On
April 10, people from across the city came together at the Ottawa
Bahá'í Centre for a ‘reflection meeting’ to sing, pray and consult
about the processes of community building in our neighbourhoods. At the
heart of this work is expanding access to Bahá'í activities, so all can
participate in enhancing the quality of community life. After an
exuberant musical presentation and a review of community activities,
the circle of participants split into smaller discussion groups to talk
about successes, challenges and plans for the future. One group
discussed how all families in Ottawa can be invited to participate in
moral education classes for children, usually held in neighbourhood
homes. Increasing the number of prayer gatherings or `devotionals' was
another topic. A point was raised about the urgent need in our society
for youth empowerment programs to be available to as many 12-14 year
olds in Ottawa as possible.
Finally, several participants spoke about inviting their friends to a
study program that allows more and more neighbours to build their
capacity for service locally and for the benefit of humanity.
The gathering ended with a cheerful song taught to us by the children.
