On October 26 the Grenfell Christian Bookshop will celebrate its fiftieth birthday with a special afternoon tea for all past and present volunteers.
This weekend – October 18 and 19– the Grenfell Christian Bookshop will be conducting its main annual fundraiser, a two day street stall outside IGA.
The Grenfell Christian Bookshop first opened in what is now The Gunyah on October 28, 1974.
The main proponent was Marcia Goodwin who had come to Grenfell with her electrician husband at the start of the decade, but she was well-supported by a group of ladies from across the churches who saw in such a shop the opportunity to resource the local community with Christian-related books and other stock not readily available elsewhere.
Its constitution describes it as a non-profit, non-denominational organisation with the primary aims of making Christian literature available at reasonable cost (the shop still absorbs the cost of freight on orders) and being a place of Christian outreach.
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At first the Bookshop was open only one afternoon a week but as available stock and number of volunteers increased this was extended to several afternoons.
The Bookshop moved twice to new main street locations in the 70s and continued to be an active witness to and resource provider for the community.
In November 1980 significant stepping out in faith occurred with the purchase of the current premises – no more packing up and moving! – and opening hours were extended to six days a week.
The shop and shop front date to the later middle 1800s and is part of the main street historical precinct.
Despite its name it became far more than just a bookshop.
As well as expanding its range of stock into cards, AV resources and gift items it maintained a high profile within the community running craft days, witness walks, Carols by Candlelight, letter box drops, an Annual Frail Aged Luncheon and having floats in the Henry Lawson Festival procession and stalls at the Grenfell Show.
The Bookshop was the catalyst for the opening of similar shops in surrounding towns – Cowra (still operating), Young, West Wyalong and Cootamundra.
Prior to their openings Manager Marcia Goodwin would travel to these towns with a carload of stock as an outreach.
Original signatories to the setting up of the Bookshop were the Grenfell churches – the Uniting, Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and Salvation Army churches with the Family Church joining a bit later– and volunteers in the Bookshop come from all except the Salvation Army who have their own general shop next door.
Volunteers do routine cleaning and decorate the window while the current Manager has responsibility for managing the less active in the community although it was a finalist in the 2016 Weddin Business Awards: People’s Choice and Excellence in Business categories, and has twice in the last decade received a Highly Commended in the Henry Lawson Festival window dressing competition.
Recently it has become a key drop-off point for the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.
But it continues to be a source of Christian books and Bibles for the community and also offers a great range of cards and gifts.
As well it is a good place to come in for a chat and cuppa …
Visitors to town are often surprised to find the Bookshop and commend it for continuing to operate when similar shops in other much larger towns have closed permanently.
Why not visit the Bookshop during this time of celebration?
The following people have served on the Bookshop executive over the past fifty
years, some more than once:
Managers: Marcia Goodwin, Jean Mollison, Elizabeth Ranger, Marian Walker, Chloe
Pailthorpe, Cait Batkin, Catherine Knapp, Marian Walker.
Presidents: Beryl Stiff, Margaret Whiteman, Bessie Hinde, Kay Fowler, Shirley Schneider,
Muriel Bristow, Gwen Vyner, Marion Knapp, Ruth Jackson, Laura Aston, Marian Walker, Merle Hunter, Anne Gault, Jill Hodgson.
Secretaries: Norma Hockridge, Nancy Hancock, Gwen. Coy, Elaine Weekes, Muriel Bristow,
Shirley Schneider, Toni Dunn, Pat Berman, Joan Smith, Merle Hunter, Sue Seymour, Jan
Wallace.
Treasurers: Bessie Hinde, N, Watson, Beryl Stiff, Maisie Taylor, Ruth Jackson, Maureen Hunt, Marian Walker, Murray Walker (for the last twenty years
