Velma Sherril visits to Durango 1972
In January 1972 the Spiritual Assembly of Durango
received news that Auxiliary Board member Mrs. Velma Sherrill would be visiting
our community. None of us had met her
before, and we were eager to host her and to learn from her.
I was asked to pick her up at the Durango airport
when she arrived. We had not informed
Mrs. Sherrill who to look for at the airport, nor did I know who to look for,
but I reached the airport early and waited for the arriving passengers to come
from their gate into the lobby. There
were only a few women deboarding the plane.
One woman, elegantly dressed, casually looked around and then stood by a
wall near where I was standing holding myself up with my crutches. The woman
had white skin and black hair. She was stately
dressed, and her bright red lipstick really stood out. She had placed her suitcase on the floor next
to her and held a large purse, as I remember it.
We were both looking around and when our eyes met,
I asked her if she was Velma Sherrill.
She answered with a most delightful smile and asked my name. We shared a
few words and were about to start walking to my car that was parked close by
when a man approached Velma and asked her if he could assist to take her
luggage to my car. She cordially accepted his offer and as we walked to my car,
Velma reached into her purse and pulled out a small Bahá’í flyer. I opened the car trunk, and the stranger
carefully placed the suitcase in the trunk and closed it. He said something to
the effect that he hoped our time in area would be pleasant. Velma then thanked
him for his kindness and gently offered him the Bahá’i pamphlet with a few
gentle words of appreciation. He
graciously accepted the pamphlet and went on his way. Once in my car and starting on our way to
Durango, Velma Sherrill explained to me her approach to teaching, briefly
explained here as I remember what she shared with me:
“I sit in a quiet place and meditate and pray until
I sense the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. When I feel His closeness, I make an
agreement with Him that I will teach the Faith to whoever He sends to me. Then I proceed confidently knowing that if I
keep my part of the agreement, Bahá’u’lláh will send me receptive souls to
teach. However, the only way I know if
the soul I meet is a soul Bahá’u’lláh has put in my path is to share the Faith
with everyone I meet, like the man who helped me with my suitcase at the
airport. For someone who shows a deep
interest to learn, I stay in close contact with that person, and if the
person’s accepts the Faith, I keep the relationship going to nurture that one
to be an independent teacher of the Faith and a fellow believer.” (Referring to
Shoghi Effendi’s advice in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 52):
"...Let him refrain, at the outset, from insisting on such laws and
observances as might impose too severe a strain on the seeker's newly awakened
faith, and endeavor to nurse him, patiently, tactfully, and yet determinedly,
into full maturity, and aid him to proclaim his unqualified acceptance of
whatever has been ordained by Bahá'u'lláh. Let him, as soon as that stage has
been attained, introduce him to the body of his fellow-believers, and seek,
through constant fellowship and active participation in the local activities of
his community, to enable him to contribute his share to the enrichment of its
life, the furtherance of its tasks, the consolidations of its interests, and
the coordination of its activities with those of its sister communities. Let
him not be content until he has infused into his spiritual child so deep a
longing as to impel him to arise independently, in his turn, and devote his
energies to the quickening of other souls, and the upholding of the laws and
principles laid down by his newly adopted Faith...." (Shoghi Effendi, The
Advent of Divine Justice, p. 52)
One
evening during her Durango stay, Doug and Belinda Boren invited Velma out for
dinner. She was relaying stories over
dinner, when suddenly a man who had been watching from the other side of the
restaurant came to their table and humbly asked what they were talking about,
as he was drawn to them. A spiritual
conversation ensued, and Velma, with the man’s permission, took his address to
continue the conversation through correspondence. I believe he lived somewhere in the eastern
United States. Of course, Doug and Belinda Boren were amazed at what they had
just witnessed. Velma knew the man was
being sent to her from Bahá’u’lláh, and therefore she taught with
confidence. On her next visit to the
Durango area, Velma updated us about the man she had met in the
restaurant. He had accepted the Faith
and Velma had connected him with the Bahá’í community where he lived.
Another
personal teaching method she told me about was to occasionally host an “open
house” in her home and invite people she thought might be receptive to the
Faith, for light refreshments. In preparation for their visit, in addition to
making her living room attractive with flowers or art, Velma would have two or
three Bahá’i items visible to visitors: such as a photo of the Master carefully
placed to be seen by guests, a Bahá’í book opened at eye level on a shelf, or a
photo of the Shrine of the Báb. She would specifically have only two to three Bahá’i
items out. During the open house as
guests enjoyed refreshments and light conversation, Velma would watch if any of
her guests paused by one of the Bahá’í items and, if so, approach them. If they inquired about the photo or open
book, or appeared intent on the item, she would let them know that she and her
husband hold a weekly, informal meeting to share about the Bahá’i teachings.
This method seemed to draw a soul or two to study the Faith in a welcoming,
intimate way.
Deepening
on the Covenant:
A primary theme that Velma focused on during her visits was the importance of
being strong in the Covenant. That theme
was particularly important for young believers to study in the Four Corners
area, as there were a small but active number of Covenant-breakers in the New
Mexico/Colorado region. Through these
deepenings with Velma our faith was strengthened, and we gained deeper
appreciation, not only of the Central Figures of the Faith, but also for Shoghi
Effendi and the Universal House of Justice.
Teaching
topics:
Velma told us that when she was a young believer, not many churches and social
groups spoke about race unity, world peace, equality of women and men, or
similar social themes. That put the Bahá’ís
in the forefront of talking about progressive ideas. Several decades later many church and social
groups had begun to uphold these same social values, and they no longer were
unique to Baha’i’s. Velma said more and
more we need to share the Source of these noble themes, Bahá’u’lláh. The
question to ask seekers to investigate as time moves forward, Velma emphasized,
will be “Is Bahá’u’lláh Who He says He is?”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: One day Velma was sharing with a couple of us
that the station of the Master was so far above any human being, that there was
no one, not even the most spiritual and intelligent among the believers, who
could fully understand the Master’s Station, nor grasp what He could grasp.
Toward the end of His life there were indications that He was fatigued and
weary of this world. Aside from Shoghi Effendi, who was away at Oxford, and the
Master’s sister, the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahiyyih Khanum, no one existed
who could be on the level of thought and understanding as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How
difficult it would be to live in a such world with no one to truly talk with on
the deepest levels.
Race
Unity: Growing up, Velma lived in racially divided
cities, where the white population lived segregated usually by choice from the
black population. Even with the noble
teachings of the Faith on the most challenging issue of race, Velma said it was
difficult for most white believers to go into neighborhoods where people of
color lived. She made efforts to get
beyond any hesitancies in herself to venture into neighborhoods where mostly
black people lived to interact with people, make friends and share the Bahá’í
Teachings with receptive souls. She indicated that these efforts for race unity
often resulted in lasting friendships.
The
Ten-Year Crusade:
Velma spoke about the Ten-Year Crusade (1953-1963) that was initiated by the
Guardian. Velma had become a Bahá’í in 1935 at the age of 24, and by the advent
of the Ten-Year Crusade, she was already actively serving the Faith mainly in
the Central United States. Toward the
latter years of the Plan, she said that the United States Bahá’i Community was
lagging in winning the goals assigned to it.
Velma was serving as an Auxiliary Board member at
the time, and she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee as secretary
to help accelerate the progress of the Plan in the United States. She said that the first thing she had the NTC
do was to answer any communication it received from Bahá’í communities and
individuals within one day, as this created a more intimate working
relationship between the NTC and all protagonists of the Plan; individuals, groups,
and Assemblies. The NTC intensified its efforts through movement of teaching,
continual communication, and encouragement.
The goals of the Crusade were won.
Eunice Braun, former Auxiliary Board member, who served under Velma’s direction wrote about her: “Among Velma’s many superior qualities was an ability to discern the capacity of others. She admired the gifts of others and did much to inspire and guide them into recognizing and utilizing their talents in productive and creative ways for the Cause. Velma had an ability to make you feel good about your efforts in a way that freed you to stretch a little harder. There are many souls, here and in the Abhá Kingdom, who were nurtured by her confidence in their ability to become far more productive teachers and administrators of the Cause than at first seemed possible.” https://bahai.works/In_Memoriam_1992-1997/Velma_L._Sherrill
Those of us young believers in the Durango area certainly
grew spiritually and administratively through a couple visits from Velma. Her emphasis on firmness in the Covenant
helped us build a strong core of believers to serve the Faith.
A year after her visits to Durango, in 1973, she was
appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors. I remember a visit she made to western
Colorado as a Counsellor. Her love for the friends was greater than ever. Margaret Gallagher was the Auxiliary Board member
and several of her assistants were invited to meet with Counsellor Velma
Sherrill at her hotel suite. We sat in one room adjacent to her room, which
also served as her office, as she was occupied with her work for the Board of
Counsellors. We could hear her talking on the phone in the next room. “Now,
Glen,” she would patiently say followed by a suggestion or some advice and
another “Glen”. Her tone of voice was loving, but firm. When she concluded the call,
she came to join us and took a seat. “That was Glenford Mitchell (the Secretary
of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States).” She explained that the Board of Counsellors was
urging the US NSA to focus on some aspect of the Plan of that time. She told us
that sometimes the Counsellors have a different perspective on the needs of the
Plan from NSAs, and they have to work together.
I also received her insights and love after I started
working as a social worker in La Plata County and my job dealt with “clashes”
between disability rights issues and government positions. I was often
concerned about the seemingly thin line between human rights we should support
and divisive politics that we should avoid.
Velma guided me to have the balance to uphold efforts in disability
rights as part of my job description.
Chris Cholas, June 2, 2022
