Chapter 6.  Transcendental Community Church

 

Dan felt silly.  It was only Friday, and he was wanting it to be Monday.  He was eager to begin work on the Strings Project, but he was even more zealous to see Miriam again.  He knew that was crazy.  “She is so lovely ... well beyond my reach.   Countless guys will be chasing her,” he told himself.  “What chance do I have?”  Still, he longed to talk with her again.

 

He was friends with many nice girls.  He’d been on  dates.  He’d participated in Church youth rallies.  He’d been to Christian Summer Camps.  He had many female friends on campus, but never before had he felt this way about any girl.  It made him uneasy.  “These strong feelings are going to drive me to an unhappy rejection by Miriam.  And then, what?” he pondered.  “We’ll still be working together on the Project.  That will be hard for me.”

 

In a daze, he amazed himself, when he realized he was in his red pickup, headed for the campus.  “Maybe I’ll bump into her there,” he reasoned.  He walked to the bookstore.  She wasn’t there.  He bought a paperback, “Unmasking Cosmology”.  He had heard Miriam say she was living in Browning Hall,  because it was near the practice rooms in Melody Hall.  He sought out a sidewalk bench midway between Browning and Melody and sat down to read his new book.  He mused, “Maybe she’ll walk by, and I’ll say, ‘Nice to see you.  I was getting a head start on our Project.  Do you have time for a coke at the Student Union?’”

 

Dan read for an hour, frequently surveying the nearby walkways.  Nothing happened.  This made him feel even crazier.  He returned to his truck,

disappointed.  But, as he drove home, he recalled that Miriam would be part of the orchestra at Transcendental Community Church on Sunday morning.  He’d never been there.  But, impulsively, he resolved to go there Sunday.  “At least, I’ll see her again.  Maybe we’ll talk.”  Satisfied with that plan, he reached home.

 

Home was the very pleasant venue in which he had been raised.  It sat about 100 yards South of a rural, chat road in South St. Louis County on a large tract of land.  His Dad had died when Dan was a college Freshman.  At that time, his Mom’s Mom was living with them.  Four years before his Dad passed, he and Dan had built a second residence on their property, adjacent to their home, for Grandma.  It was quite complete, with its own living room, kitchen, dining room, laundry room, two bedrooms, and two full bathrooms.  It was connected to the original residence by a breezeway, furnished with chairs and a glider  where one could repose and enjoy the sights and sounds emanating from the yard and the nearby woods.  Grandma had lived there as independently as she wished, though she spent much time with the family. 

 

When Grandma died, Dan’s mother had decided to rent the home to an old-maid, school teacher.  She still lived there.  The rent money and the proceeds from his Dad’s pensions were enough to cover his Mom’s expenses.  Dan continued to live with her and do the upkeep on the properties.

 

“Mom,” Dan proclaimed, as he burst into the kitchen through the back door, “I think I’ll go to the Transcendental Community Church, in town, this Sunday morning!”

 

Jan Diederman looked up from her culinary efforts with an admiring smile and said, “That’s different.  Is there something special there Sunday?”

 

“Not really,” Dan said.  “I know some students who  go there.  I want to check it out.”  He pulled a chair from under the table and sat down.

 

“Any particular student?” Mom teased, with mirth in  her eyes, as she stirred the Goolash she was preparing.

 

Dan was quiet for a moment.  Then, he poured forth,  “Well ... yes.  I met this girl Wednesday.  She plays the violin, really well.  She’s in the  orchestra at that Church.  I heard her play in a string quartet at the Installation Ceremony for Dr. Angelo, and I want to see ... ahh ... hear her again.”

 

“Tell me about her,” Mom urged, as she slid into another table chair and faced Dan.

 

“Well, she’s just moved to St. Louis from Boston.  She is a long-time friend of Dr. Angelo, and she is a member of the research team I’m on.  So, we will be working together with Dr. Angelo and a fellow named Vic.  She’s some kind of ‘Math Wiz’ according to Chancellor Grigsby.”

 

“Sounds like you’re really interested in her,” Mom remarked.

 

“Yes,” Dan admitted.  “But, I’m afraid she’s too good for me.  She’s beautiful.  She’s bright.  She’s talented.  Every guy that sees her is going to chase her ... and, I’m just me.”

 

“Aren’t you going too fast?” Mom asked.  “She sounds wonderful, but she may not be the girl for you.  First, you need to become her friend ... see if you like her as you get to know her.  If God wants you and her together, He’ll work it out.”

 

Jan’s pleasant face brightened as she continued,

“That’s how it was for me and your Dad.  We were friends for years before he asked me out.  We were in the youth group at Church.  After meetings, during refreshments, he helped me with my Latin and Geometry.  Just before he went off to The Rolla School of Mines to become an engineer, we started dating.  A year later, we were married.

 

“You need to become friends with ... ahh ...”

 

“Miriam,” Dan inserted.

 

“Miriam,” Mom repeated.  “When the time is right ... if she becomes your best friend, and you love her, then you’ll ask her to marry you.”

 

“I know, Mom ... I know, but I feel so uneasy ... so mixed up.  I’ve never been infatuated with any other girl, and I’m not sure I can win her.  This other guy on the research team is very handsome ... a real ‘ladies man’.  And, he has already told me he wants to make her his playmate.  It burns me up!”

 

“Now Dan, she’s in a Church orchestra.  I’ve heard that’s a conservative, Bible-believing congregation.  She must be a Christian.  Time will tell.  If she isn’t a sincere believer, you shouldn’t want to win her.  Besides, however good-looking this Vic is, I can’t imagine he outshines you.  Most of the girls at our Church have tried to get your attention.”

 

With that, Jan sat back and tossed her head toward the electric range where supper was cooking.  Her light-brown hair shifted.  Dan noticed strands of gray in her curls.  “She’s still pretty,” he thought.

 

Then, Mom issued orders, “You get the salads and the ice tea out of the fridge.  I’ll dish up some bowls of Goolash and get the French Bread out of the oven.  We’ll have a feast!”

 

While they were eating, Mom asked, “So, what’s Dr. Angelo like?  Does he look like Einstein?  Is he going to be a good boss?”

 

“He’s quite interesting,” Dan replied.  “You already know from the newspapers that he’s a world-famous scientist, but also, he’s a Bible-believing Christian.  I heard his testimony a couple of hours before the Installation Ceremony.  I stopped by an outdoor evangelistic meeting in the park across from the University.  The speaker was a chalk-talk artist.  He drew an impressive picture of the narrow path to Heaven and the wide path to Hell.  On the narrow road, he placed a young lady, calling out, ‘Come, follow Jesus and you’ll have a wonderful life.  You’ll get to enter Heaven, too.’  To Dr. Angelo the drawing of the young lady was a miraculous depiction of his deceased wife who had led him to Christ when he and she were young.  He was so amazed, he came forward and testified to the crowd.”

 

“Wow, that’s wonderful,” Jan said.  “You’ve been blessed with a Christian boss.”

 

After supper, Dan purposely immersed himself in activities.  He finished his new book and scanned the internet for further ideas on Cosmology.  When he awoke on Saturday, he busied himself with yard work.  It was a glorious June day with crisp air and plentiful sunlight.  By working hard, he was able to keep his concerns under control.

 

On Sunday morning, Dan was up early.  He searched the internet for the home page of Transcendental Community Church.  There, he found numerous photos of the congregants.  Some wore jeans, some,  business suits.  So, Dan decided to wear a white,  polo shirt and khaki slacks.  “That way, I won’t stand out in the crowd,” he surmised.

He couldn’t keep himself from arriving early.  When he entered the edifice, a young couple rushed forward to greet him, “We’re Thad and Judy Hatcher,” the man said, “What’s your name? ... Have you been here before?”

 

Dan said, “I’m Dan Diederman.  I’m in school across the street.  This is my first time here, so I don’t know where my Sunday School classroom is located.”

 

“Are you single?” Judy queried.

 

“Very!” Dan said with a broad grin.

 

“Well, then,” Thad declared, “You’ll be in the ‘College and Careers Class’.  It meets in the large room at the end of the hall to your right.  You can’t miss it.”

 

“Thanks,” Dan said, as he strolled off to find the room.  The building had the aura of an educational institution.  It was practical, not ornate.

About two dozen young men and women were there when he arrived.  They were taking turns introducing themselves to each other.  Talk of summer school, jobs and budding careers filled the room.  Dan shared his story freely. 

 

In one corner, there was an urn of coffee and a platter filled with pastries.  He decided to partake.  With a paper napkin covering his left hand, he grasped a sticky, blueberry roll, smothered with white icing.  Then, he used his right hand to fill a Styrofoam cup with black coffee.  As he stepped away from the table so others could dig in, he turned toward the door at the other end of the room and spotted Miriam entering with two other girls.

 

Again, Dan was awed by her appearance.  He felt awkward, standing there with both hands full.  “What do I do now?”, he asked himself.  Fortunately, a young fellow started a conversation with him about Physics.  Dan calmed down as he visited, but it wasn’t long before Miriam noticed him. 

 

She approached with a bright smile, saying, “Dan ... Nice to see you again.  I didn’t know this was your Church.  You know, I’m new here.  How long have you been coming?”

 

She was so becoming.  The only makeup Dan could detect was a light coating of lipstick.  Dan was sure he had icing on his lips and cheeks.  He blushed a little and with a nervous smile said, “This is my first visit here.”

 

“Really?” Miriam replied. “What brought you out today?”

 

Dan felt like his back was pressed to the wall.  He recalled his Mother’s advice, “Be yourself and be her friend.”  He reached deep into his consciousness for a witty comment to break the tension he felt.  Then, grinning again, he said, “You! ... I wanted to hear you fiddle around again!”

 

Miriam laughed, very pleasantly, and responded, “That’s sweet.  I hope I don’t disappoint ... drop my fiddle or break a string ... or something.  Are you as excited as me about tomorrow?”

 

“You bet!” Dan exclaimed.

 

The teacher called the class to order, so

everyone looked for a chair.  Miriam glanced about.  “You know, I better get back to the girls I brought over from the dorm.  This is their first visit, also.”  She patted Dan’s arm, lightly, as she turned away.  She couldn’t see a way to shake his sticky hand. 

 

“That wasn’t so bad,” Dan concluded as he shoved the rest of his roll into his mouth.  He wiped his cheeks and lips, tossed his napkin into a waste-basket, and sat down to enjoy the lesson.

 

After class, Miriam and her friends scurried through the door.  Dan relaxed and moved into the Sanctuary with the rest of the class.  It was a large auditorium, designed for audio-visual and stage productions.  Though well lit with overhead fixtures and decorous wall lamps, the only windows were at the back of the room, and these could be shuttered when videos or slides were presented on the large screen at the back of the dais.  Off to the left of the stage, there were curved tiers of theatre seats for the choir and a ground level zone for the orchestra.  It wasn’t hard to get a seat up front.  Like most Church bodies, the congregation filled the back pews first, but Dan wanted to be close to the orchestra,  where he could see Miriam.

 

The orchestra played softly as the congregation assembled.  At 10:35, the Worship Leader sprang into action.  A short, portly, cheerful man, he welcomed everyone and asked them to stand.  He read a Call to Worship passage from the Psalms and announced the title of the first hymn.  Its words were displayed on the screen.

 

For Dan, singing the hymn was an exhilarating experience.  With about 600 souls in attendance, a large choir, and the orchestra, vibrant sound filled the chamber.  Miriam performed with vigor.  In that grand setting, Dan poured his full strength into praising God.  He figured, “Only God can hear me in  this huge assembly.”

 

Hymns were sung, prayers were said, announcements were made, and an offering was collected.  Then, just before Pastor Bob Bandy was to deliver the morning message, the Worship Leader said, “We’re going to sing ‘Ivory Palaces’ now.  Dr. Bob asked us to sing it today.  He’s going to speak on some of the points made in this popular hymn.  When the orchestra and choir were rehearsing on Wednesday evening, all of us at the practice session were enthralled by the beauty of the melody as played by our violinists.  I want you to hear what we heard.  So, before we sing the song, I’m going to ask two of our violinists to play through the first verse and the chorus.  Then, we’ll all join in.  One of the violinists is Miriam Smithson, the latest addition to our orchestra.  The other is Joey Alsup.  He’s grown up in this Church.  Maybe we should start calling him Joseph.  He’s taller than me now.  The words are on page 254 of the hymnal and on the screen behind me.”

 

The Music Director established a tempo with his baton.  In anticipation, the congregation became silent.  Miriam and Joey raised their instruments, and she began playing the last two bars of the familiar chorus as an introduction.  Then, Joey joined in as they played through the first verse and the chorus; Miriam took the melody; Joey, the harmony.  It was an enchanting few minutes. 

 

Miriam seemed to merge with the music.  Her face was angelic.  And, Joey rendered his themes with perfection.  Then, as Miriam and Joey repeated the chorus, the Worship Leader cried out, “Let’s all rise to praise the Lord with our voices!” 

 

Eagerly, the congregation joined in.  The words scrolled by on the large screen:

 

[1] My Lord has garments so wondrous fine,

And myrrh their texture fills.

Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine

With joy my being thrills.

Out of the ivory palaces

Into a world of woe.

Only His great eternal love

Made my Savior go.

 

His life had also its sorrows sore,

For aloes had a part.

And when I think of the Cross He bore,

My eyes with teardrops start.

Out of the ivory palaces

Into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love

Made my Savior go.

 

His garments too were in cassia dipped,

With healing in a touch.

Each time my feet in some sin have slipped,

He took me from its clutch.

Out of the ivory palaces

Into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love

Made my Savior go.

 

In garments glorious He will come,

To open wide the door.

And I shall enter my heav’nly home,

To dwell forevermore.

Out of the ivory palaces

Into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love

Made my Savior go.

 

Dr. Bob gave a fine message, concentrating on the phrase in verse three, “Each time my feet in some sin have slipped, He took me from its clutch.”  At the end of his sermon, he came down from the platform and standing in front of the first row of pews, he said, “If you are with us this morning, and you feel the Holy Spirit is urging you to give your life to serve Jesus, we want you to come forward and declare your faith. 

 

“But, before we sing the Hymn of Invitation, I want to introduce the two newest members of our Church body.  They come to us from Faith Bible Church in Boston.  A good friend of mine, who attended theological seminary with me, Dr. Woodard, is the pastor there.  He sent our Church a letter of commendation regarding these individuals, and the Board of Elders has declared them members.  Will Miriam Smithson and Dr. Charles Angelo please join me?”

 

As they moved to his side, Dr. Bob continued, “You may have noticed Miriam playing the violin in the orchestra earlier.  Wasn’t she great?”  A hearty round of applause answered the question.  “Now, Dr. Angelo, ‘Chuck’, as he prefers to be known, has just joined the faculty of Transcendental U.  He recently received a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in the field of Cosmology.  He is here to head up a research effort to extend his work.  Miriam is a part of his research team.  I feel very blessed to have these two academicians join our congregation.  After we sing the Invitation Hymn, I’ll have Miriam and Chuck accompany me to the Narthex where you can welcome them into our fellowship as you leave.

 

“Now, please stand, and as the Elders come up front, we will sing our closing hymn.  If you have been touched by something we have sung today or something you heard in your Sunday School Class or something in the sermon and you feel led to give your life to Jesus, we urge you to come forward during this hymn.  One of our Elders will counsel you and get you started on the Christian Way.”

 

As the hymn was sung, several congregants did move forward for counseling.  Dr. Bob greeted them and paired each of them with an Elder.  After the hymn ended, he and Miriam and Dr. Angelo moved to the Narthex, and the assembly began to follow.  Dan moved with the crowd.  Thad and Judy sought him out and urged him to come again next Sunday.  Finally, he reached the Narthex.  He waited to have his chance to congratulate Miriam and Dr. Angelo.  To Miriam he quipped, “Congratulations!  You didn’t fumble your fiddle!”  She giggled and gave him a hearty handshake, saying, “See you tomorrow.”

 

To Dr. Angelo, he said, “You surprised me again.  I didn’t know you were here until you were called up front.  Congratulations!  I’ll see you in the morning.”  To Dr. Bandy, he said, “Fine sermon, great music, and a good Sunday School class.  I plan to be back.”

 

“What’s your name?” Dr. Bob asked, but as he spoke, Dr. Angelo stepped next to him and answered the query, “This is Dan Diederman.  He’s, also, a member of my research team.  He’s working on a Doctorate in Physics.”

 

“Wow!” Dr. Bob exclaimed, “I’m surrounded by techies.  I don’t understand what you fellows are up to, but I’m glad to see Christians in

this line of work.  We know who created the Cosmos.  We ought to be at the forefront of trying to understand it.”

 

“Well said,” Dr. Angelo offered.  “We’ll keep you posted on our findings.”

 

Dan walked out into the June sunshine, happy as the birds in the trees.  He felt he had established a friendship with Miriam.  “It’s great to know she is  a Christian.  That handsome Vic won’t be able to corrupt her,” he told himself.