VALPARAISO | First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Valparaiso is celebrating its first 100 years of incorporation this month. As part of its commemoration of this milestone, the church is planning a series of outreach events from May through late fall.

A group of early students of Christian Science in Valparaiso officially formed the church on April 29, 1908. Before that date, they had been meeting informally for worship in private homes for over five years. On April 29, a set of by-laws was drawn up and signed, and the first regular church service was held in a specially rented room on the second floor at 13 Franklin Street.

Christian Science churches are churches of laymen. The recognized pastor of each church is the Bible and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, written by Mary Baker Eddy, who was the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

Membership grew at the Valparaiso church, and the congregation moved several times to accommodate the growth. Church records indicate the congregation met (in chronological order) in the Haste Building on Franklin Street, the "Turner Property" house at the southeast corner of Monroe and Washington streets, the Lincoln Theater (which became the Lake Theater) at 67 North Franklin Street, and the Premier Theater at 69 West Lincolnway. In November 1922, church services were moved to the second floor of the Windle Building at 121 Lincolnway.

Wanting to provide a quiet place where townspeople could go for Bible study, the church early on also maintained a Reading Room. If space was not ample enough to house a Reading Room where services were held, additional quarters were leased.

In 1916 arrangements were made for the purchase of the present church lot at 101 Institute Street between Franklin Street and Calumet Avenue. The matter of erecting an edifice was considered as early as 1921 but then postponed due to lack of suitable architectural plans. In 1930, the architect Charles D. Faulkner was chosen to lead the church construction project. An expert in Colonial Revival architecture, Faulkner proposed designs that the membership eagerly accepted.

First to be erected and used on an interim basis for all needs (church services, Sunday school, and as a Reading Room) was the current Sunday school wing near Calumet Avenue. The first service held in the new edifice was the Thanksgiving Day Service on November 26, 1931.

In 1941 the decision was made to move forward with constructing the remainder of the church. The work was completed within the year, and on June 6, 1942, two dedication services were held. Regular church services began in the new addition the next month.

The Valparaiso church's present Reading Room is located at 304 East Lincolnway. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. First Church of Christ, Scientist, holds both a Sunday service and a Sunday school for young people at 10:30 a.m. The Wednesday service at 7:30 p.m. includes informal sharing of healings and guidance received through Christian Science.

The church also serves the community through broadcast media. The weekly Bible Lesson is shown Saturday mornings at 1:35 a.m. on WFLD-TV, The Fox Channel 32, and Sundays at 4:30 a.m. on the Discovery Channel. On Sundays, starting at 9 a.m., radio station WNDZ, 750 AM, presents an hour of programming that includes exploration of how God can help us in daily challenges. To begin its public centennial celebration, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Valparaiso, is hosting a free talk, The Certainty of Christian Science Healing, at 7 p.m.+ May 15 at 101 Institute St.

--For The Times