Service to God, in whatever from it occurs, is the opportunity of a lifetime. It helps one develops one’s true spiritual nature, which is, after all, our primary obligation during this brief physical life. By serving God we demonstrate a recognition of our true nature. Baha’is can do this by serving their international, national, regional, or local institutions, through self initiative in bringing the Baha’i Writings to others, and by striving daily to develop their spiritual and moral qualities and to demonstrate the fruits of that effort in their daily relationships with others.

Photo: the principle mosque in the city of Akka (Akko or Acre), Israel, known as the Mosque of al-Jazzar. It is built over the ruins of a crusader church. It is said that if you lowered a canoe through the well opening that you could paddle around in the water in the open chamber that was once the interior of the church.

Join us in a study of the Baha’i Faith!

We have a sequence of courses called Ruhi that enables small groups of people to get together informally and study, at their own pace, the spiritual principles and practices that are important for us. Begin with Book One and then take the others as you have time.

Book 1
Reflections on the Life of the Spirit

This course has three main purposes for the participants:

– understanding the Bahá’í Writings in order to fulfill the obligation of studying the Writings every day
– developing the required attitudes toward prayer, and acquiring the habit of memorizing them
– understanding that the true significance of life is to be found in the development of the soul

What are the Ruhi Sequence of Courses?
Ruhi Book 1 Reflections on the Life of the Spirit
Ruhi Book 2 Arising to Serve
Ruhi Book 3 Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade 1
Ruhi Book 3A Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade 2
Ruhi Book 4 The Twin Manifestations
Ruhi Book 5 Raising Up Animators of Junior Youth Groups
Ruhi Book 6 Teaching the Cause
Ruhi Book 7 Walking Together on a Path of Service

Where can I get more information about them?
www.ruhiresources.org

Contact us to take a Ruhi course at tacomabahais@gmail.com or (253) 474-8029

Ethnic Fest was a great success for the Baha’is of Pierce County. The two-day festival, held each year at Wright Park during the last full weekend in July, is an outstanding opportunity to let people see us and get to know us. Easily more than 700 people stopped at our two booths during these two days. That’s people who stopped and looked, talked, got a balloon or a race unity bracelet. Our children’s activity booth was a fabulous winner. Children stopped and took the time to string their own race unity bracelets. That gave their parents a chance to visit and to see our banner and appreciate our basic message that all of the religions, coming from the same Source, are essentially one. We gave away 500 race unity bracelets and 500 balloons. The balloons had a simple, appealing message: some read “No Room in My Heart for Prejudice”, while others read “World Citizen”. We handed out hundreds of “No Room in My Heart for Prejudice” stickers to passers by – most of those were Fest-goers who did not really stop and are not counted among the 700-plus visitors. Dozens of adults stopped by to look and to take literature. Many of them took the opportunity to engage in lengthy conversations about religion and spiritual values. Twenty-four visitors signed up to request a follow-up contact from us. What a wonderful opportunity for us to bring our message to new souls! A great big “Thank You!” to the many volunteers who staffed our booths to meet and talk to our visitors, purchased supplies, delivered items, helped with set-up and take-down, said prayers for our success and made balloons and did all of those little things that made for a highly successful opportunity to present Baha’u’llah’s message.

Ethnic Fest is the right venue for us. Let’s do it again next year.

– The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Tacoma

Our information booth and adjacent children’s activities booth at this year’s Ethnic Fest at Wright Park were very successful again this year. Here, on Saturday, Kay helps children make race unity bracelets and George shares the Faith with an interested inquirer. In six hours on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., we gave away 320 balloons, with some reading “No Room in My Heart for Prejudice” and others reading “World Citizen.” We could have given away many more, but we had to save some of the helium for Sunday! We gave away about 500 balloons in the two days of Ethnic Fest (that’s the capacity of the helium tank). Dozens of children, with their parents, stopped by to make race unity bracelets, and many Fest visitors stopped by to have extended conversations about religion and the Baha’i Faith.

Ethnic Fest is an excellent venue for sharing the Faith. Thank you to the many people who volunteered their time to help!

The last trace of sunlight bids adieu for the day as the sun dips gracefully into the eastern Mediterranean Sea on a warm summer evening, as seen from the rooftop of the House of Abdu’llah Pasha in Akka, Israel. This is the house that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His family lived in until He transferred His residence to Haifa, and the home where Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, was born late in the 19th century.

Bahá’ís should consider devoting themselves to a lifetime of service to their Faith. There are countless opportunities to do this over the course of a lifetime.

Consider the flowers of a garden: though differing in kind, colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Please join us for Tacoma – Pierce County’s annual celebration of our cultural diversity at Ethnic Fest at Wright Park in Tacoma this weekend, July 26 and 27! Come see the Bahá’í information booth.