FROM THE Directors

"... our whole heart" and "not less than one dollar"

The Christian Science Board of Directors

"God requires our whole heart, and He supplies within the wide channels of The Mother Church dutiful and sufficient occupation for all its members" (Manual of The Mother Church, Art. VIII, Sect. 15).

"Every member of The Mother Church shall pay annually a per capita tax of not less than one dollar, which shall be forwarded each year to the Church Treasurer" (Church Manual, Art. VIII, Sect. 13).

In these two Manual provisions one can see Mary Baker Eddy's guidance on questions about ways to support church projects: dollar contributions are a variable; heart contributions are total.

Such guidance is important to keep in mind when questions come up about restricted giving, especially the relative merits of endowment funds.

A building fund is an example of restricted giving that is easy to deal with: a project is agreed upon, a need made known, buildings are built, bills get paid, and the fund is dissolved.

Endowment funds are certainly useful but are not without some peculiarities. Too often the mission they start out to endow gets lost in the magnitude of dollars needed. Because only earned income from endowment funds can be used, any increase in dollar needs for this kind of restricted fund multiplies the demand on contributors to keep pace.

A more serious consequence occurs if an endowment system grows to be more trustworthy than daily prayer and daily demonstration.

The language of the Manual makes it clear Mrs. Eddy wanted her followers to value money as a practical means of support for church activities. And, further, the Manual guards against the use of contributions as leverage for private projects. Prayer, hearts made pure, and lives made whole are power, and will always be the most influential contribution this Church can receive or give.

In all our support for The Mother Church, financial or metaphysical, God's requirement is for our whole heart.

The Christian Science Board of Directors

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"The dark night wakes, the glory breaks"

December 18, 1989

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