The preacher looked over his still dwindling congregation. He had some sad news.

Not that sad announcements were that new.  Widow So-n-so was found dead in her apartment.  It wasn't her daughter who found her, oh no the girl was long gone - left her two kids flat, and headed off to ... wherever.  Nope.  Was a neighbor, who began noticing a foul smell.  Cause of death: hypothermia - the old woman had neither heat nor electric.  Another death was a result of a break-in - likely drug related.  As nearly anyone knew, pot and opioids were mostly past-tense, and were the choice of mainly elementary aged kids.  Nope, the new drug was alot more powerful - and very expensive.  

Even for partakers of means, it was commonly known that generous bank accounts drained quite quickly, multi-million dollar houses would suddenly appear on the market - in the ever growing "foreclosure" section.  The auto market, which had not long ago, been selling luxury models, almost like pancakes, were now stuck with an ever increasing inventory of repos.  They either sat, or were sold - cheap, too cheap.  In short, both the real estate and auto market weren't doing nearly as well as last year's sunny projections.

The preacher gave yet another announcement: advising his flock to keep their coats nearby.  The heating system was on-again, off-again - more the latter.  "We can't fix it, or get it fixed...you know the drill."  While one of the guys had brought in a kerosene heater - for which the landlord would probably take issue, kero, like about everything else, could not be paid for with either cash nor check.  

What the preacher did not announce was :  he had tested the system back in mid September; the decon, a recently retired heating systems pro, had carefully checked it.  All was fine.  What happened, sometime during the last few weeks?  Well that was anyone's guess.  

The service was to begin shortly.  A certain pimply-faced young man took a seat near where Becky was seated.  She waved a hello, he greeted her back.

"Church," the preacher began to speak, "there will be no adult, nor children's Sunday school after the service.  As a church, we need to make some plans."