Here’s one church’s creative take on a growing cultural trend. The Little Free Library movement has been expanding exponentially since 2009. It all began when a Wisconsin artisan built a small schoolhouse filled with free books as a tribute to his mother, a teacher who loved reading. As of this June, the Little Free Library organization proudly claims over 40,000 libraries across the globe.
The idea behind the library is to have a neighborhood location for a free book exchange. In Clear Lake, Texas, the Christ’s Church Assembly of God created its own variation with a free exchange of inspirational books. Rather than a schoolhouse shape, the church crafted its Little Library in the recognizable shape of a Gothic arch. Or you could see the shape as an upturned wooden boat. Either way, the unique shape is quite noticeable and welcoming.
But that’s just the draw. Open the plexiglass doors and the reason for this book exchange really makes sense. The Library is filled with spiritual texts and religious themed books. The lowest shelf is for children’s books. General interest religious books are in the middle. The top shelf is reserved for free Bibles and Bible study texts. Also on the top shelf is a collection box. This is a church sponsored Library after all.
