WHEN CHET Manchester and I visited the Christian Science churches in Africa, we felt like we were traveling back in time to the early days of the Christian Science movement. We could feel the excitement! Church there is dynamic, not just a place where people come twice a week. These people live church—every day. During the week they reach out to neighbors, coworkers, street children, orphans, and prisoners to share healing ideas. And then they come together for the services each week to support each other.
These church members are discovering the effect that spiritual ideas can have on their own lives in the face of immense challenges and limited human solutions. And they have a burning desire to share this discovery with others. So it shouldn't have been a surprise to us that almost half the participants at most of the TMC Youth Summits were new to Christian Science.
One young Christian Scientist remarked, "I came with five friends from my university. The Summit changed their thought about Christian Science. Before, when they saw me reading the Bible Lesson each morning, they thought it was a bit strange .... But after the Summit, they understood Christian Science better."
