Jim Holmlund reports from our priority cluster:
Twenty-two Friends from “Seven Valleys” gathered on Sunday, 20 April for the reflection meeting of our priority cluster in Ballymena. It began with a truly inspiring devotional, complete with guitar music accompaniment, prepared and presented by Omid and Riaz Agahi. Their input set a spiritual tone that grew throughout the whole event.
We celebrated the recent declaration of Jacqueline Donaghy, Ballymena and Jennifer Campbell, Coleraine, reflected upon the learning acquired since our last reflection meeting in mid-January and, armed with greater vision and knowledge, moved with growing confidence and assurance into our next cycle of growth. It was truly inspiring to hear Jackie share with us her story and to be aware that in Jennifer’s case, not only is this a significant milestone on her own spiritual path, but her declaration has enabled the re-formation of the Coleraine Spiritual Assembly. Loving thoughts and prayers accompany these two newly welcomed friends as they embark upon lives of service to Bahá'u'lláh, as has Jackie’s daughter Sara, a junior youth who has also embraced the Faith. In a way Sara, along with her younger brother, Christopher have paved the way for their mum to embrace the Faith, as they have been attending the children’s class in Ballymena.
Sharing and reflection focused on our teaching experiences - particularly direct teaching in the past three-month cycle. It was exciting to hear stories of how in the cluster we have begun to implement guidance from the International Teaching Centre in their 30 September 2007 letter, both by direct individual teaching using “Anna’s presentation” and in direct collective endeavours -active refresher events. It was wonderful to see how so many seemed to find it increasingly natural to openly share both joys and apprehensions when faced with a move outside our ‘comfort zones’ into a culture of direct teaching – how “by doing” we can truly come to taste the “sweetness” of teaching and then witness how obstacles begin to fall, one by one, by the way-side.
Many identified so well with the sketch presented by Colette and Colin in which we got a glimpse in practice of situations we may well find ourselves in when approaching enquirers and offering to directly present the Faith to them. Daniel and Nason’s provided a creative “rap” presentation of the two workshop passages. This formed the basis of our consultation provided a new approach that could very well help to connect to youth and young people especially.
All in all it was a unique experience, thanks very much to the presence of our two Auxiliary Board Members, Ann and Mathew, whose interventions traced an ever clearer vision of the process we are involved in. They helped us to rejoice in the progress we have made to date and guided us to some of the steps we might take to grow further in the next cycle of activity, which would take us through the coming cycle.
As we entered this cycle we were encouraged to try to emulate clusters in which intensive programmes of growth are already established by concentrating on expansion through more individual teaching efforts in the first two weeks in the cycle. The goal settled upon for the coming cycle was to make ‘A significant advance in our understanding of direct teaching: learning by doing’. As an integral part of our individual teaching we would seek to advance our understanding and experience of direct collective teaching endeavours by coming together for an ‘empowerment day’. There was a definite feeling that all of us went away from this reflection meeting happy and with inspiration and added understanding and appreciation for pattern of efforts we are pursuing to advance the process of entry by troops.
The ‘empowerment day’ took place on 11 May, in the Ballymena area, with participation of Friends from throughout the cluster. Two who took part described their personal experience:
"Lunch was over and all who had 'appointments to teach left with the promise to return and share their experiences. The remaining participants had been unable to make appointments for this calendar date and were discussing who they could possibly phone and, at such short notice, go and meet with.
One person phoned their brother and said ' I know I have talked to you about the faith before but I would like to give you a full presentation on the faith and I just happened to have a visitor from the south today to help me so I know it's short notice but I wondered if I could come over this afternoon. Unfortunately the brother had guests but was very happy to receive a presentation on another date.
There followed a further discussion highlighting the fact that a lady who had been a member of their community of interest was in need of help to 'build shelving'. The lady was phoned with the proposition that if she would listen to a new presentation on the faith she would get her shelving put together in return. She was delighted and while a small flat pack cabinet was being put together the lady listened to the presentation given by another believer. At the end of the presentation she was invited to become a member of the Bahá'í community. Without hesitation she said she believed everything in the presentation. She was asked again if she was a Bahá'í and said,' Yes', she believed Bahá'u'lláh's message. Although she felt she was too busy to become part of a Book 1 that was scheduled to start she agreed that she would enjoy some deepening sessions with certain local Baha'is. This lady had been an inquirer for so long that we (all of the local community) had come to the conclusion she would always be an inquirer. All it took was a systematic presentation as used by Anna in Book 6. Divine confirmation or what? "
And:
“I consulted with our Board Member and the Friends present before heading off to give ‘Anna’s Presentation’ to a colleague from work who is an avowed atheist, but was willing to facilitate my presentation. I met with my colleague and spent the whole of Saturday afternoon in this presentation. It took so long because she questioned me throughout the presentation and admitted she had been impressed by the content. By the end of our time together she asked me for some material to read, and accepted the gift of a prayer book, saying she would like to read more. I
was very pleased with this result and will, of course, follow up on this opening in our relationship. I felt that the presentation gave the message of the Cause of Baha'u'llah in a much more structured way, including a great deal of information in quite a condensed or précised manner, which I would otherwise have rambled over. I think my Atheist friend was equally impressed and as a result, I hope to progress this opening, through Anna's Presentation to my colleague attending a fireside." ”
Afnan Hashemi-zadeh attended the Area Teaching Committees Conference in Coventry
Over the weekend of 12 April members of the Northern Lights Area Teaching Committee and of the Bahá’í Council for Northern Ireland attended the ATC conference organised by the Bahá’í Council for England. The atmosphere was wonderful. The programme was detailed and timed to perfection. All the people that I talked to had the attitude of shouldering the work of the Cause. Committee members from ‘A’ and ‘B’ clusters from the four regions of the UK and others from Iceland, Finland, Holland, Belgium were in attendance.
In small groups of around 10 people or so we shared and noted the experiences of each others clusters. We looked at:
So many experiences that were shared underlined the importance of learning ‘Anna’s presentation’ (from Ruhi Institute Book 6) thoroughly. By and large, the Northern Lights cluster is facing the same challenges as other ‘A’ clusters in the UK.
At the end we heard words of encouragement from Counsellor Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi and from the National Spiritual Assembly representative.
Aristic presentation by a non-Bahá'í participant in Book 1 Study Circle in Ballymena, whose reflections were: “To understand the importance of prayer? Muhammad said prayer is like a ladder...prayer created spirituality, mindfulness and celestial feelings...by prayer the mysteries of the revelation of God by virtue of the will of Him who is the source of power and wisdom.”
Study Circles: Lesley Taherzadeh O'Mara Junior Youth: Susie Agahi Children's Classes: Marion Khosravi
Study Circles: Michelle O'Mahony Barr Junior Youth: (Not yet appointed) Children's Classes: Elizabeth Palin
Study Circles: James Holmlund Junior Youth: Nason Maani Children's Classes: Patricia Jamshidi
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