The Regional Branch of the National Bahá’í Fund
In 1997 the Universal House of Justice stated that ‘a Regional Council can be authorised by the National Spiritual Assembly to act as its agent in operating a regional branch of the national Bahá’í fund.’1 Previously, the National Spiritual Assembly funded the work of the Council completely. Now, it believes that the funding can, by degrees, come from the friends directly. Therefore, regional branches of the National Bahá’í Fund have been established for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Indeed, the House of Justice envisages that eventually ‘the entire expenditure for the region would be provided by the believers in the region.’2
What work will a regional branch support?
Each contribution to the regional branch will enable the Council for England to carry out its many areas of expenditure which include:
- Teaching work – long and short-term teaching plans, especially in regard to collective projects
- Travel teaching and pioneering
- Teaching resources, such as booklets used in campaigns
- The work of Area Teaching Committees – based in ‘A’ clusters
- The work of Cluster Growth Facilitators - in ‘B’ and ‘C’ clusters
- Conferences and other meetings
- The activities of the Youth Committee for England
- Communications – including ‘Living Nation’ and Feast letters
- Administration – secretarial and office expenses
- Supporting individual initiatives
How can a contribution be made?
Only Baha’is can make a contribution. Believers can make a contribution made payable to the ‘National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the UK’ with a note explaining that all or part of the contribution is allocated to the England regional branch. Alternatively, they can be made payable directly to the “Baha’i Council for England”.Contributions can be sent to the Finance Office of the National Spiritual Assembly, 27 Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1PD.
It should be remembered that although a contribution to the regional fund is a donation via the National Fund, it should not be seen as a substitute to contributions to the many other Local, National and International Funds that a believer can also make.
‘Contributing to the Fund is a service that every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmations.’3
References.
(1) Universal House of Justice, ‘Regional Bahá’í Councils’ May 1997 p. 12.
(2) Ibid.
(3) From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the Baha’is of the East and West, 18 December 1963.