About Us
Our Pastor
Christian Science churches around the world all have one Pastor. In 1895 Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science Church, ordained the Holy Bible and her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as the permanent Pastor for all Christian Science Churches. This prevents human opinions, inaccuracies, and politics from entering in our sermons.
Our Sunday sermons are comprised of passages composed by The Mother Church in Boston from these two books for use in all Christian Science churches worldwide, which are presented by Readers at each church. The Science and Health passages illuminate the spiritual message of the Bible passages.
On Wednesdays a Reader in our church composes a sermon of passages from these books. Following the reading, congregants have the opportunity to tell of God’s blessings in their lives through the study of our Pastor. Studying the Bible and Science and Health has brought healing to millions of people over 145 years since the first edition of Science and Health. Over 10 million copies have been sold.
Read our Bible-based textbook online, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Tenets of Christian Science
Here are the important points, or religious tenets, of Christian Science as given on page 497 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.
1. As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.
2. We acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter, and man in God’s image and likeness.
3. We acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as he belief lasts.
4. We acknowledge Jesus’ atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man’s unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death.
5. We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.
6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science
Photo Courtesy of Mary Baker Eddy Library
A devout Christian, Mary Baker Eddy’s prayers to enjoy good health went largely unanswered until her discovery of the spiritual laws in the Bible. After a dramatic healing from a fall, she was determined to find out why she was healed then, but not in earlier times. Her discovery of the science behind the words and works of Christ Jesus brought consistent results. Not only did she become healthy, but she healed others and taught them to heal using this spiritual method.
In an era when women had limited civil privileges including the right to vote, she wrote and published Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures to elucidate this spiritual science and 16 other books. She founded a weekly magazine, The Christian Science Sentinel, a monthly magazine, The Christian Science Journal, an international newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Herald of Christian Science, spreading the word in numerous foreign languages, all of which are still being published today. She also established the Church of Christ, Scientist with branch churches throughout the world.
Local Historical Sketch
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Lancaster, CA
The Christian Scientists of this community met at a private home in the fall of 1917 to read the Lesson-Sermon from the Quarterly. With increased attendance, services were held in a hall. In January, 1924, Christian Science Society, Lancaster, California, was organized. A church building at 915 Date Avenue, Lancaster was purchased in 1926, and appropriate dedication services were held at 11:00 a.m. on June 14, 1931.
On May 24, 1937, Christian Science Society, Lancaster, became First Church of Christ, Scientist, Lancaster, California, by recognition of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts.
The church was incorporated December 9, 1947 under laws of the State of California. Lots for a new church edifice were purchased at the corner of Fern and Milling Streets in 1946. The new church building was started in May 1952, and the first service was held on March 8, 1953, where we still hold services. The church was dedicated on Sunday, March 8, 1959.