What's up with the CSO

Just a reminder of some of the CSO activities and otherwise going on:

* Meetings-- Our regular meetings are informal, fun, and usually involve baked goods (what's not to love?) We've read parts of Misc. Writings together, we've shared ideas on how to pray about various topics relevant to our lives and the world, the possibilities are endless. Leave a comment if you're interested and we'll work on scheduling.

* I'm hoping the blog will be updated every other week, if not weekly. The comment feature is live (though they are moderated to avoid spam), so feel free to jump in. You can comment anonymously without having a google/blogger account. I also welcome others (alums included!) who want to join me in blogging.

* Other events are in the works, stay tuned for more information.

Also, just a reminder: First Church of Christ, Scientist, New Haven is located at 950 Chapel Street, between the Blockbuster and the Chinese take out place. Sunday services (and Sunday School) are at 10, Wednesday Testimony meetings are at 7:30. The Reading Room is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11-2. Stop on by!

What's it all about?

Since it's the beginning of a new semester, I've been thinking about the CSO-- its purpose, its freshness, and its vitality. One of the questions that has been echoing around in my head has been "What is it makes a CSO a CSO?" Is it regular meetings? Is it the number of Science and Healths distributed? Is it the number of lectures you have? Certainly not, I would say. To me, the CSO is evidence of Christ, present and active on campus. It's the manifestation of that constant communication between God and man, that search for Truth, and that constant divine Love speaking to every single individual, regardless of age, race, "religion", major, college, etc. The CSO doesn't bring God, or Christ to campus-- it's already here, always has been and always will be. CSO activities (be they lectures, meetings, or simple conversations with friends) have one mission: to help us all to see, to understand, and celebrate that divine presence.

It's easy to feel like there's no room for CSO and Christian Science on campus. There's no interest, there's no place, no one will come, etc. But it seems to me that every evidence of Christliness-- of love, compassion, intelligence, goodness, etc.-- is evidence that the Christ is here and active. Celebrating pure spiritual goodness on campus is CSO activity-- and it opens the doors for so much more.