Monday, October 13, 2008

Ipswich MA lecture fruitage

Fruitage from Elise Moore’s preparatory meeting and lecture, “God is Speaking to You”, September 21, 2008 in Ipswich, MA

The adjective most used was “wonderful”. At the meeting, Elise challenged us to think creatively, to pray together and to see each one in our community as spiritually minded and receptive.

There were about 50 people in attendance at the lecture with at least seven people who we knew were not Christian Scientists, though there could have been more.

After the lecture a man came up to the literature table and said he had seen our poster in a bank and decided to come. He explained that he was an “ecumenical”. He took a Science and Health and then asked if there was a practitioner in the area. He was given a Journal and shown the listings.

The husband of one of our members, who was brought up in another religion but frequently attends Wednesday evening meetings, said it was the best lecture he had ever heard and was very impressed by it because he could finally understand everything that was being said. He followed up the next day by saying that one of his clients complained that he was “queezy” about the economy and was unsure about making an important decision. Our friend responded that he had just heard a lecture the day before and assured him that God was speaking to him, and he will know the right move to make.

A member of our church gave a testimony that a few days after the lecture she went to visit her sister-in-law, who is not a Christian Scientist. Her sister-in-law mentioned that her teenage son was questioning the existence of God because there was so much evil in the world, especially what Hitler did, and she didn’t know how to address his concerns. Our member said to her that God was actually speaking to Hitler, but he wasn’t listening! That was a great revelation to her, and she was excited about explaining that to her son. Our member was grateful to have the lecture message fresh in her mind.

Another member gave a testimony that the day after the lecture he was riding in the train to work. When he stood up to leave, he followed an angel message to check for his wallet. It wasn’t in his pockets, so he looked down to where he was sitting, and it had fallen out of his pants pocket and into the space between two seats. He felt the lecture had helped him “tune in” and follow his intuition.

-The Lecture Committee

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Reminiscing about peace lecture 1986

In 1986, I was lecture chair at the Nashville church and filed this fruitage report....

We just had our May peace lecture. It was a demonstration all the way around, as our board had originally rejected the idea of a third lecture this year. But at the last minute, our committee unanimously voted to ask for the special peace lecture. The board approved it, and Boston provided a lecturer, all in March!

About a week before the lecture, I was praying with Isaiah 43:5,6. "Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west: I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." Also Psalms 107:3, "And (God) gathered them from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south."

Our church draws members and visitors from about a 40 mile radius in all directions, so these verses were meaningful to me.

As I reaffirmed the attractiveness of the Christ, I looked up "gather". One of the root meanings is "to hold fast". To me this meant that all God's children, His ideas, are already held fast or present within God, All. God's activity is not bringing His children into His presence (as if they were separate from Him). God's children are already gathered in God, and God holds them fast, in other words keeps them safe and secure. The gathering was not in the future, but was already done.

Within the hour, a friend saw the lecture invitation on the door of my office and remarked that her Sunday School class had just heard a speaker on peace. I was able to locate the speaker in the next hour. She was a divinity student at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She told me that on Monday (this was Friday) there was to be a banquet with representatives from several religious groups in the community interested in peace. She offered to take lecture invitations to the banquet. She stood up specially to inform the group about our peace lecture and distributed almost 150 invitations.

At the lecture, God led me to one young woman to ask how she learned of the lecture. She said it was at that dinner!

God had already gathered this group together. My prayer helped me be more receptive to what God had already gathered and done even before our lecture.

-May 26, 1986 E. Moore

Monday, September 22, 2008

Feedback from Ipswich MA lecture

My husband and I attended your lecture yesterday in Ipswich, Ma. It was WOW!

Your sense of love and care spoke so clearly, as well as your delivery and message! My husband, who is not a Christian Scientist, felt just as inspired as I was. We spent our 40 minute drive home discussing Christian Science which is something we never do. We both very much appreciated your lecture and look forward to you returning to our area so we can bring our children.

With much gratitude... - J and W Millet

Ipswich MA lecture

The lecture prep for this church was on Supporting Church Growth. Since the time we began working together earlier in the summer, they have added 6 people to their branch membership, including one person signing the book the day of the lecture prep! He brought a visitor with him to the lecture. Seeing everyone as spiritually minded and nurturing their spiritual sense brings results!
- Elise

Monday, July 14, 2008

Sunday School ideas for small churches

SUNDAY SCHOOL IDEAS

A teacher was asked to prepare a 10 minute presentation on Mary Baker Eddy, her life and her discovery of Christian Science. (The Bible lesson was on Christian Science and focused Mrs. Eddy and her discovery.) We asked all of Sunday School to form a circle after the opening and talked about Mrs. Eddy and what this teacher had prepared. It took about 20 minutes and then we broke out into individual classes. All of the students were given an assignment, to come the next Sunday with something they had researched about Mrs. Eddy they really liked, a healing of Mrs. Eddy's or a healing of their own to share. I emailed/called parents letting them know of their son's or daughter's assignment.

The following Sunday, our church was welcoming a new member, a mother of one of our SS students and we were short teachers so we spent the entire SS as one large class. We reviewed the previous Sunday about Mrs. Eddy and then we spoke of her founding the church, the Manual and membership. We really focused both Sundays on the fact that Christian Science and Church & Sunday School is all about healing. This then led into each student sharing. Each student brought something about Mrs. Eddy to Sunday School, it was really cool and some shared gratitude for what she meant to them. We then went to church for the closing hymn and then the reception to welcome our newest member.

The next Sunday we got together in a large group again and talked about prayer, different types and then talked about giving themselves a treatment. What that meant. I had gotten this idea from a practitioner giving a metaphysical talk at camp. I took colored construction paper and wrote out the following words on each slip of paper: God, each of the 7 synonyms, Man, Me, error, two (2) Gratitude, iPod, TV, food, Video Games. The students were asked to place these in the order they felt they should go for a treatment. We had a big circle of chairs and laid them on the floor going in one direction. They did really good and if they were not in the exact order we left them. And they knew to not include the distractions in the treatment. Then we went through the order and discussed each step. With the synonyms, they were asked to name some qualities of each synonym. This took quite a bit of time and we found that we need to spend more time understanding each synonym and how they relate to each of us, what their specific qualities are. This took the entire SS, but everyone participated from the 5 yr old to the 19 yr old. It was really cool. It just so happens that the next Sunday the Lessons start with the synonyms - perfect.

Another thing we are doing, that they really like. As we come back together to close SS I ask a student if they would like to introduce and read the hymn and then close with the Scientific Statement of Being. Some started with just wanting to read the hymn and then get off the podium, but now the students are staying up and conducting the final closing. It has been great. This Sunday, I announced the first hymn (Mrs. Eddy's) and then I asked four different students to read each verse. It was great and they did a great job. I have started interacting with them prior to the Golden Text asking a question about the subject or asking about the picture in the quarterly and how it ties into what we are going to read (picture of pomegranate - asked what it was, student stated, then they were told to watch for it in the Responsive Reading). I am trying to find ways to involve them and get them thinking and not just going through the motions.
- D. Leonard
July 2008

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Association Day

Going to Nashville

Why do I go to Nashville?
What do I want to see?
Spend time with my friends, eat good food,
Or learn how to be free!

Why do I go to Nashville?
What do I want to do?
See the sights, have some fun,
Or learn what is true!

I know why I go to Nashville
And I want to share it with you.
I go each year to learn what's dear
And what I'm required to do.

I am to put into practice
The truths I've been told.
To see God's child and share good words,
Is better than silver or gold!

Carolyn W
Written on the flight home, June 29, 2008

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Spanish activities in Los Angeles area

Spanish Outreach Progress June 2008

FORMATION OF A SPANISH OUTREACH COMMITTEE

The first meeting of the Spanish Outreach Committee was May 18 at
3rd Church L.A, in Downtown Los Angeles. Twelve people launched this
coordinating committee composed of those interested in bringing Christian Science to their Southern California Spanish communities.

EL HERALDO RADIO BROADCASTING

Our continuing activity includes : Weekly radio broadcast - ½ hour broadcast of El Heraldo on Spanish station KHJ AM 930 at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings;
toll free 800 number is announced 3 times at the beginning and end of each El Heraldo program; send calter El Heraldo Magazine; spot announcements on Saturdays; monthly El Heraldo monitor; Metaphysical Committee.

Listener responses are heartening

• A caller who found Ciencia y Salud in a library and then bought her own book (and shares CS with friends at work and at her apartment) called to say she was heading home on vacation to El Salvador and she wanted to know if there were any churches there where she could take her parents. Learning that there were none, we went to visit her and made sure she had extra Heraldos, another Ciencia y Salud, a biography of Mrs. Eddy and God’s Law of Adjustment in Spanish to take with her. She was so grateful.

• Another caller was referred to us from the El Heraldo office in Boston. He had called to find out if they had Ciencia y Salud in Braille. The answer being “no,” we were able to send him some old El Heraldo tapes and have read the lesson in Spanish to him over the phone so he could tape it and listen. We hear from this gentleman regularly.

• One caller from 2007 was so excited about Christian Science from the first time she found out about it through the El Heraldo broadcast. She asked for and received a Ciencia y Salud and then called her local church to find out how she could learn more. The Reading Room Librarian is fluent and helped to provide reading materials for her including the new Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly, and she attended the Placentia Spanish lecture last year. On her own the caller bought Miscellaneous Writings. We’re told she recently returned to Bogota, Colombia for a visit, where “she located the church there.”

• A caller from 2006, who visits the U.S. regularly, just got back from Mexico
and attended both the Santa Barbara and Encinitas Spanish lectures. She enjoyed them greatly and got a lot out of being able to hear Lorenzo Rodriguez’s lecture twice. She also regularly studies the Bible lesson from the new Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly.

• An Inglewood elementary school substitute teacher mentioned that when she was using the El Heraldo “world globe” paperweight produced by the Publishing Society to demonstrate to the children what a cube was, that many of them recognized the words “El Heraldo” because their families listen to the program.


SPANISH LECTURES/TALKS

Lectures

• In April, Santa Barbara/Goleta/Solvang/Carpinteria churches sponsored a lecture by Lorenzo Rodriguez, CS, at Girls, Inc. Community Center. A woman heard our radio spots all week and couldn’t wait to attend. After the talk she commented that what she heard touched her heart, and she felt like this was what she needed to help her with her search for much needed employment and healing.”

• In May, Escondido Church sponsored a lecture by Heloisa Rivas, CSB, given at Central School. They emailed, “Our Spanish lecture went really well! We had 6 Spanish-speaking newcomers who listened intently, got involved in dialog during the lecture and stayed afterwards to chat and have a snack. It really was rewarding, and they all took Spanish Science and Health's and other Spanish literature. “

• Also, in May, Encinitas Society and Rancho Santa Fe Church sponsored a lecture by Lorenzo Rodriguez, CS, at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center. As reported, this was also a very successful lecture. “Spanish workers standing in front of Home Depot were invited and one came to the lecture. After some discussion afterwards he became very interested in the new ideas he was hearing and has continued to want to know more.

Talks. Julio Rivas, CS, gave a talk in March at Backs Community Center in Placentia, sponsored by the Fullerton Church. This talk was very well received and 25 Spanish seekers were in attendance. Many Spanish books and literature were taken. Refreshments served afterward gave them a chance for fellowship and the time to interact with Spanish speaking church members. Per one attendee, “it would be great if other churches could participate in sponsoring” talks.


READING ROOM OUTREACH

• The 28th Church (Westwood) Reading Room librarian recently placed prior month Spanish/English Full Text Quarterlies out front in their free literature box. “Almost immediately a family came in holding two of them. The parents looked around. They ended up buying a (Spanish) Bible and My Little Book in Spanish, and I gave them an El Heraldo magazine. They are from Temecula and are going to UCLA medical center for their daughter.”

• An Escondido Reading Room attendant says there is a weekly farmer’s market close by and the Reading Room lets the vendors use the restroom facilities. She said “I put on Julia Wade’s new CD in Spanish. I love hearing her sing in Spanish and the Latino vendors that came in smiled and paused to listen to her recording.”

• Another librarian from 10th Church (Brentwood) Reading Room said that “a Latina walked in and I showed her our Spanish items for sale. She bought the new Julia Wade CD and I printed out a copy of the Spanish Bible Lesson for this week for her, too.”

OTHER INSTANCES OF OUTREACH

• A member of Palos Verdes Peninsula Church shares Christian Science with her gardener. He in turn shares the weekly lesson, Heraldos and one church’s Wednesday evening readings in Spanish and English with others. “He also listens to the radio broadcast on Sunday morning, which he says ‘is too short, it should be an hour long.’ He also exclaims that ‘God is his doctor.’”

• A Palm Desert Church member is supporting the interest in Christian Science of two Spanish families she has befriended (one from Mexico and the other from Panama). She has been able to provide Heraldos, other writings, and some old El Heraldo radio CD’s. One of the family members has also been attending church.

WEEKLY SERVICES/DISCUSSION GROUPS now meeting:

• Spanish/English Wednesday testimony meetings are held weekly at
3rd Church, Downtown L.A. at 7 p.m. Some members of this church
speak Spanish. The service is advertised to other branch churches in
Southern California and a flyer about the service is sent to all new El
Heraldo callers. This service is established and has been continuing for
several years.

• Weekly Friday night Bible Lesson study in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. at Inglewood/Westchester Reading Room. It is an informal meeting lasting an hour or so and It includes hymn singing, reading aloud from the Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly, and discussion in Spanish and English of passages from the Bible and Science and Health.

- M. Downs and P. Lindahl