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 'Alá'/Loftiness 175 BE Mar 02 – Mar 20, 2019 Vol. 12, No. 19
Inside this issue:
Were man to appreciate the greatness of his station and the loftiness of his destiny he would manifest naught save goodly character, pure deeds, and a seemly and praiseworthy conduct.
Bahá’u’lláh
Feast Information
Ayyám-i-Há & Feast of Loftiness
Date: Friday, Mar 01, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Old Mill Boathouse
Consultation:
The Spiritual Nature of Fasting
DOWNLOAD Topic of Consultation
Message From Your Local Spiritual Assembly
A Study of the Institution of Mashriqu'l-Adhkar
Dear friends,
In an effort to encourage the community to study the recent compilation released by the World Centre on the Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, three separate deepening spaces have been organized for the Port Moody friends to come together and study the document together .
The details of each space are provided below, and community members are free to attend whichever location may suit them best. Please respond to yasha.khatamian@gmail.com with your choice of location such that the hosts can have an approximate idea of how many people to expect.
A limited number of copies of the compilation will be available at the meetings, though they can also be bought at the Vancouver Baha'i Store for $8. A digital copy is available at this link from which hard copies can be made if needed.
Location - Mitra and Bahram (Gustaspis')
Start Date: Sunday, February 10th
Time: 1PM - 3:30PM
Frequency: Weekly if needed
Address: 260 New Port Drive, Unit 211 (Buzzer 111)
Location - Parviz and Simin (Rahmanys')
Start Date: Thursday, February 21st
Time: 7:30PM
Frequency: Weekly
Address: 301 Capilano Rd, Unit 1607 (Buzzer 188)
Location - Pezhman and Anusha (Samimis')
Start Date: Saturday, March 2nd
Time: 7:30PM
Frequency: Monthly
Address: 641 Thurston Close
Home Visits
If a home visit… is defined in the courses as an opportunity to enter into a deep conversation on spiritual matters, then it should not be reduced to a mere social call in which the Faith may not even be mentioned. (Universal House of Justice – Turning Point 42.34)
Believers must learn to draw on each other’s love for strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God is endowed with tremendous powers, mighty forces of love and strength and harmony. (Shoghi Effendi, Living the Life, p. 8)
A visit to a home should be seen as one element of a coherent pattern of action that seeks to enable specific populations to contribute to the construction of the society envisioned by Bahá’u’lláh. (Universal House of Justice, letter to a National Spiritual Assembly, 28 December 2008)
Dear Friends;
With the above guidance in mind, the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Port Moody is wishing to embark on a renewed campaign of Home Visits with the following specific goals and objectives in mind:
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Strengthening bonds of friendship;
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Enhancing devotional character of the community; and
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Encouraging active participation in Baha’i community life, including Feasts, Holy Days and Funds of the Faith.
Please expect a call from a member of the Port Moody Assembly to schedule a home visit with you over the next few weeks.
Message From Your Area teaching Committee
Dear Friends,
Happy Ayyám-i-Há! These days the Bahá’ís of the Tri-Cities Cluster and in fact around the world are celebrating special ‘Days of Joy’, when we are encouraged by Bahá’u’lláh to Provide good cheer for ourselves, our kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy. We hope and pray that friends across the cluster have celebrated Ayyám-i-Há with their neighbors, co-workers, family and friends.
As you are aware, the upcoming Reflection Meeting will be held during the month of Fast on March 17th at 10 am. Friends are encouraged to attend this gathering and celebrate the achievements of this cycle.
The Area Teaching Committee would like the cluster to focus on the following two objectives leading up to the reflection meeting and throughout the next cycle:
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How can each one of us devote special effort to think and act more at the level of collective? Can we find a few friends who live in close proximity to us and work together towards multiplying core activities?
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How can we exert extra effort to enlarge our circle of friends and invite them to Naw-Ruz and Ridvan celebrations we will be hosting at our homes?
Abdu’l-Bahá states:
“Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender increases. This is produced by the fact that man’s thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow.”
We are hoping that ideal advancements of the Faith in our cluster accelerate after the month of Fast and provide us with opportunities to share the upcoming Holydays, Naw-Ruz and Ridván, with our friends from the wider society, enlarge our circle of friends, strengthen our friendships, and extend invitations to core activities. The upcoming Reflection Meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for planning for the next cycle and many Holydays in contains. We hope to see whole-hearted participation of everyone including tutors and participants of study circles, children class teachers, junior youth animators and participants, and members of Institutions of the Faith at the Reflection Meeting.
The Area Teaching Committee is eagerly waiting to hear stories of your deliberations during the past cycle and is looking forward to sharing these stories with the rest of the cluster at the Reflection Meeting. Please email the ATC at tricities.atc@gmail.com or call (778) 994-9569 to share your stories.
With loving greetings,
THE AREA TEACHING COMMITTEE OF THE TRI-CITIES CLUSTER
Message from the Regional Schools Coordinating Committee
Dear Friends,
Thompson-Nicola (Interior) Bahá'í School will be held from Wednesday evening July 10th to noon on Sunday, July 14th, 2019 at the Dutch Lake Community Centre in Clearwater, BC. The theme of the school is "Following in the Footsteps of the Dawnbreakers". Presenters will be announced at a later date and Registration for the school will be available soon at http://bahaischools.org/ThompsonNicola/
There is no onsite camping available so book your accommodation well in advance at one of several campgrounds, hotels/motels or B&B's in the nearby area. For a list of hotels, motels, and B&B's go to: www.wellsgray.ca or https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotels-g182209-Clearwater_British_Columbia-Hotels.html
We hope to see you at our school this year -- please share this information with your community of interest in encouraging them to join us!
For questions or comments please contact us at: thompsonbs.bc@gmail.com
Loving Baha'i greetings,
Mary Jane (MJ) Oakes
on behalf of the Thompson Nicola Baha'i School coordinators
Message from the Universal House of Justice
Announcements
Ayyám-i-Há Celebration
The Ayyám-i-Há celebration for Port Moody will be held on Friday, Mar. 01, 2019 at the Old Mill Boathouse, and will start at 6:00 pm with potluck dinner, followed by a program and the feast of Loftiness.
There will be a gift exchange activity. To participate, please bring a gift $10 or less (wrapped!).
Persian Conference
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 1, Amilia Noori
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Book 3, Nouran Rahmanian
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Book 4, Negin Etemadi
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Book 5, Sourna Vafadary
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Book 7, Elham Sabeti
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Book 9, Yasha Khatamian
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Book 9, Marina Seifi
Devotional Gatherings
11 FEBRUARY 2019, (CBNS)
Hundreds of people gathered at Ryerson University to talk about how to navigate an “age of polarization” at a conference called DemocracyXChange. The Office of Public Affairs of the Baha’i Community of Canada was one of the sponsors and participants in the conference, which took place from January 26-27.
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
For more international news, please visit https://news.bahai.org/
Calendar
Cycles of Growth
Pictures & Videos
Children's Ayyám-i-Há Party at Old Mill Boathouse
and Food Drive
Inspirational Video - Port Moody
Contact Info
Cluster Agencies
