The Latest Epistle of Jim

Fifty-eight-year-old James Mason Andrews, minister of the nondenominational New Sharon church, is among the final four candidates for the post of senior pastor of the large, prestigious Epiphany Church. The position comes to represent everything Andrews and his wife, Kate, believe is his due: wider recognition, power, money, escape from small-town living and a home of their own after decades of parsonage life. While awaiting word, Andrews reflects on his life and work, accepting his faults and refusing to apologize for his pride and ambition (dirty words in the clergy); for his biases (among them a distaste for ""clerical showboating""); his self-doubt; and his occasional lapses of faith, in which he'd dub God the Supreme Joker or even the Supreme Bumbler--suspecting ""that the Power had gone awry."" Shepard, an ordained minister and published poet, renders Andrews so human, he is instantly recognizable as everyman--fraught with frailties and continuously battling one or another of the seven deadly sins. We not only identify with Andrews but also understand his insecurities, wince at his pain and yearn for his appointment to Epiphany, a name not lost on Andrews or the reader. Written with abundant wit and sly humor, The Latest Epistle of Jim (winner of the 1995 Mid-List Press First Series Award for a Novel) offers remarkable insight into the internal workings of both the ministry (""a demanding and sometimes heartbreaking profession"") and its servants while providing a rich story about the true meaning of faith as well. (Nov.)