(Photo | Courtesy of Bend Christian Science Church)
One of the longest-serving churches in Bend, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, is reopening this month with a fresh look in an easy-to-find new location. After purchasing the building on the northwest corner of 10th and Greenwood in 2019, the church has completed an extensive renovation and is open for services again — both in person and via Zoom — on Sunday, July 18.
The Christian Science church has been a healing presence in Bend since way back in 1915 when a few early students of the religion began meeting in each other’s homes and various locations in town. The population of Bend at that time was merely 1,506.
As the group grew, they were able to purchase some land just south of Newport Avenue, and construction of a church began in 1919. The first services in the new building were held in December of 1923 at 1551 NW First Street.
The church remained in this location and served the community with Sunday Services, Sunday School and Wednesday Testimony Meetings for more than 95 years. For most of those years, the church maintained a Reading Room open to the public in downtown Bend.
With the church building showing its age and being relatively hidden in the growing community, the members decided to sell their property in 2018 and search for a more prominent location. Services and Sunday School continued to be held in temporary locations when the church purchased the building on Greenwood directly across from the old Pilot Butte Drive-in. The building was the original home of Skjersaa’s Ski Shop and most recently QuiltWorks.
Following the renovation, which was managed by R&H Construction, the church is utilizing approximately half of the building and leasing the remainder to other businesses.
Services for the Zoom Generation
Like most other local religious organizations, the Christian Science Church resorted to online services during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and managed to build a larger following with people attending from other parts of the country. To serve those individuals, and others who are unable to attend regularly, the church has arranged to continue holding services via Zoom when they resume in person on July 18. Those who would like to attend online may contact the church’s clerk, Sue Clark, at fccsbend@gmail.com.
Those who visit the church on Sundays at 10:00 am will find an intimate inviting auditorium. Services feature citations read from The Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, along with music and prayer.
Sunday School is held concurrently for students up to the age of 20. Age-specific classes are taught important lessons from the Bible and lively discussions allow children to participate in finding answers to questions they have about God, life and how to pray.
The public is also invited to attend the Wednesday Evening Testimony Meetings, which include readings on a timely topic, inspirational hymns and prayer. Testimonies of healing are shared by those attending. These meetings are held from 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm in person and also on Zoom at the same time.
The newly renovated building now provides a permanent and convenient home for the church’s public Christian Science Reading Room, which is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. The Reading Room is a bright, quiet space where people from all walks of life can read and pray. It’s also a bookstore where the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be purchased or borrowed, along with other Christian Science literature and periodicals, including The Christian Science Monitor, a world-renowned newspaper widely recognized for the excellence of its lively, fair-minded journalism.
An attendant is always on duty to answer questions and help with computer in access to Bible translations and other websites that serve the international Christian Science community.
