Queenstown Lutheran Church

Today, i visited Queenstown Lutheran Church for the first time. I must say i'm very disappointed. I was helping out at the business since it's Mama's day and my Mama is there. But 2 Christian men there totally ruined my mom's day.

My mom said i should not mention that we are the caterer since she doesn't want trouble. But i decided that it's okay since aiyah everyone knows my family owns a catering business right.

So we woke up at 4am, headed over to factory, worked our ass off, and finally drove out in separate vans to deliver the food. Queenstown Lutheran Church ordered buffet catering for their Mandarin after-service lunch. All bright-eyed and chirpy, we were invited to join them for little donuts while waiting for the relevant people to clear the space for us to set up the buffet.All was well, Mother's Day = jovial mood, happykids running around. I was thinking, hmm if i belong to a church i want to belong to a church like this. Until we met two very rude men.

First man.
Because we had to wait awhile before they (their English service i assume, more on this later) clear the tables for us to set up the buffet, my mom had to park right in front of the canteen for awhile. Still, it wasn't too crowded and the other cars could easily have avoided our van if they were understanding enough. Queenstown Lutheran Church has a rather big carpark space.

This rude man in his 50s took a cab to church, and instead of alighting and walking maybe 7 steps more to the chapel, purposely asked the cabbie to go one whole round so that the cab ends up behind our parked van. Honk and honk. Okay no problem, we can always shift the van right?Obviously, shifting the van is not enough for the angry old man! Gesturing rudely in the cab before alighting, he chose to walk more than the 7 steps he originally had to, to my mom (who already hurriedly climbed into the driver's seat and was starting up the van to shift, and scolded her very loudly. Mommy rolled down the window to listen to his rants.

Old man 1: "Why you park your car like that?! Do you know it's wrong?!"
Mom: "Sorry. We are here to deliver food so we have to park here to unload the food. Sorry i will drive away now."
Old man 1: "SO WHAT? YOU SHOULD JUST QUICKLY UPLOAD AND DRIVE AWAY!"
Mom: "That's what i'm trying to do but you're stopping me here. What are you getting so angry for?"

Then mommy drove away. The man continued his rude hand gestures before turning to stare at me (because by then it was obvious that i was with mommy since i was looking at him embarassing himself throughout). I stared back and very nearly snapped "what's your fucking problem old man". I was this near, especially when i saw my mom's disappointed face. Finally that old fucker walked away and entered his chapel for the service he was already late for, but not before turning around to stare and flail his arms at me before he finally stepped inside for good. Wtf? He calls himself a Christian?

Second man.
Right so after old man 1 had disappeared for his service (which is wow such an irony), mommy finally came back again after doing a big U-turn outside the church. We stood around for 15mins more, waiting, just waiting for the English service church-goers to finish up so we could use the space. There was this nice old man who i assume is the sort of caretaker of the church. Mommy asked him if he could ask the 2 men who were the only ones left at the table in question to just shift so that we can place the food there. Such a simple question evoked volcanic scoldings from a very unchristian Christian.

Man 2: "What?! For what?"
Man 2: "Chinese side one ah? Not my business what! Tell them to wait lah English service people still here!"
Man 2 (turning to the friend he was talking to, who looked embarassed): "no what ask the caterer to wait lah! we pay the money what! it's like that one mah! it's not the time yet anyway. we are the customers what. ask them to wait lah!"

Wow! I din't know Queenstown Lutheran Church's Mandarin and English members are so hostile to each other. So is the food is for the Mandarin after-service, it is no business of the English members? Hmm. And what's with the WE PAY THE MONEY WHAT? So? That gives you the right to behave like that?

My mom just turned away and shook her head. In the end we shifted everything into the tiny kitchen and left our worker there to help shift them to the tables man 2 was at. We had to go deliver food to another customer elesewhere, and having waited for 1/2 an hour there, we were running late.

My point in typing this post is because i feel so angry! But i guess what's more important is the disappointment my mom feels. Herself a newly-baptised Christian, she has been very happy and contented at helping out at her church (New Life Bible-Presbyterian Church). On the way back, she asked me "Are Christians supposed to behave like that? Like that who will respect us? and where is their respect for God?"

I'm dunno if i am a Christian. I believe in God, but i am not fully bought into the religion yet. Sometimes i'm skeptical of Christians and their preaching because they do not practice what ther preach. Today's 2 rude men are good examples. But for someone who believes, like my mom, one can only feel shock and disappointment. I can think of statements like "does your God teach you to behave like that?" but my mom (and Jeanie) can't. These kinda Christians only make my skepticism more ingrained, and my mother's faith less credible to people outside the religion.

I'm not saying i'm perfect without any characteristic flaws. Of course i do, everyone does. But these 2 incidents today, were they necessary? And, we were in a church you know. Their church! I was just a visitor.

And no, i don't want to share a church with people like that. Rude. Arrogant. Inconsiderate. They disgrace God.

disclaimer: of course,we met many other nice people today in the church. To the people who belong to Queenstown Lutheran Church, i'm sorry i have to blog this. These two people i came across today are just too bloggable.

Nevertheless, Happy Mother's Day, mommy.