Last year we began a series of monthly Outreach Membership Meetings on the Christian Science Sentinel, The Christian Science Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Christian Science Quarterly. The intent of these meetings was for us to reach within ourselves to be sure we love and appreciate the gifts we have been given. Each meeting began with background material on the subject, presented by one or more of the members. They explored why, where, and how Mary Baker Eddy started each periodical. The members found these talks very interesting and informative. One meeting focused on how we studied the Lesson-Sermon; it brought us closer to each other, and we felt more unified in purpose.
Members expressed gratitude for each periodical—as being helpful to them in raising a family, and as a great traveling companion. One told that her first contact with the Sentinel was through a nurse who attended a sick child. Others said the subject focus in each issue of the Sentinel helped them gain specific spiritual insight. Some had shared the Sentinel and Science and Health with others. The desire to pray for opportunities to share Christian Science more often by means of our magazines and newspaper was expressed.
The Monitor meeting was the most lively. A member gave a twenty-minute talk on Erwin D. Canham's book, Commitment to Freedom. We gained a new appreciation for how the Monitor staff labors to keep us informed on the needs of a rapidly changing world.
