Connections nurtured in a group of families

The North Island Bahá’í Council joyfully shares this story about the vibrant Friday night gatherings of families in Kamo, Whangarei. This story highlights how a group of families has come together to create a warm, enriching space for spiritual growth and community connection. Through potluck dinners, musical devotions, and meaningful discussions, they are not only nurturing their own bonds but also making a positive impact on their lives and on the wider community.

Gathered for karakia as a group of families.

Every Friday night, a group of families from Kamo, Whangarei, come together for kai, karakia, and korero.

The gatherings are warm and inspiring as the children, junior youth, youth and adults first share a potluck dinner together, then gather in the living room to sing Bahá’í prayers and quotations put to music.

After the musical devotions, one or two of the adults take the children and junior youth to another room where they do a meaningful activity together, while the youth and adults read out quotations on a theme while instrumental music plays in the background. They then open up the space for discussion on the theme and let the enriching conversation flow.

The Kamo group was initiated in March 2023, when an Auxiliary Board member approached three families and encouraged them to initiate a group of families. They studied a document that explained the concept of a group of families and consulted on the format that would suit their reality best.

As they all had children, they knew that this would be one of the most important factors to consider in their planning. One challenge would be to create a space that was engaging for children of diverse ages, as well as youth and adults.

It was decided that a weekly devotional gathering with separate children and adult portions would be the best way to start, so they set about inviting their friends, colleagues, and children’s friends’ families to the first gathering in April 2023. They shared their vision and a number of friends of the Faith were interested in committing to this uplifting space.

According to one of the participants, sustaining this group of families for over a year has been possible due to the commitment of the attendees and devising a format that suits their reality.

By having a strong core of 4-7 families amid a larger pool of around 12 families in total, there is room for flexibility in attendance, meaning that if a family can’t make it once or twice, the gathering still has enough people there to keep the dynamism.

One family hosts the majority of the gatherings at their home, while the children and adult portions are organised on a rotating basis. The group of families communicate through a WhatsApp chat and a shared online document so that everyone knows who is next for preparing the theme and the quotations or arranging the children’s activity.

Kamo families sharing kai at Triple-K night.

Though it began with just the one weekly devotional, other activities have emerged over time. A Ruhi book one Reflections on the Life of the Spirit study circle was started with two friends of the Faith in the group of families and a number of the Bahá’í families in the group studied units one and two from Ruhi Book 11 Material Means together. A whanau camp was organised where a more intensive study of Ruhi Book 12 Family and the Community was started, and there are plans to have another whanau camp in the near future. The group also decided that a practical way they could serve together would be to conduct visits to Bahá’í friends in the Whangarei community. They wanted to make sure that the group wasn’t operating solely in ‘words’ but also in deeds.

So what’s next on the horizon for this group of families? They hope to continue to undertake service projects and study circles together and support the youth in the group in re-initiating the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Programme. They also hope to have more whanau camps and eventually lead into having regular intensive institute youth camps in the future. Most importantly, they hope that their Friday nights continue to be a weekly space where each individual, whether child, youth, or adult, leaves with their belly full and their spirits overflowing.