SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER DIVINE SCIENCE CHURCH Office Number: OF THE HEALING CHRIST Dial-a-Meditation: (202) 333-7630 2025 35 th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 (202) 338-1240 Dr. Al. G. Salazar, Minister Emeritus LESSON TOPICS FOR SEPTEMBER Sept 2 ONE SONG Ms. Pamela Johnson, Practitioner Master musicians, whatever their era, style or composition, experience their greatest satisfaction and success when they realize they truly have only one song. Likewise, we experience our greatest satisfaction and success when we realize the unity of our being, our one Source. Sept 9 COME UNTO ME Rev. Miriam Comer Johnson This call - the clarion call of every life experience and activity is "Come unto me." Come for proper perspective. Come for understanding. Come for peace. Sept 16 SUCCESS IS NORMAL Rev. Janet Friedline Most of us would like to be successful. Success is not a mystery to be solved, but rather, it is the natural state of man. Success is normal; you are a child of God. Sept 23 STEADFASTLY FACING OUR FATHER Ms. Pamela Johnson, Practitioner This is the answer to every question, need and challenge. Don t give up. Turn to him and he shall make every crooked place straight. Where there is consistency, love and enthusiasm, we can t go wrong. Sept 30 GIVING SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT Dr. Al G. Salazar, Minister Emeritus A Divine Science Ordination FOLLOW ME Rev. Pat Beach Our founders have written, Divine Science is a Christian religion based upon the teachings of Jesus. Jesus message was that every individual can live consciously in and from the basis of Spirit. This is the path that Jesus walked when he said to his disciples, Follow me. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 Jesus lived a Ministry of the Christ. This ministry of the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit -- is the gift and the task of every Christian. To enter into this ministry is to prepare and then answer the call with total commitment. The guidance for this, given to Nona Brooks
at her ordination by Malinda Cramer, was to, speak the wisdom of Being, of the I am, of what is now, which God ordains us to do, which is ordered according to the law of his infinitude. The present day Divine Science ordination ceremony tells how Jesus attained the Christ Consciousness. Jesus understood and taught that peace can be achieved only through righteousness, which begins in every heart and cleans it of pride, egotism, self-seeking, and whatever there is in a life that sets itself against the love of God working in and through mankind. Thanks be to God that in quietness and in confidence, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name s sake. God who hath called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. II Timothy 1:9 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Hello! I hope everyone s summer has been a happy one thus far. I d like to thank everyone who has prayed or meditated, maintained positive thoughts, called, e- mailed, or did any other act of kindness in support of my husband s recovery. He was in an accident on June 22, 2007, and is still in what I like to call his one-on-one session with God. I know that God is the source of Irwin s being and I ve had the pleasure of bearing witness to His presence in all of you and the many others who have given their support during this time. Words can t fully express the gratitude and appreciation felt by our family, so I ll just say, Thank you! We ve had the pleasure of welcoming two new members to our church family Ms. Ila Anandh and Mr. Clinton Hanover. We look forward to working with and growing in Truth with both of you! A couple of members have shared some really great ideas for things that our church can do over the course of the year and into the future. They also shared some suggestions on improvements that could help us better meet the needs of those who attend our church services and activities. As these ideas are further developed and then considered by the Board of Trustees, I encourage you to keep those ideas flowing. Please feel free to contact me, or any member of the Board, with any suggestions you may have. Remember, we are here to serve you! The next Board Meeting and Brunch/Mixer are scheduled for Sunday, September 16, 2007. Our Brunch/Mixer will be held immediately following the Lesson. I look forward to seeing you then! Love and blessings, Stacey St. Holder President, Church Board of Trustees sstholder@hotmail.com 301-203-7188 [H] WELCOME! We would like to extend a special welcome to two new members of our church, Ms. Ila Anandh of Washington, D.C., and Mr. Clinton Hanover of Arlington, VA. WEEKLY BIBLE CLASS: A STUDY OF CONSCIOUSNESS Rev. Miriam Comer Johnson will conduct a weekly Bible Class which will meet on Wednesday nights from 7-8:30 pm, starting September 12. - 2 -
The Class will work its way through the Bible, starting with Genesis. This class is not offered for credit and is not part of the formal Divine Science Church Curriculum. All are welcome! ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The Alumni Association, under the direction of Jacqui Scotland, has a wonderful program in store for us this year! This year s theme is Applying the Beatitudes to Everyday Living. The specific topic of each presentation will address one of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3 5:9). The first presentation on Matthew 5:3 will be October 7, 2007, at 12:15. Please plan on attending. KIDS KORNER I don t know about all of you but to me this summer has simply flown by! It s hard to believe that we are already beginning a fresh new Sunday school season on Sunday, September 9. Welcome back everyone! The Sunday school staff is delighted to present a new curriculum for all of our children from toddler to teen. This year we will continue to have our toddler class with Miss Courtney for our children ages 2 to 4. For our school age children, ages 5 to 9, there will be a separate class with studies in Bible, Divine Science for children, and a discussion group on practicing Divine Science in all our activities. Instructors for the 5 to 9 age group are Ms Elan Darlington and Ms Shirley Taylor-Moore. New this year there will be a class for tweens and teens. This class will be a very basic class in the Divine Science It s Principle and Practice. This class will be held in the Max Ballard Classroom. The instructor is Donna Gatewood. In addition to these studies we will also include some of our old favorites like cooking with Spirit and providing service to the church. Cooking and Service days will be for children ages 5 and up. Because it is important that all our children be exposed to our grown up Sunday lessons and learn to sit quietly in the sanctuary we will have some Sundays where the children will sit in the sanctuary as a group with their teachers. Children will participate in special services like the upcoming ordination, Christmas and lessons delivered by our Minister Emeritus, Dr. Al Salazar. On Sunday, September 16, we will be Cooking with Spirit and serving Sunday Brunch. This fund raising event sponsored by the Sunday school and supported by the Board of Trustees was a wonderful success last year. The children learned simple cooking techniques and recipes, the art of hosting and serving guests, working as a team to accomplish a goal and providing service to the church. Everyone is invited to attend the festivities for a love offering of at least $5.00 per person. See the special invitation to brunch in this newsletter for the menu. Here is what is scheduled for the month of September: September 9 Toddlers with Miss Courtney School age with Miss Elan Getting Reacquainted and Reconnected Tweens & Teens with Miss Donna - 3 -
Divine Science Its Principle and Practice September 16 Toddlers with Miss Courtney All other children Cooking with Spirit Sunday Brunch Served September 23 Toddlers with Miss Courtney School age with Miss Shirley Bible Studies Tweens & Teens with Miss Donna Divine Science Its Principle and Practice September 30 Dr. Al Salazar Ordination service all children in the sanctuary. Pre-care is being offered again this year for parents with children who wish to take one of the Divine classes which are beginning on September 9. If you wish to take a class and need care for your child or children, please contact Donna Gatewood at 703-641-9141 so that arrangements can be made for your child s care. We are all looking forward to an exciting, productive and fun new season. Can t wait to see all of you and how much you have grown over the summer. Love and Blessings, Donna Gatewood, Director, Youth Ministry An Invitation to Sunday Brunch The Sunday school children Cordially invite you to Join them for Sunday Brunch On Sunday, September 16, 2007 In the Grace Faus Fellowship Hall Menu Quiche Lorraine Turkey Bacon Fresh Seasonal Fruit Juice, Coffee, Tea Minimum love offering of $5.00 per person is requested Offer what you can the sky is the limit. All offerings go to the church General Fund. Thanks for our support! FALL CLASSES This fall, three of the Divine Science Classes in the official Divine Science Course of study will be offered. They each start on September 9 th at 9:00 a.m. and run for 10 weeks. The cost is $65 for first-timers or $35 if you have previously completed the class and are auditing. Basic Principle of Divine Science: Its Principle and Practice, with Ms. Ramona Harper, is the foundation on which all the other classes are built. It is during this class that the student s faith in an ever-present Presence is awakened. Practical Instruction in the application of the teaching is given from the very beginning. - 4 -
Meditation, with Rev. Maria Borrero, is approached in a well-defined, scientific manner and clearly establishes the difference between the cosmic and spiritual levels of awareness. The transcending spiritual meditation process and its practical application to every-day living are emphasized in every session. Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning/Old Testament, with Ms. Sylvia Anderson, examines the metaphysical interpretation of the Old Testament that when interpreted metaphysically reveals hidden meanings through allegories, parables and symbolic language. Students discover that the Bible is the story of their own unfoldment and awakens in consciousness the divinity of their own nature. Please see the descriptions of other classes as well as our Church Calendar of Events in the Education Issue which is enclosed. TREASURER S REPORT Included in this report is the Profit and Loss Statement for the second quarter of fiscal year 2007. This is the period covering April 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007. Please note the net income for the quarter is $22,634.69. This incredible balance is due to a gift of $25,000. The anonymous gift was given with the understanding that $20,000 was to be used to do small repairs in the church and $5,000 was to be used by the Sunday school to support the Youth Ministry. We are grateful for this generous gift and the heart so filled with love and goodness that it is willing to share its abundance with all of us in such great measure. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things. Matthew 12:35-5 -
The quarterly statement from the American Funds investments for the period April through June shows for the General Fund a total of $223,966.35 which is an increase of $15,627.54 over the March balance of $207,879.50. The Retirement Fund shows a total of $185,450.27 which is an increase of $12,878.07 over the March balance of $172,178.67. Total increase in both investment accounts for the period was $28,505.61. The balance in our checking account at the end of June was $73,654.72. Love and Blessings, Donna Gatewood, Treasurer, Board of Trustees e-newsletter If you were sent this newsletter by the US Postal Service, and would prefer to receive it by e-mail, please call or e-mail the office with your e-mail address. UPCOMING EVENTS Sept 9, Sunday, 9:00 am, Fall Classes Begin: Basic Principle of Divine Science, Ms. Ramona Harper Meditation, Rev. Maria Borrero Bible Mystery, Bible Meaning - Old Testament, Ms. Sylvia Anderson Sept 9, Sunday, 11 am, Sunday School Begins. Sept 12, Wednesday, 7:00 pm, The Bible: A Study of Consciousness, with Rev. Miriam Comer Johnson begins. Sept. 16, Sunday, 12:15 pm, Sunday Brunch Mixer/Board of Trustees Meeting. Sept. 30, Sunday, 11:00 am, Ordination Service with Dr. Salazar, followed by a reception honoring our new minister. Ongoing Prayer and Study groups: Tuesdays - 6:30 p.m. Thursdays - 10:30 a.m. DIVINE SCIENCE PRACTITIONERS Rev. Maria Borrero 301-622-0620 Rev. Miriam Comer Johnson 202-829-7515 Rev. Janet Friedline 202-362-5044 Mrs. Donna Gatewood 703 641-9141 Mrs. Pamela Johnson 202-575-5220 BOARD MEMBERS Ms. Elan Darlington 703-569-6544 Rev. Janet Friedline 202-362-5044 Ms. Donna Gatewood 703-641-9141 Mr. Wayne Gatewood 703-641-9141 Ms. Connie Greco 202-363-3313 Ms. Pamela Johnson 202-575-5220 Ms. Lisa Kennedy 202-561-1311 Ms. Stacey St. Holder 301-203-7188 Office/Bookstore Hours: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 10 am to 3 pm DR. AL G. SALAZAR MINISTER EMERITUS Will officiate at the Divine Science Ordination Service September 30, 2007-6 -