The American Bahá’í/Volume 7/Issue 3/Text
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South unified, committed as efforts to reach the masses resume[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir urges action during 13-day trip to 13 Southern cities.
Fresh momentum to resume mass teaching in the South is developing following a whirlwind 13-day trip by the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir to 13 Southern cities.
Initial reports indicate that Local Spiritual Assemblies, Groups, and individual believers are making firm commitments to create a renewed impetus for teaching the masses.
Following a planning session at the Louis Gregory Institute, Dr. Muhájir visited 11 of the 16 Southern states to discuss the new Southern teaching program and to encourage support and commitment. He urged the friends to teach families, to set up classes for children, and to make weekly visits to new believers.
In late January and early February, Dr. Muhájir visited the Cherokee Indian Reservation, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston and Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Miami and Orlando, Florida; and Richmond, Virginia.
After the Columbia meeting, a group of Bahá’ís went to Rock Hill, South Carolina, one of the mass teaching areas in 1970. One of the new declarations completed the enrollment of all members of one family which began six years ago.
One of the goals set at Columbia is the teaching of at least 100 students.
Following the Atlanta meeting, there were seven declarations in one weekend of teaching.
The Atlanta goals include teaching 100 families by October, teaching 100 students at each of two universities in six months, special programs for teaching all strata of society, nightly firesides at the center, and monthly proclamations. Local Assemblies north of Atlanta agreed to raise up three Local Spiritual Assemblies in the Gainesville area by October.
At Memphis, the members of the Southern Teaching Committee made as their personal commitment teaching the people of Appalachia, the predominantly poor area of the mountains of Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Georgia.
Commitments were reported at every stop on Dr. Muhájir’s trip.
Dr. Muhájir was to conclude his two-month trip to the United States by visiting Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in February. Earlier, he had visited California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Michigan, Canada, and Alaska.
Complete details of new Southern teaching program are announced[edit]
A new program for mass teaching in the Southern states was announced at the Louis Gregory Institute on the weekend of January 24.
The program calls for the immediate resumption of efforts to enroll large numbers of people in nine states where nine or more Local Spiritual Assemblies have been established.
In each of the Southern states selected, the Local Assemblies will work jointly on a coordinated plan aimed at enrolling at least 100 families in each area by October. Enrollment of families will provide a foundation to secure strong Local Assemblies, it was concluded at the planning sessions.
The Southern states with nine or more Assemblies that will develop mass teaching projects are South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Georgia will have two projects, one that focuses on metropolitan Atlanta, the other centered around Gainesville, 40 miles north.
Special goals for states lacking nine Assemblies were also announced. These states—Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Delaware—must raise the number of their Assemblies to nine, and coordinate efforts to enroll families.
Three teaching conferences will be held next Labor Day in the South to give impetus to the renewed teaching work. They are scheduled for College Station, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Columbia, South Carolina. The Local Assemblies in those areas have already begun to plan their contribution to these conferences and to the intensified teaching work that must follow them.
College Station, Atlanta, and Columbia were selected for special assistance by the National Teaching Committee. This special assistance will be given next year to the three areas with the most victories.
The new teaching plans were developed with the assistance of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, who traveled in the South during January and February. They were announced by the National Teaching Committee to representatives from seven Southern states attending a briefing at the Louis Gregory Institute on the National Assembly’s developing plans for the Southern region.
Messages of encouragement were received at the meeting from The Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly. The Universal House of Justice said that prayers were offered “supplicating Bahá’u’lláh guide inspire their endeavors awaken spirit service hearts mass of believers so recently won His cause.”
A letter from the National Assembly said, “We are ready for deeper advances into the teaching field. We are prepared for greater victories than have yet been recorded. We return to the arena of teaching with increased understanding and faith. The hour has indeed struck for the Army of the Lord to conquer new hearts, to enlist many new troops to carry out His divine will.”
The new program was given immediate and emphatic support by Jane Faily and Elizabeth Martin, members of the Auxiliary Board who attended the briefing on the Southern Teaching Project.
Supervision and coordination of teaching activities for the entire area, with the exception of South Carolina, will be carried
Locality goals will be announced at March 27 teaching conferences[edit]
Specific locality and Local Spiritual Assembly goals will be announced on March 27 at the 88 simultaneous teaching conferences sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly.
The conferences, to be held in each of the electoral districts in the United States, will focus on personal teaching. Workshops will be held to discuss plans designed to win the immediate goals. Special teaching projects will be launched on March 28 in all 88 districts to put into practice the ideas gleaned at the conferences.
The conference agendas will include music, special slide programs, lectures, a videotaped presentation by the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir on teaching and pioneering, and workshops on teaching and the use of literature, on declaration and enrollment, and on the nurturing process.
The conferences are another phase in the continuing drive to speed the teaching and consolidation work of the Faith. Many other projects are planned, including a special teaching program on the Mexico-U.S. border, a circuit teaching plan for July and August, Indian and other minority teaching projects. In addition, regional and national proclamations and conferences are being planned.
All of this activity is designed to assist individual believers in their drive to win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
Border teaching to be in Spanish[edit]
Plans are progressing for the special teaching project along the border between the United States and Mexico. This program has much potential and both National Spiritual Assemblies are taking great care to see that this potential is met.
Bahá’ís who are fluent in Spanish (i.e., those who can teach the Faith without the assistance of an interpreter) and who will have the time available, should apply immediately to the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. Only those believers who attend the training program in Mexicali, Mexico, April 2-4 will be allowed to participate in the project. The training program is essential to the smooth and effective operation of the project, as it is designed to orient the participants to the culture in which they will be working, as well as to the special significance of that vital work. It is anticipated that the training sessions will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Projecteers will also be asked to commit the following weekend, April 9-11, for further training for assisting with Assembly formation at Riḍván, and subsequent weekends for continuing teaching activity in the project’s initial goal areas: Mexicali/El Centro, and the Yucatan.
Those friends not invited to this training session will have many opportunities to use their talents on the homefront in Spanish-speaking teaching projects, and should contact their District Teaching Committees to offer their services.
Additional training sessions will be held in late May for projects in Douglas, Arizona/Agua Prieta, Mexico and Chula Vista, California/Tijuana, Mexico.
Projects abroad set for summer[edit]
Three special international traveling teaching projects will be held during July and August.
Two of the summer projects will be in South America, the other in a French-speaking section of Canada. One South American project will be in a Spanish-speaking country, the other in an English-speaking country.
Persons interested in participating in the projects should be able to speak the language of the country to which they will be going and be at least 18. The projecteers will travel teach in teams.
Interested believers should apply through the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091.
Communications system improved[edit]
A communications system has been put into operation at the Bahá’í National Center which provides a direct and immediate link with the World Center.
The system is part of the international Western Union Telex communications network and provides access to all Western Union offices around the world as well as all Telex points.
In addition, the Telex system establishes a rapid and efficient method for disseminating messages to Local Spiritual Assemblies in the United States and to American pioneers and traveling teachers abroad.
Teaching Conference Agenda[edit]
| Noon—1 p.m. | Registration |
| 1 p.m. | Prayers |
| Greetings from Host Assembly or District Teaching Committee. | |
| Introduction of guests | |
| Message from National Spiritual Assembly to Conference—slide program | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Workshops |
| (How to Reach and Teach Your Neighbor) | |
| 3—3:30 p.m. | Coffee break |
| 3:30—3:45 p.m. | Slides and tape—The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir |
| 3:45—5 p.m. | District Teaching Committee—Presentation of Goals |
| 5—6:30 p.m. | Dinner Break |
| 6:30—7 p.m. | Devotions tape |
| Auxiliary Board Member or Assistant Board Member or Chairman | |
| 7—8:45 p.m. | Workshops |
| (Declaration, Enrollment, and Beyond) | |
| 8:45—9 p.m. | Coffee break |
| 9—9:30 p.m. | Slide presentation “Each One Teach One” |
| Sing-a-long-tape and music Fellowship | |
| Agenda for California, Illinois, New York | |
| Noon—1 p.m. | Registration |
| 1 p.m. | Prayers |
| Greetings from Host Assembly or District Teaching Committee | |
| Introduction of guests | |
| Message from National Spiritual Assembly to Conference—slide program. | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Workshops |
| Personal Teaching and community teaching. | |
| 3—3:30 p.m. | Coffee break |
| 3:30—3:45 p.m. | Videotape—The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir. |
| 3:45—5 p.m. | District Teaching Committee—Presentation of Goals. |
| 5—6:30 p.m. | Dinner break |
| 6:30—7 p.m. | Devotions tape |
| Auxiliary Board Member or Assistant Board Member or Chairman | |
| 7—8:45 p.m. | Workshops |
| Entry by Troops | |
| 8:45—9 p.m. | Coffee break |
| 9—9:30 p.m. | Slide presentation |
| “Each One Teach One” | |
| Sing-a-long-tape and music Fellowship | |
Editorial
Teaching the masses[edit]
A fresh sense of determination to advance the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh with renewed vigor is being felt in the American Bahá’í community.
The Universal House of Justice indicated almost two years ago that the time was ripe for entry into the Faith by troops. The National Spiritual Assembly set specific goals, formulated plans, and provided guidance.
Progress has been slow, but there are now pregnant signs that forward movement has been resumed, particularly in the Southern states. The capacity of the people in this area of our country to respond readily to the captivating Message of the Blessed Beauty has already been amply demonstrated.
A balanced and systematic plan to tackle the Deep South states has been set in motion with the dynamic assistance of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir and is already bearing fruit. The believers have met with Dr. Muhájir in 13 cities and have made firm commitments to pursue untiringly the expressed goals of mass teaching. Some immediate victories which followed have stirred a sense of excitement in the South.
Recapturing the initiative in the South will have repercussions in the rest of the country. We are reminded of the impact the mass teaching work in the early 1970s had on national enrollments; the curve of expansion in every region paralleled that of the South.
The administrative machinery at the national, regional, and local levels is now prepared for greater victories. The first flush of enrollments in troops brought new challenges which have enriched and edified us all. New institutions have been formed to aid and channel our successes. New materials have been developed for teaching and deepening. The Local Spiritual Assembly Development Program is well under way. The computerized data processing system is set to handle large numbers of enrollments. Systems for fast and regular communication have been developed. Everything is in readiness.
The Universal House of Justice anxiously awaits the news that fresh victories are being won for our sacred Cause.
N.Y. Assembly acquires Center in Manhattan[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of New York City recently acquired a Bahá’í Center at 53 East 11th St., in the heart of Manhattan. Obtaining a suitable center was a Five Year Plan goal for New York City.
“ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY MARKS ANOTHER MILESTONE IN STEADY ADVANCE OF NEW YORK TOWARD DESTINY FORESEEN BY BELOVED MASTER ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ WHEN HE DESIGNATED IT CITY OF THE COVENANT,” the National Spiritual Assembly cabled the New York Assembly on January 12.
The center is located near the home of Juliet Thompson. There, while Miss Thompson painted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s portrait during His visit to America in 1912, He unveiled to her and to Lua Getsinger the meaning of the Covenant of God and named Lua the Herald of the Covenant.
The center is also near the Church of the Ascension, one of the many places where the Master spoke in New York City. He stayed in that city for about six weeks, teaching ceaselessly, prolonging His stay because, He said, New York occupied a central position. On June 19, 1912, speaking to a gathering of believers, He named New York the City of the Covenant, because it was there that He had emphatically and publicly announced His station as the Center of the Covenant.
“WE PRAY MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY WILL ARISE WITH FRESH ENTHUSIASM TO SHOULDER THEIR NEW RESPONSIBILITIES AND CARRY OUT EVERY OBJECTIVE ALREADY ASSIGNED TO THEM IN THE FIVE YEAR PLAN,” the cable from the National Assembly added.
The New York City Bahá’ís feel that the building will be a good channel for their enthusiasm. “We are very proud of our center,” said Houston and Tara, chairman of the New York Assembly. A Bahá’í couple, Bill and Juliet Soderberg, are living in the center as resident managers.
The Bahá’ís painted the interior during January and on February 15 began holding functions such as children’s classes, deepenings, and youth programs. The 16 rooms on the upper floor of the building are used for these classes, for committee and Assembly offices, and for small firesides.
The ground floor of the center has a theater that seats about 150 people. The theater has a fully equipped stage and facilities for slide and movie projection. The center is ideally located for making full use of the theater; it is near New York University, a hub of the city’s cultural activities, with a large and very diverse population. Many youth live near the center, and all nationalities and races are represented in the neighborhood. Residents from all over the city feel comfortable in the neighborhood, which is easily accessible by subway, bus, or cab.
After February 15, further work on the building commenced after consultation with an architect from the Bahá’í National Center. Improvements will include a change in the building’s facade.
Two very attractive features of the building are a solarium, which can be filled with green plants, and the many skylights which let in the sun.
The National Assembly will use some of the office space at the center to facilitate its work with the Bahá’í International Community and the United Nations.
Mrs. Cooper’s Gift nets Center for San Francisco[edit]
Bahá’ís and friends in San Francisco, California, enjoyed a joyous open house at the newly-purchased Bahá’í Center on December 2. The sale of the four-story building at 170 Valencia Street was finalized on December 1. While the Bahá’ís remodel and paint the interior of the building, they use it for informal gatherings.
The historic acquisition, fulfilling one of California’s Five Year Plan goals, was made possible through a trust fund left to the San Francisco Bahá’í community by Ella Goodall Cooper. Mrs. Cooper and her mother, Helen Goodall, were distinguished early Bahá’ís of the West who were instrumental in the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith in San Francisco.
The building is located in the city’s Mission District, near the Mission Dolores, which was the settlement that grew into San Francisco. The area is largely Spanish-speaking, but other cultures are well-represented.
The center is well equipped to serve the Faith’s growing needs in the city. Its first floor has a reception area which will be used as the Assembly secretary’s office and a library. It also has a paneled room for Assembly meetings and a large auditorium which seats 500. The second floor has office and classroom space; the third floor has two large meeting halls, a dining room, and a kitchen; and the fourth floor has a small room which could be used for recreation. The building also has an elevator.
The Bahá’ís of San Francisco are justifiably proud of the center and call it “A Gift of Love” because of its giver, Ella Cooper.
The four-story San Francisco Bahá’í Center is located in the Mission District.
Continued from Page 1
out by the newly appointed Southern Teaching Committee, based in Jackson, Mississippi. The members of the new committee were present at the briefing, as were the members of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee.
To launch the campaigns in the designated states, Dr. Muhájir planned personal visits to each of the areas to introduce the friends to the objectives of the program and to encourage them to make the required commitment.
In several presentations at the Gregory Institute, Dr. Muhájir shared his views on the requirements for successful teaching:
The friends should be united in their thoughts, he said. “It is better to be united but wrong than correct but disunited.”
The friends should teach where experience has shown it is easiest. Difficult and complicated plans should be avoided if easier ones are possible.
“Go to the simple people,” he said. As targets for the Ten Year Crusade, the Guardian selected the most primitive societies.
The Bahá’í message must be presented to everyone, regardless of their color or social status.
“We want people of capacity in the Bahá’í Faith, whether they are rich or poor,” he said. All, without exception, should be given a real opportunity to learn of the Faith.
Individual Bahá’ís should make an effort to reach others within their own stratum. In this way, we will reach people from all walks of life and from all social classes, thus fulfilling the wishes of the Universal House of Justice.
We should not be concerned about who accepts the Faith once the Message is given to all, without reservation. “Be happy with whoever comes,” Dr. Muhájir said. “Who will accept is not up to us.”
It is better to concentrate resources on a single locality or target in any given area. In this way, more excitement is generated, and the campaign can be sustained. It also heightens the curiosity of the population being taught and affords additional opportunities for making the Message known.
The Auxiliary Board members will be integrally involved with the Local Assemblies in the expanding campaigns. “The institutions should grow together like the nervous system and the circulatory system,” he said. Dr. Muhájir recommended that one assistant be assigned to an Auxiliary Board member for every 10 Assemblies that must be given attention.
In American cities, new immigrants must be taught, he said. Because they are not affiliated with a church at the time they arrive, they are particularly receptive to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, he noted. If enrolled, they provide natural bridges to communities in their countries of origin.
Where the choice is between mistakes and inaction, mistakes are to be preferred, he said. Mistakes can be overcome as long as there is unity of thought. All ideas should be considered and, if possible, allowed to be tried. “What we want is one idea with another and not one idea against another,” Dr. Muhájir said.
67th Annual Convention to be held April 29–May 2[edit]
The 67th Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of the United States will begin and end on a Holy Day at the Bahá’í House of Worship at Wilmette, Illinois. The 171 delegates will elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly and consult on the affairs of the Cause.
Registration of convention delegates and a reception by the National Assembly will be held on April 29, the Ninth Day of Riḍván. The actual convention business opens April 30 with election of convention officers, reports by the National Assembly and the Treasurer, and consultation by the delegates. Election of the new National Assembly and further consultation will highlight the May 1 agenda. The convention ends on May 2, the Twelfth Day of Riḍván.
Shoghi Effendi reminded the friends in 1933 of the two cardinal principles of Bahá’í Administration, “namely, the supreme and unchallengeable authority of the National Spiritual Assembly in national affairs working within the limits imposed by the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, and the untrammelled freedom of the convention delegates to advise, deliberate on the actions, and appoint the successors of their National Assembly.”
The Guardian also explained that the national convention is a temporary gathering whose status is “limited in time to the convention sessions, the function of consultation at all other times being vested in the entire body of believers through the Local Spiritual Assemblies.”
The delegates, who were elected at the 88 District Conventions in October, will return home and acquaint fellow believers with the accomplishments, decisions, and aspirations of the convention.
How to visit the Convention[edit]
About 200 seats at the Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of the United States will be available for guests who wish to observe the proceedings.
Non-delegates who want to attend the convention must apply by letter no later than April 2 to the National Spiritual Assembly, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. Seats will be assigned and applicants will be notified. Persons who arrive without making the proper advance preparation may be unable to attend the convention.
Spouses of delegates will be assigned seats if they notify the National Assembly of their intention to attend the convention.
Non-delegates may attend all convention sessions except for the election of the National Assembly.
Delegates and non-delegates are responsible for making their own food and housing arrangements. Information on special reduced rate packages will be available. A Wilmette ordinance prohibits sleeping in campers, trailers, tents, etc., within the village limits. This includes all Bahá’í properties. Parents must arrange for the care of their children on an individual basis.
Five Assemblies will be guests[edit]
Members of Local Spiritual Assemblies assigned special Five Year Plans will be invited to attend the Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of the United States and meet with the National Spiritual Assembly.
The Local Assemblies are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
A special luncheon meeting with members of the National Assembly is being planned during the convention.
The ballots are cast during last year’s election of the National Spiritual Assembly members at the Annual Convention.
More than half give regularly to the Fund, survey shows[edit]
More than half of the Bahá’ís in the United States are contributing regularly to the Fund, a survey by the Office of the Treasurer shows.
The fourth annual survey was sent to Local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups to measure the progress of the Fund in 1975 and to encourage continued growth.
The survey also showed that Local Assemblies and Groups are meeting their monthly goals about half of the time. Stephen Jackson, administrator of the Office of the Treasurer, said that “more emphasis needs to be placed on setting and winning local goals while underlining the importance of regular and universal participation.”
For the first time, this year’s survey included an experiment in assessing the usefulness of the National Treasurer’s letter, the Local Treasurer’s report, and the local budget. All three areas rated high in the survey results.
“In response to the survey, more than 150 letters have been sent offering suggestions and answering specific questions,” Mr. Jackson said. “This was an unprecedented opportunity for the Office of the Treasurer to open new lines of communication with many communities.”
Response to the survey was enthusiastic.
“There was increased participation in the Fund after the Local Treasurer added some deepening material to his regular Feast report,” one Assembly reported. Another Assembly said that the survey “helped us to improve on some of our weaknesses.”
“Progress surveys are very helpful to stimulate the Bahá’ís to see where they are with the goals they have set,” another commented.
1975 Bahá’í Fund Progress Survey
Assemblies Groups
| Assemblies | Groups | |
| Per cent of communities reporting | 57 | 36 |
| Per cent of community regularly participating in: Feast | 60 | 75 |
| Fund | 56 | 74 |
| Percent participation National Fund | 71 | 33 |
| Portion of total sent to: | ||
| National Bahá’í Fund | 62 | 77 |
| Continental Bahá’í Fund | 5 | 8 |
| Bahá’í International Fund | 13 | 21 |
| Number of monthly goals won | 5.5 | 6.2 |
| (maximum is 10) |
U.S. gift pleases Samoa Assembly[edit]
“We are grateful for the warm-hearted response of the friends in the United States toward this project,” the National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa wrote to the National Assembly of the U.S. following receipt of a contribution to the Temple fund.
One goal of the Five Year Plan is to begin construction of the Temple in Samoa before the end of the plan.
Following the declaration of Samoa’s head of state, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, a new Temple site was acquired. It is a 12-acre tract high on the mountain above the official residence of the head of state and about six miles from the heart of Apia, Samoa. A two-story home is also on the property.
National Assembly proclaims Faith with exhibits honoring Bicentennial of U.S.[edit]
Bahá’í exhibits and dioramas honoring the United States Bicentennial were placed in six transportation centers February 1.
Exhibits were installed at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Penn Central Station in New York City, and Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. Dioramas were set up in New York’s La Guardia, and airports in Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas.
The displays were in place during February, exposing large numbers of people to the fact of the Bahá’í Revelation; for example, combined monthly traffic at O’Hare and Penn Central is estimated to be at least six million people. A toll-free number for the Bahá’í National Center was provided with each exhibit so that inquirers could immediately ask for information.
This largest advertising campaign ever undertaken by the National Spiritual Assembly began with the Bicentennial ad in Life magazine, which had a circulation of one million. The color-scheme and presentation of the displays complemented the ad. The exhibit was made up of emerald green modules with color transparencies, including the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, and suitable introductory text. The dioramas were 42x60 inch color transparencies.
Also complementing this visual theme is the new edition of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, which has an emerald green cover with a color picture of the Temple. (See Page 13).
The displays were intended to communicate the fact of the Faith to business people, who make up the mass of daily travelers. An interesting note was that the display in O’Hare Airport was in a wing that serves Delta, Southern, and American Airlines; Southerners make up the major portion of travelers on those airlines, so the displays in Chicago supported the newly-launched Southern teaching project.
The displays will be used again in May in Washington, D.C., and at an important Eucharistic gathering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The dioramas will be shown in May at 10 regional airports. After the Bicentennial, the display will be modified for further use.
A skycap, above, studies the Bahá’í exhibit placed at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., by the National Spiritual Assembly. The exhibit was behind glass, left, and easily seen because a security checkpoint at left resulted in lines of waiting passengers. An identical exhibit was arranged at Penn Central Station in New York City, below, in a pleasing manner which attracted much attention.
Local Assemblies, Groups make plans to participate in Bicentennial celebrations[edit]
Activities honoring the Bicentennial of the United States are increasing. These events give Bahá’ís a rare opportunity to proclaim the Faith in a very visible way.
Many Local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups are making plans to participate in the celebrations.
Bahá’ís plan to participate in parades; put up displays in fair booths, shopping centers, and libraries; place advertisements in local newspapers; schedule a series of proclamation events on the Faith and the destiny of America; and present the Bicentennial issue of World Order magazine to local officials.
Local Assemblies and Groups ordered more than 25,000 copies of the special World Order edition. The magazines will be presented or mailed to mayors, local officials, educators, organization presidents, women of local prominence, religious leaders, newspaper editors, and libraries.
On the national level, the National Spiritual Assembly is sending 25,000 copies of the magazine to all members of Congress and their staff, chairmen and presidents of major American corporations, 4,000 prominent leaders of minority groups and communities, key leaders of state legislatures, a selected number of professors of political science, certain university libraries, and program directors for certain radio and television stations.
Folder explaining the Faith mailed to an entire town[edit]
Following announcement of the Five Year Plan, the three members of the Bahá’í Group of Wheeling, Illinois, met to consult on their goals. Three major objectives were set: formation of a Local Spiritual Assembly within one year, incorporation of the Assembly before the end of the Plan, and to inform all of the residents of Wheeling about the Faith.
The three Bahá’ís were confident their firesides and other teaching work would lead to accomplishment of the first two goals. But how would three people tell the 20,000 residents of Wheeling, a suburban town 30 miles northwest of Chicago, about the Faith?
Their consultation resulted in a plan to design, write, print, and distribute a professional folder explaining the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh and His Teachings, why the people of Wheeling should be interested, and how they could find out more about the Faith. The decision was made to use the Postal Service for delivery of the folder. They received from the post office a booklet explaining third class bulk mail which can be sent to all of the postal patrons in a town. Addressing each folder to “postal patron” eliminated the costly and time-consuming job of labeling. The folder contained a detachable business reply card, the key to making it easy for seekers to respond.
Details were worked out and the teaching activities were intensified. The community more than doubled in six months. In another six months the Local Assembly was formed. The folder was mailed to the 9,000 patrons of Wheeling last November, coinciding with advertisements about the Faith published in the local newspaper.
In addition to the business reply card, the folder contained an invitation to attend public Bahá’í programs in which audiovisual presentations were emphasized.
Many Wheeling residents responded immediately after receiving the folder. Some wanted more information about the Faith, some wanted to attend firesides, and others wanted Bahá’ís to visit them. A follow-up program went into effect with Bahá’ís writing, telephoning, and visiting seekers.
The Wheeling community has more than tripled since that day in 1974 when three Bahá’ís consulted on the expansion of the Cause in their town.
“The success of our efforts, the sustained growth and enthusiasm are not due to any one plan, but to the love, unity, and devotion to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh among the believers in our community, and through the guidance of our Local Spiritual Assembly and the National Spiritual Assembly,” said the chairman of the Wheeling Assembly, Michael Noble.
Members of the Wheeling Assembly recently completed the Local Spiritual Assembly Development Program and, armed with further understanding of the Administrative Order, are proceeding with more plans for expansion and consolidation.
Another mass mailing to the Wheeling residents is planned and several members of the community are studying Spanish to assist in the teaching work with Wheeling’s large Mexican-American community.
Displays, teaching activities mark World Religion Day[edit]
Bahá’ís opened proclamation doors throughout the country on World Religion Day, January 18.
When the Bahá’ís of New York City sought permission from the city’s public library system to set up a display for World Religion Day they were told, “We don’t allow religious displays.” But when the library’s public relations representative saw an explanatory sketch of the display, she said it was unique and beautiful, and they would be happy to have it.
The display, set up from January 12–31 in a popular branch library that is only a few blocks from New York’s newly-acquired Bahá’í Center, was located immediately inside the main entrance. It emphasized the oneness of religion, with holy books, symbols, and photographs of the Temples of each major religion, and quotations from all the Manifestations.
The library’s public relations representative feels the Bahá’ís may be able to set up similar displays in libraries throughout the city next year.
In Shawano, Wisconsin, two Bahá’ís on their own initiative, with approval and appreciation of their District Teaching Committee, are spearheading a teaching campaign. Shawano is an unopened locality with a large Indian population.
The first public meeting in Shawano honored World Religion Day and included prayers, a brief talk, and the film The New Wind. Two follow-up sessions are planned: a general fireside, and a presentation on Bahá’ís and the Bible.
Plans for further proclamation in Shawano include distribution of funeral director’s kits, press information kits, and public officials information kits which will be given to the police chief, county sheriff, and mayor.
The World Religion Day meeting was announced on posters, through public service announcements on the radio, and a news article headlined “Bahá’ís Observe World Religion Day” with a large photograph of the speakers.
The Faith was also proclaimed for the first time in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with a public meeting on World Religion Day. The program was hosted by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Elgin, which has adopted Crystal Lake as a goal. There are four Bahá’ís in Crystal Lake.
The World Religion Day meeting was held in a Nature Center which was filled with displays of crafts and nature and the early days of this country. The program began with a gathering around the fireplace for some music by Weasel Wood and Ruddy Duck. Then a talk, which began with humor and became more serious, presented the meaning of the Bahá’í Faith for mankind today. One of the members of the audience was a reporter-photographer from the Crystal Lake Herald. She mingled among the people both before and after the presentation, gathering information for her story and taking pictures.
In Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Bahá’ís met with the mayor and gave him Bahá’í literature. He signed a World Religion Day proclamation. A public meeting was then announced in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. It included an informal talk and a filmstrip program.
At left is a reproduction of the cover of a folder which was mailed to the 20,000 residents of Wheeling, Illinois, in an effort to reach everyone in town with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. Above is a display assembled by the Bahá’ís of New York City which was placed in a popular branch library near New York’s new Bahá’í Center. Below, Mayor Lawrence Ochs of Colorado Springs, Colorado, examines papers proclaiming January 18 as World Religion Day. Representing the Faith at the signing were, from left, Barbara Roberts, Marlice Dotson, and Antonia Goggans.
Education[edit]
Learning in unity at winter schools[edit]
The spiritual springtime blossomed during Bahá’í winter schools this year, which covered such topics as “All Things Made New,” “The Destiny of America,” and “Journey into Past, Present, and Future of Faith.”
An adult participant, Tom Mapson, welcomed “the chance to declare. I’ve been thinking about declaring for some time now, and when we heard that the winter school was to be held in our town, I decided that it would be a good time.”
Four-year-old Emily Merrill liked “the showers at the college.” (Children in her class had learned about cleanliness through supervised water-play in the showers). Jeff Babbitt, 13, liked the food, and enjoyed helping with the dishes, which reminded him of home; his sister Jodi “liked it when people of all ages would get together at night to see old-time silent films and play get-acquainted games.” Three-year-old Helen Kearney liked “making things with my teachers.”
“I liked teaching a children’s class best,” said Lee Cheney. “At least once in every Bahá’í’s lifetime, he should teach a children’s class. It’s a rewarding education for the teacher!” Another adult admired the way the youth reflected “the spirituality, purity, and chastity of the Faith in this Day.”
The schools, held in Arizona, California, North Carolina, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, Alabama, Maine, Texas, Oregon, and Washington, brought together friends from those states and nearby areas in a feeling of unity. “It started the way most schools end: with unification,” said Emily Dunham. “I liked the cooperation,” said Steve Gonzales; “the opportunity to work together in unity.”
An adult attending a Bahá’í school for the first time appreciated “meeting new people, the learning experience, and the understanding.”
Teaching a children’s class: a rewarding experience for the teacher.
An opportunity to listen and learn new details in unity.
Children age 5 to 9 participate in a Nineteen Day Feast.
Doug Reimold and Judy Ashberger exchange ideas at Colorado East.
Singing by the Brooks sisters adds to the enjoyment.
Child education institute planned[edit]
The second in a series of six child education institutes sponsored by the Bahá’í National Education Committee will be held April 12–17 in the Los Angeles, California, area.
The purpose of the institutes is to train specialists who will be available to Local Spiritual Assemblies to assist in upgrading the quality of the education of Bahá’í children, one of the goals of the Five Year Plan.
The first institute was held in December at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute. Others are planned in the Midwest, Northwest, Northeast, and the Mountain States.
The persons trained, all involved in or associated with education, are selected by the National Education Committee.
Local Assemblies in the South have been invited to take advantage of this new program by asking for assistance from one of the 24 Bahá’ís trained at Louis Gregory.
The persons who completed the institute learned how to deal with such problems as how to provide high-quality classes that children enjoy, how to integrate children into the regular programs of the community, and how to prepare children for Bahá’í service.
“The education we give Bahá’í children today will determine their ability to serve Bahá’u’lláh and to effect change in the world tomorrow,” said Eileen Norman, secretary of the National Education Committee.
“Parents and Local Spiritual Assemblies must become increasingly aware of the special needs of children, and consider those needs when making plans,” Mrs. Norman said. “If children feel they are an integral part of Bahá’í affairs, they will grow to love the Faith and identify with it. If they are often left out of Bahá’í activities or if the activities planned for children are dull or punitive, children may be drawn away from the Faith by the lures of a materialistic society.”
Bahá’í summer school schedule[edit]
| Arizona | August 8–14 | Arizona Church Conference Center, Prescott, Arizona |
| Bosch | July 3–Sept. 3 | Santa Cruz, California |
| (nine 1-week sessions) | ||
| Southern California | July 10–19 | Camp Maranatha, Idyllwild, California |
| Carolinas | July 4–10 | Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina |
| Colorado East | July 5–10 | Black Forest Baptist Assembly, Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Colorado West | July 31–August 7 | Big Spruce Camp, Cedaredge, Colorado |
| Conifer Hill | June 19–July 2 | Lyons, Colorado |
| (two 1-week sessions) | ||
| Davison | August 1–7 | NEA Conference Center, Battle Creek, Mich. |
| August 8–14 | ||
| Florida South | June 23–27 | Florida Air Academy, Melbourne, Florida |
| Green Acre | June 27–August 21 | Eliot, Maine |
| (eight 1-week sessions) | ||
| Minnesota | July 25–30 | St. John’s University, St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| Montana | August 15–21 | Lions Camp, Red Lodge, Montana |
| Nebraska | June 29–July 5 | Camp Harriet Harding, Louisville, Nebraska |
| New York | August 9–23 | Oakwood School, Poughkeepsie, New York |
| (two 1-week sessions) | ||
| Oklahoma/Texas | August 2–6 | Bridgeport Conference Center, Bridgeport, Texas |
| Oregon | June 27–July 1 | Suttle Lake Camp, Bend, Oregon |
| Washington East | August 8–14 | Camp Dudley, White Pass, Washington |
| Washington West | June 26–July 2 | Seabrook Christian Camp, Seabeck, Washington |
House of Worship visit program is scheduled for May 20–23[edit]
When the Guardian wrote to the American believers just prior to the Centennial Celebration in 1944, he shared his jubilation at the completion of the exterior ornamentation of the House of Worship. He declared that the edifice was “... the most hallowed Temple ever to be erected by the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, and the crowning glory of the first Bahá’í century.” The 50-year history of “... this noble, this mighty, this magnificent enterprise deserves to rank among the immortal epics that have adorned the annals...” of our beloved Faith.
You can relive the excitement, the heartache, and the deep spiritual significance of that struggle by participating in the Bahá’í House of Worship Special Visit Program.
The next program is scheduled May 20–23.
These visits are now an ongoing program of the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Committee and are designed primarily to refresh and gladden the spirit, as well as provide an insight into the functioning of the various departments at the Bahá’í National Center.
The beauty of the morning light pouring into the auditorium; the Temple standing as a radiant jewel surrounded by the dark of night; the voices of the choir lifted in praise of God: the memory of these experiences will last an eternity.
The House of Worship, however, will be only a part of your visit to the National Center. Also planned are talks with Continental Counsellor Edna True and the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. You will visit all of the offices at the National Center, including the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and the Bahá’í Home, and learn firsthand of the accomplishments of the goals in the Five Year Plan. A special display of the National Archives is planned along with many other exciting activities.
Enrollment is limited to 30 believers (enrolled Bahá’ís only) on a first-come-first-served basis. Future visits are planned for August and October 1976, and January 1977.
Housing has been reserved at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in nearby Skokie, Illinois. Transportation from the motel to the National Center will be provided. Each participant will be responsible for his own meals.
26 complete special institute, leave to fill pioneering goals[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir sees some familiar faces at Pioneer Institute.
“Where are you going?” the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir asked each of the 26 pioneers at the January 22–25 pioneering institute in Wilmette, Illinois. And the answers came: Sierra Leone, Portugal, Falkland Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Colombia, Uruguay, Japan, Ecuador, Guyana, Tonga, Guatemala, Trinidad, and the Philippines. When these pioneers arrive at their posts, goals for seven countries will be won; a total of 19 Five Year Plan goals will be filled by these Bahá’ís.
Dr. Muhájir was a surprise guest at the institute, which was also blessed with the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrulláh Khádem and Continental Counsellor Edna True.
Looking into the shining faces of the pioneers, Mr. Khádem remarked that pioneers speak a different language because they are doing the deeds. He said that the Guardian always stressed pioneering as the first teaching priority.
When Dr. Muhájir looked into the faces of the institute participants, he said to some, “Don’t I know you? Where did I see you?” He had seen them at pioneering posts in Japan, Africa, and South America. He remembered them. The faces of the pioneers are most dear to him.
He remembered one couple from Africa, Frederick and Beth Laws. After nearly 20 years in the Faith, the Laws went to Nairobi as pioneers during the Ten Year Crusade. After the Guardian requested that believers in cities with more than 15 Bahá’ís disperse, Mr. and Mrs. Laws went to Basutoland. Because of some help they rendered a village, they were adopted into a tribe and given a name which means “Lovers of Mankind.” One of their grandchildren is now pioneering in Wapato, Washington, on an Indian Reservation. The Laws will fill a pioneering post in Tanzania.
Another couple had pioneered in Japan during the Nine Year Plan. They now hope to go to Portugal. Gail Casterline felt that the value of the institute was that it gave him a chance to “look at the army, to have the feeling that I am not alone. So many have gone before me. I feel like it’s not so unique, really; it’s just a natural process.”
Others at the institute had pioneered in Paraguay and Haiti. One of the classes was given by Jane Grover, who works at the New Era High School in Panchgani, India. But most of the friends were going forth as first-time pioneers.
In a talk on the history of pioneering, Miss True stressed that pioneers are part of a flow of teaching, that their work invites divine assistance, and that they are greatly beloved.
Miss True told the story of Dagmar Dole, a devoted pioneer to Denmark. After years of service, she became seriously ill and died in Switzerland, where she had gone “to see the mountains.” When news of her passing reached the Guardian, he bowed his head and said, “How sad to be so ill and to pass away so far from home.” And then he lifted his head and said: “But how glorious to die with your boots on!”
These 26 Bahá’ís complete institute and are now heading for their pioneering posts.
Group travel plans for International Conferences set[edit]
Complete schedules have been made for group travel accommodations to most of the eight International Teaching Conferences scheduled by The Universal House of Justice this year and in 1977.
The conferences will be held at Helsinki, Finland, July 6–8; Anchorage, Alaska, July 23–25; Paris, France, August 3–6; Nairobi, Kenya, October 15–17; Hong Kong, November 27–30; Auckland, New Zealand, January 19–22, 1977; Bahia, Brazil, January 28–30; and Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico, February 4–6, 1977.
In order to get the maximum benefit from these conferences, the attendance of believers from the United States is being planned with the close cooperation of Bankers Trust Travel Planning Service of New York City, a large international travel bureau with extensive resources in foreign countries.
Details of travel accommodations for the first five conferences are printed below. Schedules and prices for the conferences in New Zealand, Brazil, and Mexico are being developed. It is important that the friends interested in any of the eight conferences complete the form below and mail it to Bankers Trust Travel Planning Service, 280 Park Avenue, Floor 10 West, New York, N.Y. 10017.
The conference at Bahia, Brazil, will be held in the historic city of Salvador. At the conclusion of the conference, a six-day visit to Rio de Janeiro is being planned. Using charter flights from New York, the approximate price for five nights in Salvador at the new Meridien Hotel and six nights in Rio de Janeiro at the Intercontinental Hotel will be $700 per person double occupancy. This includes Brazilian breakfast each day, transfers, and sightseeing. During this period, the resort city of Salvador will be in the height of the summer season, so plans must be made well in advance for hotel and air space.
Alternate travel arrangements for Alaska conference[edit]
A warm Bahá’í welcome awaits all who attend the International Teaching Conference July 23–25 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Questions about how to travel, where to travel, how to make reservations, and where to get more information are answered below.
Travel by land—Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, is the starting point for the famed Alaska Highway. From there it is about 1,500 miles through the scenic wonderland of British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and Alaska, with many teaching opportunities along the way. About 1,000 miles of the road is gravel, but well maintained. Thousands drive it every year. For those with campers or recreational vehicles, special accommodations will be available for the conference. For further information, write to the Bahá’í International Conference Committee, Mrs. Barbara Jamison, secretary, 326 East 14th No. 4, Anchorage, Alaska 99501.
Travel by sea—The inland passage of Southeast Alaska offers one of the most spectacular means of travel possible. Travel on the relaxing Alaska Ferry system offers breathtaking views of mountains, fjords, glaciers, and wild animals. And this is a fertile teaching opportunity. Ferry travelers embark either near Seattle, Washington, or in Prince Rupert, Canada. For those traveling by car, the road continues from Haines, Alaska. Others may leave the ferry at Juneau and fly via Alaska Airlines to Anchorage. Write to the Conference Committee for further information.
Travel by air—Tour packages, including air transportation, are available for United States believers through Bankers Trust Travel Planning Service, 280 Park Avenue, Floor 10 West, New York, New York 10017. For those flying their own planes, there are several airports in the Anchorage area with ample transient parking facilities.
This is a reproduction of a bumper sticker proclaiming the Anchorage conference.
Those traveling on tours will have the dates fixed by the tour. For others with more time, there are exciting plans.
Alaska is launching a vigorous teaching campaign prior to the conference. Those who can come early are urged to write to the Conference Committee soon.
Immediately following the conference, a Bahá’í Native Council will be held. The emphasis and aim is for indigenous believers from all over North America to consult on teaching. Other Bahá’ís interested in Indian/Eskimo/Aleut teaching are also invited.
Just one week after the conference, the annual Alaska Bahá’í Summer School will be held in Juneau.
However you travel, reservations should be made soon. Hotel space is scarce. Dormitory facilities are limited.
Helsinki, Finland
Depart U.S. July 3, 1976; return to U.S. July 17, 1976.
Cost per person, based on New York departures, including air fare: 3 Star (first class) hotels $893 twin, $971 single; 4 Star (deluxe) hotels, add $108 twin, $145 single; 2 Star (tourist) hotels deduct from 3 Star $74 twin, $94 single.
For departure from the following alternate U.S. gateways, please add the cost indicated to the prices per person above: Miami, $68; Chicago, $119; Los Angeles, $141; Houston, $189.
All fares quoted are based on a minimum of 10 persons traveling together.
Helsinki, Finland: Round trip air fare including U.S. departure tax of $3. Hotel accommodations for six nights. Airport/hotel transfers. Continental breakfast daily. Half-day sightseeing tour.
Inverness, Scotland: Hotel accommodations for four nights, Airport/hotel transfers, Continental breakfast daily, Three meals per day.
London, England: Hotel accommodations for three nights. Airport/hotel transfers. Continental breakfast daily. Half-day sightseeing tour of London, including side trip to Great Northern Cemetery to visit the Guardian’s grave site.
Anchorage, Alaska
Depart U.S. July 22, 1976; return to U.S. July 31, 1976.
Cost per person, based on New York departures, approximately $665. Price per person from Chicago is approximately $605.
For departure from the following alternate U.S. gateways, please add the cost indicated to the prices per person above: Miami, $131; Dallas, $114; Phoenix and Los Angeles, $82; Atlanta, $100; Denver and San Francisco, $138.
Charter to Anchorage. Transfers in Anchorage. Six nights in an Anchorage hotel, sharing twin. Charter to Vancouver. Transfers in Vancouver. Three sightseeing tours in Vancouver. Three nights at the Bayshore Inn Hotel in Vancouver, sharing twin. Baggage in Anchorage and Vancouver. All taxes on airlines and hotels. Does not include meals.
Paris, France
Depart U.S. August 1, 1976; return U.S. August 15, 1976.
Cost per person based on New York departures, including air fare: 3 Star (first class) hotels; $845 twin, $985 single; 4 Star (deluxe) hotels add $70 twin, $96 single; 2 Star (tourist) hotels deduct from 3 Star $46 twin, $75 single.
For the following alternate U.S. departure gateway cities, please add or deduct these amounts to the above prices: Boston, deduct $5 per person; Chicago, add $119 per person; Houston, add $189; Los Angeles, add $172; Washington, add $36; Miami, add $68.
All fares quoted are based on a minimum of 10 persons traveling together.
Paris, France: Round-trip air fare, including U.S. departure tax of $3. Hotel accommodations for six nights. Continental breakfast daily. Half-day sightseeing tour, including Bateau Mouche Cruise on the Seine River. Airport/hotel transfers.
Zurich, Switzerland: Hotel accommodations for four nights. Continental breakfast daily. Airport/hotel transfer.
London, England: Hotel accommodations for three nights. Airport/hotel transfers. Continental breakfast daily. Half-day sightseeing tour, including side trip to Great Northern Cemetery to visit the Guardian’s grave site.
Nairobi, Kenya
ITINERARY A (Departure October 8), via Amsterdam. First class hotel (double occupancy), per person $1252.
Round trip air fare from New York, continental breakfasts; all airport transfers, taxes and gratuities; accommodations in Amsterdam, Nairobi, and London; sightseeing in Amsterdam, Nairobi (Masai Safari Tour, Game Park) and London (including visit to Guardian’s grave site in Great Northern Cemetery).
ITINERARY B (Departure October 7) via Haifa: First class hotel (double occupancy) per person, $1252.
Round trip air fare from New York; continental breakfasts; all airport transfers, taxes and gratuities; accommodations in Haifa Oct 8–12, Nairobi, and London; sightseeing in Nairobi (Masai Safari Tour, Game Park) and London, including visit to the Guardian’s grave site in Great Northern Cemetery.
For deluxe accommodations, add $210 per person to above prices. For tourist class accommodations, deduct $150 from above prices. Additional departure points will be Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. Prices will be affected by gateway city utilized.
Hong Kong
Depart U.S. November 21, 1976; return to U.S. December 8, 1976.
Cost per person with first-class hotel accommodations (double occupancy), $1308.
Round trip air fare from New York, full breakfasts in Hong Kong and Taiwan; all airport transfers, taxes, and gratuities; accommodations in Hong Kong, Honolulu, and Taiwan; sightseeing in Hong Kong and Taiwan. No deluxe or tourist accommodations are offered.
Additional departures will be arranged from Chicago, Los Angeles/San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, and Miami. Prices may be changed according to departure gateway city utilized.
News briefs[edit]
Pioneers sought for South Dakota[edit]
Three Bahá’ís from South Dakota spent two weeks in January traveling in search of pioneers to aid the small population of Bahá’ís in that state. The delegation consisted of Jo Ann Marion, pioneer to the Crow Creek Reservation; Edwin Roberts, member of the District Teaching Committee of South Dakota; and Dace Roberts. Accompanying them were two of Mrs. Marion’s children. Their itinerary included Des Moines, Iowa; Evanston, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and communities in Connecticut and Minnesota.
One goal of the Five Year Plan is the establishment of 25 Local Spiritual Assemblies on Indian Reservations in the United States. Currently, almost midway through the plan, there are 13 Assemblies on Indian Reservations.
Traveling teachers have made numerous trips involving thousands of miles, but the real need is for settlers. The traveling teachers have seen that doors are open to the Faith, but to take advantage of the welcome Bahá’ís must demonstrate their sincerity by establishing their homes among the Indian people.
Mrs. Marion, who recently moved to the Crow Creek Reservation from Iowa when her husband, who is a non-Bahá’í doctor, got a job there. She visits with people, makes friends, is available when they call. She emphasized the importance of being part of a unified family, and the unique role that a wife and mother plays in being able to spend time with neighbors.
“To be there, and to pray on the mountain, facing east, with two reservations in front of me—Crow on one side and Bruelle on the other—is such a creative experience,” she said. “It’s like the nurturing of an unborn child. And you know that soon there will be people up there praying with you.”
“Bahá’í pioneers are distinctive on Indian reservations because they are not depressed,” Mr. Roberts said. “So many of the people there are sad. There’s an old man in Wamblee, on the Pine Ridge Reservation, with such a sad look on his face. He is a deacon in a church. Years ago he asked the Bahá’ís to come and help his people. But no Bahá’ís ever came to live in Wamblee.”
Mr. Roberts told of a traveling teaching trip he took through Pine Ridge during the days of violence and unrest surrounding the demonstrations at Wounded Knee. He traveled with another Bahá’í, stopping at every town where they knew anybody, renewing old friendships. They made a great circle through the Reservation. Everywhere, they were warmly welcomed. The beautiful spirit of the Indian people was never more apparent to the two Bahá’ís than during those days, when all the bitterness of past and present oppression rose to the surface at Pine Ridge, yet. Mr. Roberts explained, “We acted with love, and were treated with love.”
Mrs. Marion stressed the importance of outsiders moving to reservations. The population of these areas, though widely separated in miles, is socially ingrown. Natives who become Bahá’ís are subject to great pressure. But as outsiders, pioneers are more free to be themselves, to interact with their Indian neighbors with a happiness born of their knowledge of the destiny of those neighbors, as stated by the Master in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, “... should these Indians be educated and properly guided, there can be no doubt that through the Divine teaching they will become so enlightened that the whole earth will be illumined.”
Film, music programs feature special program at Fort Belknap Reservation[edit]
Charles Nolley, at left, explains his musical instrument to Indian children at Hays, Montana, proclamation, and then performs, above. Films about the Faith were also shown.
Bahá’ís of Montana gathered at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation November 21-23 for a special teaching weekend. The reservation is the home of members of the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes.
The Bahá’í teachers, 18 adults and five children, met at the home of John and Winifred Cromer, pioneers on the reservation. From there, the group dispersed and distributed invitations to film and music programs. The way had been prepared for them with poster and newspaper publicity in the nearby town of Harlem, and in the reservation communities of Fort Belknap Agency, Hays, and Lodgepole.
The first program featured the film Step by Step at the Harlem High School. On Saturday, Step by Step and A New Wind were shown in Lodgepole and Hays. An evening music program in Hays ended with a joyous folk-dancing session.
An afternoon program in the Agency gym was attended by many children. The gentle, firm guidance of the Bahá’ís, and their encouragement to some of the youth to perform traditional drum chants, soothed the children and brought harmony to the meeting.
About 40 to 50 guests attended the meetings and the reservation residents were well aware of the presence of the Bahá’ís. Follow-up firesides and personal meetings are planned with several guests who attended.
Bahá’í booth praised at Atlanta Exposition[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Atlanta, Georgia, recently sponsored a booth at the 11-day Great Southeastern Exposition in Atlanta.
One visitor to the booth commented that it provided a “dignified, restful, and quiet contrast to the other displays in the exhibit hall.” The 100-foot square booth was furnished with fabric-covered plywood modules which could be rearranged in different patterns, providing a permanent Bahá’í display which can be set up quickly and appear professionally executed.
The project was coordinated with the help of the Georgia Bahá’í Information Service. One 2x4 panel of the booth showed a color reproduction of the Bahá’í ad which appeared in the Life Bicentennial issue. The reproduction was on a scale that could be read from the aisle.
Largescale copies of prayers and passages from the Writings were included in the display cases.
Literature distributed included copies of World Order magazine. Many of the 24 Bahá’ís who manned the booth enjoyed stimulating discussions with seekers. The Georgia Information Service reported distribution of 1,957 House of Worship teaching cards, 220 Bahá’í Answers pamphlets, 267 Basic Facts pamphlets, and 157 Prophecy Fulfilled pamphlets.
Approximately 250,000 people visited the fair, but fair officials did not estimate how many went through the Exhibition Hall.
Bahá’í classes held at Whitman College[edit]
A series of Bahá’í classes titled “The Renewal of Civilization” held at Whitman College January 5-15 attracted about 20 non-Bahá’ís, five of whom are now attending firesides. The program was part of the campus interim schedule and was sponsored by the Bahá’í Association of Whitman College and the Bahá’ís of Walla Walla, Washington. The interim is a two-week period with classes arranged by the students.
Bahá’ís began planning their program in early July and continued through December. They had special speakers for their 10-session series, and articles in the campus and local newspaper and shopping guide. They bought advertising time on the Walla Walla radio station and had 100 posters printed. The first week’s lectures and discussions centered around the new World Order and the equality of men and women. The following week progressive revelation and the foundations of world order were discussed. Two films were shown and Bahá’í literature was available.
San Fernando dinner honors 3 officials[edit]
Plaques for community service were presented by Lisa Janti, left, and Billie Crofts, right, to Fire Chief Ed Friand, second from left, Police Chief Dave Ross, and Postmaster Gil Manriquez.
The police chief, fire chief, and postmaster of San Fernando, California, were honored by the Bahá’ís of San Fernando at a service awards dinner December 23. Printed invitations had been sent to all policemen, firemen, and mailmen, asking each to bring one guest. Over 100 attended.
Plaques were presented to each official “in appreciation for your spirit of service to our community.” The plaques were presented by the chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of San Fernando, Billie Crofts. Lisa Janti of Los Angeles gave a talk titled “Service.”
After the dinner, talk, and presentation, the guests walked across the street with the Bahá’ís to their new Bahá’í Center; had coffee and dessert, and enjoyed music by England Dan & John Ford Coley, and Walker Heath.
“The Bahá’ís have brought spirit and unity to San Fernando,” said the wife of the fire chief to an Assembly member. “The city should be giving the Bahá’ís the awards.”
Inglewood Bahá’í Youth Club grows[edit]
Pictured are members and friends of the Bahá’í Youth Club of Inglewood Jr., California. The club has grown from three to seven members and serves three communities: Inglewood, Culver City, and Torrance. The club members enjoy frequent deepening, recreational, and teaching activities.
Faith proclaimed at prayer breakfast[edit]
“We have with us here today a Faith which not only accepts Christ but goes beyond that,” said the chairman of a Bicentennial prayer breakfast in Lawndale, California, November 22.
“The Bahá’ís have been most helpful in arranging for the success of this breakfast,” he continued.
Responding to a letter written by the chairman, who is the minister of a Congregational Church, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Lawndale had offered the use of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Prayer for America to the mayor’s Bicentennial Prayer Breakfast Committee. The secretary of the Assembly attended a planning meeting where it was decided that the Prayer for America would be the only prayer printed on the program of the interdenominational breakfast meeting. The Assembly secretary, who is a graphic artist, was asked to design both the program and the posters announcing the event. Before continuing with the work, the Assembly requested and received permission from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust to reprint the prayer.
Half of the Lawndale Bahá’í community attended the meeting.
The Assembly secretary announced that in honor of the Bicentennial, and because the Bahá’í Faith has as an attainable goal the establishment of world peace, the Spiritual Assembly was presenting to the mayor, on behalf of the citizens of Lawndale, nine peace rose bushes.
A hush greeted the presentation. Then gradually, people began to question the Bahá’ís in the audience about the Faith. The Bahá’ís were well-supplied with literature and fireside announcements.
The keynote speaker closed his talk by saying that a new era had dawned in the world, an era of the establishment of justice. A new day has appeared, he said, in which prayer can change our lives. A Bahá’í then read the Master’s Prayer for America. Some members of the audience were visibly moved.
Tucson media used in extensive proclamation[edit]
A Tucson, Arizona, television show interviewed Lisa Janti, a Bahá’í from Los Angeles, for 30 minutes on January 5. The interview resulted from efforts by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tucson to use the media for extensive proclamation. Television spots and a radio interview have also resulted.
Tucson Bahá’ís also posted cards in Tucson and Old Pueblo buses. The cards, 30 in English and 30 in Spanish, say that Bahá’u’lláh is the fulfillment of all religions and give a telephone number for information.
Writings recorded in Oneida language[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Green Bay, Wisconsin, recently had a tape made of Bahá’í Writings in the Oneida Indian language. They gave a letter of thanks and a plant to the kind Oneida woman who read the words into the tape recorder in her own language.
When the tape was played for two Oneida Bahá’ís, they were deeply moved to hear the words of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their native tongue.
Whatcom hosts meet on Indian teaching[edit]
A non-Bahá’í Indian thrilled Bahá’ís at a public meeting in Whatcom, Washington, by saying, “The Bahá’í Faith is the only answer for Indian youth.”
The meeting crowned a day-long seminar on Indian teaching which was attended by about 50 Bahá’ís November 15. Auxiliary Board member Opal Conner addressed the meeting, stating the need for weekly meetings to teach the Lummi Indians of that area.
A Bahá’í Indian speaker, Eugene King, pointed out the urgency of teaching among Indians. He said that the birth of the Báb appears on ancient Indian prophetic calendars, and that friends who are teaching Indians should have knowledge of authentic Indian prophecies.
The film “Paso-a-Paso” was shown at the meeting. Master of ceremonies Scott Tyler sang Makah Indian songs and was accompanied by Indian friends in a medley of chants.
Exciting weekend is held in Bemidji[edit]
“We should do this more often,” remarked many of the 35 Bahá’ís who attended a weekend of study, discussion, and fellowship in Bemidji, Minnesota, December 27-28.
The friends gathered in the Newman Center of Bemidji State University to discuss the role of the individual, the role of the Bahá’í couple, the role of the Bahá’í family, and the role of the Bahá’í community.
Elsie Austin gives 3 talks, 6 interviews at College Station, Texas, proclamation[edit]
By invitation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of College Station, Texas, Dr. H. Elsie Austin recently lectured at Texas A&M University and at Prairie View A&M University. She was interviewed twice by the local TV station, and gave three newspaper interviews and a radio interview. She also spoke at one of the largest black churches in the area.
Dr. Austin’s talk at Prairie View A&M, a predominantly black university, was particularly appreciated because her father was a former commandant of the university.
Dr. Austin recently served as head of the Bahá’í delegation to the International Women’s Year Tribune in Mexico City. She has served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and the National Spiritual Assembly of Northwest Africa.
Bahá’í children’s class at Amherst[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Amherst, Massachusetts, organize their children’s classes in cycles. Each cycle consists of three classes and is preceded by a special teacher training session for preparation of lessons and discussion of goals. Classes are held each Sunday at a day care center. About half of the Amherst community helps teach the classes. Children of neighboring Shuttsbury also attend the school.
How to subscribe to ‘Child’s Way’[edit]
Child’s Way magazine, a publication of the National Spiritual Assembly, has a new editorial committee and an ever-growing awareness of children’s and parents’ needs.
The March-April Child’s Way, for example, contains letters, poems, and pictures by children. It has a page to color, a crafts project, a bilingual page with a story in both English and Spanish, a puzzle page, riddles, a picture-story, a song. It contains news of the activities of Bahá’í children, a moving short story about one man’s pilgrimage to Bahá’u’lláh, a short story about prayer, and the first in a series of comic strips about a traditional Persian character, Mullá Nasrudin. It also includes an editorial for parents.
Child’s Way is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September, and November. To subscribe, fill out the coupon below.
Minnesota radio interviews expand[edit]
A radio station in Cambridge, Minnesota, recently aired four half-hour interviews with Bahá’ís, and has requested that regular monthly interviews be done for broadcast. The station is located in a county which is a goal area of the Southern Minnesota District Teaching Committee.
Bahá’ís first contacted the station last summer, when a team went to Cambridge to see if the Teachings of the Faith could be presented on the station’s daily weekday talk show. They met with the program director, who forthwith taped two half-hour interviews with them. Each interview was broadcast twice, and one listener called the Bahá’ís and requested information about the Faith.
The station invited further Bahá’í participation, so two Bahá’ís returned for a live interview in November. They also taped an interview. Each interview was aired twice, and the doors are now open for monthly Bahá’í discussions.
Connecticut forms 10 traveling teaching teams[edit]
Ten traveling teaching teams have been formed in Connecticut as a result of a Love and Fellowship Conference moderated by Auxiliary Board member Adrienne Reeves in December. Continental Counsellor Sara Pereira was a special guest at the conference in New Haven, Connecticut.
The teaching teams completed a special workshop during January and two teaching trips were undertaken immediately. The District Teaching Committee of Connecticut feels that the traveling will greatly aid teaching in the state, which must open 39 localities and four new Local Spiritual Assemblies during the next three years of the Five Year Plan.
40 believers attend Rhinelander conference[edit]
Dr. William Maxwell
Snow and slippery roads did not deter 40 determined friends from attending the Heart O’ Winter Conference in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, January 23-25. Hosted by the Bahá’í Group of Oneida County, the conference featured National Spiritual Assembly member Dr. William Maxwell and Steve Jackson of the National Treasurer’s Office.
The conference agenda was highlighted by Dr. Maxwell’s address on Shoghi Effendi’s God Passes By. Mr. Jackson spoke on the Bahá’í Fund and also on the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Career education consultant Rentha Park of Menomonie, Wisconsin, spoke on the need for self-knowledge and the wisdom of applying this knowledge when choosing a field of service.
The nine children at the conference enjoyed an activity program that included swimming in a heated pool, rehearsing a presentation, and performing for their parents and friends.
Book collections about Faith honored in Texas A&M University contest[edit]
David Songer’s display of Bahá’í books won a first place award.
Two members of the Bahá’í Club of Texas A&M University recently won awards for collections of Bahá’í books which they entered in the university’s fourth annual Student Book Collector’s Contest.
Nancy Songer entered a collection titled “Books on the History of the Bahá’í Faith,” and won one of two honorable mentions in the undergraduate division. David Songer entered “Books Constituting the Authoritative Texts of the Bahá’í Faith,” and won one of three first place awards in the undergraduate division.
Both collections were prominently displayed on the main floor of the university for two weeks during November. Each collection consisted of 25 books accompanied by an annotated bibliography which gave the publishing history of the books and briefly stated the contents of each book and its significance to the whole collection.
55,000 see Bahá’í float at Fort Pierce[edit]
The Bahá’í group of St. Lucie County, Florida, entered a float for the first time in the 19th annual Sandy Shoes Festival Parade in Fort Pierce. The theme of the parade was “Birthday Celebration of Our City and Our Nation.” The simply constructed Bahá’í float followed the theme and carried a loudspeaker to broadcast a recording of “God Is One.” About 55,000 spectators saw the 2½-hour parade.
The Bahá’ís accompanied their parade proclamation with an advertisement in the Sandy Shoes Special Edition newspaper, which was delivered to 30,000 households.
Del Rio, Texas, Group begins proclamation[edit]
Members of the Bahá’í Group of Del Rio, Texas, working toward formation of a Local Spiritual Assembly by Riḍván, sponsored their first big teaching effort November 8.
Posters, newspaper ads, and radio announcements publicized a meeting. Bahá’í teachers from Uvalde, Temple, San Marcos, San Antonio, and Austin helped issue invitations. About five citizens of Del Rio came to see the film “El Alba” that evening.
Two weeks earlier, the Bahá’ís of Del Rio entered a float in a parade seen by about 2,000 persons. The float displayed a sign which proclaimed, “The Bahá’í Faith Unifies Mankind.”
‘Meditations on Teaching’ soundsheet now available[edit]
Meditations on Teaching, a sound-sheet developed by the National Teaching Committee, is now available. The soundsheet, a recording on a seven-inch diameter vinyl sheet, can be played on any record player at 33⅓ RPM.
The first of several soundsheets to be distributed by the Publishing Trust, Meditations on Teaching features prayers and passages from the Bahá’í Writings on the subject of teaching. Beautiful music—solo, choral, and instrumental—highlights the eleven-minute recording. The text is printed in an accompanying folder so that the listener can read along with the recording.
Soundsheets will be appreciated as convenient and inexpensive aids to teaching and deepening. Because of their low price—as low as $.45 each in quantities of 100 or more—introductory soundsheets can be presented to seekers in the same way that one would present a selection of pamphlets or an introductory book.
Meditations on Teaching, the only soundsheet currently available, is recommended for use at deepenings, Feasts, teaching institutes, Bahá’í social gatherings, and other occasions when a quiet, meditative, and inspirational atmosphere is desired. Order from your local Bahá’í librarian if possible. Personal orders, see instructions, page 13. Catalog number: 6-35-51; prices: $.75; 5/$3.25; 25/$12.50; 100/$45.00.
Dates to remember[edit]
March 21 Naw-Rúz. Holy Day on which work should be suspended.
March 21 Feast of Bahá.
March 21-April 2 Youth Spring Work/Study Project (By invitation only). Sponsored by National Youth Committee.
March 26-28 National Spiritual Assembly meeting.
March 27 Personal Teaching Conferences in each of the 88 electoral districts. Sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly.
April 8-11 Pioneer Training Institute (By invitation only). Sponsored by International Goals Committee.
April 9 Feast of Jalál.
April 21 First Day of Riḍván. Holy Day on which work should be suspended.
April 25 Bicentennial proclamation, Lee Park, Dallas, Texas. Sponsored by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Dallas.
April 28 Feast of Jamál.
April 29 Ninth Day of Riḍván. Holy Day on which work should be suspended.
April 29 National Spiritual Assembly meeting.
April 29-May 2 National Convention, Bahá’í House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois.
May 2 Twelfth Day of Riḍván. Holy Day on which work should be suspended.
Bahá’í books and materials[edit]
Available now—new materials for introducing seekers to the Faith[edit]
Back in Stock[edit]
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era
by J.E. Esslemont
A new edition of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era is now available with a new price and an attractive new cover design. The new cover design, featuring a color photograph of the Wilmette House of Worship on a striking green background, was inspired by the Bahá’í advertisement in the Bicentennial issue of Life Magazine. This edition, revised under the direction of The Universal House of Justice, contains editorial revisions throughout.
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era is regarded as the definitive introduction to the Bahá’í Faith. Distinguished by its absorbing style and its comprehensive outline of the history and teachings of the Faith, it is the most widely read of all Bahá’í introductory books. Now more than ever, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era is an excellent gift for seekers and a helpful “refresher course” for Bahá’ís. Cover design by Glenn Claflin. 286 pp., index.
7-31-05 paper.............$.95
Christ’s Promise Fulfilled
by Amatu’l-Bahá
This booklet containing excerpts from Some Answered Questions is once again available. Christ’s Promise Fulfilled contains ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanations of many subjects of interest to Christians, including baptism; communion; the trinity; the birth, resurrection, and return of Christ; and the station and power of the Manifestation. Introduction by George Townshend. 75 pp., epilogue.
7-06-01 paper.............$.60
New Bahá’í Literature[edit]
The Bahá’í Faith:
A Summary Reprinted from the Encyclopaedia Britannica
A new introductory pamphlet on the Bahá’í Faith is now available. Entitled The Bahá’í Faith: A Summary Reprinted from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the brochure describes clearly and concisely the background, history, sacred literature, religious and social tenets, practices, organization, and administration of the Bahá’í Faith. A short annotated bibliography is included. The brochure was written by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, professor of history at Yale University and member of the National Spiritual Assembly.
The Bahá’í Faith: A Summary is excellent for those wishing a succinct but thoughtful and comprehensive overview of the Bahá’í Faith. During 1976, the pamphlet will be distributed to the public wherever the National Information Office’s Bicentennial displays appear. (In February, the brochure was available at Penn Central in New York, Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C., and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.) It will be particularly useful on college and university campuses and for introducing the Faith to academic and professional people. Cover design by Scott Bivans. 13 pp., slimline format.
7-40-30.............10/$1.50; 100/$13.00; 500/$60.00; 2,000/$200.00 NET
Messages from The Universal House of Justice: 1968-1973
Messages from The Universal House of Justice: 1968-1973, just published, comprises communications spanning that institution’s second term, Riḍván 1968 to Riḍván 1973. The volume is a sequel to Wellspring of Guidance, which was published in 1969. These selected messages, beginning with the results of the election of the second International Convention, portray the major developments of the latter half of the Nine Year Plan. The communications also convey the guidance, advice, and comments of The House of Justice on a variety of questions confronting the Bahá’í world community at various stages of the Plan.
Except for three messages, all these communications have appeared in part or in whole in the various Bahá’í journals. Bahá’ís will be able to refer to the messages more easily now that they are gathered in one volume. Cover design by Conrad Heleniak. 129 pp., index.
7-25-08 cloth.............$4.00
Bahá’í: Follower of the Light
by Ray Meyer
A new and unique introduction to the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’í: Follower of the Light combines brief explanations of the Faith’s history and teachings with selections from the Bahá’í Writings and attractive line drawings. The text and illustrations on each page are artistically arranged to invite the reader to ponder and reflect as he learns about God’s religion for this Day. Among the topics covered in the book are “Bahá’u’lláh,” “Revelation Is Progressive,” “Prejudice Fades Away,” “Equal Status of Men and Women,” “Prayer,” “If You Are of Another Faith,” and “The Bahá’í Administrative Order.”
Everything about Bahá’í: Follower of the Light, from its direct and simply-written explanations of Bahá’í Teachings to its layout and illustrations, makes it unlike any other booklet available from the Publishing Trust. An excellent gift for seekers and for new Bahá’ís. Illustrated by Pamela Poulter. First published in Australia. 71 pp. 5¼ x 8⅛ inches.
7-31-96 paper.............$.75; 20/$14.00; 100/$65.00
The Heavens Are Cleft Asunder
by Hushmand Sabet
The Heavens Are Cleft Asunder is an introduction to the Bahá’í Faith by a man who is well-known as a lecturer on the Faith in the German-speaking countries of Europe. This is a translation of the German book, whose publication stimulated a wide and immediate response from theologians and in various journals.
Mr. Sabet believes that religion has become petrified in its institutional and dogmatic shell and that true reformation and renewal can come only through a new revelation from God. His book examines in some depth these crucial issues: Does the modern world of scientific progress still need religion? Can the existing religions meet mankind’s desperate need for unity? How does the Bahá’í Faith offer the world spiritual and moral guidance and an effective program for the reorganization of society on a world scale? In answering these questions, the author has written an excellent introduction to the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. 138 pp., chronological table, bibliography, references.
7-32-14 cloth.............$5.00
Star Study Program[edit]
“The aim of the Star Study Program,” writes the National Spiritual Assembly, “is to help believers catch a spark of the love of Bahá’u’lláh and become deepened in the basic teachings of the Faith.” At the core of the program is a series of nine booklets—the newest of which is Bahá’í Laws—which can be used for teaching and deepening institutes and for individual study.
Bahá’í Laws
Bahá’í Laws, just published, is the third of the nine booklets which make up the core of the Star Study Program. The booklet’s nine brief and easy-to-read chapters cover submission to the will of God, obligatory prayer and fasting, teaching, learning a trade or profession, chastity, marriage and divorce, prohibitions, wills and burial, and loyalty to government. Handsomely illustrated by Gordon Laite. Venetian red cover. 5½ x 8½ inches. Star Study Program. 15 pp., notes.
7-64-60 paper.............$.40
Bahá’u’lláh
This short, captivating booklet discusses Bahá’u’lláh’s early life, His acceptance of the Báb, His Declaration and proclamation, His sufferings, His Writings, and His Ascension. Illustrated by Lori Block. Star Study Program. 15 pp., notes.
7-64-50 paper.............$.40
| Renewable effort to teach masses is under way | Media used in Georgia proclamation | Radio-television recording studio is completed |
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