Spirit Run visits the Bahá'í House of Worship

United States, Wilmette – On May 29th, 9 youth of diverse ethnic origins set out from Seattle on a 3000 mile run, moving steadliy toward a date with New York on August 14. Sharing a goal, they illustrate the unity of all peoples. On July 16th, they reached the spiritual center of the continent: the Mother Temple of the West, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, where the followers of all faiths are welcomed to come and worship together.

Following is a description of the runners’ arrival at the House of Worship written by Melody Reed, mother of Spirit Runner Micah Reed:

The runners were up early and very excited. After all, this was the day to run to the Bahá'í House of Worship. The spirit was intense as the Runners proceeded to within two miles of their destination.

We arrived at the park two miles from the House of Worship to find over 200 people waiting to run the last segment with the Spirit Runners. The entire group then began marching three-abreast down the sidewalk, all chanting “Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá!” (O Thou the Glory of Glories).

There were so many people that you could not hear the beat of the drum in the middle and back, but while the unison may not have been perfect, the spirit and the unity were.

We arrived to a beautiful, waiting crowd as we continued on around the House of Worship, stopping at the front entrance – the core Spirit Run Team chanting “Yá Bahá'u'l-” and the rest of us answering “Abhá!”. The sound of that chant seemed to linger in the air long after it was quiet and the Spirit Runners immediately started introducing themselves, shaking peoples’ hands.

We went around to the garden for a welcoming ceremony where Arthur [Fernandez-Scarberry] was presented with an eagle feather wrapped in a red cloth. It was offered and refused three times in the traditional way. There was a Native Blessing and the members of the Spirit Run team each received a beautiful plaque from the National Teaching Committee in honor of their contribution to Spirit Run. Native American Drummers performed and were gifted with tobacco. Then, everyone was invited to a catered lunch. The expansive lawn in the back, so green and lovely, was filled with all of these smiling, happy, loving people sharing lunch and stories. It was very serene, giving one the true feeling of belonging to the human family.

At the ceremony in Foundation Hall, the Spirit Runners stood at the podium, speaking from their hearts about the oneness of humankind. What a wonderful picture! Pictures were taken and visiting lasted into the night.

For other articles about the Spirit Run, see Enlighten Archives dates June 23, 2000 and November 14, 1999. Visit the Spirit Run Web site at http://www.spiritrun.org/ for more pictures, bios, map and current location of the Spirit Runners, and a wealth of other information.