The Weight of an Empty Room

Marcus Webb had written his resignation letter three times. The small congregation in Huntsville had dwindled to thirty. The budget was nearly gone. His faith felt thin and performative. On a Tuesday morning in January, he slipped into the empty sanctuary to collect a few books from the pulpit — nothing ceremonial, just an exit. The old pipe organ had been left running from Monday's choir rehearsal, and a single sustained note hummed through the floorboards beneath his feet.…