Earlier this summer, Easter’s Bookstore was experiencing troubles with regulations and it seemed as though the bookstore and the Faith Formation Center associated with it had to close. The following is an open letter from John Hamlon, an instructor who teaches theology classes for parishes within the Diocese of Sacramento and for Easter’s Faith Formation Center.

Friends, believers, book-lovers, and live-classroom buffs,

Lend me your ears, your hearts, your minds… just for a moment.

In my stint as a teacher-which, as some of you know, goes back to the Pleistocene Period-I’ve been in hundreds of classrooms and taught thousands of students. In all that time, I’ve come to treasure one classroom and one band of fellow-learners above all others.

The one classroom is located at Easter’s Catholic Books & Gifts and goes by the very appropriate name-Easter’s Faith Formation Center. The band of fellow-learners is composed of all those who’ve come to EFFC-sponsored talks and classes over the past five years.

Easter’s Books is run by Sandy and Denise, and their intrepid staff-Kathleen, Deena, Joseph and Sandra, Charmaine, and Amber. But that’s just the visible part. Easter’s is also run by the Holy Spirit, and that’s the invisible part.

I don’t say that off-handedly with a bible in one hand and a thurible in the other. I’m old enough to know the difference between saying that the Holy Spirit is behind EVERYTHING (since God is the cause of everything) and knowing that the Spirit can blow where it will and personally pick a spot to do so. Easter’s is one of those spots.

That’s not a compliment, it’s an objective fact.

Proof in the pudding: More than a few of you know that Easter’s has become an epicenter for excellent catechesis and evangelization.

And more than a few of you know that the Holy Spirit absolutely loves to dwell in a place that wants to meld truth and love. (Alas, Citrus Height’s city council seems to be unaware of any of this.)

The point: the Holy Spirit wants Easter’s not just to survive, but thrive. That takes money, aka generosity. Well, you say, if the Holy Spirit wants Easter’s to thrive, he’ll “produce” the money via some mysterious and unexpected source. Hmm… we know better; we know that we have to give our utmost in support before the Holy Spirit takes personal and explicit charge of any such situation.

Easter’s is in a months-long drought. Not surprisingly, then, the Holy Spirit is thumping on the inside of our forebrains with a simple message-keep giving to Easter’s as often and with as many dollars as you can. The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is doing the thumping, not me. I just polish neurons.

Easter’s loves you, and you can take that to the bank…
John Hamlon