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Please note: program details are subject to change.

September 3 – 6

A New Balance of Form and Spirit

Homecoming Family Weekend

The Covenant and Administration

An intensive study with retired Universal House of Justice Member, Mr. Glenford Mitchell

Music with Red Grammer and Gwendolyn Watson

The ultimate purpose and goal of the Bahá’í Revelation is the establishment of a New World Order. Bahá’u’lláh states in His Kitáb-i-Aqdas that it has "upset" the world's equilibrium and extols the "wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have not witnessed." We learn from Shoghi Effendi that the Bahá’í Administrative system is not only the "framework" of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but also the "nucleus and pattern of the New World Order" announced by Bahá’u’lláh. It is self-evident, then, that the efforts we make in advancing the process of entry by troops in the Five Year Plan are directed towards reaching that ultimate goal. Hence, acquiring knowledge and appreciation of the Administrative Order, which is vitalized by the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, is essential to the success of these efforts. $15 Materials Fee.

An educational program for children and junior youth is included.

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September 24 – 26

Cultivating Distinction – The Bahá’í Electoral Process

Ted Amsden

Imagine an election in which voters representing the entire diversity of the human race gather in an atmosphere of reverence and prayerful reflection, where electors vote not based on the effectiveness of political campaign ads and electioneering efforts, but on careful consideration of the requisite qualities and skills needed for the task, and where, after the votes are cast and tallied, the entire group radiantly and joyfully embraces the outcome of the election in a spirit of absolute unity and love. Such is the distinct nature of all Bahá’í elections. In a letter dated 25 March 2007, the Universal House of Justice calls for a “wholehearted embrace of the Bahá’í electoral process” on the part of all believers. This course’s objective is to increase appreciation of the sanctity of Bahá’í elections and to highlight the distinctive manner in which Bahá’í electoral practices differ from secular elections. The program will cover the necessity of elections in Bahá’u’lláh’s Administrative Order; participation in elections as a sacred responsibility; and Bahá’í election practices and their guiding spiritual principles.

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October 7– 10

`IRFÁN Colloquium

Concurrently conducted in English and Persian

Various Presenters

`Irfán Colloquium at Louhelen Bahá'í School inaugurates a four year centenary celebration of `Abdu'l-Bahá`'s Talks, and significant events associated with His historic travels to the West (1911-1913). `Irfán Colloquia programs include presentations on systematic Bahá’í studies of fundamental principles of the Bahá’í beliefs, the Writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith, and the interface of the Bahá’í Faith with current intellectual and religious trends. There are also intervals of musical performances. `Irfán Colloquia take place in an informal and collegiate atmosphere and provide a unique opportunity to meet and associate with those interested in systematic Bahá’í studies. Participants receive a free set of `Irfán publications. Program starts after dinner on October 7 and ends after lunch on October 10. Includes a program for children and junior youth.

Conference Fee $50. Visit www.irfancolloquia.org for more information.

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October 22 – 24

Junior Youth Weekend: Junior Youth and the Environment

Peter Adriance, Jordan Glist, Jessica Gaines, Daniel James, and Lloyd Brown

An uplifting weekend session for junior youth ages 12-14! Explore your role in the world, reflect on the impact that you can have on the environment, and discover your capacity to be a positive force in your community! Join other junior youth this weekend for interactive activities, study of the Bahá’í writings, recreation and prayer, and harness your latent spiritual powers for the transformation of the world!

An excellent opportunity to bring a friend!

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October 22 – 24

Environmental Stewardship and Justice

With Peter Adriance; Jordan Glist; Jessica Gaines; Daniel James; and Lloyd Brown

Parallel to the special weekend for junior youth, this workshop in designed for youth and adults to explore themes of environmental stewardship and justice with an aim toward increasing the individual's capacity and sense of commitment to act for the wellbeing of humanity and the Earth. We will immerse ourselves in the Bahá'í Writings and engage in creative and interactive learning exercises – both indoors and out – gaining a deeper appreciation for the natural world, our place in it and our impact on it and others. We will draw inspiration not only from the Writings of the Faith but from a variety of other resources as well as the natural surroundings at the school. Participants will return home armed with ideas and energy for translating their learning into acts of service and stewardship in the Bahá'í community and beyond. This session is inspired in part by the National Spiritual Assembly’s letter of February 25, 2010 to the American Bahá'í community which noted, “...human pressures on the environment are escalating... requiring humanity to develop a greater sense of stewardship and responsibility for the environment, as well as a greater awareness of the interdependence and oneness of all the earth's inhabitants.” The letter encouraged us to “incorporate greater awareness of the environment in [our] community life and core activities.”

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October 29 – 31

BNASAA Conference

Bahá’í Network for AIDS, Sexuality, Addictions, and Abuse

The Bahá’í Network on AIDS, Sexuality, Addiction and Abuse, under the sponsorship of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, to better understand and apply the healing message of Bahá'u'lláh to these pressing social issues. It includes: workshops, and plenary sessions.

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November 5 – 7

Bahá’í Approaches to Contemporary Problems

June and Richard Thomas

Community Musician, Barbara Qualls

Every day the news media, our workplaces, and numerous social settings bombard us with information that defies easy comprehension, threatening to paralyze action. How are we to respond to constant reports of wars and social conflicts, natural disasters that demolish whole communities, and a steady diet of violence, apathy, political corruption, extremes of wealth and poverty, and racial conflict? How can we as individuals and as communities respond in a way that is life-affirming and useful? This short weekend session will address the issue of understanding how to identify key contemporary problems, interpret them in light of Baha’i writings, and carry out actions that will allow us to live in harmony with existing circumstances and yet carry out focused action designed to help build a new civilization. The course will in that way further the ideas of “understanding and practice” mentioned in one chapter of Paul Lample’s Revelation and Social Reality. It will also draw on the Universal House of Justice’s treatise Century of Light, which helps us to view historical events with spiritual eyes.

The weekend includes community arts and a program for children and junior youth.

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December 3 – 5

Heeding the Call
– Conducting Neighborhood Children’s Classes

Karen Darling, Children's Class Coordinator for Central Michigan Clusters

Many have heeded the message that “conducting children’s classes…is a unique enterprise, of special urgency.” (Universal House of Justice, Ridván 158, Letter to the Continental Board of Counselors) and experienced the blessings of arising to conduct neighborhood Bahá’í Children’s Classes. Whether already walking this path of service, or looking to begin, come reflect on the experience of giving children and their families access to the Word of God in their neighborhoods. Draw from the practical experience of children’s class teachers and add to a repertoire of songs, games, art activities and class management skills that enhance the spiritual concepts studied in Ruhi Book 3. Explore ways to initiate and sustain this core activity, consult about challenges you face, and share success stories!

A program for children and junior youth is included.

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December 3 – 5

The Báb and His Writings

Robert Stockman, director, Wilmette Institute

In His short ministry (1844-50) the Báb revealed thousands of tablets of varying lengths on a wide variety of subjects and in numerous genres (poetry, prayers, letters, commentaries, treatises). In spite of the severe persecution suffered by His followers and His own martyrdom, hundreds of His works have survived in manuscript form. Thanks to provisional translations by Bahá’í scholars and reviews of their content by Hasan Balyuzi and Nader Saiedi, information about them is becoming more and more widely available in English. The course will survey the major works of the Báb, summarize what is known about each, review the themes and teachings they cover, highlight a few translated passages from them, and offer a preliminary review in English of the Báb’s major teachings.

A program for children and junior youth is included.

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December 27 – January 1, 2011

Family Winter School

Music with Cara Williams and Shameem Moshrefzadeh

The Garments of Learning and Knowledge: Reflections on an Emerging Approach to Individual and Collective Development

Michael Penn, Kathy Penn

This seminar style workshop is suitable for people of all faith traditions and will employ brief lectures, storytelling, film clips, arts & crafts, and the methods of the devotional gathering and study circle in order to examine a mode of learning and community development that has begun to emerge out of the study of the Baha'i Writings, practical experience, and the guidance of the Universal House of Justice. Our goal is to experience this new mode of learning while also reflecting upon the logic that animates its philosophical principles and spiritual roots.

A New Culture of Teaching

Jaleh Dashti Gibson

In its Ridván 2010 letter, the Universal House of Justice calls teaching the Faith “a basic requirement of a life of generous giving” and reminds us that “teaching should remain uppermost in the mind of every believer.” During this session, we will explore how the new culture that is emerging in Bahá’í communities actually redefines our understanding of what teaching is and how we should teach. What is the nature of teaching in the current plan? What is our purpose in teaching the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh? What qualities do we need to cultivate in order to teach? How does teaching become a vehicle for greater involvement in the life of society? Come for a lively, interactive study of “the most meritorious of all deeds” during this exciting time in Bahá’í history and leave with ideas for action to carry back to your community.

A program for children and junior youth is included in this annual family retreat.

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