Participant Stories
Christian Science in Action
Healing and spiritual growth are a constant in DiscoveryBound programs. These stories are just a few of the many experiences that have uplifted participants over the years.
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Teen Discovers in Himself the Person He Wants to Be
At 13, Alex was getting into trouble. A neighbor had taken him to a Christian Science Sunday School from ages 5-10, but he stopped attending and started hanging out with a “rough crowd,” as he describes it. Between acting out at home, smoking and other harmful choices, he had become…
Finding Her Voice
The quiet girl Stephanie Johnson taught in her Sunday School class attended only sporadically. She had a hard time getting a ride to church and often joined the class via Skype. “She was also a child who found it very difficult to put her thoughts into words, and then get…
Finding Joy
When Noel attended his first DiscoveryBound Outreach event, he was coming off a rough year. He had been in a skateboard accident the summer before 8th grade that landed him in the hospital for a week. His friends had started drinking and using marijuana, leading to his isolation when he…
Standing Solidly in Truth
Each class in the National Leadership Council goes on an adventure trip in the second year of the program. This two-week trip, mostly outdoors in an environment unfamiliar to the teens, is designed to strengthen each student’s trust in God individually and as part of a supportive group. Corrina saw…
Revealing the Servant Leader Within
Great leaders – whether Christ Jesus or the teacher in your neighborhood school – inspire others to act by their example. Ricardo, who lives in Guatemala with his wife and daughter, has been an inspiration to Rachel, a student in the DiscoveryBound National Leadership Council (NLC) 2018C class. Rachel met…
The Blessings of Choosing to Engage
Mackenzie’s search for a community of friends who love Christian Science started in a trash can. Her mother, Aimee, had thrown away a DiscoveryBound Outreach flier inviting teens to a weekend event in Boston. “It looked interesting so I picked it up,” Mackenzie says. “I had asked her a few years…
The Mentor/Mentee Relationship: What Makes It Successful?
When an 8th grader commits to the DiscoveryBound National Leadership Council (NLC), the student is embraced in a support structure designed for the greatest growth in servant leadership and spirituality. In addition to two adult leaders per class, an adult mentor for each teen – often chosen by the student…
Unified Through Service and Prayer
One summer morning, Shane Witters Hicks found himself running a new route that took him through mountain neighborhoods to a scenic, natural overlook of his hometown of Golden, Colorado. While taking in the majesty of the moment, Shane was hit with an “indescribably strong and passionate feeling” that gave him…
The Blessings of a Loving Community
When Nette Bemis and her church – First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Elyria, Ohio – reached out with food and clothing to families in a low-income apartment facility, they also offered to take one of the girls to Sunday School. Soon, this student started to bring her friends. It…
Learning to Express, Not Impress
In the beginning, it was all about skiing for Samantha. She had never participated in a DiscoveryBound Outreach activity and was apprehensive about the 2015 New Hampshire Winter Weekend. “I didn’t know anyone else going other than my cousin and wasn’t sure how the weekend was going to play out,”…
Being a Healer in the World, But Not of the World
In the third year of the National Leadership Council program, teens go on a service trip to gain a broader perspective on what it means to be a global citizen. Brooke, who graduated from the NLC at this February’s All Class Retreat at the A/U Ranches, says she experienced “one…
From Skiing to Biking, Love Triumphs
At a DiscoveryBound (DB) Outreach Winter Weekend in New Hampshire a few years ago, Ben and his sister, Jessica, didn’t know anyone. They had never participated in a DB event. They didn’t know how to ski. But the moment they arrived, they were eagerly welcomed by a swarm of other…