Message from the National Spiritual Assembly to the Bahá’ís of Canada

A message from the National Spiritual Assembly to the Bahá’ís of Canada, which will be the subject of consultation at this year’s unit conventions, 31 January 2015:

To the Bahá’ís of Canada

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

A brief span of fifteen months now separates us from the end of the Five Year Plan. With what joy the National Spiritual Assembly noted at our recent meeting that the goal for the establishment of 107 programmes of growth is nearing completion, with 99 clusters having passed the first milestone on that journey! Indeed, the entire process of growth has strengthened: in virtually every one of Canada’s 124 clusters there are evidences of growth, tender young shoots in some clusters and hardy, solidly-established progress in others.

At the frontiers of learning, one cluster in Canada is now approaching a threshold of 200 core activities with over 1400 participants, and a few others around 100 core activities. In still others, the establishment of one study circle, one children’s class, a devotional gathering or junior youth group has signalled the emergence of two capacities — the ability on the part of one or more friends to assist others to study the sequence of courses and to then invite others to participate in a core activity. Each of these victories bears the mark of the sacrificial, sustained efforts of individuals, communities and institutions to learn the lessons of growth. Each has been supported by a liberal flow of material resources on the part of friends across the country. In each of these clusters, we see the signs described so movingly by the Universal House of Justice in its Ridván 2011 message when it referred to the majestic process whereby the “light of God’s triumphant Faith shining in all its power and glory will have suffused and enveloped the entire planet.” The message continues:

Though that goal is far from being fulfilled, the light already blazes intensely in many a region. In some countries it shines in every cluster. In the land where that inextinguishable light was first ignited, it burns bright despite those who would snuff it out. In diverse nations it achieves a steady glow across whole neighborhoods and villages, as candle after candle in heart after heart is lighted by the Hand of Providence; it illuminates thoughtful conversation at every level of human interaction; it casts its beams upon a myriad initiatives taken to promote the well-being of a people. And in every instance it radiates from a faithful believer, a vibrant community, a loving Spiritual Assembly—each a beacon of light against the gloom.

As a programme of growth is established and grows in intensity, so, too, does this light that illumines every aspect of human existence. “The very spirit of a place is affected.”[1]

A joyful theme in the House of Justice’s recent messages has been the full engagement of youth at the vanguard of this progress. At a time when religion is in such decline among the youth, it is thrilling to see it rising in vitality in this community. In its call for youth conferences in 2013 and in the design of the conference materials, the Universal House of Justice provided a way to accelerate and deepen the interaction of thousands of youth with the concepts underlying the community-building enterprise. Of special importance is the notion of a two-fold moral purpose, the powerful call to transform one’s life and at the same time contribute to the transformation of society through service. Service, then, has become the heartbeat of a youth movement that draws its strength from an ever-increasing engagement with the “limitless potentiality” of the training institute. The receptivity of this population, of every background, is indeed manifesting itself “in a willingness to participate in the process of community building set in motion by the core activities.” Canada has long treasured this receptivity, with its long history of working with youth, from the early days of the Cause in Montreal when ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum herself was part of a youth group, to the surge of enrolments in the 1970s that owed its momentum to the open-armed welcome of the community, to the present day when thousands of youth are finding a home and a purpose in the Cause.

Over 3,500 youth are now engaged to some degree with the processes of growth in the country. Of these, at least 1,200 are involved in the institute process, with over half that number having arisen as active servants of the Cause, hosting devotional gatherings, teaching children’s classes, animating junior youth groups and serving as tutors. The junior youth programme has almost doubled in size, growing from 190 junior youth groups involving 1140 participants of whom 730 were friends of the Faith at the Plan’s outset, to a current 295 junior youth groups, with 2190 participants of whom 1800 are from the wider community. Indeed, it was this increase that in turn propelled the work with youth, ensuring that the necessary resources for the spiritual education of this population were available. As we think of the almost 8,000 youth, junior youth and children who are engaged in studying and applying the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, our thoughts must also turn to their families, their teachers, their friends, who are all coming under its transforming influence.

What is being learned from working with this large receptive youth population, of diverse age and background, can also be applied to a broader population. The hundreds of conversations that have introduced the institute process to youth from the wider community have refined the language of this invitation, to more easily and faithfully reflect the aim and purpose of the training institute and thus attract friends and neighbours. The ability to work in larger groups has developed as members of the wider community are welcomed not only as participants in core activities, but as fellow-servants of the Cause. As the spiritual education of younger generations is tended to and the devotional character of a neighbourhood or village enhanced through devotional gatherings, all generations are playing a part in supporting the work of the youth, in which we all take such pride. A warm and intimate community environment takes shape as Feasts and Holy Days grow in joy and dynamism as elements of an integrated pattern of community life, advancing in cycles as a strong rhythm of individual teaching and collective projects is established. All the elements of a healthy, vibrant community life must be cultivated to create a home for the peoples of the world. This requires the participation of friends of every age and background. We have learned how to reach large numbers of youth. Let us build on and expand that work, and at the same time, draw on what we have learned to forge new pathways that will welcome participants both young and old. To do this will require a new level of commitment to individual teaching that enlarges the circle of friends and workers, a wave of home visits that create bonds of love and unity and a multiplication of devotional gatherings — all essential elements of a vibrant pattern of community life, open to all. How we long to see Canada contribute to worldwide learning about large-scale growth!

At the same time, developments in other arenas are most heartening. The study of the social action document [2] has both inspired and been inspired by efforts in several clusters to learn to serve the needs of their diverse populations, arising from their participation in the institute process. The external affairs work has also burgeoned, with opportunities to participate in the discourses of society at the national level that are far beyond what our numbers suggest and that far outstrip the resources available. Both these areas of Bahá’í endeavour benefit from the same sound learning process that guides the expansion and consolidation work: guidance is studied, consultation takes into account not only opportunities but also available resources, and action is taken followed by reflection on experience.

Dear friends, the end of this Plan and the beginning of the next will coincide with the one hundredth anniversary of the priceless gift bestowed on our community and that of the United States by the beloved Master — the Tablets of the Divine Plan. It was in the precincts of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in April 1916 that He mentioned each of Canada’s provinces and northern territories by name, and promised: “A day will come wherein the lights of unity will enlighten all the world. The earth will be irradiated with the light of its Lord.” In these few remaining months, it is our prayer that not only will the community continue to arise to support the youth in their urgent and sacred mission, but that every soul who longs to serve will find a wide-open, welcoming path lighted by the fire of His love.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada

[1] Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2013

[2] Office of Social and Economic Development, 26 November 2012