Be the church people meet first in their new chapter.
New neighbors, grieving families, new parents, caregivers. We write, design and print a beautiful book for the people your church is called to reach, researched for your city, with your church's name on the cover and your pastor's welcome inside.
No one should have to figure out a new chapter of life alone.
A new country, a loss, a first baby, an aging parent. People in a new chapter want to do it well, but the answers are scattered and hard to trust, and the first book they find is often the one they keep.
Your church already cares about them. What is usually missing is the first contact: a way to be there on the day they need help.
- The needClear, trustworthy answers in their language
- The gap"We care, but we don't know where to start"
- The bridgeA book they keep, with your church inside
- The result"I found you in the book."
Choose the people your church is called to reach
Every title is written once for the whole country, then customized for your city: its laws, its offices, its directory, and your church on the cover. All 25 Fort Myers editions are written and ready now. We are starting in Fort Myers, Miami and Tampa, then the rest of the country.
Or a book for any audience you choose
Single mothers, people in recovery, first responders, refugees, small-business owners. Tell us who your church is called to reach, and we will research, write, design and print a book made for them, presented by your church from cover to close.
- We plan it with youAudience, chapters and the one page they will keep
- We write and design itVerified with official sources, approved by you page by page
- We print your editionFrom 500 copies, about 12 weeks, planned with you
Open the books
Real 6×9 books with full-color covers. Families keep them and open them every time a new need comes up. Each one carries your church's name on the cover, your pastor's letter inside, and your church first in the local directory. Interiors print in black ink, so every copy is crisp and affordable.
New in Town
Welcome to Fort Myers
Moving is the moment people go looking for a church. New in Town makes your church the first friend every new family meets: a locally researched welcome book they keep all year, given by you.
The page they keep: Your First 90 Days checklist, a year-round local calendar, a hurricane plan, a household page, a home inventory and an emergency card.
- 1Your first 30 days
- 2Driving in Florida: license, title and tags
- 3Utilities, internet and trash
- 4Your home: buying, renting and taking care of it
- 5Homestead, property taxes and Florida taxes
- 6Insurance and hurricane season
- 7Doctors, hospitals and health care
- 8Schools, childcare and learning
- 9Local government, voting and civic life
- 10Living well in Southwest Florida
- 11Finding your people
- 12Local directory, your church first
Plus good news for a new beginning and a "You're invited" welcome card from your church. Fort Myers edition shown; chapter titles adapt to each state.
The Next 90 Days
Walk with every grieving family your church serves through the hardest three months of their lives, with a book they keep close and open again and again, and your church's name on the cover.
The page they keep: Your 90-Day Companion: 13 weekly pages with a verse, a short checklist and journal lines, plus contacts, a calls log, thank-you notes and a "ways you can help" page to hand to friends.
- 1The First Hours
- 2The First Week
- 3Planning the Service: Funeral, Cremation and Burial
- 4Death Certificates and the Paperwork Trail
- 5Social Security, Insurance and Benefits
- 6The Estate: Wills, Probate and the Executor
- 7Bills, Accounts and Debts
- 8The Home, the Car and Belongings
- 9Taking Care of Yourself While You Grieve
- 10Children, Teens and Grief
- 11Faith and Hope in the Valley
- 12Your local directory, your church first
Plus Good News for the Hardest Season and a "You Are Invited" card with a response card that comes back to your church.
The First Year
in Fort Myers
A 142-page companion for the whole first year with a baby, given by your church to the new parents of your city, with your name on the cover, your pastor's letter inside, and a 52-week journal families open every week.
The page they keep: A 52-week first-year journal with CDC milestone checks at 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months, the page families open every week.
- 1Papers that protect your baby
- 2Mom's health after birth
- 3Your baby's doctor
- 4Feeding your baby
- 5Safe sleep, car seats and a safe home
- 6Health coverage for your baby
- 7WIC and help for your family
- 8Going back to work: leave and child care
- 9Money in the first year
- 10Your marriage in the first year
- 11Local directory, your church first
- 12The 52-week first-year journal
Plus "Good News for a New Family" and a "You Are Invited" welcome card with a tear-out response card. Fort Myers edition shown; each city gets its own laws and directory.
Building a Home Together
The book newlyweds in your city keep and open every time a new question comes up, with your church's name on the cover and your pastor's letter inside.
The page they keep: An "Our First Year" write-in planner: vows, goals and the moments they will want to remember.
- 1Making It Official
- 2Money as a Team
- 3Protecting Each Other
- 4Your First Home
- 5Taxes as a Couple
- 6Sharing the Load
- 7Talking, Listening and Making Up
- 8Staying Close
- 9Two Families, One Home
- 10Growing Your Family
- 11When Storms Come
- 12A Home Built on Something Solid
Plus Good News for Your Home, a "You're Invited" card from your church, and chapter 13: your local directory with 52 dates in your county, your church first. Fort Myers edition shown.
Bienvenidos
a Fort Myers
Every week new Hispanic families arrive in your city with no map. Give them a beautiful book in Spanish that helps them find their way, with your church's name on the cover and your pastor's welcome inside.
The page they keep: A tear-out emergency card for the wallet: evacuation zone, consulate, clinic and a trusted contact.
- 1Documents and what each one allows
- 2Driving: license, rules and fines
- 3Work, pay and taxes
- 4Banks and sending money home
- 5Renting a home and tenant rights
- 6Health care and emergencies
- 7Schools and education
- 8Buying a car and insurance
- 9Marriage, family and support
- 10Starting a business
- 11Safety, scams and your rights
- 12Local directory
Plus good news for a new life, your pastor's personal invitation, and a tear-out emergency card. The book is in Spanish; chapter titles are translated here.
We know what arriving feels like.
We are missionaries. We have been the family in a new country and a new city, with a new baby, through many new chapters of our own, always looking for someone to trust. That is why every chapter is researched against official sources, verified again before each printing, and written in clear, warm language for the family who receives it.
Who we are. Chapter & City is a ministry of Sergio and Holly Alvarado, missionaries who write and localize books that churches give to the people their city is welcoming. Every church that gives a Chapter & City book also partners with their ministry and helps keep them in the field.
We do the research, writing, design and printing. Your church brings the part only a church can: presence, care and an open door.
Three simple steps to a book in their hands
- i.
Choose your pack
Decide how many families you want to reach, from 100 copies up. A 20-minute call is all it takes.
- ii.
Approve your cover and letter
We write your pastor's welcome with you and set your name on the cover. Nothing prints until you approve it.
- iii.
Give it to families
About four weeks later your copies arrive, ready for your welcome table, ESL classes, food pantry and visits.
Payment. 50% reserves your edition; the rest is due when you approve your cover and letter. It is a partnership: your families receive their books, and your church helps keep a missionary family in the field. Your church receives a receipt for every payment.
Your church presents the whole book
The outcome: families who know your church and come back to it. The book is already written, customized for your city, presented by your church and placed through your outreach.
- Your church's name on the cover"A gift from" your church, on every copy
- A welcome letter from your pastorWritten with you, in your voice, and approved by you
- Your church featured in the directoryNext to the offices, clinics and services families need, plus any sister churches you invite
- Printed copies in packsFrom 100 to 1,000 copies, printed after your approval
- Reorders whenever you need themYour edition stays ready for the next family
Shared Edition. Two to four sister churches can present the book together, sharing the cover credit and the letter page.
Books in your hands about 4 weeks after you approve
The book is already written. Once you approve your cover and your pastor's letter, we customize, print and ship your edition to your church.
Weeks after your approval. Backed by the Delivery Promise below.
Reserve your Church Edition →approval
on every
page
The Page-by-Page Promise
Nothing with your church's name prints until you have read it and approved it.
or
refunded
The Delivery Promise
If your copies don't arrive within 30 days of your approval, you receive a full refund.
Packs and investment: in the presentation or on a 20-minute call
From a call to books in your hands
Every title, in every city, arrives about 4 weeks after you approve your cover and letter. A custom book takes about 12 weeks.
- TodayChoose your pack
A 20-minute call and a reservation.
- Week 1Approve your edition
Your cover band and your pastor's letter.
- Weeks 2 to 3Customized and printed
Your city, your church, your copies.
- Week 4Books in your hands
Delivered to your church, ready to give.
Picture your city with your church on the cover
- Families have a book on their table that answers their questions, with your church's name on the cover.
- New faces arrive on Sunday saying, "I found you in the book."
- Your church reaches people it never met before, without starting a new ministry first. The book is the bridge.
- Your church is known in your city as the one that welcomes.
Placed by people families already trust
Your church
Welcome tables, outreach teams, visits, care ministries and Christmas gifts.
Sister churches
Partner congregations who know the people your book is for.
Offices and consulates
Where new residents come for their first services.
Clinics and schools
Front desks that serve families in a new season.
A pamphlet is read once. A book with your city's name on the cover becomes the family's reference, opened again every time a new need comes up.
Before you begin
Is the book free for families?
Yes. Your church gives it as a gift. Families never pay, never sign up and never share personal information to receive a copy.
How much work is this for our church?
One 20-minute call and one approval of your cover and letter. We handle the research, writing, design and printing.
We don't have a Spanish ministry. Can we still do this?
Yes. The book speaks Spanish for you, and your letter can point families to someone who speaks their language. Many churches choose a Shared Edition with a Hispanic sister church.
Is the information reliable?
Every chapter is researched against official sources and verified again before each printing. The book helps families understand how things work, follow the law and find the right office, and points legal questions to qualified help.
Is it a Christian book?
It is a practical book first. Your pastor's letter welcomes the family, and near the end a short section shares the good news of the gospel and invites the reader to your church.
Can we start small?
Yes. Packs start at 100 copies, and you can reorder whenever you need more.
How does payment work?
Half reserves your edition, and the rest is due when you approve your cover and letter. The Delivery Promise protects you: if copies don't arrive within 30 days of approval, you receive a full refund.
Where does our church's payment go?
It covers the research, writing, printing and delivery of your books, and it also supports Sergio and Holly Alvarado's ministry in the field. Your church receives a receipt for every payment.
Our church is called to a different group of people.
Every title in our collection is available as a Church Edition: grieving families, new parents, caregivers, students, new homeowners and more. Tell us who your church is trying to reach, and we will show you the title that fits them, or a custom book made for them.
Reserve your Church Edition, or start with the sample.
Tell us about your church. We will reply personally with the sample chapter, the partner presentation or a time for a 20-minute call.
Custom books for churches
[email protected] · 239-355-6731
2701 Cleveland Ave, Suite 200, Fort Myers, FL 33901