The Journal is pleased to offer readers the first in an occasional column from the office of Christian Science Practitioner Activities at The Mother Church in Boston. “Pathways to the practice” is autobiographical. While the contributors, presented here as three anonymous authors, are now experienced Christian Science practitioners, they were not yet listed in the Journal or Herald directories when they humbly accepted their first requests for Christian Science treatment—and got right to work! Below, in their own words, these 21st-century healers trace the heart’s and mind’s response to Christ Jesus’ unambiguous call: “Heal the sick.” It is our hope that readers will be encouraged, step by step, to renew their own commitment to scientific Christian healing in the 21st century, and to share this priceless gift of God’s grace with all humanity.
Practitioner 1: As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I’ve had many instances of receiving profoundly effective help from Christian Science practitioners. The role of a practitioner has always been important to me, has always seemed a supremely natural part of my life. But what eventually brought me to the point of accepting the full-time practice as my next step had a lot to do with what I learned some years ago while working in the office of the Committee on Publication at The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.