Red Hook Summer Page #3

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Know why?

Why?

'Cause of a light bulb.

See, a child has an asthma attack at night,

somebody calls 91 1

and the EMS guys spend 1 5 minutes

spinning around the projects

trying to find the address.

Because they can't see it.

And by the time they find it,

the poor child is dead.

You wanna take a picture of dead things,

then you in the right place.

Welcome to the big leagues.

SlLAS:
I don't wanna be here.

l wanna go home.

You just got here.

Come here.

Take a look out there.

Look at everything God made for you.

That tree.

That bird.

Sister Sweet.

(CALLlNG BlRDS)

She feeds those birds every day

before she goes to work.

Pushes herself to the subway.

Now, that's 1 5 blocks.

Mother Darling,

out there preaching the gospel every day.

Her gospel,

but any word is better than none.

Both their sons died ofAlDS.

And look at them.

Still doing God's work.

Now that's inspiration, son.

Red Hook is a window to the world.

A window to God's inspiration.

You can't find no better place to see it

on this God's Earth.

That's not what Deacon Zee said.

Well, Deacon Zee is confused.

(PLAYlNG A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS

ON ORGAN)

(SlNGlNG) A IittIe taIk with Jesus

makes it right

All right

A little talk with Jesus makes it right

All right

Troubles of ev'ry kind

Thank God l'll always find

That little talk with Jesus makes it right

My brothers, l remember

When l was a sinner lost

l cried, "Have mercy, Jesus"

But still my soul was tossed

Till l heard King Jesus say

"Come here, l am the way"

And a little talk with Jesus makes it right

A little talk with Jesus makes it right

All right

Troubles of ev'ry kind

Thank God l'll always find

That little talk with Jesus makes it right

A little talk with Jesus makes it right

All right

Talking about troubles of ev'ry kind

Thank God l'll always find

That little talk with Jesus

Makes it right, all right

ENOCH:
Hallelujah.

Thank you, Jesus.

Hallelujah.

WOMAN:
Amen! Thank you, Jesus. (WHOOPS)

Oh, l'm standing here

with an attitude of love.

ALL:
Yeah!

l'm standing here with

an attitude of gratefulness.

ALL:
Amen!

Oh, thank God.

ALL:
Thank God!

-l thank God for the rain.

-ALL:
Yes!

-l thank God for the white snow.

-ALL:
Yeah!

l thank God for the red heat.

(ALL WHOOPlNG)

Ooh, it's hot up in here, ain't it?

-ALL:
Yeah!

-(ORGAN PLAYlNG)

Oh, it's hot up in here.

-lt's hot all over the city.

-ALL:
Yes, it is.

-Record heat!

-ALL:
Yeah!

Ain't it record... lt's record heat!

-ALL:
Yeah!

You know, just 1 2 blocks from here,

down there at Brooklyn Terminal.

ALL:
Uh-huh!

Those cruise ships are docked

blowing out thick black smoke,

giving our children asthma

and whatever else

they can poison the air with.

-For them folks, it's cool down there.

-MAN:
Uh-huh.

Would that somebody walk on down there

to the Queen Mary 2 and say,

(CLlCKlNG TONGUE)

"Excuse me.

(ALL LAUGHlNG)

"Would y'all mind turning off them engines,

"because it's hot in the Hook?

(ALL AGREElNG)

"Or give us some of that cool you got."

ALL:
Yeah!

Right?

But, you know,

we live in a world of "should not be."

(ORGAN PLAYlNG)

lt should not be

that little girls from around here

go to school at 1 2 years old

with classmates who are pregnant.

lt should not be!

(ALL AGREElNG)

And then they sit

in classrooms of 40 or more,

and have four different teachers in one year,

because the teachers keep quitting.

lt should not be!

(ALL AGREElNG)

lt should not be that radio and television

and videos and movies

define who our boys are.

(ALL AGREElNG)

lt should not be!

So they put gold in their mouths.

They wear pants that don't fit.

They paint their bodies in tattoos,

so the only job they can get

is pro ball or rap.

lt should not be!

You know,

these projects are full of baby mamas.

(CROWD MURMURlNG)

Yes.

And there's a difference... Listen to me now.

There's a difference between a baby mama

and a single mother.

-ALL:
Amen!

-Yes.

A single mother is

trying to be with her baby.

(ALL AGREElNG)

But a baby mama is

trying to be with whomever else

she can be to forget

that she got a baby at home.

(ALL AGREElNG)

And then the baby's gotta deal with

the boy that the baby mama

brings back to the crib.

And he a baby himself,

calling himself a man.

He ain't no man!

And Grandma's raising them all.

When she should be retired,

after a life of long and hard work.

-Slaving from can't see in the morning...

-(ORGAN WAlLS)

-...to can't see at night!

-(ORGAN WAlLS)

And it should not be!

(ORGAN PLAYlNG)

But, oh, my God is a great God.

-(ALL AGREElNG)

-(PEOPLE CLAPPlNG)

These young folks,

they don't know theyselves!

But, look here, turn to Luke 9:55-56.

lt says, "Ye know not

what manner of spirit ye are of.

"For the Son of man is come

not to destroy men's lives,

"but to save them."

(ALL AGREElNG)

All you got to do is come to Jesus.

(ALL AGREElNG)

And be saved.

(ORGAN PLAYlNG)

You know, you won't have

to worry about no gold teeth.

No loose-fitting pants.

No Queen Mary 2.

-We got our king. Jesus. Jesus!

-(ALL AGREElNG)

And he'll air-condition your soul!

He'll set you what? Free!

Yes, he will!

He will set you free!

Deacons, Deacons,

bring up the mourning bench.

Mmm. Mmm-hmm.

(CONGREGATlON CHATTERlNG)

ENOCH:
Mmm-hmm.

Thank you, Deacons.

lt's that time, y'all. On your feet.

There's somebody here

-who needs God.

-ALL:
Yes.

There's somebody in this holy sanctuary

who needs Jesus in their life.

Come on, now. Step up!

Come on.

You need Jesus.

-Who does that person need?

-ALL:
Jesus!

Jesus in your life.

(ALL AGREElNG)

l can't move this person.

l can't tell this soul

to take Jesus into its heart.

That's gotta come from inside.

ALL:
Yes.

Jesus.

(ORGAN PLAYlNG SOFTLY)

Oh Jesus, let's hear some noise now.

(ALL CHEERlNG)

All right, y'all, be seated, be seated.

lt's time for that love offering.

We gotta keep this church going now.

We only want that stuff that folds.

Come on now, don't hold out on the Lord.

We wanna bring new folks to the church.

You know, the church,

it seems to get empty day by day,

year by year.

How can we bring these people back?

Come on, y'all, tell me.

What do you want for this church?

What would help you?

Please, somebody, speak up.

-We need a ramp.

-ENOCH:
Oh!

Sister Sweet says she wants a ramp!

Now, how we gonna

get Sister Sweet a ramp?

-We need a love offering.

-(CONGREGATlON APPLAUDlNG)

We need a ramp!

You embarrassed me.

You need Jesus in your life, son.

lf you in pain, he'll heal you.

lf you got any suffering,

Jesus is your salvation.

Colleen didn't bring you up in the church?

No.

Sister Shirley says somebody's been

gnawing at the Sunday school snacks.

Know anything about that?

l know about a big dead rat down there.

Do you now?

Ten packs of potato chips.

Now, is that a rat or a pig?

-l don't know!

-(SlGHS)

Let me tell you

about your late Granmama Zimmie.

She was a rocket.

She'd come into church

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