“The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good.”
— Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 518
Who are we?
Since 2018, the Communities of Christian Caring (CoCC) Committee, a small group of individuals who have served the ministry of Christian Science nursing in various capacities for many years, has been helping fellow Christian Scientists find ways to meet needs and support healing in their church communities.
About Us
Who are we?
CoCC Overview 2024
CoCC FAQs
What a CoCC Does
Partner Organizations
CoCC Overview 2024
To watch and listen to this presentation, click on the play arrow to start the audio, then scroll down to the slides. Advance the slides when instructed by clicking the arrow to the right of the slide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the FAQ’S button for answers to these questions:
1. Is Communities of Christian Caring (CoCC) associated with The Mother Church?
2. How do CoCC educational activities relate to Christian Science nursing training?
3. How can I establish a CoCC group in my church community?
4. What is the difference between CoCC and “Caring for Christian Scientists?”
What does a CoCC do?
Supports the natural Christian desire to care for one another
Supports healing! Anything from friendly visits, to tidying up, to fixing meals, to finding on-going care from a Christian Science nurse
Supplements the efforts of a church care committee, a Christian Science nursing facility, or a visiting CS nurse service if one is nearby
Identifies resources (local or beyond) which an individual or group might not be aware of to meet a specific need
Builds a web of sustainable relationships — not solo efforts or one-time events, but on-going partnerships within one’s CS community
Discovers unique ways to meet the needs of Christian Scientists in your own area
Reaches out to knowledgeable sources to build their own capacity to do all of these things — if at this time it is not happening for one reason or another
Hosts conversations, meetings and workshops (in person and online) to educate Christian Scientists in understanding and supporting the role of Christian Science nursing in our movement
Clarifies the practicalities (and the ethics) of helping someone in their home
Christian Scientists everywhere can create their own informal networks of carers — whether they are tied to a Christian Science nursing facility or a church . . . or they are more remote and doing things on their own.
If you want to explore what is possible in your own area, please contact us.
A Partner Organization
The Principle Foundation
The Principle Foundation promotes inspired benevolence in accordance with the teachings of Christian Science. The Communities of Christian Caring is one of their sponsored programs.
A Partner Organization
The Christian Science Nursing Collaborative
The CSN Collaborative is a network of organizations that include The Mother Church (TMC), the Christian Science Nursing Network (CSNN), the Association of Organizations for Christian Science Nursing (AOCSN), and the Philanthropy Forum for Christian Science Nursing.
Read our latest newsletter update to learn about some of the activities and projects that are going on in the collaborative.
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Following a conference on Christian Science nursing at The Mother Church in February of 2014, a series of meetings of donors to Christian Science nursing took place. From 2015 through 2022, these donors have met at least once annually to consider how they might better support Christian Science nursing.
At the second conference in 2016, this group of donors named itself the Christian Science Nursing Philanthropy Forum, or Philanthropy Forum or PhilFo. The PhilFo Steering Committee was formed to give oversight. At the conference, the PhilFo agreed to support the idea of a national fund to support Christian Science nursing. After a period of research, a subgroup asked The Principle Foundation to launch such a fund. The National Fund for Christian Science Nursing opened in April 2017.
Also in 2017, the Association of Organizations for Christian Science Nursing (AOCSN) Executive Committee (EC) met with the PhilFo Steering Committee to see if collaboration might offer new ways to support Christian Science nursing. Shortly after, the Christian Science Nursing Network (CSNN) and the Nursing Activities department at The Mother Church joined these meetings. These four organizations and their members began referring to this collective effort as the Christian Science Nursing Collaborative or simply the Collaborative.
The Collaborative created the Collaborative Coordinating Committee (C3) to help organize and oversee its work. (info@csncollaborative.org)
From the beginning, the annual conferences of the PhilFo and the Collaborative focused on identifying issues that needed a collaborative approach to solve. With each problem identified, they formed a Working Group. For more information on these, go to www.csncollaborative.org.
In 2017, the Calling and Career Working Group commissioned a research project to determine what factors encouraged and what factors hindered individuals becoming Christian Science nurses. Several Working Groups formed to seek solutions for the factors identified in this research project.
In late 2017 and early 2018, four conferences on Christian Science nursing took place at The Mother Church, the first collaborative conference, the Philanthropy Forum and AOCSN. Each of these conferences identified a set of priorities for supporting Christian Science nursing. Five of these priorities were identified at all four conferences. Those priorities have been recently restated and updated by the C3.
Currently we have the following active initiatives focused on those five priorities:
Valuing CS nurses – Self-employed
Valuing CS nurses – Organizations
Continuing Education
Accessibility and Affordability of CSN Training
International Fund for Christian Science Nursing
Caring for Christian Scientists: RiperYears.org and the Call Center
Leadership and Management
Youth Action Committee
Communities of Christian Caring
Fundraising for Working Groups
by Bruce Jeffrey, March 28, 2022