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November 2023/'Ilm-Qudrat 180 B.E.
Community Newsletter
Vol. 1 Issue 2
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⋅ 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.
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⋅ 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.
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⋅ 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
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⋅ 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
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⋅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
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⋅ 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.
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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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⋅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
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⋅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
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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 narrative about neighbors
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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
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“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
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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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