Church Alive July 23, 2012 Issue

The following was written in support of Church Alive, a focus of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, that explores the meaning and possibilities of awakening to the spiritual basis and impact of Church.

Your questions about church

Answers offered by Tim Myers and Michelle Nanouche

Question: Our church is always faithful to the Church Manual (by Mary Baker Eddy) requirement that branch churches sponsor at least one lecture a year. We’ve had some wonderful speakers, and we always have a few new faces show up at the lectures. But it seems like we don’t build any real momentum after lectures—we don’t see the newcomers again, we go back to “business as usual,” and our community continues to be largely unaware of Christian Science. Is there something we can (or should?) be doing differently to help our community see our church and Christian Science as an invaluable resource? 

RESPONSE 1: TIM MYERS 

Good question, and one I think others are wrestling with. In answering the question, I think it’s worth examining the concept of a relationship. I know that when I was lecturing, many times audience members who were not church members or students of Christian Science came with friends or others with whom they had a relationship. The success of those lectures in reaching the newcomer depended on those relationships.

The same is true for churches. Churches that are successfully sharing Christian Science often have a growing relationship with the community that is based on more than one or two events in a year. 

I remember being invited by a church to lecture at a juvenile detention center in Florida. Because of a disturbance, the facility was locked down and no one was allowed in or out. I ended up speaking at a homeless facility where the manager was so excited he asked when the church could do it again. I let the church members know, and they agreed to pray about it. Those prayers led them out into the community. Several members volunteered at the [homeless] facility, and a member who was trained as a librarian went to the detention center and helped them set up and stock a library.

The next year, I was invited back to lecture at the homeless facility and also the detention center. The lecture at the center was the first of what has become “Christian Science Tuesdays.” Every Tuesday for the past six years, some church members go into the facility and hold a Sunday School-type class for the residents. And, they’ve added a girl’s detention facility also. They talk to 30–40 young people every Tuesday night. They continue to have lectures at both the center and the homeless facility.

I think it's worth examining the concept of a relationship. 

Sometimes when I don’t feel our church is being effective in reaching out, I reread what Mary Baker Eddy wrote to the church in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She wrote of branch churches “reaching out their broad shelter to the entire world.” She continued to indicate that God’s love is the key: “He will dig about this little church, prune its encumbering branches, water it with the dews of heaven, enrich its roots, and enlarge its borders with divine Love” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 154).

I pray to know that divine Love is always effective in helping us develop a fresh and nurturing relationship between our church and our community.

RESPONSE 2: MICHELLE NANOUCHE

Your lectures give a precious inside look into Christian Science—what it is and what it does. More than meeting a requirement, lectures bless those that plan, sponsor, and attend. Because of your expectation of good results, I have to assume your church is giving fresh eyes to the lecture work, and approaching it with prayer before, during, and after. So, with all that, if you aren’t finding even a trickle of interest in your church, is there something wrong? Not necessarily.

We don’t always account for the movement going on behind the scenes. I just spoke with a new Mother Church member who learned of Christian Science through a lecture flyer that appeared in her mailbox ten years ago. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy was pictured on it. She had been looking for a “key” to help her understand the Bible. She never attended the event; but she bought the book, discovered the key, and practiced nine years on her own before connecting with other Christian Scientists. She wasn’t alone. She was walking with God.

Another activity that often picks up around lecture time is a flurry of new calls to Christian Science practitioners in the area. This result follows our prayer to embrace the community. Church members wouldn’t hear of this because practitioners keep confidential all information coming to them in their work. But when light is turned on the practice of Christian Science in a community, the demand is there.

The sincerest prayer leaves the seeker with the Father, and with no other strings attached.

Christ Jesus spoke to loads more people than those who became official disciples. He healed multitudes, preached in synagogues, and reached out to those on the street. His expectation from them was two-fold—that they glorify God and that they “sin no more;” that is, they take to heart and into their homes what they have experienced of the Christ.

We can pray for the seeker, that he find. But the sincerest prayer leaves the seeker with the Father, and with no other strings attached. When giving a toaster to a new bride, do we give it on the condition that she uses it in our house? No. Given freely, she can go home and make toast. But every time she does, she will love you once more for your generosity in giving it. You are being loved by your community for the gifts you freely give.

Lectures make Christian Science accessible to our neighbors. But don’t judge yourself or your neighbors too harshly if you only see them that one time. We work in church not to increase a congregation, but to increase our love. If you are feeling the love, your community is getting the right message.

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NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
How I Found Christian Science
'A spiritual model of life'
July 23, 2012
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