Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
CITY ON A HILL
As for Sunday meetings, there was some flexibility as to
where we went. A sister from the Hall might travel to the
meeting in Leicester because she supported the evangelism
there. Many carried particular vision: a ‘heart for Birmingham’
or ‘faith for the skinheads.’ With a breakdown of a hundred
servant groups, twenty-eight households and four Sunday
night meetings, there was scope.
However, the concept of the church ‘household’ as a distinct
unit sharpened up. The church ‘household’ was a community
house family, plus its non-resident members and
friends. This increased the sense of belonging and households
began to function like little churches. They were expected to
grow, divide, and plant elsewhere. At the Farm and Cornhill
the larger family sometimes functioned as two households
with their own separate meetings, whilst at the Hall, one
household focused on evangelism in Banbury, the other in
Kettering.
Many were going out in evangelism teams and sang on the
streets, whether at Birmingham New Street Station, Northampton
town centre, or Banbury market square. Some were
bolder and disappeared into pubs and clubs, whilst others
interceded on the spot or stayed home to welcome people
back.
Sisters were good front-line evangelists with a heart for
sinners — at times a weeping heart. Lesley, who was one such
evangelist in Leicester, was a keen celibate. ‘Celibacy!’ she
said, ‘I love it! Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom”. I made a
pact with God and expected him to meet my needs. Celibacy
is like getting into a new car. The sun is shining, God is with
you, and you can explore. I gained many hearts because I
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