Baha'i Treasurers Bulletin

Feast of Qawl (Speech) 2022

NATIONAL FUND CELEBRATION AND FUNDRAISER

The Office of the Treasurer is excited to announce a special fundraising event to be held virtually on Saturday, December 17 at 6:00 pm Central Time! You don't want to miss this special opportunity - all contributions will go towards meeting this year’s National Fund Goal. Please join us for an inspiring event that will feature music by Ali Youssefi and the keynote by the National Treasurer, Dr. Robert C. Henderson. The invitation is linked here. If you have any questions, please contact the Treasurer’s Office at bahaitreasurersoffice@usbnc.org.

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WHAT'S IN YOUR ARCHIVE?

‘This spoon holds a memory of a very significant historical event in the history of the Bahá’i Faith in North America. It is from the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, which was one event of the World's Columbian Exposition and what is on the spoon, an event held in Chicago, during which Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause was publicly mentioned in the West for the first time. This marked the beginning of the growth of the American Bahá’i Community. Here is a piece that was there in 1893, just a year after the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, where the seed of His Cause was Planted.’

Why do you want to donate this spoon to the National Archives?*

‘There was something really significant about the event itself, and I want it to be somewhere that other people could have a chance to see it, and that might resonate more with it. We know just saying the name of Bahá’u’lláh rearranges atoms, it changes them and this little spoon was affected by that. That energy affects all the items that happen to be there at the time.’

* the believer is donating the spoon to National Bahá’í Archives

How did you come across this spoon?

‘My grandmother got me into collecting tea cups and then little tea spoons was another part of that and those were the kinds of things I would look for and then came across this spoon. My husband is a historian. We love antiquing and looking at artifacts from the past. They are these little windows of life into the way people lived years before and this was just a little piece of that.’

Why is it important to have an archive for the Bahá’í community?

‘As a teacher, the first thing you want to know is what's the background knowledge; it's this starting point that everything will build on. If we lose our starting point, we lose part of who we are or how we got to where we are. The connection, the identity, and the love - all of that is connected through our knowledge of how we got to be where we are. For example, all of the protests going on in Iran go back to Táhirih and if you don't understand where they came from, you really miss on some of the significance of what is happening today.’

To submit a story or item from your archive, i.e. photograph, material, item, etc, write to bahaitreasurersoffice@usbnc.org with a photo and answers to the question: Why did this item go in your archive? Why is it important to have an archive for the Bahá’í Community?

To learn more about the National Archive Campaign: Preserving our Spiritual Heritage, read the Bahá’í Fund Bulletin and The American Bahá’í magazine. Keep an eye out for videos, kids’ content, and more!

To contribute to the project, select "US Bahá’í National Archives Renovation Fund" in the Online Contribution System.

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TREASURERS NOTES FOR THE FEAST OF QAWL

Download Treasurers Notes for the Feast of Qawl/Speech

Download Persian Translation of Treasurers Notes

Posted at 07:06 PM in Treasurers Notes, Vol 20, Issue 14 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Feast of Qudrat (Power) 2022

WHAT'S IN YOUR ARCHIVE?

When you get to my age, you have many wonderful memories to look back on, but over time some of those memories begin to fade. Having an archive allows me to hold tangible items in my hands that help me recall those times in my life.

When asked the question, “What’s in your archive?”, I thought of my wedding photos and photos of trips taken with my husband. These photos reawaken positive emotions and memories of experiences that we have shared. It reminds me of where we have been and where we are in the present day. I also stored all my awards and a book I wrote called Old Age: The Paradox of Physical Decline and Spiritual Greatness. My book actually addresses the importance of the best way for older people, who are cognitively declining to remember who they are and their loved ones, by experiencing holding an item, listening to music, looking at a photo, or reading something from their past. This is a very powerful way for the brain to reclaim past memories. I guess I held on to these items specifically because it is a reflection ofwho I am and what I've accomplished to serve our fellow man.

It’s especially important to have a Bahá’í archive in our community because as older Bahá’ís pass away, their stories and wisdom goes with them. Having an archive can prepare future generations by providing insight of the times we are living in. It can give perspective of where we have been, where we are and where we are going. Humans need to know and understand who they are. Having content, like an archive, provides that direction. It provides a tangible connection to our past. A connection that reflects on the history of early Bahá’ís and the service they did for the faith. It provides encouragement, understanding, and hope for future generations. That is the power of having a Baha’i archive.

To submit a story or item from your archive, i.e. photograph, material, item, etc, write to bahaitreasurersoffice@usbnc.org with a photo and answers to the question: Why did this item go in your archive? Why is it important to have an archive for the Bahá’í Community?

To learn more about the National Archive Campaign: Preserving our Spiritual Heritage, read the Bahá’í Fund Bulletin and The American Bahá’í magazine. Keep an eye out for videos, kids’ content, and more!

To contribute to the project, select "US Bahá’í National Archives Renovation Fund" in the Online Contribution System.

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IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER

Are you 70 1/2 or older?

You may be interested in the IRA Charitable Rollover which allows believers to make

a direct transfer from their traditional individual retirement account (IRA) to the National Spiritual Assembly of an amount not to exceed $100,000 per year as a nontaxable event.

If you are interested in additional information, we are very happy to assist. Please log in with your Bahá’í ID number to bahai.us and use the menu to go to Resources > Planned Giving, email plannedgiving@usbnc.org, or call 847-733-3569.

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TREASURERS NOTES FOR THE FEAST OF QUDRAT

Download Treasurers Notes for the Feast of Qudrat/Power

Download Persian Translation of Treasurers Notes

Posted at 04:40 PM in Planned Giving, Treasurers Notes, Vol 20, Issue 13 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Feast of 'Ilm (Knowledge) 2022

TOWN HALL MEETINGS

In the first week of October, over 600 of the Friends from across the country attended the Town Hall meetings with the National Treasurer, Dr. Robert Henderson. The focus of the presentation was to reflect on the call of the Nine-Year Plan and its implications for the Funds of the Faith, looking at the example of how ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ‘saw the end in the beginning.’ Dr. Henderson shared reflections of how the Master, with hope and weight of the entire world on His shoulders, took the ‘Long View’ and worked tirelessly to build the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, transforming a barren mountain and decayed building in Bahji into the ‘Precincts of Paradise.’ Dr. Henderson asked us to each put into action the guidance of the Nine-Year Plan with the same certitude and conviction, holding on to the vision of transforming ourselves and a nation bereft of truth, love, and unity through releasing “the society-building power of the Faith in ever-greater measures.”

The presentation was well received. A great deal of wonderful feedback came from those who participated in the webinar. Below are just a few examples:

“Being a Baha'i for 45 of my 76 years, "taking the long view" especially as I in my mind's eye traversed the steps down the mountain at the World Center resonated deeply with me. Our speaker's voice and the photographs combined to touch my heart deeply.”

“It was inspiring and humbly reminded me about taking “the long view” represented by the lives of active service to the Cause of Abdu’l Bahá and Shoghi Effendi; of universal participation in the Fund and of the consecrated efforts of each believer”

“It was very inspiring and informative. Enjoyed the connection of our current activities with the history of the Faith and 'Abdu'l-Baha. Also good questions from participants.”

We look forward to the participation of more of the Friends in the quarterly Town Halls being planned by the Office of the Treasurer. Stay tuned for announcements.

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WHAT'S IN YOUR ARCHIVE?

Several generations ago, my great-grandfather went on pilgrimage and was blessed in meeting ‘Abdu’l-Baha. After this pilgrimage, as he was leaving, a piece of cloth from one of the shirts belonging to the Master was given to my great-grandfather by the Greatest Holy Leaf. This piece of cloth was later divided and shared, and it has been passed down the generations in my family for over one hundred years. It has survived many tribulations in Iran, it has traveled to the West, and we plan to one day present it to our own children. We have preserved it, for the time being, in a small blue box surrounded by archival tissue paper. Other aspects of our history that we hope to pass down in our family include the verbal retelling of our ancestry, old (and new) photographs, prayer books, and pieces of jewelry that have been passed down the generations.

It is important for families as well as communities to pass down stories, photographs, and other aspects of their archival history to give the next generation a sense of continuity and connection to those that came before. It is also particularly important to write down the stories of the past, so that they will be preserved for the future. For example, on my father’s side, the Baumgartner family played a tremendous role in the history of the Baha’i Faith in Alaska, in response to a pioneering call from the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi. It is my hope and wish that these stories will - in time - be written down and preserved for the generations to come.

To submit a story or item from your archive, i.e. photograph, material, item, etc, write to bahaitreasurersoffice(at)usbnc.org with a photo and answers to the question: Why did this item go in your archive? Why is it important to have an archive for the Bahá’í Community?

To learn more about the National Archive Campaign: Preserving our Spiritual Heritage, please click below to play the video, which features items from the U.S. Bahá'í Archives, interviews with the archivists, and why this campaign is timely: https://vimeo.com/723216949/2089eeef16

To contribute to the project, select "US Bahá’í National Archives Renovation Fund" in the Online Contribution System.

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