I was way, way, way out in the country, at a small Georgia county's brand new Community Center, helping set up a banquet hall for the Hunting Retriever Club Grand Hunt, which our club is sponsoring this year. After helping set up tables and stuff giveaway bags for the handlers, I was wandering around the empty entrance hall, which had a high dome overhead and amazing acoustics. So amazing that I was moved to sing the "Regina Coeli" chant. It did sound fabulous, almost as good as singing in the shower.
About ten minutes later the janitor came through pushing a broom, and I told him what a lovely building they had. He asked, "Were you the one singing out here?" and I admitted I was. Turned out he loved music too, and we talked about sacred music for awhile. He was a deacon at the local Apostolic Holiness church, and I did hesitate for just a minute about admitting that I was a Catholic, but I did, and we talked a little bit about ministries and what our churches did. I did say that, "I know some folks think Catholics don't know Scripture, but we have Bible Study 3 times a week - " and we quoted each other a few verses of a general kind about going out into the world and preaching, and decided it was right for churches to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and that Christians should stick together!
We worked hard from 10 AM until we finished cleaning up around 9 PM, and every time we met as we passed, we smiled at each other.
I think I made a friend!
I think I made a friend!
This may well be the start of a new friendship. Now, does the deacon also have a dog ;-)?