The American Bahá’í/Volume 8/Issue 7/Text
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| Arise! | Hand of Cause William Sears Spurs U.S. Bahá’í Community Into Action |
Bold New Plan To Be Launched In September[edit]
Impelled by the urgency of the tasks ahead and inspired by the heart-stirring message to the Bahá’í National Convention from the Universal House of Justice, Hand of the Cause of God William Sears has proposed a plan of action that challenges the American Bahá’í community to arise as one body to win a resounding victory in the remaining months of the Five Year Plan.
Mr. Sears’ proposal weaves the important elements of personal study, individual teaching, and consolidation of victories won into a pattern designed to heighten teaching and deepening activities while inspiring the friends to redouble their efforts to win or surpass each and every goal of the plan.
It was enthusiastically endorsed by the Continental Board of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly at a joint meeting on May 28 at which each institution pledged its wholehearted and unqualified support.
Mr. Sears’ suggestions, which were outlined in a taped message to the National Spiritual Assembly, have been worked into a cohesive plan of action warmly referred to by the National Assembly as “the Victory Plan.”
Its purpose is to serve as the stimulus for a wide range of ongoing teaching and deepening activities on the part of individual believers.
Scheduled to be launched in early September, the Victory Plan includes a weekend of intensive study of the teaching compilation, The Individual and Teaching, recently released by the Universal House of Justice; a national fireside month, and another period of deepenings nationwide.
Mr. Sears, in expressing the hope that an interval of vigorous teaching activity would precede initiation of the plan, said, “It’s time the whole country arose like a lion ... to fulfill our glorious destiny.
“We will never in all of our Bahá’í lives have a chance like this chance. Never again.”
To facilitate implementation of the Victory Plan, the National Spiritual Assembly directed that the National Teaching Committee and National Education Committee convene as a single body to lay the necessary groundwork for the execution of its various aspects.
The first of these meetings was held June 14 at the Bahá’í National Center, chaired by the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. The chairman and assistant secretary of the Assembly also were present for various portions of the meeting.
Mr. Sears himself made a special stop en route from Canada to California to be at the meeting.
A second NTC-NEC meeting was held on June 24.
The National Teaching Committee already has briefed Regional and District Teaching Committees about the plan, while the National Assembly prepared a special message to the American Bahá’í community to be distributed at the Feast of Kalimát.
The “victory weekend” of study classes is to be held September 9–11. Mr. Sears has developed an inspirational four-part cassette program to assist the study classes, and plans to make brief visits to classes that weekend in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“It would add some excitement and anticipation,” Mr. Sears said in his message to the National Spiritual Assembly proposing
Hand of the Cause of God William Sears has called on the U.S. Bahá’í community to arise and put into action a 3-part victory plan designed to win every homefront goal of the Five Year Plan.
By Teaching, Education Committees
‘Victory Plan’ Strategy Mapped[edit]
On Tuesday, June 14, members of the National Spiritual Assembly met at the Bahá’í National Center with members of the National Teaching Committee and National Education Committee to consider details of a nationwide plan of “victory sessions,” firesides and deepenings to be launched in early September.
Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, who proposed the plan in a message to the National Spiritual Assembly in May, also was present at the meeting, making a special stop on his way from Canada to California.
The NTC and NEC held a second joint meeting on June 24 that was chaired by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Under discussion at these meetings were the logistics of a carefully prepared program of study, teaching and deepening, the basic elements of which were proposed to the National Assembly at its meeting of May 27–29 and which was refined by that body into what promises to be one of the most vigorous and exhilarating national events of the Five Year Plan.
The project, informally labeled the “Victory Plan,” begins September 9–11 when Bahá’ís throughout the country meet for a weekend study session to take an in-depth look at the compilation from the Universal House of Justice entitled The Individual and Teaching.
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Arising on Homefront In what is believed to be the first time a native American believer has pioneered from one Indian reservation to another, Viola Obago of the Crow Creek reservation in Fort Thompson, South Dakota, has become a homefront pioneer on the Cherokee reservation in western North Carolina. Mrs. Obago, who was enrolled in the Faith in August 1976, arrived in Cherokee in July with her two sons, Russell, 4, and Ryan, 2. The Cherokee Bahá’ís are expected to form their first Local Spiritual Assembly before the end of the year. |
Mr. Sears said he hoped a period of intensive teaching activity would precede initiation of the plan “so we’d have declaration cards passed out to everybody at all the Assembly conferences throughout the country on that weekend in September.”
Mr. Sears has prepared four 30-minute audio tapes to serve as springboards for group discussion, while the National Education Committee is providing supplementary material that will use questions and cross-references to stress important points.
To highlight the weekend’s activities, Mr. Sears plans to visit briefly each of the five major cities targeted in the Five Year Plan, meeting with the friends in Washington, D.C., Friday evening, visiting New York City and Chicago on Saturday, and San Francisco and Los Angeles the following day.
A member of the Continental Board of Counsellors and a National Spiritual Assembly member will be on hand in each city to greet Mr. Sears and to participate in the weekend’s events.
The study sessions (at least 1,000 of which are to be held throughout the U.S.) will be sponsored by Local Spiritual Assemblies.
Bahá’ís who are not in Assembly areas will be invited to join the nearest Assembly gathering, or assisted by their District Teaching Committee in making other arrangements.
On September 20 the Victory Plan introduces a month-long series of firesides from coast to coast.
During this period, ending with the observance of the anniversary of the birth of the Báb on October 20, every believer is urged to hold at least one fireside, with the goal being 20,000 or more firesides in the U.S.
Eileen Norman, secretary of the National Education Committee, says the goal can be met and even easily exceeded if everyone participates.
A special monitoring service is being considered so that communities may vie with one another in fulfilling their goals.
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Inside
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A main issue of the NTC-NEC meetings was refinement of a consolidation or deepening component. This, when linked with the study class-fireside proposals, becomes Phase 3 of the Victory Plan.
In concert with continued teaching activities, the month of November will be devoted to deepening not only new believers, but every Bahá’í. To assist in the effort, the National Education Committee is preparing a specially designed program keyed to the important individual responsibility of personal transformation.
‘Armies’ on March at National Center[edit]
Badí‘. Lua Getsinger. Mullá Ḥusayn. Ṭáhirih. Vaḥíd.
The roll call of these and other heroes and heroines of the Faith was sounded at the general staff meeting at the Bahá’í National Center on May 31.
While the early believers who labored so valiantly during the Heroic Age of the Faith weren’t present in person, their “Armies” were.
The organization of the staff into Armies for Bahá’u’lláh, a response to the spirit of competition generated at the 68th Bahá’í National Convention, is a first at the National Center.
Randomly grouped, staff members now rally behind the illustrious names of Bahá’ís whose sacrifices for the Cause of God are a moving and eloquent testament to its early years.
The purpose of the Armies is to help win the Five Year Plan goals in Illinois, and to answer the challenge issued by California delegates to the National Convention to double the number of believers in this country by Riḍván.
After only a few weeks of organization, the Armies delivered their first reports:
“Vaḥíd traveled from town to town to spread the Message. If villagers were not receptive in one town, he moved on to another. Because he traveled to teach the Faith, the Army of Vahíd has adopted Mount Carmel, in southern Illinois, as a goal. A scouting party already has been sent there, and has reported back to us. We will travel there June 17–19 to proclaim the Faith.”
Members of the ‘Army of Vaḥíd rally around their banner during campaign swing into their goal town of Mount Carmel in Southern Illinois.
“The Army of Badí‘ wants to tell civic leaders about Bahá’u’lláh, in the same way that Badí‘ delivered the Tablet from Bahá’u’lláh to the Sháh. We will contact civic leaders in five unopened counties, and assist any Local Spiritual Assemblies or Groups that wish to contact officials in their communities.”
“Rúḥu’lláh was a child martyr for the Faith. The Army of Rúḥu’lláh offers its services as guides for children’s tours at the House of Worship, and will assist Bahá’í children in planting a garden at the National Center.”
“The Army of Robert Turner, the first black Bahá’í in the West, has brought six new contacts to firesides. Three of these are youth who are asking their parents for permission to attend the Youth Conference.”
The reports continued until each of the 13 Armies for Bahá’u’lláh had presented its special teaching plan to the staff meeting.
The Army of Robert Turner related a personal story:
“One of our members was reluctant to mention the Faith to strangers, but became determined to do so. While riding a city bus, she felt she should say something to a fellow passenger.
“She finally gained the courage just as she was getting off the bus. The passenger was so interested in the Faith that they sat on a park bench and had a long discussion about it. The contact has since attended a fireside, and wants to bring her mother to one!”
The Army of Robert Turner also recorded its first declaration on June 8 when Dawn Emmons, a young woman contacted during direct teaching at the National College of Education in Evanston, affirmed her belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
The Armies meet each week to discuss their goals and assess their progress, as well as to gain strength and inspiration by studying the life of the Bahá’í for whom their Army is named.
Weekend Conferences
NTC Sharpens Focus On 5 Year Plan Goals[edit]
With less than two years remaining in the Five Year Plan, the National Teaching Committee has further intensified its role in winning the goals through a series of weekend conferences with Regional Teaching Committees and District Teaching Committees conducted by NTC members and staff.
As of June 20, the NTC had met with every Regional Teaching Committee and roughly half the District Teaching Committees in the country.
The series of meetings with DTCs was begun June 4 in Oregon and was to have been completed the weekend of July 16–17.
The weekend conferences focused primarily on the plan of study, firesides, and deepenings proposed by Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and endorsed in May by the National Spiritual Assembly at a meeting with the Continental Board of Counsellors.
The “Victory Plan” is to be launched the weekend of September 9–11 with intensive study of the teaching compilation, The Individual and Teaching, prepared by The Universal House of Justice. A month-long series of firesides nationwide September 20–October 20 is to be followed by deepening classes from October 20 through November 12, the anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
In addition to studying the challenge and implications of the Victory Plan and mapping strategies for implementing it, the conferences included discussion of the NTC’s cluster teaching program, the relationship between District Teaching Committees and Local Spiritual Assemblies, assisting Local Spiritual Assemblies, Assembly formation and recognition, jurisdictional and formation procedures, the relationship of DTCs to Auxiliary Board members and their assistants, district conventions, declarations and enrollments, the area representative system, goals, budgets, and membership and records.
The NTC also explained in depth its policy of weekly telephone calls to District Teaching Committee secretaries.
Information regularly asked for by the NTC concerns declarations, Groups ready to form Assemblies, jeopardized Assemblies, Assemblies being assisted by the DTC, new localities opened, number of circuit teachers and where they have traveled, other teaching activities, number of firesides in the district, and progress toward winning its goals.
“The objective is to help District Teaching Committees function more effectively,” says National Teaching Committee Secretary John Conkling.
One area in which the NTC has an intense interest, he says, is that of Groups with nine or more members.
“We have more than 3,000 Bahá’í Groups in this country,” says Mr. Conkling, “and more than 300 of them have nine or more members. Many are in ‘mass-taught’ areas, and many have had Assemblies in the past, so they can’t re-form until Riḍván.
“In east Texas alone there are 21 Groups with nine or more members, 18 of which have had Assemblies in the past.
“Our aim is to work as closely as possible with District Teaching Committees to assure their Assembly status at Riḍván.”
The DTC’s, says Mr. Conkling, also are focusing attention on all Groups of six or more believers to help them get organized and function as Groups with the goal of increasing their teaching in order to become Local Spiritual Assemblies by Riḍván.
Twenty Bahá’ís attended the Pioneer Training Institute held June 16–20 in Wilmette. They will be pioneering to the Bahamas, Guatemala, the Leeward and Windward Islands, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Sweden, Thailand, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Five of them will be pioneering for the second time.
25 Declare in Oregon City[edit]
The Oregon District Teaching Committee reports that the first week of an intensive summer teaching campaign in the eastern part of the state has resulted in 25 declarations the week of June 13–19 in La Grande, a city of some 10,000 in northeastern Oregon.
Included were 11 adults and six youth from La Grande itself, four adults and two youth from other Oregon communities, and two adults from outside the state—one from Louisiana, the other from Kansas.
Of the 11 adult declarants in La Grande, six are black, one is Mexican, and one Micronesian.
George Dannells of the National Teaching Committee staff visited La Grande early in July and reports that while not everyone who declared is ready for immediate enrollment, it appears that the size of the community was doubled in one weekend of teaching.
“That in itself represents quite a victory,” said Mr. Dannells.
In addition to the La Grande declarations, there were two declarations the same week in Roseburg, one youth and one Spanish-speaking adult.
The Oregon DTC last December reached its Five Year Plan goal of opening every county in Oregon to the Faith. It also has won its goal of establishing a Spiritual Assembly on at least two Indian reservations.
Correction
The cutline for the photo on Page 2 of the June issue of The American Bahá’í was inadvertently omitted. It should have read, “Smiling broadly, California delegates Marc Towers (left) and Bill Nemour promised to double the number of Bahá’ís in their state and raise 100 Local Spiritual Assemblies by Riḍván, challenging the remaining 47 continental states to also double their numbers and to raise only 300 Assemblies among them.”
Bahamas Prepare to Form National Assembly[edit]
At Riḍván, 1978, the Bahá’í world will witness the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas. Before that time, four Local Spiritual Assemblies must be formed.
The four communities that have been chosen to raise to Assembly status are West New Providence, which has seven believers; Governor’s Harbor, which has two pioneers; Nicholstown, which has three Bahá’ís; and Western Grand Bahamas, where one believer lives. Three new localities must also be opened on the island of Andros.
In July, 25 youth from the United States traveled from island to island conducting a survey about a Bahá’í radio program. The youth also gave firesides, taught children’s classes, hosted two Feasts, and worked at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Nassau.
Prior to their arrival, the Faith was widely publicized through all available media.
Many Bahamians have been brought into the Faith but have not been deepened. Many of them are not active.
The National Spiritual Assembly has set no upper limit on the number of pioneers and Bahá’í teachers to go to the Bahamas. Presently six pioneers from the United States live there, and two more are on their way.
Positions now open for teachers in the Bahamas include the specialties of social studies, mathematics, biology, Spanish, English, math-science, home economics, and guidance counseling.
Positions in the health field are numerous, especially for anesthesiologists.
The Department of State is seeking men and women secretaries and typists to work in its embassies and diplomatic posts the world over, including the Bahamas.
[Page 3]
Letter to Treasurer
The Spirit of Giving Lies In Selfless Sacrifice[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
A flood of contributions from Assemblies, Groups, and individual believers during the past few months swelled the river of the National Bahá’í Fund to record heights. We are now entering the summer months, which are traditionally the low-water marks in terms of contributions to the National Fund. Perhaps this story of a dedicated Bahá’í couple will help to seed the clouds of sacrifice, which will bring forth abundant showers. They write:
“We will be having our fourth wedding anniversary next week. As a gift, we received a check. We were excited because we had our hearts set on a special, beautiful plant which we had not been able to afford. We planned to use the money to buy the plant. Tonight, while reading the Writings, we realized that we had an opportunity to do some sacrificial giving! We give to our Local Fund regularly, but this doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice. We thought of giving something in addition to our local contribution. Therefore, please accept this donation, the money for the plant, given in the spirit of love and sacrifice. Even though it isn’t a great sacrifice, maybe it’s a beginning. It sure felt like a great sacrifice for a couple of minutes while we thought about whether to do it or not! We both agree that this is a good way to celebrate our anniversary.”
Little by little, we learn what it means to sacrifice. This couple has done what each of us can do—make a beginning, seek out opportunities to forego something we desire, and give more to the Cause of God. If we are to win our annual goal, now is the time to start!
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
the Bahá’ís of the United States
Dorothy W. Nelson, Treasurer
The Office of the Treasurer tried something different at this year’s National Convention. We wrote to all of the delegates and asked them to respond to the following question: “What obstacles must be overcome before we will be able to win our Fund goals on a consistent basis?” We received many interesting replies—too many, in fact, to print them all. We will, however, share several of them with you:
Educate the believers that the amount given is not important. “It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which brings spiritual confirmations.”
We must arrange our priorities so that the Faith comes first. If we know who Bahá’u’lláh is and what He has come to do, how could we not contribute to the progress of His Cause?
We need to develop much more faith. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated: “As ye have faith, so shall your powers and blessings be.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Balyuzi, page 73)
The friends must have enough love for Bahá’u’lláh, and for the Faith, to make sacrifices; and each friend must assume an individual responsibility to make sacrifices. If this became our way of life, the budget would present no problems to the U.S. Bahá’í community.
Our obstacles include: Attachment to material needs and obligations; lack of understanding that regularity of contributing to the Fund, with sacrifice, is important; and not understanding the vital needs of our Fund goals for proclaiming and teaching our beloved Faith to all mankind.
The heart that is filled with love will find ways to sacrifice, give to the Fund, teach, and conquer its own spiritual battles. The Word of God is our infinite source. Nothing great is accomplished without sacrifice.
3 National Assemblies Hold Joint Conference[edit]
The National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States, Alaska, and Canada met the weekend of June 17–19 at the new Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Toronto to discuss the major challenges the condition of society in North America presents to the Faith at this time.
Each of the National Assemblies expressed concern about the rapid decline of society and its impact upon Bahá’ís, the stagnation of youth activities, and the need for the Bahá’í community to become more distinctive and resist compromising its high standards of conduct.
While at the joint meeting, the National Assemblies discovered that each of them has planned major events for the month of September, coinciding with the anniversary of the first mention of the Faith in North America in September 1893.
The National Assemblies feel that the Faith is on the brink of widespread advancement in North America.
In a message to The Universal House of Justice on June 20, the National Assemblies said they were “keenly conscious” of their “responsibilities” as “co-executors Divine Plan Beloved Master” and were “determined” to “exert every effort early achievement of all goals.” In its reply, The Universal House of Justice said it was delighted by the spirit of devotion and cooperation manifested at the meeting.
Besides meeting jointly, two working sessions were held. National Assembly members broke into three groups to discuss specific issues facing North American Bahá’ís. Recommendations were based on these discussions.
Topics explored during the first working session included native and minority teaching, administrative development and information sharing among the three National Assemblies, and the roles of children and youth in the Faith.
In the second working session, the groups discussed deepening, consolidation of Local Spiritual Assemblies, and individual teaching.
A letter resulting from the joint meeting was addressed to the Bahá’ís in North America. It was the first time that three North American Assemblies had addressed the Bahá’ís throughout the continent.
Speaking of the meeting, Soo Fouts, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, said later, “The biggest need is to stimulate the individual Bahá’í to rise to his destiny in the 20th century.”
150 Attend Family Life Institute in Minnesota[edit]
A Family Life Institute was sponsored by the Spiritual Assemblies of Roseville and St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 2–3. The purpose of Family Life Institutes is to develop a closely knit Bahá’í family life and to educate Bahá’í children in the Teachings of the Faith.
Several Family Life Institutes, initiated by the National Education Committee, have been held across the country. This particular conference was attended by 150 adults and children from Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The keynote speaker was Stephen Birkland, Auxiliary Board member for Minnesota and Wisconsin. He spoke about the meaning of marriage and parenthood. In a series of workshops, the friends discussed the Bahá’í approach to different types of family situations, which included interreligious marriage, single parenting, and the childless couple. The study of family life also encompassed spiritual, educational, social, economic, and health aspects. All workshop leaders were local Bahá’ís. They drew from experiences in their own occupations and family lives in making their presentations.
Mr. Birkland and his assistant for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area also conducted a seminar on how the family, as a unit, can teach the Faith.
Children attending the conference had their own program of activities. Classes on the Faith were interspersed with a trip to the Natural History Museum and a nature walk, among other things. All parents who brought children to the conference gave an hour of their time to the children’s program, and several people who were not parents helped as well. “It is an example of real Bahá’í growth when everyone in the community takes responsibility for educating the children,” said one of the participants.
Californians Confident of ‘Goals’ Triumph[edit]
The friends in California, with roughly 12 Bahá’í months left in which to fulfill the pledge by their delegates at the Bahá’í National Convention to raise 100 Local Spiritual Assemblies and double the number of believers in the state by Riḍván, are confident that both goals will be won.
California has challenged the remaining 47 continental states to double their numbers as well, and to raise only 300 new Assemblies among them by Riḍván.
With that challenge in mind, the California Regional Teaching Committee already has selected 50 Groups with four or more believers to be raised to Assembly status by December, which would leave only 50 more to be raised by Riḍván.
The goal Groups and a statewide teaching effort are the focal point of rallies being held by the RTC with every Local Assembly in the state. The committee is urging Assemblies to work together on the same goal Groups to expand and strengthen teaching efforts.
A major tool at the rallies is the teaching compilation recently published by The Universal House of Justice, which emphasizes the role of the individual in teaching. Local Assemblies are sharing knowledge from the compilation with their home communities to motivate the friends to teach.
The statewide project the Californians are gearing up for will involve every Bahá’í community for a 12-week period.
The first part of the campaign consists of proclamation activities: newspaper ads, television spots, direct mailings, and public meetings aimed at both adults and children.
Following the proclamation activities, sometime between mid-October and mid-November, each community will host Bahá’í Week, a period of intensive teaching.
Seekers attracted by Bahá’í Week teaching efforts will be directed to firesides and deepenings.
The Regional Teaching Committee has prepared a kit for the project that is available to every Bahá’í community in California.
To help finance the campaign, a budget of $250,000 was proposed and enthusiastically adopted by some 1,500 Bahá’ís who attended a meeting with Hand of the Cause William Sears at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 29. Three National Spiritual Assembly members—Richard Betts, Dorothy Nelson and James Nelson—and three Auxiliary Board members—Joyce Dahl, Margaret Gallagher and Fred Schechter—also were present.
In its presentation at the meeting, the RTC emphasized that Bahá’í Week is planned as a teaching endeavor, not a proclamation event.
Plans for the $250,000, which will consist of donations from Bahá’ís throughout the state, include advertising the Faith through 30-second television spots, ideally in the cities of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco.
RTC Secretary Carol Allen says if Bahá’ís are unable to obtain spots on television stations in major cities, they will certainly welcome coverage from stations in smaller communities.
Another part of the proposed campaign fund is to be allotted to communities that need financial assistance with proclamation events leading up to Bahá’í Week.
After enlisting the aid of institutions of the Faith for the statewide project, the Regional Teaching Committee will turn to individuals for assistance.
| Items | Five Year Plan Goals - Three States | Goals | June | To be filled | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Localities | 708 | 474 | 234 | |
| Counties opened | 58 | 52 | 6 | ||
| Local Assemblies | 265 | 171 R | 94 | ||
| Indian Reservations | (3) | (0) | (3) | ||
| Incorporated Assemblies | 100 | 67 | 33 | ||
| Illinois | Localities | 400 | 305 | 95 | |
| Counties opened | 102 | 63 | 39 | ||
| Local Assemblies | 99 | 52 R 3P |
47 | ||
| Incorporated Assemblies | 40 | 22 | 18 | ||
| New York | Localities | 360 | 301 | 59 | |
| Counties opened | 62 | 58 | 4 | ||
| Local Assemblies | 56 | 29 R | 27 | ||
| Indian Reservations | (2) | (0) | (2) | ||
| Incorporated Assemblies | 20 | 11 | 9 | ||
| R - Recognized | P - Pending | ||||
The friends will be asked to help in any way possible, whether it be providing hospitality for visiting teachers or inviting neighbors over to discuss the Faith.
Mrs. Allen says California “is looking for a good year,” especially along the U.S.-Mexican border. She says the majority of communities in the state are prepared for entry by troops.
Declarations always have occurred in a steady stream, she adds, but friends leave the state to pioneer in an equally steady stream, so the growth of the Faith in California hasn’t been readily evident.
The Californians plan to do something about that this year.
Victory Nears In New York[edit]
With only four counties remaining to be opened and 27 Local Spiritual Assemblies to be formed, the Bahá’ís of New York state have fewer Five Year Plan goals left to win than either California or Illinois.
At least one Assembly was to be formed in July, in the community of Webster.
All but five of the existing Assemblies have received the Local Spiritual Assembly Development Training Program. It is the plan of the Regional Teaching Committee that new Assemblies receive the training as soon as they are formed.
To help win the remaining Five Year Plan goals, two special teaching teams were created. One team is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Farmington, in the Western Teaching District, the other by the Spiritual Assembly of North Hempstead, in the Eastern District.
Carla Jeffords, the Regional Teaching Committee secretary, says that although “zap” hasn’t any spiritual connotations, it best describes what the teaching teams have been doing in Bahá’í communities nearly every weekend for the past six months.
The primary objectives of the teams are to unite the Bahá’ís in Eastern and Western New York to win the Five Year Plan goals, and to stimulate the friends throughout the state to teach.
Under the supervision of the District Teaching Committees, and with the support of local Bahá’í task forces, the teams visit communities, hold deepenings and conduct teaching activities.
Mrs. Jeffords says the five or six members of the teams “waltz in and make a big blitz” but remain in the background as much as possible, encouraging the local believers to take charge.
Sometimes, she says, it is simply “know-how” that is lacking on the part of Bahá’ís rather than the motivation to teach.
As The American Bahá’í went to press, it was projected that the Five Year Plan goals and ways in which the Bahá’ís of New York state might pull together to win them would be the topics of a joint meeting in June among the Local Spiritual Assemblies, District Teaching Committees, Regional Teaching Committee and special teaching teams.
The Regional Teaching Committee also is asking Bahá’ís in neighboring states to help win New York’s goals.
Classified Ads[edit]
Lakeview, Oregon is a rural town in the southeastern corner of the state. Employment opportunities listed in April included licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, auto service manager, automotive machinist, ranch mechanic and farm tractor operator. Contact Nina J. Gordon, Jackson County Teaching Committee, 620 Crowson Road, Ashland, OR 97520.
Twenty high school vocational agriculture teachers are needed immediately in North Dakota. Qualified persons may contact Don Erickson, State Supervisor Vo-Ag., 900 E. Blvd., Bismarck, ND 58501.
Homefront pioneers are needed in Dublin, New Hampshire, a town visited by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The nearby Petersborough Spiritual Assembly would be helped in its efforts to teach in Dublin by having a “home base” to work from. Contact the Spiritual Assembly of Petersborough, Carol Fuertado, Secretary, P.O. Box 53, Petersborough, NH 03458 for more information.
Arise!
Are You Praying For the Five Year Plan?
Illinois Conference Sets Plans For Winning Goals[edit]
An unopened county in Illinois was the site of a meeting June 11 attended by members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Regional Teaching Committee, members of 47 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Illinois, 12 Assemblies in neighboring states, and an Auxiliary Board member.
The believers were called to Eureka, in Woodford County, to discuss ways of motivating individual Bahá’ís to win the Five Year Plan goals.
Many of these are extension teaching goals, away from the immediate area of the Bahá’í community that has adopted them.
The purpose in doing this is “to get the Bahá’ís to spread out,” says Pat Jackson, Regional Teaching Committee secretary, “so there is at least one Bahá’í in every county in Illinois.”
While in Eureka, the Local Spiritual Assemblies turned in their goals to the RTC.
Mrs. Jackson says that at the beginning of the Five Year Plan, Local Assemblies adopted as many as six unopened counties as goals.
“Now they’re dropping some of them to concentrate on one or two goal counties,” she says, adding that “although goals are being dropped, sincere commitments are being made to expend every effort to win the goals that are adopted.”
Often, individual believers or families adopt counties or localities to open.
Local Spiritual Assemblies from neighboring states are pitching in to help.
The Bahá’ís of Terre Haute, Indiana, have pledged to open three counties. The Regional Teaching Committee has asked St. Louis, Missouri, to send four homefront pioneers to Illinois and adopt two unopened counties.
Mrs. Jackson says homefront pioneers are “desperately needed.”
Forty-three are needed, she says, to open unopened counties, 50 to open localities, and 250 more to bring 43 Groups to Assembly status.
Fifteen of the counties that are now open have only one believer in each, says Mrs. Jackson.
A Heartland Teaching award was presented to the George Dannells family at the Eureka meeting.
The award is given to individuals or communities who open goal counties or localities through their teaching efforts.
Mr. and Mrs. Dannells and their 9-year-old daughter taught the Faith in their goal county on weekends, obtaining two declarations.
At the meeting, seven Bahá’ís volunteered to homefront pioneer, while 25 said they would travel to teach the Faith.
A goal of hosting 1,100 firesides in the period from September 20 through October 20 also was set.
Publishing Trust Increases Prices[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust announced a major price increase in late June.
The increase, averaging 30 to 40 per cent, covers almost all books and materials carried by the Publishing Trust.
The Bahá’í Publishing Committee cited two principal reasons for the price rise: increased operating costs, and a rate of growth in the Bahá’í community that is lower than that anticipated at the outset of the Five Year Plan.
The Bahá’í Publishing Committee raised the prices with the approval of the National Spiritual Assembly.
|
Update from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust
To order: Order through Community Librarians if possible! Personal orders, enclose full payment plus $.75 handling charge for orders under $5.00. Order from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091. |
‘Grassroots’ Ablaze in S. Carolina[edit]
Grassroots: the common or ordinary people: the rank and file. (Random House Dictionary of the English Language)
Operation GRASSROOTS, as its name implies, calls upon the rank and file of the believers in South Carolina to spread the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to every level of society.
The plan was launched March 20, following a January meeting at which the National Spiritual Assembly encouraged the friends in South Carolina to initiate plans of their own and rely less on the National Center for guidance.
“We came up with the idea for Operation GRASSROOTS,” says Gertrude White, secretary of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee, “after the National Spiritual Assembly told us they weren’t going to do any more planning for us, that we were ready now to do it on our own.”
South Carolina is the only state other than the goal states of California, Illinois, and New York to have a Regional Teaching Committee. Owing to the widespread growth of the Faith there in the early 1970’s, the state was divided into eight teaching districts with the regional committee acting as over-all coordinator.
“It has taken us a while to consolidate the area,” says Bob James of the National Teaching Committee, “but I think it is finally being done. One evidence of this is the ever larger number of native believers on Assemblies as opposed to pioneers.”
GRASSROOTS, an acronym, stands for “Go Reach All Strata of Society. Rise Out of Obscurity Through Sacrifice.” Every Bahá’í in the state has an opportunity to become involved in the project as it moves from one teaching district to another for an average of one month each.
“One purpose of the plan,” says Charles Nightingale, secretary of the District Teaching Committee in Northern District No. 2, “is to reach the strata of society we missed the first time around.”
Operation GRASSROOTS has two phases. In the first, the Faith is publicized through the media and in other ways to the extent that by the end of the plan every person in South Carolina should have heard the name of Bahá’u’lláh and the word “Bahá’í.”
Phase II then offers seekers attracted by the media campaign an opportunity to become better acquainted with the Faith through firesides and proclamations. The publicity effort includes 30-second television spots, mailers, newspaper ads, and radio and television interviews in addition to direct teaching. All activities are guided by the District Teaching Committees.
One of the bolder moves in Phase I was a newspaper ad in The Columbia State, which has a combined morning and evening circulation of 160,000, on Easter Sunday and the previous Saturday evening.
The full-page ad proclaimed that “Christ has returned and His Name is Bahá’u’lláh.” The greatest response to the ad came from inactive Bahá’ís whose faith was reaffirmed through reading it.
“The idea for the ad came from one that was done in Alaska,” says Mr. Nightingale. “The area around here is real Bible Belt country. You have a lot of street corner preachers to contend with. So we decided to use the direct approach.”
‘One purpose of the plan is to reach the strata of society we missed the first time around.’
Source materials for Phase I are available from the Regional Teaching Committee. A catalog of these materials is sent to each District Teaching Committee.
Listed in the catalogs are newspaper ads, brochures that can be sent to civic clubs to interest them in Bahá’í speakers, mailers with detachable response cards, and the 13-part Jeff Reynolds radio show, among other things.
A statewide collection has been made to finance advertising and other publicity efforts in areas where the Local Spiritual Assemblies are unable to absorb the cost. With these donations, an estimated half-million persons have been reached, with four times that number expected to hear the name of Bahá’u’lláh in the near future.
After Phase I, or “reaching all strata,” the local Bahá’ís intensify follow-up teaching activities in Phase II.
Another of the aims of Operation GRASSROOTS is to increase the enthusiasm for winning the Five Year Plan goals. “The campaign has created a focal point for the believers,” says Mr. Nightingale.
Operation GRASSROOTS, designed to reach every stratum of society, uses a variety of methods to attract seekers including media publicity, proclaiming the Faith via large banners, as shown above, and having a good time at informal outdoor events at which the emphasis is on fun and fellowship.
Before GRASSROOTS was begun, activities in some districts had come almost to a standstill, says Mrs. White. Now, one of the northern districts has extended the plan for three months because of the enthusiasm shown by the friends.
Enthusiasm was generated early in the project when Bahá’ís were asked to assist in placing ads about the Faith on radio and television.
The increased activity also tends to have a rippling effect, says Mr. James, as Bahá’ís become excited about teaching going on in nearby areas and “turn around and start teaching in their own communities.”
‘Operation GRASSROOTS is the greatest thing that has happened in South Carolina since the early 1970’s.’
During April and May, says Mr. James, there were 30 declarations in South Carolina, primarily in the communities of Arthurtown, Chisholm Island, and Columbia. He says this is an increase above the number of declarations in recent years in the same period.
“In terms of numbers, it may not be overly impressive,” says Mr. Nightingale. “But we’re trying to reach the upper and middle classes with this campaign, and we expected the response to be slower.”
The positive results of GRASSROOTS, he points out, have not been limited to the wide media exposure or even increased teaching efforts.
‘The campaign has created a focal point for the believers.’
The sheer “movement from place to place” (Wellspring of Guidance, p. 76) undertaken for the Cause of God appears to have exerted its influence too.
In the first weeks of the project, believers traveled to the northern area of the state, where Operation GRASSROOTS first was tested, to teach. Later, Bahá’ís traveled from Columbia to nearby Arthurtown, where there are now 17 new Bahá’ís.
Three hundred Bahá’ís met in Columbia in May for a picnic. One hundred and fifty attended another picnic in Snyder, in the southern part of the state.
“Operation GRASSROOTS is the greatest thing that has happened in South Carolina since the early 1970’s,” says Mr. James. “Because it has unified the districts and brought the friends closer together, there are far more teaching activities.”
Operation GRASSROOTS, conceived to increase enthusiasm for winning the Five Year Plan goals while unifying the districts in South Carolina, already is beginning to yield the fruits of the dedicated efforts of the rank and file.
37-Year-Old Believer Is Martyred In Irán[edit]
As the Five Year Plan nears its conclusion and American Bahá’ís are called upon to sacrifice their time and resources to win its remaining goals, it is well to keep in mind the even greater sacrifices for the Cause of God that are being made by friends throughout the world.
On June 20, the National Spiritual Assembly received the following message from The Universal House of Justice:
“The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Irán has reported that a 37-year-old man, Mr. Ruḥu’lláh Taymúrí-Muqadam, a steadfast pioneer for some 20 years in Fáḍil Abad in the Province of Gurgán, has been martyred at the hands of misguided people of that village.
“Some members of a fanatical element of the area had been plotting against the Faith and had collected money to finance a large-scale attack on the Bahá’ís.
“In starting the campaign, they went to the house of Taymúrí and attacked him and his sister. The blows of a knife and other weapons caused the death of Mr. Taymúrí and serious injury to his younger sister, Miss Parvín Taymúrí.
“Fortunately, the authorities in Irán have arrested the assassins, and they now await trial. At present, the area is calm, and the government has the situation under control.
“The National Spiritual Assembly reports that it is confident that this persecution in the cradle of the Faith will attract divine confirmations and will bring new victories to the steadfast and devoted believers in the land of Bahá’u’lláh.”
RUḤU’LLÁH TAYMÚRÍ-MUQADAM
Pioneer Martyred In Iran
In Memoriam[edit]
- Mr. Jimmy Bradley
- Keysville, Georgia
- Date Unknown
- Beulah Brown
- Mequon, Wisconsin
- Date Unknown
- Mr. Moses Duchineaux
- Eagle Butte, South Dakota
- April 13, 1977
- Mary Ann Elczuk
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- March 29, 1977
- Alma Lee Glover
- Metairie, Louisiana
- May 1974
- Nancy Hastings
- Tucson, Arizona
- April 19, 1977
- Mr. George E. Hatch
- Thornton, Colorado
- December 29, 1976
- Ollie Mae Hill
- Milford, Delaware
- January 28, 1977
- Florence Holsinger
- Goleta, California
- May 1, 1977
- Mr. William Hurst
- Portsmouth, Virginia
- September 1976
- Mr. Erly Jones
- Norlina, North Carolina
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Ruth Kitson
- North Olmsted, Ohio
- May 23, 1977
- Leonora B. Klein
- Wayzata, Minnesota
- April 14, 1977
- Ruth LaQuier
- St. Cloud, Minnesota
- March 26, 1977
- Anne Adair Legge
- Dardanelle, Arkansas
- April 22, 1977
- Mr. Calvin Lewis
- Greenwood, South Carolina
- 1977
- Eleanor M. McCormick
- Hancock, New Hampshire
- 1977
- Ottilda Nelson
- Racine, Wisconsin
- April 17, 1977
- Mrs. Hazel Owens
- Urbana, Ohio
- April 17, 1977
- Mr. Sanders Palmore
- Greenwood, South Carolina
- 1976
- Mrs. Hazel H. Pingree
- Falmouth, Massachusetts
- June 10, 1977
- Mr. J. Harvey Redson
- Wilmette, Illinois
- May 29, 1977
- Mrs. Daisy Wynne
- Huntsville, Texas
- 1977
- Mr. Boysie Stevens
- Hephzibah, Georgia
- Date Unknown
- Mr. Clifford Stringfield
- Statesboro, Georgia
- June 16, 1976
- Mr. Peter Smith Terry
- Unity, Maine
- March 1976
- Minna N. Wyatt
- Carlsbad, California
- April 3, 1977
- Mr. Thornton Yarbrough
- Eatonton, Georgia
- June 13, 1976
D.C. Bahá’ís Commemorate Master’s Visit[edit]
To commemorate a public appearance 65 years ago by the Master, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, before an interracial gathering at Howard University in Washington, D.C., the Bahá’ís of Washington and the Howard University Bahá’í Club collaborated to present a week-long proclamation April 22–28.
The series of programs included panel discussions, seminars, a social evening featuring live music, and a poetry reading.
Featured speakers included former National Spiritual Assembly members Dr. Dwight Allen, who recently returned from a two-year tour as UNESCO’s educational adviser to the government of Lesotho, and Dr. William Maxwell, dean of the College of Education at the University of California, Fresno; Dr. Edward Carpenter, headmaster of Harlem Prep School in New York City; Antoinette Corprew, headmistress of Washington’s School Without Walls; and Dr. Willie Howard, dean of Howard University’s School of Education.
The Bahá’í Student Association of the University of California at Davis entered this float in the annual Picnic Day parade in Davis. The parade theme was “Wheels of Change.” The float was designed to resemble a steamboat, with children in international dress riding on it. An estimated 50,000 people attended the event, for which the Bahá’ís also had an information booth and display on campus.
On the final evening, Robert Hayden, a Bahá’í for many years who serves as consultant in poetry at the Library of Congress, read and commented on some of his poems.
Washington area educators, librarians, and college and university faculty members in the humanities received personal invitations to the week’s events, and flyers were widely distributed throughout the city, especially on college and university campuses. On the front of the flyers were ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’s words spoken at Howard University in 1912: “I pray in your behalf that there shall be no name other than that of humanity among you.”
Antoinette Corprew (standing) answers a question from the audience following a panel discussion that was part of a week-long proclamation at Washington’s Howard University commemorating the visit there 65 years ago by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. Seated left to right are Dr. Leon Jones, Dr. Edward Carpenter, Dr. William Maxwell.
In other teaching news...
The 30-second Bahá’í public service announcement, “The Oneness of Mankind,” has been aired frequently and continuously on KBTX-TV, Bryan, Texas, since November 1976. Offered to the station by David Songer, a Bahá’í production specialist who works there, the spot has been running about once every two days...
The Bahá’ís of Beloit, Wisconsin, won a second-place award for this float entered in Beloit’s annual Memorial Day parade. Theme of the float, which received warm applause along the parade route, was “The Oneness of Mankind.” Among the nine adults riding on the float were an American Indian, an Oriental, and two blacks. The second-place cash award of $15 was donated by the Bahá’ís to the Beloit Boys Club.
Miami Beach, Florida, has had three declarations this year. On June 23, some 25 guests joined the Bahá’ís for a Spanish Proclamation meeting there...
The One World School, a Bahá’í children’s school for the greater San Jose, California, area, has received a letter from the Universal House of Justice thanking the children for a contribution toward building the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. The children also sent a photograph of the student body and were assured by the Supreme Institution of the Faith that they would be remembered in prayers at the Holy Shrines.
More than 400 believers from the Northwestern U.S. and Canada attended a recent Marriage-Courtship Conference in Washington State sponsored by Auxiliary Board member Opal Conner and her five assistants. Speakers included Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi of Utah and Dr. Hossain Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada...
Bahá’í prayers are being aired at 8 a.m. each day on alternate weeks on WMJS Radio in Frederick, Maryland ...
A recent Unity Feast at the Papago Indian Reservation in southern Arizona, hosted by the Papago Bahá’ís, brought together Papago, Hopi, Oneida, Navajo, Cheyenne, Choctaw-Seminole, French, Algerian, Egyptian, and Filipino believers as well as members of the American Indian Teaching Committee and the Southern Arizona District Teaching Committee...
The newly-formed Spiritual Assembly of Southern Sandoval County, New Mexico, showed Part 4 of “The Green Light Expedition” to a group that included 25 seekers. A slide show a month later was attended by 18 seekers. The firesides are organized by a newly-enrolled believer whose two sons are pioneers in Africa ...
The Wichita Falls, Texas, community resolved that each of its members would set a goal of telling at least one person about the Faith each day. The results so far in this community effort include one declaration, three people attending firesides, three more seekers going to the home of a Bahá’í to learn more about the Faith, and a telephone inquiry—all within one week ...!
The Austin, Texas, community has developed a traveling display, “Reaching Human Potentials,” that is being used in its extension teaching ...
There have been three more enrollments in Chisholm Island, South Carolina, making 10 enrollments in a month’s time ...
In two weeks’ time, 17 people declared in Arthurtown, South Carolina, near Columbia. One of the new declarants works at an educational television station ...
A talk about the Faith was given to a high school history class at the Cherokee, North Carolina, Indian Reservation. The Navajo instructor was so impressed by the talk that he wants to have a two-day discussion of the Faith in his class each year ...
Of the 300 people attending the annual Memorial Day weekend conference in northern Virginia, two declared...
A family in Wilmette, Illinois, adopted Lee County as its personal goal to open to the Faith. The third visit to Lee County resulted in two declarations ...
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Falcon Heights, Minnesota, is sponsoring a Bahá’í Booth at this year’s Minnesota State Fair Aug. 25 through Sept. 5. More than a million people are expected to attend the fair ...
The Westborough, Massachusetts, community sponsored its third annual Children’s Poster Contest as a means of publicizing its Race Unity Day observance June 12 ...
The Albany, New York, Spiritual Assembly hosted a Teaching Conference June 18–19 that featured as speakers Auxiliary Board members Nat Rutstein and Mrs. Javidukht Khadem, as well as Alberta Lansdowne, Dwight Allen, and Bob Rosenfield ...
The Bahá’ís of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used a poster on Bahá’í teachings to proclaim the Faith on local buses ...
Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, has been named the site for the Summer of ’77 Extended Teaching Campaign Aug. 26 through Sept. 5, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania District Teaching Committee ...
The California State-Fullerton Bahá’í Forum sponsored a Religious Emphasis Week in March and an International Party in April. They also had an Islamic display at a Medieval Festival in April ...
More than 100 Bahá’ís from Western New York and their guests attended the first annual Riḍván celebration April 23 in Amherst Township. Guest speaker was newly-appointed Auxiliary Board member Nat Rutstein.
The Bahá’ís of North Chicago, Illinois, formed their first Spiritual Assembly at Riḍván, 1977. Front row, left to right: Judy Alamia, Elena Mayberry, Linda Bailey, Gordon Bailey. Back row, left to right: Frank Alamia, Ben Yates, Neli Berne, Ann Mehu, Dan Berne.
Maywood, California, has formed its first Local Spiritual Assembly. Front row, left to right: Dwight C. Waiters, Mary Zimmerman, Joe Richard Munoz, Henri Cross. Back row, left to right: Stephen Barnes, Bonnie Barnes, Paula Wahlstrom, Gregory Wahlstrom, Rebecca Gunn.
The Spiritual Assembly of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, was incorporated on May 6. Front row, left to right: Arden Lee, Samuel Dadian, Khalil Khavari, Bernice Fogel. Back row, left to right: Sue Khavari, Mildred Sanger, Beulah Bruesewitz, Lalus Ghorpade, Jacquelyn Dadian.
The Bahá’ís of Benton Township, Michigan, formed their first Local Spiritual Assembly last December and immediately adopted an impressive list of teaching plans. Seated, left to right: Mary Wilson, Patricia Douglas, Sandra Coleman. Standing, left to right: Jerry Thomas, Lola Winegar, David Douglas, Alonzo Coleman, Dorothy Brandt, George Wilson.
Canadian Center Formed[edit]
To spread the Faith in Canadian universities and other institutions of higher learning, which is a goal of the Five Year Plan, the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith was formed in 1975.
Bahá’ís of all countries are invited to join the Association, which provides services for the academic community and Bahá’í community alike.
The Association is currently working on two objectives to serve the academic community. One objective is the establishment of a Canadian Center for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith, which will inform interested persons or institutions of the scholarly and human resources available in the Bahá’í community. The second objective is to work with universities by providing their bookstores and libraries with advice on available Bahá’í resource materials, by developing formal courses on the Faith, and by acquainting university administrations with the Teachings and aims of the Faith.
The Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith invites all the friends to participate in its next annual meeting, to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in January, 1978. Those who wish to present papers about the Faith to the Association should submit them by August. Send them c/o Bahá’í National Center, 7200 Leslie Street, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.
Within the Bahá’í community, annual meetings are held to exchange ideas and sources of deepening materials. The Association is capable of working closely with students and scholars, proposing research topics to them, encouraging the publication of books and articles about the Faith, and at some future date, giving scholarships to Bahá’í students. Materials on the Faith are collected, assessed and listed for use at the Center.
Since the Association’s establishment, progress has been made toward meeting its goals. Branches of the Association have been formed in each Canadian province for cultivating relationships with the universities and for close contact with Local Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’í Campus Clubs. A textbook on the Faith is in the process of being written. The Bahá’í lecture bureau, a service of the Center, has made lecturers available to several universities upon request. Two annual meetings have been held, and reports of those meetings published in Etudes Bahá’í Studies.
Members of the Canadian Association for Bahá’í Studies receive two or three bulletins yearly and a copy of Etudes Bahá’í Studies. Memberships are renewable each year. Voting rights are reserved for Canadian members only.
‘Flowers’ Green Lake Theme[edit]
“Come Pick the Flowers” is the theme of this year’s Green Lake Conference, emphasizing that the believers have faithfully sown the seeds for years, and this is the season of harvest. The time is ripe now to pick the flowers from the garden of humanity.
Scheduled for the weekend of September 16–18, at the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin, the main thrust of the conference will be the inspiration, preparation, education and training of believers to teach directly, to take on the one-to-one challenge, to realize the promises of success, to be determined to take immediate action, and to joyfully win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
This largest of all annual Bahá’í conferences attracted over 1,000 people last year. As the conference is one month earlier this year than in past years, warmer weather is anticipated and outdoor activities are planned, including a picnic dinner on Saturday night.
Guest speakers include a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors; Auxiliary Board member Stephen P. Birkland, who will outline special local needs; Vahid Hedayati, an enthusiastic organizer in the forefront of successful teaching projects in many parts of the country; Gertrude White, Secretary of the Regional Teaching Committee in South Carolina and a member of the Council of the Louis Gregory Institute; and Stephen Jackson, with a special presentation from the Treasurer’s office. A gift from the Holy Land will be shared with everyone present.
An extraordinary musical fireside will be presented by the Unity Bluegrass Band, followed by a program of bluegrass music, square dancing and hayrides.
Conference fees are $3.50 for adults, $1.50 for children under age 12, and $4.00 for Saturday day guests. Fees are not included in room rates.
Room rates include one night’s lodging and three consecutive meals. Total cost per person is determined by the first and last meal. Single occupancy increases rates by $5.00 per day.
Prices for adults (18 and above) are $14.50, $15.50, $16.50 or $18.50. Prices for youth (12 through 17) are $13.50, $15.00, $15.50 or $17.00. Prices for children (2 through 11) are $9.00, $10.00, $10.50 or $12.00. The rate for tots and babies is $2.50.
Single meal prices for adults and youth are $1.80 for breakfast, $2.80 for lunch and $3.90 for dinner. Single meal prices for children ages 2 through 11 are $1.00, $1.30 and $2.70. No meals will be served on Friday.
Registration should be in advance, and $10.00 deposit must accompany the registration form.
Parents of nursery age children should supply toys, bottles, diapers, etc. Label everything. Both parent’s and child’s names should be on the back of the child’s shirt and jacket. Supply written instructions concerning medications, allergies, etc. Please bring cribs and playpens for your sleeping room, so the cribs there can be available for the nursery. If your child is not accustomed to unfamiliar circumstances without mother or father, do not leave him in the nursery.
For nursing mothers, or parents with babes-in-arms, a special room is provided in the main building, near the conference room.
A special plea is made for donations of safe unbroken toys to a permanent Green Lake toy box for the nursery.
More Teaching Briefs[edit]
The Wyoming District Teaching Committee and the Spiritual Assembly of Casper combined forces July 23–24 to sponsor the state’s first direct teaching event ...
The Western Washington Media Committee has put together a series of half-hour videotapes, “Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’í Story,” that can be played on local cablevision or regular broadcast TV stations. The series, produced under the guidance of the Edmonds, Washington, Spiritual Assembly and hosted by Carol Lerner and Bob Wilson, appears bi-monthly on Lynnwood’s Channel 3 cablevision ...
The Berkeley, California, Bahá’ís hosted the monthly meeting May 26 of the Berkeley Area Interfaith Council. John Love, chairman of the Berkeley Spiritual Assembly, read the opening prayer, Lincoln Gale read a selection from the Gleanings, and Mireille Gale gave a 20-minute talk on the Faith ...
Homefront pioneering paid off in Michigan as Bahá’ís moved to save three jeopardized Assemblies and another moved to Oak Park, enabling that community to form an Assembly for the first time ...
Bahá’ís in Canon City, Colorado, were invited to give three classes on the Faith in March and April at the Holy Cross Abbey, a private Catholic school for boys founded by the Benedictine Order. Three instructors and 50 students learned of the Faith and discussed it with their guests ...
The Spiritual Assembly of Fort Hall, Idaho was restored at Riḍván. Teaching activities which helped the Bahá’ís restore their Local Assembly included a visit by an Indian Bahá’í from Washington, who gave firesides and made personal contact with some of the Indian believers, and publication of an article about the Faith, written by a new Spanish believer, in the Idaho State Journal...
Garrison, Iowa was raised to Assembly status with the help of two declarants. One was the cousin of a believer in Garrison who declared one week before Riḍván, moved immediately into Garrison and found a job. The second believer declared at a Nebraska Summer School.
126 Pioneer Goals Unfilled[edit]
The International Goals Committee has announced that 126 of the overseas goals assigned to the U.S. Bahá’í community in the Five Year Plan remain to be filled, including 50 in the Americas, 31 in Asia, 26 in Africa, 10 in Europe and nine in Australasia.
With less than two years remaining in the Plan, pioneers are urgently needed to arise and fill the remaining posts. Those who are willing and able to help win this most important goal of the Five Year Plan should write to the International Goals Committee, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, for further information.
| AFRICA | Open | |
| (E) | British Indian Ocean Territory (Seychelles) | 2 |
| (F) | Central African Empire | 1 |
| (E) | Ghana | 2 |
| (E) | Lesotho | 1 |
| (E) | Liberia | 2 |
| Madagascar | 2 | |
| (E) | Malawi | 2 |
| (E) | Nigeria | 2 |
| (E) | Sierra Leone | 2 |
| (E) | South Africa (Transkei) | 4 |
| (E) | St. Helena | 1 |
| (P) | Upper West Africa (Cape Verde Islands) | 2 |
| (F) | Zaire | 1 |
| 26 | ||
| AMERICAS | ||
| (S) | Argentina | 3 |
| (E) | Barbados, Windward Is. | 2 |
| (S) | Bolivia | 3 |
| (P) | Brazil | 5 |
| (S) | Chile | 1 |
| (S) | Colombia | 2 |
| (S) | Costa Rica | 2 |
| (S) | Dominican Republic | 1 |
| (F) | French Antilles | 2 |
| (S) | Guatemala | 2 |
| (E) | Guyana | 1 |
| (E) | Jamaica | 2 |
| (E) | Leeward/Virgin Islands | 6 |
| (S) | Mexico | 10 |
| (S) | Paraguay | 3 |
| (S) | Peru (Cuzco & Puno) | 2 |
| (S) | Puerto Rico | 2 |
| (S) | Uruguay | 1 |
| 50 | ||
| ASIA | ||
| (B) | (E) Bangladesh | 2 |
| (J) | Japan | 20 |
| (K) | Korea | 6 |
| (E) | Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | 1 |
| (E) | Thailand | 2 |
| 31 | ||
| AUSTRALASIA | ||
| (E) | Marshall Islands | 2 |
| (E) | Northwest Pacific Ocean | |
| E. Caroline Islands | 1 | |
| W. Caroline Islands | 1 | |
| (E) | Papua/New Guinea | 1 |
| (E) | Western Samoa | 2 |
| (E) | Tonga | 2 |
| 9 | ||
| EUROPE | ||
| (F) | Belgium | 2 |
| (Dn) | Denmark | 2 |
| (I) | Iceland | 2 |
| (F) | (G) (It) Switzerland | 2 |
| 10 | ||
- Total Assignments to be completed: 126
LANGUAGE KEY
- Dn - Danish
- E - English
- F - French
- G - German
- I - Icelandic
- It - Italian
- J - Japanese
- K - Korean
- P - Portuguese
- S - Spanish
- Sw - Swedish
‘Victory Plan’ Challenges Believers to Arise[edit]
Continued From Page 1
the plan, “bringing news from all of the other cities as we come across the country and reporting on what is happening there.”
The months ahead, he added, “represent a golden opportunity for the American Bahá’í community to show what we’re made of, and a chance to mobilize the entire radiant spiritual Army of Bahá’u’lláh as never before.”
The mobilization begun with the “victory sessions” will shift into even higher gear on September 20 with a month-long series of firesides from coast to coast ending on October 20, the anniversary of the birth of the Báb.
The National Spiritual Assembly, in its message to the American believers at the Feast of Kalimát, asked that at least 20,000 firesides be held throughout the country by individual Bahá’ís.
“As a result,” the National Assembly said, “a tremendous spiritual charge will undoubtedly energize our national community.”
The many firesides, Mr. Sears added, “should have a tremendous impact on the teaching work and on the stimulation and excitement of the friends.”
Starting October 20, the ongoing firesides will be augmented by a series of deepening classes nationwide to be held through November 12, the anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
The entire Victory Plan, said Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, “is perceived as an integrated teaching cycle bringing together the elements of study, expansion and consolidation in a unified program that provides a complete experience the friends can carry forward.”
The National Education Committee has prepared a special deepening package to be used in conjunction with the deepening classes.
Keyed to personal transformation, and designed to deepen Bahá’ís and seekers alike, the program combines a variety of existing deepening materials with a new series of audio cassettes and supplementary printed materials in a step-by-step deepening course the NEC sees as a breakthrough in meeting present deepening needs.
The Universal House of Justice, in its message to the National Convention, said a “tremendous upsurge” is needed in the services of individual believers “on whose deeds ultimately all progress depends.”
A “great increase,” it said, “must take place in enthusiastic teaching carried out with confidence, imagination and perseverance by young and old, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, whether at home or traveling.”
Mr. Sears, in proposing his plan in response to the message from The Universal House of Justice, said, “I’d rather be here in the United States right now than any place else in the world, and to be alive at this time during the next year-and-a-half. I think these will be days we will long remember as days of joy and love and excitement.”
At their joint meeting of May 28, the Continental Board of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assembly were so moved following consideration of Mr. Sears’ message that their members arose spontaneously, joined hands around the meeting table and recited one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teaching prayers from the Tablets of the Divine Plan.
The roughly 1,000 weekend victory sessions to be held September 9–11 will be sponsored by Local Spiritual Assemblies.
Bahá’ís who are not in Assembly areas will be invited to join the nearest Assembly gathering, or assisted by their District Teaching Committee in making other arrangements.
Mr. Sears’ whirlwind visit that weekend to the five cities given special teaching emphasis in the Five Year Plan will begin Friday evening in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Sears plans to visit New York City and Chicago the following day before joining the friends gathered in San Francisco and Los Angeles on Sunday.
A member of the Continental Board of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly will be on hand to greet him in each city and to participate in the weekend’s events.
In his message to the National Spiritual Assembly, Mr. Sears likened the power of the Cause of God to “a tremendous thunderbolt. If we ever released it—pow! I could look forward and visualize such times as we have never had before.”
Committees Lay Plans[edit]
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For more than two years the NEC has anticipated a study course devoted to personal transformation that will, this year, be presented nationwide to the Bahá’í community.
The NEC program combines a variety of existing deepening materials currently available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust with a new series of audio cassettes and supplementary printed materials in a step-by-step course to be presented by a trained facilitator or course veteran.
The program already has been presented to Groups in three states and carefully evaluated for effectiveness, and is seen by committee and staff members as a breakthrough in meeting present deepening needs.
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It has long been a concern of the National Spiritual Assembly to combine a thorough deepening program with a vigorous teaching effort.
The Victory Plan of individual teaching and firesides combined with the deepening program of personal transformation goes a long way toward meeting the need.
The Victory Plan combines these most important elements of Bahá’í life—teaching and deepening—into unified aspects of a single spiritual process.
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