As a congregation that over the years has had several retired seminary professors in its midst and that is part of a denomination that values education, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church has been fortunate to have an extensive, high-quality library of books related to theology and Christian faith and practice.
These holdings include Bible commentaries, concordances, Biblical language books, Bibles, and books about theology, reported associate pastor The Rev. Judy Thomson.
The church recently decided to make its special collection available to the community and so contacted Lancaster Community Library (LCL) director Lindsy Gardner. In this particular area of scholarship, St. Andrews’ holdings exceed those of the library.
According to the plan that evolved, the library has posted a small sign in its theology section. The sign directs library patrons to the front desk, where there is a list of the several hundred volumes held in St. Andrews’ library, said Rev. Thomson.
Patrons who determine that books on the St. Andrews list would be helpful to them are invited to contact the church about coming by to use the books, she said. The church’s library includes a work table with chairs and has wifi access. The church at 435 East Church Street, Kilmarnock, is open Monday through Friday for library use. The phone number is 435-3948.
The LCL has seen many visits from students from Virginia University of Lynchburg’s Burgess campus, who are working on theology degrees, said Gardner. She said the holdings at St. Andrews would be of interest to them.
Members of area churches who have been asked to lead Bible studies or make presentations have sought resources at LCL and might also be interested in St. Andrews’ resources, she said.
