How the Baha'is of Baltimore responded to the crises

In April 2015, the tragic death of Freddie Gray plunged the city of Baltimore into turmoil.  Although much public attention was placed on the symptoms of civil unrest, protests and in some cases, violence, conversations across the city increasingly brought into light the unmet need for unity as an underlying condition. In neighborhoods, communities and a city working to continue on a path of development, the ties that brought groups of people together to work towards a common cause despite differences of age, class, race, religion or other social boundaries were called on to contribute to reconstruction of the city, in bricks and in spirit.   

In the acute phase of unrest, the Local Spiritual Assembly began consulting on how efforts could be made to contribute to the city’s development, and began with a call over email to community members to decentralize [activities] into neighborhood gatherings open to all, to create a space for learning and consultation. This began a process . . .  structures of the Bahá’í community were able to provide a scaffold for building bonds of friendship, unity, and community development. 

The response of the Baha’i community to crises in Baltimore City included several lines of mobilization by . . .  

·        adapting the current framework of activities to meet the needs of unity in neighborhoods

·        expansion of activities to meet these needs

·        mobilizing groups of people who have been serving together to carry out conversations and acts of service

·        working alongside other groups to contribute to community development

·        use of social media for conversations and outreach

In exploration of ongoing activities . . .

•        Feast was adapted into "unity" Feasts, resulting in an increase in participation, both from community members and generality of friends.

•        The Holy Day event was adapted to discussion about ongoing crises in Baltimore City.

•        Devotionals were both adapted and expanded to address needs for unity.

•        Study circles were adaptable to provide a space for discussion.

•        Junior youth were mobilized to be of service and to carry out conversations in the city. In both cases, members of the public expressed appreciation for services and voices of the young.

•        Home visits and quality of connections within increased during the most acute phase of the crisis.

 

"It's My Bag" SED program assists local children

“As the community grows in size and in capacity to maintain vitality, the friends will, we have indicated in the past, be drawn further into the life of society and be challenged to take advantage of the approaches they have developed to respond to a widening range of issues that face their village.” December 28, 2010- The Universal House of Justice

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Lacey, Washington, share with us a report about their most recent social and economic development (SED) initiative, It’s My Bag. These friends are located in the Olympia-Mason-Thurston Counties cluster, which has already launched its intensive program of growth.

Annual Report April 2011, It’s My Bag

Social and Economic Development Project - Lacey, WA Branch

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Lacey, WA continue to be blessed to sponsor a local extension of It’s My Bag social and economic project.

About It's My Bag

It's My Bag was founded in 1999 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by 5 members of the local Auburn, Washington community with the support of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Auburn.

Our mission is simple:

To focus our efforts on children in need and include the strengthening of unity and harmony in the community, the development of individual capacity and the improvement of the social environment. In support of these goals we are forming partnerships with other community groups and seeking ways to expand our projects to aid more children in the community. To conduct its programs and activities, we receive support from individuals and the partnerships we have formed. We continue to hope to add to the list of donors in the future. The Lacey Branch of It’s My Bag formed in 2006. Currently there are three members.

The project provides bags of comfort and personal care items to foster children or other children in crisis in Thurston and Pierce County distributed by the Department of Social and Health Services’ Child and Family Services for the State of Washington.

Items for the bags were donated by Bahá’is, their friends, co-workers, extended family members and facility contacts. We received in kind donations and cash from other Local Spiritual Assemblies in the area.

Items put in the bags are travel sized toys, crayons, shampoo, bar soap, Kleenex, toothbrushes with cases, combs, toothpaste, washcloths, notepads, pencils and pens.

Accomplishments this past year

50 bags were delivered in August 2010 to Mason County DSHS office to deliver to foster children. The Mason County office was delighted to receive them. 25 bags were delivered to the Thurston County DSHS office and 25 bags to the Pierce County DSHS office in February 2011 during Ayyam-i-Ha. 100 empty bags were given to Auburn, WA its My Bag (original group) as they had run out of their bags.

The project continued its community outreach to try something different by making bags of school supplies for Lacey Elementary School. We were able to supply a bag for each school room. The cost of this project was extensive which is why it involved only one school. This project involved multiple very specific items asked for by the school that were needed for each bag. The left over items not put in the bags were given to the Evergreen Village Bahá’i School and items appropriate for the foster child project were put in that inventory. In the future if we should contemplate this project, we would need commitment from communities or individuals to fill an entire bag to make the project viable.

Two bags of miscellaneous toiletries, hats, scarves, and socks were delivered this past year to Rosie’s Place, a center for homeless teens who can shower there and get community resource information and help. These items were donated anonymously, not noted as the SED project because the items really came from anonymous donors and included some items received for the other SED projects but did not meet the criteria for those bags.

“Much will fall on the Local Assembly, not as an executor of projects but as the voice of moral authority, to make certain that, as the friends strive to apply the teachings of the Faith to improve conditions through a process of action, reflection and consultation, the integrity of their endeavours is not compromised.” December 28, 2010- The Universal House of Justice

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)

Empowering Local Spiritual Assemblies to empower their communities

 

What is the role of a Local Spiritual Assembly in the Five Year Plan?  This has been a key topic of learning throughout the country.  One Regional Bahá’í Council has organized a series of training workshops in which several Local Spiritual Assemblies come together to reflect on this question and learn from the experiences of other Assemblies, as well as consider certain specific steps that they can take.

A few months after the workshop the Regional Bahá’í Council followed up with the participating Local Spiritual Assemblies and asked them to share what insights they gained and how they have tried to apply this learning to their work.  What follows is a very inspiring response from one Local Assembly—you can see how their example helped encourage some of the veteran believers to participate in the institute process, which has further empowered them to serve!

Dear Friends,

First we wish to say how grateful we are that our Regional Council provided such a wonderful experience at the training workshop.  We came away with a better understanding of the role of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the Five Year Plan, along with new energy to implement the lessons learned to the working of our own Assembly. . . .

[After studying more and consulting together] we each now have a very clear understanding of the role of the Assembly in promoting and supporting cluster growth and that it is the role of the Assembly to lead by example in this area. . . . our Assembly members stand ready to assist the friends in planning devotional gatherings, accompanying them as they begin home visits, etc.  To this end we are particularly pleased to advise that during this past year approximately nine of the Persian friends in our community began the study of the Ruhi books in a combination of Farsi and English.  With the assistance of one of the Persian members of our Assembly, these friends have now completed Books 1, 2 and 3, and will soon begin Book 4.

In addition, they have also worked on sharing Anna’s conversation together so to become more comfortable sharing the Faith in English.  Two of these friends have now become teachers for the two children’s classes that have recently begun again in our community.  Their assistants are some of the younger youth who have also completed these courses.

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.

He was impressed at the grassroots approach of the Faith

 

This story about the efforts of the Bahá’ís at Maryville College (in the Knoxville, TN (A) cluster) will definitely inspire you.  If you ever wondered what a very small but very committed group of youth can do, just read on!  They found a receptive population (international students), have oriented their approach to the wider campus community by explicitly inviting them to participate in community service (i.e., some work with us to start core activities), and are well on their way to officially registering their first Bahá’í Campus Association.  Strong support from the cluster core team and a nearby Local Spiritual Assembly have just added to the momentum.  Now they have a full set of core activities in which seekers are actively participating or even running.

Each year in August, Maryville College has a “Church and College Picnic” to welcome incoming freshman.  The friends organized to have a Bahá’í booth as one of the booths at this picnic, staffed by the Bahá’í students (currently there are 4 on campus) and core team members, as well as a 15-year old who had just participated in the Project Badi summer teaching effort. . . .

A month prior to the event, the core team consulted with the Bahá’ís on campus about what items to have at the booth.  One of the youth had this brilliant idea:  Instead of having a sign-up sheet for people to sign up for information about the Bahá’í Faith, we instead had a community service sign-up sheet that said:  “If you are interested in doing community service projects, please write your contact information here and the Bahá’í club on campus will be in touch with you.”  The response was the greatest we had in years!

We also had numerous chances to directly share the Message at the booth—at some point, 3 of us were sharing Anna’s conversation simultaneously!

2 freshman who visited the booth had already researched the Faith and wrote a report about it in their high school (a pleasant surprise!).  Most of the upperclassmen that we talked to were already familiar with the Faith, which is an indication that the 4 Bahá’ís on campus are actively teaching their friends.  These upperclassmen had a lot of respect for the Faith and the Maryville College youths.

So we learned that involvement in community service projects is an idea that many young people on campus wholeheartedly embrace.  The participation of younger youths who had just finished being in Project Badi added to the spirit as they are on fire with enthusiasm.

Now, while there are active Bahá’ís at Maryville College, there has never actually been a Bahá’í Campus Association there.  So the 4 youths, assisted by the cluster institute coordinator and other community members consulted about how to register the club at the college.  We identified a possible advisor for the club, who was the head of the college’s Center for Strong Communities.  He asked us what the Bahá’í club would do, and we answered, “Service projects such as devotional gatherings, junior youth groups, neighborhood children’s classes and study circles.”  He was impressed at the grassroots approach of the Faith and agreed to be the club’s advisor.  He also informed the Bahá’ís of a second event that they could host a Bahá’í booth, an event for the campus religious clubs.  At this booth, we again had a sign-up sheet for community service projects.

At the next Nineteen Day Feast, the children’s class coordinator stressed that we should try to start neighborhood children’s classes and junior youth groups right away before the cold weather comes.

The beginning of the semester is a very important time to start core activities, as well as for the Bahá’ís to reach out to students, as freshmen are still identifying which clubs they want to be involved with.  As soon as all the Bahá’ís on campus knew their schedules, they immediately figured out what days they could come together to teach a neighborhood children’s class or organize a junior youth group.

The cluster institute coordinator supported the youth behind the scenes in all of these activities, including help them obtain materials for the booth.  The core team does not direct the college youth, but lovingly encourages them and supports them in their efforts.

So, after getting a list of names of interested people from both booth (and by word of mouth), the Maryville College youths communicated with all these seekers through mass emails.  They presented Book 1 (and the rest of the Ruhi sequence) as a way to train college students for service, as well as to learn about spirituality.  Regular weekly times were set up for a Book 1 study circle, a junior youth group, and a children’s class.  The study circle has 11 seekers.  There’s also a monthly devotional gathering scheduled.

6 seekers were interested in helping out with the neighborhood children’s classes and are helping out with this class, which is 10 minutes away from campus.  The Bahá’ís on campus help out by providing transportation for these students, most of whom are international students.  These seekers have been very important human resources for all the efforts.  2 of these students have also taken Book 5 and are now animating a junior youth group, accompanied by the Bahá’ís on campus.

The monthly devotional meeting continues, hosted by those students that have completed Book 1.

The core team members meet with the Maryville College youth on a monthly basis to consult and encourage them.  As Maryville does not have a Local Spiritual Assembly, the core team supports the college youth wholeheartedly.  The Auxiliary Board member is very supportive, the area teaching committee helped cover the cost of the Ruhi Books and booth materials, and a neighboring Local Spiritual Assembly has stepped in to be the club’s official sponsor.

No matter what you're doing, always bring someone along

One special aspect of junior youth groups is the “animator gathering”. This is a regular meeting where animators in a cluster or region can come together to share experiences, identify lessons learned, consult on challenges, encourage each other, and plan future actions. These gatherings play a vital role in building the capacity of animators and in sustaining junior youth groups. We are happy to share the report of a recent animator gathering held in Eugene, OR (A). The participants framed their consultations with review of some key guidance, studied specific sections of Ruhi Book 5 (Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth), sharing their own experiences, and experiences of other animators around the world, and practical exercises to build skills related to group formation. Not surprisingly, this resulted in a very rich set of insights. One particularly striking point is that we should make accompaniment a constant aspect of our service, to “always bring someone along” with us for every task.

Eight friends gathered in Eugene for an animator gathering. Our thoughts were on the Bahá’ís on trial occurring that same hour; our prayers and devotional music were focused on our beloved friends in Iran and for assistance to raise up souls who would "adorn the world of being with a new raiment and a wondrous robe". After a round of introductions in which we shared joyous moments from our own memories when we were junior youth, a brief message was conveyed on behalf of the Regional Institute Coordinator expressing admiration for the steadfast service of the friends in Eugene. The Cluster Institute Coordinator, in whose home we were meeting, has also been very supportive of the animators, and gratitude was expressed for her assistance and support. . . .

We then began studying the guidance on the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program. We reflected upon the vision of junior youth who would be empowered to "rescue their peers", and how "spiritual battles will be on the street corners of village and city, in the school hallways and places of recreation". (from a December 1988 letter of the International Teaching Center) The paragraph on junior youth in the Ridvan 2000 message was also read. We then familiarized ourselves with the purpose and nature of the program.

Several comments from youth who had participated in the junior youth activities in rural India (obtained from the Ruhi Institute’s Web site at www.ruhi.org) were shared. These comments were inspiring and clearly illustrated the program's potential for encouraging junior youth and youth to bring about social change within their own communities. One comment led to an excited discussion on the use of the book “Breezes of Confirmation” and how junior youth in our region have responded to it.

One animator in Eugene shared how a junior youth who had difficulty reading often showed that he grasped the concepts in the book despite struggling with the language. This was evident as the junior youth would enthusiastically re-tell the story to other participants in his group when they had missed a group meeting.

A conversation on the nature of accompaniment then ensued. The logo on the front of the Ruhi books—of people holding hands—depicted beautifully how we may be engaged in service. The friends were encouraged to always bring along someone as they serve, whether in starting new groups, in animating, in planning group meetings or studying and reflecting, so that the learning experience is always shared with others. We hope to develop more systematic ways of noting what we are learning and communicating it with others effectively.

We then went through some of the sections of Unit 3 in Ruhi Book 5. Many creative and practical approaches on how to form groups were shared by the participants. Some of the approaches had already been tried by animators and others will be attempted as new groups form and current groups expand in number.

One approach is to encourage the junior youth to invite their friends. Two experiences were shared about how a junior youth who visited previously existing groups had a sense about what the purpose of the program was and therefore found it easy to invite their friends to something they had themselves experienced. An interesting insight was shared that, as a result of attending a junior youth group, it is easier for a junior youth to define their Bahá’í identity by the activities the group engages in (e.g., service, study, arts). This therefore provides them a means to teach their peers about the Faith, not simply by describing principles but through actual deeds.

One animator mentioned that having group meetings in a common public area, particularly in warm weather, has also been an effective way to attract new members. Another suggestion was to hold a series of service projects in a particular neighborhood that would attract the attention of those living there, and provide a natural way to introduce the program.

As more members join a junior youth group, they would also then invite their other friends—this has been a successful approach for one group in Eugene which has now almost doubled in size. One challenge of this approach (friends inviting friends) is the animators are trying to find a systematic way to follow up with the parents, since they are not making the initial introductions to the program for the junior youth.

Since Eugene is a city that lends itself to micro-neighborhoods, it was suggested that the friends interact at a local level (community markets, free classes, local schools), to get to know parents of junior youth or teachers, and introduce the program to them.

The group also split itself into pairs who practiced introducing the junior youth program to each other, as one might do to a parent. The purpose of this was to familiarize participants with the language and the concepts with which we might describe the program. The Ridvan 2000 paragraph on junior youth was suggested as a guide as to how to present key ideas about junior youth and the purpose of the program.

The Cluster Institute Coordinator and a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly also shared the guidelines from the National Spiritual Assembly for the protection of junior youth—specifically on ensuring that at all times, two adults or animators were present with the junior youth.

One group requested for help in identifying an animator, as one of our youth will be leaving to serve at the World Center later this year. Two participants immediately offered their assistance to help sustain this group, such was the spirit of community and desire to serve amongst the friends present!

Plans were then made about when the next animator gathering could be held. Since an intensive weekend covering Unit 3 of Book 5 is already planned for February, the next animator gathering will be in March. One suggested topic for the next gathering would be the nature of complementary activities such as arts and crafts in a group. It was announced that an intensive (4-day weekend) Book 5 will be held in early February and another during Spring Break.

The gathering ended with a song about the Bahá’ís in Iran. The friends left with resolute hearts about their plans to complete Book 5 as soon as possible, focus on expanding their groups, and ensuring existing groups continue to be sustained. We all felt moved by the sacrifices of the Bahá’ís in Iran, and were determined to strive in our service, in recognition of their sacrifices.

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

Re-charged Baha'i Campus Association plunges into action

What can a small group of Bahá’ís at a university campus do? How can a Bahá’í Campus Association (BCA) contribute to the Five Year Plan? The answer to both these questions is “A ton!” We are very excited to share these two pieces of correspondence related to a recently established BCA. The loving encouragement by the Regional Bahá’í Council to all Bahá’ís attending universities in the region, the enthusiasm of the friends at the University, the thoughtful consultation on opportunities and effective activities—these are all brilliantly reflected here. Core activities, firesides, Holy Days, interfaith efforts—they are doing it all!

First is a letter from the Bahá’í Campus Association to the Local Spiritual Assembly that is sponsoring it:

Dear Beloved Local Spiritual Assembly

The members of the University of __ Bahá’í Campus Association were excited to read the letter from the Regional Bahá’í Council to the Area Teaching Committees and Local Spiritual Assemblies in our region on the subject of college Bahá’í clubs. The letter and its enclosed documents were studied at a special club meeting called to address the issues raised by the Regional Council. . . .

As you know, our club had a brief lapse in active functioning owing to a drop in enrollment of Bahá’í students at the university last year. It is our immense pleasure to convey to you the exciting news that we have been officially reactivated as a registered student organization. Our first official order of business was to reflect and consult on the materials from the Regional Council and the National Teaching Office. The following planned line of action is based on our understanding of the guidance:

For starters, core activities sponsored by the Bahá’í Club, which have been ongoing during the Fall 2009 semester, will continue on a regular basis into the Spring 2010 semester. More details are mentioned below.

One new activity to be initiated by the Club includes participating in the campus semiannual day for student organizations, the next one of which is being held next month in the student center. This event is an opportunity for university organizations to reach out to the campus community with information about their activities and invitations to join the group and attend events. The Club’s approach to this event will be shaped by the document Some Strategies for Teaching College Populations provided by the Regional Council.

The Club agrees wholeheartedly with the statement in Regional Council’s letter that activities can be more effective when focused on a college campus. In addition to the core activities, firesides are a potent platform for meeting the often overlooked interest in the Faith on campuses. The plan is to schedule a regularly-held fireside on campus for the spring semester.

Publicizing our activities should prove fruitful on campus. The student paper is widely read and has already run an announcement for a Bahá’í Club event. Announcements written in chalk are allowed on the sidewalks and captivate students’ attention. There has also been a debate waged in both media (and the sidewalks and the newspaper) about interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance. The scene certainly seems set for the Bahá’í Club!

As you know, the Club also hosted an exciting Holy Day celebration for the commemoration of the Anniversary of the Birth of the Báb in an elegant and spacious room in the main campus library. The members will try to repeat that experience in hosting another Holy Day celebration in the spring. We are consulting with our Local Spiritual Assembly about holding our community’s Naw-Ruz celebration in the student center. Our BCA will try to attract wide attendance from the university and greater community.

As mentioned above, the Club—while pursuing the steps to achieve an active status on campus—did not wait to initiate core activities in attempting to play its part in the Five Year Plan. Some of its members and their friends and contacts have been meeting once a week to study the Reflections on the Life of the Spirit materials of the Ruhi Institute and are establishing a regular devotional meeting, possibly on campus. They will complete the final unit before the end of the semester and in the following semester will resume the regular meetings to go through the second book, Arising to Serve. A special weekend intensive course will be held soon to study the Animator materials.

So far, our Club has had 8 contacts from our community of interest attend our activities, including 2 on a regular basis.

The Club is grateful for the Assembly’s willingness to serve as its sponsoring institution, and it will make sure to communicate on a regular basis regarding its affairs and plans. Club meeting minutes will be provided to the Assembly in a timely manner.

The members of the Club beseech your prayers for their efforts to effectively serve the many communities the Club intersects on and off campus.

The Regional Bahá’í Council, which was copied on the above letter, then sent this loving response to the friends at this university.

Dear Friends,

Our hearts are overjoyed to learn that the __ Baha'i Campus Club is re-energized and actively participating in many events that will lead to teaching opportunities. The upcoming day for student organizations where you will be able to reach out to large numbers of students, as well as the Ruhi Book 1 study circle, Book 5 intensive, firesides and other activities are all very exciting!

We commend the __ Local Spiritual Assembly for sponsoring your Campus Club and look forward to hearing of more plans and success stories in the future. The Council will pray for your teaching efforts, that they will bear abundant fruits, and be acceptable to the Blessed Beauty.

Loving Baha'i greetings,

Your Regional Bahá’í Council

She just decided it was time

Sometimes when people reach out the Bahá’í community, they are eager to become involved in local activities right away. Other times, well, it takes just a little bit longer. But as this story shows, prayer and persistence eventually bring everyone together. The regional seeker response specialist writes the local friends in a small community where a declaration has just occurred. She also offers a variety of suggestions for welcoming this new believer and connecting her to the patterns of community life.

Dear Friends,

Alláh-u-Abhá!

It was very nice speaking with you today. As I mentioned, yesterday I had the privilege of meeting __ over the phone and sharing Anna's Presentation. She had originally contacted the Bahá’í community over a year and a half ago. Even though she never returned emails or calls, your prayers and good intentions, and those of the Local Spiritual Assembly, had an effect. A quotation from beloved Universal House of Justice comes to mind: . . .

The divinely ordained institution of the Local Spiritual Assembly operates at the first levels of human society and is the basic administrative unit of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order. It is concerned with individuals and families whom it must constantly encourage to unite in a distinctive Bahá’í society . . . it acts as the loving shepherd of the Bahá’í flock.

(Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated Naw-Rúz 1974, to the Bahá’ís of the World)

__ has been learning about the Faith from a believer in a nearby town for several years, and has several Bahá’í books. I asked how she decided to declare now, and she just said that she decided it was time. She also said, “I want to be a better person. I want to do what I am meant to do.”

She is now affirmed and her information has been forwarded to the National Teaching Office to process the final part of her enrollment. Thank you for allowing me to assist with the computer processing part.

When __ and I spoke, she mentioned that she would like to participate in a very large community. She is thinking of visiting the Bahá’í Center in __ and attending some activities there. I encouraged her to also participate in the activities in her “hometown” Bahá’í community because they are smaller and will appreciate someone who has recently recognized the Promised One. I suggested she start by looking for at least one way to be of service.

For now, __ will likely continue to focus her time with her Bahá’í friend, but perhaps you can invite her for coffee, and offer to begin a Book 1 study circle, even if it is 1 on 1. What a Gift she has received, and what a gift she is!

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

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

Completely decentralized Holy Day celebration in Phoenix

As growth progresses in clusters, it is only natural that more and more aspects of community life will begin decentralizing down to the neighborhood level. Already many large communities have neighborhood Feasts. So this report from Phoenix, AZ (A) is quite intriguing. Although Phoenix, like many large urban communities, has a Bahá’í center, the friends decided to try something different: They would have a completely decentralized Holy Day celebration. This letter from the Local Spiritual Assembly to the Phoenix Bahá’í community both describes how this approach worked and lovingly encourages the friends onto further action.

Dearly loved friends:

Last night the Feast and Anniversaries Task Force shared with us the exciting news of first decentralized Holy Day celebration around Phoenix. Over 150 friends attended the dozen or more events, celebrating the Birth of the Báb. The Local Spiritual Assembly is overjoyed by this news. The number of friends attending this Holy Day was much higher than we have ever had at the Bahá’í Center. Indeed a milestone for our cluster. . . .

With another Holy Day coming up next week, Birth of Bahá’u’lláh on November 12, it is our ardent hope that each team has planned a celebration fit for this glorious occasion. If you are not part of a team, please consider planning your own celebration, inviting family, friends and neighbors to your home. The Assembly would love to hear of new teams forming.

Please accept the Assembly’s heartfelt gratitude and prayers for the success of your upcoming celebrations.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Spiritual Assembly of Phoenix

New believer registers self and children online

Almost every day, individuals are taking the opportunity to declare their belief in Bahá’u’lláh online at the public Web site www.bahai.us. The following story of an online declaration has several elements that are worthy of reflection. First, this individual had been previously studying the Faith several years ago, and her interest was reactivated by a home visit from a teaching team. Second, she wanted to register her children in the Faith as well, and this was also accomplished online. (Repeat that: you can register your children in the Faith online!) Third, friends at the national, regional and cluster levels worked together to ensure that her enrollment—and her children’s enrollment—was completed in a smooth and timely manner. The following emails tell the story.

Email 1 to regional seeker response specialist:

Dear J,

Congratulations on another online declaration in your region!

Two questions: Do you know if this new believer has attended any core activities? If so, you can record this in the SRS database. . . .

Second, you mentioned that __ wants to register her children. Do you mean that she wants to register them as Bahá'ís, or simply register them for a children's class? They can of course be registered online, just as she did for herself. She should note in the comments section of the form that she is the parent of the child, for each registration.

Warmly,

L

Email 2 from the regional seeker response specialist:

Dear L and A

This is exciting!

I’m copying this message to the area teaching committee secretary, who has been __’s teacher. I know __ attended a few gatherings a while back. A, could you shed some light on if they were core activities?

Also, in speaking with A yesterday, he indicated that __ had provided him with all the info for her children for them to be registered as Bahá’ís. I took him online to see if we could figure out how to do the registration there, but couldn't remember where we indicated the parental intentions.

So now, with the information L has provided, A can go to the site I showed you at www.bahai.us and enter in each child. Then write in the comments section that 1) you're submitting it on behalf of __, 2) include the text of __’s email requesting that her children be registered.

The Local Spiritual Assembly secretary also got back to me indicating that she thought she finalized __’s enrollment through eMembership, but there seems to be a little hiccup in the process.

I hope this helps and we can see it through to completion over the next day or so.

Warmly,

J

Email 3 from the area teaching committee secretary:

Hi J,

I just finished registering __’s children. I added in the comments section the email request from __. Please let me know if this suffices or if I need to do anything else.

The gatherings that __ previously attended were children’s classes and devotionals, and I think also a fireside. This took place 3-4 years ago. Then during a recent IPG, a teaching team happened to go to her home and she was immediately responsive. Ya-Bahá’u’l-Abha!

Many thanks,

A

Email 4 from the regional specialist:

Thank you, A!

I got the registrations and they look good. I just need to insert __’s Bahá’í ID number, once I get it. I’ll check with the Local Spiritual Assembly secretary and then we’ll get it finalized promptly.

Great work!

J

A perfect storm of teaching in Rio Grande Valley

This is a breathtaking report from Rio Grande Valley, TX (B). A small group of friends had studied Ruhi Book 6, Teaching the Cause. They wanted to put into practice the skills and knowledge they had learned, and decided to do so by organizing a collective, direct teaching effort! And what an effort this was. It wasn’t just a discrete, one-time, “Let’s get the practice component out of the way” thing. Instead, it was a full-out, systematically planned endeavor with all the ingredients for success—reliance on prayer, local believers on teaching teams accompanied by visiting resource persons, adequate number of Spanish speakers, direct sharing of the Faith with interested individuals and families, immediate follow-up with new believers, strong involvement of a Local Spiritual Assembly, loving mobilization of the local community. It became a “perfect storm” of growth. (“Preparation and experience led to the desire for more preparation and experience.”) And what radiant new friends were made, new believers eager and enthusiastic to immediately start serving the Faith and participate in core activities.

Dear Valley Collaborators: Allah'u'Abha!

A joyful group of Bahá’u’lláh's loved ones participated in this weekend's unprecedented Book 6 practice intensive project. The Concourse on High joined these friends in the services they offered up for the good pleasure of Bahá’u’lláh, for how could we have succeeded unless assisted with the Breath of the Holy Spirit, and showered with His confirmations which alone could change gnats into eagles, drops of water into rivers and seas, and atoms into lights and suns? So it is with gratitude, awe, and joy that we share the following results, asking for your continued prayers and support in embracing these new members of the Rio Grande Valley Bahá’í Family: . . .

A local Bahá’í, accompanied by a visiting resource person, visited R and shared a conversation in Spanish about the Faith. R told them that she had prayed to God that morning for help. She received Bahá’u’lláh’s message with tears.

P had his first contact Saturday with a visiting resource person accompanied by a local Bahá’í. He declared the next day when another teaching team visited again and shared Anna's conversation with him. He had travelled out of town for work but returned to the Valley when he found it too lonely. We visited him at his place of work on Monday.

J had her first contact on Saturday with a team of two local Bahá’ís who spoke with her in Spanish. She asked them to return on Sunday when her husband could participate as well. A slightly different team returned the next day to share Anna's conversation in Spanish. J and her husband listened to intently and declared, registering their 3 children as well.

L was taught by two local Bahá’ís who, accompanied by a visiting resource person, were trying out for the very first time sharing a direct presentation of the Faith. She declared upon its conclusion. She expressed her desire to "volunteer for the Bahá’í Faith." She asked us to visit a few days later to be ready to receive the Baha'is and start to serve.

V, his fiancé and daughter had been visited a couple of months ago by a team of local Bahá’ís who shared Anna’s conversation with them in Spanish. They then became hard to reach consistently until a couple of days ago. They explained that V had had a trip out of town, which had interrupted the flow of communications with the Bahá’ís. They were glad to see us, glad to enroll, and anxious to start attending Bahá’í functions.

Success of the project was due to the following:

Valuable input and support from the Local Spiritual Assembly of McAllen, which shaped much of the program.

Back-to-back teaching days with 2 teaching shifts each day allowed for a total of 8 hours of teaching effort with an average of 4 teams at any given time.

2 visiting resource people were mixed and matched with the rest of us to maximize our learning from their experience. This learning was reflected in the comments in the debriefing sessions. One person said he had learned more about his religion in these two days than in the ten or so years he has been a Bahá’í.

Food hospitality generously provided by 6 households allowed us keep on task with spirits up.

Preparation and experience led to the desire for more preparation and experience

Above all, prayers ardently offered by those present as well as many not present, were answered.

Next Steps:

Take all new believers through the series of deepening themes from Ruhi Book 2 as quickly as maintaining a spiritual and friendly atmosphere permits.

In the process learn their availability for and interest in Reflections of the Life of the Spirit study circles.

Form these study circles as soon as possible.

Coordinate further consolidation with the Local Spiritual Assembly.

We have at this point 5 households with newly declared Bahá’ís, plus 12 additional households who have responded positively and given us phone numbers. Please stay tuned for updates in the steps and directions we will be taking.

Many thanks and much love,

W

After this exhilarating and successful teaching effort, the friends immediately began mobilizing the local community for follow-up:

Allah'u'Abha Friends in McAllen, Mission, and Edinburg!

Our new Bahá’ís will be getting to know us as we share and explore the Book 2 deepening themes with them in their homes. This will soon lead to study circles and children's classes for them.

We invite each of you to join in accompanying them as they start to walk from the spark of faith they declared with to the undying fire at the heart of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. The best way to do this will be to match one of their original teachers with other members of the community and have them meet as many people as their time schedule permits.

I will be calling many of you to see if you will be able to join us in this joyous effort, and if you call or email me first, so much the easier for me. One way or another please let me know if you would like to serve in this process, and your time availability, etc.

Many thanks and much love,

W

And then they shared the initial and promising results of the consolidation efforts so far.

Allah'u'Abha Valley Collaborators!

We wish to share the joy that our initial baby steps in consolidation are bringing. Tonight was the first night we actually met with some of our new declarants.

Both new believers that we visited volunteered without being asked that they had started saying the Short Obligatory Prayer each day, as well as others from their prayer books.

Both showed radiant happiness during our visit. Heart to heart friendships were clearly in the making.

Both look forward to next steps. J asked us to call Saturday so we can make plans for a children's class and deepening theme. We also shared the first deepening theme with R, who found it very engaging.

These meetings so much exceeded our expectations. We have so much to look forward to learning in this new stage.

Many thanks and much love,

W

eMembership completes the process

Here is a brief story of someone who reached out to the Bahá’ís through the public Web site www.bahai.us and was followed up with by the local friends. Once again you can see seekers’ enthusiasm for core activities and meeting Bahá’ís near them. One very important detail: His enrollment was speeded up by the Local Spiritual Assembly using the eMembership tool to complete the process.

Dear All,

__ contacted the Bahá’ís via the Web site. He is a youth in an A-stage cluster. We have this excellent account of his declaration from the area teaching committee secretary:

I have been emailing back and forth with __, but we finally met up at a coffee shop this evening. He has read A LOT about the Faith online and knew about the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, the Universal House of Justice and many of the principles of the Faith. He just wanted to meet some of the community, attend some of the local events and join a study circle. This evening he declared his belief that Bahá’u’lláh is the Manifestation of God for this age. He will be joining us for the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh celebration tomorrow at my home.

The Local Spiritual Assembly secretary completed the enrollment via eMembership.

Loving Bahá’í greetings,

J

Empowering new and old friends in Springdale

The friends in Springdale, AR (B) have been teaching up a storm. There is so much to celebrate in this recent cluster report, both in terms of the learning that has been gained and the results that have been achieved. The friends are working with a receptive population, empowering old and new believers alike through the institute process, and engaging Local Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’ís on campus. Two important areas of growth are their children’s classes and home visits.

Enrollments: 3 new Bahá’ís this cycle, 9 so far this year.

Friends arising to serve: 17 participants in a recent teaching project in Springdale, 26 homes visited, 17 return visits requested. . . .

Empowerment of new believers: 2 believers have finished studying Book 1 and will start Book 2. One of them will host the next Feast, as well as begin receiving home visits. Another believer has started Book 1, received a home visit, will give a fireside with 2 other believers next Friday, and will cook for a Holy Day celebration.

Empowerment of veteran believers: Around 5 friends shared Anna’s presentation for the first time during the direct teaching project. Around 15 Bahá’ís have taken training for and/or grasped the importance of the Book 2 deepening themes and their use in home visits. Several friends in a number of communities have carried out their first ever home visits, and additional believers are ready and making plans to do their own home visits.

Empowerment of Local Spiritual Assemblies: A member of the Regional Bahá’í Council visited the cluster and conducted a training for Local Spiritual Assemblies about the Institute process—right before Unit Convention. The training reviewed the skills and acts of service tied to each Ruhi book.

Children’s classes: 4 classes are active and continuing, and 1 new one has started this cycle. 2 of these are composed entirely of children from the wider community.

University Bahá’í club: It is formed and active and will have a regular devotional gathering, as well as firesides every other week.

Insights about receptive population: The main receptive population in this cluster is the Marshallese community. Most want to study the Ruhi Books and listen to the deepening themes in Marshallese. So we need to raise the number of Marshallese tutors and individuals who can make home visits.

There are already 2 confirmed Marshallese tutors, and another 2 just need to complete Book 7 to finish the sequence. Several Marshallese friends also learned the first part of the first deepening theme. They found it very useful. They like the idea of giving this theme in Marshallese, but request a non-Marshallese Bahá’í to accompany them to pray and answer questions if needed. So there is an opportunity for more of the non-Marshallese friends to work together and bond with the Marshallese through accompaniment.

To raise more Marshallese resources to carry out home visits, we will go theme by theme, practicing each one in the field before moving on to the next one.

Great Lakes Naval Station devotions

Devotional gatherings are being established all over the country in all kinds of places. Here is a report about a particularly unique venue: a naval boot camp! For over a decade, a regular devotional meeting has been conducted at the Recruit Training Center of the Great Lakes Naval Station in the Waukegan, IL (*C) cluster. Through the dedicated efforts of several local believers, this core activity is now reaching and benefiting a receptive (and mobile) population. One of the current organizers provides a description of this initiative.

Dear B,

A group of us gives devotions for the recruit side of the base every Sunday from 9:15 to 10:15 and in the process also teaches the Faith. This was started by a sailor in or around 1996 (he is now living in another part of the country, I think), and the devotions have continued ever since. There are 4 of us, each from a different community in the Waukegan and Corinne True (Wilmette) clusters, who currently rotate our presence for the weekly devotions. Two of us have been doing this for years and the other 2 are more recent. We are unique among the religious leaders who lead the various religious services at the base in that we have diversity of gender and race among our representatives. The fact that 2 of us have also been in the military service themselves is also helpful. One of the cluster’s Local Spiritual Assemblies currently sponsors the devotions by purchasing the prayer books. . . .

The recruits who participate in the devotions are at the Great Lakes Naval Station for only 7 short weeks. During those 7 weeks they cannot watch TV, use email, or leave the base. Every hour of the week—except one on Sunday—is planned for them. In their orientation, they receive an overview of the various religious services available at the base, and that is where they hear about us. We do not know what is said about the Bahá’ís, although it appears to be accurate.

The people who attend the devotions range from the merely curious who are trying to avoid an hour of other duty to seekers to Bahá’ís who are new to the Navy. The number of attendees varies from week to week from 1 to 11. The recruits are able to take limited amounts of literature as it must fit in a tiny drawer. We take down the names of the attendees to pray for them in the subsequent week.

We tend to start with a welcome, ask their first names (which they have not heard for a while as only last names are used in the service) and we all offer prayers. Most keep the Gift of Prayer books that we offer. We also take down the names of the attendees to pray for them in the subsequent week.

We often ask the recruits what brings them to our devotions and find the recruits who have come a second time or more are our best teachers. We share all or most of Anna's presentation, depending on the questions that are asked and time allowed. If the attendees like what they hear, they bring friends and more questions the next time. Since everyone is on the base for only 7 weeks, it is rare for us to see someone for 3 or more times, so that has an impact on teaching. We had a few declarations between December and May, but none others since that time.

From a personal perspective—and I believe each of us would also agree—this path of service is one of the most vital and uplifting that I do. For example, last week there were 6 recruits who came to the devotional gathering, 3 returnees and 3 new. Most have enough time left in their training to come back to be with us again. For one of the attendees, this was her last week there, but she took information and expressed interest in learning more. Another was diagnosed with cancer during a health exam, so he was getting a health related discharge to go treat that. He was very interested and welcomed the healing prayers that were said for him. One gains great admiration for these young men and women, many of whom have grown up poor, but who are rising to defend justice and who are serving this country.

M