This story was contributed by Karen McMullen, of Denton, Texas, and shares how she helped organize a Girl Scout badge earning opportunity for her local troop. Check it out, and see if you can think of other fun and interesting ways to reach out to your local community!

Free Girl Scout Badge Workshop on “Who was Mary Baker Eddy?” for Women’s History Month

24 Girls Scouts learned about Mary Baker Eddy, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Christian Science Reading room in 2 workshops. Brownies, Juniors and Caddett Girl Scouts were invited through the local Girl Scout Service Unit. The first workshop filled up in 15 minutes of posting the event and there was a waiting list of 20 more girls so we added a second workshop the following weekend.

Here is what we did:

We started the workshop with a 9 minute video on Mary Baker Eddy – provided by the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity. The video is a great tool to quickly cover her history and accomplishments. We used that material to have a discussion of her struggles and how she was able to overcome them. The Christian Science Monitor has a section in the weekly magazine called “People Making a Difference”. We reviewed a few articles from that section and asked the girls to write a brief description of how they would like to make a difference in their communities on a worksheet provided by the MBE Library. Then we moved on the a simple craft. In one of Eddy’s homes she had a cross stitch that read “ Do Right, Fear Not”. We had the girls cross stitch this phrase on card stock for them to finish at home and save. The idea tied in so well with how they could make a difference in the world. Next, we played a simple game of cat’s cradle with the younger girls. We had divided into 3 smaller groups, so the for the last activity we all came back together and preformed brief skits about the articles the girls wrote on how they would make a difference in the world. We all ate Eddy’s favorite food, ice cream, as we watched the skits. All the girls left with a certificate of completion for their badge and a copy of The Christian Science Monitor.

This event was Simple, Easy, Low Cost, Effective outreach to our community. If you would like to have details on how to do this in your area I would be happy to share.

Karen McMullen
dkammc@verizon.net

The Healing 101 series is returning in
April 2017 with 5 new speakers,
free registration is now open!

We’re excited to announce that Healing 101, the successful Christian Science lecture series that premiered last spring, will be once again available in a new series this April, and you are invited to tune in! There will be 5 lectures in this year’s series, each sharing different perspectives and experiences on the utility and power of healing through prayer, a particular need at this time.

Announcing the 2017 Healing 101 Series Speakers

April 3 Webinar Registration Link  |  Facebook RSVP / Invite Your Friends

April 10 Webinar Registration Link  |  Facebook RSVP / Invite Your Friends

April 17 Webinar Registration Link  |  Facebook RSVP / Invite Your Friends

April 24 Webinar Registration Link  |  Facebook RSVP / Invite Your Friends

May 1 Webinar Registration Link  |  Facebook RSVP / Invite Your Friends

The free talks will be given in person and simultaneously webcast, viewable afterwards for a period online. You can find the live locations (most will be on or near university campuses) or register for one or all the lectures online by visiting the Healing 101 website, or clicking the links above. We also have a Facebook page, and you are invited to check it out, Like it, and invite your friends to each talk that looks interesting!  This is one of the most useful things you can do besides forwarding this email to a friend to help get the word out!

How do I invite my Facebook friends to these talks after I register?

We also have a PDF flyer you can print out and post anywhere you think it would be helpful to share this with the public.  Download it here.

We hope you will be enriched this new line-up.  Feel free to leave a comment on our Facebook page or on any of the individual Event RSVP pages on Facebook.

Many thanks to all of the supporting churches and CSOs who are supporting the 2017 Healing 101 series!

• Christian Science Organization at UC Berkeley
• Christian Science Organization at UC Davis
• Christian Science Organization at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Orinda
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oakland
• Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist,Oakland
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pleasant Hill
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Napa
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Davis
• Christian Science Society, Point Richmond

Wishing you a joyous day,
The Healing 101 organizing team
healing101@sharethepractice.org

Feedback about the 2016 Healing 101 Lecture Series:

“Thank you very, very much. We will treasure this series of lectures and will get back to them as often as needed. They are a cup of fresh water. Since we live in northern Ontario and cannot attend any lecture in person, this effort from the Christian Science community is very valuable. Thank you again.“ — Thomas von Cardinal

“Thank you very much Christie, for this wonderful talk. And our gratitude to Healing 101 Lecture series for making it possible. I used to always want to attend lectures when I saw them announced on the Sentinel, but never was able to because we live in a very rural area. And now, thanks to technology -the so called magic of technology, but it is the reality of technology- I am able to attend these conferences.“ — Teresa Contreras Granguillhome

“I definitely want to share this with my friends.” — Truth Johnston

“Wonderful ideas! Thank you!” — Gail

Click here to visit the website we helped develop for the Healing 101 lecture series featuring 5 lectures in 4 weeks.

http://healing101.sharethepractice.org

My family enjoys attending Sunday church service together, but we each have a different experience. My 12 year old son is in his Sunday School class here in Austin TX where he is a branch church member. My husband sits in the church service (he started coming with us to church quasi-regularly 2 years ago). And I sit in a private room of the Sunday School with a laptop and headset participating in the Sunday service of the Christian Science Society of Dixon Illinois – 1,100 miles away – where I am currently a member.  One recent Sunday, there were 7 people attending the Dixon service; 3 in person and 4 remote via teleconference.  I have the role of musician – meaning that I select the hymns and use the internet teleconference system to play pre-loaded mp3s of the selected hymns for all to sing to. When it is time for a solo, I either play a preloaded song or sometimes I sing a cappella from the Hymn Supplement. (Just to be on the safe side for maintaining good pitch, I sometimes play the vocal recording of the hymn on iTunes, connected to earbuds, so that only I can hear the singer, but everyone else can only hear me.)  After church, we enjoy a family lunch together or sometimes go out with church friends. God is infinitely creative, right?!

Here’s how all of this came about. Last Fall I withdrew my branch church membership from the Austin TX church where I live and started attending a little Christian Science society in Dixon Illinois where my grandma had been a member for many years, many years ago.  The two members that kept the Dixon services going agreed to teleconference their services and meetings so that I could participate. I helped them figure out the technology needed to do this. The Austin branch where I’d been a member of is doing good work in the community and with new members joining regularly, I knew that my withdrawal would not have a negative impact.

Love inspired me to join the Dixon Society and help with the “heavy lifting” associated with resurrecting church.  This dear little group was in the ongoing process of building a new edifice. The new building is a vision towards the next century, not the past. It includes self-sustaining architectural elements to keep maintenance costs low.  Our desire is to be part of the community and have a home that welcomes spiritual discovery. We want to be attractive to the un-churched and those that are spiritual but not religious. Flexible seating will allow the congregation to sit in embracing circles, more typical of sharing conversations rather than a speaker podium / audience. Our hope is to also help revitalize interfaith inclusivity in the town.

Once we started teleconferencing our services, we immediately increased our Wednesday evening meetings from once a month to weekly.  We rotate Wednesday’s First Reader. I’m able to provide the Wednesday evening readings from my comfortable lazy-boy chair in Austin Texas. Two other members who were  “official members” on the books, but had moved away several years earlier, returned as regular participants.  One of them has taken on the role of treasurer which is accomplished through online banking and cloud services. I’ve taken on the role of clerk and handle email and voice messages. I also maintain our new website and Facebook page.  We’ve even set up our church phone system in the ‘cloud’ – it’s a free service that allows us to have a church phone that’s always accessible. Typically now, there are 3 people in the building, and 3 or more of us participating from remote locations.  It’s fun to think about how the active membership has doubled this past year, simply by being open to new ideas and being willing to serve where there’s a need, rather than by what’s convenient or based on outdated concepts of geographical limitations.

While all this was getting put into place last Fall, my 12 year old son decided that he wanted to join the Austin branch church where I had just withdrawn my membership and where he’s attended as a regular Sunday School student. He also joined The Mother Church this past Spring.  In addition, my husband of 32 years (of a muslim background but not practicing), started attending Sunday services with us more regularly 2 years ago. So, our Sunday family tradition of attending church together was something to be cherished. And yet, I wanted to support the Sunday service in Dixon too (that meets at the exact same time).  Recently, the Sunday School superintendent worked out a little private space for me to be where I can sit with my laptop and headset using the church’s wi-fi in order to call into the Dixon service. So now on Sundays – our little family drives into Austin, my husband goes into church by himself, my son goes to his Sunday School class and I call into the Dixon service while at the same time managing the music and solo from a computer site that manages our teleconference. I have to laugh at the creativity of it all – and give all the glory to God.  I’m happy to see that other technology related “jobs” that I used to do in the Austin branch church have been picked up by other folks. This demonstrates that spiritual solutions are not personally based but are God sourced, and what blesses one, blesses all.

Vibrant Reading Rooms, by Patricia P. Wilson

Vibrant – pulsating with life, vigor or activity; responsive; brisk; bustling; humming; rousing; stirring; thriving; thronging; abounding; overflowing; populous; astir; alive; teeming

Quiet – marked by little or no motion; enjoyed in peace or relaxation; free from noise or uproar; serene; still; unobtrusive; conservative; speechless; wordless; secluded; asleep; dead; inactive; sleepy

There is a group of Christian Scientists in Spokane, Washington, that has been actively reaching out to the public by sharing Christian Science at a bus plaza. Here are some of their findings after giving away thousands of Science & Healths for 2 years:

STA Outreach – Jan 5th, 2011

Dear Friends,

This week marks the end of two full years of our weekly outreach at the Bus Plaza…which we’ll continue, by the way. It’s been a delightful, productive and growing time for each of us. Thank you for your supporting emails and prayerful assistance! In gratitude we offer this in-depth report and hope it stimulates thought and action throughout our movement:

A person who very much supports the Spokane outreach recently asked, “How many of those six or seven thousand people you’ve shared Christian Science with at the Bus Plaza over the past two years now attend one of our CS churches?” Fair question. The immediate answer, incredibly, is that there have been visitations but we are not aware of anyone who regularly attends services at the several area churches as a result of talking with us or getting a copy of Science and Health from this outreach.

How could that be???!! It just doesn’t seem statistically possible—-there have been many, many people clearly and deeply touched by our words and message over the last 24 months; a number have said they would visit our churches; some have sought out practitioners; some have come back to our table and reported improvements in their lives and even healings through reading S&H; some have reported loving the book, reading and re-reading it; people frequently come back to get another copy for a friend or relative because it seems so important to them; some have subsequently used a Reading Room; and many have been given a slip of paper that lists the Sentinel Radio Program, internet websites and addresses of local churches and Reading Rooms. So why aren’t our churches flooded with curious seekers?

And the follow-on question: What does this imply for our movement? If people like the message but don’t follow up to become “churched”, what does that mean for the human structure of Christian Science?

As most of you know, we have from the very beginning made it our policy to focus on sharing the Comforter in the most loving way, without a hidden agenda to fill church pews. People recognize and respect that stance for its clarity and honesty. We knew that was Christ Jesus’ way. We also knew that people would be led to follow the Comforter in whatever ways made sense to them. Why, then, are none of the 4,400 book recipients in our churches on Sundays and Wednesdays? Some suggest that “younger people aren’t interested in church”, “Science and Health is too hard to read”, etc.

Recently a new and startling thought has come to the surface concerning this outreach and our whole movement: could it be that those obvious weary wanderers/seekers, and even those who already hold the cup of cold water in their hands, here and everywhere, ARE INDEED READY FOR OUR MESSAGE, but perhaps “OUR CHURCH” as currently practiced, is NOT READY FOR THEM?

Are we churchgoers perhaps resistant to the very idea of newcomers who may be less inhibited or less prosperous or less educated or different looking? Have we become comfortable as small, sincere, clubbish groups functioning as branch churches or societies? Do we feel confident our services will inspire newcomers and are not perfunctory excercises? Would newcomers be impressed by an array of loving, healing acts they see or hear about our members performing in the community? And…do some combination of these “repellant” ideas reside in the collective community thought?

Those are definitely provocative questions. And they go much deeper than whether or not there is a gracious greeter at the door of the church, or whether there are cookies after the service, or the nature of the music provided.

As if those questions aren’t quite enough on the plate, in subsequent conversations about this, another universal element was injected: as one church member described it, “our poor lost children”. (That’s not accurate metaphysically, of course, but it represents a heartfelt human expression.) That is, our children who spent their formative years in Christian Science Sunday Schools rarely continue as active students and church participants after age 19. It doesn’t matter what part of the country one considers, or how wonderful the experience was for those young ones, the results are and have been the same for all generations of Sunday School students growing up after the Second World War. And if they, who got all the loving Sunday School teacher attention and picnics and camaraderie and up- close observation of adult Christian Scientists, have chosen not to continue after age 19, is that a flashing traffic signal telling us that what hasn’t been working for our younger generations over the past 60 years must be adjusted before divine Mind will lead them and all those others directly to “church” as Mrs. Eddy defined it?

This offers a great deal prayerfully to ponder.

For starters, isn’t it truly a call to re-examine exactly how we are demonstrating Mrs. Eddy’s beautifully comprehensive definition of “church” in a 21st century context? Does church mean a building where services are held twice a week?….an Internet connection to services or other inspirational activities?….a specific kind of organization and hierarchy? Is it possibly a remarkably flexible concept? These are essential questions.

If we choose to directly face these questions it can become a wonderful opportunity to examine the very nature of our understanding of, and commitment to, this ultimate Science.

Here are some thoughts about ways to address those questions:

1. We need to be honest with ourselves. There’s nothing unscientific about facing the fact that our human church structure is in serious decline. And is that a bad thing? Maybe it’s just an alert to lead us to examine how “church” can best be practiced in very different ways from the traditional brick- and-mortar fashion: maybe a new awareness of how some things have NOT been working will lead to creative new ideas that better fit our contemporary thought community. Mrs. Eddy even suggested that we would eventually outgrow church as constituted in her era.

2. We need to share more directly with each other, individually and collectively. What makes some churches/societies successful? What impedes others? Do our traditional sharing and teaching activities for those beyond Sunday School age rely too much on passive listening? And there are wonderful, practicing students of Christian Science who are not affiliated with a particular church/society; how can their activities best be incorporated into a mutually-inclusive effort to share the Comforter?

3. We need an honest evaluation from a good sampling of those who grew up in our Sunday Schools (and perhaps graduated from The Principia) but are not currently active students of Christian Science.

What were the factors that caused them to move on to other (or no) spiritual pursuits? What would attract them to re-engage? What barriers do they see in that path for them? What are their suggestions?

4. We need to consider how far our human movement has fallen into the trap of having format and organization become sacred. Just as the Pharisees’ religious sentiment focused on ritual, and the Christian movement became the Catholic church focused on ritual, how, in the broadest sense, has our movement become emmeshed in perfunctory ritual that has nothing to do with the impulse to move “from sense to Soul”?

5. And, we need to consider how the growing, vibrant Christian churches around us may have “out- Christianed” us in some respects. Many provide consistent warmth, love, fellowship, compassion, sharing, and giving in ways that are far beyond our norm. Many even work hard on prayer-based healing. We can certainly learn from some aspects of their examples if we are open to learn.

Far from fearing the answers to any of these questions, wouldn’t a clear-eyed introspective look seem, all in all, a wonderful opportunity to examine the essence of what the 21st century Christian Science movment actually is and can be?

Some of the above may seem jarring. But after talking one-on-one with quite a few thousand people during this Spokane outreach, we have come to some inescapable conclusions concerning our particular clientele: (1) our movement is essentially unknown and invisible, especially to those under age 50; (2) many people are open to the Comforter’s message…they just have to hear it in ways that are in tune with contemporary thought; (3) there are very, very few (maybe a dozen out of our thousands of discussions) folks who attack Christian Science or challenge its treatment of children, etc—those old fears are essentially groundless; (4) the questions we have most needed to be prepared to answer are “What is Christian Science?” (in 25 words or less!), “What can I do to escape from an addiction?”, “How can you say there is no devil?—it says so right in the Bible, which is the word of God”, (these questions may vary a bit, but represent the essence of what we CS’s need to know); and (5) we need some better mechanisms to reach and begin the conversation with newcomers, and then some better mechanisms for continuing dialogue/study with them as well as new Sunday School graduates…and each other.

The good news is that we clearly have the tools to address these issues. Let’s do it! Lovingly,
Spokane Outreach group

Check out their site for more: Weekly Reports, also Lessons Learned — (GREAT findings here)