Online Registration for All Courses:   http://www.greenacre.org/upcoming.htm

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Wishing You All a Happy Naw Ruz and a Joyful Ridvan!

Meet our April Presenters  

April 4-6 Handmaidens 2008: Courage, Compassion and Core Activities ~~ A Weekend for Woman of all ages - Starting with Jr. Youth and going way up! (recommended for ages 12 and older) with Barbara Yazdi Markert

This eighth handmaidens’ weekend will be a choice opportunity for Bahá’í women (and their friends, mothers, daughters, sisters!) to come together for enrichment and spiritual energy. We will endeavor to strengthen ourselves and each other to help meet the challenges facing women in today’s world. We will be inspired by unique scriptures from the Bahá’í Writings, by success stories of Bahá’í women, by breakout groups and loving consultations. We will have music, crafts, and warm and wonderful devotions. AND, we will have fun!

Barbara Markert currently serves on the Northeast Regional Baha’i Council, and at Wellesley College as the Baha'i Advisor, where she participates with the Spiritual and Religious Life Team programs. Barbara went to the United Nations Forum for Women in Nairobi, Kenya and also to Beijing.  She also served for several years as Baha'i "chaplain"/advisor at Harvard, and on the United Chaplains there.

April 11-13 Badasht Prep VI: for Middle School Students in Grades 6-8, with Vickie and Joel Nizin

The 6th biannual Badasht Prep, supported by the Northeast Regional Baha’i Council, is being offered for middle school students. Excerpts from The Dawn-Breakers, Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Center of the Covenant will be read aloud, followed by artistic, devotional, dramatic and other creative activities. Discussion will relate the stories of the heroes and heroines of the Faith to modern day life. On Saturday night the junior youth will share their artistic talents. . The facilitators will be youth and adults that have prior experience with the Badasht Academy. Attendees will be housed with counselors. There will be a closed-campus policy. Weekend fee: $117. (Reduced rate – no other discounts apply.)

Joel & Vickie Nizin are both members of the Regional  Baha'i Council of the Northeastern States. They are engaged in many aspects of teaching including Ruhi, courses at Green Acre, service to youth and jr youth,  and service abroad. Vickie, a Baha'i since age 17 is a lactation consultant and Joel is a colon surgeon. They have 2 wonderful daughters Zia and Anisa.  

April 11-13 The Turning Point: From Training to Teaching, with Celia Johnson

Study the evolution of thought in the Baha’i world over the critical last decade. Discover the remarkable vision of the Universal House of Justice as it has guided us through an ever widening understanding of the process of growth and an historical shift in process defined by a culture of learning. (Includes classes for ages 3-11.)

Celia Johnson lives in Bremerton, Washington. She has been a Baha’i for more than 30 years, and currently serves as a member of the Regional Baha’i Council for the Northwestern States. Prior to that she was an Auxiliary Board Member for Protection serving in Washington. She and her husband Loren recently became grand-parents with the birth of their grandson in China. Celia is known for her great sense of humor and indomitable spirit.

April 18-20 Seekers & New Believers Weekend, with Ghasem and Sateh Bayat

Please invite friends, neighbors, co-workers, and/or family members to attend this weekend! Discounts and scholarships are readily available.
This weekend will introduce the participants to the Baha’i Faith in a friendly, loving and caring way in the deeply spiritual setting of Green Acre Baha’i School. Presentations cover different aspects of the Faith, using the initial survey of the participants’ interests at the start of each session as a basis for the content. The devotionals and the social interactions create an environment that opens hearts and minds to the healing message of Baha’u’llah.

Ghasem and Sateh Bayat are presently living in Houston, Texas. They are engaged in many aspects of teaching including Ruhi, developing and giving courses at the various Bahá’I Schools. Sateh is a retired Family physician, who has lived in Africa for 14 years and later in Scotland where she met Ghasem. Ghasem Bayat is a research scientist, Petroleum Engineer and an educator, as well as a regular presenter on Canadian and American Bahá’I Persian television and radio programs. His work over the course of 35 years has allowed him and his wife Satet and their two sons to work and travel around the world and learn about many of the world’s unique cultures, histories, and Faiths. 

April 25-27  Spirit in the Workplace: Models and Mentoring for Spiritually Based Action in the World of Work with Patricia Romano, Sarah Page, Rebecca Rowley, Carol Martin, Ingrid Hauck and Susan Mojaverian

Wondering what to do with your work life, school, or career? Feeling alienated and alone? Feeling split between your inner convictions and the demands of the work place? The Five Year Plan emphasizes the importance of learning to rely on the "power of Divine assistance" born out of "intimate contact with the Word of God" in order to develop the capacities of the individual to effect change in the world. Such study "fosters a set of related habits, attitudes, qualities, and skills" needed to put Baha’u’llah’s message in action in every aspect of human endeavor. In this conference our dynamic speakers will share their inspiring stories of how they have integrated their spiritual principles into the workplace. Opportunities to form mentorship relationships will be provided. Young adults are especially invited to come and share.

Patricia Romano McGraw is a psychologist with over 25 years of experience in helping organizations and individuals identify, understand, and develop their hidden potential.   She believes strongly in the spiritual foundations of  true progress in the workplace.  She is an author, a forensic psychologist, a psychotherapist, and coach in Baltimore, MD.  Her books are “Seeking the Wisdom of the Heart” and “It’s Not Your Fault.”   

Sarah Page lives in Belchertown, MA with her husband Chris and serves on the Belchertown Local Spiritual Assembly. She is an Assistant Executive Director of HAP, Inc. the housing partnership of Western Mass and has been involved in affordable housing development for over 20 years. During the weekend she will share experiences of the spirit in urban, neighborhood revitalization initiatives.

Rebecca Rowley lives in Watertown, MA and in the Boston Baha’i Cluster.  She works at Boston College as the Director of Leadership for Change with diverse faculty and business partners. Together they model collaboration and responsibility in organizations and society. Rebecca's search for peace led her to the Baha'i Faith 39 years ago in Nebraska.  She holds monthly Peace Reflections in her Watertown home for friends and neighbors. 

Carol Martin was born and raised in New Orleans, and like the city, firmly believes in the power of "each one reach one, each one teach one." She has a background in negotiation, biotechnology policy, fund raising and business development. She is a member of the Belmont, MA Baha'i community and is working hard to get enough members to form a Belmont Assembly.

Susan Mojaverian, MSN, RN is a 36 year member of the Baha'i Faith who is a trained Ruhi Tutor. She is a nursing faculty member at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA where she has the title of Clinical Nurse Educator Mentor. She regularly holds Devotional gatherings in her home, and she has recently begun holding them on the Drexel University Health Sciences Campus.

Summer registration at Green Acre is in full swing, with over 200 children and youths registered so far,  as well as many adults and family groups. Check the webpage below for information about summer courses.

Details on all courses may be found at

http://www.greenacre.org/upcoming.htm