My first teaching job, in 1971, was at a small school on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Back then the island was so sparsely inhabited that it had only one grocery store and few amenities. Arrivals and departures on the island had to be coordinated with the bridge openings and closings. The nearest Christian Science church was an hour away in Beaufort, where I faithfully attended on Sundays and Wednesdays.
After my first year of teaching, I took Christian Science Primary class instruction and felt inspired to reach out to my small island community. I thought there must be some Christian Scientists on the island, or at least people who would benefit from Christian Science if they were made aware of it. As I thought about Mary Baker Eddy’s definition of Church on page 583 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, I felt that to “afford proof of its utility,” it would be wonderful to build a local church community. Mrs. Eddy’s reference to “dormant understanding” in this definition had me envisioning all those folks who were staying dormant in their expression of church and waiting for someone else to get things started. How could I find them? I prayed about the next step to take, knowing I could trust God to direct my way.
After thinking through various options, I ran a small ad in the local newspaper asking if anyone was interested in getting together to hold Christian Science church services, and if so, to contact me. Then I eagerly waited for the response that I knew must be coming. I waited … and waited, but nothing happened. Still, I continued to cherish this right desire. I felt I had been divinely led to run the ad, and I felt sure there must have been a reason. I was certainly learning to “let patience have her perfect work” (James 1:4). It was tough because my sense of timing expected a quick response!
