Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
COMMUNICATE!
found a family.’ That said it all. Sadly this noble African refugee
was seriously ill and the first to grace our new burial
ground at Cornhill. Zion was truly a home for the widow, the
orphan and the stranger.
At Palm Tree I delved into the writings of former radical
Christians and noted the frequent use of the word ‘Zion’. Inspirationally
it described the church. But it wasn’t that simple.
In scripture, ‘Zion’ could mean natural Israel, the church
or the heavenly city. I felt it was a touch of heaven when ‘brothers
dwell together in unity’ — but I’m a poet.
One evening I sat down with Andrzej and asked what ‘Zion’
meant to him. He responded with total enthusiasm: ‘It was
like when I first met Sharron. Something leapt inside.’
Andrzej gesticulated, flinging his arms around wildly.
‘I was Catholic, you see... charismatic. But I longed to see
evangelism, community. You know... the zeal of the early
church. So did Sharron. Well, we met the Jesus Army singing
in Sheffield. Ian ‘Greatheart’ was playing a banjo in the square.
I can see his face now. God spoke to us and we started coming
around. It was all so exciting — the vision — everything.
It was like... like falling in love again. Zion! You know! It was
just like coming home... coming home.’
He sank back exhausted with inspiration. I laughed. But
his heart fire had touched me. The next morning I grabbed a
pen:
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