[OP: "My Religion" -- Skillet.]

Many hands made light work. With everyone's help, laying the foundation and getting the first framework for the new buildings took only a couple hours.

Passersby would stop to watch for a bit and ask if this was the one that got burned down.

The Way members always answered them patiently, but the X-men began to find it grating.

"Couldn't they just mosey on?" Rogue said. "Ain't helping anything."

"They should stop gawkin' and actually do some work," Logan said.

Shine walked up carrying more supplies--sort of (various men on the sight kept offering to help her every time she picked up something, saying, "Let me carry that for you, ma'am," in a way that annoyed the X-women to listen to).

"Maybe she's got it, y'all," Rogue finally said to one.

"Oh..." he said. "Right.... It's just heavy."

"Thanks, Titus." Shine smiled, and he tipped his hat.

She frowned at Rogue. "He was just being nice."

"Well, yeah, but...ain't you supposed to be helpin'?" Rogue said. "I don't like to be manhandled, even by nice folk."

"Well, I can't bench press a tank, sweetie," Shine said, nudging the cement mixer closer to Storm. "Honestly, I'm barely keeping up. What were you griping about the people for?"

"They're being nosy," Logan sniffed, nailing something in place. "Not helpin'."

"I wouldn't be as hostile as all of you for anything," Shine said carelessly, starting to walk away.

Clearly she had meant that to be a throwaway comment, but they didn't care for it.

"Who's hostile?" Gambit tossed a card at her.

Shine caught it. It didn't explode. "Did you think I'd be scared?" She  dropped it. "I hope you don't let the good people here hear you talking about the citizens that way. They're just wondering. Why do you always talk about people as if they are up to no good?"

"'Cause, usually, they are," Logan said.

"I find that real ironic, Logan," Shine said dryly, "considering the source."

"Hey." Wally buzzed by. "You about ready yet, Wolf Man? We're ready to put up another section."

"I'd be ready if yer lady wasn't distractin' me by her talkin'," Logan sniffed.

"I'd say you were talking enough on your own without my help," Shine said archly.

"Perhaps we'd do better to talk about our work," Storm said.

Logan stopped complaining after that, since they all seemed ready to jump on it if he did. Rogue also buttoned it up.

Kurt was helping by poofing things to people and up to higher places. The Way's kids, who were hanging around, bringing water to people and otherwise pretending they were helping--but really their parents just couldn't find a babysitter--now thought he was the bee's knees. They actually would have worn him out by asking him to fetch stuff from up high, if their moms or older siblings hadn't stopped them.

A small knot of curious citizens had just lingered on the sidewalk to watch.... Maybe some of the young women there were just interested in all the younger men who were helping.

Every hour or so, someone had to go off and get to their work, and later someone else would arrive to help a bit.

"At this rate," Billings commented, wiping his brow with a dew-rag, "we'll be finished by Sunday. Might take a bit longer to air out the paint fumes, but it's a miracle. Your X-men friends are one blessing after another, Mr. West."

"Ah, they're okay," Wally said. "I think you guys are the real blessing. You know, I heard somewhere that the greatest joy in life is doing work worth doing with people you like."

"A paraphrase of something Teddy Roosevelt said, Hon," Shine said, walking by and tapping his shoulder.

Wally downed some water and an energy drink before commenting, "I knew it was someone."

"I like that," Billings said. "I also like 'we are God's fellow workers' from Ephesians."

"So how does God feel about people burnin' down a church?" Gambit heard that, and of course, he just had to bait him. "Don't seem a whole lot like He care. Or is able to stop it."

"On the contrary, young man--" Billings wasn't even sure who Gambit was, or if he was a mutant or not, and just talked to him the same as anyone else. "--I think God was granting us a blessing in disguise. Our little sanctuary burning down opened doors we never thought would open so soon. I had thought it would take a year to get the attention of the world at all to the mutant plight in the church. Instead it took less than 2 months. Your friends the Wests must be like visiting angels in disguise, because since I met them, it's one surprise after another. How do you know them, anyway? I've never seen you here before."

Gambit was speechless for a second, before saying, "Gambit an X-man."

"Oh? Oh, well, in that case, I am a big fan," Billings said. "Noble work you all do. I thought you looked a little familiar. Perhaps I've seen you on TV."

Gambit didn't care for this turn around. "Well, Gambit is pretty popular, mostly wid de ladies."

A hammer accidentally slipped out of Rogue's hand as she was flying overhead to hand something to one of the men on the roof and smacked Gambit in the shoulder.

Billings chuckled. "One lady in particular, I hope."

"Yeah, well...it a lot to handle." Gambit rubbed his shoulder.

"You're pretty popular with those ladies," Shine noted, glancing at some of the ones who were looking on. "Some friendly advice: Don't make eye contact if you want to keep your health while Rogue is around."

She smirked.

"Why don't you mind your own work and let Gambit alone," Gambit said.

"Don't shoot the messenger," Shine said. "Maybe I'm an angel, huh?" She laughed.

"I was being metaphorical," Billings said. "I'm sure you're a red-blooded human, Mrs. West, out here working like one. I never heard of an angel doing that."

"Well, you know, we were called guardian angels by one group of people," Shine said, "but the kind who'd think anything was an angel if it was halfway decent, so it wasn't very flattering. I have felt like the one with Gideon's army, though--telling people, no, it's too easy this way."

"I hope you never say that to me," Billings said, "because it's about as not easy as I think I can handle.... The Lord never tests us beyond our strength, I know, but that limit is always just barely within reach, so it feels."

Gambit made a scoffing sound.

Then he walked away.

"He's not part of the fold," Billings surmised.

"He's actually a huge skeptic," Shine said. "But he's a good person. I wish he believed that." She shrugged.

"Mrs. West...if it's not impertinent to ask...what is your relationship to the X-men?" Billings said. "What are you trying to do? Ministering to them, I assume. Are some of them Christians already?"

"They're seeking. One has faith, but lacks application," Shine said. "And the others, except for Kurt, are still wondering. I am trying and Wally too--and Kurt, even...but they are...very wary. You know how it is when people have mistreated you your whole life.... We started off gentle. I hoped if we showed them that some people can be loving and unselfish for faith, they would be more open to it. But I've never convinced one person on the basis of Christ being nice to them alone. It has to be personal. But if it removes some of the barriers, it's something."

"I will do my best to help you," Billings said. "And I can only imagine being sent as a missionary to heroes is a challenge."

"A...challenge?" Shine said oddly.

She didn't notice Mystique was listening...partly because Mystique had donned the shape of someone else at the moment.

"Yes," Billings said. "I remember when King was having his marches. I was at a few of those, in fact. It was an amazing time. You're too young to remember it well, I imagine, but for us old timers...well, you don't get a chance to be part of too many things like that in your life. Certainly, I never thought I'd get two. But I remember well how it felt to be the leader of a body in that time. You have to carry so much. People bring their worries to you, and you bring yours to God and God alone, at times. I was glad to be a married man. Anne and I kept each other steady in that time, and my good friends who were having their own suffering confided the same to me also. I'm sure Mr. King felt just the same...and I'm sure your X-men friends feel that too. To know what to say and how to help people who have so much on their shoulders, it's a rare gift. Cherish your chance, Shine."

Shine nodded, and then she said, "I rarely feel anyone understands it...but thanks, Mike.... This actually was something I needed to hear today." She wiped her eyes a bit. "I'm not sad, don't worry. It's just a relief."

"I've cried enough times over my parish to know the feeling, Ma'am, don't worry about me," Billings said. "I cried after the sanctuary burned, actually. A lot of good memories were in that building. But it was just a building."

"The Lord led us here." Shine was calmer now. "I know that. They won't stop us so easily."

"I want to have that intrepid spirit, Mrs. West. And may God grant it to us all," Billings said seriously. "We may need it.... Have you thought about our problem?"

"Yes...but so far, nothing," Shine said.

"Well, we have another week or so," Billings said. "So...plenty of time.... Perhaps I'll get a vision in the night." He chuckled. "Like Daniel...."

"Perhaps I'll see a general, like Joshua," Shine returned in kind. 

She grabbed a water and took it over to Wolverine. "Logan, time to re-hydrate."

"I'm fine," he said.

Shine tilted her head, then she smirked, and the tool disappeared from his hand and reappeared in hers.

"I'll trade you," she said, tossing him the water bottle. "No one's fainting on our watch."

"I don't need it," Logan said. "But if it'll get me my tool back faster..."

He drank about half.

Shine comprised. She tossed the tool back.

Storm laughed. "Neatly done, Miss Likstar. You won't find many people are more stubborn than Logan."

"I was more stubborn than Logan here when I was 4," Shine said snarkily. "But I like a challenge anyway. Whew, it's hot. I'd ask you to make it rain, but that would only get the wood and mortar wet."

"What were you talkin' to the Pastor about?" Rogue asked, sitting on the higher wall like she was a cat.

"Just about what it's like to be leaders," Shine said.

"What are you a leader of?" Mystique asked, now herself.

"Thankfully, not 30 teenagers," Shine said. "This has been a real cakewalk compared to that."

"I can imagine, though I don't think we made it so easy on you," Rogue commented. "We'll make up for it though. We'll have this place up in no time.... It's kind of fun, really. These people aren't so bad."

"'Cause we doin' dem a favor," Gambit commented.

"Oh, stop being negative," Morph said. "We're not being run off, and this is a public place. Isn't that pretty cool?"

"Oh, give it a chance," Mystique said. "I don't like the look of some of those rubberneckers over there."

They looked. She was right; a few less friendly looking people had joined the small throng.

"They won't do anything out in the open like this," Storm said.

"'Cause they never have before," Logan said warily.

Shine bit her lip. "Well, just ignore them and don't make eye contact. They want a target."

She was right, and that worked for a while, but at break time when a lot of the human workers had moved into the shade, and the X-men had avoided sitting with them and were gathered in one corner to talk amongst themselves, a few people got cocky enough to walk a little closer--careful not to get too close--and call a few slurs at them.

"Hey, are you muties getting religion now?" one called.

"I thought mutants didn't have souls," said another.

"Maybe they're just being made to. Maybe they're sabotaging it," said another.

"You hate normal people, don't you? What are you doing hanging around them?"

Logan crushed a soda pop can. "I'm about to go have a few words with those punks."

"If we react, it'll only encourage them," Storm said.

"Well, Gambit about to encourage dem one way or t'other," Gambit said.

"They are getting a little loud," Rogue said nervously.

Jubilee was over with some of the teens and kids, but she glanced at the mutant haters a little nervously. Then she got mad.

"Hey, leave them alone," she called. "They're trying to help rebuild a church. What's wrong with that?"

"Oh dear," Storm muttered. "Jubilee is always so reckless."

"What, are you one of 'em?" snapped one of the haters. "You look kind of like one. But you can't tell these days."

"That's just rude," Morph said.

Mystique shook her head. "And these are the people you devote your time to helping."

"Well, not them specifically, Momma," Rogue said. "But I could help them to jail maybe." She rubbed her fist.

"Vait." Kurt poofed in front of Jubilee, trying to help. "Do not use violence, ve beg of you. Enough has been done to these innocent people."

"Look! A demon!" the hater yelped. "He's one of them! And they call themselves Christians."

Wally frowned. "All right, that's it," he said.

He walked up and joined Kurt. "What about you? Do you call yourselves Christians?!" he shot back.

"Not particularly," said the hater.

"Well...I believe you." Wally wasn't sure what to say now.

"But you nice, church-going people shouldn't be letting that rubbish hang around you, spoiling your kids and polluting your congregation," said a differ hater.

More people were gathering at this outburst too, some who didn't look like they were on the mutants' side.

The ones who had just been watching were backing away and trying to slink off now.

"I don't see the church doing anything to stop this," Logan said.

The members, had, in fact, only just noticed that this disturbance was being hostile.

They looked at each other uncertainly, wondering if interfering would only make the crowd turn into a mob.

"I mean, aren't we all rubbish?" Wally shrugged, trying to smile winsomely.

One of them kicked a can at him spitefully.

"Why does this keep happening?" He dodged.

"Mr. Vest, it vill not be safe if they get any more menacing," Kurt said. "Vhat do ve do?"

"Oh...well, you see, Kurt, I'm really good with fans, but with angry mobs? I've kind of struck out a lot there," Wally said. "Shine almost got killed by one once, and I didn't even stop that in time..."

He actually looked kind of nervous, now that Kurt noticed. Maybe this was bringing back one too many bad memories for him.

"It's all right, Brother." Kurt got in front of him. "Ve vill face them peacefully."

"Boo, the mutie thinks he's going to protect a human?" jeered some of the others.

"Hey," one of the more neutral onlooker said, "leave them alone. They aren't hurting you."

The jerks turned to look at her. "You on their side, mutant lover? You know it's their fault this happened."

"I thought it was terrorists," she said meekly.

"Oh, please, you believe that? The mutants probably just did it and blamed the FOH for it," said the one.

"Uh, I literally met the guy who was behind it. He's an FOH member," Wally offered.

"Well, maybe mutants are dangerous, then," the person was undaunted. "Look at them," glancing at the X-men. "They can flatten us. How can you feel safe with people like them around?"

"Why, those--" Logan began to move.

Storm grabbed his arm like a vice. "Listen, Logan, they're already on edge. No sudden movement."

Rogue shook her head. "Hey, we don't want to hurt you!" she called. "We just want to be left alone."

"If you want to be left alone, go back where you came from!" they shouted. "Why do you need to bother us?"

"We just want to coexist," Storm tried, "not be a menace."

"Yeah, like the ones who keep attacking people aren't menaces," they said. "You're all like that, violent, like animals."

"You want to see animal?" Logan growled.

"Pipe down, Logan," Rogue said. "They'll be on us in a minute if you don't knock it off."

"They'll be on us in a minute anyway," Logan said.

"Shine?" Morph said. "Are you going to do something?"

Shine had been watching this in silence.

"Oh, sure, she should jus' go talk to 'em. Maybe she'll make dem cry," Gambit said.

Shine pressed her mouth into a thin line. "I think Wally is having a hard time. Rogue, would you please get them out of there? Kurt may be too tired for three people."

"All right, but I don't know what'll happen if I move," Rogue said.

"Carry me over there, then it'll look all right," Shine said.

Rogue picked her up and flew her. The people backed up a bit, but Shine was right--they weren't sure what to make of it.

"Another mutant?" they guessed.

"No," Shine said.

"Shine..." Wally said, "don't do this again...please."

Shine shot him a sympathetic glance. "Someone has to, Babe."

"Come on." Rogue grabbed him and Jubilee. "You look about as scared as a minnow in a pond of frogs."

"A what?" Wally said blankly. "And, hey, put me down."

"She's kidnapping him!" one of the people said.

Rogue put him down, not sure what to do now. "I was just tryin' to help..."

"Witch!" they said, shaking their fists angrily.

Billings and Anne and a few other members were joining them. 

"What do we do, Mike? If they get any more worked up, the people are going to leave," Anne said.

"Well, if we have to to be safe," Mike said.

Shine stared at the mutant haters, right in the eyes...till finally, they couldn't take it anymore, and they said,

"Well, what you gonna do, sing something?"

And one spit at her.

Shine tilted her head, and then she, in fact, did start to sing. Quietly at first, but then more loudly.

https://youtu.be/CDdvReNKKuk

["Amazing Grace" - uploaded by Gary Downey.]

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see!'

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved! How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed! 

 Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. 'Tis grace hath brought me safe, thus far, and grace will lead me home. 

 When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."

When she began, they were too stunned to do anything, and then they were frozen, silently.

At the third verse, suddenly Billings and Anne caught on, and they joined her, and so did several other of the church members.

Even Kurt was singing. He knew this one well.

They repeated the first verse at the end.

Maybe it was the fact that so many people singing reminded the mutant haters that they were outnumbered, or maybe it was the immense calm and lack of fear of the people in front of them, but they slowly started to back up, and then they muttered some curses and walked away.

Shine let out a sigh. "Well...that was intense." She looked at the others and smiled weakly. "No rocks at least."

Billings laughed, but Wally looked ready to pass out. "I can't believe you did that.... I mean, it was awesome, but..."

"A miracle," Kurt said. "A Gott-ordained miracle.... Their anger melted, did you see? It vas like they saw they vere threatening us."

"Honest truth? I got that idea from someone else's story," Shine said. "And it came to me.... For some reason, singing praises seems to diminish anger. That was the easiest time I've ever had with it. We should get back to work now."

The X-men were gaping.

Storm let go of Logan's arm finally. "Well...I guess she's right. Let's get back to work."

"Yeah..." Rogue said oddly. "Y'know, I think I heard that song before.... It's real famous, ain't it?"

Shine came and picked up a tool. "It was written by John Newton, one of the largest spokespersons for ending the slave trade in Britain. I believe he had a big influence on William Wilberforce. It's made into a big movie in the future...but what I found the most compelling about Newton's tale was that he used to be a slave trader. He went on the ships and took the kidnapped people from Africa and sold them."

They stared at her.

"You're kidding," Gambit said.

"Not at all. But after one voyage, he became a Christian and then a pastor and devoted his life to ministry. He wrote that song because he knew he'd been the worst kind of sinner. The story is immortalized for me as one example that people are not irredeemable just because they act inhuman." She smiled. "And bigotry is not a sin you can't be delivered of. All things are possible with God. With grace."

She walked up to Wally and hugged him. "Nothing happened, okay?"

Wally patted her hair. "Yeah...I'll be okay. I just...don't normally freeze up like that."

"You still protected Kurt," Shine said. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. We all hesitated."

"I must try that strategy the next time I have a difficult meeting, Mrs. West," Billings called. "I think I can tell the congregation it's all right now."

Some of them had hidden in the one classroom, taking the kids with them. Probably wise.

"Shake it off," Anne told the others. "We've seen worse than that. They're gone now. We have work to finish."

"Yes, Ma'am," they said.

They did shake it off fairly well, but the X-men found themselves having a lot more trouble accepting how it had gone.

"It's almost like we're not necessary," Storm commented. "Like using our powers to stop these things...it doesn't really need to work that way."

"There're plenty of times power is the only thing that talks," Logan said. "We got lucky today."

"I don't know, 2 out of 3 times it really seems like there's another way." Rogue leaned on one plank. "Maybe we're a little quick to the trigger. And never have thought to sing."

"Because it stupid," Gambit said. "No idea why dat worked. Maybe dey superstitious about attacking people at a church."

"Gambit, I do wonder--just how long are you going to keep dismissing everything as luck?" Storm said. "At what point, I ask, do you concede that something about all this moves people? More than..." She trailed off.

"More than what, Sugar?" Rogue asked.

"More than we ever have," Storm said it. Finally, what she'd been thinking for weeks.

But it still shocked them all.

"You think all dis matter more dan years of our fighting for it?" Gambit was mad. "Dat a few things going okay means dat dey got it right, and we wrong?"

"I didn't say that," Storm said, frowning. "But I can't avoid the inevitable conclusion that something about this is working. Morlocks open up to it, a church made a charity for mutants, people are allowing us to come to it, people are donating to help rebuild it after the attack, and now, people are walking away from us, without laying a finger on us, because of a song and a lot of courage. I don't think a tropical storm would have had the same effect, unless it was out of fear. Have we just been missing something this whole time?"

"You sound a little different, Storm," Rogue said oddly. "This don't sound like you."

"I think it does," Logan said, surprisingly. "Storm is just sayin' the obvious. Anyway, violence ain't never been 'er way to solve things. Makes sense this is appeals to 'er."

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Storm said.

"No," Logan said. "Maybe it takes more strength not to use violence." He stared at his hands. "But it's the only way some of us know."

"Why..." Storm was actually quite flattered, but also saddened, by this admission.

"That's crazy talk," Gambit said. "If we get soft, you know what happen to us. Same thing dat happen to dem poor fools at Genosha and everywhere else dere are mutants in public."

"You know, Storm is right," Jubilee said. "I mean, Gambit, I get it, but these people are nice...really. I've talked to some of them. They're friendly.

"Do dey know you're a mutant?" Gambit asked.

Jubilee bit her lip. "Well...maybe..."

"Maybe? So no?" Gambit said. "People like dis say dey care, but dey really don't."

"What about Kurt's friends?" Rogue said. "They cared about him."

"After dey nearly kill him."

"Not all of them did. Maybe some of them are nice," Rogue said.

Morph shook his head. "You just never know with humans."

"All of you are fools," Mystique commented. "The church wants to look like heroes, that's all. You've got them publicity. They'll drop you once you're no longer of use. It always happens that way."

"You're wrong, Mother." Kurt surprised them by hopping down from the roof.

Mystique backed up.

"All of you are wrong," Kurt said. "Yes, some humans vere using us, but these kind people vere helping us before anyone knew about it and suffered for it. They have not gained a lot. You see, the same fame that you think benefits them also puts them in danger. They are bearing their cross like ve are. And vhatever your personal feelings about humans in general are, it doesn't benefit you to look down on ones who are doing their best. Not everyone in the vorld is either mutant or human-loving. Things are not so black and vhite. Some people just vant to do right by everyone."

He was a bit agitated, for him.

"And if you all are too blind to see that, I must pray for your souls even more. For if the X-men are so quick to turn avay from humans, even in their hearts, who are helping them, vhat can I expect from the other mutants out there? It frightens me."

He shook his head.

"Kurt," Storm said sadly, "that is not what I think."

"I know, Fraulein. Your heart has opened," Kurt said. "I've seen it. But I fear for the rest of you. You are...so hard, sometimes. Much as I care for you, I vonder, if I vas not blue and a mutant like you, vould ve ever have become friends?"

"Well...but...of course, as mutants, we're like family right off," Rogue said. "I mean, we are family too, kind of..."

Mystique winced.

Kurt looked Rogue right in the eye. "Every member of the Body of Christ is my family, Sister--in some vays, more than you are, though I am grateful for you. But ve are one in our faith, and our hearts are focused on Gott, and that is a bond even beyond family. If you cannot accept them, I do not think you accept me either. I vill not have anger over this on my own behalf, but I am saddened."

Rogue looked very upset. "I.... Kurt...I didn't..."

Kurt poofed away. "I must continue to help them," he said.

"Anyone else feel like dog doo doo right now?" Jubilee said miserably.

They all were quiet.

Over the silence, they heard some of the members had started singing another song.

One part, the bridge, they were singing louder:

"Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like You have loved me.

"Break my heart for what breaks Yours! Everything I am for your kingdom's cause, as I walk from Earth into Eternity..."

https://youtu.be/NoM0AT8fBvs

[Hosanna-Hillsong. Love this song. It is an anachronism though. But technically, the show's technology is futuristic anyway, so I don't have to be a stickler for accuracy]