Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE
Dave crumbled. As they prayed together, he saw a vision of
Christ on the cross, and he realised that it was for his own sin
that Jesus died. He broke down and wept, and came out that
night a changed young man.
But such signs of God’s work were few and far between.
Though the chapel was highly regarded in the area as an evangelistic
centre, its members were often discouraged. Two
more years of activity followed and still they waited. ‘Here is
a stack of decision cards,’ thought Verna, ‘but no real fruit.’
Clearly energy alone wasn’t enough.
‘If we loved God, we would love one another,’ Noel told the
deacons, ‘but where is the spirit of love and power amongst
us?’
By 1967 he seriously wondered about the way forward. Ten
years had flown by. Could he rely on the devotion of his flock?
Should the next crusade go ahead? He felt desperate, and
called a special church meeting. ‘We are reaching a crossroads,’
he said, ‘and need to reassess things in the light of
scriptural truth. Is the old style mission really the way? Should
not growth spring from the vitality of the local church? We do
a lot, but our heart is weak.’
Noel wondered whether he ought to stay on at Bugbrooke.
Was he able to take the church any further? And were they
willing for a deeper commitment to the Lord? The deacons
stood by him and determined to go on with God.
Soon after that some of the village teenagers came to the
Lord, and two were baptised. A new manse was built, and
when £400 was needed to finish the work, Miss Campion organised
a Gift Day. The exact amount came in. For a while,
30