In this supreme, this sacred and international undertaking in which the
followers of Baha'u'llah, in all the continents of the globe, are summoned
to show forth the noblest spirit of self-sacrifice, the members of the
American Baha'i Community must by virtue of the abilities they have
already demonstrated and of the primacy conferred upon them as the chosen
trustees of a Divine Plan, play a preponderating role, and, together with
their brethren residing in the cradle of their Faith, who are linked by
such unique ties with its Herald, set an example of self-abnegation worthy
to be emulated by their fellow-workers in every land.
Whilst the members of this privileged community, laboring so valiantly in
the Western Hemisphere, are widening the range of their manifold
activities, and thereby augmenting their responsibilities, in both the
Holy Land and the African continent, the original tasks, associated with
the prosecution of the Second Seven Year Plan, must, simultaneously with
this added and meritorious effort which is being exerted, in memory of the
beloved Bab, and for the spiritual emancipation of the downtrodden races
of Africa, be carried to a triumphant conclusion. Though the present
deficit in their National Fund may, in a sense, register a failure on
their part to meet their pressing obligations, and may arouse in their
hearts feelings of self-reproach and anxiety, I can confidently assert
that the supplementary duties they have discharged, and the material
support they have extended, and are now extending, for the conduct of
activities, not falling within the original scope of their Plan, not only
fully compensate for an apparent shortcoming, but constitute, instead of a
stain on their record of service, additional embellishments to the scroll
already inscribed with so many exploits for the Cause of Baha'u'llah.
Assured that no blot has marred so splendid a record of service; confident
of their destiny; reliant on the unfailing guidance of the Founder of
their Faith as well as on His sustaining power, let them address
themselves, with unrelaxing vigilance and undiminished vigor, to the task
of rounding off the several missions undertaken by them in Latin America,
and in the North American and European continents.
The extension of the necessary material support and administrative
guidance to the forthcoming national assemblies of Central and South
America that will enable them to develop along sound lines and without any
setback in the course of their unfoldment; the steady consolidation of the
victories already won in the ten goal countries of Europe; the
maintenance, at its present level and at whatever cost, of the status of
the assemblies and groups so laboriously built up; the provision of
whatever is required to fully complete the interior of the Temple and
beautify the grounds surrounding it, in preparation for its formal
inauguration and its use for public worship--these should be regarded as
the essential objectives of the American Baha'i Community during the
two-year interval separating us from the Centenary celebrations of the
prophetic mission of the Founder of our Faith.
Time is running short. The effort required to discharge the manifold
responsibilities now challenging the members of a lion-hearted community
is truly colossal. The issues at stake, demanding every ounce of their
energy, are incomparably glorious. An ominous international situation
emphasizes this challenge and reinforces the urgency of these issues. In
the Holy Land, amid the tribes of a dark continent, over the wide expanses
stretching from Panama to the extremity of Chile, in the heart of its own
homeland, as well as in the new European field, marking the projection of
its world mission across the seas, the American Baha'i Community must
deploy its forces, hoist still higher its pennants, and erect still more
glorious memorials to the heroism, the constancy and the devotion of its
members. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Whose Plan they are executing in both hemispheres,
and to Whose summons they are now responding in the African continent; the
Bab, Whose Sepulcher they are helping to erect; above all Baha'u'llah,
Whose embryonic World Order they are building in the Holy Land and in
other continents of the globe, look down upon them from Their retreats of
glory, applauding their acts, guiding their footsteps, vouchsafing Their
blessings, and laying up, in the storehouses of the Abha kingdom such
treasures as only They can bestow.
May the members of this community prove themselves, as they forge ahead
and approach yet another milestone on the broad highway of their mission,
worthy of still greater prizes, and fit to launch still mightier
enterprises, for the glory of the Name they bear, and in the service of
the Faith they profess.
[March 29, 1951]