A forum for dialogue — and for finding spiritual solutions

When Sean Weaver first started reading Science and Health in high school, he had no idea that one day he'd be handing out hundreds of Science and Healths to other students with an interest in spirituality. But that's exactly what Sean found himself doing recently as co-founder of the Christian Science Organization (CSO) at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

“We just keep finding ways to share Science and Health,” said the computer science graduate program student. “We've handed it out before lectures, given it away at graduation, and distributed copies to incoming freshmen at an activities fair during orientation,

“I think a key word would be 'willingness,'” Sean said, explaining the way he naturally moved into starting a CSO. “When it comes to church-related activities, I've always been willing — to take on assignments, to volunteer for new duties, to contribute in whatever way I can. I think it was the same attitude that impelled me to start a CSO.”

That, and a desire to share with others the book whose ideas had changed his life: Science and Health.

“For a few years it was pretty rough going,” Sean related, referring to some of the events of his late high school and early college years. “But I had a couple of great people in my life who would always turn me back to the concepts in the Bible and Science and Health. They directed me to ideas in these books that I could use. Even when things seemed bad, I was finding answers that were solid and substantial.”

Not to mention healing. The resolution of a difficult situation with a family member and an academic turnaround convinced Sean that the ideas in Science and Health had practical applications — for anyone.

“It just seemed natural to share,” Sean said, articulating the concept that has long been at the heart of the CSO's work. “Sharing's always been what we're all about.”

After the group cleared a series of logistical hurdles and became an official organization, its members began to consider the CSO's role on campus. As one among dozens of other student groups at the University of Cincinnati, what would make it stand out?

The answer turned out to be surprisingly simple.

“Our goal is to provide a forum for dialogue,” Sean explained, “a place where people can come together, share ideas, and find solutions. We're not a church. We wanted to be clear on that from the beginning. And we realized we couldn't really serve the diverse needs of the student body solely by holding church services.”

Nevertheless, the idea of a service intrigued Sean, and he wondered what kind of unique service his CSO could provide for the community. “I'd always liked the double meaning of the word,” he explained, “and that's what got me thinking about what we had to offer. I knew we had a service we could provide, and I guess that's why the Manual provision for campus lectures appealed to me so much.”

And so, acting on that By-Law in the Manual of The Mother Church, which says that Christian Science organizations may call for a member of The Christian Science Board of Lectureship to give a lecture on their campus, Sean and the other CSO co-founder, Lauren Farquhar, decided to hold a series of three lectures. The subject? A campus buzzword: stress.

The going wasn't always easy as the group worked to get the series up and running. One of the first problems it faced was an issue of funding. “We found out that as an official student organization we were eligible for up to $5,000 a year from the university to spend on anything we wanted,” Sean related. “All I needed to do was write up a proposal and submit it to the undergraduate funding board.”

It sounded simple enough, but less than a week before the lecture, Sean discovered that there'd been a mixup, and the form hadn't reached the board. “They said, 'You're too late,'” Sean related. “All I could do was write a letter petitioning them to reconsider the funding request. I was freaked out that we weren't going to get the money we needed.”

Sean did write the letter, but more importantly, he prayed. “I wanted to get the money, of course,” explained Sean. “But as I was waiting around during the board's deliberations, it came to me that I shouldn't be praying about the money aspect of things at all. Instead, I focused on the idea that it was according to God's law that the wrong would be righted. It wasn't our fault that the funding request hadn't been seen. So the organization shouldn't be punished. It was right that our funding request at least be considered — whether that resulted in a yes or no.”

The CSO's request not only ended up being considered, but the group also got the money it needed. It was a good lesson, just one of many along the way.

“As the series progressed, we learned more about advertising and about how to reach people successfully,” Sean said. “Papering the campus with fliers brought in a few interested students, but we found that handing people fliers — having that personal interaction — was actually more effective.”

As was giving out Science and Health before the lecture.

“For our third talk we passed out Science and Health with a flier inside, detailing the upcoming lecture,” Sean explained. “The idea was, 'Here's a book that we're using at our lecture workshop tonight. You can take the book now so you'll have time to look through it and ask some good questions.'”

Not only did Sean like the meaning that this approach lent to sharing Science and Health, but he also found that it sparked interest for the lecture in a way no other publicity effort had.

“It was as though we had all the colors of the rainbow represented at that talk,” said Sean, commenting on the diversity of the audience. “There were people of various nationalities, a Wiccan girl, an atheist, a fundamentalist Christian, and a number of others. The dynamic was great! No one was shy about asking questions, and you could tell that people were really thinking. They were getting answers, too.”

More than the size of the lecture turnout — the third lecture drew the largest crowd of the three — it was the audience's participation and the way in which it engaged with the ideas that made Sean feel confident that the University of Cincinnati's CSO was on the move. “I think we're finding our niche,” he commented. “We no longer believe we have something to offer the campus; we know we do.

“I love thinking of our CSO as a metaphysical center for the campus,” he explained, relating the group's desire to provide a space to discuss life's questions — and a place where answers can come to light. “But in order to be the center in a practical way, we've got to be a part of the broader campus community.”

For the University of Cincinnati CSO, one thing is in focus for sure. As Sean affirmed, “So long as we're getting out there — continuing the sharing — I think we're on the right track. After all, that's the only way we'll really be able to make a difference.”