Previously on "Greenleaf"...
When you're the response pastor,
you are the face of the church with a capital "C."
- So, how'd she look? - She's got nothing on you.
So when we start getting all upset
at our friends and our parents,
the one you should turn to is God.
Every time we fly, it's the same thing.
We just sit here for hours.
Let's take a pregnancy test.
- Just so we're clear, I give. - What do you mean?
- Therapy. - Just because I don't talk
doesn't mean I'm not getting something out of it.
Bishop, it is with a heavy heart
that I pitch my tent across from yours in the field of battle.
You started something here, Pastor.
You're gonna let me finish.
Here at Calvary, we're family!
Downtown Memphis high today will be 63 degrees
with showers expected to continue throughout the week.
Showers will be heavy at times...
Sophia?
Good morning, little saints.
Good morning, Pastor.
Did anyone here happen to see the rainbow
on the way into church today?
I did! I did!
When I saw that rainbow, I thought the Lord...
...is definitely looking
out for me today.
Because today we're gonna talk about a Bible story
that ends with a rainbow!
Can you believe that?
Where did you get this?
Your phone's ringing.
What?
Your phone.
Baby, where'd you get that?
Faith's room.
Hello, this is Pastor Greenleaf.
No, darling, it's never too early.
Yep, I'm on my way.
Let her do what she's going to do.
Just go and see her.
- Mm-hmm. - Make the peace.
Mm-hmm.
She's been with us 40 years.
Yes, and familiarity has bred contempt.
- But, James... - No "Thank you, Connie Sykes."
- No, we've... - Hey, now.
- What? - Mmm.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I got to see a man about a jet.
Oh.
♪ Amen
♪ Well
♪ Amen, amen, ooh.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
How's that feeling, Charity?
A little cold.
Yeah. Sorry about that.
Is that the baby's heartbeat?
Mm-hmm, and it sounds very healthy.
I think it sounds like a girl.
- Ahh. Boy. - Uh-huh.
- Oh. - What's wrong?
Nothing's wrong.
It's just...
I think your little friend in there
has a little friend.
- We're having twins? - Yes, sir.
Congratulations.
Oh, my God.
Kevin.
Oh, my God.
Kerissa, he's my best friend.
And I'm your wife.
It's his bachelor party.
And this is my life.
Do you care about our marriage at all?
I do.
I count on it to be a place of support from which I...
To fly off to Vegas to stuff twenties in some stripper's...
No, from which I can do whatever occurs to me to do.
Oh, well, that's the truth right there.
Damn right it's the truth.
- Jacob? - You see what I'm up against?
Are you still seeing this other woman?
I told you, we're not gonna talk about that.
Okay, but would you agree with me
if I said that Kerissa's concerns
about this trip to Las Vegas
are exacerbated by her knowledge
that you're still seeing this woman?
Cool.
I'll tell you what.
What?
I'll give her the Heisman.
- You won't do that. - You let me go to Vegas.
Kerissa, could that work for you?
But Jacob gives up this woman?
If he actually does it.
Aces.
So, that might be something
we want to consider as we move forward.
- Excuse me? - Pastor Greenleaf.
- I'm so sorry to interrupt. - Not at all.
Thank you so much for coming.
Of course, of course.
You're Bishop's eldest, aren't you?
Yes, I am.
We were so sorry to hear about your sister Faith.
That was terrible.
Thank you.
Joshua says all superheroes
need to build their strength sometimes.
That sounds totally true.
I'll come back in a few minutes.
Oh.
So, what's the problem?
- Joshua was born premature. - At 25 weeks.
- Hmm. - Yeah.
We have a picture of Bishop
holding him right in the palm of his hand.
Bishop didn't tell you about Joshua?
No, I was somewhere else.
Well, he had a lot of challenges when he was born,
one of which is what's called a malrotated bowel.
Half of his intestines are dead inside of there,
so they have to go in, take it out right away, or he'll die.
- I'm so sorry. - Why?
- It's all in God's plan. - Arthur, stop talking like that.
Your son's got enough troubles.
Wouldn't have any troubles at all
if you hadn't dragged Bishop in this in the first place.
If you'll excuse us,
the surgeons need to explain the procedure.
Of course.
Don't mind my husband, please.
He's... he's upset.
Bishop's never been anything but a godsend.
It's not a problem.
This one's out of your price range normally.
But because we financed the purchase through our in-house broker,
when the previous owner became unable to make the payments...
What happened?
Well, I'm not at liberty to say,
but here it is from another angle.
Was that Damon Kinchloe's?
I'm not at liberty to say, sir.
We've been on that jet.
Was this Pastor Kinchloe's jet?
The point is, I'm able to offer it to you
at a considerable discount.
That's the jet he flew us down to Kevin Copeland's place.
- That's the one. - That's a hell of a jet.
- Uh-huh. - That's all I'm saying.
And if you want it today,
all you have to do is take over the payments.
You got yourself a deal.
- That's a hell of a jet. - Mm-hmm.
And the scores last year from the lower school,
and I wish this could go without saying,
were even more disappointing.
We can't call ourselves Excellence,
charge what we charge, and be this close to the bottom.
I don't care if you have to administer
those prep tests a dozen times
between now and next Friday.
Get it right.
- Teach the test. - Headmistress?
What, Isabel?
We know these tests are biased.
Life is biased.
You want to change the test, go into public policy.
You want to teach at this school,
get your scores up.
Sorry, that's where we are.
Headmistress?
Everyone's gone. You don't have to be so formal anymore.
Are you okay?
I'm fine. Thank you for asking.
I just need something to work in my life right now, that's all.
I'll do my best.
That's all that's required.
Can I get you some more coffee?
No, I'm good. Thank you.
I'm sorry I snapped before.
No, no. It's all right.
You're under a lot of pressure right now.
My wife and I, when Joshua was born,
we disagreed.
The doctor said if he lived,
he was gonna have major problems.
I was of the opinion
that we should spare him that life of pain.
But my wife...
we'd tried a few times before... failed.
There was no way she was giving up that baby.
After the first surgery, though, he almost died.
There was a moment then
that she might have let him go.
But then the church got involved.
She called Bishop.
He came to the hospital.
That's when she took that picture she was talking about.
He said the Lord had big plans for Joshua.
He was gonna be used by God.
There's been one year
that boy hasn't been in here for something,
stuck, poked, choked, cut open.
You can't imagine what it's like
to see someone suffer like that
and you know you can't do a thing about it.
No, I'm sure I can't.
How is he?
The surgeon says they got it all.
Now we'll just have to pray
it doesn't happen again.
Right?
Come on. I want to see my son.
Thanks for coming.
Connie.
Mae.
You believe this rain?
Bishop sent you, didn't he?
Now, Connie, you know
James don't send me anywhere.
I just been sick about all this since you left.
- So, he doesn't know you're here. - No.
Well, that's a disappointment.
- Connie. - I never expected him
to come crawling in person, of course,
but at least I thought he'd call.
Well, he's been meaning to, but he's been so busy,
especially with you and your partisans absent.
He should have thought of that before...
well, it's over.
Connie, come back to the church,
rejoin the board,
and we will iron this all out.
Matthew 18:15.
Don't go quoting scripture at me, Mae.
I told him it's his fault.
But not in private.
You called him out in front of the whole deacon board.
You must have known that wouldn't go well.
I was making a point.
Now it's made. Please.
Why do you want me back anyway?
Connie, you were there.
You know what it took
to go from that little storefront church
to what we have today.
And now everywhere I look,
everything is topsy-turvy.
It's okay. It's going to be okay.
I'm not sure it's going to be.
I mean, ever since she got home...
well, you don't know,
but it has been plague after plague,
arguments, controversy.
I feel like Pharaoh.
Children are hard, I'm told.
Oh, you don't know the half of it.
You know...
she was the one who pressured James
to contact that officer in the first place.
Yes.
He didn't want to do it.
But he is powerless when it comes to that child.
I mean, it's terrible.
Well, she is a prophet, isn't she?
Pardon me?
I remember hearing Grace preach.
She's got that prophetic gift.
The bishop does well to heed her.
I thought that you didn't want the police in the church.
- I thought... - I didn't.
But I can live with a difference of opinion.
It's how the bishop handled it that I take issue with.
He should have asked.
I feel like everything's falling apart
and I need boots on the ground,
because I'll be damned if I'm going to let everything
I worked all these years for slip through my fingers.
Well, Mae, I'm sorry,
but unless the bishop comes in person...
He will never humble himself that way.
You know that man.
Then we'll just be friends.
I'm fine with that.
Huh.
Call Fred Williams.
Calling Fred Williams.
They're still not high enough.
- Proficient is passing. - Barely.
Is that how you want to get through life?
Like your daddy?
Colleges look at these, Zora.
You can smile that smile all you want,
but if you don't have the scores...
What's the matter?
- Go get ready for dinner. - What happened?
We'll finish this later.
Ahh. "Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
and the hunter home from the hill."
- Hi, Daddy. - Where were you all day?
At the hospital.
Sophia's all right, I hope.
Sophia's fine. I was just doing some work.
Well, who's sick, then?
Joshua Russell.
Oh, yeah.
That family, they've had it rough.
Yeah, it sounds like it.
He's going to be okay,
but he has to be there for a few more days.
You might want to stop by.
Oh. We'll both go tomorrow.
We can do a little tag team ministry.
I'd like that.
Hmm.
- Sure. Sure. - Okay? Good.
See you at dinner.
Melisse? Melisse?
I could smell that lemon curd all the way upstairs.
Let me get a piece before Mae comes down here.
And the loan officer turned her down,
even after she'd provided all that extra paperwork,
gone through all that trouble.
She was desolate.
I said, "Louise,
even when man says no,
God can still say yes."
That was a week ago.
Got a call just this morning.
The loan was approved.
- Amen. - Amen.
Well, speaking of praise reports,
Kevvie?
Well, excuse me, everyone, but, uh...
Charity and I would like to make an announcement.
- Today went well? - Better than expected.
What's going on here?
I got a feeling I'm being left out of something.
Y'all know how I despise that feeling.
Daddy, I already told Mama.
Jacob is having an affair with Alexa.
He promised today at therapy that he would stop,
but he obviously has no real intention of doing so.
What are you talking about?
You texted the wrong person, Jacob.
Anybody can read it.
Kerissa, now is not the time...
I'm sorry.
I have tried prayer, therapy.
I've tried trading a trip to Las Vegas
for an ounce of respect.
I don't know what else to do.
I'm sorry. What was your news?
We're having twins.
How many are you listened to.
20, 30. I don't know.
Why didn't you tell me?
I thought it would make you sad.
Oh, honey.
You were just starting to seem like you liked it here.
What does she talk about?
Bible stories...
and how to live.
Why do you listen to it?
It's interesting, and it helps.
Doing what she talks about helps.
See, this is why I didn't tell you.
I didn't want to make you sad.
You didn't make me sad, honey.
It just is sad, that's all.
Hmm.
She talks about you in one.
Bad or good?
Why would she say bad things?
What did she say about me?
That you're stubborn...
but there's a time for that.
Which one did she say that in?
You're so weird.
"Bad or good?"
I think it's this one.
- Can I borrow it? - Sure, but I want it back.
Oh, I'll give it back.
Deal.
Are there any recordings of you
when you used to preach?
Not that I know of, thank God.
I can't imagine you preaching.
Neither can I... anymore.
Do you miss it?
No.
Hmm.
Hey, good night.
Good night, sweet pea.
Shut the door. Have a seat.
Alexa's not in today?
I fired her.
How was the rest of your night?
I know it had to be better than dinner.
Pop, it was just a misunderstanding.
I don't want to hear this.
I was going to meet with Alexa, so...
I don't want to hear it.
You don't want to hear the truth.
What do you know about the truth?
Here it is, son. I love you.
Nothing will ever change that,
but you're not ready for leadership.
What do you mean?
I'm sitting you down.
Mama know about this?
We talked about it.
So, how long am I being sat down for?
90 days.
Nine...
Pop, who's going to preach on third Sundays?
I'll find somebody.
Who's going to teach Bible study?
Honestly?
I feel like I can get any good Christian boy
from the local high school to do that.
All you do is tell stories
about your glory days on the gridiron.
Who's going to teach discipleship?
I mean, you know, who's going to handle that?
That's no longer your concern.
Because Gigi's back.
Excuse me?
You wouldn't be sitting me down
if Gigi wasn't back.
Admit it.
You're going to ask her to take my place.
Son.
You have no place.
That's just the devil.
No, he's just finally getting to spend time with his family.
You know Jacob.
His family's always his first priority.
Agnes.
The most handsome man has just walked into my office.
It... no, it's not Bishop.
Oh, you know me.
I kid, yes.
All right, darling.
Speak soon. Bye.
Fred. Oh, Fred!
I am so glad that you could come on such short notice.
One of the perks of retirement, right?
Flexibility.
I'm so looking forward to it.
My work at church just keeps me so busy.
I was on the phone about pulpit flowers for an hour.
So, what's going on?
Nothing drastic.
The bishop and I just wanted to thank you
for your willingness to serve as chairman
on the deacon board.
It's just a blessing that you're so ready to serve.
Well, thank you.
I'm excited about the prospect,
although I must say that Misty and I,
we're both sorry to see Deacon Sykes go.
She's quite a character.
Yes, she is, isn't she?
But I daresay with a man like you in charge,
the board will be much more effective.
- Let's hope so. - Yes.
Would you like some sugar?
Oh, no, no. I'm cutting back.
Well, I can't see why.
Once we've bought this jet,
you and Misty will have to join us
on our next mission trip to Africa.
Have you ever been?
So, you're buying the jet?
I believe so, yes.
The bishop just picked one out.
With this audit getting started next week, we're buying a jet?
Do you think we should wait?
You're sure?
Treat yourself.
- Yes. - Aww.
You sure that's right?
I don't know.
Okay.
Let's see.
"Which bolded word in the sentence is a noun?"
- And a noun is what? - A person, place, or thing.
That's right.
So, which bolded word?
"Let's take my scooter to the park tomorrow."
Is the noun "take," "scooter," or "tomorrow"?
Scooter?
If that's what you think.
Are you sure this is the right room?
- Pastor Greenleaf? - Yeah?
- Yes? - Where's Joshua?
He's being prepped for surgery.
Another one? What happened?
Confidentially...
- Where are his parents? - In pre-op.
If you'd be kind enough to show us the way,
I'd like to pray with the family before he goes in.
Of course. Come with me.
- Daddy, Daddy. - Listen.
We have to hurry.
Could we just... one second, please?
Thank you.
What? What's the matter?
Don't go tell them
everything's gonna be just fine, please?
I've never told anyone anything that absurd in my life.
Okay, but...
you're going to tell them
that God has a plan for that boy,
for the family,
that his eye is on them.
Which is true.
Daddy, don't give them hope.
Why?
Because it hurts.
Where is this coming from?
The father told me yesterday...
Gigi, that man has been beset by a spirit of despair
since the day he was born.
- His name is Legion. - Just listen to me...
for once.
Just pray that God's will is done.
Don't pray for health. Don't pray for safety.
Just...
Just for God's will, please.
I can't promise you what I'll say.
But I assure you, I will listen for the spirit's say-so,
as I always do before I utter a word.
Bishop, thank goodness you're here.
Ask God not to take my baby.
Please.
Okay.
Take my hand, sister.
Pastor.
Let us pray.
Lord God...
he is Joshua.
I just don't want him to hurt anymore.
I want him to be happy.
He's such a good boy.
He shouldn't have to hurt this way.
I just want to let him go.
My baby.
Let's leave these folk in peace.
- What did you do? - What do you mean?
What did you do to achieve this?
- Um... - You know what?
It doesn't matter. I don't care.
Whatever you did, just do it next Friday.
Yeah.
How's the wedding coming?
We're in the home stretch.
If you ever need any advice...
Thanks. I'll let you know.
Thank you.
Don't thank me.
I didn't do it for you.
I asked God what to say
and that's what he gave me.
Mm-hmm.
Ever since you came home,
I've been looking for that wide-eyed girl
that carried the red King James Bible
with the John 3:16 bookmark.
Apparently, she's long gone.
Daddy?
Yes?
Why didn't you listen to me?
I just did exactly what you asked.
No, I'm talking about
when I told you what Faith said to me
about Uncle Mac.
I did.
I went straight to Faith,
your mother and I both,
and she said she made the whole thing up.
You knew that that wasn't true.
Gigi, if I thought your Uncle Mac did anything
like what you and Faith were talking about...
do you think he'd still be at Calvary?
You think he'd still be alive?
Your sister lied, and we've all been living
in the shadow of that lie for twenty years,
you most of all.
I'll tell you what I am sorry about.
I'm sorry we didn't listen to you
about going to the police.
That was my mistake.
If we had,
if we had gotten the whole thing out
in the open just like you said,
I've got a funny feeling
that your sister would have been happier,
you wouldn't have quit preaching,
and the church would be in a much better position than it is,
to say nothing of the family.
I'm sorry about that.
Listen, with...
with Jacob sat down now, I'm...
I'm up against it.
If there's anything you can do to help...
Just think about it.
Yeah, Daddy.
I'll think about it.
Thank you.
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning, Sister Greenleaf.
Whoa, that was a big good morning.
You guys almost blew me over.
How are all my little saints doing this morning?
- Good. - Good.
Did anybody here ever lose their favorite toy?
- I have. I lost my stuffed zebra. - I lost my doll.
Losing something is sad, isn't it?
But it's really bad when what you lost was your favorite.
I lost my favorite toy when I was a little girl.
You know what it was?
- Was it a unicorn? - A teddy bear!
Yes, good job. You guessed it, a teddy bear.
It was a little stuffed Teddy Bear.
And you know what his name was?
- Uh, Brownie! - Fluffy!
Duckie. Isn't that silly?
Whats the hell is this?
Hmm?
What's wrong now?
Fred Williams has called an emergency meeting of the deacons.
Oh.
So, he went ahead and did it.
You know about this?
Not really.
I overheard Darlene talking,
and apparently Fred thinks
that we should hold off on buying that jet.
The board already approved this.
He was there when they voted.
Yes, but that was under Deacon Sykes.
This is Deacon Williams.
He's concerned about the audit.
Hmph.
What?
You've been complaining about that old jet for ten years.
Now you're willing to risk losing this new one
just to get Connie back?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Oh, Mae.
I'll say this, though.
Now that that little whore is gone,
I'll be taking back my office.
The trains are going to run on time over there.
I feel for Kerissa,
but honestly, it makes me want to quit.
It's not why I got into teaching.
It just sounds like she's in a bad place right now.
Give it time.
I'm only working there because you're working here.
Look, I know we're having the wedding here,
and that'll be nice,
but maybe after we get married,
we could just go, you know?
- Where? - Somewhere where every move we make
doesn't corral us into some corner of this family.
Don't you like that idea?
I don't not like the idea. It's just...
What, you want to stay here with Gigi?
No!
I just don't know what else I would do
with my life right now.
Noah, when we first met,
you told me you wanted to move to Colorado
and be a ski guide or a mountain guide.
- Yeah. - So, what's changed?
Let's do that. We can do that.
I can teach anywhere.
Okay.
Okay, let's make a plan.
Okay, I will.
Sackcloth and ashes, Connie.
Sackcloth and ashes.
Pork chops and applesauce?
Sackcloth and ashes, Connie.
Sackcloth and ashes.
Mishandled, mismanaged, and I'm sorry.
A church goes into free fall
when there are no checks and balances.
I know. You told me.
- It's biblical. - I hear you.
I love Calvary Fellowship.
I know you do.
I think you may be the only other person at Calvary
that loves it as much as I do.
Maybe more.
That's true. Maybe more.
You might have something there.
So, what do I have to do
to get you back running the deacon board?
Well, for starters?
Yes, let's assume there's a list.
One of those gold-plated names on the back of the pews
like the Roundtable gets.
Easy.
"Connie Sykes. Deacon Connie Sykes.
Sister Connie Sykes"?
"Kenny Collins.
1999-2016.
Unforgotten."
Done.
- Welcome home. - Thank you.
Ooh, hey.
How did you do on your prep test?
- Advanced. - Oh.
And how did you manage that?
- I cheated. - Very funny.
Okay, little man,
you are done, all right?
Can you get him ready for bed?
- I'll be in in a minute. - Mm-hmm.
Come on, little man.
Bath time.
Are you ever going to talk to me?
Yeah.
You were right.
About what?
Gigi...
Daddy, the whole thing.
You were right.
Hey there, Pastor. You got a minute?
I do. I do. Come on in.
Have you given any more thought to my request
about stepping up?
- I have. - And?
- I can do it. - Oh, praise God.
I won't preach.
We'll see about that.
But I will do all the administrative stuff,
discipleship duties.
- Meaning? - Auxiliaries, clubs, small groups.
- Wonderful. - One thing, though, Daddy.
The first thing I'm going to do
is start a small group for the victims of sexual abuse.
Just so you know.
Thanks for the warning.
I'll leave you to it.
Uh...
What's this?
I don't know.
It's from the Russells.
They left it for you.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com