Whatever doubts, frustrations, or guilt Serena battled during the week, she always felt better when she brought them to the Lord. Now if she could just learn to leave them with Him and keep pushing forward.
"When we talk to God, wherever we are and whenever we need Him, He's listening," Micah told the congregation this morning as he prepared to lead them in prayer. "God's not like our family and friends — sometimes available by cell phone or email and sometimes not. He doesn't love us one day and turn his back on us the next. Bring your heart to God. Bring your fears, your worries, and your thanksgiving."
People throughout the crowded gym stood on their feet and linked hands while the choir softly sang, "All I wanna do is bless your name ..."
Before she closed her eyes, Serena scanned the room and silently thanked God—again—for growing Micah's ministry. God had swelled the congregation from a handful of members who lived in the Stillwell Community to about a thousand, who came from throughout metro Richmond on
Sundays and during the week to fellowship in this troubled neighborhood.
Serena knew numbers didn't matter to Micah; that was one of the reasons he had been fired by a church across the river. Standing Rock Community Church had wanted fame and fortune, and under the leadership of Micah's replacement, Jason Lyons, they appeared to be achieving their goal. You couldn't live in Richmond and miss the billboards touting the church's national presence on the Praises Go Up Gospel Network or the yellow Hummers that Standing Rock officials used to transport members to and from Sunday services.
"You're God's best! At Standing Rock, we treat you that way!"
Serena sometimes teased Micah by pointing a finger at him and reciting that slogan, which was emblazoned on all of the SUVs, except for Pastor Lyons's.
"Believe me," Micah would respond wryly, "I know how they treasure people. Until you've been kicked out with no warning, you haven't been given the royal treatment."
In the three years since Micah had founded New Hope Community Ministries, God had been good. New Hope's membership had grown swiftly enough for him to earn full-time wages, which he supplemented with substitute teaching or seasonal post office work.
The ministry's focus remained on serving residents of some of South Richmond's toughest streets, but interest had spread throughout the region about the blend of worship and local mission work taking place there.
Teenage mothers were paired with older women who supported them in parenting. Adults looking for jobs went through a four-week etiquette and interview-training program, sponsored by two church members who worked for the state employment commission. Micah frequently visited juvenile court with kids from the area and asked the presiding judge to send them through the church's Rites of Passage adolescent mentoring program instead of to detention. He agreed to report youths who didn't show up on time and participate in every session.
Serena arranged for homeless women and children living in some of the shelters in the area to be transported by bus to New Hope's services on Sunday and to Bible study on Wednesdays. Those children were paired with reading buddies, who gave them a new book to keep each week.
Serena's longtime friend Erika had relinquished her real estate license some time ago and was now pursuing her love of interior design; but once a month Erika hosted a first-time home buyers clinic for the church, in conjunction with officials from the state's housing development agency.
As quickly as the roster of members grew, so did the ministries.
"If God has blessed you with the gift of financial wisdom, then share it," Micah said one Sunday. "If you're a teacher, find your niche and help with our spiritual education team. If you have a gift for praying, come each week to teach others how to talk to God; then lead them to God's heart."
Those who visited or became members had no doubt where Micah stood on the issues of service and faith. He taught the congregation that when they used their gifts and talents to help others, they were doing more than just earning the right to call themselves "Christians." They were modeling Jesus, who healed the sick, fed five thousand, and gave hope to people who were condemned by others.
At New Hope, they weren't just studying Jesus's love for others; they were constantly seeking ways to share it.
Micah and Serena had been forced to practice what he preached when Erika's estranged husband, Elliott, began attending services Sunday after Sunday, and eventually became a New Hope member.
Elliott joined the usher board and seemed to enjoy seating visitors and distributing programs. It was odd to see this corporate lawyer dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit, guiding visitors and members to rows of folding chairs in the elementary school gym that doubled as New Hope's sanctuary. Pretty-boy handsome, Elliott appeared not to notice his effect on the women who requested church fans or directions to the ladies' room or a good Christian hug just so they could get his attention.
Somehow, every Sunday he managed to work his way over to Erika. Serena was convinced he had volunteered for the position so he'd be able to scan the congregation and keep an eye on her during the service.
"Want to join me after church for lunch?" he routinely asked, but Erika always declined. Serena sometimes voiced her wish that he would find another church so that Erika could worship in peace. After all, she was the best friend of the First Lady.
Micah would scold her.
"At least the man is in church and not lurking outside Erika's windows."
It was clear that Elliott was serious about trying to win his wife back. Since her return to Richmond two years ago to work for D. Haven Interior Designs, he had taken anger management classes and had mailed her a copy of his graduation certificate. He requested regular visits with Aaron and didn't protest when Erika insisted that they be supervised.
"I deserve that," he had responded. "As long as I get to see my son. And I want you to know, I haven't given up hope on us being a family someday."
Erika didn’t hide her skepticism.
"He knows how to manipulate a situation to get what he wants," she warned Micah and Serena. "I've got my life back now; I'm not running anymore."
Serena wasn't so sure. Erika might not be fleeing from Elliott, but she seemed to be taking her next best chance at happiness for granted. Derrick wasn't just her boss; he had cared about her for a long time, and continued to wait on Erika to decide how she wanted to move forward.
Serena was stunned, however, to see him sitting in the congregation today. Erika usually didn't do anything that might inflame Elliott, like inviting another man to church. What gave?
Derrick leaned toward Erika after prayer and whispered in her ear. Serena had a clear view of them from where she sat, in a section of chairs set off to the side for choir members.
Serena was certain Erika didn't realize it, but when she was with Derrick, her demeanor changed. The nervous tension and anxiousness that usually enveloped her fell away. She laughed genuinely. She let her son play with Derrick without worrying about Aaron's safety or wellbeing.
To any stranger looking at the petite, Halle Berry- look-alike Erika, the trim and muscular Derrick, and the happy-go-lucky Aaron, they seemed like a sweet little family. Serena knew if Derrick had his way, that would have been reality by now.
There was the matter of Erika's marriage, though — a circumstance complicated by her newfound faith.
"Everything I read in the Bible about ending marriage refers to God not being pleased with divorce," she repeatedly told Serena and even Derrick, when he had finally professed a more-than-friendly interest in her. "I may want to leave Elliott and move on with my life, but God may want something different. I have to wait on Him to lead me."
Here she sat today, though, in church with a man who was ready to be part of her future. And where was Elliott?
Today's sermon had better be good.
Serena glanced at Micah, who sat with his eyes closed in meditation as he prepared to speak after another song from the choir. The father of her children still had the power to make her knees weak. That was something else to thank God for.
When Serena caught Erika looking her way, she balled her fist up and held it to her ear, her silent gesture for "Call me—we have to talk."
Erika lowered her head. Serena knew something big had happened.