At a celebration of the bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh in Minot, North Dakota, 10 people viewed Light to the World, the Universal House of Justice-commissioned film on the life and teachings of the Prophet-Founder of the Faith, and afterward engaged in a conversation that clearly showed how well “all present had absorbed its message,” says participant Jim Knudsen.

“Amazement, hope and a profound appreciation for Bahá’u’lláh and the dynamism of His followers were the predominant responses,” says Knudsen of that small gathering held Oct. 21 to honor the Blessed Beauty on the 200th anniversary of His birth.

“And then the realization dawned on us all,” he says, “that our own little group that night in Minot, North Dakota, was proof positive that the world can change and that true love and unity can be attained between all people, no matter how diverse in culture or appearance — just as the film had portrayed.”

It truly was a diverse group that broke bread that evening, counting “a Native American, a Turkish Muslim, a Nigerian Christian, a Catholic nun, and two lay Lutheran ministers” among them.

But all “felt a spiritual presence of love that permeated every interaction and conversation,” says Knudsen. “That presence brought a spirit of unity that was as deep as any Bahá’í gathering I have ever experienced.”

That same spirit saturated bicentenary celebrations throughout the vast and thinly populated Northern Plains region.

In 37 localities dotting Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming they gathered. And when all was tallied by the Regional Bahá’í Council a total of 1,181 people had attended at least one event, and of those several attended more than one.

Opposition but, ultimately, hope

Did the Baháís in the Star Valley of Wyoming and in Idaho Falls, Idaho, see their actions as audacious? Perhaps. More likely they simply were getting the word out about a Personage and an occasion dear to them.

But when the Afton and Lincoln County, Wyoming, believers showed up at seven post offices with thousands of copies of a vivid flier so one could be delivered to each household, and when those in Idaho Falls contracted (or so they thought) for a billboard and requested a proclamation from the mayor, they met with opposition and, undeterred, mounted joyous bicentenary celebrations that raise hope for future understanding.

Every Door Direct Mail (USPS – EDDM) was the means of placing an invitation to the celebration in every mailbox. Verbal reaction — positive and negative — was immediate. “Some think it's a fabulous thing to do,” recounts Dru Hanich, secretary of the Regional Council. “Others have ripped them in half and thrown them in the trash at the post office.

“One friend shared that at her Bible study, people commented that all the Bahá’ís want to do is convert. The friend replied, ‘What's wrong with converting if you find something you like?’ Some friends have commented that they like that we did a mass mailing, as it didn’t single anyone out. They think it was well done.”

Reaction of a more physical nature came as well. A poster placed in a Thayne, Wyoming, window was tampered with — twice. More significantly, someone tried to break into the Bahá’í meeting space adjacent to a Bahá’í couple’s chocolate shop in Afton.

The window poster was replaced. Two large banners proclaiming the bicentenary covered windows of the meeting space. And the celebration went on at the Afton Civic Center.

In Idaho Falls, the Local Spiritual Assembly sent a formal letter to the mayor requesting a proclamation in honor of the bicentenary. In return an email from an administrative assistant said the mayor and City Council are collectively a governing body and as such “cannot make a statement that could be construed as an endorsement of religious doctrine or religious ideas,” says Assembly secretary Nancy Picker.

Dismayed, the Local Assembly sought guidance from the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of Public Affairs and received an encouraging letter from Debra Taylor, OPA communications manager, enumerating steps for building a relationship with the mayor.

And when a week later the city proclaimed Family History Month, a focus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they called Taylor and were given further ideas for addressing the situation.

Picker says two other obstacles were encountered along Idaho Falls’ path to the bicentenary. Rental of rooms and a display case at the public library was up in the air for weeks as the Bahá’ís received conflicting information on its policy about religious use but ultimately was granted. They weren’t so fortunate in contracting for billboard space. The company’s local representative agreed but then was instructed by the parent company to cancel it.

Nonetheless, the community’s two celebrations — a reception at the library and a devotional program the next afternoon in a downtown theater — were well-attended.

Other reports from the Northern Plains

• Buffalo, Wyoming. In response to personal invitations and a letter to the editor in the local newspaper, five friends of the Faith joined the community’s two Bahá’ís in celebration and delighted in discovering connections. Two shared a mutual interest in religious history and books. Two others had mutual friends out of state.
• Pocatello, Idaho. Ten countries and eight faith traditions were represented among 70 attendees. The mayor and his wife were present, along with a City Council member and a church pastor. Members of various local humanitarian organizations joined the evening as well. The Idaho State University Music Department provided music that focused on Bahá’u’lláh and the unity of the human family.
• Palouse area of Idaho/Washington. A task force of four from three communities planned four bicentenary activities including a talk on “The Gate: Who Was the Báb and What Is His Significance Today?”; a potluck dinner featuring a talk on “The Life of Bahá’u’lláh: A Mission of Peace”; a children’s activity; and a screening of Light to the World.
• Ennis, Montana. Leading up to the bicentenary, the Bahá’ís visited all nine clergy — meeting with friendly interest from all except one — and sent invitations to everyone in the town of 850. Fifteen people from the larger community, including a Mormon church leader, enjoyed the celebration alongside 13 Bahá’ís. All enjoyed games and decorated the room with helium balloons on which they wrote messages of peace and unity.
• Brookings, South Dakota. The Brookings County community hosted two bicentenary events. To commemorate the Birth of the Báb, they had pancakes and prayers at the public library on Saturday morning, Oct. 21. Four people attended. The next afternoon, 16 people, including five college students, gathered to view and discuss Light to the World.