This Week's Question

Responses by Rebecca Odegaard and Mark Swinney

Christ Jesus declared that “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2) and then instructed that we pray to God for more laborers, — not because the labor is great, but because the harvest is! The harvest, or yield, from working in church must be the innumerable blessings that come to us by way of selflessness, increased patience, forgiving love, and the pure joy of serving God. more

Responses by Anne Cooling and Mark Unger

Sometimes you may find what is on the websites will just support you as the teacher putting together your lessons, and sometimes it may be appropriate to add them in as an addition to your lessons within the class. The Father will guide you each time. more

Responses by Dawn-Marie Cornett and Dave Stevens

Maybe this is the key to the question here. What are we serving? Is it really that we need to be devoted to church, or is it that our fellow man needs to know about God, about Christian Science, about the healing that comes from this knowledge? Christ Jesus said that the two most important commandments were to love God and love each other. If this is being expressed in our church work, then I think we’re good. However, if we find that we’ve minimized or forgotten this sense of inspired purpose, maybe there is more we can do. more

Responses by Mary Alice Rose and John Q. Adams

For a branch church to be healthy, it must be a collective demonstration where all views are heard, and all are given access to filling the different positions, offices, and activities. Our Leader set this tone of equality and fairness by emphasizing rotation in office. more

Responses by Tim Myers and Michelle Nanouche

More than meeting a requirement, lectures bless those that plan, sponsor, and attend. Because of your expectation of good results, I have to assume your church is giving fresh eyes to the lecture work, and approaching it with prayer before, during, and after. So if, with all that, you aren’t finding even a trickle of interest in your church, is there something wrong? Not necessarily. more

Responses by Todd Herzer and Lois Herr

In the church service, the solo is traditionally viewed as an opportunity for quiet reflection setting the stage for the upcoming Lesson-Sermon. For many, an applause following the solo might be an unwanted distraction.

However, the role of music in worship services is evolving significantly and becoming more contemporized to reflect the changing values of society. more

Responses by Patricia Tupper Hyatt and Don Adams

Rotation in office is vital to the growth of a branch church. Each time a member assumes a new responsibility, he or she is forced to grow—and, as each member grows, the church grows. more

Responses by Tim Mitchinson and Becky Buhl

Two phrases jump out from this question: “in their places” and “to silently prepare.” The place of a Christian Scientist is fundamentally mental—being immovably God-centered; perpetually prayerful. Are we coming to services (and meetings) embodying church alive? What are we bringing to church? more

Responses by Annette Dutenhoffer and Curt Wahlberg

There is no guideline in the Manual for the length of silent prayer during our services, but certainly it shouldn’t be so brief that the congregation is surprised to hear the congregation saying, “Our Father,” before they’ve even bowed their heads. And, it shouldn’t be so long that they’re tempted to get out their smart phones and check their e-mail while waiting! more

Responses by Pamela Cook and John Rinnert

In considering the mission of our Reading Rooms, we might ask, “What can we do to make sure every man and woman knows the ‘infinite value and firm basis’ of Christian Science?” We might consider every proposed activity in the context of this goal. more

Responses by Mark Swinney and Dawn-Marie Cornett

I love this question! I’d say right from the start that, just as each person is quite individual, the specific time to enter Sunday School is individual, too. more

Responses by Beth Schaefer and Evan Mehlenbacher

Handling the resistance to reading has two parts: lifting the burden from the role of reader by shifting the focus from who reads to the message that is being read, and learning as a membership how to love and care for its readers. more

Responses by Mike Davis and Lynne Buckley-Quirk

There is no evidence that Mrs. Eddy and Christian Scientists in her time viewed Societies as somehow having more freedom than Churches to be “progressive” in their activities. On the contrary, Societies were seen as lacking elements Mrs. Eddy felt were essential for Christian Science Churches, and it was hoped that Societies would move toward Church status as quickly as possible. more

Responses by Robin Hoagland and Louis Benjamin

It can be hard when it feels like our local church falls short of the ideal we hold in our hearts–the ideal of the Day of Pentecost, where “they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). But the early Church had its own struggles, too, working through divisive issues from Jewish practices for pagan converts to enforcing morality and codifying theology. That Christianity survived those contentious church meetings is due in large part to the stalwart members who held to the spiritual ideal Jesus taught of God and man as the workable model for both the individual and the community.
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Responses by Kevin Graunke and Lindsey Biggs

This question is right at the leading edge of what many churches, not just our own, are confronting in today’s wireless, instant-message world. How do we balance the value of connecting and sharing online with the invaluable blessing that comes from gathering together in person to exchange spiritual ideas and build on common goals? more

Responses by David Stevens and Shelly Richardson

Thinking about this question, one might point to the impact of sports and other extra curricular activities, lack of interest on the parents’ part, family logistics, and more. All of these reasons either obscure or mistake the value, and promise of the Wednesday night service. Those of us who attend can continue to cherish the value and promise of Wednesday evening testimony services for young people. more