Expansion Phase of Cycles of Growth

1. "The expansion phase... demands the highest level of intensity. Its objective is to widen the circle of those interested in the Faith, to find receptive souls and to teach them. Although this phase might include some element of proclamation, it should not be seen as a time to hold a few events for this purpose or to undertake a set of activities that merely convey information…

"Plans being devised for this phase invariably involve the implementation of carefully designed teaching projects and campaigns of home visits and firesides, often through the mobilization of teaching teams."

(The Universal House of Justice, 27 Dec. 2005)

2. “…the expansion phase… does so much to determine the outcome of each cycle. The precise objectives of each expansion phase vary, of course, depending on conditions in the cluster and the circumstances of the Bahá’í community. In some instances, its main aim is to increase participation in the core activities; in others, readiness to enroll in the Faith is discovered. Conversations about the Person of Bahá’u’lláh and the purpose of His mission occur in a variety of settings, including firesides and visits to homes. The actions undertaken during this phase allow abilities developed through studying the relevant institute materials to be exercised and refined... The approach of working in teams allows the friends to serve together, offer mutual support, and build confidence—but even when carrying out actions individually, they are coordinating their efforts to greater effect. Their focus and investment of time endow this short but decisive phase of the cycle with the intensity it demands.”

(The Universal House of Justice, Dec. 29), 2015)

3. Expansion Phase: “the burst of expansion experienced as a result of intense action.”

(The Universal House of Justice, Dec. 12, 2011)

Reflection Gathering Marks Midway Point of Five Year Plan

The Pinellas Cluster reflection gathering was held on October 20 at the Clearwater center.  22 friends met to share their experiences during the previous three months and to prepare for Cycle 11 (Oct. 20 – Jan. 25). 

www.MyStar95.com prepared an uplifting music program that was played from 2:30 – 3:00 while the friends enjoyed fellowship and refreshments.  Two announcements were made on the Baha’i-inspired internet radio station about the purpose of a reflection gathering.  At three o’clock, a Baha’I prayer set to music was played and this was used to begin the devotions at the start of the meeting.

Here are a few highlights from the consultation:

• There was much interest in the youth and young adults getting together in St. Pete Beach.  The story of how this began and what they are doing was shared.
• The success of ongoing home visits to make connections and build community.
• How to help promote and participate in efforts throughout the cluster?  “Supporting” each other creates energy.”
• How to better engage in efforts to eliminate racism, including use of recent NSA messages on the subject?
• A few adjustments were made for the next reflection gathering.  These included the need to send out the study materials in advance so we are prepared to discuss them.
• A calendar showing the dates of the next 4 cycles, and the phases of each three-month period of activity, was handed out.  This is posted at the cluster’s website: www.PinellasATCResources.blogspot.com.

Goals for Pinellas Cluster during the month of Izzat (Might): September 8 to 26

• Recite a round of 500 Remover of Difficulties for the teaching and community-building efforts in Pinellas - can be said alone, with a friend or in a group.
• Recite the prayer for the Southern States daily.
• Organize a devotional gathering to pray for the success of the Cluster.

Reflection meetings – “a forum for the discussion of needs and plans, creating a collective identity”

Reflection meetings at the cluster level are becoming a forum for the discussion of needs and plans, creating a collective identity and strengthening the collective will. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated Dec. 27, 2005)

Home visits are “conceived as a means for exposing believers to the fundamentals of the Faith”

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. As the spiritual foundations of the community are fortified in this way, the level of collective discourse is raised, social relations among the friends take on new meaning, and a sense of common purpose inspires their interactions. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated Dec. 27, 2005)

“The introduction of the concept of the cluster” and its benefits

The introduction of the concept of the cluster made it possible for the friends to think about the accelerated growth of the community on a manageable scale and to conceive of it in terms of two complementary, reinforcing movements: the steady flow of individuals through the sequence of institute courses and the movement of clusters from one stage of development to the next.  

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated Dec. 27, 2005)

Phases of Cycle 6

Pinellas Reflection Gathering - July 21, 2018: - Notes of Reflection, Review, and Consultation

Brief PowerPoint slides showing passages from the messages of the Universal House of Justice: The concept of cluster, broad scope of teaching activities, and what constitutes core activities. Bullet points from a passage in Ridvan 2013 message of the universal House of Justice on reflection gatherings.

• Consultation on each bullet point – Questions prompted discussion (eg. “How can we imbue the cluster with love?”) Examples: ATC send thank you notes to those who attended RG; participants singing Allah’u’Abha in a circle, holding hands; have fun; expressing kindly acts to our neighbors; loving actions.
• Examples of to “take joy and encouragement from every instance of progress”: Oldsmar increased membership; Junior-youth activities at Palm Harbor; St. Pete Beach resumed monthly devotional gatherings.
• Suggestions for this Expansion phase: firesides; sharing stories from “The Dawn Breakers”; special prayers by everyone; more teaching activities.
• Suggestions for goals during next cycle: Focus on prayer and reliance on spiritual forces in our lives; 500 times Remover of Difficulties prayer; Sepideh s; recitation of “Yá Alláhu’l-Mustagháth” [this is an invocation revealed by the Báb. He prescribed it for recitation by His followers in times of trouble and difficulty. Shoghi Effendi has translated the word “Mustagháth” as “He Who is invoked for help”.]
• Universal participation occurred in response the the bullet point:“To welcome “earnest and uplifting deliberation” in “community's efforts, in their entirety”” The question was asked: “What does it mean to have ‘uplifting deliberation’? A suggestion was made to go around the room and have everyone say something positive that was occurring in the cluster. Comment was made that reflection at an RG (and Feast consultation) is to identify learning and adjustments that can be made, leading to improvements.
• The group decided to have each person say something positive/”uplifting” and also something that needs improvement.
• Among “positives were Pinellas Voice newsletter is a good source of info; Seeing each other; New and younger members on St. Pete LSA; Ruhi book 10.
• Need more focus on children’s classes & devotional gatherings
• Use “teams” (Pasco-Hernando cluster did this effectively)
• More reflection spaces for people engaged in specific activities (eg. children’s classes) (Use the next RG to have breakout groups as a way of initiating this process)
• Need to put specific plans into action

Theme for Reflection Gathering July 21, 2018: - To hear and review our cluster “community's efforts, in their entirety”

Inspired by this excerpt from the 2013 Ridvan message of the Universal House of Justice that “the Cause proceeds at different speeds in different places and for good reason” –  we are hoping to go over the following points at this reflection gathering. We need your experience, insight, and creative ideas! We also welcome input from the younger members of our cluster community: children, junior youth, and youth!

• To “take joy and encouragement from every instance of progress”
• To “recognize the benefit that accrues from the contribution of each individual to the progress of the whole”
• To welcome the “service rendered by each one, in keeping with the possibilities created by a person's circumstances”
• To welcome “earnest and uplifting deliberation” in “community's efforts, in their entirety”
• To “learn what has been accomplished overall” and compare it to one’s “own labours in that light”
• To “enhance… [our] knowledge about the process of growth by absorbing the counsels of the institutions”
• To draw “on the experience of… [our] fellow believers”
• And, to share views on how to make our cluster’s “environment imbued with love”

Passage from Ridvan 2013 message of the Universal House of Justice

“Occasions where the community's efforts, in their entirety, are the subject of earnest and uplifting deliberation”

Furthermore, the friends are conscious that the work of the Cause proceeds at different speeds in different places and for good reason -- it is, after all, an organic phenomenon -- and they take joy and encouragement from every instance of progress they see. Indeed, they recognize the benefit that accrues from the contribution of each individual to the progress of the whole, and thus the service rendered by each one, in keeping with the possibilities created by a person's circumstances, is welcomed by all. Gatherings for reflection are increasingly seen as occasions where the community's efforts, in their entirety, are the subject of earnest and uplifting deliberation. Participants learn what has been accomplished overall, understand their own labours in that light, and enhance their knowledge about the process of growth by absorbing the counsels of the institutions and drawing on the experience of their fellow believers. Such experience is also shared in numerous other spaces that are emerging for consultation amongst friends intensely engaged in specific endeavours, whether they are pursuing a common line of action or serving in a particular part of the cluster. All these insights are located in a wider appreciation that progress is most easily achieved in an environment imbued with love--one in which shortcomings are overlooked with forbearance, obstacles are overcome with patience, and tested approaches are embraced with enthusiasm. And so it is that, through the wise direction of institutions and agencies of the Faith functioning at every level, the friends' exertions, however modest individually, coalesce into a collective effort to ensure that receptivity to the call of the Blessed Beauty is identified quickly and nurtured effectively. A cluster in this condition is clearly one where the relationships among the individual, the institutions, and the community--the Plan's three protagonists--are evolving soundly.

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 2013)

Clusters in South Eastern United States - as of Summer of 2017

Pinellas Cluster holds 3 Reflection Gatherings to launch Cycle 9

During the weekend of May 5th – 6th, reflection gatherings were held in the Northern, Central and Southern areas of the Cluster. This experiment was inspired by the 29 Dec., 2015 message of the Universal House of Justice: "The cluster-wide reflection meeting ... is often complemented by meetings for smaller areas, which generate a stronger feeling of responsibility among those attending. This sense of collective ownership becomes more apparent from cycle to cycle..."

While each of the reflection spaces was unique, they were successful beyond expectation.  The consultations were wide-ranging and a number of adjustments were identified which will surely help us build momentum in the Five Year Plan. Here are some of the highlights from this dynamic weekend:

Reflections on the Dynamic Functioning of the Area Teaching Committees - a compilation

View and download the compilation

Prepared by: Regional Bahá’í Council of the Southeastern States

Cluster agencies

(Prepared by: Regional Bahá’í Council of the Southeastern States)

Cluster Reflection Meetings -- some excerpts from the messages of the Universal House of Justice and the statements of the International Teaching center

The “pulsating heartbeat” of each cycle

The impulse to learn through action is, of course, present among the friends from the very start. The introduction of quarterly cycles of activity capitalizes on this emerging capacity and allows it to be steadily reinforced. Although this capacity is specifically associated with the reflection and planning phase of a cycle, especially the reflection gathering that regulates its pulsating heartbeat, it also comes to be exercised at all other points of the cycle by those pursuing related lines of action. We note that, as learning accelerates, the friends grow more capable of overcoming setbacks, whether small or large—diagnosing their root causes, exploring the underlying principles, bringing to bear relevant experience, identifying remedial steps, and assessing progress, until the process of growth has been fully reinvigorated.  (The Universal House of Justice, Dec. 29, 2015)

Unifying thought and action

Reflection meetings at the level of clusters have become a powerful means of unifying thought and action across institutions and localities; they have lent a potent stimulus to institutional and individual initiatives in a mutually supportive spirit. (The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2003)  

Reaching a consensus on short-term goals

A natural vehicle for multiplying core activities has been reflection meetings. These meetings at the cluster level have been particularly effective in well-established areas where an expanding pool of human resources exists. In such gatherings the institutions and the believers, many of whom are involved in the institute process, study the relevant Five Year Plan documents, share experiences, and consult on the achievements and strengths within the cluster. Avoiding "grandiose and elaborate plans," [29] the friends reach a consensus on short-term goals which reflect the pledges of individual initiatives and collective actions that have emerged from the consultation. These goals are generally incorporated into a calendar of activities that becomes the framework for the subsequent two-to-three-month period. In many clusters around the world, how to hold productive and enjoyable reflection meetings has - - - become an important area for learning. (The International Teaching Center, ‘Building Momentum’, 2003)

Reflection Gathering - Jan. 27, 2018

Contact information for the ATC and Study Circle Development Team

Area Teaching Committee

•  Beverly Azizi - (727) 641-2623, Mel61930jobb@gmail.com
• Gary Hogenson - (804) 332-9941, ghogenson@gmail.com
• Maria Carlberg - (727) 637-3454, mariacarlberg9@gmail.com
• Lois Naderi - (727) 560-3251, loisn9@gmail.com
• Alex Carlberg (Secretary) - (727) 365-7485, alexcarlberg@gmail.com

Study Circle Development Team

• Sue Rishworth (Convener) - (708) 612-4493, susankrishworth@gmail.com
• Malek Yazdani - (727) 733-5717, malekyazdani@hotmail.com
• Thomas Alexander - (727)-709-5146, alexander_thomas_o@hotmail.com
• Maggie Mayers (Statistics) - (727) -858-9792, maggie.mayers@rocketmail.com
• --> Statistics – Please send all Ruhi statistical information to Maggie.

Pinellas County Cluster Cycle 7 begins with a Reflection gathering and 2 goals

Cycle 7 (Oct. 28, 2017 – Jan. 20-21, 2018) began with the Reflection gathering at the Clearwater Center on Sat. Oct. 28, with fourteen friends participating. We had lively reflection on activities during the previous cycle which included the Bicentenary, the “Gifts to the Blessed Beauty” campaign, the formation of the Study Circle Development Team, a service project by the Jr. youth and Service Learning School to collect pet food donations for the Humane Society, as well as the creation of new children’s classes and Jr. Youth groups.

Two exciting goals were set to launch the next cycle of growth:

Goal #1: 19+ Home Visits during the Expansion phase (Sat. Nov. 4 – Sun. Nov. 19). Please contact an ATC member (or email pinellasatc@gmail.com) to reflect on the outcomes of your home visits.  This reflection is essential to help us develop further community-building endeavors!  There was much consultation on this numerical goal, with some thinking 19 was too few while others thought it was better to set an achievable goal that hopefully will be surpassed!  To support this initiative, we studied a short but comprehensive compilation of extracts about home visits.  This compilation will be made available through email, the cluster website and other study opportunities.

Goal #2:  Collect Ruhi book statistics from 150 people - This represent approximately 50% of Baha’i youth and adults in the cluster. 

Home Visits – a compilation from messages of the Universal House of Justice

1. "... to organize systematic home visits to the friends who would benefit from deepening and discussions that connect them with the community" (UHJ, 29 Dec. 2015)

2. "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. 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."

(UHJ, 27 December 2005)

3. "... acts of service, such as hosting devotional gatherings, undertaking home visits, and teaching the Faith. These are not merely activities to be multiplied but fundamental aspects of Bahá’í community life intended for all.  ... Visiting one another’s homes weaves bonds of love and union." (Dept. of the Secretariat, Jan. 5, 2015)

4. “…the spiritual and social fabric of the community is being strengthened as the friends visit one another in their homes." (UHJ, 28 Dec. 2010)