Many years ago, I was a member of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, whose membership had a deep desire to better serve our community and share our love of spiritual healing with others. We agreed to have a series of inspirational meetings on this topic where members could share ideas gleaned from their individual study and prayer. Community outreach also became a key subject at our church business meetings.
A member suggested that we each ponder the question, What is our concept of the Reading Room?
One desire was to see our Christian Science Reading Room better utilized by the community, so a member suggested that we each ponder the question, What is our concept of the Reading Room? At a follow-up meeting, someone shared this thought-provoking concept: that the foundation of the Reading Room is good Samaritan qualities (see Luke 10:25–37), rather than simply a physical place. We then discussed the qualities of the biblical good Samaritan—warmth, compassion, unselfed love, alertness to others’ needs, and a readiness to help meet those needs. We also discussed how important it was to see the members of our community as God’s precious ideas, fashioned in His likeness, and know that therefore it was natural for them to be receptive to the spiritual blessings offered by the Reading Room.
