By the time Sister Gloria realized what was happening, the lady was already halfway down the church, holding on tightly to a little boy.
We were singing the last verse of the final hymn. Just after Pastor Emmanuel had finished the sermon, everyone should be focused on singing 'Nearer My God to Thee. But with the surprise, one by one their voices faltered. The pianist stopped playing and the choir focused on the lady with so much confusion laced in their stare. Finally, there was silence in the auditorium.
Now everyone could see why. Their reason was clear. Miss Miranda, the popular community mistress, was in church. Surprisingly, she wasn't dressed in skimpy wear. She covered her body like every other sister in church that day.
But that wasn't what kept them confused the most.
The boy—the boy she held onto looked exactly like their Pastor, Pastor Emmanuel.
Sister Gloria’s heart slammed against her ribs. Her fingers clenched the edge of the pew. For years, she stood at the pulpit for her sermon; she never failed to remind the congregation of how perfect her family was. From her husband, their beloved pastor. To her son, David, the golden child of the church. To herself, the caring and compassionate pastor's wife. Together, they were perfect. They had to be. She had built her life and everything she had on it.
Miranda walked up to the altar and stopped. She searched the congregation with her eyes. Scanning the ministers in the pulpit one after the other. But Pastor Emmanuel was nowhere in sight. He had gone backstage to pray after the sermon. The suspense thickened. The silence hung heavily over them.
Then Miranda broke the silence. "Where is Pastor Emmanuel?. I need to see Pastor Emmanuel. Now."
David was already stiffening as he sat behind his mother. Silent whispers began to slither through the congregation.
Pastor Damian, the assistant pastor, stood up and said, "Sister, what is the problem?"
Miranda looked at him. And without shame or remorse, "My son needs to see his father. I've been trying to reach him but he has been ignoring me."
A collective gasp rippled through the church.
Sister Gloria stood up immediately. Her voice was high-pitched. "What nonsense. How dare you lie in the house of God?"
David held her tight. He tried to force her to sit down. "Mummy, please. Calm down."
But Sister Gloria didn't care. She stood there looking dazed.
The backstage curtains flew open and there he was. Pastor Emmanuel. The man mentioned by Miranda. The man, the whole church, was waiting to hear his explanation. The man and his wife would vouch that he was innocent at that point. The man his son looked up to. The lead Pastor of 'The Community Family Church.
They were sure he had heard the ruckus because he stepped back onto the stage, without his usual calm expression. He locked his gaze with Miranda, then the boy. His face fell.
He shifted his gaze to his wife. With explanations in his eyes. The kind a wife recognizes.
Sister Gloria shook her head. Her jaw fell. She covered her mouth with her hands in disappointment.
"Pastor, do you know this woman?" the assistant pastor, Pastor Damian asked hesitantly.
The whole church fell silent. Their ears stretched like a rubber band, moments from snapping. They waited eagerly to hear the truth.
Then, finally, Pastor Emmanuel exhaled. He looked at the woman, at the boy. His wife and son. Then at the hundreds of church members staring at him.
"I…" He stammered and closed his eyes. Then, slowly and softly, he said, "Yes."
The rubber band snapped. The whole church gasped and there erupted the murmurs and a few shouts of disbelief.
Someone in the back yelled, “Jesu!”
Sister Gloria stumbled into her chair. Her knees weakened. She didn't want to acknowledge it. But her husband had confessed to it. Standing on the pulpit.
She stood forcefully as her feet could carry her. "Tell me there's an explanation". She said, Her voice was lower than expected.
"Years ago, before I met Sister Gloria… I—" He stopped. Cleared his throat. "I made a mistake. A mistake I tried to bury." His voice carried regret with it.
But his explanation made Sister Gloria’s blood boil with anger.
"How dare you call your own son a mistake?" She walked out of her seat towards the boy. "How dare you regret having your son?" She knelt beside the boy, smoothing his hair. "What's your name son?".
The boy looked from Sister Gloria to his mum. His mum nodded. Then he turned back to Sister Gloria.
"Junior."
"Say hello to the church, Junior." Sister Gloria said.
The boy looked around at the hundreds of eyes devouring him. "Hello," he mumbled.
Surprisingly, David stood up. "No. No. It can’t be." His voice was high.
Sister Gloria shot him a look. Then she turned to her husband.
"How long?" she asked. "How long have you known?"
Pastor Emmanuel wiped a sweat off his face "A year plus now."
"A year". Sister Gloria's stomach twisted. "And you never mentioned it?"
"Because I wasn't sure yet. I needed to do a DNA test to confirm."
"Have you done it?" Sister Gloria persisted.
Pastor Emmanuel nodded. He looked to the ground.
"Yes, he's mine."
Sister Gloria turned to the deacons and deaconess.
"He shouldn't escape the punishment that comes with it if there's any." Then to her husband. "And since he's yours, we're accepting him into our family."
She stood up and looked at the congregation. She remembered all her Sunday sermons, days she stood by his side, preaching about family. And all along, he had been hiding a secret child.
She could hear the whispers in the church grow louder. The women's group couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces. The mockery was visible.
But she held on to her faith. The boy was her husband's and she was going to make sure he accepted his responsibility. She will deal with her husband later.
To the boy, she asked. "Are you hungry, Junior?" She knelt again. "Would you like some food? We have snacks in the back." She asked with a smile.
The boy looked at her mum again for confirmation. Then he nodded.
With that, she took him backstage. Miranda tagging along.
Pastor Emmanuel stood there looking at the congregation. He had no words to explain his actions.
"I messed up and I'm sorry. For that reason, I'll be stepping down as the lead pastor. I'll accept any punishment from the church. For now, I'm not worthy to preach to you all until I seek God's face and forgiveness." He got down from the pulpit and walked out of the church.
David, still in shock, sat back down slowly.
The church dismissed abruptly.
A very unfortunate incident but it abounds in our society. When a man is so indisciplined as not to keep his libido in check, stuffs like this are bound to happen.
The pastor's wife is a rare breed, most women would not accept the little boy.
Nice story!
Pastors who preach one thing and do another, is inviting God's wrath. If you are truly called by God, one shouldn't indulge in certain things.
I hope he learns his lessons.
If he had not been discovered, would the Pastor have acknowledged his fault?
Not all people are ready to assume the responsibilities they take on.
A good story that makes us reflect.
We're really in the world where people preach one thing and practice another.
Well, it was nice that the pastor accepted his faults.
Nice story 😊
I àm trying to picture the scene,a really nice one.
Wow! What a real shock pastor Emmanuel have tye whole church. At least he had the decency to step down. Nice story dear! Keep up the good work
It really sad because all the talks and everything other thing was a shame to the wife. Am glad he did the right thing.