Why is the residential session a key component of the Spiritual Foundations program?
The Spiritual Foundations course is structured so that the residential session provides a foundation and context for the home-study program. Therefore, anyone who misses the residential portion will be at a disadvantage, having missed many hours of intensive preparatory study. Such students are more likely to get discouraged, less likely to be successful with the program, and will not fully experience the program. Moreover, the residential program allows students the opportunity to work together as a Bahá’í community in action to learn and practice Bahá’í community life and to study, serve, hone teaching skills, and practice Bahá’í consultation. A side benefit is having a “family” of fellow students to call upon for help with assignments during the residential session and during the home-study portion of the program. This feeling of Bahá’í community is essential to the course.
