GRAND JUNCTION — The Two Rivers Center for Spiritual Living formed a year-and-a-half ago to study the teachings of Earnest Holmes, the founder of the Religious Science movement and author of “The Science of Mind” and other books on metaphysics.

About 35 people meet to pray and worship every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Lakeside Recreation Room, 3150 Lakeside Drive No. 103, where minister and licensed practitioner Sheryl Rogers delivers a message based on Holmes’ teachings.

“He looked at all the major world religions and philosophies and gleaned what he thought was the universal truth from all those teachings,” Rogers said. “The teaching is called Science of Mind, and the churches, Religious Science.”

This Sunday, the group is having a charter membership celebration in hopes of bringing their pre-church status up to a full-fledged church of at least 50 people.

Religious Science is not the same as Christian Science. Both religions believe in spiritual healing, but Religious Science differs by “accepting healing by doctors, surgery and medicine, which, typically, Christian Science is known to shun,” Rogers said.

“We believe it’s all God expressing in different ways,” Rogers said. “Until we have faith of an individual like Jesus, we’ll continue to need dentists, doctors and other medical professionals.”

A couple of years ago, the Church of Religious Science changed its name to Centers for Spiritual Living. Members believe in following the teachings of Jesus, but don’t believe in the concept of original sin, Rogers said.

Lois Hector has followed the Science of Mind teachings since 1981.

“We believe in affirmative prayer, and it really works,” said Hector, a retired licensed practitioner. Practitioners help clients through prayer.

Licensed practitioners are “individuals trained to see the spiritual truth of wholeness of an individual or situation,” said Rogers, who studied four years to become a licensed practitioner.

Rogers then studied another three years to become a minister.

The church offers classes about the Science of Mind teachings, including different forms of meditation.

“It’s beneficial to take the classes we offer to quiet the mind chatter,” Rogers said.

“We teach personal responsibility. We create a lot of circumstances in our lives by our thinking, our beliefs,” Rogers said. “If you want to change your life, change your thinking.”

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.