We have become familiar with the concept of a devotional meeting as one of the core activities we undertake. We have begun to appreciate the spiritual benefits to be derived from participating in devotional gatherings. We have seen the benefit of devotional gatherings, when operating alongside the other core activities, in supporting an increase in the size of the community. We know that they can be a valuable way to reach out into the wider community, and to involve people of all religions or none in a non-threatening environment. An environment in which the sacred writings of our faith and others are shared, the essential unity of God’s spiritual teachings is made clear, and the hearts of those attending are touched. We also know that they should wherever possible be integrated into the other activities, so that ideally those developing an interest in the Faith attend devotional meetings, and study circles while their children come to Bahá'í children’s classes and their older children our junior youth projects.
It is important to remember that, like the other core activities, devotional meetings are grass-roots ventures. It is not enough to have “the community devotional” on a regular basis, praiseworthy and valuable though it might be. The idea is to have a wide range of devotional meetings, small in scale and intimate in character, usually held in people’s homes.
Of course there is a space for the larger meeting too, especially when these are of a more specialised nature, events such as Tranquillity Zones. Being more ambitious they require greater resources, They are not a substitute, however, for the smaller, localised devotionals.
Bahá’ís sometimes comment that when we are asked to do something exhortation does not always seem to be balanced by practical suggestions, that for every “Dear Friends, We must….” there needs to be a “Dear Friends, This is how to…” However there is ample guidance and help for people organising devotional meetings is readily available. For example:
(Letters of The Universal House of Justice, 19 September 2001 Definition and Scope of Devotional Meetings)
It is worth remembering that devotional meetings are not a new thing: they have been an integral part of our community life since the early days of the Faith. What is different is the emphasis being given to them as localized and individual initiatives, and the links formed between them and our other activities.
A valuable resource and a recommended piece of reading for those who seek to understand and develop devotional meetings is “Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude”, which was compiled some time ago by the Research Department. It is included in “Compilation of Compilations” (Maryborough, Victoria: Bahá'í Publications Australia, 1991), volume II. In addition there are other resources that might assist: The little book “The Devotional Meeting” written by Wendi Momen and published by George Ronald is one. It sets the meetings in their context and provides quotations to aid understanding, ideas for programmes and arrangements, and a positive wealth of practical suggestions.
Other resources are also available. If you wish to have customised invitations for your devotional meetings the Bahá'í Council can provide templates editable in MSWord (or other document processors) and also in MSPublisher. These you can alter to suit your own preferences and contact and arrangement details. There is also an editable template for Tranquillity Zones and the website at www.tranquillity-zone.org.uk/ gives useful information and guidance.
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