Guided and encouraged at every step by the Universal House of Justice and other institutions of the Faith, Bahá’ís across the U.S. poured their energies over 18 months into building toward the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and beyond.

From the outset of the Five Year Plan of 2016–2021, we were urged to view the five-year period in terms of three-month cycles: six cycles leading to the bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth, eight between that milestone and the bicentenary of the Báb’s birth, then six more to the Plan’s culmination.

That’s 20 cycles in all of ever-increasing — indeed “herculean” — effort to connect hearts with Bahá’u’lláh, draw new friends into the community-building process, and with them multiply activities destined to transform individuals and neighborhoods.

What’s been the journey to this point?

Believers and their collaborators have striven in every aspect of their lives to raise awareness and create capacity by:

• Forging and strengthening relationships — expanding the nucleus of people engaged in community building as well as engaging in discourse and social action with like-minded individuals, organizations and institutions.
• Building, identifying and using skills and talents — learning to talk with ease about the Person and Station of Bahá’u’lláh and casting a wide net for participation in planning and carrying out bicentenary celebrations.
• Sharing ideas and resources at an unprecedented level — notably through the National Spiritual Assembly’s bicentenary page and dedicated Facebook pages.
• Holding pre-bicentenary programs that pique interest — from displays to exhibits and talks introducing Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings.

All this led to joyous celebrations large and small in homes, Bahá’í centers and rented facilities of all sizes. The stories in this package tell, in words and pictures, how individuals and communities read their reality; planned festivities infused with the arts and the Word of God and consonant with their capacities, resources and goals; and with great spirit and creativity reached hearts and minds alike.

And it points the community of the Greatest Name toward more and more effective activity in the next eight cycles — and the six cycles to follow those — as believers and an expanding nucleus of engaged souls study, reflect, make fresh plans and redouble their energies.

For as the House of Justice wrote on Oct. 31:

“We urge you to see in each person who responded to your invitation a potential protagonist in the community-building process. Consider how conditions may be created that would enable many to walk this path together. Connected to the transformative power of the Revelation, every soul can draw closer to Bahá’u’lláh, grow in capacity, find joy in service, and learn to assist others. The results of the magnificent effort you have made offer tremendous promise — but fulfilling that promise will require fortitude. …”