Dear Friends,
Many of the friends who entered the Training Institute process some time ago have now come through the sequence of Ruhi books being currently used by most Institutes throughout the world. With the skills acquired and the knowledge base greatly increased within the community the desire to serve has been significantly enhanced.
This is now the time when local Assemblies can really develop their leadership skills within their own communities. The Universal House of Justice wrote in their January 17 letter to the Bahá'ís of the world:
All of this opens thrilling opportunities for Local Spiritual Assemblies. Theirs is the challenge, in collaboration with the Auxiliary Board members who counsel and assist them, to utilize the energies and talents of the swelling human resources available in their respective areas of jurisdiction both to create a vibrant community life and to begin influencing the society around them.
This time now gives Assemblies the opportunity of encouraging the friends within their own jurisdiction to use their newly developed skills and to perhaps consult with them about how this might be assisted.
The House again says that Assemblies, by doing this, are assuming a style of leadership urged by the Guardian:
The first quality for leadership, both among individuals and Assemblies, is the capacity to use the energy and competence that exists in the rank and file of its followers.
[Letter dated 30 August 1930 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada; published in Lights of Guidance (New Delhi: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1996), p. 19]
Assemblies can, of course, call upon their area coordinator or indeed their Assistant to aid them. Many people are now serving in capacities which, a year or two ago, they never thought possible. Once people make pledges of short-term plans, nobody, let alone the individual themselves, should criticize if that goal is not reached. It is simply best then to look at the reasons why and learn from the experience and make a new goal.
The Council prays for the success of every endeavour and shares with you this statement from the Building Momentum document:
Because the planning environment has now broadened to the level of the cluster, often involving several Local Assemblies and the active participation of the believers in formulating short-term goals, an Assembly’s scope of interest has begun to stretch beyond its boundaries. Its vision is expanded, its resources magnified, and its opportunities enlarged.
In describing the character of cluster meetings, the House of Justice alludes to features of this wider perspective:
The Universal House of Justice hopes that the consultations which take place in periodic meetings at the level of the cluster will generate such unity of thought about the growth of the Faith that, in those cases where the lines of action affect localities with Local Assemblies, the requirement of receiving their approval will easily be met. It should be remembered that the aim of such consultations, beyond addressing certain practical considerations, is to maintain a high level of enthusiasm and to create a spirit of service and fellowship among those present.
Discussions should not become bogged down by undue concern for procedural issues, but should focus on what can be achieved and on the joy of witnessing the fruits of hard work and diligent effort.
[Letter dated 9 December 2001 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Seychelles.]
With warmest greetings, Bahá'í Council for Northern Ireland.
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