16 December 2001
To the Friends assembled at the “Fire in the Pacific" Conference in Honolulu
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
With joyous hearts we send our loving greetings to all the dear friends gathered in Honolulu to commemorate the centenary of the arrival of the Baha’i Faith in the Pacific region.
You assemble at a time when the turmoil and confusion in the world created through the operation of the Major Plan of God is giving rise to apprehension and unease among the mass of humanity. Now, as never before, should the followers of Bahá'u'lláh demonstrate, through both word and deed, their confidence in the future and their awareness that enduring harmony and tranquillity can be found only by aligning oneself with the constructive forces of change at work throughout the planet today.
In the course of your centenary celebration, you are urged to give full consideration to the needs of the Cause of God in the Pacific region at this critical point in the Five Year Plan. The opportunities for the advancement of the Faith through energetic and creative pursuit of the teaching work in all parts of the Pacific are immense. The prospect before you is that of bringing into being vibrant Baha’i communities which demonstrate the transforming power of the Faith and offer a haven to those in search of unity.
However, the challenges before you should not be underestimated. To attain your objective, a much greater commitment is required to human resource development, so that the number of believers actively engaged in meeting the needs of the Cause is greatly increased. This will require a marked extension of the influence of the training institute, with its associated programs of courses and study circles.
The culture of growth remains to be firmly implanted in the consciousness of the members of the Bahá’í communities of the Pacific, so that individual initiative in teaching the Faith is fostered. Systematic programs of growth remain to be instituted and universally supported, with attention focused on clusters of villages and towns which have been categorized in terms of their present capability for the spread of the Bahá’í message. It should be clearly understood that proclamation events may well attract impressive publicity for the Faith but will only have an ephemeral influence on the strengthening of the Cause if they are unsupported by grassroots involvement in a continuing program of teaching.
The success of all endeavors made for the advancement of the Faith is greatly influenced by the unity of the Bahá’í community. The believers in each national area of the Pacific should give immediate attention to those measures which will further enhance their cohesion and harmony, fully aware that these actions will magnetically attract the spiritual powers necessary for the accomplishment of all to which they aspire. As the institutions of the Administrative Order throughout this region improve the effectiveness of their functioning, to that extent are they able to play a major role in the promotion and maintenance of the unity that is required.
The dear friends of the Pacific region are fortunate to be living in an area of unlimited potential for the progress of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Be assured of our ardent supplications in the Holy Shrines for the success of your efforts.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)
