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Gregory Van Dussen

Local author Gregory Van Dussen speaks on 'Transfiguration and Hope' at Batavia First Presbyterian Church

By Billie Owens

Author Gregory Van Dussen, Ph.D., will speak about hope, your future and more on Thursday, March 21 at Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

This is a literary evening event that offers the gift of hope and is intended to nourish your mind and broaden your vision for life. It is open to the public and free to attend.

Time is 7 to 8:30 p.m. The church is located at 300 E. Main St. in Batavia.

Van Dussen's new book is called "Transfiguration and Hope: A Conversation Across Time and Space," published by Wipf and Stock.

He asks: "When you think of the future, your future, how far does it go? What are your greatest hopes? What is God hoping for you? Why does Jesus' life, death and resurrection offer you hope?

"What do you hope your life will be like five years from now? What about 10 years from now? 20? 50? 100? What is the way to heaven? Do you envision eternal life?"

The author reminds us that there is an event in the New Testament that (literally) sheds light on those questions. The Transfiguration of Christ taught Peter, James and John more than they had ever known about Him. Did the Transfiguration also tell them more than they could ever "ask or imagine" about themselves (Ephesians 3:20 NIV,NRSV)? About you?

Copies of the new book will be available and Van Dussen will be happy to sign your book. They are also available for sale at the Holland Land Office Museum on Main Street in Batavia and can be ordered in paperback, hardback and electronic formats from Amazon.

Check out Van Dussen's WBTA interview at WBTA (http://wbtai.com).

Retired minister's first book, 'Transfiguration and Hope'

By Virginia Kropf

After a lifelong career in ministry, Gregory Van Dussen has written his first book, "Transfiguration and Hope."

"I have done a lot of writing in graduate school and a lot of reviews, but never a book,” Van Dussen said. “I didn’t think I had anything to write about until it hit me like a ton of bricks.”

As a new retiree, the vision became clear, he said.

“I had to do some reflecting about this time of life, getting old and the next life,” Van Dussen said. “I put that together with the Bible transfiguration of Christ.”

One thing which makes his book distinctive, he said, is in his research he read a wide range of authors, not only Christian authors from Protestant to Catholic but Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox writers from Egypt and Armenian Apostolic.

His book is a conversation across time and space, he said. He describes it as gathering many of those voices from the panorama of Scripture and church history and finding in them the common theme of radical transformation in Christ.

Van Dussen is a retired United Methodist pastor, having started 39 years ago in Batavia. From 1972 to 1974, he served as district superintendent. His career includes serving at churches in Bergen, Albion, Batavia, East Aurora and Springville.

His book is available at the Holland Land Office Museum, on Amazon and in local retail distributors, including the Book Shoppe in Medina, where he has a book signing scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22.

Van Dussen is already working on a second book of devotions, based on the lives of early circuit riders in North America.

“I have always been interested in those people,” Van Dussen said. “I found an abundance of information available online about these people.”

He hopes to have the new book available by next fall.

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