Michelle Boccanfuso Nanouche, CSB Christian Science Practitioner & Teacher
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8/23/2012

Living Church - a guest post by Kay Olson, CSB

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Looking back over one’s lifetime, I imagine most of us can think of one or two people who have served as a role model – perhaps, whose courage, character, and compassion made a positive, lasting impression. Let me introduce you to a lady who stands out in my life.

Mrs. Toles was a forgiving person.  She was a Christian and a church-goer.  And, though the members of our church didn’t realize it at the time, as a black woman in the South, in a predominately white congregation, she was a role-model during the difficult days of segregation.

My husband and I got to know Mrs. Toles on our drives together to and from church.  She shared bits and pieces of her life-story with us.  Once, while passing by the Governor’s mansion in the middle of our large city, Mrs. Toles pointed to the building and said, very softly: “A governor owned my daddy.”  My heart melted.

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Since there were no colleges for blacks in this Southern city she grew up in, she courageously left home as a young woman to attend college in Chicago. After college, she returned to our city and made her home and married.

She told us about a young man who once came to her for an apartment she had for rent.  During the interview, he collapsed on the floor in an epileptic seizure.  For Mrs. Toles, a Christian Scientist, it was natural for her to pray in an emergency. So she prayed for him. The response was immediate. He very quickly quieted, and then he sat up and was fine. In fact, he was completely healed.  The young man rented the apartment and they remained friends for years.  He called her “Grandma”.  And, in gratitude for his healing, he joined our church.

Our church was a traditional, white clapboard building with a steeple.  The interior was lovely, but it had one jarring element – a balcony installed for the blacks who attended services. Every Sunday and for every meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Toles were shown the stairs to the balcony.  In general, the members didn’t question the practice of segregation; it was just the way it was in the church at that time. However, Mr. Toles did object to this treatment and went up the street to the Baptist church where blacks were allowed to sit with everyone else.

Mrs. Toles stayed. We asked her why she never gave up and went to church with her husband.  “Because,” as she put it, “it was only in the Church of Christ, Scientist, that my Pastor preached.”  She loved her Pastor.

Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science denomination, designated the Holy Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, as the impersonal Pastor of all the Churches of Christ, Scientist.  Mrs. Toles didn’t care where she sat, as long as she could hear her Pastor – the reading of those two books – that roused her to a deeper understanding of God. Her Pastor taught her how to pray. Her Pastor taught her how to heal. She felt the power of the spirit of God as Love embracing the entire congregation from her balcony perch.

Our home city eventually became integrated and the church members began to recognize the quality of this Christian woman.  She was never bitter. No one ever heard her complain.  No one ever heard her criticize.  To me, she was a follower of Jesus’ teaching and example of healing forgiveness.  (See Luke 23:34)

So, whenever I’ve been tempted to be critical or complain about “dust-ups” in my church, I think of Mrs. Toles. Whenever a church member wants to talk to me about church problems, I tell them about Mrs. Toles.

She loved her Pastor. She lived the true meaning of Church.  


Church. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.
The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race,
rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas
and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.
MARY BAKER EDDY




carrie
8/23/2012 02:31:01 pm

This just makes me cry. talk about selfless love.

Kay Olson
8/24/2012 09:31:00 am

I know what you mean, Carrie.............She still inspires me!

Sabrina
8/23/2012 03:02:45 pm

WOW!! It too made me cry. The persistant love of Mrs Toles! She knew, what God knew of her....
Thank you for this story Kay, and Michelle!
Sabrina

Kay Olson
8/24/2012 09:33:24 am

Thanks, Sabrina............Mrs. Toles continues to be an example for me. The young man she healed reminds me about her every time we meet in church!

Kristen
8/23/2012 07:36:36 pm

I remember attending as a child a Christian Science church in Norfolk, Virginia with my mom where African Americans sat in the back in a roped off section. I was 11 at the time. I KNEW this was wrong, and refused to go back to that particular church. My mom agreed. This memory came back as I read this, and I pray that there were many Mrs. Toles in that congregation who patiently stayed, knowing that Love would open the eyes of that injustice. I refuse to judge, either yay or nay, a person by the color of his/her skin. But to go to the heart of man/woman as our Master did. I pray that I am consistent about it, because it is an important value of mine. This was poignant and beautiful, thank you for sharing, Kay.

Kay Olson
8/24/2012 09:36:10 am

Isn't it wonderful that children so often"get" it? Yes, consistency is key. Thanks for that comment.

Devon
8/24/2012 04:10:21 am

Good idea to remind us how far we have come, and lovely to know that it is often because of this sort of expression of courage that we have been able to progress.

Kay Olson
8/24/2012 09:41:11 am

During my years in the South, I have seen so much progress along this line. ..... her courage (and good humor) still warms my heart. Thanks for the reminder!.

Michelle Nanouche
8/24/2012 09:16:19 am

Kay told me this story a long time ago. I always hoped she would write it up for us because it has meant so much to me. A few days ago I posted a link to the 71st question of the week - what to do about criticism in church. I think Kay's post shows a wonderful response. Mrs. Toles never saw herself as a victim of her congregation, it seems to me. Rather her love for her Pastor enveloped the congregation and allowed the congregation to move forward. I love your commment, Devon. Right on!

Kay Olson
8/24/2012 09:44:44 am

Thanks, Michelle..............I loved submitting this story..........it never fails to stir my prayers to a larger embrace of Church!
How grateful I am for this dear friend.

Michelle Nanouche
8/24/2012 02:53:33 pm

I just posted a link to this post on TIme4thinkers.com's Radical Acts of Jesus link - Take up you bed and walk. I think Mrs; Toles exemplifies the courage and focus involved in following that instruction of Jesus " to find a way forward when the mental or physical climate would try to cripple one. The link to the discussion on this radical act is http://time4thinkers.com/15-take-up-your-bed-and-walk/#comment-24850

nancy
8/25/2012 08:43:27 am

Love this, Kay. Thanks so much for sharing.

Adrienne
8/27/2012 04:42:08 pm

Always wondered how our church would allow segregation as our Leader and our Pastor rebuked it

Sarah link
2/16/2013 09:46:32 am

Adrienne, I often wondered the same thing, and I received one possible answer from a lovely African American woman in Atlanta. She said that laws of the time actually forbade integrated services, and her family attended a Christian Science Church for blacks. She told me that her mom felt it would not be safe for them to attend the white church. In some states the segregated areas within a church were also a requirement of law. The comments of this woman and her family's commitment to prayerful solutions as well as forgiveness made me see things in a different light. I'm so grateful for the progress that's been made in this area. The leaven of Christian Science is continually at work.


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    Michelle Nanouche, Christian Science teacher, spirituality, healing, prayer

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    I have practiced Christian Science professionally in
    some form since 1979.
    But my journey with
    Christian Science started
    in a Sunday school
    where as a young child
    I was taught the Scriptures and some simple basics
    of Jesus' method of
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