Chapter 50 THE CONFERENCE

Pastor Melvin started inviting Sobrina to a conference at his new church - Gracedome. Sobrina didn't know he had left WUCC, she thought he was just very busy most of the time and couldn't be in church.

He made sure she attended the conference by constantly calling to remind her, and refusing to accept any excuses and she did.

The guest speaker was the preacher she had downloaded his messages back in Lagunde, the one that had actually got her to believe.

Sobrina noticed the difference in the message. The preacher said salvation couldn't be lost and nothing could change that, not even sin. He said Jesus was the advocate of anyone who sinned, and all they had to do was keep renewing their minds until they could be perfect in conduct by constantly studying the word of God. They didn't need to ask for forgiveness or be conscious of sin. He said God wasn't counting sins, and that the indwelling of the spirit was for forever. Salvation was once and for all, that the Holy spirit couldn't be grieved and would stay with a man no matter what he did. He said the believer was free - not bound by any laws. He also made it clear that there was no consequences for sin, to anyone who believed in God.

He said a lot of things that were new to Sobrina. Things WUCC didn't believe in, things Sobrina never heard in all the churches she had attended while growing up.

He explained that people misinterpreted the Bible, causing more harm than good.

Sobrina observed the audience seated around her, they were immodestly seated. Some of the girls were leaning on the shoulders of the boys seated beside them.

It was obvious that they could be dating, and immorally too. Yet they were not ashamed in the church.

The people in the audience were mostly indecently dressed. Sobrina had come from a place where Christians were known for how they dressed - skirts on blouses, not tight jeans on skimpy tops. Even WUCC abhorred such things, they believed if a girl was going to wear trousers, she could wear the types that were less revealing. It was all so strange to Sobrina.

She'd had a conversation with Reverend Saul before she left for the conference. The Reverend had complained bitterly about Pastor Melvin. He said Pastor Melvin had failed him, he had mismanaged a task that had been handed over to him.

He was supposed to take care of the ministry's media and he had crashed it.

"Sir, do you think he has backslidden?", Sobrina questioned him, she had started having a bad feeling about Pastor Melvin's lack of commitment to church activities.

"I can't say, he has always had the issue of falling and getting up, he's keeping to himself these days" the Reverend had responded.

After the conference, Pastor Melvin and Sobrina left together. He had been very active in the conference, working with the media team, with a camera in his hand.

"What happened to 'do we continue in sin that grace may abound'"?, Sobrina questioned. She had so much questions.

"Soby, I'm unlearning everything I once knew and relearning, I don't have all the answers yet", Pastor Melvin responded when the questions became too much, "You should do the same".

"Do you really think I can do this?"

"Yes, you can", she was dumbfounded, if he said she could, with all the things he knew about her, it was more than encouraging.

"I saw the Reverend today, he said you crashed the radio ministry he had handed over to you", She informed him, "is this true?"

"That's not actually true, Soby. It's a long story" he responded, "you should go home, it's getting late".

Sobrina decided to let it go. She had seen her lover. Her love tank was totally refilled, and that was all that mattered.

She went home happy, and continued to attend the conference, until it ended.