The Council met in December and consulted on the letter from the Universal House of Justice (26th November 1999) with Auxiliary Board Member Azar Melville. The letter is full of encouragement and the Council feels confident that in Wales we are part of the "greatly strengthened community, internally sound and notably reinforced" which is continually developing as we bring "new patterns of thought and behaviour" in to play.

It was noted that the Universal House of Justice reports 100,000 believers benefitting from Training Courses (approximately 2% of Bahá’ís worldwide). In Wales we are pleased to say that about 20% of the Bahá’ís are already involved with many others aiming to participate as soon as they are able. It is especially pleasing to know that already some of those showing great interest in the Study Circles are not yet Bahá’ís themselves.

Immediately after Ridván we are asked to concentrate on bringing into full operation the programmes and systems that have now been devised, and the above suggests that in Wales we are in a good position to make full use of this year.

The Council has had to say farewell to Tracey Jones recently and welcomes Aaron Wagg. The Council wishes Tracey every success for her work on the Association of Bahá’í Women for Wales and thanks her for her support during her time of service.

Roya Azordegan has been elected as Treasurer.

The Bahá’í Council for England sends you its warmest wishes with this final communication in Bahá’í Journal UK before the end of the Four Year Plan.

In the last week-end in January, over 350 of the friends met in four sub-regional gatherings across England. At that time, current progress on the numerical goals of the "Make your Mark 157" campaign for England were reviewed - from July to December 41 new believers entered the Cause; and as of then, the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies set to form at Ridván was to fall from 142 to 139. However, faced with such apparently disheartening news, the gathered friends, addressed by representatives of the Auxiliary Board, Council for England, Training Institute Board and National Spiritual Assembly, were reminded of the glorious heritage of the "staunch English Bahá’í", and how, for example, victory was won in the face of defeat in the historical Six Year Plan (1944-1950). Moreover, those gathered were encouraged to rise up again in memory of those stalwarts of the Cause, and claim a fitting victory so that in years to come future generations need not look as far back as the middle of the twentieth century to find role models.

The four gatherings also had various artistic interludes ranging from uplifting singing from the Northamptonshire choir, to a dramatic re-enactment of lives of the Letters of the Living, to a moving rendition of readings from Rúhíyyih Khánum’s "Poems of the Passing".

All four sub-regional meetings included a plenary session allowing the friends to share their feelings on how best to achieve the remaining goals in the last three months. During this several offers of home front pioneering were made, allowing some assemblies to form at Ridván.

Friends, as we enter the period of the Fast, that special bounty from Bahá’u’lláh, which allows us to re-examine, recharge and re-organise our lives, let us see if, as the late Adib Taherzadeh asked, we do give at least one hour of every day as a gift to Bahá’u’lláh. When the Campaign was launced in July, there were nine months to go before it reached fruition. As we approach the end of that gestation, just as the child in the womb nearing the time of its birth makes its mother more uncomfortable in its eagerness to enter the world, let us sacrifice and sacrifice again: for the victory is waiting to be won.

Please be assured of the Council’s deepest love and heartfelt prayers. We wish all of you a most joyous Fast.

With love, The Bahá’í Council for England