Written by Michael King

Dozens recently gathered to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Birth of the Bab in the Baha’i faith. The event was sponsored by TJC’s Baha’i Club. Karen Anglin, the sponsor for the Baha’i club, organized the event from start to finish. 

There were three guest speakers at the anniversary event with each coming from a different faith. The first speaker was Anwar Khalifa from the East Texas Islamic Society. The second was a reverend named Jesse McClendon, who represented the Baptist denomination of the Christian faith. The last speaker, Sandy Huening, was a member of the Baha’i faith. 

Twice throughout the night, there were performances from the TJC Choir; once before the guest speakers and one in-between the second and third. The first performance was the song “God’s Gonna Set this World on Fire” composed by Moses Hogan and performed by the Chamber Singers. The second performance was a medley of songs from different religions performed by Peace and Harmony. 

“They were show stopping,” Anglin said. “We all stood up after the choir, especially after they did the medley.” 

The Bab is a significant figure in the Baha’i Faith. According to Bahai.org, in the mid-nineteenth century, he was a young merchant in Iran with a message. His message, an announcement of the coming of a “Manifestation of God, ” gave hope to the people who heard it. 

“The Bab kind of served in that same role like John the Baptist did, coming and saying ‘OK, Bahá’u’lláh is coming, everybody look for him,” Anglin said. 

To learn more about the Baha’i faith, you can check out the TJC Baha’i Club, which meets from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays in the Faculty Conference Center room in the Vaughn Library.