A sampling of some of the choral arrangements performed at the two-day dedication ceremony of the national Bahá’í House of Worship in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

https://news.bahai.org/story/1652/

DRC temple dedication - Choir

Bahá’í World News Service podcast

The centenary of the first race amity conference held by the American Bahá’í community was marked by a three-day symposium exploring racial unity and social change. Read more at https://news.bahai.org/story/1514/

A path toward a unified America

United States – Storm

As dedication ceremony for the world’s first national Bahá’í House of Worship concludes, the temple opens its doors, embracing all.
https://news.bahai.org/story/1652/

DRC Temple Dedication - Rehearsal Track 3

DRC Temple Dedication - Rehearsal Track 2

DRC Temple Dedication - Rehearsal Track 1

DRC Temple Dedication - Performance Track 2

DRC Temple Dedication - Performance Track 1 (Hidden Word #1)

A new podcast episode from the News Service explores how the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program, a Bahá’í-inspired educational endeavor, is raising capacity in people to apply scientific knowledge together with spiritual principles for the development of their communities. 

In this episode, Elisa Cooper, who works closely with a network of Bahá’í-inspired organizations around the world, joins two young people serving at the Bahá’í World Centre, Karishma Nair from India and Alex Kalumba from Zambia, to discuss how the PSA program is contributing to various aspects of community life, including education, environmental conservation, agriculture, and health.

In conversation: Exploring the Preparation for Social Action program

How do we ensure that our values, our aspirations, and our needs are integrated into the design, development, and use of technology? 

This was among the questions explored by Matt Weinberg, a technologist from the United States, in this podcast episode recorded during a recent gathering at the Bahá’í World Centre on the development of communities.

Full story: news.bahai.org/story/1705/

Insights from the field: Technology, values, and society

During a recent visit to the Bahá’í World Centre, members of Bahá’í communities from various countries joined in conversation with the News Service to explore insights about fostering a pattern of vibrant community life. 

Guests of the episode included Jorge Guerreiro from Brazil, Nazneen Rowhani from India, Confucius Ikoirere from Papua New Guinea, Rey Elmo from Philippines, and Maria Simbowe from Tanzania. Among the topics they explored was how prayer and efforts to apply spiritual principles to one’s daily life provide the seeds for social betterment.

Full story on: https://news.bahai.org/story/1717/

In conversation: Building vibrant communities

This podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service explores the initiatives of the Association for Bahá’í Studies (ABS) in North America that aim to enrich the intellectual life of communities.

Selvi Adaikkallam Zabihi, Michael Karlberg, Malik Nash, and Negin Toosi join the News Service from the United States to discuss the ABS’s unique approach to inquiry within the sciences and humanities.

In Conversation: Exploring collective inquiry through Bahá’í studies

This podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service explores the history and evolution of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) over several decades, as well as its present work and contributions to discourses about the future and wellbeing of humanity. 

Guests of the episode include representatives of some of the BIC’s offices, including in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, and New York. Their accounts highlight the BIC’s commitment to promoting the principle of the oneness of humanity in diverse international forums.  

The podcast explores some of the BIC’s contributions to significant global conferences and its collaboration with various United Nations agencies over the past decades to contribute to the advancement of thought in many areas including social development, the advancement of women, climate change, governance and UN reform, as well as human rights.

Full story: https://news.bahai.org/story/1722/

In conversation: Exploring contributions of the BIC to the betterment of the world

This podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service explores how worship and service to humanity—two foundational aspects of living a spiritual life—mutually reinforce one another, paving the way to building more peaceful and harmonious communities. 

Guests of the podcast were among the participants of a recent consultation held at the Bahá’í World Centre that explored how Bahá’í Houses of Worship stand as beacons of hope, welcoming people from all backgrounds to contemplate how they can serve the needs of their fellow citizens.

Full story on: https://news.bahai.org/story/1728/

In Conversation: Exploring the dynamic relations between service and worship

Amid increasing challenges and conflict in the world, a growing recognition is emerging of the interdependence of nations. This vital insight is addressed by the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) in international forums, where its contributions highlight that at a fundamental level, humanity is one. 

In the latest podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service, representatives from the BIC’s Addis Ababa and Brussels Offices explore the implications of this interdependence within the context of the African Union (AU)–European Union (EU) partnership which recognizes that the two continents are intertwined socially and economically.

Full story: news.bahai.org/story/1731/

In Conversation: Podcast explores implications of oneness for the African–European partnership

In this podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service, we hear from Townshend Lihanda, member of the Board of Counsellors in Africa, sharing accounts of individual and collective transformation in Kenya inspired by Bahá’í moral and spiritual education programs. 

Mr. Lihanda discusses the profound changes occurring within communities where these programs are offered. He highlights how these initiatives aim to awaken the latent energies of the human soul, directing them towards meaningful service to society.

Insights from the Field: Exploring individual and collective transformation in Kenya

In the latest podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service, we are transported to the dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Papua New Guinea, hearing firsthand accounts from three participants of the historic occasion.

Full story on: news.bahai.org/story/1743/

In Conversation: Stories from temple dedication in Papua New Guinea

In the latest Bahá’í World News Service podcast episode, two representatives of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC)’s New York Office, Bani Dugal and Liliane Nkunzimana, discussed the BIC’s contributions to the discourse on global governance ahead of the UN Summit of the Future.

In Conversation: Exploring contributions of the BIC to the discourse on global governance

A new podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service explores the rich discussion and collaborative spirit that characterized the recent 48th annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies (ABS) in North America.  

The conference, held in Atlanta, Georgia, brought together nearly 2,000 participants from diverse fields of study to explore the application of Bahá’í teachings to contemporary discourses on humanity’s well-being.

Insights from the field: Exploring annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies

In the latest podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service, Mina Yazdani—a professor of history at Eastern Kentucky University in the United States—explored the profound contribution of the Bahá’í community in Iran to their society.  

Dr. Yazdani shared some accounts of these contributions in several areas, including health, agriculture, and education. 

She explained how the Bahá’ís of Iran, despite relentless persecution, have embodied constructive resilience and have persisted in their endeavors to serve the needs of their society from its inception in the mid-nineteenth century.

Insights from the field: Contribution of the Bahá’ís of Iran to the advancement of society

In the latest podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service, Hoda Mahmoudi—holder of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland—discusses the Chair’s distinctive approach to promoting dialogue and understanding and its research with programs on peacebuilding and development.

Insights from the field: Bahá’í Chair examines conditions essential for lasting peace

In a recent podcast episode from the News Service, Farrukh Rasulov, a member of the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs of Uzbekistan, explores contributions of the Bahá’ís of that country to social progress over the past decades. 

The Bahá’í Faith has been present in what is now Uzbekistan since the 19th century, when it was part of the same broader region as Ashgabat (in present-day Turkmenistan), where the first Bahá’í House of Worship was constructed under the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Around this temple emerged schools for both girls and boys, inspired by the Bahá’í principle of equality between women and men.

Insights from the field: Contribution of the Bahá’ís of Uzbekistan to society

In the latest Bahá’í World News Service podcast episode, representatives of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) from offices in Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, and New York explored approaches to building societal harmony amid contemporary challenges. 

The representatives examined how foundational principles found in the Bahá’í teachings—particularly an understanding of the essential oneness of humanity and the inherent nobility of every person—can illuminate paths toward greater unity among diverse populations while fostering their collective spiritual and material advancement.

In Conversation: Exploring contributions of the BIC to the discourse on societal harmony

In the latest podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service, Lyazzat Yangaliyeva and Timur Chekparbayev, members of Kazakhstan’s Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, shared insights from their participation in some of the prevalent discourses in their country over the years, particularly those related to societal harmony.

In Conversation: Contributing to prevalent discourses in Kazakhstan

In the latest Bahá’í World News Service podcast episode, representatives from the Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, and New York Offices of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) reflected on the advancement of women and the spiritual foundations of equality.

In Conversation: Exploring spiritual foundations of equality of women and men

A new statement of the Bahá’í International Community offers several principles that it suggests could inform EU policies for combating the roots of racism. 

BIC Brussels: Statement calls for new European approach to societal unity

Spiritual foundations are essential to social cohesion, emphasized the Bahá'í International Community at the UN Commission for Social Development. 

UN CSocD: BIC highlights spiritual foundations necessary for social prosperity

The latest podcast episode of the Baháʼí World News Service explores how a growing number of young people in the Canary Islands are learning to live a more coherent life centered on service to their society through their participation in Bahá’í moral and spiritual educational programs. 

Orlando Ravelo Hernández, member of the Board of Counsellors in Europe, and Alejandro Sarmiento González, member of the Auxiliary Board in the Canary Islands, discuss how these educational programs are fostering a new understanding of the period of youth in communities throughout that region of Spain, one that contrasts sharply with prevailing societal narratives.

In Conversation: Youth in the Canary Islands and living a coherent life

Diverse social actors in Brazil transcend institutional viewpoints, nurturing hope through dialogue and the reimagining of the foundations of justice and social progress. 

Brazil: National initiative harmonizes diverse perspectives on social justice

BIC delegation explores how local consultative spaces are enabling communities to foster new patterns of relationships between women and men. 

CSW: Principle of equality a necessary condition for peace, says the BIC

Marble installation begins under the trellis, work on paths advances, landscaping and ‘Akká Visitors’ Centre near completion—marking major progress at the site. 

Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Marble installation begins, marking major milestone

In a recent podcast episode from the News Service, Ilya Shodjaee-Zrudlo from Canada explores how Bahá’í moral and spiritual education programs in that country are inspiring young people to see their lives through a new lens—one where service to humanity becomes the central organizing principle that brings coherence to all aspects of life.   

Dr. Shodjaee-Zrudlo, draws on experiences as a collaborator of Bahá’í training institutes in Montreal and as a member of Wordswell Association for Community Learning—a Bahá’í-inspired organization in Canada that empowers youth to develop their academic, intellectual, and moral capacities while contributing meaningfully to community transformation. 

Insights from the field: Canadian youth re-envision life’s purpose

Olinga Foundation pairs reading lessons with moral principles, addressing literacy needs in rural communities in Ghana over the past 25 years. 

Ghana: Olinga Foundation fosters literacy with moral purpose

In a recent podcast episode from the News Service, we hear from Musonda Kapusa-Linsel, member of the Board of Counsellors in Africa, as she reflects on the transformation fostered through Bahá’í material and spiritual educational initiatives in Zambia over the past four decades.
 
Mrs. Kapusa-Linsel explains that, over time, educational programs created spaces where participants could explore concepts such as the essential oneness of humanity, the elimination of prejudice of all kinds, the equality of women and men, and the power of consultation as a tool for achieving collective vision and harmonious action. 

Insights from the Field: Zambia communities empowered to reshape their future through education

The UK Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs highlights the need to integrate moral and spiritual principles into conversations about climate action for lasting change to occur 

United Kingdom: Youth Interfaith Summit highlights spiritual dimension of climate action

The Universal House of Justice has announced plans for a new national Bahá’í temple to be established in the Philippines. 

Houses of Worship: New Bahá’í temple to be established in the Philippines

Seven months after catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain, communities have discovered deeper capacities for unity, service, and resilience amid ongoing recovery. 

“Something luminous amid the ruin”: Community-building in Spain enhances resilience to floods

The latest podcast episode from the News Service explores the need for global governance that recognizes humanity as an interdependent whole rather than competing units. 

In Conversation: BIC explores oneness and interdependence in governance

Neighbors, artists, faith leaders and officials gathered at the centennial of a historic building on Haparsim Street, creating what some called a glimpse of peace. 

“What the world could be like”: Century-old Haifa building serves as meeting-place for friendship

The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland examines how the notion of distinct “races” acts as a barrier to a just and peaceful society. 

Maryland Bahá’í Chair: Scholars and artists envision a future beyond racial categories

In the latest podcast episode of the Bahá’í World News Service we hear from Rachel Bayani and Alessandro Benedetti, representatives of the Brussels Office of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC), who explore conditions that enable young people’s capacities for meaningful social contribution to flourish. 

In Conversation: BIC Brussels on education and societal attitudes that empower youth

The Bahá’í World News Service is now available in the Chinese-language, marking a notable enhancement since its establishment 25 years ago. 

Bahá’í World News Service: Chinese-language BWNS launches

An interview with representatives of a community in Uganda explores how collective prayer is influencing society at large. Read more at news.bahai.org/story/1344/.

The transformative power of prayer: How devotional gatherings are taking root in Uganda

Australian Bahá’ís launch publication on social cohesion after two years of conversations among officials, academics, social actors, and people throughout the country.

“Creating an Inclusive Narrative”: Australian publication points to shared identity

Reporting on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.

Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)

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