The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume du l ah stipulated that an essential architectural character of a house of worship be that it requires having a nine-sided circular shape Bahá’í scripture also states that no pictures, statues, or images be displayed within the house of worship, and no pulpits or altars be incorporated as an architectural feature The Bahá’í laws also stipulate that only the holy scriptures of the Bahá’í faith and other religions can be read or chanted inside in any language; while readings and prayers can be set to music by choirs, no musical instruments can be played inside Furthermore, no sermons can be delivered, and there can be no ritualistic ceremonies practiced Rituals can easily become rote and meaningless, eventually causing people to carry them out for the sake of the ritual and forget the spiritual purpose behind them The Wilmette House of Worship is the largest and the oldest-surviving Bahá’í house of worship Known by Bahá’ís as the “ ,” it stands in Wilmette, Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan The cornerstone for the Bahá’í house of worship was laid in 1912 by Abdu’l-Bahá during his only visit to the United States and Canada Construction began in 1921, was completed in 1953, and in 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places Because no talks or presentations are permitted inside Bahá’í houses of worship, meetings for the Bahá’í community typically occur in local Bahá’í centers, individuals’ homes, or rented facilities Basic Worship Service The centerpiece of the Bahá’í community is the Nineteen Day Feast, which is held once every nineteen days, on the first day of each of the nineteen months in the Bahá’í calendar The word is used not to imply a large meal but a feast Attendance is considered a spiritual responsibility but is not obligatory The meeting can vary in style but must have the same format—a devotional portion, followed by a community consultation, followed by a period of socialization The devotional portion is seen as a means to uplift the spiritual character of the community and put the members in a spiritual frame of mind This usually consists of the reading of prayers and excerpts from the Bahá’í holy writings, and also readings from other faiths