We belong to a Faith which is constantly evolving, involved in a process which means facing new challenges, and learning how to adapt to them. The Bahá'í world community has, in our lifetimes, ‘crossed a bridge to which we never will return.’ In its 9 January 2001 letter to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, the Universal House of Justice wrote:
‘The Cause of Bahá'u'lláh stands at the threshold of a new epoch…’ ‘Advancing the process of entry by troops will continue as the aim of the Five Year Plan – indeed the aim of the series of Plans that will carry the community to the end of the first century of the Formative Age. The acceleration of this vital process will be achieved through systematic activity on the part of the three participants in the Plan: the individual believer, the institutions, and the community.’
Dear friends, all of us have the inestimable bounty of belonging to at least one of the ‘participants’ mentioned in the above quotation. Our road map has been drawn until at least the year 2021, and this sets the context for the activities we are encouraged to participate in at whatever level.
With all of this comes new practices, the success of which are being proven around the world, and a new vocabulary which we need to understand if we are to keep abreast of the latest developments. This does not mean that previous practices are somehow now irrelevant. firesides, deepenings,proclamation activities, homefront and overseas pioneering - all of these are terms that we are familiar with, describing activities which stillhave their place in teaching. However, what we are talking about is carrying out those activities which have been successfully proven to meet the present needs of the cause. Every stage in the evolution of our beloved faith has had its particular needs and today, 'home visits' are being shown to assist the successful spread of the faith.
There is nothing new in this. The Central Figures of our faith visited the homes of relatives, friends and even enemies, and there are many stories of ‘Abdul-Bahá making home visits to the ill and needy, sometimes over many years, to feed and care for them.
‘Shoghi Effendi repeatedly referred to ‘visits’ as an element of consolidation and the systematic development of a community. Through guidance, assistance, encouragement, frequent visits whenever possible, the community of the believers should be nursed and prepared to discharge befittingly its sacred responsibilities.’ (Reflections on Growth 14 p.1)
We are actually participating in a change of culture with home visits. How many of us visit our neighbours’ homes? How many of us even know the names of the people living three doors down the road? Maybe in the past we could have raised our hands in answer to these questions, but in our modern, pressurised, western life-style are we not becoming more and more isolated and self-centred? Like all changes it can be a painful experience, requiring courage and skill, and individuals and institutions are learning how to use home visits to enhance our work for the Cause.
Some Friends are nervous about finding themselves in a contrived, unnatural situation in which their actions would appear extremely odd. This, however, is not what is being asked of us. What we do should be natural outcomes of our relationships with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. By going through the Ruhi sequence and carrying out the acts of service recommended, we gain confidence, courage, and skills, until we experience the ‘joy of teaching.’ Many friends are joining clubs and societies in an effort to make new friends, trusting the process, with the intention of directly giving the message of Bahá'u'lláh. Social contact undoubtedly takes place, but again the Universal House of Justice has given guidance on the primary purpose of 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. In short, the educational process in which the friends have engaged over so many weeks and months should give shape to the individual and collective activities they now undertake.’ (Written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to one of the European National Spiritual Assemblies in August 2005.)
So we engage in spiritual conversations. Of course we can do this anywhere, but there is a vast difference between passively listening to a public speaker, no matter how gifted, and actively discussing on a one to one basis the spiritual realities of a human being. And the home provides a wonderful environment for such discussions to take place. People can be more relaxed in their own homes, more free, honest and open in their responses to what is, truly, a sacred conversation.
The institutions also are learning how to use home visits in discharging their responsibilities. Friends who have difficulty leaving their homes, can be visited and encouraged to attend feasts and reflection meetings, important in community building. Here is how the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Philadelphia in the United States, which has a large community to administer, shared some of their learning regarding deploying human resources: ‘Instead of appointing a committee and hoping for the best, the Assembly now uses home visits and personal contact to accompany community members in their activities.’
Bahá'u'lláh in the Hidden Words says;
0 SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent.
With home-visits we can help one another facilitate this.
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