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The Northamptonshire
Baha'i Newsletter
[New Stories][Back Issues]
New Stories
These are the latest reports as they come in!
- Brixworth’s first Baha'i Spiritual Assembly
- Premiere Concert in Brixworth Parish Church
- Brixworth Baha'i on musical tour of Europe
- Two Brixworth Baha'is Marry
Brixworth’s First Baha'i Spiritual Assembly
Since 1992, Brixworth Báhá’ís have been part of the Spiritual Assembly of the Báhá’ís of Daventry District. In 2001, the national ruling body of the Báhá’ís of the United Kingdom decided to change the way the boundaries are decided for the Spiritual Assembly.
This meant that for the first time the Báhá’ís living in Brixworth could form their own Spiritual Assembly, the Spiritual Assembly of the Báhá’ís of Brixworth. At the first meeting, officers were elected who are:
- Alfred Sharpe - Chairman
- Sherie Snaith - Vice chair
- Kevin Beint - Secretary
- Mina Beint - Treasurer
Báhá’ís run their affairs through an assembly of nine members, who are elected annually by secret ballot. This was a very exciting event for the Báhá’ís of Brixworth as they may have the smallest area and population for a Báhá’í Assembly in the country.
Most Báhá’í Assemblies are in large towns and, for Northamptonshire, the other Assemblies are in Northampton and Kettering.
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Premiere Concert in Brixworth Parish Church
On the 19th of May 2001, over 200 people crammed into All Saint’s Church, Brixworth to see the premiere of a choral work written by local composer, Richard Leigh. The choral work features nine pieces based on short mystical verses called ‘Hidden Words’, written by Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Báhá’í Faith.
Richard, a music teacher and composer, was inspired to set nine of these verses to music and has called the piece ‘Myriads’. The singers, ‘Hidden Voices’ are mostly from Northamptonshire County Youth Choir.
The choral arrangement includes some chanting of the Hidden Words in Persian and Arabic by Mina Beint of Brixworth. The choir is accompanied by harp, prepared piano, percussion and Tibetan prayer bowls. The whole piece is quite haunting and ethereal and the performance was lit by New Perspectives Theatre Company.
Richard particularly wanted the premiere to be in All Saints Church because of its beautiful interior and excellent acoustic and because of the spiritual nature of the music.
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Brixworth Baha'i To Tour Europe On Singing Tour
Alfred Sharpe, of Lone Pine Court, Brixworth, will spend two weeks of summer 2001 touring Europe as part of a 400 strong choir and symphony orchestra. The tour will visit Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, France and Germany. As well as performing in large concert halls in each capital city the choir will also take part in a festival in Germany.
Alfred, who comes from Zambia and was once their tennis champion, is a keen singer and a member of the Northamptonshire Báhá’í Choir. Alfred regards this as a trip of a lifetime, to be able to sing with people from all over the world.
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Two Brixworth Baha'is Marry
March and May 2001 saw the Baha'i weddings of two Brixworth Báhá’ís. In March, Fiona Beint, whose parents live on Froxhill Crescent, married Peter Young at Sedgebrook Hall and in May, Michelle Snaith of Dairy Close married Marc Hayes at Northampton Guildhall and later at the Marriott Hotel.
Fiona was a pupil at both Brixworth Primary School and Moulton School and left Brixworth to pursue her studies. Michelle, who moved to Brixworth from Australia, also attended Moulton School.
For both, the Báhá’í marriage ceremony was an opportunity to choose the readings and format of the service. The only obligation on Baha'i couples at their wedding is that they have the consent of all parents and repeat a short vow - "We will all, verily, abide by the will of God". The wedding must also be witnessed and overseen by the local Báhá’í Spiritual Assembly.
Fiona and Peter, who are both solicitors working in London now live in Lewisham, while Michelle, who met Marc through their shared interest in computing, lives in Newport Pagnell. Both brides wore traditional white wedding dresses and were accompanied by bridesmaids. The service at both weddings included beautiful prayers and readings for marriage from the Báhá’í writings and other scriptures, and poetry. The services also included a variety of music.
For many attending, it was their first Báhá’í wedding and there were many compliments for its spirituality and originality.
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