First Church of Christ, Scientist, Roseville

Archive
Items removed from the home page - deleted after six months

1. Classic Recording of Mary Baker Eddy's "Communion Hymn"
   Thomas Edison invented sound recording, and in 1913 the Edison Company published a catalog of recordings on cylinders that included MBE's "Communion Hymn" ("Saw Ye My Saviour").  The Daystar Foundation and Library has a copy of that cylinder, and the history that led to it is recounted in a blog post from Daystar.  You can access the blog post at this link.  At the end of the post, there is a playable audio recording that features an orchestra and chorus performing the hymn.   (added 6/14/24)
    
2. The Christian Science Hymnal - History, Heritage, Healing
   The Mary Baker Library has announced a monthly series of publications, all chapters of a book titled, "The Christian Science Hymnal - History, Heritage, Healing."  Dr. Robert J. "Rocky" Rockabrand is the author, and his wife Sara Rockabrand is listed as his collaborator.  The 13 chapters will be released one a month, online only, and the current chapter, "The Evolution of Christian Science Hymnody Before 1892" is available now.   Click here for the main page that describes this project.  From it, you can access the first chapter.
   
   That first chapter has a number of interesting features, including two perspectives (one from an outsider) of Christian Science services in the 1880s, comments on some early hymns (with numerous sound files), and a list of 4 articles and testimonies from CS publications.  (added 6/6/24)
    
3. Arden Wood's Annual Meeting Replay
   Arden Wood has announced the availability of a replay of its May 5 Annual Meeting that featured an inspirational talk by Madelon Maupin.  Access the replay by clicking here.   (added 6/20/24)
    
4. Fourth of July at 145 Park Drive
   During the Fourth of July parade down Park Drive, George, Diana and Rand set up a canopy, a flag, a literature table, and ice water to represent our church to parade goers.  Click here to see some photos of the event from our perspective. (added 7/5/24)
    
5. Annual Meeting Replay
   The Annual Meeting of The Mother Church took place in Boston on Monday, June 3.  The replay of the meeting is now available at this link:  https://www.christianscience.com/additional-resources/annual-meeting.  On this page one can access the meeting, as well as the other Annual Meeting-related events, such as the hymn sing.
   
   The planned group viewing  at our Reading Room did not go smoothly due to Internet connection problems.  There is talk about a group viewing of the replay.  If it is scheduled, there will be details here. (updated 6/4/24)
    
6. Replay of Folsom/Placerville Lecture by Philip Hockley
   Phillip Hockley, CS gave a lecture titled "A New View of God and Its Effect on Well-Being" on Saturday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m.   It was sponsored by First Churches of Christ, Science in Folsom and Placerville, and it was presented as a webinar, with a viewing party at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville.  For at least the next few months, a replay of the lecture will be available at this link.     (added 5/12/24)
    
7. Replay of the "Spiritual Summit" at South Lake Tahoe
   A replay is available of the "Spiritual Summit:  Healing Solutions to Life's Challenges" that was held last Saturday (5/25).  The event featured a lecture by Lisa Troseth, CSB titled, "Moving Past Fear to Healing," a lecture by Nate Frederick, CS titled "Learn to Pray and Heal (A Spiritual Adventure)," and music by Andrew Brewis.  There is background on the presenters and their presentations at www.talksthatinspire.org.  The replay is at this link.  (It plays after the ad.)   (added 5/28/24)
    
8. Leaving... and Coming Back to Christian Science
   This week's Sentinel Watch podcast is especially interesting:  "Why I Left Christian Science -- And Why I Came Back."  Click here to open the link in a new window.  (added 5/6/24)
    
9. SFO Reading Room Fruitage Report and Financial Appeal
   The Reading Room at the San Francisco Airport has sent an urgent appeal for funds to help cover a major increase in rent.   The appeal includes a Fruitage Report of their recent activities in serving the traveling public.  Click here to open the appeal and report in a new window.  (added 4/17/24)
    
10. The History of S&H Concordances and of Concord
    The Mary Baker Eddy Library has just introduced a truly remarkable article about the development of concordances to Science & Health that led to the offering of the Concord computer systems.  The article is very lengthy and detailed, offering fascinating nsights into each innovation.  Along the way, it traces the history of the concordances, the development of the contemporary media offered by the CS Publishing Society, and the growth in the use of personal computers and the Internet.  The author is Tom Fuller, who was present and a factor in the planning and/or programming of each version of Concord.  (Tom also offers some wonderful personal insights and background information along the way.)  In a way, this is a history of the Christian Science movement's embrace of new publishing tools over the past 100 years.  (I read with particular interest because Tom and I were both members of the CS College Organization at Amherst College in the 1960s.)  Click here to open this ground-breaking article in a new window.  (added 3/5/24)
     
11. Mary Baker Eddy on Easter Observances
    Another interesting article from the Mary Baker Eddy Library gives background on the Manual Bylaw (Article XVII, Sect. 2):  "Easter Observances.  Sect. 2.  "In the United States there shall be no special observances, festivities, nor gifts at the Easter season by members of The Mother Church. Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our beloved Master, “Let the dead bury their dead,” and “Follow thou me,” appeal to daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen Lord."  Click here to open the brief article in a new window.  (added 3/5/24)
     
12. From the Longyear Museum:  (1) Mary Baker Eddy and Clara Barton and (2) the establishment of Christian Science in Germany)
    The latest news from the Longyear Museum has 2 items of special interest.  First, is a reprint of a 1908 article in which Clara Barton speaks of her admiration for Mrs. Eddy and her work, with special emphasis on challenging assumptions about aging.  Click here to view this article on Longyear's website.  The second item is a reprint of a 2000 article on the establishment of Christian Science in Germany in the 1890s, emphasizing the work of Frances Thurber Seal and her book, Christian Science in Germany.  Click here to view that article on Longyear's website.  (added 2/22/24)
     
13. The Mary Baker Eddy Library
    The Mary Baker Eddy Library, www.marybakereddylibrary.org, sends a monthly newsletter by e-mail.  The latest issue includes articles about (1) the "Subject File" (a wealth of information), (2) the podcast, "Frances Willare, Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Social Reform," (3) early Christian Scientist, William Curtis Coffman.  Send an e-mail to librarymail@mbelibrary.org and ask to be added to the mailing list.  (added 2/5/24)
     
14. Mary Baker Eddy, Presidents and Politics
    The Longyear Museum has reissued a 2016 research article "chronicles Mrs. Eddy’s connections with and observations about U.S. presidents during her lifetime. It also traces her journey away from politics and parties to an absolute faith in God's government."  Click here to open the article in a new window. (added 2/1/24)
     
15. Roseville lecture replay
    In case you missed Mary Bothwell's lecture "Experiencing Heaven Now," there is a video of another presentation of it last month at this link.  (added 1/10/23)
     
16. Message from our guest organist on 11-28-23
    I sent a follow-up message of thanks to Lauma Akmene last December 7, and she just responded with word that she is working on getting a new visa for a job in Palo Alto.  Click here to see her message.  (added 1/15/24)
     
17. New slate of church officers
    At our annual meeting last night, Joe Ritter was elected to the Executive Board, and right after the meeting, the other Board members elected him President.  George Babcock was elected First Vice President, and Megan Ford Second Vice President.  The other Board members are Randall Baker and Lori Proo.  (added 12/19/23)
     
18. New organ installation paid for
    Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of several members, the installation of our new organ has been completely paid for.  (added 12/29/23)
     
19. Longyear's 100th Anniversary
    The Longyear Museum is celebrating the conclusion of its 100th anniversary year with a fascinating 10-minute video review of those 100 years of progress since its founding.  Open the review in a new window by clicking here. (added 12/29/23)
     
20. Two articles from the Mary Baker Eddy Library
    As usual, there are several interesting articles in this month's report from the Mary Baker Eddy Library.  First, is a history of the Christian Science Publishing Society, which you can access by clicking here.  The second is a series of 4 accounts of Mary Baker Eddy rousing her secretary, Calvin Frye, from what appearer to be death.  Click here for that article.  (added 12/5/23)
     
21. Election results
    At the church annual election meeting last night, Janice Ritter was elected to a first one-year term as First Reader and Jane Mattson was elected to another one-year term as Second Reader.  Two new Board members were elected:  Megan Ford and George Babcock.  We were not able to elect a fifth Board member at this meeting.  (Joe Ritter was elected at our Annual Meeting on December 18.)  Randall Baker and Lori Proo remain on the Board.  Departing Board members are Kristen Kasje, Donna Wardlaw and Dick Frantzreb.  (updated 12/19/23)
     
22. Arden Wood Christmas Program on YouTube
    Arden Wood's December 3 program of Christmas music, "Sing, Choir of Angels" is available on YouTube at this link.  It's a little over an hour in length, and before you decide to pass on viewing it, you should check out the "back story" in this document.  (added 12/13/23)
     
23. "What Hast Thou in the House?"
    This week's Lesson ("God the Preserver of Man") includes the story of the widow who comes to Elisha when her creditors are threatening to take her sons to pay her debt.  Elisha asks her "What hast thou in the house," and she answers that she has only a pot of oil.  He tells her to borrow empty pots and pour into them from the one pot she has.  The unending supply of oil becomes the answer to cancelling her debt.
    
    This story is at the heart of Arno Preller's article "What Hast Thou in the House?" from the June 6, 2005 issue of the Sentinel.  Preller offers the story as an object lesson to churches that feel that their resources ─ of money, of members, of inspiration ─ are too limited to fulfill their purpose.  Then he brings in the definition of "oil" from Science and Health, also in this week's Lesson, to illustrate that we already have the "oil of inspiration" to meet the need of our church in all its activities -- as well as the needs of the whole world.  Click here to open this article in a new window.  (added 12/6/23)
     
24. The Christian Science Provider Network
    John W. Mitchell, CEO of Arden Wood has just send out an e-mail about the Christian Science Provider Network.  It is an organization established in 2012 by The Mother Church to help Christian Science care facilities deal with third-party payors, such as insurance companies and Medicare.  It's is an important source of  support for the CS field, and you can access Mitchell's message and a FAQ on the Christian Science Provider Network by clicking here.  (added 11/2/23)
     
25. Neighbor invitation for Nov. 11
    Our over-the-back-fence neighbors, Brenda dnd Guillermo Lesh (142 S. Lincoln St.) contacted us several weeks ago to ask if they could use our parking lot for overflow guests on Saturday, November 11 from about 3 p.m. through late in the evening.  They have invited friends to celebrate the 10th anniversary of being in their home.  Our Board gladly agreed, and in return the Leshes have invited any of us to stop by their party and get refreshments from the taco catering service they have arranged.  (added 10/30/23)
     
26. The Mary Baker Eddy Library makes several announcements in their latest newsletter:
    
    a.  An online exhibit that features 100 years of Christian Scientists in military chaplaincy.  Click here to view.
    b.  An article about Scotland's growing interest in the early Christian Science movement.  Click here to read.
    c.  Mrs. Eddy's comments about Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.  Click here to read.  (added 10/5/23)
     
27. The Mary Baker Eddy Library is recognizing the 25th anniversary of the publication of Gillian Gill's bography, Mary Baker Eddy, with an article about the signicance of the biography.  Click here to open the article in a new window.  (added 9/5/23)
     
28. Third Church, New York City sponsoried a lecture by Lona Ingwerson, CS entitled "The Twenty-Third Psalm."  The lecture was presented live on Tuesday, Sept. 26, but a replay is available on YouTube at this link.  There is more information at this link:  https://thirdchurchnyc.com/psalm-23-lona/.  (updated 9/27/23)
     
29. Have you been using the yellow menu bar at the top of the church's website (the one with the "Zoom" link) to access our Wednesday Evening Meeting?  If your computer runs on Windows 10, that bar will not appear unless the window is maximized.  Maximizing the window is not necessary if you're using Windows 11 or Macintosh.  This problem has only been observed in computers using the Microsoft Edge browser.  (Updated  8/11/23)
     
30. This past week's Lesson on "Man" had an unusually strong emphasis on "woman," and Randall put together a Scriptural Selection that was uniquely appropriate.  He used the Amplified Bible's translation of selections from Proverbs, and the Announcements began with a quotation from The First Church of Science and Miscellany.  Click here to open a page with both in a new window.  (added 9/3/23)
     
31. In our last (8/16) Wednesday Evening Meeting, I mentioned recordings of the Sermon on the Mount from 8 different Bible translations that I made 11 years ago.  I believe one gets special insights into this section of Matthew 4 through 7 from the differences in these translations.  The recordings are at this link.  (added 8/17/23)
     
32. As you all know, Joe Ritter is CEO of The Albert Baker Fund.  On May 2, Joe gave a Zoom presentation of his (and Robin Jones') visit earlier this year to 6 African countries.  The 46-minute presentation is currently available on YouTube at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V1v8nQjklo  (added 8/5/23)
     
33. The Mary Baker Eddy Library is a source of interesting new information each month.  This month they feature an article, "Was Einstein Interested in Christian Science?" which you can access by this link.  (added 8/7/23)
     
34. The Mary Baker Eddy Library has a podcast series called "Seekers and Scholars."  The latest episode is titled, "Reissuing a masterwork -- a new edition of Robert Peel's Mary Baker Eddy biography."   Click here to go to a page from which you can play the podcast.  (added 6/5/23)
     
35. The Mary Baker Eddy Library maintains a special website called Mary Baker Eddy Papers, from which you can view and copy a variety of MBE's correspondence and sermons, primarily before 1886.  Here is the URL:  https://mbepapers.org.  (added 6/5/23)
     
36. The Mary Baker Library has a new article in their series, "Women of History."  It's a profile of Jeannie Dove, the first black Christian Science teacher in Africa, who was responsible for establishing Christian Science in Ghana and throughout West Africa.  Click here to read the article.  (added 5/5/23)
     
37. The past year's work of our floral artist, Eltha Hannum, is on exhibit in our Board Room.  Photos of some 41 of Eltha's creations are displayed on the wall.  Click here for George's picture of Eltha standing at the wall.  (updated 2/28/23)
     
38. Donna Wardlaw has shared information about the passing of our friend and former church member, Tom Yeates.  For anyone who would like to reach out to his wife, Karen, her e-mail address is kdyeates1949@gmail.com.  (added 4/2/23)
     
39. The Mary Baker Library's latest newsletter has been sent to those on their mailing list.  One interesting article is a lengthy report on the 1953-58 Archbishop's Commission on Divine Healing and the response of Christian Scientists.  You can access the article here.  Another interesting article deals with Mrs. Eddy's statement in Science & Health:  " In the Saxon and twenty other tongues good is the term for God."  The article (click here) undertakes to explain the possible background for this statement. (added 2/6/23)
     
40. PrayerThatHeals.org is a web-based service of Christian Science Churches of Southern California.  One of its services is a collection of videos of Christian Science lectures (currently 8 from different lecturers).  You can access these lectures at this link, from which you can view the lectures on YouTube without advertisements.  (added 12/12/22)
     
41. For most of us the name Ivimy Gwalter is famous for many things including the 100 articles she wrote for our periodicals.  The Mary Baker Eddy Library has just released an article about her many decades of service to the Christian Science movement, and you can access it by clicking here.  (added 11/4/22)
     
42. The Longyear Museum has a page on its website, https://www.longyear.org/mary-baker-eddy/, that serves as an excellent introduction for anyone to the life of Mary Baker Eddy.  Described as a "biography and chronology, the home page has a beautifully produced, 17-minute survey of Mrs. Eddy's life and achievements.  There are 3 additional web pages that provide fuller detail on three key periods in her life.  (added 10/24/22)
     
43. The Longyear Museum's website offers virtual tours that give one the ability to explore Longyear's properties.  Their latest newsletter has this to say about 8 Broad Street in Lynn:  "Mary Baker Eddy was living in Lynn, Massachusetts, when she completed and published Science and Health. In this first home of her own at 8 Broad Street, she also founded her church, chartered a college, and taught dozens of students. And on New Year’s Day in 1877, she married Asa Gilbert Eddy in its second-floor parlor."  You can take a self-guided virtual tour of this home beginning at this page.  ()added 10/3/22)
     
44. The Longyear Museum's latest newsletter features a link to a conversation entitled, "Exploring Mary Baker Eddy's Revisions to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."  You can read a transcript of the conversation at this link.  (added 10/3/22)
     
45. The Mary Baker Eddy Library has announced an item of interest in their latest mailing, "Remarks by Mary Baker Eddy on Death" (recollections of two people who heard her discuss the subject).  Click here.  (added 9/12/22)
     
46. The Mother Church website has a page called "Heavenly Hymns."  It features solo settings of 15 hymns  performed by past Mother Church soloists.  Visit the page at this link.  (added 7/25/22)