Where Love and Service Begin: Bahá’í Families Shaping a New Society

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One week after visiting the Eastern Colorado Bahá'í School, I had the joy of attending the Georgia Bahá'í Winter School in Covington on January 9-11, 2026.

 

Children, junior youth, youth, and adults were warmly invited to come together in a spirit of joy as bonds of friendship were strengthened through fellowship, learning, and the arts.

Families gather at Georgia Bahá'í Winter School to strengthen a new pattern of family life.

At the heart of the gathering was a study of the role of the family, the foundational unit of community and society, essential for nurturing individuals and fostering social cohesion.[1] Still inspired by my experience in Colorado, I was deeply touched by the warm and loving welcome from the Georgia community. 

Meeting Mrs. Paula Richards-Bell, the mother of a youth who joined the online Transformative Leadership for Youth seminar I facilitated during COVID-19 years, was exceptionally meaningful. As a co-author of Transformative Leadership for Youth (TLY), based on Anello and Hernandez’s book Transformative Leadership: Developing the Hidden Dimension, I supported and empowered youth to navigate the challenges of today’s world. TLY promotes a framework for personal, interpersonal, and social transformation through social action and fosters a culture of cooperation grounded in ethical principles and scientific evidence.[2] Youth from around the world strengthened capabilities for positive change through friendship, study, and engaging in diverse arts.

I am so happy to meet Mrs. Richards-Bell!

During our time together, we often envisioned a Change Agent World Tour where we could meet in person. That shared dream filled us with hope. I felt deep gratitude when I met Mrs. Richards-Bell. It was a powerful reminder that relationships cultivated during our seminars were not just virtual but also forged authentic bonds that transcended screens and time zones.
 

Brilliant Star table at Georgia's Bahá'í Winter School

The weekend session began on Saturday, January 10. Setting up a Brilliant Star table provided the opportunity to engage children, junior youth, youth, and adults in meaningful conversation about how our team can better support their needs.

Brilliant Star mini pages are available for children.

One mother and children’s class teacher requested coloring pages that align with vocabulary words in the Ruhi children’s class lessons. Seeing images of the words in action would help children better understand their meaning. Another children’s class teacher learned how to fold paper into a book from the Nur’s Nook: Make Your Own Mini Zine project from Vol. 50, No. 5. Mini pages from Brilliant Star were available for kids to assemble their own zines.

 

 

A spirit of praise is cultivated by Eric's music.

Hearts united as a spirit of togetherness infused the room when Eric Dozier sang “We Have Come to Sing Praises” by Van Gilmer to open the first session. Voices rose in unity, with music drawing everyone to their feet, moving, clapping, and celebrating the rhythm.

 

Eric Dozier leads the group in “We Have Come to Sing Praises,” written by Van Gilmer.  

Music fills the hearts and souls during morning devotions.

In addition to contributing musical devotions, Eric facilitated the group session, posing the question, “Who are we and how do we equip ourselves spiritually and intellectually to co-create with God and reflect his attribute – the Fashioner?” He also introduced the Universal House of Justice’s March 19, 2025, letter on family life as the focus for study, reflection, and planning.

Stories and song inspire hope in the hearts of all.

Eric’s talk was personal, musical, and spiritually grounded on the expanded meaning of family in the Bahá'í context, woven together with African American spiritual traditions, storytelling, and music. His message was that family is not just biological but also a spiritual and moral relationship, in which we see everyone as members of our family. Eric became a Bahá’í in 1969 in Hemingway, South Carolina, at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute. Growing into a global Bahá'í community from a Southern church background radically expanded his sense of belonging and human family.

 

Children sit with reverence during prayer.

 

As Eric shared his experiences with African American spiritual traditions and Civil Rights history, I was moved by his emphasis on how family is not only a household structure but also the foundational unit of society, with a spiritual culture rooted in worship, consultation, shared stories, and the arts. He emphasized how the arts help us process pain, remember history, and awaken spiritual consciousness. As one who has lived closely with grief due to the loss of a loved one, I resonated strongly with these concepts. The arts have helped me move through the pain of loss into living life with love and gratitude. Eric’s message was that the arts imbue hope and call people into unity and action, transforming shared feelings into shared responsibility for developing new patterns of community life.

Eric invited everyone to build homes of light within their “fortress for personal and social well-being”[3] and emphasized that true family life involves:

●      Expanding who we see as family.

●      Actively protecting and uplifting one another.

●      Raising spiritually grounded and socially conscious people.

●      Using worship, art, and story as core methods of community building.

 

Study session dedicated to reflecting on the characteristics of Bahá’í family life

 

Throughout the weekend, attendees studied and reflected on the spiritual, social, and civilization-building role of the family in homes and society. One group discussed home visits—the action of forming loving spiritual connections with neighbors—that is often carried out during study of the Ruhi Institute’s Book 1: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit.[4] The group realized that when they visit neighbors, they are visiting extended members of their own family – one human family. They also reflected on characteristics of Bahá’í marriage, such as mutual support, fidelity, equality of women and men, and embracing a life of service and worship within an institution of well-being.[5]

 

The friends reflect on how Bahá’í families contribute to transformation in neighborhoods throughout Georgia.

 

Youth reflect on their role within Bahá’í families.

It was heartwarming to see youth studying themes from the March 19, 2025, letter on the family. In Bahá’í communities worldwide, families are seen as a training ground for society-building. Essential to this process is the development of qualities such as justice, equality, and generosity, as well as capabilities for effective group consultation and selfless service. Bahá’í homes nurture attitudes of love for humanity, harmony of science and religion, and celebration of unity in diversity. This creates strong, spiritually grounded families that can advance society-building work at all levels of community.[6]

One junior youth will be hosting friends from school to share the junior youth spiritual empowerment program. Her family provides a sustained space for intellectual and spiritual excellence through study and service. When I asked how Brilliant Star can support her, she said that seeing photos and reading stories about other youth who are committed to learning and service in neighborhoods would be very helpful.

 

One child points to the library of knowledge he drew during children's class.

Youth-facilitated children’s classes created art expressing their homes as places of joy, light, peace, and service. Classes presented their collective artwork during Saturday’s Art Night.

Butterfly families plan devotions and service too!

When children, junior youth, and youth were not attending classes, they stopped by the Brilliant Star table to chat and create art. It was the children who decided to make it their hangout. Together, we made origami butterfly families and imagined them hosting devotions and serving the community together. Kids also enjoyed coloring. The Brilliant Star coloring page “Waves of One Sea” engaged kids of all ages.

One way we created a mindful approach to sustainable children’s materials was to laminate Brilliant Star maze pages and provide dry-erase markers. This reusable format helped children experience success and build confidence in problem-solving.

Butterfly prayers makes hearts happy.

It was a joy to spend time together and create art inspired by the vision of Bahá’í homes as spaces for hospitality, spiritual activities, and grassroots community-building.

Throughout the weekend, the arts stimulated an intergenerational celebration of love-filled families and community.

 

Children and Eric bring joy to the hearts of all.

 

Eric Dozier provides musical accompaniment as children sing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”

 

Youth motivated by their studies joined children in song during Saturday’s Art Night. According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “All Art is a gift of the Holy Spirit”[8] and music “is spiritual food for soul and heart”[9]. I can testify to the richness of the evening where all enjoyed an art-infused spiritual feast, filling our souls and hearts with love and connection to “the realm on high”. [10]

 

 

On Sunday morning, the last day of school, I learned that this was the first seasonal school in the area since COVID-19 closed gatherings, schools, work, and all life as we knew it.

I remember when Mrs. Richards-Bell’s daughter, Olivia, shared during our Transformative Leadership for Youth seminars how hard it was not to hug her friends and extended family members– she is a hugger, and it is her “love language”. One way we navigated the difficulties of losing the opportunity to be close to our friends and family members was by creating art. Olivia designed artwork called “the huggers” to send hugs virtually. “The huggers” became a symbol for TLY’s four capabilities that foster better interpersonal relationships: [11]

●      Imbuing thoughts and actions with love, 

●      Giving encouragement,

●      Practicing effective group consultation, and

●      Promoting unity in diversity.

Georgia Bahá’ís say farewell with hugs.

After my visit to Olivia’s community, meeting her mom, being welcomed with loving kindness, and seeing the profound love the Georgia Bahá’ís have for each other, their families, their neighbors, and our Faith, I have a deeper understanding of why Olivia missed her hugs so much. I was only there for a weekend, and I miss the hugs already!

I look forward to visiting more communities in the year ahead. Here’s how you can take part in Brilliant Star’s efforts to support teachers, families, and communities: 

• Contact us if you have a seasonal school or major event coming up—we may be able to join you.
• Let us know how Brilliant Star can support your teaching and community-building efforts.
• Share stories and photos about using Brilliant Star in your classes, families, and communities.

We hope to hear from you! You can email me at jkerr@usbnc.org. 

 

Updated on 1.31.26