A small spiritual community in Redlands, CA is on the move … with a new senior pastor and an affiliation with the international Center for Spiritual Living (CSL).

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Redlands to join the 400 spiritual communities across 30 countries in teaching the Science of Mind philosophy,” said Ed Torres, a lay leader and member of the board of trustees.

Joining the Redlands center is Dr. Gary Wines of Beaumont, who received the “Youth Champion” awards from CSL in 2010 for his leadership in developing youth programs. Wines has been a licensed minister in Religious Science International since 1996.

The church, or philosophical center, has been active in Redlands under various names: Church of Religious Science, The Spiritual Treatment Center, The Source and now the Center for Spiritual Living Redlands.

What has not changed over the decades is the philosophy which is called New Thought or Science of Mind.

A group of citizens established a Redlands Church of Religious Science  in 1952
in a historic building built in 1927 on the corner of Church St. and E. High Ave., a few blocks from Redlands High School.  The original paperwork was signed on Sept. 23, 1954, by Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science philosophy early in the 20th century.

Holmes taught personal responsibility as a major tenet of what is called Science of Mind.

The Law of Attraction is one aspect of the belief. A phrase on display in the Redlands church proclaims: “Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life.” In essence, the church teaches our thinking creates our reality.

Over time, the congregation grew to 150 people under Dr. Ruth Wilkerson of Redlands who served the church for 22 years. (In the Religious Science community, Wilkerson’s prominence was likened to “Ernest Holmes in a skirt,” according to Rev. Leora Nash of Hemet.) Dr. Wilkerson still plays the piano before the service every Sunday and is a regular speaker.

In recent years, internal problems threatened the end of the center but it was resolved early in 2018 with the conclusion of a law suit.

The new minister, Dr. Wines, is a third generation chiropractor. He and his wife, Katharine, are residents of Idyllwild and own a health center in The Pass where Dr. Wines grew up. They have four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He has been very active in youth ministeries and has been a regular speaker at local high schools to encourage at risk teens to stay in school. He has served as team doctor for the Beaumont High school football program since 1988.

With an active laity under Wines’ leadership, the center is expanding interest in Wednesday evening and Sunday services as well as classes and workshops.

For more information, visit www.cslredlands.org.