Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSAWAKE O ZION!us starry-eyed. The Hall now had brothers living in the downstairsrooms and people were streaming on to the estate.‘Israel is gathering!’ we sang. ‘Come and make music onZion’s height!’We had left Ashburnham with a zeal to ‘take the land’. Cyrilfound some actual land, two miles from Bugbrooke — a largefarmhouse with outbuildings and acres of orchard and fields.‘Oh no!’ said Noel ‘Not farming, bro!’ But Cyril was undauntedand the leaders were soon enthusiastic.Meanwhile, the Hall was our community showpiece. Duringthe summer months we held Family Days, and gatheredwith visitors to celebrate ‘with gladness and thanksgiving,with cymbals’ (Victor), ‘harps’ (Alan and Kelly on the twelvestring),‘trumpets and lyres’ (or, to be more accurate, Paddyon the bottle-top shaker). We sat in groups, drank tea, consumedsandwiches and cake, stretched out on the grass, and‘fellowshipped’. They were hot, gregarious, outdoor-praisingtimes — idyllic or difficult according to the state of your soul.Favourite songs carried into the village. ‘Let’s call our wallssalvation!’, ‘Zion is restored’ and ‘Arise! Shine! for your lighthas come!’ We danced. We were festive, confident — excitedat what God was bringing to pass.After tea we would make our way to chapel, continue ourworship, and listen to the preaching of the kingdom gospel.Isaac Watts inspired us with his songs of Zion as did Wesley’shymns, hymns like, ‘Happy the souls who first believed’.135