For decades, ever since Mary Baker Eddy asked her secretary to begin holding Christian Science services at a local jail in Concord, New Hampshire, Christian Science chaplains and others on institutional committees around the world (approximately 517 today in the United States alone) have been volunteering countless hours in local jails, prisons, and mental health facilities. They are the unsung heroes among church workers—those whose unselfish care for their neighbor often goes unnoticed or under-appreciated among other “church work.” With the support of branch churches, many of which supply Bibles and Christian Science literature to the facilities they serve, these volunteers bring the comforting and healing message of the Christ to people in great need. These workers’ efforts to include the men and women they minister to in the larger church community truly exemplify the spirit of a “church unconfined.” To honor their service, make it more widely known, and to help prosper it, the Journal will begin publishing regular reports on institutional work around the globe.
The man mentioned in the following account gave the author permission to tell his story.
When I lived in the San Diego area of California, I loved to walk on the beach. The sound of the waves washing ashore, the sea gulls soaring above, then dropping to the sand around me—they had a calming effect, allowing me to turn more easily to God for answers. On one of these walks I asked myself, What can I do next? I had recently completed six years working as an advertising representative for The Christian Science Monitor, and I was looking for other work that was as meaningful to me. Working for my church has filled my life with opportunities to share the truths I have learned and the spiritual healings that have blessed me through the years.
