The American Bahá’í/Volume 8/Issue 2/Text
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Fourteen-year-olds get special invitation to Youth Conference[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has extended a special invitation to fourteen-year-olds to attend the Bahá’í Youth Conference in Champaign-Urbana, June 29–July 3.
In announcing this decision, David Clayborne, Secretary of the Bahá’í National Youth Committee, said fourteen-year-olds would within a year’s time be required to make the vital decision on whether or not to enlist in the Bahá’í Cause.
The information that will be imparted at the youth conference may help them in formulating their thoughts, Dr. Clayborne said.
The conference will provide guidance to youth in making vocational choices, in preparing for marriage, and in developing distinctive Bahá’í characteristics, he said. As many as 5,000 youth are expected to attend.
The fourteen-year-olds will participate on an equal basis with other youth in the sessions of the youth conference, Dr. Clayborne said.
View of the interior of auditorium where Youth Conference will be held this summer.
Contributions goal now within reach[edit]
The National Funds contribution goal has come within reach for the first time as a result of increasing participation in the National Fund by individuals.
The monthly contributions goal was exceeded in November for only the second time this Bahá’í year. However, an increasing number of individual contributors and a sustained effort by Local Assemblies and Groups have combined to make the National Goal attainable.
More than 1,700 individuals contributed directly to the National Fund for the month of Masa’il, up from an average of 1,150 per month a year ago. The additional funds provided by this group of contributors are beginning to move the monetary goals totals closer to the goals set by the National Assembly.
The Treasurer’s office estimated that a determination by 2,000 additional Bahá’ís to contribute directly to the National Fund, in addition to maintaining their local contributions, would mean easy victory in the National Fund goal.
During the month of Masa’il, seventy-four per cent of the Local Assemblies contributed to the National Fund. Only 301 Groups, thirty-four percent of the total, made contributions during the month. Of the Assemblies, only 291 reached their Fund goal.
In the last year, the Office of the Treasurer has urged individuals to contribute to the National Fund directly in addition to maintaining support for their Local Fund. They have cited urgings of the Guardian in this matter to the American Community.
In one letter, the Guardian said, “I would unceasingly urge the individual believers as well as the Local Assemblies... to arise with heart and soul and generously and regularly contribute toward the upkeep and the extension of a fund upon which will greatly depend the success of their endeavors.”
Over the years, the Treasurer’s office said, a misconception has arisen in the community that an individual through his contribution to the Local Fund would acquit totally his responsibility to the National Fund.
Fourteenth Assembly on Reservation elected at Crow Creek, South Dakota[edit]
The election of a Spiritual Assembly for the Crow Creek Reservation at Fort Thompson, South Dakota, brings the American community one step closer to the Five Year Plan goal of 25 Assemblies on Indian Reservations.
Fort Thompson is the fourteenth Spiritual Assembly elected on an Indian
Assistance sought for counselling Youth Conference[edit]
Bahá’ís with substantial experience in a trade or profession are needed to assist in counselling youth on careers at the Bahá’í National Youth Conference in Champaign-Urbana, June 29–July 3.
A major emphasis of the Youth Conference will be to encourage youth to prepare themselves for the future by undertaking careers that will allow them to be of the greatest service to mankind.
Bahá’ís with professional experience in a wide range of occupations will be asked to give career information and guidance to the youth in classroom lectures, informal discussions, and individual counselling.
If you feel you are qualified to volunteer your service in this capacity, write to the Bahá’í National Youth Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
The Committee will need a resumé or description of your work experience in order to make its selection for the program.
Skilled musicians invited to perform at youth gathering[edit]
The Bahá’í National Youth Committee asks that musicians who have played at community proclamations, firesides, weddings, or other Bahá’í events, and who would be interested in playing at the Fourth Bahá’í National Youth Conference as part of an orchestra, group, or as a soloist, send a cassette recording of their music to the Youth Committee.
Homefront pioneers instrumental in opening Reservations[edit]
Homefront pioneers have been instrumental in opening Indian Reservations and in assisting them to come to Assembly status.
A recent example is the Wahid family, which has settled in Fort Hall, Idaho to work among the Shoshone and Bannock tribes.
Samir Wahid, a student at Idaho State University at Pocatello and his wife Linda, were married last March and in June decided to pioneer to Fort Hall, where two active Bahá’ís were living.
Housing is difficult to find on the Reservation, so the Wahids moved into a mobile home. They were joined in September by Samir’s parents, Aziz and Koudsia, who fled persecution of the Bahá’í community in the Middle East.
Aziz Wahid was an attorney in his native country. In Fort Hall he has become part-time attendant at a local gas station. His wife, Koudsia, has enrolled at the university to study x-ray technology.
The Wahid family has been well received on the Reservation, the District Teaching Committee for Southern Idaho reports. Because the Wahids are a strong family the Indians feel comfortable in bringing their parents and grandparents to meetings, the District Teaching Committee said. The fact that they are Persian also is a factor in their acceptance. The Indian seekers identify more readily with them, because of their approach to religion, than with the American Bahá’ís, the Committee said.
The Wahids say they have felt that the most effective approach is to make friends in the community and be of service to people. Outright proclamation of the Faith tends to offend the Indian community at Fort Hall because of their experience with evangelical groups that have attempted to undermine their culture.
The Fort Hall community has scheduled regular classes for children, but these have remained unattended. Dawn prayers are held every Friday and potluck dinner and fireside are held once a month.
The community has had one declaration in recent weeks. Two Bahá’ís from Pocatello have expressed interest in moving to Fort Hall, but have been hindered by difficulty in locating housing.
Homefront pioneering is harder than living in a “settled community”, said Linda Wahid, “because homefront pioneers must make a conscious effort to get out and do things.”
Life on the Reservation is complicated by the fact that many Indians are suspicious of outsiders who bring religion with them. They are associated with missionaries, who are often held in low esteem, she explained.
Even sincere efforts to form friendships are sometimes clouded by the supposition that the effort is made only to win converts to the Faith, she said. Indian believers who are too outspoken in their adherence to the Cause are likely to find themselves pressured by members of the community to withdraw.
“Teaching on the Reservation is a long, slow haul,” she said. “The Faith must be introduced more by actions than by words.”
The Wahid family has pioneered to Fort Hall Indian Reservation near Pocatello, Idaho.
Fourteenth Assembly on Indian Reservation elected[edit]
Continued from page 1
Reservation. The National Teaching Committee expects at least six more to be elected by Riḍván.
A special celebration of the occasion was held in Crow Creek January 29, to which leaders of the tribal council were invited. The speaker was Wayne Steffes, an Oneida, and member of the American Indian Teaching Committee.
The new Assembly invited Bahá’ís from communities throughout the region to participate in the celebration.
“The Bahá’í Faith is becoming more and more well known here,” they said in their invitation. “People are watching the Bahá’ís to see what their lives are like. This will give the friends here a chance to meet a greater diversity of people...”
There were only three believers in Crow Creek in the summer of 1975, when the Bahá’í Group there set a goal of reaching Assembly status before the end of the year. They met each morning for dawn prayers, scheduled a regular fireside, and initiated regular proclamation activities.
With assistance from the District Teaching Committee, homefront pioneers were directed to Crow Creek. Five members of the community are homefront pioneers.
Local teaching efforts are bearing fruit as well. In December, two new believers were enrolled in Fort Thompson.
The Crow Creek Assembly has also scheduled children’s classes for Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís in the community. The class for non-Bahá’ís is held Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. The class for Bahá’ís is held Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Regular deepening classes, observances of Bahá’í Holy Days, and travelling teaching activities are scheduled by the Local Assembly, according to its very thorough newsletter. Dawn prayers continue to be held each day. Several members of the community have recently been on pilgrimage or attended an International Teaching Conference.
Encouraging efforts to reach American Indians with news of the Faith are reported from other areas of the country as well.
Wayne and Alice Steffes, American Indians, accompanied by their daughters Regina and Steffania, were travelling teachers in Scandinavia last summer. They taught Laplanders in Norway and Sweden. “They live like Navahos,” the family later said. “Their homes, bread, weaving and attitudes are the same.” Mr. Steffes is the son of the first Indian Bahá’í in the United States.
Consultation on Indian teaching held in Seattle[edit]
A General Council was sponsored in Seattle January 8 by the American Indian Teaching Committee to consider what the Faith has to offer Native Americans and ways of reaching them.
Approximately 40 people attended. Present were members of the committee and one of its teaching teams, and representatives of Bahá’í communities in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.
The agenda included a discussion of teaching on the Lummi Reservation, a priority of the American Indian Teaching Committee, teaching Indians in urban areas, approaching the elders of Indian communities, and reaching the youth.
The Lummi Reservation until recently had eight adults. Two couples have had to move out of the area to take jobs offered them, however. The American Indian Teaching Committee is now concentrating on the Lummi Reservation to regain momentum in teaching there.
Regular Saturday morning breakfasts are being held to give the Lummi people an opportunity for fellowship with Bahá’ís and their friends. Surrounding communities are being encouraged to spend more time at the Reservation, establishing friendships which are vital in nurturing interest and ultimate acceptance of the Faith.
Scott Tyler, a Bahá’í youth participating in the meeting, said it was important for Bahá’ís to show that they loved one another. We are being watched by the Indian people, he said, and if our love becomes truly visible there will be a positive response.
Speaking on the theme of approaching the elders were Eugene and Melba King. Mr. King is the first Tlingit to have become a Bahá’í and Mrs. King is the first Eskimo believer. Both are blind.
Seasoned pioneers tell of discipline required in the field[edit]
Charles and Helen Hornby, pioneers to Ecuador for eight years, discussed their experience and offered advice to prospective pioneers, in a recent interview in Wilmette where they attended a Pioneer Training Institute sponsored by the International Goals Committee.
Mr. Hornby, an Auxiliary Board member for Ecuador, said deepening in the Covenant and knowledge of Bahá’í administration are invaluable assets, because pioneers are normally required to be mainstays of their communities.
“They must develop a spiritual sensibility about the reason behind the institutions,” he said.
Language may also be a problem for the pioneer, he said.
He suggested that those with the time and funds should consider taking an intensive language course at a local university.
He said, “If a person has a job and is busy, the problem is dividing the time to serve the Cause. If the person has no job, the problem is maintaining efficiency and not becoming slovenly.”
Mrs. Hornby said pioneers should not expect too much too soon from other pioneers, other Bahá’ís, or those they teach.
She said sometimes pioneers get together to “have their cups refilled,” and to hear their own language. The first time she returned to the United States and heard Feast in her own language, she cried.
Mr. Hornby advised prospective pioneers to prayerfully tune in to what they are supposed to be doing. Mrs. Hornby said, “Keep uppermost in your mind what you are there for.”
Charles Hornby
Helen Hornby
Mrs. Hornby told of her first teaching experience in South America. After a theatrical performance at a university in Colombia, a number of students asked her to stay and talk with them.
“They said the mountains blocked them from the world and they wanted to know what was happening outside,” she recalled. “I did not talk about the Faith, but tried to establish rapport with them.” Afterwards, several of the students walked with her back to the hotel. “We know you have a different religion,” they told her. “Please tell us about it.” She invited them inside and explained the essentials of the Faith to them.
She recalled other memorable teaching experiences of her stay in Latin America as well. Once while travelling, she taught a 105-year-old bedridden woman, who said she had been praying for 40 years for the return of Christ. When Mrs. Hornby stepped into her yard, she got out of bed to meet her on the front porch.
“What have you come to tell me?” she asked.
Mrs. Hornby would not ordinarily mention the name of Bahá’u’lláh immediately, she said, but this time she did. The woman thanked her and told her she could now die in peace.
On the Caribbean island of Tobago, Mrs. Hornby taught an elderly gentleman who quoted scripture about the return of Christ. He said, “They have been hiding something from us. Christ has come.” He repeated over and over again to Mrs. Hornby, “You know, daughter, God will surely bless you for bringing this Message.”
Mrs. Hornby said ways of teaching are different for each individual. “People attracted to me are different than those attracted to my husband,” she said.
Bahá’í pioneers do not advertise their position as missionaries do, Mrs. Hornby said. By living the Bahá’í life, they establish trust on a one-to-one basis.
Speaking about adopting native ways, she said, “Do not try to imitate others. Others know what is genuine and what is not.” She said you should try to be yourself, especially with country people, who are intuitive. Follow the guidelines in Advent of Divine Justice. “Walk in the middle of the road, as the Hands of the Cause say. Then all the people will feel they can relate to you,” she said.
Session on Covenant and opposition given in Capital by Board Counsellors[edit]
A one-day institute organized by Continental Counsellor Sarah Pereira and Auxiliary Board member Albert James to study the writings on the Covenant and discuss opposition that will develop against the Faith, was held November 20 at the Washington, D.C. Bahá’í Center. Bahá’ís from more than 20 localities in the Washington area attended.
Mrs. Pereira explained the significance of the Covenant, suggested that the Covenant be reviewed in study classes and discussions, and reminded the friends of the need to deepen, obey His laws, and uphold His institutions. She stressed the infallibility of the Universal House of Justice.
The mandate given to Washington, D.C. by the National Spiritual Assembly for attainment of the Five Year Plan goals was reviewed by Barbara Eaton, a member of the Washington, D.C. Spiritual Assembly.
Part of the afternoon session was spent in a workshop studying the Covenant. The workshop used part one of the compilation “Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant with Mankind” available from the Publishing Trust. The workshop groups subsequently reported to the institute about their consultation on the topic.
The institute was chaired by Mr. James. Verses from the Writings were set to music and presented at the institute. Other topics touched on were the mission of Bahá’ís to bring God’s Kingdom to earth through obedience of Bahá’u’lláh’s directives; the accounting for our life’s teaching efforts when we die; and the necessity to integrate the Covenant into daily life.
On invitation from the Continental Board of Counsellors, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly spoke on opposition to the Faith. The history of attacks on the Faith were traced, and it was shown that after each period of attack the Faith grew stronger. The friends were urged to deepen themselves in preparation for pressures which will be applied to the Faith throughout the world. The best way to defend the Faith is to live life according to Bahá’í standards, the friends were told.
The institute was an example of growing collaboration between the institutions of the Continental Board of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly.
Reservations needed to attend National Convention[edit]
Bahá’ís who wish to attend National Convention April 29-May 1 must obtain reservations by writing the National Spiritual Assembly before March 15.
The seating capacity of Foundation Hall, where the Convention takes place, is set by Fire Department regulation at 425 seats.
Approximately 200 seats are allocated to Bahá’ís who wish to witness the Convention. The others are reserved for delegates and Bahá’ís attending the annual gathering in some official capacity.
Seats for visitors are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Bahá’ís without reservations cannot be allowed to enter the Convention area.
For reservations write the National Spiritual Assembly, Attention: National Convention Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091.
Local Assemblies
108 Assemblies in jeopardy must be saved.
Friendship with Indian community a goal of urban Spiritual Assembly[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of New York City has formed an American Indian Relations Committee to establish contact and cordial exchanges with Native American groups in the New York area.
The committee concluded that teaching among Indians in New York would require patience and a long-term effort to build understanding and trust before the Faith could be openly and unreservedly taught.
They used the name American Indian Relations Committee, rather than American Indian Teaching Committee, in order to lessen suspicion and reserve that seemed to exist among older members of the Indian community.
The committee established contact with the American Indian Community House in New York City, which serves as a meeting place for and coordinates cultural activities among many of the urban tribal groups.
Members of the committee have attended film programs, almost a dozen Indian powwows, concerts, spiritual gatherings, and museum exhibits, in their efforts to build relations over the last two years. They have also hosted dinners where Indians have attended, and met regularly with the staff of the American Indian Community House.
Each of the committee members has also embarked upon a personal reading program to become acquainted with the important literature on American Indian culture.
In late October the committee and the American Indian Community House jointly sponsored a presentation by Indian artist Nadema Agard, Gregory Borst, a musicologist, and Ina McNeil. Ms. McNeil, a Bahá’í, spoke of her experience as an Indian and as a Bahá’í. Ms. Nadema, who exhibited a collection of her bead works, introduced Ina McNeil as a descendant of Sitting Bull. After the presentation approximately 30 Indians were taken on a tour of the Bahá’í Center in New York City.
The committee’s work for the Local Spiritual Assembly was acknowledged in the regular newsletter of the American Indian Community House. Invitations to Bahá’í events directed to Indians are frequently published in the newsletter. In addition, the Community House has accepted Bahá’í literature for use in children’s classes.
Bahá’ís gather in Unity Weekend[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Greenville, North Carolina, celebrated the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh by entertaining more than 50 children at a Treasure Hunt in the parking lot of the Roxy, an abandoned movie theater being restored by Greenville Bahá’ís and others as a music, art and cultural center for the minority community.
Site meeting Cherokee chiefs National Assembly needs new pioneers[edit]
Four homefront pioneers are needed in Tahlequah, Oklahoma to strengthen the Local Spiritual Assembly and bolster teaching efforts among the Cherokee Indians.
The National Spiritual Assembly was in Tahlequah in September to present a statue of the Cherokee sage Sequoyah to the Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah is the capital of the Western band of the Cherokee Nation. The presentation was made at a special ceremony during the 24th annual Cherokee National Holiday.
A Spiritual Assembly was first formed in Tahlequah at Riḍván 1974. Tahlequah, located 65 miles east of Tulsa, has a population of 10,000.
Northeastern Oklahoma State University is located there and is the town’s largest employer.
The academic program is strong in education, business, and natural sciences. The university has master’s programs in education and business administration. Student enrollment is approximately 6,000.
A number of light industries have also been established there, including commercial nurseries, lumber yards, and textile factories. Two rural newspapers conduct business from Tahlequah.
Tourism is also an important industry. On an average summer weekend between 3,000 and 5,000 people visit the area to camp out on the Illinois River, which runs near Tahlequah.
The Tahlequah Assembly will offer hospitality to Bahá’ís who wish to make brief visits to explore the possibility of settling there. The university also provides inexpensive temporary housing in vacant dormitory rooms.
Bahá’ís interested in homefront pioneering to Tahlequah should contact the National Teaching Committee.
Spanish Day first in Family of Man series[edit]
Latin American Day was held at the House of Worship in Wilmette on January 15. It was the first of four observances in the Family of Man series. Above, left: Artist David Villaseñor, left, fielded questions about his talk on Indian symbolism. Above, right: Over 100 people attended the observance which included an art and photography display, a film and the talk by Mr. Villaseñor. Bottom, left to right: Bahá’ís discussed the Faith with Spanish-speaking visitors in an informal setting; photographs of Bahá’ís in Central and South America were on display; one of the Spanish speaking visitors declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Conferencia nacional de juventud programada para verano 1977[edit]
Lugar donde se llevará a cabo la conferencia el próximo verano.
Una conferencia nacional de la juventud se celebrará en Illinois en el verano de 1977 para ayudar a la juventud Bahá’í a prepararse para vidas de servicio en la Fe, anunció la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional.
“Va a ser un tipo diferente de conferencia de la juventud”, expresó Glenford Mitchell, Secretario de la Asamblea Nacional. “Fijará nuevas normas y organizará a la juventud para que fije pautas para sus vidas futuras”.
La conferencia servirá de guía para hacer selecciones vocacionales y para preparar para el matrimonio. Se espera que asistan unos 5000 jóvenes.
“Esta conferencia será un punto de referencia en el desarrollo de la juventud Bahá’í en el país”, expresó el Sr. Mitchell.
“La sede de la conferencia será el campus de la Universidad de Illinois en Champaign-Urbana”, señaló David Clayborne, Secretario del Comité Nacional de la Juventud. Será una sede de conferencia completa en sí misma.
Illinois fue seleccionado como estado anfitrión de esta conferencia por un número de razones, él indicó: es fácilmente accesible a la mayor parte de las regiones, es uno de tres estados que requieren esfuerzos intensivos de proclamación, permitirá que los viajeros visiten la Casa de Adoración, y mantendrá al mínimo los costos de preparación de los planes en un momento en que el Fondo está experimentando dificultades.
“La Asamblea Nacional considera que existe la necesidad de que la juventud analice su futuro y explore vías en las cuales sus intereses vocacionales puedan servir la Causa de Bahá’u’lláh”, explicó el Dr. Clayborne. “Este énfasis en el servicio por parte de la juventud está plenamente de acuerdo con los objetivos del Plan de Cinco Años”, él destacó.
Puestos pioneros quedan abiertos[edit]
Actualmente, los Estados Unidos tiene 27 puestos pioneros por ocupar. El International Goals Committee (Comité de Metas Internacionales) espera completar esta meta para Riḍván 1977, a través del reclutamiento activo de los creyentes.
De los 612 puestos pioneros ocupados a mediados del Plan de Cinco Años, tal como se anunció por la Casa Universal de Justicia, casi la mitad fue completada por los pioneros de los Estados Unidos. Nuestra meta total es de 311 puestos.
Los puestos más difíciles de completar están en Escandinavia y en las áreas del mundo en las cuales se habla francés y portugués. A menudo estas áreas pueden ser más fácilmente pobladas por estudiantes que están realizando estudios en el extranjero o por individuos retirados.
Janet Rubinstein, del Comité de Metas Internacionales, pide que los pioneros potenciales den una consideración especial a St. Helena, Africa; Finlandia; y Bangladesh. St. Helena es una zona conservadora, aislada y muy formal, ella dijo. Se busca una pareja mayor retirada para esa zona. Un pionero en Finlandia tiene que saber el idioma. Estudiantes pudieran establecerse allí con más facilidad, expresó la Sra. Rubinstein. Maestros certificados se necesitan para ser pioneros en Bangladesh.
La Sra. Rubinstein dijo que aunque las Islas Salomón no son una de nuestras zonas de meta, se nos pidió enviar a un pionero allí que tenga fondos suficientes para comenzar un pequeño negocio.
Aquellos amigos quienes estén bien entrenados y sean expertos en su oficio o profesión, y particularmente aquéllos con habilidades lingüísticas, pueden lograr cargos interesantes en el extranjero a través de agencias internacionales que reclutan individuos altamente capacitados para los puestos difíciles.
Los Bahá’ís interesados en ser pioneros deben consultar con su Asamblea Espiritual y ponerse en contacto con el Comité de Metas Internacionales para más información. El Comité tiene información que compartir sobre las oportunidades de empleo, pero el pionero potencial tiene que investigar las pautas ofrecidas.
Literatura Disponible en Español[edit]
La Fe Bahá’í: Datos y Principios Básicos
Este folleto introductorio es una traducción del folleto Basic Facts of the Bahá’í Faith en inglés. Explica por qué la Fe Bahá’í es una “religión mundial” y presenta las enseñanzas básicas para la unidad, así como los antecedentes históricos de la Fe. El folleto puede entregarse a cualquier persona que exprese el deseo de recibir información sobre la Fe Bahá’í. 3½ x 6½ pulgadas.
7-93-00............25/$1.25; 100/$4.00; 1000/$30.00
El Regalo
por Cynthia K. Walcott
El Regalo es un libro encantador para niños que emplea animales para explicar la enseñanza Bahá’í sobre la revelación progresiva de las religiones. El cuento muestra como los animales de la selva y montaña—divididos por los libros que ellos siguen—aprenden a vivir juntos felizmente cuando ellos siguen un nuevo Libro Especial. El libro puede ser adquirido por sí solo o en combinación, incluyendo una narración grabada en cassette, ilustraciones a cuatro colores por Lynn H. Reynolds. 7 x 11½ pulgadas. 39 páginas. Edades 6-10 años. El Regalo es ideal tanto para niños Bahá’ís como no Bahá’ís.
7-93-68 El Regalo | $4.75 |
7-93-67 El Regalo con narración en cassette | $6.95 |
6-31-23 narración en cassette solamente | $3.75 |
Para información de cómo hacer el pedido, véase el anuncio del Bahá’í Publishing Trust en este número.
Carta a toda la juventud Bahá’í[edit]
Queridos Amigos Bahá’ís:
Somos nosotros la vanguardia para la llegada a la “de la raza humana entera.” En cada rincón del globo terrestre, ideas familiares y probadas se están descartando mediante la presión por cambio de parte de los pueblos del mundo.
En las décadas venideras, la juventud Bahá’í ha de desempeñar un papel vital en “el surgimiento de una comunidad mundial, la conciencia de la ciudadanía mundial, el establecimiento de una civilización y cultura mundiales.” Tenemos que prepararnos ahora para hacer frente a las pruebas fortificantes que tenemos por delante.
El programa de la Cuarta Conferencia de la Juventud Bahá’í, que se llevará a cabo en Champaign-Urbana, Illinois los días 29 de junio hasta el 3 de julio, explorará en forma intensiva algunas de las pruebas fortificantes inmediatas que hacen frente a nuestros esfuerzos para servir en la edificación del Orden Mundial de Bahá’u’lláh.
Dicho programa pondrá énfasis en la importancia de desarrollar y reflejar nuevas formas de conducta en nuestras vidas diarias y tendrá que ver con trés areas básicas de la interacción humana:
- el constante mejoramiento de nuestras vidas individuales mediante el desarrollo de las características distintivas de la vida Bahá’í;
- el servicio a la humanidad a través del logro de la excelencia en el entrenamiento y la profesión de cada uno;
- y la preparación de uno mismo para el matrimonio y la vida familiar.
La conferencia reforzará la directiva ya dada a los Bahá’ís por el Guardián en “Bahá’í Administration” (la Administración Bahá’í), página 66, donde Él dijo:
“No por la fuerza de los números, no por la mera exposición de un conjunto de principios nuevos y nobles, no por una campaña organizada de enseñanza—no importa lo mundial y elaborado de su naturaleza—ni siquiera por la firmeza de nuestra fe ni la exaltación de nuestro entusiasmo, podemos nosotros finalmente esperar vindicar ante los ojos de una edad crítica y escéptica el reclamo supremo de la Revelación de Abhá.
Una cosa y solamente una cosa garantizará sin falta y por sí sola el triunfo indudable de esta sagrada Causa, es decir, el grado hasta el cual nuestra propia vida interior y carácter privado reflejan en sus múltiples aspectos el esplendor de aquellos principios eternos proclamados por Bahá’u’lláh.”
Por primera vez la Asamblea Espiritual Nacional permite que la juventud no Bahá’í asista a una conferencia de la juventud Bahá’í. Esto significa que sus amigos que ustedes que estén cerca de la Fe pueden acompañarles a ustedes a la conferencia para escuchar cómo proponemos dirigir nuestras vidas en respuesta a los problemas de nuestra comunidad mundial, y ser testigos de la influencia transformadora de Bahá’u’lláh sobre sus compañeros de la juventud.
La Asamblea Nacional ha dado las orientaciones para la asistencia de sus amigos no Bahá’ís de ustedes. Su Asamblea Espiritual, el Comitée Distrital de Enseñanza o el Grupo Bahá’í de ustedes recibirá pronto las directivas a este respecto.
Animamos a cada uno de ustedes a que comience a prepararse espiritual y materialmente para asistir a esta conferencia.
Esperamos tener el gusto de saludarlos a ustedes en Champaign-Urbana, y de analizar con ustedes sus ambiciosos planes para servir a la Causa de Bahá’u’lláh.
Con los más calurosos saludos Bahá’ís,
(Comité Nacional de la Juventud Bahá’í)
Noticias breves de enseñanza[edit]
Los Bahá’ís de Kansas han participado en proyectos de enseñanza en las ciudades de Dodge City y Pittsburgh. Unos 30 Bahá’ís distribuyeron invitaciones a una reunión pública en las calles, deteniéndose para hablar con personas interesadas sobre la Fe. Una persona declaró su fe en Pittsburgh.
Los esfuerzos de enseñanza iniciados en Minneapolis, Minnesota en agosto han resultado en nueve declaraciones y la apertura de una nueva localidad. Los Bahá’ís están visitando a cada nuevo creyente para ayudar en la profundización.
El Condado de Dawson, Nebraska, ha sido abierto recientemente a la Fe. Esfuerzos de enseñanza han sido iniciados además en St. Paul y Lexington.
Los Bahá’ís de Arizona han participado en un Proyecto de Enseñanza en la frontera en Douglas, Arizona, y su comunidad hermana de Agua Prieta a través de la frontera en México. Allí han habido más de 50 declaraciones en semanas recientes.
Bahá’í Books and Materials[edit]
Good News! Gleanings in Paperback Edition, new Spanish Basic Facts, New Filmstrip Projectors[edit]
(Now in Paperback)[edit]
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
by Bahá’u’lláh
The second revised edition of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, published in January, is now available in paperback. The paperbound edition features an attractive new cover design and many editorial changes provided by The Universal House of Justice.
Gleanings consists of extracts from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The book is unsurpassed as a source of guidance and inspiration for the seeking soul. Introduction by W. Kenneth Christian. Cover design by Scott Bivans. 346 pp., index.
7-03-04 paper...............$2.75
New Bahá’í Literature[edit]
The Unity of Religion and Science
by William S. Hatcher
Clearly and persuasively, this new reprint from World Order (Spring 1975) discusses the conflict between religion and science, outlines the major obstacles to their unity, and presents the Bahá’í solutions to this problem. Recommended for Bahá’ís who wish to study this subject and as a gift for teachers of religion and science and for students on college campuses. Cover design by Scott Bivans. 5¼ x 8¼-inch booklet. 15 pp.
7-40-83...............10/$1.70; 100/$15.00; 500/$70.00
Gleanings, now in paperback, $2.75
La Fe Bahá’í: Datos y Principios Básicos
This introductory pamphlet is a translation of the English Basic Facts of the Bahá’í Faith. It explains why the Bahá’í Faith is a “world religion” and presents its basic teachings for unity as well as the historical background of the Faith. The pamphlet, which has the same design as the English version, can be given to anyone who expresses a willingness to receive literature on the Bahá’í Faith. 3½ x 6½ inches.
7-93-70...........25/$1.25; 100/$4.00; 1000/$30.00; 5000/$125.00
New Special Materials[edit]
The Bikoh and Graflex projectors carried by the Publishing Trust have been replaced with more modern, higher-quality equipment. The new projectors, the Prima and the Dukane, are described below:
Prima Filmstrip Projector, $36.00 NET
Prima Filmstrip Projector
The Prima, designed for use by individuals and small groups, is built to be functionally efficient, simple, and safe to use. Its wide-angle optics deliver bright, sharp, big pictures at short projection distance (sixty-inch wide picture at twelve feet). Built of the same rugged, nonconductive plastic as that used for safety helmets and electric hand-tools, the Prima is made to take years of hard wear while continuing to function and look attractive.
The basic Prima projector operates off 120-volt house current. With the purchase of an adapter cord with battery clips and a 12-volt lamp, the unit can be powered with a 12-volt wet-cell car battery. Inexpensive, versatile, lightweight, and easy to carry, the Prima is ideal for pioneers and travelling teachers. 110 volt, 75 watt, 2½ lbs.
6-65-08 projector | $36.00 NET (cash w/order) |
6-65-09 adapter cord w/battery clips | $5.00 NET |
6-65-10 12-volt Prima lamp | $5.75 NET |
6-65-11 120-volt Prima lamp | $4.75 NET |
To order: Order through Community Librarians if possible! Personal orders: enclose full payment, Plus $0.75 handling charge for all orders under $5.00.
Dukane Filmstrip Projector, $69.00 NET
Dukane Filmstrip Projector
If you want to be prepared to show filmstrip programs to larger groups and in small auditoriums, the Dukane projector may fit your needs perfectly. The Dukane’s computer-designed high efficiency optical system results in realistic color reproduction and brilliant, sharp pictures. Its many other features include adjustable front feet for elevation and leveling; a takeup which conveniently rolls the filmstrip as it feeds out below the lens; a retractable carrying handle; and a high-capacity cooling system which increases both lamp and film life. Heavy-duty cast metal construction. Several optional accessories are available from local dealers, including a 2 x 2-inch stack load slide changer. 120 volt, 300 watt, 9½ lbs.
6-65-12 | $69.00 NET (cash w/order) |
6-65-13 120-volt Dukane lamp | $7.75 NET |
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Teaching Briefs[edit]
A Spanish speaking teaching institute sponsored by the California Regional Teaching Committee was held at the Bosch School in October. Forty people attended, and five projects are underway.
Two teaching weekends were held in Berea, Kentucky, as part of the Appalachia Project. Approximately 100 people were approached each weekend, and seekers attended both public meetings. Fifteen travelling teachers participated in the project. Weekend teachers will go to the area once a month.
Every Saturday between 2 and 4 p.m., four believers from Moore, Oklahoma visit neighboring Dell City to teach. The friends have committed themselves to teaching in Dell City until it reaches Assembly status.
The Smyrna, Georgia, Group of seven adults contributed enough money to send six or seven Bahá’í children to Bahá’í Winter School.
Kansas Bahá’ís have been teaching and using the media almost every weekend since District Convention (October 3) in the goal towns of Dodge City and Pittsburg with three declarations resulting. Their goal is to raise these two towns to Assembly status by Riḍván. Since the teaching campaign began, a county has been opened, an Assembly saved, and Bahá’ís across the state are teaching individually.
The Missouri District Teaching Committee holds its meetings in different goal areas each time and invites the Bahá’ís of the locality to meet with them for a portion of the meeting.
Local Assemblies
Can you be a homefront pioneer and save an Assembly?
Garreta H. Busey, long-standing member of staffs Bahá’í periodicals, dies at 83[edit]
Grieved passing Garreta Busey self-sacrificing follower Bahá’u’lláh. Her services field Bahá’í publications in the United States lovingly remembered. Praying Holy Shrines progress her soul.
- The Universal House of Justice
- 22 October 1976
“The light of a good character surpasses the light of the sun.” These words of Bahá’u’lláh were on the printed program for the memorial service for Garreta Helen Busey, who died on October 21, 1976. All who gathered a month later to celebrate her life felt them appropriate.
She was born on March 1, 1893, in Urbana, Illinois, and lived most of her life in that community. She was talented and versatile, yet unassuming. Upon her death, a local newspaper ran a three-column story with this headline on the page reserved for the most important local news: “Garreta Helen Busey Dies/Professor, Author, Bahá’í.”
Before 1918 she traveled through Illinois making advance preparations for rallies and meetings supporting Women’s Suffrage. Late in World War I she served with the International Red Cross in France and Switzerland. She worked for several years on the New York Herald Tribune’s Book Review section. She wrote the libretto for an opera by Sol Cohen, which has never been produced or published. She wrote a novel, The Windbreak, published by Funk and Wagnalls in 1938, about early settlers in her own Champaign County. A second novel was never completed, because more important Bahá’í work always took her time.
She assisted writers and artists throughout her life. The day before she died, an editor and novelist from New York came to stand beside her hospital bed and recall how her encouragement had changed his life during the Depression years.
Her father helped establish the Commercial Bank of Champaign, and she was on its Board of Directors for thirty-five years, attending meetings until just a month before her death. She once commented that most people thought of bankers as being hard-headed, but without their ability to judge character and lend money, homes would not be bought, businesses would not be established, and farms would not be developed.
Her Bahá’í activities were manifold. She first attended Bahá’í meetings because she felt sorry for her mother, who was always having to go to them alone; she gradually came to consider herself a Bahá’í. However, it wasn’t until after her mother’s death in 1934 that she fully identified herself with the Faith. During her sabbatical leaves from the university, she served the European Teaching Committee, spending one year in the Netherlands. She also made a Pilgrimage and attended the World Congress in London in 1963.
She was a member of the Urbana Spiritual Assembly for forty years, away only when she was pioneering. Her contributions to consultation were wise, compassionate, and practical. At the request of the National Spiritual Assembly, she helped with the development of spiritual assemblies in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.
From 1936 through 1974 she served as the faculty advisor of the University of Illinois Bahá’í Club, one of the first college clubs in the country. She had special love for youth and gave them interest, understanding, and encouragement. News of her death brought messages of condolence from those now living in Israel, Bolivia, the Falkland Islands, and Hawaii, and many states of the continental United States.
One Bahá’í wrote remembering the college club meetings, “I felt that Garreta saw everything—all our weaknesses, follies, even our unwillingness to accept aspects of the teachings—but she was patient and would wait livingly for us to grow up. Hundreds of times at those Friday evening firesides I saw her sit quietly as we uttered our vain fancies—even our blasphemies—never arguing, never pushing a point. When we’d all worn ourselves out with hair-splitting, she’d say, ‘Well, you know, it seems to me ...’ and then she’d quote exactly the passage to answer every dilemma! She was truly a masterful teacher.”
Garreta Helen Busey
More than twenty-five years ago she opened her beautiful old home to the Bahá’ís, letting them call it the Bahá’í Center. From that time forward, there were telephone calls and knocks at the door, people asking about the Faith. She would call anyone in the house to come and share the joy of telling about the Faith to another inquirer. Or there would be a student coming to the campus whose parents would like to have him in a Bahá’í home. Garreta would have room and an open heart. With the consent of her family, she bequeathed that home, so filled with the fragrances of Bahá’í heroes and heroines like Martha Root, Keith Ransom-Kehler, Louis Gregory, Agnes Alexander, Dorothy Baker, and Horace Holley, to the Spiritual Assembly of Urbana.
Garreta Busey’s writing and editorial skills were also placed at the service of the Faith.
She served on the editorial staffs of World Order magazine, Bahá’í News, and Bahá’í World. In addition, she served for many years on the National Literature Reviewing Committee.
She taught in Bahá’í summer schools at Geyserville and Green Acre, and with her niece Mary Kate Yntema, prepared a guide for study classes.
Once, when she was already in her eighties and, as usual, trying to serve beyond her strength in many areas at once, she laughingly said, “Bahá’ís are not promised rest from their labors, but a service in both worlds.”
World Order concealed[edit]
The Bahá’í group of Palmer, Massachusetts, has contributed their Bicentennial issue of World Order magazine and an assortment of Bahá’í pamphlets to the Palmer Bicentennial Time Capsule, which is to be opened in the year 2176.
New quarterly magazine available from Italy[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Italy has begun publishing a new quarterly magazine called Opinioni Bahá’í.
The publication is designed for Italian-speaking non-Bahá’ís and has been conceived as a means of spreading the Faith. Consisting of a minimum of 32 pages, its articles will cover aspects of problems afflicting the modern world and solutions suggested by the Bahá’í Writings.
Subscriptions to Opinioni Bahá’í will cost 5,000 Italian lira per year, postage included. Checks should be made payable to Mr. Farhad Vahdat, Via Salvo d’Acquisto, 16/2, 16036 RECCO (Genova) Italy. Payment should be sent with subscription orders.
Publishing Trust seeks recordings Hands Cause[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Committee is searching for recordings of talks given by the Hands of the Cause of God, in particular talks by Dorothy Baker, Amelia Collins, Clara Dunn, John Ferraby, Herman Grossman, Horace Holley, Leroy Ioas, Siegfried Schopflocher, George Townshend, and Corinne True.
Please send a description of the tapes you may have to the Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Reel-to-reel tapes would be preferred.
Daughter seeks stories about famous mother[edit]
Have you a story about the Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker which might help in the preparation of a biography of her life? Did you work with her in some capacity? Assist her in some way? Or did she help you?
If so, please send the information to her daughter, Louise B. Matthias, 503 South Fielder Road, Arlington, Texas, 76013. Please include dates, locations, names of individuals or organizations, if you can. The author is seeking warm and personal details and available background material.
Local Assemblies
Almost 500 must be formed within two years.
| Fourteen-year-olds invited attend Youth Conference | Spanish event held at House of Worship | Homefront pioneers opening Reservations |
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