Children’s Class, Teacher Training, and Devotions are Better Together!
Portland Bahá’í Center Ruhi 3 Workshop Integrates with Sunday Interfaith Devotions
Today’s art project!
The Portland Bahá’í Center has held Interfaith Devotions for years that are well attended by older members of the Baha’i community and those investigating the Faith, but it has struggled to attract younger adults and families, showing an inaccurate view of the Bahá’í community. Meanwhile parents in the community missed the children’s classes they attended in their childhood at the Center and wished that their kids could have a similar experience.
Focused on learning.
What will we do next?
Janella Conroy, our study circle coordinator, started a Ruhi Book 3: Teaching Children’s Classes training for these parents, resulting in a children’s class at the Bahá’í Center, which included support from several artists in the area. The devotional group asked for more diversity in their devotional program on Sunday mornings, and the Ruhi children’s class group changed their gathering to the same time as devotions, with the children sharing prayers and their quote of the day before attending their virtues class. This brought a whole new spirit and energy to the adult devotions with children chanting and singing prayers and songs, and sharing their learning, art projects, and games at the end of their Ruhi class.
Having fun.
Working hard.
Busy hands.
The parents are now working in small groups to team plan the Sunday Ruhi lessons, and then use the lessons for their own neighborhood classes. The goal is to continue to hold Ruhi 3 courses at the Bahá’í Center to train more parents to also branch out into neighborhood communities. One parent is currently preparing to start children’s classes in her neighborhood with other parents team planning and assisting as needed. The Ruhi classes are continuing to grow with the adult devotions group, and the trained Ruhi 3 parents are accommodating that growth. We are hoping to involve a group of youth who are also taking a Ruhi 3 course in future lesson planning. All of this is in alignment with the Bahá’í focus on each person being a protagonist in their own spiritual and material development; and everyone has a part to play in community development.
Things are coming together.
Adults and children in the main room at the Portland Center.
Prayer time.
We have also been consulting with the attendees of the Sunday devotions on how to include children in their devotional gatherings, and how to invite neighborhood families to join the devotions and children’s classes. We are excited about the integration of our families with the interfaith devotions, and the prospect of children’s classes growing throughout the city!
Listening to devotional readings.
Please join us every Sunday at 10:00 am for:
Interfaith Devotions: Portland Bahá’í Center
8720 N Ivanhoe St, Portland, OR 97203
Sunday Devotions at the Center have a new theme each week. Free children's classes and a Ruhi 3 study group happen from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. There are Ruhi 1 study groups on Sundays, one right after Sunday Devotions and the other starting at 2 pm, before Exploring Bahá'í Teachings.
All are welcome to a time of spiritual fellowship! Plan to join us for any or all events! Doors open at 10 am. Please arrive healthy; masking is optional. You are our guest, no donations accepted.
Please contact secretariatpdx@gmail.com for more information, or call the Center at 503-289-6331. For children's class information, contact janella.conroy@gmail.com, 510 825-8279.
Remember to check the website calendar for metro-area activities!
https://www.portlandbahai.org/activities
All images are courtesy of the participants.