A meeting we will never forget

This past April about 70 of us gathered for four days of meetings in St. Louis, Missouri. We’d met before. We’d been working together for a little over two years to see if we could unite two Christian Science nursing accrediting organizations under one umbrella. Historically, these two organizations have had some philosophical differences about how the standards of Christian Science nursing should be applied, and the Christian Science Board of Directors asked us to attempt to resolve these differences. 

We had determined early on that whatever we ultimately agreed to do at our meeting, we wanted the decision to be unanimous. Several professional facilitators we spoke to were surprised that we would attempt this. It’s not as though we began the journey with a total convergence of viewpoints. Many of us held deep convictions that we knew would be difficult to reconcile. But we also knew that Christian Science demands each student to yield up human opinions, to listen to divine Mind, and to expect to see evidence that everyone else is also listening to the same Mind.

In the early discussions, we spent a lot of time just thinking and praying together about unity and what it means to genuinely be of one accord—of one Mind. We were inspired by something Mary Baker Eddy told one of her classes: “We, to-day, in this class-room, are enough to convert the world if we are of one Mind; for then the whole world will feel the influence of this Mind; …” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 279).

As we worked our way through the list of issues to be resolved, we learned how important it is to listen patiently and respectfully to every viewpoint, to look for common ground and build on it, to respect the unique needs and concerns of others, and to trust creative Mind to reveal ways to either dissolve or resolve those concerns.

We also prayed to understand more clearly and trust more deeply that divine Mind is truly guiding each of us, that divine Love is working in us, and that everyone involved could feel and respond to Love’s tender urgings.

At our meeting in April, we felt the deeply transformative presence and power of Love. We witnessed the tangible presence and guidance of one Mind. It was still work. There were several issues that it appeared would be difficult to resolve. As one participant said, “This was one issue I came prepared to fall on my sword for.”  And yet we simply could not deny the compelling presence of the Christ, urging us to work together until we found that sacred place of true accord.

And we did! Ultimately, every vote ended in unanimous agreement. We fully revised our standards for accrediting Christian Science nursing facilities. We approved plans to strengthen the training process for on-site reviewers, and to develop an independent review committee to improve the objectivity of the review process. The work of implementing these changes is underway and will culminate in all of our organizations being accredited by one accrediting body, The Commission, by the end of this calendar year.

In the meantime, here are some reflections on the St. Louis meeting by several who attended:

“What a privilege to have been part of this sacred revealing of Church!”

“I was in awe watching Christian Science at work.”

“What a great demonstration of grace and unity. I think about how thought gets ‘moulded and exalted.’ In my experience, this has felt less like compromise (giving something up) and more like becoming attracted to a new place. When you get there, it’s where you want to be, so there’s no sense of having had to give something up to get there.”

“This is one of the most remarkable healings I’ve ever witnessed. You could feel it begin to happen at the beginning of the conference, and it had touched every person there by the end.”

“Attending the conference was a pivotal point in my experience. … [It] was not about tolerating another’s viewpoint. It was about ‘oneness.’ I truly did glimpse how the disciples must have felt on the Day of Pentecost— ‘of one Mind, in one accord, in one place.’ ” 

Alison Alioto is Chair of The Commission for the Accreditation of Christian Science Nursing Organizations, Inc. 

Beverly Luttrell is President of Partnership for Christian Science Nursing.

The following letter was sent by the Christian Science Board of Directors to each Christian Science nursing organization that participated in the April meeting:

Dear Friends,

The news about your harmonious meeting, together with the accompanying pictures, moved the hearts of your five friends on the Board of Directors deeply. We are grateful for your willingness over the last two years to work on that goal of finding common ground. We fully realize that the path was rocky and sometimes appeared simply impossible, but your willingness to persevere in humility and Christliness and to follow God’s leading has made the goal possible.

What you as a group have accomplished cannot be underestimated in its effect on our movement and the political and cultural landscape in the world. You have proven that setting aside a personal agenda, however well justified historically and factually, is not a loss but rather opens the door to receive God’s rich blessings. You have demonstrated in a remarkable way the necessary humility to reach that point.

We and the world are in your debt, and our movement is stronger because of your achievement.

In deep gratitude, 

The Christian Science Board of Directors