A Dresser of Sycamore Trees: The Finding of a Ministry (Nonpareil Book, 95)

From Publishers Weekly
In Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Keizer, a lay Episcopal minister and author of No Place But Here , finds the end of a winding path that took him to the small, rural parish of Island Pond. There he is husband, father and high school teacher, and attends as well to the spiritual lives of communicants, many of them immigrants from other lives, who reside at what initially seems to him "the end of the world." Keizer's anecdotal account pauses frequently to marvel at what he has received from his informal, even unorthodox ministry. He pays tribute to his ordained mentors, particularly one whose "moxie, his jovial evangelism, his blithe testing of every assumption and pretense, his daring of himself to go an extra mile--and then another" appear to be echoed in Keizer's personal journey. The serendipitous blending of faith and work in one man's life is not without humor, making this an arresting and entertaining journal. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this follow-up to No Place But Here ( LJ 9/1/88) Keizer, an Episcopal minister, reflects on a decade of ministry to his parishioners and the townspeople of Island Pond, Vermont. He confronts humanity in all its complexity and seeks to convince the reader that no locale is too remote to benefit from the redemptive work of Christ. Keizer exhibits a refreshing theological acumen and writes with verve and compassion from a viewpoint informed and shaped by the church he serves. His book's title is taken from Amos, an Old Testament prophet who also saw himself as a layperson called by God to minister to human souls. His usually compelling, sometimes humorous, and often moving nonfiction account deserves a wide readership.- Jonathan D. Lauer, Messiah Coll., Grantham, Pa.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
An overwrought account of a churchman's daily life, written by an English teacher who serves as ``lay vicar'' of a small Vermont parish. Keizer seems to be a likeable and earnest young man; he is certainly guileless. We are given, at the start, an extremely meticulous account of the undefined yearnings that led him first to consider, then to reject, the vocation of an Anglican priest. He chose instead to become a schoolteacher and accepted a post in the ``Northeast Kingdom,'' a remote area of upper Vermont. His religious convictions remained strong, however, and he became deeply involved in the activities of his local parish--so much so that he was asked to assume leadership of it when the pastor retired. It is obvious that Keizer was the right man for the job- -his love for his work and his parishioners is proclaimed on nearly every page--but once this much has been established, he seems to have very little to say. His ordinary routine of prayer and work (Sunday services, visits to the sick, committee meetings) is duly set forth, but it is hard to see the drama that Keizer imputes to these events. Basically, this is a story that we have heard many times before: It takes all kinds; most people are decent; many are unhappy; quite a few are confused; and some are just no good. Keizer's fond excitement, while undoubtedly sincere, seems out of all proportion, and his apocalyptic prose--a monastery chapel, for instance, is described as ``a fragment of Eden full of possibilities in which one vaguely heard a serpentine hissing''- -doesn't help matters along very much. Well intentioned but bland. Instead of strip-mining his life for morals and epiphanies, Keizer would have done better to let events speak for themselves. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher
A surprise critical sensation that brings to life the everyday epiphanies of a lay minister in Northern Vermont-"One of the most truly religious books I have ever seen."--Noel Perrin


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