Convention Report

News and Upcoming Events

By John Taylor; 2008 May 09, 12 Jamal, 165 BE

 

Upcoming Events

 

No More Fanatics!

 

Dunnville's Baha'i Fireside this month is on Tuesday May 13th with Joe Woods as our featured speaker. Joe's topic is: "An End to Religious Fanaticism." As always, it will take place 8 PM, at the Garfield Disher Room of the Dunnville Branch of the Haldimand Public Library.

 

Gordon Naylor Talk and Eco-Fair

 

Gordon Naylor will talk on: "Go Green -- Eradicating Poverty," about the recent statement to the United Nations on the relationships among over-consumption, poverty and prosperity.

We have invited various groups from the Niagara area to set up tables and share what they are doing to promote and educate others in this area as well. These include: Eco-Village Niagara (who are launching a sustainable housing project in Niagara Falls to build "straw-bale" houses with all eco-friendly products and services - this charitable organization also is an official Energy Audit program for the government whereby people can apply for rebates for making their homes more energy efficient)

 

Wed May 14th, 7-9:30 PM

Auditorium, Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool

145 Livingston Ave., Grimsby

Refreshments at 7 p.m

Speaker from 7:30-8:30

Display tables and conversation from 8:30-9:30

 

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 News from All Over

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Silvie's Party Poll 2

 

Influenced by a series of Garfield party books, Silvie decided that our family should have a party. Some people would just go ahead and plan, but Silvie has to be scientific about it. She made up the following popularity poll, testing out several ideas for a party. Her system has had several iterations and has already got so complicated I am lost when I try to figure out how she is calculating this. Here is her latest survey report, requesting further priorization.

  "These were the parties elected from our last election. Every one needs to number the parties in order, starting as 1 as their favorite party, and 13 as their least favorite."

  Art Party came in 2nd, 4th, and 6th.

  "A Garfield Party: Start-your-own-country" came in 1st, 5th, and 6th.

  Film Festival came in 1st, 3rd, and 4th.

  Animal Parade came in 2nd, 4th, and 6th.

  Homework Party came in 2nd, 8th, and 8th.

  Garden Party came in 5th, 7th, and 7th.

  Mothers' Day Party came in 1st, 3rd, and 5th.

  Pajama Party came in 3rd, 7th, and 8th.

 

Movie Review on "Befriended Stranger" Blog

I am not the only Baha'i blogger reacting to the films I see. Here is a Baha'i reaction to the new Jackie Chan film, Forbidden Kingdom,

http://www.befriendedstranger.com/religion/2008/05/07/forbidden-kingdom-fun-and-wisdom/

 

Warriors of the Rainbow

Here is a video about native prophesies on YouTube:

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKVRW5L50TA

 

Photos from the International Convention

Here is a set of exquisite photographs taken during the International Convention.

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/21107209@N03/sets/72157604807847738/show/with/2455984785/

 

Here is a good summary of Ruhi for public consumption out of an Arizona newspaper.

Faith & Action: Study Circles By JOYCE FULLER KLEIKAMP, Baha'i Community of Pinal County, May 08, 2008

  http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19673495&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222077&rfi=6

 

Convention Report of the grandson of Howard Colby Ives

 

Kurt Hein (khein@linfield.edu) was an American NSA member delegate at the recent international convention. He writes, "Howard Colby Ives, the author of Portals to Freedom, is my great-grandfather and I am currently researching his personal papers at the US National Baha'i Archives." Faithful reader Ed sent a compilation of the reports that Hein made on Facebook, but unfortunately I do not have the URL to that. Some of what Hein reported from the World Centre is so striking that I cannot resist including them here.

 

“I am told that some of the non-Baha'i technicians were so moved during the casting of the ballots that they wept with joy. When the mayor of Haifa came into the auditorium to greet the delegates, he threw up his hands in amazement when he first saw the stage. Another friend who serves here said that for the mayor it must have been amazing to be with thousands of people in a convention setting who were conducting their proceedings with decorum, love and respect. As he greeted the assembled delegates, his first words were, "I do not want to leave here!" He then said, "We really, really love you! We REALLY love you!"

 

Two minutes of silence for the Holocaust Memorial

A few minutes ago, at the direction of the Universal House of Justice, the entire body of the convention stood in silence, joining the Israelis throughout the country for two minutes of silence in memory of the victims of the holocaust. As I stood there among some 2000 Baha'is from all over the world, my prayer was for my grandmother, who was a victim of the Holocaust, and of gratitude that she had insisted that my father leave Vienna right after Hitler invaded. In his several year's journey which eventually landed him in the US, he came across a Baha'i pioneer in Cuba and after 8 months of study became a Baha'i.

Decades later Austria made some reparations to the surviving Jewish ex-patriots, including my father. I recall the day the check came when, with his face radiant with joy, he wrote directly to the Universal House of Justice sending the entire amount for the building of the Arc in Haifa. He felt that a great victory had been won - money repaid to him for the atrocities of Hitler's persecution of his family was now building the Kingdom of God in the state of Israel! He arranged that all the rest of the checks would also go to the Fund. Surely both their souls - my grandmother's and my father's, are now joyfully assisting the growth of this World-embracing Faith, which will establish true justice for all humanity. more to come...

 

The Ridvan message...

The Ridvan message will undoubtedly be posted soon - so I won't comment on it yet, except to say that hearing it here, in the presence of the members of the Universal House of Justice was an otherworldly experience for me. Those of you who know me well know that every year I have eagerly awaited this annual message - one year I recall standing over the printer with tears flowing in impatience as the pages printed off! I always try to find at least one Baha'i friend who shares my enthusiasm to study it with. So you can imagine what it would be like for me to hear it here, amongst the concourse of nations in the presence of the Supreme Body.

This message, always directed to the Baha'is of the world, is from the "Source of all good, freed from all error." Oh my. I invite all of you to join me in that study - grab a buddy or 10 and enjoy getting familiar with the most current guidance from God for the planet! I'm praying that especially the youth will become the champions of understanding of the guidance from our supreme body in their clusters.