How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

24

Campbell Cathedral Revival

Warm sunlight seeps gently through the exquisite stained glass into the cathedral, and the subtle scent of incense and the sermon conducted in silence create a tranquil atmosphere.

Yet, before the mass sermon even reaches its midpoint, some parishioners seem to have surrendered to sleep.

One appears to nod slowly in agreement with the sermon, but in truth, he is nodding off.

Heads bow deeper and deeper, and the sudden jolt of regaining consciousness followed by a quick survey of the surroundings becomes a repeated scene.

Another stifles a small yawn with a hand, blinks several times, then closes their eyes for good.

A girl seated midway has laid her head on her mother’s lap and is fast asleep.

Thus, the sanctuary becomes a scene of collective slumber, as if a wave of drowsiness has swept over it.

If one were to seek the culprit, it could be the parishioners’ lack of willpower, of course.

Be it a sermon of any religion, sitting still and listening to one person’s voice is a recipe for sleepiness.

Some may doze off. But…

“Mmm…”

“Yawn…”

“Eh, ehmm…! Ah, I wasn’t sleeping.”

Even the clergy, accustomed to sermons, are not immune to this…

‘Even I find it hard to resist.’

Pastor Kim, who could pray for over ten hours during a Holy Spirit Assembly or revival service and still be fine, is struggling.

If his resilience hasn’t waned, then neither has the challenge of driving away the invading drowsiness.

‘Cults are one thing, but this issue needs addressing too.’

Rei, fighting desperately against the oncoming drowsiness, analyzes Bishop Yuna’s sermon.

‘First, the voice…’

Bishop Yuna’s voice is warm and soft.

The problem is that it’s also laced with lethargy.

A relaxed and low tone without separate vocal training. Each word stretches out, a lullaby inducing sleep.

During the sermon, only one person’s voice echoes in the vast space. The same goes for classrooms and lecture halls.

Therefore, that one person’s voice can either command everyone’s attention or induce sleep.

‘And the sermon content is so dull that even the church candles seem sleepy.’

The teachings are truly good.

Based on the Bible, the lessons and interpretations, if listened to carefully, are nothing but good stories.

‘That’s the problem, though. It ends there.’

This isn’t a place for studying biblical interpretation, nor would the laypeople find such things interesting.

And finally.

“Ah, let’s read just one more passage then.”

“Now that I think about it, this passage says something like this. What it means is…”

“

‘Three hours for a mass, what are you talking about!!’

With this state of affairs, the church is going to ruin!

***

After the mass had ended, Bishop Yuna took Ray and his companions for a meal.

“You must be famished after attending the mass right upon arrival. It’s not much, but please eat.”

Despite her modest words, the food Bishop Yuna offered was plentiful.

Whether there was a separate oven or not, there was freshly baked bread, soup, and even meat dishes.

With several clergy residing in the cathedral, such amenities were essential.

“How was the mass, brothers?”

To Bishop Yuna’s kind inquiry, three of the group, excluding Ray, replied timidly out of politeness.

“It was a time of grace, Your Excellency.”

“Yes~ The sermon was truly inspiring.”

“We listened with great interest!”

It was to be expected. The bishop is a towering figure in the church hierarchy.

A person who manages a diocese, binding together numerous monks, priests, and several churches.

Even if it weren’t someone of such high standing, it’s difficult to speak ill in their presence.

But the three were still young. Bishop Yuna realized they were only saying what sounded nice.

“Hmm… It seems my sermon was quite dull. I saw some of you dozing off during the mass.”

“Oh, not at all!”

“It was just the fatigue from our travels.”

“That’s right! Your sermon was truly a blessing!”

‘They’re trying.’

But objectively, Bishop Yuna’s sermons had many issues.

Something that Bishop Yuna herself was probably aware of.

“The interpretation of the scriptures was admirable.”

“Hmm?”

Bishop Yuna’s disappointed gaze turned towards Rei.

“Solaria, Chapter 9, Verse 28: ‘And we know that for those who love Soltera, who have been called according to His purpose, all things work together for good.'”

The sermon analyzed desperately while fighting off sleep. Rei smiled faintly, seeing Bishop Yuna focusing on him.

“You said it’s a promise that for those who love Soltera and are called according to His will, everything will work out for good, right? That every experience in life, even hardships and trials, has meaning within His plan and will ultimately lead to a good outcome.”

“That’s right. That’s exactly what I wanted to say!”

“It’s an important passage. A message of encouragement and hope for those walking the path of faith. Emphasizing Soltera’s sovereignty and providence is always necessary.”

Bishop Yuna marveled that Rei had listened to her sermon properly, interpreted it, and even discussed it.

Among the many devout followers, it was Rei who had listened to her sermon with bright, attentive eyes.

‘A brother with firm faith.’

Of course, it wasn’t to say that the other believers lacked faith.

But Bishop Yuna was human, after all. She couldn’t help but feel a special fondness for Rei, who had paid attention to her words.

“Brother Rei, you have a remarkable talent for studying and interpreting the scriptures.”

“Ha, it’s nothing special. Not compared to you, Bishop.”

“”······.””

The three people naturally admired Rei, who had won the bishop’s favor.

‘That Rei… Somehow, he’s always favored by the elders, isn’t he?’

‘Including Mother Superior Isabella and Father Moro.’

‘As expected, big brother! You’re awesome!’

Though Rei appeared as a pretty sixteen-year-old boy, inside he was a seasoned veteran, Pastor Kim, who had been through all sorts of battles.

His exceptional ability to flatter had secured him the successor position over the chairman Pastor Park’s own son. His practical skills in the field and his star quality that embraced the parishioners… no, the believers, were unmatched.

The competition among megachurch star pastors was fierce.

‘Good, it seems I’ve melted it down well enough.’

Rei had won Bishop Yuna’s favor as a stepping stone for the next phase.

The first step of a project to revive this failing cathedral, beyond just volunteer work.

“Bishop, your sermons are so grace-filled, I wish I could hear them more than once. Don’t you hold weekday masses?”

“Eh? Ah… We don’t have weekday masses. As you can see, the congregation… has dwindled quite a bit.”

Indeed, holding a weekday mass for just a handful of believers in such a large cathedral would be a waste of resources.

Especially when there’s already a shortage of manpower for volunteer work.

“Bishop! I want to hear more of your words! Let’s have Wednesday masses, Friday masses, and even early morning masses!”

“Me? But if we suddenly increase the number of services… Above all, there will be no one to listen to my sermons.”

Ray took Bishop Yuna’s hand.

Then, with bright, faith-filled eyes, he spoke.

“Bishop, true believers will want more opportunities, more time to pray. A ‘slight’ change in the way we’ve been conducting services will make it better.”

“Is that so?”

“Just trust me once. I may look like this, but I’ve even summoned the Holy Spirit during prayer.”

“The Holy Spirit?”

Bishop Yuna’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Jenny and Henry came to his support.

“Oh, yes, Bishop. Ray prayed for over seven hours at the prayer meeting.”

“It’s a well-known fact in the church state that Brother Ray summoned the Holy Spirit during prayer! He even gained the power of praise!”

“Well, it’s not a lie.”

Bishop Yuna was taken aback by those words.

Summoning the Holy Spirit through prayer. It’s not impossible.

Especially within the spiritually abundant Solarien Church State, the probability is even higher.

But could this young deacon have summoned the Holy Spirit through prayer and gained the power of praise?

At this point, Bishop Yuna’s trust in Ray began to skyrocket.

“I will gladly accept my brother’s advice. Let’s do as you say.”

As Bishop Yuna agreed, Ray twisted the corners of his mouth without anyone noticing.

It was a devilishly wicked smile.

***

The four were assigned their own rooms, but they all gathered in the same one.

“So. What are you thinking?”

“What do you mean? We want to hear more of the Bishop’s gracious words.”

Aaron’s brow furrowed at Ray’s sly response.

“Stop the nonsense and tell us what you really think. It’s hard to even pretend that the Bishop’s sermons are good.”

“All we need to do is change the way we speak and the structure.”

“Change the way and structure?”

Aaron looked at him with a skeptical eye. How could a mere deacon with no experience in leading a service change the way and structure of it?

But Aaron was unaware of Ray Anderson’s special past; his previous life was as Pastor Kim Kwang-oh.

“We shall revive this cathedral.”

He is a star pastor, a professional among professionals.

***

In the Free City of Campbell, various religions coexist, but most citizens prefer ‘neutrality.’

This is a culture unique to the region bordering the Eastern pagans, where Campbell often changed hands during the so-called Sun War with the pagans.

This contributed significantly to the ambiguity of Campbell’s religious identity.

It’s said in jest that Campbell’s residents marry in cathedrals, hold funerals in the Eastern way, and celebrate the New Year in front of a large tree following indigenous beliefs.

With such fluid faith, it’s not strange for them to switch religions depending on the occasion.

However, even considering this, the popularity of the Solar Church in Campbell was low.

“Campbell Cathedral? I thought it was so boring I could die.”

“Just basic Bible stories, and the mass is ridiculously long.”

“If you want to hear a Solar Church mass, you might as well go to the similar Ilwol Church.”

This was a common sentiment among the residents of Campbell.

Such assessments had led to the decline of the current Campbell Cathedral.

“Hm? What’s this?”

In the bustling streets bathed in midday sunlight.

A poster found in the middle of the square, the busiest place in Campbell, caught a man’s attention.

「Announcement for Wednesday Mass at Campbell Cathedral!」

The poster, with its cute drawings and impressive lettering, caught people’s eyes.

Of course, not everyone could read, so if it were just that, many would have passed by.

“Oh my, what’s this picture? Something’s inside a sparkling glass bottle?”

“It seems like drinking this will turn you into a muscular man?”

“Does it give a feeling of becoming healthier?”

The easy-to-guess drawing piqued people’s interest in the contents.

Eventually, someone who couldn’t hold back shouted.

“Yurik! You can read, can’t you? Read that for us!”

All eyes turned to the man who was pointed out. He did not betray the attention focused on him.

“Ahem! It says here that Campbell Cathedral is holding a Wednesday mass.”

“Campbell Cathedral?”

“That incredibly boring place?”

“Not only that, but if you come and participate in the mass, they offer a free meal.”

“A free meal?”

“Hmm~ Should we check it out?”

“Forget it, forget it! Do you plan to be stuck in church for three hours just for a meal? I’ll just take care of my own food.”

Indeed. Spending three hours in church just for a meal didn’t seem worth it.

Too busy working, where’s the time to spare three hours for a mass?

“So, what’s with that picture?”

At someone’s question, Yurik read each letter slowly, conveying the meaning.

“A raffle to give away… holy water for free? No way, is this for real?!”

It was a surprising event, even for the reader.

“They’re giving away holy water? The same holy water I’m thinking of?”

“The holy water that’s briefly sprinkled during baptism?”

“If sold in the market, it could fetch a decent amount of money!”

“And they’re giving it away for free?!”

People murmured to each other, looking at each other’s faces. The church’s mass advertisement, which would usually be ignored, had piqued their curiosity this time.

The audacious promise of a free meal and a raffle for holy water.

Such posters were plastered all over the city, and they looked forward to the Wednesday mass.

And so, on Wednesday evening. The church entrance began to buzz with activity for the first time in a while.

At six-thirty in the evening. The church doors were wide open, thirty minutes earlier than the announced seven o’clock.

“The doors are open even before it starts.”

“It’s dark outside, should we go in early?”

Bright lights welcomed the visitors from inside.

Citizens, lured by the promise of free food and holy water, started entering the church one by one…

“Sol Estella! Welcome, everyone! Make some noise!!!”

A frenzy of hymn medleys began.

“What’s with that crazy guy…”