Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [5]
"I don't know, Reverend!" the organist, a tall, thin, ebony-colored man, shouted out. " 'Cause y'all is sho' havin' some church tonight. The Holy Ghost ran by and touched every Saint in the house. Praise the Lord!"
"Thank you, Brother Organist. And if you will, sir, I would ask that you play 'At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burdens of my heart rolled away . . .' "
As the organist started playing, Theophilus called the congregation to join him in a circle of fellowship that went around the entire sanctuary. Once the circle was in place, he said they needed to come together to cement the spiritual bond they had formed over the course of the revival week. And when everybody joined hands, he led them in a prayer petitioning for forgiveness of past transgressions—including his own— asked for healing of their sorrows, and thanked God for stopping on by St. Paul's Gospel United Church tonight, because they all knew He had His hands full with all that was happening to Negroes in the South. Then he pulled himself up off his knees, opened his arms in a symbolic embrace of the congregation, and with the permission of St. Paul's pastor, opened the doors of the church to everybody at the revival looking for a church home.
Part 1
1961
Chapter One
AFTER A WEEK OF EMOTIONALLY CHARGED REvival preaching, Theophilus was too spent to race straight back to the arms—and the demands— of his Memphis congregation. He was tired and hungry, and he needed some time alone. So he was glad to see 32 West off of Highway 55, the exit for Charleston, Mississippi, where he knew of a place to stay, Neese's Boarding House for Negroes. He had also heard about a place there, Pompey's Rib Joint, which had the best rib tip sandwiches around—not to mention being known for hosting some of the best blues artists in the region.
It was in Charleston, a tiny Delta town thirty minutes west of Oxford, that the Lord's second and most important life-changing miracle for Theophilus occurred. It was his second miracle, the one he prayed for deep in his heart, not even aware of how intensely God was listening to him and not aware that the Lord loved him so much— He really did know the exact number of hairs on his head.
He drove to the "Smoky" section of the town and found the Negro boarding house. As he walked in, he took care not to let anyone sitting in the living room area catch a glimpse of his robe. His workday was over and he didn't want to have to explain if he happened to run into someone from the boarding house over at Pompey's. He felt a little twinge of guilt about going to Pompey's after preaching a revival, but he shrugged it off by telling himself that Pompey's was probably the best place he could go to have some peace. The last thing folks at Pompey's would be looking for was a preacher to tell their troubles to.
His room was simple, immaculate, and comfortable. The high double bed looked inviting with its starched white linens, and yellow and white cotton patch quilt. There was a large gray, yellow, and white rag rug in the middle of the worn but freshly waxed beige linoleum floor, and crisp white cotton curtains at the one window facing the bed across the room. There were even fresh daisies in a plain white pitcher with a yellow satin ribbon tied around it sitting on an embroidered linen runner on the dresser.
Theophilus put his things on the bed and unzipped his garment bag to get some fresh clothes. He had no intention of showing up at Pompey's in the navy chalk-striped suit, white shirt, and blue, black, and white tie he was now wearing. He selected a pair of silvery gray slacks and a pale gray silk knit sports shirt with silver buttons down the front, and matching pearl gray silk socks. He got his bathrobe, toiletry bag, fresh underwear, and left the room in search of towels and the bathroom so that he could take a quick bath and shave.
Thirty minutes later, he pulled into a dirt parking lot across the road from Pompey's