Article October 31, 1908 Issue

THE CHURCH USHER'S OPPORTUNITY

HARRY J. WIXSON.

The services in all Christian Science churches have a specific purpose, in the fulfilment of which all members are equally interested and all have an opportunity to share. The discouraged, the sick, and the sinful come to these services, and notwithstanding their seeming condition or their creeds, they are healed, some by a single attendance. There are constant proofs that these services heal, and yet the demonstration is but just begun. The church usher is usually on the alert for "the stranger that is within thy gates," and it is frequently to him that strangers express their gratitude for the bright, cleanly church, the helpful service, and for the love which the congregation reflects.

An usher, in the performance of his duties, is like the vanguard of an army. He should be possessed of great Christian courtesy, so as not to give offense, but rather to predispose the stranger favorably to the service. Usually he is a member of the church, and should be a progressive Christian Scientist, capable of keeping himself in spiritual poise, ready to meet any manifestation of error if it should seek to make its appearance. Even a partial appreciation of the benefits to be derived from the church service may be accepted as a sufficient reason for his invariable punctuality, while the responsiveness of the congregation makes his work of seating them a pleasure, and the loving thought which they reflect assists him in his spiritual work and in his demonstration of the truth. The writer has found the belief untrue that punctuality is a difficult demonstration; on the contrary, it is a pleasure and a benefit. In one of her letters to The Mother Church (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 149) Mrs. Eddy asks that all be invited to "bring what they possess of love and light to help leaven your loaf;" and to see a congregation thus assembling is an inspiration to all who avail themselves of this opportunity.

The usher should be awake to his great opportunities and responsibilities, and should come to the church service prepared to meet them. He should be endowed with a sense of the divine energy, and demonstrate this by punctuality and obedience. As a faithful follower of his Leader he should endeavor to fulfil the law of Love, doing good to all, imparting the blessings of Truth, Life, and Love to all who come within the radius of his thought. He should aim to work in harmony with Love toward one common end, through obedience, concerning which our dear Leader says, "Obeying the divine Priniciple which you profess to understand and love, demonstrates Truth. Never absent from your post, never off guard, never ill-humored, never unready to work for God,—is obedience; being 'faithful over a few things' " (Miscellaneous Writings, p. II6). The fulfilment of his duty as regards daily prayer will save him from disobedience, from obeying "the material senses, false suggestions, self-will, selfish motives, and human policy" (Ibid., p. II8).

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