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Excerpt
from Book:
Bolderdash
the Church Cat lived in old Reverend Judi's lectern, in the
old Methodist church on Main Street. He had lived there for
quite some time.
Old
Reverend Judi didn't mind, you see. Even on the day of her
retirement sermon, the day of her last Sunday as minister
of the Main Street Methodist Church, Bolderdash lay sleeping,
curled up at her feet in the bottom of the lectern.
As
Old Reverend Judi gave her farewell sermon in early December
of the year of her retirement, she could feel the softness
of his fur and the tickle of a whisker against her ankles,
as she was speaking.
"When
it came time for me to retire last Easter," she began,
"and the church council asked me to stay on till Christmastime
to help finish up building our new educational wing and get
our congregation settled into it, I agreed."
"I
am so glad I did!" she continued. "It has been wonderful,
helping you plan all the new activities and programs which
the new wing will allow. And, it has been a joy to see adults,
youth and children of our congregation begin to use our new
facility."
Reverend
Judi felt Bolderdash the Church Cat stir at the bottom of
the lectern, emit a little sigh, and then return to his sleeping.
What's
that you ask? Just how did a cat come to live in Old Reverend
Judi's lectern? Well, it all came about in a rather special
and unique fashion. It all happened one Sunday, when Old Reverend
Judi was not so old. She was quite young then. In fact, she
was a brand new minister.
It
was her first Sunday. Everyone was there in church to hear
Reverend Judi's first sermon. They were all dressed up, in
their best Sunday clothes!
Reverend
Judi was giving the children's sermon. She was telling the
children about Jesus and the children in the Bible. Everyone
was smiling, and Young Reverend Judi began to ask the children
a question.
She
began, "Why did Jesus..." when all of a sudden,
Mrs. Periwinkle, the church organist let out a scream, hopped
off the organ bench, and began to do what looked to the children
like a funny little dance!
The
children began to laugh!
"Mice!"
Mice!" "There are mice on the pedals of the organ!"
screamed Mrs. Periwinkle. She screamed this in a high pitched
sort of voice the children had never heard Mrs. Periwinkle
use when she taught them to sing Jesus Loves Me at Children's
Choir.
The
children and Young Reverend Judi stood wide-eyed, and didn't
quite know what to do...
Just
then, everything really got exciting.
©2003,
Michael D. Purvis
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