Sunday night Zoom Healing Devotions hosted by Moira & Randy Padfield. Click here for details.
2025-09-28 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-10-05 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-10-19 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-10-26 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-11-02 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-11-09 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-11-16 19:30 - 20:30, 2025-11-23 19:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) and 1 more date
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,

Fireside invitation to the home of Moira & Randy Padfield on Tuesday September 30 at 7:00 PM.
2025-09-30 19:00 - 20:00
A story of artists embracing place
Rooted, a 75 minute documentary film about artists embracing place, premiered
for an enthusiastic audience of more than 300 at Zoellner Arts Center
as part of the Southside Film Festival and was nominated for a
“best documentary” award at the Newark International Film Festival.

Drawing from over two hours of interviews, new and archival video, music, and photos, Rooted distills fifty years of the story of Bethlehem Pennsylvania
–a community transformed by art and artists transformed by community.

The Baha’is of the Nazareth Area are pleased to host
two of the film’s creative team, Bill and Bridget George,
on Tuesday September 30 at 7:00 PM.
Bill and Bridget will introduce a screening of the film and facilitate a conversation
about how place and working together are crucial to identity, and stimulate us
socially and spiritually in building a revitalized community.

Please come if you can.
Location: Home of Moira and Randy Padfield
317 Constitution Circle, Nazareth PA
More Info: Roseann Bowerman 610-704-0026 or Moira Padfield 610-703-2974

Unit Convention for Unit 015 this coming Sunday, October 5 at Camp Curtin Academy, 2900 N. Sixth Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110. 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
2025-10-05 09:30 - 14:30
Dear Friends,

Allah’u’abha! The Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of Harrisburg is hosting the Unit Convention for Unit 015
this coming Sunday, October 5 at Camp Curtin Academy, 2900 N. Sixth Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110.
Registration begins at 9:30 AM, and the Convention officially begins at 10:30 AM. Please plan to bring a
bag lunch with you. The Convention will end at about 2:30 PM.

You should have gotten your ballot with envelopes and information from the National Spiritual Assembly
at the beginning of September about the process to elect a delegate from Unit 015 who will vote for the
next National Spiritual Assembly at Ridvan, 2026. Please bring your ballot with you. We hope that you will
be able to join us this coming Sunday to both vote for a delegate to go to the National Convention from our
Unit as well as to offer any suggestions or recommendations to the National Spiritual Assembly for it to
consider as it begins its next Baha’i year beginning at Ridvan.

A continental breakfast will be provided after you register at the Unit Convention,, and there will be classes
for children aged 5 through 9 and junior youth from age 10 through 14. Please register your children who
plan to attend the classes. Call (717-557-7208) or email me (czandieh9@hotmail.com) to let me know the
names and ages of your children.

You can vote in person on Sunday, October 5 in Harrisburg. If you are unable to attend on Sunday, you can
vote through OBS online using your online services account with the Baha’i National Center; simply click
“TOOLS” and then “Online Balloting System (OBS). If you need to create an online services account, go
to www.bahai.us/community/createobs and follow the instructions to create an account. You may also
mail the ballot that you received from the National Spiritual Assembly that was mailed to you. After writing
the name of the person you want to vote for to be a delegate to the National Convention from our Unit,
mail the ballot, using both an inner and outer envelope to go to: Mark Dunmire, Head Teller, 2030 Bellevue
Road, Harrisburg, PA 17104 to be received by Saturday, October 4. Your ballot can also be brought to the
Unit Convention for you by a Baha’i who is planning to attend the Convention.

Please remember to bring your Baha’i membership card to show to the registrar at the Registrar’s table in the
foyer of the school. If you forget your card, please present a driver’s license or other identification card that
verifies your residence in Electoral Unit 015.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, October 5 in Harrisburg!

With loving Baha’i greetings,
Carol M. Zandieh,
Secretary
Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of Harrisburg

Bi-weekly Friday night devotions/Study Circle in person or via Zoom. Click here for details.
2025-10-10 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-10-31 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-11-14 19:00 - 21:00
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 Ilm (Knowledge). Hosted by Tammy Kita. Click here for details.
2025-10-14 19:00 - 21:30
Details TBD

Monthly Baha'i Basics. An online introduction to the Baha'i Faith followed by discussions and Q&A. Click here for details.
2025-10-17 19:00 - 20:00
Dear Friends,

Introduction to the Baha’i Faith and discussions and Q&A following the introduction. This is being held the second Friday of each month from 7-8 p.m. An email reminder with the Zoom link information will be emailed each month.

This Fireside chat will feature a brief introduction to the Baha’i Teachings on the importance of religion and spirituality in creating harmony among the diverse nations, races and religions of the world. After the presentation there will be opportunity for questions and discussion by the participants. This meeting is open to all. Please invite friends and anyone who you think would be interested in learning about this topic

Little Pond monthly Sunday devotions hosted by Bill & Bridget George. 2-4 p.m. at Little Pond, Nazareth. Click here for details.
2025-10-19 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-16 14:00 - 16:00
Dear Friends,

As always, the Devotional program will be followed by refreshments and discussion. It helps us to know if you are coming, so please respond to bridgetgeorge9@gmail.com.

We do hope you will join us, and of course you are welcome to forward this invitation to your friends.
Directions to Little Pond can be found on our website, https://littlepond.org/

We also thought it would be helpful to let you know the dates of the Little Pond Devotionals April 2025 to January 2026.. All dates are Sundays at 1 pm on weekends that do not conflict with the Baha’i Learning Center activities.

April 6
May 18
June 22
August 3
August 24
September 14
October 19
November 16
January 4 – 2026.

Observation for the anniversary of the Birth of the Bab. Hosted By Jamal & Shireen Yazdani. Click here for details.
2025-10-22 18:00 - 21:00
Hosts – Jamal & Shireen Yazdani

Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025.

Observation for the celebration of the Birth of Baha'u'llah. Cooper Center (Heritage Village) Nazareth, PA.
2025-10-23 18:00 - 21:00
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025, 6 p.m.

Allentown/Reading Cluster meeting at the home of Shirin & Koroush Khalighi. Click here for details.
2025-10-25 10:00 - 12:00
The ATC members announced the dates of the next Reflection Gatherings:
Saturday October 25, 10 am to 12 noon.
Please Save the Date for our next Cluster Reflection Gathering at the home of Koroush
and Shirin Khalighi on Saturday October 25, 2025, 10am – Noon, including light
refreshments.

Our theme for the gathering is from the Universal House of Justice Ridvan letter 2024:

“All must surge, but the youth must soar… the sweetest moments of all for any enkindled heart
are those spent with spiritual sisters and brothers, tending to a society in need of spiritual nourishment.”

After our last Cluster Gathering in July, we sent you all a comprehensive report on all the wonderful activities currently happening in our community.
So this time, instead of a sequence of assigned reports, we will be focusing just on new developments through storytelling from anyone present.
Let’s each prepare ourselves to focus on what has inspired and encouraged us as well as any new needs we see in our community.

We’ll send another announcement closer to the Reflection Gathering that will include a Zoom link for anyone unable to attend in person, but we hope and
pray that as many of you as possible will put the date in your calendar now and plan to attend!

With loving Baha’i greetings from the Area Teaching Committee
Anne Bivans, Bridget George, Shirin Khlaighi and Laura Lawrence

Bahá'í Learning Center
2025-10-26 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-23 10:00 - 12:00
Dear loved Friends,
We are very happy and excited to announce the start of another season of learning, devotions, and fellowship at the Bahá’í Learning Center in Allentown ( Lehigh Valley Center for Sight, 1739 Fairmont Street, Allentown 18104 ) one Sunday a month 10 AM to 12 PM starting on September 28. This year we will have an adult class which will focus on the study of Ruhi Book 12 Unit 1 Family and the Community. You are welcome to attend all or come to as many sessions you are able.
You can find the schedule on the Lehigh Valley Bahá’í Community Calendar. 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.
–Abdu’l-Bahá

Fireside invitation to the home of Roseann Bowerman, on Tuesday October 28, at 7:00 PM.
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00
We are living in stressful and difficult times. How do we as thoughtful human beings move
beyond desolation? What can we contribute to our own positive growth and that of our
society? In an article published in August 2025 in the online version of The Atlantic magazine,
author Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Harvard University and writer of the Atlantic’s How to
Build a Life column on Happiness, wrote a piece entitled:
“FIVE BAHA’I LESSONS FOR A HAPPIER LIFE”

On Tuesday, October 28 at 7 pm the Baha’is of the Nazareth Area will host a presentation
and discussion of the lessons about happiness that Brooks, who is Catholic, identified from
his research on the Baha’i Faith as beneficial to anyone, regardless of religious commitment.
We invite you to join us in this discussion and share your perspectives and experience.
Location emailed to friends directly.
Time: 7pm
Date: Tuesday, October 28
RSVP appreciated but not necessary: 610-704-0026 or rb04@lehigh.edu

Feast of Qudrat (Power). Hosted by Roseann Bowerman at her residence. Click here for details.
2025-11-02 14:30 - 17:00
Host – Roseann Bowerman.
Dear Friends,

Roseann Bowerman warmly invites you to the Feast of Qudrat (Power), at her home on Sunday, November 2, at 2:30 p.m.

Her address: emailed directly to the friends.

Mobile: 610 704 0026.

For friends who are unable to attend in person a zoom link was emailed to the friends directly.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Fireside invitation to the home of Roseann Bowerman, on Tuesday November 18, at 7:00 PM. in Nazareth.
2025-11-18 19:00 - 20:00
We are living in stressful and difficult times. How do we as thoughtful human beings move
beyond desolation? What can we contribute to our own positive growth and that of our
society? In an article published in August 2025 in the online version of The Atlantic magazine,
author Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Harvard University and writer of the Atlantic’s How to
Build a Life column on Happiness, wrote a piece entitled:
“FIVE BAHA’I LESSONS FOR A HAPPIER LIFE”
We are living in stressful and difficult times. How do we as thoughtful human beings move
beyond desolation? What can we contribute to our own positive growth and that of our
society? In an article published in August 2025 in the online version of The Atlantic magazine,
author Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Harvard University and writer of the Atlantic’s How to
Build a Life column on Happiness, wrote a piece entitled:
“FIVE BAHA’I LESSONS FOR A HAPPIER LIFE”
On Tuesday, October 28 at 7 pm the Baha’is of the Nazareth Area will host a presentation
and discussion of the lessons about happiness that Brooks, who is Catholic, identified from
his research on the Baha’i Faith as beneficial to anyone, regardless of religious commitment.
We invite you to join us in this discussion and share your perspectives and experience.
Location emailed to friends directly.

Please join us on November 18 for another Meaningful Discussion
Tuesday hosted by the Baha’i Community of the Nazareth Area. Our topic
will be:
Hope for the Future:
Building Interfaith Community Connections
Our speakers will be Laura Lawrence and Bridget George. They will review
the decades of interfaith community efforts in the Lehigh Valley and explore
the benefits and challenges facing people of various faiths as we work
towards justice, understanding and community service.
What is an interfaith community? It is a group of people from different
religious and non-religious backgrounds who engage with one another
through dialogue, collaboration and shared activities.
As an added bonus we are inviting the newly installed Chaplain of
Morningstar Living, Grace Adele Hochella, to join us that evening to meet
some of our Heritage Village Neighbors. If her schedule allows she will attend.
Date: Tues, November 18 Time: 7 pm
Location address emailed to friends directly
RSVP appreciated but not required: rb04@lehigh.edu, or 610 704-0026

Monthly Baha'i Basics. An online introduction to the Baha'i Faith followed by Q&A. Click here for details.
2025-11-21 19:00 - 20:00

Feast of Qawl (Speech). Hosted by Shirin & Koroush Khalighi. Click here for details.
2025-11-22 17:00 - 20:00
Hosts – Khalighis. Details TBD.

Observation for the Day of the Covenant. Private commemoration at individual homes. Click here for details.
2025-11-25 19:00 - 21:00
Day of the Covenant** commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s appointment of His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the One to whom His followers should turn after His passing.

Hello dear Baha’is in the Lehigh Valley and Reading Cluster,

As the Holy days coordinators, we know we did not suggest any activity for The Day of the Covenant and Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, but thought it appropriate to send around a reminder of these two Holy days. We suggest that you commemorate these two days on your own – The Day of the Covenant Sunset 11/24 – Sunset 11/25 AND Day of the Covenant, Sunset 11/26 – Sunset 11/27 (to be observed at 1;30 AM on Thursday 11/27).

Of course, feel free to choose whatever manner you decide to observe these two Holy days, but we offer a portion from World Order of Baha’u’llah by Shoghi Effendi regarding the station of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ for your consideration.

Tammy and Laura

He is, and should for all time be regarded, first and foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Bahá’u’lláh’s peerless and all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless Mirror of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Bahá’í ideal, the incarnation of every Bahá’í virtue, the Most Mighty Branch sprung from the Ancient Root, the Limb of the Law of God, the Being “round Whom all names revolve,” the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of the Most Great Peace, the Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy Dispensation—styles and titles that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. He is, above and beyond these appellations, the “Mystery of God”—an expression by which Bahá’u’lláh Himself has chosen to designate Him, and which, while it does not by any means justify us to assign to Him the station of Prophethood, indicates how in the person of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá the incompatible characteristics of a human nature and superhuman knowledge and perfection have been blended and are completely harmonized.

“When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended,” proclaims the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “turn your faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.” And again, “When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.”

Observation for the Ascension of Abdul Baha. Individual commemorations at home. Click here for details.
2025-11-27 01:30 - 03:00
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá** marking the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921.

Hello dear Baha’is in the Lehigh Valley and Reading Cluster,

As the Holy days coordinators, we know we did not suggest any activity for The Day of the Covenant and Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, but thought it appropriate to send around a reminder of these two Holy days. We suggest that you commemorate these two days on your own – The Day of the Covenant Sunset 11/24 – Sunset 11/25 AND Day of the Covenant, Sunset 11/26 – Sunset 11/27 (to be observed at 1;30 AM on Thursday 11/27).

Of course, feel free to choose whatever manner you decide to observe these two Holy days, but we offer a portion from World Order of Baha’u’llah by Shoghi Effendi regarding the station of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ for your consideration.

Tammy and Laura

He is, and should for all time be regarded, first and foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Bahá’u’lláh’s peerless and all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless Mirror of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Bahá’í ideal, the incarnation of every Bahá’í virtue, the Most Mighty Branch sprung from the Ancient Root, the Limb of the Law of God, the Being “round Whom all names revolve,” the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of the Most Great Peace, the Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy Dispensation—styles and titles that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. He is, above and beyond these appellations, the “Mystery of God”—an expression by which Bahá’u’lláh Himself has chosen to designate Him, and which, while it does not by any means justify us to assign to Him the station of Prophethood, indicates how in the person of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá the incompatible characteristics of a human nature and superhuman knowledge and perfection have been blended and are completely harmonized.

“When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended,” proclaims the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “turn your faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.” And again, “When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.”
