South African Author Publishes New Book

Safely Out on a Limb, a new book by Mervyn Smith and Christy Kalfas, has been released by RoseDog Books.

A young man from Pretoria, South Africa, who thought of himself as a "nobody from nowhere," Mervyn Smith was touched by the love of God at the age of nineteen in a way that dramatically altered the course of his life. Sensing a call to the ministry, he joined the ranks of the Methodist clergy and soon found himself scrambling through the ups and downs, laughter and tears of ministerial training, marriage, raising children, and pastoring five very different congregations.

In 2000, a storm of events cast Mervyn between a rock and a hard place. With nowhere to look but up, Mervyn found his faith stretched to its limits as he tackled the rugged new terrain of independent churches. Through it all, he discovered that even when there was nothing to hold onto and the threat of falling was great, God never left him hanging.

Now he is nearing the summit of retirement. Mervyn is able to look back and reflect with a gentle sense of humor on what can happen when you place yourself in the hands of God and allow Him to direct your climb, no strings attached…

About the Authors

Mervyn Smith has been a preacher for more than forty years and is Associate Pastor at The New Harvest Christian Fellowship, where he was the founding pastor. He is married to Mary and enjoys spending time with his grown children and grandsons.

Christy Kalfas teaches music and lives in Somerset West with her husband, Nicholas. She holds a masters degree in multigenerational worship styles and is involved in various worship ministries at Coronation Street Methodist Church.

Safely Out on a Limb is a 144-page paperback with a retail price of $16.00. The ISBN is 978-1-4349-8864-5. It was published by RoseDog Books of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information or to request a review copy, please visit our virtual pressroom at www.rosedog.com/pressroom or our online bookstore at www.rosedogbookstore.com.