An amazing story

By Dom Ruggiero

When you walk into the Amazing Grace Resource Center in Mullica Hill you realize immediately that you are not entering a typical Christian bookstore.

The first thing that strikes you as you drive up to park is the spire of a once vibrant community church. Then as you walk in, the stained glass windows catch your eye. They accent the sudden feeling of reverence you get with their pastel colors and religious themes.

Then straight ahead as you weave your way through the bookstands, racks and displays you notice the altar. It sits there patiently, adorned with more of the proprietors’ wares, waiting for a pastor to approach and deliver a sermon. You may say to yourself ….”wow, how clever was it to make this bookstore look like a church.”

The fact is this bookstore was once a church, Trinity United Methodist to be exact. The original church was on High Street, relocated to Main Street and dates back to 1848. The congregation of Trinity United Methodist Church now meets on Cedar Road in Mullica Hill.

Fast forward 150+ years and many pastors to 2003. Meet Justine and Randy Greene. They are the proprietors of Amazing Grace Resource Center. It had been their dream to eventually own a Christian bookstore. Feeling led to do so a few years ago, they made an attempt to open one in Pennsylvania. However, just when they thought it would happen, the Lord stepped in and said “not yet, not here.”

Randy, an attorney by day points out, “At that point we were so emotionally invested. We felt God was calling us to do this and we were really struggling with that. We then said to ourselves, we have this passion why do we have to move five and a half hours away.” It was then that Justine and Randy began to look around. They searched Gloucester County for the place God would have them begin their ministry.

Justine and Randy Greene

Then one day while fellowshipping with friends over brunch they shared their passion for a Christian bookstore. It was at that time they heard about “a church in Mullica Hill” that was selling their building. After some prayer, paperwork and a step of faith they finally reached what they considered their mission and signed a contract to buy.

“After looking and searching for a location and nothing seemed to be working out we realized it would all be done in the Lord’s time,” says Justine.

During the time Randy and Justine were searching, the Trinity church elders were pondering what to do with the old building. The stars were aligning and neither one of them (the Greenes or the elders of Trinity) knew what God had in store.

To be able to accomplish this project they had to sell their home in Mantua and fortunately it sold almost immediately. With several months to go before they could move into a new home they had to live in a travel trailer on a relative’s property.

“We went from living in a nice comfortable house to living in a travel trailer,” Randy said. “There were so many road blocks and we were crying out to God ‘What have we done?’ It was our ‘take me back to Egypt moment.’ We realized we had to have faith and move forward. By trusting God we were able to grow our faith in Him.”

They like to look at the bookstore as a sanctuary for people. When people enter the store they are not always looking for books. Often they have prayed with or ministered to their visitors.

“When we opened up we had our ideas but we found out the Lord had much bigger ideas,” Randy said. “We can now appreciate the ministry that happens in a Christian bookstore.”

The result of that step of faith is this bookstore nestled in historic Mullica Hill. However, it is not just a bookstore – it is a Christian resource center. There is a coffee house in the rear that features live performances on Friday evenings; there are a variety of books, CDs, DVDs and teaching materials available. There is a Thomas The Train area for kids. On the second floor balcony there is a reading area and some T-shirts and clothing for sale. Future plans include a used book section to be located in the basement.

It’s easy to see why they’ve been voted “Best Bookstore in Gloucester County” year after year. There is a bright future ahead for Justine and Randy in Mullica Hill as they carry on the work of the Lord in this historic building that has been bringing the message of our Lord Jesus Christ to the masses for more than 162 years. Make sure to stop in either when you are around town or better yet make a special trip to come see what the Lord has done and continues to do in Mullica Hill.

For more info on Amazing Grace Resource Center, visit their Web site and shop online at www.agrc.net and their Facebook page.