Delegates line up to share information about Bahá'í core activities on different continents.

HAIFA, Israel — There is a new wind blowing in the Bahá’í world.

That message came through loud and clear in three days of consultations at the 10th International Bahá’í Convention.

Delegates from 153 countries described how a systematic, grassroots process of community-building -- focused on training, learning and service -- is creating a new dynamism in Bahá’í communities worldwide and striking a chord in wider society.

The members of the Universal House of Justice are, from left to right, Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa.

HAIFA, Israel — The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha’i Faith, have been announced.

Delegates to the Tenth International Baha’i Convention cast ballots yesterday for membership in the council that serves as the head of the religion.

Those elected are Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa.

Two thousand Baha'is of the world formed a procession that walked toward the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and then circumambulated the tomb at Bahji, near Acre in northern Israel.

ACRE, Israel — Followers of Bahá’u’lláh from more than 150 countries gathered yesterday at what for them is the holiest spot on earth – the tomb of Bahá’u’lláh – to celebrate Ridván, their most important festival.

This year’s celebration at Bahjí, outside Acre in northern Israel, was special because it came during the 10th International Bahá’í Convention, currently under way in nearby Haifa.

Delegates representing the Baha'is of the world cast their ballots for the nine members of the Universal House of Justice.

HAIFA, Israel — In a ceremony that combined spiritual dignity with global diversity, a thousand Bahá’ís from 153 countries cast ballots today in an election to choose the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.

For nearly three hours, delegates to the 10th International Bahá’í Convention filed decorously, one by one, onto a majestically adorned stage, each dropping a ballot into a simple wooden box.

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel in Haifa

The members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada, the community’s national governing body, travel today to the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel to participate in the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i world community.

At Bahji near Acre are the home, left, where Baha'u'llah lived His final years and the Shrine, at right, where His earthly remains are buried. Those attending the International Convention went there for personal prayer upon arrival in the Holy Land.

ACRE, Israel — Less than a kilometer outside this fortified medieval city in northern Israel is a whitewashed mansion, surrounded by elaborate gardens, known as Bahji.

For Bahá’ís, it is the holiest place on earth.

Beneath one of the buildings in the garden, the earthly remains of Bahá’u’lláh were laid to rest in 1892 – and today that structure is known as the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo register on 26 April for the International Baha'i Convention in Haifa, Israel.

HAIFA, Israel — A thousand delegates from 153 countries have arrived – from the southern tip of Africa, to Siberia, to the Americas, to remote Pacific islands – to participate in the 10th International Bahá’í Convention.

On Tuesday, 29 April, they will gather to elect the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith, a task that delegates view as both a sacred duty and a supreme privilege.