Bat Sunday

I have never seen a minister so completely upstaged, as ours was this morning. Our resident church bat is usually very quiet and sleeps through most events, but during this morning’s sermon the bat decided it was exercise time. The bat started circling up near the ceiling at first, and then started swooping and diving down near the pews. The congregants gave their complete attention to the bat, with several shrieks as bat swooped dangerously close. The minister suggested some appropriate music might make batty go into hiding. The organist played “All Creatures Great and Small.” The bat kept swooping. Then several folks stared trying to catch the critter. Coats were thrown into the air and people were jumping and running after the flying rodent. Bat finally flew into a small hallway behind the pulpit and the minister whipped off his clerical robe and blocked it in the hall while another man finally captured our bat with his coat. Bat was released outside into the falling snow. The sermon was forgotten. We did have a baptism immediately after the bat capture. I have been to bat mitzvahs before, but this was the first bat baptism.