The Bahá’í Faith in Eugene, Springfield, and Surrounding Areas

Our Community

Bahá’ís, like members of other faith communities, gather regularly to pray, study, break bread, share music and art and enjoy fellowship. Please contact us to find out more.

Devotional Gatherings

Devotional gatherings feature prayers, music and readings from the Bahá’í Faith and many of the world’s great revealed religions.

Meetings are held every Sunday from 10:00-10:30 a.m. at the Eugene Bahá’í Center.

Many members of the Bahá’í Faith also host devotional gatherings regularly in their own homes.

During these gatherings, all are welcome to join with us in prayer and meditation. No donations are requested or accepted at devotional gatherings, or any other Bahá’í events.

Study Circles

Each study circle follows a specified curriculum based on the teachings, principles and beliefs of the Bahá’í Faith. Courses are open to all and include discussions for those seeking to enrich their spiritual lives in smaller group settings. The first course in the sequence, titled Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, discusses themes such as prayer, the purpose of human existence, and the journey of the soul.

Spiritual Education Classes

For Children:
Classes that teach moral education, service to humanity and Bahá’í history and principles are held on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. throughout the school year at the One World Bahá’í School. The classes are held at the Eugene Bahá’í Center and are open to all children four years of age and older. Enrollment is encouraged, but not required, and drop-ins are welcome.

Classes are held in some nieghborhoods and may take place after school or on weekends. These sessions also focus on teaching children spiritual virtues from a Bahá’í perspective.

For Adults:
Adult spiritual education classes are also held at the Eugene Bahá’í Center, and feature a new topic each week. These classes run concurrently with the classes for children, so parents can study at the same time as their children. Topics include: health, prayer, the essential unity of science and religion, Bahá’í history and teachings, and the oneness of religion.

Junior Youth Activities

This non-denominational program focusing on the spiritual empowerment of junior youth (ages 12–15) seeks to enhance the spiritual and intellectual capacities of the youth and to prepare them for active participation in the affairs of their communities. The objectives are threefold: to develop personal and spiritual excellence, to carry out acts of service and to develop bonds of friendship through activities incorporating the arts and games.

Firesides

A fireside is a meeting where guests are invited to learn about the Bahá’í Faith in a warm and hospitable atmosphere. Because the Bahá’í Faith has no clergy, firesides may be as informal as a friend inviting another friend for coffee or as formal as a lecture held at public venue. You can contact the local Bahá’ís to invite someone to your home for a fireside meeting or to learn about other firesides being held locally.

Interfaith Activities

Interfaith Prayer Service International (IPSI) :
Bahá’ís helped initiate and continue to serve on the organizing committee for the Interfaith Service held at the First Christian Church in Eugene. The first of these services was held on October 11, 2001 in memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and has been held on the 11th day of every month since.

Lane Interfaith Alliance (LIA) :
The Bahá’ís belong to the Lane Interfaith Alliance, a group of practitioners from many of the area’s faith communities who work together to build good relationships among the diverse religious communities found here.

From Heart to Heart:
Members of the Bahá’í Faith are regular contributors to the “From Heart to Heart” series in The Register-Guard. These essays are published every Saturday and appear in the Religion section of the paper.

University of Oregon Activities

Bahá’í students at the University of Oregon gather casually or for specific activities depending on their interests and changing schedules. To find out about student activities or to contact University of Oregon Bahá’ís, please see the contact page and please specify your interest in student activities.

Religious Directors Association:
The RDA serves University of Oregon campus ministries and provides information about those ministries to all incoming students each fall. The Bahá’ís have been members of the RDA since January 1997.

Eugene Bahá’í Center

1458 Alder Street, Eugene, Oregon

This charming old home, built in 1900 and moved to its present site in 1907, was purchased by the first Bahá’í in Eugene, Oregon. Over the years, the house was used for Bahá’í firesides and meetings, as well as student housing and activities associated with the University of Oregon. The house was eventually purchased by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Eugene, and on September 18, 1983, it was officially dedicated as the Eugene Bahá’í Center. For directions to the Center, please see the contact page.

Activities:
Devotions, spiritual education classes for children and adults, study circles and other events are held at the Bahá’í Center on a regular basis. Special events, such as the observance of Bahá’í Holy Days are also held regularly at the Center.

Bookstore:
The Bahá’í bookstore is open whenever the Bahá’í Center is open for public events. There is a selection of complimentary and inexpensive introductory materials on the Bahá’í Faith, including Bahá’í Scripture from the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá. Special orders are accepted for Bahá’í materials not currently in stock at the bookstore.

The Bahá’í Faith in this Region

The Bahá’í Faith has no clergy, but each Bahá’í community elects a nine-member administrative body called the Local Spiritual Assembly. The duties of this basic administrative unit are to encourage individuals and families to, “unite in a distinctive Bahá'í society, vitalized and guarded by the laws, ordinances and principles of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation.” (Compilations, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í of the United States - Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities)

History:
The Bahá’í Faith was introduced in Oregon in 1905 and in Lane County as early as the 1940s. Bahá’í communities have been formed in Central Lane County, Eugene, Springfield, East Lane County, Cottage Grove, Creswell, Oakridge, Walterville, Veneta, and Junction City. Members of the Bahá’í Faith in Eugene elected their first Local Spiritual Assembly in 1956.