Recently, Bob Clark met with a reporter from The Florida Times-Union in order to provide accurate information about Christian Science. Bob, who lives in Florida, and does media relations work for the church, discusses why this work is helpful.

In an interview for a recent story, Victoria Colliver at the San Francisco Chronicle asked Eric Nelson (who does media relations work in California for the church) why he would pay for prayer. Isn’t prayer free? See his answer above.

When the Christian Science Church Directors sat around a table with California-based syndicated columnist and author Tom Elias, the Directors not only gained an insight into some of the difficult issues Californians are struggling with today, but Elias gleaned a lot more about the Church than he’d known before.  It was a two-way learning experience.

I’d have to say a surprise for Elias — and for many people actually — was hearing that the Church does not require, or even recommend, that its members avoid going to doctors.  His response: “Really?  Seriously??  Your members are free to choose?”

They are.  Generally speaking Christian Scientists choose spiritual rather than medical methods for treating illness, not because Church doctrine or officials tell them to but because it’s a method that they feel has worked best for them.

Elias was getting that message directly from the policy-deciders themselves, yet at first he seemed fixated on that misconception that he and others have had for far too long.  In the end he appeared pleased to learn that church members are free to choose the type of care they prefer.

That’s the take-away here.  Face-to-face conversations with journalists can be enlightening instead of frightening, an exchange of compelling viewpoints that inform and enrich everyone at the table.

The reason this came up was because he’d seen a story in the Los Angeles Times about this Church’s efforts to have spiritual care included as a qualified expense in whatever health care reform legislation makes it into law. Christian Science practitioners, much to his surprise, do charge a relatively modest fee for prayer-treatment.

But why? Isn’t prayer free and something that people do charitably, whether it’s the prayer of a minister, a priest, a rabbi, or a family member?

True, prayer is free. Anyone can do it, anywhere, and at no cost. But Christian Science practitioners, whose sole vocation is to be available to pray for others, are self-employed men and women. They’re not church-employed. They get their income from the people who ask them for their help.

As the Times article points out, fees generally range from $20-$40 per day, and yet most practitioners will tell you of the many people they help, day or night, on a pro bono basis so that those folks can receive the help they ask for regardless of their financial condition.

As you can imagine, if it’s a high-paying salary someone’s looking for, this isn’t the ticket. But for those who want to help people live better, healthier lives—and who’ve seen how spiritual living and prayer facilitate that—it’s a profoundly helpful profession. As it factors into health care, it’s a game-changer.

As the Editor, Chairman and CEO of a newspaper—the St. Petersburg Times—this may come as a surprise to some people. Newspapers have been talking a lot more about survival these days than about longevity. But not Tash.

We talked at lunch about his confident outlook for the Times. Although the Florida economy is one of the gloomier in the U.S., his expectation for the paper is upbeat.

In a 125th anniversary column published earlier this year, Tash attributes the paper’s long-term success to several things: the St. Pete Times’ strong local roots, its clear and consistent editorial stance on issues of importance to its readership, and maintaining resilience during a range of economics swings, including the recent downturn which he says is the worst in generations.

These components have served the paper well, so Paul Tash is firm and clear-headed about its future. He has every intention of keeping the lights burning.

Considering his resolve and a strong supportive community, that shouldn’t really surprise anyone.