The OPEN BOOK Club

When, who, and how often? Everyone is welcome! You don’t have to attend First Christian Church. In fact, we’d love to include people from the wider community, whether you’ve read the book or not? We meet monthly in our Gathering Room and offer a Zoom option if you can’t join us in person (email 211fccville@gmail.com to request a link for a specific meeting).

What’s it about? The focus will be on books that may lead to spiritual, personal, or community growth, mostly nonfiction but not all. They will also hopefully inspire interesting conversations. This book club is a time of fellowship and community growth. The books are accessible and most are reasonably short.

How do I get more info? Reach out to Kelly Stanley, kellyostanley@me.com, or call or text 765.366.6709.

SCROLL DOWN to see list of meetings and books.

CLICK HERE to print flyer with all books and dates

9/8/25
This is How It Always Is (a novel) by Laurie Frankl

10/13/25
The U.S. Constitution (read it online)—
led by Dr Rick Warner

11/10/25
Every Step a Prayer: Walking as Spiritual Practice—
led by Kevin Toth

12/8/25 Book lovers holiday celebration!
Bring an unwrapped book for a gift exchange, and tell us about
the best book you read this year and why it was meaningful.

1/12/26
Awake (a memoir) by Jen Hatmaker

2/9/26
Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon
of Harm into a Tool of Healing by Zach Lambert

3/9/26
The Dream Hotel: a novel by Laila Lalami

4/13/26
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others
by Barbara Brown Taylor

5/11/26
Disarming Leviathan: Loving your Christian Nationalist
Neighbor by Caleb E. Campbell

6/8/26
Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic
by Reinhold Niebuhr—led by Seth Nunan

Past selections:

  • September 6, 2022 That Which We Already Know by Mark Robert Frank (author will be present for the discussion!)

  • October 4, 2022 The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

  • November 1, 2022 We Are Called to be a Movement by Dr William Barber 

  • December 6, 2022 The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Suzanne Stabile & Ian Morgan Cron

  • January 3, 2023 Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne Lamott

  • February 7, 2023 Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor

  • March 7, 2023 The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

  • April 4, 2023 Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us by Mark Yaconelli

  • May 2, 2023 The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

  • June 6, 2023 Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence by Diana Butler Bass

  • August 8, 2023 Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu

  • September 5, 2023 Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

  • Oct. 3, 2023 Having Nothing, Possessing Everything: Finding Abundant Communities in Unexpected Places

  • Nov. 7, 2023 The Leavers by Lisa Ko

  • Dec. 5, 2023 The Hunger Book: A Memoir from Communist Poland by Agata Izabela Brewer

  • Jan. 2, 2024 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charley Mackesy

  • Feb 6, 2024 Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

  • March 5, 2024 Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler

  • April 2, 2024 Unclobber by Colby Martin

  • May 7, 2024 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

  • June 4, 2024 Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land

  • July 2, 2024 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

  • July 30, 2024 Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray

  • Sept 2, 2024 War Prayer Short story by Mark Twain

  • Sept. 24, 2024 Homeward by Angela Jackson-Brown

  • Nov. 11, 2024 Bring a poem to share

  • December 9, 2024 Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

  • January 10, 2025 Where Am I Giving? with New York Times Bestselling Author Kelsey Timmerman

  • February 10 The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

  • March 10 The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg

  • April 14 Flight Behavior - a novel by Barbara Kingsolver

  • May 12 Life Lessons from a Bad Quaker: A Humble Stumble Toward Simplicity and Grace with author J. Brent Bill

  • June 16 Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism with author Beau Underwood.

  • July 21 The Artist: Ladoga, Indiana with author Kelly O’Dell Stanley