Our visits in the Field, the fine reports you've sent us, the many good things you've told us about, have helped Church in Action keep you abreast of what other branches are doing.
We have reported on a lot of the "what" that's taking place throughout the movement. Now, so that others may more fully benefit from your experience and inspiration, we'd like to do more with the "how."
To do this, we will, of course, need your help. We'd like to hear directly from branches that consistently have good healing services, that have strong member support in their Reading Room, that have an active, growing Sunday School, enthusiastic committees, a firm sense of love and unity among their members, a selfless willingness and readiness to serve.
Specifically we'd like to know how you've achieved this—how each of our church activities can be kept inspirational instead of becoming routine. If at any point you found yourselves just going through the motions, would you tell us how you turned the boat around, the steps you took, the prayerful thoughts you used?
Write to:
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Department of Branches and
Practitioners
Christian Science Center
Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115
'Love's ideas know no hostile atmosphere'
A member of a Christian Science college organization was one of many women students invited to a special meeting called by the campus housing authority of a large California university. A man was attacking and robbing women on campus. Those attending the meeting were asked to warn others and urge them to take special safety precautions.
The alert Christian Scientist felt impelled to have her college organization call an immediate inspirational meeting to deal with this situation.
"I remember well the fear that gripped the university campus after several attacks had been made on co-eds," she says. "I was so grateful to be a part of the Christian Science organization and able to do something about the situation through prayer."
One of the advisors who sat in on the meeting reports, "The organization members worked with the spiritual facts regarding God and His reflection, man. These are some of the thoughts they shared. That Truth uncovers error and arrests it. That the man of God's creating is incapable of attacking or robbing. That the woman of God's creating is not mortal but a spiritual idea, pure and innocent, safe in God's care. That man is not a lusting mortal impelled to satisfy the flesh, but an immortal idea satisfied by divine Love. That Love's ideas know no hostile atmosphere but ever move in perfect harmony."
The meeting of the organization was held on a Tuesday afternoon, and by Thursday the offender was apprehended.
Healing Goal Meetings are transforming people's lives
A great surge of gratitude and inspiration is coming from the Healing Goal Meetings being held now in many parts of the world. People's lives are being transformed and many fine healings have been reported as a direct result of the meetings.
A woman in New Orleans wrote the Board of Directors, "A great awakening has touched our community, evidenced in greater attendance at church services, livelier Wednesday testimony meetings, and in renewed alertness to apply Christian Science to every problem that arises.
"What glorious courage you had to take a new idea and try it out. The Healing Goal Meetings are marvelous! They bring The Mother Church and many branch churches together with a project that blesses and inspires. All during the six months of preparation," she continues, "our committee felt the sustaining, loving support of The Mother Church. Joy and gratitude dominated our meetings; nothing was too hard to do. The goal was constantly before us. What an uplifting experience! The meetings were new adventures of Mind's unfoldment."
From a church in Tennessee came this report after their regional day-and-a-half meeting: "We have felt an increase of individual spirituality. There has been a rededication to the Cause of Christian Science. We feel many of the appointments to committees in this church were filled quickly this year because of the renewed inspiration."
Many members write the Directors telling of a healing of apathy or indifference. One in particular admitted she had become "totally apathetic toward active participation in church. I spasmodically attended Sunday services and made up every excuse imaginable for not attending Wednesday evening testimony meetings. The Healing Goal Meeting enabled me to unmask animal magnetism as a notorious thief that was robbing me of my joy and duty in active church participation." She called her experience at the Healing Goal Meeting "a spiritual rebirth."
Said another, "On that Sunday [the meetings take place on Friday night and Saturday] it seemed that wherever I turned I was talking with someone who had had their whole perspective uplifted or changed during the program."
One young man gained the courage to stand up for what was right at college, and he reports his actions have attracted others to the Christian Science way of thinking. Four teen-agers, who attended with their parents, came away from the meeting requesting specified hours to have the TV on and off—to allow more time for studying Christian Science.
The number of individuals who after the meetings made application to enter the public practice of Christian Science has not been totaled, but there have been many. One area alone gained four new listed practitioners in the months following their meeting.
Many members, too, who had been contemplating class instruction for years made this progressive move promptly after attending one of the Healing Goal Meetings, and they wrote to The Mother Church of their joy.
Among the many physical healings reported were those of long-standing deafness and of a growth, which was completely dissolved.
Said one member: "I came away more willing—yes, eager— to say what I am and what I am doing, that I am a Christian Scientist and I am practicing it."
"For me," wrote another, "the Healing Goal Meeting was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had."
It sounds as though they got the message
The following letter, we feel, speaks for itself. It was received by a member of The Christian Science Board of Directors, shortly after he spoke at a Healing Goal Meeting in Illinois.
Dear—:
We're from the 6th grade Sunday School class from First Church of Christ, Scientist, —, Illinois. After attending the Healing Goal Meeting here, we have decided to follow through with specific goals for 1975.
We the undersigned have decided on the following goals:
1. Membership in our branch church.
2. Membership in The Mother Church.
3. Supporting the church committees.
4. Better understanding of brothers and sisters.
5. Better prepared for Sunday School class.
6. We will not be defensive about sharing our religion.
7. Break our bad habits and make good ones.
In good faith,
(Signed by four teen-agers)
Appreciating Monitor advertisers can have a far-reaching effect
What is it that makes a woman go 15 miles out of her way to make a purchase from a Monitor advertiser, when she could have made the same purchase from another dealer much closer to home?
Obviously love for the Monitor and appreciation for those whose advertising plays such an important part in bringing the paper's message to mankind. Often this identifying yourself as a Christian Scientist and expressing thanks for a particular advertisement can have far-reaching effect.
Take the experience of this woman from Pennsylvania. She wanted a color television set and decided it would be a popular brand which has been advertised consistently in the Monitor. That she went so far out of her way to locate a retail advertiser who carried this brand greatly impressed the Monitor advertiser. But there's more to the story.
The console model she selected wasn't in stock, and this entailed several months' wait. When the set finally came in, she went to the store to inspect it. She found the shop owner's appearance changed considerably and learned he had just been released from the hospital. As she closed the sale and turned to leave, he called her back with the question, "What is Christian Science?"
All through his long spell in the hospital, he said, he had remembered her visit in response to his ad in the Monitor. And he looked forward to seeing her again when the TV set came in so he could ask her about Christian Science. He had been, he explained, a lifelong sufferer from epilepsy.
Within six months of taking up the study of Christian Science he was healed. Shortly thereafter, in fulfilling an insurance requirement, he was examined by the same physician who had earlier pronounced him incurable, and he was found to be completely free.
Notes from the music workshop at this year's Annual Meeting
A special Church Music Workshop— the first ever held at The Mother Church—was one of the additional by-invitation-only meetings given this year during the latter part of Annual Meeting Week.
Close to 1,000 branch church organists, soloists, and music committee members heard Dr. Thomas Richner, Organist of The Mother Church, and several assistants talk about, and illustrate musically, some ways of achieving higher-quality music in Christian Science services. If one thing could be said to characterize the workshop, it was the demand on musicians for more spiritualized thought and for diligent work and attention to technical and musical details in order to attain the "recognized standard of musical excellence" Mrs. Eddy asks for in the Church Manual.Manual of The Mother Church, Art. XIX, Sect. 1.
We're passing along a number of especially clarifying and helpful points —not rules, of course, but advice from professional musicians—that we thought the entire Field might appreciate.
—CONCERNING HYMN PLAYING: No dirge-like tempos, even in quiet hymns; dignity must be maintained even in quicker tempos; the organist or pianist must phrase, or "breathe," to effectively lead the congregation; he or she should always introduce hymns on clear foundations, then strengthen the registration for ensuing verses; he should not improvise or modulate during hymns; hymn playing must be practiced!
—CONCERNING THE SOLO: Soloist needs to study the Bible Lesson for its central point, then find a solo that does more than simply reiterate a scriptural text. This applies to organists, too, in choosing preludes, postludes, and offertories. Soloists should be in place before accompaniment begins and remain there until music is concluded. It's better for soloist to hold music—helps congregation to focus on the solo and not the soloist. It's good to replace banal and hackneyed solos with new pieces of contemporary style; but retain literature of recognized excellence. Rapport and candor between soloist and organist should be a constant goal. Use of a tape recorder to evaluate rehearsals can be helpful. Accompaniment scored for piano needs to be carefully adapted for organ.
—CONCERNING THE PRELUDE, POSTLUDE, AND OFFERTORY: It's important to keep improving one's keyboard facility; piano practice is essential to improve fluent organ technique; constantly explore new repertoire.
It's best not to play hymns out of the Hymnal as a prelude, although a chorale prelude based on a hymn tune is suitable. If church has no organ, use piano repertoire of recognized excellence. The practice of always playing one of Mrs. Eddy's hymns to bring Readers onto the platform isn't encouraged. It tends to be ritualistic.
—ON PLAYING AN ELECTRONIC ORGAN: Don't fight the instrument. The challenge is within the player. Any instrument can be the medium for the expression of the musician's musical and metaphysical work.
—CONCERNING THE MUSIC COMMITTEE: A useful link between the executive board and the musicians; not there merely to evaluate but to hold spiritual guard over the music, to provide an atmosphere in which the organist and soloist can perform most harmoniously; to be of special assistance to the musician who is not a church member by helping him understand what is taking place in a Christian Science service and by helping him choose appropriate music.
—CONCERNING AUDITIONS: Auditioning organists should be given an opportunity to practice on the organ beforehand. Consideration and concern for their comfort will help them perform at their best during the audition.
—ON BRANCH CHURCH ORGAN CONCERTS: These are not for the purpose of getting the public into a Church of Christ, Scientist; they are for the furtherance of high-quality organ music in our churches and should be played by one fully qualified to perform publicly. They are open to the community, but are not an occasion for inviting other branch churches. If soloist takes part, only an appropriate sacred repertoire should be chosen.
ON HYMN SINGS: Neither other branches nor the public should be invited. They are given to familiarize the congregation with the Hymnal or to support a branch church inspirational meeting. They should include no dramatizations of Mrs. Eddy's writings or the Bible. If it is an inspirational hymn sing at Christmastime, it should not include any secular Christmas songs or Christmas carols other than those in the Hymnal. And it should not be labeled as a "Christmas" event.
In conclusion, here is a short list of "don'ts" that may prove beneficial. They're offered, as is all of the foregoing, not as rules that must be adhered to, but simply as professional advice, helpful suggestions from experienced musicians.
1. Don't play sentimental, poorly written music.
2. Don't, as a rule, play piano music on the organ.
3. Don't play preludes longer than the time specified for The Mother Church in the Church Manual (music for lectures is usually of longer duration).
4. Don't modulate between pieces. After a short break, go directly to the next number. It is permissible to modulate from the last hymn of a Wednesday testimony meeting to the postlude, but not if the modulation is awkward or unmusical.
5. Don't add "doodling" after well-composed music.
6. Don't improvise "sit-down" music after the hymn if you lack the creative gift—repeat the last phrase instead.
7. Don't rely on "gift" ability in place of thorough preparation.
8. Don't use crescendo pedal as a substitute for thought-out registration.
9. Don't blast the congregation continually with full organ.
'Her presence in the class has blessed us all'
Endeavoring to do her part to fulfill the Healing Goal of The Mother Church, a Sunday School teacher in the southwestern United States prayed earnestly to see how she could improve her ability "to respond to the needs of mankind by spiritual means." Her answer came in a sudden, most unexpected way.
One Sunday morning her class of 9and 10-year-olds had a new visitor we'll call Nancy, a little girl who is deaf. The child's mother, herself still new to Christian Science, relates that on the first day her daughter enrolled in Sunday School, "we were told that if she was going to be a regular student they would try to find a teacher who knew sign language. This was so comforting to us because we were afraid she would be sitting in a class with no communication, no visual aids. Her ability to read was very poor."
We can only imagine how much the teacher prayed that morning, how she worked to lovingly include the child and make her feel a part of the class. The teacher knew no sign language; still they made a small but warm beginning by writing notes. Soon they graduated to one of those "magic slates" that instantly erases when you lift the plastic cover. But it was obvious the child needed someone who could talk to her in signs.
When the church's search for a Christian Scientist so equipped failed, the teacher decided to start taking courses in sign language at her own expense.
"The loving acceptance of Nancy and the class's willingness to learn to communicate with her by sign language have made Nancy eager to attend every Sunday," her mother reports. "As a result of Sunday School, Nancy's behavior in the family has changed gradually from violent outbursts of anger, often resulting in physical action, to calmness, willingness to reason with us on almost all occasions.
"She has stopped using the exaggerated mannerisms of a deaf child, although all her school classmates still do. We can see a great deal of difference when we compare her progress with that of other deaf children we know. And," the mother concludes, "we know it is from the love expressed to Nancy in Sunday School."
The Sunday School teacher tells us that from Nancy's very first visit they— the entire class—have been working prayerfully on total communication, to see that divine Mind, God, speaks directly to each of His ideas. "Each of us is gaining a strong understanding of the spiritual sense of hearing," the teacher says.
"Other pupils in the class are learning some signs, too, and have from the beginning included Nancy in our discussions. She has progressed," the teacher says, "to a point where she often anticipates what we're saying to her. She is speaking and reading more clearly. And I know our reaching out to her spiritually, through prayer, is contributing to her growing understanding of herself as a joyous expression of God. Her presence in the class has blessed us all."
Drawing attention to the Reading Room's most important product
"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light." Luke 11:33;
Reading Room librarians are commenting on the response they get when they place Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy in prominent display.
An attendant in Massachusetts had been praying to draw visitor attention to the Reading Room's most important product. He decided to take all six of the paperback copies of Science and Health on hand and put them out on a table. It wasn't an elaborate display, but there was no doubt the books would be the first thing that someone entering would see.
Barely ten minutes later a man came in to ask how to get somewhere. The attendant didn't know but called the police station to find out. Meanwhile, the visitor started thumbing through one of the copies of Science and Health. He put the book down to take the directions but picked it up again to reread something that had interested him.
The man then told the attendant he had a drinking problem, went to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, and found the Lord's Prayer especially helpful. The attendant responded by showing him the chapter on Prayer, including the page where Mrs. Eddy gives the spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer. With that, the man decided to buy the book.
At a Reading Room in a medium-sized Texas city the librarian always keeps 100 copies of the paperback Science and Health on hand and on a shelf where they are very visible. Occasionally they are made the theme of a window display.
One result of such a display was the visit of a woman who ended up buying not only Science and Health and the Bible but also a subscription to all the Christian Science periodicals. She now studies the weekly Bible Lessons.in the Christian Science Quarterly. Furthermore, she regularly attends Sunday church services—even though she travels 90 miles each way to do so.
Monthly sales of Science and Health at this Reading Room are high, and the staff attributes their consistent flow of non-church-member visitors partly to their displays of this book.
New guide for teaching the Bible to young children
Sunday School teachers working with pupils up to age nine now have available another valuable teaching aid—Volume I of the Guide for Bible Teaching series by Ann Putcamp. (Although Volume I, it's actually the final volume of this three-part set, the other two having been released earlier.)
This new guide can help the teacher in several ways:
—It is a layman's resource of Bible stories that illustrate and elaborate on the meaning of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount (among the "first lessons" that Mrs. Eddy refers to in the Church ManualManual of The Mother Church, Art. XX, Sect. 3.).
—It paints a vivid picture of the cultures and lands that are a part of Bible stories and parables. Several maps are included.
—It focuses in depth on two of a child's favorite subjects: animals and other children, and shows how the Sunday School teacher can make use of biblical references to children and animals to teach important lessons and help make the Bible vital and interesting.
—It helps the teacher bring to life in the child's imagination the day-to-day existence, teachings, and healing works of Christ Jesus.
—And neatly tucked in are some practical guidelines for understanding and working with little children— helpful suggestions for creating a harmonious class situation plus a few illustrations of the responsiveness and spiritual acumen small children are capable of.
This isn't a book from which teachers can, or should, teach verbatim, but one that will stimulate thought to a more creative, imaginative search for the multitude of scriptural references younger children can enjoy and understand.
It's on sale for $2.50 in Christian Science Reading Rooms, or direct from The Christian Science Publishing
Society, One Norway Street,
Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115.
A tailor-made solution was right at hand
A Colorado branch church found a distinctive way to double its child care space and at the same time accommodate the needs of a growing Sunday School.
Since the membership was also considering improving or expanding their edifice, a special planning committee examined various alternatives. Among these was a plan to remodel and expand a small stone cottage standing empty on adjacent church-owned property.
It turned out to be an ideal solution. The original children's room in the church became a Sunday School classroom. An architect worked with the church to convert the cottage— originally a carriage house—into a three-room facility for children. One room, which separates the babies' crib room from the toddlers' playroom, has a small table and chairs, so that youngsters who will soon go to Sunday School can listen quietly to stories for part of the church hour.
Church members are particularly pleased with their new, bigger facility, which is also open now one morning each week so that parents of small children can study in the Reading Room.
The church also reports that the architect who worked with them became so interested in Christian Science that he and his wife began attending services. They have recently joined the church, and their teen-age daughter is enrolled in Sunday School.
Interestingly, the opinion is gaining acceptance in some branch churches that mothers who make use of the children's room shouldn't necessarily be expected to serve in it. As one board member expressed it, "Parents should experience the joy of being free to attend church both Sunday and Wednesday without any sense of concern or obligation."
One committee chairman reports: "Many parents of grown children and other members who have had little contact with children appreciate the opportunity to serve in this way one Sunday or Wednesday a month. They tell me they gain a lot from the immense love these little ones express."
Guidelines for establishing and maintaining a children's room can be obtained by writing to:
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Department of Branches and
Practitioners
Christian Science Center
Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115
