Recent Articles
Baha’i Conference in Atlanta – Part 2
[Note: There was such excitement in Atlanta that other Baha'is from Arlington wanted to share their thoughts. A special thank you to Mitko for providing these wonderful pictures-click "Read the full article"]
“The coolest thing about this conference that kept resonating with me was this quote from a letter from that Universal House of Justice that we read “May all find a part to play.” We all have a part to play to uplift humanity. We should not underestimate the process, it may seem simple, but it is profound.”
~ Blair, Arlington, VA
“Have you been on a road never traveled before? Where you have to trust the directions or you risk getting overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown and turning back too soon, before reaching the goal. Now imagine that 4000 others are on the same road. Or to be more precise, imagine that 6 million others are heading in the same direction, following paths as unique as each one of us is.” This is how Mitko described the Atlanta conference. To read his full post please visit his blog.
Arlington Bahá’ís Describe Joy, Excitement in Atlanta!
On Friday December 5th, a group of Bahá’ís from Arlington and Alexandria headed down to Atlanta for the latest in a series of international conferences (See the post below). Some flew, some drove, others took a joyful bus ride together. Below are some reports that were received by participants at that conference:
“The focus of the conferences is encouraging the participation of every Bahá’í and friends of Bahá’ís in activities that address the spiritual requirements of the day in which we live, studying together the Word of God, praying together, offering spiritual education to our children and developing the moral character of our young people to prepare for lives of service to humanity. After stimulating, funny, inspiring speeches by members of the Continental Counselors from the International Teaching Center, the participants studied together letters from the Universal House of Justice and then gathered in small groups to discuss specific needs and commitments in geographic areas. Everyone was urged to make a pledge of increased activity. To feed the souls of all the conference attendees, musical performances filled Saturday evening.”
~ Kit, from Arlington, VA
Arlington Bahá’ís Take Part in Historic Conferences
Many Arlington Bahá’ís are excited about taking part in a series of forty-one conferences taking place all across the globe . The conferences were called by the Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body for the Bahá’ís of the world, to discuss community activities. Six of the forty-one conferences are being held at various locations in the United States, two of which have been or will be attended by Arlington Bahá’ís including one this past weekend (December 6-7) in Atlanta, Georgia and one this coming weekend (December 13-14) in Stamford, Connecticut.
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.”
Interfaith Devotions
“O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.”~Bahá’u’lláh
What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, cake, tea? Whatever the answer might be, sharing devotions with friends gets us all closer to the Creator. Please join us for interfaith devotions that will take place on Monday, December 8th at 7:00 pm in Ballston. Please contact the Baha’is of Arlington and find out more about this devotional gathering.
A New Baha’i Visits Haifa
I had the honor of being invited to Haifa, Israel, in March 2008, for meetings at the Baha’i World Center. I had become a Baha’i just a year before.
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
