THE STATE COMMITTEE
The State Committee Advisory Board is comprised of three to five members who serve two-year terms and it acts as liaison to local churches through their representatives. Its function is to coordinate and unify the various institutional activities conducted in Washington State by Christian Science branch churches and to act as a single voice when communicating with institutional authorities. They publish the results of healing activity on this website and also publish an annual Progress Report.
The Advisory Board:
Jake Lowe, 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Seattle
Jim Gold, 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Burien
Alan Halfhill, 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Sequim
Dave Lowe, 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Bothell
The Advisory Board also maintains “The Guidelines for Institutional Work” based on over 50 years of experience. These “Guidelines” are used by Workers and Local Committee representatives in carrying out the work. Regional workshops may be offered by the State Committee to provide training for Workers, informational updates regarding state laws, and fresh inspiration at all levels of institutional activity.
We are a non-profit religious organization, and receive gifts from individuals and pro rata fees from supporting churches.
LOCAL COMMITTEES outside King-Snohomish County
These committees are comprised of branch church representatives. Their function is to provide support and guidance to workers and to advise their church memberships of committee needs. Each local committee is comprised of representatives appointed by their branch church. The local committees recruit and support workers to serve in the local facilities. There are currently no Local Committees, except for the King-Snohomish County Committee.
KING-SNOHOMISH COUNTY COMMITTEE
This Committee establishes, coordinates, and supports Christian Science religious activity in penal and care institutions in King and Snohomish Counties. It is jointly organized and governed by the churches and/or societies in area that have chosen to work together.
Four officers are elected to oversee and coordinate the operation and proceedings of the work and workers in the institutions. The committee is related to the State Committee through sharing of fruitage, requests for Christian Science literature, and for liaison with workers in another part of the state.
Operating expenses, mainly secretarial, are financed by the State Committee.
The King-Snohomish County Committee meets quarterly to conduct business and share volunteer worker fruitage. Requires a quorum present of Member church/society reps or alternates; attendance includes coordinator, workers, and interested Christian Science visitors. Meetings are usually held the third week of each quarter, starting with January, at a committee member church edifice.
Click here for roster of contributing and sustaining members.
We Support:
• 1 Local Committee
• 33 Branch Churches
• 18 Representatives
• 8 Alternate Representatives
We Serve:
• 9 State and Federal Prisons
• 2 State or Federal Hospitals
Our Purpose:
The purpose of Christian Science institutional work is to provide healing and redemption through prayer and one-on-one discussions, as taught by Jesus, to inmates and residents of institutions in Washington such as state prisons, county jails, work camps, jails, mental hospitals, youth facilities, and Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. This unique Christian ministry is extended primarily to those who are confined in institutions and thus prevented from attending a Christian Science church, contacting a practitioner, or visiting a Reading Room.
Our Mission:
To recognize the regenerating and healing light of Christ in every inmate, patient, and staff member in every penal institution and VA hospital in the State.
Vision:
To encourage this institutional work throughout the nation through contact with other states and through coordination with The Mother Church.