Comfort and Affliction

by Michael Frosolono

“I am a lifelong Methodist, raised in our fellowship at the First United Methodist Church in LaGrange. My church of origin sponsored my candidacy for ordination. While at West Point, I attended weekly chapel services on Sunday mornings. I went to chapel services on the bases where I was stationed, when I wasn’t in the field. Believe it or not, military service, even in conflict areas, often involves considerable downtime. The old military term, ‘hurry up and wait,’ will be familiar to many veterans in this congregation.”

  Several rueful chuckles came from the sanctuary.

  “I have always been interested in theology. I tried to carry at least one book on theology in my pack whenever I was on a mission. The downtimes allowed me opportunities for reading, study, and contemplation. I will not go into any details at this time about why I transferred into God’s Army other than to say I made a seamless transition from one branch of service to another. I have no conflict between my military service and my Christian faith.

  “Despite my twenty years of leading brave men and women warriors in service to this country, I do not consider myself your commanding officer. Servant leader is a popular term in the ministry today, but I want to be more of a servant facilitator and your companion on our journey through life during the time we have together.

  “I am neither a theological liberal, conservative, or fundamentalist. I hope you will come to understand that I hew to primary theological principles as impacted by, and revealed in, our modern times. Yes, at ordination, I swore to uphold the United Methodist Book of Discipline. I do not, however, view that document as unchangeable. Indeed, our church history testifies how we have on many occasions modified sections of the Book of Discipline based up God’s continuing Revelation. The Holy Spirit transmits all truth from God to humans, and God’s Revelation did not end with the Book of Revelation.

  “I am a firm proponent of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. The more I study the works of our denomination’s founder, the more I realize how perceptive, both intellectually and pragmatically, John Wesley was. Professor Albert C. Outler, in his study of John Wesley’s writings, came to understand that Wesley used four different sources or tools in his theological reasoning: Holy Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason. That is, Wesley believed the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Holy Scripture, illumined by Tradition, made alive through personal Experience, and confirmed by Reason, or our intellects.

  “If we harken back to our plane geometry classes in high school, we know quadrilaterals are four-sided figures, like squares, rectangles, and trapezoids. For Wesley and most of us today, Holy Scripture is primary, revealing the word of God necessary for our salvation. That is, the side of the Quadrilateral represented by Holy Scripture has more length or weight than any other. Because many of us give different weights to Tradition, Experience, and Reason, the Quadrilateral has the form of a trapezoid in which none of the other three sides are necessarily equal. How we assign different importance to the sides frequently causes controversy, sometimes justified, often unnecessary when we examine divisive issues through the lens of the Quadrilateral.

  “Let me move on to some hard, but not hopeless, realities about this church, while keeping in mind the Quadrilateral. Aldersgate obviously stands in need of revival, as can be confirmed by simply looking around this less-than-full sanctuary. We are not attracting new members, and our membership has steadily declined over the past several years to the point where the Conference and District have doubts about even our short-term survival.

  “New people moving to Vickery could have a positive impact on our church. No, I’m not talking about illegal aliens who come here looking for work. How we might minister to these brothers and sisters in Christ could be the subject of another sermon. Instead, we’ll focus on citizens or legal alien residents living among us for employment or retirement. We can also include people who buy second homes on Lake Hartwell or in other parts of the county in order to reside here primarily on weekends and holidays. I call all of these people temporary strangers. As time passes, they should become our friends and neighbors. I realize this influx of temporary strangers induces considerable anxiety in some of our residents. Even so, I suggest we look for opportunities to serve our Lord and Savior through ministry to these temporary strangers rather than focusing on our anxieties.

  “I-85 opened this area to new businesses and employment opportunities. The owners, executives, managers, and skilled personnel who arrive with these companies typically want higher-valued homes, good schools for their children, more efficient law enforcement and protection, better EMS services, and an end to any good-ol’-boy-and-gal politics plaguing our local governments. Good governmental practices facilitate a favorable business environment, which attracts even more businesses.

  “I realize how Lake Hartwell represents a source of tension through skyrocketing property values on the lake. I suspect some of you benefited from this economic fact by selling properties you owned on the lake, if you didn’t sell too quickly.”

  A few groans came from the congregation.

  “The information I have indicates lake properties account for half of the residential tax burden in Alexander County. Alternatively, high valuations and taxes for lake properties mean many residents of the country cannot afford to buy or keep property on the lake, which is another source of tension, even hostility.”

  Eric looked directly at people whose faces revealed resentment about what he had said.

  “In some respects, these new people, or outlanders, as they’re sometimes called, threaten the comfortable, low-pressure way of life many of you have enjoyed. Some people likely would prefer to stop, even to reverse, the accelerating changes coming upon us as our economy improves.” Eric gripped both sides of the pulpit. “Going back will not happen. Progress will bring some inevitable alterations to our lifestyles. Accordingly, we confront the same problem Christians have faced throughout our faith history: How to hold onto the truly valuable while letting go of ideas and practices not advancing the Community of Believers.”

  Eric took his hands off the pulpit. “The Bible includes almost one hundred and twenty passages about welcoming, taking care of, and loving strangers. The Old Testament lesson for this morning, from the first ten verses of Genesis 18, relates how our parents in the faith, Abraham and Sarah, welcomed three strangers with a lavish meal. Holy Scripture tells us God sent these angels to give Abraham and Sarah the extraordinarily good news about the son to be born to them in their old age. This morning’s Gospel lesson, Matthew 25:31-40, tells us how we may recognize Christ and enter into heaven: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in.”

  Mrs. Andrews and the younger woman beside her smiled at him. The teenage boy kept an intense and unrelenting gaze on Eric. “Holy Scripture teaches us to treat the new people coming here as our brothers and sisters in Christ, perhaps even as angels or Christ in disguise. Although I do not claim to be an angel, many of you have followed the Gospel imperative by your warm and generous welcome to me. We can convert newcomers into friends through incorporation into our Aldersgate fellowship. We obviously have room for many more congregants in this sanctuary, and we only offer one Sunday worship service.

  “You may have heard that the ministry requires two major features, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. Both facets may be required to spark the fire of our renewal.”

  Eric saw signs of displeasure on several faces. Ralph Whitfield, the lay leader, had the sourest facial expression. Elizabeth Andrews and her group continued to smile warmly.

  After the benediction and the closing Amen from the choir, Eric stood in the narthex to greet his new parishioners. About half of them, including Mrs. Andrews and her companions, stopped to greet him and shake hands. The attractive woman introduced herself, “Reverend Jameson, I’m Allison Stevens.” She put a hand of the boy’s shoulder. “My son, Joseph Mansfield. Excellent sermon. I hope people took to heart what you
said.”

  Joseph had a surprisingly strong handshake for his slight frame. “I agree,” he said. “Your sermon did not insult my intelligence.”

  The other half of the congregants left by the back door of the church or bypassed where Eric stood without stopping. Eric thought, I’ve fired the ranging shots, now to fire for effect at the appropriate time.

  CHAPTER 3

  Monday, 30 June

  Eric, dressed in his jogging clothes, stood up from his table by the window when Allison Stevens entered Jean’s Coffee Shop on East Main Street. “Ms. Stevens, will you join me for a cup of coffee?”

  Allison came to the table. “I saw you jogging through the neighborhood earlier this morning.”

  “Do you live near the parsonage?” he asked.

  “Yes, on the other side of Bowman Street, six houses from the parsonage headed away from the city square.”

  “I didn’t see you.”

  “You had a very determined look on your face.” She smiled.

  “I probably was watching for vehicles,” Eric said. “The sidewalk doesn’t extend very far from downtown.”

  “Fortunately, my house sits on a hill away from the street.”

  Eric lifted his coffee cup. “Coffee?”

  “Sure.” She went to the counter to pick up the coffee and plain glazed donut Jean Harris, the owner, put on the counter. Allison returned to Eric’s table.

  “What do you do, professionally?”

  “I’m a lawyer.”

  “Your office is nearby?”

  “Two doors from here, to your right after leaving Jean’s.”

  “I won’t hold your profession against you.”

  “I hope not. Do you jog every morning?”

  “Most mornings. I like to stay in shape.”

  Allison pointed to the remains of Eric’s first donut and the second one he had not begun to eat. “I suppose you’re balancing calories in with calories out?”

  “I like to eat. The jogging keeps my cardiovascular system in good condition with the added benefit of allowing me to eat junk food sometimes.”

  “No pain, no gain?” she joked.

  “My life once depended upon keeping in great physical condition, and I haven’t lost the desire.”

  “I suspect you never will.”

  “What kind of law do you practice?”

  “I have a general practice—some civil, some criminal.”

  Eric briefly glanced at Jean Harris serving another customer from behind the counter. “Is Jean one of your clients or simply a good friend?”

  “A client and a good friend. Why do you ask?”

  “You haven’t paid for your coffee and donut, and Ms. Harris hasn’t written a check for you.”

  “You’re observant.”

  “My life also depended upon a heightened situational awareness.”

  “I successfully defended Jean against a completely bogus personal injury claim last year. Rather than paying me in the coin of the realm for my defense, she provides free coffee and donuts for Joseph and me.”

  “Joseph likes coffee?”

  “Since he was six years old. I keep telling him the coffee he drinks has stunted his growth, while he insists the caffeine will grow hair on his chest.”

  “Any sign of the hair?”

  “He’s beginning to have facial and chest hair, less than what he’d like.”

  “Does your husband work here in Vickery?”

  “Joseph’s father and I divorced some time ago. He works abroad; we haven’t seen him in almost three years.”

  Single! Eric tried not to smile. “You thought Joseph should keep his father’s last name?”

  “I did. Even when married, I retained my maiden name for professional purposes.”

  The coffee shop owner refilled Allison and Eric’s cups. Both drank their coffee black. “I see the two of you are getting to know each other.”

  “He’s learned more about me than I have him,” Allison said.

  “Then do your lawyerly thing. Cross-examine him.”

  “Okay,” Allison said, “A few interrogatories… Is there a Mrs. Jameson?”

  “Only for a couple of years after I graduated from West Point.”

  “She didn’t like being an Army wife?”

  “We were high school sweethearts. Looking back, I think the idea of a military wedding rather than the military life entranced Emily.”

  “A wedding at the West Point Chapel complete with crossed swords, the whole nine yards?”

  “A great introduction to married life. A month after the wedding, I left for advanced infantry training. We lived in married officer housing, which left a lot to be desired from Emily’s perspective, especially once my unit deployed to the sandbox for Gulf War One. Emily greatly resented my staying several months longer in the Middle East rather than coming home with my unit.”

  “Seeing the other men come home must have been difficult for her.”

  “I returned to the States and we were together, on another base, for about three months before I shipped out again. During that deployment, she filed for divorce, and I didn’t contest it.”

  “Don’t tell me you got the Dear John letter.”

  “A Dear Eric letter.”

  “Did you and Emily have children?”

  “No.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “Emily moved back with her parents in LaGrange, really nice people. She subsequently married a mutual friend from our high school years. If you watch the Atlanta TV stations, you may see her. She appears with her husband, Tom, in commercials for his auto dealership.”

  “I’ll pay more attention in the future. You never remarried?”

  “I discovered I could do my job a lot better without worrying about a wife and children back home.”

  “What about the rest of your family?”

  “My grandparents and parents died. I have no siblings.”

  “The Army became your wife?”

  “I was busy and overseas a lot, even in our so-called times of peace. I didn’t say I remained celibate. I had some interesting relationships.”

  “Nothing even semi-permanent?”

  “No. The longer I remained single, the more I appreciated the lack of emotional entanglements.”

  “No present emotional relationships?”

  Eric wondered if her question came from interest or only politeness. “I’m not against one. My turn now. Please tell me about Mrs. Andrews. I saw you and Joseph sitting with her Sunday.”

  “Miz Lizbeth calls me her adopted daughter and Joseph her adopted grandson. I represent her and her companies on non-tax legal issues. I’m not a tax expert.”

  “What’s her business?”

  “She owns Alexander Poultry Industries.”

  “The big plant over there?” Eric pointed in the direction of the facility.

  “The company prepares its chicken and turkey feeds in the plant. She also owns the Vickery Bank and Trust Company, as well as other businesses and properties in the city and county. You might consider doing your local banking with Vickery Bank and Trust, unless you keep your money under your air mattress.”

  “I’ll see about opening up an account this afternoon.”

  “Good decision. I’ll call the bank and alert them you’ll come in this afternoon. They’ll be glad to have you as a customer.”

  “Thanks, nothing like a good introduction. What happened to put Mrs. Andrews in the wheelchair?”

  Allison answered her cellphone with the first bars of the ringtone. “Yes, Brenda.” She listened with a frown on her face. “The time slipped away from me. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute. I’m at Jean’s.” She closed the cellphone. “I’ll continue with your orientation another time. I need to go to my office.”

  Eric stood. “Tomorrow, same place, same time?”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Eric watched her walk away from the coffee shop.

&n
bsp; CHAPTER 4

  Tuesday, 01 July

  Jean greeted Eric when he came into the coffee shop, again in his jogging clothes. “Have a seat where you were yesterday, and I’ll bring your coffee and donuts. Allison will be here in a few minutes.”

  Allison arrived as Jean placed two mugs of black coffee and a plate with three donuts on the table. The coffee shop owner didn’t put a check on the table.

  “Am I running a tab?” Eric asked her.

  “Not when you’re with Allison,” Jean answered.

  Allison asked, “You’re playing matchmaker?”

  “We’ll let events develop as they will,” Jean said.

  “Okay with me,” Eric responded. He spoke to Allison when Jean left the table. “You were going to tell me about Mrs. Andrews.”

  “The story begins many years ago. You’ve heard about the Sweet Gum section of Alexander County, to the north of Vickery?”

  Eric shook his head no.

  “The first Superior Court in Alexander County convened in 1785 on land a few miles to the north from present downtown Vickery. The participants sat on freshly hewed sweet gum logs; hence the Sweet Gum designation.”

  “Perhaps the citizens were sending a subtle message.”

  “What do you mean?” Allison asked.

  “Sweet gum wood isn’t much good for anything.”

  “You may be on to something,” Allison said. “The Sweet Gum area once had the distinction, or the notoriety, of being the moonshine and bootlegging capital of northern Georgia. Moonshining and bootlegging died out after the national repeal of Prohibition coupled with state government approval of local option county sales of recreational alcohol.”

  “How does recreational alcohol relate to sweet gum logs?”

  “The first national government rewarded many of the men who served in the Revolutionary War with generous land grants in the former Indian territories, like Alexander and nearby counties. People who received these land grants and settled in Sweet Gum began making whiskey soon after the militia and army ran off the Indians. Due to the poor condition of the roads, whiskey provided a convenient way for farmers to get their corn to market. Moonshining and bootlegging flourished with Prohibition and the Great Depression. Many locals supported their families with sales of illegal alcohol, and some of our most prominent families began accumulating their wealth that way. The locals never considered laws against bootlegging and moonshining to be anything other than governmental interference in their lives, which probably accounts in large part for the general disdain many people in the county hold for the state and national governments. Maybe the local antipathy first appeared with the sweet gum logs cut for the 1785 court.”