Article April 26, 1952 Issue

Of Good Report

Many of us know what a comfort it is for a student of Christian Science when on a business or pleasure journey to find himself able to attend a church service or to visit a Christian Science Reading Room or even to find a fellow Christian Scientist. And when taking an ocean voyage, what an opportunity he has to make known his church and the practical, healing truths its teaches, by arranging for a Christian Science service on board his ship! The following reports clearly show our opportunities to spread the gospel of Christian Science in this way.

"The day after my wife and I had boarded the ship for a transatlantic crossing recently, we ran into very rough weather. The purser informed our steward that we were Christian Scientists and wanted us to know that there were twenty copies of the Christian Science Hymnal (Words Only) and one regular Hymnal in the ship's library, but that they had never been used. The steward asked questions about Christian Science because he knew nothing about it. With the purser's consent, he offered to place a notice for a Christian Science service in the ship's newspaper and on the bulletin board with the announcements of services held by other denominations. We did not know whether there were other Christian Scientists on board, and we realized that we might have to read the service. Mortal mind argued strongly against holding the service. This was a challenge to overcome doubt and fear. By the next day these suggestions were overcome, and we realized what an opportunity it was to do good; so we gave our consent to put up the notice. We prayerfully continued to prepare ourselves for the reading of the service, although the weather was still very stormy and rough.

"Sunday morning dawned calm and beautiful. It was a great joy to see the people come in at the appointed time and place. The stewards had carefully prepared a room for the service with two Readers' tables and a piano on the platform. The Hymnals were placed on twenty of the many chairs provided, but there were not nearly enough to go around. The service was complete with solo and accompanist and from fifty to sixty people in attendance. The ship was one of the smaller liners of a well-known transatlantic steamship company.

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