Priority Goals
Last update: (NORTHERN IRELAND)
- Council for England
- Council for Scotland
- Council for Wales
- Council for Northern Ireland
- Statistics
- About the Goal Areas
- Projects Requesting Travel Teachers
"Districts in Need" as identified by the Council for England
This list is updated every three months.[NOTE 1]
Communities are listed according to the following criteria:
- community itself has requested assistance,
- the Auxiliary Board member or Council has listed the community as one of potential or need,
- the question of geography is applied, and/or
- the community is home to a university, and could benefit from Bahá'í students.
CATEGORY 1 "contain a few isolated localities and groups."
The following are localities within the areas (clusters) where pioneers and
travel teachers are needed to establish an Assembly.
Area (cluster) Locality
Buckinghamshire Hazlemere (Assembly lapsed 159)
Cornwell, West Hayle
Devon, North Barnstaple
Manchester Mills Bolton (lapsed Assembly)
Northumberland Castle Morpeth
Staffordshire Tamworth
Worcestershire, South Pershore and Evesham
CATEGORY 2 Islands
Area (cluster) Locality
Isle of Wight Vectis
Guernsey and Sark
Jersey
Scilly Isles ("not yet.open to the Faith.")
CATEGORY 3 "established communities gaining strength through a vigorous
institute process"
The following are localities within the areas (clusters) where the Faith is
established i.e. has at least one Assembly. However, pioneers and travel
teachers are needed to establish further Assemblies to stimulate the process
of growth.
Area (cluster) Locality
Berkshire and Hampshire, North Earley
Bradford/Kirklees Calderdale
Craven/Pendle Skipton
Hertfordshire Bushy and Bushy Heath
Kent, East Canterbury (lapsed Assembly)
Broadstairs
London, North-East Waltham Forest
Medway Bexley (lapsed Assembly)
Northamptonshire Brixworth (lapsed Assembly)
Sheffield/North Derbyshire Dronfield
Shropshire Shrewsbury
Tyne and Wear North Tyneside
Tyendale Carlisle
Contact for more details: The Secretary, Bahá'í Council for England, e-mail <bce@bahai.org.uk>.
Footnote
- Because the Council only updates this list every three months, the figures are less likely to be as up to date as those shown in the section on statistics which – all being equal – are updated monthly. If you are seriously contemplating a pioneer move to a goal area, however, and wish to be absolutely sure of the current situation there, we recommend you contact the Dept. Of Records and/or the Secretary of the community concerned. See also our Guidelines for Pioneers. [BACK]
Priority Areas identified by the Council for Scotland
The Council has no priority areas at this time.
Contact for more details: The Secretary, Bahá'í Council for Scotland, e-mail <bcs@bahai.org.uk>.
Priority Communities identified by the Bahá’í Council for Wales
We have recently received an update of the priority areas from the Bahá'í Council for Wales. They refer to the needs of pioneers and travel teachers. The National Spiritual Assembly is particularly keen to see the youth in this country arise and serve in this field. So please consider the following opportunities prayerfully and contact us if you need any further assistance.
"He is delighted to see that the Faith is progressing in Wales, and he feels
sure that the Welsh people will not only respond to the Message if given oppor-
tunity, but contribute to the Faith a distinctive share of their own, when they
arise in its service.
"He hopes there will be many new Welsh believers in the coming years, and he
assures you all of his loving prayers for the success of your devoted efforts."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá'í Community)
.
PIONEERING
* Caerphilly - to form a Local Spiritual Assembly in a priority cluster
* Newport - Family required to strengthen community
* Colwyn Bay - to reform the Local Spiritual Assembly lapsed this Ridvn
* Bangor - to assist priority cluster to move towards formation of Local
Spiritual Assembly
TRAVEL TEACHING
* Anglesey as it is an island with special significance for the Faith
* Caerphilly to form a Local Spiritual Assembly in a priority cluster
* Newport - Required to strengthen community
* Bangor - to assist priority cluster to move towards formation of Local
Spiritual Assembly
DETAILS OF COMMUNITIES
Anglesey - In the North West of Wales. Being one of the Islands it has special
significance to advancement of the Faith as referred to Shoghi Effendi. Anglesey
has large amounts of tourists and a large farming community. Being in the North
of Wales a travel teacher speaking Welsh would be a benefit. There has been much
teaching work carried out on this island over the last ten years which would be
assisted by a travel teacher. A small Bahá'í community of 2/3 Bahá'ís.
Colwyn Bay – North Wales coast which a large tourist industry. The Bahá'í
community is eight members unfortunately loosing their Assembly Ridvn 2003. The
community has six members who are elderly so and injection of new Bahá'ís
pioneering to Colwyn Bay would bolster the community and reform the Local
Spiritual Assembly.
Caerphilly - 15 minutes north of the Wales' capital, Cardiff. Jobs in the
Capital are numerous and in many different fields. The electronics industry is
particularly active in this part of Wales with large companies such as
Panasonic, Hitachi, and many more including telecoms. The Bahá'í community
numbers seven and travel teaching or pioneering would assist this locality form
a Local Spiritual Assembly in a priority cluster. Local Bahá'ís would be able to
accommodate small numbers of travel teachers. Core activities include devotional
meetings and study circle.
Newport - In South East Wales and Wales newest city. Growing economy with
opportunities numerous and in many different fields. The electronics industry is
particularly active in this part of Wales with large companies such as
Panasonic, Hitachi, and many more including telecoms. Ideally a family is
required to strengthen this community which has an Local Spiritual Assembly.
Core activities include a study circle.
Bangor - In the North West of Wales. Bangor has large amounts of tourists, a
university and a large farming community. Being in the North of Wales a travel
teacher speaking Welsh would be a benefit. There are three Bahá'ís in Bangor
with core activities in their infancy.
For further details of the areas or contact details of local Baha'is,
please contact the Baha'i Council for Wales,
post: Hathaway House, 1 Mount Pleasant, Cheptow, Monmouthshire, NP16 5PS,
telephone: 01291 628495, e-mail bcw@bahai.org.uk
Priorities identified by the Council for Northern Ireland
Contact for more details: The Secretary, Council for Northern Ireland,
e-mail bcni@bahai.org.uk.
Newtownabbey is one of the few communities in Northern Ireland which still has an LSA. However, the of our members has moved to England, so this Ridvan they will not be able to reform without additional members. They are therefore urgent help in finding additional members. They would particularly welcome students, as they are home to the main campus of the University of Ulster, and are eager to expand the Baha'i presence in the university's Jordanstown campus. The university already has a Baha'i Society, which is active it the sister campus at Coleraine, but so far, Jordanstown has been lagging behind, in Baha'i terms. Newtownabbey is a large suburban area north of Belfast, which is only 4-7 miles away. Accommodation is relatively cheap and there are excellent transport connections to Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Larne and other parts of Northern Ireland. There are even people living in this area who work in England and come home to Northern Ireland at weekends. There are some excellent schools in the area. Last but not least, we have the beautiful scenery of the Belfast Hills looking over Belfast Lough, with the Isle of Man, Scotland and England in the distance. In addition to the university, there is the East Antrim Institute of Further and Higher Education, which has a large range of useful courses and a growing number of international students. There is also NORTEL a major electronics company, and there is plenty of work for doctors and nurses in surrounding areas, as well as a small hospital in Newtownabbey itself. More information can be obtained from the secretary, Sally Liya (e-mail: smliya@netscape.net), or Ralph Rossi (chairman) e-mail ralphrossi@tiscali.co.uk.