Growing up, I attended a Christian Science Sunday School. Although our family went to church regularly, my parents didn’t fully embrace the teachings of Christian Science, and I didn’t feel that I really understood its healing possibilities. However, when I turned twelve years old, I decided to become a member of The Mother Church (The First Church of Christ, Scientist), and in June of that year traveled to Boston with my parents to attend the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church. 

We sat in the center of the auditorium. I loved to sing, but had always sung softly so as not to attract attention. Now, though, when the first hymn started, I was surrounded by many voices singing, so I used my full voice. When we got to the last verse of the final hymn of the meeting, the organist dropped his volume down low, and the soloist sang just above a whisper. The congregation followed their lead: