Fifty
years ago,on the West Coast young people experienced the Summer of
Love midst the turmoil and upheaval of old ways. The ground shook
beneath the Establishment. Riots in the cities played out on national
TV, as well as here in the Valley. We saw changes from the old guard
even hit here. Among the hippies, drop outs and flower children, a
movement for Jesus People started there, too. It spread east.
Three summers later,
June 1971, with the world still in the midst of this unrest, two boys
had plans of driving a paneled truck to Florida. A week before Marty
Mattocks and Frank Parish were to leave, they met Jesus at the Barn
in Newton Falls,Ohio. Their itinerary stopped at Mercer, as they
spoke with Jim Erb, along with Deanna Snyder. They wanted to work
here for the Lord.
First, Jim, offered
his leadership and had the kids meet in his home. The boys and the
first gathering declared they wanted to keep this out of the church
building. Within weeks, fifty kids attended the weekly gatherings.
The meetings had to be moved to Brandy Springs Park which worked in
the summer, with camp fires providing the atmosphere for singing and
testimonials. Summers always move to fall, though, with chilly
evenings. The pavilion wasn't always available, either. The park
couldn't keep up with the movement.
In stepped Ralph E.
Watson and his wife, Louise, offering their barn one mile south of
Mercer for the Thursday evening sessions of the Jesus People of
Mercer County. Within two months, the crowd grew to 350, some nights
up to 400. The new gospel music, a folk and rock combination played
on guitars by Loree Schmidt and others, opened the meetings as the
young people mingled and drifted in. Sharing what Jesus had done
opened the meetings, speaking to many hearts. A speaker, either Jim
or guest ministers, like Dr. Joseph Hopkins or Reverend Jack
Chisholm, brought a brief message. Then a consecration song with more
prayer saw the people out. About ten percent of the attenders were
adults. Rainy nights, a fourteen year old Ralph Watson pulled cars
out of the mud with his tractor.
The nights grew
cooler and a heater was introduced. Some kids still smoked
cigarettes. The insurance company threatened to not cover any
damages, in fact drop the policy, if this continued. The barn proved
too chilly and the movement met a dilemma.
After much prayer,
they decided to erect a new structure on the Watson farm, just for
the meetings.
Jim Calvert of the
Calvert Lumber Company in Sharon visited the Barn, by chance, with
his brother, a photographer. He learned of the need and donated the
material at cost and free labor by prefabbing it in his shop. He
oversaw volunteers at the new site, still on the Watson farm.
Everything, including wiring and an oil furnace(which cost $500),
came to $3500. The total covered by donations. Soon the Jesus People
moved into a new barn ready for meetings January, 1972. They had no
debt with this building, warmer than the old Barn.
The ministry could
be seen as an adjunct to many churches. Jim estimated 75% of the
teens were from various denominations and 25% were the hippies, and
dropouts who needed to meet Jesus and probably wouldn't have felt
comfortable in a church building.
Two Catholic nuns
attended one night and were delighted at what they saw in the
movement of the Holy Spirit. The Protestant clergy around the Valley
also endorsed the movement. Lives were changed. Many of the young
people affected are still involved in their churches to this day.
Jim led the Barn
from 1971 to 1976. They also had three Jesus Festivals in 1974, '76
and '78. When Jim stepped down, the Barn went on for a while without
him. But like many things of this era, changes in the culture
outdated the specific ministry.
Many of the
practices of the Barn ministry became mainstream in the churches. The
music would be the most obvious. Christians debated the style of
music, even leading to two different worship times to accommodate the
styles. Greetings and testimonies confirm community. Healing services
attract many. The Barn created community which churches need.
In a time of
upheaval, like the late '60's, a special need arose for ministries
like the Barn. The Jesus People Movement is still alive, as evidenced
by recent e mail received. 1968 to 2018, fifty years after the
Summer of Love, what will attract young people to Jesus, now?- Could
a simple stable setting still invite hearts to Jesus?
Thank you to Jan
Erb, Jim's widow, for the interview and pictures, and sharing the
Pennsylvania Farmer article from August 12. 1972. I agree with the writer
at the end of the article, “wish there were a Ralph Watson and Jim
Erb in every rural district of the land!”
