Lehigh Valley Bahai

Save the Date : Special Cluster Gathering with Marie McNair Sunday April 19 at 3 pm.
2026-04-19 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Dear Friends,

Please SAVE THE DATE for a very special Cluster Reflection Gathering in person with Marie McNair, our dear secretary of the Northeast Regional Baha’i Council

Sunday April 19, 3 pm at Little Pond, 92 S. Penn Dixie Rd., Nazareth PA 18064

Marie has very important information to share with us and we really want and need every Baha’i in the Cluster to attend if they possibly can!

More information will follow nearer the date of the Gathering but please get this in your calendar now.

With loving Baha’i greetings from the Area Teaching Committee,

Bridget George, Shirin Khalighi, Laura Lawrence, and Anne Bivans

“After every night there is a morn. In the supreme wisdom of God, it is decreed that when the gross darkness of religious hatred and hostility,
the obscurity of religious ignorance, superstition and blind imitations cover the world, the Sun of Truth shall arise and the spirit of reality
become manifest and reflected in human hearts …Then will you behold light upon light, joy upon joy, absolute happiness reigning everywhere,
the people of the religions consorting together in fragrance and felicity, this world in its maturity becoming the reflection of the eternal Kingdom
and this terrestrial abode of man the very paradise of God. Pray for this! Pray for this!” – Abdu’l Baha

Sunday night Zoom Healing Devotions hosted by Moira & Randy Padfield. Click here for details.
2026-04-19 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-26 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-03 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-10 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-17 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-24 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-31 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-06-07 19:30 - 20:30 and 4 more dates
Dear friends,
The Padfield family are hosting a devotional via Zoom Sunday evening at 7:30pm and each Sunday thereafter. Link will be emailed to the friends directly. We will be saying prayers for Richard Beane (our son-in-law in Belize) and Shirin’s sister as well as others in the community in need of healing prayers. We will also offer healing prayers for our community, country and the world.
We would be happy to have you join us and would welcome anything you would like to contribute in the form of prayers, Writings, or poems.
We hope to see you on Sunday night. Zoom link was emailed to the friends directly.
With loving regards,

First Day of Ridvan celebration. Hosted by the Khalighi family. Election of LSA at 7 p.m.followed by report and celebration at 7:30 pm. Click here for details.
2026-04-21 19:30 - 22:00
First Day of Ridvan celebration will be hosted by the Khalighi family at their residence. Election of the LSA at 7 pm followed by Annual Report and Ridvan celebration at 7:30 pm.
Shirin’s mobile: 484 894 1666.

Bi-weekly Friday night devotions/Study Circle in person or via Zoom. at the home of the Khalighis.
2026-04-24 19:00 - 20:00
Bi-weekly Friday night devotions/Study Circle in person or via Zoom. at the home of the Khalighis.
Please join our Bi-weekly Friday night devotional/Study Circle in-person or via Zoom.

Topic: varies each time7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada).

Zoom link was directly emailed to friends, however for direct zoom link to the devotions contact Shirin Khalighi: khalighi1@aol.com OR Gladys Nay: gladandlou@msn.com

Feast of Jamal (Beauty). Hosted by Roseann Bowerman. Click here for details.
2026-04-27 19:30 - 22:00
Dear Friends,

You are warmly invited to the Feast of Jamal (Beauty), on Monday, April 27 at the home of Roseann Bowerman. Starting at 7:30 pm.

Address: emailed to the friends directly.

If you need to contact Roseann, she can be reached at 610-704-0026 phone or text.

For friends who are unable to attend in person please use the zoom link emailed to you directly if you would like to join in.

With kind regards,

Weekly Tuesday Zoom devotions hosted by the Almonte family. Click here for details.
2026-04-28 19:00 - 20:00
Weekly Tuesday Zoom devotions hosted by the Almonte family. Contact Ana at 484 620 7466.

9th Day of Ridvan to be celebrated by creating an art project. Click here for details.
2026-04-29 19:00 - 21:00
9th day of Ridvan. – There is nothing on the schedule but we thought that it may be a good opportunity for a person or family to create an art project with some aspect of the Ridvan story – create a boat, a house, a river, a horse, a tent, roses, gardens, trees, nightingales, – all together or just one item or many pieces – whatever – out of colored paper, drawings, clay, who knows what else… (these are ONLY suggestions, not instructions)

Twelfth Day of Ridvan. Host- the Lawrence family. Click here for details.
2026-05-02 12:00 - 15:00
12th day of Ridvan – Saturday, May 2 – Gathering at the pavilion at Jacobsburg State park at NOON. Bring your art project from the 9th day (if you did one), invite friends, bring a picnic lunch for yourself and enough to share. If weather permits, we will take a little hike afterwards.

Where: A pavilion across from 400 Belfast Rd, Nazareth ( parking available here):

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center is a 1,168-acre (473 ha) Pennsylvania state park near Wind Gap, in Bushkill Township, Northampton County in Pennsylvania. The Jacobsburg National Historic District is almost entirely surrounded by the park. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center is just off the Belfast exit of Pennsylvania Route 33.

Little Pond monthly Sunday devotions hosted by Bill & Bridget. 1-3 pm at Little Pond, Nazareth. Click here for details.
2026-05-03 13:00 - 15:00
Dear Friends,

Here is an invitation to our next Little Pond Devotional on Sunday May 3 at 1pm. Also, here is a list of our Little Pond Devotional dates through November – All Sundays at 1pm.
February 15, March 8, April 12, May 3 (this May date is reserved for possible Devotional by the youth involved in the Arts and Spirituality workshop with Erika Batdorf)
June 14, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, and November 15. Thanks for putting these dates in your calendars! – Bridget.

It helps us to know who is coming, so please respond to bridgetgeorge9@gmail.com if you are planning to join us. Please note that we have reverted to the start time of 1pm since quite a few people have expressed a desire to get home from Little Pond in the daylight.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Bridget & Bill George

Directions to Little Pond
To find Little Pond, 92 South Penn Dixie Rd., Nazareth PA, take Rt. 248 (east from Rt. 512 in Bath PA or west from Rt. 191 in Nazareth PA) and then turn onto Penn Dixie Rd. After about a mile, look for the No. 92 mailbox on the left and opposite it on the right is our private lane with the Little Pond and Preserved Land sign. Please make sure to follow these directions since the GPS sometimes takes you to a different private lane further along Penn Dixie Rd., which leads to a different house! After turning onto our private lane, you will find us in the last building on the left – the Great Room of the Long Barn. You can also find directions on our website littlepond.org.

Interfaith project for the Allentown School district with the Bahais of the Lehigh Valley at the Jackson Early Childhood Center, Allentown, PA.
2026-05-15 08:30 - 15:00
Forwarding this announcement from Laura Lawrence:

Here are details about the FIRST project with the Baha’is and the Allentown School District.

WHAT: Create frames for “Moving Up” celebration (Materials provided) or
Little Gardening: Planting plants and flowers around various areas around the school (Plants provided)
WHERE: Jackson Early Childhood Center
517 N 15th St
Allentown PA
WHEN: Friday May 15th
8:30 Gather at a place TBD
9:30 Go to school
10:00 Project begins
12:00 Lunch (bring your own)
1:00 go home or continue to 3:00 if necessary

Bahá'í Learning Center
2026-05-17 10:00 - 12:00
Dear loved Friends,
Looking forward to seeing you at Bahá’í Learning Center in Allentown ( Lehigh Valley Center for Sight, 1739 Fairmont Street, Allentown 18104 ) this Sunday the 17 of May from 10 AM to 12 PM. This will be the last class for the current academic session and will focus on the study of the Universal House of Justice Ridvan 2026 message, and if time allows, we will study the new document from the National ” A Common Endeavor ” You are welcome to attend in person or join us on zoom with the link below.
Please contact Houman Ahdieh for further information and directions; houmanahdieh@yahoo.com 610-737-3938.
We look very much forward to seeing you all soon!
With Much Love,
Bahá’í Learning Center Planning Committee
To promote knowledge is thus an inescapable duty imposed on every one of the friends of God.

Feast of Azamat (Grandeur). Hosted by Shirin & Koroush Khalighi. Click here for details.
2026-05-18 19:00 - 21:30
Host – the Khalighi family .
Dear Friends,

Shirin & Koroush warmly invite you to their home to attend the Feast of Azamat (Grandeur), on Monday, 18 May starting at 7 p.m.

Home address: emailed directly to the friends.

Mobile: 484 894 1666

If you are not able to attend in person, you are welcome to join in via Zoom. Link emailed directly to the friends.

Looking forward to seeing the friends,

Warm regards,

Observation for the Declaration of the Bab, Hosted by Pamela Ptak & Scott Hanna. Click here for details.
2026-05-24 16:30 - 19:00
Observation for the Declaration of the Bab will be held at the home of Pamela Ptak and Scott Hanna. An email with the address will be shared directly with the friends.
Pamela Ptak – 610 984 2310.

“The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men…” —Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings
The Baha’i Community of the Lehigh Valley
warmly invites you to attend
The Declaration of the Bab
holy day celebration
on Sunday, May 24, 2026
At 4:30 PM
At the home of Pamela Ptak and Scott Hanna
610-984-2310
Come to enjoy and participate in our holy day commemoration and program, a potluck dinner, friendship, and bonds of community.
As you are able, kindly contribute something tasty to share for our potluck dinner. To help with planning, please sign up on this potluck sign-up sheet, so we can create a well-rounded feast to enjoy.

Observation for the Ascension of Baha'u'llah. Click here for details.
2026-05-29 04:00 - 05:00
Forwarding this on behalf of Laura Lawrence & Tammy Kita of the Baha’i Holy Day Committee:

Dear Friends in the Lehigh Valley,

This is a reminder that the Ascension of Baha’u’llah should be commemorated on Friday morning, May 29th, at 4:00 AM.

Due to the unusual hour, it is suggested that it be observed privately, in your home w family. Perhaps you could read what the Beloved Guardian wrote about that evening in “God Passes By” and sing or say prayers.

Sacred times like these are especially precious because they are held in the stillness of the middle of the night.

Finally, please note that the published hour of observance is 3:00 AM but we must make an allowance due to DST.

Have a blessed observance.

Laura on behalf of the Holy Days Committee

In person (only) Feast of Nur (Light). Hosted by the West family. on Saturday June 6 at 5 p.m. Click here for details.
2026-06-06 17:00 - 19:00
Host – West family.
The Feast program will begin at 5 p.m. After the Feast friends are invited to stay for pizza and salad. Please bring some kind of drink or dessert to share. Thank you!

Little Pond monthly devotions hosted by Bill & Bridget. 1-3 pm at Little Pond, Nazareth. Click here for details.
2026-06-14 13:00 - 15:00
Dear Friends,

Here is an invitation to our next Little Pond Devotional on Sunday June 14, at 1pm. Also, here is a list of our Little Pond Devotional dates through November – All Sundays at 1pm.
February 15, March 8, April 12, May 3 (this May date is reserved for possible Devotional by the youth involved in the Arts and Spirituality workshop with Erika Batdorf)
June 14, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, and November 15. Thanks for putting these dates in your calendars! – Bridget.

It helps us to know who is coming, so please respond to bridgetgeorge9@gmail.com if you are planning to join us. Please note that we have reverted to the start time of 1pm since quite a few people have expressed a desire to get home from Little Pond in the daylight.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Bridget & Bill George

Directions to Little Pond
To find Little Pond, 92 South Penn Dixie Rd., Nazareth PA, take Rt. 248 (east from Rt. 512 in Bath PA or west from Rt. 191 in Nazareth PA) and then turn onto Penn Dixie Rd. After about a mile, look for the No. 92 mailbox on the left and opposite it on the right is our private lane with the Little Pond and Preserved Land sign. Please make sure to follow these directions since the GPS sometimes takes you to a different private lane further along Penn Dixie Rd., which leads to a different house! After turning onto our private lane, you will find us in the last building on the left – the Great Room of the Long Barn. You can also find directions on our website littlepond.org.

Feast of Rahmat (Mercy). Hosted by Neisan & Alaleh Sabet. Click here for details.
2026-06-24 19:30 - 22:00
Hosted by the Sabet family.

Allentown/Reading Cluster meeting at the home of the Khalighis. Click here for details.
2026-06-26 19:00 - 21:00
May 20, 2026

Dear Friends,
We are sending this love letter to all of you in our Cluster with a video clip to impart some of the amazing spirit and diversity of the Greenacre conference and to invite you to a special meeting of as many of the friends in our Cluster as we can possibly gather together in person: Friday Evening June 26, 7pm at the home of Shirin and Koroush Khalighi.
Zoom link and address for the Khalighis emailed to the friends directly.
As a blessedly chosen Goal Cluster of the Northeastern States, we are all helping to launch the second five-year phase of the Nine Year Plan and we need each and every one of you to understand the significance of the call from the Universal House of Justice and our National Assembly for participation in the Common Endeavor of community building for a better world.
The focus of our meeting will be to bring you more details of the prayerful hope, love, assistance, and meaningful strategies in the form of simple and diverse “friendship gatherings” of every size and format that we gleaned from this meeting at Greenacre. We will reflect together on where we are and what our next steps might be.
Please plan to join us!
With loving greetings,
Bridget George and Shirin Khalighi
Video Clip: Youth including Makena contribute to the Morning Devotions – “Now is the time to Serve”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RpkJSKkmv_DIbKbFxI6exkQE7MNkqAXD/view?usp=sharing

Commemoration for the Martyrdom of the Bab. Hosted by the West family. Click here for details.
2026-07-10 11:30 - 14:30
Commemoration for the Martyrdom of the Bab will be hosted by the West family. Details of home address and cell phone number will be shared via email to the friends.
