The group is called Next Generation Christian Science Fellowship.
Its early worship on Sundays is called the "classic" service and follows an essentially informal approach to the familiar order of service found in the Appendix of the Manual of the Mother Church. The Sunday School iteration of its youth ministry runs at the same time - 9:45 a.m.
The second meeting, beginning at 11:00 a.m. is called the Contemporary Worship and it strives to provide a worship/community/church experience for those not currently feeling that connection in Christian Science churches. The premise of the Contemporary Worship is that no one reads to attendees, and the spiritual message is carried by contemporary music with a Christian and biblical focus, drama, video (including YouTube clips), prayer, Bible teaching, and sharing from the congregation including testimonies. Leadership of the Contemporary Worship rotates among a half dozen trained facilitators.
Members of the Fellowship Leadership Team (Board) have had discussions with several members of the Christian Science Board of Directors (CSBD) and they are aware that we are conducting both a classic service and a contemporary worship. Our application for advertising in The Christian Science Journal has been received along with our by-laws.
Our understanding from our conversations is that the CSBD does not render an opinion about what democratically governed local congregations choose to do in addition to that which is advertised in the Journal, or how they might be advertised or promoted outside the Journal.
Yes, she did, and we take that very seriously. In the Sunday Classic service, which we advertise as a Christian Science service, the Pastor of Christian Science preaches the sermon.
Preaching is generally defined as trying to persuade others to one's point of view. Speakers at the Contemporary Worship are making a witness, a testimony, about their research and experience with the Bible. As speakers are not ordained, there is no ecclesiastical authority behind what they say, and he or she is not trying to argue a conclusion with which attendees should agree.
Many of the attendees at the Gathering have studied the Bible Lesson during the week and attended the earlier Classic Service in which it was read. They seem to enjoy the Gathering’s emphasis on how we apply the lessons of Scripture (which often includes passages from that week’s Bible Lesson). Other attendees have read the Bible Lesson but struggle with a service in which they are read to for 35 minutes. Still others are newcomers, especially young people, who find the format of the Classic Service foreign and the message difficult for them to access.
The Gathering also includes references to Mary Baker Eddy’s Writings, without trying to interpret her. With the Bible as our source, love as our method, and application to life as our goal, our eight speakers do not teach their interpretation of metaphysics.
Mary Baker Eddy's criticism was of individuals who used spoken prayer to bring attention or glory to themselves or who talked beyond what they are proving in their lives. She did not say spoken prayer was bad for the hearers. In much the same way, she also objected to people who used silent prayer for malpractice. However, we would not think that critique invalidated its proper use. Our use of "led" prayer is to draw the affections of the congregation together in a greater awareness of God in the midst of our lives and to make a familiar bridge for newcomers accustomed to spoken prayer.
In Adam Dickey: Secretary to Mary Baker Eddy (2005), author Nancy Niblack Baxter writes that that during the time she was at Chestnut Hill Mrs. Eddy instituted "a practice not common in the Christian Science church. She asked the group [of her household] gathered around her for devotions to offer audible prayers."(55) Baxter publishes a sample of one of Dickey's own prayers that she cites as part of the Dickey collection at the Mary Baker Eddy Library. It is not a treatment but a prayer. The Mary Baker Eddy Library also has a 1910 letter from another household worker to a former worker that describes these Sunday morning "services" where Mrs. Eddy had attendees rotate in offering audible prayer.
It is certainly true that people have different tastes in music, which is why we do try to use a variety of styles. The hymns used by Christian Science congregations a century ago were familiar to those attending from other denominations. That is often not the case today. We have already had appreciative feedback from non-Christian Science visitors (especially young people) who recognized some of our music and say it made them feel more at home.
The value of inspirational music is in the effect it has on an individual's experience with it. Our music is also meant to be a bridge to the larger public. Historically the use of contemporary melodies and instrumentation has been important to reaching people in every age, especially newcomers, with the message of a more vibrant relationship with God. This is central to the purpose of worship in the Fellowship.
The words of much of the music we use take us back to the language of the hymns Mrs. Eddy enjoyed so much. They are biblically grounded, Christ following, and actually reflect the faith expressed by Mrs. Eddy throughout her Writings and discussed in a number of recent biographies of her. Unfortunately the denominational culture, which early began an official interpretation of her and struggled with the degree of her own focus on the Christian experience, either edited or excluded many of those gospel hymns she loved (as they appeared in the 1909/1910 hymnal) when the current hymnal was put together in 1932.
The word covenant is widely and largely used in religious traditions, as it is to define the marriage union, homeowner associations, and any setting where people are wanting to define their relationship with each other and its purpose. The rest of the world is more familiar with this term as it pertains to faith communities than are we. The seminary nearby our meeting place is Covenant Theological Seminary.
Evangelism is one of those words needing reclamation. It means to share the good news. When wishing to follow the Bible, Christ, and Mrs. Eddy – rather than the accrued culture surrounding each of them – we are drawn to the frequent use of this concept of sharing the good news in all three sources. It is impressive how often and with what emphasis Mary Baker Eddy refers to the evangelical origins and foundation of her church. The Covenant includes footnotes that speak to this.
The use of term ministry in Christian Science has been applied to both the healing work of practitioners and nurses. The Mother Church has a decades old tradition of referring to those civilians who provide Christian Science treatment and support on military installations as Ministers to Armed Services Personnel. It is a helpful reference in institutional settings and whenever we speak to the larger public since they understand that term. Frequently ministers are not ordained but just people who feel called to be about their Father's business. Ephesians 4 says that the work of the church is to equip its members (a.k.a. "saints") for ministry. We are a lay church but we need training in most effectively leading worship, working with youth, facilitating small groups, and -- according to Mrs. Eddy -- learning to bind up the broken hearted.