“Would you mind if I sat with you?” he asked.
“That’ll probably start some rumors.”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t care if you don’t.”
Amelia considered it for a moment before giving a shrug of her own. “I guess I don’t really either.”
"Okay, then. Let's find a spot."
They made their way over to a row near the back. The cushioned seat felt firm beneath Amelia as she sat down, leaving just enough space between them to be comfortable without seeming distant.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Luca had taken a seat in the row behind them.
Ben placed his Bible on the seat beside him and leaned slightly toward her. "How are you feeling today?"
"Better," she said, and it wasn't a complete lie. The worst of the pain had receded, but it was still worse than what she usually dealt with. "Yesterday helped. I needed the break.”
“Did you just rest all day?” he asked.
“No. I had things I needed to do in my apartment, but I could pace myself and rest when I needed to.”
Amelia spotted Ben’s parents making their way down the aisle with another older couple at their side. “Who’s with your mom and dad?”
Ben glanced over and shook his head. “No clue. They’ve made friends here in the church who I don’t know.”
“Was it a surprise to find out your parents were attending this church?”
“Not my mom because she’s been a Christian since I was a teen. My dad, however… yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to hear that he had started to come to church here with my mom. I’m very glad though.”
“I think our two families make up a good chunk of the people here,” Amelia said, spotting her cousin, Peyton, walking down the center aisle with his wife and their kids, as well as his parents, Jay and Misha.
Ben chuckled. “It does seem so. I’m surprised by how much the church has grown since I attended here as a teen.”
“I’m not sure what prompted the growth, but I think the school has helped.”
Their conversation died away as the group of people who’d walked onto the stage began to play their instruments.
Amelia couldn’t count how many times she’d sat in a seat at this church for worship. As a teenager, she’d looked forward to it. As a young adult, she’d tried her best to fit it into her busy schedule.
But now? Now she was there because she thought it was expected of her. Plus, if people saw her at church each Sunday, volunteering for things, they wouldn’t know that inside, she was struggling with her faith.
As so many of her prayers for her health went unanswered, her faith had begun to waver. God had allowed so much to be taken from her and left her with broken dreams and a future that seemed to only hold pain.
Still, she came each Sunday, volunteered to help out in the café, and hoped that people couldn’t see the despair that consumed her.
The service began its usual format, with familiar faces. She was even related to a couple of the people on the stage. Her large and involved family meant that most Sundays there was a relative of hers participating in the service.
Ben sang along with all the songs, which told her that he still attended church frequently enough to know the newer music. She wondered if he was a member of a church in New York.
When the pastor stood up, Amelia opened her Bible. The pastor who had been there when she’d been a teen had retired, and this new pastor had been there for around five years.
She liked him well enough, though she’d always appreciated Pastor Kennedy, whose son was married to one of her aunts.
When the pastor took his place behind the podium, he said, “Before I give my sermon today, I’d like to invite Cole Halverson to join me to share a bit about the basketball clinics he’s been running over the past couple of weeks here at the church. We’ve undertaken it as an outreach ministry, and Cole has shared with me how God is working, and I’d like him to tell you about it too.”
Cole stood from where he’d been sitting in the front row and climbed the steps to the podium.
Amelia was curious about what he’d share because while she’d been helping out with clinic registration, she didn’t know what had gone on inside the gym.
