“All the Bishop’s Children” — Episode 2

Chapter 4

Dwight’s mother was extremely happy. “We’re going to have us a singing preacher in the family for sure. The legacy will live on,” she said.

“What do you mean, Mama?” Dwight asked.

“You’re probably too young to remember, but your great granddaddy was a preacher, and boy, could he preach. Nobody out-preached him during his time; he could also strike up a tune and so could your granddaddy. Your daddy was supposed to have followed in their footsteps. I kept telling him that God was calling him to be a preacher, but he kept telling me I was crazy and that I just wanted to have a preacher for a husband. I told him it was in the family line and God had him to marry into the family for a reason. I told him to put the bottle away long enough so he could hear God calling him, and to go ahead and clean up his life. One day, he just disappeared; he just up and left.”

Mama Tess tilted her head and looked toward the front door as though she was listening for her husband’s footsteps on the porch. “My only interpretation is that he got scared and was trying to run away from God, and as far as I am concerned he’s still running and hiding. You was young then, but you might remember he’d turn up ever so often for one or two days and then disappear again. I have not heard from him in years — since you were about thirteen.” Mama Tess sighed. “So your granddaddy’s mantle has fallen on you and I want you to take it up and carry the legacy on. Don’t follow in your daddy’s footsteps and skip out on God. I bet if he saw how well we’re doing now, he’d regret he ever left us.”

“I’m not going to run out on you for sure, and I love God too much to even begin to think of skipping out on Him. He’s been good to our family,” Dwight said. “But if you don’t mind, I think my thing is singing and showing love to God’s people and to all people.”

“Do you hear that, Rosalind? He does not want to be a preacher. Now what’s so wrong with that?”

“I never said that, Mama Tess,” Dwight chuckled. “I just have not heard God calling me yet. But I’ll stay close to the phone just in case it rings.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Tess. I’ll work on him,” Rosalind said.

“It’s truly amazing how women see and hear the call of God on the lives of their husbands and sons way before they see and hear it,” Mama Tess chuckled.

“You need to listen to your mother,” Rosalind said to her husband later that night. “Your father didn’t and where is he now? Whether he’s dead or alive, no one knows for sure. The devil’s pulled him away and that is what is going to happen to you if you don’t answer that call soon. You can run from God, but you definitely cannot hide from Him, and you can only run for so long.” Rosalind then chuckled, “I don’t even know why your mother did not just forget him and marry someone else. Wasting all her years hoping he’d turn up.”

“That’s because my mother is a classy lady.”

Rosalind opened her mouth to respond, but changed her mind. After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, she said, “I think I’ll ask her one day.”

With Rosalind’s relentless promotional efforts, “The Song Bird” soon became a household name in the region. Dwight’s fame as a Gospel singer spread throughout the South. Many churches asked Dwight to come and minister to their congregation. Rosalind basked in her husband’s fame. She, however, was not satisfied with the five-minute spot he had on the regional radio station. She talked him into seeking at least thirty minutes on the air.

“You expect me to sing for thirty minutes nonstop? You must be crazy!”

“Why not? Many people are doing it,” Rosalind said. Then smiling she added: “When we used to go to the clubs, didn’t the musicians play and sing nonstop way past thirty minutes into the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, like I said: dream big. Don’t limit yourself. Might I remind you, ‘Faith without works is dead.’”

“My faith is where it has always been and it shows itself through the love I show to everyone I meet.”

“You can meet and reach a whole lot more people if you listen to me,” Rosalind said. “Just imagine a large crowd sitting in a concert hall waiting for you to perform. They want you to share God’s love with them through song and through an encouraging word here and there. In-between each song, you can share some Bible verses — preach to them a little.”

Dwight thought about his wife’s words. Eventually, he did ask Mr. Cummings for “a little more time on the air.” “Ratings is what it’s all about,” he reminded the station manager.

Chapter 5

Dwight and his wife began attending Mt. Providence Baptist Church shortly after they settled down in Augusta, Georgia. Rev. Ezra Helton was the senior pastor.

“Seems like Pastor Helton has it going on,” Dwight said to his mother after their second Sunday partaking in the morning worship service.

“Oh, yes, he’s a Godsend. We had a fit trying to find someone to fill in Pastor Nathan’s shoe after he passed away,” Mama Tess said.

Pastor Nathan C. Goolesby had died while Dwight was in New York. He had been a blessing to the Jacobs family especially after finding out that Dwight’s father had disappeared. He had told a distraught Mama Tess, “I tell you a man like him was not worth having in the first place. Any man who skips out on his wife and children is not worth the ground he walks on. A man should know up front whether or not he is up for the husband-father task. But don’t you worry, Mama Tess. We’ll look out for you.”

“Pastor Nathan was a true blessing to us. Rev. Helton is from a different cut,” Mama Tess said.

“He seems to be a big supporter of Dr. King,” Dwight said.

“Yes, he’s from Mississippi, and he’s been involved in some of the marches. You will hear a lot about that social justice stuff in his sermons. He believes Jesus is for all people but that Jesus has a special place in His heart for those who have been mistreated.”

“Apart from a few new faces, things have not changed much,” Dwight said to his wife. “The church is being a blessing to the community and the Word is still being preached. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Yes, and some pastors have a knack for making the Word come alive thus putting life into you as you listen. Other pastors kill the Word with their dry preaching and kill your spirit as you listen to them,” Rosalind said curtly.

“Now what are you getting at? What’s wrong with Rev. Helton’s preaching?”

“Did you hear me mention Rev. Helton?”

“Well, he’s the one behind the pulpit,” Dwight said. “I know you grew up in an Apostolic Holiness church, but I was born and raised a Baptist, and that’s where I started serving God.”

Rosalind huffed. “I never set foot in a Baptist church until we moved down here.”

“So you don’t really know anything about the preaching, do you?” Dwight said.

Rosalind ignored him. “We should at least visit the Apostolic Holiness church down the street. There’s nothing like getting in the Spirit, lifting up holy hands, and letting out a good shout. You Baptists don’t have the shout like we Pentecostals do. You’re just too dry.”

Dwight chuckled. “You can’t have any lasting fire if you don’t have the plain teaching of the Word.”

Despite her reluctance, Rosalind accompanied her husband to Mt. Providence Baptist Church for several months voicing her displeasure each time they left the house.

I’ve had enough of boring Baptist church services, Rosalind thought one Saturday afternoon as she drove around town looking for another church similar to the one she had attended in New York. I got to find me a feet-stomping, hand-clapping, hallelujah-shouting church. She slowed down so she could read the sign on the small, brick church building at the corner. Church of the Living God Pillar of Truth. She pulled into the parking lot to get a look at the service times posted on the door.

A lady in a long skirt walked out just as Rosalind was getting ready to leave. The woman waved and came over to the car window. She introduced herself as Ketura Perry, the pastor’s wife. She and Rosalind talked for nearly an hour. “If nothing happens, I’ll be worshiping with you on Sunday,” Rosalind assured her as they said goodbye.

On Sunday morning, Rosalind hurriedly fixed breakfast. She got her son, Dwight Jr. (DJ) ready, and while seating herself at the breakfast table, informed her husband and Mama Tess, “I meant to tell you this, but I got invited to the Church of the Living God Pillar of Truth, so I won’t be worshiping with you all today.”

Mama Tess raised her eyebrows. Dwight looked at her. “What do you mean you meant to tell me? You don’t forget stuff like that when going to church is a thing we do as a family,” he said.

“What’s wrong with me visiting another church by myself?” Rosalind asked dabbing DJ’s mouth with a napkin. “Besides, I promised Ketura I would be there. I can’t break my promise.”

“Who’s Ketura?” Dwight asked.

“Ketura Perry. She’s the wife of Turling Perry, the pastor. I met her last week and we got to talking,” Rosalind said. “You are welcome to accompany me.”

“Now, you know we can’t come with you on such short notice — especially me. I have obligations at Mt. Providence. I have to sing this morning,” Dwight said.

“Oh, right. For a minute, I forgot,” Rosalind said with mock seriousness avoiding eye contact with Mama Tess. She could feel her mother-in-law’s stare drilling into her.

“If you had let me know earlier in the week, we could have made arrangements to have someone replace me then we could have gone together. I can’t leave the people hanging like that,” Dwight said. “You do this all the time — going off and doing something without checking with me first.”

“I guess we’ll have to go to separate churches today then,” Rosalind said with feigned disappointment, “because, like you, I can’t leave Ketura hanging.”

Mama Tess cleared her throat.

Chapter 6

While Dwight was ministering at the Baptist church, Rosalind was jumping up and down, her hands uplifted, shouting ‘Praise the Lord!’ and ‘Hallelujah!’ This is where I’ll be each Sunday from now on. You can best believe that! Rosalind thought as she fellowshipped with Ketura and a few others and exchanged telephone numbers and addresses. “I’ll be back,” she told them as she departed.

When she got home, Dwight and Mama Tess were in the kitchen putting a meal together. “We didn’t know how long you were going to be, so we fixed ourselves something to eat,” Dwight said dropping the dishcloth on the countertop. He picked up two plates, each having two ham sandwiches, a whole sweet pickle, and some potato salad, and marched past Rosalind. “Do your job, woman. Come on, Mama, get a load off your feet and enjoy your meal. I’m sure she’ll have something hot ready for you to eat later on.”

Rosalind smirked. She laid DJ down to sleep, then quickly made a ham sandwich, added a whole sweet pickle to her plate and walked into the living room to join her husband and her mother-in-law. They were watching a special music presentation on television.

“I tell you, Mama, that Lena Horne is something else. I’d love to sing with her,” Dwight said. “She’s my girl. I love her.”

Rosalind was still basking in the afterglow of her experience at Church of the Living God Pillar of Truth to let her husband’s comments get to her. “You should have come with me today,” she blurted out. “Y’all don’t know what you missed!”

“Be quiet, woman. I’m listening to my girl sing right now,” Dwight said.

Rosalind fell quiet.

Mama Tess finished her meal and finished watching the special in silence. “I’m going to get some rest,” she said quietly excusing herself.

As soon as Mama Tess left, Rosalind spoke. “Dwight, you should have come with me. I had a time. That preacher, Rev. Dr. Apostle Turling Perry, is a preaching machine. He called down the fire today. If you think Relick at St. Paul’s can preach, you haven’t heard nothing ‘till you hear Apostle Perry preach.”

Dwight did not say anything.

Rosalind did not let that dissuade her from saying what was on her mind. “Talk about being in the spirit. Oh, man! Apostle Turling preached over half his sermon in tongues. That’s what’s missing at Mt. Providence. Y’all don’t emphasize tongues enough.”

Dwight cast a glance at her.

Rosalind continued speaking. “You all shout and praise God when the singing is going on, but the whole atmosphere is different at the Church of the Living God Pillar of Truth. The spirit was all over the place. You have to come with me next Sunday.”

“Thank you for letting me know a whole week in advance,” Dwight said sarcastically. “Who says you’re going next Sunday? We have commitments at Mt. Providence. I believe next Sunday, you’re supposed to teach Sunday School with Ms. Green, and you are supposed to be a part of the choir.”

“Listen, Dwight, my worship experience has not been the same since we left New York. I’ve tried to fit in at Mt. Providence, but like I said, something is missing. Today’s experience at Church of the Living God Pillar of Truth confirmed what I had been feeling all along. I belong to a church with more fire in it. And talk about praying with power! I thought Relick could pray, but he can’t touch Apostle Perry,” Rosalind said. “I’m sorry, Dwight, but I just have to go back.”

“And what if I don’t let you?”

Oh, you’ll let me. You always let me have my way even if you try to put up a fuss first, Rosalind thought. She smiled pleasantly. “I’m just asking you to give it a try. You’ll love it just as you did St. Paul’s Apostolic.”

“And what about your teaching at Mt. Providence next Sunday? I hope you don’t plan on leaving Ms. Green hanging.”

Rosalind laughed. “Of course not. I’m going to give her a call right now and let her know. She’ll have a whole week to find a replacement. The choir won’t miss me. Remember, I don’t sing with them every Sunday anyway.”

Mama Tess was in much thought as she lay on her bed in her room. I love Rosalind, but, Lord, I don’t like some things I’m seeing in her. Dwight’s a good man, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son. He wants to do right as a husband. I just hope he knows what he may be up against with a wife like that. And, Lord… I hope these negative vibes I’m getting about Rosalind are wrong.