Christian books and booklets are “written testimony” of the many and varied ways Christians have experienced God. It is good to have a CHURCH BOOKSTALL to serve Christian interests but it is especially important to have titles which will be helpful to not-yet-Christians, and maybe to select and promote those separately in contexts where non-yet-Christians will come across them. You will want Bibles and New Testaments produced for both adults and children and books explaining the Bible and the Christian faith. You will also want biographies and books addressing the questions Inquirers might have about faith. All these might be bought by seekers, or by Christians to read themselves or to give as gifts to their friends. Good Christian bookshops will offer a discount of 10% to church bookstalls and offer Sale or Return for bookstalls for special occasions.
For good advice for Church Bookstalls visit http://www.goodbookreviews.org.uk
Churches may also wish to establish a LENDING LIBRARY of Christian books which could also include appropriate DVDs.
At this point I add the suggestion of a CHRISTIAN CHRISTMAS CARD STALL. It is good to help Christians to give Christmas cards containing a Bible verse or Christmas message as a witness to their family and friends, begin in November to run a stall selling on at cost a range of appropriate Christian Christmas cards and perhaps other gifts obtained from your local Christian book shop. The minister may be happy to buy unsold cards to give to church members, congregation and contacts.
When we set up Haven Café an integral part of the witness was a bookstall aimed primarily at not-yet-Christian customers. I asked the advice of the Christian Authors, Booksellers and Publishers Facebook Group for titles. Thanks to many people for their recommendations and in particular Speaking Volumes, a charity which subsidises Christian Books and DVDs which are being placed in Libraries, Schools and Prisons. For more details of their excellent work visit http://www.speakingvolumes.org.uk/
In case anybody was considering creating their own bookstall, here are the titles I aimed to gather for Haven Books. My budget was around five hundred pounds which of course did not buy all of these!
A range of Bibles and New Testaments suitable for adults, young people and children.
CHILDRENS’ TITLES aimed at e.g. mums and carers from Toddler Group and grandparents.
A Fishy Tale by Anne Pilmoor
Daniel, Bible Friends story by Maggie Barfield
Lift the Flap Lost Sheep by Juliet David
My Little Bible by Karen Williamson
Prayers For Me by Christina Goodings
Favourite Parables from the Bible: Stories Jesus
Told by Nick Butterworth, Mick Inkpen
My Big Book of Bible Stories by Phil A Smouse
The First Easter by Lois Rock
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
The Story for Children by Max Lucado, Randy Frazee & Karen Davis Hill
Teen Talk by Sharon Witt
The Action Bible by Doug Mauss & Sergio Cariello
DK Child’s first Bible
Biographies
God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
The Cross & the Switchblade by David Wilkerson
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger
Blessings by Mary Craig
Mud, Sweat & Tears by Bear Grylls
I’m Still Standing by Fabrice Muamba
A Place of Healing by Joni Eareckson Tada
The Fight by Luke Wordley
Books on relevant Issues
Encountering Depression by Andrew & Elizabeth Proctor
First Steps out of Problem Drinking by John McMahon
Living Through Grief by Harold Bauman
The Sixty Minute Debt Buster by Katie Clark & Rob Parsons
God & Stephen Hawking by John C Lennox
Heaven by Paula Gooder
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
A Grief Observed by C S Lewis
Surprised by Joy by CS Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by
CSLewis (and the others in the Narnia series)
But I Say to You by John Stott
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
Mother Teresa Faith in the Darkness by G. Watts
If you could ask God one question by
Paul Williams & Barry Cooper
Simply Christian by Tom Wright
Creation, Power & Truth by Tom Wright
What’s so Amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey
The Question that Never goes away Philip Yancey
Faith stories by John Sentamu
The Reason for my Hope by Billy Graham
Prayer Finding the Heart’s True Home
by Richard Foster
ANYTHING by our old friend NICK PAGE
I will shortly add some other books which aimed more at Christians which wrestle with some difficult questions and so may be more appropriate for a church library than a bookstall.