.
While we do not wish to impose extraordinary limitations on book designers, we must ask that the jacket design be kept to two colors.
Designs which we do not use will be returned only if requested. The final decision on the selection of a design rests with the Publishing Committee. Competition deadline is April 30.
Inside:
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A major art exhibit is being planned for the Labor Day conference in St. Louis. Details on submitting entries begin on page 1. Among the 270 new Auxiliary Board positions approved by The Universal House of Justice, six are assigned to North America. The new Board members for North America are introduced on page 3. Bahá’ís from Colorado and New Mexico recently journeyed to El Paso, Texas, to introduce the Bahá’í Faith to the Tigua Pueblo Indians. Some details of their trip are on page 4. A special section of quotes on teaching, selected by the National Teaching Committee, begins on page 7. |
Three months remain till Riḍván.
