News-Record.com

It is amazing that something as small as a discarded book can find a way to better another person’s life. But that’s exactly what has happened for 50 years as a result of St. Francis Episcopal Church’s annual book sales. From the very first sale, when the church was in its infancy, the proceeds have benefited numerous outreach projects in the Triad and around the world.

The sale, which will start Thursday at the church at 3506 Lawndale Drive, lasts three days. But the process of getting ready is continual. Throughout the year, books are collected and sorted weekly by volunteers from the church and community. Among the thousands of donations are children’s books, paperbacks, fiction, religion, gardening, travel, health, cookbooks, history, poetry and rare and valuable editions. The “select” category includes hardbacks in very good condition from 1995 to present.

Setup for the sale begins about 10 days ahead. The parish-wide project requires many volunteers, and the whole church pitches in to help. The sale also has a lot of community support. Companies such as Mateer Storage Trailer Rental and Lankford Security are just a couple of businesses that help make the sale a success. The church is especially thankful for the advisement of rare and valuable books by Bill Moore, a retired director of the Greensboro Historical Museum.

The event has garnered a name for itself as one of the largest and longest-running used book sales in the Southeast. It is estimated that there are more than 50,000 books for sale. Shoppers come from all over North Carolina; the line to get in on opening day usually wraps around the church.

And prices are reasonable. For example, top-of-the-line “select” books cost $3, oversized paperbacks are $1, and small paperbacks are only 50 cents. On the second day of the sale, prices will be slashed and on the third day a paper grocery bag full of books of the shopper’s choice will go for $5. Last year the proceeds for outreach exceeded $30,000.

After the money is totaled, the St. Francis Outreach Committee will review the needs of organizations that request assistance and will make donations. Recent recipients include Habitat for Humanity, Barnabas Furniture Ministry, Horsepower, Room at the Inn of the Triad, Guilford Interfaith Housing Coalition, Greensboro Urban Ministry, Servant Center, HealthServe and several mission trips.

The sale will continue through Saturday. The days of the sale were changed to include a Saturday this year to increase traffic and volunteer opportunities. Book donations can be made at any time at the church.

Drawing on the Franciscan principles of simplicity, compassion and hope, St. Francis Episcopal Church is proud of the simplicity of turning an unwanted item into hope for the needy and of the compassion of the volunteers and book lovers who have supported this project for half a century.

Donna Ehinger is a member of St. Francis and one of the 2008 book sale chairwomen.

Faith Matters is a column written by people of diverse faiths. To write a column, contact Nancy H. McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com