Fairhope Baha’is, like many others, grew weary of pandemic restrictions over the past year. Nonetheless, they recognized that every difficulty served as an opportunity to learn and grow. The pandemic gave community members unexpected roles and reinforced an understanding that each of us has a part to play in serving our community and establishing unity.

In 2020, they developed technological skills beyond their expectations, deepened reliance on prayer for healing, developed generous hearts to support those in need and expanded bonds of trust through meaningful discussions on a host of topics in small group settings.

One gathering reflected deeply on “The Prayer for America” found in Baha’i Prayer Books. Through study of sacred text and meditation, the group’s attention focused on how all of us might contribute to a more just and spiritually strong America. Discussion noted that much like material disease (the coronavirus) invaded our country, so too had spiritual disease (division and injustice) enveloped us. Through prayers and conversation, the group found renewed hope recognizing that America and mankind are in the process of maturing. They concluded that if we all work together to establish justice and unity, America will no doubt be the beneficiary of God’s mercy as stated in the prayer.