Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
JANUARY 2004
SECTION 1
In a letter to local Spiritual Assemblies, the National Spiritual Assembly has asked all the
Councils to convene special consultations as soon as possible, but definitely before the end of
January 2004, with at least your secretaries and treasurers to address the immediate crisis in
support for the National and International Funds, and also to explore with you your own fund
education efforts. It is hoped that the following workshop will assist particularly the second
purpose of this meeting. In this respect, the following words written on behalf of the Guardian
may be helpful to read aloud and keep in our hearts:
the Guardian would advise your Assembly to continue impressing upon the
believers the necessity of their contributing regularly to the national fund,
irrespective of whether there is an emergency to be met or not.
(The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 538)
During the current Plan, the House of Justice has placed a great deal of emphasis on learning
about systematic growth. Since Shoghi Effendi has indicated that the progress and extension of
spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means, it may be helpful to begin
our exploration with a reminder of the context for any plans for fund education. Read the
following three excerpts from letters of the Universal House of Justice:
There is a growing sense of a fundamental change of far-reaching dimensions that
chills preoccupation with the pleasures and comforts of material existence. In the
midst of this turmoil, the Divine Will for humankind is being achieved.
Current world events offer Bahs an opportunity to demonstrate the application of
the remedy brought by the Divine Physician.
(The Universal House of Justice, 2001 Nov 12, International Endowment Fund)
And the one below from a letter written on behalf of the Guardian:
"...our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all the
burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the system of
Baha'u'llah - Divine in origin - that the world can be gotten on its feet and want,
fear, hunger, war, etc, be eliminated."
(Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated December 8, 1947, Bah'
Funds: Contributions and Administration, p. 12)
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In the passages above, there is reference to a measure of our material support of divine
institutions. Sometimes we may encounter questions about how much one is expected to
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In addressing an immediate need or crisis in the National Fund, it is sometimes easy to focus
entirely on the amount that needs to be raised and forget that the real need is often a greater
degree of commitment and sacrifice. Completing the sentences below may be helpful in
reminding us of the spirit of contributions that we are attempting to evoke in our communities.
There can be
of ones
that such offerings entail. It
, not the mere fact of contributing, that we should always take into
the necessity for a
and
support
2. What word best describes the most effective level of giving? _______________________
SECTION 3
As your Assembly works ever more closely with the Auxiliary Board members and their
assistants to help the believers increase their love for the International and National Funds, you
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A crisis in the Faith often evokes strong emotions among the believers. Such emotions are often
expressed because of disappointment, stress and anxiety. These feelings are also expressions
of a deep concern for the progress of the Cause. Your confidence in the victory that is to follow
will undoubtedly assist the same believers translate those deep concerns into a deeper
commitment to the revolutionizing principle enunciated by the House of Justice. In preparing
for this exciting opportunity for spiritual education, you may wish to reflect on challenging
questions and comments that may arise and how you would respond to them. Below are some
examples which you may now wish to discuss with your group and later within your Assembly
and with the Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.
It seems like we are always getting these appeals. When will it stop?
It seems like we are always getting these appeals. Why doesnt the National Spiritual
Assembly just be more careful in its spending?
It is so discouraging to be giving everything I can, and then get this letter that tells me I
am not giving enough. Sometimes I feel like giving up.
If we only had our own local Bah Centre, we could hold fundraisers and teaching
events, and that way raise even more money for the Fund.
We have some really rich Bahs. Obviously the National Spiritual Assembly is
appealing mainly to them.
We are supposed to be focusing on Ruhi courses and the core activities, which takes up
all our time as it is. Now we are asked to pay more attention to the Fund too, and it is just
too much! We just do not have enough time or people.
We need to have entry by troops as soon as possible. What does this have to do with
entry by troops?
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I know the International and National Fund are more important than the Local Fund, but
we have so many ideas for teaching that will need the financial support of the Assembly
and community. It would be more fruitful if we focused on getting more new believers,
and then turned our attention to the Fund later. Maybe we can just have a fund-raiser to
get past this crisis for now.
It is hard to be motivated to contribute when I do not know how the money is spent.
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And now as I look into the future, I hope to see the friends at all times, in
every land, and of every shade of thought and character, voluntarily and
joyously rallying around their local and in particular their national centers of
activity, upholding and promoting their interests with complete unanimity
and contentment, with perfect understanding, genuine enthusiasm, and
sustained vigor. This indeed is the one joy and yearning of my life, for it is
the fountain-head from which all future blessing will flow, the broad
foundation upon which the security of the Divine Edifice must ultimately
rest. May we not hope that now at last the dawn of a brighter day is
breaking upon our beloved Cause?
Shoghi Effendi 24 September 1924 to the Bahs of
America
[Extract # 1 from the Compilation on Promoting Entry by Troops prepared by the Research
Department October 1993]
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