New resources for teachers

On the “Resources for Teachers” site (at the lower right of this page) there are links to several useful materials for those engaged in the teaching and consolidation work. Newly posted is a link to a large array of materials graciously shared by the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Southwestern States, titled “Deepening Themes and other materials”. This set of documents includes booklets in English and Spanish containing the deepening themes from Ruhi Book 2, as well as many other useful tools.

Training leads to teaching

In many places, the believers are participating in trainings to build their skills in direct teaching and prepare them to share the message of Bahá’u’lláh with their neighbors. Here is a report from the friends in Albuquerque, NM (A), where training raised up a cadre of confident and enthusiastic teachers. Also worthy of note is that the friends are beginning to see their efforts as one part of a worldwide process.

We learned in our training to realize that since we are created to know and love God, it should be no surprise to us when people are ready to accept Bahá’u’lláh’s message quickly and easily just as we are not surprised when a fish by instinct knows how to swim!

On Saturday we had a day-long training on the use of Anna’s presentation. We learned skills for talking to people and doing direct outreach and had a chance to discuss our cluster and what this might look like for us. Then we did direct teaching and had some wonderful results!

Teams of teachers who had participated in the training taught in the __ and ___ apartment complexes. These teams knocked on doors and offered Anna’s presentation. After giving the presentation, teachers asked two questions: “Do you see the light of God in these words, do you believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the Manifestation of God for today?” and “Do you want to join the Bahá’ís in working for unity and building a better community?” If people answered yes, they were immediately invited to declare! Using this simple presentation, in one weekend 8 people joined the Bahá’í community!

These adults and children are ready and eager to learn more about their new Faith and are eager to begin study circles, children’s classes and devotional gatherings for their families and communities. We will need the help of everyone to help consolidate these new believers. Please contact the area teaching committee if you would like to meet these new believers and help to welcome them.

Friends this is only the beginning. We are ready now to join dozens of clusters across the United States and the hundreds across the world that are loudly and clearly proclaiming the message of Bahá’u’lláh and are welcoming the entry of troops of new believers into the Faith.

Southern Nevada IPG Days 6 - 9

Here is further news from Days 6 through 9 of Southern Nevada’s (A) expansion phase. The inspiring stories are numerous, and the friends are seeing the fruits of children’s classes, as well as witnessing entire families entering the Cause.

Dearest Friends,

Here we are at the end of the ninth day of the second intensive program of growth in Southern Nevada! Today, another 5 souls declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. This brings the total to 25 souls that have joined us in bearing aloft the Glorious Standard of the Cause! Now, the work continues with many follow-ups scheduled throughout the week. We need everyone's support in visiting the new believers. Please see below for more information.

We are being flooded with inspirational stories from the field. These stories teach us the key elements of success – perseverance, systematic follow-up, and reliance on the power of divine assistance. Here are a couple of stories:

A youth reported her experience as a co-teacher. She recounts: "Halfway through our presentation at a home, we were invited inside. Our seeker explained to us that before we arrived, she was worrying about the war and other distressing news in the world. She was beginning to feel that there were only bad things in the world. She said that the presentation helped her. After further discussion she signed her declaration card and gave us a hug!" It was the first time this youth had given Anna's Presentation.

Here's another one of many stories: “Our team went out into the neighborhood with the goal of reaching out to the parents of the children's class students. We had four people on our team: myself, a youth, and two newly enrolled junior youth. We decided to visit ___, who has been attending the children's class since the first day three months ago. This person had mentioned that he was moving so we thought it would be best to talk to his parents before their departure. We visited his parents who I had met previously. I began to give Anna's presentation; they agreed with everything they heard. They kept asking their son to read the quotes because they already identified him as a Bahá’í! At the end of the presentation I asked them if they believed in Bahá’u’lláh as the Manifestation of God for this day. They said yes! I gave them three declaration cards to fill out; they asked for more because they wanted to register their other children as well! The entire family is now part of our Baha'i family.”

With warmest Baha'i love and gratitude,

Your area teaching committee

Southern Nevada IPG Day 5

Day 5 of Southern Nevada’s (A) expansion phase brings more exciting news. This report includes an inspiring story about the power of children’s classes.

Dear Friends,

The onward march of the teaching and consolidation work continues here in Southern Nevada for a fifth day in our second intensive program of growth. The pace has begun to pick up as more teachers are returning to visit the new believers and focus on the consolidation work. Additionally, there are home visits with seekers who asked us to return during the work week. These teachers have seen the Five Year Plan and its core activities in action.

One of the teachers related the following story: "I have been teaching children's classes since the beginning of the last cycle. It's been three months now and each time I go to the neighborhood the same thing happens: the second I set foot on the property all the children from my class start to gather around and want to know what's going on! Most of the kids in the class are not Bahá’ís. So, I decided to do two things today. First, to talk to the families of the children about the Bahá’í Faith, and second, to have the children in my class introduce me to new families who may want to send their kids to the class. With that, we went out.

“As the children in our class gathered around we asked them if they wanted more of their friends to help us. They all gladly agreed! All of the doors were now open to us as the children guided us to every building and insisted that we not miss any of their friends! I was delighted to see that already these children had friends of every background. I was further delighted to see an eight year old Spanish speaker in my class insist on going with us to every house. He even spoke to all the families that I wouldn't have been able to reach. We were even going to doors where people had previously indicated they were not interested in hearing about the Faith. My prayer partner looked at me and asked 'Do you think we should go to these homes?' Before I could reply the children started knocking on the doors. For the next hour and half we visited eight homes with wonderful results. ALL of them wanted their children to attend the class. Just like that our class tripled in size!"

Dear friends, won't you come join us? As you can see we need your help with children's classes!

With warmest love,

Your area teaching committee

A new cycle of progress

Each new cycle of an intensive program of growth brings additional learning and progress. Beaverton, OR (A), has just completed another expansion phase, and the friends there have experienced a breakthrough intensive teaching. There are 6 new souls who have entered the Cause, and many more who have been attracted. Here is a summary of a report from one of the believers there.

A collective total of 27 individuals participated on teaching teams, the majority of who reside within the cluster. During the expansion phase there were between three to nine teams teaching at any given time.

Expansion phase activities included the following:

Training for teaching teams

Prayers by teaching teams

Door-to-door teaching in neighborhoods that were selected after being visited by members of the area teaching committee

Prayers at the Bahá’í Center while the teams were teaching

Data collection, entry, analysis and reporting

An evening artistic program attended by friends of the Faith and believers

There were 3 enrolments, 3 child registrations, and about 70 individuals who were interested in learning more about the Faith. The new believers will be participating in weekly devotional meetings and study circles. Follow-up activities will also be carried out for the 70 people who expressed an interest in the Faith.

The teachers were galvanized by their experience in teaching.

Openness and teaching in Minneapolis

Sweet news from Minneapolis, MN (A), which finished the expansion phase of the second cycle of their intensive program of growth. Not only is the younger generation at the forefront of teaching, not only is there such an atmosphere of openness that even individuals who have not yet enrolled in the Bahá’í community are accompanying teams of believers to teach the Faith, not only are new believers immediately arising to teach, but the friends are seeing the joyful results of children’s classes. Here is the report from an individual believer:

Dear Friends,

I just got some wonderful news from Minneapolis. Their second expansion phase was brought to an uplifting conclusion this evening. There were 10 to 20 teachers participating each day of the teaching campaign and almost all of the teachers were youth and young adults. Two of the participants on teaching teams this weekend were not declared Baha'is.

On Saturday, one of the believers brought a friend to the Bahá’í center to learn about the Faith. After listening to a round of prayers, he went to a separate room with one of the friends who shared a presentation about the Faith while the rest of the group had some training and deepening. When the group came back together, this individual shared their decision to be a Bahá’í. They said, "I knew there was a good reason for me to be here today. Thank you for welcoming me to this circle. I thank God and thank Bahá’u’lláh for bringing me here today." This individual then joined their friend and another seeker to go out together that afternoon and teach the Faith.

Today, this team went back to visit a family who had expressed interest the day before in learning about the Faith. This new believer spent time with the children while their teaching partner shared the presentation. At the end of the visit the entire family declared, bringing the total number of enrolments at the end of the expansion phase to 10.

Of particular interest during this cycle was a focus on children's classes. Two other families are very interested in the Faith and the core group is starting children's classes in their homes. Today, a teaching team shared a lesson from Ruhi Book 3 with one of the families. The teacher said that she was so touched by how much the children enjoyed it. She said they were excited about learning. The children didn't want to stop singing the verse she taught them and were very engaged in discussion of the spiritual concept in the lesson.

Please keep these dear friends in your prayers as they nurture the faith of these precious souls, enkindling their own hearts.

Love,

A

Anna's presentation + Baha'i center = enrolments

A brief and inspiring report from Savannah, GA (A) conveying news of the enrolment of an entire family. The direct teaching tool? Anna’s presentation. The venue? The local Bahá’í Center.

Hello friends,

Today at the Bahá’í Center we received another confirmation from the Blessed Beauty. A family of eight has been visiting with us on some occasions and was with us today. After devotions and children’s classes, we gave Anna’s presentation and the father and the children enrolled. Please welcome this lovely family to our community and keep them in your prayers.

M