Baha'i followers to celebrate bicentennial with film

MOSES LAKE — Followers of the Baha’i faith will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of its founder with a showing in Moses Lake of a movie about Baha’i and its teachings.

The movie, “Light of the World,” will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Best Western Lakefront, 3000 West Marina Dr. Admission is free.

The film tells the story of Baha’u’llah, the founder of Baha’i, born in November 1817 in what was then Persia and is now Iran. In 1863 Baha’u’llah announced he had received a revelation from God, emphasizing the unity of religion, including all major world religions, and the unity of all the world's people.

“It (the film) is designed to share who the founder is and why he is so pertinent in today’s world,” according to a press release from the local group. It’s an opportunity for people to join the celebration of Baha’i followers and learn more about it, said Mary Lucas, who’s one of the Baha’i planning the Moses Lake gathering.

“Unity is ever more important as a goal,” Lucas said. The local event is part of an extended commemoration of the anniversary by Baha’i groups around the nation and the world.

The Moses Lake group holds “fireside meetings,” Lucas said, at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Friday of each month. They’re held in a private home, 2129 S. Belair Dr., Moses Lake.

An interfaith devotional is hosted by Baha’i followers the first Sunday of every month, Lucas said. Those meetings are also held in a private home, at 1842 W. Broadway Ave.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.