• All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions ~ June 4^th, 5^th, 19^th, 26^th.
• Informational Talks ~ June 24^th
• Race Unity Day Celebration ~ June 25^th

~ Bahá'u'lláh

Informational Talks
A brief talk on a general topic about the Bahá'í Faith is followed by discussion. A time to bring up any question in your heart about spiritual topics.

Friday, June 24^th, 7:30 PM

Tuman Residence, 984-1222

Race Unity Celebration Saturday, June 25^th,

Unity in the Community

The Bahá'í's of Ventura County cordially invite you to attend an afternoon of friendship, entertainment and fun for the whole family, as we build bridges and celebrate racial harmony and the unity of the community at the 7th Annual Race Unity Celebration.

The Celebration will be held Saturday June 25, from noon to 4 p.m., in Oxnard at Plaza Park (5th and C Streets).  Admission is free!  You can buy lunch or bring a picnic.  This year the entertainment, as always, is as diverse as it is excellent.

For information on local Bahá'í activities, or to receive a copy of the Statement “The Vision of Race Unity , America ’s Most Challenging Issue” call 648-1222.

Reaching Human Happiness through Race Unity

By Farhad Kazazi and Jan Dietrick

People of all backgrounds in America are participating in a great enterprise to provide equal opportunity for the pursuit of happiness for members of all races. Unity is a prerequisite for a happy society. Racial and religious differences and patriotic prejudices prevent the realization of this unity and agreement and contentment.

The essence of the teachings of all the Manifestations of God is the promotion of the oneness of the kingdom of humanity. The holy books teach us that it will happen through spiritual power. Other powers, material, political, racial and patriotic, are too selfish and weak, too divergent and conflicting, to propel humanity to the happy and peaceful social condition for which it was created. Spiritual powers guide us to continue to harmonize and work together. No matter how much material civilization advances, humanity cannot attain perfection except through the development of spiritual civilization. The material and spiritual aspects of existence are like two wings-with one wing only, flight is impossible. With both wings we can be continually establishing new bases of human happiness.

"The Pursuit of Happiness" was the title of an article in the May 1996 issue of Scientific American. It reported observations made of a group of people to measure their level of contentment. The scientists used different audiovisual systems developed for the purpose. The conclusion was that there are four traits in people who consider themselves happier than others. One of those traits was high self-esteem. The second trait is higher ethics and enriched spiritual values. Intelligence was determined to be the third trait of happier people, and the fourth, and, maybe the most important, was a lack of prejudice. People who cope with diverse groups with a cooperative attitude are among those who are most successful and scored higher on the contentment scale. What we conclude from such studies is that we increase our chances for experiencing happiness by developing these traits in our lives.

Happiness should be our mission in life. If freeing ourselves from prejudice is one of the ingredients, what is required? Let's imagine this nation as a garden full of all colors. The diversity of these flowers is what has added to the beauty of this garden. When we meet people of different races, nationalities, religions, and opinions, we should not allow these differences to become barriers between us.

If every one of us made this a personal goal of bringing joy to others by just simply accepting them and welcoming everyone to this diversity regardless of the color of their skin, what a wonderful place to live. Just the thought of that brings us the greatest happiness.

From Bahá'í scripture we know that unity is necessary to existence and love the very cause of life. "This is a new cycle of human power. All the horizons of the world are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a garden and a paradise. It is the hour of unity of the sons of men, and a drawing together of all races and classes..."

It is the time to root prejudice from our hearts. The resulting solidarity and fellowship will be the most constructive power in all the planes of human activity. Moreover, freedom from the imprisonment of any trace of prejudice is a spiritual quality that will eventually lead each one of us to true liberty and inner happiness.  Please join us Saturday, June 25, at the 7th Annual Race Unity Celebration.

All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions

Fillmore CommUnity

1^st Saturday of the Month, June 4^th Call Luanne at 524-0683 for details

Oxnard CommUnity

1st Sunday of the Month, June 5^th 10:30 AM. Locations May vary. Call Barbara at 984-4390

Camarillo CommUnity

3^rd Sunday of the Month, June 19^th Call Renee at 383-3904 for details.

Ventura CommUnity

4th Sunday of the Month, June 26^th, 10 AM, at the beautiful Buenaventura Gardens Clubhouse, 2700 Dean Drive , Ventura (off Mills Road, behind Lowe’s).  Inspirational music and prayers from all faiths. Social and refreshments afterward.