October 14. On this date in 1997, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States sent a letter "to all Local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá'í Groups and College Clubs" for "focusing the attention of the American Bahá'í community on the Covenant... We have been assured by the Counselors that the Auxiliary Board members stand ready to support your efforts to conduct these gatherings. Please call upon them. Also, we have included a brief list of references which, in addition to the Sacred Writings and the letters of Shoghi Effendi, will facilitate your study. "The Flow of Divine Authority: Scriptural authority for the Universal House of Justice to function infallibly without the presence of a Guardian," an article written by Mr. G. Brent Poirier, can be found as a special pull-out section in the August 1, 1996 issue of the American Bahá'í. The article, "Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him" is enclosed for easy reference."

October 14. On this date in 1997, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States sent a letter "to all Local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá'í Groups and College Clubs" for "focusing the attention of the American Bahá'í community on the Covenant... We have been assured by the Counselors that the Auxiliary Board members stand ready to support your efforts to conduct these gatherings. Please call upon them. Also, we have included a brief list of references which, in addition to the Sacred Writings and the letters of Shoghi Effendi, will facilitate your study. "The Flow of Divine Authority: Scriptural authority for the Universal House of Justice to function infallibly without the presence of a Guardian," an article written by Mr. G. Brent Poirier, can be found as a special pull-out section in the August 1, 1996 issue of the American Bahá'í. The article, "Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him" is enclosed for easy reference."


National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
October 14, 1997
To All Local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá'í Groups and College Clubs
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
The spirits of the American Bahá'í community were revived and our commitment strengthened through study of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh earlier this year when we gathered during the period of the Bahá'í Fast for personal reflection on that theme.
Dear Friends, we ask your help, once again, in focusing the attention of the American Bahá'í community on the Covenant, "the potent instrument by which individual belief in Him is translated into constructive deeds," by organizing gatherings - large and small - for that purpose during the period from November 12 (Birth of Bahá'u'lláh) through November 26, 1997 (Day of the Covenant). Our daily exertions to advance the process of entry by troops depend, first and foremost, on the degree of our firmness in the Covenant. Our capacity to win the whole-hearted allegiance of new believers, to consolidate our ever-expanding Bahá'í communities, and to withstand the inevitable attacks and crises that are a natural part of this process, depends on our ability to draw on our "love for Bahá'u'lláh, the power of the Covenant, [and] the dynamics of prayer...." These are the "transformative forces" that "operate" on our souls as we "strive to behave in accordance with the divine laws and principles."
We have been assured by the Counselors that the Auxiliary Board members stand ready to support your efforts to conduct these gatherings. Please call upon them. Also, we have included a brief list of references which, in addition to the Sacred Writings and the letters of Shoghi Effendi, will facilitate your study. "The Flow of Divine Authority: Scriptural authority for the Universal House of Justice to function infallibly without the presence of a Guardian," an article written by Mr. G. Brent Poirier, can be found as a special pull-out section in the August 1, 1996 issue of the American Bahá'í. The article, "Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him" is enclosed for easy reference.
Our hearts and prayers are with you always.
National Spiritual Assembly of The Bahá'ís. of The United States
cc: Continental Counselors Serving North America (w/enclosure)
    Auxiliary Board Members (w/enclosure)
Reference Materials

   1 Letters on the subject of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice dated October 6, 1963, March 9, 1965, May 27, 1966, and December 7, 1969 -- all have been published in Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986. They are also found in Wellspring of Guidance, and Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968-1973.
   2 The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh by Adib Taherzadeh, especially chapter 8, "The Arch-breaker of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant"; chapter 34, "The Chief Stewards"; and chapter 35, "The Universal House of Justice".
   3 "The Power of the Covenant, Part II" published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
   4 "The Flow of Divine Authority: Scriptural authority for the Universal House of Justice to function infallibly without the presence of a Guardian," an article by G. Brent Poirier. (August 1, 1996 issue of the American Bahá'í).
   5 "Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him" (January 31, 1997 from the Universal House of Justice)