Precious Souls Engaged in Community Building

In the Great Plains region of the United States, a wife and husband made the decision to study other religions besides their previous church. Living in a community where there were Baha'is, a family introduced them to the Teachings of Baha'u'llah. Even though the Baha'i family eventually moved away, the couple continued their investigation of the Faith online. The wife and her husband eventually contacted other Baha'is in the area, and decided to join the community as members.

A Baha'i friend of this energetic couple shared how these two new believers had immediately begun to serve their new community: “They are both involved in core activities with the other Baha'is in the area. They all have home visits constantly every week. There isn't a week that goes by when they don't visit their other Baha'i friends.”

Amazingly, the couple's service to the Baha'i community does not stop here. They then decided to move to another city in their state in order to become “home-front pioneers” because there were few believers there. In fact, in deciding where they would move next, they chose a community in order to help form a local Spiritual Assembly!

The same Baha'i friend related that the couple visited another community:

“...to see how children classes are handled here. They are taking all the great things they have learned back to their home community. [They] plan to start children classes with children in their [own] neighborhood. These two have done so much to help contribute back to their community and they both have emphasized how they want to continue giving back.”

“Thank you for sharing their wonderful activities,” wrote a member of the Auxiliary Board for their region. “It’s exciting that these precious souls are so engaged in the community building and learning processes.”

Stay tuned: Watch for the next story about these dynamic new community members in a few days!

Assisting Seekers of Truth – An “Amazing Experience,” Part 1

Last year, a self-described “outgoing” woman volunteered to follow-up in her Baha'i community with a seeker that was referred to her in her community. She describes the invitation to respond to a seeker who asked to learn more about the Faith as “...an amazing experience.”

In its 2010 Ridvan message, having enumerated the main developments in the global Baha'i community, the Universal House of Justice describes “yet another advance at the level of culture,” a change with “far-reaching” implications: the importance of accompanying souls on their journey. The Supreme Institution writes about the merits of “accompaniment”:

It signals the significant strengthening of a culture in which learning is the mode of operation, a mode that fosters the informed participation of more and more people in a united effort to apply Bahá’u’lláh's teachings to the construction of a divine civilization, which the Guardian states is the primary mission of the Faith

The Baha'i reached out to the seeker, also a woman, and invited her to her home. Along with her husband, together they began a conversation like Anna (in Ruhi Book 6), sharing fundamental verities of the Baha'i Faith. After one session of looking together at the content in the “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” (Ruhi Book 1), this Baha'i writes: “she declared.”

They met again, and this time the newly-declared Baha'i confided with her and her husband that she had a tragic, personal loss several years prior, and how the Bahai Writings provided her with comfort during a difficult time.

Later, after she had declared, she shared with us that after seven years of feeling no comfort, she felt so assisted by the Baha'i Writings and felt she was reading the Word of God. She said that in that moment she had made her decision to become a Baha'i,  it seemed as if the Concourse on High was guiding us to put what she needed into her hands.

The Baha'i writes that, “we presented her with two Writings from Abdu'l-Baha” regarding consolation.

Through accompaniment together, the journey continued for this new believer, as she later attended her first unity Feast with the Bahia community, and her own husband joined her. The Baha'i teacher shared the joy she observed about these new friends...

They were both radiant at the end and she commented that she would have a sore face tomorrow from all the smiling. They were overwhelmed with the love and the diversity of the friends.

The Universal House of Justice assures the Bahais of the transformative effect that the quality of relationships have among friends, and our communities:

In relationships among the friends, then, this development in culture finds expression in the quality of their interactions. Learning as a mode of operation requires that all assume a posture of humility, a condition in which one becomes forgetful of self, placing complete trust in God...

Through this Bahai, we can begin to see the quality of this interaction on her service to another...

I am an outgoing person and I cannot imagine a more exciting and rewarding service than assisting those who are seeking the Truth.

To be continued: Part 2 of Assisting Seekers of Truth

The Vitality of the Training Institute

In April the Universal House of Justice wrote that “primary responsibility for the development of human resources in a region or country rests with the training institute.”

Having participated in a training session hosted by the Magdalene Carney Bahá’í Institute, the Children’s Classes Coordinator of the Baton Rouge, LA cluster (A-stage) returned home inspired to pursue new goals:

A family gathering was organized to ask for parental involvement and input into the classes. The parents suggested that we have more diversity of children in the classes.

It was requested that children’s class schedules be available for all the teachers, parents, and the community three months in advance, and that a list of substitute teachers be developed.

Visits were made to LSAs in the cluster to share the learning gained from teaching children’s classes, as well as the plans for an upcoming Bahá’í summer camp, and the types of support needed.  LSA funding support was received.

To assist with children’s classes, new resources were actively sought.  One parent was found from the Community of Interest (who is currently studying Book 3, and also helps out with the Bahá’í summer camp).  She has been able to invite other children to this summer camp, as she lives in the neighborhood and the neighbors trust her.  This parent and her Book 3 tutor have being doing home visits to attract more children to the classes.

Concrete, practical, and useful developments -- thanks to inspirational training.

“To ensure that the proper measure of vitality is pulsating through this system should continue to be the object of intense learning in every country over the course of the next twelve months.” (Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2010)

The news is the cluster newsletter!

 

The last couple of years have seen the growth of an exciting new medium of communication and learning:  cluster-level newsletters.  We are always happy to see issues of these newsletters, and we recently received a VERY exciting example, that of San Francisco-San Mateo, CA (A).  It was full of data and tables, showing the number of core activities from cycle to cycle of that cluster’s intensive program of growth, as well as numbers of people who have completed the various training institute courses.  Want to know who’s on the area teaching committee or need to contact your cluster institute coordinator?—Their contact information is clearly listed right there!  So the newsletter becomes a means to facilitate learning and participation.  Here is an excerpt of one of the newsletter’s articles

Dear Friends in Cluster CA-NC 09,

We are now in the 16th cycle of our intensive program of Growth. The current cycle was launched with a cluster-wide picnic and barbecue held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in San Mateo, followed by our quarterly Cluster Reflection Meeting.  Approximately 50 people attended the barbecue and picnic and the Reflection Meeting.  Just prior to the Reflection Meeting, theBahá’í world received the Ridván Letter from the Universal House of Justice. . . .

What a special Ridván Letter it is!  The letter is filled with love, guidance, and encouragement.  In addition, we were all congratulated for accomplishing the goal of creating 1500 intensive programs of growth one year prior to the end of the Five Year Plan.

Throughout this year, the final year of the current Five Year Plan, we are all encouraged to read and study the letter individually and in groups as much as possible.

Throughout this newsletter you will find several passages from the Writings of the Faith, selected portions of the Ridván letter, relevant information on our current cycle of growth, cluster statistics, important dates, teaching stories, and contact information for the Area Teaching Committee and Cluster Institute Coordinators.

Please know that the Area Teaching Committee and Cluster Institute Coordinators are here to serve you.  If you have any questions regarding teaching activities going on throughout the cluster or would like to start or be involved in any one of the core activities you are welcome to contact any of the persons listed below.

With Love,

Your Area Teaching Committee

The newsletter also gives a summary of the goals from the last reflection meeting:

26 regular home visits

1 new fireside

2 new study circles

2 new devotional meetings

2 children’s classes

Expand the community of interest by 27

Teaching teams have also pledged to strengthen and deepen friendships and relationships with their community of interest by hosting social activities such as picnics and barbecues, a housewarming and tea time.  The current teams include:

East Palo Alto

San Mateo

Western Addition

Team Biosphere

Burlingame

Encouragement in action

 

It is a joy to watch one of the friends in action as they encourage and accompany the other friends in their service.  What follows is an excerpt of an email from a regional seeker response coordinator to a member of a cluster’s core team about a seeker in their cluster who had contacted the 800-22UNITE phone line.  Some interesting aspects of this message (besides its overall loving and uplifting tone!):  Asking the core team member to match the seeker with human resources in the cluster who have received the relevant training from the institute courses, encouraging the local friends to ascertain the seeker’s interests and needs so that appropriate follow-up steps can be arranged, and reminding the local friends to coordinate and share information with each other so that their response to the seeker can be as effective as possible.

Dear J,

As the seeker response coordinator for our region, I’m emailing you (and will phone you today too) as the cluster development facilitator for your cluster, to see if you might be able to find us a local experienced Bahá’í to promptly contact (by mail) this new seeker residing in __. . . .

A couple of days ago, __ left a message on the 800-22UNITE phone line and asked for Bahá’í literature to be mailed to him, which the National Teaching Office has done.  I am eager to pass on to you his information so that you might be able to arrange as promptly as possible for a local Ruhi-trained Bahá’í to write a warm note to him, mention the seeker’s 800# call, ask if he received his literature, has any questions about the Faith, would like a home visit, other literature, etc.

As he has only supplied his mailing address, and only requested literature (i.e., he did not request visitors), postal mail is currently our option for communicating with him and striving to nurture his attraction to the Faith—perhaps accompany him into core activities, if we are able to learn if his interest lies there.

Something he said in his message implied that he might already be meeting with a local Bahá’í.  If he did meet with a Bahá’í, it might mean that a door has opened for further interaction, nurturing, teaching, etc.  Therefore, I would like to ask if you could try to learn if any Bahá’ís in the area did meet with him?  If we can learn he is in contact with a local friend, you or I could talk to that person to see how it went, and then arrange appropriate follow-up through home visits, etc.

I’ll wait for your reply before sending you __’s contact information.  Please feel free to call or email me with any questions or ideas you might have about making contact with him.  We are trying to swiftly arrange for Bahá’í contact with this seeker, since we know that the sooner he experiences warm contact and conversation, the more likely his flame of interest will be sustained and assited to grow.

She was overwhelmed with the effort that was made to connect with

 

This story is an excellent example of clusters (3 in all) working together to follow up with a seeker who had called the 800-22UNITE phone line, and “match” them with other Bahá’ís who lived nearby and who also spoke their native language.  This rapid and dedicated efforts helped provide a strong foundation for the warm friendships that then developed.

Last month __ called 800-22UNITE.  We guessed her cluster based on the area code of the phone number she provided.  From her accent, it seems that she was a Spanish speaker.

One of the friends in that cluster received the notification of __’s inquiry and immediately left a voice mail for her.  They talked on the phone the next day and it was learned that she actually lives in another cluster.  She also revealed that she speaks Portuguese rather than Spanish. . . .

So this believer then called M, who lives near this seeker, as well as K and A, who live nearby (now 3 clusters are all involved!).

It turns out K and A speak Portuguese and they know other Portuguese-speaking Bahá’ís that are tutors.  So a Portuguese Ruhi Book 1 study circle was set up.  All the while this multi-cluster accompaniment was being monitored by the regional seeker response coordinator, and some prayers and other literature in Portuguese were located and sent to the believer that lives nearest to her so she could receive it at the fireside scheduled for her the next night.

Over the course of her first month’s contact with the Bahá’ís, __ was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and effort that was made to connect with her, find Bahá’ís who could converse with her in her native language, as well as provide literature in her language.

She subsequently declared at a fireside last month, and has started bringing her family to events and they are interested as well.

See the parents already as participants, see ourselves already as part of the neighborhood

 

In the Ridvan 2010 message of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, the House of Justice states that “. . . efforts need to be made to systematize further the provision of spiritual education to increasing numbers of children, from families of many backgrounds . . .”  Some intriguing and amazing insights about children’s classes have come from Washington, DC (A), where experience with children’s classes, how to sustain them, how to involve the parents, and how to encourage and accompany the teachers, were the topic of an article in the recent issue of the Learning About Growth in the Southeast newsletter.  We are very excited to include some excerpts here, starting where the children’s class teachers shared the Faith directly with the students’ parents, and many of the parents subsequently declared:

The declarations from the first visits have changed the way the children’s class teachers—and others in the cluster—are thinking about growth.  Actually seeing families of children in the classes embrace the Cause has emphasized that building community together with these parents is the purpose of what we are doing as we “extend efforts widely to involve ever growing contingents of participants in classes that become centers of attraction for the young and strengthen the roots of the Faith in society…”  These first experiences have emboldened the teachers to continue, helped advance understanding of how to invite families to the Faith, and shown that growth is possible. . . .

It has been useful to look at what has happened with the teachers over the past 3-4 cycles of growth, particularly in terms of coordination.

There is an increasing ability among teachers to describe what they are doing, and a friendly rapport between the teachers and coordinator that has led to frequent reporting, in the form of phone calls right after a class, descriptive emails or even short text messages about how something went, in person meetings suggested by the teachers or by the coordinator.  This open and regular communication, along with visits to the classes and to the families, helps determine patterns of questions and experiences that become areas of consultation at teacher gatherings.

Like in many other clusters, themes of focus include keeping accurate data, ‘learning how to learn’ about the classes, including refining teachers’ abilities by learning how to talk with each other about how the classes are going and returning to sections of Ruhi Book 3 to see how to improve current classes, developing relationships with children’s families; and keeping track of how each child is doing in the class.

A few other things have stood out as useful for the coordinator to do in this cluster to contribute to an atmosphere in which neighborhood children’s classes are initiated and maintained, and growth around families emerges as possible.  They include:

Emphasizing to teachers not to give up too soon or decide that things are not going well in general simply because they did not come out as expected one or two (or more) times.  Listening and asking a few questions about what seems to be going right has shifted conversations away from breaking down and toward building.

Asking frequently how things are going, and not being satisfied with short answers.  An example of this is the following excerpt from the coordinator’s notebook: Sometimes when a teacher says “No one comes” it actually means something else.  When asked, “What does that mean?  Who didn’t come?” the teacher said, “I felt bad that A, B, and C didn’t come since they usually come every week and it sounded like someone was in the apartment when we knocked but no one answered the door.  At first I thought this was really bad, and I wondered if their parents don’t want them in the class any more, but when Isaw them later one of the parents explained they had something planned that day, and that’s why they didn’t come.”

Learning together with the teachers how to see the impact the class has on the children and the community and to take that seriously – understanding that the children, their families, and the community where the class is held are actually paying attention to us whether we realize it or not.

Encouraging teachers to stay in touch with the parents, even informally, remembering that even if we don’t see the parents the children are telling them what they are doing in the class.  A good example of this was seen on one of the teaching visits to a mother with two children in a neighborhood class.  This mother welcomed the teachers warmly, listened carefully about the content of the classes and about Bahá’u’lláh, and embraced the Faith right away.  Her home is actually a place where a number of children and youth ‘hang out’, and her daughter, who is in the class, was there with some friends.  When her mother said the prayer ‘O God, refresh and gladden my spirit. . .’, the girl came quietly from the other room and sat.  When her mother finished, she said, “I want to read that too.  I know a lot of prayers.”  She read it in a lovely, loud, reverent voice. And then, picking up another booklet, she opened to the page of the photograph of the Master, held it up to her mother, and said, “This is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.  I know a lot of stories about Him.”

Seeing all of the family members as already being participants.  An example of how one teacher was actually surprised at the declaration of one of the mothers in a class illustrates the importance of cultivating this vision and seeing the parents as people already influenced by Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation, who want His teachings for their children and themselves.  Since the children of this family had missed a number of classes and the teachers had not seen the mother for a while, it did not seem that she was interested in the Faith. However, they were still very interested.

Seeing the teachers—and helping them see themselves—as people who are inside the community and care about how it can grow.  They teach the classes, and also can explain well about the classes to families and other community members; talk informally with the families; get invited to neighborhood events. They are alert to possibilities to tell others in the community about the class and to open new activities such as devotional meetings, study circles, junior youth activities.

Raising up new teachers by inviting people who have not yet participated in children's classes to try teaching a class, helping with a class, starting a class, and encourage current teachers to invite others to teach with them.  These people can be Bahá'ís who have completed Book 3 (including those who completed when there was less emphasis on the action element of the book), anyone else from among the Bahá'ís who might be willing to try, and friends of the Bahá'ís

The Local Assemblies are adopting the goals of the cluster as their own

 

This report from Fairfax County, VA (A) is so inspiring because it shows empowerment that is occurring at both the level of the individual believer and at the level of local institutions.  Increasing numbers of friends are arising to serve—and being accompanied to do so, the various agencies and institutions are working ever more closely together, and their intensive program of growth is revving up its momentum!

The cluster arises to serve when the friends are asked and feel accountable for the cluster.  This helps in learning the new culture and strengthens the cluster identity.

Engagement in the goals of the Five Year Plan increased the attendance at the reflection gathering. . . .

As a result of consultation at the reflection gathering, there has been increased collaboration between the cluster agencies and the Local Spiritual Assemblies.  The Local Assemblies have now adopted the goals of the cluster as their own and are engaging there community members.

The service component of the study circles is very powerful and we see the effects when we do them.

The friends can become more prepared for a core activity they are starting if they visit an ongoing core activity.

We found it very helpful to have “devotional firesides” each day of the expansion phase.

Newsletter, coordination, describing core activities all part of being an A

 

Emerald Coast (Pensacola), FL (A) is one of several clusters that has recently launched an intensive program of growth.  It has brought them to new levels of capacity.  We are delighted to share some of the reports from the cluster’s recently-started newsletter.  In fact, the newsletter itself is part of the news!  One of the local friends explains:

Good morning!

We had consulted about the efficacy of cluster-level newsletters.  Here is an example of a believer who had felt lost in the new paradigm.  After an interview process in which the core team ascertained the resources in their cluster (everyone can be viewed as a resource, by the way), they found this soul who couldn't participate in the teaching work due to health issues, yet she was a great writer.  And so this newsletter was born.  Look at what her fruits yield every DAY during the expansion phase.  She serves in close collaboration with the area teaching committee secretary, freeing his attentions to the field work.  Everyone has a "part to play."  We all know that accompaniment is aiding the friends to widen their vision and walk into a path of service within the structure of the Five Year Plan. . . .

One of the articles in the newsletter discusses the most recent reflection meeting, and the new level of coordination and systematization of everyone’s efforts:

This was our first cluster reflection meeting as an “A” Cluster.  The tone of the meeting was quite different than previous meetings as the entire discussion centered on increasing the core activities and the community of interest.

As a new A cluster, we are still “getting our sea-legs.”  A big challenge is getting the teaching teams established and maintaining communication with them.  We have been operating so long as individuals who teach when an opportunity arises and don't report anything except enrollments.  The core group is establishing a statistics officer in each county in the cluster to maintain more frequent contact with the teaching teams in their area and keep accurate records.  This will remind the friends of the importance of teaching teams and effective communication

Another intriguing element at the reflection meeting was a “demonstration children’s class”, where all the participants could watch an actual class being conducted.

Each portion of a children’s class (prayer & memorization, song, story, coloring, and game) was presented by one or more of the friends in a class setting. Including the initial gathering, setting the children down (with need of reverence), sharing of prayers, how to help the children memorize short quotes and prayers, the process of teaching patience and sharing when passing out colors, instilling the theme for that day with the picture to color, and the game (always a hit).  Each of the exemplars were exceptional, assuring each of the viewers that they could follow their example with ease.

Particularly inspiring is an article encouraging the friends to describe the core activities consistent with the language used by the Universal House of Justice about their purpose and nature:

How to describe the core activities

Memorize: We are building a spiritual community and we need you!

The Bahá'í Faith is a world religion whose purpose is to unite all races and peoples into One Universal Cause, One Common Faith.

We’ve been asked to memorize and use these descriptions of core activities when inviting seekers:

Children’s Classes:  “Aware of the aspirations of the children of the world and their need for spiritual education, we’re working to involve more and more children in children’s classes to serve as centers of attraction for them and to strengthen the roots of Faith in society.”

Study Circles:  “Interactive classes where youth and adults discuss the meaning and implication of passages from the Creative Word in an atmosphere that is serious and uplifting.”

Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program:  “A program that assists junior youth to navigate through a crucial stage of their lives and to become empowered to direct their energies toward the advancement of civilization.”

Devotional Gatherings:  “Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker, we carry out acts of collective worship in diverse settings, uniting with others in prayer, awakening spiritual susceptibilities, and shaping a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character.”

Meeting people where they are

“If you want me to be involved, you’ll have to meet me where I am.”  The friends in Savannah, GA (A) have completely taken that concept to heart.  Through consultation, a spirit of service, and a flexible approach, they have refined everything from reflection meetings to core activities, thus widening the circle of people involved the teaching work and community life.

Attendance at the last couple of reflection gatherings had been rather low, so we examined the format and had frank consultations with a few community members.  As a result we streamlined and reduced the length of the meetings, provided lunch and child care, and attempted to make the process more accessible by using simpler terms and explaining who the core team is and how they can assist individuals.  We also tried to look at the “bigger picture”, and review the real purpose of our core activities and teaching efforts, which is to assist in the transformation and the betterment of society. . . .

As a result of these simple changes, approximately 10 new people attended the reflection gathering.

The core team has also invited other friends with less experience in the core activities to accompany them until they gain confidence.  This is working really well and as a result will increase our available resources.

3 teaching teams have been visiting 3 families, each of which have been unable to attend existing core activities because of busy work schedules and other circumstances.  We have also learned that offering children’s classes at a set time and place is not convenient for many individuals, and that we need to offer neighborhood classes in their homes.  So these teams are ensuring that the children are able to participate in children’s classes in their own home; the teams also try to study Book 1 or share the Book 2 deepening themes with the parents while building friendships.  These activities have been very well accepted, and the Bahá’í families are very grateful that they can be involved in the core activities.  As a result of this, a small number of junior youth are excited about starting a junior youth group.

Stimulating individual initiative

 

We act systematically and coordinate our efforts at the cluster level, but within this framework growth ultimately depends on the initiative of individuals arising to serve.  This brief report from the Hartford-Tolland, CT (A) cluster shares an interesting approach for mobilizing the friends:  a “pledging tool” to stimulate and track individual teaching efforts.  This tool, plus accompaniment, helped empower the friends to action, and also provided a way to quantitatively assess progress.  You can also see how the reflection meeting becomes a key part of the process.

The main goal for this quarter was to encourage individual teaching amongst the friends.  The cluster agencies consulted and created a useful pledging tool for the reflection meeting and planned and carried out a very successful reflection meeting where the friends reflected as a community and as individuals, consulted about the teaching work, and made personal teaching plans based on seekers and contacts in their lives. . . .

A simple system was created where pledges could be tracked, friends accompanied and we could all see progress from cycle to cycle.  Thus, at the previous reflection meeting on those present pledged to share Anna's presentation with 54 individuals, and at this reflection meeting reported that they accomplished sharing Anna's presentation with 32 individuals (59%).  The community had pledged to invite 41 individuals to devotional meetings and invited 32 (78%).  The community pledged to invite 22 friends to study circles and invited 10 (45%).  The community pledged to invite 6 children to children's classes and invited 8 (133%).  The community pledged to invite 2 junior youth to junior youth groups and invited 10 (500%).  The core team members worked to accompany the teachers and the results were very encouraging.

They came, they shared, they arose to act

A reflection meeting is a key moment in the cycle of activity for a cluster. The friends share their experiences, consult on what approaches have been effective, encourage each other, and plan for the upcoming expansion phase. This excerpt from a brief report of the most recent reflection meeting in Minneapolis, MN (A) conveys its joyful and energetic atmosphere. Perhaps most exciting is that the reflection meeting became a venue for a copious outpouring of pledges of specific service for the expansion phase.

Allah’u’Abha Friends,

On behalf of the Area Teaching Committee of Minneapolis we would like to thank you for such a wonderful Cluster Reflection Meeting. The energy in this room was amazing, and the commitments to intensify personal teaching efforts during the expansion phase were great! We had so many pledges that we started to run out of room on the board we were recording them on, which is SO exciting!

Not only do we have a new children’s class beginning, but we have several people in the community who have volunteered to reach out to people who have expressed interest in the Faith via the Seeker Response System. Several people committed to saying prayers during the expansion phase and holding additional devotional meetings for friends and neighbors.

Connecting seekers in "clusters within the cluster"

When someone calls the 800-22UNITE phone line or asks for information through the public Web site www.bahai.us, the Seeker Response System “regional specialists” ensure that the inquiry is followed up. They are assisted by the grassroots efforts of the friends at the local and cluster levels. This story from an A-stage cluster in the Northeast region is particularly intriguing. The cluster is very large with numerous seekers and new believers in isolated and remote areas. This has required a creative—and dedicated—approach on the part of the local friends, including keeping track of human resources at the level of “clusters within the cluster”.

Here is the report from a local believer to regional seeker response specialist.

Dear R,

Another great evening with an excited seeker, this time in __ County! She went home with enough reading material for a month. __ has explored and attend prayer services of a number of religions. She found reference to the Bahá’í Faith online, and then you entered her search. It has taken a while to bring this face to face meeting to fruition. . . .

__ is sincere, searching, and wants to begin a Ruhi Book 1 study circle. When I asked if she had a friend or coworker who would also like to join this study circle, she responded positively and will try to invite a friend. She will let us know about what times work best for her. In the meantime, I will be staying in touch with her by email.

Since L is from the same part of the cluster, I will also approach her about this study circle. There is another couple of seekers nearby who I met at work. I will also write them, either to join this study circle, or meeting another time to learn more about the Faith. That’s the plan anyway.

Thank you ever so much for your guidance and loving presence in my life while I am traveling snowy blowy roads and praying and meeting these beautiful souls in our cluster.

S

And here is the loving and encouraging reply:

Dearest S,

You are surely one of the angels in this mortal plane, walking a spiritual life on practical feet. I am constantly amazed and in awe of your devotion and ingenuity in finding ways to accompany and connect these dear ones.

Warmest Bahá'í love and gratitude!

R

Local Web sites a key tool

An individual believer from the San Francisco-San Mateo, CA (A) cluster shared this very useful teaching tool. The worldwide Bahá’í community has an official Web site, www.bahai.org, and the national Bahá’í community also has an official Web site, www.bahai.us. Well, it’s becoming increasingly common for local Bahá’í communities to have their own Web sites as well.

Alláh'u'Abhá! In the rapidly expanding world of communications, it has been helpful for our community to have and maintain a website—with contact links, for seekers to send emails, as well as a contact number for the community. It's like localizing 1-800-22UNITE. We list firesides and other calendar events online, too.

We've also posted links to other communities in our area, so folks can get “linked up” with the community, even if they don't happen to live right in our locality.

So friends, we’d love it if you share your own experiences with setting up, using and maintaining local Web sites!

"We are looking at college clubs as networks of teaching teams."

How can Bahá’ís on a college or university campus most effectively teach the Faith? How can they most effectively contribute to the efforts in their cluster overall, including, if it’s an A-stage cluster, their cluster’s intensive program of growth? How can cluster agencies support the initiatives of Bahá’ís on campus? These are compelling questions, and we were exciting to receive the following insights that have been gained from a number of experiences on campus. Some key elements: individual initiative, on-campus teaching teams, flexibility, and regular communication with the core team.

The discussion was sparked from an initial question from a member of a Regional Bahá’í Council to all the Auxiliary Board members in the region:

Dear friends,

A question has come up recently about youth groups and college clubs. In your experiences within your clusters, are there organizations, institutions and/or agencies responsible for campus clubs and/or youth groups? For example, there is a cluster in which weekly firesides are taking place at a local college. The person coordinating the firesides also hopes to involve all youth of the cluster, and wants to know how such an effort could be coordinated and supported. . . .

One Auxiliary Board member’s reply:

We've been experimenting with looking at college clubs as networks of teaching teams. For example, two friends on a teaching team live in the same dorm and develop friendships with and find new members of the community of interest from other residents of that dorm. They bring these seekers to regular events supported by the entire college club, but their focus is to nurture their interest through regular visits to those seekers. One member of the college club collects information about core activities, community of interest, and declarations and conveys this information to the area teaching committee secretary, much like a neighborhood coordinator might. The cluster institute coordinator is also involved with these campus associations as needed to provide refreshers or institute courses. In this way data is made available to and analyzed by the core team, which can then make recommendations as to where receptivity is being seen and how future activities can be planned.

We have been learning that colleges often cannot hold to the same cycle dates as the rest of the cluster due to midterms/major campus events that get in the way. For this reason we have been encouraging the Bahá’í Campus Associations to work on a different cycle, often with their own expansion activities being planned for more relaxed times of the year such as the beginning of the semester or right after exams. In this way, although the college students might be less visible to the greater Bahá’í community, by working in their natural environment and focusing on teaching their peers, we hope the sustainability of their efforts can increase.

These are just a few things we've been trying. I look forward to hearing other ideas!

Regional Bahá’í Council member:

This sounds very logical. Which universities in which clusters are involved?

Auxiliary Board member:

Most of this has been with one university. The other colleges in these clusters are less active, though we're working on that too.

The main challenge has been helping foster individual planning of teaching rather than trying to get everyone to do one activity. This can avoid college students feeling pulled away to support off-campus activities and therefore unable to focus on the many on-campus opportunities. It also helps reinforce for the non-college youth that just hanging out with college youth does not automatically mean you are serving.

One recent success: Teaching teams brought their seekers to a campus social event organized by the club. It was a place where the seekers could have a sense of community, and they were nurtured individually over the rest of the week. No teaching happened at the initial social event, yet most of the participants eventually became Bahá’ís!

Hope this is helpful!

Astonishing accomplishments in just 12 months

Sometimes when we are so busy with the teaching work, we don’t ever notice the progress that is occurring. And yet, when we pause to look back on where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we’re going, we can see that we have accomplished so, so much! The Regional Bahá’í Council for the Northeastern states just sent this message to all the Bahá’ís in that region. Wow! I have to say it again. Wow! In the space of just one year since the Regional Bahá’í Conferences, huge successes have been made on several fronts: cluster advancement, enrollments, homefront pioneering, etc. The accomplishments are stunning, and the Regional Council has used these successes as a window to encourage the friends to even more successes. This message also paints “the big picture” of how all the elements of the Five Year Plan and the various efforts of the friends fit together.

Dearly loved friends in the Northeast:

The Regional Bahá’í Council is delighted to share the wonderful accomplishments achieved in the 12 months since the December 13-14, 2008 Northeast Regional Conference held in Stamford, Connecticut. As the Universal House of Justice called on the friends gathered at the six Regional conferences in the United States, we are seeing that, “Every steadfast believer,” those who attended that conference, as well as those who were not able to do so, is showing “a faith and determination, a commitment to unity and sacrifice that will lift the Cause to a new stage in its development.” . . .

The Universal House of Justice said at Riḍván 2009, “A mere three years ago...” “With great vigour the friends everywhere began to pursue the goal of establishing intensive programmes of growth in no less than 1,500 clusters worldwide...” “But no one could have imagined then how profoundly the Lord of Hosts, in His inscrutable wisdom, intended to transform His community in so short a span of time.”

In 12 months our region has gone from 10 to 23 clusters engaged in an intensive program of growth. 14 more clusters are projected to reach that stage by Riḍván 2011. This means that by the end of the Five Year Plan, 37 out of our 48 clusters—where 94% of the believers in the Northeast reside—will be engaged in an intensive program of growth. This will be a remarkable accomplishment to put before the Universal House of Justice.

The number of adult and youth enrollments in the Northeast has grown during this Plan from 97 in year one, to 184 in year two, to 387 in year three! We are witnessing growth as a fruit of the institute process. “Experience suggests that the more closely teaching approaches and methods are aligned with the capacity acquired from the study of the institute courses the more rewarding the results.”

Most of our growth comes from “believers...entering into closer association with people of many walks of life, engaging them in earnest conversation on themes of spiritual import.” But seekers are also contacting us. In the past year there have been 77 enrollments in the Northeast from seekers who contacted us through the Seeker Response System. The number of seekers in the Seeker Response System in the Northeast has quadrupled from 200, two years ago, to over 800 today.

Another great blessing of Bahá’u’lláh is that 50 homefront pioneers have arisen in the Northeast since the Regional Conference and have been placed in 18 clusters “to help form the core of believers needed to establish the mutually reinforcing processes of teaching and training.” The Regional Council would like to place at least 50 additional homefront pioneers in the next 18 months, many of them in 19 clusters where “the settlement of homefront pioneers, even for six to twelve months, will provide stability and continuity for the teaching work and the process of community building.”

In clusters where a core group of believers are actively involved in the institute process and engaged in direct teaching we often see Bahá’í institutions and agencies collaborating more closely; Local Spiritual Assemblies actively involved in cluster and core activities; and youth engaged in the provisions of the Plan. The Regional Council is confident of winning the remaining goals of the Plan when we see the sacrificial services being offered by homefront pioneers, mobile tutors and travel teachers; capacity being built in cluster agencies; two learning sites developing in the region; resource persons serving clusters; home visits becoming the norm; formation of junior youth groups and neighborhood children’s classes accelerating; human resources being mobilized through accompaniment; and the friends increasingly opening neighborhood activities to all inhabitants of their communities.

These are our accomplishments in the last year. They portend a wonderful outcome for the Five Year Plan in the months ahead. While there will still be challenges as we strive to achieve sustainable growth in cluster after cluster, the Regional Council is certain that our focused commitment to the framework for action will overcome every obstacle.

The Regional Council prays for opportunities to walk this path of service, together with you.

With much love, appreciation and admiration.

Regional Bahá’í Council of the Northeastern States

Project Yaran: Learning in Action

What makes an intensive youth teaching project successful and effective? Training, empowerment, taking ownership, careful coordination—just to name a few. This past summer an innovative teaching effort was carried out in Southern California. Named Project Yaran in honor of the 7 Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran, it is an inspiring harmony of systematic planning and on-the-ground learning. The organizers first studied and learned from the experience of an established, similar effort: Project Badi in Florida. Early on in the effort the youth participants were empowered to become the protagonists of Project Yaran. Careful coordination with the participating clusters ensured that the activities of the teaching teams would directly support the efforts and progress of those clusters, and that the local friends would carry on the teaching and consolidation work of their young visitors. This report is immensely rich in insights and practical learning.

Background

The Regional Training Institute in southern California collaborated with the Regional Bahá’í Council and the Institution of the Learned to bring together a summer youth project based on the experience and learning obtained from Project Badi in Florida. Under the guidance of Counselor Farzin Aghdasi, a consulting and planning task force consisting of the Regional Council’s Deputy Secretary, the Southern California Regional Institute Coordinator and an Auxiliary Board member was formed. The goal of the project was to raise up a capable group of youth from clusters across Southern California to be teachers of the Cause through a 3-week intensive program that included both training and practice. . . .

Structure

Preparation involved learning from the experience of Project Badi. The materials used in the field in Project Badi were studied, and the planning task force consulted with the Project Badi coordinator. Weekly conference calls allowed the task force to launch the project in less than two months. Several key elements were identified:

It would be a 3-week summer youth initiative, comprised of a 1-week intensive training that included a hands-on teaching component, followed by 2 weeks of deployment into 8 priority clusters,, followed by a 2-day collective reflection on lessons learned.

The 8 priority clusters were identified by the Regional Teaching Office, and were all clusters scheduled to reach the A-stage of development by April 2010.

Prior weekend training of team coordinators. This ensured that all teaching team coordinators had either completed the tutor training, completed the animator training, and/or had prior direct teaching experience.

The 1-week intensive training was held at a site outside the urban area to minimize daily distractions. The training was primarily conducted by the team coordinators.

Participants were in the age range of 15 to 23 years.

The training program included emphasis on the arts, training and skill-building in the core activities, character refinement, and practice in sharing the fundamental verities of the Cause through a conversation such as that outlined in Ruhi Book 6. This was practiced in the field in a nearby A-stage cluster with ongoing direct teaching in a receptive neighborhood, which was critical to the participants’ practical learning.

The 47 participants were divided into 8 teams, each of which had at least one Spanish-speaking member. Each team coordinator contacted local core team members in the cluster where they would be working and communicated with them before and during the training week. The planning task force also communicated with the 8 clusters—and the region as a whole—through a series of progressive letters that helped maintain focus on the project’s goals and activities.

During the 2-week “deployment” phase, the team coordinator would work with local human resources to accompany and empower the local friends. The goal was to ensure the local friends could, both during this deployment phase and beyond, could follow up with the community of interest and new believers through direct teaching in receptive neighborhoods, children’s classes, junior youth groups, firesides, etc.

Host homes in the 8 clusters housed and fed the visiting youth teams.

Statistical Summary of Achievements

17 children’s classes established, with a collective total of approximately 307 students.

5 junior youth groups established, with a collective total of approximately 44 participants.

57 local believers in these clusters are following up to sustain the above 22 core activities.

197 home visits made, with an equal number of prayers shared.

72 devotional gatherings held.

56 firesides held.

139 direct presentations about the Faith made

6 enrollments

9 Book 1 study circles started.

Reflections of the participants

An essential ingredient in motivating the 47 youth to decide to participate in Project Yaran was Word-of-mouth awareness-raising carried out by a select few youth. These specific youth also become team coordinators.

Youth who were savvy with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace helped participants sign up online to participate.

Early on in the project, the team coordinators were empowered to take on responsibility for the success of the effort. Interpersonal challenges were consulted upon and resolved in a spirit of love and wisdom. These youth often met on their own after hours and gained unity of vision through these consultations, ultimately becoming a cohesive and enthusiastic set of protagonists.

Critical to the success of the 1-week training was to hold it outside the urban area. This allowed for the participants to be away from the day-to-day distractions of home concerns, friends, schoolwork, etc. This also helped develop deep friendships within and among the teams.

Another critical component of the training week was to hold multiple sessions to practice Anna’s conversation, followed by several sessions of direct teaching home visits. This helped empower participants for the deployment phase.

Most clusters responded very well to the prospect of a 2-week intensive teaching project. Detailed communication—preferably in a face-to-face meeting—with core team agencies in these clusters regarding exactly what is needed from them and what preparations should be completed before the youth teams arrive proved to be crucial.

Prior to the training week, the youth team coordinators and core teams should visit the receptive neighborhoods in the participating clusters to better understand the present needs of those neighborhoods. This also helps with coordination and relationship-building.

Prior hands-on experience in teaching children’s classes will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the youth teams.

It is important for the core team and human resources in the participating clusters to have a good understanding of the concept of a “reading circle” [an approach first used in Project Badi] that is introduced into the children’s classes in receptive neighborhoods.

The Regional Training Institute Coordinator for Southern California had the opportunity to participate in a training of Project Badi team coordinators carried out in the South Central region. This allowed the Project Yaran planning task force to adapt the elements of Project Badi to the Southern California setting.

It was good for the planning task force members to be present and available throughout the entire project for support and to respond to emergencies. Administrators were also always present to consult with team coordinators about changes to the teams to better match members’ experience, language skills, special needs, etc.

Youth needed to learn how to pace themselves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion.

During the deployment phase, it was more effective for youth to be assigned to a cluster other than their home cluster.

At the end of every day, it was crucial for team coordinators to spend the evening reflecting and consulting with all the cluster participants about the experiences of that day.

The local youth in the participating clusters should be encouraged and accompanied, ideally being a part of the teaching teams in the field, as well as the evening training and consultation.

Upon completion of the project, the youth should be introduced to their home clusters as valuable resources who could serve as teaching team members, assist other youth in the cluster to establish core activities, assist with firesides, support direct teaching and assist with the institute process. The participating youth should strive to take their skills back home to their clusters and work with the core agencies there to build capacity in other youth.

Summary

A key element of Project Yaran’s success was the quick learning and implementation by the team coordinators and participating youth. This effort will no doubt undergo further revision, such as more systematic coordination with local core teams and local youth. Project Yaran should not be seen or remembered as an event, but as a tool that can be replicated from cycle to cycle.

The reflection sessions among the team coordinators and the project task force have been ongoing to ensure continued follow-up with the participating youth.

Regional Council stimulates and encourages systematic grassroots seeker response

The national Seeker Response system involves the dedicated efforts of friends at the national, regional, and local levels working together to respond to souls that reach out to the Bahá’í community remotely, sometimes just for more information, and sometimes as new believers by declaring online. About a month ago, all of the Seeker Response “regional specialists” and members of the Regional Bahá’í Councils came together for an intense weekend conference, requested by the National Spiritual Assembly and hosted by the National Teaching Office at the Bahá’í National Center, to share experiences, identify best practices, and consult on how to make the system more effective. This gathering stimulated and inspired everyone involved.

A few weeks later, a Regional Bahá’í Council convened its own “mini-conference” for several clusters in a major metropolitan area in its region. Specifically invited to come were members of Local Spiritual Assemblies and Area Teaching Committees—one of the key goals was to build the capacity of Local Assemblies and Area Teaching Committees to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to respond to seekers, enroll new believers, and connect new believers to local friends and core activities. Each cluster consulted on how it could enhance its grassroots response to seekers and new believers. One particularly inspiring example is one cluster: it is at the C-stage of development, large in size, and has small groups of believers scattered across the cluster. Few in number, the believers have mobilized (and organized) themselves so they can more systematically respond to those individuals who reach out to the Bahá’í community. Here is a report from the regional specialist to a member of their respective Regional Bahá’í Council: . . .

Dear P,

I just had a delightful conversation with __ about the seekers and one registrant in the __ cluster. We reviewed the status of every seeker that was included on the list that was part of their materials for the conference.

First she said that all 3 of the friends from that cluster who attended the conference thought it was very valuable and that they learned a lot.

D, who lives in one side of the cluster, is willing to help follow-up with seekers via email or letter. __ has identified a couple of seekers that she thinks D can start with.

In the past week, a seeker from another side of the cluster contacted the Bahá’ís. __ is going to contact O, a Bahá'í in that area and ask if she is willing to be in touch with this new seeker and others who live in the western part of the cluster.

M and his wife have moved to the southern part of the cluster. They have started core activities and have had a recent declaration. Just a week ago, a seeker from their town contacted the Bahá’ís.

__ intends to enlist others in the cluster to help her follow-up with seekers. I suggested that she might want to keep in touch with the Auxiliary Board member about what she is doing. __ volunteered the idea that it might be good for all of the believers in the cluster who are helping with Seeker Response to periodically meet in person or by phone to collaborate on their initiatives.

I was very encouraged by my conversation.

Loving Bahá'i regards,

A

Milwaukee keeps moving forward

Here is brief update from Milwaukee, WI (B), where the friends continue to make progress on several fronts. Also check out on the slideshow several photos from their successful teaching booth at the Indian Summer Festival, a widely-attended annual Native American event in the area. Finally, the cluster is poised for future growth with a newly established area teaching committee.

There are now 6 regularly held Devotional Meetings in the cluster (taking place in localities all throughout the cluster)!

7 New Believers enrolled this cycle

25 believers involved in Teaching Activities this cycle

3 Study Circles happening, with 15 participants

3 Children's Classes

The new Area Teaching Committee is eager to assist the friends in enhancing and systematizing their teaching work, creating a collective vision, and continuing an ongoing process of consultation, action and reflection in 3-month cycles of activity.

People are eager for more assignments!

Of all the exciting news in this wonderful report from Waukesha, WI (A), perhaps the most exciting is the sense that the cluster is growing steadily stronger with each cycle of its intensive program of growth. The cluster has community members united and eager to serve. It has an abundance of core activities. And the friends are building their capacity to welcome in new believers, who in turn re-invigorate the community life.

Let us begin with an excerpt of a report of how the intensive program of growth is progressing. Particularly noteworthy is the spirit of unity, focused consultation on how to improve the expansion and consolidation phases, and the enthusiasm of the friends to get increasingly involved.

We hosted a mini-reflection meeting mid-cycle for many reasons: to keep the level of participation high, to get feedback and to let the friends share in the excitement of the recently concluded expansion phase and give the friends an opportunity to help with the consolidation phase. 12 people attended the meeting and several others wanted to, but were either ill or working that day. . . .

The spirit was warm and enthusiastic. The consultation was constructive and resulted in recommendations for the core team. The community asked the core team to delegate and direct the community members to do the follow-up work—people are eager for more assignments! They suggested we consider having a meeting with the community immediately after the next expansion phase so that everyone can reflect and get involved in the consolidation work sooner. It really was a wonderful meeting of hearts and spirits, and a confirmation that the community is growing stronger with each cycle.

We will make certain we keep the friends well informed and personally call the friends and invite them to help in both the expansion and consolidation phase.

All of this joyful activity has led to new enrolments. A friend shares this movingl story of a recent declaration:

One dear soul, who recently declared, has been in Book 1, 2 and 4. He met recently with his tutors since he had some burning questions that he didn’t want to ask during a study circle. His questions were answered by reading excerpts of Bahá’u’lláh’s and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings. His spiritual state was indescribable as he declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Tears of joy filled our eyes as he read the prayer on his registration card: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou has created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. . . .” After he declared he said he couldn’t wait to announce to his study circle the wonderful news. He said each soul in his study circle played a huge role in his decision to join. He loves them all and is eternally grateful to them.

This wonderful story is a confirmation of how important everyone is in the process of consolidation and confirmation. The study circle serves as a womb. Each person in the circle is as an artery providing life-giving care.

Experiences such as this have led to several insights about core activities and consolidation:

From the feedback we are getting it is clear study circles are having a profound effect on old and new believers. Believers who have been Bahá’ís for a long time are saying they are learning a lot and, for the first time in many years, are bonding with their fellow Bahá’ís. They said, in the past, they hardly ever interacted with their fellow believers. New Believers say they love the structure Ruhi courses give to learning.

Our entire community is excited over the new faces that we see at Feasts, devotional gatherings and children’s classes; these new faces inspire and re-ignite the flame of Faith in our older members since they can relate to how wonderful they felt when they declared.

Consolidation is a continual effort. We have found that it is more effective if the original teacher of the new believer gradually widens the circle of Bahá’ís that the individual knows. If it is done little by little it is more meaningful for the new believer.

Neighborhood children’s classes continue to be an amazing draw for parents and children. We continually hear that parents of young children want classes for them.

So we will continue to look for more people willing to host devotional meetings, children’s classes and study circles.