The Emmanuel Sisters

Chapter 19 The Helper

Six months had passed by and John's church in New York was growing and striving. John had improved on so many things in the church. He had initiated ten different ministries that the church did not have. Now with John as their pastor, the church had become well known in the community as a place to go for food, for shelter, for spiritual help, and for guidance. This was the original mission of the small church when it was first founded, but as the founders got older, the spirit of the mission died away. But now the once small church was growing by leaps and bounds. John's congregation loved and respected their new pastor; even though his first day did start off sort of rocky.
On John's first day as pastor his sermon was on the Christian concept of "church". He preached about how he did not want to have one member in his church go home that day worrying about how they were going to pay their rent or put food on the table for their children, while some members were going home worried about how they were going to buy a bigger home they didn't really need, or afford both the BMW and the new boat, or take a vacation in one of the tropical islands versus the Poconos. He wanted the members in his church to look at each other and care for one another just like family. John ended his sermon with some very stirring words about the true Christian meaning of church.
"Today is a new day for our church. I stood outside the front doors of our church building, and that is all it is, a building. I want you all to remember that a building is not the church. We are the church. It's pouring down raining today and I saw some people drive up in their cars and get out all nice and dry, but I looked down the street and I saw some young mothers walking the four blocks from the city bus stops with their children to make it to the building; and I wondered didn't they know anyone from church who could give them a ride this morning? I looked across the streets and saw young boys hanging out at the corner grocery store smoking cigarettes and drinking booze on a Sunday morning, and then I saw our parishioners pass by those young boys, and I did not see anyone stop an invite one of those lost children to come to church with them this morning. I'm here today to say, today is a new day, my brothers and sisters. Today we will stop just coming to the church building and we will start being the church. And I call you my brother's and sister's, not because we share the same ancestry, but because we have the same father, Our Almighty Father God and our big brother is, Jesus Christ, and we all belong to His family. And when I stood outside at the front doors of this, building, I heard my Father, and my Big Brother speaking as one to me, and He said, "John, do you love me?" And I answered, "you know I love you God." And He said then, "feed my sheep." So today, won't be church as usual, and I pray, that those of you that don't like that it won't be church as usual will not leave, but my Father God is telling me, "John, if you love me, feed my sheep", and that's what we are going to do for now on, starting today. Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a big house, or even two or three houses.
And there's nothing wrong with having the BMW, the boats and the vacations in Hawaii. But if you say you are a Christian, if you tell me you are one of God's children then there is something wrong with it, if we don't try to help out our brothers and sisters that have no home to go to, no car to drive, no food to eat, and no job to take a vacation from. There is something wrong with that because church is not a building, church is a family, church is the family of God. And I don't think God wanted us to get together every Sunday only to worship him, I mean yes that is the main reason we come here, but think about it we can worship God on our own all day long, everyday. I think God wanted His church, His family to get together to also get to know each other, help each other and love one another. Remember church Jesus said, "The most important commandment is this, ...., the Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord our God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally as important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these."
Then there was silence, you've could have heard a pin drop at that moment. The church was quiet after hearing the shortest sermon they had ever heard. A portion of them wasn't sure whether or not to be offended, and a portion of them knew that what John had said was the truth and they felt convicted. But there were still no Hallelujahs, no Amen's coming out of the aisles. There was just quietness in the building. John had told the choir to take a break that morning, so there wasn't even any praise music playing, but the quietness didn't seem to worry John at all. John gave the congregation a few moments to let what he had just said sink in and then he started giving everyone instructions.
"Okay now everyone get out a pen and a piece of paper. Please if you don't have one ask your neighbor for one, and ushers, please go into the offices and find some extra pens and some paper for our family. Once everyone has a piece of paper and a pen, and I'm talking about children too, if they can write. When you have what you need please say, Amen."
John waited quietly for his congregation to say Amen. He heard a few snickers, a few comments, "is this church or is this school?" "What's he giving us homework?" Then finally John saw the nods of his ushers and heard a few more Amens from the congregation, and he asked, "does everyone have a pen and paper now?" And his new congregation responded with a very monotone "Amen."
"Thank you good people, now rip that piece of paper in your hand in half." And they all did as John instructed them. "Now on one piece of paper I want you to write down something you desperately think you need right now in your life more than anything else, something you don't have, and on the other piece of paper I want you to write down something you have, but you really don't need, and don't use. Take your time and think about it before you write it down. Then my ushers are going to come around with the baskets. The baskets with the scarlet ribbons around them are to put the don't have notes in, and the baskets with the blue ribbons around it are to put the don't need notes in."
Eventually the ushers collected everyone's notes, and brought it up to John. John started reading from the scarlet "don't have" baskets first.
John picked up the first note and read it out loud.
"My wife is about to leave me, and I can't get a job since I got out of jail. She's been working her butt off, and providing everything for my kids. I feel like I can't win. I can't get a real job to provide for my family, but if I go back to making money like I use to I know I'll end up back in jail and away from my family, again. So I desperately need a job, a job that pays more than minimum wage, so I can support my whole family. I need someone to give this felon a second chance. I'm not asking for a hand-out just a good job."
Then John read another note out loud from the same basket.
"I need a car. My car broke down, it's beyond repair. Even if it could be repaired, I can't afford it. I've been getting up at 4:00am in the morning to make it across town to my job. I've been late five times already. The boss done fussed me out, and threatened to fire me if I'm late again. I can't afford to lose this job. My eight year old girl has to get my four year old twins ready for daycare and drop them off on her way to school. Then she picks them up when she gets off from school, because I get home so late now. I still don't trust her to cook dinner, so the kids have been eating tuna-fish, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cold cereal for dinner for the past three months. My four year old twins I've noticed are starting to call my eight year old, "mommy" on mistake. I know they don't know no better, but it hurts me bad when I hear them call her that. And her eyes look so tired, her eyes look more like she is forty eight instead of only eight years old. I'm a single mom, both of the fathers of my children bailed out on me a long time ago. I'm just feeling so tired, and I guess I should be asking for a good man, but unless he come with a car that ain't gonna help none. What I really need right now is a reliable car."
John went on reading note after note. While he read he looked out at the faces of his congregation. Each note revealed that there was a member sitting right there in that church, who
was in desperate need of some help. No one knew who those members were, the notes were anonymous.
John started to notice that some of the members in his church were crying. He noticed how they were hugging each other, how some of them had automatically started praying, praying for the people who had written the "have not" notes.
Then John said, "I'm going to start reading from the blue "don't need" baskets now church, but I notice these baskets are nearly empty. So family if any of you have thought about something that you don't really need, that maybe you just didn't think of before, well why don't you write it down now. The ushers will come around one more time and pick up any extra "don't need" notes to fill up these blue ribbon baskets."
John looked out at his congregation, he saw people writing down things on their papers. He heard them calling out to the ushers, "over here", and waving their papers in the air for the ushers to collect. Then the ushers brought back the blue ribbon baskets to John, they were now filled with "don't need" notes inside of them.
The first note John read out loud said, "I don't have any money to give away, but I do have a car and I can cook. My eye sight is too bad to drive anymore, so I need a driver. I always have plenty of food in my pantry, and I'm lonely, now that all my children are grown and my husband has passed away. So if anyone needs a cook or a nanny, I love children. I'd be happy to do it for free and provide the food for free too."
John shouted with joy. "God bless you sister whoever wrote this note. You just confirmed what God was saying to me, "Feed my sheep." Now that single mom with the three girls. The one who needed the car, if you can put away your pride, please come up here, and meet your sister who has a car that she can't even drive and needs a driver. That sister who said she loves kids and can cook can you come up here too. Now this is a true blessing. Can I get an Amen?" Then the congregation shouted, "Amen".
The older lady who had offered her cooking and nanny services stood up and walked up to the altar with John, but no one else got up.
John called out to his congregation again, "remember young mother, this is your family, no need to be shy or feel shame or to have pride with your own family. That goes for all of us. We are here to help each other, not to look down on one another, not to condemn each other, but to love each other. God wants to answer our prayers, but sometimes his answers just got to come through other people."
John saw the young lady he had observed getting off the bus with her three girls that morning get up with her children and come up to the front of the church. Her eyes were filled with tears. It was obvious she was only in her twenties. But she looked so worn out, and so tired for her tender years. The young woman looked at the older lady next to John, and she wasn't sure what to do or what to say to her, besides just saying thank you.
The older lady grabbed her, and held her in her arms, and said, "baby you sure are a skinny little thing. I need to fatten you up and your children's too. Oooh I'm gonna cook you some good meals, you and your babies. My name is Ms. Gloria."
All the young mother could do was cry. "Thank you Ma'am. I never had a mama myself, so I don't really know how to cook that good, I never learned."
John wasn't a man who even tried to hold back his feelings when the Holy Spirit came upon him. He let his tears flow, tears of joy, and tears of thanks to God. He could feel the Holy Spirit moving throughout the church. His congregation was praising God, and yelling Hallelujah to the highest. He also noticed people in the church were looking at each other, and without him even reading the notes anymore they were asking each other, "is there anything I can do to help you? Is there anything you need?"
John had to raise his voice a little to get the congregation's attention again.
"You know I don't want to interrupt this praising, I really don't, but we've still got work to do." John looked over at the older man sitting in the front row of seats and he asked, "Brother do you think you can finish reading the rest of these notes to the congregation?"
"Why sure I can pastor, whatever you need me to do, just let me know."
Then John made his last announcement inside of the church. "To all my Saints out there, I'm going to give my sermon now. Now you all didn't think my sermon was going to be that short did you?"
Everyone started laughing. Then John continued talking, "Today my sermon is going to be given outside. This sermon is for all the non-believers, for all the lost children who are hanging outside at the corner store. My Saints in here are welcome to come outside with me. But you may be of better use to your family inside the building this Sunday, listening and answering each others' needs. But all the young men and teenage boys I see out there in my congregation; you young mighty men of God. If you are here today not just because your Mama made you come here or your wife made you come, but because "you" believe in God's love. And, if you are brave enough and love God, like David the shepherd boy did, grab your bibles and come outside with me. Your bible is your weapon to fight the evil outside. Join me and help save your lost brothers outside. Today's sermon outside will be about Jesus' salvation and his death on the cross. I'm going to give it outside at the corner store, and I'm going to need some of God's warriors out there with me. I'm going to need you all for a spiritual fight, to help God fight the devil that wants some of those young boys' souls who are standing out there. Are you with me young mighty men of God?"
Then there was a rustling and a multitude of young men jumped up out of their seats with a holy fever in them, and they left their mothers behind and followed their pastor outside.
Their mothers' faces all shined with motherly pride and concern, but they couldn't stop their sons from going, after all this was the day they had raised their boys for. The day they could all say, "my son is a mighty man of God."
Later that day, after the congregation had all went home John and some of the teenage boys from the church, and even some of the teenage boys that earlier that day had been standing outside at the corner store, all helped him post a sign on the church billboard outside. The sign read, "HELP WANTED. NEED SAINTS, AND WANT SINNERS. ALL MAY COME APPLY INSIDE. EVERYTHING YOU NEED YOU CAN FIND IN HERE."
John sat in his office, inside of the church at the end of his first day. He was praying at his desk for God to protect his flock and protect the boys he had preached to outside. He prayed that those boys would come to church and would come get saved, because John knew how the enemy comes quickly to try and snatch the Word of God from your heart. John's new secretary, Ms. Lilly, an older, kind lady, who had been a member of the church all her life, interrupted John to bring him a cup of tea.
"Thank you Miss Lilly."
As she handed the tea to John she couldn't help but to be curious about her new, young pastor. "Pastor, I thank God, so much that he brought you to us, but I noticed you're the only person in church who didn't fill out any notes."
"Being pastor here is exactly what I want and exactly what God's given me to give back to the people, and I know in my heart that this is what God wants me to give. I promise you Miss Lilly that I will give this congregation all I can, all that God will require of me I will give. His will be done."
"But pastor, what about "your" needs, what is it that you need and don't have, pastor? Our church is really full
of good people and we all care about our pastor and want to make sure you are happy here too."
"I'm so blessed Miss Lilly, thank you so much for wanting to take care of me, but God has either already answered my prayers, or I have faith he is working on answering them. So don't worry about me, I don't need anything, God has given me everything already. I'm just so grateful to have the honor of serving God."
Miss Lilly smiled, but before she left for the night she said, "Well I just want you to know if you ever need a home cook meal or just some good company, I don't cook anymore because my young niece cooks everything for me. She's a graduate student at NYU and her parents sent her to come live with me after she graduated college back South. She cooks like she could be a chef."
"Thank you Miss Lilly and I will definitely have to take a rain-check on that. Wait, let me walk you out to your car."
John knew it wouldn't be long before people would try to set him up on dates, they did the same thing at his old church, but he just wasn't interested. To be honest he knew it was his feelings for Love that held him back from seriously dating anyone else in the past, and now his feelings for her were even stronger.
When John came back from the parking lot he sat back down at his desk and he couldn't help but to start thinking about Love. He figured she would be settled in and back at home in LA by now. He wondered if she was nervous about starting her first day back at work tomorrow as partner. Even though he had just saw her at dinner last night at Mr. Swanson's he already missed her so much. He tried calling her cell phone. He got her voice mail, and he left her a short message. Then he called up the florist he use to use back in LA and placed an order for them to send flowers to Love's office the next morning. He hoped she would give him a call back before the end of the night.
Love never did return John's phone calls that first night she flew back to LA , or any night after that.
Now six months had passed by since John had became pastor and had given his first sermon at his new church. Within those six months John had started a homeless ministry, gang ministry, youth ministry, senior ministry, jail ministry, singles ministry, mothers in need ministry, and many more. His church was known in the community to have a compassionate and giving congregation, with a pastor who was a mighty man of God. But at the end of every day, at the end of every night, John's thoughts always went back to Love. He wondered how she was doing, what she was doing, and he started to wonder if she was really the woman God wanted him to be with after all.
It had been over six months since he had spoken to her. She had never returned any of his phone calls, emails or letters as she had promised. She had not tried to visit him once in New York, even though he knew she flew out to New York every weekend to visit her sisters.
John had become good friends with Darryl and they would meet for lunch or golf once a week. Darryl would let John know how Love was doing, or at least what Faith had told Darryl about how Love was doing. Other than that, Love had totally avoided John.
John knew what he wanted. He wanted Love. He also knew what he needed. He needed a wife, what God intended for man, he needed a woman who was his equal, his partner, his friend, his confidant his helper. Is it possible this woman, the helper his heart longed for wasn't Love. He hoped not because his heart only wanted Love. However, he knew he should go by what God's will for his life was and not his own will. He was almost afraid to ask God if having Love was His will for him.
During the six months that he'd been pastor, several mothers, grandmothers and single sisters had expressed their concerns over their pastor not having someone to take care of him, while he looked after and took care of his flock. John always told them the same thing, "don't worry God is taking perfect care of me." However, John knew he was growing weary of being alone and he wondered if God was trying to tell him, that it was time to open his heart up, to another woman besides Love.
After 6 months of no responses from Love one night John got the courage up to pray about his feelings for Love. Although John prayed every night for Love, he'd never prayed "about" Love and his feelings for her.
"Lord, you know my heart's desires are to have Love as my wife one day. Try as I may my feelings for her will not go away. In fact each passing day my love for her grows stronger. I feel an indescribable connection and longing for her. I pray Lord that you give me the desires of my heart. I know she loves me too, I can feel it and see it every time I'm with her. I also know she is afraid of so many things, but most of all afraid for some reason she's afraid of giving herself up to your love God and she's afraid of being with me. I pray you take her fears away so that she will follow her heart and find her way back to you Lord and to me. But God it physically hurts me to say this.....  "
John felt an ache in his heart and he started crying before he could speak the words he needed and knew God wanted him to say."
"Lord as much as I love her, as much as I want her, ...., I pray that Your will be done. With all my heart, body, soul and mind I hope your Will for me is Love, but If it is not your will that I be with Love, I pray you give me the strength to let her go, and you open my heart so that I can love the woman, the wife, the friend that you choose for me and that the woman You choose Lord is the helper I need to do your will and serve your sheep. In Jesus name I pray. Amen"