The American Bahá’í/Volume 9/Issue 9/Text
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Message From the Guardian (Reprinted from Bahá’í News, February 1948.) ●
The gravity of the emergency facing the North American believers is unprecedented since the initiation of the Divine Plan and unparalleled in the history of the American Bahá’í community since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. No obstacle is insuperable, no sacrifice too great for (the) attainment of (the) supremely important objective. The eyes of her sister communities in every continent of the globe and of her daughter communities of Latin America, handicapped by a variety of adverse circumstances, are fixed upon the community of followers of Bahá’u’lláh in (the) North American continent who are enjoying the blessings of internal peace, adequate resources, administrative experience and organizing ability for their Divinely-appointed mission, expecting them to arise and avert the reverse which would mar the splendor of their record of unexampled stewardship. I AM MOVED to plead, at this eleventh hour, that the rank and file of the community, particularly the members resident in long-established leading strongholds of the Faith—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington—issue forth unhesitatingly, determinedly, sacrifice every interest, assume positions in the forefront of the struggle and emulate in the course of the first decade of (the) second Bahá’í Century, (the) opening years of the second epoch of (the) Formative Age of the Faith, (the) exploits of their spiritual progenitors the dawn-breakers of the Heroic Age which immortalized the dawn of the first Bahá’í Century. The immediate fortunes of the Plan are precariously hanging in the balance. The three months’ interval is swiftly running out. My heart aches at contemplation of the possibility of failure of the stalwart community to rise to the heights of the occasion. I refuse to believe that its members, invested with the unique Apostolic Mission of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, will shrink from meeting the most challenging requirement of the present hour. SHOGHI
Cablegram received |
Watsonville:
California Community Ablaze As Victory Team Marches On[edit]
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following eyewitness account of teaching in Watsonville, California, was written for The American Bahá’í by Florence Towers of Burbank.)
For the Watsonville Bahá’í community, with its newly-restored Spiritual Assembly, thanks to the “Lights for Bahá’u’lláh” who had moved into the community to help establish that most precious administrative body, the California Summer Teaching Tour arrived like a bolt of lightning.
The community had begun planning its summer teaching project in May, after attending a session at the Bosch Bahá’í School, and has secured a store on Main Street for a Bahá’í Center.
Calling for help from larger surrounding communities such as San Jose and San Francisco, they launched their effort by July 1, with teaching teams going out to the various neighborhoods each weekend to deliver the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and to invite interested residents to firesides at the newly decorated and equipped Center.
THE CALIFORNIA Bahá’í 1978 Summer Teaching Tour, meanwhile, followed its victory in El Centro by regrouping in Lemon Grove, a small community near San Diego that had no Bahá’ís.
The team first found an empty store and rented it as a Bahá’í Center, decorating it with materials loaned by existing Bahá’í communities in the area.
With volunteers from the San Diego and Los Angeles areas, the team put together a show with England Dan and John Ford Coley, Leslie and Kelly (Bulkin), Red Grammer, Bob Gundry, and other musicians.
In addition, a complete musical show, first done in the San Francisco area, was updated, with new material added, and went into rehearsal. The show was prepared while team members also spent their days as part of teaching teams canvassing Lemon Grove and the surrounding area.
CAREFULLY-WORDED invitations were prepared, and team members knocked on doors, inviting residents
Bahá’ís and seekers mingle at the front doorway of the recently-opened Bahá’í Center in Watsonville, California.
MRS. RUTH J. MOFFETT
Services Spanned Half Century
Long-Time Bahá’í Teacher Ruth Moffett Dead at 98[edit]
DEEPLY GRIEVED NEWS PASSING DEVOTED MAIDSERVANT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH RUTH MOFFETT. HER INDIVIDUAL TEACHING EFFORTS SPANNING HALF CENTURY UNFORGETTABLE. OFFERING ARDENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM.
JULY 6, 1978
MOURN LOSS DEARLY LOVED RÚḤÍYYIH RUTH MOFFETT, CHAMPION TEACHER CAUSE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, ONE MOST OUTSTANDING MEMBERS AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY. RANGE AND VARIETY HER SERVICES IN TEACHING FIELD HERE AND ABROAD FOR OVER HALF CENTURY BEYOND RECKONING BOUND TO EXERT DEEP INFLUENCE ON PROGRESS COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. ESPECIALLY RECALL HER INDEFATIGABLE EFFORTS WHICH SWEPT LIKE FLAME OF FIRE FROM PLACE TO PLACE IN AS YET DARK DAYS OF FAITH’S OBSCURITY DURING SECOND QUARTER THIS CENTURY. HER SPIRIT MUST DOUBTLESS BE REJOICING AT STEADY WORLDWIDE EMERGENCE CAUSE FOR WHICH SHE GAVE FULL STRENGTH HER UNBOUNDED ENERGIES. FERVENTLY PRAYING PROGRESS HER SOUL THROUGHOUT DIVINE WORLDS.
JULY 5, 1978
Complete Story, Page 2
New Media Strategies Evolve at Conference[edit]
Bahá’í media committee representatives and other media experts from 14 states were in Skokie, Illinois, July 14–16 for a national Mass Media Conference whose primary purpose was to devise new media strategies to help win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
The conference, the first of its kind ever held, was sponsored by the National Information Committee and planned by its staff at the National Information Office.
The keynote speaker was Auxiliary Board member Nat Rutstein of Amherst, Massachusetts, an author, teacher and former ABC and NBC network newsman.
NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly members Magdalene Carney, Soo Fouts and Glenford E. Mitchell attended the conference.
Consultation centered around Bahá’í access to local, regional and national media, and on developing
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[Page 2]
Information Offices Open
Strong Teaching Spirit Marks N.Y. Campaigns[edit]
Regular and systematic teaching has continued throughout New York State during the summer months with full-time Bahá’í information centers in operation since July in White Plains (eastern New York) and Rochester (western New York).
In eastern New York, daily street teaching and regular firesides had brought some 60 Interest Cards by the end of July. Many of those who signed the cards are residents of nearby towns or villages that need to be opened or raised to Assembly status.
“Ten to 15 of those who signed cards have indicated their belief in the Faith.” said John McNair, coordinator of eastern New York’s Tiger 1 teaching campaign, “but none has yet been enrolled (as of July 25). All of them are prayed for regularly. They are from ‘all strata’ of society as well.”
TEACHING has been spirited and enthusiastic, said Mr. McNair, and the response to the Message uniformly positive.
The White Plains information center has been open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. since July 15. At least three firesides are being held each week in homes or public places.
The Bahá’ís have contacted the chief of police in White Plains to inform him of the aims and purposes of the Faith and what the teaching campaign is about.
Pamphlet racks have been set up at stores in the city, and an information table was set up on its main street for four days in July.
Also in July, four outdoor and two indoor performances were given in Westchester County by the Bahá’í road show, the New World Light Company; by the group “Earthrise,” and by other Bahá’í performers. The concerts were publicized with 200 posters and some 1,700 flyers as well as by personal invitations.
PLANS FOR August included a door-to-door teaching campaign, a sidewalk art show, and a large publicity effort.
Those who would like to participate in the Westchester County campaign should contact Mr. McNair at 516-289-2006 or 914-835-4326.
The grand opening July 14 of the Bahá’í information office in Rochester (Monroe County) resulted in a brief article in the newspaper and a one-minute, 38-second spot on a TV news show that was described as “sympathetic and well-produced.”
Dana Paxson, coordinator of the campaign in Monroe County, is at the information center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
One person who declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh at the information center has been enrolled, opening the goal locality of Gates.
AS OF Friday, July 28, regular weekly lunchtime firesides are being held at the information center. They are publicized by handbills. Hopefully, said Mr. Paxson, these firesides will be continued weekly at least until the end of the Five Year Plan.
Continental Counsellor Hooper Dunbar, a member of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa, spoke in July at a Methodist church in East Bloomfield, just outside Monroe County.
Those who would like to assist in the campaign in Monroe County may contact Mr. Paxson at 716-325-5160.
Each of the New York State teaching campaigns is sponsored directly by the National Spiritual Assembly and is being conducted under its supervision.
Left: Dayton Haigney, a Bahá’í from Montclair, New Jersey, helps renovate the new Bahá’í information office in White Plains, New York. The office has a full-time receptionist and areas for books, pamphlets, displays and small firesides. Above: Hong Foo, a Bahá’í artist from eastern New York State, works on display materials for the Tiger 1 teaching campaign in Westchester County, New York.
An ongoing teaching campaign in the area around Rochester, New York, coordinated by the Bahá’í Committee of Monroe County, got under way June 18 at a meeting with representatives of the Continental Board of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assembly. Here, Carey Corea presents slides of the new storefront location for the Bahá’í information office of Monroe County. The office had its grand opening July 14.
Long-Time Bahá’í Teacher Ruth Moffett Dead at 98[edit]
Ruth J. Moffett, one of the best known and most widely traveled Bahá’í teachers in the U.S., died July 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of 98.
An active and enthusiastic teacher to the last moments of her life, Mrs. Moffett delivered the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh for more than 60 years to people of all races, classes and age groups in some 65 countries.
Cabled messages from the Universal House of Justice and U.S. National Spiritual Assembly were read at Mrs. Moffett’s funeral by Soo Fouts, a member of the National Assembly.
MRS. MOFFETT, born January 19, 1880, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was an internationally known educator and lecturer and was the author of the book Do’a on Wings of Prayer.
She once served as a special delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and was sent by Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, as an accredited observer to the birth of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1946.
She was the only American Bahá’í present at the signing of the UN charter by representatives from 50 nations. She also attended and reported on nine World Congresses in Europe.
Educated at Oberlin College, the Universities of Chicago, Wisconsin and Geneva, Switzerland, and at Northwestern University, Mrs. Moffett was widely respected for her knowledge of science, history and religion, and was greatly loved for her humility and personal charm.
SHE AND her late husband, Robert Lee Moffett, for 15 years conducted a Training School and Educational Forum in Chicago. Mrs. Moffett taught for seven years at George Williams College in Chicago.
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Mrs. Moffett made two trips to the Holy Land. On each occasion, she was the guest of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.
She moved to Des Moines in 1955, and thereafter continued her active teaching work in every area of the U.S. and many other countries.
Two months before her death, she was present as the Spiritual Assembly of Des Moines celebrated the 35th anniversary of its formation.
She continued teaching to the end, and passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Teachers from public school districts in Sacramento, California, display framed citations presented to them for Outstanding Humanitarian Contributions in the Field of Education by the Bahá’í community of Sacramento at an awards dinner March 11.
Sacramento Honors Educators[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Sacramento, California, honored 11 teachers from five public school districts within the community’s jurisdiction at an awards dinner March 11 in the banquet room of the local community college.
Each of the teachers was presented a framed citation reading “Bahá’í Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Contributions in the Field of Education.”
Teachers were nominated by their supervisors on the basis of criteria suggested by the Bahá’í proclamation committee of Sacramento. The criteria were taken from the Bahá’í Writings relative to elimination of prejudice, equality of the sexes, respect for authority, courtesy, one-world point of view, etc.
THE EVENT received local TV news coverage, with praise of the Bahá’ís for the positive support of education it demonstrated. Newspapers also reported the event.
Guests at the dinner included superintendents of schools or their representatives. Table seating was carefully planned to mix Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’í guests; but except for a brief introductory statement about the Bahá’í attitude toward the importance of education, the program was devoted to the teachers and their qualifications.
Later, one of the school districts invited the Spiritual Assembly to send a representative to a meeting of its Board of Trustees to explain briefly about the Faith and why the presentation was made.
Letter Shows Pioneer Spirit Isn’t Dead[edit]
Did the pioneering spirit die with the invention of the automobile and the discovery of electricity?
One wonders what it would be like to live without the conveniences we’ve become accustomed to in this technologically oriented civilization. A recent letter sent to the Office of the Treasurer from a couple pioneering in Latin America provides a touching glimpse into the rigors and the joys of such a lifestyle.
Their post is in the Americas, where they live in a three-room house with a wood-burning stove, no running water and seven tenants. They serve an active Bahá’í community made up of a majority of native believers. The letter says in part:
“AT TIMES my wife’s salary is our only means of support, but we strive to give to the local Fund regularly, and hopefully, with some degree of sacrifice.
“At times we literally don’t know where our next meal is coming from, but we remain silent in our poverty, not wanting to become a burden even in the thoughts of those who would not understand our purposes and predicament.
“But we are surrounded by much that we consider worthwhile, both in terms of scenic beauty, and in the beauty of the soul, reflected in the faces of the people with whom we are working and serving. Some, alas, have misconstrued our presence and, stirred by militant forces and ideologies, have threatened our lives and our home.
“It has taken more than a year for the native believers in this locale to learn the difference between an Assembly meeting (for Assembly members only), a Feast (for the believers only) and a fireside (which can include everyone).
“THEY ARE, by nature and tradition, a gracious people, with very extended and involved family ties and responsibilities. Therefore, we do not always manage to abide by the ‘rules’ when assembled.
“Now the community is beginning to learn about the Bahá’í Fund(s), and in just one month local Fund participation has nearly doubled.
“Earlier this year a sheep was donated by a 74-year-old believer on the occasion of a Holy Day observance. It made a satisfying stew for the 33 persons in attendance, and as it would have brought $25 on the open market, we recognized this as a generous contribution to the local community.
“When I read of the discouraging level of activity in support of the National Bahá’í Fund, I was hurt for the Faith, and ashamed for the American Bahá’í community. I contemplated the words of Shoghi Effendi: ‘It is therefore imperative for the individual American believer, and particularly for the affluent, the independent, the comfort-loving and those obsessed by material pursuits, to step forward, and dedicate their resources, their time, and their very lives to a Cause of such transcendence that no human eye can even dimly perceive its glory.’
“I don’t know what constitutes ‘comfort-loving’ or ‘obsessed by material pursuits.’ I can only look at my callused and blistered hands after almost a year of wielding an axe for firewood, or think of my wife walking in ankle-deep mud or knee-high snow, and she a grandmother with high blood pressure. Then I feel confident that we each must take account of our own offerings according to our understanding of the Standard.”
Is the pioneering spirit dead? On the contrary! Many Bahá’í pioneers, both on the homefront and abroad, daily experience the joys of sacrifice in the path of our Lord. Understandably, they desire to see the American Bahá’í community share in that joy and arise to play its part in winning every goal of the Five Year Plan.
At its July meeting, the National Spiritual Assembly decided to proceed with the purchase of a National Bahá’í Administrative Building at 1233 Central Street, Evanston, Illinois, one-half mile from the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette. The Treasurer’s Office will occupy 2,000 square feet of space beginning September 1, 1978. The remaining offices at the Bahá’í National Center will move in on a schedule yet to be determined, but not later than June 1980. The Baptist General Conference, present owners of the building, will be relocating their headquarters and have until that date to vacate the premises. In the meantime, they will rent from the Bahá’ís. The price paid for the building was close to $2.5 million. A large estate bequest made it possible to acquire the building without going to outside lenders. The National Spiritual Assembly hopes, however, that the friends will seize the opportunity to replenish this money so that it can be used to build or acquire other priority properties needed by the American Bahá’í community. Contributions toward the purchase of the building should be sent to the Office of the Treasurer, as should inquiries about possible loans or investments. Contributions should be over and above one’s regular support of the Bahá’í Fund.
Q: In the 1978 “Annual Treasurer’s Report,” it was indicated that the National Spiritual Assembly plans to emphasize contributions from individuals in support of the National Fund. We are concerned that such an emphasis, while perhaps effective in the short term, might ultimately lead to a weakening of the institutional fabric of the Faith. Can you explain why the National Spiritual Assembly is emphasizing individual contributions to the National Fund?
A: We are increasing our emphasis on individual participation in contributing to the National Fund because this is the area where the need is the greatest.
Shoghi Effendi gave particular importance to the role of the individual when he stated, “The institution of the National Fund, so vital and essential for the uninterrupted progress of these activities must, in particular, be assured of the wholehearted, the ever-increasing and universal support of the mass of believers, for whose welfare and in whose name these beneficent activities have been initiated and have been conducted. All, no matter how modest their resources, must participate.” (From a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa dated August 8, 1957)
In the early 70’s, roughly 30 percent of the Assemblies were contributing regularly. Last year, however, 77 percent contributed regularly and 94 percent of all Assemblies contributed at least once. We feel that this shows great improvement in Assembly participation.
In contrast, only 8,000 individuals contributed to the National Fund at least once last year, and an average of only 2,100 contributed regularly.
The National Spiritual Assembly is concerned about the apparent lack of awareness of the believers’ responsibility to support the National Fund directly.
When we recognize that universal participation is the hallmark of a healthy community, we can see that we need to exert great efforts in encouraging individuals to support the National Fund. In the final analysis, the success of all our efforts rests with the individual believer.
We share your concern that the fabric of the institutions not be weakened. It is precisely for this reason that the National Spiritual Assembly wants to avoid giving Local Assemblies the impression that the bulk of their contributions should go to the National Fund.
The National Fund is their first priority, just as the International Fund is the first priority of the National Spiritual Assembly. However, the National Spiritual Assembly allocates the great majority of its funds in support of programs for the American community.
Likewise, the Local Spiritual Assembly’s major commitment should be to support the teaching work in its own area. Local growth and expansion would be hampered if Local Assemblies felt obligated to send most of their money to the National Fund. Therefore, our ability to meet the needs of the Faith depends upon the extent to which we support our institutions, both individually and collectively.
On June 19, eight members of the Bahá’í Youth Club of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the club’s adult coordinator visited the Cherokee (North Carolina) Indian Reservation. One seeker was present at a fireside at the home of a Cherokee believer at which the film, ‘The School of Badí’, was shown. Pictured here are members of the Spiritual Assembly of Cherokee, the Spartanburg Youth Club, and other friends.
Former Pioneer Beth Laws Dies[edit]
Mrs. Elizabeth (Beth) Laws, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh to Basutoland (Africa), died June 24 in Wapato, Washington, where she and her husband, Frederick, had moved to help save the Local Assembly.
Mrs. Laws, a Bahá’í since 1936, was among the first pioneers to Africa in 1953 when the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, raised the call for international pioneers at the outset of the Ten Year Crusade (1953–1963).
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Watsonville Community Responds to Message[edit]
Continued From Page 1
to attend the shows at high school auditoriums, civic buildings, in parks, or wherever space permitted—all presented by the Bahá’í communities.
The invitations fell on receptive ears, and when the team left Lemon Grove several weeks later, the community was ready to form its first Spiritual Assembly. Surrounding communities also had a number of Bahá’í residents, dedicated to continuing the teaching and achieving Assembly status before the end of the Five Year Plan.
The grueling teaching schedule continued in Redlands, Yucaipa, San Luis Obispo—up at 5:30 a.m., prayers at the Bahá’í Center by 6:30, breakfast at 7:30, orientation and teaching assignments at 8:30, then out to teach, with brown bag lunches, until late afternoon, when team members gathered at the Center for debriefing and a sharing of experiences. Then dinner, again prepared by their own cooking team, and an hour’s rest before showtime.
In each community, a nucleus of believers was left behind to consolidate and deepen the new declarants before enrollment.
IN WATSONVILLE, teaching teams were organized, but with fewer numbers, and without many of the talented performers that ordinarily are a part of the traveling team.
Nevertheless, results were being seen, and whole families were declaring. Teaching was extended to several nearby communities: Hollister, Gilroy, Castroville, Moss Landing, Hollister J.O., San Juan Bautiste, Pajaro, Prunedale—all goal areas.
The Bahá’í Center in Watsonville was open from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. or later, depending on how late the evening firesides lasted, and at least two Bahá’ís were there at all times.
On Thursday, July 13, the California Bahá’í Summer Traveling Teaching Team arrived—en masse. By now, the permanent group numbered almost 80 dedicated believers—youth and adults. Each of them was eager to bring the healing Message to the waiting souls in California, and determined to assist in winning every goal of the Five Year Plan in the state.
WATSONVILLE, with a population of 19,550, is a small, fog-shrouded rural community surrounded by apple orchards and artichoke fields. The population is predominantly Mexican or Mexican-American; the language heard most frequently on the streets is Spanish.
Because Watsonville had formulated its own teaching plan prior to the arrival of the traveling team, different arrangements were made for housing and meals.
A lodge was found that could serve as a dorm for some of the Bahá’í youth. Its owners, a husband and wife, were so taken with the attitude and radiance of the young Bahá’ís that they moved out of their house, which was a part of the lodge, and took up residence in a small cafe that they owned to make more room for the youth.
Meals were prepared at the local YMCA by the Watsonville Bahá’í community. Team members met at the Bahá’í Center at 8:30 each morning for prayers and orientation.
The Watsonville teaching program, called “La Victoria,” was set up by the California Regional Teaching Committee, assisted by members of the Watsonville Bahá’í community.
ON SATURDAY morning, July 15, the teaching teams, 15 in all, were given their assignments and fanned out to cover Watsonville and surrounding communities.
At noon, while the teams were on the streets, “Friends and Company”—the Bahá’í entertainers—set up their equipment at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Within half an hour the show had begun, with dancers, singers and actors giving the Message in a fashion that appealed to the eyes and the ears.
Although only a few people, aside from a gathering of Bahá’í friends, attended, the group decided to give a second show at 3 p.m. This time a group of children arrived, sat on the ground and were enchanted by the performance.
When it was over, Friends and Company engaged the children in conversation. The result: they went home with the children, and had an opportunity to give the Message to the children’s parents.
BEFORE SUPPER that evening, the teaching teams had returned to deliver the signed Interest Cards they had collected including 14 or so from individuals who said they wished to become Bahá’ís. One of the youth had found a Bahá’í who was relatively inactive for years, living in Moss Landing, a goal area in which no Bahá’ís were listed. The Bahá’í became so enthusiastic about the teaching effort that he immediately joined the team and began teaching in the area.
In the evening, Leslie and Kelly, Bob Gundry, Paul Bloté, Gary Bulkin and Tommy Kavelin headlined a show at the local Veterans Memorial building that was attended by more than 200 non-Bahá’ís who had been invited by the teaching teams. Introductions and the Message were given in Spanish and English.
Following the performance, the audience was invited to two firesides, one in Spanish, the other in English. At least 30 people stayed for the firesides and before the evening was over, seven more declarations were added to the Watsonville total.
The next day, team members were up at dawn and on the streets by early morning, while Leslie and Kelly went with their group to the Fairgrounds to present another show. As an early morning fog gave way to sunshine, many non-Bahá’ís gathered to watch the show. Each was invited to the Watsonville Bahá’í Center to hear more about the Faith.
AFTER THE performance at the Fairgrounds, the group decided to go to the town plaza, a one-block square only half a block from the Center.
There, in spite of the fact that there were no electrical outlets—and thus no microphones or amplification—Red Grammer and Leslie and Kelly did a complete show for the 100 or so Watsonville residents who were enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the park.
Without the restriction of microphones, Leslie walked among the crowd, sat on the ground, sang to the people and told them of Bahá’u’lláh.
Top photo: Bahá’ís and seekers form a ‘Unity Circle’ following street teaching in Watsonville, California. Middle photo: Bahá’í teachers give the Message to a resident in his garden. Bottom photo: Youthful teachers hit the street for another day of spreading the Word in Watsonville.
Despite an afternoon fog, the show continued, ending with all members playing and singing Bob Gundry’s song, “One Planet, One People...Please.” Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís joined hands and formed a circle around the performers, and when the song ended there were many tears.
Though it was past dinner time—and the dinner was being honored by a visit from Continental Counsellor Hooper Dunbar—the performers didn’t leave until everyone in the park had been invited to an evening performance by Friends and Company at the Bahá’í Center.
AFTER DINNER, Mr. Dunbar addressed the teaching teams on the subject of teaching, and its great importance in these last months of the Five Year Plan. He stressed the necessity for love and unity among the friends. When that love is apparent, he said, the people cannot help but be attracted, and to listen to the Message that is being delivered.
News of victories was shared—13 new declarants, and another enrollment. A couple had come to the Center that afternoon; the man had declared a week before, and was asking to be enrolled. He also wanted someone with more knowledge than he to give his wife the Message, as he felt it was the only answer for both of them.
After conferring with the Watsonville Assembly, and carefully going over the laws of the Faith and other pertinent information, the husband was enrolled. His wife was given additional literature to enhance her knowledge of the Faith.
At 8 o’clock Sunday evening, Friends and Company began its performance. Although cast members had spent the morning teaching, and had supported the performance in the plaza later in the day, they were as fresh and “up” as though they had rested all day to prepare for the strenuous show. Again, nearly 100 Watsonville seekers came to the Center, with many staying afterward for the firesides.
IT WAS at least 10:30 p.m. before everyone left to find whatever sleeping quarters they had been assigned. Tired but elated, they could count about 40 declarations for their weekend, and countless more Interest Cards.
There was to be one more day in Watsonville, and the traveling team wanted to make the most of it. The teachers knew that when they left on Tuesday, there would be many friends in the area to continue the deepening and consolidation, for there were many declarants to enroll as soon as they were ready.
As teaching neared its close in Watsonville, some of the friends already were preparing posters for the next stop, and drivers of the motor homes and campers transporting the teachers were standing by, for the team was to split up for the next leg of the tour, with half its members going to Los Banos and the rest to Merced.
One month still remained in this major teaching campaign, and the experiences and confirmations along the way had become an incredible memory for those who had shared it—as they will no doubt become an indelible highlight in the annals of Bahá’í history in the United States.
MANY OF the friends in California have made great sacrifices for this teaching effort. They have given up jobs and personal lives to become “full-time projecteers.”
Many youth from Northern California came to Watsonville to assist in the campaign. When the traveling team arrived, a Bahá’í Center already was set up and functioning. The team altered its schedule, and reinforced the existing plan. Because of the musical programs, the project was able to move ahead with greater efficiency, greater speed, and tremendous excitement.
To travel with the California Bahá’í Summer Teaching Tour is to see love and unity in action. Despite the diversity in age and social condition, the entire team has but one purpose, one unifying force, and it is displayed at every stop along the way, and in every home the team members visit.
It is nothing less than a consuming love for Bahá’u’lláh and complete devotion to His Cause.
Publishing Committee At Northfield Fireside[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Committee, acting on the National Spiritual Assembly’s suggestion that national committees devote a part of their meeting time to teaching, held a teaching event in July in Northfield, Illinois, a goal community of the Spiritual Assembly of Winnetka.
Dr. John S. Hatcher spoke on “What Ever Happened to Hell?” at a fireside attended by four seekers.
It was the first fireside at the home of Deanna Pacini, a Bahá’í who pioneered to Northfield from Winnetka less than three months ago.
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VANGUARD Youth News |
Youth Mailer Draws a Large Response[edit]
The National Bahá’í Youth Committee has sent the first in a series of mailers to youth for the period from June 1 to July 15. Every month and a half, a mailer will go to youth that includes a letter from the Youth Committee and a list of goals for the individual to accomplish during those particular months. A tear-off section is provided for reporting any goals won.
The response to the first mailer has been enthusiastic. Of the three goals listed, memorizing two Hidden Words has been the most reported accomplishment. But the most exciting comments relate to teaching trips (the goal was to take two trips outside one’s community for the purpose of teaching the Faith).
Due to the reports you have sent in, we know we have WON and surpassed the Two Year Youth Program goal of 1,000 domestic teaching trips! 1,030 reports of trips have now come in to the Youth Committee office, with more expected.
THE MAILER also has inspired many youth to report not only specific goals won, but their own teaching activities and progress as well. Here are some examples of the variety received:
“Carrying summer jobs that allow for more self-support and contribution to the Funds and the Cause. These mailers are great ideas! I feel they give much direction individually for winning the goals!”—Candres LaGrange, Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I have moved to a goal area to help teach and establish a community there. I guess that would be called traveling teaching or homefront pioneering?”—Norma Moore Severns, Pacifica, California.
“Had a group discussion on different faiths existing in the world while returning home on a track (sports) bus. I was able to give the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to each of those who listened.”—David M. Williams, Shiloh, Ohio.
“STEADILY gaining spirituality through prayers. Trying to motivate county with loads of recommendations.”—Debra Lindstrom, Astoria, Oregon.
“I went traveling teaching in Canyon and Borger, Texas... I’m pioneering to Granbury, Texas... I taught in Plainview, Texas... I’m a children’s class teacher... I sang a Bahá’í song at my sister’s baby shower. It got good reviews; it also turned into a kind of fireside...”—Chuck Peart, Ft. Worth, Texas.
“I didn’t check a goal above because I am planning to pioneer to Africa... While there I will spend my time traveling throughout villages and teaching all over Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.”—Peter Bruss, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Traveled and taught in El Centro, Calif. Participated in the teaching project over spring break. Was gone for about 7 days. Wow! This mailer is a great idea! Thanks!”—Kim McMillin, Prescott, Arizona.
Now that the second mailer has gone out (for July 20 to September 1), the Youth Committee is hoping for an even greater response. Along with the monthly goals, the mailers can be a means of sharing your plans, experiences, questions, or comments about teaching and the Two Year Youth Program. Be imaginative! We look forward to hearing from you.
| 2 Year Youth Program | ||
| CURRENT | GOAL | |
| Homefront Pioneers | 8 | 150 |
| 1. To unopened counties | 6 | 20 |
| 2. To unopened localities | 6 | 90 |
| Domestic Travel-Teaching Trips | 1043 | 1000 |
| 1. Trips of Two Months or More | 16 | 15 |
| 2. Trips to Indian Reservations | 87 | 50 |
| International Pioneers | 11 | 30 |
| 1. Filling Specific Five Year Plan Goals | 7 | 10 |
| International Travel-Teaching | 79 | 95 |
| 1. Trips of One Month or More | 33 | 20 |
| Local Youth Clubs | 136 | 200 |
| College Clubs | 374 | 400 |
| 1. At Colleges with Highest American Indian Enrollment | 2 | 5 |
Members of the National Summer Youth Project teaching team with a group of Indian children from the Crow Creek Indian Reservation at Fort Thompson, South Dakota, after presenting to the local health center a collage symbolizing unity made by the children.
Youth ‘Road Shows’ Tour U.S.[edit]
This summer has seen three “road shows,” sponsored by the National Youth Committee and the National Teaching Committee, touring parts of the United States and bringing the Message of Bahá’u’lláh through music, dance, and skits.
All three shows were performed for about four and one-half to five weeks during July and August, traveling to goal areas near “host” Local Spiritual Assemblies.
The New World Electric Company, the name of the road show in Illinois, had a group of nine young people from Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota. Performances were centered around Champaign-Urbana, Springfield, Peoria and Rockford.
ILLINOIS’ show arranged its songs and material around the theme of “Personal Transformation”. With strong support from the Bahá’ís, the group reported up to 20-25 non-Bahá’ís in attendance at its performances.
In the South, the New World Power Company toured Spartanburg-Greenville, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; St. Petersburg and Jacksonville, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Winston-Salem and Raleigh, North Carolina. The group consisted of eight performers from Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia, New York and Wisconsin.
The southern show traveled the most, covering four states by car. The response to its performances was enthusiastic, drawing as many as 70-80 seekers of all ages.
The road show in New York State was called the New World Light Company. Its cast included 13 performers representing Rhode Island, Illinois, New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia. They toured goal areas around Westchester County, Albany, Rochester, Saranac Lake and Amherst.
New York put on more of a “stage production” through its use of lighting and a larger cast. The shows attracted not only Bahá’ís but up to 40-50 non-Bahá’ís in some places.
The success of these road shows is shown by the large numbers of seekers who attended in each region. Whether the road shows will be formed again next year depends on budgetary considerations and the direction future teaching plans take. But these inspiring victories indicate the receptivity of the masses to Bahá’u’lláh’s Message.
Young Teachers Are Needed in Solomon Islands[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Solomon Islands has made a special call to black youth and young adults to form a teaching team for the Solomon Islands. The National Youth Committee and the International Goals Committee invite you to make application through the International Goals Committee.
If accepted for this exciting venture, you will be accompanied throughout the islands by local Solomon Islands youth, who would gain greatly from such a visit.
Because of the desperate need for help in the Solomon Islands, deputation funds will be offered. Young people who have had experience in mass teaching will be of great assistance on this project.
THE TEAM would need to spend four to six months in the Solomon Islands. Travel inter-island would be by boat, involving from 6-24 hours in travel time. Transport on each island would be by boat and/or truck.
English is spoken in most areas, but the local teachers would provide translation when and where necessary. Accommodation would be in local houses of leaf-type material.
Cost per teacher would be: Local Travel—$50–75 full period. Food costs—e.g. coffee, sugar, milk, tinned fish, rice (basic food, potato and greens, provided by villagers)—$20.25 a week. Luxury items—cigarettes, soap, etc.—as per normal requirements. Medicines—each member should carry first aid kit, paying attention to sores, cuts, and infections.
The National Assembly of the Solomon Islands will offer: a) to ensure that local friends supply local foods; b) accommodation at all times; c) to encourage the team and to pray for its success.
The friends in the Solomons are enthusiastic about the prospects of such a team visiting them. It is their deep wish that this project and its challenges will be accepted.
This project will have great spiritual benefits and will act as a stimulus to the friends by assisting them greatly toward forming another 40 Local Spiritual Assemblies there.
Bahá’í Teen in Irán As a U.S. Wrestler[edit]
John Taylor, an 18-year-old Bahá’í from Placerville, California, was in Irán August 3–18 to compete in several tournaments as a member of the U.S. wrestling team.
He was selected by wrestling officials in California, according to his mother, Darlene Taylor, for training for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team that will be selected sometime next year.
Mr. Taylor has been able to give Bahá’í firesides this summer while attending Olympic training camps in the goal states of California, Illinois and New York, and also in Pennsylvania.
The firesides, he says, usually begin with two or three people at the start of the camp, and have grown to include as many as 30 interested listeners.
Feast Letter Stresses Great Need for Family Unity[edit]
To The American Bahá’í Community
(For the Feast of Kamál)
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
The delegates to the recent National Convention expressed deep concern over the rapid rate at which American families are disintegrating, and they were especially worried about the damaging effects of this disintegration on the members of the Bahá’í community.
It is against the background of the delegates’ concerns that we comment on a particular matter which has been brought to our attention repeatedly.
The observation has been made that because of their enthusiasm the friends sometimes endanger the stability of their homes by engaging in teaching activities that take them away from their families for extended periods.
THE DESIRE of the friends to promote the teaching work and their readiness to undertake Bahá’í service, even at great personal sacrifice, are, of course, commendable. Yet we know that enthusiasm must be tempered by wisdom, and that in the case of married couples due consideration must be given to the needs of the home, as well as to the duty facing every believer to serve the Cause of God.
We are confident that the following extracts from letters concerning the importance of marital relations written on behalf of the beloved Guardian and the extract from a letter by the Universal House of Justice will greatly aid those who are concerned about this matter and will be a welcome means of consultation among the friends:
“Surely Shoghi Effendi would like to see you and the other friends give their whole time and energy to the Cause, for we are in great need of competent workers, but the home is an institution that Bahá’u’lláh has come to strengthen and not to weaken. Many unfortunate things have happened in Bahá’í homes just for neglecting this point...” (To an individual believer, dated May 14, 1929)
“The Guardian feels that if your wife is willing to have you go out as a pioneer, then you should by all means settle in one of the virgin areas outside of the country. This is the most meritorious service you can render the Faith at this time.” (To an individual believer, dated March 14, 1954)
“SHOGHI EFFENDI wishes me to add this note in connection with your marriage: he does not feel that any believer, under any circumstances whatsoever, can ever use the Cause or service to it as a reason for abandoning their marriage; divorce, as we know, is very strongly condemned by Bahá’u’lláh and only grounds of extreme gravity justify it.” (To an individual believer, dated April 7, 1947)
“He feels, in view of your husband’s circumstances and feelings, and also considering that your two older children will naturally want to see you, and indeed should see you at times, so that you can help them in their Bahá’í lives, that the wise thing for you to do is to pioneer with your husband in the States, where your services will be of the greatest value.” (To an individual believer, dated July 29, 1954)
“One point in your letter which caused us great concern was that you had left your non-Bahá’í husband and children in order to serve the Cause with greater freedom. Bahá’ís who serve the Cause with such enthusiasm and energy as you do should set an example to the newer believers as well as to the youth. Bahá’u’lláh considered marriage a most sacred responsibility, a relationship to be preserved at all costs. In a letter to an individual, Shoghi Effendi’s secretary wrote on his behalf: ‘He does not feel that any believer, under any circumstances whatsoever, can ever use the Cause, or service to it, as a reason for abandoning their marriage...’” (To an individual believer from the Universal House of Justice, dated September 16, 1970)
WE BRING these statements of guidance to your attention as the activities of the Five Year Plan are attaining new heights of intensity and the friends everywhere will have to consider how best to exploit the opportunities provided by their talents and the individual circumstances of their lives to aid the objectives of that Plan.
There is no intention here to dampen the growing enthusiasm, which is a vital expression of devotion and faith and is, in any event, essential to success. Undoubtedly, dear friends, you will take the advice given herein as a matter of wisdom and not see in it any reason unduly to decrease your greatly needed services to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
After all, is not the strengthening of family life a major goal of the Plan we are striving to achieve?
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
The Bahá’ís of the United States
‘The Oneness of Mankind’ was the theme of this float, decorated with streamers and quotations from the Writings, entered by the Bahá’ís of Orange County, Virginia, in the annual Orange Firemen’s Parade June 9. A large crowd saw the hour-long parade and heard the Bahá’ís perform the song, ‘It’s a Small World After All.’ Orange County, with seven adult Bahá’ís, has the goal of reaching Assembly status by October.
The Bahá’ís of Bowling Green, Ohio, received a first place award in the religious category for this float entered in the city’s annual summer parade. The float, adorned with hundreds of real and artificial flowers, was entered in the parade as a part of the Bowling Green community’s second Victory Weekend observance. Its theme was ‘Ye are flowers of one garden—leaves of one branch.’ Other Victory Weekend activities included a picnic with musical entertainment and the reading of a talk by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and a Sunday morning prayer breakfast.
The Bahá’í community of St. Cloud, Minnesota, entered this float with the theme ‘One Planet, One People Please’ in three area parades this summer. The float won first prize in one parade and second prize in another. Even more important, the Spiritual Assembly of St. Cloud says, has been the spirit and dedication generated within the community because of the united effort required to build and enter the float.
North Texas Victory Campaign Moves to Consolidation Phase[edit]
The North Texas Victory Campaign moved into its second phase—consolidation—at the end of June following three highly successful weeks of full-time teaching.
As of July 31, the number of declarations resulting from the campaign totaled 113. There were 22 enrollments in six communities including nine in Canyon, Texas, with several more pending.
Other communities with new enrollees are Vernon, Plainview, Borger, Pampa and Tulia.
Weekend teaching continued in July, with six declarations in Lubbock among the victories.
Additional teaching weekends were planned in unopened localities such as Claude, Happy and others, and in Canyon to try and raise the number of believers there to at least 15.
The teaching teams reported an excellent response to the Message. Those who declared are being revisited by consolidation teams who are in the field two to three times a week.
The campaign is sponsored by the North Texas District Teaching Committee.
Slides of Rulers Now in Stock at Trust[edit]
A set of eight 35mm slides of the kings and rulers to whom Bahá’u’lláh sent messages and Tablets is once again available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. The slide set, out of stock for several years, sells for $3.25.
Included in the set are portraits of Napoleon III, Czar Alexander II, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Emperor Francis Joseph, Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz, Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, and Pope Pius IX. It was to these kings and rulers, as well as others, that Bahá’u’lláh sent Tablets and messages announcing His mission.
The slide set can be used in slide programs, in television programs, and in connection with a study of The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh.
To order, see your Bahá’í community librarian or send to the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. On orders under $5, add 75 cents for postage and handling.
UN to Sponsor Children’s Year Art Contest[edit]
A worldwide competition of drawings by children who are under the age of 12 on January 1, 1979, is being organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in cooperation with Air France.
The 10 first prizes in the contest, which coincides with the International Year of the Child, are eight-day trips to Paris.
The theme of the competition is “My Life in the Year 2000.” The first stage in the competition is the launching this summer of national competitions. Bahá’í children are asked to submit their entries to the National Education Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
The 10 best drawings from each country will be forwarded to UNESCO headquarters in Paris by April 30, 1979. An international jury will meet in Paris on May 15, 1979, to award the prizes.
[Page 7]
Soo Fouts, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, makes a point during the national Mass Media Conference in Skokie, Illinois.
Media Conference Held[edit]
Continued From Page 1
new and unique approaches to the media to generate an ever wider public awareness and acceptance of the Faith.
The emphasis was on goal-oriented media programs that would carry the Message to goal areas and communities without interfering with media programs that already have been established and are being carried out.
A conference highlight was the presentation by the National Information Committee and several media committees of materials recently developed for radio and television, print media, and outdoor advertising.
Among the programs presented by the National Information Committee was Episode No. 1 in a new half-hour radio drama series, “Fireside Playhouse,” that is being written for the committee by Betty D. Ulius of Los Angeles. The program features well-known radio and TV personalities, not necessarily Bahá’ís, in stories of people coping with everyday problems and concerns through reliance on the Faith.
THE FIRST program in the series, entitled “Breaking Out,” stars veteran actor Hans Conreid (who is not a Bahá’í) as a middle-aged salesman forced to change his perspective and his lifestyle after losing his job.
Also sharing media materials and approaches were representatives from Los Angeles, Atlanta, Phoenix, Milwaukee, western Washington State, New York State, Texas, Illinois and Tennessee.
Some of these materials have been approved by the National Information Committee for use throughout the country and are available from the media committees.
Approved materials include those used in Los Angeles’ “One Planet, One People... Please” campaign; those from Chicago’s “Family Reunion” campaign including radio spots; Atlanta’s poster and 20-second television spot on racial unity, and a series of billboards produced by the Greater Las Vegas Media Committee.
THE LAS Vegas committee also is able to reproduce in large quantities billboards developed in other communities or areas.
Further information about these materials and services can be obtained from the media committees themselves or from their sponsoring Spiritual Assemblies.
In addition, radio spots produced in western Washington State by Burl Barer and Allan Goldblatt will be available through the National Information Committee in mid-September.
Participants at the Media Conference were divided into groups of five or six to consult on various aspects of media use and development, and to make recommendations to the National Information Committee.
More than 30 wide-ranging recommendations were considered and acted upon by the National Information Committee at a special meeting Wednesday, July 19, only three days after the conference.
Among those to be forwarded to the National Spiritual Assembly for its consideration are an 800 WATS line for the National Information Office; publication of a periodic media newsletter (a task that would be voluntarily undertaken by the Communication Design Group Inc. of Evanston, Illinois, whose principal officers are Bahá’ís); publication in The American Bahá’í of media committee profiles and lists of materials approved by the National Information Committee; development of “How To” media workshops for Bahá’í schools; wider use of market research in media campaigns; appointment of a national public information officer who would serve as a full-time media coordinator for the committee; and a second national Mass Media Conference to be held sometime in 1979.
New Book Discusses Bahá’í Faith and Islám[edit]
A new book on the Bahá’í Faith and Islam is now available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust. Written by Udo Schaefer and entitled The Light Shineth in Darkness: Five Studies in Revelation After Christ, the book introduces the Bahá’í Faith and deals with popular misconceptions about the Bahá’í Faith and Islám found in the religious and intellectual traditions of the West. (Published by George Ronald, 186 pp., $4.75 paperback.)
Two of the studies—“Beliefs and Unbelief Today” and “What It Means to Be a Bahá’í”—present the Bahá’í Faith and its basic teachings.
A third article, “Answer to a Theologian,” discusses a number of theological questions that often crop up in dialogues between Christians and Bahá’ís.
A fourth study, “The Bahá’í Faith and Islám,” sets forth the relationship between the two religions, dealing with the often-heard criticism that the Bahá’í Faith is a sect of Islam and discussing the theological similarities and differences between them.
The fifth study, “Muḥammad and the West,” investigates some of the traditional misconceptions about Islam that can still be found in works by Western scholars as well as in school history textbooks.
The author, Udo Schaefer, was chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany for several years and still serves as a member of the German Bahá’í Publishing Trust. The title of his book is from the Holy Bible (John 1:5): “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
The Light Shineth in Darkness is recommended for teaching Christians and well-educated persons about the Bahá’í Faith and Islam as well as for deepening by Bahá’ís.
The book may be ordered through local Bahá’í librarians or directly from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Add 75 cents postage and handling charge on orders under $5.
Month-long Campaign Sparked By Utah Teaching Committee[edit]
An intensive month-long statewide teaching campaign was launched July 20 in Utah under the auspices of the Utah District Teaching Committee.
The campaign got under way with three days of teaching in Logan, where there hasn’t been a Local Assembly for about 10 years.
Six Bahá’ís were in Logan when the campaign began; two days later, five Declaration of Interest cards had been signed in the predominantly Mormon community.
THE GOALS of the campaign, which was to end August 20 in Bluff, were to form Assemblies in Logan and Provo; open nine new localities; emphasize teaching on Indian Reservations; establish a permanent teaching team; encourage the fulfillment of individual goals, and begin the process of entry by troops in Utah (by adding at least one new active Bahá’í each month).
Ben Hendricks, a Bahá’í in Blanding, Utah, resigned his summer job two weeks early to coordinate the teaching campaign.
Following an organizational meeting July 10 in Farmington, Utah, the District Teaching Committee sent the following cable to the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly:
“Utah starting month-long statewide direct teaching campaign July 20 deliver our share Five Year Plan. Please pray victory.—Utah District Teaching Committee.”
The following day a cabled reply was received:
“Greatly encouraged by your message of month-long teaching campaign beginning July 20. Anxiously await outcome your devoted efforts. Fervently praying at House Worship that Divine confirmations will surround you. Rest assured and persevere. —National Spiritual Assembly.”
This photo of Bahá’ís from Roswell and Chaves County, New Mexico, working to clean up a garden area in one of the city parks appeared June 26 on the front page of the Roswell Daily Record. Twenty adult Bahá’ís and 10 children helped in the week-long beautification project.
N. Mexico Bahá’ís Aid Clean-up[edit]
Bahá’ís from Roswell and Chaves County, New Mexico, with the blessing of the Roswell city parks and recreation commission, spent the week preceding the second Victory Weekend observance in June clearing debris from the fish pond–sunken gardens area at one of the city parks.
By cleaning out these areas and planting rose bushes and flowering perennials, the Bahá’ís demonstrated their interest in community betterment.
During the Victory Weekend, a local newspaper sent a reporter to cover Bahá’í activities in Roswell that included planting flowers in what is to be known as “Unity Gardens” in the park. A photo of Bahá’ís working in the gardens appeared the following day on the front page of the paper.
The Bahá’ís are making upkeep of the gardens an ongoing project, and have invited church groups and civic organizations to join them in that effort.
Wilmette Bahá’ís Host 300 at Potluck Picnic[edit]
Some 125 members of Chicago’s Vernon Park Church of God were among the more than 300 persons who attended a gala potluck picnic Saturday, July 22, on the lawn of the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Wilmette, Illinois.
The picnic was planned and hosted by the Bahá’í community of Wilmette and was supported by Bahá’ís from other area communities.
Mrs. Addie Wyatt, the wife of the pastor of the predominantly Black Vernon Park Church on Chicago’s South Side, was one of five persons honored in February by the Bahá’ís of Wilmette with the Rosey E. Pool Award for service to humanity.
A Bahá’í couple and their children from Evanston who attended services at the Vernon Park Church the following day reported that the Rev. Wyatt “praised the picnic highly” in his message to the congregation.
Music at the picnic was provided by guitarist Milt Norman and his quintet and the Unity Bluegrass Band.
Many of the visitors from Chicago, it was reported, spent a part of the afternoon visiting the Bahá’í House of Worship across the street from the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
Above: Bahá’ís and guests enjoy food and fun at a picnic July 22 on the lawn of the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Wilmette, Illinois. Below: Guitarist Milt Norman (left) was among those who furnished entertainment at the picnic which was attended by more than 300 people.
Barker New General Manager At Bahá’í Publishing Trust[edit]
Jack M. Barker, a founder and former director of Northwestern University Press and former senior editor at J.B. Lippincott Company, has been named general manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.
Mr. Barker, whose background includes 14 years in trade, text, and scholarly book publishing, and 11 years in government and foreign service, assumed his new post at the Publishing Trust in mid-July.
A native of Rochelle, Illinois, and a graduate of Northwestern University, Mr. Barker has traveled extensively in Africa as a publishing consultant for UNESCO.
He directed Northwestern University Press for four years, helped found the well-known literary quarterly magazine, Tri-Quarterly, and, during a leave of absence from foreign service, managed the Northern Illinois University Press for one year.
Mr. Barker was a senior-level foreign officer in the Philippines, Turkey, Kenya, Vietnam, Laos, Bangladesh and Ghana—posts at which he managed large projects involving the publishing and distribution of educational texts.
He has been a contributing editor to Horizons, Free World, and other U.S. Information Agency publications.
Capitola Dickerson (second from right) was presented an award by the Bahá’í Group of Summit, New Jersey, as a part of its Race Unity Day observance June 11. The award for encouraging greater racial harmony and understanding in the community was presented by Dr. Ann Schoonmaker (center) of the Summit Bahá’í Group. Others shown (left to right) are Michael Hampton, a Bahá’í who chaired a panel discussion on ‘Racial Unity in Summit: Progress and Prospect,’ and panel members Harold Coombs and Wilson Allen. The luncheon-panel discussion at the Summit YWCA was attended by 12 adult Bahá’ís, three children of Bahá’ís, and 20 non-Bahá’ís including children.
‘World Order’ Issue Contains Useful Articles for Teaching[edit]
The fall 1977 issue of World Order magazine, now available through Bahá’í community librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, includes several articles that could be most helpful in efforts to win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
The lead article, “The Bahá’í Faith: A World Religion of the Future?” written by a non-Bahá’í, Jacques Chouleur, may be especially useful in building bridges between your community and certain key newspaper and magazine editors, selected government and opinion leaders, and professors of religion, world history, and related subjects.
Other articles in this issue could help your community reach sociologists, philosophers, artists, and persons interested in the history of religion.
|
A Reminder If you didn’t have time at the recent Bahá’í National Convention to order the group photo, you can still do so. The 11 x 14 color prints of the friends on the steps of the House of Worship are $7 each (including postage). Send your order to Ken Jennrich Photography, 1225 Maple St., Wilmette, IL 60091. |
The magazine can be distributed nationally in large quantities through mailings to selected individuals or groups.
The net price is $1.80 per issue, 10 for $15, or 25 for $33.75. Please order as soon as possible, as supplies are limited.
Order through your community librarian or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
January 1 Deadline
Bosch School Seeking Logo[edit]
The Bosch Publicity Committee is seeking a permanent logo for the John and Louise Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz, California.
A number of designs have been submitted, but the committee would like to offer an opportunity to many more Bahá’ís to design a logo before making its final decision.
The logo should:
- Specifically relate to the Bosch Bahá’í School.
- Uniquely represent the school in some way in the areas of topography or flora.
- Be distinctive and eye-catching.
- Become a clearly recognizable symbol for the Bosch School.
- Preferably be other than circular in shape.
The Bosch Bahá’í School, in the Santa Cruz Mountains some 2,000 feet above sea level, has a view from “Inspiration Point” that includes the Pacific Ocean along with redwood and manzanitas trees.
Please submit logo designs by January 1 to the Bosch Publicity Committee, Jane Rhodes, secretary, 521 LaVerne Avenue, Aptos, CA 95003.
Bosch School Slates 3 Upcoming Sessions[edit]
The Bosch Bahá’í School in California will hold three sessions in the coming months. The first is November 22–26; the second, for families, is December 21–25; and the third, for adults only, is December 28–January 1.
For more information contact the Bosch Bahá’í School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
‘Youth Energy Zone’ Camp Slated[edit]
“Youth Energy Zone,” an intensive seven-day program to be held December 17-23 in Southern California, has been designed by a special task force of the National Education Committee to stimulate and challenge Bahá’í youth ages 13-16 spiritually, physically and intellectually.
Fifty youth will be selected by application (see coupon for instructions on how to obtain one) to attend this pilot school.
Attendance will be limited to provide a unique experience within the wide diversity of the Bahá’í community.
The site for this special school is the lovely and internationally famous mountain camp ISOMATA (Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts). Materials, room and board, and arts and crafts supplies are included in the $95-a-person fee.
Youth are encouraged to consult with their Local Spiritual Assemblies for financial assistance, if it is needed. A limited number of scholarships is available.
I am interested in attending YOUTH ENERGY ZONE December 17-23. I understand that materials, room and board total $95, and that only Bahá’í youth ages 13-16 may attend. I also understand that this special school is like no other Bahá’í school that has ever been held. PLEASE SEND MY APPLICATION RIGHT AWAY!
[Page 9]
News Briefs
Eastern N.C. Forms Three New Assemblies[edit]
Teaching has accelerated in the Eastern District of North Carolina, with Local Spiritual Assemblies formed recently in Goldsboro, Farmville and Wilson. The District is ahead of schedule in forming Assemblies assigned to it, and plans now to raise up Assemblies in Henderson, Washington, Ayden and Plymouth. Any help from the friends in North Carolina or elsewhere would be greatly appreciated...
On Wednesday, June 7, Bahá’ís representing the Bahá’í Group of Bountiful, Utah, and the District Teaching Committee of Utah were present at the first city council meeting ever at Bountiful’s new city hall.
The council’s proclamation of June 11 as Race Unity Day was the first order of business in the new chambers.
On June 9, the day the press release about Race Unity Day appeared in the paper, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) lifted its ban against Blacks in the priesthood.
Also on June 9, the book, The Promise of All Ages, was presented by the Bahá’ís to the mayor of Bountiful...
The Boston, Massachusetts, Bahá’í community celebrated Race Unity Day June 11 with a picnic at Boston Common.
A number of Bahá’ís came from nearby communities for the event. Many people paused to read the large “Race Unity Day” banner, accept pamphlets, or listen to the music and singing...
Some 40 Bahá’ís and guests from five communities in Contra Costa County, California, gathered June 24 for a “fun-filled time of proclamation and fellowship” that launched the second Victory Weekend and commemorated the visit by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912 to Teaneck, New Jersey.
The Bahá’í picnic was advertised in the local newspaper, and participants handed out pamphlets to passersby during the picnic itself...
In July, the Bahá’í Group of Chestertown, New York, opened a Bahá’í Center in that city. The Group was to have the Center for at least three months, and planned to make the fullest possible use of it during that time...
The Galveston, Texas, Bahá’í community recently invited an encounter group to hear about the Faith. A fireside resulting from the invitation was attended by three Bahá’ís and 14 non-Bahá’ís. The non-Bahá’ís were given pamphlets and copies of the book, Thief in the Night...
The Spiritual Assembly of Northampton, Massachusetts, hosted an outdoor Race Unity Day observance that was attended by 50 non-Bahá’í children from a low-middle income housing project. The children played games, sang, drew pictures, and broke a piñata that contained gifts. A photo and article about the event appeared in the local newspaper...
Six Bahá’ís and five seekers attended the celebration May 22 in Hialeah, Florida, of the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb...
A total of 52 adults and children attended the second Victory Weekend picnic June 24 in St. Joseph, Michigan. Among those present were 17 non-Bahá’ís.
Rain was forecast, and clouds were heavy as dawn prayers began. But by picnic time the sky was nearly cloudless, the temperature comfortable, and a gentle breeze was blowing. The program consisted of prayers, a brief explanation of the historical significance of the picnic, and a reading of the talk given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at West Englewood, New Jersey, in 1912...
John Langino, a lawyer for the Tenneco Oil Company in Atlanta, Georgia, was told by a Lutheran minister in response to a question about religion that the answer lay elsewhere. The minister suggested that Mr. Langino investigate the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
Mr. Langino attended Bahá’í firesides, was immediately attracted by the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, and on July 18 was enrolled in the Faith. A fifth-generation Atlantan, he is the first member of his family to become a Bahá’í.
Mr. Langino and his wife, Randy, annually attend the Fourth of July raft race on the Chattahoochee River. This year, instead of drinking alcohol, as they had in the past, they drank iced tea, and helped pull some 30 capsized rafters from the river. They were credited with saving at least 10 lives.
That evening, Mr. Langino called his Bahá’í friends to say, “Bahá’u’lláh saved about 10 lives today!”...
When a Methodist minister in Newcastle, Wyoming, went on vacation for two weeks this summer, a lay leader in the church phoned the Bahá’ís to ask if they would be willing to conduct a Sunday service! Needless to say, the answer was an enthusiastic “yes.”
The Sunday service is broadcast live on radio station KASL in Newcastle.
2 New Books Authored by Hand of Cause Faizí[edit]
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust has announced the publication of two new books by the Hand of the Cause of God Abu’l-Qásim Faizí. The books, Milly and The Prince of Martyrs, are both published by George Ronald, Oxford, England.
The first book, Milly (41 pp., $1.50 paperback), is a tribute to the Hand of the Cause of God Amelia E. Collins. “Milly,” as Mrs. Collins was known to her friends, was one of the most distinguished of the Guardian’s assistants. She accepted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in 1919 and passed away in early 1962, her life as a Bahá’í thus spanning the period of Shoghi Effendi’s Guardianship.
She was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi and, in 1951, as the vice-president of the first International Bahá’í Council. In addition, she served for 20 years as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
Milly is not an attempt at a biography, but a tribute from a fellow Hand of the Cause who came to know Mrs. Collins through their work together in Haifa. It is an affectionate and intimate portrait that brings to life her achievements, her devotion and her shining personality.
Mr. Faizí’s second new book, The Prince of Martyrs (68 pp., $2.25 paperback), relates the story of Ḥusayn, the third Imám and grandson of the Prophet Muḥammad, who was martyred by his coreligionists less than 50 years after the passing of Muḥammad.
Writing of Ḥusayn in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, Bahá’u’lláh stated that “no warrior could be found on earth more excellent and nearer to God than Ḥusayn, son of ‘Áli, so peerless and incomparable was he.
“Should We wish to impart unto thee a glimmer of the mysteries of Ḥusayn’s martyrdom, and reveal unto thee the fruits thereof,” Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed, “these pages could never suffice, nor exhaust their meaning.”
In The Prince of Martyrs, Mr. Faizí brings to the attention of all Bahá’ís the significance of the life and death of Ḥusayn. It was the dire events described in this small book that set the seal on Islám’s most damaging and most lasting schism.
Another of Mr. Faizí’s works, Three Meditations on the Eve of November the Fourth (33 pp., $1.75 clothbound), has been available for several years. It expresses some of his thoughts on the anniversary of the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957.
All three books may be ordered through Bahá’í librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Add 75 cents for postage and handling on orders under $5.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Miles City, Montana, was elected at Riḍván 1978. Back row, left to right, are Nettie Tipton, John Hanks; D. Newton Koelzer (chairman); Carol Koelzer (treasurer); Irene Archambeau, Louetta Hanks. Front row, left to right, are Stephen Hamann (corresponding secretary); Laura Hanson (recording secretary); Robert Hanson (vice-chairman).
Devoted Teacher Marian Steffes Dead[edit]
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING MARIAN STEFFES STEADFAST HANDMAIDEN OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH WHOSE MEMBERSHIP BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY IS RECORDED IN ANNALS EARLIEST ENROLLMENTS NATIVE AMERICAN BELIEVERS. CHERISH HOPE THAT HER SPIRIT IS DOUBLY REJOICED IN ITS ARRIVAL ABHÁ REALM DURING IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH GALVANIC PARTICIPATION NATIVE AMERICANS IN RECENT NATIONAL CONVENTION WILMETTE IN FULL GLORY ACCOMPLISHMENT FIVE YEAR PLAN GOALS ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL DOUBTLESS CELEBRATE EXEMPLARY PART PLAYED BY HER IN RISE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY. KINDLY ASSURE MEMBERS HER FAMILY OUR SYMPATHY LOVE PRAYERS.
JUNE 16, 1978
U.S. Bahá’ís Given New Traveling Teaching Goals[edit]
The Universal House of Justice on June 25 assigned the U.S. Bahá’í community additional traveling teaching goals.
As is the case with the pioneering goals assigned at that same time, the Universal House of Justice has designated certain countries as “crisis areas” that are in urgent need of traveling teachers before the end of the Five Year Plan.
These countries include the Cameroon Republic, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rhodesia, South and West Africa, Barbados and the Windward Islands, the French Antilles, Haiti, Taiwan, Samoa and Spain.
Other countries to which additional U.S. traveling teachers have been assigned are Ghana, Liberia, Belize, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, the Leeward and Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Austria, France and Norway.
Since there are only a few months left before the end of the Plan, the International Goals Committee urges those who are willing and able to undertake teaching trips to any of these countries to contact its staff as soon as possible at 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-4400.
Assigned June 25, 1978
| AFRICA | Assigned | Filled | Open | Length of Stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon Republic* | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ghana | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lesotho* | 1 | - | 1 | 1 month |
| Liberia | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nigeria* | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rhodesia* | 1 | - | 1 | |
| South and West Africa* | 1 | - | 1 | |
| 8 | 8 | |||
| AMERICAS | ||||
| Barbados and Windward Islands* | 1 | - | 1 | 1 month |
| Belize | ||||
| Bolivia | 2 | - | 2 | 2 months |
| Ecuador | 2 | - | 2 | 2 months |
| French Antilles* | 1-2 | - | 1-2 | 1 month |
| Haiti* | 2 | - | 2 | 2 weeks |
| Honduras | - | |||
| Leeward and Virgin Islands | 2 | - | 2 | 2 months |
| Puerto Rico | 2 | - | 2 | during summer |
| Uruguay | 1 | - | 1 | 2 months |
| Venezuela | - | |||
| 14 | 14 | |||
| ASIA | ||||
| Taiwan | 1-2 | - | 1-2 | 2 months |
| AUSTRALASIA | ||||
| Samoa* | 1-2 | - | 1-2 | 2 months |
| EUROPE | ||||
| Austria | 1 | - | 1 | 1 month |
| France | 1 | - | 1 | 1 month |
| Norway | 1 | - | 1 | 1 month |
| Spain* | 2 | - | 2 | 1 month |
| 5 | 5 |
*These countries are in urgent need of traveling teachers.
To be counted as filling one of these newly-assigned goals, a traveling teacher must fulfill the requirement given under “length of stay.”
The Bahá’ís of Round Rock, Texas, presented this display in the city’s annual Frontier Days celebration July 7-8.
Texas ‘Frontier’ Proclaims Faith[edit]
For the second year the Bahá’ís in Round Rock, Texas, have participated in the city’s annual “Frontier Days” celebration.
Hundreds of persons in the central Texas city passed by the Bahá’í information booth, read its message—“Bahá’í: Spiritual Solutions to World Problems”—and looked at the posters on display.
About 100 pamphlets were handed out, 300 balloons that included the message “The Bahá’í Faith Unites Mankind” were given away, and several people stopped to talk about the Faith.
FRONTIER Days, held this year on July 7-8, is a well-publicized event sponsored by the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce.
Two blocks of Main Street are roped off for the event in which local civic and church groups participate by selling food, drinks and crafts.
People come from miles around to see such typical Texas events as tabasco pepper eating contests, square dancing, “Sam Bass” shootouts, etc.
The Bahá’ís set up a display and provided a unique brand of free music: “country and eastern” (played on a guitar and Indian santour by two Bahá’ís from Austin).
For this year’s Frontier Days parade, bleachers were set up in the street directly across from the Bahá’í display, and about 100 people had an opportunity to read the Bahá’í Message while waiting for the parade to begin.
Bahá’ís in central Florida launched the second Victory Weekend in June with a picnic in the goal community of Indian Rocks Beach.
Clearwater Community Hosts Two Victory Weekend Events[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Clearwater, in central Florida, hosted a three-day combination Victory Weekend and District Teaching Institute on June 23-25 in the goal town of Indian Rocks Beach.
The institute was held in a large cabin that the Bahá’ís dubbed “Evergreen Cabin South”, referring to the cabin in Teaneck, New Jersey, visited by the Master in 1912.
The weekend’s teaching activities brought three declarations, the establishment of a regular fireside in a minority area, and a renewed dedication to teaching among the Bahá’ís.
THE WEEKEND began with a Unity Feast attended by some 62 believers and a seeker who declared close to midnight, opening a community near Largo. The musical group “Dayspring” performed.
After dawn prayers Saturday, the friends attended a mass teaching institute conducted under the auspices of the National Youth Committee by Carole Miller of Atlanta, Georgia.
The early afternoon was spent at the Victory Picnic, where the friends did some role playing in preparation for teaching.
Later in the afternoon the Bahá’ís taught in a nearby county park, close to the predominantly Black community of Ridgecrest in Pinellas County.
The Ridgecrest area was visited again the following day by about 25 of the friends. One man who was approached offered his home as a site for regular firesides, which have been held every Thursday since.
A NON-BAHÁ’Í from Tampa, who had taken part in the weekend’s activities, made her declaration on Sunday when the team returned to the cabin.
A third declaration occurred in Clearwater later in the week, also by someone who had “caught the spirit” during the Victory Weekend.
To maintain the teaching momentum, the District Teaching Committee, in cooperation with the Local Assembly in Clearwater, sponsored a teaching institute at St. Leo’s College the last weekend in July.
The Bahá’í road show—The New World Power Company—visited the area the first week in August. The Bahá’í summer school, whose theme was “Reach Out and Teach,” also was held the first week in August.
Grand Valley Campaign In Colorado[edit]
Colorado’s Grand Valley Project, a teaching campaign in and around the Mesa County and Grand Junction areas, ended its first phase July 23 with 12 new Bahá’ís in Grand Junction, one enrollment in Palisade and another declaration there that will bring the community to Assembly status.
The number of Bahá’ís in Grand Junction as of July 23 totaled 18 (the goal is to raise the number to 30). Other goals include 15 believers in Palisade and 50 in Mesa County.
Thirty-three Bahá’ís from three communities have participated in the teaching, and a Tri-Community Bahá’í Center was opened July 8. The Center has 5,000 square feet of space.
A victory celebration was held July 23 with Auxiliary Board member Dennis Jenkyns the speaker.
It was reported at the victory celebration that 75 Interest Cards had been signed with 19 declarations resulting in nine enrollments.
Plans were to continue the teaching campaign at least through August. Other goal communities are Glenwood Springs, Alamosa, Gunnison and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation.
Bahá’í books and materials[edit]
Trust Offers Literature, Materials at Discounts[edit]
Bahá’í Literature on Sale[edit]
The Five Year Plan:
Messages from The Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World and of the United States, Naw-Rúz 1974, Announcing the Objectives of the Third Global Teaching Campaign
If you are a new Bahá’í or are unfamiliar with the goals of the Five Year Plan, this booklet is for you. It contains two Naw-Rúz 1974 messages from The Universal House of Justice—one to the Bahá’ís of the world and the other to the Bahá’ís of the United States.
The message to the Bahá’ís of the world announces the global objectives of the Five Year Plan, while the message to the Bahá’ís of the United States names a number of “specific tasks” that “the stalwart American Bahá’í Community” must accomplish.
Every Bahá’í can benefit from reading The Five Year Plan, meditating upon its significance and its relationship to his or her life, and acting—in the next eight months—on the objectives and tasks set forth in the Plan. Orange cover. 11 pp.
7-25-50 (was $.40)..........$.15 NET
Analysis of the Five Year International Teaching Plan: 1974–1979
By The Universal House of Justice. This impressive book can help Bahá’ís grasp the enormous significance and global scope of the Five Year Plan.
Parts I, II, and III list the major objectives of the Five Year Plan, the World Center goals, and the general aims and guidelines for the Bahá’í world community. Part IV—by far the largest—summarizes specific goals assigned to all National Spiritual Assemblies. 103 pp., paperback.
7-68-25 (was $2.25 NET).........$1.00 NET
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States
1975 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. This handsome booklet commemorates that historic anniversary by reviewing the history, functions, formation, and achievements of the National Spiritual Assembly. Features many photographs. A valuable keepsake and a thoughtful gift for new Bahá’ís. 10 x 10 inches. 16 pp.
7-32-08 (was $3.00)........$1.50 NET
Special Materials[edit]
Wilmette House of Worship Poster
Now you can decorate your home, office, or dormitory inexpensively with this beautiful full-color poster of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. The poster is also ideal for public displays and as a gift for newly enrolled believers. Photograph by Paul Slaughter.
Suitable for framing. 17 x 22 inches.
6-59-01 (was $1.00; 4/$3.00).....$.75; 10/$5.50; 25/$12.00 NET
The Bahá’í Faith: An Approach to the Equality of Men and Women Poster
Planning a public event? Now you can use this handsome poster to catch the public’s attention—and save 50 percent with our new quantity prices! The poster features a bird in flight and a quotation from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in English and Spanish on the subject of the equality of the sexes. Block in upper right can be filled in with information about your local event.
100 lb. enamel stock, white on black. Designed by Joon Chung. 18 x 24 inches.
6-58-75 (was $.50; 10/$4.50; 30/$12.00)...$.50; 10/$2.25; 30/$6.00 NET
Fourth National Bahá’í Youth Conference Portfolio Bag
Do you have something to carry? This attractive portfolio bag features two roomy compartments—one zippered and one open—and can be carried easily under the arm. It’s imprinted on one side with the logo of the National Bahá’í Youth Conference held in Champaign, Illinois, in 1977. The logo design can lead to conversations about the Bahá’í Faith. Recommended for school, Bahá’í meetings, gifts, travel. Red and white. 11 x 14 inches
6-40-41 (was $3.95)........$2.95 NET
Meditations on Teaching Soundsheet
Need encouragement in your personal teaching work? Meditations on Teaching can help. The 11-minute recording features prayers and passages from the Bahá’í Writings on the subject of teaching. Beautiful music—solo, choral, and instrumental—highlights the soundsheet.
Listen to it at home to help create a quiet, meditative, and inspirational atmosphere. The accompanying folder contains the complete text of the soundtrack. Primarily for Bahá’ís. 7-inch diameter. 11 minutes.
Note: A soundsheet is a recording on a vinyl sheet which can be played on any record player at 33 1/3 RPM.
6-35-51 (was $.75).......$.25 NET
The Green Light Expedition
La Expedición Luz Verde
This exciting feature-length film traces the progress of the Green Light Expedition, an historic “journey of friendship” by the Hand of the Cause of God Rúḥíyyih Khánum to the Indian peoples of South America.
On sale are the English and Spanish editions of the Super 8 mm. film (with magnetic soundtrack) and the Spanish edition of the 16 mm. film (with optical soundtrack). Because of its relatively small size and light weight (approx. 4 lbs. total), the Super 8 mm. film is ideal for pioneers and traveling teachers. It is designed to be shown on small screens and for relatively small gatherings using a Super 8 mm. magnetic sound film projector.
The film takes the viewer 13,000 kilometers through South America—into villages and homes on tropical rivers in Venezuela, into Surinam, down the mighty Amazon, to the mountains of Bolivia and the Inca City of Machu Picchu in Peru, where “the sun was tied.”
Whether viewed as an historical documentary, an anthropological study, or as a unique adventure, The Green Light Expedition will spark the interest of almost any audience.
Bahá’ís will learn what it might be like to pioneer to certain remote rural areas of the world; and every viewer will appreciate the glimpse into the lives of these fascinating but little-known Indian peoples. Narrated by Rúḥíyyih Khánum. Color. 4 reels. 2 hours.
2-08-93 Spanish 16 mm. (was $435.00 NET)........$395.00 NET
2-08-95 English 8 mm. (was $175.00 NET).........$125.00 NET
2-08-96 Spanish 8 mm. (was $175.00 NET).........$125.00 NET
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
To order: Order through Community Librarians if possible! Personal orders: Enclose full payment plus $.75 handling charge for orders under $5.00.
Dr. Carney Takes New National Assembly Post[edit]
Magdalene M. Carney arrived June 30 at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, to assume her duties as assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Until recently, Dr. Carney was a lecturer in the Human Services and Applied Behavioral Science Division at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she earned a doctorate degree in education last year.
A native of Tennessee, Dr. Carney received her bachelor of arts degree in 1953 from Tennessee A & I State University, Nashville, and her master of arts in 1967 from George Peabody College, Nashville.
BEFORE entering the University of Massachusetts, she was a classroom teacher for 15 years in Nashville and for three years in Mississippi.
Dr. Carney conducts numerous workshops and seminars in her profession, and is an active member of a number of professional organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the Society for Emotionally Disturbed Children, the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Dr. Carney, who became a Bahá’í in Nashville in 1962, has served on many local and national Bahá’í committees and has attended a number of international Bahá’í conferences.
She was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly in 1970 and has served on that body since then. She was elected assistant secretary in May.
Teaching Effort Raises Lemon Grove Assembly[edit]
The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Lemon Grove, California, was formed by joint declaration July 16, shortly after a teaching campaign in that city sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of El Cajon JD.
In a two-week period there were nine declarations including six in Lemon Grove. The community now boasts nine adult Bahá’ís, two youth and 11 children.
Many communities, including Coronado, Imperial Beach, South Bay JD, El Cajon, La Mesa, El Cajon JD, San Diego, Escondido, Oceanside, Anaheim, National City, Chula Vista, and El Centro helped provide food, speakers, hospitality and teachers for the Lemon Grove project.
A Bahá’í Center was rented for the campaign, halls for concerts were secured, and the California Bahá’í 1978 Summer Teaching Tour made Lemon Grove its first stop on its trip northward through California.
The Center is being kept open with the help of volunteers from several communities, “and with the cooperation of these friends,” says a report from the new Lemon Grove Spiritual Assembly, “we should be able to keep the flame burning brightly in this area, and send Bahá’í teams out to other goal areas.”
The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Lemon Grove, California, at its formation July 16. Seated (left to right) are Javier Nerey, Martha Nerey, Diana Nelson, Gwen Sisson. Standing (left to right) are Moises Chavarino, Sally Mahboubi, Pedro Bulling, Roberta Bulling, Robert Mahboubi.
John Ford Coley (standing) gives a fireside at the Lemon Grove, California, Bahá’í Center following his group’s concert June 24.
England Dan, John Ford Coley, Leslie and Kelly, Red Grammer and Gary Bulkin entertain a packed house June 24 at the Lemon Grove, California, Junior High School auditorium.
As a part of the second Victory Weekend observance, the Bahá’ís of Bowling Green, Ohio, hosted the first Bahá’í public meeting to be held in North Baltimore, a smaller town to the south. While no North Baltimore residents attended, many were made aware of the Faith through a newspaper article and two ads. Twenty-five letters were sent to local organizations offering programs for future meetings, posters were displayed in store windows, and invitations were distributed house to house. Bahá’ís from New Jersey, Utah and Alaska attended the observance.
Utah Group Plans, Conducts Year-long Radio Proclamation[edit]
The Bahá’í Group of San Juan County, Utah, composed of Ben and Jackie Hendricks, is carrying out a year-long radio proclamation.
The Hendricks are preparing the program tapes themselves, with some help from Ed Engel of South Carolina. They also are paying most of the cost themselves, with assistance from the Spiritual Assembly of Cortez, Colorado.
The Hendricks moved in the fall of 1977 from South Carolina to rural San Juan County in southeastern Utah. Mr. Hendricks, a high school teacher, works part-time at radio station KUTA in Blanding, Utah.
THE YEARLY programming they’ve planned on KUTA includes 10-second, 30-second, and one-minute spots, and five-minute, 10-minute, half-hour and one-hour programs.
The monthly schedule accelerates through the year, beginning with a total of 11 minutes last January and ending with one and one-half hours of air time in December.
Programs and spots have been carefully thought out with a specific purpose for each. For example, the 10-second spot tells people that there is a religion called Bahá’í; the one-minute spot lets people know that Bahá’u’lláh is the Promised One of all religions.
KUTA reaches parts of four states—Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona—including the Ute Mountain Reservation and a part of the Navajo Reservation.
Bahá’ís in Varnville, South Carolina, tape-record three songs written by Larry Gray (seated center) as Gary Sterling provides guitar accompaniment.
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.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS needed in Warren County, Tennessee. The Eastern Tennessee District Teaching Committee invites two Bahá’ís (preferably a couple planning to settle permanently) to move to Warren County. The county encompasses McMinnville, a city of around 12,000 about an hour’s drive from Nashville. McMinnville is the home of numerous manufacturers and offers good employment opportunities. Warren County is a fairly long-established Bahá’í community, and a Bahá’í couple would bring the Group of Seven to Assembly status. Individuals interested in moving to Warren County should contact Mary K. Radpour, corresponding secretary, 6446 Ridge Lake Road, Hixson, TN, or phone 615-842-7799.
THE SMALL MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY of Beulah, Colorado, with a Bahá’í Group of four, is in need of people interested in moving to the area. There is a special need for anyone who has experience in midwifery. Beulah is in the Wet Mountains, about 26 miles southwest of Pueblo, Colorado. For more information, write to Dave and Helene Van Manen, P.O. Box 43, Beulah, CO 81023, or phone 303-485-3134.
SEVERAL EMPLOYMENT opportunities are available in Poplar, Montana, tribal headquarters of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, where Bahá’ís are needed to help build the Bahá’í Groups in Poplar and Wolf Point and to work with the Spiritual Assembly of Fort Peck. Jobs are open for teachers, speech therapists, counselors, Head Start director, and child welfare specialist. For more information, write to Becky or Jim Fairley, Box 983, Poplar, MT 59255, or phone them at 406-768-3617, or phone Lillian Beatty at 406-768-5230.
URGENT! Homefront pioneers needed to help save the first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Harlingen, Texas, in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, 30 miles from Mexico and 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Population of 45,000 people is 75 per cent Mexican-American. Excellent location for Bahá’ís who want a change from cold, snowy weather and who are interested in border teaching or homefront pioneering. Join a young, growing community of Bahá’ís. Can we help you decide? Write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Harlingen, Carole Edwards, secretary, 110 E. McKinley, Harlingen, TX 78550, or phone 512-428-3391 or 512-428-1623.
WANTED. Dedicated Bahá’í individual, couple or family to assist small Group in reaching Assembly status by Riḍván 1979. Small southern city includes a college and many growing industries. Excellent opportunity for teaching all strata of society. Arise now to win the goals of the Five Year Plan! Untold bounties are promised to those who pioneer. For more information contact Mary Spires, 612 Eastern Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27801, or phone 919-446-5889.
HOMEFRONT PIONEERS are needed in Kendall County, Illinois. Opening Kendall County is a goal of the Five Year Plan. This is a rural area, but is close to the business and industry of west suburban Chicago. Kendall County includes the lovely communities of Yorkville, Plano, and Oswego. Pioneers will work closely with the neighboring Assembly in Aurora, Illinois. Aurora is heavily industrialized, with a population of about 80,000. Numerous job opportunities exist. The Aurora Bahá’í community is quite active and will help in locating housing and employment, and with limited financing. For information contact the Bahá’ís of Aurora, P.O. Box 3231, Aurora, IL 60505, or phone 312-851-6257.
PAMPA, TEXAS, has several new Bahá’ís! A Bahá’í pioneer is urgently needed to help with deepening. Wide range of jobs available in agribusiness and oil/gas industry. Lowest unemployment rate in the country. For information contact the Local Spiritual Assembly of Amarillo, Box 9103, Amarillo, TX 79109, or phone 806-353-0816.
WANT TO HOMEFRONT pioneer but need to be in a city for work or school? Like your winters warm? Then come to San Antonio, Texas, but live in one of the more than 10 unopened localities in the metropolitan area or Bexar County, which has a Group close to Assembly formation. High employment, low rents and taxes, warm climate, close to Mexico, with a major medical center, seven colleges and universities. For more information please contact Margaret Londos, 132 Pinecrest, Apt. 5, San Antonio, TX 78209.
THE TWO-MEMBER GROUP in Luxemburg County, in south-central Virginia, desperately needs homefront pioneers to help the teaching work. Luxemburg County is about 65 miles south of Richmond and 70 miles east of Roanoke. It is basically a rural area, but does have two towns with employment possibilities. The Group plans a direct mailing, and is working diligently toward its success. For more information please contact Pamela Silcox, correspondent, Luxemburg County Bahá’í Group, Rt. 1, Box 94, Meherrin, VA 23954, or phone 804-736-8651.
HELP US BUILD the first Spiritual Assembly of Brownsville, Texas, a vacation paradise with warm winters. Close to Mexico with opportunities for border teaching. Population is about 80,000. Texas Southmost College offers academic opportunities, and employment opportunities are good. For information write to the Bahá’í Group of Brownsville, Irene Fridy, secretary, 84 Shoreline Drive, Brownsville, TX 78521, or phone 512-541-2446.
RANDIE GOTTLIEB, a Bahá’í in Cranston, Rhode Island, is collecting information for a book tentatively to be titled “How I Became a Bahá’í.” The author welcomes unusual or even ordinary accounts of how individuals have become Bahá’ís. For more information, write to Mrs. Randie Gottlieb, 331 Bayview Avenue, Cranston, RI 02905, or phone 401-941-1746.
THE BAHÁ’Í CLUB at Marlboro College, Marlboro, Vermont, has two members and needs help. Marlboro is 12 miles from Brattleboro. The school is quite small (200 students) and is in a secluded area. It is a four-year co-ed liberal arts college. To apply for admission, contact Marlboro College, Marlboro, VT 05344. One of the Bahá’í students, David Poskauer, can be reached at 181 Sands Point Road, Sands Point, NY 11050, during the summer only.
NORTH GEORGIA’S GOAL: 11 new Local Assemblies by November 12! Jackson, Georgia, a small community in a rural county with a population of 12,000, is opening a new doctors’ office building in October and needs three additional doctors: a pediatrician, an obstetrician/gynecologist, and a general surgeon. Jackson, 50 miles southeast of Atlanta, must add seven Bahá’ís by November 12. If interested and qualified, send a resumé to James C. Shaw, administrator, Sylvan Grove Hospital, Jackson, GA 30233 (Mr. Shaw is not a Bahá’í). For information about the Bahá’í community contact Greg Bales, Rt. 1, Jackson, GA 30233, or phone 404-775-7726.
| Arise! |
IF YOU WANT to achieve your personal goals and those of the Five Year Plan, the Spartanburg, South Carolina, area may be the place for you. Spartanburg, in the lovely foothills of northwestern South Carolina, is a rapidly growing city with an international flavor. It has seven colleges and universities including Converse College, which offers master’s degrees in music and education; a branch of the University of South Carolina; Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, and Spartanburg Technical College. The city is in the heart of the southern textile area with 61 textile plants. If you have reached retirement age, the area offers many benefits, not the least of which are its mild winters. Bahá’ís are urgently needed to strengthen the Spiritual Assembly of Spartanburg and to settle in goal areas. Deepened believers can be of great service in consolidation work, and at least two new Assemblies could easily be formed. If you’re looking for a place to serve the Faith and to help win the goals of the Five Year Plan, consider Spartanburg. For information please write to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Spartanburg, Ann Finkelstein, secretary, P.O. Box 3031, Spartanburg, SC 29304.
Members of the recently-appointed Vietnamese Teaching Committee are (left to right) Lien van Pham, Khai Do Linh (secretary/treasurer), Hung Viet Nguyen, and Jamshed Fozdar (chairman). At its first meeting July 8 at the Bahá’í Center in Los Angeles, the committee formulated plans to reprint some Vietnamese teaching materials and to spread the Faith to peoples of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand now living in the U.S. The committee welcomes inquiries for assistance from believers who have friends among these nationalities. Inquiries may be addressed to the committee at Box 245, Greenbelt, MD 20770.
Conventions to Feature Bahá’í Books, Materials[edit]
Bahá’í books and materials will be available at most District Conventions again this year, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust has announced. The conventions will take place on the first Sunday in October.
Orders for this year’s conventions were being received at the Publishing Trust as early as the last week in July.
Many District Convention bookstores will feature a wide selection of materials, including new books for Bahá’í deepening, introductory literature and pamphlets, and special materials items such as Greatest Name plaques, posters, and photographs. Subscription forms for Bahá’í News, Child’s Way, and World Order also will be available.
Bahá’ís who live in isolated areas or small communities often take advantage of the District Conventions to stock up on their supplies of teaching and deepening materials and to subscribe or renew their subscription to Bahá’í periodicals.
In Memoriam[edit]
- Ellsworth Blackwell
- Afrique Centrale
- April 1978
- Mrs. Annie Caroway
- Hartsville, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- William Daniels
- Hartsville, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Paul Young Eagle
- Fort Yates, N. Dakota
- April 5, 1978
- Josh Frazier
- Walterboro, S.C.
- 1975
- Jose Garcia
- Toppenish, Washington
- May 10, 1978
- Mrs. Laura C. Gates
- Geneva, New York
- April 28, 1978
- Julius Goldberg
- East Meadow, N.Y.
- November 30, 1977
- Mrs. Georgia Haith
- Greensboro, N.C.
- January 28, 1978
- Howell Harrison
- Walterboro, S.C.
- September 1973
- Hollis V. Hayden
- Concord, N.H.
- July 10, 1978
- Tom Henson
- Hartsville, S.C.
- 1975
- Mrs. Emma James
- Green Pond, S.C.
- July 27, 1975
- Mrs. Grace Jensen
- Saratoga, California
- May 1978
- Otto Jensen
- Saratoga, California
- June 25, 1978
- Mrs. Brigitte Junkers
- Saddle River, N.J.
- June 19, 1978
- John King
- Hartsville, S.C.
- 1973
- Gordon Laite
- Puerto Rico
- May 1978
- Mrs. Elizabeth Laws
- Wapato, Washington
- June 24, 1978
- Vahid Maani
- Spring, Texas
- June 12, 1978
- Willie Manoy
- Manoy, Texas
- June 27, 1978
- Mrs. Mary McClendon
- Lakeland, Florida
- June 14, 1978
- Louise Nelson
- Davis Station, S.C.
- June 18, 1978
- Arthur Richardson
- Hartsville, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Leo Shoots-the-Enemy
- Little Eagle, S. Dakota
- June 15, 1978
- Mrs. Jonnie Singleton
- Walterboro, S.C.
- October 19, 1973
- Foster Smith
- Hartsville, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Toy Washington
- Hartsville, S.C.
- Date Unknown
- Mrs. Clara Leta Weaver
- Beaumont, Texas
- June 14, 1978
- Robert A. Williams
- Greenwood, S.C.
- July 5, 1978
- Mrs. Della Wilson
- Green Pond, S.C.
- 1976
- Julio Zapatero
- Dania, Florida
- April 26, 1978
Cedar Rapids Assembly Notes 35th Anniversary[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the oldest in that state, celebrated its 35th anniversary April 29 with a program of music, fellowship and reminiscence.
Special guests included two of the earliest known Bahá’í teachers in Iowa, Ruth Moffett (who was attending one of her last Bahá’í gatherings before her death July 5 at the age of 98), and Gayle Woolson, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.
Joan Snell, the Bahá’í archivist of Cedar Rapids, presented a history of the Faith in Iowa. Corsages were given to five members of the first Local Assembly in Cedar Rapids, one of whom, Mrs. Edna Mackinson Wilson, has served on the Assembly for all of its 35 years. She was presented a special gift in recognition of her years of service.
Following a catered supper, Mrs. Moffett and Mrs. Woolson spoke of their early teaching experiences in Iowa. Some 74 friends from Iowa and Illinois were present at the celebration.
Seventy-four Bahá’ís from Iowa and Illinois attended the celebration April 29 of the 35th anniversary of the Spiritual Assembly of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the oldest Assembly in that state.
Mrs. Carla Harvey (left) of the El Paso, Texas, Bahá’í community presents four Bahá’í books to J.W. Smith, director of the El Paso public library. A campaign to present Bahá’í books to each library branch in the city, to all campus libraries, and to local bookmobiles was launched as part of an information and teaching drive by the Bahá’í Teaching Committee of El Paso.
Mrs. Marian Miller (left) and Mrs. Carla Harvey (right), members of the Bahá’í community of El Paso, Texas, with Bill Everist of radio station KTEP who hosted a Naw-Rúz program on which members of the El Paso Bahá’í Teaching Committee presented music by Seals and Crofts and other Bahá’í performers, and discussed topics from the meaning of the Bahá’í New Year to Progressive Revelation. KTEP, on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso, reaches listeners in Texas and New Mexico.
Musical Teaching Event Ends Milford ‘Week’ on Happy Note[edit]
Bahá’í musicians entertain at a ‘Bahá’í Week’ musical event held last May at the train station in Milford, Connecticut.
In May, the Bahá’í Group of Milford, Connecticut, ended a successful “Bahá’í Week” observance with a musical teaching event.
Originally planned as Milford’s “Unity Day on the Green,” the event was forced by stormy weather into the community room of the railroad station where the audience included people who were waiting for trains.
Bahá’í musicians from throughout the state entertained. The performance was well received, and many people accepted Bahá’í pamphlets.
Publicity for “Unity Day” and Bahá’í Week in Milford included several radio announcements and newspaper ads, and 5,000 direct mailers sent to Milford residents. The mailers brought six responses.
Other Bahá’í Week events included a showing of the filmstrip, “Out of God’s Eternal Ocean,” at the public library; a public Kite-Flying Day, firesides each evening, and street teaching.
The six-member Milford Group hopes to reach its goal of Assembly status by November 12 and build a strong and active community by next Riḍván.
Champaign Bahá’ís Establish Warm Ties With TV Station[edit]
Since 1974, Bahá’ís in the area of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, have from time to time contributed programs to WCIA Television, a CBS affiliate.
Recently the relationship between Bahá’ís and station management became more solid when the friends were invited to become members of a group, representing several religions, that is trained at station-sponsored workshops to prepare religious programming.
| Have you invited a friend to a fireside? |
One program, entitled “Evensong,” runs for a maximum of one and one-half minutes at the close of each broadcast day. “Reflections on the News” runs for around two and one-half minutes following the late news on Sunday evenings.
When a snowstorm kept a contributing minister from taping his programs, the Bahá’í programs were run for an additional week.
The Spiritual Assembly of Champaign Township has appointed a committee to review each program. The review process also has provided an opportunity to teach, as non-Bahá’í friends and neighbors are invited to preview the programs and give opinions and suggestions for improvements.
One of the present Assembly members became a Bahá’í after helping with scripts for the programs.
Cal Poly Club in School Fair[edit]
For many years, Bahá’ís on campus at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, have participated in the school’s annual county-wide fair known as “Poly Royal.” The fair is held in April and coincides with the Bahá’í celebration of the Riḍván period.
For this year’s fair, the Bahá’ís designed and displayed an art exhibit featuring the works of local Bahá’í artists. The main facet of the exhibit, which included paintings, sculpture, woodwork and coin work, was four sand paintings by noted Bahá’í artist David Villaseñor. The paintings were on loan from Gary Ellison of the Atascadero Bahá’í community.
A local Bahá’í performed pantomime that drew large crowds to the display. It was visited by at least several thousand people during the two-day Poly Royal event.
Bahá’ís at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, presented an art exhibit in April at the university’s county-wide fair known as ‘Poly Royal.’ The main feature of the exhibit, which includes paintings, sculpture, woodwork and coin work, was four sand paintings from the collection of Bahá’í artist David Villaseñor.
[Page 15]
Careers for Youth
‘Sex Roles’ Shouldn’t Limit Job Choice[edit]
(The eighth in a series of articles on careers for young people was written by Maxine Rossman of Tempe, Arizona.)
- No woman would want to drive a truck.
- Ballet is not a “masculine” career.
- Women work only for extra money—for luxuries.
- Business is a man’s profession.
- There’s something “funny” about a “male nurse.”
The above statements typify the beliefs of many career-seeking individuals. The problem with them is that they perpetuate sex role expectations and stereotypes.
SEX ROLE expectations are standardized, simplified conceptions of the behaviors that are “appropriate” to females and males. In the stereotyping of sex roles, the unique qualities of the individual are ignored.
Generalizations and stereotypes contribute to the formation of bias and prejudice: “Bahá’u’lláh tells us that prejudice in its various forms destroys the edifice of humanity. We are adjured by the Divine Messenger to eliminate all forms of prejudice from our lives.” (Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-73, page 99.)
Unfortunately, both men and women, but especially women, are limiting their potentialities and career choices because of sex role expectations.
Many individuals do not consciously consider the alternatives to a stereotype precisely because belief in it is so widely shared.
In The Promulgation of Universal Peace, page 170, it says: “He (Bahá’u’lláh) promulgated the adoption of the same course of education for man and woman. Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study, thereby promoting unity of the sexes.”
At the present time, this same course of education for men and women is not a reality.
IT IS interesting to note that in the United States, 80 per cent of working women are in the following fields: teaching, nursing, social work, clerical work, and library work. Ninety-seven per cent of all Registered Nurses are women, as are 92 per cent of all dieticians, 85 per cent of elementary school teachers, and 97 per cent of stenographers and secretaries.
On the other hand, only 12 per cent of physicians, 3 per cent of dentists, 6 per cent of engineers, and 6 per cent of lawyers in the U.S. are women. (Adapted from 1975 Handbook on Women Working, U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, Bulletin 297.)
The figures become even more significant when viewed in the light of these words of Bahá’u’lláh:
“O ye handmaids of the Merciful! The school for girls takes precedence over the school for boys, for it is incumbent upon the girls of the glorious era to be fully versed in the various branches of knowledge, in sciences and the arts and all the wonders of this pre-eminent time, that they may educate their children from their earliest days in the ways of perfection.” (Bahá’í Education: A Compilation, page 44.)
THOUGH MANY women will continue to choose traditional occupations such as homemaker or secretary, women should not typecast themselves into these roles. They should be envisioning themselves as doctors or dentists, not always as nurses; as principals or professors, not always as teachers; as lawyers or judges, not always as social workers; as bank presidents, not always as tellers.
Similarly, men should not feel that their self-worth depends entirely upon their income level or the status level of their jobs.
An example of the power of sex role expectations in determining career choices comes from recent research into math anxiety, or the fear of math.
In a survey of first-year students at the University of California at Berkeley, it was found that although 57 per cent of the men had taken enough high school math to enable them to major in most of the departments at Berkeley, only 8 per cent of the women had done so.
As a result, 92 per cent of the first-year women could major only in the humanities, social sciences, education and social welfare, disciplines that would lead to jobs in traditionally “female” and lower-paying careers.
WHAT HAS prevented women from acquiring a strong background in math? While they were young, many women were confronted with the attitude that math is for boys, a “masculine” discipline not really useful to women. Others showed no interest in math, and simply were not encouraged to pursue it.
In just about any field, if you want to advance, a certain competency in math is required. So if math anxiety caused one to avoid a college major, it could later manifest itself in a decision not to pursue a better-paying position because the job involves work with budgets or numerical data. (Jacqueline Zanca, “Math Anxiety,” Women’s Work, Vol. 4, No. 1, January/February 1978, pages 5-7.)
The above example illuminates the far-reaching results of sex role expectations. In the process of job selection, an attempt should be made to break stereotypes for women and men.
Jobs and school majors should not be considered “sex typed,” and it should not be implied that certain careers are incompatible with a woman’s “femininity” or a man’s “masculinity.”
THE FOLLOWING exercise is an attempt to help you explore some of the dimensions of your own sex role expectations, and to understand what options might be available. After you have completed the exercise you might want to get together with other Bahá’ís to discuss what you have learned.
SEX ROLE EXPECTATIONS
Directions: list as many items as you can for each category.
- 1. Since I am a woman (man)
- I am required to _________
- I am allowed to _________
- I am forbidden to _________
- 2. If I were a woman (man) ____________
- 3. The “human” in me wants to _____________
- 4. The most important thing in life for a man is _____________
- 5. The most important thing in life for a woman is _____________
(Alice G. Sargent, Beyond Sex Roles, 1977, page 35.)
The significance of not limiting ourselves by sex role expectations, stereotypes, prejudices and fears is powerfully illustrated in the following passages:
“When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed.” (ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, page 170.)
“Women have equal rights with men upon earth; in religion and in society they are a very important element. As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.” (ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Revelation, pages 291–292.)
The Mail Bag
Open Letter to Large Communities[edit]
Dear Friends:
This is an open letter to those Bahá’ís in cities or towns where there are more than the needed 15 adults.
My husband and I have been a Group of two for five years now in a small town (population 4,000).
Recently, three Bahá’ís from Kansas City came to live here. I don’t think I could find the words to describe what a wonderful thing this is for us.
We’ve had a third Bahá’í here at times, but never one who was permanent. Now we have a married couple with a permanent job, and one unmarried Bahá’í who found work almost immediately.
|
KINDLE THE FIRE OF FAITH IN MEN’S HEARTS ...
Design for Victory, p. 6
TEACH WITH BOOKS.
For advice on books suitable for your needs, ask your local Bahá’í librarian, or write Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Illinois 60091. |
As soon as we heard she was here looking for work, we began to pray for her success. My heart literally leaped when I heard the next morning that she had found a job!
What makes this most exciting is that the three newcomers are committed to staying here. Only if you are, or have been, an isolated believer can you understand the inestimable joy that is felt when other Bahá’ís arrive.
We have been living in a “foreign country” with no one who speaks the same language, away from our “family.”
True, we’ve made some friends, and have been able to communicate to a degree, but not like we can when our “family” is here.
The only thing as exciting as having other Bahá’ís move in is to find those wonderful souls who actually want to know more about the Faith!
We now have a Group of five, and are on our way to becoming an Assembly.
Won’t others of you who live in large communities pass on some of the joy we now have? Pioneer on the homefront, with the intention of staying to build a strong Assembly!
Newcastle, Wyoming
Dear Friends:
I am writing in response to the article, “Office of the Treasurer Shares Its Concerns,” in the June 1978 issue of The American Bahá’í.
One thing I’ve done concerning my relationship to the National Fund is to establish personal Fund goals for myself. Every Bahá’í month I have a goal of X number of dollars that I want to contribute to the Fund.
By doing this, I can keep my contributions constant. And since I know in advance how much I wish to give to the Fund, I am better able to budget the rest of my money around this figure.
In this way, the National Fund is given primary consideration in my budget, and the money doesn’t end up going to unnecessary items as it sometimes can.
Centerville, Ohio
The Bahá’í community of Jersey City, New Jersey, was among the more than 65 exhibitors represented June 11 in the third annual City Spirit Cultural Arts Festival. More than 8,000 people attended the festival at Journal Square to view works by 40 artists, sample food from around the world, and enjoy continuous entertainment by dance and music groups, puppets and mimes.
Spanish Pamphlet Introduces Faith[edit]
La Fe Bahá’í: El Alba de un Nuevo Día is the title of a new Spanish pamphlet introducing the Bahá’í Faith. (In English, the title is The Bahá’í Faith: Dawn of a New Day.)
Released in August by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, the pamphlet, priced for mass distribution, sells for 10/$1.40, 100/$11.50, 500/$45, and 1,000/$65.
The new introductory pamphlet is illustrated and designed for use in any situation regardless of the level of education of the seeker.
The text includes: 12 of the principles of the Faith and an explanation of some of its central points; quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh on unity, the divine source and oneness of religion, and the purpose of true religion; a prayer of Bahá’u’lláh for unity; and a series of quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the reality of man.
The folder is illustrated on the front cover with a rising sun. Inside are line drawings of the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, and a group of Bahá’ís of various ages and ethnic backgrounds. A chart showing the progressive revelation of religions also is included.
The back of the pamphlet features appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith by Helen Keller, Dr. Auguste Forel, and Dr. Benjamin Jowett.
Folded, the pamphlet measures 8½ x 2¾ inches. It is printed on buff-colored stock.
Reprinted by permission of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of El Salvador, the pamphlet is available through local Bahá’í librarians or from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. Add 75 cents for postage and handling on orders under $5.
A Recognition Ceremony was held May 17 for the newly-formed Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. More than 30 persons including five non-Bahá’í guests attended. Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland spoke about the Teachings of the Faith and the significance of the Local Spiritual Assembly. Members of the Eau Claire Assembly are (seated left to right): Mary Borofka, Ruth Peterson, Jane Filo, Elizabeth Nyseth; and (standing left to right): Judy Munter, Egosi Okoli, Kay Paplham, Tim Nyseth, Bruce Bonde.
Members of the Illinois Bahá’í ‘road show’, the New World Electric Company, who toured the state this summer performing at public events, are (standing left to right) George Davis, Richard Pelto, Jocelyn Boor, Jenny Lerner, Sharon Davis, and (seated) Susan Turner. Other road shows toured California, Illinois and the Southern states under the auspices of the National Youth Committee.
Seven of the nine members of the recently-formed Spiritual Assembly of Varnville, South Carolina, one of 14 formed in the state from Riḍván to the end of June. The Varnville Assembly is holding regular Feasts and already has adopted an extension teaching goal. Front row (left to right) are Drucilla Gray, Ozirine Jones, Tiney Grayson. Back row (left to right) are Larry Gray, Jerry Jones, Richard Jones, Douglas Mickens.
The Bahá’í communities of Dartmouth and Brockton, Massachusetts, were among those who sponsored a booth June 24-July 8 at the Brockton Fair. Among the more interested passersby were children and American Indians, many of whom had heard of the Faith from friends and acquaintances.
Information Office Seeks Help[edit]
The National Information Office is seeking qualified personnel for the positions of administrative secretary and information correspondent.
The administrative secretary serves as an assistant to the manager of the National Information Office. The principal duty of the information correspondent is to convey information about the Bahá’í Faith to individuals or groups who request it.
Applicants should be high school graduates and accurate typists. Some bookkeeping experience also would be helpful for the position as administrative secretary.
If qualified and interested, please write to the National Information Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.