Trudy and the Baha’is’ Spiritual Path in South Carolina

About the Book

The 2010 Religion Census lists the Baha’i faith as the second-largest religious tradition in South Carolina. So according to the census, South Carolina has a higher percentage of Baha'is than in any other state. (Christianity remains the largest religious tradition in every state.) To many, this will come as a surprise. This true story gives a glimpse into South Carolina Baha’i activities beginning in the mid-1960s. It is told by personal narratives, news stories, and archival research. This is the story of peaceful evolution toward building spiritual communities. Spiritual community building can happen in South Carolina, anywhere and everywhere in the world. The story revolves around memories of Trudy, a selfless and devoted Baha’i pioneer. Baha’is in South Carolina and from around the world contributed stories of traveling with Trudy and sharing the Baha’i Faith. Baha’is from around the world were interested in and visited South Carolina throughout the story’s time frame. The author’s experiences as a native of South Carolina, as well as other South Carolinians, add local flavor. What is the Baha’i faith? Who are the Baha’is? Who is Baha’u’llah? In her later years, Trudy suffered from Alzheimer’s. However, there were two things Trudy never forgot: her granddaughter’s green eyes and that Baha’u’llah is who he says he is.

About the Author

Annette Reynolds is a South Carolinian by birth and by choice. She has visited forty states (so far), several countries, and finds there is no place like home. She is an educator by training and a writer by inclination after retiring from her thirty-year career. She declared her faith in 1971 and continues to work on being a Baha’i. While on a Baha’i pilgrimage in Haifa, Israel, in 1975, she sought guidance. One question she prayed about was, should she leave South Carolina and pioneer to an American Indian reservation? After speaking with international leaders of the Baha’i faith serving in the Holy Land, it was clear she would remain in South Carolina.