Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any parish council, parochial church council, diocese, church, chapel, Christian bookshop, publisher, charity or community organisation.
In the corner by the font there's a wooden rack that most visitors walk straight past. On it: this year's Advent books, a row of Bible reading notes in their slim quarterly covers, a few prayer cards, children's picture Bibles, a little box of bookmarks and a spinner of greetings cards for birthdays, sympathy and new babies. Underneath, a plastic box holds the orders: "Mrs Allen, Every Day with Jesus, Jan–Mar", "the Thompsons, 2 x Lent book", "Peter, confirmation gift, ask Sue".
Sue is the church bookstall. She orders from the Christian bookshop in town, collects the parcels, unpacks them at her dining table and keeps a notebook of who has paid and who still owes £3.50. She remembers which reading notes each person likes, suggests a book for the family whose grandmother has just died, and finds the right card for a godchild when you've forgotten until Saturday night. If you'd like to thank your church bookstall volunteers, this is a guide to doing it simply and well, with an honest look at whether a photo puzzle is a good idea.
Who we mean
Every church runs its bookstall differently. The people we mean might:
- order Advent and Lent books in good time for the season
- manage the quarterly Bible reading notes subscriptions
- keep a stock of cards for birthdays, sympathy, weddings and baptisms
- find the right gift for a confirmation, a first communion or a new vicar
- collect payments, chase small debts kindly and keep the accounts straight
- recommend a book to someone who is struggling, without fuss
- deliver reading notes to people who can't get to church
- tidy the rack every Sunday and put the new season's display out
Why a thank-you matters here
A church bookstall is a small ministry that looks like a shelf. The volunteers who run it do a quiet kind of pastoral work: noticing who might need a gentle book, keeping housebound readers supplied, and making sure the reading notes arrive before the quarter starts. It takes evenings of ordering, unpacking and arithmetic, and it is rarely mentioned in the notices.
A little honest background
You don't need a special occasion. Start of Advent, after Easter, or the week a long-serving volunteer hands over the order box are all good moments. "Thank you for finding me that book the winter after Dad died" is plenty.
A thank-you gift is personal. Keep it small; it shouldn't feel like payment. Many bookstall volunteers would be just as pleased by a kind word in the notices, or by someone offering to help with the next big order.
What makes a good photo
- the wooden rack with the new season's Advent or Lent books
- the slim reading notes lined up in their quarterly colours
- the spinner of greetings cards beside the font
- the order box with its handwritten slips (names hidden)
- a parcel of books unpacked on the dining table
- a single favourite book open in the light from a church window
A few practical points:
- Keep faces out of it unless people have happily agreed. Book spines, cards and window light make lovely puzzle photos anyway.
- Leave names, addresses, order slips and anything private out of the shot.
- Close-ups make better puzzles than wide shots. Colourful covers and card designs give every piece something to hold on to.
- Take the photo in daylight near a window, with the flash off.
- Choose a photo the volunteers will recognise straight away as their rack.
Picking a piece count
| Pieces | Good for |
|---|---|
| 24 | a quick puzzle on a phone, or for someone who doesn't usually do puzzles |
| 48 | a relaxed ten minutes with a cup of tea |
| 80 | a good evening's puzzle for someone who likes a challenge |
| 130 | a detailed photo, like a rack full of colourful covers |
| 252 | a real project, best on a tablet or computer, for a long winter evening |
If you're not sure, 48 is a safe choice for most people.
When and how to send it
Good moments include the start of Advent, after Easter, a volunteer's birthday, Christmas, or when the bookstall changes hands. Make the puzzle, write the note, publish the link, and send it by email or message, or print the link as a QR code inside a card (perhaps one bought from their own spinner). The recipient doesn't need an account or an app, and the note appears when the last piece clicks into place. If a volunteer doesn't use a smartphone, a handwritten card is perfect on its own.
Note examples
- "Sue, thank you for always knowing which book I needed."
- "Thank you for making sure my reading notes arrived every quarter, even when I couldn't get to church."
- "To the bookstall team: thank you for the Advent books, the cards and the patience."
- "Thank you for finding the perfect confirmation present at the last minute."
- "Thank you for every parcel unpacked at your dining table."
- "A small rack by the font, and so much kindness. Thank you."
What it costs, plainly
The preview is free, so you can see how it looks before deciding anything. Publishing the link costs one credit (€3.99), or less per puzzle with a bundle. It's a digital puzzle, not a printed or cardboard one, so nothing arrives in the post. If a card and a few sentences feel like enough, they are.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
- a handwritten card, chosen from their own spinner
- a mention in the notices or the parish newsletter
- an offer to help unpack the Advent order or deliver reading notes
- a book token for their own reading
- a gift to the church in their honour
- a few words to the vicar so the team hears how much it meant
Where Puzzlify fits
Puzzlify turns a personal photo into a private digital jigsaw that you send as a link. It isn't a printed puzzle, and it isn't a public puzzle board: only the people you send it to can open it. It's one option among many, and it works best when the photo means something to the person receiving it. Please don't confuse it with puzzlify.io, Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose the rack by the font, the reading notes in their colours or the spinner of cards, pick a piece count that suits them, and write the note in your own words. You can make one here.
Whatever you send, the most important part is the sentence that sounds like you, written to the people who keep a small shelf of books doing quiet good all year.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, religious, financial, data protection, photography permission or gift policy advice.