Madison Area Bahá'í Center - 324 West Lakeside St. Madison, WI
Devotional Gatherings
The community gathers for devotions at 2:00 pm on the second Sunday of each month, at the home of Julia and Dennis Jenkyns, 5500 Healy Lane, Monona. On other Sundays, we join the Devotional Gatherings at the Madison Area Bahá'í Center at 10:00 a.m..
Devotional Gatherings bring friends, families and neighbors together in a spirit of worship — feeding the soul through prayer, song and contemplation. Drawing strength from the cultural character of each community, they inspire meaningful connections in an informal setting. The heart of Bahá'í Devotional Gatherings is the sharing of prayers and passages from the Holy Scriptures -- beyond this there is no set form. Devotional meetings are a chance for us to learn how to create an uplifting, spiritual atmosphere. This often involves music and the arts. The key is to help clear our minds from the anxieties of our daily lives and to meditate on our higher purpose.
The Bahá'í teachings prescribe daily prayer and intimate communion with God as the foundation for a life devoted to spiritual advancement and service to humanity.
Devotional Gatherings provide a refreshing refuge from the discordant and often challenging aspects of everyday life. Participants meditate on spiritual principles and gain perspective on how spiritual principles can be applied to one’s day-to-day life.
Devotional Gatherings bring friends, families and neighbors together in a spirit of worship — feeding the soul through prayer, song and contemplation. Drawing strength from the cultural character of each community, they inspire meaningful connections in an informal setting. The heart of Bahá'í Devotional Gatherings is the sharing of prayers and passages from the Holy Scriptures -- beyond this there is no set form. Devotional meetings are a chance for us to learn how to create an uplifting, spiritual atmosphere. This often involves music and the arts. The key is to help clear our minds from the anxieties of our daily lives and to meditate on our higher purpose.
The Bahá'í teachings prescribe daily prayer and intimate communion with God as the foundation for a life devoted to spiritual advancement and service to humanity.
Devotional Gatherings provide a refreshing refuge from the discordant and often challenging aspects of everyday life. Participants meditate on spiritual principles and gain perspective on how spiritual principles can be applied to one’s day-to-day life.
Study Circles
The purpose of Bahá'í study circles is to provide participants with the knowledge, spiritual insights and skills to enable them to contribute to the betterment of society, starting with their own neighborhood. This is done through systematic study of a sequence of courses based on the Bahá'í Writings using the courses of the Ruhi Institute. (www.ruhi.org).
The first in the sequence of ten books is called Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. It examines spiritual matters such as prayer, meditation, life after death and the development of the soul. Study circles are regularly held in Monona and throughout Dane County and are open to all. Contact us to find out when the next study circle begins.
Children's Classes
Children's Classes are held throughout Dane County. Contact us to find out where classes are being held in the area.
Providing spiritual education for children has long been an element of the culture of the Bahá’í community. In neighborhoods across the United States, Bahá’ís and their friends offer moral education classes that nurture the hearts and minds of children, complementing the education they receive at school.
These classes are open to children of all backgrounds and are often run in collaboration with their families. Drawing on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, the classes aim to inspire in children a love for God and the Founders of all the great religions in the world.
The classes, both by studying sacred verses and talking through the questions that children face in their lives, help children apply spiritual principles – such as love, unity and justice – to their own lives, to their families and their friends.
All children are welcome to these classes, and no child participates without the approval of his or her parents. These classes include short lessons, activities to build social skills and friendships, games, stories that illustrate virtues like love, kindness, generosity, at the love of art and music.
Providing spiritual education for children has long been an element of the culture of the Bahá’í community. In neighborhoods across the United States, Bahá’ís and their friends offer moral education classes that nurture the hearts and minds of children, complementing the education they receive at school.
These classes are open to children of all backgrounds and are often run in collaboration with their families. Drawing on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, the classes aim to inspire in children a love for God and the Founders of all the great religions in the world.
The classes, both by studying sacred verses and talking through the questions that children face in their lives, help children apply spiritual principles – such as love, unity and justice – to their own lives, to their families and their friends.
All children are welcome to these classes, and no child participates without the approval of his or her parents. These classes include short lessons, activities to build social skills and friendships, games, stories that illustrate virtues like love, kindness, generosity, at the love of art and music.
Junior Youth Programs
The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is open to young people aged between 11 and 14, and assists them to navigate through a crucial stage in their lives.
Those in their early adolescent years possess altruism, a sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe, and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world. The program helps them form a strong moral identity and empowers them to contribute to the well-being of their communities and the world at large.
By developing their spiritual qualities (virtues), their intellectual capabilities and their capacities for service to society, the participants come to see that they can become agents of positive change in the world. The program adopts a participatory mode of learning where the facilitator and participants learn from each other.
Groups of participants engage in activities such as artistic expression, discussion, drama, cooperative games, study of literature, storytelling and acts of community service.
The Junior Youth program explores themes from a Bahá'í perspective, but is not a formal religious education program. It is open to all, subject to parental approval. Junior Youth groups meet on a regular basis and there is no written homework.
Those in their early adolescent years possess altruism, a sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe, and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world. The program helps them form a strong moral identity and empowers them to contribute to the well-being of their communities and the world at large.
By developing their spiritual qualities (virtues), their intellectual capabilities and their capacities for service to society, the participants come to see that they can become agents of positive change in the world. The program adopts a participatory mode of learning where the facilitator and participants learn from each other.
Groups of participants engage in activities such as artistic expression, discussion, drama, cooperative games, study of literature, storytelling and acts of community service.
The Junior Youth program explores themes from a Bahá'í perspective, but is not a formal religious education program. It is open to all, subject to parental approval. Junior Youth groups meet on a regular basis and there is no written homework.