I have visited The Mother Church in Boston only twice, but I always think of it as home—not because of the location or building, but because of the comforting message of God’s boundless love it brings to humanity. To me, this message is at the heart of the Church’s true substance and essence.
After remotely viewing, from my home, the simulcast of the 2012 Annual Meeting of The Mother Church last June, I was even more convinced of this truth.
The reason for my gratitude for The Mother Church can be explained by the brief period of silent prayer that preceded the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer at the end of Annual Meeting. When it came time for silent prayer, I expected to close my eyes for a few moments to bring a gentle conclusion to the event. I did not expect what followed.
A quiet sense of unity with other Church members across the globe, in their homes or wherever they were watching, washed over me. I felt part of a global army of humble pray-ers and advocates for Truth. I felt the Church “mothering” the world. It was a true Pentecostal moment. Those who had united in silent prayer were all “with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1), and that “one place” was not necessarily in Boston but in God’s arms. This one united moment in prayer had a divine power behind it that embraced the whole world in healing love.
Wow! Being a member of The Mother Church is much bigger than having a membership card or being on a mailing list. To me, each member’s name is “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20) in the sweet promise of unity, brotherly love, and peace on earth.
I believe that humble gratitude for The Mother Church indicates an understanding of its message of divine Love’s universal healing power. The more each of us understands the spiritual significance of The Mother Church—instead of dwelling on the physical organization, location, personalities, or structure—the more we feel and recognize a divine healing power that reaches and blesses the whole world.
