Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to header Skip to footer

'Beneath the shadow of a great rock'

- What Membership in The Mother Church means to me

When I think of what membership in The Mother Church means to me, what immediately comes to thought are stability and love. Through Church, I have felt the unshakable security that Mary Baker Eddy speaks of when she writes: “These two words in Scripture suggest the sweetest similes to be found in any language—rock and feathers: ‘Upon this rock I will build my church;’ ‘He shall cover thee with His feathers.’ How blessed it is to think of you as ‘beneath the shadow of a great rock in a weary land,’ safe in His strength, building on His foundation, and covered from the devourer by divine protection and affection” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 263).

This security enwrapped me as a child attending the Christian Science Sunday School, and I joined The Mother Church when I was 12 years old. But the “rock” and the “feathers” became tangible when I got involved in branch churches. As we nest on the branches of The Mother Church, we’re close to the nourishing trunk of the tree, part of and sheltered by something so much bigger than ourselves. 

My branch church experiences became spiritual landmarks along my way. For instance, I remember:

Sign up for unlimited access

You've accessed 1 piece of free Journal content

Subscribe

Subscription aid available

 Try free

No card required

More from this blog

concord-web-promo-graphic

Explore Concord—see where it takes you.

Search the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures