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Chapter Nineteen
“My first month of work at Midtown Village was easy because you’ve worked hard since July to make the Christmas Village run like clockwork.” Erika’s voice sounded like she was longing for December again.
Maggie listened as she drove the van from Midtown Chapel to the Midtown Warehouse.
Tally used to drive this van, shuttling among three places: church, the Village, and the warehouse. While Maggie missed Tally, her capacity for work, and her steady energy, she did not miss the work itself as a ministry assistant. Been there, done that.
It had been three months after Christmas, and the trees and bushes along the road were starting to bud. Spring was here, and March called for short sleeves and preparation for Easter in three days. This year, Easter would fall on the first day of April. Maggie preferred to call it Resurrection Sunday, since that was the day Christians commemorated the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, after His epic sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.
“To God be the ultimate glory,” Maggie said.
In the passenger seat, Erika nodded.
“Teamwork,” Maggie added. “In a church this size, and in the non-profit ministry that is Midtown Village, nothing happens without teamwork.”
Maggie pointed out small bursts of azaleas along the side of the streets. “Sometimes they don’t bloom until April, but nice to see the colors early before Easter Sunday.”
“They are pretty. In Key Largo, you don’t see these types of flowers.”
“Mostly coconut trees and palm?”
“Pretty much. It’s subtropical and all.”
“Bet you get the ocean breeze and it’s lovely like that.”
“Sunrise on the beach…” Erika looked into the distance. “Before I moved to Atlanta, I attended a very small church that meets by the ocean. We call it the outdoor church because our church services are always outdoors by the ocean unless it’s raining.”
“Is Outdoor Church the name of your church?” Maggie asked.
“No, it’s actually Beach Town Church. Pastor Butler is really nice. His wife, Chiyoko, led my mom and me to Christ three years ago.”
“Praise the Lord that your church is doing Gospel work. Now you have a church to attend in the city and a church to go home to on the beach.”
“I would’ve missed my old church more, but Mom’s here with me now, so I don’t have a reason to drive all the way to Key Largo.”
“That’s nice that she decided to move here rather than elsewhere.” Maggie flicked on the turn signal at the stop sign.
“She wouldn’t have if she hadn’t broken up with her boyfriend. He was going to marry her, but things didn’t workout.” Erika turned to Maggie. “Why can’t things work out nicely all the time?”
“Wouldn’t that be great?”
Erika sighed. “I’m just glad that working at a church ministry is fun, and at least that’s a relief from my otherwise blah day listening to Mom complain all the time about her ‘sorry life,’ you know?”
Fun? Shall I tell her the truth now? Burst the bubble three months in?
Maggie stopped at a red light. “It’s not always fun, so cherish the moment.”
“Not always fun?” Erika sounded surprised.
“Hate to break it to you that you’re new to church work and you’re in your honeymoon period.”
“So I haven’t seen reality?”
Maggie kept the speed limit. “You are seeing some of the reality. I love my work at church. I do consider it fun and fulfilling. However, I remind myself that it’s not always fun and games. There are dark moments and you have to go through valleys of the shadow of death.”
“Sounds scary.”
“I don’t mean to scare you. It’s a reality check if you want to continue to work at Midtown Chapel. I can’t speak for any other church, but our church is big. Along with the size comes challenges.”
