If you listen closely, you'll hear it: there's a rumble coming from campuses across the United States. What's all the noise about? It's the sound of Christian Science organizations (CSOs) getting revved up for a year of action and service.
Participants in the 2003 CSO Leadership Invitational, a conference held in Boston over a weekend in August, represented 71 colleges and universities—not to mention a wealth of interests and backgrounds. There were engineers and thespians, journalists and economists. There were attendees whose CSOs were just getting started, and others who've been up and running for a long time. Perhaps surprisingly, these differences weren't a stumbling block. Instead, they worked to the participants' advantage. The diversity created an environment in which people grew and learned as much from each other's ideas and experiences as they did from the varied, interactive talks and workshops they attended throughout the weekend.
The concept of giving was central to the conference, and Friday began with video highlights of the comments of The Christian Science Board of Directors given by Chairman Virginia Harris, at 2003 Annual Meeting of The Mother Church & Conference. As the participants watched and contemplated, they were encouraged to think of their CSOs in the context of Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan, specifically as "the man who didn't pass by on the other side, who didn't ignore people in great need." It was an idea that would inform the rest of the meeting—and the attendees' changing perspectives about the way a CSO can be a force for good on campus.
