We want to thank some of our internet and branch church friends for suggesting our topic — it seems to trouble them as to why we'd feel the need for a Lesbian and Gay Christian Science Group. Seeing it as a perfectly legitimate question, we decided to pray over it. Here are some of the points shared at our meeting:

• Most of us initially found our way here in pain over aggressive ill will and meddlesomeness in branch churches or at the hands of practitioners and teachers. We wanted comfort and acceptance — a place where we could grow at our own pace. Some non-gay people have come to us for similar reasons.
• Members hoped — and still hope — to change The Mother Church administration's view of homosexuality to agree with ours — that it is perfectly normal humanly, like being white or an American. Perhaps in need of transcending but not "healing". There does appear to be a kind of glacial shift going on at official levels, but it's happening much faster with individual branches, teachers and practitioners.
• A major desire is to make our beloved Science accessible and available to the LGBT community — a community wracked by the problems usually encountered by minorities, but until recently totally without advocates. By any measure, it is a field ripe for Jesus' message of love and acceptance as well as the Christ's healing assurance. We are in a position to help people find appropriate branch churches and practitioners.
• The LGBT community is where some of the most advanced thought is now occurring in the areas of religion, medicine and science. It is essential that Christian Science be represented here to bless and shape developments.
• A member pointed out Mrs. Eddy's instruction for students of Science to locate in population centers, presumably to keep abreast of the latest societal unfoldment and to be part of them. (See Retrospection and Introspection (Mary Baker Eddy), pg. 82:14-26). Today, this would entail not only geographical location but also mental state — a loving, interested attitude is so much more of a draw than is pursed-lipped judgmentalism.
• One internet friend felt a CS group was like any other movement function, be it church, periodical or worker — the thrust being to help people understand Science. We need to keep our focus on this — as do frankly those who wonder what we're about.
• Members often pray about community problems, most notably religious homophobia. As David Rothenberg recently pointed out in a letter to the New York Blade, "If we are the sinful, as defined by orthodoxy, then to target or victimize us can be done with a sense of moral righteousness. The silence of the religious moderates contributes to this atmosphere. We can and must flex our political muscle. But let's not delude ourselves.... The real fight is in the churches and then the schools and then the homes that are affected by those institutions."
• Some members who attended a Christian Science Sunday School have remarked that our meetings feel very much like Sunday School for adults. People they have talked to about our meetings seem interested in the idea. One wonders whether this concept wouldn't be of wider use in the movement — small study groups supporting each other in their quest for an understanding and demonstration of Christian Science.
• Many of our members are Mother Church members, class taught students and active to varying extents in branches. They see no conflict, but in fact feel an enrichment on all fronts from these participations.
• One member drew our attention to a citation in Science and Health, pg. 15:14-24. He said, "Closets are for praying. Life is for being out."
• The healing experienced last weekend — see the notes for our Thanksgiving meeting — around the excommunication trauma of 20 years ago, perhaps points to a period of reconciliation between Lesbian and Gay students of CS and their straight CS neighbors. The possibilities of such cross-over activity are promising, as seen from what is already occurring.

Healings:

We had only limited time for sharing healings this week. Here's what came up:

• A member lost $400 worth of equipment. He ransacked his apartment to no avail and then went to work, pulled things apart there but with similar results. He did have some sense of divine direction and kept repeating "Thank you Father-Mother God." When he was home again he decided to do some work with the books, and as he reached for them, suddenly noticed in a dark corner a bag in which he found all the missing tools.
• Another member had arranged a plane trip to visit his cousin across the country for Thanksgiving. Two days before departure he became aware that the ticket had been cancelled and the charge to his credit card reversed. When he phoned the travel agent he was kindly informed that a ticket on such short notice could be had for $2200. If he would take standby he could get it for $1800. He prayed to know what God's will for him in the matter was. He then remembered that as a student he is entitled to discount tickets at his school. He phoned and got a last minute ticket at $355 or $20 less than his original ticket!

Next week our topic is "Honoring Where We're At" — grammarians in the Group rolled their eyes, of course. One member gave a hint how he'll look at it — by asking the question, "Adam where are you?"