Holiday Book Fair to take place December 4

All children are invited to kick off the holiday season with books, crafts, and cookies during the annual Holiday Book Fair, Story and Craft Time at East Congregational Church, 610 Adams Street in Milton on Sunday, December 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Our guest bookseller, Barefoot Books (a publisher of diverse, inclusive, and inspiring books, founded by two mothers and based in Cambridge), will be on hand to help shoppers find perfect holiday gifts. Volunteers from the “Reading Change Lives” literacy initiative at East Church will host arts and crafts, story time, and refreshments. Every child will also receive a free book . . . and milk and cookies!

East Congregational Church launched its “Reading Changes Lives” literacy initiative in 2014 believing that literacy is essential to equality and justice. As a complicated and broad social justice issue, literacy impacts other issues, including economic justice, gender equality, criminal justice, public education, and racial justice.

“Reading Changes Lives” built one of the first two “Little Free Libraries” in Milton and has hosted numerous book swaps in town. During the East Milton Halloween Stroll, we host “Trick or Treat for Books” on our front lawn and distribute hundreds of free books to children of all ages.We have also hosted “Story Walks” for our community in Crane Field and East Milton Square.

East Church sponsors the school library at the Roosevelt K-8 School in Hyde Park and invested thousands of hours into revitalizing it. Among 125 Boston Public School campuses, 58 percent lack their own full-time libraries with staff. Only 52 schools have one. Volunteers from the church reopened this elementary school library with a grand gala in 2016 and a post-pandemic celebration in September 2022. East Church provides and coordinates volunteers to staff the library during class visits at the school every-other week.

The goal of “Reading Changes Lives” is to change lives through the gift of reading. Who knows? We might indeed change the world.

For more information, contact the church office at (617) 698-0270 or Rev. Shelly Davis at (617) 698-0229.