Accompaniment works both ways…

Betty, Children’s Class Coordinator

In her own words, Betty shares what she has learned, first hand, about the importance of prayer and accompaniment in building capacity within the community.

After months of inviting parents and children to begin children’s classes in their homes, and a couple of years teaching classes myself, I’ve learned to be open and flexible in all circumstances.  Most of all, I’ve learned the importance of accompaniment.  Accompaniment works both ways.  I accompany an individual(s) in the experience and the individual(s) accompanies me.  Through the process, we learn from the experience, and, through our collaboration, important steps are not overlooked when we prepare to reach out.  Those steps are:  creating a prayerful attitude, being in a posture of humility, radiating joy in share the message of Baha’u’llah and being content in accepting the result of our effort.   Here is one experience of receptivity at the first door we knocked upon.  It was truly amazing!

In our cluster, we have ‘prayer, plan and participate’ gatherings during the expansion cycle.  Generally, a few of the friends gather at a home before going out to teach.   This time, 2 friends and I made a date to visit an area of interest.  Prior to the day of our meeting, one of the friends drove around the area to see where the children lived, where she felt there might be receptivity.  On the day of our meeting, we gathered at a coffee shop.  We studied passages from the Sacred Writings, consulted on past experiences and prayed deeply for assistance and acceptance.  We were now ready to reach out.

We selected one apartment complex out of several.  It was interesting that we should select this one.  We parked the car and walked to the building.  Soon we heard children’s voices.  That led us to their door.  We knocked and a mother answered.  We learned that the children were planning (a) birthday party.  We introduced ourselves and entered into conversation about their party and their family.  Then, we talked about our interest in helping children and families learn how to develop spiritual qualities in the children by teaching children classes in their home.  We explained the elements of the class, that is, prayer, quotations, songs, stories, games and coloring.  Then, we three, spontaneously, sang ‘Ye are drops’ to the mothers and the children.  I asked one of the children if she would like to color.  Of course she would! (I have not experienced a child turning down coloring).  I handed her a coloring sheet from Ruhi Book 3, Grade 1 and crayons.  On the bottom of the sheet, was a quote both in Spanish and English.  As the child began to color, one mother read the Spanish quote. She warmed up to us and began to talk about the times they would be available for the class.  The rest is history.  The class started the following Monday with 3 children.  The parents babysit other children who will be attending. There are more children in the neighborhood, whom, we hope, will be invited as well.  We already knew who would be teaching the class so we did not have to delay the start date.  The families speak Spanish and are new to the area, so we feel it is important to invite other friends who speak Spanish to assist in translation.  The teachers now have bilingual prayer books and are encouraging the parents to say a prayer at the beginning of class.  As parents feel more confident, the teachers plan to encourage them to lead other elements as well.

From this experience, I learned the process could speed up when I take the steps to have a prayerful attitude and to sacrifice my own desire for a specific outcome for the outcome intended by will of God.

  

Perseverance in outward orientation…

This past February an online seeker inquiry was received by one of the communities in Virginia.  A local Baha'i who was asked to follow up with seeker sent a few emails, but did not receive a response.  The Bahia did not give up and since the seeker provider her home address she was sent a note by mail.  It was at this point that she received a response to find out her email never reached the seeker!  The seeker was then visited by the local Baha'is and was invited to several community activities, including a fireside, a devotional gathering and a book-one study circle.  The inquiring seeker attended all of these and was lovingly nurtured by the Bahai community.  It was at a Holy Day event that she made her declaration and signed her registration card.  It is astonishing to know that through perseverance of one person, the loving support of the community, and not giving up too quickly on those we have not yet met that she is now a Baha'i.  And to make the news of this story even more exciting, her husband has also been investigating the Faith too!

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)

Learning to explain who we are and what we are trying to do

 

This brief report from a neighborhood association meeting Long Beach, CA (A) is truly inspiring.  It is yet another example of the high interest in the core activities.  But more importantly, it shows the growing capacity of the friends to engage the wider society, explain who we are and what we are doing, convey our sincerity (all these things take learning by doing, by the way).  An unexpected surprise at the end of the meeting is an additional reason to smile.

Monday evening, 3 of the friends (including the Area Teaching Committee secretary) attended the neighborhood association’s monthly meeting in order to explain the purpose and benefit of Bahá’í children’s classes. . . .

Questions were asked by some of the members of the neighborhood association’s committee.  At first a couple of them had some reservations, but as the meeting went forward, some of the residents of that neighborhood gave very positive comments about the endeavor, expressing the real need for it.  So most everyone present agreed the children’s classes could be worthwhile.  They also came to understand the Bahá’ís have no ulterior motive but are have the purpose of community building, of which children’s classes are a central focus.

The turning point came when one of the neighborhood association committee members asked the Bahá’ís, “Have any of you been to Samoa and visited the Bahá’í temple there?”  The friends said they had not.  He then continued, “Samoa had been having some problems with its youth, and the Bahá’ís’ program really turned things around.”

After such a positive endorsement, the meeting concluded, and the neighborhood association will contact __ with a decision about using the community room for the children’s classes.  When we left, we met two young women who are interested in helping out with this.

A growing pattern of core activities and co-workers

 

In the Ridvan 2010 message, the Universal House of Justice urges the friends to spend this coming year working with receptive populations to “find those souls longing to shed the lethargy imposed on them by society and work alongside one another in their neighbourhoods and villages to begin a process of collective transformation.”  What does that process of reaching out look like on the ground?  This story from Fort Collins, CO (A) provides a wonderful example.  The believers are engaging residents of a neighborhood, who earnestly want to help their children of all ages, in the various core activities.

Dear friends,

What a wonderful time in our Faith!  On Tuesday, K began tutoring a Book 1 study circle in __.  4 youth came and were so excited that they want to bring other friends.  Adults, parents of the children, all over the park have expressed interest in taking it in both English and Spanish.  We have to be flexible because their work schedules are constantly changing. . . .

The pre-youth activities are growing, beginning with 2 friends and expanding in a few short weeks to 6.  J was standing outside the clubhouse two weeks ago and a girl came up asking if this is where the special classes were being held and could she join.

The children’s classes continue to grow, both grade levels, and it is felt that we have to start another one to cover the children in the southern part of the neighborhood—one lady who lives there is very excited.

We have been working with one youth who is taking Book 3 to be a children’s class teacher, but she wants to know about the Faith now.  So we will step back with her and offer Book 1.  We also paid a home visit to a man who says that he had been trying to think of ways to help the pre-youth in the neighborhood but had almost completely given up.  WOW!  It sounds like he will be interested in a Book 5 study circle, which we can begin next week.

In the Ridvan 2010 message, the Universal House of Justice tells us that:  “The significance of this development should not be underestimated.  In every cluster, once a consistent pattern of action is in place, attention needs to be given to extending it more broadly through a network of co-workers and acquaintances, while energies are, at the same time, focused on smaller pockets of the population, each of which should become a centre of intensive activity.”

Two conversations

 

Both these stories come from the same A-stage cluster in the Southwestern region.  They are both about conversations:  those that a teacher has with a seeker, those between people who are rapidly becoming close friends, those among people who are yearning for a safe social space to talk about God and religion.  It is this safe space that is an immensely important service that the Bahá’ís can provide to their neighbors through home visits (well, one of these was a “reverse home visit”, but that’s immaterial).  The respect and sensitivity of the friends, is crucial, as is the ability to truly listen.  As one of the teaching team members states, “We were able to gain a much better understanding of the thoughts and feelings our friends hold dear in their hearts.”

Conversation 1:

At a recent devotional, a young family in our study circle expressed anxiety about rejecting Christ if they were to accept Bahá’u’lláh and follow His teachings.  One member of our teaching team encouraged them to pray to Christ and gave them a copy of the Kitáb-i-Íqán.  Two other members of our teaching team made plans to visit the family and read Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh together. . . .

We visited the family in their home.  Together we tried to recite from memory the first paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, “they that tread the path of faith . . . must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly, their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth.”  Then we studied and discussed several paragraphs of the Lawh-i-Aqdas (Tablet to the Christians), where Bahá’u’lláh writes about Jesus Christ, “He hath testified of Me, and I do testify of Him” and “This ‘Ye cannot bear it now’.”

The family continues to read and deepen their understanding of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings and develop close ties of friendship with members of our teaching team.

Conversation 2:

On Sunday a teaching partner and I got together to say prayers and visit a few friends of ours to discuss the Faith.  We sent one friend a text message asking how he was and could we come over for a little bit to chat.  He responded saying that he was going out, but would it be okay if he and his friend came by to my house in 15 minutes.  Of course I said, “Yes!”

We immediately went into cleaning mode, washing dishes, boiling water for tea, and ran around the corner to grab a few sweets from the store.  It’s amazing how fast you can straighten up a house and get ready for guests when the pressure is on!  A few minutes later, they arrived.

After talking for a few minutes on various topics, the conversation turned to talking about religion and faith.  Our contact’s friend talked about how she feels about religion in general.  Like many, she believes in God but has a negative feeling when religions try to force others to believe as they do and are not respectful of others’ beliefs.

Throughout the hour we enjoyed each other’s company tremendously, and we all agreed how wonderful it is to have a place where we can sit and talk about spiritual topics, share our heartfelt feelings and understandings without fear of being judged or made to feel like we are misinformed.  We were able to gain a much better understanding of the thoughts and feelings our friends hold dear in their hearts regarding family, religion, unity, and many other things.  We were also able to share many of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, as well as a few prayers.

The first prayer we shared, one of the contacts responded “Oh!  That’s a good one!”  Next we shared the “Remover of Difficulties” prayer, to which my friend responded, “I like that one, can you say it again?”

Before they left we agreed to get together again soon.  We will see where it goes from here.

The classes have really nurtured a Baha'i identity

 

The Universal House of Justice in its Ridvan 2008 message to the Bahá’ís of the world has expressed the hope that Bahá’í children’s classes can become “centres of attraction for the young” and “strengthen the roots of the Faith in society.”  And in neighborhood after neighborhood around the country, that is exactly what is happening.  Here is one example from Scottsdale, AZ (A) of a child that has developed a Bahá’í identity as a natural result of their participation in the class.

The following is a story that our friends shared with us at our study circle in a receptive neighborhood.

There is a children’s class in that same neighborhood.  The mother of one of the girls in the class had recently given birth, so one of the new Bahá’ís went to visit this mother.  During the conversation with the parents, this girl made it clear to everyone that she considered herself a Bahá’í.  The children’s classes have really attracted the hearts and affected the character of the children and have nurtured them to build a Bahá’í identity.

Matching the seekers with local friends

 

When seekers reach out to the Bahá’í community, we hope that our reaching back can be done as soon as possible.  But swift response is just part of the picture.  Ideally the friends try to “match” the seeker with a Bahá’í who is able to effectively connect with him or her due to background, interests, relevant skills learned through the institute process, etc.  And a great example comes from a report from an A-stage cluster in the Northeast region.  And it’s also a wonderful story of an interfaith endeavor.

It all starts with the original request made by seeker through the public Web site www.bahai.us.  His comment was, “I am a Chaplain Intern trying to reach a local Bahá’í Faith group in our county.  Our chaplain group would like to learn about the Bahá’í Faith and attend a Bahá’í Faith service.  Thank you for your help with this pursuit.” . . .

The regional seeker response specialist then mobilized local resources, who organized a combination devotional meeting and fireside.  She notes:  “M is my seeker contact for this cluster and she arranged for H to host the devotional gathering/fireside.”

The hosts then reported back on the meeting.

Here is my little report on yesterday's gathering.

First, we had the devotions:

We welcomed the 7 chaplain interns at the door and they were so grateful that we were opening our home. We had invited R and P as well.  We all went around and once more introduced ourselves. I thanked everyone for coming and expressed how wonderful it was that they were interested in serving Bahá’ís in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, etc.

We then explained the purpose and meaning of the devotional, our "service".  It was emphasized that this was just one way of doing a devotional and there were many other ways of doing one.  Two baskets were passed around, one had shorter quotations and the other had longer passages.  The group was told they could "pass" if they didn't want to read something, but everyone participated.  A music selection was played and everyone read their passage and we ended with another musical piece, the healing prayer.  Although our guests were from a Christian background, all but one of them selected passages from the Bahá’í Writings for their reading.  Our guests read so beautifully and with such feeling and understanding, it was a real joy.

R and P shared their recent experience of R's stay in the hospital and how the visit of a lay person deeply affected R and the process of healing.  This one individual had stopped by to see R.  When the visitor asked R what Bahá’í was, R found the strength to respond and had a long and loving talk with this gentleman.  R shared how by listening and being present, the visiting lay person helped give him new energy and joy.  He also read a favorite prayer of R's out loud for R.  P confirmed that after that visit, she was more open to letting others visit R.  The group was extremely interested in the experiences R and P shared, confirming for them how being present for someone and being an active listener can assist someone in such a situation.  They asked how Bahá’ís would like to be served and we agreed that the reading of prayers and writings would be much appreciated by all Bahá’ís.

Then the gathering became a fireside:

After the devotion we decided to show "The Light of Unity" DVD because it gives an overview of the Faith.  Again, it was so well received and our guests enjoyed the clarity of the vision of unity that was presented.  We had further discussion on several topics.  Finally, we went back into the kitchen for some more refreshments and socialized a bit more.  I had a special feeling from one of the guests, and as we continued to talk, she said "sign me up" - we plan on following up with her and meeting her sometime soon.  The original contact person stayed on longer and spoke at length with R

Both the chaplains indicated that they would like to bring future interns back to have the same introduction.  One offered some helpful tips to us as a community.  He suggested that we can call pastoral care units in hospitals when we know a community member is there so they can be visited.  He also suggested sending materials to the hospital pastoral care unit so they have these on file.  Perhaps we can discuss this further and do something throughout the Cluster.

It was such a blessing to have this opportunity to serve in this way.

The regional specialist reflects on some of the reasons for the success of this encounter:

This is a perfect example of the superb follow up provided by the area teaching committee secretary for the cluster, and her devoted coworkers.

The story also shows how important it can be when planning these kinds of events to selectively invite just a few Bahá’ís who have their own personal stories that relate to the interests of the guests (in this case R and P shared their experience with being visited in the hospital, which was an interest of the chaplain intern visitors), and how being open to moving seamlessly into a second part of the activity can reap wonderful results.  Also wonderful was to see how future plans were made on the spot to meet with this newly enkindled soul.

Genuine 24-7 caring

 

This absolutely delightful story of a junior youth group comes from San Francisco-San Mateo, CA (A).  In between all the various meals there are many crucial lessons.  I was particularly struck by how genuinely the animators cared and connected with the junior youth in their group—and did so 24-7.  The bonds of friendship developed naturally with the family, and this came about from the attitude of pure and detached service on the part of the animators.  Look also at how the sharing of the Faith occurred naturally, woven into the conversation, as well as the vision of who we are and what we are trying to do.

I wanted to share this story about a reverse home visit with the parents of junior youth and how it came about:

A junior youth group has been meeting in this neighborhood for 6 weeks now.  Through conversations with the junior youth, it became evident that all of them were wanting help with their math classes.  One of the animators volunteered to help each of them with their math homework so he set up appointments with three of them. . . .

One afternoon he came to the home of one of the junior youth.  They studied for about an hour and a half, and then the mother offered him dinner, though she hadn't prepared it yet.  The animator profusely thanked her but, indicating that he had to go, said that there would be other opportunities.  One hour later, the junior youth showed up at the animator's home with a delicious plate of food.  The animator was scheduled to meet with him again the following day in the morning.  Once again, he was greeted with more food, this time for breakfast.  Another hour or so of tutoring took place along with some really nice conversation with the mother about their lives.  At this time, moved by the instant friendship that had developed, the animator invited the mother and her family over for dinner the following evening.  She agreed.

The next evening, the mother showed up beautifully dressed with her all her children.  Both animators of the group and 2 other Bahá’í friends also attended.  Over dinner the mother and her 3 children shared stories about their lives from Mexico and here in the United States.  After dinner, we then divided into groups:  One animator sat with the mother in the living room, the other animator worked with the junior youth on the computer, another one of the friends read a story to one of the younger children, and the last friend did the dishes.

The animator then shared some quotations from Walking the Straight Path with the mother and the first quotation in Unit 2 of Book 5.  She was very open to all of the concepts of the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program and fully agreed with the methodology for spiritual empowerment.  She encouraged the animator to make a presentation at the local middle school and a nearby community center to invite more junior youth to participate.

At this point, the animator mentioned he and other Bahá’ís do this service because they really want to see the junior youth develop spiritual and material excellence and for their talents and capacities to be brought out and enhanced.  The mother had never heard of the Bahá’í Faith so she asked, inquisitively, what it was.  The animator shared the very beginning of Anna's conversation in Spanish.  The conversation continued and the mother asked if she could read through the whole booklet.  She did so for about 15 minutes and then asked the animator to make a copy of 3 sheets from the presentation so that she could post them in her home for her family to see:  The Eternal Covenant of God, the quote of “When a though of war comes oppose it by a stronger thought of peace”, and the “Refresh and gladden my spirit” prayer.

The night ended with the animator coming over to their home for another half hour to make sure that all the math homework was complete and ready to be turned in the next day.  The mother and her family felt immensely grateful.

Reflections:  The genuine interest in seeing junior youth succeed in their material education led to increased opportunities for the animator to build a relationship of trust and friendship with the parents of the junior youth.  Visiting with the parents of junior youth to further explain the nature of the program helps to create really solid supporters for the group and its vision.  A dinner where friends from the neighborhood can be casually invited opens the door for increased bonds of love and friendship, a necessary element for teaching the Faith and for a soul to continue on its path towards Bahá’u’lláh.

Rotary contacts SRS for speaker

A Rotary club wanted a Bahá’í speaker to come give a presentation to its chapter about the Bahá’í House of Worship.  So what did they do?  They contacted the Seeker Response System via the public Website at www.bahai.us!  The regional response coordinator then reached out to friends in the area to give the presentation.  Look at how the connections were then built!

Dear A,

Two separate meetings were held with the Rotary Club on successive weeks.  At the first, B gave a presentation about the restoration of the House of Worship, and at the next, K have an introductory presentation on the history of the Temple and the principles of the Faith.  G attended both presentations and is now known to the club members as a local Bahá’í.  The presentations were well received, and G is considering joining Rotary in order to keep up the contacts.

Thanks for sharing this opportunity.

"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.

Share your SED endeavors and learn what others are doing!

Around the United States, a number of new and ongoing social and economic development (SED) initiatives are underway. Share what you have learned with others by sending your story to teaching@bahai.us. Whatever the focus, however big or small, your experiences can inspire others to also take action. We eagerly await your stories!

Uniting a campus in prayer for Haiti

We wish to share this beautiful initiative spearheaded by the Bahá’í Campus Association at New York University. They have started a campaign of individual prayers and are planning an interfaith prayer event, at NYU. Below is a letter they have sent to all the religious clubs at that university. This is such a heartfelt outpouring of service, that we wanted to encourage the Bahá’ís at other colleges and universities to also consider a similar effort!

The president of the Bahá’í Campus Association gives some background to this endeavor:

In the past few weeks, the NYU campus has been hosting numerous student-run efforts to provide material relief for those affected by the disaster in Haiti. In light of the message from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Haiti along with reflection upon a quote by Shoghi Effendi (below), however, we felt it was incredibly important to summon spiritual support for the victims of the Haiti disaster as well. We have therefore used our resources as a Bahá'í Club at NYU to initiate a "Prayers for Haiti" campaign (and a Prayers for Haiti interfaith event) by reaching to all other spiritual clubs on campus. Below is the letter which we have written to the other clubs on campus (others are welcome to use it as well). . . .

Here is the letter:

To the spiritual clubs of NYU:

"...When such a crisis sweeps over the world no person should hope to remain intact. We belong to an organic unit and when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequence."—Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í writings

Dear friends,

In this time of extreme suffering for the people of Haiti and those all around the world who are touched by the disaster there, it is clear that our global community must rise up in every way we can to support those affected. Monetary and material support is, of course, of great necessity, but the importance of providing spiritual support is immeasurably important as well.

On behalf of the Bahá'í Club, I would therefore like to initiate the creation of a "Prayers for Haiti" event and campaign in the upcoming weeks. It would be a beautiful thing for all the clubs providing spiritual leadership on campus to pledge as one unified body that we will say daily prayers for those affected by the disaster in Haiti. Any clubs interested in co-sponsoring and hosting an inter-faith “Prayers for Haiti” devotional event, please contact us as soon as possible.

Thank you for your faithful support of those affected by the disaster in Haiti, and may our prayers spread comfort to those in need.

NYU Bahá’í Club

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."—Bahá’u’lláh

Local Web sites a key tool

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

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

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

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

A Heart 2 Help Haiti - using institute experience to help the world

We asked for inspiring stories of SED initiatives and efforts to reach out and address the needs of the wider community. This is a beautiful and touching example of an endeavor that is supporting the relief work in response to the recent earthquake in Haiti. Called A Heart 2 Help Haiti (there is a link to its website in the description below), it describes simple ways in which the friends can, for example, make Valentine’s Day cards or decorated cookies, to raise funds to donate to reputable organizations such as the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders.

This is not just a meritorious initiative in its own right, it is also a brilliant example of the friends using the skills they’ve gained through the institute process to begin programs in their community focused on the betterment of the world. It is a grassroots initiative, easily replicable in clusters across the country, particularly well-suited to children’s classes and junior youth groups (note how this believer connected it to the concepts learned in one of the children’s classes).

It's been extremely sad watching the devastating news from Haiti, a feeling most of us likely share. We were thinking that aside from a modest financial contribution our family could make, we wished there was more we could do to help. I was trying to think of an idea for a fundraising project that would be very simple to carry out and came up with the idea of A Heart 2 Help Haiti.

This project can be done by anyone in any venue. But I'd also like to offer that it is a project could easily be done with Neighborhood Children's Classes. It would go well with Ruhi Book 3, Lesson 3 dealing with the issues of compassion and justice. It might also be something that junior youth groups would be interested to participate in. It could also be a wonderful opportunity for a community to do charitable works in preparation for the upcoming Ayyam-i-Ha season.

The children would have been very disappointed if the class had been cancelled

If you need a “pick me up”, just read this off-the-press story from Salisbury, MD (B). Here is a cluster where the small number of friends is clearly more than made up for by their sheer enthusiasm and joy. And they are exemplifying the exhortation of the Universal House of Justice to be completely free of prejudice: The friends went to a neighborhood that had been so stigmatized that even the police themselves told the Bahá’ís to stay away—and instead the believers reached out in humility and servitude and, together with their new friends, demonstrated the reality of the oneness of humanity by building a new spiritual community life. And note how the secret to sustaining core activities is CONSISTENCY. The friends quickly mobilized to make sure a children’s class could continue no matter what unexpected changes occurred.

The cluster of Salisbury, Maryland with approximately 45 Baha’is—including new believers—is scheduled to launch an intensive program of growth by Ridvan of 2010. Living there are a handful of committed believers serving as neighborhood teachers, tutors and children’s class teachers. There are others hosting firesides and devotionals. There is a receptive neighborhood we are working with. It is usually described by the locals as a “rough” neighborhood, and many of the friends were initially reluctant to enter it. In fact, one time while teaching in the neighborhood, some of the teachers were told by police officers that it was not safe! However, after a year of teaching in this neighborhood, welcoming new believers and visiting homes every week, it has become apparent that this neighborhood is made up of families with the same goals and aspirations for themselves and for their children that we all have.

There is no greater evidence of the dynamic and committed spirit of this cluster than the example of an 82-year-old children’s class teacher. Here is her story: . . .

When one of the new Bahá’ís in the neighborhood offered her home for a children’s class, the community accepted the offer and immediately 4 children’s class teachers arose to teach the children there. There have been 6 to 10 neighborhood children attending the class every Friday evening. One evening the hosting Bahá’í parent informed the teachers that she would be moving out of the neighborhood and so would no longer be able to host the children’s class. Immediately the teachers inquired with another family to see if they would be willing to host the children’s class in their home. The family agreed to host it.

On the evening that the teachers were to go to the new home, the lead teacher informed her 82-year “young” teaching partner that she would need to stay late at work and would not be able to join her. Without a moment’s hesitation and with total confidence, this fearless teacher of children proceeded to the neighborhood, went to the door of a home where she had never been and introduced herself to a family she had never met. The children were gathered and she enthusiastically and lovingly conducted the class. The children love the class and would have been disappointed had it been cancelled. The local friends who heard of her experience felt very humbled by her actions and example.

"Do you also happen to have a pamphlet in . . ."

This story is an absolute delight. A Bahá’í visits a restaurant, and the waitress turns the tables on him with order after order—of Bahá’í books and pamphlets in diverse languages! It’s a wonderful example of the receptivity that is out there. Moreover, across the country, the friends have encountered a growing number of receptive populations, for many of whom English is not the primary language—and this leads to the need for teaching materials in various languages, as well as teachers who speak these languages. How wonderful in this case, that numerous materials were available for the seeker! For our part we would love to hear from all our readers about this—share your experiences in teaching and using materials in various languages!

Dear beloved friends of the Regional Baha'i Council:

I was told that I should share this with you.

I just love to share the Bahá’í teachings with whomever will listen, or in this case, read about them. I discovered another fruitful teaching site. I came across a brand new but very tiny Thai restaurant (they have only TWO tables for all their customers). . . .

The hostess seemed friendly and talkative so I asked her if I could give her some information on the Bahá’í Faith in Thai that I had with me, in my car. She said "I'd like to learn about Bahá’í, but I don't read Thai, but the cook does. Give it to him and I'd like information on Bahá’í in English." So I gave them both several items in both Thai and English.

Two weeks later, I stopped again at this restaurant, and I found out that the lady wanted more info in English (because she said that she had read everything and wanted more), but added to me that her husband is from Vietnam and he has a large family, and they'd all like Bahá’í books in Vietnamese. Well I was thrilled and gave her 7 items in Vietnamese, all of which I just happened to have with me in my car.

But that’s not all. When she asked, "What about the Laotian language?" I gave her 3 Bahá’í books in Laotian, "The New Garden", "Paris Talks" and a Bahá’í Prayer Book. She wanted Laotian books for her friends that she has been telling about the Faith. She's only known about the Faith for two weeks and is teaching others already. She is now reading "Secret of Divine Civilization", "Bahá’u’lláh's Tablet to the Christians", and "Thief in the Night", she says, so she can better answer questions from her Christian friends—and she wants more to read later after studying these 3 new books. I'll be seeing them again soon.

I can't tell you how thrilled and exciting it is to see how the power of the Bahá’í Writings transform people and give them such hope, inspiration, and a genuine sense of security. This family is totally thrilled that Bahá’í books are available in all these Asian languages, Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese, and I'm thrilled that I had them in my car when a need arose so that I could give them to folks who really desired to read and keep these precious books.

Who would have thought that such a wonderful teaching experience between an American Indian Bahá’í and a Thai immigrant would have become this evolving and ever widening pathway to more waiting souls, where they are learning about the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Every new soul who comes in contact with the Words of Bahá’u’lláh seems to me to be just one more success story directly attributable to the guidance of the Universal House of Justice and the mysterious positive forces set in motion by the many study circles, children and youth classes, devotional gatherings, and direct teaching projects in communities, large and small, throughout the globe.

Blizzard, i-phone, both help college presentations

It is common for Bahá’ís to be invited to give a presentation about the Faith to college and university comparative religions classes. This report from Colorado Springs, CO (A) describes 2 such gatherings, one of which took place during a literal blizzard (but no snowstorm can hold back dedicated teachers). Particularly noteworthy is how the friends used these opportunities to practice what they had learned in the institute process to share a direct presentation about the Faith. The receptivity of the students is very inspiring to see. And technology continues to play its part in the teaching process—I loved how the seeker just automatically “pulled up” a photo of the Shrine of the Báb on their i-phone!

Four of us were scheduled last Sunday to give a presentation about the Faith to a class of Inter-Faith Ministerial candidates who were all due to be ordained in two weeks. . . .

The Saturday night before our scheduled presentation, the storm hit Colorado Springs, and all churches and other institutions cancelled their services and functions that Sunday. Since we were snowed in, we were under the impression that our class would be cancelled as well. But then we learnt that the class was still on since one of the other speakers (who was due to give a presentation right after us) lived close by the school and was planning to get there and give his presentation. So, we too braved the weather and headed out.

To our surprise, the roads were fine. We arrived and waited for our turn.

One of the friends gave a wonderful power point presentation about the Faith. We were preparing to wrap up and leave when the instructor of the class announced that the person due to speak after us was not going to make it (his car skidded on the roads so he returned home). As a result of that, we were given another 45 minutes for questions and answers!

The room was filled with energy as we were asked questions. The students who were around 15 in number, asked for contact information and links on the Web. They were not ready to let us go easily. One lady asked if she could help with our children’s classes after we shared with them information about the core activities. Another asked for a copy of the power point presentation. They were commenting fondly on Bahá’u’lláh’s quotations and the concepts introduced.

In brief, we left the class with hugs and a world of appreciation from the students as well as to Bahá’u’lláh for the gift of our Faith.

Four days later, one of us was scheduled to give a presentation on the Faith at a Comparative Religions class at the community college. It was the third time that the professor teaching this course had invited the Bahá’ís to do this. There were 22 students present. They were given an introduction to the Faith based on the presentation in Ruhi Book 6 for a whole hour. Then the floor was open to questions which lasted another 30 minutes.

The students demonstrated extreme interest in what they were hearing, and their professor even more so. He kept on remarking to the students, “You see? Didn’t I tell you it was a fascinating religion?” or “This is remarkable! Very unique!”

The subject matter aroused the students’ interest to such an extent that, when the presenter was talking about the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel, one of the students pulled up the photo of the Holy Shrine on his i-phone and passed it around so that all the students could see it.

The Bahá’í used that action to emphasize the point on how humanity has advanced so much and how it has “contracted into a single neighborhood” that there is a dire need for a global religion that can accommodate all.

At the end, the professor asked the presenter if she would visit his class every semester, and of course the answer was, “You bet!” They also decided to get together again in order to further discuss the unique inclusive character of the Bahá’í Faith, as well as other questions that could take them deeper into the study of the Faith.

Seeker hosts devotional, teaches, unites religions

This is a story of a seeker organizing a devotional gathering, inviting her friends and family, and teaching the Faith. (It’s happening more and more, isn’t it?) What makes this story especially compelling is that the seeker and her guests are all Persian. A few years ago, perhaps not many people would have considered Persians to be a receptive population. Today, the friends in many clusters are sharing many inspiring stories of the immense receptivity and interest in this population. The following report is shared by a believer from an A-stage cluster in the Southwest region, and this devotional gathering occurred near the beginning of the cluster’s expansion phase. This friend was accompanied by a believer who is serving as resource person to support the Persian Bahá’ís in their efforts to reach out to their families and Persian friends and neighbors.

One day I was given the number of a seeker who is Persian. Immediately I called up the number and talked to her. She seemed extremely happy to hear my voice and after chit chatting for a while she invited me to dinner to her home. She told me that she has invited some friends who are visiting from Iran and some relatives who live here and she would love to have me over. I told her that I have a dear Persian friend, R, who is visiting, and asked if I could bring him too. It turned out that she knew his relatives and she told me that she is looking forward to seeing us. . . .

I would like to share that amazing night with you. Amazing is not even the word.

We were a little late and I was really worried that I had kept the guests waiting, but when we arrived the table was set and while we started eating more people came. In all we were 20 people. All Persians and everyone was speaking Farsi. While everyone was busy serving dinner, R asked the host what her plans for the night were and she replied, "We have a couple dear friends who are extremely ill, I hope we can all pray for them. Will you read a Bahá’í healing prayer?" R asked if it was OK with everyone, and she replied that she believes strongly in the power of prayer and it is up to them if they would like to open their hearts or not. While we were eating the phone rang and the host picked it up then she handed the phone to R. It was her husband, who was travelling at the time. He was calling to welcome us to his home and expressed his desire to meet with us on his return.

After dinner, little by little people left the table and started sitting in the living room pulling chairs from everywhere to create a circle—a circle of unity. At that point I didn't know that half of the guests were Christians and the other half were Muslims. Our host stood behind a chair smiling, and then said, “Tonight you see two new faces among us. They are __ and R. They are my Bahá’í friends and I've asked R to read a Bahá’í healing prayer for __ and __ and __. As you all know, people call me and request prayers, and since I strongly believe in the power of prayer I would like us to use this gathering and prayer for our dear friends.” She then added, “I'm always invited to sofrehs (Muslim prayer sessions), and I always take my Bahá’í prayer book with me. Prayer is prayer from any religion, and I love the Bahá’í prayers because they are very powerful and appeal to the heart.”

Everyone was silent. I was stunned. How wonderful to hear your message being shared by those who are searching. How bravely she stood, how loudly, clearly and passionately she spoke! She went into her bedroom and brought a prayer book by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I assumed R would immediately start praying, but no. He is much wiser than me.

He took his time and very politely and lovingly thanked everyone. He expressed his happiness in being among Persians and how wonderful for them to still have their language and culture even though they are so far away from home. He spoke so lovingly and kindly about Iran and how the Bahá’ís in Chicago hold an appreciation for Persian culture conference every year. Any tension that may have been there now all disappeared. He then encouraged everyone to share their prayers.

Everyone was very quite and reverent when he choose a beautiful Farsi prayer from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Ey Taleb Malakout”. Then the host got up and brought her own note book and read a prayer from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. R and the host then read other prayers. Suddenly one of the ladies attending said that she was inspired to pray in such a spiritual gathering. It was then that I learned that some of the guests were Christians and others were Muslims, each sitting on one side of the room. R and I were seated at either end in between them, as if we were linking the two religions.

A poem expressing appreciation for motherhood was shared by R in honor of the host’s mother. Slowly the conversation led to God and how we see Him. Most of the guests shared how they felt God in their hearts and in His creation and again we discussed the power of prayer. One gentleman said we should be content with what God decides to give us, because maybe what we wish for is not in our benefit. The conversation was gently led to the topic of the Covenant and that if God is one, then all the religions are one. This same gentleman said that a year ago, he would just stubbornly defend his beliefs, but now he is looking into other religions, even the Bahá’í Faith, because they all have something to teach you.

Another gentleman rose and walked over to the table with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayer book, picked it up and started reading it.

We all felt very good. It was a loving gathering, and the host told everyone that there was a reason why each of us should be here tonight at this specific time and place with these specific people among us. I have never, ever experienced so much love, protection and propagation from a Persian seeker.

When we were leaving she accompanied us to the door and had a long sincere conversation with us. She said she had attended the gathering held at USC for the seven prisoners in Iran, and there she realized that prejudice is not only a threat to the Bahá’í but a threat to mankind. She said we should all talk loud and support your movement. She said that wherever she is invited to pray she tells the group, I will read you prayers from the Bahá’í religion.

I just had a glimpse of how receptive the Iranians have become. Yes, it means if they are ready to hear the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh then WE should be available to share it.

This reminds me of a beautiful song we sing in the children classes:

Teach, teach, teach, be as I am, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Let us make the most of the Expansion Phase. We still have a whole week to intensely share our love with the world.

Widening the community of interest through online declaration

Here is the story of an individual in the Central region who registered his Faith online. In this case, his investigation of the Faith involved both “remote” approaches and friendships with local believers. This account, shared by the regional seeker response specialist, highlights the various aspects of the enrollment process for online registrants, including affirmation and eMembership. The discussion also shows that family members of new believers are often part of community of interest.

Dear Friends,

I am honored to inform you that __, who registered online, has been affirmed. The enrollment can now be completed through the eMembership system. His record should appear in the Pending Members folder. . . .

__ first learned about the Bahá'í Faith from a local believer about a year ago. Through reading on the website and watching a podcast, he gathered enough information to know he was attracted. Then recently he reconnected with this believer. So he decided to go online and register. He is especially attracted to the principles, the aspect of community and unity in diversity.

__ and his wife have plans to visit the Bahá'í House of Worship very soon so she may meet some Bahá'ís and decide if she wants to register as well.

In closing __ asked if his wife registers, will she be interviewed by me or someone else. I told him there were several options, including having a local believer meet with her. __ said he would like me to do it. So I will keep you posted on what happens.

I hope you all have a joyous day.

Loving Bahá'i regards,

A

Children's class doorway to close and coherent involvement in society

This is an amazing report from Chico, CA (just advanced to A-stage, read on and you will see why). A group of friends take the initiative to start a children’s class. They reach out to the community and they carry out the necessary preparations and consultations. In a coherent manner and in collaboration with a government agency, the class also helps address an identified need in the wider society. Unexpected opposition and challenges are overcome with confidence and mature action; approaches are modified and refined. Eventually there are 3 core activities in 2 locations, the capacity and resolve of the friends is strengthened. What an inspiring example!

The following is a synopsis of the Bahá’ís’ relationship with the California Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) in Chico, California that emerged from efforts to establish Bahá’í children’s classes.

In July 2009, the friends in the Chico cluster were visiting homes in an apartment complex associated with the CHIP program. At this time, it was evident that the complex was a candidate for a children’s class, as children were abundant. The children were helpful in making contact with the apartment manager, who then referred us to the CHIP Director of Community Enrichment. Two days later a meeting was held. The CHIP representative was presented with information about children’s classes, Ruhi Books 1 and 3, examples of prayers and art samples, as well as the national Web site www.bahai.us. . . .

The CHIP representative took all the information and presented it at a later date to his Board of Directors. Within a week, the Bahá’ís were given permission to start a children’s class inside a building in the complex that was primarily used by the Head Start program. The only stipulation was that the Bahá’ís would offer homework assistance to all the children for the first 45 minutes of the class, and then those children who wanted to stay could continue for the last 45 minutes, which would be the Bahá’í class. CHIP felt that this set-up would ensure that the program could be universally used by all children and avoid giving the impression that the State agency was advocating one religion over another.

The class started in early May, 2009, once the Head Start program had concluded at the end of the school year. We invited all the residents to a kick-off BBQ and served over 75 burgers and ‘dogs’! It was mainly a night of starting friendships.

From the start, the class was a hit. Many days the room was filled with up to 25 children ranging in the ages from 2 1/2 to 12. After a few weeks of meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half, we expanded classes to include a junior youth group on Saturdays. That group includes an average of 8 to 12 kids from ages 11-16.

Over the summer because there was no homework (summer vacation), we came up with our own academic activities to fulfill our agreement with CHIP. We included as many academics as we could for the vast ages and skill range within the class. Scholastics such as writing, reading, math, science, drama, art and physical education were covered outside—and within—the Bahá’í curriculum. The class was a success and many mothers began hanging around and the youth would even come to children’s class to help out. The trust of the residents grew and the knowledge of the children flourished.

Unfortunately, the apartment manager had strong feelings against the Bahá’í Faith. This had become apparent during early meetings. The teachers of the class tried to address this by sharing news about the transformation of the children in the class, as well as inviting the manager to observe the class. Sadly, these efforts did not change the manager’s feelings, who at one point visited every single apartment in the complex, recommending the parents to NOT send their children to the Bahá’í class; the manager’s children likewise attempted to pressure the other children to not attend the classes.

At this time, it was evident that, although the classes had the goal of unity and love, they were creating distress. So we thanked CHIP for the opportunity to work with it, and in August moved our class out of the Head Start building and onto the lawn of one family. Once school began again we remained true to our commitment to aid the children in the school work.

In our initial meetings with CHIP, the representative had expressed hope that the children’s classes could be expanded to other apartment complexes. CHIP requested that we consider starting classes in a complex across town next to one of the two junior high schools in Chico. At this point we were feeling cautious, but we met with the CHIP representative manager of this second complex. We had a frank consultation with this manager to ensure that they were comfortable with the classes and that the classes would not be undermined down the road. It was agreed that the Bahá’ís would offer a children’s class and homework help one day per week at that site. There was also an official agreement drawn up between the two parties. The teachers agreed to undergo a background check, to record class attendance, to submit a Program Plan, and to obtain written permission from families of all the participants. (Except for the Program Plan, we had already done all these steps at the first complex.)

In early October, in conjunction with the cluster meeting, teaching teams visited homes in this second complex offering a personal invitation to each family for an informational dinner. In addition to giving a verbal explanation about the children’s class, written information about the class was attached to the invitation.

A couple of weeks later, the Bahá’ís hosted a dinner in the complex’s beautiful community center. The dinner was well received. We had an information table with materials such as a copy of Ruhi Book 2, children’s prayers, photos of children’s classes, brochures with the basic principles of the Faith, and a detailed explanation about the children’s class. The goal was answer all questions so that the parents would know exactly what to expect. The room buzzed with several conversations, and many families made commitments for their children to come to class.

The first class at this new complex was held was last week and was attended by 6 children (an additional child showed up just for the homework help). To date, the children’s class at the first CHIP site meets one time per week on the lawn, the junior youth group meets each Saturday. The junior youth are focused on completing study of “Walking the Straight Path” and carrying out acts of service for the community, in addition to a lot of laughing and playing.