Stand By Me (Hardcover)

From the Publisher: Avis and Peter Douglass have dreamed of selling his business to finance a two-year mission to South Africa. But when the economy crashes, they're faced with the possibility of bankruptcy. When one of the co-pastors of SouledOut Community Church passes away suddenly, Avis and Peter are asked to step in and assist with the leadership of the church. But that creates an all-black leadership, fanning some subtle racial issues in their multi-cultural church. As tensions mount, they wrestle with returning to a traditional church where things would be easier. Meanwhile, Kate Blanchard arrives in Chicago with three friends whose vision of radically following Jesus -- from dressing in second-hand clothing to trying to live green -- adds to the unrest at SouledOut Community Church. When Kate attaches herself to Avis, her good heart but lack of wisdom drives Avis nuts. Before long, they'll realize that the body of Christ needs all parts -- Avis needs Kate's joy in following Jesus and Kate needs Avis's wisdom. Perhaps it's true that you often learn the most from the person least like you. While the Yada Yada Prayer Group series was about coming to deeper faith, and the House of Hope series was about returning to faith, the SouledOut Sisters series is about mature believers surviving a crisis of faith.