New Britain herald., 1916-12-04
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
 CHURCH DEDICATED
Impressive Exercises in House of
 Worship on West Main Street

Services at the First Church of . Christ Scientist yesterday took the fofm of dedication exercises. During
 ehe past week the final debt on the church was paid off
 It was in 1907 that the first eXer- cises were held in the church and since that time there has been a steady growth of the faith in this city. Many out of town visitors were pres ent yesterday and listened to the usual s lesson sermon, the subject being, God the Only Cause and Creator" by the \ first reader, Joseph G. Mann, c. $. D. 2 and second reader, Mrs. I. c. Cou- tant.
 s Special music at the services was @rendered by Miss Lillian Eubank of #Eew York, soloist, assisted by Her bert Anderson. violinist Miss Agnes kWeidlich of Hartford presided at the organ.
 Herbert A. Johnson read the dedi- catory adress which follows: About twelve years ago, a Christian A Scientist, prepared to bear the cross Nof publicity, came to our city with
 faith in God, and such understand
 ing of Christian Science as was need
 ed to take up, and carry on, pioneer
 work in this, then, somewhat unpro- ~.pitious field.
 This lone worker found here a few people enough interested in Christian Science to attend services and meet ings at First Church of Christ, Scien- \ tist, in our neighboring city of Hart &ford. .. Tn one year, the Gospel of Chris tian Science had been so practically demonstrated in healing the sick and reforming the sinner as to inspire a cSlI for an informal meeting of those Isufficiently interested; and this move was followed, a little later, by the scall of 8 second informal meeting, which crystallized itself into the for mation of a society of about forty emembers, whose first regular service was held in Andrews Block on Thanksgiving Day. 1905.
 About year later, October 26, |19e6, this church was organized and chartered under the laws of our state; and, as a loyal branch of the Mother vine, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, came into being, as First Church of \ Christ, Scientist" of New Britain, 1Connecticut.
 This branch church, we today, with joy -overfiowing hearts, unite, formally and publicly to dedicate to God. That is, I've, today-according to the un- written law honored by Christian Sci entists, that churches before dedica- ton shall be entirely free from debt solemnly set apart this free church home, for the sacred purpose of di- vine service: and by divine service
 
 Science not merely public worship but daily deeds"
 With Solomon, the wise man, we all at this suspicious time, do we'll to ask: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot con- tain thee; how much less this house ithat I have builded?"
 So, from Solomons dedicatory prayer, we gain a hint of the scien- tifo fact which Christian Science en- phasizes to clear spiritual understand ing. that the true God, who Is in
 finite Mind or Divine Love, cannot be
 localized; no special place can, by
 human skill and art, be built and
 made beautiful enough on earth to
 bring God nearer to us than he Is
 everywhere; for, as Solomon says
 even when we pray to Him on earth,
 He hears us only from heaven, the
 harmony of pure, divine Mind, and in
 so far as we are awake to this real
 Christ-Mind we, like the Prophet of
 old, walk with God; or, as the Mas.
 ter said. we find the kingdom of
 heaven within us, within conscious
 ness purged of the selfish, or of all
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