Montgomery County South TX Cluster Outreach
The Baháʼís of the Montgomery County South TX cluster have been engaging in outreach programs with study circles that include friends of the Faith, and with individual initiatives for children’s education in the wider community.
The three narratives below describe a few of these initiatives, as told by team members who are taking action to foster community-building activities in their neighborhoods.
Tiny Seeds Class in The Woodlands, TX
Two Baháʼí families, whose small children are not old enough yet to attend children’s classes, have started a children’s devotional program. They hold the classes once a week in a park nearby. The classes began with their two children. As word spread, families in the surrounding neighborhood with very young children have joined the class.
Lua E., who hosts the class, described their program. “We have found a more steady rhythm with the class, and have 6 families that participate regularly. The kids in the class range from 2-4 years old. We choose a different theme based on age-appropriate books we find at the library and focus on that same theme for 2 weeks. Our most recent theme was taking care of others. We sing a welcome song, read the book, talk about the theme, do an activity based on the theme, and then play at the playground with the kids. They especially enjoy feeding the ducks at the pond by the playground. The kiddos’ parents stay with them for the class and join in during the activities and for hanging out afterwards.
“All the parents say that their kids ask them what day Tiny Seeds will be, and ask to go! The class has been framed as community building with the parents, and we engage in casual conversations about the Baháʼí Faith. We have really focused on creating friendships with the families that are coming to the class.”
Lua E.
Book 1 with a seeker from 800 22 UNITE
Over the past few months, a seeker who contacted the Baháʼís through the 800 22 UNITE seeker hotline has been learning about the Faith, attending devotions and holy days, and engaging in a Book 1 study circle.
One of the teaching team members, Cathy L., explained the story of their initial encounters. “It has been a few months now since the hotline coordinator asked me to introduce myself to a seeker in Conroe, TX, who was interested in the Faith. I immediately sent her a text and then had a phone conversation to schedule an introductory meeting over lunch the next day. I asked two other Baháʼís to join us at the lunch. The seeker asked many questions and almost immediately agreed to join us in a Book 1 class. She invited a friend of hers to try the study circle with her.
“A few days later, she, her daughter, and two of her friends joined us for the Birth of the Báb celebration at a park in The Woodlands. When we picked them up to give them a ride to the celebration, there was much interest shown by both of her friends while in transit.
“We have already completed the first section of Book 1 and have started the section on Prayer, because we are meeting one or two times a week via Zoom. They are a joy to be around. Their enthusiasm for the Faith and their thirst to learn and memorize the passages from Baháʼu’lláh are contagious. I am so grateful that Baháʼu’lláh sent them to us.”
Cathy L.
Preparing to host a children’s class
Although many of the children who have gone through the Baháʼí children’s classes in the Montgomery County South cluster have now reached college age, the parents of these youth remember how important the classes were for the spiritual development of their children. A team of these mothers has come together to start an outward-oriented program, and to invite families who have not yet encountered the Faith to join with them in the spiritual education of their children. The team has taken the first step to initiate this program by studying Book 3 (Teaching Children’s Classes), as they prepare for the classes to begin soon.
One of the team members, Vanessa F., wrote a note to the community for a recent Feast to explain why she wants to host the children’s classes in her home. “My primary reason why I decided to start a children’s class again in my new home is because of my children. I remember teaching them when they were young and how it made us happy to see all they were learning. It truly made them great kids. My hope is that with this new class we can touch someone’s heart and make a difference in the lives of the children.“
Vanessa F.
Tiny Seeds Class in The Woodlands, TX.