On the Road to Emmaus

Emmaus Library – Official Opening, 6 Jan 2008<= /span>

The Emmaus Library draws inspiration from the passage in Luke 24:13-35 wh= en two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles f= rom Jerusalem.

They were at first confused, d= isappointed and without hope. They did not understand what had happened. Jesus came and walked with them. He listened to them and discussed with them. He offered explanation and interpretation of their experience from the perspective of = the Scripture and God's will. As a result, their eyes were opened and they fina= lly saw God. Their hearts were rekindled with fire and passion for God and life. They went and told everyone what had happened to them.

The two believers' experience resembles many of our own experiences in the pres= ent age. Life is a journey, full of uncertainty, crisis, confusion, and disappointment. Sometimes the future seems unclear. Doubts about God and li= fe are not unusual. Like the two believers, we need someone to walk alongside = us to help us to see life from the perspective of the Scripture and God's will= , to be aware of the presence of God and to discern the work of God in our lives= . At other times, we simply want to know how to grow more intimately with Christ= in our relationship with Him.

The resources in Emmaus Library are intended to guide you in your spiritual jou= rney with God. They will guide you= to see life from the perspective of the Scripture and God's Will, so that your hearts may burn with passion to love God more fervently, to embrace your call more ful= ly, and to participate in God's mission more faithfully.

Emmaus Library Obje= ctives

1) = Encourage members to draw close to God and hunger for God's Word through books and me= dia resources

2) Provide a conducive environment for reading, research, l= istening to music, reflection for personal growth and renewal

3) = Provide a conducive environment for spiritual friendship= with the Lord and others-in-Christ

4) = Support and promote resources for worship, word, pastoral care, evangelism, mission= s

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Location

The Emmaus Library is located = next to the extension hall (Gethesemane). The entrance is on the left side of the building (facing the main road)

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Facilities<= /o:p>

Besides reading facilities, there is a PC to access the library database. The same PC can als= o be used to play music CDs and watch DVD programmes provided by the Library. Ther= e is also a little snack bar. Feel free= to help yourself to the snacks and beverages provided.

Resources

The collection currently comprises 900 titles of English books, 36 mu= sic CDs, 31 DVDs/VCD titles, 31 music scores and 1000 volumes of Chinese books.

English books are arranged by subject using the Dewey Decimal Classification system for browsing. Chinese books are arranged by accession numbers.

Catalogue

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The Library is ful= ly computerised with the Koha open-source Integrated Library System software. You may search by title, author, s= ubject or keyword using the PC in the Lib= rary. The database is currently not acce= ssible over the office network. Plan= s are on hand to make the catalogue accessible on the Internet in the near future= .

Loan Privileges<= o:p>

Description	No. of Items	Duration	Fines if Overdue *
Books/media	4	14 days	$0.10 per day per item<= /span>

* Fines exclude Sunday= s and public holidays.

Opening Hours

Day	Congregation	Hours
Sunday	English	10:00 a.m. ̵= 1; 12:00 noon
Chinese	3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Please contact Jui Hong or Jason if the Libra= ry is closed)

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Library on the Web

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Here you will find= the following:

-= = New titles listings

-= = Subject listings

o Christian Biography

o Bible Tools and Aids

o E-greetings

-= = Book reviews by members (to come)

-= = Online catalogue (to come).

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Collection Development

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1) Members are fre= e to recommend titles for Library’s consideration of purchase.<= /span>

2) BC staff are encouraged to purchase books relevant to their min= istry, review and add to the Library’s Collection after use.

3) Members may als= o feedback to Diane or Caroline specific titles they would like to use if these are no= t in the Library’s collection.

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Donations

We welcome donatio= n of books/media which will help advance our library objectives. These must be in good condition for circulation.

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Book Reviews

If you have read a= good book, we welcome you to submit book/media reviews. These will be published in NewsLine and posted on the Library website.

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Emmaus Project Team

No.	Name	Email address	Contact
1	Pastor Ramylal Fernando (Leader)	ramylal@yahoo.com	9= 327 6702
2	Diane Wong	diane.wym@gmail.= com	8157 3860
3	Caroline Loh	lck4@np.edu.sg	9733 3342
4	Ruth Tang	blurry28@hotmail= .com	9298 3980
5	Elaine Chin	elainecqh@gmail.= com	9119 5075
6	Grace Koh	grace.koh@nus.edu.sg	9830 9152
7	Jason Lee (Chinese assembly)	whlee04@msn.com<= o:p>	9276 3240
8	Jui Hong (Chinese assembly)	biscuitmonster@gmail.com	9863 7239

Library Etiquette

To ensure that the Library is quiet, comfortable and provide a conductive environment for study and reading, please observe the following etiquette:

1) &nbs= p; Switch off/put handphone at silent= mode

2) &nbs= p; Speak softly at all times

3) &nbs= p; Handle library materials with care

4) &nbs= p; Safeguard your personal belongings

5) &nbs= p; Keep the Library clean.

Use of Other Libraries

You will have to check the catalogue of the library of interest over the Internet, then call to make arrangements to bo= rrow before going down. Of common interest is the Singapore= Bible College’s catalogue.

Emmaus Library Needs You

Do you have time f= or service to the Lord? Emmaus L= ibrary needs your help in the following areas:&nb= sp;

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1) Librarians to handle loan transactions and man the Library dur= ing its opening hours. Please con= tact Diane if you are available.

2) IT expertise to look into the technicalities of hosting the library database on the Internet. Knowledge of Apache, MySQL and Perl is required. Please contact Caro= line if you are able to assist.

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