The Universal House of Justice

25 May 1986

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Beloved Friends,

The Six Year Plan has been launched and national Bahá’í communities throughout the world are engaged in formulating their national goals. On the Day of the Covenant, 26 November 1986, a new term of five years will begin for those appointed to the Auxiliary Boards. In preparation for that event, we find it propitious to announce the following decisions.

As from last Riḍván, Turkey has been transferred from the area of responsibility of the Continental Board of Counselors in Asia to that of the Continental Board of Counselors in Europe. Counselor Ilhan Sezgin is, therefore, a member of the European Board of Counselors. It has also been decided to increase the size of the European Auxiliary Board for the Protection of the Faith to 36 members, which is the same as the number currently authorized for the Propagation Board in that continent.

In view of the growth of the Bahá’í community and its emergence from obscurity, we have decided to make the following further changes in the number of members of the Auxiliary Boards, to be effective from 26 November 1986:

Present
Number
Number
Added
New
Number
Africa
Protection 81 9 90
Propagation 99 9 108
Americas
Protection 54 9 63
Propagation 117 0 117
Asia
Protection 99 0 99
Propagation 117 9 126
Australasia
Protection 27 9 36
Propagation 36 9 45
Europe
Protection 36 0 36
Propagation 36 0 36
Total 702 54 756
Total Protection 297 27 324
Total Propagation 405 27 432

This further expansion of the institution of the Auxiliary Boards reflects the recent increase of the number of Continental Counselors from sixty three to seventy two and is required by the marked growth in the size of Bahá’í communities, a growth which it is confidently expected will accelerate during the Six Year Plan as the impact of the Faith’s emergence from obscurity begins to make itself evident in a growing interest in its teachings by people in all walks of life.

It will also assist the vital development in maturity and experience of the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, a process which must synchronize with the further development of the World Center of the Faith and the advance of mankind towards the attainment of the lesser peace. Who can tell what challenges these burgeoning divine institutions will have to face in the years immediately ahead—years which may well see the realization of mankind’s gravest fears and the appearance of the fulfillment of its highest hopes.

Our prayers at the Sacred Threshold are offered on behalf of every faithful follower of the Blessed Beauty who is laboring for the promotion of His Cause.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

[signed: The Universal House of Justice]

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