"How was the Summit?" colleagues inevitably ask when we return home. No, we editors haven't been scaling mountains, but a few of us have been hopping on planes to attend gatherings of Christian Science youth in cities and towns around the world. These "Spiritual Activist Summits," as they've been called, bring together young people, Christian Science lectures, practitioners, teachers, and chaplains, as well as editors from The Christian Science Monitor, the Journal, and Christian Science Sentinel, typically for a day or two of heart-to-heart discussions, workshops, and lectures. The first Summit—two years ago in Lebanon, Missouri—was such a success that others have followed in Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., and most recently, Melbourne.
Ingrid Peschke, managing editor of spirituality.com and our sister publication the Christian Science Sentinel; Jenny Roemer, a Sentinel staff editor; and I have alternated at many of these Summits, giving workshops called "The Christian Science Magazines: Your Voice is Valuable." Recently, the three of us sat down for an informal roundtable discussion about what we've observed and learned from these workshops—especially fresh insights and ideas from our Church's wide variety of young people around the world.
Suzanne Smedley: Ingrid and Jenny, what would you say are the most significant observations you've made about the young people who attend these Spiritual Activist Summits?
