Development of the Faith in the Sioux City Area by Marie Scheffer
This segment released for publication March 2026
NOTE: Marie Scheffer has been working devotedly and meticulously to compile this history for several years. It is a work in progress; this is a draft of the first 21+ pages of a document that currently consists of 172 pages. She has most graciously given us permission to share this first section of her work at this time.
THE GROWTH OF THE SIOUX CITY BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY FROM 1975 – 2022: A COMPOSITE HISTORY TOLD IN MANY VOICES
Although Marie Scheffer was the primary researcher/writer of most of this history, a number of current and former members of the Sioux City community added their observations and memories. Many thanks to all who participated! Special thanks also to the many Assembly Secretaries over the years who left behind wonderful annual reports with many more details than are included here.
[Marie Scheffer]
In September 1975 Alan and I moved from Libertyville Township north of Chicago to Sioux City for what we thought would be 6 months. We had been married nearly a year, had completed our pioneering training, Alan had received a job offer from the Jamaican government to provide training to the private sector, and we had been told that it would take about 6 months for his work permit to be issued. His old friend and former boss from Levi Strauss, Jack Tucker, had called and asked Alan to come to work for him at Aalfs Manufacturing, a Levi Strauss contractor in Sioux City. Alan explained our situation and offered to give Jack 6 months of consulting time before we moved. We did not even know where Sioux City was on a map but thought that it would not matter where we waited, impatiently, to go to our pioneering post.
When we arrived in Sioux City, there were a handful of believers: Grace Davidson, a kindergarten teacher; Cheryl Ingram, a teacher at Riverside Elementary School (who was planning to move to Santa Fe in a few months); and Angel and Nancy Nava, along with their two sons, Rusty (Rosalio) and Jimmie (Jaime). Nancy was already in end-stage congestive heart failure and was in a hospital bed in their living room, but their home at 1512Ingleside Avenue was still a center of Bahá’í activities.
Over the winter an election occurred in Jamaica, and the new government would not issue work permits to Americans, who were all thought to be CIA spies. It became clear that we would not be pioneering to Jamaica any time soon, so Alan accepted a job as training and personnel director at Aalfs. Since Alan’s children, Sonja and Eric, would be coming to live with us for the summer of 1976, we moved from our 2 bedroom apartment at 5050 Garretson Avenue in Morningside and bought a house at 217 Paxton Street in the Greenville area of town, never thinking that we would spend the next 40 years living there.
We still hoped to pioneer somewhere but increased our teaching efforts in Sioux City, as with Cheryl Ingram’s move, Nancy Nava’s death in 1977, and Angel Nava’s subsequent move with his young sons to Spencer, IA, we were down to 3 believers. John Para, who lived in Kingsley, IA, with his wife, Karen, and 4 children (Mira, Shahin, Zhalih, and Mahin), had a restaurant but came to Sioux City to do a cooking show on KMEG, channel 14 television. John introduced us to George Sun, who was the chief engineer at the TV station. George and Alan had many long, frank talks about the Faith and native American beliefs. Several years later George and his wife, Edeth, became Bahá’ís in Sioux City and later moved to Winnebago as the first believers on the reservation. [MS]
The small Sioux City community grew slowly, both through move-ins who went to school at Western Iowa Technical Community College (WIT) (Gary Rentz, Tom Cartwright, Bob Durkee) and declarations by local folks. Barb Riggs (now Barb Gross) and then-husband Dave learned of the Faith through Barb and Marie working together at KBCM “Big Country” radio station. Cindi Anderson, Beth Nordquist, Linda Nielsen and husband Steve learned of it through working with Alan at Aalfs.
The small group was active, holding regular firesides and occasionally hosting out of town travel teachers, as when professional entertainers Phil and Janine Staniszewski gave a musical introduction to the Faith in March, 1977, at the Scheffer’s home. Meetings were also held weekly in a conference room in the Commons of Morningside College. Notices were put in the Sioux City Journal newspaper for holy days.
Henrietta Kroll’s mother, Sophie Luehr Hays, died Sept. 11, 1977, at the age of 90 and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City. The last few months of her life she was living in Sioux City in Casa de Paz care center. A separate document of the long, illustrious history of the Kroll family and its Bahá’í services in Plymouth and Woodbury County is being pulled together by members of the family. The written account of Sharon Bábbitt, a Bahá’í who lived in the area with her husband, Dell, also provides information on the Krolls, as well as other area believers, including those in Macy, NE. Sharon and Dell moved from Siouxland in 1968, before the Scheffers moved to town.
In the beginning . . . Assembly formation and the earliest years
From its earliest days the Sioux City Bahá’ís were earnestly involved in teaching and proclamation. The primary form of teaching at that time was inviting friends and co-workers to a fireside meeting. Proclamation activities involved mass mailings, letters, billboards, posters, public talks, booths or tables at various fairs, notices sent to the newspaper or a radio station about happenings in the community, and, when funds were available, newspaper advertising. All of these were vigorously pursued. Though results seemed meager and hard to measure, the goal was primarily to make known the existence of the Faith. Most enrollments resulted from personal teaching.
An attempt had been made previously to form an Assembly in 1972, when there were 12 adult believers, several of them newer believers who had learned of the Faith through their high school English teacher, Bahá’í John Guinty.
[Marie Scheffer] John Guinty emailed the Assembly on August 18, 2005, with a bit of history about himself: “I became a Bahá’í in 1966 in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1967 I moved to Sioux City and taught at Central High School there until 1969. In that time, there were many declarations, most of whom were youth, and therefore, we never had enough adults to form an Assembly. The number of Bahá’ís, however, was around twenty-five when I left.” [MS]
Those elected included Dean Andrews, Cheryl Ingram, Angel Nava, Nancy Nava, Mary Sundance, Grace Davidson, Pauline Luehr, Michele St. Cyr, and Janet Hutton. One member elected to the Assembly, Michele St. Cyr, declined to serve, as did the three other believers who had not been elected. Because of these refusals the National Spiritual Assembly did not recognize the formation of a local Assembly; the 4 reluctant believers either were deprived of their Bahá’í rights and/or withdrew from membership.
By December 1978 there were 9 adult believers with administrative rights in Sioux City, and it was permissible then, under the Five Year Plan (1974-1979), for Assemblies to form at any time of the year when this condition was achieved. Accordingly, the Spiritual Assembly of Sioux City was formed by joint declaration on December 4, 1978. Membership consisted of Cindi Anderson (Secretary), James Braun (Treasurer), Nancy Braun (Vice-chair), Grace Davidson, Linda Nielsen, Beth Nordquist, Gary Rentz, and Alan Scheffer, and Marie Scheffer (Chair). A recognition ceremony was held later, in February 1979, at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, attended by Bahá’ís from four nearby communities. Marie Scheffer gave a talk on the basic responsibilities of the Assembly, and James Braun gave a brief history of the Faith in the area. Karen Para of Kingsley, as a representative of the National Assembly, presented a certificate of recognition to the new Spiritual Assembly.
[Marie Scheffer]
I remember that one of the very first activities of the new Spiritual Assembly was to officiate a marriage. I remember it so clearly because I was asked to be one of the witnesses, and I was 9 months pregnant, with a January 5 due date. Since the wedding took place the last week of Dec, I was anxious for weeks that I would have my water break and go into labor during the ceremony. The wedding was memorable because our Assembly made a critical mistake regarding consents. We had been assured that the consents would be available on the day of the wedding. But they were not. We found out after the ceremony that the groom did not want his mother, with whom the couple would be living, to know that his bride was a Bahá’í so he never asked for consent. We wrote a “mea culpa” letter about the situation to the National Spiritual Assembly, which recognized the marriage, congratulated us on forming our Assembly, and told us not to repeat our mistake. [MS]
[Nancy Braun]
In 1978 James Braun and I were married and our daughter, Elsie, was two years old. Jim had just graduated from school with a Medical Technology Degree from MSU in Springfield, MO. We wanted to be homefront pioneers, and it made sense, to us, to choose a place that needed two more Bahá’ís in order to elect a Spiritual Assembly, but also a location where we wanted to live. The three areas that we were drawn to were upstate New York, northern Minnesota, and, for some reason, although we had never been there, Moscow, Idaho. We needed to find a job for Jim at a hospital. We were in the process of determining which communities in our desired locations had seven or eight Bahá’ís and a hospital with job openings for a med tech.
About this time we got a call from Alan and Marie Scheffer, who we knew from Libertyville, IL when we all lived in that area. Alan and Marie had sought out Jim and contributed to his reactivation in the Bahá’í community. They were also the people that taught me the Faith at their weekly fireside. The Scheffers told us that the Sioux City community needed only two more believers to elect its first Spiritual Assembly. They strongly encouraged us to move there. Our little family drove from Springfield to Sioux City for the interview and to get the lay of the land. We didn’t particularly want to move to Sioux City, Iowa, but we hadn’t found a job anywhere else yet and the Veterans Benefits we were living on while Jim was in school had stopped. The Scheffers were a strong draw, but they had plans in place to pioneer to Jamaica in a few months.
I remember sitting and saying the Tablet of Ahmad, over and over, during the time Jim was being interviewed for a job. I wanted to be open to whatever happened. I also remember that the Scheffers drove us around in the neighborhoods surrounding Grandview Park, not mentioning that this lovely area was out of our price range by miles.
Shortly after that trip Jim was offered a job, and we made preparations to move to Sioux City, arriving in June of 1978. We stayed with the Scheffers at 217 Paxton while looking for an apartment. As we were moving into the community, two other believers were moving out. So the community was back to seven members and couldn’t elect an Assembly, yet. [NB]
1978-1979
The Assembly was formed for the first time in December 1978. Members were Cindi Anderson, James and Nancy Braun, Grace Davidson, Linda Nielsen, Beth Nordquist, Gary Rentz, and Alan and Marie Scheffer.
Vital statistics: 11 adults in good standing, 3 children = 14 believers
Steve Nielsen was enrolled in the Faith.
Mark Alan Scheffer was born, the first Bahá’í child after the Assembly came into being.
Teaching/proclamation
The Five Year Plan’s 3 major objectives were: preservation and consolidation of the victories won; a vast and widespread expansion of the Bahá’í community; and development of the distinctive character of Bahá’í life, particularly in local communities. Accordingly, our first teaching goals were to open a locality by Riḍván and to have 19 Bahá’ís in our own community by then. Neither of these ambitious goals was met.
Our first major proclamation effort, while still a group in October 1978, was to send out 1000 proclamation flyers to an approximately eight square block area on the west side of the city. This area was chosen because it had more minority groups than any other area of town and because a Bahá’í family, the Brauns, lived in that area. Ads were placed in the newspaper simultaneously with the mailing of the proclamation flyers. One phone call was received as a result of the mailing.
Material sent from the National Center was distributed to the various new media in Sioux City for their files to prevent misinformation appearing in print. Notices were placed in the Sioux City Journal for the Assembly recognition ceremony, for holy days, for a slide presentation for World Religion Day, and an article on Sioux City Bahá’ís attending the District Convention. Ads were also placed for Race Unity Day and World Religion Day.
A talk on the Faith was given in a comparative religion class at Briar Cliff College.
Building community
Edie Elmore, the National Treasurer’s representative, gave a deepening about the Bahá’í Fund. We were very appreciative that she drove all the way from Davenport to Sioux City to provide us with information. Other deepenings included tapes by Dr. Hidayatu’llah Ahmadiyyih on teaching sent by the National Assembly and “Opposition to the Faith,” prompted by the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Children’s classes were started that took place during the consultative portions of the Feast.
A variety of activities were held to celebrate holy days and to build unity: campouts, potluck dinners, ice cream making parties, dinners to break the fast, game nights, and book swaps. A visit was made as a service project during Intercalary Days to the local nursing home where Cindi Anderson’s mother lived, and two books were given to the nursing home’s library.
Special developments
The majority of surplus funds at the end of the year were sent to the National Fund to lessen the national deficit. Money was also sent to the Persian Relief Fund, along with prayers.
The beginning of the Seven Year Plan
The Seven Year Plan (1979-1986) provided the context and direction for the first years of the functioning of the Sioux City Spiritual Assembly and its community. This Plan began at Naw-Rúz and had 3 phases: an initial 2 year phase (1979-1981), a 3 year phase (1981-1984), and a final 2 year phase (1984-1986).
At this time global Plans were devised by the Universal House of Justice and were given to National Spiritual Assemblies. The particular goals given to the United States included quantitative teaching goals, such as raising the number of localities where Bahá’ís resided to at least 7200; raising the number of Spiritual Assemblies to at least 1650, including at least 35 on Indian reservations, ensuring the adoption of extension teaching goals by at least 700 Spiritual Assemblies; and intensifying teaching work among minorities. An additional goal which affected our efforts was establishing classes for the Bahá’í education of children; in 1981 the House added to this the goal of developing Bahá’í lesson plans suitable for children’s classes.
1979-1980
The Assembly consisted of Cindi Anderson, James and Nancy Braun, Grace Davidson, Steve and Linda Nielsen, Beth Nordquist, and Alan and Marie Scheffer. In Feb. 1980 Beth Nordquist moved to Arkansas, and Joanne Beville was elected to replace her.
Vital statistics: 11 adults with rights, 7 children = 18 believers
Graham Christopher Braun was born.
[Marie Scheffer] Alan, Mark, and I were sent by Aalfs Manufacturing to Joplin, Missouri, in the fall of 1979 to live there for several months while Alan served as acting plant manager until a permanent manager could be hired for a newly-acquired sewing plant in Miami, Oklahoma. Jo Waller (now Archer) and Mitch Beville and their blended family of four children lived in our home for the nine months we were absent. Cindi Norris and her son, Damien, lived with the Brauns during this period. Alan and I drove back to Sioux City to be present for the Riḍván elections, though we did not move back home until summer. [MS]
Teaching/proclamation
A proclamation mailing was sent out as part of “The Year of the Child.” The pamphlet “Children, A Bahá’í Perspective” was sent to those in our area involved with education, including principals, day-care and youth centers, and school board members.
A proclamation advertisement was placed in the Sioux City Journal offering free copies of four Bahá’í books (The Bahá’í Faith, Thief in the Night, The Divine Art of Living, and Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh) to any one interested who responded.
A billboard painted with “One Planet, One People . . . Please” was put up on the west side. Robert Clifton, a Pierson Bahá’í who worked at a sign painting shop in Sioux City, painted it with the understanding that it could stay up until the shop sold the space to a client. It remained up for several years.
A cable was sent by the Assembly to Ayatollah Khomeini in response to the destruction and confiscation of Bahá’í properties in Iran. Mailgrams were sent to our Congressional Representatives and one Senator in response to the destruction of the House of the Báb in Iran.
Community firesides were planned for once every Gregorian month. Community members were encouraged to try to invite one new friend to each of these firesides. In response to a recommendation from the National Spiritual Assembly, the community held firesides for 9 consecutive days. The original recommendation was for 18 days, but our Assembly felt this was unrealistic for the size of our community.
An Assembly member was invited to give a talk and share some Bahá’í Writings at the local Unitarian Church.
The Assembly assisted the Kingsley Bahá’í group with a teaching effort they had planned: a Bahá’í Hospitality Bus at the Woodbury County Fair.
A “Love That Child” radio announcement was placed on a couple of local radio stations, and an “International Year of the Child” television spot was seen on one of the local television stations.
Building community
A deepening program was begun based on material sent by Auxiliary Board member Mrs. Javidukht Khadem, wife of the Hand of the Cause. In January a study program called “A Life of Service” was held in honor of Mr. Enoch Olinga, the Hand of the Cause who was murdered at his home in Kampala, Uganda. Edie Elmore again visited us to give the National Treasurer’s Office program, “The Surest Way” on April 6, 1980. The Assembly also deepened on the functions of local Assemblies, consultation, marriage laws, and a talk given by Mr. Adib Taherzadeh on “Teaching the Cause of God.” Assistant to the Auxiliary Board, Marie Scheffer, gave a deepening to the Assembly.
Children’s classes continued to be held during the Feast.
Holy days were all observed, and Ayyám-i-Há featured a party for children, a night for adults to watch the film “The Green Light Expedition,” and a family night in which everyone participated in the community’s first talent show.
Special development/visits
Memorial services were held for three Hands of the Cause of God who died this year: Mr. Enoch Olinga, Dr. Rahmatullah Muhajir, and Mr. Hasan Balyuzi. The community dedicated to their memory some of our local teaching projects.
The community was honored by visits from Auxiliary Board member Bill Borland and by his assistant, David Smith.
Alan and Marie Scheffer went to the Assembly recognition celebration for the restoration of the Spiritual Assembly of Macy, held in its Cultural Building on Saturday, October 13, 1979. Auxiliary Board member Bill Borland spoke at this event.
1980-1981
Assembly members were Cindi Anderson, Jo Beville, Jim and Nancy Braun, Grace Davidson, Steve and Linda Nielsen, and Alan and Marie Scheffer. Jo Beville moved away during the summer, and Brian Hentz-Tesch was elected.
Vital statistics: 10 adults with rights, 1 youth, 4 children = 15 believers
Teaching/proclamation
Goals set by the Assembly included incorporation, diversifying the community, and raising up a group in Winnebago, NE. [Marie Scheffer] As of 2026 the Assembly is still not incorporated. [MS]
The declaration of George Sun, a member of the Winnebago nation, increased our diversity for a short period before he and his wife, Edeth, moved to the Winnebago reservation to open it to the Faith. Edeth declared soon afterwards, establishing Winnebago as a group. This became Sioux City’s first extension teaching goal.
In an effort to help diversify the community, we rented the film “The Sands of Time” to show to our community and friends.
The Assembly put together small information packets which were distributed to local hospitals so that their files would contain information that would be helpful in caring for Bahá’í patients.
Individual believers, primarily Nancy and Marie, began a door-to-door teaching team project that had originally been proposed by our Auxiliary Board member, Bill Borland. The friends were also encouraged to participate in Hand of the Cause Mr. Sears’ “Operation Befriend” initiative by taking part in a community project in our town. Two believers with small children volunteered with Meals on Wheels. Others participated in such projects as helping Asian immigrants learn English and the Siouxland Big Brother/Big Sister program.
[Marie Scheffer] Nancy Braun and I chose to volunteer with Meals on Wheels. I remember driving the car while Nancy nursed Graham and Mark was strapped in his car seat. Both boys loved visiting the elderly and taking the little paper bags up to the door – possibly because the recipients sometimes gave them candy in return – and never seemed to notice that a few of them were quite disabled, such as the man who always gave them treats and who had lost both legs. At this time there were no older people in our Bahá’í community and all grandparents lived at a distance, so Nancy and I wanted to give the kids opportunities to meet and become close to “grandparent-aged” folks. [MS]
Community building
Our community scheduled a new believers’ conference for northwest Iowa that was held March 8. Speakers included John and Karen Para of Kingsley, David Smith and Bryce Able of Ames, Linda Nielsen, and Jim Braun. [Marie Scheffer] Fewer new believers came than expected, but I think this is where Phyllis Sheridan declared her belief, along with one other woman. [MS]
Several community deepenings were held, including two audio tapes, one on “Love and Harmony in the Bahá’í Community” and one on “The Advent of Divine Justice: The Most Challenging Issue.”
Summer children’s classes were held for children in Sioux City and Perry Township in Plymouth County. Henrietta Kroll was the impetus for starting these for her grandchildren who lived in the area but had non-Bahá’í parents at that time. [Marie Scheffer] As I recall Henrietta called Nancy Braun and asked, “When are you going to start Bahá’í children’s classes? [MS] On-going learning activities were also held for children during the consultative portion of the Feast.
The Assembly asked Jim and Nancy Braun to represent our community in the Local Education Advisor Program (LEAP).
Holy days were all celebrated by such activities as potluck suppers, children’s parties, puppet shows, visits to area Bahá’ís, a swimming party, backyard and state park campouts, and picnics. Often we had area believers join in our celebrations.
Special developments
Services were held in memory of the seven martyrs in Yazd and the Hands of the Cause Dr. Faizi and Mr. Muhlschegel.
1981-1982
Assembly members were Cindi Anderson, Jim and Nancy Braun, Grace Davidson, Brian Hentz-Tesch, Steve and Linda Nielsen, and Alan and Marie Scheffer. When Brian moved away in September, Keith Tookey replaced him.
Vital statistics: 13 adults with rights, 1 youth, 6 children = 20 believers
Enrollments included Odell Nelson; Gerry Tookey, wife of Keith; Judi Swanson, then living in Plymouth County; and Edeth Sun, then living in Winnebago, NE, after she and George moved there from Sioux City, where George had declared the previous year.
Tim Wilson transferred in to attend Morningside College.
After reading a letter from the Universal House of Justice stressing the need for deepened believers, more children’s education, and a closely-knit community atmosphere, the Assembly set these goals:
- Diversifying the community
- Incorporation of the Assembly
- Extension teaching to raise Winnebago to 5 believers
- Intellectual and social unification of the local Bahá’í community
Teaching/proclamation
The Assembly acquired plaques with a quotation from the Writings to physicians. Anyone wishing to do so could have one to give to their doctor.
Twice this year believers spoke to religion classes at Briar Cliff College.
One believer was interviewed briefly about the Faith on a local television newscast about a Bahá’í holy day being celebrated, and two Bahá’ís were interviewed on a half hour radio program about the Faith. KWIT radio also ran short “footnotes” announcing Bahá’í holy days and community events.
While many articles and press releases were submitted to the Sioux City Journal this year, unfortunately few were printed. The Assembly helped Perry Township with their proclamation efforts with advertisements in the local newspaper in their area.
The Assembly assisted the Winnebago Bahá’ís in their teaching efforts and also helped further deepen them by sending a representative from Sioux City to share Feasts with them.
The Bahá’í Club of Morningside College was formed on September 16, 1981, with five people, including Keith Tookey, a faculty member, and Tim Wilson, a local believer and student. The College Club sponsored a Human Rights Day event with two Bahá’í musicians, Cindy and Curtis Mickunas, performing. They also gave a talk on “The Holocaust in Iran.”
Building community
The Assembly initiated a “1000 mile check up” program to follow up on the deepening process on new Bahá’ís in the community. Deepening topics this year included Bahá’í marriage and a daylong study of “The Promised Day is Come.”
Children’s classes were held on a weekly basis and were open to children in nearby communities. Our knowledgeable LEAP representatives greatly improved the children’s classes. The children participated in holding a Feast and also presented a play at one of the holy day celebrations. In addition, the children presented two books (on behalf of the Assembly) for Universal Children’s Day to the main public library.
Holy days were all observed, with a turkey dinner for the Birth of the Báb, games and an ice cream social night for the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, a talent show for Naw-Rúz, a children’s party and an evening just for the adults at Ayyám-i-Há. World Peace Day included a campout.
Several fast-breaking dinners and many social evenings held this year helped unify the hearts of the believers.
Special developments
The Assembly sent letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the two Iowa senators, and our congressman about the persecutions of the Bahá’ís in Iran and asking that they do anything they can to improve the situation. The Assembly also sponsored a prayer gathering coinciding with the National Day of Prayer sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly for the martyrs in Iran.
1982-1983
Assembly members elected were Cindi Anderson, Jim and Nancy Braun, Odell Nelson, Linda Nielsen, Alan and Marie Scheffer, Keith and Gerry Tookey.
Vital Statistics: 13 adults with rights, 1 youth, 6 children = 20 believers
Teaching/proclamation
Extension teaching goals were to raise Winnebago to a group of 5 and to adopt Plymouth County as an extension goal as well. Visits were made to Winnebago, where teaching and deepening material were shared. Plymouth County was helped to form as a group. Grandchildren of Henrietta Kroll regularly attend our children’s classes, and several members of the group joined many of our deepenings and holy days; the group also hold their own firesides.
Presentation folders were given to the city police, the county sheriff, the local UN group, and all members of the city council; the presentation was aired on television. Information on the situation in Iran was sent to Mr. Carol McLaughlin (a professor at Morningside College), the Human Rights Commission, Rabbi Gordon, and the city council.
Bahá’ís were interviewed on KSEZ radio about the Faith and the persecutions in Iran. Bahá’ís also spoke to the Kiwanis Club about the Faith and Race Unity Day.
Ads were placed in the Siouxlander Magazine and in the Hinton paper.
The 13-week series called “The Spiritual Revolution” was aired on ch. 12, public access television, 2-3 times a week, beginning in December. It was advertised with posters, and used jointly with some of the community firesides. The Assembly dedicated this effort to the memory of Daniel Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly who was killed.
World Peace Day in September was celebrated with a gathering in Stone State Park.
The Assembly began planning an extensive door-to-door proclamation in an effort to reach minorities.
Odell Nelson was our Bahá’í representative to Interfaith Resources. [MARIE SCHEFFER] This organization was founded in August 1982 in response to federal cutbacks in human services programs. By 1985 its membership comprised representatives of 29 religious congregations, including Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Bahá’ís. The organization focused on providing assistance with food, day care, housing, and utilities. Bahá’ís were among the first spiritual communities to join, and our representatives held officer positions for many years. We also participated in the Interfaith Resources Food Festival (a.k.a. “The Big IFFF”), an annual fundraiser begun in 1986, with booths selling food from different parts of the world. [MS]
Special developments/events
Memorial services were held for Daniel Jordan and for Hand of the Cause Paul Haney.
1983-1984
Assembly members elected were: Cindi Anderson, Jim and Nancy Braun, Odell Nelson, Linda Nielsen, Alan and Marie Scheffer, and Keith and Gerry Tookey
Vital statistics: 16 adults with rights,1 youth, 12 children = 29 believers
Enrollments included Sarah Everist, Sarah Ericson, and Patricia Williams in Plymouth County.
[Marie Scheffer] Pat Williams was led to declare her belief in Bahá’u’lláh as a result of weekly firesides held by Judi Swanson, with support from Nancy Braun and Marie Scheffer and constant heckling/undermining by Anvy Swanson, Judi’s father-in-law, who was a fundamentalist lay preacher. Judi and her then-husband, Don, lived in a trailer on Anvy’s land. Pat listened, quietly, to what the Bahá’ís said, Anvy’s rebuttal, and the Bahá’ís’ response, with its lack of returned hostility or aggression. Pat said she began as an agnostic but found herself increasingly agreeing with the Bahá’ís, in both beliefs and non-combative approach. [MS]
Five Cambodian adults, along with their children, moved into town: Hoeut Hong, Loek Som, Sophal Phoung, Map Loem, and Rim Chak. The Assembly was notified a few days in advance that they would be arriving on December 24th and would need immediate help finding an apartment to rent.
[Marie Scheffer] I remember the many challenges meeting the needs of these new friends entailed. There were no refugee services established in Sioux City at this time. These friends spoke no English, had never been in a cold climate before – they came straight from a refugee camp in the Philippines – and had no winter clothes. Also, trying to get landlords to show properties on Christmas Eve was very difficult. There was no established Asian community at this time in Sioux City. Most of the Cambodian friends moved away when the winter was over. But I also remember how radiant Hoeut Hong’s face was when he came, alone, to a Feast, knowing that he was with his Bahá’í family, even if all we could share were smiles.
As a result of enrollments and transfers in, the community of active adults grew beyond the membership of the Assembly itself. We also became a community with 2 language groups, making addressing deepening and community unity needs more complex. One Cambodian couple who had lived together in a locally-recognized common law “marriage” in Cambodia had entered the country as single people rather than as husband and wife. The Assembly’s capacity to assist with matters of personal status was challenged by helping the couple have a Bahá’í marriage. The Assembly reached out to a local bi-lingual person to compose a letter of consent that could be read and signed by the Cambodian parents back home and explain to the couple why they needed to live in separate households in Sioux City until their union could be formalized in a way the US government would recognize, giving the wife and children important legal protections. [MS]
Teaching/proclamation
Our goals this year were to become a community of teachers and to strive to reach minorities. Formation of teaching teams was encouraged, and time was set aside at every Feast to share teaching stories.
The Assembly met with both of our extension teaching groups at the beginning of the year to learn their goals, ideas, and requests for assistance. We helped Plymouth County with their week-long Plymouth County Fair booth proclamation, supplying construction help on the booth, literature, funds, and additional people to man the booth. We also provided, at their request, a deepening on consultation. The Winnebago group asked for child education materials and information on the holy days. We also began informal visits to the Sun’s to share fellowship, increase their sense of Bahá’í community, and share teaching stories and experiences.
Two major proclamations were held this year. In May 1983 the community distributed a letter to “our Sioux City neighbors,” [See photos in the Assembly’s archives scrapbook] letting them know that there is a Bahá’í community in town and some of the principles of the Faith. A response card was enclosed which offered a book or information about meetings. 486 letters were distributed, some on the Morningside College campus, some mailed to people who had expressed interest in the Faith previously, some mailed to prominent minority members in town, while the great majority were delivered by hand and left on the doorknobs in a westside part of town that had the highest percentage of minority residents.
The second proclamation was to 92 doctors who had placed an ad in the Sioux City Journal calling for creative thinking to move the world beyond war to a lasting peace. The letter commended the doctors for taking this public stand and enclosed a copy of the statement made by the Bahá’í International Community to the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament.
Two smaller scale proclamations were also made. The first was to the 3 Greek Orthodox churches in town in gratitude for a sympathetic report on the Iranian Bahá’ís made by a Greek Orthodox priest who was a United Nations representative. The second was an ad with a photo of children of different races placed in the Black Homecoming booklet to welcome back former residents, most of whom had moved to California.
An ad was placed in the Sioux City Journal about recent Bahá’í martyrdoms in Iran. Several mentions of the Faith appeared in the newspaper which were not initiated by the Bahá’ís, including an article about the Spiritual Leaders group and another article about a talk at Morningside College on human rights violations during their Global Awareness Week.
The media committee worked on developing long-term relationships. They met with 7 staff members of KMEG television at a monthly meeting organized by the community relations director to ascertain the needs and concerns of the community. This resulted in a 2 hour discussion on the Faith. A presentation was also made to the Sioux City Journal features editor with updated information on the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Jim Braun, a medical technologist for the Marian Health Center (later Mercy or Mercy One and now part of Unity Point/St. Luke’s Hospital) was chosen by its parent organization, the Sisters of Mercy Health Corp, to be part of a team of international health care specialists participating in outreach programs in developing countries. He was sent to Palau, an island in the Western Carolina Islands for a 3-month stay. When he returned, he gave a slide presentation on Palau.
Alan Scheffer appeared on the television show “Concern” as part of a panel discussing the experience of being a minority religious community in a Christian society.
The Assembly renewed its membership and appointed representatives to Interfaith Resources.
Building community
Holy days were celebrated in a variety of different ways, including a Riḍván play, a slide presentation of the House of the Báb for the Declaration of the Báb, an indoor picnic and scavenger hunt along with a devotional program for the Birth of the Báb, a day-long “family gathering” and dinner for the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, an adult party for Ayyám-i-Há as well as joining with the Plymouth County group for a children’s party, and the now annual Naw-Rúz turkey dinner and variety show. The commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Báb was combined with a memorial for the 16 martyrs in Iran. Many friends of the Faith were able to share in our holy days throughout the year.
Children’s education had three levels of classes this year: pre-school, 7-8 year olds, and 9-13 year olds. The older children’s classes studied the electoral process and “elected” the name of “Heartland Bahá’í School.” A highlight of the fall term was a “presentation day” held with a community potluck where each class presented something they had learned, including a song, a puppet show, and individual projects on Tahirih. Highlights of the winter term were the addition of the Cambodian Bahá’í children and having only 1 class canceled by snow.
Nancy Braun, one of two Local Education Advisor Program (LEAP) representatives (along with husband Jim) participated in a conference on child education at Louhelen Bahá’í School. Copies of the Heartland Bahá’í School lesson plans were copied and distributed. One copy was given to Louhelen, and 21 copies were bought by Bahá’í communities as far away as Texas and North Carolina. A copy was given to our goal group in Winnebago, and the Sioux City community provided participants, materials, and lesson plans to the District Convention’s children’s program.
Monthly adult deepening classes on a variety of topics were held, and a daily booklet of devotions was put together for use during the fast. A weekly meeting held concurrently with Heartland School was established for the purpose of deepening with the adult Cambodians and providing a regular time for teaching and socializing together. Their evening work schedules at Iowa Beef Processors prevented them from attending many community functions, so this Sunday morning gathering became an important resource.
The Assembly published a Bahá’í monthly calendar of events for Sioux City and surrounding area Bahá’ís.
Special developments
Alan Scheffer was appointed to a 3-year term on the Sioux City Human Rights Commission. This is the first time a Bahá’í has held this type of community position.
A fundraiser was held for the building of radio station WLGI at the Louis Gregory Institute. A total of $451 was raised through contributions and a Persian dinner fundraiser. [Marie Scheffer] The Office of the Treasurer at the Bahá’í National Center put together a cookbook as a fundraiser. It was titled “Let’s Get Cooking! Recipes for all Bahá’í Occasions.” I still have my copy and remember some favorites. This was the source of our Persian recipes for the fundraiser. [MS]
1984-1985
Assembly members were Jim and Nancy Braun, Sarah Ericson, Odell Nelson, Linda Nielsen, Alan and Marie Scheffer, and Keith and Gerry Tookey. A by-election in September resulted in Cindi Anderson being elected to replace Sarah Ericson, who moved to the San Diego area.
Vital statistics: 12 adults with rights, 7 children = 19 believers
Michelle Meyers and Loriann Tague enrolled in the Faith, as did 2 friends living outside Sioux City, J. Rock Johnson and Bib Feng Betty Lieu in LeMars.
The Cambodian families (Rim Chak and Hoeut Hong, Loek Som, Sophal Phoung, and Map Loeum) moved away, some to California but most to Des Moines, which had a larger Cambodian community.
Grace Davidson died October 12,1984, and was buried by her brother and three remaining sisters in Concord Cemetery in Concord, Nebraska. Our understanding from Sharon Bábbit’s short history is that Grace was the first local person to declare her belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Esther Beardsley, mother of Karen Para, died on September 18, 1984 and was buried in the Kingsley Cemetery in Kingsley, IA.
Teaching
In response to a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly, the local Assembly adopted, in August, numerical teaching goals for the remainder of the year: 3 regular, on-going firesides; 20 new people attending firesides, and 30 new people reading Bahá’í books. As of Riḍván there was only 1 on-going fireside, although a weekly day-time fireside did function for several months; 18 new people had attended firesides, and 18 new people had been given books. The annual report noted, “Whether or not the statistics show it, this has been a year of increased awareness of, excitement about, and actual teaching.”
Two noteworthy community teaching events were held. The first was a “Unity Feast” which sprang from requests by seekers and friends of the Faith. The second was a “pre-declarants” fireside. Seekers who had shown a deep and lasting interest in the Faith were invited to hear a presentation and discuss the topic of “becoming a Bahá’í.” All four people who attended responded very positively, including Michelle Meyers, who declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh that evening.
[Marie Scheffer] Two of those who came to the “pre-declarants” fireside were Johnnie Mae and Paul Anderson. Johnnie was a domestic sciences teacher at West High, and Paul was a vet who worked with the USDA checking the health of cattle brought to Sioux City for slaughter and packing. They had already made plans to retire and move back to Montgomery, Alabama, but were very close to the Faith. When they arrived in Montgomery and met the Bahá’ís there, they called to say that they were now “card-carrying” Bahá’ís. We were thrilled for them but really wished that they had declared while they lived here because, as Blacks and older people, they were two demographic groups we did not have in the community at that time. Our loss was Montgomery’s gain. [MS]
Proclamation efforts
Several efforts were made, including an attractive information booth at the Southern Hills mall that was manned by area believers for two consecutive weekends; 41 invitations to specially scheduled firesides were distributed as well as 40 fact sheets, 6 introductory books on the Faith, and other pamphlets. Although no seekers came to the firesides, this was our first attempt at doing a proclamation with minimum expense and maximum emphasis on finding interested people, talking with them, and inviting them to firesides.
Since this year was the 75th anniversary of the NAACP as well as the 100th anniversary of the Unitarian Church in Sioux City, the Assembly wrote both to send its congratulations and mention points of agreement in our beliefs and efforts. The letter to the NAACP chapter included portions of the talk that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made to the 4th annual NAACP Convention in 1912.
Visiting Finnish Bahá’í Helja Peltola from Helsinki was interviewed in October by the Sioux City Journal. Helja had been an exchange student with a Kingsley family in 1971-72 and came to the US to visit them. The interesting part is that she came via Samoa, where she went to see the dedication of the House of Worship. A special edition of the Journal entitled “Siouxland 1985” came out in March and included an article written by the Bahá’ís about the community’s happenings and plans. This edition was sent to the CEOs of the top 500 corporations in the US, to the governors, members of the legislature and the US senators of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, the members of the House of Representatives from Siouxland, and to President Reagan. Within the same week a reporter from the paper called the Bahá’ís and asked to set up an interview for an article. The resulting article, timed to coincide with Naw-Rúz, was the largest in size and most positive in attitude of any public notice the local Bahá’í community had ever had. The day after Naw-Rúz the Bahá’ís were mentioned in a large and prominently displayed article about Interfaith Resources.
Although the Faith had been mentioned in various classes at Morningside College, for the first time our Bahá’í professor at Morningside, Keith Tookey, was officially invited to lecture on the Faith for a cross-cultural lifestyles class. Also at Morningside a Bahá’í library presentation packet was donated during a National Library Week program on censorship and academic freedom; this was done in honor of the Bahá’ís in Iran, who are prohibited from reading their own sacred literature.
Deepening
Two major community deepenings took place this year. The first was on The Advent of Divine Justice. The second was a two-part deepening on the Kitab-i-Iqan, with a study guide of questions and page references for answers developed by Nancy Braun and Marie Scheffer. The friends individually read half the book, answered the questions, then came together to discuss the answers. For the 19 days of the fast a daily booklet of meditations from Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, prepared by Cindi Anderson (now Pettit) was distributed. The deepening committee also developed a deepening program for new believers, which was approved by the Assembly.
Child education
Heartland summer classes experimented with a new format similar to “Vacation Bible School” of 3 hour morning classes held for a week. Once again, copies of Heartland School lesson plans were printed and distributed. This year 35 copies were bought by Bahá’í communities all over the US as well as Canada and Botswana. When Alan Scheffer went to work in a hospital in Guyana for 6 weeks, he took with him copies of both the lesson plans and Bahá’í games developed locally. He and Marie also gave copies to the Bahá’ís in St. Vincent and in Grenada.
Nancy Braun, one of our LEAP (Local Education Advisor Program) representatives, participated in the first National Bahá’í Child Education Conference in Evanston, IL in May. Later in the summer Nancy and Marie Scheffer drove with their 3 children, Elsie, Graham, and Mark, to Louhelen Bahá’í School in Davison, MI, to attend a week-long National Teacher Training Conference. They were very surprised to discover that nearly all the other participants were professional educators, many with PhDs, all of whom welcomed the “we’re just housewives out in the boonies” newbies with a spirit of warm collegiality and praise for our rising to the challenge when no one “better qualified” was available to do the work. Mark and Graham’s age group enjoyed history lessons that culminated in a joyous parade, with flags and banners, throughout the property depicting Bahá’u’lláh’s departure from Baghdad.
Highlights of holy days included presentations by Heartland students for the Declaration of the Báb, prayers in the Grandview Park rose garden for the Martyrdom of the Báb, a Bahá’í family dinner and slide show of the dedication of the Samoan House of Worship given by our visiting Finnish Bahá’í, Helja Peltola, for the Birth of the Báb, a Chinese dinner at the Scheffers for the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, and the 5th Annual Naw-Rúz turkey dinner and variety show.
The local Bahá’í newsletter expanded in content and distribution. No longer just a calendar of events, it now included news of interest about Bahá’ís in the community, announcements of Bahá’í events in other places, and reports of action taken on Feast recommendations. Several seekers and friends of the Faith asked to be on the monthly mailing list.
Assembly development
The Assembly functioned with increased maturity this year. It met with members of the Iowa District Teaching Committee in December to discuss teaching goals and ideas. In January it met with Auxiliary Board member Bob Postlethwaite to gain a better understanding of the relationship between our two institutions, to hear his evaluation of our Assembly’s functioning, and to discuss teaching approaches. The Assembly Treasurer attended the annual treasurer’s workshop in the fall, and two representatives of the Assembly traveled to Kansas City to a 4-state conference to which Assembly members were invited to consult on the subject of “Releasing Individual Initiative.”
In order to increase its efficiency, the Assembly created a policy file, drawn from its minutes over the past six years. A letter and a compilation of pertinent quotes was developed to be sent to people requesting assistance with their marriage. A system of liaisons was devised to ensure ready communication between the Assembly and those consulting with it. An orientation for first-time Assembly members was formulated.
Other activities
An ice cream social was held to raise money for the erection of the House of Worship in India.
1985-1986
Assembly members elected were Cindi Anderson, James (Chair) and Nancy Braun (Corresponding Sec), Linda Nielsen, Michelle Meyers, Alan and Marie Scheffer, Keith (Treasurer) and Gerry Tookey; Linda Nielsen moved and Pat Williams (Recording Secretary) replaced her.
Vital statistics: 12 adults with rights, 1 youth, 8 children = 21 believers
2 enrollments took place; Eric Scheffer of Cincinnati, OH, who was visiting for the summer, also declared his Faith.
Goals, Progress, and Projects
As a reflection of deepening maturity, the Assembly, for the first time, drew up a real plan of local goals. The plan, which included teaching, proclamation, and consolidation, was completed in September. Each aspect of the plan was backed up by committees or specially appointed individuals to carry out the work of increasing and strengthening the local community.
Teaching/proclamation
The annual report stated that “Teaching the Faith is becoming part of the fabric of our lives.” Numerical goals were to have 19 adult believers in the community, hold 9 firesides in the community every month, have 30 new people attend firesides, and have 30 new people reading Bahá’í books. During the year 27 new people attended firesides, 39 people read Bahá’í books, an average of 3 firesides were held each month, and 2 enrollments and 1 move-in balanced out the 3 believers who moved away.
An additional teaching goal was to have at least one community fireside on a particular theme. Three such “theme firesides” were held. One in December on race unity attracted 3 interested people. One in January on peace had 5 seekers attend. One in March on the family had 1 non-Bahá’í attendee. Not only was this seen to be an effective method of teaching, but it brought the name of the Faith, as well as the proclamation of some of its tenets and Writings, to the approximately 260 people to whom invitations to attend were sent.
The Assembly was assigned by the National Spiritual Assembly to coordinate distribution of the Universal House of Justice’s statement, “The Promise of World Peace,” to Iowa Senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley and to Representative Berkley Bedell of Iowa’s 6th Congressional District. The presentation to Rep. Bedell was made on March 31 at the Hilton Inn in Sioux City. Senator Harkin received his copy on April 20 in Des Moines by a delegation of Bahá’ís from all over the state.
The Assembly also presented “The Promise of World Peace” to Iowa state representative James O’Kane; Briar Cliff College president, Dr. Bensmann; and Superintendent of Western Iowa Technical Community College, Dr. Kiser. Loriann Tague, a student at WIT, ensured that an extensive summary of the peace statement was included in the WIT newsletter.
We learned more about working with the media. KCAU, channel 9, featured the Bahá’ís twice during the year and ran nearly $1000 worth of our PSAs (public service announcements) at no cost to us. Rev. Rick Spleth, host of the Sunday afternoon program “Concern,” taped a half hour interview with three local Bahá’ís [WHO WERE THEY??? KEITH, ALAN, AND MARIE???], which aired on August 24. We taped a video copy of the program and used it at a variety of firesides and other discussions. On Naw-Rúz we were contacted by Julie White, who hosted the “Noon Show,” to do a 3 minute spot. This resulted in one Nebraska seeker calling the TV station immediately afterwards. Articles and announcements continued to appear in the Sioux City Journal.
Bahá’ís were asked to present lectures in three classes at Morningside College. Three churches (Trimble United Methodist, St. Luke’s Lutheran, and Morningside Reformed) invited Bahá’í speakers to address their adult Sunday classes. Over 100 people heard a basic introduction to the Faith in this way; several people took Bahá’í literature, and each of these church libraries was presented with an introductory book on the Faith.
We donated a copy of The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion to the public library at Ayyám-i-Há. We also donated copies of The Bahá’í Faith by Perkins and Hainsworth, along with a reprint of an article on the Faith in the “Catholic Near East” magazine to the principal of Heelan Catholic High School.
In June the community hosted a dynamic group of Bahá’í youth from all over the midwest who were part of a project called “The Fire from Within.” The Assembly had arranged for them to plant a crabapple tree in the rose garden of Grandview Park in fulfillment of an International Youth Year goal to plant 20,000 trees in the US in memory of the Dawn-breakers.
Deepening
The Deepening Committee was asked by the Assembly to plan and carry out day-long deepenings on the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi at 3-4 month intervals. The first two of these were held this year, in October and February, at the Joy Hollow girl scout facility in Plymouth County. Local and out-of-town speakers covered the lives, missions, Writings, historical contexts, and responses of the early followers of the Manifestations. Bahá’ís from a 50-mile radius were invited, and several attended both events.
The Assembly sponsored an evening of studying “The Promise of World Peace” in December.
Child education
Heartland Bahá’í School continued with its format of fall, winter, and spring terms with a summer format of daily classes for a week in June. Classes consisted of a 5-7 (or 6-8) year old class and an 8-11 or (9-12) year old class. The older class diligently rehearsed a play called “World Order Wizards” from “Brilliant Star/Child’s Way” magazine on the development of the Faith through the various plans. They performed this play for the community at Ayyám-i-Há.
[Marie Scheffer] One highlight was having Phyllis Banta, an African-American friend of Nancy’s and mine who has a brother and sister-in-law (Richard and Melodie Yates) who are Bahá’ís, give a guest lesson on interracial families, bringing along her wedding album and a family photo album. See photos in the Assembly’s archives scrapbook assembled by Terri. [MS]
We continued to share copies of our curriculum with other communities and began the process of adapting our lesson plans to the format required to enter them into the new National Bahá’í Curriculum Bank being run from the National Teacher Training Institute at Louhelen Bahá’í School.
Holy days
The community celebrated in a variety of ways, including presentations by the children at Riḍván; prayers in Grandview Park for the Martyrdom of the Báb, sitting within sight of the crabapple planted in memory of the Dawn-Breakers; a sit-down dinner for the Birth of the Báb; music, devotions, and poetry for the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh; a musical play and children’s party for Ayyám-i-Há; and the turkey dinner and variety show for Naw-Rúz.
Assembly development
The Assembly began an annual deepening on the purpose and functioning of the institution, serving as a refresher for veteran members and an orientation for new ones. The Assembly was able to share the format of its agenda with other communities via The American Bahá’í, which included in its October issue a short article about the unusual but effective format we developed and have used for the past three years, consisting of such categories as “burning items,” (urgent), “crockpot” (main items expected to take a long time), “microwave items” (short announcements), and “back burner” (can be deferred to another meeting).
An “options for service” survey was developed and distributed to all members of the community in an effort to discover and more fully utilize the talents and initiative of individuals.
Pat Williams was appointed as archivist to organize and compile a series of scrapbooks of all the newspaper clippings that have been collected over the years documenting coverage of the Faith in the area.
In response to an expression of a need to evaluate and improve the quality of our Feasts, the Assembly sponsored a community workshop on the Feast which included frank, lively, and very fruitful consultation. In addition, a special consultation was held with the children of the community on the same topic.
Our local monthly Bahá’í bulletin continued to develop and began to serve not only our own community but surrounding groups and isolated believers as well.
Special developments
An ad-hoc group of some 40 religious leaders, including Alan Scheffer, began meeting together in an effort to improve human relations in the community. Sioux City Interfaith Leaders sponsored a contest to break down prejudice among youth in Siouxland. The theme of the contest was “In the Spirit of Martin: Sioux City Youth Get Together.” Essays were judged at the levels of junior high, senior high, and college; and the top writer in each category received $100 each and official recognition by the mayor and city council for their efforts to break down prejudice among Siouxland youth.
Not only is this effort a true labor of dedication and love, but also, I think, a representative portrait of the establishment and growth of the Faith in Iowa’s cities, full of sacrificial efforts, ambitious goals, victories and setbacks, obedient aspirations, and inspiring devotion on the part of a fairly small number of steadfast souls. Can’t wait for more of this! Huge thanks to Marie.