Spoilt at the church - S01 E17

7 months ago

Spoilt at the church - S01 E17

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 17

1, 2, 3 years passed. Life went on as usual at Beulah Salvation Assembly. People came and left. There were several births and few deaths. There were marriages, christenings, dedications and burials.

The Church continued to grow in numerical strength, but the spiritual atmosphere was dense. Even with the Pastor trying to bring an all-round revival to the Church, most of the members preferred remaining in their comfort zones of service in the flesh.

Revd. Bamiro had a stroke, but was miraculously healed with no physical disability. He had few years to retirement thus, the Church engaged the services of two associate Pastors. They would be his assistants and possibly take over the rein of leadership at the due time.

One was Revd. Alhassan, a tall, huge and no-nonsense man. He had a method of asserting and hammering on points, until he had his way. With track record of many years in Church planting and administration, he looked like someone that the Church needed at that point in time.

Needless to say, majority of the council members were skeptical at his appointment. They voiced out their misgivings, seeing him as someone that would listen to nobody and scatter the Church in little time. On that, Revd. Bamiro stood his ground, maintaining that what the Church needed was someone that would bring change. He had the support of the headquarters, and the council members had to handoff and watch events unfold.

True to their thinking, immediately Revd. Alhassan settled down and with the support of the senior Pastor, he began a process of sanitizing the Church of some perceived abnormalities. He started by formulating a plan on rotating Deacons, elders and officers that had served the Church for years.

Emphasizing that people mustn’t ‘sit tight’ on Church offices, he said every member should be given the privilege to serve. This did not go down well with the old hands, who felt that someone shouldn’t just come and start pushing them around.

If not handled well, Church politics could be worse than politics in the secular world. The process of selection of the officers was hijacked by the powers that be, and became riddled with manipulations and backstabbing. Less room was given for prayers, while more was given to favoritism and nepotism. At the end of the day, the motive for the action wasn’t achieved. People like Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Williams were retained as Church officers.

The other associate Pastor was a younger man. He was fresh from the seminary, unmarried and eager to carry out the mandate given to him. His good and youthful look, his simple and open character and his unmarried state, made the congregants think that he wouldn’t deliver. But, one just needed to be under his ministration to know the stuff he was made of. Pastor Kayode Olukorede, earned the respect of everyone before long.

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It was Revd. Alhassan that was assigned to counsel Jide and Kike, who were finally ready to tie the nuptial knot after years of: monitoring each other bumper to bumper, fighting and settling on an already defiled bed, breaking up and reconciling.

Deep within Kike, she knew the foundation of their relationship was too shaky to stand the test of time. She would have loved to opt out, but she was scared of where to start from. Already, she had finished youth service, and had gotten a mouthwatering job with an NGO. Life was good except for the fact that, her relationship was sour.

She had almost told her mum that she wanted out of the relationship, the day she caught Jide in bed with another choir member, a 15-year-old girl. It seemed the devil had commissioned Jide to scatter the lives of young ladies. Kike had almost told her Mum, but the latter had choose that moment to inform her that another Church girl, would be getting married soon. Kike should do Pa! Pa! Pa, and tell Jide to bring his people. In her words, “I had labored for many people. I want to reap the harvest now. Moreover, you are not getting any younger.”

So, it seemed Kike had no choice.

She wished things were different. She wished she could just garner courage and leave Jide. At 24, she was still young and marketable. Furthermore, there were countless eligible young men around, even in the Church. Men like Pastor Kayode. She started crushing on him the very first day she met him. She did all she could to catch his attention to no avail, rather, he was always polite and courteous to her and everybody.

Kike had proposed within her that, if someone like Pastor Kayode made advances at her, she would throw all caution to the wind, disregard her Mum and jump at the opportunity. Her Mum would make the usual noise and later calm down. She would soon be carried away with the euphoria of her daughter getting married to a Pastor. That would mean more power from her side.

Well, Pastor Kayode or someone else did not propose, and Kike had to make do with the bird at hand. She earnestly hoped and prayed that Jide would change after their wedding, which had been slated for four months.

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Jide and Kike sat before Revd. Alhassan, ready to give already rehearsed answers to questions that would be asked. They had been tutored by their mothers about what to say. The mothers also allayed any fear of retribution that could arise from misleading a man of God. It looked as if the series of deceptions over the years, had hardened the heart of the two mothers- especially Mrs. Johnson.

Kike was afraid and hid her trembling palms under her blouse. She prayed that the Pastor wouldn’t ask a question that would get her confused and make her say out all that they were hiding.

The Pastor looked intently at them, so intent that, Kike felt he could read into their prepared lies. However, they went ahead to tell him that they were both chaste and had lived clean lives.

The Pastor was happy and gladly took them through the Nitti -gritty of what to expect on the wedding night and in marriage generally. The counselling session would be for a month. Revd. Alhassan also made a note to use them as point of reference to the unmarried youths, if he would be the one to preach at their wedding.

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While the counselling session was on, Martha drove into the Church in her mother’s car to pick her daughter. She had earlier been dropped for a day starlight fellowship camp. Informed that they still had an hour to the end of the camping program, Martha decided to stay it out in the car, with an earpiece fixed to both ears.

She was deeply engrossed in what she was doing, shaking her head to the highly inspiring music of Ayuba Yakubu, when the door gently opened. Removing the earpiece, she starred into the not too familiar face of Pastor Kayode, barely managing to voice out a distorted good evening sir.

“Evening. I tapped on the glass for some time. You were carried away.”

“I’m sorry sir. I was listening to a song.”

“Who was that?” he pointed to her phone.

“Ayuba Yakubu.” He’s a Nurse musician. The Album is titled “Yabo”, and talks about giving glory to God because, everything belongs to him.”

“That’s great. Can I?” He pointed to her phone, the ear piece and his ear.

“You mean?”

“Yes please.”

Martha got down from the car to stand beside him as he fixed the earpiece on one ear and passed the other end to her. She collected it reluctantly and fixed on her left ear. They sang along with Ayuba.

Daukaka, da iko naka ne

Jehovah san yabe ka

Standing there and listening to the Gospel artiste, one would think they were siblings and not a Pastor and member. With Martha in a simple gown and the Pastor in a white polo atop three quarter jeans, his low cut hair ruffled and uncombed, passers-by gazed at them curiously.

When the song ended, Pastor Kayode removed the ear- piece and returned it to her, thanking her in the process. They exchanged numbers.