Greenleaf Episode 1.05 Meaningful Survival

In her duties as a pastor for Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, Grace (Merle Dandridge) is called to visit a hospital, where a family is distressed that their terminally ill infant must undergo surgery again. Grace visits the hospital and sits down with the child's father. She learns that the boy, Joshua, was born prematurely, at 25 weeks. The doctor said that, if he lived, he would continue to have major health problems. Joshua's father wanted to spare his infant son a lifetime of pain. Joshua's mother, however, wanted to do whatever it took to keep him alive--which was only reinforced when the bishop (Keith David) told her that it was all a part of God's plan.

Grace believes that, in a way, the bishop is giving the family false hope, which in turn leads to more pain. Later, when Joshua is rushed into surgery yet again, Grace and the bishop have a hard conversation about their differing perspectives on what pastoring really means.

After their visit to the hospital, the bishop laments Grace's lack of faith. Grace, in turn, confronts the bishop about Faith's death, accusing him of ignoring the accusations that Mac sexually abused her. Again, the bishop claims no responsibility.

Meanwhile, Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) and the bishop express their opposing views over losing Deacon Connie Sykes (guest star Jen Harper), who walked away from the church when the bishop made a public display of support for the Memphis Police Department. Against the bishop's wishes, Lady Mae tries to get Deacon Sykes to come back to the church. When it becomes clear that the deacon wants to hear from the bishop himself, Lady Mae implements her backup plan.

Later, with Lady Mae successfully pulling the strings, the bishop pays a visit to Deacon Sykes. In exchange for returning to the church, the deacon has one request: a gold-plated name on the back of her pew. She doesn't want her own name, however--she wants it to say Kenny Collins, the name of the teenager who was shot and killed by the police.

Kevin (Tye White) and Charity (Deborah Joy Winans) discover that they will be having twins. Even so, Kevin begins taking steps toward exploring his nascent sexuality.

Jacob (Lamman Rucker) and Kerissa (Kim Hawthrone) continue marriage counseling, and Jacob agrees to end his affair with Alexa if Kerissa lets him go to Las Vegas for the weekend. Nevertheless, during dinner at the Greenleaf estate, Jacob accidentally texts Kerissa a message meant for his mistress. She slams her phone against the table, calling him out for his infidelity in front of the whole family.

Soon thereafter, the bishop strips Jacob of his church duties and fires Alexa. Stunned by his loss, Jacob believes that the key factor behind the bishop's actions is the return of his sister Grace.

Noah's fiancee, Isabel, argues that they should leave the Greenleafs and start somewhere new. Noah reluctantly agrees.

Finally, Jacob's worst fears are realized when the bishops asks Grace to take on some of Jacob's responsibilities. She agrees with one caveat: She'll be starting a small group for the victims of sexual abuse.