“The idea of members coming together and talking about Church is something that’s been natural from the beginning of Christianity,” says Bill Warrick. “I can visualize the early Christians supporting each other as they went out to share the Christ-message, and then coming back together to discuss what they’d encountered—whether it was resistance or acceptance. So I think it’s natural for us to do this from time to time today—to look at the challenges we’re facing together and how we’re praying our way through them. Also, to hear how someone half a world away has met a challenge similar to ours, but maybe in a different way.
“Part of the impact of these gatherings—thinking and praying about Church together—has been a greater awakening to the power of Church and Mary Baker Eddy’s vision,” says Bill. “In some ways, the Youth Summits are introducing many youth participants for the first time to what Church is and the many possibilities Mary Baker Eddy outlined in the Church Manual. The Church Alive summits offer more of an opportunity for renewal, revitalization, or even reexamination of our concept of Church, so I think both gatherings have been quite important.”
“I think a lot of people don’t realize this, but it’s not The Mother Church that decides where and when these events happen,” says Ariana. “It’s really the local Christian Science community—large or small—that gets together, and decides to host a summit in their location, organizes and figures out the program, raises funds for it, and decides the content. Bill and I just help guide them through the logistics of making it happen for each type of summit.
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