Welcome to season 2 of The Showroom!

As you already know, Jay really left us begging for more. Too many questions to consider. Like whether Wilson is really gonna be moved from his position. And what’s up with the Erasmus gentleman. Well, let’s hope we get some answers in this new season. Away we go!

PRESENT DAY

Friday night service had ended about five hours ago, and Josh had spent the last three hours in prayer. He had barely gotten into bed when Bishop McQueen called him.

Something had to have gone wrong for this call to happen. He went over every portion of the service that he could remember, but nothing jumped out at him. The phone stopped ringing, so he thought he’d gotten a reprieve, but then it started up again.

“Josh, that was a great job you did tonight. Your breakdown of the principle of mercy was deep, you were in control of yourself the entire time, you didn’t get sidetracked, it was excellent.”

Josh shot up into a sitting position in an attempt to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He almost stuttered into his response. “Thank you, Bishop. Your voice was in the back of my head saying, ‘Keep the main thing, the main thing.’ Thank God I was able to do that.”

“You did that and more, Josh. I saw the deliverance session as well. What a move of God! I am so proud of you and the progress you’ve made.”

Josh felt like he was living in an alternate universe. Bishop Wilson McQueen giving him this many compliments at once did not feel real. Meanwhile, Wilson continued. “I was a little surprised that you had that much time though. Did Reverend Mason cancel?”

“No, bishop. He had to delay a little bit to take care of some person business.  He got there shortly after 10pm. I only went that way because the Spirit led me in that direction.”

“Oh okay. You did a great job.”

Josh began to think that this was the other shoe that he’d been expecting to drop. No compliments from bishop were ever free. “Would you have wanted me to wait instead of doing the deliverance?”

Wilson’s response could not have been more excited. “No, you did the right thing. I sensed that the heavens were open for deliverance, so I’m glad you obeyed the leading of the Spirit. Ellen only arranged for Reverend Mason as a backup, but my eyes were on you to perform. I’m pleased that you proved me right.”

That response was not what he’d expected either. It was as though someone had turned the world upside down. Bishop Wilson was being so nice that it was actually getting weird.

“I should be back in the States sometime during the week. I’ll text you when my assignment here is done.”

“No problem, bishop. We’ll hold down the fort until you return.”

“I know you all will. I am proud to have raised sons like you. We’ll talk again soon. Bye.”

Josh looked at the phone after the call was done, still surprised at the entire exchange. In the four years he’d served Bishop Wilson, he could count the number of times he’d been given the attaboy without a list of things to improve for next time, and that number was zero. This entire conversation seemed too good to be true, but it did feel great to be praised.

He lay down in his bed still pondering the interaction even as he started to fall asleep.

*****

Erasmus took a sip of his lemonade as he slowly scrolled through the online job ads on his laptop. The career fair from two weeks ago had not yielded anything, and graduation was already in the books. He had yet to hear back from immigration about his work permit, and he needed to find a place to live once his rent was up at the end of the month. The bubble that was school was about to burst, and life was coming at him faster than he could process.

“Entry Level Design. That looks interesting. Let’s see…uh huh…looking good…looking promising…I might really have a chance- 8 years of experience? Goddammit. How the hell is an entry level person supposed to have 8 years of experience?”

Erasmus slammed the laptop shut and got up. His frustration had been coming to a boil since that conversation with his parents, and with each passing day came a little less restraint. He let out an exasperated yell.

“God, at some point, you’re going to have to show up because the options are getting thinner and thinner as the days go by.”

He was about to sit down again when the phone rang. He saw the caller ID.

“Hell of a time to call, you ghost. This should be interesting.” He composed himself and picked up.

****

FOUR YEARS AGO

Bishop Kusi Bremah lay in the hammock in his backyard, taking in the wonderful view of the coastline. It had been a hell of a day. A good one, but an eventful one.

First, he’d gone to visit a church member who had just lost her only daughter. Then, he went to church to have the final counseling session for a couple who were about to wed, after which he had gone to a prison about two hours away to visit with a member’s son. He had done all this and still managed to get home before sunset, which was the perfect time to catch the most stunning view.

With his body finally settling, he shifted to get more comfortable and was about to drift off for a few when he heard, “Ei Osofo. You are enjoying life papa. God is good!”

He immediately slipped out of the hammock even though Rhamses actively tried to tell him not to.

“Papa! Sorry, I had no idea you were coming. Please what can I-”

“It’s alright, Kusi. Erica already took care of me. In the interest of full disclosure, she had wanted to give you a heads up, but I stopped her. Surprises are a lot more fun and a lot less formal. Sit with me, Osofo.”

Kusi sat in one of the lawn chairs across from Rhamses.

“How has the church been?”

“Well, we’ve been doing well. God has been faithful to us. We’ve seen a membership increase of about 45% this year, the amount from tithes and offerings has tripled, and we’re even discussing the possibility of moving to our own building. All in all, we are on the up and up.”

Rhamses nodded in approval. “Great. We thank God. Are you raising any sons I need to know about?”

Kusi seemed a little taken aback by the question. “Well, we’re trying to. It’s still the early stages, so for now, I would say no.”

“Kusi, your branch has had a lot of young men and women come through it, but the church has yet to experience the fruits of their maturity. I used to see a lot of them with the prayer guys whenever I would visit, but now I see many of them doing their own thing outside of the City of Faith umbrella. Why is that happening?”

If there was any part of Kusi which was nervous, he had done a masterful job at hiding it. “Papa, that is part of the reason why we’re a little slower in growing the young men and women we have now. This generation, they all think that as soon as there is some small manifestation of a gift in them, they must be launched. They don’t want to go through process, they don’t want to be taught the right way. They just want the platform and then they leave. And it’s not just with us; even Bishop Rupert is going through his own set of challenges with the young ones. All the guys he raised, poured his blood, sweat and tears into, they all left. Most of them left long before the scandal, and the one or two that were left followed suit right after. There is no loyalty, papa. No loyalty at all. So now, we have intentionally slowed down our process so that they can properly mature and understand the way things must be done.”

Rhamses was damn near asleep by the time Kusi had finished his spiel. “Kusi, young men and women have been prone to rush since before you became born again. Do you remember yourself? Remember when you thought God had called you to go to Australia because you were such a fan of Hillsong? You’d bought a ticket and were so ready to take the world by storm with your prophetic gift until you were literally hit by a car. You would’ve been Balaam except his was a talking donkey, and yours was a broken leg and eight months of rehab. Yet we were patient with you, we trained you, we helped you, and now you’re the bishop who presides over all our branches on this continent. Do you mean to tell me that you could not find in yourself the very same grace that we poured into you all those years ago?”

“Papa, if you spend anytime with these ones, you will understand how different-”

“Kusi, youth will forever have boiling blood and hasty aspirations. It is your job as their shepherd and mentor to teach them how to control their blood, how to harness their potential. It is for you to show them how much more they could learn if they stayed. These young ones you’re giving up on are the same ones you need to open your new branches so you avoid being fined for lack of expansion.”

“Papa, I understand. But I think-”

Rhamses reached out and held his hand. “Osofo, do better.”

Kusi sat back in his chair as he accepted that he’d lost this case. “Yes papa.”

“Good. Now, I came here to talk to you about something else. One of the guys has finally matured into his own, and it is time to install him as the branch pastor for the Chatswick branch.”

“Okay, papa. Who exactly is it?”

“Wilson McQueen.”

Okayyy, so this is where Wilson’s pastoral journey began. Interesting…