Article December 8, 2003 Issue

Church ... things better done together

By Richard A. Nenneman

When I Was A College Student and just beginning to study Christian Science, I united with the Church's worldwide congregation, known as The Mother Church—The First Church of Christ, Scientist, based in Boston. It was only after several years in the armed services that I settled down as a young adult. By then, I was eager to become a member of a local branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and, in fact, over many years and living in several cities, I have belonged to five different branch churches.

I was so eager to be active in my first branch church (at a time when I had both a limited budget and a limited civilian wardrobe) that I still remember the money I "invested" in the dark blue suit that was then required of anyone who wanted to serve as an usher.

Would I do that today? Well, today is another era, maybe. In many areas of the United States, people now live within gated communities. The young and not-quite-so-young have virtual communities on the Internet. Life is fragmented for many people. Then there are all the self-help "disciplines," guides on how to lose weight, on proper diet. And of course there are many guides to living a spiritual life. And some of them are very helpful. So why get dressed up to go to church? In fact, many seem to be asking, "Why go to church at all?" There has been a definite falloff in attendance at some of the formerly largest denominations in the United States and Britain in recent decades. Pentecostal and evangelical churches are among the few that have grown.

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