Fixed & Synced by bozxphd. Enjoy The Flick.
You promise to be loyal to the doctrine of Christ
as the Episcopal Church has received it?
You promise to obey your bishop
and those ministers who have authority over your work?
I so promise.
Even when you disagree with them?
Okay. Even when I disagree.
- Mom, I don't see this in the... - Shh.
Got you on record.
Dear friends in Christ, the Reverend Michael Spurlock.
Hi. I'm Michael. Nice to see you.
- Congratulations. - Thanks.
I'm so completely proud of you today.
Hello.
Well, I'm glad to meet you.
I'm Mary O.
I'm Michael. Nice to see you.
I wanted to ask...
I don't see a piano anywhere.
Oh, it's long gone.
Evidently, they haven't told you about some of our blemishes.
But I thought you were a journalist, not a pianist.
Oh, I was.
But Michael and I wanted to work together,
and I've always wanted to lead a choir.
Well, aren't we just one big disappointment, now.
Peanut butter-toffee turtle?
Here you go, buddy, rot your teeth.
No? They say Tennessee soda's the best in the world.
Come on. It's a couple months. Next place, you'll make some buddies.
That man's sniffing the dirt.
Michael, walk me to my car.
I'll see you.
So, do an inventory, assess the value of the property.
Put that business background to work for us.
Yes, sir.
If we could get the church on the market in the next few weeks...
Look, I know it's not a glamour call,
but helping these people face their loss is godly work.
Couple of months, we'll find you a church with a piano for Aimee,
maybe a choir to run.
That sounds real good.
Safe travels back to Nashville, Bishop.
Hey, does this old clunker work?
No.
We didn't meet before. I'm Michael.
You're here to sell the church, ain'tcha?
Strip it.
Sell the land.
I'm here to be your pastor. What's your name?
It don't matter.
We ain't gonna know each other long enough.
Well, we don't really know that.
We do know that 30 acres of prime bottom land
will buy a whole lot of pointy bishop hats.
That's probably true, but the fact is
there's just too many empty pews in there.
Well, that ain't a pastor talkin'.
That's an errand boy.
Errand boy? No, I'm not really an errand boy.
But you had 12 people in that church today.
Jesus had 12 people.
He done all right, didn't he?
Jesus didn't have an $850,000 mortgage.
You know, a church is more than a bunch of billfolds,
or didn't your preacher school teach you that?
He sounds like an old crank.
You brought me to a church full of old cranks.
I think they prefer "senior cranks."
Hey, did it bug you today, what he said in service?
I don't know why he's worried, 'cause I'm not going back
to sales, that just about killed us.
He knows your history.
In this job, you can't get mouthy with the boss and take a better gig.
Well, I guess that's covered by the big cross on the side of the building.
Besides, if I was a little contrary at work sometimes...
Oh, contrary?
You threw coffee at your last boss.
Well, spilled it accidentally, probably correcting his math.
You know, if I wasn't a model citizen at those old jobs,
it's 'cause I hadn't woken up to this job yet.
Well, I'm excited to be working together.
Yeah, we're gonna be a real family.
Tuna casserole, the whole nine.
Purple?
- Hmm. - I like it.
Mmm. Well, you should have heard Ruth, the cookie lady.
"Oh, honey, did you get your fingers caught in a car door?"
She looked at me like I was from Mars.
Or worse, New York.
I noticed how all the menfolk were looking at you.
Ruth found this clipboard.
Shh. Come here.
Oh. Forrest.
Yeah, he's probably picking out a rock to throw at me.
Yeah. You got to go gentle with Forrest.
He traded his farm for a cutie-pie cottage a few months back.
Wife dropped dead the next day.
We're all he's got.
Well, let's go, padre.
This place won't inventory itself.
We got these candlesticks.
Offering plate.
That communion stuff's got to be worth something.
Lordy, we need ourselves a good, old-fashioned book burning.
Let it go, Mary Olivia.
Ruth's daddy made us burn all our Beatles stuff one year.
He thought Ringo was the devil.
Would you look at that.
Oh! When we had ball fields out back.
Is that you two playing tag?
Look at Miss Delfia's hair. You could raise sparrows in there.
You have a church home growing up, padre?
Er, no, I barely had a home-home, 'cause I was a corporate brat.
- Is that... - Yep. Forrest.
He wore that uniform, didn't he?
I thought he was a farmer.
After Vietnam.
His wife sure was a dear.
There's just too much dust in here.
What about the megachurch down the road? Riverview.
I'm sure they'd welcome you.
I've been a few times.
Never saw the same person twice.
You'd get to know them eventually.
I don't know how.
The preacher sends me e-mails that start, "Dear Member."
Can you imagine?
If you did that, I'd have hit you with a hymnal.
No.
This is home, come what may.
You're cooking?
I cook.
You're cooking.
Listen, men, just because my mama raised me from a microwave
doesn't mean I can't handle peanut butter-toffee thingies here.
My first homemade treat.
Oh. Oh, no.
Dry?
Mmm-mmm. It's not dry.
You get me something shiny?
No, no, no. Don't give me that look. That's a favor for Mary O.
Michael, you're not here to perform CPR.
I'm here to be a pastor, and if passing out a few flyers
helps my congregation feel they can let their church go,
I'm gonna do it.
You might actually be good at this.
Everybody's hungry, Mya.
It's why we need the welfare.
We'll go when the translator comes to help the new families, okay?
Sir, the translator is on his way.
Yes, we need also other thing.
We have...
15 new family. We need bed, clothes, dishes.
- Sir... - We need job.
This is not an employment office or a Goodwill store.
Finally. This is...
Ye Win.
I'm sorry?
Wait. Are you Korean?
Excuse me.
Is he even Korean?
He said he was.
I'm not Korean. Karen. From Burma, next to Thailand.
So you don't speak, um... whatever?
It's 2,000 miles from Korea.
Can you walk Mya home?
The new flyers actually worked.
Hello. I'm Michael.
- Ye Win. - Welcome.
Hi. I'm Michael.
Nice to see you.
Hello. Welcome.
Let's get started.
No, just for the next few Sundays, could you just
reroute your trucks? Okay?
Until we're gone.
No. I'm all in favor of Harlowe Fresh salads going
wherever it is Harlowe Fresh salads go.
You don't put a sign out like that on Sunday. Come on.
I thought Forrest was gonna run over me with that truck.
I'm pretty sure you go straight to hell for that,
running down your preacher.
Mary 0., she seemed all right, I guess.
You are so sweet sometimes, you know that?
Sweet as sweet tea.
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!
Hang on, now. You need some moola.
We have welfare, but many new family
sleep on floor, not enough food for their children.
Well, maybe one of the bigger churches
- might be able to... - We are Anglican.
I didn't know Korea had many...
Karen. From Burma.
We, er...
Were occupied by the British.
We learn about Jesus Christ from the British.
- The Anglicans? - Yes.
We are Anglican Church.
Episcopalian.
Well, here's the thing, Ye Win.
All Saints is broke.
We're... we're closing the church, we're broke.
What is "broke"?
Yes, Bishop, I understand that.
Oh, of course I do. It's just... Until we find a buyer,
I think we have an obligation.
Oh, come on, it's three Burmese farmers.
How much of a drain could it be?
Oh, the bishop's gonna hang rne from the steeple.
Maybe we can still help them.
Honey, it's farmers from the Bronze Age
who can't even afford shoes.
Oh.
Well, my point remains, it's way more people than I thought.
And I am not gonna pass the plate today,
it will just end up at the pawnshop.
You really want to be on her side?
O God, open thou our lips.
Hymn number 687.
Oh. Ye Win?
Many new family from refugee camp,
they not know modern things.
We had to learn when we came,
but this is a good place for us.
Good for family, for children.
It is. I just... I wish we could do more.
Those food stamps went so fast.
Maybe we plant a garden at All Saints, grow vegetable.
Very good ground at All Saints.
Sure, I think you could plant a garden.
I don't think we're gonna have the church long enough
for you to harvest anything.
- Anything from Child Services? - Not yet.
Stay with Atticus.
Officer, I'm their pastor. What's happening here?
The kid ran out into traffic.
We rescued him,
then she tried to grab him from us and run.
And she assaulted me.
Sir, I need you to step back from her.
- Sir. - He's with me.
Tell him to bring it down.
She think maybe they torture him.
- Torture a baby? - No, you don't understand.
Guys, don't do that!
Hey, where they're from, they don't trust the poli...
- Hey! - Back up.
No, you don't.
- Put the kid in the car. - Don't do that.
They just got to this country. They're afraid for the child.
We're the ones that are looking out for the child.
But they don't know that. They just saw you hit a preacher.
Let's just take the temperature down. Please.
She's a member of my church.
Hey, buddy.
Does it hurt?
This?
No.
I mean, just a little bit,
but don't tell Mom, 'cause I want her to think I'm tough.
Were they mad today? The Karen?
No. I think they're scared.
They don't know anyone, they're far from home.
You know what that's like.
But Mom told me that you tried to help me.
And that was very brave.
What do you think will happen to them when we leave?
The Karen?
Well, I'll tell you what, let's keep 'em in our prayers
and ask for God's help.
Aren't you God's help?
All Saints is at its end, but we do have one final mission.
The Karen are here legally.
They're eager for a fresh start, ready to work.
In fact, we've found them a handful of jobs
in the last few weeks. But now...
We turn to you, the town's business leaders.
I'm sure that I don't have to tell you
one out of four children in this country
don't know where their next meal is coming from.
The Reverend Michael Spurlock, everyone.
You know, we're the churches that your parents grew up in,
your grandparents built.
How can you sit there chewing $30 steaks
and let our people starve?
Um, let me remind all of you that Thursday night
we'll have our fund-raising bake sale.
- Preacher. - What?
You...
you sure didn't sugarcoat things in there, did you?
Occupational hazard.
Lander Boyd, Boyd's Feed and Seed.
I'm an elder down at Riverview.
We've got a little job service program
for the... for the members,
and we just got in 24 jobs stripping chickens
at the Pardee Poultry plant in Murfreesboro.
Now, you all are welcome to 'em.
That's... that's mighty generous of you.
Well, I grew up in All Saints.
That was back before I could afford $30 steaks.
What is that, 10... 10, 15 miles from here?
About 10 miles. Your folks got cars?
Hot dog!
Hey! We got wheels!
Wheels!
Thank you, Forrest.
Hey, what's your deal?
Why won't you let me thank you?
Save it.
All Saints has been helping poor people
since before you were peeing your diapers.
Fine. Forget it.
Hey, you know, Ruth left the church.
Why'd she do that?
No future in it.
All we've got left is memory.
Why haven't you left?
Maybe I ain't as strong as she is.
Hang on. Forrest, wait.
You ought to go take care of what you come here for.
It's 19 from the ground.
What's it gonna be?
- Commercial space. - Yeah, big box.
Toilet paper by the ton, huh?
Yeah.
It's bad positioning on the water.
We'll have to relay it from the street.
Hey, good news is, you might get to spend next Sunday on a golf course.
We'd be out of here next week?
If we sign the papers, knock all this down in August.
You know, some of our members, they have a garden out back.
They can keep that going until you guys bulldoze, right?
Well, yeah, that's gonna be a problem.
Insurance.
Well, they're refugees. They need the extra food for their children.
We just have to haul all this away.
I mean, the garden's not much, but it might provide the kids
with a regular breakfast this summer.
Reverend, we'd love to help, but...
We answer to a higher power, too.
All State.
Guys, we're not gonna let a technicality stop us
from feeding hungry kids, right?
Reverend, this store is gonna be good for everybody.
I mean, a year from now, there'll be dozens of jobs
that your people can apply for.
Look at these beams.
Nice little bonus check there, am I right?
Oh, look at that glass.
You know, I bet these...
These light fixtures are worth a ton alone.
- Yeah. - We could sell a pew to somebody.
Well, if you want to, you can have those.
Hey, hey, hey, hey. No, no, no.
Come on. Let's go, get out.
With respect, Reverend, you don't own this property.
Neither do you, and neither will you.
Let's go. Go find another church to bulldoze, all right?
Look, I get it.
We stepped on your toes a little bit.
But we're up from Memphis, and we head out tomorrow at...
- 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.
And if we don't walk this land now, it's off our list.
That sounds like a win-win.
Was I not clear?
Get out!
I'm going.
You're blowing your boss's chance at a big sale here, Preacher.
Do you know how sunk you're gonna be?
Yeah, I'm gonna have to buy my jumbo Cap'n Crunch some place else.
Where have you been? The bishop called twice.
I think God spoke to me.
What?
God spoke to me.
He wants us to turn the land around the church into a farm.
God spoke to you?
The God?
Yeah.
Yeah, there's just the one, Ames.
Well, what did he say?
He said, "I've given you land,
"I've given you farmers, do the math."
God said, "Do the math"?
What do you mean, a farm?
A farm. You know, crops.
And do what with them?
Well, we feed the Karen.
We sell the rest, pay the mortgage, save the church.
Er, hang on.
Er, what happened to the land developers?
Did they say no?
Yeah.
I mean, not exactly.
Oh, no.
We would have been out of here in a week.
Michael, you're doing it again.
You're sabotaging another job.
Ames, God spoke to me.
To me!
I think he's been speaking to me all along
with the salad trucks and the Karen farmers.
God wants us to save this little church
by making the land into a farm.
That's the bishop. What do I tell him?
Tell him God spoke to you.
This is what you do, isn't it?
Go your own way.
The lone preacher.
I only know what I'm led to do.
No, you also know what you've sworn to do.
Well, I found some jobs for the Karen,
but that means their food stamps have stopped,
- so... - Oh, Michael.
Well, they're just scraping by. They need our help.
Do you think you're the first preacher
to cry for the poor, for a dying church?
It's a question of faith for me.
Faith in who? Yourself?
You don't seem to have much faith in your council.
If you did, you would know
that you are part of us, and you would trust that.
That's not faith.
Faith's not a memo from your boss,
even if your boss wears the collar.
You swore an oath as a minister to God, not to me,
to obey even when you disagree.
I swore an oath as a Christian to care for the least of these.
Oh, God save me from first-time pastors.
My first call was in Africa, building a chapel.
But what the people really needed was an aqueduct.
So, every day we'd build the chapel,
and every night, they'd tear out the wood
and add it to the aqueduct.
God's wisdom is vast, Michael.
We don't always know what he's asking.
You seem awfully sure.
Let me at least try.
Let me take it to the council.
Your church would have to sign on, everybody,
especially the Karen.
And when you come to the B&C, you better have a plan
carved on tablets from Mount Sinai.
Yes, sir, understood.
And you get that if it all goes south,
you'll be mopping marble floors for 20 years
before someone offers you another call.
- I do. - And you also get
that I'm only one vote, and not necessarily a "yes."
I get that, too.
Thank you, Bishop.
Michael?
That voice you hear...
Be sure it's God's voice, not your own.
Okay, we're agreed? Yes?
Wonderful. Thank you.
Come on, let's go in the back.
Come with me. Come with me. Follow me.
Thank you.
These separate services give my Southern soul the creeps.
Well, it's better than the Karen sitting there mute
- while the white folks pray. - You know, padre,
we don't choose who God sends to our door,
but we do choose how we receive them.
Hey, hope this bunch likes the idea as much as the Karen.
I should stay and help.
No, no, I'm fine.
I stay and help.
Okay.
Fill his courts with songs of praise.
Nice. Please be seated.
Before we finish up today,
I want to ask you a question
that I've already asked the Karen.
Well, the deal's done up in Nashville.
The "for sale" sign's out front.
We're already starting to feel sorrow
for the loss ahead that we're facing.
But what if we could stop it?
What would you do to stop it?
What would you do to save your church?
- Anything. - What could we do?
What can we do?
Well, we have fields.
We have farmers.
Let's put this together and start a farm.
- What could we plant? - We can plant corn,
tomatoes, squash.
Very good soil for these plants.
The Karen have seeds for... What's it called?
Sour leaf from Burma.
We can sell it to Asian restaurants.
So, we use the crops to feed the Karen,
we sell the rest to pay off the mortgage.
There should be plenty for both.
Ye Win's asked for a promise that everyone works, all of us.
I've given him that.
So, that's it.
That's what we propose.
Start a farm, we work together, we save the church.
- Amen. - Amen.
If that sounds like a good idea, let's see a show of hands.
I thought so. All right.
Now what's your problem?
You're quite a salesman, ain't you?
That's no sales job. Look at that land.
Get in!
Get in the truck!
You don't say much, do you?
I'm fixing to say plenty.
All Saints ain't no farm.
See this, right here?
This... this is a farm.
Know how you get seeds into the ground?
Plow.
Know how they plow? Tractor.
Know how seeds sprout? Water.
Know how you water? Boom sprayer.
We've got dozens of people.
Yeah, well, maybe they can... maybe they can plant.
If the weather holds, maybe they can harvest.
But they ain't gonna keep your fields wet.
But this is so good for us, especially the Karen.
They don't need you swooping in there, saving them.
Them people come out of a jungle war that would have ate you for breakfast.
Exactly.
I'd need their help over there just like they need our help here.
Them people are not here to pick your beans. They're here to be Americans.
What's more American than farming?
How many Americans do you see out there?
Are you ready to ride them Karen
like these people have been rode all their lives?
Till their fingers bleed and their backs are broke so bad
they can't pick up their young'uns in the evening?
Are you ready to be that cruel?
Well, I ain't.
No, sir.
Not no more.
You don't have to be afraid of that. God won't let that happen.
You're just a huckster, ain't you?
You're a con man in a collar.
You tell them, "God told me to do this."
- You're looking for a new pulpit. - Come on!
Maybe in a cathedral or something.
I'm right, ain't I?
You're seeing all them bishops lined up to shake your hand,
and you're saying, "I'm just doing God's will."
Yeah, yeah. Let's just go.
It's true, ain't it?
Look at yourself.
Were you this cowardly in Vietnam, or is this a new thing?
Get out of my truck.
Get out now!
For... Forrest!
That was his farm, the one he sold.
He didn't say it, but I know it was.
Whatever. I'll manage without him.
You should take Ye Win with you to the B&C.
I can handle the bishop and council. Trust me.
No, you can't. Not alone.
- They're gonna grill you. - Aimee...
He knows these people, Michael.
He led a brigade in the war.
He kept them together for five years in a refugee camp.
You're taking him with you.
Fine. I'll take him.
I thought you were doing a music program.
What's with all the forms?
Emergency contact info, school bus forms...
Ye Win wants my name on them.
Are they ready for school?
Don't assume refugee children know American hygiene.
Don't assume they know crayons, scissors, pencils,
or that they know teachers aren't a danger to them.
Man. Oh, man.
So, no, I would say they're not ready.
You should've seen Forrest out there today.
This whole thing, it's not some ego trip I'm on, is it?
I guess we'll see.
I have to pay the doctor today.
I 'm sorry, Cho-cho.
Ye Win is driving a new family in from Kentucky.
Do you know how to write a check?
They have to stay with us tonight, Mya.
I'm sorry. Just for tonight.
Where are they going to sleep?
You need a check, Cho-cho?
Hi.
I have to drive to Nashville now with Michael.
To see the Bishop.
Are you managing other people's money?
- Yes. - Whose?
Everyone.
Welcome, everyone.
Oh, don't stop. That was so pretty.
I have something for you. Can you please hand these out?
So, who here can read music?
Er, okay.
You know, I really love that song you were singing.
Er, what does it mean?
"Jesus loves me, yes, I know."
Can you teach it to me?
Okay.
Let me try it.
That's not... Doesn't sound so good? Okay.
- No. - Okay.
Let me try again.
- No. - No.
Okay, I need some help here.
You sing it again, and will you please join in?
That will really help me get it.
Please.
Can you sing it louder?
Because that will help me.
Louder, louder.
Because it means that we have to take on
All Saints' massive mortgage.
Now, that's money that's not going for mission services,
it's not going to poverty, and it's not going to outreach.
I would argue that it is going to all those things at All Saints.
Yes, and we all applaud your ambition,
but taking on this many needy families,
that would be hard for even a thriving church.
Now, sometimes it's just beyond our means to help.
Dr. Barr, we don't choose who God sends to our door.
Yes, well, thank you for that fortune cookie
- from on high. - You're welcome.
Your first harvest would be when, Michael, Thanksgiving?
Yes, about.
And these estimates you've given us, what are they based on?
Buyer projections. They're rough, obviously.
But you'll know for sure where you stand by mid-December, correct?
Now, hold on. We can't wait six months to sell the church.
We'd have to keep it on the market.
That would defeat the purpose.
Michael, this is not your personal property.
It's part of the diocese.
Right, except it's about to be an Ultra-Mega Mart.
Michael, we're not some fat bureaucracy in your path here.
So maybe don't cowboy up every time you disagree.
We're here as a spiritual resource for you.
As well as shepherding your career.
Look, we're nowhere. Let's take a pause.
Er, what did you do before you were a pastor, Michael?
I worked for a company called Jarvis and Jones, selling paper.
It wasn't exactly plucking chickens,
but, still, I was on the road all the time
and just about ended our marriage.
I always knew we should be doing this.
I just kept ducking it because...
I'm not good with bosses. This job has a lot of bosses.
Er, only one that matter, yes?
On the break,
I was reminded that this isn't really about us or me.
Maybe it's best if... if you hear from Ye Win.
Urn... We were farmers,
then soldier.
We fight for our land,
for our people.
Fight in the jungle, in the mountain.
They burned our villages.
Many dead, many gone.
Girls crying over dead mothers, father over dead son.
Many family lost or broken.
They forced us into refugee camp.
Thailand. We cannot leave.
There is nothing for children to do, nothing for men to do.
Just wait.
Wait.
The people fight, cry, scream in the night.
Young people, they go bad, go crazy.
They steal, lie.
Girls get raped.
Boys, too, sometime.
But we have a church hut.
It is for rice, really.
We sit on rice bag and we sing and pray,
say Bible verses and story in church hut.
Yeah, many dead, many gone, many family broken.
But in church hut,
we are one family.
Through Jesus Christ.
And we could
give them till January.
If their autumn harvest can feed the Karen
and keep the church afloat,
we bring down the "for sale" sign.
They'd have to at least make the January and February
and March mortgage payments as well.
So, feed the Karen, pay my salary,
and the winter mortgage payments all from the Thanksgiving harvest.
Yes. And I, for one, don't believe that you...
Done. No problem.
Michael, I can't help but believe
that you have built the barrel you have us over.
I'm not that good a carpenter.
Let's hope, for everyone's sake, you're a better farmer.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
No. No.
Hi.
Er, I just come by to...
Well, look, I know where y'all are from,
you keep your hats on in church
and you take off your shoes to show your respect,
but over here, it's... Well, it's different.
It's the other way around. And I just thought that
I'd come by and tell you that so that you knew.
Thank you.
You come in.
Oh. No. No, thanks. No...
ls that an M16 or an M16A1?
Er, M.
Well, you're lucky.
Toting around a dirty M16 in the wet jungle,
you might just as well be carrying around 10 pounds of nothing.
Well...
I'll be seeing you.
Please.
Thank you.
You're sure you all can handle this and the chicken plant, too?
We are grateful for those jobs. Very grateful.
All right, let's see. You got your corn, squash, tomatoes,
plus fertilizer and insecticides, right?
- Organic? - Yeah, organic.
Boy, it's gonna be something to see those old ball fields
- cut up into crop rows. - Yeah.
How are you gonna plow?
It's funny you should mention that.
'Cause I want to get the older kids involved.
A guitar is gonna do that?
Yeah, you know, make choir cool.
What?
We need tool, Michael.
Can you lend us some equipment?
You already got me plowing your field.
Yeah, but you can trust me 'cause I'm a minister.
Now once these crops are in the ground. I hope the church is paying for this.
Er, I'm gonna...
- You have another card? - No, there should be space.
Connection's flaky sometimes.
You got cash?
Er, yeah, sure.
Hmm.
We're supposed to sing along with that?
I'm a pianist. Back off.
You got a guitar. That's thinking.
Hey, the credit card didn't go through today.
Yeah, it's, um, maxed out.
When did that happen?
You got McDonald's in Burma?
Not in the jungle.
Well, open one up, make a killing.
You think you'll go back?
Mmm, too soon to say.
Good thing you got everybody out safely.
Not everyone. Not my son.
Michael,
how will we water?
Michael.
Well, that's next week's problem.
Let's just get the seeds in the ground.
We need Forrest.
- We're fine. - I don't think we are fine.
We're fine. And dandy.
Forrest, he come to see me some nights.
We take him in.
He does?
Forrest, he like a refugee. Yes.
He need our help.
We're fine without Forrest.
He's fine without us.
If he's not, he knows where to find us.
Yes, Father.
Big day tomorrow. Planting day.
You smell like a farmhand.
- Some women find that attractive. - Mmm.
You were right about something.
Yes, I was.
You know what I'm talking about?
Doesn't really matter.
You were right about Ye Win.
He's been a big help, and I was stupid.
He lost a son over there.
That's awful.
You're right. You were stupid.
You said we never agree.
I know you think I'm not with you, but I am with you.
Oh, come on. I know that.
It's just... If we're going forward,
you can't be so much, you know...
You.
What does that mean?
It means you can't be a lone gunslinger this time.
When you need help, and you will, you have to ask for it.
Course I will.
Ask for it, Michael.
Promise me.
I promise.
Boyd brought it, for free.
A very big field, Michael.
A very small pump.
Yeah, but with the rains in September, we're gonna be good.
Plus, we got this.
Will this work, padre?
It was my husband's.
- Perfect. - Here you go, keys.
So, corn here,
tomato here,
squash and sour leaf.
Seed from Burma.
Wow. Good thing you didn't land in Brooklyn.
'Cause, you know, Brooklyn doesn't...
Hey, let's get started.
Come on.
Whoo!
I'm starting a new memory book.
- Hey. - Hmm?
Look at this reading for tomorrow's service.
Did you choose this, Michael?
No. It's on the schedule
for every Episcopal church in the world.
"The Kingdom of God is as though a farmer
"has scattered seeds on the ground.
"The seeds sprout, but the farmer doesn't know how.
"First the stalk, then the head, then the grain."
Consider the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds.
Yet it grows such big branches that the birds perch in its shade.
That will be All Saints.
From the tiniest of seeds,
we will grow
and people will come from all around to enjoy the shade of our branches.
Okay.
I know we've all worked really hard the last couple weeks.
Maybe it'll rain again soon and we can have a day off.
Ye Win's posting this week's rotation.
I know you have to get to the chicken plant by 9:00 a.m.
Let's just do whatever we can. Thank you.
Let's go.
Let's go!
Hey, hon, how's it going?
So much for the rainy season, huh?
Egg Salad?
Barely any shell bits.
Thanks. I'll eat after I check the tomato plants.
Hey, why don't you talk to Ye Win,
maybe beef up the work schedule?
We're just watering right now.
Yeah, I know.
And it's killing you.
Honey, I'm fine.
No, you're not fine, Michael.
Look at your hands.
They're all right.
Michael, please. We had an agreement.
Car insurance today.
Yeah?
Urn, we got to look at the schedule,
'cause we got to get more water on the plants.
It's difficult.
Chicken plant, everyone work 12-hour shift.
With this dry spell, we just got to do more.
I will come after dinner.
It's dark after dinner,
and I need groups of people to water.
Perhaps if you went to Forrest, he might have an idea...
Forrest can't water our fields. He's an old man.
Yes, Father.
Please don't "Yes, Father" me.
Crops are dying. I'm asking for help.
You are the only one free to work more. Everyone have family.
So do I!
I haven't seen my kid in... I don't know how long.
Aimee and I, that's all we do, we work.
- So do you. So does Mya. - Mya is gone.
What do you mean?
She's gone.
Mya moved away.
- When? - When I was working, Michael.
You didn't think to come to me?
Michael.
Why wouldn't you come to me?
The guy's marriage breaks up,
he doesn't even think to talk to his pastor.
I started out a minister, and now I'm a field boss.
Michael, you know I'm not big on signs and wonders,
but I have come to believe that
God led us here,
to this church. And right now,
this is the ministry,
the fields, the choir. This is it.
All Of it.
Hey, let's take a day.
Just the family.
We'll let the plants water themselves.
Well, he's not very good at that.
Not good at all.
You getting the teens into the choir?
Er, not yet.
Sometimes I think they don't have a clue what I'm saying to them.
I'll find a way. Or I'll send in the flying monkeys.
We got company.
Be nice, Michael.
I'm always nice.
My wife and I are trying to figure out where we know you from.
Michael Spurlock, the new pastor at All Saints.
Right, I've seen you out in your fields.
Yeah, tough work, huh?
- You a farmer? - No, no. I've got my own company.
But I worked her daddy's fields in college. Dang near killed me.
Dang near killed Daddy's Lima beans, too.
This dry spell must be tough on you folks.
Well, it is, 'cause we're watering by hand.
By hand? That's crazy.
Hey, did we ever give away that old sprayer
- from your daddy's junk? - No.
It's still back there with that old Mustang you're never gonna fix.
It's a boom sprayer. It'll water your fields if you want it.
Yeah, I want a free boom sprayer.
I didn't catch your name.
Jess Harlowe, Harlowe Fresh.
Hey... Give a call in the morning and I'll have it hauled over.
Okay, Jess.
- Thank you. - Sure thing.
Did that just happen?
I take it back. I'm all about signs and wonders.
Didn't Boyd say you need a tractor for this thing?
- I can manage. - If you break the truck,
you'll be back to the hand sprayer.
Michael, good things happen when we let go a little. Didn't we just learn that?
All Saints. Aimee Spurlock speaking.
The Karen boys?
Yes, it's my name on the forms. Why?
I cannot believe that you boys did this.
What were you thinking?
You weren't thinking, that's the problem.
What are we gonna do now?
- Mrs. Spurlock? - Yes.
Hi, I'm the principal. I spoke to you on the phone.
- Hi. - If I can get your "X" on this,
- then you can take these guys home. - Sure.
What happened, exactly?
Well, our linebacker corps started some trouble,
and then they found out that the Burmese national sport is Kickboxing.
Oh.
Guess my husband needs to go over
- "turn the other cheek" again. - Yeah.
The other boys okay?
Yeah, they're fine.
They're humiliated, which is
a bonus, as far as I'm concerned.
I know, I know.
These are good kids, but county rules say
that we're gonna have to find 'em an after-school structure
or we're gonna have to report 'em.
We're gonna start easy, okay?
"For the Beauty of the Earth."
And teens, don't let the little ones
out-sing you.
Okay.
Ready?
For the beauty
Of the earth
For the...
Boys, got to sing to be heard.
Of the skies
For the love
Which from our birth...
Okay, stop.
Boys.
Ta So, can you please stop tying your shoe?
All three of you sit up straight and uncross your arms.
Because, I guarantee you, this will be much more fun than juvenile hall.
Okay, let's start again.
For the beauty
Of the earth
For the beauty of the sky...
Okay, I get it, I get it. I get the message.
You come around here awful early.
You're a farmer. You're up with the chickens.
Only chickens I got come in a KFC box.
I think I owe you an apology.
Yup.
Well,
you probably think you owe me one, too.
Nope.
Well, fine, you don't.
Look, just come back, okay?
See what everybody's doing. I mean,
the kids are lighting up the church,
Ye Win, he's growing stuff like there's no tomorrow.
Hey, hey, be careful there. My wife planted that.
Sorry.
Anyway, Ye Win probably told you all about it.
If he hadn't, you wouldn't have got past the front door.
Did he tell you that Jess Harlowe gave me a boom sprayer?
Yeah. I bumped into Jess Harlowe...
Gives me one, just like that.
Well, glory be!
The new Elijah.
Come on, you got to be a little excited. It's just what we need.
You got half of what you need. You need a tractor to pull it.
If you try to hook that thing up to Mary O's old pickup,
you're gonna crack the block.
You already done that, ain't you?
Yeah. That's why I need you around, to keep my stupid on a leash.
Come on, Forrest. Do you think you can trust me?
Nope.
All right, fair enough.
Maybe I am part huckster.
Maybe the Karen will never make a home here.
Maybe you're an old crank.
If all that's true, then maybe All Saints
is just the last hope for all of us.
So, did you have toys in the camp?
Sure, toys.
Did you have TV?
We made our own TV. It sucks.
So, how come you speak English, but your parents don't?
They're not my parents. They chose me in refugee camp.
You're here without your parents?
You stay for dinner? My family make special dinner for you.
- Come on. - Okay.
I'll race you!
Can't beat me!
Ain't no good without a tractor.
Still pretty great we got it.
Nah, just dead weight without a tractor.
How long before the crops are shot, assuming no rain?
A week, maybe less.
Shame, too. Little rain, you'd have made it, even with that hand pump.
What about a boom sprayer, four weeks of daily watering?
- You might could get a crop. - I told you,
it's no good without a tractor.
Yeah, yeah, I get that.
Here's what you'd gross
with a good crop out of the ground,
minus the Asian crop, which we don't handle.
No, no.
I need my tractor every day.
I'd go broke without it.
Michael, it's harvest season.
Ain't nobody gonna lend us a tractor.
Aw, come on, John Jr.,
you was baptized at All Saints.
And your daddy, he tithed 10% of all this for 30 years.
Now, why don't you just give us that old junker there?
This is a $10,000 piece of equipment.
I can't.
You know, your daddy would hit you with a shoe
for cheating folks like that away.
It's what the market will bear.
Well, that may be so.
But they've got a tally book up in heaven.
And your daddy, John Sr.,
is thinking he's never gonna see your sorry self again.
Come on, Forrest, that ain't fair.
$8,500.
$7,250.
Fine. $6,000.
It's the best I can do. That's my cost.
Who are you and where did you bury my husband?
You know, the crops could save the church.
Nice work, Farmer Bob.
Yeah.
If you just bake us up a tractor,
we'll be set.
6,000 lousy bucks. Can you believe it?
I bet you Riverview has that much lost in their seat cushions.
Hey... Atticus quit the choir today.
Honey, hang on.
Hey-
ls that what you do, you quit things?
- Well, there are a lot of boys now. - You said you'd do it.
No, I didn't. Nobody ever asked.
Since you're a member of the family, you're doing it.
No, I'm not. I'm no good at singing.
Ask me if I care.
I'm good with crops.
- What? - Po says so, and he was a farmer.
Well, if Po says so...
He wants to work the fields.
He's worried for Po.
We raised a great kid.
Look, I don't know if I can save this church.
I think it's too late.
You don't have a choice, Michael.
It's out of my hands. I don't have six grand.
I can't make it rain.
So... what, you just quit?
Scatter everyone to the winds?
No, I was thinking...
We haven't dug ourselves too deep a hole, financially.
So maybe another diocese would want...
No, Michael.
This isn't just about you this time.
It's about all of us.
It's about everyone out there
who's broken their backs in the fields.
I know, but what do I do?
Do your job.
You stood up there,
before those people, and you asked them what they would do to save the church.
Well, what would you do?
I've already done it. There's...
There's nothing left for me to do.
This isn't selling paper.
You made All Saints a safe harbor for everyone.
You risked our careers on it.
And you made a promise. You promised me and the bishop
and the Karen and God that you would see it through.
I don't care what it means for us any more.
Just save it.
We got a call to make.
Okay, but if I need to come back, you could find a job for me?
In sales.
Yeah, you know I love sales.
No, no, we really like it here.
It's just we're about to take out this personal loan
that could swamp us if the crops fail,
and I'd have to leave the ministry to pay it back.
Mmm-hmm.
Yes, Jerry, if I come back to Jarvis and Jones,
this time it's for good.
That's right, earn that gold watch.
Okay. Hey, pal, thanks. I'll let you know.
All right.
How'd you get this, Michael?
Did you let your stupid off the leash again?
Come on, get it hooked up. Ain't you a farmer by now?
All right, one of you turn the other cheek.
I'm getting a hemorrhoid sitting here on this dadgum seat.
You ready?
Yeah, yeah, go.
- Yeah! - Michael.
Look at that.
Look at this.
- Man. - I know. I know.
Look at it!
I love water!
- Huh? What do you think? - We did it, Michael.
We did it.
- We've got water! - Water!
Hey... What's that, a farm scar?
A bullet hole.
You can blab about your war if you want to.
Mine's all private.
Wow. A hole like that must have kept you out of fighting, huh?
Forrest won a Bronze Star.
He carried one of his men to safety with a hole in his leg.
Yeah, well, let me tell you a little something about Mr. Ye Win here.
He escaped a P.O.W. camp with a broken collarbone and a busted wrist.
He took three men with him.
So you can just shut your pie hole.
I know what you mean.
I stopped my kid from stealing Skittles once.
That little sucker's small, but he's wiry.
Harvest season's here.
A true Thanksgiving.
And a fun one, I hope.
We'll start Friday, with the tomatoes.
The ladies will have refreshments, a picnic lunch.
Turkey sandwiches, probably.
It's supposed to rain later.
But it'll be beautiful early, so bring the kids.
Nobody gave us a chance.
But God's hand
is at work in our fields.
Thank you, Forrest.
Thank you!
All right, I'll be right there.
What do you think, Farmer Brown?
Looks good.
Look.
Leave or stack empty baskets along the back.
It's raining hard upstream.
This is the creek's daily crest.
This is where it is now.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Michael.
Hey! You want some lemonade?
We should harvest right away. Rain a'coming.
Weather service said it's only gonna be a little shower later on.
No, Michael. A lot of rain.
Good job, guys. Just keep 'em coming.
All right? Get 'em up here.
Try not to spill 'em.
That's it, that's it.
Okay, one more. We're getting pretty full here, guys.
Hey!
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey, I think we should start covering u...
Oh.
Well...
That creek's gonna wipe us out.
We need sandbags.
We should harvest first what is closer to the water.
Michael, are you listening to us?
Yes, yes.
Please don't do this.
I just... I didn't know who else to call.
It's an emergency.
I need sandbags.
Hundreds of sandbags.
Yes, and sand, tons of sand.
Oh.
Thank you. Thank you.
Okay.
Keep it coming!
Point your lights in the field!
- Grab whatever you can. Keep it coming. - Michael.
I heard what's happening. Where do you need me?
John Jr., point your lights in the field,
- grab whatever you can. - Okay.
- Thanks! - Hey, Michael.
These two don't want to go inside.
Guys, I need you inside to stack the crops.
Come on, it's important. Help me.
Help me. Thank you.
Come on.
- In the field. - We've got sand
and sandbags and two strong backs.
Yes! Thank you, Jess, thank you!
Fantastic.
Forrest! Forrest!
Bring the tractor!
Here. Over here!
Stay here. Over here, over here.
Here! Come on, come on, over here!
You, you, come here. Here!
Hey!
Are we saving enough crops?
I don't know!
I brought some extra hands to help.
- Where do you need us? - Find Forrest!
Give him a break on the tractor.
Send everybody else into the fields.
Riverview guys, out in the fields.
Harvest what you can.
Come on, hurry, please.
We're running out of time.
Hey! I need some help over here!
It's completely bogged down.
No good, fellas. Get the sour leaf in.
We need the tractor.
They say it's too late already.
They say there's too much water already.
Leave the tractor.
Get the crops in now!
Michael!
It is finished!
I'll go.
Hey, buddy.
Gonna be short.
Way short.
You can still sell some of this sour leaf
to the Asian distributors in Nashville.
It's a thought.
Ye Win's asking for you, hon.
How's Atticus?
Scared.
Worried about Po
and wondering what will become of us.
You warned me.
Forrest warned me. The bishop.
We're back where we started.
I want to show you something.
Come with me.
Yeah, right over there.
They all came back.
We're not where we started.
We're somewhere completely new.
Okay, everybody, listen up.
I got a plan.
Ye Win, I want you to take as much food as you want,
give it to the Karen.
Call that Asian distributor up in Nashville,
see how much sour leaf he might want.
Mary 0., she's got a great idea, let's put
a farmers market out front, right?
Forrest, can you make that happen ASAP?
Saturday, people shop for groceries.
I'll call Boyd's Feed and Seed
and see if they'll take the rest.
Farmer Brown, you come with me.
We are not done yet, people. I promise.
No way!
Hey. What happened?
What'd they say?
They take all the sour leaf. If it is good quality.
Enough to make the payments?
Oh, fantastic!
Okay, can you drive up there by yourself,
or do you want me to send somebody with you?
This good substitute for rest.
Coffee? No, it's really not.
All right, look, just call me as soon as you get there.
Let me know what they're gonna pay.
Okay, sweetie, your change.
Y'all just keep it.
Hey, Michael.
- This is Gerrard Silver. - Of Silver Spoon, in Nashville.
- Hey. - It's a restaurant.
Yeah, we specialize in... Never mind.
We thought we might do some grilling demonstrations
out here with your vegetables, offer some recipes.
Fantastic. The bishop send you?
No. I'm a Buddhist.
And my pals here are, um...
Nothing, apparently.
Hope that's all right.
Well, some of my best friends are nothing.
Excuse me.
Hey-
What?
Where?
Okay. Okay, okay, hang tight.
Hey, that was Ye Win.
I got to go up there, the police impounded the bus.
What? Why?
He's got, like, 50 parking tickets on all those cars in his name.
Five hours in this heat.
I don't know, Michael.
Finally.
Oh, my...
The council's going to sit,
talk through how to close up the church.
Okay.
Excuse me, Bishop.
So, back to sales.
You want to watch a movie, take our mind off things?
Homework? All right.
Po's going to get through this.
You know that. Karen are survivors.
You're gonna be back at your old school with all your friends.
It's gonna be good.
- Dad? - Yeah?
If God wanted you to plant the crops
then why did he flood them?
I don't know, pal.
Hey, you missed one.
Listen, I talked to the pastor at the Episcopal church in Franklin.
He wants to meet with you.
Meet with me? Why?
To discuss the Karen joining his church.
Very long drive every Sunday, Franklin.
We'll give you the bus.
They want Karen people in Franklin?
Of course they do.
All right, they're cautious about absorbing
a hundred members, but so were we.
They want to help.
They got money.
They might pay you for your work with the Karen.
Make it your job, give you an office.
You could be what's called a lay worker.
I mean, no guarantees, but it could happen.
The Karen people are not in Franklin.
We are in Smyrna.
I mean, I know it's not ideal, but...
Will you stop that? It's weird. It's like you're doing penance.
Will you be in Franklin, Michael?
Not unless they want to buy paper.
Come on. For me. Just... Please think about it.
It's almost time for the service.
You don't want to miss my last sermon.
For the beauty
Of the earth
For the beauty
Of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Christ, our God
To thee we raise
This our sacrifice
Of praise
Thank you, children.
Today marks the end of a great institution.
It's so beautiful out.
I think we should go outside today.
Ain't got no mud in Nashville, George?
We made some friends.
I thought I knew the will of God.
Then came the flood.
What was I to think?
Why, if God asked us to plant these crops,
would he allow them to be destroyed?
Now, I don't know the mind of God, and that's the truth.
Was it his voice I heard, or was it mine?
That's something to question, something to pray over, at least for me.
A friend of mine felt called by God to go to Africa, build a chapel.
But he wound up with an aqueduct.
Which is what the people needed.
We tried to save our church by starting a farm,
but as we fought together down here in these fields,
we found that we had actually started something else,
something each of us, in our own way, needed more.
A community.
Baptists from Riverview,
Buddhists from Nashville, farmers from Smyrna,
farmers from the other side of the world,
connected beyond that building, beyond this land.
It's our aqueduct.
Maybe it's what God intended all along.
Let us pray.
Father, we stand today, not on the sinking sand,
but on the solid rock of eternal hope
in your promises through Jesus Christ.
Well, perhaps...
Oh, I don't know.
I know, George.
It's a shame, if the flood hadn't happened,
this would be a whole different meeting.
Okay.
Atticus, take a jacket, it's an outside party.
The Reverend Michael Spurlock.
It still sounds pretty good to me.
Even if I'm selling paper?
Especially if you're selling paper.
He did not almost hit me with the tractor.
I wish you'd quit saying that, Forrest.
- So, what did he do? - I almost hit him
with a tractor, but it was a very slow tractor.
So, I hear
you may join Riverview, Mary O.
Yep. Seein' them boys helping us in the rain, that sold me.
What about you, Forrest?
I'm gonna stick with these folks here.
Sorry I didn't call first.
No, you're... you're always welcome here.
I thought I might say a few words.
Okay.
I won't keep you long.
Closing All Saints wasn't a hard choice for me, at first.
You, all of you, changed that.
I've spoken to the council,
and we've agreed to designate All Saints a mission church,
like the churches we've built in South America, Asia, Africa.
We believe that missionaries, young people,
and, most importantly, lost souls
will come to work these fields with you.
This place speaks to lost souls.
So, congratulations. All Saints' mission is just beginning.
They don't understand you, George.
We get to keep the church!
Well, Michael, let's talk.
- Wonderful! - Congratulations!
So, we'll assume responsibility for the church's debt,
including anything you've borrowed personally.
Wow.
I mean, wow.
Can we hire Ye Win as a lay worker?
I've already worked it out.
How?
In fact, how are you affording any of this?
We lost a top salary, gave up a position in the leadership.
Oh...
Whose'?
Mine.
I resigned, everyone moves up,
we leave a spot vacant.
I don't understand.
You know what I do more than anything else?
Budgets.
I'm tired of it, Michael.
I want to be a pastor again, do some... Some mission work.
Well, that's great.
Where?
Africa.
Maybe Burma.
We both have changes ahead, Michael.
You're at the River Jordan, son.
You got them to the promised land
but you can't cross over.
All Saints needs an experienced hand to build its future, and you...
Well, you need some seasoning.
What's... what's the job?
Assistant pastor, not even associate?
Apparently, I need more seasoning.
- Was he punishing you? - I don't know.
Where are they sending us?
New York City, St. Thomas Church. Midtown. That big one.
Technically, it's a promotion.
But we've built a home here.
You should've heard him, "Son, we need you up there."
St. Thomas is a dream church.
What could they possibly want from us?
Maybe an aqueduct.
What do you see in me?
All those years are gone
When you were planting seeds
Did you expect my crooked branches would grow?
The kind of fruit that feeds
Or the kind that leaves you wanting more
When I'm feeling tired
My head is hanging low
And I can't find my way back
Can I follow you home?
The second you believed
All those years ago
When you were pruning me
Said my crooked branches would grow
The kind of fruit that feeds
The kind that feeds the body, mind and soul
When I'm feeling tired
My head's hanging low
And I can't find my way back
Can I follow you home?
When I'm feeling tired
When I'm feeling all alone
And I can't see the road ahead
Can I follow you home?
When I'm feeling tired
Head is hanging low
And I can't find my way back
Can I follow you home?
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
Sinking sand
When He shall come with trumpets out
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
Dark clouds
Hovering over my house
Close the door and breathe out
Wait for the skies to calm down
'Cause one day I know
The storms, they gonna come
When it rains it pours it floods
With a new day comes the sun
Bringing life with her one touch