A Gathering in Hope

by Philip Gulley

Pastor and author Philip Gulley captured my heart in the 1990’s with his Front Porch Tales.  Later he drew in many readers with his series about a small town in Indiana called Harmony where pastor Sam Gardner leads a Quaker congregation. Quite the storyteller, Gulley takes Pastor Sam to a new quirky Quaker group in the little town of Hope where the members of the fellowship are in conflict with each other as they discover that money bestowed on the group by a member who has passed away can be a burden as well as a blessing.

As Pastor Sam tries to mediate at committee meetings and deal with local endangered species issues, we find that he is anything but perfect.  He is trying to lead by following in Jesus’ footsteps, but he is human. He wishes he could “fire” certain members of his congregation. He would prefer to be at home with his wife rather than attend yet another interminable committee meeting. Like every other human, he sometimes regrets things he has said.

In A Gathering in Hope, Gulley has created another fun tale with eccentric characters, an interesting plot, and lots of good humor.  Come for a visit with Paster Sam in Hope and you’re guaranteed a great time.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Center Street for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Humor, General Fiction (Adult)

Publication:  Center Street–September 6, 2016

Memorable Lines:

“He’s better now, but it was touch and go for a while.  He went through withdrawal. You can’t eat five packages of Peeps a day for thirty years and then quit cold turkey.”

If they spent a half hour discussing paper towels, building a new fellowship hall would take decades. Jesus would return before the first nail had been driven.

He seemed a little crazy, a half bubble off center.