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In the Name of Him Who hath been promised in
the Books of God, the All-Knowing, the
All-Informed! The days of fasting have
arrived wherein those servants who circle
round Thy throne and have attained Thy
presence have fasted. Say: O God of names
and creator of heaven and earth! I beg of
Thee by Thy Name, the All-Glorious, to
accept the fast of those who have fasted for
love of Thee and for the sake of Thy
good-pleasure and have carried out what Thou
hast bidden them in Thy Books and Tablets. I
beseech Thee by them to assist me in the
promotion of Thy Cause and to make me
steadfast in Thy love, that my footsteps may
not slip on account of the clamor of Thy
creatures. Verily, Thou art powerful over
whatsoever Thou willest. No God is there but
Thee, the Quickener, the All-Powerful, the
Most Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
-Bahá’u’lláh
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⋅ ComeUnity
Thursday March 14 at 7pm
Second Thursday of every month.
For more information, please email [email protected]
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⋅ Interfaith Devotions
Sunday March 10, 6-8 pm
Held at the Shahrokh residence. Please
text (630)
805-1397 for the address.
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⋅ Fridays By The Fire
Friday by the fire are being paused until
summer.
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 once summer begins again!
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Contact Details for Area Teaching Committee
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⋅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
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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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⋅Thursday Night Devotionals
Thursdays from 7:30pm-8:30 pm
Hosted by Karen Skaggs via Google
Meet
Please message (815-546-6607)
or [email protected]
for link.
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⋅Blended Sunday morning devotionals
Sundays at 9:00 am please join us on zoom or in
person.
Hosted by Jim & Cheryl Dougherty
1848 Corregidor St Joliet, IL 60435
815-600-1335
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⋅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 March 9
2nd Saturday @ 8am
Uptown Cafe 24 E Miner St,Arlington Heights, IL
60004
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⋅First Friday Conversations
Friday, Marc h 1, 6:30pm-8:30pm at the McKee
residence.
For the address contact [email protected].
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/326557993
⋅First Tuesday Conversations
Tuesday, March 5, 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, March
18 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
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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
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A Potential Service Project
I visited the Westmont Peoples
Resource Center Friday. I brought
them 3 large bags of coats from
myself and my clients. They took
pictures of me with the bags and in
their Clothes Closet. I also got the
grand tour which was very
impressive. They have amazing
services for our County, too many to
mention. They especially need Food
Pantry and Spanish speaking
volunteers.
They are in need of food, clothing,
and funds. Soon they will be
accepting Spring/summer items for
the Closet.
The Wheaton facility
is undergoing an expansion that will
include a Clothes Closet but
currently only at the Westmont
location while Wheaton is under
construction.
Definitely a
worthwhile service opportunity for
anyone!
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A Recent Conversation
I met with my friend for coffee
a couple of weeks ago and we were
talking about about how difficult
life can be when one is in a
multigenerational stage of life....
taking care and living with an
elderly parent and also
transitioning to parenting adult
children who need support and
encouragement. We talked about the
principles of generosity- of both
material and spiritual means, of
unconditional love when difficult
situations arise , and also of
patience and forgiveness with
ourselves and with others. We
practiced what it would look like to
pull the lens way back when we are
struggling and to turn to our
Beloved in prayer when we are
feeling weak and sad. Now, you might
think that there is nothing really
interesting or uplifting about this
particular story- but when I met my
friend a few short years ago at
a class, she had never reflected on
her relationship with God or prayed
for peace for her tender heart. Now
we are striving to meet weekly to
practice a little each time on how
to bring the healing message of
Baha'u'llah's teachings to a family
in need of His love.
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This is a prayer put to music by youth at a youth
gathering.
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On a very cold and damp Saturday evening in January of this
year, 25 people gathered for the First Annual Race Amity Day
potluck dinner, held at First Church of Lombard. Together we
shared a wonderful meal and excellent conversations in a
spirit of friendship. This was followed by a performance of
Danza Jóskua de Michoacan. The Honorable Chantelle Porter,
Circuit Court Justice, Juvenile Division, also provided an
inspiring talk about her work in assisting those appearing
before her to deflect out of the justice system and work
towards a better future. On the whole, it was a very
inspiring evening. This event was the most recent event in
our cluster of the Race Amity Movement.
The Race
Amity Movement originated in 1921 when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá directed
the Bahá’í Community of Washington, DC, to collaborate with
the First Congregational Church of Washington, the NAACP,
and other organizations. Mrs. Agnes S. Parsons was the
Bahá’í who spearheaded the convention that launched the Race
Amity Movement.
Several thousand people of all
backgrounds, races, and cultures attended the first event,
the 1921 National Convention of Amity Between the Races, in
May at the First Congregational Church of Washington, DC.
The purpose of this three-day convention was race
understanding. Additional conventions were held in major
cities in the United States and Canada through the next
decade.
Over the years, Race Amity Day (also called
Race Unity Day) has been celebrated by Bahá’í communities
throughout the United States in a variety of ways, including
picnics, dinners, and public meetings. For several years,
the Bahá’í community in Lisle held a Race Amity Day
Picnic.
In 2011, the National Center for Race Amity
was formed whose purpose was to both encourage community
events at the local level to celebrate Race Amity Day, now
the second Sunday in June, and to assist local communities
to approach local and state governments to proclaim Race
Amity Day. Their efforts led to the State of Massachusetts
to make this proclamation in 2015. Several other states and
many localities and counties have also proclaimed Race Amity
Day.
Locally, the efforts of a collaboration of
grass-roots organizations that include both Bahá’ís and
members of the greater community that share the same vision
of racial equality and justice have culminated in hosting
picnics in Lombard (two years), Naperville (one year), and
Northbrook (three years), IL. These communities are planning
for events for Race Amity Day on June 9, 2024. The picnic in
Lombard last year had 73 individuals in attendance while the
picnic in Naperville had 41 individuals attending.
In
addition, in 2023, the DuPage County Board officially
proclaimed Race Amity Day and work is in process for the
Board to make the proclamation again in 2024. Resolutions to
proclaim June 9, 2024, as Race Amity Day and to support
local activities for this day are currently being considered
in both the Illinois State House and Illinois State Senate.
The proclamation will also be presented to Governor Pritzker
later this spring. Plans are also being made to approach the
towns where members of our collaboration of grass-roots
organizations reside.
Please see the Save the Date
flyer for more information. If you are interested in
assisting us or want more information, please feel free to
contact Illinois Citizens for Race Amity at [email protected].
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Please send in any events, narratives, pictures, or arts
that you would like shared! You can reach us at Newsletter
Submissions
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Northern Illinois Baha'is
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2N500 Bernice Ave.
Glen Ellyn, IL
60137
United States of America
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