II Timothy 2:2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
The 60's were drawing to a close. It had been a time of social upheaval and change in our little part of the world. The war in Viet Nam was in full swing and young men were either joining the service or were being drafted. In fact, going through some old belongings the other day, I found my draft card along with my student deferment card.
Along with the changes going on in society, the church was also being taken in a new direction. A revival of sorts had broken out on the West Coast and had caught the attention of the rest of the country. The Jesus People movement was spreading like an uncontrolled fire, and it was about to burn the city of Gadsden, Alabama.
It came in the form of a group of young people, some married, who came to our town under the call and authority of Campus Crusade For Christ. They brought a vision and a love for Christ that would forever impact me and others who joined with them. Originally, I think Crusade was primarily a College movement, but the leadership had decided to move into high schools to see if they could build a base that would identify and grow leaders to join their ranks as the movement grew. It didn't matter, all we knew was that there were some really cool people who loved Jesus and wanted to share it with us. Kind of strange when you think back on the 60's and the fact that we were in the heart of the Bible belt. Churches everywhere...you couldn't swing a dead cat and not hit a church. But the vision these young people brought was unlike anything we'd ever heard before.
They spoke of God's love. They told us that we could participate in the Kingdom of God and the work of spreading His word. You'd think we'd knew this, but unfortunately, the model that we had grown up under was one of taking our place in church. Be a good member.....go to Sunday school and training union.....give every Sunday....read your Bible and pray. Once a year, go to revival and be revived. These are all part of being a member and are very important, but Campus Crusade was planting a thought in our hearts and minds.......there is more than simply belonging to a church. After all, you only went to church 3 hours a week, at most. What about the rest of the time?
We began to see that community was vital to growth as a follower of Christ. To be surrounded by like-minded people who were hungry for Jesus as much as you were. Saturday nights became a focal point of our week, as Campus Crusade gave Jim Bentley, Jim Morgan, and yours truly the keys to the building and said, "Why don't y'all start a coffee house." You have to remember this was before there was such a thing as Contemporary Christian Music (I've always hated that term). But we knew that music would be a vital part of what we were doing.
Jim Bentley, the artist, was given free reign to design and come up with a plan for what the coffee house would look like. And did he come up with a plan. Everything was painted in Day-glo paint. Bright green, orange, yellow and black. It was the Age of Asparagus as the Fifth Dimension sang and Gadsden had just moved into the psychedelic age. Jim Morgan was the resident electrician, as he worked to install the lighting. Vast amounts of black light was used that only made the day-glo paint jump out at you with a nuclear explosion. Me? I was the comical side kick who did whatever was needed to be done. Go-fer and getter...that was me. During this time, I was also finding myself musically. I was never comfortable playing and singing because I never viewed myself as having any worth in this area. Not that I was the 2nd coming of Paul McCartney but as the days rolled by, I was asked by several to join them as they were scheduled to play after the coffee house opened.
The name THE OTHER DOOR was given to the coffee house because you couldn't get in the front door...you had to go around to the side and come through.....wait for it.....the other door. Cleaver, don't you think? Anyway, the Other Door became the meeting place for young people . It wasn't just a social gathering either. It was a place where problems could be shared and talked about. Prayer could be received. Friends, that didn't know who this Jesus was, could come and see the love of God in action. Campus Crusade had basically come into our town and told us, "You can be a force for the Kingdom of God, if you'll just let God work in you." It didn't look like our parents church, but it was very much in line with the dictates of our heavenly Father.
Staff members such as John and Marilyn Bruce, Ruth Ann Tibby, Dwilene Niswander (Spell?), Paul Fleishman, Lanier and Karen Ellis, And Winston Kenndy all played major roles in my own life and growth as a follower of Jesus. These wonderful people took us under their collective wings and nurtured us and told us that we didn't have to wait until we were old to impact our town for Christ...now was the time....this was the day. Go out and grab it for Christ.
It was also during this time, that I met my wife, Vicki. She worked after school as a secretary for the staff. So I guess I have this also to thank Crusade for. In our personal life, the road has been long, and I'd be less than honest if I said that we had stayed the course. There were side trips out into the darkness, but we always managed to find our way back to God. Not a day goes by that I don't think about those days with Campus Crusade. The Bible studies....4 Spiritual Laws......The laughter and love that we felt from those young people who'd left home and family to come to Gadsden, Alabama to share the love of God with kids they didn't know. I wonder where they are today. I'm sure than some may have gone on to be with God. But I pray that today, Lord, you'd let them know somehow, someway, that their work was not in vain. They carried good seed and it did produce a harvest. My wife and I are proof of it.
God on you...
mb
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