HOW DAVE FOUND JOY

A BILLY GRAHAM BOOK GAVE ACTOR PEACE

Source : 17/03/1984 Northampton Mercury and Herald

'Miracles, healing, 'supernatural' experiences and speaking in tongues - it's all part of daily life for the Jesus People of Bugbrooke, who have been labelled as 'weird' and cultic'.'

But what is the real attraction of their community life, sharing money, friends and even family in a flashback to the First Century Church?

I spoke to a couple, who live with their three young children in one of the Jesus Fellowship Communities.

My immediate impression was of a perfectly ordinary family with an extraordinary history.

The man, who is originally from Brighton, gave up a promising career in the theatre to follow what he felt was God's call.

'I knew God had something different for me than acting.' he explained. 'People said I was crazy but I had found a new life.'

His wife had a horrific car accident only two months before their wedding, and she was given only a 50-50 chance of life.

And the couple's second child, (2), is particularly special to them, as she almost dies only hours after being born.

'We look on her as a very special gift from God,' said the woman.

The man's conversion came after he tried to escape a man who approached him in the street, asking if he knew Jesus loved him.

'I just said, 'yes, thanks, but I've got a bus to catch', and got away as quickly as I could,' recalled the man.

'But as I settled down on the bus, I realised that I didn't know at all that Jesus loved me.'

Months of searching, including a nervous breakdown and dabbling in the occult and yoga, ended while he was sitting in the Brighton Royal Theatre box office, reading a book by Billy Graham.

'I prayed the prayer in the book, and I was filled with a real sense of peace and joy.'

Of the community, the man said: 'People think it's strange because it's not very common, but when I came to Christ, I knew I had to commit my whole life to God, just as they did in the early church.'

His wife's account of God healing her is entirely in the realms of the 'supernatural', and she told me she had gone home after only two weeks in hospital, despite injuries that included broken ribs, a punctured lung and a ruptured spleen.

David Hawker, one of the elders of the church, which is affiliated to the Baptist Union, said supernatural occurrences had to be expected from a God who is a supernatural being.