mind that I was an evil influence on Laura. So I didn’t get anywhere. So now we’re coming to you for help. I’m sure you know that Pastor Rawlins has forbidden Laura to play in our band or even associate with Allie and me. His reason for this is because he thinks that we are corrupting her with false doctrine that’s being taught in my church. But when I invited him to visit my pastor, he refused. So I don’t understand how he can judge me—”
“Yeah!” interrupted LaDonna. “And I want to know just who he thinks he is to go round yelling at his congregation all the time. Just last weekhe told me my skirt was too short—”
“And I’m not going to church there anymore,” said Mercedes. “Unless he starts being a whole lot nicer. He scares me when he shouts—”
“Hey, you guys.” I waved my arms to get their attention. This was exactly what I’d asked them NOT to do. “We didn’t come to-”
Mr. Mitchell loudly cleared his throat and stood. By now I halfway expected him to throw us all out of his house. “Why did you come, Chloe?”
I stood and looked him in the eye, ready to speak the truth. “Because it’s not right, Mr. Mitchell. God is about love and forgiveness. He’s not some mean taskmaster who wants to make our lives miserable. And the songs we sing in Redemption are about God and what He’s done in our lives. And my church doesn’t teach false doctrine. You can call my pastor and ask him for yourself—”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands as if to stop my flow of words. “What you’re telling us isn’t really anything new.” Then the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, and I’m sure I took in a deep breath as I sat back down.
He continued. “Not that we’ve ever heard it put quite like that. And it might interest you to know that Mrs. Thorne, our church secretary, mentioned your little visit last week. And it had troubled her too. Well, that and a lot of other things. We’ve allbeen concerned with the direction things have been going with our new pastor, but we had wanted to give him a grace period. However, that period is over now, and the deacons and the council took a vote. It was almost unanimous—we are presently seeking to have Pastor Rawlins replaced.”
Laura stood up trying to be heard amid the clapping and cheering that had erupted. “Are you serious, Dad?”
He nodded. “I guess I should’ve told you sooner. But it wasn’t certain until just this week at the council meeting. We only informed Pastor Rawlins yesterday, and we’ll have a substitute in the pulpit on Sunday.”
Laura ran over and hugged her dad with tears streaming down her face.
“Well, I guess we didn’t really need to come over here and make all this fuss then.” I stood and sheepishly glanced toward the front door.
“No, don’t feel bad.” He put his arm around Laura’s shoulders. “I’m glad you girls came. It’s like a real confirmation. As bad as things were with Rawlins, you still feel terrible giving a man his walking papers, especially someone who’s been preaching for as long as he has.”
“Maybe it’s time he retired,” said James with a laugh.
“Hopefully, he’ll let God help him through this ordeal,” said Mr. Mitchell.
“You girls want something to drink?” asked Mrs. Mitchell. “I just made some iced tea.”
So we all hung out for a while, drinking iced tea and chatting, and it seemed as though everything was going back to normal. But before we left I just had to ask Laura’s dad something. “So, do you think it’ll be okay for Laura to be back in the band again?”
He shrugged. “Well, that’d be up to her.”
I turned and looked at Laura to discover she had the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face. “You mean I haven’t been permanently replaced by Willy?”
I had to laugh at that. “Willy’s pretty good, but he could never replace you. I honestly don’t think Redemption can continue without our original
“Yeah!” interrupted LaDonna. “And I want to know just who he thinks he is to go round yelling at his congregation all the time. Just last weekhe told me my skirt was too short—”
“And I’m not going to church there anymore,” said Mercedes. “Unless he starts being a whole lot nicer. He scares me when he shouts—”
“Hey, you guys.” I waved my arms to get their attention. This was exactly what I’d asked them NOT to do. “We didn’t come to-”
Mr. Mitchell loudly cleared his throat and stood. By now I halfway expected him to throw us all out of his house. “Why did you come, Chloe?”
I stood and looked him in the eye, ready to speak the truth. “Because it’s not right, Mr. Mitchell. God is about love and forgiveness. He’s not some mean taskmaster who wants to make our lives miserable. And the songs we sing in Redemption are about God and what He’s done in our lives. And my church doesn’t teach false doctrine. You can call my pastor and ask him for yourself—”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands as if to stop my flow of words. “What you’re telling us isn’t really anything new.” Then the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, and I’m sure I took in a deep breath as I sat back down.
He continued. “Not that we’ve ever heard it put quite like that. And it might interest you to know that Mrs. Thorne, our church secretary, mentioned your little visit last week. And it had troubled her too. Well, that and a lot of other things. We’ve allbeen concerned with the direction things have been going with our new pastor, but we had wanted to give him a grace period. However, that period is over now, and the deacons and the council took a vote. It was almost unanimous—we are presently seeking to have Pastor Rawlins replaced.”
Laura stood up trying to be heard amid the clapping and cheering that had erupted. “Are you serious, Dad?”
He nodded. “I guess I should’ve told you sooner. But it wasn’t certain until just this week at the council meeting. We only informed Pastor Rawlins yesterday, and we’ll have a substitute in the pulpit on Sunday.”
Laura ran over and hugged her dad with tears streaming down her face.
“Well, I guess we didn’t really need to come over here and make all this fuss then.” I stood and sheepishly glanced toward the front door.
“No, don’t feel bad.” He put his arm around Laura’s shoulders. “I’m glad you girls came. It’s like a real confirmation. As bad as things were with Rawlins, you still feel terrible giving a man his walking papers, especially someone who’s been preaching for as long as he has.”
“Maybe it’s time he retired,” said James with a laugh.
“Hopefully, he’ll let God help him through this ordeal,” said Mr. Mitchell.
“You girls want something to drink?” asked Mrs. Mitchell. “I just made some iced tea.”
So we all hung out for a while, drinking iced tea and chatting, and it seemed as though everything was going back to normal. But before we left I just had to ask Laura’s dad something. “So, do you think it’ll be okay for Laura to be back in the band again?”
He shrugged. “Well, that’d be up to her.”
I turned and looked at Laura to discover she had the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face. “You mean I haven’t been permanently replaced by Willy?”
I had to laugh at that. “Willy’s pretty good, but he could never replace you. I honestly don’t think Redemption can continue without our original
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