Posts from — October 2005

We had a wonderful meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly over the weekend at Parkfields Conference Centre, near Ross-on-Wye. The whole National Assembly met with Counsellors Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi and Nicola Towfigh.

The meeting was intended as a retreat meeting, an opportunity to do some free and strategic thinking about various issues, free of the constraints of agenda. In fact, we did deal with some agenda items, but most of the weekend was a chance to reflect and learn.

Saturday morning we focused on scholarship. Nicola shared some thoughts on scholarship and gave us a useful framework in which to consult about how to develop and nurture Bah?’? scholarship and how to increase the number of people involved at various levels. Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi suggested that we need to encourage scholarship at the cluster level. There was no particular decision, but those of us who had taken notes were asked to write them up and share them, so that the matter can come onto the agenda for a later meeting of the National Assembly.

On Saturday afternoon we considered current issues of concern in the world. Pete gave a presentation about secularism, I gave one on the inter-faith scene in the UK, Rita on , and Fidelma on making internal processes external. All very good presentations and all stimulated questions and discussion.

We had an exquisite and deeply felt devotional on Saturday evening. We started with Rob and Fidelma reading bits from Two Ronnies scripts. Kay read us a Winnie the Pooh story (Eeyore?s birthday). There was some music, a couple of poems: I read the Canon Henry Scott Holland piece on death, which had been read at my brother’s funeral; Pete read Wordsworth?s Ode. To introduce the track that had deep meaning for him, Kishan told us how he had worked with a mother in up-country Sierra Leone whose family had all been massacred in the war there and who was working to reconcile with the young man who had killed her children; the music, which was from the film The Insider, expressed the pain and anguish of that mother and yet, at some indefinable point, moved from anguish to reconciliation and peace. And there was a reading from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bah?, a prayer, and we watched the film of ‘Abdu’l-Bah?. Deep. Powerful!

On Sunday, having done the prayer list we started (once again) to study The Institution of the Counsellors. The difference between this time and previous times we have studied it with the Counsellors was quite marked. Our understanding has moved on, helped by our experience with the growth of the Training Institute process and now our A clusters and three intensive programmes of growth. Needless to say, we did not finish our study of the document - we never do - but we shall return to it at a later meeting, no doubt.

I was struck by the unity, the love and the closeness of all us this weekend. What an extraordinary journey we have made since we were last at Parkfields six years ago! We were relaxed, laughing, enjoying a feast of the spirit and the Kingdom. This was one of the most moving and extraordinary meetings of the National Spiritual Assembly I have ever attended and its impression and spiritual refreshment is still with me.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Counsellors, retreat, spiritual, spirituality

Ethan and Emily with Grandma and Grandpa

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

Here we all are at Sedrhat and Katie’s wedding. Ethan and Emily were very well-behaved. Lovely to see the family.

Confetti

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

Katie looked a bit shocked when the confetti showered down on her and Sedrhat. But everyone could see that they were really happy together, very much in love.

The newly-weds embrace

Originally uploaded by John Barnabas.

Erica and I drove up to Sheffield for Sedrhat Momen’s wedding at the Hilton yesterday. Family and lots of friends there - a great opportunity to catch up with everyone.

The happy newlyweds embraced on the canal quayside just outside the hotel.