Peterborough, New Hampshire, a town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is the hub of a mentally lively area, where all sorts of religious beliefs and healing practices flourish. That's where I live and go to church.
Every year, one of the most concerted efforts made by every Christian Science church around the world is its Church Manual-authorized annual public lecture. This activity involves choosing a topic of local concern, hiring a speaker from The Christian Science Board of Lectureship, and then taking care of all the logistical and advertising details in order to have a successful event. Some of this planning can get routine, even though it's not supposed to be.
This year, when I was asked to be on my church's Lecture Committee for the umpteenth time, I felt a bit like "here we go again." Little committee, little church, little town. Big job. But one of our committee trio brought a really great idea to our first meeting. He held up a regional newspaper that always includes pages of ads and articles about alternative healthcare—everything from acupuncture to Rolfing structural integration to yoga. He flipped through, showing us all the ads, and then suggested that we address this apparently vital "wellness" community with a lecture about Christian Science healing.
