Janet Hegarty to speak at First Church of Christ, Scientist on May 19

LACONIA — The house looked perfect, newly remodeled from top to bottom. But one photo showed a bulging exterior wall, and the real estate listing confirmed certain structural issues had not been addressed during the remodel.  

“This example can be a bit of a metaphor for our lives,” said practitioner of Christian Science healing and international speaker Janet Hegarty. “Permanent, substantive change in our lives often needs more than a new look, a different job, or even a pill. To find lasting peace and even physical healing, we have to go deeper than just managing surface symptoms.”

Hegarty continued, “Like a building needs a strong foundation, we can find a secure life foundation by discovering the unfailing source of our being. This source is the one, all-good God - not an unpredictable man in the sky who arbitrarily blesses some and condemns others, but life and love itself, the very principle of everything real and good.” 

Hegarty will give a talk exploring this perspective, titled “How to make change for the better,” on Sunday, May 19, at 2:30 p.m., at First Church of Christ, Scientist, 136 Pleasant St. Her ideas come from the Bible and are practiced in a prayer-based method of healing called Christian Science. Hegarty will reference 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,' written by the movement’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy. Hegarty will share her own experiences that illustrate effective change, like being cured of an allergy and recovering from a sudden career derailment. 

Before becoming a Christian Science practitioner, Hegarty had a career producing original music for theatre and film. Although successful, she felt an underlying sense of fear for her health and uncertainty about the future. Christian Science moved her to a feeling of fulfillment and security. Today she helps others find this kind of healing too, and travels from her home base of St. Louis, Missouri to talk with audiences as a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.