Enduring Results: “Everything made sense”

In its 28 December 2010 letter, the Universal House of Justice exhorts the Baha’is worldwide to:

…hold fast to the conviction that a direct presentation of the Faith, when carried out at a sufficient level of depth and reinforced by a sound approach to consolidation, can bring enduring results.

A married couple living the western United States recently entered the Baha’i community along with their children. Both hail from different countries in Europe, and both benefited from a direct presentation of the Faith, along with official follow-up, which had wonderful and enduring results.

As you’ll see, the wife became attracted through online research, and the husband's interactions with his wife and the Baha’i responding to their inquiry helped him embrace the Faith.

Despite living in the U.S. since the 90s, the wife regularly watches television from her native country in Europe. Last year she saw on report on woman and an Iranian Baha’i who married. She was particularly impressed by what the groom said about the Baha’i principle of gender equality.

So impressed, in fact, that she started researching the Baha’i Faith online. The Baha’is who followed up on her inquiries reported her as saying that “what she found out was exactly what she's always believed.”

The response coordinator shared that she:

…spent the entire day researching the Faith and knew all about the covenant, administrative order, and Baha'i laws, (e.g. prayer. and abstaining from alcohol). She really found out a lot and everything made sense to her. She mentioned the Twin Manifestations and that the Faith started in 1844. She was looking into the history of the Faith as well as the Teachings.

By the end of the same month, the wife declared her faith online and registered her children as well. In addition to her husband's interest and later enrollment, the wife's mother also registered online her interest in learning more about the Baha’i Faith.

In the same letter of December 28^th, the House of Justice asks the Baha’is to “strain every nerve” to ensure that the system we are working so hard to build “does not close in on itself but progressively expands to embrace more and more people.” In light of this married couple's sincere and open attraction to the Baha’i Teachings, the next sentence that the House of Justice pens is quite poignant:

Let them not lose sight of the remarkable receptivity they found—nay, the sense of eager expectation that awaited them—as they gained confidence in their ability to interact with people of all walks of life and converse with them about the Person of Bahá’u’lláh and His Revelation.

The response coordinator did have the opportunity to speak with the husband about “the Person of Bahá’u’lláh and His Revelation,” in the form of Anna’s Presentation, from Ruhi Book 6. The coordinator noted that he agreed with everything, affirmed the Baha’i laws that they discussed, and spoke about obligatory prayer.

The husband shared that as he grew up he became more uncomfortable with his upbringing in church, and had always believed in the unity of religion and of humankind. After his wife's enrollment, he began to read several Baha’i books and speak with her about joining the Faith. After contact with the regional coordinator, they decided to confirm his enrollment!

The oneness of humankind was also key in the wife's acceptance of the Faith, as the coordinator learned. Her prior marriage was with an African American man, with whom she had several children. The elimination of prejudice, the coordinator related, is something that she has always believed in.

After his enrollment in the community, the husband shared:

My wife and kids just became members and I have decided to join the Baha'i Faith as well. Thank you very much for all the work!

And, indeed, our work entails creating a community large enough to answer the needs of society and accepting more new members like this family. The Universal House of Justice writes:

…let them not forget the lessons of the past which left no doubt that a relatively small band of active supporters of the Cause, no matter how resourceful, no matter how consecrated, cannot attend to the needs of communities comprising hundreds, much less thousands, of men, women and children.

The Path

That the path of service upon which we are currently embarked “can be experienced and known, not only by one or two but by scores and scores” and that “ it belongs to the community” becomes increasingly apparent through stories shared by a Baha'i Seeker Response Coordinator in one region.

One by One -  Sharin was a Muslim woman who had married a Muslim man through an arranged marriage. The marriage did not work out, and she later married another Muslim man, who was less active in his faith.  When Lea, a Bahai, called Sharin to learn of her story, she shared that she had been frustrated and “tired of being stern and angry.”  She shared that she was stern with her children because that’s what she understood was her role as a Muslim mother but that she grew angry and frustrated with how it made her feel.    

She went onto the Web and searched the words “unity,” “love,” and “peace,” and for each one, the Bahá’í Faith came up. As she read more, she learned about the Faith and decided she wanted to be part of it. She started attending devotionals at the home of a St. Louis couple, and eventually declared. She shared with Lea that she removed her veil and “I felt such freedom.  For the first time, I felt like I could think for myself.”  

At a devotional gathering, she gave her 17 year old son a prayer book and encouraged him to read from it, which he did. Vern shared that “right away, the children saw in her a change and they too began to change.  They started to experience love in the household.”  How profound the impact of the Faith on this family!  

Sharin shared how she also began to picking up papers and trash and began sweeping the sidewalk outside her home. Her neighbors asked her what she was doing and she exclaimed that she was “making the neighborhood more beautiful.”  They too joined in and began to clean up the streets together.

Scores and Scores - While visiting via Skype with a Persian couple whom he met during a recent Pilgrimage, Vern learned that the couple was in the midst of celebrating Naw Ruz; they live in Australia. Vern and his Persian friend were taking an upgraded iPhone for a test drive.  

Vern began sharing some exciting news about recent seekers who had come in through the seeker response system.  Enamored by the stories, the Persian friend put him on visual Skype for the entire group of guests at this couple’s huge Naw Ruz celebration to hear. Vern shared about how the program works and some of the stories of the seekers.  

“You could see their eyes light up and the excitement build in each one of them!  How blessed I feel to share it with friends half way around the world—it’s a 13 hour difference between here and Australia!”

Happy Naw Ruz

The Fast has ended and Baha’is throughout the world look forward to the bounties of the New Year (Naw Ruz).  As we look to the year ahead, we reflection with gratitude upon the many teaching opportunities afforded to strengthen bonds of love and fellowship during the Fast.  A few inspirational moments came in from an Area Teaching Committee in a New Jersey cluster.

A Baha’i in the cluster invited the mother of her son’s schoolmate to a fast-breaking dinner. Although the schoolmate is already a member of the neighborhood junior youth group, the dinner gave the mothers and sons a chance to strengthen ties of friendship and share prayers. 

One youth in the cluster is a seeker and an integral member of the neighborhood teaching team. The members of the local LSA met for a fast-breaking dinner and invited the youth, who brought her mother along. The dinner conversation included a discussion about one LSA member’s experience of embracing the Faith. The youth said she was grateful for the discussion because it helped her mother better understand the importance of the Baha’i Faith in the young woman’s life.  

When a new seeker and friend showed interest in the Fast, one Baha’i extended an open invitation for the seeker to come over for dawn prayers and breakfast. The seeker, who decided to observe the Fast, has joined the family for breakfast and dawn prayers several times so far. In fact, there are two seekers/neighbors who are observing the Fast and coming over to share prayers, fellowship and food at 5:45 in the morning!  

A teaching team in the cluster is inviting parents of the junior youth and children to the “Why We Sing” program at Green Acre. At the end of last Saturday’s classes, teachers, junior youth and children helped compile the invitations, which included a sample of music on CDs and flyers describing the weekend session.  The teaching team will follow up with parents during the coming weeks and use the opportunity to engage in spiritual conversations.

And finally the Area Teaching Team’s simple invitation to the cluster: 

Any teaching stories, plans, aspirations for this Expansion Phase that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear them. Send an email to …

Love of Christ

Baha’is in Alabama nurtured a soul whose heart is wed to Christ in order to help him understand that he is not giving up Christ by professing his belief in Baha’u’llah.

Joseph grew up in the Bible Belt of the South and has seen much racial prejudice and religious segregation. The Christian churches are gradually becoming more open but have very far to go. He wanted to better himself by overcoming the racial prejudice and religious intolerance that he’d observed in his life. He became inspired to investigate the Faith after searching into the background of a celebrity.

I decided to look up his Wikipedia site and found his organization Soul Pancake. I then saw him in an interview discussing the fact his parents raised him in that faith (Bahai). Everything about the faith seems great, and I would love to be able to separate myself from prejudices by becoming Baha'i.

Joseph started reading the Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude). He was very happy to hear how Baha'u'llah fit in the sequence of Manifestations, especially with regard to Christ. He believed in Baha'u'llah but had questions about how to work through any feelings of abandoning Christ, and his lifelong being taught that Christ was the only way. He wrote:

It's like all your life being told you will go to hell if you don't believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and then trying to conceal all of that in one day. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm going to continue to study and if you have any suggestions about where to start that will be much appreciated.

When Baha’is talked with Joseph they discussed a few passages in the Bible, putting the concept of coming to the Father through the Son in the context of Christ’s prophecies of future revelation and Baha’u’llah’s proclamation to Pope Pious IX referring to the Father, and His coming “unto the nations in His most great majesty.” They also shared about Baha’u’llah’s teachings on the death and resurrection of Christ.

Joseph was very excited about this decision. His Baha’i contact sent him more references to explore, including links to the international site and its reference library, so he can continue reading and become more familiar with the Writings of the Faith.

God's Work

A Bahai children’s class teacher shares about the importance of involving new believer, Sylviya, in one of the core activities. Their first encounter was in a laundry mat during a door to door campaign. After some time Sylviya shares that she believes her long journey after suffering much hardship in her native country was to discover Baha’u’llah.

Sylviya and I arrived at 4PM and our host welcomed us. We decided to relocate to a nearby apartment because some children were already there. Also (there was) a new African family, two adults and 3 children from Burundi just 3 days in the country. The mother and her children attended class along with our regular attendees. Sylviya began devotions with a prayer in her native language which was followed by the children who sang many of their prayers. We reviewed all the quotes we learned from the summer classes and hoped to begin a new quote next week. This group excels at singing to memorize their quotes from Baha’u’llah which is so imbedded in their culture. The children are extremely eager to read in English. We had key words from quotes on flash cards and with Sylviya translating, explaining the meaning of the quote with these cards. The children benefited from Sylviya’s translation. She is at the heart of these classes. After class she insisted that we do home visits and visited 3 families with invitations to parents to join us.  

Her children have been attending Feast regularly but she had only come once with her husband months ago. She now understands the importance of Feast because her English has improved greatly in 2 years. She enjoyed Feast and seeing the Bahais that she remembers from long ago. She was part of the consultation, she sang a prayer in Swahili for devotions and chatted away, non-stop in English for the social refreshment hour. When I dropped her home she whispered in my ear that she was sooooooo happy! AND ME TOO!!!

There are certain to be challenges but we will overcome them, learn from them and grow in our Faith. And not only in numbers! Nothing, nothing can compare to God’s work.

Christ's Message Renewed

When Melissa from Tennessee declared her belief in Baha’u’llah, she shared this sensitive, spiritual and powerful testimony to the renewal of Christ’s message.

My husband has been a Baha'i for a little more than a year now. I had been a Latter Day Saint for quite a while though I was inactive for the last four years. The Baha'i Faith definitely interested me but I felt some apprehension because I felt like I would be somehow rejecting Jesus if I became Baha'i. It wasn't until our daughter experienced a devastating car accident in August that I really opened my heart to the idea of becoming a Baha'i. The outpouring of love and support we received from the Baha'i Community was overwhelming. The scripture "by their fruits you will know them" really hit home for me. I was able to talk to some of the Baha'is about my worries and I realized that declaring my faith in Baha'u'llah was by no means rejecting the message of Jesus Christ. Baha'u'llah's message is simply a renewal and unification of the messages of all of God's Manifestations. I'm very happy to become a part of the Baha'i Family.

You just go to the website and hit the button

 

This is quite intriguing:  We came across an internet discussion on a variety of topics about the Bahá’í Faith.  Then someone raised the question, how do you actually become a Bahá’í?  Immediately someone else described the online declaration process and the follow-up by the friends at the regional and local levels!

A. “ . . . how does one go about converting to the Bahá’í Faith?  I know most faiths have some kind of specific ritual that converts must go through.  Christians have baptism, Muslims have the shahadah, etc.  In case anybody is wondering, I’m not ready to officially convert yet.  I’m just curious.” . . .

B. “Don’t feel bad!  I did that a couple of times before I “declared”.  And there isn’t any ritual.  There’s just “declaring”.  You go to the US Bahá’í website, hit “I want to be a Bahá’í,” and then you fill out a form with your name and basic contact info (email, address, phone).  A Bahá’í will follow up with you, making sure you know what you’re doing, and then they’ll set you up with a Local Spiritual Assembly.  So it’s mostly just filling out a small questionnaire, a quick (or in my case, hour-long) phone chat, and done.  You’ll know it’s official when you get your ID card in the mail.”

A. “Oh, OK.  Unfortunately I seem to be in an isolated area which probably doesn’t have any Bahá’ís, but knowing how diverse the Bahá’í community is, I could be wrong!”

B. “I’m an isolated Bahá’í.  My closest Local Spiritual Assembly is over an hour away.  The phone call for me about my declaration came from another state—and they regularly check up on me to see how I’m doing regarding faith.  They also called someone closer by who is going to drive down to meet me since he’s responsible for welcoming new Bahá’ís in this general area.  So don’t feel bad for being isolated.  Bahá’ís will find a way around it.  J”

They are fearless and they keep trying

 

Here is a story of an individual who reached out to the Bahá’ís through the Seeker Response System and who declared after a home visit.  The dedication of the local friends, and the systematic follow-up by the cluster’s area teaching committee, has resulted in several declarations and successful consolidation.

Hi again,

I was looking over records and noticed 2 declarations via home visits in this one cluster in just a couple of weeks.  One of the Area Teaching Committee members had entered these notes into the system:

H & I went to __’s home (she can not receive mail there) despite snow in the air and a limited amount on the ground and being almost 2 hours away.  We found her at home.  She said the reason she contacted the Bahá’í community was for her son who was searching, as well as for her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. . . .

We engaged her in a conversation like Anna, at twice during the conversation __ said she believed in Bahá’u’lláh.  She wanted to know if there were Bahá’ís near her.  We said not many but we could start a study circle in her home and we would return with two weeks.  She said she would also like for us to come when her son visits here in a couple of months.  We left her with a copy of the prayer book and encouraged her to say the obligatory prayer each day.

Both __ and H have similar backgrounds and histories, and they really hit it off!

Lines of Action:  Return in 2 weeks to start study circle at her home.  Contact local Bahá’í EL for assistance.  Share the Faith with her son when he visits.

The new believer had filled out a declaration card; however the teaching team has request that we enroll her online, so we have done so.

Given the size of this cluster and the relative isolation of most of the Bahá’ís, it’s a miracle we can ever establish any consistent accompaniment at all.  But this Area Teaching Committee is fearless and they keep trying.

R

Creative Word empowers new believer

 

In the 2010 Ridvan message to the Bahá’ís of the world, the Universal House of Justice emphasized how the institute process helps unlock “the potential of local populations to create” the dynamics of community growth.  This story shows how a new believer’s involvement in the institute process and connection to the Creative Word has empowered her.  The regional seeker response coordinator is helping her to be connected to local friends wherever she moves.

I spoke with __ on the phone.  She has already completed Ruhi Book 1 and Book 2 and is fully committed to becoming an active Bahá’í.  She has been actively studying the Faith for about 2 years with one of her professors at college, however she had first become attracted to the Faith while she was still in high school.  She is especially excited about social and economic development projects.  Since she has been involved in Ruhi study circles she has created connections of the heart by memorizing the Writings.  She says she is much happier and her life is better.  She is now back in another cluster at her parents’s home for the summer and has just started to meet the Bahá’ís there and wants to visit the House of Worship soon.  I have informed the cluster core team asking them to be in touch with her and help her become more acquainted with the local friends.

Alone in their town, but not alone

 

Here is the story of an online declaration, shared by one of the regional seeker response coordinators.  What is exciting to see is that this new believer is starting out her journey as a protagonist, not thinking of newness to the Cause or aloneness (the first believer in her town), but acting with confidence right away.

Glad tidings that __ declared online!

Her son, who is in high school, brought home a book about the Faith for a research paper.  She also read it, and thought to herself, this makes sense, I really like this.  She read more and declared online a few days later. . . .

An impromptu teaching team of a believer in a nearby town (and myself over the phone) carried out the affirmation.  This was also a way for __ to meet the Bahá’í nearest to her.

__ asked about Bahá’í books and is eager to read more, and the local believer invited her to an upcoming fireside.

__ is NOT unsettled by the fact that there are no other Bahá’ís in her own town, but said that she could be the start of something there!  She finds the idea of holding a devotional gathering in her home appealing, and M and I are following up about this so she can be in the field of action right away.

"I am soooooo glad to be a Baha'i"

 

The network of regional level seeker response coordinators help connect seekers and new believers with Bahá’ís that live near them.  As a growing number of individuals are coming to the Bahá’í community through these channels, the friends are approaching consolidation more and more systematically.  For example, one regional coordinator has tried a number of ways to check back with seekers and online registrants and see what core activities they are involved in and how they are finding the local community life.  Here are some excerpts of the questions and answers between the regional coordinator and one new believer:

Q: Regarding continuous learning about the Bahá'í Faith.

A: I have gone to travel teach, and have Bahá’ís come to my home to sing and learn Bahá’í songs.  I am teaching a Sunday school class at my local Bahá’í center. . . .

Q: Are there any changes that you have made in your life because you are a Bahá'í?

A: I have began to be more prayerful, memorizing prayers in English and in my native tongue, I have visited many local Bahá’ís and have had socials, firesides, deepenings, devotionals both at friends' homes and at my home.  I have been more understanding of my family members, less irritable and more patient.  I have given up alcohol, strong/bad language and have tried to curb my tendency to gossip or backbite.  I feel happier and less anxious about life and my situation.  I sing all day with the blessed assurance of Bahá’u’lláh in my life!

Q: Since I've made the decision to join, my feelings about Bahá'í are:

A: A strong conviction that I have made the right decision.  I have found my true family and have come home and am surrounded by people who understand, accept, encourage and support me. I am soooooooooooooo glad to be a Bahá’í!

Q: If you have other questions or comments, please note them here:

A. I need more information regarding the process of electing my Local Spiritual Assembly.

I sincerely have never met a kinder more sincere group of people than the Bahá’ís.

Welcoming in a new believer through home visit

 

Every day, searching souls reach out to the Bahá’í community through channels such as the public Web site www.bahai.us or the 800-22UNITE phone line.  That is just the first step in a process of nurturing and welcoming.  And that is where follow-up by the local friends is vital.  Here is a lovely story from Chicago, IL (A) where two of the friends made a home visit to a new believer who had initially connected with the Bahá’ís through the Seeker Response system.

Dear Friends, Allah'u'Abha!

I am writing to share about the home visit that S and I had with __.

We visited him at his apartment.  He graciously received us and shared a lot about his life history as well as the journey towards the Faith.  He stated that he realized that after reading the Bahá’í Prayers, the very same neighbors that he was previously indifferent towards started to look wonderful to him. . . .

S had kindly brought three different books to give to him as a gift, and he was really happy to receive them.

He shared that he had mailed in his declaration card.  I was not sure as were he was along the path of affirmation. Therefore, I shared with him an overview of the Central Figures of the faith, Shoghi Effendi, the Universal House of Justice and the need for obeying the Bahá’í laws as we learn about them.

I offered him the opportunity to ask questions.  He said that he had only one, and that was when the bookstore was open—he expressed interest in going to the House of Worship.

Yesterday, I got a call from some other Bahá’ís who are in a Ruhi Book 2 study circle with S and me.  They had heard the story of __ and graciously offered to take him to the House of Worship.  They have already made plans to pick him up and take him for one of the Sunday devotional services.  I had the bounty of talking to __ again yesterday to confirm that arrangement.  He also shared that he had received his membership card and that he was really happy about it.  He said that I had never been a member of any religion before.

I told him about the 19 Day Feast and that one is coming up next week (now that he has his membership card).  He would like to come and meet other Bahá’ís.

She has many questions about the Five Year Plan

 

This is a touching story of a relatively new believer in a remote location who earnestly wanted to be involved in the Five Year Plan.  She reached out through the regional level seeker response coordinator, who is working to connect her to the friends.  Here is her note to the Auxiliary Board members serving the area.

Dear Friends,

This morning I was honored with a call from M, a believer in a C-cluster in our region.  M became a Bahá'í a few years ago, but has been isolated most of the time since then.  She was inspired by the recent letter from the Regional Bahá'í Council in which the friends were asked to support the intensive program of growth clusters and to say the prayer for the Central States daily.  M has been saying the prayer and she wants to know how she can help.  I encouraged her to call or write to you.  She has many questions about the Five Year Plan.

"Growth is fueled by the new believers who entered the institute process"

 

In an intensive program of growth, you want to look at not just what happens within a cycle, but also what happens from cycle to cycle.  Berkeley-Charleston, SC (A) has seen a lot of recent progress, as this report from the cluster’s area teaching committee shows:  more systematic home visits, devotional meetings, etc.  But the most significant fruit has come from one particular effort:  engaging new believers in the institute process.

The Area Teaching Committee believes this cycle witnessed the blossoming of the trees that were planted in previous cycles.  One of the clearest lessons to appear, as we reflect on this cycle, is that the impetus for growth is being fueled by the new believers who entered the institute process.  It is these friends who are bringing their friends and relatives to the devotional gatherings.  It is these friends who are starting devotional gatherings in their own homes.  It is these same friends who are enrolling in Ruhi Book after Ruhi Book. . . .

Another plant, that is taking firm root in this cluster, is that of systematic home visits.  With every intention of being systematic and consistent, we have often lacked the consistency.  The Cluster now has two friends who are committed to going out every week to visit specified friends.

The Area Teaching Committee also sponsored a workshop based on the sections of Ruhi Book 2 that focused on the various aspects of home visits.  8 friends attended.

Further, this cycle witnessed the emergence of a new volunteer who rose up to help with home visits.  We are extremely grateful.

Devotional gatherings in the cluster are becoming a magnet for newer believers, older believers, and seekers.  We are encouraged that these are becoming a strong pillars in the structure of the cluster.

This neighborhood has taught us how to be more open

 

Some people homefront pioneer to another cluster, but some of the believers also homefront pioneer WITHIN their cluster to a receptive neighborhood!  In the past we have posted truly inspiring stories about “Bahá’í villages” in other parts of the country, and this story from Washington, DC (A) is equally delightful.  Why did these Bahá’ís move to a particular neighborhood?  Because they fell in love with it and with the people who lived there.  Their new home has become the center of a growing pattern of activity that form the building blocks of a new spiritual community.  But most of all, you can see their joy at how their homefront pioneering has brought them the chance to make friendships with people they otherwise might never have met.

In the Spring of 2009, one neighborhood in DC was the focus of collective teaching.  One of the believers was touched by the warm and friendly nature of the residents.  He and his wife fell in love with the neighborhood as they connected with the residents and shared Bahá’u’lláh’s Message.  The decision to homefront pioneer within their own cluster to this neighborhood came easily. . . .

Since their move, the couple continues to make friendly connections with neighbors and they strive to have meaningful conversations with them on spiritual matters.  They formed a neighborhood children’s class and continue to maintain it with the assistance of others including a seeker who has been deeply moved by this involvement in the classes.

Their home is open to the systematic study of the institute courses, is a base for weekly children’s classes, and serves as a base during expansion phase direct collective teaching projects.  They have hosted a neighborhood 19 Day Feast in their home and organize regular home visits in which members of the cluster gather at their home to pray and then go visit neighbors and friends.  In addition, they are working towards establishing a junior youth group.

They share their thoughts:

The opportunity for service is as incredible as we could ever have hoped for.  The community is warm and friendly and always eager to invite us over when they hear we are new to the neighborhood.

The obvious benefit has been the joy that has come from being able to befriend so many people, people from different cultural backgrounds that we otherwise would have never gotten to know.

One night we spent two hours at the home of one of our new neighbors.  When one of his children saw us, he seemed surprised that we were there.  We then had a great discussion about the oneness of humanity, and this father was so pleased that we were now friends.

In fact, the community we now live in has taught us how to be more open about expressing our love for humanity to strangers and people we hardly know—here it’s commonplace.

"What we are really trying to do is transform neighborhoods"

 

Why are we doing everything that we are doing?  Where is it all leading to?  What is our ultimate goal?  We aren’t just trying to get an ever-growing list of new believers.  We are trying to build a new civilization.  The friends in Monterey County, CA (A) have been doing a lot of reflection (and action, and learning) about how to build a real community and create bonds of true unity.  The insights gained and stories shared are VERY inspiring.

One believer states:

One question that really struck with me from our last Cluster Reflection Meeting was, “How do you create community?”  So with this in mind, I headed to our focus neighborhood for some home visits and teaching.  Here are some of the things I learned from my experiences:

Building community starts with relationships.  We need to build trust and friendships, which take time and commitment.  This won’t happen from just an occasional visit.  It takes consistency, and it takes the efforts of many. . . .

We can’t wait until we are perfectly trained in all aspects of teaching and relationship-building.  It must be Bahá’u’lláh’s sense of humor that N and I were the ones meeting the Hispanic families in this neighborhood, as our Spanish is terrible at best, but it didn’t ultimately matter.  Before you know it, as other translators weren’t available, I was even making phone calls to the Spanish-speaking friends, and pretty soon I was the translator!  Now that is beyond belief!  But I learned that relationship-building transcends language.

While I’m happy for the relationships built over these past weeks, now I need to work on my ability for more focused and deeper discussion of the Faith, making the transition from casual conversation to one like Anna and the Book 2 deepening themes.  After these weekends I am confident this will happen, but only if I keep practicing.  It won’t happen if I stay at home.

This neighborhood is an incredible gift to our cluster.  We need to seize the opportunity to assist in building this new Bahá’í community, consistently, systematically and with unity, as well as build our own capacity as teachers and servants.

Here is a young believer who has facilitated a Book 1 study circle with other youth.  They went away on vacation for a month and then returned.  Here is how she describes the reunion:

I really missed them, but didn’t even realize how much until I saw them again.  I saw them walk through the door and my heart just leapt!  We enjoyed catching up with one another—5 girlfriends just hanging out.  And we laughed the whole time!  Everything we talked about in one way or another led to laughter and more laughter.

Particularly profound is this comment shared by a believer at the recent cluster reflection meeting:

What we are really trying to do is transform neighborhoods and this process takes a great deal of time, years to fully accomplish (which is hard when we live in a society that wants instant results).  Our clusters are doing great work, and we are on the right track.  We just need to remain patient and steadfast.

Keep it simple and start right away

Here is the touching story of an individual who declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh online.  The regional seeker response specialist worked with the local friends to complete her enrollment and follow up with her.  The loving advice and encouragement of the regional specialist helped get the process going on the right track:  don’t hesitate, start with full enthusiasm, love and respect, and everything then moves forward with swiftness and joy.  Again, the vision of building spiritual communities was a central part of the initial conversations.

The regional specialist contacted the Local Spiritual Assembly with this report:

Alláh-u-Abhá

This evening I had the privilege of meeting __ over the phone.  We went through Anna's conversation and she is affirmed.  Praise God!  I found her to be intellectual and spiritual.  She came across the Faith after leaving church this Sunday, being a bit annoyed about how it went, looked up at the sky and asked God for a sign.  She wanted to be led to her heart's desire, the truth.  Next she sat down at the computer and started with 'the basic three' (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).  While on one of the sites, a word she had not seen nor heard of popped up:  Bahá’í.  She was curious and clicked on that link.  She did not get up for four hours.  (God answers all sincere prayers.) . . .

After we went through Anna's conversation together, we talked about how Bahá’ís are building the Kingdom in neighborhoods.  All the core activities interest her.  Since she has children, she liked the idea of having Bahá’í children's classes with her children in their home.

So, a few suggestions are:

Keep it simple when it comes to the children’s classes.  Include prayer and singing in each lesson, but start it right away and build on it as you go.

Identify 3 adults who live near her who want to devote a year to helping with the children’s class, and who can tutor a Book 1 study circle when the time is right.

She is eager to continue to learn, serve and be involved.  Do not delay in calling her and asking if you can visit and start a children’s class at her home.  She is ready to dive into the ocean.  So visit and say, “I brought my favorite quotation, would you like to hear it?”  Then really discuss why it touches your heart.

The next steps regarding completing the registration process are to complete eMembership.  Her information is now in the 'pending' queue of  eMembership.

So, I would suggest:

Call her by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.

Ask her if a couple of people could set up a home visit before a week goes by.  Either have 2 women, or a man and a woman, be on the team.

Congratulations on this wonderful addition to the community of the Greatest Name!

The local friends then reported later:

Hi!  Quick update:  Last night was our cluster meeting.  __ was there, plus 4 new Bahá’ís.  She is radiant and has now registered all of her kids as Bahá’ís.  This is a real expression of her trust in the Faith.  It was a very exciting and spirit-filled meeting for all of us.

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.

From Seeker to Protagonist

The story SEEMED familiar. At least at the beginning. But this report of a few declarations in East Valley, AZ (A) then took a surprising and delightful turn. A dedicated teaching team with a clear vision empowers brand new believers to become protagonists of community-building. You’re going to enjoy this (my favorite part is where they literally “laid it all on the table”!)

A couple who were interested to learn about the Faith attended a Holy Day celebration, as well as a Bahá’í conference. Immediately after the conference, they were invited to a fireside, at which a Bahá’í shared a conversation with them like Anna does in Ruhi Book 6. The Bahá’í asked them if they believed in Bahá’u’lláh as the Manifestation of God for today. They both said yes and declared. . . .

So far, so good. Directly teaching seekers who then declare. This is happening more and more.

One of the new believers wanted all of their family members to also know about the Faith, so appointments were made to meet with them, resulting in another couple of declarations.

New believers then teach their family members. Again, we’re happy, and this is another process that is happening more and more. But here’s where it gets interesting . . .

On the third day, the teaching team visited the family again and conveyed the concept of building a spiritual civilization and the need for collaborators.

In other words, welcome to the Faith, now, let’s get to work! (This aint just a congregation.)

The teaching team laid the 7 Ruhi books on the table and explained the purpose of each book.

(In other words, a clear and simple framework for how we carry out this work. And these aren’t just books to read, but steps in preparing you for real acts of service.)

Initially there was a hesitation on the part of the new believers about their ability to carry out these acts of service. By the end of the conversation, however, one of them said, “I can do this.”

Empowerment!

The tutors immediately explained the idea of team building and formed a team with the new family. The first line of action was to start a children’s class in their neighborhood, and the first step planned to carry this out is for the new teaching team to walk their neighborhood together and invite the neighbors’ children to the Bahá’í children’s classes.

Now that’s accompaniment! A seeker is now a protagonist of progress!

Each effort has to yield new fruit

In some regions, certain clusters have been identified as “Learning Labs”. These clusters regularly host visitors from other clusters (and sometimes other parts of the country), enabling the visitors, through on-the-ground participation in service, learn from their experiences. It is a conversation arising out of action. We are VERY excited to share some intriguing and rich insights generated from a recent visit to one such Learning Lab. Working within the vision outlined by the Universal House of Justice, the friends are reaching out to their neighbors, focusing on finding new human resources, and walking together to build new patterns of community life.

Here are just some of the insights shared by the friends in the Learning Lab cluster:

A few cycles ago the cluster was focused on trying to achieve high numbers of declarations over the two-week expansion phase. This level of enrollments had proven to be beyond the capacity of the community to carry out consolidation, and so was therefore unsustainable. . . .

Now the focus is on coherent growth: This is growth that is structured but organic. The “structure” is formed by a network of core activities that takes root ever more strongly in a neighborhood, and the key unit of service is the teaching team.

Thus the focus is on establishing an initial core activity with a family or group of neighbors. It is CRUCIAL that the team be able to mobilize resources from the neighborhood they are serving. Thus, teaching projects do not begin with trying to share direct presentations about the Faith. Rather, they focus first on finding people who want to collaborate in realizing the work and vision of building a spiritual community through establishing core activities. When these individuals become interested in learning about the Faith, then at that point the teachers would of course then teach them.

Each effort has to yield new fruit. For example, a devotional meeting could lead to opportunities to share Anna’s conversation or to start children’s classes. The friends here have learned that when an effort does not yield fruit, it becomes unsustainable and eventually dies out. This is not a bad thing, because it frees up resources for other efforts with more potential.

A teaching team needs to be grounded in the terms of discourse used by the Universal House of Justice; for example, children’s class teachers need to view their service in terms of creating centers of attraction for children that strengthen the roots of Faith in society. Unless we view our efforts the way the Universal House of Justice views them, we will not achieve the results that the Universal House of Justice is calling for.

Efficient collaboration and sharing of learning between teams, support, prayer, encouragement, and joy are all vital.

In short, “intensity” does not mean bringing many people to one uniform level of activity. Now it involves everyone stretching just a bit more each IPG cycle and thereby gaining a little more capacity to serve. The “intensity” is in the rhythmic pattern of progress, rather than a frenetic pace of fragmented effort.

And here are some of the ways how the visitors “carried the learning home”, particularly the goal of each effort yielding additional fruits:

A Book 6 study circle has taken on, as part of its regular activity, home visits to a new believer to share the deepening themes from Book 2. The goal is to start a Book 1 study circle with this believer upon the completion of the deepening themes.

A monthly devotional gathering has resulting in a number of participants declaring their Faith in Bahá’u’lláh, and appears to be ready to give birth to a Book 1 study circle.

Home visits to another new believer is attracting the sustained attention of family and friends—growing the community of interest.