I'm building Gundams in America

The congregation of the Church of the Gospel Witness primarily comes from the nearby middle-class community.

The church was already decorated for the Christmas celebrations.

Christmas in Protestant evangelical churches centers on commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. The overall atmosphere is solemn, with worship as the core, and secular elements such as Santa Claus are downplayed.

So when Wayne brought Mike, David, and the others to the church, they found that the choir, made up of children from the community, was already ready.

Meanwhile, a Christmas tree was placed at the left front of the church, symbolizing eternal life and Christ as the light of life.

To the right front, a manger scene (Nativity) was set up, and some believers were ready to play Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the Magi.

Of course, the role of Jesus is played by an infant, and the performance here is based on the story of Jesus' birth in a manger, emphasizing the essence of religion.

Throughout the church, there were also many candles, wreaths, and poinsettia decorations.

Seeing the scene before him, David couldn't help but purse his lips and mutter:

"Compared to the Christmas Eve decorations on Saints Street, the decorations here, though more upscale, lack a damn human touch. Everything here is too fake. If I were Jesus, I wouldn't want to be born in a glittering manger."

As they were speaking, Pastor Martin had already come forward and quickly arranged for Wayne and the others to sit in an empty seat. With a standard American smile, he explained to Wayne:

"Mr. Wayne, our church can only hold a maximum of three hundred people. There are far too many parishioners today, many of them coming with their families. Therefore, due to limited space in the church, your friends may not be able to enter the church to celebrate Christmas together..."

Wayne nodded slightly and said:

"Of course, Martin, my friend, it's not your fault that the church is small. Remember what I told you? The Church of the Witness is far too small. You deserve those cathedrals that can hold thousands of people."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Pastor Martin on the shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Pastor Martin was momentarily stunned.

He originally wanted to comfort the other person, but unexpectedly, the other person comforted him instead.

He forced a smile and said:

"Thank you for your... well wishes, and thank you for your trust..."

He knew in his heart that even on Christmas, the church would not be this full.

The reason there are so many people today is largely because the elders specifically mobilized the church members to fill the seats, so that Wayne's followers wouldn't come in large numbers.

Now, the majority of the church members are those who originally belonged to the Church of the Witness for the Gospel; it is the elders' domain.

Although he didn't know what the elders, led by Danny Foster, wanted to do, Reverend Martin knew in his heart that Wayne was definitely in danger.

It's even possible that he'll be completely disgraced and become a laughingstock.

As for joining the council of elders and becoming an elder, don't even think about it.

As the pastor of the Church of the Testimony of the Gospel, he really didn't want to get involved in this conflict and was about to leave immediately, but then he heard Wayne ask in a deep voice:

"Who are those people? They don't seem to be from our church."

The way he said "we" was so natural that it startled Pastor Martin.

He glanced at the people Wayne had mentioned and saw several elders of the council chatting and laughing with them.

He quickly explained:

"Although our Church of the Witness is a small church, the elders on the board of elders have a good relationship with other evangelical churches. Therefore, many large churches will send representatives to attend important events..."

"That's Deacon George from Harvest Festival Church. He brought more than a dozen members of Harvest Festival Church with him... The other one is Elder Ryan from Seattle Grace Church, and Deacon Eli from All Spirits Church..."

Wayne nodded slightly.

Many activities among these Protestant evangelical churches are interconnected, representing a form of interaction and solidarity within the Protestant evangelical community as a whole.

Deacon George of the Harvest Festival Church?

It looks very familiar.

It seems he was the one who led a church tour group to humiliate homeless people on the street and got beaten up last time.

He was also the one who asked the Church of the Gospel Witness to report the Saints Gang to the ICE.

Unexpectedly, the other party came to us on their own.

Judging from the demeanor of elders like Danny Foster, Richard, and Dylan, they were clearly up to no good.

Fortunately, I was also full of malice.

"Sir, these bastards didn't even come to greet you; it's extremely rude of them, I..."

White's eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid. He whispered to Wayne.

Wayne said calmly:

"What are you going to do? Kill them all? On Christmas Day? In the church?"

White immediately deflated and whispered:

"But...but I just can't stand their disrespect for you...God, I'm going crazy..."

This is worse than killing him.

Wayne patted White on the shoulder and said:

"If you crave killing, that day will come; until then, just wait."

The church was already full of people when Pastor Martin stepped onto the pulpit and began to announce the official start of the Christmas activities.

The choir then began singing Christmas carols, including songs such as "Joy to All," "Come to Worship," and "Silent Night."

After the chanting is finished, Pastor Martin will lead the reading of the Nativity verses (Luke 2 and Matthew 1-2).

Next, Pastor Martin began his sermon, on topics such as "The Meaning of Christ's Incarnation" and "God's Love and Redemption."

After the sermon, the Apostles' Creed was read and a collective prayer was held.

Having done all this, Pastor Martin, as if he had accomplished some difficult task, cleared his throat and said:

"Fellow believers, on this holy day, there is another important matter that needs to be decided by a vote at the general assembly..."

As he spoke, he pointed at Wayne and continued:

"This Mr. Bruce Wayne wants to join the elders' council of the Church of Evangelical Witness and become a church elder. I think many of you may not be very familiar with Mr. Wayne..."

At this point, Pastor Martin cleared his throat and continued:

"Let me introduce you... Mr. Wayne is a... street psychic, and you may have all heard the legend of that street saint..."

"It is said that he has long performed exorcisms and bestowed blessings on the streets for the homeless and citizens of the underprivileged communities, and possesses...some power."

"At the same time, as a generous church member, Mr. Wayne has already donated $1 to the church, and at the charity gala the day before yesterday, he generously donated $2..."

Regardless, Wayne had information about his extramarital affair, and at this time he had to show friendliness towards the other party, or at least make a supportive gesture.

Whether others buy it or not is none of his business.

What he said was all evasive and ambiguous, lacking any substantial content.

This would only make the congregation, who knew nothing about Wayne, even more suspicious.

Pastor Martin then said loudly:

"Now, fellow believers, the assembly of the Church of the Testimony of the Gospel is now beginning. Please cast your holy vote."

As expected, most of the people in the church looked at Wayne in astonishment, wondering who this person who suddenly appeared and wanted to become a church elder was.

Although some members of the congregation knew something about Wayne, they had never actually met him and had only heard rumors, so they were still somewhat unsure.

After all, according to the normal procedure, to become a church elder, one must spend at least a year or two in the church and get to know everyone before making a decision.

Old Will frowned and whispered to Wayne:

"Sir, something's not right... Should we call everyone over?"

This is not Saints' territory; they are outnumbered.

This is clearly a despicable tactic by the church's elders.

Just then, a somewhat shrill voice suddenly rang out:

"I object!"

Everyone immediately turned to look and saw that the one who spoke was none other than George, the deacon of the Harvest Festival Church, who was sitting in the front row!

At this moment, George still had a band-aid on his nose, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he was missing two front teeth, causing a slight lisp, but the hatred in his eyes as he looked at Wayne grew even stronger.

He then stood up and said in a loud voice:

"A medium? Those who serve the Lord wouldn't have mediums! I suspect this Mr. Wayne is a heretic!"

These words caused an uproar among the people in the church.

George then continued:

"I have also heard rumors about this Mr. Wayne, who claims to be a saint, the Messiah incarnate, the righteous man of our time, and a prophet sent from heaven! Fellow believers, would you really believe that?"

The congregation members present couldn't help but whisper among themselves, and the entire church was filled with noise.

Many people only have a vague understanding of Wayne's existence as a saint, and upon hearing so many titles, their first thought is that he is far too arrogant.

That's really unlikely.

Meanwhile, the elders of the Church of the Testimony of the Gospel sat there like clay or wooden figures, saying nothing and making no statement.

In this situation, silence is a form of support.

"Although I am not a member of your church, as a fellow believer in the gospel, I cannot bear to see the members of the Church of the Testimony of the Gospel being manipulated by a fraudster," Deacon George continued.

"As far as I know, this Mr. Wayne is not a saint, a righteous man, or a prophet; on the contrary, he is a mob godfather, a violent crime boss who controls an entire neighborhood!"

"He once ordered his thugs to violently beat the Harvest Festival Church's visiting delegation, seriously injuring several members of the delegation. One woman even lost her job and had to leave the church as a result."

"He just got out of prison!"

The people in the church immediately gasped in surprise again.

Could a gang leader, a man just released from prison, really be some kind of saint?

Moreover, many people felt that the parish of the Harvest Festival Church was far away from here, and there was no way that the two sides could have any interaction. They believed that Deacon George would not expose Wayne because of personal grudges.

Clearly, it was out of a sense of justice that they couldn't bear to see them deceived by this Wayne.

Meanwhile, the elders of the church council remained silent, seemingly confirming everything George had said.

The way everyone looked at Wayne instantly turned suspicious, doubtful, and even angry.

Then Deacon George continued:

"Bruce Wayne, since you consider yourself a saint and believe you possess the ability to exorcise evil, then today, right here in this sacred temple, you can exorcise evil for the believers I have brought."

"They are all members of the Harvest Festival Church, a group of kind and righteous people."

"Since you believe you are favored by God and possess divine abilities, then show us."

"Let's see if you're a true saint or a shameless fraud!"

I'm going to ruin your reputation!

You have encountered a provocation from a fallen deacon of the Dark Church in the dungeon. Defeat him in honor, and you will receive a reward.