Mystery Worshiper

Photo by Peter Lewis on Unsplash

The headline on the ad in the weekly freebie paper read ‘Get Paid for Your Opinion’. The ad was for a mystery shopper job with a twist – instead of shopping I would go to a church and give it a grade. I was laid off from work and looking for every opportunity to earn a little extra here and there.

Entering the church, I felt like a fraud. I was raised to go to church every Sunday, but hadn’t been to one in years. I felt like everyone was staring at me. I had second thoughts about going through with it, but my empty bank account and pile of bills urged me onward.