New Class offered through BoiseLearns.org: God and His Manifestations (5 weeks, Jan 29 - Feb 26)
Black History Month kicks off with a concert-lecture by concert pianist Mark Ochu featuring the music of Gershwin and the efforts to promote Black music and inclusion, date xx, xx PM at Dunkley Music recital hall 3410 N Eagle Road, Meridian.
International Interfaith Harmony Week activities: Feb 1 - Feb 7:
Special thanks to the Spiritual Assemblies of Meridian, Ada County and Boise for financial support in bringing Mark Ochu to our area for the week.
Feb 1, 6:30PM at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Amity Stake, 12040 W Amity Rd, Boise featuring music from multiple faiths and
Mark Ochu performing Bach on organ
to be confirmed Feb 4, 7PM at Center for Spiritual Living, 10464 W Garverdale Dr, Boise, featuring a concert-lecture by pianist Mark Ochu featuring music by Liszt, Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin and Debussy
to be confirmed Feb 6, 7PM at Hillview United Methodist Church, 8525 W Ustick Rd, Boise, featuring a concert-lecture by Mark Ochu on organ and piano based on the theme of oneness through religion
Feb 7, 7PM: the Boise Community is encouraged to support Gospel Music Celebration, free concert at St. Paul Baptist Church 1320 W Bannock St, Boise, promoted by Idaho Black Community Alliance for Black History Month
Feb 10, 6PM: Public Presentation on the Oneness of Religion, wrapping up Interfaith Harmony Week with a thought provoking presentation and discussion. Hillcrest Public Library - Butte Room, 5246 W Overland Rd. Boise 83705
Feb 25-March 1: Ayyám-i-Há, the Days of Há, the intercalary days are the days which are inserted to make the Bahá'í calendar flawless solar. There will be events announced including a service project.
March 2-20: Bahá'í Fast for the month of ‘Alá’. During these 19 days Bahá'ís abstain from food or drink from sunrise to sunset as an outer sign of inner purification and remedying one's faults in preparation for the new year.
March 21: Naw-Rúz - the Bahá'í New Year. Celebration begins 4PM with a program followed by dinner. RSVP required. Seating limited to 171.
The Bahá'í Faith has no clergy. The individual, the community, and the institutions (the three protagonists) care for each other’s well-being and spiritual development, striving to achieve a two-fold moral purpose of personal and societal transformation. The age of spiritual maturity is 15 at which age, or anytime beyond, one can register as a Bahá'í and take charge of one’s own spiritual growth.
The local institution, the Local Spiritual Assembly, acts in the best interests of the community, Bahá'í or not. The nine trustees age 21+, elected annually by locality Bahá'ís age 18+, use faculties of compassion and consultation to investigate truth and make decisions which are supported by all.
Community life centers around the Nineteen-Day Feast, gathering for devotions, sharing news, consulting, and socializing on the first day of each Bahá'í calendar month. This spiritual Feast is for registered Bahá'ís and children. Others are not encouraged to attend but are not turned away.
Bahá'ís welcome all into the community, recognizing that all are in the process of becoming, not being, perfect. Living according to the teachings of Baha’u’llah helps us perfect our characters. The Most Holy Book, comprising laws, exhortations, and teachings, is the standard for weighing all things. Sometimes our ego objects to the standard just as we may object to particular traffic laws, but obedience to the laws is necessary for the well-being of all and creating an orderly society.
The individual, the community, and the institutions work together in a humble posture of learning as all strive to “translate that which is written into reality and action”. The community continues to increase its outward focus: service and more impactful engagement in the affairs of society through social and economic development, participation in the social discourses of society, and social action.
Bahá'ís manage growth and development world-wide by dividing the whole world into, currently, 22,000 clusters which are manageable geographic areas, with a goal of advancing each organically.
Community core activities aim to satisfy the spiritual aspirations of all ages and include:
Children’s education classes with a main focus on developing virtues in children.
Junior youth spiritual empowerment programs (ages 12-15) help junior youth develop their powers and direct their lives towards true happiness and service and away from the debilitating forces of materialism, consumerism, selfish pursuits focused on entertainment, and such.
Study circles use a set of 14 specific Ruhi Institute books and branch courses, each building capacity for service to humankind, and individual, community and institutional growth, all designed for the betterment of society. The ultimate aim is to build a new spiritually-based world civilization.
Devotional gatherings at the family, neighborhood or group level, bring people together and aid in spiritualization. Service projects inevitably arise from the elevated conversations which ensue.
Bahá'ís engage in daily personal prayer and reading from the sacred Word among other acts of devotion. There are nearly no rituals. The few rituals are found only in the personal daily obligatory prayers, daily recital of the Greatest Name, and in the recital of the communal prayer for the departed before interment. Daily meditation upon the sacred Word helps foster understanding of the divine guidance and thoughtful application in our lives.
In addition to these, and other, personal acts of devotion, Bahá'ís hold regular devotional meetings for collective worship. These gatherings are open to all. They unite people in prayer, awaken their spiritual susceptibilities and transform the group relationship.
"Devotional meetings are occasions where any soul may enter, inhale the heavenly fragrances, experience the sweetness of prayer, meditate upon the Creative Word, be transported on the wings of the spirit, and commune with the one Beloved. Feelings of fellowship and common cause are generated, particularly in the spiritually heightened conversations that naturally occur at such times and through which the “city of the human heart” may be opened."
[Universal House of Justice, 29 December 2015 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors]
Because there is no clergy in the Bahá'í Faith, devotional meetings are organized by individuals. Locally these are held in peoples’ homes, in public places or even on zoom. The use of arts and music is encouraged. Prayer and reflection upon sacred scriptures is at the heart of such programs. The gathering imparts a sense of joy, fellowship and love that enriches the relationships among participants. Ensuing discussions often center on increasing a shared understanding and often results in conversations on rendering a service to the neighborhood or community.
Contact us for more information.
Study circles bring groups of people together to deepen their understanding of the Bahá'í teachings through systematic study. This involves structured group discussion of passages from the Bahá'í writings that encourage reflection on one’s moral purpose and capacities for service.
Participants follow a sequence of courses (known among Bahá'ís as Ruhí books; Ruhí translates as "my soul") that address various themes in the Bahá'í writings, such as prayer, the education of children, and the lives of central figures of the Bahá'í Faith.
Each course allows participants to develop new skills, such as organizing devotional gatherings (Ruhí book 1), teaching children's classes (Ruhí book 3, which also happens to give great parenting capacity too) or leading junior youth empowerment groups (Ruhí book 5, valuable training too to parents about to have teenagers). As they strive to apply their new insights through a process of action, reflection and consultation, their capacity to offer service to their communities is raised to new levels.
Within a study circle everyone is encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning in an environment that is at once serious and uplifting. Study circles are facilitated by trained tutors, who have completed the main sequence of courses (Ruhí books 1-7) and now accompany others through the same educational process.
Study circles are one of the core activities of Bahá'í community life, and they are designed to imbue participants with a feeling of personal responsibility for the advancement of their communities, nation and world. They happen in Bahá'í communities all around the world and anyone is welcome to join – regardless of religious or cultural background.
Contact us for more information.
Junior youth – those in the age range of about 12 through 15 – in their transition from child to youth are at a crucial stage in their lives when they are defining their identity and values. Junior youth groups offered by the Bahá'í community address the needs of these young people by helping them to develop a strong moral identity and to empower them to contribute to the well-being of their communities.
In these groups, trained Animators use creative activities to engage the interests of junior youth and mold their capacities for service. A curriculum of material designed for junior youth is used in tandem with drama, story-telling, visual arts, discussion of social issues, and acts of service to their community. These groups aim to develop a cohesive identity that revolves around optimism about the future, high ideals, and a sense of purpose about life.
The Animators of groups are trained in a sequence of courses that emphasizes the great potential of junior youth to understand social processes and to contribute towards building a more peaceful and just world. The training program also calls upon Animators to reflect on their own moral purpose and to see leading a junior youth group as a path of service that contributes to their own personal transformation.
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Bahá'í children’s classes are offered to all children between 6 and 10 years old for their spiritual education and moral development. The aim of these classes is to inspire in each child a love for our diverse human family and to cultivate a praiseworthy character. They are guided by the Bahá'í belief that children are noble beings with great potential to develop into upright and active participants in their community.
Children’s classes awaken an understanding and love for the Manifestations of God and humanity’s collective spiritual heritage. Stories, games, arts, and songs are the main methods of instruction.
At the heart of these classes is the belief that the education of children is essential to the future development of our communities. That is why Bahá'í children’s classes convey an appreciation of the arts, respect for science, and a focus on empowering spiritual education.
Teachers are trained to see each child as a mine rich in gems, and to convey an all-embracing love of children.
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From time to time, a topic is given special attention in the Bahá'í community such as Family Life, Partisan Political Non-involvement, or a particular sacred Text. Meetings to deepen understanding are organized and operate like the description of devotional meetings.
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No, there doesn't need to be a fireplace involved. These are just cozy meetings of two or more people to discuss topics involving the Bahá'í Faith, sometimes quite directly pertaining to an aspect of the Faith or sometimes less directly but important in the life of our society. Warm hospitality is shown to the guests who attend usually in the home of a Bahá'í or a coffee shop - whatever is comfortable. Contact us to attend a fireside meeting.
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Locally, there are informational meetings about the Bahá'í Faith open to the public. These usually occur in a public library. Some people arrange for more elaborate gatherings including dinner and a topic. The conversation can be lively and the atmosphere warm and friendly.
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The Bahá'í calendar, known as the Badí (wonderful) calendar, is a flawlessly solar calendar which synchronizes to the solar year annually at the March equinox. It comprises 19 months of 19 days plus 4 or 5 intercalary days which adds to 365 or 366 days. A community Feast is held on the first day of each month. The Feast isn't what you might expect from the name. Rather than being a regular banquet it is a spiritual feast, beginning with a devotional part. This is followed by an administrative part in which messages from institutions and news is shared, local needs, activities and issues are discussed. The Feast concludes with a social part in which refreshments are served, however humble they are, and bonds of friendship are forged or strengthened. The Nineteen-day Feast is not a public gathering.
If you are a Bahá'í visiting from elsewhere within the country, you are asked to show your Bahá'í identification to attend. If you are a Bahá'í visiting from another country, please ask your National Spiritual Assembly to verify your standing a few days prior to attending.
Contact us for more information.