Stephen Hall and Rachel Ndegwa spoke as representatives of the International Teaching Center. Gerardo Vargas, a member of the Continental Board of Counselors, also gave an address. Continental Counselors are individuals appointed by the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body, to oversee the protection and propagation of the Bahá’í Faith around the world. Nine of these individuals serve on the International Teaching Center in Haifa, Israel, where the world headquarters of the Bahá’í Faith is located. Also in attendance were Robert Henderson, Jacqueline Left Hand Bull and William Roberts, three members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.

Almost 2,000 people came to the conference in Connecticut, even with a sever ice storm; so many people showed up for this historic event that they needed overflow rooms! Saturday morning plenary sessions were following by a bag lunch, and then afternoon breakout sessions where small groups were able to study and plan together.

Saturday evening there were wonderful musical performances. (We hope to publish a second post highlighting those performances shortly). Sunday morning there were more keynote addresses and then more breakout sessions. Below are some pictures from the weekend.

So what are the activities that are happening here in Arlington, VA? We have study circles, which constitute a learning process that allows the Word of God to penetrate our hearts. There are children’s classes and junior youth groups. Children are the foundation of civilization; if we want to change the world we have to start with children. Local Bahá’ís also host prayer gatherings in their homes. These activities help us develop our own spiritual and social capacities as the world is in decline, and help us better serve the community. To find out more please contact us.

The Bahá’í World News has created a website to capture a summary of each of these meetings and provide a space for participants to share their comments. Mehrdad who attended the conference in New Delhi, India stated “The highlight here is the coming together of diverse peoples, sitting under one roof, and thinking the same—the unity of thought of people. I am seeing this for the first time in my life. It’s the realization of what Bahá’u’lláh described: the garden with different flowers.”

The conference in New Delhi on November 22 and 23 had over 2,700 participants from all over northern India, 480 from Nepal, 120 from Pakistan and 50 from Afghanistan joined together to talk about concrete actions to build love and unity. The focus of the conference was on tending to needs of the children of the world and offering them lessons that develop their spiritual faculties and lay the foundations of a noble and upright character. They discussed how systematic study of the Word of God in small groups can build the capacity for service, as well as shared stories of efforts to help young people form a strong moral identity in their early adolescent years and empower them to contribute to the well-being of their communities. All of this was done is a spirit of joy and fellowship. Naheed and Tuba, two participants from the New Delhi conference, submitted the photos that are accompanying this story.

We expect to post a report from Arlington Bahá’ís who attended the Atlanta conference later on this week. A summary by Arlington Bahá’ís of the Connecticut conference will be posted next week. While each conference is unique, all will have the same theme, looking at the activities that Bahá’ís are doing in their own neighborhoods to build love and unity. If you are interested in learning more about the Bahá’í Faith, or the activities happening here in Arlington, we invite you to contact us.

My wife, who accompanied me, and I had an opportunity to tour the Baha’i Holy Places at Bahji - the Shrine of Baha’u'llah - and the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa.

From among hundreds of photos that we took, I would like to share this two-minute animated slide show of a new Baha’i’s first visit to the Holy Lands.

~ David Henderson, an Arlington Baha’i

“Everybody should read this book, right now! This book is for everyone who has struggled to get their community involved. This book is for everyone who has looked at social projects being carried out elsewhere and wondered “why can’t we do something like that here?”

“Aaron Emmel’s Taking Action in a Changing World (published by George Ronald) takes a broad view of socioeconomic projects, and explores what must be done to set up efficient agencies of action. His book is written in short chapters, with an eye toward group reading and discussion.”

You can read the full review here or an interview with Mr. Emmel here. But the best way to find out about this book is to come to the discussion at the DC Bahá’í center located at 5713 16th Street, NW. There will be devotions at 11:00 and then the talk will follow. Everyone is invited to attend.

The principle of the unity of religion is at the center of Bahá’í teachings. Bahá’ís believe that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony and that their aims and purposes are one and the same. Often Bahá’ís refer to this continuous process as “Progressive Revelation.” To find out more about Progressive Revelation we invite you to join us tonight, Friday November 14 at 7:30pm for a discussion and light refreshments. For more information or directions, please contact the Bahá’ís of Arlington

“Consider the sun. Were it to say now, “I am the sun of yesterday,” it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles.”
~ Baha’u'llah