From the Table of the National Spiritual Assembly
31 January 2021
14 Sultán 177 B.E.
GC-35463
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To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
During its recent consultations with Counsellor Varqá Khadem, the National Spiritual Assembly has been referring constantly to the messages of the Universal House of Justice—of 9 May 2020 to all National Spiritual Assemblies and 25 November 2020 to the Bahá’ís of the World—as well as to the recently released compilation on Social Action.
Amid the mounting realisation in society of the challenges that the coming decades will represent, each of these precious documents is a call to action for us to play our part in serving humanity. In this light, the National Assembly has devoted considerable time to reflection upon the question posed in the 9 May 2020 letter, concerning what means might be within the power of Local Spiritual Assemblies “to prevent, relieve, or mitigate suffering in the wider society of which they are an integral part.”
As we are all painfully aware, humanity is burdened with numerous ills, all of which have been exacerbated—and impacted upon—by the current pandemic. A heightened community consciousness in the wider society is, however, allowing for meaningful collaborations with likeminded others, in service to the most vulnerable.
During recent months, the United Kingdom has witnessed an increase in the mobilisation of many organisations to bring practical support to those in need. Despite the necessary restrictions on face-to- face gatherings, the current circumstances have provided new opportunities for Bahá’ís and their friends to reflect deeply on the theme of social action and to share generously the methods, approaches and skills that have been honed through participation in the Training Institute process over the last two decades. Indeed, the world-wide Bahá’í community’s body of experience shows us that:
Efforts of social action, have proven more sustainable when they emerge in localities with a strong institute process, as a natural extension of the community-building activities under way.
Universal House of Justice, 9 April 2017 to a National Spiritual Assembly
The National Assembly has been inspired by the fact that the early stirrings of social action in the UK are being conceived ever more firmly within the framework of the Plan, and a body of experience is growing:
Social action is emerging naturally out of the many service projects of a Junior Youth Programme that is gaining in strength. Some examples include junior youth helping those younger than themselves with reading and homework, as well as organising activities such as crafts, baking and physical exercises on zoom—all in an effort to keep up spirits and foster friendships.
In other localities, the focus of a community has been on forging meaningful friendships through Zoom conversations on themes of race and social justice. Some neighbourhood teams have created online friendship spaces in response to the loneliness, isolation and anxiety experienced by many during the current crisis.
There have been numerous initiatives, in different settings, to respond to food shortages, such as delivery of food packages, and coordinating foodbanks. In one focused neighbourhood, a community garden was created to offer a space where friends could gather safely outside. This space has allowed for conversations around social action to evolve, for ideas to take shape and for projects such as book exchanges and winter coat collections to be initiated.
Friends working with newly arrived Persian populations, are learning about the systematisation of their efforts in the organisation of material means, as well as creating English language programmes, literacy support and the use of the arts to help alleviate mental health issues.
All of these fledgling efforts are undoubtedly enhanced by the participation of Local Spiritual Assemblies, neighbourhood nuclei and individuals, in the study of Ruhi Book 13. These materials are helping to consolidate our collective understanding that it is ultimately the capacities we gain through the Training Institute process that equip us to become the most effective—as well as the most ‘active and earnest’—of humanity’s well-wishers.
…However humble an instance of social action might be at the beginning, it is an indication of a people cultivating within themselves a critical capacity, one that holds infinite potential and significance for the centuries ahead: learning how to apply the Revelation to the manifold dimensions of social existence.
Universal House of Justice, 29 December 2015 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Patrick O’Mara,
Secretary