Editor's note: Recently, Yvonne Fettweis, Church Historian, presented a talk, to a group of managers who work in Boston at The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Her remarks provide an interesting perspective on how Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of the Church, viewed the use of promotional activities in sharing Christian Science.
Two of the most striking uses of the word promotion by Mary Baker Eddy come in two important documents. When she established The Christian Science Publishing Society under a Deed of Trust in January 1898, Mrs. Eddy specified that the Trustees "hold and manage said property and property rights exclusively for the purpose of carrying on the business ... in promoting the interests of Christian Science . . . ." Deed of Trust, pp. 4-5 Our Leader's will, executed in 1901, bequeaths her estate to her Church "for the purpose of more effectually promoting and extending the religion of Christian Science as taught by [her] . . . ." Mrs. Eddy's will, Church History Department of The Mother Church
Promotion is an integral part of Mrs. Eddy's vision for her Church. Her approach to marketing and promotion is a timeless one, and her example is worth studying, pondering, and adopting today.
