For many of us it may be difficult to decide which night of the week is the most important. It may be the night we spend with friends or attend a town meeting. It may be a night of recreation with the family or attending a good movie or concert. But there is one night that can be regarded as the most important one both for the community in general and for Christian Scientists in particular—Wednesday night, when Christian Science churches hold public testimony meetings.
Why is this activity so important to the community? Because the attitude or general atmosphere of thought in any community is the result of the collective thinking of all the people who live there. This thinking generally includes neighborliness, interest in good schools, a desire for a progressive town government, as well as such negative aspects of thought as fear, selfishness, indifference, and resistance to change. This mixture of human thought affects the business, social, and religious life of the community.
Now, what happens if a fresh, purifying element comes into this collective community thought? Surely there must be a change, just as the introduction of yeast into ingredients for bread begins to change the shape and character of the dough. St. Paul put it pertinently, "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" I Cor. 5:6;
