Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKEand the occult. The revival itself was turning into a countercultureas transformed young ‘Jesus People’ followed theteachings of Jesus and lived a life of sharing. For them, Jesuswas the revolutionary of revolutionaries.In July the local Northampton paper had carried an articleabout the Jesus Revolution, and this coincided with the chapel’spublicity for the Jesus Lives Crusade. In the minds of thelocals the two were associated. Violet tee-shirts, bell-bottomjeans, and long hair, confirmed it. Bugbrooke Chapel was fullof Jesus Freaks. They were, without a doubt, the Jesus People.The Crusade began in August with a convoy around thevillages. Cars and minibuses displayed stickers and posters,while, in the middle, a lorry chugged along full of tee-shirtedyoungsters on straw bales, sporting guitars and Jesus grins.Noel, in his posh Audi, led the convoy down the A5. Whenthey got to the outskirts of Towcester, they turned round, andthe 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 agospel tract.The culmination of forty days of activity was a music festivalon a village green near Bugbrooke. Gerald Coates camewith a team, along with some music groups whose styles variedfrom gentle gospel to heavy rock. Carol and others toldtheir stories from the back of the lorry as hamburgers andonions sizzled nearby.Old friends from Bedford who had been praying for soberNoel to get the blessing turned up, and got a shock to see his58