“The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Chicago adopts
this form of corporate association in order to supply proper legal status to
its conduct of the affairs of a religious community, which has had continuous
existence for thirty-six years, and continuous organized existence since 1901
A.D., in the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, being the
first local Baha’i community established in North America. During the period
from 1901 to the present date the Spiritual Assembly has been recognized,
encouraged and instructed in nineteen Tablets and letters addressed to it by
’Abdu’l-Baha. This first Local Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is in North America
was vested with the responsibility of founding the first Baha’i Temple --
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar -- in the Western Hemisphere, until the organization of a
National Body in 1909 A.D. The Spiritual Assembly was visited by ‘Abdu’l-Baha
three times in the year 1912, during His sojourn in North America. The
Spiritual Assembly has been recognized since the Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Baha in
letters addressed to it by the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith. The Chicago Baha’i
community has been continuously and uninterruptedly represented by delegates in
the Annual Meetings held by the recognized National Baha’i body of North
America, since the foundation of that body in 1909 A.D. The Spiritual Assembly
is at present enrolled in the list of Local Spiritual Assemblies recognized by
the National Spiritual Assembly.
“The members of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of
Chicago have taken this action in full unanimity and agreement. They
acknowledge for themselves and on behalf of their successors the sacred meaning
and universal purpose of the Baha’i Faith, the teachings and principles of
which fulfill the divine promise of all former religions.”
(Baha’i News, no.
60, March 1932)