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Oh, dear God!
Please, please! Not another one!
The end of the
evening Sunday service was minutes away, the last song had been sung, and
benediction given. Nancy was in the
process of racing out to the vestibule door when Pastor Harris announced, “…and
then, tomorrow evening the Honorable Reverend Leo Berry will be arriving and
lead us in a week-long revival…”
Amid the Amen! and Praise God! each teenager wilted, with heads hung low. Though telekinetic communication had never been confirmed,
Nancy and the others could sense each other's thoughts, some filled with profanity, others
not.
Nancy was safe from
the altar pounding***, being a near-saint in the teen world. But what about Bill, Tom, Bob, Sam, and other boys
who were damned to Hell all the time? Long,
painful nights spanned across eternity for them.
Brother Leo Berry
arrived at Pastor Harris' house just in time for one of the church’s Sisters to
carry in the casserole, Jell-O salad, and dessert.
For the Pastor Harris house, the meals would be manna from heaven, since the church paid salary next to nothing. This required Pastor and Sister Harris to hold down jobs. These dinners would be as a feast for the pastor's family.
For the Pastor Harris house, the meals would be manna from heaven, since the church paid salary next to nothing. This required Pastor and Sister Harris to hold down jobs. These dinners would be as a feast for the pastor's family.
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| Source: commons.wikimedia.org |
Monday night arrived,
with a shining smiling Brother Berry on the platform, rubbing his hands
together. His bald hair comb-over reflected the bare light bulbs overhead. The seedy suit spoke of nights on the road with a trail of churches behind him.
“ARE YOU SAVED? IF YOU WALKED OUT THAT DOOR THIS VERY NIGHT AND WERE SMASHED BY A PICK-UP TRUCK, WOULD YOU BE SAVED?”
He eyed the ones who did not say Hallelujah or Preach it! "Would you?” He whispered meaningfully, staring down the teen herd in the back of the sanctuary.
“ARE YOU SAVED? IF YOU WALKED OUT THAT DOOR THIS VERY NIGHT AND WERE SMASHED BY A PICK-UP TRUCK, WOULD YOU BE SAVED?”
He eyed the ones who did not say Hallelujah or Preach it! "Would you?” He whispered meaningfully, staring down the teen herd in the back of the sanctuary.
Nancy sighed, opening
her math book, this was gonna be a loooonnngg week.
***To be continued someday next week, probably Wednesday. Pray for Nancy and all those
boys.
A previous blog about Nancy and this church can be accessed here.
Some of them sure are a bit umm over zealous
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea.
DeleteI have been in a church or two like this when I was younger lol. I definitely empathize with Bill, Tom, Bob, and Sam.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to seek and find God as He calls, but it is quite another to be coerced by an over-zealot traveling preacher.
DeleteI've seen my far share. They all seem to be in it for profit rather than God
ReplyDeleteNot all. But many itinerant evangelists have no accountability.
DeleteSome people need them, but for most, it would be so tiresome. And ineffective. And a great way to drive teens away from God.
ReplyDeleteIn my small town, revivals were usually drudgery, hours long, and exhausting. Farmers had been working all day in the fields, wives in the garden, and kids doing chores with no time before or after for homework.
DeleteYou are correct; many teens did not seek or accept Christ during these events.
Thank you. This series covers events which are completely alien to my experience - and I find it fascinating.
ReplyDeleteAnd think of the proverb about forcing horses to drink... Which could be easier than forcing a teenager to do anything.
I am so relieved that we survived those years with our own. It was rough going at times.
DeleteI'm glad you managed to fit in Jell-O salad - would hardly be a church meal without it.
ReplyDeleteJello was a staple for dinner and supper: it was cheap, looked pretty, and sweet.
DeleteThe itinerant revivalist minister did not do this for money. I think this style of preaching came from the days when there were not churches and ministers everywhere. They used fear to change people because they were only there a short time. Revivals were quite exhausting.
ReplyDeleteYou know, that is really a good perspective: the traveling preacher. You are truly correct. Thanks for providing a different view.
DeleteInstilling fear into people is one good reason for not going to church. Or revivalist meetings.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned God is loving and forgives, just like every other God out there.
Instilling fear is not isolated to religion. That method is implemented across the world in all cultures. Going to church is a personal choice, regardless of the speaker. I attend church because I want to worship with fellow Christians.
DeleteI laughed when I read jello salad. My girlfriend once sent me a cookbook put out by the Lutheran Ladies Aid Society and a dishtowel (as a joke). I remember there was a recipe for "jello for 100" in the book.
ReplyDeleteReally?!! Wow. I wonder how many boxes of lime jello that would take?
DeleteOne box, but everybody has to eat with a toothpick....
ReplyDeleteEating jello with a toothpick would definitely make the jello go further. Difficult, but effective.
Delete