Light of Unity Festival
2017 and 2019 are special years because in them occur the 200th anniversaries of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh (1817) and of the Báb (1819). The Light of Unity Festival celebrates these bicentennial birthdays. Here is the program of our celebration of the Bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Birth:
bicentennial celebration of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh
22 October 2017 ~ Centre County, Pennsylvania
Children are welcome to go to the Harshbarger Lounge (Room 104) for activities led by Holly & Ken Hubregsen and Mary-Jo Langston.
Welcome
Celebrating the Light of Unity…Dr. Ashley Patterson
Mayoral Proclamation…Mayor Elizabeth Goreham
Devotions
Song: “Blessed Is the Spot/خوشا به محلی/Благословенно место” (Prayer of Bahá’u’lláh in English, Persian, and Russian)…Sergey Miron and Sahar Noroozi
Reading: Passage from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh…Daphne L. Mark and Matthew Suchanec
Song: “Illumine, O Lord, the Faces of Thy Servants” (Prayer of Bahá’u’lláh)…Sameen Oboudiyat, Bushra Lohrasbi, and Anabella Raika
Reading: Prayer of the Báb…Ezinne Enyosiobi
Song: “My God, My Adored One” (Prayer of Bahá’u’lláh)…Rachel Johnson
Presentations
Presentation: Life of Bahá’u’lláh…Dr. Ekema Agbaw, Anabella Raika, Keren Wang, Sameen Oboudiyat, and Bushra Lohrasbi
Presentation: What Bahá’ís Do…Gail Badiei Alberini
Presentation: Children’s Spiritual Development…Children with Holly & Ken Hubregsen and Mary-Jo Langston
Music
Song: “Bahá’u’lláh: The Promised One”…Dr. Debra Kirchhof-Glazier
Songs: “God Sufficeth,” “The Cities of Men’s Hearts,” “Refresh and Gladden,” “Embrace the Ocean of My Love”…Ken Hubregsen
Closing
Conclusion: Continuing the Celebration…Dr. Ashley Patterson and Sahar Noroozi
After the program, please enjoy refreshments!
Acknowledgments
The Bahá’í Campus Association of Penn State and the Bahá’ís of Center County thank everyone named in the above program, as well as several helpers not named above: Vicki Parks for providing refreshments, Sara Dowhower for decorating, and Hilary Rath for assisting with technology.
We are grateful to the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, housed here in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, for allowing us to use the Memorial Lounge for this celebration.
Thank you to you for celebrating this Holy Day with us!
