25. Audiovisual Materials
Messages from the Universal House of Justice– 2001–2022, The Fifth Epoch of the Formative Age · The Universal House of Justice · 315 words
25
**Audiovisual Materials **
To National Spiritual Assemblies
25.1 With the successful completion of the most recent phase of the Mount Carmel development work and the straitened financial circumstances created by prevailing world conditions, the Universal House of Justice has embarked on a major programme of retrenchment at the Bahá’í World Centre. While all essential services will continue to be maintained, close attention is being given to those functions that can be quite adequately carried out at the national or local level.
25.2 One of these latter is the work of supplying audiovisual materials for a wide range of projects on the part of various Bahá’í agencies or individual believers. In recent years, this work has expanded, in both quantity and diversity, beyond the point where needs can efficiently be met through a centralized operation here. The House of Justice must now look to National Spiritual Assemblies to assume the principal responsibility for supplying photographs, slides, archival materials, audio recordings and videotapes required by members of their respective communities. The Audio-Visual Department will continue to supply photographs and audio and video recordings of major events at the World Centre, at the time these occur. It is in the course also of developing a plan to forward to a number of National Assemblies parts of its current holdings that are of particular relevance to the activities of the communities involved, and looks forward to being in touch with you as this programme is implemented.\
25.3 Although immediately prompted by the current financial crisis, this development is primarily a feature of the increasing decentralization dictated by the expansion of the Cause. While it will make new demands on national administrative resources, the reinforcement that these resources are everywhere experiencing ensures that the vital needs of the teaching and public information work will be met.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,