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Many of the new diaries for 1999 now have Baha'i Holy Days mentioned on the Religious Festivals page: WH Smith, Menzies, Rymans, AA Motorists, Letts. Sometimes they mention three Holy Days (ie Baha'i New Year, First Day of Ridv n and the Birth of Baha'u'llah) and sometimes seven Holy Days (just omitting the 9th and 12th days of Ridvan). It's really exciting!
Thelma Batchelor
The dance performances at the recent National Conference were among the highlights of a moving and happy occasion. I am particularly happy to see dance increasingly used because when, as a youth, I wished to dance for my Lord there were not so many opportunities and fewer dancers too. Could the community please note that you don't stop dancing after leaving your teens and twenties and my plea is heartfelt - where is the over 40's dance group? All art expresses life which as far as I recall, physically, goes from birth to death. If we place particular art forms into one age group then we are only expressing a small part of life. Youth have a tremendous task to reach their peers and are doing this through ways they find most enjoyable. Someone who has passed through that stage will have different experiences to shed light on which can equally be demonstrated visually, and not only by the able-bodied.
These days dance groups exist for people with disabilities so that they too can express their inner-most feelings and create pleasing, moving and inspirational dances. Despite all the problems and tests we and the world face, wouldn't it be uplifting to go singing and dancing into the next century?
Loving Baha'i greetings, Chris Abbas
The UK Baha'i Community is throwing at least (UK Stirling) œ150,000 down the drain every year. I m guilty. Are you?
During an absorbing seminar entitled "Spirit and Form", dealing with "The custodianship of the assets of the Faith", National Treasurer Carolyn Wade reminded us that as a registered charity we qualify for substantial tax refunds when we give to the fund by Deed of Covenant.
I m guilty of not having completed a covenant form, but for a VERY PECULIAR reason. I am possibly the only person in the world stopped in his tracks by what turns out to be a misunderstanding. However, there might be at least one other person who has left the form uncompleted for the same reason, so here is how the confusion arose.
The form includes directives such as: "Signature in the presence of witnesses", and "Have you Signed and Dated the form and had it Witnessed?". I was therefore convinced that my "witness" would be signing for having seen the entire contents of the form, and therefore the amount I was proposing to covenant.
I now understand that the witness is signing to say he or she has simply watched me putting my signature to the form. I can cover up anything else I don't want my witness to see.
The lost (UK Pounds Stirling) 150,000? All covenanted donations from people paying tax at the standard rate qualify for a tax refund. If you pay tax at the standard rate and give to the Faith via a fund box, you throw away the tax refund. At current rates every (UK Pounds Stirling) 10 put in a fund box is worth (UK Pounds Stirling) 13.33 to the Fund, but the government keeps the other (UK Pounds Stirling) 3.33 if we don't ask for it back. The present loss to the Fund by not covenanting donations is conservatively estimated at (UK Pounds Stirling) 150,000 per year.
Well the penny has dropped. I had my signature witnessed, filled in my Deed of Covenant form and bunged it off to the Treasury Office. The enhanced benefit to the National Fund is now up and running.
Arthur Kendall
PS: Here's something else that made me sit up: Think about getting rid of the Fund Box at Feasts.
This extract from a message from the Universal House of Justice, 30th January 1992 should help to clarify Arthur's point regarding the abandonment of the Fund box.
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha'i friends,
As the size of the Baha'i community grows and its affairs attain greater complexity, it is becoming apparent that a number of National Spiritual Assemblies are in need of advice and assistance in the very important matter of the custodianship of the assets of the Faith which are committed to their care. The Universal House of Justice has, therefore, instructed us to share with you the following guidelines which have been prepared by an ad hoc committee at the World Centre. The stated guidelines, in full or in part, are also applicable to the Treasurer of a Local Assembly or a committee.
Dealing with income: The greater part of the income of any Baha'i national fund comes from contributions. Every contribution, including contributions in kind, should be meticulously receipted and accounted for. Receipts should be pre-printed with sequential numbers, so that each receipt can be easily related to the contribution it acknowledges. Earmarked funds should be recorded and reported separately, and such funds should be used only for the purpose intended.
Many thanks to all the friends who wrote and e-mailed upon discovery of the error in the Centenary article, in the October issue of Baha'i Journal UK. It wrongly stated that Dorothy Ferraby was a Hand of the Cause. This was incorrect as it was John Ferraby, not his wife Dorothy, who was a Hand of the Cause.
Editor
"Centre your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation..."
Baha'u'llah
All deputisation funds need urgent help
What does it mean to "appoint" someone in our stead?
It means to deputise!
What are the Deputisation Funds?
There are several. The Universal House of Justice tells us that funding facilitators for our Training Institutes is deputisation . We also have the Travel Teaching Service which assists friends pioneering and travel teaching inside the UK; the International Goals Committee; as well as efforts in sensitive teaching areas.
Why should we deputise?
There are undoubtedly many reasons, but Baha'u'llah indicates several in the same passage as the quote above (1). He says "Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of hour high destiny." He goes on, warning us: "Suffer not your labours to be wasted through the vain imaginings which certain hearts have devised".
He lovingly reminds us: "Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men" Then He tells us to centre our energies in the propagation of the Faith of God, and says: "Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead proclaim this Revelation, whose power hath caused the foundations of the mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be dumbfounded."
Lastly, He gives us a glimpse of the truth of these days. He says "Should the greatness of this Day be revealed in its fullness, every man would forsake a myriad lives in his longing to partake - how much more this world and its corruptible treasure!" (1)
A Warning
In a letter written on behalf of the Guardian we read: "Teaching is of course the head cornerstone of all Baha'i service, but successful teaching is dependent upon many factors, one of which is the development of a true Baha'i way of living and the fulfilment of responsibilities which we have incurred." (2)
For more information or assistance, call: 01732 369745. The Department of the Treasurer is located at: Third Floor, Bridge House, 97-101 High Street, Tonbridge TN9 1DP.
1. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XCVI
2. The Gift of teaching compilation, p28