Chains of Grace

The book is sub-titled ‘Peter Jeffery’s Story’. In a foreward to the book the author is described as being ‘First and foremost … an evangelist’ and this is an autobiography of his experiences in the service of the Lord. He lived in Neath, South Wales, and was saved at the age of seventeen at one of the Billy Graham rallies in Wembley Stadium, having gone, on his own admission, simply to see the ‘famous stadium’ and vowing ‘I will never become a Christian’.

Following the death of his first child from spina bifida, a daughter just nine days old, both he and his wife felt God was calling him and he subsequently entered a theological college in Swansea to train for the ministry. Following ordination he took up pastorates first in Cwmbran, then Rugby and finally Sandfields, Port Talbot, each place seeing numerical growth during his tenure. He recounts difficulties he experienced, such as his refusal to baptize infants due to convictions regarding believers’ baptism and a refusal to be involved in inter-denominational activities such as ‘Mission England’, the visit of Billy Graham in 1982. Following the time at Port Talbot he then gave himself to an itinerant ministry which took him to Australia, America and New Mexico, his activities eventually being limited due to failing health. The book concludes with three appendices, the first on ‘True preaching’; the second on ‘The most hated teaching in the Bible’ and the third a list of some forty publications of which he is the author.

This book is an interesting account of a man who has a passion for souls, who sought to live according to his understanding of God’s word, who devoted himself to evangelism and Bible teaching and who saw God’s blessing on his labours.