|
"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
|
|
|
Community
builds first center
|
HUAHINE,
French Polynesia, 5 February 2004 (BWNS) --
Devotional songs and prayers marked the
inauguration of the first Baha'i center to be
built in French Polynesia.
After
the local mayor and a Baha'i representative cut
a ribbon of flowers to open the center, the
Baha'is sang in Tahitian "Blessed is the
spot", a song whose lyrics are a prayer by Bahá'u'lláh.
The
event held on 7 January 2004 was attended by
representatives of three other religions, as
well as by Baha'is from Huahine, Tahiti, and
Switzerland. |
Baha'is from Huahine and their guests in front
of the new Baha'i center.
|
The
ceremony also included Baha'i children singing
selections from the Baha'i writings in French and
Tahitian.
Francis
Dubois, a Baha'i from Paea, summed up the feelings of
those present when he rejoiced in seeing the physical
presence of the Faith established: "Our hearts are
on fire and filled with joy," Mr. Dubois said.
The opening
ceremony came only eight months after the Local
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Huahine decided to
undertake the project.
Huahine,
with a population of 8000, is an island in the Society
Islands group, one of five archipelagoes in the
territory of French Polynesia. Most of French
Polynesia's 245,000 people live on the island of Tahiti,
also one of the Society Islands.
Once the
decision was made to build, the Baha'is -- three
families and four individuals -- threw themselves into
the task of constructing the center, which will be used
for spiritual gatherings and study classes.
|
One
of the families provided the land, and Saturday
was designated as work day. The Baha'is put in
long hours.
Working
together, they used coconut palm logs for the base
of the building. The Baha'is built the walls of
bamboo and made the roof of corrugated iron on a
timber frame. They spread white sand to form the
floor.
The
construction proceeded so rapidly that the Local
Spiritual Assembly decided to add a sleeping area,
a kitchen and bathroom. Other Baha'i assemblies
contributed generously to provide the funds for
these extra projects. |
Hubert Bremond, chairman of the Local Siritual
Assembly of Huahine, welcomes guests at the
opening ceremony. |
For the
inauguration ceremonies, the Baha'is prepared a feast of
fruit -- coconuts, pineapples, watermelon, rock melon,
banana, and grapefruit. They also cooked taro, fish,
breadfruit, and bananas in a traditional earth oven.
They made
the "hei" (headpieces) and the "auti"
(necklaces) using the strongly scented Tahitian white
gardenia, berries, ferns, and colored leaves.
A member of
the local Baha'i community, Tema Raurii, observed custom
by welcoming the guests with traditional oratory before
they entered the building. This was followed by a
rousing song of greetings.
|
Some local Baha'is pose together in front of
the new center.
|
Once
inside, the chairman of the Local Spiritual
Assembly, Hubert Bremond, introduced all
participants and issued another warm welcome.
Mr.
Bremond, who is a well-known broadcaster, promoter
of Tahitian culture and a community leader,
emphasized the Faith's worldwide character and its
principles.
Later,
he explained the origins of the project.
"We
are only a handful of Baha'is, and we are families
that are not very well off," Mr. Bremond
said. |
"By
any human standards, it was probably impossible to take
on this project and build a center, but each person made
their contribution and brought along their piece of the
building."
Another
Baha'i speaker was Daniel Pierce, of Tahiti, who is a
member of one of the two auxiliary boards assisting the
Continental Board of Counsellors.
Mr. Pierce
invited the guests to investigate the Baha'i message
more closely, and he quoted the words of Baha'u'llah
addressed to all humanity: "Ye are the fruits of
one tree, and the leaves of one branch."
The mayor,
Marcelin Lisan, expressed his gratitude to the Baha'is
for the invitation to the inauguration of the center.
"Thank
you for the thoughts that have been shared today -- I
will keep with me the idea that love, fellowship, and
respect must come before all else," Mr. Lisan said.
|
Speakers
from the Catholic, Protestant and Keretitiano
churches also gave warm and encouraging addresses.
A
deacon of the Tahitian Protestant Church, Raoul
Mare, said: "My Baha'i brothers...hopefully
we can share and help each other. There are things
that we might lack that might be found with you.
There are things that you are missing that we
might have." |
 |
The guests
then feasted on "poe" (sweet pudding with
coconut cream), fresh fruit and the cooked food, all
served on banana leaves and using coconut shells as
plates.
Following
the opening ceremony, the Baha'is held a mini-conference
about the environment, and then discussed the progress
of capacity-building study circles.
The Baha'i
community of Huahine is active in the three core
activities of the Five Year Plan currently being carried
out by Baha'is throughout the world -- study circles,
devotional meetings and children's classes.
|
|
| Published in
www.Bahaiworldnews.org |
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor |
Please consider sponsoring the Uplifting Words website through
advertising. All proceeds go to improving the website.
For more details, please contact
us.
|
|
|
|
