U.S. Supplement/Issue 42/Text

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U.S. Supplement Issue 42

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[Page 1]

NSA Selects Preferred Goal Groups

In another place in this SUPPLEMENT the National Spiritual Assembly calls upon every Bahá’í community to allow nothing whatsoever to threaten the loss of its assembly status during the remaining months of the beloved Guardian’s Ten-Year Plan. While every possible assistance will be given by the American National Teaching Committee and the National Spiritual Assembly to all groups and small communities with their teaching activities, primary attention must be focussed on raising the membership of at least eighty existing Bahá’í groups to assembly status by next April.

Although every locality where there is even one resident Bahá’í is a potential assembly, it has been necessary to select approximately ninety out of the 693 Bahá’í groups in the United States as "preferred goals" because these appear at the moment to hold the greatest promise of attaining assembly status by next Riḍván. However, this does not eliminate the hopeful possibility that many others may also attain that goal through intensifying their own teaching efforts, and with the assistance of nearby local assemblies and the area teaching committees. Indeed, the National Spiritual Assembly believes that a great many of them are capable of achieving this blessed bounty through the full release of their own capacities and the confirmations of the Holy Spirit.

The listing of the following "preferred goals" will aid local spiritual assemblies in choosing groups where extension teaching service will be most helpful, and above all it will assist isolated and other Bahá’ís who are obliged to move because of employment and other valid reasons to consider those localities where their settlement will be of immediate service to the Faith. Information as to employment, educational facilities, housing and other possibilities will be furnished by the American National Teaching Committee on request from the potential pioneer or settler, and it is strongly recommended that no one move to any of these goals without first ascertaining whether or not additional settlers are needed at the time he is ready to move.

It should be understood that the membership will change from time to time as new believers are enrolled and as Bahá’ís begin to move into these places.

"To act, and act promptly and decisively, is the need of the present hour. ." wrote Shoghi Effendi in July 1956, "... that the American Bahá’í community may cover itself with a glory that will outshine the spendor of its past exploits...."

Arizona Navajo Dist. #3 (Tuba City)

Arkansas Little Rock

California Alturas Costa Mesa Daly City Garden Grove Glendale Jud. Dist. Hayward Monrovia Newhall Jud. Dist. North Sacramento Jud. Dist. Norwalk Novato Palm Springs Riverside San Rafael Santa Clara Santa Rosa South Gate Torrence

Colorado Boulder

Connecticut Hartford

Delaware Brandywine Hundred New Castle County

Florida Duval County Fort Myers Jacksonville Manatee County Orange County Pompano Beach Tampa

Idaho Nez Perc County

Illinois Decatur Glenview Melrose Township Warren Township

Iowa Iowa City.

Kansas Wichita

Louisiana Shreveport

Maryland Baltimore County Howard County

Massachusetts Attleboro Brookline Falmouth Worcester

Michigan Battle Creek Grand Rapids Jackson Kalamazoo Lansing Niles Pontiac Royal Oak Township

Missouri Clayton Joplin

Montana Missoula

New Hampshire Hinsdale

New Jersey Englewood Springfield

New York Hamburg Village Huntington Township North Hempstead Township Ramapo Township Tonawanda Township Victor Township

North Carolina Charlotte Durham

North Dakota Minot

Ohio Dayton Euclid North Olmsted Urbana Willowick

Rhode Island Providence

South Carolina Greenville

Utah Provo

Vermont Brattleboro

Virginia Augusta County Fairfax County

Washington Everett Olympia Snohomish County Dist. #1

Wisconsin Brown Deer Fond du Lac Green Bay Greenfield Waukesha

Wyoming Cheyenne Laramie [Page 2]

NSA Announces Nation-Wide Conferences

At the recent convention the delegates recommended that at the next series of NSA-sponsored conferences the focus be upon the individual believer and his part in the completion of the World Crusade on the home front. During its June meeting the National Assembly set the week ends of September 30 - October 1 and October 7-8 as the dates for these conferences to be conducted by members of the Auxiliary Boards and its own members in as many cities as possible on these four days.

Since it will not be possible to complete the selection of the localities, the exact date of each conference and the conference leaders before the next meeting of the NSA July 22-24, this information cannot be included in this issue of the SUPPLEMENT which goes to print July 5. However, all of the friends are requested to keep these two week ends open for possible attendance at the nearest conference.

The locations and other details of these meetings will be announced before the end of July to the local spiritual assemblies and to the area teaching committees for publication in their August bulletins. This same information will be published in the September SUPPLEMENT.

The general theme of the conferences will be "The Call to Action," and many of the problems, suggestions and recommendations considered at the recent convention will be examined and discussed.

-NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

World Peace Day

September 17, 1961

A Special Event for Proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith to the Public Sponsored by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly

Theme: Education for World Peace

Suggested Publicity Materials: Press, radio, TV releases and posters from Bahá’í Press Service. The Destiny of America and Bahá’í Peace Program from Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Reports: Newspaper clippings from U.S. communities are to be sent immediately to Bahá’í Press Service. Written reports and photographs for publication in BAHÁ’Í NEWS are to be sent immediately to the Bahá’í News Editorial Committee.

Appeal Is Made to Maintain Local Assemblies

After reviewing the reports of the election of the local spiritual assemblies on April 21, 1961, the National Spiritual Assembly at its June meeting found that the number of newly formed assemblies equalled the number of the former ones that lost their status, thus we start this Bahá’í year with exactly the same number of local assemblies as last year (229) and no numerical gain whatsoever toward the goal of 300 local spiritual assemblies called for in the Guardian's Ten-Year Plan.

Many of the losses were caused by one or two members having moved out of the community without having replaced themselves with new members. Had no losses occurred, there would have remained only fifty more assemblies to be won in the remaining two years of the World Crusade. Now, however, we must gain approximately eighty, and at the same time preserve all 229 now in existence. Already a number of these have lost membership, again mostly because believers have moved away. The situation is serious and challenging.

The National Spiritual Assembly appeals to every believer resident in a community having fewer than fifteen members not to move from his locality until he is replaced by another member—a newly enrolled one if at all possible—and to recognize his personal responsibility for maintaining the status of his local assembly through teaching and participation in all community activities.

While the American National Teaching Committee and the National Spiritual Assembly stand ready to assist all communities to carry forward strong teaching programs aimed at winning new believers, the preservation of its assembly status is primarily the responsibility of each existing assembly and its community, and all communities that lost their assembly status last year are expected to exert every effort to regain that status by April 21, 1962.

Any believer who finds it necessary to move from his present locality for any reason whatsoever is requested to consult first with his local assembly (if he lives in a community having one) or the National Spiritual Assembly. The hour is late, and we are still far from our goal, but if every lover of Bahá’u’lláh will put the Cause first in his personal life the victory can be won by Ridván 1962!

-NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Duty of Each Bahá’í Is to Teach

Excerpt from letter from the Guardian through his secretary to an American believer March 31, 1945.

"Indeed to bring this Message to mankind in its darkest hour of need is the paramount duty of every believer. All the agony, suffering, privation and spiritual blindness afflicting people today everywhere in the world, to a greater or lesser degree, is because they are unaware of, or indifferent to, the Remedy God has sent them. Only those who are aware of it can carry its healing knowledge to others, so that each Bahá’í has an inescapable and sacred duty to perform." [Page 3]

Indian Teaching Opportunities Show Promise

Upon the instruction of the beloved Guardian at the beginning of the World Crusade, the National Spiritual Assembly appointed an American Indian Service Committee to guide and encourage the process of teaching among the Indians. Within the first years of the Crusade a small but dedicated band of pioneers moved from city to Indian reservations and began to build a bridge between traditional beliefs of these isolated people and the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

Early this year the status of teaching among the American Indians in the United States could be stated briefly, although the few statistics are involved in many inspiring stories of sacrifice and devoted work. Twenty-one Indian tribes have one or more members enrolled in the Bahá’í Faith. Teaching contact has been made with fifty-three Indian tribes. And Bahá’í literature or introductory material has been translated into three Indian languages; namely, the Cherokee, Oneida and Navajo.

At that time also there were twenty-six pioneers in the Indian teaching field. Pioneers established on or adjacent to various Indian reservations have remained few in number because the larger flow of pioneers has necessarily been directed into foreign fields for the achievement of victories on a world-wide scale.

Now that the pressing need for consolidation and expansion on the home front bids fair to eclipse all other needs, can we not turn to the unfinished task of teaching the American Indians and consider what is needed to attract a greater number to the Faith and to "active participation in the administrative affairs of the Bahá’í communities," an expressed desire of the Guardian.

Most pioneers have learned from experience that in spite of language and some educational differences, a special approach or method of teaching is not what is needed, but rather a refinement of heart and mind and a searching understanding of those simple verities in our Faith which from the time of the Dawn Breakers until today have attracted lovers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh in every country and within every race.

Bahá’ís who are ready to intensify their efforts to teach among the Indians and those who now for the first time will arise to pioneer should be encouraged by the example of recent successes in Canada, by the firm foundation already laid in this country anticipating similar successes here, and by the fact that, based upon substantial evidence of greatly increased receptivity on the part of Indian friends, the hopes of the American Indian Service Committee have never been higher.

Signs of promise emerge from several reservation areas, particularly in the southwest. The first Hopi believer (from the village visited last year by ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum) has embraced the Faith. In Gallup, New Mexico, hub of three reservations, Indians who used to come to the Bahá’í Indian Center for its friendly hospitality now come seeking the teachings as well. In northern Arizona Indians visiting their annual Pow Wow in July were invited to join Bahá’í families at a nearby camp ground maintained by the Flagstaff community. Dawn and evening prayers as well as an opportunity to teach and demonstrate the Faith were offered. Plans are under way for broadcasting from a Navajo station in Flagstaff an early morning weekly Bahá’í program in the Navajo language to reach isolated families who keep in touch with events in Navajo land and the outside world by means of battery radio.

To accomplish what must be done this year all activities must be fanned into a blaze and additional sparks be ignited across the country. Additional opportunities, rich and often unexplored, exist in cities having a large Indian population. Indians in such cities as Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, St. Louis, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Syracuse and many others, should be the recipients of attention as much as those living on reservations.

This unfulfilled yet glorious mission must have immediate and prayerful attention so that within the remaining year and a half of the Crusade many more of our spiritually receptive American Indian brothers may arise to take their rightful place within the community of the Greatest Name.

—AMERICAN INDIAN SERVICE COMMITTEE

Recording Is Available for U.N. Day and Human Rights Day

The U.S. United Nations Committee is producing a 33 LP record (both sides of a ten-inch disc) for use by the friends in observing the sixteenth anniversary of the United Nations and U.N. Human Rights Day 1961. This record is being produced for use by radio stations as well as for home record-players. A copy will be sent to all local spiritual assemblies and several to each area teaching committee for distribution in the respective areas.

Among the voices to be heard on the record are: Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin, Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh, Sir Laurence Olivier, Mrs. Lee Blackwell, and Miss Isabelle Silk. This will be a first-rate professional offering, made by the U.N. Committee in cooperation with United Nations Radio.

Special offer: The United Nations Committee is in a position to make only 200 extra records which are being offered to the friends at a price of $1.50 each. They will be sold on a "first-come, first-served" basis. Please send check or money order (no cash, please) with your name and address to: Mr. Frank B. Sawyer, World Mutual Exchange, Inc., 203 West 138th Street, New York 30, N.Y.

NSA Seeks Whereabouts of Eugene Johnson of Alaska

Any Bahá’í who may have information leading to the whereabouts of Eugene Johnson who came to the United States from Alaska some months ago as a Bahá’í is requested to notify the National Spiritual Assembly immediately. He is known to have been in various states on the West Coast. At times he has assumed such names as Ivanousky, Ivanovsky, and Ivanosky.

—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY [Page 4]

WORLD CRUSADE BUDGET

Ninth Year: 1961-62

Annual Budget: $550,000.00 Total Requirements: May 1 to June 30: 91,668.00 Total Contributions: May 1 to June 30: 54,840.00

Requirements for June 1961: 45,834.00 Received for June 1961: 25,975.00

Special non-recurring gifts received during present Bahá’í year (not included above) ... 5,375.00

—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Bahá’ís Requested to Sign Their Identification Cards

When the present stock of Bahá’í identification cards is depleted it will be replaced by a revised form which will provide space for the signature of the believer to whom the card is issued. Until such time as the new card is available, the believers should sign the present card across the back in their own handwriting. Each Bahá’í is responsible for keeping his own identification card current.

Members of communities having local spiritual assemblies should secure their cards from the assembly secretary. Members of Bahá’í groups and isolated Bahá’ís should apply to the National Spiritual Assembly. Any believers planning to travel outside the United States should also apply to the National Spiritual Assembly for such a card.

—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Marriages

Fresno, Calif.: Miss Ruth Susanna Fair to Barry Brian Brannan on June 17, 1961 Los Angeles, Calif.: Mrs. Juanita E. Jones to Eugene G. Johnson on June 3, 1961 Santa Monica, Calif.: Mrs. Miriam Schafer to Jared F. Ferrell on June 4, 1961 Chicago, Illinois: Dr. Azarmdokht to Dr. Parviz Movafagh on June 24, 1961 New Orleans, Louisiana: Mrs. Dorothy H. Buzbee to Don Lasday on August 23, 1960 Binghamton, N.Y.: Miss Louise Fluhr to Alfred Husayn Kalantar on June 4, 1961 Hamburg Twp., N.Y.: Miss Catherine Retchless to Richard Scott on May 20, 1961

Youth Event Attracts Large Audience

World Youth Week-end in Baton Rouge, La., was originally intended to be a Bahá’í pilot study on the campus of Southern University (Negro) sponsored jointly by the Bahá’í Interracial Committee, the Bahá’í College Bureau, the Gulf States Area Teaching Committee, and the Baton Rouge Assembly, but unsurmountable obstacles made it necessary to change the location of the sessions to the American Friends Headquarters off the campus. However, through the cooperation of the university librarian and Mrs. Thelma Gorham, Bahá’í faculty member at Southern University, an excellent Bahá’í display was set up in the University Library.

The guest speakers for the two-day event were Cal Rollins of Lakeview High School, Oneida, Ark., on the subject "Can Youth Meet the Challenge of This New Age?" and Paul Sanford of the History Department of Jackson State College, Jackson, Miss., on "The Responsibilities of Youth in This New Age." The total attendance was 104 persons from seven different localities in two states. Forty-eight were Bahá’ís and fifty-six non-Bahá’ís, with eighteen out-of-town guests who attended all the events. This was the first contact with the Faith by eight youth and two adults. Three of the communities represented report that several of the youth who attended the meetings are now studying for enrollment.

In Memoriam

Arthur S. Agnew Daytona Beach, Florida May 8, 1961

Henry R. Austin Marblehead, Mass. May 1961

Mrs. Mabelle K. Dobyns Attleboro, Mass. June 7, 1961

Wilber Edgecomb Dunedin, Florida June 6, 1961

Alfred J. Franklin Toledo, Ohio May 31, 1961

Albert C. Killius Springfield, Illinois May 24, 1961

John Monroe Lima, Ohio June 3, 1961

Miss Gusti P. Perron Salzburg, Austria April 29, 1961

Walter H. Rathke Kingsley, Iowa June 18, 1961

Mrs. Daisy Hall Rice Columbus, Ohio May 25, 1961

Mrs. Helen Sauter Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio June 2, 1961

Carleton P. Smith Beverly, Mass. June 10, 1961

Richard C. Thomas Wilmette, Illinois June 11, 1961

Mrs. Vera B. Ulrich Laramie, Wyoming June 21, 1961

Mrs. Malene R. Wilson Seattle, Wash. April 24, 1961 [Page 5]

1960-1961 Special Events For Proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith to the Public

Date and Event	Theme	Material Recommended
September 17, 1961 World Peace Day	Education for World Peace	*Radio & TV releases *TV slide of WPD poster *WPD poster **The Destiny of America **Bahá’í Peace Program †Record for radio (one side)
October 24, 1961 United Nations Day	Prelude to a New Age	**Pattern for Future Society **Bahá’í Peace Program
November 12, 1961 Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh	The Lord of the New Age	**Lord of the New Age **The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh
December 3, 1961 State Conventions	Progress of World Crusade on the Home Front	(To be announced)
December 10, 1961 U.N. Human Rights Day	Prelude to a New Age	†Record for radio (one side; other side for UN Day) *Radio & TV releases **Bahá’í Declaration of Human Rights; Faith for Freedom
January 21, 1962 World Religion Day	Faith for an Evolving World	*Radio & TV releases *TV slide of WRD poster *WRD poster **Bahá’í: World Faith for Modern Man **Tomorrow & Tomorrow
March 21, 1962 Naw-Rúz	The Bahá’í New Year	**Lord of the New Age
March 25, 1962 Bahá’í World Youth Day	Finding One’s Self in Today’s World	**Bahá’í: World Faith for Modern Man **I Am a Bahá’í
April 26-29, 1962 National Convention	Progress of World Crusade	(To be announced)
May 23, 1962 Declaration of the Báb	Age of Fulfillment	**Prophecy Fulfilled
June 10, 1962 Race Amity Day	Man One Family	*Radio & TV releases *TV slide of poster *RAD poster **Man One Family
July 9, 1962 Martyrdom of the Báb	The Hour of Triumph	**Martyr-Prophet of a World Faith

\* Order from Bahá’í Press Service, 121 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.

\** Order from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 110 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.

† Order from Frank B. Sawyer, 203 West 138th St., New York 30, N.Y. [Page 6]

Guidance for Proclaiming the Faith to the Public

The series of public events listed on the other side of this sheet provides local assemblies, groups and isolated believers with effective opportunities to publicize the Faith and establish relations with a larger circle of contacts. All should be directly sponsored, announced and conducted under Bahá’í auspices, and their Bahá’í identity is not to be submerged in any interorganization arrangement.

World Religion Day has been so effectively promoted in the United States and in other countries that it has for several years been listed in calendars of special events published by national organizations. The same notice is now being taken of our Race Amity Day and World Peace Day.

This sheet should be preserved and referred to frequently so that all of the events can be carefully planned well in advance. In addition to the materials recommended the U.S. SUPPLEMENT to the BAHÁ’Í NEWS will carry announcements and suggestions from time to time.

All newspaper publicity on these events is to be mailed to the Bahá’í Press Service. Reports on all the events must be sent within ten days to BAHÁ’Í NEWS in order that a national report may be compiled for prompt publication. The United Nations Committee would appreciate having duplicate copies of the reports on United Nations Day and Human Rights Day. Good photographs for BAHÁ’Í NEWS are also requested and each should carry appropriate captions.

Wilmette, Illinois August 1961 —NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES