June 10, 2016 by SummaSys

James Campbell’s “What Do You Say?” is the Sunbury Press bestseller for May

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for May. James Campbell’s aid to pastors handling the elderly, What Do You Say? earned the top spot. Winter of the Metal People by Dennis Herrick was second.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for May, 2016 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	NEW	What Do You Say?	James Campbell	Pastoral Resources
2	20	Winter of the Metal People	Dennis Herrick	Historical Fiction
3	3	Choice of Enemies	M A Richards	Spy Thriller
4	5	Israel Under Siege	Scot McCauley	Espionage Fiction
5	—	The Oxygen Factory	Renee des Lauriers	YA Dystopian Fiction
6	12	The B Team	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction
7	—	Blue Lines Up In Arms	James Craig Atchison	Thriller Fiction
8	4	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, 2nd Ed.	Mike Campbell	History
9	6	Where Elephants Fought	Bridget Smith	Historical Fiction
10	—	The Penns’ Manor of Spread Eagle and the Grist Mills of the Mahantango Valley	Steve Troutman	History
11	—	Call Sign Dracula	Joe Fair	Vietnam Memoir
12	14	Between Good and Evil	R Michael Phillips	Detective Thriller
13	NEW	The Mask of Minos	Robert Walton	Thriller Fiction
14	—	Rising Sun Descending	Wade Fowler	Historical Fiction
15	—	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History
16	—	Keystone Tombstones Civil War	Joe Farrell, Joe Farley & Lawrence Knorr	History
17	—	Keep It Blue	Haley Dean	Literary Fiction
18	—	Ionica	Catalina Petcov	Memoir
19	11	Freemasons at Gettysburg	Sheldon Munn	History
20	7	The Closer	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction
21	—	Going Home	Sharon Marchisello	Thriller Fiction
22	—	GXM731	Terry Ray	Science Fiction
23	30	That Night at Surigao	Ernie Marshall	History
24	9	The Ripper’s Haunts	Michael Hawley	History
25	—	Seeking Samiel	Catherine Jordan	Thriller Fiction
26	13	A Moment in the Sun	Tory Gates	YA Fiction
27	NEW	Death by Internet	Joe Carvalko	Speculative Fiction
28	—	Pink Flamingos All Around	Matt Anderson	Childrens
29	—	The Bookseller’s Secret	Catherine Jordan	Thriller Fiction
30	—	The Devil Tree	Keith Rommel	Thriller Fiction

James Campbell’s “What Do You Say?” returned to print for the first time in 25 years and took the top spot thanks to author activities. “Winter of the Metal People” by Dennis Herrick climbed to #2 due to a large order from a school district in New Mexico. M A Richards’ spy thriller “A Choice of Enemies” held at #3 due to the author’s tour of bookstores in the northeast. Admiral McCauley’s international thriller “Israel Under Siege” notched up to #4 thanks to bookstore orders. “The Oxygen Factory,” the YA dystopian novel from Renee des Lauriers returned to the rankings at #5 due to author activities. Alan Mindell’s “The B Team” took #6 and “The Closer” #20 thanks to author appearances in southern California. James Craig Atchison’s “Blue Lines Up In Arms” returned to the rankings at #7 as the author appeared at Pennsylvania bookstores. Mike Campbell’s “Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last” continues to sell well at #8 as readers acquire this second edition. Bridget Smith’s historical fiction “Where Elephants Fought,” about a Confederate general, clocked in at #9 as the author continued her speaking rounds. Steve Troutman grabbed #10 with “The Penns’ Manor of Spread Eagle and the Grist Mills of the Mahantongo Valley.” Steve continues to make appearances upstate. Joe Fair’s Viet Nam memoir “Call Sign Dracula” continues to sell well among the veterans, ranking #11. R Michael Philips’ “Between Good and Evil” inched up to #12 as he continues to make author appearances in the Philadelphia area. Bob Walton’s “The Mask of Minos” debuted at #13 thanks to author activities. Wade Fowler’s “Rising Sun Descending” charted at #14 in advance of Jubilee Day in Mechanicsburg. Anthony Julian’s “Pit Bulls” returned to the chart at #15 as interest in the breed continues to be strong. “Keystone Tombstones Civil War” by Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr slotted in at #16 thanks to author activities. Haley Dean’s “Kepp It Blue” charted at #17 in advance of Jubilee Day. Catalina Petcov’s “Ionica” ranked #18 in advance of her author event in Lebanon, PA. Sheldon Munn’s “Freemasons at Gettysburg” held at #19 thanks to orders from gift shops in Gettysburg. Sharon Marchisello’s “Going Home” grabbed #21 in advance of Jubillee Day. “GXM731” by Terry Ray benefitted from orders from MUFON, taking #22. Ernie Marshall’s “That Night at Surigao” moved up to #23 due to continued interest in the subject matter. Michael Hawley’s “The Ripper’s Haunts” slipped to #24 but continues to get interest from Ripper fans. Catherine Jordan took #25 and #29 with “Seeking Samiel” and its sequel “The Bookseller’s Secret.” Catherine made appearances in the Harrisburg area. Tory Gates continues to promote his book “A Moment in the Sun,” and ranked #26. Joe Carvalko’s “Death by Internet” slotted in at #27 due to author activities. Matt Anderson’s “Pink Flamingos All Around” returned to the chart at #28. Keith Rommel’s promotinal activities pulled “The Devil Tree” onto the chart at #30.

The company released three new titles in May:

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for May, 2016
The 10 Second Shift	Bill Foley	Self-Help
Dead Kill 2: The Ridge of Change	Thomas Malafarina	Thriller Fiction
Wonder Boy – The Story of Carl Scheib	Lawrence Knorr	Sports Biography

For more info: http://www.sunburypressstore.com/BESTSELLERS_c3.htm

April 30, 2016 by SummaSys

James A. Campbell leads the way into the realm of pastoral ministry in care settings for older adults

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released James A. Campbell’s second edition of his classic book,What Do You Say, about ministering in eldercare settings.

About the Book:
Learning to Listen for Grace Among Our Elders
This is the 25^th anniversary edition of What Do You Say? Its first publishing necessitated further printing. Once out of print, requests kept coming for a new edition. Twenty-five years after its release, it was still being used as a model of discovering the blessing of our elders. Its truths more than ever speak to the larger hunger and urgency of engaged listening in an isolating, disconnected world.

James A. Campbell leads the way into the realm of pastoral ministry in care settings for older adults. What do you say in such settings? Campbell is unflinchingly honest about the question. More than anything, he wants to know where and how grace is found in such ministry settings; and his answer is simple, direct, touching, and passionate: “You don’t say. You listen.” Finely wrought accounts of shared humor, pathos, history, and heritage show why listening to and with older adults is one of the surest ways to connect with the grace that sustains us all. (From the first edition.)

Contents:
Preface by John A. Campbell, MD
Introduction by the late Bishop Rueben P. Job
Review by the publisher from the First Edition
Empathetic Knowing
PART I: THE STORY
What Do You Say?
Ribbons and Waves
Whoop
The Lame Duck
Half of Human History
Sharing the Blessing
PART II: THE LESSONS
Need Is Not a One-Way Street
Mom Nichols
Sacred Space
PART III: GOODNESS AND OLDNESS
White Hair Doesn’t Make a Saint
Doing and Being
PART IV: SACRED TRADITION
Sacred Tradition
Empathetic Knowing
About the Author

About the Author:
Reverend James A. Campbell, D. Min. served for forty years as a pastor, with an emphasis on ministry with elders. The Iowa Health Care Association bestowed on Rev. Campbell “Iowa Clergy of the Year” for his model of creative listening in geriatric settings. The ministry with elders took new form and emphasis as Rev. Campbell was in mission work in Alaska and the Russian Far East. From this came a program of nurturing spiritual community and blessing of the aged that he developed with Alaska Native elders and called, “Giving Voice.” Rev. Campbell is the author of seven books on ministry. He lives in retirement with wife, Maggie, in Beulah, Colorado, where he continues his interest in discerning different ways of knowing. He seeks to find how each way of knowing unfolds into wonder, and wonder into the sacred.

What Others Are Saying:
“This book does not offer six simple steps to effective ministry with aging persons. It does offer a way of listening and seeing that can open all of us to the rich harvest of life within and around us. I commend to you the practice of learning to listen for grace.” — Bishop Rueben P. Job (1928-2015)

“I encourage you to soak up the deep wisdom of this book, wisdom born of Jim’s years of ministry to elders. Take these words to heart while those you love can still tell you their stories, and you can still listen.” — John A. Campbell, MD, Physician of Geriatric Medicine

“This book is a must read for families, friends, and health professionals or any who plan interactions with older adults. Empathetic knowing of the depth and beauty of others enriches not only our lives but those we serve.” — David B. Carr, M.D., Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine.

“Reverand Campbell has given us a treasure. A guide to the art of listening and a dose of pure inspiration!” — Elizabeth L. Cobbs M.D., Professor of Geriatric and Palliative Care Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine.

What Do You Say?: Learning to Listen for Grace Among Our Elders
Authored by James A Campbell
List Price: $9.99
5″ x 8″ (12.7 x 20.32 cm)
Black & White on Cream paper
82 pages
Sunbury Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1620066973
ISBN-10: 1620066971
BISAC: Family & Relationships / Eldercare

Also available on Kindle
For more information, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/What-Do-You-Say-97816200…

December 6, 2014 by campbell12014

“The Chair” grabs the top seat again! — Sunbury Press bestsellers for November 2014

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for November, 2014. Jim Campbell’s memoir of his career as a pastor The Chair was #1.

About The Chair
Sometimes, one needs a special mentor to find life and its wonder. Sometimes, that mentor is a chair.

“The Chair is Pastor James Campbell’s spiritual odyssey that leads us through the night of emptiness and then emerges into the light of compassion, intervention, and redemption. Through his renovation of a simple chair, reverence for worn out sewing needles in the Japanese celebration of Hari-Kuyo, and reflection upon how stress to the Diamond Willows of Alaska produces works of art, this parable describes Campbell’s own epiphanies during the course of his life travels ministering to the forgotten and broken.

“For members of the helping profession, caregivers, or those looking for meaning in meaningless times, Campbell is a valuable read. He will guide you, literally and figuratively, out of the ruins of the great dust bowl to a peaceful Colorado valley. And he will show you how all these things remain part of your soul.”

Steve Schoenmakers, M.S., Superintendent, Retired, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for November, 2014 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	1	The Chair	James Campbell	Spiritual Memoir
2	NEW	Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
3	NEW	Keystone Tombstones Sports	Joe Farrell & Joe Farley	Sports History
4	11	Born Fire Dragon	Susan Kiskis	Spiritual Memoir
5	NEW	As the Paint Dries	Carrie Wissler-Thomas	Art History
6	NEW	Silver Moon	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
7	NEW	Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
8	3	Poor Will’s Almanack 2015	Bill Felker	Almanac
9	9	Visions of Teaoga	Jim Remsen	YA Fiction
10	14	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last	Mike Campbell	History
11	7	Head Over Wheels	Ken Mercurio	Sports Memoir
12	—	Call Sign Dracula	Joe Fair	War Memoir
13	20	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History
14	—	My Mom Is an Alien	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
15	—	A Brother’s Cold Case	Dennis Herrick	Thriller Fiction
16	—	Keystone Tombstones Civil War	Farrell, Farley, & Knorr	War Biography
17	—	The Power of Uncertainty	John Loase	Philosophy
18	19	The Bronze Dagger	Marie Sontag	YA Fiction
19	4	Dead of Autumn	Sherry Knowlton	Thriller Fiction
20	17	The Closer	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction

Sunbury Press had its best November ever. For the month, sales were up 44% as compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, sales are up over 18% overall. The company remains on track to have its best year ever. Trade paperback sales in 2014 have already exceeded sales of all of 2013. Hardcover sales since June have rocketed past eBook sales, which were down over 15% for the year.

Jim Campbell’s The Chair led the way thanks to the chair’s (accompanied by Jim) tour of the Midwest. Beth Lancione’s Solomon Screech Owl series, lavishly illustrated by Kathleen Haney, debuted at #2 (Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos) and #7 (Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight) thanks to author activities. Joe Farrell and Joe Farley returned to the rankings at #3 with their new biographical compilation Keystone Tombstones Sports. Their Civil War volume, co-authored with Lawrence Knorr, grabbed the 16th spot, all thanks to author appearances and collaboration with a real estate agent offering books as housewarming gifts.Susan Kiskis’s Born Fire Dragon soared to #4 thanks to her author event at Sunbury Press and her appearance schedule. As the Paint Dries, Carrie Wissler-Thomas’s history of the Art Association of Harrisburg, co-authored by Michael Barton, opened at #5 due to advance sales to the gallery for the December 5th book signing event (which was well attended!). Joanne L. S. Risso’s Chinese fairytale Silver Moon, illustrated by German artist Christiane Künzel, debuted at #6 thanks to sales in the US and Germany. Joanne’s My Mom Is an Alien also joined the rankings at #14 thanks to author activities. Bill Felker’s Poor Will’s Almanack 2015 held strong at #8 thanks to sales from the author’s annual buyers. Jim Remsen’s Visions of Teaga held at #9 as a result of ongoing author promotions. Mike Campbell’s Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last held at #10 due to national media attention for the search for the aviatrix’s plane. Head Over Wheels, Ken Mercurio’s cycling memoir slipped to #11, It continues to receive strong interest from cycling enthusiasts. Joe Fair’s Vietnam memoir Call Sign Dracula returned to the rankings at #12 thanks to author appearances. Anthony Julian’s Pit Bulls I continued to draw interest among dog enthusiasts, ranking lucky 13th. Dennis Herrick;s latest, A Brother’s Cold Case, debuted at #15 in its new Sunbury Press edition. Professor John Loase’s polemic about the need for higher education, The Power of Uncertainty, ranked 17th thanks to author activities. The Bronze Dagger by Marie Sontag held on the list thanks to signing events at schools. Sherry Knowlton’s Dead of Autumn slipped to #19 the month after her author event at the Sunbury Press store. Alan Mindell’s The Closer stayed on the chart thanks to sales in the San Diego area.

The company released eight new titles during the month of November:

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for November, 2014
Traders, Travelers, and Tomahawks	John L. Moore	History
Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
Silver Moon	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
Keystone Tombstones Sports	Joe Farrell & Joe Farley	Sports History
As the Paint Dries	Carrie Wissler-Thomas	Art History
A Guide to Finer Dining	J. R. Hipsky	Etiquette
Patsy (reissue)	Doug Brode	Historical Fiction

For a list of Sunbury’s best-sellers, please see the Sunbury Press web site:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/BESTSELLERS_c3.htm
For a complete list of recent and upcoming releases, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/COMING-SOON_c47.htm

November 14, 2014 by SummaSys

“The Chair” out sells all Sunbury Press books for the month of October 2014

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October, 2014. Jim Campbell’s memoir of his career as a pastor The Chair was #1.

About The Chair
Sometimes, one needs a special mentor to find life and its wonder. Sometimes, that mentor is a chair.

Steve Schoenmakers, M.S., Superintendent, Retired, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for October, 2014 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	NEW	The Chair	James Campbell	Spiritual Memoir
2	6	The Piano Bed	Anne Marie Drew	YA Fiction
3	NEW	Poor Will’s Almanack 2015	Bill Felker	Almanac
4	2	Dead of Autumn	Sherry Knowlton	Thriller Fiction
5	7	The Complete Story of the Worldwide Invasion of the Orange Orbs	Terry Ray	Paranormal
6	NEW	Geology of the Mahanoy, Mahantongo and Lykens Valleys	Steve Troutman	Earth Science
7	NEW	Head Over Wheels	Ken Mercurio	Sports Memoir
8	11	Dying for Vengeance	J . M. West	Thriller Fiction
9	1	Visions of Teaoga	Jim Remsen	YA Fiction
10	–	Great Lakes	Kirckof & Butler	HIstorical Fiction
11	NEW	Born Fire Dragon	Susan Kiskis	Spiritual Memoir
12	NEW	Modern Realism According to Fritz	Lawrence Knorr	Art History
13	17	Winter of the Metal People	Dennis Herrick	HIstorical Fiction
14	15	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last	Mike Campbell	History
15	–	Going Home	Sharon Marchisello	Thriller Fiction
16	–	Shadows in the Shining City	John Cressler	HIstorical Fiction
17	9	The Closer	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction
18	–	Emeralds of the Alhambra	John Cressler	HIstorical Fiction
19	16	The Bronze Dagger	Marie Sontag	YA Fiction
20	14	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History

Sunbury Press closed out its best month of the year and 2nd best month ever. For the month, sales were up 61% as compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, sales are up nearly 16% overall. The company remains on track to have its best year ever. Trade paperback sales in 2014 have already exceeded sales of all of 2013. Hardcover sales since June have nearly equalled eBook sales, which were down 22% from last month and are down 17% for the year.

Jim Campbell’s The Chair led the way thanks to the chair’s (accompanied by Jim) tour of the Midwest. Anne Marie Drew’s The Piano Bed surged thanks to a large order from the Cleveland school district. Bill Felker’s Poor Will’s Almanack 2015 was boosted by sales from the author’s annual buyers. Sherry Knowlton’s Dead of Autumn held at #4 thanks to her author event at the Sunbury Press store. Terry Ray’s The Complete Story of the Worldwide Invasion of the Orange Orbs moved up to #5 thanks to being posted in MUFON’s store. Steve Troutman’s Geology of the Mahanoy, Mahantongo, and Lykens Valleys debuted and #6 due to author activities. Head Over Wheels, Ken Mercurio’s cycling memoir debuted at #7 because of interest from cycling enthusiasts. J. M. West’s Dying for Vengeance moved up the chart due to her author event at the Sunbury Press store. Jim Remsen’sVisions of Teaga slipped to #9 after leading for two consecutive months despite selling nearly as many of books. Great Lakes, by Kirckof and Butler, was helped by author activities. Susan Kiskis’s Born Fire Dragon debuted at #11 thanks to anticipation for her author event at Sunbury Press. Modern Realism According to Fritz, by Lawrence von Knorr, grabbed the 12th spot thanks to artist Fritz VonderHeiden’s book release party and exhibition at 2nd Floor Gallery in Mechanicsburg. Dennis Herrick’s Winter of the Metal People was lucky #13 as it awaits the results of the 2014 New Mexico-Colorado Book Awards. Mike Campbell’s Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last held at #14 due to national media attention for the search for the aviatrix’s plane. Going Home, by Sharon Marchisello, took #15 thanks to author events. John Cressler’s Shadows in the Shining City and Emeralds of the Alhambra were #16 & #18 respectively due to author activities. Alan Mindell’s The Closer stayed on the chart thanks to sales in the San Diego area. The Bronze Dagger by Marie Sontag held on the list thanks to signing events at schools. Anthony Julian’s Pit Bulls I continued to draw interest among dog enthusiasts.

The company released eleven new titles during the month of October:

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for October, 2014
A Brother’s Cold Case	Dennis Herrick	Thriller Fiction
Dot & Scribble Fall Into Adventure	Ricky Bruce	Middle Grade
Bows, Bullets, and Bears	John Moore	History
Geology of the Mahanoy, Mahantongo and Lykens Valleys	Steve Troutman	Earth Science
Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania	George Donehoo	History
Poor Will’s Almanack 2015	Bill Felker	Almanac
You Killed my Brother	Keith Rommel	Thriller Fiction
Born Fire Dragon	Susan Kiskis	Spiritual Memoir
The Chair	James Campbell	Spiritual Memoir
Modern Realism According to Fritz	Lawrence Knorr	Art History
Head Over Wheels	Ken Mercurio	Sports Memoir

October 10, 2014 by SummaSys

Pastor finds meaning in his beloved old oak chair

BEULAH, Colo. — Sunbury Press has released Rev. James A. Campbell’s visionary memoir The Chair. Road trip photographs were provided by Vernon J. LaBau.

About the Book:
Sometimes, one needs a special mentor to find life and its wonder. Sometimes, that mentor is a chair.

With warmth and wit, James Campbell explores one of life’s mysteries: the way ordinary objects acquire meaning in our lives. In literal and symbolic journeys with him across the country and through the years, his old oak chair becomes a catalyst for new discoveries, comic revelations, daydreams, and finally, of blessing. He shares his wisdom, borne of rich experience, and leads us to think about what the things we treasure and what they might mean to us. — Margaret M. Barber, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of English, Colorado State University-Pueblo.

“The Chair is a metaphor, at first puzzling, then intriguing and then a reference to “life.” The book hooked me into experiences of my own life. This was enjoyable, enlightening. I ended the book wanting to know more, unwilling to have to say, “the end.” — Taylor McConnell, Professor Emeritus, Garrett-Evangelical Seminary

Vernon J. LaBau (left) and Rev. James A. Campbell (right).

Excerpt:
A life by that one thing.

How many funerals through the years were planned around that thought? Show me something that is your father, his spirit, distilled into that one thing: a coffee cup, a favorite chair, a fishing rod, a photograph.

Life in that one thing.

For me, that one thing is the old oak chair and that one thing is this story. I wish I had one picture, just one, of when it all began. I doubt the chair, a captain’s chair, would be the center of any photo. Most likely the chair would be in the picture’s corner, out of focus, perhaps cut off in partial disclosure. Still, hopefully, there would be enough of the chair in the photo to witness to its original humbled condition and its overlooked place in the backyard. Overlooked is a good word for forgotten. That is what the old chair was, forgotten in plain sight, overlooked. Its once caned seat was missing the caning and the seat was now a piece of makeshift plywood. Its weathered layers of green, beige, orange, and turquoise paint were peeling like diseased skin.

In fairness, the chair had some utility. The family cat claimed it as a lounge. By knotting the garden hose around its arm, the chair could be posed to point the hose nozzle across the lawn or garden. Looking back, I wish I had had the wisdom to capture such mundane moments with a camera. Photography was my one art. I earned money selling photos of my valley. I knew what was appealing. Yet, I missed what would become a centerpiece of my life.
When that revelation came, it was not a dramatic epiphany, but rather quiet bemusement. It was a joke. Joke can be another word for “dismissed”, as “dismissed” is another word for forgotten.

A joke was how I remember first seeing it through the kitchen window, really seeing it. Even then it was a subtle joke… not a funny grab-the-camera joke, only a reason to pause as pause turns to passing wonder and passing wonder to “what if?” Wouldn’t it be something if, under all that paint, there was still enough integrity of wood to both bear a luster and, if reinforced, to even serve its purpose as a chair?

Christmas was two months off. With no money for gifts, I wondered if, with considerable effort, I might give the old chair a new face, well, as much a new face as the chair would allow. Certainly, I had no idea that the joke of that old chair before me was sacred, as ironic humor sometimes is. That chair was the essence of my calling, my door to the kingdom of God. It was to be the parable of hope with which I would relate and come to bless others. Eventually, the chair became a mentor, as it inspired taking the camera into the sacredness of forgotten places. If only I had thought to take just one picture through the kitchen window.

One October day, 1971, with no one watching, I removed the old chair to the garage of Hugh Reed down in the village. In the two months of the chair’s renovation, not one mention was made in the family that the old chair was gone from the backyard, a true test of the meaning of forgotten.

About the Author:
Rev. James A. Campbell, D. Min. is a retired clergy living in Beulah Valley, Colorado. His writings and paintings culminate thirty-nine years of ministry in Iowa and Alaska. Much of the emphasis of his work in Alaska was as Director of Humanitarian Aid to the Russian Far East during the desperate years from 1995-2003. Rev. Campbell is the author of seven books. He spends these years discovering multiple ways of knowing, the wonder unto beauty of each venue of discovery, and the doors that then open to the sacred.

The Chair
Authored by James A. Campbell, Photographs by Vernon J. LaBau
List Price: $19.95
6″ x 9″ (15.24 x 22.86 cm)
Full Color on White paper
82 pages
Sunbury Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1620064955
ISBN-10: 1620064952
BISAC: Biography & Autobiography / Religious

Coming soon on Kindle
For more information, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/The-Chair-9781620064955.htm

June 1, 2011 by SummaSys

Sunbury Press Bestseller List for May 2011 – Holy Water and Fire Water are Hot!!!

CAMP HILL, Pa. — “The Holiness of Water”, a recently released treatise by James A. Campbell about the significance of water as a Christian sacrament , essential to life, debuted at the top spot. Second place was captured by David Reimer’s “Micro-Distilleries in the US and Canada: 2011 Edition”. Third place went to Bob Ford’s “Beagle Tales”. Christian books held two of the top three spots.

Following are the top sellers by category:

History / Genealogy – “Prohibition’s Prince” by Guy Graybill
Fiction – “The Final Charge” – by Charles K Godfrey
Poetry – “Roadman” by Stefan May
Children’s – “Boo, Bat and Pumpkin Throw a Party” by Ashley Lucas
The Arts – “Art by Ione” by Ione Citrin
Self-Help – “A Young Adult’s Guide to Safety in the Digital Age” by Jeff Sechler
Metaphysical – “Messages from Beyond: A Spiritual Guidebook” by Michele Livingston

Non-Fiction titles claimed 7 of the top 10, including the top 2 spots. Approximately 80% of Sunbury’s sales have been non-fiction titles this month. While eBook sales continue to grow at a rapid rate, trade paperbacks remain the dominant format preferred by customers.

Sunbury Press, Inc. continues to experience rapid growth, enjoying it’s best ‘non-Christmas’ month ever. Year-to-date sales are 6x last year’s figure and exceed sales for all of last year.

For a complete ranking, please see the Sunbury Press web site:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/Current-Bestsellers_c130.htm

May 11, 2011 by SummaSys

James A. Campbell’s treatise entitled “The Holiness of Water” released by Sunbury Press

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released James A. Campbell’s treatise on the significance of water in the Christian faith, past and present, in metaphor and natural wonder, brings new meaning and appreciation to the practice of baptism. The book should appeal to believers and non-believers alike.

About the book:
Holy words have gone stale or worse, have turned plowshares into swords. Holy, Water, Baptism—What more can they mean? Let the question compel us into wonder.

“This book is not a scientific treatise on water, but it could be. It is not an historical and theological exposition of a Christian sacrament, but it offers insights into Christian history that I suspect will leave readers asking, “Why didn’t I see that before?” No, The Holiness of Water is the work of an artist, plumbing the depths of nature and human rite as only an artist, who is also a pastor, can. Through Jim’s eyes and his life with water, he gently peels away the layers of meaning convinced that the more we come to know about water the more we will be led into the mysteries of God. I think he succeeds.” – Milo Thornberry

List Price: $12.95
5.5″ x 8.5″ (13.97 x 21.59 cm)
Black & White on Cream paper
82 pages
Sunbury Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1934597477
ISBN-10: 1934597473
BISAC: Religion / Christian Life / Spiritual Growth

For more information, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/The-Holiness-of-Water-9781934597477.htm

Cover image: “Head On” by Lawrence von Knorr

January 6, 2011 by SummaSys

THE SECOND BREAD: A STORY OF SACRAMENTAL MYSTERY

(originally published by Ministry Matters at http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/212/the-second-bread-a-story-of-sacramental-mystery)

The worst of times. People were eating their dogs. Children were fainting in school. Fuel for heating was gone. Makeshift stoves consumed wood torn from buildings. The Chukotka Region of the Russian Far East was in desperation turning to crisis. The local Russian government was keeping it under wraps. “No problem” was the official word.

Screams for assistance, however, had not gone unheard. Russian native people were communicating with relations in Alaska. The word was getting out. The mobilization of church resources of food, medicine, and clothing to this isolated region of Russia proved a challenge to imagination and determination.

Still, our effort was not our project. We were helping our Russian neighbors to help themselves. We needed Russian leadership. That was when I first met “Lena.” Lena was willing to work with us but had her concerns. Were we one of those churches that demanded conversion? Did we require compliance to a faith statement? Would we stand by them in the long run? Americans were making many unkept promises. Most of all she questioned, “Can you accept me for who I am if my spiritual journey is not yours?” I replied, “Can you accept us for who we are even as we extend our love with no strings attached?”

Lena was gutsy. She dared to open a soup kitchen under the nose of the Russian governor. “Be careful Lena!” I kept saying. “People are starving,” she would reply.

Our next meeting was exhausting. Dead tired, I rubbed my face to then look up at her across the table. “Why are you doing this?” she asked. “What are you getting out of this?”

“We believe those you serve are the face of God.” Lena smiled. Later, she needed to shop before heading back to Russia. At the height of the tourist season, the traffic was congested. It was in the midst of negotiating one of the busiest intersections that Lena said to me, “Tell me about your God.”

I can’t remember my reply, only the undercurrent of wonder of the sacred presence of God that was carrying us along. In my entire ministry I had never experienced God create with such intensity.

A year later Lena was back to speak to the area churches. As we entered one church it hit me, this was Communion Sunday. Quickly through the translator I told Lena this was a special day. Please do not feel you are obligated to join in. We respect you Lena in however you experience the sacred in your life. We are simply thankful you are here.

Lena said to me “So tell me about this Holy Communion.”

How does one explain Holy Communion in a minute with the pressure of a service already started? I’m not sure what I said. Worship evolved into sacrament. The pastor asked me to serve. I held the cup.

Lena stood up and came forward. How could she have any sense of what she was doing? The translator told her to receive the bread and to dip it into the cup. Every rule that some believe insures the purity and respect of the sacrament was broken.

That’s when it happened. Dipping the bread and eating it, Lena suddenly clasped her hands around mine as I held the chalice. Who, I wondered, was holding the cup or was it perhaps our hands together that had become the cup? In like measure I wondered about the bread. Was there one sacramental bread or two?

There is the classical Holy Communion, created bread, the bread of remembering. There is also the street bread, the manna, the jazz bread of God improvising in the moment, bread of grace not made but discovered in a million different forms. In truth, each bread is fulfilled in the other. Sometimes we experience such mystery in Communion that bread of the Table transcends into manna. More often, bread broken at Communion sends us searching for the bread of heaven in the face of Christ found in the least expected moments and corners of our living.

That was the day, a cold gray Alaskan Sunday, when the bread of God came unto itself: manna arising from forty years of cold war came forward to the Table, and breaking all the rules, embraced the cup of God’s love until it became the human hands that held it. In the distance, waiting, waiting for our hands, all of our hands that had become the cup, were voices of our brothers and sisters waiting and praying, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

James A. Campbell is pastor of Turnagain United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska. He was for a number of years director of Humanitarian Aid to the Russian Far East for the United Methodist and Moravian Churches.

June 25, 2009 by SummaSys

Pastor makes transition from Alaska to Belle Plaine

Originally published on belleplainenow.com

After serving 19 years in the ministry in a state where the pastor’s residence was heated by wood he had to split himself, where a visit to many he ministered meant a ride in a small plane to an area where people were in a daily struggle for enough to eat, the Rev. Dr. James Campbell said it was time to come home.

Campbell recently became the pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Belle Plaine, after serving for the past 19 years as a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, assigned to the Alaska United Methodist Conference. Before coming to Belle Plaine, he served as the pastor at Turnagain United Methodist Church in Anchorage.

Campbell replaces Rev. David Crow, who became the Cedar Rapids District superintendent for the church earlier this spring.

He and his wife, Maggie, are the parents of three adult children, twin sons David and Doug and daughter Erin. David is a pilot with the Alaska Air National Guard, flying C-17 cargo planes. Doug is a power grid engineer with the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company. Erin is the director of youth ministry at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Sante Fe, NM.

Campbell said that he and his wife were ready for a change in climate, to a more moderated light situation for health reasons, etc. He explained that Alaska has a lot of extremes in light and dark. Some days you could play baseball at midnight, but by mid-September, the darkness and light equation was closer to life in the “lower 48.” By October, each day brings five minutes less of daylight. By December, there is only about six hours of “marginal sunshine” a day and in some parts of the vast state, residents experience a month or more of total darkness every year.

Born in Council Bluffs, Campbell grew up in Colorado. He holds a BA in speech from the University of Southern Colorado and a MA in speech from the University of Illinois. He was at the University of Illinois in pursuit of a doctorate in speech in 1971 when he made the decision to enter the ministry. He went on to earn three degrees at the University of Dubuque, including a Master of Divinity in 1975, Master of Sacred Theology in 1979 and a Doctor of Ministries in 1981.

When he finished college, he first sought a position in his native Colorado. But after being told that positions were few in that state, he opted to come to Iowa, where there were several churches in need of pastors. After serving in several parishes in various Iowa communities, he felt moved to “live ministry as an adventure.” He applied to the church’s Global Ministries and was given the option of serving in Puerto Rico or Alaska. Remembering his life in Colorado, he opted for Alaska.

Campbell says that when he moved his young family to Alaska, they were placed in a parsonage that was a cabin. He looked around for the thermostat for the heating unit and was told by the church trustee that the “heating unit” consisted of a pile of wood and an ax out behind the cabin.

During his tenure in Alaska, Campbell did much more than serve one local church. He was a part-time minister at Willow Methodist Church, which is about 75 miles from Anchorage. He said Willow was “full of characters” and reminded him of the fictitious city of Cicely, Alaska, depicted in the TV series “Northern Exposure.” He spoke of the fly-in ministry he headed, where he would fly in a small plane and land on a river in the summertime and conduct services on the river bank.

By the mid-1990s, the door was opened for missions in the Russian Far East. Campbell was appointed the Council Director for the Alaska Missionary Conference and was director of the Chukotka Native Christian Ministry, which is the outreach of Alaska’s Siberian Yupik people of St. Lawrence Island to their own people in the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East.

By the time he began serving the eastern Russian people, Campbell found that the people had been given living quarters, food from Moscow and many promises from the Russian regime in an attempt to sway them from gravitating toward their Alaskan neighbors to the east. When the Soviet Union fell, just when freedom opportunities should have expanded, the aid from Moscow ended. Campbell observed that people of the region were literally starving and eating their dogs and their neighbor’s dogs. He said the children were fainting in school because of malnourishment.

The people of that region not only faced a lack of food and broken promises, each year they faced brutal weather conditions, with nighttime lows of minus 50 or below and daytime highs of only minus 25, always accompanied by a strong wind.

In 2000, Campbell was appointed director of Humanitarian Aid to the Russian Far East, for the United Methodist and Moravian Churches, which he termed a “highlight of my life.” He has stories of working with a multi-billionaire who became the Russian governor for the area to bring humanitarian aid to his constituents. This person replaced a corrupt government official. Ironically, people on the Alaskan side of the sea were dealing with a former state governor who was later accused of wrongdoing in office as well.

Campbell said the region had seen its share of missionaries representing several churches over the years. But he said the area natives sought out those who would show their love, rather than just speak of it. Forcing particular values or displaying ulterior motives wouldn’t work, he said. The most successful missionaries are those who will show their love for everyone, no strings attached.

He said that Alaskan natives observe that settlers go through a period of adjustment and also know when the “adventure is up.” For Campbell and his wife, the realization that their 19 year adventure in Alaska was coming to an end and they were looking to “come home.”

So their adventure brought them to Belle Plaine and Campbell said he and his wife have been very grateful for the kind welcome they have been given here. While serving the Christ United Methodist congregation, Campbell says he is also searching for additional ways he can serve. With his extensive counseling training, he is interested in perhaps offering counseling services to our troops serving or who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. A published author, he is also interested in continuing in that direction.

He admits that he is “obsessed” with family history and loves to travel to “off-the-wall destinations. He also said that during his brief time in Belle Plaine, the story of Jumbo Well has sparked his interest and he looks forward to learning much more about this area’s history.

One might surmise that after living in the ruggedly beautiful state of Alaska, it might be difficult to enjoy living in America’s heartland. But Campbell is looking forward to sampling locally grown produce later this summer. He moved his desk so that he can look out a window on a tree in the church yard.

“This is home,” he said.

– See more at: http://belleplainenow.com/2009/06/25/pastor-makes-transition-from-alaska-to-belle-plaine/#sthash.KfQEArEc.dpuf

July 3, 2007 by SummaSys

Campbell’s book details early days of Ironton area

(Originally published at: http://www.irontontribune.com/2007/07/03/campbell8217s-book-details-early-days-of-ironton-area/)

The author of a book detailing his family’s history and the beginnings of Ironton will be part of the Vesuvius Furnace Festival this weekend.

Dr. James A. Campbell has written Home Forgotten: The Campbells of the North River.

Campbell describes the book as “a whole new way of seeing John and Hiram Campbell as an extension of the larger family from which they came.”

James Campbell is a frequent visitor to Ironton. He has been researching and writing Home Forgotten for 30 years. He discovered that he is an indirect descendant of the man who founded Ironton since he is the great-great-grandson of Washington G. Campbell, brother to Hiram and John Milton Campbell.

John Campbell was the founder of Ironton. He and William Firmstone built the Vesuvius iron furnace, which was one of the first hot blast furnaces in America and help build Lawrence County into one of the biggest producers of steel before the Civil War.

James Campbell is a Methodist missionary to Alaska where is a pastor at the Turn Again Methodist Church in Anchorage.

In Home Forgotten Campbell said in an e-mail, that Ironton plays an important role in political history, industrial history, river history and abolition history.

“It is also a family history and in that family history are connections that help bring it together,” he said.

James Campbell will be signing copies of Home Forgotten during the Vesuvius Furnace Festival on Saturday.

He will also be speaking in the Hamner Room at the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library on Monday at 9 a.m. He will also sign copies of his book then.

There are only 300 copies in the run.

– See more at: http://www.irontontribune.com/2007/07/03/campbell8217s-book-details-early-days-of-ironton-area/#sthash.j9KOwWLg.dpuf