Member’s new book offers creative resources for churches

John McTavish, a United Church of Canada minister and longtime member of The John Updike Society, has included three Updike poems in his new book: Jesus and Elvis: Creative Resources for Schools and Churches. In addition to the title poem, “Jesus and Elvis,” there are reprints of “Perfection Wasted” and “Seven Stanzas at Easter,” along with McTavish’s commentary on all three.

The book is intended to offer “a host of creative resources for use in schools and churches. . . . Categories include poems, plays, hymns, prayers, pictures, a communion service, participatory readings, and essays.”

One of the blurb writers for the book, Catherine MacLean, the senior minister at St. Paul’s United Church, notes that “John Updike’s poem ‘Jesus and Elvis’ glitters among the gems” and describes McTavish’s book as a “wide range of reflective and performance material” that “brings together biblical traditions, ethics, and contemporary life—a shining collection.”

Here’s the Amazon link to the book.

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