The Church of Whosoever — Robert Hill

The Church of Whosoever: Extra Grace Required follows the intersecting lives of LGBT Christians as they strive to express their faith and cope with the after-effects of their pastor's heart attack. Among the congregants are a single grandmother, evicted from her home and marginalized by her family, wondering what comes next; a lesbian couple struggling to be good foster parents to a young man who's discovering his way; an African-American female impersonator returning to COW after a long absence and finding the love of his life; a dual-gendered man, whose son runs away after finding him dressed in women's clothes, giving these clothes to Goodwill and vowing to play it straight; a nameless chain-smoker lurking in the church's shadows and imagining the worst; and diverse others â€" whose stories touch upon the challenges faced by LGBT Christians as they strive to embrace and share God's love and reconcile themselves to a world that often doesn't support them â€" collectively considering how to respond to their long-serving pastor's imminent retirement.

 

Robert Hill was raised in an Army family, then served 20 years as a U.S. Army officer. After retiring from active duty, he spent a decade working in broadcasting and education and, as fate would have it, returned to the Army as a civilian, writing doctrine and developing curriculum. He's been a life-long churchgoer, going where the spirit has led. Over the years, he and his family have been members of Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Metropolitan Community Church congregations. After spending a year in Afghanistan from 2009-2010, he decided at age 54 to get a tattoo. He chose these words from 1 John 4:18 -- There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out all fear. This is his first novel.