It is generally conceded that there is probably no time of more vital interest in the history of a nation, a municipality, a corporation, or a church, than that which is known as an election or annual meeting. In a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, the importance of such an occasion can scarcely be overestimated. At that time, after the reports of officers and committees have been acceptably disposed of, it devolves upon the members of the church to make suitable selections of those who are to serve in the various official capacities provided for in the by-laws constituting the church government.
The importance of abundant mental preparation for an annual meeting, on the part of every individual member, cannot, therefore, be too strongly emphasized. Each should work and pray for the Mind of Christ, which shall bring out a right and harmonious functioning of each department of church activity, thus making manifest the best concept possible to-day of the true Church, "whose builder and maker is God." This individual responsibility on the part of its every member is the keynote of successful demonstration in church government; and it is a moment of great danger when this individual responsibility is lost sight of and is replaced by apathy or indifference. If, therefore, every one has the interest of his church deeply at heart, and would see revealed within its government that strength, harmony, and purity which are the result of the application of the law of Principle, each must strive for the development of these qualities within himself, in order that they may be reflected within every department of church activity. If one is truly honest in seeking to understand the full meaning of the operation of divine law, he will find that in an humble and earnest study of the Manual of The Mother Church there will be unfolded an understanding of this law and its operation which will eliminate from his thinking the sense of personality, eradicate any sense of irresponsibility, and establish a clear and unobstructed vision of the true Church and its government, thereby making the demonstration of the allness and oneness of Mind possible. It will help in the wise selection of those who are best qualified to serve in the various capacities of church officers.
Each department in the church should manifest activity and completeness; and each, although different from all the others, is of importance; but all must be brought carefully together in order to produce the harmony which should be demonstrated by a Church of Christ, Scientist. It may, perhaps, be found helpful to turn attention for a few minutes to a consideration of some of the requirements necessary for the good stewardship of one who is to serve as treasurer, as well as to some of the problems which may come to him demanding solution. The fact that one may be an expert accountant or a skilled financier is not of itself sufficient to warrant his election as church treasurer; and, although previous training along these lines of work will undoubtedly prove of great assistance to one chosen to handle the financial problems connected with his church, it is of prime importance that he should be able to turn his thought from the human perception of these things and to take up his work according to the rules for demonstration in divine Science. As human reasoning gives place to spiritual understanding and revelation, the treasurership will be seen as an opportunity to express divine realities. Then there must follow a realization of the meaning of the term "substance," and of the source from which true substance is derived; and divine law must be recognized as establishing accuracy, and meeting every claim of demand upon the supply drawn from inexhaustible good.
