Like many mission-minded congregations in WELS, members of Trinity, Bay City, Mich., were looking for new ways to reach out to the community around them. However, they faced an interesting challenge. According to Richard Starr, pastor at Trinity, the congregation is located in the midst of the largest Lutheran population per capita in the United States. The solution? Amazing Grace, the congregation’s new Christian book store.

“It gives us an opportunity to nurture our own members and reach out to others,” says Starr. “It’s also a way to get biblically-sound materials into the hands of more people.”

Since it opened last October, the book store has been doing just that. With a coffee bar and a variety of Northwestern Publishing House literature and music available, Starr says the store stays busy. He estimates that well over 1,000 people have visited—many of whom are not WELS.

“A Baptist minister came in, and he had been searching and searching for a good commentary on the book of Psalms,” says Starr. “He bought John Brug’s commentary on Psalms, and he was just delighted with it, just thrilled. He sat down, read it, and said, ‘This is just what I’ve been looking for; this is what I need! I’m going to tell my people about your store.’ ”

Other customers are looking for help with life issues. “One woman came in—she had two little ones with her,” Starr remembers. “When one of the volunteers asked if they could help her, she shared her story. She said, ‘I want to raise my children to know their Savior, but my husband doesn’t want anything to do with God or the church. It’s just a battle in my home whenever I bring up Christ.’ ” Starr says the woman eventually left with the book Spiritually Single. Two days later she came back and shared that the book had given her the direction and support she needed for her family’s situation.

“It’s these kinds of stories that let us know the store is accomplishing its purpose—and that is to get the Word out,” says Starr.

He says he hopes that in the future the store will generate enough funds for Trinity to start other ministries. “We want to continue to do outreach,” he says. “If the book store allows us to do that while supporting [another ministry] like a pregnancy counseling center, that’s what we’ll be looking to do.”