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South Kohala News
June B.E. 182
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Special Events - This Month
Feast of Núr (Light)
Feast of Rahmat (Mercy)
Please see our calendar for when and where these events will be held.
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Spiritual Assembly of The Bahá’ís of South Kohala
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Contact us for any reason
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From the Spiritual Assembly
Allah’u’Abha! Dear friends,
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Below is a summary of the National Convention given to us by Corbin Doak.
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Summary of the 59th Bahá’í National Convention of the Hawaiian Islands (2025)
Held in Honolulu, Hawai‘i | April 26–27, 2025
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The 59th National Convention convened in a spirit of reverence, unity, and renewed determination among the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands. Thirty-six of thirty-eight elected delegates gathered to consult, reflect, and elect the 62nd National Spiritual Assembly, joined by members of the Auxiliary Board and the representative of the Continental Board of Counsellors, Ms. Roya Forghani of Australia.
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The Convention began with a day of spiritual preparation, including visits to the graves of Hands of the Cause of God, Martha Root and Agnes Alexander, and Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Dr. George Augur. Youth were especially active in preparing these sites, setting a tone of joyful service and reverence. Delegates also participated in a vibrant, youth-led Nineteen Day Feast hosted by the Honolulu community.
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Study and Reflection on the Riḍván Message
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The Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice was read and served as a central theme throughout the Convention. It reinforced the importance of a mode of operation rooted in study, consultation, action, and reflection, and highlighted the increasing capacity of Bahá’ís to engage in social transformation from the grassroots.
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Insights from the Field: Australia and Cluster Development
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Delegates from the O‘ahu cluster shared their experience visiting Australia, underscoring themes such as purity of motive, removing barriers to action, and advancing growth through family units. This learning fed into larger discussions about the movement of clusters across the islands. As the O‘ahu cluster has passed the third milestone, the focus turned to encouraging similar progress in other clusters, including Nā Moku Pili, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island.
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Key Themes in Consultation
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Consultation throughout the Convention emphasized:
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Deepening institutional collaboration and shared vision.
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Strengthening youth and junior youth engagement.
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Advancing social action and public discourse efforts.
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Recognizing the spiritual and practical needs of local neighborhoods.
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Encouraging accompaniment and time investment as vital to the Plan’s success.
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Practical experiences, such as the development of a spiritual wellness booth in Lahaina and children’s classes in Līhue, illustrated how acts of service are nurturing vibrant communities.
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Administrative Developments
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The National Convention included the presentation of annual reports and financial statements, as well as a workshop on statistical reporting. Delegates elected a new member, Heidi Mathison, to the National Spiritual Assembly, while offering heartfelt gratitude for the many years of service by retiring member Mollie Sperry.
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Message to the Universal House of Justice
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The delegates jointly crafted and approved a message to the Universal House of Justice expressing gratitude and reaffirming their commitment to advancing the Nine Year Plan. The message highlighted a unified vision to expand from one to four milestone clusters and to deepen efforts in social action, youth empowerment, and universal participation.
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In closing, ABM Roya Forghani urged the friends to consider how to refashion their lives in service to the Cause, to consult as families and communities about their capacity to serve, and to take action now, rather than waiting. Her metaphor summed it up: “We are not fixing a door handle—we’re rebuilding the house.”
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The Convention concluded with prayers, fortified by love, clarity of vision, and a sense of purpose for the year ahead.
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With warmest regards and loving thoughts,
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The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South Kohala
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Click the image to watch the recording of the live stream.
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Universal House of Justice - Ridvan Message 2025
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Attached please find the Ridvan Message from the Universal House of Justice for 2025. Below is a link to an audio recording of it and a link to the PDF version.
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READ IT
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LISTEN TO IT
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December 30th Message from the Universal House of Justice
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If you haven't studied this message yet please download it here.
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Videos Released
Below are three videos that have been released. We highly recommend watching all of them.
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“An Expansive Prospect”: New film explores Bahá’í efforts toward social transformation
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Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Short film explores the journey of the construction project
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Summons to Service
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A segment of "Luminous Journey: Abdu'l-Baha in America, 1912", a 2.5-hour documentary following the travels of Abdu'l-Baha in the United States and Canada. Divided into geographical sequences, the film also includes introductory segments, flashbacks, and a segment on Abdu'l-Baha's passing.
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Children's Corner
Each month we will share something for the children in this section of the newsletter. It may be a video, a website, a project, a song, etc. We hope the children like this and get something from our newsletter as well.
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Sincerity is an upbeat children's song inspired by a quote from the Bahá’í Teachings, "We should at all times manifest our truthfulness and sincerity."
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The lyrics are from Ruhi Materials' Book 3 about "Teaching Children's Classes."
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Music Selection
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Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
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Song created by Corbin Doak using AI
Video created by Corbin Doak.
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News and Articles
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Here you will find the latest news from around the world.
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From the Baháʼí World News Service and other sites
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New Bahá’í temple to be established in the Philippines
BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — The Universal House of Justice has called for a new Bahá’í House of Worship to be constructed in the Philippines, advancing the vision of temples that will radiate spiritual vitality and serve as the focal point of community life.
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This news follows announcements in April 2023 and October 2024 naming six additional sites where Houses of Worship are to be established—Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Malawi, Nepal, and Zambia. Together these developments highlight the global Bahá’í community’s effort to cultivate spaces that encourage profound reflection on humanity’s higher purpose and inspire collective action for the common good.
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Youth Interfaith Summit highlights spiritual dimension of climate action
LONDON — A fresh approach to climate discourse—one that transcends purely technical considerations by integrating moral and spiritual principles—came to the fore at a recent Youth Interfaith Summit in London, encouraging a sense of collective responsibility that spans generations.
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The Summit brought together some 60 young people from diverse faith backgrounds to explore the deeper dimensions of climate action.
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Olinga Foundation fosters literacy with moral purpose
ACCRA, Ghana — In a classroom, a girl stands before her peers and reads aloud from a slim booklet of stories on honesty and kindness, her face illuminated with newfound assurance. Only a few months earlier she hesitated over the alphabet; now her steady voice draws smiles from classmates who follow every line. Her achievement represents not just a personal milestone—it is a quiet signal that whole families and neighborhoods can change when learning is joined to moral purpose.
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Scenes such as this unfold daily in the many classrooms where the Olinga Foundation for Human Development—a Bahá’í-inspired educational endeavor—operates and partners with schools in their literacy programs, reaching 400,000 learners and 45,000 teachers across 250 rural communities in Ghana over its 25-year history.
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If you would like to join us for our virtual gatherings but don't know how please click the image below to watch a video on how to use Zoom.
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Keep in touch with us
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Please stay in contact, we have many options for you to connect with us.
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