Bahá’í IN-01 Cluster-Wide Online Directory

About the NEW Online Bahá’í Directory:

The Spiritual Assemblies of Carmel and Indianapolis are working together to host an online directory for the Cluster. All registered Bahá’ís in Cluster IN-01, are eligible to be included in the directory and to use the directory if they choose to.

The directory is secure and is a subscription service provided by ChMeetings.  

All who choose to use the directory need a username and password to log into their profile.

When an individual has an active profile in the directory, they will be able to:

• See names and contact information for all other Cluster IN-01 Baha’is in the directory
• Maintain and update your own profile information to share with the community
• Parents of minor children will determine if their children will be included in the directory

• Why do we need a directory?

It is a fundamental tool of any community to know who is in the community and to be able to reach out to them and connect. Connecting is a critical community building-block to friendship building, networking, accompaniment, serving together -- all of which we are asked to do!

From the recent Feast Letter for the feast of Baha (BE 179): “You are working to create a new kind of community life distinguished for its joy and vibrancy, for its inclusiveness and …”.  Friends, we must connect to thrive, improve, serve, and to strive together in teaching and acting as our Faith wants us to.

• Who will be included in the directory?

All registered Bahá’ís in good standing in the IN-01 Cluster who want to be included.

• Who do I contact to ask my questions about the directory or if I need help to use the directory or if I want to opt-in or opt-out of the directory?
  
  1. The current members on the taskforce are Cher, Brian and Karmel. Call any of us or use one of the email addresses here.

• Why must we opt-in to the directory?

Opting-in to a directory used by other community members is the requirement of the National Spiritual Assembly. Each individual has the opportunity to make their own decision to opt-in to the community directory, or to opt-out of the directory. Also, you decide what information is shared in the directory by managing your own record. The Spiritual Assemblies of Carmel and Indianapolis will honor your decision. Just let us know.

• Can I use the Bahá’í directory in ChMeetings on my smartphone and computer?

Yes! Both! You may log into the directory from your computer and/or your SmartPhone.

To login on your computer (after you have completed the registration process) type the following into your browser: https://bahai-IN01.chmeetings.com, then log in using your username and password.

To use ChMeetings on your SmartPhone simply download the ChMeetings app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.  Then log in using your username and password.

• Will my contact information be out in the unsecure worldwide web if I agree to have my contact information in the directory?

No! The directory requires each individual to use a username and password to gain access to the directory.

• Is there a fee for the directory?

There is no fee for individual Bahá’ís to use the directory. The Spiritual Assemblies of Carmel and Indianapolis have purchased a subscription from ChMeetings (see picture above). The subscription is quite economical, and the two assemblies share the cost.

• What additional information is included in the directory?

Contact information for the:

1. Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Carmel
2. Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Indianapolis 
3. Treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Indianapolis
4. Address of the Indianapolis Bahá’í Center
5. Secretary of the Area Teaching Committee
6. National Online Contribution System

• Will a directory be printed as the Indianapolis Assembly has done in the past?

No. We are moving out of the Stone Age friends! Printing directories is a laborious, expensive process that produces a result which is obsolete as soon as the ink dries.

The online directory can be maintained more much easily, and in real-time as the Bahá’í community grows, and believers move-in and out of the Cluster.

• Is the Cluster-wide directory the only benefit the Assemblies and the friends receive from the subscription service paid for with ChMeetings?

No. The Assemblies are using the ChMeetings tool as a community administration tool. The community directory is only a small subset of the community administration tool. The ChMeetings tool provides the following benefits:

• Provide a sustainable directory to the greater Bahá’í community
• Consolidate information typically held by individuals (secretaries, treasurers, committee members, etc.)
• Maintain a central online repository of member information accessible to decentralized community administrators throughout the cluster
• Communicate more effectively with membership (text messaging, email, and voicemail)
• Management of other contacts: Interfaith contacts, seekers, vendors for the Bahá’í Center, and special interest groups
• Search and select subsets of membership and target communication to families with children, junior youth, the elderly, for example
• Generate reports based on readily accessible data
• Eliminate inefficient services (cancelation of other subscription services)
• Events can be scheduled (e.g. Feasts, Cluster Reflection Meetings), communicated, and attendance recorded
• Special Events can be scheduled and permit individuals to register ahead of time for improved event planning and more efficient use of resources

The Assemblies of Carmel and Indianapolis invite you to register for and use the secure, online – all NEW - Bahá’í directory. And we look forward to learning what you think of it. We appreciate your feedback.

Best Regards,

The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Indianapolis