Mar
31
Written by:
host
3/31/2010 7:00 AM
A friend of mine is a missionary in Cambodia. She indicated that a church-affiliated Bible school there is moving toward becoming an accredited institution. One of the things they would need to do is to increase the number of volumes in the library there, and she thought it would be wonderful for someone to develop a way for them to get shipments of donated good, new (or nearly new) books that have a more progressive theological and biblical viewpoint. Some day, I hope to be able to offer Different Voice readers the opportunity to send books to a central location for eventual delivery to that country. But you don't need to wait until such an opportunity is in place on this website, of course.
Chances are, your church supports missionaries, campus ministries, homes for foster kids awaiting adoption, camps, inner-city food ministries, and other similar ministries that have small libraries. Why not build a relationship with them and get some really great books on their shelves? After establishing contact and working through the logistics and needs of the organization, you might begin by encouraging people in the congregation to donate religious books they have already read and no longer need by their favorite progressive authors or to purchase items from an Amazon wish list. Include reference works, biblical commentaries, NRSV study Bibles, and other "must have" books in the list, and associate the church's address with the wish list so that books can be shipped to the church when that's most convenient (e.g. if they aren't buying additional personal items on the same order). Of course, if you're dealing with another country, there may be language issues that would preclude being able to ship books in English, so keep that in mind as you work with the staff of your chosen organization to determine the needs and make your list.
Over time, you could amass a substantial number of books that would really be useful to the people in that institution or ministry. In addition, you'll begin to build the basis for a longer-term relationship that can culminate in occasional visits to that place by members of your church. It's a great way to help share the progressive gospel with an audience that will appreciate it!
~ by Tim Gossett
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