CommuNIqué - Newsletter of the Bahá'í Community in Northern Ireland
Issue 95 - 8 Rahmat 161 BE - 1 July 2004 CE

NEWS

New Website for Bahá'í Scripture

The Baha'i International Community has launched a Web site that includes the sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith in English, Arabic, and Persian, as well as other Bahá'í publications. The Bahá'í Reference Library offers an extensive collection of Bahá'í holy scripture; it comprises the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá as well as of Shoghi Effendi, the Universal House of Justice, and Bahá'í authors.

The front page of the new site, at http://reference.bahai.org/

OMAGH

In Omagh, we have been busy teaching and proclaiming the Faith. The two presentations, the first two items, seem to have ‘fed-off’ one-another:

• On 17th February, at the request of the Christian Brothers’ Grammar School, there was a presentation on the Faith, to a group of 130 seventeen-year old students. Edwina and Arjang Agahi, Navíd, Omíd and Ríaz came to Omagh on the day and all took part, on behalf of the Group. There was a lively question and answer session, afterwards;
• For some time there has been an ‘on-and-off’ proposal for a speaker to contribute to a panel discussion at ‘The Living Room’, related to a youth club that is run by ‘The Community Church’—recently-formed in Omagh and owing its origin to ‘The Toronto Blessing’. Its Minister is the former Church of Ireland Rector, in Omagh. Denis Coyle kindly agreed to represent the Faith and did so on the 28th March; by all accounts, it went well and his session was distinguished by his being the only speaker to keep to the allotted time!
• A successful ‘Tranquillity Zone’ was held, run by Rustam and Rosemary, at the local ‘Wave’ trauma centre;
• On our local radio, ‘FM 101.2’, we continue to obtain publicity with our now very experienced interviewee, Rustam Jamshídi;
• Press coverage is good! One week, in one of our 2 local papers—including the item on the destruction of the Shrine of Quddus—there were no less than three Bahá’í articles!

ML

LONDONDERRY

Travelling teacher Mary-Ann Gorski took two evening sessions in the Bahá'í Centre in Derry during her visit to Northern Ireland. On Friday 28 May she discussed the subject of “Service” and gave some fascinating insights into life at the World Centre of our Faith while on Saturday 29 she spoke on the poetry of Roger White and the spirit behind it. Both sessions were well-attended and well-received.

IP

LAST BUT NOT LEAST - NEW BELIEVERS

We are happy to welcome to the Bahá'í community Violet Shephard of Ballymena, Louise Mackey of Newtownards, and James Ramsey of Belfast.

“The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence… The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.” Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings.

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