National Convention 179 B.E.
25 April 2022
17 Jalál 179 B.E.
GC-36449
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To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved friends,
The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to share with you the results of the election of the National Assembly which took place at National Convention in Telford – the first to be held for three years – over the weekend of 22-24 April 2022. All of the 95 delegates voted, 82 of whom were present at the Convention. The members elected are:
Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi, Marco Milone, Wendi Momen, Patrick O’Mara, Vafa Ram, Darren Smith, Olinga Tahzib, Robert Weinberg, Ronnie Yousefzadeh Bindra.
Following the election, the National Assembly elected its officers for the coming year. They are: Chair: Olinga Tahzib; Secretary: Patrick O’Mara; Treasurer: Darren Smith; Vice-Chair: Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi.
Illumined by the Riḍván 2022 message of the Universal House of Justice and its letter of 30 December 2021 to the Conference of the Counsellors which delineates the main features of the Nine Year Plan, National Convention was guided and inspired by our dearly loved Counsellor, Dr. Varqá Khadem. It proved to be a remarkable Convention, coming at the commencement of the sixth epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith and in the opening hours of the Nine Year Plan. With an outward-looking orientation, the delegates’ consultations exhibited a unity of vision and clarity of purpose as to the path ahead, both immediately and beyond. This was infused with a profound consciousness of the perspective of history which helped all present to appreciate the distance traversed and the contributions of so many souls from the United Kingdom who – throughout the first 100 years of the Formative Age just completed – laid the solid foundation upon which our community is now building as it embarks upon a new epoch – one that demands a paradigm shift in its understanding of the advancements required to release the society building power of the Faith in ever greater measure. These were among the signs that indicated to the National Assembly that the institution of National Convention has reached a new level of maturity.
The current wave of conferences that is sweeping across the country – engaging unprecedented numbers in giving profound thought to how they might contribute to the Plan of the Universal House of Justice – was consulted upon with much excitement and anticipation. Delegates looked to the coming months, anticipating a surge of souls who express a yearning to serve, and reflected on what is required to channel this desire into acts of service, including training and accompaniment. With Regional Councils planning a summer of service for youth and others, the days immediately ahead hold great promise for the launch of the Plan and the swift movement of clusters, particularly those second milestone clusters advancing to the third milestone.
The National Spiritual Assembly wishes to take this opportunity to express its deep admiration and love for the United Kingdom Bahá’í community, appreciating how thousands of acts of service are being carried out in the name of Bahá’u’lláh each and every day. We beseech your prayers that the National Assembly may receive the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh in ever greater abundance, and be enabled to serve you, your communities and the institutions that guide and walk with you.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Patrick O’Mara,
Secretary
