Encouraging the friends in service

Within the Five Year Plan, teaching flourishes in an atmosphere of encouragement. That is what makes this message from the area teaching committee of Lower Maine / New Hampshire (A) so exciting You can see how an area teaching committee offers both encouragement and updates to the friends. One interesting point is that the area teaching committee has identified the acts of service associated with the Ruhi courses are identified as a way to build the capacity of the believers and an effective means to carry out the consolidation work.

The "building process" to which [we] are consecrated is "the one hope of a stricken society.

Message of the Universal House of Justice, dated December 27, 2005

Dearly loved coworkers in the field,

The area teaching committee (ATC) is endeavoring to keep everyone abreast of the activities and developments of the Expansion Phase of the 7th cycle of growth for the Lower ME/NH Cluster. Praise Bahá'u'lláh, 5 new Bahá'ís have been found in the Portsmouth and the Portland areas during the first 9 days of the expansion phase!

We're so very grateful to all of the friends who have arisen to engage in direct teaching activities and to visit the new believers to help strengthen their newly kindled Faith. The collaborative support of the Local Spiritual Assemblies and the prayers offered by many of the believers in the cluster have and will continue to sustain these meritorious efforts.

A very special thanks to the Green Acre Youth Service Corps volunteers who, on their only day off last week, sacrificed recreation and rest to participate in an active refresher course. They then went out to the field and found newly waiting souls to teach using Anna's presentation.

The ATC is hopeful that tutors of study circles will offer to accompany the participants to arise and offer their acts of service using the methods and approaches from the sequence of Ruhi courses, as they are bringing about the most rewarding results! The consolidation phase is an excellent opportunity to do the practices from the Book 1, studying prayers with believers, and from Book 2, presenting the deepening themes.

As for the last few days of the expansion phase, we are encouraged to reach out to our friends, families, neighbors, co-workers, schoolmates, the person we’ve just met at the bookstore, etc. We can try to do what we can to present the fundamental verities of the Faith to them in a manner that is both forthcoming and inviting.

The area teaching committee is ready to accompany you in considering and arranging home visits to friends of the Faith that you know. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance to you.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

Your area teaching committee