Reforming/Transforming our Neighborhood Class

this picture is a couple of years old representing some our our children and parents who attended then

Last weekend, we began our year's monthly children class.  We've been doing this at our home for 3 years now, and before that we taught a toddler children's class at the Portland Baha'i Center.  This year, we are taking a different approach.  After attending Badasht Baha'i School this summer, (our first Baha'i summer school together as a family) we felt inspired to set in motion the possibility of opening up our class to our neighborhood children.  I contacted the ATC (Area Teaching Committee) and they were on board right away.  A weekend before the class began, the ATC came to our home to eat, pray, and go out to meet some of our neighbors. 

Mike and I were very tentative about imposing upon our neighbors, so we simply went to people's homes we already knew and invited their children to attend the class, while giving them a flier I had created a few days beforehand.  (It was the first time I've done something like that since college when I posted fliers around college campus kiosks inviting people to come to our Baha'i Club meetings.  (And before that, when I was on my year of service and we invited children to come to a children's class in a model home in Twin Lakes, Michigan.) 

In any case, we have been given the advice to pay attention mostly to what we learn from the "process" of this..because we are in a stage of transforming our Baha'i community(becoming more neighborhood centered)-the way we teach and our sense of community--and blurring the lines between us and them, Baha'i and non-Baha'i..  We are all a part of a community..and it is time to build up our neighborhood communities. 

I think I am an introvert. I love people and I love building friendships, but I also thrive from being able to "regroup" with my thoughts..through journaling, reflecting, etc..  It is possibly outside of my comfort zone to do this.  A part of me has been afraid of going over my head..suddenly finding myself with more than I can handle..Not wanting to become overwhelmed by this.  Having the support of the ATC and our local LSA (local spiritual assembly) is greatly empowering us--making it seem manageable (especially since we have a baby coming in January..and I am also sometimes very tired just being pregnant and trying to keep up with my two children and the house and getting my children to school, etc.. 

So, I have started a new blog on THIS learning process..It seems worthy of its own blog and attention.  Since part of this process is reflection and learning from what works and what doesn't, etc..

We'll see how it goes!  Our family goal is to become more social with our neighbors...and to see what happens from that.  I don't want the agenda to be solely to get the kids to come to the class..I think that would be a big turnoff to them if they felt this was the case.  Part of this is also to give our children opportunities to build friendships within our neighborhood..How wonderful to have friends nearby to go visit and play with!  And now, we are not balancing two schools, it is easier to concentrate on the possible friendships here!  Another reason I am doing this is because I think it is a good idea in general to know our neighbors and to have a sense of what we can offer each other as a community.  If there is ever an earthquake (and here in Oregon, we are on a major fault line)-expected to be a 9!!  We may need each other in such a crisis!  It would be good to know who to check on and what skills each person has in such an event.  And of course--to simply find friendships..  We plan to be in the neighborhood for a long time..Building friendships is never a waste of time. 

The new blog will be at:
http://strivingsaplings.blogspot.com/

Alternatives to consumer culture focus of new Baha'i document

Alternatives to consumer culture focus of new Baha'i document

NEW YORK — A new statement challenging the common assumption that human beings are slaves to self-interest and consumerism has been issued by the Baha'i International Community.


"Much of economic and psychological theory depicts human beings as slaves to self-interest," it says. "The faculties needed to construct a more just and sustainable social order – moderation, justice, love, reason, sacrifice and service to the common good – have too often been dismissed as naive ideals. Yet, it is these and related qualities that must be harnessed. ..."

"The document deals with the issue of consumerism by reflecting on the question of what is human nature," he said. "We must look at who we are and what our purpose in life is.
"The transition to sustainable consumption and production is one of the great challenges of our times, and to achieve it will require a transformation in both thought and action. The cultural forces at play are powerful and demand re-examination if we are to move forward," he said.
The statement can be read at http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/10-0503.htm

Experimenting with Scribd and posting lessons

I found a way to post documents to blogger and wanted to make the lessons I've put together for baby, preschool-early elementary Baha'i classes available to other teachers. These lessons are created from a synthesis of Ruhi, Core Curriculum, and Virtues curriculums adapted for a younger age group of children. It will take me a while to post all of the lessons, so bear with me as I post them gradually.

For those of my readers who are not Baha'i. Ruhi, Core Curriculum, etc.. are types of educational materials for spiritual eduction of children based upon Baha'i principles.

You can find them easily through the right hand column list of topics under Baha'i Lessons.

Virtues Lessons Part 1

Creativity




Confidence


Cleanliness


Compassion


Assertiveness

Baha'i Holy Day today: Birth of Baha'u'llah. November 12, 1817

No school today for the kids. I am keeping them home to commemorate this special Holy Day in our Faith. Taken from: http://www.bahaullah.org/


Throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, each of whom has founded a great religion. The Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad.
The latest of these Messengers is Bahá’u’lláh, who brings new spiritual and social teachings for our modern age. He taught that there is only one God, that all of the world’s religions are from God, and that now is the time for humanity to recognize its oneness and unite.
The photographs that follow give a glimpse into the extraordinary life of Bahá’u’lláh, known to the worldwide Bahá’í community as the latest “Manifestation of God.” They present His story in pictures: His birthplace, the cities of His exile, the cell in which He was confined for two years and His final resting place. Here, too, are examples of His handwriting, relics of His remarkable life, and photographs of the beautiful gardens in the Holy Land which His life inspired.
What is not here is a picture of Bahá’u’lláh Himself. For Bahá’ís, the station of Bahá’u’lláh is such that even His photograph is very precious. It should, therefore, only be viewed with the utmost reverence and respect and not displayed openly, even in the private homes of Bahá’ís.
Photos: The entrance to the tomb of Bahá’u’lláh. The inscription, an invocation in Arabic meaning “O Glory of Glories,” is a reference to Bahá’u’lláh.
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Taken from: http://bahaikipedia.org/Bahá’u’lláh

Bahá’u’lláh (ba-haa-ol-laa Arabic: بهاء الله "Glory of God") (November 12, 1817 - May 29, 1892), born Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí (Persian: میرزا حسینعلی), is the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
He fufilled the Bábí prophecy of "He whom God shall make manifest", but in a broader sense He was also the "supreme Manifestation of God"[1], referring to the fulfillment of the eschatological expectations of a prophetic cycle beginning with Adam, and including Abrahamic religions, as well as Zoroastrianism, the Indian religions, and others. Bahá’u’lláh is the initiator of a new religion, as Jesus or Muhammad were — but also the initiator of a new cycle, like that attributed to Adam.
Bahá’u’lláh authored many religious works, most notably the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Kitáb-i-Íqán. He died in Bahjí, present-day Israel, and is buried there.

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Bahá’u’lláh was born on November 12, 1817, in Tehran, the capital city of Persia, in present-day Iran. His mother was Khadíjih Khánum and His father was Mírzá Buzurg. As a young child, Bahá’u’lláh was privately tutored and was known to be intelligent. He was a devout Shi'a Muslim, and by the age of 13 or 14 He discussed intricate religious matters with leading ulema.
Bahá’u’lláh's father, Mírzá Buzurg, served as vizier to Imám-Virdi Mírzá, the twelfth son of Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar. Mírzá Buzurg was later appointed governor of Burujird and Lorestan,[2] a position that he was stripped of during a government purge when Muhammad Shah came to power. After His father died, Bahá’u’lláh was asked to take a government post by the new vizier Hájí Mírzá Áqásí, but He declined the position.[3]

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Taken from: http://info.bahai.org/bahaullah-basic-teachings.html

Basic Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh taught that there is one God whose successive revelations of His will to humanity have been the chief civilizing force in history. The agents of this process have been the Divine Messengers whom people have seen chiefly as the founders of separate religious systems but whose common purpose has been to bring the human race to spiritual and moral maturity.
Humanity is now coming of age. It is this that makes possible the unification of the human family and the building of a peaceful, global society. Among the principles which the Bahá'í Faith promotes as vital to the achievement of this goal are
the abandonment of all forms of prejudice
assurance to women of full equality of opportunity with men
recognition of the unity and relativity of religious truth
the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth
the realization of universal education
the responsibility of each person to independently search for truth
the establishment of a global commonwealth of nations
recognition that true religion is in harmony with reason and the pursuit of scientific knowledge

Birth of Bahaullah