Chronology: Date 1996-04-21

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1996-04-21, sorted by firsts, ascending

date	event	tags	firsts
1996 Ridván 199-	The Four Year Plan (1996-2000) was launched with its focus on a single aim: a significant advance in the process of entry by troops. This work would require the informed participation of a great many souls and in 1996, the Bahá'í world was summoned to take up the vast educational challenge this entailed. It was called to establish a network of training institutes focused on generating an increasing flow of individuals endowed with the necessary capacities to sustain the process of growth. [Ridván Message 2021] See message addressed To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors dated 26 December 1995 concerning the Four Year Plan. See message to the Bahá'ís of the World dated 31 December 1995 announcing the new Plan. It was announced that Training Institutes would be established and they will be charged with developing human resources. The Counsellors and the Auxiliary Board members will be intimately involved in the establishment and operation of these institutes. The two arms of the Administrative Order will collaborate in the overseeing of the budget and planning program content, developing curricula and delivering courses. Should there be a board of directors then Auxiliary Board Members may serve on these bodies. The Universal House of Justice sent a Ridván message and Four Year Plan instructions to the Bahá'ís of the World and separate messages to eight regions. Riḍván 153 – To the Bahá'ís of the World Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in North America: Alaska, Canada, Greenland and the United States Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Australia, the Cook Islands, the Eastern Caroline Islands, the Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, the Hawaiian Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and the Western Caroline Islands Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Africa Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Western and Central Asia Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Europe Riḍván 153 – To the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh in Latin America and the Caribbean See The Significance of the Four Year Plan (PDF)by Andrew Alexander. For the definitive report see The Four Year Plan and the Twelve Month Plan, 1996-2001 Summary of Achievements prepared under the supervision of the International Teaching Centre. See Training Institutes, a document prepared for and approved by the Universal House of Justice, April 1998. The training institutes focused on generating an increasing flow of individuals endowed with the necessary capacities to sustain the process of growth. It was recognized that certain activities were a natural response to the spiritual needs of a population. Study circles, children's classes, devotional meetings, and later junior youth groups stood out as being of central importance in this regard, and when woven together with related activities, the dynamics generated could give rise to a vibrant pattern of community life. [Ridván Message 2021] See as well the publication The Four Year Plan: Messages of the Universal House of Justice	Four Year Plan (1996-2000); - Teaching Plans; Training Institutes; - Bahá'í World Centre
1996 Ridván 199-	The National Spiritual Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe was formed with its seat in São Tomé. [BINS363:1; BW96-97p41; Mess86-01p474] For picture see BINS366:9.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Sao Tome and Principe; Principe
1996 Ridván 199-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Moldova was formed. Moldova had been an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and previously had been part of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Ukraine and Moldova. [BINS363:1–2; BW96-97p41] The National Convention was attended by Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Annemarie Kruger. At that time she was a pioneer in Bulgaria and was in a very advanced age. [Candle 9] See Candle9 28 July, 2008 for a history of the Faith. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Ukraine was now an independent Assembly.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Moldova
1996 Ridván 199-	The terraces below the Shrine of the Báb were completed and opened to pilgrims.	Báb, Shrine of (Haifa); Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb (Haifa); Arc project; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Bahá'í World Centre
1996 Ridván 199-	National Spiritual Assemblies of Burundi and Rwanda were not able to form due to political instability in the region. The number of National Spiritual Assemblies remained at 174. [Riḍván 153 – To the Bahá'ís of the World]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Statistics; Burundi; Rwanda
1996 Ridván (and after) 199-	The International Financial Collaboration programme was established by the Universal House of Justice to allow those national communities which are materially well endowed to assist other communities. Around 40 National Assemblies will be donors. The programme is "... used to meet a variety of needs: the acquisition of land and buildings for national and local Baha'i Centres and for future Temple sites; the construction and renovation of Bahá'í properties, including the repair of buildings that suffered storm or earthquake damage; and the purchase of such items as an electricity generator, an office computer, and a motorcycle." They add further: "[b]eyond that, the bonds of unity between geographically distant national communities have been strengthened and the worldwide solidarity of the believers enhanced." [Letter from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom dated 17 July 2011 quoted in the UK BAHA'I NEWS EMAIL SERVICE dated 11 August 2011] Update: In a message from the National Spiritual Assembly of the UK to all believers in the UK dated 20 January 2024, it was stated that their National Assembly of one of 57 donor National Spiritual Assemblies in this program. [GC-37891]	Funds; Property; Purchases and exchanges; NSA; Universal House of Justice; - Restoration and renovation; International Financial Collaboration programme; - Bahá'í World Centre
1996 Ridván 199-	The Universal House of Justice made further clarifications on the subject of Training Institutes in the message addressed to the Bahá'ís of the World as well as in the regional messages. It placed the establishment and development of training institutes in the context of the far-reaching changes that would characterize the progress of the Faith in this period of Bahá'í history. "What the friends throughout the world are now being asked to do is to commit themselves, their material resources, their abilities and their time to the development of a network of training institutes on a scale never before attempted. These centers of Bahá'í learning will have as their goal one very practical outcome, namely, the raising up of large numbers of believers who are trained to foster and facilitate the process of entry by troops with efficiency and love." [Message from the Universal House of Justice Ridván 153, Training Institutes and Systematic Growth (Feb 2000), Mess86-01p489-490 para27-para30] Also see [Extracts from Messages re training institutes]	Training Institutes; - Institute process; - Bahá'í World Centre; Training Institutes, documents


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