Article August 6, 1949 Issue

All-inclusive Welcome

[From the Field]

Early in August, 1948, a store suitable for remodeling to meet the requirements of a well-planned Christian Science Reading Room became available for lease. Full and complete information regarding the desirability of this ground-floor shop was prepared, and the members of our church were summoned to a special meeting. On the day of the meeting a letter pertinent to the value of ground-floor locations in business districts for Reading Rooms was received from The Christian Science Board of Directors. The timeliness of this letter cannot be overestimated, It proved to be a blessing. The members responded immediately, authorizing our board to enter into a five-year lease and to proceed with the establishing of our Reading Room in the new premises.

Seven months in the new location have attested the value of the invitation, accessibility, and convenience of a display window, a street-level entrance, and a sign of welcome. Other churches have been encouraged by our experience to contemplate similar improvements in the locations of their Reading Rooms.

Church members have indicated that our experience has far surpassed their own expectations for the Reading Room. Sales, library loans, study-room activity, and testimonies of fruitage directly traceable to the desirability of the present location have all increased measurably. Establishment of the Reading Room outside the church edifice, where it brings the healing message of Christian Science to all, has been accepted as a right idea, in accord with the Manual provisions for our Reading Rooms. Seeing this has brought about deepening recognition of the authority of the Manual. This recognition and due appreciation and acknowledgment of the mission of its author gave spiritual conviction when it was needed.

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