First Fruits #1: Fire Department Visits

Day 2 of active outreach fruitage. Not having found anyone else to work with Haley, I walked with her around the U-District before my Reading Room shift and on my break hour. I felt inspired to start with the fire station, since that was one of the first places they put Monitor gift subscriptions back in 1912 when Joint Literature Distribution committee did its first Monitor outreach project.

We walked down 50th Street to the U-District fire station. We found the man door and a silver button near it that looked like it might be a door bell.

After about a minute the door opened and 5 men in uniform came out. We gave them all sample copies (with the sticker on the front inviting them to visit a CS Reading Room) and asked if they'd like a gift subscription for the fire station, 100% free. They said maybe. They'll need to ask their boss. A couple of hours later, when I was on shift at the Reading Room, I saw a fire truck slowly drive past. It parked on the street right in front of the Joint Literature office. I ran out to see why.

They came for an inspection of the Reading Room. I had the pleasure of giving two of the same men we spoke with earlier a tour of the Reading Room, as well as the auditorium, and Sunday School.

It could be a coincidence that the fire department happened to come to check that our fire extinguishers 2 hours after we paid them a visit, but I don't think so.

I call it first fruitage!