Page 252 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

are eagerly looking with him. I give the minister a shy little wave.
“Ah, there you are. Would you stand for us, Gord and Kelita?
Please.”
Gord and I stand sheepishly. The whole church turns around
to look. The minister continues, “Let’s all make them feel
welcome.”
Everyone begins to clap. I grab Gord’s hand and squeeze.
Oh God, this is so uncomfortable. We both give awkward smiles.
“Thank you so much for being with us today,” he concludes with
a big grin.
We slump down into the pew. We’re both feeling very small
as we settle ourselves. I do not EVER remember this happening
in the churches I’ve been to.
The service concludes and the organist begins to play. The
minister steps down from his pulpit. Now is our chance to hightail
it out of here. Except the good Reverend is not leaving the same
way he entered. No, he’s now walking down the aisle toward the
back of the sanctuary. Oh gosh, he’s heading right towards us. So
much for slipping out unnoticed. Like in a wedding, everyone is
exiting their aisle and graciously following in perfect order. The
minister takes his place at the entrance and begins his final ritual
of the morning.
As we wait to exit, we observe every single person being
personally greeted by him. For the men it’s a hearty handshake.
If you are a woman or a child, you receive a kiss! Yes, that’s right,
a kiss. Not on the lips of course, but nonetheless it does seem
rather strange. We have no choice but to accept his salutation. I
hold my breath praying he won’t plant a kiss on me. He does not!
We say our hellos and good-byes and decline the invitation for
coffee in the church basement.
“Well, that was quite the personal welcome for our first
time.”

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