Page 1 - Good News December 2015 paper

he brand new pastor and The pastor cleaned the mess on believe how beautiful it looked was almost full. The music and
his wife, newly assigned to the floor, and not knowing what to and it covered up the entire the atmosphere were great. At
Ttheir first ministry to do else but postpone the Christ- problem area! Then he noticed the the end of the service, the pastor
reopen a church in urban mas Eve service, headed home. woman walking down the centre and his wife greeted everyone at
Brooklyn, arrived in early On the way he noticed that a local aisle. Her face was white like a the door and many said that they
October - excited about their business was having a flea sheet. would return. One older man,
opportunities. When they saw market-type sale for charity. He “Pastor,” she asked, “Where did whom the pastor recognised
their church building, it was very stopped. One of the items was a you get that tablecloth?” The from the neighbourhood, con-
run down and needed much beautiful, exquisite, handmade, pastor explained. The woman tinued to sit in one of the pews
work. They set a goal to have ivory-coloured, crocheted table- asked him to check the lower right and stare, and the pastor
everything done in time to have cloth, fine colours and a cross corner to see if the initials EBG wondered why he wasn't leaving.
their first service on Christmas embroidered right in the centre. It were crocheted into it there. They The man asked him where he got
Eve. They worked hard, repairing was just the right size to cover up were. These were the initials of the tablecloth on the front wall,
pews, plastering walls, painting, the hole in the front wall. He this same woman, and she had because it was identical to one
etc. and on 18 December were bought it and headed back to the made this tablecloth 35 years that his wife had made years ago
ahead of schedule and just about church. before, in Austria. when they lived in Austria before
finished. By this time it had started to snow. The woman could hardly believe it the war. How could there be two
On 19 December a terrible An older woman running from the as the pastor told how he had just tablecloths so much alike?
tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit opposite direction was trying to acquired the tablecloth. The He told the pastor how the Nazis
the area and lasted for two days. catch the bus. She missed it. The woman explained that before had come and how he forced his
On the 21st the pastor went over pastor invited her to wait in the World War II, she and her husband wife to flee for her safety. He was
to the church. His heart sunk warm church for the next bus that were well-to-do people in Austria. supposed to follow her but he
when he saw that the roof had would come 45 minutes later. When the Nazis came, she was was arrested and put in a con-
leaked, causing a large area of She sat in a pew and paid no forced to leave. Her husband was centration camp. He never saw
plaster about 6 feet by 8 feet to attention to the pastor while he going to follow her the next week. his wife or his home again for all
fall off the front wall of the got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put She was captured, sent to prison the 35 years in between...
sanctuary just behind the pulpit, up the tablecloth as a wall and never saw her husband or her The pastor asked him if he would
beginning about head high. tapestry. The pastor could hardly home again. The pastor wanted to allow him to take him for a little
give her the tablecloth, but she ride. They drove to Staten Island
made the pastor keep it for the and to the same house where the
church. The pastor then insisted pastor had taken the woman 3
on driving her home. That was the days earlier. He helped the man
least he could do. She lived on the climb the 3 flights of stairs to the
other side of Staten Island and woman's apartment, knocked on
was only in Brooklyn for the day the door and he saw the greatest
for a house-cleaning job. Christmas reunion he could ever
What a wonderful service they imagine! [Tears in my Heart, J
had on Chrismas Eve! The church Collins, Xulon Press, USA, 2007].