ABOUT US

Who are we?

  • We are Christians, endeavoring to follow the example of the Master Christian, Christ Jesus, in our daily lives. He showed that God is love, and because God loves us, we should love our neighbor as God does. He said that his followers should live lives of joy and abundant good, because God, our Creator, is wholly good. God made us in His image and likeness, as stated in the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis.
  • We are Christian Scientists, striving to apply the divine laws of God, which Mary Baker Eddy discovered in 1866 and named Christian Science, or the Science of Christ. This American woman, who loved the Bible and trusted God from early childhood, proved these same laws in healing sin and sickness as Jesus did when he healed sin and sickness and overcame death. She wrote them down in a book, which she titled Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
  • This book is the textbook of Christian Science. It, together with the King James version of the Bible, serves as the Pastor of Christian Science churches around the world. At every Christian Science Sunday service, as well as the Wednesday testimony meetings, lay readers (members of the church) read selections from these books that comprise the sermon.

Local Church History

First Church of Christ, Scientist-Anderson, SC is a branch of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, world headquarters of the Christian Science movement.

The local Anderson church held its first services as an Informal Group in 1970 in various locations on the campus of Clemson University. It was chartered as a Christian Science Society in 1975. Following purchase of a church building in Seneca, SC, the Christian Science Society, Seneca-Clemson, held its first church service there in 1977. Dedication of the church edifice was held in 1983, and in 1987 the Society was designated as First Church of Christ, Scientist, Seneca-Clemson.

The church site was sold in 2011, and the church membership relocated to the present site in Anderson in 2012, changing the name to First Church of Christ, Scientist-Anderson, Inc. of SC.

The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the foundation for the theology and practice of Christian Science. It is a Christian denomination, with the Bible and especially Jesus’ teachings at the heart of its practice. In Christian Science, God is understood as always upholding the health and well-being of His creation. The power of prayer lies not in faith alone but in a deeper understanding of God and His divine laws that embrace humanity and result in healing.

Everyone can choose for themselves and their families the kind of health care that meets their needs. By practicing Christian Science, many have lived free of drugs and other systems of physical care, and maintained good health.

From childhood on in New England, Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science in 1866, loved The Bible and what it told her about God’s love for mankind. In mid-life, she was expected by her doctors to die from a fatal injury. Instead, she read one of Jesus’ healings in The Bible, and found herself suddenly well. Pursuing the reason for this rapid recovery of health without medical attention, she studied the Scriptures, specifically the Gospels, for three years. She recorded her findings in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which explains Jesus’ healings as possible for anyone who seeks to understand them as the “dominion” given to us by God as “His image and likeness,” as the first chapter of Genesis in The Bible says.

Science and Health is the textbook for all students of Christian Science. Thousands of people have been healed just by reading it. It and the King James translation of The Bible serve as the “Pastor” for our church services. Christian Scientists around the globe study the same Bible Lesson each week, which is read by lay readers during the Sunday service.

As Christian Scientists, we invite you to explore this healing Science with us at our Sunday services, during our Wednesday Testimony Meetings and at our Reading Room, where The Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy are available for study and/or purchase.

NOTE: The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures are essential to learn about Christian Science and its healing practice. You can read or listen to Science and Health free online at www.christianscience.com under the Publications and Activities tab.

Both books are available for purchase online from https://shop.christianscience.com, from amazon.com or from our Reading Room (see the Reading Room tab). Paperback prices for Science and Health start at $8.

Christian Science supports its adherents through Christian Science practitioners, individuals who have dedicated their lives to supporting through prayer those seeking solutions to life’s challenges. Christian Science nurses offer in-home care, and Christian Science nursing facilities provide care and assisted living while healing through prayer is sought.