Church Membership

Read topics on our forums by Ame or contributed by her.

My name is Ame Schneider, and I am from Los Angeles, California. I have been a Reading Room Librarian for Tenth Church of LA for a year now, and have loved being part of the Christian Science movement! I have wonderful conversations with people on a regular basis who come in asking questions about Christian Science - and we really dig into the textbooks (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and the Bible) - and use the resources in the Reading Room - to find answers to those questions. (Concord and Found Volumes are my good friends!)

Lately, I find myself meeting lots of people when I go out surfing or playing Ultimate Frisbee. I am asked, "So, what do you do?" And sometimes I tell the questioner that I am a bookstore manager, and just leave it at that - but if they ask, "Oh, which one?" And I sense that they are interested and receptive I will tell them, "the Christian Science Reading Room in Brentwood." And inevitably we start a dialogue about religion and/or spirituality. I feel like Christian Science is not just something for Sundays and Wednesdays. It is definitely part of my daily life in and out of the Reading Room. In and out of Church.

The idea of Church has definitely evolved for me over the past few years. It is not a structure or a culture, but a way of LIFE! Transitioning from Sunday School to Church - as well as taking Primary Class Instruction - and joining membership with the Mother and Branch churches were wonderful experiences. I am so glad that I have had - and continue to have - the opportunity to be an active part of the Christian Science Movement. "The structure of Truth and Love" is "affording proof of its utility."

Read topics on our forums by Andrew or contributed by him.

I got a new perspective on what "church in action" means while at the Activism Summit at Cedars. During one of the break-out sessions, I was talking about one of the key moments in my life that really made Christian Science click for me, and Richard Bergenheim, the Editor of The Monitor who was also in the discussion group, asked me how that experience is moving me beyond an individual sense of Christian Science into a higher sense of movement. That really struck me because I didn’t have a direct answer to his question. But as I’ve thought about it since then, his question reminded me of the quote in Science and Health where Mrs. Eddy talks about Jesus’ mission as being "both individual and collective." (p.18) It seems that the "individual" aspect is very easy and natural for each of us to think about because we all are figuring out who we are in our relationship to God. But what about the collective aspect of his mission?

In Destiny of The Mother Church, Bliss Knapp writes "The Church of Christ, through it’s membership, is a collective idea..." (p.158), and it occurs to me that by actively uniting with that idea, we are all taking part in the collective aspect of Jesus’ mission because we are coming together as one to make a stand for Truth in the destruction of sin and error. This is still unfolding in my thought right now, but I’m discovering that as we all unite collectively with the mission of The Mother Church, we will all become part of its healing action in our community and in our world. And as we do that, the real and applicable ways to express that action in our communities will become visible to us all.

Read topics on our forums by Inge or contributed by her.

I grew up in Christian Science, so from a very young age, I learned that this was not just a Wednesday and Sunday activity, but something that I could rely on to find solutions to problems that arose in my life. Going to Sunday School was not really an option in our family, but it was certainly not something I resisted. I had many healings, and the results of prayer were very tangible to me. As I got older, I spent my summers at a camp for Christian Scientists and it became even more "mine." I learned how to claim my own spiritual identity-- even when I wasn’t at home with my parents or in Sunday School. These lessons were particularly useful when I went to college. While my school had a CSO, it wasn’t terribly active, and the nearest church was 45 minutes away and not easily accessible without a car. For the first time, I truly had the choice whether or not I wanted to be a Christian Scientist-- and the choice was obvious. I was active a captain on my school’s Dressage (horseback riding) Team and really appreciated what my spiritual education had taught me about "beholding the perfect man" as I helped support the team socially and competitivly. I made it a policy not to start working on papers without first reading /something/ about God. I didn’t talk about Christian Science often, but my friends, coach, and advisors frequently commented on "my resilience" or the "amazing way things worked out", which I always knew was God’s presence visible to all of us.

Given my background, it would seem obvious to join the Mother Church. But in fact I didn’t join until I was 22. It wasn’t that I didn’t expect to be a member at some point in time, certainly I was wholeheartedly committed to Christian Science, but there were a few policies that I had heard about that I wasn’t so sure I agreed with, and I just couldn’t come up with a solid reason as to why I should join. That summer after I graduated, however, I worked at the camp I had gone to as a kid. One week I was quite sick, and after a week or so of solid prayer, I was not only healed, but it also was clear to me that this was the time to join church. At the time, I just considered it an angel message and obeyed. But in reflecting on "Why then?" recently, I have realized that for the first time I really associated healing with being a part of church and the Christian Science movement. This is something that I have come to realize more clearly in my metaphysical work has been the importance of understanding myself as a healer, as a practitioner for myself and for my community. By being willing to think of myself this way, not only has the way that I pray changed, but I’ve become more alert to material claims, things like people stating that they are exhausted, negative discussions about politics, etc., around me that before, I might not have actively handled with prayer. Before, I thought of church activity as committee work and the work that goes into putting together services-- which it certainly is. But more than anything else, church activity is about being willing to heal, and not just ourselves!

Read topics on our forums by Roger or contributed by him.

"I remember the first time one of my college friends asked me where I mysteriously disappeared to on Wednesday evenings. I remember it because of the look I got when I simply answered, “church.” That face looked at me as if to say, “who is still crazy enough to do that? And on a Wednesday night?!” Me, apparently.

Church is cool. I joined The Mother Church in my early teens, and I recently joined my branch Church of Christ, Scientist during this past year. Membership has shown me so much more clearly how much of an activity church is. At a recent members’ meeting, a member pointed out how many verbs are in the brief definition of church in Science and Health. True church is alive; it is not just a building to go to on Sunday mornings with family and friends. It is where and when healing really happens. I walk out of church services feeling a little more improved, uplifted, enlightened, humbled, and, most importantly, healed.

Where I go to school, God is often ignored. Perhaps some people view me as a little nuts for being so heavily involved with church, especially at my age (21). Because of this negative perception of religion that is so prevalent in the mental atmosphere here, I struggled with joining. It took me much longer than necessary to hand in my membership application; there just seemed to be all these voices both in and outside of my head giving me reasons why I should not join and stop going to church altogether. Mortal mind can do that sometimes.

But I had had too many experiences in my life in which Christian Science had proven true, valuable, and joyous, and I was and am grateful for them all. About a year before I filled out my application for membership, I had a healing of an allergy that had bothered me all my life: in the spring I would react negatively to pollen. But one recent spring I decided to heal it once and for all. One night I got a bad attack and my eyes acted up. I went to my room and retreated into my mental closet, where I affirmed that God made me perfect, with spiritual clarity of vision. I felt God’s love for me right there with me, and I felt like I was swimming in an ocean made entirely out of love--cheesy, I know, but true. My eyes instantly cleared up and I knew I was healed. When, in the coming weeks, my allergies seemed to start acting up, I was always able to give a vigorous mental "no!" to that claim, and they disappeared. Knowing from experience that Christian Science works gave me trust that this is the real deal, and I knew I wanted to take part in this amazing healing movement! I started to consider joining my local church, and I soon did.

What a blessing it has been too. Membership does more than just make church more alive in services. For me, it has given a firmer rock to stand on in my life outside of church as well. There is simply nothing better than partaking in a movement designed to heal mankind and which proves man’s innate spirituality."

Read topics on our forums by Tad or contributed by him.

About a two years ago I started to really think about church and the word “movement.” One of my favorite hip-hop artists, Mos Def, pointed out that the hip-hop movement was those who participate, not those who wear the clothes, drive hummers, or get big radio hits. Funny enough, it clicked, I began to think that was the same for church and for me. I knew if i wanted to do something, to be apart of it i had to be active, going, and help out. It didn’t matter what my age was or if i was perfect at what I did, but all i needed to do was practice, like I would have to if I wanted to be better at drawing, or painting.

Since then I’ve tried to spiritualize it more. I see more that the church is really a group of active ideas. Our activity is a form of expression, and the desire to express good with others is the idea of expression and activity in action. Meeting new people working with people I have found brings me more joy & bliss than when I liked to be off just listening to music by myself or something. I find church is a great way to get out of my bubble. In fact I think it’s a great opportunity to learn how to better demonstrate the idea of love, harmony, and individuality. I see this activity of working together less as a job, and more as an opportunity to share Christian Science with others, either inside the congregation, or with the people I may meet through my active church work out in the local community of Boston.

Most of my activity has been in the local member’s lecture committee and sunday school. I think it’s pretty cool being apart of and working with the people on the committee and sunday school. These opportunities give me lots of opportunity to work with and meet new people in the church congregation, but it also lets me meet people out and around Boston, like when I am sharing fliers for a lecture. I find this experience to be invaluable. It’s even freeing to just to meet the community and to see and feel my part in in the community through actively loving others.