While stuck on a discount flight to the Bahamas, with the gang, Thelma has to overcome her extreme phobia of flying. Little does she know that the pilot has turned green from eating a tuna sandwich, and is out cold. Who will fly the plane? Who will land the plane before they run out of fuel? Will Thelma's worst fears be realized? Will the Reverend be able to say anything to Thelma to make her not afraid?
Frye pushes Thelma to give Reuben an ultimatum.
Frye campaigns against an imprisoned state senator.
The Deacon can't keep his mind on church business when a comely legal assistant (Loretta Divine) is brought in by Rev Gregory to assist him on an insurance case. The church needs to win the court case against the insurance company in order to get a new boiler for heat in the church, during the coldest winter on record. The Deacon is so completely smitten by his new assistant that he may be in danger of losing the case.
To get a recommendation from the church board, the Deacon has to take a scout troop on a camping trip.
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.
Thelma moves in with Rev. Gregory, creating a church scandal that threatens to defrock the minister.
Thelma, at age 34, finds herself in a situation where she has to dissuade a 19-year-old admirer from chasing after her. And because everyone thinks they are having an affair, she tries to halt rumors linking her to the young handyman. The scandalous rumors have not set well with the Reverend, or the young man's girlfriend.
The animals in the congregation's live Nativity scene include a goat that sends Rev. Gregory up a tree and an ailing donkey that finds a place in the Deacon's heart.
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. When the deacon invites him to a social at his house to introduce him to the eligible women in the church, he spots Thelma, and decides she is the one for him.
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. He begins to tell Thelma about her late mother, about the day Thelma was brought home from the hospital, and about the day he had to tell her that her mother had died.
Thelma cares for Rev. Gregory, who's felled by the measles, and copes with the Deacon, who has appointed himself the new minister.
The Deacon's Swedish housekeeper will be deported unless she finds an American citizen willing to marry her. When her husband-to-be drops out at the last minute, Deacon Frye volunteers to stage a marriage ceremony to fool immigration.
The Deacon and Thelma seek advice from a client whose psychic powers came from a bump on the head.
Rev. Gregory looks for a way to convince Thelma that Tanya's prediction is bunk, while Thelma goes on an eating binge and Tanya dons a wedding gown. (Part 2 of 2)
The congregation thinks the Deacon must be punch-drunk for agreeing to manage boxer Windmill Pearson—until Windmill gets into the ring with a contender.
Rev. Gregory's mother comes to town for a visit, and is smitten by the deacon's charms. So much so, that they get caught in a compromising situation with her taking the deacon's pants off. On the other hand, she disapproves of Thelma because of her large bone structure.
Tired of waiting for Rev. Gregory to marry her, Thelma decides to embark on a marketing career.
Church members perform in a charity show. Songs include ""Triplets,"" ""Sonny Boy,"" ""I Remember It Well,"" ""Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,"" ""Livin' in America,"" and ""Amen."" Easter Seals poster child Joy Hall appears.
While trying to cook a fancy dinner to impress the head of the church council, Thelma refuses the help of the Hetebrink sisters and decides to cook the meal by herself. After she feeds some of her food to the neighbor's pet hamster, and it dies, Thelma fears she served the church board poisoned food, and they all must rush to the hospital.
A record producer wants to make a star out of Amelia, so the Deacon appoints himself her manager and books her in a club, so the producer can hear her sing. But not being an experienced manager, deacon Frye never checked out the kind of club he booked her into. It turns out the club is a dive that features strippers and women mud wrestlers.
The Reverend, Dea Frye, and Rollie try to talk a young man into going to college, and try to give him examples of what their lives would have been like had they not gone to college themselves.