Emerging insights from the field: Teaching and Enrolment (Part 3)
This article forms the third and final part of a short series titled “Emerging insights from the field: Teaching & Enrolment.”
In its message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors dated 30 December 2021, the Universal House of Justice offered the following guidance:
“We ask you and your auxiliaries to help the believers, wherever they reside, reflect periodically on effective ways of teaching the Faith in their surroundings, and to fan within their hearts a passion for teaching that will attract the confirmations of the Divine Kingdom. Souls who have been given the blessing of faith have a natural wish to share this gift through conversations with relatives, friends, classmates, co-workers, and those previously unmet, seeking in every place and at every moment a hearing ear. Different settings and circumstances lend themselves to different approaches, and the friends should be occupied in an ongoing process of learning about what is most effective in the place where they are.”
In response to the above guidance, members of the Auxiliary Board have compiled a learning document that gathers experiences and emerging patterns observed across various clusters and communities.
Shared below is the final contribution in this series, highlighting experiences emerging from settings in Paraparaumu and Western Bay of Plenty. While earlier accounts in parts 1 and 2 of this series explored youth initiatives and enrolment conversations in various settings, these short narratives from the learning document provide a complementary dimension of the learning process. In Paraparaumu, the friends are accompanying a group of immigrant families navigating questions of faith and identity within an intimate and supportive study circle environment, and in Western Bay of Plenty, a collective vision centred on regular whānau days has created vibrant occasions for whole families to gather, serve, and collaborate together.
Paraparaumu
The friends are learning about direct teaching and the enrolment process with a group of immigrants who are vulnerable to religious oppression in their homeland. This group is a subset of a group of some 40 families in Paraparaumu. Several of these friends have begun studying the courses of the main sequence of the training institute and are assisting with children’s classes and junior youth groups and hosting devotional meetings. In the intimate environment of the study circle these friends are feeling emboldened to talk about what it means to be a Bahá'í with the accompaniment of the tutors.
One individual has declared his faith in Bahá’u’lláh thus far. Given the unique circumstances of this ethnic group, the process requires the application of certain principles in a way that doesn't cause unnecessary barriers. This has been a significant learning for the Local Spiritual Assembly and the friends accompanying him. The individual has shared that he feels safe in the environment of the Bahá’í community and is confident in making decisions for himself – and he is supported closely by friends in the group of families. In his own words: “Taking this step has been a profound and valuable experience for me, and I am grateful to be part of a community that values truth and spirituality…I understand that this spiritual journey involves reflection and many questions, and I am glad to have such companions by my side.” The new believer has met veteran Bahá'ís including ones from the same ethnic group and his pure spirit and enthusiasm has deeply touched their hearts and is bringing them closer into the work of community building.
Western Bay of Plenty
The core group in Western Bay developed a vision to establish and sustain a regular whānau day every cycle which would engage whole families, adults, youth, junior youth and children. This would be a regular occasion for families to come together and enjoy time participating, interacting and collaborating together in meaningful and uplifting activities and conversations with a goal of creating vibrant communities eager to serve and support each other and those who live in their community and neighbourhoods. Study of Ruhi Book 2 helped the team to develop the capacity to engage in conversations with the contacts and friends they were making, inviting them to serve and use their talents and skills to enhance the occasions. Singers, musicians, artists, craft makers, have all generously offered their support to the activities. A friend of the Faith had increasingly been taking ownership of the process by participating in and more recently planning for the whānau days and her daughter has participated in the junior youth spiritual empowerment programme. She declared her Faith in Bahá’u’lláh at the Holy Day Celebration for the Births of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
