The BA community is filled with avid gardeners who appreciate and enhance the beauty of its 24.2-acre grounds. Full-time resident Mary Folsom brought her gardening hobby with her to the BA and she nurtures her plants year-round.

Mary has lived at the BA for a year and a half and her third-floor apartment has an abundance of south-facing windows.

“My apartment is sunny all the time and is the best vantage point for growing plants,” says Mary. “I had them in there all winter. Once the threat of frost is gone, I move them outside. I tell them they have to get outdoors! I think I had 15 in there this year, and they did all the work.”

Mary spent 50 years in Kennebunkport, ME living on two acres of land where she enjoyed growing more vegetables than flowers. 

Asparagus was one of her favorites. Now her collection of plants is mostly geraniums.

“When I came from my other residence, I brought nine geraniums with me, I wasn’t going to let those get thrown out,” says Mary. “And then over time people have given me more geraniums. Some of them are the ones that were in planters at the front of the BA last year.”

Mary’s collection lives in large pots by the back stairway from the parking lot down to the Original Building throughout the summer where everyone walking by can enjoy it. Then when the cooler temperatures arrive, the geraniums will migrate back to her sunny apartment for the winter. What a gift to the BA community!

Jesika Davis has been warmly greeting guests, as well as managing a host of other responsibilities as one of our Reception Hosts for the past six years. With a background in customer service, Jesika brings a wealth of experience to this position, which is integral to the harmonious functioning of the BA.

“I really like interacting with everyone. It keeps it interesting because you’re always talking with people like Residents or Rest & Study guests who are checking in. We deal with a lot of people throughout the day, and it’s never boring!

What most people don’t realize is that there is a lot of detail in everything we do. This is not just a regular receptionist position. It’s kind of like being an on-the-spot problem solver. A lot of visitors will come in and we have to know where to direct people. We try to help people feel the loving atmosphere of the BA with every interaction.

Because there’s just one number to call to reach any department at the BA, when you dial that number you’re going to reach us at Reception. We’re the first point of contact for anyone who calls or comes to the BA. We also interact with all the other departments, which keeps the job interesting as well. We’re like the communications hub for the organization.

It’s a unique position where you can have both a day shift and an evening shift [3-8pm] in the same week, which I really like. It allows me the flexibility to be home with my kids for part of the day. And we even have some people who only work only a couple of shifts a week, so it can be a part-time job as well.

It’s a fun and active job and I think this is a great job for someone who likes being around people…particularly like-minded Christian Scientists!”

Interested in joining our team? Check out the full job description here.

“This was a wonderful experience for me as I refresh, review, and polish skills that are always helpful for a Christian Science nurse.”
—February continuing education participant

“It has blessed me beyond all measures of my expectations. I returned to my practice with more confidence and knowledge from the reviews of [Christian Science] nursing methods I received while at the BA.”
—March/April continuing education participant

Looking for a way to fulfill the requirement for continuing education in 2023? We have a wonderful opportunity for you.

Let the BA help you design a continuing education experience that best supports your Christian Science nursing practice.

The BA is now scheduling continuing education for June – September 2023. Join us in Boston for as little as two weeks while working on our Christian Science nursing floor and we’ll help you complete the new continuing education requirement from The Mother Church.

Refresh your practice.

Spend a minimum of two weeks at the BA and return home with fresh inspiration—having completed your continuing education requirements for 2023. You’ll have an opportunity to attend in-service workshops and take advantage of side-by-side mentoring while working on the Christian Science nursing floor or in our Visiting Christian Science Nursing Service.

You’ll have opportunities to:

• Fine tune and acquire new skills 

• Review and discuss ethics 

• Have access to new products & equipment 
• Work directly with a Christian Science nurse mentor at the BA 

• Enjoy quiet time for metaphysical study and prayer 

• Continue to deepen your understanding of the Church Manual By-law Art. XIII, Sect. 31 “Christian Science Nurse” 

Experience Boston.

While staying at the BA, you’ll have prime access to Boston.
You’ll enjoy attending Sunday services and Wednesday testimony meetings at The Mother Church. And explore the life of Mary Baker Eddy with a visit to Longyear Museum—right across the street from the BA.

Make Connections.

Enjoy networking with our community of Christian Science nurses! Make new friends, learn from an experienced mentor, and foster relationships that support your practice.

Earn while you learn—you will be paid while you work at the BA. In addition, your housing and dining will be covered.

Interested in learning more?

Reach out to Alison Alioto to design a continuing education experience that fits your practice.
ce2023@chbenevolent.org

When able to get about, I went to the Sanatorium of the Christian Science Benevolent Association, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Through the devoted nursing care I received, sincere prayer, and the daily study of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly and Mrs. Eddy’s writings, and through reading the periodicals, progress was made in a few days.

After a stay of five weeks, I returned home greatly refreshed. However, I asked the practitioner to continue treatment to keep my thoughts pure and uplifted. At times, I felt a sense of discouragement, but I immediately handled the situation, and the result was complete freedom. Within a few months everything was normal. It is a joy to tell others of this healing, which proved to a degree God’s omnipresence, allness, and goodness. God is indeed the great Physician.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for Christ Jesus, for Mrs. Eddy, who gave us this truth, for Christian Science, the greatest blessing to mankind, for the practitioner’s consecrated work, for class instruction, and for all the activities and channels of the Christian Science movement.

— A. F.

Excerpt from the June 4, 1966 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
© 1966 The Christian Science Publishing Society.

We’re happy to send you a copy of A Record of Healing. Just email us with your request and mailing address at inquiry@chbenevolent.org

Residential & Activities Associate

This position is for a dynamic individual who loves a schedule where no two days look the same. Available as a full-time or part-time opportunity, this person plans and executes programs and activities for the residents who make their home at the BA as part of our independent living program, The Residences at 910. In this position your creativity and sense of adventure are an asset! You’ll have the opportunity to explore Boston, integrate into the local Christian Science community, and cultivate a variety of interests for our residents.

Click here for the full job description. 

Assistant Manager: Residential & Guest Services

If you enjoy working as a key member of a team with a variety of cross-functional partners (leasing agent, facilities, housekeeping & kitchen staff, van drivers, etc) you might be interested in this role. As the Assistant Manager, you’ll report directly to our newly-hired Manager of Residential & Guest Services and work collaboratively to oversee all housing in the Original Building and Carriage House. A genuine love for working with people and a customer service approach are key for this role.

Click here for the full job description.

One small change in the Dining Room is having a big impact on the overall guest experience. With the BA’s main kitchen downstairs, the previous ordering process involved a Server writing down your order in the Dining Room, then making a phone call to place your order with the kitchen. Now there’s a better way.

Servers are using Samsung tablets to take orders and meet each person’s exact order specifications—which in turn, expediates communicating orders with the kitchen. This streamlined paperless system is improving speed and accuracy.

With this restaurant-style system, Servers have the menu loaded into the tablet so they know what’s available for that day.

“If we have multiple entrees in a day, this new paperless system will showcase likes and dislikes and help us improve the menu,” said Brian Wilkinson, Director of Nexdine Hospitality. “It’s wonderful to be able to track things electronically.”

Nexdine is the BA’s hospitality partner in providing an elevated dining experience throughout the campus. Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference! 

One day I felt especially uneasy and troubled and asked my mother to stay close by me. In the afternoon I urgently asked her to get the practitioner on the phone. As she reached him, I felt that I was passing on. I had great difficulty hearing him or my mother speak, and I asked him to talk louder. I did hear him say, “Sometimes it takes an effort.” I gave the phone to my mother and made a strong effort to hold to my understanding of God, Truth.

Shortly after this my mother and I flew to Boston, Massachusetts, to the Christian Science Benevolent Association, Chestnut Hill, where I was tenderly cared for by the nurses and workers there. My appearance had changed so much that old friends and relatives either did not recognize me, or were alarmed by the change. However, with the expert care at the Benevolent Association and the daily prayers of the practitioner, my progress toward complete healing continued. Many beautiful healings took place during this time, and although I was not entirely free, I was able to fly home alone.

The complete healing took about eight months and included release from extreme nervousness, tension, swollen feet, the eradication of coughing, the resumption of normal eating, a new head of thick hair, curlier than it was before, and strength in walking and lifting objects. Of course, the most important aspect of the healing was the restoration of right thinking — seeing myself as a perfect and cherished idea of God.

— J. W. G.

Excerpt from the June 1975 issue of The Christian Science Journal
© 1975 The Christian Science Publishing Society.

We’re happy to send you a copy of A Record of Healing. Just email us with your request and mailing address at inquiry@chbenevolent.org

Led by Christian Science Nursing Activities Coordinator Justine Kibbe, patients have planted seeds for a variety of herbs including basil, chives, sage, mint and lavender. 

“This project is a gift of gratitude from the patients here on the Garden Floor to our great folks in the kitchen,” said Kibbe. “We are looking forward to growing herbs that they can use in the delicious meals they prepare.”

The seedling herbs live on the gardening cart in the Activities Room, where they receive excellent sunlight and are portable. Wildflower seeds have also been started for a butterfly garden that will be planted on the hillside just outside the window of the Activities Room.  

“We continue to sow seeds of gratitude,” said Kibbe. “And are happy to be active participants in spring’s bright outlook, to partake in her seasonal rhythm and the dance within the natural world- just outside our windows!”

Some extra-delicious smells are wafting from the top floor of the Original Building these days. All thanks to a brand new kitchen that has recently been completed on the fourth floor. This is part of a special project at the BA to enhance housing for Christian Science nurses.

“We are committed to valuing the community living experience of our Christian Science nurses,” said Janiva Toler, CEO of the Benevolent Association. “One way we’re working to do this is by optimizing the housing amenities in our building. The fourth floor kitchen is just the start of many wonderful additions to come.”

Formerly an apartment, everything in the kitchen is brand new including cabinets, countertops, appliances and an easy-to-clean laminate flooring. Six BA associates and staff who live on the fourth floor use the kitchen, which includes three full-size refrigerators so no one has to share with more than one person. New plates, flatware, pots and pans, a blender, a toaster and a hot kettle round out the fully-equipped kitchen.

While the work took a little longer than anticipated due to supply chain issues and difficulty finding contractors, the next phases of the improvement plan are expected to move more quickly.

Looking ahead, kitchen updates are planned for the second and third floor of the Original Building. In addition, three new washers and dryers will be added to the Lower Level so multiple loads of laundry can be completed simultaneously at any time of day.  The total project is expected to cost almost $200,000 and was funded by several generous donors.