Recently a friend told me about her surgery and also said she was on a committee collecting funds for research into this specific disease. She asked me to contribute. How do Christian Scientists usually handle such solicitations?
A1 There isn't a pat answer to this question. I think it's important, however, to realize that everyone is free to make their own choices about the organizations they involve themselves with and/or support financially. And if one decides not to contribute to such organizations, it's not because there is any rule laid out in church doctrine or By-Law in the Church Manual forbidding this practice.
We can always be genuinely concerned about the welfare and well-being of our friends and neighbors. And someone's request for a financial donation for a medical organization may provide the icebreaker for you to share a little about the healing power of prayer that you've found in Christian Science. You could share an example from your life, an article or testimony from this publication, or a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
