Discipleship Awards Banquet

The South Sea City Church "Dazzling Disciples" awards banquet was held tonight. It took place at our local "cathedral church" in Sea City. The fellowship hall turned banquet hall was festooned with fall leaves and miniature cornucopias, along with candy corn sprinkled along the table runners. The emcee got up to speak and said, "You can tell a lot of us are from the country. We scattered feed on the tables!"

The look of utter surprise on four of my church members' faces when they got their Discipleship Awards made the entire evening worth it. They had been nominated by their peers in the churches and granted the award by the District Board of Laypersons. They looked really surprised when their names were announced and their pictures displayed. One of them got tears in his eyes as his disciple-of-Jesus activities were read out loud. All seemed to enjoy going up to get their certificates and posing for a picture with the bishop. Billy-John was one of the recipients. When his name was announced and his picture came up on the PowerPoint slide on the big screen, he hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. Then he shook his fist at us seated at the table beaming at him. "You dirty rats! You dirty rats!" he exclaimed.

Aside from the awards, the barbecue wasn't half bad either and then I ate rather too many cookies. This was unfortunately noticed by John and Sue Barge, Billy-John and Myra MacDonald, and Tom Harvey, the church members seated closest to me. I do not blame myself. I blame the fool who put the plate of cookies close enough for me to pick at absent-mindedly. I had plenty of time for absent-minded cookie-picking while the emcee was passing out awards to members of other churches that I did not know. Finally realizing what I was doing, I passed the plate of cookies to Tom Harvey to share them around. He twinkled, "You take 'em. You're doing a pretty good job with them yourself!"

The laughter around the table was rather too hearty. I looked at the decimated cookies and countless crumbs on the plate, and delicately covered the scene with a napkin.