Roswell United Methodist Church member Katherine Simons’ new book “Loving Your Neighbor: A Faith Community’s Response to the Unemployment Crisis” tells the story of the church’s job networking program.

“The book tells our story, but it also shows how to start and expand a career ministry at a faith-based organization,” Ms. Simons said.

The first half of the books shows the process of how to start a job networking program, and the second half is comprised of essays written by 34 of the program’s volunteers.

“The volunteers share why they do this and why they stay with the program,” Ms. Simons said. “They also share tips for job seekers, like telling how to plan a search and write a resume.”

One of the volunteers who shares a story is Ms. Simons’ father, who wrote about living through the Great Depression. Other stories are written by volunteers who know what it’s like to be out of work.

Ms. Simons began compiling the book last December to accompany a conference the church held for pastors and lay leaders about how to minister to job seekers and start a job networking program.

“The book has become a bigger picture than I ever expected,” Ms. Simons said. “I’ve had people ask how they can get the book to their cousin in Nebraska and things like that.”

The church started its job networking ministry about 20 years ago, and according to Simons, as many as 400 people attend their twice-monthly Monday night meetings.

The program’s volunteer team includes staffers, human resources specialists and recruiting professionals, who teach job seekers methods to aid their job hunts.

“We aren’t a job fair, but we want people to see that they aren’t alone,” she said. “We want them to see that they are not to blame for their situation, but they should learn to be proactive and find another opportunity.”

Jay Litton, co-leader of the program, said he believes every church or faith-based organization should have a job networking ministry.

“With the book, we’re trying to multiply our efforts,” he said. “We focus on the spiritual and the technical parts of job searching. It’s exciting to be able to point people in the right direction.”

For information about how to obtain a copy of the $15 book, e-mail Ms. Simons at lovingyourneighbor@gmail.com or visit www.lovingyourneighbor.com.

All proceeds will go back into the ministry.