A mystical experience: Lane Cove temple tour connects hearts to Baha’u’llah 

More than 65 people from Lane Cove have visited the Baha’i House of Worship in an excursion that provided the chance to engage in meaningful conversations while connecting hearts to the temple and Baha’u’llah.

The bus tour was organised by the Lane Cove Baha’i Community as part of September’s Lane Cove Festival with two participants formally enrolling in the Baha’i community on the day. 

The program featured a free bus transfer to the temple, introductory video to the Faith on arrival, a tour of the temple grounds, dedicated children’s program, morning tea and lunch, and a temple service where children from Lane Cove could recite a prayer.

Neighbours, colleagues, and friends were invited to come along for the ride. Lane Cove Baha’i Shaida Ataii said the event provided the perfect environment to introduce the Faith and to engage in meaningful conversations with friends, both old and new alike. 

“Some people come along for this bus ride every year, but this year we were also trying to encourage the community to have more conversations with their friends and invite new people,” she said. 

“Many of the families who attended are connected to our children’s classes or children’s festivals and some were known through work. Because it was a day-long event with lots of time in the bus and the temple ground, there was a lot of time to have conversations. 

“We should always be getting out of our comfort zones, making friends in any spaces we are in and seeing it as an opportunity to connect hearts.”

Pedro Mansouri said travelling together with a shared purpose seemed simple but was “so impactful”. 

“Excursions, or a tour in this case, brings many new elements outside of the norm that make the visit to the temple so much more impactful,” he said. 

“Coming early and staying late. Giving things time to simmer for the depths of flavour to come out. Nothing was rushed.” 

Pedro said the presentation on the temple grounds was especially inspiring, showcasing the love, care and connection Baha’is have toward nature. 

“Also appreciating the love that every single member of the community put into the day. The sacrifice was moving.” 

Children’s class teacher Shauna Humphries said witnessing the joy and unity among the children was a highlight of the day. 

“Playing games and singing on the grounds was a nice way of associating the temple grounds with joy, unity and oneness,” she said. 

“It was also really lovely that the children sang in the service and that even those who aren’t in the class were able to join in after practicing a couple of times.”

Lane Cove’s Mona Akello said the bus tour provided an opportunity to speak openly and directly about the Faith and Baha’u’llah to those who showed a keen interest. 

“They know they are going to a holy place and that gave me the opportunity to speak quite confidently,” she said. 

Mona said the highlight of the day was seeing the “spiritual energies at play” as the Lane Cove Baha’i community and temple volunteers banded together to ensure the bus tour was effectively facilitated. 

“I would highly encourage other communities to do this.” 

Shaida agreed other communities needed to consider similar experiences. 

“There is something really mystical being on the temple grounds. It’s such a special place.” 

The Lane Cove Festival is a month-long festival that has been running for 32 years and celebrates everything that makes the locality special. Participants received a gift bag with prayer book, pamphlets and were invited to a public meeting to learn more about the Baha’i Faith.