by Chet Manchester
Compassion
Sharing is a way of life in African communities where food, clothing, and housing are often scarce. You don’t keep good to yourself. When a guest or a stranger is hungry, you make room for them at your table. This ethic is reflected in the way Christian Science is being shared, especially in French-speaking central and West Africa. New people are learning about Christian Science because their friends and neighbors are telling them what it’s done for them—and they’re being welcomed to church. At the youth Summits in Kinshasa, Brazzaville, and Pointe Noire, about half of the attendees were new to Christian Science. How did they hear about it? Their friends encouraged them to check it out. When over 600 people showed up at the Kinshasa Summit, we witnessed a “loaves and fishes” kind of sharing during lunchtime. Extra food was brought in from local markets, and existing food was spread around as volunteers shuttled hundreds of meals to participants on paper plates. Among these visitors were dozens of Kinshasa’s street children. They later expressed thanks for the food and for the spiritual nourishment shared with them.
Garden of youth
After two weeks of heat, crowds, and constant motion, from sprawling Kinshasa to Pointe Noire’s industrious coast and back again, I find myself standing perfectly still in paradise. My friend Kouakira has led me to a lush African nursery overlooking downtown Brazzaville on the banks of the Congo River. I am surrounded by hummingbirds, blossoms, and gardeners, quietly working the soil. In the late afternoon sun, one of Africa’s most important legacies dawns on me: the way it loves and tends children. In the Christian Science branch churches here, this translates into a love for Sunday School where enrollments can surpass the size of entire church memberships. On a continent where over half its nearly one billion citizens are under the age of twenty, this is encouraging news. Youth will inevitably play a major role in Africa’s future and, from what we can tell, Christian Science Sunday Schools are already doing their part to nurture the next generation. In Kinshasa, a branch church holds Sunday afternoon classes for street children in their community. “We’re convinced God has a plan for these children. It’s time for those who have their eyes open to help these young men find Christ,” their Sunday School teacher told us. In Brazzaville, dozens of young Christian Scientists prepared an hour-long program for us on the day before our departure. With remarkable poise and energy, they recited favorite psalms, prayers, the Tenets of Christian Science, and even performed “The Trial” from Science and Health as a stage play. In their bright faces and smiles, we could see the future of Christian Science – and it is a bright future indeed.
To watch video clips of Brazzaville’s Sunday School program and highlights of TMC Youth’s African Summits, visit tmcyouth.com/media/nigeria-summit.