Advocate Press publishes two more books
Two more UMCSC books are now available from the Advocate Press: “Recollections: Stories from My Life in the Ministry,” by Dr. Roger M. Gramling, and “Raise Your Ebenezer: A Field Guide to Suffering,” by Dr. Ted Goshorn.
The Advocate Press is the publishing arm of the Advocate newspaper, producing books of interest to South Carolina United Methodists on matters of faith and to amplify regional voices and those that advocate for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
In “Recollections,” Gramling offers insightful, humorous and honest reflections from a personal perspective about his long career in the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. Gramling entered ordained ministry at the beginning of the most important racial merger in the denomination’s history, and he retired on the threshold of the most significant fracturing of the denomination in South Carolina and beyond.
In “Recollections,” he shares his memoir of a life serving the church—a ministry that brought him into close contact with unusual, extraordinary individuals who helped shape the denomination in remarkable ways.
Retired UMC Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey said, “Recollections is the result of Roger’s meticulous record of notes, primary sources, personal relationships, and remarkable memory. Persons with history and experience in South Carolina United Methodism over the last half century will find that this memoir contains delightful stories, humor, history, honesty, and the personal perspective of one steeped in love for his church, respect for his colleagues, and appreciation for the role he has been privileged to play in it all.”
In “Raise Your Ebenezer,” Goshorn offers a new perspective on suffering for those who are walking in times of despair. As he asks, what do we do when suffering seems to grab onto us and not let go? When we might know in our heads the pain will not last forever, but our hearts and souls have yet to realize this truth?
“Raise Your Ebenezer” is a deeply personal field guide to suffering that arose out of Goshorn’s own wilderness of physical, emotional and financial despair. In Hebrew, the word “ebenezer” means “stone of help,” and that’s exactly what this book is meant to do—help readers craft their own unique pathway to hope in the midst of difficulty.
A practical, spiritual handbook, every chapter contains a space for readers to log their own “Field Notes” to reflect and better understand how to trust God, how to make sense of the valley of suffering, how to survive in this wilderness, and ultimately, how to turn toward a future rooted in joy.
United Methodist Bishop David Graves calls it “a gift to all those who are working through their own difficult circumstances,” and Dr. Ryan Bonfiglio of The Candler Foundry calls it “a compelling field guide for what it means to cultivate hope, resilience, and authenticity through the most difficult seasons of life.”
These bring the total number of books produced by the Advocate Press to 32. The books are available for purchase https://www.advocatesc.org/books and most are also available on Amazon as a paperback or ebook.