Our Church Newsletter
... your Father knoweth what
things you have need of,
before you ask him
Matthew 6:8
May-June 2015
Kay Harrison—Church Clerk
Kay has been our clerk for the past 2-1/2 years. We asked her to tell us a bit about her work, and this is what
she said.
“My day-to-day is to serve and to always be available, either in person, by phone or email. My primary function
is to be accountable to and support the Executive Board with the ultimate goal being that of spiritual growth.
As I continue to develop spiritually in the work, I am learning to love more, attain a higher degree of humility
and meekness and most of all really listen for spiritual guidance. I also function
as a ‘director’; not in title but in function—directing members and guests to the
proper source to answer their questions. I serve as the clerical support to the
Board, taking and disseminating the minutes for the Executive Board Meetings,
fielding all kinds of written and verbal requests; preparing various materials from
solo sheets to desk announcements to posting events and articles on the bulletin
board and on the foyer table. I especially enjoy handing out Membership
Applications and working with the Committee Chairs - we are so fortunate to have
so many members participating in and chairing committees so that our church
can continue to enjoy harmony and growth.”
We also asked what her biggest surprise was when she became clerk, the
biggest challenge and most rewarding.
“My biggest surprise was how much I could learn and am still learning about the inner-workings of a non-profit
church organization. My biggest challenge as Clerk was learning how to juggle so many vast and varied
responsibilities all at once from unlocking and opening the front door to emptying the shredder to adjusting the
air conditioning for the Clerk’s office and the Board Room. The greatest reward is to be able to work in such
an atmosphere of love, joy and support.”
From the Executive Board
Your Executive Board is keeping the church business moving forward as Committee Chairs and their
committees take care of the details. At a recent meeting with the Committee Chairs, the question was asked,
“What can the Committee Chairs do for the Board?” Our rousing response was “Keep us in your prayers!”
In line with the request from The Mother Church, we ask you to come to the Sunday service prepared, with
your study of the Weekly Bible Lesson Sermon, to witness healing in our service. Please join your Executive
Board in prayer to heal criticism and complaint in our congregation. This will bring a healing atmosphere to our
auditorium. Hymn 249:2 tells us “Our gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty…” We expect the healing result
to be evident in abundance. To kneel or not to kneel? On Communion Sunday, the Manual of the Mother
Church (pg. 126) invites you to kneel, during the second repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. It does not require you
to kneel so please feel free to remain seated. You are loved where ever you are.
A note of sincere thanks to one of our newest members, Roger Poulson, a professional arborist of 40 years.
He personally pruned 10 of the 22 trees on our church property and coached our landscaping crew on the
pruning of the remainder to create a new standard of beauty and care. We are tremendously grateful for his
expertise and generous gift of his time and talent.
The House & Grounds Committee is investigating solar energy to offset our energy costs. In the near future
we may ask for approval to move forward on solar installation. This investment seems to be a wise use of our
funds and promises to give us a higher return on our investment than other types of investments.
We hope you are enjoying this newsletter and photos. Much love is put into the production, and we are
tremendously grateful to those contributing. We hope you will consider submitting your testimony of healing for
the newly created column “Healing News”. Only initials will be used to identify the testifier. Our desire is to
encourage more of you to come forward with your healings to put on record.
Lovingly, Your Executive Board
The Interfaith Council of South Orange County invites you to attend the 2015 Annual Prayer Breakfast
The Annual Prayer Breakfast, hosted by the Interfaith Committee is on Friday, May 1, 7:30-9:00 am. Guest
speaker is Duane Elgin, and the topic is “Discovering Our True Gifts: What We Can Offer Each Other During
This Time of Great Transition.” Anne Cooling is handling the reservations. Tables of 9 are $17.00 per person;
individual seating is $20.00. Contact Anne if you’re interested in attending. For more information see the flyer
on the church foyer table.
Healing workshop planned for June 18
The Renewal Committee will host a healing workshop in our Sunday School on Thursday, June 18, 7-8:30 pm.
This meeting will focus on a 30-minute video from the Trustees of the Christian Science Publishing Society on
the role The Christian Science Monitor has in our church’s healing mission as well as each member’s healing
practice. The video will be stopped three times so everyone can engage in an in-depth discussion on ways to
accomplish this. It features members of The Christian Science Monitor staff and Scott Preller (member of the
CSPS board of Trustees).
This is the first in a series of healing workshops to be held this year. So, mark your calendars, stay tuned, and
plan to attend!
Vacation Bible School 2015
We’re on our way to holding our 11th Annual Vacation Bible School
program--one of the highlights of our church year! It is based on our
Mission Statement: “To provide an annual opportunity for the children of
our community to learn the joyous spiritual application of the Bible.”
(Developed and adopted at the Vacation Bible School committee
meeting 6/28/05.)
Eight of us gathered one evening to begin planning for Vacation Bible
School. Our discussion resulted with a theme and the dates. This
year’s theme is WAVES OF JOY! and will include Bible stories having to
do with water. Dates are: Monday, July 27-Friday, July 31, 2015, 9 a.m. to noon.
For five exciting summer mornings students learn Bible stories, play games, sing, make crafts, and have fun
snacks. Students range in age from 4 years old through 6th grade. Seventh graders through college may
apply to be Junior Leaders. They will earn service hours that can be applied towards their school or
organizational requirements. And, we usually have 20-30 adult volunteers, too. Come join us; your life will
never be the same! Speak to Diana Morgan or Lynn Smith, Directors, for additional information. And, watch
for flyers, coming soon.
Needs at this moment are: teachers, junior leaders, snack coordinators, game assistants, crafts assistants,
metaphysical citations’ researcher, and "Smart Water" plastic bottles with caps. Please email us if you want to
participate or have suggestions for people who might like to participate!
Lynn Smith, Director
Our Pot O’ Gold--caring for our community and other worthwhile activities
Around 2009 we set up this Pot O’ Gold to help various non-profit organizations and Christian
Science activities. Some of the recipients include “Laura's House” a shelter for battered women,
“Caring For One Another” a caregivers training program, “Petals of Africa” a school in Africa for Christian
Scientists, “Principle Foundation Disaster Fund”, “National Leadership Council” focused on Christian Science
youth leadership, “Project Hope Alliance”, “Adventure Unlimited Camps”, “Clearway Foundation", “Asher
House” and several Christian Science Nursing and Care facilities, along with our own Vacation Bible School.
Each quarter an organization or activity is chosen by our Executive Board, and a desk announcement invites
the congregation to drop their check in the gold pot which sits in our church lobby. Funds are sent to the
organization at the end of each quarter. This quarter’s recipient is the Albert Baker Fund. Its mission is “to
serve the Cause of Christian Science and humanity by providing resources for the education and development
of Christian Scientists.” More information may be obtained from its website: albertbakerfund.org.
Mary Baker Eddy was generous in giving to her community. This is our opportunity to be generous and show
our community that Christian Scientists care for their neighbors in a practical way. Diane Rose, Board President
Our Community Outreach Programs:
Pot O’ Gold: Drop your check, payable to: 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Laguna Niguel, with “Albert Baker Fund” noted on the memo
line, in the gold pot located in the church foyer. Cash is also welcome.
Heifer International: Please continue to leave your cleaned/rinsed cans and bottles in the Reading Room kitchen bin. Funds from these
items are sent to this organization.
Thank you for all your contributions! They all help very worthy causes!
Greeted, Welcomed, and Ushered into Church
Marty DeWindt, Chairperson of this committee was emailed a few questions, and here are her replies:
How often do you serve?
Most serve either Sunday or Wednesday for a month four times a year. So
they are on one month and off two months. I do a bit of extra subbing so
tend to do a bit more. The committee also provides ushers for special
events on request.
Can a Sunday School student serve on this committee?
Yes! We have used SS students for lectures, special events such as
Christmas Eve, and would happily have them serve on Wednesdays.
What do you like best about serving on this committee?
I love the discipline and opportunity to see everyone that comes as a
Ushers on one Sunday morning
perfect and blessed expression of God - the chance to be grateful for
everyone's participation and support. It is a great joy to be truly welcoming and express genuine pleasure at
seeing our church family.
Are there any challenges?
--One continuing challenge is members who come early and take those end-of-pew seats making it difficult for
others to get to empty seats in the center of the pew.
--As a committee we could use a few more substitutes. Please contact Marty if you’re interested.
Our Reading Room
You are invited to join your friends and church family
to view the 2015 Annual Meeting of The Mother
Church. It will be streaming live on Monday, June 8
at 10:00 am, in the Reading Room. The title of the
meeting will be "A Spiritual foundation of Christhealing”--continuing to build. For your convenience,
the Reading Room will open at 9:30 am.
The Reading Room's monthly spiritual theme for May
is "Motherhood" and for June it’s "Fatherhood".
Please come in and gather inspiration related to these themes from articles reprinted from our dear periodicals
which will be on display around the Reading Room.
We are still seeking a few members to serve in the Reading Room. We are willing to work around your
personal schedule. It is so important to have two attendants serving together for each section, but currently we
cannot meet this need. Please search your heart and calendar to see if you can support your Reading Room
by serving our church family and community. The morning section is from 10:00-1:00 pm, and the afternoon
section is from 1:00-4:00 pm. If you are led to serve, please call the Reading Room and leave your name and
phone number.
Marilyn Hutchens, Librarian
Welcome to our new member:
Joan Cyr
Withdrawn her membership: Betty Barker
Walking into a church
Walking into a church
Should be like walking into a manger,
not a hall of judgment-a place so shorn of self-righteousness,
so free of all reproach, no insecurity.
Sitting in a church
should be like sitting in a field of sunlight,
comfortable and warm—
while Love’s sweet air is bearing
fragrances of Christ’s simplicity.
Experiencing church
should be like wading in a stream,
where Christly ministrations
wash your feet and thoughts
and make you clean.
Oh, yes—I know how I expect my
church to feel....
Dear Father-Mother, teach me
now the way to make it real.
Barbara Cook, from the Christian Science Journal, March 1983, Vol. 101/#3 Reprinted by permission from the Christian Science
Publishing Society. This item and others like it can be found on JSH-Online.com.
You are welcome to join this Open Bible Study Group!
They began meeting in our Reading Room in 2004 and now
meet twice monthly, 2nd and 4th Fridays, at noon.
Currently they are studying the Gospel of Luke, using one of the
“Foundation Stones” workbooks developed by the scholars that
give presentations at the annual Asilomar Bible Conference.
Anyone can join this group, whether they attend a church
service or not. All you need is an interest and love for the Bible. So, come and join in.
A bit of background: At first, the group met weekly in a member’s home for lunch and then went to the
Reading Room for their Bible study. Eventually they met twice monthly. When Bible Study Seminars
produced its first workbook, the group decided these books would serve a good tool to encourage them to dive
deeper into the text.
One member who has attended from the beginning said that she is gaining a greater understanding of the
Bible. Another said that this study is a great blessing to her practice as well as an understanding of the Bible.
You’re invited to a workshop with Laura Armstrong, Christian Science Nurse, on Sunday, May 3, 1:00 pm in
our church auditorium. The workshop’s goal is to encourage, inspire and guide one another to offer Christian
friendliness and ‘a cup of cold water in Christ’s name’ to our fellow man. Laura will also discuss how the
Christian Science Nurse can support your work and how you can support the work of the C.S. Nurse.
May
1
1
3
4
5
6
8
11
12
15
19
21
22
25
Here are the activities planned for May and June
Interfaith Prayer Breakfast 7:30 am
Ecumenical Study, R.R., 12:00-1:30 pm
Workshop with Laura Armstrong, Church, 1:00 pm
Pray with Ex. Board re “Healing Apathy”
Men’s Bible Study, R.R., 8:00-9:00 pm
Hymn Sing, after church meeting
Open Bible Study, R.R., 12-1:30 pm
Executive Board Meeting, 2:00 pm
Bible Lesson Sermon Study, Sunday Sch., 7:00-8:30 pm
Ecumenical Study, R.R., 12:00-1:30 pm
Men’s Bible Study, R.R., 8:00-9:00 pm
Membership Business Meeting, 7:00 pm
Open Bible Study, R.R., 12-1:30 pm
Pray with Ex. Board re “Healing Apathy”
June
1 Pray with Ex. Board re “Healing Loneliness”
2 Men’s Bible Study, R.R., 8:00-9:00 pm
3 Hymn Sing, after church meeting
5 Ecumenical Study, R.R., 12:00-1:30 pm
8 Annual Meeting of T.M.C., R.R., 10:00-1:00 pm
8 Executive Board Meeting, 2:00 pm
9 Bible Lesson Sermon study, Sunday Sch., 7:00-8:30 pm
12 Open Bible Study, R.R., 12:00-1:30 pm
16 Men’s Bible Study, R.R., 8:00-9:00 pm
18 Healing Workshop, Sunday School, 7:00-8:30 pm
19 Ecumenical Study, R.R., 12:00-1:30 pm
22 Pray with Ex. Board re “Healing Loneliness”
26 Open Bible Study, R.R., 12-1:30 pm
Photo credits: All photos in this edition are by Bill Rose. This newsletter is a bimonthly publication of First Church of Christ, Scientist,
Laguna Niguel, CA at 29012 Aloma Ave, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 Phone: 949-495-4158. Co-editors: Jean Paige, Diane Rose.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.christianscienceinlagunaniguel.com
Executive Board Members: Diane Rose, President Marsha Harris, Vice President
Members: Caroline Cooper, Joan Loechner, Doug Tummond
Items for the next edition, July-August, must be received in the clerk’s office by June 15. All items subject to edit.