National Fund Update
4 April 2021
16 Bahá 178 B.E.
Contents
– National Fund Update
– From the new compilation, The Universal House of Justice
– Migration: Broadening the horizons in Slovakia
– Qatar expelling and blacklisting Bahá’ís could indicate pattern of religious cleansing
GC-35574
Download as PDF
To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
As the Riḍván festival and the One Year Plan approaches, your community will no doubt be reflecting upon what can be done to “draw on whatever untapped potential it may possess and seek to overcome any obstacles that are impeding its growth.”[1] Some of the questions you may be considering include: What capacities can we develop to initiate and continue elevated conversations? How can additional devotional gatherings be established? How can increasing numbers of souls be invited to enter into the courses of the training institute, into children’s classes and junior youth groups? How will we introduce the person and example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during this special year in which all will observe the centenary of His Passing?
Alongside every individual or collective teaching endeavour, we will always want to remember the needs of the Funds of the Faith for—as the House of Justice reminds us—“…contributing to the Fund should constitute an integral part of the spiritual life of every Bahá’í and be regarded as the fulfilment of a fundamental spiritual obligation…”[2] In our National Fund Update of 21 January 2021 [GC-35445], we announced that in 2020 the community of the United Kingdom contributed £1.1million—more than ever before—to the National Fund. This, along with an increase in investment returns and the reduction in expenditure as a result of the pandemic, helped to reduce the annual deficit. Through the recent series of regional annual planning and budgeting meetings that have taken place across the United Kingdom, the National Assembly has been encouraged to see local and regional plans develop, with more clusters advancing through the milestones and additional neighbourhood projects commencing.
But growth inevitably increases the demands put upon the National Fund. Shoghi Effendi wrote:
There should be a continual flow of funds to the national treasury of the National Spiritual Assembly, if that body wishes to properly administer the manifold and ever-increasing activities of the Faith. Every Bahá’í, no matter how poor, must realize what a grave responsibility he has to shoulder in this connection, and should have confidence that his spiritual progress as a believer in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh will largely depend upon
the measure in which he proves, in deeds, his readiness to support materially the divine institutions of His Faith.[3]
To assist in raising the consciousness of the Fund among all of the friends, Treasurers of Local Spiritual Assemblies will soon be invited to reflect with the National Assembly’s Treasurer and the Treasurer of their Regional Bahá’í Council to explore how fund gatherings can be facilitated locally.
In order to see how your contributions that are so sacrificially given support the Faith, it is also important to know how the annual expenditure is allocated. This is especially important given the call to contribute to the Regional Branch of the National Fund, which is dedicated wholly to the growth of the Faith in the United Kingdom, and which represents one third (33%) of the total expenditure this year.
Some ten years ago, the National Assembly also decided that a proportion of every contribution made to the National Fund will be allocated to the International and Continental Funds. This means that for every £1 contributed to the National Fund, the National Assembly forwards 20 pence directly to the International Fund. Every soul contributing to the National Fund, then, will surely be spiritually uplifted to know that their contributions advance the Faith worldwide. As Shoghi Effendi explained, this can best be achieved when the friends do not restrict the use of contributions:
As a general rule the friends should realize that it is more consistent with the exalted standards expounded in our teachings for them at all times to offer their contributions freely, nobly and generously with the high sense of furthering the Cause of God in whatever form this may be achieved. However, if for some reason they wish to restrict the use of their contributions, or even make such donations known to others, they should not be prevented from carrying out their wish.[4]
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Darren Smith,
Treasurer
References
1 Universal House of Justice, 25 November 2020, To the Bahá’ís of the World
2 Universal House of Justice, 18 November 1991, To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Every Land
3 From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 17 July 1937, To the National Spiritual Assembly of India
4 From a letter on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 30 December 1979, To a National Spiritual Assembly
From the new compilation, The Universal House of Justice
