Brookhaven native Tex Sample is a professor and prolific author, with his 15^th book set to publish this spring.

Published by Upper Room Books, Micro Practices for Justice Ministry: Doing Little Things or the Common Good focuses on pastors across the nation who have been highly effective in justice ministry, both within their churches and their local communities.

“I was born and raised in Brookhaven, worked in my father’s cab stand (Yellow Cab Company), was a roustabout for the California Company West of Brookhaven for four summers, played in the band and on the baseball team for Brookhaven High School, and was deeply blessed by my school teachers and Mr. W.L. Roach, who was principal of Brookhaven High when I was there,” the 1953 BHS graduate said.

A recent review by Publishers Weekly says the book “spotlights in this comprehensive account small but effective practices that faith leaders can use to grow their ministry’s justice initiatives. He [Sample] consults 42 clergy (mostly pastors, though he includes two rabbis) who cite the importance of forging close relationships with supporters and policymakers, as well as practicing self-care to remain healthy enough to further one’s cause.

“To better integrate with the community, pastor Traci Blackmon recommends opening one’s church in the off-hours to local organizations that need the space, while pastor Billy Vaughan suggests creating in-person groups where church members can discuss justice programs or journal about scripture. Effectively capturing these and other approaches in language that can be refreshingly candid … Sample makes a convincing case for how small acts of community building enable big-picture change.”

Kenneth L. Carder, former UMC Bishop of Mississippi, also praised the book.

“For any who consider practicing justice as integral to Christian discipleship and ministry, this book is a vast storehouse of insight and inspiration,” he said. “Through analysis gleaned from attentive listening to diverse and creative practitioners of justice, Tex Sample has gifted us with an invaluable, practical resource for doing justice in these turbulent and polarized times.”

Sample’s goal for the book is to provide an antidote for cynicism or despair about the state of the modern church, advocating for repeated small actions that make for significant changes.

Set for release on May 1, anyone who preorders through the publisher can save 20 percent with code MP20 at https://store.upperroom.org/product/micro-practices-for-justice-ministry.