why unite with CHURCH? December 8, 2003 Issue

A way to exchange healing ideas

Dartha Heath

Being part of a church has meant so much in my life. I'm the only one in my family who's a Christian Scientist, so membership gives me an opportunity to mix with other Christian Scientists, to exchange thoughts with them, to see their happy faces and hear about their healings. I don't mean to sound exclusive, but if you don't have a family that shares your religion, the church means a lot to you. My branch church in Trenton, New Jersey, tries to include everybody that we can. We certainly pray that people will come to our services, and we're very happy when they bring their children and their babies. We make it very plain that the Sunday School is for the neighborhood.

Fellowship in a church is very important. Church is a place where you exchange ideas, and that's what makes going there inspirational. It's where you feel happy to embrace friends, welcome newcomers, and see the children coming to Sunday School. It's a wonderful opportunity for warmth and exchange and love.

Before and after I go up the steps into the church, I'm very conscious of the thought that God is bringing us together. I think somebody described it as going into "the ark of God." In a church service you feel that Truth is going out through the congregation's prayers. I feel we're embracing our neighborhood, rather than that anything negative is embracing us. As the Word goes out, it's embracing our whole neighborhood.