Northern Virginia Bahá'í Center
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Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Unitygram© December 2009. Year 2. Volume 12 Local Assemblies and Friends Attend Public Forum On a beautiful balmy autumn day on November 7th, nearly 30 friends from 12 Firmness in the LSAs in the National Capital Region (NCR), as far away as Baltimore, MD Covenant Deepening answered the invitation of the Loudoun LSA and came to consult on the operation and future plans for the Northern Virginia Bahá’i Center. Four other LSA's sent regrets due to a schedule conflict with their reflection gathering. The consultation covered brief reports on last year's progress and consultation on next year’s objectives and tasks on six strategic goals: 1. Practice Sound Financial Management 2. Support Five Year Plan Goals 3. Nurture Bahá’i Life 4. Encourage Local Community Outreach and Service We are excited to 5. Advance Public Understanding/Education announce a deepening on 6. Develop Necessary Resources "Firmness in the Covenant" on December 6, 2009 at After a brief question and answer session six the Northern Virginia Baha'i small teams were formed to discuss and make Dr. Ruth Allen and Peyman Akhavan presented Center. The deepening is initial recommendations on how to best achieve the Center’s Strategic Plan sponsored and hosted by each goal. Full meeting notes and complete the Great Falls Bahá’i discussion of recommendations are being sent to each of the NCR LSAs. Here is Community. a brief presentation of the recommendations made: Although the deepening is Goal 1, Sound Financial Management geared towards youth – but x Take an active approach to champion the cause of the Center. all are more than welcome x Wage a sustained campaign for financial support of the Center by all Bahá’is to participate. Discussions in NCR. will be led by Dr. Ghaneh x Adoption of ACH accounts by each LSA in NCR. Fananapazir - and will x Establish a program committee that can develop a variety of programs. include practical guidance on areas that impact youth, Goal 2, Support Five year Plan Goals including exposure to x Giving the Five Year Plan the highest priority and attention covenant breakers on x With the help of the RTI, turn the Center into a learning center offering multiple medium such as Facebook Ruhi courses every night and other internet sites. x Create children's art classes. x Establish quarterly “Ruhi Practice Fest”, inviting all three clusters to take part The meeting will start in it. promptly at 4 PM and will end at 6 PM. Due to limited Goal 3, Nurture Bahá’i Life space, those who wish to participate are asked to x View the Center as a healthy alternative for social gathering for junior youth, please register by emailing youth, adults, and seniors to make new friends, reinforce old friendships and [email protected] fellowship. Unity of Purpose j Unity of Action 1 x Encourage inactive Bahá’is to attend programs and events at the Center to reengage with the mainstream and increase participation at community level. We Want to Hear From You Goal 4, Encourage Local Community Outreach and Service We are grateful for the many compliments and accolades x Volunteers to help welcome visitors to we receive from many of you the Center regarding the Unitygram. x Sponsored events at the Center could We encourage submission of include: articles, news, and o Blood drive information about activities o Craft show and life events from o Women’s group throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington o Book clubs DC for publication in the o Women’s empowerment meeting Sara Fink of Prince William East LSA and Shahrzad Naderi of Reston during the question and answer Unitygram. with well known speakers session. All articles are subject to Goal 5, Advance Public Education/Understanding editing and must be received by the 15th of each month for x Use the Center as an incubator through its use for interfaith and SED projects. publication in the following x Outreach by joining other organizations as a Bahá’i entity even when only two or month’s issue, space three Bahá’is can actively participate. permitting. x Join organizations even if only two Bahá’is take part, as we will benefit from the For further information publicity efforts of the other organizations. please contact the editor at x Offer of use of the Center also recommended, which would give even two [email protected] Bahá’is in the organization a lot of prestige. x Greatest need for teaching is diversification. Seek out Asian and African- Americans; organize programs of interest to them. Unitygram© x Invite an African American choir to sing on some notable occasion. Unitygram© is published monthly as an eNewsletter Goal 6, Develop Necessary Resources by the Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Steering Committee x Reconnect with the youth and encourage them to bring activities to the Center. 21415 Cardinal Glen Circle, x Amplify youth activities and programs in surrounding communities and recognize Sterling, VA 20164 (703)444-0019 their outputs in order to further cheer them on. [email protected] x Announce special events more often and ask LSAs to take part in better communication within their communities. Copyright © 2009 Northern Virginia x Remove restrictions placed by LSAs on individual contributions to the Center to Bahá’i Center. All rights reserved. increase cash flow. x Consider and incorporate “Green” solutions for renovations to improve efficiency and reduce utility costs. x Anyone who has not received a satisfactory response to their questions from their LSA should contact the NSA. The meeting was a wonderful chance to hear views of the Bahá’is on how best to help the Center thrive. You can send your thoughts and ideas on how we can make the Center a great place by writing to [email protected]. Unity of Purpose j Unity of Action 2 Lotus Temple Photo Causes Furor in Iranian Newspaper December Sunday nd Programs On Sunday, November 22 an advertisement from a The Sunday Morning large number of travel Devotional Program this agencies inviting readers to month is sponsored by visit India appeared on the Leesburg and Great Falls, front page of Hamshahri, the Virginia communities. daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Iran. 12/6/09 Bahá’i Normally that would not be Administrative newsworthy, however the Order newspaper had innocently 12/13/09 Life of Abdu’l- used an image of the Lotus Baha Temple, the Bahá’i House of 12/20/09 The Worship in New Delhi Unknowable, ostensibly for its beauty. The Title above picture of New Delhi Lotus Temple reads “Discover life by traveling” Part A authorities decided to shut down the newspaper immediately for this “flagrant” crime of 12/27/09 The promoting the Bahá’i Faith and demanded that the paper’s editor publish an apology which he refused. Based on comments posted on the web about this article, most readers said Unknowable, they did not know it was a Bahá’í House of Worship until the uproar initiated by the Iranian Part B government. Many stated that by seeing a photo or even going to the Temple one would not become a Bahá’i. All favorably commented on the Temple’s architectural beauty, and Other Events at the applauded its Iranian born architect. Overwhelming number of readers who saw the ad expressed a desire to someday see the Lotus Temple in person. Center Role of African Americans in the Bahá’i Faith Kitab-i- Saturdays, Iqan 12:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Prince William Cluster, on October 25th Karla Wynn-Diouf presented a Spanish Saturdays, comprehensive Deepening on the role of Firesides 7:30 -9:30 African American's in Bahá’i History. Karla p.m. has a regular book group on the role of African American Bahá’is and has assembled Spanish Sundays, an extensive set of readings and materials on Ruhi Book 9:00 a.m.- the topic. A group of young musicians from 7 1:00 p.m. Baltimore also shared their special musical English Sundays, Karla Wynn-Diouf talent with the audience. Firesides 11:00 a.m. As we prepare for the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the visit of Abdu’l- Deepening Sundays, Baha to United States, it is important Programs 11:00 a.m. to that we all reconnect with the plan and in Persian 4:00 p.m. approach that Our Beloved Exemplar gave us that included the pressing matter of race unity in America. Please check the Center’s Calendar of Events Unitygram invites those with insight regularly for updates on about the contributions of African schedules and programs. Americans and other ethnic groups to share their perspective with our readers. Unity of Purpose j Unity of Action 3 Birth of Baha’u’llah Celebration at the Center Birth of The Birth of Baha'u'llah Holy Day was celebrated on the Baha’u’llah night of November 11th at the Interfaith Center with an attendance numbering in the hundreds Celebration including a number of friends of the Faith. The event was hosted by the Fairfax County Northwest Community and included a diverse program that consisted of prayers recited in Persian, Urdu, Spanish, and English; a wonderful talk given by Mohebat Ahdiyyih on the importance of Birth of Baha’u’llah; a moving poem shared by Maria Castro, a relatively new Spanish-speaking believer; a beautiful recital of a tablet of In addition to the packed Baha'u'llah in Persian by Khosrow Saravi set to music and played by Parviz Northern Virginia Bahá’i Hashemi.