By SAVANNAH ROGERS

Staff Writer

When Fayetteville resident Ruth Anne Johnson spent 10 days nursing her mother-in-law back to health after cataract surgery three years ago, the seed of a new ministry was planted. Then when her church's librarian became ill with cancer, the seed was watered. This year, Johnson expects the new ministry to take root and flourish, being a blessing to all it reaches.

This is the year Fayetteville First Baptist Church is kicking off its new Homebound Library Ministry. Volunteers have been gathering books on tape and radio programs, and are ready to begin delivering them to members who cannot access the books in the church's regular library.

"One lady cannot see to drive," Johnson said. "Another with Parkinson's shakes too much to read a book."

And until her mother-in-law, "an avid reader," regained full use of her eyes, she sent her daughter-in-law out daily to check out as many books on tape as the local libraries would allow.

"It inspired the ministry," Johnson said. "I saw a need there, but wasn't in a position to do anything about it."

When Margaret Lester, the church librarian, was homebound, Johnson started taking books to her and "looking forward to doing that." A second librarian also became ill, and "by default," Johnson has been serving as the church's librarian since last January.

She had also served as a school librarian in Arkansas by default before moving to Atlanta. She was a classroom teacher, but attended night school to learn how to be a librarian. "You sort of had to grow your own library there," she kids.

So for the past year, Johnson and the six members of First Baptist's library committee have been spending nights at their dining room tables processing 1,000 new library books and picking up where the other librarians had left off. The church library has more than 5,000 books, mostly donated including fiction, nonfiction, religious books and biographies and no computer. All the processing is being done by hand.

Finally, all is in order and they can focus on the homebound ministry.

Johnson estimates they now have close to 100 books on tape, including titles by Mary Higgins Clark and Grace Livingston Hill, and 40 audio tapes of radio programs like Jack Benny and Dragnet. "The older people grew up listening to them," she said. There is also a small collection of informational videos on topics like Alzheimer's and diabetes. The homebound members already receive audio copies of the sermons.

The church's homebound members have been surveyed by the regular homebound committee to see who would be interested in receiving the books on tape and what types of things they would like to listen to. The homebound library ministry also plans to provide tape players or other equipment a participant may need.

"Another area we could expand into is homebound caretakers," Johnson said.

But for now, she and the committee are just concentrating on increasing their books on tape selection. They are seeking donations of any kind of books on tape, or regular books and videos appropriate for a church library. "Not that many books on tape are suitable," she said.

Johnson added the local bookstores have been very helpful. Sonrise Christian Bookstore gave her a copy of their inventory so she can see what she needs, and Books Talking has offered the ministry a credit for new books on tape when she trades in old ones or those not suitable for the ministry.

She said memorials or honorariums are also a nice way to help out. Anyone with donations of money, books, their time "or whatever they have" can reach Johnson at the church on Sundays and Mondays, 770-461-8378.

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