Upper Room Cornerstore brings Christ into Marketplace
By Paula Allen

Paula Allen

One of the Christian bookstores where our Bible Guys newsletters are distributed is the Upper Room Cornerstore, located in the Hadley Village Barn Shops on Route 9 (Russell Road) in the Town of Hadley, Massachusetts. Formerly a branch of the Cornerstone Bookstore, it acquired its new name this past March as Tom and Jenny Sullivan took advantage of an offer to purchase the bookstore. Jenny had been the bookstore's manager since its original opening in November 1997 and continues in that capacity. She has been a blessing, sharing with me how God dealt with both her and her husband as they prayed and sought God's direction in this move.

The Cornerstore, together with the Upper Room Meeting Place, share in an open floor plan on the second floor of the building. The Upper Room Meeting Place is an outreach of the Upper Room Christian Ministries, Inc. and was founded by David McCahon. It had its grand opening in May 1997. Six months later, the Cornerstone Bookstore opened its branch in Hadley. While the western side of this second floor loft is dedicated to non-profit services, the for-profit half of the business is on the western side of the room. The staff and goals of these two present branches of the Upper Room now overlap all the more, as Tom and Jenny were also part of the original Upper Room Meeting Place organizers. The purpose of the Upper Room according to Brother McCahon is to espouse religious values not only during Sunday sermons but in daily life, including business. Jenny says it is "bringing Christ into the marketplace." The non-profit segment sponsors a variety of Christian activities each Saturday night. These include a Concert of Prayer Night, a Christian Contemporary Music Night, a Fellowship and Youth Night, and a Lamb's Lighthouse Worship Night. It also conducts a Pastors' and Ministries Prayer Group once a week. Jenny says that she considers the bookstore, aside from the for- profit business aspect, as a "Christian resource center" where people can come to share their Christian experiences, or ask for guidance in finding a place to worship, or where an unsaved person can come to find out more about the Lord.

It is my prayer that God continue to bless Tom's and Jenny's efforts in their new endeavor. I thank God for the continued openness which they have shown to me over the months that I have been leaving our monthly issues with them.