Why are y'all up so early?
I was dreaming about a rapping flamingo.
That little bird had skills.
That explains your sleep flapping.
Now, grab a muffin. We've got places to be.
Where are we going? And can I wear my pajamas?
'Cause I don't do business casual before 7:00 a.m.
No, Lay Lay, it is the fourth Sunday of the month,
which means--
We gotta get down, down, down
To the house of the Lord
So put on your Sunday best
We going to church to get blessed
Y'all definitely sound better than that rapping flamingo.
This church sure has you all in a great mood.
Yes, didn't your family go to church in Houston?
No, where I'm from, Sundays were for updates and rest mode.
Uh, she means her family would take the Sabbath off.
No!
The peach cobbler ice cream my mama made me.
Who did this to you?
I asked you all not to eat my ice cream.
You know my mama makes this special for me once a year.
Now which one of you disrespectful ice cream eaters
partook in my peach-y treat?
This sweet goodness is calling my name.
Whoa, is it hot in here?
The truth will come out.
Your stomachs might feel good,
but your hearts will feel heavy.
Lay Lay, wanna help me take out the trash?
Uh, we're not done talking about my ice cream.
I'm pretty sure we'll still be able to hear you outside.
Sorry about my dad.
Grandma's peach cobbler ice cream always makes him feel some kind of way.
It sounds good.
But I wouldn't know.
Whoa. Is it getting hot up in here?
I am burning up like your mother's cooking.
Shh!
Don't trash Mom's cooking on Sundays.
But tomorrow I'm here for it, right?
You're gonna love church, Lay Lay.
It inspires us to be the best versions of ourselves.
Really? I wanna be a better person.
I want that for you, too.
This is the Sunday that Deacon Gladys decides
if I get to be a junior deacon or not.
I'm get to assist the volunteers at church with their duties.
[laughs] You said "duties."
You can laugh but I really wanna be a junior deacon.
It combines two of the things I love most:
volunteering and organization.
I could also sing in the choir, but we both know that's not my calling.
There's singing? Well, that's my calling.
I can definitely do that.
Lay Lay, you can't just show up and sing on the first day.
You have to prove you can be an upstanding member of the church first.
Well, we'll see.
I can be really charming when I'm not being extra.
Mom, I don't think I can make it to church.
I'm not feeling so well.
Aw, you poor baby.
Let's get you comfy on the couch and I'll heat you up
some of my cranberry, mustard, and chicken feet soup.
No!
The Lord and I will handle this.
The church is just around the corner,
but I'll leave the security camera here so we can check on you.
Praise you.
And you can stream the service online.
But for us in-person saints,
we gotta leave 'cause thou shall not be late.
So sayeth the gospel of Mom.
Hey, where's Lay Lay?
I'm ready for church, y'all.
Well, He did say, "Come as you are."
Who said that? He don't know my life.
Trust me, little girl, He does.
Okay, people, if we leave now, we can still get the good seats.
So let's move, move, move.
Feel better, baby.
Thank you, Mother.
You ready for this epic watch party, Snap?
It's just me, you,
and Zombie Gut Splash: The Movie, The Gut Cut.
Thank you, Lord.
Oh, look at those hats.
Do they sell those here?
I was gonna wear my church hat,
but when the Lord lays your edges this good,
you gotta let them shine.
Welcome into this place
Welcome into this broken vessel
Wow, did they just hit a three-part harmony?
'Cause I want in on that.
That's some of our choir members welcoming everyone to church.
If I had some change, I'd tip 'em.
Oh, don't worry, baby. We take the folding money too.
Oh, Woody, I guess you're here to ask forgiveness
for the prices you're charging down at BoomBox, huh?
Lay Lay, I'm here to give thanks for y'all paying those prices at BoomBox.
Hello, Sister Sadie. It's good to see you.
Even if you are two minutes and fifteen seconds late.
I told you Deacon Gladys runs a tight ship.
And much like Noah and his ark,
if you ain't on time, you will get left behind.
Now, be a dear and hand out these programs
to the other saints who hit snooze one too many times.
Ma'am, yes, ma'am.
Well, well, well. Ha!
If it isn't the Alexanders, ha!
On their monthly visit, ha, ha!
And, uh, who might we have, ha, here?
Lay--ha! Lay.
It's her first time visiting, Pastor Brown.
She's still getting used to things.
That's why she's wearing that outfit.
Well, she's always welcome here.
Everybody, welcome Lay Lay.
Lay Lay
We hope you have a good day-day.
Day-day
If you see somebody you know, give them a hey-hey!
Hey, hey!
Wow, if the lobby is this lit,
I can't wait to see what church is like.
You not gonna sing what I say like you do for him?
No
Yeah, that water cleanses people of their guilt
and they come out feeling better.
Wow, fans with the headliner's face?
Pool that makes people feel better? I'm never leaving this place.
He's not the headliner, he's the pastor.
It's his job to teach and preach.
He got merch, he a headliner.
Saints, sinners,
those in between, good morning.
[all] Good morning.
Today we gon' talk about honesty.
My family needs to hear this
'cause someone's lying about my mama's ice cream.
Honesty is the path of the righteous.
Some of you might be hiding your truth.
But we gon' get it out of you. [laughs]
Ooh, all right. Great teaching and preaching.
Can we leave now?
It's just getting started.
I know we have those in here who bear false witness.
In other words, liars!
He is preaching today.
Sure is.
Am I doing something wrong? This fan is not working.
Somebody cooking in here?
Uh, oh, I'm overheating. This must be an avatar thing.
Ooh, we're gonna have some church up in here today.
The pastor is on fire today.
He sure is.
I'm Sadie's affirmation app
1,001, 1,002, 1,003.
Baby, do you mind counting in your head?
Count in my head? Who am I, a genius?
Dang, now I got to start over.
One, two, three…
Four.
I'm all counted.
Sister Sadie, your organizational skills are an asset to the community.
You have truly blossomed into quite the fine young lady.
Smart, sophisticated.
Silent.
Keep it up, Sadie,
and soon you'll be a junior deacon.
Oh, that would mean so much to me.
I could finally get in there and alphabetize all the hymnals.
Nine,
10, 11, 12.
That's it, I cannot sit next to Rain Man.
Be careful! Don't knock over the--
Velma, stay away from the light!
The bag hit her foot, not her head.
I think she triggered my gout.
Oh, not the gout.
What's the gout?
Take her to get some help.
You're counting those pennies now.
We can't watch
Zombie Gut Splash: The Movie, The Gut Cut
on an empty gut.
Time to make a delicious treat.
First ingredient, squished jelly bean guts.
Next up, sweet and sour candy eyeball.
And a little fruit punch blood.
And voila, a zombie soup.
Saints, do you know what time it is?
It's testimony time.
Anybody got some truth to say, come on down my way.
I've got something to share.
Please tell me this is not about the ice cream.
You know it's about the ice cream.
-Morning, saints. - Morning.
Today has been really hard for me.
I just found out that
someone ate the last of my mama's peach cobbler ice cream.
Oh, take your time, brother, take your time.
But being here has allowed me
to think about what I'm thankful for.
I'm thankful for my family, my wife.
I'm thankful to have a great addition to our home.
She's like a second daughter to me.
She's a sister to Sadie.
I'm grateful for Lay Lay.
Aw, man.
-You mean amen. -Amen.
Did you hear what he said?
The Alexander house guest has become family.
Whoo, my Lord is able!
[all] He is able.
Yes, able to make me feel worse than I already do.
Ooh, I better check on Marky.
My poor baby.
He's been asleep this whole time.
Let's do this.
I hope you went to the bathroom, fellas,
'cause it's movie time.
Truth is like ice cold water
washing over your hot, burning lies.
Oh, come on.
Oh, Lay Lay is feeling it.
You okay? You look sweaty.
Really? Is it noticeable?
The preacher's just getting to me.
Yeah, you might wanna get some water.
Yeah, I'm gonna find some water.
And a towel.
Alright, Sadie, this is how you become a junior deacon.
We have to fold all 500 church programs
for next week's service.
And by "we," I mean you.
500?
You took out two of my top program folders.
Someone's got to pick up the slack.
And by "someone," I mean you.
Oh, man, I sure hope Velma's okay.
Whatever happens, we'll do what needs to be done for these services.
And by "we," you mean me?
Look at you, catching on quick.
Good news, turns out Velma's gout was just a bunion.
Don't be talking about my feet, Woodrow.
Velma,
does that mean you can still do your solo with the choir?
Oh, no. This bunion is bad, baby.
I can't put no weight on my foot, which means I can't sway.
And if I can't sway, I can't sing.
Who's gonna take Velma's place?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Lay Lay wants to be in the choir.
I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kind of girl.
Sadie, if you don't have what it takes,
I can get Teresa to do it.
Now that girl cannot hold a note,
but she'll get that last junior deacon slot.
No, no, I can do it.
Junior Deacon Sadie, at your service.
That's our girl. How's your choir sway?
I guess it would look like this.
You got a bunion too, baby?
'Cause that is some low-rent choir swaying right there.
And now, saints, I'd like everyone
to turn to your neighbor and say,
"I'm so glad you came to church today."
Where is Lay Lay?
And now, as we come to a close,
I'd like to invite those who would like to be baptized
to come up and receive forgiveness.
Lord, have mercy.
I'm ready to receive forgiveness!
What were you doing in there?
Do you wanna get baptized?
I just wanted to cool off.
-What? - What?
Why are they so upset, Sadie?
Because, Lay Lay,
you can't just go swimming in the baptismal pool.
I had to cool off. I'm so hot.
I think it's an avatar glitch.
Avatar glitch? How hot are you?
Pretty hot.
Sweet James Brown!
You're so hot, you've already dried off.
Why is this happening?
I think it's because I feel guilty.
I ate your Dad's ice cream.
And now every time I think about it, I get hotter.
How do I fix this, Sadie?
Well, the only way to get over guilt
is to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness.
Luckily, you're in the perfect place to do that.
Here goes nothing.
Hey, Sister Britney was up all night printing those fans.
Pick my face up off the ground. Disrespectful!
Pastor Brown, I have something to say.
You hear that?
She has something she wants to say, family.
Um, I ate Mr. A's ice cream.
And I beg for forgiveness. Church, back me up.
Up.
Who among us can resist the temptation
of a peach cobbler ice cream scoop?
You know what I mean?
When the peach to crunch ratio is so good,
it makes you want to scream "Ha-Lay-Lay-Lujah!"
[all] Ha-Lay-Lay-Lujah!
What is happening in here?
You're witnessing church, Lay Lay style.
Being in this church made me realize
how important it is for me to speak my truth.
Mr. A, I'm sorry for eating your ice cream.
I appreciate your honesty, Lay Lay.
And I forgive you
for eating my mama's ice cream she made just for me.
I'm so thankful for Mr. and Mrs. A.
for welcoming me into their home.
And especially thankful for my best friend, Sadie.
She told me church would make me a better person
but she makes me be a better person every day.
Sadie, I cooled off. You were right.
I feel so much better now that I've told the truth.
I ate some of my dad's ice cream too!
Sadie Penelope Alexander!
Sorry, Dad.
Once you confessed, I knew I had to confess.
I had some of the ice cream too.
I'm sorry, baby.
That ice cream's the only thing I like about your mama.
Well, Snapper, hold on to your snappies
'cause it's Zombie Gut Splash time.
This isn't Zombie Gut Splash.
It's the livestream from church.
Bryce's mother made it special for him.
But I coveted that ice cream.
Mom's testifying?
I shouldn't have eaten it
but I have to set a good example for my children
and tell the truth.
After what you heard from me, I'm sure you don't want me to sing.
Sadie, if you were brave enough to testify in front of the congregation,
you can definitely sing for them.
Show them how a junior deacon does this.
-I got in? -For now.
Let's see how the song goes.
Well, if there are no other confessions
from the Alexander family that we used to respect--
I have to testify!
Ugh, you know what?
Y'all need to start coming up in here more than once a month.
I faked being sick so I can stay home and watch
Zombie Gut Splash: The Movie, The Gut Cut.
I was weak.
The poor, poor parents.
Well, at least he didn't say that he ate some of his daddy's ice cream.
I ate some of the ice cream too.
So I'm the only person who didn't get any ice cream?
Well, Sister Lay Lay, by you speaking your truth,
you have encouraged others to do the same.
We all fall short sometime.
Speaking of, it's time to go.
So, choir, if you will lead us with our benediction song.
It's over.
Pastor Brown, would it be okay if my friend joined us?
I don't see why not.
She's proven herself worthy.
Even though you did take an unauthorized dip
in my baptismal pool.
Finally.
Pastor, pass me that mic.
Joyful, joyful
Lord, we adore Thee
God of Glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above