This article was written by Pat Irvine at the request of the Bahá'í Council for NI, to show some of the organisations with which Bahá'ís can be involved.
There are many ways old and new, of reaching out into the wider community and making new friends for the Faith. It is interesting to look back and see how one sector in particular within the Bahá'í community have been involved in this very activity over many years, and has been encouraged in this by the Universal House of Justice. It results in an enhanced public profile for the Bahá'í Faith, and a greater appreciation on the part of people of influence in our society of its nature, status, and importance, and what it has to offer to humankind.
When the Bahá'í Women’s Committee was set up back in the 1980s, none of us had any idea just how beneficial this would be in terms of meeting and working with like minded organisations. The Committee later became known as the Association of Bahá'í Women, part of a UK wide Bahá'í organisation. Those early links with organisations like Women’s Forum, UNIFEM, Soropoimists along with many other grass roots organisations continue to this day where Bahá'í women are actively involved, serving on committees and even as elected chairpersons.
Traditionally it has been an arena for Bahá'í women, however it may well be a good time to look at some of the other organisations such as Round Table, Rotary International, Lion’s Clubs and Probus. They are mostly open to men and women and are all-Ireland, UK and world wide organisations whose members are from a business or professional background. Their constitutions and ethos are all in keeping with our Faith.
The members of Round Table come from all walks of life and join for a variety of reasons, such as a gateway to relaxation and enjoyment, or as a way of participating in the local community. It is an ideal way for those who have moved into a new area to find new friends of a similar age. Membership of Round Table helps to create confidence and build character. The individual learns quickly to mix and 'have-a-go' at helping to organise and run meetings and events. The organisation is run by and for Tablers as a hobby. After attending as a guest for a time, potential members are invited to join. There are no barriers regarding one's political, religious, occupational or marital status and the only qualification is to be male, over 18 and under 45.
Rotary International is a global network of service volunteers. It is the world's largest service organisation for business and professional people, with some 1,210,905 members operating in 168 countries world-wide. There are some 1,845 clubs in Great Britain and Ireland helping those in need and working towards world understanding and peace. It's a fulfilling role, and Rotarians can get involved as much or as little as their time will allow. Clubs meet on a regular basis, which allows members to build firm friendships. Every Rotarian has a right to attend any Club meeting anywhere in the world, so there is always somewhere to go, and people to meet, wherever business or leisure travel may take you.
The word PROBUS is an abbreviation of the words PROfessional and BUSiness, which embraces any person who has had some measure of responsibility in the fields of commerce, industry, education etc. The basic purpose of a Probus club is to provide regular gatherings of persons, who, in their Retirement appreciate and value opportunities to meet others in similar circumstances and similar levels of interest. The activities of a Probus club may vary considerably, some clubs simply meet monthly for a meeting followed by a lunch. At the other extreme some clubs provide for a large range of activities.
Lions Clubs International is a world wide voluntary service organisation with over 46,000 clubs in 197 countries, consisting of more than 1,300,000 of whom over 20% are women members, making it the largest organisation of its kind in the world. While each Lions Club gives priority to the needs of its local community the Association is truly international with no religious or political affiliations of any description. All this is done in their spare time; there are no full time organisers. As an International organisation Lions are able to provide urgent assistance in times of disasters such as Earthquakes and Tsunami through Lions International
If you are a member of any organisation you have a commitment, and as a member you are expected to attend monthly or weekly meetings whenever possible and pay a membership fee. It is not for everyone, but if you are an outgoing sort of person working in a profession or business and genuinely enjoy meeting new people and being involved in local activities then it may be for you. You can make new friends and contacts and help to raise awareness and appreciation of the Faith. There are branches of most of these organisations in nearly every town and city.
Becoming a member generally involves being recommended by a current member e.g. Rotary, however Lion’s Clubs invite people to apply for membership. If you are interested and want to find out more, all of these organisations have excellent web sites, Local Councils have contact names of secretaries in your area.
There may well be opportunities to link up with local clubs in your area even if not wishing to join, but simply to offer your services when they are needing help e.g. for a local project they are doing in your area. The Universal House of Justice has encouraged us to associate with like minded organisations. Joining an organisation shouldn’t detract from our work in the four core activities, what it can do is forge new friendships and let people from the wider community see that Bahá'ís are involved and serving in all sections of community life
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