Welcome to Sloan

The single post office sits across from Jackson’s grocery store. Reed’s diner is located about two blocks from the post office. A small movie theater can be found right in the middle of town. The rest of Sloan is comprised of houses, a few small shops, the town church and one school. On one particular evening John Reed, Alan Jackson, and Phil Landon decided to meet at Reed’s diner to discuss a pressing matter. “I don’t know who they are or where they came from, but I don’t like them being here,” stated John. “Out of all places, why did they have to come here?” added Phil. The waiter arrived with their hamburgers and French fries, interrupting their exchange of concerns. After taking a bite out of his hamburger, Alan Jackson said,  “If they come into my store, I’ll have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they don’t steal anything.” He continued, “ They could be nice people and all, but by the looks of them, bad things seem to follow them wherever they go.” The men agreed, finished their meals, and decided to keep an eye on the new faces in town before going home for the night. The next day the sky was clear in the morning until the early afternoon. With the addition of dark clouds there arrived a looming, ominous feeling that seemed to infiltrate the hearts of the people in Sloan. Before the rain began to fall, John, Alan, and Phil met in front of the former courthouse. They waved to each other and before they were close enough to shake hands, Alan shouted, “I have an idea about how to get rid of the new family.” “I’m listening,” returned John. “What we need to do is talk to Pastor Dave and convince him to preach a sermon about how those people can be dangerous,” suggested Alan. John and Phil gave several nods of approval. As they were discussing the rather unpleasant details concerning the best way to present this potential sermon to the pastor, the three cunning men passed the church. Once they had devised what they thought was the correct scripture to validate their claim of these people potentially being sinister, they bid each other farewell as the rain began to fall. The next day was hot and humid,  and the smell of fresh rain hung heavy in the air. Reed’s diner was busier than usual on this particular day. The subject of every patrons’ conversation revolved around the family of three that had recently taken up residence in Sloan. Where they came from, why they came here, what their political/spiritual beliefs are, where the parents worked, and what should be done about them were discussed in scrupulous detail. John Reed wore a colossal smile on his face as he passed by tables and chatted with his neighbors. His smile grew even wider once Phil and Alan barged into his diner with great news. “He said he’ll do it,” Phil blurted out with exceptional enthusiasm. John earnestly asked, “He’s going to come up with a sermon that will show everyone how dangerous those people can be?” Alan answered with a grin, “Yes! He read the scripture we presented and said he will begin writing up the sermon tomorrow morning.” John triumphantly boasted, “We’ll have them out of this town in no time!” The three men celebrated together in the diner. Their plan was now fully in motion and seemed to be unstoppable until Ellis shared his perspective on the newcomers. Ellis, like everyone else in town, had witnessed the searing conversations and judgements rendered upon the new family. Though he only listened and never proactively engaged in such conversations, Ellis felt that he had a responsibility and opportunity to introduce his view on the matter. He searched his heart to conceive the right words and tone to effectively share his ideas about the new people. Ellis was afforded his chance to challenge the default attitude of the townspeople on Sunday. Most of the Sundays in Sloan consisted of fair weather, happy faces, and the smell of fresh flowers from the meadows outside of town. However, this Sunday was marked by thunderstorms, serious, frowning faces, and the foul smell of diesel fueled vehicles. Everyone had heard about the subject of Dave’s sermon at this point. They usually looked forward to going to church, but they felt repulsed by the idea of attending church today. Maybe because of the weather or their consciences. Whatever the cause for everyone’s disdain for being present at church, one thing is certain, the people in Sloan were not looking forward to discussing spiritual matters pertaining to expelling the newcomers today. Everyone in town slowly and carefully eased into their usual seats. After everyone was settled and the weekly announcements given, Pastor Dave began his incendiary sermon against the new family. He spoke with authority as he mentioned his arguments as to how these new people could be dangerous. Everyone nodded vehemently and clapped throughout his sermon. Perhaps they gave their approval because they genuinely agreed or because the majority were in agreement, so for someone to disagree would be complete heresy. Whatever the case, the congregation felt justified in believing that the new family must be dangerous and should not be allowed to stay in Sloan. Dave finished his sermon, and everyone went to Reed’s diner for lunch. As the tables were being filled at his diner, John Reed stood with his back to the door and asked for everyone’s attention. John said, “I know you all have been anxious about the new family in town. As Pastor Dave has pointed out today, those three are different from the rest of us. They look different than us, they have strange ideas and beliefs, and they pose a serious threat to our great town of Sloan. The only way that our town will survive is if we force the outsiders to leave. Plain and simple.” Everyone howled and clapped at John’s plan for their salvation. Just as he was about to begin another sentence, Ellis asked a simple question. “What are their names?” “I don’t know what their names are,” replied John. Everyone in the diner looked intently at Ellis. “You’re suggesting that we should run them out of Sloan without even knowing what they call themselves?” returned Ellis. John shot a look of confusion at Ellis and said, “Why does it matter what their names are?” “Because they are people! How can you judge people that you don’t even know? All of you are insensitive and lack empathy. Fear and pride have warped your hearts to the point that you would cast out people because of the way they look,” answered Ellis. The mood immediately shifted after Ellis delivered this shocking accusation against the good people of Sloan. Attempting to cast doubt on Ellis’ credibility, John asked, “Do you know their names?” “August, Maria, and Kyle Lancaster,” answered Ellis. He continued, “Kyle and I are friends. His mom teaches Calculus at our school, and his dad is a lawyer in the city. I ate dinner at their house last week, and they told me where they came from and why they came here. They heard that the people here are very welcoming and decided to move here because Kyle was being harassed at his old school. However, they haven’t received our famous welcoming attitude yet. This is because they’re from a different place, and they look different from us.” The only sound present in the diner was silence. The people broke their gaze from Ellis and looked down at the floor. With their faces downcast and searching their own souls, guilt seemed to parade around the room within the silence. Having his fill of hypocrisy for the day, Ellis turned to leave. “Hold on a second,” pleaded Pastor Dave. Ellis stopped and turned to face him. “You’re absolutely right. Every word you spoke was the truth. I’m sorry for what I said earlier about them being dangerous. I guess I got caught up in my own insecurities,” Dave said. “They’re not bad or dangerous; they’re just people like us. We can’t automatically assume that they don’t belong here because they’re from somewhere else or they don’t look like us,” admitted Dave. He thanked Ellis for correcting his blind perspective on this matter and glanced at John, Phil, and Alan. They simply nodded at him, admitting that what they had done was wrong and they were sorry for it. Dave asked Ellis what they should do to welcome August, Maria, and Kyle. “Let’s bring them some food from this diner,” he answered. John asked, “Do you think they like the food we eat here?” Ellis answered, “Yeah they do. We have that in common with them.”