|
|
|
|
|
November
2023/'Ilm-Qudrat 180
B.E.
Community Newsletter
Vol. 1 Issue 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
⋅ Donuts and Devotions
Every Sunday at Central Park in Naperville from
10-11am.
Devotionals will continue into fall as weather
permits. There is no prepared program and all
are welcome! There is both reading and
chanting of prayers, followed by fellowship and
donuts.
|
|
⋅ Monthly Devotions
Saturday Nov 11 6-8 pm
Held at the Shahrokh residence. Please
text (630)
805-1397 for the address.
⋅ Ascension of Abdul-Baha Commemoration
Monday Nov 27 11:45 pm
Held at the Shahrokh residence. Please text (630)
805-1397 for the address.
|
|
|
|
⋅ Service Project
Saturday, December 2nd 9am-noon
Springbrook Prairie in Naperville
Please join us as we help restore the native prairie land!
This service project is for volunteers 8 and older. With the
help of a guide we will be using clippers and bow saws to
remove nonnative, invasive species from the prairie. Gloves
and tools will be provided, but if you have your own gloves
feel free to bring them. This work day will still occur if
there's light snow, but would be canceled if there is rain,
or colder and windy conditions.
If you are able to join
us please sign up at the link below:
https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/fpddc/activity/search/detail/19020?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true.
Please reach our if you have register so we can
get a head count for the group. Feel free to text, email, or
call for questions at slpollack5@gmail.com
or (630)-399-3266
|
|
|
|
⋅ Fireside
Friday Nov. 3, at 6:30 pm
Hosted by Mark and Mahshad Movagh
Topic: Progressive Revelation
Speaker: Phil
Pendergrass
1N571 Main Street Glen Ellyn
For more information, contact Jim Percic (630)
606-8018 or jim_percic@comcast.net
|
|
⋅ComeUnity
Thursday Nov. 9 at 7pm
This November, we will be completing the
last session of We All Belong,
a participatory workshop on diversity, equity,
and inclusion.
Second Thursday of every month.
First Church of Lombard 220 S Main Street
Lombard, IL 60148
|
|
|
|
|
⋅ Fridays By The Fire
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.
Every Friday at 6PM at the Dobbs residence.
|
|
|
|
⋅Meaningful Discussions
Join in on studying sections from the Baha'i
writings to provide a spiritual perspective on
challenges that are relevant to the community
today.
Held Sunday mornings at 11AM at the Oak
Park Baha'i Faith Community Center
124 Madison, Oak Park IL
|
|
⋅ 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
|
|
|
|
⋅Men's Breakfast
Come 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!
Saturday October 11th
2nd Saturday @ 8am
Uptown Cafe 24 E Miner St,Arlington Heights, IL
60004
|
|
|
|
|
|
⋅First Friday Conversations
Friday, Nov. 3, 6:30pm-8:30pm at the McKee
residence. For the address contact Nancy at: Nancy@nibahai.org
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/326557993
⋅First Tuesday Conversations
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Peoples
Community Church, 650 Lambert Rd. Glen Ellyn, IL
60137
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/664704223
⋅Third Monday Conversations
Monday, Nov. 20 6:30-8:30
1st
Congregational Church
535 Forest, Pilgrim
Hall
Glen Ellyn, IL.
Zoom Link https://zoom.us/j/168998487.
Meeting
ID 168
998 487
|
|
If you feel ready to 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.
We will be serving pizza, followed
by discussion on a topic related to
Racism/Social Justice.
The doors open at 6:30
with the meeting starting at 7:00 pm. Zoom will
be active at 6:45 for those who wish to stay
home or are to far away to join us in
person.
Our goal is building a stronger
community through sharing and
conversation.
Pizza Served at 6:30 pm
Meeting Start time: 7:00 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
A narrative about neighbors
|
|
|
|
So in the spirit of the expansion
phase, I've been trying to build on
some of the relationships and
friendships that I've made so far
with my neighbors in the apartment
that I live in. One group is in an
apartment next to mine one floor
down of Indian youth and young
professionals who are from South
India and have been raised Catholic.
Apparently, Mother Teresa had a very
strong presence in Southern India.
Anyway, I met them periodically
going in and out especially when I
was moving in, and then in my
attempts to build a stronger
friendship I shared some of my
knowledge of Hindi and was able to
really engage much more deeply in
conversation with them. They visited
my home once I invited them in and
they saw all of my Bahai literature
on my bookshelf so that allowed an
opportunity just to explain some of
my spiritual background. One of them
is very musical and is involved very
often in musical devotionals that
these Indian Catholics have together
with their church. There is a
broader community of Southern Indian
Catholic Catholics that are very
close to each other and very
connected as a community. Anyway, he
shared with me some of the videos of
his devotions that he had over the
weekend and I told him how cool it
would be if you were to host a
devotional-like space in their
apartment and we could invite some
of our other neighbors. I explained
I would love to bring my music and
we could make this a musical
devotional. They really like the
idea!! And we can open it up as
being all-inclusive so that any of
our fellow neighbors who have that
spiritual itch want to come and we
could do that once a week. At the
very least it would be just myself
and this group of young
professionals from Southern India.
At the same moment as the
conversation another neighbor came
out the front door as we were having
this conversation outside, this
other neighbor oddly enough was at
the spiritual fundraiser in the same
building where we had the unit
convention. He heard part of our
conversation and was interested in
musical devotions one of us could
host.
-Aurora Bahá'í
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“Building community” is a common catchphrase these
days, a goal for Baha’is and many others around the
world. What is “building community”? Why should
we do it? And what does it look like? In Tablets of
Baha’u’llah, the second Taraz, I found this quote. It
answers all the questions for me:
They that are endued with sincerity and
faithfulness should associate with all the peoples
and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance,
inasmuch as consorting with people hath promoted and
will continue to promote unity and concord, which in
turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in
the world and to the regeneration of nations.
Blessed are such as hold fast to the cord of
kindliness and tender mercy and are free from
animosity and hatred.
What is it? Association with all the peoples and
kindreds of the earth
Why? To promote unity and concord,
leading to maintenance of order in the world.
What does
it look like? Sincerity and faithfulness, joy and radiance!
Easy-peasy, right?
Now the biggest question: how to develop and implement that
in my life? I thought back to my most enduring childhood
memories for something I loved, and the answer was dinner at
Grandma’s house every Sunday from the time I could remember.
I knew I could replicate that in my life, and Adrian was
game to give it a try, so “Saturday Dinner Friends” was born
sometime in 2012. Almost every Saturday until Covid19 locked
us down, we issued an open invitation for friends to stop by
for dinner. I prepared one dish for meat lovers and one for
vegetarians, set the table for ten, and waited to see who
would come through the door at 5:30. Week after week people
came, sometimes one or two, sometimes ten or more – but we
always squeezed everybody (and their yummy contributions!)
in at the table. The conversations we had, the laughs we
shared, the bonds we formed persist to this day, even though
we haven’t reestablished the practice since Covid19
restrictions have eased. Most of us have filled the time
slot with different endeavors. But once in awhile, someone
will say “what about a Saturday Dinner”? The call goes out,
the friends come together again and we talk, laugh, and get
caught up on each others’ lives.
In the meantime we see many of the same people in other
spaces – some Baha’i, some not - and the bonds we formed
strengthen everything else we do. The practice of welcoming
people with sincerity and faithfulness, joy and radiance
continues, and we see the ripple effects spreading out into
all the communities we touch.
I think we’re all capable of finding ways to connect with
someone’s heart, and over time connecting their hearts with
others’. Before we know it, we’ve built communities with
intersecting ripples, and the bonds spread. Sincerity and
faithfulness, joy and radiance! Easy-peasy? Right?
-Glen Ellyn Bahá'í
|
|
|
|
Please send in any events, narratives, pictures, or arts
that you would like shared! You can reach us at Newsletter
Submissions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Northern Illinois Baha'is
|
|
2N500 Bernice Ave.
Glen Ellyn, IL
60137
United States of America
|
|
|
|
|
|
