Questions have come in, asking why The Mother Church has placed on the market two of the three Churchowned homes in which Mary Baker Eddy lived. The following is a response recently sent to one questioner.

"This last year we have given a great deal of thought to the issue of selling the homes. While the cost of upkeep isn't irrelevant, it isn't the key to our decision. It has been estimated that maintenance and expenses of running the homes result in a cost of about $500 per person who views them. If the two homes are purchased, brought to code, and restored to their original conditions, costs could run into the $20 to $30 million range, with a per person cost of viewing at about $17,000 if those costs were to be recovered that year.

"We began to ask ourselves whether this is the way our Leader would want us to be focusing our energy, activity, and resources—whether the figure is $17,000, $500, or even less. There are presently nine homes being maintained, three by The Mother Church and six by The Longyear Foundation. Mrs. Eddy named in the Church Manual only one home she wished to have preserved—not as a memorial to her, but for the practical care of the First Reader of The Mother Church.

"We began a search of Mrs. Eddy's own view of her houses. We considered published and previously unpublished writings. We considered her will. We prayed. While a variety of people may arrive at a variety of perspectives, our efforts led to the thoughts you'll find sketched out in the June Journal editorial "'The Majesty of Christian Science' and Its Imperatives for our Time."

"While there is, of course, nothing inherently evil about preserving lots of homes, it can be useful to consider our thoughts and motives behind such desires. What does the accumulation of houses say about us? What does it tell the public about our emphasis? We've had the opportunity to discuss this question with a wide range of Christian Scientists. While most appear to be very supportive of the steps we are taking, there is a minority who disagree. We've examined closely the reasons for those dissenting views and feel that far too often they represent a desire to find or preserve or understand Mrs. Eddy in her houses. We've been acutely aware of her warning, 'Those who look for me in person, or elsewhere than in my writings, lose me instead of find me' (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 120.)

"We have tried to consider the health of our movement not only in upcoming years, but upcoming decades and generations. Whenever it's possible to nurture our directions with a spiritual rather than a material emphasis, especially if it's rooted in our Leader's guidance, we hope to do so.

"Our assessment is that our Leader's guidance would be that nine homes are too many. It says something about emphasis, application of resources, and the urgent need in movement to focus more on Manual based activities, and on healing in the broadest and fullest meaning.

"When we weigh all that Mrs. Eddy said about her homes, we feel the steps we are taking are consistent with her guidance. But when we weigh what she said about her homes compared to her constant call for emphasis on spiritualization of thought, transformation of lives, healing the sick and sinful, and raising the dead, we feel we may be at a defining point in our movement.

"We aren't arguing with those who want to preserve homes. But we do feel the vital need to call our movement's attention to consider earnestly where their spiritual priorities are, where they expect to find their Leader, and how quickly and seriously we can follow Mrs. Eddy's call to move from matter to Spirit."