Expanding the group of collaborators in Mernda: A personal reflection 

Mernda is a neighbourhood in the Whittlesea community in Melbourne’s outer north with a population of approximately 18,000 people. 

Two years ago, a Baha’i couple moved into the neighbourhood with the desire to initiate community-building activities. Initially, their efforts were modest, as both were working full-time. They focused on introducing themselves to most of the neighbours on their street with the introductions leading to many meaningful conversations about the importance of building a sense of community and educating children. 

Gradually, their friendships with some of these families evolved into regular interactions, and the couple was invited to cultural and family gatherings. In turn, they also found opportunities to host Baha’i Holy Day celebrations with their neighbours, either at their home or in the local park. These celebrations featured arts activities for the children, devotional programs, and conversations about community-building.

After a year, the couple relocated five minutes away from their previous home. While maintaining friendships with families on their old street, they also began their efforts to form new friendships, this time with more confidence and conviction, naturally introducing themselves to neighbours and engaging in further meaningful conversations. During this process, which took place after work and over the weekends, some families invited them into their homes for tea. 

Living side by side and close to these new families, the couple discovered that, during the week, they could interact frequently with their neighbours. Initially it was uncomfortable and somewhat unnatural to introduce the concept of Baha’i children’s classes to these families, but through ongoing interactions and meaningful conversations with the parents, and engaging the children in artistic activities, a children’s classes naturally emerged. The mothers also joined the class and participated in the activities. 

After a few months, however, due to changes in people’s personal circumstances, the class became inconsistent and eventually stopped. But the couple continued to interact with their neighbours, visiting their homes and maintaining connections. Reflecting on the next steps and challenges, they sought support from the Baha’i institutions and agencies, and an arrangement was made for another couple from a nearby community to connect with this couple with the vision of supporting and growing the existing efforts. 

This arrangement brought renewed energy and momentum. As they began meeting weekly, insights were shared from nearby communities, and the path ahead became clearer. 

After reviewing the 30 December 2021 message from the Universal House of Justice, the vision was set to expand the initial team of friends working together, and at the same time, to reach out to other families connected to the couple. The team began visiting more families and meeting new ones. Soon after, a space was organized for a community gathering with devotional readings and a potluck. Four families from the street where the couple reside attended. At this gathering, it became apparent that these families were beginning to see themselves, to some extent, as part of a group of families working towards the betterment of their neighbourhood. The gathering included prayers, songs, and collective conversations on how to bring a sense of community to the area.

After this gathering, the mothers living on the street decided to create a group chat to stay connected. Following this, the families began interacting more frequently, helping each other with tasks like grocery shopping, lawn mowing and replacing living room lights. 

Soon after, a second community gathering was organized, during which some virtue cards were discussed, along with key concepts from Ruhi Book 1 with which the families had already resonated, including life after death, the purpose of prayer, and the idea that we are all spiritual beings. While these meaningful conversations were taking place, one of the neighbours suggested that an actual Book 1 study circle be formed to explore different spiritual topics. This presented an opportunity to introduce Book 1 and its first few sections. Later, the neighbour proposed studying Book 1 with the families in the neighbourhood after the school holidays. 

The team is learning how to foster spaces for devotional gatherings and meaningful interactions, how to introduce children’s festivals, and how to encourage everyone to see themselves as protagonists in the development of the neighbourhood.