Sant Nirankari Mission, Seattle

New Year Eve with Interfaith Network, Seattle

2011-12-31T22:47:00.000-08:00

New Year Eve with Interfaith Network, Seattle

Pictures: New Year Eve with Interfaith Network, Seattle

2011-12-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

Guru Puja Diwas Celebrations

2011-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Guru Puja Diwas Celebrations

Sudhir Dureja Ji's Visit

2011-02-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Sudhir Dureja Ji's Visit - February 11,2011

Seattle Sewa Dal Camp - January.2011

2011-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Seattle Sewa Dal Camp -22January,2011

Christmas Celebrations 2010

2010-12-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

Sewadal Camp Seattle - October 10, 2010

2010-10-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sewadal Camp Oct10, 2010

Rev. Jit Singh Ji's Visit to Seattle

2010-05-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Rev. Jit Singh Ji's Visit to Seattle

Manav Ekta diwas & Blood Donation

2010-05-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Manav Ekta Divas Celebration

Sant Nirankari Mission at Seattle Compassionate Event

2010-04-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Seattle Compassionate

Rev Sidhu Sahib's Visit to Seattle

2010-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

On March 20^th, 2010, Rev. Daljit Sidhu Ji along with Rev. Baldev Arora Ji blessed the Seattle sangat at one of local saint's residence. 7 other saints from Vancouver also blessed Seattle sangat with their holy presence, making for a congregation of more than 40.

Saints expressed their love and gratitude by singing spiritural and welcome songs, verses from Avtar Bani and speeches. Kids from Seattle Sangat presented a skit titled "He is the Boss" giving the message of surrendering all our worries to Satguru, the supreme power. Ranjit Ji, local Seattle saint, highlighted that we always need a teacher who can end our ignorance and show us the light of knowledge. To gain that knowledge we have to surrender ourselves completely.

Rev. Baldev Arora Ji emphasized on devotion, dedication and selfless service. He stressed that we need a light of love and wisdom that vanishes all the darkness and we should give the message of love to the world by following teachings of Satguru. Our lives get further illuminated by attending such congregations and listening to the divine words.

Presiding from Stage, Rev. Sidhu Sahib Ji described Love as ‘the biggest asset on the earth’. Love binds relationships. He called man as dead despite being alive in absence of love. Today man needs to learn the lesson of love taught by saints and sages in every age. He emphasized that Shri Ram attained the illumination of God-knowledge with the grace of Vashista Ji and Arjuna through Lord Krishna. The aim of human life is self-realization. He further stressed that Satguru has given us the god knowledge and we should always thank him. He also talked about complete surrender to this God formless.

May Babaji keep blessing Seattle Sangat with more of such congregations and enlightenment through the divine message.

When I asked God

2010-03-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

When I asked God for Strength, He gave me difficult situations to Face.

When I asked God for Brain and Brown, He gave me puzzles in Life to solve.

When I asked God for Happiness, He showed me some unhappy people.

When I asked God for Wealth, He showed me how to work hard.

When I asked God for Favors, He gave me opportunities to work hard.

When I asked God for Peace, He showed me how to help the weak and the frail.

God gave me Nothing that I WANTED, Instead, He gave me Everything that I NEEDED

Guru Pooja Diwas Samagam

2010-03-04T22:59:00.000-08:00

With the blessings of His Holiness Satguru Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj "Guru Puja Diwas" was celebrated by the Seattle Sangat with great devotion and dedication on Feb 23, 2010 at one of the local saint’s residence. The congregation was presided by Rev. Atul Batra ji from California.

The program opened with recitation of verses from Avtar Bani followed by devotional group songs and speeches. Kavi darbar added colors to the congregation in which kids also participated in praise of the formless Nirankar and importance of the Guru Puja Diwas.

Rev Anjana ji, one of the local saint emphasized on the importance of Guru by saying that Guru is one of the form of this Formless God. She enumerated that earth, sky, stars, sun, moon etc. are the powers of this Formless God who is the main source and we need to connect ourselves with this source (the creator) and not the power (the creation). This can be attained only with the grace of True Master.

Presiding from the stage, Rev.Atul Batra Ji spoke on the importance of Satguru who connects us to the almighty Lord. He stressed that the true gift to H.H. on his birthday is following his teachings and living life of a true saint. He emphasized the importance of complete surrender to Nirankar in order to attain salvation. He further explained that God is an infinite circle and the need is to connect with this infinite source of energy, otherwise one is incomplete.

All enjoyed the bliss being showered by the grace of Satguru on the congregation and prayed for being blessed with selfless service and devotion to the Formless Lord.

-Sheetal Sharma

Food and Cloth Drive

2010-03-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

With the grace of the Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj on the special occasion of Guru Puja Diwas, the members of Seattle Sant Nirankari Mission, in the presence of Rev. Atul Batra ji from California, donated food and clothes for the needy.

The members donated about 189 pounds of non-perishable food items worth value of $283.50 to Hopelink, a Redmond based Community Action Agency. There were 9 large bags of clothes donated to Goodwill.

With this service, Rev. Atul ji asked for blessings from H.H. Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj so that the members may continue to be engaged in such selfless service to the mankind and follow the path of love and humanity as shown by the mission.

-Sheetal Sharma

Guru Pooja Diwas Celeberations

2010-03-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

On the auspicious occasion of the 56th Birthday of our Satguru Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj, Sant Nirankari Mission, Seattle started festivities early in the morning on Sunday February 21st, 2010. There were more than 50 saints including saints from Boise, Idaho and Moses Lake, WA. Rev. Atul Batra Ji from California presided over the sangat.

The program started with the kids welcome song. The uplifting songs during the satsang highlighted the love that the entire congregation felt towards his Holiness.

Rev. Shiv Ji mentioned that human is only involved in doing rituals rather than implementing. Our goal is to be with him, not his physical form but with formless. He further inspired everyone towards service by quoting Rabindranath Tagore as “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Rev. Amit Sharma Ji gave a presentation on the life of Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj depicting the journey of His Holiness since childhood. Kids from Seattle sangat also presented a skit on the shackles of ‘Maya’/ materialism and how Babaji is teaching us a path of detachment from it and inspiring us to help and love fellow beings. Saints also expressed their gratitude to Satguru and sang his praises in the form of verses in ‘Kavi Darbar’.

Presiding from Stage, Rev. Atul Batra ji spoke on surrendering ourselves to Nirankar for a blissful life. He stressed the significance of human birth in attaining salvation. He also encouraged the congregation to be connected to the omnipresent God at all times for His guidance in meeting various challenges of life. He also emphasized the importance of doing simran with every breath. He captivated the sangat by quoting instances from his personal life regarding unshaken faith and dedication at difficult times.

The Seattle sangat felt blessed by the presence and motivating words of Rev. Atul ji on the sacred occasion of Guru Pooja and wished for similar blessings and joyful celebrations in the times to come.

-Sheetal Sharma

Valentine's Day Celebrated by Seattle Sangat

2010-03-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's day, 14th February, 2010 Seattle Sangat gathered at local saint's house to disseminate the message of love and peace.

Each saint shared his experiences in the form of stories, songs and poems and expressed his love and gratitude towards Satguru Almighty. Saints also highlighted the importance of balancing family, friends and spirituality along with the jobs done for a living. They reiterated that everyday should be a celebration of love in our lives.

Presiding from the Stage, Rev. Sohan Singh Ji stressed that we all should love this formless Nirankar as our permanent Valentine. He emphasized on the message of love and peace being given by H.H. Satguru Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj and sought his blessings for the entire sangat to continue deepening the bond amongst themselves and also establish Universal Brotherhood.

Rev. Sadhu Singh Ji's visit to Seattle

2010-03-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

On the special occasion of Lohri, Sunday, 17th Jan '10, the Seattle satsang group had the opportunity to receive blessings from Rev. Sadhu Singh ji from Vancouver, BC at one of local saint’s residence. Sangat was attended by more than 50 saints including saints from Canada.

The satsang started with recitation of verses from Avtar bani. Saints present shared their spiritual experiences and sang devotional songs in praise of our beloved satguru. The kids also participated in form of stories, speeches and group songs.

Rev. Goldi Ji, a saint from Canada, gave the message that if we reach Sangat on time and follow the teachings of this almighty Nirankar, all of our wishes are completed on time. Other saints also shared their spiritual thoughts that Jesus Christ in Bible said that "I am a gate through which you can enter in the kingdom of God". Knowledge is given to mind and not to body. We have to realize God through our mind.

Presiding from the stage, Rev. Sadhu Singh Ji spoke on Self Analysis. He further said that God realization is self realization. "Bhakti" is not easy but this almighty Nirankar makes it easier for us. Rajmata Ji always says that "Bhakti" starts from our own home. He stressed on importance of love. Love has such a great power that it can solve all the barriers. One should surrender himself to this almighty Nirankar and then God takes care for everything. This Nirankar is like touchstone and whosoever associates with him, becomes gold. In the last, he appealed that youngsters should come forward and help spreading the message of love to the World.

The satsang concluded with mangla charan and dhuni, followed by langar. After the langar Rev Sadhu Singh Ji blessed around 7 saints with divine knowledge.

May Babaji keep blessing us with more of such precious moments and always show the Seattle Satsang the path of Seva, Simran and Satsang.

-Sheetal Sharma

Christmas Celebration

2010-01-31T00:30:00.000-08:00

All members of the Seattle Nirankari mission gathered together to celebrate Christmas at one of local saints residence. The celebration started with a small satsang program followed by potluck dinner and games. All children were overjoyed, when a saint dressed up as Santa Claus, came in with lovely gifts and a small bag of chocolates for each one of them. Adults also played games like Secret Santa and White Elephant. Overall the evening was a good mix of fun and devotion.

-Ishita Doultani

Diwali Sangat Celebration

2010-01-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

Sant Nirankari Mission, Seattle saints celebrated Diwali on October 18, 2009 at a community hall in Bellevue, WA. The congregation was attended by nearly 40+ saints and was presided by Rev. Anjna Grover Ji from Moses Lake, Washington.

The congregation began with the importance and different ways of how Diwali is being celebrated by the people in different parts of India. Saints shared their thoughts in form of devotional songs, poems, stories, speeches. Saints also gave the message on the need of true master for self-realization, need of sangat irrespective of any age for questions arising in mind about spirituality and faith in God. They also emphasized on celebrating the similarities and not differences among different religions. Kids also shared their stories. Rev. Anjna Ji gave the message that it’s our own choice to choose the direction in our life, as both good and bad thoughts dwell in every human mind. But when we connect ourselves with this Nirankar we are able to choose the right path without any confusion. She also shared example of Swami Vivekananda’s search for God and with grace of his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa he got the divine knowledge .In today’s time Sadguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji is giving the same God’s knowledge to mankind.

Congregation was followed by Diwali party. Everyone participated in dance and sang songs making the environment more colorful. Kids were motivated by giving awards for their performances.

May Babaji bless all the saints for spreading the message of Humanity to Mankind and celebrating all events together as one family!!

-Reshma Kurswani

Thanks Giving Day celebrated by Seattle Sangat

2009-12-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

On November 27th 2009, all the saints in Seattle gathered at local saint's house in order to celebrate the gift of life as the noblest expression of the human spirit.

Saints present sang devotional songs, gave speeches and thanked this almighty Nirankar for blessing all of us with precious human life.

Presiding from the stage, Rev. Amit Ji stressed the importance of Thanks giving day and emphasized to thank this almighty Nirankar in all circumstances. He prayed that May nirankar bless all of us so that along with our lives, we may also bring spring in others' life.

May Babaji keep blessing the Seattle Sangat with more of such opportunities.

- Sheetal Sharma

Annual Samagam Sangat at Moses Lake

2009-12-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Seattle saints who missed the opportunity of attending the Annual Sant Samagam at Delhi (India), gathered at Moses Lake, WA on November 15th, 2009 to celebrate the event in their own small way.

There were more than 50 attendees including people from local community and the Sangat was presided by Rev. Amar Preet Ji.

The program opened with Mission's message followed by several devotional songs, speeches and poems. The kids also participated with stories and praise this Nirankar. The local community was excited to attend such congregation and they also contributed towards langar seva.

Rev. Ranjit Ji, local Seattle saint, emphasized on the importance of Annual Samagam by saying this is the event where all the followers of the Nirankari Mission gather together to celebrate the joy of being blessed with God Knowledge. He also mentioned that such events are important as we get to learn more about saintly teachings and can improve our lives by imbibing them.

Rev. Preet ji also stressed on the importance of Samagam and explained that Sant Nirankari Mission is an effort to unite Mankind for the good of Humanity. She also emphasized on the importance of positive outlook.

The satsang concluded with telecast of Babaji’s message inspiring that saints words are mirror which helps us make ourselves beautiful once again. These words are so significant that in order to hear such words again and again, saints attend such congregation.

-Sheetal Sharma

Holi Celebration in Moses Lake, WA

2009-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

The Sant Nirankari Mission, Seattle celebrated holi on March 15th, 2009 at Moses Lake, WA. The sangat was attended by nearly 50+ saints including people from local community and was presided by Rev. Dev Raj Vij Ji from Tracy, California.

The saints prayed for being colored with color of devotion to this Lord Master and shared their thoughts on the importance of Satguru and Sangat in their lives. The kids too recited various poems in praise of the formless Nirankar. The local community showed good participation with sharing of their thoughts and experiences on importance of such spiritual congregation and importance of spreading love in family and around.

Rev. Dev Raj Ji stressed that the human life is small and precious and we should not waste it. We should identify ourselves, establish a union with our creator, find love within ourselves and spread it around. He explained the journey of soul and called human body its temporary residence. He elaborated that though made up of same raw material, we need bridges and not walls as bridges connect people while walls divide them. He said that the contribution made by this mission is that it has made people humane at heart who can feel the pain of fellows. Saints organized holi celebration with colors after the sangat. All present played with colors and marked the removal of all barriers of caste, color, race, age, etc. in coming together as one family and following one religion of humanity.

The entire celebration was covered by a local newspaper 'Columbia Basin Herald'. Report can be found here.

- Ridhima Oberoi

Guru Pooja Diwas Samagam

2009-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sant Nirankari Mission, Seattle delightedly celebrated the Guru Pooja Divas on Feb 23 ’09 which marks the 55th birthday of Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj, head of the Sant Nirankari Mission. Rev. Prem Chaudhri ji from California presided over the sangat.

The program opened with Guru Pooja Diwas geet followed by several devotional group songs and speeches. With entire sangat in a festive mood to sing and dance, saints praised the importance of Satguru in our lives and emphasized that the only gift we can give to Baba ji is to follow his teachings. Bal sangat presented a skit depicting the message of love and brotherhood that this mission has taught us. Kavi darbar added another color to the evening with poems ranging from the life of Baba ji to spiritual journey illuminated by him.

Rev. Prem Chaudhri ji stressed the importance of giving and caring to bring about peace in the world. He emphasized that the first step towards world peace begins from our own family and also that we all should follow Baba ji’s message of love and sharing in true spirits. The satsang concluded with telecast of Babaji’s message inspiring that Gurus and prophets have always preached truth, love, compassion, tolerance and goodwill and a true devotee follows their teachings.

- Ishita Doultani and Ridhi Oberoi

Food Drive on occasion of Guru Pooja Diwas

2009-03-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

On the auspicious occasion of Guru Pooja Diwas, the Seattle Nirankari Mission members donated food for the needy. The Mission is headquartered in India and its followers are spread worldwide.

The mission members practice what their Guru Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj preaches- Sharing what we have and showing the care for all living beings.

The members donated whole heartedly about 530 pounds of non perishable food items to Hopelink, a Redmond based Community Action Agency.

SNM Seattle is a spiritual and non-profitable organization. It is committed and will continue to donate to the needy.

SNM strongly believes that it can transform the thinking of the society by the deeds of the members of the mission.

The thinking that will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

For further information visit www.nirankari.org

--Mahesh Thakur

Valentine's Day Celebrated by Seattle Sangat

2009-03-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

On 14th February 2009, all the saints in Seattle gathered at one of the local saint's house and spread the message of love by celebrating Valentine's Day.

Sohan Singh Ji gave blessings to all the couples and encouraged everyone to follow Baba ji's message of Love and Peace.

May Nirankar bless Seattle Sangat with more of such opportunities.

-Amit Oberoi

Rev. Baldev Arora Ji and Rev. Paul Ji's visit to Seattle

2009-02-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, the 15th Feb '09, the Seattle satsang group had the opportunity to receive blessings from Rev Baldev Arora ji and Rev Paul ji from Vancouver, BC at one of local saint’s residence.

The satsang started with recitation of verses from Avtar bani and namashkar. Saints present sang devotional songs in praise of our beloved satguru and also shared their spiritual experiences.

Rev Paul ji in spoke about remembering God while performing duties. When we forget God we face terrible evils such as pride and ego. God consciousness is achieved through congregation of saints. He further stressed that ego is the root cause of problems and misunderstandings in relationships with our dear and near ones. We should shed our ego and surrender at the lotus feet of our Holy Master and accept His will. He quoted a saying by Jesus Christ “may god give you the strength to accept His will”. It is our faith in Nirankar and in our Guru that imbibes in us the spirit of acceptance of God’s will in good and bad times realizing that whatever Nirankar may do, is for our benefit . Initially we might get disturbed because we are ordinary mortals and hence we are unable to appreciate and foresee why it is happening. But we do come to realize at a later stage and are astonished to see the blessings that came in disguise.

Presiding from the stage, Rev Aroraji spoke on how to achieve Peace. We say 'I want Peace', remove 'I' i.e. 'ego' and remove 'want' i.e. 'desire', what remains is peace. The solution looks simple to say but is very difficult to implement. To achieve peace Harmony in word, thought and deed and Humility are the two major values to be imbibed in our character. Rev. Aroraji exhorted that the devotees should render service so that message of truth reaches everywhere for the benefit of society and the world. It is in this spirit that we should serve the mission with our body, mind and wealth without expecting any position or status in return. A devotee should not take pride in his service, instead be grateful to God for granting him an opportunity. He also stressed that it is our moral duty to follow the teachings of the Satguru.

The satsang concluded with mangla charan and dhuni, followed by langar. After the langar Rev Aroraji and Rev Paulji answered queries, which we asked them. Visiting Saints also obliged devotees by visiting their houses and blessed them to prosper spiritually. They left for Vancouver in the evening.

Around 25 saints attended the congregation. May Baba Ji keep blessing the saadh sangat of seattle with visits and enlightening darshan of more and more inspiring saints.

- Ishita Doultani

Second Nirankari Service at Interfaith Community Church, Seattle

2008-07-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

"Creating Cultures of Peace, Justice and Healing for the Earth and All Living Beings"

On July 6th 2008, saints from the Nirankari Mission were invited for the second time to present a congregation to the Interfaith Community Church by Rev. Karen Lindquist. The congregation was attended by more than 50 people. About 10 devoted saints from the Vancouver Canada branch drove down to Seattle, including Rev. Baldev Arora (head of Nirankari Mission Vancouver) and Rev. Daljit Sidhu (General Secretary Nirankari Mission Canada). Around 25 others arrived from the local Seattle interfaith community. They were greeted with a simple breakfast at the church before the proceedings began. While the community was arriving and getting settled into the congregation hall, verses from the Holy Avtar Bani were being played. Every person was handed a booklet which introduced the Mission in detail and described the day's program. The booklet also gave a quick introduction of the speakers, who were to speak on the topic, "Creating Cultures of Peace, Justice and Healing for the Earth and All Living Beings".

The service started at 10AM with a short prayer and lighting of candles by Rev. Debra Lajimodiere. Shiv Bijlani from Seattle introduced the Nirankari Mission and welcomed the respected guests from Vancouver. Jagjit Paul from Vancouver was the first speaker who shared his view on universal brotherhood. He said,

"A spiritually enlightened person realizes the fatherhood of God by the brotherhood of man. He or she finds the image of the one and the same supreme father in every human being. The whole human society stands unified into one family - the universal brotherhood. And from this the attitude of man transforms from jealousy into cooperation, violence into non-violence and there prevails the sense of equality, liberty, fraternity & justice for mankind".

Tina Rai was requested to share her thoughts next. Her heartfelt words were appreciated by all when she said,

"A man is a man when he is human. He is human when all mankind is family. All mankind is his family when all-pervading formless god is his home. God is his home when he actually knows him and blissfully identifies him... Awareness is oneness of god, oneness of religion and oneness of mankind."

Before the epilog ("Manglacharan") was sung by sister Shivangi from Vancouver, Ravi Ji and Rev. Baldev Arora spoke on the topic. Arora Ji touched peoples hearts when he said,

"The importance of human life lies in adapting truth and devotion, love and tolerance. It is very easy to achieve these things by connecting to a True Master and knowing the Truth. Once we have the true knowledge and we realize that we are humans, our perception of life changes our horizon gets bigger and wider - and we say that our world has changed".

Everyone was able to participate in singing the epilogue along with sister Shivangi as its lyrics were printed in the program booklet. Rev. Daljit Sidhu first explained the meaning of Simran and then delivered His Holiness Baba Ji's message in his discourses. He said,

"The whole strife in this world is because of the misunderstandings of the second person...Today we have come to one platform and are here to start something that is really wonderful...My message from His Holiness is that we are all the same. His Holiness Baba Avtar Singh Ji laid down 5 principles 60 years ago and all of you in interfaith are doing that now, sitting together and respecting each others faith. This is a start and now we have to go forward from here."

The service ended at 11:30 AM with recitation of the concluding prayer ("Dhuni"), after which everyone proceeded to the kitchen area where local saints served a community meal ("Langar"). During this time, saints from the Mission socialized with the local community and had discussions with attendees over lunch.

The service which was conducted for an hour and a half served several objectives. Rev. Arora Ji formally invited the local community to the weekly congregations in Vancouver and also described the various events that have been organized in Vancouver. Tina Rai Ji spoke about His Holiness Baba Ji's visit to the European Parliament and other such milestones. This was also a good opportunity for the leaders of the Mission to be introduced to the ministers of the interfaith community.

The church has invited us to become partner members of the Interfaith Council of Washington and participate in discussions with the church's guiding council.

May Almighty bless us in spreading the message of His Holiness and creating a culture of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all its living beings.

East Coast Youth Conference, Washington DC

2008-06-30T01:21:00.001-07:00

Illuminate the path of humanity with the light of spirituality

The two day youth conference held by the Washington DC branch was an inspiration to all those who attended. More than 400 young saints (between years 16-30) formed the majority of the attendants, who were more commonly referred to as “participants”.

Program

The first day started at 10 AM with registration. Here the participants were given a T-shirt with the Mission's message on it and a binder which had the details of the program and various other documents that were used during the presentation. Each participant was also given a group number. The day started with an “ice breaker” game. Here each group played a game where a group member would introduce themselves, and chose a word that is associated with spirituality. Each consecutive member would repeat the information of all those that preceded him or her.

The next exercise involved taking the groups one at a time through the exhibition where saints from all over NA had displayed pictures of the activities that they had organized in the past.

After lunch, three presentations were given that touched the Missions history, especially its history in NA. Often questions were asked from the audience. This was followed by two group discussion events. In the first, each member of a group would talk about ideas that would help promote the Mission among Non-Indians. A group leader was elected who would explain the group’s ideas to all the participants. For the second group discussion, each group was given a unique question to answer. Questions were like “How would you introduce the Mission to someone who is unfamiliar with it?” and “What would be one thing that you would use to spread the Mission’s message”. Before the dinner break, 3 saints conducted a panel discussion on the topic – “Peer pressure & Stress management”. One saint shared, “Why should I be stressed, When I am so blessed!” . An interesting discussion also involved “positive peer pressure” and “parental pressure”. All these discussions involved heated debates and participants had lots to share and were often hurried due to time constraints.

The program ended with cultural performances by Toronto, Montreal, Washington DC, Michigan and Boston. One skit demonstrated how we erroneously attempt to customize the Mission as we customize our coffee. Another attempted to host a Nirankari version of the popular TV show “Are you smarter than a fifth grader” called “Are you smarter than a young saint”.

The second day congregation was from 10 AM to 2 PM, but prior to that, Sheelu Ji from Houston held a Yoga session. Here too the talent demonstrated by young saints was spectacular and very often the audience broke into a rapture of applause. All speeches that were delivered were heartfelt and some even broke into tears.

Organization

The event took place in Shady Grove Middle School.
The main objective of the event was to give the youth opportunity to demonstrate leadership and develop leadership abilities.
The binders were created so that participants would preserve them. It will serve as a memory and a quick way to show those who could not attend what they missed out on. They served as a medium for note taking as well.
An extensive publication stall was set up and advertised by the stage secretary every so often.
Except for the discourses from the stage, the entire event was presented by youth members.
An essay writing competition was held prior to the event. Essays were printed and filed in the distributed binders.
All saints from abroad were put up in a comfortable hotel about 7 miles away from the event.

Monthly Congregations in Seattle

2008-03-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

We would like to continue to seek and keep the company of enlightened ones through congregations which will be held as follows:

1. First Sunday of every month (11.00 am - 1.00 pm) - with webcast discourses from His Holiness Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji.

2. Third Sunday of every month (11.00 am - 1.00 pm)

	19th April '08 - Amit Oberoi & Anurag's residence
	6th April '08 - Sameer Doultani's residence
	23rd March '08 - Ranjit Ubbi's residence
	19th Feb '08 - Manish Verma's residence

First Nirankari Service at Interfaith Community Church, Seattle

2007-11-09T01:15:00.000-08:00

On November 4th2007, saints from the Nirankari Mission were invited to preside over the Interfaith Community Church's Sunday congregation. Rev. Karen Lindquist, one of the three ministers of the church, requested Nirankari saints to conduct the spiritual service in the same format as is commonly done in Nirankari satsangs. The hour long service started with short speeches by youth from Seattle and Vancouver, followed by discourses by Rev. Daljit Sidhu (Secretary, Sant Nirankari Mission Canada) & Rev. Dr. I. S. Rai (Working President, Sant Nirankari Mission USA).

The speeches gave the attendees a very accurate insight into the mission, and introduced some of the mission's important philosophies such as the mission of Universal Brotherhood, equal vision, compassion, self realization, divine knowledge, prayer and how these concepts relate to the topic of the month – "Relationships". The heartfelt speeches made a deep impact on those who attended as the attendees showed their gratitude and support for the Mission's cause. Sister Sunita Ji from Vancouver captivated the audience by singing the Manglacharan (epilogue) and Dhuni (prayer) in its English translation.

Saints from Seattle had also prepared a community meal which was served after the congregation, where attendees participated in informal discussions about spirituality. On several occasions, those who attended joked, "Your Mission provides enrichment for the soul and for the body!".

It should be noted that although the service was only one and a half our long, more than twenty saints from Vancouver showed their support and enthusiasm by driving several hours to Seattle early that morning. Furthermore, Rev. Dr. I.S. Rai arrived from California the night before to preside over the congregation. Their exemplary dedication and blessings lead to the inaugural foundation of the Mission's message in Seattle, Washington.

The event served several purposes. The Mission's core message was being delivered to the interfaith community of Seattle through discussions during previous services, but the attendees saw the Mission in action during the event. This impressed many as they showered the Seattle youth with blessings. This also provided a good networking opportunity, where contact information was exchanged not only amongst saints from the Nirankari mission and the local community, but also amongst saints from Seattle and Vancouver. Most importantly, the devotional songs and speeches created a blissful atmosphere and uplifted everyone's spirit.

The church has requested the Mission to preside over another service very soon. With the blessings of His Holiness, this event will prove to be the first of many events that are dedicated to spreading His message of love and compassion amongst the local community.

Dhan Nirankar,
Seattle Youth

November 4th, 2007 – First Nirankari Congregation at Interfaith Community Church

2007-09-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

The Sant Nirankari Mission has been invited to host a spiritual congregation at Interfaith Community Church, 1763 NW 62nd Street, Seattle, Washington 98107. The church is not affiliated with any one faith but is a community of people from different faith backgrounds.

During Sunday congregations, the church allows one faith community to present its views on the topic of the month. The topic for November is ‘Relationships’.

The tentative format decided for the Sangat is:

9.30 AM – 10.00 AM – Sangat Setup
10.00 AM – 11.00 AM – Sangat

Introduction to the mission and visitors
Simran and Avtar Bani reading
Speakers (5 minutes each)
Manglacharan in English
Discourses
Dhuni in English

11.00 AM – 11.15 AM – Discussion and Announcements
11.15 AM – 12.30 PM – Potlock and Discussion

3rd Seattle Congregation(Sangat)

2007-09-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Every effort is being made to have monthly congregations in Seattle proximities. September's congregation was held in Avalon, Redmond Hill Complex at a local saint's residence.

Date - 9/16/07

Timings - 6.00 PM - 7.30 PM.

Langar was served after Sangat.

May the Almighty bless us in establishing regular congregations. For any comments or suggestions on what can be done to spread H.H. Baba Ji's message of Universal Brotherhood in the local community, please e-mail at snmseattle@gmail.com

Report: Visit to Interfaith Community Church of Seattle

2007-08-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

On 12th August, saints from Seattle were invited by the program coordinator (Rev Karen Lindquist) of the Interfaith Community Church (http://www.scn.org/icc/) to attend their Sunday services. The church hosts interfaith congregations that last one hour every Sunday, in a similar format as Nirankari congregations are held. During the hour, a few devotional songs were followed by a discourse on a predefined topic and a lunch social. During the congregation, a few minutes were taken to introduce the Mission, in which the philosophy of “Self realization through God realization” was explained. At the time of the lunch social, a discussion with the president of the church and other executives of the interfaith church lead to the following conclusions:

· The church offered the opportunity to host a Sunday service in a way that is suitable to the Mission. This opportunity might be available as early as Nov ’07, or sometime in March ’08 – depending on availability of the church space. This would be a great opportunity for the Mission to reach out to the local community, as on average about 60 people attend the Sunday service.

· The church hosts congregations for individual faith communities during the weekdays as well. They encouraged the idea of using the church space for regular Nirankari congregations if required.

· A world religions conference is being planned by the church in January ‘08. The Mission’s involvement in any way would be a great medium to present the Mission’s philosophy to the community.

· The church has a stall which displays literature from all religions worldwide. The church has requested for the Mission’s literature to be placed on the table as well.

· A suggestion was made to create a page on their website where articles from various individuals from different faiths could be posted – a concept similar to the one on www.nirankari.org > youth > articles. The guiding committee of the church was quite enthusiastic about this idea. If a commitment is made to provide this feature, it would provide the same benefit to the local community as it has to the Nirankari website. The Mission would also be able to post its own articles on the website.

· On several occasions, people have asked questions about the Mission, and they have often been pointed to the website. It was observed that having an email address such as seattle@nirankari.org would be a very useful communication tool, as it would make it much easier in following up with people who are interested in the Mission. It is easy to invoke interest in people’s minds regarding the Mission, but better communication tools can help take their interest to a level at which people become keen on receiving Divine Knowledge from an authorized saint.

Meeting with the Inter-Faith Council, Seattle

2007-08-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

On 7th August ’07, a few saints from Eastern Washington sat in on a meeting organized by the Interfaith Council of Seattle (www.interfaithcouncil.com). The council was founded about 20 years ago and is an influential body that organizes and supports interfaith activities around the Washington region. The primary purpose of the two hour meeting was to discuss activities from the last year and plan for the next. The meeting was attended by 13 people from diverse faith backgrounds such as Judaism, Baha’i, Vedantic, Christian, Islamic, etc. Our primary intention of attending this meeting was threefold:

1. To learn about the council: A great deal was learned and noted about the various interfaith activities and groups involved in the region. Meeting with representatives from these groups proved to be a good networking opportunity as contacts were exchanged. Several upcoming events and dates were noted as potential opportunities for future involvement.

2. To represent the Mission: The ideology of the Mission was introduced to them and they were shown that the goals of the Sant Nirankari Mission align well with theirs. The council has a partner program by which various communities can post their events on the council’s website. They not only welcomed the idea of partnership, but also offered positions on their guiding committee to drive activities for the next year. Although no such commitment was made, the potential of active involvement in the council could be beneficial in the future.

3. To explore future possibilities: The Interfaith Council holds is meetings in the Interfaith Community Church (http://www.scn.org). This church holds weekly topic based congregations and several other activities that seem very similar to those organized by the Mission. A trip is currently being planned to this church. The potential in leveraging the Microsoft community, which involves a large part of the Eastern Washington population, was also discussed.

It is only with the guidance of those who have instigated Nirankari congregations all over the country can Satguru’s message of love and unity be brought to this region’s communities.

With your blessings,

Seattle Youth