by Joy, E. n.
At her and Unique’s last planning session, Lorain had come up with the idea that the ministry should prepare bags of information regarding the ministry. These bags would be distributed to current members, but more importantly, they would be readily available to other interested singles that might need more information.
Lorain had spent hours upon hours on the Internet working with printers and designers to create a logo, et cetera. She’d submitted all the necessary paperwork to the financial board for approval and payment to the various vendors and companies she’d used. She’d also found several entertaining Christian fiction books to include in the bags, books that she thought might be appropriate and relevant reads for Single’s Ministries such as The List by Sherri Lewis and The Single Sister Experiment by Mimi Jefferson. She found it to be favorable that the books that had originally come out in trade paperback were now in mass market at very economical prices.
Immersed in the project, even missing Bible Study last week to work on it, Lorain was proud of all she had accomplished. Since she had done most of the leg work, her mother had agreed to come help her stuff the bags this Saturday at one o’clock. Lorain was excited about killing two birds with one stone, completing the bags and spending mother-daughter time. Now her excitement was starting to fade as it appeared as though her mother was bailing out and all the remaining work would be left up to her as well.
“Chile, I thought I told you that I have a movie date this afternoon with a fella who’s courtin’ me,” Eleanor stated in more of a bragging manner than one of regret for having to leave her only child hanging.
“No, you did not tell me that.” Lorain sighed. “Who are you going out with anyway? Brother Joseph again?” Lorain asked, referring to the gentleman whose phone number her mother had gotten when she’d visited her church a couple of months ago.
“Oh, no! That old fool couldn’t keep up with me. I done met me somebody else. Broady’s his name. He’s a retired principal, and daughter, the man is fine. He gon’ be ya step-daddy, just watch and see.” She chuckled.
Lorain just shook her head and smiled. She couldn’t even be mad at her mother. If she had the option, she, too, would rather be out on a date than sitting in her living room on a Saturday afternoon stuffing bags. Come to think of it, it wasn’t that Lorain didn’t have any options, it’s just that her options no longer lined up with her Christian walk.
It wasn’t too long ago that Lorain was being wined and dined by rich doctors and lawyers, that is, of course, when they weren’t wining and dining their wives. Then there were times when she had even more options than she cared to have. Those were the days when she’d double-dip date, which meant go out with one man Saturday afternoon and go out with a different one come Saturday night. After one too many trips to the pharmacy for penicillin and the ultimate HIV scare, Lorain had changed her ways, her heart, and her mind. Everything, especially her body, now belonged to God.
Those two weeks of waiting on those HIV results after learning that a past lover of hers had died from AIDS nearly killed Lorain before any disease might have ever had a chance of doing so. She hated to admit it, but the prayers she’d sent up during those two weeks were the first she’d ever prayed to God. She’d begged God to make it so that she didn’t have the disease that she had compared to a death sentence. She promised Him that she would turn from her wicked, promiscuous ways if He spared her, not even knowing back then that when her test results had read negative, that it was only by God’s grace and mercy.
Unlike many other people who find themselves between a rock and a hard place and make all types of promises to God if He brings them out, Lorain kept her promise and gave her life to Him. She kept praying, then when prayer wasn’t enough, she started reading the Bible. And when she couldn’t understand some of the things the Bible was saying, she began going to Sunday School to learn more about His Word. From there, she started going to Sunday service and eventually got saved, baptized, and now served as head over a ministry.
Lorain had come a long way. Although the HIV scare was devastating, even causing her to lose five pounds, she knew it had taken that circumstance to make her realize that she had abused her body long enough. She’d allowed men to abuse her body long enough. It was God and His love for her that finally made her realize that it was that initial abuse of her body that she’d suffered as a young girl that had initiated her down such a path of destruction. But now, once again thanks to His grace and His mercy, she was headed down a path of righteous.
“If you knew like I knew, you’d get you some business and go out there and find you a man too,” Eleanor stated. “I mean, how you gon’ be running the Single’s Ministry and it keeps you so busy that you can’t find a man? It sounds to me almost like it’s a curse. The head of the Single’s Ministry is almost obligated to stay single, right? How they gon’ have somebody with a man telling single people how to cope? That’s just like a childless person being a child therapist, wouldn’t you agree?”
Eleanor didn’t even allow time for Lorain to respond before she continued ranting on. “Besides, didn’t your pastor appoint you an assistant? Get that child to help you.”
“Puhleeze.” Lorain rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “The last time I got together with Unique, she wasn’t any help at all. All she did was bring her kids up in here to eat up all my food, which is why I haven’t even bothered to waste my time by including her in anything else.”
“Ha! What food?” her mother laughed. “Any time I’ve ever been over to your house, there ain’t never been no food there. That child must have created a miracle up over there.”
“I see you aren’t going to be of any good use to me today, so tah-tah,” Lorain spat.
“Don’t be hating on me,” Eleanor huffed.
“I’m not, Mom.” Lorain sighed, then looked at the mass of items around her. All of a sudden her head started to spin. She’d done her best at making sure everything was organized, but now that it looked as though she’d have to do the most tedious part of the task alone, it all just seemed overwhelming. “Anyway, you just go on out on your date. Have fun and don’t worry about me over here.”
“I will go on out, and I won’t worry about you.” Eleanor ended the call.
Lorain took a deep breath in the place where she sat Indian style in her living room. As she exhaled, she fell backward onto a pile of personalized ink pens and folders that were behind her.
Life just didn’t seem fair right about now. Her mother was getting ready to spend her day at the movies having fun. Unique was probably at home with a bag of microwave popcorn watching a TV marathon or something. And here she was stuck, all alone with a mound of work that needed to be done. Lorain thought back to her mother’s words. What good was having an assistant who didn’t assist? As she started stuffing the bags, Lorain made a mental note that she’d have to have yet another word with the pastor regarding Unique.
Keeping true to her word, Lorain had phoned Pastor that Saturday afternoon and agreed to meet a half hour before Bible Study to discuss her issues with Unique. Although she wished she could have spoken with her pastor that very next day prior to church service, she knew better than to deposit anything negative into her church leader’s spirit before Pastor had to preach the Word of God. So she had waited until now, four days later, to diplomatically tell her pastor that she believed there may have been some static on the lines of communication when God gave instructions to make Unique her assistant.
“Humph, I should have known.”
Lorain looked up to see Unique standing in the doorway of the waiting area outside of Pastor’s office. “Unique,” she stood and greeted.
“Yeah, hello to you too.” Unique sounded anything but sincere.
“So it looks as though once again we’ve both asked to speak with Pastor regarding the Single’s Ministry.”
“I guess it does.” Unique walked over next to the chair where Lorain had been sitting and sat down.
“Ladies,�
�� Pastor said, entering the same doorway that Unique had just walked through. “Sorry I’m late, but I had to go to Manor Care nursing home in Westerville and pray with Sister Lana.”
That was one thing the members of New Day Temple of Faith loved about their shepherd. Instead of just praying for folks, their pastor prayed with folks; teaching them that all had access to God’s ear in Jesus’ name.
“Oh, that’s okay, Pastor.” Unique stood. “I’m just getting here myself.”
“So, women of God, would you like to join me in my office?” The Pastor proceeded to unlock the locked office door.
The women shot each other uncomfortable looks. It was as if they were both thinking the same thing. Lorain spoke up first.
“Well, Pastor.” She fidgeted. “I was hoping that I could speak to you alone.”
“Yeah, me too,” Unique stated.
Pastor looked confused. “Well, Sister Lorain, when you called me you said that you needed to speak to me concerning Sister Unique’s involvement in the Single’s Ministry.” The Pastor looked to Unique. “Unique, when you stopped me after church service this past Sunday, you said that you needed to speak to me concerning Sister Lorain’s involvement in the Single’s Ministry. Once again, I figured since both of you each wanted to speak about the same subject matter, we’d all meet together. That saves me time, allowing more time to go out here and pray for folks. After all . . .” Pastor looked back and forth from one woman to the next, “neither of you would say anything about the other to me that you wouldn’t be able to say in the other one’s face, correct?”
Both women appeared to be caught off guard, all of a sudden wrestling with purse straps and shirts that didn’t seem to be all the way tucked in.
Getting no verbal response, Pastor continued. “Now, if there is a personal matter either of you would like to discuss, then by all means we can do that on individual basis, otherwise, I’d like to kill two birds with one stone, if you saints don’t mind.” Pastor smiled at both women.
“Sure,” Unique said through a light huff, “I don’t mind.”
Pastor opened the office door wide and stepped aside as Unique walked in, then nodded for Lorain to do likewise.
This time, instead of sitting at the shiny, mahogany desk that rested in the office in front of a matching credenza, the Pastor took a seat on the leather sofa and instructed the women to do the same in whichever seat they pleased. Lorain sat on the sofa while Unique sat in a chair across from the sofa.
“Sister Lorain, how about you open in prayer?” Pastor asked.
“Certainly,” Lorain replied. They all bowed their heads, and she proceeded with a quick prayer.
“So I know last month’s Single’s Ministry meeting was cancelled due to Brother Haggie’s Friday evening wedding ceremony,” Pastor stated. “So this upcoming Friday will be the first time you two will jointly run the meeting. How have you prepared? Do you have an agenda, and have you each agreed on who will cover which parts of the agenda?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” both women said.
Lorain looked at Unique. “You go first.”
“Oh, no, you go right ahead,” Unique insisted, obviously feeling as though she was the defense and wanted to save her closing arguments for last.
“Well, Pastor—” Lorain started.
“Oh, if it’s about Sister Unique, feel free to address her as well.” Pastor smiled.
“Well, uh, okay,” Lorain shrugged. “Well, Pastor, and Sister Unique, I feel as though even though I’ve been assigned an assistant, I’m doing all of the duties myself. And if that’s going to be the case, then I don’t believe I need an assistant.” Lorain sat back and rested her hands on her crossed legs.
“Sister Unique, how do you feel about what Sister Lorain just stated?” Pastor asked.
“I find it ironic that what I wanted to discuss was Sister Lorain’s lack of delegation,” Unique fussed. “She just took over like I wasn’t even the assistant. Like she’s on some power trip and wants to prove that she can do it all herself.”
Lorain was offended. “Well, you could have jumped in and helped anytime. I would not have been mad.” Lorain rolled her eyes. The Holy Spirit tapped Lorain on the shoulder and shook His index finger at her, reminding her that getting out of character would be the wrong thing to do. She adjusted her attitude. “I mean, I would have really appreciated any help you could have offered.”
“Really now?” Unique’s tone was that of disbelief.
“Yes, really, but it’s evident that you’d rather just sit back and allow me to do everything.”
“I only let you do everything because I didn’t seem to have a choice in the matter,” Unique said in her own defense. “I mean, from day one you made out the agenda for our meeting, you had all of the ideas and suggestions, so you did all the talking. It was like you were in your own little world, in your element. I just thought you liked taking charge and being in charge. Heck, I figured I was doing you a favor by letting you. I mean, not once did you ever ask me for my input in anything. You already had the blue print engraved in stone, Moses.” Unique knew darn well she could have kept that last slick comment to herself.
Lorain was silent as she took in Unique’s words.
“Is that true, Sister Lorain?” Pastor looked to Lorain for some sort of confirmation.
“Well, I guess, I, uh,” Lorain stammered, not realizing before now how on point Unique was. If Lorain was going to be honest with herself, then she had to admit that she had, in fact, taken control. Not once had she even asked Unique for her opinion regarding anything. She had just laid down the law so to speak. But by the same token, Lorain didn’t want to carry the burden alone. “But I still don’t see why you couldn’t have just taken the initiative to even offer some assistance.” Lorain directed her words to Unique. “And you have to admit, I did call you up this past Saturday and ask for your help.” Lorain felt a little vindicated in the fact that after her mother stood her up and after stuffing ten bags, she decided to call Unique up and ask for her help.
“You called me at the last minute, and I had other plans,” Unique reasoned.
“Oh, let me guess, another marathon of the series The Game was airing on BET, and you couldn’t tear yourself away from it long enough to do a little bit of work for the Lord,” Lorain snapped, the alignment on her attitude apparently still a little off balance.
“Actually, if I may interrupt,” Pastor said, “This past Saturday I had Sister Unique volunteering to read to the children at Reynoldsburg Public Library.” Looking at Unique, the preacher asked, “How did it go anyway?”
Unique’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Pastor, me and my children had a blessed time. Thank you for recommending that I participate in the New Day Let’s Read Ministry. Not only did I feel good about giving my time, but by accompanying me, my children are learning how to give their time as well. Doing the Lord’s work is one thing, but being able to do it with my children is just something special.”
Unique’s entire face was now lit up. Lorain noticed it did that every time Unique interacted with or spoke of her children.
“I’m glad to hear that, Sister Unique,” Pastor stated. “I know it’s hard sometimes for these mothers with young children to give of their time, so I figured this would be perfect for you and your children. So should I let Brother Hammond know that he can count on you to be a part of the Let’s Read Ministry in the future?”
“I’d love that.” Unique smiled. Her grin then faded as she looked over at Lorain. “That’s if the duties don’t interfere with those of the Single’s Ministry. Because ’spite what Sister Lorain thinks, I do want to be a part of it. I just didn’t want to step on her toes and make it seem like I was trying to take over or anything. But I do want to be used.” Sadness seemed to cover Unique’s face. “People think I’m not capable of anything just because I didn’t go to college, and I have all these babies. I admit that sometimes I myself start to agree with them, so I just
fall back and go with the flow. But I have some pretty good ideas about things that I’d like to say the Lord put in my spirit.”
Now this was a side of the woman Lorain had never seen. Lorain felt sad for Unique. She would have never guessed that with such a bold personality, Unique had any doubts about herself and her abilities. Lorain could really relate to that, for over the years she had felt that the only thing she was good for was a roll in the hay. There were plenty of times when she had felt that her worth was underestimated. Like when she’d get passed up for promotions on the job because her supervisors thought there wasn’t any more to her than a big butt and a smile like she had no substance. People wouldn’t even give her a chance. Now, thinking back on her own past, she realized that she’d treated Unique the same way people had treated her, not giving her a chance.
Lorain felt even more horrible because as part of her defense, she had wanted to use the fact that Unique had declined to come help her do the work on Saturday. She had just assumed Unique preferred to sit around and watch television all day instead, but all along, she had been out doing kingdom work.
“Oh, you do have plenty of good ideas,” Pastor assured Unique. “Sister Helen told me how you suggested she teach the kids in children’s church how to learn the books of the Bible the same way you taught yours, by having them rap them. She said that almost all of the children already know the books of the Old Testament.”
“Praise God.” Unique clapped as both she and Pastor gave out a few shouts unto the Lord.
“Anyway,” Pastor said after calming down, “it seems as though you two really don’t have an issue with the duties of the Single’s Ministry, you just had a few misconceptions is all. Do you both agree?” Both women nodded. “So how about we touch and agree on better communication between the leaders of not just your ministry, but all the ministries at New Day. Amen?”