The New Orleans Bahá’í community hosts various regular devotional gatherings throughout the city, including one which has been held weekly for over four years now. The multi-faith devotional gathering is held every Tuesday, and brings people from different backgrounds together to study writings from world religions on a given topic, such as love, justice, or gratitude, to discuss the universality of the topics and the implications in our lives.

Many of the friends who come to this gathering come through the Seeker Response System, so they have expressed a desire to learn more about the Bahá’í Faith. This is a space where people can do that, though we have worked intentionally to create an environment that is a welcoming and open community which embraces anyone who wants to learn about how others think and the values we all share in common.

Hosting this gathering has been a constant source of learning, growth and transformation for us, and we have met so many amazing people! One response from a participant: “This has changed my life..” ”It is becoming clear to us how devotional gatherings can serve as a portal for welcoming people from all walks of life into a community, giving them a voice and way to contribute, while also inviting them to enter the training institute to serve more formally or to just be a part of a united and supportive group of people.