Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

5Angel and Freaks1972They knew where to find them. The Black Lion was known asa centre for the drug scene in Northampton. When the weatherwas warmer thy sat on the steps of All Saints Church, or chattedto each other in the coffee bar inside — an interestingmixture of hairies, acid heads, and bikers, ranging from flowerpower hippies to full blown Hell’s Angels. Most were dropouts,spending their money on dope. There was an opennessamongst them, something of a brotherhood.One Saturday morning in January the unlikely team fromBugbrooke dived in: Noel, the evangelical crusader; Kelly thepentecostal 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 wallchatting when they spotted the middle-aged straight and his61