The Sunday edition of a large metropolitan newspaper recently carried a story on how churches in big cities can be affected as neighborhoods change. But is it really the changing neighborhood or is it our changing thought about our neighborhood that affects our churches? Is our primary need more members, or do we need more of the unselfed love Christ Jesus expressed?

In many cases where there is a changing neighborhood, perhaps we are reluctant to welcome newcomers to our church because they speak with a different accent or their skin is a different color. Or we may feel they are not on our social, economic, or intellectual level. Then we need to remember our church's mission.

The mission of The Mother Church and all its branches is to bring healing and enlightenment to humanity. If there seems to be a lack of members in our church, this may be a call for the members to embrace the community more through prayer, to love and welcome the stranger and not resent or fear him. Racial prejudice or ignorance springs from the belief that we are mortals living in a material universe among other mortals, some having a worthy and others an unworthy heritage. Such a belief denies the allness of God, good, and the spiritual perfection of His image, man. How could God's man be divided into races or classes?

Unselfed love was the basis of Christ Jesus' teachings. He taught a higher concept of love than the world has ever known, and today we still seek to emulate the master Christian. Mrs. Eddy's expression of unselfed love enabled her to found the Church of Christ, Scientist, as a universal Church, a Church that she envisioned would bring the light of divine Truth to all mankind. This same type of unselfed love must be recognized as integral to The Mother Church and each one of its branches.

Is Church an idea or an object.-' Christian Science reveals Church to be a spiritual idea. A material gathering place for worship is but the sign and symbol of the true idea, Church, defined by Mrs. Eddy as "the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle." ^{Science and Health, p. 583;}

The material body is not man, but it is healed and harmonized as we recognize and hold to the truth of man, to his spiritual perfection and inseparability from God. Similarly, the material organization called church expresses the healing, elevating, rousing qualities of the Christ as its members clearly recognize and affirm that Church "rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle," and as they express the divine Principle, Love, in their lives.

Christ Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan supplies much food for thought as we consider our neighborhood and our churches. ^{See Luke 10:30—37;} Couldn't we liken those in our communities who seem to express sick and sinful thoughts to the traveler who fell among thieves? Hasn't animal magnetism, the term for evil of every nature, seemingly robbed them of their birthright of health, supply, integrity, of a sense of God's all-encompassing love for His ideas? Perhaps they seem "half dead," not conscious of what really constitutes life— joy, dominion, beauty, health, harmony, abundance, and limitless opportunities.

Branch church members might ask themselves if they are passing by on the other side like the priest in the parable. Is self-righteousness or apathy whispering that we are glad we don't have to come into contact with these individuals? The Samaritan who came and had compassion on the traveler and helped him might be likened to members of a branch church who recognize church and community problems as opportunities to let the light of the Christ penetrate the darkness in individual consciousness, thereby bringing healing to the church, the community, and the world.

The Samaritan "bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine," before he took him to an inn to take care of him. In the Glossary of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy defines "oil" as "consecration; charity; gentleness; prayer; heavenly inspiration." ^{Science and Health, p. 592;} Aren't these qualities requisite for healing the ills of material sense, whether they are personal, community, or world troubles? The expression of these qualities uplifts the Christ in one's consciousness; it attracts the receptive thought to our churches.

The primary aim of the members of a branch church is not to fill empty seats but to fill empty lives with the Christ, Truth; to realize that each of God's ideas reflects the all-knowing Mind, so there is no ignorance of, or opposition to, Truth, individually or universally. This correct knowing results in the appearance of strangers and newcomers in our Reading Rooms, church services, Sunday Schools, and lectures.

No belief of changing neighborhoods, changing moral or social codes, can affect the healing mission of that church where the members are daily expressing unselfed, Christly love. Mrs. Eddy wrote to a branch church, "Forget self in laboring for mankind; then will you woo the weary wanderer to your door, win the pilgrim and stranger to your church, and find access to the heart of humanity." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 155.}