Arlington Baha’is to hold dynamic, tasty and fun themed parties.

It is often said that the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomachs, and the newly inaugurated Iron Chef™ style parties held by a new couple in Arlington aim to provide just that: an opportunity to make new friends, enjoy the company of old friends and create – through culinary endeavors with that month’s theme product- a feast for both eyes and tummies!

These have been a great success in bringing new friends and the community together. Being new to Arlington, to the East Coast, to marriage and their first home together, Mojdeh S. and her husband Chris S. set out to share their love for cooking. Since it’s inception in June, they have welcomed many friends – new and old – in their home and elsewhere to share fellowship, food and fun. Conversations have inspired, life milestones have been celebrated and new friendships have blossomed. It has become the place to be each month for those wishing to try out a new recipe, get creative with a family favorite and enjoy the scrumptious dishes being prepared by friends from Bristow to McLean, Germantown to Fairlington, even New York to Washington State.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the inspiration for their parties comes from Iron Chef™, a culinary game show – based on the Japanese original – where a challenger chef competes against one of the resident “Iron Chefs” in a one-hour cooking competition based around a secret, theme ingredient. The “secret” ingredient at the parties is provided in the invitation and participants are asked to prepare an appetizer, main entree or dessert using (at least) that one ingredient in their dish(es).

Future parties will be announced with details in the calendar section of the Arlington Baha’i website.

Bahá’í Electoral Unit Convention

Please join us at the annual Unit Convention to elect a delegate to the 2010 National Convention, to consult on activities in our respective communities, and to enjoy the company of the Friends in our Electoral Unit. Sunday, October 4, 2009 – 2 – 5 p.m.

Please bring your Bahá’í ID card with you for registration!

Should you not be able to attend, please send your ballot to the Spiritual Assembly of Arlington, PO Box 100936, Arlington, VA 22210-3936

For further information about Unit Convention, please visit http://unitconvention.usbnc.org/.

The location is:

Kay Spiritual Life Center
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20016

For a map view, click here.

Local Response to the Situation in Iran

The Alexandria Gazette and the Mount Vernon Gazette both published articles on March 5th regarding the plight of the Bahá’ís in Iran, and specifically regarding the seven Bahá’í leaders who are imprisoned. There are ongoing prayer gatherings here in Arlington, as well as in Alexandria, Falls Church and Mount Vernon. For more information regarding these prayer gatherings and other upcoming events in this our area, please visit our Calendar of Events.

So what can we do locally?

1. Write to your local Representative and ask them to co-sponsor H.Res 175. Representative Jim Moran of Arlington was one of the original co-sponsors of this resolution that “Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.”

2. Write to your Senators and ask them to pass a similar resolution in the Senate.

3. Attend a Prayer Gathering.

4. Watch an overview of the situation and express your concern on the Speak Out 4 Baha’is Website.

5. Use your talents to express your concern.  An example of this is the “Be Free Campaign” which has songs available for free download.

6. Join Facebook groups or other social networking groups related to the topic and express your concern. “Free 7 Baha’i Leaders in Iran” or “Prayer Chain for the Baha’is in Iran.”

7. Stay in formed – visit iran.bahai.us for the latest updates.

Interpretation of Scripture

Interpretation of Scripture

“Should they say: “These words are indeed from God, and have no interpretation other than their outward meaning”, then what objection can they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard the literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize God in those who are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents of His singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe in them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see the sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets and Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as they found them at variance with their own faith and creed, they hurled against them such accusations of imposture, folly, waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to recount.”
(Bahá’u’lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 11)

If you are interested in dialoguing more on the topic of “Interpretation of Scripture” we invite you to join the Arlington Bahá’í Community on this Friday January 16, 2009 at 7:30pm. There will be a short introduction of the Bahá’í Faith followed by a lively discussion and some light refreshments. For more information or directions, please contact the Bahá’ís of Arlington.