2600 attend the Northwest Regional Bahá’í Conference in Portland

Portland, OR

This is truly a love story. On October 20, the Universal House of Justice (the international governing body of the Baha'i community) called for 41 regional conferences to be held around the world. Within 2 weeks, the first conference took place in Lusaka, Zambia. Each weekend from November through February, conferences are scheduled on every continent and are attracting record numbers. Despite grim economic conditions worldwide, Baha'is in every country are traveling by plane, car, bus and train to get to these conferences. One man in Africa walked 300 km, only to be attacked and robbed on the way. Arriving with nothing but the clothes on his back, this man joined in the joyous gathering, then walked 300 km back to share the spirit of the conference with his home town.

What is so important that people would spend already scarce resources to travel to these gatherings? What could motivate such action? In a word… love. When the Universal House of Justice makes a request, Baha'is in every corner of the globe stand up to answer. Why? Because the needs of the world are increasingly urgent. National political leaders are at a loss to find lasting solutions.

New Delhi, India

Over the past 12 years, the Baha'is have been developing a worldwide program of education to develop the human resources necessary to address these problems. There is no quick fix. As Einstein aptly put it, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Side by side, Baha'is in every corner of the globe are developing their own spiritual capacities and sharing this process with others. Villagers in Cameroon, the mountain people of Taiwan, men and women of rural India, city dwellers in Belgium, and urban families in Portland are all studying spiritual principles and applying them to their own lives in practical ways.

They are offering service to their communities, providing spiritual education for the children in their neighborhoods, empowering junior youth to successfully navigate their critical early teenage years, and inviting friends and neighbors to joyous spiritual gatherings of collective worship where people of all backgrounds can unite together in prayer.

In neighborhoods and villages around the world, ordinary people are studying the very spiritual foundations of society, consulting together and putting into action what they learn. As they act, they learn more. They then reflect on what they learned and put this new knowledge into action.

Antofagasta, Chile

There is no one person who knows how to solve the global problems. But together—engaged in a continuous process of learning, reflecting and acting—we, as a global family, can discover the answers that will help us create a learning, thriving, truly sustainable civilization.

These conferences are the starting point for offering this process to the world at large.

Humanity is coming of age. We have passed through the stages of childhood and are nearing the end of our tumultuous adolescence. We can now see clearly that our actions have ramifications far beyond our local borders and even our individual lifetimes. It is time now for us to take the next step into adulthood.

Manila, Phillippines

From time immemorial, God has been guiding humanity to this point. Every religion, every civilization, every discovery and accomplishment has moved mankind closer to this day. This is the day where we build a truly global, flourishing civilization, where every nation and every people has a place at the table. A civilization where people of every race and background stand tall and proud and shoulder to shoulder. A civilization where every individual can develop his own capacities to their fullest. A civilization where the incredible diversity of humanity is a source of joy and celebration. This is a world where the human family has finally come home.

This is a mighty endeavor and the workers are few. If you want to be part of something greater than yourself, if you want to help build this new civilization, find a Baha'i and get started. Contact us and we'll put you in touch with Bahá'ís where you live.

"In contemplating the supreme importance of the task now challenging the entire world, we bow our heads in humility before the awesome majesty of the divine Creator, Who out of His infinite love has created all humanity from the same stock; exalted the gem-like reality of man; honoured it with intellect and wisdom, nobility and immortality; and conferred upon man the 'unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him', a capacity that 'must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.'"We hold firmly the conviction that all human beings have been created 'to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization'; that 'to act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man'; that the virtues that befit human dignity are trustworthiness, forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all peoples. We reaffirm the belief that the 'potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God.' These are the motivations for our unshakeable faith that unity and peace are the attainable goal towards which humanity is striving."

~ The Universal House of Justice
The Promise of World Peace