Sunday School teaching is spiritual growth

Just a quickie to let you know that I had my first day in Sunday School this past week. WOW! Since coming into CS, I've been on the platform singing on Sundays and had no idea how much work it was to teach SS!!!!!!!

Since class, I've been cherishing the idea of teaching in the SS, and have also been praying for it - both in my church and all over the world. When I had class, the SS in my church was 1 student a week, if that. These days, the norm is usually 9 - 11 students, and during the summer when people move back into town, there are 2 more regulars.

My class is the teens - 1-7th grader, 2 -8th graders, an 11th grader, and a senior. I'd love to see the class split w/ the younger students having their own class - there is a definite gap in concentration and experience!

Anyway, talking about teaching SS in class instruction was so very helpful. THANK YOU!!!!

I had originally planned to spend time on the Bible and had chosen my Bible story for the week fm the lesson. When the time came, the students were really quite interested in the Bible, seemed to not know it at all, and wanted to hear about Elisha. So, I actually gave them a little lesson on Elijah first and the passing of the mantel to Elisha. We went around the table and read fm the Bible, which they seemed to enjoy very much. There is a reading-challenged 8th grade boy who stepped right up and read his portion. He was misbehaving before the reading part came up, and once he read, he settled right down.


The entire hour was WORK like I don't think I've ever done before. CONSTANT replacing of what was before my eyes w/out a moment's break!!!! I must admit that for a moment I longed for the ease of my singing contribution. But, I do see that I am ready for this challenge and that it is right for me to be right where I am at this moment.

My practice of CS has changed (for the better!) and I'm rejoicing all the rugged way! Who knew that SS was so challenging! I am not dismayed, and am looking forward to the ensuing weeks.

I gave the class homework to be due in 2 weeks (I've got a concert this Sun and won't be in church) and the class seemed to be excited about the assignment - rewrite the 10 commandments in your own words - make it relevant to your lives today. They also liked the fact that I would keep in touch w/ them via e-mail during the week. [I found a great sub for my class for all of my upcoming out-of-town concert dates through June! He's a high school teacher who doesn't want to be tied down every week but is willing to sub].

So, this is my report. I'm sort of laughing at what a whimp I am.... being challenged by high school kids! But I'm happy to take on the challenge and am rising! Who knew that high schoolers were so very different fm college kids!

NEXT....

A student from West Chester University who is taking a comparative religion course asked to interview someone fm the CS church. That person was me. We had a delightful 90 mins together before t-giving, and she wrote me last evening w/ a list of unanswered questions. One question was, what did we believe about evolution. I immediately remembered your article Only One Intelligence, and I sent her a snippett from it. Thank you!!! I read this article before ever meeting you. Your articles have always spoken to me and seem to come to my aid when I need them! The Christ in them speaking to the Christ in me!

OK - that's it for now. As always, thank you for everything you are and everything you do. See - who knew that an article you wrote in 2006 would be touching a WC college student in the year 2009, or that your class teaching in 2006 would be touching a group of teenagers in WC, PA in the year 2009 and 10........

xo
Lorie

Southern Pines lecture preparation

"The Christ is active and attractive in Southern Pines!" This quote from Elise Moore is our motto for this year's lecture!

In our report at the November 12 membership meeting, we asked you all to think and pray daily for our community and our lecture, "Curing the Incurable," which is our annual gift to the community. Elise refers to this as "metaphysical marketing" - reaching out to our community leaders, merchants, clergy, doctors, nurses, teachers, radio hosts, and neighbors right NOW in our prayers and daily activities! In this way we support the attraction to the Christ that is innate in every heart and prepare these hearts to be receptive to our invitation to the lecture - and to our church services, as well. During our March 8 Lecture Preparatory Meeting, Elise will emphasize that “everyone is already spiritually minded. Holding the right idea of others in our thought and seeing them as spiritually minded makes communication so much easier.”

In her letter to the members that was handed out to everyone at the November meeting, Elise suggests that we read John 4:1-42 and look at this story as the first lecture preparatory meeting! What happened when the Samaritan woman discovered the Christ? How did she feel? How did her actions express her response to the Christ?

We need also to think about what our lecture title means to us and others. In researching the word “incurable” with the computer study program Bound Volumes, Joan Barriage has found 21 articles, testimonies, and editorials from 1898-present, as well as 8 testimonies in the Fruitage chapter of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In addition, the theme of the July 14, 2008, Sentinel is “Curing the Incurable.” These are all available to you in our Reading Room.

At this time of gift-giving, we are so blessed to have the greatest gift of all - Christian Science and its practical application, as demonstrated by Jesus and discovered by Mary Baker Eddy. However, we need to know that we are not a select few who know this truth - God speaks to every heart in a way that it can understand!

Rejoice in the gift we have to give! Pray that God will provide daily opportunities for us to share the good news of the presence of the Christ!


Lovingly,
The Lecture Committee

Instant answer to logjam

WOW, you must know what you're talking about It was maybe 10 or 15 minutes after I received your email and I got a call to help. We can rent a system and someone else is handling the details!

Thanks for the affirmation!

Love, Bec

Worries about office politics healed

All aspects of the situation I described to you this morning were dispelled today. No one is leaving and we are all a stronger team. My work today was to listen and watch for Mind's unfoldment of right ideas and activity. There was open discussion of issues we were all working on and we even laughed a lot. And it was determined that the work I was doing with the schools is important and not to be abandoned. It was like we were all loosed to embrace and follow unfolding ideas.

I didn't really realize what happened until I thought about writing this note. It's all about dropping the false sense and embracing the good right at hand every moment like Elisha and his servant.

Thank you so much for your help!

Love,
Sandy

Kalamazoo feedback helpful to member

Thank you for your loving and meaningful message. I am still giving thanks and noting fruitage from your dear lecture.
I just received word from out lecture committee about the guest to the Kalamazoo lecture,that you wrote about, who is Roman Catholic and refused to attend your two PA lectures but came to the Kzoo lecture. This put me on my mental knees.

You may already know, but First Church of Christ, Scientist, Kalamazoo is only a few short blocks from a Roman Catholic church which has the largest Catholic congregation in Kalamazoo. Also, I have been dating a man who was stringently raised catholic, schooling and all. The handling of any belief of resistance to Christian Science due to Roman Catholicism has been an earnest prayer for the two years we have been at our current location. I, too, was raised catholic and dropped that system of beliefs when I came into Science at age 20. Your sharing of this healing is a breath of fresh air for me.
I thank God daily for your quiet and powerful healing work.
-S

Blessings of honesty

This morning as I laid next to my dear, sweet, wonderful, and peacefully-sleeping Matthew, I took a few moments to think about all I was grateful for. Although we're working it out each day (some days more than others ) he grows more and more precious to me. Sometimes I'm almost afraid to acknowledge how happy I am. I just had no idea that marriage (hard work!) could be so blissful!!! Really!

Anyway, as soon as I started expressing gratitude for all of the wonderful qualities of Matt and this marriage, and all the comforts of the wonderful home and life we're building together, it struck me that what I am most grateful for is honesty - Truth! And that led me to think about where this relationship was last year at this time, even 8 months ago. Although we were 'heady' over one another, the relationship was sort of perched on this precarious and not-so-solid treetop. We were going nowhere, but wanting so badly to move ahead. We did not see how to do this under the watchful eye of the 'the public' and kept going deeper and deeper into seclusion in an effort to figure things out in private. We also desperately wanted to live morally and were finding that more and more difficult as well.

That's when I called you. I felt ridiculous and stupid, but I poured out my story to you and you told me that I had to be moral and honest and that I had to be willing to have my actions exposed to the light of day. I had no idea how to do that, nor did I even want to have the world looking on while I figured things out. Matt pretty much felt the same way too. I had no thoughts that we would ever come to any conclusions about our relationship, let alone be married.

As we both pondered what it meant to be truthful and honest, the idea came very strongly (first to him) that we needed to be married! What an utterly ridiculous thought! How could it ever work? As we continued to cherish our desire for morality and honesty, this idea of marriage kept coming to us. And then even a ring - a ring that I didn't want and was not looking for- plopped right down in Matt's lap. And the ring was 1/7 th of its original marked price!!! And then a friend told us about a legal marriage ceremony (self-uniting) which would be easy and convenient. As we continued to marvel, yet remain unconvinced at the same time, the way was being paved to do what we really wanted to do - live honestly.

Fast forward.... now that we are married, we really do see that the problem wasn't the age difference and all of the family problems or gossip and scandal surrounding a relationship such as ours in the small community of a college where we both were visible. It was the fact that we were trying to hide and therefore deny honesty and truth its rightful place in our lives.

I will be ever-so-grateful for your stand for morality, for truth and for honesty, and for your courage to stand up to me and point out that I was indeed not being moral. I truly had no idea - I was hypnotized by the thoughts ever recurring to me about how things really were!!! Truth, honesty, morality. Matt and I often have discussions about these things now. We recognized that they are what saved us, and we so often are able to see that what appears to be a certain problem to the world is really not that problem at all, but a veil which is trying to hide truth - Truth itself.

So dear Elise, my gratitude this morning -not a long list of things - consisted of lots of thoughts about Truth, and the courage and love of those who stand for it, namely YOU!!!!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

BIG HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lorie

Kalamazoo feedback

Dear Mrs. Moore,
Deepest, heartfelt thanks again not only for your great gift of yesterday's lecture on The Healing Power of The Bible, but for all the prayerful work you poured into it for our church and our community. And, I believe you touched a spiritual cord with my daughter, who found her way to see you at the end. That is a first for her. I am so grateful for her receptivity to the ideas you presented.

May God's blessings abound to you and your family, as you have blessed us with this
great harvest-home.

Lovingly,
Sandy

Seneca SC feedback

Thank you for this warm and encouraging letter, Elise! I have shared your points with our membership and several have asked me to thank you for them and again for sharing your Friday night and Saturday with us. Several spoke during our Wednesday meeting about how meaningful the prep meeting was for them, too.

One member, Betsy McOmber, mentioned you'd be in Boston on Saturday and Kalamazoo on Sunday. Rest on eagles' wings and enjoy the trip!

Marybeth

Monclova

I just had an informal visit to Monclova Mexico. 25 people gathered in a hotel conference room to meet a Christian Science (me) and to talk about Christian Science. It’s a long story but one woman, Dora, contacted Cristina from C. Victoria. Cristina sent her a S&H and has been in email contact. Dora then began telling all her friends about CS. They began buying S&H through Cristina. Most everyone in the room had brought their Bible and Science and Health. We talked for 2 hours. At the end of it, a young man stood quietly at the door. As people were leaving he came in and told me that he’d been praying. And that God had told him to come to this hotel that there would be someone who could pray with him. So he’d walked to the hotel (which is all by itself not in a business district), and decided that I was the person God wanted him to talk to. We talked together briefly, prayed together, and he told me he was healed, the pain had gone away. Cristina had brought one copy of S&H with her so I gave it to him. The only copy of S&H available at that time in Monclova.

I met again with 17 of them the next day before we left. At the end of that meeting, they decided to start meeting every Weds to talk about the Bible Lesson together (which they’d just discovered existed). They are going to subscribe to the Bible Lesson and I encouraged them to subscribe to the Herald as well.

You knew that the group in C. Victoria is now a Society! They are now building a church on the outskirts of town because they are outgrowing their church space on the side of Cristina’s house. They are also now building a Reading Room space! I’ll have to tell you the whole story sometime when I have more time, but the bottom line is that an inspiration came to Cristina to have a second story RR on the side of her property in downtown C. Victoria that had a separate access from the street. Then the money to build it came in a divinely guided unfoldment and they are right now in the process of building the Reading Room!

Pittsburgh downtown

Hi Elise! I'm the fellow with the Hungarian name (Miklos) who came to your lecture at the YWCA in Pittsburgh. I just wanted to tell you (I had to leave early, I was on my lunch hour from work) what a blessing it was.

I happen to be a Jewish Scientist. A kind of subset of liberal Judaism, we have our own textbook and have much in common with Christian Science: we pray the same way.

Since high school days I've loved the works of Mrs Eddy, and am friends with all the folks who work in the downtown Pittsburgh Reading Room.

It wasn't surprising to hear of your work in interfaith circles; you have a warm, welcoming and non-judgmental manner, and I was thoroughly at home in your lecture.

With every good wish,

Miklos

Lecture in Pittsburgh

Thank you for the uplifting, inspiring and healing talk you gave yesterday at the Four Points Sheraton. I grew up attending a Christian Science Sunday School and have attended church recently, very sporadically for many years. I have really never understood how to pray. During silent prayer, my mind would wander. My prayers for healing, not very good! Yesterday, you explained simply and concisely how to pray. For this I will be always grateful. It was by the grace of God that I made it to your talk. I have had many so-called problems, and seeming limitations, and concerns for my children weighing me down the past years. Now I feel i have the tools to pray for healing and to be healed! Thank you so much
Ann S.

Dog healing

M Henry just sent a note saying that the treatment I gave was for her dog who had a complete healing in April 2004! She was grateful. It's never too late to acknowledge healing and be grateful to God.

Supply manifested

Money appeared to pay all my parents debts on time and even save some money for the future. A bank account of Mom's that I did not even know of appeared with three thousand dollars in it! Dad's care will be covered by Medicaid and is retroactive from day 21. I have hired a friend who is a Christian Scientist and a tax lawyer to look into the IRS situation with back taxes and he is hopeful that the government will forgive the debt. My parents affairs are in good order. This is Divine Science in action. I need to remember to worry less and let God, good, take its course. Thank you so much.
LOVE,
A Rogers

Wheeling WV

In accommodating Steubenville's desire to have me do a live 3 minute TV interview, we decided to stay the night in Wheeling where the interview is taking place. Turns out the hotel is having a grand reopening. They had tents with delicious free food including filet mignon, smoked salmon and strawberries with chocolate. Everyone got a door prize and ours was a lovely bag that is perfect to transport all the books that we bought at the Book Fair in VA.

In getting my charger from the car late one night, I'd seen a brochure on the rack talking about a Book Fair. It's only a couple weeks each month. We could make the last day of the Oct date after the lectures in VA! The place was open til 7pm. We got there at 4:30pm and enjoyed an hour and a half of browsing especially history and historical fiction titles. Got some marvelous books! 16 books for $71! So now we needed to buy a bag to check at the Pittsburgh airport to get all these books home for free. Thus, when we arrived in Wheeling, attended their little doo in the tents out back and discovered that our door prize was a book bag.... Well we saw God, divine Mind, providing all the way along!

Change in financial picture

A funny thing happened when I was out at the gates of the city yesterday gathering up sticks ...

Actually, I was at my accountant's office in Brentwood as he negotiated with the tax collector on my behalf.

The emergency has passed.

What a difference a day makes.

Thanks so much for your intuition and spiritual insight. It means the world to me.

Coincidentally not, the night before we talked, Tammy was, in essence, telling me the same thing. "Get out there and do something. Don't close yourself off to your connections and contacts."

You gotta get out there and mix it up. You never know who will show up, hungry and thirsty.
-Greg

Fruitage Mt Lebanon PA

Fruitage – Mt Lebanon, PA
The Possibilities of Prayer
Church edifice
Monday Oct 26 7:30pm

There were about 65 people although the committee thought there were 90. There were several children in the audience who participated and came up to me afterward. There were numerous visitors. Members had invited people who came. A man invited his dental hygienist. Then people came because of the sign outside. It’s on a main street. And others came because of the advertising. A whole family of Roman Catholics came at the invitation of a member and said how much they enjoyed it. A Roman Catholic couple came from either the sign or the ad. The Wife said she was feeling moved by God to do something other than the Catholic church, but didn’t want to come to the lecture. Her husband had insisted and then encouraged her to talk with me afterward. She was feeling that this might be the answer to her search. Several people brought friends who stayed and had cookies and punch afterward, talking about the lecture and the ideas in it. A man told me how he was praying for his mother who was in a nursing facility. He’d attended this church once or twice a year for 40 years and identified himself with Christian Science. He said he visited his mother each day and prayed for her. We talked about the effectiveness of this prayer. Another woman told me that her husband had become interested in CS and this was his first lecture. He was talking about CS with everyone he met and she was so grateful for being able to talk about spiritual concepts with him. A woman talked with me who had lost her mother recently. She was upset and really clung to the spiritual truths of inseparability that I shared with her. She came up to me again before she left and thanked me again. I stayed for 45 minutes talking with people after the lecture and left while there were still people talking in the lobby around the refreshments.

Poem sent to me

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway."

—Mother Theresa
________________________________________

Lecture comments

Thank you so much for sharing what happened on your cab ride to your hotel last April! And thank you so much for witnessing Christ's presence everywhere you go and in every thing you do. I don't know how to express how much the way you live your life simply blessing every one you come in contact with means to me. You brought fresh hope and courage to my branch church and now to my sister's as well. With deep respect and love from a sister in God's great harvest field.
-Georgia

Ft Aktinson

We truly feel buoyed up as if "on eagle's wings" by the entire lecture process you so lovingly prepared. Our first-ever Bible discussion in reading room this Wednesday on Psalm 23 to be followed by testimony meeting with Principia athletes visiting the area. Will provide details for lecture fruitage.

I am so glad God asked you to become a healer instead of a banker or stock broker. (Though no doubt you would have made that your practice if He had.)

Lovingly,
Robin

Liberia

We the little group of Christian Scientists here in Monrovia, Liberia wishes to expressed our thanks to you for your lovely contribution.
We have received the amount of $ 1800 Liberian dollars from the young honest and respectful Christian Scientist called Joseph L.
Joseph is a member for the mother church and the little group here in Liberia.
We hope you continuous this with Joseph.Your knowing Joseph is the open door way for you to Liberia and Africa.Please feel free to asked any question.
Once again, welcome you to Liberia..

Very truly yours,
Jesse