Father Michael was walking through the church one summer afternoon when he noticed Sister Agnes fanning herself furiously.
“Goodness, Sister,” he said, “it’s hot in here. Why don’t you turn the thermostat down?”
Sister Agnes smiled and replied, “Father, every time I touch that thermostat, Mrs. Henderson calls the office within five minutes to ask why the church feels different.”
Father Michael laughed. “Surely it can’t be that bad.”
Determined to prove his point, he quietly lowered the temperature by two degrees.
Exactly four minutes later, the church phone rang.
Father Michael answered.
A voice said, “Father, is Sister Agnes there?”
“Yes, why?”
Mrs. Henderson replied, “Because somebody touched the thermostat, and I know it wasn’t her.”
Father Michael was stunned.
The next day he raised the temperature by two degrees.
Three minutes later, the phone rang again.
Mrs. Henderson said, “Father, tell whoever is playing with that thermostat to stop.”
Father Michael asked, “How in the world do you always know?”
Mrs. Henderson chuckled.
“Father, after thirty years in this church, I don’t notice the thermostat.”
“No?”
“No. I notice when Sister Agnes suddenly starts carrying a fan.”
Moral: In every American family—and every church—there’s always one person who knows absolutely everything that’s going on. 😄
