Hatch, Match, and Dispatch: The Life and Times of The Almost Reverend William Billow

by George Bush; William Billow

Publisher:

Lyons Press

, 2018

Overview

Being a priest is likened to being a shepherd. People do, from time to time, need a poke here or a prod there. But mostly, they need to know someone is watching out for them. Rev. William Billow has been that gentle guiding hand for multiple communities across the nation, but he is best known for his services in Washington, DC, from St. Albans School to Washington Cathedral. He practices “the ministry of presence,” witnessing and overseeing the baptisms, weddings, and funerals of the members of his flocks. As he moves from community to community, his story does not fail to enlighten and inspire.

Praise for Hatch, Match, and Dispatch

Will Billow is sui generis--a storytelling, sometimes profane, belly-laughing, even (at times) saintly priest who has guided and saved the lives of generations. Enjoy the read.

Just as Will Billow brightens every room he enters, his book will brighten the outlook of everyone who picks it up. From the stories of family, friends and faith emerge a joy in living that is simply contagious. If you want to learn some of the secrets of a life lived to the fullest, you’ll find them on page after page of this poignant, and delightful, chronicle.

In this book we get more than a chronicling of a great man and minister of God; we get a vivid portrayal of someone who was at home with both homeless people and the movers and shakers of Washington DC, someone who let God work through him.

If you are lucky enough to read this book, you will understand how special Will Billow was as a mentor and teacher to our children and as a cherished family friend. The good reverend, like his book, doesn’t just enter your life. He enriches it.

Will Billow’s parish knows no boundaries. It runs from Washington DC to LA and then to points south and Midwestern. But all the really important stuff — about birth and love and laughter and death — unfolds here, in helpful and joyous tale of one chaplain’s amazing life of service.

This crazy quilt of homespun musings from Episcopal priest Billow is a raucous and enjoyable ride that mixes kernels of wisdom with funny, insightful anecdotes from Billow’s long life of preaching. Nicknamed Reverend Fun, Billow was the assistant director at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., which was attended by George H.W. Bush, who wrote the book’s foreword. For more than three decades, Billow rubbed shoulders with prominent members of D.C. society, but the majority of his reminiscences are about everyday people—friends, family, coworkers, and students who have impacted his life. Though written with a distinctly humorous tone, the book takes on heavy topics—Billow’s personal battle with depression, and his father’s alcoholism, among them. It also contains lighthearted tales of, for instance, making pizza with a church youth group and the time Billow helped sneak a former congregant’s ashes into Mt. Vernon (in a quilted Chanel bag) for a clandestine memorial service. Billow’s haphazard collection of quips, homilies, blurry family photos, advice, and accounts of personal experiences reads more like a private, unedited journal than a cohesive memoir, but his infectious sense of humor and thoughtful insights shine through. This heartwarming book will charm readers with its unpolished whimsy.

This heartwarming book will charm readers with its unpolished whimsy.

Product Details

• Title : Hatch, Match, and Dispatch: The Life and Times of The Almost Reverend William Billow
• Authors:
  • Billow, William
  • Bush, George H. W., President
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Publication Date: 2018
• ISBN: 9781493038428

About the Authors

The Rev. Will Billow received his BA in 1975 from the University of Washington, and his MDiv in 1979 from Virginia Theological Seminary. An ordained Episcopal Priest, he has served in parishes in Illinois, Maryland, Maine, and Washington, D.C. before becoming Chaplain and Chair of the Religion Department at St. Albans School, The National Cathedral School for Boys. Now retired, he criss-crosses the world officiating at weddings, baptisms and funerals for his former parishioners, students, and their families. Will grew up in Inverness, IL.