ELEANOR RUSSELL HAD LIVED ALONE for many years, and she valued her independence. But when this resident of The Woodlands, Texas, began to have trouble with her eyesight and realized that she should no longer be driving, it was clear that something needed to change. Living in a senior apartment complex with her family far away, Eleanor knew she needed help with transportation to church, grocery shopping, and caring for her personal needs. She was also accustomed to studying Christian Science regularly and missed being able to read the Christian Science periodicals.
Enter the local branch Church of Christ, Scientist, whose members quickly put together a transportation schedule, arranged for people to read the periodicals to her, and even found that volunteers were lining up to take their fellow church member grocery shopping each month.
"I called them my church family," says Eleanor, "because that's exactly what they were to me."
It's not uncommon for churches of every denomination to face the issue of helping out members in need. And according to some, the key to success is being proactive.
When a member stops coming to church or is facing a physical challenge, it's important both to reach out and to follow up with them, says Janiva Toler, Executive Director at the Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association, a Christian Science nursing facility. But sometimes a phone call isn't enough, she adds. Taking steps to contact family members—or in some cases other available resources—and forming a specific care committee to regularly respond to individuals' needs is essential.
Some might wonder whether such inquiries are appropriate for a church member, or if they might be seen as overstepping one's bounds. That's something that Kathy Kazakoff, who has been a Christian Science nurse for the past 24 years, has thought a lot about. She points out that every By-Law in the Manual of the Mother Church applies to every member. As Mary Baker Eddy wrote: "This church is impartial. Its rules apply not to one member only, but to one and all equally. Of this I am sure, that each Rule and By-law in this Manual will increase the spirituality of him who obeys it, invigorate his capacity to heal the sick, to comfort such as mourn, and to awaken the sinner." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 230.
"Church isn't a building. It's the love you express. And what you find is that you're the one who's blessed."
—Dara Glotzbach
So, Kathy notes, the By-Law for the Christian Science nurse Manual, p. 49 .—which discusses, among other things, taking "proper care of the sick"—can be seen as applying to all members, not just those who work as nurses.
"If a member is the first one to see a need, then they are in fact the ones who should ensure a right response—whether they are themselves giving care or calling upon a Christian Science nurse or other resources of the individual's choice," says Kathy, who also serves as Director of Nursing at the Benevolent Association and, with Janiva, conducts workshops on how to care for fellow church members. She notes, however, that it's important to keep the member's circumstances confidential—just as a nurse or Christian Science practitioner would—and to share information about an individual's situation only for the purpose of helping and healing.
Most important, Kathy emphasizes, is to hold every individual in "the embrace of the church so they never feel outside of its activities." Kathy says she has seen this kind of embrace expressed in many practical ways—from making sure that members have regular transportation to and from church, to taking them out or bringing them meals, and even taping Wednesday evening testimony meetings if they can't make it to services.
The Woodlands' Eleanor Russell may have been a bit unusual, in that she felt no hesitation about asking her fellow church members for help. Perhaps that's because she had acted as a sort of self-appointed care committee for years, so she was aware of the help that was available and knew she could ask for it.
"Eleanor knew the value of caring for others before she needed that care herself," relates Beth Carey, one of the church members who kept in regular contact with Eleanor. "She always helped other people in the church—calling them to give them a report about the services and making sure they were OK."
"She was like a mom to me," agrees fellow member Nergish Irani. "If I couldn't attend a church service, Eleanor would always leave a message on my machine asking if I was all right."
Perhaps because Eleanor had been giving to others for so long, Beth adds, it was especially easy for other members to want to give back to her.
However, while Eleanor did initiate the first contact—notifying the church's transportation committee that she had sold her car and would be needing a ride to services—the church's awareness of her situation wasn't dependent on her speaking up. Says committee member Fred Gladden, "Even if she hadn't called, our committee would have known about it eventually. We try to make it a point to contact the members we haven't seen in a while."
That proactive spirit of helpfulness isn't just reserved for the church's older members, notes Beth. "The care committee is for all the members," she points out. "For instance, if someone has had a baby, you bring them food. If a couple needs to get out, you offer free babysitting. If a Sunday School student needs extra help—you offer that. If someone is ill and they need assistance—you're aware and you offer it. That's what caring for others is all about." And really, she adds, such work shouldn't be limited to members of a particular committee. Every member is free to be involved in this vital work—as members of The Woodlands church demonstrated.
After about five years of assisting Eleanor with her various needs, fellow church members recently helped her move to a new progressive living apartment at The Leaves, a Christian Science nursing facility in Dallas. And more than one, like Nergish—who had grown accustomed to taking Eleanor out several times a week—is already planning a visit.
Some members of the church say they've been surprised by how much they themselves have been blessed by the whole experience.
For Dara Glotzbach and her family, for example, "Miss Eleanor" quickly became a surrogate grandmother and a fixture at holiday meals—sharing wisdom, a quick wit, and above all her love of Christian Science. "She was family," says Dara. "So I never thought of helping her as doing a job. I just used to ask myself, What would I want people to do for my mom if she were somewhere I couldn't help her?"
The experience has also changed the way that Dara thinks of church. "Church isn't a building," Dara explains. "It's the love that you express and the love you give back. It's helping your brother, getting outside of yourself. And what you find is that you're the one who's blessed. I was blessed so much more by this than anything."
