Members of the Baha'i faith will gather in Charleston this weekend for the opening of the Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Museum, 2 Desportes Court, which will be dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The museum is named for the late Louis G. Gregory, one of the best-known figures in the faith's 158-year history. Gregory was born and reared in Charleston, the son of two former slaves. He joined the Baha'i faith in 1909 and became one of the faith's best-known worldwide advocates. The Louis G. Gregory Institute in Hemingway, the first full-time Baha'i institute in the United States, was named after him, too.

The museum is in a small, two-story house in a historic neighborhood of homes built by freed slaves. It is the same home where Gregory lived for much of his youth. Charleston Baha'is bought the house at auction in 1989.

The museum features displays of Gregory's personal effects, photos and correspondence, as well as exhibits about the Baha'i faith and its history worldwide. The museum sign is being designed by noted Charleston blacksmith Phillip Simmons.

The Baha'i faith is one of the youngest of the world's religions, practiced by more than 5 million people in 235 countries. It was founded by Baha'ullah, a Persian nobleman who died in 1892. The central theme of Baha'i teaching is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society.

For more information about the museum and the ceremony, call (843) 727-0691.

Online: http://www.louisgregorymuseum.org/

Christina Knauss compiles Faith Notes. Call (803) 782-9724 or send e-mail to cknauss@thestate.com.