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 Bahá/Splendour 176 BE Mar 21 – April 8, 2019 Vol. 13, No. 1
Inside this issue:
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And the splendor of that light is in the hearts, yet it is hidden under the veilings of sense and the conditions of this earth, even as a candle within a lantern of iron, and only when the lantern is removed doth the light of the candle shine out.
Bahá’u’lláh
Feast Information
Feast of Splendour
Date: Sunday, Mar 24, 2019
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Old Mill Boathouse
Topic of Consultation: TBD
Message From Your Local Spiritual Assembly
Presence of Friends of the Faith at Feasts
Please click here to read message.
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A Study of the Institution of Mashriqu'l-Adhkar
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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
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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)
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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)
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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 National Spiritual Assembly
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
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News of Community Properties Fund
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Please click here to open the National Spiritual Assembly's message.
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Opportunity to Observe 2019 National Convention
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Dear Bahá’í Friends,
We are writing to seek your assistance in informing the friends of the opportunity to attend the 2019 National Convention as observers. The Convention will take place at the Toronto Bahá’í Centre, 288 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Ontario from Friday, 26 April beginning at 7:00 p.m. to Monday, 29 April ending at 1:00 p.m. Observers will view the Convention consultation through an audio-visual link one floor above the Convention hall and will have an opportunity to interact directly with delegates during breaks in the proceedings.
All Bahá’ís in good standing who are able to attend on a self-supporting basis are welcome to register at https://goo.gl/forms/V0vtiuBvifSYNsLY2 no later than 11 April. Registrations will be accepted on a “first come, first served” basis. Further information is attached.
It may also be of interest to the friends to know that the National Spiritual Assembly again plans to offer access to National Convention deliberations through live-streaming over the internet.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary
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Compilation on Prayer and Devotional Life
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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
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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
Persian Conference
The Fund
Story about the Fund
Kate and Ivan had been saving money to have much needed repairs done in the old house where they lived in Canada. The garage door was to be replaced, the roof needed new shingles and the old chimney had to be rebuilt.
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Before they could do repairs, however, they received a message from their National Spiritual Assembly, informing all the Baha’is in the country of a severe deficit in the Funds, and calling upon them to help in meeting the crisis.
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Kate and Ivan’s response was immediate. They gave the money they had saved for repairs.
Shortly after they had made their generous gift, the worst hurricane in many, many years hit the town Kate and Ivan lived in. It blew through their house, breaking down the garage door, blowing off all the shingles from the top of the roof and demolishing the old chimney. Their insurance company, of course, paid for most of the repairs.
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“Put the Fund first,” said Kate, “and God will take care of the rest.”
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 11:00 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)
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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.
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Bahá'í World Centre staffing needs
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
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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.
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"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.
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"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/.
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With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Joo Jong Kung, Secretary-Aide
National Secreteriat"
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International News
For more international news, please visit https://news.bahai.org/
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