Participate
“All effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Devotional Meetings
These gatherings create a unique opportunity for people of different faiths and beliefs to practice collective worship and experience a mutual spirit of joy, love and fellowship as they come together to share devotional readings from the Holy Writings of the World Faiths. The devotional programs enable us to experience the spiritual essence of these diverse Teachings in a warm and inviting setting where each person present can enjoy the sense of the Divine that emanates from the sacred words and can feel inspired and uplifted. Whether at a local center, or in small groups in the comfort of a home environment with soft music and inspirational selected Writings, one can experience a sense of inner stillness and connection with the creative power.
Ruhi Study Circles
Study circles are regular gatherings of people interested in a systematic study of the Bahá’í Writings with practical applications to our daily lives. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the Holy Word, to comprehend its meanings and to find ways to apply them to our lives through spiritual transformation and service to humanity. The frequency and duration of each study circle are set by the group and a facilitator serves to maintain the focus and pace. Every participant in the group also makes a commitment to action or service. Anyone may attend.
Study circles bring together participants who undertake to walk together on a path of service to humanity. On this journey, they study a teaching aid with the assistance of a facilitator whose role is to facilitate discussion. From all backgrounds, they advance on equal footing and explore the application of religious teachings in their lives. The responsibility for learning is not based on a teacher but on the participants themselves. They accompany each other and confront their understanding in practice.
When members of a community all have access to the spiritual and scientific knowledge, they can learn together to practice them in their collective life. The change of culture they promote reveals how a new society emerges from the efforts of a growing number of people to practice the teachings of God for our time.
Children's Classes
"Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. They bear the seeds of the character of future society which is largely shaped by what the adults constituting the community do or fail to do with respect to children. They are a trust no community can neglect with impunity. An all-embracing love of children, the manner of treating them, the quality of the attention shown them, the spirit of adult behavior toward them—these are all among the vital aspects of the requisite attitude. Love demands discipline, the courage to accustom children to hardship, not to indulge their whims or leave them entirely to their own devices. An atmosphere needs to be maintained in which children feel that they belong to the community and share in its purpose." -Universal House of Justice
In neighborhoods in Parksville and the Oceanside area, classes are being offered to children with the assistance of parents and volunteers. These classes include the sharing of prayer, the study of holy writings, telling stories, singing, cooperative games and activities. They are tailored to different age groups from 5 to 11 years and promote social and cultural diversity of their participants.
Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program
Baha’i-sponsored junior youth classes, free and open to everyone regardless of their beliefs, help teach spiritual, moral and ethical decision-making skills. Usually facilitated by an older adolescent or young adult, junior youth classes empower the development of inner transformation based on an altruistic sense of higher purpose. Encouraging idealistic as well as practical goals, junior youth classes emphasize the growth of spiritual capacity as a path to fun, friendship, happiness, fulfillment and positive social change.
Nurturing those capacities in junior youth groups tends to bring out the best and most noble aspects of the adolescent soul, mind and spirit.
Contact us
We invite you to learn about the Bahá’í Faith and get involved in the transformative neighbourhood activities taking place throughout the Oceanside area, in Canada or the worldwide Bahá’í community.