Article December 14, 1992 Issue

Letters to the PRESS—and other articles

by Ruth Elizabeth Jenks—September 1992,

Boston magazine

The article "Not Ready For Prime Time," by John Strahinich [July], regarding the publicity being received by the First Church of Christ, Scientist, and focusing primarily on a former member of the Christian Science Publishing Society, is based on a faulty perception of how the Board of Directors operates.

I would like to offer a view from my perspective, and my credentials for offering it. I was a member of that board from 1983 until I resigned, in 1990. In that capacity I served as designated in the Manual of The Mother Church— the "rule" book for the government of the church, written by its founder, Mary Baker Eddy. I felt when I was asked to serve as a Director that I had a good knowledge of both the requirements of the Manual and what the work of the board entailed.

How little I knew and how much I had to learn! When I was asked to accept a place on that board, I was impressed with the scope of the responsibility, not only in regard to the day-to-day decisions but also with the extent to which the mandate in that book to keep "abreast of the times" demanded a vision not just for the next century. This meant hours of research, discussion, listening, sharing, praying—always with the motive of furthering the healing mission of our church as it pertained not only to its members but to all mankind.

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