Current News

Onward and Upward

Published on: 01/01/2018

As our Board and staff joyfully welcome the New Year, we are grateful for the insight gained during the past year. We began 2017 with the united goal of advancing our understanding of how we can more fully cherish Christian Science nursing and our precious Upward Wing service, and to then put this wisdom gained into practice and invite our field to entertain angels with us in our committment to supporting Christian Science nursing.

As the year came to an end, and as it closed with the Christmas season, our progress made over the last twelve months was affirmed. We have found that our advanced understanding shines newborn light on the significance of the New Year. The continuity and consecrated activity of Christian Science nursing is made clear this New Year's Day and best expressed in Mrs. Eddy's words: "Through Christian Science, religion and medicine are inspired with a diviner nature and essence; fresh pinions are given to faith and understanding, and thoughts acquaint themselves intelligently with God." SH 107:10-14

With each New Year fresh thoughts and spiritual regeneration are expressed as celebrants witness spiritual beauty and holiness unfolding. They hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." The calendar year marks an end, but the continuity of Good shows us that the insights gained in 2017 are but the treasured contents of our cornerstone on which to build this coming year.

The Christmas message prepares us for the New Year by providing and sustaining the hope of this blessed beginning as it manifests Emmanuel, God with us. Opportunity and change are possible because of God's boundless grace, and by having this understanding we experience progress. When we cherish the babe of Christian Science healing we find continuity, support, brotherliness, and harmony going with us into each New Year -- as we follow Paul's direction to put off the old man and put on the new man -- and these expressions of reality remain with us for continual spiritual re-birth throughout the year.

"In different ages the divine idea assumes different forms, according to humanity's needs. In this age it assumes, more intelligently that ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart." Mis. 370:12

The gift we are asked to bring to the nativity is a pure and open heart, and from this devotion we receive fresh pinions of understanding to soar ever higher.

Thank you to all of you who shared in our goal and supported our Mission in 2017! Please join us as we move joyfully forward with our committment to cherish, foster, and protect this precious healing ministry.

Visit our B log to share your new-year's inspirations and spiritual resolutions for supporting Christian Science nursing in 2018!

If you have not yet taken our survey presented in our 2017 newsletters, visit www.upwardwing.org/survey to participate.

Learn more about the prayerful steps we took in 2017 by reading our 3-part progressive study initiative in our July, August, and September 2017 Newsletter s, which culminated in our November Annual Meeting & Workshop. Listen to the audio of the Workshop.

Come be a part of our special team!

Published on: 08/10/2017

Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love.
(Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 66:14)

Four Seasons Have you been praying for a new view?

If so, we would love to hear from you! We have been praying for
Christian Science nurses to join us in Northern Ohio as we continue to grow our ministry.

Come be a part of our special team!

Relocation assistance provided

Contact: [email protected] or 855.276.4968

Enlarging Thy Tent: 2016 Field Training Update

Published on: 12/30/2016

One way Overlook House fulfills its Mission of providing financial, metaphysical, and physical support to Upward Wing Visiting Christian Science Nursing is through a Field Training Program. Overlook House is grateful for the generous grant it received in June of 2016 designated to refining and updating the Upward Wing Field Training Program.

The Program’s purpose is to engage the community in our Mission, and we have learned that we can best achieve this by meeting the individuals who make up our Field where each is engaged in serving the cause of Christian Science.

The primary goal for our Field Training Program is for our Christian Science community to take ownership of its nursing organization. We have this year seen a marked response to our organization's outreach.

Upward Wing Field Training & Volunteer Coordinator, Anita Lange, introduced the theme "Enlarging Thy Tent" (Isa 54:2-3) for the 2016 Field Training Program in our September newsletter fostering a focus on 'lengthening the cords' and 'stretching the tent' -- reaching out and welcoming the community -- and strengthening the 'tent stakes' by building relationships, listening to the individual's needs, and supporting his or her efforts.

The Board responded by increasing its member count this year -- from 5 to 7 and its efforts sevenfold. This affords each board member the ability to focus on a different area of the organization, including 2 members who are working on building relationships in our community -- one with our local practitioners and one with outreach to our Field.

We began by building relationships with our branch churches as well as with our local business owners who are Christian Scientists. The Upward Wing Christian Science nurses made a visit to all 19 churches in our service area this year, attending Sunday services and Wednesday evening testimony meetings, and visiting with members and visitors, as well as Care Committee Chairmen. We are grateful for the financial support we receive from our business community, including one restaurant owner who donated the venue space and luncheon for our Annual Meeting this November.

The Overlook House Board and Upward Wing Christian Science nurses are also grateful for the opportunity to host a dinner meeting last October for the Christian Science Nursing Network (CSNN) Board of Directors who were in Cleveland planning their bi-annual conference coming up in September of 2017. We took the opportunity to have each attendee talk about their introduction to, and experiences working in, Christian Science nursing. Bruce Jeffrey of The Principle Foundation accepted our invitation to join in the conversation.

Getting to know the Christian Science nurses on the Board of CSNN and a deeper understanding of their ministry was our goal for this meeting. Especially as we are currently inviting students to join, and are accepting applications for, the Upward Wing Mentoring Program. This program has been developed to promote better trainers and highly skilled nurses to support Christian Science nursing sustainability and succession planning within the Upward Wing Visiting Christian Science nursing service.

We further reached out by offering two Care Committee Workshops in 2016 -- one in September for the Western Ohio branch churches and the second in December for the Eastern Ohio branch churches. The Upward Wing Christian Science nurses invited Care Committees of every church in our service area to participate in one of these two-part workshops. The first session introduced Christian Science nursing and Upward Wing, and the second session explained the metaphysics and skills useful to ushers in churches. In between the sessions the participants gathered for a box lunch and received a gift of note cards depicting scenes of The Mother Church to get them started in their service to fellow church members.

The Overlook House Board, likewise, participated in its organization's program of continuing education in Christian Science nursing. In July, the Upward Wing Christian Science nurses provided the board members with a 1-hour instruction on the metaphysics and skills involved in cleansing and bandaging. The Board and Christian Science nurses found that this session provided inspiration and information for a future class to be taken to the Field.

One response to our outreach this year is a Home Helper advertising her services in our community after completing the Upward Wing Home Helper Class. The Home Helper Class is a 2-day 10 hour course hosted at a private home of a Christian Scientist. It is designed to enable the student to assist someone living at home with his or her daily needs while supporting Christian Science healing.

We plan to continue to offer Home Helper Classes in 2017, which were well received in 2015 when we conducted several of these classes at sites throughout greater Cleveland. Christian Scientists in Ohio and nearby states, such as Indiana, Michigan, and New York have attended, inviting us to hold this class in their communities, and we look forward to expanding our outreach even further in 2017.

In addition to the Field, Upward Wing has reached out to other Christian Science nursing organizations this year by sharing its online back-office software system it has developed. In 2016 we contracted our first license agreement with a fellow visiting Christian Science nursing service. This service is now set up and undergoing training with the Upward Wing webmaster, Business Manager, and Director of Christian Science nursing. It will begin the new year with this efficient method of communication and record keeping in place, which supports consistency in our standard of patient care and promotes service accreditation.

The Upward Wing volunteers augment the work of the Upward Wing Christian Science Nurses and their efforts broaden our outreach. They continue to go out and visit and read to patients. Our Field Training and Volunteer Coordinator arranged their annual outing this year during Volunteer Appreciation Week at Sweet Moses Soda Fountain for an afternoon ice-cream social. At our Annual Meeting in November she shared the volunteers' healing experiences in their service throughout the year and presented the volunteers with appreciation gifts of festive tins of gourmet popcorn from our local Campbell's Popcorn Company.

The Overlook House Annual Meeting's theme this year "Open Hearts and Willing Hands" focused on the spiritual meaning of 'Willingness,' -- referring to our collective as well as individual efforts. It was exemplified in our stepping forward to bring our own "widow's mite" to Christian Science nursing, as a board member, as a Christian Science nurse, as a business manager, and as a member of the Field.

We introduced our annual meeting theme of 'Willingness' prior to the meeting in our September newsletter whose articles developed this theme. In support of these ideas we included in the newsletter an invitation to become a volunteer and participate in a survey to share thoughts and priorities regarding our currently proposed initiatives. Our intention was to engage the Field in our activities. We found through feedback from our Keynote Speaker and members of the Field that this was inspiring to them and they felt their purpose in our organization clarified and the one Mind at work as they prepared for the meeting.

Our benchmark in 2016 was to foster Christian Science nursing sustainability by expanding the awareness in our community of what Christian Science nursing is. To that end Upward Wing has visited and spoken with members of every Christian Science branch church in its service area. The feedback in the form of questions and answers from the Field is encouraging as we move forward together with gladness in the coming year.

If you would like more information about any of the program initiatives mentioned above or are 'willing' to join in our efforts, please call us at 1-855-276-4968 (855-CSN-4YOU).

Thank you to all of you who have entered our 'tent,' supported our efforts, and helped us grow this year!

A Call to Action for the Willing

Published on: 09/09/2016

Take our survey today!

We are introducing 4 proposed initiatives. Please share your level of willingness to support these initiatives by taking this short survey. Click here to read our latest newsletter and find out more about these initiatives.

We are very willing and eager to receive your feedback. Click here to take our survey.

Growing in Love!

Published on: 03/08/2016

Growing in Love Overlook House has increased its Board of Trustees to 7 members. They are looking forward to working together this year in the Board Room and in the Church Community to further Overlook House's mission and grow its support of Upward Wing Visiting Christian Science Nursing.

Three new members have joined the Board for 2016. We would like to express our gratitude for each member's desire to serve and their individual skills they bring to this vital organization.

Welcome Linda Campana & Kathy Victor of First Church, Chagrin Falls and Julianne Wright of First Church, Medina!

"Is the heart a living power?
Self-entwined its strength sinks low;
It can only live in loving,
And, in serving, love will grow."
CS Hymnal 360:2,5-8

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