In 1893 the membership of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, received a call for the Church's first annual meeting to be held in October. Later, in the Manual of The Mother Church, a By-Law was amended to specify a Monday date in June, which has been kept each year since 1908.Church Manual, Art. XIII, Sect. 1.
As reported in an early issue of The Christian Science Journal, that first meeting of 1893 was held in Boston's Chickering Hall. Members were present from a number of cities in the United States as well as from Canada. The assembly was told of the need for unity among the membership and for practical proofs of God's healing truth. It was made clear that the future of the Church would depend on the members' listening for the direction of God, divine Love—and following.
From 1893 to 1988, the same basic demands have remained central to each step of progress the Church of Christ, Scientist, has made. It is always essential to listen for divine Love's leading, to move forward in a spirit of unity, and to do everything possible to have our faith be shown through the work of metaphysical healing. In this year's Annual Meeting, which is being held this month, the accent on results—on healing—continues to be the basic keynote of the Church's growth and utility.
