The American Bahá’í/Volume 8/Issue 8/Text
| ←Previous | The American Bahá’í August, 1977 |
Next→ |
 Proofread onceReturn to PDF view
|
[Page 1]
Warmest greetings attendants 4th American National Bahá’í Youth Conference. Recall with profound admiration impressive contribution made by Bahá’í youth to onward march of Faith throughout world. Fervently express hope your deliberations will inspire you respond to challenge of Two Year Youth Program with enthusiasm, vigor, audacity, perseverance, enabling you achieve victories far outshining previous exploits. Supplicating Bahá’u’lláh bestow His unfailing guidance, bountiful blessings on this important gathering and shower His Divine confirmations on each one of you. Assure you our deepest love.
Midpoint 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference over 2,800 attending extend deepest gratitude your message, warmest appreciation attendance three Hands Cause God—‘Alí-Akbar Furútan, William Sears, Zikru’lláh Khádem—Continental Counsellor Sarah Pereira, Auxiliary Board members, their assistants. Bahá’í, non-Bahá’í youth exploring themes distinctive characteristics Bahá’í life, career planning, preparation marriage and family life. Youth promise each bring one new Bahá’í into Faith by Naw-Rúz. Applaud news victories Oregon, California evidence youth commitment speedy accomplishment Two Year Youth Program. Supplicating Blessed Beauty assistance arduous task ahead.
Kindly convey participants National Youth Conference:
“Delighted large attendance Conference, warmly applaud commitment made by each Bahá’í youth in presence three Hands Cause and other distinguished officers Faith to attract one new believer by next Naw-Rúz. Be assured our ardent prayers your attainment praiseworthy objective.”
Youth Conference Sets Victory Stage[edit]
The 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference, dedicated to improving the quality of Bahá’í life as an example to mankind, and blessed by the presence and participation of three Hands of the Cause of God, was held June 29–July 3 on the campus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Like dry wood beneath a torch, the more than 3,000 believers attending the five-day event were enkindled by the warmth and love of Hands of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan and Zikru’lláh Khádem, and set ablaze by the fiery eloquence of Hand of the Cause William Sears who compared the gathering to the historic conference at Badasht at which the followers of the Báb fearlessly abandoned the shackles of Muslim tradition and sounded the clarion call of the new World Order.
Mr. Sears, in disclosing at the final session the National Spiritual Assembly’s plan for victory in the remaining months of the Five Year Plan and challenging the youth to arise to win each and every one of its goals, said he prayed that the conference would be remembered as “the five days that changed America.”
A special message to the conference from the Universal House of Justice was received, and a reply drafted in which each youth attending the conference promised to bring at least one soul into the Cause of God by Naw-Rúz 1978.
BAHÁ’ÍS from throughout the U.S. and from 14 foreign countries were present at the conference including members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Canada, Sierra Leone and Switzerland.
Nearly 90 non-Bahá’ís also attended, and by the end of the conference at least 38 of them had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Besides the Hands of the Cause, featured speakers included Dr. Sarah M. Pereira, representing the Continental Board of Counsellors in North America; National Spiritual Assembly members Daniel C. Jordan, Firuz Kazemzadeh and Dorothy W. Nelson, and Dr. Hossain B. Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.
Youth keynote speakers were Daniel Tso, a medical student at Harvard University, and Roya Ayman, a social psychology student from Salt Lake City, Utah. Master of ceremonies was Gary Worth, an Arizona radio announcer who formerly worked at the National Treasurer’s Office.
The conference was well-planned and well-run by the National Youth Committee, ably assisted by other committees and departments at the Bahá’í National Center.
THE THREE-FOLD purpose of the conference—to aid youth in developing the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life, learning a trade or profession, and preparing for marriage and family life—was carried forward in a number of interesting and innovative programs including seminars and workshops keyed to each day’s theme, career counseling by professionals in various fields, and a special self-evaluation test administered by Dr. Dorothy Há’í, a professor at Arizona State University, and a team of trained assistants.
Exhibits in the main Assembly Hall were sponsored by a number of business, professional and government organizations in addition to the various Bahá’í committees and offices.
The world’s largest Bahá’í bookstore was set up at the campus ice rink with the widest selection of Bahá’í books, pamphlets, audio-visual aids and special materials ever assembled in one place.
Entertainment was provided by a wide range of groups and individuals from the Ballet Shayda of Canada, pianist-composer Ludwig Tuman and soprano soloist Janis-Rozena Peri to traditional American Indian music, the Unity Bluegrass Band, and England Dan and John Ford Coley.
Also presented were the popular Bahá’í play, “The Education of Henry Halifax,” and a special presentation by the National Treasurer’s Office, “The Further Adventures of David Cashidy.”
The history of Bahá’í youth was movingly depicted by the National Education Committee in a slide presentation, “The School of Badí‘.”
FOR THE first time, a new videobeam technique was used to project a close-up image of each speaker onto a special six-foot by eight-foot television screen so that everyone in the spacious Assembly Hall might have a better view of the proceedings.
The large screen was built especially for
Speakers Urge Bahá’í Youth
Prepare Now for Life of Service[edit]
While the business of America, as President Calvin Coolidge once remarked, is business, speakers at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference at the University of Illinois left no doubt that the business of a Bahá’í is improving the quality of his life so that he might be of greater service to humanity.
Three Hands of the Cause of God, a Continental Counsellor, and three members of the National Spiritual Assembly joined other speakers in emphasizing the importance of careful planning and preparation for a life of service to others.
Especially important, the speakers agreed, are the central themes of the conference: choosing a career, preparing for marriage and family life, and acquiring the distinctive characteristics of a Bahá’í.
“The faster we communicate the Bahá’í perspective to the body of mankind,” said Continental Counsellor Dr. Sarah M. Pereira, “the sooner will the world’s present illness be cured and the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh established.”
In maintaining a Bahá’í perspective, said Dr. Pereira, “we must cleave to the Covenant, which is the cord that binds us to God’s Cause.”
DR. FIRUZ Kazemzadeh, vice chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, cited disintegration of the family, parental confusion, and a decline in the influence of religion as contributing factors to our present moral decay.
The choice everyone faces, he said, “is between a dying old world order and the building of a new one.
“As Bahá’ís, we have made our choice. But that is not enough. We must make it possible for millions of others to make that same choice.”
Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan is one of three Hands of the Cause of God who spoke at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference at the University of Illinois.
Bahá’ís, he said, “are indeed the only people who are aware that the agony of the world is also the birth pangs of a new civilization.”
Dr. Kazemzadeh emphasized the important role Bahá’í youth must play in building the new World Order, adding that they have several qualities that are indispensable to the Cause:
- —They are the least committed to tradition.
- —They have a superabundance of energy and zeal.
- —They are most willing to experiment and to take risks.
- —They are willing to put their energy where their faith is and to sacrifice for a cause.
“It’s not easy,” said Dr. Kazemzadeh, “to grow up and to mature in an age of crisis such as we live in today.
“One should plan the progress of his life in such a way as to be of service to the Faith.”
|
Inside
|
Dr. Dorothy Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, stressed the same theme, saying, “We must be continually involved in shaping our own destinies and forming our own characters.”
To control our lives, she said, “we must know what our purpose is as human beings. Bahá’u’lláh says our purpose is to know and to love God, and to help carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.
Youth Keynoters: Planning All-Important[edit]
Daniel Tso and Roya Ayman, youth keynote speakers at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference at the University of Illinois, emphasized the importance of planning for one’s career as well as for marriage and family life.
Mr. Tso, who is studying biochemistry and neurobiology at Harvard University, said the Faith must deal with the subject of career planning because of Bahá’u’lláh’s command to each of us to work.
Mr. Tso, 21, has been a Bahá’í for three years and is a member of the Harvard Bahá’í Club and the Greater Boston Children’s School Committee.
Bahá’ís maintain a proper perspective toward their careers by studying the Writings, said Mr. Tso. Man’s spiritual nature is otherwise poisoned by the materialism that has permeated our society.
He called one’s occupation the foundation of the Bahá’í community, saying that a satisfying career gives one the opportunity to interact with people and to grow spiritually.
Mr. Tso said the spotlight of attention on Bahá’ís is destined to grow even brighter, and closed with the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá exhorting the friends to “stand out distinguished from all others.”
Ms. Ayman, from Salt Lake City, Utah, is studying for a master’s degree in social psychology. She has served on the National Education Committee in Iran, and on the committee that arranged the children’s program for the International Teaching Conference in Paris.
In her talk centering on marriage and family life, Ms. Ayman said Bahá’ís must create new conditions that will enable the family to grow stronger in our society, rather than continue its decline.
Bahá’í marriage differs from other unions, she said, because it is both physical and spiritual in nature, the equality of each partner is assured, the parents of the future couple must consent to the marriage, and Bahá’ís are required to remain chaste outside of marriage.
She said that when the family is changed for the better, society also will change, because the condition of the family determines the condition of society.
ROYA AYMAN
‘Create New Conditions’
DANIEL TSO
‘Study the Writings’
Youth Programs Tied To Conference Theme[edit]
Although its agenda was crowded with many activities, programs and speakers, the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference tied each of them to its central theme: carrying forward the goals of the Two Year Youth Program announced last Riḍván by the National Spiritual Assembly.
Seminars, workshops, exhibits, public talks, and a career counseling program were designed to reinforce the stated purpose of the conference: to assist youth in developing the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life, choosing a career, and preparing for marriage and family life.
The National Youth Committee augmented the programs with work sheets on each of the main topics, personal goal sheets for each youth attending the conference, and a special brochure, Choosing Your Career, that relates one’s career choice to service in the Cause of God.
Speakers at the conference emphasized the importance of a rewarding career, proper preparation for marriage, and developing one’s Bahá’í characteristics as an example to mankind, and these themes were reiterated at seminars and workshops, several of which were conducted by members of the National Spiritual Assembly.
ON SATURDAY, July 2, the National Youth Committee issued a challenge to Bahá’í youth to arise and play their proper role in winning the remaining goals of the Five Year Plan.
“We must become self-starters for Bahá’u’lláh,” said Youth Committee Secretary Dr. David Clayborne. “We can’t expect answers to the world’s problems to come from a society on the verge of collapse.
“We must give our wholehearted and generous support to our Bahá’í institutions.”
The committee members then reminded the youth of some of the objectives of the Two Year Youth Program:
- —To strive to develop the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life.
- —To select and adopt individual teaching goals.
- —To prepare for the future by adopting and learning a trade or profession and developing talents and abilities.
- —TO PREPARE for family life by studying the Teachings on marriage and child education.
- —To contribute regularly to the Bahá’í Fund.
- —To promote and participate in service projects.
- —To multiply the number of enrolled Bahá’í youth from all walks of life.
- —To devote particular attention to helping win the teaching goals in California, Illinois, New York and the District of Columbia.
The Youth Committee called for the formation of an additional 100 Bahá’í Youth Clubs and 50 more Bahá’í College Clubs by the end of the Two Year Youth Program, which coincides with the end of the Five Year Plan at Riḍván 1979.
Youth were urged to use the personal goal sheets as a guide in planning their future course of action.
Included in the worksheets is a list of proposed goals for improving the quality of one’s Bahá’í life, a calendar for measuring progress toward one’s goals, and a plan of action for outlining one’s daily personal commitment to growth.
The career counseling program, available for the first time at a Bahá’í Youth Conference, was conducted by 54 successful businessmen and women in 36 career fields from agriculture to youth services.
In addition, the youth had access to a number of exhibits sponsored by various business, professional and government organizations at the conference’s Assembly Hall.
U.N. Day Ideal for Proclamation[edit]
If your community has considered hosting an international dinner or a foreign students’ program, Monday, October 24, would be an ideal day to do so.
October 24 is United Nations Day, a day devoted to harmony in the international community.
Should your community observe United Nations Day, it would be helpful to send a report and a photograph to the Bahá’í Representative to the United Nations, 345 E. 46th Street, New York, NY 10017.
Conference Bookstore Superb[edit]
Billed as “the largest Bahá’í bookstore in the world,” the ice rink-turned-bookstore at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference at the University of Illinois featured several new titles.
One of these was “The School of Badí‘,” a filmstrip depicting the sacrifices and contributions made by youth for the advancement of the Faith since its inception.
A shipment of Spanish materials also was available, much to the happiness of a pioneer from Panama who said Spanish literature is quite scarce in her country, adding that she would “stock up” before returning to Central America.
For children, a rubber stamp kit was released as part of the Star Study Program.
Souvenirs of the conference included pens, knapsacks, portfolio bags and stickers, all of which carry the red-and-white conference logo.
The above items also are available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust through your local Bahá’í librarian.
Remember to reserve the first Sunday in October for District Convention. Your District Teaching Committee will notify you soon as to the time and the place. Mark October 2 on your calendar now!
The National Spiritual Assembly reminds the friends that permission from the Universal House of Justice must be obtained prior to traveling to Haifa, or anywhere else in Israel.
[Page 3]
The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears presides at recording sessions June 23–24 at Quad-Tech Studios in Los Angeles at which cassette tape programs were prepared for use during the “Victory Weekend” September 9–11.
Verily, ’Tis Far Better To Give Than Forget[edit]
To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in America
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Summer is here! Many of us are vacationing, travel-teaching, attending the National Youth Conference or a summer school, or embarking on other exciting adventures that alter our day-to-day routine. For this reason, we would like to share the following parable:
“Now it came to pass that as summertime drew near, a certain Bahá’í bethought himself of cool streams where fish were found, his children thought of hiking and climbing, and his wife thought of gathering wildflowers in the mountains. And this Bahá’í spoke and said: ‘Come, let us depart to where teaching opportunities abound and the fishes do bite, and the cool winds bring refreshment and the land is beautiful about us.’
“ ‘Thou speakest words of wisdom,’ said the wife, ‘yet four things must we do ere we go.’ ‘Three things think I of,’ said the husband, ‘that we ask our neighbor to minister unto our flowers, that our dog be fed and watered, and that our mail be collected; but no other thing cometh to my mind.’
“ ‘The fourth is like unto the other three, but greater than all,’ said she. ‘Even this: That we shouldst make our regular contributions to the Local and National Funds in order that the teaching work might continue and the needs of the Faith be met, and so that we maintain our record of regular giving. For verily, we have more money now than we will have upon our return.’
“And the husband replied, ‘Of a truth, I came nigh unto forgetting. I heartily thank thee for remembering!’ And the family contributed before their departure, rejoicing in the knowledge that they had fulfilled their commitment to the Cause of God.”
Like the family in the story, let’s put contributing to the Fund at the top of our “to-do” list this summer. We pray that wherever you go, God will enable you to win the hearts of the people you meet.
- With loving Bahá’í greetings,
the Bahá’ís of the United States
Dorothy W. Nelson, Treasurer
There Was Time for Laughter Too[edit]
Although the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference pursued seriously its goals of helping youth plan for a career and marriage while improving the quality of their Bahá’í life, it was not without its lighter moments.
Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan especially delighted the more than 3,000 in attendance with a number of humorous anecdotes during his two addresses at the conference.
To illustrate the lack of brotherhood and understanding between people of differing religions, Mr. Furútan recounted the story of a Muslim, Christian and Jew who were thrown into the sea by a sudden storm and were swimming desperately toward an overturned boat on which there was scarcely room for one of them to cling.
“Oh God,” said the Muslim, “please drown this Christian so that I might have a place to rest.”
“Oh God,” said the Christian, “please drown this Muslim infidel so that I might have protection from the sea.”
THE JEW said nothing, but continued swimming doggedly ahead.
Curious, the Muslim and the Christian at last turned to him and said, “Why is it we have heard nothing from you?”
“I was waiting,” replied the Jew, still swimming hard, “for God to answer both your prayers!”
While many people pride themselves on our civilization, said Mr. Furútan, the truth is that we live in a world filled with senseless savagery.
To drive home the point, he told of a cartoon he had seen in which were pictured a beribboned general and a cannibal chief. Between them lay a number of obviously dead bodies.
“Pray tell me, who killed these people?” the cannibal asked the general.
“I HAD them killed,” the general replied.
“Why?” asked the chief.
“Because they were my enemies.”
“I see. And now, you are going to eat them?”
“Certainly not,” said the general, his face flushed with anger. “We’re not savages! We’re civilized people.”
“Well,” said the chief, shaking his head sadly, “it certainly is a terrible waste of good meat.”
Hand of the Cause William Sears had the audience laughing, crying and roaring like lions as he urged the friends to arise and win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
“If you don’t feel as close to God as you used to,” Mr. Sears said at one point, “who moved?”
Handing out declaration cards to everyone in the audience, Mr. Sears declared: “This is the best credit card in the world. You get all the benefits and don’t have to make any of the payments!”
Dr. Dorothy Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, also delighted the audience with her ready wit and keen sense of humor.
STRESSING the need for preparation to achieve one’s goals in life, Dr. Nelson recounted an old saying among farmers:
“A person who wants milk doesn’t sit on a stool in the middle of a field and hope the cow will back up to him.”
Dr. Hossain Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, told the story of a holy man who died and, since he was a celebrity of sorts, was invited to tour heaven and hell.
“Which place would you like to visit first?” he was asked.
“Well, since I’ll be living in heaven,” the man replied, “I think I’d like to see hell first.”
He was taken to a large iron gate that swung open to reveal a view of lovely gardens with flowing streams, luxuriant trees and birds and wildlife of every description.
IT WAS lunchtime, and a picnic lunch was spread on a large blanket. As the inmates of hell approached the picnic area, the man noticed that each of them looked emaciated, as though he hadn’t eaten in many days.
He soon discovered why.
Each resident of hell had a spoonlike device attached to his wrist. When he tried feeding himself with it, the food either went past his shoulder, or landed in his eyes, on his nose, on his chest—everywhere but in his mouth. One by one, the inmates gave up trying to eat and collapsed on the ground, sobbing.
Having seen enough, the man asked for the tour of heaven. There, he found the scene to be identical—lovely trees, flowers, streams, animals roaming free, and even a picnic lunch.
As the man watched, the residents of heaven also sat down to eat. As in hell, each one had the same spoonlike device on his wrist.
The meal had hardly begun before the newcomer recognized the one difference between heaven and hell:
Instead of struggling vainly to feed himself with the unwieldy spoon, each of the residents of heaven fed the person directly across from him.
All Is Not Lost...[edit]
If you returned home from the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference only to discover you had left belongings there, please write to the National Youth Committee at 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Include a detailed description of the item(s).
Pioneer Need Stressed[edit]
What do speaking French and living in Japan have to do with one another? Nothing, unless you are talking about pioneering, which was the subject of an International Goals Committee presentation at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference.
The committee members who spoke were Mildred Mottahedeh and Alfred K. Neumann. Mrs. Mottahedeh, a Bahá’í since 1927, served for 30 years as United Nations observer for the Bahá’í International Community, and chaired the Jubilee Conference in London in 1963.
Dr. Neumann is co-director and UCLA principal investigator for the Danfa Comprehensive Rural Health and Family Planning Project: Ghana.
“The International Goals Committee is dreaming of an army of dedicated Bahá’ís who will pioneer and make their marks upon the world,” said Mrs. Mottahedeh.
Part of making one’s mark upon the world is staying at a pioneering post for more than two years. The youth were told that it takes at least two years for human differences to turn into human likenesses.
The great need for French-speaking pioneers and the urgency of settling in Japan were mentioned.
“Japan is perhaps in greater need than any country in the world,” said Mrs. Mottahedeh. “The pioneer to Japan should be gentle and wise, and able to learn Japanese customs and mores.”
Some youth, during a question-and-answer period, were concerned that by the time they are prepared to pioneer, no goals will be left. They were assured that since the inception of the Faith there has been a need for pioneers, and the situation is not likely to change in the near future.
Mrs. Mottahedeh said that although doors are closing to the Faith, nothing can close to the Will of God.
|
4th YOUTH CONFERENCE
ARISE! |
[Page 4-5]
4th Bahá’í National
YOUTH
Conference
The “youth of tomorrow” received plenty of tender love and care at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference.
1. This little toddler wore the Conference badge proudly. 2. Naps were an enjoyable pastime. 3. And so were games. 4. Coloring was fun, even if you didn’t stay within the lines. 5. And of course, the meals were simply delicious. 6. Afterward, a romp in the park was just the thing to wipe away the cares of the day in an ocean of laughter.
The friends gathered at Assembly Hall ...
... where the Conference’s formal programs were held
TV screen mirrored Hand of the Cause Zikru’lláh Khádem
Special signs helped friends find their way around campus
Hand of Cause William Sears urged youth to ‘Arise!’
Prayer vigil added to spiritual tone of Conference ...
... while American Indian music lent charm and excitement
Stephen Ader conducted one of many informative seminars
Youth Committee reminded us how far we have to go
Unity Bluegrass Band dropped everything to entertain ...
... and on stage, Canada’s Ballet Shayda was warmly received
The Conference brought the friends closer together ...
... and left some dreaming of the next one
‘Teach Ye the Cause, O People of Bahá’[edit]
Lake Kissick Won’t Let Anything Stop His Teaching—Not Even Cerebral Palsy
“Verily, God hath made it incumbent upon every soul to deliver His Cause according to his ability.” — Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í World Faith, p. 206)
Bahá’u’lláh makes no exceptions. Everyone, He says, must teach according to his own ability.
But what of those whose ability to teach is severely limited through no fault of their own? Should they also be expected to „deliver His Cause”?
Lake Kissick Jr. believes that they should.
In fact, Lake himself, an isolated believer in Findlay, Ohio, is a shining example of how much an individual can do for the Cause in spite of physical problems most people would regard as insurmountable.
Lake Kissick has cerebral palsy, a neuromuscular disorder that has left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair, unable to speak or to control his voluntary muscles.
HAS THAT stopped Lake from teaching the Faith? Not for a moment.
Able to hear and to understand perfectly but unable to reply, Lake „communicates” by using an ingenious „answer board” developed especially for him by his father.
The board contains a series of letters, numbers and key words that make it possible for Lake to „answer” any question and to carry on a conversation by pointing to the proper symbols with a pointer attached to his forehead.
Lake, now 27, has been using the board since he was 11 years old. It enables him to give firesides, introduce friends and acquaintances to the Faith, and to earn his living as a salesman.
Lake Kissick learned of the Faith about five years ago from a physical therapist at the Crippled Children’s School in Jamestown, North Dakota.
Shortly after enrolling as a Bahá’í, he began teaching the Faith to another student at the school, Chris Lee. Chris, who also has cerebral palsy, accepted the Faith and is now studying creative writing at the University of Indiana.
WHILE attending the 3rd Bahá’í National Youth Conference at Oklahoma City in 1973, Lake became aware that there were many other Bahá’ís there who ordinarily would be considered „handicapped” in some way or other.
Why, he thought, couldn’t these „handicapped” Bahá’ís who found it more difficult to travel long distances share ideas and draw closer together through a newsletter written especially for them.
Lake took the idea home with him and enlisted the aid of some friends in working out the details. Now, four years later, the Bahá’í handicapped teaching project is ready to get under way.
Lake Kissick, who hasn’t let a physical handicap stand in the way of his teaching the Cause, points to his „answer board” during an interview at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference. Lake hopes soon to start a newsletter for the handicapped.
Lake and his friends set up a booth at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference at the University of Illinois to ask the friends for help and acquaint them with the goals of the project:
- To serve as an information clearing house for ideas, teaching experiences, poems or anything else handicapped Bahá’ís would like to share in a newsletter.
- To educate the Bahá’í community as a whole to the abilities, enthusiasm and desire to serve of handicapped Bahá’ís.
- TO DEVELOP ideas on how to reach the handicapped with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
The first goal is to prepare and distribute the newsletter, which Lake would like to see done on a quarterly basis at least.
Next, he would like to see a yearly conference especially for handicapped Bahá’ís, and, eventually, perhaps, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land by the handicapped.
Anyone who is interested in the project, handicapped or not, may obtain further information by writing to Lake N. Kissick Jr., Route 1, Box 337B, Findlay, OH 45840.
Variety Spices Youth Conference Entertainment[edit]
The statement by pianist/composer Ludwig Tuman, one of the featured performers at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference, that “Bahá’í culture is free to draw on the achievements of all past civilizations” was amply supported by the wide variety of musical and other entertainment presented at the conference.
Going as far back as 900 A.D., Mr. Tuman “stopped in five different centuries” to demonstrate how the song, “Alláh-u-Abhá,” would have been played in each.
Mr. Tuman said that as the new World Order arrives, international trends will coexist with national cultures, with the Sacred Writings serving as a “sifter” in gleaning the best from each culture.
The best-known act was that of recording stars England Dan and John Ford Coley who began their performance on the conference’s final day with “The Prisoner,” a song about the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh.
Original American Indian culture was drawn upon by Nanette and Colette Graves from Bemidji, Minnesota, who charmed the audience of more than 3,000 with Sioux-style singing. They were given special permission to sing an Honor Song especially for the conference, as well as singing the Ojibway Honor Song for the Flag of the Indian Nation.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh was the inspiration for six selections sung by soprano Janis-Rozena Peri. It was announced at the conference that she would appear July 17 on the CBS-TV program, Camera Three.
One of the groups that already has “sifted” through various cultures is Do‘a, from Dover, New Hampshire.
In their performance at the conference, as in a soon-to-be released album, Light Upon Light, the duo of Ken LaRoche and Randy Armstrong proved its versatility, creating marvelous music from a gathering of instruments from all over the world.
Besides musicians, entertainment included a dance troupe from Canada, the Ballet Shayda, and a modern dance performed by Norbert DuBois of New York.
The ever-popular Education of Henry Halifax, a musical play about the adventures and misadventures of a new Bahá’í as he learns to follow Bahá’u’lláh’s laws, was especially well-received.
The happy ending, in which Henry is married to Harriet, the Bahá’í who taught him the Faith, was repeated in real life. Jerry and Jenny Lerner of Shorewood, Wisconsin, who played the leading roles, met two years ago while performing Henry Halifax at Green Lake, Wisconsin, and were married one week before the Youth Conference.
Other musicians who performed at the conference included Quinn Sapphire, a progressive jazz-rock ensemble from the Chicago area; the Unity Bluegrass Band, also from the Chicago area; Talisman, from California, who sang about “the incredible spark that gave the Dawnbreakers courage”; Mark Tossman and Mike Knopf, who combined their skills as classical and jazz guitarists; Second Dawn, from northern California, and Larry Kulick and Danny Armstrong, guitarists from Michigan.
Also, the Kerry McCord Chorus, featuring youth from Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia and Washington, D.C.; Red Grammer, a singer/guitarist from Wisconsin; the Sterling Glenn Chorale from Detroit, which performed both upbeat and African choral music; the Milwaukee Chorale, which adapted well-known songs such as “Seventy-six Trombones” to Bahá’í themes, and the Summer Brothers, singer/guitarists from Grand Prairie, Texas.
Conference Zeroes in on Youth Plan Goals[edit]
Among the distinguishing features of the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference held June 29 - July 3 at the University of Illinois was its emphasis on improving the quality of one’s Bahá’í life by planning for the future.
The purpose of the conference, according to the National Youth Committee, was for “all participants to study, discuss, and understand what makes Bahá’í life distinctive.”
The conference was planned around three central themes that are vital elements of the Two Year Youth Program: developing the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life; learning a trade or profession, and preparing for marriage and family life.
The themes were developed and explored through seminars, workshops, exhibits, career counseling, and a special self-evaluation test administered by trained consultants.
The National Youth Committee distributed a special brochure, Choosing Your Career, that relates one’s career choice to service in the Cause of God and emphasizes the importance of proper study and preparation for any career.
Worksheets also were prepared and used on the subjects of marriage and family life, education and careers, and the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life.
As a supplement to the Two Year Youth Program, conference participants were given personal goals sheets as a simple, practical method for reviewing the program and measuring one’s progress toward carrying out its goals.
The worksheets include suggested goals for Bahá’í youth, an evaluation sheet, and guidelines for a personal plan of action.
Fifty-four Bahá’í businessmen and women were at the conference to counsel youth in 36 career fields ranging from agriculture to youth services.
Those attending the conference also had access to exhibits sponsored by the American Library Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Veterinary Medicine Association, the Institute of Food Technology, National Recreation and Parks Association, Palmer College of Chiropractic, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Prayers, Love, Togetherness Set Tone[edit]
“You can’t compromise and you can’t apologize for your faith,” said Kerry Koskie of Edmond, Oklahoma.
Compromising or apologizing were the farthest things from the minds of believers at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference, who cabled the Universal House of Justice that each of them would bring at least one new believer into the Faith by Naw-Rúz 1978.
One hundred of the youth appealed for a place to be set aside at the conference for an around-the-clock prayer vigil in support of the Five Year Plan goals.
“The Bahá’í youth who are here will be released throughout the world with their spirits on fire for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh,” said Rick Erby of Marion, South Carolina, summing up the feelings of many of those who attended the five-day conference June 29–July 3 at the University of Illinois.
SEVERAL youth began their “release throughout the world” immediately after the conference. Some went to the Bahamas to help raise five Local Spiritual Assemblies, while others went to Europe. Three groups of American Indian believers made plans for an August cross-country teaching trip, starting from New York, California and Arizona, and meeting in Oklahoma.
Jenny Dushku of Forest Park, Georgia, who is teaching in Jamaica for a month, said of the conference: “When we held hands and sang in the Assembly Hall, I felt so good, so close to everyone.”
The feeling of closeness was evident throughout the conference as youth assessed their role in the Five Year Plan and prepared for the serious business of choosing a career, raising a family, and improving the quality of their Bahá’í life.
Many of them looked toward pioneering on the homefront or in a foreign country as a long-range goal.
One such youth, Charles Thomas of Rock Hill, South Carolina, said, “After finishing my education as an electronics and engineering technician, I plan to pioneer in Brazil.”
ANOTHER youth, from Pierre County, Washington, asked about his future plans, replied: “I hope to take French for the next three years and also in college, then go to France to complete medical school and my education, set up as a general practitioner and teach my heart out.”
One of the conference themes, developing the distinctive characteristics of Bahá’í life, was especially meaningful to Busha Vahdat of New York.
Said Busha: “The conference helped me to understand Bahá’í laws better by actually living them. Leading a completely Bahá’í life for a few days was the most helpful thing for continuing to live as a Bahá’í.”
Residents from 14 foreign countries and the U.S. were at the conference including youth from a number of Bahá’í communities outside the U.S.
“The youth conference was truly a soul-stirring experience, and yet another beginning for spiritual growth,” said Diane Talbot of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
A fellow Canadian, David May, said, “It’s very uplifting to see so many Bahá’ís together, both young and old.”
“I CAME a long way to attend the conference,” said Carl Waheland, a Hawaiian Bahá’í, “and was absolutely delighted with the topics, seminars, workshops, and especially the Bahá’í spirit of brotherhood and unity that permeated the conference.”
Val Carnegie, from Baltimore, Maryland, also felt strongly the spirit of unity.
“I think there was a great deal of sharing between youth and adults who attended, both in and outside the formal gatherings,” she said.
One youth was even able to come up with a brief description of the conference that reflected the feelings of everyone who was fortunate enough to be there: “Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá!”
The friends attending the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference enjoyed a wide range of exhibits by Bahá’í committees and professional organizations at Assembly Hall.
The Bahá’ís of Bosque Farms, New Mexico, formed their first Local Spiritual Assembly at Riḍván 1977. Front row, left to right: Michael Miller, Robert Turfler, William Patterson, David Bower. Back row, left to right: Rudolph Fox, Susan Gregg Fox, Benin Turfler, Karen Patterson, Deborah Bower.
Persian Friends Hear Mr. Furútan[edit]
More than 200 Persian believers at the 4th Bahá’í National Youth Conference had the opportunity to meet with the Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan in a special session on Saturday, July 2.
Sessions for Persians also were held on Thursday and Friday, when National Spiritual Assembly members Firuz Kazemzadeh and Glenford E. Mitchell answered questions.
The sessions were called by the National Spiritual Assembly to discuss the specific needs and concerns of Persian Bahá’ís residing in the United States.
One issue was whether or not those laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas that are not yet mandatory for American believers, but are followed by Persian believers in Irán, should also be followed by Persian believers in America.
Dr. Kazemzadeh said, “More laws were given to us, that is, Persians, and more is expected of us.” He said the communities are at different stages of growth, and the Universal House of Justice will determine when it is time for the American community to follow certain laws. Until that time, Persians should follow the laws they knew in Irán, but not force them upon the American friends.
One of the laws specifically mentioned was that of the engagement period before marriage lasting no less than 95 days. The National Assembly announced that this law applies in America only when both parties are Persian.
The National Assembly also announced that a Persian conference will be held annually, and that the Bahá’í Publishing Trust is in correspondence with the National Assembly of Irán to determine if Persian Bahá’í literature might be imported from Írán or published in the United States.
A plea was made that Persian believers more actively teach the Faith. Dr. Kazemzadeh said American Bahá’ís look to Persians to set the example. “If we had just one Persian in each state, we could conquer the country in two years’ time,” he said.
Arise!
Have You Held a Fireside This Month?
Speakers
Continued From Page 1
“We must set goals,” she said, “and strive to attain them. Almost anything worthy of achievement is won day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, gradually, not instantly.
“ONE OF the greatest tragedies in life is to have no choices, no options. You can make certain you have choices by preparing yourself, and by setting realistic goals.”
Life is not simple, said Dr. Nelson; “in fact, it’s rather complicated. But that’s what makes it fun.
“One’s life is a never-ending pathway with many other paths leading from it. Each path has a gate that will be open to you only if you have the proper credentials; that is, if you are prepared to enter it.
“These are imaginary paths, of course. They represent your choices in life. To travel them, you must prepare with a capital P.
“No matter how well life goes for you,” she said, “you will never ‘arrive.’ You are always on your way. Life is in the running, not the arriving.
“Your whole life,” Dr. Nelson added, “should be devoted to the Cause of God. You should, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘bring thyself to account each day.’”
Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, said, “The family is the fundamental building block of society, and the family depends upon the strength of the marital bond.
“FOR THE good of society, we must make sure the marital bond is as strong as it can be.”
Pointing to the steadily rising incidence of broken marriages in America, Dr. Jordan said the main reason for the failure of the so-called “Hollywood model” marriage is that there is no balanced set of expectations on the part of marriage partners.
“Our system of preparing for marriage,” he said, “is practically non-existent. We all wear masks, and sometimes these masks fall in love and are married. But we find it hard to wear a mask 24 hours a day, and the marriage soon finds itself in trouble.
“Attachment to the one you plan to marry is not a safe foundation for marriage. If you are attached to someone or something, you are by definition not free.
“Freedom comes from detachment, which Bahá’u’lláh defines as attachment to God and His ordinances.”
HEALTHY marriages are essential, said Dr. Jordan, because “giving birth to and raising a generation of children correctly is absolutely essential to building an ever-advancing civilization.”
If our Bahá’í marriages are strong and our families firmly united, he said, “we will draw the rest of the world to our Bahá’í community like a magnet.”
Dr. Hossain B. Danesh, a psychiatrist and member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, said we live in an adolescent society that is “obsessed with power and competition.”
To cure that sickness, he said, “we must replace power with love, and competition with cooperation.”
At the core of the Bahá’í community, said Dr. Danesh, is trust: trust in the nobility of man, in the absence of evil, and in the mercy and justice of God.
“In that kind of society,” he said, “you need no power to (a) protect yourself, or (b) prove yourself superior to others.”
BAHÁ’ÍS have the remedy for the world’s problems, he said, “but if we focus on the problems we won’t get anywhere. Instead, we must concentrate on what is missing and supply the cure.
“The pursuit of happiness,” he added, “is the most unspiritual and self-destructive process we can become involved in.
“Obedience is the foremost sign of maturity. We must accept God’s commandments without condition.”
Dr. Danesh compared individualism to a cancer that destroys the body of society.
“The moment a cell in a healthy body says, ‘I intend to be whatever I want, go wherever I want, and eat whatever I want,’ you have a cancer,” he said.
In a Bahá’í society, said Dr. Danesh, we can have individuality without cancerous individualism.
Beyond that, he said, we must realize that “life on this planet is only part of a much longer journey. Young people especially must understand this if they are to maintain a proper perspective.”
|
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. |
Youth Pledge Victories at Conference[edit]
Continued From Page 1
the youth conference by the National Information Office, and used two Sony color cameras run through an effects generator.
The conference featured a comprehensive nursery and children’s program that included transportation, classes, lunches, story hours and movies.
There was also a special workshop program for Persian believers that was attended by members of the National Spiritual Assembly and addressed at its final session by Mr. Furútan.
Other workshop programs focused on Bahá’í law, materialism, the Covenant, politics, peer pressure, Bahá’í administration, nutrition, prayer and meditation, teaching, drugs and alcohol, chastity, child education, and freedom from prejudice.
Publicity was extensive with commercial and public television coverage, radio spots and interviews with Dr. Jordan and Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland, and several lengthy newspaper articles including interviews with Mr. Khádem, Dr. Jordan, Dr. Nelson, Mr. Kazemzadeh, National Assembly Secretary Glenford E. Mitchell, and Eleanor Hutchens, a member of the Champaign-Urbana Spiritual Assembly.
THE DAILY newspaper at the state capital, the Springfield Journal-Register, interviewed Judge James Nelson, the newest member of the National Spiritual Assembly.
The University of Illinois student newspaper, the Daily Illini, ran three photos of Bahá’í children at the conference.
A news release and photo of youth attending the conference was prepared and mailed to every daily and weekly newspaper in Illinois, as well as to other hometown papers throughout the country at the request of youth attending from those areas.
Mr. Furútan, in the first of his two addresses at the conference, pointed out the dangers inherent in our spiritually bankrupt society, quoting the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, as saying that “materialism is a fire that has ruined the foundation of humanity,” and that materialism, atheism, skepticism, cynicism, disbelief and immorality are “sweeping the world these days.”
Bahá’ís, he said, must be ever conscious of the difference between their own way of life and the present-day standards of society.
“There is no refuge for the world today,” he said, “except the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. We must teach the Cause and spread the Message. If we do not, we must answer to Bahá’u’lláh.”
LATER IN the conference, Mr. Furútan said, “If you want to teach the Cause of God, you must do so by your example. Obedience to the laws of Bahá’u’lláh is the most important part of one’s life.”
Shortly after Mr. Furútan had finished speaking, a note was read to the conference in which the manager of the campus cafeteria praised the Bahá’í youth for their exemplary conduct during meals and asked to be invited to a public meeting as soon as possible.
Mr. Khádem, pointing out the important role played by youth in the history of the Faith, mentioned especially the sacrifice made by the Purest Branch, Bahá’u’lláh’s 21-year-old son, who gave his life as a ransom for the Cause.
“The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,” said Mr. Khádem, “is indebted to that sacrifice.”
While the days of his own youth have flown, said Mr. Khádem, “Bahá’u’lláh has showered His bounties upon you, and chosen you for this glorious Day.
“Yours is the opportunity to secure the triumph of this sacred Cause. As the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, said, ‘Please God you may achieve it.’”
MR. SEARS referred to today’s Bahá’í youth as “the spiritual descendants of the Dawnbreakers,” but added quickly that they are facing the “most serious challenge” in the history of the Faith in America.
“Victory in the Five Year Plan,” he said, “is hanging in the balance.”
Pointing out that there were only 21 months remaining in the plan as he spoke, Mr. Sears said that, based on the figures from Riḍván 1977, this meant we would have to form three Local Spiritual Assemblies every five days, 1.7 Assemblies every three days, or one Assembly every 40 hours from now until Riḍván 1979 to reach the goal of 1,400 outlined in the plan.
“Of course, we know that’s impossible,” he said, “but isn’t it wonderful that our Faith specializes in the impossible.”
There are presently more than 300 Groups of nine or more members in this country, Mr. Sears pointed out, and 2,827 “potential Assemblies” represented by Groups of two or more members.
“If we simply brought these Groups to Assembly status,” he said, “we could go to the National Convention next year, not 1979, with our goal of 1,400 Local Spiritual Assemblies already won.”
Mr. Sears then disclosed details of his proposed plan of action that was accepted by the National Spiritual Assembly and refined into a comprehensive teaching-deepening experience designed to encourage the friends to arise and win the victory in these last critical months of the Five Year Plan.
|
Included is a “Victory Weekend” of study classes September 9–11 on the teaching compilation, The Individual and Teaching, recently released by the Universal House of Justice; a month-long series of individual firesides from coast to coast and border to border, and a period of deepenings nationwide ending on November 12, the anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
“The trumpet-call has been sounded,” said Mr. Sears. “From now on we must plan our lives with one overriding goal in mind: victory on the homefront.”