ello,
Here are my notes from the Summit. I hope others will share the ideas and inspirations they remember from the Summt.
Wendy Jones
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Notes from Church Alive Workshop
June 3, 4, 2011
Friday evening, Alex Fehrman gave a presentation on the pipe organ at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Denver. Saturday, David Walton shared how the pipe organ is a metaphor for our church. The pipes alone make weak or not so beautiful music, but altogether they produce the powerful, full beautiful music.
Linda Paulsen presented a multi-media show on “The Beginnings of Christian Science in Colorado.” Some of the tidbits I remember are that First Church, Denver at one point had 650 students enrolled in the Sunday School, that church was the first branch churches built west of the Mississippi, and Minnie Hall and her sister went through class instruction with Mrs. Eddy and one of the sisters actually worked in Mrs. Eddy’s home for about a half a year! If her presentation is on the Church Alive website, there will be more specific details about our history.
Saturday morning we heard a Board of Directors discussion. I noted this concept spoken by Nate Talbot: “God is presence itself.”
John Rinnert from Bozeman spoke about “Whatever Rests Upon and Proceeds from Divine Principle.”
Ø He began his talk about how the Church Manual is like the Hubble telescope. The nebulas have always existed, but the telescope allows us to see them. Even so, the structure of Truth and Love has always existed, but the Manual helps us to see it and Mrs. Eddy’s vision for church.
Ø John also talked about “gathering up the fragments that were made.” (Jesus) For example, the lesson-sermon is made up of fragments that pull together into a theme.
Ø Next, he spoke to how the Manual could seem “old” to some, but the permanency of the Manual lies in its connection to the “word of God which lasts forever.” Divine Science is “the word.” Church is permanent because it is the mouthpiece of God’s word, “unfettered and uncontaminated by human hypotheses.”
Ø John also spoke about how the church sanctuary has always been a place of protection. In our case, our church is a place that protects us from false communication such as entertainment, advertising, politics, etc. We cannot be disturbed by these false “mouthpieces.” Church is a safe place from foreign thinking. See Isaiah 54 which gives a prophecy of the church.
Ø Our church is a place of rest. It destroys the curse and panic.
Ø Our church is an institution of education. Our church promotes spiritual understanding. IT brings out what is already there.
Ø How do we make the transition to a church alive? It won’t happen by changing the order of the service or fixing other things “out there.” Think of Ezekiel 37, the valley of the dry bones. Can the bones live? There is no hope since they are cut off from their parts. Sometimes our church seems like the dry bones with no young people, no fruitage, no life. But the bones lived and made a mighty army. An army “rests” by warring against error. Our church is like an army, “Rousing the dormant understanding.” John likened Mrs. Eddy’s seven hymns to a battle plan about how we war against error by resting. We need to be a church of prophets, spiritual healers. The prophets loved God’s word so much that they were ready to lay down their life for it.
Ø Signs of love include value and obedience.
Ø We should be asking “How can we be more obedient to your Word, God?”
Ø How much do we value our church? What would I do without it or Christian Science?
Ø What is Christian Science treatment worth to you? Do we value that as much as one person valued a surgeon who gave her a hip replacement and was willing to pay $40,000 for it? The prophets had their values straight.
Highlights from the panel discussion on “The Structure of Truth and Love: Our Church Service”:
Why should we go to church? We don’t go to church to get something. We go in order to give. We might only offer our presence and our desire to be there. Mike Kilborn
We should get to church before the service begins and pray beforehand. After all, the prosperity of the Christian Science rests upon the lesson-sermon. Amie Chitwood
“If we want to experience church alive, then we need to be alive in church.” Todd Herzer
A Honeybee session is where a group of people share answers to a particular question. The honeybee in each group takes notes and then flies to another group to share our thoughts with that group. Then with the honeybee staying there, the group discusses another question and again, the honeybee flies to cross pollinate another discussion group. Notes from Honeybee session: the Platform Committee and Metaphysical Committee can be awake and alive pray about each of these ideas (church as a sanctuary, a place of rest, a place of education, etc.) If we don’t get to church early, we can mentally support church wherever we are. We need to metaphysically support our church services, our church, and our movement.
IF we value church, we are respectful and get there on time. We go to church with something to give, not only to receive.
Individually, what can I do? When inviting someone to a lecture, don’t say, you look like you need some help, but say, “I’ve noticed you are spiritually minded. Come to our lecture.”
Highlights from Session on “Apprehension of Sprititual Ideas: Spiritual Education”:
Nancy Savage (who wrote Nickel the Buffalo) and ideas for the youngest class:
Handle disruptive behavior ahead of time: such as strong will power, inability to concentrate. Try having a circle of masking tape on the floor, tell the story about the lost sheep. Treasures—we dig for them. Where do you dig? Where there is an X. Our cross from the cross and crown could be our X! We need to dig deep.
A new command—“Thou shalt not fall or fail.”
Kathy LaTourette and ideas for the intermediate, older classes:
The Manual tells us what to teach, not how to teach.
As teachers we should pray, be prepared, then listen.
What is best for kids? In a particular situation, the SS provided a one on one class for a student.
Know your Bible
Check TMC Youth, Sunday School tools
Have each student fill out an index card with name, email, hobbies, sports, favorite subject, not so favorite subject, etc.
Communicate with the students. Give consistent assignments. Text, email the students. Have students participate in church. They could help the First Reader create the readings, they could come up for the last hymn in church , select hymns,
Find out what students know and don’t know
Discussion: If we had to cut back and only have nine commandments, which one would you take out? Why was that commandment important then? Why is it important now?
Write your own parable for a teachable moment.
Teacher and/or student keep a folder of metaphors/analogies to use as talking points.
Today, we are going to learn the definition of evil. Turn to page 500 (it is a blank page).
Probe the Golden text. There is a megaphone that broadcasts your thoughts. What thoughts did you have during the silent prayer?. Why do we pray? How do we pray?
Use maps
Prepare for class as though it is packed.
See April 2009 Journal p. 12 by Rebecca Odegard
Fourth Panel: Demonstration of Divine Science: Healing
Kathy Fitzer: Can church be in conflict with what we do outside of church?
Why should people come together as a church? We are like a symphony, we come together to “play” what we’ve been practicing individually. We are a mighty band of healers.
Personality are the bugs on the windshield. Love is the view through the windshield. Should we focus on the bugs or the view?
Pam Dickson said, “We need to become more a church of healers (practitioners) than of patients.”
Riley Seay expounded on the parable of the midnight visitor. The traveler is the patient, looking for help at the darkest time. The friend is the practitioner who looks in the cupbpard and finds nothing (I can of mine own self do nothing.) Importunity—modest insistence. Never leave anyone out. If everyone is resting in God’s care, who is outside calling form help? Personal sense.
Self justification is pulling us away from MBE, man, God. It says we don’t have time.
Lona Ingwerson:; Church Alive! We have work to do!
She started out her talk with a poem about a candle. One sister put it on a shelf, and one lit it and used it to light a thousand other candles.
She based her talk on Article XXX Section 7 from the Church Manual. “I recommend that each member of this church shall strive to demonstrate by his or her practice that Christian Science heals the sick promptly and wholly, thus proving the Science to be all that we claim for it.”
She shared healings of when she and her husband moved to Colorado for employment and as a result of Evergreen church’s prayers.
She explained the unemployment is similar to a death threat. Christian Science is like a hotline to God and that God can help us. One man had asked her if God could help his situation where had had lost his job. Since Mind’s resources are not limited, not can those of man be limited. Somehow this gentleman received a call from out of state offering him the perfect job for his talents.
Also, she shared how a church member in the Golden Church used her poem, “Which of these men do you think of as you? Genesis 1 or Genesis 2” to overcome a situation like a heart attack.
She shared how a student on a trip to Paris was healed of negative thinking because of her prayers.
Finally, she shared how her home was not touched by fire when she and her family and the rest of the CS communities world wide prayed. She knew that Christian Science was the one thing she had that could not be burned.
Man’s resources are not limited by social, civic, religious, or political circumstances.
Mrs. Ingwerson received a standing ovation for her moving presentation, both in the way she delivered her message and the amazing demonstrations she shared with us.
I left the summit inspired and ready to be a part of our church alive.
