Guest Author - Sandy Mullins

Every First Day of Ridvan on April 21, whenever a city or town has nine or more adult Baha’is (age 21 and above), a Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA) is elected to guide the city or town activities for the Baha’is in their community. The election of these nine people is a purely spiritual election based entirely on who will lead the community for the good of the Baha’i Faith and the people in the community. There is no campaigning, no vote persuading, Baha’is gather, pray and then vote for the nine people best qualified to lead the community in teaching the faith, planning nineteen day feast, holy day observances and the spiritual welfare of the Baha’is in the community and the education of Baha’i children.

The reason the number is set at nine is that nine is considered to be the most perfect number. The symbol for the Baha’i Faith is the nine-sided star.

Local Spiritual Assemblies (LSA’s) report to and facilitate information from the National Spiritual Assemblies (NSA’s), which report to and facilitate information from The Universal House of Justice.

"... These bodies have the sacred obligation to help, advise, protect and guide the believers in every way within their power when appealed to -- indeed they were established must for the purpose of keeping order and unity and obedience to the law of God amongst the believers.”
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 3)

For more information on the Baha’i Faith:Baha'i Links