One of my observations as a facilitator of ‘Reflections on the Life of the Spirit’ and ‘Arising to Serve’ was that practices were not being accomplished.  After rereading the Five Year Plan, Building Momentum, and To the Collaborators from books 1, 2 and 4 it became a little clearer that the active components of these Ruhi books were vital and inescapably necessary for the training of the Human Resources that the Universal House of Justice has asked our communities develop.

While engaged with the book ‘Arising to Serve’ I tried to think of ways that we could gain experience with approaching our families, friends, and neighbors with Baha′’u’lla′h’s message and to sharpen our perception and skill of being of service to others.

ACTIVITY:

Part 1

In a weekly study circle format of book two, ‘Arising to Serve’, everyone in the study circle was asked to share a short prayer or verse from the Writings of Baha′’u’lla′h’s with a family member, a close friend or neighbor.  

We practiced asking questions that could be answered by the content of the verses used in book two.  We also discussed different approaches each of us could use in introducing these verses of the Bahá’í Writings to another person outside our study circle.  One approach was simply that this was home work for a study circle that I am taking, ‘Arising to Serve’ and “Do you have a few minutes to help me?”

Part 2

The second part of the assignment was for each participant in the study circle to go out of their way, to make a conscious effort, to provide a service to another person outside of our study circle.  We then shared the results at our next study circle session.

We set some criteria on how to share these experiences in order to keep this activity from becoming a bragging session.  Each participant was asked to evaluate what action word would best describe the service, e.g. cooking, holding a door, repairing, babysitting, etc.  Then each participant was asked to share any feelings of ‘Profound Joy’ they may have felt.

Optional to the activity of being of service was for the individual to keep a record of the activity they performed, experiences felt, and the names of those that they felt might make a good contact for a devotional or study circle in the future.  If a person performed a service every week for one year they would have a number of good contacts to teach.

Practices

Both of these exercises are being done on a weekly basis.

The purpose of the above activities is to help participants of Ruhi study circles become more comfortable in reaching out to others with Baha′’u’lla′h’s teachings.  It is hoped that our apprehension of sharing prayers, starting devotionals and visiting families and to share the life of the Bab and Baha′’u’lla′h will be lessened.  A second purpose is to actively cultivate the habit of serving others on a more frequent and consistent level than in the past.

In addition to these activities, arrangements were made with Bahá’ís, friends of the Faith and others interested in the Faith to accept teams of two from this study circle to make their presentations as asked for in ‘practices’ of book two and book four.  Everyone participating in the study circle is paired off and is assigned to visit one of these families toward the end of the book. 

QUOTES

Book One – Reflections on the Life of the Spirit

Under ‘Practices’:  “Visit at least two Bahá’ís and study a prayer with them”.

Book Two – Arising to Serve

Under ‘To the Collaborators’:  “The units of the Ruhi Institute aim, in their entirety, at achieving three over all objectives:  Providing insights into spiritual matters, imparting knowledge about the Faith, and helping to develop skills for specific acts of service.”

“Book 2 is largely concerned with skills and abilities for specific acts of service.”

“The basic concept underlying all the units of the Ruhi Institute, irrespective of the particular emphasis of each, is that of ‘walking a path of service’.”

“Those who enter the program of the Institute set out on a path of personal spiritual growth and service of others.”

“This path necessarily begins with very simple acts of service, which then grow in complexity as the capacities of the participants increase.”

“The first act of service is introduced in the second unit of this book, ‘Deepening Theme’, which is designed to help the students develop the capability of making periodic visits to the homes of newly enrolled believers and sharing with them a number of themes.”

Practices

“It is important to note that the knowledge they are acquiring is gained in the context of sharing it with others.”

“It is hoped that this will set the stage for a life in which personal growth and service to others are seen as an integrated whole, and not as separate and sometimes conflicting ends.”

“Of course, in order to develop the necessary skills and abilities, it is not enough for the participants to simply study the themes in this unit and complete the corresponding exercises.”

“Opportunities need to be created for them to put the skills they are acquiring into practice.”

“What would be most desirable is for them to visit, either in groups or individually in the company of more experienced friends, the homes of nearby families for this purpose.”

Under ‘The Joy of Teaching’:

“To understand that the joy of teaching is in the very act in sharing with others the Word of God, independent of immediate results.”

Under ‘Deepening Themes’:

“To develop the capability of making periodic visits to the homes of newly enrolled believers and sharing with them a number of deepening themes.”

“Visit a few families and study with them at least the first three themes presented in this unit.”

Under ‘Introducing Bahá’í’ Beliefs’:

“To acquire the ability to introduce Baha’i’ ideas into a conversation.”

Book 4  - The Twin Manifestations For both the Bab and Baha′’u’lla′h – “—visit a few families and share with them a simple illustrated presentation of -   - life.”

Practices

Building Momentum: A Coherent Approach to Growth  (A document prepared by the International Teaching Centre)

Under – Categories of Clusters:  (one criteria)

“—the strength of the human resources raised up by the Training Institute for the expansion and consolidation of the Faith in the clusters and the ability of the institutions to mobilize these resources in the field of service.”

Under – Reaching Out to all Inhabitants:

“It is evident then, that a systematic approach to training has created a way for Bahá’ís to reach out to the surrounding society, share Baha′’u’lla′h’s message with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers and expose them to the richness of His teachings.  This outward looking orientation is one of the finest fruits of the grassroots learning taking place.”

Under – Intensification of Teaching Efforts:

“The House of Justice stated in its message of 9 January 2001 that at the core of an intensive program of growth: “Must lie a sound and steady process of expansion, matched by an equally strong process of human resource development.”

Five Year Plan:

“The purpose of the Five Year Plan is to build a system to meet these needs and in so doing to expand our capacity as individual believers, communities and institutions to love, serve, teach and embrace all souls who are searching for spiritual truth.”

Training Institute (Guidance from the Universal House of Justice)

“Since a key purpose of the study circle is to raise human resources that are to be utilized in the community, the Local Spiritual Assemblies, the Area Teaching Committees, and the Auxiliary Board Members ----.”