MATTAPOISETT — During the height of the pandemic in April, a brand new church opened up in town. Kind of.

The Mattapoisett Congregational Church opened their own Little Free Library that is a miniature-sized replica of the chapel that has stood in the town center since 1842.

After months of use and great success, the church now seeks donations for children books, specifically books for young teens.

The little library was built by church trustee Lauren Keene. He used to be a woodworker, and with covid shutting everything down he, “now had the opportunity to do it.”

The library was built because the church has a full library, including many children’s books, and it didn’t want them to go unused during the pandemic. 

Since the lending library was focused on kids, Keene built the structure lower to the ground so that children could reach inside.

Although the project took him a while due to a back injury, the result is a detailed version of the main building of the church, steeple and all.

Keeping coronavirus in mind, the church also set up a hand sanitizer next to the “church.”

Now, with children's books running low, the church is asking residents to search their shelves for any age appropriate books to add to the library's collection.

To schedule a drop-off time and location, contact the church office at mattcongchurch@gmail.com. The church building itself is closed.