JOINING WITH CHURCH

Thank you so very much for the December 7, 2009, Sentinel on "Christian fellowship."

It helped me focus my thoughts regarding fellowship in terms of branch church attendance and membership.

The branch Church of Christ, Scientist, that I recently moved away from had a very full and active membership. They embraced me as I joined them, and we grew, as memberships do, by continually looking at how the services follow the Manual of The Mother Church and grow and stay fresh at the same time. Each service reflected Soul in the outreach to those who may not have been familiar with a Christian Science service, while putting a smile on regular attendants' faces with fresh approaches. Having recently moved from the Midwest to the East Coast, I have been as warmly embraced and shown the same, yet individual, expression of fellowship and church home by a new-to-me local branch church membership.

What a blessing of love, comfort, and fellowship church attendance and membership is and can be. Thank you for shining the light of brotherly love on this subject, which we can all carry with us and express as we pray for our communities and go about our daily activities.

NANCY YOUNG KOOYMAN
RAYNHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, US

AN ARTICLE TO SHARE

Recently, we received a phone call from a close relative informing us of a very sad and seemingly hopeless situation concerning her son. Being a student of Christian Science, I immediately denied that anything could be hopeless for this individual. I picked up the January 4 Sentinel ["Prayer for those in war zones"], which I had been reading, and, as usually happens, the article that was next to read was absolutely perfect to turn my thought in the right direction—"Expect good," by Walter C. Rodgers. One paragraph stood out to me: "As I thought more deeply on expectancy, the idea came to me, "Whoa! This means we should expect healings, not just occasionally but at every turn.' Why? Because spiritual perfection is a fact for us right now. Nothing can prevent any of us from experiencing that perfection—or the perfection of those around us."

I felt it right to make a copy of this article and send it to our relative along with prayers for a positive outcome.

ELEANOR CARTWRIGHT
BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA, US

PROMISE OF HOPE

I really appreciated Nate Talbot's article, "A reason for hope," in the January 18 & 25 Sentinel. His article and the others in that issue are having a healing effect on me and friends who are searching for comfort and hope.

ELIZABETH LOWENBERG LEVENGOOD
EAST MOLINE, ILLINOIS, US

NOTE TO BIBLE LESSON READERS from the Board of Trustees, The Christian Science Publishing Society

LEARNING FROM MISSTEPS

The Christian Science Publishing Society is committed to producing Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons that empower and uplift those who study them. We endeavor to present these Lessons in a format that is contemporary and pleasant.

In the Bible Lesson on "Truth" for the week of January 18-24, 2010, we selected a stock photo of a lantern and a stack of books that was intended to support the Bible citation, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalms 119:105). We goofed. Some readers found themselves focusing on the stack of books in the photo and wondering what they meant, distracting them from thinking about the Bible passage itself.

We are always working to listen to our readers, to learn from our missteps, and to move forward. We are grateful for such an active and involved readership, and we welcome your comments.

The Sentinel invites your comments. Please include your name, address, and daytime phone number. All letters to the editor are submissions for publication, unless you request otherwise, and are subject to editing for length and clarity if selected for publication. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Christian Science Sentinel.

E-MAIL: Sentinel@csps.com

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