Artist's rendering of the nation's first race amity conference, held in Washington D.C. in 1921

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States is one of several supporting sponsors, along with the Boston Globe and public television station WGBH, of the National Race Amity Conference which will be held May 18-19 at Wheelock College.

The second annual conference opens with a Thursday evening welcome reception that features sponsor presentations and time devoted to meeting and connecting with conference attendees and speakers. Conference keynote speeches and small group workshops begin on Friday and continue on Saturday. The 2012 National Race Amity Conference offers participants positive, focused opportunities for intimate discussion circles, interactive panels, and informative sessions on a variety of topics central to the main theme of race amity in the United States.

The National Race Amity Conference is organized around Amity Sectors such as arts, business, community service, education, entertainment, government, information media, law, spirituality, and sports. Unlike large scale national conferences where “small” breakout sessions number 50 to 125 participants, each Amity Sector of 20 to 35 participants offers learning opportunities in group settings that are more conducive to deep sharing and understanding.

This year’s conference will be held at Wheelock College’s Brookline Campus located at 43 Hawes Street in Brookline, Mass. Registration is $295 and includes all sessions and meals. The Conference Hotel is the Best Western Longwood; contact number: 617-731-4700 (ask for Race Amity Conference). Register now. For more information, including the conference program at a glance, full list of speakers and conference accommodations, go to www.raceamity.org.

Inspiration for the conference sprang from the American Race Amity Convention in 1921 in Washington, DC. Organized at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s request by Agnes Parsons, a Bahá’í and Washington socialite, that historic collaborative event saw Bahá’ís including Louis Gregory, Cora Cooke and Alain Locke working with non-Bahá’í leaders such as Moses Clapp, a clergyman and former U.S. senator.

Race Amity 2012: Towards E Pluribus Unum

The 2012 National Race Amity Conference is part of an initiative titled Race Amity 2012: Towards E Pluribus Unum. The overall vision of this initiative is inspired by the first American Race Amity Convention held in Washington, D.C. in 1921. That daring, groundbreaking event was remarkable in both its moral clarity and the unlikely collaboration of its principals and supporters in a nation that was experiencing the aftershocks of the Red Summer of 1919. During that summer thousands of Americans were injured and killed in an outbreak of violence perpetrated by white mobs against black citizens in cities and towns across the nation. Through its laws and general moral advocacy toward equity and access, our nation’s level of racial justice has made quantum leaps since 1921. We still, however, face myriad challenges in the twenty- first century. In pursuit of the true north of our collective moral compass as directed in our national motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” Race Amity 2012: Towards E Pluribus Unum is a call to the nation’s habitants and participants in civic, religious, educational, entertainment and business communities to come together to share, inspire, and engage in planning and action toward achieving “from many, one” – E Pluribus Unum.

Other interrelated initiatives include having the second Sunday in June established as the annual National Race Amity Day through a Joint Resolution of Congress and/or Presidential Proclamation and building on the success of the 2011 Boston Race Amity Celebration by organizing and leading the effort for the 2012 Metro Boston Race Amity Celebration at the Rose Kennedy Greenway on June 10, 2012.

For more information about these initiatives, visit the website for the National Center for Race Amity.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States is proud to support those who carry on the legacy of race amity work in America, thus building a brighter and more hopeful future for all.

“When we have put our own house in order, then we may be trusted to carry the message of universal peace to all mankind.”

- From the program of the nation’s first race amity conference, held in Washington D.C. in 1921

Related Items:

• National Race Amity Conference: What it’s about
• Stories of reconciliation, ideas for action at Race Amity Conference

Edward Price

I became a Baha’i on the Feast of ‘Izzat in 1973, 38 years ago. I grew up in a Jewish family in Newton, Mass., but my family was not devout. We celebrated Passover and Chanukah and my parents sent me to Hebrew School when I was little but, honestly, none of it connected with me. When I was in High School I had embraced science and evolution, and thought that man was just a highly evolved primate. I did not believe in God. People wonder if I had maybe a small trace of belief in God hidden away somewhere, but I really didn’t. I was the kind of atheist who was very confident that there was no God.

In 1972 I went off to college at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I was a pre-med student, but I struggled hard with my Chemistry course. I ended up with a D the first semester and an F the second semester, which more than anything else explains why I’m not a doctor today. (Oddly, I was good at the Chemistry. I had a different problem, undiagnosed and untreated, that was getting in my way.) My room-mate was dating a girl, Paula, in the dormitory and the two of them introduced me to her room-mate. This person, Mary Gregory, was destined to change my life.

Mary was a beautiful, smart English major, and a 1^st year student like me. We became friends and used to study together for our exams. It was a while before I found out she was a Baha’i, but when I did find out my first impulse back then was to prove to her what nonsense it was. After our all-nighters studying, we would walk to the nearby Denny’s restaurant and enjoy a nice early morning breakfast together. Then she would go off and get As in her English courses while I’d go and flunk another Chemistry exam.

Mary was not intimidated by my attack on religion. The more forceful I became the calmer and more reasonable she got. I attempted to use logical proofs to demolish the concept of God. Funny thing, since she was a Baha’i, she had logical proofs of her own that I had never heard before. At first I thought she was simply brilliant, but eventually it dawned on me that her special ability to answer my objections about religion were actually attributable to (forgive me!) this guy Baha’u’llah. In my tiny mind, I compared Baha’u’llah to a car salesman. I reasoned that I would at least be willing to listen to a car salesman, so why shouldn’t I at least listen to Baha’u’llah and hear what He had to say?

I was also impressed that she was as smart as I was even though she was a woman (yes, I had a bit of chauvinism in me in those days). But Mary’s power was more than her intellect. She was genuinely kind to everyone. She was an unusually happy and joyful person. She seemed genuinely interested in meaningful conversations. She was fearless. I couldn’t describe it, but she had a peculiar radiance about her. I had never met a woman like this before.

One day I boasted that I had numerous proofs (yes, proofs) for the non-existence of God and Mary said, “OK, put up or shut up, write them down and show me!” I took up the challenge. After each proof I asked myself whether it could be refuted, just out of fairness. Well, with the knowledge Mary had slowly been giving me from the Faith, I was able to refute every one of my own arguments. So I had to admit. I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was.

Our debating and our friendship continued for some time, but gradually I was won over to her way of thinking. Summer vacation came and I returned to New England. I told my parents I was thinking of joining the Baha’i Faith and they went ballistic on me. They threatened to disown me. I found this surprising, since we had never cared that much about religion in our family. Dad sent me to talk to the Rabbi, but unfortunately the Rabbi told me it would be good to become a Baha’i. (Yes, really, he said that!) Dad was angry. Dad had me speak to other “wise” people, like his best friend Dr. Levy and my Uncle Manny, hoping they could talk some sense into me. Those conversations didn’t go Dad’s way either. He was really angry. Hoping to make him feel better, I offered to get a haircut, but he was still angry. As the summer wore on, Dad and I worked out a plan, which seemed reasonable at the time, to put Baha’u’llah to the test, and we had a somewhat calmer summer as a result.

When my second year of college began I was living in an apartment with some friends. Mary came to visit me the first evening I was back in town. I told her of the “arrangement” my Dad and I had worked out to “test” Baha’u’llah. Mary looked me straight in the eye and said simply, “You can do what you want, but remember this – you don’t test Baha’u’llah, Baha’u’llah tests you.” And then, suddenly, she stood up and, before I could catch my breath, she left me to stew with my own thoughts. Of course, inwardly, I knew Mary’s words were correct. Her bold words caused a huge storm in my heart that night. Alone in my apartment, for hours I prayed. I cried out to Baha’u’llah for help. I tried to sleep, but that was hopeless. The anguish I felt was enormous.

Finally at about 2 AM, I was truly convinced that I would never, ever, EVER sleep again if I did not become a Baha’i immediately. I got dressed and walked almost a mile to Mary’s dormitory. Technically I wasn’t supposed to be in the building. I knocked on her door. She was still awake with a couple of friends. You can imagine her surprise when she saw me at her door at two in the morning. She came out into the hallway and asked what I wanted. I gulped and I told her I had to become a Baha’i. “Now?” she asked! I gulped again and said, “Yes, now.” “Alright”, she said, “but I was just about to go out to the store because Paula needs some cigarettes for a sorority initiation she is going through tonight. You can come with me.” We agreed and off we went to the store.

"I signed my declaration card under the street lights, on the hood of her car, in the parking lot of K-Mart, at 2:30 in the morning."

Well, in 1973, in Charlottesville, VA, the only store that was open at that hour was K-Mart. Mary went into the store while I waited in her car, a yellow, Opal Cadet. (Does anyone remember those cars?) In a few minutes, she came out of the store with Paula’s cigarettes. She pulled a declaration card out of her glove compartment and showed it to me. “Read it,” she said. I did. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Calmer now, I said I really do. “OK then, go ahead.” In my heart, I fully expected my parents to disown me because of this.

I signed my declaration card under the street lights, on the hood of her car, in the parking lot of K-Mart, at 2:30 in the morning.

I had imagined the heavens opening up. Perhaps I would see a bolt of lightning in the sky. I was just 18. This was uncharted territory for me. My first words to Mary were simply, “That didn’t hurt.” She smiled. We hugged.

We then got back into the car and she took me back to my apartment. We sat in the car in the parking lot for a little while. Mary took my hand and chanted again and again, strongly, and in the most magnificent tones, Ya Baha’u'l-Abha! It was as if she was calling out to heaven, introducing my soul to all of the denizens of the Abha Kingdom. (The chant, “Ya Baha’u’l-Abha,” is learned by all Baha’is. It is an invocation in Arabic, one of the original languages used by Baha’u'llah, which means, “O Glory of the All Glorious.” The term, “Abha Kingdom” is also Arabic. It refers to the Most Glorious Kingdom, that is, the spiritual worlds beyond this world.) It was the first truly sacred moment of my life. She then gave me a small book, May Maxwell’s, An Early Pilgrimage, and told me to read it fully before going to bed. I did as I was told. I then put my head on the pillow, and slept like a baby.

The next morning, there was a knock at my door. It was the Baha’is. They had come to bring me to an all day deepening on the Baha’i Fund, followed by the Feast of ‘Izzat. That was my first day as a Baha’i.

Edward with his wife Ellen and daughter Alyssa

In time, I realized that I needed Baha’u’llah far, far more than He needed me. I was gifted with some amazing Baha’i teachers in that first year, like Bob and Dottie Riggs, as well as Mary, who really nurtured my Baha’i identity. When I look back at those times, I realize with astonishment what incredible mercy and kindness Baha’u’llah showered upon me.

By the way, my parents and I struggled for years, but in the end they didn’t disown me and we made peace. In 1979, Mary went pioneering to Finland. She’s a prominent Baha’i there now, the director of the Publishing Trust of Finland, married and with children. She is also a renowned stained glass artist. We’re in touch from time to time.

I thank God for the way Mary changed my life.

“It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s tender mercy… There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day…”

(The Bab, SWB, p. 75)

]]> http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/11/ed-price-i-realize-with-astonishment-what-incredible-mercy-and-kindness-baha%e2%80%99u%e2%80%99llah-showered-upon-me/feed/ 6 http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/10/2012-bahai-temple-choral-concert-on-sunday-may-27/ http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/10/2012-bahai-temple-choral-concert-on-sunday-may-27/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 18:56:58 +0000 gfullmer http://www.bahai.us/?p=38864 More than 200 talented voices from nine nations will sing beautiful sacred music at the 2012 Baha’i Choral Festival with two free public concerts on Sunday May 27th at Wilmette’s renowned Baha’i Temple. Rich harmonies and uplifting music will fill the 1,200-seat Baha’i House of Worship beginning at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. that Sunday.

The concerts are dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Temple’s cornerstone on May 1, 1912 by Abdu’l-Baha, son of the founder of the Baha’i Faith.

The annual Baha’i Choral Festival, a very popular North Shore institution, builds on tremendously successful prior events. 200 singers will assemble for three days of rehearsals, workshops and performances. Sunday performances are a cappella (without instruments) and include classical liturgical music of the Baha’i Faith and other religions, as well as gospel music and other multicultural selections.

Baha’i Choral Festival Director Van Gilmer is Baha’i Temple director of music and internationally known performer, choir director, composer and writer/winner of the Best Gospel Song at the Independent Music Awards. Gilmer revels in assembling choirs to sing scripture of the world’s religions celebrating God and inspiring audiences with rich, heavenly harmonies that reach the heart and soul.

Performances will be held at the architecturally stunning Baha’i Temple at Sheridan Road and Linden Avenue in Wilmette. The gleaming white lace-like building is surrounded by gardens, pools and Lake Michigan panoramas. This beautiful national landmark unifies and depicts all major world religions and ranks among the Seven Wonders of Illinois. Guests can tour the Baha’i Visitor Center and Bookstore on the Temple’s lower level and see the beautiful and recently-restored gardens.

Both Sunday May 27th choral concerts are free and open to the public. There’s free parking on side streets – and via free shuttle bus service from Baker Demonstration School and from Northwestern University Ryan Field west parking lot (north entrance). There’s paid parking at the CTA lot at 4th and Linden (the last stop on the CTA Purple Line) with free shuttle bus service. For information, check www.bahaichoir.org or call the music director at 847-853-2330.

Related Items:

• View clips from the 2011 Baha’i Temple Choral Concert 

]]> http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/10/2012-bahai-temple-choral-concert-on-sunday-may-27/feed/ 0 http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/10/faith-and-race-a-dialogue-worth-having/ http://www.bahai.us/2012/05/10/faith-and-race-a-dialogue-worth-having/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 14:02:42 +0000 cwright http://www.bahai.us/?p=38841 In the blog State of Formation, Phillipe Copeland emphasizes the importance of engaging in interreligious dialogue and being attentive to including the intersections of faith and race into these conversations.

“According to the Abrahamic traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith, the universe itself was spoken into being. This offers a fitting metaphor for the promise of interreligious dialogue, the promise of a new creation. Like the speaking into being of the universe, for interreligious dialogue to fulfill this promise requires attention to detail. We must be attentive not only to what we are dialoguing about but who is engaged in the dialogue.”

Read the full blog entry

Photo Gallery

Centenary devotional programs bring thousands to the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois Click to enlarge and browse a gallery of related photos.

Every seat filled. A hush in the air.

That was the Auditorium of the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, until the strains of “Ya Baha’u'l-Abha,” sung by the House of Worship Choir, opened the first of three devotional programs April 29.

Each commemorated ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to North America and His laying of the Cornerstone for the Temple on May 1, 1912.

(This event came the morning after a centenary celebration in central Chicago; click here to read details.)

Attendees also were able to snake their way into the Temple’s lower Foundation Hall to view selected precious items associated with the Master.

And across Sheridan Road on the shore of a white-capped Lake Michigan, they could engage in a “tent and tea” social space.

A selection of titles related to the centenary also was made available to attendees in a bookstore set up a few blocks from the Temple.

A system of shuttles took visitors from parking lots and the public transit station to the sites.

At the House of Worship, the devotional program took attendees on a sacred journey.

It began with Baha’u'llah’s selection of His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, as His successor. Readings were taken from the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book; the Kitab-i-’Ahd, the Book of the Covenant; and the Suriy-i-Ghusn, the Tablet of the Branch.

“All Praise Be to Thee,” a setting of words of Baha’u'llah to a Mozart tune, punctuated the selections.

The journey proceeded with a poignant tablet of Baha’ullah, contained in The World Order of Baha’u'llah. It told of the sorrow that enveloped the prison city of Acre on an occasion ‘Abdu’l-Baha was away.

A reading from Baha’u'llah on His vision for the Houses of Worship to be erected across the globe led into the choir’s singing of “Blessed Is the Spot.” The prayer of Baha’u'llah was sung, in this case, to the less familiar but hauntingly beautiful tune penned by Charles Wolcott.

Prayers revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the four regions of the United States, as delineated in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and for the Baha’is of the United States and Canada were read.

“O Thou Compassionate Lord,” with a solo by its composer, Van Gilmer, director of the choir, followed. The lyrics come from a prayer ‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed in Washington, DC.

Another prayer the Master revealed in this country, in Chicago, was recited, the well-known words proclaiming that God “hast created all humanity from the same stock.”

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s love of children was recalled in two prayers He revealed, the second repeated in several languages by children representing the breadth of the Faith’s reach.

The oneness of humanity was further proclaimed in a passage from Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah. “This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men,” recited a reader before the choir took up the refrain.

This nation’s role in the spiritualization of the planet was trumpeted in the reading of a prayer for America. It had been revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Chicago at a public meeting that concluded the Convention of Baha’i Temple Unity, forerunner of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Another prayer revealed by Baha’u'llah in honor of His Son led into the song “Benediction,” written by Louise Waite, to whom ‘Abdu’l-Baha gave the name Shahnaz in reference to a style of Persian music. She also wrote He gave her the name Melody.

Closing the program was an audio recording of the Master chanting three prayers in Persian. The provisional English translation was supplied, but most attendees weren’t following along, instead closing their eyes to drink in the melodious strains.

Filing outside each of the nine doors of the Temple, attendees were treated to the panorama of gardens and fountains in every direction.

The archives exhibit awaited for many.

Items ranged from locks of the hair of Baha’u'llah to the original Tablet of Ahmad; a taj and prayer beads given to believers by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; a vial of soil from the hole dug for the Temple’s cornerstone; and postcards on which the Master communicated a Tablet of the Divine Plan to the Western States.

Others headed for the tent erected lakeside behind the Haziratu’l-Quds, meeting place of the National Assembly.

There, they sipped tea or water, ate cookies and roamed the enclosure.

In one area were renderings of what the Welcome Center, soon to be under construction, will look like inside and out and the vista of the Temple from within it.

Beyond were drawings of the original plans for the Temple gardens and the restoration just completed.

Nearly life-size photos of ‘Abdu’l-Baha laying the cornerstone were on the opposite side.

And in the middle, chairs were arranged so people could engage in conversation or listen to stories told by volunteers wearing period garb.

A report of the commemoration on local television news showed images of the Temple and mentioned it has been designated one of the Wonders of Illinois.

Related Items:

• Chicago commemoration shines today’s light on Temple’s history
• Centenary Press Coverage
• Baha’is Celebrate Centennial of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to America in 1912

The Baha’i House of Worship has been paired with the Adler Planetarium.

Vote now at:  https://www.facebook.com/EnjoyIllinois/app_263653463729978. The winner will be chosen on May 14th.

Marsha Urlacher and Joseph Urlacher standing in front of the Baha’i House of Worship/Joseph Urlacher

A Spokane Valley man joined Bahá’ís from across the country this weekend in Wilmette, Ill. to elect a new National Spiritual Assembly, discuss spiritual issues and celebrate Ridvan.

Joseph F. Urlacher, the Bahá’í delegate for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, said the 104th Baha’i National Convention was an exciting experience that left him with a sense of awe and newness.

The main purpose of the gathering, which drew 171 delegates from 48 states, was to elect a new 9-member assembly — an election that happens annually.  The assembly members are charged with making administrative decisions for the U.S. Bahá’í community.

It always falls during Ridvan, which is a 12-day festival in the Bahá’í faith, commemorating the commencement of Bahá’u'lláh’s prophethood. This year’s gathering was extra special because 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of Abdu’l-Baha to America. Abdu’l Baha was the eldest son of Bahá’u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í faith.

Discussion topics, like community development, devotionals and Bahá’í education, were also a key part of the convention, Urlacher said.

“All of these (topics) have one goal, and that is to service mankind,” he said.

At the convention he shared and heard ideas about how to serve the community and practice the Bahá’í faith.

“If you look at nature, you have a beehive and the bees go all over to collect sources to bring back to the hive and make honey,” Urlacher said. “That’s a good way to think about this. There are beautiful plants and flowers all over the U.S. that collect wonderful nectar and then bring it all together to make something very sweet, like honey…Believe me, Bahá’ís are like busy bees.”

Between 400 and 500 Bahá’ís live in the Spokane-area cluster and Urlacher will spend the next several months giving convention reports to the communities within the cluster.

In Mesa in the East Valley cluster of Baha’i communities, the junior youth spiritual empowerment program for ages 11–14 has captured imaginations in neighborhoods.

They have encountered many people who share the vision of the program, and a day-care center donated classroom space to the program in recognition of the ongoing needs of its graduates and other young people.

In Glendale in the West Valley cluster, frustration turned to hope when Baha’is began seeing their efforts as opportunities not to create change by themselves but to put ownership of the process in residents’ hands.

Slowly, as trust was built and a vision took shape, activities were initiated that are now thriving with neighborhood involvement.

Recognition of junior youth program’s value

The story of junior youths’ encounter with a Mesa woman, related in a report to the Regional Baha’i Council for the Southwestern States, speaks volumes about the program’s impact.

Alongside their animators — mentors who facilitate their group — the young people set out one day to find others their age who might want to join a junior youth group. Some had just entered the program themselves.

When “Cha Cha,” a woman they met, started asking questions, they answered gamely.

Despite their limited knowledge, she quickly grasped the spirit of the program.

She loved its goals of helping junior youths make the transition to young adulthood and building community.

And the more Cha Cha heard the more excited she became.

She explained that she was going through a lot in her life — she had just lost her job — and that it was such a pleasure to meet people doing something really positive in the neighborhood.

That same recognition of the junior youth program’s worth has come through in other ways as the community has arisen to support it.

One such expression was the donation of free classroom space by a day-care center.

“They recognize that their own children are at risk,” says a member of the cluster core team.

“When [the children] grow up to be junior youth, they’re at an age beyond the authority of their day-care license,” he recalls the official saying.

“The junior youth program is a way of looking after their own students when they leave the care of the [day-care center].”

“That is true joy”

The story of Baha’i activities at the Acacia Pointe Apartments in Glendale is one of perseverance — and transforming habits of thought.

The efforts of a teaching team from Phoenix and Scottsdale two and a half years ago helped to establish three core activities: a children’s class, a study circle and a devotional gathering.

In the time since, participation fluctuated as Baha’is puzzled over how to involve residents in sustaining the activities.

Then the teaching team tried a different approach.

“Instead of announcing the Baha’is are in helping to build a better community and the world, it was turned around to engage the neighborhood to be empowered to make the changes,” describes Emily Conly, a Glendale Baha’i.

“Many visits again were needed to share children’s class prayers and find out what the parents would like to do to better the neighborhood.

“We found each parent had their own journey of spiritual development and many had pain and difficulty that needed healing,” says Conly. “We learned to work with them at the spiritual level they were at and love them.

“It was not till then we learned this was a process that needed constant nurturing through understanding. Trust had to be developed before they would be consistent in attending the core activities.”

Conly is happy to report a junior youth group has now rounded out the core activities at Acacia Pointe.

What’s more, three residents declared their belief in Baha’u'llah in the past three months through their participation in a Ruhi Book 1 study circle.

“Our team has learned that Baha’u’llah truly tests us to see how sincere we are,” says Conly. “Most of all, how steadfast we are.

“When we have seen loss or our efforts made are not fruitful, we need push harder. We are here to develop our spiritual muscles.

“What a blessing to see people that were suffering and become enlightened with Baha’u’llah’s writings. That is true joy.”

The director of a new community center in the recession-devastated “Carpet Capital of the World” remembers.

When Baha’is recently took a barrel of donated canned food items to the center, he spoke of attending events they had sponsored.

Would they be willing to jump back in, he wondered, by holding a celebration for the city’s children at the new center?

“We were a bit overwhelmed but took it as a challenge and called in some help,” says Joan McGovern, a Baha’i in Dalton.

“By ourselves we could never have done this.”

But Baha’is in the Atlanta, Georgia, area to the south and Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the north remember, too.

They had served alongside Dalton believers on many an initiative back when the city was struggling to integrate a large number of Hispanic immigrants.

And when called upon to assist with this celebration, they turned out in numbers — including the operators of a Chattanooga-based arcade on wheels.

Good thing.

The “Celebrating Our Community Children” party drew not only young people from Dalton and Whitfield County.

Hundreds of Tennessee and Georgia teens who were in town to participate in a regional Youth Basketball of America tournament flocked to it as well.

“A great time was had by all,” says McGovern, “and we received front-page coverage by the Dalton Daily Citizen.”

Now the Dalton Baha’i community — only six strong and beset with health and transportation challenges — is feeling a new energy, she says.

The believers recognize that the children’s event has opened the doors to further spiritual conversation with people.

“We are holding regular Feasts and will be celebrating Ridvan,” the 12-day observance of Baha’u'llah’s proclamation of His station as Manifestation of God for this day.

And believers, she says, are “enthusiastic to try other projects.”

“We have sent a letter to Dalton State College offering them an opportunity to view Education Under Fire,” a documentary about the denial of higher education to Baha’is in Iran, and are waiting for a response.

“We are drafting out a proclamation for Race Unity Day” — an observance each June initiated by the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is — “and will plan to celebrate it at the community center,” adds McGovern.

What’s more, “We plan to donate books to the community center’s library.”

Dalton Baha’is also will be meeting in May with other area Baha’i communities and a visiting representative of a senior Baha’i institution to make further plans.

With a little nudge “we are alive and active again,” sums up McGovern.

She passed away January 18, 2012, at age 76. Her home of the past 18 years was La Crosse, Wisconsin, and she lived most of her life in that state.

In a letter of condolence to her husband, Richard, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States wrote, “While sharing your sorrow at this difficult time, we nevertheless celebrate Mavis’ life and devotion to the Cause she loved. Her many years, along with you, as a steadfast pioneer for the Faith to Japan are not forgotten, and will serve as an example to many.”

Mavis Primmer was born and — except for a few years in Washington state — brought up in Wisconsin. She spent 17 years teaching at several schools in and around Janesville, having studied at a teachers college in her hometown of Viroqua. Some of those years she taught special education after additional study at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

She was divorced and working as a store manager when she studied and accepted the Baha’i Faith in 1976. Months later she married Richard Creager, a longtime Baha’i and an education administrator. They lived for some time in the Green Bay area, where she served as a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Brown County and was active in teaching the Faith.

After a couple of years they sought to move abroad in service to the Faith, and found an opportunity to teach conversational English in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo. They relocated in 1979.

After four years in Machida they took over administration of a similar Baha’i-inspired school in Nagasaki, and stayed there into 1994. They also served as resident caretakers of the city’s Baha’i center, welcoming many guests, inquirers and traveling teachers. Mavis served on the Spiritual Assemblies of both localities.

During their years in Japan, Mavis worked patiently for the growth and health of Baha’i communities where she lived, making many friends for the Faith well beyond those who were inspired to join the Baha’i community.

Mavis made many friends and acquaintances through the school and other activities — including her popular cooking classes. Especially in Nagasaki, many young mothers proved receptive to the teachings of Baha’u’llah, recognizing the need to raise their children with spiritual values.

She and Richard opened their home for fireside meetings, and traveled to other communities to support their Baha’i activities. She also worked to provide personal connections for Japanese Baha’is who moved to the United States.

At the end of their time at the school in Nagasaki, the Creagers returned to Wisconsin, settling in La Crosse in late 1994.

Mavis is survived by her husband of 35 years, Richard Creager; two sisters, Glenda Port and Carol Hacker, both of Wisconsin; and two brothers, James Primmer of Colorado and David Primmer of Oregon.

Information from the U.S. Baha’i Office of International Pioneering and an online family tribute