Catching the beat of a new rhythm of life
Families acting to establish a rhythm of life centred on spiritual wellbeing is a mode of community-building that is taking hold around the world, including in New Zealand. This movement is being seen in a number of clusters around the country, such as Hawke’s Bay, whose vibrant activities are reported later in this article.
To describe more fully what is happening — an increasing number of families are establishing a rhythm of life which promotes the spiritual education and well-being of parents and children by drawing on the society-building powers of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation to influence their family and community life.
Frequently, a core group of friends is fostering the engagement of families in this process by an approach that reaches out to the entire population in a smaller setting, such as a few adjoining streets, or a group of apartment buildings. Then the nucleus begins to expand. Some common features of this approach are:
Neighbourhood teams in many places are collaborating closely with parents of children participating in the educational process, and this in turn is helping a community spirit to flower.
Teams making regular visits to households and working alongside the local inhabitants are able to strengthen relationships among groups of families and foster a thriving community-building process.
A team of residents within a neighbourhood may form the core of an expanding nucleus in their own neighbourhood, with a growing spirit of unity being fostered among families through connecting worship and service.
Children’s festivals are proving to be an excellent catalyst for getting things going in a neighbourhood. One of these festivals in a neighbourhood can attract a significant number of children, providing the opportunity to connect with their parents. Such connections can develop into friendships which become the foundation for the expansion of community-building efforts into various areas of service, inspired by collective worship. Parents may set out on a path of service by committing themselves to learn how to teach the lessons in the children’s class materials.
Other occasions that serve as catalysts for increased community-building activity include intensive camps, youth gatherings and junior youth camps.
On such occasions, in this centenary year, opportunities are being found to make people more aware of the Person of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, by sharing stories about Him.
In this year’s National Convention consultation, it was noted that camps and festivals are beautiful ways to engage a lot of people — the teachers and animators are not the only people engaging with the children in these spaces, so it becomes an important educational space for the children. When we start a Ruhi book, we need to think about what training we need to solve whatever problems our communities are facing, e.g. if the capacity is not there for conversations, we need to study Ruhi book 2 and practise the things that it trains us in. The skill of coordination is trained in book 10.1.
Taking Hawke’s Bay as an example, this cluster is on a well-defined path to the third milestone. The two neighbourhoods that are working together with intensity are Raureka and Flaxmere. The youth movement has been strengthened through a regular pattern of expansion through intensive camps, festivals, youth gatherings and junior youth camps. Many friends who before were passively involved in core activities have begun to be protagonists. This cluster is close to having 50 youth in the programme. The youth have raised their capacity and are serving as both animators and tutors.
An inspiring story from Flaxmere, in Hawke’s Bay, was related at National Convention. The three seeds that were planted initially were Māori engaging Māori; identifying someone to give fulltime service; and consistency of being present and dedicating the time to the core activity so the participants know these are regular and systematic. In 2017 a junior youth group started with three participants in a family home. It grew to twelve and then twenty seven. The group became too big to be hosted in a home and this forced the animator (a mature adult) to look for other venues. They have connected with the local branch of Age Concern whereby they use the facilities owned by Age Concern and in return offer their practical assistance in caring for the property. The group has grown to a size of 50 and has outgrown the Age Concern venue. There has been a move from social action to areas of discourse. They have submitted a proposal to a kura to have the group operating at the school.
Over Queen’s Birthday weekend, a “spiritual actions for social transformation seminar” was held at Te Aranga Marae on the outskirts of Flaxmere, drawing junior youth animators from throughout the North Island. In a Facebook post, one attendee described the participants as a “wonderful bunch of enthusiastic and so very eloquent young animators and new friends — and a few young at heart oldies like me.” This event was hosted by Hastings community with support from the rest of the cluster.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the cluster, some complementary activities are occurring. Napier friends set up a stall at a local festival recently, seeking opportunities for meaningful conversations with members of the public. The friends’ aim was to widen their circle of engagement with the wider community, in which they succeeded, as through the day a steady flow of people passed the stall and many, drawn in by colourful information banners, paused to open conversations with the Bahá’ís present.
Clearly, in Aotearoa the society-building influence of the Faith is penetrating the wider society with increasing effectiveness, especially as a result of growing awareness of the power of the framework for action and development of the skills required for its implementation.
Captions for photos below from Hawke’s Bay
1 — Spiritual action seminar at Te Aranga Mārae in Flaxmere. A very spiritual seminar based on love, unity of thought and a common interest in building a better society. Participants attended from across the region: Wellington, Palmerston North, Ruapehu, Auckland, Taranaki, Tauranga, Taumarunui, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato. (Queens Birthday weekend)
2 — Community social evening when Counsellor Tessa Scrine visited (30 April 2021) and she shared her reflections on the capacities to build to assist the cluster to traverse the 3rd milestone.
3 — Summer Initiative, orientation week. These are the amazing youth from Hawke’s Bay who attended and completed Ruhi book 2 and its practical components.
4, 5, 6 — Children's cyclic festivals held in the local neighbourhood of Flaxmere, gaining momentum and strength and engaging more families.
7, 8 — Junior youth cyclic camp held locally in Flaxmere over three days, resourced 95% by the local friends and families of the junior youth.
Photos are cropped in the view below. Please click on a thumbnail to see whole photo.
