HOW TO GROW YOUR CSO
“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray yet herefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”
(Luke 10:2)
While many CSOs start with just one or two people, it’s always helpful to have others involved. One of the biggest challenges may be just identifying other Christian Scientists on campus. Here are some ideas of how to find them and encourage their involvement in your CSO.
Finding Other Christian Scientists on Campus
Church. One of the easiest ways of finding other Christian Scientists is through church. If there are a number of CS churches in your area, you may want to visit all of them to meet the members and let them know which university you are attending. By leaving your contact information with them, you will enable other students or faculty members who may show up to get in touch with you.
Reading Rooms. It can be beneficial to touch base with the librarians since Readings Rooms are open during the week and may get students stopping by who can’t make it to the church services.
TMC Youth. We have a database of Christian Science students and professors on university campuses. While it doesn’t include everyone, we may be able to help you find other Christian Scientists at yours. Email us at CSOsupport@ChristianScience.com
Facebook. Many CSOs have started groups and fan pages on Facebook. This is a quick and easy way of networking with others.
Getting Other Christian Scientists involved in the CSO
Forming a CSO can be as easy as finding other Christian Scientists on your campus. But you might run across people who have been raised in Christian Science but are not interested in participating in the CSO. Some may be trying to figure out how, or if,
Christian Science fits into their life. While someone’s decision to join a CSO should be driven by their own desire and demonstration, in some cases a CSO can serve as a valuable support system for these students.
Rebuilding a CSO. A freshman at Texas A&M joined the CSO at a time when there were a lot of members and it was very active. A year later all of them graduated, leaving him as the sole member.
But he didn’t get discouraged. He organized an informational table about the CSO and was able to find 20 students who were interested in Christian Science, two of whom had been raised in CS. At first, the two didn’t want to get involved in the CSO. But then he began sending out weekly emails to the 20 students, sharing inspirational ideas related to issues on their campus. Some began meeting him for discussions over lunch. A couple of them were dealing with some significant issues in their lives and he was able to support and share ideas with them. His role in the CSO became providing them with an environment where they felt loved and supported. Soon some people joined the CSO and it became more active and sponsored lectures, inspirational tables, and regional CSO meetings.
Enabling Others to Find You
Advertise in the Christian Science Journal. One of the advantages of being an official CSO is being able to advertise in the Journal as many incoming CS students check it to see if there is a CSO on their campus.
List your CSO on time4thinkers.com. We list both “official” and “forming” CSOs in our directory on time4thinkers.com. Just send us your contact information and we’ll add it to the CSO online listing.
Facebook. List “Christian Science” as your religion on Facebook or other social networking sites you use. It will not only help other Christian Scientists find you but it will allow others who may be interested in CS to get in touch with you.
Advertise on campus. Invite others to join your CSO’s activities by putting up flyers and advertising in your campus newspaper or on the radio station.
Informational tables. Many universities have student activity fairs at the beginning of each year or semester. These are a great way to let the campus community know about your CSO.
