Memo: For Ministry of Strange, Unusual, and Impossible Things Operatives Only RE: The Ministry of SUITs by Paul Gamble (winner of the Eilís Dillon award for a first children’s book) A series of strange incidents have been reported in Belfast: * Oddball kids are going missing * There are several unconfirmed signs of pirates. * A wild bear known to be a very sore loser at musical statues has escaped from the museum and is on the rampage. Fortunately, our newest recruits, Jack Pearse, a curious boy skilled at logical thinking and seeing what's actually there, and Trudy Emerson, the most dangerous girl in his school, are on the case. As per Ministry policy, they are currently being trained in the use of The Speed (patent pending) and will have full access to Ministry supplies (assuming they manage to navigate the paperwork without going insane), so we are confident that they will succeed in their mission to discover and foil this villainous plot. Please provide all assistance possible, as a) they don't know who they are actually up against, b) the world is much stranger than they realized, and c) they are only 12 and have to be in bed by 10 p.m. P.S.-Could all Ministry operatives who have borrowed dinosaurs in the past two weeks please return them? We're running low on inventory.

More Strange, Unusual, and Impossible things are happening in The Knight's Armor, the third and final volume in Paul Gamble's hilarious Ministry of SUITs middle-grade series... MEMO: For Ministry of SUITs operatives ONLY Be on the alert! A missing agent (the mother of one of our newest recruits) is possibly being kept prisoner somewhere in Belfast. We have unconfirmed reports of: - allergies transforming normal kids into monsters - health food that works a bit too well - abnormal gatherings of suspicious birds - and movie props moving on their own. If you have any information about these or any other strange incidents, please contact recruits Jack Pearse, a curious boy skilled in logical thinking, and Trudy Emerson, the most dangerous girl in school. We are confident that they are on the right track, as our newest villain has already tried to kill Jack several times. And please hurry . . . this plot does involve Trudy's mother, and if we take too long she might punch us. Again.

Memo: For Ministry of Strange, Unusual, and Impossible Things Operatives Only Re: The Monster's Daughter by Paul Gamble There is more trouble in Belfast: odd things are happening at the aquarium, giant crabs are staging jail breaks, and formerly harmless bath bombs are destroying bathrooms left and right. Fortunately, our brave new recruits—Jack, a curious boy skilled at logical thinking, and Trudy, the most dangerous girl in school—are on the case. Armed with the best Ministry training (as long as you don't panic everything will be fine) and full access to Ministry supplies (those that weren't ruined in the recent flood), we are confident that they can discover and foil this villainous plot. Please give them all possible assistance. Oh, and be sure not to share their location, as Jack is still on the run from the Tooth Fairy.

FANTASY & MAGICAL REALISM (CHILDREN'S / TEENAGE). The Ministry of SUITs is a debut novel for boys and girls aged 10+from Paul Gamble. A novel full of adventure, hilarity, heroism and ... pirates, The Ministry of SUITs tells the story of a secret Ministry hidden away in the far reaches of the Ulster Museum in Belfast. It deals with all the strange, unusual and impossible things in the world, the things we don't want to have to think about or deal with as perfectly-normal-thank-you-very-much people: ancient monsters, wild animals, pirates, aliens and much more. Some people are born to work in the Ministry, and 12-year-old Jack is one of those people. Endlessly curious, perhaps to a level that might be called nosy, Jack finds himself and his frenemy Trudy as the Ministry's newest recruits. And their first mission? To find out where all the school oddbods are disappearing to ... Ages 9+

The Bible is clear that women as well as men are created in God's image and intended to serve him with their lives. But what does this look like for women in the church? Helping church leaders think through what a Bible-centered women’s ministry looks like, this collection of essays by respected Bible teachers and authors such as Gloria Furman, Nancy Guthrie, and Susan Hunt addresses a variety of topics relevant to women. Whether exploring the importance of intergenerational relationships, the Bible’s teaching on sexuality, or women’s roles in the church and the home, this book of wise teaching and practical instruction will become a must-have resource for anyone interested in bolstering the health and vitality of Christian women in the context of the local church.

The 1980s and 1990s, the height of the AIDS crisis in the United States, was decades ago now, and many of the stories from this time remain hidden: A Catholic nun from a small Midwestern town packs up her life to move to New York City, where she throws herself into a community under assault from HIV and AIDS. A young priest sees himself in the many gay men dying from AIDS and grapples with how best to respond, eventually coming out as gay and putting his own career on the line. A gay Catholic with HIV loses his partner to AIDS and then flees the church, focusing his energy on his own health rather than fight an institution seemingly rejecting him. Set against the backdrop of the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the late twentieth century and the Catholic Church's crackdown on gay and lesbian activists, journalist Michael O'Loughlin searches out the untold stories of those who didn't look away, who at great personal cost chose compassion--even as he seeks insight for LGBTQ people of faith struggling to find a home in religious communities today. This is one journalist's--gay and Catholic himself--compelling picture of those quiet heroes who responded to human suffering when so much of society--and so much of the church--told them to look away. These pure acts of compassion and mercy offer us hope and inspiration as we continue to confront existential questions about what it means to be Americans, Christians, and human beings responding to those most in need.

"Christians belong in churches--the only places where we can thrive and grow spiritually. In Why Church Matters, Joshua Harris makes this case with wisdom, clarity, and graciousness." --Charles W. Colson Church isn't where we go. It's who we are. We were never meant to live our faith in isolation. The church is the place God uses to grow us, encourage us, and use our gifts for His glory. In this honest, personal, and practical book, Joshua Harris shows you why it's time to say yes to church and how to find the right one for you--the place where you can fall in love with the family of God. Includes: What you miss when you miss church Ten questions to ask before you join How to get more out of the best day of the week What Readers are Saying: "This book shows the place of great honor that church holds in Christ's heart and encourages us to value what He values. I've bought multiple copies to give away." --Mike Neglia; Cork, Ireland "Josh Harris does an excellent job of addressing our impulse to church hop." --Garrett Watkins; Atlanta, Georgia "When our family was in the midst of a transition, Why Church Matters helped us find the right local church. It will do the same for you." --Andrew Hall; Ilderton, Ontario Previously published as Stop Dating the Church