The Wilmette Baha'i community recently elected its nine-member governing council for 2011-2012. The new Local Spiritual Assembly includes:(standing, L to R) Jim Barnes, Van Gilmer, Edward Price, Lorelei McClure, Martha Schweitz, (sitting, L to R) Stephen Connor, Sholeh Loehle, Ellen Price and Julie Walker. All met afterward and elected Jim Barnes chairperson for the coming year.
In Baha'i communities around the world, local and national Spiritual Assemblies are elected during the most holy period for members of the Baha'i Faith: the Festival of Ridvan, celebrated from April 20 to May 2.
The election of the Local Spiritual Assembly in Wilmette was held on April 20 during an annual meeting at the Baha'i Home (the former nursing home) on Greenleaf Ave.
Since the national headquarters for the American Baha'i community is located in Evanston, the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States is held annually at the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette. The 103rd Baha'i National Convention begins this week; April 28 through May 1, 2012.
The Founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah, (1817-1892) taught that in an age of universal education, there was no longer a need for a special class of clergy. Instead, he provided a framework for administering the affairs of the Faith through a system of elected councils at the local, national and international levels. All Baha'i elections occur through secret ballot and plurality vote, without candidacies, nominations or campaigning.
There are approximately 11,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies around the world, elected each year from among the adult believers in every locality where at least nine Baha'is reside. Local Assemblies minister to the needs of the local Baha'i community, organizing classes for the spiritual education of children, adult study circles, devotional programs, Holy Day observances, and service projects. They are also able to conduct Baha'i marriages and funerals.
The Baha'i Faith, founded in Persia (now Iran) in 1844, is the youngest of the world's independent monotheistic religions and one of the fastest-growing, with approximately 170,000 members throughout the United States and more than five million in the world.
Bahais view the worlds major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Baha'i tenets include the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace. To learn more about the Baha'i Faith in America, check www.bahai.us for information about the Wilmette Baha'i community, go to: www.wilmettebahais.org.
