Florida sidewalk sale a success

 Charis Christian Bookstore at First Baptist Church Indian Rocks, Fla., went beyond its walls for a successful church-wide event, recently.

The store ran a special Sidewalk Sale as part of the church's annual country jamboree that drew visitors and members of the congregation, Saturday, Nov. 6.

“We did it in the lobby of the church near the bathrooms–so when everyone that attended the event had to come indoors, they saw our sale,” said Manager Martha Brangenberg. The sale included a drawing for a large polar bear plush, the winner of which was announced right before visiting comedian Dennis Swanberg performed.

The event also coincided with the store's two-day Munce Group sale, brought forward from the usual after-Thanksgiving slot because the church campus is due to be closed then. The Munce promotion included a four-hour period of extra savings Friday, Nov. 5, during which average sales doubled to more than $40, Brangenberg said. “Saturday’s average sale was only $14.33, but we went to 75% off and rang up a customer every two minutes for a nine-hour period.”

Texas author visit draws a crowd

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 will happen next in the Middle East.

Following his Nov. 4 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.”