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From the National Spiritual Assembly Table

By ethelrosenberg Tags: ,

National Spiritual Assembly
nsa@bahai.org.uk

9 November 2017
7 Qudrat 174 B.E.

FROM THE TABLE OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Contents:

  1. Progress of the Five Year Plan
  2. Pilgrimage
  3. Messages of the Universal House of Justice
  4. Many topics

Dearly loved Friends,

The National Spiritual Assembly sends you its warmest love and greetings. We hope what follows will give a taste of the many, varied subjects that the National Assembly has been considering in its efforts to serve the community. We have written to you often in recent months about the bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and you can imagine the many weeks of consultation, planning and action at the National Haziratu’l-Quds that were naturally required to prepare and distribute such resources as the various publications and films, and organise the annual national reception of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Bahá’í Faith, and the special display at the British Museum. Parallel to all of these thrilling developments, the National Assembly had many other items on its plate.

Progress of the Five Year Plan
Efforts have continued in recent months in the National Assembly’s efforts to learn about accompanying the Regional Bahá’í Councils. With the work of the Plan become more complex, the Councils must establish effective systems to administer and resource growth in the clusters they serve. A challenge that each of them faces is following progress and reading the reality in each cluster, understanding it, and taking effective measures to provide support. In order to more closely support the efforts of the Council for England, for example, physical space has been made at 27 Rutland Gate to house its Secretariat staff, for the time being. This has also entailed relocating the staff of the Office of the Treasurer to nearby premises. The National Assembly has additionally been addressing the need to make more efficient the flow of funds to and from the cluster level. It is a task which might appear to be simple, but in reality is quite challenging.

Pilgrimage
Having received the important message of 27 April 2017 from the Universal House of Justice regarding measures that have been taken to make pilgrimage more accessible to larger numbers of believers and their friends, the National Assembly has been giving thought to how to promote and encourage more friends to avail themselves of this blessing. To this end, a special desk is in the process of being established, to offer practical advice to help with the planning of pilgrimage and overcoming any logistical barriers. Further details will be announced in due course.

Messages from the Universal House of Justice
Among the major messages that the National Assembly has studied in session was that of 1 March 2017 addressed to the Bahá’ís of the world on the subject of the Bahá’í approach to economic life. We commend it to your study – individually, in families, at firesides, during home visits, and in many other settings – and encourage you to consider its implications in your individual and collective lives. The message can be found on the official website of the Universal House of Justice: http://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org/activities-bahai-community/20170301_001

Many topics
Finally, here are some of the other topics that you may be interested to know the National Assembly has given time to:

  • Studying guidance from the Universal House of Justice regarding members’ participation in the forthcoming 12th International Convention;
  • Appointing a person to document where the remains of Knights of Bahá’u’lláh associated with the United Kingdom or the former British Isles community are laid to rest;
  • Creating support for students of the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) during the time of their studies in the United Kingdom;
  • Considering the requirements of data protection legislation for the Bahá’í community;
  • Calling for a national youth conference in December and putting in place committees to organise it;
  • Consulting upon what message the National Assembly wished its members to convey at summer schools around the country;
  • Reviewing the functioning of the National Assembly officers, including giving them direction for their work and considering what support they need to carry out their services;
  • Creating a youth desk aimed at supporting youth in their service to the Cause;
  • Consulting upon the many Unit and National Convention Resolutions that were put to the National Assembly for its consideration;
  • Responding to a request from the Universal House of Justice to prepare a schedule of all Bahá’í properties in the UK, as well as copies of the deeds of ownership and photographs of each;
  • Reviewing and re-structuring pastoral affairs agencies.

These are but a few of the myriad subject that are placed before the National Spiritual Assembly for its consideration in recent months.

Your prayers that the efforts of the National Assembly may, by the grace of God, be confirmed are deeply appreciated.

With our warmest love,

Patrick O’Mara,
Secretary

Click here for a PDF of this letter

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