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In Christian Science we don't have a pastor in the typical sense. Church of Christ, Scientist has just one universal, permanent Pastor.
Our current readers, Jim Halferty & Beate Hathaway
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, wanted her Church’s Pastor to be as pure, constant, and powerful as God’s Word itself. To this end, in 1895 she ordained as Pastor both the Bible and her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which opens up the Bible in its application to all human needs. Together, these two books are a mentor, spiritual resource, and timeless guide open to all—a Pastor for the world.
Because of its timeless spiritual message, the Pastor is a powerful preacher at all Christian Science worship services. On Sundays, the same weekly Bible Lesson-Sermon of passages from these books is presented by Readers across the world.
Our Readers
Frequently Asked Questions
Throughout the Bible, we learn of an infinite God, who is totally good. It is evident from studying the Scriptures that the Bible writers, prophets and disciples were gaining a growing appreciation of the omnipotent goodness of God. Jesus illustrated God’s omnipotence, by healing everything that was not good, whether in the form of sin, sickness or even death. Through her study of the Bible, Mary Baker Eddy discovered the spiritual laws which Jesus used to restore health and harmony, and found that these laws are just as effective today to bring healing as they were 2,000 years ago.
Throughout the Bible, we learn of an infinite God, who is totally good. It is evident from studying the Scriptures that the Bible writers, prophets and disciples were gaining a growing appreciation of the omnipotent goodness of God. Jesus illustrated God’s omnipotence, by healing everything that was not good, whether in the form of sin, sickness or even death. Through her study of the Bible, Mary Baker Eddy discovered the spiritual laws which Jesus used to restore health and harmony, and found that these laws are just as effective today to bring healing as they were 2,000 years ago.
The practice of Christian Science involves living these spiritual truths, obeying the Ten Commandments, following Christ’s footsteps of the Sermon on the Mount, practicing Christian healing and most of all living in accord with the law of Love. On several occasions Jesus referred to a new commandment, “That ye love one another, as I have also loved you.” (John 13:34) Paul stressed the importance of this commandment when he wrote “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
Christian Scientists turn to the Bible to study the deep divinity of God. Our definition of God as “The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence” (Science and Health p587), echoes the references to the “seven Spirits of God” in Revelation. The seven capitalized synonyms are names for God found in the Bible — with the exception of Principle, which God’s role of Creator and Law-giver implies. We see Christian Science as the law of Christianity, which governs all reality. The Master Christian, Christ Jesus demonstrated this law when he healed the sick and the sinning. Mary Baker Eddy defines Christian Science as “the law of God, the law of good, interpreting and demonstrating the divine Principle and rule of universal harmony.” (Rudimental Divine Science p 1).
Mrs. Eddy wrote “Having one God, one Mind, one consciousness, — which includes only His own nature, — and loving your neighbor as yourself, constitute Christian Science, which must demonstrate the nothingness of any other state or stage of being.” (No and Yes p38)
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The practice of Christian Science involves living these spiritual truths, obeying the Ten Commandments, following Christ’s footsteps of the Sermon on the Mount, practicing Christian healing and most of all living in accord with the law of Love. On several occasions Jesus referred to a new commandment, “That ye love one another, as I have also loved you.” (John 13:34) Paul stressed the importance of this commandment when he wrote “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
2
Christian Scientists turn to the Bible to study the deep divinity of God. Our definition of God as “The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence” (Science and Health p587), echoes the references to the “seven Spirits of God” in Revelation. The seven capitalized synonyms are names for God found in the Bible — with the exception of Principle, which God’s role of Creator and Law-giver implies. We see Christian Science as the law of Christianity, which governs all reality.
3
The Master Christian, Christ Jesus demonstrated this law when he healed the sick and the sinning. Mary Baker Eddy defines Christian Science as “the law of God, the law of good, interpreting and demonstrating the divine Principle and rule of universal harmony.” (Rudimental Divine Science p 1).
Mrs. Eddy wrote “Having one God, one Mind, one consciousness, — which includes only His own nature, — and loving your neighbor as yourself, constitute Christian Science, which must demonstrate the nothingness of any other state or stage of being.” (No and Yes p38)
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Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science was born in 1820. Her early childhood was spent on the farm of her parents, in Bow, New Hampshire. They were deeply religious and the Bible and prayer were the focus of their lives. As a child Mary possessed a great spiritual thirst, a sharp intellect, and a love for people. She alone among her six siblings applied for and was accepted into membership in the Congregational Church in 1838, despite her refusal to accept the doctrine of foreordination.
In 1843, Mary married, but was widowed the next year. Her only child, a son, was born that year. A combination of events including her continuing ill health led her family to place her son in the care of others in 1851. She lost all contact with her son and didn’t see him again for almost 30 years. Her sufferings from circumstances such as these, as well as from the ills of the flesh, drove Mary more deeply into the Bible as she sought the healing Christ. This led to her discovery of Christian Science in 1866. That year she was seriously injured when she fell on some ice and her doctors did not expect her to recover. Later in the day she asked to be given her Bible, and turned to one of the healings of Jesus. As she read, the words of Jesus “I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) flooded into her heart and thought. She was suddenly filled with the conviction that her life was in God – that God was the only Life, the only I AM. And in that instant she was healed.
After three years of searching the Scriptures, reading little else, she wrote and published the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. She described this search as “sweet, calm and buoyant with hope, not selfish nor depressing.” (Science and Health p109) She later founded and established the Christian Science Church together with its periodicals, the weekly Christian Science Sentinel, the monthly Christian Science Journal, and its world renowned newspaper The Christian Science Monitor. Mary Baker Eddy passed away in 1910.
If you are still interested to learn more about Mary Baker Eddy, please go to christianscience.com or turn to one of the biographies listed below.
Definitive biography:
The trilogy by Robert Peel:
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Discovery
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Trial
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority
Shorter Biographies:
Christian Science and It’s Discoverer
by E. Mary Ramsey.
A World More Bright: the Life of Mary Baker Eddy
by Heather Vogel Frederick, Isabel Ferguson
These biographies and more resources are available for purchase
from our Reading Room.
1
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science was born in 1820. Her early childhood was spent on the farm of her parents, in Bow, New Hampshire. They were deeply religious and the Bible and prayer were the focus of their lives. As a child Mary possessed a great spiritual thirst, a sharp intellect, and a love for people. She alone among her six siblings applied for and was accepted into membership in the Congregational Church in 1838, despite her refusal to accept the doctrine of foreordination.
In 1843, Mary married, but was widowed...
...the next year. Her only child, a son, was born that year. A combination of events including her continuing ill health led her family to place her son in the care of others in 1851. She lost all contact with her son and didn’t see him again for almost 30 years. Her sufferings from circumstances such as these, as well as from the ills of the flesh, drove Mary more deeply into the Bible as she sought the healing Christ. This led to her discovery of Christian Science in 1866. That year she was seriously injured when she fell on some ice and her doctors did not expect her to recover. Later in the day she asked to be given her Bible,,,
2
...and turned to one of the healings of Jesus. As she read, the words of Jesus “I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) flooded into her heart and thought. She was suddenly filled with the conviction that her life was in God – that God was the only Life, the only I AM. And in that instant she was healed.
After three years of searching the Scriptures, reading little else, she wrote and published the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. She described this search...
3
...as “sweet, calm and buoyant with hope, not selfish nor depressing.” (Science and Health p109) She later founded and established the Christian Science Church together with its periodicals, the weekly Christian Science Sentinel, the monthly Christian Science Journal, and its world renowned newspaper The Christian Science Monitor. Mary Baker Eddy passed away in 1910.
If you are still interested to learn more about Mary Baker Eddy, please go to christianscience.com or turn to one of the following listed biographies.
4
Definitive biography:
The trilogy by Robert Peel:
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Discovery
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Trial
Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority
Shorter Biographies:
Christian Science and It’s Discoverer
by E. Mary Ramsey.
A World More Bright: the Life of Mary Baker Eddy
by Heather Vogel Frederick, Isabel Ferguson
These biographies and more resources are available for purchase
from our Reading Room.
5
To the Christian Scientist the Bible is the source of all Truth. It explains life and salvation, explains the Way of Life exemplified by Jesus, which he commanded all Christians to follow. Christian Science was discovered through deep study of the Bible. The Bible is read at all our church services and is the foundation of all the teaching in our Sunday School.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote Science and Health following extensive study of the Bible. Her book helps us to understand the Bible better, enabling us to practice its precepts more fully, and to follow our Master’s healing example. Mrs Eddy ordained the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, as our dual pastor in 1894. Our services have no personal preaching but instead include a Bible Lesson comprised of readings from the Bible and correlative passages from Science and Health prepared by the Bible Lesson Committee at The Mother Church in Boston. This format is used both at our Sunday Services and our Wednesday evening meeting.
Yes. Christian Science practitioners are people who dedicate their lives to the full time healing practice of Christian Science. A list of these individuals can be found in The Christian Science Journal, copies of which can be obtained from our Reading Room, and online at csjournal.com and any local phone book. Practitioners living locally are listed under Pasadena, but there are no geographic limits on where a practitioner may practice.
No. If you are interested in understanding more about Christian Science, explore christianscience.com.
Organist, David K. Wolfe, D.M.A.
Our Murray M. Harris Organ Company Organ from 1910
Soloist, Jon Lee Keenan, Tenor
Music at Our Church
on
Soloist, Jon Lee Keenan, Tenor
Jon Lee Keenan grew up exposed to a wide variety of music ranging from rock-n-roll and bluegrass to classical and jazz in his home town of Las Vegas, NV. After graduating from UNLV with a triple major in Music, Jon moved to Los Angeles to continue his musical studies, eventually graduating with a doctorate in Vocal Arts from USC. Since joining with the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2007, Jon has appeared as a featured soloist in each season: recent highlights include Magnus Lindberg's Graffiti with Esa Pekka Solonen of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and singing the role of Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Other engagements include appearances with the American Bach Soloists in Bach's Easter Oratorio and St. Matthew Passion and with the Industry Opera as George Hunter White in Anne LeBaron's LSD the Opera. When Jon is not singing he can be found playing jazz bass with "The Disciples Trio" on YouTube. Jon is currently one of the rotating soloists at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena.
Jon Lee Keenan grew up exposed to a wide variety of music ranging from rock-n-roll and bluegrass to classical and jazz in his home town of Las Vegas, NV. After graduating from UNLV with a triple major in Music, Jon moved to Los Angeles to continue his musical studies, eventually graduating with a doctorate in Vocal Arts from USC. Since joining with the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2007, Jon has appeared as a featured soloist in each season: recent highlights include Magnus Lindberg's Graffiti with Esa Pekka Solonen of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and singing the role of Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Other engagements include appearances with the American Bach Soloists in Bach's Easter Oratorio and St. Matthew Passion and with the Industry Opera as George Hunter White in Anne LeBaron's LSD the Opera. When Jon is not singing he can be found playing jazz bass with "The Disciples Trio" on YouTube. Jon is currently one of the rotating soloists at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena.
Organist, David K. Wolfe, D.M.A.
Organist, David K. Wolfe, D.M.A. began serving as a church organist at age thirteen, and soon thereafter studied privately with Richard Purvis (composer/organist Grace Cathedral, San Francisco). He earned the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Music at California State University, Fresno, and then studied organ performance in Germany under Daniel Roth (organiste-titulaire Saint-Sulpice, Paris), and received the Konzertreife in Organ at the Musikhochschule des Saarlandes in Saarbrücken. Upon his return to the United States, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance, with specializations in Organ, Counterpoint, Music History and Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. At present, Dr. Wolfe resides in Glendale, California with his wife and two daughters where he teaches private piano lessons.
Organist, David K. Wolfe, D.M.A. began serving as a church organist at age thirteen, and soon thereafter studied privately with Richard Purvis (composer/organist Grace Cathedral, San Francisco). He earned the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Music at California State University, Fresno, and then studied organ performance in Germany under Daniel Roth (organiste-titulaire Saint-Sulpice, Paris), and received the Konzertreife in Organ at the Musikhochschule des Saarlandes in Saarbrücken. Upon his return to the United States, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance, with specializations in Organ, Counterpoint, Music History and Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. At present, Dr. Wolfe resides in Glendale, California with his wife and two daughters where he teaches private piano lessons.
The Organ
The church’s historic pipe organ was built by the Murray M. Harris Organ Company of Los Angeles at a cost of $10,000. Because of the sanctuary’s excellent acoustics, the builders considered this instrument their masterpiece. Murray Harris organs were once found in many of the most prominent Los Angeles churches of the era—including Pasadena Presbyterian, All Saints Episcopal, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and several Christian Science churches in Los Angeles. Today, only a few of those instruments remain.
Originally a three-manual instrument, the organ was expanded in the 1920s by the Spencer Organ Company, founded by a former Murray Harris employee. Spencer added a solo division and a four-manual console, incorporating popular stops of the time.
By 1968, the organ required restoration. Under the guidance of Clarence Mader, the Ken Simpson Company modernized the instrument with new windchests, pipework, and a new three-manual console. The outdated solo division was removed. Due to the size of the parts, some had to be lifted into the building through an upper window via crane.
After the church’s seismic retrofit in the early 2000s, the organ underwent further work in 2007 by Rosales Pipe Organ Services, led by Manuel Rosales. The organ was fully cleaned, repaired, and significantly revoiced, improving upon earlier modifications.
In 2018, a new moveable console and operating system were installed by Rosales. The console features a solid mahogany case with cherrywood interior, designed to match the sanctuary woodwork. It includes a multi-level combination action, record/playback capabilities, a piston sequencer, transposer, and a ribbon mahogany music rack, along with the refurbished ivory keyboards from the 1968 console.
The church’s historic pipe organ was built by the Murray M. Harris Organ Company of Los Angeles at a cost of $10,000. Because of the sanctuary’s excellent acoustics, the builders considered this instrument their masterpiece. Murray Harris organs were once found in many of the most prominent Los Angeles churches of the era—including Pasadena Presbyterian, All Saints Episcopal, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and several Christian Science churches in Los Angeles. Today, only a few of those instruments remain.
Originally a three-manual instrument, the organ was expanded in the 1920s by the Spencer Organ Company, founded by a former Murray Harris employee. Spencer added a solo division and a four-manual console, incorporating popular stops of the time.
By 1968, the organ required restoration. Under the guidance of Clarence Mader, the Ken Simpson Company modernized the instrument with new windchests, pipework, and a new three-manual console. The outdated solo division was removed. Due to the size of the parts, some had to be lifted into the building through an upper window via crane.
After the church’s seismic retrofit in the early 2000s, the organ underwent further work in 2007 by Rosales Pipe Organ Services, led by Manuel Rosales. The organ was fully cleaned, repaired, and significantly revoiced, improving upon earlier modifications.
In 2018, a new moveable console and operating system were installed by Rosales. The console features a solid mahogany case with cherrywood interior, designed to match the sanctuary woodwork. It includes a multi-level combination action, record/playback capabilities, a piston sequencer, transposer, and a ribbon mahogany music rack, along with the refurbished ivory keyboards from the 1968 console.
1894: First Meetings in a Pasadena Home
Christian Science in Pasadena began in the home of Mrs. Sarah Townsend Gee, the city's first listed practitioner. The initial gatherings at 108 S. Holliston Avenue were small—just Mrs. Gee and her husband—but soon grew as neighbors and other interested individuals joined. The meetings were informal—readings were shared from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures using the Christian Science Quarterly as a guide. These humble meetings laid the spiritual foundation for what would become First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena.
1894: First Meetings in a Pasadena Home
Christian Science in Pasadena began in the home of Mrs. Sarah Townsend Gee, the city's first listed practitioner. The initial gatherings at 108 S. Holliston Avenue were small—just Mrs. Gee and her husband—but soon grew as neighbors and other interested individuals joined. The meetings were informal—readings were shared from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures using the Christian Science Quarterly as a guide. These humble meetings laid the spiritual foundation for what would become First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena.
1894
1898: Church Officially Chartered
On April 7th, 1898, twenty-three early members signed the church register in order to officially become First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena. Meetings were held at the Grand Army Hall on Colorado Street. A few months later, the church hosted its first Christian Science lecture, —Edward A. Kimball, C.S.D., spoke to a crowd of 500 people at the city’s largest venue. This year marked not just administrative formation, but a deepening public presence, and the start of spiritual healing work that would define the church’s mission.
1898: Church Officially Chartered
On April 7th, 1898, twenty-three early members signed the church register in order to officially become First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasadena. Meetings were held at the Grand Army Hall on Colorado Street. A few months later, the church hosted its first Christian Science lecture, —Edward A. Kimball, C.S.D., spoke to a crowd of 500 people at the city’s largest venue. This year marked not just administrative formation, but a deepening public presence, and the start of spiritual healing work that would define the church’s mission.
1898
1900: Reading Room Opens
In response to a by-law from The Mother Church, Pasadena’s first Christian Science Reading Room opened on February 6, 1900, at the southwest corner of Raymond Avenue and Colorado Street. Rented for $16/month, the space was furnished and opened within three weeks. Since then, the Reading Room has remained a vital, public-facing part of the church’s healing mission.
1900: Reading Room Opens
In response to a by-law from The Mother Church, Pasadena’s first Christian Science Reading Room opened on February 6, 1900, at the southwest corner of Raymond Avenue and Colorado Street. Rented for $16/month, the space was furnished and opened within three weeks. Since then, the Reading Room has remained a vital, public-facing part of the church’s healing mission.
1900
1903: First Church Building - The Bungalow Chapel
In response to the sale of their rented hall and continued growth, members built a bungalow-style chapel at the rear of their new lot on Oakland Avenue and Colorado Street. Designed by the Crowell Brothers, it seated 215 and was completed—cleaned, furnished, and fully paid for—within one month. The chapel’s opening marked a turning point: attendance surged, and the church’s public presence blossomed.
1903: First Church Building -
The Bungalow Chapel
In response to the sale of their rented hall and continued growth, members built a bungalow-style chapel at the rear of their new lot on Oakland Avenue and Colorado Street. Designed by the Crowell Brothers, it seated 215 and was completed—cleaned, furnished, and fully paid for—within one month. The chapel’s opening marked a turning point: attendance surged, and the church’s public presence blossomed.
1903
1910: A Dome, a Dedication, and a Church Built on Rock
With the bungalow chapel overflowing and Colorado Street proving noisy, the congregation purchased the lot we still occupy at 80 South Oakland Avenue. Architect Franklin Pierce Burnham designed the new church as a monolithic reinforced concrete structure—the first of its kind in Pasadena. The cornerstone was laid on March 30, 1909, and the $100,000 construction contract was awarded to The Engstrom Co. Building proceeded without pause, funded by steady and generous donations. On November 20, 1910, the church was dedicated free of debt. The total cost, including land and furnishings, came to $165,000. At the time, it was Pasadena’s largest building and a lasting beacon of spiritual welcome for the city.
1910: A Dome, a Dedication, and a Church Built on Rock
With the bungalow chapel overflowing and Colorado Street proving noisy, the congregation purchased the lot we still occupy at 80 South Oakland Avenue. Architect Franklin Pierce Burnham designed the new church as a monolithic reinforced concrete structure—the first of its kind in Pasadena. The cornerstone was laid on March 30, 1909, and the $100,000 construction contract was awarded to The Engstrom Co. Building proceeded without pause, funded by steady and generous donations. On November 20, 1910, the church was dedicated free of debt. The total cost, including land and furnishings, came to $165,000. At the time, it was Pasadena’s largest building and a lasting beacon of spiritual welcome for the city.
1910
2005: Seismic Retrofit and Historical Restoration
Beginning in 2005, the church undertook a $3 million seismic retrofit and restoration to preserve the structure’s future. Led by Architectural Resources Group and Weidlinger Associates, the project added modern structural reinforcements while preserving original finishes and historic integrity. Every pew and carpet was cleaned twice weekly so services could continue during the 18-month project. Completed in 2007, the renovation honored the church’s past while ensuring its safety and beauty for future generations.
2005: Seismic Retrofit and Historical Restoration
Beginning in 2005, the church undertook a $3 million seismic retrofit and restoration to preserve the structure’s future. Led by Architectural Resources Group and Weidlinger Associates, the project added modern structural reinforcements while preserving original finishes and historic integrity. Every pew and carpet was cleaned twice weekly so services could continue during the 18-month project. Completed in 2007, the renovation honored the church’s past while ensuring its safety and beauty for future generations.
2005
Donations
We are a non-profit religious organization and accept donations that support us in the upkeep required for our historical building. Funds are used for cleaning, repairs, and general maintenance as well as assisting us in supporting children attending Christian Science summer camps and members in need. We accept donations through our PayPal link or with Zelle through our email firstcspasadena@sbcglobal.net. We appreciate any donation you are able to give.
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