The First Church Of Christ, Scientist history

In 1866, Mary Baker Eddy founded Christian Science while she was healing after a serious accident.

Its Reading Room is located in the Gardener's Club Hall, built in 1867 and the oldest commercial building still being used in St George.

Christian Science was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in 1868, while reading one of Jesus’ healings in the Bible, Mrs.

CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS were first organized in Cleveland by General Erastus N. Bates in 1877.

Mary Baker Eddy in 1879.

Eddy sent one of her followers, Mrs. Its state history began in July 1891 when Mrs.

In 1892, Eddy founded the First Church of Christ, Scientist — the Mother Church — in Boston, Massachusetts.

One tells the story of a woman that in 1894, “was given up by the best physicians in the city to die.” A Christian Science healer visited her and after three weeks, she again had perfect health.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Ogden, was started in May 1895.

The first such lecture in Utah was given by Edward A. Kimball in the original Salt Lake Theatre in September 1898.

Meetings were held in various locations until in 1899 members purchased the former Presbyterian meetinghouse at 24th Street and Lincoln Avenue.

In 1903, the Church purchased their first plot of land, on the northwest corner lot on Post and 4th.

Abiding by the rule that Christian Science churches must be free of indebtedness, the new church was not dedicated until 1904.

In 1907 that structure was sold and meetings were held in the local Congregational church and the Masonic temple.

In 1908 Eddy established The Christian Science Monitor newspaper as a protest against the sensationalism of the popular press.

In 1909, 115 members withdrew from the First Church and organized the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Salt Lake City.

In 1913 they acquired the old Brown-Shackley estate at 604 Central Avenue, their present quarters.

A new church building, located at the corner of Monroe Avenue and 24th Street, was built and dedicated on December 26, 1915.

In 1917 the congregation moved to a theater, where services were held for a year before the purchase of the Euclid Ave.

Land was purchased at 566 East South Temple, and the new debt-free structure was dedicated on 17 March 1918.

In April 1924, 75 Christian Scientists founded First Church of Christ, Scientist in Winnetka.

After nine years of prayer, fund raising, and membership growth, in 1933 the church began construction of its edifice at Ridge Avenue and Cherry Street.

In 1940 the Cleveland-area churches formed the Christian Science War Relief Committee of Greater Cleveland, divided into 6 units.

On February 2, 1941, the dedication was celebrated at three special services witnessed by more than one thousand participants.

In 1952 the General Christian Science Reading Room was opened downtown; it has been jointly maintained by all Cuyahoga County Christian Science churches.

From “Dover, New Hampshire 350th Anniversary Commemorative Book 1623-1973”, 1973

In 1974 it became known as Third Church of Christ, Scientist, Salt Lake City.

Two congregations of Christian Scientists were formed in 1979.

In 1982, a group of Christian Scientists in Park City began meeting informally.

In 1986 there were 14 Christian Science reading rooms in the Cleveland area.

In 1991 John Hughes, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former editor of the Christian Science Monitor, began teaching at Brigham Young University and attending the local Christian Science congregation.

Disclaimer: Information on this site was converted from a hard cover book published by University of Utah Press in 1994.

Tags: Architects, Architecture, Beman, Christian Science, Field Beam, First Church of Christ Scientist, Religion, S.S. Beman, Spencer Solon Beman, Winter 1998

The building was sold by the members in 2002.

The Society held church services at that location until 2006 when the Society became First Church of Christ, Scientist, Park City and purchased space at 605 Main Street for the Reading Room and church services.

Revisions contributed in whole by Colleen Scott on behalf of Elizabeth Beall, the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Utah, February 2011.

The church also salvaged the cornerstone and the large stained glass window, which they restored in the winter of 2016, and will soon have on display.