Fresno, California

Fresno
City in the United States
Bahá’í Conference in Fresno, 1959.
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History:
Firsts
 -  Local Assembly 1948 
How to contact:
 -  Address 2240 N Angus St
Fresno, CA 93703[1] 
Official Website Community Facebook Group
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Fresno is a city in the U.S. State of California located in the San Joaquin Valley.

History[edit]

In 1929 John Bosch and Leroy Ioas visited Fresno during a teaching tour and held meetings to teach the Faith in the city.[2] In 1938 a teaching programme was organized for the San Joaquin Valley with travel teachers holding firesides in Fresno under the programme,[3] and the Bahá’í community of Oakland assumed responsibility for organizing efforts to teach the Faith in the city.[4]

In 1941 Sylvia King organized a concert gathering musical groups from various religious and cultural backgrounds in Fresno to proclaim the Faith,[5] and firesides and public meetings were held to teach the Faith throughout 1942,[6] with teaching teams of youth from San Francisco making weekend trips to the city to teach.[7] By 1947 an organized Bahá’í Group had been established in Fresno which was overseeing Bahá’í teaching activities,[8] and in 1948 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Fresno was established.[9]

As of 1950 there were seventeen Bahá’ís living in Fresno and the community was holding a monthly public meeting attended by thirty-five to forty-five people,[10] with Mamie Seto and Dr. John Stroessler visiting the city to deliver talks at the meeting.[11] In 1954 the Fresno community had large advertisements placed in local papers to promote World Religion Day,[12] the Local Spiritual Assembly of Fresno was incorporated,[13] and an Area Teaching Conference was held in the city.[14]

In 1956 Florence Mayberry visited Fresno in her role as Auxiliary Board member.[15] In 1957 the Fresno Bahá’í community arranged the only meeting held in the city to commemorate United Nations Week,[16] and in 1958 the Fresno Bahá’í Youth Committee sponsored a United Nations Day Dinner and a local Bahá’í was invited to serve on the Fresno Committee for United Nations Week.[17] In 1958 the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States held a Conference in the city to appeal for pioneers with Charles Wolcott addressing the Conference,[18] and a Local Spiritual Assembly for the Fresno Judicial District was established.[19]

In 1962 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Fresno and the Local Spiritual Assembly of Fresno Judicial District collaborated to secure permission for Bahá’í children in the area to not attend school to observe Bahá’í Holy Days,[20] and Bahá’í youth of the city organized a Bahá’í study camp for youth with the assistance of the Fresno Assembly.[21] In 1966 the Fresno Bahá’í community organized a week of intensive activity, with William Sears assisting with planning, dubbing the campaign Bahá’í Week.[22] The Mayor of Fresno, Floyd Hyde, officially declared Bahá’í Week in February that year in relation to the campaign,[23] and later in the year a Bahá’í exhibit was organized by the Fresno Bahá’í community for the California District Fair.[24] In 1968 a copy of The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh was presented to Mayor Floyd Hyde.[25]

In 1973 Bahá’í youth in Fresno and the surrounding area formed an Inter-Community Youth Committee aiming to support Bahá’í youth activities across the San Joaquin Valley.[26] In 1974 the Fresno youth organized another Bahá’í Week teaching campaign with the Mayor again officially declaring a Bahá’í Week in the city. Activites during the event included study classes held at the California State University, press releases being presented to radio and television stations and local newspapers, and a booth being set up at a shopping center.[27]

In 1980 Dr. Janet Khan, vice-chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ausstralia, conducted a teaching trip across California which included a visit to Fresno,[28] the National Teaching Committee held a meeting with seven District Committees in Fresno to discuss teaching work in California,[29] and a major Deepening Conference sponsored by the Continental Board for North America was held.[30] In 1981 a conference for youth attended by one hundred was held at California State University in Fresno focused on application of the Bahá’í Writings for daily life,[31] and in 1984 Fresno Bahá’í youth held a successful weeklong proclamation campaign which included a proclamation by the Mayor, media publicity, and a shopping center booth.[32] In 1988 the Bahá’í community of Fresno proposed holding a conference to foster unity among different ethnic communities in the city and collaborated with other groups including the Human Rights Commission to hold a conference entitled One Race, Many Cultures?.[33]

In 1990 the headquarters of the Fresno Cambodian community was destroyed in a fire and the Local Spiritual Assembly was the only agency in the city which responded to the Cambodian communities appeal for temporary accommadation, providing the Fresno Bahá’í Center for their use.[34] In 1998 the Fresno community celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Fresno.[35]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ https://app.candid.org/profile/8428763/bahais-of-fresno-spriritual-assemb-94-6123382?_gl=1*3w59p2*_gcl_au*MTA5NTg1MzgzNC4xNzY4ODc3NDE0*_ga*MTQ0Njk4OTE5OS4xNzY4ODc3NDE0*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*czE3Njg4Nzc0MTMkbzEkZzAkdDE3Njg4Nzc0MTMkajYwJGwwJGgw
  2. ↑ Baha'i News Letter (1929). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 35, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  3. ↑ Baha'i News (1938). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 119, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  4. ↑ Baha'i News (1939). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 122, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  5. ↑ Baha'i News (1941). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 146, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 156, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ Baha'i News (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 156, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ Baha'i News (1947). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 194, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  9. ↑ Baha'i News (1948). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 209, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ Baha'i News (1950). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 234, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ Baha'i News (1951). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 242, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 277, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 280, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 285, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ Baha'i News (1956). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 301, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 323, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Baha'i News (1959). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 335, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 324, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 331, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ Baha'i News (1962). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 375, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ Baha'i News (1962). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 380, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1974). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 5, Issue 7, pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ Baha'i News (1966). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 421, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ Baha'i News (1967). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 430, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ Baha'i News (1968). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 447, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 4, Issue 10, pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1974). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 5, Issue 7, pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1980). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 11, Issue 9, pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  29. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1980). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 11, Issue 4, pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1980). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 11, Issue 10, pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  31. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 12, Issue 8, pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  32. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 15, Issue 7, pg(s) 27. View as PDF.
  33. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 19, Issue 11, pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  34. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1990). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 21, Issue 12, pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
  35. ↑ The American Bahá’í (1998). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 29, Issue 3, pg(s) 31. View as PDF.
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