Latest News from
The Church of Christ, Scientist
Church moves forward with public process to update its Real Estate Master Plan
July 21, 2008 The Church will move forward with the public phase of updating the 40-year-old master plan for its Boston campus. As a first step, a Citizens Advisory Committee will be appointed by the Mayor of the City of Boston. A series of interactive public meetings are expected to commence this fall. At that time, a public website will track the process and provide regular updates.
Now that all of the employees have moved into the Publishing House, we are negotiating short-term leases for the former Administration building. A lease was recently signed with Northeastern University for all of the available office space in the Colonnade building. The University will move a number of its administrative offices into the building in August.
The Church will retain control over the 14-acre site, including signing leases with businesses that are compatible with the Church’s standards and use restrictions.
A statement from the Christian Science Board of Directors on the Passing of Richard Bergenheim, CSB:
It is with deepest love and gratitude for our dear friend Richard Bergenheim, CSB, that we inform you of his unexpected passing this past weekend. His wife, Phebe, was with him in Kansas City as he continued his meetings with Christian Science teachers and practitioners, on behalf of The Christian Science Monitor as well as the other Christian Science periodicals.
As you know, Richard has just completed his tour of duty as Editor of the Monitor, with John Yemma taking the reins as Editor Sunday. In his new position as President of The Mother Church, Richard has been sending us almost daily emails, telling of the strong support that he has felt in the field for the Monitor and other periodicals.
When we received the news of his passing, we immediately remembered a recent message in which Richard spoke of his prayers for a Monitor reporter who was in a tumultuous area of the world. He quoted a phrase he loved from a hymn: “None can beyond Thy omnipresence stray” (Violet Hay, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 66). We’re comforted to know that Richard and his family are embraced in that omnipresent Life, too.
Richard was so convinced of the continuing vitality of Mary Baker Eddy’s Church and periodicals. We have heard reports of how spiritually rejuvenating these meetings have been for those who have attended, and it is our intention to continue them uninterrupted.
There aren’t words to express the gratitude of the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees of the Christian Science Publishing Society for all that Richard has given over the years to his Church. To name just a few of his contributions: over a decade on the Bible Lesson Committee, service on the Board of Directors and as Editor in Chief, and of course his many outstanding articles and editorials in the periodicals. His most recent work as Editor of the Monitor was marked by extraordinary faithfulness and devotion to the ideals of the newspaper he had loved all his life.
Richard has been a friend and mentor to many of us, and we will miss him greatly.
Read the Christian Science Monitor tribute to Richard Bergenheim, CSB here.
Short-term leasing of the Colonnade
June 10, 2008. As announced in April, the Church is moving forward with leasing portions of the Administration and Colonnade buildings on a short-term basis until long-range plans for the buildings are determined. We have signed our first lease. Northeastern University will lease all of the available office space -- approximately 72,000 square feet -- at 101 Belvidere Street (the leasing address for the Colonnade building). The space will be used only for its administrative offices. Occupancy is scheduled for summer 2008.
The Christian Science Board of Directors and the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society announce election of a new Editor for The Christian Science Monitor
June 9, 2008. As Monitor Editor Richard Bergenheim moves into his new assignment as President of The Mother Church, we’re happy to announce the election of John Yemma as Editor of the Monitor. He will rejoin the Monitor in mid-July, after 20 years at the Boston Globe, most recently serving as Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia. Richard, we’re pleased to say, will continue with the Monitor as Editor-at-large.
“The Monitor has been a beacon of smart, thoughtful journalism for the past 100 years,” new Editor John Yemma commented to us. “I am honored to have been chosen as the Editor who will take it into its second century. Mary Baker Eddy founded the Monitor during the era of ‘yellow journalism,’ when objectivity, accuracy, and fairness were in short supply. Now, at a time when news organizations are struggling to establish a sustainable economic base, the Monitor’s role is more crucial than ever in providing careful reporting, compassionate analysis, and a clear-eyed view of the world.”
Senior staffers in the newsroom will remember John warmly from his early Monitor days--as a Washington reporter, international correspondent, and Business Editor. In addition to the Monitor and the Globe, he has worked for the Dallas Morning News, United Press International, and the San Antonio Express-News. During his years at the Globe, John coordinated national political coverage during the 2004 presidential campaign, edited several award-winning series, and served in a variety of posts, including Sunday Editor and Foreign Editor. For the past two and a half years, he’s directed the editorial operation of Boston.com (the Boston Globe’s website) and has led efforts to transform the newsroom from print to multimedia. John is a Christian Scientist and a member of The Mother Church.
We deeply appreciate Richard Bergenheim’s gracious willingness to continue as Editor in the next few weeks, as John transitions from his career at the Globe. “I applaud the selection of John Yemma as Editor,” Richard said. “He’s an accomplished journalist who believes deeply in the Monitor’s ideals--and in its future.”
It would be hard to overestimate Richard’s contribution as Editor over the past three years. He led the staff with spiritual poise and tireless vigilance through the period in 2005 when Monitor correspondent Jill Carroll was kidnapped in Baghdad and held as a hostage until her remarkable release some 82 days later. He managed the installation of a vastly improved technology and workflow system in the newsroom. He championed the development of the Monitor’s website, csmonitor.com, as it continues to introduce new functionality and serve a broader readership.
As announced last week at the Church’s Annual Meeting, Richard will devote his term as President to meeting with Christian Science teachers, practitioners, and church members in several countries, to encourage greater support of the Monitor, as well as the other Church periodicals. And, as Editor-at-large, he’ll report occasionally on what he is hearing from Monitor readers.
We thank both John and Richard, from our hearts, for their ongoing commitment to Christian Science Monitor journalism.
For more details, visit http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0609/p25s08-usgn.html.
Christian Science Board of Directors announces new President
June 2, 2008: At Annual Meeting, the Christian Science Board of Directors announced that they elected Richard Bergenheim as the new President of The Mother Church. Read the announcement to Church employees.
New Members of The Mother Church
Last Friday, May 30, the Christian Science Board of Directors welcomed into membership individuals living in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Congo Republic (Brazzaville), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zambia. Each of these new members has a special story to tell of their journey to membership; and each of their stories includes you – the current members who approved their applications – so thank you all!
Announcing short-term leasing in Administration and Colonnade buildings
On April 3, 2008, the Christian Science Board of Directors announced short-term leasing in the Administration and Colonnade buildings. As the move to the Christian Science Publishing House continues over the next 60 days, plans are being made to move forward with leasing portions of the Administration and Colonnade buildings.
Leases are expected to be two to three years in duration. Long-term use of the buildings will be determined as part of a master plan that will involve the City of Boston and representatives from the community in an interactive public process.
A real estate company with extensive experience in the Boston office market has been selected to oversee the interim leasing of these two office buildings. The name of the company is the DTZ FHO Partners Asset Advisory Group.
Launch of www.christianscience.com
March 3, 2008. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, announced the launch of www.christianscience.com. At the heart of this new website is a collection of video clips in which people share their personal experiences in Christian Science. It provides a window through which the public can view the impact of Christian Science on people's lives and better understand the practice of spiritual healing. Christianscience.com also makes it easy for the public to get accurate information about Christian Science and Church activities. The Church expects this will clear up some of the common misconceptions about Christian Science.
Responding to questions about the expanded use of Bible translations in the Bible Lesson
February 20, 2008. The Christian Science Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society wrote a letter which responds to questions about the occasional use of Bible translations other than the King James Version in the Golden Text and/or Responsive Reading. In particular the May 18, 2008, Bible Lesson, “Mortals and Immortals,” will contain passages from two other translations. The Golden Text will be from the New International Reader’s Version, and the Responsive Reading will be from the New International Version. Read the letter.
Change of address for Boston offices of The First Church of Christ, Scientist and The Christian Science Publishing Society
Effective May 1, 2008, the street address for all departments currently located at 175 Huntington Avenue and One Norway Street will change to 210 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. For more information click on the letter from the Christian Science Board of Directors dated February 14, 2008.
Christian Science Board of Directors names new director
January 22, 2008: The Christian Science Board of Directors announced the retirement of M. Victor Westberg, C.S.B., from the Board of Directors and expressed their appreciation for his contribution to the Church. They also announced the election, effective immediately, of Margaret Rogers, C.S.B. of San Rafael, California, to the Christian Science Board of Directors. Read letter to Church employees.
Workshops and meetings available to branch churches and societies
There are several workshops and meetings designed to enrich and support activities of branches of The Mother Church. Branches can sponsor these events individually or jointly with other branches.
The Mother Church includes her Boston neighbors at Christmas and New Year's Eve
On December 23rd, the Boston community was invited to hear the Beacon Brass Quintet perform at the Sunday morning church service of The Mother Church. The Quintet played from 9:40 a.m. until the start of the organ prelude. The church service began at 10 a.m. The Quintet accompanied Julia Wade and Ed Starner for the solo and performed after the organ postlude until 11:40 a.m. This allowed time for families to gather their children from Sunday School and bring them to the church to enjoy the music.
On December 31st, The Mother Church participated in First Night (a celebration of New Year’s Eve with a variety of family and cultural events throughout Boston). Tours of The Mother Church were given from 1:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m., and chiming concerts were at 6:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight outside on the church plaza. The highlight of the evening was a 45 minute organ recital to be given by Ed Starner, organist of The Mother Church. It started at 7:00 p.m. Events were also held at the Massachusetts Avenue Reading Room and the Mary Baker Eddy Library. The community was warmly welcomed.
Christian Science Board of Directors visits branches in Europe
At the invitation of European branch churches and societies, the Board of Directors traveled in September to meet with Christian Scientists in the following countries: Russia (St. Petersburg), Belgium (Brussels), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sweden (Stockholm), Latvia (Riga), Greece (Athens), Italy (Milan), France (Paris and Pau), Spain (Madrid), and Portugal (Lisbon). Many individuals traveled long distances (in some cases up to 10 time zones!) in order to attend the meetings which often lasted up to 4-5 hours. On numerous occasions, the Board also held separate meetings with youth.
The highlight of these meetings had to be the heart-to-heart dialog engendered by the question-answer format through which many thoughtful questions were asked and a deep love for Christian Science and the Church was expressed. At every meeting, a profound interest in Mrs. Eddy’s Writings was evident by the many requests for new and better translations. Other hot topics included the Heralds, radio, and possible future uses of the web for accessing articles and testimonies. Thoughtful discussion was also given over to subjects like uniting with The Mother Church, taking class instruction, and the importance of going into the Christian Science practice.
The Board deeply appreciated the opportunity to connect more closely with these fields and returned to Boston not only with a deeper understanding of the challenges some are facing, but also a greater appreciation of the good work and dedication to Christian Science already going on.
These meetings were a continuation of the 150 visits that the Board of Directors has been making to branches throughout the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland, and Australia and New Zealand. This upcoming year, the Board will continue to respond to the various invitations they have been receiving from branches throughout the world.
New Members of The Mother Church
November 2, 2007. This morning, the Christian Science Board of Directors met to elect candidates to membership with The Mother Church. Applications were received in Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. These newest members of our world-wide church family live in the following locations: Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Denmark, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Republic of Congo, Republic of Georgia, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. They are from a variety of faith traditions.
The members of the Board are truly grateful for each and every individual who unites with the Church that Mary Baker Eddy organized "…to commemorate the word and works of our Master, which should reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing.” (Church Manual, p. 17) Once again we invite all members to unite with us with a renewed commitment in the spirit of what Mrs. Eddy says about membership in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:
- “Our church is built on the divine Principle, Love. We can unite with this church only as we are newborn of Spirit, as we reach the Life which is Truth and the Truth which is Life by bringing forth the fruits of Love, — casting out error and healing the sick.” (S&H, p 35)
A reminder, applications for membership are welcome at any time. The next admission of new members will take place on May 30, 2008. Please send your completed applications to the Office of the Clerk no later than May 28.
A message from Richard Bergenheim, Editor, of the Christian Science Monitor.
October 10, 2007. Some significant changes are starting to appear on the Christian Science Monitor's website [csmonitor.com]. You may recall the start of a sentence Mrs. Eddy wrote in Miscellaneous Writings: "Beloved children, the world has need of you ..." (pg. 110). This is something we feel deeply as we work to produce the Monitor each day. We are now able to bring readers and the world and our reporters much closer together.
On our website, a new design is gradually being rolled out. One of the most obvious new features is the addition of audio/visual reports. To see them please go to http://www.csmonitor.com.
The Monitor also provides a special e-mail newsletter feature that informs you when there is new content on a topic that interests you. The line for this is: http://www.csmonitor.com/csmonitor/web/guest/emailServices/signup
Changes at The Mary Baker Eddy Library
October 1, 2007. The Mary Baker Eddy Library Reference Room will be moving to a new location in early 2008. To facilitate this change, it will be necessary temporarily to close our Reference Room to the public as of Tuesday, October 9, 2007.
The new “Mary Baker Eddy Library Reference Room/Lending Library” will reopen on the second floor. In the meantime, reference service will remain available by phone at 617-450-7325 and via e-mail at reference@mbelibrary.org.
The Monitor Gallery exhibit will be permanently closing on October 9 to make room for the new Reference Room. Selected items from the exhibit will be incorporated into the Quest Gallery to better highlight the extent of Mary Baker Eddy’s ongoing achievements. The main Library exhibits, including the Mapparium® and the Research Room, will remain unaffected during this period.
Quotes Café will be open its regular hours.
NPR Program with Phil Davis, Manager, Committees on Publication
August 30, 2007. Committees on Publication Manager, Phil Davis, appeared on a radio program called Interfaith Voices. The program ran on more than 40 NPR stations in the United States and Canada.
Host Maureen Fiedler talked with Phil about the nationwide push toward so-called “universal healthcare.” During his interview, Phil answered questions about healthcare in Christian Science and the importance of this issue not only to Christian Scientists but to the public at large.
Interview on PBS I Believe series
August 9, 2007. Recently Phil Davis, Manager of Committees on Publication, was interviewed by Dennis Wholey for the PBS national television program, I Believe. It aired across the country and is available to everyone online. This program includes a series of interviews, each with representatives from a different church or faith. Christian Science is featured in the 17th interview of the series. The interview took place in Washington, D.C., and the 26-minute program includes a short segment with Mary Alice Rose, the Committee on Publication for Maryland.
This interview is posted on the show’s archives. The link for it is: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3335110832763116637
"One World" Summer Enrichment Program!
July 30, 2007. Please join The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the return of its successful summer arts enrichment program, “One World”, for children ages 4-12. Last year, “One World” served 776 children through arts and crafts activities, storytelling, book giveaways, and free admission to the world-famous Mapparium, the three-story stained-glass world globe. Area children are introduced to elements of the Library’s unique collection of original source materials, providing a living history and a connection with the past.
Last year’s program brought a mix of youth from communities throughout Greater Boston and as far away as Quincy, Milton, and Randolph. The program also drew from many local organizations, such as the YMCA, Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Clubs, and the United Way.
The “One World” program is made possible with financial and in-kind support from: The Charles J. Wyly, Jr. Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas; Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company; Hachette Book Group USA; Penguin Group USA; and Rand McNally.
