Fruitage Report Winter 2023

“All Science is Christian Science; the Science of the Mind that is God, and of the universe as His idea, and their relation to each other.” (Mis. 4:6–9)

Click here to download this Fruitage Report as a pdf.

A traveler, who was talking on his cell phone, approached our front window to read the daily Bible lesson citations marked in the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. After a few moments, I realized he was reading aloud from both books, sharing the citations with a friend through his phone. What blesses one blesses all! (S&H 206:15)

A San Francisco police officer came by one day while on duty, and exclaimed, “I love your daily Bible selections in the window, I read them all the time, thank you!”

An airport employee stopped by to specifically express and share his appreciation and receptivity to the Christian Science Tenets he saw hanging on the Reading Room wall in a picture frame. I shared with him that the Tenets were included in the Christian Science Textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, authored by the religion’s discoverer and founder, Mary Baker Eddy. He took a photo of the Tenets with his phone and was happy to have them for future reference and reflection. He said he would be back to pick up a copy of Science and Health!

A man walked up to read the Bible lesson citations from the marked Bible in the front window. He came to the door and told me how thrilled he was to read them. He went back to take a picture of the verses and said he was eager to call his father to share the passage. After he departed, I thought about how wonderful it is that our pastor, the Bible and Science and Health, is available 7 days a week, 365 days a year. “So shall the glory of God be revealed, all flesh shall see it and all shall be healed; in word and deed declare Him and adore Him. God’s will is done, and all is plain before Him.” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 246:3)

A visitor came by and started to read the weekly Bible lesson citations from our window and kept looking to his cell phone. After several minutes outside, he entered and went into the study room and pulled one of the bound Christian Science (CS) Journal volumes from the shelf. Shortly thereafter, I went into the study room to offer some assistance and found him with tears in his eyes. He mentioned hearing that Christian Science was a cult religion and wanted to see for himself if this was true. When he was reading the weekly Bible lesson citations out front, he also began reading about Mary Baker Eddy and The Mother Church on his phone and decided to come in to learn more. He randomly grabbed a 1952 CS Journal (Volume 70), and started to read an article on page 169, “The Baptism of the Holy Ghost.” He shared that his wife had lost their son during childbirth, and they were very distraught about it and couldn’t understand “why God had allowed this to happen.” But he said the article immediately consoled and comforted him as he realized more about the truth of God’s love for all mankind, including his son who had passed away. His tears were actually tears of joy from his realization of God’s unyielding love for all His children as expressed in the CS Journal article. The gentleman said he initially came to the Reading Room with the intent to criticize and could only find the love of Christ. He stayed for over two hours asking many questions and departed with several complimentary periodicals, including a recent CS Journal so he could locate a Christian Science church near his home. “Ear hath not heard, nor hath lip spoken, the pure language of Spirit.” (S&H 117:14-15)

An airline employee, who seemed very hurried, entered and asked if we had a Bible for him to read. I showed him to the study area, and he sat down to read an open Bible already marked with the 23rd Psalm. After an hour of additional study, he arose and asked if he could come back. I told him he was always welcome here!

A young man and woman entered and asked if they could read quietly in our study room while they waited for a connecting flight home. They mentioned having just flown in from their honeymoon at a Pacific resort destination. They both reached for a flyer off the attendant’s desk titled, “What is Christian Science?” and sat down to read in the study room. Over the next two and a half hours they read Bible verses from a large reader’s edition and the husband began to share with his wife financial and scheduling concerns about his returning to university this fall. It reminded me of the universal passage from the chapter titled, “Marriage” in Science and Health, “Fulfilling the different demands of their united spheres, their sympathies should blend in sweet confidence and cheer, each partner sustaining the other, — thus hallowing the union of interests and affections, in which the heart finds peace and home.” (S&H 59:11-16) The wife lovingly discussed each concern with her husband until he appeared reassured and confident in moving forward—the time then approached for them to connect with their last flight leg home. The couple departed outwardly expressing much gratitude for the quiet time of study and reflection they experienced, and I audibly expressed gratitude for the divine progress that unfolds daily in each of our lives.

A young man came by to visit, exclaiming he had some time before his flight departed and wanted to “check us out.” He asked about Christian Science and after explaining to him that it is a Bible-based religion which adheres to the words and works of Christ Jesus through the daily demonstration of those practical truths, he shared that he was very conflicted about his own religious beliefs. He proceeded to explain that one of his parents was Muslim and the other Christian. We talked about the universality of God and man. I read to him the respective definitions of each from the glossary in the Christian Science textbook and he really appreciated hearing the ‘connectedness’ between God and ‘his image and likeness,’ man. (S&H 591:6) He couldn’t stay long, and before departing asked rather sheepishly if I would give him a hug. I did so and then shared with him the spiritual universality of brotherhood and love, despite humankind’s individual beliefs. He took one of our Reading Room information flyers and said he would return on subsequent flight connections through the airport.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many Christian Science churches and individuals for their interest in and support of this Reading Room. We have been at the airport for 66 years, sharing Christian Science and its healing principles with approximately 5700 visitors each year including travelers, airport personnel, and the local community–with over 60 copies of Science and Health sold annually!

Endowment Fund Giving

• We have recently established a Reading Room endowment fund to support both short-term and long-term operations at the airport.
• Our $4.5 million dollar endowment goal is ambitious, but necessary, for sustained operations in an expensive operating environment – we need your financial support today for ‘tomorrow!’
• Please consider giving to the endowment fund as part of individual, church, or CS Association outreach, or a future financial commitment through personal estate planning.
• If you are interested in giving to the endowment fund, please contact us by email at csreadingroomsfo@gmail.com.

Regular contributions are also always welcome. Please return to our main website page to do so, or mail a check to our Treasurer at:

Harley Bennett, JMRR Treasurer
23871 Willows Drive, #384
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

We thank our participating churches that serve on the board year-round. They are:

First Church of Christ, Scientist, San Francisco

Ninth Church of Christ, Scientist, San Francisco

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oakland

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Palo Alto

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Los Altos

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hayward

First Church of Christ, Scientist, San Rafael