Warm, human, funny and poignant!
I think that I could probably read Fred Secombe's laundry list and find it entertaining. I have read all but one of his autobiographical books and feel like I know these characters intimately and have known them for years. Fred's stories are anchored in the rural Welsh valleys and the larger-than-life people who cross his path throughout his ministry within the Anglican priesthood. Perhaps I find them so enthralling because my own ordained ministry is set in rural Ireland and these people populate my life here too (the only real difference being the different accents and faces).
Fred Secombe has done for rural ministry in Wales what James Herriot did for rural vets in practice in the Dales. I am so pleased to have discovered a Christian minister in such an ongoing narrative who is not a grotesque figure of fun (as is so often the case in entertainment these days), but a warm, human, funny and reflective member of society doing his best to fulfill the calling of his faith in genuinely loving the people he serves. I would wholeheartedly recommend these books to anyone who wants an insight into the workings of a dedicated rural member of the clergy with a light touch, a gift for understatement and an unerring knack of picturing characters in 3-D using only words. God bless Fred Secombe!
