style, spread across much of England, and taken the gospel

style, spread across much of England, and taken the gospel

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Authors' Preface

It was in early 1988 that we finally decided to write this book.

The Jesus Fellowship had always been controversial since its

beginnings at Bugbrooke Baptist Chapel. But after the dra-

matic launch of the Jesus Army in 1987 people were keener

than ever to hear our story.

Our first experience of charismatic renewal was back in

1969. Since then we'd established an 'Acts 2' community life-

style, spread across much of England, and taken the gospel

to the streets. At times it was a lonely road. But now, after

almost twenty years of pioneering, we felt God urging us to

stand with others and share our heart and vision.

And so, with some added encouragement from Kingsway

Publications, we sat down to write. One of our main leaders,

Mike Farrant, had a lot of ideas for the book, but, when it

came to it, he was hopelessly busy in administration. So Mike

and I worked together.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

I left my job as a school technician in Northampton and

began to grapple, weep and laugh my way through a story

that was both epic and passionately dear to my heart. As I

dug through the archives, listened to old tapes, and talked

with the many characters, memories flooded back. Then I

poured out my soul into the word-processor and tried to cap-

ture the spirit and vision of those years. Mike got me to tidy

it all up! As it's seen somewhat through my eyes, you'll have

to bear with me when I (Simon Cooper) wander in and out of

the story.

Though this isn't exactly an official history of the Jesus Fel-

lowship, there has been a good deal of hard research, discus-

sion, polishing and editing. We've also tried to provide some

biblical framework for what God has led us into and to set

our own story in the context of the wider Christian scene.

You'll find that there are a lot of names in this book. We've

tried to keep them distinct without resorting to the formality

of surnames too often. (Within the Fellowship we often give

people unofficial 'virtue' names, and these are mostly used

to describe people.)

Neither of us could have produced this book on his own,

but then that's really the theme of the whole book. This isn't

a story by or about any one person. It's too big for that. As

we've worked through this text, we've often been unasham-

edly moved and humbled. For this is a story of a bunch of

widely different individuals whom God blessed, though they

didn't often deserve it; changed, when they didn't always want

it; and joined together — as a people with fire in our hearts.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Preface to Second Edition

And now, six years on, Fire in our Hearts has travelled the

globe. It's been read in prisons and stately homes. But, like

any good story, people keep asking, 'What happens next?' So

the time has come to update and expand the story. I've en-

joyed writing about the last few years. I'm sure you'll enjoy

reading about them!

Simon Cooper

The Lord Took Hold of

Bugbrooke

1805-1973

1 Forward Through the Desert

1805-1968

It all began in a village with a funny name. Bugbrooke, just

south of Northampton, was a very English village with small

sandstone cottages, a spired church and a large old rectory

that dominated the southern edge. Its parkland of meadow,

oak and copper beech added a touch of grandeur to a scene

that nestled peacefully beneath the rolling hills of the North-

amptonshire uplands.

Mind you, it hadn't always been peaceful. The East Mid-

lands had a long history of religious rebels and, in the seven-

teenth century, had gaoled men like George Fox and John

Bunyan. At that time, Bugbrooke had the highest proportion

of nonconformists of all the villages in Northamptonshire.

The Bugbrooke Quakers, Presbyterians and Independents

were none too popular and some of them had to worship out

in the fields at a spot called 'Hallelujah Corner'.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Baptists continued this tradition over a century later when

a young farmer and a plumber from Bugbrooke were bap-

tised in Northampton. The two men 'excited violent persecu-

tion' and 'some very base means were resorted to in order to

prevent the entrance of the gospel of Christ'.1

But as they persevered in prayer, two young women joined

them and they determined to plant a church in the village (it

was a five mile walk into town!). God eventually blessed them

with a young preacher, John Wheeler, and his wife, and in

August, 1805, Bugbrooke Baptist Church was born.

That day the six pioneers made a 'solemn covenant' and

promised, 'in the presence of God and our Lord Jesus, the

crowned head of Zion... to promote his glory and walk to-

gether in the gospel... and, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to

deny ourselves and suffer for Christ's sake, to live above all

undue influence from the present world, and to exhort, re-

prove, and comfort one another in the love of God...'2

Three years later they built a chapel, but John couldn't re-

sist baptising in the river. Crowds came to see 'the Dipper' in

action. By the end of his ministry, over a hundred people had

joined them and congregations had been planted in the nearby

villages. Bugbrooke became known as the 'cathedral of the

chapels'. One of her noted converts, John Brown, was kicked

out of Bristol College for 'quivering with laughter' while try-

ing to say grace. He later became the President of the Bap-

tist Union!

Bugbrooke had fire in its blood, and a memorial to the pio-

neers was fixed on the chapel wall:

Your fathers, where are they?

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

'Well might they ask!' thought Verna, the chapel organist,

as she gazed at the ancient plaque Sunday after Sunday. The

gospel was in her blood, too. Verna's grandfather had been a

Primitive Methodist preacher, and her parents were godly

people. Her warm-hearted father was a shepherd and would

come home from the fields and say grace before dinner. Her

mother taught her to play hymns on an old harmonium. Verna

grew up to love Jesus, and it was no surprise when she was

baptised as a teenager and made a Sunday school teacher.

Then, at twenty-three, soon after the Second World War,

she went away for a fortnight to Hildenborough Hall, a new

Christian Conference centre down south. There two war he-

roes from the RAF told how they'd been converted to Christ.

The talk that followed was simple and direct, and Verna saw

that for all her religious upbringing she was still a sinner. For

three days she barely ate or slept. 'Aren't I a Christian, then?'

she thought. As God dealt with her, her pride was shattered.

It was like waking from a dream. Then, as she took hold of

her Saviour, she felt a deep sense of forgiveness and cleans-

ing. God's love became real and peace flooded her heart.

When she came home her parents were delighted. But she

had a big disappointment when she bounded up to her minis-

ter the next day. 'Oh dear, Verna!' he sighed, 'You've got in

with one of those emotional groups. It will pass.' But it didn't,

and the new life she'd found was infectious. That night, as

sixteen girls from her Bible class crammed into her cottage,

Verna just opened her heart. Some began to weep and soon

eight of them had come to the Lord.

Verna was encouraged and began to pray for the gospel to

make a real impact on the village. She threw herself into evan-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

gelistic work in Northampton. When she went off for a year's

teacher-training in London, she thrilled to hear some of the

best preachers of the day. Her horizons were widened and

her faith stirred.

Then she came home to Bugbrooke to find her dear old

chapel rather disappointing. Everyone was sincere, but the

little group of evangelicals among them was discouraged.

They tried to keep up their spirits and hope in God. But it was

hard work.

By 1951, things had reached a low ebb. The third minister

in ten years had moved on and the little flock was shepherdless

yet again. The grass looked greener at the Free Evangelical

Church in Northampton, where Pastor Barnes was a well-

known champion of the gospel. In desperation, Verna and her

friends went to see him. He listened thoughtfully as they un-

burdened their frustrations and he promised to seek God's

wisdom for them.

When they returned a week later, he said: 'Well, I'd love to

have you, but the Lord has given me a definite word for you:

"Stay where you are. Be much in prayer and fellowship. Be

faithful and obedient. The time will come when you will see

the hand of the Lord stretched out in blessing on this church

at Bugbrooke."'

So they took heart. One dauntless soul had never dreamed

of giving up. Miss Campion simply prayed harder. This re-

tired Rugby School matron had grown up in the days of Queen

Victoria, and was a force to be reckoned with! As Chapel Sec-

retary, she soon found a new minister. He and his wife were a

pleasant couple, but, 'Where's the power of the gospel?'

thought Verna.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Three years later news of a revival in the Hebrides began

to filter through. Faith was rising in Britain and Billy Graham

was making an impact with huge crusades in London. When,

in 1954, Verna took some of the village youngsters down to

hear him, they were stirred. Even the minister began to

change and started a friendly after-meeting on Sunday nights.

Things began to look promising. But within two years he'd

moved on.

Tyres screeched as the motorbike swerved off the Bedford-

shire lane and crashed through a hedge. A young man ap-

peared, unhurt except for a few bruises. He was Noel Stan-

ton.

Noel, born in 1926, had grown up on his parents' farm in

Bedfordshire. On leaving school he worked for a bank, but at

eighteen was conscripted into the Royal Navy. One day, when

serving in Sydney, Australia, a man approached him on the

street. 'My young friend,' he said, 'where do you expect to

spend eternity?' The word struck home and, not long after,

Noel gave his life to Christ.

After leaving the Navy, he was baptised by a pentecostal

pastor, and in the laying-on of hands there was a call to min-

istry. Noel was soon out preaching with his friends from the

National Young Life Campaign. Together they organised vil-

lage crusades and gospel events. Then he went to All Nations

Bible College and for a while acted as deputation secretary

for what was then the West Amazon Mission.

Returning to Bedford, Noel worked as an accounts clerk

and later in a business partnership. He lodged with a

pentecostal family (with whose theology he disagreed!). He

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

continued to evangelise and set his heart on pastoral minis-

try. The Ministerial Committee of the Baptist Union vetted

him and he began to look for an opening.

At Bugbrooke they were having little success finding a pas-

tor, and a local minister recommended Noel. Bristling with

evangelical zeal, he stepped into the pulpit. The congrega-

tion warmed to this smart, fervent young man, and Miss Cam-

pion invited him for lunch. She found him polite, though a

little reserved, and a man with strong vision. Miss Campion

called a church meeting which invited him to become their

full-time pastor. Noel accepted but offered to continue his

secular work in order to help with the finances of the church.

So in March 1957 local Baptist leaders and the Principal of

All Nations gathered for Noel's induction ceremony. It was a

new day for the chapel as they all sang together:

Forward through the desert,

Through the toil and fight!

Jordan flows before us,

Zion beams with light!

Noel got to work immediately and urged them on into vigor-

ous outreach and warmer, deeper fellowship. He was steeped

in missionary zeal and fed his soul on Wesley, Spurgeon and

C. T. Studd. A recent book on revival — In The Day Of Thy

Power3 — had inspired him, and he invited the author, Arthur

Wallis, to lead a week's retreat.

Bible weeks, evangelistic drives and missionary weekends

followed, and in 1960 Noel and Ken Thomason, a neighbour-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

ing Baptist minister, invited the evangelist Don Summers to

conduct a tent crusade to the surrounding villages. Fifty peo-

ple came forward and a handful were baptised. Monthly ral-

lies were started and Roger Forster led a Bible week that

winter. The evangelicals were happy at last, and as that busy

year came to an end, Noel was thanking God for their loyalty

and for the many new friends.

However, after nearly four years of intense activity only a

handful had actually joined the eighty or so members. Noel

expressed his growing concern to the deacons: 'The crying

need is for God to do his reviving work amongst us. Some

show interest, but who is really won for Christ?' Other cru-

sades followed, but the results were equally disappointing.

In the spring of 1963, the Pilgrims came for a weekend.

This young music group talked about a Jesus you could know

personally. That came as a thunderclap to Dave Lantsbery,

the headmaster's son and an Anglican choirboy. Seventeen,

fresh-faced and athletic, Dave would have been an 'all Ameri-

can boy' had he not been so English! Often he turned up at

the chapel youth club, played table-tennis and chatted to the

girls. As far as Dave was concerned, he was a Christian, a

churchgoer, and all right, thank you very much!

At the next meeting with the Pilgrims, Dave sat at the back

of the chapel, on the defensive, and trying to justify himself.

On Sunday evening there was a call to make a commitment

to Christ, and Dave stood up. Somebody came to counsel him,

but still he held back.

'What about the Muslims?' he argued on — and on.

'The problem with you,' said the counsellor, 'is you won't

admit you're a sinner. It's between you and God!'

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Dave crumbled. As they prayed together, he saw a vision of

Christ on the cross, and he realised that it was for his own sin

that Jesus died. He broke down and wept, and came out that

night a changed young man.

But such signs of God's work were few and far between.

Though the chapel was highly regarded in the area as an evan-

gelistic centre, its members were often discouraged. Two

more years of activity followed and still they waited. 'Here is

a stack of decision cards,' thought Verna, 'but no real fruit.'

Clearly energy alone wasn't enough.

'If we loved God, we would love one another,' Noel told the

deacons, 'but where is the spirit of love and power amongst

us?'

By 1967 he seriously wondered about the way forward. Ten

years had flown by. Could he rely on the devotion of his flock?

Should the next crusade go ahead? He felt desperate, and

called a special church meeting. 'We are reaching a cross-

roads,' he said, 'and need to reassess things in the light of

scriptural truth. Is the old style mission really the way? Should

not growth spring from the vitality of the local church? We do

a lot, but our heart is weak.'

Noel wondered whether he ought to stay on at Bugbrooke.

Was he able to take the church any further? And were they

willing for a deeper commitment to the Lord? The deacons

stood by him and determined to go on with God.

Soon after that some of the village teenagers came to the

Lord, and two were baptised. A new manse was built, and

when £400 was needed to finish the work, Miss Campion or-

ganised a Gift Day. The exact amount came in. For a while,

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

things seemed to be looking up and the Sunday after-meet-

ing was attracting new people.

Dave was due to go to Africa on voluntary service, but be-

fore he left he helped form a Youth Council. The youngsters

planned their own crusade, bought an old minibus, converted

the chapel lounge into a coffee bar, and formed a Commando

Team to go round the villages. It seemed the best thing yet.

But over in Malawi, Dave soon heard how it was all petering

out and the converts were going back to their old ways.

Verna visited friends in Ireland, who reminded her of the

promise that Pastor Barnes had given them back in 1951. A

pentecostal lady took her to one side. 'Verna,' she said, 'you're

a lovely sister, but you need to receive the blessing.' Verna

longed for this 'blessing' — whatever it was!

By now, they had a great hunger for spiritual power. There

had to be a breakthrough. So in the summer of 1968, Noel

started a Saturday night prayer meeting in the manse. About

a dozen sought God and studied the Acts of the Apostles to

see if they could find the secret of the early church.

All through that summer and autumn they searched the

Scriptures. In Luke 24:49 they read how Jesus had told his

disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were 'clothed with

power from on high'. They saw how transformed those disci-

ples were after Pentecost when they were 'baptised with the

Holy Spirit' (Acts 1:5) and spoke 'in other tongues' (Acts 2:4).

They saw the radiance, the impact and the power of those

early Christians. This was what they needed.

Noel began to cry to God and search his heart:

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

I saw my own hypocrisy and got tired of saying the way of re-

vival is to get filled with the Spirit. I wasn't living in the fullness

and felt quite incapable of leading my people into it. A determi-

nation grew within me to get into the reality of God at all costs.

His kingdom was hardly established in power amongst us at

Bugbrooke and I felt a poor shepherd.4

Noel knew of revivalists like Moody and Finney who had

experienced a 'baptism of power'. He had also heard some-

thing of the recent 'charismatic movement' and its emphasis

on baptism in the Holy Spirit. In fact, old friends from Bed-

ford were now 'speaking in tongues' and praying for him to

get the blessing. Noel wasn't so keen!

But as the manse group continued to study the New Testa-

ment they kept coming across tongues. Even Paul did it —

more than all of them (1 Cor. 14:18)! As Noel got more and

more desperate, his theological reservations crumbled. At last

he picked up The Cross And The Switchblade by Dave Wilk-

erson and read again how God gave this young pentecostal

minister such amazing breakthroughs with the gang fighters

of New York. Noel was impressed by their sudden deliver-

ance from drug addictions.

'When did it happen?' Dave Wilkerson had asked them. And

one after another they gave him the same answer: 'When I

was baptised in the Holy Spirit!'5

One Saturday, the chapel teenagers visited a charismatic fel-

lowship in Rugby. They sat waiting for someone to start the

meeting. No one did! Everyone just started singing, dancing

and speaking in tongues. It was all a bit overwhelming! How-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

ever the youngsters realised they'd found something impor-

tant and hurried back to tell Noel.

By now Noel was almost ready for God to baptise him in

the Spirit. 'Any idea of a second experience,' he wrote, 'had

been taught out of me. I now saw the early church had a bap-

tism of power and I needed to ask for and receive the Spirit.'6

Out in Africa, Dave had met some Americans who spoke to

him of a second blessing, and the Lord challenged him about

his barrenness. After reading in a book by Catherine Mar-

shall about surrendering the will to the Lord, he had a real

experience of meeting with God. His prayer life came alive.

He just asked for things and ticked them off when the an-

swers came. By the end of 1968 he was praying for revival in

Bugbrooke.

At the close of the annual church meeting in mid-Decem-

ber, Noel encouraged everyone to ask definitely for the Holy

Spirit according to Luke 11:13: 'If you... know how to give

good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father

in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'

'I have a text for 1969,' he added. '"With God, all things are

possible." Also this scripture from Ezekiel 34:26: "I will make

them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and...

there shall be showers of blessing"' (RSV).

Within days it came. Noel was praying in the manse when a

tide of love broke over him and the Spirit came in power.

Later he wrote of that moment:

The experience was very much as Finney describes. Certainly it

was so intoxicating, so exhilarating, and so intense that I felt I

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

was just not going to live anymore! I became filled with the

intensity of God. This went on for hours and hours and I moved

into speaking in tongues and praising the Lord. It was a tre-

mendous experience of life and fulness from which I didn't come

down for a long time — and this was the changing point in my

life.7

Around this time some of the chapel youngsters were bap-

tised in the Spirit. Noel spoke in chapel of his own experi-

ence, and others began to enter in. Verna wrote to tell Dave.

He was walking down a street in Malawi when he opened the

letter. He leapt for joy. Quickly he wrote back to Verna: 'I was

praying for an outpouring of the Spirit, and then you told me

what happened. It was amazing! — I mean, it was the happi-

est day of my life!'

It looked as if the promise given in 1951 was reaching ful-

filment. Verna herself received 'the blessing' in her own cot-

tage a month later. The church had found a new path. Little

did they know it would lead to them being called 'one of the

most controversial Christian groups in the country'.8

2 Free! I'm Free!

'Have you heard what's going on at Bugbrooke, John?'

Rev Ken Thomason stuck his head round the kitchen door.

'Oh dear!' thought John. 'What now!' He mumbled some-

thing negative.

'They're really different over there.'

'Oh?'

'Yes, you ought to go over. There's a fellowship supper at

the chapel tomorrow. Go and see them, John... Go and see

them.'

It was obvious his dad wasn't going to give him any peace.

'All right,' sighed John. 'I'll go! I'll go!'

So he went. His dad was right. Noel looked as though some-

one had polished his face! John had been to lots of things that

Noel and his dad had organised, but the atmosphere here

was different from anything he'd encountered before. He had

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

'made a decision' for Christ at eighteen, but now, at college,

he'd grown cynical and holy huddles annoyed him. Commu-

nism was more appealing. Changing the world — that was

where it was at.

He looked around.

'Good Lord!' he thought. 'Even Miss Campion is glowing!'

'Notice anything about Noel?' his dad asked when he got

home. 'Well, yes,' said John. 'He looked like a 100 watt bulb!

I had a good argument with them all about this "talking in

tongues". Noel gave me this withering look. "Who are you to

say a gift of God is no good?" he said. That really threw me. I

thought, "You know what — he could be right!"'

The Holy Spirit had begun to invade the life of the chapel.

The teenagers were very excited and encouraged one another

along. Stories flew around of talking in tongues and seeing

visions. The youngsters prayed together almost every night

for revival to hit the chapel. Sometimes they ended up on the

floor laughing in the Spirit. One of the lads felt something

like a warm electric current come upon his head and travel

down to his toes. The joy was immense and he shook for an

hour.

One of their friends, Geoff, was a fiery redhead with a char-

acter to match. Extrovert and likeable, he thought the Youth

Club was all a bit of a laugh. Then one evening when he walked

in, Geoff looked really different. He'd given his life to Christ

and was already baptised in the Spirit. It soon spread around

the village. Geoff had 'got religion'!

Some of the youngsters joined the 'core' group. Around

twenty, including Noel, Miss Campion, and Verna, now came

together in the manse to seek God. Saturday nights were times

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

of discovery as the delighted pastor stepped back, and al-

lowed the Spirit to move. They didn't know what would hap-

pen next. One lad jumped up, took his glasses off, and peered

out of the window. 'Hey! I can see the Baker's Arms sign re-

ally clearly now!' he shouted. Another youngster would laugh

uncontrollably and then burst out crying. He couldn't help

himself — it was like holding back the Niagara! But many in

the group needed to struggle to express their feelings freely

in worship and in the process they learned to open up and

pray with one another.

Gradually they became aware of books and tapes going

round which described how the Spirit was renewing churches

all over the world. Thousands in Britain were speaking in

tongues as on the day of Pentecost. Michael Harper, an Angli-

can curate, had organised the Fountain Trust to foster this

growing renewal movement and one of the team, David Mills,

visited Bugbrooke to encourage them.

'Free, I'm free! Praise the Lord, I'm free!' they sang in their

Saturday evening meetings. At first they felt self-conscious

as they raised their arms in the air and clapped their hands.

But the barriers were coming down — a little. For traditional

Baptists it was pretty good!

In the Sunday evening meetings the old hymn books were

replaced by shiny, red pentecostal song books that spoke of

blood, fire and the blessing. But clapping on Sundays was

still regarded as rather offensive (and undignified) and the

morning services were sacrosanct in the eyes of the more

traditional members. So the new-found freedom was gener-

ally kept for Saturdays and after-meetings. At times it was

like restraining a herd of well-mannered buffalo!

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

The Saturday evening group in the Manse began to explore

the supernatural gifts of the Spirit — tongues, prophecy, wis-

dom, knowledge, healing, and so forth. One evening David

Mills laid hands on them, and brought them all a word from

the Lord. He also prophesied that one day the whole chapel

would be full of people — arms raised and praising God. That

was hard to believe!

The Fountain Trust was a great encouragement, and there

was also input from leaders of the emerging 'house churches'.

Peter Lyne came from Bristol and led them into singing in the

Spirit. Other young leaders like Graham Perrins, Gerald

Coates and John MacLaughlin visited the group. Hugh Thomp-

son was the first to demonstrate the word of knowledge.

'Someone has a toothache,' Hugh announced. The someone

refused prayer, however.

In July most of the group went off for a fortnight in Devon.

The holiday helped them to get to know one another better. It

brought a sense of family, and they began to refer to each

other as 'brothers' and 'sisters'. Three others from North-

ampton turned up at this Devon retreat. John was a gentle

young man seeking to lead a small group forward in the Spirit,

Malcolm was a quiet sixth-former, studying music, and Phil

had recently been converted. They quickly became part of

the 'family', and Phil cremated a pile of his cigarettes in the

garden.

John would often visit the manse group. When he spoke, he

trembled with fear, but his words carried power. His North-

ampton group often brought people along to the meetings

and gradually news spread around that 'something interest-

ing is going on at Bugbrooke'.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Then Dave returned from abroad and took up Rural Sci-

ence teaching at the local school. Even in Africa he had felt

involved with the 'revival' in Bugbrooke, and now he'd come

home. He knew he would spend the rest of his days with these

people. With awe he sensed the presence of the Spirit in his

old friends. Miss Campion showed a deep gladness at what

God was doing, whilst in Verna there was a transparent joy.

Noel too seemed warm and relaxed amongst the 'family'.

Dave went to his first meeting at the manse with fear and

trembling. Some were quietly speaking in tongues and de-

lighting in God. Heaven seemed very near. Then once again

he had a vision of the Lord dying for him. The power and love

of God came upon him and he could only worship God and

weep for joy.

A week later he sought the gift of tongues and began pray-

ing by his bed in the dark. His parents came back and shouted

upstairs, but Dave was lost in God and didn't hear. Later, when

he called downstairs, they got the shock of their lives, and

the young teacher had a good ticking off from his headmas-

ter father!

Soon they heard that Don Basham, the author of Face Up

With A Miracle9, was speaking in Rugby. The group there was

influenced by the highly-pentecostal South Chard fellowship

who went in for 'glory meetings' and the miraculous. Such

groups were springing up all over. People said that this one

was 'pretty wild' and Noel went along reluctantly.

The teenagers stepped boldly into the buzzing room. It

sounded like a party. The rest followed cautiously and were

hit by a hot wave of enthusiasm, as the blast of hugging, clap-

ping, dancing, shouting, holy kissing, arm-waving and tam-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

bourine-bashing assaulted their ears. One lady went white as

a sheet, John disappeared out of the back door, Noel looked

aghast, and the rest were, to greater or lesser degrees, in a

state of shock. Miss Campion had stayed at home, thank God!

Back at Bugbrooke, they vowed never to go again. How-

ever, when they heard that the evangelist Harry Greenwood

was coming from Chard, they went over again. As they lis-

tened to his descriptions of the miraculous ways in which

God can move in someone's life, their faith grew by leaps and

bounds. Later, one young man was baptised down at Chard,

but most felt that in this freewheeling scene there were theo-

logical and emotional excesses that needed to be guarded

against.

As the year progressed, more Christians came around want-

ing to explore this new life in the Spirit. Peter Mattacola was

a young man from the next village, who'd heard that they

were 'laughing in the Spirit' at Bugbrooke. Pete was at uni-

versity but went along in the spring vacation to investigate.

Sure enough, he caught one of the teenagers rolling under

the chairs in a state of spiritual intoxication. Pete went back

to Newcastle, joined a house church and returned in the sum-

mer with a tambourine, and an enthusiasm for Wesley hymns

and for hugging. Wesley was okay, and the tambourine was

tolerable, but the hugging was a shock to the system!

In October a Christian couple arrived from London. Brian

and Jill were aware of God's leading as they drove round

searching for a house and a lively church. One look at the

Chapel noticeboard convinced them that Bugbrooke was the

place for them. Soon Brian and John were appointed deacons.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Brian was an extrovert and a good balance to the cautious

group. Evidently God was gathering them for a purpose. What

that was, no one was quite sure.

There was some expectation of revival. They had listened

with awe to accounts of the Awakening in the Hebrides, where

people had been stopped in their tracks by the presence of

God. Dave believed that within a few months the Spirit would

sweep over Bugbrooke, the Baker's Arms would empty, the

streets would be filled with repenting sinners, and God would

do all the work. He wanted it the easy way!

Then tragedy struck. Geoff was enticed away by his old

mates and backslid. A long-standing stomach ulcer got worse,

and in hospital his condition became critical. Noel and other

would often visit Geoff in hospital and would take his parents

there after a service. Two weeks after being admitted, he

found the Lord again and praised God so loudly he had to be

quietened down! He amazed the nurses. How could someone

that ill be so full of joy?

Geoff had five operations and was often near death. Every-

one believed he would recover and prayed for him, but to-

wards the end of the year he fell into a coma. The doctors

were on the point of giving up when Noel and others gath-

ered round and proclaimed the victory of Jesus. To the amaze-

ment of the doctors, Geoff recovered consciousness.

Geoff's illness was knitting the group together more closely

and was a challenge to prove the power of faith. As for doubt-

ing John Thomason — well, the Lord cornered him on top of a

London bus. The love of God welled up within him as he rushed

back to his room and shut the door. Tongues burst forth, and

flowed and flowed until, at two in the morning, his lips were

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

sore! The next day he stood in the breakfast queue at Impe-

rial College with his hand over his mouth. He couldn't stop

speaking in tongues, and his boiled egg went cold before he

could negotiate the difficulties of eating it!

The chapel was now a talking point for the whole village.

'Lily,' said an Anglican lady to Geoff's mum, 'I don't know

what's going on there, but whatever they've got, we haven't!'

Some in the chapel weren't too keen on what they had got!

Changes occurred in the weekday meetings. Some in the

Young Wives were praising the Lord in new languages, and

choir practice changed from 95% choir and 5% prayer to 0%

choir and 100% prayer, praise and Bible Fellowship. Miss

Campion's Friday afternoon prayer time was livening up as

well. Homestead Cottage would never be the same again.

Miss Campion handed on the torch of Church Secretary to

Verna. Deacons' meetings were now interspersed with praise

and prayer, as they sought to know 'the guidance and witness

of the Spirit'. That in itself was a miracle! Some expressed

the gift of wisdom in picture form. One such 'wisdom picture'

was of a beautiful lake obscured by trees. The lake repre-

sented the life of Christ in the church and the trees were its

members. The wisdom was an encouragement not to block

out the light of God's Spirit. They had to be humble before

God and let him have his way if renewal was to continue.

Noel's ministry became more inspirational. The Spirit had

opened up whole new horizons and he was learning as fast as

he could. He was glad to listen to Brian, John, the young-

sters, the Fountain Trust, anybody who could help. Slowly he

was finding his feet and developing a distinctive ministry. The

approach from man's side was 'softly, softly'. Prayer, patience

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

and second-mile love was the way. After all, it was a tradi-

tional village Baptist chapel. But not for long. God was doing

a new thing.

3 Gathering for Power

Geoff died on the last day of January. He was just twenty.

God's power was real, but there was no miraculous cure. The

Thanksgiving service was full of victory, praise and tears. At

his graveside they sang 'Blessed Assurance', while some wept

and cried to the Lord. Geoff's parents, Arthur and Lily, were

deeply moved by the love that had been shown them. Lily

was a churchgoer, and Arthur was chapel. Both had felt re-

served towards this move of the Spirit, but Lily began to go

to the meetings, found the Lord, and was drawn into the cen-

tre of things. Arthur followed later.

The travail over Geoff proved to be the birthpangs of a new

fruitfulness. The sense of God's presence increased, and Noel

circulated a newsletter around the villages. The mid-week

chapel meeting now moved around and met in homes. They

were packed out. Expectation was still for revival and Noel,

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

inspired by the example of Evan Roberts in the Welsh revival,

got them all to pray in turn: 'Lord, fill me more powerfully

with your Spirit.'

A wave of baptisms began in the spring, Malcolm being the

first. He felt a new power as he came out of the water and

soon the shy schoolboy musician was going around praying

with people and ministering in the gifts of the Spirit.

John's sister, Carol, had become a Christian at thirteen, but

later rebelled against her evangelical upbringing. The world

had messed her up and now, at twenty-one, she'd hit rock

bottom. People from Bugbrooke were often at her mum's

house in Northampton, and she noticed the way they talked

and prayed about this lad Geoff. Here was genuine love. And

that was what she longed to find — real love.

Plucking up courage, Carol went along and sat at the back

of the manse one Saturday evening. She tried desperately

not to be noticed but felt increasingly awkward as the meet-

ing progressed. They sang some songs, lifted their hands in

the air and prayed. 'Let's pray for our sister Carol,' said Noel.

She lifted her head unbelievingly. 'What, pray for me?' she

thought, and burst into sobs. The tears streamed down and

mingled with her mascara. Soon Carol was surrounded by

caring arms as the sisters prayed with her. The awareness of

her sin was overwhelming and she cried out to God. Then

peace came. How amazed she was that night to be loved by

God! It was a fresh start. Her worldly friends dropped her,

but Carol didn't mind — she'd found a new family.

Carol had known the gospel well enough. She had heard it

a thousand times over. But here was a real sense of belong-

ing. It was amazing to see how all these people were on the

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

same wavelength. They actually loved one another. This wasn't

formal religion or even the type of evangelical Christianity

she had known. 'For we were all baptised by one Spirit into

one body... and we were all given the one Spirit to drink,' she

read (1 Cor 12:13). She looked at the 'intoxicated' teenagers

and smiled. That was what she was seeing before her very

eyes.

A few weeks later she was in the manse again. 'Some of

you will be baptised in the Spirit tonight,' Noel announced.

Carol wept again as God's love bubbled within her and she

spoke in tongues. Immediately her barriers went down. She

wanted to go around the room and hug everyone.

They often spoke of the 'body of Christ'. The church was

not an organisation — it was a living organism. All over the

world, believers were discovering this, and were meeting in

their homes as a 'family'. In Scripture the manse group read

of the body 'building itself up in love' (Eph 4:16), of the mem-

bers having 'different gifts' (Rom 12:6) and of rejoicing and

weeping together (Rom 12:15). All who experienced the Spirit

felt this sense of unity, of being part of one another. But oth-

ers in the chapel weren't finding God in such a way and some

felt a little excluded. Not everyone wanted such an experi-

ence. Quite a few clung to the old ways. Some were confused

or a little fearful. Others could be proud and quite rude!

It seemed that belonging to the 'body of Christ' and chapel

membership were not exactly the same. The Spirit was a bless-

ing and a trouble-maker. Jesus had warned against sewing a

new patch on an old garment, and the chapel was feeling the

strain. It was a heartache for those who sought to bridge the

widening gulf. Some had already left.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Sunday evenings now began to change and baptismal serv-

ices, especially, brought new freedom. Handclapping and

raised arms began to appear. Up in the organ, Verna's fin-

gers moved nimbly over the keyboard as the songs livened

up.

In the summer vacation Peter 'Matt' came round again with

his tambourine and found the chapel a strange mixture. Char-

ismatic choruses were accompanied by a huge pipe organ

and sung from old wooden pews with doors on the end, while

the mixed bag of believers was led from the pulpit by an in-

creasingly liberated Baptist minister. At one Sunday evening

baptismal service they didn't wait for the preacher or the

organist! The singing started spontaneously; someone spoke

in tongues and it was followed by an interpretation of exu-

berant praise. As if that wasn't enough, the service was fol-

lowed by a discreet exorcism! And that was the end of tradi-

tional formality on a Sunday evening.

Minister and deacons now began to review the Constitu-

tion, which had its limitations when looked at in the light of a

renewed understanding of Scripture. One deficiency con-

cerned 'body ministry'. In the early Church everyone was a

disciple, all had spiritual gifts, and all were involved in wor-

ship and ministry. They saw this, and were keen to encourage

ministry from within the church. Moreover Noel wanted to

recognise fellow elders and the Constitution didn't allow for

that. The matter was taken to a Special Church Meeting and

they agreed to 'revoke the rules temporarily — to allow the

Lord to guide us in the formulating of new ones'.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

A gracious little bombshell! It meant they were breaking

free from tradition and the battle was shifting from personal

blessing to church renewal.

Meanwhile, Carol was feeling the need for water baptism.

Jesus had been baptised, and the formula in Acts 2 was clear

enough: 'Repent! Be baptised! Receive the Spirit!' Baptism

spelt goodbye to the old life. It was the burial of a sinful na-

ture already slain upon the cross. The old Carol with the sin-

stained life, and the broken heart, had come to an end. She

could bury it all, and rise with no shadow to follow her.

One July evening she stood in the warm water. All around

the baptistry were friendly faces and cross-legged kids peer-

ing excitedly down. Carol was plunged into the water and up

she came again spluttering and radiant. A ripple of laughter

went through the chapel, and the organ groaned into action.

A word of prophecy was given that she would be a 'fruitful

vine'. A brief pause, then a tambourine swung into a song.

'Lifted! I've been lifted, I've been lifted by his love, out of sin

and sorrow into boundless realms above!' The congregation

burst into praise.

Within days a minibus and two cars were speeding through

the night to Scotland. Another chapel holiday had begun. Carol

had brought a friend, Mim, with her. Mim was excited but

Carol slept peacefully on her shoulder. 'Thirty-two Spirit-filled

Christians in a castle for two weeks!' thought Mim. 'Well,

thirty-one plus me!'

Mim was from the Elim Pentecostal Church and there was

a kinship between the two fellowships. The chapel admired

their well-established pentecostalism, and the Elim young-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

sters who came round enjoyed the vitality and family atmos-

phere at Bugbrooke. Mim, though, hadn't been baptised in

the Spirit yet.

No sooner had the first evening meeting begun, than Carol

got up and delivered one of the 'words of knowledge' that

God often gave her. 'Mim is going to get baptised in the Spirit

— tonight!' she declared, and by the end of the evening Mim

was speaking in tongues.

That night the sisters' dormitory was invaded by flying bee-

tles, so Carol had an idea. She got out of bed, mustered up

her spiritual authority and shouted: 'I rebuke you beetles in

the name of Jesus!' The poor beetles were never seen again!

The theme for the fortnight at Kilravock Castle was 'Re-

joice always'. Friendship, worship and fresh air combined to

make, in Mim's words, 'a terrific holiday'. For Noel it was a

chance to spend more time with leaders as they sought the

way forward. One thing was clear — the change in Carol was

amazing. It was a power conversion and a power baptism.

They read in Acts of how Paul met some disciples who knew

only 'John's baptism' (Acts 19:3). Something was wrong. They

trusted in Jesus, but lacked life and power. Paul baptised them

again and, as he laid hands on them, they 'spoke with tongues

and prophesied'. The Holy Spirit had come upon them! Now

Noel saw baptism in a new light. It was a gateway into fur-

ther blessing, and Carol and Malcolm had passed through.

A few weeks on, and up to forty people crowded into the

manse. It was hot and the windows were flung open. The room

buzzed with life and there was hugging and praising. Kelly

and Norma were two pentecostals who were so impressed

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

with the change in Mim that they had come fifteen miles from

Kettering to investigate. Kelly was a converted biker and hun-

gry for God.

'How did you get on?' asked Norma, on the way home.

'Man! The liberty's worrying,' said Kelly, and smiled. 'It was

great!'

They were very drawn by the love and were an immediate

hit with the youngsters. Kelly had a leather jacket, dirty jeans

and sideburns! What's more he played the guitar and was

down to earth. Everybody liked them and before long they

slipped into the heart of the fellowship.

Kelly felt they were laying a foundation for the future with

their emphasis on the body of Christ. The spiritual gifts were

fine, but it was the love that spoke volumes. Often a minibus-

load would cram into their little house at Kettering. It was

better brotherhood than among the bikers and there was no

hangover!

Towards the end of the year they moved in next door to

Verna, and soon took in one of the young men. The two cot-

tages attracted people over the weekends and formed a little

spiritual oasis. Kelly was invited to the leaders' meeting, and

given responsibility for two minibuses and the cleaning of

the outside toilets. Such was the price of fame!

Slowly people were gathering. Two years had now passed

since the original group had first felt the shock waves of the

Spirit. They'd discovered much, but perhaps the most impor-

tant thing of all was the reality of bring knitted together in

the love of God. Revival hadn't swept over Bugbrooke, but

the winds of change were definitely blowing.

4 Winds of Change

It was a normal Sunday morning in February. Miss Campion

hovered around the front of the chapel and kept a maternal

eye on the deacons who greeted people at the door with a

handshake. She was pleased to see that a few of the new

Saturday-nighters were now turning up for the morning serv-

ice.

All was well. The flowers had been arranged, the commun-

ion table set out, and inside Verna was playing gentle hymn

tunes on the organ. The congregation sat patiently in their

pews until 10.30am, when the side door opened, the whis-

pering of the children stopped, and in stepped a well-groomed

Noel. The choir followed and as they positioned themselves

on the platform, Noel stood casually next to the pulpit. (To

the annoyance of some — he should have been in it!) Then he

quietly prayed and announced the first hymn.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

It was hardly the day of Pentecost! Yet that Sunday morn-

ing was different. The deacons had already agreed to intro-

duce 'free ministry' during the communion service, but no

one had dared break the ice. Then John Thom, the charis-

matic graduate, spoke out in tongues — loudly. Traditional

hearts froze. The tongue was interpreted and another brother

prophesied. For some, that was it. 'If we'd wanted a

pentecostal church,' said one man, 'we would have gone to

one.' But the Holy Spirit could not be stopped. Now was the

time to lose the 'wood, hay or straw' (1 Cor 3:12) of tradition-

alism and build according to the New Testament. The chapel

doors must be flung open to allow the wind of the Spirit to

blow right through!

The spring of 1971 saw an influx of young people. Lunch and

tea were provided on Sundays, and Kelly and Dave led an

afternoon gathering called TTMTT. In this Teens and Twen-

ties Music and Testimony Time there were real breakthroughs

in sharing, testifying and experimenting with gifts and minis-

tries. Many more were around on Easter Monday when five

people were baptised amid loud rejoicing and tears. On Sun-

day evenings the sound of tambourines carried into the night

air. Sometimes there would be singing in the Spirit, the melo-

dies weaving together in harmony. 'When they sing in these

tongues, it's so beautiful,' one lady told her friends, 'you think

you're in heaven.'

Some of the older members of the chapel were now catch-

ing up and entering into blessing. One elderly lady saw a vi-

sion of Jesus, with a beautiful glow around his face. She found

a deep peace and entered into the worship. But not all the

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

villagers were so keen. 'All that clapping and singing!' said

one irate neighbour. 'You wouldn't think it was a place of wor-

ship.'

A facelift was now overdue for the chapel. The organ was

riddled with woodworm, and the pews were large, hard and

immoveable. The place needed heating, lighting and space.

The evening congregation was growing and the mums and

babies were taking over the vestry. A new building programme

was needed.

The plan was to replace the old pews with lightweight, pad-

ded ones, and to redecorate the chapel in bright, cheerful

colours. As for the organ, the cost of restoring it would be

astronomical. The space could be better used for a new ves-

try. So they agreed to purchase an electronic one, versatile

enough for a newer style of worship. The organist could then

sit with the rest of the 'family'.

But, again, not everyone was happy. 'When that organ went,

it was like someone had died,' lamented one old lady. Opposi-

tion was building up, not only from within the congregation,

but from others who were suspicious of the charismatic move-

ment.

Noel stood firm and reassured the deacons. 'As we allow

the Lord to have his way, we shall know victory,' he said and

quoted from 1 Peter 3: 'Love as brothers, be compassionate

and humble... But even if you should suffer for what is right,

you are blessed.'

Many, like Kelly, ached for a full release of worship and

brotherly love, and had often grieved over those who were

getting left behind. But in the end it was their choice whether

or not they would yield to the Lord.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

In May Gerald Coates came for a week. He was a dynamic

young man, one of many charismatic leaders in the UK whom

Arthur Wallis sought to draw together in a vision for restored,

biblical Christianity. Two streams were emerging in the char-

ismatic movement. One sought for 'renewal' within the de-

nominations, the other for a 'restoration' of New Testament

church life. Gerald had left his Brethren assembly to form a

house group in Cobham. Like Bugbrooke they were finding

real relationships and even greater liberty. The problems of

dealing with people of widely different views didn't exist in

their type of house church, and Noel envied their biblical sim-

plicity.

Gerald ministered with great freedom, weeping as he spoke

of the grace of Jesus. One of the ladies was healed of a de-

formed hand and news of this rippled through the village. As

a reward, Gerald was given the task of visiting some of the

traditional chapel folk. But he didn't get very far. The flam-

boyant young fellow was hardly their idea of 'the minister'!

Gerald taught from the book of Haggai, a prophet endeared

to the house churches.

'"You expected much, but it turned out to be little,"' he read,

referring to the hope of revival.

'"Why? Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while

each of you is busy with his own house."' Gerald pressed for

radical commitment.

'"Go... and build the house,"' he read with excitement, ' "so

that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the Lord."'

'An enthusiastic remnant rebuilt the temple in their day,'

Gerald explained, as he paced around. 'So must we in ours!

We must restore the purity of the church. God is looking for

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

pioneers — for worshippers — those who are going to get out

of compromise and get into reality.'

The last ceremony in the unaltered chapel was Mim's wed-

ding. Then, while work went ahead, sixty went down to an old

rented Bible College in the New Forest for the summer re-

treat. Some major subjects were tackled in Noel's teaching

sessions, including authority, spiritual ministries, church

meetings and the nature of the church.

The function of the church was a vital topic. They began to

see that it wasn't enough simply for chapel practices to be

renewed. Throughout the world, the Spirit was bringing a

fresh understanding of the nature of the church. Churches in

the first days were planted by apostles and prophets and func-

tioned more or less independently. Denominations and priestly

systems were unknown, as were consecrated buildings, vest-

ments and altars. Theological colleges were unheard of. In-

stead, on-the-spot training was given in the local churches.

With a full range of spiritual gifts and ministries, each local

church should be a place of simple brotherhood and a real

expression of the body of Christ. In Britain, many people who

felt this were joining the house churches, and those who pio-

neered these 'new churches' were helping other fellowships

and taking them under their wing — or 'covering' them.

Bugbrooke Chapel had received input from 'restoration' and

from 'renewal' streams. Where did she stand? Basically, as

an independent church. Bugbrooke had a remarkable herit-

age of independence, and the chapel, like others affiliated to

the Baptist Union, was entirely self-governing.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

The chapel fellowship was wary both of being restrained

by denominational tradition and of being 'covered' by one of

the new churches. The house church fellowships, being new,

were inevitably immature and some were very middle-class.

Noel had a good streak of the Puritan evangelical in him, and

was wary of an overbalance on liberty. Members of house

churches had discovered the joy of being 'not under law' in

their front rooms, but there was plenty of evidence for ruling

authority in New Testament churches. There was also the need

for holiness and costly discipleship.

The chapel quietly asserted its independence as radical Bap-

tists. The Lord was launching them out in a new direction,

and it was a joy to have the Scriptures for a compass, and the

Spirit blowing into their sails.

Towards the end of the retreat they began to plan a new of-

fensive: the Jesus Lives Crusade. Kelly, in particular, got ex-

cited. It seemed that this little 'body' was being mobilised.

There was talk of a music festival and a convoy through the

villages. What's more, they'd ordered a load of Jesus tee-shirts

in turquoise, orange and violet! JESUS IS LORD would soon

be proclaimed in block capitals from their chests and HAPPY

NEW LIFE IN JESUS from their backs. The times were cer-

tainly changing. To cap all that, they had decided to drape a

red and white banner across the old stones of the chapel.

JESUS LIVES! it would proclaim — right over the chapel en-

trance!

Kelly winced as he thought of the reactions. He leaned back

in his canary yellow shirt and red leather waistcoat and let

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

out a low whistle. He wasn't your average Christian. But he

didn't need to be — not for what was coming.

Back in the freshly-painted chapel, Kelly's eyes scanned the

balcony. 'Perhaps violet was going a bit far,' he thought, and

smiled as he watched Noel waiting for the choruses to end.

Noel still looked the smart Baptist minister, but under the

dark suit a charismatic rebel was burning.

Thirty youngsters had turned up in two minibuses that sum-

mer evening, and the chapel was packed and buzzing.

'Man!' whispered one lad, tugging at his friend. 'The love

kinda hits you!'

'Yeh! They're all tripped out on something,' said the other.

They sniggered and hid behind their song books.

Verna beamed behind the new electronic organ. A couple

of guitars joined in as she played 'Sweep over my soul' for

the umpteenth time. A murmur of praise then rose up and

flowed into a new chorus: 'He has given me the wine to make

my heart rejoice, and the oil to make my face to shine!'

Miss Campion sat towards the back with a twinkle in her

eyes. Her Baptist severity had given way to a glow of glory.

Some of the leather-jacketed youths didn't know what to make

of it. They eyed each other and Miss Campion, and nervously

edged towards the door. A few of their mates had already lit

up outside. Soon Noel was throwing out the challenge of a

radical following of Christ. His theme was the 'Jesus Revolu-

tion'.

News of a movement among the American hippies was leak-

ing into Britain. Flower power had been invaded by the gos-

pel and there were amazing stories of deliverance from drugs

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

and the occult. The revival itself was turning into a counter-

culture as transformed young 'Jesus People' followed the

teachings of Jesus and lived a life of sharing. For them, Jesus

was the revolutionary of revolutionaries.

In July the local Northampton paper had carried an article

about the Jesus Revolution, and this coincided with the chap-

el's publicity for the Jesus Lives Crusade. In the minds of the

locals the two were associated. Violet tee-shirts, bell-bottom

jeans, and long hair, confirmed it. Bugbrooke Chapel was full

of Jesus Freaks. They were, without a doubt, the Jesus Peo-

ple.

The Crusade began in August with a convoy around the

villages. Cars and minibuses displayed stickers and posters,

while, in the middle, a lorry chugged along full of tee-shirted

youngsters on straw bales, sporting guitars and Jesus grins.

Noel, in his posh Audi, led the convoy down the A5. When

they got to the outskirts of Towcester, they turned round, and

the whole procession did a U turn through a petrol station!

The attendant stared unbelievingly as the lorry came through.

'Smile! Jesus loves you!' they shouted — and handed him a

gospel tract.

The culmination of forty days of activity was a music festi-

val on a village green near Bugbrooke. Gerald Coates came

with a team, along with some music groups whose styles var-

ied from gentle gospel to heavy rock. Carol and others told

their stories from the back of the lorry as hamburgers and

onions sizzled nearby.

Old friends from Bedford who had been praying for sober

Noel to get the blessing turned up, and got a shock to see his

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

bright red shirt, glowing face and long hair! They liked the

new version and the group became Saturday night regulars.

Following the music festival, eight people were baptised.

Johnny, a local fighter, wept his way to the Lord. The village

was stirred and he was asked to speak at Dave's school. Some

of the youngsters responded, and more came along to see

what was going on down at the chapel.

In September, the American evangelist, Arthur Blessitt, hit

town, leaving a trail of Jesus stickers and enthusiasm. Then a

huge bonfire lit the skies over Northampton — the Nation-

wide Festival of Light had begun. In London the shouts of

'Praise the Lord!', the One Way signals, the music, the stick-

ers and the joy all indicated the spiritual groundswell abroad.

At Bugbrooke that swell was rising fast. Some who had

started coming to the chapel meetings were thinking of mov-

ing into the village, but not all could afford to. Noel suggested

a Sharing Fund to meet particular needs and the formation

of a housing association to provide homes at a low cost. This,

he explained, put into practice the communal spirit of the

New Testament. He admired the example of the early Chris-

tians and, to the amazement of some, started to lend out his

Audi.

Christmas was approaching and many were uneasy about

the worldliness and hypocrisy it involved. The festival, which

was of pagan origin, and never recognised in the early church,

brought so many temptations to drunkenness and greed.

Sadly, Johnny, the local fighter, had already gone back to some

of his old ways.

Nonetheless, a carol service went ahead and Noel hoped to

reach the hearts of some of the traditional folk. Testimonies

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

to the power of Christ were given, but Noel came away

grieved. So many seemed to sing the carols with no real de-

sire to follow Christ. The way of compromise seemed ineffec-

tive and he yearned for a clean break. Jesus revolutionaries

needed the courage to stand against the tide and be true to

God.

Christmas day was a Sunday. Normal services were held,

but few came. The church was on holiday and the work of

God took a back seat. Noel resolved that next year it would

be different.

Two days later Johnny turned up late at night weeping out-

side the chapel. Kelly and Noel led him back to the Lord.

Soon he got a burden to reach his drop-out friends in North-

ampton. Others sensed the leading of God in this and a vision

for these people developed. As God urged them on to the

streets, they launched out into deeper waters.

5 Angel and Freaks

They knew where to find them. The Black Lion was known as

a centre for the drug scene in Northampton. When the weather

was warmer thy sat on the steps of All Saints Church, or chat-

ted to each other in the coffee bar inside — an interesting

mixture of hairies, acid heads, and bikers, ranging from flower

power hippies to full blown Hell's Angels. Most were drop-

outs, spending their money on dope. There was an openness

amongst them, something of a brotherhood.

One Saturday morning in January the unlikely team from

Bugbrooke dived in: Noel, the evangelical crusader; Kelly the

pentecostal ex-biker; Johnny, the newly-converted fighter; Val,

a teacher; and Malcolm, the refined schoolboy-musician.

John Cornish and Paddy were sitting up against the wall

chatting when they spotted the middle-aged straight and his

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

friends coming up the steps. Paddy was taken aback but liked

their 'vibe'. Kelly and Johnny had some interesting stories.

Paddy and John Cornish were intrigued by this Jesus trip,

and paid a visit to Bugbrooke. As a result, Kelly and Norma's

cottage and the manse soon came to be known as places where

you could get a lot of friendship and a good conversation about

religion! Bugbrooke might be a bit 'far out' (five miles), but it

was worth the ride.

The following week Noel met Rufus, a vegetarian and a re-

ligious freak. He was into the drug scene in London and fre-

quently took the hippy trail to Glastonbury and Cornwall. At

nineteen, he had done two years with the Royal Shakespeare

Company, worked for television and appeared in the film of

War and Peace. Rufus was on the road to stardom.

His wife, Jessie, lived with his mum in Northampton, and

Rufus travelled to and fro, dealing acid on the quiet. He dis-

dained the junk pushers (John Cornish and Paddy were al-

ready fixing heroin) but was happy to sell his 'sweet dreams'.

LSD, in his eyes, was a mind-opening path to religious expe-

rience: enlightenment was his goal.

Noel sailed in. 'This guy's quite interesting,' Paddy whis-

pered to Rufus as Noel approached. Rufus broke off his man-

tra and gave him a quick suss. Noel's face looked alive.

'Hello. Bless you!' Noel said warmly. 'I'm Noel from the

Jesus People. Have you got a faith in God?'

'Yeh,' said Rufus, 'I've just been praying to the angels —

you know — conversing with the powers of light.'

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Noel smiled. 'I think we've got something that might inter-

est you. Why don't you come along?'

So he did — that night. John Thom was leading a Bible study

in the manse on Acts 2 — how the first believers 'had every-

thing in common' (Acts 2:44). Rufus interrupted a few times

and when the meeting finished, wandered into the kitchen

where someone was frying sausages.

'Wow — carnage!' said Rufus. 'I thought you people were

spiritual.' The brother smiled.

'Oh well, obviously it's a place for needy people who haven't

got much savvy,' thought Rufus, '...certainly not for the philo-

sophical.'

Noel walked in.

'Why, O why,' Rufus asked, 'do you feel salvation lies in your

little structure? It's all so narrow. What about all the other

spiritual masters?'

Noel laid his hand on his shoulder. 'Good to see you, Ru-

fus.'

'Yeh... well, praise the Lord anyway!' grinned John Thom

annoyingly and tucked into his sausages. Rufus sighed and

asked for a lift home.

'That guy,' said Noel, after he'd gone, 'is going to be really

good when he comes to the Lord.'

Six or seven weeks passed. Bonds with the drug scene in-

creased. A 'Life Squad' went out to the Black Lion on Friday

nights. Other hippies and bikers came along and enjoyed the

atmosphere at Bugbrooke. They also appreciated the help —

sometimes of a bed or a meal. One biker from the 'Apache

Outlaws' was bailed out for theft. Slowly hearts were gained,

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

a trust developed, and the Christians were welcomed on to

hippy turf.

Chapel meetings grew in power, and increased to six eve-

nings a week, with Friday night 'free in the Spirit' gatherings

for the unconverted. Printed cards invited folk back to the

Jesus Vibro! ('for under 30s life-seekers').

More teenagers were converted through Johnny's testimony

and in March there were over a hundred people around.

Among the seven baptised was Val, the teacher, who shook

under the power of God as she entered the water. Spiritual

gifts were much in evidence: one man's gums were healed;

words of prophecy and wisdom flowed forth and many sang

in tongues.

Clearly God was honouring this move on to the streets. Some

of the new friends began to open up and come to meetings.

'I'm searching for the truth,' said an Apache Outlaw to Mal-

colm one lunchtime. 'Last night I kicked in a Keep Left sign

so I could read the Scriptures better.' More and more of these

guys were identifying with the Jesus People and responding

to their love.

Rufus came that Easter with Jess and some other freaks.

Most of them were high on pot, and Rufus let his guard down.

They were all encouraged to shut their eyes, hold hands, and

feel God's love. Jess thought it an improvement on the Krishna

mob, but was offended by a straight who offered to replace

her best patched jeans. John Cornish was 'mainlining' heroin

and Paddy was stoned, but they stayed around and watched

the baptisms the next day.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

'Let it flow! Let it flow!' they all sang. Someone shook their

hands. '...Let the love of Jesus flow through you and let it flow

through me!'

They peered hazily out of their long hair.

'Man,' said Paddy, '...this is better than any acid trip!' They

decided to finish with dope and were prayed with. Paddy came

off with no withdrawal symptoms.

A few days later, Paddy was praying in his house, asking

God to make himself real. It was late morning and his friends

had already gone to All Saints. A moment came that he never

forgot. He felt a fire on his head that seemed to pass right

down through him and out of his hands.

'It was like I was being flushed right through,' he was soon

telling John Cornish excitedly. 'I felt clean — all white inside,

and full of love.' Immediately he rushed down the street,

bounded up All Saints steps and bought them all a cup of tea.

'That really freaked them out,' he chuckled. 'I'd never done

that before!'

The fire spread. John came to the Lord and, in May, Paddy

was baptised along with a friend, Mick. Mick had been

mainlining heavily and his arms were full of ulcerations and

scars. When he came up from the water the marks had all

gone!

Trouble brewed up with the Outlaws. Some of them were into

witchcraft and violence and didn't take too kindly to these

Christian creeps. Kelly and Johnny were in the Black Lion

one Friday night when a fight broke out. They left quickly

with a girl who needed help, but were pursued by two Hell's

Angels with sticks. One took a swing at Kelly, but before the

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

blow could land, the biker sank to the floor — Johnny was an

experienced fighter! He turned to Kelly sheepishly. 'I thought

it was right in the Spirit,' he said. Kelly grinned, took a look

over his shoulder and ran to the car. They hopped in — just in

time. The gang surrounded them and started to turn the car

over.

'Kelly,' said Johnny, 'I think we ought to go home.'

'Yes, Johnny,' said Kelly, '...certainly!' Kelly hit the ignition

and they lurched into the night.

Rumours went round that Johnny and Kelly were in for some

'treatment'. The following night the Apaches planned to bust

the chapel open but, by a stroke of providence, a more impor-

tant 'rumble' cropped up somewhere else.

A few days later the President, Nicky, came with a few mates

and sat on the front row with knives and sticks. Nicky was

huge and vicious. Kelly eyed him from the platform and swal-

lowed hard; Norma gripped his arm; and Noel preached as

normal. The rest was up to prayer, worship, and God. The

presence of the Lord was real and, by the end of the meeting,

Nicky's heart was softened. Kelly came down and embraced

him. They struck hands and Nicky threw off his Angels' gear.

When a reporter from Northampton came to investigate, Nicky

told his story:

We used to carry 12-bore shotguns in the Chapter and I really

enjoyed violence. We came over to create a disturbance but by

the end of the evening I really felt I had found some sort of

truth. People were happy. I took off my colours, broke my stick

in two, and gave it to Noel. It was notched for every time I used

it.10

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

When John Thom and Nicky visited All Saints, Nicky told his

mates what God had done for him. At first they couldn't be-

lieve it. Then John watched one of them go white and start to

tremble. Hoss was into black magic and the occult.

That following Sunday, the chapel heard that Hoss was on

his way to the service. The pre-meeting prayer time became

very animated and God gave one brother an impression of

Hoss lying prostrate on the floor. Hoss arrived with three of

his coven, and settled down at the back. They sat with hands

joined, chanting the Lord's Prayer backwards and trying to

put a curse on people.

The worship grew in power and they began to panic at the

sound of the name of Jesus. The chorus, 'Oh there's power,

power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb!' was

terrifying and the tambourines were deafening! Eventually

the satanists clambered desperately out of the pew and rushed

to the door. But before Hoss could reach the exit he turned

sickly pale, clung to the pillar and keeled over. He hit the

floor like a dead man and was carried down the aisle into the

back room for deliverance ministry. After a while, he came to

and found peace with God.

'It was love that cracked me!' he said, as he lay weeping on

the floor. 'It was love that cracked me!'

Hoss and Nicky were changed men, but hardly instant

saints, as Malcolm's diary reveals. 'Hoss renamed himself

Isaiah. Nicky reacted and punched him in the eye. Theme

tonight — love.'

Dave had to confess to Kelly that he'd broken the suspension

by cramming eight people into his car! They also ferried peo-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

ple to the meetings in two minibuses. It seemed the village

was being invaded by these colourful, hairy drop-outs and

unwashed bikers. (Pete Matt and Carol had some interesting

guests at their wedding!) Some hung around outside or even

nipped over the wall into the neighbour's back garden to en-

joy a quiet 'joint'. She wasn't very amused!

The police became aware of the chapel link with the drug

scene and the amazing changes in some of their clients. Paddy

appeared in court for supplying methadone. He would nor-

mally have been sent down, but in view of his conversion, the

magistrate took a lenient course. 'The Jesus Movement', said

the defence, 'has done something for this young man when

he was heading in one direction only — borstal.'11

There was a danger that the chapel would become a place

of drug dealing. It wasn't easy to keep order. Noel spoke of

'upholding the holy name of God', and maintaining discipline

in the camp. The chapel was to be treated with respect and

smoking and drugs were strictly banned. However, a fight

broke out in the manse car park between the bikers. The front

door was kicked in and the police were called out.

Village teenagers would swarm around, too, fascinated by

the goings on. They would sit on the wall of the Baker's Arms

and cheer the Jesus freaks as they went in and out of chapel.

Chapel members were losing their aura of respectability as

they learned to share 'not only the gospel of God but [their]

lives as well' (1 Thess. 2:8). Time, money, prayer and patience,

burdens, disappointments and tears were all thrown into this

work. John Thom was always on duty. He seemed never to

sleep!

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Homes were opened up and sometimes Kelly and Norma

would be up all night nursing someone through 'cold turkey'

and the traumas of withdrawal. Often there was heartbreak

as, around the summer months, many came — only to vanish

again. There were few to care for them, and a lot of those

who received help and prayer went back to their old scene —

some, to an early grave.

Verna, Dave, Kelly, and the rest, considered it an honour to

serve these drop-out friends. How much they needed the love

of God! Verna would weep with joy to see them come through

to Jesus. It was the answer to so many prayers over the years.

'Let's have a feast and celebrate,' the father of the Prodigal

Son had said. 'For this son of mine was dead and is alive

again' (Luke 15:24). The fellowship was greatly enriched by

these new young believers who brimmed over with gratitude

and enthusiasm. But there was still the 'elder brother' ten-

dency to reject them. Self-righteous Christianity has so fre-

quently turned away those whom Christ loves. Those who

identify with them are likewise scorned. At Bugbrooke, being

pentecostal was bad enough, but now they had turned into a

bunch of offbeat hippies! In the eyes of some village folk, and

of some of the other churches, Bugbrooke Chapel had already

gone too far.

Rufus bumped into a transformed Paddy in town, now into

Jesus and looking really healthy. Paddy was off heroin and

had a regular job. Rufus was impressed; both were miracles!

'This Jesus trip must be good — for a junkie — but, so shal-

low!' he thought, and continued on his way, chanting.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Noel started to visit Rufus and Jess at his mum's. One day

Noel and John Thom came in when they were meditating.

Noel chatted with Rufus but Gilly, his adopted brother, sat in

the lotus position, oblivious.

"Ere! — Gilly, bro,' said John, 'don't you think you're being

rather rude?'

'I reckon he's achieving more through meditation, John, than

you are through talking,' Rufus objected angrily.

'You really ought to respect our friends here,' said Noel

quietly. 'You ought to apologise, bro.'

John humbled himself and apologised. This amazed Rufus

and Gilly: these guys were crashing through the barriers. They

could relate.

Rufus was in the back garden one sunny day pruning his

'grass' plants when Noel appeared. A stab of guilt hit him

and he dropped all the leaves.

'Why should this Christian guy make me feel unclean?' he

thought as he ran around in a temper, picking them up.

'Praise the Lord!' said Noel.

'Yeh, but why don't you just praise Krishna as well?' an-

swered Rufus.

But Noel would never argue. He listened as Rufus enthused

about his books on astral projection and his times of fasting

and meditation. Rufus felt someone appreciated him. He be-

gan to think that these were the most solid guys he'd met.

He'd seen Gurus, talked to Zen masters and heard the pio-

neers of the LSD movement, but these Christians had some-

thing extra. Rufus and his friends spent ages trying to work

out what it was. In the end they put it down to faith. These

other guys had powers and abilities, but they hadn't got faith.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Most religious types managed to put Jessie's back up. Noel

and John didn't. They treated her with respect, and she liked

them.

'Jess would make a good New Testament woman!' Noel once

said laughingly.

'What do you mean by that?'

'Well, the Bible says that wives find fulfilment in loving and

serving their husbands. They have lovely, gentle spirits.'

That appealed to Rufus.

Meanwhile, the new Jesus hippies were heavily involved in

church life and evangelism. John Cornish took over from

Malcolm, supplying books, badges, Bibles and stickers, while

Paddy helped edit a Jesus People-style paper, Jesus Reality.

Headings appeared like 'High On Jesus!' and 'Satanist Finds

The Only Way Out'. By June the press caught the scent. The

Northampton Chronicle and Echo sent a young reporter

around and she wrote this:

Dumbo the elephant decorates the blackboard, second hand

furniture fills the room and a middle aged Sunday School teacher

is positioned at the piano, when suddenly a guitar starts up,

tambourines join in and the Jesus Movement of Bugbrooke takes

voice. And from that point, any connection with the Established

Church ends. Their meetings are revivalist, Jesus is the focus

and their religion is community based... Already £600 was raised

in one collection, but a lot more is required for their Housing

Association. Mr Stanton is unperturbed by the problem. 'Jesus

will provide,' he says. And it's very easy to believe him!12

Noel commented in the chapel bulletin:

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

When God moves everything happens! What a story! Large

congregations, generous giving, a wonderful sense of love, and

many turning to Jesus. There are many pressures, some disap-

pointments, occasional abuse and false gossip. But Jesus is Lord

and by the Spirit we have continuing victory. There is a great

revival of faith arising in Britain. The Jesus Movement is hot

news. We ourselves are receiving many letters and phone calls.

People come from long distances. BBC Radio has contacted us.

But in the midst of all this we must maintain a close walk with

God.

At this time God gave them a prophetic 'wisdom-picture' of a

wheel with hub and spokes, the hub representing the com-

mitted core of the church. Revivals have often failed as num-

bers increased. The hub at Bugbrooke must grow stronger to

hold the growing church together.

The summer retreat in Matlock was a timely regathering of

strength. Noel took the theme of deepening. Though their

liberty was growing, they saw that the backdrop must be ho-

liness and full surrender to Christ. The hymn, 'Burn fire of

God, my ransomed soul possessing' moved many to tears.

Jesus was to be all in all. They were choosing a path of fierce,

loving abandonment to Christ and his kingdom.

Noel spoke from Timothy and Titus on God's order within

the church. He also introduced them to the writings of Watch-

man Nee who had just died after twenty years' imprisonment

in China. Nee had pioneered churches in China and many

regarded him as a prophetic voice to the West. In his book,

The Normal Christian Life13, Nee emphasised baptism, sepa-

ration from the world and the distinctiveness of the church.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

At Matlock the theme of commitment was foremost. Fulfil-

ment of ministry in the church was a priority, and jobs in the

world came second.

The leaders called six of those recently baptised into the

centre of the room. Hands were laid on them, and words of

wisdom and prophecy given concerning their ministries within

the church. This became a regular practice after the example

of Paul and the elders laying hands on Timothy (2 Tim 1:6),

and the fellowship called it 'ministry for ministries'.

Matlock was a time of dancing and fun and sharing. Com-

munity whetted their appetite for closer fellowship, and the

hub was restored. When they got back to chapel you could

tell who had been to Matlock: they danced!

At this point, I (Simon*) turned up from Oxford with the lat-

est Watchman Nee books under my arm. My home was nearby

and I had just finished my zoology degree. I'd gone as a con-

firmed atheist but a sudden encounter with God's love had

brought me to Jesus and gave me a longing for the reality of

New Testament Christianity.

Entering Bugbrooke Chapel was like walking into a sea of

life. It was very colourful, very diverse and very turbulent. I

was met by warm unpretentious villagers, a host of Jesus tee-

shirts, and a bunch of freshly converted hippies. Coming

straight out of the Christian Union it was all a bit overpower-

ing, but was just what I needed.

It was a good time to arrive. People were being converted

and filled with the Spirit all over the place. The church had

vision. Noel's preaching was biblical and full of passion. I

* See preface

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

liked him and figured that any friend of Watchman Nee was a

friend of mine! I agreed with Val, the teacher, who had re-

cently settled there. These people,' she said, 'have more po-

tential for discovering what we see in the Acts of the Apos-

tles than any church I know.'

6 Birth of a Culture

1972-73

The afternoon was hot — even for August. Most of us had

marched in a 'Jesus Demonstration' through Northampton.

From Midsummer Meadow to All Saints Church we bran-

dished our placards and shouted our Jesus shouts. Paddy

rushed around with a broad grin accosting the general pub-

lic. I felt highly embarrassed. But it was fun.

'Hi, man! Smile! Jesus loves you!'

Paddy thrust copies of Jesus Reality at some passers-by.

'Don't miss the Music Festival on Monday. It's far out!'

On All Saints' steps we knelt and prayed for the town. A

few told their stories and we walked to a youth centre for the

tea and Celebration Rally. As we worshipped, Val was laugh-

ing for joy. Yvonne, a schoolgirl, looked across at the liber-

ated schoolteacher and smiled. The Spirit came upon her, too,

and she sank to the floor and worshipped God.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

'Oh no!' she thought. The Lord was urging her to speak.

She got up, made her way to the front and began nervously.

'I was hearing things I hadn't even thought about — God

working miracles today! People having a relationship with

Jesus! I came the next night, and — wow! I felt warm inside.

Then laughter started to flood from my mouth. I was so happy

with Jesus — I felt my inside was bursting out!'

The congregation fell about laughing. Paddy waved a tam-

bourine and shouted 'Glory!'

Yvonne blushed and giggled. 'My mum thought I'd gone off

my rocker! But now she's really keen. She's here tonight and

she's coming to my baptism tomorrow!' The hall burst into

applause and her mum hid her face in her hands.

Yvonne was baptised with seven others the next evening.

What a mix it was, too. It included a large housewife, a nurse,

a black lady, Malcolm's physics teacher, and an eccentric old

chap plastered in Jesus badges. It was beautiful to see them

at the same level in Christ.

Kelly's and Verna's cottages were filling up and it was get-

ting difficult to accommodate our many visitors. We began to

think in terms of a large community house, and John Thom

was keen to pioneer.

The seeds of community living had already been well sown.

The last three holidays proved the worth of being together.

What's more, Noel was impressed by Rufus. Something in

Noel, the smart minister and business man, responded to his

hippy lifestyle that scorned the world's values, lived simply,

and sought some kind of spiritual brotherhood. It was out of

this culture that the Jesus People had arisen, and Noel, al-

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

ready challenged by the early Christians, found them an in-

spiration.

It seemed to many that God had raised up this Jesus Move-

ment in the States as a demonstration of real brotherly love.

One author looked on in admiration:

These young people who formed communes... are the pace-set-

ters and innovators... They radiate a quiet joy such as the early

Franciscans knew. Their music reflects a holy hilarity. They have

offered the first inducement in years to make me want to be

young again... They do not discriminate because of age, sex,

race or status. They have broken down the barriers.14

We watched a film on the Jesus Revolution and a music group

visited us from the Jesus People in the States. We felt God's

leading in all this and continued to pray for Rufus.

'Read Hamlet, Rufus. Read Hamlet!' Rufus' dad poked his

head out of the window as his train pulled out of Northamp-

ton Station.

Rufus knew that his dad was deeply depressed and was

obsessed with thoughts of suicide. As he waved goodbye Ru-

fus' heart was heavy. He knew Hamlet all right — 'To be or

not to be...' The words drummed in Rufus's mind.

Within hours his dad was dead. Rufus felt desperate and

helpless. What comfort could he offer his mum? Chanting and

meditation were great, but it didn't help anyone else. As soon

as he left the lotus posture the world closed in on him.

He'd grown sick of his life as an actor — of the unreality of

it all. Jess had a baby — his mum kicked them out and he

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

rented an empty house. He felt the responsibility of the baby.

He worked a long hard day for an Irish ganger and broke

with dope. After a police raid, friends in London had gone

down for two years on drug charges, and Rufus felt he'd had

a narrow escape.

Purity was his goal now. He shaved his hair, leaving a pony

tail — which Jess cut off! She detested the Hare Krishna scene

that seemed to dehumanise her friends. There were blow-

ups between them and Rufus would sometimes lash out and

hit her. Dope no longer soothed his conscience and guilts came

crashing in. He meditated three hours a day and fasted, but

out on the building site he wept with cold and exhaustion.

Enlightenment seemed a million miles away.

In desperation, he read the New Testament and saw the

idolatry in Krishna. The Gurus were also turning him off and

stories of their affluence disgusted him. He plunged into

macrobiotics and spent his money on special foods. Even the

dogs were vegetarian! He dreamed of a houseboat on the

river, and laid out £500, but the boat turned out to be rotten.

It felt kind of symbolic.

Then in the new year he met John Cornish. John seemed

everything that Rufus wasn't — contented, relaxed, a picture

of sanity.

'Wow! You're looking great!' said Rufus. 'What's that under

your arm?'

John flushed and unwrapped a Bible.

'Man, you're really into it!'

Rufus longed for what John had. A friend gave him a tract

about a cartoon hippy who gets ripped off, burned out, and

ends up in a mess. Then the guy meets some Jesus People,

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

gets saved, and goes round spreading the good news. Some-

how it really touched Rufus.

He was glad when Noel and John Thom appeared. They

would sit on orange boxes and sip herbal teas with Rufus and

Jess. On one occasion they prayed and God's presence filled

the room.

The crunch came three weeks later when Rufus devoured a

swiss roll at his mum's place. That was macrobiotic sin. He

came away despairing and, in a burst of anger, slammed the

dog against the wall. The dog followed meekly after. Rufus

turned and asked Jess whether she still loved him. 'Yeah!'

she said. Rufus felt like he was falling apart.

Back home, he ran upstairs and shut himself in an empty

room. There in the darkness he saw it all so vividly. The Ti-

betan Book of the Dead, the I Ching, the mantras he had

chanted, the mandalas he had looked at, the numerous yogic

postures he had learned, the kohans he had read, the mescalin

and acid he had taken — they all seemed to be laughing at

him. Rufus broke down and out of the darkness, he cried out

to God: 'I can never get to you, Lord. You've got to reach

down and pick me up.'

In a moment he knew: it was Jesus. He went downstairs to

Jessie. 'Jess, what if we left everything and went round just

telling people about Jesus. Would you come, Jess?'

She paused. 'What — with the baby — just telling people?'

'Yeah, with the baby,' said Rufus.

'Yes — I'd come,' said Jess.

Rufus went out to the phone kiosk. 'Look, Noel,' he said, 'I

know I'm a sinner. I just want to find Jesus.'

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

Rufus and Jess came to the next meeting. Rufus wore a

greatcoat tied with string, and turned-down wellies. With two

dogs and a baby they came in as tramps and were welcomed

like kings. He looked around. These people were worship-

ping a powerful, invisible presence, and they looked radiant

and fulfilled. Afterwards, Noel left him with a copy of Run

Baby Run15. He found the book disgusting — all blood and

guts, but when he reached the place where the gang leader

finds Jesus, Rufus entered into a great sense of forgiveness.

At the next meeting Rufus joined in the praise. Suddenly

the finger of God touched him and in a moment he knew the

Father's love. It was neat, undiluted love — powerful, but su-

perbly personal. As he felt the dirt drain away, his knees went

weak and he fell to the floor, weeping for joy.

Soon he was in London seeing his old mates. One of them,

Ralph, was like a brother to Rufus. Ralph was so Communist

that he had painted his door red, and on his bedroom wall

had fixed a huge poster of Che Guevara.

'Rufus, mate,' he used to say, 'you're too airy fairy.' He en-

joyed bringing Rufus down to earth but would still let Rufus

badger him into going to something way out. He loved Rufus

but couldn't keep up with his fads.

Rufus blew in and hugged Ralph.

'Praise the Lord, Ralph!'

'You what?' said Ralph.

'Praise the Lord! Glory! I've found Jesus — the constant

high!'

'Oh no!' said Ralph. 'Not Jesus! You'd praise a matchbox if

it could save you.'

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

That's right,' said Rufus. 'But I've found Jesus. Glory! You've

got to come up and meet the Jesus People, Ralph.'

'Meet them! I'll come up and meet them!' said Ralph look-

ing agitated. 'And I'll find out who's raking in the money!'

Ralph turned up in order to sort Rufus out. Rufus had re-

ally flipped this time. Christianity! Krishna had turned Ralph

off — but Christianity! It reeked of all that was middle-class,

imperialist and oppressive. Jesus was all right. He was for

the people. But the church! The church! It was the religious

facade of capitalist materialism.

Ralph sat next to Rufus in the upstairs lounge and sussed

them all out. Most of them were right straights, he thought,

but they looked pretty happy and liberated. Even Jess was

getting into it. It must be the first scene they'd ever agreed

on! Ralph smiled cynically. Then he felt uneasy. He was al-

ways going on about being free, breaking out, being yourself.

But he wasn't. He was bound up like everyone else — and he

knew it. Oh, but not God. That was old hat.

Out of the blue, a lady stood up. 'The Lord tells me there is

a young man here who is very cynical. But he wants you to

know that he really loves you and wants to set you free.'

Ralph was stunned. He felt totally exposed — as if God was

looking inside him — and he started to crumble. After that he

didn't say a word for two days. If he became a Christian, then

what about his ideals — equality, freedom, the brotherhood

of man?

In the end he turned it over to God and, as he surrendered,

a great peace came into his soul. The following evening he

listened in amazement as Noel quoted a political idealist:

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

We communists are the ones who get shot and jailed and slan-

dered. We live in virtual poverty. We turn back to the party every

penny we make above what is absolutely necessary. We don't

have time for movies and concerts or T-bone steaks, or decent

homes, or new cars. We are called fanatics. Our lives are domi-

nated by one great vision. We have a philosophy no money can

buy, and a purpose to fight for. It is my life, my business, my

religion, my hobby, my sweetheart, my lover, my bread and my

meat. I work at it in the daytime and dream of it at night. Its

hold on me grows, not lessens — therefore I cannot carry on a

friendship or even a conversation without relating it to this force

that drives my life. I have already been in jail, and if necessary,

I am ready to go before the firing squad.16

'How much more,' said Noel, looking in Ralph's direction,

'should we be devoted to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ!'

With tears in his eyes, Ralph worshipped his newfound Sav-

iour.

A week passed and another of Rufus' friends came to see

what was going on. Mary was French — and the philosophi-

cal arty type. She was an 'acid head', her boyfriend was as-

trologer to the Beatles, and she was into Timothy Leary and

the psychedelics.

When Rufus appeared in Chelsea, she watched him going

round praising the Lord and hugging his old friends. It was

bizarre, but unusually solid for Rufus, she thought. He was

becoming human again!

Mary came up, and was lighting a fire when Ralph walked

in, beaming. 'Mary,' he said, 'I've been converted.' She

couldn't believe it: Ralph, the militant atheist!

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

'These Jesus People must be miracle workers!' she thought,

and decided to go along to a meeting. Bugbrooke, she imag-

ined, was a barn in the country full of turned-on Jesus Freaks.

But not so. One guy was over forty, sporting a big red tie,

braces and long balding hair. 'A typical eccentric Englishman!'

she thought, as he approached her down the aisle just before

the meeting. It was Noel. He said a few friendly words but in

this atmosphere of holiness she felt exposed, and was lost for

words.

The meeting began and soon they were singing in strange

languages. Suddenly she was aware of the presence of God

and in a flash she saw the meaning of the gospel. Jesus had

died for her! The Bible was true! She could receive the Holy

Spirit!

Mary talked with Rufus into the early hours, and he told

her she must give God her heart and love Jesus supremely. It

was a simple choice of surrender, and Mary decided to give it

a go. In the morning she hitched a lift to London and Jesus

was the sole topic of conversation all the way! She packed up

some essential things and gave the rest to her flat mate. Paint-

ings, tapestries and writings were left unfinished. She said

goodbye to London and returned that day to a new lifestyle —

a sleeping bag on Rufus' floor!

Others friends got converted and moved in, and the little

house was bursting at the seams. What with mattresses and

sleeping bags, the baby, the dogs, and the frequent visitors,

the new community hummed with life. Jesus People, bikers

and freaks — converted, unconverted, or semi-converted —

all sat where they could. Ralph and Mary cooked sausages in

the kitchen, to Rufus' continued horror. But when he checked

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

the Scriptures he failed to see a vegetarian Jesus, so he gave

it up — much to the relief of the dogs!

Rufus also burned his mystical books. But the house quickly

filled with black smoke and they all rushed into the garden!

The police soon got interested in all these hippy comings and

goings, and at two in the morning the innocent freaks were

busted! In came the law with a search warrant but all they

found was a pile of Jesus leaflets and One Way tee-shirts.

Perplexed, they sniffed out a jar of herbal tea and took it away

triumphantly for testing. As soon as the door closed, the hip-

pies all rolled around laughing. Rufus had only just disposed

of his last 'grass' plants.

By now John Thom was established in a house at Almond Close

on the Bugbrooke estate. There he gathered some unlikely

characters: a biker, an ex-monk, the eccentric chap with the

badges, and a fairly normal Christian lad, who had turned up

late one night on the back of his dad's Honda 50. It was a

crash course in relationships; for John it was a crash course

in leadership.

He also manned the 'Jesus Lifeline' telephone and recorded

a new message late every night. 'Phone every day. Drive gloom

away!' was the motto and up to sixty people a day left a re-

corded response to the message — some none too savoury!

Amidst all the excitement we needed to steer a firm course

and see what God was doing. One thing was clear to us — a

new society was emerging whose roots were not in an old

tradition but in a new work of God.

There was a great mix. Students from Oxford began to visit

us, three or four lay preachers had joined us, and God was

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

sending professional people into our midst. The drop-outs

woke up to find themselves disciples of Jesus (and got jobs!).

The straights were suddenly surrounded by converted freaks.

We just wanted to be together and see the work of God go

forward. Church life was of overwhelming interest and there

was little time for the world and its pursuits.

We didn't think much of the 'goggle box' and quoted this

piece of ironic verse in Jesus Reality: 'The TV is my shepherd.

My spiritual growth shall definitely want. It maketh me to sit

down and do nothing for his name's sake.'17

We began to see how unconventional the first disciples of

Jesus were. They kicked the system. They broke the mould.

They trusted God. They left all else and shared in great sim-

plicity. Around Jesus arose an upheaval of such dramatic pro-

portions that the establishment put him down.

Where did we stand? For revolution? Yes! A revolution of

love. A revolution that would turn the world's values upside

down. But that required commitment, and some among us

didn't want the hassle. There were many new converts but

too few of us poured out our lives for them. Revival was bless-

ing at a cost. We had enjoyed the charismatic blessings, but

would we get on the charismatic cross?

Some of the young Christians were overtaking us in their

radical devotion to Jesus; others were rapidly backsliding.

They could not be absorbed into our middle-class lives. God

was forcing us to see that we had to make a choice between

the world's culture and Christ's church. We knew that the

spirit of British culture had to go. A marvellous thing then

emerged. Relationships formed that were spiritually based,

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

and as we worshipped together a sense of brotherhood was

born.

God gave us wisdom urging commitment to each other. One

of us saw a huge golden crown shining in the darkness, and

many joined in a circle to lift it into the air. Its glory attracted

many more, who helped to lift the crown. Others hung around,

fascinated, but refused to shoulder the burden, and slowly

shrank away into the darkness. We saw that coming under

Christ's authority meant unity.

The path of discipleship seemed to blaze out before us from

the Scriptures. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a ban-

quet which, sadly, most were too busy to attend. He also lik-

ened it to a tower, and told his disciples to count the cost of

building it (Luke 14). The church would never be built on

'cheap grace'.

'Grace is costly,' Noel quoted from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 'be-

cause it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and

follow him.'18 For us, this would mean a new lifestyle. 'Any of

you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my

disciple,' Jesus had said (Luke 14:33). Some speak fearfully

of these 'hard sayings', but obedience to them was the key

that unlocked God's life amongst us.

We also found baptism in water to be increasingly signifi-

cant. Alan was a busker and a registered heroin addict. With

long blond hair and purple kaftan, he was a familiar sight in

London. When he heard about Rufus, Alan came along to see

us. In the first meeting he was born again and healed of ad-

diction. In the second he was baptised in the Spirit. In the

third he got baptised.

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

These young prodigals demonstrated that new birth, bap-

tism in water and in the Spirit were power encounters with

salvation. Alan had a lot of old life to bury. His eyes had grown

so weak from drugs that he wore shades. When he came out

of the water his eyes were healed. Baptism was no mere con-

fession of faith: it was power.

It was also an exit from the world's value system. 'Repent

and be baptised,' Peter had cried. 'Save yourselves from this

corrupt generation!' (Acts 2:38, 40). It was going to be tough,

but Alan was identifying with the people of God.

Around this time we discovered Love Not The World by

Watchman Nee. Nee wrote: 'Salvation is essentially a present

exit from a doomed order... [In baptism] a whole world goes

down with you. When you come up, you come up in Christ —

in the ark that rides the waves. You have entered a new order

of things.'19

Clearly the hippy culture was not the Jesus culture, but nei-

ther was the status quo. Everything in the New Testament

cried revolution, transformation and a new society. 'If any-

one is in Christ,' declared Paul, 'he is a new creation; the old

has gone, the new has come!' (2 Cor 5:17).

New creation became our theme song as we broke new

ground. New creation called for a reassessment of values that

had been drummed into us from birth. It meant hacking out a

hallowed spot from the tangle of worldliness. It put a ques-

tion mark on everything we did simply because everybody

else did it. Television, theatre, sport, vacations abroad, reli-

gious festivals — they all came under the searchlight.

Many questions arose as we glimpsed the magnitude of

God's will. 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE

world,' he was saying, 'but be transformed by the renewing

of your mind' (Rom 12:2). If it was a choice of moving with

God or running with the crowd, then the matter was already

settled.

The writings of A. W. Tozer encouraged us a great deal. He

insisted that the church was 'a despised minority group stand-

ing in bold moral contradiction to the world... a division of

soldiers on foreign soil, a brotherhood of like minded men.'20

We agreed.

By the summer of 1973 we were getting known. Our stance

towards traditionalism and worldliness upset a few people.

Some felt threatened. We appeared a provocative bunch and

we no doubt lacked the depth and humility of a Tozer.

But here we were, a church of renewed village chapel-goers,

converted freaks, pentecostals, professionals and the odd aca-

demic. Add to that the relentless energy of the Holy Spirit,

and the melting power of God's love, and you had the ingre-

dients of a new society.

Awake O Zion!

1973-1978

7 Community

'Lord,' Victor had once said, 'if you want me to marry Sheila,

then make this wart on my finger go down!' He opened his

eyes. The wart had gone! Victor had these kind of dealings

with God.

Back in 1961, as a young Anglican at Art College, he'd ex-

perienced God's forgiveness. Then one day he read in Acts

10: 'For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising

God' (Acts 10:46). 'If this is for now, Lord,' Victor prayed, 'let

me have it.' He got it, and immediately felt a strong urge to

live and share with other Christians. But nothing came of it.

Victor plunged into his career and got married.

Now in his early thirties, he dreamed of a yacht and a luxury

home by the sea. He was already a qualified architect, a dea-

con in the Baptist Church, Superintendent of the Sunday

school, and President of the Lay Preachers Association in

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Taunton. Things seemed good. However, his sensitive nature

was stifled by ambition. Christian duties, a young family, and

the strain of work were taking their toll and the doctor put

him on tranquillisers.

Victor sought God afresh and decided to make a clean break.

Northampton was a growing town and the Development Cor-

poration was advertising for landscape architects. God gave

him a positive nudge and a well-known charismatic leader

suggested he check out a lively little church called Bugbrooke.

It was a cold February night when he turned out in a suit

for the mid-week meeting. He just reached the top of the

chapel lounge stairs when Noel greeted him warmly. Their

eyes met. 'Whoops!' thought Victor, 'He can see right through

me.' Somewhat unnerved, he looked around. Before him was

a group of hairy hippies. Victor groaned inside as a heavy-

looking biker caught his eye and walked over. Victor froze.

'Well, this is it!' he thought.

'Bless you, bro! It's great to see you!' Kelly gave him a warm

hug and Victor relaxed. They talked a while and then the meet-

ing took off. A brother prophesied powerfully and Victor was

a bit awe-struck. Then Noel spoke on eldership and how it

was a lifelong commitment to the church.

'Just as well I'm not an elder,' Victor thought.

He stayed with a couple in the fellowship for a few months

and travelled home at weekends.

Noel chatted to him one evening. 'I'll look forward to see-

ing you at the elders' and deacons' meeting next Monday.'

'Help!' thought Victor.

He often went home to Sheila with interesting stories.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

'This long-haired communist, Ralph, turned up the same

night as me,' he related. 'He came to the Lord. Oh, and one

ex-junkie called Paddy plays this weird instrument. It's a long

pole with bottle tops on, and a boot at the end! He's getting

married in July and the fellowship have bought a 'Jesus house'

for them in Northampton.'

'They've started this meeting on Mondays called PLAN —

Power and Love in Action Now. It's for all the dynamic young

people — including me! Some of them reckon it's more real

than the leaders' meeting. They're so committed! Last week

God was so real some people were prostrate on the floor.'

'By the way,' said Victor, tucking into his breakfast, one

Saturday morning, 'Noel's invited me to the leaders' meet-

ing. We'd better pray, you know. If I accept this I think we're

in it for life!'

Sheila came up and was taken aback by the love in the fel-

lowship. They took the plunge and bought a house in North-

ampton. In June there was a house warming 'holy love-feast'

at their new home. It was a timber-framed house with the

lounge on the first floor and Victor's architectural mind did

overtime as he watched sixty sweaty charismatics move into

a time of worship! Sheila was a solid evangelical school-

teacher, but was delighted with all she saw. They had mar-

ried on the understanding that Jesus would come first. He

was taking them up on it. It looked as if they were in for an

interesting future!

In July a hundred of us packed our suitcases and headed for

the Yorkshire Dales. When we arrived at the hostel in

Malhamdale we got a shock. So did the owner — it was a

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

holiday centre for youngsters! We knew the Scripture, 'Un-

less you become as little children...' but this was ridiculous.

They let us stay, but it was iron bunkbeds and small portions

for the rest of the fortnight!

Every morning we were woken up by a loud bell and, after

breakfast, the keen ones stayed for the morning Bible study.

In the afternoon we went hiking, hill walking, cave exploring

or swimming.

On the first day Noel went with Pete and Carol to visit the

Bronte house on the moors. Carol went in with the baby while

Noel read to Pete from a new book, A New Way of Living by

Michael Harper. It described the Church of the Redeemer in

Houston, Texas.

'Listen to this, Pete,' said Noel.

During Lent 1965 the group began to study the Acts of the Apos-

tles, and were struck by the account in the second chapter of

the way the Spirit-filled Church shared so completely. The Lord

impressed upon them all that he wanted them to live this life

together.21

Pete smiled. 'Hey, we're eight years behind them!'

'Oh, bro! We're getting there. We just need to grasp the

vision. Rufus' lot virtually share everything already.'

'Yes, but what about the middle-class ?' said Pete, 'Do you

think they'll swallow it?'

'We'll see — won't we?' smiled Noel.

Pete was silent and Noel buried himself in the book.

'Hey, bro,' said Pete, after a while, 'are you thinking about

all of us moving into community?'

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Noel looked up. 'Why not?'

'Yeh,' said Pete. He looked out of the window — it was a

beautiful afternoon. 'Man!' he said — under his breath.

Practical sharing began in earnest that week. Apart from

midnight distributions of apple pies and Mars bars, there were

more serious needs. Some folk were only there because oth-

ers had paid for them. Then there were all the requirements

of the two new Jesus Homes in Northampton — the house for

Paddy, and also a house for Rufus and his friends. Rufus' house

was fairly run down and needed a lot of work, and they were

still far short of the initial mortgage price. A hat was left out

in the meetings. On one day alone they got £200. One brother

pledged his life insurance and another threw in the £100 he

was saving towards his dream minibus.

As the fortnight progressed we sat more lightly on our pos-

sessions. God wanted to own us completely: our affections,

our time and our goods. The example of the Redeemer Church

was a massive inspiration and Noel frequently read from the

book. 'Each of them,' he read 'began to live a life of simplic-

ity. They stopped buying new cars and televisions. Posses-

sions were of value only for their usefulness to the commu-

nity.'22

Our wallets continued to open along with our hearts. Some-

how this material sharing released the floodgates of broth-

erly love. Laughter and tears flowed into the meetings as the

bond of love increased.

One brother had been a sergeant major and wore a mous-

tache to prove it! Long haired hippies weren't quite his scene,

but the Lord burst his heart open. For him Malhamdale was

unforgettable:

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

The atmosphere was terrific. It was family. At Malhamdale we

really saw the vision of community. It's hard to describe such

deep ministry. We were crying with joy — I mean everybody,

including Noel. You never wanted the meetings to end. You just

wanted to sit there and know the love. It brought everyone

through — I mean, if you weren't real for the Lord, you'd never

have stood a fortnight of it!

'It was fun too!' said his wife. 'We played tricks on each other,

like tying all the bedroom door knobs together. One night I

jumped into bed and someone had put a load of dried peas in

it!'

Many of us remembered worshipping down in the caverns

and tunnels of White Scar cave. 'Jesus, Jesus, let me tell you

what I know,' rang out in echoing harmonies and rounds as

the Jesus People made their way singing through the under-

world, accompanied by some skilful playing on the stalac-

tites.

At Malhamdale the Spirit was bringing a new sense of unity

and power which confronted the forces of darkness. Noel

taught on the spiritual warfare and there were quite a few

demonic manifestations. Some from the nicest people you

could know.

At this point I made an exit. I felt as though I had a hard

shell around me that wouldn't break and I couldn't get into

the flow. So I went home to lick my wounds and try to pray. I

passed Victor and his family arriving for the second week

and saw his acute embarrassment as an older sister flung

her arms around him! I wished him luck! But he fared better

than I, being a humbler man. Victor was determined to lose

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

his reserves and relate to people. Already he was wearing

jeans and letting his hair grow longer. From the hippy side,

Ralph also made a concession. His waist-long hair was cut

back to his shoulders!

Victor sat comfortably in the evening meeting surrounded by

his new 'family', and enjoyed the wealth of ministry.

'I saw coloured drops of water,' said Verna. 'They were fall-

ing into a pool and being absorbed; it produced a thing of

great beauty.'

'That's us losing our independence and getting "lost" in the

body of Christ,' Victor thought.

'Yeah! I saw this really long piano. I mean reeeaally long,'

said a new brother, stretching his arms out wide. 'There were

lots of people all sat down and playing together nicely like —

all in 'armony.'

'Er... the many gifts and ministries' thought Victor.

'Well! I've got some liquorice allsorts here,' said another

brother, jumping up and producing a paper bag. 'This one's

solid liquorice. Mmmm nice!' he said, popping it into his

mouth. 'Ah! Now this one is all soft inside!'

'I wonder what gift he's moving in,' thought Victor, smiling

to himself. By this time, most people were looking enthralled

— and hungry.

'But we need them all!' the brother continued. 'We can't go

it alone. Each one here's special. And, what's more — there

are no wrappers on these!' He grinned and popped a coconut

sweet into his mouth. 'I'll tell you what the Lord is doing with

us — he's taking our wrappers off. Yes! Taking them off! And

mixing us all up.'

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Tears of laughter were streaming down Paddy's face.

Victor smiled at Sheila. He remembered his longing for com-

munity after he'd first been baptised in the Spirit. Now God

was restoring that vision. All sense of isolation melted away

as he moved on into worship.

A lad in the next seat started to groan. 'I think he needs

healing for his stomach,' thought Victor, as the groans in-

creased. Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream. Two

brothers pounced in and nearly knocked Victor off his chair.

The demon vacated the scene and the worship continued.

Sheila gripped Victor's hand. This was different from Sunday

School in Taunton.

At Malhamdale we considered how to work the vision out.

Many who lived outside Bugbrooke considered moving in to

be where the action was. There were schemes for bulk buy-

ing, for a second-hand clothes store, and for sharing lists of

needs and gifts. A 'Love Community Fund' was also to be set

up. As we lived more cheaply, so money would be released to

meet needs and buy houses. Already there was a target of

£50,000 for the Housing Association.

Three types of community homes were envisaged. Jesus

Family Homes would be simple extended families. Jesus Wel-

come Homes were to be larger frontline houses for evange-

lism. Jesus Central Homes in the Bugbrooke area would be at

the heart of things to train Christians within community.

Underlying the practical plans was the grand theme of the

restoration of God's house. We had a song based on the New

Testament: 'We are being built into a temple'. But it wouldn't

be easy, as I'd already found. God was not constructing a theo-

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

logical castle in the clouds, he was cementing together hu-

man lives, and that meant pain. Our independence was deeply

ingrained. Only by embracing the cross could unity be estab-

lished.

'Individualism has been the bane of the churches,' wrote

Michael Harper.23 The Redeemer Church had confronted this

problem and got down to the nitty gritty of committed rela-

tionships. We read of how they cut down their activities, en-

tered a phase of building and got criticised by other Chris-

tians for being introverted.

In Britain, too, the charismatic scene was muddled about

commitment. 'The movement is robust, but amorphous,' ob-

served Michael Harper. 'It majors on individual piety and spir-

itual drive rather than the creation of a new corporate dy-

namic.'24

The first Christians were 'one in heart and mind' (Acts 4:32),

standing 'firm in one spirit, contending as one man' (Phil 1:27),

and 'with one heart and mouth' they glorified God (Rom 15:6).

But in our day independence prevailed and many of us were

coloured by it.

Were evangelicals overbalanced in their emphasis on a 'per-

sonal relationship' with Jesus? Did books idealise individual

success stories? Did too much stress on grace lead to law-

lessness and lack of authority? The problem taxed our hearts

at Malhamdale. For many it was a case of 'blood, sweat and

tears'. New converts faced less of a problem. They jumped in

at the deep end!

In community the self-life gets exposed. Reserve, self-right-

eousness and self-love are painfully revealed. Love of posses-

sions and the insistence on personal guidance, worldliness,

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

insensitivity and lack of submission to the church — all these

harm the life of the spiritual family and have to be faced up

to.

At Malhamdale there was a prayer room where some had

real dealings with the Lord. Val felt she ought to buy a house

on the estate in Bugbrooke. Already she was travelling six

nights a week to chapel. Once on the estate she would be

putting people up every weekend, ministering late at night,

or even cooking for the Almond Close brothers! There would

be much commitment, little privacy and fewer visits to her

family. After a struggle she abandoned herself to God's will,

and rushed out of the room laughing for joy!

For Victor and Sheila the atmosphere of love was a whole

new world. In Taunton Victor had engaged in duties, but here

was life. Once he had been open to the world, but now he was

open to his brothers. He had heard about the need to be 'cov-

ered' — to come under the mantle of the body of Christ. That's

how it felt — secure and in place. As the strain lifted from his

mind, Victor felt enfolded in God's love.

They all came back from Yorkshire to a greater or lesser de-

gree transformed. Happily, I had found some encouragement

from God and was around for another try. We were moving on

explosively with frequent demonic manifestations in chapel.

It was not uncommon to have the preaching interrupted by

screams and flying hymnbooks, and Kelly leaping into action

from the platform.

On one occasion a man with a violent demon was taken into

the vestry behind Noel. A scuffle went on and we could hear

the sound of breaking furniture, while the cross on the wall

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

swayed from side to side. Noel continued to speak with a

calm smile. He didn't overemphasise the demonic.

In Northampton the two Jesus homes at Argyle Street and

Harlestone Road filled up. The weekly notice sheet got longer.

'Is This Your Ministry?' it said on the back. 'Help needed for

decorating... Someone required to organise bulk buying...

Lawns need cutting... Sister wanted to type new chorus books.'

The Love Community News section included all sorts of jot-

tings: 'Ralph is working as odd job man... Alan is available to

dig gardens... Please bring surplus fruit, veg and clothes to

the chapel... Dave and Karen have room for two single peo-

ple...'

In September I went off to Plymouth for a breather to do

teacher training but news of Bugbrooke followed me there. A

friendly but extravagant article appeared in The Daily Mail:

More than 200 people in a village of 800 have dramatically dedi-

cated their lives to Jesus. Nowhere else in Britain has experi-

enced such a concentrated surge of religious fervour. So many

want to be part of the Bugbrooke Miracle that some travel for

miles almost every day to attend prayer sessions... So much

was written about the Jesus Freaks. But the pattern here, though

similar, is dramatically different. For this extraordinary revival

slashes through all barriers of age and background.25

Our fame spread. 'What Wesley did for gin, the movement

does for drugs,' reported New Society.26 We were wary of

publicity, but there was no holding back the secular media.

Television companies got wind and Thames Television began

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

to film a documentary on how The Lord Took Hold Of Bug-

brooke. Community was in vogue at this time and a team from

Redeemer Church arrived in England. There were many ven-

tures in communal living and some declared that this was

God's contemporary word to the church.

At Argyle Street, conditions were primitive. Victor went to

live there for a few days and insisted they make no special

provisions for him. They didn't. When he arrived Ralph had

ripped out the kitchen and Victor helped wash up in the bath.

Floorboards in the lounge were missing, windows were out

and the holes covered with sacking. Jess and French Mary

cooked chapatis over an oil stove in the lounge and they all

sat round on milk crates and chairs from the tip!

Victor sat down to table. They thought it was marvellous —

this straight coming to live with them and share their brown

rice! They hugged him and welcomed him home. Rufus's

bright eyes fixed on Victor, looking for some fatherly lead.

'Well,' coughed Victor, 'let's say grace.'

'What an amazing idea!' they thought. Alan grabbed his

busking guitar. Rufus fetched his bongos. The rest reached

for spoons, pans, teapots — anything. As the half hour 'jam-

ming' session took off, several of them sang their heart out

spontaneously while the rest accompanied on the cutlery.

Victor enjoyed this 'psalming' and felt years younger.

After the meal they sat round talking. Some of it was hilari-

ous. Alan and Rufus were great extroverts. Then the music

session took off again with great gusto and shouts of 'Glory!

Praise the Lord!'

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Life generally at Argyle Street was no less zany. It was a

legendary era. With a light-hearted Alan around it was diffi-

cult for anyone to stay in the 'poms' (poor-old-me's)! By com-

parison, Sunday mornings at chapel were rather tame, and

they didn't bother going — at least for a while!

Victor had a great week and the hippies were touched by

his humility and warmth. Not everyone was as willing as Vic-

tor to lose their pride and melt into the pool of community.

Christians can be tough old nuts! But God was cracking us

open.

Away at Plymouth, my attempts at teaching were a disas-

ter. When my motorbike blew up in the middle of Dartmoor, I

threw in the towel, came home, and dived in.

8 Mud, Sweat and Tears

Rodger laughed so much, he fell on his back! He hadn't al-

ways been so liberated, but that spring evening he, Pete, and

I had come home inebriated — spiritually. It did us good. We

needed loosening up. I was into prayer and fasting, Rodger

was into logical thinking, and Pete, a guitar teacher, was into

sleep and cream buns! They called us the three stooges: two

Oxford graduates and an amateur philosopher. I now worked

as a school technician and we all shared a flat in Northamp-

ton.

Like us, more and more were coming together in some kind

of community. Couples opened their homes to singles and

some, like Val, moved into the village. Community was now

the emphasis. Evangelism took second place but newcomers

kept appearing. We concentrated on being a people for God

and this caught the public eye. 'Following The Instructions

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Of Jesus — To The Letter' was an article in the local press.

'This is communism that works,' Paddy comments, 'because

it's based on love.'

In June Thames Television screened The Lord Took Hold Of

Bugbrooke. In one shot Paddy washed the same dishes six

times over, while Alan told his story. In chapel cameras zoomed

in on tongue-speaking worshippers, but it wasn't unpleasantly

sensational. The crew were impressed and frustrated — im-

pressed by our love, changed lives, and liberated worship

(some tapped their feet to the choruses); impressed when we

ministered healing to the producer; and impressed with words

of knowledge concerning them; but frustrated when a demon

was cast out. They had taken the afternoon off!

The film was followed by write-ups. 'Spotlight On Bug-

brooke' was an excellent article in Evangelism Today. Amongst

the secular press was 'Our Own Bible Belt' in The Daily Mail,

'The Bugbrooke Phenomenon' in The Northants Evening Tel-

egraph, and 'Bugbrooke, Where Alleluias Come Bigger And

Noisier!' in The TV Times. Some comments were amusing,

like this in The Daily Telegraph under the heading 'Rolling In

The Aisles — A Proven Success':

Abandoning orthodox practices, the minister presents his flock

with a form of worship compounded of American-style hot

gospelling, a British-style knees up, total immersion, and a few

gimmicks of his own. Among these are 'speaking in tongues' as

related in Acts of the Apostles... It is difficult not to be impressed.

Above all there is an air of total innocence which does not al-

ways attach to the more extravagant religious sects. Bugbrooke

may not be up front in the intellectual stakes, but it seems a

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

reasonable bet that they have spread more happiness than

harm.27

In fact, the church was in danger of being overrun by the

intelligentsia. Students and professionals swarmed in like

bees around a honeypot, but in God's wisdom the pace was

set by the locals and the converts. There was some depth

behind the raucous brotherhood of Argyle Street, and we all

learned to live from the heart. 'Out of your belly,' said Jesus,

'will flow rivers of living water' (John 7:38 NKJ). In the atmos-

phere of released emotion and spiritual worship, many hearts

were inspired and lifted.

Spontaneity, though, needed the balance of discipline. Many

drifted in and out, flirtation between the sexes was a danger,

and there was a need for holiness. We sought to be more

accountable to one another and taught biblical discipleship

and commitment. Some resented this and Noel replied with a

rain of heavyweight quotes on the notice sheet from men like

Tozer and Nee. Cross-bearing, brokenness and death to self-

living, became the themes of the day.

The Lord now began to say, 'Take my people deeper!' Deeper

into God and deeper into his kingdom. As the word of God's

kingdom was proclaimed, I felt I was watching the parable of

the sower in action. My spirit was excited (I'd found out where

it was!) and I soaked up the vision. Some of us felt we had

stumbled upon treasure and wanted to give everything to gain

it.

But not all responded this way. 'Life's worries, riches and

pleasures' (Luke 8:14) choked some lives, and slowly the sum-

mer crowds of 1973 thinned out. As we moved on into 1974

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

two ugly giants reared their heads — worldliness and inde-

pendence.

They had one effective cure — the cross — and it came in

many shapes and sizes. For some it was the loss of worldly

interests. The Spirit wasn't keen on aspects of our old life.

Apart from smoking and drinking, it was entertainment, tel-

evision and secular music that gave way. When we were luke-

warm, these things seemed all right, but in revival these

amusements were hindrances to spiritual power.

The Lord challenged me, too. Heavy metal wasn't my prob-

lem, but giving up my stereophonic Sibelius was painful. I

heard the call of Jesus to forsake everything and ditched my

pipe and herbal tobacco, too! Many of us parted with rela-

tionships, possessions and pursuits that, though not sinful in

themselves, hindered us in our quest to travel light and love

God supremely.

The cross cut us away from worldly opinions. By now we'd

had enough of Christmas. Apart from the New Testament

stance of avoiding 'special days and months and seasons' (Gal

4:10; Col 2:16), such so-called Christian festivals seemed full

of hypocrisy. In family life, too, we gained a vision of loving

authority, and determined to rear our kids for Christ. All this

invited criticism — and got it!

The cross was reducing middle-classness to ashes as we

took hold of a new lifestyle. It was breaking down the aloof-

ness bred through education. We saw clearly that 'What is

highly valued among men, is detestable in God's sight' (Luke

16:15).

The cross crucified our independence. Meeting so often

didn't leave too much time to do our own thing. We moved in

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

togetherness and opened our lives to input from others. Paddy

and Rufus were exercising leadership within the Jesus houses

and a male ruling authority was taking shape. That in itself

was a cross for some.

Worldliness, too, was a headache. Here we were also fight-

ing the contemporary Christian emphasis on liberty and any-

one who found our commitment too taxing could always cry,

'Legalism!' Many who didn't hold our vision were keen to put

us right. But we pressed on and ploughed our own furrow.

Prophetic voices and prophetic churches were scarce enough.

As Tozer once wrote: 'We desperately need seers who can

see through the mist — Christian leaders with prophetic vi-

sion... And if they come, we will no doubt crucify a few of

them in the name of worldly orthodoxy.'28

Separation from the world and brotherly sharing were be-

coming our hallmarks. It was time for the Jesus Fellowship,

as the chapel congregation was now called, to move deeper

into community.

Bugbrooke Hall, just up the road from Verna's cottage, had

been empty for two years. Now very run down, it was due to

be auctioned in June. Built by a rich squire in the early nine-

teenth century, this old rectory lay on the southern edge of

Bugbrooke in thirteen acres of parkland — an imposing Geor-

gian house of pale yellow brick, standing with its long an-

nexe like a stately liner in a sea of grass. To the back was a

courtyard complete with stable block and grassy cobbles. All

around stood great trees of copper beech and oak, whilst a

strip of woodland flanked the stone wall down to the pond.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

It was going to be pricey, but if we could raise the 10 per

cent deposit we would be in with a chance. It was a risky

venture of faith, and felt like crossing a rickety bridge over a

wide river. But on the other side was a new land. After a time

of discussion, Cyril, who was an architect, summed up the

general feeling at the leaders' meeting: 'Cor! We can't afford

to miss this!'

Two examples inspired us as we turned to the Scriptures.

One was Joshua taking the Promised Land through conquer-

ing faith. The other, in Acts 4, was how many in the Jerusalem

church sold their possessions and 'put [the money] at the apos-

tles' feet' (Acts 4:35). Our giving increased and people sold

things off. Rings and jewellery were handed in. We had also

begun buying in bulk and living more economically. One or

two couples pledged their houses, desiring to move into the

large home. Others gave or loaned their savings.

There was a tremendous sense of expectancy. Together we

circled this 'Jericho' in faith. Some gave themselves to prayer

and fasting, recognising that this was a spiritual battle. The

Lord gave a word from Isaiah 1:19: 'If you are willing and

obedient, you will eat the best from the land.'

The day of the auction came. Cyril sat at the front while

Noel was at the back praying. The reporters watched Noel

like hawks but soon directed their attention to Cyril who con-

tinued bidding. He'd hoped for a ceiling of £55,000 but stuck

with it till they all dropped out at £67,000.

Rodger and I were thrilled when we heard. Pete drove us

into the Hall grounds that summer evening, and I leapt out of

the minibus and did cartwheels over the lawn. To me the park-

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

lands were like paradise and the Hall was New Jerusalem!

Pete was more realistic and saw what was coming.

The battle of faith continued. We had the deposit, but where

on earth would we find the rest? Everyone we approached

turned down our application for a mortgage until one friendly

bank manager pointed to the ceiling and said, 'Well, if him up

there is on your side, I'd better help!' It wouldn't be the last

time God would touch the hearts of influential people when

we needed it.

In July, Dave Lantsbery and Steve, a converted young drunk,

took possession of the old rectory — at two o'clock in the

morning! The owls screeched all night as the pioneers tried

to sleep in a dusty corridor upstairs. Dave was soon on holi-

day from teaching and went round the auctions for furniture.

Lots of people offered them stuff — boxes of crocks, sundae

dishes and lemon squeezers — most of it useless! But we were

in and the adventure had begun.

In July 170 of us left for Ashburnham Place in Sussex. God

was taking us deeper, and it was here we all learned to 'medi-

tate'. Or, at least, tried to!

Early one morning I stepped on to the lawn and headed for

the woods. It was only six o'clock and the sun was drawing a

haze from off the lake. At last I was alone with God. Gently I

sang in tongues and felt my desert boots soaking up the morn-

ing dew. The donkey brayed noisily, but I kept my distance.

(The animal was notorious for biting Christian retreaters!)

Otherwise the silence was delicious. I sang out the interpre-

tation and prophesied, then, turning off the path into the

woods, I poured out my heart to God. I felt he had become my

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

friend, and I found myself crying as I pondered his goodness

towards us. As I walked along the lakeside a chuckle rose

from deep within and I jumped into the air. A quick look to

see if anyone was around, and then, 'Praise the Lord!' I

shouted till my voice rang over the lake, and the donkey

screamed. My days of academic introversion were over —

well, almost!

Lots of us had been wandering round the grounds trying to

'prepare [our] minds for action' (1 Pet 1:13) and commune

with God. It was a funny sight. Some walked through the

woods musing and muttering while others sat on the grass

and prayed.

One afternoon we had an hour of silence everywhere so we

could listen to God. But the evening meeting was more liber-

ated than ever because we'd been working hard to know and

hear God ourselves. A Malaysian student recognised one

tongue of praise as Mandarin Chinese and shouted out that

the interpretation was correct. Many were sensing their spirit

in new ways, ministering or psalming in the assembly.

A fascination with God developed. Corporate worship

brought a sense of his presence, but listening to the 'still,

small voice' was our need. So much knocked us off balance —

our bodies so tuned to the senses, our souls so full of thoughts,

feelings and desires. We needed to know God deep in our

spirits, to leave behind spiritual adolescence and press on to

maturity.

Community without spirituality would be disaster, and we

determined to pursue God and follow the Spirit. Already fans

of Tozer, we picked up his admiration for the mystics. 'True

worship,' he wrote, 'is to be captivated and charmed and en-

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

tranced with who God is, and struck with astonished wonder

at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendour

of Almighty God. To love God with fear and wonder and yearn-

ing and awe.'29

The desire for God consumed other passions. The call was

to union with God and 'perfect love'. We became aware of the

stages of growth that Christian mystics spoke of — desire,

discipline, conflict, purging, sweetness, illumination, and un-

ion. (And for some of us, the 'dark night of the soul'.)

It sounded grand, but we were a long way from being little

mystics. Bible studies were optional. The campers spent most

of their time drying off after the frequent downpours, and

many stayed up late chatting or went out looking for glow-

worms. Some lay in bed in the mornings and we spent the

afternoons walking, swimming and visiting the seaside. The

donkey was a distraction, too. It nipped a few fingers and ran

off with Verna's handbag.

Community was excellent for birthing inspirations and for

earthing them, too. It was good to have people around to tell

us we didn't need to fast for forty days or that we weren't

quite ready for apostleship!

Ashburnham left a hazy memory of idyllic scenery, new hori-

zons, meditation, tremendous praise and deepening brother-

hood. But some remembered it for the mud, sweat and tears.

Mud — for the campers in the rain; sweat and tears for the

many experiences of the cross as we surrendered our lives to

God.

Also that fortnight it dawned on some that they were to be

shepherds of the flock. The sadness of our evangelism was

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

the drop-out rate. Few of the early bikers were around and

some of the hippies had fallen away. The problem was that

these young sheep were not being shepherded enough. Of-

ten the wolf picked off the solitary sheep who had been iso-

lated and made vulnerable.

1974 was a year when the concept of shepherding was much

abroad. Good shepherding was to bring depth and cohesion

to the growing charismatic churches. We needed men we could

follow. A group were maturing among us who carried par-

ticular wisdom and love, and we felt the time had come to

recognise elders. Clearly God placed in the church 'some to

be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists,

and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's peo-

ple for works of service' (Eph 4:11-12). These ministries were

emerging and we needed them desperately.

We hadn't recognised elders yet — those invited to the

elders' and deacons' meeting assumed they were either dea-

cons or awed spectators! A number of originals went, includ-

ing Verna and Miss Campion. We realised that not everyone

who attended had pastoral gifts. We needed to restructure

the leadership without giving offence.

The solution was simple. Our fellowship began to plan a

breakdown into shepherding groups — mid-week regional

gatherings of up to thirty, designed for fellowship, caring,

and ministry. During the Ashburnham retreat, we formed the

groups and laid hands on the new leaders. A senior brother

was to be assisted by two others in pastoral leadership. That

was roughly ten 'sheep' to one 'shepherd'.

We now had a male eldership whose authority was publicly

recognised — and frequently forgiven! (They were an imma-

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

ture bunch.) I remember being annoyed at Pete for being an

elder when I wasn't. I also remember Pete regularly handing

in his resignation! Being a shepherd was no joke. You were

pushed up to the front line and from then on you were sup-

posed to be a guardian of others and a fount of wisdom. The

qualifications for eldership in 1 Timothy and Titus were

enough to make anyone quail (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9). But

at least we weren't into wine and brawling!

In community houses, being an elder meant continuous re-

sponsibility. All sorts of people came round and looked to the

elders as examples of godliness. The shepherds learned to

cast themselves on the Lord. They had to.

God gave us much wisdom about what it cost to be a shep-

herd. One picture was of a flock of sheep protected by a strong

wooden fence. All over the fence could be seen the claw marks

of the wolf. The sheep were safe, but the shepherds who pro-

tected them would suffer fierce attack. In another picture

the true leader was seen as a servant with a mop and bucket.

Another scene showed a garden with flowers and trees while

in the corner lay a heap of rich manure that the gardener

used to nourish them. What was that? The leaders, of course!

Mud, sweat — and tears! A year ago, Malhamdale had been

visionary, the first real sight of community. Since then, the

cross had bitten deep and some were running from it. The

self-life got us into trouble and messed it all up. God's word

had to penetrate 'even to dividing soul and spirit' (Heb 4:12)

and reveal our true motivations. Altars were built. Tears were

shed. Sacrifices were made. Some were captivated by Jesus

and considered remaining single for the sake of his kingdom.

'How few are the enraptured souls who languish for love of

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Christ,' wrote Tozer. 'The sweet "madness" that visited such

men as Bernard and St Francis... is scarcely known today.'30

Wandering through the woods and lakes of Ashburnham,

we paused, took a deep breath, and gazed into the heart of

God. I was aspiring to be a charismatic mystic or an evangeli-

cal contemplative. But I came home to dig out sewers and

rub shoulders with the drop-outs, ex-bikers and teachers. Our

hearts were in heaven but we found our feet planted firmly

on the ground!

9 New Creation Chaos

1974-75

Arriving back home at the Hall, Dave got a shock when he

flushed the loo. The lead pipes had been ripped out and sto-

len while we were away! The lead had also gone from the

roof and the rain came in. Nevertheless, we had big plans for

this 'discipleship centre' and people were coming from all

over to visit the Jesus Mansion at Bugbrooke.

Mark was an ex-biker who'd been converted from the Chel-

tenham drug scene. There he kept getting an impression of a

large house with a veranda where Christians shared together.

Not having a clue where this was, he made his way to Lon-

don. After a few weeks he told the Lord he would have to give

up his search, but that afternoon he met a girl who told him

about a chapel near Northampton that sounded interesting.

Mark rang the police. It was his last 10p.

'Oh, you mean Bugbrooke!' they said, and gave directions.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Soon he was sitting in chapel, pony tail, earring, large gin-

ger beard, and all. After creating a disturbance in the meet-

ing, the likeable roughneck was prayed for, delivered from a

demonic power, and settled in at the Hall to join Dave, Steve,

and Malcolm's physics teacher. A few days later Mark walked

across the back lawn and his eyes nearly popped out. There

was the veranda!

Rodger, Pete and I came from the flat to join the pioneers

at the Hall and were closely followed by John Cornish and

Ian, a law graduate from my old college. Our numbers quickly

increased. Mark went into town and accosted a drunken vice-

president of the Hell's Angels, who looked twice as fierce as

Mark. Mark spoke to him about Jesus and stuffed an invita-

tion card into his jacket. The 'Angel' soon turned up and moved

in.

We were an odd bunch: ex-bikers, hippies and graduates,

plus an ex-lay-preacher and her daughter, a pair of village

newlyweds, and a Christian family who'd exchanged their

council house for a 'mansion'! Life at the Hall was fun, cha-

otic and rough. We didn't care. If there was any time to lose

our comforts, it was now. What we lacked in competence we

made up for in enthusiasm. God was real and we were dis-

covering brotherhood and sisterhood.

The house had wet rot, dry rot and woodworm. One bed-

room was called the green room from the colour of the fun-

gus where the rain trickled down the wallpaper! At week-

ends the place was packed out with people on the floors and

there was a queue to move into community. If only they knew

what it meant!

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

The Hall needed restoration and redevelopment. (That was

also true of its residents!) We formed a building team that

summer. Kelly knew the elements of building and Alan the

busker had done some bricklaying. It was a beginning. We

had to lay new sewers quickly so Pete and I helped dig the

trenches. I nearly cut Kelly's finger off with a spade.

We got a grant to convert the house into flats, which gave

the families some privacy. Everywhere there was reconstruc-

tion. It seemed to symbolise what God was doing with us. In

the chaos we were losing grip on our private life and posses-

sions. Often we moved rooms. The building team advanced

through the house and grounds leaving a trail of trenches,

wreckage and rubble. Kelly's office was the back pocket of

his jeans.

Pete was a guitar tutor and hunted for the place of least

dust and noise. It didn't really exist! We would arrive home

from work to find dust everywhere — or worse. It could be a

hole in the wall and bricks on your bed. Alan wasn't too con-

cerned about the niceties of fine living. The motto of the build-

ing team was, 'It's slow — but it's rough!' Pete painted his

favourite text on the wall:

'Do all things without murmuring or complaining!'

Every Friday night, we swept the place for the weekend,

but the dust from upstairs fell downstairs through the cracks

in the floorboards. At one stage there weren't any floorboards,

and one sister had to walk the plank to get to her room! The

fun was when it rained. We would all be crammed into the

dining room, perhaps, and at the sound of rain we would each

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

grab a container and scatter. When the building team left a

hole in the roof, we rigged up a contraption with a polythene

sheet and drainpipes to direct the water through a bath and

out of the back door. It all took the intensity out of life.

As the months rolled by, we formed friendships and often

stayed up late talking. Sunday morning was a large breakfast

time when John and I served as house deacons and prepared

the scrambled eggs and porridge. Washing up was memora-

ble. The cold tap gave a mild electric shock, sprang out from

the wall, and showered us with water. If you stepped back

you got stuck in the floorboards!

And then there were people. Everywhere. People milling

around like sheep. Some you knew very well. Some you didn't

get on with. Some you'd never seen before. And there were

some who frightened you to death! I'd often go out for hours

meditating in the fields, just to get away. Then there were

Family Days when the whole church gathered on the Hall

lawn. Some thought it was idyllic. Others disappeared up to

the café for a long lunch.

That summer, I formed an unlikely friendship with Mark

and often we would go for a walk and share our hearts. This

was brotherhood, and it enriched us beyond measure. Kelly

led the shepherding group at the Hall and one evening he

shared this wisdom with us: on a large metal tray, there were

some candles of different shapes and colours. A flame ap-

peared underneath and melted them into one pool. That was

a picture of unity. But the wisdom showed something more

profound. The pool of wax reformed into many multicoloured

candles. Each individual was enhanced by his brethren.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

At the Hall we saw this happening in front of our eyes. Far

from losing our identities, we were gaining richer personali-

ties as we came out of our shells and flowed together. We

shared our gifts and inspirations and worshipped around the

meal tables. Even work breaks were times of singing, proph-

ecy and wisdom. Being together daily broke the barriers be-

tween the natural and the spiritual. Instead of being meet-

ing-centred we became kingdom-of-God-centred, and our tal-

ents came into play. Helps ministries, administrative abili-

ties, practical and caring gifts all mingled with spiritual in-

spirations.

Most of us worked for outside employers, but some began

to work for the housing association as plumbers, decorators,

builders or carpenters. A community Foodstore was estab-

lished in the Hall stable block and this, along with the ga-

rage, employed people full-time.

We were finding our niches. Dave and John planted an or-

chard and established the bee-hives, whilst an ex-hippy tended

the garden and concocted some rather suspect herb-drinks.

Another brother converted the cellar into a secondhand cloth-

ing store. Then we pooled our books and I became the librar-

ian. The tomes poured in till we had twenty copies of Pray In

The Spirit!31 and fifteen Nine O'Clock In The Morning's!32

In the new year John Thom came to live at the Hall with his

group of brothers and warmed the place up by installing a

central heating system. We spent all morning rigging up an

old boiler with pulleys to lower it down the cellar steps. But

John forgot to attach the ropes and the monstrosity went hur-

tling down. The house shook but the Hall and the boiler sur-

vived, and there were no casualties.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Cyril, the architect, was trying to direct the exploits of the

building team. They were young and zealous and did every-

thing with abandon. At times he was desperately worried.

One day he was discussing the new heating system with John

Thom. Cyril asked him where he'd learned his plumbing. 'I

never learned it, bro!' said John. 'I just got a book out of the

library.' Amazingly, it worked!

People kept coming. Car loads of students visited from Ox-

ford, among them Piers, my old friend from the Zoology De-

partment, now doing a PhD in dung beetles, and Mike Far-

rant, Ian's old 'prayer partner'. Talk of Bugbrooke buzzed

around the Oxford colleges, especially after one girl proph-

esied in a prayer meeting! Some of the Christian Union

thought we were great. But not all the executive were so keen

when students disappeared off to Bugbrooke for the week-

end.

Another set of visitors was a group of girls from Wimble-

don. Liz and Janie had already lived in a community in Coven-

try, founded by the Redeemer church. Now Liz, a secretary,

and Janie, a teacher, had gathered six other girls with them

and were working out the principles of discipleship and com-

munity. They were attracted by the fellowship and within six

months had moved up into extended families.

One family came from Aylesbury. 'Here, read this, Mum,'

said Maurice, one Saturday evening, tossing a copy of Nine

O'Clock In The Morning on to the table, 'I'm off to Bugbrooke.'

Mum read it and was enthralled. 'Lord,' she prayed, 'We've

been seeking this for years!' The following week Marion and

Lionel, her husband, drove to chapel with their two sons. All

of them were baptised in the Spirit that night.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Maurice's brother, Steve, was a bit of a lad with red hair

and a cheeky grin. When the family were baptised, they re-

ceived many words of wisdom and encouragement, apart from

Steve. All he got from the Lord was a picture of a brown par-

cel inside which was a golden crown. Only later did we un-

derstand. Steve was enthusiastic and motored up on his bike

through all weathers to the Hall. It wasn't long before he

moved in.

There were now about thirty of us squeezed into 'New Crea-

tion Hall', and many others at the Welcome homes in North-

ampton, in extended families, or at Verna's and Kelly's cot-

tages at Great Lane (now with shared courtyard and duck-

pond).

We called the community aspect of the fellowship the New

Creation Christian Community. New creation was the theme

and a distinctive 'kingdom culture' began to take shape.

We took a newspaper, but there was no place for television

or radio in our community houses. We didn't go out for our

entertainment either. There was enough at home! Some of us

became more creative, learning instruments, and writing po-

ems or journals. Pete enjoyed painting, wrote songs, and was

occasionally seen up a tree practising the violin. We couldn't

stand the noise of it in the house!

We began to share more of our things. Guitars, tape re-

corders, and even cars were pooled. God was telling us to

live more simply. Giving away your best shirt could be quite

sacrificial and deepened friendships. Sometimes we had 'hon-

ouring days', when some unsuspecting brother or sister would

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

be showered with gifts, sweets, pictures, poems, prophecies

and lots of love and esteem.

At the Hall, we often had four brothers sharing a large room.

Sometimes we welded hospital beds together into bunks —

all of seven foot high. Fortunately, I was athletic. At week-

ends we rolled out the spare mattresses and often guests

would end up snoring away in the library downstairs. We

thinned out more after the courtyard wing was converted,

but such 'close fellowship' encouraged a great sense of broth-

erhood.

There were frictions, of course. One brother wanted to be

reconciled to a fiery Scotsman, so he took a bowl of water to

wash his feet. The argument broke out again so he tipped it

over his head and ran!

John Thom was keen to start up a common bank account.

Noel counselled caution at first, but most of us at the Hall

were young and zealous and convinced that the common purse

was an example of Jesus we needed to follow.

By the spring of 1975 we were pooling our income (before

that we had paid rent). A common purse deacon collected the

money every week and put it into a household account. When

Mike Farrant moved in from Oxford with a flair for adminis-

tration and a degree in philosophy, politics and economics,

the large tea pot in which we'd collected the money was re-

placed by a wall safe and an accounts book. We went to Mike

for what we needed and, apart from a little pocket money,

were expected to produce receipts for all we spent.

We were keen to nurture an atmosphere of the Holy Spirit

and encouraged one another along the way of discipleship. I

suggested to Pete that perhaps we shouldn't stop off at the

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

pub on the way to Oxford. As for money-bags Mike, I thought

he needed to be more heavenly-minded and got him to rise

up early to pray, and to meditate daily on the Song of Solo-

mon!

In many ways sisters surpassed brothers in their enthusi-

asm and devotion to God. They were prolific in songs, poems,

embroideries, tapestries, paintings — and cakes! Single sis-

ters lived mainly at Verna's and Kelly's cottages at Great Lane,

at the Harlestone Road house in Northampton, or in various

extended families, mainly on the Bugbrooke housing estate.

Up on the estate, the villagers were getting worried at the

prospect of a Jesus People takeover! Among others, Lionel

and Marion moved there and shared a common purse with

Val next door who was now married. Victor, Sheila and their

kids also moved in from Northampton and extended their

house to take in brothers.

Most of the single brothers were thrown together at Argyle

Street or the Hall where they had their rough edges knocked

off. The cross often came in little things — like living with

someone who reads late into the night while you're trying

desperately to get some sleep. Or it might be the irritating

brother who's always quoting Scripture at you, or the bois-

terous teenager who gets your neck in an arm lock and says,

'Are you all right, bro?' when you're pondering on some deep

things of the Lord!

For others, the cross might walk in as the dear sister who

has as much concept of the 'meek and quiet spirit' as Queen

Boadicea! Or the brother who comes to 'tell you your fault'

with the sympathetic understanding of a bulldozer!

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Community living took 'The Spirit of the Cross' out of the

pages of a book and made it a necessity for survival. If we

had any illusions about community being a quiet haven away

from the storms of life, we soon lost them. We discovered it

was in these 'courts of the Lord', not in the world, that the

old nature faced up to its crucifixion!

In fact, some left us and the original families at the Hall

eventually moved out. But most of us wouldn't have missed

that era for anything. It was immensely fruitful and strong

characters were chiselled out of community life.

By 1975 three things in particular occupied the attention of

charismatic Christians around the world — shepherding, com-

munity and the kingdom of God. Shepherding had hit a crisis

in the States and there was controversy over 'heavy shep-

herding'. Christians began to view the concept of authority

and submission in the church with distrust.

As for community living, the idea was popular but most

churches regarded it as a risky business and few committed

themselves wholly to it. But at Bugbrooke, we resolved to

keep our hands on the plough and move steadily forward.

Vision was strong amongst us and God was sending us peo-

ple fast. We pressed on along the 'narrow road' of disciple-

ship, aiming to follow Jesus and 'seek first his kingdom' (Matt

6:33).

Many other churches, too, were gaining a deeper under-

standing of the kingdom of God. The prophets of Israel had

foretold that the coming of Messiah, Christ, would establish

the rule of God. But when? Christ had come, but what of his

kingdom?

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

By the time we arrived at Ashburnham in 1975, we, like

many Restoration churches, were looking for a kingdom not

only in the future, but now — and on earth!

10 Zion, City of God

There is a holy hill of God, a spiritual Zion, a mountain where-

upon His house is built, which the wing of the Almighty over-

shadows; and His sheep feed there.

Isaac Penington (a Quaker) 1676

The evening sun streamed through the windows of the meet-

ing room at Ashburnham as the harmony of guitar and man-

dolin held us in the presence of the Spirit. John Cornish and

Pete sat on the floor amidst 200 worshippers and led us in a

holy jamming session. We lifted our hearts in the spiritual

song and the praise took us higher. New tongues harmonised

like threads in a tapestry. The instruments joined in and a

group of sisters danced before the Lord. The gathered church

did feel like a holy place. The 'wing of the Almighty' was over-

shadowing us and the atmosphere was rich with God's pres-

ence.

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

Young Darren weaved through the assembly and plonked

himself on my lap. I looked over at Kelly. His twelve-string

guitar hung across his chest as he pursed his lips and looked

contemplatively at the ceiling. What a sight! Kelly was a guy

you learned from. No frills — just spiritual reality. 'Once you

were not a people, but now you are the people of God' (1 Pet

2:10). That was his favourite scripture.

It had been a fascinating year at the Hall. New friendships

were a tremendous inspiration and my path to spirituality

was no longer a lonely road. Most of all we were a people. As

the worship faded into silence I looked around the room. Vic-

tor was still lost in worship. He loved the silent times. A great

contentment came over me. I'd come home to 'Zion'.

From the corner of the room a squeaky voice began to sing:

'Out of Zion, our God shines forth.' It was far too high and the

assembly dissolved into laughter. Verna came to the rescue

on the keyboard and the tambourines started up.

'We are his Zion, perfection of his beauty, radiance of his

glory, bearers of his name.' The song came to an end after

the fifteenth time and we erupted into loud cries of Jesus!

Bless God! and Hallelujah!

Some of the Ashburnham staff crept in and lined up along

the wall. They exchanged glances and smiled. Noel stood up

and swept his greying hair off his forehead.

'Ashburnham '75,' he began quietly, 'is radically different

from '74, because then God established a structure and now

he is building on it with his goodness, his sweetness and his

life. Before us lies the task of perfecting the beauty of Zion.

We sing from Psalm 50: "Out of Zion... God shines forth."

Now some are using the word "Zion" a great deal nowadays

AWAKE O ZION! FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

to describe the church. Zion was one of the hills of Jerusa-

lem. We read in 2 Samuel 5:7 of how David captured the for-

tress of Zion. Zion was associated with all the glory of David's

rule, when God was with his people and Israel was a light to

the nations. But for Israel there was eventually a judgement.

Zion's temple was destroyed and they were scattered.

'Beloved, is this true of the church today? Are the "pre-

cious sons of Zion" scattered and in exile? Or is the church a

nation set apart? If not, then may God call her back to her

identity, and cause her to be a city on a hill.

'Brethren, it's time for Zion to arise and conquer! She must

stand up and express what God so burningly longs for, and

what our hearts so desperately need.'

Noel paused to look around. Most of us were gripped, but

his eagle eye spotted some nodding heads.

'Wake up, beloved! Wake up!' he shouted. 'Let's not be duped

any more. The world may hate us, as we emerge from its

stranglehold. But may it never say with scorn, "Is this the

city that was called the perfection of beauty?" (Lam 2:15).

There are songs going around — "When the Lord restored

the fortunes of Zion", and so forth. There's a movement abroad

in which God is restoring glory to his church. The call is to be

his Zion. We have heard that call and it has taken us into

community.

'Now the Jews lost Zion, but their prophets spoke of a King

who would restore her and establish the kingdom on earth.

This anointed one, this Messiah, was the hope of Israel. But

when he came he was crucified and rejected.

'Beloved!' said Noel, 'Jesus told his disciples that some of

them would not taste death before they saw the kingdom of

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