OUR 8TH YEAR
ANNUAL UPDATE
Dear Library Patron, 6/22/2023
Why are you the way you are?
When you look at your past, who or what has most influenced you? Was it a good or a bad influence? How does that influence still affect you today?
Printed in Benjamin Franklin’s “Wit and Wisdom” section of Poor Richard’s Almanack were these words, “Give me twenty-six soldiers of lead, and I shall conquer the world.”
What did he mean by “lead” soldiers? Where does this quote originate?
The quote has been variously attributed to several historical figures, including Johannes Gutenberg and Benjamin Franklin.
The first question is not so difficult, because we can soon figure out that the author was referring to the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. In Franklin’s day, the printing press used lead-cast letters. It was another way of saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Benjamin Franklin lived during the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. Whether he originated the quote or not, he realized that the power of the printed page would accomplish more than the loaded guns on the battlefield.
Going from copying by hand to printing with moveable type was a huge change. It would have taken a scribe several months to copy just one book of the Bible. In the 14th century one hand-copied book could cost as much as a house. The largest library in Europe in 1300 was located at the University of Paris. It had a total of 300 manuscripts! By contrast, Gutenberg spent three years printing 200 copies of the Latin Bible on the first print run. Although this sounds extremely slow to our 21st-century ears, to people accustomed to hand-copied manuscripts, this was speed indeed! By 1490, a “printed” book only cost a schoolteacher one month’s wages.
The printing press greatly accelerated the sharing of knowledge. Consequently, it greatly influenced the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. The world’s first “bestselling” author was Martin Luther. One-third of all the books sold in Germany between 1518 and 1525 were written by Luther. The earliest Anabaptists (1525) had access to printed copies of God’s Word!
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1Timothy 4:16)
2Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
| “Gutenberg’s vintage hand printing press in the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz, Germany” by dronepicr is licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
| “Form for the Gutenberg’s printing press in the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz, Germany” by dronepicr is licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
| “Gutenberg Bible” by NYC Wanderer is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. |
The Library
Today’s technology has advanced communication to levels beyond imagination a few years ago. Opportunities abound to share the truth. God’s message needs to go out!
At Stoltzfus Christian Library, we certainly recognize the power and influence of the printed page. By God’s grace and your faithful support, we have been able to do even more than we would have dreamed a short time ago.
More Than 1,000 New Books Added!
Last year, by God’s grace, we achieved one of our biggest goals yet. We were able to expand the library by adding over 1,000 books! I must admit we were a bit skeptical about our ability to reach this goal, due to the work and cost involved in purchasing and preparing all those books. But as the year progressed, it started to look feasible. Time after time we were amazed by how God supplied just the right amount of funds and resources for us to keep on functioning and expanding. To date we have nearly 6,000 resources in our library.
New Bookmobile!?
What would it be like to have a bookmobile…?
| LIKE THIS… |
| OR LIKE THIS? |
| OR LIKE THIS… |
Is the community ready for this??
To help the vision expand even farther, we have often dreamed of a bookmobile. Although we have talked about this at nearly every Board of Directors meeting, the reality looked like a far-off dream.
IT IS NO LONGER A FAR-OFF DREAM…
Developing and maintaining a bookmobile has significant costs involved! That is one of the reasons why this project has taken so long to develop. For starters, you need a vehicle that can carry a lot of books. Additionally, you need books, shelving, vehicle insurance, registration, etc. We have estimated that we would need an initial amount of at least $50,000.00 to accomplish this.
Bookmobile Fund $50,000.00 Goal
$20,000.00 Already Provided, $30,000.00 to go…
We again need your help, as by God’s grace we plan to undertake this project and buy a Bookmobile! An anonymous donor, who appreciates the work we are doing, sent a $20,000.00 check through Anabaptist Foundation towards this bookmobile project, providing the community is willing to step up and supply the remainder.
We look at the Bookmobile Project as an expansion of the library itself. Patrons will be able to return books to either the library or the bookmobile. The library checkout system on the bookmobile will sync with the checkout system in the library. If enough funding is supplied, we are hoping to have a bookmobile in service close to the end of this year. Benefits of this project will include the following:
- Spreading God’s love through Christian books, educational resources, and literature.
- Various stops at local Amish schools and businesses.
- A regular schedule of stops will be sent to our library patrons.
- A goal of adding 2,000 new books to our library system.
- Greater ability to supply books where they are needed.
A bookmobile involves significant work and startup costs which include:
- Purchasing a vehicle with sufficient space.
- Renovating it to fit our needs (Building proper shelving, etc. to carry books).
- Purchasing insurance, registration, etc., to stay legal.
- Fuel to run the bookmobile and staff to operate a consistent schedule.
- Modifying our current checkout system and purchasing a new checkout system to synchronize the bookmobile and library.
- Purchasing 2,000 new books to equip the bookmobile and library to provide for the increased demand that the bookmobile will stimulate. We estimate our cost to be $10.00 per new book added to the library. (2,000 new books @ $10.00 per book =$20,000.00).
If you would like to help towards funding a new bookmobile for the local community, please note New Bookmobile Program on the reply card.
Programs Update
Because of God’s blessings and your faithful support, Stoltzfus Christian Library saw significant growth this past year. If God wills, and as He provides, we plan to continue growing and expanding our current programs as well as looking for opportunities to branch out into new avenues.
School Book Subscription Program
Thank you to those of you who chose to sponsor a School Tote! Last year we were able to double the Book Subscription Program! We currently have 10 local schools on this program.
In this program, we fill up plastic totes with books and deliver them to local Amish schools. Each month, we rotate the totes among the schools in the program. This provides eager students with fresh books and content to anticipate each month!
When asking the schools if they want to continue with the program, all of them said yes!
Here are what the teachers are saying:
- “We loved it! The new selection of books once a month was wonderful! Thank you so much for doing this and blessing our schools with your books, and for your time in getting it together and delivering them. We are grateful for the opportunity to have a new selection of Christian books to read from your program each month!”
- “The students really enjoyed them all! They were always excited for the next tote to come! Thank you so much!! May God bless you richly for the work you put into this!”
- “We always looked forward to seeing you come with your books. The variety was great! Thank you for all your hard work with this. The checklist was a great investment. We appreciate what you do. God bless you!”
- “It was great! An amazing idea! Everyone always looked forward to a new lug of books. Thank you so much. God bless you.”
- “Thanks for your wholesome reading material. We really enjoy each new box of books! You are a blessing to so many people. Thank you!”
With five schools on our waiting list and many others who would be happy to join if given the opportunity, there is much potential for expansion and growth of this program.
Would you like to sponsor a school tote? We are giving you the opportunity to sponsor either a partial or a whole tote of books. With our current estimated cost of $10.00 per book, 40 books per tote would come to $400.00 per tote. After a school joins the program, we also have associated ongoing costs that are taken out of our general operating fund.
Christian Literature Program
The new Literature Shed is open! Feel free to check it out on one of your next stops at the library.
The Christian Literature Program seeks to equip the local community with Christian literature and counseling resources to effectively reach people with the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
We have books and literature on many, many, different topics, including family life, purity, relationships, dating, and marriage. All this is available either for free or by donation. May we choose to build our foundation on the solid rock of Jesus Christ!
Do you own a business with customers coming into your store? Would you like a free Gospel tract rack to set up in your business area? We have various displays available for you to choose from. We would be happy to help you set one up and keep it stocked with an attractive selection of tracts for your customers to choose from.
Christian Literature Translation for Foreign Countries Program
Can you imagine being a new Christian in a foreign country where you don’t have many Bibles, Christian books, or literature available in your language? Or maybe the little that is available costs a fortune which you don’t have. Or maybe the government restricts or bans Christianity in your country.
This is reality for many people! Having spent over 3 years in the country of Haiti, I have seen some of this for myself! Although Haiti is a country with freedom of religion, there are only a few sound Christian books available in Haitian Creole and French which are the two official languages in the country. When they are available, the price usually places them out of reach of the general population.
The situation in Haiti reminds me of the verse in Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
What a sad, sad, situation to find yourself in! What a sad, sad situation for a family, a church, a state, or a nation to find itself in! Truly only the transforming power of Jesus Christ can change a situation like this!
Last year we mentioned the book that we translated into Haitian Creole, called, What Every Person Needs to Know. This book answers life’s most important questions, with headings such as “What Is the Bible?” “Who Is God?” “What Is Sin?” Who Is Jesus Christ?” and “What Do We Need to Do to Be Saved?” I am happy to announce that due to our partnership with Christian Aid Ministries, we have been able to print 2 print runs of 10,000 copies each of this book for the people of Haiti. Twenty thousand may not seem like very many books when you consider a population of nearly 12 million people, but at least it’s a start!
Lord willing, two of the next translation projects into Haitian Creole will be Guidelines for the Christian Young Man and Guidelines for the Christian Young Girl. We’ve included a copy of these books for you.
Book Auction & Open House Day
This year for the Open House Day we are considering having another time of spiritual encouragement and edification along with a Book Auction.
Recently, someone donated a large selection of Christian books to the library. Since we already have a lot of these Christian books, we are considering holding a public action later this fall to sell off the books, with plans to use the money to expand in other needed areas. We will also be selling extra books from other sections of our own library as well.
Please let us know if you would like to donate unused books from your personal library. We would be happy to include them in the book sale.
We will be sending out more information about the Open House Day and Book Auction as the time gets closer, so watch for that!
Introduction:
Who We Are
Stoltzfus Christian Library was founded in 2015 with a vision to promote literacy and to reach the local community with the love of Jesus through Christian books and educational resources.
Our Mission
- It is our desire to provide good-quality and Biblically sound information and literature.
- That God would use the information that we provide to His honor and glory.
- That many souls would come to salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our Vision
- To Promote literacy.
- To reach the local community with the love of Jesus through Christian books and educational resources.
Board of Directors
We currently operate with a 6-member Board of Directors, 3 of which are from a Conservative Mennonite Church, with the remaining 3 from the Amish Church. Two of our board members also serve on the Book Review Committee.
Sam Stoltzfus John Stoltzfus Arlen Stoltzfus
(Chairman, Gap PA) (Treasurer, Parkesburg PA) (Board Member and Advisor, Morgantown PA)
West Haven Amish Mennonite Church (Book Review Committee) West Haven Amish Mennonite Church
West Haven Amish Mennonite Church
Manny Zook Jonas King Emanuel Zook (Free Indeed)
(Secretary, Gap PA) (Board Member and Advisor, Coatesville PA) (Board Member and Advisor, Paradise PA)
(Book Review Committee)
Amish Church (No Photo) Amish Church (No Photo) Amish Church (No Photo)
Book Review Committee
We currently operate with a 13-member Book Review Committee
Alvin & Esther Stoltzfus Dave & Linda King Lillian King
(Parkesburg, PA) (Parkesburg, PA) (Parkesburg, PA)
West Haven Amish Mennonite Church West Haven Amish Mennonite Church West Haven Amish Mennonite Church
Johnathan & Melissa King Elam & Anna King
(Honey Brook, PA) (Gap, PA)
West Haven Amish Mennonite Church Amish Church (No Photo)
Partner With Us:
We Need Your Help in the following ways!
- Prayer. “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16b).
- Donations. A Christian library like ours does not receive public tax dollars like a regular public library would. Your donation of any amount goes a long way in helping us reach the public with Christian books and literature.
- Monthly Dedicated Giving. Do you have the resources and ability to donate on an ongoing basis? Our monthly sponsors help us to plan ahead and aid in covering ongoing costs associated with operating a Christian library which is opened to the public.
- Volunteering. Do you, your family, friends, or youth group, have a little extra time on hand? Would you like to have a way to help promote literacy in our community? Consider volunteering at Stoltzfus Christian Library! We currently have the following positions open:
- Book Preparation. We are actively adding new books to the library throughout the year. Work in your own time by helping us with book preparation. All our soft cover books need to be wrapped with clear coat book wrap before being added to the library. The benefits of helping with this include having a sneak preview of the new books being added to the library. Book preparation and repair can be done from the comfort of your own home or by coming to the library. If you prefer to do this from your home, we can schedule a delivery and pickup of a box of books and book wrap.
- Librarian. Do you have an extra hour or more per week to spend at the library? You can help us by checking in books, repairing books, returning books to the shelves, and even adding new books to the library.
- Book Review Committee. Are you a born-again believer? Do you have a passion for Christian books and literature? Consider joining our Book Review Committee! The Book Review Committee helps screen books and content coming into the library to ensure the content is appropriate and holds a high standard for our Christian community.
- Cleaning. Yes, the library needs consistent cleaning. We could also use help with more of a deep cleaning of the library (and bookmobile-to-be☺) every quarter year or so.
- Schedule a Group. We are now accepting groups to help with book preparation, book repairs, and cleaning. Call ahead to schedule a group. We will let you know what dates and times we have available.
- Spreading the word. Do you appreciate Stoltzfus Christian Library? Tell others about it! We always enjoy seeing families who like to read and who put our books to good use!
Once again, we want to thank you for your support! It is greatly appreciated! Whether it was volunteering your time to help in the library, wrapping soft-cover books, borrowing books, donating books, giving donations, or praying for us, we thank you very much! May God bless you richly! Without your support, we could not continue to operate a Christian library for the local community.
May God bless you as you continue serving Him!
Sincerely,
Samuel Stoltzfus, Administrator
P. S. We are again enclosing a contribution reply card and envelope for those of you who want to help keep the library in operation. Please check the appropriate box to let us know how you want your donation to be used.
If you would like to make an anonymous donation, you can do so through Anabaptist Foundation
(800) 653-9817.
Stoltzfus Christian Library is an official 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization and is funded by your donations.
“Reading is a passport to countless adventures.” -Mary Pope Osborne
“A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.” -Unknown
“Words are powerful. Words change lives; words and ideas change the world.” -Bryant H. McGill
“You cannot make people learn. You can only provide the right conditions for learning to happen.” -Vince Gowmon
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” —Emilie Buchwald