Category Archives: Holy Days

Safe Place to Talk About Race

Dear friends,

This is a reminder of future dates for our community discussions on a Safe Place to Talk About Race. The United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, graciously continues to offer space for our meetings.

Walnut Room #111 on these Thursdays, 7 to 9 p.m.

October 18
November 15
None in December
January 17, 2019

Do not worry if you do not have a copy of this book: A Safe Place To Talk About Race. It is designed to stimulate discussions that have been so interesting and helpful to all of us. We will soon be choosing another book as we are coming to the end of this one. Please feel free to invite others too!

Greetings,

Ellen Parmelee and Kathy Wurzer

“Strengthening the Virtues” Series in Cedarburg

Strengthening the Virtues Within

Would you like to join a new group coming together to inspire the
practice of virtues in everyday life? Would you like to experience
the unifying effects of focusing on those qualities that make us human
– the qualities that are the very best of what humans are and aspire
to? Join us one night each month when we focus on a virtue and share
with one another how it transforms our lives. Learn strategies for
using these virtues to create safer, more caring, more supportive and
effective families and communities.

Come to one, come to all. The gatherings are designed for 10 years to
100. The meetings are loosely based on activities used by The Virtues
Project International.

The Virtues Project was founded in Canada in 1991 by Linda
Kavelin-Popov, Dr. Dan Popov and John Kavelin. It was honored by the
United Nations during the International Year of the Family as a “model
global program for families of all cultures”.

Give yourself the gift of growing bonds of friendship while we
celebrate what we have in common.

All meetings are held at the Cedarburg Library, usually the last
Monday of each month at 6:30pm. Dates for May-Sept, 2019 will be set
at a later date.

Oct 29, 2018 – Unity

Nov 26, 2018 – Assertiveness
Special attention will be given to”Boundary Setting”

Jan 28, 2018 – Compassion

Feb 25, 2019 – Justice
Practices for recognizing and utilizing “Teachable Moments”

Mar 25, 2019 -Joyfulness

Apr 29, 2019 – Mindfulness
The focus will be using virtues to practice Mindfulness

May TBA, 2019 – Gratitude

June 24, 2019 – Empathy
We’ll practice a strategy for effective “Companioning”

July TBA, 2019 – Wonder

Aug TBA, 2019 – Love

Sept TBA, 2019 – Service

If you have any questions, please email Jenny Wanasek.
jennywanasek@gmail.com

Devotional Meeting in Wauwatosa

Dear friends,

During the colder months with shorter days, it seems the time has come
to change the Wauwatosa devotional gatherings to the 3rd Saturday of every
month starting now:

Saturday, October 20th at 10 a.m.

Man may say: “I can pray to God whenever I wish, when the feelings of
my heart are drawn to God; when I am in the wilderness, when I am in
the city, or wherever I may be. Why should I go where others are
gathered upon a special day, at a certain hour, to unite my prayers
with theirs, when I may not be in a frame of mind for praying?” To
think in this way is useless imagination, for where many are gathered
together their force is greater. …If all … gather together then
their united spiritual feelings help each other and their prayers
become more acceptable. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 5, p.
46.

All friends and neighbors are invited to partake of the essence of the
mystic sense pervading all religions. I look forward to welcoming
you.

For location of the event or any other questions please contact Natalie Kahn at:

nat.kahn@gmail.com

Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities Conference

As we strive to address “America’s most challenging issue” here’s an opportunity to connect with those seeking community building and social justice.

Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities Conference
Wednesday September 26 – Friday September 28, 2018
Fiserv Forum and The Wisconsin Center
sponsored by SaintA

https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2%2Fsainta.org%2Fevent%2Fhealing-trauma-healthy-communities-conference-2018%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca592f7d2c1d7473fb78108d6159c8070%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636720159242468266&sdata=H9ev5M1QihjUpBpxiee6pCtfmL6Jpnv7WilvJFaZU4g%3D&reserved=0

swimconference@sainta.org

The welcoming program Wednesday evening September 26th is free but registration is required to obtain tickets.

Registration for workshops on Thursday and Friday is $150.00 until September 9th after which it is $190.00.

“…By focusing on insights derived from successful activities…the community can come to understand what constitutes effective action and learn to disseminate knowledge gained… to become protagonists of a process of community building and social change.”
– Universal House of Justice, letter of Feb. 4, 2018 addressed to an individual believer in USA

Doug and Carey Jordan, Waukesha

Safe Place to Talk About Race

Here are the future dates for our community discussions on a Safe Place to Talk About Race. The United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, 819 E Silver Spring Dr, graciously offered space for our next round of meetings.

Walnut Room #111 on these Thursdays, 7 to 9 p.m.

August 16
September 20
October 18
November 15
None in December

We hope with this advanced notice you can mark your calendars and join us. Do not worry if you do not have a copy of this book: A Safe Place To Talk About Race. It is designed to stimulate discussions that have been so interesting and helpful to all of us. We will be choosing another book as we are coming to the end of this one. Please feel free to invite others too!

Ellen Parmelee and Kathy Wurzer

Diversity Friendship Building

Here are local activities that some area Baha’is are supporting. Please consider joining in as our circles of loving friendship expand into the community we seek to transform with the healing message of Baha’u’llah.

Alice’s Garden

Alice’s Garden at 2136 N. 21st Street is a 2-acre community garden where community-building is strong. They need 100 volunteers to help build a 20,000 gallon underground cistern to store rain-water for irrigation and reduce storm-water overflow. The group promises music, fun, and free food for volunteers. Saturday, Sept. 15 from 10 am – 3 pm.

Race to End Racism:

In Racine Date: Saturday, Sept 29, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. Featuring presentations and small group discussions on implicit bias, mass incarceration, and race and education. Free lunch is provided. Location: Dr. John Bryant Center, 601 21st Street, Racine WI 52403 Sponsored by a coalition of Racine area organizations focusing on racial justice. Racine Baha’is are nurturing relationships with folks who are organizing this event and have had good conversations about Baha’i principles, Baha’i author Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, and also Baha’u’llah’s quote “…from the same dust…” They would appreciate attendance from the wider Baha’i community.

Upcoming Local Activities

Devotional Meeting at Starbucks
A Baha’i discussion and devotional meeting is held Wednesday’s at the Starbucks on Brady and Farwell at 2pm.

 Devotional Meeting in Wauwatosa
Devotional gathering in Wauwatosa, Thursday, Sept. 6th at 7 p.m. at the home of Natalie Kahn, Questions: nat.kahn@gmail.com

Youth Ruhi Class
Young adults, youth, and junior youth are welcome to join a Friday night group at 6pm to study books one and five in the home of Dan and Misky Gruel. For more information please contact Carmel Morgan-Weisberg at carmelmw@gmail.com or Lauren Vinsant at vinsantlg@gmail.com

Upcoming Milwaukee Feasts

Feast of Izzat / Might
Saturday Sept. 8, 2018, 10:30 am – 12:30pm
Atkinson Library Community Room
1960 W Atkinson Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53209
This library is at Capitol Drive and Atkinson Ave and parking entrance is from Atkinson.
Bus routes 6, 12, 19, and Red stop nearby.

Feast of Mashiyyat / Will
Saturday September 29, 2018, 10:30 – 12:30
Tippecanoe Library Community Room
3912 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
at the corner of Howell/Chase Avenue and Howard Ave and on the Green Bus line

Feast of Ilm / Knowledge
Sunday Oct. 14, 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm. Feast will begin at 1:30pm.
Central Library Community Room
814 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI
There is no charge to park on the street on Sundays.

Feast of Qudrat / Power
Sunday, Nov. 4, 1:00pm to 3:30pm. Feast will begin at 1:30pm.
Central Library Community Room,
The address is 814 W. Wisconsin Ave.

If you need a ride or can offer rides to any event please call or text Matine Spence: 608-347-0711.

Visiting Scholar of Baha’i History Will Share His Research

Mark your calendars for this unique opportunity.
Saturday, September 22, 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Wauwatosa Library, 7635 W. North Ave
Wauwatosa, WI

This year marks 100 years of Baha’i presence in the Holy Land and we have a rare opportunity to hear from a foremost scholar of the history of Baha’is in that land.

Dr. Shay Rozen, PhD, of the Avshalom Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel will be visiting Milwaukee and would like to meet the Baha’is and speak to us informally about his research. Dr. Rozen has spoken at numerous scholarly conferences including those put on by the European
Association of Israel Studies, the Center for Baha’i Studies Irfan Colloquia, the Association for Baha’i Studies North America, and many universities in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and North America.

Some titles of his academic talks include:

“‘The War Has Ended; the Doors Are Open Again’: Baha’i Western-Women Pilgrimage to the Holy Land After the Great War”

“Against all Odds: Shoghi Effendi and the Baha’i Community in Israel after the 1948 War”

“The Bahá’í Settlements in the Jordan Valley, 1882-1954”

“Doors of Hope: Baha’i Western Women’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land”

“Holy land, holy sites – the creation of a sacred Bahá’í landscape in the Land of Israel”

– lsamilwaukee@gmail.com

New Film “A Widening Embrace”

The Baha’i World Center has produced a film called A Widening Embrace. The film highlights how the youth and young adults in Baha’i communities all over the world are engaged in study circles, transforming their own lives and serving others. It is incredibly inspiring, stunning in its breadth of vision, and suitable for both deepening and teaching. Please share it widely. The film can be streamed online or downloaded for later viewing. It is available with subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Persian, Arabic, and Russian and is now also available fully dubbed in Spanish.
You can access the film at http://www.bahai.org/widening-embrace/

 

“From the Same Dust” Meeting Tuesday, August 14

The From the Same Dust discussion group would like to invite our community for an evening of dinner, prayer, study, and reflection on Tuesday, August 14 at the home of Kathy Wurzer.

Steps for the evening:

5:00 Potluck Dinner (Join us later if you can’t make 5, I’m sure there
will be leftovers.)

Prayers for unity

Study about how to integrate our actions involving racial justice and
unity toward the 5-year plan.

Reflections and consultation about our study

Prayer

For more info, contact:
kmwurzer@gmail.com or fromthesamedustwfb@gmail.com

August – September 2018 Milwaukee Feasts

Feast of Asma / Names
Saturday Aug 18, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Martin Luther King Library community room
310 W. Locust St. Milwaukee, WI 53212

Feast of Izzat / Might
Saturday Sept. 8, 2018, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Atkinson Library community room
1960 W Atkinson Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53209

Feast of Mashiyyat / Will
Saturday September 29, 2018, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tippecanoe Library community room
3912 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207