Mark R. Gornik’s new book, Sharing the Crust: A Communion of Saints in a Baltimore Neighborhood, will be released in October 2024. The book is a results of Gornik’s PLT Virginia Seminar and will be published by Cascade Books. The Virginia Seminar in Lived Theology is a theological initiative that offered theologians and scholars of religion an opportunity to work and write in sustained engagement with critical issues in religion and public life. Additionally, it provided practitioners the time to think and write in sustained and direct engagement with theologians and scholars.

From the publisher: “How do we make a difference in our world of great urban, ecological, and social challenges? Rooted in the Sandtown neighborhood of Baltimore, Mark Gornik tells the story of an unbreakable love through the life and witness of Allan Tibbels and a communion of saints. Sharing the Crust is about the power of small changes, “the little way,” the durability of relationships, and the hard work of peacemaking, justice, and reconciliation. It is about the meaning of companionship in this life and the life to come. A refreshingly complex story of ministry, church life, and community development, Sharing the Crust is a witness to faith, hope, and love for our times.”

The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.