Here's what happened Easter Sunday:

Went to church and found out that Tobin's dad 'died suddenly' on Wednesday.
Later Nadine told me it was suicide. So that's the second suicide in Tobin's family - his older sister killed herself years ago after being gang-raped. That's what got his dad into such a bad state that his mum had to get in a marriage councillor, who she eventually ran off with, leaving Tobin to look after his dad and two younger brothers.

Also found out from someone 'on the inside' that the elders and the associate minister want to kick Dad's friend Barry out because they don't like him because of his mental and social problems (he was in a coma for three months after a car accident that left him with slight brain damage).
It all started when Barry and Heather (daughter of two of the elders) broke off their engagement. Heather and her family decided that they didn't want Barry coming to the church anymore. They started glaring at him any time he was a church, and most of their fellow elders caught on pretty quick to. When Heather's brother and sister-in-law were on welcoming duty* they'd lock the doors if they saw Barry coming. And they were always saying bad stuff about him to Doomie and Justin because my family were actually nice to him.
Late last year Heather took him to court to try and get a restraining order put on him so he couldn't come to the church anymore. Heather had seven church members (including both ministers) there with her for moral support. Barry just had my dad. The judge went off at Heather for wasting their time on such a ridiculous case.
Barry hadn't been around for a while. Then Dad asked him if he wanted to play on the church table tennis team, which Heather's sister Cherryl just happens to be on.
Apparently Cherryl complained that she felt uncomfortable with him around, so now they want to kick him out. One of the elders who's one of the few people in the church who've actually bothered to get to know Barry, told me yesterday that the other elders and the associate minister are set on kicking him out.
Two weeks ago one of Doomie's friends, who is autistic, got baptised there. I wonder how long he'll be allowed to stay? What if the Etienne, Adolphi, Martin and the other Congolese asylum seekers who're staying in the manse make someone feel 'uncomfortable'? Will their welcome be second-guessed? How long before they put up weirdo-detectors at all entrances?
And yesterday both sermons were all about friendship, love and grace.

*Though in their case it'd be more apprpropriate to just call them bouncers.