Sixteenth Church of Christ, Scientist Chicago

What you will find at our
Christian Science Thanksgiving
Day Service

THANKSGIVING DAY SERVICE AT 10:30 A.M.

ticon01 An inspiring Lesson-Sermon
ticon06 Joyful expressions of heartfelt gratitude for God’s spiritual creation, His ever-presence and all-power, and our abundant blessings
ticon03 Spontaneous testimonies by individual Christian Scientists acknowledging Christian Science healing in everyday life
ticon04 Hymns of inspiration and praise, sung by the congregation
ticon05 Children attend the Thanksgiving Day service with their families
ticon06 Nursery care is provided for little children and infants
  • Christian Science rests on the words and works of Christ Jesus, our Wayshower, whose teachings and practice are at the heart of all of our services.
  • Christian Science has no ordained clergy. Each branch of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, U. S. A., is democratically organized by its members.
  • Two elected church members conduct services and read correlated passages from the Holy Bible and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer, Founder, and Leader of Christian Science.
  • The Thanksgiving Lesson-Sermon is published in The Christian Science Quarterly well in advance. Christian Scientists the world over study its passages from the Holy Bible and Science and Health prior to its being read at the Thanksgiving service.
  • During the testimony portion of the service, Christian Scientists in the congregation are invited to express gratitude to God for healings, for His great abundance and care, and for benefits received through their study and application of Christian Science.
  • These testimonies typically include healings of sickness or disease, sin overcome, lessons learned, or spiritual inspiration gained. Challenges met may include financial, social, physical, moral, or those from any other area of life. Often our Sunday School children express their gratitude to God for His many blessings and for healings they have received.

We look forward to celebrating this treasured holiday with you!

No prior knowledge of Christian Science teachings or of the features of our services is needed when visiting a Christian Science church.

We follow the order of services indicated in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy:

  1. Hymn
  2. Reading of the Thanksgiving Proclamation of the President of the United States, or the Governor of the State, or both
  3. Scriptural Selection
  4. Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of  the Lord’s Prayer with its spiritual interpretation from the Christian Science textbook
  5. Hymn
  6. Reading of the explanatory note in The Christian Science Quarterly
  7. Announcing the subject of the Lesson Sermon; reading the Golden Text
  8. Responsive Reading by the First Reader and the congregation
  9. Reading of the Lesson-Sermon prepared by the Bible Lesson Committee
  10. Solo
  11. Testimonies by Christian Scientists, appropriate for the occasion
  12. Hymn
  13. Reading of the “scientific statement of being”,  and the correlative scripture according to I John 3:1-3
  14. Benediction

 

 (No collection is taken at this service.)