From the Office of the Treasurer
GC-33763
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To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
Every believer can contribute to the Fund. Not all believers can give public talks, not all are called upon to serve on administrative institutions. But all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body, and which in its turn will give rise to further growth and the showering of greater blessings on all of us.
The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, pp.37-38
Warmest love and greetings to you all from the Office of the Treasurer.
As you are aware, the National Spiritual Assembly has been calling for donations to the Fund established for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, along with a number of special projects under way in the United Kingdom. As you will know by now, the donations for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from the community totalled £300,000 in addition to the £100,000 donated by the National Assembly. These sacrificial contributions will no doubt bring great blessings to our community.
Funds for major projects in the United Kingdom
Our Bahá’í community is uniquely the custodian for all humanity of the Guardian’s Resting Place as well as the apartment in Bristol which the Master visited on two occasions. Furthermore, the National Assembly recently announced that it is timely to acquire a site upon which the significant edifice of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár can be raised up in the United Kingdom.
The total figure that is estimated to be required to “fulfil these sacred responsibilities and meet these essential needs” by Ridvan 2021 is £3.44m. Although each project has its own goal, the friends are asked to offer their contributions so that they may be allocated to any of these major projects as the funds are required, rather than earmarking them for specific projects.
This is the first monthly update to be shared with the community. In the future, a more detailed quarterly update – along with stories about these contributions and the universal participation that the community has been called to achieve – will be shared with you. Thus far £165,751 of the total has been contributed within five months.
The level of contributions for each project since January 2019 are detailed in the outer ring of the diagram, below, along with the target for Ridvan 2021 in the next circle. The lower diagram shows the total amount received. These figures will be updated at the beginning of July and shared again with the community.
The National Spiritual Assembly looks forward to a generous outpouring of funds from the friends to assist in honouring our commitment to these activities. You are also lovingly invited to pray for the Fund, and for all who will benefit from these special projects in service to the Cause.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Darren Smith
Treasurer
How to contribute
The friends are encouraged to make contributions via any of the routes outlined below, if not through their Local Spiritual Assembly:
1. Online
http://admin.bahai.org.uk/donation
2. Cheques
These should be payable to: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom, and addressed ‘For the Attention of: The Office of the Treasurer, 27 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD’.
3. Regular payment
Please complete a standing order form and we will arrange with your bank for the regular amount to be taken from your account in accordance with your request. Standing Order forms are available through the following channels:
• Download from: http://admin.bahai.org.uk/donations
• Emailing: office.treasurer@bahai.org.uk or
• Writing to the Office of the Treasurer requesting a copy of the form
4. Bank transfer
Bank name: NatWest
Sort code: 60 04 04
Account no: 18188443
Account name: NSA – Fund account.
If using this method, please use your surname as a reference in order for us to identify the payment. You should also send an email to office.treasurer@bahai.org.uk with details of the amount, the project or fund being contributed to, the date transferred and the name of the contributor(s).
Finally, if you are a taxpayer, the National Spiritual Assembly can obtain a tax refund on your contribution/payment if you complete and return a Gift Aid form to our office and the contribution is sent via the National Fund. These forms can be downloaded through the web page: http://admin.bahai.org.uk/donations. You can also email office.treasurer@bahai.org.uk or write to the National Office requesting a copy of the form.