The 111th Bahá’í National Convention will be held April 26-28, 2019 at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. On April 27, 177 delegates from across the country will cast their ballots to elect the new Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly. Bahá’í elections are unique. There are no nominations or electioneering. After prayers, devotions and reflection, delegates simply cast their vote by secret ballot for those nine individuals that they believe best represent the interests of the Faith. The newly elected Assembly is responsible for the spiritual and administrative needs of the national community for one year The same practice is followed at the local level. Internationally, every five years the members of the nearly 200 National Spiritual Assemblies gather in Haifa, Israel to elect the Universal House of Justice, the primary institution guiding the affairs of the World-Wide Bahá’í community which includes 5-6 million Bahá’ís residing in more than 100,000 individual locations.
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The October 22 Light of Unity Festival was a big success. More than 200 people gathered at Madison's Olbrich Botanical Gardens to celebrate the 200th birthday of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith. It was is an occasion for joy when one sees so many people representing different races, ethnicities, cultures and religious traditions, coming together to celebrate the oneness of the human family.
In the years immediately ahead light will succeed over darkness, goodness over disbelief, peace over nationalism, love over bias and egotism, and submission to the will of God over backbiting and arrogance. The humanity of peacefulness provides an ability to overcome our present difficulties, which in turn will usher in a new era of international harmony and respect and the protection of every human right. The Monona Baha'i Community will be joining their friends, neighbors and colleagues at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Sunday, October 22, from 2-4 PM, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the world-wide Baha'i Religion.
Baha'u'llah (1817-1892) was a spiritual teacher Who announced in 1863 that He was the bearer of a new revelation from God. His teachings have spread around the world, forming the basis of a process of social transformation and community building which is unique in its global scope and the diversity of participants. The Light of Unity Festival is a celebration of the transformative impact of Baha'u'llah's teachings on the lives of families, neighborhoods and communities around the country and the world. Baha'u'llah's vision of the oneness of humanity is an antidote to the racial prejudice and materialism that are corroding American society. "Now more than ever we need positive models of social change that bring people together rather than divide them," said Monona Baha'i, Julia Jenkyns. "This is what we will be celebrating in the months leading up to Baha'u'llah's birth in October." On March 21, 2016 the Baha'i community will complete a 5-year international plan of community building. Simultaneously a new Plan (2016-2021) will be launched aimed at expanding and consolidating our world-wide community. Today, more than six million people of every race, ethnicity and nationality. In the United States we will hold our 108th Baha'i National Convention from Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1, 2016, during which delegates will elect the new National Spiritual Assembly, and consult at length about the needs and requirements of our precious country. Emphasis will be given to out core activities such as Devotional Gatherings, Study Circles, Child and Youth Programs. Do we want a better world? It seems like such an easy question, too easy even. It seems like a question that could even appeal to or selfishness and mall mindedness. But asked in the right way it leads us to confront the limitations we place upon our conscious aspirations. It shows us that the things we think we want in society and in our lives are compromises and substitutes for deeper yearnings we may despair of fulfilling. Here's what I want: a society in which each person's needs are met, in which everyone receives what they are due, in which our days are passed in joy and contentment, in which truth is not obscured by illusion, in which all people live in peace with one another. People cherish these sorts of lofty dreams in their hearts, but many may not consciously think they're possible to ever realize. Certainly, they are goals of the Baha'i Faith. But in their place, most people take up less ambitious but more attainable goals, like obtaining a high paying job, coercing hostile groups and individuals in submission, filling or lives with frivolous entertainment, or voting for politicians that least offend our sense of Justice. When we convince ourselves that these sorts of things are what we really want, we begin to believe that there is no greater treasure than these half-measures and shortcuts to individual and collective happiness. The pain of knowing the impossibility of our greatest desires drives from our memory and or heart what we most deeply want. Instead, we start to perceive them as the fantasies of naïve dreamers or ideologues. I think we should be unashamed to have extremely high standards for the kind of society we want to live in. It's not irrational to strive for things that are beyond the horizon of what's possible today. It's okay, in other words, to dream big. Greatness is part of who we are. A crazy dream today might be a modest proposition 25 years from now. It's our future; let's go for it! Visitors to the new Visitor's Center at the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, are in for a big treat. Its arts-and-crafts-style architecture fits well with the homes around it on Linden Avenue and Sheridan Road, Conrad said. Additionally, because a majority of its space lies below ground level, the first floor presents a low roofline and a modest footprint designed not to overwhelm those homes. Chris Vodden, activities office director for the House of Worship, says "The Baha'i faith is about building community and unity. We hope that the neighbors will feel comfortable with it, and we hope it will have a good influence on the neighborhood." The result is an edifice whose footprint embraces the southwest base of the hill on which the House of Worship rises. It boasts broad windows and skylights that allow those inside to look up at the temple and out at the surrounding neighborhood. The first floor provides interior gathering spaces for groups, an open courtyard where visitors can enjoy the outdoors before walking to the House of Worship, and a "fireside room" scaled and designed to feel like a living room. People will be able to sit by the firelace, catch their breath, or take time to think. The center has plenty of display space along its walls, as well as room for a bookstore and reading room, a comfortable seating area for meetings, and a ground floor exhibition hall, as well as office space for House of Worship and center staff. Throughout the building visitors can also notice reproductions of the House of Worship's cladding, pieces of richly symbolic designs created during the temple's recent renovation. In all, the bright and airy space – even the lower level is designed to have a great deal of natural light – provides more room for work, relaxation and contemplation than the welcome center's former space in the basement level of the House of Worship. The $8 million project, which was dedicated and opened to the public in April, has not been easy to complete. It was under discussion for almost a decade, but began only after a major renovation of the temple itself. The House of Worship renovation and a wholesale renovation of its nine surrounding gardens, which are often used as metaphors for humanity in the Baha'i faith, took place between 2001 and 2012. On February 27, 2015, many Monona citizens joined in the launch of the international “Education is Not a Crime” campaign, with public screenings of Maziar Bahari’s new documentary film, To Light a Candle which was held at 6:30 p.m. at the UW-Madison Campus, Tripp Commons, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, Madison.
The event was sponsored by the UW-Madison Bahá'í Campus Association, Pakistani Studies Association, and Center for Middle East studies; as well as the Madison Area Amnesty International Group, and the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Madison. These grassroots screenings were part of Education Is Not a Crime Day: February 27, 2015. The campaign website, educationisnotacrime.me, features voices of support from citizens around the world, and tells a comprehensive story of the Baha’is in Iran, a religious minority that has overcome severe persecution to build solidarity, fortitude and hope among its people through its passion for education. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Baha’i community has been the target of systematic state-sponsored repression. Forbidden from attending or teaching at universities, the community established the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) in 1987. Through BIHE, the community has championed equality and non-violence, garnering support from educators around the world. Yet, its students and teachers still face enormous obstacles: classes are held in people’s homes and the threat of arrest is part of daily life. The film and campaign are aimed at exposing social injustice and religious intolerance through personal stories and rare footage – often smuggled out of Iran at great personal risk. Education Is Not a Crime is a powerful statement – not only about the spirit and determination of the Baha’is of Iran, but also about the vital role of education in building communities and sustaining hope. The Baha'i Devotions website (http://www.bahaidevotions.us/) has been updated, and we think you will love it. We wanted a site that is more attractive and easier to navigate, Baha'i devotional gatherings are a core activity of the international Baha'i community. These gatherings, held weekly in Monona, compliment other community activities such as Study Circles, Children's Classes, Pre-Youth and Youth Programs. The Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is a sacred space open to all for prayer, quiet reflection, and spiritual renewal. As a reflection of the spiritual truths of the Baha'i Faith – the oneness of God, the oneness of humanity and the oneness of religion – this landmark stands as the only one of its kind in North America. You are invited to get away from the hustle and bustle of your day-to-day live. Come embrace the calm and quiet of the gardens and auditorium Come breathe peace. The central purpose of the Baha’i Faith is to contribute to global unity and help build spiritually and materially vibrant communities. Baha’is and friends meet in neighborhoods and in each other’s homes to pray and serve together, to hold spiritual education classes for all children, and nurture the potential of teens to contribute to and impact the world around them. The House of Worship serves a complementary purpose. It is like a unique gift that belongs to all of humanity. It is for contemplation. It is for prayer. It is made to be a haven for all who need to find relief and shelter in the midst of a hectic world. It exists to serve the spiritual needs of everyone. This website has been updated and redesigned to better meet the needs of the community. The past year has been extremely busy. The launching of our new Baha'i Devotions website was a major undertaking. Preliminary reviews have been favorable and the site's usefulness should prove to be a useful tool for our Baha'i community and our friends across the nation. Our external affairs efforts have also be greatly enhanced with the expansion of the Wildfyre program. Take a look at the website to get a sense of how this effort is being expanded. The Baha’i Campus Association at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in
collaboration with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Global Connections Committee, Amnesty International, Campus Women’s Center, Muslim Students Association and Madison-Israel Public Affairs Committee (MadPAC), announced today that Education Under Fire (EUF), a Documentary and Discussion will take place at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, March 14, in The Marquee, located on the second floor of Union South, 1308 West Dayton St. The documentary addresses the continued government-sanctioned persecution of specific groups in Iran and the blatant disregard of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees education as an inalienable right of every human being. The film will focus on the experience of one among many persecuted Iranian groups, the Baha’i community. In 1987, the semi-underground Baha´i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) was formed to give young Baha´is their only chance for a university-level education. Despite repeated raids and arrests, volunteer teachers and administrators created an independent, decentralized university system that has lifted the lives of thousands across Iran. The BIHE was referred to by the New York Times as “an elaborate act of communal self-preservation.” In May, 2011, the Iranian government launched an organized assault in an attempt to shut down the BIHE. Over 30 homes were raided and over a dozen BIHE professors and administrators were detained. Several are still in prison for doing nothing more than trying to teach. The Iranian government also bans students from pursuing higher education if they have expressed views, joined organizations or engaged in activities that are construed as critical of the government. In addition, the authorities have attempted to prevent instruction in several fields in the humanities and social sciences and have dismissed faculty for ideological reasons. About Education Under Fire (EUF): Education Under Fire (EUF) is a campaign developed to address the Iranian government’s denial of the right to education for ideological and religious reasons. Beyond the goal of encouraging specific action in order to mitigate the effects of these policies in Iran, the campaign will begin conversations on university campuses and within communities around the country in order to raise awareness of the importance of defending Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees education as an inalienable right of every human being. For more information contact: Emily Alexander, [email protected], 608-290-2201, or Carmel Morgan-Weisberg, [email protected], 608-358-2755 |
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