Fri 4/22 @ 7:00 pm EDT – Sun 4/24 @ 5:00 pm EDT
The purpose of this conference is to reflect together on what a just, peaceful, and flourishing world might look like; and to promote a collaborative approach to building such a world, starting with vibrant, caring local communities.
It will be held at the Green Acre Bahá’í Center of Learning in Eliot, Maine. Lunch, dinner, and refreshments will be provided on Saturday and Sunday, when there will also be parallel programs for children aged 5-11 and adolescents aged 12-15. Admission is free and all are welcome; no donations will be solicited.
Note: This is a local event for those who live the Seacoast area including Rockingham and Stafford counties in New Hampshire, and York county in Maine.
Schedule of Events
Friday, April 22nd
“Enkindled”: A Creative Artistic Presentation with Live Music, Dance and Voice (produced by Najee Brown) | 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Saturday, April 23rd (Day 1)
Morning Session | What Would a “Better World” Look Like? | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
An open conversation, with a panel discussion, break-out groups, and artistic expressions
Afternoon Session | Building a Better World Starting with Local Communities | 2:00 – 5:00 pm
A presentation of the Bahá’í experience of local community building with documentary film footage from various parts of the world, followed by a choice of seminars on various aspects of the learning that has taken place (The role of education in social change; Spiritual values and the scientific method; Family life and parenting; Service and the two-fold moral purpose; Why focus on culture rather than political action?)
Evening | Film Screening Followed by Refreshments & Fellowship | 7:00 – 9:00 pm
“Dawn of the Light” is a 48-minute documentary that follows the personal journeys of six young people from different parts of the world searching for answers to profound social questions of our time such as race, the rigidity of religious orthodoxy, endemic social conflict, gender inequality, family disunity, and forced migration.
Sunday, April 24th (Day 2)
Day 2 will be a continuation of Saturday’s program intended to enable interested participants to learn more about the historical background and spiritual foundation of the worldwide Bahá’í community and its efforts to build a better world.
Morning Session | What Brought Us to This Point? | 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
A 51-minute film entitled “Light to the World” will introduce the social mission and spiritual claims of the Bahá’í Faith and provide an historical overview starting with the birth of Bahá’u’lláh, its Prophet-Founder, in 1817. The screening will be followed by informal breakout groups for questions and discussion.
Afternoon Session | What Comes Next? | 2:00 – 5:00 pm
A panel presentation on community-building activities in the Seacoast area will be followed by a period when participants may choose to visit informal “conversation rooms” to make social contacts and learn about specific activities, such as classes for children and adolescents, adult study circles, and devotional gatherings. We will then gather again for a final plenary, during which we will hear from the children and junior youth and reflect together on the weekend’s experience.
Weather permitting, the final plenary will be followed by an outdoor reception with live music from the Salt River Trio.
“…the purpose for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony.”
—Bahá’u’lláh
2022 Conferences
An unprecedented series of global conferences, exploring the inherent oneness of humanity and a universal call to work for the betterment of the world.
