Article May 17, 1982 Issue

The value of an intimate acquaintance with the Manual

BETTIE LOU WARNER HENNINGSEN

To the student of Christian Science, the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy is an indispensable tool whose power for producing good is evidenced in the wealth of spiritual ideas it brings to light. This volume goes far beyond being merely a handbook for church organization. Each activity and Rule represents the healing Christ and expresses a universal love for all mankind. Each By-Law allows for a disciplined yet free-flowing unfoldment of good through spiritual inspiration.

My discovery of the value of the Manual came as a result of prayer. I had been appointed to certain branch church committee work and found myself in awe of fulfilling its purpose. So I began to pray, knowing that divine Mind would supply me with all that I needed to know. The answer came one day as I sat studying. My eyes came to rest on a tiny volume—the Church Manual—propped against some other books. "The answer's got to be in there," I thought. "That's the book about the Church!"

From that point on, the Manual became a constant companion in my study of Christian Science. I not only received the guidance needed for the committee work, but I began to see all of the Manual activities and Rules in a better light. Up to that point I had accepted a very limited sense of the book's purpose. I had been seeing the Manual as simply a compilation of legal rules designed to protect the functions of The Mother Church, rather like a constitution of the Church. Without giving it much thought, I'd accepted that the book was difficult to understand and had little to do with the individual or his spiritual growth.

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