October 20, 2004
Reading Room reaches new chapter
Christian Science Reading Room celebrates century of service in Traverse City
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The Christian Science Reading Room reached a 100-year milestone earlier this year, celebrating a century of service to the Traverse City community.
Members of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Traverse City gathered last week for open houses at both the Reading Room on Union Street and the church on Sixth Street.
The church, which began in Traverse City in 1898, founded the Reading Room in May of 1904 in the Wilhelm block of downtown. In 1914, the room moved to the Abner Building, sharing space with the church and Sunday School.
In 1941, the growing denomination laid the cornerstone of the current church on Sixth Street, next to the Grand Traverse Heritage Center; construction was completed the next year. The Reading Room shared space in that facility until moving into the Michigan Theater Building in the early 1950s. It moved to its current location in the 100 block of South Union Street in 1971, occupying a small but deep space on a busy downtown street.
The Reading Room offers a range of books, magazines, tapes and literature, both Christian Science based and Christian in general. The information is available for reading on site, borrowing or purchase.
Church volunteers staff the Reading Room during business hours, Monday through Friday, welcoming all visitors. They will answer questions, guide searchers or leave the visitor alone to browse as needed.
"The Reading Room is public, it is for everybody," said Susan Schmidt, the Reading Room librarian for four years. "We're here to offer spiritual subsistence and we have versions of The Bible and Bible reference books."
Schmidt noted that the Reading Room draws people who have an interest, a question or need spiritual direction.
"We have all kinds of people - street people, people passing by - come here in inquiry," she noted. "It doesn't matter where they're from, we want them to know that God loves them and God guides them. Everyone is God's child."
Despite serving the public at large, Schmidt noted that the Reading Room's mission is not to recruit new church members. Instead, Reading Room volunteers see their purpose as helping visitors find a way to listen to God's word and pull away from anger, fear and resentment that can block the Divine message.
"I always feel someone coming in at first, peering in the window and then coming in, I find they're most receptive if they can browse on their own and check out the joint," said Joanne Baur, a longtime volunteer in the Reading Room.
The back of the Reading Room contains a quiet area filled with Bible reference books, bound Christian Science journals dating back to 1883 as well as a range of books and writings by and about church founder Mary Baker Eddy. Comfortable chairs and the quiet surroundings invite study and introspection.
The Christian Science Church, which was founded in Massachusetts in 1879 by Eddy, directs its congregations throughout the nation and world to sponsor and staff Reading Rooms.
"The Reading Room is for the community," said Fred Haines, first reader for the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Traverse City. "That's why we have them nationwide."