Representatives end Bahai national convention in Lae

DELEGATES representing the 101 Bahai communities around the country have ended their annual Bahai national convention in Lae, Morobe.
The convention started on April 27 and ended on April 30.
The convention is an annual event in which representatives of Bahai communities gather with two purposes in mind.
The first is to elect the nine members of the national spiritual assembly who will administer the affairs of the faith in the country; and the second is to consult on the message of the supreme body of the faith in Israel.
The Bahai election process is a spiritual undertaking in which nine members are elected through a secret ballot, free of electioneering, nomination or campaigning.
The election of the nine members is done according to the five spiritual qualities of unquestioned loyalty, matured experience, self-less devotion, a well-trained mind and recognised ability.
At the conclusion of the election a full report is submitted to the Bahai World Centre in Israel.
The second role of the delegates is that they are able to consult on the progress of their four main community building activities which are; conducting devotional meetings with friends in the neighbourhoods, teaching children prayers and spiritual qualities, the spiritual empowerment of youth between the ages of 11 to 14, and study the circles where the friends are invited to study the creative word of God.
The goal is for the children and youth to reach a stage in which they can understand and act upon the imperative to tend to their own spiritual development and contribute to the well-being of society.
The convention delegates read the message of the Universal House of Justice which greatly inspired, encouraged and raised their spirits to serve their communities under the current five-year plan of the Universal House of Justice.
Of the 76 delegates elected to the national convention, only 52 were able to attend.
The delegates said the convention was a success for them.