Report and Introduction by Nancy Miller Batty, Administrator
Sunday, April 22, 2018
After our brief annual report, we’ll present our much anticipated opportunity to hear Dr. Laurance Doyle deliver a talk titled “There is no ‘outer’ space.”
Why is High Oaks featuring a talk which challenges our ideas about outer space? From his expert standing as a celebrated astrophysicist and drawing from his understanding as a life-long Christian Scientist, Dr. Doyle will expand our understanding of this topic, showing its profound and wide-ranging application to our work in Christian Science.
Looking away from the physical to the metaphysical is an essential part of our work at High Oaks. This year, as we’ve focused on monthly prayer topics, we’ve looked to the reality of a spiritual universe where there is no distance between divine Love and His ideas. We’ve seen many reassuring proofs of how the consciousness of ever-present God, Good, filling all space, affects the human experience, letting our perfection and completeness shine forth, and eliminating any sense of need.
We might even say we’ve been understanding a little more of Mrs. Eddy’s discovery. She writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:
“Unfathomable Mind is expressed! The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space. That is enough!” (Science and Health, p. 520:3-5)
Prayerfully, with support and confidentiality, High Oaks provides financial assistance for individuals residing in 6 states which include the Christian Science nursing facilities of Lynn House is Alexandria, Virginia, Tenacre in Princeton, New Jersey, and High Ridge House in Riverdale, New York.
Requests for assistance include treatment from Christian Science practitioners, care at Christian Science nursing facilities as well as in the home by Christian Science nurses, Christian Science nurses training, tuition at Christian Science camps and necessities on a short-term basis. This year, High Oaks gave to several Christian Science organizations, as well as to several hurricane relief efforts to aid Christian Scientists living in Texas and Florida. We’re pleased to report that for 2017, High Oaks gave 317 grants totaling $304,995.
We express great gratitude for the continuing contributions and gifts in 2017 from our many friends of High Oaks. This year High Oaks’ work was acknowledged by substantial gifts from three churches for which we express sincere gratitude.
At the end of this past year, our financial statement showed a positive balance remaining after general expenses and benevolence grants. Our investments, overseen by the Finance Committee, cover all of the expenses and a significant portion of the benevolence grants. The market value of our investments benefited along with the rise in the stock market with very positive gains.
For all this good we are so grateful and thank you sincerely for support for our mission to make Christian Science care and healing possible for those who are in need and seeking it.
Now it’s my pleasure to introduce Dr. Laurance Doyle. Since 1987, Dr. Doyle has been a Principal Investigator with the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), exploring the fields of photometric detection of extrasolar planets, information theory applied to animal communications, and quantum physics.
He has been a visiting Lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, served as a Member of the NASA Kepler Mission Science Team, and currently teaches at Principia College where he is the founding Director of the Institute for the Metaphysics of Physics.
A life-long Christian Scientist, he has contributed to the Christian Science Sentinel and The Christian Science Journal and given numerous talks throughout the field.