Bahai Blog
Monday, September 26, 2005
Well, our Ottawa Baha'i cluster meeting yesterday was very exciting, very productive and a heck of a lot of fun. Members of the teaching committee had organized some amazing and exciting video presentations. There were also amazing and energizing presenters. Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada (the annually democratically elected governing body of the Baha'is of Canada, consisting of nine men and women) were also at the reflection meeting. A spokesperson for the NSA spoke for very briefly to encourage the Baha'i; but largely they were there to observe and learn, they said.
This reflection meeting was the launch of the third cycle of our intensive program for growth, which will last for three months. There was a review of the last cycle which showed that the Baha'is of Ottawa and the various Baha'i institutions have achieved remarkable growth and development. What's very exciting about reflection meetings is that the community as a whole is learning and adapting their approaches and methods based upon the experiences and lessons learned from the previous cycle. This is so amazing, a community, under the guidance and leadership of the Baha'i institutions, collectively determines and implements its own growth. I don't know of any other group on the plant that can combine this combination of institutional guidance and grassroots people empowerment.
During the second half of the meeting, we divided up into groups based on our particular sector. We were provided with some quotations from the Baha'i Writings and some questions about how the previous cycle was organized and how successful the various activities so that we can improve things for this next cycle. In each group, the Baha'i participants offered suggestions, insights, constructive criticism and their various experiences with the previous cycle of intensive program of growth, as well as outlining their individual and group activities for this next cycle.
It is difficult to describe in words, how exciting it is the part of this collective community development; that is evolving and growing, based not upon authoritarian directives, but upon the initiative of individuals and small groups under the guidance of the Baha'i institutions. This is not a top down approach. This is the consultation with and collaboration between individuals and small groups who themselves freely organize and implement their own chosen activities.
For those of you who don't know what a cluster is, I'll explain. Baha'i communities are divided up into clusters and sectors. A cluster, in most cases, consists of several communities which are organized for the purposes of community development activities and the development of services to the larger non-Baha'i community. At this time, the services consist of children's classes, usually once a week, adult training programs, using the Ruhi program, and devotional gatherings which are open to all. In the case of large cities, like Ottawa, the entire city is a cluster itself. A cluster is then divided into subgroups called sectors, such that some community events and organization will take place within the sector. This way, the community participates as a whole within a more manageable small-group, the sector. On other occasions, it is appropriate for the Baha'is of the cluster to meet as a whole.
A reflection meeting is an opportunity for the community to consult and work together on a set of goals within a relatively short period of time, from three to six months. The community, that is a cluster, also may receive reports from other Baha'i institutions. In our case, in Ottawa, this cluster reflection meeting was organized by the teaching committee of the local spiritual assembly of the Baha'is of Ottawa in collaboration with the coordinators of the Institute board. Not every cluster can be organized in different ways, and I'm not aware of the different ways that clusters organize reflection meetings in different parts of the world. I can only comment on how they organized in my own area. In Ottawa, the teaching committee organized the event, but there was ample opportunity for the Baha'is themselves to consult, to offer comments and suggestions and to offer constructive criticism.
As an aside, the leadership is provided in the Baha'i Faith by the institutions; on the other hand, the ability to implement, to bring plans to fruition, relies on the initiative the Baha'is as individuals and small groups. For example, the teaching committee may have organized the Ottawa reflection meeting yesterday and outlined the goals for the next three months, but it is up to the Baha'i is themselves, as individuals and small groups, to consult together and decide the time, place and what specific activities they will perform. The Baha'is themselves, of course, are free to decide whether they wish to participate in the meeting at all or to participate in the implementation of these goals. In many cases, an individual is simply not able to attend a reflection meeting but may participate later, after consulting those who did attend. And many other cases, it was not possible for the Baha'i to attend or participate in these activities, simply because of family restraints, for example sample work or family related activities.
An essential ingredient, much like the cement that holds the bricks together of a building, is consultation in collaboration. Consultation and cooperation are very large subjects, and so it is not appropriate at this time to provide an adequate explanation. For now, consultation is a group decision-making process in which all are focused on a resolution of a problem or the manner in which activities will proceed. Collaboration is much like the word is normally used. In the case of the Baha'i community, various Baha'i institutions and individuals and groups individuals collaborate together so that their energies, their time in their activities are used most effectively, most productively, in harmony together and focused on common goals, though the implementation of those goals will vary with the groups and individuals.
I apologize for this long post. My concern was for those who were not Baha'is, or have had very little experience with Baha'i communities. I hope this provides some helpful information on these terms are used in future postings.
