Recent News
Share thisRoberts Alum Dudley Danielson ('56) Authors New Novel: The Congregation
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Roberts alum Dudley Danielson (’56) says it took more than 70 years of living and 11 years of writing to complete his latest and most personal novel. But The Congregation – a true-to-life yarn of a country church and its affable pastor set in the idyllic Thousand Islands region of northern New York – is now available through PublishAmerica.
The Congregation takes place in and around the fictional First Church of Calumet, N.Y., where the flamboyant (and recently widowed) pastor, G. Duaine Andrews, throws himself into every one of his sermons and prayers – delivered to and for church people who easily could be someone you know.
In a story “as true as I dare to write it,” Danielson guides the reader among the foibles and achievements, the dilemmas and delights, the temptations and triumphs of this First Church family with a depth, honesty, and care born of experience. And in each one of its chapters, Danielson says, we see “a beautiful reflection of our Lord shimmering through.”
“Pastor Andrews is delightful,” he says, “and people will find it easy to identify with the characters in a personal way. The Congregation is truly a love story between the pastor and his people. My hope is that the heart and soul of every reader is touched through the narrative.”
Since his days at Roberts preparing for the ministry, Danielson says, his own life has been marked by mountaintop experiences, periods in the valley, and many episodes in between. Currently a resident of Lancaster, Pa., he lived for many years in the same St. Lawrence River area where The Congregation is set. During that time, Danielson managed a bed & breakfast, published the upstate summer newspaper RELAX!, and hosted several gospel radio programs, including the popular Joy in the Morning, which aired for five years. He is ordained by the International Ministerial Association.
Danielson was featured at a book signing earlier this month in Lancaster. For more information about The Congregation, visit PublishAmerica online at: www.publishamerica.com.
About Roberts Wesleyan College
With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students and a tradition of excellence since 1866, Roberts Wesleyan College is a leader among liberal arts colleges with a Christian worldview. The College offers more than 50 undergraduate programs, as well as graduate programs in education, school psychology, school counseling, health administration, health information administration, nursing education, nursing leadership and administration, social work, music education, strategic marketing, and strategic leadership. Roberts Wesleyan also offers innovative undergraduate degree-completion programs for working adults in health administration, nursing, organizational management, and teacher education.
For more news articles, you can take a look at our archive.