Branch Church News
A Grandmother stops by to show off a new "grand" baby. A Hispanic woman drops off a plate of homemade tortillas.
"How was the Summit?" colleagues inevitably ask when we return home. No, we editors haven't been scaling mountains, but a few of us have been hopping on planes to attend gatherings of Christian Science youth in cities and towns around the world.
Have an idea you want to share about keeping your high-school Sunday School students engaged and wanting to come back for more? Or a question about teaching the youngest classes? The discussion forums on TMCYouth. com are a fabulous resource for teachers and students as they explore these questions—and many more.
Last month two members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pau (France), talked with me about the momentous journey that one man, Elie Taillefer, made a half century ago to their town in the southwest of France, and how that one journey turned into a life's work and finally into a legacy that continues vibrantly today. One of the members I talked with, Philippe Abadie, grew up in Paris, the son of Catholic parents, but his mother discovered Christian Science when he was a young boy.
JUST AT THE TIME WHEN MY WIFE AND I had started our young family, our local Church of Christ, Scientist, elected me First Reader, which meant I would be responsible for conducting the church services. I was already busy with my work and children, but I discovered that with this new assignment, God had actually given me a wonderful gift: The increasing inspiration I gained over those few years from the Sunday services and Wednesday evening meetings was truly life-changing.
For Christian Scientists, the King James Version of the Bible remains at the core of daily study and weekly worship, while modern Bible translations offer fresh insight and clarity in contemporary English. In this discussion, three Bible scholars examine the enduring virtues and some shortcomings of the KJV.
CHILDREN LEARN TO HEAL Every child who enters a Christian Science Sunday School, even if it is only for one class, will begin to discover the simplicity of the healing Christ-principle. These children learn that there is never a situation, a condition, or a place where God's love and power are not present to protect and guide them.
People throughout the worldwide Christian Science community are asking, "How can we be sure that our Christian Science church services are filled with inspiration and healing—really feeding the spiritual needs of today's world?" Of course, everyone wants to stay true to the Church Manual and the healing purpose at the heart of these services. People also wonder how all of us can embrace our communities more fully and help thinkers of all ages find continuing comfort and a family feeling of community in our churches.
THE SCENE OPENS IN A MODEST PARLOR IN the home of Anna Ilzina, a surgeon and the widowed mother of two teenage daughters. The year—the 1950s, in Soviet-controlled Riga, Latvia.
DO YOU FEEL YOUR BRANCH CHURCH LANGUISHING A BIT? Dutifully holding services but without that "on fire" zeal you know the early Christian Church had? Do you have a deep-down desire to let others know about Christian Science so they can enjoy its healing benefits in their lives, whether they belong to a church or not? Do you yearn to have the truth about Mary Baker Eddy and her discovery more widely known and valued? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, read on. Discover what sponsoring a lecture on Christian Science in your community can do to enliven, invigorate, and expand the healing activity of your church.