ON MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 4, Mother Church members from all over the globe gathered in Boston for Annual Meeting 2007. Hugs and happy faces abounded as friends joyously greeted friends—way outshining the drizzle-to-rain-drenched day. One woman described the gathering as a wonderful reunion of hearts—hearts overflowing with Christly love for God and for all our sisters and brothers worldwide.
Warmly welcoming the large audience present in Boston, as well as the thousands connected to the meeting via the World Wide Web, Mark Swinney, incoming President of The Mother Church, said that no matter where participants gathered all over the planet, "We're all united, connected as a big church family—a family of healers."
Mark then read brief selections from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and Mary Baker Eddy's writings, followed by the congregation joining in singing Hymn 96. Next came the introduction of the officers of The Mother Church for the coming year:
Pastor Emeritus: Mary Baker Eddy; The Christian Science Board of Directors: J. Thomas Black, Walter D. Jones, Nathan A. Talbot, Mary Metzner Trammell, M. Victor Westberg; Clerk: Nathan A. Talbot; Treasurer: J. Edward Odegaard; First Reader: Curtis J. Wahlberg; Second Reader: Elizabeth L. Schaefer; President: Mark Swinney.
BOARD DISCUSSION VIA VIDEO
The audience then viewed a video of the Christian Science Board of Directors, filmed recently in Los Angeles, California. The Directors spoke extensively on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5–7), framing it as a basis for understanding not only our citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, but also how to use the Sermon as a basis for our citizenship in the world—to use Jesus' words as a guideline to becoming better healers.
The Directors agreed that obeying the Sermon requires a lot of discipline and self-sacrifice. Vic Westberg noted that "[It] takes daily and moment-by-moment work. Thought by thought." Mary (Trinka) Trammell added that the Sermon "says it's not good enough to just obey the letter of the law—but [it's necessary] to clean up the thoughts that have made you disobey that law in the first place."
Tom Black noted that the Sermon serves as a vehicle to rotate thought. "Rather than having thought focused on what the world says is true, [we need to rotate thought] 180 degrees in the other direction. Rather than [toward] matter, [toward] Spirit." Some other points about the Sermon on the Mount brought out in the discussion included the need for a shift in thought from human power to meekness; from human pride and greatness to being poor in spirit; from a sense of human peace to the power of the Christ.
The Directors noted that the Sermon on the Mount upsets all the human norms people have come to accept. "If you look at everything in the Sermon," Nate Talbot said, "it does take us ... to a whole different way of thinking about reality. Not just being better humanly, but to be perfect as God is perfect. To be complete as God is complete. That's a different sense of reality."
Walter Jones agreed. He said, "We get into ... comparing ourselves with others. And yet we need to be as perfect as God is ... and seek God first. [When we do seek God first,] that changes things. When that's our focus, then that connects us with Truth."
The discussion also brought out that what Jesus taught wasn't just another theology about the relationship between God and man. Rather, the Sermon on the Mount is the most magnificent statement of the reality of being, to which everyone must ultimately come.
The Directors also discussed why healing is so important. Healing, they concurred, is imperative because healing bears witness to the Truth that is God—to reality. Healing is the outward verification of the inner change of thought. The visible proof that a deep conviction in spiritual reality as the only reality has taken place and transformed human character.
FIELD REPORTS
After the video concluded, Mark Swinney introduced Seven Christian Science practitioners from five continents, who shared insights on what has helped them to be better healers.
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Alessandra Colombini told how the directive in the Sermon on the Mount to not judge others and to cast the beam out of her own eye before attempting to cast the mote out of another's eye (see Matt. 7:1, 3–5), led to the quick healing of a patient in extreme pain. FIELD REPORTS FROM PRACTITIONERS AROUND THE WORLD:
Alessandra Colombini (Brazil),
Don Wallingford (US),
Martha Moffett (US),
Robert Ennemoser (Austria),
Lorenzo Rodriguez (US),
Bosede Bakarey (Nigeria),
and Abigail Mckay (Australia).
Liburn, Georgia, US. Don Wallingford found the references to eyes in the Sermon particularly helpful. He told the audience: "Devoting every hour of every day to seeing what is good and Godlike. That keeps your eye single. That fills your whole body with light" (see Matt. 6:22).
St. Paul, Minnesota, US. Martha Moffett told how a deeper understanding of Christ Jesus' crucifixion resulted in a dramatic turnaround for a patient who had been in critical condition. Martha asked herself: Was it Christ Jesus or was it sin, disease, and death—his enemies—that died on the cross? When she saw clearly that it was not the Christ but humanity's so-called enemies that had already been destroyed through Jesus' resurrection, her patient was completely healed.
Salburg, Austria. Robert Ennemoser spoke of the importance of practicing humility. "A healer," he said, "is not doing something to a patient, but is seeing the patient whole, complete, perfect" (see Matt. 5:5, 48). As he and a patient prayed with this spiritual humility, a frightening growth on the patient's face quickly and permanently cleared up.
Miami, Florida, US. Lorenzo Rodriguez said the Sermon on the Mount played an important role in his becoming a practitioner—a job he first resisted. Through the Beatitude, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4), Lorenzo felt God saying to him, "I gave you the talent and the knack for helping people. You do it. You comfort them." Jesus' command "Let your light so shine before men ..." (Matt. 5:16), Lorenzo interpreted as God saying, "I gave you that light so you can reflect My light. You go and shine it."
Ibada, Oyo, Nigeria. Bosede Bakarey related how a deeper understanding of meekness from the Beatitude "Blessed are the meek" (Matt. 5:5) dissolved resentment, resulting in a complete healing of a friend's cancerous leg.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Abigail Mckay said she's thought deeply about love and Christ Jesus' directive to love your enemies (Matt. 5:44) "He's telling us, [love] is not what we often think it is. It's something totally selfless, holy, and fearless."
CHURCH FINANCES
Board Chairman Walter Jones reported The Mother Church's funds on hand at $474 million; total expenditures for the past fiscal year at $97 million; and the Church has no indebtedness.
J. Edward (Ned) Odegaard, Treasurer of The Mother Church, reported that the General Fund (unrestricted funds) currently stands at $146 million. He assured the audience that the Church is far from being in a financial crisis and is safe. However, he also noted that the active, generous financial support of members needs to continue. Ned also said that it's important to be clear that the Church is safe, not because of the strength of finances, but because of the might of our meekness. "These fund levels are the thing added," he said. The Sermon on the Mount, he pointed out, is packed with guidance and admonition about how to think toward others, meekness being the thread that runs through it all. "The depth and consistency of our meekness—the quality of our thought toward others—has a direct bearing on our financial affairs," he said. "So this improved financial picture must be pointing to an improved mental picture on the part of all of us, because Church is a collective demonstration."
Ned concluded, "As Treasurer of The Mother Church I am more grateful than words can express for this collective sense of discipleship—walking the road to Emmaus together, our hearts burning within for this living, loving Church. We love you and we treasure you."
COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION
When Mark Swinney asked Phil Davis, manager of Committees on Publication, what it takes to be a healer in the Committee work, Phil remarked, "You first need a patient. And for the Committees, the patient is public thought—primarily in the area of media and government."
Noting that Mrs. Eddy asked the Committee on Publication to always respond "in a Christian manner" (Church Manual, p. 97), Phil noted that nowhere can you find a better compilation of Christian manners than in the Sermon on the Mount.
"Two ways to elevate thought," Phil said, "are first to have an unconditional, unqualified love for mankind—enough to love those in media and government. [To love] enough to see the presence of the Christ when [you're] faced with false and inaccurate information. And second, one needs to be able to deal effectively with the carnal minds active opposition to the Christ."
Phil said that the Sermon on the Mount cautions all of us, "Beware of false prophets" (Matt. 7:15), which can mean beware of false influences—the influence of animal magnetism. Not that it's something to be afraid of, but to be aware of and awake to so we can properly deal with it.
Concluding, Phil said, "As we all learn to love more, I mean really love more, as we learn to more effectively deal with animal magnetism, then we're going to see more significant breakthroughs with this patient that we call public thought .... I see that as ... an ongoing building of this Church on the rock, which enables it to withstand any storm that we face as we fulfill our healing mission."
CLERK'S REPORT
This year, the entire Board joined the Clerk, Nate Talbot, in giving the annual Clerk's report. They noted that the Board of Directors has been giving a good deal of thought to the majesty of the revelation of Christian Science and to the Church that is forwarding this revelation. They said that they have prayed a lot about the carnal mind's opposition to this revelation, as well as about the significance of Mary Baker Eddy and her special love for the Sermon on the Mount. The remainder of the report consisted of an informal discussion of these topics.
Vic Westberg began by saying that while becoming a public practitioner of Christian Science might seem intimidating, one thing you can learn from the Sermon is that "it's not you that is healing. It's God that's healing. And there is not a case on the face of this earth that God cannot heal."
Vic continued, "The Master said, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? [Matt. 6:25]. I think what the Master is telling us is, don't look to human [reasoning]. Don't look to matter when you're healing something, because in Christian Science matter is unreal. And you can't heal something that's unreal."
Vic mentioned that Mrs. Eddy once sent a letter to a former medical doctor saying that the [Christian Science] Cause needed healers more than anything else. "So this is what Mrs. Eddy has told the Board of Directors and everybody that works at The Mother Church," Vic continued. "We have to set aside ample time for the public practice of Christian Science, because that's what makes everything run."
Walter Jones commented on the Beatitude, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). "To desire above everything else, being right with God," Walter noted. "That righteousness comes from our divine source. [The desire] to be holy and upright. To put everything else aside. And yet, if we're honest with ourselves, we would admit that sometimes—maybe all too often—the carnal mind is convincing us to turn in a different direction." So how does one cultivate that hunger for righteousness? "We've got to stop feeding on mortal beliefs," Walter continued, "on fears, on material conclusions and assumptions. ... If we make that shift to a hunger for righteousness, which really comes about because of a closeness to God, we're increasing our spirituality. And we can't help but be a healer."
Nate Talbot then drew attention to the Beatitude "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). Noting that every mortal discord has its roots in a disturbance of thought, Nate said it takes peace to deal with this disturbance. But that peace has to be more than just quieting the human mind. "It's got to be deeper than that," he said. "It's got to be a Christly kind of peace. In fact the Bible says, 'We have the mind of Christ' [I Cor. 2:16]. That's where real peace comes from ... [Christ Jesus] said, 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you' [John 14:27]. It wasn't just a worldly kind of peace, but a deep, spiritual kind of calm, tranquility, a sense of spiritual poise and composure."
Nate related the story of when Jesus quietly rested on a pillow in a boat while a storm raged on the sea. When the disciples frantically awakened him, Jesus got up and simply said "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39). "Now I don't think he shouted that to the waves," Nate said. "In fact he might have sort of whispered [that statement] into the disciples' thought. And hundreds of years later that same Christly impulsion is emerging in your thoughts, Peace, be still. Just as hundreds of years before Jesus, the Psalmist [also] felt that same impulsion, 'Be still, and know that I am God' [Ps. 46:10]. Today we have that same opportunity to demonstrate this kind of spiritual peace."
Tom Black agreed, and added that it has occurred to him that what Jesus saw there was not only the disciples' thought, but the enraged carnal mind attempting to drown Jesus and the disciples and be rid of them. But it didn't work, because Jesus had a deep sense of spiritual peace.
The Directors went on to say they have met many wonderful Christian Scientists—strong workers—on their travels around the world. One thing they've noticed, though, is the need for more alertness to what Mrs. Eddy named "animal magnetism." Tom pointed out that "[Jesus] said, 'Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely' [Matt. 5:11]. Which they do every day, whether we hear it or not," he added, continuing, "It would be pretty nifty if we Christian Scientists were more alert to that [kind of persecution] and to handling it." He concluded, "Of course, the Sermon on the Mount gives us all that we need to handle it—'Blessed are the peacemakers'; 'Be ye therefore perfect'; and 'Let your light ... shine.' "
The Board has also given a lot of thought to what Christianity is and who Christians are Trinka Trammell noted, "We really had a collective revelation on that subject one day when we were sitting together. ... We started talking about the statement in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Ye are the light of the world' [Matt. 5:14]. And then we were thinking about how Jesus said, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature' [Mark 16:15]. ... That might be a little scary. A whole world! Does that mean Christian and non Christian? Does that mean West and East? Does that mean English-speaking and non-English-speaking?" And Vic added, "Or blue states and red states!"
Trinka continued, "We decided that the answer to all those questions was, Yes. [Jesus' statement] had to mean every creature. And then we thought about what [the Apostle] Paul said, 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus' [Gal. 3:28]. So there's nothing beyond that one. And then we thought about how Mrs. Eddy, bless her, giving us the Comforter, raised thought about the Christ to a whole new level. ... She really was the first one in history to explain what the Christ [is] clearly. That [the Christ] is, 'the true idea voicing good' [Science and Health, p. 332]. Not just to English-speaking people. Not just to one race. To all of us. Not just to one religion, but to all of us. And then we thought about how when she founded her Church and defined what Church is, she said that it's. ... to elevate the race—the whole human race. So it just hit us with great force that the Christ is universal. It's everywhere. [The Christ] is the true identity of everybody on the face of this planet."
Trinka said that we've come to think of Christianity as people in the West or in certain places, when Christianity really is the core identity of all us, that we are all in that sense "Christian," and no one is incapable of being a Christian. "What that did for us was to ... make us set aside all the labels of denomination ... whether you call those labels Baptist or Methodist or Hindu or Buddhist or Christian Scientist or atheist or whatever, and see that all of us—the real Christians—are everywhere. We are all part of that true Christianity."
Walter added, "[Mary Baker Eddy] certainly saw the Comforter as being for all mankind. She uses that [phrase] ... 'citizens of the world' [Science and Health, p. 227]. She thought in terms of mankind. So she didn't leave anybody out, did she?"
Nate added, "When she talks about Christ being 'the true idea ... speaking to the human consciousness' [Science and Health, p. 332], I find it so reassuring that she doesn't say, 'speaking to the Christian Scientist's consciousness.' [She says] to 'human consciousness.' " The Directors agreed that the unbiased Christian thought that Mrs. Eddy wrote about in Science and Health (p. x), includes everyone.
Healing is imperative because healing bears witness to the Truth that is God—to reality. Healing is the outward verification of the inner change of thought.
CHURCH BUILT ON A ROCK
The Board then addressed a question they have been hearing from the Field: "Could you please give us a word of tender encouragement that this Church is going to endure?" Tom began, "We've thought a lot about that, because we don't want to give any false promises. But it occurred to us that we are building thought, consciousness, on the rock ... [on] those spiritual qualities in the Sermon on the Mount. And as we do that, our Church, which is nothing more than a manifestation of our collective thought, is likewise built on those same qualities. And Jesus promised it will endure. And that's not a false promise."
Nate added, "Mrs. Eddy did say that 'Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation [the rock] of Christ-healing' [Science and Health, p. 136]. And we are seeing some very special evidence of healing. That tells us that we are safe, that we are secure."
With those words of deep love for our Church, the meeting came to a close. And in a beautifully peace-filled conclusion, Mother Church soloist, Julia Wade, accompanied by Bobby Stanton on guitar and Don Krishnaswami on viola, sang a profoundly moving solo, "The Masters Voice."
To view Annual Meeting 2007 in its entirety and selections from the Sunday School Workshop, go to www.churchofchristscientist.org/annualmeeting. These will be available until May 2008.
Dorothy Estes is a Journal staff editor.
