Dear Church Family,
Many of you were able to join us online for Annual Meeting 2014 when we focused on how "Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing" (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 136). We considered together the importance of Christian Science nursing and The Christian Science Monitor to the healing practice of every member of The Mother Church and to the world. And we recognized how each member is needed and valued in this work for our Cause.
Yet all that we accomplish as individual healers is magnified when we come together in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, or Christian Science Society, providing spiritual resources and church services for our local communities. Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, obviously loved and valued the branches and their members, and understood how very much they mean to the world. She often wrote to them in remarkably heartfelt ways. For example, she penned a letter to First Church of Christ, Scientist in Edinburgh, Scotland, in November 1909, saying, “I congratulate you on the prospect of erecting a church building, wherein to gather in praise and prayer for the whole human family" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 208).
Her words still encourage us today, for church building isn't defined by an edifice that has already been built or confined to a time that has past. It's an ongoing and expansive activity that rises from the living, dynamic, spiritual foundation of Christ-healing and is needed more than ever in a world yearning for wholeness and health.
Over the course of the coming months, we hope that all Christian Scientists will join us in deepening appreciation of the healing mission of our Church. So with profound recognition of the importance of your work and prayer, we invite each branch or society to come together as a membership and view a video discussion with Valerie Unger and Daniel Carr of Branch Activities at The Mother Church. They share observations and insights with Robin Hoagland on both the challenges and the opportunities in our churches today. You can view or download it here.
After listening to this 18-minute video, your members might want to continue to discuss some of the topics covered. And you may feel impelled to set your own goals for demonstrating the continuing relevance and power of spiritual healing in all your church activities.
As you consider the potential for your church to experience and express more healing, you may also be interested in partnering with The Mother Church with the following unique opportunities:
For a branch meeting focused on “Moving Forward Together as a Church of Healers,” please contact us by email at tmcbranch@csps.com, or by phone at 617-450-3421. More information about these branch meetings is available online at Church of Healers. For roundtable discussions on the public practice of Christian Science, please contact us by email at csp.roundtables@csps.com or by phone at 617-450-2685. More information about Christian Science Practitioner Roundtables is available online at christianscience.com/practitioner-roundtables.
Just as the fruit is found on the branch, the evidence of Christ-healing in your branches and societies is the spiritual harvest of our Mother Church. There will be opportunities to share examples of this bounty in the upcoming year. And we look forward to rejoicing together in the abundance of God's grace embracing all our members and their churches at Annual Meeting 2015.
With all love,
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Robin Hoagland, Allison W. Phinney, Scott Preller, Margaret Rogers, Lyle Young
