FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
ON THE MARCH
was walking her dog. She thought they were marvellous, and opened her home to them. On the last day she gave a farewell buffet where Jesus People, punks and freaks were served cakes, trifles and strawberries by a team of genteel Anglican ladies! In Birmingham there were plenty of stories and unusual encounters. One was reported in Lifenews: It was an ordinary flat, but the couple were not alone. Milk bottles would fly around the kitchen and there were knocking noises. The water heater and cooker would be turned on. An apparition was seen, and visitors were fearful. So we went to the flat and commanded the evil presence to leave in the name of Jesus. Now it’s a place of peace.78
Birmingham was still central to our vision. We held missions in the city and in the autumn bought Cofton Hall, an historic mansion, which stood in fine grounds below the Lickey Hills. At ‘Cornerstone’ there were shades of the pioneering days at Bugbrooke. It was large, cold and empty, and needed a lot of repair. When Skaino Services got to work, the brothers had to sleep in the baronial hall with its old oak rafters and stone walls. The place was spooky — you half expected an ancient butler to come downstairs and croak, ‘You rang, Sir?’ But after they had all gone round the house shouting the name of Jesus, the atmosphere changed. One person at Cornerstone saw an angel standing at her bedroom door. Another night, a new convert came home drunk and discouraged. ‘God,’ he said, ‘if you’re really there, why don’t you make a tree fall down or something?’ 248