Second Congregational Church

When the head of the San Diego Zoo ordered two giraffes for the Zoo, "because there were no giraffes in California," a fascinating novel unfolded about the transporting of these beloved animals across the country. The trip took place in the late 1930's before the construction of the national highway system. The characters are wild, and so was the journey!

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede is the story of what happened when the United States air space was closed and 38 jet liners were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001. The citizens of this small community and surrounding towns were called upon to care for thousands of distraught travelers. This is the inspiring story of how a town of barely 10,000 cared for nearly 7,000 passengers with gestures of friendship, acts of kindness, and attitudes of goodwill at a moment’s notice.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is inspired when a friend of her older brother about to leave for duty in Vietnam says to her, “Women can be heroes.” In spite of the lack of support from her family, Frankie enlists and becomes an army nurse — fresh out of nursing school and as green and inexperienced as the men sent to fight in Vietnam. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her friends. Fans of Kristin Hannah (The Nightingale, The Great Alone) will recognize her detailed historical research and rich prose in The Women, her latest novel. The book group meets in the church parlor.

June 25, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and come for the discussion. in the church parlor; The plot takes place in Chicken Hill, a small town in Pennsylvania, where Black, Jewish, and European immigrants, rich and poor, old and young, collide — defending, fighting, entertaining, feeding, and sheltering one another.

The next Second Congregational Church Book Club selection is "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" by Robert Dugoni. A discussion will take place in the church parlor on Tue, May 21, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm. (Note: this is the third Tue of the month.) "Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called Devil Boy or Sam Hell by his classmates. "God's will" is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyedbyhis mother's devout faith, his father's practical wisdom and his two other misfit friends. Forty years later, Sam is a small-town eye doctor until a tragedy causes him to run from pain, eyes closed. Sam embarks on a journey halfway around the world. This time his eyes are wide open and he finally sees what truly matters. (from a Google book review)

Have you ever watched a storm on the ocean and wondered on the power of God? Or perhaps viewed the a flower blossom still to unfold and had thoughts about the beauty and fragility in life? Some call this kind of contemplation finding the "Holy in the ordinary." Join others to discuss Anne Morrow Lindberg's "Gift From the Sea."