The Stumbling Trail by Michael D. Moylan

Young Gerald Mauldin, new deacon of the Episcopal Church in the small Virginia town of Pinkstonville, steps off the train in the fall of 1931 and walks into a perfect storm of high hopes and shattered dreams. The Stumbling Trail follows the young Deacon Gerald as he works to establish a good reputation in both church and community. He learns much of country life in a short time, meeting his future wife and her friends around the area. When one friend is jailed for attempted rape, Gerald unwittingly finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that splits both church and town.