Church board announces changes

The Christian Science Board of Directors has elected a new chairman and a new director.

Mary Trammell will serve as chairman for the next year. She succeeds Virginia Harris, who has served on the Board since 1990 and as its chairman since 1992. According to a statement, Mrs. Harris has retired from the Board and looks forward to spending more time with her family and her public ministry of Christian Science.

"Ginny has made an extraordinary contribution to the cause of Christian Science and to humanity," said Mrs. Trammell, who also serves as editor in chief of the Church's religious publications, The Christian Science Journal, The Christian Science Sentinel, and The Herald of Christian Science. "Her energetic devotion to increasing the world's understanding of Christian Science and of its discoverer, Mary Baker Eddy, has been inspiring and unwavering."

The Board, which is the five-member, self-perpetuating governing body of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, also elected as a new director J. Thomas Black of Birmingham, Mich. Mr. Black, a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, has also been a contributing editor to the church's periodicals, a trustee of The Christian Science Publishing Society, and president of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Christian Science Publishing Society also publishes The Christian Science Monitor.

Commenting on her departure, Harris said: "The joy and privilege of serving as a member of the Board will always remain a treasured part of my life. I leave with immense gratitude for the many accomplishments over the past decade of my Board colleagues, our employees, and church members. I am honored to have played a part in all of that as we move into the next century of Christian Science." Harris is also a Christian Science practitioner and teacher.

In addition, Harris has retired from the Board of Trustees of The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, where she served as chairman. The library's archives include virtually all of Mrs. Eddy's published and unpublished writings.

Trammell, who holds a doctorate in biblical studies, will join the library's board as a new trustee.

Prior to joining the Christian Science Board of Directors in December 1990, Harris served in a number of capacities, including as clerk of The First Church of Christ, Scientist; manager of Branch Church Activities; and superintendent of the Church's Sunday School. Earlier, she had been a member of the Church's Board of Lectureship.