Upcoming Fireside Discussions

"Bahá’ís must be careful not to be swept up in a spiral of fear and darkness engendered by prevailing conditions but, rather, devote their energies to building up a new world and promoting an environment of serenity and courage."
- The Universal House of Justice, December 3, 2020

In previous guidance, the Assembly noted that the situation regarding COVID-19 "is constantly evolving, and the friends should be aware that the guidance could change at any time." The Assembly also strongly encouraged the friends to abide by the guidelines issued from the city, state, and federal government. The city of Austin has now entered "Stage 5" of the risk based guidelines, The mayor of Austin is instructing everyone to avoid all gatherings outside of their household, and to avoid all non-essential activities and travel.

It is important to note, however, that we can continue the important work of transforming the spiritual nature of our neighborhoods and community building even under these challenging circumstances. Although we cannot be physically together, we can continue to nurture our spiritual bonds.

We can use available resources and technology to continue to stay in contact with each other and our community. It can be as simple as a phone call to someone to share a prayer like mentioned in Ruhi Book 1, or have an uplifting conversation like the ones we are encouraged to have in Book 2. We can also send cards or letters to our friends and family with inspirational passages from the Writings.

Of course almost any activity can be conducted with online tools like Zoom, Skype, etc. A list of some of these tools can be found on our website under "Community Building Tools." You can host a devotional in just three easy steps, If you find yourself in need of physical material, like a prayer book, Holy Writings, or an Institute course book, please contact the bookstore manager.

Over the next two Fridays the Assembly will be hosting a study of the most recent letters from the Universal House of Justice, and there will be Sunday devotions and firesides on Zoom as usual. On Friday, January 8th, we will once again be doing our monthly fireside, this time with Dr. John Hatcher. So despite the restrictions, we will have a number of activities for everyone to continue to be engaged in the work of the Five Year Plan. Upcoming activities will be updated on our website, www.austinbahai.org.

In its May 9, 2020 letter, the Universal House of Justice assured us that "[a]ll our trust and confidence in your capacity to face this challenge comes from our knowledge that your ultimate supporter and helper is the Abhá Beauty Himself." The Assembly is confident that the friends will come through the current challenge stronger than ever before.

With Loving Baha'i Greetings,
 

Chris Bishop

Secretary

Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Austin

The Bahá’ís of the United States join our fellow-citizens in heartfelt grief at the deaths
of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others whose lives were
suddenly taken by appalling acts of violence. These heartbreaking violations against
fellow human beings, due only to the color of their skin, have deepened the dismay
caused by a pandemic whose consequences to the health and livelihoods of people of
color have been disproportionately severe. This has come to pass against a backdrop of
longstanding racial injustice in virtually every aspect of American life. It is clear that
racial prejudice is the most vital and challenging issue we face as a country.
Yet, amidst these tragedies, there are also signs of hope. Countless citizens have arisen
to proclaim the truth that we are one nation, and to demand specific actions to address
the pervasive inequities that for too long have shaped our society. We have
remembered who we aspire to be as a people, and are determined to make a change for
the better. This moment beckons us to a renewed commitment to realize the ideal of
E Pluribus Unum—out of many, one—the very ideal upon which America was founded.
To create a just society begins with recognition of the fundamental truth that humanity
is one. But it is not enough simply to believe this in our hearts. It creates the moral
imperative to act, and to view all aspects of our personal, social, and institutional lives
through the lens of justice. It implies a reordering of our society more profound than
anything we have yet achieved. And it requires the participation of Americans of every
race and background, for it is only through such inclusive participation that new moral
and social directions can emerge.

Whatever immediate results might come from the current demonstrations, the
elimination of racism will require a sustained and concerted effort. It is one thing to
protest against particular forms of inAmazonjustice. It is a far more profound challenge to
create a new framework for justice. Our efforts can only succeed when we learn to build
relationships with each other based on sincere friendship, regard, and trust, which, in
turn, become pillars for the activities of our institutions and communities.
It is essential for us to join hands in a process of learning how to create models of what
we want to see in every dimension of American life, as we learn to apply the principle of
oneness through practical engagement and experience. To this end, we offer the
following thoughts.

An essential element of the process will be honest and truthful discourse about current
conditions and their causes, and understanding, in particular, the deeply entrenched
notions of anti-Blackness that pervade our society. We must build the capacity to truly
hear and acknowledge the voices of those who have directly suffered from the effects of
racism. This capacity should manifest itself in our schools, the media, and other civic
arenas, as well as in our work and personal relations. This should not end with words,
but lead to meaningful, constructive action.

There are already significant efforts underway to learn how to create models of unity in
neighborhoods and communities throughout the nation. Bahá’ís have been persistently
engaged in such efforts for many years. The aim is not unity in sameness—it is unity in
diversity. It is the recognition that everyone in this land has a part to play in
contributing to the betterment of society, and that true prosperity, material and
spiritual, will be available to us all to the degree that we live up to this standard. We
should earnestly discover what is being done, what truly helps to make a difference, and
why. We should share this knowledge throughout the country as a means of inspiring
and assisting the work of others. If we do this, we could soon find ourselves in the midst
of a mass transition toward racial justice.

Religion, an enduring source of insight concerning human purpose and action, has a
key role to play in this process. All faith communities recognize that we are essentially
spiritual beings. All proclaim some version of the “Golden Rule”—to love others as we
do ourselves. Take, for example, the following passage from the Bahá’í Scriptures in
which God addresses humankind:

Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one
should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye
were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is
incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with
the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by
your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment
may be made manifest.

To understand and firmly believe that we are all children of God provides us with access
to vast spiritual resources, motivating us to see beyond ourselves and to work steadily
and sacrificially in the face of all obstacles. It helps to ensure that the process is
consistent with the goal to create communities characterized by justice. It gives us the
faith, strength, and creativity to transform our own hearts, as we also work for the
transformation of society.

We believe that the tribulations now encompassing much of the world are the
symptoms of humanity’s failure to understand and embrace our essential oneness.
The interrelated threats of climate change, gender discrimination, extreme wealth and
poverty, unfair distribution of resources, and the like, all stem from this deficiency and
can never be resolved if we do not awaken to our dependence upon each other. The
world has contracted to a neighborhood, and it is important to appreciate that what we
do in America impacts not only our own country, but the entire planet.
We should also never forget that the richness of our diversity, and our founding ideals
of liberty and justice, attract the eyes of the world to us. They will be influenced by what
we achieve, or fail to achieve, in this regard. It is not an exaggeration to say that the
cause of world peace is linked to our success in resolving the issue of racial injustice.

The oneness of humanity is the foundation of our future. Its realization is the inevitable
next stage in our life on this planet. We will replace a world society based upon
competition and conflict, and driven by rampant materialism, with one founded upon
our higher potential for collaboration and reciprocity. This achievement will mark the
universal coming of age of the human race. How soon we achieve this, and how easily,
will depend upon the commitment we demonstrate to this cardinal principle.
We have come to a moment of great public awareness and rejection of injustice. Let us
not lose this opportunity. Will we commit to the process of forming “a more perfect
union”? Will we be guided by “the better angels of our nature” to choose the course of
wisdom, of courage, and of unity? Will we choose to truly become that “city upon a hill”
to serve as inspiration to all humanity? Let us then join hands with each other in
commitment to the path of justice. Together we can surely achieve this.
Bahá’u’lláh said: “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”
May that light grow brighter with every passing day.

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES

New Day Community Garden is a place where people of many different backgrounds and gardening experience join together for the common goal of growing produce, experimenting with new plants and crops, and exchanging ideas, techniques and knowledge.