In one area a major obstacle to growth is water. In another it’s mountains. But in the emerging clusters involved the small Baha’i communities are taking steps to bridge such gaps.

A warm environment for reflection

The strengths and disadvantages of teleconferencing were there for all to hear Jan. 29 as the tiny group of Baha’is on a Wisconsin island used a telephone hookup to participate in their cluster reflection gathering.

The six Baha’is on Washington Island — accessible only by infrequent ferry — and other isolated friends from such communities as Algoma, Sturgeon Bay, and Fish Creek around the Sturgeon Bay cluster on Lake Michigan in northeast Wisconsin dialed in to proceedings “from our nice warm homes.”

“It was wonderful to hear the voices of our friends and not have to travel in the Wisconsin winter,” says Gretchen Misselt, who chairs the Washington Island group.

Misselt says the tab came to $30 total, about half of what it would cost two people and a car to take the ferry.

“This is an excellent system to use when Baha’is are far apart and not everyone has access to email or computers,” agrees group secretary Robert Mazibuko.

“Each person can join in from anywhere and the system accommodates over a hundred participants. … Many more of the friends who are unable to attend in person are able to contribute to the consultation.”

What’s more, he says, “A shorter time is taken in making decisions as all are aware of the time we shall have to pay for.

“Being brief and specific becomes possible. Because we cannot see one another it is easier for the friends to be frank in consultation.”

Plus, he says, the system allows the session to be recorded and played back later to absentees.

Teleconferencing does have its challenges, the friends discovered.

“One misses the facial expressions, which go a long way,” says Mazibuko. “The tendency is for the friends to all speak at once as there is no way of showing hands.”

Then there is the loss of camaraderie.

“Even though prayers can be said, there is lack of the usual fellowship of being personally present to chat,” he notes. “Time is of the essence in consultation, and singing together is missed.”

All in all, though, “This encourages the friends to use new technology instead of fearing it, or leaving it to the younger generation only,” he says.

A hotbed for “just do it” spirit

A crisp, sunny autumn weekend saw Baha’is from three small communities in the Shenandoah Valley gathered around a Berkeley County, West Virginia, kitchen table.

They were there for three days of intensive training in community building, conducted by representatives from the Louis G. Gregory Regional Training Institute.

The purpose was to use Ruhi Books 1 and 2 as the springboard for activities fundamental to implementing a program of sustained growth within each community.

How will that happen in the isolated counties that make up the Winchester cluster in Virginia and West Virginia and the Jefferson-Washington cluster of West Virginia and Maryland?

The key, Helen Johnstone of Kearneysville, West Virginia, now believes, is for the friends to adopt a “just do it” attitude.

“Prior to the training, typical concerns were how to implement and sustain new activities when the number of registered believers is low and they are geographically isolated from one another,” she reflected.

But over the weekend, as veritable friendships were formed and a variety of activities enhanced understanding of the Ruhi process, the seven participants learned:

• the value of beginning each core activity with prayer and trusting Baha’u'llah to prepare the hearts of seekers and new believers;
• how to set reasonable expectations for a core activity and identify its strengths and weaknesses so next steps can be planned.

Johnstone says that since the training a junior youth group has been launched in Frederick County and firesides have begun in Jefferson and Berkeley counties.

“By working and praying together, these three small communities are taking the initial steps toward sustained growth within the Shenandoah Valley,” she says.