Community Building Filled With Spirit
The Bahá’í life
Inspired by the principle of the oneness of humankind, Baha’is believe that the advancement of materially and spiritually coherent world civilization will require the contributions of countless high-minded individuals, groups, and organizations, for generations to come. The efforts of the Baha’i community to contribute to this movement are finding expression today in localities all around the world and are open to all.
Through a process of prayerful study, consultation, action, reflection, children, youth, and adults engage in their own spiritual development. The Bahá’ís explore spiritual concepts together and apply them in their own communities. Capacities for service are developed and increasingly complex collective action becomes possible.
Community Building Activities
DEVOTIONAL LIFE
The spirit of fellowship and harmony that binds us together is strengthened through acts of worship. Bahá’ís consider daily prayer essential for spiritual sustenance and growth, just as food is essential for physical sustenance. Through prayer, one praises God, expresses love for Him, or beseeches Him for insight or assistance. The writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and Abdu’l-Bahá include many beautiful, expressive, and spiritually powerful prayers which are recited both in private and devotional gatherings. It is common practice for Bahá’ís to gather with friends and neighbours to offer prayers. Devotional gatherings are held in community centers or in one another’s homes and consists largely of reading prayers and passages from holy scriptures in an informal, yet respectful, atmosphere. Uplifting music and song are often included. There are no rituals, no individual has a special role. These simple gatherings bring people of all backgrounds and beliefs together in prayer and generate a unifying spirit that begins to permeate the community.
STUDY CIRCLES
A study circle is a small group that meets perhaps once a week for a few hours, usually in the home of one of its members to study the course materials. The materials include passages from the Bahá’í writings related to specific themes and acts of service. Among the questions participants explore are how to create environments where people in contact with spiritual forces released through prayer and devotion; how to strengthen bonds of friendship and establish meaningful patterns of communication among people of various backgrounds; how to make the education of children an integral part of community life; how to help young people develop their intellectual and spiritual capacities; and how to generate dynamics within the family unit that give to material and spiritual prosperity. In response to the materials they study and with support from their institutions, participants arise to carry out specific acts of service. Men and women, young and old alike, come to recognize that they have the power to re-create the world around them. As more and more people become committed to the vision of individual and collective transformation fostered by the collective transformation fostered institute courses, capacity is gradually built in the community to reflect a pattern of life that places at its heart service and worship.
Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program
Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is a global movement that motivates young people aged 12 to 15 to work with parents and community members to contribute to the well-being of their neighbourhoods and the world at large. The program is founded on the idea that helps young people achieve their highest potential, education needs to address both their intellectual and spiritual development. While inspired by the Bahá’í Faith, the program does not approach education in the mode of religious instruction. It affirms that young people have a vital role to play in helping communities grow. In these groups, junior youth are mentored by older teens and young adults, referred to as “animators” to develop their spiritual qualities, intellectual capabilities, and capacity to serve society. Each week, animators and junior youth study materials based on moral and spiritual concepts and talk about how to navigate a complex world, resist negative forces in their lives and promote social progress. They engage in meaningful discussions and artistic expression (through drama, cooperative games, visual arts, and storytelling) and acts of community service, all of which help them form strong moral identities. Animators strive to awaken junior youth to their own potential, channel their energies and develop their talents to serve their neighbours, family, and friends. Along the way, many animators discover that the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program makes an impact in their own lives as well as in the lives of the young people they serve.
Families and Children
Bahá’ís view the family as the nucleus of human society and family life as the primary place to develop values and capacities essential to the betterment of society. The moral and spiritual education of children assumes vital importance in a world where the joy and innocence of childhood can so easily be overwhelmed by materialism. The Bahá’í ideal is a family life that cultivates a loving and respectful relationship between parents and children and promotes the principles of consultation and harmony in decision making. Bahá’ís partner with their neighbours, friends, and colleagues to create programs for the spiritual education of children. The teachings emphasize the importance of the education of women and girls, both for their own advancement and because it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society. Ultimately, the aim is for children to increasingly grow up free from all forms of prejudice, recognizing the oneness of humanity and appreciating the innate dignity and nobility of every human being.