Jesus People Cincinnati

From 1967 to 1973 I served on the Dean's staff at the University of Cincinnati. It was a time of confusion, conflict and challenge to our nation and our traditional values. As a Christian I was shocked to see the immorality and debauchery at UC. Drugs, rock and roll and rebellion ruled the day. At least on the surface.

We who ministered on college campuses around the country saw another side to things. Yes, there were riots, pickets and problems but we came to see that "Whenever Satan comes in like a flood God will raise a standard against his attacks. Proof of that scripture exists all across this land in the pastors, elders and Christian leaders who came to faith during that era.

I received a Christmas note from a pastor this afternoon. He presently serves in an upscale region of a large city as a minister and Christian counselor. Back in the Seventies he was a seriously troubled student at UC living a life of hedonism and chaos. As Associate Dean I was asked to lead a retreat for a fraternity to bring some peace and reconciliation among the various factions who were destroying the meaning of brotherhood and teamwork.

The retreat was a quite successful but the most important thing that happened was the testimonies of several men who had recently come to Christ. The honesty and genuineness of their heart felt sharing changed the entire sense of the gathering and later several other guys also attended church and came to faith. I was an amazed midwife who simply showed up at a university sponsored conflict resolution retreat and saw God work miracles in the heart of these young men.

The media covered the antics of the radical and violent groups like Students for a Democratic Society but almost never saw the importance of what God was doing in Christian groups. In 1970 about 50 SDS members gathered in Wisconsin, I believe, and the national and international media were in a frenzy, spending millions of dollars on ink to cover their story.

At the same time 17,000 students gathered at Urbana and pledged themselves to serve Christ forever. Many also pledged to serve Him in overseas missions. The Christian media covered it, of course, but rarely a word on TV or in the New York Times.

The next time you meet a Christian in his/her forties and fifties ask them where and how they met the Lord. The just may be part of that remarkable Jesus Movement that shook the world and brought millions to Christ. Karen and I were fortunate enough to have God push us into the Jesus Movement where we opened our house to hundreds of those young men and women.

Do it again, Lord! Do it again!