Every weekday morning, 10 or so souls will the phone to ring.
They anticipate, says James A. Williams, “the Community of God will soon be calling” so they “can mingle their prayers with those of others.”
One is Joyce Olinga, who participates in the daily call whether at home in Missouri or on the road.
“I think this is a new concept in devotional gatherings. We can be living anywhere in the world that has Skype or home or cell phone to be connected in spirit,” says Olinga.
“The calls come from across the country from Virginia to Washington, from Wisconsin to Texas,” she says. “The prayers can be in several languages: Navajo, French, Persian, Spanish, Chinese, and more.
“The age of participants has been from young children to our 90-year-young senior who prays and sings so heavenly. As we don’t see each other, we really can focus on the prayers and our unique ways of praising God.”
Technology limits the number of participants. Can you imagine, though, dozens of such calls criss-crossing the airwaves?
Williams can.
“This practice has the potential of becoming a … movement, one that releases even greater possibilities within the spirit of, and very reason for, devotional meetings,” says the Virginia Bahá’í.
“And I will testify that the spiritual power within communal morning prayers absolutely and undeniably proves that, all along, the beloved Universal House of Justice has only been lovingly and patiently assigning us minimal tasks to perform.
“It has always been left to us to not only obey and comply but, if we wish, to even expand upon the core activities, to soar higher on their powerful wings of divine guidance, to delve further into their spiritual reality, all in conformity to, and assisted by, Bahá’u'lláh’s favored angels.”
Olinga says she has “had the honor of being part of the prayer call” for more than a year and has “found it to be such a tremendous support in my life.”
“When I’ve been traveling around the country, it has been wonderful way to connect with my spiritual family.”
During the calls, she relates, each person typically shares a prayer of his or her choosing.
“At times we focus on the friends in Iran, other times we focus on healing — such as my brother, who has survived brain surgery for cancer recently.”
The call began 17 months ago when Williams decided to “pray over the telephone with an ill and spiritually isolated believer in another state.”
The practice, he says, “was so rewarding” they “felt compelled to continue this practice the next day, then the next, for over a week.”
It seemed they had “tearfully discovered another purpose for, another innate characteristic within, the revealed prayers.”
it’s one, says Williams, “that can only be known when two or more people gather daily to commune with God.”
At that point they decided to “invite others into this heightened and unique spiritual reality.”
People like Farid Rashid, also from Virginia, who embraced Bahá’u'lláh in January 2009 and joined the prayer call four or five months later.
“He taught the Faith to one or two others whom he did outdoor work with,” says Auxiliary Board member Anita Williams, another participant.
“And at 9 a.m., the three of them would stand around his cell phone in the field and each would offer their prayer.”
Producing a feeling that Rashid says carries him through the day.
“The prayers are always said with such humility and devotion that to attempt to explain it would fall far short from the true feeling I get each morning,” he says.
“It truly is a great help and blessing. It is more like putting on my daily armor to deal with the daily struggles of life.”