DO YOU want to bring some movement and colour to your Website without going over the top? — Flash can do it!

OPI is looking at ways of making extra-content items available. As a start we are offering three Flash banners on request. We can send you them as email attachments – the files are small – and you can look at them in your Website and incorporate the one you like.

NOTE: You will need a little knowledge of Website construction and editing to incorporate them and size them suitably – it’s very easy to do if you have a package such as FrontPage or HoTMetaL, or you could do it the oldfashioned way, writing your own HTML tags if you are one of the purists who does this.

A simple template leaflet for inviting people to Study Circle courses has been prepared. It is an A4 trifold in Microsoft Publisher 98 format (readable by all subsequent versions of Publisher), ready to be edited on your own PC, have local information inserted etc.

To obtain the file electronically please email: opi@bahai.org.uk and ask for leaflet SC-1.

NOTE (1) The final form of the leaflet and the use to which it is to be put are for local consultation – your community/cluster being best placed to decide what you want to use. Please treat this template as a resource to be adapted as you see fit and used. We have, for instance, kept it strictly black-and-white for ease of laser printing, you may wish to change the illustrations to something coloured, make sparing use of coloured text/WordArt, etc. It’s up to you! If you make significant changes and like the result please share a copy with us (hard copy and file) – we want to develop a resource bank to share ideas and suggestions with the Friends and help them carry out the core activities of the Plan.

NOTE (2) The fonts used on the template leaflet are Century Schoolbook (for the body text) and Century Gothic (for the section headings etc.). We chose these because they are generally recognised to be “friendly” and inviting typefaces to the reader, as well as being installed already on many PCs. If you do not have them on your computer the appearance and layout will change slightly and you’ll have to reformat using the font(s) of your choice.

Denmark is looking for a mature young person (minimum 18 yrs) to offer a year of service starting from September 2003 and running to July/August 2004 – a year which will continue the work begun amongst Denmark’s youth by other youth on short and long-term periods of service since May 2001.

We have a dynamic and well-developed dance workshop called “Unless and Until” with, at present, 13 members (seven girls and six boys) between the ages of 13 and 18. There are also one or two junior youth around the country who will soon turn 12 and look forward to joining the workshop. As well as dance workshop experience, a YoS candidate should be willing to assist the community in many other ways.

If you wish, we can put you in touch with those youth who have already been to Denmark on a period of service in the past so that you can ask them to fill in any details you need to know. We look forward to hearing from you!

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Slovakia would like to ask you for your assistance in helping to find a youth for a Year of Service for the Trencín community in Slovakia.

Trencín community is a very nice community of 11 adult believers. They organise regular English clubs, firesides, devotional meetings and study circles. They have some youth contacts coming to the activities and would like to reach more youth in the city. Since there are no Bahá’í youth among the believers in that city they would be happy to have a youth for a year of service, who can develop friendships with these contacts and support the community activities.

The community prefers a youth who is able to speak English, has experience with dance workshops, devotional meetings, study circles and is self-disciplined.

We would greatly appreciate, if you could share this announcement with the National Youth Committees in Europe or inform us of a suitable youth for this position if you know someone who is interested in a year of service.

NATIONAL CONVENTION was its usual busy and inspiring self, and with the Red Arrows opening and closing the Convention for us with their dynamic displays, who could ask for more? Apparently, you could. BOREA was a little taken aback by two things:

1 many of the friends do not know what a SACRE is
2 many of the friends did not know what BOREA stands for!

Taking the second point first, BOREA stands for the Bahá’í Office for Religious and Educational Affairs. It is an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, and its remit is to deal with religious and educational matters outside the Bahá’í community. BOREA advises the National Assembly, when requested, on any aspect of education, including a national RE curriculum and Citizenship. BOREA’s role also includes raising the profile of the Faith in educational circles such as the DfES (Department for Education and Skills), the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculums Authority), and the Home Office. BOREA also advises Bahá’ís on their dealings with educational bodies.

SACRE is the Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education. There is one in every Local Education Authority (LEA) in England and Wales. Its job is to advise the LEA about what religious education should be taught to children within the LEA’s area. BOREA has a very strong connection to SACRE, as it has been encouraging, advising and – occasionally – cajoling Bahá’ís to get involved with their local SACRE. A great deal of progress has been made across the country in terms of Bahá’í involvement since BOREA’s inception in 1999, including the Faith being added to a number of agreed syllabuses, which means teachers have the opportunity to teach about the Faith to children at large. However there are some SACRE’s that are deliberately keeping the Bahá’ís at arm’s length, making progress slow. Do not be disspirited! Keep working away at it. If you are uncertain as to whether the Faith is represented on your LEA, ask your Local Spiritual Assembly. BOREA can tell you which LSA is sponsoring the SACRE representative for the county LEA’s or unitary LEA’s where there is no LSA. If there is no one willing to put him or herself forward to represent the Faith at SACRE, do it yourself! You do not need to be an education expert, just willing to turn up for every SACRE meeting and use a little wisdom during discussions.

It was encouraging to have positive feedback on the BOREA materials, which now comprise: Teacher’s Pack; Citizenship Pilot Packs for Key Stages 1-4; Living the Life – Worship (Key Stages 3+4); Human Rights – a Bahá’í Perspective (Key Stages 3+4); and Religious Perspectives on the Environment (KS3+4).

Mr Hassan Afnan, in his tireless efforts to get the Faith recognised by examination boards, has informed BOREA that, currently, Bahá’í students can submit coursework on the Bahá’í Faith for GCSE with Edexcel or OCR. At present however, examinations cannot be taken on the Faith.

Finally, BOREA is very excited at the development of its website, which will include information on SACRE, Citizenship and RE, with links to other sites. This will hopefully provide more useful information that you can access quickly and whenever you wish.

For more information on SACRE please contact: Jenny Lockwood at borea@bahai.org.uk. On Religious Education, please contact: Jo Constantine at xdragonladyx@yahoo.com On Citizenship, please contact: Simon Trick at nstricks@yahoo.com

WE ARE pleased to announce that version 2 of this CDROM is now available. It contains a lot more than version 1, as follows:

• Lesson Plans: Twice as many plans and handouts, i.e. over 1600 pages of materials for 240 lessons. These plans may be used in sequence for each age group (there are some for all ages from 3 to 18) or individual plans may be selected to cover particular strands of the National Curriculum (a list in strand order is provided).
• In-Home Study Programme: 844 pages designed for families at home, but also useful as supporting material in a more formal setting (some part and complete articles are used in the plans above.)
• Syllabus: For teachers, the syllabus “Light Upon Light”, which was used to produce the above plans. This is exactly the same as on CD version 1, since it has been approved by the Syllabus Review Panel in that form.
• Musical Play: For the adventurous, the complete text of this musical play, titled “Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad”, together with music score, is provided. Some of the songs are used in the above plans. Approved for public performance by the National Review Panel.
• User Contributions: We have had a few from teachers, which are included.

For information on how to order a copy of the CD, please contact the Office of Bahá’í Education at obe@bahai.org.uk

A RENEWED House of Justice, a renewed National Spiritual Assembly, a renewed spirit among the delegates at National Convention. We are ready to roll! Will this be the breakthrough year in your cluster, the country, the world?

The Ridván message was so full of allusions to what can be achieved: that we can expect “an opportunity of stellar possibilities for advancing the interests of His glorious Cause”, that we have reached “operational capacity” to “make giant steps”, that the world wide community of clusters are “seedbeds of expansion”. (Universal House of Justice, Ridván Message 2003)

This was the year, 150 years ago, when Bahá’u’lláh arrived in Baghdad on April 8, 1853 and opened a tumultuous 12 month period ending on April 10, 1854 with His withdrawal into the mountains of Kurdistan. The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi writes in his book, “God Passes By”, of the opening of “a new and glorious chapter”, and the “inauguration of a ministry extending over a period of almost 40 years”. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 106)

Shoghi Effendi, in the same book, also compares Bahá’u’lláh’s exile, from His native land to Iraq, to the migration of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina, the exodus of Moses, and above all to the banishment of Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to the Promised Land, with its subsequent impact on so many peoples, faiths and nations which he says is the nearest historical approach to “the incalculable blessings destined to be vouchsafed, in this day, and in future ages, to the whole human race, in direct consequence of the exile suffered by Him Whose Cause is the flower and fruit of all previous Revelations” (Ibid. p. 107)

We can also recall that 50 years ago, in 1953, on the centenary of these same events, Shoghi Effendi launched the first global plan for the spiritualisation of the planet, the Ten Year Crusade. In the first year of that plan more countries and territories were opened to the Faith than at any other time. Can we seek to emulate that example in this anniversary year by achieving both an unprecedented influx of new believers and an outpouring of pioneers and travel teachers across the world? Remember, the Universal House of Justice assures us that the “operational capacity” is there among the “seedbeds of expansion”, and that, if we rise to the challenge, an “opportunity of stellar possibilities” will providentially occur to advance the Cause. (Universal House of Justice, Ridván Message 2003)

Let us seize the day! More than ever, this is the time to turn to those unseen hosts in the Abhá Kingdom and, by our response, release their pent up forces into this plane of existence. They have been impatiently waiting to assist us for many years.

Let us make this year the turning point!

We urge you to look at the fantastically informative CIPTT website for information on the needs of each place. The website is at: www.bahai.org.uk/pioneers.

It is still not too late to plan for your summer vacation to have an element of service to some needy community abroad. Even a single event such as organising a tranquillity zone, being a new face at a children’s class, offering an artistic performance, will be welcome. Get in touch with the local cluster beforehand and see what best fits their needs.

We know, of course, that you will not forget the European dimension in your response. The goal countries in the Philip Hainsworth Campaign Five Year Plan Goals in Europe are: Bosnia & Herzegovina; Corsica; Croatia; Cyprus (Southern); Faroe Islands; Macedonia; Malta; Kosovo; Montenegro; Serbia; Slovenia; Vojvodina.

When you decide to plan the details of your act of service please get in touch with the committee and let us help you. You can contact the CIPTT by e-mail at pbellamy999@hotmail.com

The Ruaha Secondary School in Iringa, Tanzania is a rapidly growing and nationally recognised and respected coeducational private school owned and operated by the National Assembly of Tanzania, with 540 students (68 Bahá’ís), that is currently implementing an ambitious development plan that includes construction of classrooms, labs, dormitories, staff housing and administrative offices.

We have an immediate and pressing need for a volunteer architect (preferably self supporting) to come for six months to a year, to assist us with building-design, preparation of drawings, and application for building permits. We would be very grateful if you would share this need with your pioneer offices and publish an appeal for volunteers in your newsletters.

Warmest Bahá’í greetings,
Dermot McHugh projects manager