The American Bahá’í/Volume 9/Issue 13/Text
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‘The real treasury of man is his knowledge.’—Bahá’u’lláh
S.C. Surpasses Assembly Goal[edit]
YOUR REPORT OF GREATLY ACCELERATED MOMENTUM IN ASSEMBLY FORMATIONS ON HOMEFRONT PRESAGING ATTAINMENT OF 1200 BY 4 NOVEMBER BROUGHT JOY TO OUR HEARTS. FERVENTLY SUPPLICATING BAHÁ’U’LLÁH TO STIMULATE AND STRENGTHEN THE FRIENDS IN AN ALL-OUT EFFORT TO WIN REMAINING 200 ASSEMBLIES THUS ENSURING COMPLETE VICTORY TEACHING GOAL MUCH-LOVED AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
November 2, 1978
In South Carolina, a Bahá’í (center) uses the new teaching booklet to explain the principles of the Faith to seekers. The state’s goal of forming 80 Local Spiritual Assemblies by the end of the Five Year Plan was won before the end of October.
South Carolina’s self-assigned goal of reaching 80 Local Spiritual Assemblies was realized the weekend of October 28-29 with the formation of the state’s 80th Assembly.
“We won the goal ahead of schedule, too,” said Trudy White, secretary of the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee. The target date for formation of the 80th Assembly was November 12, the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
That same weekend saw the beginning of a statewide teaching campaign stimulated by the presence of Continental Counsellor Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih that has seen the formation of up to 10 Assemblies a day, doubling the number of Assemblies in South Carolina.
TEACHING efforts in the South, which presently include projects in North and South Georgia in addition to South Carolina, are certain to be instrumental in winning these goals of the Five Year Plan:
- Raise the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the U.S. to 1,400.
- Increase the number of localities open to the Faith in the U.S. to 7,000.
- Spark a process of “entry by troops” between January 1 and April 20 that will spread throughout the country, including the goal states of California, Illinois and New York that were visited by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912.
DR. HIDÁYATU’LLÁH AḤMADÍYYIH
Outlines Plans at Gregory Institute
Dr. Aḥmadíyyih has said he feels the numerical goals of the Plan could
N. Georgia Forming 3 Assemblies a Day[edit]
Assembly formations in North Georgia have reached the rate of three a day, the North Georgia District Teaching Committee reported early in November.
These victories are the result of a teaching effort that was launched October 16 in Atlanta at a meeting with Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Central America. The Universal House of Justice asked Dr. Aḥmadíyyih to come to the U.S. to help spark teaching campaigns designed to win the country’s Five Year Plan goals.
AS OF November 9, Assemblies were reported to have been newly formed or restored in the North Georgia localities of Baldwin County, Barnesville, Clarke County, Douglasville, Grantville, Henry County, Jones County, McDonough, Milledgeville, Palmetto, Paulding County, Pike County, Rockdale County, Senoia, Spalding County, Thomaston, Upson County, Union City, Washington, Waynesboro, and Zebulon.
While a number of new Assemblies have been formed in localities where there were no Bahá’ís, a major factor in the teaching effort has been renewed contact with believers who were enrolled during the Nine Year Plan.
Teaching teams have been contacting large numbers of these friends who became Bahá’ís six to eight years ago, have remained steadfast without any contact from other believers during that time, and still consider themselves Bahá’ís.
“It is remarkable,” said Dr. Aḥmadíyyih, “but when we went back with the membership lists to find these old believers, nearly 95 per cent of them were still holding firmly to the Hem of the Cause of God.”
On the Inside...[edit]
THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly’s October meeting in Rochester, New York, generates an intensive teaching drive in the western part of the state. Page 2.
CONTRIBUTIONS to the National Bahá’í Fund for the month of Mashíyyat rise sharply, but fall below the monthly goal of $190,000. Page 3.
THE NATIONAL Youth Committee holds its October meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and plans a December meeting in California. Page 5.
MASSACHUSETTS teaching campaign touches hearts at every level of society. Page 6.
McKINNEY, TEXAS, Group grows from four members to Assembly status in 48 hours, forms before District Convention. Page 7.
ROSWELL, Georgia’s “fastest-growing city,” forms its first Local Spiritual Assembly. Page 8.
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Bulletin! Assemblies Top 1,300 Mark According to reports received at the National Teaching Committee office, the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies existing in the U.S. as of November 12, the 161st anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, totaled 1,318. The National Teaching Committee’s goal was to reach 1,300 Assembly formations by November 12 and 1,400 by November 26, the Day of the Covenant, thus completing that U.S. goal of the Five Year Plan. The total number of recognized Local Spiritual Assemblies as of November 14, according to the Department of Community Administration, whose responsibility it is to formally recognize new or restored Assemblies, was 1,171. Much of the recent increase in Assembly formations has resulted from teaching campaigns in Georgia and South Carolina, details of which appear elsewhere on this page. |
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Revised Guidelines Help In California Formations[edit]
A decision by the National Spiritual Assembly to review and revise the guidelines for establishing Local Spiritual Assemblies in areas with several unincorporated localities spread over a wide geographical area had led by November 1 to the formation of seven new Assemblies and the opening of eight localities in California.
The National Spiritual Assembly’s directive, which was communicated to Local Assemblies in a letter of July 21, addresses itself specifically to Bahá’í communities whose Spiritual Assemblies exercise jurisdiction over areas known as counties, commissioner’s districts, councilman’s districts, judicial districts, or parishes.
In its letter, the National Spiritual Assembly referred to guidance given some years ago by the beloved Guardian “which permitted the adoption of unincorporated villages as civil units suitable for the formation of Local Assemblies in states where there are no townships and the county units are too large for unified action by a Bahá’í community.
“This guidance,” the National
Trust Publishes Three Attractive 1979 Calendars[edit]
A new year is rapidly approaching, and the Bahá’í Publishing Trust is ready with three new 1979 calendars.
The 1979 Bahá’í Wall Calendar (6-69-39: 45 cents) features a duotone photograph of the architect’s rendering of the Mother Temple of India.
A new feature of the wall calendar is that the Bahá’í months are clearly indicated within the Gregorian months. It is now much easier to see at a glance when each Bahá’í month begins and ends. In addition, detailed information about Feast Days and Holy Days is printed on the back of the 8½ x 11-inch calendar.
The 1979 Bahá’í Date Book (6-69-29: 75 cents) provides a full Gregorian calendar for the 13 months from January 1979 through January 1980, with ample space for making notes. Feast Days and Holy Days are marked for easy identification, and the calendar includes detailed information about the meaning of the Bahá’í calendar, Bahá’í anniversaries, and days on which work should be suspended.
The date book also contains many quotations from the Bahá’í Writings, space for names and addresses, a list of special event days and legal holidays in the United States, and calendars for 1978, 1979, and 1980. The cover this year is blue (3½ x 6½ inches).
The 1979 Bahá’í Pocket Calendar (6-69-59: 15 cents), printed in blue ink on white card stock, is designed to fit conveniently in purse or billfold. Like the other Bahá’í calendars, the pocket calendar indicates all Feasts and Holy Days. The back of the calendar lists Bahá’í Holy Days, the Intercalary Days, and the days of fasting (3⅝ x 2⅜ inches).
All of the calendars can be ordered through Bahá’í librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Quantity discounts are available. Add 75 cents postage and handling on orders under $5.
Continental Counsellor Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih outlines teaching plans during a meeting October 14 with the National Spiritual Assembly and Bahá’ís in western New York State.
National Assembly Spurs New York Teaching Drive[edit]
The meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly in Rochester, New York, October 13-15 generated an intensive teaching drive in the Monroe County area that resulted in 10 declarations and four enrollments in a 10-day period.
The National Spiritual Assembly met with Continental Counsellor Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, the National Teaching Committee, members of the New York Regional Teaching Committee, the District Teaching Committees of Eastern and Western New York, and some 80 area Bahá’ís to consult on winning the state’s Five Year Plan teaching goals.
Enthusiasm reached a peak when Dr. Aḥmadíyyih explained and recommended a method of street teaching that has been extremely effective in Central and South America.
THIS TEACHING method, later utilized by many of the Bahá’ís who attended the weekend conference, is working successfully in largely conservative New York State, and is being used with great results in Georgia, California, Illinois and South Carolina as well.
Dr. Aḥmadíyyih showed conference participants a booklet that uses pictures and a simple text to introduce people to the Faith. Street teachers show the booklet to interested people and discuss basic Bahá’í concepts with them.
In using the booklet, the Bahá’í teacher attempts to:
- Obtain assurance that the person loves Bahá’u’lláh.
- Explain the importance of accepting the Central Figures of the Faith.
- Inform the seeker that there are Bahá’í laws that must be observed.
- Point out that there is an Administrative Order that must be obeyed.
“If he accepts these things,” said Dr. Aḥmadíyyih, “then he is a Bahá’í.”
He pointed out that the essential message in sharing the Faith with others is that the purpose of Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission is the unity of humankind.
Following Dr. Aḥmadíyyih’s presentation, the friends were invited to a training session to learn the new method of teaching.
FORTY-SIX believers attended the session, and later organized themselves into six teaching teams. One team went immediately to the nearby town of Geneseo.
In Geneseo, they spoke with two people at a coffeehouse. The two declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and since then have been attending Bahá’í functions to prepare themselves for enrollment in the Faith.
“When people teach using this approach, there is intense interest,” said Dana Paxson, coordinator of the Monroe County teaching campaign. “The potential for success is tremendous.”
Fifty copies of the new teaching booklet were reproduced and presented at the Sunday morning training session.
The booklets were reproduced by members of the Bahá’í International Audio-Visual Center in nearby Victor who stayed up all night to complete the task.
“Teaching in western New York is gaining momentum,” said Mr. Paxson. “We are feeling refreshed, and have great hopes for what can be accomplished in the coming months.”
Barbara Christian, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bellaire, Texas, mans the Bahá’í booth at the Fayette County Fair held September 1-4 in LaGrange, Texas. Fayette County is an extension teaching goal of the Bellaire Assembly.
County Fair Booth Sponsored By Bellaire, Texas, Bahá’ís[edit]
For the second year in a row, the Bahá’ís of Bellaire, Texas, sponsored a booth at the Fayette County Fair in LaGrange, Texas. This year’s fair was held September 1-4.
Fayette County is an extension teaching goal of the Bellaire Assembly.
In addition to books, pamphlets and other literature, the Bahá’ís gave away 500 pen and ink drawings of the county courthouse by Bonnie Wilder, an artist and member of the Bellaire Assembly.
Since visitors to the booth last year were hesitant about accepting Bahá’í literature, a concise introduction to the Faith was printed on the reverse side of the drawings. After reading this, many visitors returned to the booth to ask for pamphlets, and displayed a greater openness and interest toward the Faith.
Ads promoting the fair booth appeared in local newspapers in both English and German (a large number of county residents are of German or Czech ancestry). As a part of the follow-up to the booth, a World Peace Day public meeting was held at a local bank.
UNICEF Calendar Now Available[edit]
The 1979 UNICEF wall calendar, featuring colorful drawings by children from around the world, is available through the Bahá’í International Community at the United Nations in New York.
Available in English only, the calendar takes note of several Bahá’í Holy Days, and this year includes a description of Naw-Rúz in the section entitled “Holidays of Special Interest.”
The cost of the calendar is $1.50. Payment in advance is appreciated.
The calendar is produced by the U.S. Committee for UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). Please address orders to the Bahá’í International Community, 345 E. 46th St., New York, NY 10017.
Gregory Schedule[edit]
The Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina, is offering a stimulating Winter School program December 26-31 entitled “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
Classes will be held on “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in America,” “The Perfect Exemplar,” and “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Teacher.”
The rates of $5.50 a day include three meals. For more information, contact Betty Morris, program director, Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, SC 29554.
Contributions Up, But Still Below Fund Goal[edit]
Mashíyyat Total Highest of Year[edit]
As the annual contributions chart shows, the month of Mashíyyat was the best month this year for contributions to the National Fund. More than $100,000 was received from individuals, bringing the total amount to within $8,000 of that monthly goal.
Direct contributions from nearly 2,800 believers were responsible for the dramatic increase. Individual contributions to the National Fund had been averaging about 1,700 per month.
IN LATE September, the Treasurer’s Report to District Conventions was mailed to every believer in the United States. This report emphasized the obligation of the individual to directly support the National Fund on a regular basis.
This same theme was highlighted in the Treasurer’s presentation at District Conventions in October. The Office of the Treasurer has reported that the increase in contributions was the result of individuals responding to both the mailer and to the Convention presentation.
The National Spiritual Assembly is continuing to stress the importance of individuals contributing directly to the National Fund. This emphasis is reflective of this direction from the Guardian:
“I regard it of the utmost vital importance that individuals, as well as local Assemblies, throughout the land should...contribute freely towards the upkeep and the increase of the National Bahá’í Fund...”
(Bahá’í Administration, p. 54)
National Bahá’í Fund
Advertising, Media Reflect Materialist Philosophy[edit]
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of articles on materialism in America prepared by the Office of the Treasurer.)
The Excesses of Materialism
In the last article, advertising and sales were discussed as examples of the widespread influence of the materialist philosophy.
Sales appeals are aimed at our emotional needs, our need for security, love, and romance, with the promise that a product will satisfy our needs.
Advertising typically appeals to us by ascribing the attributes of God (power, generosity, creativity, intelligence) to products. We assume that they will help us to acquire those attributes.
AS BAHÁ’ÍS, we must recognize that our emotional needs are not bad. Neither is it wrong to be attracted to such attributes as power and creativity.
These emotions (love, prestige, security) and these attributes (knowledge, wisdom, power) are not inherently evil, but they can be used to either elevate man or to cause his destruction.
“If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it has been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 138)
The Guardian characterized materialism in America as excessive. He cited Bahá’u’lláh’s statement that this excess is the cause of the suffering and strife in the world today.
In The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi referred to our immersion in a sea of materialism that is pernicious, all-pervasive and devouring. He means that this excess of materialism is corruptive; it is undermining our mental and spiritual health.
We are so surrounded by materialism that it is sapping our moral strength and consuming our spiritual energies. Regrettably, these conditions have a direct impact on the Bahá’í community.
“As the lights of liberty flicker and go out, as the din of discord grows louder and louder every day, as the fires of fanaticism flame with increasing fierceness in the breasts of men, as the chill of irreligion creeps relentlessly over the soul of mankind, the limbs and organs that constitute the body of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh appear, in varying measure, to have become inflicted with the crippling influences that now hold in their grip the whole of the civilized world.” (Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, p. 4)
On the surface, the situation appears hopeless! However, we cannot allow materialism’s negative aspects to sap us of our vigor or make us forgetful of our high destiny as the Standard-Bearers of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
Shoghi Effendi warned us to not be neglectful or apathetic, lest we should lose the primacy conferred upon us by the beloved Master. The Guardian called upon the American believers to combat the destructive force of materialism by waging a “Double Crusade.”
In our next article, we will learn about that “Double Crusade.”
Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh Clarified[edit]
Q: Does the Law of Huqúqu’lláh apply to Persians who are permanent citizens of this country?
A: All Persian Bahá’ís, regardless of current residency status, are bound by this Law of the Aqdás.
Q: What is the relationship between regular contributions to the Local and National Funds and Huqúqu’lláh?
A: The Universal House of Justice has made it clear that regular contributions to the Fund cannot be counted as Huqúqu’lláh. These are separate Institutions of the Faith and contributions to one have no relation to the other.
The Universal House of Justice has also made it clear that payment of Huqúqu’lláh takes precedence over regular contributions to the Fund. The Persian believers, however, should come to regard it as their privilege to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh by contributing to both.
Q: What is the current address for Mr. K. Kazemzadeh, Trustee of the Huqúqu’lláh in the United States?
A: Mr. K. Kazemzadeh, 15276 DePauw Street, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
Q: What is the responsibility of a Local Spiritual Assembly to educate Persian believers in its jurisdiction about Huqúqu’lláh?
A: Since this Law is not binding upon Western believers at this time and its significance is little understood by Americans, an Assembly should not try to carry out an educational program on this subject. All an Assembly can do at this time is remind those Persians residing in its jurisdiction of their spiritual obligation to pay Huqúqu’lláh. A pamphlet printed in Persian fully describing the responsibilities and bounties associated with this Law of God is available from the Office of the Treasurer.
Q: Is there a way the friends can use the Huqúqu’lláh as a guide for giving to the Fund?
A: At this time, the Huqúqu’lláh is binding only on Persian believers. It is not necessary for the other friends to be concerned about that particular law at this time. If the friends are seeking to establish a regular pattern of giving based upon a particular percentage of their income, that is perfectly acceptable. However, such determinations should be independent of the Law of Huqúqu’lláh.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Binghamton, New York, was re-established September 24. Members are (seated left to right) Charles Kilmer, Julie Kilmer, Joseph Noyes, and (standing left to right) Fou’ad Baha’i, Linda Baha’i, Dorothy Holmiund, Kathryn Dailey, Valerie Perdue, Maida Coutoupis.
[Page 4]
News Briefs
Mimes Perform, Teach In Fremont, Ohio, Show[edit]
Twenty seekers joined 21 Bahá’ís August 18 at the Fremont, Ohio, Community Theatre for a public meeting entitled “The Spiritual Revolution” that featured a mime show by Bill and Bridget George of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The three-member Fremont Bahá’í Group printed invitations to the event and publicized it by placing two articles in the local paper.
Other performers on the program were Craig Seibert of Toledo, Debbie and Dave Tovey of Findlay, and Hans and Peggy Neumann of Fremont. Bahá’ís from Bowling Green served as hosts at the theatre...
Weston Huxtable, a Bahá’í from Canada who serves as a Trade Commissioner to the U.S. and lives in Detroit, assisted the teaching work in Terre Haute, Indiana, while on a recent visit to address that city’s Rotary Club.
The Spiritual Assembly of Terre Haute accepted an offer from Mr. Huxtable to give a fireside in Terre Haute’s extension goal of Marshall, Illinois, that was attended by one seeker.
That evening, he was interviewed by a Bahá’í who works at a Terre Haute radio station, and the 12-minute interview was played on a popular half-hour news program.
Mr. Huxtable was introduced as a Bahá’í at the Rotary Club by a prominent local architect who grew up near the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. The architect warmly praised the Faith and its followers, affording Mr. Huxtable an excellent opportunity to speak more about it to the Rotary Club members...
The Bahá’ís of Rhinebeck, New York, held two successful proclamation events the weekend of October 14-15.
On Saturday, 13 seekers attended a concert featuring the Bahá’í musical group, “Earthrise,” held at the home of a non-Bahá’í neighbor. Earlier that day, five Bahá’ís walked through the city inviting people to the concert.
On Sunday, the Rhinebeck Bahá’ís observed Universal Children’s Day with a children’s program that featured a mime show by Bill and Bridget George, Bahá’ís who conduct the People’s Theatre in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The Georges involved the audience—including about 100 seekers—actively in their presentation. Those who attended also enjoyed a puppet show, sing-along, and refreshments.
The Bahá’ís distributed programs that contained a prayer for children. An admission charge of 50 cents was made for the benefit of UNICEF.
“Everyone who attended was made aware of Bahá’í love and the principle of unity,” one Rhinebeck resident remarked after the program...
Twenty-one people attended a teacher training institute August 19-20 at the Wayside Cottage in Scarsdale, New York.
The institute, sponsored by the Eastern New York District Teaching Committee, was conducted by Mrs. Carole Miller of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Its purpose was to develop communications skills for effective teaching. Participants discussed how to convey a positive first impression and practiced listening skills. The weekend included study classes, music, prayer, meals together, and a Saturday evening unity feast...
Bill and Bridget George of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who are professional actors and mimes, were featured August 18 at the Fremont, Ohio, Community Theatre in a public meeting entitled ‘The Spiritual Revolution’ presented by the three-member Bahá’í Group of Fremont. Twenty seekers attended the event.
More than 20 Bahá’ís attended a teacher training institute August 19-20 at Wingate College in Scarsdale, New York, sponsored by the Eastern New York District Teaching Committee.
The Telegram-Tribune, a newspaper in San Luis Obispo, California, carried in September a lengthy feature article on Gary Ellison, a Bahá’í whose avocation is fashioning jewelry from coins. The article mentioned that Mr. Ellison and his wife are Bahá’ís, and explained that he uses Indian sand paintings as teaching aids as a part of his “service to mankind.”...
Public schools in Jefferson County, Colorado, have joined the growing list of such institutions that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days by granting excused absences to children on these occasions.
The Jefferson County school superintendent granted the request for excused absences submitted by the Spiritual Assembly of Lakewood, Colorado, and forwarded a list of Holy Days to each school in the district so that principals would be aware of them...
A booth sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Huntsville, Alabama, won first prize in September at the Madison County Fair...
The recently-formed Bahá’í Club at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo launched its teaching activities for this year with a World Peace Day observance on campus.
Four seekers attended the September meeting that included dancing and poetry readings. The event was advertised in the local and campus newspapers...
The Bahá’ís of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, sponsored a booth September 12-16 at the 123rd annual Southeast Missouri District Fair at Cape Girardeau.
The Fair was attended by people within a hundred-mile radius. The Bahá’í booth attracted many interested inquirers and was an effective means of proclaiming the Faith...
In an effort to improve the quality of Bahá’í community life, the Community Life Committee of the Spiritual Assembly of Tacoma, Washington, has planned a number of recent events for Bahá’ís and their friends in Tacoma and nearby communities.
Activities have included an international potluck dinner, volleyball fest, and day-long trip to Mount Rainier, with more activities including a community skating party planned for upcoming months...
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Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
This new compilation of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, published under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, was translated by Habib Taherzadeh with the assistance of a committee at the Bahá’í World Center. The new book contains sixteen of Bahá’u’lláh’s most significant and much-loved Tablets, including the Tablet of Carmel, the Most Holy Tablet, Glad Tidings, Tablet of the World, Tablet of Wisdom, Words of Wisdom, and Book of the Covenant. Some of these Tablets and passages are now published in English for the first time. These Tablets, all revealed after the formulation of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (circa 1873), are characterized by Shoghi Effendi as “mighty and final effusions of His indefatigable pen.” The Tablets revealed during this period, the Guardian states, “must rank among the choicest fruits which His mind has yielded, and mark the consummation of His forty-year-long ministry.” All Bahá’ís will be anxious to add this precious volume of Bahá’í sacred Writings to their personal libraries. 269 pp., notes. 7-03-21 cloth ......... $7.50 NET To order: Order through Community Librarians if possible! Personal orders: enclose full payment. Bahá’í Publishing Trust
415 LINDEN AVE. • WILMETTE, ILLINOIS • 60091 312/251-1854 |
Youth Conference Slated[edit]
The National Youth Committee of El Salvador is inviting Bahá’í youth from the United States to participate in an International Youth Conference in that country December 28-31.
The main objectives of the conference are to promote the unity of Bahá’í youth in many countries, and to establish sources of lasting friendship and spirituality for Bahá’í youth.
Believers from 15-30 years of age are invited to participate. Persons over 30 may also attend, but only as observers.
The conference theme is “Sublime and Celestial Thoughts”. The conference will include an exhibit using materials on that theme created by the friends in El Salvador.
Cost of the conference is $15, which includes room and board. The climate is cool and pleasant; light clothing and a sweater will be needed for the evenings.
For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Guidelines[edit]
Continued From Page 1
Assembly said, “is now being applied to the question at hand.”
The formation of new Local Assemblies, it added, should be phased so as not to lose any existing Assembly.
As a result of the letter, the Spiritual Assembly of El Cajon (California) JD was able to form an Assembly in Spring Valley, with the possibility of forming an Assembly in Santee in November.
The Assembly in Sacramento MCD was able to divide six ways, forming three new Assemblies and opening two new localities.
Also in California, Assemblies were formed in Mission Viejo and San Diego County South Bay JD, and five other localities were opened.
The National Spiritual Assembly anticipates the eventual formation of new Assemblies and localities in other states as a result of its directive, but the most immediate effect has been felt in California, a state with many unincorporated towns and villages within large jurisdictional areas.
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VANGUARD Youth News |
Youth Committee Hosts Colorado Springs Meeting[edit]
The National Youth Committee met in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the weekend of October 6-8 to discuss projects for the remaining months of the Five Year Plan and to visit and talk with Bahá’í youth in that area.
The weekend’s activities included an evening social at the home of local Bahá’ís, and a Saturday afternoon meeting with Bahá’ís from Colorado Springs and nearby areas. The friends asked questions about the role of the Youth Committee and shared their concerns and teaching ideas.
On Saturday evening, a fireside social was held at the Bahá’í Center in Pueblo.
THE PUEBLO Bahá’ís furnished musical entertainment, while Mrs. Elaine Mills showed a lively home movie she and other area Bahá’ís had produced with the children at the Colorado East Bahá’í Summer School.
The rest of the weekend was devoted to committee consultation on the concerns of youth in the U.S. and strategies for winning the youth goals of the Five Year Plan.
“We’ve found that these meetings offer an opportunity to exchange ideas and lead to a renewed spirit, both for the committee and for the friends in these areas,” said David Clayborne, secretary of the National Youth Committee.
The committee plans to visit Bahá’í youth in other parts of the country. It has met in Tampa, Florida, and Colorado Springs, and is to hold its December meeting in Monterey, California.
Partial Listing of Bahá’í College Clubs in U.S.[edit]
Last month The American Bahá’í ran the National Youth Committee’s listing of local Bahá’í Youth Clubs in the United States. This month we are including a listing of Bahá’í College Clubs in the country alphabetically by state from Alabama through Michigan. Please let the Youth Committee know if there are any other College Clubs in existence that are not listed below. And tell us too if a club that is listed no longer exists:
Alabama—Alabama A & M University, Tuskegee Institute, U. of South Alabama, U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Arkansas—Arkansas Polytechnic College, U. of Arkansas at Fayetteville, U. of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Arizona—Arizona State University, Central Arizona College, Mesa Community College, Northern Arizona University, U. of Arizona—Tucson, Cochise College, Yavapai College.
California—Alameda College, Allan Hancock College, American River College, Cabrillo Jr. College.
Cal. State Poly. U. at San Luis Obispo, Cal. State U. at Fresno, Cal. State U. at Los Angeles, Cal. State U. at Fullerton, Cal. State U. at Long Beach, Cal. State U. at Chico, Cal. State U. at Sacramento.
Chabot College, Chapman College, Claremont College, College of Marin, College of the Desert, Saddleback Community College, Contra Costa College, Cuesta College, Cypress College.
DeAnza College, Diablo Valley College, East L.A. Jr. College, Glendale Community College, Golden West College, Grossmont College.
Humboldt State U., Merced College, Mesa Jr. College, Monterey Peninsula College, Mt. San Antonio College, Orange Coast College.
Palomar College, Pierce College, Sacramento City College, San Diego State College, San Francisco State U., San Jose State U.
Santa Rosa Jr. College, San Joaquin Delta College, Sonoma State College, Stanford University.
U. of Cal. at Berkeley, U. of Cal. at Davis, U. of Cal. at Los Angeles, U. of Cal. at San Diego, U. of Cal. at Santa Barbara, U. of Southern California, U. of the Pacific.
Southwestern Jr. College, U. of Cal. at San Francisco, Valley College, West Valley College, Woodbury University.
Loyola Marymount University, U. of Redlands, Sierra College, Cal. State U. at Northridge, Los Angeles City College.
Colorado—Adams State College, Arapahoe Community College, Colorado Mtn. College East, Colorado State U. at Fort Collins, Fort Lewis College.
U. of Colorado at Boulder, U. of Denver, U. of North Colorado, U. of South Colorado, U. of Colorado at Denver, Mesa College.
Connecticut—U. of Conn. at Storrs, Wesleyan University, Yale University. Washington, D.C.—Catholic U. of America, Howard University, George Mason U., Georgetown U., George Washington U. Delaware—U. of Delaware.
Florida—Florida A & M University, Florida Atlantic U., Florida Institute of Technology, Florida State U. at Tallahassee, Miami Dade Community College South, Miami Dade Jr. College North, U. of Florida at Gainesville, U. of South Florida, Broward Community College.
Georgia—Augusta College, Emory University, Georgia State U. at Atlanta, Kennesaw Jr. College, Savannah State College, U. of Georgia.
Iowa—Iowa Lakes Community College, Iowa State U. of S & T, Palmer College of Chiropractic, U. of Iowa, U. of Northern Iowa.
Idaho—Boise State U., Idaho State U., U. of Idaho at Moscow. Illinois—Central YMCA Community College, Illinois State U. at Normal, Illinois Institute of Technology, Northern Illinois U., Northwestern U., Oakton Community College.
Parkland College, Sangamon State U., Southern Illinois U. at Carbondale, Northeastern Illinois U., Southern Illinois U. at Edwardsville, Triton College.
U. of Chicago, U. of Illinois at Urbana, U. of Illinois—Chicago Circle, U. of Illinois—Medical Center, Wesleyan U., Wilbur Wright College, Loyola University, George Williams College.
Indiana—Ball State U., DePauw U., Earlham College, Indiana U. at Fort Wayne, Indiana U. & Purdue U.—Indianapolis, Indiana U. at Bloomington, Purdue U., U. of Indiana-South Bend, Indiana State U. at Terre Haute.
Kansas—Pittsburg State U., Kansas State U., U. of Kansas at Kansas City, U. of Kansas at Lawrence, Wichita State U.
Kentucky—U. of Kentucky at Lexington, U. of Louisville, Morehead State U., Eastern Kentucky U., Berea College.
Louisiana—Louisiana State U.—Baton Rouge, Tulane U., U. of New Orleans, U. of S.W. Louisiana, Delgado College.
Massachusetts—Boston University, Cape Cod Community College, Greenfield Community College, Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mt. Holyoke College.
Northeastern College, Salem State College, Smith College, Southeastern Massachusetts U., U. of Mass. at Amherst, U. of Mass. at Boston, Berklee College of Music.
Maryland—Goucher College, Johns Hopkins U., Maryland Institute of Art, U. of Maryland. Maine—U. of Maine at Orono, U. of Maine at Portland.
Michigan—Central Michigan U., Center of Creative Studies, Eastern Michigan U., Grand Valley State College, Kellogg Community College.
Michigan State U. at East Lansing, Northern Michigan U., Oakland University, Saginaw Valley College, U. of Detroit, U. of Michigan, Macomb County Community College, Wayne State U., Western Michigan U., Lansing Community College.
Next month, we’ll list College Clubs from Minnesota through Wyoming.
Staff members at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, took a whole day October 27 to clean the grounds at the Bahá’í House of Worship and get it ready for the observances Thanksgiving weekend of the 25th anniversary of its dedication and its recent designation as a national historic site. Shown here manning the brooms are Gwen Clayborne (left), who works in the Department of Community Administration, and Carla Baker, a member of the staff at the National Information Office.
Western States Youth Conference Set[edit]
The California Regional Teaching Committee invites Bahá’í youth to attend the second annual Western States Teaching Conference to be held December 16-18 at the Asilomar conference center at Pacific Grove, near Monterey.
The theme of the conference is “Each One Teach One.” Bahá’í youth and their non-Bahá’í friends are welcome.
The purpose of the conference is to spur a fresh new wave of teaching by youth. It will be followed by a teaching project.
Rates are $36 for rustic accommodations and $44 for deluxe accommodations. Prices include Saturday supper through Sunday lunch.
To register for the conference, please contact the California Regional Teaching Committee, 461 S. Brand Boulevard, San Fernando, CA 91340.
| 2 Year Youth Program | ||
| CURRENT | GOAL | |
| Homefront Pioneers | 11 | 150 |
| 1. To unopened counties | 6 | 20 |
| 2. To unopened localities | 9 | 90 |
| Domestic Travel-Teaching Trips | 1119 WON! | 1000 |
| 1. Trips of Two Months or More | 19 WON! | 15 |
| 2. Trips to Indian Reservations | 91 WON! | 50 |
| International Pioneers | 27 | 30 |
| 1. Filling Specific Five Year Plan Goals | 12 WON! | 10 |
| International Travel-Teaching | 100 WON! | 95 |
| 1. Trips of One Month or More | 43 WON! | 20 |
| Local Youth Clubs | 148 | 200 |
| College Clubs | 371 | 400 |
| 1. At Colleges with Highest American Indian Enrollment | 2 | 5 |
Massachusetts Campaign Draws All Strata to Faith[edit]
“There’s a lesson to be learned here in Massachusetts,” said Deborah Garris. “The friends should know that people of different backgrounds can respond immediately to the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Ms. Garris is a Bahá’í from Canada who came to Massachusetts this summer to help with the mass teaching project initiated there in July. Every day for five weeks she went with the Massachusetts team to tell people about the Bahá’í Faith.
- In the streets.
- In parks.
- In restaurants.
- At firesides.
- Heart to heart.
“One man we met,” recalled Ms. Garris, “is a Filipino who’s an internationally known chef and has a master’s degree in chemistry from New York University. He’s a well-educated, eloquent man, and accepted Bahá’u’lláh within half an hour of hearing about Him.
“We were working in the park. I was talking to someone else about the Faith, and he heard me say very clearly the name ‘Bahá’u’lláh.’
“In the Filipino language ‘baha’ means house. He knew that ‘allah’ was another word for God because he had studied the Koran.
“He thought to himself, ‘Gee, what is this temple of God or house of God that this woman is talking about?’ When I came by and asked him if he would like to hear about Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’í Faith, he was naturally quite interested.
“WE STARTED by going through my teaching book. When we came to the page that said each city with nine or more Bahá’ís must have a Spiritual Assembly (this is one of the obligations I’m careful to teach all the seekers I find), he asked me if there were enough Bahá’ís to form an Assembly in Framingham.
“I told him we needed five more Bahá’ís to form an Assembly. Then he told me we only needed four more, because he wanted to be counted in.”
Not all the declarations and enrollments from the teaching project in Massachusetts have happened “in the street.” Ms. Garris remembered vividly the declaration and enrollment of an Oriental woman in Framingham.
“She is 52 years old and came from Taiwan,” Ms. Garris said. “We met her on the street and invited her to a fireside that night.
“WE TALKED a long time at the fireside. I used my teaching book with her—we went through it together. She declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh at the fireside.
“She’s so on fire with the Faith! She’s making her own teaching book right now, one that’s bilingual—Chinese and English. She wants to teach the Faith to all nine hundred million people back in China. She’s such a dynamo that she could really do it.”
Not all of the teaching team’s successes were due to finding new believers.
“The team had split up and two of us went to Waldham, a city with eight believers,” Ms. Garris said. “They sent us there to find one more believer so that they could form the Assembly.
“WE PRAYED and went out teaching each day, but we just couldn’t find anyone. It was a little discouraging after all the other times when we had been able to find new believers with very little problem, but we kept at it because we were sure Bahá’u’lláh would help us.
“One night, we had gone back to our home base community for dinner with the rest of the team and some other friends from the area. I met another Bahá’í there, and chatted with him briefly. I told him that we were teaching the Faith in Waldham.
“He said, ‘Oh, I’ll bet I know a Bahá’í who lives in Waldham that you don’t know.’ He was right.
“There was a Bahá’í in good standing in Waldham who hadn’t seen Bahá’ís in a year and a half. He thought he was all by himself!
“WHEN I phoned him, he was overjoyed; he was so happy to hear from Bahá’ís. He was the first one to sign the papers to form the new Assembly in Waldham.
“I think one of the most unusual teaching experiences we had,” recalled Ms. Garris, “was with a 26-year-old Puerto Rican. He was riding his bicycle and fell when he went over some railroad tracks.
“The accident happened right in front of the Bahá’ís, and surprised him as well as us. Of course, we taught him the Faith.
“He declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh and became a Bahá’í. He said he’d really been looking and thirsting for the Faith. He has since been teaching with the team and working with the Bahá’ís.
“THERE ARE always many stories,” Ms. Garris said. “The stories of the people we’ve met, and the new Bahá’ís we’ve found could fill more space than you’ve got pages for.
“But the most remarkable thing is the wide diversity of backgrounds of the new believers and seekers we found. It was the same thing wherever we went—rich, poor, well-educated, some with just high school educations, or sometimes less, different racial backgrounds, different religious backgrounds, different languages, different nationalities. It didn’t matter.
“What did matter was their response to Bahá’u’lláh. They responded because they have pure hearts. And that seems to be one of the secrets of teaching, no matter what method is used.
“We have to respect the purity of heart and motive in the seekers we meet. We have to prepare ourselves—through prayer and deepening—to speak to that purity, to address ourselves to the hearts of people who are looking for the Manifestation of God for this day.
“We have to respect their sincerity and integrity, both before and after they accept Bahá’u’lláh. We have to love and nurture them, because they are the people for whom the Message of Bahá’u’lláh is intended, and we are only His servants delivering it.”
Deborah Garris (second from right), a Bahá’í from Canada, uses a teaching book to introduce the Faith to seekers in a park in Framingham, Massachusetts.
The Spiritual Assembly of Maywood, California, raised about $300 for the National Bahá’í Fund with a disco dance June 3 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The purchase of tickets was limited to Bahá’ís who then were able to give tickets to their non-Bahá’í friends who wished to attend. The Maywood Assembly reports that everyone who attended the dance had an enjoyable evening.
This float, designed and built by Bahá’í communities near Window Rock, Arizona, appeared in the parade at the Navajo Nation Fair September 7-10 in Window Rock.
[edit]
Several Arizona Bahá’í communities worked together to design and build a float that appeared in the parade at the Navajo Nation Fair, a yearly event that draws thousands of spectators, held September 7-10 at Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation.
The theme of this year’s fair was “Chants of the Future.” The words “One Creator, One Mother Earth, One People” were chosen by the Navajo believers as the most significant way of telling the Indian spectators about the Bahá’í Faith.
The float drew many favorable comments and frequent applause from the parade watchers.
A photo of the Bahá’í float later appeared in the Gallup Independent, a newspaper that serves most of the Navajo Reservation area.
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Special Offer!
The Seven Mysteries of Life
An Exploration in Science and Philosophy by Guy Murchie. By special arrangement with the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Company, the Publishing Trust brings to you—at a special discount—this major new book by a Bahá’í and author of two best sellers. Seven Mysteries has been named an Alternate Selection of the Book of the Month Club. The index to Seven Mysteries includes references to Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’í Faith. Among the hundreds of topics discussed in the book are progressive revelation, world government, and global language. But the chief focus of the book is not faith but life—life in all its aspects. Written in an easily understandable style and vocabulary, the book discusses philosophy, physics, geology, paleontology, chemistry, biology, sociology, and mysticism—combining all to form a unified whole. Seven Mysteries will help broaden your knowledge in many fields. The book also makes an excellent holiday or birthday gift for non-Bahá’í relatives and friends who are not likely to read a book specifically on the Bahá’í Faith. Illustrated by the author. 659 pp., index. 7-39-04 cloth ($17.95 list)....14.95 NET To order: Order through Community Librarians if possible! Personal orders: enclose full payment. Bahá’í Publishing Trust
415 LINDEN AVE. • WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091 |
[Page 7]
A new Bahá’í Center was opened September 19 in San Gabriel, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Serving the San Gabriel Valley area, the Center has a capacity of 50-60 people and features a spacious meeting room and a window display whose centerpiece is a model of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. Here, Bahá’ís gather for a meeting at the new Center.
‘Family’ Grows Fast In McKinney, Texas[edit]
The Bahá’í “family” in McKinney, Texas, keeps growing.
The Spiritual Assembly of McKinney, formed September 30, the weekend of the District Convention, is composed of four Mexican-American believers, three blacks, and two whites.
The Thursday before Convention, there were four adult Bahá’ís in McKinney.
By Friday night, there were seven adult Bahá’ís.
TWENTY-FOUR hours later there were nine adult believers, and they formed the first Local Spiritual Assembly in the history of McKinney.
When the Assembly members were introduced that Sunday at the East Texas District No. 1 Convention, the friends gave them a standing ovation.
The Assembly formation in McKinney actually had its beginning a year and a half ago when homefront pioneers Jerry and Ann Greengus arrived, opening the locality to the Faith.
Their intention was to form an Assembly in McKinney before the end of the Five Year Plan, and they set to work immediately.
They submitted press release after press release to the local newspaper. Happily, almost every one was printed.
SOON, Mohammad Ali Mazidi, a graduate student in physics living in Plano, Texas, began making regular teaching trips to McKinney. He was quickly joined by other traveling teachers.
The East Texas Victory Teaching Team taught there July 25-27, obtaining 35 interest cards and finding one seeker who was enrolled immediately.
Soon after her enrollment, that first new believer, Mottle Porter, attended the Bridgeport, Texas, Bahá’í Summer School. She brought seven members of her family with her.
Suddenly there was a sense of community among the Bahá’ís of McKinney. The believers who had banded together to do the follow-up work quickly became aware of the necessity of teaching entire families.
THE DISTRICT Teaching Committee designated McKinney an Assembly goal, as part of its effort to raise all of its new Local Spiritual Assemblies for
Classified Ads[edit]
CLASSIFIED ADS in The American Bahá’í are intended as a service to the U.S. Bahá’í community and are printed free of charge.
RECORDING STUDIO in Colombia, South America, offers an unusual opportunity for those who can assist in the translation, recording and production of material intended for broadcast on a Bahá’í radio station. Successful applicant(s) would also be involved in setting up the radio station itself. Knowledge of Spanish needed. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
A PRIVATE English-language school in the Dominican Republic with approximately 200 students needs a teacher for 4-5 hours a day to teach English to Spanish-speaking adults and children. The salary, which is adequate for a single person, is $3 (Dominican pesos) per hour, or about $200 a month. After two semesters a teacher becomes eligible for a share in semester profits. Income could be supplemented. Housing can be arranged. Some knowledge of Spanish is required. The Bahá’í community is new and fairly small, but quite active. A pioneer is needed to assist the teaching and consolidation work. For information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
TEACHERS OF orchestral instruments, specifically flute, oboe, cello and viola, are needed at a conservatory associated with a South American university. A graduate degree is preferred, but a diploma in music would be accepted. Teaching hours total 22 per week. There are 45 vacation days each year. Initial service would be for one year. Air fare plus a month’s salary for settling would be paid. The salary is between $15,000-$20,000 depending upon qualifications. Opportunities also exist in Portugal for instrumentalists proficient in the following instruments: oboe, cello, trumpet, harp. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed to join three adult Bahá’ís and one youth in Lebanon, Oregon, by December 31 to save its jeopardized Spiritual Assembly. Lebanon is a rural town of about 9,000 within commuting distance of Albany, Corvallis and the state capital, Salem. Major industries in the area include agriculture, lumber, and numerous public/private services. Housing is available at a lower cost than in larger cities. For more information, please write to Tony H. Nelson, 785 West F St., Apt. 2, Lebanon, OR 97355, or phone 503-259-3125.
BAHÁ’Í SOCIAL WORKER: Here is a unique opportunity to direct the social service-mental health department at the new Carl T. Curtis Health Center in Macy, Nebraska. Minimum qualifications include at least two years’ experience in direct provision of social service and a master’s degree in social work. Salary range is from $21,000 to $22,500. Contact Barry Wabaunsee, 403-846-5381. (Mr. Wabaunsee is not a Bahá’í.) For information about the area and the Macy Indian reservation, contact the Macy Bahá’í Teaching Committee, Ms. Theora McVay, Rural Rte. 1, Box 138, Bancroft, NE 68004, or phone 402-648-7591.
ISOLATED BELIEVER in southwestern Nebraska needs at least one more Bahá’í in the community to form a Group. Jobs are available for farm laborers and welders. Within commuting distance of a larger town. For more information contact Mark Edwards, Box 113, Stratton, NE 69043.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed in rural goal area in western Kentucky. Bahá’í Group of two planning to relocate within the next year. The area has been searching for a physician (general practitioner) for a year. Job opportunities in coal mining and skilled and semi-skilled professions. Fifty-acre farm with home and guest house for sale. Contact James LaRue, Rt. 10, Marion, KY 42064, or phone 502-965-2798.
TIME TO MAKE a change in your life? Consider moving to Cortez, Colorado, to spread the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to waiting souls in the Four Corners area. Refresh your spirit with the summer and winter recreational activities (skiing, fishing, hunting, mountain climbing). Excellent employment opportunities in the building and construction industries. Substitute teachers needed in the public school system. Help to establish a Spiritual Assembly on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. For more information, phone 303-565-7910, or contact the Spiritual Assembly of Cortez, P.O. Box 165, Cortez, CO 81321.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed to help an active Group of three in Alliance, Nebraska, achieve its goal of Assembly status. Employment opportunities abound in this booming railroad town of 8,500. Contact the Bahá’ís of Alliance, 628 Newberry, Alliance, NE 69301, or phone 308-762-6316.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to help a goal Group of three adults and three children become an active Assembly as soon as possible. Education and work opportunities in a lovely New England city of 50,000 only 32 miles north of Boston, 16 miles from the ocean, and 30 miles south of the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine. Temporary or permanent housing available with a Bahá’í family. For more information, write to Mrs. Ann Paquin, 30 Manners Avenue, Haverhill, MA 01730, or phone 617-372-1401.
GOVERNMENT-EMPLOYED BAHÁ’ÍS—here is your chance to help save an Assembly! The Spiritual Assembly of Cumberland County, North Carolina, will be jeopardized in December. You can help by transferring to Fort Bragg or to Pope Air Force Base. Both are located in Cumberland County. For more details, please contact the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Cumberland County, P.O. Box 36301, Fayetteville, NC 28301, or phone 919-868-6378.
COCONINO COUNTY, ARIZONA, presents the opportunity of a lifetime to help form a Local Spiritual Assembly. We are a Group of seven who can provide information on housing and employment opportunities that are as varied as Arizona itself. Please contact the Bahá’í Group of Coconino County, Mrs. Susan Cordova, correspondent, Rural Route 3, 25 South Peaks Parkway, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
NEEDED: FEMALE BAHÁ’Í to share an apartment in Coralville, Iowa. The area boasts the University of Iowa close by with direct campus bus service. Many job opportunities and, most important, two other Bahá’ís! Come help us raise Coralville to Assembly status. Am planning to move to Coralville between April 1 and May 1. The time to act is now! Contact Linda S. Hime, 2206 Kenrich Drive S.W., Apt. 6, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.
CHIEF ENGINEER who can supervise the installation of shortwave equipment needed for Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador. The person should have experience in electronics and also be devoted to the progress of the Faith and of Radio Bahá’í. Knowledge of Spanish would be helpful. The National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador is able to offer a minimum subsistence salary for carrying out this work. A pioneer able to fill this post will be filling a goal of the Five Year Plan. If qualified and interested, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS in Zaire in a variety of subject areas for all levels of instruction (K-12th grade). Ability to speak French NOT required. Those who are interested in pursuing this exciting pioneering opportunity should contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
Correction[edit]
Owing to an error in paperwork forwarded to the Bahá’í National Center, Mrs. Margaret J. Stackhouse of Santa Cruz, California, was erroneously listed in the October “In Memoriam” section of The American Bahá’í.
We regret the error, and are happy to report that Mrs. Stackhouse is alive and well in Santa Cruz.
Texas ‘Family’ Growing[edit]
Continued From Page 7
The Five Year Plan by October 1, the date of the District Convention. More believers converged on McKinney for further teaching and consolidation. Those communities that could not send teachers contributed financial help. The unity of resolve was tremendous.
In following up on the new interest cards, the Bahá’í teachers made friends with the new seekers, showered them with love, and took the Faith to their homes, rather than expecting the seekers to leave their homes to investigate the Faith.
The teachers had many audio-visual materials at their disposal, both films and filmstrips, that they showed in the homes of the seekers. These included:
- It’s Just the Beginning (which was shown five times in five different homes on one day).
- Step by Step.
- God Speaks Again.
- Carmel: The Mountain of God.
Showing these films and filmstrips in different homes provided opportunities for family members as well as the original seekers to learn about the Bahá’í Faith.
The second weekend of teaching in September saw the enrollment of two more believers, and, unexpectedly, a Bahá’í float in the Mexican Independence Day parade.
The friends had intended to walk with a banner in the parade, but a fully-decorated truck became available to them.
Bahá’ís and their friends—of many racial and ethnic backgrounds—crowded into the back of the truck, sang songs along the parade route, and constituted a visual celebration of the principle of unity in diversity.
TWO MORE believers were enrolled that weekend, including a woman who managed an apartment building, and who offered her home for children’s classes.
Weekly study classes were organized, based on the cassette tape series on Bible prophecy prepared by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears. The classes are attended regularly by seekers as well as new and old believers.
One week after the McKinney Assembly, composed of seven “mass-taught” Bahá’ís and two seasoned believers, was formed by joint declaration, its officers were elected: Angelita Granados, chairman; Olivia Jackson, vice-chairman; Jerry Greengus, secretary; Ann Greengus, treasurer.
There are now 13 believers in the community: the nine members of the Assembly, three Bahá’í youth, and Angelita Granados’ husband, Ebrardo, who declared his belief October 1 just prior to the District Convention.
The Bahá’í “family” in McKinney keeps growing!
White Plains, N.Y., Assembly Recognized[edit]
The recently-formed Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of White Plains, New York, held its Recognition Ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday, September 23, at the YMCA in White Plains.
Among those present were representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of New York City, the parent Assembly of White Plains, as well as assistants to the Auxiliary Board Will van den Hoonaard and Nancy Mondschein.
Houshmand Taraz, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of New York City, told the gathering of that Assembly’s great pleasure in seeing its goal of Assembly formation in White Plains realized.
The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Roswell, Georgia, was elected early in September. Shown here are the members of the Roswell Bahá’í community and their children. Front row, left to right: Layli Miller, Larry Miller, Carole Miller, Natasha Miller (on Carole’s lap), Candy Grant, Andra Grant (seated in front), Frank Grant, Sean Grant (kneeling in front of Frank). Back row, left to right: Dr. William Sayer, Dr. Robert Henderson, John Longino, Elaine Ingersoll, Rosann McFadden, Haynes McFadden.
Roswell, Georgia, Has Assembly[edit]
“Fastest Growing Town in Georgia Elects First Bahá’í Assembly” was the headline when the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Roswell, Georgia, was formed early in September.
An article in the local paper prepared by the Assembly keyed the news to the recently released statistic that Roswell is indeed the fastest growing city in the state.
The reporter on the religion page was deeply interested, as she was compiling an article on “The Growth of Churches in Roswell” for that week’s issue. The reporter pressed the Assembly’s information officer for more details about the Faith, which were willingly given.
South Carolina[edit]
Continued From Page 1
be won in the South alone, independent of efforts in other parts of the country.
AS IN THE North Georgia campaign, which also began in October, the Assembly formations in South Carolina have depended primarily on re-contacting numbers of believers enrolled in large scale teaching campaigns during the Nine Year Plan.
The vast majority of these people have been delighted to hear from the Bahá’ís again, still consider themselves Bahá’ís, and are eager to serve the Cause as teachers and members of Local Spiritual Assemblies.
As of November 6, Assemblies were reported newly formed or restored in the South Carolina localities of Alcolu, Anderson, Atlantic Beach, Bingham, Blenheim, Floyd Dale, Centenary, Rains, Hickory Hills, Plantersville, Bowman, Zion, Caperstown, Heath Springs, Cheraw, Poston, Clio, Longs, Florence County East, Loris, Galivants Ferry, Hamer, Gresham, North, Lanes, North Myrtle Beach, Scranton, Pageland.
Also, Cades, Pamplico, Salters, Pendleton, Greelyville, Remini, Cash, Riverdale, Dunbar, Camerontown, Dufford, Spring Branch, Little Rock, Van Wick, Sellers, and Pee Dee.
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N. Arizona Reports Victories As a result of a state-wide teaching project, a new Local Spiritual Assembly was formed October 29 in Chandler, Arizona. New Assembly members include five Bahá’ís who were enrolled in the Faith eight years ago in a teaching effort that took place in Arizona during the Nine Year Plan. Also elected to the Assembly was a new Bahá’í who was a Deacon in a fundamentalist church before enrolling in the Faith, and who has been actively and vigorously assisting the Arizona teaching effort since his declaration. The teaching project, which began in early October, will continue throughout the winter, and will encompass a number of areas where it is hoped that new Assemblies can be formed. Included in these goal localities are Winslow, Gilbert, Prescott County, Yavapai County, Rural Verde Valley, Yuma and Parker. |