Article August 11, 1956 Issue

Activities for the Armed Services

For several years after World War II The Mother Church did not maintain Christian Science Ministers for the Armed Services in Great Britain because there seemed to be no need for them at that time. With the advent of the Korean War, conditions changed and The Christian Science Board of Directors resumed appointing Ministers in England. From that beginning, Christian Science Activities for the Armed Services has grown until there are today twenty-four Christian Science Ministers and Representatives serving armed forces personnel at home and abroad and ex-servicemen in hospitals in Great Britain.

Because conditions in Great Britain indicated the need, the Board of Directors has established there the British Branch of Armed Services Activities and has appointed as its manager a retired Army officer who had been an officiating Minister in World War II. The Ministers in the British Branch serve in England, Scotland, and Ireland; whereas most of the Representatives serve overseas in Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Malta, Hong Kong, and on ships. The Ministers and Representatives of the British Branch also visit the bases of the United States Armed Forces located in the British Isles.

Great Britain has reduced the size of its armed forces, but it still has a substantial flow of men and women entering and leaving the Royal Army, Navy, and Air Force. When the Christian Science Ministers and Representatives of the British Branch of Armed Services Activities learn of Christian Scientists in the forces, they usually first write letters and then follow up their letters with personal visits. Many of these field workers have invited service personnel to their homes and have found these periods of hospitality good opportunities to help to meet human needs.

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