Beloved Friends,
The Six Year Plan has been launched and national Bahá’í communities throughout the world are engaged in formulating their national goals. On the Day of the Covenant, 26 November 1986, a new term of five years will begin for those appointed to the Auxiliary Boards. In preparation for that event, we find it propitious to announce the following decisions.
As from last Ridván, Turkey has been transferred from the area of responsibility of the Continental Board of Counselors in Asia to that of the Continental Board of Counselors in Europe. Counselor Ilhan Sezgin is, therefore, a member of the European Board of Counselors. It has also been decided to increase the size of the European Auxiliary Board for the Protection of the Faith to 36 members, which is the same as the number currently authorized for the Propagation Board in that continent.
In view of the growth of the Bahá’í community and its emergence from obscurity, we have decided to make the following further changes in the number of members of the Auxiliary Boards, to be effective from 26 November 1986:
Africa
Protection - Present Number: 81; Number Added: 9; New
Number: 90
Propagation – Present Number:99; Number Added: 9; New Number
108
Americas
Protection - Present Number: 54; Number Added: 9; New Number:
63
Propagation – Present Number:117; Number Added: 0; New
Number 117
Australasia
Protection - Present Number: 27; Number Added: 9; New
Number: 36
Propagation – Present Number:36; Number Added: 9; New Number
45
Europe
Protection - Present Number: 36; Number Added: 0; New
Number: 36
Propagation – Present Number:36; Number Added: 0; New Number
36
Total Protection
Present Number: 297; Number Added: 27; New Number: 324
Total Propagation
Present Number:405; Number Added: 54; New Number 756
Total
Present Number: 702; Number Added: 0; New Number: 36
This further expansion of the institution of the Auxiliary Boards reflects the recent increase of the number of Continental Counselors from sixty three to seventy two and is required by the marked growth in the size of Bahá’í communities, a growth which it is confidently expected will accelerate during the Six Year Plan as the impact of the Faith's emergence from obscurity begins to make itself evident in a growing interest in its teachings by people in all walks of life.
It will also assist the vital development in maturity and
experience of the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, a process which must
synchronize with the further development of the World Center of the Faith and
the advance of mankind towards the attainment of the lesser peace. Who can tell
what challenges these burgeoning divine intuitions will have to face int the
years immediately ahead―years which may well see the realization of mankind's
gravest fears and the appearance of the fulfillment of its highest hopes.
Our prayers at the Sacred Threshold are offered on behalf of every faithful follower of the Blessed Beauty who is laboring for the promotion of His Cause.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2002)
