Saving souls is church business

Well, here’s the thing…..

Lots has happened since I last added words here. I mean, I’ve become aged and decrepit, of course,but then some of you have also gotten older, you’ve had some good days and not so good days, too, I imagine. So, it is a little hard to know where to start. Do I put the demise of Calvin behind me and skip rocks? Throw out a few bits as the rock taps the water around here? No timely order? Maybe since I’m not a linear creature, new stories won’t be either. There. All settled.

Church life is a book with endless chapters

Church and saving souls….

I got to have a little pinch of that last week. Work Church is in a neighborhood where many places use the neighborhood area name… Hayes Barton Pharmacy….. Hayes Barton Baptist Church…. Hayes Barton Methodist Church… Hayes Barton neighborhood…..Late Friday afternoon,  I was packing up to leave a very very busy week behind, when the phone rang. I answered. A woman’s voice echoed, “Yeah, I’m down here in the basement, been working all day on this equipment and somebody just came by, turned out the lights and locked the door so now I’m locked in. Can someone come let me out?”

I put the phone to my shoulder and thought a minute. I had not seen any workwomen onsite… I was not aware we had any work that was needed in the basement, but if we did, the room that houses the equipment has an outside entrance that work people use all the time, so I was a bit confused.

“ Hmm. Do you see any stairs near you? There should be stairs that lead outside.”

“ I’m in the DARK and I don’t see a damn thing.”

Her tone had a touch of Hangry in it and I thought to myself, “Well, it’s no wonder if she’s been working all day down there.”

A random wonder appeared inside my addled mind and I asked, as nicely as I could, “ Do you know where you are?”

“ I’m locked in the damn basement!”

“ My mistake, I meant to say, Do you know what building you are in?”

“I’m in HAYES BARTON!”

I started to wish I had a snickers bar for her, but sadly, I did not.

“ Yes, but Hayes Barton what?”

“HAYES BARTON CHURCH!” (you moron was surely on the tip of her tongue, but somehow held back)

“I understand you are ready to leave, and I’ve just thought of something so hopefully, you’ll be out in a minute, and if you aren’t, call me back.”

She hung up.

I called our neighbor, Hayes Barton Baptist.

“Hayes Barton Baptist Church. May I help you?”

“Hey, this is church chick down at the Methodist Church. Have you had a woman working downstairs today?”

“ Yessss, she’s been here all day working on the equipment in the basement.”

“Well,  I’ve had a call from a very weary person who said she’s been down there all day long working on some equipment and someone went downstairs and turned the lights off a while ago and locked the door, so do you think you could let her out before she scratches herself out?”

…... “Lorrrrrrdeeeeee, and I was just getting ready to leave. Thank you so much, I’ll go right down and release her from her darkness!”

Now, if that isn’t soul saving, I don’t know what is.