Dear Bahá’í Canada from Tiny Township, Ont.

Dear Friends,

I would like to express my appreciation for the delightful spring issue of Bahá’í Canada. It was filled with so many wonderful stories and expressions of the celebrations of the bicentenary.

I am a member of the small Bahá’í community of Tiny Township, Ont., sitting on the eastern shores of beautiful Georgian Bay. Tiny Township is a very large, mainly rural agricultural community spotted with a few small hamlets. Our Bahá’í community is made up of seven seniors.

We began consulting about what our community might do for the celebration of the bicentenary back in May of 2016. We had lengthy consultations on ideas and began making timelines in the planning process. Our final plan was to host a dinner at the Wildfire Lodge located in our community. There, we would recognize the importance of service – something so central to living a life focused on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The evening was attended by approximately 70 individuals with about 30 friends of the Faith and local members of parliament. It was a huge success put together by a small group of very dedicated individuals to celebrate such a momentous occasion.

After reading so many diverse accounts of the activities and celebrations that took place across Canada last October, the one moving realization that has occurred to me is the unity of thought that was so prevalent. Many of the activities that took place were similar ideas that our Tiny community had consulted about as possibilities for our own celebration. It will be a wonderful and inspirational resource for our communities in the planning of our next bicentenary in 2019. Thank you to all who contributed to such a cross-sectional picture. It makes me proud to be a part of this extended family of the Faith. Maybe our Tiny community is not so tiny, after all.

Darlene Paterson
Tiny Township, Ont.