Community life
Get Involved
Open to everyone regardless of background, these activities form the foundation of community life. All are welcome.
Weekly gatherings
Devotional Gatherings
Bahá’ís host gatherings in which friends, Bahá’ís and others alike, unite together in prayer, often in one another’s homes. Devotional meetings are occasions where any soul may enter, inhale the heavenly fragrances, experience the sweetness of prayer, meditate upon the Creative Word, be transported on the wings of the spirit, and commune with the one Beloved. These gatherings serve to awaken spiritual susceptibilities within the participants, and in concert with the acts of service they perform, lead to a pattern of community life that is infused with the spirit of devotion. They are open to all people in the community and free of ritual; no one person has a special role.
Ongoing
Study Circles
In study circles, groups of friends or neighbors meet regularly, often in one another’s homes, to study passages from the Bahá’í Writings and perform acts of service. Through this study of the sacred Word and action, members of study circles develop capacities that allow them to contribute to the material and spiritual well-being of their community. Some common lines of action that develop from study circles include participants becoming teachers of children’s classes, animators of junior youth groups, or tutors of study circles themselves, as well as hosting devotional gatherings or undertaking projects of social and economic development in response to the unique needs of their neighborhood.
Ages 12–15
Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program
Between the ages of twelve and fifteen, young people begin to leave childhood behind and develop fundamental concepts about their identity and the role they will play in society. The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program (JYSEP) is founded on the idea that education must address both the intellectual and spiritual development of young people in this pivotal stage of life. Meeting weekly, junior youth groups work through materials that develop literacy and powers of expression, undertake community service projects, and build friendship, all while accompanied by an older youth mentor, known as an “animator,” who helps them discover their potential to serve their families, neighbors, and community.
Ages 5–11
Children’s Classes
For Bahá’ís, a vital issue is the spiritual and moral education of children. Although parents and family have the greatest responsibility for children within the family unit, children are also the trust of the community, and their well-being and moral development is the shared concern of all its members. Children’s classes are open to all children in a neighborhood and promote virtues and capabilities that help children grow up free from prejudice, recognizing the unity of humanity and appreciating everyone’s innate dignity and nobility. Bahá’u’lláh describes every person as “a mine rich in gems of inestimable value” and calls us to consider one another as “the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.” These classes help children discover and polish those qualities already within them.
Sacred occasions
Holy Days
The Bahá’í Holy Days include events related to the birth, declaration, and passing of both Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb. Their observance has both a personal dimension, providing a time for reflection on the significance of these events, and a social dimension, helping to deepen the identity and foster the cohesion of the community. The two “Most Great Festivals” are the Festival of Ridván, commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission, and the Declaration of the Báb. Also observed are Naw-Rúz (the Bahá’í New Year), the Twin Birthdays of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and days marking the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, the Martyrdom of the Báb, and others. Work is suspended on nine Holy Days.
Naw-Rúz
Bahá’í New Year
First Day of Ridván
Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission
Ninth Day of Ridván
Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined Him in the Garden
Twelfth Day of Ridván
Departure from the Garden of Ridván
Declaration of the Báb
The Báb’s declaration of His mission
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
Passing of Bahá’u’lláh
Martyrdom of the Báb
Martyrdom of the Báb
Birth of the Báb
Birthday of the Báb
Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh
Day of the Covenant
Appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as Center of the Covenant
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Young people
Youth
Youth have played a vital role in Bahá’í history. The Báb Himself declared His mission when He was but twenty-five years old, and so many among His early followers were in the prime of their youth. Thousands of young Bahá’ís have arisen in each generation to respond to the call of Bahá’u’lláh, encouraged to draw on the zeal and enthusiasm characteristic of the period of youth and so make decisive contributions to the advancement of spiritual and material civilization. In selfless service to society lies the possibility for both personal growth and an enhanced capacity to contribute to social progress.
More ways to participate
Other Activities
Home Visits
Conceived as a means for exposing believers to the fundamentals of the Faith, home visits are giving rise to an array of deepening efforts, both individual and collective, in which the friends are delving into the Writings and exploring their implications for their lives. Even an act of service as simple as visiting the home of a new believer reinforces ties of fellowship that bind the members of the community together.
Firesides
Whether in the form of firesides or study circles, individual efforts to share the Faith are on the increase. Equipped with skills and methods, effective and accessible to all, the friends are entering into closer association with people of many walks of life, engaging them in earnest conversation on themes of spiritual import. Firesides attract a growing number of seekers who are eager to explore the Bahá’í teachings and join in the life of the community.
Volunteer Day
First Saturday of each monthOn the first Saturday of each month, community members come together at the Bahá’í Center for a morning of volunteer service. Whether it’s tidying the grounds, organizing the library, or working on a community project — all are welcome to join.
Conferences
Information about upcoming conferences and gatherings will be shared here.
Interested in joining us?
Whether you’re exploring the Bahá’í Faith for the first time or looking for a community to call home — we’d love to hear from you.