Assisting Seekers of Truth – An “Amazing Experience,” Part 2

Last week the Teaching Blog shared the uplifting story of a woman who volunteered to contact seekers and accompany them on their spiritual journey. She shares:

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

The Baha'i attempted to contact her next seeker three times—persistence—and finally left a message. She writes:

We spoke for 27 minutes and she thanked me over and over for leaving a message. It was as if she didn't know what to do next when she got the message. This seeker hesitated when I invited her to my home to learn about the Faith. So I invited her to a community center. When she understood where I live she said that she passed my neighborhood twice a week on the way to the local acupuncture school and that she lived very close to me. She was warming up!

The Baha'i then shared that her husband gives classes at the acupuncture school, and has a career with a government agency. Lo and behold, the seeker excitedly shared that her father works at that agency as well!

Suddenly, within a minute, I was no longer a stranger, the hesitation was gone and we talked about when she could come to my home. Again, it seemed that assistance from on high had unlocked the heart of the seeker.

She adds that:

One wonderful thing about the Seeker Response System is that it is local, we are neighbors with the seekers. So far it has not been difficult to find commonality and to overcome an initial lack of familiarity.

With the services that this Baha'i is giving to her community, can we not see what the Universal House of Justice speaks of in this passage? Regarding accompaniment, they write:

And in such a state souls labour together ceaselessly, delighting not so much in their own accomplishments but in the progress and services of others. So it is that their thoughts are centred at all times on helping one another scale the heights of service to His Cause and soar in the heaven of His knowledge.

The House of Justice emphasizes this growing practice by writing: “This is what we see in the present pattern of activity unfolding across the globe, propagated by young and old, by veteran and newly enrolled, working side by side.”

Thinking of the spiritual potential all around us, this Baha'i lady writes:

I am reminded that here in North America we are blessed by the footsteps of the Master and the knowledge that nowhere is the possibility for entry by troops greater than here. Please God we may achieve it!

And may we do so in that very spirit of love and sharing.

Establishing Neighborhood Connections

The East San Diego County cluster reports that a number of individuals and teaching teams have gained experience forging connections between neighbors:

Informal gatherings in the home to foster friendship and community building have been effective.  The themes are many and varied.  Members of one teaching team invited neighbors to a neighborhood dessert, a Race Unity Day barbecue, a World Cup Final potluck, and a financial workshop.  One Bahá’í couple hosts neighborhood potluck evenings that take place four times a year; 25 to 30 neighbors participate, and one or two Bahá’í couples are invited to each potluck.  Another team has begun gatherings that are spiritual conversations about mental health.  At each meeting, readings from scriptures or a book are discussed.  Service to others, such as prayers and visits to the sick, was mentioned as an important element of community building.  The ______ teaching team has initiated seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) neighborhood gatherings that have proved successful.

A neighbor of a Baha'i family in the ______ area sends a thank you card after attending a dinner at the home of the Baha'is and says, “I admire how you've moved into the neighborhood and met us all and have gotten us all talking.”

After a successful gathering in a ______ neighborhood with about 14 neighbors, the Bahá’ís of the neighborhood have already started planning follow-up visits to reinforce new relationships, dinners with families in smaller groups to get to know them better, and look for new ways of rendering service to their neighborhood.

Another ______ neighborhood just had their first gathering.  Over 16 neighbors attended and got to know each other.  One couple asked the host family about the Greatest Name above their door.  The first step as planned by the host family was to get to know their neighbors, then comes building friendships and finding paths of service to enrich their lives.

After a successful first gathering last cycle in a ______ neighborhood, a Health and Healing devotional was held this cycle.  At least one person from every household on the street attended the devotional with a total of nine neighbors and friends, and three Baha'is including the host family.  Each person read a prayer or writing on the topic of Health and Healing.  One of the neighbors commented later that perhaps we should have some discussion after each reading next time and said “...the energy was invigorating and joyous... brought the whole neighborhood together into a cohesive loving group”.  The Baha'i hosts are planning to continue this devotional for their neighborhood and their next step is to have a mini Ruhi-style question and answer format for discussion to see if there is interest in starting a study circle.

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.

Teaching teams use variety of approaches

 

The third story from the recent expansion phase of New York City (A) is all about teaching teams and shows there are a variety of approaches that teams can take to teach the Faith.  Home visits, direct teaching, core activities, and of course lots of prayers—everything leads to making closer connections with our neighbors and community of interest.

We formed 3 teams of 2 and 3 people and visited the parents in the building whose children are participating in the weekly children’s class held there.  The response of the parents we visited was enthusiastic, and the children can’t wait to remind their parents of the next class. . . .

After the home visits, we gathered together to reflect, and then decided to pay a visit to one of our contacts, who lives in the building and has an office just around the block.  We went to his office and he was pleasantly surprised from this group visit and was most enthusiastic.  He quickly invited us in.  A family member was visiting him, who was also very enthusiastic and asked to be given an introduction to the Bahá’í Faith.  So one of the teaching team members shared a direct presentation.  It was a good meeting and we can’t wait to be back.

That evening, there was a devotional gathering at the home of one of the teaching team members.  One of the seekers present read the prayers avidly and said, “These prayers are so beautiful—I just want to keep reading them!”

The next day, we focused our outreach on our Spanish-speaking contacts.

Another teaching team took the following approach both days of the weekend:  They gathered together to say lots of prayers and then set up a table on the street to directly teach interested passerby.  This was followed by a devotional gathering in the evening for interested seekers to attend.

"We are going very local"

 

The first of several stories about New York City (A), where the latest intensive program of growth has not only involved earnest and systematic outreach, it has also applied some of the latest learning.  The last paragraph is priceless and overrules any summary I could write here.

Dear friends,

As we go into the last two days of the Expansion Phase over the weekend, let us share some of the stories about the teaching work that have been happening throughout our cluster this week.  What courage and love and unity and generosity of spirit we see in the teaching teams!  Let us all pray for one another and for receptive hearts as we endeavor to make this a weekend of intense teaching! . . .

In one neighborhood, we got together on Saturday morning to eat and pray together.  We then broke off into 3 teaching teams and went to the 3 apartment buildings that we are focusing on.  We had developed plans for each of these 3 buildings earlier that week.

In one building, the believers (and one seeker too!) studied some of the messages of the Universal House of Justice.  Then they went to visit every single apartment in the building to invite everyone to a pot-luck dinner, as well as the regular devotional gathering held in that building.

In another building, in which there is a junior youth group, the team made home visits to all of the parents of the junior youth.

In the third building, the believers did some role-playing to practice how they would engage their neighbors.  They then visited every apartment and explained the process of community building, including the ongoing children’s class, junior youth group, and devotional gathering—and then invited them to be a part of it!  Later, the junior youth group at this building baked cookies and gave them to their neighbors to show loving-kindness, and thus met more neighbors in the path of service.  A new person joined the junior youth group, and a new neighbor came to the devotional and asked a bajillion questions about the Faith!

Our strategy is this:  we are going very local, reaching out to our neighbors to create community through the core activities and skills from the Ruhi sequence (yay home visits!), and developing relationships that naturally lead to direct teaching and engagement with the core activities!  We have been identifying potential human resources in the 3 buildings who we can invite to serve with us and go through some or all of the Ruhi sequence.  We have a LOT to do for the consolidation phase, and we are meeting every other Sunday to deepen on The Advent of Divine Justice, reflect and plan, and then hold our core activities!  Yay yay!  Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha!

Raising the level of the discourse in Scottsdale

 

One recent endeavor of Bahá’ís all over the world is to raise the level of our discourse with our friends and neighbors (remember the last unit of Ruhi Book 2?).  And so an exciting process is playing out in cluster after cluster, a sweet example of which comes from Scottsdale, AZ (A):  elevated discourse on spiritual topics helps a teaching team discover like-minded individuals in the community, accompaniment to a “hands on” core activity experience, followed by an invitation to become an active contributor to community building through participation in the training institute!

We have been trying various methods to engage in devotionals and study circles with our friends and neighbors in our gated community.  With the help of our teaching team we have started a regular activity of engaging our local neighborhood and community on topics of spiritual import.  To our pleasant surprise, during one of these conversations a neighbor expressed the desire to volunteer and be involved in children’s classes. . . .

So soon after this, one of the teaching team members arranged for this lady to visit some Bahá’í neighborhood children’s classes in the cluster to witness words in action.  While she was visiting the class and observing the process, one of the local friends discussed how the Bahá’í world community, with its identity to serve humanity, is engaged in helping build communities founded on spiritual principles.

This greatly impressed her, and after the visit she accepted an invitation to join a Ruhi Book 1 study circle (and Ruhi 3 after that) so she could participate in the process and help with children’s classes.

When the teacher is happy, the children respond

Tacoma-Pierce County, WA (A) has more than a few IPG cycles under its belt, but the learning never stops.  Here are “just a few” insights gained about assessing a seeker’s receptivity, teaching teams, and children’s classes.  Want to know how sharing crayons contributes to building a new civilization or the importance of being happy?  Then read on!

Gauging Receptivity

We are learning to optimize our teaching by discerning the level of the seeker's interest or receptivity.  How to gauge receptivity?  The wisdom comes from practice, practice, practice, and the action of experience is the teacher. . . .

If uncertain of a person’s level of interest, use qualifying questions:  "Are you sure you would like me to come back?" Voice tone must convey sincerity in the commitment to return.

If there is immediate attraction, stay with that household.  Involve them in core activity as soon as possible and offer to return in the next few days.  Get phone numbers; emails, etc.  Ask questions such as “What is a good day for me to return?  Time?”  Assure the seeker that you will return!

Teaching Teams

It was noted that the understanding of teaching teams has increased during this cycle; skill levels for sharing Anna’s conversation and inviting seekers to core activities is now understood in the context of raising up spiritual communities.  This was the first cycle using this approach.  Several comments from individuals involved in the collective teaching effort expressed that this approach of talking about spiritual communities made things easier and a spiritual dialogue occurred naturally.

Two teaching teams, one each for two receptive neighborhoods.  The area teaching committee secretary has been encouraged to be in the field to facilitate these teams.  They also convene regular meetings with each team to plan next steps.  Such communication is strengthening the unity of these teaching teams.

Children's Classes

Connecting with parents is vital to sustaining children's attendance and success.  It is important to 1) share with them after each class their child’s progress and 2) extend the invitation to observe the class AND receive training to teach it.

Building spiritual community can begin with a children's class.  It takes perseverance to establish a core group of children.  Some children come but their parents have pulled them out.  Others have begged their parents to attend, and after the class the parents commented, "We want whatever will make our child a good person."  It takes times to establish but we are witnessing how children's classes can become centers of attraction.

The purpose of the children's classes is to create spiritual susceptibilities in the children.  The more closely our teaching efforts are aligned with the training in Book 3, the more effective the classes are.  Lining children up to prepare them for class really is an effective tool!  The children are better prepared for devotions.

A new neighborhood children's class has been started.  It has been observed that when the teacher is happy, the children respond with a bright willingness to learn.  Taking turns asking for crayons builds character in patience and manners:  accepting what they have is a foundation for justice, asking for what they need builds confidence.

The many roles of teaching teams

North Salt Lake Valley, UT (A) just launched its intensive program of growth.  A ton of effort, activity and learning has brought the friends to this point.  One important area of learning has been on the roles of teaching teams, and ways in which the cluster core team can encourage increasing numbers of believers to find their niche in supporting the teaching work.

We are realizing the increased importance of teaching teams, which are necessary for us on at least three major fronts:  1) To increase the community of interest by teaching friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, as well as in receptive neighborhoods.  2)  Seeker response:  Teams are needed that can make initial contact with seekers who call the 800-22UNITE phone line or public Web site, and can connect seekers or new Bahá’ís to study circles, particularly Ruhi Book 3.   3) Multiplying and sustaining core activities, especially junior youth groups and children’s classes. . . .

The core team has been exploring ways to continuously expand the circle of human resources in order to sustain and multiply core activities.  We are also exploring ways to increase the number of people involved by encouraging them to engage in the core activities at their comfort level.  For example, if someone does not feel ready to start a devotional gathering, they can support one or even assist someone who is hosting devotions by providing the program, refreshments, etc.

From Seeker to Protagonist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Empowerment!

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

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

Each effort has to yield new fruit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dear friends,

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

One Auxiliary Board member’s reply:

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

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

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

Regional Bahá’í Council member:

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

Auxiliary Board member:

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

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

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

Hope this is helpful!

Project Yaran: Learning in Action

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

Background

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

Structure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Statistical Summary of Achievements

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

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

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

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

72 devotional gatherings held.

56 firesides held.

139 direct presentations about the Faith made

6 enrollments

9 Book 1 study circles started.

Reflections of the participants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary

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

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

Firesides and COI: a winning combination

This article from the cluster newsletter of Phoenix, AZ (A) describes a new approach being tried out by some of the teaching teams there: a focus on firesides with their community of interest. There are several things that caught my eye. First, they are operating in a systematic, learning mode, regularly reviewing their activities and experiences, and making adjustments as they reflect and consult. This allows them to identify any “gaps” or areas where they could shift more of their effort and energy. Second, they are motivated by a desire to make the expansion phase of their intensive program of growth truly, well, “intense”. Third, the members are united in supporting each other. Oh, and the approach itself of firesides with COI is very interesting and seems to be working very well!

One of the teaching teams asked themselves during the planning phase, How can we make sure we have intensity of action during the forthcoming expansion phase? So they reviewed their regular schedule of activities. They saw they had weekly Ruhi Book 1 study circles with seekers, a monthly devotional gathering, and a few home visits. But the teaching team realized none of the team members had any firesides going on in their personal lives. . . .

So, for that expansion phase, they decided they would focus on inviting their community of interest, friends and seekers to firesides and thus have intensity in their teaching work. The team members each invited participants in the study circles and devotional gathering to firesides. They decided they would keep their firesides intimate—just with them and their close friends. This has resulted in 3 new firesides a week. Go team!

The team members also decided that when one person is holding a fireside, the other team members will be praying for them in their homes, thereby supporting each other. In addition, in order to capture the learning while trying this approach to teaching, the team regularly draws on the power of prayer, reflects, shares and consults on their collective experiences. They then revise their plans as needed, and continue to step into the field of action as called for by our beloved Universal House of Justice.

Native American teaching effort has preparation then immediate practice and service

Annual intensive teaching projects are an important part of the teaching landscape. They bring together enthusiastic souls, some with tons of experience in the field, and others with a desire to get their feet wet. Participants build their capacity for service, first through (often very intensive) preparation via study of the training institute course, and second through direct action in the field. Often such a project will have a special focus. The Northwest region’s Native American Institute Training (NAIT) exemplifies all the above elements, and much more. We are delighted to share excerpts of a couple of reports on the most recent NAIT, which this year was carried out in the Yakima, WA (A) cluster. Native American believers were key planners and participants in this effort. The learning and enthusiasm generated were both substantial.

First report:

Dear D,

It is with joy that I send these notes to share with the Regional Bahá’í Council on the Native American Institute Training (NAIT) this year. Our goal was to have a project that took some of the previous participants of NAIT into the field to gain more direct experience with service. We chose a housing complex in a part of the cluster that has already sustained children’s classes. This allowed us to design a project that would enhance what the friends have been doing rather than beginning a new activity that the cluster might not be able to sustain. . . .

We chose a 2-pronged approach: a day camp for the children who have been coming to the children’s classes, and visits with the parents and other residents interested in learning more about the Faith. The first day of the project, we prepared for both with a Book 3 and Book 6 refresher for the participants. The next two days, everyone put into practice the skills they gained from the refreshers in the day camp and teaching project. The final day was devoted to a group reflection.

Two individuals enrolled in the Faith: a youth and a junior youth. A Book 1 study circle was scheduled for them.

With loving greetings,

L

Second report:

Dear L

Please convey to the Regional Council the sincere gratitude and appreciation of all the participants in this service project. All of us felt that it was an amazing opportunity, a wonderful learning experience, and a chance of a lifetime to be able to serve our Blessed Beauty this way. We cannot thank you enough for this opportunity.

We had participants from several clusters from all over the Northwest. It was communicated to everyone coming here that they needed to be prepared to serve in any way that was needed.

It was fantastic to take the training directly to the field. It was an “IIPG”—Indian Intensive Program of Growth. It was also a culture of learning because everyone was expected to practice what they had learned the very next day.

Here are some of the points from the reflection meeting we had at the end:

Everyone feels we should definitely repeat this effort next year.

We should encourage more participation from friends in the Yakima cluster, as well as those who participated in last year’s NAIT in Brighton Creek. Everyone can have a part to play—offering service as kitchen help, being prayer partners during visits to homes, etc. It is particularly important for friends from cluster to be on teaching teams since they will be the ones doing follow up.

Having one-day refresher courses beforehand is great. Jumping right into the practice is very helpful—you feel more prepared.

Take into account schedules of residents when planning teaching activities and events (i.e., don’t clash with Pow Wows, berry-picking and fishing seasons, come during the middle of the week, etc.).

In terms of the children’s classes, there is a visible increase in the number of children who want to join children’s classes. The kids here are also growing up and can become the next batch of youth working with the kids here. It seemed to be a winning combination to have the junior youth leading the children’s classes. However, it is also important to have 1 or 2 adults helping out, as many of the children were pretty hyper and the adults can reinforce discipline.

In terms of the teaching teams at the housing complex, people were friendly and polite, and there were no antagonistic responses at all.

Make sure teaching teams show diversity—Persians, Hispanics, etc. People respond to this. In our interactions we need to emphasize that Bahá’ís appreciate and want culture in our devotions. So we should note that in the devotional gatherings there will be drumming, storytelling, etc. Singing is also a great attractor.

We have to remember that the spiritual duty of a teacher is to keep in touch with a new believer personally. There is a special bond with the teacher that should never be taken for granted.

Next year it will be helpful to have a Book 2 refresher course for the participants, since many of the people they will be visiting will already have heard something about the Faith, and so they can share the deepening themes with them.

Best regards,

R

Is this not what we have been praying for?

With awe, we share with you this story from Phoenix, AZ (A). In less than 2 years since the friends there launched their IPG, they have been through 7 incredible cycles. What follows is a report of the expansion phase activities of a teaching team, the “Lean on Me Team”, composed entirely of new believers. Just read it. You will cry with happiness.

Dearest Friends,

Today Bahá’u’lláh showered His blessings upon the Bahá’í community. What an honor and joy it was to witness!

First, let me remind you that during the cluster reflection meeting, the “Lean on Me Team”, the first teaching team composed entirely of members from the receptive neighborhood, was formed. And now, they have acted! . . .

They began the expansion phase by hosting a devotional gathering last week, inviting their friends and neighbors.

Today was even greater! In collaboration with the other teams serving in this neighborhood, a fireside and a “Family Day” took place, as well as a devotional hosted by one of the new believers!

There were so many joyous successes today.

One seeker, __, who is the neighbor of a Bahá’í couple and who first attended a devotional in their home during the last cycle, attended one again last week. I, a new believer himself, met __ there and invited her to the "Lean on Me Team" devotional scheduled for the following day. She attended! M and I, both new believers and members of the teaching team, then invited her to their upcoming Fireside. She attended that too. And at the fireside, THEY SHARED ANNA’S CONVERSATION WITH HER. And . . . Yes, she declared!

Next, there was Family Day, which all the teams supported in an effort to build a unified community. It was filled with music, games, hula hooping, meeting new friends and building new bridges.

Finally, the day ended with a devotional at C's! For many months she has tried to host one but it has not worked out for various reasons. But now she was finally able to organize one, and 2 members of the community of interest attended tonight. She was so excited that she was talking about which co-workers she will invite next time.

I am in awe. I can not express the joy and excitement I feel. Is this not what we have been praying for? It will be two years in December since our IPG was launched. Imagine where we will be next year?

Your area teaching committee

Consultation, flexibility, sensitivity, patience makes an effective teaching team

This third installment of teaching stories from Sequim, WA (B) shows the patience, sensitivity and flexibility of the teaching teams. In many cases, someone who may initially seem hesitant warms up after the teachers are able to learn more about their interests and find common ground.

TEAM 5 SUMMARY

Focus: Going house-to-house in a neighborhood

Results: Possible follow-up visits to introduce the Faith or say prayers

Core Activities: Devotions

The team visited the home of one woman. At first she was very suspicious and just listened politely. Then they mentioned how the Bahá’í’s believe that there is only one God. At this, she seemed to come alive. She shared that she had come to this conclusion some time ago; but that she thought that she was the only one who felt this way. From this point onward, the contact began to pay much closer attention. She took some materials and said that she would do some more investigating online. . . .

Another person who was visited seemed even more reserved. But she became very interested in the equality of men and women and in how all religions are really one. She said that she was interested in attending a Bahá’í event and in having someone come and visit her again.

TEAM 6 SUMMARY

Focus: Apartment complex and home of a Bahá’í who was ill.

Results: Shared “Gift of Prayers”

As the team was preparing to enter an apartment complex, they encountered a lady who was sitting outside. The team stayed outside to visit with her. A lengthy conversation developed about her reliance on God and her activities in her church. She said that she knew a Bahá’í in California, and was happy to receive a Bahá’í prayer book.

The team returned to the car to pray and consult about what to do next. They decided to visit a local Bahá’í who had been ill. She was so happy to be visited!

Inviting both strangers and friends to core activities

Here is the second installment of wonderful stories from the recent collective, direct neighborhood teaching effort in Sequim, WA (B). The teaching teams connected with their existing community of interest, invited people they met to join new core activities, shared prayers, and encountered a number of people who plan on investigating the Faith online.

By the way, this is the 500^th story to be posted to the teaching blog! A warm, enthusiastic and huge THANK YOU to all of our readers and contributors whose participation is vital to the blog’s success!

TEAM 3 SUMMARY

Focus: Coffee shop and one apartment unit, member of community of interest attending G’s study circle.

Results: One solid contact, one person will investigate on internet.

Core Activities: Opening to begin a Book 2 study circle. . . .

The team first visited an apartment complex. At one home a young man opened the door. As introductions were being made the team immediately noticed a lady reclining inside the apartment on a couch and they offered to say a healing prayer for her. After entering the apartment, the woman remarked that one of the Baha’is looked very familiar. Suddenly, she realized that she had known him from earlier in her life! This led to a presentation about the core activities and how they are used to help make a better society. She loved the healing prayer. Since she told them that she was an “internet person”, she was left a card with the websites listed on it and she seemed anxious to do some independent investigating.

This team next went to a local coffee shop for a prearranged visit with a contact who has been attending a Book 1 study circle. She is a colleague from one of the team member’s work place. She shared the verses from Book 1 that she loved the most. During this visit the subject shared was the Covenant. During the discussion the contact used many of her favorite quotes from Book 1. Later, she asked what comes after Book 1. She was told . . . Book 2! Both team members concurred that she truly seemed hooked on the Faith.

REFLECTION of team members: On the way to the apartments, the team discussed how hard they found door-to-door teaching to be. However, when they remembered the moving story of the martyr, Sulayman Khan, that was shared at the gathering that morning, it removed all of their trepidation. The feeling was that if Sulayman could go through everything that he did, door-to-door teaching was nothing in comparison!

TEAM 4 SUMMARY

Focus: Visiting houses in a neighborhood

Summary: One complete presentation, One healing prayer

Core Activities: Opening for a Book 1 study circle; possibilities for a junior youth program

PRELUDE: This team initially they headed for an apartment complex, but found signs that said “No Soliciting”. After consultation and prayers, they unanimously agreed to teach in another neighborhood.

The team met a woman who was obviously very sick and pale. She said that she had just gotten out of the hospital and was still fighting off the last bout of an illness. The team gave introductions and asked if she would like them to come back later when she was feeling better. She said, “Oh, yes—please!” One team member offered to say a healing prayer. The team then left after relaying that they hoped she would get better soon.

Another woman shared about her own personal spiritual path. The teaching team explained that Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings outline both a very personal spiritual path and provide an outward-oriented message to unite us all and bring peace to the world. She took some materials and expressed interest in going online to investigate more.

On another street a large number of junior youth had gathered. They were into listening to music on headphones and skateboarding; but they initiated an approach to the teaching team and seemed genuine and very interested and well-mannered. A mother of one of the youths took some information and invited the team to come back another time.

The team then went across the street where they were immediately invited to come in and give the presentation to a man who had recently lost his wife. About midway through the presentation he started asking many questions about life after death. Book 1 was mentioned as a way to find out about the life of the spirit, how to pray, and more about Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings about life after death. Before leaving the team offered to say a prayer for the departed; he read it himself out of the Bahá’í prayer book which was left behind with him.

REFLECTIONS: It is very important to get over your fear of going door-to-door.

Feel the fear and teach anyway!

There’s a saying that the definition of courage is not the absence of fear; courage is feeling the fear and doing the right thing anyway. And that truth is perfectly illustrated by some of the amazing stories in this report from Sequim, WA (B), where the friends (6 teaching teams in all) have just finished a collective, direct teaching effort in a diversity of neighborhoods. As you will see, the organized approach fully involving the local friends set in place a firm foundation for multiplying core activities (see how the teaching team reports explicitly note potential core activities among their results). This first installment of stories highlights the high receptivity that the teams encountered. (Pop quiz: What’s the proper way to pronounce “Sequim”? Residents of “Warshington state” are of course disqualified from responding.)

OVERVIEW

Six teaching teams carried out direct teaching by visiting both apartment complexes and homes. The result was 8 solid contacts and opportunities to either establish core activities or to add souls to the ones already existing. Overall, it was an exhilarating day where all who participated learned that receptivity is beyond our assumptions! . . .

METHOD

We met at 9:30AM at home of a home-front pioneer and started with prayers, which were followed by a story of one of the martyrs to inspire everyone. Then we studied the first paragraph of the Ridvan 2008 message of the Universal House of Justice to remind ourselves of the reason behind our core activities. Lastly we broke into pairs and practiced with each other how to introduce each of the core activities as well as our opening statement when greeting someone.

“My name is ___ and this is my friend ___, we are Bahá’ís and would like to share with you some of the activities Bahá’ís engage in to build more spiritual communities. Bahá’u’lláh tells us to “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in” and “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”

In the afternoon we went to our assigned neighborhoods for a couple of hours and then returned to our host’s home to share and reflect.

(Most teams consisted of two members, one male and one female. At least one team member was a local Bahá’í, who could make follow-up visits to receptive contacts.)

TEAM 1 SUMMARY

Focus: A large, older apartment complex.

Results: Two solid contacts: one complete presentation, one invite back.

Core Activities: Opening for devotionals in contact’s home; opening for contact to attend Book 1 study circle; possibility for Children’s Classes.

This team went to many apartments with initially discouraging results. Many people were not home; others, although courteous, were not interested. However, after visiting perhaps 50 units they came to a receptive soul!

A woman invited the team right in to her home. The Bahá’ís gave a brief general statement on the Faith and then shared an overview presentation. As it progressed, the lady kept saying, “Yes, yes!” and “I’ve always believed that!” The presentation got to the point about how human diversity makes humanity beautiful, just like multi-colored flowers in a garden. She interrupted to inform them that she had even given a talk at her church on the very same subject! The full presentation was shared.

The seeker asked the Bahá’ís to explain how Bahá’u’lláh’s claim to be the Promised One could be valid when Jesus had said that there was no way to the Father except through Him. The teacher explained that this could be understood as similar to a student in school: For a student in the 5^th grade, the 5^th grade teacher’s way is the only way, and that’s how things have to be done. However, when the student advances to the 6^th grade, the student is ready for more knowledge and then the 6^th grade teacher’s way becomes the only way. She was very pleased with this explanation and said that it made perfect sense and cleared that up for her. Then the prayer, “O God refresh and gladden my spirit” was read and she started crying. A prayer book was left with her. She took a declaration card and agreed to a regular prayer session in her home. She was told about study circles and “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit”; she said she would like to attend a study circle. She was told that a local Bahá’í would return and visit her.

This team also encountered another woman who said that she was interested. Children’s classes were mentioned and she seemed even more interested. She asked them to come again another time. She would invite her mother to be present.

REFLECTIONS of one team member: She was initially uncomfortable about direct teaching in neighborhoods and just went along to observe. She realized that she needs to practice giving the presentation on the Faith, but she also saw that she could have answered all of the questions that were asked and so she felt good about that. Her conclusion was that you just have to be brave enough to go and have someone you have confidence in to go with you. This Bahá'í said that as the team was speaking with the very receptive lady they met, she was so happy that she begin to share answers herself, overcoming her shyness.

TEAM 2 SUMMARY

Focus: A new apartment complex.

Results: One solid contact: one complete presentation, one follow-up visit to be made.

Core Activities: Opening for contact to attend Book 1 study circle

A woman in answered the door at the very first home the team visited. The woman identified herself and listened intently to the entire presentation. She asked questions about Christ being the only “way”. The presenter was careful to draw parallels between the Faith and Christianity and she responded extremely well to this, often pointing them out herself. She had her Bible handy and looked up many pertinent passages. All the core activities were discussed and she seemed very interested in each of them. The team obtained her phone and email information to arrange a return visit. She said that she had talked to other religions, but that their explanations had never made any sense to her, and then pointed to one of the Baha’i teachers and said: “what you say makes perfect sense”.

Making waves with permanent teaching teams

East San Diego County, CA (A) has begun another cycle of its intensive program of growth. One thing that struck me as I read the reports from their cluster newsletter (we are seeing more of these popping up around the country) is that once you have the human resources, you can really start making waves! They have in place several strong teaching teams, communities throughout the cluster are actively participating, and they literally got showered with additional help from a summer youth teaching project. Here is a summary of the first couple of weeks:

The third cycle for our cluster began with a cluster reflection gathering. Every community was represented, and 6 permanent teaching teams were formed to ensure continuing activity throughout the cluster after the two-week expansion phase. . . .

A neighborhood was selected to be the focus of teaching activities. Teams included Bahá’ís from every East County community as well as supporters from the San Diego cluster. We also had the bounty of being blessed with the presence of some 48 outstanding youth from all over southern California, who were participating in a summer youth teaching project.

We now have a total of about 70 receptive contacts made during the expansion phase. During this cycle we had one seeker participating in the prayer chain and another went out teaching with us one evening.

A very interesting part of the newsletter is the following description of a teaching team, something that has emerged from the friends’ experiences on the ground:

During the last cluster reflection meeting, the concept of “permanent” teaching teams was introduced. A teaching team is a group of friends who meet regularly to support each other in their teaching efforts.

A teaching team can have 4 to 8 members. It’s entirely up to the teams to decide on numbers.

Team members come together to deepen, pray, eat, consult on teaching, share insights, reflect, plan, engage in firesides and core activities.

Teams are encouraged to have at least one tutor and one children’s class teacher so that the core activities can be supported and sustained in the community.

There are already 6 teaching teams formed across the cluster. The goal is to have at least 10 teams with an average of 5 members during this cycle.

Starting a teaching team

To start a team in your area, talk to your friends in your community. The most effective teams are those composed of people who are close friends, family members or close neighbors. If you have a smaller team, please consider reaching out and inviting someone who lives nearby to join you. If you have a larger team with several tutors, you may want to set a goal to split and form two smaller teams. Select a team member to communicate with the area teaching committee regarding your activities, successes, problems and learning so we can share amongst all the teams and with the Regional Bahá’í Council.