Wake Forest Baha'i Association

Baha'is Host Weekly Devotional Meetings

Weekly devotional meetings are held in the Balcony Room of Wait Chapel every Sunday from 4:00pm-5:00pm. The devotional gatherings are open to all. The purpose of the devotional gathering is to dedicate time to communication with God and to draw inspiration from His Holy Word. Baha'u'llah says:

"Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom."

Wake Forest Baha'i Association Welcomes Three New Baha'is

The Baha'i Association at Wake Forest University is extremely proud to welcome Sarah Donaldson, a freshman from Illinois, Professor David Charbonneau, a visiting professor in the English Department and Martina Muller, a graduate student from Rhode Island studying in the biology department. This brings the total number of Baha'is on campus to six - the most Baha'is affiliated with the university at any given time. We are excited about the future of the Baha'i Association and wish all three newcomers the best as they make an impact on the Wake Forest campus!

Baha'i selected as Wake Forest Student Trustee 2005/2006

Wake Forest junior Alex Reyes, who is vice president of the Wake Forest Baha'i Association, has been selected as the student representative on the university Board of Trustees. Ms. Reyes will serve as full-fledged, voting member of the Board of Trustees. Her role on the board includes representing student interests and making major decisions that influence the direction and future of the university.

Ms. Reyes is a political science major and, in her 3 years at Wake Forest, has contributed significantly to serving the school and the local community. Her list of activities include serving as co-chair of the Volunteer Service Corp, President's Aide, Resident Advisor, vice president of the Wake Forest Baha'i Association and NCAA Certification Committee. Ms. Reyes is also a high achiever in the classroom.

The Wake Forest Baha'i Association is very proud of Ms. Reyes' achievement and wishes her all the best. This is the first time that a Baha'i has served as the student trustee at Wake Forest. For more information about Ms. Reyes' selection, click here.

Naw Ruz: A Celebration of Unity in Diversity

The second annual Naw Ruz celebration at Wake Forest was a wonderful success with over 200 students, faculty, staff, administrators and members of the Winston Salem community coming together to enjoy an evening with good food and talented performances by Justice Leeg and the Wake Forest Gospel Choir. The event highlighted and acknowledged the diverse groups of people that came to the event. The event drew people of various races and religions and was enjoyed by both young and old.

Freshman Carmel Smits, who is a member of the Baha'i Association, commented: "The most exciting part about this years Naw-Ruz celebration was the diversity of the ages of people. It was so nice to look to the audience and see a variety of people of all different ages celebrating the Baha'i New Year!  There were babies, young children, kids, youth, teenagers, adults etc. that were all actively participating in the performances and enjoying the company of their neighbor, no matter the age.  It was especially nice to know that Wake Forest University is a place where all ages feel welcome to come and participate in an on-campus event sponsored by a school association!"

The event was opened by an introduction to the Baha'i Faith and the purpose of the Naw Ruz celebration. Various groups and identities were called out and applauded by the crowd with the help of Justice Leeg. This was followed by an international buffet consisting of five cuisines: Persian, Indian, Chinese, Mexican and Southern (American) food.

The Wake Forest Gospel Choir got the entertainment underway with two uplifting songs that got people in the crowd singing along. Justice Leeg followed with an energetic and interactive performance that brought laughter and fun to the audience. At one point in the middle of a song, Justice Leeg member, Benny Cassette put on a Wake Forest basketball shirt which drew cheers from the crowd. Earlier, Cassette had re-iterated the goal of celebrating and promoting unity. He explained that even though everyone in the audience could enjoy being together, the world outside is deeply divided and in dire need of unity. He encouraged the audience to promote unity every day, every week and throughout the rest of their lives.

The Naw Ruz event has drawn praise from students, faculty and the performers. The Baha'i Association thanks everyone who attended and hopes they had a great time. Special thanks also goes to Benny Cassette, Iodine, J-Bird, Mathai, Ray Loo and Brynner Paulette from Justice Leeg, as well as all the members of the Wake Forest Gospel Choir and everyone who volunteered and assisted in any way in making the Naw Ruz event possible.