New Judson Press titles offer good news in troubled times
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 8/1/16)—Responding to the nation’s ongoing summer of discontent, Judson Press has announced the early release on August 1 of two books to help pastors and congregations share the Gospel with power, relevance and hope.
Be My Witness: The Great Commission for Preachers, by the Rev. Dr. Marvin A McMickle, offers a unique approach to the preaching task, outlining a way for preachers to be faithful and attentive to justice and to the people and problems within a minister’s particular local church and community. A best-selling author, veteran pastor and professor and president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, McMickle uses Acts 1:6-8 to explore the deeper implications of what it means to be a witness for Jesus in today’s world.
Welcoming Community: Diversity That Works, by the Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal, acknowledges the dramatic changes in culture and congregational life in the twenty-first century, focusing on church growth in an increasingly multicultural world where communities are often in transition. This latest volume in Judson’s “Living Church” series examines the process of becoming a gracious and generous neighbor—from cultivating congregational self-awareness, to extending invitation, and, ultimately, thriving together as one community.
Both titles were scheduled for publication in early September but Judson Press made the decision to make the two new resources available to churches and bookstores as soon as possible. The books, says Judson Press CEO and American Baptist Home Mission Societies Executive Director Jeffrey Haggray, are coming out at a time “when the social, cultural, religious and political waters in our nation are troubling, and we need solid theological insights to faithfully promote God’s good news of reconciliation, redemption, justice and hope to our hurting world.”
Be My Witness, 192 pages, is $17.99 , Welcoming Community, 160 pages, is $16.99. Other current Judson Press titles on the intersections of faith, social justice and reconciliation are: Coming Together in the 21st Century: The Bible’s Message in an Age of Diversity, by Curtiss Paul DeYoung (includes group action and reflection guide); Vital Spirit, Vital Service, by Trinette V. McCray, Speak Until Justice Wakes, by J. Alfred Smith Sr., and To Serve This Present Age: Social Justice Ministries in the Black Church, by Danielle L. Ayers and Reginald W. Williams Jr.
To order Judson Press books, call 1-800-458-3766 or visit www.judsonpress.com. 20% discount on web orders.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on leadership, discipleship and healing communities.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
