I know, I promised an entry about our retreats. That one is on the way, but I decided to include this one first. One of the purposes of the House was to provide a place for Christian musicians to play Christian music. Much of it was evangelistic in nature and most of the music was original. In the early days, there were people who performed secular songs but changed the lyrics to reflect a Christian message. (He's a bridge over troubled waters...) Randy Matthews, who founded the House, really hated that so we urged artists to discontinue the practice. Only once do I remember someone doing it and making it really fun. A student from Miami University in Oxford changed the lyrics to a Beatle song and we were treated to "He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah." It was so absurd it was fun.
Over the years, though, there were secular songs included in various artist's sets. Some were songs with solid Christian messages already in the lyrics, some had borderline spiritual messages and some had no spiritual content but were fun anyway.
The secular song performed by the most artists was Mighty Clouds of Joy. It was originally recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1971, post-Raindrops but pre-Christian, pre-Country hit making days. Mike Wilshire was the first to sing it at the Jesus House in fall of 1971. After Mike, Marc O'Hara performed it, then Terry Fisher, then Deny Brigance in, I believe, the Stephens-Brigance days.
The song most surprising for the fewest performances was Jesus is Just Alright With Me. Originally recorded by The Birds then covered by The Doobie Brothers, it seemed like a natural song for JH performers, and is one of my favorites but, alas, unless my memory is faulty, it was performed only once by a band featuring Bruce Kercher while he was still a college student.
A song I always expected but never heard was Presence of the Lord by Eric Clapton from Blind Faith. Clapton was represented once though by two guys from College Hill Presbyterian Church, a drummer & bass player and performed a really long, really loud instrumental version of Sunshine of Your Love. I think they justified it by saying they spelled sunshine with an "o" instead of the "u."
During the first year of operation, James Taylor music was big with You've Got a Friend and Fire & Rain. Also that first year, quite a few people sang He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (and always told the story involving the priest and the two orphans) and Bridge Over Troubled Waters. One of the big worship songs that first year was a rewritten version of the 1958 Phil Specter tune, "To Know Him is to Love Him." Of course we know who the "him" was for us! And yes, we seriously sang it as a worship song. Stop looking at me that way. Please wipe that smurk off your face. All we had otherwise was Kum By Yah.
As the years progressed we saw other Paul Simon compositions added. Besides Bridge Over Troubled Waters we heard Loves Me Like a Rock and some song about cereal(?).
The Eagles showed up occasionally with Desperado and once with a re-written version of Already Gone.
It was a memorable night when a group from Georgetown College sang re-worked Bee Gee songs. Pre-disco Bee Gees, like To Love Somebody and Got to Get a Message to You.
The Paul & Dave Band used to perform, "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" by Chicago and something by the Beatles but the title is escaping me right now. I'll remember it later and edit this section. The Beatles were also represented the night John Gould sang, "Here Comes the Sun."
As far as songs with absolutely no spiritual content, Stephens-Brigance sang Rock & Roll Music and I sang Up On the Roof, Midnight Hour & Mustang Sally!
Finally, let me say that no one ever sang a Beach Boys song...
If I've left out songs, let me know and I'll add them!
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed the Second Weekend of February
1972 - Grant & Jane Ann Hammond
1973 - John Gould
1974 - Lisa Gosnell & Dave Keith (this was a French Lick Weekend!)
1975 - Marc O'Hara, Mark Elliott from the One Way House in Springfield speaking. (The staff was gone on another French Lick Weekend!)
1976 - Scruggs (one set) Ross Johnson (one set)
1977 - Not sure, no one is listed. It was another French Lick Weekend.
1978 - Kent & Randy
1979 - Hymn (Yet another French Lick Weekend)
1980 - Godshadows
1981 - Brent Eresman
1982 - Geoff Thurman
1983 - Forerunner
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Reunion
Hope you liked the photos I included a few days ago. I will be glad to include any additional photos. Email them to tfishh@gmail.com
The reunion seems to be taking on good energy. Nearly every week I hear from someone from the past. Many of these contacts are made on Facebook. If you are not yet on Facebook, I urge you to join. You will find many JH people, FCC people and House of the Carpenter people. In some cases, you'll find people who experienced all three. Lots of photos floating around, some embarrassing, some not so embarrassing. There is also a Prodigal group on Facebook that you can join to see photos.
The Jesus House Recording Project is coming along. The goal is to have that completed and ready by the reunion. You will hear some great songs, all of which were performed at the Jesus House at some point during the 14 years.
Remember to mark your calendars for May 2, 2009. Tentatively we are planning to have live music 2:00 - 11:00 pm. Those times could change as we have a clearer picture of all the participating artists. The Reunion will be at Highview Christian Church 2651 Adams Road in Mt. Healthy. The building is not far from the Jesus House.
Later in the week, I will resume the historical narrative of the Jesus House with an entry about our retreats, both Conglomerate and Recharge! but till then...
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed the First Weekend of February.
1972 - Doug Adams (I believe he was a musician from College Hill Presbyterian Church)
1973 - Jan Bean & Christian Runion (Christian was pictured in one of the previous photos.)
1974 - Not sure, it might have been adamsfishyodor. The space is blank but afo played in Hartford City, Indiana the night before so we might have traveled back and played the house. I know there were 113 people in attendance.
1975 - Bob Clark & Tony Ross (A couple of skinny guys with great songs!)
1976 - John Gould
1977 - Creation INC
1978 - Cindy Price
1979 - One Lane Road
1980 - Rick, Tom & Hodgy
1981 - Geoff Thurman
1982 - Rick & Hodgy (What happened to Tom?)
1983 - Geoff Thurman
Things I Said:Quotes from Terry Fisher's Jesus House talks.
In order for a person to become a Christian, at least three opinions need to change:
The Bible has to become more than just a good book
Jesus has to become more than just a good man
God has to become more than just a good idea.
The reunion seems to be taking on good energy. Nearly every week I hear from someone from the past. Many of these contacts are made on Facebook. If you are not yet on Facebook, I urge you to join. You will find many JH people, FCC people and House of the Carpenter people. In some cases, you'll find people who experienced all three. Lots of photos floating around, some embarrassing, some not so embarrassing. There is also a Prodigal group on Facebook that you can join to see photos.
The Jesus House Recording Project is coming along. The goal is to have that completed and ready by the reunion. You will hear some great songs, all of which were performed at the Jesus House at some point during the 14 years.
Remember to mark your calendars for May 2, 2009. Tentatively we are planning to have live music 2:00 - 11:00 pm. Those times could change as we have a clearer picture of all the participating artists. The Reunion will be at Highview Christian Church 2651 Adams Road in Mt. Healthy. The building is not far from the Jesus House.
Later in the week, I will resume the historical narrative of the Jesus House with an entry about our retreats, both Conglomerate and Recharge! but till then...
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed the First Weekend of February.
1972 - Doug Adams (I believe he was a musician from College Hill Presbyterian Church)
1973 - Jan Bean & Christian Runion (Christian was pictured in one of the previous photos.)
1974 - Not sure, it might have been adamsfishyodor. The space is blank but afo played in Hartford City, Indiana the night before so we might have traveled back and played the house. I know there were 113 people in attendance.
1975 - Bob Clark & Tony Ross (A couple of skinny guys with great songs!)
1976 - John Gould
1977 - Creation INC
1978 - Cindy Price
1979 - One Lane Road
1980 - Rick, Tom & Hodgy
1981 - Geoff Thurman
1982 - Rick & Hodgy (What happened to Tom?)
1983 - Geoff Thurman
Things I Said:Quotes from Terry Fisher's Jesus House talks.
In order for a person to become a Christian, at least three opinions need to change:
The Bible has to become more than just a good book
Jesus has to become more than just a good man
God has to become more than just a good idea.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Mapes
So there I was, walking through the administration building at Cincinnati Bible College (formerly Cincinnati Bible Seminary, now Cincinnati Christian University... the school has changed it's name more often than a guy in a witness protection program who can't stay away from his girlfriend...) as I was saying, before I got lost, I was walking through the administration building for a reason that has been lost to the hazy daze of college life when I recognized the sound of a voice as it floated out of an office door. I looked through the office door and spied Richard Allen Mapes sitting in the office of someone official. I assumed, since he was someone who attended the Jesus House, that he must be in trouble! So I listened. I spied. Thinking I might need to come to his aid, I moved back into the shadows so no one could see me and waited for the outcome of Rick's trouble. I was wrong. Rick was not in trouble. Yes, this is in contrast to the experience most of the Jesus House staff had when sitting in an office in the administration building. In fact, Rick was talking about enrolling in school full-time. He had been auditing classes but decided to enroll and actually receive a degree! Eureka! The answer to all our problems!!
A little back story. In those days, the person who was the Director of the Jesus House was supposed to be married. I agree with your thoughts, kind of an archaic way of doing things. Yes, that means Jesus would never have been able to be the Director. Yes, Paul would never have been able to be the Director. Yes, the Pope would never have been able to be the Director . . . okay, enough examples. It was a rule, one of the few we had. The other rules were, no smoking in the Jesus House, no consuming alcoholic beverages in the Jesus House and no painting any walls black. (Deny, I think at one time or another you broke all three of those rules!) So why, you ask, was I (Terry Fisher) allowed to be the Interim Director? I guess the rule did not apply to Interim Directors. End of back story.
I went home excited. If Rick Mapes was going to be in school full-time and since he was married, he could become the Director. (I just reminded myself of another rule. To be on staff, you had to be enrolled at Cincinnati Bible College or one of it's other names, full-time. This rule was relaxed for me when I graduated.)
Upon arriving home I told Kent about my discovery. He was excited.
I contacted the Elders at Highview Christian Church and shared my discovery. (They were our overseers. That's three syllables not two) They were excited and gave me the authority to approach Rick with an offer of employment.
Offer extended and . . . after much discussion, prayer, and conversations with others, Rick accepted. He, Jenny & Christy moved into the Jesus House and changed us in many very good ways. For one thing, there was a child in the house. She was the cutest 2-year-old who ever lived until I had my own children. I am not going to include stories about Christy out of respect for her grown up self except to say that she became my buddy, was a wonderful companion every day when I returned from work or school and she prepared me for being a father and enjoying my children.
Rick did not have the experience with ministry that Stan had, but at that point in the development of the House, it was not important. One of the strengths Rick brought, though, was great organizational skills and a willingness to learn how to run the ministry. He had been attending the House since our first summer of operation, so he knew the ministry from that angle. Now we were teaching him about it from the other side. Because Rick is so smart (more on that later) he was a quick student. This was very important for many reasons, one being that Kent Odor was about to get married and move out. Yes, adams was gone, odor was about to leave, and fishy needed another friend and co-worker. Rick became that and more. Compatibility was important among the staff. We needed to like the same kinds of music, food, and adventure. There was instant compatibility with Rick, Jenny & Christy. During their time on staff, we had our first Jesus House birth when their son, Micah was born.
Besides Rick's strengths, we soon saw that Jenny was going to bring a new set of gifts in her creativity. She found so many ways to express creativity and had lots of drive. Jenny is the reason the entire downstairs was repainted. She moved us from the bold, psychedelic days of the early 70's into the more subtle earth tones of the late 70's. We lost all the murals of our early days (if anyone has photos, please scan and email them to me: tfishh@gmail.com) but moved into a new visual era. Her contributions were inspirational and exciting. She even understood that it might be a good idea if someone organized our Thanksgiving Feast to make sure not everyone was going to bring green beans!
I could write lots about Rick and his family but want to end this blog with one example of Rick's abilities. During those years, he worked full-time at a second shift job, attended school full-time, was a husband and father and helped run the house. Rick graduated a year after I did. A week before his graduation, he brought home his cap and gown. As we checked it out, he pulled out a golden rope and asked what it was for. I informed him, it meant he was graduating with honors. He wondered what he was to do with it. I responded, "I assume you drape it around your neck, but I'm not completely sure." Then he asked the question that I knew was coming. "Well, what did you do with yours." My honest response needed to be, "I didn't have one." Ever the inquisitive person, Rick persisted, "Why not." "Well, you see, Rick, I didn't graduate with honors." He didn't ask anymore questions...
This Week in History(Actually last week) Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Fourth Week of January
1972 - Mark O'Hara
1973 - Mike Wilshire
1974 - Monk
1975 - Bozo Brothers
1976 - Terry Fisher, Sharon & Dan, Sandy
1977 - Rick Marksberry
1978 - Dave Shubert
1979 - Closed due to weather. Peter Leighton highlighted us on the Q-102 weather closings. Called us the most important closing announcement. The only person who showed up was John Jaffe, who thought the roads were fine.
1980 - Andy & Alice Danzl, Rick & Diane Marksberry
1981 - Larry Bubb
1982 - Lois Snider
1983 - Lighthouse
Fifth Saturdays Yes, January is another of those months with an occasional Fifth Saturday.
1972 - Rick Carter
1976 - A huge round up of people including, Tony Ross, Andy Danzl, Rick, Hodgy & Tom (eventually known as Manna) and Terry Fisher
1977 - Prodigal
1981 - Scott Roley
1982 - Willoughby-Wilson Band (Recharge Weekend, more on this later)
1983 - Willoughby-Wilson Band (Recharge Weekend Too)
Things I Said Quotes from Terry Fisher's Jesus House Talks
If a sin takes more than 15 minutes to commit, does it count as two?
A little back story. In those days, the person who was the Director of the Jesus House was supposed to be married. I agree with your thoughts, kind of an archaic way of doing things. Yes, that means Jesus would never have been able to be the Director. Yes, Paul would never have been able to be the Director. Yes, the Pope would never have been able to be the Director . . . okay, enough examples. It was a rule, one of the few we had. The other rules were, no smoking in the Jesus House, no consuming alcoholic beverages in the Jesus House and no painting any walls black. (Deny, I think at one time or another you broke all three of those rules!) So why, you ask, was I (Terry Fisher) allowed to be the Interim Director? I guess the rule did not apply to Interim Directors. End of back story.
I went home excited. If Rick Mapes was going to be in school full-time and since he was married, he could become the Director. (I just reminded myself of another rule. To be on staff, you had to be enrolled at Cincinnati Bible College or one of it's other names, full-time. This rule was relaxed for me when I graduated.)
Upon arriving home I told Kent about my discovery. He was excited.
I contacted the Elders at Highview Christian Church and shared my discovery. (They were our overseers. That's three syllables not two) They were excited and gave me the authority to approach Rick with an offer of employment.
Offer extended and . . . after much discussion, prayer, and conversations with others, Rick accepted. He, Jenny & Christy moved into the Jesus House and changed us in many very good ways. For one thing, there was a child in the house. She was the cutest 2-year-old who ever lived until I had my own children. I am not going to include stories about Christy out of respect for her grown up self except to say that she became my buddy, was a wonderful companion every day when I returned from work or school and she prepared me for being a father and enjoying my children.
Rick did not have the experience with ministry that Stan had, but at that point in the development of the House, it was not important. One of the strengths Rick brought, though, was great organizational skills and a willingness to learn how to run the ministry. He had been attending the House since our first summer of operation, so he knew the ministry from that angle. Now we were teaching him about it from the other side. Because Rick is so smart (more on that later) he was a quick student. This was very important for many reasons, one being that Kent Odor was about to get married and move out. Yes, adams was gone, odor was about to leave, and fishy needed another friend and co-worker. Rick became that and more. Compatibility was important among the staff. We needed to like the same kinds of music, food, and adventure. There was instant compatibility with Rick, Jenny & Christy. During their time on staff, we had our first Jesus House birth when their son, Micah was born.
Besides Rick's strengths, we soon saw that Jenny was going to bring a new set of gifts in her creativity. She found so many ways to express creativity and had lots of drive. Jenny is the reason the entire downstairs was repainted. She moved us from the bold, psychedelic days of the early 70's into the more subtle earth tones of the late 70's. We lost all the murals of our early days (if anyone has photos, please scan and email them to me: tfishh@gmail.com) but moved into a new visual era. Her contributions were inspirational and exciting. She even understood that it might be a good idea if someone organized our Thanksgiving Feast to make sure not everyone was going to bring green beans!
I could write lots about Rick and his family but want to end this blog with one example of Rick's abilities. During those years, he worked full-time at a second shift job, attended school full-time, was a husband and father and helped run the house. Rick graduated a year after I did. A week before his graduation, he brought home his cap and gown. As we checked it out, he pulled out a golden rope and asked what it was for. I informed him, it meant he was graduating with honors. He wondered what he was to do with it. I responded, "I assume you drape it around your neck, but I'm not completely sure." Then he asked the question that I knew was coming. "Well, what did you do with yours." My honest response needed to be, "I didn't have one." Ever the inquisitive person, Rick persisted, "Why not." "Well, you see, Rick, I didn't graduate with honors." He didn't ask anymore questions...
This Week in History(Actually last week) Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Fourth Week of January
1972 - Mark O'Hara
1973 - Mike Wilshire
1974 - Monk
1975 - Bozo Brothers
1976 - Terry Fisher, Sharon & Dan, Sandy
1977 - Rick Marksberry
1978 - Dave Shubert
1979 - Closed due to weather. Peter Leighton highlighted us on the Q-102 weather closings. Called us the most important closing announcement. The only person who showed up was John Jaffe, who thought the roads were fine.
1980 - Andy & Alice Danzl, Rick & Diane Marksberry
1981 - Larry Bubb
1982 - Lois Snider
1983 - Lighthouse
Fifth Saturdays Yes, January is another of those months with an occasional Fifth Saturday.
1972 - Rick Carter
1976 - A huge round up of people including, Tony Ross, Andy Danzl, Rick, Hodgy & Tom (eventually known as Manna) and Terry Fisher
1977 - Prodigal
1981 - Scott Roley
1982 - Willoughby-Wilson Band (Recharge Weekend, more on this later)
1983 - Willoughby-Wilson Band (Recharge Weekend Too)
Things I Said Quotes from Terry Fisher's Jesus House Talks
If a sin takes more than 15 minutes to commit, does it count as two?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
growth, change, departures
After the arrival of Stan Carter we added additional staff. There was no master plan to these staff additions but upon reflection, and without sounding too corny . . . okay, I'm going to sound really corny, but I think there was a Master's Plan. Yes, I did it. I sounded really corny just then didn't I? To all of you with a "corny filter" on your computer, you didn't get to read that line, but that's okay.
The staff additions, which WE didn't plan, helped facilitate growth in the ministry. Kent Odor was added Fall, 1972, Chris Adams moved into the house summer of 1973 but he was already pretty engrained into the ministry. These two additions changed the dynamics of the ministry in very positive ways. We had our first Muster Weekend spring, 1973 and by fall 1973 the ministry was busting. Not only was afo acting as house band when needed but traveling to other places. The outreach of the ministry had spread to Forest Park, Greenhills, Princeton and Colrain High Schools. We even had an opportunity to speak and play music at an after school assembly for Greenhills High School. Students still came from Mt. Healthy High School but it was exciting to see people from all these other schools. It was more exciting to see how many people were becoming Christians. We also began to receive more and more invitations to speak at churches all over Cincinnati. Anytime one of us spoke at a church we saw the youth group from that church the following Saturday night. There is no way to count how many people we were able to tell about Jesus but I am grateful that the ministry had moved outside the property on Coogan Drive expanding into all these other venues.
With all these high school students, Stan knew the responsibility of the ministry needed to move beyond the staff. He organized a team of students who began working on different aspects of the ministry including outreach, hospitality, and spiritual growth; all important aspects of any effective church or ministry.
By spring of 1974, Stan decided his time with the House was finished so he and Linda bought a home nearby and moved out. It was a great loss to us but just the first of two. The second loss occurred a few months later when Christopher Adams decided to move to the West Coast to be near his family and attend Pacific Christian College. This was the right move for Christopher especially since he could major in psychology at PCC but of course it meant the end of adamsfishyodor, at least for a few years! Stan and Christopher both added important leadership and wisdom to the Jesus House and their absence was keenly felt. The first summer without them the building seemed very empty to Kent and me. The first thing we did was ask Andy Wilson to move in for the summer while he was preparing for college the following fall. His presence was a delight.
(As three bachelors living in that big place we decided to at least upgrade the quality of our menu so we purchased a case of rib eye steaks from a meat supplier, put them in the freezer and ate steak all summer!)
I became the Interim Director of the ministry while we searched for a replacement for Stan. Kent took over scheduling and leading the Saturday evening concerts. None of us expected me to be the Interim Director for over a year! It was not the best fit for me and I did not do it very well. That was my first experience, but not my last, of being in a ministry position for which I was not adequately gifted. When Paul wrote about different gifts distributed to Christians, he was not kidding. It's interesting to me that the very time I was working outside my gifting, I was studying Spiritual Gifts at CBS with the incredibly intelligent and gifted Dr. Virgil Warren.
God is a provider, sometimes when you least expect it and often in ways that you and I could never plan. The staff of the Jesus House changed again the summer of 1975. The change began one morning in the spring when I walked through the administration building at Cincinnati Bible College and overheard a life-changing and ministry changing conversation. But more on that later...
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Third Saturday of January
1972 - Bob Chick & Doug Youst
1973 - Grant Hammond
1974 - The Bozo Brothers (Kevin Boys & Andy Danzel. adamsfishyodor was in Athens, Ohio playing at O.U.!)
1975 - John Gould
1976 - Salt & Pepper
1977 - Rick Roberts
1978 - Paul & Dave (It was a night designated as, "Bring Your Favorite Atheist Friend" We were pretty radical!)
1979 - Andy Danzel, Terry Fisher
1980 - Cathy Snyder
1981 - Harriet Lewis & Hog (?) Don't remember who Hog was.
1982 - Tim Root
1983 - Share-it (An evening for the crowd to share their gifts.)
Hey, Terry!
What?
I know you're probably finished with this entry but I have a question.
You're correct, I am finished but, okay, I have a few more minutes till I need to attend a finance meeting. What's your question?
Has the Jesus House ever expanded into additional nights of regular programing?
Yes, several times.
What were they?
At one point we had Family Night on Wednesdays. I described this in a previous entry. It was organized by Kent Odor.
Later we added Fridays.
What was it called?
Fridays.
When was it?
On Fridays.
What did you do?
We worshiped and had Bible study.
You mean like a church service?
Not exactly but close.
How long did that last?
About a year, maybe two.
Anything else?
Yes, for a couple of years we had the Jesus House Literary Society, which later received a name change to Third Sunday.
What was that for?
To read books and talk about them.
What kind of books?
C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Vanauken, and anything else we fancied.
That sounds like fun, why did it stop.
Because I joined the staff at College Hill Presbyterian Church and had responsibility for the singles ministry on Sunday nights.
Too bad.
Yes, but sometimes, even something that's really good comes to an end.
You mean like this blog entry?
Exactly.
The staff additions, which WE didn't plan, helped facilitate growth in the ministry. Kent Odor was added Fall, 1972, Chris Adams moved into the house summer of 1973 but he was already pretty engrained into the ministry. These two additions changed the dynamics of the ministry in very positive ways. We had our first Muster Weekend spring, 1973 and by fall 1973 the ministry was busting. Not only was afo acting as house band when needed but traveling to other places. The outreach of the ministry had spread to Forest Park, Greenhills, Princeton and Colrain High Schools. We even had an opportunity to speak and play music at an after school assembly for Greenhills High School. Students still came from Mt. Healthy High School but it was exciting to see people from all these other schools. It was more exciting to see how many people were becoming Christians. We also began to receive more and more invitations to speak at churches all over Cincinnati. Anytime one of us spoke at a church we saw the youth group from that church the following Saturday night. There is no way to count how many people we were able to tell about Jesus but I am grateful that the ministry had moved outside the property on Coogan Drive expanding into all these other venues.
With all these high school students, Stan knew the responsibility of the ministry needed to move beyond the staff. He organized a team of students who began working on different aspects of the ministry including outreach, hospitality, and spiritual growth; all important aspects of any effective church or ministry.
By spring of 1974, Stan decided his time with the House was finished so he and Linda bought a home nearby and moved out. It was a great loss to us but just the first of two. The second loss occurred a few months later when Christopher Adams decided to move to the West Coast to be near his family and attend Pacific Christian College. This was the right move for Christopher especially since he could major in psychology at PCC but of course it meant the end of adamsfishyodor, at least for a few years! Stan and Christopher both added important leadership and wisdom to the Jesus House and their absence was keenly felt. The first summer without them the building seemed very empty to Kent and me. The first thing we did was ask Andy Wilson to move in for the summer while he was preparing for college the following fall. His presence was a delight.
(As three bachelors living in that big place we decided to at least upgrade the quality of our menu so we purchased a case of rib eye steaks from a meat supplier, put them in the freezer and ate steak all summer!)
I became the Interim Director of the ministry while we searched for a replacement for Stan. Kent took over scheduling and leading the Saturday evening concerts. None of us expected me to be the Interim Director for over a year! It was not the best fit for me and I did not do it very well. That was my first experience, but not my last, of being in a ministry position for which I was not adequately gifted. When Paul wrote about different gifts distributed to Christians, he was not kidding. It's interesting to me that the very time I was working outside my gifting, I was studying Spiritual Gifts at CBS with the incredibly intelligent and gifted Dr. Virgil Warren.
God is a provider, sometimes when you least expect it and often in ways that you and I could never plan. The staff of the Jesus House changed again the summer of 1975. The change began one morning in the spring when I walked through the administration building at Cincinnati Bible College and overheard a life-changing and ministry changing conversation. But more on that later...
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Third Saturday of January
1972 - Bob Chick & Doug Youst
1973 - Grant Hammond
1974 - The Bozo Brothers (Kevin Boys & Andy Danzel. adamsfishyodor was in Athens, Ohio playing at O.U.!)
1975 - John Gould
1976 - Salt & Pepper
1977 - Rick Roberts
1978 - Paul & Dave (It was a night designated as, "Bring Your Favorite Atheist Friend" We were pretty radical!)
1979 - Andy Danzel, Terry Fisher
1980 - Cathy Snyder
1981 - Harriet Lewis & Hog (?) Don't remember who Hog was.
1982 - Tim Root
1983 - Share-it (An evening for the crowd to share their gifts.)
Hey, Terry!
What?
I know you're probably finished with this entry but I have a question.
You're correct, I am finished but, okay, I have a few more minutes till I need to attend a finance meeting. What's your question?
Has the Jesus House ever expanded into additional nights of regular programing?
Yes, several times.
What were they?
At one point we had Family Night on Wednesdays. I described this in a previous entry. It was organized by Kent Odor.
Later we added Fridays.
What was it called?
Fridays.
When was it?
On Fridays.
What did you do?
We worshiped and had Bible study.
You mean like a church service?
Not exactly but close.
How long did that last?
About a year, maybe two.
Anything else?
Yes, for a couple of years we had the Jesus House Literary Society, which later received a name change to Third Sunday.
What was that for?
To read books and talk about them.
What kind of books?
C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Vanauken, and anything else we fancied.
That sounds like fun, why did it stop.
Because I joined the staff at College Hill Presbyterian Church and had responsibility for the singles ministry on Sunday nights.
Too bad.
Yes, but sometimes, even something that's really good comes to an end.
You mean like this blog entry?
Exactly.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
FCC
But first a note: In a previous blog I mentioned a ministry in the Dayton area run by Jim Spicer that also hosted Christian concerts. I could not remember the name. It was The House of the Risen Son in Englewood, Ohio a suburb of Dayton. Thank you Jim for refreshing my memory. The HOFRS had tables and chairs unlike the wonderful JH that offered pillows on the floor.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog entry.
Last weekend Christopher Adams journeyed to Cincinnati to add his incredible bass playing to some tracks destined for the Jesus House Recording project. Deny Brigance provided digital recording equipment and Steve & Barb Steffins opened their home, sitting by patiently without headphones so they could hear only bits and pieces of the action. (If only we had video taped the proceedings. It could be on Facebook or YouTube!) As I was laying down tracks for "Only the Father" it occurred to me that I was surrounded by people who were previously involved in FCC. (Not the Federal Communications Commission but Fellowship Christian Church.) The Jesus House's connection with FCC was very different from the CHPC connection. It started the first summer the House was open . . .
One Sunday afternoon the Jesus House Staff was preparing to commune over a very tasty fried chicken dinner when a young man with dark hair, scruffy mustache and big smile walked in and introduced himself as Tom Smith. My first response was, "That's the best his parents could do? When your last name is Smith the first name needs to be Archimedes or or at least Black." Fortunately I didn't dwell on his name. We invited him to join us for dinner and heard about his reason for relocating to Cincinnati. Dinner concluded with the JH staff being excited about the new Campus Ministry at UC and Tom being excited about the Jesus House. None of us knew how intertwined the two ministries would become.
Tom established a very effective ministry based out of a place called the House of the Carpenter. Within a few years students from the UC campus ministry frequently attended the JH with many of them becoming performers. The performer list includes but is not limited to Deny Brigance, Randy Moody, and Rick Hine. Deny had and still has an unbelievably high rock & roll singing voice, incredible harmonies and great original rock & roll songs. Can you get better than a Christian R&R song titled "Holy Roller?" Deny was also known for putting together great bands when he performed at the House. Randy Moody wrote some of the funniest songs in the Kingdom of God, (Sin is the ring around my bathtub) as well as a wonderful celebration of the deep relationships we experience in the Body of Christ. (Randy sang, "One Big Time in the Kingdom" at Deb Smith's memorial service fall, 2007 and left me in tears.) Prior to his career in television production Rick Hine became an all purpose bass player and harmony singer for many bands including a few put together by Terry Fisher!
After a few more years, The House of the Carpenter decided to enter the Christian coffeehouse bizz and opened a concert venue in their basement on Sunday nights. Because they were University of Cincinnati students, and much sharper than the Jesus House staff, and because they did not serve coffee, they concluded they could not rightly be called a "coffee house" so they became the "Cookie House." Yes they did serve cookies! It was a great place to play. A relaxed atmosphere and a slightly older crowd than we had at the Jesus House during those years. In addition, the Jesus House always closed at midnight (yes, I made people leave by midnight) the Cookie House never closed!
The campus ministry also hosted a Sunday morning worship service. This started in the lounge of one of the dorms, Sander Hall (Thank you for the reminder, Deny) eventually moving into a large meeting space, the Great Hall, in the Student Union Building. During the mid to late '70's it was one of the few, if not the only, place to attend a worship service that featured contemporary music. The service also featured the excellent preaching of Archimedes...er..I mean Tom Smith. This service eventually grew into the church that became Fellowship Christian Church. I never became a member of FCC and because of my schedule could not attend regularly, but whenever possible I drove down and was always blessed by the worship services both in Sander Hall and Great Hall. Sometime after becoming Fellowship Christian Church they moved into the old Methodist Church building diagonally across from campus until securing property and building a new structure on North Bend Road.
Because of the style of worship, it became a natural place for the Jesus House to channel new Christians. It was an easy cultural transition for people who became Christians through the ministry of the JH to find FCC as their church home. It also helped that many of the musicians who played the JH worshiped at FCC. Kent Odor, of the JH staff, also spent time as one of the pastors at FCC.
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Second Saturday of January
1972 - Baily Dickerson & Rich Davis
1973 - Brothers from the House of the Carpenter (see above) including Randy Moody & Dick Mott. This was the first time attendance on Saturday evening broke the 200 barrier. We had 201 people in attendance. Those HOTC boys could pack in a crowd!
1974 - Jon Owens
1975 - Rich Mullins
1976 - Rich Mullins
1977 - Dee Dee, Terry Fisher
1978 - Mark Ryman (from the One Way House in Springfield, Ohio!)
1979 - Covenant (Karen & Jenny!)
1980 - John Gould
1981 - Dave Workman
1982 - Cathy Snyder
1983 - Revelation Band\
Where are They Now?
Fellowship Christian Church no longer exists as a church. From my limited observation, it appears the members have spread among quite a few churches in the Cincinnati area including several Vineyards, Crossroads, College Hill Presbyterian and probably many more of which I'm not aware. Many of us had a reunion Fall, 2007 at a memorial service for Deb Smith, wife of Tom Smith. We were able to gather at the FCC building for a celebration of an incredible life. The place was packed. After the service, many of us drove over to the Springdale Vineyard for a reception. It was amazing to see many of the original House of the Carpenter boys (men) as well as original Jesus House people. Old friendships were renewed and the seeds for the Jesus House Recording Project were sown. Thank you, Deb, for being a rallying point for us.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog entry.
Last weekend Christopher Adams journeyed to Cincinnati to add his incredible bass playing to some tracks destined for the Jesus House Recording project. Deny Brigance provided digital recording equipment and Steve & Barb Steffins opened their home, sitting by patiently without headphones so they could hear only bits and pieces of the action. (If only we had video taped the proceedings. It could be on Facebook or YouTube!) As I was laying down tracks for "Only the Father" it occurred to me that I was surrounded by people who were previously involved in FCC. (Not the Federal Communications Commission but Fellowship Christian Church.) The Jesus House's connection with FCC was very different from the CHPC connection. It started the first summer the House was open . . .
One Sunday afternoon the Jesus House Staff was preparing to commune over a very tasty fried chicken dinner when a young man with dark hair, scruffy mustache and big smile walked in and introduced himself as Tom Smith. My first response was, "That's the best his parents could do? When your last name is Smith the first name needs to be Archimedes or or at least Black." Fortunately I didn't dwell on his name. We invited him to join us for dinner and heard about his reason for relocating to Cincinnati. Dinner concluded with the JH staff being excited about the new Campus Ministry at UC and Tom being excited about the Jesus House. None of us knew how intertwined the two ministries would become.
Tom established a very effective ministry based out of a place called the House of the Carpenter. Within a few years students from the UC campus ministry frequently attended the JH with many of them becoming performers. The performer list includes but is not limited to Deny Brigance, Randy Moody, and Rick Hine. Deny had and still has an unbelievably high rock & roll singing voice, incredible harmonies and great original rock & roll songs. Can you get better than a Christian R&R song titled "Holy Roller?" Deny was also known for putting together great bands when he performed at the House. Randy Moody wrote some of the funniest songs in the Kingdom of God, (Sin is the ring around my bathtub) as well as a wonderful celebration of the deep relationships we experience in the Body of Christ. (Randy sang, "One Big Time in the Kingdom" at Deb Smith's memorial service fall, 2007 and left me in tears.) Prior to his career in television production Rick Hine became an all purpose bass player and harmony singer for many bands including a few put together by Terry Fisher!
After a few more years, The House of the Carpenter decided to enter the Christian coffeehouse bizz and opened a concert venue in their basement on Sunday nights. Because they were University of Cincinnati students, and much sharper than the Jesus House staff, and because they did not serve coffee, they concluded they could not rightly be called a "coffee house" so they became the "Cookie House." Yes they did serve cookies! It was a great place to play. A relaxed atmosphere and a slightly older crowd than we had at the Jesus House during those years. In addition, the Jesus House always closed at midnight (yes, I made people leave by midnight) the Cookie House never closed!
The campus ministry also hosted a Sunday morning worship service. This started in the lounge of one of the dorms, Sander Hall (Thank you for the reminder, Deny) eventually moving into a large meeting space, the Great Hall, in the Student Union Building. During the mid to late '70's it was one of the few, if not the only, place to attend a worship service that featured contemporary music. The service also featured the excellent preaching of Archimedes...er..I mean Tom Smith. This service eventually grew into the church that became Fellowship Christian Church. I never became a member of FCC and because of my schedule could not attend regularly, but whenever possible I drove down and was always blessed by the worship services both in Sander Hall and Great Hall. Sometime after becoming Fellowship Christian Church they moved into the old Methodist Church building diagonally across from campus until securing property and building a new structure on North Bend Road.
Because of the style of worship, it became a natural place for the Jesus House to channel new Christians. It was an easy cultural transition for people who became Christians through the ministry of the JH to find FCC as their church home. It also helped that many of the musicians who played the JH worshiped at FCC. Kent Odor, of the JH staff, also spent time as one of the pastors at FCC.
This Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the Second Saturday of January
1972 - Baily Dickerson & Rich Davis
1973 - Brothers from the House of the Carpenter (see above) including Randy Moody & Dick Mott. This was the first time attendance on Saturday evening broke the 200 barrier. We had 201 people in attendance. Those HOTC boys could pack in a crowd!
1974 - Jon Owens
1975 - Rich Mullins
1976 - Rich Mullins
1977 - Dee Dee, Terry Fisher
1978 - Mark Ryman (from the One Way House in Springfield, Ohio!)
1979 - Covenant (Karen & Jenny!)
1980 - John Gould
1981 - Dave Workman
1982 - Cathy Snyder
1983 - Revelation Band\
Where are They Now?
Fellowship Christian Church no longer exists as a church. From my limited observation, it appears the members have spread among quite a few churches in the Cincinnati area including several Vineyards, Crossroads, College Hill Presbyterian and probably many more of which I'm not aware. Many of us had a reunion Fall, 2007 at a memorial service for Deb Smith, wife of Tom Smith. We were able to gather at the FCC building for a celebration of an incredible life. The place was packed. After the service, many of us drove over to the Springdale Vineyard for a reception. It was amazing to see many of the original House of the Carpenter boys (men) as well as original Jesus House people. Old friendships were renewed and the seeds for the Jesus House Recording Project were sown. Thank you, Deb, for being a rallying point for us.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The CHPC Connection
The Jesus House had a connection to College Hill Presbyterian Church off and on throughout our 14 years. In those days CHPC had a "coffee house" called the Back Door. The name was derived from the fact that the entrance was in the back of a building next door to the church. The front of the building was a Audi dealer. The space is now part of the CHPC parking lot. Some of our musicians were borrowed from the Back Door. There were differences between the Jesus House and the Back Door: they had tables & chairs, we had pillows; their walls were painted black, ours were white; their musicians were playing background music while people talked and ours was a concert setting where we did not want people to talk. We thought we were better. They thought they were better. We were both good.
The very first night we opened the featured singer was someone from CHPC although his name has been lost even though a recording exists. He was a folksinger with a guitar.
One Sunday afternoon a young couple from CHPC showed up at the Jesus House with bags of groceries. Their Sunday School class decided that morning to take up an offering and provide food for the JH staff. Since none of us had paying jobs that summer, we ate what ever food happened to appear in the kitchen. We were very grateful for the generosity of that class.
At the end of the first summer we co-hosted an outdoor event at Devou Park in Northern Kentucky that included a line up of Jesus House artists, Back Door artists and Young Folk, the high school choir from CHPC. I co-organized the event with Rob Jackson who was serving on Summer Staff at CHPC that year. That fall Rob enrolled at Gordon College outside of Boston. Not sure what Rob is doing these days although I know Gordon College is still in full operation because I've sent them tuition money the past few years. My daughter graduated from there in May.
The Devou Park event was not well attended. I think there were more musicians than audience. It would not be the first time that happened nor that last. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the event and blamed the low attendance on a feud we had with the Children of God in Clifton. Just goes to show, you cannot believe everything you read. I did not know anyone affiliated with the Children of God!
The affiliation with CHPC continued in an off & on manner until November, 1983. The final 15 months the JH was open we had a very close relationship. Mostly this was due to me joining the staff at CHPC to run the college & singles ministries while continuing on the JH staff. It is good that I was single in those days. I also continued to travel to perform concerts and speak at retreats. It was really too much but I did not know it.
As I review the history of the Jesus House it is good to recognize how much we gained from various church affiliations. I think we were a stretch for some churches to understand but a place like CHPC was so kingdom minded that they supported and endorsed us even if we made them a little uncomfortable.
The Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the First Saturday of January
1972 - Closed (January 1)
1973 - Teri Lillivig & Vicki Eaton (a couple of Forest Park High School students.)
1974 - Terry Fisher
1975 - Bob Clark & Tony Ross
1976 - Crossroads (No, not the church, the band who later became Prodigal!)
1977 - Randy Moody (aka Moods, now a Nashville resident)
1978 - One Lane Road (Country Rock from Northern Kentucky)
1979 - Rick, Hodgy, & Tom (Later known as Mana?)
1980 - Deny Brigance (Producer of the JH Reunion Recording Project!)
1981 - Steffens-Brigance
1982 - Geoff Thurman
1983 - Larry Bubb
The very first night we opened the featured singer was someone from CHPC although his name has been lost even though a recording exists. He was a folksinger with a guitar.
One Sunday afternoon a young couple from CHPC showed up at the Jesus House with bags of groceries. Their Sunday School class decided that morning to take up an offering and provide food for the JH staff. Since none of us had paying jobs that summer, we ate what ever food happened to appear in the kitchen. We were very grateful for the generosity of that class.
At the end of the first summer we co-hosted an outdoor event at Devou Park in Northern Kentucky that included a line up of Jesus House artists, Back Door artists and Young Folk, the high school choir from CHPC. I co-organized the event with Rob Jackson who was serving on Summer Staff at CHPC that year. That fall Rob enrolled at Gordon College outside of Boston. Not sure what Rob is doing these days although I know Gordon College is still in full operation because I've sent them tuition money the past few years. My daughter graduated from there in May.
The Devou Park event was not well attended. I think there were more musicians than audience. It would not be the first time that happened nor that last. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the event and blamed the low attendance on a feud we had with the Children of God in Clifton. Just goes to show, you cannot believe everything you read. I did not know anyone affiliated with the Children of God!
The affiliation with CHPC continued in an off & on manner until November, 1983. The final 15 months the JH was open we had a very close relationship. Mostly this was due to me joining the staff at CHPC to run the college & singles ministries while continuing on the JH staff. It is good that I was single in those days. I also continued to travel to perform concerts and speak at retreats. It was really too much but I did not know it.
As I review the history of the Jesus House it is good to recognize how much we gained from various church affiliations. I think we were a stretch for some churches to understand but a place like CHPC was so kingdom minded that they supported and endorsed us even if we made them a little uncomfortable.
The Week in History: Artists Who Performed at the Jesus House the First Saturday of January
1972 - Closed (January 1)
1973 - Teri Lillivig & Vicki Eaton (a couple of Forest Park High School students.)
1974 - Terry Fisher
1975 - Bob Clark & Tony Ross
1976 - Crossroads (No, not the church, the band who later became Prodigal!)
1977 - Randy Moody (aka Moods, now a Nashville resident)
1978 - One Lane Road (Country Rock from Northern Kentucky)
1979 - Rick, Hodgy, & Tom (Later known as Mana?)
1980 - Deny Brigance (Producer of the JH Reunion Recording Project!)
1981 - Steffens-Brigance
1982 - Geoff Thurman
1983 - Larry Bubb
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
