Bahá’í's of Largo
Bahá’í's of Largo
Shaping the Future of Youth
The Largo Bahá’í's was established in order to provide Largo citizens an environment in which they can reach their fullest potential. What started off as a small community venue has grown into an organization that’s committed to empowering adults and children of all backgrounds.
Our Core Activities
Devotional Gatherings
Devotional meetings spring up naturally in a community where a conversation about the spiritual dimension of human existence is growing. In diverse settings, Bahá’ís and their friends and families unite with one another in prayer. There are no rituals; no one individual has any special role. Meetings consist largely of reading prayers and passages from the Bahá’í sacred texts in an informal yet respectful atmosphere. A spirit of communal worship is generated by these simple gatherings, and this spirit begins to permeate the community’s collective endeavours.
Children's Classes
Indeed, classes, open to all, for the spiritual and moral education of children are typically among the first activities to be pursued by Bahá’ís in a locality.
Bahá’ís see the young as the most precious treasure a community can possess. In them are the promise and guarantee of the future. Yet, in order for this promise to be realised, children need to receive spiritual nourishment. In a world where the joy and innocence of childhood can be so easily overwhelmed by the aggressive pursuit of materialistic ends, the moral and spiritual education of children assumes vital importance.
Junior Youth Groups
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 the band of His followers were in the prime of their youth when they embraced His Revelation. During the ministries of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, young people were at the forefront of efforts to proclaim the message of the new Faith and to share its teachings with others.
The scope of the guidance and encouragement provided by the Universal House of Justice and of the response of young Bahá’ís today is too vast, and the activities it inspires too varied, to be described in their totality here. The pages of this topic collection, then, focus on one example: a series of youth conferences in 114 locations around the world which were held in 2013 along with waves of smaller gatherings that have been taking place ever since.
Study Circles
A study circle is a small group that meets at least once or twice a week for a few hours, usually in the home of one of its members, to study the course materials. Anyone aged fifteen or older, whether a Bahá’í or not, is welcome to take part. The group is brought together by a tutor associated with the training institute. Tutors do not hold any special status. They are simply those who are further along in their study of the materials. Everyone can potentially serve as a tutor on some occasions, while taking part as a member of a study circle on others. All those participating are seen as active agents of their own learning, and tutors strive to create an atmosphere that encourages individuals to assume ownership for the educational process in which they are engaged.
"Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms."
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Who We Are
Paving the Way to a Brighter Future
Building the global civilization envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh cannot be accomplished through the scattered efforts of individuals, no matter how devoted and well-meaning they may be. A community, unified in thought and action, has to come into being, grow, and move from strength to strength.
Each Bahá’í sees him or herself at once as a member of a local, national, and global community of adherents. Every effort is made to ensure that, at each of these levels, communities remain vibrant and open to all people; great care is taken to avoid the pitfalls of exclusivity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá counsels us: “See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness. … For each of the creatures is a sign of God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world; therefore they are not strangers, but in the family; not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such.”
The Bahá’í community came into existence gradually—from the handful who first heard the message of The Báb, to the enthusiastic band of followers of Bahá’u’lláh in cities and villages throughout nineteenth century Persia, to a global community of millions today, with members in more than 100,000 localities in virtually every country and territory around the world.
You can read more about the Bahá’í approach to community and community-building, on the open nature of Bahá’í community life, and on the relationships that Bahá’ís strive to forge between individuals, communities, and institutions, in the article titled “Community”, which is found within the “What Bahá’ís Believe” area of the worldwide Baha'i community website.
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Bahá’u’lláh has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us.