Thots from Marc O'Hara

In response to the last entry concerning death, Marc O'Hara sent me his thoughts. I loved his sensitivity and insight into responding to death. The following is an edited version of Marc's thoughts. Thank you Marc for sending this and for allowing me to include this on the Jesus House Blog.

"This week's JH blog about death brought back some memories that I thought I'd share.

I don't recall the guy's name that died on the bicycle, but I remember an incident with him. Years ago I was driving to my job in Delhi from my apartment in Erlanger. I don't know what took me to downtown Covington. Anyway, I was heading up the street to the ramp that takes you on to the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge and I had this thought come into my mind that I was to pick up a hitchhiker. It was your friend from the Bible Seminary and he was hitching back to school in Price Hill. As I recall had a good talk about his girlfriend and a job he just took driving a Taxi and was telling me about witnessing to people. A month later I heard about the accident. I remember how full of God's love this fellow was and thinking at the time that God had called him home.

I cannot recall this other guys name. I think it was Ken. He was a good friend of Len Mink. He worked at one of the TV stations and just accepted the Lord. I met him at a prayer meeting. Like the rest of us at the time, he was full of God's Love and wanting to share it with everyone. He was killed on a Cincinnati street in a brutal beating. As I recall there was a charity that bore his name. If I think about it long enough, his name will come to me.

Rich Mullins was an acquaintance to me. I never knew him well. When I heard of his death always felt like God called him Home. Rich was one of those people that you know was special. My best memory of him was a party that Ann Sparks, Pam Moore and ???? gave at a house they rented. I think he wrote the Lake Between the Hills about that area. Ed. Note: Actually they named the house in Montgomery after Rich's song. Once again, he played a really nasty piano. But at least it wasn't green. He sure could make those old out of tune Wurlitzer uprights sing.

Back when Odor and I were hanging out Kent told me about playing music at the funeral. I had never been to a funeral with music. I was impressed.

I spent a couple of days recently with Andy Danzl doing the CD. I vividly remember Andy's beautiful wife Alice and once spending an evening with both of them. She just learned she was pregnant. Heck I think all the FCC women were pregnant that year. I moved away to Middletown and lost track of folks. I was shocked to hear Alice had died. I didn't see Andy again until about 15 years later at the Northern KY Vineyard.

I think you may have left College Hill Presby when Hal and Marsha (Lucas) Erdmann's son died in a freak accident. I think he was only 19 or 20 years old.

Deb Smith's death was a shock to us all. She was a special lady."

All the people Marc and I have mentioned were very special people who found a way into our hearts. Never does absence speak so loud as when it is as permanent as death.

This Week In History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Second and Third Weeks of June

The Second Week of June
1972 - Marc O'Hara
1973 - Another Blank Month
1974 - Rick Roberts
1975 - Jim Bankowski
1976 - Jesus House was closed for the second annual Sonshine Festival in Hamilton, Ohio at the fairgrounds.
1977 - Sharon Wilson
1978 - Daybreak
1979 - Family Night (What, you ask, is a Family Night? Usually it was an evening that allowed a variety of people to share in a variety of ways. Some sang songs, some read things or told jokes. Sometimes we included worship.)
1980 - Hymn
1981 - Steffens-Brigance
1982 - A Blank Week

The Third Week of June
1972 - Talent Night (What's a Talent Night? Similar to a Family night but in an earlier time in our history!)
1973 - Still blank after all these years.
1974 - Agape Singers (Yes, as strange as it might seem to some of you, we did actually have a group appear at the JH that had "singers" as part of their name. It was a common thing in those days but not among the JH artists.)
1975 - Variety Night (What's a Variety Night? Is it just like the "Family Night" or "Talent Night" just a different name? No, actually. A Variety Night included a collection of scheduled performers most singing 2-3 songs but they were scheduled in advance whereas a Family or Talent night was spontaneous with no knowledge of who might perform. Sounds dangerous doesn't it? It was!)
1976 - Terry Fisher
1977 - Closed for the annual Sonshine Festival.
1978 - Marc O'Hara
1979 - Closed for the annual Sonshine Festival.
1980 - Closed for Sonshine.
1981 - Sonshine, again.
1982 - Sonshine, one more time.