In July 2025 the Clerk’s Office of The Mother Church (The First Church of Christ, Scientist) was gifted a precious glimpse into the spiritual demonstration made by a remarkably faithful Christian Scientist: William B. Haines.
Mr. Haines, of British nationality, was a World War II prisoner of war for three and a half years in Sumatra, located in Southeast Asia. With a borrowed Bible and two composition notebooks acquired through trading his sugar rations, Mr. Haines endeavored to be a loyal student of Christian Science despite the intense suffering and religious persecution he endured during his imprisonment.
His composition notebooks were generously given to The Mother Church. They prompt the Christian Scientist today to consider both the spiritual sustenance that strengthened Mr. Haines and the qualities of thought that enabled him to triumph during this ordeal. Containing exquisite and exact handwriting, the notebooks themselves reveal the great value Mr. Haines placed on the teachings of Christian Science.
