The entrance to the oratory opened, Pastor Marcel smiling as he walked in. He wore the Church’s robes and held a Bible over his chest with both hands. The congregation went silent as he made his way to the altar, those who were standing taking their seats. He placed the Bible on the altar, quietly flipping through its pages as the last members of the congregation quieted down.

Once Pastor Marcel found the page he was looking for, he began to read. “Thessalonians, 4:17: ‘Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’”

Pastor Marcel paused as members of the congregation said words of affirmation. “The Beanmeister has been sent by the Lord to deliver us, the believers, from our mortal flesh and blood. Just as Christ delivered Himself unto us, allowing Himself to be placed upon the cross as penance for our sins, so too shall we allow ourselves to repent, here, today, so that we may find peace and be accepted into Heaven.

“Today’s service will be different than what you are used to. The Beanmeister has taken the first steps towards completing His plan. It happened yesterday as the sun rose; those who are impure were cleansed, taught the errors of their ways, exactly as the Beanmeister planned. This means that the Holy Roman Empire is now aware of Him. Though this was calculated and determined to be the best course of action by the Beanmeister, this means that we must adapt to a world that will soon become even more unforgiving.

“But what is this plan, you may be asking yourselves. What did He accomplish by doing this? As you already know, the Beanmeister is attempting to begin the Great Tribulation. And, with the events of yesterday morning, He has accomplished this. The Great Tribulation is finally upon us! He is one step closer to avoiding the End of Days! Once the Great Tribulation is brought to an end, we will be freed of our mortal flesh and accepted…” Pastor Marcel trailed off.

Krause followed his eyes to the back of the nave. There, Sam stood, his hand half held in front of him. In all her time at the Church, she had never seen anyone interrupt Pastor Marcel. “Um…” Sam began. “Mister pastor… I’m sorry for interruptin’ ya like this, but… aren’t we tryna avoid the Great Tribulation…?”

Pastor Marcel smiled. “Your name is Samuel, correct?”

“Please, call me Sam.”

“Sam...” The pastor’s voice was low and level as he glanced around the congregation in front of him, still smiling. “Thank you for asking.”

Sam waited for Pastor Marcel to continue. When he didn’t, he replied “Um… ya welcome.”

“The Great Tribulation is a test, created by God Himself, to determine who is devoted enough to enter Heaven. The Bible tells us many things about the Great Tribulation; war and famine will ensue, plagues running rampant throughout the land. If the children of the Lord allow the unbelievers to prosper, destroying the word of God, then the End of Days will certainly come to pass at the end of the Great Tribulation. However, our goal, the goal of the Church, and of the Beanmeister, is to prevent the End of Days. The Beanmeister was sent by God to begin the Great Tribulation; just as Christ, He is merely a vessel to bring about change within our world. If we, all of us in the Church of the Beanmeister, do our jobs and spread His word, then we will prevent the End of Days, and earn our rightful place in Heaven. Do you understand now?”

“Huh, okay... Thanks,” Sam said, sitting back down.

Pastor Marcel, still smiling, said “It is no issue. That is my job, after all; to teach. Now, as I was saying… The Great Tribulation is finally upon us! Unfortunately, the Great Tribulation has brought about several tribulations for us, the followers of the Beanmeister, as well. The Empire is now requiring all citizens within a certain area of the Beanmeister’s territory to evacuate east. They think that removing us from our homes will better protect us from Him… it saddens me that they can not see His majesty…

“We, the congregation of Horb, will regroup within the city of Stuttgart, under one of the several branches in the city. Father Aaron, the leader of Stuttgart’s branches of the Church, has been planning the acquisitions of many different branches within Stuttgart for many months with the help of the Beanmeister Himself. Once you have settled within Stuttgart, you should not seek out the Church; we will find you in due time and inform you of when and where we will be meeting. We can not be too careful; the Empire Army will become increasingly aware of our efforts, and they will feel that we are dangerous. This could not be farther from the truth… unfortunately, they are blinded to the Beanmeister’s glory.”

As Krause listened, her mind began to wander to the morning of the Beanmeister’s arrival. She saw Loretta’s face, heard her voice. Loretta had blatantly disrespected the Church, the Beanmeister, everything that she believed in. And, as much as she disliked it, Krause still cared for her. Before she realized it, she was speaking. “Are we sure that Father Aaron will contact us? Contact all of us, I mean. Our congregation has only grown, and there’s always a chance that one of us will be forgotten. How will Father Aaron know where we will be living, so that he may contact us. How will he know who is truly a devoted member of the Church?”

Next to her, Gloria said “Are you doubting Pastor Marcel?”

“No, I am merely doubting Father Aaron.”

Gloria glared at her. “How dare you doubt someone Pastor Marcel trusts? Doubting Pastor Marcel and Father Aaron, means that you are doubting the Beanmeister Himself. You are committing heresy, Julia Krause. What gives you the right to call yourself a priest in our Church if you are not willing to put your faith in God?”

“I am not doubting God, I just don’t want any of our congregation to be left—”

Gloria smirked. “I see.”

Despite herself, Krause felt a chill run up her spine. “What do you see?”

“Your friend, Loretta. She’s not here tonight. After what happened to Isaac, you’re worried about—”

“Ladies, please…” Pastor Marcel said. “We are in the house of the Lord. I will not have accusations of unfaithfulness be thrown around so freely. We are all God’s children, and we should treat each other as such. To answer your question, Julia, this is nothing more than a test of faith. Those who question the will of God, really, truly question it, are not worthy to be accepted by Him. I know you are merely distrustful of this new name… If I were you, I would feel the same. Let me assure you, Father Aaron is someone that can be trusted. He has been with the Church since its inception, longer than any of us. His faith is unquestionable. In time, you may meet him, and you will realize how deeply devoted he is to the Beanmeister. He will ensure that all of those who are worthy remain within our institution.”

“Thank you, Pastor,” Krause replied. Quietly, Gloria scoffed.

“Once we have successfully made the transition to Stuttgart, and all of us have been introduced into Stuttgart’s branches of the Church… that is when our real work for the Beanmeister will begin. The rest of the refugees that will flee to Stuttgart will be forced by the Empire to help with their efforts against the Beans. The men and women without children will tend to the fields and livestock, despite the little that can be done in the winter, while the women with children will be tasked to make clothes for the soldiers preparing to fight the Beans. It is important that you take this part of your role seriously; the less scrutiny we receive from the Empire and our loved ones, the less likely it is that His plan will be discovered. Unfortunately, I am not able to explain what the Beanmeister’s plan entails at this moment. If you have been chosen, everything will be explained in due time. If you have not, know that this is not the end. Keep your faith, the End of Days has yet to be stopped. Just know, and I speak to everyone in our congregation when I say this: you are truly making a difference. Once the Beanmeister’s plan comes to pass, you will know how much He, how much God, loves you.”

Pastor Marcel sighed, closing the Bible. “That is everything I had to say. As I said, this meeting will be different than usual. This will be the last time our congregation meets in this oratory. It has been a pleasure meeting with all of you. I mean it. I will remain here until no one else wishes to speak with me. If you are worried about this sudden change, if you have questions, anything, you may come speak with me, and I will attempt to calm your mind. I understand how difficult this is going to be for all of you. I thank you. The Beanmeister thanks you.”