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.
- posted by jdesson @ 11:29 p.m.