Frank Carlson Library

Relive the glory of a Pennsylvania canal town through the eyes of those who ministered to the needs of the workers. Betsy Nelson reluctantly returns to her childhood home to care for her failing father, a faithful minister who served the town for years. William Covington, a confirmed bachelor, comes to town to become the new pastor and set aside the luxuries of his birth for service to God. Can Betsy and William find common ground on which to work...

Originally published in 1859, "Adam Bede" is the first novel by George Eliot, which was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. Eliot was one of the leading British writers of the Victorian era, as well as a noted journalist, poet, and translator. "Adam Bede" concerns a small, tight-knit, and fictional rural community called Hayslope and the romantic drama that develops between four of its young residents: the title character Adam, a young carpenter, the...

Commited to building his new church, dynamic young preacher Paul Hudson loses sight of the purer intentions of his ministry and struggles to choose between his own will and God's plan.

As a teen, Kristy Smith spent her nights dreaming of a college scholarship - dreams that ended abruptly when she became pregnant. Now Kristy works hard to support her young son, Jason, and her ailing grandmother, staving off regrets about the chances that slipped away. When Craig Houston became a pastor, he envisioned making a difference in some distant, poverty-stricken country, not dealing with youth groups and shut-ins in a tidy suburb like Fairbrook....

"Annie Zook, the preacher's daughter, struggles to keep her promise to her father--to abandon her art for a full six months. Will Annie's intention to join the Amish church be derailed by the attention of a handsome Englisher?"--Provided by publisher.

"Two lifelong friends, a bartender and a pastor, decide to trade places the week before Christmas and end up finding love along the way in this delightful novel from the queen of holiday stories, #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber. Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax are best friends, but their lives couldn't be more different. Peter is a local pastor who is dedicated to his community. He spends his time visiting the flock, attending...

Cedar Cove is shocked after Pastor Dave Flemming is accused of stealing jewelry. His wife, Emily, doesn't know what to believe, especially since Dave is being so evasive. Then she finds an earring in his pocket. Could he have stolen it--or is he having an affair?

After the murder of Alice Hayward and the suicide of her husband, Reverend Stephen Drew flees the pulpit and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about angels. Heather, identifying deeply with Alice's daughter, Katie, mentors the young girl but soon suspects that Alice's husband may not have killed himself ... and that Alice had secrets only her minister knew.

Father Herman Hoffman, a gifted and innocent young priest who, during his first parish appointment, gets swept up in the "Crisis" after witnessing child abuse in the parish rectory. When he reports the abuse, he is rebuffed by the archbishop and, vilified for denouncing a priest who has been "cleared" by the police, learns the harsh fate of the whistleblower in the contemporary Catholic Church. Later, forced to testify in a court hearing, Father Hoffman...

Now at home again in Mitford, Father Tim and Cynthia find change in the air. Though Father Tim dislikes change, he dislikes retirement even more. A new challenge seems promising until an unexpected event propels him on a painful journey. For years, Father Tim has helped others find forgiveness; now he must find the courage and grace to forgive himself.