Mark the day in your diary 21st Oct
200th Anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah
Newbury Town Hall, Berkshire
21st of October 2017
Open Day with two short programmes at 11:00 a.m & 1:00 p.m.
JOIN US!
‘Who is Bahá’u’lláh’ film
A new film is soon to be released about the mission of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith and will be used in schools across the country. It is envisaged that this film will not only inform, but also inspire young people from a variety of diverse settings and backgrounds to examine their own lives and capacities for service to humanity.
Watch the stunning teaser here:
We must search after the truth
The final session on the topic of ‘Seeking Knowledge’ started with a discussion on how we acquire knowledge. We spend our lives striving to learn about the world around us and searching after the truth. This requires us to be attentive – to listen, to observe, to think deeply. We strive, and we persevere. Often we make mistakes, but our understanding increases as we think about what we did and continue to put forth effort.
He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favor and the ways of His mercy.
The regular children classes on moral and spiritual education of children in Newbury are led by youth aged 14-16 years old. Here is the summary of the lesson prepared by one of the young teachers:
We started off the lesson with prayers, as usual. We then told the children the theme for the lesson: Searching after the Truth and taught them a quote about that very theme. Afterwards, we sang a song and played a game outside.
The participants had to look around the garden to find little cards with simple pictures drawn on them: a flower, the sun, a house, etc. 
They had to memorise all the drawings that they could find and after five minutes had elapsed, the children came together and attempted to remember all the pictures that they had seen and write them down on a piece of paper. This made them not only get a breath of fresh air, but also practice the art of knowledge because of the memorisation.
The children seemed to enjoy this particular activity and after that we all went back inside to once again recall the quote learned previously and also to draw pictures with the theme of knowledge.
Knowledge is Essential for Human Progress
The children have been learning about the importance of gaining knowledge of the sciences and arts in order to build a better world. We are encouraged to learn these, as well as to acquire spiritual knowledge that comes from the teachings of God.
These teachings give us a deeper understanding of the world around us and inspire us to use our knowledge for the benefit of others, to remove conflict and to promote cooperation and harmony.
Exert every effort to acquire the various branches of knowledge and true understanding. Strain every nerve to achieve both material and spiritual accomplishments.
To illustrate the importance of gaining knowledge, the children learned about Susan Moody, an American who lived in the early 1900s. Susan started studying medicine at the age of 52 and several years later decided to work as a doctor in Tehran, Iran.
Susan was aware of the religious traditions there and that many women considered it improper to show their faces to a male doctor. As there was a pressing need for female doctors in Iran, Susan soon established a medical practice and was helping in the education of girls and women.
She died in Iran at the age of 83, after having spent some twenty years of her life applying the knowledge she gained to better her new homeland and helping others, especially women, to have the opportunity to do the same.
Here are some inspiring youngsters that recently spent a day teaching children about generosity and the laws of God.
New CD from Anis Foundation
Women who changed the world is the 2nd CD from this publishing house, the first being The Master: stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for children.
You can order copies here
Should a man be killed for his religion ?
Farhang Amiri, 63, was murdered outside his home on 26 September 2016 in the city of Yazd, Iran, where he and his family have long resided. “He was known among his neighbors for his kindness, gentleness, wisdom, and humility,” said Ms. Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.
