Books I've Recently Enjoyed
Serena by Ron Rash
A lovely tale — no, a rather dark and tragic tale told in a lovely manner — of a logging camp west of Asheville, NC in the early part of last century. Rash’s main character is almost unique to American literature, a remarkable majestically powerful woman of utter selfishness and homicidal tendencies. Alluring, though. I recently also enjoyed Rash’s previous novel, Saints at the River, and am glad to have found such a talented author who seems to bask in the natural beauty and cultural complexity of the Appalachians.
Rural Ministry: The Shape of the Renewal to Come edited by L. Shannon Jung.
I enjoyed this primer on rural ministry, though it does feel its publication date of 1998. Jung and a group of rural ministry folk describe the history of rural ministry, current challenges, and a vision for the future. I found the historical and contextual discussions quite interesting, (e.g. a good discussion of the farm crisis) but got annoyed at some more prescriptive parts (e.g. though there was discussion of non-traditional ministry becoming more common, it seemed like the assumed rural pastor was still a full-time stay-long pastor with the ability to make very little money). I’m eager to read more in the genre, though, so please suggest other newer rural ministry books. Ultimately, I do accept the book’s message that a renewal of rural ministry is coming, but I’m unsure of the details and the book doesn’t suggest many.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks, a rich, smart, high schooler at a New England prep school finds herself asserting her mental muscle by messing with an old boys club, literally. Part mystery part coming-of-age tale, Frankie balances her feminist instincts with her desire to date the popular guy. How does a gorgeous young woman deal appropriately deal with an entrenched patriarchal culture? The tale is more of a modest proposal than a blueprint, but it’s done with wit, at least. It’s a fun (young adult) book, a quick read, but able to be analyzed for many larger questions. I do recommend it.
image by lusi
Connect Online
Adam – The rural ministry book is by L. Shannon Jung, not Sharon Jung. It was written while he was a seminary prof in Dubuque. He was a major influence in the “Rural Ministry Conference” held in March of each year in Dubuque, where there are Presbyterian and Lutheran seminaries. This conference is a major reason I’m in rural ministry today.
There’s more cooperation among denominations in rural areas, and I believe it is possible that rural congregations will show us the way forward very soon. I’m not sure there really needs to be a rural ministry genre. Most areas of ministry are unaffected by location. Rural folks are rather independent, unlikely to step into the pastor office to seek out counseling, and are frequently going to be lifting up rain as a prayer concern.
It could rain 10 days in a row here, and folks would never tell me to pray for it to stop so they can get in the fields. But they will tell me that I can stop praying for rain for a little while.
Rural ministry books should be more about helping the new or potential rural pastor to understand how life is going to be different for the pastor. Stores close every night, even convenience stores. You may live 30 minutes or more from the nearest Walmart, and even further to a Mall. There may be areas where your cell phone doesn’t work. Farmers think it’s great to have you stop by and ride on the tractor or in the combine. And there are plenty of mistakes that would be easy for the city slicker to make in rural areas – and one of the biggest is not realizing that most people are related. Another is that word of mouth travels very quickly and very far.
I think there’s a book to be made – a book for new rural pastors, by those who have been around the section a few times. (A section is a mile by a mile, and is very different than going around the block in a larger city.)
Thanks DennisS for that info on Shannon (not Sharon). My mistake. I just got some info on that rural ministry conference in March. It looks pretty good.
Yes, totally, the interdenominational work of rural congregations is really great. It’s a mainstay of my work here, and my closest colleagues are Lutheran (I think the closest Presbyterian church is 45 mins away, and they have a Methodist pastor).
And, yes, EVERYONE is related! Love it, though.
I loved Serena, too. I can also recommend Barbara Kingsolver’s new novel, Lacuna, and Irving’s Last Night at Twisted River. I was floored by Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle and was glad that I read her next book, Half Broke Horses, first, as it tells the story of her grandmother (The Glass Castle is the story of her own life). Nothing like a six-week convalescence to get you caught up on your reading! I have more….!
Thanks, Kim. I almost bought Lacuna the other night at a bookstore in town that’s going out of business. Darn. I’ll add it to my list. Last Night at Twisted River is still in hardcover, but I’m a huge Irving fan — well, I enjoy his stories if not take heart in their meaning. I’ll add Jeannette Walls’ as well, and speaking of memoirs, I want to read “Lit” by Mary Karr which seems to be written-up everywhere these days! Unfortunate, but sounds like, indeed, there are benefits to convalescence…