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Citadel of Faith
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Pages 13-16
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TWO REGIONAL NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES A VITAL OBJECTIVE
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The emergence of organized local communities in most of the
republics of Latin America will be forever associated with the exploits
that have shed such luster on the first stage of the Divine Plan launched
during the concluding years of that first epoch of the Formative Age of
our Faith. The constitution of two independent duly elected national
spiritual assemblies for the northern and southern zones of Latin
America is now to be regarded as one of the most vital objectives of the
Second Seven Year Plan, whose inauguration synchronizes with the
opening years of the second Bahá'í century, and which will be chiefly
associated with the first phase of the second epoch of that Age. The
emergence of these two national assemblies, precursors of the institutions
which must participate in the election, and contribute to the
support, of the Universal House of Justice--the last crowning unit in
the erection of the fabric of the Administrative Order of the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh--must lead gradually and uninterruptedly, and in the
course of successive epochs of the Formative Age, to the constitution in
each of the republics of Central and South America, of a properly
elected, fully representative national assembly, constituting thereby the
last stage in the administrative evolution of that Faith throughout Latin
America.
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In order that these future tasks may be carried out with dispatch,
efficiency, harmony and in strict accordance with the administrative
and spiritual principles of our Faith, the Latin American promoters of
the present Seven Year Plan must focus their attention on the requirements
of the present hour, close their ranks, reinforce the bonds of
unity, of solidarity and of cooperation which unite them, rededicate
themselves individually to the sacred, all-important and vital task of
teaching, exert strenuous endeavors to deepen their knowledge of the
history and fundamentals of their Faith, steep themselves in the spirit
and the love of its teachings and acquire special training for future
pioneer activity throughout the length and breadth of the vast stretches
of territory which extend from the confines of the great republic in the
north to the Straits of Magellan in the south.
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The process of the steady multiplication of spiritual assemblies,
already numbering thirty-seven, of groups whose number equals that of
the assemblies, and of the forty localities where isolated believers reside,
must vigorously and uninterruptedly continue. The incorporation of
well-grounded spiritual assemblies, following the example set by the
spiritual assemblies of San José, Costa Rica, of Bogotà, Colombia, and
of Asunciòn, Paraguay, as a preliminary to the incorporation of the
future national assemblies to be established in Latin America, must be
strenuously and efficiently carried out. A beginning, however modest,
should be made in the direction of establishing local Funds, supported
by native believers and designed to supplement the financial assistance
extended by the parent community in North America, for the furtherance
of pioneer activity, for the dissemination of Bahá'í literature, for
the maintenance of local Bahá'í headquarters, for the gradual initiation
of Bahá'í endowments, such as the land offered for a Bahá'í Temple in
Chile, for the holding of conferences and of summer schools, for the
creation of publicity agencies, and for the conduct and expansion of
youth activities.
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Strong and sustained support should be given to the vitally needed
and meritorious activities started by the native Latin American traveling
teachers, particularly in the pioneer field, who, as the mighty task
progresses, must increasingly bear the brunt of responsibility for the
propagation of the Faith in their homelands. Full advantage should be
taken of the facilities provided by the use of practical workshop courses
in Latin American pioneering at the International School at Temerity
Ranch. The two summer schools in Azeiza and Santiago, as well as one
planned in Vera Cruz, should be utilized, not only as centers for the
acquisition of Bahá'í learning, but as training grounds for pioneering
among the Spanish and Portuguese speaking populations of all the
republics of Latin America. The regional conferences held in Buenos
Aires and Panama should be followed by conferences of a similar
character, at which a growing number of attendants from among the
ranks of Latin American believers will assume an ever-increasing share
of responsibility in the initiation and conduct of the affairs of a
continually evolving community. A deliberate effort should be made to
increase, through correspondence teaching and its extension to all the
Spanish speaking countries, the number of the active supporters of
the Faith, so desperately needed in view of the vastness of the field,
the mighty responsibilities that have been incurred, the smallness of
the number of laborers, and the shortness of the time at their disposal.
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Other agencies, such as publicity and advertising in the press, the
multiplication of accurate and improved radio scripts, the extension of
teaching projects through regional teaching committees, visual education
and the organization of public meetings, should be fully utilized to
capture the attention, win the sympathy, and secure the active and
unreserved support of a steadily increasing proportion of the population
of the various Latin American republics. The publishing activities of a
constantly growing community should, likewise, be stimulated, their
scope should be continually widened, the quality of Bahá'í publications
in Spanish, Portuguese and French be improved, and their dissemination
over a wide area be insured. The two Spanish bulletins, the one
already published in Santiago and the other planned in San José,
should, likewise, as an adjunct to Bahá'í publications, be developed and
widely circulated. The contact established with the two hundred and
forty-four Masonic Lodges should be reinforced by similar contacts
with schools as well as business firms established throughout the
various republics, for the sole purpose of giving further publicity to the
Faith, and winning ultimately fresh recruits to the strength of its
followers.
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