141. Release of Arising to Serve: Glimpses from 41 Regional Conferences

141

**Release of Arising to Serve: Glimpses from 41 Regional Conferences **

2 December 2009

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

141.1 On 20 October 2008, the Universal House of Justice announced the convocation of forty-one regional conferences throughout the world to provide an opportunity for the friends to celebrate together the feats achieved during the Five Year Plan and to deliberate on its exigencies. Such was the momentum generated by these conferences that by the end of the following Riḍván period, the number of intensive programmes of growth established had risen to more than one thousand.

141.2 The film Arising to Serve: Glimpses from 41 Regional Conferences provides a unique historical and inspirational record of those precious moments when nearly eighty thousand participants gathered to share experiences, plan for the work ahead, and mark their achievements in raising the call of Bahá’u’lláh across the globe. Capturing the spirit of celebration and preparation for action, the film features accounts of participants from all walks of life who have courageously arisen to respond to the needs of the Plan.

141.3 Copies of the DVD containing the film will be posted to you. The House of Justice wishes the film to be widely distributed among the friends, for their own viewing and that of others where they deem it appropriate…. The DVD includes options for watching the film with subtitles in English, French, Persian, or Spanish; enclosed with this letter you will find two documents that will be of help if you wish to produce a version of the film with subtitles in another language. In addition, the film can be downloaded or viewed online by visiting the Web site www.bahai.org/arising. You may wish to consider distributing copies of the DVD to Regional Bahá’í Councils, Local Spiritual Assemblies, and smaller communities so that it can be used as a tool for reflecting on the progress made thus far and planning to meet the challenges that are in store.

141.4 It is hoped that the film will serve as a source of learning, encouragement, and inspiration to those who, in response to the summons of their Lord, are arising to serve their fellow citizens in every corner of the world.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

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