Following Annual Meeting 2017, with its upwelling spirit of love and unity, the Christian Science Board of Directors felt the immense value of Christian Scientists continuing to bear witness to the power of Spirit itself in bringing new energies and fresh devotion to our Cause. As of this date, the Board has journeyed to 16 regional meetings for church members, attendees at church services, and others seriously studying Christian Science.
These meetings held throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States have evidenced a new and growing spiritual momentum for our Church. The collegial, honest, and unselfed sharing that took place is well described by this year’s Annual Meeting theme, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
A portion of the fruitage and joyful comments by those taking part in these regional meetings, and other related church meetings, is shared below.
To many people, the feeling of having the Board come and visit is similar to the feeling one gets when a mother comes to visit her children and encourage, uplift, and make them feel like a part of the family.
I too was inspired and felt blessed by attending the meeting. My husband and I, together with our Christian Science teacher, had the best time spending the rest of the day talking about how to support you all and the movement effectively.
Thank you again for sharing your ideas with us. I believe this kind of work helps the rest of the world feel more connected to The Mother Church and not feel like they are isolated, but a part of a universal Cause and Church family.
As members of The Mother Church, we are indeed “partners of a glorious hope” (Charles Wesley, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 273), working together to support the mission of our Church as defined in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy (see p. 19).
Please convey my huge appreciation to the Board of Directors for yesterday’s meeting. I’m sure the consistent thread of newness and renewal that continued from Annual Meeting has been a great boost to the Field (and to me!).
Thanks for the great meeting last night! What a blessing to be part of that meeting.
There is indeed a sense of the “divine energy of Spirit” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 249) and newness being expressed in the movement.
Some work-in-progress items our church is working on:
We have not sponsored a live lecture for a number of years (video lectures, yes, but not live lectures)—but now we are talking about possibly hosting two live lectures per year, starting this year. We are actively exploring this opportunity and watching it unfold. This has brought us into contact with another branch church in looking at how we might share lecture expenses, etc.
Also on our board’s agenda: praying with a monthly metaphysical topic, shared with members and adherents, along with suggestions of citations to work with—and we created an email address for all to share ideas on these important topics.
I felt like never before that our Mother Church literally is mothering all of us, no matter how far from Boston we live.
A recent metaphysical topic we discussed was how we can ensure that every person walking into our church will feel immediately loved and at home, and we’re hosting a metaphysical meeting for all members to join in this particular discussion.
We are looking at a possible redesign of our Reading Room layout to make it more inviting and comfortable, and possibly adding more computer workstations for guests to use, linked to JSH-Online.com and other Christian Science resources such as YouTube lectures.
We have approved the creation of a web page for our church and Reading Room so information on what we have to offer can be easily found online—and adding wireless internet access throughout our building.
These are just a few of the ideas being discussed. I think they indicate a “moving forward” approach to church, with gratitude and joyful expectancy of how we will be led to share the good news of Christian Science—to bless our community!
Christian Science is indeed what is coming—we love that fact!
From a young mother who had recently experienced a significant healing and attended a meeting:
That day, even before the official meeting, I felt like never before that our Mother Church literally is mothering all of us, no matter how far from Boston we live. It’s so much more than an institution far across the ocean. “She” is always near to us, strengthening and nurturing us. During those dark months when I was struggling against deadly symptoms, I discovered within my heart such a profound love for our movement that I hadn’t been aware of before.
I felt like a mother does for her baby, and I had such a strong and clear sense that Christian Science will not be lost, because God keeps His movement—His much-loved baby!—alive. If He can keep me alive in the midst of the scariest symptoms, then He can keep His Cause alive, under all circumstances. This became 100 percent clear to me during those months. Our Mother Church isn’t a human institution; it’s God’s own Church, and He upholds it.
Even though many people believe that Christian Science is in decline, I know this isn’t true, because God told me!
I haven’t been to Boston yet, although I joined The Mother Church more than twenty years ago, but as a result of your visit, I’m feeling a completely new sense of closeness and relatedness. It’s as though mortal mind’s huge “ocean” is being dried up by the Christ; it cannot separate us from the spiritual sense of Church and from experiencing Church as a lively, tangible, uplifting presence.
There was such palpable love and fellowship in this meeting, and it was so healing to witness this! I had attended meetings in the past that did not have the same loving, community vibe. I am grateful for the progress of our Church and for all the love and dedication that has brought us together and continues to support that healing and progress.
Wow! Church is hoppin’! There is so much I don’t know about; it’s as if I’ve been frozen in time and am defrosting. And I am grateful to learn more.
I just finished editing an in-depth article about my waking up to real Church. I worked with one of the Journal, Sentinel, Herald editors and appreciated his edits and questions. It was fun and required deep prayer to be able to answer his questions—and the answers God gave me were surprising and delightful. Lovely. I love watching the journey of writing, and receiving ideas from God.
Also, after talking with another editor, I wrote an article on why I love to be edited. She told me that being edited is new to a lot of people and they often don’t understand it and don’t want anything they write to be changed.
My practice is beautiful and growing. I truly love it! I feel it as God’s rich inheritance. I never take it for granted. I’m also on my branch church board and am secretary and a board member for my association. I’m learning to handle the aggressive mental suggestion of personality, and I have been loving God as the one and only infinite Person.
I’ve heard that many in the general public—and I believe it was published in a newspaper article—hold the opinion that Christian Science is irrelevant today. It is believed that the medical world has all the solutions to today’s physical problems, so to speak. It is a malicious and invasive thought that, if not rejected, would also subtly make Christian Scientists believe that our movement cannot come up against this Goliath—that they, like the Israelites, are helpless against this so-called curse that seems to have so much power.
Walking together in the Spirit, letting our light shine, we cannot avoid feeling unity and love.
It can be tempting to give in to fear that we are on the way out. Nothing can be further from the truth if we stand up—like David—with all the power that Christian Science has given us. The “curse causeless” (Proverbs 26:2) cannot touch us. If we would see Christian Science flourish, we must let it flourish in our own thoughts. It is up to us to put it into practice and prove that we are still relevant, useful, and a living force for good in our world.
The “divine energy of Spirit” must be a creative energy because God is the creator. It must be an energy that awakens and enlivens and emboldens us. An energy that renews and refreshes but never, ever exhausts. An energy that cleanses humanity of the desire to limit church to ritual and routine. An energy that makes us admit that there is no separation between Church and Life—that the “structure of Truth and Love” (Science and Health, p. 583) is necessarily all-inclusive.
I felt a deep love for Christian Science, for all mankind, for the whole universe. I felt so much peace, love, and harmony and no longer felt isolated. And one of our members shared with us the following healing:
“In spite of a violent fall when taking the train, and in spite of the fact that it was very painful, I went on my way to the church to be at the meeting with the Directors. When I got to the church, I was very much impressed by the peace, the love, and the simplicity of Christ expressed.
“After the meeting I went back home having forgotten all about the problem. The next day, there was no visible trace [of injury].”
Once more, thanks to you for coming. We will keep on praying to feel the “divine energy of Spirit,” to support our Cause, and for all humanity—for the whole universe.
Thanks a lot to all of you for coming to us, and for this wonderful time of sharing. Some time ago, I sent a message expressing a lot of concerns regarding our Field; I don’t exactly remember what I mentioned, but there has been a lot of progress since. Also, you indirectly answered my concerns during the meeting. Walking together in the Spirit, letting our light shine, we cannot avoid feeling unity and love.
The atmosphere in our Christian Science Society had apparently become somewhat sour, loveless, and joyless—or so it was felt by some members. In between, there has been a lot of prayer on my part and, I’m sure, from all members, and also from friends around the whole world, to see more love expressed everywhere. Some of the main points of contention regarding formal points have not changed, but there is much more warmth, listening to one another, and compassion, and less judgment or impatience.
I also feel less burdened about the stern challenges confronting friends—and about my own needs as well! Animal magnetism cannot have its own say. God is the only power, and He is good.
Another step of progress: My practice has been slowly burgeoning again in the last few months, after many years of frost. Praying for patients is really helping me in my personal challenges: If I give a healing treatment and claim and see that it’s effective, I cannot accept that it could not be true for me. Truth is universally powerful.
So I’m also feeling the newness of Spirit and awakening to see signs of progress and the powerlessness of all that would contradict God’s all-power.
Knowing that I’m living in the Spirit, I’m looking forward to also walking in the Spirit and to sharing on this theme at our coming Annual Meeting.
