incorruptible source of spiritual life to men.

In 1968 the Universal House of Justice took action to provide for the
future carrying out of the specific functions of protection and
propagation vested in the Hands of the Cause, by the establishment of
Continental Board of Counsellors. Each Board consists of a number of
Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice, and they work in
close collaboration with the Hands of the Cause of God. The appointment
and direction of Auxiliary Boards is now the duty of the Boards of
Counsellors, and the activities of the Hands, of whom fourteen are still
living, have been extended to be worldwide. In June 1973 the Universal
House of Justice established in the Holy Land an International Teaching
Centre and assigned it the activities of the Continental Board of
Counsellors and as liaison between them and the Universal House of
Justice.

The Guardian had written of future global teaching plans to be carried out
under the direction of the Universal House of Justice, and the first of
these, a Nine Year Plan, was launched in 1964. This was followed by a Five
Year Plan terminating at Ridvan 1979. At the present time, 1979, the
Baha'i Faith has been established in 172 independent states. There are
Baha'is living in over 103,000 localities throughout the world; Baha'i
literature has been translated into over 650 languages; the sixth and
seventh Baha'i Temples are being built in India and Samoa; land for 123
other Temples has been acquired; there are 125 National Spiritual
Assemblies and 25,500 Local Spiritual Assemblies. Baha'is are now
energetically pursuing a Seven Year Plan designed to further expand and
consolidate the growth of the Faith throughout the world.

Most encouraging of all has been the response of the masses in such places
as Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, where large numbers of
the indigenous peoples have begun to enter the Cause, bringing about a new
stage in the development of the administrative and social activities of
the worldwide Baha'i community.

FOOTNOTES

1 Written shortly after the First World War.

2 There are now the incomparable translations by Shoghi Effendi from
the Persian and Arabic, of the Writings of Baha'u'llah and
'Abdu'l-Baha. These, together with his own considerable writings
covering the history of the Faith, the statements and implications
of its fundamental verities and the