A celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Corvallis is planned for Saturday, September 17, 2011. The local governing body of the Bahá’ís was originally formed for the first time on April 20, 1961, and recognized by the national governing body of the Bahá’ís in June that same year.

The program begins at 3pm and all activities take place in the McKenzie Conference Center at the Salbasgeon Suites, 1730 NW 9th Street in Corvallis (next to the 9th Street Cinema complex). The kickoff event will be set up in a coffee-house atmosphere in the afternoon for Bahá’ís and their friends to gather over coffee, tea and refreshments and to get reacquainted and make new friends. Music will be provided by local artists. A excellent photographic and historical display is planned from the local Bahá’í archives. In addition, the display will include artwork of Bahá’ís who lived in Corvallis in the past. Several photo albums will illustrate varied activities and reflect the goal of the Faith in its efforts to build community and contribute to the betterment of the world.

The afternoon program is scheduled for 3 PM to 6 PM. Afterward starting at 6:30pm, there will be an evening program to which dignitaries have been invited, with presentations on the historical context of this important anniversary as well as music performances from local artists. The program ends with a birthday cake celebration.

Altogether, it is expected to be a gala event open to the public without charge.

The Corvallis camp took place this week, and the Philomath camp is scheduled for the week of July 18th.

Below is a photo of the Albany children’s class that also continues throughout the summer.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Representatives from government, religious communities and civil society organizations were among the 800 human rights supporters who gathered to call upon Iran to cease its persecution of Bahá’ís and other religious minorities.

Participants traveled from all over Brazil to take part in the rally, held at Rio’s Copacabana Beach yesterday, some spending up to 15 hours on buses to get there.

Almost 8,000 images depicting the faces of Iran’s seven imprisoned Bahá’í leaders were on display at the beach, corresponding to the number of days of detention the seven had suffered after three years in prison. The photographs were arranged in a large circle, representing the world, and the union of people of all races and nations.

To see pictures of the rally, click here.
To read more about this story, click here.

The elected delegate from electoral unit EU159 (which includes Linn and Benton Counties and others), Mrs. Paula Siegel, returned from the 103rd National Bahá’í Convention held in Foundation Hall of the United States Bahá’í Temple. Together with 170 other delegates from across the country, Mrs. Siegel participated in four days of consultation on the advancement of the Bahá’í Faith in this country and around the world. During that time, she also fulfilled one of the major purposes of the convention - the election of the nine-member administrative body to serve the Bahá’ís of the United States from May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012.

Mrs. Siegel has already started visiting different communities throughout EU159 to transmit her post-convention report and convey the spirit of the convention as well as the latest achievements of the Bahá’í Faith and the goals for building spiritual community for the next five years.

Photographs can be seen in the photo gallery

For more information on the unique aspect of Bahá’í consultation at this event, click here.

HAIFA, Israel — After more than two years of extensive restoration work, Haifa’s golden-domed Baha’i Shrine has been unveiled, to the delight of visitors, pilgrims and residents of the city.

Early this morning, the final set of covers was removed from the Shrine’s dome, revealing almost 12,000 new, gilded tiles, crowning the immaculately restored building on Mount Carmel. “Today the ‘Queen of Carmel’, concealed from the gaze of the public for the larger part of the project, is unveiled and resplendent again…” announced the Universal House of Justice, after visiting the Shrine to offer prayers of thanksgiving.

Haifa’s Mayor, Advocate Yona Yahav, later joined civic dignitaries and guests at a celebratory reception, held in the city’s historic German Templar colony with its spectacular view of the Shrine and its terraced gardens.

Read more by clicking here.

Every Tuesday from 1-2pm, the Bahá’í Campus Association at Oregon State University is hosting a “Tranquility Zone”. Location: Memorial Student Union, Talisman Room (Jefferson and 26th in Corvallis, OR).

The purpose of the weekly event is to attract all people of faith to join in a spiritual moment where prayers, meditations, poems or other readings can be shared…or simply listened to. This is part of the multiple activities sponsored by the Bahá’ís in Benton and Lyn counties to tap into the Divine and help build community through uplifting and spiritual activities. Each week there will be a different theme for the Tranquility Zone:

April 4 - Perseverance
April 12 - Patience
April 19 - Joy

Click here for a flier.
For more information contact Sandra Bean at beans@onid.orst.edu

On Saturday nearly 50 friends from throughout Linn and Benton Counties gathered for the 23rd Reflection Meeting on building community. In the light of guidance, action and learning, the group consulted together and determined next steps forward to “strain every nerve” and “spare no effort” to widen the circle of those interested in the Bahá’í Faith. Detailed plans from nine consultative groups were shared at the conclusion of the meeting, and enthusiasm and creativity was astounding! See some pictures of the event here.

Some of the plans and next steps for the upcoming nine-day outreach were:

The intensive 9-day outreach begins Saturday, January 29th and all are invited to come together to pray and study guidance that will strengthen collective teaching endeavors. The times and dates for the first weekend are below and each person is asked to bring their own sack lunch. Light refreshments will be offered by the hosts.

Saturday, January 29th, 9am.
Call Amanda for directions (541-929-2733)

Sunday, January 30th, 9am.
Call Lisa for directions (541-752-0816)

For information regarding any of the plans mentioned above, please contact Paula Siegel, 541-929-2718

The ground work comes after a prolonged search for a site and unprecedented technical challenges, which included the invention of an entirely new material for the building’s exterior. The site has now been set at a location in the hills of Peñalolen, a “commune” within metropolitan Santiago, at the foot of the Andes.\

“We are pleased to inform you that excavation work has now commenced in Chile on the land where the last continental House of Worship is to stand,” the Universal House of Justice wrote on 26 November, expressing its hope that the Baha’is throughout the world would “be heartened to learn of the milestone now reached…”

Read more by clicking here.

With over 85 in attendance, Bahá’ís gathered to celebrate the 193rd anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u'lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. The event took place at the Corvallis Senior Center, and the main program was led by the Portland choir group “Ladder For the Soul”. The joyous celebration included songs in English and Spanish, and a few that were written by composers in Oregon. Participants heard a short narrative of the life of Bahá’u'lláh and the events which eventually led to his banishment from his native land in Persia to the shores of what was then Palestine in 1868. Further details of Bahá’u'lláh’s life can be found by clicking here.

One of the highlights of the evening was a special choral arrangement of “Oh! Bahá’u'lláh!”. Part of this presentation is included in the video link below. Pictures of the event can also be found in the Picture Gallery of this website by clicking here.

Bahá’ís and their friends came together to discuss the progress of the growth of the Bahá’í Faith in Benton and Linn Counties. In addition to playful dramatic representations, different groups from the area discussed the positive activities that have taken place over the past three months as well as important learning that will shape the activities over the coming three months. This is the 22nd Cycle of Growth for this area which is also known as Cluster OR15. The process of building spiritual community was especially highlighted with a noted increase in the number of “core activities” and participants in the Cluster. The event was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Corvallis.