answering the world's call for Church

Spiritual resource to share: healing spiritual ignorance and isolation

This was part of a chat with other church workers who are preparing for a large regional conference in Chicago on the vibrancy and relevancy of church.  Here is a part of my contribution.

Mid January, I was a part of a national conference call with others who were seeking comfort and understanding after the tragic shooting of Rep. Giffords and others. I wanted to listen so I could target my prayer more effectively.


The many speakers who contributed thoughts, ideas, suggestions and fears and concerns showed me that there was an earnest call for healing - although this call was not put out under any religious name.

One woman on the call said this horrendous act proved that our nation needs to combat two things: spiritual ignorance and isolation.

Why, I thought, this is what church does! Church - in its most elemental form -  combats spiritual ignorance - by rousing the dormant thought and casting out error, it removes isolation by elevating the race and healing the sick.

There is such a call for Church! Libya needs our healing prayer, perfected in the discipline and education of our Church; our neighbors need our healing prayer, softened by the elbow to elbow work we do in Church. There is a need to feed the hungering heart, heal the broken-hearted and to bring into community those who feel isolated or marginalized.

When I look at how I can love, help and heal mankind, I am not concerned about the changing forms of our churches. Although there are studies that show a decline in church memberships throughout the country, other studies show a strong majority of those who believe in God and in prayer. This suggests to me that Church is a demand that is outgrowing its present forms and that we be open to those forms of Church that will most effectively and directly heal the sick and sinning and be the blessing it is meant to be.

The world is still in need of healing and it is calling out for what Church has to offer: healing, comfort, community, love, forgiveness, progress.

Definition of Church from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy:

CHURCH. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle. The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.



This photo was taken of my family in Costa Rica.  We are displaying our jungle juice bracelets - bracelets that were "made" from the juice of one of the trees of the rainforest we had just hiked through near Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica.