In 2001, the members of our church, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Cleveland, voted to sell our large edifice built in 1930–31. After extensive research, it had become apparent that the cost of work required to maintain the building in proper repair was well beyond what our membership could sustain. The building was subsequently sold to an industrial design firm.
Concurrent to our search to find a new location more appropriate to our needs was ongoing metaphysical work by the membership to gain a clear understanding that church is not defined by a building, but by spiritual qualities. The membership compiled a list of qualities we all wanted to see in our new church home. This list continues to be a guideline in our ongoing demonstration of church.
While we searched for a new location, the members of the nearby Christian Science Society, Cleveland Heights, graciously offered to share the use of their edifice. They held their Sunday service at 11 a.m. and we held ours at 9 a.m. Since they were not holding Wednesday testimony meetings at that time, they attended ours. This lovely arrangement continued until the two congregations decided to merge in 2004, retaining the name of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Cleveland.
