Future Book Discussions for January – March 2026

Thursday, January 8, 2026
Start with Hello (and Other Simple Ways to Live as Neighbors)
by Shannan Martin
A simple path to a more deeply connected life

You want more. You want to belong to a community that looks out for each other. You believe in your bones we don’t have to live detached, distracted, and divided. The question is, How? Shannan Martin invites you into deeper connection through simple resets, such as

• Open Door > Perfect Décor. We invite others in, seeking to connect, not impress.

• Familiar > Fussy. We serve tacos and pizza like the feasts they are, because fancy is overrated.

• Tender > Tough. We greet the world with our hearts exposed and our guards down.

Packed with street-level practices and real-talk storytelling, Start with Hello is your field guide for a life of security, camaraderie, and joy. There is no step too small.

Nurturing for Community (2025)

Thursday, February 12, 2026
The Girl with the Louding Voice
by Abi Dare

I don’t just want to be having any kind voice . . .
I want a louding voice.

At fourteen, Adunni dreams of getting an education and giving her family a more comfortable home in her small Nigerian village. Instead, Adunni’s father sells her off to become the third wife of an old man. When tragedy strikes in her new home, Adunni flees to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where she becomes a house-girl to the cruel Big Madam, and prey to Big Madam’s husband. But despite her situation continuously going from bad to worse, Adunni refuses to let herself be silenced. And one day, someone hears her.

Education for Mission (2025)

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Surviving God: A New Vision of God Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors
by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan M. Shaw

Many books have dealt with sexual abuse scandals in the church and the role of pastoral care for survivors. Others have provided liberatory readings of biblical texts to support survivors of sexual violence. Surviving God takes a new approach, centering the voices of sexual abuse survivors while rethinking key Christian beliefs. Starting from experiences of oppression, beliefs that contribute to oppression are challenged, and new, hopeful, and healing beliefs take their place.

Groundbreaking theologians Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan M. Shaw, each a survivor herself, demonstrate how traditional ways of thinking about God are highly problematic, contribute to the problems of sexual abuse, and are not reflective of the God of love and justice at the heart of the gospel. These long-held theologies often perpetuate the problem of sexual abuse and fail to promote healing for survivors. Drawing from their own experiences and the experiences of other survivors, and centering the ways gender intersects with race, sexuality, class, and religion, Kim and Shaw lead us to deep healing and a transformed church that no longer contributes to the devastation of sexual abuse. In this inspiring book, you will discover new ways of thinking about God that are surprising, challenging, and empowering.

Spiritual Growth (2026)