They had always thought of themselves as an active church. But the minute the members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, St. Paul, Minnesota, set spiritual goals for themselves, they discovered how their church could become more meaningful to the world around them.
It was as if everybody woke up. First they began to notice that young people who had completed Sunday School were drifting away from church instead of becoming active members. To stop this drift, they devised a plan for bringing youth, ages twelve to twenty-three, together to learn what church is all about. It was educational, as well as fun. At monthly meetings they got a comprehensive picture of The Mother Church and its branches and activities from asking questions of various speakers—the State Committee on Publication, Readers, practitioners. The young people became fired up about helping in church projects such as delivering lecture invitations to the church's immediate neighbors. Youth who were already members of this branch found themselves being welcomed to important posts on regular church committees.
Not unexpectedly, the Sunday School began to grow. The teachers responded by making their classes relevant to young lives, creating an atmosphere for open discussion. Someone noticed that while the church auditorium was beautiful, the Sunday School looked drab. Quickly the Sunday School was turned into a colorful and attractive setting.
