The Bahá’í Club at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was founded in 2016 and there has been loads of learning in the last 6 years. The club started with the knowledge of the need to be outward-looking, with no Bahá’í students, a seeker, and a Bahá’í professor serving as advisor. It has met regularly and systematically — despite the dip in activities and participation that happened during the worst of the COVID epidemic. During the last 6 years, the club has contributed to a campus environment where the word “Bahá’í” has become familiar.
At Riḍván 2022, the new Local Spiritual Assembly of Fort Smith was elected. Three of the new Assembly members are Bahá’ís today because of the Bahá’í Club. One was a staff member who saw the flyers on the “Spiritual Readings from World Religions” event at the start of a semester and decided to attend. This was the first time she had ever heard of the Bahá’í Faith, and by the end of the semester, she knew her heart had found its home.
One was a nursing student on campus who was drawn to the club through campus announcements and a campus fireside event on race unity. It took her about six months of seeing flyers before she attended the race unity event; but once she did, her life changed. The third new Assembly member is the husband of the nursing student, who declared when she did — and he is the sweetest, gentlest soul on the Assembly.
The latest learning the club is experiencing involves training interested college youth to be junior youth animators. In previous semesters, club members were invited to participate in Reflections on the Life of the Spirit — and certainly the context of the Ruhi study circle spoke to hearts and enabled declarations. One club member became a junior youth animator, and a number of club members finished Ruhi Books 1, 2, and 3. However, previous to this Spring semester, the club had not placed much emphasis on the specific goal of raising up mentors for the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program. That is changing.
On May 14 and 15th, the club will sponsor its first Ruhi Books 1 and 5 Intensive with a group of college youth who are new to the institute courses. The goal is to begin the junior youth groups this summer, working in conjunction with the team in the focus neighborhood, where there are currently a thriving devotional and two study circles – but as of yet, no junior youth groups. In this way, our community is striving to release the society-building power of the Faith in ever greater measures and answer the call of our Beloved House of Justice.
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