Three Cans of Soup (6 page)

Bill could see that his comment had begun to calm Suzanne down. As they talked, Bill assured her that Benny was just one member and that from his perspective the congregation would be supportive. Of course, Bill added, he really did not know if Benny was more mad at her or at him for not coming right back from St. Louis. “I will probably be fired—after all, as we all know, you don’t cross Mr. Benny!”

Suzanne looked at him with tears visible in her eyes. “I guess I did not think that you were on the hot seat. Maybe both of us should start packing!” This brought a nervous laugh from both of them.

“All this over that damn wreath!” Bill said and added, “I would like to see it fall down and smash into a thousand needles and pieces.”

“That would be an answer to prayer,” Suzanne said as she left.

As Suzanne left, Bill was actually thinking that the situation might be handled. Leaving the office he decided to go into the sanctuary to pray. Surely God would do something to help this to work out, Bill thought as he entered the sanctuary.

Looking up, he saw—perched right over the cross—the great wreath. He just stood and stared at it. “That damn wreath!!” he thought to himself. “So much for peace on earth!” Bill said and realized he was not whispering but almost yelling.

Over the next few weeks things went from bad to worse. Tom and Sarah Jenkins came to see Bill. They spent an hour venting their anger and frustration and telling Bill that they were going to seek another church. The hardest visit that Bill made was to Rick and Judy. Bill tried his best to allow them to vent their anger but his heart was not in it. He was not surprised when they told him they would not be coming back to the church.

It was time for the monthly meeting with Gerald and Benny. Bill told Sharon that he was not going to attend.

“Finally!” she said and gave him a kiss as she continued grading papers. Bill fully intended not to attend, but the next day found that he was driving toward the country club as if he were going to his own execution. “I can handle this,” he said to himself. “God will work it out,” he said to himself.

As Bill entered the restaurant, he had little appetite. He could tell from the expressions on Gerald and Benny’s faces that this was not going to be an occasion when they would give him his Christmas bonus.

As Bill sat down Benny began as one with a mission. Benny did not address him as “Bill” but as Reverend Thompson.

“Well, Reverend Thompson, I am sorry all this has happened during Christmas,” Benny said sipping his coffee. “Some of us are pretty upset about the way you have handled this wreath situation. I now have heard that two families are leaving the church over this. Some of us feel that you are not decisive and that lack of leadership is why this blew up and caused people to leave the church!”

Something changed within Bill. He suddenly felt warmth filling his body. It was not from the coffee or the glass of wine he had had before coming to the meeting. He suddenly did not feel afraid. He just smiled.

Benny continued with Gerald nodding in approval. “Now Bill, I don’t want you to take all this the wrong way. We only have the best interests of the church in our hearts. I recognize that you are pretty new and, well, it is Christmas after all.”

Gerald entered the conversation. “What we are saying is that the Board, well, at least I have assured Benny that this sort of thing won’t happen again. I have talked with Suzanne and assured her that her job is not in jeopardy and neither is yours. We just want your assurance that you will work with us. I took the liberty of calling Dr. Pearl and explaining the situation to him. He is very supportive of you and of our idea.”

“What idea is that?” Bill said and could not believe the sense of calm he felt.

“Well, Dr. Pearl mentioned a leadership workshop that is coming up in March. It’s in Del Ray, Florida, at a retreat there. It is designed to help ministers improve their leadership skills and their communication skills. We would like to send you and Suzanne to that workshop.”

“A leadership workshop?” Bill responded again with a calmness that impressed even him. “I think that is a wonderful idea!”

Gerald looked over at Benny smiling as if a great victory had been achieved. “Well, why don’t we order?”

For some reason, Bill truly enjoyed the meal that day. All through the conversation on politics and religion he just smiled. In fact he smiled all the rest of the day and all week.

When Sharon heard about the meeting, she was worried. She realized that the decision to come to Maysville and to Central Church might not have been a wise decision. She was happy and more content than she had ever been. She was excited about her classes and her reviews were outstanding. She had found her calling.

At the same time, she noted that her enthusiasm for religion in general was waning. All her life she had been religious, attending church and praying regularly. When she met Bill and they were married she saw her role as his wife as a calling. The kids had come along and her time was taken in raising a family and supporting Bill in his ministry. Yet, the desire for her to make a real difference was always just under the surface.

Bill, for his part, had always been encouraging and supportive. When she went back to school to finish her Master’s in history he took over much of the cooking. She had to admit he was in some ways a better cook than she was. When she completed her degree, she was disappointed in not being able to teach, but instead worked in an office. Because of the small congregations, finances had always been an issue.

That is why when Central Church seemed very serious about hiring Bill as their minister she had followed through with an application to teach at the community college. It was as though God was finally working everything out. Bill got the job at the church and she was hired to teach history. The move to Maysville was an answer to all their prayers.

Now, however, she watched as Bill became more and more withdrawn. She began to realize that the interactions at the congregation were more toxic than she wanted to admit. So it was when she hugged Bill and had him sit down for a talk she was surprised at the calmness of his spirit. When she offered her support to whatever decision Bill needed to make including another move, he brushed the suggestion aside. “God will work everything out,” Bill proclaimed with an air of confidence. “I know what I must do,” he said but would not share details.

What Sharon worried about was not the words. “God will work it out,” was something she believed. What were strange were not the words, but that Bill seemed to really believe them. So she hugged Bill, kissed him and they sat together. They went out to dinner, returned home and enjoyed each other. The next morning they lay together, embracing. The only thing that bothered Sharon was the smile on Bill’s face, the cheery song he sang from the bathroom and the bounce that had returned to his step.

That weekend, some two weeks before Christmas, the weather turned colder. A light snow fell and Maysville began to truly take on a traditional Christmas look. All across Maysville shoppers shopped, bells jingled, and people prepared for the holiday season. The “crisis” at Central Avenue was unnoticed by the citizens of Maysville and, in fact, by most of the members of Central. They were too busy with their shopping, decorating, and preparations to really notice what was going on in the inner bowels of the church.

That Sunday, Sharon was out of town at a conference for the college. Since the conference was being held in Columbia where Lisa was attending college, Sharon decided to stay over.

On Sunday the worshippers all got ready, cajoled the children, scraped the thin ice off of their cars, and headed for church.

Benny got up that day and got ready for church as if he were getting ready for battle. Rose, his wife, was not feeling well. Benny, on the other hand, was feeling great. He felt that things were back in control. These new pastors needed control. They were not wise to the ways of the world, not as Benny was wise. He had once thought about going into ministry. It had been the fondest wish of his father, but he had died while Benny was a young man. He had turned his back on that dream and instead had pursued the ambition of providing for his mother and his family. In that, he thought to himself, he had been very successful. He would serve God by being a leader in the church and at that he had also been successful. The wall of his study was filled with letters of thanks and awards that the church had given to him for his generous gifts. He had served on boards and committees and at Central he felt he was the true spiritual guide for the congregation. So as Benny entered the church that Sunday, he felt very happy. It was going to be a very Merry Christmas.

As people arrived that morning they noticed a burned smell in the hallways. Gerald had received a phone call that morning from Bill, who told him he was not feeling well and that Suzanne would lead the service. Gerald made a point of checking in with Suzanne and offering any help. He had told Bill to take care of himself and hoped he would be feeling better soon.

Most people only noticed a putrid smell filling the hallways as they arrived. The trustees hurried around, looking for smoke or anything that might be giving off the slight oily odor. Finding nothing, they came to the conclusion that some kid had probably tried to make something and had burned something or other and that was what caused the smell. They opened a few doors and in time the odor seemed to dissipate.

The choir, the ushers, Suzanne, nor the liturgists noticed anything strange at first. They were busy getting ready for worship. It was Anita’s scream that alerted them. Arriving a little early, she had marched right into the sanctuary to look at her treasured wreath above the cross, just where it belonged. But, looking up at the cross, Anita saw nothing!

About the time that Anita screamed, Benny arrived. By now there was a large crowd gathering at the sanctuary entrance. The air was buzzing with conversation. Some noted that there seemed to be some excitement brewing.

Suzanne arrived and looked up at the cross. A slow smile crossed her lips. The wreath was gone! Some kid had probably broken in and stolen it. The first thought that crossed her mind was “Thank God.” But she quickly replaced the smile with an air of seriousness as she was approached by Anita and Benny.

“Where is my wreath?” wailed Anita.

About that moment an usher approached Suzanne and the others. “You have got to see this!”

A rush of people followed the usher to the parish hall. It was lavishly decorated with couches, tables, a grand piano, beautiful paintings, and sculptures that sent a message of affluence befitting Central Avenue. It had been a gift from Benny to honor his wife and was known as “The Rose Lounge.” Church leaders had dutiful instructed youth and children workers that no child or teenager was to be in the Rose Room. There was just too much to break or ruin.

As they entered the hall, the strange odor greeted them. They all saw it at once. In the fireplace were the remains of the wreath. The decorative ornaments had melted, and a pile of ashes and grotesque shapes of melted plastic were the only things left of the beautiful wreath. The room and furniture reeked of a pungent smell and ashes had stained some of the nearby chairs. By the fireplace was a sign on poster board: “THIS WREATH HAS JUST BEEN BURNED BY THE FIRES OF HELL. MAY IT NEVER LIVE AGAIN.” It was signed: “Your new prophet, Reverend Bill!”

Bill did not answer his phone that afternoon. He sat in his chair, wine in hand, Bible open to the Prophet Jeremiah, smiling to himself. He had finally stood up to all of them, he thought to himself.

Bill was not aware of the quick meeting that was called after a tension-filled worship service. Benny had called for a special meeting of the Board to fire that “insane” pastor. How dare he desecrate church property and ruin the room he had dedicated to his wife? When his wife had heard, she had to be given a sedative to quiet her down. Anita had been taken to the emergency room, she was so hysterical. Even Suzanne and others who supported Bill were perplexed, angered, and wondered if Bill had indeed had a breakdown.

Benny was adamant that charges needed to be filed and that Reverend Thompson should be arrested. Other voices argued for calm and restraint. Stan, a contractor, pointed out that the damage was easily repairable and that first they needed to talk to Bill and find out what was going on.

It was agreed that Gerald would contact the district minister and seek his advice. Until then, Suzanne had agreed to contact Bill and talk with him.

It was about at that moment that the police arrived. As Gerald and others looked at each other it was Benny who spoke up.

“I called the police. This is vandalism clear and simple. We need a police report for any insurance claim we might want to make. This is standard procedure. You can all decide later if you want to press charges but this is necessary,” Benny stated. Gerald nodded and thanked Benny for looking out for the church’s best interest.

What Gerald and the others did not know is that Benny had already placed some phone calls to people he knew. He had already made a decision, a decision he told himself that others were too afraid to make. A line had to be drawn in the sand.

And so it was that later that Sunday afternoon, Bill’s meditative moments were interrupted by the doorbell. At the door was an officer with a warrant to take Bill into custody. Handcuffed, he was led out of the house to the patrol car. In the distance, Benny and Rose watched with an air of deep satisfaction on their faces.

When Sharon returned home Sunday evening, Gerald and Suzanne were waiting for her. She invited them into the house with the horrific thought that Bill had suffered a heart attack or worse. When they explained the situation to her she was relieved on one hand and furious on the other. Then her fury was replaced with worry. Her Bill had finally gone over the edge.

“Why did you have him arrested?!” Sharon asked, the anger rising in her voice. “He needs help, not jail. Why would you do that?”