Salvation (Joseph Seed)

2. Welcome to Hope County

After the sermon, Joseph and his siblings used the time to mingle with the flock. Well, Joseph, John and Faith spoke to their followers while Jacob remained by the church, keeping a watchful eye over the crowd. Joseph finished his conversation with a few members of his flock before they left to speak to some other followers. He scanned the crowd and smiled when he saw the head of dark hair that he was looking for, the young woman from church.

With the usual charming smile and kind eyes, Joseph walked over to the girl. "Excuse me, my child" he spoke smoothly as he stood behind her.

Evelyn turned around with slightly widened eyes, she hadn't expect anyone to speak to her, and when she saw that it was the preacher she was more than surprised. "Hello...Father" she smiled politely, and a little shyly, she had heard many of the congregation referring to the preach as 'the Father' so she figured that she should call him that.

"I've never seen you before, you must be new to the church. Can I ask what brought you here?" the preacher asked and Evelyn couldn't help but feel like she could trust him. He obviously had the trust of his flock, he was somebody who you are suppose to trust and rely on, Evelyn could see that.

"Actually, I'm new to Hope County. My family and I only arrived about a week ago. I was looking for a church and two women sent me here. I hope you don't mind me saying but it's very different to other church's I've been to" Evelyn explained, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment. She didn't mean to offend the preacher in anyway.

"I don't mind at all. We are not a regular church but I do hope that you give us a chance. I would like to tell you a little bit about what we do here" the Father smiled, easing her nerves just a little.

"I would like that" she nodded with a smile, looking him in the eyes again. Once again, he was wearing his yellow tinted aviators and apart of the young woman wished that he would take them off so that she good see the stunning blue more clearly.

"My name is Joseph Seed, I'm sure you have heard people call me The Father" Joseph introduced himself and held out his hand.

"I'm Evelyn Monroe" she smiled back and shook his head. The moment their hands met, Joseph could feel things falling into place. This was the moment that he had felt coming this morning, this was what he had been waiting for.

Joseph smiled brightened a little more before he released her hand, he moved to stand beside her and placed his hand between her shoulder blades. "That is my younger brother, John. He is the baptist. He performs the baptists when I cannot and my flock go to him for confession. They go to him to be shown and relieved of their sins" Joseph explained as he gestured towards the younger man that Evelyn had seen in church. John was talking to a few members of the congregation and they all seemed to be infatuated, either with him or what he was saying. Perhaps both.

"And that is my older brother, Jacob. He is our solider, our protector. We receive a fair amount of hostility from some people of Hope County and he ensures that no harms comes to us" Joseph informed her and she watched the eldest Seed for a moment. He stood by the church with his arms crossed over his chest, just watching the congregation with a stern yet blank expression.

"That is our sister Faith, she joined us after we arrived in Hope County. She is the most loyal member we have ever had. She was lost when we found her, here she has a purpose and a family. Plus, the other members of the church absolutely adore her" the Father explained as he pointed over to the woman in the white dress, she was talking to some of the members of the flock with a kind smile on her face. "I do hope that you will ignore the slander you may here and see who we are for yourself" he smiled as he stood in front of her once again.

"You all seem like nice people, I can't see why anyone would have a problem with what you preach. I have never heard a pastor speak like that before" Evelyn admitted, still curious and even in awe with what she was experiencing. It was something so unlike anything else she had witnessed.

"I only speak the truth, told to me by God himself. My flock look to me for guidance and I will not steer them wrong, I will not lead them astray" the preach spoke and Evelyn found herself focusing on everything he had to say, just like earlier. His voice was like velvet, she swore it was something that you could get addicted too. She found herself beginning to adore his accent, something she had never been interested in before.

"It must sound rather stupid to you but...what is Eden's Gate?" the young woman asked, her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink. She was captivated by what Joseph preached but she would admit that she wasn't completely sure of what he had been talking about.

"That is not stupid, there are no stupid questions. You see, Evelyn, there is a reckoning coming and we must be ready for it. When that reckoning does come and these good people are prepared, we will walk through Eden's Gate. There will be a new dawn, the world will be reborn and those who feed sin will no longer be. God had told me what will come and, like Noah built the Ark, I will build bunkers to survive the collapse. And after God's wrath has blown through, angels will once more walk the Earth. That is Eden's Gate, it's a new and better world for those who are willing to listen. We will live again in the Garden of Eden, the way we did before" Joseph explained to her. He found himself watching her face carefully as he spoke. He wanted to see the interest in her eyes, the way she tilted her head in curiosity. He was simply in awe with her very presence. She was special, a gift from God, and Joseph knew it.

"It sounds...too good to be true" Evelyn smiled. She wouldn't lie, the thought of a world reborn as pure and ideal...it was tempting.

"Well it is true, I will never lie to those who listen to me. I speak the truth of God, and those willing to hear it will be saved" Joseph assured her, placing his hand on her shoulder, pleased that she didn't tense at his touch.

"I'm sorry if I intruded on your sermon" she apologised timidly, realising that this was probably a pretty private thing for Joseph's flock.

"Of course you didn't. Anyone is welcome here, we will not turn people away. You are welcome here anytime and I do hope that we will see you again" he gave her a warm smile and she couldn't resist the urge to smile back, like it was contagious.

"I think I will be here again. When do you hold sermons?" Evelyn asked, definitely interested in returning.

"Every Sunday. Sometimes we will hold extra sermons but I will always tell you during a Sunday sermon" he told her, more than happy that she was going to return, that he would see her again.

"Thank you, Father, but I should leave. My parents will be waiting for me at home" the girl sighed, wishing that she could stay longer rather than returning home.

"Very well. I will see you soon. Before you leave, I would like you to know that if you ever need anything, you can always find me here" Joseph promised her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. He tenderly touched his forehead to hers, causing her to instinctively close her eyes. He pulled away and dropped his hands to his sides, smiling at the blush on her cheeks. Evelyn nodded before turning away from him.

"Oh and, Evelyn" Joseph called, making her turn back to him. "Welcome to Hope County" he smiled and he definitely made her feel welcome. She smiled at him before turning around again and walking away, walking back down the path that she had arrived on.

Evelyn had been frustrated that her parents were forcing her to start going to church but if this was the church she joined, she suddenly didn't have a problem with it. The preaching was personal, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the preacher...well, the preacher was perfect.