TheNineYearPlan 2022-2031
-TheUniversalHouseofJustice
AtRiḍvánthisyearwedescribedhow,overthecourseofa quartercentury,theBahá’íworldunderwentatransformation thatendoweditwithanundreamed-ofcapacitytolearn,to grow,andtoservehumanity.But,howeverbrightwerethe achievementsofthisperiod,theymustbeeclipsedby what istocome.BytheconclusionofthenewseriesofPlans recentlybegun,theBahá’ícommunitywillneedtohave acquiredcapacitiesthatcanscarcelybeglimpsedatpresent. Inyourdeliberationsoverthecomingdays,youwill beoccupied withexploringwhatisrequiredtobring intobeing suchafortifiedcommunity.
MessagesoftheUniversalHouseofJustice
BookdesignbyEthanMartin CoverdesignbyPatrickFalso CoverphotographofentrancetotheSeatoftheUniversal HouseofJustice.Copyright©Bahá’í InternationalCommunity.
Copyright©2022bytheNationalSpiritualAssembly oftheBahá’ísoftheUnitedStates.Messagesofthe UniversalHouseofJustice.Copyright©Bahá’í InternationalCommunity.
Bahá’íPublishing
Allrightsreserved.Published2022 PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonacid-freepaper∞ 25242322432 1 ISBN978-1-61851-215-4
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TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld
OntheOccasionoftheCentenary
2022 TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld 11.UnfoldmentoftheDivinePlan–Chart 37 39 75 83 89 92 109 1 7 27 31
TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld
Commemorationofthe Ascensionof‘Abdu’l-Bahá 5.1December2021
2. Riḍván
6.
Contents
1.25November2020
3.25November2021
9.4January2022 TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld
ContinentalBoardsofCounsellors 7.1January2022 ToallNationalSpiritualAssemblies 8.3January2022 TotheAuxiliaryBoardmembers
TotheFriendsGatheredintheHolyLand toMarktheCentenaryCommemoration oftheAscensionof‘Abdu’l-Bahá
4.27November2021
10.Riḍván
TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld 30December2021
TotheConferenceofthe throughouttheWorld
2021
TotheBahá’ísoftheWorld
Wegreetyouwithimmenseaffectiononthisspecial day,anoccasionforcallingtomindthepowerofthe Covenant,thatpowerwhich“pulsatethinthebodyofthe contingentworld”andforgesenduringbondsofloveamong thebelievers.InthemonthssinceRiḍván,wehave seenthe evidencesofthisdynamicpowerinthe unifiedactivity ofBahá’u’lláh’sfollowers,ledsoablybytheinstitutions oftheCauseineachcontinentandcountry,asthe friendseverywherehavesoughtwithcharacteristic creativityanddeterminationtoministertotheneeds of anailingworld.Yourresilienceandyourunwavering commitmenttothewell-beingofthosearoundyou, persistentthroughalldifficulties, havefilleduswith tremendoushope.Butitisno wonderthat,insome otherquarters,hopehasbecomeadepletedresource. Thereisamountingrealizationonthepartoftheworld’s people thatthedecadesaheadaresettobringwiththem challengesamongthemostdauntingthatthehuman familyhaseverhadtoface.Thecurrentglobalhealthcrisis isbutonesuch challenge,theultimateseverityofwhose cost,bothtolivesandlivelihoods,isyetunknown;your effortstosuccourandsupportoneanotheraswell as yoursistersandbrothersinsocietyatlargewill certainlyneedtobesustained,andinplacesexpanded.
1.1
1 25November2020
DearlylovedFriends,
1.2
Itisagainstthisbackgroundoffuriousstorms lashinghumanitythatthearkoftheCauseisabout to embarkuponaseriesofPlansthatwillcarryitinto thethirdcenturyoftheBahá’íEraandsignificantly strengthentheBahá’ícommunity’scapacityforrealizing thesociety-buildingpowersoftheFaith.Asyouare aware,thefirstPlantocommencethisnewserieswill lastbutoneyear.Inplaceswherecircumstancesprevent nationalcommunitiesfromestablishingasmany intensive programmesofgrowthbeforeRiḍván2021asthey intended,thesetwelvemonthswillextendthetime availabletothemtodoso.Meanwhile,whereverthe processofgrowthhasalreadybeenintensified,theyear willbeanopportunitytoconsolidatetheachievements madeduringthecurrentPlan,whilecultivatingthe conditionsnecessaryforwelcominglargerandlarger numbersofsoulsintotheembraceofacommunity recognizedforitsfortitudeandoutward-looking orientation.Atthenational,regional,andclusterlevels, welooktocommunitiesofprovenstrengthtohelpthose inwhich lessexperiencehasaccrued.Inthisyear-long effort,everycommunitymustdrawonwhatever untapped potentialitmaypossessandseektoovercomeany obstaclesthatareimpedingitsgrowth,thereby preparingitforthedemandstocome.Foritiswithin the contextofaflourishingcommunity,especiallya centreofintenseactivityinavillageorneighbourhood, andwhen eachelementofthePlan’sframeworkis giventhe a�entionitrequires,thatthoseelements mostvisiblycohereandconnect,multiplyingthe community’s powersinthefieldofaction.
2
1.3
Besidesprovidingforadvanceswithinclusters everywhere, thecomingPlanwillbeayearforprofound reflectiononthelifeof‘Abdu’l-Baháandthestrengthof theCovenantofwhichHewastheCentre,asthecommunitypreparestocommemoratethecentenaryofHis Ascension.Theobservanceofthisanniversarywill undoubtedlypromptindividualsandcommunities alike tocontemplatethesignificanceofthatinfinitely poignant momentwhenHeWhowastheMysteryofGod departedfromthisworld.Hispassingtookfromthe Bahá’ísofthateraaFigureWhowastheobjectoftheir ardentloveandloyalty;tothefaithfulofthisage, He remainswithoutparallel:aperfectembodimentinword anddeedofallthatHisFathertaught,theOne through WhomtheCovenantofBahá’u’lláhwas “proclaimed, championedandvindicated”.Weare consciousthat thecomingyearwillalsomarkacentury sinceHisWill andTestament—that“momentous”,“historic”,“immortal” Document—“calledintobeing,outlinedthefeatures andsetinmotiontheprocesses”of theAdministrative Order,“theverypa�ernofthat divinecivilization which thealmightyLawofBahá’u’lláhisdesignedto establish uponearth”.This“unique”and “divinely-conceived” Order,this“mightyadministrativestructure”,had been fashionedbyitsArchitectto perpetuatetheCovenant andchannelthespiritual powersoftheCause.Itwillbe apparent,then,thattheDayoftheCovenantnextyear, exactlytwelvemonths fromnow,willbeespecially meaningful.Weask NationalSpiritualAssembliesto determinehowthesetwodates,occurringsoclose together,mayeachbe observed,takingintoaccount prevailingconditionsintheircountries.
3
Themomentumthatissuretobuildwitheach successivecycleoftheOneYearPlanwillbefurther augmentedbythereleaseoftwofilms.Thefirstofthese, whichwillbecomeavailableintimeforthecentennial commemoration,willbeaportraitofthePersonof ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.BesidesbeingatributetoHislifeand work,itwillexplorehow,bychampioningtheoneness ofhumanitythroughHiswordsanddeeds,Heoffered achallengetothestaleassumptionsandprejudicesof theage,andgavestimulustoaprocessofunification whichcontinuestothisday.Asecondfilm,following
Allthewhile,earnestpreparationscontinuetobe madeintheHolyLandforthecommemorationofthe centenaryoftheAscensionof‘Abdu’l-Baháatagatheringatwhich,itishoped,representativesofNational SpiritualAssembliesandRegionalBahá’íCouncilswill bepresent.Similarly,plansarealreadybeingmadefor theconferenceoftheContinentalBoardsofCounsellors andAuxiliaryBoardmembers,whichwillcoincide,in January2022,withthelapseofonehundredyearssince thefirstpublicreadingoftheWillandTestamentofthe Master.Conditionsintheworldmay,ofcourse,require theplansbeingmadeforthesegatheringsattheBahá’í WorldCentretochange.Butcomewhatmay,wehave nodoubtthattheeffortsmadeinlocalcommunities worldwidetobefi�inglycommemoratetheAscension of‘Abdu’l-BaháandtohonourtheDayoftheCovenant inthiscomingcentennialyearwillprovidetheimpetus neededtolaunchthesucceedingstageinGod’sMinor Plan,evenasProvidencepropelstheunfoldmentofHis MajorPlaninaccordancewithHisincontestabledecree.
1.4 1.5
4
Thesignificanceoftheoccasionsbeingmarked duringtheOneYearPlanwilllenditauniquecharacter, enhancingtheworkbeingundertakeninclustersand makingthissingleyeartheidealpreparationforthe globalendeavourthatistofollow.Withasenseofjoyful anticipation,weannouncethattheBahá’íworldwill,at Riḍván2022,beginaNineYearPlan.Itsrequirements and provisionswillbesetoutatalaterdate,butitsduration alreadygivesanunmistakableindicationofthe expansiveprospectitwillpresent.Godwilling,itwill be heraldedbytheconvocationofaseriesof conferencesheldoveraspanofmonthsacrosstheglobe.
5
1.6 1.7
This,sofarasitcanbeforeseen,isthecoursethe Bahá’ícommunitywillseektotread.Forthepresent hour,weurgeyoutorecommityourenergies,keeping yourfocusonthemissionimmediatelybeforeyou.We areimmenselygratifiedtoseetheassuredcomposure withwhichthecommunityoftheGreatestNamehas soughttoofferthedivineremedyunderallconditions, especiallyduringthisperiodwhensociety’sestablished pa�ernsoflifehavebeendisruptedandrisksofdifferentkindsarebeingfacedbysomany.Withal,the friendsmustguardagainstbeingdrawnintotheultimatelyfutileconflictandstrifethatcharacterizesso muchofthediscussionoftheaffairsofsociety,or—
soonafterthefirst,willreflectontheexpirationof the firsthundredyearsoftheFormativeAgefromthe vantagepointoftheheightstowhichtheBahá’í community hasclimbed,andfromwhereitcannowgazeupon new horizons.
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