CSO ACTIVITIES

“…go ye into a”ll the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

(Mark 16:15)

CSOs tend to be most successful when their actions are motivated by a pure, unselfish love for their campus community, by a Christ-impelled desire to reach out. You may find it helpful to take a fresh look at the By-Law for CSOs and the wide range of activities it allows. Perfunctory thinking can give way to fresh ideas. Look at what’s worked well in the past, but remain open to Spirit’s present guidance.

People want effective, reliable solutions. They want to be happy, healthy, safe, and successful. Let your heart be open to the need of the campus and filled with love and prayer. Then you’ll be led to carry out the right activities.
CSO activities are as diverse as the people in them. One of the most exciting aspects of being part of a CSO is watching the possibilities unfold. In this section we’ll take a look at some of the ways CSOs are currently meeting the needs of the campus community.

  • Lectures
  • Meetings
  • Inspirational tables
  • Connecting with the campus community
  • Regional CSO events
  • Other activities:
    • Classroom lectures
    • Panel lectures
    • Podcast lectures

Lectures

According to the Manual, CSOs are one of only three entities that have the privilege of sponsoring a Christian Science lecture—the other two being branch churches and the Christian Science Board of Directors.

Mary Baker Eddy saw lectures as having a natural place on college campuses. They present the most radical ideas about identity and reality in an environment committed to opening thought and furthering knowledge. As with all CSO activities, the motive for these lectures is to bring healing to the community, to leaven thought and to present an enlightened and spiritual perspective to subjects like healing, health, and identity.

Types of Lectures

Lectures can be geared toward any audience or topic. There are a number of different formats for lectures that can be employed by CSOs to meet the needs of the campus.

Public lectures

These consist of a lecturer addressing an audience on a particular topic. Most last about an hour, with time for questions and answers at the end. They are held in student centers, coffeehouses, dorms, etc. These lectures cover topics addressing issues such as safety, purpose, identity, stress, and relationships.

Classroom lectures

As the name indicates, these lectures are given to specific classes as a part of the curriculum. The Mother Church receives about 15-20 requests each year from professors who would like a Christian Science lecturer to speak to their class. This is in addition to the CSOs that sponsor classroom lectures. So the demand for information about Christian Science is definitely there! They have been given in medical schools and in a broad range of classes, including:

  • Women’s studies
  • American Religion
  • Heads and Tails: The Body in 19th Century Literature
  • Anthropology
  • English
  • Health
  • Fundamentals of Nursing
  • Medical Ethics
  • Spirituality and Healing in Medicine
  • Medical Sociology
  • Alternative Therapies
  • Physical Recreation
  • History
  • Addiction Counseling

An added benefit of classroom lectures is that they enable CSOs to develop a relationship with professors on their campus. If you are interested in this type of lecture, you may want to start by identifying classes that could (or should) cover Christian Science or Mary Baker Eddy. Set up a meeting with these professors to find out how they present Christian Science in their classes. Ask if they would be interested in having a CS lecturer come speak to their class. For more detailed information on these types of lectures, see the Sponsoring a Lecture for a Class on Religion article in the Appendix.

Christian Science in the classroom. Each year, a professor at the University of Iowa had invited the local Committee on Publication to come and talk about Christian Science to his American Religions class. The Committee suggested that a lecturer would be better suited to address the academic community. There wasn’t a church in the area to sponsor it, but there was a small, yet active CSO on campus. The CSO was able to find a lecturer who had a master’s in divinity and was experienced in addressing academia. There were about seventy students present and the lecturer fielded many questions about Christian Science and healing.

Panel lectures

Some CSOs organize panel discussions and invite professors or religious leaders and a Christian Science lecturer to speak at it. The lecturer will need to be allowed to speak for at least 10 minutes before the question and answer session for the event to be considered a lecture.

Panel lectures provide CSOs with an opportunity to collaborate closely with other student groups and professors, as these panels will often be co-sponsored by the CSO and other campus groups. They also appeal to a broader audience because several viewpoints are presented and they are sponsored by multiple organizations.

Here are some recent examples of panel discussions that CSOs have sponsored:

  • A Buddhist lama and Christian Science lecturer discussed challenges to the reality of the material world
  • A Jewish rabbi, Muslim imam, and a Christian Science lecturer shared their views on women and religion
  • A Sufi healer, Methodist minister, Jewish rabbi, and a Christian Science lecturer discussed their approaches to prayer and healing

Podcasts

TMC Youth sponsors regular podcasts with Christian Science lecturers that are available on iTunes and time4thinkers.com. They consist of informal discussions or actual lectures sponsored by The Board of Directors. They’re convenient to listen to at home or on an MP3 player. The topics of these podcasts focus on pressures at school, identity, relationships, and other issues college students face.

So how can CSOs use them? For one thing, they are a great way to advertise an upcoming lecture. By sending an email out to friends with a link to a podcast the lecturer has done, you give them the opportunity to get to know the lecturer and have a sense of some of the ideas they’ll hear during the lecture. CDs of these podcasts are available to hand out at CSO events. They were very popular giveways at a College Fest event in Boston; about 1000 CDs were handed out over a two day period.

We are working on a new podcast series that will be specifically designed for the college market and want to partner with CSOs to do this. We’d love to work with any CSO that would like to design a podcast to address a specific issue on its campus. Email us if you are interested.

How to plan a lecture

Organizing a lecture starts with a desire to present spiritual solutions to campus, community, and global issues—followed by a plan.

  • Pray. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL…CONSISTENT, EXPECTANT PRAYER—BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the lecture! Prayerfully support the fact that this event will bless and uplift others,
  • Assess the campus needs. Are there specific issues or hot topics your campus is grappling with? Think about the best way for a lecture to connect with the campus community and help elevate thought.
  • Timing is important. Consider campus events that are coming up and how a lecture could tie in with them. Lectures have been given at wellness fairs, women’s history month events, and during exam periods. Taking into consideration class schedules and campus events, determine which day and time would be the most convenient for the people you expect to attend.
  • Choose and contact a lecturer. A lecturer will be happy to work with you on making decisions as to timing, location, format, and title. Lecturer bios and contact information can be found in the University Life section on time4thinkers.com. This directory lists lecturers by both region and topic.
  • Finances. Come up with a budget. Your lecturer can tell you his or her lecture fees and give you an estimate for travel expenses. Determine what other costs you will incur: advertising, room rental, periodicals, books, etc. Assess your resources (CSO funds, university funding, CSO alumni, branch church funds, etc.) Determine how much your CSO can contribute or raise for the lecture. Contact TMC Youth if additional funds are needed or if your CSO does not have access to other funding sources.
  • Contact TMC Youth. Fill out and send us the “Event Application Form” which you can find on the University Life Resource page of time4thinkers.com and in the Appendix.
  • Activity/book table. You can make arrangements for a table in a public area on campus to distribute information about the lecture and Christian Science. It’s a great way for the CSO members and the lecturer to work together to connect with the campus community and promote the lecture.
  • Lecture preparation meeting. Determine a date and time for a metaphysical meeting with the lecturer and CSO members. These meetings are important because they are an opportunity for the CSO and lecturer to discuss how to prayerfully support the event. If possible, try to schedule an in-person prep meeting, although these can be held over the phone as well.
  • Advertising. Consider using social networking sites like Facebook, the campus calendar, school newspaper, student radio station, and flyers. Note: often the most effective method of getting people to a lecture is through personal invitations. For more ideas on advertising, see the Publicizing Events section.
  • Sign-up sheet. You’ll want to have a way to collect contact information from those wanting to know more about Christian Science at your event.
  • Share the fruitage. Fill out the “Event Feedback Form” which you can find in the Appendix of this guide or in the University Life section of time4thinkers.com. We will post the information you have shared with us on the CSO Events section of the website. There are also online forums where you can discuss what you’ve done.

II. Meetings

Each CSO runs its meetings differently, but it seems like most meetings fit into two categories: inspirational and logistical. Some inspirational meetings resemble testimony meetings. Others are less structured, consisting of informal discussions and idea sharing. These meetings serve as a great introduction to Christian Science for fellow students and professors. Some CSOs have chosen a discussion topic each week and invited friends from other faith backgrounds to come and share how they’ve been praying about that issue.

The second type of meeting is simply of a logistical nature—to plan the next event, for example. If a CSO is sponsoring a lecture, the members will often meet more regularly during this time in order to divvy up the various tasks and ensure that everything is on schedule. Some of the more active CSOs may have these types of meetings on a regular basis as their activities tend to be more ongoing.

Meetings can take place every week, once a month, or as often as needed when planning an event. They occur in classrooms, common areas, reading rooms, cafeterias, or even coffee shops. Whatever location you choose, make sure you have permission to use the area in advance. Most universities will assign official groups a meeting room.

Finding a day and time that works for people’s schedules is important too. Consider the timing of sports events, class meeting times, and other campus activities (as well as popular TV shows) which may potentially conflict with CSO meetings.

Going out of their way to reach out. A few years ago the members of UC Berkeley’s CSO were trying to find a way to reach out to the campus community. They were grateful they had their own building to meet in, but it was old and not very inviting, so they rarely had visitors at their meetings.

They were really praying about the best way to connect with others. They decided to experiment with different meeting places and times. They tried this for a while but still no one else came to their meetings. After continuing to pray about it, they decided to return to their old building.

Much to their surprise, however, almost every week after that someone new joined their CSO meeting. Either they would see the CSO’s banner and wander in, or they would want to find out what went on inside their building. This had never happened before. What they gleaned from that experience was that it’s not buildings or meeting times that attract people, but the quality of thought. It’s the Christ. When they reached out in thought—and action—to embrace the campus community, people responded.

III. Inspirational tables

Inspirational tables are often held in conjunction with other events, such as Take Back the Night, World AIDS Day, Women’s History Month, and health fairs. You may want to talk with your school to get permission to host a table at such an event. Many CSOs will provide Science and Health, Christian Science periodicals, or even just copies of articles from the CS magazines that would relate to the event.

You can also consider doing things during holidays. One CSO in Texas gave out quotes about love from Science and Health before Valentine’s Day. Another CSO handed out Thanksgiving Bible Lessons to students on their campus.

Healing inspiration. The CSO at North Carolina State University hosted a table as part of their campus’s Wellness Fair, which addressed breast cancer. The CSO gave out Science and Health and copies from the periodicals of several articles of healings of cancer. The articles were a big hit. One woman began to cry when she saw them. She explained that her friend had cancer and she had wanted to pray for her. This woman took some articles and a Science and Health to share with her.

IV. Connecting with the campus community

Much of a CSO’s work consists of individual interactions and conversations. These connections are imperative. Discussions with friends, colleagues, and classmates are excellent ways of introducing people to Christian Science. Some people have found informal interactions to be the most effective and healing CSO activity they’ve done on campus.
Connections such as these also help to ensure the success of the events you organize as people tend to be more willing to come to activities sponsored by those they know.    Some people may have misconceptions about Christian Science that would make them wary of attending a CS-related event. But the more they get to know you and what Christian Science is really about, the more this resistance will be broken down.

It doesn’t take a large CSO to have a significant presence on your campus; it just takes commitment. Getting to know the other student groups on campus can also be helpful. You might start by getting to know other religious groups, but there are probably many other groups that could be natural collaborators. Developing these connections can start with something as simple as attending another group’s events and meetings, getting to know them, and then inviting them to your activities.
Building relationships with faculty members, especially those in the fields of religion, medicine, and women’s studies can also be very beneficial. Not only are professors great resources, but you can also offer to bring in a lecturer to talk to their class about Christian Science, healing, or Mary Baker Eddy. There are more ideas on working with professors in the “Sponsoring a Lecture for a Class on Religion” document in the Appendix.

V. Regional CSO conferences

Sometimes CSOs organize regional meetings. These are usually open to any CS college student or professor, and even those who have shown an interest in Christian Science. These conferences provide the participants with the opportunity to get together and talk about issues on their campuses and how they are dealing with them individually or through CSO activities. Most of the regional meetings have ended with a lecture open to the campus community. CSOs have funded these events with the support of local churches, alumni, and Christian Science-related organizations.

NEW ENGLAND. Yale’s CSO hosted a Global Awareness Conference for CS college students. The event was called “Raising the Standard of Liberty” and focused on the freedom Christian Science brings to campus and global issues. An editor from The Christian Science Monitor facilitated a discussion on how to pray for the world. The conference culminated in a Christian Science lecture open to the public.

TEXAS. The CSO at Texas A&M holds an annual regional conference called the “Gathering of Active Disciples.” This conference is designed to foster a sense of community among Christian Scientists, encourage students to practice Christian Science more fully, and highlight the importance and benefits of CSO work. It takes place over a three-day weekend and includes a lecture.
The theme for the 2008 event was “Surviving the Storm: A Christian in College” Discussions centered on gaining a fuller understanding of spiritual identity and how to live Christian Science at college.

CALIFORNIA. The CSOs at UCLA and Cal Poly have been hosting a regional event called the “Hooha” for the past seven years. They invite Christian Scientists from around California to come together for a weekend of inspiration and fun. In 2007, this event focused on employment and included time for discussions, idea sharing, and learning what others were doing on their campuses.

VI. Other Activities

Other activities CSOs have initiated include:

  • Providing the university library with subscriptions to The Christian Science Monitor and other periodicals for the college library
  • Writing articles on Christian Science for the school newspaper
  • Being interviewed about what life is like for a Christian Scientist
  • Holding a film screening of a movie with a spiritual focus
  • Hosting a hymn sing
  • NEW idea: Organizing a podcast listening party followed by a discussion of the ideas presented

Again, you don’t need to feel confined by what others have done. These examples are just to help generate ideas. Let your prayers guide you.