Article December 6, 2010 Issue

Church membership increases our strength

Church alive
new-born of Spirit • healing
The First Church Christ, Scientist

BY JUDY HEDRICK

Editor's Note: The following was written in support of Church Alive, a new focus of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, that explores the meaning and possibilities of awakening to the spiritual basis and impact of Church—to Love's rich harvest awaiting our communities and the world. For more information, visit www.christianscience.com/churchalive.

Are we stronger acting alone, or are we stronger acting together? While individuals can act on their own, nations, for instance, don't send out individuals in time of war. They send out armies—individuals working together as members of the armed forces. While a musician may perform admirably on his or her own, the strongest and most varied sound comes when members of an orchestra perform together. Being a church member and working with others makes us stronger individually and collectively.

Why are we stronger as members? When St. Paul wrote to members of the church in Corinth, he told them that they each had a unique talent that complemented and increased the whole. He used the body as an analogy. The hand, he said, is not nearly as effective by itself as a hand with the eye, the feet, the head, in fact, the whole body. As church members, what are we the body of? Paul answered that when he said, "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (I Cor. 12:27).