Expanding circles of friends

The following article originally appeared in ‘Tidings,’ the newsletter of the Bahá’í Council of the Atlantic Provinces.

In December 2021, the Universal House of Justice wrote that in addition to efforts made in neighbourhoods that serve as centres of intense activity, our endeavours to widen participation through our social networks—where we work or study or join in other kinds of community activities— “have tremendous merit” and often “represent a large proportion of all the activity that is occurring” in a cluster.

On Saturday, January 21, some 80 adults, youth, junior youth, and children from almost every cluster in the Atlantic region gathered in Sackville, N.B., to explore the topic “Expanding Circles of Friends.” The Regional Bahá’í Council organized the joyful one-day event to bring together those of us who are striving to engage with others in our social networks. There were uplifting devotions, music, short talks by our Auxiliary Board members, and lots of opportunities to share experiences, reflect on learning, and plan next steps.

Here is one of the stories shared at the conference about what is being learned in our region.

Last year, the Universal House of Justice gave the world a wonderful gift: the opportunity to hold “global conferences.” The Prince Edward Island cluster held two of these last spring—one primarily for those working in neighbourhoods and the other primarily for those working within their networks of relationships. At both conferences, more than 50 per cent of the participants were from the community of interest. One of the conference small discussion groups was facilitated by two Bahá’ís working within their social networks.

Their first challenge was invitation. For those working in neighbourhoods with well-established core activities, inviting families—particularly those of the children and junior youth already involved—seemed like a natural extension of the work underway. After all, quite a bit of experience had been accumulated about working in neighbourhoods over the years. For those striving to learn how to extend invitations to those within their social networks, the experience of inviting people to the bicentenary celebrations in 2017 and 2019 was helpful. Still, how could they describe the gatherings in a way that would be welcoming and inclusive—and that would convey from the outset the idea that participants were being invited to join in a process, not just to attend an event, and that the hoped-for outcome would be action?

Conference organizers helped community members to think about these questions and to make lists of friends, family members, coworkers and acquaintances they wanted to invite. Because the P.E.I. conferences were titled “Building Vibrant Communities,” conversations focused on how the gatherings were going to explore different ways of doing that, through short talks, sharing of experiences, the arts, and small discussion groups. Experience revealed that many invitations were required to garner a small percentage of acceptances, but community members persevered.

Once the discussion group facilitators had an idea of who had accepted their invitations to attend, they had a careful look at the conference booklets. Considering the people in their group, they decided to adapt the materials to their level of understanding and experience as well as their interests and needs rather than to try to cover all the questions, some of which would not have been relevant to them.

Because this was a diverse group of varying ages, levels of interaction with the Bahá’í community, and exposure to the Ruhi Institute materials, the facilitators decided to start by building group cohesion and strengthening relationships among the members. Conference organizers had provided arts packages for the small discussion groups; this one consisted of a clothesline, small pieces of beautiful paper, and colourful markers. After introductions and an icebreaker activity, each participant was asked to write one word that they felt described a vibrant community, to share it with the group, and then to pin it onto the clothesline.

That way, it was clear from the beginning that everyone’s input was sought and valued. What followed was a lively exploration of the questions that the facilitators had chosen to focus on, and when they were called to return to the plenary session, all agreed their time together had been too short. At that point, the facilitators asked if the group would like to reconvene during the summer. The answer was a resounding “Yes!”

Accordingly, two months later the group got together for a potluck supper in the backyard of one of the facilitators. Several new people came this time, invited by participants. In retrospect, having a potluck meal was important for several reasons: first, it made everyone an active contributor to the gathering; second, the contributions were diverse, like the group itself; and third, it provided an opportunity for everyone to converse informally and renew acquaintance while eating together. But not only that! The conversations revealed previously unknown connections among many of the group members. Relationships expanded and deepened. Following the meal, one of the facilitators led the entire group of 15 people back into exploring ways to contribute to building vibrant communities. This was done through a discussion on the quotation, “The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct” and some related questions drawn from Ruhi Institute Book 1: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. The facilitators then introduced the institute process and spoke about how participation in study circles, devotional gatherings for people of all faiths (or none), and social action projects such as English Corner are contributing to building vibrant communities around the world. Before the end of the evening, the group decided that it would like to meet again to continue the conversation and explore some of these ideas further.

The third gathering, which brought people together over dessert at the other facilitator’s home, featured an introductory “sample” of a section from Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, led by a young adult who had recently attended a seminar examining how to tutor this text effectively. At the end of the evening, the facilitators asked if the group would like to continue to study the Institute materials, have a devotional meeting, or initiate a social action project—topics that had been discussed at the previous gathering. One participant said she thought it would be best to allow a social action project to grow organically out of other activities, and it was decided to conduct an online survey to find out how many wanted to participate in a study circle and/or a devotional gathering. As a result, the first meeting of a study circle was held in early December, attended by 15 people, of whom eight are from the wider community. The discussion was vibrant and meaningful, and participants decided to continue on a biweekly schedule.

What the facilitators are now learning through these fledgling efforts is that more than a study circle is key if this group is to continue to thrive. An Ayyám-i-Há celebration is being planned, with the goal of including more family members, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and acquaintances. In this way, the group will continue to grow organically, and the hope is that additional activities—particularly, more study circles and devotional gatherings—will emerge to meet the needs and interests of new participants.

What has been learned so far:

• The facilitators consult and plan together before each session, so that they are prepared to help the group consider its next steps.
• Contributions by members—whether food, snacks, arts activities, or participation in the discussion in whatever language they feel most comfortable—empower the entire group.
• Reinforcing the idea that new group members are always welcome encourages participants to see the group as an ever-expanding nucleus—and to contribute to its growth.
• Awareness that materials may need to be adapted to suit participants allows broader participation.
• The facilitators have learned that not everybody can continue, whether because of logistical considerations or interest in the specific activity that the group decides to pursue at a given moment. However, this also presents the possibility that new groups may form with some participants in different locations and with a different focus.

The Bahá’í Council is planning to hold regional gatherings each cycle to bring together people from around the region to share their experiences, reflect on what they are learning, and make plans to continue “expanding circles of friends.”