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The word devotion has taken on an entirely new meaning for Gabriela Denise Frank since the Seattle-based writer took part in a Baha’i gathering on the north side of Chicago. Frank also visited the Baha’i House of Worship in suburban Wilmette and joined in an intercommunity Baha’i picnic on the shore of Lake Michigan before [...]
The American nation, Baha’is believe, will evolve through tests and trials to become a land of spiritual distinction and leadership
Devotional gathering is bringing moms together in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo courtesy of Katie Bodie Cervantes They’ve served actively. Now they’re married and diving into the “baby business.” How can young adult Baha’is find avenues of service that fit around parenthood? Billie Kay Bodie of Burchard, Nebraska, raised these concerns in consultation at the recent 104th [...]
The arts uniquely connect hearts to the divine and ease the burden of souls, say musicians Eric Dozier and JB Eckl. But when Baha’is get together, they say, the community’s otherwise awe-inspiring diversity presents a dilemma: How to craft a shared worship experience? Enter the Badasht Music Project. Through its recordings, website and visits to [...]
At first blush it doesn’t seem a difficult task: Arrange to visit someone, and at that encounter share a prayer and chat about … whatever. And it isn’t, say Baha’is who have engaged in such visits to the homes of Baha’is they haven’t seen in a while, of new believers, and of others they wish [...]
Baha’is in other parts of the cluster are catching the vibe from Spiceberry
Obligatory prayer and reciting the Greatest Name
“Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.” — Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 295 Q: What are [...]
Prayers aren’t always answered like we want
Gwen Chavarria shares a perspective on receiving answers to prayers in this editorial in the Idaho-Press Tribune.
More at Feast, more for the Fund Activities pursued to build community require more than human resources, of course.Material support is needed as well. A fruit of increased Feast attendance by Bahá’ís in North Gwinnett County, Georgia, has been greater participation by Bahá’ís in the privilege reserved for them of contributing to the Funds of [...]
Persians emerge from the background As the Spiritual Assembly of North Gwinnett County, Georgia, labors to broaden the number of those shouldering key roles in the community, its focus has turned to the large number of Bahá’í newcomers from Iran. “Many times [the Persian believers] stand in the background,” says Andrea Perkins, an Assembly member [...]
The Bloomington, Indiana, Baha’i community is steadily building on an individual’s neighborhood initiative.
September 20, 2010 – 5:00pm Thousands around the globe are preparing vigils and observations for the International Day of Peace on September 21, including a special effort called A Million Minutes for Peace, where individuals are asked to make the following pledge: “On September 21, I will pause at noon and, in my own way, pray [...]
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.”
The heartbreaking tragedy that has befallen the nation of Haiti has stirred the world with compassion and prompted an outpouring of support.
One Sunday a month, Tamara Hendershot hosts an informal prayer gathering, or devotional, in her Highland Park home north of Chicago. Each gathering brings a different combination of participants.
Some swear by the power of prayer; others reject it as magical thinking. For Baha’is, prayer is the glue that cements their loving communion with God.
Two Baha’i friends and neighbors in Columbia, S.C., have been throwing a weekly "spiritual party" whose success surprises even them.
Visitors to the Baha’i House of Worship for the North American Continent in Wilmette, Ill., are attracted not only to its peace and serenity, but to its beauty, both inside and out.