The First Church of Divine Science, also called The Church of the Healing Christ, was founded in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, in 1906. Affiliated with the Divine Science

Divine Science

The Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...

 denomination of the New Thought

New Thought

New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...

 movement, the church has been home to many notable ministers and attendees, including Emmet Fox

Emmet Fox

Emmet Fox was a New Thought spiritual leader of the early 20th century, famous for his large Divine Science church services held in New York City during the Great Depression.- Biography :...

.

History

Dr. W. John Murray founded his congregation as The Church of the Healing Christ in 1906. After Divine Science co-founder Nona Brooks was invited to serve as a guest preacher there in 1917, she allowed Murray to rename his group the First Church of Divine Science. However, it was Emmett Fox who popularized the church. During this time the church was a member of the League for the Larger Life

League for the Larger Life

The League for the Larger Life was an early New Thought organization based in New York City, New York, with a chapter in Washington, D.C.. A locally-focused organization, several of its members were influential across the United States and around the world...

.

In 1931, Fox began preaching at the First Church. Almost immediately the congregation grew, and as the numbers of attendees grew the church had to find larger venues. Originally held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the church moved to the Biltmore Hotel

Biltmore Hotel

Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The name has...

 at the behest of its president, John M. Bowman. Growing further because of Fox's popularity, the church moved to Hotel Astor, then to the Hippodrome

New York Hippodrome

The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theatre in New York City from 1905 to 1939, located on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan. It was called the world's largest theatre by its builders and had a seating capacity of...

. With as many as 6,000 people regular attendees weekly, on special occasions such as Easter the number reached 8,000.