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Daily Virtual Devotional Program Available Online

Mar 30, 2020 | 2020, Devotional Gatherings, RBCNE Email

We are pleased to forward to you a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly sharing news that the daily devotional program previously held in the Auditorium of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette has migrated online, thus making it available to all.
The full text of the National Assembly’s letter providing further details may be found through the following link:
20200330 NSA on Daily Devotional Program Available Through House of Worship Website
Note that this mailing is being sent to the secretaries and contact persons of all Local Spiritual Assemblies and registered Bahá’í groups. It is also being sent to all believers with a valid email address on file at the Bahá’í National Center.
For your further convenience, the full text of the Assembly’s message is reproduced immediately below this note of transmittal.
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March 30, 2020

To the American Bahá’í community
Dearly loved Friends,
The National Spiritual Assembly is delighted to share with you how the friends serving at the Mother Temple of the West have responded to the recent restrictions placed on our community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, the current health crisis precipitated the closing of the Bahá’í House of Worship and the suspension of all programming there and in the Welcome Center, including Holy Day programs, daily devotions, firesides, introductory presentations, children’s classes, and more.
On Sunday, March 22, the staff experimented with a virtual devotional program in lieu of the 12:30 p.m. daily devotions normally held in the Temple. This was done using a Zoom video conference link, accessible by anyone visiting the Temple’s website or Facebook page. Through the Zoom platform, visitors are able to view, listen to, and even take part in the half-hour program, consisting of organized prayers and music. The program has continued daily at the same time (12:30 p.m. CDT), and an increasing number of friends from around the world have also begun to join the proceedings. Near the conclusion of each program, guests are invited to read or sing a prayer of their choice. It is truly heartening to be able to gather together in prayer, in the virtual shadow of the House of Worship, even as our circumstances do not allow many of us to be together physically.
We will continue to learn about virtual devotional gatherings, and welcome your participation in this initiative (https://zoom.us/j/894428842). We also look forward to hearing what you and your community are learning from your own experiences in this regard.
Our prayers for your well-being and tranquility are with you always, as we discover new opportunities to share the Word of God even as we face the challenges of the day.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Kenneth E. Bowers
Secretary
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States