16 December 2001
To the Friends assembled at the “Fire in the Pacific" Conference in Honolulu
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
With joyous hearts we send our loving greetings to all the dear friends gathered in Honolulu to commemorate the centenary of the arrival of the Baha’i Faith in the Pacific region.
You assemble at a time when the turmoil and confusion in the world created through the operation of the Major Plan of God is giving rise to apprehension and unease among the mass of humanity. Now, as never before, should the followers of Bahá'u'lláh demonstrate, through both word and deed, their confidence in the future and their awareness that enduring harmony and tranquillity can be found only by aligning oneself with the constructive forces of change at work throughout the planet today.
In the course of your centenary celebration, you are urged to give full consideration to the needs of the Cause of God in the Pacific region at this critical point in the Five Year Plan. The opportunities for the advancement of the Faith through energetic and creative pursuit of the teaching work in all parts of the Pacific are immense. The prospect before you is that of bringing into being vibrant Baha’i communities which demonstrate the transforming power of the Faith and offer a haven to those in search of unity.
However, the challenges before you should not be underestimated. To attain your objective, a much greater commitment is required to human resource development, so that the number of believers actively engaged in meeting the needs of the Cause is greatly increased. This will require a marked extension of the influence of the training institute, with its associated programs of courses and study circles.