Over the years, one of the most cherished activities of The Mother Church has been The Christian Science Pleasant View Home at Concord, New Hampshire. Established by The Christian Science Board of Directors on land previously occupied by the residence of our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, Pleasant View Home has provided a setting where elderly workers who have devoted their lives to the Christian Science practice and Christian Science nursing could continue to demonstrate "the natural fruits of Christian Science Mind-healing," defined by Mrs. Eddy in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany as "harmony, brotherly love, spiritual growth and activity." Miscellany, p. 213.
The Pleasant View Home as it stands today was built to meet what was a specific need at the time. It was established to demonstrate that Christian Scientists do care for their own, and to provide for "deserving Christian Scientists ... to continue to prove the truth of Christian Science amid surroundings conducive to spiritual growth and further usefulness." These needs continue today, but a new approach is required to fulfill them.
The original purpose of the Pleasant View Home was to provide a place to accommodate senior workers, since there were no comparable institutions in the Field at that time. It has been a pioneer in providing the needed services. It was announced to the Field as "financed and supported by voluntary contributions of churches, societies, associations, and individuals," and served as a model institution for the Field for many years. In more recent years, a growing number of modern retirement facilities for Christian Scientists have been established in a variety of locations. These facilities have made it possible for those desiring or in need of such services to be located closer to their practices and churches. In many instances these institutions have made it possible for practitioners and nurses to keep self-sufficient and active, with branch churches and guests alike benefiting.
