Congregation of the week

Last Modified:
11:10 a.m. 9/20/2002

Baha'i faith community of Shawnee County

ADDRESS: No local house of worship. Meets at the Topeka Friends Meetinghouse, 603 S.W. 8th

PHONE: 862-5242

GOVERNING COUNCIL: Duane L. Herrmann, chairman; Lori Brown, secretary

REGULARLY SCHEDULED SERVICES: Worship 7 p.m. each Saturday at the Topeka Friends Meetinghouse, 603 S.W. 8th. Other holidays are observed as they occur throughout the year.

DENOMINATION: Baha'i faith

BACKGROUND: The Baha'i Faith Community in Shawnee County dates back to 1940, when when Baha'i boundaries were organized to match civil government jurisdictions. No formal organization was attempted until the 1980s due to a very small number of followers. The governing counsel, The Spiritual Assembly, was formed in 1994.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES: Most observances such as holy day, monthly worship and youth activities are observed with the Topeka Baha'i faith community.

WHAT MAKES THE BAHA'I FAITH COMMUNITY SPECIAL: "The Baha'i faith is unique in that it recognizes the founders of all revealed religions as messengers of God who teach God's on-going revelation to the human race. The founder of the Baha'i faith was the first messenger of God to to proclaim the equality of women and men," said Duane L. Hermann, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i faith community of Shawnee County. "The Baha'i Faith Covenant protects the religion form division and ensures its administrative cohesion."

If you'd like to see your house of worship featured as Congregation of the Week, call 295-1195 locally or (800) 777-7171 ext. 1195 outside the Topeka area, or e-mail panderson@cjonline.com for a Congregation of the Week form. Once the form has been completed, watch The Capital-Journal's Religion section for your house of worship to be featured. There is no cost for this service.

-- Tom Allen