348 New Members of The Christian Science Board of Lectureship 350 *The Church-Humanity's Servant-Lenore D. Hanks 353 *Divine Law and Purpose in Business-Ronald Gray Walker 356 *Christian Science Healing: The Ultimate in Service-Frances P. Tutt 368 369 Healing the Environment-Gordon Thomas Spare Series The World's Need and The Mother Church's Response: Is Mankind Hastening Toward Self-destruction? - "Let us rise up and build" (Poem) - Frances L. Hargreaves NOTICES 2 Churches, Societies, and Reading Rooms Christian Science Organizations at Universities and Colleges Thousands of Christian Scientists, representing the worldwide outreach of their movement, convened in Boston on June 8 for the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church. The large gathering listened to reports from Church officers and a stirring message from The Christian Science Board of Directors. The theme of last year's Annual Meeting was, "What Can We Do for Our World?" The theme of this year's meeting and of the meetings held on the days following emphasized individual effort with the question, "But What Can I Do?" A film shown during the Annual Meeting brought out vividly and concretely how Christian Scientists in the United States and around the globe are answering this question in the most effective way-by their individual actions based on individual prayer. All who saw the film went home with renewed inpiration to follow the example of their Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who by her actions and her prayers showed how much a lone dedicated individual can do for all mankind. 337 ADDRESS BY THE INCOMING PRESIDENT Welcome to our first Annual Meeting in this new decade; and a special welcome to all of you who are here as new members of The Mother Church. A new decade! What a vast potential this suggests-fresh hope, new possibilities, new views, and great promise for the advancement of mankind everywhere. Standing at the threshold of an era of religious renaissance, Mary Baker Eddy sent out this call to mankind: "Citizens of the world, accept the 'glorious liberty of the children of God,' and be free! This is your divine right." "1 This was more than a call to inspire hope. It was a mighty vision based on an understanding of God and of man's inseparable relationship to Him. Today you and I have come to this Annual Meeting from all around the world to consider one specific question: "But what can I do?" "What can I do to help make this vision of freedom a reality for my fellowmen?" Many of us here today are living testimony that this freedom is real. But how long will it take to bring everyone everywhere to the point of seeing this and claiming his God-bestowed liberty? To human reasoning it appears that it could take many more generations, even centuries. But time is entirely subordinate to vision. Thomas Jefferson with all his brilliance and great hope for America is said to have predicted it would take a thousand years to settle the West. But that indomitable quality of vision inspired and drove men to exceed the timetable of human reasoning, and they settled the West in less than one hundred years. Progress doesn't take time. It takes vision. Vision is freedom. Vision is a spiritual quality; therefore it is inherent in every individual. What we can do for our What is the effective protest? Christ Jesus was the ideal example of the effective protester. The great depth of his spiritual insight and the phenomenal power of his spiritual vision were apparently developed through his active protests. When mortal mind, termed the "devil" in the Bible, tried to bring Jesus under its power and influence through the three temptations in the wilderness, Jesus took up three firm Scriptural protests of Truth. And he was successful. He was rewarded with greater spiritual vision, for as we read in Matthew, 'Angels came and ministered unto him" 2 -the concepts of divine Mind poured into his consciousness. And this launched him on his career of healing and teaching and of revolutionizing the lives of countless millions. His is the authentic protest. Mrs. Eddy describes his method when, speaking of healing prayer, she says, "It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,-of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love." Here are the "protests of Truth," based on spiritual vision. God has provided the world with this example of effective action against human bondage-mental, physical, economic, social, environmental bondage. It's the sacred duty of every Christian ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MOTHER CHURCH of every denomination to join in this prayer protest, to exercise this spiritual vision, to hold in sight the all-power of God, divine Love, and His infinite care for man. We have a world of humanity in a wilderness right outside the doors of our churches in every community crying out for help, for peace, for freedom from limitation and frustration. They don't know where help can possibly come from. They're protesting, but they don't know how to make their protest effective. Isn't this where we can take action? We must break out of our church edifices, go beyond our traditional sense of church activity and inturning prayer to carry our Christian ministry where people live and work and play. This doesn't mean secularizing church work, but it means openly sharing the blessings of scientific Christianity with our neighbors-where they are. The Bible warns, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." What do we mean by vision? Spiritual vision sees, knows, and is therefore able to prove that Love is dominant over hatred, that health is the fact over the illusion of sickness, that intelligence is intrinsic in every individual and leaves no room for confusion. Spiritual vision sees, knows, that forgiveness is natural and revenge has no place, that purity is real and sensuality fantasy, that dignity is dominant over depravity, abundance over lack. Spiritual vision sees, knows, that man, the loved of God, was never put in bondage. Spiritual vision is our ultimate protest. It requires great courage based on spiritual understanding and motivated by Love. We must act often singly, stand often alone. But we always stand alone with God. And in standing with God we stand together-every member of this Churchtogether in love, one for another, taking the spiritual view, the healing view of our communities and the people in them. This is what we can do most effectively. This is our protest. This is where, as one of our hymns reads, we're needed to work God's work, To prosper and increase The brotherhood of all mankind, The reign of the Prince of Peace.5 As Ezekiel says, "The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision." " 6 1 Science and Health, p. 227; 2 Matt. 4:11; 3 Science and Health, p. 12; 4 Prov. 29:18; 5 Christian Science Hymnal, No. 82; 6 Ezek. 12:23. REPORT OF THE TREASURER, In accordance with the provisions of Article XXIV, Section 3, of the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy, the Treasurer reported the amount of funds which the Church had on hand, and the amount of its indebtedness and of its expenditures for the year ended April 30, 1970. The report indicated that apart from current bills and accrued taxes The Mother Church has no outstanding indebtedness. The books of the Church Treasurer were audited by the firm of Ernst & Ernst. The auditors certified that they had examined the records of the Treasurer of The Mother Church as of April 30, 1970, and that in their opinion the Treasurer's report with respect to the amount of unexpended and uninvested cash funds, the amount of indebtedness, and the amount of expenditures is correct. The remainder of the Treasurer's report read substantially as follows: What is the treasure of The Mother Church? Surely it is our demonstration of the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy. Therefore, to a Christian Scientist, the answer to the question "What can I do for our impoverished world?" is plain. Each can share with all mankind whatever degree of spiritual understanding he has by using it. This way he enriches both himself and the world-and ensures the success of our Church. Why? Mrs. Eddy made this statement to a newspaper correspondent: "The continuity of The Church of Christ, Scientist, is assured. It is growing wonderfully. It will embrace all the churches, one by one, because in it alone is the simplicity of the oneness of God; the oneness of Christ and the perfecting of man stated scientifically." " 1 Christian Science and our Church are based on man's rich heritage as the perfect son of a perfect, loving Father-Mother God. That's why neither The Mother Church nor its members need ever fail in their demonstration of substance and supply. The substance of the Church is divine Love. Its supply is the demonstration and reciprocal love of its members. The success of our Church tends to ensure the success of each member. So the institution and the individual member are interdependent. The unfoldment of Mrs. Eddy's concept of Church appears through its branches and members. Through the practice of Christian Science they bear the leaves of healing and the fruits of universal freedom to mankind. As for the Christian Science Church Center, it's being constructed on land already paid for. A working balance of funds is on hand to proceed with the plans. This is all due to your love, your heartwarming, generous support. But your continued support is essential until it's officially announced that financial contributions are no longer needed. Then an invitation will be extended for all of you to come and see for yourselves the result of your unselfish participation in this stupendous undertaking. Your loving support of the building project shows your ability to activate the law expressed in our Leader's statement, "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." In this particular instance you're proving your understanding that substance is Love. Your gifts are the expression of this Love. "Love currency," Mrs. Eddy calls it (see The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 14). 2 Ours is the same method of financing established by Mrs. Eddy for building the original edifice of The Mother Church. In Pulpit and Press we find the secret of this method. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Not a mortgage was given nor a loan solicited, and the donors all touchingly told their privileged joy at helping to build The Mother Church. There was no urging, begging, or borrowing; only the need made known, and forth came the money, or diamonds, which served to erect this 'miracle in stone.' No drive for funds to finance the present building project has been made. No fundraising promoter has been employed"only the need made known." And your response has been magnificent. Over 90 percent of those churches with more than one hundred members, and nearly 90 percent of all Christian Science students' associations have contributed most generously. And so it goes on. Progress and expansion! Rising costs, and more and more "love currency" supplied! There have been large demands made upon our Relief Fund during the past year to help both Christian Scientists and those turning to The Mother Church for financial assistance. As you can realize, the cost of maintaining the three charitable institutions has been rising steadily, too. And other growing demands for furthering our worldwide activities are requiring a constant demonstration of our ability to prove Love's adequacy to meet the human need. Higher than human duty, however, is the inexhaustible Love whose legitimate demands enable each of us to fulfill that duty. Divine Love enables us all to faithfully support The Mother Church in its work of extending the Cause of Christian Science. In this way each individual will demonstrate more fully the oneness of God and man and so share God's treasure gratefully and unstintingly with all mankind. 1 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 342; 2 Science and Health, p. 494; Pulpit and Press, p. 8. 3 1 20 |