U N I T Y P O R T M O O D Y
"The Earth is but One Country and Mankind its Citizens." ~ Bahá’u’lláh
Baha'i Community of Port Moody
Newsletter
Month of 'Ilm/Knowledge 176 BE October 16 – November 4, 2019 Vol. 13, No. 12
Inside this issue:
Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world…
Bahá'u'lláh
Feast Information
Feast of Knowledge
Date: Tuesday, Oct 15, 2019
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Glenayre - Glen McRae's home
Inlet - Samieian (D. Arderkani) home
Heritage - Etemadi home
Message From Your Local Spiritual Assembly
Bicentenary October 2019 Host and Guest List
Dear friends;
Please find attached information from the Task Force responsible for the Twin Holy Days, including the Bicentenary Celebration for the Birth of the Bab in Port Moody, relating to list of designated hosts and guests.
With loving greetings,
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Port Moody
Decentralizing Community Feast - updated links, October
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Port Moody is pleased to announce that after extensive consultation and based on a number of considerations, including a review of the guidance of the Universal House of Justice from a message dated May 2009, it has arrived at the following decision:
To proceed with decentralizing our community feasts to three geographically-based neighbourhood feasts on a trial basis until at least the end of this year, with the first one of our decentralized feasts to be held in the 3 neighbourhoods of Heritage, Ioco/Inlet and Glenayre/College Heights will be the Feast of Names (Asma), scheduled to be held on Tuesday August 20, 2019.
In order to provide an opportunity for the entire community to still be able get together as one unified community, to share learning and ensure established relationships are nurtured and maintained, every third (3rd) feast will continue to be centrally held at the Old Mill Boathouse.
The Assembly will be looking for community members to offer to host these neighbourhood level feasts and as such will be presenting the community with a "sign-up" sheet over the next couple of feasts (July 14 and Aug. 01), which are still to be held at the Boathouse, for consideration.
The schedule of the feasts for this year and a draft outline of the community members residing in each of the neighbourhods are attached.
With loving Baha'i greetings,
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Port Moody
Study on the Life of the Báb
Dear Friends,
Our monthly study session is coming to a close! Please join us for the conclusion of this journey into the life of the blessed Herald of our Faith.
The next session will be on:
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2019
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
The FINAL SESSION will be on:
Date: Sunday, October 20, 2019
Time: 9:30 AM - 1 PM (with tea break)
Venue: 1 Wilkes Creek Drive, Port Moody. B.C.
Hosted by: Sean, Rae & Shirin
Thank you and we look forward to seeing your radiant faces at the study session.
With much love,
The Segran Family
Message From Your National Spiritual Assembly
Shrine of Abdu’l-Bahá
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The National Spiritual Assembly is delighted to share the following information from a letter of today’s date, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, about the design that has been approved for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“The structure that is envisaged in the design seeks to honour ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unique position as the Centre of the Covenant, and to reflect at once His lofty station and His humility. It creates a space of immense sacredness, to which pilgrims and visitors will be drawn for the purpose of prayer and meditation.
“A brief video showing the design concept is being made available for viewing in connection with a news story on the website of the Bahá’í World News Service at http://www.bwns.org.
“Preparations to commence the construction work for this historic undertaking are already well advanced. The House of Justice has every expectation that the unveiling of this design, which has been so eagerly anticipated since Riḍván, will bring tremendous joy to the friends and inspire them in all the efforts they are making for the progress of the Cause of God.”
Please ensure that the friends in your communities are advised of this joyous news.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
List of Holy Days 2019-2020
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We are pleased to share with you the attached list of Bahá’í Holy Days for the current school year and suggest that you share it with Bahá’í teachers, parents, students and others working with schools, as these dates are often indicated in School Board calendars that guide teachers with respect to examinations and other major school activities. The friends may wish to refer school authorities and employers to the Bahá’í Community of Canada’s official website www.ca.bahai.org which lists the Bahá’í Holy Days for 2019 and 2020 at www.bahai.ca/holy-days/. Further, our Office of Public Affairs would be happy to respond to any inquiries and may be reached by email at publicaffairs@bahai.ca or by phone at 905-889-8168.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
Message to the Bahá’ís of Canada, September 7, 2019
Please click here to read.
Launch of "The Bahá’í World" Website
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We are pleased to share with you the attached letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies dated 23 May 2019 regarding the launch of the website “The Bahá’í World”.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
Group Visits to the Shrine in Montreal
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We are delighted to advise you that the program of group visits to the Shrine in Montreal has now launched, with the first formally-registered group having visited in February from the Rundle neighbourhood in Alberta. The joy that these friends experienced and that they brought to the community in Montreal was a wonderful start to what we hope will become a regular feature of Canada’s spiritual life.
A team has been appointed to assist groups from neighbourhoods or clusters to coordinate visits to this sacred spot and become acquainted with the places that 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited during His stay in Canada. A website is under construction that will share information and offer the opportunity to register for such a group visit. For the time being, those wishing to register to visit in a group should apply by email at montrealshrinegroups@gmail.com. Of course, individuals wishing to visit the Shrine may do so without registering during the regular hours that the Shrine is open, which can be found on the Canadian Bahá'í website at https://www.bahai.ca/bahai-shrine-in-montreal/.
We take this opportunity to remind you of the wonderful news received two years ago that the Holy Places at the Bahá'í World Centre had been made more accessible to a greater number and diversity of friends. For those unable to go to the World Centre, and those who can do both, it is the National Spiritual Assembly’s hope that wave upon wave of friends might take advantage of this opportunity to visit Montreal, becoming the means whereby, in the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, “the melody of the Kingdom may travel to all parts of the world from that Dominion and the breaths of the Holy Spirit may spread from that center to the East and the West of America.”
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
News of Community Properties Fund
Please click here to open the National Spiritual Assembly's message.
Compilation on Prayer and Devotional Life
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We are very happy to share with you the attached newly-released compilation on prayer and devotional life; kindly arrange for its wide distribution. It is also available in the compilation section of the Bahá’í Reference Library. A French version will be circulated as soon as one is available.
In its covering letter dated 28 February 2019, the Department of the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice shared the following about this compilation:
“As the friends intensify their efforts to pursue the last Plan of the series of Plans that end in 2021, a year that marks the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the inauguration of the Formative Age, signs of the enrichment of the devotional life of the community are manifest. Devotional activities are everywhere multiplying and are increasingly being integrated into the core of community life. To add further stimulus to this signal development and to help the friends take full advantage of the period of special potency during which the bicentennial anniversaries of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb are commemorated, the Universal House of Justice has directed us to enclose a compilation of extracts on prayer and devotional life drawn from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and from the letters of the Guardian and the House of Justice.
“It is the hope of the House of Justice that this compilation, prepared by the Research Department at its request, will be studied widely and will be of assistance to individuals, families, and communities as they strive to evoke the spirit of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the creation of occasions where any soul may inhale the divine fragrances, experience the elevating power of prayer, and be drawn together with others in fellowship and common cause.”
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
Message from the Baha'i Council of British Columbia
Passing of 'Ali Nakhjavani
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We grieve to share with you the 11 October 2019 message of the Universal House of Justice addressed to all National Spiritual Assemblies, conveying the news of the passing of Mr. ‘Ali Nakhjavani, beloved to the friends in Canada and around the world.
With sorrowing hearts we convey the news that in the early hours of this morning our deeply cherished, illumined, and illustrious former colleague ‘Ali Nakhjavani ascended to the worlds beyond.
We mourn the loss of an extraordinary figure who leaves behind a distinguished legacy of uninterrupted service to the Cause of God. In the course of a singularly remarkable life that began in the closing years of the Heroic Age and extended to the very fringes of the second century of the Formative Age, he shone in the firmament of selfless devotion to Baha'u'llah and was called upon to be involved in many a major development in the rise of the Administrative Order, whether as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, as an intrepid pioneer to Africa in the Ten Year Crusade, as a member of the African Auxiliary Board when it was first created, as a member of the Regional National Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa at its inception, and as a member of the International Baha'i Council when it was first elected, a prelude to his membership on the Universal House of Justice when it was established in 1963.
He brought to his decades of monumental service absolute fidelity to his beloved Guardian, an exceptional depth of knowledge of the Cause, leonine commitment to the defence of the Covenant, intense ardour for the teaching work, rare spiritual acuity, and a radiant heart brimming with love for everyone who crossed his path. His was a life of profound spiritual attainment lived at the hinge of history. May his utter consecration, his adamantine faith, and his unswerving dedication to duty inspire generations to come.
We supplicate at the Sacred Threshold for the progress of his noble soul, that it may be richly rewarded, and that it may be united with his valiant pillar of support, his beloved wife Violette. Our condolences are extended to his dear daughter and son, Bahiyyih and Mehran, and to their families, and we pray that their grieving hearts may be solaced. The friends are called upon to hold memorial meetings in his honour, including befitting gatherings in all Houses of Worship throughout the world.
The Universal House of Justice
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
Website for the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
Further to our letter dated 4 September 2019 (ref. S99376) regarding resources for the bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb, we are pleased to share the following additional information from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies dated 6 September 2019:
“As was the case two years ago, a section of the Bahai.org website will provide information about the events unfolding in various countries during the upcoming Twin Holy Days. This online portal, available in all the languages of Bahai.org—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili—is now active, and it can be accessed by the friends at bicentenary.bahai.org. Some content related to the coming anniversary is already available on the site, and the film Dawn of the Light will be added by the end of September. During the hours when the believers and their friends will celebrate the Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the world, the site will offer glimpses of activities in several locations, including live streaming of services held at Houses of Worship, that will be illustrative of the wide array of initiatives being undertaken in localities everywhere. It is hoped that before, during, and after the Holy Days, this website will serve as a valuable resource upon which the friends may draw for inspiration and encouragement.”
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
Regional Victory!
Dearest Friends,
With joy and delight the Bahá'í Council is eager to share a brief update regarding our regional fund goal. For the month of August, 2019 our region contributed $314,293.65. to the Regional Branch of the National Fund. This results in a total of $578,504.01 for this year, so far. Please see the attached chart.
This is a great victory! If we continue to sustain and surpass this level of contribution, we will achieve our regional goal of 3.5 million dollars.
We cannot know what level of sacrifice each of you has made in offering these contributions to the Best Beloved, but we are certain our region will be showered with divine confirmations as we redouble our efforts to share the vision of Bahá'u'lláh with our friends, neighbours, co-workers and families.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Bahá’í Council of British Columbia
Letter to All Believers in British Columbia - Youth Activities
Please click here to read letter.
Letter to All Believers in the Tri-Cities
Please click here to read letter.
Letter To All Believers: Financial Goals
Please click here to read letter.
Message From The Regional Baha'i Council
Douglas College Bahá’í Club
From Coquitlam's Spiritual Assembly:
The Baha’i Club at Douglas College is under strength and in danger of losing its status. Having an active club enables the Coquitlam and New Westminster communities to use facilities at little or no cost.
Douglas College is important to us due to many factors. Hence, in particular, holding regular English Corner Classes which has been one of the services of the Baha'i Community to the wider community is also at risk if we lose this facility.
The purpose of widely distributing this email is to find or know of a student studying at Douglas College who may not necessarily reside in Tri-cities but attend to Douglas College and can help to sign up for the Baha’i Club as soon as possible. Timing is important!!
For more information please call Sanaz at 604 727 5438 or email the Spiritual Assembly of Coquitlam ( coquitlamlsa@gmail.com ).
The Spiritual Assembly of The Baha'i of Coquitlam
Roya Khosravan - Secretary
Message from the Universal House of Justice
Announcements
Please See Messages Above!
The Fund
News
Core Activities in Port Moody
Children's Classes
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Grade 1 run by Parham Ebrahimi
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Saturdays at 10:30 am, rotating residences
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Grade 2 run by Anusha Ahmadi
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Sundays at 10:30 am, Anusha's home
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Junior Youth Groups
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Spirit of the Faith animated by Sahaab Moffedi and Hamed Mahdi (all JYs are from Coquitlam)
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Walking the Straight Path animated by Dana Sabeti
Study Circles
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Book 3, Nouran Rahmanian
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Book 5, Sourna Vafadary
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Book 7, Elham Sabeti
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Book 8 Unit 2, Negin Etemadi
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Book 9, Yasha Khatamian
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Book 9 Unit 2, Bahram Gustaspi
Devotional Gatherings
BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE, ISRAEL, 24 SEPTEMBER 2019 (CBNS)
Dawn of the Light, a new feature film commissioned by the Universal House of Justice for the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Bab, was released today on the bicentenary website, bicentenary.bahai.org.
The film follows the personal search for truth and meaning undertaken by eight people from different parts of the world. Each one describes the journey to discovering that God has sent two Divine Manifestations for today, the Bab and Baha’u’llah, Who are revolutionizing human thought and behavior.
Bahá'í World Centre staffing needs
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
We have been asked to share with you the following message from the Office of Personnel at the Bahá'í World Center regarding opportunities to serve there. It is hoped that you will distribute it as widely as possible.
"As the vital work of the Cause unfolds in every part of the world, the effective functioning of the Bahá'í World Centre takes on added significance. The World Centre of the Faith—described by Shoghi Effendi as the "pivot of the agencies of the New World Order"—is supported by a flow of believers from a diversity of countries and occupations who arise selflessly to offer a period of service, of varying length, in the Holy Land. The staffing needs at the World Centre are continually changing in light of the evolving demands and resources. At any given time, there are roles to be filled which require particular competencies or specialized training, and others that simply require a readiness to learn about one's specific assignment. Due to the nature of service at the World Centre, the essential requirements include an ability to offer 12 months or more and a basic proficiency of English.
"Anyone interested in learning more about the possibility of offering a period of service at the World Centre is encouraged to contact the Office of Personnel at serve@bwc.org. Offers of service can also be submitted directly at https://bahai.bwc.org/service/.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Joo Jong Kung, Secretary-Aide
National Secreteriat"
International News
‘Ali Nakhjavani, former member of the Universal House of Justice, passed away in the early hours of this morning in France. He was 100 years old.
For more international news, please visit https://news.bahai.org/
Calendar
Note: Please refer to LSA's message about decentralization of Feasts
Cycles of Growth
Contact Info
Cluster Agencies
