As a student of Christian Science grows in the understanding of this Science, church membership takes on a deeper meaning. Church work is no longer merely a conscientious, busy, human activity—it becomes Christian Science practice, a deep and prayerful metaphysical work that beneficially reaches all those whom one's thought embraces, including the community and the world.
Many years ago my branch church gave me a three-month assignment to work metaphysically at home for the maintenance committee. Since I was new to such an assignment and had had no experience with the maintenance of any building, the only thing I knew to do was to pray and listen for God's guidance. I sought to understand the spiritual sense of maintenance work for a church.
I studied the word "maintain" with the help of the Concordance to Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy and found the following statement: "The divine Mind maintains all identities, from a blade of grass to a star, as distinct and eternal." Science and Health, p. 70. I saw that the Mind which had governed the building of our church edifice was the same Mind that was governing the maintaining of our church.
