The Five Year Plan 2011-2016 (Summary)/Embracing Large Numbers

[Page 26]

Embracing Large Numbers

At the beginning of the Five Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice envisioned the path ahead for the movement of populations in clusters to a point where the number of those taking responsibility for expansion and consolidation would grow to one or two hundred who would be facilitating the participation of one or two thousand people. The friends in about 200 clusters across the globe—in a diversity of social and economic circumstances—have worked to fulfil this vision as they learned to expand the growth process to embrace several hundreds or even thousands of people, nurturing a “culture of mutual support, founded on fellowship and humble service”.'* Building on the strengths of each member of the community, they have learned from and surmounted obstacles, and pressed forward in unified action.

26 The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning

Toner joyfully sing during a children’s class in Pakistan.

A Sustained Rhythm of Expansion and Consolidation

Over the course of many cycles, the

friends’ efforts to engage in meaningful conversations brought them into many social settings, allowing a wider array of people

to become familiar with the Teachings

of Baha’u’llah and consider seriously

the contribution they could make to the betterment of society. More and more homes served as venues for community-building activities, each becoming “a point for the diffusion of the light of divine guidance”."” Other teaching approaches, such as firesides and campaigns, were also used to suit particular circumstances. In some clusters, parents and siblings of the participants in children’s classes and junior youth groups were found to be particularly receptive. [Page 27]In East Kanchanpur and West Kanchanpur, Nepal, the friends sustained a high degree of participation in the expansion phases, owing partly to well-organized community reflection gatherings. The cluster agencies would meet one week before each reflection meeting to plan and would request some friends in the cluster to organize it. Participants included children, junior youth, youth, and adults. Besides setting aside time for consultation, the gatherings included joyful artistic and cultural presentations.

In San Diego, United States, over the course of two expansion phases, 90 junior youth were registered in the junior youth programme in one neighbourhood, and 60

in another. Three months later a majority was participating consistently in the groups. “The efforts to increase participation and formalize the junior youth programme”, noted one community member, “have led to other positive developments. For example, animators who work with several groups in one setting are now functioning as teams, meeting before each session to prepare, review lessons in the junior youth texts, and plan complementary activities and service projects. The junior youth coordinators are working closely with the teams of animators, visiting the groups regularly, reflecting with

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

the animators after each session, and helping them prepare for the next meeting.”

In the Harkesh Nagar neighbourhood of the Delhi cluster in India, the friends decided

to reach out to the families of the children, junior youth, and youth involved in the activities. A few teaching teams began learning how to carry on conversations that would lead to their inviting these families

to join the Faith. During home visits to the first few families, the teams shared themes related to the lives of the Central Figures, the principles of the Faith, and its administration and laws. The friends found that families were positively affected by the conversations, even by aspects of the teachings that traditionally had been difficult to discuss

in that community. The involvement of the family in community-building activities

had clearly removed several obstacles to their embracing the Cause. In a short time, 11 families entered the Faith. The agencies were encouraged to extend the conversations to all families engaged in the activities, and within a few months 12 additional families in the neighbourhood expressed a desire to formally join the Baha’i community.

A believer in Vanuatu shares the Message of Baha'u'llah during an expansion phase.

27 [Page 28]The Junior Youth Programme Embedded in Community Life in Banthra, India

Hasan Kheda has about 1,300 inhabitants, of whom 150

are junior youth. During the Five Year Plan, the junior

youth spiritual empowerment programme grew significantly in both size and quality, and

by March 2015, 80% of the junior youth in the locality were participating in 14 groups, most of which were studying their fourth or fifth text. Various elements of the programme were woven together to foster a profound process of spiritually empowering the young people in the village.

The friends serving as animators met on a regular basis to prepare for their groups, advance in their study of the texts of the programme, and consult on the progress of the junior youth groups. They conversed about the groups both in formal settings and informally as friends. As they participated in the institute process, the animators and many other youth in the village pursued a pattern of action that significantly influenced the course of their lives. They discussed together their plans for the future, how to further their studies, earn a living, and contribute meaningfully to their village. For instance, some of the animators, inspired by their study of Breezes of Confirmation, trained in trades such as tailoring and auto

28

mechanics and, in general, had more clarity about the purpose of their education.

The junior youth, in addition to their regular group meetings, participated in camps to help accelerate their pace of study. As they learned to consult on the needs of their community, the junior youth became better able to carry out service projects. For instance, over 100 of them and their animators repaired a badly damaged portion of the road that caused many accidents. This inspired several youth and leaders from other villages to consult on ways to bring about more sustained improvements in infrastructure. On another occasion, the junior youth made posters with images of the harmful effects of using tobacco and alcohol and together with others marched through the village, raising awareness about these social ills. About 10% of the population of the village participated in the project, which significantly raised awareness of the programme in the community. A number of devotional meetings were held in the homes of the junior youth, which neighbours from all denominations and castes attended. Periodic festivals, often featuring cultural and artistic presentations, helped the junior youth share with the

community at large insights they were gaining. The largest festival attracted one-third of the area’s inhabitants. Many families contributed to the event by donating food items. At the festival, the head of the village stated that the villagers were now more aware of the capacities of the young people in the community. Although the activities of the Faith were previously hampered by a lack of support and even occasional opposition from community members, thanks to the consistent and dedicated efforts of the friends, perceptions gradually changed and relationships strengthened. For their part, the leaders of the village were concerned with how to consolidate and extend the transformation occurring among the young people. At one point, the village head shared with the junior youth coordinator his happiness at seeing how the aspirations and conduct of the animators and junior youth were becoming distinguished. He requested advice on how he could go about resolving many of the challenges he perceived in the village. As for the Local Spiritual Assembly, in its efforts to nurture and extend the process of community building, it identified certain issues pertinent to the moral health of the village, such as

The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 29]alcohol use, and consulted with prominent individuals in the locality about these matters and the principles involved. This, the Assembly hoped, would help create an environment in the village that was more conducive to the flourishing of young people. Noticing that a number of the youth carrying out core activities did not have the means to advance further in their education, the Assembly provided support from the local Fund to enable them to do so. As the process of community building advanced, changes at the level of

culture gradually occurred. Interactions among the people of the village had been strictly based on caste, and there had been clear discrimination. However, because of the

way the community-building work naturally elicited the participation of individuals from diverse backgrounds

in unified action for the betterment of the community, much of the segregation that had existed for so long gave way, in a relatively short period of time, to a new culture, particularly among the younger generation. The influence of

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

the activities in the village was even felt beyond its borders. Inhabitants of surrounding villages remarked on how wellmannered the youth in Hasan Kheda were, how they gave importance to their education, and how they were even advancing materially. Some of these individuals were invited to spend time in Hasan Kheda to learn about the institute process, which they went on to establish in their own villages.

A junior youth group in the Hasan Kheda village of Banthra, India.

29 [Page 30]An Educational System Rooted in the Cluster

As the friends strove to strengthen the educational process promoted by the training institute, quantitative growth became

more evident. The number of those serving capably as tutors grew cycle after cycle. These friends were able to “offer the full sequence of institute courses between them, at times with marked intensity”,?? making

it possible for growing numbers of people

to study the institute courses and arise to serve. In this way, many clusters were able to establish an “expanding, sustainable system for child education”.”!

The elements related to children’s education—for example, implementing

the different grades, training teachers regularly, and holding periodic gatherings of teachers with the parents—became more systematized. Further, in some advanced clusters, the friends were learning how to transition children into junior youth groups and youngsters from the junior youth groups into study circles. In such clusters, “an educational system with all its component elements, capable of expanding to welcome

large numbers”,” became firmly rooted.

During the Plan, the friends in the Tiriki West cluster in Kenya sustained 20 to 50 study circles at any given time. Promoting the study of the sequence of courses through to Book 7, assisting the friends to form study circles, and bringing those acting as tutors together in regular gatherings helped the friends achieve such progress. The tutors also learned to work in small teams and to create an environment conducive to learning, supporting one another and consulting on how to facilitate effectively the study of the texts, implement the practical components, and accompany the participants in their initial acts of service.

oo

a = . Participants

Ee number of junior youth participating ofa junior in the junior youth spiritual empowerment youth group in Ghana.

programme in Toronto, Canada, more than doubled when the cluster agencies focused on engaging receptive populations in certain areas of the city. After thoughtful analysis and consultation, the friends decided to work intensely in five neighbourhoods. Within

a year, the number of junior youth grew

from 165 in about 23 groups to 317 in 26 groups, lending a great impulse to the overall progress of the cluster.

In the Upolu cluster in Samoa, which

serves as a learning site for the junior youth spiritual empowerment programme, the friends applied what they had learned from implementing the junior youth programme to multiplying other core activities, especially children’s classes. Between 2013 and

2015, the number of classes in the cluster grew from 16 with 100 participants to

127 engaging 1,000 children. The friends achieved such gains by reflecting deeply

on their efforts to spiritually educate children and by pursuing a few particular approaches. For instance, in cooperation with the Auxiliary Board member, the children’s class coordinator and another experienced friend visited all the Local Spiritual Assemblies in the cluster to consult about the spiritual education of children. With the

30 The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 31]support of the Assemblies, they extended this conversation to families. Further, they organized monthly gatherings to mobilize teachers, veteran and new. Thanks to the encouragement and inspiration generated through these encounters, gradually more friends arose to establish children’s classes. Teachers with the experience to accompany others soon emerged, and together with the coordinator, they began to facilitate the study of the Book 3 branch courses for Grades

2 and 3. Participation in the classes grew markedly now that the institute was able to offer three grades. The children themselves also played a part in expanding the classes by inviting their siblings and friends. The parents became more involved, and events such as a prayer campaign contributed to the growth of the number of classes to more than 100.

At the start of the Plan, the Jinja cluster

in Uganda had 23 children’s classes with around 370 participants. During the five years that followed, the friends focused on learning how to offer Grades 2 and 3 more systematically. Conversations with potential teachers initially centred on helping them learn to work well together. After completing a study of Book 3, new teachers formed classes, established relationships with parents, and offered the first few classes, with the help of experienced teachers. Over time, the more experienced teachers also

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

assisted new teachers to study the branch courses of Book 3 for Grades 2 and 3. As the number of children’s classes grew, a full-time coordinator was formally named. With the assistance of seven experienced teachers, the coordinator helped teachers maintain their classes from week to week, supported them to strengthen relationships with parents,

and encouraged them to continue to study the sequence of courses. Auxiliary Board members and Local Spiritual Assemblies supported the teachers and the coordinator by meeting with them occasionally, and

the teachers and the coordinator came together every three months to reflect, share experiences, and study relevant materials. Towards the end of the Plan, children’s classes had expanded to 3 sectors and 16 neighbourhoods and villages, reaching more than 2,000 children in 114 classes.

Youth participate in a study circle in Samoa.

Junior youth

in Portal da Gloria, Brazil, contribute to the beautification

of their neighbourhood.

31 [Page 32]Movement of Populations towards Baha’u'llah’s Vision of a New World Order

Around the globe, a great number of ethnic, tribal, and indigenous groups have been attracted to the Message of Baha’u lah, and the believers are growing in their capacity to respond to this receptivity. They have learned that the process of capacity building is most effective “when members of that population are themselves in the vanguard”.

2 KE

In Latin America, the Faith has been present in many of its indigenous populations for decades. In one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, ‘Abdu’l-Baha called upon

32

the believers to “attach great importance to the indigenous population of America”,

adding that “they will become so illumined as to enlighten

the whole world”.** During

the current series of Plans, a number of clusters in indigenous communities in Latin America have experienced significant growth. Among the most notable is the Ngabe—Bugle, an indigenous group living in the mountainous region of Ngabe— Buglé in western Panama. This fully indigenous territory has

a total population of around 200,000, of which around 3,000 have declared their faith in Baha’w'llah. The community has a Regional Baha'i Council,

a regional institute board, and 24 Local Spiritual Assemblies. The Ngabe—Buglé believers are firm and knowledgeable, and have a long history in the Faith. A Baha’i-inspired radio station and a Baha’i-inspired university serve the general population, and the Baha’i community is also promoting programmes in early childhood education.

The process of community building among the Ngabe— Buglé is particularly advanced in the Besik6é (Nedrini) cluster. Since an intensive programme of growth was established in 2006, the work of the Faith in Besiko has continued to expand, with the number of core activities reaching some 200 involving

Members of the clusters agencies in Besik6; | » Panama, visit animators, children’s class teachers, i participants, and parents,

The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 33]almost 1,200 participants. The cluster has a robust scheme

of coordination that includes dozens of young women and men, some of whom are still

in high school. The friends are focused on further strengthening the pattern of community life

at the level of neighbourhoods and villages.

In 2012, a gathering was held in the Besik6 cluster with representatives of indigenous communities from 13 countries across Central and South America. The gathering addressed the role of education in the spiritual, social, and economic development of the community. It also provided an occasion for the friends to consult on which aspects of their culture were in conformity with the Teachings of Baha’u’llah and should be nurtured, and which ones should be set aside. Similar gatherings were later held in Bolivia and Colombia to help invigorate the work of the Faith in clusters with indigenous populations.

These gatherings gave much impetus to the work with indigenous communities throughout Latin America. They allowed friends from many communities to learn from the experiences of strong clusters with similar realities and helped the participants to formulate a clear vision of growth based on local circumstances. The

A gathering for the Lunda population in Mwinilunga East, Zambia.

participants strengthened their Baha’i identity and their sense of ownership of the activities of the Faith, and the processes of expansion and consolidation were extended to a much larger

number of clusters in the region.

In Southern Africa, the members of the Lunda

KK

population, who reside predominantly in north-western Zambia, eastern Angola,

and the southern region of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, number some 1.5 million. One of the clusters in the region, Mwinilunga East in Zambia, has historically had a sizeable Baha’i community with a strong sense of ownership of the Faith, evident in high levels of participation in the process

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

of community building. Local Spiritual Assemblies, which collaborate closely with the cluster agencies, encourage

and support those striving to implement the provisions of

the Plan at the grassroots. In July 2015, a conference was organized for this population

in Zambia. Nearly 600 friends gathered to celebrate the history of the Faith among the Lunda and to consider the contributions of this community to the development of their people. Over three days, the participants examined how the Teachings of Baha’u’llah were being applied in their communities and deliberated on various aspects of their culture.

33 [Page 34]Community-Building in Villages and Neighbourhoods

Intensive work in villages and neighbourhoods characterized much of

the learning about how to embrace large numbers. It allowed “many whose lives are touched in some way by the community’s activities” to experience the “transformative effect of studying the Word of God”.*> In many instances, the very spirit of a village or a neighbourhood was transformed, giving great impetus to progress in a cluster. In each neighbourhood or village, a small group of friends initiated the communitybuilding activities, with the aim of raising capacity among the local inhabitants. As more and more residents in these small settings joined the activities and assumed some responsibility for the efforts under way, the society-building power of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation became apparent.

A study circle that began before the series of youth conferences in 2013 contributed greatly to building capacity in the local population of the Kotebe neighbourhood of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With the help of a team of three tutors, a group of 20 friends studied various books of the sequence in

a sustained way over the course of several years. Those serving as tutors supported the participants of the study circle until they could carry out their own activities. In time, the participants were holding many of their own core activities and helping others to start their own. The number of study circles, devotional meetings, home visits, children’s classes, and junior youth groups all increased. With around 30 core activities and close to 450 participants, the neighbourhood became a centre of intense activity, and the participants gradually developed a common vision for the betterment of their community.

Young people in the Jinamar neighbourhood of the Gran Canaria cluster, Canary Islands, were invited to youth gatherings where they creatively explored the

themes of service and friendship. These discussions quickly resulted in tangible changes in the group: the youth began to demonstrate the capacity to consult, listen, and thoughtfully consider one another’s opinions. They then reached out to their peers and met other young people keen

to join in community-building efforts. To channel their energies into treading a path of service, the institute team launched an intensive institute campaign, in which some

Participants of a neighbourhood gathering in the Créteil-Nogent cluster in France.

34 The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 35]30 youth participated. Through the courses, the youth deepened their understanding of how service and worship could remain at the centre of their lives. During their time together, they organized a service activity in the neighbourhood and planned to invite

their friends to join them in the conversation.

They then helped one another engage in acts of service and opened junior youth groups, and soon weekly gatherings were being held for them to reflect and plan. A posture of learning and mutual support was at the heart of their relationships. As the youth gained experience in opening and sustaining junior youth groups and supporting one another

in the process, they also fostered ongoing meaningful interactions with the families of the children and youth, particularly the mothers. The Area Teaching Committee explored with the animators opportunities to hold devotional gatherings in the homes of some of the participants of the junior youth programme. Institutions of society, particularly the local government, began

to acknowledge the contributions of the Baha’i community to the well-being of

the neighbourhood by asking the friends

to participate in meetings to identify and respond to the needs of the neighbourhood. The insights generated from the experiences in the Jinamar neighbourhood contributed to the growth of the entire cluster.

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

In the Mount Druitt neighbourhood of Sydney, Australia, which has significant indigenous and Pacific Islander populations, one outcome of the transformative impact

of the core activities was that more young people graduated from high school each year. An aboriginal youth with an extended family of over one hundred members commented, “T am the first in my entire extended family to graduate from high school.” The bullying that was prevalent in the neighbourhood began to disappear as more and more young people participated in community-building activities. The youth responded eagerly to opportunities for prayer, and a devotional spirit gradually took root. Some women started to consult on how to contribute to the development of their community and to use the opportunities that lay before them. In one meeting, they drew inspiration from exploring the life of Tahirih, the immortal Baha’i heroine. There were glimpses of social action, too, with junior youth looking after the elderly in the neighbourhood. On one occasion, after an older woman had passed away in the community, members of a junior youth group visited her family, helped to move out her belongings, and cleaned her home. The group also helped to organize aspects of her funeral and prayed for

the progress of her soul.

A devotional gathering in the Mount Druitt neighbourhood of Sydney, Australia.

35 [Page 36]Enhancing the Devotional Character of the Community

Baha’is and their friends have achieved substantial progress in learning to “invite others into communion with the Creator and to render service to humanity”.*° Accordingly, there has been a palpable enhancement in the devotional character of Baha’i communities everywhere. By the close of the previous Five Year Plan, more than 350,000 people had completed at least the first institute course, leading to a growing “capacity to shape a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character”.?’ Over the next five years, more and more families and

individuals opened their homes

36

for devotional meetings, which nearly doubled from around 28,000 with 170,000 participants at Ridvan 2011, to 50,000 with 307,000 participants by Ridvan 2016. A pattern of communal worship, closely associated with acts of service, was further strengthened.

7 OK OK

The Tawaimare village in the South Malaita cluster in the Solomon Islands is one such community that has witnessed how a strong devotional character affects all aspects of community life. Every Wednesday and Saturday

morning, the entire village came together at five o’clock for dawn prayers in the Baha’i Centre. After the devotions, the friends helped clean and maintain the Centre and then continued with other activities for the day. This pattern of collective worship influenced the character of the conversations in the community. Through home visits, the friends shared with others the impact

of dawn prayers. Inhabitants of neighbouring localities came to appreciate the value of gathering for communal worship and adopted a similar pattern. Dawn prayers in family homes on the other days of the week were

A devotional gathering in Tajikistan.

The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 37]also taking root. Community activities such as Nineteen Day Feasts and Holy Days became more vibrant and participation in them increased.

OK

The activities in the Kota Kinabalu cluster in Sabah were reinvigorated after the friends serving on cluster agencies decided to focus on fostering a culture of praying and serving together. They began by visiting friends and encouraging them to host regular meetings for prayer. Six new families opened their homes to share prayers and study the Word of God, and the effect of these gatherings was felt instantly throughout the community. Bonds of friendship and unity were strengthened, the spirit of the Nineteen Day Feasts was uplifted, and attendance increased. Each family hosting a devotional meeting selected a book or compilation to study after the prayers. These materials were later shared with other members of the community in creative ways—including group text messages—allowing more friends to benefit from the spiritual atmosphere and creating a collective sense of participation in the devotional life of the community.

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

The Role of Local Spiritual Assemblies

Local Spiritual Assemblies continued

to play a vital role in looking after all aspects of the development of community life within their jurisdictions. Their role became especially challenging in the most advanced clusters. Local Assemblies tried to create a nurturing environment that would inspire and enable increasing numbers of friends, especially young people, to contribute to the process of community building. As the Assemblies supported efforts to extend a range of educational activities to receptive groups, they gained the trust and confidence

of both the believers and the wider community, and collaborated closely with cluster agencies and Auxiliary Board members. The dynamic participation of Assembly members in the various facets of community life also contributed greatly to the efficacy of the functioning of the Assembly itself.

In the Aldai Kaptumo cluster in Kenya, Local Spiritual Assemblies gathered

to reflect on their responsibilities to

help foster the spiritual and material development of the localities they served. They also met with the parents of the children and junior youth participating in activities and helped them to deepen their understanding of the concepts found in

the material their children were studying. Some Assemblies also arranged gatherings of Baha’i women to encourage them to promote the spiritual education of children by forming children’s classes. All these efforts led to increased participation in community activities. At the end of the consolidation phase of a three-month cycle of activity, the Local Assemblies facilitated opportunities for reflection and planning during the Nineteen Day Feasts. Lessons

37 [Page 38]Clusters at the Frontiers of Learning

Among the two hundred or so clusters in the world where the believers began to experience the joys and challenges of working with large numbers, some had villages and neighbourhoods where a significant percentage of the entire population was involved in community-building activities. In such places, the societal impact of the Faith became more evident, and

the Baha’i community was “afforded higher standing as a distinctive moral voice in the life of a people” and contributed “an informed perspective to

the discourses around it”. The individuals, institutions, and communities in each of the

two clusters described below demonstrate what it means

to “sustain a high degree of participation in all aspects

of the capacity-building endeavour and manage the complexity entailed”.**

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Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Sustained Rhythm of Expansion and Consolidation

Before the Five Year Plan concluded, the friends in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, were sustaining about 750 core activities involving some 10,000 participants, more

than half of whom were from the wider community. The three-month cycles of activity unfolded uninterruptedly, with distinct phases for expansion and consolidation. The Area Teaching Committee planned the cycles in collaboration with other cluster agencies and with Auxiliary Board members and their assistants. Collective teaching campaigns were

held regularly. Gatherings for reflection were organized so that all members of the community felt welcome to participate. In these meetings, extracts from recent messages of the Universal House of Justice were studied and detailed plans were made

according to the circumstances of the community. After the reflection meeting, each entity took ownership of the various plans. The Area Teaching Committee, for example, wrote to Local Spiritual Assemblies encouraging them to mobilize friends who could serve as tutors. Likewise, the Local Assemblies did everything they could to encourage participation. There was a clear framework of mutual support, especially in efforts to reach out to the wider community. In every cycle, the friends worked to ensure that the goals were met and that expansion and consolidation moved forward hand in hand. The work of consolidation began even before the expansion phase finished. Whenever there was an opportunity to start a core activity, the friends made certain that it happened as

soon as possible.

Children, junior youth, and youth at a community gathering in Lubumbashi.

The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 39]Daga, Papua New Guinea: Transformation

and Cultural Change

The Daga cluster in Papua New Guinea has had an intensive programme of growth since 2004, and the community has grown in its ability to take charge of the spiritual and material transformation of its inhabitants. With around 30 Local Spiritual Assemblies and a general population of 8,000 people, by the end of the Plan almost 4,000 friends

were participating in more than 800 core activities. The cluster was divided into 5 sectors, each with between 4 and 11 Local Assemblies. There was a raised level of consciousness among community members about becoming protagonists of their own learning, and through participation in the core activities, the friends saw themselves as active agents of

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

change. They recognized that the process they were engaged in was not just about studying institute books, but also about developing the capacity to improve the spiritual and material dimensions of their lives. The study of Book 1, for example, profoundly influenced the community’s understanding of life after death. While

the death of a loved one had traditionally been followed

by many weeks of mourning, the passing of a friend or family member became a time of contemplation and prayer. Prayers and passages from the Baha’i writings on life and death were often read during funerals and other gatherings, which deeply touched the hearts of all present. In addition, glimpses of individual and collective transformation could be seen in the changing dynamics between women and men. In the past, the primary role of women

in society was the upkeep of the home, but now they were contributing to decision-making processes in the community and serving as office-bearers of Local Assemblies. The capacity to consult and collaborate during the Nineteen Day Feast also developed over time, with women and children in particular contributing more and offering insights and suggestions.

39 [Page 40]learned were documented and, together with the plans for the next expansion phase, shared at a meeting organized by the Area Teaching Committee.

Through involvement in the institute process and study of the guidance of

the House of Justice, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lent significant support to the activities of the community. In particular, it helped organize youth gatherings and systematically followed up to ensure that the participants were able to join the institute process. It also considered all members of its community and encouraged those who were not yet engaged in some kind of service. On one occasion, the Assembly invited a dozen youth, shared with them its plans, and asked them to

help reach out to these friends. In addition, when the Local Assembly noticed that an individual or a family had been unable to attend a few Nineteen Day Feasts, members of the Assembly visited them to express love and concern for their well-being.

Increasingly Complex Schemes of Coordination

When the number of those shouldering

the work of community building and its corresponding activities grew, increasing demands were placed on the schemes of coordination. The basic structures in place now needed to be extended to support larger and larger numbers of friends.

Care was taken, though, to avoid “making cluster administration overly complex or hierarchical as that could reduce the efficacy of the entire scheme and inadvertently impede the flourishing of relationships among the friends that are conducive to continued progress”.*” The agencies found creative ways to accompany the friends in their efforts, making certain to promote

collaboration and mutual support. The work of the cluster coordinators, for instance, came to be reinforced by help from a growing number of experienced individuals. Correspondingly, meetings among these friends for exchanging information and insights became regular and more systematic. And in many clusters, Local Spiritual Assemblies bolstered the efforts of the cluster agencies. Area Teaching Committees drew on the help of community members to continue enhancing the devotional character of the community and to expand meaningful conversations in various social settings, while Auxiliary Board members and their assistants helped bring coherence among the activities and fostered an environment conducive to learning. “Qualities of mutual support, reciprocity, and service to one another” stood out as “features of an emerging, vibrant culture” among all

those involved.*°

After studying the letter dated 1 August 2014 from the Universal House of Justice

to the Baha’is of the world regarding the construction of Houses of Worship, the Area

A small group study during a national institute seminar in the Fiji Islands.

40 The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning [Page 41]A seminar for institute coordinators in Maradi, Niger.

Teaching Committee in the Triangle cluster in the Atlantic States region of the United States felt inspired to consider ways to further enhance the devotional spirit in the cluster. The members began to think about an army of friends who could help encourage others to offer devotional gatherings in

their localities. They looked at the full membership list of the cluster for the first time, going name by name and identifying those friends who were not serving as children’s class teachers, junior youth animators, study circle tutors, or hosts of devotional meetings. From an initial meeting of 25 friends, the Committee identified a smaller group of 8 individuals who were willing and able to serve as devotional meeting assistants—two in each sector of the cluster—and one additional person to serve as a coordinator for the 8 assistants and to help with administrative tasks. Within one cycle, the friends almost doubled the

Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops

number of devotional meetings in the cluster, from about 25 gatherings with some 200 participants to nearly 50 gatherings with

322 participants. The assistants worked together as a team, encouraging one another, and sharing insights and approaches. One assistant shared with the Area Teaching Committee how grateful she was to be able to offer her services in this capacity and how supported she felt in the process.

41