“There will be literally hundreds of thousands of memorial services all around the world, in every city where Baha’is reside,” said David Hadden, a Baha’i who had known Sears since 1945. Baha’i is a religion with about 5 million members worldwide. Sears, a Tucson resident since 1984, was one of four surviving members of the Hands of the Cause of God, custodians appointed by Baha’i founders to propagate the faith and protect the community. High official in Baha’i faith William Bernard Sears, one of the highest officials of the Baha’i faith, died here yesterday after a heart attack.

Local Obituary – The Arizona Daily Star, 26 March 1992 You can read more about the Bahá’í approach to community and community-building, on the open nature of Bahá’í community life, and on the relationships that Bahá’ís strive to forge between individuals, communities, and institutions, in the article titled “Community”, which is found within the “What Bahá’ís Believe” area of this website. The Bahá’í community came into existence gradually-from the handful who first heard the message of The Báb, to the enthusiastic band of followers of Bahá’u’lláh in cities and villages throughout nineteenth century Persia, to a global community of millions today, with members in more than 100,000 localities in virtually every country and territory around the world. … For each of the creatures is a sign of God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world therefore they are not strangers, but in the family not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá counsels us: “See ye no strangers rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness. Every effort is made to ensure that, at each of these levels, communities remain vibrant and open to all people great care is taken to avoid the pitfalls of exclusivity. Each Bahá’í sees him or herself at once as a member of a local, national, and global community of adherents.

A Cry from the Heart by William Sears