Testimony of Healing March 24, 2014 Issue

Loneliness switched off

Carly Scheye

I have been attending a new Christian Science church since the Fall of 2013. While I loved having the opportunity to attend services, and enjoyed the company of all the members, I was a bit sad that our congregation was so small. I had been raised in another part of the country, in an area that had many Christian Science churches, most of them with larger congregations. Going to my smaller church made me feel lonely, and at times I felt like I was the last young person to even know about Christian Science, let alone care about it.

Then, one cold Sunday in winter, our church building’s heating system was either not working at all or not strong enough to heat the larger space where we usually hold the service. So our little church congregation of no more than ten or fifteen people gathered in our Sunday School room.

When we were all snuggled up in this smaller space, something about the closeness to these individuals really struck me. We seemed to be singing the hymns louder, fuller, and more joyfully, and while listening to the Lesson-Sermon, I personally felt the Readers were speaking with a stronger, more confident tone. During this whole time I truly felt alive, included, and happy—loneliness had completely switched off. And I kept thinking how appropriate it was that that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson was about Life! It was such an inspiring moment that I carried it with me throughout the day and into the week.

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