May 16, 2019

To the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of ‘Azamat

Dearly loved Friends,

Our message comes to you this month in the afterglow of the recently completed 111th US Bahá’í National Convention, which in many of its most satisfying features testified to the progress our community made in advancing the aims of the Five Year Plan in the preceding administrative year.

The gathering was pervaded by a special spirit of joy and poignancy, inspired by the Universal House of Justice’s Ridván message conveying news of the worldwide growth and development of the Bahá’í community and sharing the wondrous announcement of the newly inaugurated project to build the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This stirring message created a deeply spiritual atmosphere for substantive discussions about the affairs of the Faith in our country. Highlights of these discussions included the:

·         Advancement of additional clusters to the third milestone on the continuum of growth, for a national total of 19―an increase of 11 since the beginning of the current Plan and reflecting a worldwide trend about which the House of Justice commented in its Ridván message. One of the most exciting features of these clusters is the participation of hundreds, many of whom are not members of the Faith, in the life of the community. The prospects for other clusters to make notable progress, perhaps in the months between now and the next bicentenary, are promising.

·         Steady growth―through a process of regular study, action, and reflection―in the community’s capacity to engage in meaningful conversations on themes of spiritual significance and to walk a path of service with others. As a result, the friends are becoming more and more adept at inviting others into the life of the community, into the sequence of courses, and into collective efforts for the common good. In many clusters, such interactions have led in a natural way to abundant opportunities for direct sharing about Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’í teachings, resulting in invitations to formally enroll in the Faith.

·         Success in the settling of hundreds of the friends as homefront pioneers or in their serving as visiting tutors among populations that have shown special receptivity to the Bahá’í teachings. Genuinely thrilling progress is being made among peoples with a unique and rich legacy, such as African Americans and American Indians, as well as among newly arrived immigrant populations. Substantive consultation also took place on the potential of the Plan’s framework for action to address issues of race and class in our society.

·         Jubilant celebration of the achievement of our $38 million National Bahá’í Fund goal for the fiscal year―another testament to the vitality and devotion of this greatly blessed community!

These are but a few of the highlights of the Convention weekend, as much as we can comfortably fit within the brief span of a letter. We strongly encourage those of you who would like to know more to attend the meetings to report on Convention that will be convened by the delegate(s) from your respective electoral unit. We also encourage you to visit the Convention reportage accessible here (after entering your Bahá’í ID number and password), through the portal at the top of the landing page of our member services website.

With hearts uplifted and inspired by the proceedings of this gathering―central to our divinely ordained system and its electoral process―we turn our attention, with eager anticipation, to the community’s achievements in the months between now and the bicentenary of the Blessed Báb’s Birth, and to a new momentum in our efforts that will surely result in carrying the Plan to a triumphant conclusion. In all you do, be sure our confidence, our prayers, and our abiding love travel with each and every one of you.

                                          With loving Bahá’í greetings,

                                          NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                          THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

                                          Kenneth E. Bowers

                                          Secretary

April 27, 2019

To the American Bahá’í community

      for the Feast of Jamál

Dearest Bahá’í Friends,

As the joyous 12-day Festival of Ridván commenced a week ago, the Bahá’í world welcomed with great gladness of heart the Universal House of Justice’s annual message timed for the occasion.

Though many of you have already taken time to study and reflect on it, the House of Justice’s message warrants continued study by the entire Bahá’í community, and Feast provides a perfect opportunity to do so. Consultation on your plans and activities for the coming year will surely be illuminated and inspired by this guidance. Though it was previously circulated to the community, we have attached the message for your convenience.

We close with warmest and most affectionate Ridván greetings and with our best wishes for a richly rewarding Feast experience.

                                      With loving Bahá’í regards,

                                      NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                      THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

                                      Kenneth E. Bowers

                                      Secretary

Attachment

April 8, 2019

To the American Bahá’í community

  for the Feast of Jalál

Dearly loved Friends,

A member of the American Bahá’í community recently wrote to the Universal House of Justice with a question concerning enrollments and the rate of growth in the United States. The query was made in relation to the individual’s service as a delegate to the upcoming Bahá’í National Convention. In response, this National Spiritual Assembly received a very illuminating letter, written on behalf of the Supreme Body and dated March 22, in relation to these issues, and we feel it would be valuable for the entire community to reflect on the guidance provided therein. We are, therefore, pleased to share the content of that letter with you below, redacted only to remove any personal identifiers:

A delegate can certainly raise at the National Convention the topic of enrollments.  However, it is important for you to be prepared to ensure any ensuing consultation is carried out in a constructive manner and in light of the experience unfolding within the framework of the Five Year Plan.  When discussed in the abstract, this subject could lead to erroneous assertions about the past as well as fruitless, dichotomous debates that create the appearance of conflict between individual or collective teaching, activities for expansion or those for consolidation, direct or indirect teaching approaches, or one particular method of teaching or another.  Consultation at Convention on the topic of enrollments will only be fruitful if it draws upon the practical experience of the friends working in their clusters to determine what has proven to be most effective to date and where the practical challenges lie.

For the friends who are sacrificially promoting the imperatives of the Plan, any decline in the number of enrollments is neither an indication of an increase in apathy or inactivity nor want of receptivity in the general population to the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.  Rather, declarations alone do not provide a sufficient measure of the progress of the Faith in your country or the level of teaching activity within the community.  In the current Five Year Plan, the efforts for expansion and consolidation in your community are unfolding in more than 600 clusters.  Some of these clusters have advanced significantly to the third milestone, where a hundred or more active friends are engaging hundreds of participants, while other clusters have a program of growth that is still at an early stage of development.  Overall, more than 40,000 individuals are participating in core activities, roughly two-thirds of whom are Bahá’ís.  Within each cluster, an expanding nucleus of individuals reflect on their experience and learn over time to extend the scope and increase the effectiveness of their activities.  From the foundation of this experience, the friends are well positioned to accelerate the movement of more and more clusters, multiply core activities, increase participation through outreach to the wider society, and strengthen the process of expansion and consolidation—including learning to increase the number of new believers.

Ultimately, then, any concern about the rate of enrollments, like any other practical challenge that arises in the process of community building, is in the first instance best addressed by the friends in light of their experience in their clusters, where circumstances, resources, approaches, challenges, activities, and results can be considered.  Teaching is the sacred obligation of every believer.  Whether in the course of their daily interactions with friends and colleagues or as part of a teaching team visiting neighbors or in efforts to help a receptive population take charge of its spiritual and material development, the friends are sharing the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh in a multitude of meaningful conversations about human nature and the advancement of society.  Just as an individual finds that certain capabilities contribute to effective teaching, so too the friends in a single cluster can collectively ensure—through training and practical experience—that all the capacities necessary for effective action in the range of activities essential to progress are increasingly developed.  Depending on experience and needs, learning and action in any given cycle may focus on pursuing specific objectives or resolving different challenges, such as how to engage receptive individuals or populations in elevated discussions that attract their interest, how to multiply core activities and increase participation, and, when timely, how to present the Faith effectively and invite a ready soul to embrace the Faith in a variety of settings, such as devotional gatherings, firesides, or home visits.  It is in this context that the 29 December 2015 message of the House of Justice, in setting out the requirements of the current Plan, offered encouragement for the friends to “become more adept at discerning when they have found a hearing ear, at deciding when to be more direct in sharing the message, at removing obstacles to understanding, and at helping seekers to embrace the Cause.”  In cluster reflection gatherings and other settings, the friends have the opportunity to hear about the exploits of their co-workers in the Cause and learn from one another’s experiences, always abstaining from the quixotic quest for formulaic solutions that results in the community lurching frenetically from one activity to another or from the kind of destructive criticism that prevents the search for solutions to challenges and only cools the desire to serve.

In the context of the activities in a cluster, the friends should appreciate certain distinct features of the approach to teaching in neighborhoods where the work is intensifying.  Experience has demonstrated that, in many instances, when introducing community-building activities into a neighborhood or village, an approach that does not emphasize enrollment initially can allow for a wider circle of participation.  Where the implementation of core activities is accompanied with ongoing and rich conversations about associated Bahá’í teachings and the Person of Bahá’u’lláh, the influence of the Faith begins to permeate an ever-broader cross section of the population.  Thus, in a natural and unobtrusive way, a wide array of individuals and families grow in their familiarity with the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and the nature of His Mission.  In their own lives and in the life of the community, they begin to witness and experience the transformation that comes from exposure to and interaction with the Word of God, including its practical application.  In such settings, the ways in which individuals will advance in their relationship with the Faith will vary.  There are some who, while appreciating the effect of the core activities on their personal lives and on the life of the community, approach them only as valuable efforts to better social conditions.  For others, however, a close association with the Bahá’í community and an ever-deeper appreciation of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh evoke a profound love for and commitment to the Faith.  Some may spontaneously request enrollment or readily respond to an invitation.  Others, viewing themselves as completely at one with the Bahá’í community, might express the desire to join the Faith through eagerness to participate in the full range of Bahá’í activities, including those dimensions of community life that are only open to Bahá’ís, such as Nineteen Day Feasts, the Fund, or the electoral process.

The National Spiritual Assembly will lovingly and with deepest gratitude offer prayers in the sacred environs of the Mother Temple of the West for all those who are nobly pursuing the aims of the current Plan—in such a wide variety of settings—that they may ever be blessed and sustained in their patient, determined, and devoted efforts.

                                                               With loving Bahá’í greetings,

                                                               NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                                               THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

Kenneth E. Bowers

Secretary

March 20, 2019

To the American Bahá’í community

      for the Feast of Bahá

Dearest Bahá’í Friends,

With deepest love, we offer you our most joyous greetings on the occasion of Naw-Rúz! As we begin a new Bahá’í year filled with wondrous possibilities, be assured our prayers for your happiness and well-being remain unceasing, our gratitude for your efforts in the path of service to the Beloved of the World profound.

This will be a year of special spiritual potency. At its midpoint, the Bahá’í world will, with great festivity, commemorate the second of the two bicentenaries we have had the unique privilege of celebrating in the course of this historic Five Year Plan. With the 200th anniversary of the Blessed Báb’s Birth now just six months away, it is fitting that we call to mind guidance from the Universal House of Justice received in its message of June 1 last year. Noting the two-year interval between the two bicentenaries, the Supreme Body advised that:

Preparations for the bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb should be undertaken with a recognition that the festivities marking this anniversary have a special context. They will occur just two years after the bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, and the Báb was of course the Herald of Bahá’u’lláh. Before and after the first bicentenary, the believers engaged family, friends, and acquaintances of all kinds in conversations about the life and teachings of the Blessed Beauty, and the conversations which occur in connection with the upcoming anniversary will in many ways be an extension of these, centering on both of the Faith's Twin Founders. For the greatness of this Day, this “matchless Day” extolled by Bahá’u’lláh, is evident from the fact that its advent was announced by two divine Manifestations, Whose Birthdays are “accounted as one in the sight of God.”

To aid your continuing preparations for this sacred event, the Bicentenary Resources website (at www.bahai.us/bicentenary-resources), launched two years ago in advance of the first bicentenary, has been brought up to date with new guidance and the addition of resources pertaining to the Birth of the Báb. The site brings together in one place relevant guidance from the Universal House of Justice, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to media and arts resources. Throughout the spring and summer, it will be regularly updated with stories from communities with creative plans to commemorate this historic occasion in ways that reinforce and advance community-building efforts underway in localities everywhere. We invite you to submit your plans and ideas through the Resource site or by emailing us (at bicentenary@bahai.us). On the site, you can also subscribe to receive alerts when new material is posted.

We are also delighted to share with you a compilation on prayer and the devotional life, specially prepared at the request of the Universal House of Justice. In a letter introducing the compilation to all National Spiritual Assemblies, the Supreme Body noted the many signs of the enrichment of the devotional life of the community apparent throughout the Bahá’í world. The House of Justice expressed its hope the compilation would “add further

stimulus to this signal development” and “help the friends take full advantage of the period of special potency during which the bicentennial anniversaries of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb are commemorated,” and that it would also “be of assistance to individuals, families, and communities as they strive to evoke the spirit of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the creation of occasions where any soul may inhale the divine fragrances, experience the elevating power of prayer, and be drawn together with others in fellowship and common cause.”

The compilation will be available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service as a 54-page bound book within a few days; meanwhile it can be downloaded by accessing this link.

May the year ahead bring new light and joy to all whose hearts are afire with love for the Promised One Whose coming was heralded by the Báb. May all whose souls are receptive be given the chance to hear of His advent and be attracted to His Word. May all who join together to create a new world founded on His teachings be blessed and confirmed.

                                          With loving Bahá’í greetings,

                                          NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                          THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

                                          Kenneth E. Bowers

                                          Secretary

July 31, 2018

 

To the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Kamál

 

Dearly loved Friends,

 

In January of this year, we published the third in a series of letters exploring the situation in our country―especially the continuing struggle against racial injustice― and the nature of our response as Bahá’ís. These three letters aimed at “understanding our teaching work and the quest for justice as interrelated elements of a single all- encompassing process set in motion by the Blessed Beauty, to be realized through our prosecution of the successive Plans formulated by the Universal House of Justice.”

 

In our message for the Feast of Kalimát, we joyfully shared stories of a handful of the hundreds who have arisen to serve as homefront pioneers in the course of the current Plan, most having elected to serve among populations of historic significance―such as American Indians and African Americans―or among those who have recently arrived on our shores. These intrepid souls have, in addition to an abiding faith in Bahá’u’lláh, taken along with them resources and understandings that will increasingly empower the noble peoples they have chosen to befriend to take full charge of their own spiritual

advancement and to make their destined contributions to the creation of an all-embracing, unifying world order based on principles of divine justice.

 

We have observed with pleasure that an increasing number of Bahá’ís are becoming conscious of the connection between social justice and their efforts to further the Plan. In a recently conducted survey, the friends reported on some 2,000 efforts with an

explicit bearing on racial unity. These ranged from work with children and junior youth, to hosting devotional gatherings centered on the theme, to participation in varying

forms of social action, to engagement with others in discussions about race. We have no doubt, moreover, that there are many more such activities that were not reported.

 

These friends, as might be expected, manifest great differences in experience, and the impact of their efforts as a result varies widely. Even if this were not the case, we are simply too few in numbers at present to effect a transformation national in scope. But our community’s potential for focused effort remains far from having been fully tapped. The enthusiasm of many believers for such service and their readiness to engage in such a challenging and vitally important task in a manner coherent with the framework for action presents us with an unparalleled opportunity to learn how to become more and more effective at it in the years ahead.

 

Willingness to learn is fundamental to our progress. As the Universal House of Justice reminded us in a letter addressed to an individual believer:

 

Among the important lessons garnered over the past two decades is that, by focusing on insights derived from the most advanced and successful activities rather than by focusing on shortcomings and weaknesses, the community can come to understand what constitutes effective action and learn to disseminate the knowledge gained. Another lesson is how to approach the development of human resources in a manner that can efficiently multiply efforts and empower those who were previously left on the margins, or were otherwise unengaged, to become protagonists of a process of community building and social change. . . . Consider, for example, the development of the junior youth spiritual empowerment program. Years ago, it was a mere concept; today it reaches hundreds of thousands and is having a profound impact on the villages, neighborhoods, islands, and schools where it is being vigorously implemented. This capacity for social transformation, increasingly being realized in the most advanced clusters, encompasses not just the work of community building but also the engagement of the believers, both in the discourses of society in all accessible social spaces as well as in projects of social and economic development.

As the Supreme Body emphasized in its counsel to that same individual, the American Bahá’í community is committed to “a path of systematic action and learning, involving community building, social action, and participation in the discourses of society, from which the community will never withdraw until the problems of race are completely resolved, no matter how long and difficult the path may be.”

We look forward with eager anticipation to the discoveries and wondrous learning your continuing efforts to “safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men” will yield. Be assured of our warm and abiding love and unceasing prayers for your guidance, confirmation, and great success.

With loving Bahá’í greetings, NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

Kenneth E. Bowers

Secretary

November 21, 2017

To the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Qawl

Dearest Bahá’í Friends,

On the last day of October, as the joyfulness of the month’s commemorations of the Bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth continued to reverberate across the globe, the Bahá’í world welcomed a special message from the Universal House of Justice expressing its great gladness with the manifold reports of these events it was receiving.

Though many of you have already taken time to study and reflect on it, you will, we feel sure, recognize that the House of Justice’s message warrants a careful shared reading by the entire Bahá’í community, and this Feast provides a perfect opportunity to do so.

We therefore strongly recommend that the Supreme Body’s message be read and discussed during the time customarily set aside at Feast for the sharing of and consultation on our monthly letter. Though it was previously circulated to the community, we have attached the message for your convenience.

We close with warmest and most affectionate greetings and with our best wishes for a richly rewarding Feast experience.

                                   With loving Bahá’í regards,

                                   NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                   THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

                                    Kenneth E. Bowers

                                   Secretary

Attachment

To the American Bahá’í community for the Feast of Qudrat

Dearly loved Friends,

Though the jubilant nationwide commemorations of the 200^th anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth are now some days behind us, memories of their vibrancy linger. Reports are just beginning to be received of the ingenuity, festiveness, poignancy, and reverence with which Bahá’í communities in localities across the land observed this historic and never-to‑be-repeated occasion.

As we collectively pause, “tired but blissful,” to reflect on the remarkable variety, beauty, and meaningfulness of the events we created―celebrations whose joyful reverberations are still being felt far and wide by large numbers of our friends and neighbors―we must surely be inspired to warm appreciation for and gratitude to our fellow believers for their sharing with us, side by side, the long months of consultation, careful planning, creativity, and assiduous effort it took to transform concepts, designs, and schemes into impressive reality. Be certain this Assembly fully joins you in this loving appreciation and gratitude.

Many of our offices here at the Bahá’í National Center likewise worked throughout the year to ensure your efforts were strongly supported and supplemented. While one team worked diligently to build a rich interactive website stocked with an abundance of useful advice, planning aids, and publicity materials, another painstakingly put the finishing touches on The Bahá'ís, a comprehensive magazine-like presentation of the Faith’s history and essential teachings. Still other offices attended to the translation―into three other languages―of the narrative of Light to the World, the documentary film commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, and to the DVD’s swift distribution to the community.

These are but a few examples of the wonderful spirit of unity and accord with which our entire national community rose to the occasion of the Bicentenary and did all in its power to honor it and to exploit its vast potential for making our Faith better known to our fellow-citizens. But the achieving of such splendid results obviously did not come without a cost―as do all our activities. This simple but powerful truth was perfectly conveyed by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in his observation that “the progress and execution of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means.”

Friends, we mention this principle because, at this writing, with virtually half our fiscal year complete, the status of our National Bahá’í Fund is again considerably short of expectations, with contributions standing at about $12.8 million, slightly more than a third of our goal of $36 million for the year. Put another way, with just six months remaining in our fiscal year, we will need more than $23 million―contributions of roughly $4 million each calendar month―to meet our goal.

Experience has shown us we can do it. The power of our determination, our enthusiasm, our creativity, our spirit of enterprise, and our readiness to sacrifice has many times enabled us to surmount more formidable mountains.

As we take time to savor the triumphant results of our efforts to ensure that the Bicentenary of the King of Glory’s birth was befittingly celebrated―let us draw such firm resolve and renewed energy from what we have accomplished as to propel us not only to win our goal but to far surpass it!

Our admiration and gratitude for all you do to advance this Cause knows no bounds. Our prayers for your happiness, well-being, and great success are ardent and constant.

                                             With loving Bahá’í greetings,

                                             NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF

                                             THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

                                             Juana C. Conrad

                                             Treasurer