Jackson TN Zero to Sixty


As a result of preparatory support work and the efforts of three resident Baha’is, the Jackson, TN cluster currently has about 60 people in children’s classes, junior youth groups and a youth study circle on “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” (Ruhi Book 1). These activities are all in one neighborhood. The children’s classes have recently broken into multiple grades. The junior youth prepare for and teach all grades of the children’s classes. The junior youth group has also broken into sub-groups and by next year they will probably have at least three distinct groups stratified by age. They just started a Ruhi Book 1 with eight youth. They plan to begin a devotional with the parents of the junior youth and children.

This is an area where the effects of community building become clear – friendships are strong, the neighborhood is transforming (according to the managers of the apartment complex), individuals are changing, and there is a strong sense of community in the neighborhood that is driven by the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program. At Thanksgiving, they held a neighborhood Thanksviging dinner attended by close to 50 residents – most of them associated with the program.

This growth and development accelerated in 2014. A small number of Baha’is, inspired by the winter campaign last year in northern Virginia, moved core activities forward to fruition. This is an example of how a small number of tutors or animators can move a whole cluster and lay the foundation for its transformation.