The five delegates elected at the recent Unit Conventions to represent Northern Ireland at the UK National Convention 2007 are: Edwin Graham, Afnan Hashemi-zadeh, James Holmlund, Iain Palin, EdwardWhiteside.
As part of its celebration of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh the Spiritual Assembly of Belfast arranged a special multi-cultural evening with a variety of guests. Phots by Anny Clegg
Catherine Meehan writes from Fermanagh:
I was recently asked to give a short presentation on the Bahá’í Faith for a cross border initiative group in Brookeborough, Co Fermanagh. The theme of the evening was world religions and cultures in the county. I was nervous as it was my first time speaking about the Faith in public, but as I started the presentation and shared my personal story on how and why I became a Bahá’í. I relaxed and enjoyed it. I highlighted the key points of Progressive Revelation and explained how the different religions are, in reality, progressive stages of the same one Faith of God. I demonstrated this by a scroll (one I prepared earlier), starting with Krishna 3000 BC and ending with The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh 1844 and 1863, with the other Manifestations of God in between.
There was a representative from the Christian Churches Forum, Buddhist Community, Polish Community and a Muslim. The event co-ordinator asked if I would be interested to speak at other similar events in the future and I said I would be delighted
Catherine, right, and other speakers at the event in Fermanagh
Nikki D'Adamo, Outreach Education; Audrey Guichon, Outreach Training; Richie Hetherington, Centre Manager; Maureen Hetherington, Director, from "“The Junction” (Community Relations Resource and Peace Building Centre) with copies of the Key Stage 3 RE books on “Local People, Global Faiths” presented to them by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Londonderry
Photo AT
Londonderry Bahá'í Keith Munro with the picture of the Master in the library of Manchester College, Oxford, on the occasion of the Birth of the Báb, 20 October 2006.
Manchester College is historically significant for Bahá'ís. 'Abdu'l-Baha only visited Oxford on one occasion. He came by train from London on 31 December 1912 in the morning to speak to a group of academics and Unitarians at Manchester College. He had been invited by Thomas Cheyne, Professor of Divinity at Oxford, among the most prominent Bahá'ís of his time. The meeting was presided over by the Reverend Dr Estlin Carpenter, Principal of the College.
Amal Ma'ani-Hessari has been chosen, from over 2200 entrants, as a finalist in a competition to design a new emblem for the Parliament of South Africa. Amal lived in Northern Ireland for a number of years, indeed developed his graphic design career here, and is well known in NI.
Amal was inspired after seeing an advert for search for a new emblem, to replace the old coat of arms in a drive to change Parliament's image. "I focused on bringing about the representation of the Parliament as a source of unity," he said. He chose the theme “unity in diversity” for his design.
The new emblem for the South African Parliament will be revealed early next year.
Piippa Cookson, our pioneer in Macedonia, writes:
FANCY A LITTLE GENTLE PIONEERING?
When I came to Macedonia in 2003 there were several German pioneers - Mahvand and Bertram in Skopje, Nora in Tetovo, and Daniel, a short-term pioneer, in Ohrid. Daniel left soon after I arrived, but Neysan Donnelly (from Bulgaria and Co Cavan!) came to Ohrid as a Year of Service volunteer for 10 months. Lilli from Germany came to Bitola about the same time as I did, but she is a part-time pioneer.
Last year Mahvand and Bertram, and Nora, went back to Germany, and Tanja married Daniel, and they went to live in Germany while he finishes his studies. Marcel arrived from Germany on a YOS, to help Elizabeta in Prilep. This February they got married, and in September left for five years in Germany, for Marcel's studies. In March this year Zia and Jutta from Germany came to Ohrid as part-time pioneers, returning to Germany for July and August, and from November until March. In October Farshid Mavaddat, an Austrian Persian Baha'i who had been living in Bitola for some time, died unexpectedly. So when Lilli goes back to Berlin at the end of November, I shall be the only pioneer left in Macedonia.
So if anyone feels a call to pioneer to help with the development of the Faith here we'd be delighted
Loving Bahá'í greetings to all my old friends in Northern Ireland, Pippa.
BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE