Like many Churches of Christ, Scientist throughout the world, the church in Camden, Maine, houses their Reading Room in a section of their church building. Until recently the Reading Room was a storefront on the town’s busiest street, Highway 1. When it came time to move, a portion of the church, which is situated on a corner one block off the main street, was renovated to accommodate the Reading Room. Today, it still has that storefront look and is just a few steps away from the front door of the church.

The full row of windows display a variety of books, feature the Weekly Bible Lesson and the Monitor. Inside, visitors have ample areas to read quietly, study the lesson, find information by computer, and browse through all the merchandise for sale. The white rows of bookcases serve as dividers as well as provide sufficient room for Bound volumes, merchandise and storage.

While the Reading Room isn’t quite as visible to newcomers as it once was, that hasn’t stopped members from eagerly reaching out to their community and active tourist trade. Here are a few "Reading Room Outreach Ideas" being developed or under consideration:

• Signage - outside and in the windows - that "invites, welcomes and explains."
• Connecting with community needs. Adopt a group or individual.
• Locate clear plastic, water-proof boxes in various locations around town and in nearby towns for literature distribution and information about church services and Reading Room hours. (The Monitor is already being sold in a paper machine outside the Camden Post Office.)

• Ads in local papers about what the Reading Room is. Specific fresh invitations to come to in during lunch hour, etc.
• Advertise Reading Room programs, inviting the public to come and learn about the resources available.

• Look into other media, such as TV and radio.
• Portable displays at fairs, the waterfront farmers’ market. Also a table outside the Reading Room in summer with an umbrella and welcoming signage.

• Experiment with evening hours with teams of two attendants.
• Give various language Heralds to a local language school.
• Satellite Reading Rooms in neighboring communities.

Aren’t these inspiring ideas? What new options can you add? Let us hear from you.