In the widest sustained outreach in the history of the Bahá’í House of Worship for North America, 30 events spanning nine weeks in Wilmette, Chicago, Evanston and Skokie brought more than 8,000 people into prayers, stories, tours, activities, music and discourse connecting them with the heavenly teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and the earthly work done in His name.

A task force organized the events of the Light of Unity Festival on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly. Central to the Sept. 10–Nov. 12 succession of gatherings were three days’ programs at the sacred Mashriqu’l-Adhkár itself:

• A performance of music praising Bahá’u’lláh on Oct. 20 by the Bahá’í House of Worship Choir, accompanied by the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, in Foundation Hall.
• A devotional program for the Anniversary of the Birth of the Báb on Oct. 21, preceded by a “Light of Unity” gathering with participation from public dignitaries and a keynote talk by a National Spiritual Assembly member.
• Devotions for the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh on Oct. 22, framed by public showings of the film Light to the World, produced at the Bahá’í World Center to familiarize all peoples with His life and influence.
• Viewings of some precious relics of Bahá’u’lláh in a special exhibit arranged by the National Bahá’í Archives.

In arranging the nine-week sweep of public events (see complete list at www.lightofunity.org), the aims were to reach further than such formal Holy Day gatherings generally do: to widely share the Blessed Beauty’s message, vision and teachings; to support surrounding Bahá’í communities in teaching the Faith; to cultivate participation in discourse about creating just, inclusive and unified communities; to build on new and existing relationships; and generally to raise greater awareness of the House of Worship itself — both as a gift to the peoples of the world and as a place for people to worship and find inspiration for service.

As task force members continue to reflect on the impact of the nine-week series — often alongside community agencies that co-sponsored certain events — they are identifying how relationships and capacities have been strengthened. A few areas emerge in particular:

Collaborations with like-minded groups in the larger community. Several partner organizations have shown enthusiasm for working with the House of Worship on future public programs. Those include environmental groups that put effort into a “Heal the Healers Retreat” on Sept. 16 at the House of Worship; officials for the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, where a Bahá’í speaker was part of a panel discussing freedom of access to education on Oct. 8; the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston; and others.

Collaborations with Bahá’í communities and institutions near the Temple. The House of Worship enlisted a number of local Bahá’í communities to support programs at such locations as Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, the Mitchell Museum and Northwestern University in Evanston, the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, and the Temple itself, which drew support from the Wilmette, Glenview, Highland Park and other communities. This puts each Local Assembly and community in a great position “to develop or deepen those relationships over time,” notes Rebecca Rice, a coordinator at the House of Worship’s Welcome Center.

Changes in the way the Chicago-area public sees the Bahá’í Faith. With more than 3,200 people touring the Temple on Oct. 14–15, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Open House Chicago event, held in cooperation with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, had the greatest impact in this regard. Presentations for the tours touched on many spiritual and social teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and how they inspired the design of the building. And feedback indicates the program “made people feel welcome in a new way,” says Joyce Litoff of the Office of Communications at the Bahá’í National Center.

A different dimension came with actor Rainn Wilson’s role in a youth conference on the theme “Chew on Life’s Big Questions,” as a Chicago Sun-Times columnist interviewed him for a full-page article published Oct. 13. He took the opportunity to share glimpses of his life journey, Bahá’í perspectives on resolving racial and social divisions, and his interest in inspiring young people — partly through the SoulPancake digital enterprise — to see the world’s chaos though a spiritual lens.

Streams of visitors joined Bahá’ís in pondering discourse on shaping a just and equal society. Some of the presenters were Joy DeGruy, Hoda Mahmoudi, and Rashawn Ray, authors who focused on racial justice issues; Kevin Locke, Lakota storyteller and hoop dancer, and Nanabah Foguth Bulman sharing on indigenous rights; and Layli Miller-Muro, founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, exploring equality of women and men with Emily Dreke, a vice president of the Chicago Foundation for Women.

Changes in the way Bahá’ís connect with people at the House of Worship. Locally, family events gave some young Bahá’ís and their friends new enthusiasm for the Temple. For example, with two events staged by Brilliant Star magazine — a hands-on activity to “Build a United City” with 40,000 LEGO bricks, and a book release party featuring children’s singer Red Grammer — “we stepped outside of our norm and brought a whole new kind of energy,” says Syda Segovia-Taylor, a task force member from Chicago.

Including the Open House Chicago tours, a total of about 4,400 from the larger community participated. Several programs were live-streamed, allowing a broader audience to connect with the House of Worship during the bicentenary.

A total of 95 people asked to be connected with Bahá’í communities and activities when they registered online to attend various events, and a number of others asked to be informed about future House of Worship programs.

As our global Bahá’í community looks ahead to the 200th anniversary of the Birth of the Báb in fall 2019, the task force and the National Assembly’s offices are already reflecting on the wealth of experiences provided by the 2017 events to identify and cultivate opportunities for collaborations and ongoing programming, all of which will support and strengthen relationships with communities surrounding the Bahá’í House of Worship.

“From the nurturance and collaboration with the surrounding communities and their cluster agencies and institutions,” Rice says, “it is hoped that the programs at the House of Worship will be in harmony with and in response to their needs.”