Figaro!!!

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Character Week continues...
I cannot remember when it happened.  I know we were in the van coming back from somewhere, and I seem to recall that it was late.  The van was fairly quiet (for a church van on a youth group trip) when a voice rang out like a shot in the wilderness-  FIGARO!!!!  FIGARO, FIGARO, FIGARO!!!!   I remember questioning who our opera singer was, only to get back one of the most stunning responses ever- Andrew Rogers (pictured at right with Jason Fry).

Andrew was a quiet guy with a great sense of humor.  In those days, he said very little, but almost everything he said was funny- if you could hear it.  He spoke in a very low voice, and I am sure there are people who knew him in middle school who were not certain if he ever spoke at all.  But for some reason, that one night, he decided to bless us with his operatic tenor.  OK- so Pavarotti he wasn't.  But it was still just so funny to hear that coming out of such a reserved, quiet young man.  And like with so many moments in our youth group at FUMC-K, that moment changed Andrew.  People began to request his singing on trips.  He saved it for special occasions, but you could tell he loved the fact that he had a "thing."  And every now and then, he would unleash his vocal prowess on our group.

As he grew older, Andrew became famous for something altogether different.  He could tell you where every 7-11 Store in the Orlando area was located, and what kind of SLURPEE machine (how many nozzles) they had.  He knew the flavors.  And he was always ready to go get one.  When we moved to Chicago he was unsure I would survive, as there were no Slurpees to be found in the area.  I still have this imagine in my mind (and it may be true; I don't really know!) of Andrew going from store to store on July 11th every year getting a free Slurpee at each stop.  If he hasn't done that, he should- and he knows a group of guys who would gladly join him!

Andrew Rogers was not the only "character" in his family.  His mother Debbie once had her hair done in wild fashion while on a New York trip and wore it to a Broadway show (The Scarlet Pimpernel). Debbie was always as outlandish as any of our youth.  The two of them combined on a very memorable moment for me.  When I was leaving FUMC-K and the youth department threw a party for us, Debbie gave me a special gift that no one else could see.  It seems that Andrew had taken some pictures on that New York trip, including one of some of the guys in their room at the Milford Plaza.  When Debbie got the pictures developed, she discovered this extremely inappropriate picture.  At our going away event, she presented it to me- a 5x7 in a plain brown envelope.  I still have it somewhere, waiting for the day I need it for blackmail.  :)   If you want to know more about the content of that picture, then you'll have to e-mail me!!!

Andrew Rogers (and his mom) are most deserving of recognition on Character Week, because they meet the primary condition- they gave us great memories!  Tomorrow, on CCM Thursday,  you'll meet another deserving victim and discover that CCM can also mean "Classic Commercial Music."  See you then.

Because of Jesus,