The Congregation

The Congregation
By Scott Wilson
Word Count 363

A small group of non-descript plain clothed men and women gradually made their way to the private coffee house. Passers by would take no notice of any of these people and the meeting would be held without anyone being any the wiser. Many groups and small organisations had their own private coffee houses these days now. Ever since the cyber police raided meetings in public halls and café’s in 2090 and the massacre of the Catholic Church that same year. Christians were rounded up and put in detention, fathers, brother, mothers never to be seen again.

Each member of the group scanned their retina to gain access through the security door, waiting for the outer door to close before the second scan to the inner door occurred. Inside the small coffee house around thirty men and women had taken their designated seat behind the one-way reinforced glass windows.

“I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour.”

“”Peace be with you.” The congregation replied in unison.

“And with you.”

“Tonight, we will be exploring the unspoken topic of death.”

A murmur began among the congregation and some shocked faces looked around the coffee house. One or two members of the congregation lifted their steaming hot cup of coffee to their mouth to hide their stunned looks.

“We aren’t allowed to talk about that anymore, Pastor.”

“I know, since the medical profession found a cure to all disease and eventually prevented death we have been banned to discuss this. But death and redemption are integral elements of the Christian faith. Many believers have fallen from the faith since death was no longer an issue, but it is still part of the Bible.”

Two members of the congregation abruptly stood and left the coffee house. A small number of people sitting around the same table gave each other worried looks, and then also left.

“We are never going to see God, now we can’t die we will never go to heaven.” One of the congregation yelled out. “That’s why there are few Christian’s left now. There is not fear of death and Hell.”