Transcript:US Bahá’í Newsreel/Volume 15/No 2 (Winter 2006)
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In 1912, when Abdu'l-Baha laid the cornerstone for the mother temple of the West, he proclaimed the temple is already built. Now Baha'is around the world, are preparing to lay a new cornerstone for the last continental temple in santiago chile. The Kingdom project has demonstrated the capacity of the american Baha'is to achieve impressive goals. The American Believers are being called to pledge the lion's share of the $27 million Temple Fund. Abdu'l-Baha as work was continued by his grandson and appointed successor, Shaggy Effendi. During his ministry, Shawki Efendi, known as The Guardian, ceaselessly encouraged the Baha'is to complete the building of the temple on the north american continent. He went on to also choose the locations of all the continental temples. In the late 1920s, the small band of American Believers was attempting to complete the superstructure of the American Temple. The task seemed insurmountable since they also faced the economic crisis of the great depression, hand of the cause of God rule in the book. The priceless Pearl recalls the Guardian's personal efforts to stimulate and motivate the american believers at this time. Throughout the years, he frequently contributed towards its erection in 1926, he says he is joyously pledging $95 per month as my humble share. By 1929, the required some had not been obtained and shaggy Efendi, not himself at the time in a position to send a large amount, decided to sell the most precious thing the faith possessed in the Holy Land, the Guardian approached a Persian believer who had donated a valuable silk carpet that lay in the shrine of Baha'i wallah. He asked permission to sell the carpet for the building of the temple. After receiving a positive response, he announced the sacrifice to the American Baha'i community Despite their challenges. The American believers were so moved by this offering that they raised nearly $300,000 that same year because of their sacrifice and dedication, Shawki Efendi chose not to sell the carpet. He instead bestowed it as a gift to the american Baha'i community. In 1953, the First Continental Temple in North America was completed. The example of the personal pledges and sacrifice of soggy effendi inspired the believers to achieve their goals. The Guardian noted that the mother temple of the West would serve as a symbol of strength and a sign of the future glory of all the temples to be built in the future. Now the Baha'i world is being asked to assist in building the last Continental temple, we are reminded of the great purpose of these temples by Abdu'l-Baha from that point of light. The spirit of teaching, spreading the cause of God will permeate to all the parts of the world. It will start with each of our own pledges to make a pledge or a contribution to the chile and temple fund, please log on to the Baha'i administrative website at www dot U S B N C dot org and click on the Chilean temple website Or call 8477333476. As Baha'i communities across the country moved through the various stages of development, the number of clusters focusing on intensive growth are on the rise. The number of a clusters in the country has nearly doubled to 40 since April 2005. There are intensive programs of growth and 29 of these clusters and signs of renewed confidence and teaching can be seen everywhere. According to the building momentum document a cluster reaches the a stage of development when a sizable number of individuals have gone through the sequence of courses, this learning is translated into action when those individuals host the core activities of study circles, Children's classes and devotional gatherings. Growth is often supported by rising the leadership of the youth in the community, Chicago Illinois is home to one of the most recent a clusters Chicago has a long spiritual heritage. The first mention of the Baha'i faith in the western world was made here. Abdu'l-Baha likened the city to the heart of America and it was among the first american cities to have a local spiritual assembly. However, like many clusters Chicago's progress in the five year plan was gradual, the community struggled to understand the process of growth and how it would happen in their city. As the local spiritual assembly began its study of the five year plan documents and consulted with the members of their community. A spark was lit and the community began to grow. The city of Chicago is a single cluster and has been broken into nine distinct sectors. The development of study circles, Children's classes and devotional gatherings happen at the neighborhood level. Establishing sectors raised one of the first concerns for the local spiritual assembly Chicago. Like most urban communities in the United States suffers from a legacy of racial segregation. The diversity is, yes, there are lots of us, but we live in our own little neighborhoods. And one of the major concerns of the Assembly is that as we bring people in, that we we begin to break up this clannish nous that we have progress of our community depends absolutely on the degree that we focus and do not lose sight of our responsibilities for race, unity and the most challenging issue in particular. Okay, we were worried about that with the sectors, this was a huge concern, informed sectors. Is this going to divide us racially? And it was a big act of face um for the Assembly to take that step knowing that we would have sectors that are ethnically very different. As the community followed the guidance of the five year plan, core activities were established and multiplied throughout the cluster, enthusiasm among individuals grew and the cluster found itself progressing through the stages of development. We know that as a b cluster, what we really want to do is engage people in in individual initiative. Right? So if you imagine that there are all these dots of individual initiative that represent you know, my one study circle, my one devotional, uh you know, your your home visit. And so what happens at when we become an A cluster is that we've we've been able to do enough individual initiative that we're starting to see the sort of momentum Bill Chicago reached the a stage of development in fall 2005 and immediately launched its intensive program of growth. One of the signs of growth in all a clusters is collaboration between the various institutions serving the community in Chicago, the local spiritual assembly, the area coordinators, the auxiliary board members and their assistants had been building their working relationships throughout the five year plan. Once the cluster reached a stage together, these institutions designed a strategy for intensive growth as with all intensive programs of growth. Their design included a short period of intensive teaching followed by a longer period of consolidation. During the two week teaching phase, community members were asked to hold fire sides for their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers of what is referred to as their personal networks. In the consolidation phase, more core activities were started to meet the needs of the growing number of seekers and new believers, you know, And so if you're working with your own network of people, you're gonna have your I mean you're gonna have your hands full because you have people that want to do devotionals, you might have friends that have Children, you might have their friends, I mean it just, you know exponentially grows during the first cycle of intensive growth, Jennie Adamo and a couple of Baha'i friends noticed the people in their personal networks had similar spiritual interest. They teamed up to host a fireside on buddhism and the Baha'I faith our goal for the evening was to create a spiritual atmosphere and nothing more just to kind of celebrate the commonalities between these two faiths, these two profits. Um, I invited to different friends, David and jeremy, these were both people that have actively come to me and said I would like to learn more about the high faith. Do you know of anything that's going on, it can be really intimidating to do it alone, but when you're working with one or two other people that share common interests with you, it made it fun, It just felt great to know that like our little neighborhood was so supportive of one another during that time to help other people on their spiritual search and help them come to the whole lot and I know that you worked with another behind and doing that is a very cool feeling the first cycle of growth ended with a reflection meeting where plan for the second cycle was presented like all a cluster's Chicago cycles of growth will continue and change as the community expands Andres Segovia has been serving as a facilitator for a study circle that includes his parents and their friends in the neighborhood. One reason I feel was important for me to be a facilitator for my parents and in the study circles because I think about, I think family is one of the, sometimes the last things that we think of because we're so comfortable and so even though my parents are Baha'i it doesn't mean that we stop being an example for each other, we stopped assisting each other, it only causes for growth, so sometimes it requires sort of stepping back to to see like how can I help my family grow at this moment, having my son leading the group is great because we get to see more of each other and learn things together and there's always something to learn from somebody no matter how old they are or how young they are, there's always, you know, you can always learn from from them, I can encourage them to participate in the study circle, which I will facilitate, so their son is facilitating and they're like, oh well encourage our son, but they're really at the same time, it's this going back and forth of encouragement, being a part of the Baha'I community um lately has been a lot better since we started this study circles um before everybody was just isolated and um everyone was by themselves, but now that we got the study circles and the families coming together, it's making everybody feel closer together with each other, The youth and the cluster are serving at the forefront of the core activities with the support of the entire community as we opened this new plan, one of the things that that happened was we saw an influx of young people into the community and that began to create new life, I think that together with uh the emphasis of the core activities began a transformation process, um that has really changed Chicago in ways that it's a very different community almost five years ago, I think that the older people show the younger ones give them guidance, sometimes holding back a little bit, not stop them, just hold them back to give them time, think about what you're doing, think about where you want to go and then go for it. We didn't want our fire sides to be exclusively youth and that to bring in some older adults that have that wisdom and can kind of really contribute to that sort of dialogue. It turned out to be definitely more enriching Rita and Richard Posey have been married for 46 years when they married, Richard was a Baha'i and Rita was a Christian. They are an example of how teaching family members is best accomplished with the support and inclusiveness of the community. When I go to the feast and different high events, you know, they would all asked how's rita, how's that wonderful wife of yours and sometimes I'd say, but in my chopped liver, doesn't anybody wanna know how I am? I was very grateful that the Baha'is just made her feel at home. The fact that the Baha'is knew that I was not a Baha'i and accepted me was really one of the things that I can honestly say touched me. She seemed to get more involved in uh in the devotionals and other and other Baha'i activities and which was all right with me, you I think I started really listening and watching the Baha'is that I knew and my husband was very instrumental by actually living the life of a Baha'i on and well it's his father's day to be specific this year. She, she had said to me just out of the clear blue as far as I'm concerned, I won't ask him if I could get a card and then uh with my limited mental capacity I I said why does she want a father's Day card? Who's she gonna give it to? And I, and I'm saying what card, you know, he said, he didn't understand what I was saying, but I think Monroe knew what I was saying. Monroe says, dummy get up and go see what your wife wants. And I gave him a dirty look and I went up there to see what she she wanted and she said I want a card. And I said what kind of card? And she says, you know you have to sign a card when you declare yourself. And I said, oh so of course I got all emotional and everything barbie. I really, truly feel as old. This is where I need to be because I am um, I feel a part of, I'm not just a number in a church. I felt as though I was part of a community that I did not get a feeling of before Rita is just one of many new beehives in Chicago. The Chicago community has welcomed over 60 new believers during the five year plan, the number of annual enrollments doubled in the second half of the plan as individuals began to take more ownership in the core activities in the heart of America Chicago has a new vitality that is reflected in the growth of the cluster. The Baha'is are learning how to successfully reach out to more people. The fruits of their efforts are resulting in an enthusiastic, joyful and diverse community. But the feast have grown in number uh, even on cold nights, the place is full on hot days, you know it's full and it's just been a tremendous amount of growth. There is no one single factor um involved here. You know, we began to realize that at every feast we would be introducing one or two new believers. Uh count began to grow of course that made it exciting to come to feast. We would come with our new believers and we were all happy, there's nothing that brings more joy into a feast than greeting people who've just come into the cost, what has happened down here? If the wind has changed, pulled in from the north and the rain brain and it ran for a real long time. In a september feast letter to the community, the National Spiritual Assembly stated that Hurricane Katrina galvanized the noblest forces of the american spirit and exposed the fault lines of race and poverty. River ham many of the Baha'is whose lives were touched first hand by Hurricane Katrina shared their thoughts on how these fault lines were exposed example of how the, the overall really isn't functioning very well. I mean, it's just something like this happened and everything fell apart and pulled the covers back on what was already there. Uh It pulled the covers back in such a way that we could not this time ignore it. We tried to reframe it, we tried to call it something else. It was a huge elephant in the, in the living room that everyone you know had, had not wanted to see poverty uh, existed here before Katrina. Um powerlessness existed here before Katrina and it was okay because we didn't see it. And now what Katrina did was in a lot of ways in a way. Maybe God pulled the covers back and said, I don't want you to forget this, I don't want you to ignore this. I mean, it pointed out the social and racial injustice, corruption that we have in this area. The if we had social economic justice, racial justice, it still would have been a storm, but we would have been able to weather it. The levees wouldn't have broken the the houses would have been stronger. I think we had gotten to the point where we were ignoring poverty and then suddenly it was in our face. The people with the least resources were the less to go and benign neglect, I think has shown to be a failure. We have to we have to have more compassion in our society. And that has got to be the thing that's going to shape policy. G. F. Nd in the advent of Divine Justice warns that if we do not address the most challenging issue of racial unity, great difficulties will arise and harmful results will follow. If this matter remain with without change is yet another warning, enmity will be increased day by day and the final result will be hardship and may end in bloodshed. Like everybody else in the world. What was most painful was what we saw at places like the Superdome and the convention center with those people who was stuck there. You know, with nothing, no food, no water and no hope. I think in some ways social, especially racial areas that people were kind of lulled into thinking that More had happened than had because they looked at at the weigh on an individual level? They'll say, well I didn't have friends of another race 20 years ago, but now I do look how things have changed. And I think a lot of us probably thought, well gee there's more had happened than we didn't realize how much more there is to go along those lines. So they said they saw the people being turned away at the bridge. They were horrified by this horrifying thing where people weren't allowed on the west Bank. Uh, for racial reasons no other. Well, the water is drained away, but not the pain. The pain is not drained away. The suffering is not drained away. Um, and that is would be short in coming if we could embrace this. If we cannot just embrace the problem, the hurricane, the flood. But the people once again in the advent of Divine justice. Shaggy offend the rights specifically to the american believers stating that the spiritual destiny of America is great. He places responsibility for racial unity on the shoulders of the american Baha'i eyes. He advised us not to think that we can wait confidently for the solution of this problem to be solved or for favorable circumstances to be created by agencies that stand outside of the orbit of their faith. We have the answers here and what are those answers to what we, how we should respond? Let deeds not words be your adorning is according to the writings of our faith, Let deeds and what deeds do we need to exemplify in addressing this issue. Do we choose to be separate or do we choose to be together? Are we are we making up as a part of our lives embracing this? Not a moment, not a response to tragedy, but is it an everyday part of our life that we have represented? The diversity? The oneness of mankind that we all treasure is that apart an intrinsic part of our lives. Shaggy Effendi points out Abdu'l-Baha as example and admonition. Let them remember his courage, his genuine love, his informal and in discriminating fellowship, his contempt for an impatience of criticism tempered by his tact and wisdom. Let them call to mind fearlessly and determinedly the example and conduct of Abdu'l-Baha while in their midst Abdu'l-Baha didn't wait for a tragedy. Abdu'l-Baha went to the poor, he went to the sick. He embraced the people who had been alienated and forgotten. He embraced those who had such grievous and slow healing wounds. He was there for them and it wasn't a photo op. It was what he walked, what he exemplified for us. We have to appreciate these are living examples that Abdu'l-Baha gave us that he expressed to us not only in words, but in his own actions. And these become our parables in the sense they become our stories. They become our gospel in their feast letter. The National Spiritual Assembly states the mission our faith has entrusted to the american believers is to heal the wounds of our nation, restore its confidence and revive its shattered hopes that out of the wreckage and agony of an unprecedented crisis there should burst forth a spiritual renaissance through the instrumentality of the american believers. This is the mission of the cause of God and our mission as its agents. Cheryl johnson is an auxiliary board member and a resident of New Orleans. This is Algiers on the west Bank of Greater New Orleans. This is my home community. It's sad coming back seeing what's left of it. Cheryl has been on the road since Hurricane Katrina devastated her hometown. Immediately following the storm, the regional council of the Southern States appointed her and Jeanette headed to a regional relief coordinating team. Since then, she's traveled throughout the gulf coast region visiting the highs affected by the storm to assess their material and spiritual needs, locating the highs throughout the areas that were hit by the hurricane keeping track of the friends. It turned out to be much more than we could have imagined because there was nothing in place to show us how to do this. The storm and its aftermath tested the capacity of the american Baha'i community at all levels in new Orleans. The local spiritual assembly faces enormous challenges of personal material loss. Well, right now we're standing in front of one of the Baha'i These houses in their house flooded to a certain degree, we think. But it also burned to the ground at some point after the power came on or the gas blue or something. We don't know why it burns. The only record of what happened to this Baha'i family's home is this photo published in Time magazine, but this was what's left of their house. The community had over 40 people just in the city before the storm and now we have 89 maybe. It's hard, it's hard. We were sending out a letter to the to the behind on the mailing list. Hopefully they've they've forwarded addresses to say things like, you know, have you been home? Do you need somebody to pick you up and get you here? Do you want somebody to go to your house with you when you see it the first time, you know, things like that or can we just report on your house for you if you can't make it here. So we're trying to get in touch with people that way, but it's it's easy to sit on assemblies and plan meetings and and stuff. Yeah, well it's just it's hard, it's different when you're sitting there and trying to figure out if you are if your community exists anymore, several members of the new Orleans assembly evacuated to baton rouge with the help of their sister community, the local spiritual assembly of new Orleans maintained a quorum and continued meeting throughout the entire crisis in my mind. It's significant that this assembly was able to maintain its functioning under these very awkward conditions, it's significant because it's, it symbolizes their commitment to the faith, not just at the baton rouge community reached out and gave shelter, but they literally supported them spiritually as well. They allowed them to use their Baha'i center. They were able to um, together do their study circles, have their devotional gathering and draw support from each other. Long before hurricane Katrina, the new Orleans assembly had agreed to take their turn in hosting the unit convention one month after the storm while under evacuee status in another town and without knowledge of the state of their homes or livelihoods, the local spiritual assembly fulfilled that commitment. The Regional Council of the Southern States sent three of its members to the convention. Two members of the national Spiritual Assembly also joined them for the occasion. I think they provide loving encouragement that that was that was necessary. And then the other thing was that uh has affected me is that I've said so many uh, nice things that I personally feel undeservedly so about our assembly. I mean, I personally don't think and I think most of the other members that, you know, we did anything really special. Like I said, it's, it's kind of very gambling local assemblies in other parts of the region were challenged as well. The Baha'i community of Houston is an a cluster and has over 1000 members. However, when the city of Houston found itself in a state of emergency, the Baha'is discovered. Their capacity to serve was limited. 40,000 evacuees from New Orleans took shelter in Houston Stadiums and Convention Centers. The Baha'i community joined other Houston citizens in volunteering at the George Brown Convention Center, we started clothes, we unloaded trucks, we blew up mattresses, we arranged for people to do showers, we took care of Children, we did whatever it took, it made something very clear to us that we as a community are much smaller than the size of the other religious communities around us and in a disastrous such as this, we do not have the means to do anything except help and go along with working with other communities. It sure exposes a heck of a lot when you're in a situation like this and where your weaknesses might be and where we need to work as a community and as an institution, we hope that as the size of our community grows that we are able to serve the needs of others much better. At this point, we are very inadequate, although their numbers were small. Individual. Baha'i often found themselves in leadership positions and wherever behinds were involved in whatever endeavor they were involved, things were moving along quickly because the Baha'is were able to step in, bring everybody together, make the decision and move forward. It was an important lesson to learn that our ability to consult and make decisions is an important aspect that is lacking in the community at large Houston's local assembly was impressed by the support they received from Baha'is around the country. The number of times individuals from the different places and different cities called to ask how we were doing and how they could help. The number of people from all around America that called and offered us financial help if we needed. It was just truly amazing that there was a great movement in the history of the Baha'i community of north America. The refuse, the response of the highs across the country showed an ability to self organize and take initiative. Even in the face of unprecedented challenges. There were individuals who dropped everything at home to come to the aid of gulf coast residents like Joan Haskell, a social worker who traveled from new Hampshire and spent two weeks aboard a carnival cruise ship turned shelter. The National Baha'i fund received extra checks from the highs contributing on behalf of those who could no longer give the american Baha'i stretched its small staff. The online edition was updated daily and became a one stop information source for Baha'is who were affected and those who are pitching in to help institutions put new agencies into place. The regional Baha'i Council of the Southern States appointed its relief coordinating team. In the days immediately following the hurricane. The relief team drew support from the individual initiative of several women in Louisiana and Mississippi Diane Broussard developed a comprehensive contact list of all the Baha'is in the region so that the relief team could locate them. Debbie brilliant, collected offers of assistance pouring in from behind around the country and organized them into a database. And the reason we had to develop the database was because the offers were just overwhelmingly being emailed to us. Someone sent me an email and said you're surrounded by prayer. We got that's how you felt because you felt that everybody was there and ready to help them do whatever they could do. Many of the Baha'is in the affected region have received assistance through the coordination of the relief team. Um Patton Sergio Sandoval who live in Ocean Springs, Mississippi um lost their home because they lived just a couple of blocks from the gulf of Mexico. This was a fabulous workshop that our, our son in law charlie had the relief coordinating team found behind is willing to host the Sandoval's indefinitely and to provide medical attention for their granddaughter with their basic needs met. There was one more act that brought tears to Pat's eyes as we were evacuating the Tennessee Baha'i Institute was having a false school and the Children there decided that they wanted to comfort the evacuees and what better way to comfort than with quilts created because we love you and here who you are designed while it will take some time for gulf coast residents to rebuild their lives materially. The highs are find it important to get back to the business of building the Baha'i community in some cases the services they were providing to their neighborhoods were sorely missed during the evacuation. Okay, Bernie Stormy Oh is a long time. Behi living in a suburb of New Orleans. Okay. I called the Stormy oh my spiritual mother and actually I declared in her home in 1978. Bernice has always known her neighbors and in the last few years has found a way to bring the Baha'I faith to them. She began attending bible study at a neighborhood church and then invited her friends to join her in studying the Baha'i faith once a week when she heard that hurricane Katrina was on its way. Bernie's evacuated to Dallas her stay. There was short lived. After a few days she called her neighbors and found she was needed back home. I called them to find out how they were doing. Yeah. And one of them said, oh you know we're not gonna have our class when you, because we were really enjoying the read the rule book. Yes, you just learned so much so we were able to come back, get started again and um and finish the rulebook. I enjoy coming and I learned a lot. Some things I thought I already knew but you're never too old to learn with their bible study. There were high study circle and fire sides. The women in Bernice neighborhood have created a vibrant spiritually enriched community and while all the women continue to attend their own churches, a relationship with Baha'i Allah has been in kindled, I think I love him, you know because he matter of fact I do, I love him because he was for a worthy cause and uh and and profits are sent out at all different times in in this lifetime to help their people to help God's people, you know, and that was a mission he was on. That's the way I feel about it. The spiritual business of life continues for the Baha'is in the gulf coast region. The Baha'is of Houston continued to focus on numerical growth and developing an outward looking orientation in Debbie brian's hometown of Lafayette Louisiana, the local assembly is providing spiritual education for Children by sponsoring an interfaith virtues club, Children of hindu, muslim christian and Baha'i backgrounds put spiritual principle into practice through service projects in their community in Ocean Springs, Sergio spends his days rebuilding the family home while Pat teaches at the local high school at 7 30 every Wednesday morning teachers and staff gather in her classroom for prayers off the clock. My father, we just want to thank you Lord that we can gather in this, this school like this and we can pray for students, administrators, for our nation for problems that great teachers have this devotional gathering provides solace in a community where few were left untouched by hurricane Katrina in new Orleans. The local spiritual assembly meets for devotional gatherings, feasts holy days, assembly meetings and a study circle. It's a symbol of spiritual life. You know, we have, you know, these few little things that were going back to, it's a symbol of spiritual regeneration I think and Cheryl continues to reach out to the Baha'is in the region while also facing the challenge of rebuilding her own life. The home Cheryl shared with her mother was damaged enough by the storm to make it unlivable. Her sister described the cleanup of the devastated home saying it was like putting their parents lives out on the curb for the trash collectors. Cheryl's siblings have relocated to Dallas. However, Cheryl has decided she will continue to live in new Orleans. I was inspired to think that we're given this clean slate, we can rebuild our communities, you know. But then when you come back here and you see how big the challenges are, it can be overwhelming sometimes and you want to turn and run my role as the auxiliary board member where I'm going around the communities and helping to keep them on track with the five year plan that's been given to us by our institutions, telling us this is where we should be and bringing the word of God to humanity for this time doesn't allow for me to not do the same for myself and understand what it means for me personally, so I will try to have a, in fact, I plan to have a devotional gathering here in my community tomorrow. A few of the neighbors have come back and I don't have a home to have devotions in, but we'll sit out on the grass tomorrow hopefully and say some prayers. Hey, y'all, y'all made it back, Huh? When y'all got in, Okay?
The historic village of Dublin lies as a gym amid the hills of New Hampshire which have recently been shining with particular luster because of the presence of Abdul baha, the servant of God. This was the description given by Joseph H Hannan. Upon the arrival of Abdul baha in Dublin on July 25th, 1912, he spent more consecutive days in this community than any other location while visiting the United States. In the summer of 2005, the Dublin Inn was offered as a gift to the American Baha'i community. The National Spiritual Assembly accepted this gift to be used as a place of visitation and meetings. The event included Baha'i from around New England as well as special guests from Dublin, including selectman, local historians and archivists. We are overjoyed that you have taken it over and that it will be kept properly um as a shrine but also as a historic building. Uh I think the joy in the town hall is tempered by the fact, it's just been taken off the tax rate. The gathering brought people together to talk about the many individuals who made sacrifices over the years and to share stories of Abdul Baha'i visit to the region. In 1912, Dublin was a long train or carriage ride from Boston. It was a community where the wealthy came in the summer to vacation and attracted leaders of thought and established members of the arts, the elite in society at that time came to breathe the clear air of the mountains and engage in lectures on philosophy, politics and spirituality. It was into this atmosphere that Abdul baha arrived in Dublin Howard Colby Ives, a Unitarian minister later to become a Baha'i. In a statement about Abdul baha said his life had become a constant submission to every form of hardship and depression. When considered from the material standpoint alone, dungeons and chains had been his locked torture, not seldom confinement in stocks or any indignity which his heartless jailers might design. How can it be explained that in this environment? He not only mingled with these products of wealth and culture with no sign of embarrassment to them or to him, but he literally outshow them in their chosen fields. He met with Baha'i and dignitaries who traveled from all corners of the country. He offered talks on subjects ranging from the immortality of the soul, theology, gender equality, industrial justice, poverty, and the coming together of people from the East and West one Sunday. He was asked to speak at the local Unitarian church. He spoke for 50 minutes on spiritual education. Howard Colby Ives wrote of that day what his subject was. I do not recall nor does a single word of his address remain with me. My memory is all of the quiet New England church, the crowded pews and Abdul baha on the platform, his cream colored robe, his white hair and beard, his radiant smile and courteous demeanor and his voice like a resonant bell of the finest timber, never loud but of such a penetrating quality that the walls of the room seemed to vibrate with its music. The date of his talk has been marked each year for nearly 20 years by the church parishioners retelling his visit. But this fervor and zeal of the friends will not for anyone on this Sunday era to the great granddaughter of Mr Ive spoke to those gathered. I recall that I, as I left the church and joined some of the New York friends who were among the audience. I said to one of them at last. I know never again will I doubt her question among the many stories of Abdul Baha'i extraordinary example while visiting this country was his demonstration of racial equality, even in this atmosphere of the elite, he set the standard. One of these stories was the occasion of his meeting with members of the exclusive Dublin Lake Club where he spoke about spirituality and the advancement of this new cycle. Later that day, he held a private meeting at Agnes Parsons boathouse on Dublin Lake. His guests were 28 African Americans who served at the club. He spoke about the essential unity of all races and the goals of this new revelation from God. He used this occasion to announce the upcoming marriage between Louis Gregory, an African American man and Louisa Matthews an English woman. This was a marriage blessed by Abdul baha. After his death, Lewis Gregory would be named the first African American to attain to the station of hand of the cause of God. One of Abdul baha secretaries said that this meeting of the races was little less than a miracle. In fact, the splitting of the moon into two pieces seemed an easier accomplishment in the eyes of the Americans. According to ya Fendi, this meeting was one of the most significant events of Abdul baha tour in America.