Corner Books, the bookstore at Houston’s First Baptist Church, sponsored a visit to the church by New York Times best-selling author Joel C. Rosenberg during which he introduced his latest novel, The Twelfth Imam, and shared his thoughts on what he believes will happen next in the Middle East.

Following his presentation, Rosenberg took questions from the audience of nearly 1,500 and signed books.

Corner Books opened its doors in August 2009 after an extensive remodeling of what was the church’s dedicated library space. Now a blend of bookstore and library, Corner Books offers “books to borrow and books to buy” along with coffee, Wi-Fi access, messages by church Senior Pastor Gregg Matte and more.

In its first year of operations, merchandise sales were double the projected amount, and circulation among the library’s collection of more than 12,000 titles also increased dramatically.

“The mission of Corner Books is to extend the message, ministry and mission of Houston’s First,” said Jenea King, Corner Books director. “The evening with Joel Rosenberg was a perfect example of how this ministry lives that out, and we look forward to bringing in other authors who are in line with what we believe and value as a church.”