Ray came to a decision on the ideas proposed by Susannah Baker, as he’d promised. He pulled her aside, explaining he’d reserved a conference room for the four of them to talk, which he hoped she’d be agreeable to.
His choice was more complicated than Ray had anticipated; the reality wasn’t black or white, but a milky shade of gray somewhere between extremes. On the one side, he wasn’t sure about operating electronic gadgets to eavesdrop on the needs of church members—it was quite possibly illegal and most likely unethical. But, as he engaged in a round of devil’s advocate, he found himself wondering if real benefits might come out of hearing a prayer for help and being able to provide answers for his congregation and viewers.
Ray grappled with his dilemma for the week, the pros and cons of the argument constantly giving voice in his head. “Heavenly Father, help me make the right decision,” he prayed often, bowing his handsome head and seeking God’s blessing or some sign that this was the wrong path. But the reverend received no instructions from the Almighty, and he realized he alone would be answerable for his judgment.
Of one item, he was certain: if he chose not to accept Miss Baker’s proposal, The Road to Calvary would be finished in a few short weeks. But if he agreed to it—or at least some of her ideas—might this be the jolt his ministry needed? And maybe he was defining the term miracle too narrowly. Perhaps that miracle had already manifested itself in the presence of Susannah Baker. If nothing else, her ideas were worth presenting to Buck and Jeff.
After they gathered at the small table, Ray explained the basic concept but decided to let Susannah do most of the talking. And talk she did, diving in without the slightest hesitation. He watched as Buck regarded Susannah cautiously, his reluctance etched across the crease of his brow.
“Let me get this straight,” he said. “God came to you in a dream and said that the Reverend Ray, who has devoted his entire life to serving our Lord Jesus Christ, should work ‘miracles’ by duping our members through deception?” He clearly wasn’t buying it, his stiff arms folded across his chest.
“Buck . . . it is Buck, right?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, Buck, like a deer.”
“I’m sorry, Buck,” she assured him. “Try to think of this as moving people toward their greatest potential. If members believe enough to overcome their problems and accept Jesus Christ into their lives, it shouldn’t matter how they came to that decision. What does matter is they have a positive experience that gives them courage to go onward, changes their lives for the better, and tells others that Jesus Christ listens.”
Sitting next to Buck, his muscular frame squeezed into a small chair, Jeff nodded his head toward Buck. “Buck’s right, man. I mean, isn’t this a crime like fraud or somethin’?”
Susannah’s hands waved through the air as she spoke. “Look at this as transforming people’s lives by helping them to discover Jesus Christ. It’s not the methods that matter; it’s the results.”
Observing the discomfort on the part of his friends, Ray felt it was best to explain how he’d struggled with the same arguments. “Jeff, Buck, I’ll be honest,” he said, observing them. “When Miss Baker first approached me, I felt much the way you do now. But then I started thinking that my ministry has always revolved around serving others. And I asked myself, who am I serving right now? Maybe a few hundred folks, but that’s probably overly optimistic.” He paused, letting his words register. “I think we ought to give some of Miss Baker’s ideas a chance, because unless you’re willing to see five years of vigorous work and sacrifice go for nothing, which it will, we have nothing to lose.”
“Weren’t you willing to do exactly that a week ago?” Buck said, wagging his finger.
Ray studied his friend, concern in his voice. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to do it. Given my druthers, I want to keep this ministry going and see it become successful.”
The cramped room was bursting with silence, and for a fleeting moment, Ray believed Buck, if not both men, might simply walk out. There was no emotion etched into Buck’s features as his intense eyes stared back at him.
“You think this might help our viewers face their problems?” Buck asked.
“Yes, I believe hearing the problems of others will encourage people to try and solve their own difficulties with the help of God.”
From the corner of his eye, Ray saw Susannah anxiously tapping her fingers and thought perhaps she had not predicted such resistance. But he understood where Buck was coming from—he’d been there himself. In fact, he hadn’t completely vanquished his reservations, but he couldn’t end The Road to Calvary without knowing he’d tried everything he could to save it.
Buck inhaled deeply. “Okay, I can’t speak for Jeff, but I’m willing to try this on a temporary basis. But I emphasize the word ‘temporary.’ If I think this approach is hurting us more than it’s helping us, I’m out. No questions asked. I leave with proper notice.”
“I can accept that,” Ray replied, turning to Jeff. “What about you, Jeff?”
He ran a hand over the bristles of his short, cropped hair. “I’ll do it; but like Buck said, if I’m not comfortable, I’m outta here. I can always find work installing floors.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
The mood shifted from apprehension to one of excitement. Buck started throwing out ideas, gates of a dam opening as the words gushed out. “We’ll need equipment—surveillance cameras, microphones, earpieces, and monitors—and that’s just to start. Where’s the money going to come from—a loan? Since we rent our studio space, how will we monitor the audience? There will be equipment to set up and tear down on every show, and we can’t let anyone catch on to what we’re doing. And who among us has the technical expertise?”
Susannah enthusiastically returned to the conversation. “I knew you’d come around. We’ll rent the necessary equipment to start. We won’t be able to cover the entire audience, but monitors can be set up in one of these conference rooms. As far as money, taking out a loan is a possibility.”
She considered the male faces around the table. “The thing we need to remember is The Road to Calvary won’t save anybody unless you market it.” She turned to Ray. “Reverend, start building relationships with the religion editors of area papers and make yourself available for interviews. Take out small ads in newspapers and on other cable stations to let people know that we—I mean, you—exist. You’re also not taking advantage of your core audience. Give them more than a post office box during the offering and at the end of the broadcast; get a telephone number up there, 1-800-HE-SAVES, in the center of the screen, where people can see it during the entire show. You need to do something different from the other religious programs already getting air time here.”
Ray was impressed. Marketing the show was a realm he had never felt comfortable with, simply because he didn’t have the expertise. He knew other televangelists did it with flair and success. Brick and mortar churches often weren’t shy about advertising either. For the first time, he recognized that saving souls was beyond the spiritual—it was a business. The key would be in doing both well. “You’ve given this quite a bit of thought,” he told Susannah. “Do you have a marketing background?”
“I’ve had some marketing experience,” she said. “I see the immense potential of your work—potential I was afraid you were going to throw away.”
“It’s a good thing God came to you in a dream,” Jeff mused, but Susannah was already moving on to another idea.
“There are other ways to distinguish the service. A choir praising God in jubilant song, a welcoming space, and members witnessing to the power of salvation in their own lives.” She paused. “As I mentioned to Reverend Ray, I’ve never seen a Christian makeover segment aimed at women. It would be another way of distinguishing the program.”
Buck stared at Susannah incredulously. “I’m all for 1-800-HE-SAVES, but how do makeovers fit into the program? And what makes them Christian?”
“Why do you insist on making fun of me? There are plenty of other programs that would love the idea.” Her voice had quickly turned defensive.
Taken aback by her sudden angry tone, all conversation ceased.
Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, my gosh, please forgive me. I’ve had a very recent family tragedy, and I’ve found survival itself challenging. I get frustrated, lashing out for no reason and saying things I shouldn’t.”
“I wasn’t making fun of you. I fail to see how the concept of Christian makeovers fits into all this. Keep going,” Buck said graciously.
Ray watched Buck smile at Susannah with encouragement; he remembered his friend knew a thing or two about the fairer sex.
“I believe a woman who looks good feels confident, happy, and empowered to spread the word of God. What makes them Christian is that you’re bringing out that confidence by focusing on women who want to spread the Good News. Not ‘extreme makeover’ by any means, but showing any woman she can look good.”
“That would distinguish us, all right,” Buck replied dryly. “I’m simply trying to wrap my head around this. I know from firsthand experience, however, that all my wives loved their makeup.”
Ray looked on in bemused silence as Susannah processed Buck’s comment. Almost everyone was surprised by this revelation. Buck seemed too nondescript and mild-mannered to have had three marriages. But he knew from experience, stereotypes were meant to be broken.
“Wives?” Susannah said. “How many times were you—?”
Buck held up his fingers. “Three. My point is they all liked using makeup, so maybe this isn’t such a crazy idea after all.”
Susannah contemplated this. “I’m not saying we have to implement all these ideas. But here’s one you need to seriously consider.” She paused, eyeing each of the men. “Start broadcasting The Road to Calvary live.”
Silence enveloped the room, the dead air thick. Ray spoke first. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’m not sure we have a large enough audience for a live show.”
“And implementing all this technology—” Buck started in, but Susannah interrupted.
“Think about how much more effective HE SAVES will be as an 800-number on the screen if at least one broadcast is live. Start small; try one live episode you’ve heavily promoted as a test. Have the phones answered immediately and get viewers invested in watching The Road to Calvary.”
“If ya ask me, it’d be a whole lotta work for maybe nothin’,” Jeff said, shaking his head.
“Jeff’s right,” Buck agreed. “Scheduling could be a problem. What if nobody shows up?”
“You won’t know unless you try,” Susannah said.
“This is low-power cable; city meetings are broadcast live every month,” Buck reasoned.
“Susannah has a point. Let’s at least try one live broadcast and see what happens. If it fails miserably, we’ll continue to rely on taping a weekly program. When I’ve considered broadcasting live, I’ve always thought it bestows a sense of urgency. Maybe I’m wrong, but as Susannah said, we won’t know unless we try.” Ray smiled at her.
“But who’s going to be responsible for making all this technology work?” Buck asked.
Ray hadn’t been this captivated by a woman or this excited about preaching in a very long time. He faced Buck with a ready answer. “You’ve got training in computer science and electronics, and Jeff here has a degree in broadcasting—”
“It’s a certificate actually,” Jeff interrupted sheepishly.
When Ray smiled, he radiated the warmth and charisma that hinted at a great preacher with the power to mesmerize. “You work as the camera operator and know more than you think. Both of you do. What Susannah is suggesting has merit. No, we can’t do everything. I’ll contact the cable station about presenting The Road to Calvary live on a Sunday morning in three or four weeks. I think this might have real potential, especially if it’s promoted well.”
Buck disagreed, shaking his head. “I’m with Jeff; this plan involves a huge amount of work.”
“The Road to Calvary airs twice a week, on Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon. It’s taping the program where all the work is involved, and we’re already doing that. Think of this as the same amount of effort with more benefits,” Ray explained.
Buck seemed to relax a bit. Leaning back in his chair, he addressed Jeff. “I guess it can’t hurt to try, Jeff. I mean, we don’t have anything to lose. But, I do think we need to concentrate on doing a live broadcast before we start this eavesdropping on the congregation idea.”
Jeff hesitated for a moment. “Might as well. I’m willin’ to try goin’ live.”
“It’s settled, then,” Ray said, swiveling his chair. “Let’s try going live first and see what kind of response we have. If the show’s successful, then I’m willing to start putting the technology in place to anticipate the prayers and concerns of the congregation.”
“Every one of you is right,” Susannah acknowledged. “I realize I’ve kind of come in from out of nowhere with what may sound like some pretty crazy ideas. But I truly believe The Road to Calvary has a future.”
Ray smiled. “I’ll let the station know we’re going live and see if a Sunday morning slot is available. It would be outstanding if they would help promote us. We have lots of work to do to get ready. Susannah, I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but I’m counting on you to help us with planning the first live The Road to Calvary broadcast.”
“I’m more than happy to help in any way I can,” she said with a smile, her long lashes fluttering.