"I have to get over it."

Growth is exciting, but also scary and uncomfortable. As clusters advance and more and more people join the Faith, all aspects of our individual and community Bahá’í lives—all of our patterns of doing things and thinking about things—will be transformed. And not just once, but again and again. So the teaching work not only requires us to build our various skills and capacities (e.g., how to teach directly, how to organize a successful children’s class, etc.), but also a mental flexibility to enable us to respond and adapt to an ever-evolving situation. And of course it is challenging! But all of us can take the leap of faith, so to speak. Here is a beautiful, humble, frank and loving letter from an individual believer from Emerald Coast, FL (B) to all the friends in the cluster, describing a recent “Aha!” moment; it truly captures the road we are all travelling down.

Dear Friends,

The Emerald Coast Cluster is just a short time away from being designated an "A cluster." We've been preparing for this since 2001 and there have already been many changes in our community life. But the changes between now and 2021 will be much greater than those so far experienced. Our beloved Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that everything in nature either grows or withers; there is no constancy in nature. With Bahá'u'lláh's aid, each of us, and our communities, will grow in many ways in order to embrace the hundreds of people who will enroll in the next dozen years. . . .

Today I was meditating on the phrase, A Culture of Learning. I had the surprising thought that nothing I believed to be “true” was absolutely true—it was just my ephemeral understanding and it would change over time:

My understanding of Bahá'u'lláh's station is not 100% accurate—it is an approximation that will improve over time.

My concept of an ideal Bahá'í community is not true—it will also improve over time.

My relationship to the Bahá'í community is not perfect—it will grow over time.

This uncertainty is uncomfortable; as an older person, I want things to stay the same and to match my understanding. I want life to be predictable. I don't want to learn new things; I want my old knowledge to be sufficient.

I have to get over it.

The Buddha said that all human suffering comes from our grasping at ephemeral existence. Imagine a man standing in a river attempting to grasp the water and prevent it from flowing.

The Blessed Beauty says:

The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest, and the lover hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifice all things. That is, whatever he hath seen, and heard, and understood, all must he set at naught, that he may enter the realm of the spirit, which is the City of God.

(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 6)

It is the duty of every seeker to bestir himself and strive to attain the shores of this ocean, so that he may, in proportion to the eagerness of his search and the efforts he hath exerted, partake of such benefits as have been preordained by God's irrevocable and hidden Tablets.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, p. 326)

Dear Friends, we are being transformed, our communities are being transformed, and—through our communities—the world will be transformed. But we don't know what that ultimate world will look like, nor do we know what the ideal Bahá'í community will look like. All of that is still downstream. If we are to participate in the transformation—as positive forces—then we have to “set our understanding at naught” and embrace the culture of learning.

Alláh-u-Abhá,

R

Awakening souls in the shadow of the Tetons

No matter how remote one’s location or smallness of numbers, the friends are galvanizing themselves to reach out to their friends, families and neighbors and teach. Here is a story of an earnest teaching endeavor in Driggs, ID (C). This teaching effort was initiated by a recently-declared believer, and engaged the support of the friends both near and far and even farther. The public talk is going to be followed up by efforts to engage the participants in core activities.

On a Sunday in Fall, friends gathered from far and wide—from over 100 miles away in some cases—to support the efforts of the 2 Bahá’ís in the tiny resort town of Driggs, ID. The purpose of the gathering of the friends was the public talk about the fundamental verities of the Faith given by a member of the Regional Bahá’í Council. This event was initiated by a new Bahá’í of eight months who arranged for the speaker, posted flyers around town, advertised in town newspapers, invited family and friends to the event and arranged for the meeting space. . . .

In addition to the 18 Bahá’ís who were in attendance, 6 adults and 2 children from the wider community were present. 2 spouses of Bahá’ís attended. We were also pleasantly surprised to meet another Bahá’í, previously unbeknownst to us, who has been living in the area for many years.

Of the seekers who attended the meeting, there was a young couple with 2 children who provided contact information for further meetings. The wife had first heard of the Faith in another country and brought her family to the event after receiving a flyer—which was given to her by a local believer who knew of her interest in the Faith. Another of the attendees was a woman who has been studying the Faith for nearly a year.

Our hope and prayer is that through loving follow-up, the interest of these new contacts can be further stimulated through their involvement in core activities.

Using one's work to teach

These two brief stories from Star Valley, WY (a remote locality in a huge C-stage cluster) are intriguing for a number of reasons. First, the friends here found a creative way to teach the Faith specific to their situation: In the store that they own, they display a number of Bahá’í prayers that visitors can take for free, as well as other pamphlets, and when questions and conversations on the Faith open up naturally, they then step in to teach. Second, it also shows the power of deeds to transform hearts and stimulate interest in the Faith. Both stories involve visitors to the town who came the store.

One afternoon, two women came into our store in Star Valley. One of them started reading literature on the Faith that is displayed in the store. I told her she was welcome to take it; she then said, “Explain this religion to me.” So we spoke for 30 minutes. She said this is what people like me and the rest of the planet need. She intends to look up the Bahá’ís in her home city, and also come see us on her next visit to Star Valley.

Yesterday another woman came into the store. We have displayed the Tablet that begins with “Be generous in prosperity” that people can take for free. This woman was holding the Tablet, and she explained that she had recently lost her husband. A Bahá’í had made the coffin, and the care he had taken, and the kindness he showed her and her children, had impressed her. However, he had never explained what the Faith was. She now wanted some information to take back to her family so they could understand what motivated this individual to be the way he was. She took a copy of The Bahá’ís magazine, the “Be generous in prosperity” tablet, and the morning prayer (also displayed in the store). We shared a prayer together for her departed husband.

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

"I would like to clone her"

When an individual contacts the Bahá’í community via the 800-22UNITE phone line or the public Web site www.bahai.us, the Seeker Response System regional specialist works with local believers to quickly respond to the seeker’s interest and connect them to Bahá’ís and core activities near them, according to their interest. The regional specialist, through accompaniment and encouragement, builds the capacity of the friends at the cluster level to more systematically respond to seeker inquiries. And in some clusters, this capacity is showing itself in beautiful and practical ways. Here is a report from a regional specialist about a B-stage cluster in the Northeast region, sharing a wonderful example of systematic follow-up.

I thought you might enjoy reading this wonderful invitation sent by my seeker contact for the __ cluster (she is also the area teaching committee secretary). This is the kind of follow through I try to encourage in all the clusters in the Northeast, and __ is exemplary in this regard. She not only invites the seekers to activities, she also lets all the communities know that the seekers have been invited and urges them to stay current on reporting their events to her, as well as watching for seeker contacts. I would like to clone her. . . .

Loving regards,

R

Sample email from seeker contact to all the Bahá’ís in her cluster:

Dear Friends--

Below is a letter that I sent out to seekers in __ from the national Seeker Response system.

I also sent out an invitation for these seekers to participate in one of the "Reflections on the Life of the Spirit" courses that is starting.

If your personal or your community's meetings—devotionals, Holy Day celebrations, firesides, etc.—is not on this list, it is because I do not yet have information about the event that you are hosting. Please send me the news about any activities that you are hosting so that I can be sure to include it on this regular (monthly) mailing.

with love,

L

Sample email from seeker contact to seeker:

Dear __

On behalf of the Bahá’ís of __, I would like to cordially invite you to attend our upcoming devotional meetings and Holy Day celebrations (listed below). Bahá’í meetings and celebrations are open to people of all backgrounds and Faiths, and there is no cost to participate.

As you may be aware, a fundamental teaching of the Bahá’í Faith is that each soul must freely and independently investigate the Truth for himself or herself. The purpose of all Bahá’í meetings is to contribute to the spiritual upliftment of the individual and of society. Bahá’í are not permitted to proselytize or to put any pressure on others to change their beliefs. Please be assured that you can attend any or all of these meetings without any expectations of "conversion" or even of continuing participation.

If you would like more information and/or would like to attend, please contact the person who is hosting the meeting. Please do not hesitate to contact me as well with your concerns and questions.

With warm regards,

L

for the Bahá’ís of __

(Followed by list of events)

Empowering new protagonists through devotional gatherings

These two reports of devotional gatherings in Phoenix, AZ (A) are nothing short of stunning. As you read, you will see the beautiful coherence between all the core activities. You will see descriptions of gatherings that superlatively implement the ideal of unity in diversity. You will see teaching teams lovingingly accompanying the hosts, who are both doing this for the first time. And you will see that these gatherings are being organized and hosted by members of the community of interest. Now, what do we mean by “community of interest”? It is someone who is not a declared Bahá’í but is participating in the core activities, such as attending a study circle. What is truly exciting about these two stories is that the member of the community of interest is not just a participant—she is the principal protagonist of the core activity that she hosts!

So, first is the story of a seeker who has already been actively teaching a children’s class. She prepared a devotional in which the students each recited prayers. And more!

Dearest Friends,

Friday night was yet another bounty the Blessed Beauty bestowed upon us. Those of us who were able to witness this were humbled. I am so moved and exhausted it is hard to explain. My words could never be enough. . . .

As you all know, __ is a mother from the community of interest who began to teach a children’s class towards the end of the last IPG cycle. The children’s class teachers that had been accompanying her in this service consulted with her about plans for the next expansion phase. They shared the vision of building a spiritual community. She was very open, and said that there are already potluck gatherings on her block, so she decided to now organize a devotional gathering too!

Last Saturday, she hosted a devotional gathering for the first time. She prepared each student in her children’s class to recite a quote, as well as sing 2 songs. The children, ranging in age from 4 to 6 read prayers with her assistance. She also read a Bahá’í prayer.

3 mothers and 1 grandmother, as well as a local believer attended. They were impressed by the children and their ability to recite the verses of God.

The second is another devotional conducted by a member of the community of interest. In this case, a teaching team is accompanying participants in Book 1 study circles to host devotionals, and doing this as their focus for their cluster’s latest expansion phase.

Last night our team carried out its third devotional during this expansion phase. This was part of our team’s plan to accompany the seekers in our Book 1 study circle to co-host a devotional. One of the participants had attended her first devotional gathering during the last cycle. Her heart is aglow with the love of God.

The evening began with a tasty feast! Attending were 21 people from different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities and religions, including people from Pakistan, Morocco, Panama, Cuba, Iran and Hawaii. The host opened with the following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

If a small number of people gather lovingly together, with absolute purity and sanctity, with their hearts free of the world, experiencing the emotions of the Kingdom and the powerful magnetic forces of the Divine, and being at one in their happy fellowship, that gathering will exert its influence over all the earth. The nature of that band of people, the words they speak, the deeds they do, will unleash the bestowals of Heaven, and provide a foretaste of eternal bliss. The hosts of the Company on high will defend them, and the angels of the Abha Paradise, in continuous succession, will come down to their aid.

Everyone contributed to the devotions. The youth from Pakistan and Morocco chanted prayers in Arabic from the Qur’an and played an Islamic song by Michael Jackson. The evening also included a beautiful Buddhist parable and an indigenous prayer for unity. The friends joined together in song and closed with a rap praising the All-Glorious. The evening closed with new bonds of friendship.

Last night was another example of the transformative power of the Institute process!

Humbly,

T

"Are these not wonderful problems to have?"

I guess we “spoke too soon” with last week’s story on the devotional gatherings at the Great Lakes Naval Station in the Waukegan, IL (*C) cluster. Here is an exciting update—these regular devotional gatherings at the naval base have led to some recent declarations! It shows the power of a core activity combined with a receptive population combined with systematic service of a dedicated group of friends.

Dear N,

You asked for a Great Lakes Naval Station update regarding the 4 recent declarations.

Last week, one young man, __, man declared his today after his second visit to the devotional gathering. He was leaving the Navy due to an illness. Another young man. __, verbally declared. I was giving J one of the necklaces that has a Bahá’í prayer for protection written on it. __ said he wanted one of those necklaces, and I explained that the Navy regulations allow us to give these only to Bahá’ís. He then replied that he considered himself a Bahá’í—so we made plans to complete his enrollment at the next week’s devotional. . . .

15 recruits attended that devotional gathering—a record. One of the men had brought 6 or 7 friends. A young lady brought 2 friends. We had a few returnees as well. Amazing.

The following week, one young man started out by saying (before the prayers) that he had wanted to declare last week but had been on duty, so could not come. __ from last week also wanted to declare. After opening prayers, we decided to split the group between those wanting to declare and those who were seekers. When we did this, 2 female recruits who had asked a lot of questions last week said they wanted to declare, too. This was astonishing.

We shared Anna's presentation with all 4 of these individuals with the help of a Bahá’í recruit and a local Bahá’í.

The spirit is contagious. We have again run out of the larger prayer books that we have been giving recruits who declare. We are nearly out of the necklaces with the prayer for protection. In a small way, these were a key element for inviting these souls to the Lord's banquet table. We are also out of the new registration cards. Are these not wonderful problems to have?

"O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!"

With gratitude to the Blessed Beauty for His teaching. May He let us continue to be of help.

Warmly,

M