Charleston residents will have a chance to learn about the Christian Science religion during the church's centennial event this weekend.
The First Church of Christ, Scientist is celebrating a century at its location on the East End of Charleston Saturday and Sunday, exactly 100 years after the church's first service Sunday, Aug. 13, 1916.
Mark McCurties, a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship, will speak Saturday at 3 p.m. at the church, located on the corner of Lee and Bradford streets. The Board of Lectureship includes authorized Christian Science speakers who lecture at churches around the world.
McCurties said that his lecture will center on how to make positive change, progress and improvement in one's life, as well as the lives of others. To McCurties, this change happens when one recognizes the need of change in their life and relies on the power of God to guide, support and direct them.
"It's more than just saying a couple of prayers or reading a verse or two in the Bible," McCurties said, "but how do we practically bring God into our lives?"
Christian Science is a religion that, like other Christian denominations, is based on the Bible and revolves around the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. While Christian Scientists believe that salvation comes through Christ, they also believe that salvation includes the destruction of disease and suffering, McCurties said.
In addition to the Bible, the religion bases its teachings on a book called "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," written by Mary Baker Eddy, published in 1875 and updated a number of times prior to her death in 1910. Eddy founded the church after she overcame an illness, a healing that she said was the result of studying the Bible.
"Science and Health" refers to a New Testament scripture, which McCurties said establishes the Christian Science belief of God working under a set of laws that can be understood.
"When you think of the word 'science,' you think of the word 'laws,'" he said. "Christian Science recognizes that there are laws of God and that God's laws can actually be known; they can be learned, they can be put into practice to prove his power on a regular scientific basis."
Coralee Christ, a member of the Charleston church, said that the religion isn't rooted in belief as much as it is in understanding and experience.
"It's an experiential religion," she said. "It's not just theology and worship. It's actually bringing it into daily life."
Similarly, McDonald Cary believes that Christian Science is a religion that thrives on the pursuit of knowledge.
"We're still students," he said, "so we're learning, too."
Those interested in learning more about the Christian Science faith are encouraged to attend Saturday's lecture. In addition, the church has a number of other informational sources, including the Sentinel Radio program on WCHS 580 AM Sunday morning from 10:30 to 11 a.m. During the program, members of the church share testimonies of healing in every area of life, including finances, relationships, careers and health.
Weekly Bible lessons are accessible at mybiblelesson.com or in the Christian Science Reading Room on Capitol Street. The Reading Room, located across from Taylor Books and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., has reference material and testimonies from the church's members dating back more than a century.
Information can also be found on the church's website at christianscience.com.
The First Church of Christ, Scientist holds services and Sunday school classes at 11:15 a.m. every Sunday.