Amen

Special appearances by James Brown and Lloyd Price aren't the only surprises during a telethon to save the church: Thelma goes into labor.

The deacon and Clarence try raising church funds by dating wealthy Darla (LaWanda Page) and her equally unattractive granddaughter, Darletta.

At an auction, an insufferable woman (LaWanda Page) wins a date with the deacon.

The deacon dates a teacher (Lynne Moody) that Clarence likes, and the two begin to bump heads.
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The deacon becomes a biker so that he can have exciting stories to tell his unborn grandchild. Reuben's excitement over the baby starts to get on Thelma's nerves.

Ernie is unaware he's being set up when he's invited by Jason Lockwood (Ron Glass) to join an exclusive country club.''

Thelma (Anna Maria Horsford) gets her own TV cooking show.

Clarence (Bumper Robinson) gets a crash course in sophistication to impress the deacon's fraternity brother, whose daughter has fallen for him.

Reuben is looking forward to an anniversary trip. Meanwhile, Thelma has news: she's expecting a baby.

A flamboyant minister busts a move to keep Clarence in school.

The deacon's pro basketball player client wants to marry Amelia (Roz Ryan) and move to Italy.

The deacon reassembles his '50s doo-wop group for a benefit.

The deacon (Sherman Hemsley) dates a beautiful and much younger environmentalist.

A televised trial featuring a fried chicken mogul (Steve Allen) promises great publicity for Ernie.

Reuben's visiting niece reveals she's leaving seminary school to become a singer, and the deacon enters her in a gospelfest.

Newly appointed to the bench, power-drunk Judge Frye aims to throw the book at all who come before him.

Ernie begs Santa to rehire him, and Santa gives him a second chance. He works with his client to get the charges dismissed. Meanwhile, Thelma has her fill of criticism from Reuben's mother (Jane White).''

Ernie defends a man (William Windom) claiming to be Santa Claus. Reuben and Thelma get a surprise visit from his mother.''

The deacon takes in a trouble-prone teen, a would-be rapper dubbed "Clarence So Fine."

Ernie establishes a new day care center called "Deaconland."

Thelma's maternal instincts are awakened when a baby is abandoned at the church. The Deacon is audited by the IRS. ''

Thelma tries to recapture the glow of her newlywed days but feels neglected because Reuben (Clifton Davis) is teaching night school.

Thelma wants to buy her first home, but her father has lost a $25,000 inheritance she was planning to use for the down payment.

The deacon and Amelia trade insults in and out of the courtroom after she trips on his steps and breaks her foot.

A brick doesn't need to fall on Thelma to remind her that the honeymoon is over; Reuben has lost interest in her and Thelma blames herself.

A new assistant minister (Margaret Avery) thinks the deacon is a perfect Christian man and looks to him for inspiration.

Thelma (Anna Maria Horsford) makes a mess of her first dinner party as the new Mrs. Gregory.

It's time for the second annual church talent show. Performances feature dancing, music and poetry readings. Plus, there's a tribute to philanthropist Mother Hale.

Thelma and Reuben's flight to Hawaii has been delayed, so they spend their honeymoon night in a Philadelphia hotel. Unfortunately, there's a jumper out on the ledge.

Thelma and Reuben are finally ready to tie the knot, but the minister isn't: a sedative puts him to sleep during the ceremony and there are no other ministers available to perform the ceremony.

Ernie entertains Reuben's mother in Atlantic City.

The deacon is the subject of an honorary roast.

Just as the reverend is ready to make her Mrs. Reuben Gregory, Thelma gets orders to ship out to Germany. Later, the deacon must defend her in court-martial proceedings.''

Thelma is home on a weekend pass for the Christmas holiday, which affords her the perfect opportunity to be the perfect hostess, the perfect cook and the perfect wife-to-be for Rev. Gregory.

Fearing he's lost Thelma to Sgt. Burke, Rev. Gregory puts up a fight when she comes home on a weekend pass with the sergeant in tow.

The deacon and the reverend go to the military base when a tough drill sergeant denies Thelma a weekend pass.

Distraught at having been stood up at the altar, Thelma impulsively runs off and joins the Army.

Everything goes wrong that could possibly go wrong on Thelma's wedding day; the wrong wedding dress is delivered to the house and Rev. Gregory comes down with wedding-day jitters.

Thelma goes overboard at her bridal shower to impress her high school nemesis with reports that she's living the good life.

As the congregation prepares for a TV appearance showcasing Sunday services, a street gang terrorizes the neighborhood and threatens to stop Rev. Gregory from delivering his sermon.

The deacon gets his first big murder case. But when a key witness cannot be located and the judge refuses to grant an extension, he plays up his incompetence in order to get a mistrial for his client (Peter Jurasik).

Thelma trips and falls during a fishing trip. She can't remember who she is, or that the deacon is her father; and she forgets that she is in love with Ruben.

Everyone thinks Thelma needs help holding on to the reverend when his ex-fiancee comes to town to rekindle a love affair.

The deacon's estranged father-in-law (Moses Gunn) lies on his deathbed and tries to reconcile by leaving an inheritance. But all bets are off when Grandpa Tillman begins to recover.

Nobody in the First Community Church can keep a secret. When word gets out that Ruben is about to propose marriage to Thelma, the whole congregation drops what they were doing, and shows up at the church to witness the blessed event.

Home on leave, Thelma attempts Christmas dinner.

The reverend, deacon and Rolly give a young man examples of what their lives would have been like had they not gone to college.

A record producer wants to make a star out of Amelia. The deacon appoints himself her manager and books her in a club that features strippers and women mud wrestlers.

Thelma tries to cook a fancy dinner to impress the head of the church council. But when she fears that she has served poisoned food, they all must rush to the hospital.

The church puts on a special talent show to benefit the National Easter Seals Society.

Tired of waiting for Rev. Gregory to marry her, Thelma decides to embark on a marketing career.

Rev. Gregory's mother comes to town for a visit and is smitten by the deacon's charms.

The deacon agrees to manage a boxer.

Rev. Gregory looks for a way to convince Thelma that a psychic's prediction is bunk.

The deacon and Thelma seek advice from a client whose powers to predict the future came from a bump on the head.

The Fryes' Swedish housekeeper will be deported unless she finds an American citizen willing to marry her.

Thelma cares for Rev. Gregory, who's felled by the measles, and copes with the deacon, who has appointed himself the new minister.

Certain he is dying, Deacon Frye begins to reminisce about the love he had for Thelma's mother, and how she used to take care of him.

A rich widower is willing to make a substantial donation to the church, if the Deacon can match him up with a devout woman to be his bride.

The animals in the congregation's live Nativity scene include a donkey that finds a place in the deacon's heart.

Thelma, at age 34, finds herself in a situation where she has to dissuade a 19-year-old admirer from chasing after her.

Thelma moves in with Rev. Gregory, creating a church scandal that threatens to defrock the minister.

Thelma tries to snare Rev. Gregory in matrimony. But the lavish church banquet she arranges to lure him turns into a washout thanks to the deacon's faulty plumbing repairs.

To get a recommendation from the church board, the deacon has to take a scout troop on a camping trip.

The deacon can't keep his mind on church business when an attractive legal assistant assists him on an insurance case.

The deacon campaigns against an imprisoned state senator.

The deacon pushes Thelma to give the reverend an ultimatum.

While stuck on a discount flight to the Bahamas with the others, Thelma has to overcome her extreme phobia of flying.

The deacon has defended Roxanne and she has been found not to have murdered her husband. Now, there is nothing to stand in the way of his romantic passions for her...except for Thelma, and a fire in the church.

The deacon defends an attractive and glamorous woman (Jackee) in the murder of her husband and begins to fall for her charms.

Rev. Gregory is upset when the first couple he ever married accuses him of malpractice and negligent counseling. Meanwhile, the deacon tries to turn the church into a wedding chapel, Vegas style.

Thelma daydreams about beginning married life with the reverend. Meanwhile, the deacon has a vision of the reverend as his son-in-law. And then there's Reuben who sees the influence that Ernie has on one of his sons.

The deacon takes a personal interest in the divorce of a church couple, when he finds out the husband of the distraught woman is a millionaire.

At a church retreat in the mountains, the deacon has a spiritual reawakening after almost freezing to death during a blizzard.

An attractive church benefactor eyes Reuben.

After money from the collection plate comes up missing, the reverend and the Hetebrinks believe that Jeanette may have stolen it.

The deacon tries to erase an embarrassing phone message that Thelma left on Reuben's answering machine.

To conquer his fear of snakes, the deacon visits a therapist. Part of the treatment includes staying in a room alone with a large boa constrictor.

The choir fights over which carol to sing in a competition.

Thelma becomes a foster parent to a precocious nine-year-old girl (Gloria Briscoe).

The deacon falls while shovelling snow and hurts his back. The doctor treating him becomes romantically interested in Thelma. Reuben then competes with him for Thelma's attention on her birthday.

At the last minute, Rolly (Jester Hairston) decides he does not want to go through with his wedding to Aunt Leola. The deacon tries to help patch up their differences.

An unexpected romance occurs between Rolly and Thelma's Aunt Leola (Rosetta LeNoire).

The deacon (Sherman Hemsley) assists with a teen hotline. He also represents the reverend in an injury-related lawsuit.

Thelma (Anna Maria Horsford) dreads her upcoming class reunion, fearing she has not made much of her life. Meanwhile, Amelia is audited by the IRS.

Rev. Johnny (Rev. William Hudson III) returns to give a sermon at the church.

Amelia (Roz Ryan) needs help when her gambling habit resurfaces.

A rivalry is renewed when the deacon is pitted against an old law-school classmate during a palimony suit.

The reverend (Clifton Davis) contemplates accepting a new job in Los Angeles.

The deacon turns over a new leaf in an effort to be the church's nominee for a humanitarian award, which could win him and Thelma a trip to the Holy Land.

Inept Thelma tries her hand at real estate.

Ernie auditions a special magic act for a children's show.

The deacon hires a new attractive Sunday school teacher for the church. The reverend falls for her, and Thelma is not happy about it.

A woman comes to Ernie's office seeking a divorce from her husband who she suspects is cheating on her.

A date with Ernie lands Reuben's aunt in jail.

The deacon arranges a super-quick adoption for the Hetebrink sisters (Roz Ryan & Barbara Montgomery).

While testifying, Lorenzo (Franklyn Seales) admits to having an affair with an unnamed sister in the church.

Ernie befriends a computer whiz who picks sports winners.

The new man in Thelma's life seems like Mr. Right to everyone. But as they head for the altar, the question becomes: Is Thelma's heart still for Rev. Gregory?

A fund-raiser at the church takes an unexpected turn when the church gets sued for making someone sick with tainted macaroni salad. During the trial, Deacon Frye takes matters into his own hands to win the case.

The church is preparing to put on a Christmas pageant, when they find out that a camera crew is scheduled to come and broadcast the show on live TV.

Rolly falls at the bank, and after the deacon finagles, he is awarded a settlement that he refuses.

Rev. Gregory has a crisis of conscience when he is attracted to a widow who needs comforting in her time of grief.

The church board inherits a French restaurant. But the terms of the will state that as long as it is a success, they can never sell it.

Rev. Gregory is jailed for giving refugees sanctuary, and the deacon is charged with contempt of court while trying to defend him.

The church's retreat is not at all interesting to the deacon. But then he changes his mind when he learns that a former client, whom he caused to spend 5 years in jail, is getting out.

Rolly (Jester Hairston) has his eye on the waitress at the diner around the corner, but he is too shy and asks the deacon to approach her on his behalf.

The reverend asks a teen to leave the choir when he learns that she has become pregnant.''

Thelma (Anna Maria Horsford) intoxicates the reverend with her wine-cooked dinner, and he intoxicates her with a kiss.

After hearing a beautiful gospel singer (Nell Carter) sing at a wedding, the deacon decides to woo her so she will join the church and sing in the choir.

In the series pilot, Deacon Ernest Frye (Sherman Hemsley) and the First Community Church board seeks a new minister (Clifton Davis).