On Sunday, December 15, at 5 pm, a free public lecture will take place at Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street. The speaker will be Fujiko Takai Signs of Tokyo, Japan, and Pleasant Gap, Penn.

“Choosing Love” is the title of the one-hour talk, which is sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southbury. The talk will explore the power of prayer to bring healing, the importance of  having a childlike consciousness to experience more harmony, health, and practical spirituality and unity, and — perhaps most importantly — the power of divine Love to bring peace.

“We have church members whose kids attended Sandy Hook Elementary and other members whose grandchildren were friends with some of the shooting victims. Our church is in neighboring Southbury, and as the closest Christian Science church to Newtown, we wanted to bring an uplifting event to the community — especially now when there is likely to be considerable media attention bringing us back to the awful events of last year,” said Carol Sims, co-chair of the lecture committee along with Virginia Young.

“Everyone is invited to come,” said Ms Young. “First responders, families, educators — everyone. It doesn’t matter what faith you are, we all understand that love is the answer.”

Fujiko Signs comes from Tokyo, Japan, and has a family, husband and two daughters, one currently working in the United States and the other in Laos. She is a practitioner, and teacher of Christian Science. Her job is to heal through prayer and to find out how people can free themselves from limitations and fear.

While her husband’s job took Fujiko across the United States, she worked as a market research consultant for computer manufacturing companies and taught Japanese language and literature at community colleges and universities. She also taught dance to children.

In her mid-thirties, Fujiko fell ill and sought healing through different treatments, but none of them gave her a lasting cure.

“One day, to my surprise, I found that the healing of Christ Jesus was possible now and learnable. I began reading about this system of healing in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, a respected American healer and religious leader, and I was relieved from various symptoms that had limited me before,” she said. “As I studied and learned more about Christian Science, I witnessed many healings within my family and circle of friends and eventually received requests to assist others with prayer.”

After becoming a Christian Science practitioner, she was asked to talk with doctors and nurses about patients with a desire to practice non-traditional medicine, including prayer and meditation. She also volunteered in a community coalition in hopes of encouraging and enhancing communication between different faith groups that sought well-being in the community.

Parking for Newtown Meeting House is available at Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main Street, one-half block north of the meeting house, in a paved and marked lot. All are welcome.

For information, call 203-262-1944.