Diagram of an IPG: Seattle Day 1

The friends in the Seattle, WA (A) cluster are currently in the middle of their 10th expansion phase, and are sending day by day reports of successes, challenges, and profound teaching stories. Because of the volume of learning they are generating, we have decided to share these reports as they come in, to give friends in other clusters an idea of what one expansion phase looks like. We’re all rooting for you, Seattle!

Dearest Friends and Fellow Servants of Baha'u'llah,

The first day of the expansion phase of Seattle's Intensive Program of growth has been, in the most simple terms worthy of such an endeavor, a raging success. It can only get better.

Today, nearly 50 individuals participated in the Cluster Reflection meeting which consisted of devotion, service, and practice. After some discussion of community statistics, an opportunity to pledge acts of service for the consolidation phase, and short workshops on how a teaching team actually works, the group reconvened to be divided into their own teams for direct teaching!

These teams reported to the "Peace Room" for their assigned portions of the neighborhood and a folder literally bursting with materials to pass along to those who were interested in hearing a little or a lot about the Baha'i Faith.

Thirteen teams made up of three people each knocked on the doors of approximately 400 homes between the hours of 1 and 4 pm this afternoon. While many homes chose the Seahawk's game over answering the door; several dozen homes engaged in extremely positive visits with the teachers. Approximately one dozen homes requested return visits tomorrow, alone! And we've still got eight days ahead of us!

Numbers abound about today's experiences. More important are the actual interactions:

One team learned to follow the promptings of their heart. After knocking on the door of one home, a woman answered and declared herself satisfied in her faith after the teachers' introduction to the Baha'i Faith. The teaching team thanked her and left, until one member stopped to ask the others if they thought the woman would at least appreciate an invitation to the activities at the Baha'i Center. When the teaching team knocked on the door again, and presented the invitation, a conversation began again leading to a warm 45 minute visit.

Another team learned that practice really does make perfect. Many individuals felt quite nervous at the outset of their venture into the neighborhood. As doors opened and opportunities presented themselves for practice, the team reflected on their growing level of comfort and desire for more chances to introduce new contacts to the Faith.

Others felt so nervous that when their team knocked on the door of the first homes on their block, they hoped no one would answer! Again, after the confirming experiences of teaching those so willing and genuinely interested in hearing about the Baha'i faith, that same hope turned into a prayer for receptivity.

Even chance encounters confirmed the teaching teams. A young man walking down the road was engaged by the kindness and gentle nature of a teaching team. His reply to their introduction was, "I love the Baha'i Faith! My girlfriend and I have been interested for a long time!" He hopes that he and his girlfriend will attend an evening program at the Baha'i Center this week.

While many successful encounters were taking place on all streets immediately surrounding the Center, a great deal of positive interactions also took place at the Baha'i Center itself.

One young man came through the Center door during the afternoon when most people were out and about. He engaged in conversation with a young man from the community, subtlety conveying his interest in becoming a Baha'i! The young Baha'i went in search of a declaration card! In the meantime, another Baha'i woman engaged in conversation with the young man. She sensed something and felt the need to ask, "Would you like to become a Baha'i?" "Yes!" he says! Our new member of the community returned in the evening to join us for a very joyous evening program. His voice could be heard above the crowd in songs led by several community members. This man had not been approached by anyone on a teaching team – he came to the Baha'i Center on his own, seeking to declare himself a believer in Baha'u'llah.

The intensive efforts of several dedicated individuals who spent the afternoon in prayer at the Baha'i Center, and those of you in the community who are keeping the teaching efforts in your personal prayers, clearly, were of assistance.

The evening program itself was an incredible success. Lively music and laughter literally filled the back room to capacity, conveying the joy of newly confirmed teachers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, and introducing what a Baha'i community spirit should look like to as many as ten seekers who joined in the evening's festivities. Approximately half of those seekers will be starting a Book 1 in the near future.

This is only day one of Seattle's Intensive Program of Growth. Please continue with your prayers for assistance and teaching.

"A lot of teaching" in Maryland, door-to-door style

"Cycle 10 starts with a lot of teaching!!!" was the title of the email that shared news of the Howard County-Laurel, MD (A) cluster's 10th cycle of growth, and what better way is there to start? This report shares the friends' experience in approaching neighborhood residents in a door-to-door manner, and the confirmations that they witnessed, despite some initial reservations. A note accompanying the email added that "In the two days since the launch of Cycle 10, we have heard from at least three other friends who have overcome their reticence about direct door to door teaching, and have agree to accompany the teaching teams, if only to stand back and watch what happens!! With action comes understanding, and greater passion for teaching!" Well said!

Dear friends,

We launched our 10th Cycle of our Intensive Program of Growth this weekend, and it was exciting! We started off with our Reflection Gathering, which outlined where we have been, what we have learned and where we are going.We studied guidance from the World Center and consulted about how to improve our method. We all learned a lot and if you weren’t able to make it I suggest you to talk to someone who did to get a highlight of the learning! We also had a lively skit by our youth and one community member on what to do and what not to do when giving Anna’s Presentation. The skit was so lively it may have cost him a potential client… Just ask him!


We kicked off our Expansion Phase on Sunday at the Nowbahar home. We had two teams go out door to door in their neighborhood – and what a success it was! We were all so surprised at how many people invited us into their homes to tell them about the Bahai Faith! We gave Anna’s Presentation IN ITS ENTIRETY to two different families and gave it partially to another seeker!Plus we many homes that asked us to return at another time when they would be available. Just to give you a sense of how it felt, let me give you a little anecdote:

“We just started going door to door and knocked on a lot of homes which no one was at. When someone answered the door we said something like ‘Hi, we are your neighbors and would like to let you know about a few activities we have in the neighborhood; a prayer gathering and children’s class. We are from the Bahai community and wanted to introduce ourselves and see if you would like to know more about the activities or the Bahai Faith.’ About the fifth door we knocked on was answered by a boy – his mom was sitting in the living room. She asked us what the Bahai Faith was. As we were explaining it at the door she stopped us and invited us in. She then offered us a seat and said to her two sons (who were playing video games) “boys – turn the TV off – we are going to listen and learn now!” We gave the hole presentation to her and her boys she loved it! She said she agreed with so much. She said she did not want to change churches at this point but wants to come of our activities. Additionally she said that she wanted us to contact her niece who is looking for a Faith Community. We got contact information for her and her niece and are looking forward to seeing them soon! In total we were there for over an hour!

After that we were so excited, but thought that was probably going to be our only chance to find a seeker that day. But we wanted to go through the whole building so we knocked on the next door. At this door a man said to us, ‘oh, you are Bahai? I know about the Bahai Faith. You believe in Baha’u’llah right?!!’ We asked him if he would like to know more, and he said yes and invited us in!We talked with him for another half an hour or so and said he wants us to come back when he has had time to read on his own and form his questions. He is very interested – he even asked us if he could be a Bahai and Hindu at once! :) We are returning next Sunday to follow up with him.”

Friends- this was such a wonderful experience for everyone involved. I really encourage you to come with us at least once. Even if you don’t feel comfortable knocking on doors or talking to strangers, just accompany a teaching team one time and feel the experience for yourself. It is truly a joy and is so exciting! Also, please, please pray and beg Baha’u’llah for assistance for the teams to find seekers. We know that we have found these seekers only through Divine Assistance! And if we rely on Divine Assistance we will surely find many, many more! If you don’t want to go door to door please come to one of the days to stay back and hold a prayer session and then hear the stories and enthusiasm when everyone returns. This is such a wonderful experience and we truly hope that as many people as possible will have the privilege of being part of it.

Also, remember that so much of our teaching during the expansion phase will happen on an individual basis – both planned and unplanned. Please send the Area Teaching Committee your teaching stories – both planned and spontaneous! We would particularly like to know if you have given Anna’s Presentation to anyone or if you have a seeker that you would like to give Anna’s Presentation to.

With much love and excitement,

The Area Teaching Committee

Cycles of growth off to roaring starts in the Southwest

With 53 intensive programs of growth already underway in the United States (and several more set to begin soon) news of more and more victories are being reported. Two common themes are the significant receptivity to the Message of Baha'u'llah and a palpable sense of excitement as Baha'i communities report their eagerness about sharing His message both individually and collectively.

San Diego, CA

Dear Friends, San Diego cluster launched its 7th IPG Cycle yesterday. Today on the 2nd day of their intensive expansion phase they have had 2 declarations and 3 children registrations. Their goal for this cycle is 50 new Baha’is. 5 down 45 to go!

Tucson, AZ

Dear all, Tucson started its new IPG cycle yesterday with a youth retreat. Today after the cluster reflection gathering teaching teams went out to five neighborhoods. During this first weekend they have had 9 declarations and 3 children registrations! Their goal for this cycle is 24 new believers. So far they have had 12! They have 69 revisit appointments to go back and give Anna’s presentation!

The other exciting news is that 17 youth were among the members of the teaching teams taking part in direct teaching activities and going door-to-door over this weekend.

Ongoing efforts by the Houston LSA

Below is a letter from the Houston Local Spiritual Assembly (part of the Harris County, TX (A) cluster), following up on a previous letter sent to the National Assembly and giving updates on initiatives that have since been undertaken. This letter not only shows an ongoing process of action and reflection about the aims of Five Year Plan, but the Assembly's decision to keep the National Assembly and their Regional Baha'i Council abreast of their efforts ensures that other communities can learn and benefit from their example as well.

Dearly loved friends,

Since the initial response of the Houston Assembly to the August 14th letter of the National Spiritual Assembly, the Assembly has . . . engaged in on-going consultation on the needs of the Five Year Plan in light of the August 14th letter and these meetings.

The initial response of the Assembly sent . . . to the NSA on September 5th was:

1. Members of LSA to continue taking Ruhi Books to finish the sequence, members who have finished the sequence to participate in core activities, tutor, and/or co-tutor.

2. To invite [our] ABM, to meet with the LSA on any Wednesday she is available.

3. LSA members to form three groups of three, or other format, for home visit during the upcoming IPG in September.

4. Meeting with ATC: Date and agenda will be decided later after meeting with ABM.

The first item is on-going and the 2nd and 4th were done. Not all members of the Assembly were able to do the home visits during the September intensive campaign as mentioned in the 3rd item.

Subsequent actions and/or decisions have been as follows:

1) The Assembly will add one extra meeting a month so that there is more time to focus on the needs of Five Year Plan while still addressing other business of the community.

2) Committees and neighborhood councils are being evaluated both in regard to the need for each as well as how many friends are needed for the task. To date, the Assembly has decided that the existing committees are needed but decided to reduce the number of friends serving on the neighborhood councils.

3) One need identified during the meeting with the ATC and Auxiliary Board member was that of encouraging attendance at the Reflection gathering. . . Actions taken for the recent Reflection gathering were:

· Assembly members contacted Houston council and committee members to encourage them to attend.

· A letter from the Assembly was read at the feast encouraging friends to participate in the Reflection Gathering.

· A calling post callout was made to Persian speaking friends to announce that translation would be available at the Reflection Gathering.

4) The Assembly is endeavoring to have the Five Year Plan activities the main emphasis at Feast and is exploring different ways of doing this.

5) The Assembly is considering ways to encourage individuals in both the institute process as well as the core activities.

The Assembly continues to consult regularly on what more can be done towards active involvement in and support of the Five Year Plan. The Assembly will also continue collaboration with the Area Teaching Committee, Cluster Institute Coordinators and Auxiliary Board members.

With loving greetings,

The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Houston

Chicago IL launches its 4th cycle with Anna's Presentation

Every cluster is different, especially those where the entire cluster is one locality with one Local Assembly. The Chicago IL cluster (A) recently launched its 4th cycle of intensive growth and has this to share about how it approached this expansion phase by dividing the cluster into sectors for planning and training

Overview:

In the current cycle of growth there was a great emphasis on direct teaching. There were three gatherings held across the cluster on January 12 to serve as training and refresher meetings for the participants to eventually come up with teaching plans that incorporate direct teaching. All participants were introduced to Anna’s presentation and practiced to determine receptivity and share the Message at any given time when appropriate. The purpose of this report is to capture the various activities in the cluster so that the Core Team can better gauge growth and so that the LSA and cluster institutions can offer guidance on goals for the next expansion cycle.

Scope:

Instead of one central location or area of focus participants in the training and refresher meetings were encouraged to invite their neighbors for a devotional gathering that could possibly lead to a fireside and an opportunity to share Anna’s presentation. The goal was to determine sustainable teaching and consolidation approaches at the neighborhood level that can be replicated or intensified in other parts of the cluster during the next expansion phase.

Planning and Activities:

The Core Team met to consult and plan the expansion phase activities. Chicago has one LSA and the Core Team is constantly in touch with the LSA through a liaison who is a member of both the ATC and the LSA. Learning and suggestions for planning the next IPG have been to start the planning as soon as possible since gathering resources and making sure that everyone is on the same page with a plan requires much effort, communication and time. Another aspect that may enhance the scale of activities is for the Core Team to meet with various participants and the LSA to discuss and refine plans much before the launch of the IPG. Also there was no time to plan a reflection meeting instead there were the training and refresher gatherings planned across the cluster.

Three coordinators planed the training and refresher meetings for the three separate areas and one person coordinated and communicated with each coordinator especially for reports from that area during the expansion phase. Primarily it was decided to pursue a door-to-door teaching approach to gain experience in the process. Other activities were also encouraged as long as the emphasis was on moving towards direct teaching. Many participants did go door-to-door despite the cold weather in the city.

Statistics:

Although it was challenging to gather all statistics systematically, this report has primarily been possible with the help of the Core Team members for sending in as much information from various teaching activities as possible during the expansion phase. All numbers are based on reports that came in and are therefore conservative since there are always activities that the Core Team does not hear about till much later. The reporting process needs to be streamlined where the required information is clearly identified and conveyed to the participants in the IPG before the launch of the expansion phase. This would allow for a standard reporting process that would make it easier to tally data during and after the expansion phase.

Total Participants in expansion phase activities: 62
Participants in Teaching and Outreach activities: 39
Neighborhoods with door-to-door initiatives: 8
Total contacted through outreach: 187
COI and contacts attending activities: 51
Home visits: 17
Anna’s presentations: 14
Declarations: 2

Receptive Populations? Just Look Next Door

This is the account of one Auxiliary Board member from the Springfield, IL B cluster who went door-to-door with his son, inviting neighbors to a devotional meeting at their house. Particularly interesting is his observation that the receptivity of a population might depend on the Baha’i who is approaching them - the idea that our neighbors might be receptive to hearing about the Faith from us, because they know us personally (or at least share a common neighborhood with us), whereas these same people might not be as open to Faith if they were introduced to it by Baha’is from another area. It gives you a feeling of responsibility, doesn’t it!

After leaving Evanston [IL B-stage cluster] one Sunday, I was reflecting on the experience of direct door to door teaching in Evanston and Aurora [IL A-stage cluster] while driving back to Springfield. . . I thought about the circumstances of these projects and wondered what we can do to increase the rate of successful teaching encounters.

When I got back home, my son and I prepared an invitation card for a neighborhood devotions at our home for Wednesday evening and went out the same afternoon, going door to door in our neighborhood to invite the neighbors. We have lived in this neighborhood for 17 years and sad to say, other than two or three of the neighbors immediately next to us, we have not met anyone else. It is an almost homogeneous, white, middle class, conservative, suburban kind of neighborhood, mostly middle aged couples with grown children.

We knocked on 26 doors. 24 of them were home and opened the door. 22 of them were very happy to talk with us and warmly accepted our invitation. Most of them made comments such as “What a wonderful thing you are doing, of course we will come”. One of them said that they had their own church activity on Wednesday evening. Another one we woke up from an afternoon nap and was not in a happy mood.

Wednesday night was our devotional. 7 households came at 7:30 and stayed till 10:30, 45 minutes for devotions and the rest of the time listening to a direct presentation of the Faith and questions and answers. Two other neighbors telephoned and said how much they wanted to come but one had caught the flu and another had to attend an award ceremony for their son. They wanted to make sure we let them know when the next one will be so they could attend it. All of those who came said that they would like to attend it every time and will spread the word to other neighbors that could not come last night and let them know what a “spiritually enriching” experience it was for them.

Seeing the success of this project which took very little time and effort to plan and implement, we have decided to hold this devotional once a month starting January and use the other three Wednesdays of the month to have a book 1 to invite the neighbors to. Children are almost none existent in the neighborhood, so, children’s classes would not be needed and my son is friends with the few youth in the neighborhood and is working with them directly.

Lesson Learned:

• Direct teaching in your own neighborhood is very easy and rewarding,
• Neighbors would never slam the door on a neighbor’s face,
• It is more likely for a neighbor to accept the invitation of another neighbor than a stranger.
• Follow up is easy and effective. You are right there.
• Statistics are: Size of teaching team: 2, Time spent planning and executing door to door campaign: 2 hours, Of the 26 doors that were knocked on, 85% were happy that you stopped by and accepted the invitation, 27% attended the function and were presented with a bold assertion of the fundamental verities of the Faith, 100% of those who attended said they will come back.
• If it can be done in such a conservative middle class neighborhood, it can be done anywhere.
• Definition of receptive populations begin to take on a different character when it comes to our own neighborhoods.

Assuming we have 20 Baha’i households in a cluster, if 10 of them would do this in their own neighborhood, they can potentially add 70 households to their community of interest and depending on the makeup of the neighborhood, they can provide children and Jr. youth activities, study circles and devotionals and lead to large number of enrollments in a short time.

Direct Flight Equals Direct Teaching

This story from a member of our National Spiritual Assembly is a shining example of how direct teaching can happen in even the most unexpected situations and the power of an effective team (however divinely coincidental) in nurturing and confirming a receptive soul. In addition the touching account, the new believer’s own words will certainly be a source of inspiration and and reflection. Enjoy!

Attendance at this year’s SED conference on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly brought a special bounty. When I boarded the plane and had settled into my seat, a woman came on board who looked exhausted – and very focused on getting into her seat next to me. She was tired beyond niceties and distractedly handed me her coffee, a second glass, her purse, while looking for overhead stowage space. She settled into her seat and fell asleep almost immediately. Nearing Orlando, as the engine sounds changed and the plane began its gradual descent, she woke up and pulled out her book. I had my laptop open, and was scrolling slowly through the SED program, familiarizing myself with this year’s schedule when she leaned over and without any preliminary, began to recommend the book she was reading. “Love, Eat, Pray” was the book, and she was enthusiastic about its spiritual focus. Quickly we began to speak of spiritual things, she mentioned that she had just established a non-profit in L.A. for service to the homeless, and then asked me why I was going to Orlando. When she discovered I was going to the Bahá’í SED conference she asked about the program, I shared my laptop screen with the descriptions of the talks and workshops, and as we landed she asked if anybody could attend the conference, saying that no one knew she was in Orlando. As we talked together heading for baggage claim her questions alternated between the conference and the Bahá’í Faith – by the time we reached our luggage she was seriously considering attending the conference. I mentioned that she would find herself among hundreds of kindred spirits if she came, and in the next moment we were joined by Eric Dozier and JB Eckl at baggage claim. Our reunion enveloped her, and she made the decision to call the hotel, register for a room and to attend the conference!

Her attraction to the Faith was nearly instantaneous. The next day, after some much needed sleep, she registered as a conference attendee and during my opening talk, with her sitting in the front row, I told the story of meeting her. After the evening’s program we lingered and talked until 3:00 AM. Her eyes grew wider and more luminous with each question answered, and early in the conversation she wanted to know how to become a Bahá’í. I gave her a card, telling her that she could register when she knew in her heart that Bahá’u'lláh was the Messenger of God for this day. At that point she had not seen a Bahá’í book, had only heard some wonderful Bahá’í music and my talk, which focused on how the grand “SED project” of the unfoldment of the Faith was picking up momentum with the core activities. Having her in the audience kept Bahá’í jargon out of my talk (and made it better!)

In the next day and a half her joy and wonder grew with each encounter with one after another like-minded Bahá’í. You can imagine how a woman of deep spirituality, with a desire to serve humanity, who had never really found a niche – and, like many, had not imagined that there were others like her - must have felt amongst 600 friends who were all focused on spiritual development. Saturday evening she slipped into the seat next to me for the musical evening, and whispered, “I have my card ready…” As she handed it to me, I handed her the prayer book I had inscribed earlier. Her acceptance of Bahá’u'lláh’s message was full-hearted and grateful and her face was aglow, her joy palpable. I quietly alerted the MC, and at the close of the evening, Jack Lenz called me up to make a final announcement. I grabbed her hand and led her up on stage to greet the friends who had known that she was amongst them from the first evening. With tears in her eyes she expressed her gratitude in finding Bahá’u'lláh and his followers, how honored she felt to be amongst us – and her wonder that the Faith had existed without her knowing it for all these years. Hearts swelled as people stood and applauded the sincere expression of gratitude to the Blessed Beauty. In just these few days she had met and bonded and networked with dozens of Bahá’ís, and knew a new family. Andrew Johnson was at the conference and only lives about 10 minutes from her and will follow up with her, and Red Grammar, who, though he lives farther away, couldn’t resist also taking her under his wing. She looks forward to attending the Nelson’s fireside in a month when she returns to her home in Burbank, and to beginning her book 1 study. Her bag now has her first copies of The Hidden Words, Gleanings, the Iqan, God Speaks Again, her prayer book and Ruhí book 1 (she didn’t want to wait!) There are also CD’s of Red Grammar’s children’s songs for her grandchildren whom she is surprising with this visit for Christmas, CD’s of some of the musicians she heard and loved, and her checkbook has also been lightened with her first contribution to the fund – to the temple in Chile!

This experience brought home to me how our conferences, especially this one, are a potent portal to attract those hearts which have been prepared by Him. This friend was ready – and in three days her experience at the SED conference with hundreds of loving Bahá’ís who’s love for humanity was evident in their actions catapulted her into a sense of confirmation which amplified the few hours of information to which she had been exposed. In those few days her teachers included Counselor Debbie Kirten, Brett Gamboa, Patty and Tom Kubala, Mehr Mansouri, Layli Miller, and Red Grammar to name a few. She ate with people who she felt she’d known all her life yet had only met moments before. She held the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh in her hand for the first time, heard His words sung, chanted and spoken on the lips of hundreds of devoted followers, prayed with ardent youth, rose to her feet with the crowd singing along with Red Grammar, “We are one Family” holding hands, and wept with joy.

What tongue can voice my thanks!

Warm greetings,

-e

From: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.com [mailto:xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 10:46 PM
To: Erica Toussaint
Subject: RE: all my contact info

Hi there sister,

Alláh-u-Abhá and so is meeting you. I can not say how powerful this information is to me and the journey has been do delightful so far. It is as though a re-construction of my life has been completed and I am enjoying the benefits.

I am listening to the tapes that I bought and learning more about making the readings a central part in every aspect of our lives and how we need to grow steadily in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. I really love it all. The Hidden Words, (God asks of us) and The Prayer Book, (We ask of God). I can only pray that I become addicted and dedicate my behaviors and thoughts in alignment of these teachings. It has been so profound for me and I still am so amazed at how blessed I am to have been introduced to my new family and to awaken to the nourishment I have always craved.

I have been really busy with the children. I thought I would finally get rest… maybe next year (Ha). I am just grateful to participate in their lives and have played and sung Red’s songs with them and in the car when we are driving. I speak about my new found glory to my family and friends and every one is happy for me saying that it is perfect for me. There is an acknowledgment that it is not for them. It is so sad to me that they are not interested, but it is what it is and hopefully one day they will realize the preciousness of what I discovered in the Bahá’í Faith.

We need to speak one day and I hope to find out if I could get a tape of the talk that you gave. I would love to preserve this memory and to actually have your spirit and inspiration on hand would be so wondrous for me. This was life changing for me and our friendship and sisterhood will never be severed, not now nor never. I am grateful beyond words. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Finally home,

[Airplane Buddy]