Many of the friends gathered at the beginning of the latest three month cycle to reflect on their experiences - both successes and challenges - during the previous three months. The atmosphere was charged with ever more serious reflection and consultation. A visual presentation of the growth and the current state of the development of the cluster highlighted the joyous work ahead of the friends. One of the focuses of the day was studying the guidance about effective expansion phases.
"The expansion phase, often a period of two weeks, demands the highest level of intensity. Its objective is to widen the circle of those interested in the Faith, to find receptive souls and to teach them. Although this phase might include some element of proclamation, it should not be seen as a time to hold a few events for this purpose or to undertake a set of activities that merely convey information. Experience suggests that the more closely teaching approaches and methods are aligned with the capacity acquired from the study of the institute courses the more rewarding the results." (Extract from the Dec 27th 2005 letter from the Universal House of Justice)
With this expansion phase the Area Teaching Committee decided to experiment with a mobile teaching team.
This mystical and enchanting location was none other than the historic and now infamous Cranmore Tower, a place where intensive yet comfortable Ruhi courses are talking place, with participants from all corners of the world!
Cranmore Tower is one of the only places I know that I can justify giving such a fairytale introduction to as I’m sure many will agree, there is something very special about this place. The first thing that hit us youth when we arrived was the serene atmosphere surrounding the tower and the sense of unity that was within all present. We were told at the beginning that during our week the learning would be twofold. Not only would we study Ruhi Book 6 (Teaching the Cause) and learn how to effectively teach the Faith, we would get to practically use what we learn simultaneously, by participating in a teaching project in a nearby community. This was really exciting and during the week we learned how invaluable this experience would be.
There are a few key things I learned while at Cranmore, that hopefully I will bring with me well into my adult life. One was how much we can achieve and learn in such a short space of time. By studying Book 6 during the day, practically trying out what we learned in the evening, and reflecting and consulting on the results by night, we quickly learned what was effective and what was not.
We learned that no matter how academically well we know the Faith, in the end it is not the main factor in teaching. I felt that before I could effectively teach, I needed to know everything, and of course that is impossible. So when we started book 6 some of us learned Anna’s Presentation like a script hoping this would be effective. But after trial and error and guidance from the experienced teachers around us we learned to be a ‘hollow reed’ and to know that if we become detached we are assisted and guided by Bahá’u’lláh as we teach the Faith to others. We also learned that it is the love in the message that counts and we need to appeal to both the hearts and minds if we are to teach effectively. We gained a lot of confidence in our own abilities throughout the week.
I really look forward to using my experience to help share this gift with others and I’m grateful to all at Cranmore for the brilliant week. I could write all day about Cranmore, but I won’t spoil any more of it for you, as I definitely recommend anyone to travel over and feel the experience themselves!
‘’Nothing could prepare us for the spiritual atmosphere that surrounded the area. We couldn’t believe our luck that we would be studying the book in a wonderful farmhouse which was attached to a 45 metre tall 19th century tower.’’
‘’ Mid-way through the week, we started studying Anna’s Presentation. The Baha’i’s of Swindon organised home visits for us to practice the presentation. We were all nervous before this, however, I went with a friend to my first home visit and we both had an amazing experience. During this home visit I was quite nervous, however I got some great advice from the woman I was visiting. She told me to relax and speak from the heart. This method of going out and practicing the presentation just after studying it is very effective. When we studied each section we could see exactly how we were going to apply it later that day.’’
‘’Our week in Cranmore Towers turned out to be an amazing experience in which the whole group learned new skills which has helped to enable them to help their own communities. ‘’
Study Circles: Lesley Taherzadeh O'Mara Junior Youth: Darragh Graham Children's Classes: Marion Khosravi
Study Circles: Michelle O'Mahony Barr Junior Youth: (Not yet appointed) Children's Classes: Elizabeth Palin
Study Circles: Kevin Proudman Junior Youth: (Not yet appointed) Children's Classes: Elizabeth Palin
Study Circles: James Holmlund Junior Youth: Nason Maani Children's Classes: Patricia Jamshidi
BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE