Book Marks - September 2008

Say Something by Peggy Moss is one of our newest titles in the children’s collection. This book explores the issue of teasing among young children as the main character observes and then experiences what it feels like to be teased. An award winning picture book, Say Something is a wonderful addition to our collection. It teaches our kids how to treat one another with respect, value differences, and act positively in response to bullying.

The library is always open for browsing and our self-checkout procedure makes it easy to borrow! Come by and see some of the other great new titles we’re adding to the collection.

Seeking the Spirit: How to Create a Community of Seekers by Harry Brunett and Jennifer Grow

It's past time for a new review! This item will soon be available for checkout. Please let us know if you are interested and we will help you locate it.

The following review was written by Myka Kennedy Stephens for Congregational Libraries Today, the bimonthly publication of the Church & Synagogue Library Association. Used with permission. Copyright 2008 by the Church and Synagogue Library Association (www.cslainfo.org).

How to reach the non-churched and church-averse population is a question many congregations struggle with. The Journeys Community in Maryland has sought to answer it by making themselves an open “seeker” community. Their story and philosophy is presented in Seeking the Spirit, a slim narrative of how they established and grew their ministry among those who are wary of more traditional approaches to Christianity. Co-authored by the founder and creative director of Journeys Community, this book is designed to raise awareness about the need to minister to those seeking spiritual experiences—a ministry that may or may not result in conversion to Christianity and joining a church membership.

Presented as a “how-to” guide, this book reads more as the history of one seeker community with the occasional tip and suggestion for those interested in trying to establish their own seeker community. The most valuable information for the intended reader is found in the book’s appendices, which contain sample outlines for worship and a list of worship themes.

Book Marks - August 2008

I have returned from the Church and Synagogue Library Association Annual Conference in Greenville, SC where I presented a workshop on blogging. I wish you all could have been there to hear the murmurs of admiration when I demonstrated what we are doing with our church library blog and our church website. We have a wonderful website for our congregation, and if you have not visited it lately please take a moment to click through it. The library pages are newly updated and new content will be added in the coming months.

In the month of August, we will be finishing some of our summer projects. Keep an eye out for the book sale cart. If you are too impatient to wait for it to appear in the Narthex, please come by the library and look at it there. Our cataloging is going strong, as we have now entered over 500 titles in the online catalog. Come by and see the great progress we’re making!

Codex Sinaiticus available online tomorrow

Many of you in our congregation will be interested to know that the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest complete copy of the New Testament, is being digitized and will be available online beginning tomorrow, July 24. The website is http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/.

For more information, please visit the website or see the blog posting from Resource Shelf.

Library Open during VBS

The church library will be open during Vacation Bible School:
9:00am-12:00pm, July 23, 24 & 25
Drop by and see us!

New Books from General Conference 2008

Darryl Stephens brought back some books that were on sale at General Conference 2008. They are still "in process," meaning that they are being cataloged and marked for our collection. Please let us know if you are interested in any of these titles, and we will make sure they are available for checkout.

Don't Stop the Music by Robert Perske
Children, Divorce and the Church by Douglas E. Adams
Night on the Flint River by Roberta C. Bondi
Suicide: Pastoral Responses by Loren L. Townsend
Sexual Abuse: Pastoral Responses by Len Hedges-Goettl
The Gospel According to America by David Dark
Sundays in the Tuskegee Chapel: Selected Sermons by James Earl Massey
The New Context for Ministry: Competing for the Charitable Dollar by Lyle E. Schaller
A Global Odyssy the autobiography of James K. Mathews
The Gospel According to Disney by Mark I. Pinsky
The Gospel According to Tolkien by Ralph C. Wood
Wade in the Water: 52 Reflections on The Faith We Sing by Martha Whitmore Hickman
A Sacred Primer: The Essential Guide to Quiet Time and Prayer by Elizabeth Harper Neeld
Hearing Beyond the Words by Emma J. Justes
Resurrecting the Person: Friendship and Care of People with Mental Health Problems by John Swinton
Marks of Methodism: Theology in Ecclesial Practice by Russell E. Richey et al.
Guidelines for Leading your Congregation 2005-2008 series

Book Marks - July 2008

I’ve found myself making lists this summer: things I want to do, things I need to do, and things that haven’t been done on previous lists. In that spirit, here’s a list for you.

5 Great Things About Your Church Library
1. Great place to visit before worship: we have comfortable chairs, calming atmosphere, and we’re conveniently located behind the sanctuary.
2. Great books for all ages: we’ve added lots of great new books to our children and youth collections in the last couple of months as well as to our adult collections.
3. Great help and friendly faces: your church librarian and library volunteers are often available to help you find something and to make suggestions for summer reading.
4. Great resources: we have information on a broad range of topics suitable for independent and group study.
5. Great mission: our library, with your help, has been able to bring books to other communities in need, such as Metro State Prison and hurricane Katrina and Rita victims.

Your church library has been and is doing some great things. Please help us continue this ministry by getting involved. Visit us, check out a book, and experience what a great church library can be.

New Books from Mission Resource Center

The UM Mission Resource Center marked down some of its inventory and we were able to get some new books for the cost of shipping. These books are still "in process," meaning they are still being cataloged and marked for the library. Let us know if you're interested in one of these titles and we'll make sure it gets to you!

Welcome, Brown Bird by Mary Lyn Ray
Say Something by Peggy Moss
The Carpet Boy's Gift by Pegi Dietz Shea
My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvitz
The Renewed Mind by Larry Christenson
Year of No Rain by Alice Mead
Silent Covenants by Derrick Bell
Race and Resistance: African Americans in the 21st Century ed. by Herb Boyd
Over It: A Teen's Guide to Getting Beyond Obsessions with food and weight by Carol Emery Normandi and Laurelee Roark
Thriving Marriages by John Yzaguirre and Claire Frazier-Yzaguirre
The Leading Women: Stories of the First Women Bishops of The United Methodist Church comp. by Judith Craig
Living Sacrifices: For those dying to rise to a life worth living by James Haywood Rolling, Jr.
Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone, ed. by Joyce Carol Thomas
My Indian Jatra: Half a Century Life in India by Frances Major
This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow
William Sheppard: Congo's African American Livingstone by William E. Phipps
Southern Africa in World Politics by Janice Love
Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food Fitness and Feeling Great by Mavis Jukes and Lilian Cheung

New Children's Books

Here's a listing of the new children and youth books added to our collection from the book fair we held in April. Many of these books are still "in process," meaning they are being cataloged and marked for the library. If you would like to check out one of these books, please let us know so we can help you locate it.

A World of Prayers selected by Jeremy Brooks
God, Do You Love Me? by Karen Lynn Coffee
Muskrat Will Be Swimming by Cheryl Savageau
Song of Creation by Kathleen Long Bostrom
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst
Down in the Piney Woods by Ethel Footman Smothers
Before You Were Born by Nancy White Carlstrom
Does God Know How to Tie Shoes? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Together Forever by Jeannie St. John Taylor
Who's Who and Where's Where in the Bible for Kids by Stephen M. Miller
Bless Us All by Cynthia Rylant
Plant a Seed of Peace by Rebecca Seiling
God's Quiet Things by Nancy Sweetland
Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor

Book Marks - June 2008

A lot is going on in the library this summer. We’re adding new books from the Children and Youth Book Fair, as well as a nice donation of materials that Darryl Stephens brought back from General Conference. Lists of these new additions will be available soon on our blog: http://dhumclibrary.blogspot.com.

Be on the look out for our third annual summer used book sale. A cart will be in the narthex on some Sundays throughout the summer with this year’s treasures, all $1 each! Proceeds will go toward our growing library ministry. Thanks to everyone who has donated their time, money, and used books!

Silence is broken

Hello everyone. While silence may be a virtue in libraries, it is not a virtue in blogging. But there is an explanation. Your church librarian, Myka, gave birth to baby girl Cecily on March 9, 2008. Preparations for her arrival and then adjusting to her being here has kept Myka from making her usual number of posts about library news and excitement. Rest assured that the posts will resume soon. Cecily, now 2 months old, has already been initiated into library volunteering as she helped her mommy a few weeks ago.

Book Marks - March 2008

Our February bible drive is expected to be a success as we hope to send at least three boxes of bibles to Metro State Women’s Prison. This has been an important mission for our library ministry and we send thanks to all who participated.

We are busy preparing for our Children & Youth Book Fair, scheduled for Sunday, April 27 during Fourth Sunday Lunch. This will be an opportunity for you to select and sponsor books to be added to our children and youth collections. If you have suggestions for titles you would like considered, please send them to library@druidhillsumc.org.

The library’s online catalog is still progressing as new titles are added every week. Be sure to check the library’s page on the DHUMC website for more information about our activities and links to the library’s various online resources.

Library Volunteer Training Session Scheduled

There will be a general training session for library volunteers, and anyone interested in volunteering, on Monday, Feb. 4, 6:00-8:00 pm. We will begin with more general tasks, so those volunteers only interested in basics like shelving and processing may be able to leave earlier. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Book Marks - February 2008

Throughout the month of February we will be sponsoring a Give One, Get One Bible Drive. Please bring your old, gently used bibles to church on any Sunday in February. If you do not have a bible and need one, you are welcome to pick from those donated. At the end of the month, all the bibles left will be sent to Metro State Women’s Prison here in Atlanta. Thirty to sixty women arrive at Metro State each week, many of whom have lost their bibles during their incarceration. Our bible donations will be a true gift to them, so plan to bring your extra bibles! We will collect them in the church library prior to worship and in the narthex after worship for every Sunday in February. Donations may also be left in the library during the week or deposited in our book drop.

This month’s bible drive is just the beginning of our activities for the year. For those thinking ahead to the spring, we will be holding a Children & Youth Book Fair on April 27th to grow our collections for those ages. We are interested in your suggestions for books to add to the children and youth collections, so please share your thoughts with us. If you are interested in volunteering with our library ministry, please contact Myka Kennedy Stephens (library@druidhillsumc.org). We will be holding a brief general training session for all volunteers in February, so be sure to let Myka know if you are interested in attending.