They’ve taken months of planning, hours of fervent prayers, and no expense has been spared. They have stretched, strained and united communities and brought the Bahá’í Faith to the attention of many people who are, at this time of the new millennium, searching for the spiritual home of their souls.

The response from dignitaries, friends, relatives, members of other organisations and the general public to our Centenary Celebrations has been extremely positive. These excerpts from the Mayor of Luton’s "thank you" letter express a common experience -

"The Mayoress and I would like to convey our most sincere thanks for inviting us to join you in your Centenary Celebration of the Bahá’í Faith in the UK.

We would like you all to know how impressed and moved we were with the warmth and generosity of your friendliness. The happiness and understanding you have amongst your community is second to none. You obviously share a wonderful Faith and the beautiful book you presented to me will be read and very much treasured.

The Santoor music and the One World Rhythm Choir were absolutely excellent. It was very difficult to sit still - we found it entrancing. It was a great pleasure to see so many people of different origins coming together as one!

The Persian food was wonderful, really delicious. Please give our thanks and appreciation to all the people who prepared such a feast.

We have to say, it is one of the friendliest occasions we have been asked to attend and we will certainly treasure and cherish the memories in our hearts.

Thank you once again and we would like to congratulate the Bahá’ís on their one hundredth year in the United Kingdom, and wish them well for the future."

Derrick and Sheila Patten

North East focus in Newcastle

Over a hundred people attended and guests were given information packs about the centenary. Barney Leith gave an inspiring talk on the history of the Faith focussing particularly on the North East. Express Freedom performed well despite a technical hitch, but their spirit shone through undaunted. The Tynedale choir gave our ears a treat.

A most successful event in Thanet

The Centenary celebrations of the Thanet community were held in Margate, Kent. Rob Weinberg gave a talk to an audience which included the Mayor and Mayoress and the local member of Parliament amongst the fifty or so non-Bahá’í guests. Rob presented a signed copy of his book on Ethel Rosenberg to the dignitaries.

This celebration was considered to be one of the most successful ever held by the community. The children and junior youth received many compliments for their public speaking, especially as prompts and notes weren’t used.

The Kingston community held a Centenary celebration on 17th May at Surbiton Library hall with dinner and One World Rhythm.

Lots of non-Bahá’ís attended and the deputy Mayor and his wife were delighted with the music, songs and food. Besides learning about the Faith, they were presented with books and flowers from the Kingston community.

The One World Rhythm choir - looking different every time you see it because members have joined up from around the regions - with Kingsley and Suzanne Swan enjoying themselves at Luton’s Centenary Celebrations.

To commemorate the Centenary and thirty years of the Faith in their town, the Bahá’ís of Tunbridge Wells organised an exhibition and concert at a hall in the town centre on Saturday 29th May.

The day got off to a good start with a visit from the Deputy Mayor, Robin Morton and his wife Diana, who to our surprise and pleasure spent one hour at the exhibition asking well-researched questions.

They added their thoughts to cardboard leaves on our "Peace Tree" and thanked their hosts Sue Brice and Fuad Rizai, for being "introduced to the Bahá’í Faith" expressing the wish that "the Bahá’ís would achieve their goals". They were presented with the book "A Crown of Beauty" and a leaflet prepared by the Kent Centenary committee on the history of the Faith in the county.

In the afternoon the Swans arrived and gave a 40-minute performance as a duo to an audience which included two very new seekers from Sevenoaks as well as many Bahá’ís from far and wide.

The evening again saw the Swans performing at their best, this time complemented by seven choir members who added their own unique brand of humour and talent to the evening.

Taking the day as a whole, about thirty non-Bahá’ís and Bahá’ís from twelve nearby communities shared in the event. The new seekers returned for more, and all of us left feeling elated and that our efforts were worthwhile.

Our many thanks to Suzanne, Kingsley and the choir for making our day.

Stella Herbert

On 2nd July the Bahá’ís of Ealing held their Centenary Celebrations in the Town Hall and received a rapturous response. Over four hundred people attended, although only three hundred were expected for the catering. On top of that, one of the main ovens refused to function until very late in the evening. However, an heroic band of feminine troupers overcame all obstacles, which just shows what energy, backed by the power of prayer and unity can do. It also shows the power of advertising in the Bahá’í Journal!

Their Worships the Mayor and Consort attended and it was commented that the gathering lived up to the Ealing Borough’s motto: "Progress with Unity". Barney Leith gave a talk and One World Rhythm sang. They had to perform longer than usual that evening as dinner was a little late. However, everybody in the hall enjoyed their efforts immensely. Accolades from non-believers are still being received by the Ealing Bahá’ís, almost daily.

The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells being presented with the book "A Crown of Beauty" by Fuad Rizai

Saturday 15th May was a highlight in the development of our relationship with our local dignitaries. For the first time since the District was opened to the Faith in 1977, a public event we had organised was graced by the presence of the Chairman of the District Council and the Mayor and Mayoress of Skipton. Mrs Claire Brooks, now retired from her solicitor’s practice in Skipton and her political activities as a nationally wellknown Liberal, who has been a good friend to the Bahá’ís over the years, was also present. Bahá’ís and friends came from far and wide to be with us.

The occasion was the major event of our Centenary celebrations - a piano recital by Julian Hellaby in Aireville School in Skipton. The performance itself was magnificent and the audience of some seventy people sat spell-bound throughout. It included works by Hadyn, Chopin and Balakirev, a contemporary composer - Ramskill - and a medley of jazz pieces by Duke Ellington arranged by Julian.

All the members of the Assembly worked on this project in the utmost harmony. On the night, each person had responsibility for a particular job, knew what he or she had to do and got on with it without interference from anybody else - truly an example of "universal participation" and Bahá’í co-operation. This, surely, must have contributed to the wonderful atmosphere which pervaded the hall that evening.

Indeed, one person said she had come to the recital feeling depressed because she had had a bad week, but she had found the occasion "uplifting". Our very grateful thanks go to Julian for a wonderful and inspiring evening.

Julian Hellaby with, right to left - Chairman of Craven District Council Mrs Janet Goff, Mayoress of Skipton, Mayor of Skipton, Councillor and Mrs Richard Colley, Ramona Cleasby and Stephen Cleasby (Chairman of Spiritual Assembly of Craven).

On 29th June three members of the Isle of Wight community were invited to appear on local television - TV12 to share with viewers the teachings and practices of the Bahá’í Faith.

Andrew Gash was asked to tell the history of the Faith, introducing Bahá’u’lláh within the first five minutes. Claire Pope spoke about the equality of men and women, education and children and some areas of Bahá’í administration. Patricia Gash was asked how she became a Bahá’í and what it meant to her. She finished by reading the Short Obligatory Prayer.

Stuart Murray, who interviewed us, had some twenty years ago visited the Holy Land and was able to give a wonderful introduction, during which he mentioned the Shrine of the Báb.

All of this came about because Andrew set up a community Web site for the Faith on the Island. Andrew wrote to the newspaper, radio and television station to let them know we could be found on the World Wide Web. TV12 got back to us immediately asking us to speak about the Faith.

It was a memorable day and a wonderful proclamation event.

Please visit the Isle of Wight Web site: http://www.bahai.org.uk/isleofwight

Two representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Londonderry, Anne Munro and Elizabeth Palin, were among the invited audience for a Mayoral reception in the city’s Guildhall on 28th July. The occasion was the launch of a new book called "My Faith, Our Faith", sponsored by Derry City Council’s Community Relations Programme.

The book is subtitled "An examination of various religious-based initiatives and religious faiths within Derry/ Londonderry", which explains what it’s about. The foreword was written by Terry Waite, who was guest of honour at the launch.

The Assembly representatives were pleased to have the opportunity to network with a number of people and to see that the book, as well as having an accurate section on the Bahá’í Faith, also says elsewhere that "The Bahá’í community has had a strong vocal presence for a number of years which are (sic) highlighted at annual events such as World Religion Day, and many of its individuals are highly regarded and respected by people of all denominations".

This year the Bahá’í community ofDunfermline and West Fife sponsored a World Citizenship project with the title "We are One Human Race". The project was offered to children at three local primary schools in Dunfermline before the Easter holidays.

All three schools were happy to take the project on and set it as part of the holiday homework. The children were asked to compose a poem, write an essay, or design a poster with their views on the subject of racism.

There were somewhere in the region of 200 entries from the three schools and the work was of a high standard. Some children entered all three sections.

The prizes were presented to the winners by Mrs Margaret Millar, the former Provost of Dunfermline and currently the chairperson of the Citizenship Forum in Dunfermline. At this meeting the audience of around seventy people were given a brief overview of the World Citizenship project in the United Kingdom by Dr John Parris. They were also entertained with some live music from Christina and Sam, two Bahá’ís from Edinburgh, and the Diversity Dance Theatre. After the prize giving some of the children volunteered to read their entries to the audience, and where they were too shy, their teachers or parents read for them.

The project was so successful that one of the mothers told a community member that she was interested in bringing her children to the Bahá’í meetings. With such results no wonder that we were all pinching ourselves.

This was the first project of its kind in Scotland. The Dunfermline and West Fife Bahá’í community consists of only four adults and three children. All the children have attended one of these schools and one of them took part in the competition.

Being a small Bahá’í community, there were worries that the task was too big and feelings of inadequacy in under-taking such a project, but it had its advantages. Everyone has been involved, from the adults to the youngest, by contributing their time, thoughts and ideas, and physical undertakings each according to personal talents and capabilities. The children in the community were consulted and their views taken into account.

This project has not only introduced the Faith to the area, but the local Bahá’í community has been required to mature. The friends are committed to the World Citizenship project and are hoping that next year the response to it will be even greater.

Mrs B Eliasieh

In June Tracey Jones was invited to be the guest speaker at one of the regular monthly meetings of community nursing sisters at Mynydd Maur hospital in Carmarthenshire. Up to twelve nurses were expected but, trusting in Bahá’u’lláh, we put out fourteen chairs. At two minutes to two, no-one had arrived. Panic! At two o’clock, suddenly, twenty-one community nurses piled in!

Rather than give the expected one-hour talk, Tracey opted for a brief outline of her interest in women’s peace issues, the stress involved in being a nurse, wife and mother, and the importance of good physical, mental and spiritual health. After this everyone was invited to enter a Tranquillity Zone. Formerly a conference room, several members of Carmarthen community had transformed the area with draped muslin, Persian rugs, flowers and scented candles. Quotations from the Bahá’í writings were shared, with soothing music providing the right mood for a relaxing and stress-free environment.

Afterwards, everyone said it was such a refreshing change to their normal routine and the nursing co-ordinator was so impressed that she is arranging to have a series of tranquillity sessions at the Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli so that all the staff can have a chance to attend. Pamphlets and "The Bahá’ís" magazine were given out.

We all felt it was such an easy and enjoyable way of introducing people to the Faith.

Jan Fussell

At the time of going to press five more tranquillity sessions have been held at the Prince Phillip Hospital for over 60 nurses and doctors. Other hospitals and nursing homes have also booked for the future. The community sees this as a long-term community service project and is very excited by the way it is taking off.

This Tranquillity Zone provided a peaceful respite for vistors to the day-time Centenary Fair in the North West at St George’s Hall, Liverpool on 3rd July. The lovely flowers were presented to guests at the end of the evening’s concert.

Youth can move the world!

In the heart of the Snowdonian mountains from 20th - 24th July about twenty junior youth, youth and adults came together for Camp Unity. After the first evening’s introductions and a long walk through a bramble patch, we set to work to try and create "The Best Unity Feast Ever".

Study sessions took place in the mornings using the Ruhi method of learning which proved very effective. Before breakfast we did Chi Kung and Yoga on the mountain side which was very spiritual and invigorating. In the afternoons we were all taught how to become drama kings and queens.

A poem called "The Umbrella Man" was presented as a basis for our Unity Feast. We spent the next three days dramatising, choreographing and musicalising - you name it we did it.

One evening we all went to the beach, played cricket and watched the sun set.

On the day of the Feast we all worked continuously perfecting our presentation and transforming the hall with flowers, candles and drapes. About twenty-five people attended our Unity Feast. The programme consisted of a few short readings and prayers, a short explanation of the Bahá’í idea of unity for the benefit of the non-Bahá’ís present, our poem presentation and a song sung by one of our talented youth. After this we had light refreshments and a camp fire.

There was an Abba disco where some adults including members of the Council for Wales (no names mentioned) were dancing around with tea towels on their heads, a very funny sight. We were all like one big unified family and everyone was very sad to leave the next day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who made the event possible and spent so much time organising it, namely Penny Kemp, Ruth Jones, Christine Rees and Jeremy Herbert and I am sure there were others. All of us who attended hope there will be another event like it soon because of the brilliant atmosphere it created and all the fun we had.

Katrin Kalami

The dynamic Camp Dynamite was the most explosive camp so far. Twenty-six youth and adults as diverse as you can imagine gathered in the picturesque Lifeboat House on a beautiful Gower beach in Port Eynon for an action packed weekend. The main theme of the weekend was transformation. In our groups we went to wonderfully prepared workshops on Badí, personal transformation, the physical and spiritual aspect of man and the knowable and unknowable aspects of God. Activities included coastal walking, a treasure hunt, mad games, games in the dark and we found out why life is like a sliding puzzle.

If you didn’t attend the weekend and want to find out why life is like a sliding puzzle phone Steve Taylor on: 01970 615799 and he will reveal all !!!) Devotionals were wonderfully spiritual and late night discussions were very informing. A real Bahá’í identity was created, the non-Bahá’ís who attended felt at home straight away and had no apprehensions about taking part fully in all workshops and activities.

I would like to thank anybody and everybody who was involved in making the weekend possible - this includes cooks, workshop facilitators and games organisers. Watch out for next year’s camp - Camp Eggstreme, don’t miss it !!!! Katrin Kalami

From 19th - 21st February about thirty zealous youth and a dedicated group of adults gathered in the tranquil setting of the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean with the sole aim of learning about the Covenant. The weekend had been planned many months in advance and was organic in nature - no one knew exactly how it would run! I can assure you it was a definite success. The programme was organised with a delicate balance of deep study and fun. We were split into four groups and each visited four workshops, each one focused on a different element of the Covenant: love, trust, commitment and obedience. We were informed of how the Covenant was being challenged today, the way the Covenant worked the roles of the central figures of the Faith and the administrative order.

Our groups then did four activities relating to the workshops. These involved outdoor pursuits, kite making, music, drama and dance. Four devotionals prepared in advance by a group of youth, each one on relating to the four elements of the Covenant, were very diverse and spiritual. Every afternoon we were given a short extract from the Writings to meditate on in silence. The most spiritual part of the weekend was a long devotional focusing on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as He was the Centre of the Covenant. The main room was transformed with candles, flowers, drapes, a log fire burning, soft music and readings about the Master and quotations from His writings. This touched the hearts of everyone present, especially the non-Bahá’ís, who had fearlessly come along to learn about the Faith.

The name "Warriors of the Covenant" came from an American-Indian tribe who had predicted a group of people, they called the "Warriors of the Rainbow". A rainbow is the symbol of the binding Covenant between God and Man. On leaving we were all given a small folder with a reading for each day starting from the 19th and ending on Naw Ruz, this was to encourage us to read the writings every day and be faithful to the Covenant. All the youth who attended the event embarked on a life long journey of learning about the Covenant and striving to be faithful to it. I have no doubt that this special weekend will never be forgotten.

Katrin Kalami