For Our Religious Lives: Best-Selling Books at GA 2001

The following 10 books were the top sellers at the UUA Bookstore at General Assembly in June in Cleveland, OH. To order, contact the bookstore at (800) 215-9076, bookstore@uua.org, or www.uua.org/bookstore.

The Premise and the Promise: The Story of the Unitarian Universalist Association, by Warren R. Ross. Using material culled from 60-plus interviews and writing in accessible prose, Ross weaves a compelling tale of the union of the Unitarians and the Universalists in 1961 and the journey since then. (Skinner House, 2001) 240 pp. # 6148 $24.

Belonging: The Meaning of Membership, by the UUA Commission on Appraisal. What do people seek from their congregations? What do congregations owe their membership? (UUA, 2001) 138 pp. # 7252 $12.

100 Meditations, Vol. One, (retitled Day of Promise) compiled by Kathleen Montgomery, UUA executive vice president. One hundred prose and poetry selections from 38 UUA meditation manuals published since 1961. (Skinner House, 2000) 160 pp. # 5357 $14.

Essex Conversations, Visions for Lifespan Religious Education. More than 30 religious educators explore goals for the new century. (Skinner House, 2001). 336 pp. # 2010 $16.

Dancing in the Empty Spaces, UUA meditation manual for 2001, by the Rev. David O. Rankin. "Wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove, David Rankin has gifted us with a bracing and telling book of meditations," says the Rev. Forrest Church. (Skinner House, 2001) 64 pp. #5371 $8.

Thematic Preaching, An Introduction, by Revs. Jane Rzepka and Ken Sawyer. "At long last an exquisite book for preachers who take life as their sacred text," writes Rebecca Parker, president of Starr King School of Ministry. Rzepka is senior minister of Church of the Larger Fellowship in Boston, and Sawyer is senior minister of First Parish in Wayland, MA. (Chalice, 2001) 256 pp. # 7132 $26.99.

The Gender Knot, Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy, by Allan Johnson. The Gender Knot charts a course around three questions: What are we participating in and how are we choosing to participate in it? How do typical ways of thinking about gender blind us? What can men and women do to make a difference? (Temple Univ. Press, 1997) 288 pp. # 3727 $19.95.

Creating Congregations of Generous People, by Michael Durall. Strategies for building gift giving. How to increase your church's spiritual growth while implementing an annual stewardship appeal. (Alban, 1999) 112 pp. # 7018 $13.95.

This Piece of Eden, Meditations, by Vanessa Rush Southern. "With all of our different backgrounds and experiences, it is inevitable that we will bump up against each other on occasion. Bumping up against each other, however, can be divine." A UUA Meditation Manual for 2001. (Skinner House, 2001) 72 pp. # 5372 $8.00

The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide, Third Edition, edited by the Rev. John Buehrens. Updated edition includes essays on our faith, heritage, worship, religious education, ministry, and UU history dates. Classic resource for visitors and new members. (Skinner House, 1999). 120 pp. # 6070 $5.00.