Annual Meeting
| Boston
Through related meetings in branch Christian Science churches around the world this week, Monday's Annual Meeting of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, took on an unusually global perspective.
In past years, thousands of church members traditionally have traveled to the denomination's international headquarters here for the Annual Meeting.
This year, officers of The Mother Church and other Church Center departments prepared a special videotape report on church activities and offered it to the denomination's branches in 59 countries. Local congregations were invited to consider holding hometown meetings during Annual Meeting week. Translations were prepared for French-, German-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking areas.
Meanwhile, members attending the June 6 meeting in Boston heard Harvey W. Wood emphasize that ''lives more than words'' were needed as ''proof of what Christian Science is.''
Mr. Wood is Chairman of The Christian Science Board of Directors for 1983-84.
''The airwaves and mental atmosphere,'' he noted, ''are so full, these days, of shrill merchandising of religion and conflicting ideologies. But the Christ usually doesn't enter human hearts through that route. The Master Christian accomplished all that he did through his own witnessing, his own demonstration, of the power and presence of the Christ.''
Mr. Wood recalled that a recent visitor to the Boston Church Center's new permanent Bible Exhibit had complimented the display for offering the public ''a witness and not an argument.''
''Perhaps,'' said Mr. Wood, ''there is a lesson for each of us in that comment. What a wise and expansive goal for each of us, to offer our neighbors and our world 'a witness and not an argument'!''
Brief reports were given by the Church Treasurer, Michael A. West; the Clerk, Ruth Elizabeth Jenks; and Allison W. Phinney, Manager, Committees on Publication. There also were reports on healing and church progress from individual Christian Scientists and from branch churches.
Named President of The Mother Church for 1983-84 was James K. Kyser of Chapel Hill, N.C., a longtime Christian Science practitioner, teacher, and lecturer.
