May 5, 2024: New Section at the BGLibrary

Notice all the changes in the BGLibrary? We have three brand new topical sections, all designed to fit the needs of our changing, growing congregation. First, last fall we added an area for “Creation Care.” Weve been putting many of those books on display, and Glenn O has written some book reviews for the Tidings. After last Sunday’s forum, your Library Team encourages you to do some reading about what’s happening with our earth’s ecology and learn what you can do about it.

Our other two new areas for perusal: “Seasonal” and “Older, Wiser Lutherans” (OWLs). Your Team chose Seasonal because Pastor Luther introduced us to appropriate and challenging readings during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. Pentecost is coming in a couple of weeks. We encourage you to peruse this section and pick out something meditative.

One look around our congregation on a Sunday morning, and it’s easy to see why your Team decided we need an OWLs section! It features such titles as “Outlive,” “The Inner Work of Age,” “Honest Aging,” and “Dying Well.” There’s lots of richness to be learned and enjoyed during these times of our lives.

We’ll be gradually adding to each of these new collections, and we invite you to make suggestions. We also welcome donations from our readers’ personal collections, books you’ve found useful and would like to share.

Take a few minutes next Sunday to check out these new areas. Happy reading!

April 2024: Aslan the Lion

Look up at the top shelf in the BGLibrary and you’ll see a lion. That’s Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia. “ In the seven Chronicles, Aslan the Lion is a symbol for Jesus, the Lion of Judah.

This wood carving is a gift from the Popovic family who came to this country from Belgrade in May of 1999. They were sponsored by Holy Trinity in cooperation with other area churches.

Bora Popovic carved the structure from a single piece of wood he found along a trail in Durham. At its dedication, Pastor Lindstrom suggested the title “Lion of Judah.” Bora said it represented the family’s prayer for love and peace in the world and gratitude for all they had received in America.

Both Barbara and Warren Galle were leaders at Holy Trinity in sponsoring immigrants, beginning with folks from Viet Nam after the war. Before 9/11, which forever changed the way people boarded transportation, Warren personally greeted the international ships in Portsmouth Harbor. This was before the days of cell phones, and many of the sailors hadn’t spoken to their families for months. Warren would bring them to Holy Trinity to use our telephone to call home.
Both Galles worked closely with the Popovic family, and because our library was organized under Barbara’s leadership, it’s appropriate that Aslan, the Lion of Judah, rests on its top shelf.

February 2024: Our Church's Autobiography

There are a lot of books in the BGLibrary. Our various sections include Autobiography, Christian Life and Service, Novels, International Ministry, Climate Care, and more. Biography/Autobiography covers the stories of dozens of influential people and institutions. If your life is extraordinary, someone—maybe even you yourself—is going to write about you. If you’re part of an organization that’s changing the world, someone’s going to write about it.

Holy Trinity here on the Seacoast is an institution that’s changing lives, and the only book about us was written seventeen years ago. It’s a great book—HTELC: A Look at 50 Years—prepared by a group of members, some still with us and others gone. It tells a great story, but a lot has been happening here over years that your Library Team feels should also be recorded.

We’ve experienced a lot: several different pastors; on-going partnership with Isinani, Tanzania; more trips to Guatemala; sharing with Imanuel Indonesian Congregation; companioning with immigrants; working with Operation Blessing and Crossroads House; and so much more.

Writing a sequel will take a long time and many voices. The Team is committed, and we’re hoping you will be too. We’ll be interviewing and collecting materials throughout this year. And we’re inviting you to help. Our congregation is composed of many voices; a biography about Holy Trinity should be too.

Watch for more news as the project progresses. Contact a Team member if you’d like to help.

Members: Dot Kasik, Pam Shaw, Linda Edwards, Judy Evans, and VJ Strehl.

December 2023: Creation Care at BGLibrary

“We care for God’s creation and each other by being good stewards.” (From Holy Trinity’s “Guiding Principals,” last statement under “Serve the Lord”)

I’m sitting at my computer, attempting to write a short Tidings article about the latest BGLibrary news. There’s a fan inches away blowing cool air directly into my face, but, still, sweat pours off my forehead, threatening my eyesight.

This summer the entire world is breaking temperature records week after week. Here in New England we’re experiencing unprecedented flooding, broken dams, washed-out roads, and rising sea levels. Across southern U.S., people are dying from heat stroke in unremitting 100+ degree temperatures. Climate change is undoubtedly the world’s biggest threat. Climate experts warn us that things are only going to get worse unless we humans immediately change the ways we use (and misuse) energy.

This morning on the radio I listened to a report that the United States and China are the world’s largest consumers of fossil energy, the largest source of climate change. Ugh. That includes me. I can’t blame this on Europe or Russia or Asia or any of the under-developed nations.

I think of my future. Personally, with the years I have left to live and enjoy this beautiful earth, the changes might not impact me so much. On excessively hot days, I’ll just carry along my tiny personal battery-powered fan. I’ll enjoy an icy drink. I’ll get along. That story I heard this morning said we have a few more years—maybe 20—before the damage is irreparable.

But. Twenty years from now my kids and grandkids will just be in their prime. And I want them to have a beautiful world.
So what can I do? What can we do? As an individual, no matter how much I care, I’m pretty much powerless to change or stop the fuel industries.

Here’s what I can do: I can become informed. The BGLibrary has a section labeled “Creation Care.” It’s not yet very large, but the set contains several wonderful books specifically about climate change. The more we know, the more informed we become, the better equipped we’ll be. Only through knowledge will we be able to activate. In a democracy, an individual has a vote, and we need to use that vote to advise both politicians and industries.

Four BGLibrary books that will help me grasp a better understanding of what we’re dealing with:

• The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
• The Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell
• On Fire by Naomi Klein
• The Green Consumer by Elkington, Hailes, and Makewer

These aren’t necessarily “fun” summer reading, but I guarantee that each has valuable information, the kind of information we all need now at this dire time in our earth’s history.

“In the Holy Scriptures, God assigns a sacred responsibility to human beings: we are to care for and keep God’s creation for future generations.” (Opening statement from Earth’s Climate Crisis, a message from the ELCA, page 1.) For further reading, there’s a copy of Earth’s Climate Crisis on the library desk. Check it out, or go on-line at ELCA.org for a personal copy.

July 2023: Creation Care at the BG Library

“We care for God’s creation and each other by being good stewards.” (From Holy Trinity’s “Guiding Principals,” last statement under “Serve the Lord”)

I’m sitting at my computer, attempting to write a short Tidings article about the latest BGLibrary news. There’s a fan inches away blowing cool air directly into my face, but, still, sweat pours off my forehead, threatening my eyesight.

This summer the entire world is breaking temperature records week after week. Here in New England we’re experiencing unprecedented flooding, broken dams, washed-out roads, and rising sea levels. Across southern U.S., people are dying from heat stroke in unremitting 100+ degree temperatures. Climate change is undoubtedly the world’s biggest threat. Climate experts warn us that things are only going to get worse unless we humans immediately change the ways we use (and misuse) energy.

This morning on the radio I listened to a report that the United States and China are the world’s largest consumers of fossil energy, the largest source of climate change. Ugh. That includes me. I can’t blame this on Europe or Russia or Asia or any of the under-developed nations.

I think of my future. Personally, with the years I have left to live and enjoy this beautiful earth, the changes might not impact me so much. On excessively hot days, I’ll just carry along my tiny personal battery-powered fan. I’ll enjoy an icy drink. I’ll get along. That story I heard this morning said we have a few more years—maybe 20—before the damage is irreparable.

But. Twenty years from now my kids and grandkids will just be in their prime. And I want them to have a beautiful world.

So what can I do? What can we do? As an individual, no matter how much I care, I’m pretty much powerless to change or stop the fuel industries.

Here’s what I can do: I can become informed. The BGLibrary has a section labeled “Creation Care.” It’s not yet very large, but the set contains several wonderful books specifically about climate change. The more we know, the more informed we become, the better equipped we’ll be. Only through knowledge will we be able to activate. In a democracy, an individual has a vote, and we need to use that vote to advise both politicians and industries.

Four BGLibrary books that will help me grasp a better understanding of what we’re dealing with:

• The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
• The Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell
• On Fire by Naomi Klein
• The Green Consumer by Elkington, Hailes, and Makewer

These aren’t necessarily “fun” summer reading, but I guarantee that each has valuable information, the kind of information we all need now at this dire time in our earth’s history.

“In the Holy Scriptures, God assigns a sacred responsibility to human beings: we are to care for and keep God’s creation for future generations.” (Opening statement from Earth’s Climate Crisis, a message from the ELCA, page 1.) For further reading, there’s a copy of Earth’s Climate Crisis on the library desk. Check it out, or go on-line at ELCA.org for a personal copy.

June 2023: Some World War II Books from the BGLibrary

Are you interested in learning more about World War II? The Bibliography section of the BGLibrary has a number of books you might find interesting. They may not be cheerful, fun reads, but they’re really valuable history. For those of us too young to have experienced that difficult time, it’s good to learn what the generations before us had to bear.

Here are some suggestions:

Irena’s Child by Tilar Maggio. This is the story of Irena Sendler who risked everything to save 2500 children from Nazi concentration camps. Prague Winter by Madeline Albright. Albright share her memories of growing up in Prague during the war. The Choice by Irene Eber. Ms. Eber shares her memories of growing up in a small town in Poland during the war. Orchestra of Exiles by Josh Aronson and Denise George. This is the story of Bronshaw Hubrman, creator of the Israel Philharmonic, and how he saved 1000 Jews from Nazi horrors. An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westbrook by Etty Hillesum. It’s the story of an extraordinary woman incarcerated at Auschwitz where she died at the age of 29. (Incidentally, Pastor Luther preached a sermon about this book!) One Christmas in Washington by Daved Bercuson and Holger Herwig. This book describes the secret meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill that changed the world. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance and an evangelist. Scotland’s Land Girls by Elaine M. Edward. The Land Girls gave vital service to their countryside during the national emergency. You can also find Land Girl stories on PBS.
Growing Up in Germany under Hitler by Holy Trinity’s own Ursula Hoene. Ursula’s gone now, but her story is in our Library.

October 19, 2022: No 1 Ladies Detective Series

Do you know Mma Precious Ramotswe, the famous Botswanan lady detective? Do you know her friend Grace? Have you met the good husband of Zebra Drive? These folks were some of Barbara Galle’s favorite characters. Barbara founded our present HT library, and because of her, we’re fortunate to have a large collection of Alexander McCall Smith novels. Smith is the creator of Mma Ramotswe, and he introduces us to her through his No. 1 Ladies Detective series. We have all 23 books, and the series holds the record for most frequent check-outs. Check one out, read a few pages, and you’ll know why. Those of us who have visited our friends in Tanzania appreciate how beautifully the writing captures the language cadence, the customs, and much of the thinking processes of our Isimani friends.

A few years ago Alexander McCall Smith spoke at the Portsmouth Music Hall in the “Writers on a New England Stage” event where he was asked by an audience member how long it took him to write a book. His answer: “I write one each week.” Besides the Lady Detective books, he’s produced at least six more series, 18 children’s books, and 13 full length academic journals on law, medicine, and bioethics. Oh, and there are a few single novels here and there, and he’s just beginning a series about the French.

One would think, then, that the man stays in front of his word processor 24-hours a day. Not so. Smith holds LLB and PhD degrees from the University of Edinburgh where he taught Medical Law and is now Professor Emeritus. Along the way he chaired the British Medical Journal, co-chaired the United Kingdom Human Genetics Commission, served on the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO, and helped found several universities throughout Africa.

No wonder Barbara chose Smith as a favorite! If you have yet to read him, start with the No. 1 Ladies Detective (shelves on the sanctuary wall) and then move on to the Sunday Philosophy Club and Corduroy Mansions (circular rack). Enjoy!

October 2020: Barbara Galle's personal book collection

The BGLibrary is open and ready for your business. And what better time to search out a few good reads than now when you’re probably spending more time at home than ever before? If you’re coming to church to pick up communion supplies, detour into the library for a moment. If you’re coming to a new session of indoor worship, detour to the library. Just remember keep socially distanced and to wash/sanitize before and after handling books.

On the “sanctuary wall” in the library are books from Barbara Galle’s personal collection. You remember that Barbara was the Holy Trinity librarian who set us up in the present location. How fitting that now some of her favorite personal reads are in the same space!

We also have a display table in the narthex with books about social issues of today—social equality, systemic racism, fairness in government, mental health, etc. Pastor Tim challenges us every Sunday morning to think more deeply about how Christians should handle social issues. These reads are a good place to begin. On this same table you’ll find copies of the Forum fourth Wednesday discussion series. October’s choice is The Elephant Whisperer by Laurence Anthony. Same Kind of Different As Me is for November, and Bear Town is for December.

February 2020: Something for everyone.

Our little library has something for everyone!

For instance,if you’re interested in contemporary social justice, look through our “Social Issues” section. For history, dip into “Biography/Autobiography.” You’ll find issues of theology in “Christian Studies” and facts on Lutheranism in—where else—“Lutheranism.” Look further and you’ll find “Science and the Environment” and “International Study.”

For pure fun, pick an author from the “Series” section and read straight through. There’s even “Poetry.”

At the lowest shelf, you’ll find “Humor.” Five books.

(Lutherans apparently aren’t humorous.)

September 2019: "Lutherans in America"

Ever been curious about how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America came to be? Let me just say, it wasn’t quick and easy! The quick answer is that in 1986 the ALC, ELC, and LCA merged to be the ELCA. But before that, there were the AELC, ELCC, UELC, and TALC, not to mention individual synods organized in the 19th Century by folks from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, etc. When I was an Iowa teenager, in the square mile where my family’s farm was located there were two ELCs, an ALC, a Wisconsin Synod, and a Lutheran Brotheran (not to be confused with Lutheran Brotherhood). My family belonged to one of the ELC’s and though we shared a minister and struggled financially to keep up two congregations, we couldn’t possibly unite. After all, one was country and the other town.

Two new books at the BGLibrary address the questions. “Lutherans in America” by Mark Granquist and “Lutheran Denominations in America” by L. DeAne Lagerquist might not have been your beach reading, but they’re just right for the beginning of another academic year. Granquist (Professor of Lutheran History, Luther College, Iowa) and Lagerquist (same, St. Olaf College, Minnesota) are perhaps today’s best known Lutheran historians.* Granquist “brings to light not only the institutions that Lutherans founded…but the people that lived within them.” Lagerquist traces the development of Lutheranism in our country “from the colonial era through the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

These two volumes are currently on display. Both are lively, fascinating reads. You’ll be surprised at how complicated we are! To paraphrase Granquist, we Lutherans are about “politics and policies” combined with “piety and practical experience.”

*That is, besides Holy Trinity’s own Mark Edwards, who, incidentally, recommended these books.

August 2019: A Hope More Powerful That The Sea & Behold the Dreamers

Apropos of Pastor Tim’s message for us last Sunday, the BGLibrary has a couple of new books you might like to check out. A Hope More Powerful that the Sea by Melissa Fleming is the true story of a teenage girl’s immigrant journey to freedom. Doaa Al Zanel, along with 500 others, escaped Syria on a small fishing boat heading to Europe. The next several years took her through varied immigrant camps in Europe and Canada before she finally arrived in the States. Published in 2017 and soon to be a major film, Doaa’s “incredible story of laws, loss, and survival” reveals what millions go through to achieve safety. This book is also suitable for the young adult reader.

A second book, Behold the Dreamers, is Imbolo Mbue’s first novel. Mbue tells the story of a Camaroon family, the Jongas, as they navigate New York city. Jende Jonga lands a good-paying job working as a driver for the wealthy Edward family. Jende’s wife Neni tends their modest apartment, cares for their son, works a fulltime job, eventually becomes pregnant with a second child, and attends night school to prep for a university placement. You’ll champion this couple’s determination and hard work as they fight to win their case for amnesty. Some chapters will find you cheering them on while others will make you weep. You’ll also rage by turns against the Edwards, the Jongas, dishonest and conniving attorneys, and the American systems. The book is a 2016 publication.

Both books will be on display this coming Sunday. Move quickly to check them out! The new stuff goes in a hurry.

December 2018: Iringa Lutheran University library

One year when Kurt and I traveled to Tanzania to volunteer at Iringa Lutheran University the school asked me to do an inventory and assessment of their college library. When you go to Tanzania, you do what you’re asked...or at least try. The library is a beautiful building, albeit small, and they’re very proud of it. It’s fully stocked with a separate section for each of the dozen majors offered. Although Swahili is the national language, the entire book collection is in English; British English is their preferred language for higher education.

The collection occupies two floors. Counting the books section by section may sound like a daunting task. Not really. The whole operation took me less than a week. In 2015, Iringa University Library had 3,732 books, not counting the cardboard boxes yet unpacked that were hidden under the stairwell.

Those unpacked boxes had no doubt come from the book donation crates in mall parking lots where we dump whatever we’ve finished reading and want to get rid of. In fact, as I perused the shelf of English Composition texts, I opened the cover of one to see the signature of a colleague from my doctoral committee.

What I’m trying to say here is not that we should feel sorry for these folks. The internet is available and widely used at Iringa U, and their faculty are some of the smartest, best educated people in the world. What I want us to realize is how blessed we are with the riches of reading and how casually we take those riches for granted.

In Isimani all the kids go to school and learn to read. But their are no public libraries, and many homes have absolutely no access to books. And then what happens is the phenomenon of “post literacy.” Some kids actually forget how to read.

Two years ago Holy Trinity donated a collection of children’s books to our partner congregation. You gave the money, we sent the money to the Lugallas, and Sapi visited the Bible bookstore in Dar es Salaam to make the purchase. Pastor Msungu has arranged a preschool on the church grounds, and the children’s library is located in a separate room in the school building.

Advent and Christmas are wonderful times for us to realize and appreciate our riches. The BGLibrary has an Africa section, and I encourage you to check it out. In the springtime, when we weed out old books and DVDs to sell, we’ll again donate the proceeds to buy books for Isimani.

October 7: Three New Additions and a Magazine!

Our beautiful little BGLibrary continually adds new titles to its collection. New acquisitions are placed on display near the bright yellow arrow. I’d like to entice you here with quick descriptions of three of the latest.

“The Lessons of History” by Will and Ariel Durant teaches that the most reliable path to understanding our present is to look at the past. History helps us anticipate the future. The Durants describe history not as science but industry, art, and philosophy. As industry, it points toward fact. As art, it seeks order out of chaos. As philosophy, it gives us perspective and understanding.

“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders is a novel exploring grief, friendship, and American history. “Bardo” is a Buddhist term that describes the place between life and afterlife, and this story follows Lincoln’s ghost as it passes through to the other side.

“A Piece of the World” by Christina Bader Klein is a novel about friendship, passion, and art. Klein’s inspiration is the enigmatic Andrew Wyeth painting “Christina’s World.” Don’t pass these up! Check out any or all of them before someone else gets them.

And while you’re browsing, notice the Gather magazines on the table. The official magazine of the Women of the ELCE, Gather is full of newsy articles, explorations about our faith, suggestions for activities to try, and devotional materials. Borrow a copy—keep it a week—return it for the next reader to enjoy.

August 2018: British Books and DVDs

Posted by Mark Donahue on Thursday, August 2, 2018 @ 2:27 PM

Ah, summer. Hot days, warm nights. The perfect time for…binging! Ignore the lawn and the weeds, put your feet up, watch movies, and read. Feeling guilty? Not if you tell yourself you’re doing a cultural study. So let’s go British.

Some binging suggestions from the BGLibrary”

1. DVDs. Call the Midwife, all seven seasons. Set in England in the 1950s, this series explores medicine, poverty, and Church of England politics, all through the eyes of midwives living under the auspices of the Church. Their home—the vestry—is in an impoverished city district outside London. As the young midwives minister to expectant mothers, they find various health issues connected to poverty, often becoming embroiled in family and personal issues. Watching the Midwives, you can argue that besides cultural studies, you’re pursuing reproductive medicine.

2. DVDs. Downton Abbey, the complete series. Live vicariously in a grand English manor and experience the vastly differing life styles of upstairs and downstairs. Live through the First World War, vicariouslly explore the Pyramids, suffer the drama of royalty, and feel the excitement of foxhunting. Love and romance, secrets and lies, and the absolute proper way to set a table.

3. Books. The Starbridge fiction series from author Susan Howatch explores beneath the surface of the Church of England, its religion, politics, and drama…even scandal. The series begins with Glittering Images where you’ll be introduced to characters you’ll follow through Mystical Paths and beyond. Working your way through the whole series will take you all the way through August.
4. Books. Or if you prefer something more lighthearted, try Alexander McCall Smith. Explore “crime” with the Ladies #1 Detective Agency. Agency owner Mma Precious Romatswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi, solve all sorts of dilemma from lost properties to wandering husbands to stolen recipes. Pick one up, and you won’t quite till you’ve read them all! The BGLibrary has both the books and DVDs. Bonus: The author is British, but the novels are set in Botswana, so you’ll be doing double the cultural study!