Q: Sometimes I just don’t feel like going to church. I don’t like to force myself to go.

As I placed the “Open” sign in the window and unlocked the front door of the Christian Science Reading Room, I recalled these words from the Bible: “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” ( Revelation 3:8 ). I smiled to myself because I had been thinking a lot lately about how to find that spirit of Christianity that was present in the first century of the Christian era, when the early Christians were palpably imbued with the Holy Ghost and when that spirit impelled and directed their daily discipleship.

When I was First Reader in my Christian Science branch church, one Friday a common cold I’d been ignoring and not praying about suddenly developed into something much worse. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to read on Sunday.

Last December, our church board was reviewing the budget for the coming year. The previous year had ended in a shortfall, and the coming year looked to be about the same.

Last February, the metaphysical committee of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Cleveland, began planning an inspirational meeting for our members to explore the significance of Mary Baker Eddy’s provision in the Church Manual that each branch church shall be “distinctly democratic” ( p. 74 ).

“Lecture” is an interesting word. Does it conjure up remembrances of high school or college classes that lasted too long, or a lecture from your mom or dad about cleaning your room, not driving too fast, or being more responsible? When Mary Baker Eddy had the vision to write Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and The Manual of the Mother Church , lectures were a very acceptable and wonderful forum for communication.

It was ten minutes before the start of a Christian Science church’s Wednesday evening testimony meeting; a member and a long-standing visitor turned up to find the doors locked and no usher in sight. When I arrived there a few minutes later, someone opened the doors and unlocked the gate to the car park.

Church. Just sitting there.

One Wednesday, I attended a testimony meeting at my Christian Science Society. During this meeting, a woman stood up and spoke about how her purse had been stolen on a bus and how she was able to catch the thieves.

A couple of months ago, we moved into our new storefront Christian Science Reading Room. The members of our Christian Science branch church had spent considerable resources on making the storefront really attractive and welcoming.