In December, 1907, one hundred and twenty-seven Christian Scientists with letters from other churches felt the call to start a new church and spread the gospel of healing in the West End of St. Louis. Of this number one hundred and two were members of First Church and withdrew from it with the benediction: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenence upon thee, and give thee peace."
From the first God's blessing has been on Fourth Church, and beginning with the first business meeting in Rose Hill at Maple and Hamilton Avenues on Jan. 20, 1908, when the formal organization of Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, in St. Louis, was accomplished as a branch of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., the growth has been steady. The lot at 5569 Page Boulevard upon which the edifice stands was purchased on Dec. 27, 1908. A structure was planned and approved, costing with its site and furnishings approximately one hundred and twenty•five thousand dollars. Ground was broken on July 8, 1909, and Oct. 25 of the same year the corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies. A free Christian Science lecture, given May 15, 1910, in the Sunday school room, marked the first use of the new building. Ten days later the first church service was held there. The auditorium was first used on Dec. 2, 1910, for a lecture.
Although the indebtedness was gradually reduced it was not entirely wiped out so that dedicated services could be held until Sunday, Dec. 24, 1916. Two months previous, finding that the indebtedness had been reduced to about thirty thousand dollars, a resolution was unanimously adopted to undertake to raise the amount needed in one year. This decision was followed by such earnest endeavor to break down the false sense of material limitation, with deepening gratitude for the demonstrable knowledge of God which Christian Science has brought to mankind, that in two months the payments made into the church treasury entirely wiped out the indebtedness. These experiences, in which other Christian Science churches of the community have taken a generous part, have enriched the spiritual life of the entire field, and have given added proof that the spiritual idea, the Christ•idea, has had a new birth in Christian Science.
