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October 2023/Mashiyyat-'Ilm 180 B.E.
Community Newsletter
Vol. 1 Issue 1
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⋅ Fireside
Hosted by Mark and Mahshad Movagh Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 7:00 pm
1N571 Main Street Glen Ellyn For more information, contact Jim Percic (630) 606-8018 or jim_percic@comcast.net
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⋅ComeUnity
October 10th at 7pm
In October and November, they will be completing the last two sessions of We All Belong, a participatory workshop on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Meets on the second Thursday of every month.
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⋅ Fridays By The Fire
Every Friday at 6PM at the Dobbs residence.
Fridays by the Fire is a gathering that was created with the current guidance from the Universal House of Justice in mind - the charge to build stronger and more vibrant Communities that are open to all... the yearning for meaningful conversations has been heightened by the Pandemic as loneliness and isolation surged through out the world. Creating a space for conversations was inspired by smaller conversations that were already happening in isolated spaces, so we decided to open our home where friends could learn more about how to transform small talk into meaningful conversations that enhance connectedness, our understanding of the world and our own true nature. These conversations have the power to penetrate humanity and to connect individuals to the social ,spiritual and ecological systems that impact them. They also enkindle fellowship and friendship throughout by creating bonds of trust and love.
Our particular gathering is music driven and snacks are served. We hope you will join us with your friends or maybe , simply create a space of your own.
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⋅ Donuts and Devotions
Every Sunday in Central Park in Naperville from 10-11am.
Starting last summer they have been meeting weekly all summer long and will continue to do so into Fall as weather permits. There is no prepared program and all are welcome! There is both reading and chanting prayers, followed by fellowship and donuts.
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⋅Service Project
Volunteer with the Conservation Department in helping to restore the natural prairie land.
Saturday October 28. Contact Susan Pollack for more information
630-399-3266
Slpollack5@gmail.com
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⋅Home Visit Campaign
Throughout the community we have heard that numerous home visits have been taking place. We would love to hear any stories of your visits that might inspire others to engage in this vital community building activity. Feel free to send them here or in the Aurora cluster whatsapp chat.
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⋅Meaningful discussions
Held Sunday mornings at 11AM at the Oak Park Baha'i Faith Community Center
Join in on studying sections from the Baha'i writing to provide a spiritual perspective on challenges that are relevant to the community today.
124 Madison, Oak Park IL
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⋅ Hour of Prayer
Held every Sunday at 10AM at the Baha'i Faith Community Center
124 Madison, Oak Park and over Zoom. Go to this website for details and links for Zoom. https://opbahai.org/activities
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Oak Park
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Arlington Heights
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⋅Potluck
Friday Oct 13 at 6:30PM
An opportunity to weaving the bonds of friendship and fellow among the community.
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⋅Men's Breakfast
Saturday October 14th
2nd Saturday @ 8amUptown Cafe24 E Miner St,Arlington Heights, IL 60004Come and enjoy some flapjacks & Mancakes, wash it down with a gallon of hot steaming java, and top that off with an ice cold cup of OJ. Now that's a breakfast!
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⋅First Tuesday Conversations
Tuesday, October 3, 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Peoples Community Church, 650 Lambert Rd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/664704223
⋅First Friday Conversations
Friday, October 6, 6:30pm-8:30pm at the McKee residence. For the address contact Nancy at: Nancy@nibahai.org
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/326557993
⋅Third Monday Conversations
To celebrate the fifth year anniversary of Pizza and Social Justice there will be a special gathering see more below.
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Engage in meaningful conversations about racism, what it looks like in the world and in ourselves, and what we must do to begin rooting it out, this is the place to come.
There will be pizza, a video to get us thinking, then full, frank and loving conversation.
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IL-3 Reflections Gathering
The next reflections gathering for the cluster will be held October 21st at 10am-1pm. Contact bahaisilaurora@gmail.com for the address.
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A small narrative from a friend how small steps regular but rapid added up to a great distance traveled.
"The last two years a service project has stemmed from this. (Doughnuts and Devotionals) This summer food was collected for Edward Hospital/Loaves and Fishes healthy food drive. On a personal note I have felt a strengthening of the bonds of love and unity and am grateful and look forward to this time on Sunday mornings." Picture from this summer in front of a tree planted on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah.
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Why Bahá'í
By: Adrian McKee
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I am Adrian McKee, the Webmaster of the Northern Illinois Bahá’í Web Site. I became a Bahá’í in late August, 1971. It was the end of
turbulent times, the end of the “Flower Power” movement, and the winding down of the “Black Power” movement. It was 3 years after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and the summer of the Police Riots at the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 1968. Being a Black teen in the ‘burbs of Chicago was very troubling and very confusing. There was excitement of some of the gains that were being made in the Civil Rights movement, but the reality is that there is still a long way to go.
I spent the summer at the local pool, and there I got to know one of the lifeguards by the name of Andy. He invited me to see a movie (it was called "It's Just the Beginning" about the Bahá’í Youth Conference that was held in the Chicago area in the summer of 1968) at the local park one evening in mid August. I rode there on my bicycle, watched the movie for a few minutes, got on my bike again and rode around some, came back and watched a little more of the movie. I did this several more times till it was over. At this time I was approached by Andy who then asked me how I liked the movie. I responded positively to this. He then asked to come to a get together at a friend’s house to something he called a “Fireside”. Being a teenager I did not have that much going on so I agreed to come by Andy’s friend’s house the following night.
When I arrived, I was one of 8 – 10 other people. It was a mixed crowd of black and white people. This included the hostess who was white and middle-aged, her 3 daughters, and a white teenage male from Odessa, Texas (who was a house guest). Additionally, Andy was there, as well as several other 20-something folks of diverse heritages. All-in-all, it was the most diverse group I had ever experienced in a social setting.
They proceeded to tell me all about something called the Bahá’í Faith (which took me a couple of days to learn how to pronounce, but I did finally master it). They shared with me the basic teachings, about the Oneness of Mankind, the Equality of the Sexes, Universal Education, the Abolition of Prejudice, One Universal Language, etc.; I listened to their whole spiel, listening, nodding in agreement, but not saying much else. After the talk I sat down with everyone and got a lesson on how to play pinochle (which to this day I still have not grasped the finer points) but had a good time laughing, playing and joking around with them.
At the end of the evening they gave me a card that they explained that I could fill out if I decided to join the Bahá’í Faith. I was also invited to come back the next Saturday after which I said good night to them and left to go home.
I spent the next couple days thinking about what had happened, the movie that I saw, and the “Fireside” I attended. I also thought about the mix of people that were present, how unusual that had been. My experience up till that point was not being welcomed by white people. Knowing the struggles that have gone on and ones I had experienced and witnessed, I acknowledged what a unique experience this had been.
When I was younger I had attended church and for my family the usual criteria for which church we attended was, “which ever church is closest to home, that is the one we will attend.” So I grew up Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and My Grandmother’s house was next do to a “Sanctified” Church. This meant that I never saw much of a difference between churches. They all celebrated Jesus, and sure, there were differences in “how” they worship, but I never saw those differences as being that important in the grand scheme of things.
As I got older one of the things that I was dealing with myself was that I could not see how the church I was going to was making much progress in the way of civil rights, not in the way I was looking for. I saw churches as being segregated, people worshipping separately in the name of God. They always talked about all men being brothers, but their "different" brother was not welcomed home. This did not make sense to me and so I quit going. I love Jesus, and I love God. Never stopped doing that, but I could not find a place to worship in a way I felt comfortable.
I remember being told at the “Fireside” that the Bahá’í Faith believed in one God and that all the major religions come from that God. That God was not in competition with himself, that his representatives came at different times, to different places, to educate all men and to teach us how to live as God wants us to, and that God’s latest representative had brought mankind the Bahá’í Faith.
I have always been a shy person, and never talked much, but when I listened to what they told me it all fell into place for me. It all made perfect sense to me. Much of it I already felt, the rest of it made me go, “OF COURSE!!!” Now all the pieces that did not fit together before fell into place (along with some additional benefits I hadn’t planned on).I then signed the card they had given me and embraced my new Faith.
I am a Bahá’í because I stumbled across the answers I had been looking for and I thank God that I was able to accept this as easily as I was able to.
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A poem submitted about a friend's reflections of Sacredness
Sacredness Sometimes silence
Sometimes sound
Always nature
Wind, water
Ocean, mountain
Symbols and signs of the
Mighty and Mysterious
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The Twin Holy Days
Aurora's Cluster Wide Celebration
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The Aurora Assembly is sponsoring a Twin Holy Days celebration (Birth of the Báb and Birth of Bahá’u’lláh) at 6:00 pm on October 16th at the Clingenpeel residence. They are providing dinner and gift bags for children. Dinner will be served at 6:30 with the program starting at 7:15. Please RSVP to Carl Clingenpeel by October 6th so they can make the appropriate arrangements.
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Northern Illinois Baha'is |
2N500 Bernice Ave. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 United States of America |
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