A message given at The Mother Church many years ago remains as timeless and timely as is the Church itself. Referring to the Founder of the Church, her student William P. McKenzie said of Mrs. Eddy, "She has desired for years to have her church able to give more adequate reception to those who hunger and thirst after practical righteousness; and we are sure that now the branch churches of The Mother Church will also enlarge their hospitality, so that these seekers everywhere may be satisfied." In Mrs. Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 40.
Individuals who are members of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, usually do everything possible to "enlarge their hospitality." They should be alert to extend a warm welcome to newcomers and visitors. Yet true hospitality has a deeper meaning than a literal graciousness. According to one dictionary, being hospitable can also mean "having an open and charitable mind."
In this broader connotation, hospitality begins right within each branch church membership, and yet the whole world can receive its warmth. The willingness on the part of a membership to have an open and charitable thought toward both those within and without their church is one of the best ways a church can contribute to mankind's peace.
