Gracepoint Church Library exists to raise up life-long readers at Gracepoint Berkeley church and all of its church plants: Davis, Austin, Minneapolis, San Diego, Riverside, Hsinchu, Los Angeles, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Seattle, DMV (Fairfax, VA and College Park, MD), Chapel Hill, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and now Chicago!

You might be thinking, “I’m already done being raised, and I’m not a reader. Is there hope for me?” Yes, there is! This website is not only for the children of Gracepoint, but for the college students, and adults too — whether you’re a parent or not. And this website might get so incredibly awesome that people who aren’t affiliated with Gracepoint participate in the conversation, too!

Some of what you’ll be able to find here are book recommendations and reviews for readers of all ages – fiction, non-fiction, and Christian books too. There will be announcements for Bibliopolis, the children’s library at Gracepoint Berkeley that I started back in 2015, and the Gracepoint Berkeley Bookstore as well. We’ve already begun a “For Parents” series of posts addressing some of the most commonly asked questions parents have about reading. And I’m looking forward to regaling you with many of my “When I Was Young” stories of books of yore, as well as posting great reading photos too.

Who’s the person behind Gracepoint Church Library? I’m Emily, the church librarian at Gracepoint Berkeley. My credentials? I worked in public education, and was fairly successful at turning middle and high school aged students on to reading for 15 years. But more importantly, I’ve been an avid reader myself for 42 years. (I realize I’ll have to keep changing this number…) Anyway, I’ll share some of my not-so-secret secrets on this here website!

Aside from sharing the gospel of Christ of course, sharing the latest book “you simply HAVE TO read” is my favorite thing to talk about!

We’re just getting started, so if you have any questions about books or reading you’d like answered, suggestions for posts, or requests for books you’d like to see at either Bibliopolis or Gracepoint Berkeley Church Bookstore, feel free to leave a comment!