Early in the 1950s, a loving couple in the Hayward Christian Science church, Willard and Mindell Fern Cox, opened their home to help Christian Scientists. The tender care and support for Christian Science healing they provided led to ongoing and increasing requests for their services, and soon they purchased the house in Castro Valley that would become Fern Lodge. As the need increased, an additional building was added. In 1967 they formed a nonprofit corporation, Fern Lodge, Inc. This step enabled the Coxes to provide opportunities for tax-deductible donations and welfare payments to support patients who needed financial assistance.
During 2017 Fern Lodge is celebrating the 50th year since incorporation, and we are sharing with you and all our many supporters some of what has been accomplished during those 50 years and where we see ourselves going in the future. In May we held an open house and invited everyone we could contact to share with us their healing experiences and memories of their experiences with Fern Lodge. Contributions flooded in, and we have many of them, in words and pictures, on display in our hallways. You can see a few photos in this newsletter.
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
This passage, Malachi 3:10, is a theme of our 50th anniversary celebration. Our tithes are our gifts of gratitude and our commitment to continue in the holy work, providing the healing ministry of Christian Science nursing, without regard for how long an individual may need care or their financial ability to afford the cost.
In this Focus we’ll review briefly some activities and steps of progress that have emerged in these 50 years. We are most deeply grateful for our opportunity to have served so many Christian Scientists who have needed assistance as they prayed for the spiritual healing of Christian Science. Our on-going commitment is to continue to improve our Christian Science nursing services through understanding more fully that God cares for each of Her precious children and keeps them whole and safe in divine Love, and that man reflects that health-giving care. And there is more. In the years since incorporation, Fern Lodge has made significant contributions to broaden and deepen the demonstration of Christian Science nursing within our world-wide Church. And as we acknowledge and give gratitude for these footsteps, let’s remember that from its earliest years through our most recent days, Fern Lodge has maintained the home-like, family character on which it was founded.
With gratitude and affection,
George Strong
Administrator