On Friday 12th November we went to Haringey for their Centenary event. This one was very very good. It was held in the Civic Offices at Wood Green. There seemed to be an incredible amount of people there (probably well over 200) and most of them weren’t Bahá’ís. It was an amazing display of coloured faces of all different nationalities, reflecting the cosmopolitan area of this part of London.

The main function was held in a large circular room (the Council room) and there was a gallery too, filled with lots more people.

The evening began when Lady Carpenter gave a very short introduction to the Bahá’í Faith by reading a prayer and saying that when she became a Bahá’í everybody thought she had abandoned Christ. She explained that this was not the case and that she was doing exactly as Christ wanted by investigating further and recognising Bahá’u’lláh as the Return of Christ. This had a great impact on the Chaplain of Middlesex University who was in attendance and who is now going to read more on the Faith.

Next Barney Leith gave an interesting account of the history of the Bahá’ís in Britain. He and Erica had been on an open river boat trip down the Thames to Greenwich in the afternoon and had nearly suffered from hypothermia due to being exposed to the elements on this rather cold November day. Luckily he had warmed up sufficiently to give real warmth and humour to all who heard him speak.

Following on was a slightly shortened version of the video-film "Prisoner of Akká" and finally the beautiful Swans (Suzanne and Kingsley) entertained everyone with their special brand of lively songs accompanied by the One World Rhythm Choir. This choir gets better and better each time we see them. We often wonder just how many of our Centenary celebrations would have functioned without the enormous bounty of having the Swans assist us over and over again!

The Lady Mayor was Jewish and had once visited Haifa and had seen the Shrine of the Báb from afar (in pelting rain!) and hoped that she would be able to re-visit some time in the future in brighter circumstances. At the end of the evening she said that in Haringey the council believed in all the Bahá’í principles, saying "If we are not Bahá’ís, who are?" She was a good sport too, being encouraged to do a bit of a jive with Kingsley Swan!

How they managed to feed everyone must have been a case of the "loaves and the fishes" but there was more than enough and it was very good. It was a first class evening and top marks to all the Bahá’ís in Haringey who worked so hard to make it a very big success!

Thelma and Ron Batchelor

Goli Mohtadi, the finalist pianist in the 1992 young musician of the year and a member of the Manchester Bahá’í community, performed music by Beethoven and Chopin at Leighton Park School in Reading for a Centenary Celebration on Friday 24th September.

The mayor was present, accompanied by his daughter and councillors. Two local newspaper reporters came and articles with pictures were published. The event was also attended by students from the school and religious education representatives from other local schools.

Chris Nash from Reading community gave an inspiring talk about the Faith.

After the programme refreshments were served. There was a very friendly and communicative atmosphere among the participants and everyone stayed for a long time talking, even the officials!!

The Bahá’í community of the London Borough of Barnet celebrated the Centenary on Saturday 18th September with the dedication of a park bench (see photo) in Oak Hill Park, five minutes drive from the Guardian’s Resting Place in New Southgate Cemetery. The event was attended by several public figures including representatives from various religious groups, local council members and the Mayor of Barnet Mr Jack Cohen, who cut the centenary ribbon.

Afterwards everyone retired to a reception held at Barnet College where displays of information on the Faith could be viewed while the guests enjoyed refreshments. Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Barnet, Mr Aram Jahanpour gave a short talk on the history of the Bahá’í Faith in the United Kingdom.

The creators of youth events such as "Youth ‘R Us", "Firestarter", "Warriors of the Covenant", "SDR²" and "The Spiritual Matrix", in collaboration with, and under the guidance of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Wychavon, are pleased to announce the formation of "Bushfire Projects" which will now take the lead in the development of these youth events.

Aims

• To actively encourage the development of the knowledge, skills and spiritual insights needed to initiate and maintain in young people the process of personal transformation.

• To provide environments for engaging Bahá’í youth in active commitment to the Faith.

• To adopt a process of continuous improvement in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of events. In particular, to incorporate legal requirements, professional good practice, and Bahá’í best-practice.

• To foster the creation of new events and projects adopting the same operational principles.

On 1st October the World Citizenship Project held a prizegiving ceremony in Ealing Town Hall. Eight children aged 8-13 years received certificates and gift vouchers for their hard work on the ugly subject of Racism.

The event was chaired with excellence by Jane O’Brien. The Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Philip Portwood made the presentations and spoke about citizenship. Over a hundred people attended this successful event, most of them not Bahá’ís.

A representative of the Glasgow Bahá’í community was recently involved with an Interfaith Committee preparing a service for the "International Institute for Peace through Tourism" conference which took place in that city from 17th - 21st October.

Seven faiths were represented, so what better basis for the service than reading "The Seven Candles of Unity" by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá? A Catholic priest read the seven pieces. Each "candle" was followed by a child expressing his or her dream of peace while a young Jewish boy lit a candle in an enormous menorah. A member of one of the faith groups, including the Bahá’ís, then shared a relevant prayer, scripture or hymn.

Between 100 and 150 people attended this moving service.

International Essay Writing Contest: Religion and Children’s Rights. Launched by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) on the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, IHEU particularly encourages participation from child rights activists, human rights campaigners, religious studies experts, sociologists, social workers, and students who are able to write well, can substantiate their arguments with well documented facts and can demonstrate a knowledge of religions as well as contemporary human rights instruments.

"Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name"

The nineteen-day period of fasting takes place during the last month of the Bahá’í year, the month of ‘Alá (Loftiness), 2nd - 20th March inclusive. It is followed by the Feast of Naw-Rúz. Fasting is enjoined on all believers between the ages of 15 and 70. People under the age of fifteen, travellers, the sick and infirm, and women with child are exempt from the Fast.

... "I beseech Thee, O my God, by the fire of Thy love which drove sleep from the eyes of Thy chosen ones and Thy loved ones, and by their remembrance and praise of Thee at the hour of dawn, to number me with such as have attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and manifested through Thy will." ... (Bahá’u’lláh, Dawn prayer for the Fast)

As we make our way through the Fast, we may contemplate how we tend God’s garden in our everyday lives. This BXUK e-mail posting (author unknown) recommends we sow the following crops -

Plant three rows of squash: 1. Squash gossip 2. Squash criticism 3. Squash indifference

Plant seven rows of peas: 1. Prayer 2. Promptness 3. Perseverance 4. Politeness 5. Preparedness 6. Purity 7. Patience

Plant seven heads of lettuce: 1. Let us read the Holy Writings 2. Let us have boundless energy for the tasks ahead 3. Let us be obedient to God’s Will for this day 4. Let us be truthful 5. Let us love one another 6. Let us be unselfish and loyal 7. Let us be faithful to duty

And lastly, no garden is complete without turnips: 1. Turn up for Feast 2. Turn up for teaching/service activities 3. Turn up with a smile, even when things are difficult 4. Turn up with determination to do your best

No telling what we will reap - perhaps an even more united community, with lots of new Bahá’ís!