John G. Paton’s autobiographical account of his missionary work in the South Seas and of his subsequent activities as an ambassador for missionary work used to be familiar reading in Christian households. Born in the south of Scotland in 1824, he served as a mission worker in a deprived area of Glasgow before being sent by Jesus to serve in foreign hostile communities where he suffered many disappointments and opposition as he laboured to enable the inhabitants to understand the gospel. His first wife and infant son died in 1859, shortly after they arrived in Tanna.

Nevertheless, he persevered in spreading the gospel throughout the South Sea islands and eventually through his work, and that of others, churches began and flourished. By the time he died in 1907, he had seen thousands of converts in those once-hostile locations. Schlehlein’s book has two parts: the first is a biographical survey of Paton’s life and the second considers several aspects of Paton’s methods and background. He provides an interesting and moving presentation of an important person from Scotland’s rich missionary heritage and reminds readers of how God's grace can transform the most darkened of communities.

This book is available to purchase from ICM Books.

Malcolm Maclean, Greyfriars Free Church, Inverness