November 2021 Library Update

Nov. 2021: The Tale of Dr. Bessie

Dear CLC Members,

A lot more books are arriving at the church library! Thanks to donations from our ornament sale in July, I was able to purchase many new books from Concordia Publishing House’s fall warehouse sale (CPH is our Synod’s publisher). The new books are all listed below this letter and will be available soon to check out. For those interested, the painted ornaments and magnets will be available again in December. It’s $5 for an ornament and $1 for a magnet.

One of the new books that captured my interest was Hero of Faith, which gives a short account of the life of Dr. Bessie Rehwinkel (1873-1972) who studied and practiced medicine at a time when female doctors were practically unheard of. Her connection to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod started when she married her husband Alfred, who was a pastor. After reading this short account of her life, I was eager to learn more and tracked down Dr. Bessie’s fascinating autobiography, simply titled “Dr. Bessie.”
 
After four years of medical school, Dr. Bessie began her practice in a small Iowa town and after a slow start, began to pick up patients (that first week, she had to try very hard to convince a farmer whose wife was giving birth that she was a real doctor and not an assistant). While successful in her practice, there were many hardships in Dr. Bessie’s life. After her brother and his wife passed away within a few months of each other, she took on care for her three young nieces despite the challenges of being the sole breadwinner and knowing that she was now unlikely to get married and have her own family. When the Panic of 1907 wiped out many financially, Dr. Bessie packed up her office equipment and moved her nieces to a free homestead in Wyoming to start over.
 
It was while pioneering on the prairie that Dr. Bessie met her husband Alfred, 14 years her junior, who had torn up his leg on a fence after his horse got spooked. At age 39, she married him and they moved to the Canadian frontier to build up the church there. Together they had three children. Eventually, they ended up at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, which is still one of two seminaries that trains pastors in the Missouri Synod.
 
Dr. Bessie’s accounts of the challenges of being a doctor back then (like traveling out to calls in a horse and buggy), pioneering on the prairie (she was caught in a sudden blizzard and almost died), and the growth of the Lutheran church in Canada are all fascinating accounts and well worth the read.
 
This autobiography and all of the new books are located on their own shelf next to the Noah’s Ark bulletin board. Be sure to check them out!

Happy reading,

Kaylin
Church Librarian

NEW BOOKS:
Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah
Thirty Days in God’s Word
Alive Before You Were Born: God’s Gift of Life (Children’s story book)
How Long, O Lord? Hope and Help When You Have Been Deeply Hurt
Joy: A Study of Phillipians
Enough for Now: Unpacking God’s Sufficiency
Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing
The Mercy of God in the Cross of Christ
Objections Overruled: Answering Common Objections to Christianity (Issues, Etc.)
Church Cookbook (2016)
Arch: Born on Christmas Morn
Hero of Faith: Dr. Bessie Rehwinkel
Dr. Bessie, an Autobiography
Hero of Faith: Dorothea Craemer
Hero of Faith: Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg
Discipleship Series: He Shall Come Again
Discipleship Series: The Gospel According to Paul
Discipleship Series: Free in Christ, Free to Serve
Discipleship Series: The Lord’s Supper
Discipleship Series: Ask, Seek, Knock
Lutheranism 101: All About Jesus
Concordia Reader’s Edition: The Smalcald Articlesand The Power and Primacy of the Pope
The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther
Called to Be God’s People: An Introduction to the Old Testament
Jesus: A Study on the Words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado
The Greatest Words Ever Spoken: Everything Jesus Said About You, Your Life, and Everything Else
5 Things You Can Do to Make Your Marriage Stronger
5 Things You Can Do to Witness Christ
Ladylike: Living Biblically
Redeeming Technology: A Christian Approach to Healthy Digital Habits
Arch: How Enemies Became Friends
Arch: Good News from Naaman
Arch: Moses and the Bronze Snake
Mean Words Hurt: A Bible Lesson Coloring Book

LOCATION:
The library is located past the Fellowship Hall by the Sunday School office.

HOW TO CHECK OUT A BOOK:
Remove the card from the inside back cover. Write down your name and the date of check-out. Deposit the card in the small basket by the Sunday School bulletin board. Church library books can be checked out 2 months. When finished, please return the book to the basket on the floor to be re-shelved. Remember to return materials to ensure they are available for years to come.

DONATIONS:
If you are interested in making a monetary donation to the church library, please get in touch with the Office. Funds help purchase new books (especially new releases from Concordia Publishing House). New materials are supported entirely through donations. Thank you for supporting this ministry.