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.