The Other Side of Darkness (19 page)

Kellie nods. “Since Katie went off to college this year, I think it would do me good to get out of the house. Get away from that whole empty-nest thing. We’re going to set up an office in the back of the building. I’ve already brought some things over from home, and we’re installing a phone line later this week.”

“Which brings us to the subject of the building,” continues Pastor Glenn. “The Lord has blessed us with the finances to cover the deposit on the lease for this property. However, we’re in immediate need of enough funds to pay next month’s rent. Naturally, we’re trusting the Lord to meet this need, but if anyone has any ideas or a rich uncle,” he chuckles, “we’re more than interested to hear about them.”

“We could have a bake sale,” says Cynthia. “We could set up tables by the front door on Sunday mornings. And then Pastor Glenn could encourage people to buy some goodies to take home with them afterward.” Suddenly she looks somewhat embarrassed by her suggestion. “I know it wouldn’t bring in a lot of money, but every little bit helps.”

“That’s right,” agrees Pastor Glenn. “Why don’t you handle this, Cynthia?”

She beams at him now.

“Maybe we could have a Christmas bazaar,” says Kellie. “Remember
when we did that to raise money for the orphanage in Africa a couple of years ago?”

“Yes,” I say. “I helped with that event, and as I recall, we raised a fair amount of money too. Wasn’t it about three thousand dollars?”

Kellie nods. “Of course, that was with a very large congregation.”

“But we do have a good location here,” says Pastor Glenn. “Plus the event might help draw in some newcomers, folks who might be interested in joining our church.”

“And I’m going to buy some radio advertising,” says Bronte. “We could include the bazaar information in that.”

“That’s a great idea,” says Pastor Glenn.

“We’ll have to get right on it,” says Kellie. “The best bazaars usually come right after Thanksgiving.”

“Would you like to head that up?” asks Pastor Glenn.

Kellie nods. “I would be glad to, especially if Ruth is willing to help again.”

“Sure,” I offer. “It sounds like fun.”

“Maybe you could even get the children involved. Have them make some craft projects that could be sold,” Kellie suggested.

“That’s assuming she takes the position.” Bronte glances at me with hopeful eyes.

“Oh yes,” says Pastor Glenn. “I guess we did jump the gun on that. Do you have an answer for us yet, Ruth?”

I smile at him and the group. “Yes, I do. I would be pleased to head up the children’s ministry.”

Everyone claps and seems genuinely pleased. And I feel very happy.

“I’m sure your girls will be a great help to you.” Cynthia directs this more to Bronte than anyone else. “Did you know that Ruth has
two delightful daughters who are still in school? What are their ages, Ruth?”

I tell them their names and ages, but even as I say this, it occurs to me that I haven’t really considered how my girls will react to the news that we are switching churches. I suspect that Sarah will be okay, but Mary may take some convincing. However, I just continue to smile.
Have faith
, I remind myself.
Have faith
.

Pastor Glenn turns to Bronte. “Well, unless anyone else has more business or fund-raising ideas, I’ll turn this over to you now.”

Bronte looks around the table, taking time to peer directly at each of us. Her smile is warm, and as Cynthia said earlier, it’s easy to see the Lord’s special anointing on this woman. “I want to begin by saying how delighted I am to be part of your church. I know that the Lord’s blessing is on us, and I expect to see wonderful things, miraculous things, glorious things in the days ahead. We are all embarking on a huge spiritual adventure together, an adventure that will touch each one of us deeply, an adventure that will change the lives of many, saving souls for the kingdom and for all eternity.”

Carl says a hearty “amen,” and the rest of us echo it.

“Next, I want to share that the Lord has shown me that we are all to be equals in this church. For that reason we will refer to each other as brothers and sisters. Glenn will no longer be called Pastor Glenn but simply Brother Glenn. I am Sister Bronte.” She kind of laughs. “I suppose it will take some getting used to at first, but it will be a good reminder that no one is above another.”

As a group we continue to talk about our vision for this new church, expressing feelings of excitement, expectations, and lots of enthusiasm. And then we pray. I am amazed at how the Spirit moves in our midst, and it seems our prayers are shooting straight up to
heaven, or maybe it’s more that the Lord is right here among us. But I can literally feel the energy—a spiritual pulsating that is generated throughout the entire group. And by the time we are winding down—or is it up?—we are all standing, hands raised, shouting praises to the Lord and thanking him for his powerful presence and for all he’s going to do.

“Amen!” Brother Glenn shouts in finale. “Amen and amen!”

We all say, “Amen,” but as I open my eyes and glance around the small group of enthusiastic worshipers, I feel a mixture of self-conscious embarrassment and childlike giddiness. Gazing at our group in the stark fluorescent lighting, we seem a somewhat motley crew. And I’m sure we might look like an odd mix of people, especially to those who only see with physical eyes. There is Glenn, an attractive, middle-aged man who’s been recently fired. Next to him is soft-spoken Carl, a retired CPA with sloped shoulders, thick glasses, and a receding hairline. And next to him is the beautiful Bronte, who looks like she doesn’t even belong here. But she is standing next to Cynthia, who resembles an old hippie or maybe just an old maid. And, of course, I must look like a boring middle-aged housewife, not so different than Kellie Pratt, who is standing next to me. But it’s the Spirit of the Lord that makes us special; it’s his Holy Spirit that unites us, transforms us, and gives us power.

“Hello?”

We all turn to see who has come in the front door, and I am slightly stunned to realize it’s my husband. I had totally forgotten about my note inviting him to pick me up here at eleven. I feel a rush of panic, combined with a need to apologize and explain everything—both to my friends at this meeting and to Rick.

“Hello, Rick,” calls Pastor—make that
Brother
Glenn as he quickly
approaches the front door and grasps my husband’s hand in both of his. “Good to see you!”

“Yeah,” says Rick, clearly confused. “Uh, what’s going on here?”

“Didn’t Ruth tell you?”

“Just something about a meeting.” He checks out our group. “And something about a job?” Now he looks at me with one eyebrow slightly cocked as if he thinks I might’ve made the whole thing up.

“Well, she’s decided to accept the job,” announces Brother Glenn. “And we’re so pleased to have her on our team.”

I am by Rick’s side now, trying to act natural, but I’m sure my cheeks are flaming red, and I wish I could disappear—that we both could disappear. Why did I tell him to meet me here? What was I thinking?

“We should probably get going now,” I say to Brother Glenn. “I promised Rick that we’d look for cars before he has to go to work.”

“Still working swing shift?” asks Brother Glenn with a sympathetic smile.

Rick nods, but he still looks slightly dazed as well as somewhat irritated.

“I’ll bring him up-to-date.” I tug on Rick’s arm. “Life’s been so busy lately, what with his odd hours, the car wreck … We really need to catch up, don’t we, honey?” I glance hopefully at Rick.

“Will we see you here on Sunday, Rick?” asks Carl. And now the others have come over, forming a little semicircle around us.

“Maybe so,” I answer for him.

Then I notice something in Rick’s eyes. And I can tell that he’s studying Bronte now. His brows are raised with curious interest as if he can’t figure out how someone like her is connected with the rest of us. And although I partially resent this and maybe even feel a little
jealous, I’m also relieved for the opportunity to change gears, to deflect the attention from myself. So, hoping to appear somewhat socially adept, I formally introduce the two of them.

“Bronte has been praying for our town,” I say in conclusion, hoping to make sense out of what suddenly seems a little crazy, even to me. “And the Lord brought her to us to help us start our new church.”

“That’s right,” says Brother Glenn. “Bronte is an old friend. She and I went to Bible college together, and the Lord miraculously directed her to this church.”

“Well, we really should go now.” I link arms with my still slightly stunned husband, aiming us toward the plate-glass front door.

“See you at worship service tonight, Ruth,” says Cynthia. “Call me if you need a ride.”

The door closes behind us, and I let out a deep breath. I don’t know why I feel so rattled, but as we walk toward Rick’s pickup, it seems every nerve in my body is pulled taut, ready to snap at the slightest trouble.

“What is going on?” Rick opens the passenger door for me and helps me to climb into the cab.

I look straight forward and don’t say anything as he closes the door. But as he walks around to the driver’s side, I take another slow, deep breath, trying to calm myself as well as to think of a coherent way to explain this new-church thing to him. I doubt he’ll understand or be supportive. Oh, how do I get into these messes?

I spend nearly ten minutes trying to paint a positive picture of the new church and why our town so desperately needs it and why I
must
be involved and why the position in children’s ministries is absolutely perfect for me.

“That’s the job?” he finally says.

“Yes.”

“How much does it pay?”

I look down at my lap. Why does it always come down to this? Why is money so important? Why can’t the Lord just drop it down from heaven?

“Let me guess. It’s a volunteer position, right?”

“Just to start,” I say quickly. “As the church grows and the budget increases, then I’ll go on salary. But it’s worth it. You know I don’t have a lot of confidence. This will give me a chance to start slowly, to build up to something, and then when it’s time to get paid, I’ll feel like I deserve it. They think maybe even by the end of the year.”

“You deserve it now!”

I press my lips tightly together. I know he’s only saying that because he’s desperate for money. He wants me to work so we can get out of debt and start building up our savings again.

“Maybe we shouldn’t get a car,” I say suddenly, thinking I don’t deserve it. After all, I wrecked the last one. “Then we wouldn’t have to waste money on a down payment. Maybe that would help make up for my not earning any money for the next couple of months.”

“And how would you get the girls to school?”

“I could use your pickup in the morning. And arrange for someone to drop them off. Maybe give them gas money. Think what that would save us. On insurance, car payments, gas.”

“And how would you get to this supposed job?”

“Well, I figure that a lot of the work—the planning and whatnot—can be done at home. And then on church days, I could get a ride from Cynthia. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

He shakes his head with a look of disgust. “I just don’t get this thing with you and Cynthia, Ruth. Why are you suddenly turning into best buddies?”

“There’s a lot more to Cynthia than you can see.”

He laughs in a mean way. “She’s a freak, Ruth. Can’t you see she’s a freak? She used to give me the heebie-jeebies every time she went forward in church with one of her so-called words. She used to weird you out too. Don’t you remember?”

“No.” I look straight ahead as he turns into the car lot. “Even though we’re different, I’ve always respected her. She is deeply committed to the Lord, and she has a good heart, Rick. You shouldn’t judge her.”

He scowls as he turns off the engine. “You ready to do this? I called ahead to Chuck. He’s going to help us look for cars.”

“You’re one to be talking about freaky friends.” I get out of the truck. Okay, I know that’s a low blow since Chuck and Rick have been friends since high school. But of all Rick’s friends, Chuck is the weirdest.

“Hey, buddy!” Chuck heads for us. He has on a shiny black shirt with a red and gold dragon embroidered along one side. As usual, the top two buttons are open, like he’s stuck in the eighties, and this reveals a heavy gold chain along with a chest that looks like it could belong to an orangutan. Chuck slaps Rick on the back and gives me a wary smile. “Hear you totaled your car, Ruth. Too bad.”

Now he starts trying to sell us every sporty-looking car on the lot. I can tell that Rick has given him the wrong idea.

“Look,” I say to him. “We’re a family. We have three kids and a dog. A two-door thing like this is not going to work.”

“Too bad,” says Chuck. “I could just see the two of you going out
on date night together in this little beauty.” He glances at me. “You do have date night, don’t you?”

“Well, uh, Rick works nights, and it’s—”

He turns and looks at Rick now. “You don’t work every night, buddy. Don’t tell me that you can’t take the little woman out for a date once a week. Marla and I have been doing date nights for a couple of years now. I think it might actually be the secret to making a marriage last.”

I restrain myself from rolling my eyes. This is Chuck’s third or fourth marriage, and I would never admit it aloud, but I doubt it’s going to stick.

Rick runs his hand over the sleek hood. “It’s a great-looking car, Chuck, but I don’t think it’s for—”

“Hey, buddy, why not just take her for a spin? I already got the dealer plates on and everything. She’s all signed out, and since I know you personally, I won’t even have to go with you. Just take her out and imagine the two of you going out for a date. Better yet, imagine you’re going to the coast for the weekend, you’ve got the sunroof open, and it’s a gorgeous day.” He slaps Rick on the back again and hands him the keys.

Rick looks at me with a lopsided grin. “Ya wanna?”

I shrug, feeling a little sorry for this man who’s been so understanding about my wrecking the minivan. I think maybe I owe him. “Sure, why not.”