Chapter 9
Faith walked into the family life center where the church’s administrative offices were located. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten the paperwork she needed after Sunday’s service. She’d even asked Jonah and the kids to remind her to pick it up, but as usual, everyone was so anxious to get out of Dodge, that no one remembered. She probably needed to start taping notes on the handle of her purse. But she had always thought that was a sign of old age, and she wasn’t going out like that. Not yet.
“Good morning, Sister Morgan.” The jubilant greeting from the church receptionist rolled off her tongue like she was already in heaven. “I loved that suit you were wearing on Sunday. I think yellow is your color.”
This woman was perfect for her job. She always had a big smile and a kind word for everyone. She even made Faith feel peppier.
“Thank you, I appreciate that. But you know what the showstopper was?”
Amanda Banks began patting her hair, a knowing blush in her cheeks.
“Very stylish cut,” Faith said, grinning.
“It was a little extreme, but I decided, heck, I turned forty this year. It’s time to be a little daring.” She continued to pat her hair as she pulled her top drawer open and removed a compact mirror. “I hadn’t snagged a husband with it hanging down to the center of my back in the last twenty years, no point continuing on the same course. A girl needs a new look.” She winked.
Everyone thinks they want a husband, Faith thought. Until they get one.
“Are you here for a job interview? I didn’t see your name on the list.” She returned the mirror to its place.
“No, I’m here to pick up some information Sister Lincoln left me for the women’s conference.”
“Oh, I just assumed,” Sister Banks said.
“What job is Pastor interviewing for?”
“The manager for the women’s ministry. It’s been advertised for a few months. Pastor has interviewed a ton of people.” She had slipped into gossip mode. “He’s so picky. I think he has an idea in his head and can’t nobody else see it. The ad is right there.” She flicked a long, shiny fingernail in the direction of the wall behind Faith.
Faith took a few steps to the church bulletin board and noted the advertisement. Yvette had mentioned it to her before, but she had been preoccupied and hadn’t really paid much attention.
WOMEN OF FAITH MINISTRY NEEDS A WOMAN OF FAITH AND VISION.
Faith continued to read the job description. “It doesn’t look like he’s requiring much. He isn’t even looking for a degree of any kind.”
“I know,” Sister Banks said. “That’s why it’s such a trip. He’s interviewed about thirty women over the last few months and nobody’s good enough. You would think he was looking for a co-pastor.”
“I guess we should consider ourselves blessed that he’s careful about who’s in charge.”
“I suppose.” Sister Banks pulled out a nail file. “I applied for the job, and just like everybody else, he had me out of his office in less than five minutes. I guess I didn’t say the magic words.”
Faith watched her file her nails for a few seconds. “I’ll just go pick up my paperwork,” she said, excusing herself.
The phone rang on Sister Banks’s desk. Like a little robot, she dropped the nail file into a drawer, picked up the receiver, smiled like she was on a video conferencing phone, and greeted the caller. Faith shook her head. Pastor had Sister Banks exactly where she belonged. Hospitality was definitely her gift.
The offices were just beyond the reception area. Faith opened the door to a room named the “Common Office.” Common because it was shared by the different ministry heads when they needed office space for short intervals of time.
She sat down at the desk, reached into the bottom file drawer and removed the red folder Sister Lincoln, one of the more “busy body” planning committee members, had placed in the hanging file marked women’s ministry. It included receipts for the hotel and the contact information for the printing service. Sister Lincoln took it upon herself to set up the printing of the church souvenir booklet for the women’s conference, and by Faith’s estimation, she was paying way too much for what they were getting. Rumor had it the printer was her second cousin. She and Sister Lincoln were going to have a talk about that. Nepotism at the church’s expense would never do. Not on her watch.
Faith turned on the computer and waited for it to boot up. Glancing at the clock, she noted she had an hour before Elise needed to be picked up from nursery school. That wasn’t enough time to go by the printer, and it was far too early to sit outside the school in the heat, so she decided to surf the net.
The computer continued to churn and moan as it slowly revealed the desktop. If it took that long for the thing to boot up, what would using the Internet on it be like? Faith clicked the Explorer icon and a search window appeared for Google. She typed in Bowen and Jefferies Consultants, hit enter, and found herself looking at the link for their homepage.
Bowen and Jefferies had one of those grand websites that one could tell cost a fortune. Similar to the office décor, it had a beautiful copper tinted background with various other browns as accent colors for the icons and text she could select. She worked her way through all the links, reading various articles they had posted about their company history, services provided, previous customers, and lastly, employment opportunities.
The job she had applied for wasn’t listed. Faith continued to tap on the mouse looking at various other jobs opportunities on the site. She was just killing time and pushing her world out of her mind; the problems with Jonah, particularly the drinking, were getting to her. It seemed the more she prayed the worse he got. Things weren’t going in the right direction, and she was tired. She also had to admit she was nervous about the report from the phone company.
Faith stood to her feet and approached a painting that hung on the wall of every office in the church. There was also a twenty foot version of it etched in stained glass behind the pulpit. It was of an African American man, presumably Jesus, pulling and breaking cuffs from His bound hands and feet. Setting Himself free. She raised a hand and touched the brass frame. She wanted the energy, the power of the image to somehow transfer. The inscription under her fingertips read: HE came to set the captive free. She stepped back, still looking at the painting in awe. Faith understood why pastor liked it. Everybody—every living thing in creation wanted to be free. Including her.
Faith shut down the computer and left the church. Climbing into her vehicle, she continued to think about the power of the painting. She had to stop being a wimp. She was going to tell Jonah about the job with Bowen and Jefferies. Tonight. Jesus had not died on the cross for her to be a slave to all this confusion.