Jimmy McGilligan originally from Garvagh but living and working in India, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The award was made for “services to social causes and the use of alternative energy in rural communities in India”. Jimmy has for many years worked at the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women at Indore, a Bahá’í-inspired initiative of which his wife Janak is the Director. They are both well-known to Bahá’ís here in NI. The Institute is devoted to the empowerment of women from the surrounding villages and helping their health and material well-being. It involves training in many basic skills and the use of alternative technology. The award was widely reported in the newspapers covering his home area.
ISP
Friday 13 June saw the start of the Derry Bahá'ís’ deepening programme for the new year. Members of the community gathered at the centre where our Board Member’s Assistant Declan Devine led a deepening on the letter from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March 2007. This letter is very much on the subject of Bahá'í elections, and how they compare with elections in the rest of the world. Discussion covered the various stages and types of Bahá’í election with input on International Convention and also comments about National Conventions in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The importance of playing our part in our elections was emphasised and comparisons drawn between “our system” and something like the expensive chaos of recent political elections as witnessed in the media. It was a most enjoyable and informative start to the series.
ECP
Every month we have alternating a Tranquillity Zone or a Discovery Zone. On a Tranquillity Zone we cover a specific theme with readings from different religions and poems as well as philosophical readings followed by some basic discussions and ending with some snacks. On the Discovering Zone one month later this theme is then further deepened on. These events have been regularmeetings for the last five years. There is always a core of about 5-10 Bahá’í members present and on top of that another 5-10 non Bahá’ís. The people attending are all very touched by the readings and are encouraged to participate in the discussions. There is a spirit of openness and nobody is judged or ridiculed for their views so that even shy people do open up and are made to feel welcomed. Participants keep coming back and the feed backwe had was they like the open approach and the all inclusiveness and certainly also the food.
For the last two years the Coleraine/Dunloy community has been having regular children classes every Sunday except for the first Sunday in a month and official school holidays. The venue alternates between two friends. The participants consist of two Bahá’í children and two non Bahá’í children. The classes start with each child saying a prayer followed by discussing one particular virtue and colouring in a picture about this. Most times thechildren have little art projects and games. Then the children learn a song after which they can play freely. There is a little Christian boy whose grandmother is very keen for him to attend as he is getting so much comfort for himself from the classes. We do hope to extend the classes and keepinviting other non Bahá’ís but I guess it takes some time for the parents to trust us strange people. I feel the classes are essential for giving ourchildren a positive Bahá’í identity and our teacher Judith George is doing a great job as she remains calm and loving even in the most stressfulsituations.
SR
On 24 July Mary Ward and Keith Munro met with the new Mayor of Derry, Cllr. Gerard Diver on behalf of the Londonderry community. The meeting, which took place in the Guildhall, had been scheduled for 15 minutes but lasted for nearly 40, such was the Mayor’s interest in hearing about the Bahá’ís and their activities. He was presented with a copy of “Visions of the New World Order”.
Ballyronan Marina, 29 May 2008 saw the launch of a unique publication to a packed hall “Moments in Time – Memories And Reflections Of Rural Women In Mid Ulster”. The trip down memory lane, printed in full colour was compiled by the Mid Ulster Women’s Network (MUWN). It reflects intergenerational memories of women in Mid Ulster and captures the essence of the women in this area, highlighting the value of nurturing the next generation with the experiences learned in the past. The idea for the book came from Cherry Dickson and Sheilagh Murphy. Nineteen women’s organisations including the Association for Bahá'í Women, Magherafelt provided the material. The work of the Bahá'í community in Magherafelt over the past 25 years and Mahin Gornall’s early life in Iran is detailed together with a wonderful picture of the Bahá'í women in Iran in 1950. Mahin is Secretary of MUWN.
Nazy Harris from Tandragee has been in Arizona visiting family, but that hasn’t stopped her working for the Faith. With blessing of the Spiritual Assembly of Chandler she arranged a public meeting on “The Plight of the Bahá'ís in Iran”. Chandler City Council was represented by two senior officials and future co-operation was agreed. The speakers were Dr. William Maxwell, Professor of Thinking at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona andProfessor Mona Sana, an eminent mathematician who has personal knowledge of the situation in Iran as both her parents were killed during the earlier pogrom in the 1980’s.
Ms Sharon Carroll, of Newry, who has declared her faith in Bahá'u'lláh and been enrolled in the Bahá'í community.
We note with deep sadness the passing of Ian Long, Belfast, whose obituary appears on this site.
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