It's one of downtown's oldest churches, but one that most people know little about.
Light streams through the doors of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, before morning services Sunday.
For 87 years, the First Church of Christ, Scientist has sat on the corner of North Alamo Street and McCullough Avenue.
On Sunday, the faithful gathered to read from the Bible and another book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scripture," written by the religion's founder, Mary Baker Eddy.
"Good morning and welcome to this healing service. Let us unite in silent prayer," said one of two readers who presided over the hourlong service.
After a moment of contemplation and reflection, several hymns were sung before the two readers returned to the podium.
Sunday's sermon focused on the mind and included biblical passages as well as correlated readings from the "Science and Health" manual.
The tenets of the religion, which was founded in 1879 in Boston, can often be confusing to those unfamiliar with the church, local members said. It is not affiliated with the Church of Scientology, with which it sometimes is confused.
Church members believe in the healing of sickness through prayer and apply those same beliefs to life's various problems. Most Christian Scientists will not seek medical attention when ill.
Instead they are encouraged to rely on their belief that God will heal them, and they are encouraged to contact local practitioners, the term for a person who's been designated to pray for others and offer strength and encouragement.
Members, however, point out that every Christian Scientist has the right to pursue whatever method of healing that's best suited for them.
Individual churches have no clergy. An elected board of directors governs each church.
Two readers, usually a man and a woman, also are elected and preside over the Sunday and midweek services. They alternately read from the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scripture," as directed by Eddy when she established the church.
Churches also operate off-site reading rooms where literature can be purchased or read on the premises. The literature includes the newspaper Christian Science Monitor, which is affiliated with the faith.
The faithful believe that Christian Science is the study of "Christ Jesus" and the laws that heal all of mankind's ills.
Longtime member Betty Hickman, a practitioner, said she has seen numerous healings, including that of her mother.
"My mother was healed of a nervous breakdown. I'm a person who prays for others' ills whether it's human relationships, finances or physical illnesses. I'm on duty 24 hours, seven days a week," said Hickman, who served as personal secretary to Lyndon B. Johnson when he was the U.S. Senate majority leader in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
During that time, she added, she was able to share her faith with the future president and his family.
Another member, Kathie A. CalkinsKeyes, said she often prays for her friends, and is a designated practitioner as well.
"A lot of my friends are dealing with anxiety," she said. "Ours is a faith based on understanding. I want to help people. I know that they can be healed."