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Church Alive

CHURCH. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.
 The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.
 – Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Branch church membership: what's the point?

By Pamela Cook

From the April 2012 issue of The Christian Science Journal

Last summer, I moderated a panel discussion on branch church membership at the New York City Church Alive Workshop. Here are some of the questions we considered:

What is the purpose of membership? What does membership promise in return?

The NYC Church Alive workshop panel was titled, “Membership: Its Purpose and Promise.” When I shared this title with one of the panelists, she said, “I get the purpose part; what’s the promise?” Good question! This led us both to think about the healing that comes naturally from being a church member. She realized she’d been healed of grief and depression when she became a branch church member again, after a time away.