UK Bahá’í News Update
1 March 2020
2 ‘Alá’ 176 B.E.
GC-34657
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Contents:
- Group pilgrimages – video released
- Opportunities to serve at the Bahá’í World Centre
- BWNS: Religion and the integration of new arrivals into Canadian society
Group pilgrimages – video released
As one of the divine ordinances enshrined in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pilgrimage to the Holy Land provides an opportunity for the friends to forge a stronger spiritual bond with the Central Figures of our Faith, thereby potentially invigorating and stimulating them to greater services to the Cause.
The Universal House of Justice announced in April 2017 a number of measures to make pilgrimage more accessible to a greater number and diversity of believers. These measures included encouraging groups to travel from neighbourhoods and communities and that these groups might also include relatives and friends who are not registered members of the Bahá’í community.
A short film has been prepared by the friends from the Windsor neighbourhood in Belfast, sharing their experiences of organising and participating in a group pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2016. The National Spiritual Assembly is sharing this film with Local Assemblies and Groups, and asking that the film be shown at the Nineteen Day Feast, or other suitable gatherings, with time be given to reflect upon the film and the benefits of group pilgrimage. Group pilgrimage can also be considered for members of an extended family, friends serving together, such as teaching teams and nuclei of friends, or those who regularly meet together, such as participants of a study circle or devotional.
Statements made by and on behalf of the beloved Guardian indicate that pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines can become a means whereby one “can experience that mystic love which constitutes the very core of every true religion”, can enable one to obtain “a clearer vision of the mission and significance of the Faith”, and can “greatly invigorate the friends and stimulate them to greater services and sacrifice.”
As the vital work of the Cause unfolds in every part of the world, the effective functioning of the Bahá’í World Centre takes on added significance. The World Centre of the Faith – described by Shoghi Effendi as the “pivot of the agencies of the New World Order” – is supported by a flow of believers from a diversity of countries and occupations who arise selflessly to offer a period of service, of varying length, in the Holy Land.
The staffing needs at the World Centre are continually changing in light of the evolving demands and available resources. At any given time, there are roles to be filled which require particular competencies or specialized training, and others that simply require a readiness to learn about one’s specific assignment. Due to the nature of service at the World Centre, the essential requirements include an ability to offer 12 months or more and a basic proficiency in English.
Anyone interested in learning more about the possibility of offering a period of service at the World Centre is encouraged to contact the Office of Personnel at serve@bwc.org. Offers of service can also be submitted directly, here >.
The Bahá’í World News Service reports how the Canadian Bahá’í community reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity of Canada, and has long been learning about the role of religion in building a peaceful and cohesive society – a major theme of discussion in a series of seminars held over the past year in collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.
Read more, here >
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