From the Council table

The Bahá'í Council for Scotland would like to extend its warmest greetings to you all. We hope that you have had a good summer break, whether you took a well-earned rest or pursued some extra-intensive studying or teaching activities. There have been many exciting developments in the last few months: including three new declarations; a training program for people wishing to work with junior youth; and another much-enjoyed summer school.

The summer school was held in St. Andrews, with well over a hundred people attending during the course of the week; this year's theme was 'The Healing Message of Bahá'u'lláh'. The Council is very keen that the believers feel empowered to initiate events locally, especially as there is to be no national residential schools in the coming year. In this spirit, some of our youth have come forward and offered to organize two youth weekends in the next six months, both in their own localities. Details will follow, but the Council would, at this stage, like to encourage all the friends to be similarly bold in their planning. Our community of interest will no doubt be most keen to come to activities and events to which they can travel easily and it is invariably the case that those who live in an area are the ones best equipped to assess its needs and to organise activities that can meet them.

This summer also saw the passing of one of our most veteran and much loved believers, Miss Cathie Boyd of Inverness. In the last few weeks a dear Baha'i from the Western Isles, Mr. Peter Graham, has also passed away. We are sure that these precious souls are as much a part of the Bahá'í community of Scotland as ever and humbly encourage those still in this world to not only ask for their assistance in all our efforts, but also to remember them as we carry them out. Thus can their progress and ours be enhanced, if it be the will of God.

The Five Year Plan is making steady progress in Scotland. In the priority cluster of Forth Clyde, there are currently nineteen teaching teams; thirteen study circles; two children's classes; and several weekly devotionals. A recent declaration has lifted everyone's hearts and both the Bahá'ís and their community of interest are looking forward to the next cluster reflection meeting, which is due to take place in October. This will be followed by the Forth Clyde cluster's third Intensive Programme of Growth and, hopefully, a further surge in the number of friends showing a profound interest in the message of Bahá'u'lláh. Developments are also taking place in the North East cluster, including the appointment of a new Area Teaching Committee; its members are Samy Helmy, Lorrie Fozdar and Iain Burnett.

There is growing excitement in the Bahá'í community, at both the local and national level, about the increasing number of believers and friends involved in the core activities. Wherever you may live, either in Scotland or having pioneered abroad from there, the prayers of the Council for Scotland are with you in all your teaching and consolidation efforts.

As always, our institutions are also changing and developing. The Board of Trustees of Huqúqu'lláh for the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom has appointed two new representatives for Scotland: Mrs. Bridget Weaver and Mrs. Rachel Burnett. It is truly a blessing, not only to be able to give some of our wealth back to God through the Institution of Huqúqu'lláh, but also to have assistance constantly available to us in learning how to do so. Also, four members of The Council and three members of the Training Institute Board for Scotland have now completed Book Five in the Ruhi sequence, which is on the subject of junior youth classes; the Council warmly encourages the friends in Scotland to study this important book.

At its September meeting, the Baha'i Council for Scotland was blessed with the opportunity to meet with two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, as well as with Counsellor Viv Craig. Such meetings are always heartwarming and serve to share the progress of the Bahá'í community of Scotland with national and international institutions and to assist the Regional Baha'i Council for Scotland in developing a clearer vision of what the Universal House of Justice is asking of us. We sincerely ask for your prayers for the continual development of both the Council for Scotland and the community which it gratefully serves.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

LIFEBLOOD OF THE CAUSE

Dear Friends,

Did you know that:

And finally:

Warmest Bahá'í Greetings

The Regional Bahá'í Council for Scotland decided at its July meeting that there will not be a summer school held in Scotland in 2007. The Council realises that this will be a source of great disappointment to many of the friends, especially after the highly enjoyable 2006 school.

The Council has been consulting on the matter of residential schools and feels that they are drastically underutilised as an institution. In their message of 27th December 2005, the Universal House of Justice describes the institution of the summer school as one of the "elements that comprise Bahá'í community life, shaped over the decades, which must be further refined and developed"; we are also encouraged by the beloved Guardian to view residential schools as an integral part of our teaching activities. In order to further align our efforts with this infallible guidance, it will be necessary to take practical steps in rethinking our individual and collective approach to residential schools in relation to the goal of being truly open-to-all. Each of us can take time to reflect on our personal teaching plan, and consider how, for example, inviting our community of interest to the summer school could build on the regular activities we already share at a local level.

We have learnt to apply a new mindset to our increasingly successful local initiatives and, through its extension to future summer schools, we can create a shared vision of the potential of this precious institution. Together we will be able to view the many and varied aspects of summer schools with fresh eyes and new ideas: its format, location, cost, inclusiveness, use of the arts, sessions, workshops, discussion groups; all areas can explored and improved upon, building upon both the experience of the past and rapidly increasing local learning. Through such alignment of the residential schools with our local activities and efforts, we will be able to create schools which we will be more productive and relevant for each individual believer and the Scottish Bahá'í community as a whole, as well as for our collective community of interest.

This integration of our local activities and residential schools will not come about overnight. As we reflect on how our local activities can be reconsidered in the light of this opportunity, ideas will be begin to form on how the summer school itself can be reshaped to their mutual benefit; please contact the secretary of the Regional Bahá'í Council for Scotland to share your thoughts and suggestions. Future summer schools will be built on this integration and will be able to draw on the engaged and active support of many individuals and communities. While we joyfully recognise the success of the summer school just past, the Bahá'í Council for Scotland wishes to allow ample time to reflect on such valuable experience, as well as to build this essential alignment between local efforts and residential schools. Therefore, the Bahá'í Council for Scotland does not intend to organise a summer school in 2007. We look forward expectantly to their triumphant resumption in 2008, based on your eagerly anticipated initiative and resourcefulness in the development of this institution.

Dear friends,

The North East Cluster has now reached a stage in its development where it will benefit from an Area Teaching Committee. The Baha'i Council is pleased to announce the appointment of the following individuals to serve on this committee: Lorrie Fozdar, Samy Helmy and Iain Burnett.

The North East cluster will benefit greatly from the support of this dedicated and able committee and we wish them every blessing in their endeavours in this important role.

Loving Baha'i greetings,