Photo of Tom McElroy, CSB giving his lecture “Spiritual discovery in times of upheaval” at the State Theater in Auburn

Events

In-Person Lectures

Each lecture in some way explains basic concepts of Christian Science and how those concepts can improve and bless your life.  People who attend have been known to experience healing of all kinds of personal problems – including physical healing. In-person lectures are provided around the world.  Some lectures are also on webcasts and podcasts; see below for internet links.  To locate an upcoming lecture nearest you, click here.

Every year, our church sponsors a free, public lecture by a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.  There are no reservations, we don’t take your name (unless you volunteer it), and there is no proselytizing.  Everyone is welcome.

Our 2023 Lecture:
“Experiencing Heaven Now”

In college, I was suddenly hit with a feeling of being disconnected and alone. Maybe it was because I was the only female physics major. Maybe it was because my work schedule meant I was seeing less of my friends. Whatever the reason, I knew that a change in circumstances wouldn’t solve anything. It was at that point that spirituality became of primary importance in helping me find a lasting solution. For me, spirituality means our connectedness to God and whatever practice we have that helps us recognize that. So perhaps it’s not surprising that one day, after an insight about God and the ever-presence of God’s love dawned on me, the disconnect vanished. Since then, I’ve felt a conviction that divine Love is here for me, and for everyone.

In spite of the hyper-connectedness of social media and technology, we live in an era in which many are feeling this same disconnect. We all yearn to find meaningful relationships, or a more lasting connection with peace, contentment, even health. In my lecture, I’ll discuss how anyone can become genuinely aware of God’s presence and experience heaven–harmony, health, and happiness–here and now.

I’ll also share how the study of the Bible, and a book that explains the healing relevance of the Bible, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, can open up a new meaning of heaven to each of us. This heaven isn’t a place, but a tangible feeling of being enveloped in love and spirituality that comes from understanding more about God. We’ll explore the new perspectives that come from this understanding of God–healing perspectives that can resolve all kinds of difficulties, and transform our lives for good.

From childhood, Mary has pursued a quest to understand the universe. Her spiritual education and search began in the Christian Science Sunday School, where she learned to apply the lessons in the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, to her life. She was especially interested in the spiritual meaning behind what she read. In early adulthood, Mary learned that Christ Jesus’ declaration, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” is true for everybody right now, no matter where they are. She realized that the peace and joy inherent in the kingdom of heaven, the spiritual universe, are available to her at all times and under all circumstances. This understanding has carried her through difficult professional situations, and allowed her to safely travel throughout the world.

Mary earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics from Principia College and an M.B.A. from UCLA. She was employed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for 34 years. During her time at JPL, she participated in and managed the development of technology and scientific instrumentation for earth, planetary, and astrophysics missions.

Now, in her work as a Christian Science practitioner, Mary prays with people of many faiths to achieve healing through prayer as taught by Christ Jesus and described by Mary Baker Eddy in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Various health and emotional issues have been cured, interpersonal relationships harmonized, and supply restored.

In gratitude for the 18 years of instruction she received in Christian Science Sunday Schools, she has served most of her adult life as a Sunday School teacher. She loves helping her students understand the Bible’s message and rejoices in their progress as healers and spiritual thinkers.

Video of this lecture given at another location: click on photo.

Our 2022 Lecture:
“Spiritual discovery in times of upheaval”

The 2022 lecture was held at the State Theater in Auburn in co-sponsorship with First Church of Christ, Scientist, Auburn. The lecture was given by Tom McElroy, CSB, a spiritual healer and teacher of Christian Science. Tom McElroy has been a Christian Science practitioner for many years, helping people on a daily basis through this scientific approach to prayer.

This lecture is about spiritual discovery. It’s about understanding more of what God is and learning to see our lives and the world through the lens of God’s all-good nature. It’s about stripping away surface-level appearances in order to discern what actually is. Spiritual discovery reveals what is substantial, lasting, and powerful — and this leads to healing. What’s the outcome? Progress. Transformation. Wholeness. For anyone.

Christ Jesus modeled a universal way to pray that leads to a greater awareness of the nature of God and of our relation to God. He showed us how turning from fear and preconceived notions to a clearer view of the presence of a God that is Love and Life itself can have a tangible, healing effect in our lives. Bible accounts indicate that others who followed his example and teachings proved this too. Freedom from injustice, hunger, illness, even incurable disease, was gained through discovering more of what God is and does.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of this approach to Christianity, Christian Science makes clear the timeless, universal, and repeatable healing truths that underpin Jesus’ life and teachings. Eddy’s primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, explains Christian Science so that anyone can apply it and experience it for themselves.

Video of this lecture given at another location: click on photo.

Our 2019 Lecture:
“A new view of God and its effect on well-being”

The 2019 lecture was held at the Tower Theater in Roseville in co-sponsorship with First Church of Christ, Scientist, Auburn. The lecture was given by Phillip Hockley, CS, a spiritual practitioner of Christian Science residing in Wales in the United Kingdom.

In the early 1990s a fall that badly injured Phillip Hockley’s spine started a seven year downward spiral of ill health. By 1999, after trying every alternative and spiritual healing method, without any cure, Phillip was registered as physically handicapped. Phillip attended his first ever Christian Science lecture — it was truly transformational. Not only was he healed of all his diseases at that event but also, more importantly, he was healed of his hardness towards the message of the Bible — telling us of God’s great love for each one of us.

To Phillip, Christian Science explains the Bible promises so clearly, and the greatest of the promises is that we can all feel and live with this divine love, a heavenly love, here and now. Phillip shares the perspective that Christian Science offers freedom from whatever in our lives seems painful, debilitating, or limiting. He talks about a 19th-century woman, Mary Baker Eddy, who, after a life-threatening injury, discovered this new view of God for herself and went on to explain her discovery and its Bible-based principles in her book Science and Health.

Video of this lecture given at another location: click on photo.

Online Video Lectures

There are many other Christian Science Board of Lectureship lectures available for viewing online.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston has some lectures on their website. To go to the lectures posted on the Christianscience.com website, click here.

The Board of Lectureship also has about two dozen lectures posted on their YouTube.com channel. To view them, click here.

Many more Christian Science lectures and videos of testimonies of healing are available on the Prayer that Heals YouTube channel. To access that channel, click here.

Online Audio Lectures

On the website created by Christian Science churches in Connecticut, there is a collection of 312 audio-only recordings of historic lectures. Some lectures are actual recordings of the lecture as delivered by the lecturer, some are readings of lecture texts, and many are synthesized (converted) from text to speech by a computer program providing a life-like audio. To view the website page listing the lectures, click here.