Hello,
I look forward to preparing a lecture with you!
You will find below helpful informations.
Feel free to be in touch with any questions!
With love,
Alex
Save your date
As soon as we agree on a lecture date, could you please save it on The Mother Church schedule.
This will help other churches and let them know that this date is already taken.
The form is here: Mother Church lecture form
This will help other churches and let them know that this date is already taken.
The form is here: Mother Church lecture form
Preparation meeting
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I find it helpful to meet with you and your members at least a week before the lecture. Our Zoom meeting will be informal and interactive. Members can join in by video (or by phone).
We'll talk about: how we can share Christian Science with others? How we can handle opposition to Christian Science? How to best support the lecture event? Please suggest a few dates that would work for you and your members. The Mother Church has many helpful spiritual and technical ideas about organizing a lecture on its website: Mother church help with lectures |
If you prefer a local physical lecture
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When legally allowed, I'm happy to fly or take a train to be with you in person and lecture for your community. There is something special about being in the room with everyone, taking questions from the audience, and meeting people individually afterwards!
These are the basic requirements to set up such a lecture:
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If you prefer a live online lecture
An online lecture can feel daunting if your church has never organized one. Actually, once you look into it, I find it much simpler to organize an online lecture than a physical lecture, especially when a video professional is on board to help you out.
What is an online live lecture?
How many people typically attend an online lecture ?
Do people have to register in advance to watch the lecture?
Can people watch the lecture afterwards if they missed it on the day?
Do you take live questions after the lecture?
How is the lecture introduced ?
What about simply using Zoom to organize this lecture?
If Zoom is not used, how should you make your lecture work from a technical website?
What is needed to ensure the highest quality lecture?
Which video professional do I recommend?
What is an online live lecture?
- It is a lecture that the public watches from their computer, tablet, phone at home or anywhere they choose.
- The lecture happens live, which means that as people are watching their screen, the lecturer, located in France in my case, is giving the lecture at the same time.
- Most of the time, individuals watching the lecture cannot see each other or interact with each other. It's pretty much like watching a live show on TV on your own.
How many people typically attend an online lecture ?
- In my experience, it has ranged from a hundred to a thousand viewers online on the day of the lecture. It depends largely on the members support for the lecture.
Do people have to register in advance to watch the lecture?
- This is not my preference. I find that asking for advance registration holds back new-comers. The online lecture is just like a physical lecture; anyone dropping by can enter even five minutes before the lecture.
- One just has to go the website for the live lecture at the correct day and time to watch.
Can people watch the lecture afterwards if they missed it on the day?
- Yes, as many times as they want and they can share it with friends, colleagues, etc.
- The replay of the lecture is available for three months following the live event.
Do you take live questions after the lecture?
- Yes. Each person watching the lecture can type their question or comment anytime they want during the lecture. I will answer questions and comments after the lecture.
How is the lecture introduced ?
- A member of the church or society can introduce me, just as if I was in the room with the audience. To do that, the introducer will need to record a short video introduction that we will play before the lecture starts. It's a nice way to welcome viewers. I can also introduce myself if this is preferred.
What about simply using Zoom to organize this lecture?
- This is not my preference.
- It is my conviction that we need to offer the public the highest quality for a lecture. In my experience, Zoom does not provide the highest quality.
If Zoom is not used, how should you make your lecture work from a technical website?
- I would consider hiring a professional to ensure a professional result. I'm aware of several video professionals (also Christian Scientists) helping lecturers ensure that lectures offered to the public have a very high quality standard.
- The one I usually work with charges around 600 USD. You would pay directly this professional. I find that it is money well invested!
What is needed to ensure the highest quality lecture?
- The lecture is streamed live and not pre-recorded. It is usually streamed from the church website. If there is more that one website, i.e. the church or regional Facebook page or a website of co-sponsoring churches, the lecture should be livestreamed simultaneously from these different online locations. Also, people should have the option to listen in by phone if this is the only way they can access the lecture.
- Viewers should not have to register; they just show up on the date and time on the website and watch live from their phone, computer, etc.
- Viewers are welcomed by slides, and music, as they arrive on the site about 30min before it starts.
- Slides are also provided at the end of the talk with church contact details, Reading Room contacts details, etc.
- The lecture invitation is usually inserted in the video frame, which helps make the livestream unique.
- During the lecture, I find it helpful not to have to look at my computer at any time but focus on my external HD camera; that way I can keep looking at people "in the eyes" and don't have to talk looking down at my computer and possibly at times coming out of the frame.
- Likewise, I find it helpful not to see faces on my computer (it creates a distraction away from the camera), and I have not seen a need for people to see each other.
- For the Q/A period, people should be able to type in their questions. Usually, the technician I work with is set up so that he filters the questions and then sends them to me in writing on my phone via Whatsapp. If the lecture is live streamed from the church website and from its Facebook page for example, the technician will need to pick up the questions from these two sources and send them to me. Having the phone in hand is a good way to prevent me from bending to look at my computer (which also prevents the camera from changing focus as I approach the computer). It also allows the technician to communicate directly to me during the Q/A session should I be aware of anything.
- At least an hour and a half before the lecture, we should do a technical test to look at the framing of the background including the light and sound (I use an external Rode canon microphone). This is when I usually look at the slides and we fine tune our approach with handling the Q/As.
- After the lecture a replay should be made available for three months. It needs to be edited as necessary. Usually it is made available for the public the next day.
- The system we use tells us how many viewers watched the live lecture and where they were from (California, India, Switzerland, etc.)
- I'm grateful to say that I have never experienced an Internet cut during a lecture. Still the technician should be able to provide slides in case my Internet is challenged (I used a professional optic fibre connection, so it's unlikely). The technician live streaming the lecture should also have a system to remedy any Internet challenge on his end. The technician I have been working with has a system with several Internet connections, so should one of them go slow or shut even for a moment, the lecture continues uninterrupted using the other Internet connections.
Which video professional do I recommend?
- There are several good video professionals. I have been working with Ed de Leon. I value very much his commitment to Christian Science, his gentle approach, his flexibility and his high quality professionalism.
- Feel free to be in touch with him to explore how he could support your lecture at: edwin@deleonav.com
Your advertisement for the lecture
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Publicizing your lecture, sharing with family, friends, colleagues can only bring blessings! Didn't someone share Christian Science with us or our family at some point? And how blessed have we been by this initial sharing:-) Regarding your advertisement for the lecture, it would helpful to send it to me ahead of time so I can provide you with feedback and suggestions. If you are in the UK, I also need to review it to ensure that it respects the strict UK regulations put on advertisement for Christian Science. And... I'm also happy to be interviewed by your local media. It's always a great opportunity! |
Payment details
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Payment is made by bank transfer prior to the lecture.
An invoice will be sent to your church about a week before the lecture.
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Example of lectures
I currently offer two lectures.
In both cases, whether I lecture physically or online, I answer questions live from the audience. The Q/A session usually lasts between 30min to an hour after the lecture.
I do not read a script for these two lectures. Each time, before the lecture, I pray to be guided to share what is relevant for this particular audience.
So you'll see that each lecture is somewhat different each time as I'm often lead to share ideas or healings which I did not share in a previous lecture.
I feel that each lecture is like a new Christian Science treatment for the community, it should be fresh and spontaneous, answering the needs of the day!
- "How spiritual perception brings healing" is designed to explain how Christian Science heals. It answers common questions and misconceptions. It lasts about an hour.
- "Finding the light that frees us from fear" is designed to more specifically address the fears brought by the pandemic. It lasts about 30 min.
In both cases, whether I lecture physically or online, I answer questions live from the audience. The Q/A session usually lasts between 30min to an hour after the lecture.
I do not read a script for these two lectures. Each time, before the lecture, I pray to be guided to share what is relevant for this particular audience.
So you'll see that each lecture is somewhat different each time as I'm often lead to share ideas or healings which I did not share in a previous lecture.
I feel that each lecture is like a new Christian Science treatment for the community, it should be fresh and spontaneous, answering the needs of the day!
How spiritual perception brings healing
February 14th, 2021 - Live online talk given for Third Church of Christ, Scientist, Minneapolis
Finding the light that frees us from fear
February 7th, 2021- Live online talk given for First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hudson, Ohio
