Beauty From Ashes

Prologue

New York City.

A black van is driving through the rural parts of the city. Two people are sitting in the back while another man drives them.

"Ooookay, we have less than 20 minutes until they start."

"I think I've got everything. Walter, any sign of the building?"

"Nothing yet, Mrs. Griffin."

"Okay....okay....."

Then as soon as they make a turn.
"Wait, stop. Stop! There it is! We're just a couple blocks away, we found it!"

The van pulls back out and drives forward past a few blocks. The van stops in front of a massive tall church, white mixed with gold patterns on the sides, decorated with multiple crosses, including a sculpture of a cross on top of the roof. The top structure of the building almost resembles the frontal view of a crown, and the parking lot on the opposite side of the road is completely packed.

The two people in the back of the van step out. A man and a woman.
The woman is African American and fairly short brown eyes, long black layered, curly hair, wearing a blue jacket and a green scarf, eagerly rushes out to the front of the steps, while a taller Caucasian man wearing a red beanie, and a tan jacket with black-white flannel underneath pulls out a tripod and a camera out of the backseat and the trunk.

The man driving the car, a slightly older man with grey hair, peeks his head out the window to the man in the back."I'm gonna turn Simon on the radio while I explore. You guys can call me when you're done here, Sidney."

"Kay. Thanks, dad."

The father begins to drive away, leaving the man and the woman alone. They both spend a couple minutes arranging their mics and setting up filming equipment as a small group of people begin walking up the steps right past them.

"Okay. That should be everything we need for the start."

"Alright, we've got 15 minutes! You ready?!"

"Have I ever not been ready?" The man turns on the camera. "And this episode will start in, three, two-!" Before he says one, he points to the woman while filming her.

The woman pulls a microphone out of her pocket. "Blessed is the DAY that the LORD has made!! Good morning everyone and welcome to FirstStar! I'm your host, Tamara Griffin. This is the first Sunday of May and I'm currently standing outside the front door of NYC's Church of the Rock. Ever since first opening its doors to the public little over a year and a half ago, this has immediately become one of the most popular and well-received churches in, not only the state of New York but all of the states in general. And today, the lead Senior Pastor, Simon H. Cosgrove, has invited us to join their service and we are so excited to step inside, meet all of the leaders who have given this church the status it currently has, and witness how God has been moving in this state through these people. Stay tuned for more as we enter the house of the Lord. As always, please be sure to follow us on all of the names on the screen, pause the footage to read them, you all know the drill! So let's sit back and MOVE IN!!"

"And cut!" The man turns off the camera and picks up the tripod. "I hope that enthusiasm wasn't just the coffee."

"Very funny. I've just read so many things about this place, and I'm ready to dive into everything." She picks you her bags and gestures to the man as she begins walking up the steps. "Well c'mon! Let's go, Richards!"

"Coming!"

They enter the church, and find possibly hundreds of people wandering the lobby and the hallways. The interior is already MUCH larger and wider than how it looks from the outside.