A Sidmouth man has written a book inspired by stories of people who are said to have encountered Jesus in person. 

Geoff Purkiss will be giving readings from his book, Meeting Jesus, at the Mustard Seed Café and Bookshop on Thursday, December 8. 

The book, a collection of 95 imaginative pieces written from the points of view of people who met Jesus, has been praised by local best-selling novelist Jane Corry. 

She said she was ‘blown away’ by Geoff’s writing: “Instantly I felt as though he had brought the Bible and its teachings to life by making me feel as though I was there with the disciples.  There is a real magic to the lyricism of his words.” 

Geoff, a former farmer who has also worked at Sidmouth Waitrose, was inspired to start writing the book two years ago. A worshipper at All Saints Church, he was reading St Luke’s gospel about Joseph of Arimathea asking for permission to bury Jesus’s body. 

He said: “Someone suggested, ‘Imagine being there. Imagine watching, listening.  Sense the mood’. I was hooked. I imagined myself being on that hilltop. I was blown away by the whole experience.”  

Although he had never written a book before and admits that he ‘did not have a clue how to do it’, Geoff immediately set to work, putting himself in the shoes of people who, according to the Bible, met or knew Jesus, and writing about how they might have experienced it.  

His collection of works have been praised by local clergy. Rev Nigel Candelent of All Saints Church described them as ‘wonderfully thought-provoking and immersive reflections’.  Rev Sarah Mounoury, Church of England curate in Woolbrook, Sidford and Sidbury, said: “Geoff is an immensely talented narrator, introducing a must-read collection of symbolic prose.  His words are deeply moving and wonderfully life-giving.”  

Geoff will be giving an interview and readings from Meeting Jesus on Thursday, December 8 at 2.30 in the Mustard Seed Café, and all are welcome. Copies of the book will be available to buy for £5.99.