International Bahá’í Bureau
International Bahá’í Bureau |
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 Staff of the International Bahá’í Bureau at the Bureau Offices in the early 1930's.
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| Established | 1925 | |
| - | Disbanded | 1957 |
The International Bahá’í Bureau was a Bahá’í institution based in Geneva, Switzerland, established on the behalf of Shoghi Effendi. Its purpose was to facilitate international communication between Bahá’í national communities as an auxiliary to the World Centre in Haifa and to promote and advance the interests of the Bahá’í Faith in Europe.[1]
The Bureau established contacts for the Faith with other international bodies based in Geneva, achieved official recognition from the League of Nations, and oversaw efforts to teach the Faith in Geneva.[2] It operated until 1957 when it was disbanded,[3] with the Bahá’í International Community fulfilling most of its intended functions.[1]
History[edit]
In February 1925 Jean Stannard went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and consulted with Shoghi Effendi on pioneering to Europe intending to settle in Switzerland. Shoghi Effendi advised her to settle in Geneva. After settling in Geneva she formed the International Bahá’í Bureau for the purposes of establishing communication between national Bahá’í communities. She secured the bodies membership in a group of international associations based in Geneva and secured offices in June 1925.[4] The body was initially funded by monthly donations from Shoghi Effendi and Stannard's personal funds.[5]
Shortly after the Bureau's establishment Martha Root moved to Geneva, remaining for two years, and the offices of the Bureau were used to host lectures on the Bahá’í Faith with Stannard, Root, and visiting speakers including Lady Blomfield delivering talks.[4] In 1926 Stannard established the periodical Messager Bahá’í on behalf of the Bureau which was published in English, French, and German and remained in print until the following year.[5] Stannard found it increasingly challenging to facilitate the correspondence of the Bureau with Bahá’í Assemblies and individuals due to a lack of secretarial support and in 1927 Julia Culver pioneered to Geneva at Stannard's request to support the work of the Bureau and she began funding most of the bodies functions.[5]
From August to September 1927 Martha Root visited Geneva again and assisted with the functioning of the Bureau however around this time Stannard departed Geneva as her health had begun to fail and she no longer had the funds to support the work of the Bureau. In October 1927 a group of nine Bahá’í's gathered to consult on the future of the Bureau and wrote to Shoghi Effendi for advice. The Guardian advised that he wanted the Bureau to continue to operate and offered to supply funding for the expenses of the Bureau and the continued publication of the Bahá’í Messager. The group declined to accept funding and decided to disband the Bureau.[5]
Julia Culver decided, on the advice of Shoghi Effendi, to assume the responsibility of operating the Bureau independently however in 1928 the body reduced its level of activity due to a lack of resources. In May 1928 Culver requested support and Shoghi Effendi sent Emogene Hoagg to Geneva to assist with the operations of the Bureau in June.[5] That month the Bureau rented new rooms to serve as an office and Martha Root visited in the summer of that year to stimulate activity. In September a major meeting attended by prominent Bahá’ís from America and Europe including Jean Stannard, Ruhi Afnan, and Mountfort Mills, was held in Geneva to facilitate consultation on the future of the Bureau. Several recommendations were made however the Bureau continued to operate with Culver and Hoagg being solely responsible for its functions,[5] although Anne Lynch pioneered to Geneva to assist the Bureau later in 1928.[6]
In August 1929 the Bureau formally established a French study class on the Bahá’í teachings and established a monthly social gathering. It also expanded its offices establishing a Bahá’í library and a Bulletin on developments in Geneva. In addition to facilitating communication and overseeing teaching work in Geneva the Bureau also began consulting with other international bodies in Geneva establishing contacts for the Faith and securing official recognition from the League of Nations.[7]
In 1930 the Bureau was officially registered as an international working unit operating under a committee supervised by Shoghi Effendi. In March 1931 Shoghi Effendi stated the following regarding the Bureau:
“Geneva is auxiliary to the Center in Haifa. It does not assume the place of Haifa, but is auxiliary. It exercises no international authority; it does not try to impose, but helps and acts as intermediary between Haifa and other Bahá’í centers. It is ‘international’ because it links the different countries; it is like a distributing center."[8]
Culver requested permission from Shoghi Effendi to return to the United States in January 1931 and received it but decided to wait until Emogene Hoagg, who had departed Switzerland, could return to assume her responsibilities however Hoagg was unable to finalize a move so Culver remained in Geneva until May, 1933.[9] After Culver's departure Anne Lynch assumed the responsibility of heading the Bureau being the only Bahá’í resident in Geneva up until 1937.[6]
During the Second World War Lynch distributed communications to encourage and comfort the Bahá’ís across Europe.[6] In 1949 Honor Kempton moved to Geneva to serve with the Bureau as a representative of the European Teaching Committee, and in her service she helped organize European Teaching Conferences and the 1953 Intercontinental Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.[5]
The Bureau continued to operate under Lynch until being disbanded in 1957 having achieved its specific functions.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wendi Momen, A Basic Baha'i Dictionary, George Ronald: Oxford, 1989, p 118
- ↑ Earl Redman, Through the Pilgrim’s Eye: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 87
- ↑ Baha'i News (1967). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 430, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 257. View as PDF.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 258. View as PDF. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "two" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Baha'i News (1966). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 428, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 260. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 261. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1952?). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 11 (1946-1950), Pg(s) 509. View as PDF.
