Dear friends in NI,
From Northern Ireland in the far north-west corner of Europe to Macedonia in the fare south-east is about 2000 miles. Yet these two small parts of the continent have a lot in common. They are similar in size and population, and both are divided societies where some of the population would prefer to be part of a neighbouring state. Here the Albanians are a 25% minority, who have a different language and alphabet, and also a different religion, mostly being Muslims.
Macedonia is an attractive small country, with a very varied collection of mountains. The biggest, Mt. Pelister, 2601 metres. is visible in snow-clad glory from my balcony (when he isn't veiled in cloud!). There are two beautiful large lakes, Ohrid and Prespa, on the southern border, and various smaller ones elsewhere. The climate is even more variable than NI, with greater extremes.
Baha'i-wise, I spend Monday and Tuesday in Ohrid with Neysan Donnelly, helping him with a Book 1 Study Circle and a devotional. Then I come home to Bitola, where Deni and I are trying to establish a devotional on Thursdays and also an international conversation evening every other Sunday. Ohrid and Bitola are part of one priority cluster - the other includes the capital, Skopje.
Macedonians are quite laid-back, and often rather unpunctual (just like NI?). When they get talking to you they ask questions that seem very nosey, like “How old are you?” and “What's the rent for your flat?” - but it's just a different culture. There's a great need here for more Baha'i pioneers - particularly people who speak English, which is the most common second language here. Young people below the age of about 24 have all learned it at school, while older people have often learned from the many English-language films shown on TV. So I told the National Teaching Committee that I would write to the Baha'is in Northern Ireland to see if I could encourage anyone else to come here.
I said to the NTC they should encourage Baha'is from elsewhere to come here for an exploratory visit, as I did. So as my contribution to this effort, I'd like to offer the use of my flat for a month this summer while I visit my friends and relations in the UK. I haven't yet decided dates, so if anyone is interested in this offer, please contact me ASAP so that we can sort out times etc. Communicate with me by e-mail
Warm Baha'i greetings to all, Pippa Cookson.
On reading the last CommuNIqué, I felt I would like to write and thank Darrin Lynn for sharing with us the moving experience he and Amál had, on meeting the Hand of the Cause Mr Furután on their three-day visit to the Holy Land. Thanks also to Colin Rogers who shared with us the story of the mulla and the merchant.
I feel that these accounts make CommuNIqué more interesting and help to bring the whole Baha'i community closer together. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Qudrat Jamshidi
Pat Matchett wished this to be passed to me as editor of CommuNIqué. Now I am passing it to lain as editor. She wrote it in 1995 and it was found in her papers when she died recently. Pat was a dedicated and loyal Baha’i and, it seems, one of the unsung heroines. She certainly did a lot for the establishment of the Faith in many places.
Keith Munro
For the Bahá’ís I found the Faith in Tunbridge Wells in Kent in 1977 and declared in July of that year. In June the following year I pioneered to Gloucester City as the National Assembly was anxious to have an a ssembly established there, it being a cathedral city. I subsequently became a foundation member of that local Assembly. In December of 1978 I was offered a position of a relief warden in Bourton-on-the-Water which enable me to open up the Cotswolds. I was able to accept because a Baha’i from the Isle of Wight was about to come to Gloucester and would replace me.
After nearly four years in Bourton, in August of 1982 I returned to Bangor where I remained till December 1983. Then I pioneered to Newtownards to help them reform their Assembly. Numbers in Newtownards built up just after that so I took the opportunity to pioneer to Down. North Down at that time was responsible for Down and working hard to increase their numbers. Nan and Shaku were the local Bahá’ís. It was July 1984 when I went to Newcastle. In December 1985 I was on the move again. I went to live in Rostrevor to join Hilda Burke in Newry and Mourne, where I remained for seven and a half years. In June of 1993 I returned to North Down.
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