"The spiritual energy in the room was palpable," one participant
described the community's July reflection meeting. The Ottawa
Bahá’í community jumped into summer as several dozen participants
gathered at the Bahá’í Centre on MacArthur Avenue for the community's
semi-annual meeting to reflect on how to strengthen and extend Bahá'í
community life.
Enthusiasm was plentiful. Participants came together in
prayer, consultation, reflection and song. A highlight of the day was
the formation of teaching teams of various sizes, made up
of people working in a particular neighborhood or population
to support processes of community transformation. Many participants
were Bahá'ís and all were engaged in learning about how to contribute
to the spiritual and material development of their neighbourhoods.
Purposeful and interactive discussions on the four core activities were
the focus of the event. These activities, which form the basis for
Bahá'í community life, are described as follows: “meetings that
strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes that
nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; groups that channel
the surging energies of junior youth; circles of study, open to all,
that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing
and explore the application of the Bahá'í teachings to their individual
lives.” All came together in joyous company, sharing in a potluck lunch
over inspirational conversations and music.
The meeting brings excitement for the following weeks, during which the
participants intensify their efforts to expand these core activities
and welcome others into the pattern of community life.
