Christine Negley

Christine Negley never imagined how much her life would change when she moved to The Willows in 2021. A lifelong Christian Scientist, she knew this would be a place where she could deepen her faith, but she had no idea how her passion for The Christian Science Monitor would ignite a fire within her to share it with the world beyond The Willows community.

Christine’s Background

With degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University, she began her career in education before transitioning to business. Over the years, she balanced employment as a single and dedicated mother of three, while also serving on a Chicago suburban school board, including lobbying for federal education legislation in Washington, D.C. It was there that she met her second husband, a fellow school board member, and the two blended their families—creating a bustling household of seven children.

Christine was deeply involved in her church, leading various initiatives and, most notably, co-founding the Christian Science Media Committee in Chicago, which is still going strong today. For over two decades, Christine worked tirelessly to bring Christian Science media to a broader audience, a passion that would shape her future endeavors.

How Christine Came To The Willows

Christine was praying for more balance in her life, combined with a desire to give more of her time to Christian Science activities. One of the benefits of moving to The Willows is that they provided landscaping, maintenance and dining. She says, “Being here allows me to devote my time to the things that matter—my Christian Science activities and my community—without worrying about housekeeping chores.” 

A New Chapter: Promoting The Christian Science Monitor

In December 2021, while volunteering at the Newport Beach Reading Room, she had an experience that would mark the start of a new chapter. A visitor asked if there was a women’s discussion group, and without hesitation, Christine said yes. There wasn’t one at the time, but she believed in the idea’s potential. By September 2022, the group had grown and we added a discussion group at The Willows, blossoming into a thriving community activity. 

But Christine didn’t stop there. Her love for The Christian Science Monitor and her desire to share its journalistic insights pushed her to new heights. 

She coordinated well-attended events at The Willows and the Newport Beach Reading Room, highlighting the Monitor’s special series on Reparations featuring Senior Editor, Clara Germani. These gatherings sparked deep conversations about justice and reconciliation. A representative from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) attended one of the events, and several Willows residents joined a CLUE event in return. “It’s not just about inviting people in,” Christine says. “We have to be willing to join and participate in their events as well.”

But perhaps one of Christine’s more memorable moments came in January 2024, when she worked with her Reading Room and Monitor staff to host a special event at the Newport Beach Civic Center. Journalist Sara Miller Llana, photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman, and Senior Editor Clara Germani—key contributors to the Monitor’s “Climate Generation” series—spoke to a packed audience of 146 people. “About 30% of them weren’t Christian Scientists,” Christine says. The event was more than just a success; it resulted in 18 new Monitor subscriptions, a tangible sign of the impact she was making.

Following the success of that event, she coordinated another one with her Reading Room and Monitor staff at the same venue, which brought together more than 165 community members. A panel of Monitor Editors and correspondents including Mark Sappenfield, Francine Kiefer, Taylor Luck and Marshall Ingwerson contributed to the panel discussion titled, “The Trust Factor: From America to the Middle East.” Attendees left with renewed inspiration, many commenting on how the event opened their eyes to the importance of trusting one another in these chaotic times.

“I’m so glad I wasn’t anywhere else,” one participant told Christine, while another remarked, “It’s exactly what we need right now, with all the world’s chaos and confusion.”

The event’s success was not just felt in the room—it was reflected in the rising subscriptions to the Monitor (15 requests) and the ongoing social media buzz, with over 2,000 views of the CSMonitor.com link shared afterward. 

Watch a replay of the event.

Christine and her branch church have received many requests for another Monitor event following the “Trust Factor” panel discussion. In the meantime, she’ll be sharing with the community an 80-page special Christian Science Monitor Weekly edition (November 2024 issue) featuring those from the 2023 Climate Generation series and showcasing their progress over the past year.

Christine’s journey from a prayer for fulfillment to becoming a beacon of community outreach and connection is a testament to her unwavering dedication. She prayed to find a more satisfying life and a channel for being more involved in Christian Science activities and she says she has found all of it at The Willows and her branch church. Living here has allowed her to focus on things that matter most to her. She cherishes the balance of loving her neighbors with her passion for outreach to the greater community through the Monitor events.

“When we take our thinking into the community,” she says, “we open the door to understanding, connection, and change.”

And for Christine, that’s what makes all the difference.