Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle:
An Historical Record of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Faith in Taiwan
Chapter 17
40
17. The Nine Year Plan, 1964 -1973
In the original Nine Year Plan given to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia by the Universal House
of Justice, several goals were assigned regarding Taiwan: to establish a
National Spiritual Assembly and incorporate it; to raise the number of
localities where Bahá'ís reside to thirty; to increase the number
of Local Spiritual Assemblies to nine; to acquire a National Endowment and a
National Hazíratu'l-Quds; to incorporate three Local Spiritual
Assemblies; to obtain recognition from the civil authorities of the
Bahá'í Marriage Certificate; and to acquire a Temple site in or
near Taipei.
When the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan was elected in 1967, the
unaccomplished goals were passed on to the new Assembly, and more were
included. They did eventually accomplish all the goals of the Nine Year
Plan.
In 1964 statistics given out for Taiwan were: two Local Spiritual Assemblies
and seven groups.
1965 started out auspiciously with the enrollment of Miss Hung Bao-fung, who
was a friend of Miss Jean Cheng. Miss Hung was the first declared believer in
Kaohsiung according to Mr. Suleimani.
A report was sent to the National Assembly in Tokyo in April of that year
stating that the Taiwan Bahá'í community now consisted of about
one hundred believers residing in 25 localities; a considerable advance over
the previous year.
Teaching Conferences and Summer Schools seem to have been held every year
since they began in 1956 and 1957 respectively. In 1965 a Summer School was
held in both Tainan and Hualien for the convenience of the friends. There were
many new Bahá'ís in Hualien who needed deepening.
|
